Date Signed: May 2021
Label: BMG
Type of Music: R&B/Pop/Rap/Folk/Country
Management: Playground Media
Booking: N/A
Legal: Helen Yu
Publicity: Cara Wodnicki, [email protected] - BMF
Web: N/A
A&R: Joshua Edmond
In-demand songwriters are rare. When they become available, there’s no shortage of places wanting to work with them. This was true for Jeff “Gitty” Gitelman after his second publishing deal came to an end. A Grammy-nominated, multiplatinum producer and arranger, 2021 was a banner year for him. He’s worked with everyone from Usher, Mac Miller, Anderson. Paak and Kelly Clarkson to H.E.R., Jeremih and A$AP Ferg. It should be no surprise interest ran high.
Monti Olson signed him to his first publishing deal in 2015. When the executive vice president expressed interest in crafting a deal with BMG, Gitelman couldn’t have been more ready. “Monti’s been a big supporter of mine for years,” declares Gitty.
The same goes for Josh Edmond, Gitelman’s A&R. “He’s somebody I’ve admired for a while, and he’s been in my corner.” Despite overtures from other publishers, the duo’s devotion made the selection a “no-brainer.” “It was important to partner with somebody who believes in me and wants to build this catalog together.”
Another quality Gitelman loves about Edmond is that the A&R rep respects his desire to dabble in a variety of genres. It’s part of the Moldavian-born composer’s strategy to avoid getting pigeonholed. “He would actually make a point to [hire me to do something different] instead of just giving me more of what is already expected.” Gitelman feels versatility, along with an ironclad work ethic, are what have taken him to the top.
The agreement is an administrative publishing deal, as opposed to a co-publishing deal. As such, Gitelman maintains ownership of his songs.
Gitelman suggests others seeking a songwriter deal to always remember the importance of copyrights. “Sometimes, we look at songs as, ‘Oh, it’s just a little song I wrote,’” he opines. “But it’s a piece of intellectual property, with a copyright that outlives you. When I pass away, my daughter’s going to inherit my copyrights.”
