Atlas Music Publishing Acquires Catalog of Combustion Music

By: Oct. 02, 2014
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Atlas Music Publishing (Atlas) has acquired the catalog of one of Nashville music's most successful independent music publishers, Combustion Music, it was announced today by Atlas CEO, Richard Stumpf and Combustion Music owner/President, Chris Farren. The highly sought after deal marks the opening of Atlas Music Publishing's Nashville offices and launches a long-term joint venture with Combustion Music under the banner Combustion Atlas.

With a prolific and musically diverse roster of songwriters, Combustion Music consistently delivers music for country and pop music's elite, including Miranda Lambert, Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line, Carrie Underwood, Dierks Bentley, Lee Brice, and Keith Urban, amongst others. Through the deal, Atlas Music Publishing will now acquire a publishing interest in an expansive roster of hit songs, including No. 1 records: "Crash My Party" "That's My Kind of Night" and "Play It Again" by Luke Bryan; "Bottoms Up" by Brantley Gilbert; "Good Girl" by Carrie Underwood; "Hello, My Name Is" and "Strong Enough" by Matthew West; "Beer Money" by Kip Moore; "Hey Girl" by Billy Currington; "Runnin' Outta Moonlight" by Randy Houser; "Don't Ya" by Brett Eldredge; "Mr. Know It All" by Kelly Clarkson; "Rewind" by Rascal Flatts; and "I Hold On" by Dierks Bentley.

Combustion will continue its relationship with prolific songwriter Ashley Gorley, the hit-maker behind 16 No. 1 Country hits. Gorley was named Billboard's 2013 Country Music Songwriter of the Year and has written over 100 songs recorded by over 50 artists, including co-writes on Luke Bryan's "That's My Kind of Night", Randy Hauser's "Runnin' Outta Moonlight", Trace Adkins' "You're Gonna Miss This", and three cuts on the new Dustin Lynch album Where It's At. Combustion will continue to represent the catalogs of Blair Daly, who has three cuts on the new Tim McGraw album Sundown Heaven Town and is the co-writer of Kip Moore's No. 1 song "Beer Money", Rascal Flatts No. 1 song "Stand" (from the 4x platinum album Me & My Gang), and writer of the mega hit crossover single "Smile" by Uncle Kracker, and Brett James (17 #1 singles, Grammy win for "Jesus Take The Wheel", co-writer of Dierks Bentley's #1 single "I Hold On" and the current Miranda Lambert/Carrie Underwood smash duet "Something Bad."

"Nashville is without question one of the most important writer towns in the US. We wanted to make a major commitment to the songwriting community here and enter Nashville in the right way -- this collaboration with Chris and the Combustion team does just that," said Richard Stumpf, CEO of Atlas Music Publishing. "The songs in the Combustion catalog are standouts and writers on our roster here are continuously booked with major label artists. We are excited to include these writers in the Atlas new paradigm of music publishing - a mindset built on (1) an authentic, hands on partnership with songwriters, (2) unlocking new paths of consumer discovery for our artists and (3) embracing the industry's digital future through techniques that maximize song value on streaming services like Spotify and Youtube. Our Nashville roster is going to get a push like they've never felt before. It's going to get very exciting, very quickly!"

"All of us at Combustion couldn't be happier to be partnering with Atlas Music," said Chris Farren, Combustion Music owner/President. "The history and resources they present and their commitment to and belief in Combustion have set us up to meet this next era of music publishing with strength, creativity and agility. Both Richard and I come from a like-minded independent spirit of building a publishing company, and I look forward to many years of success together."

The new Combustion Atlas roster will also include hit-maker Zach Crowell (co-wrote the No. 1 Dustin Lynch song "Where It's At" with fellow Combustion writer Matt Jenkins, co-wrote "Strong" for the 2014 National Chevy Silverado campaign, produced the album and co-wrote five songs on the upcoming Sam Hunt LP Montevallo, and has recent cuts with Keith Urban, Jake Owen, Dierks Bentley); Matt Jenkins (co-writer of Keith Urban's single "Cop Car", Dustin Lynch's "Where It's At", Blake Shelton's "Good Country Song", cuts on the new Sam Hunt LP, and regularly writes with some of the best songwriters in Nashville); Jerry Flowers (has two songs on Sam Hunt's upcoming LP, and has credits with Keith Urban, Martina McBride, Jo Dee Messina, Carrie Underwood, and many more); and Bobby Huff (incredibly success in both the rock and country landscapes, co-wrote Reba McEntire's "Turn On the Radio," production and writing credits with 3 Doors Down, Papa Roach, Drowning Pool, Jason Castro, Simple Plan, and Saliva); and new country duo Native Run (Rachel Beauregard and Bryan Dawley) who are just now making waves at radio with their debut release "Good On You"; and many more.

The deal was negotiated with the help of The Sukin Law Group and Greenberg Traurig.

About Atlas Music Publishing:
Founded by Richard Stumpf (CEO) in 2013, Atlas Music Publishing is a service-oriented, digital market minded alternative to big box, high volume music publishing. Atlas was built on the belief that "Bigger is not better. Better is better." Bringing together a team of veteran music publishing executives with proven track records, the company boasts a roster of hit-makers that spans multiple genres and currently represents songs performed by top stars including John Legend, Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, Daughtry, Luke Bryan, Keyshia Cole, Hillary Duff, Icona Pop, Prince Royce, and Colbie Caillat as well as emerging artists such as The Falls, Tdot, Street Joy, and Daniel and the Lion. Well funded by a mix of long-term strategic and financial partners with access to up to $400 million in capital, Atlas provides its writers with on the ground representation in every global territory, with its global headquarters based in New York. For more information, visit www.atlasmusicgroup.com. For breaking news updates and behind-the-scenes information follow @Atlasmusicpub on Twitter.

About Combustion Music:

Since its creation in 2001, Combustion Music has been one of Nashville's most successful independent music publishers, earning countless awards, #1 singles, and platinum records across a variety of genres. Headed by owner/President Chris Farren, VP Chris van Belkom, and Senior Creative Kenley Flynn, Combustion has scored big since 2009 with 19 #1 singles in 4 different genres and cuts on LPs totaling 100 million in sales. Among their accomplishments are the 2006 ASCAP and GRAMMY Country Song of the Year for "Jesus, Take the Wheel"; the 2009 GRAMMY Best Rock Song, Best Rock Performance, and Record of the Year for "Use Somebody" by Kings of Leon; 2009 ASCAP Country Song of the Year "You're Gonna Miss This"; 2009 ASCAP Country Songwriter of the Year Ashley Gorley, and the 2013 ASCAP Christian Song, "Hello My Name Is" and Songwriter of the Year Matthew West; and additional GRAMMY nominations in the categories: Song of the Year, Best Rock Album, Best Country Collaboration, Best R&B Song, Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album. For more information, visit www.combustionmusic.com. For breaking news updates and behind-the-scenes information follow @Combustionpub on Twitter, follow Combustion Music on Vimeo, and like "Combustion Music" on Facebook.



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