EMPIRE Publishing hires Emilio Morales to lead Latin America drive
EMPIRE Publishing has hired Emilio Morales as senior vice-president, business development for Latin America.
He joins from Rimas Publishing, where he served as managing director. He will stay based in Puerto Rico, Music Business Worldwide reported on 7 October 2026.
Music publishing is the business behind the song rather than the recording. It signs writers and producers, helps place their songs with performing artists and collects royalties when those songs are streamed, broadcast, performed live or synced to film and adverts. Business development in this context means finding new talent and striking deals with managers, labels and other partners. Those deals often include advances, upfront payments that must be earned back through royalties, a process called recoupment, before writers see further payouts. That is the brief Morales takes up for EMPIRE across Latin America.
His previous tenure gives a measure of that work. San Juan-based Rimas Publishing grew under Morales from around 40 clients to more than 150 writers and producers. The roster he helped build included Eladio Carrión, Mora and production duo Súbelo NEO. Under his leadership, the company was named Publisher of the Year at the Billboard Latin Music Awards in 2021 and 2022.
Morales also launched Rimas Publishing Girls, a programme focused on women producers and composers working in trap and reggaeton. Trap leans on rolling hi-hats and deep bass. Reggaeton is powered by the dembow rhythm. Both styles drive large streaming numbers in Latin music, and the initiative was designed to open doors in rooms where women remain underrepresented.
Rimas Publishing itself continues under president Carlos Souffront, as reported by Billboard in 2025. In 2023, the publisher announced a strategic partnership with Muso.AI. Morales was still listed as its managing director when he appeared in Billboard's 2026 Global Power Players. He began his career as a musician and songwriter before moving into publishing, according to his speaker biography.
At EMPIRE, he joins an independent organisation founded by chief executive Ghazi, with its publishing division led by president Vinny Kumar. The hire keeps Morales in Puerto Rico, close to the songwriters and studios he has worked with.
What makes this stand out is volume. Moving from 40 to 150 writers is not paperwork. It is listening sessions, advances and rent paid. For listeners, none of that is visible. It lives in the credits.
