Music licensing and tech 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 copyright administrator offering global administration of publishing, neighboring rights, and recordings”.
According to the launch announcement on Wednesday (December 11), the company’s mission is to “organize and protect music copyrights while educating their owners on how to utilize all licensing opportunities to maximize their earnings”.
Since its soft launch earlier this year, AYO says that it has already built a catalog of songs “totaling well over 1 billion streams”, with several tracks crossing the 100 million stream threshold.
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, Keishaun Watts, Latrice Lynz, MC Lyte, Michael Ramsey, Natalie Carr, Pusharod, R. Prophet, Rhondo Robinson, Selam/Muzikawi, STREETRUNNER, Tawnted, True Master, Willie G, The Estate of Joseph Washington Jr., The Estate of Julius Thomas, The Estate of Michael Henderson, and The Estate of Scott La Rock.
Deborah Mannis-Gardner (Chairwoman & Co-Founder, AYO) started DMG Clearances, Inc. in 1996 and has since cleared releases for artists including 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 worked with Reservoir to clear samples and prepare the De La Soul catalog for its release on streaming services. She was named to Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players list in 2023 and 2024, Billboard’s Women in Music list in 2020 and 2024, and the Forbes 50 Over 50 list in 2023.
Pär Almqvist (CEO, Co-Founder, AYO) co-founded sampling platform Tracklib in 2014 and served as CEO. A previous company founded by Almqvist called Spokn was acquired in 2006.
This was followed by two ventures in telecom and renewable energy — VNL and OMC, respectively — both named as World Economic Forum Technology Pioneers.
Joining them is Stacey Haber (Chief Legal Officer, Co-Founder, AYO), who also serves as Chief Legal Officer for SyncLodge LTD and Co-Founder of the Web3 Music Rights Group.
Kat MacLean Daley (A&R, AYO) is founder and CEO of KatClearedit, and the former VP & Head of Publishing at Death Row Records and Director, Sampling and Business Development at Universal Music Publishing Group.
Bryson Nobles (Head of Data & Technology, AYO), is the Co-Founder and former CTO of Music Tech Works. Thomas Mathieson (Head of Operations, AYO), meanwhile, is former Director, Licensing & Copyright at Reservoir Media Management, Inc.
Naomi Asher (Neighboring Rights Advisor, AYO), is a former Vice President of International Neighbouring Rights and subsequently former VP of Songwriter Services at Sony Music Publishing, a Co-Founder of Wixen Music UK Ltd and IAFAR (claimed to be the only Neighbouring Rights Trade Association in the world), and co-author of the U.K. edition of The Plain and Simple Guide to Music Publishing.
Billy Toulson will serve as Client Relations Manager at AYO and Kimberly Fisher as Marketing Manager & Project Coordinator, AYO.
“Coming from all different facets of the music industry, our team shares a passion for putting creators first and educating artists, songwriters, and rightsholders about the intricacies of this business.”
Deborah Mannis-Gardner
“I couldn’t be more excited to officially launch AYO alongside my incredible team,” said Mannis-Gardner.
“Coming from all different facets of the music industry, our team shares a passion for putting creators first and educating artists, songwriters, and rightsholders about the intricacies of this business.”
Added Mannis-Gardner: “Many people don’t know how to collect the money they have already earned, and others are missing out on opportunities due to faulty administration records. We aim to solve those issues, empowering rightsholders and making a real impact in the years to come.”
“When Deborah and I began discussing AYO, it was a no-brainer to join forces and turn our vision into reality.”
Par Almqvist
Almqvist said: “When Deborah and I began discussing AYO, it was a no-brainer to join forces and turn our vision into reality.
“We believe that every rightsholder deserves to be fully educated and empowered to create a lasting legacy with their music, and we have already hit the ground running with the substantial roster of clients who have signed on so far. I look forward to seeing all that we achieve as a team.”
“Music copyright can be incredibly complex to navigate, and our team at AYO is determined to break down those barriers day by day through education and rightsholder support.”
Stacey Haber
Haber said: “Music copyright can be incredibly complex to navigate, and our team at AYO is determined to break down those barriers day by day through education and rightsholder support.”
“We’re not just launching a brand, we’re setting a new standard where music copyrights can be developed into their full potential. I’m excited to be a part of AYO’s mission and growth.”Music Business Worldwide
