Avex Music Group has signed producer Elkan to a global publishing deal. The company has also partnered with him to launch a publishing joint venture, called Toibox by Elkan.
Under the new deal, Elkan’s full catalog — including all future output and previous works — will be published through Avex Music Group, and Avex says it will also back the signing and development of writer-producers Elkan “is passionate about”.
US-headquartered Avex Music Group was formed in March by Tokyo-headquartered entertainment giant Avex Inc. after acquiring 100% of the S10 Music Publishing song catalog and an additional stake in S10 Management.
The company also named music industry veteran and S10 founder Brandon Silverstein as Chief Executive Officer of the newly formed AMG.
Toibox, in partnership with Avex, has already signed its first two writer-producers, Kavin “Kavin” Smith and Luke “Cobali” Gobrial, “with more signings to come”.
In addition to publishing Elkan’s catalog, the Avex team will collaborate closely with Elkan, his longtime manager Kasual Kas, and business partner Kristina Mazzola, to identify and develop a “new wave” of writers and artists through the Toibox venture.
Elkan, who most recently produced Drake’s No.1 global hit Nokia, was also a writer and producer on Rihanna’s new single Friend of Mine from the upcoming SMURFS movie soundtrack.
Over the years, he has also worked with such artists as Metro Boomin, Lecrae, among others. He began his production career in Freetown, Sierra Leone after an uncle introduced him to FL Studio, eventually earning early support from Metro Boomin and Lil Baby.
He later contributed to Lecrae’s Grammy Award-winning album Church Clothes 4 and is currently signed to Atlantic Records as an artist.
“Elkan is without a doubt one of the most talented and successful new producers in music today.”
Brandon Silverstein
“Elkan is without a doubt one of the most talented and successful new producers in music today,” said Silverstein.
“In addition to some very exciting projects of his own, Elkan has identified a number of key creatives to build Toibox with. We’re thrilled to be in business with such a promising visionary in Elkan, and I have tremendous belief in Kasual Kas, who continues to prove himself to be a real visionary in this business.”
“The future is now no one’s ready for what 2030 will sound like. Toibox is the future.”
Elkan
“I wake up every day with the same mission in mind, ‘making the world dance,’” said Elkan. “The future is now no one’s ready for what 2030 will sound like. Toibox is the future.”
Elkan’s business management is overseen by Gary Fuhrman and his teams at GF Capital and TAG Associates, while legal representation is handled by Kwame Kandekore and the Kandekore Law team.Music Business Worldwide
