Music Biz: Indie Publisher Atlas Music Signs Direct Licensing Deal With Spotify

Atlas Music has signed a direct deal to license its catalog to Spotify, which the company claims makes it the first indie publisher to have deals with the big four digital streaming services — YouTube, Apple Music, Pandora and Spotify.

The Atlas catalog includes such songwriters Toby Gad, Printz Board, Dan the Automator, Mike & Keys, Matthew West, Ashley Gorley and some members of Van Halen as well as emerging artists like Falls, Alex Winston, Alex Vargas, and Canyon Spells.

“Atlas Publishing have an amazing catalog and very talented writers who we are delighted to have on Spotify,” Spotify’s global head of publisher relations James Duffett-Smith said in a statement. “Deepening our partnerships with publishers like Atlas is important to Spotify as we continue to grow the music ecosystem for the benefit of everyone.”

Pandora’s Latest Direct Deal Is with Downtown Music Publishing

According to the announcement, the direct deals with Pandora and Spotify were concluded at the November International Creators’ Roundtable in New York, where executives from Atlas and Spotify executives were featured panelists.

In announcing the deal, Atlas CEO Richard Stumpf stated, “James and the Spotify team understand the importance of having one-on-one relationships with key music publishers. Beyond achieving the strongest rates possible for our writers, this relationship furthers Atlas’ mission of working with the top companies in the new media space to ensure our writers and songs recieve maximum benefit from forward looking creative opportunities.”