Music artist, YouTuber, and boxer KSI strikes global partnership with BMG 05 Nov 2019
International music artist, YouTube personality, and social media influencer KSI has signed a global recordings and publishing partnership with RBC Records/BMG.
KSI (Knowledge, Strength, Integrity) is the professional name of Olajide "JJ" Olatunji, the London, England-born phenomenon who has become one of the top ranked and most successful YouTubers in the world. KSI's twochannels alone host over 28 million subscribers, accumulating a combined six billion-plus views.
KSI and music manager Mams Taylor, President of Premier League Entertainment, have partnered with BMG to further develop his burgeoning music career in the US and internationally, as both an artist and songwriter. An established artist in the UK, with three UK Number One releases to his credit, KSI is currently putting the finishing touches on his upcoming new singles, videos and full-length album. In addition to the upcoming new releases, BMG will be both administering and reissuing his catalog recordings.
In 2015, KSI's debut EP Keep Up debuted at Number One UK R&B Albums and number 13 UK Albums charts. The following year, he released his second EP Jump Around, featuring the singles 'Goes Off' ft. Mista Silva, 'Friends with Benefits' ft. MNDM, and the title track featuring Waka Flocka Flame. His third EP Space, released in 2017, was followed closely by a fourth EP Disstracktions, which would go on to chart at Number One UK R&B Albums and number 31 UK Albums charts. Earlier this year, KSI released the collaborative album New Age with Randolph, featuring guest appearances from British singer Talia Mar, grime MC Jme and rapper Quadeca. The full-length set would go on to debut at Number One UK R&B Albums and number 17 UK Albums charts.
In addition to his burgeoning music career, KSI has developed as an avid amateur boxer and will officially turn pro on November 9 in his first professionally licensed, headlining fight card at Staples Center in Los Angeles (streaming live on DAZN). The fight pits the reigning YouTube Boxing Championship titleholder in a highly-anticipated, widely publicized rematch against fellow YouTuber Logan Paul, following their first bout in 2018 that ended in majority draw.
Said KSI, "I love that BMG stand for fairness and transparency. That's one of the things that appealed to me most about them. I am excited to take my music to the next level with them because they see my vision and believe in me."
Said Taylor, "KSI has a uniquely incredible work ethic and underdog mentality. He manifests whatever he sets his mind to. As a human being he is consistently the nicest guy and for me it just makes the wins taste even sweeter when you work with someone you have love for. I also love how quickly BMG grasped that this guy is a winner. We are really happy to have them in our corner. They are open to out the box ideas and are both creative and innovative. I couldn't ask for a better home for KSI's music to flourish or a better team to support his growth as an artist."
Brian Shafton, SVP Recorded Music, BMG, said, "KSI's passion is music and as an artist he achieves everything he sets his mind to. He is a global artist with global appeal and together with BMG's global network he's now able to find new listeners and get his music heard by his millions of fans around the world."
Thomas Scherer, EVP Repertoire & Marketing, BMG Los Angeles, said, "This is an exciting new innovative partnership that allows us to expand, diversify, and amplify KSI's brand marketing and monetization across all platforms. Through our resources and infrastructure, we're leveraging everything he has accomplished to elevate his career to a whole new level."
NEWS & PRESS
The Mechanical Licensing Collective Brings Legal Action for Unpaid Royalties Against Spotify USA
Complaint asserts Spotify has underpaid The MLC for royalties due under the compulsory mechanical blanket license. The Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC) announced today that it has filed a legal action against music streaming platform Spotify USA Inc. (Spotify) in the...more
Billie Eilish - #HITMEHARDANDSOFT takeover
Today, TikTok is excited to unveil the #HITMEHARDANDSOFT takeover in celebration of Billie Eilish's new album, Hit Me Hard and Soft launching Friday, 5/17. Fans can immerse themselves into the album through playlist curation, challenges to unlock exclusive artwork for their profiles, and the opportunity...more
Sony Music Publishing Promotes Nasra Artan to Head of International A&R
Sony Music Publishing today announced the promotion of Nasra Artan to the new position of Head of International A&R, effective immediately.As Head of International A&R, Artan will take on a broader role in spearheading SMP’s international creative strategy. She will...more
KT Tunstall to receive an Ivor Novello award for Outstanding Song Collection
CELEBRATING HER CREATIVE OUTPUT AND SONGWRITING ABILITY ACROSS A PROLIFIC 20-YEAR CAREER AMAZON MUSIC EXCLUSIVELY RELEASES UNHEARD DEMO OF KT TUNSTALL'S "SUDDENLY I SEE"LISTEN HEREKT Tunstall will receive the award at the world's biggest and most prestigious celebration of songwriters, The...more
ATC and Raw Power join forces to create artist management powerhouse
ATC Management is delighted to announce a majority investment in Raw Power Management, bringing together two of the UK's most revered artist management businesses under one roof. Founded in 2006 by current CEO, Craig Jennings, Raw Power Management represents many of...more
Rajar Q1 2024 - editorial
Now here's a stat to confound and bemuse all the naysayers who'll try to convince you that nobody listens to the radio anymore. Almost 50 million UK adults do every single week. That's the highest number ever recorded and represents...more
beatBread brings business affairs in-house with new appointment
beatBread (www.beatBread.com), the AI-driven funding platform for music that enables artists and labels to access growth capital while maintaining ownership and control, has appointed Julian Dunn as Director of Business Affairs, to provide legal and business affairs support across all...more
Survey reveals growing demand for environmentally friendly vinyl records
Research from Key Production reveals over two thirds (69%) of vinyl consumers would buy more if records were made more sustainably 77 per cent of regular vinyl customers willing to pay a premium for reduced impact products 83 per cent of general...more
Sony Music Publishing Acquires Kevin Parker’s Complete Song Catalog, Expands Global Deal
Deal extends longstanding partnership, encompassing catalog and future works Sony Music Publishing today announced it has acquired the catalog of award-winning singer, songwriter/producer and multi-instrumentalist Kevin Parker. The deal expands the company’s longstanding partnership with Parker, which first began in 2009,...more
TikTok LIVE's Gimme The Mic returns with SoundOn
Gimme The Mic, TikTok LIVE's global talent competition to discover new musical talent is back for 2024, this time in partnership with TikTok's SoundOn. First launched in 2023, Gimme The Mic gives emerging artists and music creators an opportunity to build their...more
Global growth!
Global delivered an incredible set of RAJAR figures for Quarter 1 (1 January – 31 March 2024), with a record-breaking 27.6 million people tuning in each week to live radio across Global's brands, with huge gains on reach, hours and share in the last...more
AIM Independent Music Awards 2024 Return to Roundhouse – Submissions Open!
Fourth Roundhouse edition takes place Thursday 17th October More inclusive than ever, with several categories free to enterTastemaker awards celebrates the UK’s most most exciting new music, businesses and entrepreneurs The AIM Independent Music Awards returns on 17th October for its fourth...more
Broma 16 expands with new YouTube and collecting society deals
Broma 16 expands with new YouTube and collecting society deals Music licensing hub Broma16 is expanding with its latest deals, including an international agreement with YouTube and partnerships with three collecting societies from the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) region. The YouTube...more
New initiative, The Alternative Conservatoire is offering transformational solutions for the future of music education
The Alternative Conservatoire is a multi-disciplinary accelerator course for young music creators who defy conventional categorisation Partnerships with Nonclassical, GOKUMI Ensemble, Freeze Productions, Rich Mix and funding by Arts Council England, Cosman-Keller Art and Music Trust and Marchus Trust, make this...more
PMY Group and Audoo announce global partnership, audio meter integration enhances public performance reporting at large-scale events
Partnership sees the Audoo Audio Meter™ integrated into tech stacks at major events. This rollout bolsters Audoo's global expansion, and mission to revolutionise public performance royalties for music creators, licensees and businesses. PMY Group (PMY) – a full-service technology solutions provider specialising...more
The Script sign global deal with BMG
The Script are set to embark upon a fresh chapter in their hugely successful career with the news that they have signed a new global deal with BMG. In their sixteen-year history, The Script have become one of the world’s...more
Ralph W Peer named Managing Director of Peermusic UK
Ralph W. Peer has been named Managing Director, peermusic UK, expanding his role within the world’s premiere independent music publishing firm to oversee creative and administrative operations for the company in the U.K. region as announced today by Mary Megan Peer, Chief...more
Sun Label Group Launches to Honor Musical Legacies and Shape the Future of Sound
Celebrating 160 Years of Musical Heritage with a Vision for Tomorrow Sun Label Group has officially launched under its parent company, Primary Wave Music. This groundbreaking venture stands as a testament to the enduring power of music, bringing together the historic legacies and...more
FKP Scorpio Entertainment (FKPE) announces major UK & European expansion plans
FKP SCORPIO ENTERTAINMENT (FKPE) ANNOUNCES MAJOR UK & EUROPEAN EXPANSION PLANS FOR EXHIBITIONS, FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT, COMEDY, SPOKEN WORD AND SPECIAL PROJECTS. ACQUISITION OF THE SUCCESSFUL NORDICS EXHIBITIONS IN SWEDEN EXPANDING INTO ALL NORDIC MARKETS. NEW EXHIBITION VENUE TO OPEN IN OBERHAUSEN, GERMANY International concert and...more
Apple Music celebrates the greatest records ever made with the launch of inaugural 100 Best Albums list
A 10-day countdown kicks off today with the reveal of albums 100-91, featuring works from Solange; Tyler, The Creator; George Michael; and more Discover, share, and follow along as Apple Music journeys through the albums that shaped, inspired, and fundamentally changed...more
AIMP Followup Statement on Spotify’s Bundling Plans, Cutting Publisher Royalties by Estimated $150m
The Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP) — including Michael Lau (National Chair and New York Chapter President), Marc Caruso (Los Angeles Chapter President), Ree Guyer (Nashville Chapter President), and Tony D. Alexander (Atlanta Chapter President) — issued the below followup statement...more
UK trio Flo sign exclusively to PPL for international royalties collection
The BRITs-winning group FLO have agreed a deal with PPL for the collection of their international neighbouring rights royalties. The addition to PPL's prestigious roster puts FLO alongside renowned artists such as Lewis Capaldi, Ice Spice and Central Cee. FLO formed...more
Could a soundtrack change Rishi Sunak's chances of election success?
'Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now' by McFadden & White is the soundtrack most likely to win voters back round for Rishi Sunak, research shows 'Changes' by David Bowie is most likely to lead to a landslide win for Labour under Starmer Sonic...more
Downtown Music Launches Downtown Royalties & Financial Services Division
Downtown Music (Downtown), the world's leading independent service provider to the global music industry, has today announced the launch of the Downtown Royalties & Financial Services Division (DR&FS) to make royalty services, accounting, and payments faster and simpler across rights...more
Soundful is the First AI Music Platform to Enable Stem Exporting Directly to Ableton Live
In another first for the industry, Soundful, the generative AI music creation platform for singers, songwriters, producers, and content creators, announced today that it has enabled the direct download of stems to Ableton Live, one of the most popular music...more
Artist and songwriter Patrice Rushen signs global publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music
Warner Chappell Music (WCM) has signed a global publishing deal with 4x Grammy nominee and jazz/R&B star Patrice Rushen. She is considered one of the world’s top recording artists and composers, performing with and producing for esteemed artists such as Stevie...more
Reservoir acquires catalog of 2Pac producer-songwriter Big D Evans
Reservoir Media, Inc. (NASDAQ: RSVR), an award-winning independent music company, today announced the acquisition of the producer royalties and publishing catalog of the late hip-hop producer-songwriter Deon Evans, professionally known as Big D Evans. Evans is best known for his...more
Brighton Music Conference 2024 full programme
A GUY CALLED GERALD, A MAN CALLED ADAM, CRAZY P, DJ PAULETTE, EROL ALKAN, FLAVA D, HEIDI, MR C, SAYTEK, SOLAH, SMOKIN JO-Over 200 industry leading professionals taking part in panels and workshops-Keynote Interviews with Erol Alkan, A Guy Called...more
Help Musicians and DJ Mag Partner to Accelerate Careers in Electronic Music
Help Musicians and DJ Mag join forces to drive forward the careers of 30 promising electronic music creators The 12-month accelerator provides funding, expert industry guidance, peer-to-peer connection and in-person development opportunities The programme addresses the findings from research into the challenges...more
The BPI Presents: In Tune with Talent
BPI CEO Dr Jo Twist OBE keynote address and panel discussion chaired by BPI CSO Sophie Jones 16th May, 1pm–2pm: Leonardo Royal Waterfront Hotel (Conference Room 2), Kings Road, Brighton The BPI – the representative voice for the UK’s world leading record labels...more
THE HEADLINES
Analysis of yesterday's Rajar Q1 2024 results (see Media)
How the music industry is in a new age of arrogance (see Opinion)
Rajars Q1 - commercial radio on the rise (see Media)
Musicians share stories about struggling to make ends (see Features)
Proper enters new era (see Business)
A perspective on the health of the UK's live industry (see Features)
Why Penske bought all the media companies (see Podcasts)
MPs call for arena ticket levy and tax relief to stem tide of grassroots music venue closures (see News)
Spotify reveals streaming royalties data for UK (see Digital)
Apple’s soul-crushing iPad Pro advert: Who thought this was a good idea? (see Bigger Picture)
Steve Albini was a button-pushing musician of uncompromising brilliance (see Features)
AI songwriting has gotten shockingly good — with big implications for the music world (see Comment)
Goldman Sachs publishes its influential Music In The Air report (see Analysis)
Music fandom’s future (and its existential crisis) (see Comment)
Can anyone learn to be a top songwriter? (see Features)