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07 Dec 2023

Akon Is Thanking His Superfans With a Special Tour Livestream & Signed Merch

Akon is in the midst of his Superfan Tour, and he’s giving back to his Day 1 supporters during an exciting Day 4 livestream for Billboard Live Shopping Week with talkshoplive, tonight at 8 p.m. ET.

The “Smack That” singer will be showing off some exciting merch releases, including T-shirts, hoodies and even a surprise signed sweatshirt, all available to shop during the livestream right here.

What else is in store for Billboard Live Shopping Week? The week kicked off with Garth Brooks’ merch drop on Monday night. On Tuesday, Walmart and Netflix teamed up to bring you gifts from fan-favorite Netflix shows and movies, including Stranger Things and Love Is Blind. Sammy Wilk also shared his merch drop and VIP meet-and-greet packages on Thursday.

On Wednesday, we saw the double-header of Angela Simmons with her Angela’s Cakes mixes and Jordin Sparks with her perfect holiday gift ideas.

On Friday, country singer Priscilla Block joins Hooche podcast host Demps to offer up must-have bundles featuring her Hey Jack T-shirt, Hooche trucker hat and more for Day 5. The shopping week concludes with a special bonus livestream on Wednesday (Dec. 13) featuring Jared Leto of Thirty Seconds to Mars. In celebration of his band’s latest album, It’s the End of the World But It’s a Beautiful Day, Leto will offer up exclusive tour merch, a holiday collection, tour tickets and special VIP packages.

talkshop live is the first live streaming platform for live streaming and home shopping shows with a built-in buying experience that anyone can use.

07 Dec 2023

Karol G: Photos From the Billboard Cover Shoot

“I forgot to wear the knee pads,” Karol G says ruefully. “I’m going to have scrapes.” She beams. For a soaking wet pop star who has just been dragged through a shallow pool, Karol looks remarkably happy.

Moments before, a group of writhing, shirtless male dancers had lifted Karol, dressed in a white bikini and transparent baggy pants, high above the water as she performed a medley of songs from her unprecedented past year in music, including material from her chart-topping February album, Mañana Será Bonito; the edgier August follow-up, Mañana Será Bonito (Bichota Season); and a small teaser of her new single with Kali Uchis, “Labios Mordidos.” Her arms knifed back-and-forth through the pool in fierce synchronicity with her platoon of dancers — all water-drenched sexiness, but a punishing physical routine nonetheless. After Karol dries off, wrings out her pants and gets her glam touched up, she’ll do it all over again.

“I want it to be spectacular,” she says matter-of-factly of the roughly four-minute Billboard Latin Music Awards performance. To that end, she enlisted renowned choreographer Parris Goebel, whose work includes Rihanna’s Super Bowl halftime show performance, to continue pushing her as a dancer. “Dance doesn’t come so easy to me,” Karol admits. “To do the things I do, I have to rehearse a lot.” Earlier this year, Goebel choreographed Karol’s MTV Video Music Awards performance.

Read the full cover story here.

07 Dec 2023

Karol G Opens Up About ‘Mañana Será Bonito’ Hitting No. 1, Global Stadium Tour & More | Billboard Cover

Colombian superstar Karol G opens up about becoming the first woman to have a Spanish-language album, Mañana Será Bonito, reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, her thoughts on doing a global stadium tour, her relationship with Feid, wanting to start a record label, giving back to her community and more.

Karol G
The energy people release, is directed toward me and it’s like I’m a battery, loading.

Karol G
Hey what’s up, I am Karol G and you are watching, Billboard.

Karol G
It had never happened. Yes it’s true! We are celebrating, we celebrate a lot as a team, but it’s crazy for me to think my album was the first album in Spanish to hit No. 1. To think Karol G is the first female Latin artist on a global stadium tour, is very crazy.

Karol G
I started in 2006 and I realized this month we celebrate 4 years of “Tusa.” But then, my first songs were released 15 or 16 years age. Imagine spending 15 years and thinking when will my moment come?

Karol G:
Someone told me, “Are you doing a stadium tour?” Beyoncé is doing stadiums. Taylor Swift is doing stadium tours. Are you ready for stadium tour? I said no. I’m not ready today. But I’ll be ready because it depends on me and my commitment. And on my team, the tour was planned for 2025. We did the Puerto Rico concert in March. At that moment, which was 11 days after the album was released people knew the whole album.

Karol G:
When I say “I go with the flow,” at the first show, I didn’t have the whole album and there were three dates. In the second, I had 4 more songs, and in the third show, I did the whole album. That’s where I sat and said I’m not interested in numbers, not interested in risk, not interested in anything. I want to do this tour and I want it to be global.

Watch the full video above!

07 Dec 2023

Lizzy McAlpine, Channel Tres & SG Lewis Leave Management Firm Godmode

Channel Tres, Lizzy McAlpine and SG Lewis have all left their manager, Talya Elitzer, and Godmode, the boutique firm she co-founded, sources tell Billboard.

Channel Tres is now co-managed by William Robillard-Cole (Kaytranada) and Jerry Edouard (Saint Mino), sources tell Billboard. McAlpine has found a new manager in Molly Clark, who was formerly her day-to-day manager at Godmode and has now left the company as well, sources also say.

Elitzer declined to comment on the departures. The artists and their new managers also declined to comment.

Elitzer co-founded the independent firm in the early 2010s with producer Nick Sylvester. Prior, she worked as an A&R at Capitol Records. Channel Tres signed with Godmode for management in 2018. Last September, Godmode partnered with RCA to sign the artist to a major label deal. Since then, he has released one EP, this year’s Real Cultural Shit. His new single, “Walked In The Room,” arrives Thursday (Dec. 7).

Lewis and McAlpine both signed on as management clients this year, in April and May, respectively, on the heels of major successes. SG Lewis released his second album AudioLust & HigherLove in January, which featured Channel Tres, Tove Lo and others. It peaked at No. 13 on the Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart.

As for McAlpine, her breakout hit, “Ceilings,” marked her Hot 100 debut in February. By March, it became her first No. 1 on a Billboard chart, summiting Alternative Streaming Songs. This September, she collaborated with Noah Kahan on a duet rendition of his song “Call Your Mom,” while in October she joined Reneé Rapp on stage to perform “For Good” from Wicked.

07 Dec 2023

An Interview With Oak View Group’s Newly Appointed COO, Francesca Bodie

Executive promotions are inevitably announced with press releases. Francesca Bodie‘s elevation to the newly created position of COO for the venue development, management and investment company Oak View Group (OVG), also comes with the announcement of two significant deals she led for the company founded by her father, OVG CEO Tim Leiweke and music’s multisector entrepreneur Irving Azoff.

Bodie, who served as OVG’s president of business development prior to her promotion, engineered the company’s strategic investment in Family Entertainment Holdings, the company behind the popular live franchises, Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live, which is tied to the classic toy brand, and Magic of Lights, an all-ages holiday light show. OVG also unveiled activations with premium wine and spirits brand, Christian Navarro — including The NINETEEN 62 Club, a luxe lounge at Baltimore’s CFG Bank Arena and premium concession kiosks at four OVG facilities — the first offshoots of a venture with Navarro that Bodie also spearheaded.

Bodie’s new role will increase from capital development, mergers, and acquisitions to a focus on new revenue streams including overseeing all day-to-day operations for OVG globally, as well as leading OVG’s executive committee of highly diverse and accomplished executives into this next stage of growth.

According to the company, Bodie, a graduate of Stanford University who has worked in the facilities business since high school “when I helped load-in the Ringling Brothers Circus at STAPLES Center,” has raised more than $12-billion of invested capital for seven venues that OVG built and opened in the last 18 months, including the $1-billion-plus makeover for the redevelopment of Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena, New York’s $1.5 billion UBS Arena, the $375 million Moody Center in Austin, Texas; the $300 million Acrisure Arena in Palm Springs, Calif.; and the $200 million CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore.

In an exclusive interview with Billboard, Bodie says that after OVG’s year-and-a-half growth surge, her father — who she refers to as “Tim” — identified a need for processes and communication. So, this position is about building depth and organizational structure, and to put processes in place for [OVG360 CEO] Chris Granger to grow his company.

Bodie, who is the mother of two sons, 8 and 4, says her new role “will also allow me to strengthen our international platform, which is going to be a huge focus for us these next few years.”

In an interview with Billboard earlier this year, Tim also said that international was a big part of OVG’s future.

I am very excited about it. The seeds that we planted even during COVID are just now showing fruition and growth. April 19 is the big opening for Coop Arena [in Manchester, England], which is the first facility we are opening internationally. It’s the largest arena in the United Kingdom, with the largest private investment in any facility in the U.K. It is going to change touring in Western Europe. That’s going to be the start of our domino effect. Our strategy has always been that we have to be in the most influential capital markets in the world. São Paulo, Brazil is under construction; Madrid is in our pipeline as is Vienna, after we  won the bid against pretty tough competition. Once we make that private investment — and we have strong local partners in each of those markets — we’re going to expand our service business in coordination. Taylor Swift’s tour has shown that fans are traveling internationally, but the overseas markets don’t have the facilities that we have here. Acts are still playing in buildings that were built many decades ago. So, for us there’s a huge opportunity for the private sector to come in and create what the fans expect — which is acoustically perfect sound, huge amenities, a huge focus on premium hospitality, and then giving the artist a platform to play in an optimal environment, including taking care of them from a safety perspective as well as a sustainability perspective.

Coop City is the first carbon neutral arena in the United Kingdom?

The first ever in Europe. In my new role, I’m going to be a huge advocate and partner of Chris in our GOAL [Green Operations and Advanced Leadership] initiative as well as our sustainable design. LEED certification is really just about how you design the building. Where we as an industry make the most impact on facilities is operations. Not every facility is going to be able to get to carbon neutrality, but everyone can move the needle in a better way. We track water, waste and energy usage, among other metrics, and if we can improve those markers every year, that is a good thing for our environment. Now, every building that we have [owned-and-operated facilities as well as venues OVG manages or where it handles food-and-beverage service] will be on the GOAL platform, which is in partnership with AWS (Amazon Web Services). Any facility with a mass gathering can join GOAL.  We come in and measure every usage group that a facility has: water, air quality. sanitization around COVID, food waste, and obviously, carbon and energy is a huge portion of it. We take into account a facility’s age and determine what should be expected of the venue. Then we give them tools that identify areas that, operationally, they can drive better usage the next year.

In that same Billboard interview, Tim said that one day you are going to step into the CEO role.  Your promotion to COO seems like the first step in a succession plan. Is there a timetable?

I can’t make that assumption. I will say this. Tim has never been more passionate about the industry or in better shape. I have worked with him officially since 2008, unofficially since 2004, and this is the most energetic and enthused he has ever been in his professional career. OVG hasn’t even hit the halfway mark. We’re going to double in value here in the next three to five years.

So, he hasn’t discussed this with you?

If that’s his plan he hasn’t shared it with me. He always says, “Earn your keep,” so he’s instilled a work ethic in me that I’m very grateful for, but our story is about depth right now.  We made two critical hires with Chris Granger joining us — his vision around data and team-building is spectacular for that growth — and Ade Patton, a Fortune 500 CFO.  

Can you put a number on the plan to double OVG’s value?

Tim’s goal is a $10 billion company and I’ll leave it at that.

What’s your perspective on the dearth of women in music industry C-suites?

I feel fortunate because there’s no gray area for Tim on this, and it’s not because he has a daughter. It’s just how he is. We have 50-50 representation on our executive committee. There are two women and four men on our board, and we all have equal votes. It’s very important to Tim to get voices and opinions from diverse backgrounds. I don’t want to dirt anyone, but I don’t see that call to action at Legends and ASM Global – and I worked at AEG and MLSE [Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment]  —that enables the upward trajectory we have here. I’m also fortunate because [Azoff Company co-presidents] Beth Collins who’s been a great friend of mine and is also fellow board member, and Susan Genco, as well as the folks at Azoff have been incredible. Irving is a cofounder [of OVG] and I’ve known him since I was in seventh grade. It’s a shared culture system between Tim and Irving where they have strong women around them and they empower them in a way that is unique in the business.

How does your management style differ from the CEO?

Tim is a visionary. His thing is, Why not? Why can’t we do this? We are entrepreneurs. He also says, “We are not afraid.” We don’t make fear-based decisions. We stay focused. This promotion is an opportunity for me is to keep us focused as we expand. We have a tremendous appetite for additional M&A. That’s one of the reasons why we are very bullish on Family Entertainment Holdings. You are going to see our company triple down on content and make sure that our facilities have the best opportunities to diversify content. If existing facilities or new markets make sense and hit our return threshold, we are in that game of growth. And Chris Granger would echo me on the 360 side. They won 30 out of 33 bids last year, and they are on a rocket ship to diversification.

How does AEG’s sale of ASM Global to Legends affect your business?

We always anticipated there would be two [players in the facilities sector]. It doesn’t change where we’re investing capital or what our mission statement is. We have more entrepreneurial spirit when it comes to looking at partnerships and alignment. As for Legends, anybody who has dealt with the Feds recently knows that they will have to go through an approval process, just as we did with Spectra [the venue management and hospitality provider that OVG Facilities merged with in 2021 to create OVG360.]. I think they have their work cut out for them on the NFL side. That said, I have a tremendous amount of respect for that team. Shervin. [Mirhashemi, the CEO of Legends] was at my wedding and so was [AEG president/CEO] Dan Beckerman. I wish them the best, but I don’t think about them very much to be honest with you. None of us do.

Can you elaborate on the challenge Legends faces regarding the NFL?  

If you look at Legends’ role in the last bit of NFL stadiums that have come up for service bids, project management or premium or sponsorship, they have the lion’s share of them, which would seem to put customers at a disadvantage when one company will have that much market share of NFL stadiums for F&B, premium/sponsorship sales and operations.”

Have you done any new deals in the last six months that you can talk about?

We’ve done a few that will be announced in the new year that will expand our portfolio in a meaningful way in London. We are very focused on growth there. We have relationships and deals from the arena perspective both in Cardiff, in partnership with Live Nation, and in Bristol which is a great sister market to Coop. You’re going to see us continue to be very aggressive in Wales, Scotland, Ireland, and the surrounding regions because there isn’t a tremendous amount of density there. From a service add perspective, we’re going to be aggressively growing our executive team and actively bidding on food and beverage and facility management.

You are spearheading OVG’s Las Vegas development. There are so many venues there. How are you going to make this one different?

Vegas is this anomaly where there’s never a glass ceiling to what it can be. Look at the Wynn. It’s the most profitable hotel on the strip and it has been for decades. And every time someone tries to match it, the Wynn raises the bar a notch. T-Mobile Arena was the last facility Tim built before he left [as president/CEO of AEG]. That building is 10 years old,  and, no disrespect, it’s great for [Las Vegas’ NHL hockey team] the Golden Knights. But what we see is the need to set a new bar on touring, and that venue needs to speak to what is best in class today.

07 Dec 2023

Jon Platt to Receive 2024 Grammy Salute to Industry Icons Honor

Jon Platt, Sony Music Publishing chairman/CEO, is the 2024 Grammy Salute to Industry Icons honoree. The award will be presented at the pre-Grammy Gala, co-hosted by the Recording Academy and Clive Davis, on Saturday, Feb. 3, the night before the 66th Annual Grammy Awards.

“One of the most influential figures in the industry, Jon has consistently set the bar for leadership in music,” Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, said in a statement. “His ongoing commitment to equity, his dedication to quality, and his advocacy for artists across all crafts and genres have been an inspiration to music leaders everywhere. We look forward to an incredible evening dedicated to honoring his incredible impact.”

“Jon Platt is one of the music industry’s most illustrious leaders and I am thrilled that he will be this year’s Salute to Industry Icons honoree,” said Davis. “Jon’s longtime trailblazing commitment to supporting songwriters across the music spectrum as well as his staunch dedication to advocacy, diversity and equality in the music business are exemplary. Artists and the industry at large are fortunate to have his insight and passion at the helm.”

Davis originated the pre-Grammy Gala in 1976 when he was looking for a way to celebrate the success of Barry Manilow’s “Mandy,” Arista Records’ first big hit (and its first Grammy record of the year nominee).

Since Platt’s appointment as Sony Music Publishing’s chairman/CEO in 2019, he has worked to revitalize the company’s “Songwriters First” mission for the 21st century. During Platt’s tenure, the company has strengthened both its legacy and its future, creating partnerships with songwriting legends like Bruce Springsteen and Paul Simon; working with established hitmakers like Ashley Gorley; signing the next generation of stars including Olivia Rodrigo, Jack Harlow, Latto, Anitta, Central Cee, Kane Brown and the Kid LAROI; and delivering opportunities for DIY creators through a deal with BeatStars.

Platt has been a strong advocate in the fight for fair compensation for songwriters. Sony Music Publishing (SMP) has worked to ensure that songwriters are paid quickly as their hits move around the world, eliminating long delays in the delivery of foreign royalties. The company has also expanded its presence internationally into India, Indonesia and Nigeria.

Reflecting Platt’s commitment to artist development, SMP has built out its services for songwriters and composers at every stage of their careers. Songwriters Forward — a global initiative — has seen SMP provide mental health and wellness support to its roster through the Songwriter Assistance Program. SMP’s Legacy Unrecouped Balance Program has offered new financial opportunities to legacy songwriters. SMP has also provided over $1 million in grants to working songwriters in collaboration with organizations such as the 100 Percenters, Songwriters of North America (SONA) and Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI).

Platt believes in building a music business that is as diverse as the music it represents. He has increased diversity across senior leadership teams throughout his career and supported SMP’s global Women’s Leadership Program. This commitment extends to empowering the next generation of songwriters and composers with initiatives like SMP’s Screen Scoring Diversity Scholarship at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music.

In 2005, Platt launched The Big Jon Platt Scholarship Program for college-bound students based in Montbello, Colo., the Denver neighborhood where he was raised.

Platt previously served as chairman/CEO of Warner Chappell and led the company’s turnaround. He also spent 17 years at EMI Music Publishing, where he sealed his reputation for recognizing future icons by signing Jay-Z on the release of his 1996 debut studio album, Reasonable Doubt.

Platt’s career in the music business began in the mid-’80s, when, as a DJ in his hometown of Denver, he was credited with breaking records by Public Enemy and Arrested Development in the Midwest. He brought the same passion for spotting hits to his career in music publishing, signing and collaborating with prominent songwriters including Beyoncé, Drake, Rihanna, Pharrell Williams and Usher. Platt is widely credited for elevating how hip-hop and R&B artists are respected and compensated as songwriters.

Platt sits on the boards of Berklee College of Music, Songwriters Hall of Fame, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Motown Museum, Living Legends Foundation and the National Music Publishers Association (NMPA).

Platt ranked No. 8 on The Billboard 2023 Power 100 List. His numerous awards include City of Hope’s prestigious Spirit of Life Award, SONA’s Warrior Award, NSAI’s President’s Keystone Award, SESAC’s Visionary Award, Variety’s Variety500 and Morehouse College’s Candle Award.

Previous pre-Grammy Gala honorees include Herb Alpert & Jerry Moss, Clarence Avant, Irving Azoff, Martin Bandier, Sir Richard Branson, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Shawn “JAY-Z” Carter, Clive Davis, Ahmet Ertegun, David Geffen, Berry Gordy, Lucian Grainge, Julie Greenwald & Craig Kallman, Debra L. Lee, Doug Morris, Mo Ostin, Antonio “L.A.” Reid and Rob Stringer.

07 Dec 2023

Nicki Minaj Activates Barb Alert System in ‘Pink Friday 2’ Teaser: ‘Approaching #GagCity’

Nicki Minaj issued an urgent Barb Alert on Wednesday night (Dec. 6), warning her ardent followers to prepare for the impact of her long-awaited fifth studio album, Pink Friday 2. The tease for the collection originally due out last month — but delayed to coincide with the MC’s 41st birthday on Friday (Dec. 8) — also featured the heads up: “Approaching #GagCity.”

The futuristic 26-second preview warned Barbz to “stand by for further information” and included a snippet of the as-yet-unreleased PF2 song “Big Difference,” in which she raps, “Like my hunnids blue/ Bad b–ches, yeah, I keep ’em by the two/ It’s a big difference between me and you/ I ain’t nothin’ like you, you, you, or you.”

In a previous post, Minaj leaned into the fantasy flight-themed tease, telling Barbz, “As we begin to prepare for landing, please make sure your tray tables are put back up & your seat belts are tightly fastened. The captain has activated the ‘no bathroom’ sign. If you look out the window, you’ll begin to see the beauty…clear waters, pink dolphins…#GagCity #PF2.”

The long wind-up to the release of the album and Nicki’s colorful “Gag City” descriptions have already inspired a wide range of candy-colored fan art, which you can check out here, and here and here.

Minaj was slated to perform at Monday’s (Dec. 4) iHeartRadio Jingle Ball in Chicago, but told Barbz she had to peel off the bill in order to focus on preparing for the PF2 release. Last week she issued the stark warning, “If you on my $h!t list, you will never EVER recover. The. Fkng. End.” She also promised that the album is a certified classic that is “just beyond anything I could have imagined” after earlier saying that it is “one of the greatest albums of ALL TIME.”

Pink Friday 2 is the follow-up to Minaj’s 2018 album, Queen.

Check out the PF2 teasers below.

07 Dec 2023

ADCOLOR 2023 Conference Calls for Expansion of DEI Efforts in the Advertising Industry

The slowdown in corporate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives inspired the theme at this year’s ADCOLOR Conference: “Double Down & Double Up,” representing a call to expand DEI efforts in the advertising industry. And the speakers, nominees, and honorees at this year’s event — held Nov. 9–11, 2023, in L.A. — provided numerous examples of how different experiences, viewpoints and backgrounds expand the reach to audiences.

Since Tiffany R. Warren founded the conference in 2005, ADCOLOR has brought LatinX, Black, Asian, LGTBQ+ and disabled creatives to the forefront of a conversation that had long excluded them. The upbeat and informative event celebrated how far the industry has come, yet reminded attendees of the importance of sharing knowledge and opportunities to ensure that progress continues.

This year’s event was the first since the United States Supreme Court further weakened affirmative action policies in a decision handed down in June. A video highlighting the decision was displayed on video screens as attendees participated in panels and workshops, serving as a constant reminder of what was at stake.

In a panel titled “Men of Color in the C Suite,” Epic Records president Zeke Lewis, Mediahub executive vp/executive director Alejandro Claiborne and Billboard president Mike Van shared insight on what it means to be part of a rare club and the unique responsibility of being a trailblazer in the top job.

“Race and gender manifest differently,” Claiborne noted in response to a question about making space for women on their team. “My job is to advocate, to create a safe space…psychological, socially, physical. When in mixed company, I try to make sure her voice is heard so others know I have her back.” Van also shared that the Billboard executive team is majority women: “The sooner I can work with women on a team, the likelihood of success is very high.”y

As Van noted, the journey to the C-suite will include failures along with successes. “Figure out and understand what you stand for,” he said. “Don’t expect success to be linear.”

ADCOLOR Nominees and Winners

The ADCOLOR 17th annual awards ceremony was held on the final night of the conference, with the black-tie event celebrating creators of inclusive advertising. Below, the winners of Ad of the Year and Most Valuable Partnership honors shared their thoughts on their respective wins.

Ad of the year

Campaign: “The Black Elevation Map”

Client: Black & Abroad

Agency: Performance Art

Honorees: Eric Martin (co-founder/chief creative officer, Black & Abroad) and Kent Johnson (co-founder/chief strategy officer, Black & Abroad)

The Black Elevation Map is a digital app that was created for Black and Abroad, a travel and lifestyle company that focuses on unique experiences for Black travelers. Inspired by the Green Book, a guide for black roadtrippers that highlighted businesses that would welcome them, the app “takes cultural data, including Black population data, historical markers, Black-owned businesses and social media activity, and visualizes it as points of interest on a dynamic, searchable elevation map of the United States.”

How does it feel to win Ad of the Year on your first try?

Eric Martin: It’s exhilarating. Mainly because when we started the work, we had no idea of where we were heading as a business. This was in the prime of the pandemic. There was literally no signals of when this thing would be over. …We just worked with what we had. We spent almost a year putting this together. When we launched it [during] Black History Month 2022, we had no idea where it would go, we just knew we were doing what we could. We were keeping it authentic, and we had an amazing pool of talent that we were able to tap into. An amazing run of businesses that were willing to participate and enlist themselves. And then we had the support of our community.

Why was the message of the ad important to you?

Ken Johnson: I think the Black community was looking for a way to share that information. There had been a consolidated moment. We were sharing lists of our favorite restaurants, etc., but it didn’t seem like it made it accessible if I’m out and about and I want to pull up a map around me that I could patronize immediately. We didn’t see that platform out there, so that was our driving force. We were tapping into the legacy of Victor Green, creator of the Green Book. How do we tap into what he’s done and bring it to our time and make it accessible and familiar for everyone? We all know how to pull up a map on our phones, but if we are able to pull up a map that already has our interests in mind, what would that do for the businesses being impacted?

How was it inspired by the Green Book?

Johnson: The Green Book was a tool for survival. The energy has shifted to how do we in the community make sure these businesses survive. We want to see these businesses around. We want entrepreneurs in our space to be able to make it past those first couple of years that are the hardest. Now we make sure that businesses are able to keep payroll up, reach new audiences. The spirit of survival is still there, [but] the direction is commerce.



Most valuable partnership

WhatsApp and Translation

Honoree: Ghada Soufan, integrated marketing manager, WhatsApp; founder of MENA for ADCOLOR

WhatsApp teamed up with creative agency Translation for Naija Odyssey, a short film in which Greek-Nigerian Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo “tells his origin story of many origins as he reconciles his roots, birthplace and sense of belonging between cross-cultural worlds.” The film derived from an endorsement deal Antetokounmpo signed with WhatsApp last year.

What’s behind the growth of WhatsApp?

WhatsApp connects over 2 billion people around the world, which is really amazing. It has grown so much over the past two years. It really is the utility app that connects diasporas, communities, families, loved ones, friends, academic groups, elementary schools. So it’s been amazing to see the growth, but also the usage standpoint, the utility and the connections it’s provided for our users.

How do you handle that kind of rapid growth?

We handle the growth with excitement. We were excited about telling the story of WhatsApp as a brand. A lot of people use WhatsApp, [and] being able to really deliver [on] its purpose in connecting loved ones and representing marginalized communities, and really being for the people, and delivering features that can help anyone from teenager to a grandma to use it simply and reliably, has been really amazing.

A lot of people leave accessibility out of the DEI conversation.

That’s why we really refocused our audience with that partnership with Translation on people that are dual culture or multihyphenated. They work between the hyphen. For myself, it’s Arab-American, someone else it might be African-American, Nigerian-British. Wherever you are, we provide the closest thing to [a] face-to-face relationship, that intimate connection, through our app.

How does having a diverse team add to the success?

We have one of the most international teams. We truly have representation [and] truly a global diverse team. We have people from India, Brazil, Germany, U.K., U.S., Asia, Nigeria. We look for diversity not just in terms of a Western point of view, we’re a global diverse perspective. We aim to celebrate those people in our work and in how they use the app.




07 Dec 2023

Taylor Swift Walked the Red Carpet to Support Pal Emma Stone at ‘Poor Things’ Premiere

Fresh off being named TIME magazine’s Person of the Year, Taylor Swift hit the red carpet in New York on Wednesday night (Dec. 6) to support her old friend Emma Stone at the premiere of the actress’ new dark comedy, Poor Things. According to People magazine, Swift made the scene at the DGA Theater in an all-black outfit, matched with her signature bright red lip and a coat with a faux fur collar and open-toe pumps; see a pic of the pair at the event here.

The two women have been friends since they were teenagers and Stone, 35, recently told Vanity Fair that she and Swift, 33, have a special bond. “I was lucky ’cause we’ve been friends for a really long time,” she told the magazine about the singer who hooked her up with tickets for her record-breaking Eras Tour stop in Stone’s home state of Arizona in March.

“I’ve known her since we were 17 and 18, so she hooked me up, which was very nice ’cause I know those tickets are impossible to get,” Stone said. “She’s a wonderful friend.” In addition, Stone said she’s blown away by Swift’s dedication and drive, which the singer detailed in her TIME cover story, revealing that she trained for the Eras tour by singing her entire set list while running on a treadmill and giving up drinking to prepare for the three-hour-plus marathon shows.

“She blows my mind,” Stone said. “The amount of sheer stamina to do three and a half hours and perform 44 songs and to maintain the extreme energy of the audience — I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Poor Things (Dec. 8) is described as a kind of re-imagining of the Frankenstein story, telling “the incredible tale about the fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter (Stone), a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe). The film from the acclaimed director of The Killing of a Sacred Deer also stars Mark Ruffalo, Ramy Youssef and Margaret Qualley.

Watch the Poor Things trailer below.

07 Dec 2023

Geffen Records & David Dollimore Launch New Electronic Label, Disorder

Geffen Records has a new dance label, Disorder. The label is being launched Thursday (Dec. 7) by Geffen in partnership with longstanding electronic music executive David Dollimore. Based in London, Disorder will sign DJs, producers, artists, brands and labels.

Dollimore has a long history as a dance music tastemaker, working at London’s lauded Ministry of Sound (where he started as an intern) for 15 years and helping develop the careers of artists including Eric Prydz, Duke Dumont, Axwell, Benny Benassi, MK and Avicii. When Ministry of Sound was acquired by Sony Music UK in 2016, Dollimore became president of RCA Label Group, which clocked dance hits from artists including CamelPhat, London Grammar and Jade Thirlwall during his tenure.

“Disorder will be an incubator for the future of dance music and redefine the landscape as we see it,” Dollimore said in a statement. “This label will be a portal to the underground club world, distilling future trends for mass consumption. We will be leading a generation forging alternative routes to the top, outside the confines of dated traditional structures. The Disorder artist will resonate in fashion, culture, lifestyle and entertainment, across multiple platforms, forming a newgen of future visionaries within the field.”

The first project from Disorder is WHP Records, an imprint created in collaboration with The Warehouse Project, the tastemaking Manchester-based dance events brand that’s been putting on shows in and beyond the city since 2006. Founded by Richard McGinnis and Sam Kandel, The Warehouse Project sells more than 300,000 tickets every winter season. WHP Records is intended to transmit the sounds of its events to the world.

“Having spent the last two decades dedicated to finding and breaking talent, we can’t believe it has taken us this long to make this jump but David was the one person we wanted do it with,” McGinnis and Kandel said in a joint statement. “Being able to work with artists in a whole new way, providing tangible support in the live space alongside equitable partnerships, with David and Tom who share our passion for this culture is an exciting new chapter for us.”

“Together,” added Dollimore, “[Geffen Records president] Tom March, Rich, Sam and the impressive team at The Warehouse Project and I, have the network, the platform and the global infrastructure with Universal to make this one of the most successful partnerships in dance music.”

March has his own storied history with electronic music, having started his career in dance music PR and working with artists including Avicci, Alesso, The Chemical Brothers, Tiesto, Deadmau5, Jax Jones, DJ Snake, Zedd, Meduza, Swedish House Mafia and Becky Hill.

“At Geffen we are always looking to partner with our industry’s most successful and innovative entrepreneurs,” March said in a statement. “I couldn’t be more excited to partner with David as he heads back to what I consider him to be the best in the world at — signing and A&R-ing dance music. Between us, we have worked with many of the great names in the last twenty years of electronic music. I am so happy to be joining forces with him now.”