The Deals: Jeb Hurt’s Floating Leaf Management Joins Red Light; WMG Sells EMP Merch to whynow

Austin-based artist management company Floating Leaf Entertainment, founded by Jeb Hurt, joined Red Light Management, bringing its roster — including breakout country star Koe Wetzel, Kolby Cooper and Fox & Vead — to the global firm. Under the deal, Floating Leaf artists will enjoy access to Red Light’s worldwide team across music, touring, brand partnerships and entertainment.

“This is about taking what we’ve built at Floating Leaf and giving it an even bigger runway,” said Hurt in a statement. “We’ve always been incredibly focused on the artist — who they are, what makes them different and how we can help build a career around that. Red Light has an incredible history of doing the same thing at a global level. To bring those philosophies together, with the people and resources they have behind them, is really exciting. I couldn’t be more proud of what our team and artists have accomplished to get us here, and I’m even more excited about what comes next.”

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“This isn’t about changing what Floating Leaf is,” Hurt added. “It’s about having more at our fingertips to serve the artists we believe in. We’ve got the opportunity to dream a little bigger, move a little faster and think globally about what’s possible. That’s a pretty exciting place to be.”

“Jeb has built something special at Floating Leaf,” said Ben Kline of Red Light. “He has an incredible instinct for artists and has earned the kind of trust that you can’t manufacture. Koe, Kolby, Fox & Vead and the rest of the roster are a reflection of that. We’re excited to bring the full breadth of Red Light to the table — our people, our relationships, our global reach and all of the opportunities that come with being part of this organization. There’s a lot of momentum around these artists, and we’re thrilled to be part of their careers.” — Chris Eggertsen

Check out more recent music industry deals below.

• whynow Acquires EMP Merchandise From Warner Music Group

  Whynow, which describes itself as “an entertainment company built around artists and their fans, offering them a one stop solution across merchandise, content production and audience management,” acquired leading European rock and metal merchandise retailer EMP Merchandise from Warner Music Group (WMG). Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

  Following the deal, whynow, founded by CEO Gabe Jagger, says it will establish “a major European base” in Berlin; it is headquartered in London. Existing customers, partners and suppliers will continue working with their current teams as whynow begins the process of integrating EMP.

  EMP was founded in 1986. A press release says it serves more than 10 million customers and operates one of Europe’s largest licensed merch catalogs, working with brands via its direct-to-consumer retail platform. WMG acquired the company in 2018 for a reported $180 million. — Chris Eggertsen

• Carter Gregory’s Plot Twist Records Signs JV With 10K/Atlantic Records

  

  Plot Twist Records, the label founded by A&R executive and media personality Carter Gregory, signed a joint venture deal with 10K Projects and Atlantic Records. The first signings to the label include singer Alabama Barker and DJ/artist Nic Vans, who was a contestant on Love Island USA.

  Gregory was previously a vp of A&R at Capitol Records. He also hosts the podcast The Set List. Prior to the Atlantic deal, Plot Twist launched with the release of Kylie Jenner‘s debut single, “Fourth Strike.” — Chris Eggertsen

• Wings Music Group/Capitol Christian Music Group/Capitol Records

  

  Capitol Christian Music Group and Capitol Records entered a joint venture deal with London-based Christian and gospel music company Wings Music Group. Under the agreement, select Wings artists will have access to Capitol Music Group’s “expertise and promotional muscle to expand their opportunities and fanbases around the world,” according to a press release.

  Wings Music Group was formed in 2020 by former Integrity Music execs Chris Lawson Jones and Brad Heydon. Wings offers global distribution, publishing administration, management and strategic development services to an international roster of more than 100 artists, including Sondae, LIN D, Jonathan Ogden, Ally Minju and CityAlight. — Jessica Nicholson

• AEG Extends Naming Rights Partnership for The O2

  AEG and O2 signed a multi-million-pound extension of their naming rights partnership for The O2 until 2038, which the companies characterize in a press release as “the largest naming rights renewal of its kind in UK history.” According to the release, The O2 has hosted more than 6,800 events and over 100 million visitors since the venue opened in 2007. — Chris Eggertsen

• Pacific Music Group Partners With Hong Kong Broadcaster CTF Media & Entertainment

  Pacific Music Group (PMG) signed a partnership with broadcaster CTF Media & Entertainment Limited through which PMG will function as CTF’s dedicated music and entertainment content partner. The Hong Kong-based companies will co-develop and co-produce original programming for CTF’s TV and streaming platforms, from competition formats to artist spotlight series. CTF also made a strategic financial investment in PMG.

  The first announced project under the deal is a partnership to elevate Canto-pop EDM duo HoHo One in Asia and beyond. PMG will release a series of singles from the group, and early next year, an album. — Chris Eggertsen

• ADA Central Europe/Sound Distribution

  Warner Music Group’s ADA Central Europe signed an exclusive global digital distribution deal with Switzerland-based music label Sound Distribution. According to a press release, Sound Distribution “moves beyond traditional music distribution by building complete visual, digital, and cultural ecosystems around every track.” The release claims the label has generated more than 239 million views on TikTok. The partnership kicked off on Oct. 2 with the release of the debut single from Inéz and Pacoussa. — Chris Eggertsen

• ArtMaster Raises $2.4M for AI-Powered Piano Learning App

  ArtMaster, the Prague-based maker of the AI-powered Artie piano learning app, raised a $2.4 million seed round. New investors include Factorial Capital, Reflex Capital, Moises, Nir Zicherman (founder of the Spotify-acquired Anchor), Grant Davis (founder of Krea-acquired Wand) and Eliska Vorel (Google/Deep Mind, PM at Gemini). The company will use the funding to continue to build and refine AI models supporting the development of creative skills, starting with musical performance. According to a press release, Artie drew more than 500,000 users within a year of launch and saw paying subscribers and monthly recurring revenue grow 38% and 39%, respectively, since October 2025. — Chris Eggertsen

• X Games/Versa

  X Games partnered with global talent buying agency and entertainment strategy company Versa to support music talent buying and entertainment strategy for select MoonPay X Games League programming. Versa will support artist strategy, talent sourcing, negotiation and booking to help develop music programming. The partnership kicked off with X Games New Orleans, for which Versa supported talent buying for some of the event’s music programming. Versa’s festival portfolio includes Groove Cruise, Same Same But Different and High Tide Music Festival. It has also supported international touring projects including Imagine Dragons’ stadium run in mainland China. — Chris Eggertsen