ole Puts The Wrap On A Gangbuster Year

By FYI Staff

Ole celebrated its 13th year of consecutive fiscal growth during an exclusive star-studded event at its Toronto headquarters on December 8.

According to the rights company Chair and CEO, Robert Ott, in 2017, ole acquisitions, creative and value-added segments of the company contributed to revenues on target for 20% year-over-year growth and an EBITDA that was up 15% year-over-year at a 60% margin.

"I'm very proud of the comprehensive, team effort that ole mounted this year. Every part of our business over-performed and that's a testament to our talented staff and creators who share an unflagging belief in our goals," Ott said.

He added that 2017 saw numerous chart successes for ole songwriters including 26 US singles on the Country Aircheck Chart, 4 singles reaching the #1 position, 10 songs in the top 40, 3 BMI Awards and 3 ASCAP Awards. On the Canadian charts, ole songwriters had 14 top 25's, with 2 #1s, 5 top 5's, 9 top 10's and 14 top 25's. ole was also named the CCMA Publisher of the Year for the 11th year in a row.

New publishing signings included an exclusive worldwide co-publishing deal with Bell Media, the signing of multi-platinum, performer, producer and songwriter Richard Marx, and the extension of its partnership with Grammy-winning producer Timbaland.

This year, ole label group, which includes Anthem Entertainment Group and development label, red dot, released albums by Rush, Big Wreck, George Canyon, Josh Dorr, Max Webster, John Cody, Sam Grow and Jacob Powell.

ole label group also announced an exclusive worldwide 360 deal to market the music and personality legacy of Stompin Tom Connors. Tom Connors Jr. was on hand at the Friday celebration to accept a plaque commemorating his father’s recent induction into the Canadian Walk of Fame.

ole Nashville celebrated its 12th year in 2017 with a move to a new state-of-the-art office space. The office has continued its record-breaking streak with over 40 international singles and hundreds of cuts recorded by artists in the US, Canada and Australia.

Former CMT host Paul McGuire joined the ole team in September to produce premium content, and host shows for ole's YouTube Multi-Channel Network (MCN), ole TV, which will be the new home of exclusive artist interviews, industry insights and weekly countdowns. Part of ole Digital, the channel is a full YouTube MCN partner for all media with over 17.6 billion views across publishing, masters and A/V to date.

Singer-songwriter Kalsey Kulyk was named the winner of this year's third-annual ole on the spot competition, held during PotashCorp Canadian Country Music Week. The Hudson Bay native won a deal with artist development label red dot worth up to $40,000 that includes music publishing, recording an EP, YouTube audio-visual management, and support from ole's creative staff.