Ultra International Music Publishing will rebrand as Payday Music Publishing following a trademark dispute with Sony Music Entertainment that forced Patrick Moxey’s independent publishing company to surrender its brand name.
Moxey’s New York-based company, which represents over 70,000 copyrights including works by Post Malone, Ed Sheeran, and Drake, announced the name change on Wednesday (April 16), less than two months after a judge ordered the company to drop the Ultra name within 180 days.
“Throughout the entire legal process surrounding the ongoing usage of the Ultra brand we have asserted our belief that for our entirely separate and unconnected publishing division the rights should remain with us,” said Patrick Moxey.
“However, the judge in the case thought otherwise, even though no damages or legal costs were awarded against us, and we will move forward with a new name. But, it’s important to emphasize that this is all it is – a new name.”
Moxey’s company said the newly rebranded Payday Music Publishing draws its name from the executive producer’s hip-hop label, Payday Records, which launched in 1992 and helped launch artists including Jay-Z, Jeru The Damaja, Antslive and more. The company described the name change as “a natural progression” from its affiliated record label.
“Nothing apart from the name changes, we will continue to represent our amazing songwriters and producers and we will continue serving as the custodians and protectors of the more than 70,000 copyrights we are privileged to represent,” said Moxey.
“We have seen tremendous growth in recent years and will remain market leaders in independent global music publishing and we are proud to be working under our new Payday Publishing banner.”
The rebranding comes as Payday Publishing recently witnessed multiple entries into the one billion stream club, including Tory Lanez‘s The Color Violet, Drake and Future‘s Wait for U, and AURORA‘s Runaway. Payday’s writers have also contributed to several recent No. 1 albums on the Billboard charts, including releases from Future, Playboi Carti, and Lil Baby, among others.
“We will move forward with a new name. But, it’s important to emphasize that this is all it is – a new name.”
Patrick Moxey, Payday Music Publishing
The rebranding follows a February 25 ruling by Judge Arun Subramanian of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, who ordered Ultra International to change its name.
The decision stemmed from a December jury verdict that Moxey’s continued use of the Ultra brand for his publishing business had breached trademark owned by Ultra Records, the EDM-focused record label that Moxey sold to Sony Music in 2021.
In his ruling, Judge Subramanian said Moxey’s firm had been “clinging to the Ultra name even though it forcefully argued throughout this case that the name had nothing to do with the success of its business.”
The trademark battle started in 2012 when Moxey sold a 50% stake in Ultra Records to Sony while retaining full ownership of Ultra International Music Publishing. When Sony acquired the remaining stake in Ultra Records in 2021, the dispute escalated, leading to litigation and the court’s decision against Moxey’s publishing firm.
In addition to the rebranding, Payday Publishing disclosed plans for a new set of international writing camps in 2025 following collaborations in 2024 with with major labels including Atlantic Records in Ibiza, Virgin Records in Germany, and Warner Music in Paris.
The company recently completed a writing camp in Seoul, South Korea, which brought together its songwriters including Neil Ormandy, Jenson Vaughn, and Lizzy Land with Korean talent from entertainment companies like HYBE, JYP Entertainment, and SM Entertainment.
“At the heart of everything we do is the people we work with and our writing camps have always been a hugely important way of bringing creative talent together in environments that encourage collaboration,” Moxey said.
“We have been hugely successful in organizing these events all over the world with some amazing partners, and 2025 will see Payday Publishing continuing our aim of creating even more of these opportunities for our songwriters.”
Payday Publishing will host its 8th annual Coachella writing camp this month between festival weekends at Payday’s Santa Monica studios, connecting artists with other musicians for collaborative sessions.
Additionally, the company will continue its annual sync-focused writing camp in Palm Springs, California, in May, concentrating on music for trailers and media placements.
Payday Publishing said these camps have resulted in sync placements including the recent We Live In Time trailer, MAX Promo, Disney 100, Grey’s Anatomy, and works for Netflix, Hulu, ABC and more.
The company’s publishing and co-publishing catalog includes songs by Post Malone, Ed Sheeran, Future, Travis Scott, 21 Savage, Katy Perry, Kanye West, Chris Brown, Drake, Martin Garrix, Kygo, Steve Aoki, Playboi Carti and more.
As Moxey noted in February when the court handed down its decision, “Our roster of talented writers and producers, alongside our executive team will keep doing what they do best—delivering the exceptional work that has made us who we are. Nothing changes except the name.”
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