Based in Los Angeles with a studio in Chicago, DJ White Shadow (aka Paul Blair, DJ and Multiplatinum-selling producer DJWS) launched his career when he was 17. Late last year he partnered with New York publishing outfit Primary Wave Music Publishing (PWMP) when they inked an administration and co-publishing agreement. This came on the heels of a deal he’d completed recently with Kobalt Music Group.
He made a name for himself as a producer of Lady Gaga’s Born This Way, which earned him a Grammy nomination. He also produced six songs for the A Star Is Born soundtrack. His administration agreement with PWMP is packaged with a co-publishing component. Included in his deal are some of his best-known Lady Gaga hits such as “The Edge of Glory,” “Born This Way” and “The Cure.”
DJWS became acquainted with PWMP through his friendship with singer-songwriter Shane Stevens, who introduced him to Sarah McCann, Senior Director, Creative for the publishing company. “At the end of my admin deal with Kobalt, I’d had a great relationship with them but I was looking for more of a partnership,” he recalls. “When I discussed my needs with all of the major publishers, I felt that Primary Wave was a good fit. I’m a huge fan of Sarah. I know that we can do some cool stuff together.
“For this chapter of my career,” he continues, “I was interested in branching out and trying some new things. I wanted somebody that was a true partner as far as creatively and exploring new territory. When I looked for a new deal, I wanted it to be an authentic partnership where I believed in someone as much as they believed in me. I wanted to take risks and do some weird new stuff—TV and film. Primary Wave was the best partner for that.”
This year, DJWS aims to release some of his own music as well as material for film and TV. The day after Music Connection spoke with him in early January, he was poised to begin a residency at the newly-launched On The Record, a Las Vegas nightclub housed within Park MGM.
Date Signed: December 2018
Label: Primary Wave Music Publishing
Type of Music: Pop, Trap
Management: Josh Kaplan - The Propelr, [email protected]
Legal: Josh Kaplan - The Propelr, [email protected]
Publicity: Catie Monck - Primary Wave Music Publishing, [email protected]
Web: djwhiteshadow.com, primarywave.com
A&R: Sarah McCann
