Warner Chappell Music (WCM) has signed Coco Jones to an exclusive publishing agreement.
The R&B artist is up for five Grammy awards, including best new artist, at the upcoming 66th Annual Awards after receiving widespread acclaim for her EP, “What I Didn’t Tell You.” Born in South Carolina and raised in Tennessee, Jones started her music career recording songs at the age of nine and went on to land roles on the Disney Channel before signing with High Standardz/Def Jam Recordings in 2022.
“Music has been a constant in my life and the motivation that has anchored me since the very beginning,” said Jones in a press release. “Discovering a team at Warner Chappell that shares that same passion and understands my voice and vision is very special to me.”
“Coco Jones has one of the most unique voices out there, and it’s great to see her having her moment as both a songwriter and artist,” added Ryan Press, president of North America for WCM. “She’s helping pave an entirely new era of R&B and her hustle and work ethic have led to a year of breakthroughs. Now let’s go win some Grammys!”
+ iHeartMedia has tapped Jess Hilarious to co-host the nationally syndicated hit radio show “The Breakfast Club,” effective Feb. 5. Hilarious joins DJ Envy and Charlamagne Tha God on New York Power 105.1’s morning show.
“The Breakfast Club,” which broadcasts weekday mornings, is syndicated nationally by Premiere Networks on nearly 100 radio stations across the country reaching millions of listeners.
“I’m looking forward to joining forces with one of the largest media platforms,” said Hilarious, an actor and comedian with credits on shows like “Rel” and “Wild ‘N Out.” “I’m confident that taking the third seat at The Breakfast Club will show people that Jess Hilarious is not just comedy, but culture.”
“I’m very excited to have Jess Hilarious join The Breakfast Club. She is a force in her own right, an actress, comedian, podcaster, and now, the co-host of The Breakfast Club,” said Thea Mitchem, iHeartMedia’s executive VP of programming. “Jess was the standout choice to join Charlamagne and DJ Envy to build upon The Breakfast Club’s legacy of entertaining, informing and enlightening the community.”
+ Max Kaplan has been elevated to senior vice president and head of commercial partnerships for Columbia Records.
Kaplan is set to oversee all aspects of commercial strategy and revenue generation for Columbia, working closely with Columbia’s senior management team. He is based in New York and reports directly to Darren Stupak, executive VP and general manager of commercial partnerships for Sony Music Entertainment.
Kaplan has spent the last decade as a member of the Columbia commercial partnerships team, working in close collaboration with DSPs and physical retailers in support of Columbia’s roster, including releases by the likes of Adele, Beyoncé, blink-182, Harry Styles, Hozier, Miley Cyrus, Polo G, Rosalia, Tyler, The Creator, and more.
Since 2022 Kaplan has served as vice president of sales for Columbia. He also spent three years overseeing digital sales for the label.
+ Artist manager Michele Harrison has launched her own independent management company based in Los Angeles called MPH Collective.
The firm notably represents a diverse roster of clients, including R&B singer UMI, New York alt-pop duo Beau, Brooklyn-based R&B singer Healy, and Hawaii-based producer KaiGoinKrazy.
“It’s been a long time coming that I launch my own management company, and I’m honored to continue serving my incredible roster in this next chapter,” said Harrison. “At MPH Collective, the sky’s the limit, and my clients and I are poised for success now more than ever. Since my first day as an artist manager, I set out with the intention to build a roster of deeply credible and talented career artists. Launching MPH Collective allows me to completely focus on nurturing my clients and helping them reach their highest creative potential. Looking back on where I came from and seeing the freedom ahead for me and my clients makes me beam with pride and pinch myself at the same time. There is so much more to come, and I’m beyond excited for this new era.”
+ Cherie Hu, the founder of music tech research and education platform Water & Music, will join Syracuse University full-time to teach about new music industry business models, emerging technologies and more.
Hu will start in the fall of 2024 as a professor of practice at Syracuse’s Newhouse School of Public Communications in the Bandier Program for Recording and Entertainment Industries. She currently teaches about social media and data for the music business as an adjunct instructor at Newhouse, one of the top communications schools in the country.
A longtime writer, researcher, and educator focused on the intersection of technology and the music business, Hu plans to continue to contribute actively to Water & Music in a strategic capacity. Water & Music produces data-driven research, online courses and events on music tech innovation for a global community of thousands of industry professionals.
+ CSW Publicity has named Heidi Anne-Noel as senior VP of music publicity. She’ll work alongside Executive VP/Founder Cara Wodnicki overseeing the agency’s music clients and music business.
Anne-Noel joins CSW from BMF, where she was VP of music publicity and ran campaigns for ONErpm, Cardboard Sessions, Awich, The Kingdom Choir and Abigail Barlow, among others. She was also formerly VP at Capitol where she worked on campaigns for Katy Perry.
+ Concord Music Publishing has acquired a select number of songs from Cary Barlowe‘s catalog including Chris Young’s “Famous Friends” and “Raised on Country,” as well as songs recorded by Kelsea Ballerini, Brett Kissel, Chris Tomlin, Rascal Flatts, Lauren Alaina, Little Big Town, Mickey Guyton, and more.
In addition to the catalog acquisition, Concord has extended Barlowe’s publishing deal through its creative joint venture, Hang Your Hat Music, and includes Barlowe’s full catalog and all future works.
“It feels good to entrust a company like Concord with this body of songs,” said Barlowe. “Knowing them personally and creatively, I am so thankful to be working with such great people! It’s a blessing!”
Barlowe’s introduction to country music began when Taylor Swift included Nathan (Cary’s brother) and Cary Barlowe’s song, “Untouchable,” on her multi-platinum album “Fearless” in 2008.
“We are thrilled to expand our relationship with Cary, and now represent this additional catalog of hits,” said Brad Kennard, senior VP of Concord Music Publishing in Nashville. “Cary is the consummate pro who won’t be outworked. His passion for writing hits is clearly represented in this catalog, as well as the songs he’s writing today. We couldn’t be prouder to continue to build with Cary Barlowe!”
