Columbia Records
Megan Moroney Inks Deal With Sony Music Nashville/Columbia Records
Singer-songwriter Megan Moroney has inked a label deal with Sony Music Nashville and Columbia Records. During her opening performance slot for Warren Zeiders: The Up to No Good Tour on Wednesday evening (Nov. 16) at Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl, Moroney announced her label signing, and also told the audience that her song “Tennessee Orange” will be sent to country radio. According to Moroney’s manager, Punch Bowl Entertainment’s Juli Griffith, Moroney and her team were in talks with 18 record labels before signing with Sony Music Nashville and the NYC-based Columbia. “We picked this combination because they understand exactly who Megan is and what she has already created,” Griffith tells Billboard. “Their plan is to come in and enhance what we are already doing under her creative vi...
John Mayer to Leave Columbia Records After 21 Years
John Mayer is leaving Columbia Records after 21 years, the singer-songwriter revealed on Instagram Friday (March 4). “After 21 years, eight studio albums, and some wonderful personal and creative relationships, I have decided not to renew my recording agreement with Columbia Records,” Mayer wrote. “Hard as it is to say goodbye, I’m excited to pursue new avenues of making music, both of my own and with other artists. I love music more than ever, and I believe some of my best work still lies ahead.” Mayer arrived at Columbia via his original record deal with Aware Records, which at the time had a marketing and distribution agreement with the major label. Columbia went on to release a total of eight albums by Mayer, including the five-times platinum Room for Squares in 2001, three-times plati...
Phylicia Fant Exits Columbia Records
Phylicia Fant has exited her post as executive vp, urban music at Columbia Records, sources with knowledge of her departure tell Billboard. There was no reason given for Fant’s exit, and there’s also no word yet as to where Fant, who declined to comment, may be headed. A Columbia spokesperson confirmed Fant’s departure. Today (Jan. 7) is her last day at the label. Fant joined Columbia in December 2018 when she and Shawn Holiday were appointed co-heads of urban music. Over the last two years, the label has scored successes with projects from Lil Nas X, The Kid LAROI, Polo G, Chloe x Halle, 24kGoldn, Leon Bridges and Lil Tjay. Columbia is also home to Beyoncé, Tyler, The Creator, Pharrell and Raphael Saadiq. Holiday, who teamed with The Azoff Company’s Irving and Jeffrey Azoff in February 20...
Grimes Signs to Columbia Records, Teases “Phase 2”
Grimes is the latest artist to join the Columbia Records family. The Canadian artpop superstar took to her social media pages to announce the news of the deal. Alongside a statement thanking fans for their support and confirming the signing, she concluded the posts with “COMMENCE PHASE 2,” leading to much speculation over what she has planned for the future. In addition to the announcement, Grimes also debuted a new website, which hosts nothing more than a sign-up form. While the project remains mysterious, it’s worth noting that the form asks the question, “Are you a player of games?” One can’t help but wonder if this means she will be crossing into the video game world once again. Such a move would not be surprising, as she was prominen...
Executive of the Week: Columbia Records Exec VP/Co-Head A&R Imran Majid
While buzz for “Calling My Phone” first began to simmer when the song was teased on TikTok, helping it vault into the top five of the Hot 100, Majid says the song’s success comes more from Columbia’s track record of artist development and trusting the A&R process. And Tjay, despite being just 19, is far from a brand new sensation, as his debut album, State of Emergency, reached No. 5 on the Billboard 200 in 2019, while Polo-Tjay collaboration “Pop Out” climbed all the way to No. 11 on the Hot 100 that same year. But “Calling My Phone” is a singular moment for the Bronx-born MC and one that Majid says reflects on Columbia as a destination for great music. Here, Majid talks the success of “Calling My Phone,” the crop of rising hip...
Ellie Goulding and Silk City Confirm New Single, Announce Release Date
A trifecta of contemporary music superstars are set to collide to mark the return of Diplo and Mark Ronson’s Silk City. After toying with fans about the reemergence of Silk City and a mystery collaborator tied to the duo’s return, Diplo and Mark Ronson have confirmed their new single with Ellie Goudling. The trio’s upcoming collaborative track “New Love” is set to hit streaming platforms this Friday, January 22nd. The members of Silk City, who won the Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording in 2018 for the Dua Lipa-assisted “Electricity,” had teased fans on social media with a short audio preview leading up to the announcement. Goulding then poured gasoline on the fire when she tweeted the same preview, which includes a link that ...
