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07 Oct 2024

Warner Music’s Eric Wong Shifts to Head of Global A&R Role, Jessica Keeley-Carter Named CMO

As the Warner Music Group continues to reshuffle its executive ranks, the company has made two new announcements today (Oct. 7).

First, Eric Wong, who has been chief marketing officer at the major label since 2020, will shift into the newly-created role of global head of A&R, recorded music, and assume the presidency of East West Records, which was originally launched in 1955 as part of Atlantic Records.

As part of that transition, WMG’s executive vp of global marketing Jessica Keeley-Carter has been promoted to step into the role of chief marketing officer, recorded music. Keeley-Carter has been at WMG since 2019, when she joined as senior vp of global marketing, before being promoted to executive vp in 2022. Both Wong and Keeley-Carter will report to WMG CEO Robert Kyncl.

“Eric’s newly-created role leans into his long-standing relationships within the artistic community and his deep understanding of how music travels around the world,” Kyncl said in a statement announcing the news. “Jess is an expert marketer and an inventive leader, who will help us orchestrate best-in-class ways of cutting through the noise in an increasingly complex and cluttered world.”

These moves are part of the broader restructuring of WMG that Kyncl announced in August, which was in pursuit of what Kyncl said at the time was a “flatter structure” for the company. As part of those moves, WMG CEO of recorded music Max Lousada exited the company, and Elliot Grainge was named as the new CEO of Atlantic Music Group, while Kyncl himself took on direct oversight of the heads of global catalog, marketing, distribution company ADA and fan and merch division WMX. As part of the fallout of the moves, longtime Atlantic leader Julie Greenwald, 300 Elektra Entertainment chairman/CEO Kevin Liles and a host of senior Atlantic and Elektra executives also departed the company, among other moves.

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“I’m excited to build even closer relationships with our artists and put greater firepower behind our worldwide network to connect the dots, unlock new value and magnify opportunities for emerging talent,” Wong said in a statement. “I’d like to congratulate Jess on her promotion, and thank Robert for his trust in me to take on this new position.”

Wong, who years ago had served as a senior vp of marketing at Atlantic, returned to Warner in the global CMO role in 2020, after a decade at Universal Music Group that saw him rise to the role of COO of Island Records. With East West as well as his global A&R role, Wong will be tasked with “identifying local talents with global potential and accelerating their pathway to global success,” according to a press release. Keeley-Carter, prior to joining Warner, had worked at Meta overseeing commercial labor partnerships for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and prior to that had also worked at UMG, where she spent eight years.

“With the collective WMG team collaborating even more closely in our new structure, we’ll be set up to take our artists and labels to new heights,” Keeley-Carter said in a statement. “I’m grateful to Robert for this opportunity, I’d like to thank Eric for his guidance and partnership over the years, and I’m looking forward to continuing our work together.”

07 Oct 2024

Director Says Lady Gaga Same-Sex Kissing Scene Cut From ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ Because It ‘Got in the Way of the Moment’

Chances are you didn’t see Joker: Folie à Deux over the weekend because the much-hyped sequel to the Oscar-winning 2019 Batman-adjacent film vastly underperformed expectations with an estimated $40 million opening frame; by comparison the original raked in more than $96 million and ended up grossing more than $1 billion.

But even if you were one of the brave who ventured out to watch Joaquin Phoenix’s demented Arthur Fleck fall in love with his equally felony-minded paramour Lee Quinzel/Harley Quinn (Lady Gaga), what you didn’t see was a same-sex kiss between Gaga and a random woman. According to EW, paparazzi photos from the film’s shoot appeared to show a scene where Gaga and an unnamed woman shared a tender moment.

Director Todd Phillips told the magazine that he had to cut that bit for a very good reason. The scene was supposed to take place just before Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck arrives for a court appearance attended by his former Arkham State Hospital ward mate Lee. While walking up the steps, Gaga does a musical number as she makes her way to the courtroom.

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The original shot had Gaga passing some protesters and laying her lips on a woman in the crowd — a move she improvised — but Phillips said it just didn’t work. “It had dialogue in it, and, all of a sudden, I wanted it to be more of a music and vibe moment,” Phillips said. “For that moment to have played, it needed dialogue behind it. Meaning, the woman said something, and then Gaga stopped and did this thing, and it just kind of got in the way of the moment.”

The Hollywood Reporter dubbed Joker: Folie à Deux a “bomb,” saying the film that became the first Hollywood comic book movie ever to earn a D CinemaScore from audiences while vastly underperforming expectations despite costing almost three times more to make ($190) than the original. The expected global debut for the opening weekend of the sequql is in the $121 million range.

Check out an image of the cut kiss below.

Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga is seen on the set of the ‘Joker: Folie a Deux’ is seen on March 26, 2023 in New York City.

Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images

07 Oct 2024

Supreme Court Refuses to Hear R. Kelly Appeal On Child Sex Crimes Convictions

The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal from R. Kelly over his 2022 convictions on child pornography and enticement charges, leaving him with no further direct appeals from a verdict that saw him sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Kelly’s attorneys had urged the high court to take up the case, in which a federal jury in Chicago convicted him in September 2022, by arguing that the case should have been barred by the statute of limitations.

But in an order Monday, the justices declined to tackle the case. As is typical, the court did not explain its decision to reject Kelly’s case along with dozens of others. The Supreme Court receives thousands of petitions per year and only decides to hear a tiny fraction them.

Monday’s order dealt only one of Kelly’s two sets of sex abuse convictions. The other — a September 2021 guilty verdict on racketeering charges brought by prosecutors in New York that resulted in a 30-year prison sentence — is still pending on appeal before a lower appellate court.

In the current case, a different team of federal prosecutors from Chicago accused Kelly of violating child pornography laws, enticing minors for sex and obstructing justice by upending a 2008 criminal trial.

Though he was acquitted on certain counts, Kelly was convicted in September 2022 and later sentenced to 20 years in prison; the vast majority of that sentence will be served concurrently with the New York sentence. The conviction was affirmed by a lower appeals court earlier this year.

In asking the justices to consider overturning that ruling, Kelly’s attorney Jennifer Bonjean cited the statute of limitations. She said that an updated federal law extending the time limit, passed in 2003, could not be applied retroactively to Kelly’s alleged crimes, which occurred in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

“Retroactive application of the 2003 amendment not only fly in the face of congressional intent,” Bonjean writes. “It violates notions of fundamental fairness.”

Barring an unusual outcome at some point in the future, Monday’s decision effectively finalized Kelly’s convictions and sentencing in the Chicago case. The separate convictions in the New York case could still be overturned, however, either by the lower appeals court or by the Supreme Court.

Kelly’s attorney did not immediately return a request for comment.

07 Oct 2024

Riot Fest Statement on Fan Who Died From Injuries Sustained At 2024 Event: ‘Health, Safety and Well-Being of Our Fans’ Top Priority

Riot Fest issued a statement over the weekend in response to the death of a 58-year-old fan who was injured at the Sept. 20-22 event in Chicago’s Douglass Park. “We are heartbroken to share that a festival attendee passed away yesterday. Our deepest condolences go out to his family, friends, and loved ones during this incredibly challenging time,” the statement read in reference to the recent passing of Stephen Shult from injuries sustained at the festival.

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“The health, safety, and well-being of our fans and community have always been our top priority. We are aware of the various speculations surrounding this tragedy, including claims that it may be linked to the Slayer crowd,” the statement continued, seemingly referencing online reports claiming that Shult was trampled during a set by the speed metal band.

“However, we want to clarify that this is not the case. The on-site medical team responded to this medical incident, near the Ferris Wheel area, prior to Slayer’s performance. Out of respect for the family’s privacy, we will not be sharing further details,” it concluded.

Prior to his passing, Shult’s daughter, Jen Eaton, started a GoFundMe to help pay for the cost of her father’s treatment, saying that she and her dad attended the festival on Sept. 22 as a “typical father daughter, music festival activity. After separating for the last band, my Father never met up at any of our designated meet up spots and was reported missing. After posting on the Riot Fest FB page for any tips locating him, we were soon able to find him, thanks to that amazing community.”

She said her dad was then brought into the neurology ICU with “head trauma, under the wrong name. By the time we were able to locate him, he had undergone a craniotomy due to brain swelling and a brain bleed. He has since been in the Neuro ICU.” At the time, Eaton said doctors remained “hopeful” about her dad’s prognosis.

Then, on Sunday, she announced her father’s death. “Yesterday at 1:48pm we lost our Dad. His recovery initially was going wonderfully. Over the weekend he began to decline with minor issues but by Tuesday night changes were happening rapidly for the worst. When we arrived Wednesday they suspected he was in a natural coma and had little to no brain activity. We were put in the position to determine the next steps. After more testing and another day of waiting for those results it was confirmed he would not have any decent quality of life moving forward if he recovered and we collectively as a family, made the decision to let him be at peace. It was the hardest decision my family and I have ever had to make. Once made comfortable and removed from breathing machines he passed very quickly.”

This year’s Riot Fest lineup featured headliners Fall Out Boy, Beck, Pavement and Slayer, who closed out the event’s final night. Other acts who performed included: The Offspring, the Marley Brothers, Sum 41, Cypress Hill, New Found Glory, NOFX, St. Vincent, Spoon, Rob Zombie, Sublime, Tierra Whack and more.

See the statement from Riot Fest below.

07 Oct 2024

6 Must-Hear New Country Songs: Eric Church, Ella Langley, Jamey Johnson & More

In this week’s crop of new music, Eric Church issues his first solo release in over three years, in order to benefit his homestate of North Carolina, which has seen devastation following Hurricane Helene. Meanwhile, Jamey Johnson previews his upcoming first solo studio album release in 14 years with a stately, insightful ballad. Ella Langley, Conner Smith and more also offer new songs.

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Check out all of these and more in Billboard‘s roundup of the best country songs of the week below.

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Eric Church, “Darkest Hour”

Church has been in the studio working on new music, and chose to release his first solo song in over three years, in order to help those in his homestate of North Carolina, which found many areas ravaged by Hurricane Helene.

On this Church-written, Jay Joyce-produced song, he employs a soulful and serrated falsetto voice, which mingles resplendently with horns and a backing choir, all meshing for a creation that feels more akin to the orchestral constructions of 1970s rock than modern-day country. Meanwhile, at the fore is a message of an artist intent on bringing comfort and compassion to those who are weary, both physically and mentally. Overall, this marks one of Church’s most striking recordings, and a further boon to his already powerful catalog of songs.

Ella Langley, “Weren’t for the Wind”

Langley has been riding high lately on the Riley Green collaboration “You Look Like You Love Me,” and her debut album Hungover. She follows with what seems poised to be a surefire, solid followup single — a vision of wanderlust, musing how different her life might look if she wasn’t pulled toward the excitement of new horizons. Her deep Southern drawl is at once sultry, sage and nonchalant, gliding over a breezy, steady rhythm that mirrors the song’s want for unencumbered freedom. “Weren’t for the Wind” will be included the deluxe version of her debut album hungover, which will be released Nov. 1.

Kat Luna, “That Girl”

Luna, formerly of duo Kat and Alex, now launches her solo career on Sony Music Nashville with this power ballad that centers on establishing oneself apart from a previously fizzled relationship. Luna has always had a formidable, octave-leaping, pop-fused vocal, the kind that feels tailor-made for rangy, emotion-fueled ballads like this. She also pays homage to her Latin heritage by releasing two versions of the song — one in English (written by Luna, Rhett Akins and KK Johnson) and one with a blend of English and Spanish (with additional co-writing Erika Ender).

Jamey Johnson, “Someday When I’m Old”

Johnson, long known as one of country music’s most masterful songwriters, is set to release his first album in 14 years, when Midnight Gasoline releases on Nov. 8 on his new label home Warner Music Nashville (the album will be released through WMN and Johnson’s own Big Gassed Records). Among the songs previewing the album is this meditation about growing wiser with the passing years. “No matter how much time you get/ You always want more,” he sings, a musical aphorist filling this track with keen observational moments. Above the sparse guitar and percussion, his voice is in fine form, conversational and commanding as ever.

Conner Smith, “Faith From a Farmer”

Known for songs including “Learn From It” and “I Hate Alabama,” Smith delves deeper into his songwriting talents on this solo-written song, which is included on his new project The Storyteller.

His warm, conversational vocal style is heightened by a blend of guitars, fiddles and piano, as his writing contains an ingenuousness in putting forth this observation of gleaning faith-leaning insights from the steady work and spiritual devotion of a farmer “who wants to hand a good life down to his son or daughter.” With every release, Conner continue to impress as one of a new generation of country artists as devoted to songcraft as performing.

Runaway June, “New Kind of Emotion”

Trio Runaway June returns on this light-hearted track, which strives to capture the levity of a new, heartbreak-healing romance. As always, their harmonies are tightly-woven, fluttering over this honey-hued song, written by the group’s Jennifer Wayne, Natalie Stovall and Stevie Woodward, along with writer Paul Sikes, and production by Kristian Bush.

07 Oct 2024

Charli XCX Confirms All-Star ‘Brat’ Remix Album Tracklist Featuring Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande, Robyn, Tinashe & More

Charli XCX is flipping the calendar from Brat Summer to Brat Fall. The singer whose Brat album became the event of the summer has finally revealed the full list of guest stars slated to appear on her cameo-packed Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat remix album.

The collection due out on Friday (Oct. 11) has been teased on billboards around the world featuring the signature Brat font and lime green color palette with the guest’s names written backwards. Then, during a show this weekend in Orlando on her Sweat tour with Troye Sivan, Charli fan video showed the singer saying, “This is the tracklist with all the features. I need somebody to take a picture of it and put it online, okay?” She then appeared to toss it to a fan and what is rumored to be the full roster for the album was swiftly posted online.

On Monday morning (Oct. 7), Charli posted the full tracklist herself.

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XCX and Grande confirmed their anticipated “Sympathy Is a Knife” remix on Sunday (Oct. 6) when Charli wrote on X and in her Instagram Story, “It’s a knife when they dissect your body on the front page/ It’s a knife when they won’t believe you/ Why should you explain?” both with links to pre-order/pre-save the album.

According to the tracklist, the album kicks off with a new version of “360” with Robyn and Yung Lean, followed by “I Might Say Something Stupid” with the 1975 and Jon Hopkins, as well as the previously issued remix of “Talk Talk” with Sivan and Dua Lipa and the already out “Girl, so confusing” take with Lorde, as well as “Von Dutch” with Addison Rae, “Everything Is Romantic” with Chairlift and solo singer Caroline Polachek “So I” with A.G. Cook, “B2b” with Tinashe and “Mean Girls” with Strokes/The Voidz singer Julian Casablancas.

The 16-track collection rolls to a close with “I Think About It All the Time” with Bon Iver, “365” with Shygirl and “Guess” with Billie Eilish.

See the billboards below.

07 Oct 2024

Luke Combs, Eric Church & More Plan Hurricane Helene Relief Benefit Show

Luke Combs, Eric Church, James Taylor and Billy Strings have organized Concert for Carolina, a benefit for Hurricane Helene relief that will take place Oct. 26 at North Carolina’s Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium.

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Combs, Church and Taylor all grew up in North Carolina, while Strings has spent considerable time performing in the Tarheel state.  Concert for Carolina will be hosted by ESPN’s Marty Smith and Barstool Sports’ Caleb Pressley and presented by Explore Asheville and the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority.  More artists are expected to be added.

Tickets go on sale Thursday (Oct. 10) at 10 a.m. E.T. on the Concert for Carolina website. The website also says a raffle and auction are coming soon.

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Western North Carolina has been decimated by Hurricane Helene, which swept through Sept. 27 and destroyed multiple mountain towns. The death toll from the hurricane has surpassed 225 in North Carolina and the surrounding states, including Georgia, Tennessee, Florida and Virginia.

All proceeds from the event will be split evenly between Combs’ charitable endeavors and Church’s Chief Cares Foundation to administer to organizations they choose to support relief efforts across the Carolinas and the Southeast.

Combs’ portion will be distributed among Samaritan’s Purse, Manna Food Bank and Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC, as well as one more organization still to be announced.

Church’s Chief Cares is focused on helping established charities and organizations that can expedite aid directly to the families affected by Hurricane Helene.

The event’s organizers called David Tepper — who owns the Carolina Panthers NFL team, Charlotte FC soccer team and Bank of America Stadium — and his wife Nicole, who immediately offered the venue for the concert, according to a press release.

Sponsors include T Mobile, Jack Daniel’s, Whatburger, Miller Lite and Blue Cross/Blue Shield North Carolina.

Taylor, one of North Carolina’s most famous native sons, moved to the state when he was three, while Combs was born outside of Charlotte and raised in Asheville. Church was born in Granite City. Both Combs and Church attended Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C.  Although he is a Michigan native, Strings has performed at major venues across the state including an upcoming six-night run at Asheville’s ExploreAsheville.com Arena this winter.

Additionally, Church released new song “Darkest Hour” on Friday (Oct. 4) and is signing over all of his publishing royalties from the song to the people of North Carolina affected by the disaster.

At that time, Church said in a statement, “From Western North Carolina, East Tennessee, Upstate South Carolina, parts of Georgia and even Florida which took a direct hit, there are so many places that were impacted. Specifically in the area that I’m from, the mountains of Western North Carolina, were devastated. There are places that are just biblically gone. These are our family members, they’re our friends, they’re our neighbors – and they’re in dire need of help.”

07 Oct 2024

Harvey Mason Jr., Donnie Simpson, Joi Brown & More Feted at Living Legends Foundation Gala

The Living Legends Foundation (LLF) celebrated its 33rd anniversary with a star-studded slate of honorees and guests at its annual awards dinner and gala at Hollywood’s Taglyan Cultural Complex on Oct. 4. Leading the parade of honorees was Recording Academy and MusiCares CEO Harvey Mason jr., who was presented with the A.D. Washington Chairman Award.

Noting that “the room was filled with legends from celebrities to executives,” Living Legends Foundation chairman David C. Linton added, “On behalf of our board of directors, it’s an honor to bring together the music and entertainment industries for an important cause benefiting the executives that have poured so much into the industry and, more importantly, the culture. Congratulations to this year’s honorees. Thank you for making us proud.” 

Upon accepting his award from Linton later in the evening, Mason — who recently re-upped to serve four more years as CEO — said, “I’m proud of the work that we are doing at the Recording Academy because what you all see is the trophies … the celebration, the nominations. But what you don’t see is the work that goes on with the organization. The [award] show gives us the money; the money then comes back into our community. The one thing I recognized when I took on this role is that there’s more work needed to be done around the Black music community. So a lot of effort has gone into using the resources, platform and the ability of the [Recording] Academy to continue to help all genres of music, but specifically some of the underserved communities.” 

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Longtime music executive Ed Eckstine was the recipient of the Ray Harris Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by LLF chairman emeritus Harris and singer/actress Vanessa Williams. Williams, who sent a video message, was one of the artists that Eckstine, son of legendary jazz vocalist Billy Eckstine, signed and mentored during his tenure as president of Mercury Records — the first African American to be appointed president of a major non-Black owned record company.

Living Legends Foundation gala 2024 honorees

Maury Phillips

Paying tribute to mentors Quincy Jones and Clive Davis, Eckstine said in part, “I do not have the words to describe the charmed life properly or adequately I led under the guidance and tutelage of ‘Q’ [while serving as GM at Quincy Jones Productions]. He taught me so much about life, music, production, the chess game called the music business, global hustle, what and what not to do and say. My 20 months doing A&R … and working for Clive exposed me on a corporate level to activities and events I had not previously been privy to … After having attempted to grow and expand beneath the shadow of two very tall trees in Q and Clive, my life was forever changed.”

After being presented with the first-ever Impact Player Award from LLF board member Shannon A. Henderson, Joi Brown — founder/CEO of the organization Culture Creators and former record label senior executive — said, “We’re not just here to create culture; we’re here to shape the future … It is our responsibility to ensure we occupy space — not to rely solely on company policies or DEI initiatives to make room for us. We belong here. We must stand tall among giants, not as guests, but as equals.”

The evening’s additional honorees included: pioneering radio/television broadcaster Donnie Simpson (Jerry Boulding Radio Award); NorthStar Group chairperson/entertainment attorney L. Londell McMillan (Kendall A. Minter Entertainment Advocate Award); B. Lifted Up! Inc. founder/CEO Gwen Franklin (Mike Bernardo Female Executive Award); veteran label executive/radio broadcaster Mike Kelly (Music Executive Award) and The Chamber Group founder/CEO Chris Chambers (Media Executive Award). All of the honorees’ acceptance speeches can be viewed here.

Arnold Turner

Among the presenters and special guests spotted inside the Taglyan Cultural Complex were Epic Records chairman/CEO Sylvia Rhone, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, The Time’s Jerome Benton, Sugar Ray Leonard, artists Ray Parker Jr., Chanté Moore and Johnny Gill, legendary radio PD Melvin “Cookin’” Jones, MRC Live & Alternative exec. vp of creative Stephen Hill, playwright/filmmaker David E. Talbert and additional LLF dignitaries, including: general counsel Dr. Denise J. Brown, president Azim Rashid and board members Skip Dillard, Sheila Eldridge and Vivian Chew.

Radio personality Skip Cheatham of Dallas R&B outlet Majic 94.5 (KZMJ) hosted the gala, with entertainment provided by DJ Battlecat. Former LLF honorees Tracey J. Jordan and Lionel Ridenour served as this year’s dinner chairpersons. For additional information about the Living Legends Foundation, visit the website.

07 Oct 2024

It All Came Back to Celine Dion For Her Hilarious, Gatorade-Drenched Sunday Night Football Intro

Celine Dion has long been the exquisite image of pop opulence. The singer known for her peerless vocals and warehouse full of bespoke, bedazzled gowns is the definition of musical elegance. Which is why it makes perfect sense that she helped introduce Sunday Night Football’s classic NFL grudge match between the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers for the teams’ first primetime showdown since 1982; and their first game against each other since Super Bowl XXX in 1996.

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To the strains of her 1996 Billboard Hot 100 No. 2 hit “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now,” Dion waxed poetic about her love for the game as the camera panned past a bouquet of roses atop a grand piano. “I think my favorite thing about this game is its power to connect who we are, to who we were,” she said. “To prove that our most powerful memories, our most enduring loves, can stay with us forever.”

Strolling into the recording studio in an uncharacteristically dressed-down look accented by Chuck Taylor high tops and a grey sweatshirt commemorating the 1996 Super Bowl, Dion smiled at the camera and said with a mischievous grin, “You know what I’m talking about, right? Sometimes, some nights, it all just comes back.”

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Cue throwback footage of past classic Steelers/Cowboys match-ups featuring such stars of yore as Cowboys QB Roger Staubach and Steelers legend Terry Bradshaw, while Dion waxed rhapsodic over “their love affair — well, maybe not love the way I usually sing about it, but still, you know, work with me here.” Dion then quoted a few lyrics from her power ballad — ‘When you touch me like this. When you hold me like that’ — over NFL Films footage of huge hits and testy exchanges,” adding comically, “It kind of fits, no?”

Flashing forward to more recent times, Dion added, “But really what beautiful passion it produced, what painful heartbreak it revealed so, so long ago. Like so many old flames it always feels right when they’re back together. Don’t you think? Like tonight evoking the kind of magic they once produced. the Cowboys and the Steelers, a timeless classic on Sunday night.”

Her arms resolutely crossed, Dion got viewers ready for the game by invoking the majesty of Sunday Night Football amid a slow-motion montage of the teams’ coaches getting celebratory Gatorade baths as the strains of her ballad rose to a crescendo. Oh, and she got totally doused with a double Gatorade shower at the end that left her pumping her fists in joy.

Dion has recently begun to come out of the shadows after a few years off the radar during her battle with Stiff-Person Syndrome — chronicled in this year’s I Am: Celine Dion documentary — which resulted in her cancelling all of her 2023 and 2024 tour dates. She eased back into the spotlight this summer when she performed at the opening ceremony for the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Watch Dion’s SNF kickoff video below.

07 Oct 2024

RAYE, Ross Golan & More Honored at SONA Warrior Awards: ‘Songs Have Never Been More Important and Yet Less Valued’

Songwriters of North America (SONA) presented awards to songwriter activists RAYE, Ross Golan, Willie “Prophet” Stiggers, Thomas Scherer, and the late Andrea Martin at its SONA Warrior Awards ceremony on Sunday (Oct. 6) at the Skirball Center in Los Angeles.

Now in its fourth year, the SONA Warrior Awards has upgraded to a much larger room. This year, the event sat over 450 supporters from the worlds of songwriting, publishing, streaming and more — all of whom gathered together to honor the “often unsung, unsexy work of advocacy,” says SONA executive director and songwriter Michelle Lewis, who kicked off the program.

In her opening remarks, Lewis, touched on a number of key issues facing the writing community today. Pointing to recent cultural events like the Paris Olympics and the Democratic National Convention, she said: “Did you notice that each one of those shared experiences had an identifiable and memorable soundtracks?… the connection between those huge cultural moments were those huge fucking songs, right? Songs have never been more important and yet less valued.”

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“If you don’t pay the songwriters, who will write the song? And please don’t say AI. The nature of how people consume music through streaming and short form video clips puts songwriters last,” Lewis says.

The first award was presented to British artist/songwriter, RAYE, who has been a fierce advocate for songwriters since her song “Escapism.” broke her into the pop mainstream last year. Her award was presented by her co-writer and executive producer, Mike Sabath, and a tribute to her work was performed by Abby “Absolutely.” Kean, her younger sister and fellow artist. She accepted her Warrior award remotely from the U.K.

Throughout the night, honorees highlighted various issues that are top of mind for working songwriters today. When Golan accepted his award, presented by fellow songwriter Benny Blanco, he noted: “if an artist who doesn’t write sells their catalog for a couple hundred million dollars, why doesn’t the headline read, artists sells $200 million of extorted publishing from working songwriters? That is called coercion. That is not songwriting. If an artist has been showered with awards, even though they’ve stolen songwriting credit and publishing for decades, that is called vanity. That is not songwriting.”

Golan continued, “if you’re going to take credit for something you didn’t do, give some of your fee or [master] points [to songwriters], because we don’t owe you our publishing… It’s never too late to make it right.”

Advocating for non-performing, non-producing songwriters to receive master points was a common refrain throughout the night. It’s a growing movement in the music industry, which previously would not consider offering this to songwriters, unless the writer was an A-list hitmaker. In the last year, a number of independent labels, including Facet Records, The Other Songs, Nvak Collective and Good Boy Records, have made it a standard to offer this. With records released by major labels, however, this concession is still rare.

The award for Thomas Scherer, president of global catalog recorded and music publishing at BMG and lifelong drummer, was presented by Eurythmics member Dave Stewart. “As a drummer and a genuine lover of music, Thomas gives me hope,” said Stewart in his stirring introduction, “and I’m proud to present him with this son of Warrior award, because he is a genuine warrior, a soldier for good, and a friend I can trust and rely on forever.”

An award was also posthumously presented to writer Andrea Martin for her contributions to the genre of R&B through her songs recorded by Toni Braxton, Monica and Leona Lewis, among others. The award was accepted by her family, including her two surviving children.

Introduced by his teenage son, Willie “Prophet” Stiggers closed out the night for the SONA Warrior Awards. As the Black Music Artists Coalition (BMAC) co-founder, president and CEO, Stiggers gave a rousing acceptance speech, describing his journey from experiencing police brutality first hand to becoming a top advocate for Black songwriters, artists and executives in the music business. “Four years [after BMAC was created,] our commitment is steadfast,” Stiggers said.

During his speech, Stiggers also announced the new BMAC Executive Training Program, which in his words “will invite 10 executives annually to participate in executive training and coaching program for one of the industry job firms. This will be a one year program for black executives to move to the next phase of their careers.”