In continuance of Warner Music‘s expansion into India over the past three years, the label has purchased India-based artist management and live events company E-Positive. It will continue to operate independently and be led by its founder and CEO, Naushad Khan.
Khan is a prominent figure in the live entertainment industry and has managed and developed the careers of numerous musicians in the region. For example, E-Positive is home to Darshan Raval — one of the top five most streamed artists in India and the fastest growing artists in India. He’s released songs in Hindi, Gujarati, Punjabi and Bengali that have been streamed over nine billion times, while he has grown his monthly listeners across the DSPs to more than 43 million.
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“I’ve worked towards developing a legacy for over 10 years and carved the journey of each one of my artists,” commented Khan in a statement, “I’m delighted that we’ve found a new home at Warner Music India. The team there will help us grow in the international market and will help our artists connect with more fans from around the world. We’re looking forward to the next chapter of E-Positive.”
“This deal once again reinforces our desire to become the number one destination for artists in India, and welcoming an artist like Darshan onto our roster is a real statement of intent,” said Alfonso Perez Soto, president of emerging markets for Warner Music. “Darshan, as well as the whole of the E-Positive roster, will be able to harness Warner Music’s global network and start to connect with a wider international audience. This deal helps us to level up and enhance our 360 offering to artists by bringing in the knowledge and expertise of Naushad to Warner Music. Our improved suite of services we will enable our artists to transcend the whole of India and help bring Indian culture to the rest of the world.”
Pictured above (L-R): Jay Mehta, Naushad Khan, Darshan Raval and Alfonso Perez Soto.
+ Reservoir Media, Inc. has acquired the catalog of Latin hitmaker Rudy Perez, who has penned and produced music for such acts as Christina Aguilera, Luis Miguel, Julio Iglesias, and more. In addition, Reservoir has inked a publishing deal for his future works.
Perez, a 19-time Grammy nominee, co-founded both the Latin Recording Academy in 1997 and the Latin Grammys in 2000. Since then, the Latin Grammys has become the premier awards show for recognizing outstanding achievement in Latin music. In 2013, Perez also co-created the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame to further recognize and honor the most important Latin composers. Additionally, in 2003, Perez partnered with the ASCAP Foundation to create the Rudy Perez Songwriting Scholarship to support the education of aspiring Latino songwriters.
Perez said, “I’m thrilled to be a part of the Reservoir family. I look forward to collaborating on new projects with their entire team as I embark on the next phase of my career.”
“Rudy is a trailblazer,” adds John Ozier, Reservoir’s executive VP. “He and Latin music are so deeply intertwined, and his fingerprints are all over so many of the genre’s biggest hits. I’ve been talking with Rudy and his team for five years, which makes closing this deal a big moment for me personally. I am so proud to welcome Rudy to Reservoir and help support his legacy and the legacy of the genre moving forward.”
+ Universal Music Group was the recipient of the Higginbotham Corporate Leadership Award at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law’s annual Higginbotham Awards Gala. The music industry giant was honored for its work in supporting and advancing equity, social justice, and inclusion.
In 2020, Universal Music Group created the Task Force for Meaningful Change led by Jeffrey Harleston, general counsel and executive VP of business and legal affairs, and other Black executives. The group hopes to encourage lasting change in areas such as economic empowerment and business development; housing; legal services and bail; mental health services; legislative reform; physical health services; and voting resources and education.
The event, held on Oct. 4 in New York, hosted Gregory Porter as its special musical guest and was emceed by Melissa Murray and Grace Stokes (professor of law at New York University School of Law).
+ SoundExchange has honored Gloria Estefan with the SoundExchange Music Fairness Award for her advocacy for artists and creators and for supporting the American Music Fairness Act (AMFA).
Estefan testified before the House Judiciary Committee in support of AMFA in February 2022 in an effort to incite artists to be compensated fairly when their music is played on AM/FM radio. “There are few artists as globally recognized as Gloria Estefan,” said Michael Huppe, President and CEO of SoundExchange. “Gloria’s passionate support of the American Music Fairness Act and courage to demand laws that compel corporate broadcasters to compensate performers for their work inspires generations of creators. SoundExchange is honored to recognize her commitment with the Music Fairness Award.”
“I am overjoyed to be recognized for the advocacy that is close to my heart and to receive the Music Fairness Award,” added Estefan. “I appreciate SoundExchange’s leadership and collaboration as we seek to win all creators the right to receive the royalties they deserve. I encourage my fellow artists to lend their voices and support to encourage the U.S. Congress to protect performers and fight the powerful corporate broadcaster lobby.”
Huppe presented Estefan with the SoundExchange Music Fairness Award in Miami at Crescent Moon Studios, a recording facility founded by Gloria and Emilio Estefan.
+ Seeker Music has acquired singer-songwriter Phil Plested’s publishing catalog, which includes Lewis Capaldi’s “Before You Go,” Marshmello and Jonas Brothers’ hit single “Leave Before You Love Me,” and Little Mix’s chart-topping “Touch,” among other singles performed by OneRepublic, Niall Horan, the Chainsmokers and more.
“Together with my best friend, and manager, Hannan Malik, I’ve built this catalog of songs since 2012 with my heart and soul and passing it on was a decision I didn’t take lightly,” said Plested. “I’ve looked up to Evan [Bogart, CEO of Seeker Music and award-winning songwriter] as a writer throughout my career. He understands the emotional attachment we make with our songs, and the fact that I was able to retain my songs as an artist is a testament to that. I’m confident that Seeker has the best intentions for my songs and I look forward to working with them into the future and throughout my next chapter as a songwriter. I couldn’t be happier with this partnership.”
Plested’s catalog joins other Seeker acquisitions including the full works of Charlotte Caffey (The Go-Gos, “We Got the Beat”) and Christopher Cross (“Sailing”, “Ride Like The Wind”), Run the Jewels’ first three albums, along with classic copyrights performed by the likes of Miley Cyrus, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Drake, Eminem, SWV, One Direction, DMX, Nelly, 2Pac and many more.
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