Photo Credit: Vertical Rights (Lasse Ewald, Christian Wåhlberg, Jan Carl Adelswärd, Johnny Tennander)Sony Music Publishing Scandinavia has inked a partnership with Vertical Rights, the publishing arm of Lateral Management.
SMP Scandinavia will support and collaborate with Vertical’s roster of songwriters across administration, sync, creative, and more as part of the agreement. Vertical Rights is a publishing company founded by Christian Wåhlberg, Jamie Binns and Jan Carl Adelswärd who also own Lateral Management.
Lateral represents artists including Labrinth, Paloma Faith, Real Like You, and others. Both Vertical and Lateral are closely linked and comprise a strong network of artists, songwriters, and producers. Vertical represents prolific songwriters such as Klas Åhlund and Jocke Åhlund, as well as Michel Zitron and John Martin.
“Our passion has always been to make great music with good people,” says Christian Wåhlberg, Managing Director for Vertical Rights and Co-Founder of Lateral. “I am convinced that working together with Sony Music Publishing’s team under the leadership of Johnny Tennander will inject new energy into the vibrant network of artists, songwriters, and producers who make up the Lateral and Vertical family.”
“I’ve always had huge respect for what Christian and Jamie have built together and they have always combined quality music with great ideas,” says Johnny Tennander, Managing Director, Scandinavia and SVP A&R International, Sony Music Publishing. “Their roster is a fantastic addition to our world, and we are really looking forward to working closely with their team and their songwriters.”
Back on February 17, Sony Music Publishing appointed Walter Jones as EVP, and Head of A&R in the U.S. His appointment went into effect on February 22, with Jones overseeing the company’s U.S. A&R efforts. Jones will also work to advance SMP’s overall A&R strategy and generate new opportunities on behalf of its roster. He is based out of the company’s Los Angeles office and reports to Sony Music Publishing Chairman and CEO, John Platt.
