Grammy and SAG Award-winning singer-actor Mýa has signed with WME for worldwide representation in all areas. The agency will work with Mýa across music, touring, brand partnerships, film, television, theater, documentary, licensing, publishing, fashion, wellness, lifestyle, and new business opportunities.
The signing comes just a month after Mýa released her first studio album in eight years, “Retrospect.” She won a Grammy in 2002 for “Lady Marmalade,” the cover of the Labelle hit with Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, and Pink; and the SAG award with the ensemble cast of “Chicago.”
+ WME has also signed British superstar singer Robbie Williams for worldwide agency representation. Although his popularity in the U.S. has not reached his global fame, Williams is one of the most successful music artists in the world, with 90 million album sales worldwide, six of the Top 100 best-selling albums in British history and a record-breaking 16 U.K. No. 1 albums and 18 BRIT Awards.
+ Leo33, the Nashville based label that is home to country star Zach Top, has named former top Warner Nashville and Morris Highman Management exec Shane Tarleton as co-head. He will lead with fellow co-head and Variety Nashville Women’s Impact honoree Katie Dean, who helped start the label in 2023.
“I’ve spent my career focused on artist development and building teams that help great music break through,” Tarleton said in a statement. “Leo33 represents a forward-thinking approach to the business — one that values creativity, culture, and deep partnerships with artists and managers. I’m thrilled to join the team and help shape the next chapter of growth for both the company and the incredible roster we have the privilege to serve.”
+ Make Wake Artists has announced its partnership with Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, and producer Jon Bellion for full-service artist management. Working directly with founder Chris Kappy and Bellion’s longtime collaborators Louis Coppola and Matt Maschi.
+ The NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment and NYC Small Business Services have announced the “Made in NY” Media Academy, a new workforce development initiative that aims to meet the evolving workforce needs of New York City’s media and entertainment industries, offered at no cost to New Yorkers.
Through active partnerships with the continuing education divisions of several City University of New York (CUNY) colleges, including Queensborough Community College, Kingsborough Community College, and Hunter College, the Academy will offer an adaptive training portfolio to prepare New Yorkers for a range of diverse areas, including audio production, graphic arts, digital content creation, emerging technologies, and more. CUNY will facilitate job placements for trainees with companies in their respective fields.
“New York City’s creative economy is powered by working people — the musicians, designers, editors and producers whose talent and labor make this city the cultural capital of the world,” said Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani. The ‘Made in NY’ Media Academy will open doors to creative careers for more New Yorkers, providing free training for jobs that are hiring right now. As we build an affordable New York City, we’re creating pathways to the good-paying jobs that will shape the future of art, media and entertainment for the world.”
Initial “Made in NY” Media Academy course offerings include:
Music Production Bootcamp at Queensborough Community College – Course begins September 15. Register now at QCC.cuny.edu
Content Creation Bootcamp at Kingsborough Community College – Course begins September 23. Register now at KBCC.cuny.edu
Graphic Design Bootcamp at Hunter College – Course begins Fall 2026. Register interest now at Hunter College Graphic Design Bootcamp – Interest Form.
+ Genius, the destination for song lyrics, has promoted Jackie Vignone to Chief Revenue Officer, who has been with the company for eight years. In related moves, Vignone has appointed Sara Kern as Vice President of Marketing and Creative Strategy, joining from Paramount. The company has also named Gabe Silverman as Music Partnerships and Development Lead, previously with Amazon Music and Meta; and Devon Chaiken has been promoted to Vice President, Head of Sales after overseeing the West Coast Sales team.
Monday, June 15
Los Angeles quartet the Linda Lindas, who first captured national attention as teenagers (or pre-teenagers) in 2018, have signed with Reprise-Warner Records and celebrated by releasing the new single and video “Burning Out,” likely a precursor to a third album from the group.
“‘Burning Out’ felt so simultaneously new and nostalgic for us, and I think that was super fitting for me especially, because I had just graduated high school and I was feeling very surrounded by change,” said the group’s Lucia de la Garza. “We went on a week-long writing retreat in Palm Springs less than a month after graduation, and that’s where we wrote this song about feeling like the world is passing you by. Knowing that my friends would all be going to college in the fall, it made sense my head was in a very nostalgic place.”
The group will be touring with Bleachers on the west coast this fall, as well as at Tom Morello’s Power To The People Festival.
+ Motown Records has announced the launch of the New Legends Internship Program, a new initiative designed to create meaningful pathways for students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to access careers within the music industry. The inaugural cohort will participate in a 10-week immersive internship experience from June 8 through August 14, gaining hands-on exposure across key areas of the business, including Marketing, Creative, Digital and A&R.
“Motown has always been committed to discovering and developing talent that shapes culture,” said Dante Smith, SVP Marketing & Head of Motown Digital at Motown Records. “With New Legends, we’re extending that legacy beyond artists and into the future executives, creatives, marketers and innovators who will help define the next era of the music industry.”
The inaugural New Legends cohort includes students from Howard University, Morgan State University, North Carolina A&T State University and Spelman College, representing the next generation of creative and business talent entering the music industry. Throughout the summer, participants will work alongside Motown teams, contribute to active projects and receive mentorship from industry professionals, providing a behind-the-scenes look at the many career paths available within the modern music business.
+ Republic Collective has partnered with Ziza Inc. to launch Ziza Records, a new joint venture focused on South Asian artists. The New York-based Ziza was founded by entrepreneur and Malsons CEO Shivam Malhotra. Malsons has emerged as one of the most influential indies in South Asian music.
The joint venture will prioritize signing and developing artists from the South Asian diaspora, particularly those with traction in North America, the U.K., Europe, Australia, and the Middle East, according to the announcement. It will also focus on catalog opportunities, brand partnerships, live experiences, and cross-market collaborations.
“This partnership reflects the continued global expansion of South Asian music,” said Republic Collective president-CEO Jeffrey Remedios. “Shivam and the Ziza team have built a strong foundation in the space, and we see an opportunity to grow that internationally together.”
“Republic Collective represents the gold standard of modern music culture and global artist development,” said Malhotra. “For us, this partnership is the beginning of a long-term movement to position South Asian music at the center of the global mainstream.”
+ Nashville-based independent music company Combustion Music has signed Ryan Hurd to the company’s label arm, Combustion Masters. Hurd is managed by the Core Entertainment and booked by CAA.
“I’m really proud to make music in Nashville,” Hurd says. “Chris and Falcon have always been great friends to me and getting the chance to work with them is something I’ve looked forward to for a long time. I’m excited about what we’re making and can’t wait for everyone to hear what we have been working on.”
+ Madverse Music Group, a music technology company building AI-enabled infrastructure for music distribution, publishing, marketing, and fan engagement, has closed its first institutional funding round. The company was founded in 2023 by CEO Rohan Nesho Jain. The investment will accelerate the India-based company’s expansion.
The round is led by Ahdritz Capital, the investment vehicle of entrepreneur Willard Ahdritz, founder and chairman of Kobalt Music Group.
The round also saw participation from Mohnish Sani & Suraj Sani (SumoSan Ventures, USA), Ashish Jain and Sidharth Kohli (10X Global, India), and Vijay Sajjanhar (Marigold Capital, Dubai).
+ The ASCAP Foundation President Paul Williams has announced the recipients of the 2026 ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Young Composer Awards, which encourage talented young creators of concert music ranging in age from 13 to 30.
“It is such a joy to recognize these truly remarkable young composers,” said Williams. “Their extraordinary talent, artistry and dedication to their craft speaks to a bright future for concert music. As their biggest fans, we are honored to celebrate and nurture their creativity.”
Previous ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Young Composer Award recipients have gone on to receive major distinctions in their careers, including the 2026 Pulitzer Prize in Music, Gabriela Lena Frank, and former Pulitzer Prize-winning composers Michael Abels, Jennifer Higdon, David Lang, Melinda Wagner and Julia Wolfe.
The 2026 Morton Gould Young Composer Award recipients are listed below with their current residence and place of origin:
Zixuan Chen of Baltimore, MD (Hangzhou, China); Sophia Kunxu Dou of New York, NY (Beijing, China); Bobby Ge of Princeton, NJ (Atlanta, GA); Jacob Harrison of Los Angeles, CA (Clinton, IN); Oswald Huỳnh of Rome, Italy (Portland, OR); Maya Miro Johnson of New Haven, CT (Salt Lake City, UT); Kai Kubota-Enright of Brooklyn, NY (Vancouver, Canada); Jacky Jiaqi Liu of New York, NY (Beijing, China); Daniel Lubin of New York, NY; Matthew Huang Mailman of Evanston, IL (Hershey, PA); Aaron Nichols of New York, NY; Paul Novak of Chicago, IL (Reno, NV); Luca Pasquini of New York, NY (Denver, CO); Sofía Rocha of Providence, RI (Boulder, CO); Cyrano Jett Rosentrater of New York, NY (Philadelphia, PA); Dylan Tyree of Los Angeles, CA (Denver, CO); and Vincent Zhang of New York, NY (Vancouver, Canada).
The following composers received Honorable Mention (recipients under the age of 18 are listed by state of residence):Benjamin Coble of Munster, IN; Oliver Dubon of Philadelphia, PA (Palmyra, VA); Henry Golden of Maryland; Cem Güven of New York, NY (Istanbul, Turkiye); Patrick Holcomb of Westbury, NY (Ocean View, DE); Isaiah Saranow of Philadelphia, PA (Miami Shores, FL); and Jason Zhang of Ann Arbor, MI (Northville, MI).
Oswald Huỳnh was recognized by the panel with the 2026 Leo Kaplan Award, created in memory of the distinguished attorney who served as ASCAP Special Distribution Advisor. The award is funded by the Kaplan Family.
Judges for The ASCAP Foundation 2026 Morton Gould Young Composer Awards were composers David Biedenbender, Anthony Cheung, Loren Loiacono, Brian Raphael Nabors, Nina Shekhar and Ileana Perez Velázquez.
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