Now more than ever, representation matters in the hyper-competitive world of music-making as firms have set their sights on synch, streaming and other avenues of monetization for their clients. Ricky Reed, Murda Beatz, Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins and Ian Kirkpatrick are just a few of the songwriters and producers represented by the managers below.
Larry Wade
Decible Entertainment
With just eight producer-writers on its roster — among them: Ricky Reed (who works with Lizzo), Danja (Justin Timberlake), Ian Walsh (Em Beihold) and Jabari Manwa from Brockhampton — Decible’s philosophy is “to make sure all of the clients are connected with as many labels and artists as possible,” says Wade (pictured at left). “We focus on kingdom-building [at Decible] as it relates to making sure the client has the right relationships, in the right places.”
Cory Litwin
Hallwood Media
Litwin (pictured at right) joined Neil Jacobson’s Hallwood Media last year and he brought with him Grammy-nominated hitmaker Murda Beatz in addition to a stable of more than a dozen producers (and staff). Since then, his team has grown, and so has the success. “Hallwood has 90 clients, and my team and I oversee 30 producers,” Litwin says. With credits on Cardi B’s “Up” and Polo G’s “Rapstar,” Litwin’s team also scored a No. 1 Latin hit, six No. 1 albums and several radio chart-toppers across multiple genres this year.
Hannah Babitt
Babz Inc.
Launched by former Pulse A&R exec Babitt less than two years ago with six writer-producer clients, including Leroy Clampitt (Madison Beer, Sabrina Carpenter), Alex Hope (Alec Benjamin, Troye Sivan), and Nick Monson (Selena Gomez, Lady Gaga), the small firm marked a major milestone this year. “We currently have three songs from three clients at Top 40 pop radio right now,” says Babitt (center). “That is a huge achievement that we are very proud of.” The Babz philosophy? “Strategically finding artists that both our team and our individual producer and songwriter clients believe in.”
Jamil Davis and Matt Geffen
The Revels Group
While the Revels Group’s producer division was launched just recently by Davis and Geffen, the arm has grown rapidly — especially through the pandemic — as the company doubled down on its investment. That bet is now paying dividends, as Revels says that more than 60% of its 18-producer roster (newly added: Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins) has had a Hot 100 hit in the past year. “What sets us apart from other managers in this space is our community approach,” says co-CEO Davis. “We push both our producers and staff to focus on building real, genuine relationships.”
Dan Petel
This Is Noise
Years of experience as a trusted manager with good ears has continued to pay off for Petel in 2021. “In general, I think we’ve earned the trust of labels and artists who know when we send a song over, it’s going to be something that moves the needle,” he says. And with writer-producer clients like Ian Kirkpatrick, whose credits include Dua Lipa’s mega-smash “Don’t Start Now,” label A&R execs are always game to take Petel’s call. Currently boasting 15 clients, Petel says of This Is Noise: “We’ve tried to maintain a boutique atmosphere where we can properly connect with each client but have a diverse roster that covers
all genres.”
