Michael Simon, President & CEO of HFA, discusses the ever-changing landscape of the music industry and how Music Services serves our clients in adapting to the constant innovation.
Throughout my career, I’ve observed a fascinating pattern: every time a new creation or distribution technology emerges, our industry immediately prophesies its own demise.
Remember when cassette tapes were going to destroy the music business? Record companies went so far as to print skulls and crossbones on vinyl inner sleeves with ominous warnings about the dangers of home taping. Fast forward to today, and that panic seems quaint compared to the challenges posed by AI and emerging media.
Our Music Services division brings together a powerhouse lineup of companies and services to support every corner of the music ecosystem — from creators and publishers to labels and platforms. Whether it’s tech, licensing, or back-end admin, we’re the behind-the-scenes pros helping the industry run smoothly.
At Music Services, we’ve learned to recognize and manage these cycles of disruption and adaptation. They follow a remarkably consistent pattern: massive technological disruption, followed by heated debates about rights, rates, and revenue – intended to balance the interests of all contributors to the emerging ecosystem. Revenue grows, interests are balanced, investments are made, and the cycle begins anew with the next innovation.
HFA’s Rumblefish, a trusted provider of comprehensive music industry rights administration services, recently announced that it has been engaged to provide data, licensing, and royalty management services to support ByteDance’s TikTok and CapCut products. TikTok is a social media platform and a leading destination for short-form mobile video. CapCut is a video editing application that enables users to create and edit videos with various effects, filters, and music.
“At SESAC Music Group, we’re working to leverage our global tech and data platform to assist innovative hyperscalers like ByteDance to utilize music by obtaining authorization directly from songwriters and music publishers,” said John Josephson, Chairman & CEO of SESAC Music Group. “With our best-in-class licensing, data, and royalty administration capabilities, we help drive new sources of revenue for songwriters and music publishers by enabling platforms like TikTok and CapCut to create meaningful user experiences.”
SESAC is thrilled to announce our three recipients of the 2025 Abe Olman Scholarship – Daphne Browdy, Elby Faser, and Dawoyne “2forwOyNE” Lawson. Abe Olman was both a major figure in the music publishing community and a songwriter himself, in addition to being one of the founders of the Songwriters Hall of Fame. The scholarships given out each year are made possible by his family in the interest of encouraging and supporting the careers of young songwriters. Previous SESAC recipients include Calvin Langman, Ava Liv Mabry, Kiran Gandhi, and more.
In celebration of Black History Month, we’d like to share exciting highlights from some of the incredible songwriters, artists, and composers we work with at SESAC Music Group.
AWARDS
Cory Henry and Matt B took home GRAMMY Awards in the categories of Best Roots Gospel Album and Best Global Music Album, respectively.
George Clinton, innovator of the Funk genre, will be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame Class of 2025 at the annual induction ceremony in June.
PJ Morton is hosting an unforgettable night at Belmont University in Nashville on February 17, including a free performance and personal stories from his new memoir, Saturday Night Sunday Morning: Staying True to Myself from the Pews to the Stage
The National Museum of African American Music is hosting a month of programming to honor the impact of Black music on American culture
NEW MUSIC & SIGNINGS
MNRK Music Group recently signed Toian, an LA-based songwriter and artist originally from Jamaica whose music floats between pop, R&B and reggae/dancehall as her specialties
Wow Jones and JimiJame$ created the soundtrack for Tyler Perry’s Beauty in Black on Netflix – catch part 2 premiering on March 6
HISTORY
Composer William L. Dawson is amongst the top Black classical composers of the 20th century who achieved perhaps his greatest renown as a composer for Negro Folk Symphony
At SESAC Music Group, our thoughts are with everyone affected by the devastating wildfires across Los Angeles. We understand the profound challenges these events bring, and we are here to support the music community on the West Coast during this difficult time. Below, you’ll find valuable resources tailored to help those in our creative community in need.
We also invite you to visit SESAC’s social channels, where we are highlighting our LA-based affiliates and sharing ways you can directly support their artistry as they navigate this challenging period.
MusiCares and Recording Academy: They have pledged $1 million to support music professionals affected by the wildfires. Assistance can be sought through their Los Angeles Fire Relief Effort.
Sweet Relief Musicians Fund: Provides financial assistance to career musicians and music industry workers struggling due to unforeseen circumstances.
Entertainment Community Fund: Offers emergency financial assistance to performing artists and entertainment industry workers facing hardships.
Music Health Alliance: Provides healthcare support services to the music community, including mental health resources.
Backline: Offers mental health and wellness resources specifically tailored for music industry professionals.
NAMM Foundation: Needs-based assistance will be provided to NAMM members, employees of NAMM member companies, music education programs, and music makers affected by the January 2025 fires.
Black Music Action Coalition: BMAC has created a dedicated fund with 100% of monies received going directly to relief efforts.
SESAC celebrated its songwriters and music publishers behind the most-performed songs of 2023 across a variety of genres at The Highlight Room in Hollywood last night, September 17, marking the third year the awards took place in Los Angeles.
Jack Harlow continued his winning streak for the fourth year, taking home both Songwriter of the Year and Song of the Year with his smash hit “Lovin On Me”. Sony Music Publishing was named Publisher of the Year for the third year in a row, taking home multiple awards including “3D” recorded by Jack Harlow and Jung Kook, as well as “Good Good” recorded by Usher, Summer Walker and 21 Savage, among many others.
Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC) co-founder, president and CEO, Willie “Prophet” Stiggers, was presented with SESAC’s Visionary Award in recognition of the organization’s ongoing work championing artists and creating equity within the music industry. “Prophet’s dedication to equality and racial justice has inspired us all to do more and build a stronger, more equitable creative community. I’m proud to call him a friend,” said Mario Prins, VP, Creative Services.
SESAC Music Group’s DEI Network celebrated the start of summer with a global ice cream day where each of our offices around the world had a treat to kick off the start of the summer season. Some offices had homemade treats while others ventured out in their cities for something sweet to eat.
We’re so proud of all our team members and their commitment to our DEI Network initiatives. Scroll through below for more photos. Happy Summer to you all!
MNRK Toronto
SESAC Music Group New York
SESAC LA
Sam Kling provided homemade ice cream for the team
SESAC Music Group New York
SESAC Music Group Nashville
Christian Copyright Solutions
CCLI UK
CCLI South Korea
CCLI South Africa
CCLI North America
CCLI Australia
Audiam
Audio Network Paris
Audio Network and MNRK London
Audio Network Munich
SESAC Music Group New York
CCLI Germany
MNRK and Audio Network LA
The teams at Audio Network and MNRK in LA worked with a local ice cream truck for their sweet treats and donated ice cream to two Pathways LA childcare centers, providing a summertime snack to 120 children in the area.
Founded in 1978, Pathways is a crucial part of the LA community, empowering and uplifting low-income and vulnerable working families with high-quality early care and education, and a commitment to building economically resilient communities.
As CMA Awards week commences in Nashville, SESAC Performing Rights kicked off the celebrations, honoring songwriters and music publishers behind the year’s most performed country and Americana songs at the company’s annual Nashville Music Awards held at the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum.
Jon Nite was named SESAC’s Songwriter of the Year for his hits like “Dancin’ In The Country,” recorded by Tyler Hubbard, “You Didn’t,” recorded by Brett Young, and “Pick Me Up,” recorded by Gabby Barrett. With over 18 #1 songs to his name, Nite is one of Nashville’s most prolific songwriters. SESAC’s Song of the Year was awarded to the smash crossover hit “Thank God,” penned by Josh Hoge and Christian Stalnecker, and recorded by Kane Brown and his wife, Katelyn Brown. Sony Music Publishing took home the title of Publisher of the Year, after winning seven awards throughout the night.
