Downtown Music Publishing (Downtown) is one of the world's leading rights-management firms, representing works by a diverse roster of artists and composers including household names like The Beatles, John Lennon & Yoko Ono, Cy Coleman, The Kinks, Randy Newman, Hans Zimmer, Motley Crue, and One Direction. Founded in 2007 by Justin Kalifowitz and based in New York, Downtown has grown from a one-man operation to a staff of 46 employees, with recently opened offices in Los Angeles, Nashville, London and Amsterdam. Its rapid growth has been fueled by technological innovations in royalty collection and an unrivaled passion for developing artistic talent. While music publishing is at the core of DMP's business, the firm has spawned several other industry-leading ventures, including Songtrust, a new digital platform for global royalty collection; dms.FM, a one-stop-shop production library service; Music and Strategy, a joint-venture with leading music supervision firm Clearsongs that provides music strategy, licensing and original composition services to companies like Apple, Diane Von Furstenberg, Kate Spade, and Microsoft; and Downtown Studios, a world-class NYC recording facility that has hosted sessions by Adele, Sting, Vampire Weekend, Katy Perry, Maroon 5, and more. "All of this came out of trying to solve a problem," says Kalifowitz, who has been named both one of Billboard's "30 Under 30" and Crain's "40 Under 40." "When we started, there weren't many great publishing companies left because larger companies kept buying them and consolidating. No one was thinking about publishing through the lens of technology, and our goal was to create a full service music publisher that didn't have any of the drama or legacy issues of those older companies." Kalifowitz, a lifelong music fan who began his career stocking shelves at HMV and interning with labels, radio stations, booking agencies, and management firms, left his position as head of A&R for Spirit Music in 2007 to found Downtown, assembling a team of likeminded, passionate young entrepreneurs from a variety of backgrounds within the music and tech industries. The company quickly developed a reputation for scouting new talent (like Santigold and Neon Trees, who Kalifowitz signed before either had achieved commercial success), developing the careers of powerhouse writers like Bonnie McKee (Katy Perry, Britney Spears, Ke$ha) and Oliver Goldstein (Kelly Clarkson, Adam Lambert, Ciara), and revitalizing the catalogs of established acts that had gone underutilized. The company's staggering track record placing songs for sync licenses in TV, films, and commercials proved an early indicator of Downtown's exceptional ability to increase the value of its clients' catalogs. "When we started the business, sync licensing wasn't at the forefront of a publisher's job," says Kalifowitz, "but our team had a lot of experience with it from day one and we made it an absolute priority to be the market leader in sync licensing." It was Downtown's embrace of technology and passion for digital innovation that truly set them apart from the pack, though. In 2011, Kalifowitz launched Songtrust with Joe Conyers, bringing the previously analog and unreliable process of global royalty collection into the 21st century. "We've been able to liberate royalties on behalf of tens of thousands of writers through the Songtrust platform and leapfrog 40 years of arcane institutional practices that didn't really work in the modern age," he says. "It democratized music publishing so that anyone could sign up for an account and collect their royalties in an easy-to-use, self-service platform." Kalifowitz and Conyers brought together a team of engineers and developers to create all the technology in-house, which they now supply to other businesses including CD Baby, for whom Songtrust handles global music publishing. "It's ancillary to our core publishing business," Kalifowitz says, "but a lot of the technology we've developed with Songtrust is incorporated into the heart of what we do for our clients at Downtown." Similarly, dms.FM grew out of a belief that the traditional approach to music licensing wasn't meeting the demands of the modern music business. "There's been enormous growth in the number of media properties out there, and they're using more music than ever before" explains Kalifowitz. While music supervisors typically faced a choice between cheap, easy-to-license music from unknown artists, and expensive, difficult-to-license music from popular acts, dms.FM established a one-of-a-kind middle ground by creating a catalog of readily available songs exclusively created for the licensing community. "We wanted not only to create amazing music," Kalifowitz says, "but to make it available in a format that makes it easy for music supervisors to find what they need. Our success is a function of treating it like a real marketplace and simplifying everyone's jobs." With Music and Strategy, Kalifowitz expanded the concept, recognizing the ever-growing importance of music for ad agencies and brands. "Everyone was representing the artists, but no one was going to bat for the brands and agencies," he explains. "We partnered with Jim Black and developed Music and Strategy, which is now one of the top music houses and original composition firms in New York." The company helps top brands like Nikon navigate the industry and reach their consumers through music, consulting on dozens of major commercials every week. "Whereas when a lot of publishing companies grow, they start to raise money to buy more assets, we invest in technology and people," says Kalifowitz. "We have a 99% client retention rate, and our clients refer us more work than we could ever handle, but our primary purpose is not acquisition. We don't want to be the largest publisher in the world, we want to be the best publisher in the world."
Founded in 2007, Downtown Music Publishing is one of the world's leading rights-management firms, with offices in New York, Nashville, Los Angeles, London, Amsterdam, and Tokyo. The company's catalog spans over seven decades of popular music, encompassing some of the world's most beloved songwriters and artists including John Lennon & Yoko Ono, Ryan Tedder, Benny Blanco, Hans Zimmer, Mötley Crüe, One Direction, Bruce Springsteen, Naughty Boy, Hardwell, Sturgill Simpson, Santigold, and Carla Bruni. The company's technology platform, Songtrust, services 1 million copyrights, and enables 100,000+ creators and 15,000+ businesses at all levels to collect royalties directly from 130+ countries, covering 20,000+ income sources.
General Manager: Justin Kalifowitz
Congratulations to Roberto Neri, Taeko Saito, and Rachel Kelly, whose ingenuity and leadership has proven invaluable to our global success — and earned them recognition as Billboard's International Power Players for 2019.
Downtown employees Taeko Saito, Rachel Kelly, and Roberto Neri have all earned recognition as some of this year's International Power Players by Billboard Magazine.
Comprised of Army veteran Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter, The War and Treaty performed songs Michael wrote to honor fallen soldiers while serving in Iraq from their debut album 'Healing Tide' on CBS Sunday Morning this Memorial Day weekend.
As the duo The War and Treaty, Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter sing some of the songs Michael wrote while serving in the Army in Iraq as tributes to fa...
We are proud to announce Roberto Neri's promotion to Executive Vice President, U.K. and Head of European Business Development for our parent company, Downtown Music Holdings.
“Roberto has been instrumental in bringing first-rate songwriters, producers and iconic catalogs to Downtown, while simultaneously supporting the growth of our global business and serving as a key ambassador for Downtown in the U.K. music publishing community. I’m thrilled that he’s taking on this expanded leadership role with our broader group and can’t think of anyone better suited as we continue to invest within the region.” — Downtown Founder and CEO Justin Kalifowitz
Downtown has promoted Roberto Neri to Executive Vice President, U.K. and Head of European Business Development for our parent company, Downtown Music Holdings.
🎶 Feel your heartbeat bang the drum
Open up your eyes and fill your lungs 🎶
Co-written by Brent Kutzle, Switchfoot's "Native Tongue" drives the trailer for NBC's new legal drama, Bluff City Law. #DowntownSyncSpotlight
Changing the world is the family business. Jimmy Smits stars in Bluff City Law, a powerful new legal drama coming Mondays this fall to NBC. » Subscribe for M...
OneRepublic's soaring single "Rescue Me" makes its live debut on The Ellen Show.
Written by Ryan Tedder and Brent Kutzle.
Listen to "Rescue Me," out now: http://smarturl.it/RescueMe1R Shop OneRepublic: http://smarturl.it/1RShop Sign up for email updates: http://smarturl.it/1REma...
🎶 We added new music from OneRepublic, Lana Del Rey, YOKE LORE, Com Truise, and more to our 'Fresh Cuts' playlist. #NewMusicFriday
Downtown's latest hits and future classics, updated regularly.
Written and produced by Ryan Tedder and Brent Kutzle, OneRepublic's upbeat, yet poignant new single and fittingly cinematic video was released today.
OneRepublic has returned with their new single "Rescue Me," released Friday (May 17).
🎶 Summertime, and the livin's easy 🎶
Lana Del Rey's new single "Doin' Time" is a cover of the '90s classic by Sublime, which itself was inspired by the George Gershwin and DuBose and Dorothy Heyward co-written "Summertime" — adding to a long list of works influenced by the jazz standard, including over 25,000 renditions by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Sam Cooke, Janis Joplin, and Willie Nelson, to name a few.
Buy/Stream: https://Lana.lnk.to/DoinTime Follow Lana Del Rey: http://www.instagram.com/lanadelrey http://www.facebook.com/lanadelrey http://www.twitter.com/l...
Congrats to Jimmy Napes, the longtime SAM SMITH collaborator who co-wrote and co-produced his hit single with Normani, "Dancing With a Stranger" — now No. 1 on the Billboard Radio Songs Chart.
Co-written and co-produced by longtime Sam Smith collaborator Jimmy Napes, "Dancing With a Stranger" has reached No. 1 on the Billboard Radio Songs Chart.
Andy Albert, Jillian Jacqueline, and Fancy Hagood are touring Europe to perform Nashville-style "writer's rounds" with different special guests in each city, as part of our Songwriters Across Borders initiative. This Friday and Saturday, they are joined by Amsterdam's Mercy John at Vrij Paleis and on a houseboat, respectively — presented by Downtown with Airbnb and AMP - Amsterdam Music Project.
Part of Downtown's Songwriters Across Borders initiative, Andy Albert, Jillian Jacqueline, and Who Is Fancy will perform with Mercy John and Sacha Skarbek.
Four of our clients are up for seven Americana Honors & Awards at Americana Music Association's annual ceremony in Nashville this September — including two for Album of the Year and three for best Emerging Artist. Congratulations to John Prine, The War and Treaty, Yola, and Erin Rae on their nominations.
John Prine, The War and Treaty, Yola, and Erin Rae have received multiple nominations at the 2019 Americana Honors & Awards.
Here at Downtown, we pride ourselves on our stellar internship program which provides real-world experience and a chance to learn from the industry’s most talented professionals in a casual, welcoming environment that encourages creativity, curiosity, and hands-on participation. We've posted new internships in New York City, Los Angeles, and Nashville on our career page. Eligible students can apply now at dmpgroup.com/careers.
We’re investing across borders to develop a diverse portfolio of culturally impactful songs, and are excited to announce our acquisition of celebrated European publisher Strictly Confidential’s catalog — including over 10,000 copyrights spanning multiple languages and genres.
Downtown is excited to announce our acquisition of celebrated European music publisher Strictly Confidential’s catalog.
🎶 We added new music from Shaggy, SG Lewis & Ruel, Elohim, The Teskey Brothers, James Arthur, AURORA, and Roo Panes to our 'Fresh Cuts' playlist. #NewMusicFriday
Downtown's latest hits and future classics, updated regularly.
With a decorated career and a slew of recent hits, as well as a career-long dedication to advocacy for songwriters' rights, the 28-time Gold & Platinum-certified, GRAMMY-winning songwriter Ryan Tedder will receive the NMPA's Songwriter Icon Award.
The National Music Publishers' Association (NMPA) will bestow Ryan Tedder with its coveted Songwriter Icon Award at its annual meeting next month.
As part of our Songwriters Across Borders initiative, Andy Albert, Jillian Jacqueline, and Fancy Hagood are taking the sounds and stories of Nashville on the road to perform Music City-style "writer's rounds" in Amsterdam, London, and Berlin with different special guests in each city including Mercy John, Sacha Skarbek, and more.
Part of Downtown's Songwriters Across Borders initiative, Andy Albert, Jillian Jacqueline, and Who Is Fancy will perform with Mercy John and Sacha Skarbek.
💎 I’m the diamond in the dirt that ain’t been found
I’m the underground king, and I ain’t been crowned 👑
On this day in 2003, the Darrell "Digga" Branch co-produced anthem and fan favorite "Many Men (Wish Death)" from 50 Cent's celebrated debut studio album 'Get Rich or Die Tryin'' was released.
Best of 50 Cent: https://goo.gl/PgrRic Subscribe here: https://goo.gl/o954jF Music video by 50 Cent performing Many Men (Wish Death). (C) 2003 Shady Records/...
🎶 Behind every great song
Is a great songwriter ✍️
Co-writer of the Jonas Brothers' smash hit comeback single "Sucker," Ryan Tedder's new songwriting competition series Songland premieres May 28 on NBC — championing writers and giving audiences a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the song creation process.
Watch Songland current preview '"Sucker"'s Ryan Tedder Will Help Discover the Next Great Songwriter... at Songland' on NBC.com
The George Gershwin songbook includes some of the most iconic works in music history. We are honored to represent these inspirational classics, which have provided the building blocks for modern popular music.
Downtown Music Publishing has signed a publishing administration and catalog marketing agreement for the George Gershwin catalog.
💃 Well, shake it up, baby, now (Shake it up, baby)
Twist and shout (Twist and shout)
C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon, baby, now (Come on baby)
Come on and work it on out (Work it on out)🕺
#InternationalDanceDay
"Twist and Shout" by The Beatles
Co-written by Bert Berns
The Beatles - Twist & Shout - Performed Live On The Ed Sullivan Show 2/23/64 The Beatles Now Streaming. Listen to the Come Together Playlist here: http://sma...
🌊 I'm slowly drifting away (drifting away)
Wave after wave, wave after wave 🌊
Six years ago today, Dutch artist @MrProbz released the international hit “Waves."
Download ''Waves'' on iTunes: http://bit.ly/1dANgTR Spotify: http://open.spotify.com/track/7wIoJKi... Watch the video for ''Waves'' (Robin Schulz Remix) here...
Yola has been nominated for Best New Live Act at The Boot's 2019 Golden Mic Awards. Voting is now open.
Vote!
📞 I'm at a payphone, trying to call home
All of my change I spent on you
Where have the times gone? ☎️
#NationalTelephoneDay
"Payphone" by Maroon 5 feat. Wiz Khalifa
Co-written by benny blanco
Music video by Maroon 5 performing Payphone (Explicit) feat. Wiz Khalifa. © 2012 A&M/Octone Records Buy now! http://smarturl.it/M5Payphone UK FANS Standard a...
One of VH1’s “100 Greatest Women of Rock & Roll” and the first to have a top 10 album on the Billboard charts in the classical, alternative, and rock categories simultaneously, Tori Amos' multifaceted catalog includes 17 stunning studio LPs. We created a playlist to celebrate some of her classic songs.
One of VH1’s “100 Greatest Women of Rock & Roll” and the first to have a top 10 album on the Billboard charts in the classical, alternative, and rock categories simultaneously, Tori Amos' multifaceted catalog includes 17 stunning studio LPs. We created a playlist to celebrate some of her c...
Ryan Tedder has worked with a who's who of popular music, from Beyoncé and Adele to the Jonas Brothers and Maroon 5, as well as legendary icons like Stevie Wonder. This Apple Music playlist containing some of his biggest hits proves why they call him the "Undercover King of Pop."
Playlist · 36 Songs
Producer, songwriter, and instrumentalist John Key spoke with Pitchfork about working with Solange and the unconventional recording style employed on her new album 'When I Get Home.'
What it was like recording When I Get Home, according to John Key and John Carroll Kirby, who appear on almost every single song
🎶 We added new music from Beyoncé, NCT 127, Moelogo, KATIE feat. Ty Dolla $ign, and Amber Gomaa to our 'Fresh Cuts' playlist. #NewMusicFriday
Downtown's latest hits and future classics, updated regularly.
We are excited to announce our new joint venture with Cowboys & Pirates, as well as their first two signees: Solange-producer John Key and songwriter James "SuperChilly" Carter.
"We want to empower, educate, and develop our talent the right way. Downtown’s creative capacity, resources, and expertise will help us to take them to the next level, and we’re excited to be working together." —Worldwide Ty of Cowboys & Pirates
Downtown has entered into a joint venture with Cowboys & Pirates, representing Solange-producer John Key and songwriter James “SuperChilly” Carver.
A cornerstone of Chicago’s rap and drill scene, producer and songwriter Chris Barnett has built a catalog with some of the most culturally defining artists in contemporary music including Chance the Rapper, Kanye West, Lil Pump, Juice WRLD, Chief Keef, and more.
A cornerstone of Chicago’s rap and drill scene, producer and songwriter Chris Barnett has built a catalog with some of the most culturally defining artists in contemporary music including Chance the Rapper, Kanye West, Lil Pump, Juice WRLD, Chief Keef, and more.
Long before Anthony Rossomando linked with "Shallow" co-writers Andrew Wyatt, Lady Gaga, and Mark Ronson to pen one of this era's most iconic songs, he played in several accomplished bands — including "U.K. indie heroes" The Libertines and Dirty Pretty Things.
Over his 30-year career, Trent Reznor has put together a resumé to rival just about any of his alt-rock peers. But it wasn't until this week that he finally could claim a piece of a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.
🎶 Was it just a lesson learned?
Or just a pile of money earned?
Cause now I'm waiting on you like a tax return 🎶
"Everything to Everyone" by Bahamas #TaxDay
Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group Everything To Everyone · Bahamas Earthtones ℗ 2017 Barchords Inc., under exclusive license to Brushfire Records ...
🎶 We added new music from P!nk with writing by Ryan Tedder, Chase & Status feat. Irah, 311, and Goldroom feat. Mereki to our 'Fresh Cuts' playlist. #NewMusicFriday
Downtown's latest hits and future classics, updated regularly.
Our founder and CEO Justin Kalifowitz will be conversing with Chris Cooke for a keynote discussion about modern music publishing as part of The Great Escape Festival's series of one-on-one interviews with innovators and industry leaders on May 9 in Brighton, England.
🎟️: https://bit.ly/2BaBEvY
UK music conference also launches brand new day aimed at emerging artists
Emily King hits the stage at Soundtrack of America: Night 3 tonight, The Shed's inaugural concert series at Hudson Yards New York. Celebrating black music, the five-night event features performances by contemporary innovators like Emily and Phony Ppl, among many others.
The Oscar-winning filmmaker behind ‘12 Years a Slave’ talks to Marlow Stern about his “Soundtrack of America,” why ‘Widows’ was overlooked, and collaborating with Kanye West.
Imogen Heap is among the many talented women whose music will be celebrated at ComposHer, an event dedicated to female composers who create music for film, TV, and video games in a male-dominated industry at London's EartH (Evolutionary Arts Hackney) this June: https://bit.ly/2YWcH2p
The ever-growing list of "Shallow" accolades just got a little longer. The Anthony Rossomando and Andrew Wyatt co-written hit has been nominated for Top Selling Song at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards. Performed by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, who are up for the Billboard Chart Achievement Award, 'A Star is Born' also includes the Jason Isbell-penned song “Maybe It’s Time” and received a nomination for Top Soundtrack. Other projects including contributions from Santigold, Gabriel Garzón-Montano, and Maren Morris (Big Yellow Dog Music) as well as Boaz van de Beatz and Trackmasters (Cloud 9 Music), are up for awards as well.
#BBMAs #Nominations Top Artist: Cardi B Drake Ariana Grande Post Malone Travis Scott Top New Artist: Bazzi Juice WRLD Lil Baby Dua Lipa Ella Mai Billboard Ch...
Songwriters Ryan Tedder, Jimmy Napes, Anthony Rossomando, Andrew Wyatt, Jason Isbell, and Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue have all contributed to five of the top 10 titles featured on the ARIA singles and albums charts.
The Ryan Tedder co-written hit "Sucker" continues to hold the number one spot on Australia's ARIA Song Chart, while the Jimmy Napes co-written single "Dancing With a Stranger" and Anthony Rossomando and Andrew Wyatt co-penned Oscar-winner "Shallow" are still charting in the top 10, as well.
485 Broadway, 3rd Fl
New York, NY
10013-3071
Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Downtown Music posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Send a message to Downtown Music:
Congratulations to our writers Anthony Rossomando and Jason Isbell on their outstanding contributions to Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper's A Star is Born soundtrack, which made its debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 this week. Anthony co-wrote the film’s massive global hit “Shallow” alongside Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, and Andrew Wyatt — praised by Rolling Stone as the "power-ballad scholars will be studying for generations” and is now No. 5 on the Hot 100. Jason single-handedly wrote the theme song for Bradley Cooper’s character Jackson Maine, titled “Maybe It’s Time.” Bradley described the song’s impact on the soundtrack to Rolling Stone: “The song Jason Isbell wrote for Jackson became the staple, the sword with which a lot of the music spawned from me.”
Since opening our doors in London in 2015, we've continued to invest in a diverse roster of British songwriters that reflects the UK’s vibrant music market. Today, we're ecstatic to welcome ‘arguably the biggest band in British Dance Music’ as described by British GQ —Chase and Status. The multi-platinum selling duo, who just celebrated their 15 year anniversary, are gearing up for a big year with the release of their highly anticipated Return 2 Jungle album, along with accompanying exhibitions, a documentary, and a European tour. Two new tracks from the forthcoming record, “Retreat 2018” ft. Cutty Ranks and “Heater” ft. General Levy, are due to drop around their headline set at Clapham’s South West Four Festival this coming August Bank Holiday weekend. Their Super Sharp Reloaded exhibition at Selfridges, launched August 9th and runs till September 6th, celebrating Rave culture and its direct relationship with high fashion.
🎶 Only thing I know, it’s gonna be alright 🎶 Logic joins forces with Downtown hitmaker Ryan Tedder to push everyone to follow their dreams on the 🔥 new anthem “One Day.” #newmusicfriday
Downtown field trip, with our spunky NYC interns, to go see the globally-touring "David Bowie is" exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum! Organized with unprecedented access to David Bowie’s personal archive, this exhibition explored the creative process of the iconic singer, songwriter, and performer extraordinaire, whose sustained reinventions, innovative collaborations, and bold characterizations revolutionized the way we see music, inspiring people to shape their own identities while challenging social traditions. #davidbowieisbkm
"Remind Me to Forget" by Kygo ft. Miguel is taking over billboards and Spotify streams -- another 🔥 new single co-written by Downtown's #Saltwives.
“Imagine” Oct 11, 1971 — This week we celebrate the life and legacy of John Lennon along with the 46th anniversary of his most iconic song, co-written by Yoko Ono. With a profound message of peace, “Imagine” holds particular importance today as we confront so many humanitarian challenges.
Live from LA! Enjoying a perfect kickoff to the weekend with @coldwarkids at @Netflix's gorgeous new space. 🌞🎶🌴
With just a guitar and her stunningly powerful voice, Tift filled the room with so much emotion, depth, and imagery. Thank you to our friends at American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers (ASCAP) for hosting an intimate showcase of the lovely Tift Merritt sharing favorites from her upcoming album Stitch of the World.
"VOTE, BABY VOTE!" #ElectionDay #songoftheday by Deee-Lite
John Lennon influenced an entire era through his music and activism. Live from the Empire State, @aliciakeys pays tribute to @johnlennonofficial's "Imagine" in honor of the late singer and songwriter's 76th birthday. video repost via @timessquarenyc
It's an honor to represent the greatest song of the rock era, as with many other hits. Welcome to the Downtown family, Itaal Shur! Full story: https://goo.gl/sM8IaI
Downtown is excited to announce -- we have acquired rock icon Nikki Sixx's Motley Crue classics, featuring hits such as "Home Sweet Home," "Dr. Feelgood," "Girls, Girls, Girls," "Kickstart My Heart."
Jessie J performing DMP's "Burnin' Up" at Webster Hall.
Listen to Kelly Clarkson's brand new song "Run Run Run" featuring John Legend and written by DMP's Antonina Armato and Tim James (RockMafia): smarturl.it/KCRunRunRun
Repost from @kristinsayz: @crowmedicine performing "Wagon Wheel" at The DMP LA office's End of Summer Party this week.
Repost from @kristinsayz: @crowmedicine performing "Wagon Wheel" at The DMP LA office's End of Summer Party this week.
Lizabeth Film & Music Production
477 Broadway, ManhattanThe Sound - Music Studio, Laboratory, Label,
100 Grand Street
