Prescription Songs’ head of West Coast A&R Rhea Pasricha Kullas has told Music Week that songwriters are “getting the short end of the stick” as she called for a more equitable music industry.
Pasricha Kullas, who has worked on hits by Beyoncé, Dua Lipa, Myles Smith and Sam Smith & Kim Petras, and also manages Espresso hitmaker Steph Jones, is profiled in our June edition.
As well as reflecting on her career in the interview, the LA-based executive spoke passionately about the need for fairer songwriter payment amid wider industry changes including AI.
"AI is part of that conversation because I think writers are going to get the short end of the stick, and we have to figure out a way to monetise that," she said. "It’s super important that songwriters somehow get properly paid – whether that’s participating on the master side, whether that’s fighting for better rates at government level, or whether that’s fighting for fees."
Pasricha Kullas went on to reference the situation in the UK after major record labels committed to introduce a £75 per diem and cover expenses for songwriters attending their writing sessions.
"I know the UK has started a per diem situation, which is a really positive step, because a lot of writers that I know sometimes can’t go to sessions; it’s going to cost more to go to this session than they have in their bank account," she said. "Either way, publishing is always the first trading card on the table. And I don’t know when this became the industry norm, but artists who didn’t write certain songs want publishing; they want to give publishing to featured artists who didn’t write their verses, or they might have a remixer they can’t pay, so they want to give them publishing.
"How did that become the first trading piece on the table? All songwriters have to live off of is their publishing share. They don’t have any other revenue source. I’m super, hyper-protective of that. Every which way, I think they’re getting the short end of the stick, and it’s just not fair. And, quite frankly, this industry is nothing without songs.”
I will never pretend that I know what a hit is – no one does – but for me, it’s about this: does it make me feel something and do I want to listen to it again?
Rhea Pasricha Kullas, Prescription Songs
Prescription signed Ejae last year ahead of her major breakthrough via the K-Pop Demon Hunters soundtrack. Pasricha Kullas reflected on what the phenomenon taught her about today’s music landscape.
“Ejae obviously had such a big moment with Golden and that song, coupled with the movie. I watched it the week it came out, and I remember tearing up [during that scene]. It is such a powerful moment – it makes you feel something and you can’t help but go and play the song again. Those are the two things I always think about, and what I love about today’s landscape is that it really is about those two ideas.
"If you look at the charts, there’s no formula, magic wand, word or thing where you connect the dots and something becomes a hit. I will never pretend that I know what a hit is – no one does – but for me, it’s about this: does it make me feel something and do I want to listen to it again?”
Elsewhere, Pasricha Kullas offered her thoughts on Espresso's chart success and the evolution of her relationship with Steph Jones.
“I’m just so proud of Steph," she said. "I was a fan first, and I’m still a fan today, seven years in. When you talk about what you look for in a partnership, she is all that and more. She’s such a good human, incredibly talented, such a hard worker and a really good partner.
"She was already working with Sabrina when I started managing her; Sabrina’s had seven albums and Steph’s been a part of five of them. A lot of people don’t realise that, before Espresso, they’d been working together for almost a decade. So... talk about how long it takes for an artist to really develop and come into their own."
She continued: "Steph is having a moment right now with Julia Wolf and her song In My Room. That was an artist she DMed. With FLO, Steph just loved their music, as well as Myles Smith, who she has a current single [My Mess] with. It’s just so cool to work with her and know she can work with all different kinds of artists and genres, let their personalities shine through, and help them find what makes them special. That’s what makes her so special, too, quite frankly.”
Subscribers can read the full interview with Pasricha Kullas here.
