Sony/ATV Signs Global Deal with Q&A

Sony/ATV Music Publishing has signed a worldwide deal with Troy Carter and J. Erving’s new music and technology company, Q&A. Under the partnership, the music publisher will administer the music publishing catalog of Q&A, which was launched in April by Carter (Spotify, Atom Factory), Erving (Human Re Sources, Atom Factory) and co-founder Suzy Ryoo (Atom Factory, OMD) along with Tim Luckow (Stem, GHouse).

“I’ve known Troy Carter and J. Erving for many years and they have always stood out to me as two of the most artist-friendly and progressive executives in the industry,” says Sony/ATV chairman and CEO Jon Platt. “It’s why I am excited to team up with them and their partners for this new venture as it explores fresh and innovative ways of connecting music and technology.”

LA-based Q&A launched in April as a modern music and technology company with a mission to “empower the next generation of artists through technology, tools and services.” Q&A founders Carter, Erving and Ryoo all previously worked together at artist management company Atom Factory, overseeing a roster including Lady Gaga, Meghan Trainor, Nelly and Charlie Puth, while Luckow co-founded artist payments platform Stem and record label / management company, GHouse.

“My partners and I unanimously agreed that Sony/ATV was the right partner to administer our new publishing venture. Jon Platt has always put creators first and that’s core to our mission as a company,” says Q&A chairman and CEO Troy Carter. “We’re looking forward to building something special with this incredible global team.” 

Q&A includes Human Re Sources, a digital distribution and label services company, which was started in 2018 by Erving who serves as its CEO. The two companies merged in advance of the launch of Q&A, allowing the new company to build an integrated solution for artists via distribution, management, label services and data analytics. Q&A is dedicated to creating an ecosystem based around the concept of the “artist as an entrepreneur.” Prior to its merger with Q&A, Human Re Sources’ roster of artists, including Pink Sweat$, Peter Manos, Charlotte Lawrence and Brent Faiyaz, surpassed more than 1 billion streams in less than a year.