Business News
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It’s time for another spindle around the Executive Turntable, Billboard’s comprehensive(ish) compendium of promotions, hirings, exits and firings — and all things in between — across music.
Warner Chappell Music‘s sync team gained a seasoned pro in Shelby DiPerri, who has joined the publisher as its new vp of creative sync. DiPerri, who boasts over 15 years of creative licensing experience, will focus her efforts on pitching WCM’s boundless catalog to the film, TV, gaming and sport-ball sectors. For the last dozen years, she has worked at Round Hill’s Zync Music, serving as head of film & TV for half that time. Prior to Zync, DiPerri held positions at Victory Records and Atlantic Records. Her specialty over the years, especially at Zync, has been targeting projects and trends to create “perennial sync copyrights” for its writers and others, according to the announcement. Based in Los Angeles, DiPerri will report to svp of creative sync Rachel Jacobson. “[Shelby] brings passion and drive to every project she’s across – both our team and our amazing roster of songwriters are lucky to have her here at Warner Chappell,” said Jacobson. “Her in-depth knowledge of creative pitching and licensing has established her as one of the very best creatives in the field.”
Resident Advisor (aka RA), the online dance and electronic music magazine, hired veteran journalists Gabriel Szatan and Rachel Grace Almeida to be editor and deputy editor, respectively. The London-based Szatan joins RA following a three-year tenure as head of dance and electronic at Tidal, with a previous stop at Boiler Room and a slew of bylines as a regular contributor for Pitchfork, Guardian, Billboard and elsewhere. Almeida will also be based in RA’s London office following six years as a top editor of Crack Magazine out of Berlin. She has written for Bandcamp, Time Out, DAZED and other outlets. RA also announced that Carlos Hawthorn has been promoted to managing editor, while Nyshka Chandran is now the mag’s first futures editor. “We’re in an undoubtedly fortunate position to be expanding our cultural coverage at a time when everything feels in a state of contraction,” Szatan said in announcing the moves. “With this quality team now in place, and RA’s door remaining open to a network of premium contributors around the globe, we intend to make the best of it.”
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Marni Greenberg joined SoundCloud as svp and head of communications. She was most recently vp of communications at Sofar Sounds and prior to that was head of music communications at YouTube, where she worked for six years. “It is very important for SoundCloud to tell our story and Marni has the deep public relations experience needed in the fields of music, technology and brands to bring our communications,” said SoundCloud chief Eliah Seton.
It was a busy week for BRING, UMG’s all-purpose creative agency based in Australia, which promoted two key members and hired another. Bella Ziino was promoted to senior account director and James Wilkinson has been appointed senior creative manager, while Lucy Ruff joins the company as business development director. BRING specializes in music campaigns, brand strategy, live events, merch ideation, media partnerships and more. With the recent moves, the brand — which prides itself on “turning fan love into brand love” — said it now has a gender split of 50-50 across all levels.
Barry Weiss’s nearly decade-old RECORDS promoted David Enriquez to executive vp and Andrew Saltman to vp of marketing and digital strategies. The elevated roles for the NYC-based execs apply to the company’s RECORDS and RECORDS Nashville labels. Enriquez is a RECORDS lifer, having joined at its 2015 inception, and was previously senior vp. He reports to Weiss and will continue marketing and developing label artists across all genres. Enriquez’s big wins in recent years include crossover star Dax, country breakout George Birge and Florida rapper iCandy. Saltman joined RECORDS in 2017, most recently serving as senior director of marketing & digital for the full roster. He reports up to Enriquez and recently helped spearhead Birge’s debut single “Mind on You” to a No. 1 finish at country radio and is taking the lead on marketing efforts for the singer’s next single, “Cowboy Songs.”
Big Machine Label Group added Dexter Bensman as senior director of digital marketing and Rebecca Kerr as manager of communications, helping to further elevate the label’s roster of artists including Thomas Rhett, Carly Pearce, Lady A, Tim McGraw and Chris Janson. Bensman, who previously served as director of digital marketing at Brown Sellers Brown Management, will oversee the label group’s digital marketing strategies and elevate the online presence of the label’s roster. Kerr joins Big Machine from The Oriel Company, where she contributed to publicity efforts for artists including Jason Isbell and Riley Green. –Jessica Nicholson
Brown Sellers Brown, as in Paul Brown, Jason Sellers and Benny Brown, announced two new hires in social media roles and an equal number of reductions in its radio department as the company enters restructure mode. Jessica Crans joins BSB as director of social media marketing and Hannah Kennedy as social media marketing, with more staff additions expected soon in the company’s digital service relations and artist support departments. Over in the radio department of Stone Country Records, one of BSB’s affiliated labels along with Quartz Hill Records, Kerry Wolfe and Matt Galvin have left the company with no plans to fill their positions. “We so appreciate all that Matt and Kerry have brought to our radio promotions department at Stone Country Records over the past couple of years,” said partner Paul Brown. “Their knowledge and talents in the world of radio promotion are unmatched.”
Marauder co-founder Kodi McKinney has stepped away as partner of the New York-based creative marketing firm to pursue other opportunities in music, marketing and elsewhere. McKinney said he’s confident the company is in good hands with Rev. Moose, with whom he started the company in 2015. “Growing [Marauder] from a dream with Rev. Moose into a top-tier US music marketing force over the last near-decade has been one of the great joys of my life,” said McKinney, who shares more on his website and can be reached kodi@meintheclub.com.
Copyright Alliance promoted Eileen Bramlet from svp of communications to chief operating officer; Kevin Madigan from vp of legal policy and copyright counsel to svp of policy and government affairs; Rachel Kim from copyright policy counsel to vp of legal policy and copyright counsel; and Courtney Lang from manager of digital marketing to director of marketing and business development. The trade organization, which lobbies for businesses that depend on copyright, also announced the recent hiring of Elly Mambounou as operations manager.
Kara Foley
PULSE Music Group promoted Kara Foley to senior vp and head of creative sync licensing, overseeing all publishing and label sync operations for the company. Foley is celebrating her tenth year at PULSE, where she started out as manager of creative licensing before climbing the ranks to vp of film & TV, her most recent title. Her sync wins over the years include placements in films like Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie and TV series including Gotham Nights, The Grand Crew and All American. Prior to PULSE, Foley had stops at UMG and Warner Chappell Music. Foley is based at PMG’s Los Angeles headquarters and reports to co-CEOs Scott Cutler and Josh Abraham. You can reach her kara@pulsemusicgroup.com.
Salt, which built its own Software as a Service (SaaS) platform for processing and distributing rights holder royalties, hired Alberto Garcia for the role of senior vp of Europe and Africa. In a culinary twist, Garcia joined Salt from Mint. New sales and customer management will be his focus at Salt, where “his track record of achievement and deep understanding of the industry will undoubtedly enrich our organization and drive us towards even greater success,” said CEO Doug Imrie.
BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville hired Camille Kenny as senior director of A&R, reporting to VP of A&R Katie Kerkhover. Kenny will be responsible for developing and scouting artists. Kenny previously worked as senior director of A&R at Big Loud Records, A&R’ing for releases from Morgan Wallen, HARDY, Jake Owen and more. Kenny’s previous music industry experience includes time at WME and THiS Music. –J.N.
NASHVILLE NOTES: Red Street Records added two industry pros to the mix. Michael Steele, former director of playlist programming development at WMG, is the label’s new vp of streaming and playlist strategy. Bridget Herrmann, who honed her promo skills at A&M/Octone Records, Crush Music Management and Warner Music Nashville, joined as regional director of country promotion … Tape Room Music hired Noelle Peters as catalog manager and Luke Collins as creative coordinator. “Luke and Noelle have a bright future in the music business,” shared Tape Room president Blain Rhodes. “They both have a great work ethic and a strong passion for helping songwriters. We are lucky to have them join the team at Tape Room” … Magnolia Music Group added 30-year promotion veteran Ray Vaughn as national director of radio and streaming. He previously worked at Quartz Hill Records and prior to that was on staff at Warner Music Nashville.
New England Conservatory’s Jazz Studies Department appointed Grammy Award-winning trombonist and composer Kalia Vandever to its faculty beginning in the fall of 2024.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hired Bridgette Wilder to serve as its chief people and culture officer, a newly created position that combines the human resources teams of the Academy and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. She was previously the Academy Museum’s vp of people and culture and reports to Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy Museum director and president Jacqueline Stewart. Wilder previously served in C-suite roles at the California Institute of the Arts and Albany State University.
ICYMI:
Spotify named Christian Luiga to be its new chief financial officer to replace Paul Vogel, who stepped down from the CFO role at the end of March … YG Entertainment now has a lone CEO: Yang Min-seok, the younger brother of company founder Yang Hyun-sun … Billboard Women in Music honoree Michele Ballantyne (pictured with Mitch Glazier) was promoted to president of RIAA. She’ll continue to serve as COO.
Last Week’s Turntable: Coolest Job in Vegas Filled
The estate of Ronnie Spector, best known as the lead singer of iconic girl group The Ronettes, has enlisted Artist Legacy Group (ALG) to be its exclusive representative. Under the deal, ALG will provide comprehensive management services for the estate, including oversight of Spector’s personality rights and administration of her official digital and social media assets. ALG CEO Ashley Austin will also spearhead branded media, licensing and anniversary projects. A film adaptation of Spector’s memoir, Be My Baby, is currently in development at A24. Spector’s husband, Jonathan Greenfield, serves as managing director of the estate.
Lil Yachty launched Concrete Rekordz, a new record label joint venture with Quality Control Music/HYBE. The announcement was accompanied by “Family Business,” a new track and music video from Concrete Boys — a group composed of Lil Yachty, Karrahbooo and Camo! — that will make its home on the label. The group is slated to release its first compilation album, It’s Us Volume 1, on Friday (April 5).
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Dubai-based streaming platform OSN+ and music streaming service Anghami announced the completion of OSN+’s purchase of a majority stake in Anghami after receiving all necessary regulatory approvals. First announced in November, the merger puts OSN+ parent company OSN Group’s majority stake in Anghami at a valuation of $3.69 per share. According to a press release, the deal creates a company that boasts more than 120 million registered users, around 2.5 million paid subscribers and nearly $100 million in revenue at closing while bringing together OSN+’s library of 18,000 hours of video content with Anghami’s catalog of more than 100 million songs and podcasts. The combined entity will be led by Elie Habib, co-founder/CEO of Anghami, as CEO. Joe Kawkabani will remain CEO of OSN Group.
Virgin Music Group has partnered with 3AM Entertainment, a new label founded by British-Indian artist Jay Sean, producer/executive Jeremy Skaller and Jared Cotter, manager/vp of music at Range Media Partners. 3AM will focus on artists from the South Asian diaspora of all different genres. The first release under the deal is “Heartless,” a new single from Jay Sean featuring Ikky that’s slated for release on Friday (April 5); it will be followed by an album. Skaller and Cotter will serve as co-presidents at the new label, with Cotter continuing in his role at Range. Elsewhere, Sean’s longtime manager, Thara Natalie, will be chief operations manager; Madison Bickel will serve as GM; and Mahima Sharma will serve as an A&R out of New Delhi, India. Additionally, Sean’s co-manager, Aayushman Sinha, and his team at management company Represent will consult on A&R and strategy out of Mumbai, India.
Soundmouse by Orfium was selected as the official music reporting partner for broadcasters in South Korea by the South Korean Broadcast Music Identifying System (BROMIS), a consortium led by major broadcasters including KBS, MBC, SBS and four collecting societies. Under the three-year agreement, Soundmouse by Orfium’s music cue sheet reporting and audio recognition fingerprinting technology will be used by 36 broadcasters to track music usage across 175 TV channels and radio stations in Korea. Soundmouse by Orfium’s reports will be used to inform royalty distributions to songwriter, artist, producer and rights holder members of South Korean collecting societies. The deal was supported by the South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korean Copyright Commission.
Danny Wimmer Presents (DWP) acquired two music festivals: Rocklahoma and Born & Raised, both of which are held at Rockin Red Dirt Ranch in Pryor, Okla. DWP will continue working with Pryor Creek Music Festivals, the original creator of both festivals, while several remaining stakeholders will remain involved in both events in 2024 and beyond. This year’s Rocklahoma is slated to run from Aug. 30-Sept. 1 with headliners Avenged Sevenfold, Disturbed and Slipknot. Born & Raised will take place Sept. 13-15 with Turnpike Troubadours, Whiskey Myers, Gary Allan and more.
BMG has acquired Dr. Alban‘s recorded interests in his catalog, including ’90s Eurodance hits “It’s My Life” and “Sing Hallelujah!” The company already owned the label share of the recordings. The catalog of the Nigerian-born Swedish artist and producer, born Alban Nwapa, also includes tracks such as “Hello Afrika” and “No Coke.”
Numero Group announced a partnership with New York indie rock label Tiger Style Records. Under the deal, Tiger Style’s catalog of 40 albums and a dozen EPs have been absorbed into the Numero Group ecosystem, including works by The American Analog Set, The Appleseed Cast, The Mercury Program, Tristeza, Her Space Holiday, The Album Leaf, Rye Coalition and Ida. Formed in 1998, Tiger Style, once owned by online music retailer Insound, went on hiatus more than 20 years ago. Much of the label’s discography is now available digitally via Numero Group, with several physical LP reissues and box sets slated for next year.
Industrial-focused private equity firm Allied Industrial Partners made an investment in Celebrity Coaches, a Nashville-based provider of transportation and logistics for the live entertainment sector. Celebrity Coaches will continue to be led by its founder, Jeff Michael, who will retain an ownership stake along with other members of the company’s management team including Josh Trivett.
ASM Global signed a multi-year booking agreement with Nevada tavern and slot route operator Golden Entertainment for exclusive booking rights to the company’s Laughlin Event Center and The Edge Pavilion — two music venues located at the Edgewater Casino Resort.
Music data company Musixmatch partnered with Runway in a deal that will bring the latter’s AI-powered media generation technology to the more than 1 million artists and musicians in the Musixmatch community, which will have access to Gen-2 and other Runway models to create synchronized lyrics and videos.
WavMaker, a music licensing platform that offers a music catalog for video creators featuring songs that have been cleared for commercial use, launched with $5 million in seed funding. The company was founded by CEO Matt Arcaini, director of label services Mark Stuart and director of marketing Caleb Grimm. The funding round was led by Vicky Patel, a principal in the Nashville-based record label Wavy Records and co-founder/principal at Monarch Media. The funds will be used to expand the platform’s capabilities, hire staff and increase customer outreach.
Business-to-business music and streaming platform Tuned Global partnered with international travel media network Spafax, which provides content technology and media assets for airlines to power cleared music playlists in in-flight entertainment systems. Spafax clients include Emirates, Qatar Airways, IAG, Lufthansa Group and Air Canada. Through the deal, Tuned Global will provide music-as-a-service a content management tool for Spafax curators to generate playlists. Spafax will also benefit from Tuned Global’s integration with music rights management and reporting company Crunch Digital, which verifies musical works available for use under Spafax and airlines’ existing music licenses with record labels and publishers.
It’s all about the artist, music executives say (and say and say). If you really look at the industry over time, though, it’s really all about the formats — the health of the business may have more to do with how people listen to music than what they actually listen to. For the last decade, that has been on-demand streaming, and the music business has boomed — from total revenue of $6.7 billion in 2014 to $17.1 billion last year, according to the late-March RIAA report. In inflation-adjusted dollars, the industry is worth almost double what it was at the beginning of the streaming boom. Internationally, the story is broadly similar — the business was worth $13 billion in 2014 and $28.6 billion last year, according to IFPI statistics.
In the U.S., at least, growth is slowing — revenue rose from $15.9 billion to $17.1 billion last year, and it hasn’t grown much in the last two years, accounting for inflation. The reason is simple: There are only so many streaming subscriptions to sell, and the U.S. now has a 12-month average of 96.8 million on-demand subscriptions in a country of 127 million households. It’s hard to know when we’ll reach Peak Subscription — 105 million in a year? 110 million in two? — but slower growth in the number of subscribers seems inevitable. This is one reason record companies are cutting back. It’s the end of hypergrowth for creators and rightsholders — at least in some places.
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Those places also include most of Europe, where the recorded music business grew 8.9%, according to the IFPI’s 2024 Global Music Report, compared with 7.4% in the U.S. and Canada. In the developing world, where the music business is much smaller, the figures tell a very different story: Asia was up 14.9%, with much of that growth coming from China, which was up 25.9%; Latin America grew for the 14th consecutive year, by 19.4%; and revenue from sub-Saharan Africa rose 24.7%. These increases are taking place in smaller businesses, but they mean that there’s plenty of room for growth — it’s just moving south and east.
We’ve all heard the simple and optimistic version of what comes next: Just wait until everyone in China, India and Brazil subscribes to a streaming service! (I hope they subscribe to Billboard Pro while they’re at it.) But this assumes a world where the global middle class continues to grow, trade and prosperity continue to expand, and developing economies stay relatively stable. Alas, as the small print says, past performance is not indicative of future results. Over the past two years, Russia has gone from a developing market into a geopolitical adversary, and tensions between the U.S. and China are heating up. (Whatever you think of globalization, it will be far worse in reverse.) If the U.S. forces a sale of TikTok, could China retaliate by imposing limits on American music? Could inflation in Latin America hurt consumer purchasing power in a way that stifles a streaming business that still depends more on advertising? Whatever happens is beyond the control of the music business. The potential is incredible — it’s just not reliable.
The truth is that there’s still plenty of opportunity in developed markets, including plenty of room to raise streaming subscription prices, but creators and rightsholders don’t have to just sit around and wait for that. Other opportunities are emerging, and growth could be fueled by licensing music for AI training, as well as for social media, video games, and the next iteration of the technology formerly known as the Metaverse.
Some of the most exciting opportunities might come from a traditional business model: Selling stuff. Yes, I know, it’s all so unbearably dreary compared to the “Free” future we were told to expect. But consider that, adjusted for inflation, the U.S. recorded music market is still only two-thirds the size of its 1999 peak. Back then — how old does that sound? — much of that revenue came from serious fans who bought a couple of albums a month instead of a couple of albums a year, mostly for more than the cost of a monthly streaming subscription today. Such dedication explains the fantastic growth in the vinyl market, which rose from $243.8 million in 2014 to $1.4 billion last year — almost a sixth the size of the music business of a decade ago in 2023 dollars. (I am proud to say that I have done my part.)
Sure, vinyl growth is slowing, too — the format isn’t for everyone and I am running out of shelf space myself, but consumers have demonstrated a willingness to spend more on their favorite artists, which is why music executives are so excited about superfans, which could be the most exciting opportunity available. The last decade of the music business was about making a hundred dollars a year from millions of people. The next 10 years will be about making millions — OK, probably thousands, but you get the idea — from hundreds of people. That won’t be easy, though. The music industry has always been, pardon the pun, a volume business. Making money from superfans requires finding that, figuring out what they want to buy, and marketing that, presumably online, better than live promoters or dedicated startups.
This could also solve one of the biggest problems with the recorded music business: it’s not making stars fast enough, and the new ones it has don’t shine for so many people. But what is a big problem in the hit-driven streaming business doesn’t matter so much when it comes to monetizing superfans — older acts still do big business, and there are riches in niches. From a financial perspective, K-pop is essentially a high-margin merchandise business focused on an audience that’s dedicated but not quite mainstream. And if labels are going to keep growing in the U.S. and Europe, at least some of their business might look a lot like that.
Popular performance series From The Block has locked in a partnership deal with Sparta Distribution, the companies announced today (April 3). Since its 2021 inception, From The Block Performance has gained traction through viral performances from Cardi B, Offset, Chris Brown, Lil Yachty and 4 Batz, along the way accumulating over 200 million views. Sparta […]
Pophouse — the Swedish company that backed ABBA’s Voyage show in London and owns rights to music by Swedish House Mafia, Avicii and Cyndi Lauper — is acquiring KISS’ publishing, recording royalties and trademarks, including both the band’s logo and its iconic makeup design. The deal, announced April 4, will result in a Pophouse-produced KISS hologram show, using some of the same technology as ABBA’s Voyage.
“We have a lot of plans for KISS,” Pophouse CEO Per Sundin tells Billboard. Although Sundin says the company bought out the rights owned by frontmen Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, they will work with the company to develop the show, which is expected to open in 2027 in a U.S. city that Sundin declined to name. “We want to keep to the legacy,” Sundin says. “We want to extend it and amplify it for new generations.”
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The band got interested in a possible deal when manager Doc McGhee saw Voyage “and he loved it and contacted us,” Sundin says. Over the course of the band’s End of the Road World Tour, the two sides met in Milan and Stockholm, thinking about what a hologram show could look like.
“We went to see the ABBA show and it blew our socks off,” Simmons tells Billboard. “And the technology since then has improved by leaps and bounds. We’ve seen sketches of what it will look like and we looked like the X-Men.”
Like dozens of other investors, Pophouse buys rights to songs and in some cases recordings or likenesses. But it tends to take a more active approach than most, with a focus on theatrical or immersive entertainment, rather than simply collecting royalties. In addition to the ABBA show, it runs the ABBA Museum and the Avicii Experience, both in Stockholm.
The idea of a hologram show seems ideal for KISS, whose concerts were always heavy on spectacle. “Everything is theater,” says Simmons. “We wanted bombast theater.”
Over the course of its career, KISS inspired the KISS Army, formed around an act that could have been described as the hottest brand in the land, with deals that included KISS Kondoms and a KISS Kasket. (Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell was buried in one that Simmons donated.) Now, after the End of the Road tour, “the end is actually the beginning,” Simmons says. “If you’re a caterpillar who can’t imagine what the future will look like, you think of the cocoon as the end, and it is the end of the caterpillar, but it can’t imagine sprouting wings and evolving into this beautiful creature that flies up to the heavens.”
Pophouse would not comment on the terms of the deal, which are presumably more complicated than a straightforward purchase of publishing rights. At this point, the band may be better known for its concerts than its songs. But the deal includes those, plus recording royalties. Pophouse also has a good relationship with UMG, which owns the band’s recordings, since Sundin was previously managing director of Universal Music Sweden and president of Universal Music Nordics. The band’s trademarks belonged to Simmons and Stanley, including the makeup designs for their characters: The Demon (Simmons), the Starchild (Stanley), the Spaceman (originally Ace Frehley, more recently Tommy Thayer) and the Catman (originally Peter Criss, more recently Eric Singer).
Jesús López, chairman/CEO of Universal Music Latin America and Iberian Peninsula, has received a special honor from the King and Queen of Spain. On Wednesday (April 3), the music executive received the Gold Medal for Merit in the Fine Arts — an award that recognizes individuals and entities who have “excelled” in the field of […]
Endeavor, the sports and entertainment giant that owns agencies WME and IMG, announced on Tuesday it will be acquired by private equity firm Silver Lake in a deal that values the company at $13 billion. The move arrives three years into Endeavor’s tenure as a publicly traded company and just six months since WME’s chief rival, CAA, came under new ownership.
Silver Lake is Endeavor’s largest shareholder, having made its initial investment in WME in 2012 and purchasing IMG two years later, and plans on acquiring 100% of the remaining shares by offering stockholders $27.50 per share in cash, representing a 55% premium to the unaffected share price of $17.72 per share. Endeavor noted that was the price of shares on Oct. 25, 2023, a day before the company disclosed a review of strategic alternatives that included going private.
The company, which went public in 2021 following pandemic-era delays, currently trades as EDR on the New York Stock Exchange, closing at $25.81 on Tuesday (April 2).
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In addition to WME and IMG, Endeavor’s portfolio includes live event hospitality firm On Location, marketing agency 160over90 and sports betting data firm OpenBet. Endeavor is also the majority owner of TKO Group Holdings, formed last year to merge its martial arts league UFC with World Wrestling Entertainment. TKO is not part of the Silver Lake acquisition, however, and will continue trading on the NYSE as “TKO” and “will continue to benefit from its connectivity to Endeavor’s expertise, relationships, and significant capabilities,” the company clarified.
Led by co-CEOs Egon Durban and Greg Mondre, Silver Lake’s $102 billion in combined assets includes a portfolio of companies like Oak View Group, Fanatics, TEG, Waymo, Stripe, Plaid, SoFi and Madison Square Garden Sports, among others.
Endeavor said the transaction is fully financed through equity from Silver Lake and additional capital from partnering investors, including Mubadala Investment Company, DFO Management, Lexington Partners, and funds managed by Goldman Sachs Asset Management. Members of Endeavor’s leadership team, including chief executive Ari Emanuel, executive chairman Patrick Whitesell and president and COO Mark Shapiro, will also roll over their equity, and new debt financing was secured by Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Bank of America and other institutions.
“Since 2012, Endeavor’s strategic partnership with Silver Lake and Egon Durban have been central to our evolution into the global sports and entertainment leader we are today,” said Emanuel. “We believe this transaction will maximize value for all of Endeavor’s public stockholders and are excited to continue to unlock and invest in the growth opportunities ahead as a private company.”
Stephen Evans, managing director of Silver Lake and a director of Endeavor, said: “The team at Silver Lake is proud of our longstanding partnership with Endeavor, marked by more than $3.5 billion of direct investment across six distinct transactions over 12 years. We are excited about what we can achieve together in this next phase, spearheaded by Endeavor’s visionary expertise across talent representation and content and ownership of truly special, marquee assets in sports.”
Lewis Capaldi signed with U.K.-based music licensing company PPL for international neighboring rights royalty collections. The company will collect royalties for the use of Capaldi’s music on radio, TV and in public spaces globally. Capaldi is managed by Ryan Walter at Interlude Artists.
Lil Mosey (“Blueberry Faygo”) and his label, Love U Forever, signed a global distribution partnership with Cinq Music ahead of his currently untitled EP to be released this spring. The first single from the EP, “Life Goes On,” debuted on March 22.
“Wine into Whiskey” singer Tucker Wetmore inked a deal with WME for global booking representation. Wetmore, who moved to Nashville in 2020, signed a publishing deal in 2023 with Rakiyah Marshall‘s Back Blocks Music. He follows “Wine into Whiskey” with his new release, “Wind Up Missin’ You.” – Jessica Nicholson
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Mexican singer-songwriter Beto Vega signed with Downtown Artist & Label Services. In addition to global distribution and marketing, Vega (“Me Dicen Nini” with Markitos Toys) will also take advantage of the company’s catalog management and full-service campaigns for future releases, including his upcoming track, “Los Brothers” with Edgardo Nuñez. Vega is booked by Luis Del Villar at Gerencia 360.
Pop/R&B singer-songwriter CIL signed with The Familie for management. The 21-year-old Fort Collins, Colo., native was recently signed to Warner Records by the label’s CEO, Aaron Bay-Schuck.
Turkish-Italian DJ, producer and multi-instrumentalist Carlita signed with Ninja Tune via its imprint Counter Records, which released her latest single, “Time.” She is booked and managed by Alberto Bragado.
Ukrainian band Okean Elzy signed with Warner Music, which will release the group’s first entirely-English album globally, including in the United States, where Elektra will handle distribution. The band is preparing for a series of charity gigs for its Help for Ukraine Tour, with shows slated in Ukraine and other European countries including Belgium, the United Kingdom, Germany and Poland. The group is represented by manager Joel Mark at 9122 Management and Brian Cohen and Joe Friel at WME for booking.
Shaznay Lewis, formerly a member of U.K. group All Saints, partnered with Absolute Label Services for the release of her first solo album in 20 years. Titled Pages, the album is set for release on May 17. Lewis is represented by Wayne Russell at Massive Management and Solomon Parker at Wasserman for booking.
Hip-hop/R&B artist (and actual gas station owner) WRKINSILENCE signed a distribution and licensing deal with 10K Projects, which will release his debut EP later this year. He is managed by Lauren Fukawa.
Alt pop-rock artist Zoe Ko signed to Big Loud Rock, an imprint of Big Loud Records, in partnership with producer and songwriter management company, publisher, record label and A&R consulting company Double Down 11. She is managed by Ava Solomon at NXTWAVE.
Melbourne, Australia-based vocalist, lyricist and producer Vetta Borne signed with [PIAS] Australia, which put out her latest track, “40-40.”
Americana singer-songwriter Cassandra Lewis signed to Elektra/Low Country Sound, which will release her forthcoming major label debut album, Lost in a Dream, later this year. She’s managed by Mark Cunningham at Red Light.
Country singer Kanaan Brock signed to 10th Street Entertainment for management. His debut single, “Sinner and Saint,” is out now.
M Music & Entertainment Group and Freddie Records signed up-and-coming norteño artist Nathan Acosta. The record deal comes ahead of his upcoming debut single, titled “Solo” and penned by Jesse Turner (of Grupo Siggno), which is set for release on April 19. Born in San Antonio, Tex., Acosta is a singer-songwriter and accordion player who was most recently on tour with Grupo Siggno and Jennifer Peña across the United States and Mexico. “This is an absolute dream come true for me,” Acosta said in a statement. “Ever since I was a kid, I’ve dreamed of being able to record and play music in front of big crowds.” – Griselda Flores
Members of the American Federation of Musicians voted to ratify the union’s agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The agreement, which covers basic theatrical motion picture and basic television motion picture contracts, gives musicians streaming residuals for the first time, as well as protections against artificial intelligence, according to AFM. In addition to […]
YG Entertainment, home to K-pop groups BLACKPINK and BABYMONSTER, has named Yang Min-seok, the young brother of former CEO and company founder Yang Hyun-sun, as sole CEO. The company announced the appointment following its annual shareholder meeting on Friday (March 29). Yang had previously shared co-CEO duties with Hwang Bo-kyung, who was named CEO in […]