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Ahead of this weekend’s CMT Music Awards, Billboard is putting a spotlight on five country artists you should watch. This episode features Tanner Adell. Tetris Kelly: From Beyoncé’s concert to Beyoncé’s album… Tanner Addell is a country artist you definitely need to watch. The talented songstress has been captivating her audience with certified bops and […]
Hozier claims his first No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart in nine years, as “Too Sweet” debuts atop the April 6-dated tally.
The song bows with 28.8 million official U.S. streams, 268,000 radio audience impressions and 4,000 downloads in the U.S. March 22-28, its first week of release, according to Luminate.
It’s the Irish singer-songwriter’s second Hot Rock & Alternative Songs No. 1, after “Take Me to Church” reigned for 23 weeks, all consecutively, from the Nov. 1, 2014, through April 4, 2015, surveys.
Hozier’s nine-year break between No. 1s marks the longest in the chart’s nearly 15-year history, exceeding the six years, 11 months and two weeks between Coldplay’s “A Sky Full of Stars” in 2014 and the band’s “My Universe,” with BTS, in 2021.
In between the debut of “Take Me to Church” and his new No. 1, Hozier racked up 37 chart appearances, including four top 10s, led by the No. 6 debut and peak of “Eat Your Young” last April.
Concurrently, “Too Sweet” starts atop the multimetric Hot Rock Songs and Hot Alternative Songs charts. On the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, it debuts at No. 5, marking Hozier’s second top 10, and first time in the top 30, since “Take Me to Church” hit No. 2 in 2014.
Additionally, “Too Sweet” blasts in at No. 1 on both Rock Streaming Songs and Alternative Streaming Songs, his first leader on each list since “Take Me to Church.” The all-format Streaming Songs chart finds the song represented at No. 3, just one position below his best rank, set by “Take Me to Church” in 2015.
“Too Sweet” also slots in at No. 1 on Rock Digital Song Sales and Alternative Digital Song Sales, again Hozier’s second chart-topper on each, after “Take Me to Church.” It’s No. 5 on the all-genre Digital Song Sales chart, becoming his second top 10, after “Take Me to Church” reached No. 2.
“Too Sweet” is one of four songs on Unheard, Hozier’s EP released March 22. The set starts at No. 4 on Top Rock & Alternative Albums with 38,000 equivalent album units earned, including 34,000 in streaming units and 3,000 in album sales. The EP also debuts at No. 10 on the all-genre Billboard 200.
All four Unheard tracks make Hot Rock & Alternative Songs. After “Too Sweet” are “Wildflower and Barley,” with Allison Russell (No. 11, 6.1 million streams), “Empire Now” (No. 14, 5.5 million streams) and “Fare Well” (No. 19, 4.2 million streams). “Wildflower and Barley” (No. 88) and “Empire Now” (No. 98) also reach the Hot 100, where the former is Russell’s first entry.
Hozier doubles his total of career Hot 100 hits, with five of his six charted titles logged in the past year; in between “Take Me to Church” and the charted trio of tunes from Unheard, “Eat Your Young” reached No. 67 last April, while Noah Kahan’s “Northern Attitude,” on whose remix Hozier was added as a co-lead, hit No. 37 last November.
Unheard features music that originally recorded during the sessions for Hozier’s 2023 album Unreal Unearth but did not make its final tracklist. The LP debuted at No. 1 on the Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart dated Sept. 2, 2023, and has earned 417,000 equivalent album units to date.
Shakira makes a splash across Billboard’s charts as her latest album, Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran, her twelfth studio album over a four-decade career, debuts at No. 1 on Top Latin Albums and Latin Pop Albums (dated April 6). The set concurrently bows at No. 2 on Top Album Sales, No. 4 on Vinyl Albums and at No. 13 on the overall Billboard 200 chart.
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Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran, released March 22 through Sony Music Latin, earned 34,000 equivalent album units, earned in the U.S. during the March 22-28 tracking week, according to Luminate.
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Of Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran’s first-week sum, 19,000 units derive from streaming, equaling 26.73 million official on-demand streams of the album’s songs. Album sales contribute just under 15,000, while the remaining 500 units derive from track-equivalent album units. (On Top Latin Albums, Latin Pop Albums and Billboard 200, one unit equals to one album sale, 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams for a song on the album.)
Shakira’s new No. 1 on Top Latin Albums follows the top 20-charting live set, Shakira In Concert: El Dorado, World Tour (Soundtrack), which took the singer-songwriter to No. 18 in 2019. El Dorado, her eleventh-studio album, offered her last No. 1, claiming the top spot for five weeks starting in 2017.
Shakira Becomes First Woman With No. 1 Albums Across Four Decades: As Shakira reclaims the No. 1 spot on Top Latin Albums with Las Mujeres, she banks her seventh No. 1 among 11 career entries, and her first in the 2020s decade, after she managed at least one No. 1 every year from 1998-2017.
Notably, with the new ruler, the Colombian becomes the first woman with a No. 1 in four different decades on Top Latin Albums. Only one other artist has achieved the feat: Alejandro Fernández, who scored an equal seven No. 1 albums during the 1990s (one), 2000s (one), ’10s (four) and the ’20s (one).
Here’s a recap of Shakira’s chart-toppers on Top Latin Albums since her first, Donde Están Los Ladrones? landed at the summit in Nov. 1998:
Peak, Title, Weeks at No. 1Nov. 28, 1998, Donde Están Los Ladrones?, 11April 8, 2000, MTV Unplugged, twoNov. 23, 2002, Grandes Éxitos, oneJune 25, 2005, Fijación Oral: Vol. 1, 17Nov. 6, 2010, Sale El Sol, 12July 1, 2017, El Dorado, 5April 6, 2024, Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran
Elsewhere, Las Mujeres debuts at No. 2 on Top Album Sales (15,000 sold in its opening week). The 17-track set concurrently opens at No. 4 on the Vinyl Albums tally with –6,000 vinyl LPs sold– her first top 10 on her first try there, plus, it bests El Dorado’s No. 15 debut and peak on the overall Billboard 200, starting at No. 13.
‘Puntería’s’ Marksmanship Blasts Shakira To Different Orbit Across Songs Charts: On the songs realm, Las Mujeres parades three new cuts on the multi-metric Hot Latin Songs chart: “Puntería,” with Cardi B, leads the new recruits, launching at No. 3 –Shakira’s highest debut since “TQG,” with Karol G, debuted at No. 1 on the chart-dated March 11, 2023. The chart ranks the most popular Latin songs of the week by blending streaming, airplay, and sales data.
“Puntería” opens at No. 3 on Hot Latin Songs mainly on the strength of streaming data and strong radio support. The album’s eighth single logged 6.6 million official U.S. streams during the same tracking week, enough to shoot the collab to a No. 6 start on Latin Streaming Songs.
“Puntería” also sold 3,000 digital downloads in the same period, sparking a No. 1 start on Latin Digital Song Sales and a No. 10 start on the overall Digital Song Sales survey.
Meanwhile, “(Entre Paréntesis),” with Grupo Frontera, arrives at No. 22, while “Cohete,” her second partnership with Rauw Alejandro (after the No. 10-peaking “Te Felicito” in 2022), bows at No. 48.
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Extends Latin Airplay No. 1 Record Among Women: Further, with “Puntería,” Shakira extends her record for the most No. 1s on the overall Latin Airplay ranking among female artists, with 22, as the song debuts atop the list with 9 million audience impressions. With the new leader, the Colombian opens a larger gap from her closest competitor: Karol G, who comes in second with 17 No. 1s. Plus, she ties with Wisin for the seventh-most rulers among all acts.
Here’s a look at the mainly male-dominated list of Latin Airplay highfliers:
36, J Balvin34, Ozuna32, Enrique Iglesias28, Daddy Yankee24, Bad Bunny24, Maluma22, Shakira22, Wisin
First No. 1 Debut on Latin Pop Airplay: Shakira steps on different ground on Latin Pop Airplay, where “Puntería,” with Cardi B, debuts at No. 1. It’s the first time either act has debuted atop the list. The new achievement earns Shakira her maiden debut at the summit since 1996, when “Estoy Aquí” ruled for four weeks.
In sum, 24 of her songs have led the Latin pop ranking, the most for any woman since the chart’s inception in 1994, where Enrique Iglesias continues to rule with 25 No. 1s.
Cementing Her Regional Mexican Airplay Prescence: Beyond her Latin Airplay command, Shakira snatches her second top 10 on Regional Mexican Airplay as “(Entre Paréntesis),” with Frontera, debuts at No. 10. Her second chart appearance generated 4.33 million audience impressions across regional Mexican stations in its first tracking week.
Shakira’s latest entry on the Mexican radio ranking, follows her Fuerza Regida collab, “El Jefe,” which reached to No. 9 last November.
Lastly, as “(Entre Paréntesis)” starts in the top 10, Shakira becomes the second Latin pop act to secure a top 10 on Regional Mexican Airplay in 2024. Previously Becky G’s “Por El Contrario,” her first team-up with siblings Angela and Leonardo Aguilar, ruled for one week (chart dated March 9).
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Artemas is officially a Billboard Hot 100-charting artist.
The English-Cypriot singer-songwriter lands his first entry on the April 6-dated list, as “I Like the Way You Kiss Me” opens at No. 70. The song, released March 19, debuts almost entirely on the strength of its streaming sum: 8.3 million official U.S. streams – up 555% – in the March 22-28 tracking week, according to Luminate.
The single also opens at No. 8 on Hot Alternative Songs and No. 9 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, as well as No. 11 on Billboard Global Excl. U.S. and No. 19 on the Billboard Global 200, led by 34.7 million streams worldwide.
Artemas himself also vaults 42-11 on the Emerging Artists chart.
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“Kiss Me” has been boosted by exposure on TikTok, where Artemas teased the song for weeks leading up to its official release. The song has soundtracked over 300,000 clips on the platform to date.
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Artemas first appeared on Billboard’s charts in January, when his prior viral hit “If U Think I’m Pretty” debuted on Hot Alternative Songs and Hot Rock & Alternative Songs. It currently ranks at Nos. 22 and 26, after reaching Nos. 15 and 20, respectively, with 3.5 million streams (up 7%). “Pretty” has also been aided by TikTok, as the song has been used in over 200,000 clips.
Artemas (full name: Artemas Diamandis), from Oxfordshire, England, has been releasing music since 2020. He has self-released two full-length albums: I’m Sorry I’m Like This in 2022, and Pretty (which includes “If U Think I’m Pretty”) on Feb. 9.
One other song from Artemas’ catalog is also showing notable growth: “Cross My Heart,” from Pretty, has been used in 23,000 TikTok clips, helping the song rake in 400,000 streams March 22-28, up 61% from the previous week.
Tito Double P and Joel De La P both chart their first song on the Billboard Hot 100 (dated April 6), thanks to their new team-up with Peso Pluma, “La People II.”
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The song, released March 21 via Peso Pluma’s label Double P Records, debuts at No. 69 with 9.1 million U.S. streams earned in its first full tracking week (March 22-28), according to Luminate. The song also enters at No. 2 on the Hot Latin Songs chart.
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The track is a sequel to Peso Pluma and Tito Double P’s “La People,” which the pair released last June on the former’s album Génesis.
Tito Double P and Joel De La P arrived on Billboard’s charts together last June with the collaboration “Dembow Belico,” also with Luis R Conriquez. The single debuted at No. 36 on Hot Latin Songs dated June 24, 2023, and peaked at No. 35 the following frame. Until this week, that marked Joel De La P’s sole chart appearance as a billed recording artist.
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As for Tito Double P, the singer-songwriter (who is also Peso Pluma’s cousin and one of his songwriting collaborators) has logged three additional entries on Hot Latin Songs: “Gavilan II,” with Peso Pluma (No. 24 peak in July); “La People,” with Peso Pluma (No. 12, December); and “Sin Tanto Royo,” with Luis R Conriquez (No. 35, January). “La People” also reached No. 164 on the Billboard Global 200 and No. 172 on Billboard Global Excl. U.S.
Plus, Tito Double P co-wrote Peso Pluma’s Hot 100-charting collaborative singles “PRC” (with Natanael Cano) and “Chanel” (with Becky G).
Tito Double P and Joel De La P are both signed to Double P Records. Peso Pluma serves as the label’s CEO and head of A&R, with a roster that also includes Jasiel Nuñez, Los Dareyes De La Sierra and Raúl Vega.
As for Peso Pluma, the song earns the star his 27th career entry on the Hot 100, dating to his arrival in February 2023 with “AMG,” with Gabito Ballesteros and Natanael Cano. It also marks his 47th hit on Hot Latin Songs.
Canadian singer-songwriter Allison Russell has been releasing music for over two decades, but she’s now, officially, a Billboard Hot 100-charting hitmaker, thanks to her new song with Hozier, “Wildflower and Barley.”
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Released March 22 on Hozier’s new four-song EP Unheard (via Rubyworks/Columbia Records), the song debuts at No. 88 on the Hot 100 with 6 million U.S. streams earned in its first week of release, according to Luminate. The EP debuts at No. 10 on the Billboard 200 with 38,000 equivalent album units.
Russell, from Montreal, has had a longstanding career in numerous forms: as a member of the bands Birds of Chicago, Our Native Daughters, Po’ Girl, Tim Readman & Fear of Drinking, Sankofa and Sisters of the Strawberry Moon, as well as a solo recording artist.
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Birds of Chicago, of which Russell is a member with her husband, JT Nero, has charted one title on the Americana/Folk Albums chart: Real Midnight reached No. 22 in 2016. The pair has released two additional LPs: Birds of Chicago in 2016 and Love in Wartime in 2018.
Our Native Daughters comprise Russell, Rhiannon Giddens, Amythyst Kiah and Leyla McCalla. The quartet’s only studio album, Songs of Our Native Daughters (released on Smithsonian Folkways), reached No. 23 on Independent Albums in 2019.
Plus, Sisters of the Strawberry Moon’s album with Luther Dickinson, Solstice, reached No. 23 on Heatseekers Albums in 2019. The project also includes Amy Helm, Amy LaVere, Coco Mamas and Sharde Thomas.
Russell has also released two solo LPs: Outside Child in 2021 and The Returner last September, both on Fantasy Records. The sets were nominated for best Americana album at the 2022 and 2024 Grammy Awards, respectively. She has earned seven additional Grammy nominations and took home her first trophy at the latest ceremony, for best American roots performance (for “Eve Was Black”).
Following her Grammy win, Russell made headlines when Tennessee House Republican Caucus Chair Jeremy Faison blocked a resolution to honor her, despite allowing a similar resolution to pass for Paramore after the group won its first Grammy. The resolution was presented by Tennessee Democratic Rep. Justin Jones, who aired his grievances on X following the decision. “Tonight my Republican colleagues blocked a resolution honoring Black American Roots artist Allison Russell for her first Grammy win,” he wrote. “[She] has worked tirelessly to foster an inclusive Nashville through her music and continues to make Black History here in Tennessee.”
Russell has long been an outspoken activist outside of music. In March 2023, she teamed with Jason Isbell and LGBTQ non-profit organizations to organize Love Rising, an all-star benefit concert in Nashville in response to the state passing laws banning gender-affirming care for minors and banning drag shows in public spaces. The show featured performances from Brothers Osborne, Sheryl Crow, Hozier and Maren Morris, among others.
As CMA entertainer of the year winner, 10-time Grammy nominee and whiskey enthusiast Eric Church has grown his varied business empire to include being a co-owner of the Field & Stream brand, launching his own SiriusXM music channel, “Eric Church Outsiders Radio,” rolling out the drinks line Whiskey JYPSI and his upcoming six-story venue Chief’s in downtown Nashville. Infusing his personal brand into every part of these ventures has been just as critical as it has been in his music.
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For some artists, putting out a whiskey might involve little more than slapping their name on a bottle—but Church has never been most artists. His name doesn’t appear on a bottle of Whiskey JYPSI, yet he’s been intimately involved in crafting its feel and flavor.
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“It’s not a celebrity whiskey,” Church says of Whiskey JYPSI to Billboard via email. “I’m a whiskey and bourbon connoisseur. It’s what I enjoy. I have my whole life and Whiskey JYPSI was built to produce a unique and high-quality product. It’s a true partnership and I happen to be a creative and that’s how I contribute the most.”
In 2020, Church joined forces with Raj Alva to launch Outsiders Spirits, an incubator for whiskey creativity. On April 2, the new Whiskey JYPSI Explorer Series launches, with the first release from the series boasting a blend of two six-year-old bourbons: a Kentucky-distilled low rye, as well as an Indiana high rye. The new offering follows the inaugural Whiskey JYPSI Legacy Batch 001, which released in 2023.
“We created this – Raj, Ari and I – it was important to us that we could be creative; to have creativity not just at the start, but through the whole process,” Church says. “We’re able to look around the world and find unique ingredients – like our initial Explorer release is finished with wood from the Appalachian Forrest in North Carolina, where I am from, and Legacy 001 had Canadian Rye that was very unique to its location. By finding unique ingredients and making smaller batches, you can super serve the product and get highly creative with the flavors. That’s what makes Whiskey JYPSI different as a brand.”
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Church’s imprint is also on every inch of his upcoming venue Chief’s. The 20,000-square-foot establishment at 200 Broadway in downtown Nashville celebrates its grand opening on April 5, and not only features Rodney Scott’s Whole Hog BBQ on the rooftop, but a two-story, approximately 350-capacity live music venue called The Neon Steeple.
The Neon Steeple is set to feature upcoming performances from not only the “Chief” himself, but Ray Wylie Hubbard, songwriter Casey Beathard, Jim Lauderdale, Sunny Sweeney, Suzy Bogguss and Radney Foster. Church has been very hands-on in selecting performers for the venue, with some artists in the inaugural batch of performers having ties to Church’s own music. In 2019, Church’s music video for “Desperate Man” featured the song’s co-writer Wylie Hubbard. Beathard has co-written several of Church’s hits including “The Outsiders” and “Homeboy.”
“I have a vision for it – there is a troubadour element, there is a songwriter element, and that will evolve over time like anything else but that has been the fabric of how we want to activate the first year,” Church says. “I’m excited to do my shows and we will have other artists that people will recognize. For a lot of artists, it will be an underplay, and for others it will be a perfect place to play Nashville.”
Also originating April 5, Church will launch the 19-show “To Beat the Devil” residency at Chief’s—one that promises a wellspring of creativity and intimacy with his ardent fanbase.
“Very rarely do I get to walk out with a guitar in a living room setting,” says Church, who notes that it is likely that attendees will see some surprise guests show up at various shows during the residency. “It’s very rare that you get to go out and have a conversation like that. It allows me to turn the show into a full musical piece and not just playing songs. It was conceived that way. I have most of it sketched out and I can’t wait to do it.”
In August 2023, Church performed two nights as part of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s artist-in-residence program, offering up a two-hour, 19-song set that included both Church’s radio hits as well as rarely-heard live renditions. The set was somewhat of a precursor to the unique nights of music he has planned for the Chief’s residency.
“It will be a lot of unique, new music that pertains to different times in my career; stuff that I wrote and maybe didn’t make an album or a story that nobody’s ever heard,” Church says. “That’s part of the reason we are going restrict cell phone use. That’s the only way people can truly be in the moment and experience the moment. As a parent, I understand the challenges of people being away from their cell phone though, so we are going to use Yondr [a pouch system that allows concertgoers to lock away their phones], which allows you access to your phone by stepping outside if you need to – which is important to me. But there will be no recording. What happens there is for the people that fought so hard to get tickets, and they get to talk about it,” Church says.
“It will be a completely unique show and one of the more challenging and special ones of my career.”
American Idol loves a bit of drama. Hollywood is a drama factory. Match it up, and Sunday night’s Hollywood Week episode of Idol delivered so much of the stuff you could chew on it.
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Ziggy, the so-called Dutch pop prince, has gone full diva during this 22th season, sporting colorful, custom suits with matching candy-colored hair. Ziggy isn’t just testing his talents, he’s keen to make his old man proud; the rocker passed away before the season began, before getting the chance to see Ziggy shine in the U.S. singing competition. Mackenzie Sol, a Las Vegas-based TikTok content creator known for his prank videos, has sailed through to LaLa Land, and made fans along the way.With a spot in the final 24, the drama intensified. Ziggy (real name: Ziggy Krassenberg) went first with “This Is Me” from The Greatest Showman. Sol followed up with a performance of The Beatles’ “With A Little Help From My Friends”.The judges couldn’t separate them, so a challenge was set: a sing-off to “Jealous” by Labrinth or Harry Styles’ “Falling,” with just one hour to prepare. “Jealous” it was. Drama.
Neither singer was happy about the scenario. Nerves were shredded. “I don’t like the fact I’ve got to sing against him, he’s incredible,” remarked Sol backstage.
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A crestfallen Ziggy took his concerns to another level. “This is just insane,” he stated. Sol is “such a good singer, such a pure soul.”
At one point, Ziggy was so freaked out, he stepped into Sol’s rehearsal space and asked him to stop singing. “I am so nervous and you’re making me really nervous,” was the explanation. More drama.
If Ziggy was mortified, he had right to be. Sol, we learned, isn’t just familiar with the song, he used to sing it with his ex, to whom he assured he’d never sing it again if they broke up. “Why not use that pain and sing it for the last time ever,” Katy Perry remarked.
The youngsters took their turn to belt it out. “They both are really good,” Perry later remarked. Good, however, isn’t enough for one competitor.
Perry, speaking on behalf of the three judges, praised Sol’s energy that is “a little unbridled.” Ziggy “you should be so proud because you were so pure and honest,” she enthused. “It’s going to take you to the highest of heights.”
Not in this competition.
Sol shone bright enough to secure a spot in the top 24, and progress to filming at Disney’s Aulani Resort & Spa in Ko Olina in Hawaiʻi.
Watch the sing-off below.
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Ye – formerly known as Kanye West – and Ty Dolla $ign have nixed Vultures listening parties that were slated to be staged in multiple U.S. arenas later this month, Billboard can confirm.
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The listening parties were dubbed “Vultures 1 & 2 Listening Experience,” but notably, the Vultures 2 album, which was originally announced for release on March 8, about one month after the release of Vultures 1, still hasn’t materialized.
There’s still no word or sign of Vultures 2, and, now, those listening parties have gone quiet. A spokesperson for Ye tells Billboard those playbacks will no longer go ahead, but is confident new replacement dates will be announced shortly. No explanation has been given for the change of plan.
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At the time of writing, Kanye and Ty are still holding a listening party at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt on April 21, with tickets on sale here.
The listening sessions were quietly announced, and largely overlooked by the mainstream media.
Evidence of those shows can spotted, however, at Ticketmaster which hosts a page for the Washington D.C. “experience,” with a broken link.
A statement from Amelie Arena in Tampa, FL reads, “We regret to report that due to the time constraints for Ye and Ty Dolla $ign to curate production and meet logistic requirements, the upcoming dates for the VULTURES 1&2 listening experience will need to be revisited at a later date.” Amelie Arena was scheduled to host the playback on April 14.
Variety’s Chris Willman was first to report the canceled U.S. playbacks, which were also penciled-in for venues in Fort Lauderdale, FL; Pittsburgh, PA; Nashville, TN; and Charlotte, NC.
The delayed Vultures 1 project enjoyed a fast start around the globe when it finally dropped, including a back-to-back stint at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in February, for Ye’s eighth consecutive No. 1 album dating all the way back to 2005’s Late Registration.
That two-week stint at the summit for Vultures 1 marked the first time West held the top spot for more than a week since 2011’s collaborative album with Jay-Z, Watch The Throne. The latest LP also topped Australia’s ARIA Albums Chart and opened at No. 2 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart.
A handful of listening parties built the buzz for Vultures 1, and the hip-hop pair would appear on stage at Rolling Loud California on March 14, for a performance that divided audiences as either a spectacle of high-art or next-level trolling.
Michael McMartin, the Canada-born entrepreneur who settled in Australia, where he established the framework for a professional music management community and guided the Hoodoo Gurus for four decades, died Sunday (March 31) following a lengthy illness. He was 79.
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“Michael had been undergoing treatment for cancer for a number of years but, despite the best efforts of his medical team, he succumbed to his illness peacefully around noon on Easter Sunday, surrounded by his beloved family,” reads a statement from the McMartin family.
Born on Vancouver Island on March 12, 1945, McMartin completed his BA (Political Science) at Loyola College in Montreal. He relocated to Australia in 1971, and, several years later, joined forces with producer Charles Fisher to form Trafalgar Records, the independent recording and publishing enterprise.
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In 1985, he established Melody Management. His first clients were the Hoodoo Gurus, whom he signed to their first record deal in 1982 and commenced managing three years later, in 1985. It was a relationship that would see the Gurus enter the ARIA Hall of Fame, in 2009, and would last until McMartin announced in February of this year that he would be stepping down from that role due to ill health.
“I really can’t find the words to express my feelings at this time but respect, love and gratitude would be among them,” he wrote in a message distributed Feb. 22, announcing his decision to hand over Gurus duties to Mick Mazzone of Mighty Management. “Thanks to the Hoodoo Gurus I have lived a life that I only otherwise could have dreamt of.”
McMartin was a founding member of the Music Managers’ Forum in Australia, he served as chairman and then executive director of the International Music Managers’ Forum (IMMF), the umbrella organization for managers from some 24 countries which has NGO status at WIPO, the United Nations agency dealing with worldwide copyright issues, and was, for 19 years, a board member of Support Act, the music industry benevolent charity.
The much-loved artist manager received the APRA Ted Albert Award for his lifetime contribution to Australian Music in 2007, one of the Australian music community’s highest honors, and in 2015 he was awarded the Medal of the Order Of Australia (OAM) for “services to the performing arts, especially music.”
He’s the reigning legacy award recipient at the AAM Awards, presented last year in Sydney.
John Watson was on hand to present McMartin, his mentor, with the special honor. “When someone passes it’s easy to list what they did but it’s much harder to explain how they did it. In an era where far too many men acted badly, Michael proved that nice guys don’t have to finish last,” Watson writes in a statement to Billboard. “He was an unbelievably kind mentor to hundreds of people, including me, and his political advocacy for the industry as a whole – and managers in particular – was an inspiration across decades. Without him there would not be an AAM and Support Act would be nowhere near the force that it has become.”
Colin Hay, former frontman of Men At Work, remembers McMartin for his kindness. “After I was dropped by MCA Records in 1991, I was unsure of what to do next. I knew Michael McMartin a little. He said to me one day, ‘why don’t you just make an acoustic album, and I’ll release it.’” That happened, and the pair became friends. “Friends that could tell each other the truth. He told me one day that I was wallowing in self pity, and that I could be a much better person. He was right. He helped me whenever I asked, even when I didn’t,” explains Hay. McMartin was “a rarity among men,” someone who “believes in making the industry that we inhabit a better place for all, a place that fosters creative endeavor, instead of the all too often obstacle course that this here music industry can be.”
McMartin “left an indelible mark on the Australian music industry, and his loss is acutely felt within our management community which he supported and uplifted so generously,” reads a statement from the Association of Artists Managers. In recent years, the AAM points out, McMartin “formalized his desire to lift up developing managers” by spearheading the Patron’s Gift; a fund that would enable opportunities to bring in diverse communities, POC and First Nations emerging managers.
McMartin is survived by his wife, Saskia, and his son, Hamish and his extended family, including Michael’s two grandchildren, Kiara and Koby.
A private family funeral held in the coming days and, a little later, an announcement of a public gathering to be held in Sydney to celebrate the late music man’s life and legacy, with friends and music industry acquaintances invited.