Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG), a leading, global music publisher, today announced the signing of Dave Bayley of the Grammy Awards-nominated Glass Animals (Polydor/Republic Records) to an exclusive, global publishing agreement.
Bayley said: “There’s so much I want to learn and so much music I want to make in so many different areas - from Glass Animals records, to pop songwriting, to experimental sound design, to scoring. When it came time to re-sign my publishing, there were so many wonderful people, ideas and opportunities around that I began to feel a bit lost, but Universal Music Publishing and the incredible team of people there had drawn a long and clear path for me through those ideas… it just felt like a journey I wanted to take. I can’t wait to see what the future holds!”
Number 8 on Billboard’s Top 100 songwriters of 2021, Bayley is lead singer, songwriter and producer for the critically acclaimed and globally adored Glass Animals. The band’s highly-applauded album ‘Dreamland’ (2020) became their highest-charting ever. With more than 1.5 billion global streams, the album reached No. 2 in the UK and climbed into the US top ten. The group’s latest single “I Don’t Wanna Talk (I Just Wanna Dance)” has earned more than 30 million global streams.
Jody Gerson, Chairman and CEO of UMPG, said: “I am a Glass Animals fan and I am especially delighted to work closely with UMPG’s global creative teams to amplify Dave Bayley’s talents as a writer and producer, not only for his band but also for other artists who inspire and excite him.”
Recently, Glass Animals was named Group of the Year at Variety Hitmakers. They were also nominated for the 2022 Grammy Awards’ Best New Artist and BRIT Awards for Song of the Year (“Heat Waves”) and Best Rock/Alternative Act.
Glass Animals’ manager Amy Morgan of September Management said: “After the success of “Heat Waves” and ‘Dreamland,’ the next chapter for Dave is going to be a really important one. There is so much to explore for him both as an artist and as a writer/producer and I'm really looking forward to working with Jody, Mike and the team at UMPG to help develop all these strands of his career.”
Most recently, the UMPG A&R team coordinated a writing collaboration between Bayley and Florence Welch. As a result, Bayley co-wrote Florence’s acclaimed new single “My Love” off her highly-anticipated forthcoming album.
Mike McCormack, Managing Director of UMPG UK, said: “Best part of this job is when you get the opportunity to work with a world-class original talent like Dave Bayley. I’d been a fan of his for many years, so personally and professionally, it’s an honour that he and Amy chose UMPG as their publishing partner going forward.”
Boasting the biggest UK single export of 2021, Glass Animals took over the world with RIAA Triple Platinum hit “Heat Waves,” solely written and produced by Bayley. The fourth most streamed song in the U.S. for 2021, “Heat Waves” hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 after a record breaking climb, as well as No. 1 on Top 40 Radio, Spotify’s Global Top 50 Chart and Spotify US Top 50; No. 5 on the UK single charts; and is the longest running top ten single in the ARIA charts.
Currently on their Dreamland Tour, Glass Animals have sold more than 250,000 tickets in the US across 2021 and 2022, 40,000 tickets on their UK tour last year, and over 25,000 on their July 2022 Australia tour. The acclaimed group has performed at major events including Firefly Music Festival, Life Is Beautiful Festival and Outside Lands Festival, and has upcoming high profile slots at the biggest festivals in the UK, Europe and Australia with Glastonbury, NOS Alive, Splendour in the Grass, Spin Off, Lowlands and Electric Picnic.
Photo courtesy September Management
