Music Industry Moves: Ciara Inks Deal With Republic and Uptown, Irv Gotti Sells Murder Inc. Stake to Iconoclast for $100 Million
Ciara has signed to Republic Records and Uptown Records through her own label imprint, Beauty Marks Entertainment. Under the partnership, Ciara will be releasing “Jump,” her first single since 2020, slated for release later this summer.
Regarding the signing, Ciara said, “I am thrilled to partner with Uptown/Republic Records through my own label imprint Beauty Marks Entertainment. Wendy and I have been in discussion to work together for some time and the enthusiasm that her and the entire team have expressed over this new project marks an exciting new chapter in my career. I am grateful to be able to continue my mission of making the world dance with a team I admire, who are at the forefront of empowering artists.”
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“I’ve been a fan of Ciara forever,” said Republic Records Co-President Wendy Goldstein in a statement. “Working with her has been a dream, and she’s making some of the most powerful, undeniable, and innovative music of her entire career now. This is an incredible creative chapter for her, and we’re all excited to be part of it.”
+ Veteran music executive Irving “Irv Gotti” Lorenzo has announced the acquisition of Murder Inc.’s master recordings by Oliver Chastan’s Iconoclast for $100 million in a deal that sees him selling his 50% ownership stake of his masters, with additional funding of $200 million for various film and television projects. The Murder Inc. catalog includes released by Ja Rule, Ashanti, Lloyd, Charli Baltimore and more.
Founded by Oliver Chastan, Iconoclast entered the music rights acquisition world in February by purchasing the rights to Robbie Robertson’s music publishing and NIL (name, image, and likeless). The deal was negotiated by Walter Jordan, with legal representation by Brian Robinson and Gary Stiffleman.
+ Reservoir Media, Inc. has struck a deal for a stake in the catalog of legendary hip-hop producer Marlon Williams, professionally known as Marley Marl. The deal includes LL Cool J’s fourth album “Mama Said Knock You Out.”
Williams said, “I’m so excited to be partnering with Reservoir. Faith Newman and I go back for decades, and I know she and the team truly care about my music. I am so happy they’re going to be the new home for my catalog.”
Faith Newman, Reservoir executive VP of A&R and catalog development, also commented, “We’re honored to represent Marley’s catalog. He has been shaping hip-hop music since its beginning, and we are proud to support all his impressive contributions to the genre.”
+ Interscope Geffen A&M Records has promoted Brigitte Green to the position of senior VP of film & TV licensing at the label. In her expanded role Green will continue to oversee the placement of music from the label’s artists in film, television, trailers and promos.
Green joined Interscope in 2018 as Vice President of Creative Licensing. Over the last five years, she and her team have been responsible for hundreds of needle-moving synch placements in top movies and television shows, creating opportunities for the label’s artists and helping to advance their careers in the process. Prior to joining Interscope, Green was Vice President of licensing at Beggars Group. She began her career working at WH Entertainment.
+ Downtown Music Holdings has appointed Scott Williams to the position of president of CD Baby and Soundrop. He previously served as chief technology officer of CD Baby.
Williams joined CD Baby in 2013 as VP of technology and was promoted to CTO in 2019. Prior to his role at CD Baby, Williams led technology at EdTech companies Avant Assessment and Learning.com.
“During his tenure at CD Baby, Scott has spearheaded the ongoing evolution of the company’s technology platform that has made it a favorite of independent artists all over the world,” said Andrew Bergman, CEO of Downtown Music Holdings. “As President of CD Baby and Soundrop, Scott will bring the same passion for innovation he’s brought to tech to the company’s overall operations as we continue to expand our offerings to artists.”
+ Prescription Songs has signed Philadelphia-based artist, Francis “Fridayy” LeBlanc. The deal was orchestrated by A&R executive Eddie Fourcell and Fridayy’s managers Edgar Cutino of Test of Time Entertainment and Chris Washington of AVAD. The move coincides with the release of Chris Brown’s new album “Breezy” which Fridayy has two song credits on.
+ Pandora has hired Johnny Chiang as senior director of country programming, reporting to VP of programming, Kevin Stapleford, starting July 25. Chiang joins Pandora from Nashville’s Red Street Records. He previously spent 18 years at KKBQ in Texas where he served as KKBQ’s content leader.
“Words cannot adequately describe just how thrilled I am to be joining the incredible country team that Kevin Stapleford is assembling at Pandora,” said Chiang. “I want to thank Kevin and Steve Blatter for believing in me and what my experiences and skill sets can bring to the team.”
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