From The New York Times

The Universal Music Group, the giant record company that sells almost 40 percent of the world’s music, is about to get a little bigger through a deal with the independent label behind Mumford & Sons.

Glassnote, founded by Daniel Glass in 2007, has struck a global distribution agreement with Universal for its music, starting March 1. The deal is a blow to Sony Music Entertainment, which had handled Glassnote through its Red distribution unit. CONTINUE READING

From NPR:

Last year, American Idol winner Phillip Phillips released the song “Gone, Gone, Gone” from his debut album The World from the Side of the Moon. The song went to #1 on the Adult Alternative and Adult Contemporary charts and peaked at #24 on Billboard‘s pop song chart, the Hot 100. For Gregg Wattenberg, one of three credited co-writers of “Gone, Gone, Gone,” the song’s chart performance was of particular interest because it translated indirectly into cash.

“U.S.-only hit songs — when I say ‘hit’ I mean like top five, not like No. 20 — can generate anywhere from one to two million dollars in ASCAP monies,” Wattenberg says. CONTINUE READING

Buzz Track: Lights Out

Kings favorite Tommy Burr who gained traction from our last post will soon release a new EP which features the new single Lights Out. Tommy is a singer-songwriter generating a great deal of attention with his hist last 5 song EP. His video for the track Get Up has 100k views on YouTube and he co-produced the songs with Kristoffer Eriksson (also in Violet Days) and Herman Gardarfve. He’s been performing at several venues in Stockholm.
Contact: magnus@catapult-music.com

For instance, Pharrell Williams single Happy had 36,159 paid downloads on iTunes within the last 24 hours. Katy Perry’s single Dark Horse had 29,265 paid downloads.

Buzz Track: I Want To Know

Alt rock act KONGOS have been big in South Africa since 2012. The four brothers who spent a good chunk of their childhood in South Africa and lived in London before settling in Paradise Valley, with all four attending Chaparral High School — are conquering the U.S. airwaves, having inked a major-label deal with Epic Records. The band signed to Epic as “Come With Me Now,” a track from their self-released “Lunatic” album, was gathering steam on alternative radio. Last week, the song was the most-added single at U.S. alternative-rock stations.