Business News
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At European collective management organizations (CMOs), the hits just keep on coming. On Wednesday (June 5), SACEM announced record results for 2023, with collections up 5% to €1.49 billion ($1.6 billion based on the 2023 average euro-to-dollar conversion rate) compared to the previous year and distributions rising 17% to €1.23 billion ($1.33 billion). The French CMO also announced that its board has voted unanimously to extend Cécile Rap-Veber’s term as CEO.
The results come amid a thriving period for European CMOs. In April, GEMA, the German collecting society, announced that revenue rose 8.4% in 2023 to €1.28 billion ($1.4 billion). PRS for Music in the United Kingdom followed at the end of May, disclosing 14.2% revenue growth to £1.08 billion ($1.34 billion). However, in both of those cases, as well as SACEM’s, the results followed years of more substantial growth fueled by music fans eager to get back to seeing live shows in the wake of the pandemic. A year ago, for example, SACEM announced that it had taken in €1.41 billion ($1.54 billion) in 2022 — 34% more than it did the prior year.
Slower growth seems to be bringing with it a focus on controlling costs, and SACEM’s ratio of expenses to revenue collected is 10.76%, the lowest in its history. “What matters to me is the best value for our members,” SACEM CEO Cécile Rap-Veber tells Billboard. She adds that a more efficient disbursement of royalties boosted growth in distributions beyond that of revenue, saying: “We are distributing faster and faster.”
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The biggest source of revenue for SACEM was online, which rose 13% to €557 million ($602.67 million). The second biggest source was general royalties — a category that includes places where music is central, such as concerts, as well as places where it’s not — which was up 18.5% to €388 million ($420 million). Finally, broadcast rights, including TV and radio, brought in €318 million ($344 million).
Over the past few years, Rap-Veber has helped modernize the French CMO with an initiative known as “SACEM 3.0,” with a focus on delivering results at a reasonable cost.
“2023 was a year of confirmation in the implementation of our major strategic priorities,” Rap-Veber said in a statement. “We continued our transformation into Sacem 3.0 and worked to improve efficiency, ensuring the sustainability of our management account and optimising both our collections and the amount distributed to our members.”
More than ever, CMOs are competing for online rights — but also, on some level, for bragging rights. ‘Competition,” says Rap-Veber, “has forced a lot of us to improve.”
Last October, REVOLT — the Black-owned and operated digital cable network co-founded by Sean “Diddy” Combs in 2013 — celebrated its 10th anniversary. Now, eight months later, the multi-platform media company is celebrating its rebirth as an employee-owned entity.
Announced today (June 4) by REVOLT CEO Detavio Samuels, the historic business shift follows in the wake of Combs’ stepping down as company chairman last November after being served with multiple sexual assault lawsuits. In keeping with Samuels’ and his team’s determination that REVOLT remain Black-owned and operated, the equity move — in which Diddy sold his stake back to the company, which is then distributing shares among its current employees — underscores the company’s original vision to pioneer a new era of entertainment while also establishing a new media model.
“I needed my employees to be incentivized, excited, to feel like they have skin in the game,” Samuels exclusively tells Billboard. “It’s about generating wealth for marginalized communities who have been historically left out.”
Atlanta-based Samuels joined REVOLT as COO in 2020 and was promoted to CEO a year later. It’s his hope that “more CEOs embrace and embody this idea of linked prosperity: if the company wins, every single person wins. We’re trying to set an industry standard where this type of thing becomes the norm.” In the following interview, Samuels outlines REVOLT’s journey to that decision.
At what point was the decision made to seek a new owner for REVOLT?
After all of the allegations in November became clear, stepping into 2024 for that association with Sean Combs could be a distraction to the mission that we had been on for the last four years. So at that point in time, we had very real conversations. You know, you can’t force anybody to sell their shares in the same way that nobody could force you to sell your house. But Sean Combs understood the assignment and elected to sell his shares so that the mission could continue.
In March there were media reports that Richelieu Dennis, the owner of Essence magazine, was buying REVOLT. Was that true? Were there other suitors for the company?
There’s been tons of speculation and rumors, as you can imagine. What we wanted to do was find the best home for REVOLT. At the end of the day, we want this business, which is stronger than ever, to continue to thrive. So absolutely, we’ve had lots of conversations with people. What we realized is that you can search the whole world, but we came to the conclusion that the only people we needed was us. We were the ones that we were looking for. I hope that can be a signal just to us as Black people and the Black community in general about self-reliance, unity. Nobody’s coming to save us. We have all we need to save ourselves.
When you came on board as CEO, was such a notion on your mind then?
One of the biggest things I wanted to do was just make sure that employees could benefit in the success of this company. And it’s been a conversation that we’ve had, specifically at the management level, for the last four years since I’ve been here, looking for the opportunity to ultimately make it happen. I’m a big believer in the idea of linked prosperity, meaning that as REVOLT wins, everybody in our ecosystem wins. Our values are reflected in our business model. We’ve given 50-plus entrepreneurs capital with no exchange of equity. We’ve put more than $50 million recirculated back into the Black community every single year. We have the biggest deals with the biggest content creators, but all of them also have upside participation in the content we co-create.
When we’ve had big years and blown our numbers out the water, our employees got big bonuses — every single one of them. So this was kind of like the missing piece. How do we put our employees, who are giving us their blood, sweat and tears every single day, in a position where they can benefit from the economics of their genius? So I’m thrilled that we are finally at that point where the people who are the backbone of our success now to get to be shareholders in the company.
At the bottom of the press release announcing REVOLT’s new owners, it says, “Shares held by the company’s former chair have been fully redeemed and retired.” What does that mean exactly?
Some people still aren’t clear. So that [statement] is enough to make it very clear: He [Sean Combs] is not the chairman of the company. He’s not on the board of this company. And he owns zero equity and zero shares in this company.
How did you decide to distribute the shares among employees? Were they all given equal shares?
Everyone is not going to be given equal shares. What we’re doing right now is working through a distribution process where we can ensure everything is smooth and fair. And two of the key components, of course, will be seniority and our vesting schedule. We plan on rolling that out over the course of the next few months.
And by employees, that includes yourself and the rest of the executive team as well?
If you are a full-time employee at REVOLT, you will receive something from this distribution.
Was there any pushback to this plan?
There was no pushback. In fact, if anything, I need to celebrate my amazing board, who immediately latched onto the idea. Their work was critical in helping us get here, so no pushback. Everybody knows that REVOLT is a values-driven brand. We don’t just talk the talk, we walk the walk.
How many members comprise the board and what are the names of some of those members?
We’re going to keep that side confidential.
And new employees will be eligible to be shareholders as well?
New employees will be eligible for this equity incentive pool as well. In the short term today, there are no massive changes happening to our organizational structure. We will continue to stay on brand; the vision and mission are the same. We want to shift the narrative for Black people globally by building the world’s most powerful Black storytelling engine on the planet, powered by creators. In fact, as we lean into this idea of being powered by creators, we are trademarking a new term: we are “pioneering a new era of entertainment.” Media is in chaos right now. But we believe that we’ve got a new model that works in this chaotic world that we live in. And we’re getting ready to make a run and show the world what it’s supposed to look like. The only other way to say this is that we’re about to dream bigger and we’re about to dream Blacker. That’s all it is.
Diddy was very publicly the face of Revolt. How do you plan to forward and reinvent the brand out of his shadow?
Diddy wasn’t the face of the brand, I don’t think, inside of the company. Since I’ve been here, he’s never been part of the day-to-day operations and the teams have had zero interaction with him. So there’s no difference on our side; no difference with our clients and our affiliate partners, our customers. So really the only place where I think there’s this, you know, massive association with him and REVOLT is with the culture.
The way we will respond to that, first and foremost, is with this announcement so that everybody knows every time you support REVOLT, you are standing by the people and the employees who are building this thing. The second thing is, it was never supposed to be built on one person. REVOLT has never believed that it is one person, one idea, one lens. You can’t shift the narrative for Black people through one lens. So we will continue to bring on the biggest and baddest creators in the culture. And it is through this “for us, by us” model that we will get people to shake this association from Sean Combs and make it about the people who are building the culture today.
Are you planning to continue REVOLT’s events business as well as the television and podcasting initiatives?
Last year’s REVOLT WORLD summit was just the pilot and it took off like a rocket ship: 30,000 people [in attendance] during three days. Now we’re moving ahead with our vision and strategies clear. We haven’t announced this year’s REVOLT WORLD yet, but it will be in September. Last year’s was sponsored by Walmart, Pepsi, McDonald’s and other brands who have continued to stand by us through all of this.
The other piece is about this new era of media. Gone are the days where there’s a single-lane media company, where you can only be cable, only be a podcast, or only be live events. We believe we have this special model where we are able to be fast, efficient and effective, partner with the dopest creators in the culture, shoot once and be able to deliver that in whatever format — cable, streaming, podcast, live events — that our audience wants to consume it: Spotify, Apple, all cable, CTV, YouTube, so be it. It’s imperative that we reach our audience wherever they live and breathe. You name it, we’re going to be there.
What is REVOLT valued at and is it profitable?
I can’t tell you the valuation. But REVOLT has been profitable since at least 2018. I took over [as CEO] in the COVID year, 2020. If you compare the numbers we finished in 2020 to the numbers we finished in 2023, EBITDA is up 3.5x. If you want to compare advertising numbers, those are up six times. The business is healthy, the business is sound. That’s why we’re ready to make this next run.
Are there plans to continue to shop REVOLT in the future, or is this the ownership structure you guys are committed to now?
I am 100% committed to this new ownership structure. I’m big about the history and the history of America says that Black people have been responsible for building trillion-dollar industries in this country, whether we’re talking about the cotton and tobacco industries or now hip-hop. But they’ve never been able to fully reap from the economics that their hard work and genius have built. Black and brown people deserve to benefit from the economics that their genius creates.
A second thing also underscores my commitment and why this announcement is so important and historic. Usually when you run into these kinds of situations, the companies reflect what I consider the old America majority: white people. Marginalized groups barely get a benefit when these types of things take off. But with REVOLT, you’re talking about a company that’s majority Black and 50% women. So when we make this run to become the next Black unicorn, when we hit that billion-dollar valuation, those people who have historically been left out of the wealth-building opportunities in America will be left out no more. So for those reasons, I’m committed. Does that mean that we won’t have to take back equity in order to raise capital to make that run to that billion-dollar number? No. But what it means is our employees will always have a share and ownership in this company that they’re creating.
With the ownership situation behind you, what are you looking forward to next?
I’m most excited about the bunch of coming announcements that I’m sitting on right now and can’t wait to roll out. For now, people can see that we’ve started to sow some seeds, like launching REVOLT Sports. People may think we’ve been a little quieter than usual. And in full transparency, we have been: the only hit show we have running at this time is Drink Champs on YouTube. But they’re about to find out really quickly that REVOLT is about to get real loud real fast. So ask me this question in December, and I’m sure I’ll have plenty to talk about.
Revolt announced on Tuesday (June 4) that its employees will become the company’s largest group of shareholders.
The announcement follows a report in March that Sean “Diddy” Combs, who founded the company in 2013, sold his shares to an anonymous buyer. Combs is facing multiple sexual abuse lawsuits, with two more complaints filed against him in May; he has denied any wrongdoing.
In a statement on Tuesday, Revolt CEO Detavio Samuels said “we succeed because we have a dedicated team who has been committed to advancing our purpose, our community, and our culture every single day.”
“Without question, they deserve participation in our growth,” he added, “and I could not be more honored to continue on this journey with them, leveraging our collective strength, pushing boundaries, and achieving new heights together.”
Speaking to The New York Times, Samuels also noted that “One-hundred percent of Sean Combs’s shares have been redeemed and retired” and “we have completely separated and dissociated from each other.”
Combs stepped down as the chairman of the Revolt board in November, not long after he was accused of sexual and physical abuse by his former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, who performs as Cassie. (The suit was settled a day later.) Earlier this year, Combs’ Miami and Los Angeles homes were raided by federal agents, part of what Homeland Security described as “an ongoing investigation.”
Samuels told The Hollywood Reporter that Revolt has been unaffected by the allegations against its founder. “Since [his departure], there’s been no interaction or anything in terms of leading or driving the brand,” he said in March. “We lost no clients, we lost no employees, we didn’t lose a dollar. Q4 was the largest quarter in the history of Revolt, and 2023 was the best advertising year we’ve had in the history of Revolt. In all ways it was record-breaking, even in the middle of a crisis.”
It’s become more common for new media companies to offer employees a stake in their success. Publications like Defector, Hell Gate, and 404 Media are worker-owned. The start-up Puck also offers employees “a small ownership stake in the company,” according to The New York Times.
Legendary music attorney John Branca has made a $5 million gift to Los Angeles’ Occidental College that will establish the John Branca Institute for Music at the school, it was announced Tuesday (June 4).
David Kasunic, associate professor of music at Occidental, will serve as inaugural director at the institute, a music teaching and learning facility based at the university. The donation will allow Occidental to expand its music department, with a larger focus on contemporary music and enhancement of the school’s music business curriculum, as well as the addition of cutting-edge technology and sound production facilities. Peter Grueneisen of nonzero architecture has been hired to renovate the music department’s facilities.
The institute will also work with community colleges, particularly Los Angeles City College, to establish a direct pathway to increase transfer opportunities for students from diverse backgrounds who are interested in studying music at Occidental. It will additionally develop special programming and joint research activities in conjunction with the Harvard Negotiation Project based at Harvard Law School and directed by Harvard Business School professor Jim Sebenius.
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Occidental is a four-time honoree on Billboard‘s annual list of the top music business schools in the United States.
“Occidental College has a diverse student body and provides the most personalized undergraduate education in Los Angeles,” said Branca, who graduated from the College cum laude and with honors as a political science major in 1972, in a statement. “As a trustee and alumnus, I am proud of the College’s mission and academic excellence.”
Other notable Occidental alumni include President Barack Obama (1983) and former Warner Music Group CEO Stephen Cooper (1968).
“John is a giant in the music business and he is a true believer in the kind of personalized teaching and learning that can only happen at a small liberal arts college,” Occidental College president Harry Elam added in a statement. “John’s gift, coupled with the state-of-the-art music production facilities we already have in place, will make Occidental a truly exceptional place to study music. We are so grateful to John for his generosity and vision in supporting the John Branca Institute for Music Education.”
Over a decades-long career, Branca’s clients have included Aerosmith, The Beach Boys, the Beatles catalog, Dr. Dre, Fleetwood Mac and Berry Gordy; he currently co-manages the Michael Jackson estate. He has been an Occidental trustee since 2003 and is a founding member of the Barack Obama Scholars Program Advisory Council at the school. In 1998, a gift from Branca that went toward the renovation and expansion of Occidental’s Johnson Student Center led to the naming of the Branca Family Patio in honor of Branca’s parents. Additional educational donations made by Branca have led to the creation of the Branca Family Field at UCLA’s Jackie Robinson Stadium, the Branca Baseball Facility at NYU and the Branca Recruiting Patio for UCLA Basketball.
As Canadian Music Week kicks off its 42nd anniversary, the festival and conference is undergoing a big change.
The major music event, which brings artists and industry to Toronto every year for a week of performances and panels, is changing hands. Festival founder and president Neill Dixon announced his retirement today (June 3) at the welcoming address for the CMW conference, with Toronto mayor Olivia Chow in attendance.
The festival has been acquired by Toronto-based Loft Entertainment and American hospitality and sports company Oak View Group, who plan to expand its offerings while maintaining Dixon’s vision.
Recently named one of Billboard Canada’s Power Players, Dixon was on hand at the June 2 inaugural Power Players event, presenting Gary Slaight with the Power Players Impact Award as his final public appearance before announcing retirement.
Under his leadership, CMW has grown into a major hub for industry events, hosting the Live Music Industry Awards, The Indies awards, Jim Beam National Talent Search, Radiodays North America and more.
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“It has been an incredible journey to see Canadian Music Week grow from a small gathering of music lovers to one of the most influential music festivals and conferences in the world,” Dixon says.
Loft Entertainment and Oak View Group (OVG) will keep the event’s headquarters in Toronto, as they look ahead to its future. Loft is a new venture from industry titan Randy Lennox, former Universal Music Canada CEO and Bell Media President, launched in 2023.
The creative services company’s partnership with OVG on the acquisition boosts the latter’s expansion into Canada. OVG already has partnerships with Canadian sports organizations Canada Basketball and Great Canadian Gaming, and is currently leading a major renovation of Hamilton’s FirstOntario Centre. (It was also recently entangled in the U.S. Department of Justice’s antitrust complaint against Live Nation).
With an American partner on board, it seems likely Canadian Music Week will look to grow its international footprint, while remaining a home for Canadian music activity. Details for the 2025 edition, the first under the new ownership, are coming soon.
CMW is on now, until June 8. Find festival and conference programming on the event website.
This article was originally published by Billboard Canada.
MNRK Music Group president/CEO Chris Taylor is resigning from his post effective June 28, the company announced Monday (June 3). Taylor, who will be succeeded by COO Sean Stevenson, is taking the company’s artist management division with him.
Based in New York, Stevenson will begin leading MNRK on July 1. He was promoted to COO in July 2022 after previously serving as executive vp/GM.
“We wish Chris the best in his future endeavors,” said Stevenson in a statement. “He’s been a great leader and partner over the years, and I look forward to continuing the growth of MNRK with the whole team.”
MNRK’s artist management roster currently includes Powfu, Lights, The Afghan Whigs, Diana Gordon Arkells, Delilah Montagu, Daniel Lanois, Alice Ivy, Robert Finley, The Wild Feathers and Great Good Fine Ok, among other acts.
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Taylor joined MNRK, at the time called Entertainment One (eOne), in 2016 to run the music division. As part of the eOne team, he was involved in overall strategy and the company’s sale to Hasbro in 2020 for $4 billion. In 2021, Hasbro sold the music division to Blackstone for a reported $385 million and eOne Music was renamed MNRK Music Group.
Taylor has been named to Billboard‘s Indie Power Players list multiple times.
MNRK’s artist roster includes High on Fire, Underoath, Ace Frehley, Kash Doll, Fox Lake and Pop Evil; it also distributes the Dualtone Music Group and Last Gang imprints. On the publishing side, it boasts deals with such songwriters as Lauren Faith, Destiny Rogers and 9am. According to a press release, the company’s publishing catalog includes 54,000 music tracks.
Global investment giant Blackstone said on Monday it would pay a penny more to take over Hipgnosis Songs Fund (HSF), the London-listed company that owns Red Hot Chili Peppers’ catalog, because in a revised takeover plan disclosed Monday it is paying less in advisory fees. In a joint announcement, Blackstone and HSF’s board of directors said they approved the offer […]
Live Nation’s share price has proven to be resilient following the U.S. Department of Justice’s lawsuit and effort to break up the company’s concert promotion and ticketing operations. Eight days into what is likely to be a multi-year journey through the court system, shares of Live Nation dropped 2.3% to $93.74 and have held steady after an initial drop the day of the DOJ’s announcement.
Live Nation shares closed at $101.40 on May 22, the day before the DOJ announced its lawsuit, and dropped 7.8% to $93.48 when the news broke the following day. Since the announcement, however, Live Nation shares are up 0.3%. Still, amidst the uncertainty surrounding the outcome of the lawsuit, Live Nation’s year-to-date gain has been pared to just 0.1%, while its 52-week gain has been reduced to 13.2%.
Regardless of the outcome, the mere existence of a protracted legal battle is enough to exert a drag on the stock. In lowering their price target for Live Nation to $116 from $126 this week, J.P. Morgan analysts said in a Wednesday (May 29) note to investors they doubt the DOJ will succeed in breaking up the company and its Ticketmaster ticketing arm, but noted the effect of a “sentiment overhang.” J.P. Morgan maintains its “overweight” rating on Live Nation and analysts “believe that continued execution on [adjusted operating income] growth should drive shares higher, with significant valuation upside should developments in the lawsuit break positive.”
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Music stocks were broadly down this week as the biggest companies in the Billboard Global Music Index lost ground. The index fell 2.3% to 1,799.07 as Spotify fell 3.8% to $296.53, Universal Music Group dropped 0.9% to 28.58 euros ($31.03), Warner Music Group sank 2.2% to $29.78 and HYBE dipped 0.2% to 200,000 won ($144.60). Ten of the 20 companies in the index were losers this week, nine gained ground and one was unchanged.
The index has gained 17.9% year-to-date on the strength of music streaming companies. Tencent Music Entertainment and Spotify lead all stocks with gains of 60.4% and 57.8%, respectively, through the end of May. Elsewhere, Hipgnosis Songs Fund has gained 39.7% due to the company’s pending sale to Blackstone, German concert promoter CTS Eventim is up 26.8% and Chinese music streamer Cloud Music has gained 22.7%.
Radio company iHeartMedia has the distinction of being the top-performing music stock of the week while carrying the worst year-to-date performance. Shares of the radio giant rose 6.4% to $0.926, marking a respite from a month-long free fall during which the stock has traded below $1.00 per share over the last seven trading days. Even after this week’s gain, iHeartMedia finished the month of May down 56% and has lost 65.3% year to date.
Reservoir Media shares gained 2.4% to $8.04 this week following the company’s fiscal fourth-quarter earnings release on Thursday (May 30). The company beat guidance for both revenue and adjusted EBITDA and its share price rose as much as 15.5% in the wake of the news. Following the earnings results, B Riley raised its price target for Reservoir to $11.50.
Music streaming company LiveOne fell 6.3% to $1.65 this week after fiscal year results on Thursday showed the company’s revenue grew 19% to $118.4 million. LiveOne shares are up 17.9% year to date.
Overall stocks were broadly down this week but performed better than the Billboard Global Music Index. In the United States, the S&P 500 dropped 0.5% to 5,277.51 and the Nasdaq composite fell 1.1% to 16,735.02. In the United Kingdom, the FTSE 100 fell 0.5% to 8,275.38. South Korea’s KOSPI composite index sank 1.9% to 2,636.52. China’s Shanghai Composite Index declined just 0.1% to 3,086.81.
When it comes to music, Canada punches above its weight. Artists like Drake, The Weeknd, Justin Bieber and Alanis Morissette have spent the last few decades among the biggest in the world – a feat for a country that pales in population to its neighbour down south. In boardrooms, too, Canadians are well represented in positions of influence.
That’s evident in Billboard Canada’s 2024 Power Players list, the first expansion of the Power Players and Power 100 to Canada. The list features music executives who are working on the world’s biggest tours, managing the industry’s most valuable song catalogues, and breaking artists from all over the world.
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One of the country’s biggest strengths when it comes to music is cultural fluency and a seemingly innate ability to globalize. As Punjabi music, K-pop, Latin music, Afrobeats and more global genres become ever more popular, Canadians are ready to both export talent across borders and capitalize on trends others might not even know about yet.
This year’s set of submissions and nominations were extremely competitive. The Power Players list recognizes achievements across the board but highly prizes impact in Canada and breakthroughs by Canadians on the international and world stage, especially those that can be clearly measured and substantiated.
The Leaderboard features executives from Live Nation, Warner Music Canada, Reservoir Media and more. Find the whole list here.
Canada’s No. 1 Power Player: Arthur Fogel
The industry icon behind many of the biggest world tours of the last year started out at a punk venue in Toronto.
Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour topped Billboard’s 2023 Boxscore list as the highest-grossing tour of the year and one of the biggest of all time. U2’s opening residency at The Sphere in Las Vegas redefined big-stage sound-and-vision spectacle and became the fastest-grossing residency in Boxscore history. And Madonna culminated her career-spanning Celebration Tour with a massive, record-setting concert on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, attended by more than 1.6 million people.
Arthur Fogel was instrumental in all of them.
Fogel is the Chairman of Global Music & President of Global Touring CEO of Global Touring at Live Nation. He’s stationed at the company’s Los Angeles headquarters, but he’s one of several high-powered Canadian executives in their boardroom. Michael Rapino, Live Nation’s President and CEO, is also from Canada.
And, Fogel notices, like they are on big stages, Canadians are overrepresented in some of the most important positions in the music industry.
“I don’t think the Canadian industry gets enough credit on any number of levels. If you look at the artists that have come out of Canada over a number of years and generations, it’s pretty incredible how much talent that has come out of a country this size,” Fogel says. “The same holds true for the business side.”
Read a wide-ranging Q&A with Fogel in Billboard Canada’s latest digital cover story.
Shortlist Announced for the Billboard Canada Non-Performing Songwriter Award
Five impressive songwriters have been shortlisted for the inaugural Billboard Canada Non-Performing Songwriter Award, presented by SOCAN.
These songwriters each had a banner year in 2023, penning memorable songs with indelible melodies that garnered Grammy nominations, top chart placements, and millions of streams.
They are recognized for their work as songwriters for other artists, making an impact from behind the scenes – a first for an award of this kind in Canada.
Here are the nominees, with the winner being announced at Billboard Canada’s Power Players event on June 2 at the CN Tower:
Elizabeth Lowell Boland
Lowell is a singer, songwriter and producer known for her collaborations with Madison Beer, Charli XCX, Tate McRae, Charlie Puth, Lennon Stella, Hailee Steinfeld, bülow, Lu Kala and many more. With two songs on Beyoncé’s critically acclaimed new album – the international smash “Texas Hold’em” and upcoming single “Bodyguard” – Lowell has become a trusted collaborator for the legendary artist. She also wrote “Blame Brett,” the breakout hit for Toronto band The Beaches.
Aaron Paris
Aaron Paris is a songwriter, record producer and composer from Toronto. Having worked with artists including Ariana Grande, Kanye West, Drake, DJ Khaled, Russ, PARTYNEXTDOOR, Kali Uchis, NAV, Charlotte Cardin and more, Aaron has built a strong international reputation as a musical composer and collaborator. In 2023, Aaron co-wrote over 70 major artist releases and received five Juno nominations and 2 Grammy nominations for songs he co-wrote.
Tobias Jesso Jr.
Tobias Jesso Jr. is a North Vancouver-born, L.A.-based songwriter and two-time Grammy-winner. In 2023, he earned the first-ever Grammy Award for Songwriter of The Year for his work on releases by Harry Styles, Adele, FKA Twigs, Orville Peck, King Princess, Diplo and Omar Apollo in addition to taking home Album of The Year for his contributions to Harry Styles’ Harry’s House. He was also a major contributor on Dua Lipa’s most recent album Radical Optimism co-writing on multiple tracks including the big single, “Houdini.”
Jeremy Fedryk
Jeremy Fedryk – a.k.a. Sarcastic Sounds – spent much of 2023 immersing himself in the budding folk-pop scene. The year was highlighted by his writing contribution to David Kushner’s international smash “Daylight,” which accumulated over 1 billion Spotify streams and reached multi-platinum status in every major market. His success continued with the release of Chance Pena’s “I am not who I was,” which has amassed over 170 million Spotify streams and reached the top 20 of Billboard’s alternative chart.
Ali Willa Milner
Fresh off a Grammy nomination for her work with The Knocks and Dragonette, Ali Willa Milner found herself part of six Juno nominations for her work in 2023. Her writing led to nominations with Rêve, Katie Tupper, and multiple nominations for Aysanabee who won two, including Songwriter Of The Year.
It’s time to drop the needle on another Executive Turntable, Billboard’s comprehensive(ish) compendium of promotions, hirings, exits and firings — and all things in between — across music. We also have an interview series spotlighting a single executive each week and a regularly updated gallery honoring many of the industry figures we’ve lost throughout the year.
Denise Stevens joined Pierson Ferdinand (aka PierFerd) as partner and co-chair of the firm’s global media, entertainment and sports practice. Based in Nashville and Los Angeles, Stevens’ expertise is in talent, creative and tech across music, publishing, touring and other fields. She was previously a partner at Loeb & Loeb and this year made Billboard‘s list of top music lawyers. Earlier this century, she authored the bill that ultimately became the Songwriters Capital Gains Tax Equity Act, which was signed into law in 2006, and she regularly offers counsel and assistance to songwriters and their heirs on copyright recapture issues. “I have known Denise essentially my entire career, having been on the opposite side of deals from her from time-to-time for more than two decades,” said Steven S. Sidman, co-chair of PierFerd’s Global Media, Entertainment & Sports practice. “I much prefer being on the same team as her, and I am delighted to finally work alongside Denise as one of the co-leaders of our group.”
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Alex Machurov joined the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) as head of business development, effectively immediately. At his new job, Machurov oversees the indie label trade body’s strategic partnerships and develops sponsorship opportunities for the org’s tentpole events such as the Indie Week Conference and the Libera Awards. The live events veteran arrives from Tandem, a digital charity fundraising platform he co-founded in 2020. He was previously chief revenue officer at Revolution Marketing and a vp of national event partnerships at iHeartMedia, but he spent the bulk of the last couple decades at Superfly, where he clocked 10 years overseeing brand partnerships and activations at Bonnaroo, Outside Lands and other festivals. “Alex’s expertise and his passion for the independent music community will enrich our current activities and steer A2IM to more expansive opportunities,” said Richard James Burgess, CEO of A2IM. “We welcome his vast network of connections and the knowledge he brings to the independent sector.” Feel free to contact Alex@a2im.org.
Warner Chappell Music UK promoted Andrew Howell to vice president of sync at the publisher, effective June 1. He’ll continue reporting to Rich Robinson, evp and global head of sync, and Shani Gonzales, managing director of WCM UK and head of international A&R. Howell joined Warner Music in 2016 following career stops at both Universal Music and Sony Music. While at WCM UK, his team has landed several branding campaigns and connected multiple placements in games, films and television, including The Crown, Space Ape and Saltburn. Howell and company also run a monthly sync writing sessions in Warner Chappell’s London studios. “Andrew’s collaborative spirit has helped him build relationships with the songwriters and clients who place their trust in him,” said Gonzales. “He has an encyclopaedic knowledge of our songbook and an unrivalled instinct as to what placements will work. He’s also an amazing mentor to his team, so this is A very well-deserved promotion.”
Anthony Martini and Rich Barner teamed up to launch the Nashville-based label and management firm Gravel Road. The venture’s roster includes Compton Cowboys, Randy Savvy, Justbrandon, and producer Scattered Brains (Jelly Roll, Struggle Jennings). Over the years, Martini has worked with clients including TYGA, Jelly Roll, Killer Mike, and Lil Dicky. Under Martini’s previous label, Commission Records, Lil Dicky’s album Professional Rapper debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s rap albums chart. Most recently, Martini served as CEO of Royalty Exchange. Serial entrepreneur Barner’s film company Global Pictures Media has worked with actors including Robert DeNiro, while his fragrance company was recently honored by the New You Awards for ASH by Ashley Benson. –Jessica Nicholson
Venue management giant ASM Global welcomed Andy Gorchov as the new general manager of Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Gorchov will be tasked with overseeing day-to-day operations, management and promotion at the 65,000-capacity venue, the climate-controlled home of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders. Gorchov’s decades of ginormous stadium experience includes time as general manager of Empower Field at Mile High, home of the Denver Broncos, and he also led State Farm Stadium in Arizona, home of the Cardinals. “ASM Global has been a trusted partner of the Raiders for years, and we are confident under Andy’s care that Allegiant Stadium will remain one of the greatest sports and entertainment venues in the country,” said Sandra Douglass Morgan, president of the Raiders.
Romeo Entertainment Group, which books talent at fairs and festivals across 35 states, promoted three of its staffers and hired six more at the 70-year-old Nashville family business. Promotions at REG include Adriana “Dri” Valadez, Taylor Williamson and Carly Dibble — all upped to talent buyer/event producer. New hires at the firm include Scott Kernahan as a tb/ep, Briannon “Bree” Griffin as executive assistant to company leaders R.J. and Michelle Romeo, and Chloe Dubrovay, Ali J. Stinehour, Alexandra “Alex” Hargiss and Grayce Keefer as event coordinators. “These promotions and new hires reflect our ongoing commitment to growth and excellence,” said R.J. Romeo, president. “As we celebrate these achievements, we are reminded of the legacy of innovation and leadership instilled by my grandfather, Don Romeo, and we continue to build on this foundation with a forward-thinking approach.”
Nashville-based worship label Integrity Music and its parent organization, David C. Cook, have named Blaine Barcus as president of the imprint, taking the helm from Jonathan Brown, who will become chief global officer. Barcus most recently served as senior vp of A&R at Provident Entertainment, and has held leadership roles at Word Entertainment/Warner Music Group and Creative Trust. Along the way, he’s worked with artists including Zach Williams, Third Day, Steven Curtis Chapman, Matthew West and recent breakout artists Ben Fuller and Seph Schlueter. –JN
ICYMI:
Patch Culbertson
A Seoul court barred K-pop company HYBE from dismissing Min Hee-jin as CEO of its ADOR subsidiary label … Big Loud Records elevated Patch Culbertson to executive vp and general manager … Amy Homma, Jennifer Davidson, Jenny Galante and Matt Severson were promoted at the Motion Picture Academy … and run-don’t-walk to our annual 40 Under 40 list of the music business’ top young leaders.
Last Week’s Turntable: LOCASH Label Staffs Up