LOS ANGELES – Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) has signed música mexicana artist Xavi to an exclusive worldwide publishing agreement, as announced June 25, 2026.
The contract follows the commercial performance of Xavi’s sophomore album, “Dosis,” and the single “La Diabla,” which has recorded over 1 billion streams globally. At 21, Xavi is the youngest recipient of the ASCAP Latin Music Award for Songwriter of the Year.
“Joining UMPG marks an exciting new chapter for me as a songwriter, and I’m ready to keep taking música mexicana to a global level,” Xavi said.
Alexandra Lioutikoff, UMPG’s president of Latin America & U.S. Latin, stated that Xavi’s ability to maintain the roots of the genre while applying a global perspective makes him “exceptional.”
Strategic Shifts in Global Tour Management and Artist Operations
Brazilian live entertainment firm 30e has entered a global agreement with the American rock band Faith No More to serve as the band’s strategic and operational hub, consolidating touring, production and branding decisions under a single international partner. The deal covers tour conception across five continents, brand development, and fan experiences.
The arrangement, facilitated by WME, marks a shift in industry norms by placing a Latin American firm in charge of global planning for a U.S. act – an inversion of the traditional model in which U.S. and European promoters typically control Latin American routes. 30e previously entered a similar long-term agreement with System of a Down earlier this year, signaling a broader move by the company to become a structural player in cross-border rock touring rather than a territory-specific promoter.
Pepeu Correa, CEO of 30e, described the agreement as a platform to build global experiences that respect the band’s “transgressive DNA.” Faith No More noted that 30e’s approach differs from “the usual machinery” of the industry, with the band emphasizing the importance of bespoke routing and production choices over standardized touring templates.
In a separate operational restructure, Paula Moore, CEO of Greater Music Group, has implemented a business transformation initiative for electronic artist-producer Bassnectar (Lorin Ashton). The initiative shifts the business model from one predominantly driven by tour merchandise to a framework centered on apparel, content, licensing, and direct-to-consumer operations. The move reflects a wider trend in artist enterprises toward recurring, IP-based revenue streams that are less exposed to touring volatility, labor constraints and evolving event safety guidelines.
Agency Representation and Label Signings
WME has re-signed singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding for worldwide representation across all areas. Goulding, who holds the U.K. record for the most No. 1 albums by a British female artist (tied with Adele), is scheduled to release her sixth studio album, “I Know Too Much,” on September 4. The renewed agreement keeps Goulding’s touring, brand partnerships, film/TV and literary activities under a single agency umbrella at a time when multi-rights deals increasingly influence how marketing, release windows and live calendars are coordinated.
United Talent Agency (UTA) has signed the Filipino group SB19 for global representation. The group is scheduled to perform at Lollapalooza and Summer Sonic this summer, placing a P-pop act on two of the world’s most visible festival stages and underlining the role of major agencies in brokering access to North American and Japanese live markets.
Epic Records has signed actor and musician Papa Jay (Thaddeus J. Mixson). Jay, known for “Reasonable Doubt” and “Creed 3,” will release his debut single with the label, “Work Dat,” on June 26, 2026, and perform at the BET X Experience on June 27, 2026. The signing extends Epic’s strategy of developing screen-to-studio talent whose careers span filmed entertainment, music, and brand collaborations.
Additional industry signings include:
- Prescription Songs: Signed Nashville-based producer and songwriter Andrew Baylis, furthering the company’s foothold in rock and alternative-leaning country and pop.
- Electric Feel Management: Signed producer Nico Baran, adding to a roster that focuses on multi-genre, producer-led collaborations and catalog development.
- Cadillac Music (ERN) and Big Loud Publishing: Signed songwriter Nick Boyd in a joint publishing deal, illustrating how shared-risk, shared-upside structures are increasingly used to secure talent in a competitive Nashville writing market.
Corporate Governance, Rights Oversight and Technology Investment
SoundExchange has appointed Michele Page as general counsel. Page will report to president-CEO Michael Huppe and oversee regulatory issues, rate proceedings, enforcement programs, and corporate governance at the non-profit rights organization, which administers U.S. statutory licenses for digital performances of sound recordings under the U.S. Copyright Act. Page previously held legal executive roles at Peloton Interactive, Nielsen, Vevo, EMI Music Publishing, and Sony Music Entertainment, bringing experience that spans consumer technology, measurement, and traditional music rights management to a role central to how digital performance royalties are set and distributed.
In the technology sector, fan engagement platform Swsh has closed a $4 million Seed funding round led by Game Changers Ventures. Other participants included Stellation Capital, SignalFire, MaC Venture Capital, and angel investors such as Scooter Braun, Guy Oseary, and Julie Greenwald.
The platform uses AI to convert organic audience behavior at live events into structured data and participation insights, aiming to give promoters, venues and rights-holders a more granular view of attendance, engagement and on-site spending. As live businesses face growing pressure from regulators, investors and insurers to demonstrate data-backed crowd management and fan safety practices, such tools are increasingly positioned as both commercial and compliance infrastructure.
Industry Programming and Infrastructure
The International Live Music Conference (ILMC), in partnership with We Group, has announced the first wave of programming for the inaugural International Festival Forum (IFF) LA. The event will take place September 14-16, 2026, at the London West Hollywood.
The conference is designed to streamline the festival booking process through networking and one-to-one meetings between organizers, talent buyers, and agents, effectively formalizing what has often been an informal, relationship-driven system. Confirmed sessions include:
- The Festival Season 2026: Analysis of market trends and lessons from the current year, spanning ticket pricing, consumer demand and on-site experience design.
- Talent Buying in the Influencer Era: The impact of social platforms on artist discovery and booking, including how viral metrics are weighed against traditional touring history.
- International Touring & U.S. Work Visas in 2026: Operational realities for international artists navigating federal immigration requirements, consular backlogs, and evolving timelines.
- Festival Booking Strategies 2027-2030: Long-term programming trends, from genre diversification to sustainability commitments and regional regulatory pressures.
- Beyond the Festival: Expansion into new revenue streams and live formats, including year-round brand extensions and city partnerships.
- The Audience Equation: Fan engagement and accessibility in the live market, with attention to pricing transparency, ADA compliance and community impact.
- Modern Insurance & Risk Management: Event protection and operational resilience in the face of extreme weather, public safety expectations and liability regimes.
The IFF LA event is scheduled for September 14-16, 2026, positioning Los Angeles as a convening point for festival stakeholders weighing how to balance commercial growth with regulatory, reputational, and audience-experience pressures over the rest of the decade.
Worth a look
