Atlantic Records
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Just days after Atlantic Records and the estate of its late co-founder Ahmet Ertegun were hit with a sexual assault lawsuit filed by a former employee, the entities are now facing a second complaint detailing similar allegations of abuse –– only this one casts a wider net.
On Sunday (Dec. 4), Dorothy Carvello – a former A&R executive with the label and author of music-industry expose Anything for a Hit – filed suit against Atlantic, the label’s parent company Warner Music Group, Ertegun’s estate, former Atlantic co-CEO & co-chairman Doug Morris and former chairman and CEO Jason Flom. In the exhaustive complaint, Carvello alleges she was “horrifically sexually assaulted” by Ertegun and Morris and that Atlantic, WMG and Flom (then an Atlantic vp) enabled the abuse.
“During her employment at Atlantic Records from 1987 through 1990, Ms. Carvello was subjected to persistent and pervasive nonconsensual and forcible sexual contact, degrading sexual innuendo and insults, and outrageous ‘tasks’ for the sexual gratification of executives at Atlantic Records,” reads the complaint, which was filed in New York Supreme Court. “These injuries inflicted and abetted by Defendants include several sexual assaults and batteries, among other sexual misconduct, harassment, and discrimination, as well as intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress.”
The complaint goes on to claim that her treatment at the hands of Ertegun (who died in 2006) and Morris was enabled by the other defendants, who went about “creating, maintaining, and perpetuating the toxic workplace culture in which such sexual assault was permitted, thereby inflicting extensive emotional distress as well.”
Carvello’s lawsuit was made possible by New York’s Adult Survivors Act (ASA), which created a one-year period beginning Nov. 24, 2022, allowing alleged victims of abuse to take legal action against their perpetrators in the state even if the statute of limitations on their claims had expired. Jan Roeg. the former Atlantic talent scout who filed the sexual misconduct suit against Atlantic and Ertegun’s estate last week. took action under the same law. More music industry cases are also expected to be filed under the ASA over the next year.
The claims by Carvello are not new, though this is the first she’s sued over her allegations. In her memoir Anything for a Hit (now being adapted for a docuseries), the former executive detailed how, while working as Ertegun’s assistant and later as Atlantic’s first female A&R executive, she was allegedly frequently sexually abused and harassed by Ertegun.
The new lawsuit covers much of the same ground, charging that Ertegun, along with Morris and other Atlantic executives, “treated the company, its corporate headquarters, recording studios, and—even its corporate helicopter—as places to indulge their sexual desires. Employees like Ms. Carvello were the collateral damage of this toxic workplace culture.” It goes on to allege that when Ertegun and Morris’ abusive behavior was reported within the company, victims were “routinely paid settlements with corporate funds in exchange for signed non-disclosure agreements.”
Carvello, who was hired by Atlantic in April 1987 at age 24, first worked as Ertegun’s secretary but claims she also provided significant assistance to Morris during that time. After bringing Skid Row to Atlantic, Carvello was promoted to an A&R role.
Throughout her time there, Carvello claims that she and other female employees “were routinely exposed to Mr. Ertegun masturbating, including during work as he dictated correspondence to Ms. Carvello.” Among other claims, she also alleges Ertegun stored sex toys in her office cabinet without her consent; that Ertegun and other executives watched pornography in the office, including in meetings; and that Ertegun once directed Carvello to pick up used sex toys in his office and wash them.
The complaint goes on to allege a number of other abusive incidents involving Ertegun, including a claim that he “sexually attacked” her in a nightclub in Allentown, Pa., during a Skid Row concert and again during a subsequent helicopter ride back to New York City.
In the course of these alleged ncidents, Carvello says that Ertegun “grabbed and squeezed” her breasts, “clawed at the bike shorts she was wearing under her skirt and pulled them down to access her underwear, scratched the left side of her abdomen and caused her to bleed, violently attempted to remove her underwear, bruised her, and exposed her vagina to all and sundry.” She further alleges that while begging for help from Flom and others present during the attacks, “they simply looked on and laughed.” Ertegun additionally claims that Ertegun once fractured her forearm after slamming it forcefully onto a table.
Carvello also claims harassment and abuse at the hands of Morris, who was running the label with Ertegun at the time. While working as his de facto secretary, she claims Morris would “forcibly kiss” her on the face and touch her inappropriately on a daily basis while “constantly” commenting on her body and appearance. She also claims that on multiple occasions, both Morris and Ertegun would suggest that Atlantic would pay for her to get breast augmentation surgery.
In addition to claims that Flom enabled Ertegun and Morris’ abuse, Carvello accuses the then-vp of harassing her during a meeting, saying he requested, in front of other executives, that she sit on his lap. According to the lawsuit, she says this incident led her to write a memo to Morris complaining about the “blatant sexual abuse” at Atlantic headquarters in September 1990 and asking him what he was planning to do about it. One day later, she alleges, she was fired.
Though she was subsequently hired at WMG imprint Giant Records, Carvello claims Morris “was not done retaliating” against her and had her fired from Giant as well. “Her loss of two consecutive jobs and the damage to her reputation was permanent,” the complaint reads. “But for Mr. Morris’ vengeful and retaliatory actions, Ms. Carvello would still be working in the music industry, and likely would be working under the WMG umbrella with [now-CEO and chairman Craig] Kallman,” who Carvello claims she was instrumental in bringing to the label in the early 1990s.
Later in the complaint, Carvello alleges that in February 1998, while unexpectedly seated next to Ertegun at Clive Davis’ annual “Grammy Eve” party at the Beverly Hills Hotel, the executive continued his pattern of abuse. During that incident, Carvello alleges Ertegun “shoved his hand between” her legs and “forcibly pulled and ripped at her underwear, injuring” her vagina. After allegedly fighting him off and threatening him “in full view of the dinner guests” at the event, Carvello claims Ertegun “sought her out again” at the same event and told her to meet him at his hotel, The Peninsula.
Carvello is suing on seven counts: battery constituting forcible touching (against the Ertegun estate, Morris, WMG and Atlantic); battery constituting sexual abuse (against the Ertegun estate, Morris, WMG and Atlantic); attempted battery constituting forcible touching (against Flom, WMG and Atlantic); battery constituting sexually motivated felony (against the Ertegun estate, WMG and Atlantic); and, against all defendants, criminal and civil conspiracy, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligent infliction of emotional distress. She is asking for monetary compensation as well as exemplary and punitive damages “in an amount to be determined at trial.”
In a statement to Billboard, a Warner Music Group spokesperson said that the company and Atlantic “take allegations of misconduct very seriously,” while stressing that Carvello’s allegations stem from an era decades in the label’s past.
“These allegations date back 35 years, to before WMG was a standalone company,” the statement reads. “We are speaking with people who were there at the time, taking into consideration that many key individuals are deceased or into their 80s and 90s. To ensure a safe, equitable, and inclusive working environment, we have a comprehensive Code of Conduct, and mandatory workplace training, to which all of our employees must adhere. We regularly evaluate how we can evolve our policies to ensure our work environment is free from discrimination and harassment.”
Representatives for Morris and Flom did not immediately respond to Billboard’s requests for comment. A representative for Ertegun’s estate could not be located for comment.
Over the past several years, Carvello has been a relentless voice calling for accountability in the music industry over what she alleges are longstanding patterns of abuse and attempts to silence victims. In October 2021, she revealed she had purchased shares in all three major record companies — UMG, WMG and Sony Music Entertainment’s parent company, Sony Inc.) — with the intent of becoming an activist shareholder “to bring more transparency to the music industry,” she told Billboard at the time.
This past September, Carvello stepped up her efforts by sending a letter to board members at WMG requesting records relating to the company’s investigations into previously reported sexual misconduct claims and royalties accounting. She noted at the time that she intends to ask questions of the other labels as well, though there are differing regulations and laws that pertain to Universal and Sony, given that the former is a publicly-traded company in Amsterdam and Sony is incorporated in Japan; only WMG is a publicly-traded company in the U.S.
In the years since her ill-fated stints at Atlantic and Giant Records, Carvello has worked as an independent public relations consultant, including for some major label executives, though — responding to a perception by some label insiders that this represents a conflict of interest given her activist work– she claims she was paid out of the executives’ own pockets and not by the record labels themselves. In April, she founded the Face the Music Now Foundation, an organization “established to highlight sexual abuse and harassment in the music industry, demand accountability and change, and pave the way for survivors to tell their stories and reclaim their lives,” according to a press release.
A former Atlantic Records talent scout is suing over allegations that label co-founder Ahmet Ertegun sexually assaulted her repeatedly from the 1980s to the 2000s – and that his conduct was enabled by a “boys will be boys” culture at the company.
In a lawsuit filed Monday in Manhattan court, Jan Roeg said Ertegun (who died in 2006) assaulted her on their first meeting in 1983 and that his abuse then continued for “decades” after that. She says Atlantic had “ample opportunities” to observe his behavior, but “did not act” to protect its female employees.
“The permissive ‘boys will be boys’ attitude that prevailed at companies such as Atlantic Records was not just about having harmless fun,” her lawyers wrote. “Instead, it gave license to powerful figures like [Ertegun] to physically and sexually abuse women with impunity, with no fear of repercussions or opposition from the people who depended on his company for their livelihood and lifestyle.”
Roeg’s lawsuit was filed under the New York’s Adult Survivors Act, a new law that created a one-year window for alleged abuse victims to file long-delayed lawsuits that would normally be barred by the statute of limitations. The statute just went into effect last week, and more high-profile cases in the music industry are expected over the next year.
The complaint contained extensive details of alleged misconduct by Ertegun, who co-founded Atlantic in 1947 and went on to become one of the industry’s most powerful executives. After the first incident, the complaint says he “violently sexually assaulted Ms. Roeg at his Upper East Side home.” On at least two occasions, she says she found him “openly masturbating in his office.”
But she says he made very clear that she could not push back: “Women who wanted to do business with Atlantic had to play along with Mr. Ertegun’s sexual desires, and could not rock the boat with a complaint or lawsuit.”
In addition to naming Ertegun’s estate as a defendant, the case also directly names Atlantic Records, which is a unit Warner Music Group. Her lawyers say the company failed to take action to rein him in – and that the company even took actions to cover up his misconduct.
“Atlantic’s top executives and other management had ample opportunities to observe Mr. Ertegun’s drunken, abusive conduct and hateful attitude towards women, including in Company meetings in which he would openly brag about and recount in detail sexually exploitative escapades he engaged in backstage at concerts and the like,” her lawyers wrote. “Atlantic also is known to have regularly paid money to women accusing Mr. Ertegun of sexual misconduct, both before and after his abuse of Ms. Roeg had begun.”
In a statement to Billboard, a representative for Warner Music Group said the company takes such allegations “very seriously” and stressed that the allegations dated years into the past. As is often the case in such long-delayed lawsuits, Atlantic’s corporate structure, polices and executives have changed dramatically in the years since the alleged misconduct took place.
“These allegations date back nearly 40 years, to before WMG was a standalone company. We are speaking with people who were there at the time, taking into consideration that many key individuals are deceased or into their 80s and 90s,” WMG wrote in the statement. “To ensure a safe, equitable, and inclusive working environment, we have a comprehensive Code of Conduct, and mandatory workplace training, to which all of our employees must adhere. We regularly evaluate how we can evolve our policies to ensure our work environment is free from discrimination and harassment.”
A representative for Ertegun’s estate could not be located for comment. But in a statement released to Rolling Stone, an attorney for the late executive’s widow said the case was “meritless and will be be vigorously defended on her behalf.”
Grammy Award-winning DJ and producer Tiësto joined forces with multiplatinum singer-songwriter Tate McRae and Dubai’s new ultra-luxury resort Atlantis The Royal to create their new single “10:35.” The song is accompanied by a music video highlighting the new high-end destination, and will appear on Tiësto’s upcoming album Drive, due out Feb. 24 via Atlantic Records.
“I’m very excited to be partnering with this iconic new property,” said Tiësto. “Tate and I wanted to create a song that captured the energy of an experience at Atlantis The Royal, and I’m proud to say the feeling of 10:35 and this property are both infectious! So excited for the world to finally hear it.”
“I’m happy to announce I’m doing a partnership with the Atlantis The Royal property in Dubai with Tiësto,” added McRae. “It’s always exciting to branch out and work with different brands and artists,” added McRae. “The music video is unlike anything I’ve seen before, and the hotel is just unreal.”
Encapsulating the essence of Atlantis The Royal, “10:35” is inspired by Dubai’s newest addition to its skyline. When first introduced to the resort’s architectural plans — the resort was designed by NYC’s Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates — Tiësto honed in on the duality of the daytime experience of luxury versus the nighttime’s focus on entertainment. This juxtaposition fueled the idea for the time where day turns to night and the experience that comes with that shift — hence, “10:35.”
McRae, who spent time growing up in the Middle East, proved a perfect partner for the track.
Slated to open in early 2023, Atlantis The Royal is 43 stories at its highest point and boasts nearly 800 rooms, dozens of pools, multiple celebrity chef-led restaurants and a skybridge connecting the two main sections of the resort.
Atlantis The Royal Dubai
Courtesy Photo
“We are beyond excited that Tiësto, a music icon, and Tate McRae, one of today’s hottest stars, have joined forces to create this incredible track to celebrate Atlantis The Royal,” said Tim Kelly, managing director of Atlantis Dubai. “’10:35′ completely captures the vibe and energy of the hotel and expresses the unmatched daytime and night-time experience we have to offer. Shooting the music video at the resort is a show stopping way for us to tease our guests and demonstrate the unrivaled luxury Atlantis The Royal promises ahead of the Grand Reveal in January. This is it.”
“The whole team at Atlantis The Royal have been a pleasure to work with throughout this campaign and Atlantic Records couldn’t be more grateful for their partnership,” added Jonathan Feldman, svp of brand partnerships and sports marketing at Atlantic Records. “Tiësto and Tate McRae created such an incredible song that aligns perfectly with the property. From start to finish the stars have aligned on this and we’re thrilled for the launch of “10:35′.”
Check out the music video for “10:35” below.
YoungBoy Never Broke Again is headed to Motown, sources familiar with the situation tell Billboard.
Headed from Warner Music Group’s Atlantic Records — where he released four official studio albums and many more mixtapes — YoungBoy will begin releasing music on the Universal Music Group-owned Motown in 2023.
Youngboy’s already been working with Motown since last year, when he signed a global joint venture deal with the label and his Never Broke Again collective. Together, they have released two compilations — Never Broke Again: The Compilation Volume 1 (2021) and Green Flag Activity (2022) — and Oct. 28 will release their third, Nightmare on 38th Street, led by the single “Searching” featuring Ten last Friday.
The Baton Rouge, Louisiana, native Youngboy broke out in 2015 and signed to Atlantic two years later, going on to become one of music’s top acts. Since, he’s charted 24 albums on the Billboard 200 — 11 that were top 10, four of those No. 1. He’s been incredibly prolific, as those 24 charting titles have all hit the chart in just over five years (since Aug. 2017).
This year alone, Youngboy has debuted six projects on the chart — five solo endeavors and one collaborative set with DaBaby (Better Than You). He’s charted four top 10 albums on the Billboard 200 in 2022 — more top 10s than any other act this year — and has released four albums in about the past two months: The Last Slimeto, Realer 2, 3800 Degrees and Ma I Got a Family.
Youngboy’s catalog of albums, in total, have earned 16.75 million equivalent album units, according to Luminate. His catalog of songs have tallied 29.04 billion on-demand official streams in the U.S.
Punk icon Iggy Pop has signed with Atlantic Records, in partnership with producer Andrew Watt‘s Gold Tooth Records, for the release of his next album, the companies tell Billboard.
“I’m the guy with no shirt who rocks,” said Pop in statement. “Andrew and Gold Tooth get that, and we made a record together the old-fashioned way. The players are guys I’ve known since they were kids and the music will beat the s— out of you. Have a great day.”
The first release from Pop’s forthcoming album, debut single “Frenzy,” is slated to drop on Oct. 28. The album is Pop’s first since 2019’s Free, released by Caroline International/Loma Vista.
“We’re incredibly excited to welcome Andrew and Gold Tooth into the Atlantic family,” said Atlantic Records chairman and CEO Craig Kallman. “As a brilliant producer and stellar musician, Andrew has the gift of elevating every project into a work of art. And, of course, we’re over the moon to have the legendary and phenomenal Iggy Pop as our first joint signing. Iggy’s groundbreaking work forever changed the rock landscape, and he continues to make boundary-crashing music. This also marks his return to the Warner family, more than 50 years after he made his recording debut with the Stooges on our sister label Elektra. Iggy’s never stopped evolving, and he’s made a fantastic album that we can’t wait for the world to hear.”
Added Watt, “Iggy Pop is a f—ing icon. A true original. The guy invented the stage dive…I still can’t believe he let me make a record with him. I am honored. It doesn’t get cooler. This album was created to be played as loud as your stereo will go…turn it up and hold on…”
Pop rose to fame as the lead singer of Detroit-bred band The Stooges, which released three seminal proto-punk albums in the late 1960s and early 1970s: The Stooges, Fun House and Raw Power. After parting ways for over three decades, the group re-formed and released two additional albums: 2007’s The Weirdness and 2013’s Ready to Die. As a solo artist, Pop has released a total of 19 albums, including classics like The Idiot and Lust for Life, both produced by David Bowie.
Atlantic Records nailed it when they promoted Brandon Davis and Jeff Levin in tandem a couple years ago, so naturally they’re doing it again. The star A&R execs have been upped to executive vice presidents and co-heads of pop A&R at the Warner Music imprint, with both Los Angelenos — and now-former senior vps — reporting to the president of A&R, Pete Ganbarg.
“Our mission has always been to attract, sign, and nurture the greatest talent across every genre,” commented Atlantic Records chairman & CEO Craig Kallman. “Brandon and Jeff are our pop A&R stars, bringing us a string of game-changing artists. They’ve got spot-on musical instincts, combined with the insight and ability to nurture artists at every stage of their careers.”
Davis has been with Atlantic for 11 years, having joined the company as an assistant in the A&R department. In partnership with producer Ricky Reed, he helped sign and develop Lizzo at the label in 2015 and also worked on the bestselling soundtrack for The Greatest Showman, and recently co-A&R’d Charli XCX’s album, Crash, and Ava Max’s forthcoming sophomore album.
Levin, meanwhile, joined Atlantic in 2010 and has signed Melanie Martinez, Jaymes Young and Oliver Tree, among others. He A&R’d Ben Platt’s debut album Sing To Me Instead and Charlie Puth’s third album, Charlie, and has worked with Warner Chappell Music to A&R G-Eazy and Bebe Rexha’s hit single “Me, Myself & I” and sign Logic to a global publishing deal.
“At Atlantic, we pride ourselves as much in executive development as we do in artist development,” noted Ganbarg. “Both Brandon and Jeff have worked at Atlantic their entire professional lives, rising from entry level intern and assistant positions to become an integral part of the leadership of our A&R team.”
Earlier this year, Davis spoke with Billboard about his success with Lizzo and the changes in the industry — such as the TikTokification of artist promo — since the release of her first album.
“The marriage of A&R and marketing has become closer than ever before,” he said. “As an A&R executive, I now need to think like a marketing and digital executive. I have spent more time than ever before working hand-in-hand with our marketing staff, and also letting them into the record making process earlier. A&R in the current environment has become about so much more than just music and record making — you need to be entrepreneurial and have a sophisticated understanding of many different verticals.”
Over the past several years, Burna Boy has grown into a legitimate international star, with each of his last three albums achieving higher and higher slots on the Billboard 200 and his 2021 album, Twice As Tall, winning a Grammy for best global music album. And as his music has grown in popularity in the U.S., he’s been able to reach new milestones like selling out Madison Square Garden, which he did earlier this year. But one aspect of stardom had until recently eluded him: U.S. radio airplay.
That has changed over the past few weeks, as his single “Last Last” from his latest album Love, Damini has begun climbing the Billboard radio charts. And this week, it has finally crowned one of them, having reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, a testament to the work put in by his label Atlantic Records. And it helps earn Atlantic’s executive vp of black music promotion Kevin Holiday the title of Billboard’s Executive of the Week.
Here, Holiday explains the strategy that brought a song that was originally released in May to the top of the airplay charts in October. “Radio is a long game, and it takes time for records to organically connect with an audience,” he says.
This week, Burna Boy’s “Last Last” hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart. What key decision did you make to help make that happen?
The key decision was to ask urban radio to collectively move in one direction at the same time. Another crucial decision was making sure we highlighted all the latest and greatest information on Burna Boy the week prior to achieving the No. 1. These decisions put us in position to attain our goal.
The song has not just reached the top of that chart, but it’s also climbing the all-format Radio Songs chart, reaching a new peak of No. 24 this week. How are you expanding its airplay audience?
The regions with the highest populations aid the growth in audience airplay. With that said, we are expanding Burna’s airplay audience by targeting the major markets, in hopes they play the record more.
The song has been out for five months now, since first being released in May. Why is it climbing and peaking at radio now?
It takes some time to get folks on the same page and increase airplay. Radio is a long game, and it takes time for records to organically connect with an audience.
Last year, Wizkid‘s “Essence” broke through on U.S. radio, opening up a lane for music by African artists that hadn’t really existed before. How has that changed what’s possible for Burna at radio?
Wizkid helped reshape the sound of traditional U.S. radio from just playing American hip-hop and R&B records. Burna Boy’s music has a grassroots structure of R&B mixed with a “feel good” vibe, which doesn’t completely break the boundaries of the music played within the formats. Ultimately, the possibilities are endless for Burna Boy.
Recently, we’ve seen songs make inroads at pop radio with a pop artist remix. Is that something you guys are exploring? What could that do for a song like “Last Last”?
Although “Last Last” is perfect as is, a pop remix can give a different twist and widen the audience. As of now, I believe there are no plans for such a remix… But never say never!
How can success at radio like this help boost Burna Boy’s career moving forward?
As U.S. radio continues to create global superstars, the sky is the limit for Burna Boy and his future endeavors. We are just getting started!