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Ben Vaughn, president/CEO of Warner Chappell Nashville, died on Thursday (Jan. 30). A cause of death was not disclosed. He was 49.
The much-beloved Vaughn, who was Billboard‘s Country Power Players executive of the year in 2020, joined Warner Chappell Nashville (WCN) in 2012 and was promoted to president in 2017, adding the role of CEO in 2019. The Belmont University alumnus was honored with Belmont’s Music City Milestone Award in 2015.
Warner Chappell Music co-chairs Guy Moot and Carianne Marshall released the following memo to Warner Chappell Music staffers that read in part, “It is with broken hearts that we share the unthinkable news that Ben Vaughn, President & CEO of Warner Chappell Nashville, passed away this morning. Our deepest condolences are with his family and many friends.”
Under Vaughn, WCN had consistently dominated the country music publishing market. In 2024, they were crowned ASCAP Country Music and BMI Publisher of the Year (for the fifth time) and marked their third consecutive quarter at No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay publisher rankings. Apart from Q3 of 2022 to Q3 of 2023, Warner Chappell Nashville had held the quarterly top spot, dating back to the first quarter of 2017. In November 2019, ASCAP, BMI and SESAC all named WCN their country publisher of the year — only the third time a publishing company has been honored as such, and a first for WCN.
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Among the singer/songwriters Vaughn worked with were Thomas Rhett, Zach Bryan, Chris Stapleton, Riley Green, Warren Zeiders, Hunter Phelps, Bailey Zimmerman, Jessi Alexander, Liz Rose, Josh Phillips, Thomas Rhett, Nicolle Galyon and Randy Montana.
The father of three was extraordinarily passionate about songwriters, especially developing ones, and relished helping young singer/songwriters find their voice and their first record deal. “There’s so many people that want that record deal, so helping someone get to that spot is one of the hardest things in the music business,” Vaughn told Billboard in 2020. “So the job is to take away the nos and help that person get to a place where you get a yes.”
Tributes poured in quickly. Jon Platt, chairman/CEO of Sony Music Publishing, who worked with Vaughn at EMI and then brought him over to Warner Chappell in 2012, said in a statement, “I am deeply saddened by the passing of my friend Ben Vaughn, and united in grief with the entire songwriting community. Ben dedicated his life to songwriters. As an exceptional leader and mentor, he leaves an indelible mark on the music business. I extend my deepest condolences to his loved ones and all who were touched by his spirit. I feel privileged to have known Ben and shared a close relationship with him. He was the best of the best and I will miss him greatly.”
“Ben was warm, welcoming, and always someone that supported and elevated the American songwriter,” says Lucas Keller, president/founder of Milk & Honey. “The world will not be the same without him – this is a loss most cannot process today. We met 15 years ago on my first trip to Nashville when he was at EMI, and I’ll never forget him.”
“Our hearts are heavy today in learning about the passing of longtime ACM Board Member and former ACM Board Chair, and good friend to all of us, Ben Vaughn,” added Damon Whiteside, CEO of the Academy of Country Music. “Ben was a champion of the country music genre and strong advocate for songwriters and good songs. He served as board chair of the Academy in 2018 and was the first music publisher to serve as chairman in the Academy’s history, in addition to serving on the ACM Lifting Lives board. On behalf of the ACM Board, ACM Lifting Lives Board, and the ACM staff, we send our condolences to Ben’s family, friends, coworkers, and all of those who crossed his path and were lifted up by his passion. His memory will live on forever through the great music he made happen.”
Vaughn grew up in the tiny community of Sullivan, Ky., and comes from “a proud tradition of coal miners, teachers and mechanics,” he told Billboard. As a high school student, he got a job as a weekend DJ at country radio station WMSK-FM, which set him on a path to Nashville. “I would devour the vinyl and read all the publishing and writer credits,” he told Billboard. “I thought, ‘I want to go where these people are.’ ”
That led him to Nashville’s Belmont University and an internship at WCN in 1994 under then-executive vp Tim Wipperman, who taught Vaughn the intricacies of publishing. While there, he got to know producer Scott Hendricks, whose Big Tractor publishing company had a partnership with WCN. Hendricks was so impressed with Vaughn that he eventually asked him to run Big Tractor — while Vaughn was still a college student. “He said, ‘I’m going to give you six months to see how it goes, but if you quit school, I’ll fire you,’ ” recalls Vaughn.
Through the decades, Vaughn remained in wonderment of songwriters and the new worlds they created. “It is awe-inspiring how much talent it takes to create something out of nothing that literally can make the whole world sing,” he said. “The most sacred responsibility is to help connect writers’ dreams to their goals. The fact that as publishers we are trusted to hold that space for them is everything.”
Moot and Marshall’s full memo to WMG:
To everyone at WMG,
It is with broken hearts that we share the unthinkable news that Ben Vaughn, President & CEO of Warner Chappell Nashville, passed away this morning. Our deepest condolences are with his family and many friends.
Ben has led our Nashville team since 2012, and we know that many of you around the world got to know him over the years. Anyone who had the pleasure of working with him will be as shocked and saddened as we are.
First and foremost, Ben was an extraordinary human being. He met everyone with enthusiasm, warmth, and generosity. His smile was huge, and his sense of humor was infectious.
He was always a passionate advocate of songwriters and a topflight music publisher. The Nashville community has lost one of its greatest champions, and he will be profoundly missed by so many across our company and the entire industry.
We are planning to visit the Nashville team very soon and thank you all for helping support them through this awful tragedy.
With love,
Guy & Carianne
This is a developing story.
In December, Influence Media Partners, the music investing company backed by BlackRock and the Warner Music Group, joined the growing music industry trend of using asset-backed securitization to finance acquisitions and operations by raising about $360 million through a private placement in a deal lead by Goldman Sachs, sources say.
Besides the Influence Media deal, the waning months of 2024 also saw Concord raising $850 million through its third asset-backed bond offering run by Apollo Global Management in October; while Blackstone led a $1.47 billion securitization for its Hipgnosis Song Asset company. In each deal, the bonds and notes are collateralized by the music assets and income streams of the respective companies. The offerings from Concord and Hipgnosis have public filings with the appropriate regulatory agencies, but the Influence Media offering, as a private placement, does not have to file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
As interest rates rise, asset-backed securities (ABS) are expected to become increasingly popular funding vehicles for music companies because they have fixed, five-year interest rates. In the past, Concord CEO Bob Valentine has compared these securitizations to fixed, low-interest-rate loans.
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Influence Media co-managing partner Lynn Hazan, the former CFO for Epic Records, worked with BlackRock executives on the deal, according to sources.
Influence Media, which was founded in 2019, has since bought stakes in some 30 music catalogs, and in early 2022 received additional funding to the tune of $750 million provided by BlackRock and the Warner Music Group. The acquired catalogs include music by Enrique Iglesias, Future, Logic, Julia Michaels, Ali Tamposi, Tainy and Harry Styles collaborator Tyler Johnson. The new funding is expected to be deployed in buying more music catalog assets.
Initially, it looked like the Influence Media Partners asset-backed securities offering was slow in coming together as bond investors looked at the Concord and Hipgnosis offerings, but in the end, the Influence offering — which also had Truist as the co-structuring and co-placement agent — came together nicely for the New York-based music investment company, attracting funding from about a half-dozen investors, sources say.
Spotify won a ruling Wednesday dismissing a lawsuit from the Mechanical Licensing Collective that accused the streamer of unfairly slashing royalty rates, with a federal judge ruling that Spotify’s move was supported by “unambiguous” regulations.
The MLC sued last year, claiming Spotify had “unilaterally and unlawfully” chosen to cut its music royalty payments nearly in half through bookmaking trickery – namely, by claiming that the addition of audiobooks to the platform entitled the company to pay a lower “bundled” rate.
But in her decision on Wednesday, Judge Analisa Torres said that federal royalty rate rules clearly allowed Spotify to legally claim the lower rate, rejecting MLC’s argument that the company was not actually offering a “bundle” of services.
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“Audiobook streaming is a product or service that is distinct from music streaming and has more than token value,” the judge wrote, alluding to the specific wording of the federal rule. “Premium is, therefore, properly categorized as a Bundle.”
A spokeswoman for the MLC did not immediately return a request for comment on the ruling.
The MLC, which collects streaming royalties for songwriters and publishers, filed its lawsuit in late May — a week after Billboard estimated that Spotify’s move would result in the company paying roughly $150 million less over the next year. In its complaint, the MLC claimed Spotify was “erroneously recharacterizing” the nature of its streaming services to secure the lower rate.
“The financial consequences of Spotify’s failure to meet its statutory obligations are enormous for songwriters and music publishers,” the group’s attorneys wrote at the time. “If unchecked, the impact on songwriters and music publishers of Spotify’s unlawful underreporting could run into the hundreds of millions of dollars.”
At issue in the lawsuit is Spotify’s recent addition of audiobooks to its premium subscription service. The streamer believes that because of the new offering, it’s now entitled to pay a discounted “bundled” royalty rate under the federal legal settlement that governs how much streamers pay rightsholders.
In Wednesday’s ruling, Judge Torres agreed. She said the rules required only that Spotify offered a different service and that it provided users with more than “token value” – and that the addition of audiobooks was clearly covered by those terms.
MLC’s attorneys had argued that audiobooks were that kind of “token” non-factor, since Spotify didn’t raises prices when it added them and only a small proportion of subscribers actually listen to them. MLC had claimed Spotify added the books was merely a “pretext” to cut rates for music.
Spotify moved to dismiss the case in August, calling it “nonsensical” and “wasteful.” The company’s attorneys blasted the MLC’s argument that the audiobooks were aimed at a legal loophole, saying it “profoundly devalues the contributions of the tens of thousands of book authors.”
In her decision on Wednesday, Judge Torres sided with Spotify’s argument. Though she said the new offering might strike ordinary consumers as more of a “two-for-one deal” than a traditional bundle, she said Spotify’s addition of the books had clearly brought more than nominal value to its users.
“MLC cannot plausibly claim that having access to audiobooks is not something of intrinsic and monetary value to many, even if only a fraction of Spotify’s millions of Premium subscribers may take advantage of it,” the judge wrote. “The court can draw only one conclusion: that 15 hours of monthly audiobook streaming is a product or service that has more than token value.”
If anything, Judge Torres said, Spotify had “likely paid more in royalties to MLC than it was otherwise required to pay” because it did not immediately claim bundled status after introducing the audiobook feature.
In addition to dismissing the lawsuit, Judge Torres did not give MLC a chance to refile the case, saying the law was clear and that amending the accusations would be futile. The group can still challenge the ruling at a federal appeals court, however.
In a statement to Billboard on Wednesday, a Spotify spokesperson said the company was “pleased” with the court’s decision: “Bundle offerings play a critical role in expanding the interest in paying for music and growing the pie for the music industry. We know the regulations can be complex, but there’s plenty of room for collaboration—and our recent deal with [Universal Music Publishing Group] shows how direct licenses can create flexibility and additional benefits.”
Before the first note is played at FireAid on Thursday (Jan. 30), more than $60 million dollars will have already been raised from ticket sales and sponsorship dollars for wildfire recovery and prevention efforts from the fires that have ravaged the Los Angeles area. Add to that the donations from viewers watching live on more than 25 streaming outlets that will be matched dollar for dollar by Steve and Connie Ballmer and the event will undoubtedly raise tens of millions of dollars more for the cause.
The Los Angeles concerts will feature Billie Eilish, Earth, Wind & Fire, Gracie Abrams, Jelly Roll, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Lil Baby, Olivia Rodrigo, Peso Pluma, Rod Stewart, Stevie Wonder, Sting and Tate McRae at the Intuit Dome, while Alanis Morissette, Anderson .Paak, Dave Matthews and John Mayer, Dawes, Graham Nash, Green Day, John Fogerty, Joni Mitchell, No Doubt, P!nk, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Stephen Stills, Stevie Nicks, and The Black Crowes will take the stage at the Kia Forum.
The idea for the benefit, which was announced three days after the catastrophic fires that have destroyed more than 22,000 homes started on Jan. 7, was born after Shelli Azoff called Los Angeles Clippers CEO Gillian Zucker to see if they could hold a benefit at Intuit Dome, home to the Clippers. So many artists volunteered to play that the concert quickly overflowed to the Kia Forum.
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Irving Azoff, who is producing the event with his wife Shelli and his family in conjunction with Live Nation, talked to Billboard on Tuesday night as he headed to the Kia Forum to watch the two Stevies — Nicks and Wonder — rehearse. In addition to talking about the shows’ logistics, he primarily wanted to express his extreme gratitude to the Ballmers, the artists and nearly 40 sponsoring partners who have made the event possible.
It’s really remarkable how fast this has come together.
After the fires started, Shelli says we’ve got to do something. Some else says the only thing we know how to do is put on shows. Shelli calls Gillian, she offers us Intuit and it’s off to the races…So many [artists] volunteered that we knew we could do both [venues]. You don’t want to tell people no and obviously the ability to raise more money when you got two going instead of one is even greater.
At any point did you think, “Let’s move it to Sofi Stadium” or add a third location, given how many artists were eager to play?
Look, there were three pieces to this: There’s the live gate and the corporate sponsorship for the live gate, which, I’m happy to say, is already north of $60 million. The sponsorships, which Scott Sonnenberg at the Clippers organization and Dan Griffis and his team at Oak View, went out and, they’ve done just an incredible job. People just called and said, “Can I [help]”? But we also knew that this is about helping everybody and getting everybody together so everybody can begin to heal and enjoy this wonderful music to try and get everybody a bit back on track. We knew from the start we wanted to do a modern digital telethon where you text to donate. Ballmer offers the building and the Clippers organization is picking up the expenses so every single dollar of ticket money is going to the charity and with Steve and Connie matching anyone that gives money during the telethon, no, we never thought about Sofi, nor should we.
Rod Stewart was the first artist to volunteer to play, right?
Rod was first in, then Stevie Nicks called me personally and she was second in.
Were you surprised by the sheer number of artists who wanted to donate their time?
I’m not surprised because musicians are among the most caring, heartwarming, giving people in the food chain. So, no, I wasn’t surprised–delighted, but not surprised… It’s not just the money raised; we’re going to create a worldwide consciousness for what these fires really were. [Executive producer] Joel Gallen has put together [segments] with some incredible footage from KTLA of the survivors and fire people. It’s a different kind of show.
You’ve got nearly 40 sponsors. Can sponsors still come on?
We sold out earlier today. Every suite is gone, and all the sponsorships are gone. A lot of sponsors said, “Here, just take our money.” We said, “Tickets should come with that. You want to give us back the tickets for first responders and people that lost their homes?” And many of them did that. I think about 2,500 impacted first responders and homeowners or more will be in the two rooms. Many of [the sponsors] are using their suites. Everybody did what they felt was right. I would guess that for a one-night event in the music business, it’s probably the biggest sponsorship haul in history. We were talking about it today. We don’t think anybody’s come anywhere close. We get the credit for getting the ball rolling, but then the community really took over.
What role is Live Nation playing?
[Live Nation president of California Region] Geni Lincoln–like my wife and daughter Allison and many others–has been working 18 hours a day. [Live Nation CEO] Michael Rapino is an executive producer with Shelli and myself and Gillian Zucker and Joel Gallen. He’s been on calls all day and all night. We’re all out raising money. We’re all out putting it all together. Live Nation has been incredible. I’m just so proud of them and their team and what they brought to the party.
What has been the biggest challenge for you logistically?
Look, it’s rock and roll. What can go wrong will go wrong. Since we’re trying to go back and forth between the arenas most of the night for the telecast, the biggest challenge is going to be that we don’t have technical issues that delay anybody getting on the stage at the right times.
What can fans expect from the sets?
Most people are doing two to three songs. A few are doing four. After it was already on sale and [artists] are all set, then other [artists] called. Since all the slots were gone and God knows how long the show is going to be–right now it’s five-and-a-half hours–[we said], “It’s too late to add you to the bill and we don’t have a slot, but how would you like to go do XYZ with such and such an artist?” I think there’s a good half dozen really surprise moments.
In Tuesday’s New York Times article, you and Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason went out of your way to say you and the Feb. 2 Grammys are not competing with each other even though the shows are only a few days apart.
We’re not in any sort of competition. They’re an award show. They’re a broadcast television show. We wanted to make this a streaming telethon, meaning a digital streaming moment, right? We didn’t do any over-the-air broadcast. Granted, we’re going to have our moments to tell the story of some of the people impacted by the fires, but this is more like a stream from a music festival. It’s not an award show. They’re two very separate things. I’m on the board of [Recording Academy charity] MusiCares and I hope our board will see fit to give some of the money that we’re making to MusiCares.
How did you pick the date?
We looked at other dates. Remember, our show because we’re trying to solicit donations from consumers– unfortunately, people don’t have a big, long attention span–you want to get up while the fires are still fresh in everybody’s mind. It was kind of guesswork as to when the weather was going to turn and they were going to get control of the fires. We couldn’t go next week because it’s the Super Bowl and we didn’t want to go anywhere near Super Bowl week. And the following week we didn’t have building availability. We didn’t try to go, “Oh, let’s go Grammy week.” Nearly all of the people that are involved either live in LA or have an LA connection, so it wasn’t, “Oh, everybody’s in town for the Grammys. It’s easy to book.” Most of the people would have been here three weeks from now that are here now, so it’s just the way it fell in place.
Was there any thought of going on a broadcast outlet or was it always streaming?
When it became obvious that we were going to do 27 performers, there was no way. You’re not going to put a five-and-a-half hour show on broadcast television.
You’ve already raised more than $60 million. What do you hope the total will be?
We’re already grateful for what we have. I mean, there’s never been a fundraising effort on streamers like this, so I can’t even begin to think about… we’re going to be happy whatever it is. It’s kind of new territory. The outpouring is historic, but, unfortunately, so are the fires.
Audiences can tune into FireAid on a number of platforms, including iApple Music, AppleTV, DIRECTV, MyFree DIRECTV, DIRECTV STREAM, and DIRECTV FOR BUSINESS, Disney+/Hulu, FanDuel, iHeartRadio, KTLA+, Max, Facebook, Instagram, Netflix/Tudum.com, Paramount+/Pluto TV, Peacock/NBC News Now, Prime Video and the Amazon Music Channel on Twitch, SiriusXM’s “LIFE with John Mayer” channel, SoundCloud, TikTok, Veeps, X, and YouTube. Some outlets are also making donations, including DirectTV, which announced it was donating $1 million to FireAid.
Additionally, several AMC Theater and Regal Cinemas will host screenings of the event, which can also be heard on iHeartRadio’s more than 860 radio stations, digital platforms and iHeartRadio app.
Sponsoring partners include Kaiser Permanente, Live Nation, Scopely, American Express, AT&T, Capital Group, Netflix, Snap Inc., U.S. Bank, UBS, Venmo, and Visa Foundation. Gold Partners are DIRECTV, Goldman Sachs, Intuit, Starbucks, YouTube, and the Verizon Foundation.CalHOPE, Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, JPMorganChase, Salesforce, Schuman Family Foundation, SiriusXM, Sony Honda Mobility, Spotify and TikTok.
For donations and concert information, go to FireAidLA.org or @FireAidLA.
BLACKPINK member JISOO has signed a global label deal with Warner Records for her solo output, the company announced Tuesday (Jan. 28). Warner will release JISOO’s debut solo mini album, AMORTAGE, on Feb. 14. “I’m excited about this new era and the continuation of my musical journey,” said JISOO in a statement. “I feel like […]
Bad Bunny’s Debí Tirar Más Fotos captures a second week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart (dated Feb. 1), earning 151,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending Jan. 23 (down 26%), according to Luminate. Of Bad Bunny’s four chart-topping albums, it’s the second to spend more than a single week at No. 1; his 2022 set, Un Verano Sin Ti, has collected the most weeks atop the list, with 13 weeks, nonconsecutively.
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Also in the top 10 of the latest Billboard 200, Mac Miller’s from-the-vaults release Balloonerism debuts at No. 3, marking the eighth top 10-charting set for the rapper, who died in 2018. The set’s songs date back to 2014, but the project was shelved in favor of other releases.
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The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new Feb. 1, 2025-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Jan. 28. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
Of the 151,000 equivalent album units earned by Debí Tirar Más Fotos in the week ending Jan. 23, SEA units comprise 146,000 (down 25%; equaling 198.78 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs; it’s No. 1 for a third week on Top Streaming Albums), album sales comprise 4,000 (down 46%; falling 8-11 on Top Album Sales) and TEA units comprise 1,000 (down 30%).
SZA’s former No. 1 SOS rises 3-2 with 90,000 equivalent album units (down 12%).
Mac Miller’s Balloonerism bows at No. 3 with 81,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, album sales comprise 41,000 (it debuts at No. 1 on Top Album Sales), SEA units comprise 40,000 (equaling 51.56 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs; it debuts at No. 4 on Top Streaming Albums) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum. The set’s sales were bolstered by its availability across six vinyl variants, a CD, digital download album and cassette tape.
In total, Balloonerism is Miller’s eighth top 10-charting effort on the Billboard 200. It follows Faces (No. 3 in 2021), Circles (No. 3, 2020), Swimming (No. 3, 2018), The Divine Feminine (No. 2, 2016), GO:OD AM (No. 4, 2015), Watching Movies With the Sound Off (No. 2, 2013) and Blue Slide Park (No. 1, 2011).
Kendrick Lamar’s former leader GNX is a non-mover on the Billboard 200 at No. 4 (59,000 equivalent album units; down 8%) while Gracie Abrams’ The Secret of Us surges 10-5 (52,000; up 42% after the release of a deluxe version across three vinyl variants and a CD).
Three former No. 1s are next, with Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet steady at No. 6 (43,000 equivalent album units; down 9%), Lil Baby’s WHAM dipping 5-7 (39,000; down 30%) and Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time rising a notch to No. 8 (37,000 down 3%).
Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft falls two rungs to No. 9 (nearly 37,000 equivalent album units; down 8%), and Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department climbs 12-10 (35,000; down 3%).
Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.
Marilyn Manson will not face criminal charges from Los Angeles prosecutors following a four-year investigation into allegations of domestic violence and sexual assault, the city’s District Attorney said Friday.
Nathan J. Hochman, elected in November, said his office had decided that the statute of limitations had expired for any domestic violence charges against the rocker (Brian Warner), and that they simply could not prove a sexual assault charge in court.
In a brief statement, Hochman said prosecutors “recognize and applaud the courage and resilience of the women who came forward” and thanked them for their “cooperation and patience.”
“While we are unable to bring charges in this matter, we recognize that the strong advocacy of the women involved has helped bring greater awareness to the challenges faced by survivors of domestic abuse and sexual assault,” Hochman said.
In a statement to Billboard, Manson’s attorney Howard King said: “We are very pleased that, after a thorough and incredibly lengthy review of all of the actual evidence, the District Attorney has concluded what we knew and expressed from the start – Brian Warner is innocent.”
Manson has faced a slew of allegations of sexual wrongdoing over the past several years, including from his ex-fiance Evan Rachel Wood, who alleged that the rocker “started grooming me when I was a teenager and horrifically abused me for years.” He also faced claims from former assistant Ashley Walters, model Ashley Morgan Smithline and two Jane Doe accusers.
Manson has denied all of the allegations, and many civil lawsuits filed against him have since been dropped, dismissed or settled. He later sued Wood for defamation over her accusations, but a judge dismissed much of the case in 2023. Manson eventually dropped the case in November and agreed to pay Wood $327,000 in legal fees.
In early 2021, Los Angeles County detectives said they were conducting a criminal investigation and eventually served a search warrant on Manson’s West Hollywood home. The identities of Manson’s accusers in the criminal case have not been disclosed, but Game of Thrones actor Esmé Bianco publicly shared last year that her allegations against him were part of the criminal probe.
In October, then-District Attorney George Gascón said that “new evidence has emerged within the last few weeks” and that his office was pursuing “new leads” that would add to the “already extensive” case file they had amassed. But just weeks later, Hochman was elected.
Limp Bizkit has suffered a setback in its $200 million lawsuit against Universal Music Group, with a federal judge ruling that the band cannot legally void its contracts of “nearly 30 years” over accusations of underpaid royalties.
The blockbuster case, filed last year in Los Angeles federal court, claims that frontman Fred Durst and the band have “not seen a dime in royalties” over the years. Among other claims, the lawsuit argued that the band is therefore entitled to a ruling of “rescission” that terminates its deals with UMG.
But in a decision Friday (Jan. 17), Judge Percy Anderson ruled that the band had in fact been “paid millions in advances” and that UMG had fronted “substantial sums” to record and distribute Limp Bizkit’s albums – meaning the band doesn’t deserve the drastic remedy of terminating the decades-old deals.
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“Plaintiffs seek rescission of contracts that have governed the parties’ relationship beginning in 1996 – nearly 30 years – because the agreements should be rescinded as fraudulently induced,” the judge wrote. “Plaintiffs have not plausibly alleged the type of ‘substantial’ or ‘total failure’ in the performance of the contracts that could support rescission of the parties’ agreements.”
The ruling isn’t a total defeat. Judge Anderson didn’t reach many of the lawsuit’s other legal claims, including fraudulent concealment and intentional misrepresentation, and gave Limp Bizkit’s lawyers a chance to fix the rescission claim. But the judge’s wording suggested he will be skeptical of revoking a contract when “millions in royalties were advanced and paid under decades-old agreements.”
If finalized, the decision is something of a double blow for Durst’s lawsuit. It would not only reject his efforts to rescind the contracts, but would sink one of his other core allegations: that UMG has infringed Limp Bizkit’s copyrights. Such a claim — which could carry a huge damages award — can only succeed if the band’s contracts are voided and it legally regains its ownership of the copyrights, the judge wrote.
That could also mean the case is headed to another court entirely. If Limp Bizkit’s lawsuit no longer contains federal copyright claims, a federal court would no longer have jurisdiction over the case, meaning the lawsuit’s remaining accusations against UMG would need to be refiled in a state court.
In a statement to Billboard on Wednesday, attorneys for Durst and Limp Bizkit downplayed the impact of the ruling, noting that the court had “upheld a majority of our claims” and given them a second shot at the rejected claims.
“The facts speak for themselves,” said Frank Seddigh, the band’s lead attorney. “Universal will be held accountable for its actions and will not get away with its conduct at the expense of artists.”
A spokesman for UMG declined to comment.
Durst and Limp Bizkit sued in October, claiming the band had “never received any royalties from UMG,” despite its huge success over the years: “The band had still not been paid a single cent by UMG in any royalties until taking action.”
That claim was something of a stunner. How had one of the biggest bands of its era, which sold millions of records during the music industry’s MTV-fueled, turn-of-the-century glory days, still never have been paid any royalties nearly three decades later?
According to Durst, the answer was an “appalling and unsettling” scheme to conceal royalties from artists and “keep those profits for itself.” He claimed UMG had essentially kept Limp Bizkit in the red with shady bookkeeping, allowing the label to falsely claim the band remained unrecouped — meaning its royalties still had not surpassed the amount paid in upfront advances.
UMG hit back a month later, calling the allegations “fiction” and demanding they be thrown out of court. The music giant’s attorneys argued that Limp Bizkit’s own legal filings contradicted the accusation that the band had not been paid: “Plaintiffs concede thereafter receiving millions of dollars in payments.”
Following Friday’s decision, Limp Bizkit has until early next month to refile an amended version of the lawsuit.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday (Jan. 17) upheld a federal statute that will effectively ban TikTok from the country over national security concerns, rejecting the company’s arguments that the law violates the First Amendment.
In a unanimous ruling, the high court said the law – set to go into effect on Sunday — was fair game because the U.S. government has valid fears about China’s control over TikTok, a popular social media service with 170 million American users that has also become a key cog in the modern music industry.
Attorneys for TikTok’s Chinese-owned parent ByteDance had argued that the law was clearly unconstitutional because it violates the First Amendment’s protections for free speech. But in Friday’s decision, the high court was unswayed.
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“There is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community,” the justices wrote. “But Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok’s data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary.”
The ruling has major implications for the music industry. TikTok has become a key part of the modern music ecosystem – a core promotional tool for labels and a jumping off point for many new artists, albeit one that has occasionally butted heads with rights owners and can sometimes prove difficult to harness into lasting success.
Friday’s decision will allow the ban to go into effect on Sunday, but it’s unclear exactly what will happen next. President-elect Donald Trump, set to take office on Monday, has vowed to “negotiate a resolution” to save the platform. And even outgoing President Joe Biden, who championed and signed the law, has reportedly signaled openness to prevent TikTok from going dark.
The TikTok law, which requires the app’s Chinese-owned parent ByteDance to either sell the app to a U.S. company or face a total ban on January 19, was approved by wide bipartisan majorities in Congress last year and signed by President Biden in April. Proponents have argued that TikTok presents a national security threat because of its connections to the Chinese government and access to millions of Americans.
TikTok and ByteDance sued in May, calling the law “unprecedented” violation of free speech aimed at “silencing” more than 170 million Americans. But in December, a lower federal appeals court rejected those arguments, ruling the law was aimed at protecting Americans from a “foreign adversary nation.”
Friday’s decision upheld that ruling, repeatedly stressing concerns about the Chinese government’s control over TikTok and the information it could pull from it.
“Petitioners do not dispute that the Government has an important and well-grounded interest in preventing China from collecting the personal data of tens of millions of U. S. TikTok users,” the justices wrote. “Nor could they. The platform collects extensive personal information from and about its users.”
Much of the ruling – a so-called “per curiam” decision that was not signed by any particular justice – was spent deciding on the level of “scrutiny” that such a ban should face under the First Amendment. While TikTok’s attorneys argued it was the kind of egregious intrusion into free speech that merits “strict scrutiny” by judges, the high court instead ruled that the law was the kind of less-problematic restriction that warrants only “intermediate scrutiny.”
Under that looser standard, the justices ruled Friday that the TikTok ban passed constitutional muster — deciding that the law served an “important government interest” and didn’t restrict free speech any more than was necessary to accomplish that goal.
The federal government was clearly justified in preventing a foreign adversary from “collecting vast swaths of sensitive data about the 170 million U. S. persons,” the justices wrote. And they said the TikTok ban was sufficiently limited in addressing that specific goal to avoid violating the First Amendment.
“Rather than ban TikTok outright, the Act imposes a conditional ban,” the justices write. “The prohibitions prevent China from gathering data from U. S. TikTok users unless and until a qualified divestiture severs China’s control.”
The government had also separately argued that the TikTok ban was fair game because of the power China could wield by using TikTok’s algorithm to influence Americans. But the justices effectively sidestepped that argument in their decision, saying it was not necessary to decide the case.
Ahead of Friday’s ruling, the music industry was already preparing for such an outcome. As Billboard‘s Elias Leight writes, record labels have been gearing up for the potential of life without TikTok: “Where is new artist discovery happening in 2025 if this app completely disappears?” The live music business has also been preparing to lose the platform, Billboard’s Dave Brooks writes, since festivals and other promoters have increasingly relied upon TikTok in recent years to reach ticket buyers.
Read the Supreme Court’s full decision here.
Spotify announced that it has canceled all of its Grammy Week events, including its annual Best New Artist and Songwriter of the Year parties, in light of the devastating L.A. wildfires.
In a blog post on Thursday (Jan. 16), Joe Hadley, Spotify’s global head of music partnerships & audience, wrote that funds from the canceled events will be redirected “to support efforts to reach local fans and charitable organizations.”
“It’s also important to remember the effect this has on the production industry, so we are ensuring our vendors are compensated despite this shift,” Hadley wrote. “While this year will look and feel different, our commitment to emerging artists is unwavering.”
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Hadley notes that Spotify’s charitable efforts will include Spotify-funded donations to MusiCares and FIREAID, the benefit concert slated for Jan. 30 at the Intuit Dome that will donate proceeds to rebuilding L.A. infrastructure, supporting displaced families and advancing fire prevention technologies and strategies. The company will also be joining with GoFundMe “to support and spotlight fundraisers dedicated to helping members of the artist and music community who’ve been affected by the fires.”
Additionally, Spotify will be “dedicating on-platform promotion and offering pro bono ad inventory to drive awareness of causes supporting the relief and artist and creator support via studio time” at the company’s L.A. headquarters located in the Arts District.
“The summation of these efforts means we are committing a combined total of $5 million,” Hadley wrote.
Thursday’s announcement follows previous Grammy Week cancellation announcements by all three major labels and various other companies and organizations following the horrific blazes, which displaced tens of thousands of Angelenos and killed at least 25. The remaining Grammy Week events, including Clive Davis’ annual gala, have been reframed as fundraisers for wildfire victims. The Grammys themselves are still slated to move ahead on Feb. 2.
You can read Hadley’s letter in full below.
The devastation of the past week is hard to put into words. I’ve lived in Southern California for 20 years, and my heart aches for our community. Los Angeles is home to hundreds of Spotify employees, millions of music fans, and countless individuals whose lives have been upended by this unprecedented crisis.
We’ve spent the last few days considering how to best show up for LA, the music industry, and the creative community. Ultimately, we’ve decided that the most impactful approach is canceling all our Grammy Week events, including our annual Best New Artist party, and redirecting funds to support efforts to reach local fans and charitable organizations. It’s also important to remember the effect this has on the production industry, so we are ensuring our vendors are compensated despite this shift. While this year will look and feel different, our commitment to emerging artists is unwavering.
These efforts include Spotify-funded donations to MusiCares, an organization that provides a safety net of critical assistance in times of need, and FireAid, a benefit concert on January 30 with proceeds centered on rebuilding infrastructure, supporting displaced families, and advancing fire prevention technologies. We’re also joining forces with GoFundMe to support and spotlight fundraisers dedicated to helping members of the artist and music community who’ve been affected by the fires. In addition to these donations, we’re dedicating on-platform promotion and offering pro bono ad inventory to drive awareness of causes supporting the relief and artist and creator support via studio time at our LA office in the Arts District. The summation of these efforts means we are committing a combined total of $5 million.
Thanks to all of our partners for your patience as we decided how best to support. We’ve got each other’s backs here in L.A. – let’s keep showing up for each other.
Joe