December News / Happy Holidays!

• View Webcasts of Panels – One of the many benefits of membership is our archive of past panels and webinars.  If you missed the Los Angeles Chapter's webinar with the Register of Copyrights, members can view them and all archived panel and webinar videos, here.  All are welcome to view a sampling of video clips here.
• Music Estates – Heirs and Their Struggle Over Termination Rights - Termination rights give authors and their heirs the opportunity to recapture ownership of their copyrights, though the process is often complex and arduous. In this extract from his new book, "Leaving The Building: The Lucrative Afterlife of Music Estates," journalist Eamonn Forde details how Ray Charles’ children fought to reclaim the rights to their father’s works. Read more here. 
• We hope you'll spread the word to your colleagues in Atlanta as our newly formed AIMP Atlanta Steering Committee will host its first event, a holiday mixer and membership drive on Tuesday, December 7th. Click here for more information. 
• Congratulations to our colleagues, Made In Memphis Entertainment's co-founders, David Porter and Tony D. Alexander, who were included in the Worthy 100 - a list of entrepreneurs who are working to make a serious impact both personally and through their business. They were chosen as one of the only two music entries on the list because of their conscientious hiring techniques, along with their support and partnerships with organizations that focus on diversity, which has helped in steering them toward their goal of reshaping the Memphis music industry. 
• Primary Wave Enters the NFT Space, Outlines Plans for Future Drops - Primary Wave has officially partnered with Los Angeles-headquartered Unblocked (also known as The Non Fungible Token Company) on the launch of the business’s “first digital collectible,” a collection of NFTs for South Gate, California-based hip-hop group Cypress Hill. Read more here. 
• Nominations for the 64th annual Grammy Awards were announced the morning of Tuesday, November 23, and there is a whole lot of ASCAP talent in consideration for Music's Biggest Night. We are indescribably proud that ASCAP Board member Jon Batiste received a whopping 11 nominations, more than anyone else this year! Pop superstar Justin Bieber earned eight nominations, while chart-topping singer-songwriters Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo each got seven. Modern hip-hop giant Lil Baby is up for five Grammys, as is the great Tony Bennett, for his collaborative Cole Porter tribute album with Lady Gaga, Love for Sale. FINNEAS also received five nominations – in fact he is competing against himself in the Album of the Year category (Bieber's Justice and his sister Billie Eilish's Happier Than Ever), and also got a nod as Best New Artist for his debut solo record. Big ups to ASCAP hip-hop legend Jay-Z for making history as the most-nominated individual in history, with a total of 83! Read more here. 
• BMI Celebrates its 2022 GRAMMY Nominees - As the music industry’s most prestigious honor, the GRAMMY Award is universally acknowledged as the benchmark of excellence for songwriters and music creators. Recognition from the Recording Academy in the form of a nomination is a tremendous achievement, and once again, BMI is proud to congratulate its many affiliates who received nominations for the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards. In the General Field category, BMI’s affiliates truly distinguished themselves across the board, with Lady Gaga, Brandi Carlile and Doja Cat all vying for the coveted Record of the Year Award. The contest for Album of the Year, meanwhile, finds some of the biggest names in contemporary music in competition, including BMI songwriters Kanye West, Taylor Swift, H.E.R., Doja Cat, Lady Gaga and Lil Nas X. In the running for Best New Artist are newcomers such as BMI songwriters Arooj Aftab, Baby Keem, The Kid LAROI, Arlo Parks and Saweetie. In terms of Song of the Year, BMI songwriters represent eight out of the ten contenders for the award. Read more here.
• SESAC Celebrates 2022 GRAMMY® Award Nominations - SESAC is honored to congratulate all affiliated artists and songwriters nominated for the 64th GRAMMY® Awards, which will be held on Monday, Jan. 31, 2022 and broadcast live on CBS from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Standing out with two nominees are Japanese Breakfast, nominated for both Best New Artist and Best Alternative Music Album for their album Jubliee. SESAC affiliates Glass Animals and Jimmie Allen are also nominated in the Best New Artist category. Other affiliate nominations include Burna Boy, PJ Morton, Robert Glasper, Jack Harlow, Christian Nodal, and many others in a dynamic range of genres including Dance/Electronic, Country, Latin, Rock, Rap, R&B and more. Read more here. 
• Follow Us - And don't forget to follow the AIMP on  Twitter or Instagram, like us on Facebook and join us on LinkedIn.

Robert Carlton / SMACKSongs

Robert Carlton - Senior Vice President, Development, SMACKSongs

Robert Carlton serves as the Senior Vice President, Development at SMACKSongs where he has worked for the last 8 years developing the publishing house into the nationally acclaimed staple it is on Music Row today.

Born and raised in Hendersonville, TN, Carlton graduated from Middle Tennessee State University where he studied Music Business. After graduation, he moved to Nashville where he started a career in publishing that would introduce the world to some of country music’s most renowned songwriters and artists. 

Initially at Black River Entertainment, Carlton signed GRAMMY Award Nominated artist Kelsea Ballerini to her first ever publishing deal. Throughout his career, he has gone on to work with such acclaimed acts as Old Dominion, Sam Hunt, and Jake Owen, among many others. 

At SMACK, Carlton oversees the publishing leg of the company, which includes managing multi-GRAMMY Award-winning songwriters, and SMACK partners, Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne, as well as guiding their more than 20 writers to success. Under his watch, SMACK has spent 8 years in the top 10 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs Publishing Corporations year-end chart, and in 2021 alone has landed 19 songs on the country radio charts. 

Additionally, Carlton oversees the artist management leg of SMACK, which includes powerhouse singer/songwriter Walker Hayes, currently sitting at the top of nearly every country sales and streaming chart with his smash hit “Fancy Like,” as well as Kylie Morgan, a Vevo discover artist who was named to CMA’s KixStart Program and CMT’s Next Women of Country.