After months of working together, on Wednesday (Aug. 4) Sony Music Publishing officially announced the signing of teenage pop phenom Olivia Rodrigo to a worldwide publishing deal.
The agreement has been in place for months and includes the track list of her chart-topping debut album, SOUR, as well as future works created under the deal. Rodrigo’s collaborator, songwriter and producer Daniel “Dan” Leonard Nigro — with whom she worked closely on her debut album SOUR — is also repped by Sony.
Rodrigo is by far this year’s biggest breakthrough success, beginning with the release of her smash debut “drivers license” and follow-up “good 4 u,” both of which held the top spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 in 2021 for a combined total of nine weeks. The SOUR songs helped land Rodrigo and Nigro in a tie atop the Hot 100 Songs songwriter rankings for the period of Jan. 1 to April 1. They also led the Top Radio Airplay’s songwriters tally from April 1 to July 1, and split the top two positions on Hot 100 Songs for that period with Rodrigo at No. 1 and Nigro at No. 2.
Within weeks of SOUR’s May 21 release, the album smashed record after record. Not only was the project the biggest debut of the year, it also earned the most U.S. audio streams from a female debut album ever. It was RIAA-certified gold in its first week and saw the placement of all eleven tracks in the top 30 of Billboard’s Hot 100, cementing Rodrigo as the first female artist (and fourth artist overall) ever to achieve this accomplishment.
As Sony Music Publishing Chairman and CEO, Jon Platt, puts it, Olivia Rodrigo is a “once-in-a-generation talent with the heart of a true songwriter.” For the Disney darling turned hitmaker, there is “nothing [she] loves more than songwriting,” and is “excited to be working with the team at Sony Music Publishing.”
Sony held the top spot on both Top Radio Airplay and Hot 100 Songs publishers charts for the period from April 1 to July 1.
According to Sony Music Publishing senior vp creative, Jennifer Knoepfle, SMP is “so lucky to support [Olivia] from the beginning of what will surely be a long and fruitful career.”
Added Sony Music Publishing director, A&R Thomas Krottinger, who signed Rodrigo: “It has been a great privilege to work with Olivia over the last year – she constantly pushes her creative boundaries, allowing her to craft genuine, emotive songs that transcend genres and bring people together. We are honored to partner with Olivia and her incredible team, and we are beyond excited to champion her as she continues inspiring the world!”
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