How To Succeed in The Business of Music Publishing: A Profile on Round Hill Music

 Music publishing companies most basic functions are to make deals with songwriters, promote the songs their songwriters make to musicians and anyone else who may need a song for whatever purpose (such as for advertising, commercial use, promotional campaigns, etc.), issue licenses for the use of the songs that they represent, and collect licensing fees.  In the world of music publishing, how successful the work that these companies do is heavily dependent on how these companies decide to handle their acquisitions of songwriters and artists.

Meet Round Hill Music – a music publishing company that is proactive in finding  the right songwriters and artists to represent by taking a long-term and thoughtful approach to building a stellar song catalogue and a roster of talent. 

For example, Round Hill most recently acquired the catalogs of two very renowned songwriters. Music industry veteran Marti Frederikson produced Mick Jagger’s solo album and has written for the Backstreet Boys, Def Leppard, Pink, Aerosmith, Carrie Underwood, to name just a few of the names that he has worked with over the span of his decades-long career.  Another catalog that Round Hill has acquired is that of Chris Caswell, who has recently collaborated with Daft Punk to write 2 songs off their new album, Random Access Memories, and has composed scores for HBO’s Happilly Ever After, NBC’s Alvin and the Chipmunks, and has done notable and award-winning work for The Muppets movie franchise and more.  Not only has Round Hill focused on capitalizing on the catalogs of renowned songwriters who have been in the industry for years and have garnered musical accolades and collaborations, but also Round Hill knows where to invest its money as they have also acquired the musical rights for six early Beatles songs.

But buying rights to music isn’t the only aspect that makes a music publishing company successful – it’s also largely important to recognize musical talent, and Round Hill aptly achieves this with the kinds of artists that they choose to sign on. Most recently, Round Hill brought on Island Def Jam Recording artists, American Authors, whose track “Best Day Of My Life” can be heard on the most recent Hyundai spot currently airing in the UK and France as well as a Lowe’s advertisement in the U.S.  This is only scratching the surface of the type of music that Round Hill represents, as their diverse roster ranges from French duo, Isaac Delusion, who was featured on Pitchfork to the 90’s iconic band, Spacehog.  Round Hill clearly recognizes musical talent when they see it, and any music publishing company should take a cue on how thoughtfully selective Round Hill chooses to be when it comes to their roster.

One has to wonder what exactly is the key to Round Hill Music’s success in their music acquisitions, but it’s worth it to note that the musical publishing company actually started off in the most unexpected of places – the world of investment banking. Josh Gruss, the CEO & Chairman of Round Hill Music, was previously a partner at Gruss & Co. and Bear Stearns & Co. but his work experience at Sony, Atlantic, and Clear Channel is what drove him to invest in his true passion: Round Hill Music. While the origins of Round Hill Music started off in a surprising manner, probably the secret to the success of Round Hill Music is not just acquiring catalogs and recognizing talent, but as simple as their team and overall entrepreneurial spirit of the company being based on their love and genuine passion for music.

As you can see, Round Hill Music is comprised of a strong group of experienced music publishing professionals and musical talent.  By utilizing their music acquisition in a thoughtful, long-term approach, they are well on the fast track to becoming a collaborative powerhouse in the music industry.  Ultimately, Round Hill Music is a prime and exemplary music services company that demonstrates that maybe the key to succeed in the business of music publishing is not only as simple as acquiring talented songwriters and artists, or as basic as just buying rights to music, but to handle their musical acquisitions with care and purpose.