UMPG Inks The Marías to Global Publishing Deal

Universal Music Publishing Group has inked the Marías to an exclusive, worldwide music publishing agreement.

Known for their fusion of alternative, psychedelic rock, jazz and Latin, the Latin Grammy-nominated band is comprised of Atlanta-raised María Zardoya, Los Angeles native Josh Conway, Jesse Perlman on guitar and Edward James on keys.

Zardoya said, “We’re thrilled to sign with Jen and Ana Rosa at Universal Music Publishing. Having spent some time with them alongside Jody Gerson, we trust they’re the perfect partners to guide us through the next phase of our collective and individual writing career(s).”

Most recently, Zardoya released her debut solo album under the moniker Not for Radio entitled “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 arena run.

UMPG’s Jennifer Knoepfle, executive vice president and head of U.S., and Ana Rosa Santiago, senior VP of Latin music, said, “It’s so exciting to work with a band like the Marías who are so clear and singular in their vision. They have cultivated a devoted audience over the last several years and are now on the cusp of the global stage. We could not be more ecstatic to partner with them at such an exciting time.”

+ Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Chappell Roan, Dina LaPolt, Larry Mestel and Girls Make Beats were recognized by the Songwriters of North America (SONA) at the Warrior Awards on Oct. 12 in Los Angeles.

SONA additionally awarded 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.

+ Rebellion Records, the independent label co-founded by artist and CEO Michael Turner (PLVTINUM) and COO Daniel Nall, has announced a strategic seven-figure 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 experienced breakout success with Chris Grey, who grew from 100,000 to over six million monthly Spotify listeners and earned a JUNO Award nomination within his first year at the label, as well as Vana, whose single “Beg” topped Octane Radio.

“Michael and the Rebellion team have an incredible vision to build artists up by focusing heavily 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 larger partnership will help Rebellion reach new heights.”

“Too Lost brings best-in-class distribution technology, financial firepower, and a shared appetite to break molds to this partnership,” said Michael Turner, co-Founder and CEO of Rebellion Records. “With our teams aligned, we’ll leverage our viral engine at scale, sign zeitgeist artists, and move faster than the industry can copy.”

+ Warner Chappell Music (WCM) Nashville has promoted experienced music executive Christina Wiltshire to VP, A&R. In her new role, she will continue to elevate Nashville’s presence by discovering and fostering top talent, and facilitating local and international collaborations and partnerships. She will be reporting to Austen Adams, President, WCM Nashville.

Wiltshire shared: “Feeling 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 them innovative opportunities.

Wiltshire joined WCM in 2019 as director, A&R, having previously served as creative director at Sea Gayle Music. Prior to that, she served as creative coordinator at Patrick Joseph Music/SONGS, learning directly from the legendary music publisher Pat Higdon.

+ Tesseract Music and Hawkeye Music Publishing have 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, US and senior VP at Cherry Lane Music. Tesseract Music is an intellectual property management company founded by Richard Seet, an entrepreneur who has been backed by major strategic and/or private equity investors including United Business Media (Informa PLC), Angelo Gordon and Company, and Brookfield, amongst others; and Charles Riotto, the former President of LIMA (International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association).

The partnership has access to $50 million in equity capital from family offices and high net worth investors to actualize its business plan. The principals are in discussions with numerous debt providers to supplement their capital stack and are in conversations with music catalog owners to acquire their copyright libraries.