billboard green
Wolfgang Spahr, whose tenure as a Billboard correspondent covering the German music business lasted from 1973 to 2020, died Friday (March 21). He was in his mid-80s.
Spahr was well known in the German music industry for running a newsletter, in addition to writing for Billboard, and perhaps even better known for being a true character, a gregarious figure who seemed to know, and joke around with, most of the people he covered. Besides his work as an industry journalist and communications consultant, he oversaw public relations for a theater festival dedicated to the works of the German author Karl May, who wrote Westerns without ever visiting the U.S., and wrote the lyrics for the Udo Jürgens schlager song “Aber bitte mit Sahne” (Translation: “But please with cream),” a No. 5 hit in 1976 that is regarded as a classic of the genre.
“Wolfgang was a very keen and passionate observer of our industry,” said Frank Briegmann, chairman/CEO of Universal Music Group Central Europe, in a statement. “I was always happy to welcome him to our events and I enjoyed his often-humorous comments on our business. He leaves a gap in the music business, and he will be missed deeply.”
Trending on Billboard
Spahr “was full of energy and he was very friendly to everyone,” remembers Hille Hillekamp, a music publisher and close friend of Spahr’s for decades. Many of his professional relationships were measured in decades, and he became a trusted advisor for many industry executives, both formally and informally.
“He was a great character and knew absolutely everyone in the German music business,” says Adam White, a former Billboard international editor and then the magazine’s top editor. “Yet he was a modest man with considerable charm and a warm sense of humor.”
Spahr may have been the longest-serving writer at Billboard. Although it is hard to determine exactly when he started, he is listed on the masthead as early as 1973 — as the correspondent for West Germany — and he kept contributing until 2020. During that time, he covered the rise of the country as one of the top global recorded music markets, the entry of Bertelsmann into the U.S. recording business and the industry’s digital transition. His access to sources was unparalleled. “You could call him and ask him about anything regarding the German industry and he would know it, and when he did not, he would always quickly get back to you,” remembers former Billboard international editor Emmanuel Legrand.
Legrand remembers seeing Spahr twice a year. “First at MIDEM, where we would share a few drinks, most of the time with his lovely wife Gabriele [Schulze-Spahr, a longtime lawyer at Warner Chappell], and then at the German Echo awards. At the afterparty, he would navigate between the various labels, and it was like seeing royalty. Everybody knew Wolfgang and he knew everybody.”
Over the years, whenever I met Spahr at a restaurant, he always seemed to know one of the owners, one of the chefs and at least a couple of other people — whether they had anything to do with the music business or not. More than a decade ago, at the Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg, I spent about 20 minutes with him walking the length of a city block, because he knew so many people and stopped to greet all of them.
His success as a songwriter, which he never mentioned, was no small thing. “Aber Bitte mit Sahne” was a defining hit for Jürgens, a German superstar from the 1960s to the end of the 1990s and beyond. Spahr is said to have written the words with the lyricist Eckart Hachfeld, but it is not entirely clear what exactly his role was. The song was an instant hit, and it aged into a classic — covered by numerous artists, used in a commercial with the name of the cream substitute Rama and remembered by millions of German music fans.
Spahr’s role in the annual Karl May theater festival in Bad Segeberg was substantial, too. May’s stories about a cowboy and an Apache chief became part of German pop culture, made into movies and TV shows – think Little House on the Prairie with the popularity of the X-Men comics – and the festival attracts hundreds of thousands of fans a year. Every year, it produces a new play, based on one of May’s stories, and Spahr would help recruit talent, plus work on marketing and communications.
Over the course of the last decade, especially as he reached his 80s, Spahr contributed fewer articles. (He died at 84 or 85, but even his close friends aren’t sure what year he was born.) As his health worsened, he withdrew from the industry. He died at home, in his sleep, of a lung infection. He is survived by his wife, Schulze-Spahr.
J.B. Moore, a key contributor to some of hip-hop’s earliest hits, died in Manhattan on March 13 of pancreatic cancer. He was 81.
Though not well-known today, Moore was instrumental in hip-hop’s early mainstream success in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when he helped produce and write records for Kurtis Blow with Robert “Rocky” Ford Jr., his friend and colleague at Billboard, where Moore worked in ad sales and Ford was a reporter. (Ford died in 2020.)
Moore, who also sometimes wrote jazz reviews for Billboard, is credited as a producer and writer on classic early hip-hop tracks like “The Breaks,” “Christmas Rappin’” and “Basketball.”
“One of the interesting things about our partnership,” Moore said of Ford in a 2001 oral history for the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, “is that, as Robert and I got to know each other at Billboard, we realized that he was a black guy from the middle of Hollis, Queens and I was a white guy from the North Shore of Long Island, and our record collections were virtually identical. I think we had 800 records a piece and 200 of them were different.”
Trending on Billboard
Released during the 1979 holiday season, “Christmas Rappin’” was the brainchild of Ford, who came up with the idea of writing a Christmas song because he had a kid on the way — telling Moore that “Christmas records are perennials, and therefore you get royalties ad infinitum on them,” according to Moore’s recollection for the oral history.
Moore, already familiar with the guitar, bass, and songwriting, didn’t set out to write and produce rap records. Having served in the Vietnam War, he was originally saving up money to write a novel about the conflict. “I had been saving money to leave Billboard to write a book for five years,” said Moore for the oral history. “I had about $10,000 and that got invested in making ‘Christmas Rappin.’”
Through Ford’s relationship with a then up-and-coming Russell Simmons, who was then promoting Blow, he and Moore got the young rapper to lay down the “Christman Rappin’” lyrics, which were inspired by the Clement Clarke Moore poem “The Night Before Christmas” — and the rest was history.
Ford and Moore shopped the song around to about 20 labels and were rejected until Mercury Records gave them a shot with a two-single deal that would turn into an album deal if the singles were a success, according to a 2018 blog post written by Simmons.
“We didn’t think a major label would understand a rap record,” Moore recalled in the oral history. “But they would understand a parody.” He was right.
According to Simmons’ blog post, “Christmas Rappin’” sold close to 400,000 copies while their next single, Blow’s “The Breaks,” was the first rap song to be certified gold, selling 500,000 copies. “The Breaks” also peaked at No. 87 on the Billboard Hot 100, while “Basketball,” released in 1985, peaked at No. 71 on the chart. And just like that, Moore, Ford and Blow had carved out careers in the burgeoning new genre known as rap music.
Blow paid tribute to Moore on Instagram with a lengthy caption, writing in part, “Moore was a key figure in the early commercialization of Hip Hop. His productions helped bridge the gap between Hip Hop and mainstream audiences in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s.” He concluded by writing, “Rest in power to a friend, teacher, pioneer who helped lay the foundation for what Hip Hop became. Thank you, JB, I learned so much.”
As a songwriting and production duo, Moore and Ford worked on Blow’s first four albums, helped produced three albums for Full Force, and even had a hand in Rodney Dangerfield’s classic parody rap song “Rappin Rodney,” which hit No. 83 on the Hot 100 in 1984.
Moore does not have any known immediate survivors.
Indie digital rights organization Merlin has announced the participants for its third annual Merlin Engage program, which is designed to help promote and support female leaders in the independent music industry. Over a six-month period, the program connects young women aspiring to careers in the music business with senior leaders within it, and this year it will expand to include community building.
The program, which began in 2023, saw a 70% increase in nominees for participation over last year. Mentees are offered one-on-one sessions with their mentors, receive peer support from other participants in the program and have the opportunity to go to skill-building workshops, according to a press release. Harvard Institute of Coaching fellow Miriam Meima will also return as program facilitator for a second year.
“The power of Merlin Engage goes beyond mentorship — it’s about building a community where women across the Merlin membership can find support, encouragement and guidance as they build their careers in the music industry,” Merlin CEO Jeremy Sirota said in a statement. “I’m incredibly proud that we continue to expand this program, the commitment to mentor from our most senior leaders, and support from the entire Merlin Board in driving positive change within the industry.”
Trending on Billboard
This year, mentors will include executives from companies like Exceleration, EMPIRE, Secretly, Domino, Beggars, Ninja Tune, Epitaph, BMG and more; mentees hail from companies like IDOL, OneRPM, Hopeless Records, Stones Throw Records, Better Noise, Sub Pop and Nettwerk. (A full list of mentors and mentees is below.) Merlin consultant Dan Nevin is also returning to help support the program.
“It’s incredibly important to support, encourage and empower women to expand their career paths in the music industry,” said Liz Erman — managing director at Nettwerk Music Group and a former mentee who is returning to the program this year as a mentor — in a statement. “We have so much to contribute and can elevate the level of success of any company if we can access the right leadership opportunities. I hope that by sharing my experiences and guidance, I can help others reach their goals more easily.”
Another former mentee, Exceleration Music digital operations manager Larissa Woss, called the program “a transformative experience” in a statement. “My mentor truly listened to me, taking the time to understand my challenges and goals, which gave me the confidence to take the next step in my career,” Woss said. “Equally valuable was the incredible network of people I connected with. This program is not just about developing skills — it’s about fostering a supportive, empowered generation of female leaders in the independent music industry. I’m proud to be a part of it.”
Below is the full list of participants this year.
Mentors: Amy Dietz (Partner, Exceleration), Anne Jenniskens (General Manager, Paradise), Bria Fisher (VP of Communications, EMPIRE), Chloé van Bergen (VP Operations, UK & EU, Secretly), Clare McKinney (Director, Commercial and Business Affairs, Domino), Dionna Johnson (VP of Marketing, EMPIRE), Emma Lomas (Head of Licensing & Creative, Beggars), Eniko Gallasz (Managing Director, WMMusicDistribution), Liz Erman (Managing Director, Nettwerk), Marie Clausen (Managing Director, US, Ninja Tune), Megan Jasper (CEO, Sub Pop), Narin Karadaghi (General Counsel, Amuse), Nitsa Kalispera (EVP Global Recorded Music Supply Chain Operations, BMG), Patra Sinner (General Counsel, Symphonic) and Sue Lucarelli (President, Epitaph).
Mentees: Allison Kleshefsky (DSP Editorial & Partnerships Lead – Americas, IDOL), Diana Schweinbeck (Senior Director, Artist & Label Services, Cinq Music, USA), Dominique de Solminihac (Artist Marketing Manager South Cone, ONErpm), Francesca Caldara (Vice President, Recorded Music, UNIFIED), Gianna Archetti (Head of Operations, iGroove), Jovana Medic (Director of IDJTV/Director, IDJDigital), Lexie Viklund (Director of A&R, Better Noise), Lisa Riepe (Head of Sales & Marketing, Zebralution), Maiko Okabe (Global Campaign Manager, Warp Records), Maya Kalev (Label Manager, UK & Europe, Stones Throw Records), Naomi Bressani (Head of Digital, Republic of Music), Nele Knueppel (Director, Digital Rights & Distribution, Nettwerk Music Group), Nicole Abea (Director of Influencer & UGC Promotions, Marketing/Promo, Hopeless Records), Phoebe Petridis (Senior Manager, Digital Operations and Technology, Domino Recording), and Rachel White (Director of Audience Development (Marketing), Sub Pop Records).
Veteran record label executive Joe McFadden, who worked for decades at companies including EMI Music and Capitol Records, died March 11 following a long illness. He was 77.
McFadden launched his career at EMI in 1975 and later worked at Capitol Records as senior vp of sales and field marketing. While at the latter label, he worked with acts including Paul McCartney, Bonnie Raitt, Bob Seger, Megadeth, Duran Duran, Beastie Boys, Radiohead, Foo Fighters, Coldplay and Iron Maiden.
In 2007, McFadden departed Capitol to open an independent consultancy, The Hammer LLC, where he worked with Punch Andrews and Mike Boila as a sales and marketing consultant for Seger. From 2007 to 2008, McFadden was also in charge of sales, marketing and promotions for Coldplay’s Viva La Vida album and world tour.
Trending on Billboard
McFadden joined Better Noise Music in 2008 as chief commercial officer. In that role, he oversaw operations, strategic planning and artist development for acts including Five Finger Death Punch, Mötley Crüe, Papa Roach, The Hu and Buckcherry.
Prior to entering the major label system, McFadden received an education in the music business through his father, Jack McFadden, with whom he worked to manage artists including Buck Owens and Merle Haggard from their home base in Bakersfield, Calif. He went on to earn a business administration and management degree from Fresno State University.
“Joe McFadden was more than just a colleague; he was a dear friend and an invaluable partner in our journey together since we first met in 1987,” said Better Noise Music founder Allen Kovac, who worked with McFadden in various capacities for more than 30 years.
Kovac added, “Joe admired my clarity in marketing, but what I valued most was his unwavering honesty and practical thinking. Together, we navigated the challenging waters of the music industry, working on projects like Richard [Marx] and Duran Duran. At times when many doubted, Joe stood firmly by my side as a label executive, always ready to open doors and create opportunities for us to succeed.” (Kovac’s full tribute is below.)
McFadden is survived by his wife Ellen McFadden; his sister Lana Waltman; his sons Jonathan McFadden, Jeffrey McFadden and David Torello; his daughter Sara Torello Hart; and grandchildren Jeffrey McFadden Jr., Maci McFadden Stanford, Vivian Hart and Elijah Hart.
A service will be held Saturday (March 22) at 1:15 p.m. at Church of the Recession at Forest Lawn in Glendale, Calif. The live stream can be viewed here. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in McFadden’s honor to St. Jude’s Hospital, which he supported throughout his life.
Allen Kovac tribute:
Joe McFadden was more than just a colleague; he was a dear friend and an invaluable partner in our journey together since we first met in 1987.
I still vividly recall that day in the bleachers of a gym in Philadelphia. I was a relatively unknown manager on the rise, working with Richard Marx, while Joe was with CEMA Distribution, quietly making his mark. As we listened to Richard perform, something remarkable happened. Joe, who initially struck me as understated, became animated and vocal, pointing at Richard and proclaiming, “That kid is going to be a star.” From that moment on, a bond was forged between us—two believers in the power of music and vision.
Joe admired my clarity in marketing, but what I valued most was his unwavering honesty and practical thinking. Together, we navigated the challenging waters of the music industry, working on projects like Richard and Duran Duran. At times when many doubted, Joe stood firmly by my side as a label executive, always ready to open doors and create opportunities for us to succeed.
When I took the leap to start my own record company, one of my first hires was, without question, Joe. He was not just an employee; he was the foundation upon which we built our dreams. At our retreats, where new ideas were often met with skepticism, Joe would be the voice of reason, encouraging everyone to listen to my vision and reminding them that I saw possibilities they might have missed. His confidence in me gave me strength, and I will forever be grateful for that.
Every morning at our retreats, Joe would be the first to rise and greet the day. He would come down to breakfast with a smile, often sharing his fondness for the wonderful pillows in my master guest bedroom. He always got that room because of the deep respect I had for him, just as I cherished ending each night with my best scotch, a tradition we shared and enjoyed together.
Joe’s spirit, enthusiasm, and unwavering support have left an indelible mark on all of us. He was a true champion for those he believed in, and today, as we remember him, let us carry forward his legacy of belief, honesty, and camaraderie in our own lives and work.
Joe, thank you for being my partner, my friend, and a guiding light in our industry. You will be profoundly missed, but your influence will live on through each of us.
Rest in peace.
Ticket sales for Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter Tour are off to a galloping start. Barely a month after pre-sales began and with six weeks until opening night, the world tour is at 94% capacity across all dates, according to new stats from promoter Live Nation. The Cowboy Carter Tour was announced on Feb. 3 with 22 […]
Long-time indie music distributor Sam Wesley Phillips passed away in Jackson, Miss., on Feb. 28 after facing multiple health issues over the last few years. He was 74.
Better known to long-time Billboard readers by his nickname, Skip, Phillips worked his entire life, beginning at age 9, for his family company, Select-O-Hits, the 65-year-old independent music distributor based in Memphis. He was the third son of Lucile and Tom Phillips, who, together with Tom’s brother Sam Phillips — the Sun Records founder — started Select-O-Hits in 1960. Tom eventually bought out Sam’s uncle, the elder Sam Phillips, in the early 1970s.
Sam Wesley Phillips began working at Select-O-Hits first as a janitor/stockboy, then a salesman, followed by a role as studio engineer/producer. Sometime in the 1980s, he and his brother Johnny bought out their father, upon which Sam became the president of the company, which is still going strong as a music distributor today.
Trending on Billboard
Phillips’ family provided the below remembrance to Billboard.
Sam was born February 20, 1951, in Mobile, Alabama, to Lucile and Tom Phillips…Sam always had that mischievous twinkle in his eyes. Whether it was at school or working at the Record Shop on Chelsea, he found ways to enjoy life his way, but no one worked harder during those sixty-five years than he did.
Sam met his high school sweetheart and love of his life, Debby, at Frayser High School in 1967. Debby and Sam were married in 1969 and were the loving parents to five children, Tiffany (Tommy) Couch of Jackson, MS, Lesle (Matthew) Heinz of Memphis, Ashlee Phillips (Will Brewer) of Memphis, Courtney (Stephen) Smith of Frisco, TX and Wes (Lauren) Phillips of Memphis.
Sam lived his life with humor, kindness, strength, honesty, a passionate love for music and even more passionate love for his family. He was most happy in a home filled with his family laughing and loving loudly; his children and grandchildren were his greatest treasures.
Sam was preceded in death by his wife Debby, his son Wes, his parents and brother Tom. Left to cherish his memory in addition to his daughters are his siblings Johnny (Sandra) Phillips, Melinda Snipes, Irene Barg, Kathy (Harry) Gordon; Jennifer (Brad) Cullison; grandchildren John Thomas (Jordan) and Peyton Couch; Carter (Meghan) and Sam Heinz; Coby and Presley Bennett; Ethan and Aidan Phillips; Addison, Graham and Sadie Smith and Liam and Eden Cullison, his great granddaughter Vivian, loving cousins, nieces, nephews, sister-in-law, brother-in-law and too many friends to count.
We will miss his laugh and his kind, funny, strong spirit every single day but are thankful knowing that he’s now at peace, with no more pain and with his one true love, Debby, and their son, Wes.
The family requests that memorials in his honor be made to Wounded Warrior Project.
On Feb. 2, group chats across the music industry lit up when Chappell Roan used the Grammys stage to implore record labels to cover healthcare costs for their artists. Perhaps few chats were more active than the one between employees at Backline, the mental health nonprofit serving music professionals.
“[Our group chat] was on fire as soon as she started talking… this is a conversation that we have all the time,” says Hilary Gleason, Backline’s executive director. “So to see it platformed in that way really resonated with us and encouraged us. We were all just blown away that she chose to use that moment in that way, not having any idea that a week later, we would be where we were.”
Where they are is in a privileged position. On Super Bowl Sunday (Feb. 10) — after Roan hit back at a Hollywood Reporter op-ed by a former A&R executive who criticized her speech by daring him to match her $25,000 donation to help “struggling dropped artists” — Roan and Backline jointly announced the We Got You! campaign, launched with $25,000 donations from Roan, Charli XCX and Noah Kahan (who had previously partnered with Backline to provide mental healthcare for all 78 band and crew members on his We’ll Be Here Forever Tour). Billed as “a fund to support artists’ mental health,” the campaign has resulted in an influx of donations to the nonprofit, including matching $25,000 donations from Sabrina Carpenter, Live Nation, AEG, the Wasserman Foundation, Guy Oseary, Sumerian Records and the Hinterland Festival, among others. Since launch, the campaign has netted the organization $353,000 and, perhaps more importantly, raised its public profile overnight.
Trending on Billboard
“Our biggest challenge has always been getting the word out,” says Gleason. “So this moment that happened around Chappell at the Grammys has really given us that exposure and opportunity to really connect with people who’ve never heard about us and could utilize these kinds of resources.”
Launched in October 2019 by more than 50 music industry professionals following the suicides of several prominent musicians, Backline provides a case management program that offers one-on-one support for music workers who need help navigating the often-knotty mental health care space. The organization helps link these workers with therapists and 170 partner organizations — including MusiCares, the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund and the Black Mental Health Alliance — that together form a clinical referral network boasting 1,150 providers across all 50 states, over 85 percent of whom have experience working with music professionals or have worked in the industry themselves. Backline also hosts annual clinical training for providers; sends out free touring care packages that include wellness products and mental health resources for professionals on the road; hosts weekly industry support groups; and offers free or heavily discounted wellness resources from partners that offer services including yoga, breath work, meditation and nutrition.
When Gleason learned that Roan had chosen to support Backline from a list of options the artist’s team had presented her with, she was flattered but uncertain that it was the right fit, given that Roan’s speech had focused on overall healthcare, not just mental health.
“I actually pitched a few of our partner organizations in that moment, saying, you know, this could be a really great moment for some of these other organizations who have a broader focus,” says Gleason. She was surprised, then, when Roan’s team came back to her and insisted Backline was the choice. In hindsight, Gleason sees the wisdom in Roan choosing to partner with Backline, which notably boasts Joshua Knight and Matt Runner — co-founder and agent, respectively, at Roan’s agency Wasserman – on its board of directors.
“I think the throughline of the work that we’re doing in mental health is a foundational piece of the larger conversation around access to health care,” says Gleason. “If you’re struggling with your mental health, it can be really hard to sign up for insurance, get your finances in order, go see a doctor, go see a dentist. Any of those pieces can feel really overwhelming if you don’t have the mental health foundation in place. And so we see this as the first step of accessing healthcare in a greater capacity.”
Since the influx of donations came through — including from many of Roan’s fans — the picture for Backline has changed. As Gleason puts it, the organization’s strategic plan for 2025 is now being looked at “with a bit bigger lens.” While she says they “want to stick to our core programs,” the extra money will “allow us to make some moves more quickly,” including upgrading the organization’s case management system this year. It will also allow Backline to expand its marketing efforts “farther into the music industry,” she says: “We really want to hit every corner, make sure that whether you’re in a tour bus, in a studio, in an office, you know that this is a resource that exists for you.”
Since the launch of We Got You!, Gleason says Backline has received an encouraging swell of support from music companies, noting that they’ve seen more corporate donations in one month than they did all of last year. While receiving support from individuals is important, she agrees that companies must shoulder the responsibility of caring for their artists and staff.
“Last year, we did 1.4 percent of our total raise from corporations, and that’s really where we want to see the change — for [companies] to invest in this and take care of their employees and their artists and be a part of this positive moment,” Gleason says. “It’s easy enough to email your whole staff and say, ‘Here’s all of Backline’s resources.’ It’s harder to say, ‘And we’ve made a donation, and we’ve earmarked that donation for your care.’ But we’re starting to see that kind of thing happen more and more, and we’re hoping that this moment really gets people thinking about what their plan is. And I think more artists are going to be looking for that as they are signing with labels and agencies and management companies.”
Of course, receiving the public support of Roan and other stars is the kind of marketing money can’t buy, and that added visibility, in addition to the flood of donations, has led to a spike in interest from music professionals looking for help. Gleason says Backline has had 205 submissions to case management in 2025, more than twice as many as it had at the same time last year (87) — an increase she attributes to both the Los Angeles wildfires (a Backline social post offering free therapy to those affected by the fires was shared by celebrities including Justin Timberlake and Common) and the We Got You! campaign. Notably, Backline has seen more producers, promoters and back-of-house professionals coming through its case management system — artists have historically made up 40 percent of cases — including an increase in music workers who hail from states including Texas, Maryland and Missouri, Roan’s home state. One of those cases, in particular, has stuck with Gleason.
“One of the submissions [was] from a young artist in Missouri, and that’s exactly what [Roan] was speaking to, and the work that we’re trying to do day in and day out,” she says. “So for [that artist] to learn about the resource, utilize the resource — I can’t think of a more perfect circle.”
Diplo, Poolside, DRAMA, Noizu, SIDEPIECE, Aluna and more are coming together to perform at Live From Los Angeles: A Fire Relief Benefit on March 16.
All proceeds from the benefit concert, which will be held from 12 p.m.-10 p.m. at Aviator Nation Dreamland in Malibu, will be donated to MusiCares’ Fire Relief Efforts, which provides financial aid, emergency care, and mental health resources to those impacted by the L.A. wildfires. The day-long concert will also host and honor firefighters and frontline workers during the show.
Live From Los Angeles — produced by Warner Bailey, creator of Assistants vs. Agents, and James Raj, founder of Afters Club — is the latest of many fire relief efforts that highlight LA’s vibrant arts community. On January 30, just weeks after fires broke out in Altadena and Pacific Palisades, stars like Joni Mitchell, John Mayer, Stevie Nicks took the stage at FireAid at The Forum and Intuit Dome.
Trending on Billboard
Then, the Recording Academy pivoted their week of programming around the Grammys to center on relief efforts for affected families, raising millions in the process. Other projects like California Picture Project, which is selling prints from top photographers now through March 9, were also launched to continue to raise money and awareness for fire victims online.
The full lineup for Live From Los Angeles includes DJ sets from Diplo, Poolside, Noizu, SIDEPIECE, DRAMA, Noizu, Night Tales, Phantoms, STARRZA, Leisan, Londen Summers, STRAWBRY and Felipe Silva. Even more artists are set to be announced.
To expand its reach to those who can’t be there in person, Live From Los Angeles will also be available via livestream for free. It will be rebroadcast for 24 hours globally through an exclusive partnership with YouTube.
For tickets and more information, visit livefromlosangeles.com.
Ty Baisden, co-founder of the creative/business partnership company COLTURE, is announcing the launch of the firm’s Empower U Grant, dedicated to uplifting and supporting women entrepreneurs from underserved communities. Kicking off this year, the annual Women’s History Month initiative will select five women-led ventures to receive $10,000 grants and 12 months of mentorship to help […]
Juanita Stephens, a barrier-breaking music industry veteran who helmed media and artist relations departments at major labels such as Warner Bros., MCA and Polygram, died March 1 in Atlanta after a lengthy battle with cancer.
Stephens’ industry background also includes a tenure with Bad Boy Worldwide. After that, the well-respected executive launched her own media and publicity firm, JS Media Relations, with bases in New York and Atlanta. Under that banner, she helped oversee the solo career of Grammy-winning artist Bobby Brown.
“Juanita Stephens was a true trailblazer — one of the first Black female executives to shatter barriers in the music industry,” veteran entertainment attorney and longtime friend Rev. Dr. Denise J. Brown tells Billboard.
Trending on Billboard
Founder of the faith-based entertainment content incubator Oikeo Ministries, Brown (no relation to the singer) also remembers Stephens as “a consummate professional and relentless perfectionist. She never accepted ‘no’ as an answer, fiercely championing every artist and project she believed in. Her impact was profound, her presence commanding and her legacy unshakable. The industry has lost a pioneer, and she will be deeply missed.”
Stephens was born in New York’s Spanish Harlem, moving with her family to Queens as a young child. Her initial entry into the music business occurred in 1987 when she joined MCA Records as assistant to the vp of publicity, longtime friend Katie Valk. With no prior record company experience, Stephens learned the ropes by helping to organize national and international campaigns for a roster of pop, heavy metal and country artists that included superstars such as Elton John, Dolly Parton and The Kinks.
Later tapped as director of publicity by the heads of MCA’s Black music division, Jheryl Busby and Louil Silas, Stephens oversaw campaigns for Bobby Womack, Patti LaBelle, New Edition, Jody Watley and The Jets, among others. From there, Stephens became the first Black female vp of publicity and artist development appointed at MCA, working with Bobby Brown along with a multi-genre roster that included hip-hop, alternative, jazz, gospel and reggae acts.
In a comment sent to Billboard, Bobby Brown notes, “Juanita was a beautiful and gifted sister. We had decades of memories, and I could always count on her wisdom and kindness. I love you, Juanita. You will be deeply missed.”
After MCA, Stephens segued to similar senior executive-level posts with Polygram in 1992, Warner Bros. Records (now Warner Records) in 1995 and then Bad Boy Worldwide in 1998. She exited the in-house label publicity circuit to establish JS Media Relations in 2000; its clients included Charlie Wilson and Tito Jackson.
Through JS Media Relations, Stephens handled publicity for tours featuring LaBelle and Stephanie Mills in addition to Brown and Wilson. Among the various media events with which JS Media Relations collaborated were the BET Awards, American Music Awards, Trumpet Awards, VH1 Music Awards and the Otis Redding 70th Birthday Tribute.