Last week, we learned that British-born executive David Massey was becoming the new boss of Arista at Sony Music – in addition to launching new publishing and management companies as joint ventures with the major record company.
Now we’ve got a bit more info on what these JV firms will look like.
Work of Art Music Publishing is based in New York and Los Angeles, and led by Clio Massey (pictured right), David’s daughter and former Sony/ATV exec, who will serve as VP.
She will oversee the development of a roster of artists and songwriters from across musical genres.
Also joining the publishing team is Zach Felber, who is based in LA and will serve as Creative Manager, working with Clio Massey.
Sony/ATV will administer the publishing venture.
Work of Art Management, meanwhile, is based in Los Angeles and helmed by Ryan Chisholm (pictured left), who will serve as General Manager.
He will oversee a roster that includes Mike Posner, Wes Period, and Milck.
Also joining the artist management team is Robert Dugan, who will serve as a manager working with Chisholm.
Said David Massey, “We look forward to making the most of the many exciting opportunities in music publishing and artist management with the formation of both these new companies. We’re excited to build a new publishing house to be overseen by Clio, who joins the new company from Sony/ATV.
“The publishing company will focus on developing writers, producers, and artists. In addition, it is a great time to build a new management company with Ryan Chisholm at the helm. He brings a wealth of management experience to the new company.”
Said Clio Massey, “The vision for Work of Art Music Publishing is to cultivate an environment and infrastructure for songwriters to grow and develop with focused A&R attention, and to be nurtured to reach their fullest potential. I believe it can be the best of both worlds for songwriters – a boutique environment with access to the many, wide-reaching resources of Sony – and I couldn’t be more excited to get going.”
Said Ryan Chisholm, “I am thrilled to be working with David and Clio and excited to be participating in the launch of this new artist management venture. I look forward to shaping Work of Art Management into an elite company that prides itself on personal attention, dedication, and truly getting into the trenches with our artists.”
Clio Massey started her career in music publishing at Liberal Arts, a publishing joint venture between David Massey and Universal Music Publishing.
Since 2014, she has worked in A&R for Sony/ATV Music Publishing, most recently serving as Senior Director, A&R.
During her time with Sony/ATV, she signed songwriter Geoff Warburton (Shawn Mendes “There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back”, “In My Blood”), songwriter/producer 6ix (Logic “1-800-273-8255”) and singer-songwriter Maggie Rogers, among others.
She also worked with numerous Sony/ATV writers and artists, including Mike Posner, Camila Cabello, and Simon Wilcox. She has a B.A. in English from Oberlin College.
Ryan Chisholm started his career at Bill Silva Management where he co-managed Christina Perri, who sold 10 million singles and over 1 million albums with the global hits “Jar of Hearts”, “A Thousand Years” and “Human.”
More recently, Chisholm has managed Mike Posner, whose song “I Took A Pill in Ibiza” amassed over 1.5 billion worldwide streams and earned a 2017 Grammy nomination for “Song of the Year.” His current management roster also includes singer-songwriter and social activist MILCK, as well as rapper / singer / producer Wes Period.
A graduate of UCLA with a B.A. in Sociology, Chisholm is the son of Kevin Chisholm, the former longtime manager of Santana.Music Business Worldwide
