Ross Golan Joins Songwriters of North America Board

The Songwriters of North America (SONA), a leading advocacy organization for Songwriters and Composers, has announced that hit songwriter-producer Ross Golan has joined its board. The announcement comes as the organization celebrated its tenth anniversary this month with a series of events across New York Music Month and Songwriter Week.

Golan (pictured above, far right, with SONA CEO Michelle Lewis and hitmaker Rodney Jerkins), has scored hits with Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez and many others (and is the writer of the Ovation Award-winning musical “The Wrong Man”). But more pertinently, he is a natural fit for the organization: An outspoken songwriters’ advocate, he played a key role in the creation of the Grammys’ best songwriter, non-classical award, was a leading proponent of the landmark Music Modernization Act, and became the first songwriter to sit on the board of the National Music Publishers Assn. He also played a key role in the overturning of the Grammys “33% Rule,” which determined how many of an album’s contributors received awards. He is also the host of the podcast “And the Writer Is…”

Songwriters have been at the bottom of the streaming economy from its inception — usually receiving a small percentage of the approximately $.003 that each stream generates — and although several proposals have been made to improve their compensation, including points on master recordings (which producers usually receive) and per diems for writing sessions, those proposals are rarely fulfilled. Songwriters are also technically contractors, which means that unlike music publishers, they cannot unionize.

“Just because we can’t unionize doesn’t mean we can’t unite,” Golan says. “I’m proud to join the SONA board at this meaningful time.” 

+ Create Music Group (CMG) and Rob Walker’s Star Trak Entertainment have sparked a new joint venture. Under the terms of the new partnership, CMG will provide worldwide distribution, technology and marketing services to Star Trak.

Walker, Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo co-founded Star Trak in 2001 as an imprint under Arista Records. Star Trak shifted to Virgin Records and then Interscope Geffen A&M Records before ending operations in 2015.

The Star Trak roster included Clipse, N.E.R.D., Snoop Dogg, Kelis, Robin Thicke and Teyana Taylor. It quickly rose to prominence with hits by Snoop Dogg, Clipse and N.E.R.D. (Williams, Hugo and Shay Haley).

+ Mercury Records and Big Loud Records have named Wes Donehower senior VP of A&R.

“Wes has an exceptional track record of discovering and signing game-changing talent, and he’s firmly established himself as one of the industry’s top A&R executives,” said Big Loud Records Partner and CEO Seth England. “I deeply respect his work ethic, his creative instincts, and the impact he makes on the culture. We’re honored to welcome him into the Big Loud family through our partnership with Mercury. As we step into this exciting new chapter, having someone of Wes’s caliber will be instrumental to our continued growth and evolution.”

Mercury Records Chairman and CEO Tyler Arnold added, “Wes is an incredible A&R executive who has an innate ability to work across every genre. He has great instincts, but more impressively has a gift of building long lasting and genuine relationships with artists. We’ve shared a lot of great moments already, and I’m so excited to team up with Wes for many years to come.”

Donehower most recently served as senior VP of A&R at Republic Records where he spearheaded the deal to bring Jelly Roll to the label in partnership with BMG and Broken Bow Records. He also led A&R for Republic on Jelly’s latest album, “Beautifully Broken,” which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. He’s also worked in A&R at Columbia Records where he signed everyone from Lil Nas X and Russ to Koe Wetzel, and Quinn XCII.

+ The agency All& has officially opened its doors, offering a full spectrum of services including strategy and organizational design, in addition to content creation and campaign management for brands.

All& was launched by Jennifer Breithaupt, who has served as global consumer chief marketing officer at Citi, among other high-profile roles. Suzanne Powers, former global president and chief product officer at McCann Worldgroup, is also a co-founder.

Breithaupt said, “What sets All& apart is our deep global experience in building brand and marketing strategies that drive measurable impact. We bring together the right people, processes, and resources to position all brands – established, emerging, corporate, individual, even distressed – with clarity and purpose. Everything we do is intentional, value-driven, and tailored to each brand’s unique challenges.”

Powers added, “We believe in the power of collaboration and the limitless potential of creativity to drive meaningful results and lasting impact for brands. You can’t do that without the right team and conditions to help them thrive. That means there’s no room for I’ can’t’ or ‘but no.’ To build the team and conditions needed to liberate creativity and ensure it thrives, it must be ‘all of that, and…’ That’s why All& is not just a name, it’s a mantra.”

+ Mick Management has entered a partnership with UK management company Hunger Management. The partnership will allow both companies to tap into varied services for artists on both rosters, raising Hunger Management’s profile in the U.S. and providing access to a strategic infrastructure of resources for their roster, while expanding Mick Management’s footprint in the UK music landscape.

“I am ​so excited to be partnering with Mick Management’s Michael McDonald and Jonathan Eshak – they are truly incredible at what they do and wonderful people to work with, “ said Hunger Management Founder and CEO Jazz Sherman. “Hunger was founded with a mission to keep artists at the forefront while thinking beyond the UK—always with a global perspective. Partnering with the fantastic team at Mick Management, whose years of industry experience and a proven track record of success opens up exciting, untapped opportunities, I can’t wait to see what we can build together for our artists. ”

“We’re thrilled to be aligned with Jazz Sherman and Hunger Management at such a unique moment in the company’s journey, especially with the rise of Alessi Rose and their impressive roster of talent,” said Michael McDonald, founder and CEO of Mick Management.