September 03, 2007

By By Susan Butler, N.Y.

Sony/ATV Music Publishing has signed a worldwide co-publishing deal with Jonathan "JR" Rotem, who produced and co-wrote Sean Kingston's No. 1 hit "Beautiful Girls" and Rihanna's No. 1 "SOS."

Kingston is the first artist signed to Rotem's label, Beluga Heights, a venture with Epic Records. Charting songs co-written by Rotem, who lives in Los Angeles, also include 50 Cent's "Best Friend" featuring Olivia, Lil' Kim's "Whoa" and Rick Ross' "Push It." He has also penned songs for Natasha Bedingfield, Destiny's Child, Snoop Dogg and many others.

"JR is a proven producer, writer, and someone with a great eye for talent," says Sony/ATV chairman/CEO Marty Bandier. "We are proud to count JR as the newest member of our family."

"Beautiful Girls" includes portions of "Stand By Me," a copyright now controlled by Sony/ATV after its acquisition of the Leiber and Stoller catalog earlier this year.

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