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Music Industry Moves: Yung Miami Signs With WME; City Parks Foundation to Honor Joe Killian and Alex Blavatnik
Rapper Yung Miami, formerly of City Girls, has signed with WME for worldwide representation, coinciding with the release of her solo debut on the relaunched Uptown Records later this year. The move comes as her lead single "Spend Dat" gains momentum, having topped the Billboard Rap Airplay chart and climbed to No. 17 on the Hot 100, with a recent high-profile performance at the New York Knicks' Championship Parade.
Separately, New York's City Parks Foundation will honour SummerStage founder Joe Killian and Access Industries Vice Chairman Alex Blavatnik at its 2026 Dinner & Concert benefit on 10 September in Central Park, marking SummerStage's 40th anniversary. Killian, who led the festival from 1986 to 1993, receives the SummerStage Icon Award, while Blavatnik gets the Foundation's Icon Award for his cultural philanthropy; the Preservation Hall Jazz Band will perform. In further industry news, Sony Music Publishing Nashville has signed songwriter Adam James, known for his work with Luke Combs, Cody Johnson and Kenny Chesney, to a global publishing deal.
In short
- Yung Miami signs with WME as her solo debut nears release
- City Parks Foundation to honour Joe Killian and Alex Blavatnik in September
- Sony Music Publishing Nashville signs songwriter Adam James
Explained simply
Yung Miami is a rapper who first gained prominence as part of the hip-hop duo City Girls. Her representation deal with WME, one of the world's largest entertainment talent agencies, reflects industry confidence in her solo music career.
SummerStage is a free outdoor concert festival held annually in New York's Central Park since 1986. The City Parks Foundation, which runs the festival, is honouring Joe Killian, who founded the event, and Alex Blavatnik, a businessman and philanthropist supporting music and the arts.
Adam James is a songwriter whose compositions have featured on recordings by major country music artists. His publishing deal with Sony Music Publishing means the company will manage and distribute his songs to generate revenue from their use across various platforms and territories.
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