Music publishing, the side of the music business that deals with songwriters, is usually less visible than the star-filled recordings side, but it still has its share of intrigue and high-profile defections.
Last year, after Sony/ATV took over EMI Music Publishing to create the world’s biggest song catalog, Jon Platt, a top EMI executive and one of the most prominent figures in urban music, left the company to join a rival, Warner/Chappell, part of the Warner Music Group. Now the first big fruit of that move has become clear with the signing of one of EMI publishing’s marquee names: Jay-Z.
Led by Mr. Platt (a 6-foot-8 figure widely known in the industry as Big Jon), Warner/Chappell has signed Jay-Z to a publishing administration deal for his future work as well as his music since 2008. Through a separate deal, Warner/Chappell will also represent the songwriters at Jay-Z’s entertainment and management company, Roc Nation.
Among those writers are Philip Lawrence, a part of the Smeezingtons songwriting and production team that also includes Bruno Mars; Symbolyc One, or S1, who has written hits with Kanye West, Beyoncé and 50 Cent; and Rita Ora, a rising young British singer and songwriter.
According to two people briefed on the talks, Mr. Platt is also said to be in advanced negotiations with another top EMI Publishing artist who is very close to Jay-Z: Beyoncé, his wife. These people spoke on condition of anonymity because the talks were private.
The deals raise the question of how many other EMI songwriters will follow suit. Among the publisher’s other top urban writers — many of them signed by Mr. Platt in his 17 years there — are Kanye West, Ms. Keys, Drake and Usher.
The deals also suggest that there may have been something to the industry rumors last year that Mr. Platt would join Roc Nation. He has been closely associated with Jay-Z since almost the very beginning of the rapper’s career; in one example of that relationship, he helped orchestrate the collaboration with Alicia Keys that became one of Jay-Z’s biggest hits, “Empire State of Mind.” Ultimately Mr. Platt was lured to Warner by Cameron Strang, its publishing chief, but his ties to Jay-Z and Roc Nation apparently remained strong.
In a statement, Jay-Z said, “The real meaning of success is being in the position to work with an individual you consider a friend. Jon Platt is such a person. He’s a man of extraordinary character as well as a remarkably talented executive with an ear for music and an eye for talent. It’s great to watch him grow to be one the best in the business.”
Ben Sisario writes about the music industry. Follow @sisario on Twitter.
Article source: http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/19/jay-z-follows-top-publishing-executive-to-warner-music/?partner=rss&emc=rss