New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Sony/ATV
Music Publishing has further strengthened its Neighbouring Rights division with the addition of a series of high-profile signings to the roster, including
Mark Ronson and Snoop Dogg.
DJ Snake, Cedric Gervais, The Magician, Lily Wood & The Prick, Shift K3y, Blonde and
AronChupa have also struck deals with the rapidly growing UK-based operation, which is run by the world's leading music publishing company and announced its first signings last year with a line-up including Pharrell Williams, Nile Rodgers, Clean Bandit,
Kiesza and the estate of Lou Reed.
The new arrivals further underline the division's philosophy of providing a bespoke, hands-on service for a select number of clients.
Sony/ATV UK Managing
Director and President of European Creative Guy Moot said: "Our Neighbouring Rights business continues to go from strength to strength and these additions to the roster will only make it stronger. It's particularly gratifying to me to be reunited with Mark Ronson, someone who I have known and worked with over many years and who is deservedly having such an incredible year. He is the kind of artist who typifies what this division is all about. It's set up to deliver a bespoke, focused and highly personal service to its clients, while is able to draw from the creative, business and administrative qualities of being part of the world's leading music publishing company."
The division is run by
George Powell, one of the industry's leading Neighbouring Rights experts, who previously oversaw Neighbouring Rights at UK-based music licensing and rights organisation PPL. Powell joined Sony/ATV in 2013 as head of the division.
He said: "It's been a successful year during which we've focused hard on strengthening our roster with artists who will be complementary to what we do. As relatively new players in this sector, I am happy we've gained the respect and trust of some of the biggest names in the game and shown them the benefits of working with us in this field. Lower client numbers ensure we keep this personal and also that the high levels of admin required to do this properly don't get diluted."
The arrival of
Mark Ronson to the division comes in a period in which he has scored the biggest-selling hit globally of the year with "Uptown Funk". Featuring Bruno Mars, it spent 14 consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US, the joint second longest chart-topping run of all time, while it has sold 5.6 million downloads there, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It also this year set a new record for the highest number of streams in one week in both the U.S. (4.8 million) and worldwide (15 million).
Alongside being the year's most popular download in the States, it is also the top seller of 2015 in the UK where it has sold 1.3 million copies in total, according to the Official Charts Company, and was named British Single of the Year at the BRIT Awards in February. It has been a No. 1 hit around the world, including in Australia, Canada, France and Spain.
Snoop Dogg's addition to the roster brings in one of the most seminal and enduring stars of rap, having recorded his debut album Doggstyle in 1993. It was the first of three consecutive No. 1 albums for him on the Billboard 200 chart in the U.S., while his long run of hits includes breakthrough Top 10 single "
What's My Name?", Hot 100 chart-topper "
Drop It Like It's Hot" featuring
Pharrell Williams and "
Signs" with
Justin Timberlake and Charlie Simpson.
Besides the addition of these great artists, the division also welcomes some of the most successful new talent in contemporary music.
DJ Snake was certified for 5 million U.S. sales of his 2014 Top 10 single "
Turn Down For What" with Lil Jon, while French DJ Cedric Gervais's remix of Lana Del Rey's "
Summertime Sadness" became the breakthrough Top 10 hit in the States for the chanteuse.
The Israeli-French duo Lily Wood & The Prick topped the UK singles chart in 2014 with "Prayer In C" as well as reaching No. 1 across Europe, while English DJ and producer Shift K3y scored a UK top three hit last year with "
Touch". In the same year UK duo Blonde reached the British Top 10 with the single "
I Loved You" featuring Melissa Steel as did Belgian DJ The
Magician with "
Sunlight" featuring Years & Years, while Swedish DJ, record producer and singer-songwriter
AronChupa scored a big hit across continental
Europe with "
I'm An Albatraoz". It debuted in the UK Top 40 last Sunday.
What are Neighbouring Rights?
Neighbouring Rights are rights related to the sound recording of a musical work and are due to the artists and musicians featured whenever there is a commercial exploitation of it such as through radio or TV airplay.
