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16 Feb 2024

Judge Orders Cam’ron to Pay $50K For Using Copyrighted Image Of Himself On Dipset Merch

A federal judge has ordered Cam’ron to pay more than $50,000 to a photographer for using her photo – a shot of the Dipset rapper wearing a fuzzy pink coat and hat while holding a matching flip phone – on a slew of merchandise without permission.

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A year after Djamilla Cochran sued the rapper (real name Cameron Giles) and his company Dipset Couture for slapping her image on merch, Judge William Martini ruled Thursday that he had indeed committed copyright infringement. It was an easy win for Cochran, since Cam never responded to the lawsuit or offered any defenses.

In his ruling, the judge ordered Cam to pay $40,530 in so-called statutory damages — many times the $5,790 licensing fee that Getty Images would have charged him to use the image on commercial products if he had sought permission.

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“The court finds that a statutory damages award of seven times the licensing fee is sufficient to compensate plaintiff for the infringement of her copyright and to deter future infringements by punishing the defendants,” the judge said. He also ordered the rapper to repay the $10,691 that Cochran spent to bring the lawsuit – a common add-on penalty in copyright cases.

A rep for Cam’ron did not immediately return a request for comment.

Cochran’s image (featured above this story) captured Cam’ron at a New York fashion show in 2003, wearing a flashy shade of pink that would become a key part of his brand identity. In 2016, GQ magazine used the photo atop an article titled “Cam’ron Is Very Particular When It Comes to the Color Pink,” saying that the rapper had “defined himself with an iconic pink mink coat” at that fashion show.

In an April lawsuit filed in New Jersey federal court, Cochran claimed that Cam had featured the image on t-shirts, jewelry and a slew of other merchandise sold by his Dipset Couture — including shower curtains, pillows, swimsuits, socks and even a birthday cake.

The complaint came with numerous screenshots of Dipset Couture’s product listings and Cam’ron’s posts promoting them, and said Cam’ron had been alerted numerous times that he was using the image without a license.

“Getty Images notified defendants of their infringing activities by mail and email on multiple occasions,” Cochran’s lawyers wrote. “Despite those notifications, defendants continued to sell merchandise and continued to display the photograph on website and accounts.”

While it might sound unfair to a celebrity, the copyrights to a photo are almost always retained by the person who snapped it. Being featured in an image doesn’t grant someone a right to use it for free, and certainly not on commercial merchandise.

That’s not a new dilemma for stars. Over the last few years, Miley Cyrus, Dua Lipa, Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Emily Ratajkowski, LeBron James, Katy Perry and others have all faced copyright cases after they re-used photos of themselves snapped by someone else.

16 Feb 2024

Cassadee Pope Is Leaving Country After Being ‘Shamed’ for Calling Out Transphobia & Racism

The Voice alum Cassadee Pope has spent the last decade making a name for herself in Nashville as one of country music’s most outspoken talents. Now, she’s explaining why she’s ready to leave the genre behind.

In a new interview with Rolling Stone, the “Take You Home” singer explained that she decided to return to her rock roots (Pope originally fronted the pop-punk band Hey Monday before appearing on The Voice season three) after experiencing significant backlash for speaking out against racism and transphobia in the country scene, specifically from other stars such as Morgan Wallen and Jason Aldean’s wife.

“I realize every genre has problematic people in it,” she said of her decision to leave country. “I’m not saying there’s not a frontman in a band who hasn’t been accused of something in rock music. But I guess rock is in my bones more. You’re not completely ostracized and shamed for speaking out.”

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When Wallen was caught on camera using a racial slur in 2021, Pope was one of many artists to speak out about the incident, saying she was “disgusted” and that his behavior “does NOT represent all of country music.” Looking back, though, Pope said she regretted the way she handled her response. “I was just another angry white person who just learned about racism,” she said. “If that were to have happened today, I would have had a different response.”

Pope spoke up again when country star Jason Aldean’s wife, Brittany Aldean, made a series of transphobic comments online, thanking her parents for not “changing her gender” after she experienced a “tomboy phase.” When the beauty influencer continued spreading dangerous misinformation, Pope called her out, saying, “You’d think celebs with beauty brands would see the positives in including LGBTQ+ people in their messaging. But instead here we are, hearing someone compare their ‘tomboy phase’ to someone wanting to transition.”

She would later be joined by fellow country star Maren Morris, who famously referred to Brittany Aldean as “insurrection Barbie” in her response.

The Voice winner told the publication that, unlike her Wallen comments, she never felt embarrassed with how she responded to the beauty influencer’s post. “In that moment, I felt so proud. I had no feeling of regret. I just kept my head down and kept going,” she said. “It’s only been the past few months that I’ve let my guard down in therapy and said, ‘Wait, I actually wasn’t OK.’ But I think that kind of comes with the territory of including activism in your life.”

Pope is not the only former country singer who decided to depart the genre. In September, Morris said that she would be stepping away from the country music industry after witnessing the rise in “misogynistic and racist and homophobic and transphobic” messaging in the industry. “I’m trying to mature here and realize I can just walk away from the parts of this that no longer make me happy.”

16 Feb 2024

John Mellencamp Issues Forceful Statement About Gun Violence: ‘Show America the Carnage’

In the wake of the nation’s 50th mass shooting so far this year, John Mellencamp says enough is enough. The singer issued an urgent statement on Friday (Feb. 16) just days after the killing of a popular Kansas City DJ/radio personality and the wounding of more than 20 people at Wednesday’s parade celebrating the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl LVIII win on Sunday.

“Excuse me for saying the obvious truth. I do so out of love for this country and the pain of learning, once again, that children have been killed by gun violence,” the longtime gun control advocate wrote in the note, which did not specifically mention the violence that marred the Chiefs celebration. “If we as a country want to find the collective will within ourselves to change our gun laws, let’s stop playing silly political games. Show the carnage on the news. Show the American people the dead children and others who have been struck down. Show us what guns and bullets can do to the human body.”

A popular Kansas City DJ and radio personality, Lisa Lopez-Galvan, 44, a married mother of two, was killed on Wednesday when unknown assailants opened fire near the end of the parade attended by a reported one million fans. Despite more than 800 officers on site to secure the route, the burst of gunfire killed Lopez-Galvan and injured 22 others, with half the victims under the age of 16.

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“The news media need to be brave enough to let Americans see what slaughtered children look like,” Mellencamp said, echoing the calls from many gun control advocates in the wake of the 2012 slaughter of 20 first-graders at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, CT and the 2022 murder of 19 students aged 9-11 in Uvalde, TX. Shortly after the latter, the New York Times asked, “Would disseminating graphic images of the results of gun violence jolt the nation’s gridlocked leadership into action?” referring to intransigence from the political right to tighten gun laws to prevent future incidents.

While experts and photo editors struggle with the ethical quandary of whether showing graphic images of children killed by weapons of war — a majority of mass shootings employ military-style assault weapons with large magazines — might seem exploitative, or could move the needle toward tighter gun laws, the media often shies away from showing gory images. In both Uvalde and Sandy Hook, horrific images of the carnage were not released to the public.

The Times noted that other explicit, disturbing images the media has aired from the Holocaust and the Vietnam War to the current war in Ukraine and the 1955 image of a 14-year-old Emmett Till’s brutalized body after two white men beat, shot and dumped his body in a river have prompted public outcry and action.

Mellencamp, 72, said in his note that he recalled the shock and horror the nation felt when images of young soldiers killed in Vietnam began appearing on the nightly news. “When I was a teenager, there was a war in Vietnam,” he wrote. “In the beginning, no one paid much attention to this problem in a foreign land until the media shouldered the responsibility and showed America how our sons were being slaughtered. Once these images were shown on TV, there was overwhelming demand for that war to be ended immediately.”

The musician and father of five children added that as a dad and a human being “with deep empathy for the parents whose children had their lives ended so suddenly and so senselessly: Show America the carnage. I am not being callous, and I know it will be painful to see. But, sad to say, I think it’s the only way to shock America out of its stupor.”

Mellencamp released his 25th album, Orpheus Descending, last year, which included the anti-gun violence track “Hey God.” “Weapons and guns, are they really my rights?/ Laws written a long time ago/ No one could imagine the sight of so many dead on the floor,” he sings on the track, adding, “Hey, God, if you’re still there, would you please come down? We can’t take it anymore.“

The shooting at the Chiefs parade left at least nine children injured, with a spokesperson for Children’s Mercy Hospital telling WBAL that the 11 children being treated there — nine for gunshot wounds — were between 6-15 years old. The city has long struggled with high rates of gun violence, matching a record in 2023 with 182 homicides, most of which involved guns.

In the wake of the Chiefs parade shooting, Democrat Sen. Steve Roberts decried his state as having “some of the loosest gun laws” in the country, while Republican Sen. and gubernatorial candidate Bill Eigel tweeted what has become a consistent refrain from conservative politicians and Second Amendment defenders in the wake of the nation’s near-daily mass shooting incidents.

“To the liberal gun grabbers already trying to use this KC tragedy to push your radical gun control agenda, hear me now: NOT IN MISSOURI,” Eigel tweeted. “One good guy with a gun could have stopped the evil criminals who opened fire on the crowd immediately. Guns don’t kill people. Thugs and criminals kill people.”

See Mellencamp’s statement below.

16 Feb 2024

‘World’ Record: Nate Smith Ties for Longest-Leading No. 1 in Country Airplay Chart History

Nate Smith’s “World on Fire” leads Billboard’s Country Airplay chart (dated Feb. 24) for a 10th week, tying for the longest domination in the survey’s 34-year history. It matches Morgan Wallen’s “You Proof,” which began its rule in October 2022.

Previously, two hits shared the mark for the longest Country Airplay command – eight weeks each – for nearly 20 years: Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett’s “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere,” in 2003, and Lonestar’s “Amazed,” in 1999.

In the Feb. 9-15 tracking week, “World on Fire,” released on Arista Nashville/RCA Nashville, drew 30.8 million in audience, according to Luminate.

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The song, which Smith wrote with Ashley Gorley, Taylor Phillips and Lindsay Rimes, the lattermost of whom solely produced it, is the second straight career-opening Country Airplay leader for Smith. The Paradise, Calif., native first ruled with “Whiskey on You” for two weeks last February. Both songs are on the deluxe edition of his debut self-titled LP. The set arrived at its No. 6 high on Top Country Albums last May.

“The crazy thing about this song is that it wasn’t even supposed to come out!,” Smith recently told Billboard. “It was starting to gain a lot of traction on social media and the demand was high. I’m so lucky to have a team that knew how to strategically release it alongside my debut album by releasing the deluxe version the same day [April 28, 2023] that the debut dropped. This song completely anchored the album.”

Smith, meanwhile, debuts at No. 40 (2.5 million) on the latest Country Airplay chart with his newest single, “Bulletproof,” released Feb. 8.

Gwen & Blake Are Back

Also notably, Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton debut at No. 35 on Country Airplay with “Purple Irises” (2.7 million). The song is the pair’s third collaboration to have hit the chart, following two No. 1s in 2020: “Nobody but You” (for two weeks that May) and “Happy Anywhere” (one week, that December).

16 Feb 2024

Beyoncé Supports Kelly Rowland at the ‘Mea Culpa’ Premiere: ‘Dats My Best Friend!’

Queen Bey is back outside! Notorious for her elusiveness, Beyoncé has been out and about since the 2024 Super Bowl, where she kicked off her new country era — also known as Act II of the three-act project she began with 2022’s Renaissance. On Thursday night (Feb. 15), the “Break My Soul” singer graced the world premiere in New York of her former Destiny’s Child bandmate Kelly Rowland‘s new film, the Tyler Perry-helmed Mea Culpa.

“Dats my best friend! Dats my best friend!!!!! So proud of you Kelly ??,” Beyoncé captioned her photoset on Instagram. In her eight-photo carousel, Beyoncé flaunted her black-and-white hooded minidress and sweet group pictures with Rowland, Ms. Tina Knowles, Jay-Z and cousin and ASCAP Award-winning songwriter Angie Beyincé. Eagle-eyed social media users will notice that Beyoncé’s caption seemingly nods to Tokyo Vanity’s hit single “That’s My Best Friend,” which recently experienced a viral moment on TikTok and peaked at No. 24 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 (chart dated Jan. 27).

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Ms. Tina also shared some pictures from the premiere on her official Instagram page, with a caption that praised both Perry and Rowland — two of the film’s co-producers. “Last night we were grinning from ear to ear at the premiere in NYC of Mea Culpa, Tyler Perry’s new amazing thriller for Netflix starring my Kelly Rowland,” she wrote. “She friggin killed it!!!!!!! So proud❤️❤️❤️❤️ we love you @tylerperry you did that!!!!!”

Starring Rowland, SAG Award nominee Trevante Rhodes, Nick Sagar, RonReaco Lee, Shannon Thornton and more, Mea Culpa — written and directed by Perry — follows Rowland as a criminal defense attorney tasked with representing a man accused of murdering his girlfriend. The film is slated for a Feb. 23 release on Netflix.

Check out the Mea Culpa trailer below:

16 Feb 2024

Fani Willis Takes Stand In Hearing Connected To Donald Trump Election Tampering Case

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Fulton County Court Holds Fani Willis Misconduct Hearing

Fani Willis, the Fulton County District Attorney who has brought an election tampering case in Georgia against former President Donald Trump, took the stand Thursday (Feb. 15) in a hearing connected to the case. Fani Willis took questions along with countering attacks on her character as Trump and his co-defendants are scrambling to have Willis dropped from the prosecution and have the matter tossed out of court.

Fani Willis is facing allegations from Trump’s defense attorney Ashley Merchant who claims that Willis used taxpayer money for personal vacations. Also at the center of questioning is Willis’ romantic relationship with special prosecutor, Nathan Wade, which Trump and his fellow co-defendants believe are grounds to have Willis and Wade removed from the case.

Willis and Wade admitted to the relationship, although testimony from those reportedly close to the pair professionally says that the timing of their relationship contradicted their recollections of their time together. When challenged on why they didn’t reveal the nature of their romance, both Willis and Wade stated that their connection was private.

In one especially tense moment of the hearing, Willis reminded the court that this was simply a hearing of facts and that she was not on trial despite the grilling she and Wade were facing. In answering why she didn’t share financial and personal records with the defense, Willis dropped one of the top zingers of the day.

“I object to you getting records. You’ve been intrusive into peoples’ personal lives. You’re confused. You think I’m on trial. These people are on trial for trying to steal an election in 2020. I’m not on trial, no matter how hard you put me on trial,” Willis said.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has a live update of the hearing that can be found here.

On X, formerly Twitter, reactions are cropping in from all sides.

Read the replies below.

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Photo: Pool / Getty

16 Feb 2024

Jason Kelce Says Travis Had to ‘Completely Move Out of His House’ Because of Taylor Swift Fame

The Taylor Swift effect is real — just ask Jason Kelce. While appearing on Shaquille O’Neal’s The Big Podcast With Shaq Wednesday (Feb. 14), the Philadelphia Eagles center opened up about the extreme pros and cons of the new level of fame he and his family reached after his little brother, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, began dating Swift last year.

“It’s crazy what it opens up, opportunity-wise,” he shared. “It’s crazy to feel how much joy you bring people, or how much you affect people’s daily lives.”

Jason has become a beloved icon in the Swiftie universe in the months since the “Anti-Hero” singer first went public with her and Travis’ relationship in September. The Philly Specials singer and his wife, Kylie, have joined Swift in watching a few of the younger Kelce’s games, including the 2024 Super Bowl at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium, after which Jason dutifully celebrated the Chiefs win alongside his brother and the 14-time Grammy winner at a nightclub.

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On his Wednesday (Feb. 14) New Heights podcast episode, Jason gushed about Swift introducing him to both Ice Spice and Sir Paul McCartney at the big game. “All of a sudden I hear Taylor behind me like, ‘Jason, turn around!’” he recalled. “I look around, and Paul McCartney is standing right there. I’m like, ‘What the heck is this?’”

However, as Jason pointed out to Shaq, being in Swift’s orbit “has its drawbacks, for sure.” “Travis knows better than I do,” he told the basketball star. “He had to completely move out of his house. People were just staying by his house. The first day he moved into the new house … a gated community, someone knocks on a window of the house.”

“We’ve always been big in the football world, Travis especially,” Jason added. “The Taylor world and the pop culture world, that’s a whole different level. It’s a new demographic that wasn’t there before.”

Watch Jason Kelce open up to Shaq above.

16 Feb 2024

What’s It Like To Be An NBA DJ?

DJs for 16 NBA teams talk about the pressures and glories of selecting the soundtracks for each season.  

DJ D Sharp

DJ D Sharp

Courtesy of Golden State Warriors

The job of an NBA DJ isn’t just about blasting bangers through arena-sized speakers. It’s a feat of athleticism in and of itself: a precisely coordinated, rapidly paced job which demands that DJs select the right song at the right moment for the right length of time. Those decisions can turn triumphant sporting moments into joyful crowd frenzies — or offer consolation after tough losses. 

“There’s a lot of pressure running in-game vamps while being prepared for mandatory and unexpected timeouts,” says the Houston Rockets’ DJ Palmo, whose job also includes crafting and playing a 10- to 15-minute pre-game mix for every home game. “Nothing is constant, and anything can change within a matter of seconds. You must always stay ready.” 

And lest anyone think this is all just background music, the music played during a game can impact the team, too. When Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr remarked that the Phoenix Suns’ Footprint Center had a noisy “South Beach club” atmosphere after a Warriors loss there last fall, Suns DJ Chris Villa made headlines after remixing Kerr’s comment into a dance track. (Kerr jokingly wore headphones to a press conference for a subsequent game in Phoenix.)   

Each of the NBA’s 30 teams has its own in-house DJ (or in some cases, co-DJs) to commandeer the decks for home games. Some of these DJs landed their gigs through connections with team leadership and players, while others arrived at the jobs more serendipitously, but they’re all responsible for controlling the energy of the crowd, hitting the quickly moving cues of each game and setting a tone that’s appropriate for all the players, coaches, fans and families inside the building. 

Here, DJs from 16 NBA teams — some of them lifelong fans of the teams they now work for — share their essential songs, peak moments and other winning memories from their work selecting the soundtracks for each season.  

16 Feb 2024

Dan + Shay Talk Making a Big Statement and ‘Moving to a New Mindset’ With the Small Production of ‘Bigger Houses’

“You are not enough.”

That’s the indirect message people often receive on social media, according to a recent study led by Dr. Phillip Ozimek at Ruhr University Bochum in Germany. Thanks to the personalized ads and the endless posts featuring people at their best, the project found that the more participants consumed social media, the more unhappy and inadequate they tended to feel.

Unwittingly, Ozimek’s work provides scientific support for the newest Dan + Shay single, “Bigger Houses.” Since their 2013 arrival in the national spotlight, they’ve been able to change their lives in a material way. But that success also gave them a dramatic ability to recognize that money can’t buy happiness.

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“We get caught up in this rat race,” says the duo’s Dan Smyers, “of always wanting more, always feeling insignificant, looking at what everybody else has gotten and thinking ‘They’re doing so much better than me.’ ”

Country, of course, has frequently reminded listeners that it’s better to be rich in character than in financial assets. It’s a message that’s present in Dolly Parton’s “Coat of Many Colors,” Porter Wagoner’s “Satisfied Mind,” John Anderson’s “Money in the Bank” and Tim McGraw’s “Last Dollar (Fly Away).” And Smyers’ wife, Abby Law Smyers, provided similar advice when songwriter Andy Albert (“Thinking ’Bout You,” “Rednecker”) and his wife, Emily, were showing Abby the new house they had bought to accommodate their growing family. They repeatedly mentioned the things they wanted to change, and Abby periodically noted that the place was already beautiful. And then she made an offhand comment that everyone in their circle was buying bigger houses.

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Albert wrote the title “Bigger Houses” down, and he put more thought into it ahead of a writing session with Smyers and Jordan Minton (“Good Time,” “Your Place”) on April 5, 2023, at the home of songwriter Jordan Reynolds (“10,000 Hours,” “Speechless”).

“I kind of started unpacking it,” Albert says, “how everyone’s always just chasing the next thing and how sometimes happiness is right in front of you. You just have to choose to slow down and accept it.”

As it happened, the writing session was a low-pressure situation. Dan + Shay had wrapped their next album, though it was still untitled. So the guys were free to write whatever they wanted. And when Albert served up the title and the all-important setup line — “The thing I’ve found about happiness is/ It don’t live in bigger houses” — they had something that resonated with all of them. Smyers had a line, “There’s always gonna be a higher high,” that he had planned to use in another song, but they repurposed it as the opener for a chorus that led to the “bigger houses” payoff.

Reynolds, on guitar, and Smyers, on piano, developed the musical framework; Smyers, in particular, oversaw the melody since he knew lead singer Shay Mooney’s voice best. That said, Mooney’s range is wide enough that they weren’t likely to make a misstep.

“Dan really has it all dialed in,” says Albert. “He’s such an amazing melodic writer. I think he just had a vision for it and just played through it for a half hour or whatever, and then all of a sudden, it sounds just exactly right. ‘Now we get to kind of sit down and fill in the words.’ ”

Many of the phrases they built into it — such as “greener grass in the yard next door” or “never gonna fill an empty cup” — played on clichés without exactly using them.

“The line that I remember the most is when we were writing the verse,” Minton notes, “And Andy said, ‘I’m not worried about keeping up with people named Jones.’ That is the coolest way I’ve ever heard someone say that phrase, and it made that phrase feel like I’ve never heard it before. That should be the name of a song: ‘People Named Jones.’”

In the second verse, they laid out a series of classic home-ownership sights and sounds: kids playing upstairs, dogs romping in the backyard and a couple rocking a porch swing. The only thing missing was a white picket fence.

“We tossed around throwing that in there,” recalls Minton. “It was kind of trying to dance around that picture as much as we could without going all the way. There’s plenty of clichés that we tried to twist in different ways, and it felt like that was going to be hard to put in a fresh way.”

At the end of the session, Smyers moved from piano to guitar, and Reynolds sang lead as they built a demo with mandolin and Dobro. Smyers subsequently sent it to Mooney, who was visiting his parents in Arkansas. It was the perfect scenario to hear a song about prioritizing family. “From the very first chorus, man, it was a strange experience because it felt like I was in the writing room,” Mooney says. “It’s so personal, it felt like words that I had in my spirit, almost just like this is exactly where I am in my life right now.”

Dan + Shay, along with the label and their team, thought “Bigger Houses” needed to be on the album — it needed to be the title of the album — so they set up a recording session at Nashville’s Backstage. They only hired one musician, guitarist Bryan Sutton, who played live as Mooney sang in the studio. Sutton also overdubbed new mandolin and Dobro parts, and outside of Smyers layering on harmonies, that was the whole thing.

“I fully thought that Dan was going to produce it out bigger,” says Reynolds, “but it stayed pretty stripped. We kept referencing, you know, Adele is one of the only people who can get away with super-stripped moments, but when it happens, it’s massive. And we always talk about how Shay has the capabilities of tearing the house down with just him and a piano.”

Mooney took an extremely restrained approach to the “Bigger Houses” vocal, determined to keep the focus on the words. “There’s not a lot of embellishment,” he concurs. “Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.”

Smyers apologized to his co-writers for not making “Bigger Houses” bigger, even though he thought the spare arrangement was right creatively. “There was probably no way it was ever going to be a radio single with this production approach,” he says.

But while in Los Angeles to work on The Voice, Dan + Shay began fantasizing about it as a follow-up to “Save Me the Trouble.” As fate would have it, Warner Music Nashville had the same thoughts. Warner released “Bigger Houses” to country radio via PlayMPE on Jan. 9. It debuted at No. 54 on the Country Airplay chart dated Feb. 17. Even though the song advocates an acceptance of life as it is, Reynolds can’t help but hope it gets big.

“The higher it gets on the charts, the more I’m encouraged by culture and where people are,” he reasons. “That’s honestly been so encouraging [that] other people relate to this because I think it’s easy to [think] we’re the only people who feel this way.” Regardless of how it performs publicly, “Bigger Houses” has made a huge impact on its creators.

“I think my competitiveness and drive was a big part of the reason I have gotten where I am,” says Smyers. “But I think it also caused me to miss a lot of great moments and cool things along the way. [“Bigger Houses”] changed that. I’m going to kind of move to a new mindset.”

16 Feb 2024

Executive Turntable: Metallica’s Vinyl Plant Appoints New CEO; Atlantic Legal Legend Takes Warner Route; Messina’s VP Trio

It’s time for another quick spindle around the Executive Turntable, Billboard’s comprehensive(ish) compendium of promotions, hirings, exits and firings — and all things in between — across music. When you’re done with that, get a readout of the most powerful people in the music biz with the latest Power 100 list.

Time marches on at Furnace Record Pressing as the Metallica-backed vinyl manufacturing plant welcomes Ali Miller as new CEO beginning March 1. Miller, who has rocked the COO role since 2018, will take over the top job from FRP’s founder and minority owner Eric Astor, who transitions to a strategic advisor at the plant he founded in 1996. He’ll remain a trusted member of the board. Miller’s rise makes her the first female CEO of a domestic pressing plant. The CEO switch arrives nearly a year after Metallica and their investment arm Black Squirrel Partners purchased a majority stake in the Northern Virginia facility — already the band’s trusted vinyl presser for over a decade. At the time, Miller affirmed her company’s commitment to quality over quantity in comments to Billboard, explaining, “We’d rather throw out some bad records than make as many as we can.”

“Since the day Ali joined Furnace, I knew she possessed the exceptional talent, dedication, and passion to thrive in this industry,” Astor said of Miller, who has over 16 years at Furnace. “She has been instrumental in shaping Furnace into the respected force it is today. I am confident that with Ali at the helm, Furnace will continue to deliver the highest quality vinyl records and remain a trusted partner to artists and labels for years to come.”

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Michael Kushner

Michael Kushner

Jimmy Fontaine

Just shy of his 25th anniversary at Atlantic Records, veteran legal executive Michael Kushner is shifting over to parent company Warner Music Group to be the label giant’s new senior vp, deputy general counsel of business and legal affairs. The promotion is right on the heels of Kushner being honored with the 2024 Entertainment Law Initiative (ELI) Service Award, given each year to an attorney who has shown their stripes in supporting the music community through service. The NYC-based Kushner reports to evp & general counsel Paul Robinson,” who called the respected exec “one of the sharpest legal minds in the business.” Kush, as he’s called, launched his music biz career at PolyGram Records in 1987. Stints at Philips Media, Crave Records (the Mariah Carey/Sony Music joint) and Sony Wonder followed over the next 10 years before a gig as head of business & legal affairs at Island Def Jam to close out the 20th century. In 2001, he joined Atlantic under the title he’s kept the entire time: evp, business & legal affairs and general counsel.

“It’s been a pleasure and an honor to count Kush as a trusted partner and close friend for the past 25 years,” said Atlantic Music Group chairman & CEO Julie Greenwald. “He’s guided countless deals, modernized our contracts, mentored our amazing BA department, and been there for me, Craig, and our Atlantic team morning, noon, and night. Artists and managers love him, because he not only has a brilliant business brain, but a creative brain that allows him to see their point of view. Atlantic wouldn’t be the company it is today without him, and it’s fantastic to see him graduate to this brand-new role.”

Meanwhile …

Messina Touring Group upped three to vice president. Lauren Cairerises rises from director of finance to vp of finance, Keena Cheatham from promoter rep to vp of touring, and LeeAnn Rotondo from director of ticketing to vp of ticketing. Cheatham joined MTG in 2013 as a promoter rep on Taylor Swift’s Red Tour and has gone on to have a hand in over half of the company’s roster. Caire and Rotondo both joined up in 2015 as senior accountant and ticket manager, respectively. Caire is coming off a busy 2023, managing the finances for blockbuster tours by Swift, Ed Sheeran and George Strait, and more. Under Rotondo’s leadership, MTG’s formerly fragmented ticketing strategy has become more centralized and streamlined. “It thrills me to see our MTG team grow – these individuals are just another example of the incredible MTG team,” said CEO Louis Messina. You can reach Caire lauren@messinatouring.com, Cheatham keena@messinatouring.com and Rotondo leeann@messinatouring.com.

Credit: Neil Patel

RCA Records promoted label veteran Kunal “KJ” Jadav to senior vp of A&R and marketing, effective immediately. The Atlanta-based exec reports directly to RCA president Mark Pitts. Jadav got his start at RCA in 2015 in the promotions department, but as the label puts it, “an incredible prowess for discovering and developing talent” eventually delivered him to A&R, where since 2017 he has scouted, signed and developed hip-hop acts including Young Nudy, BabyDrill and Kenny Mason. KJ is also credited with managing “Gassed Up” MC Nebu Kiniza and producer Coupe, who has worked with Young Nudy, 21 Savage and others.

Radio host, executive and music supervisor Jason Bentley is the new president of licensing and soundtracks at Thrive Music. In his new role, Bentley will pursue business development opportunities for sync services across the film, TV, advertising and video game spaces. He’ll also team up with Virgin Music Group, Thrive’s distributor, to acquire and boost soundtrack properties with insightful music solutions. Bentley previously served as music director at KCRW, where he did double duty as music director and host of “Morning Becomes Eclectic” for more than a decade. In the record business, he has worked in A&R at both Island and Maverick, and as a supe for film, he produced the soundtrack for a little thing called The Matrix, and served as consultant on the latest Top Gun flick. “Thrive is on the frontlines of dance music culture, and I’m thrilled to join Ricardo [Vinas, founder] and the Thrive team as they continue to build a global force in dance music,” Bentley said.

Decorated music business manager Bruce Kolbrenner has joined Adeptus Advisors as the managing partner in the firm’s Los Angeles office. Kolbrenner, formerly of Prager Metis, brings along a team of three to Adeptus: business managers Tyler Kizu and Ghilhaine Georges Montoya, and royalty specialist Troy Schreck. Kolbrenner’s over four decades of experience includes his work advising artists of all stripes and offering testimony at high-profile entertainment cases, plus a memorable stint as the accountant for the historic Moscow Music Peace Festival in 1989. He is a regular fixture in Billboard’s annual lists of top business managers. “We are thrilled to welcome Bruce Kolbrenner and his outstanding team,” said Howard Krant, CEO of Adeptus Advisors. “Bruce’s extraordinary talent for nurturing emerging artists aligns seamlessly with our vision for creating unparalleled personal service to our clients.”

Transgressive Records hired former Atlantic Records exec Jack Hedges to fill the newly created position of general manager of North America, effective immediately. In the role, Hedges will oversee the UK label’s expansion across the pond, including signing and developing new acts and widening the playing field for their existing roster artists. Hedges comes bearing gifts in the form of Canvasback Music, the boutique imprint he ran under Atlantic that’ll now live within Transgressive. “With his impeccable taste, a reputation for being universally revered by artists and colleagues alike, not to mention a glorious penchant for underground music, Jack is most definitely the right person to guide Transgressive Records and its roster through to new heights in the world’s biggest music territory,” said Transgressive directors Toby L, Tim Dellow and Lilas Bourboulon.

Operation Song, a non-profit that teams veterans, active-duty military and their families with professional songwriters to share their stories through song, has announced the appointment of Army veteran Jon Foti as CEO. In the newly-created role, Foti will oversee fundraising development and the expansion of partnerships within the music industry and veterans organizations. Foti is also currently leading the non-profit’s search for new office space in Nashville, Tennessee, to accommodate the organization’s growth. Operation Song’s Board of Directors includes leaders in Nashville’s music, healthcare, and technology sectors. In addition to board president Bob Leonard, the board is comprised of Dennis Buchanan, Kevin M. Doherty, Joe Forte, Danielle Lauber, songwriter Cindy Morgan, Debbie Respess, Jeff Rice, Jason Rose, Andy Sale, ASCAP’s Mike Sistad, and radio personality Storme Warren. –Jessica Nicholson

Oak View Group promoted Katee LaPoff to chief technology officer and Josh Pell to president of premium experiences and global strategy. In her new role, LaPoff will lead OVG’s tech team and continue reporting to Steve Collins, president of global venue development, Ade Patton, CFO, and Chris Granger, the president of OVG360. Over the last three years, she has served as svp of project management and technology — focusing on venue technology. Prior to OVG, LaPoff spent 10 years as svp of technology at Madison Square Garden Companies. In his elevated role, Pell will oversee the company’s e-commerce platform and continue to manage OVG’s hospitality and food/beverage design initiatives. He’ll continue to report to Steve Collins as well as to Francesca Bodie, COO.

All in the Family: Billboard president Mike Van welcomed a lengthy string of promotions this week. They include Edward Stepankovsky (regional vice president of brand partnerships), Andrea Guevara-Gresh (senior account manager), Kristen Wisneski (account manager), Gary Trust (managing director, charts & data operations), Alex Vitoulis (director, charts & data production), Ciara Zimring (McVey) (director of strategy and production), Emily Fuentes (senior manager content and production), Stefanie Tanaka (senior manager content and strategy), Meghan Mahar (branded producer and social manager), Lyndsey Havens (deputy editor), Kristin Robinson (senior writer), Rebecca Milzoff (executive editor, magazine), Griselda Flores (senior editor), Hannah Johnson (staff writer), Danielle Pascual (social media manager), Rania Aniftos (associate editor) and Josh Glicksman (associate editor).

Spirit Music Group promoted Tamar Wax to vice president of film & TV music, creative. Previously a senior director, Wax is based out of Los Angeles and reports to svp of creative services Amy Hartman. Since joining SMG in 2019, Wax’s handiwork has helped place several songs by Spirit artists in movie and TV trailers, most notably a remix of Daddy Yankee’s classic hit “Gasolina” in the Fast X spot. Prior to joining Spirit, Wax served as vp of creative at Vibrant Ground Music. “Tamar has proven herself to be an exceptional creative sync licensing executive, having landed multiple high-profile sync licenses for our Spirit Music Group roster across trailers, promo campaigns, TV shows and films,” said Hartman. “We couldn’t be happier to acknowledge her dedication to our songwriters and our music supervisor community with this well-deserved promotion.”

NASHVILLE NOTES: The Academy of Country Music hired Ben Carter as vp of live events and production; Matt Brum-Taylor as director of digital marketing; Lexi Cothran as senior manager of communications and strategic initiatives; Kendra Williams is the new coordinator of finance; Brooke Boyd is assistant, ACM Lifting Lives; and Heather Howard was hired as an assistant in the marketing department … The organization also announced that Raj Kapoor is returning as executive producer of this year’s ACM Awards .. Vroom vroom, Big Machine’s Scott Borchetta will now oversee operations for the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix, an annual NTT IndyCar Series race held in Nashville.

REFORM Alliance debuted Wallace “Wallo267” Peeples to lead the criminal justice reform organization’s marketing efforts as chief marketing officer. REFORM was formed by Meek Mill, Jay-Z and Fanatics chief Michael Rubin in wake of the #FreeMeek movement and since 2019 has helped pass 18 pieces of bipartisan legislation across 11 states as it strives to get people out of the justice system and into wellness and work. “Wallo267 is a son of Philadelphia, the city where REFORM Alliance was born,” said REFORM CEO Robert Rooks. “Through hard experience, he developed a life philosophy rooted in accountability, second chances, and never giving up. Today, he carries that message of hope to his millions of social media followers.”

Rothenberg, Mohr & Binder LLP, a bi-coastal music and entertainment law firm, promoted Lisa Lester to partner with the firm. Since 2020, Lester’s work at RM&B has included representing Top Dawg Entertainment, Marshmello and Big Time Rush, among other clients. The Los Angeles-based partner also works with a wide slate of producers and songwriters, including Rob Kinelski, Noah Goldstein, BUNT. And others. Founding partners Paul Rothenberg, Jeremy Mohr and Josh Binder said “Lisa’s dedication to clients and work on behalf of the firm is second to none – and this promotion is well deserved. Her prior years of experience across the industry and high level work here at the firm since 2020 have given her unique insight and expertise that few others share.”

The Oriel Company promoted Nina Lee to vp of communications at the Carleen Donovan/Chloë Walsh/Jen Appel-founded PR agency. Lee joined The Oriel in June 2021 and has already executed media campaigns for a roster that includes Maxwell, Daniel Caesar, UMI, Hannibal Buress, No ID, d4vd, James Fauntleroy, Sickamore, and Betty Who, as well as corprorate clients including Amazon Music, Live Nation and 88rising. She is based in The Oriel Company’s New York office.

There’s a new player in artist management with the launch of What’s Good Projects. The Nashville company is a partnership between industry veterans Ryan Kroon and Jacob Knight, who between them have 20 years of experience managing the day-to-day careers of artists including ERNEST, Sam Hunt, Maddie and Tae, Tyler Farr and Mason Ramsey, among others. Kroon got his start at HOMESTEAD/RedLight Management and later joined Sony Music Nashville and then Project 615. Knight began his career at CAA before joining 377/RedLight and most recently KPEntertainment. WGP’s inaugural client roster includes Troy Cartwright, Clayton Mullen, Palmer Anthony, Austin Burke and Ollie Joseph. “Jacob and I moved to Nashville around the same time to pursue careers in this industry and have had an immense mutual respect for one another,” Kroon explains. “We’ve chatted over the years about partnering up, so with the continued growth of What’s Good over the last year, the time seemed right.”

Raphael Saadiq’s music production company, My Kind of Music/My Kind of Movies, tapped Yancey Richardson to oversee music supervision for the firm’s film and TV projects, including the upcoming film Freaky Tales. Richardson is an 18-year veteran at Atlantic Records, where he rose to director of marketing promotion, and he started his own productions company, Toler Heights Music.

Round Room Live, producer and promoter of family shows like Blippi, Sesame Street Live! and the national tour of Shrek the Musical, has hired Dale Shaughnessy as vp of marketing. In her new position, Shaughnessy will be responsible for driving revenue and marketing opportunities, including on the corporate side, and overseeing global touring projects and user-building initiatives. Shaughnessy joins the company following more than 15 years of professional experience in the field at a range of industry leaders like Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, Live Nation and Feld Entertainment.

ICYMI:

Jessica Rivera

Cumulus Media marked May 31 as the last day for vp of country Charlie Cook, a member of the Country Radio Hall of Fame … Hooray for ex-SoundCloud exec Jessica Rivera (pictured), who joined Issa Rae’s HOORAE as president of its Radio division … and Sony Music Publishing hired Anghami veteran Dounia Chaaban to lead its new office in Dubai.
Last Week’s Turntable: Merlin Swarms Its Data Team With New Hires