Solomon Sounds, ne Solomon Sobande, the former manager of the late rapper and songwriter XXXTentacion, has joined Capitol Records as senior vice president of A&R, reporting to Capitol Music Group (CMG) chairman and CEO Jeff Vaughn. Sounds is tasked with signing and develop artists for the company’s flagship label. He’ll be based out of New York.
Sounds has spent the last decade representing artists, most notably the controversial and influential XXXTentacion who was killed in 2018. XXX has sold 61 million albums and singles in the United States, per the RIAA. Since the artist’s death at 20 years old, Sounds has supervised the release of two posthumous albums: 2018’s “Skins” and 2019’s “Bad Vibes Forever.”
Speaking to Variety in 2018, Sounds recalled advice he was given soon after XXX’s death: “Somebody was, like, ‘Yo, pay attention to the Tupac estate and watch what they did,’” he said. “And I learned that’s it’s about not doing everything at once, but being able to spread things out. It’s about balancing and patience.”
Additional Sounds management clients include StaySolidRocky.
Said Vaughn: “Solomon’s proven instinct for identifying impactful artists and his ability to nurture their creativity aligns perfectly with our mission at Capitol. His successes to date reflect our shared commitment to artists from all corners of the pop music landscape, which is more dynamic and diverse than ever.”
“I’m truly excited to build upon the rich history of Capitol Records, and help usher in a new era filled with artists who are pushing the boundaries of creativity and new ways of accomplishing their dreams and goal,” added Sounds. “Jeff Vaughn is assembling a powerhouse team, and I’m grateful to him for believing in my talents and trusting me to help the label grow in the years to come.”
+ Sandbox Entertainment has announced Sandbox Succession, the company’s newly formed division providing estate management services in all areas focusing on name and likeness. The division will be led by Josh Matas, who joined the company in 2015. Matas, working with Sandbox Entertainment President/CEO Jason Owen, plans to cultivate a business that works across artist management, legacy preservation and development of creative artistic opportunities.
Succession counts the estates of Johnny Cash, June Carter and the Carter Family, as well as NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty, the most decorated driver in the history of NASCAR, as clients.
“I’m thrilled to announce the creation of Sandbox Succession which is a natural extension of the artist-first mentality that drives all of our businesses,” says Owen. “It’s an honor and a privilege to work with the Estates of these icons. We look forward to preserving and furthering their enduring legacies.”
“Jason and I both come from branding backgrounds, and I got a unique opportunity early on in my time at Sandbox to work with Johnny Cash’s estate.” Matas adds. “The depth of this work emphasized the importance of managing these critical brands.”
+ The Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) is partnering with the Recording Academy on a series of upcoming webinars with the Academy’s Chapters and its new Songwriters & Composers Wing aimed at educating the creative membership of each chapter on The MLC’s work.
Each of the webinars will be locally tailored and hosted by representatives of The MLC, who will brief participants on the history behind mechanical licensing, why The MLC was created, how the organization fulfills its mission, the benefits of MLC Membership and more, with ample time for questions and answers. A songwriter from each Academy Chapter will also be involved in each session to provide webinar participants with the unique perspective of the types of creators The MLC serves and take additional questions.
“We are thrilled to work with the Academy on this webinar series, which builds on our ongoing efforts to reach as many potential MLC Members as possible, provide them with the information they need to join our organization and help position themselves to receive the digital audio mechanical royalties they have earned and deserve,” noted Kris Ahrend, CEO of The MLC.
“Academy members were so active in passage of the Music Modernization Act, they should now benefit from The MLC that the Act created. We’re pleased to partner with The MLC to reach our membership of creators far and wide and ultimately get royalties into their hands,” said Daryl P. Friedman, Chief Advocacy Officer of the Recording Academy.
Academy Chapter members will receive an invitation with a registration link in advance of the date of their respective webinar. The full schedule for the series is as follows*:
Nashville Chapter
May 17, 2 p.m. CT
Chicago Chapter
May 25, 11:30 a.m. CT
San Francisco Chapter
May 25, 5:30 p.m. PT
Philadelphia Chapter
May 26, 4 p.m. ET
New York Chapter
June 8, 12:30 p.m. ET
Pacific Northwest Chapter
June 15, 3 p.m. PT
Texas Chapter
June 16, 3:30 p.m. CT
Los Angeles Chapter
June 16, TIME TBD
Florida Chapter
June 23, 12:30 p.m. ET
Atlanta Chapter
July 29, 2 p.m. ET
*An additional webinar is tentatively planned with the Washington, D.C. Chapter, the date and time for which will be announced once they are confirmed.