Warner Chappell Music has introduced what it says is a “important growth” to its three way partnership with Lilly Raye Music, the administration firm and writer based by US music govt Edward Matthew.

Lilly Raye Music, based mostly in Stockholm, Sweden, has labored with Warner Chappell Music on artistic collaborations between the Nordics, the UK and the US.

As the businesses increase their JV, Matthew is now taking over an official place as Marketing consultant to Warner Chappell Music.

WCM says that the exec will work intently with Lars Karlsson, WCM’s MD of the Nordics, Germany, Switzerland and Austria; Petter Walthinsen, WCM’s Head of A&R for the Nordics; Shani Gonzales, WCM’s Head of Worldwide A&R and UK MD; and Ryan Press, WCM’s President, North America.

He’ll proceed to run Lilly Raye Music collectively with A&R Supervisor Justin Martinez. Matthew, initially from Boston, received his begin in artist administration by working with the likes of Jay Sean, Louis Bell and Sebastian Mikael.

The growth of the businesses’ JV features a artistic strategic partnership with Parx Publishing, owned by Tayla Parx, who can also be signed as a songwriter to Warner Chappell Music within the US.

Parx Publishing and the JV have already collectively signed 4 writers, together with Albin Tengblad, Emelie Walcott, Gustav Landell and Oliver Frid.

Commenting on the deal, Matthew mentioned that, “Tayla just isn’t solely among the finest songwriters on the planet however can also be a real visionary”.

He added: “She understands creatives, she understands the worldwide market and may export music, so it was a no brainer to convey her in on the enterprise facet of factor and do a take care of Parx Publishing. We’ve ended up managing half of Parx Publishing’s roster which incorporates quite a lot of key writers and producers in Sweden.”

In a separate transfer, the JV has struck a take care of Grammy-nominated producer Tommy Brown, the founding father of Champagne Remedy Music Group, that can see them collectively develop writers’ careers.

The primary signing to their joint roster is Sweden-based author, singer, mastering engineer and producer Pontus Kalm, who releases his personal music as a part of the duo GAMMAL, and has additionally labored with artists and writers akin to A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, Afrojack, BTS, ITZY, LE SSERAFIM, NCT 127 and TXT.

Writers and producers signed by the JV have already labored on No.1 albums within the US, UK and Sweden, together with Ariana Grande’s Positions and Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia (The Moonlight Version). In addition they noticed success by securing the UK No.1 single with Little Combine’s Candy Melody.

“Tommy Brown is an knowledgeable with regards to growing songwriters to construct hits for international stars akin to Ariana Grande, Blackpink, BTS and Justin Bieber,” mentioned Matthew of the take care of Tommy Brown.

Moreover, the JV has signed a brand new take care of Straynané, who Warner Chappell describes as “one of the celebrated producers in Swedish hip-hop”.

He has labored with artists together with Adel, Aden x Asme, Dree Low and Einár, producing songs which have racked up a couple of billion streams in Sweden alone.  He was awarded Producer of the 12 months on the 2021 Swedish MPA Awards.

WCM says that, through the JV, Straynané has already participated in writing classes with the likes of Nova Wav, Tayla Parx and XO’s DannyBoyStyles.

“Ed and Justin’s strategy utterly chimes with the worldwide technique we’re pursuing at Warner Chappell Music.”

Man Moot, Warner Chappell Music

Commenting on the growth of the JV, Warner Chappell Music’s Co-Chair and Chief Government Officer, Man Moot mentioned: “Ed and Justin’s strategy utterly chimes with the worldwide technique we’re pursuing at Warner Chappell Music.

“And partnering with Tayla Parx and Tommy Brown to signal new expertise is a tremendous manner of increasing our relationship with Lilly Raye. Our partnership has already yielded chart-topping albums and singles, and I’m certain extra will observe.”

“Stockholm is a key international hub for songwriting.  We’re already serving to creatives cross boundaries and we’re set to do much more sooner or later.”

Ed Matthew and Justin Martinez, Lilly Raye Music

Ed Matthew and Justin Martinez mentioned: “Stockholm is a key international hub for songwriting.  We’re already serving to creatives cross boundaries and we’re set to do much more sooner or later.

“We need to thank Lars, Ryan and Shani at Warner Chappell who from day one received our imaginative and prescient of marrying Swedish technical brilliance with essentially the most popping artists out of the US, UK and elsewhere.

“Now we’re tremendous excited to be collaborating with artistic stars akin to Tayla Parx and Tommy Brown to search out and develop much more new expertise.”

“Ed and Justin are two good artistic execs who got here from the US and constructed a profitable enterprise right here in Sweden as a result of they perceive our tradition and music scene.”

Lars Karlsson, Warner Chappell Music

Lars Karlsson added: “Ed and Justin are two good artistic execs who got here from the US and constructed a profitable enterprise right here in Sweden as a result of they perceive our tradition and music scene.

“They’re additionally superb at connecting expertise from the Nordics with a number of the most taking place artists from all over the world.  We’re delighted to be scripting this new chapter collectively.”

MBW caught up with Lars Karlsson, Warner Chappell Music’s Managing Director for the Nordics, Germany, Switzerland and Austria, and Lilly Raye Music’s Ed Matthew, in regards to the expanded JV, and their predictions for the songwriter and publishing panorama in Sweden…

How did the Chappell/Lilly Raye Music three way partnership first come about and why have you ever determined to increase it?

Ed Matthew: The three way partnership first began as a dialog with Ryan Press. I initially knew Ryan from my time within the US and from operating Lilly Raye as a administration firm.

I then moved to Sweden and began having loads of success with Swedish writers and producers, touchdown No.1s and international hits. Ryan launched me to Man [Moot], Carianne [Marshall], Shani [Gonzales] and Lars [Karlsson] and I noticed what a fantastic firm Warner Chappell Music was. We began working collectively and had a fantastic run of success, so it made excellent sense to additional increase our partnership.

Lars Karlsson: We struck up a fantastic working relationship, with Eddie and Justin transferring into our workplace right here in Stockholm. They actually turned pals of the household. We began to develop an rising variety of initiatives collectively and knew we might do much more given our shared strategy to the artistic course of and our complementary networks and connections.

What are your plans and objectives for the JV this yr?

EM: We need to obtain extra international success and hit information, and actually need to deal with constructing a stronger presence within the Asian market. We’ve loved a fantastic run in our first time period with Warner Chappell and in the end we need to proceed that with large international information, whereas persevering with to have an enormous presence domestically. With Straynané we’ve dominated the Swedish rap market and we need to proceed that success and assist propel him onto the worldwide stage.

LK: I simply need to echo what Eddie mentioned about Straynané. He’s an enormous expertise who was conquered the Swedish market, and we all know we may help him go actually international.

What do you search for within the producers and songwriters that you simply work with?

EM: I search for work ethic and ambition. Somebody that’s keen to be coached and developed, needs to hear and study and is obsessed with what they do with a transparent imaginative and prescient for themselves.

LK: And I feel a key factor is that they need to construct a global profession. That doesn’t simply imply within the US and UK. As Eddie mentioned, we’ve received an actual deal with Asia this yr, and we’re seeing an rising variety of Swedish writers have success with Okay-Pop collaborations. There are additionally many alternatives throughout Europe, significantly in large markets akin to Germany.

How aggressive is it within the publishing sector when it comes to signing songwriters/producers in Sweden?

EM: Sweden is an artist/author improvement nation. Sweden has an enormous historical past of growing expertise early on, so I discover it’s much less aggressive in signing established names and extra about discovering somebody with uncooked expertise and dealing with them to craft their expertise to turn out to be world-class writers and producers.

LK: I agree with Eddie. There are fewer chequebook signings right here, however an intense competitors to search out and develop youthful writers who’ve received the potential to faucet into international alternatives.

Sweden has an extended historical past of being dwelling to a number of the world’s prime songwriters and producers. To what does Sweden owe its success in songwriting and manufacturing?

EM: Sweden is a ravishing nation that helps the humanities and its creatives. From the early phases of a author’s profession there is a chance to study. And then you definately take a look at its founding fathers – ABBA, Max Martin and so on. – and the nation can’t assist however really feel impressed. Younger creatives have a number of the most globally profitable artists and writers ever to look as much as, and naturally that can give them hope and a way that something is feasible.

LK: And I’d undoubtedly add the title Denniz Pop to that checklist. He helped develop Max Martin’s profession and so lots of at present’s creatives have been impressed by their success. We’re a small nation, the place such success is effectively famous. We used to speak in regards to the ‘Björn Borg Impact’. He was such a superb tennis participant, he impressed a era to take up the game. In music, we’re seeing the ‘Max Martin Impact’.

What artistic tendencies are you seeing in Sweden’s songwriting neighborhood presently and the way is that being mirrored when it comes to the artists Swedish writers and producers are working with globally?

EM: Melody travels and is a world language – and Swedes have been dominating in melody for therefore lengthy. They’re nonetheless creating melody and lately that transpires into Okay-Pop, dance music and continues to create large UK and US hits. In a nutshell, Swedish writers and producers will all the time be in demand as a result of they conquer melody.

LK: I feel, as elsewhere, you’re seeing an elevated curiosity in native sounds. Extra native pop acts, in addition to hip-hop stars, are performing in Swedish. The worldwide pop scene has slowed a little bit over the past couple of years, but it surely’s cyclical, we predict it’ll be again strongly within the subsequent yr or two and the work we’re doing collectively now will assist us trip that wave.

You’ve additionally signed a partnership with Tommy Brown and his firm Champagne Remedy to signal Pontus Kalm. Why are you partnering with Tommy Brown on this deal, and what are your ambitions for Pontus Kalm as a songwriter?

EM: He’s been vastly forward-thinking in figuring out the alternatives for cultural collaborations between artists from the booming Korean scene and the extremely expert producers and songwriters based mostly in markets like Sweden.

We’ve completed nice enterprise collectively previously and had a imaginative and prescient to increase extra into Okay-Pop. So with Pontus Kalm being a dominating pressure in Sweden, in addition to within the Asian market with BTS, it made excellent sense to associate collectively on him. To this point, we’ve labored on international information which sonically originate from Asia and Okay-Pop and it appears like that sound is bleeding into the worldwide market.

What are your predictions for the affect that Sweden’s songwriters may have on international hits and music tendencies over the approaching years?

EM: They’ve had an affect because the ’70s and I can’t see that slowing down! They haven’t misplaced a step and Swedish writers will follow what they know and that’s that melody is a world language. They may proceed to have success as melody is all the time on the core of what they do. And that’s why Swedes will dominate international music making for the foreseeable future.

LK: I feel as the worldwide pop cycle turns once more you’ll see writers from all around the Nordics having hits on the prime of the worldwide charts. The robust and rising hyperlink with artists in Korea and Japan is one to look at. We’re constructing a robust base now and we’re going to vastly profit from it over the following couple of years.Music Enterprise Worldwide