(l to r) Bison Music’s Tom Lee, Andrew Bergman, Diplo, Jenny Ilibassi, and Juba Lee.
Photo Credit: Anthony Mongiello
Diplo and former Downtown Music head Andrew Bergman have officially debuted Bison Music, and in its own words, the indie publisher intends to give songwriters “a real stake in what they create.”
New York- and LA-based Bison formally set sail today and is now poised “to find songwriters early” before developing the professionals “throughout their careers,” according to higher-ups.
Among said higher-ups are Bergman as CEO and Catchweight Entertainment founder Tom Lee as COO. Additionally, Bison has tapped A&R vet Juba Lee (who previously ran Diplo’s Mad Decent Publishing) to serve as chief creative officer. Former Downtown chief of staff Jenny Ilibassi, for her part, is aboard as GM.
While time will reveal what Bison’s above-highlighted strategy looks like in practice, the company didn’t hesitate to note that “much of the publishing business today is investing in the acquisition of existing intellectual property.”
On the other hand, the newly minted publisher is zeroing in “on nurturing writers, creating new songs and growing its talented roster, with a focus on development and partnership.”
Out of the gate, this roster features longtime Diplo collaborators Maxime and Clément Picard (together the Picard Bros.); “Swim” songwriter Leclair; “Closer to You” writer Maesic; Sidepiece member Nitti; “Into the Sun” writer Kaien Cruz; “Saving This Bottle” writer BomboCat; “Body to Body” writer Akira Evans; and Groupthink.
But Bison is expected to announce further signings “in the coming months.” Closer to the present, Diplo expressed the belief that “music needs an injection of originality” and framed Bison as a long-term professional home for its roster.
“At a moment when it feels like music needs an injection of originality, our writers are in a position to shape where music goes next,” Diplo said. “Andrew and I are creating a home for those writers, with a team that knows how to develop them and a company built to back them for the long term.”
And in remarks of his own, Bergman elaborated on Bison’s strategy and its objective of enabling writers “to reap the benefits of their creative endeavors.”
“For me, there’s still nothing more exciting in music than discovering a great song from someone you’ve never heard of,” Bergman added. “That’s always been at the core of what makes music publishing a great business. And it’s what excited me about partnering with Diplo, one of the leading creative forces in the modern music business, and tmwrk, his management team and longtime business partners.
“We’re designed to identify and sign writers early, nurture them through the harsh realities of the music business and allow them to reap the benefits of their creative endeavors. Writers and the music publishers that serve them are at their best when they are in a collaborative mode and we intend to operate that way internally and externally,” he finished.