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Flashback to Oct. 19, 2024: Lil Durk was celebrating his 32nd birthday and hosted his first Birthday Bash concert a day later, taking over the United Center in Chicago, and left inspired to revamp what became his Deep Thoughts album.
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However, less than a week later, the Chitown rapper’s universe was flipped upside down when he was arrested in South Florida on federal murder for hire charges tied to a 2022 shooting allegedly targeting Quando Rondo that left another individual dead at a Los Angeles gas station.
Enter Cedrick “SB” Earsery and Kelvin Sherman, Durk’s managers, who were left picking up the pieces and tasked with delivering Deep Thoughts while having limited communication with the OTF leader behind bars in MDC Los Angeles.
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“[Lil Durk] was at a space in life where he was just ready for elevation and transitioning,” Earsery tells Billboard. “He was getting toward religion more. He got married last year on Father’s Day. He was in a new place. He had went to rehab and [was] bettering himself.”
Earsery has known Durk since he was about nine years old and was the rapper’s first manager while returning to the role close to two years ago. Sherman came into the team’s mix around the time Durk was rolling out his 2023 album, Almost Healed.
The duo worked in collaboration with in-house A&R DJ Bandz, Durk’s engineer Justin (Jusvibes) and Fred Foster on the creative direction side to execute Durk’s vision to the fullest extent for Deep Thoughts, which arrived on Friday (March 28) – about five months after the rapper’s arrest.
“Everything was with [Durk’s], blessing so we were definitely making sure he was present in all of this with phone calls,” Sherman says. “Even though we tweaked some things, the bulk of this is really Durk. We wanted to make sure it sat in the intention he went when he set out.”
What started off as the next installment of Durk’s fan-favorite Love Songs for the Streets series developed into what eventually became Deep Thoughts. Durk seemed to be intentional with every couplet while showcasing his entire artistic repertoire. The rapper’s latest includes wistful trap anthems ruminating on his trials and tribulations, as well as menacing drill tracks and more melodic songs tapping into his romantic side to cater to his female fan base — all of which were run by Durk’s legal team before heading to streaming services.
“We went into the hard drive and listened to the stuff that might fit the direction that we’re going and we pieced a masterpiece together,” SB proclaims.
I WASN’T GON PUT THIS OUT BUT THEN I REMEMBERED THE STREETS NEED THIS.NOT BEING OUTSIDE WITH Y’ALL WHEN I DROP IS HARD, BUT I KNOW I WILL FEEL Y’ALL LOVE AND ENERGY THROUGH THESE WALLSTHANK Y’ALL FOR ROCKING WITH ME THROUGH EVERYTHING. I TELL THESE STORIES SO OUR VOICE IS… pic.twitter.com/wANrqIR0xe— THE VOICE (@lildurk) March 28, 2025
Guest appearances from Future, Lil Baby, Jhené Aiko and Hunxho are sprinkled in throughout Deep Thoughts, and were all completed prior to Durk’s arrest. Sherman recalls Durk being ecstatic when Aiko’s celestial vocals came in as he bumped the duet “1,000 times” on repeat at the studio around his birthday last year.
“I feel [the] weight of responsibility because fans are gonna cook us,” Sherman adds of the pressure to nail the project. “They gonna be like, ‘It’s y’all fault! Y’all should’ve been communicating with him the best.’”
The Recording Industry Association of America quelled Sherman and SB’s worries heading into release day when the RIAA announced on Thursday (March 27) that Durk collected another 53 plaques, giving him the most certifications of any rapper in 2025 and placing him among the top 50 artists of all-time with 52.5 million units.
SB spoke with Durk a day before our interview and claims the rapper’s “mindset is good, very positive” from behind bars. “He’s happy with how things are going,” he adds.
With plenty of heat in the stash, a deluxe for Deep Thoughts is in the works. While nothing is confirmed on that front, Durk’s management team wants to keep his name alive heading into his trial, which has been pushed back to October. Durk has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges against him.
“A lot of people miss him in the marketplace,” Earsery states. “We got his career in our hands, and he’s trusting us to [tend to] that.”
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Source: Memphis PD / Memphis Police Department
According to reports, the Memphis Police Department has identified their person of interest in the shooting of rapper Sauce Walka, aka Albert Walker Mondane, and his protege, Sayso P, aka Latorian Hunt, outside of a downtown hotel last weekend. A warrant was issued for the arrest of Jayden Dandridge, 21, for the shooting. Dandrige is charged with first-degree murder, two counts of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of employment of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony, and auto theft.
A surveillance video captured the scene outside of the Westin Memphis Beale Street Hotel down the road from the FedEx Forum Saturday (March 22) where two gunmen emerged from a white 2021 Dodge Charger Scat Pack 392 at 2:40 p.m. before running up to Sauce Walka and Sayso P standing by a Black Escalade. Sayso P can be seen falling to the ground after gunfire rings out. Sauce Walka was injured and Sayso P succumbed to his injuries at the scene. In an interview with Houston news network KHOU 11, Sauce Walka’s father, confirmed that his son was hit in the thigh. “Had it not been for God, my son would’ve been dead,” he continued.
Memphis Police Officers would later tell reporters that the Dodge Charger was stolen. The car was found shortly after the incident. The warrant for Dandridge was announced alongside a $6,000 reward offered by the MPD for any information leading to his arrest. The incident is another unfortunate circumstance surrounding Sauce Walka. The Houston, Texas, native was connected to an incident involving a gun during a Trae Tha Truth concert in 2009. He was linked to gang activity by local police in 2018, a claim which he denied in a report by the Houston Chronicle, saying: “I know that I’m a record label, I know that I’m an artist… I’m not into gang activity or any of that stuff.”
Ariana Grande goes on quite the journey in her new Brighter Days Ahead short film, which arrived Friday morning (March 28), just hours after the release of the pop star’s deluxe Eternal Sunshine album. In the 26-minute visual co-directed by Grande and Christian Breslauer, the two-time Grammy winner sings selections from both the original Eternal […]
James Estopinal is having an existential crisis.
For most of his professional life, Estopinal has operated as Disco Donnie, an old school concert promoter known for throwing festivals and taking dance artists on tours across the country. Estopinal was what many called a “pure play” promoter, meaning he didn’t own any venues himself; 100 percent of his attention and capital was spent building artists’ touring careers and supporting acts on the road.
Unfortunately for Estopinal, it has become increasingly difficult to sustain oneself as a full-time road warrior, renting out venues and battling club owners each night for his artists’ fair share. After a bumpy festival season in 2024, Estopinal and his partner, Patrick Tetrick, crossed the concert world’s Rubicon last summer and opened Silo, a brand-new nightclub in Dallas’ burgeoning Design District. Silo is not a typical nightclub — it’s a 30,000-square-foot transformed historic grain storage facility with beveled walls, 40-foot height ceilings, a 1,200-square-foot stage and a massive 100,000-watt sound system made by German loudspeaker company D&B Sound. Silo is Dallas’ first ever concert venue built for the electronic dance world and, to most people, opening their city’s hottest new nightclub would be the ultimate flex on a high-profile 30-year career in music and touring.
But Estopinal is not like most people.
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“I’m really struggling to suddenly be a club owner; it’s just not how I’m programmed,” he tells Billboard, noting that the transition from tour promoter to venue management has been difficult. As a promoter, Estopinal was taught early on not to trust venue managers and to always be skeptical of the line they’re pushing.
“I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with club owners,” Estopinal says. “They’re shady and I’m always trying to do the right thing. Like 90 percent of them have some shady shit going on and I never imagined myself being on that team.”
Making the leap from promotion to club operations is like a public defender suddenly joining the district attorney’s office, or an environmental activist going to work at a big oil company. Traditionally, the nightclub owner is the adversary of the show promoter, due in large part to the economic model of concert promotion.
Concerts typically make money in two ways: ticket sales and food and beverage sales. In a perfect world, the artist and the promoter keep 100% of the ticket sales, while the venue keeps all the food and booze money. That part’s easy — the tricky part is splitting up the show costs and deciding who pays each bill. Typically, venues will cover bar staffing and basic production needs, but the bigger the show, the more ticket takers and bouncers need to be hired, and the more expensive backline becomes.
These types of details should be worked out in advance, typically months ahead of time when the promoter is paying the deposit to book the venue. But it’s not uncommon for surprise expenses to pop up when the bill is settled between the parties. That’s when the gamesmanship begins, Estopinal explains, with both sides going line by line through bills, arguing over money.
Estopinal says he loathes the idea of hitting acts that play Silo with last minute expenses. As a promoter, when it “came to the settlement, I would always fight back,” Estopinal says, especially when club owners tried to make him pay their house nut — essentially a standard fee the venue would charge every touring show to recover unspecified expenses. To Estopinal, the house nut is like a hotel charging a $40 resort fee or an Airbnb rental charging a $100 cleaning fee — “they’re junk fees that are just a cash grab.”
Shakey Settlement
Inside Silo Dallas
Patrick Le
Estopinal remembers a show settlement in El Paso, Texas, when a club owner shook him down for a last-minute $1,000 “rent” charge.
“The deal was that he kept the bar and I got the door. Rent wasn’t in the original deal and I told him I wasn’t going to pay him rent,” Estopinal explains. “So, he opens his drawer and pulls out a gun and puts it on the desk. So, I say, ‘Oh, you’re threatening me now? Fine, take your $1,000 blood money.’”
Estopinal says he returned to the tour bus and stewed in anger for a while, before going back inside to confront the club owner again. Six security guards were summoned to the office, and “one got me in a headlock and they all kind of picked me up in a lateral position, carried me out down the stairs and put me back on the tour bus,” he recalls. “I never got my $1,000 back, but I did hear that he later got arrested for something else.”
Then there was a Skrillex show Estopinal promoted in the 2010s at a country western bar in San Antonio, Texas. Skrillex finished his set at midnight and his crew wanted to break down the show and leave, but the bar owner wanted to stay open to keep selling beer. The owner even had his resident DJ go on after Skrillex’s set and play Skrillex music.
“Suddenly all the fans that were leaving at the end of the Skrillex set turned around and came back in,” Estopinal says. “All so that the club owner can sell beer for two more hours.”
The tour managers approached Estopinal and told him to find the owner and shut down the faux Skrillex set so they could leave. “But I couldn’t find the owner anywhere. I noticed they had four bodyguards stationed around the DJ booth, and so I went back to the dressing room and said, ‘Hey, I can’t get this guy to turn the music off. You guys are just going to have to load out.’ They told me, ‘We can’t load out with all these people in here.’”
Worried that he might lose the rest of the tour if he didn’t quickly act, Estopinal took two shots of tequila with the tour manager and then “ran into the front of the DJ booth, dove inside, unplugged all the wires and pushed all the equipment on the floor,” he says. While the security guards weren’t able to stop Estopinal from silencing the bootleg set, they did “eventually get a hold of me and started wailing on me.”
The police eventually showed up, placed Estopinal in handcuffs and got him to fork over $2,000 to pay for the broken mixers and busted CDJ player. An expensive night, but minor when compared to the extortion Estopinal encountered when he tried to throw a rave with several big-name promoters in San Bernardino, Calif., in 1999. What had originally been forecast as a 5,000 to 8,000 person show quickly ballooned into a 25,000-person riot with fans swarming the box office, desperate to buy tickets.
“It was cash only and we’d have people come up to the window with a huge wad of cash and be like, ‘Give me 16 tickets,’” he says. “The money was coming in so fast that one of the ticket takers just started sweeping the cash onto the ground. There was no place to put it. And she just keeps selling tickets, ankle deep in cash.”
Eventually, Estopinal lost control of the show and “the police called in the riot squad, and they arrived in helicopters and tear gassed the front of the venue,” he says. Once the dust eventually settled, the venue manager approached Estopinal and told him the police wanted $40,000 in cash, right away. “I asked, ‘Can I give it to them myself?’ And they told me, ‘No, that would be illegal.’ The whole thing sounded illegal to me, but my only goal was not to have that party shut down. So, I went and got the $40,000 in cash and gave it to the venue manager. I don’t know where it went, but the event never got shut down.”
Promising Signs
Inside Silo Dallas
Tyler Church
The concert world has changed significantly since Estopinal’s riotous rave in 1999, mostly for the better, he concedes. The corporatization of the business led by Live Nation and AEG has standardized the show settlement system, and major talent agencies have become much more vigilant about sticking to the language of the contract and avoiding last-minute surprises.
“I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how I can change the dynamic as a club owner and make the venue more artist-friendly,” Estopinal says. “I can try to make the tickets as cheap as possible and not let people bribe the doorman to cut in line or slip in through a side door that the promoter doesn’t know about.”
He’s also decided to make Silo available to community groups during off hours and has even struck a deal with a local Dallas church to lease the club for its Sunday services.
Pastor Richard Ellis with the Dallas-based Reunion Church told Billboard that he happened to stumble upon Silo while looking for a new home after the church ended its lease at the Dallas Convention Center.
“I met with Donnie’s partner Patrick Tetrick and he told me, ‘I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but it would be good for us to have you in here,’” recalls Ellis. “Sometimes a club like that can have a reputation and one can soften that reputation by having a church in the building on Sundays.”
Estopinal says he has other community uses for Silo in mind and notes that having a church in the building makes him feel better about crossing over into the venue world.
Protect The Enterprise
Inside Silo Dallas
Bo Buckley
Estopinal also says he has started to bring a lot of his own experience to Silo and do some of the club’s bookings in-house, tapping into his own expertise. One of his first lessons came during the opening of Silo in September when he ignored his own advice about splurging on a big headliner for opening night.
Estopinal says it’s a “classic mistake” to book a big a headliner for an opening night concert at a new venue because “if there’s any type of delay due to permit issues or construction, you’re not going to be able to open the venue and you’re still going to end up owing the artist the money.”
For reasons he can’t explain, Estopinal ignored his own advice and booked superstar DJ Tiesto as the opening artist for Silo. “The day of the show arrived and we still don’t have the permit needed to open the venue” due to a disagreement with the local fire marshal about Silo’s sprinkler system, he says. “The show sold out and I’m just sitting there imagining, ‘How am I going to get out of this one?’” Estopinal recalls. “Then Tiesto’s agent calls me and says, ‘I got some bad news. Tiesto’s plane had depressurized, and he had to turn back.’”
Estopinal described the news as divine intervention: If Tiesto was cancelling on Silo, then he didn’t owe the Dutch DJ a dime — crisis averted.
“And then, oddly enough, about an hour later, my phone rang again,” he says. “It was the fire marshal’s office. The permit issue had been resolved, and I was cleared to open Silo.”
Estopinal says he was shocked, but also clear-eyed in what he had to do. Tapping into his instincts as a promoter, new club owner and lifelong hustler, Estopinal grabbed the phone and immediately dialed Tiesto’s agent.
“I told him, ‘You better put him on a new plane immediately and get him out here tonight or else!’” Estopinal remembers. Tiesto made it in time to play the gig and the show opened without a hitch.
Surprisingly, Estopinal said he didn’t feel bad about the episode, noting that club ownership and tour promotion had one key component in common.
“You’ve got to protect the enterprise,” he says. “No matter what side you’re on, you want the show to go on.”
After winning her first Grammy and being named Billboard‘s Woman of the Year for 2025, Doechii is adding another piece of awards hardware to her shelf after Thursday night (March 27).
Doechii took home the GLAAD Media Award for outstanding music artist at the non-profit organization’s ceremony. Presented the award by former GLAAD Award recipients Lil Nas X and Maren Morris, Doechii took to the stage to express her delight.
“I am thrilled at being recognized with such a prestigious award by GLAAD and to be joining prior honorees such as Renee [Rapp], Lady Gaga, Lil Nas X, Sam Smith and Janelle Monáe,” she said. “This is a huge and special moment as well because GLAAD is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, which is super fab.”
As she continued, laying out the organization’s principles of “acceptance, inclusiveness and empowerment,” Doechii took a moment to reflect on where we are in this politically charged moment for the LGBTQ+ community.
“Those are the same things I strongly believe in and advocate for and that continue to propel me forward — especially now that hard-won cultural change and rights for transgender people and the LGBTQ community have been threatened,” she said. “And I am disgusted. Disgusted. But I want to say that we are here and we are not going anywhere.”
In closing her speech, Doechii gave a special callout to up-and-coming queer artists in the audience, offering them some sage advice: “[Do] not let anyone ever block your dreams … I just want to encourage you guys to stay connected with one another. Stay passionate. Stay focused. Keep your chin up. Be kind, and be fab!”
Doechii was far from the only winner at Thursday’s ceremony. Rising R&B star Durand Burnarr took home a trophy for outstanding breakthrough music artist during the ceremony, while Cynthia Erivo was honored with the organization’s Stephen F. Kolzak award for her work in raising visibility for queer people in 2024 and beyond.
“I know this event is to celebrate the work and I am endlessly grateful for that honor and for this celebration, but the real work is making the ground we leave in our wake level enough for the next person who finds their way to the path we have made,” the Wicked actress said in her speech. “For the person who is searching and searching and has not found it yet. This room is full of people who can and will … be lanterns to light up your journey and your path on your way to showing the world who you are.”
Save this storySaveSave this storySaveEartheater has enlisted Shygirl for two new songs. “Shark Brain” and “Dolphin” mark the first time the two artists have recorded together. Listen to “Shark Brain” and “Dolphin” below.Eartheater produced “Shark Brain” with Death Grips’ Andy Morin, while she did “Dolphin” with Tony Seltzer and Inef Coupe. “I made ‘Shark Brain’ five years ago and played it live enough times that my fans would ask for it, however, it was just one of those songs I didn’t know if I’d ever release,” Eartheater stated. “Eventually, it even got leaked, which is why, I assume, my fans seem to know all the words already. I was originally inspired to write the song when I discovered the uncanny resemblance a hammerhead shark brain has to the female reproductive system. Years later, I found out that a dolphin’s bones in their fins highly resemble those of a human hand. I was in the studio with Shy one day, and she was very into my idea to pair these songs together as an A / B side and quickly put down her verses.”Read Pitchfork’s review of Shygirl’s new EP, Club Shy Room 2, and check out the 2021 Rising interview “Shygirl Is Shaping London Club Music In Her Own Bawdy Image”
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Lil Durk is currently embroiled in a legal matter involving an alleged murder for hire plot involving rival Quando Rondo. While behind bars, Lil Durk released his ninth studio album, Deep Thoughts, and the early reactions are in on X.
Lil Durk, 32, announced the release of Deep Thoughts on social media and left a message for his fans, along with sharing the album covers and images of the Chicago rapper at work.
From Instagram:
I WASN’T GON PUT THIS OUT BUT THEN I REMEMBERED THE STREETS NEED THIS.
NOT BEING OUTSIDE WITH Y’ALL WHEN I DROP IS HARD, BUT I KNOW I WILL FEEL Y’ALL LOVE AND ENERGY THROUGH THESE WALLS
THANK Y’ALL FOR ROCKING WITH ME THROUGH EVERYTHING. I TELL THESE STORIES SO OUR VOICE IS NEVER LOST. I’M COMING HOME SOON STRONGER THAN EVER. INSHALLAH, THE VOICE
LOVE, DURK
Deep Thoughts only has four features, with Future showing up on “They Want To Be You” and Lil Baby delivering a verse on “1000 Times.” On “Cant Hide It,” Jhené Aiko delivers vocals, and lastly, Hunxho appears on “Late Checkout.”
Much of the album finds “The Voice” in a reflective space, especially on the opener “Shaking When I Pray,” which features the artist born Durk Banks praying in Arabic. The common themes of his back against the wall, eclipsing his meager beginnings, and speaking directly to his detractors are present throughout Deep Thoughts. However, it is an extension of the rhythmic comfortability Lil Durk displayed on his 2023 album, Almost Healed.
On X, formerly Twitter, we’ve scoured the site and got the best reactions to the album we could find. Find those replies below.
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Photo: Prince Williams / Getty
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Source: Kevin Mazur/BBMA2017 / Getty
A bizarre and unsettling video surfaced last month showing two unidentified men dropping off a coffin outside DJ Khaled’s Miami home.
The casket was marked with the words “R.I.P Drake,” instantly sparking speculation about its meaning and intent. The footage, captured by security cameras, shows the men engaging in a strange ritual after leaving the coffin. They kneel beside it, seemingly praying or possibly casting a hex, while making cryptic hand gestures toward the sky. The security guard on duty appears visibly confused, unsure of how to respond to the eerie scene.
When Kendrick Lamar dropped “Not Like Us,” a lot of fans started rocking with him over Drake, and that’s when the “Drake hate” really kicked off.
Strangely, DJ Khaled wasn’t the only one to receive such a chilling delivery. Just two days earlier, rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine had a nearly identical experience at his Florida home. In his case, the coffin was labeled “R.I.P King Von,” referencing the late Chicago rapper who was fatally shot in 2020. The eerie coincidences have fueled numerous conspiracy theories, with some suggesting the acts were meant as intimidation tactics or a form of ritualistic symbolism.
Nobody knows who’s behind these creepy acts, and no one’s explained why they’re happening. Some people think it might just be a weird publicity stunt, while others are worried it could mean something darker. The authorities haven’t said anything yet, leaving fans and the hip-hop community wondering who’s doing this and what message they’re trying to send.
Elbows up for another Executive Turntable, Billboard’s weekly compendium of promotions, hirings, exits and firings — and all things in between — across the music business. There’s a full slate of news this week, so let’s get started.
Universal Music Canada promoted Amanda Kingsland to vp of A&R, co-leading the company’s A&R efforts with Shawn Marino, the vp of A&R operations. Together, they’ll lead UMC’s A&R teams — located in both Toronto and Montreal — to sign, develop, and break new Canadian artists. Kingsland, who joined UMC in 2021, revitalized the country music roster and multiple projects. Marino, a 30-year industry veteran, oversees 80A Studios, the label’s multi-room recording space, and The Academy, UMC’s event space. UMC’s artists include Josh Ross, Sofia Camara, Mae Martin, Owen Riegling and thiarajxtt, alongside recent signings AP Dhillon, Lindsay Ell, James Barker Band, Sebastian Gaskin, and TyriqueorDie. Julie Adam, president and CEO, praised Kingsland and Marino’s leadership, emphasizing their role in investing in artistic voices. “Music – and the artists who create it – are our driving force,” she said. “We focus our hustle, passion, care, creativity, and abundance of forward-thinking ideas on helping the artists we work with achieve personal, artistic, and commercial success. And at the centre of our mission to sign, develop, and break artists is our industry-leading A&R team.”
Hopeless Records announced key hires and promotions as it cements its position in the indie music industry. Ian Harrison is promoted to executive vp, focusing on business development and global growth. Erin Choi becomes general manager, overseeing global marketing and promotions after nearly two decades with the label. Christina Johns steps up as vp of operations, while Nonafaye Williams advances to senior director of product management. New additions include Jen Darmafall as director of marketing and Rheanna ‘Caedance’ Lauren as program director of the Hopeless Music Academy, which offers music education to under-resourced youth in Los Angeles. Founder Louis Posen praised the leadership team — Harrison, Choi, Johns, CFO Al Person, and evp of A&R Eric Tobin — as a passionate, “caring and talented executive team.” He also emphasized the label’s commitment to artist development, highlighting the Academy’s launch as a dream realized.
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Universal Music Greater China appointed Vivian Xu as chief operating officer, effective immediately. Based in Beijing, Xu will report directly to Timothy Xu, chairman and CEO. In her new role, she’ll collaborate with the senior leadership team to oversee daily operations and identify market expansion opportunities. Xu brings extensive experience from her previous roles at Columbia China, Sony Music Entertainment China, Motorola Solutions, Sony Ericsson and Schneider Electric China. Xu’s appointment is expected to enhance UMGC’s capabilities and strengthen its position in the Chinese music market. UMGC represents a diverse artist roster, including Li Nong Chen, Sunnee, Tanya Chua and Guo Ding. It has also partnered with Modern Sky, which features acts like New Pants and Tizzy T. Timothy Xu and Adam Granite, executive vp market development at UMG, praised her strategic insights and operational expertise.
MSG Entertainment and MSG Sports — friends call-em “the MSG family of companies” — appointed Doug Jossem as executive vp, global sports and entertainment partnerships. Reporting to Jamaal Lesane, chief operating officer of MSG Sports, Jossem will lead global partnership initiatives across MSG Sports and MSG Entertainment while supporting sales for MSG Networks. Jossem brings over 20 years of experience in media, advertising, and management, previously leading Walmart Connect’s largest business unit and holding key roles at Twitter, Vice, Comedy Central and CNN. Lesane highlighted MSG’s topline brands, expressing confidence in Jossem’s ability to create “innovative solutions that leverage the full depth and breadth of our portfolio to create unique platforms and unrivaled exposure for our partners.”
Nathaniel Brown, former PR head at Warner Bros. Discovery, joined TikTok as global head of corporate communications, reporting to Zenia Mucha. Based in New York, Brown previously held roles at 21st Century Fox, MTV Networks and SiriusXM. At Discovery, he managed PR during the 2022 merger and controversial decisions like shelving projects for tax write-offs. Brown left the company in January 2024. Now at TikTok, he faces significant challenges, including a potential U.S. ban on the app, set for April 5, after President Trump delayed the law earlier this year.
Candice Watkins, senior vp of marketing at Big Loud Records and a fixture on various Billboard power lists, confirmed she is leaving the Nashville label after a six-and-a-half year run. Prior to joining BLR, the USC alum clocked a couple years as senior director of marketing and artist development at Universal Music Group. The news was first covered by HITS, which reported “big plans on the horizon” for the executive.
Red Street Records hired Jason McArthur as the label’s vice president of Christian A&R and publishing, to lead in developing and expanding the roster of Christian artists and songwriters at Red Street Records and Red Street Publishing. McArthur will oversee the label’s Christian roster, including Jason Crabb, Consumed By Fire, Cade Thompson and Iveth Luna, in addition to songwriters Brian White, the Ward Brothers and Crabb. McArthur previously served as vp of A&R at Sony Music Entertainment’s Provident Entertainment. –Jessica Nicholson
ATC Management expanded its U.S. team with new managers Dev Crawford and Jay Saunders. Based in Los Angeles, Crawford represents rapper Earl Sweatshirt and singer-songwriter Fana Hues, bringing extensive experience in hip-hop and R&B, including tour management for Snoh Aalegra and NxWorries. Saunders will lead ATC’s Nashville expansion, specializing in Americana, folk and all things roots. He previously worked with Marty Diamond and Mark Williams at Concord and now represents artists like John Vincent III and Kacy Hill. Both managers will continue signing new clients, joining a roster that includes Nick Cave, PJ Harvey and The Smile. They’ll work closely with Jackson Perry, head of management in North America, and can be reached at dev@atcmanagement.com and jay@atcmanagement.com.
Warner Music France launched Adore Music, a dance label led by Romain Pasquier, a 17-year WMG veteran. The label aims to showcase both emerging and established dance artists, leveraging Warner Music’s global resources to support talent in France and beyond. Pasquier, the managing director who’ll keep his senior role at label and artist services division WEA, is committed to honoring France’s electronic music legacy while nurturing the next generation. He is joined by Adrien Morin-Guardia, A&R and head of marketing, and Nicolas Klersky, A&R. Adore Music’s first release, “Need You the Most” by house duo Ofenbach, debuted on March 21. Parlez-vous français? Check out Billboard France‘s story on the launch.
Infamous promoted Jelani Wright to vp of festivals & events for North America. In his new role, Wright will oversee creator and publicity campaigns for North American music festivals, including CRSSD Festival, Lightning in a Bottle and its producer Do Lab, HARD Summer, Hangout Festival, Sand In My Boots, ARC Festival, Splash House, M3F Festival, and Electric Forest. Wright will also handle campaigns for international festivals including Barcelona’s Primavera Sound, Montreal’s Igloofest and Turin’s KappaFutur Festival. Wright started at Infamous as a publicist in the festival division in 2020 after graduating from the agency’s Fellowship program, an initiative that helps BIPOC candidates break into the music industry. Wright will report to Infamous COO Maxfield Frieser, who says that “Jelani’s passion, leadership, and innovative approach to earned media have been instrumental in evolving our festival campaigns and helping grow the division.” –Katie Bain
“Single White Female” singer-songwriter Chely Wright announced her new role as senior vp of corporate social responsibility and new market growth at facilities management firm ISS. She’ll drive impact by fostering client and community partnerships and empowering ISS’ 320,000+ employees. Wright’s initiatives will strengthen client relationships and celebrate internal culture, focusing on partnerships that unite corporate entities and community organizations. Wright was the first country artist to come out as gay in 2010 — read about her career transition in Stephen Daw’s new profile.
NASHVILLE NOTES: Matthew Miller, a veteran country music manager, joined talent agency The Familie, bringing artists William Beckmann and LEW. With 20-plus years of experience at WME, Red Light and more, Miller praised The Familie’s collaborative culture, while evp Royce Risser highlighted his expertise and artist-focused management approach … Monti Smith joined King Pen Music as creative coordinator after interning at the publishing company. He will work closely with CEO Kelly King and Amanda Roach, creative manager.
Brandon Holman joined Amber Health to lead industry relations. Previously, he was vp of marketing and wellness at Guin Records and co-founded The Lazuli Collective, an experiential wellness agency. Earlier in his career, Holman made stops at UnitedMasters and TikTok in various marketing and label partnerships roles. Amber Health, established in 2020, styles itself as the only full-service mental health and wellness solution for the music industry, focusing on supporting artists, tours, events and music companies. In 2023, Holman penned a guest column on how Guin prioritizes artists’ well-being, empowering them to create and share their music in a sustainable way.
The Circuit Group formed a joint venture with James Ahearn, founder of Buena Artists & Projects, to expand its global artist management team. Ahearn brings his roster, including Sparrow & Barbossa, Two Friends and Stevie Appleton/Collect 200. Ahearn praised The Circuit Group’s innovative approach and expressed excitement about launching his own division within the company. Dean Wilson, CEO of The Circuit Group, highlighted Ahearn’s impressive track record in artist management, adding, “his ability to identify and develop artists, foster impactful partnerships and navigate both the major label system and independent space makes him a perfect fit.”
Viamedia, the independent digital and linear advertising rep firm, acquired digital advertising company LocalFactor. LocalFactor’s founder and CEO, Evan Rutchik, will become Viamedia’s president and chief strategy officer, reporting to CEO David Solomon. Rutchik will drive Viamedia’s strategic vision, oversee LocalFactor’s operations, and join Viamedia’s board.
ALL IN THE FAMILY: Billboard welcomed Delisa Shannon as its new shortform content director. She joined from Rolling Stone and started this week in the New York office. Also, new staff writer Mackenzie Cummings-Grady will officially join the team on April 1, based in NYC … The Hollywood Reporter made three key editorial changes: Beatrice Verhoeven dropped the “deputy” from her title and is now “just” awards editor, longtime contributor Brande Victorian joined as the deputy awards editor, and senior awards editor Steven Zeitchik is now senior editor of technology and politics.
ICYMI:
Fernando Cabral
Fernando Cabral de Mello was appointed CEO of Sony Music Entertainment Brazil as part of a new organizational structure … Avex appointed S10 founder Brandon Silverstein as CEO of its new Avex Music Group to enhance its U.S. presence and promote Avex artists globally … and longtime music manager Andrew Goldstone joined the team at Milk & Honey as head of electronic music. [Keep Reading]
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