Universal Music Publishing Group inked the Marias to an exclusive global music publishing agreement.
Known for its fusion of alternative rock, psychedelic, jazz and Latin, the Latin Grammy-nominated group consists of Atlanta-raised María Zardoya, Los Angeles native Josh Conway, Jesse Perlman on guitar and Edward James on keyboards.
Zardoya said: “We are thrilled to sign Jen and Ana Rosa to Universal Music Publishing. After spending time with them alongside Jody Gerson, we are confident that they are the perfect partners to guide us into the next phase of our collective and individual songwriting career(s).
Most recently, Zardoya released his first solo album under the moniker Not for Radio titled “Melt.”
Beyond their own records, the Marías have also collaborated with Bad Bunny, Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco, and toured with Billie Eilish on her sold-out tour.
Jennifer Knoepfle, executive vice president and head of the United States of UMPG, and Ana Rosa Santiago, senior vice president of Latin music, said: “It’s so exciting to work with a group like the Marías, whose vision is so clear and singular. They have cultivated a devoted following over the past several years and are now at the dawn of the global stage. We couldn’t be more excited to partner with them at such an exciting time.”
+ Jimmy Jam And Terry Lewis, Chappell Roan, Dina LaPolt, Larry Mestel And Girls make rhythms were recognized by the Songwriters of North America (SONA) at the Warrior Awards on October 12 in Los Angeles.
SONA also rewarded Toby Lightman with the 2025 Emerging Songwriter Warrior Award, presented by YouTube Songwriters. Linda Perry made a surprise appearance and delivered a performance, while Bonnie McKee and Shane Stevens hosted.
+ Records of the Rebellionthe independent label co-founded by the artist and CEO Michael Turner (PLVTINUM) and COO Daniel Nallannounced seven-figure strategic partnership with music technology company Too lost. The deal combines capital investment with Too Lost’s technology to accelerate Rebellion’s rapid artist development model.
Since launching just two years ago, Rebellion has enjoyed massive success with Chris Grey, who grew from 100,000 to over six million monthly listeners on Spotify and earned a JUNO nomination in his first year with the label, as well as Vana, whose single “Beg” topped Octane Radio.
“Michael and the Rebellion team have an incredible vision: to develop artists with a strong focus on user-generated social engagement,” said Gregory Hirschhorn, CEO of Too Lost. “The team has extraordinary taste and a fantastic track record. Too Lost’s investment and our wider partnership will help Rebellion reach new heights.”
“Too Lost brings best-in-class distribution technology, financial firepower and a shared appetite for breaking molds to this partnership,” said Michael Turner, co-founder and CEO of Rebellion Records. “With our teams aligned, we will harness our viral engine at scale, recruit zeitgeist artists and move faster than the industry can copy.”
+ Warner Chappell Music (WCM) Nashville promoted an experienced music director Christine Wiltshire to the Vice President, A&R. In her new role, she will continue to strengthen Nashville’s presence by discovering and nurturing top talent and facilitating local and international collaborations and partnerships. She will report to Austen Adams, president of WCM Nashville.
Wiltshire shared, “I feel incredibly grateful to Austen, Phil, Guy and Carianne for believing in my growth and creative vision at WCM. It’s a privilege to work alongside such talented songwriters and artists – and I’m deeply passionate about championing their songs and finding innovative opportunities for them.
Wiltshire joined WCM in 2019 as Director of A&R, having previously been Creative Director at Sea Gayle Music. Prior to that, she served as creative coordinator at Patrick Joseph Music/SONGS, learning directly from legendary music editor Pat Higdon.
+ Tesseract Music And Hawkeye Music Edition announced a strategic partnership to acquire and manage music-related intellectual property rights, including name, image and likeness (“NIL”) rights for licensing and merchandising.
Hawkeye Music Publishing is founded by Richard Stumpf, founder and former CEO of Atlas Music Publishing, President of Imagem Music, USA and Senior Vice President of Cherry Lane Music. Tesseract Music is an intellectual property management company founded by Richard Seet, an entrepreneur backed by major strategic and/or private equity investors, including United Business Media (Informa PLC), Angelo Gordon and Company and Brookfield, among others; and Charles Riotto, former president of LIMA (International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association).
The partnership has access to $50 million in equity from family offices and high-net-worth investors to upgrade its business plan. The executives are in talks with numerous lenders to supplement their capital and are in talks with music catalog owners to acquire their copyright libraries.
