Yahoo Lifestyle Music Industry Moves: Warner Music Group and Audiomack Expand Licensing Deal to Reach 49 More Countries
Warner Music Group and streaming platform Audiomack have agreed to expand their current licensing deal, signed in 2019, to include 47 additional countries — including much of Europe and Africa and the Caribbean.
Audiomack’s previous deal with WMG, which was its first licensing deal with a major label, covered the United States and Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, Canada, Jamaica, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Kenya and Tanzania. Now, 47 new countries – among these new territories are UAE, Antigua and Barbuda, Germany, Egypt, France, United Kingdom, Mexico, Philippines and the the Dominican Republic, among several others (see a complete list below).
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In recent years, Audiomack has helped crack the growth of Afrobeats for artists such as Omah Lay, Ayra Starr and Seyi Vibez. It is the No. 1 app in Nigeria, for both iOS and Android, and is extremely popular globally.
“At WMG, we value partnerships with innovative companies like Audiomack that share our vision for driving music discovery and amplifying emerging talent,” said Allan Coye, executive vice president and global head of recorded music business development for WMG. “This expanded agreement deepens our commitment to connecting artists with fans worldwide and making music accessible on a global scale. We look forward to continuing to build on this partnership and bring more music to audiences around the world.”
“Audiomack has evolved into a global streaming service in every sense of the word,” said David Ponte, Audiomack CMO. “In the last five years, we’ve established our office in Africa, executed campaigns across multiple continents, and showcased emerging talent from diverse genres. Our mission is to give users worldwide access to music shaping global culture. The Warner Music Group library, with its many talented artists, is naturally a crucial part of that vision.”
The complete list of new WMG territories includes: UAE, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Benin, Bahamas, Belize, DRC, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Germany, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Algeria, Egypt, France, United Kingdom, Grenada, Gambia, Guyana, Haiti, Italy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Cayman Islands, Liberia, Morocco, Saint Martin, Martinique, Montserrat, Mexico, Panama, Philippines, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Suriname, Sin Maarten, Turks and Caicos, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
+ Atlantic Music Group has appointed Alex “Figs” Figueroa as vice president, creative. Working with Dave Rocco, Atlantic’s president of creative, Figueroa will collaborate with artists across Atlantic, 10K Projects, and 300 Entertainment.
Figueroa had a hand in developing the Artemas’ Hot 100-charting hit, “I Like the Way You Kiss Me.” He was also behind the signing Aminé to the label. Previously, Figs was head of content and later head of creative at 10K Projects.
As he steps into this new role, he credits the team at 10K Projects for being a constant source of support, collaboration and inspiration. “Nothing great is ever built alone,” Figs said. “I’ve been lucky to work with some of the sharpest minds in this industry, and I wouldn’t be here without them.”
+ Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. and Cutting Edge Group have partnered to create a joint venture through which they will co-own WBD’s vast catalog of film and TV music. WBD will retain creative and operational control of the music rights while CEG, further to its investment into the business, will jointly manage the JV.
WBD and CEG will focus on maximizing the distribution and revenue potential of the music portfolio, which contains more than 400,000 compositions and song cues, including some of the most recognized theme songs and scores in television and movie history. DWS Group is co-investing and sponsoring the transaction alongside CEG.
The library includes music from the “Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings” franchises, DC Comics movies, as well as TV shows such as “Friends,” “Game of Thrones,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “Two and Half Men,” “Succession,” and “The White Lotus.” Other iconic films and TV series represented in the portfolio include “Rebel Without a Cause,” “The Exorcist,” “A Star is Born,” “Blade Runner,” “Shawshank” “Redemption,” “The West Wing,” “ER,” “Full House,” “Sex and The City” and “Gossip Girl.”
The compositions from the Warner Brothers, HBO and Turner Networks catalogs will continue to be administered by Universal Music Publishing Group, while those from the Discovery/Scripps Networks catalog will remain under the administration of Sony Music Publishing.
+ Sphere Entertainment Co. announced today that Glenn Derry has joined the company as executive VP of MSG Ventures.
Derry will oversee a wide range of technology initiatives across MSG Ventures, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sphere Entertainment focused on developing advanced technologies for live entertainment. MSG Ventures also supports Sphere Studios, the immersive content studio dedicated to creating multi-sensory entertainment experiences exclusively for Sphere, and the Sphere platform overall, including future Sphere venues.
Derry will work across the organization to deploy both new and existing technologies that enhance Sphere’s live entertainment and experiential content, which has been redefining immersive experiences since the first Sphere opened in Las Vegas in September 2023. He will be based at Sphere Studios in Burbank, and report to Jim Dolan, executive chairman and chief executive officer for Sphere Entertainment.
“Our vision for Sphere was to combine cutting-edge technologies with storytelling – bringing audiences together to share in experiences they cannot experience anywhere else,” said Dolan. “Glenn is a creative technologist whose work has had a significant impact on the entertainment industry. His expertise will be an asset to Sphere as we continue to build on this next generation entertainment medium and reinforce our position at the forefront of immersive experiences.”
Derry joins Sphere Entertainment from AGBO, an independent film, television, and gaming studio, where he served as president of production technology.
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