Music licensing and technology veterans Deborah Mannis-Gardner (Owner/President of DMG Clearances, Inc.) and Pär Almqvist (Co-Founder and former CEO of Tracklib) have launched a new company called AYO Music Group.
US-based AYO is described as “an active rights management organization providing global management services for publishing, neighboring rights and sound recordings”.
According to an announcement made on Wednesday (December 11), the company’s mission is to “organize and protect music copyrights while educating their owners on how to maximize revenue by taking advantage of all licensing opportunities.”
AYO says that since its soft launch earlier this year, it has built a catalog of songs with “well over 1 billion total plays,” with several songs surpassing 100 million plays.
Current clients include A$AP Ant, Bedrock, Che Smith, Cory Mo, David Forman Project, DJ Domingo, Dwayne Williams, Eric Reed, Hero The Band, Holy, John McCall, JT Money, Julianna Zachariou, Keishun Watts, Latrice Lynz , MC Lyte, Michael Ramsey, Natalie Carr, Psharrod, R. Prophet, Rondo Robinson, Selam/Muzikawi, STREETRUNNER, Tawnted, True Master, Willie G, Joseph Washington Estate Jr., Julius · Thomas Estate, Michael Estate Henderson and Scott Larocque Estate.
Started by Deborah Mannis-Gardner (Chairman and Co-Founder, AYO) DMG customs clearance company Released in 1996, it has since been released for Drake, Tyler the Creator, DJ Khaled, Eminem, Pop Smoke, Logic, Justin Bieber, Kendrick Lamar, Lil Wayne, Frank Ocean, Jay-Z, John Legend, Megan Thee Stallion, Big Sean, J. Cole, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Beyoncé and more.
In 2023, she teamed up with Reservoir to clean up samples and prepare the De La Soul catalog for release on streaming services. She was selected to the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players list in 2023 and 2024, the Billboard Women in Music list in 2020 and 2024, and the Forbes 50 Over 50 list in 2023.
Pär Almqvist (CEO, Co-Founder of AYO) Co-Founder Sampling Platform Orbit library In 2014, he served as CEO. A company Almqvist previously founded called Spokn was acquired in 2006.
This was followed by two companies in the telecommunications and renewable energy sectors – VNL and OMC respectively – both named World Economic Forum Technology Pioneers.
Joining them is Stacey Haber, Chief Legal Officer and Co-Founder of AYO, who also serves as Chief Legal Officer of SyncLodge LTD and Co-Founder of Web3 Music Rights Group.
Kat MacLean Daley (A&R, AYO) is the founder and CEO of KatClearedit and the former vice president and head of publishing at Death Row Records and director of sampling and business development at Universal Music Publishing Group.
Bryson Nobles (Director of Data and Technology, AYO) is co-founder and former CTO of Music Tech Works. Meanwhile, Thomas Mathieson (Head of Operations, AYO) is the former Director of Licensing and Copyright at Reservoir Media Management, Inc.
Naomi Asher (Neighboring Rights Consultant, AYO), former VP International Neighboring Rights and subsequently VP Songwriter Services at Sony Music Publishing, co-founder of Wixen Music UK Ltd and IAFAR (purported to be the sole neighboring rights) World Trade Association) and co-author of the UK edition of The Simple Guide to Music Publishing.
Billy Toulson will serve as AYO’s Client Relations Manager, and Kimberly Fisher will serve as AYO’s Marketing Manager and Project Coordinator.
“Our team comes from all aspects of the music industry and is passionate about putting creators first and educating artists, songwriters and rights holders on the complexities of this business.”
Deborah Mannes-Gardner
“I’m extremely excited to officially launch AYO with my incredible team,” said Mannis-Gardner.
“Our team comes from all aspects of the music industry and is passionate about putting creators first and educating artists, songwriters and rights holders on the complexities of this business.”
Mannes-Gardner added: “Many people don’t know how to claim the money they have earned, while others miss out on opportunities due to faulty management records. We aim to solve these problems and empower rights holders power and make a real impact for years to come.
“When Deborah and I started discussing AYO, we didn’t hesitate to join forces to turn our vision into a reality.”
Almquist
“When Deborah and I started discussing AYO, we didn’t hesitate to join forces to turn our vision into a reality,” said Almqvist.
“We believe that every rights holder should be fully educated and empowered to create a lasting legacy with their music, and we’ve already started work with a number of clients signed to date. I look forward to seeing Everything we have accomplished as a team.
“Managing music rights is complex, and our team at AYO is determined to break down these barriers day after day through education and rights owner support.”
Stacey Harper
“Managing music rights is incredibly complex, and our team at AYO is determined to break down these barriers day after day through education and support from rights holders,” said Haber.
“We’re not just launching a brand, we’re setting a new standard that allows music copyright to reach its full potential. I’m excited to be a part of AYO’s mission and growth.global music business
