October 4th 2023 - Downtown Music Publishing (DMP) today announces a global music publishing agreement with Outer Voice Music Publishing (OVMP), the newly formed arm of The Outer Voice Company, founded by artists, JAM & Philly.
The global administration deal will include JAM & Philly’s well-received singles on the Outer Voice label imprint, “Photographs” and “Blind’, as well as all songwriter credits signed within the two year term.
Downtown Music Publishing will be working collaboratively with JAM & Philly and the Outer Voice Music Publishing team in a shared commitment to drive impactful exposure, promotion and awareness for South Asian songwriters and their catalog. Both companies will be administering works globally, procuring sync placements, and creating original composition opportunities for a wide-ranging roster of songwriters across the South Asian diaspora..
The Outer Voice Company founders and artists, JAM & Philly said, ‘Publishing is an often missed and misunderstood side of the industry for independent artists. As we were working with artists on the label side, we learned that many had not even known to register with a PRO to collect composition royalties. Publishing administration and sync placements are critical to earn a full-time living through music, and only more so for an underrepresented community like ours.’
First launched by Converse as a record label in 2021, The Outer Voice Company has provided A&R, distribution and marketing to several emerging South Asian American artists including Shilpa, NEEL, and Anusha Savi. The company has equally focused on events that platform these artists in front of the growing community audience, particularly in New York City. The Outer Voice Music Publishing (OVMP) division is a new and composition-focused entity within the larger group, dedicated to signing and representing an expansive roster of South Asian songwriters.
Becky Mathai, Head of Sync at Outer Voice, said: “I am so thrilled about this next chapter for Outer Voice and what this partnership means for our community. After meeting with the team, especially Jumee and Sara, it was evident that Downtown has a keen pulse on upcoming projects and understands the moment that South Asians are experiencing in pop culture. Our community has traditionally had little access to resources and education around how music is synced in TV, films, and ads. With Downtown’s backing, I see an opportunity for us to source incredible talent and become that much-needed support system.”
Downtown’s Publishing division - which includes Downtown Music Publishing, Songtrust and Sheer Publishing Africa, has nearly 2 million songwriters and almost 5 million copyrights under management. With a renewed focus and commitment to the highest standards of client service and partnership, Downtown Music Publishing deeply aligns with Outer Voice’s vision to inspire a new generation of artists and redefine the landscape for South Asian creators, providing access to its unparalleled resources and global reach.
Outer Voice Music join Downtown Music Publishing’s established roster of South Asian creators, including Grammy-winning artist and songwriter, Raja Kumari, and South Asian classical music streaming service, Saarey Music, who entered into a global sync deal with the company earlier this year. Saarey Music is the first music streaming platform to exclusively represent 90% of the traditional classical music of South Asia from Pakistan, including the works of heritage artists, Roshan Ara Begum and Ustad Shaukat Hussain, and the acclaimed works of Ustad Ashraf Sharif Khan, Ustad Naseer uddin Saami and Ustad Shahbaz Hussain amongst many others.
Jedd Katrancha, Chief Commercial Officer of Downtown Music Publishing comments, ‘It is a significant and crucial time for South Asian creators in the music industry. Downtown aligns with and deeply supports the vision of Outer Voice to break down cultural barriers and see a new wave of songwriters take center stage. We look forward to working closely with the Outer Voice Publishing team and providing their songwriters with the resources needed to establish South Asian voices and drive impact across their catalog’
