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Spotify is asking users to take another hike, raising premium subscription prices in the United States for a second consecutive year. Starting in July, Spotify’s premium individual plan in the U.S. will increase a dollar to $11.99 a month and the duo plan will jump a buck to $16.99 a month, while the family plan will leap-frog $3 to $19.99 a month. The student plan will remain $5.99 a month.
“On Spotify, users discover and enjoy music, podcasts, and audiobooks,” the company said in its announcement on Monday (June 3). “So that we can continue to invest in and innovate on our product features and bring users the best experience, we occasionally update our prices.”
In July 2023, the company enacted similar increases though the family plan was raised just a dollar from $15.99 to $16.99. Last year’s bump in its individual subscription price was a change of pace for Spotify after holding steady at $9.99 in the U.S. for a dozen years. For most of its existence, the company focused on rapid subscription growth over profits, though the mood has since shifted, with major labels and others welcoming price hikes as streaming’s importance to their bottom lines continues to increase.
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How important? In the U.S, subscriptions accounted for 59.3% of total recorded music revenues in 2023, up from 57.8% in 2022. Globally, subs accounted for 48.9% of recorded music revenue in 2023, according to the IFPI, up from 48.3% in 2022.
Label leaders are open about wanting higher subscription prices. In early May, Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl called for “further increases” to subscription prices to “ensure that the value that music provides to these platforms is properly recognized,” and Sony Music Entertainment CEO Rob Stringer recently called on streaming services with ad-supported tiers — ie, Spotify — to start charging a “modest fee.”
In April, Bloomberg reported that Spotify would raise its prices in select markets, including the U.K. and Australia, and that the U.S. would soon follow. Spotify’s willingness to raise prices in consecutive years pleased investors, and shares jumped 17.6% that week. Today’s announcement that it would again raise fees in its largest market has Spotify’s stock up nearly 6% in pre-market trading.
The price increase comes at the end of a “period of relative peace” between Spotify and music publishers following the former’s decision to pay the latter — and songwriters — a discounted rate for streams on several tiers. Spotify reasoned that by adding audiobooks to premium offerings like individual, duo and family plans, these subscriptions are now “bundles,” a type of plan that qualifies for a discounted rate on U.S. mechanical royalties given that multiple products are offered under one price. According to Billboard estimates, that change will mean publishers and writers will earn about $150 million less in royalties over the course of its first bundled year.
In response, the NMPA sent the company a cease and desist for alleged unlicensed content and the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) filed a lawsuit explicitly about the bundling. In addition, the Recording Academy, Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP), Nashville Songwriters’ Association International (NSAI) and more have made statements against the change.
Earlier this week, hackers on a “dark web” site claimed to have stolen data from hundreds of millions of Ticketmaster user accounts — but a source with knowledge of the investigation into the attack says there is no evidence that Ticketmaster fan accounts were compromised or that private user data was stolen.
Officials at Ticketmaster’s parent company, Live Nation, acknowledged a breach Friday (May 31) in a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing, noting it had identified “unauthorized activity within a third-party cloud database environment containing Company data (primarily from its Ticketmaster L.L.C. subsidiary) and launched an investigation with industry-leading forensic investigators to understand what happened.”
The statement noted that the company was “cooperating with law enforcement” and that “as of the date of this filing, the incident has not had, and we do not believe it is reasonably likely to have, a material impact on our overall business operations or on our financial condition or results of operations.”
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According to the source, federal authorities are currently working to understand how a “dark web” site seized by the federal government was recaptured on Monday (May 27) by hackers with the group ShinyHunters and used to ransom 1.3 terabytes of private data allegedly stolen from Ticketmaster for $500,000. Investigators aren’t sure what, if any, Ticketmaster files are being held in the 1.3 terabyte file, the source adds.
The hack, the source tells Billboard, did not involve a breach of the core Ticketmaster system. Rather, company officials are looking at cloud hosting service Snowflake as a possible site of the hack. A hacker claiming to be involved in the attack told the website Bleeping Computer that they had breached Santander Bank and Ticketmaster after hacking into an employee’s account at Snowflake, which provides cloud hosting services for major companies. According to that report, Snowflake is disputing the claim. Billboard independently confirmed that Ticketmaster uses Snowflake’s cloud hosting service.
When reached for comment, Live Nation directed Billboard back to the SEC filing. Snowflake did not respond to a request for comment by press time.
Australian ticketing firm Ticketek also reported Friday that it had fallen victim to hackers, notifying customers that the names of some of its users, as well as their dates of birth and email addresses, may have been accessed in a data breach. In a statement on its site, Ticketet said the user information had been stored in a cloud-based platform hosted by a “reputable, global third-party supplier”.
“Ticketek has secure encryption methods in place for all passwords and no Ticketek customer account has been compromised,” company officials said in a statement. “Additionally, Ticketek utilises secure encryption methods for online payments and uses a separate system to process online payments, which has not been impacted. Ticketek does not hold identity documents for its customers.”
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.
This week, Sony Music Entertainment CEO Rob Stringer called on streaming companies to charge a “modest fee” for ad-supported streaming. “This would help develop this segment of the streaming business to be more than just a marketing funnel for paid subscription and still be a tremendous value for users,” he said during parent company Sony’s business segment presentations on Thursday.
Stringer’s comments didn’t come as a surprise. In March, after the RIAA released a report on the U.S. recorded music market in 2023, Billboard asked if record labels had become too reliant on subscription services for their revenues. With consumers proving willing to pay for rising prices, free streaming options aren’t producing the royalties to match their popularity.
Now, there’s evidence that subscriptions could become even more important for record labels, music publishers and creators.
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This month, Spotify levied additional price increases in the United Kingdom and Australia on top of a global price hike in July 2023. An individual plan now costs 11.99 pounds in the United Kingdom, up from 10.99 pounds, while a family plan was raised to 19.99 pounds from 17.99 pounds. Spotify has not announced a second wave of price increases in the United States and other major markets, but it’s reasonable to assume the United Kingdom and Australia won’t be alone.
The major labels have welcomed these price hikes as streaming’s importance to their bottom lines continues to increase. In the United States, subscriptions accounted for 59.3% of total recorded music revenues in 2023, up from 57.8% in 2022. Globally, subscriptions accounted for 48.9% of recorded music revenue in 2023, according to the IFPI, up from 48.3% in 2022.
Spotify and other platforms could soon offer a high-priced tier for superfans that would make subscriptions an even more valuable component of the music industry. Spotify first mentioned the possibility of “superfan clubs” in an online post in January. The next month, CEO Daniel Ek listed “superfan things” — as well as audiobook sales — among the products Spotify could offer if Apple did not take a 30% cut of in-app purchases.
In April, Michael Nash, Universal Music Group (UMG) executive vp of digital strategy, said during the company’s earnings call that internal research suggests 10% to 20% of subscribers would be willing to pay extra for a “super premium” tier. Nash wasn’t just thinking out loud: Given how carefully public companies choose their words, it stands to reason that he and other UMG executives are encouraging streaming companies to explore ways to offer an elevated service at a higher price.
Recent subscription price increases could be just the beginning of the sort of regular, ongoing price appreciation already seen in the video streaming market. Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl said on the company’s May 9 earnings that call that it “will continue to advocate for further increases” and “ensure that the value that music provides to these platforms is properly recognized.” Reservoir Media CEO Golnar Khosrowshahi said during the company’s earnings call on Thursday (May 30) the company expects “a regular cadence of price increases” from streaming services.
Subscription price appreciation has put free streaming in a poor light, however. As streaming services have been raising prices, a weak advertising market has made free streaming even less valuable. Free streaming isn’t without value — it provides an opportunity to convert listeners into paid subscribers, just as marketing campaigns do. But labels clearly aren’t content with free streaming acting as a means to attract subscribers.
Goldman Sachs actually beat Stringer to the idea of charging for ad-supported music streaming. In the latest Music in the Air report released in early May, its analysts recommended an “advertising light tier for a small charge” as one way of evolving the ad-supported marketplace and floated the idea of using “content or feature restrictions” to make free, ad-supported streaming tiers a less attractive option, thereby pushing free users to a paid tier.
Concerns about free streaming carry over to short-form video platforms such as TikTok. While TikTok is a powerful promotional vehicle, the royalties it generates for rights holders and creators isn’t commensurate with the time people spend on the app. As Stringer said this week, short-form video platforms “are primary consumption sources and they need to be valued accordingly.”
Free options have their place in the marketplace. After all, not everybody is willing or able to pay for a premium service. Mass market products like broadcast radio exist because they are free to the end user. But free music could come under pressure in the coming years. And between additional price increases and possible superfan tiers, combined with overall weakness in ad-supported streaming, subscriptions are poised to command an even larger share of the industry.
Tucker Wetmore has inked a record deal with UMG Nashville, in partnership with Back Blocks Music. Wetmore is managed by Back Blocks Music and is signed to WME for global booking representation.
Earlier this year, Wetmore broke through with the hits “Wine into Whiskey” and “Wind Up Missin’ You.” “Wine Into Whiskey” earned Wetmore his Billboard Hot 100 debut in March, while both songs reached the top 20 on Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs chart.
He follows with his latest release “What Would You Do?” while “Wind Up Missin’ You” will go to country radio with an impact date of June 10, via EMI Records Nashville.
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“Before I moved to Nashville, I sat down and made a list of goals for myself,” Wetmore said in a statement. “And for the last four years, I have been working toward them every single day. Today I have checked off one of the biggest I set for myself… signing a record deal. My new family at UMG Nashville checked all of my boxes. The drive, dedication, love and respect we all have for each other outside of music is the real reason why I’m so proud to now call them partners, along with my team at Back Blocks Music. With the fire that has already been started, I couldn’t pick better people to pour gasoline on it. I couldn’t be more excited and confident about this next chapter in my career. I love you all, thank you for continuing to make my dreams come true. God is so good.”
“The world has only seen a glimpse of what Tucker is going to do for country music,” UMG Nashville Chair & CEO, Cindy Mabe, said in a statement. “His strong connection to his purpose shines a light on what has helped build him: his family, his faith, his team and his fans. Representing country music from the Pacific Northwest, Tucker’s distinctive sound, soulful lyrics and his instantly likable personality bring the perfect ingredients to nurture and grow a lasting career. UMG Nashville is so honored to work with Tucker, Rakiyah and Back Blocks Music in building the next era of country music history.”“I’m honored to continue working with Tucker as he expands his team with the brilliant minds at UMG,” shared Back Blocks Music founder/CEO Rakiyah Marshall. “What Tucker and our Back Blocks team have built together in less than three years has been incredible, but it’s just the beginning. I am blown away by the character, talent and work ethic that make up who Tucker is as an artist and human, and am so thankful to be on this ride with the newest UMG Nashville artist.”
Wetmore, who was named Billboard‘s Country Rookie of the Month for May, recently opened shows for Kameron Marlowe‘s Strangers Tour and is set to join Luke Bryan‘s Farm Tour in September. Wetmore also has two songs featured on the soundtrack to the movie Twisters, including “Already Had It” and “Steal My Thunder” (with Conner Smith).
AEG CEO Jay Marciano says Live Nation acts like a monopoly and agrees with the U.S. Department of Justice’s effort to break the concert giant and Ticketmaster up, according to an email Marciano sent out to employees on Friday (May 31). In the memo, the executive accuses the company of “preventing other businesses from competing” and “leaving consumers to suffer the consequences.”
In the two-page email, Marciano said the lawsuit was an important milestone for addressing alleged monopolistic behavior in the concert business, noting “the entire ecosystem of our industry” is at stake as the case winds its way through the U.S. legal system.
“Notwithstanding its claims about its profit margins or its market share, it is a monopoly, and it uses its monopoly power to impose its will on the live entertainment business,” wrote Marciano of Live Nation, later writing, “We strongly believe that DOJ’s lawsuit will succeed and ultimately bring sweeping changes.”
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Billboard obtained a copy of the email, which can be read in full below. An AEG spokesman did not respond to a request for comment regarding the letter. Live Nation had not responded to a request for comment at press time.
From: Office of Jay Marciano
No doubt all of you are closely following the ongoing media coverage in the wake of the Department of Justice lawsuit against Live Nation and Ticketmaster. As I mentioned in my note from last week, we spent the last few days carefully reviewing the DOJ filing, as well as Live Nation’s subsequent response to the complaint.
AEG has long maintained that Ticketmaster has a monopoly in the U.S. ticketing marketplace and uses that monopoly power to subsidize Live Nation’s content businesses, preventing other businesses from competing in those areas and leaving consumers to suffer the consequences. This lawsuit is not simply DOJ suing to break up a monopoly; at stake is the entire ecosystem of our industry, one that has long suffered from a badly broken ticketing model. As you know, the cornerstone of Live Nation’s monopoly is Ticketmaster’s exclusive ticketing contracts with the vast majority of major concert venues in the United States. These agreements block competition and innovation and result in higher ticketing fees, denying artists the ability to choose who will ticket their shows and how much their fans should pay.
Following the DOJ filing, Live Nation issued several public comments in service of its ongoing strategy to maintain its dominance – unfairly blaming others for industry problems they have created, making false and misleading statements, and dismissing the significance of the case. Artists, venues, and brokers are not responsible for the broken live entertainment business model in this country – that responsibility lies with Live Nation. Notwithstanding its claims about its profit margins or its market share, it is a monopoly, and it uses its monopoly power to impose its will on the live entertainment business. Live Nation may claim that its margins on promotion are low, but that’s only because it deploys the excessive profits of its ticketing monopoly to outspend what the concert market can profitably sustain. Live Nation does this with the goal of removing competitors from the business and in turn using its continued control of content to preserve a stranglehold on ticketing through venue exclusives.
The DOJ’s case is serious and reflects widespread sentiment among 30 attorneys general from across the country, numerous media outlets, industry commentators, consumer groups, and antitrust experts that Live Nation’s conduct violates the law and harms competition and consumers. While it may take some time, we strongly believe that DOJ’s lawsuit will succeed and ultimately bring sweeping changes resulting in increased competition and more innovation and choice that benefits fans, artists, and ourentire industry. DOJ’s lawsuit means that artists will have a choice in who tickets their concerts, that the ticketing fees consumers pay will be lower, and ultimately that artists and fans will have access to what we all want: more and higher quality live entertainment experiences at a price that fans can afford. We look forward to each and every one of you helping us lay the groundwork now for the future of the industry.
Let’s not get distracted by Live Nation spin. Instead, let’s stay focused on continuing to execute at the highest level, and preparing for a future state of the industry: a world with more competition, more innovation, artist and consumer choice, lower ticketing fees, and more music.Jay
Day After Day Productions (DADP) founder/CEO Seth Shomes announced the hire of respected music industry veteran Melanie Davis as head of touring, along with promotions for Marc Ertel to head of creative and Erin Patterson to head of marketing at the agency.
Davis brings a wealth of experience to DADP, having previously served as head of marketing for ICM Partners’ concert division (2013-2022). He held similar leadership roles at Azoff Music, Nederlander Concerts, Live Nation and Bill Graham Presents.
“One of the things I’m most proud of in my career is that I’ve had the opportunity to work with some really wonderful and groundbreaking members of the touring industry,” said Davis in a statement. “When I first started talking to Day After Day Productions, I knew right away that this was the best next opportunity for me, and I’m thrilled to join a growing, efficient, and hard-working team as part of one of the hottest new companies in the touring space.”
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Patterson and Ertel’s promotions help solidify DADP’s marketing prowess. Patterson’s expertise within the department will be crucial in overseeing all marketing initiatives while Ertel’s proven talent in cutting-edge web design, development, social media and digital marketing further strengthens DADP’s creative capabilities.
“Melanie’s experience and strategic vision will be invaluable as we continue to elevate the marketing efforts for our artists and live events,” said Shomes. “Additionally, Erin and Marc’s well-deserved promotions recognize their exceptional contributions to our clients and agency and ensure a cohesive and powerful marketing force.”
DADP’s client roster boasts Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Missy Elliott, Ludacris, Flo Rida, Bow Wow, The Queens of R&B featuring Xscape, An Evening of Icons featuring The Commodores, The Pointer Sisters, El DeBarge and The Spinners, Staind, Aaron Lewis, “Hollywood medium” Tyler Henry, 98 Degrees, Rob Thomas’ Sidewalk Angels Foundation, Wayne Newton, Engelbert Humperdinck and more.
Davis, Ertel, and Patterson will be supported by marketing coordinator Justin Scott-Young and DADP’s central services division.
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
When Bryan Martin’s “We Ride” entered the top 10 of Billboard’s Country Airplay chart two weeks ago, the raw, stripped-down tune became not only the Louisiana native’s first hit, but it also marked the first time in more than a dozen years that Martin’s label, Average Joes Entertainment, achieved a Top 10.
The song, which rises to No. 9 today (May 31), is Average Joes’ first Top 10 since duo Montgomery Gentry reached No. 8 in March 2012 with “Where I Come From.” That feat came the year after Average Joes’ current president, Forrest Latta, joined the label as a product manager, rising through the ranks to vp of A&R and now president. Founded in 2008 by country rapper Jason “Colt Ford” Brown and producer Shannon Houchins, who is the company’s CEO, Average Joes served as an early label home to such acts as Brantley Gilbert and LoCash, and also has a thriving film and television division, as well as publishing company.
Average Joes hired indie promotion team New Revolution to work “We Ride” to terrestrial radio stations. The radio push was part of a multi-tiered campaign that started more than a year and a half ago with “We Ride,” and its ongoing success earns Latta the title of Billboard’s Executive of the Week.
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Here, Latta talks about “We Ride’s” slow build at streaming outlets before the move to radio and the patient approach he and his team took to breaking the song. “I don’t think we would be seeing the same level of success without the right team executing in each phase,” he says.
You released “We Ride” in October 2022. When did you decide to take it to terrestrial country radio and how long had it been since Average Joes made a push to terrestrial radio?
We started having conversations about it in May of last year and ended up deciding to pull the trigger with an impact date in September, the same week the record went gold. Prior to this, our last approach to radio was 2017 with “Better Me,” in the wake of Troy Gentry‘s tragic passing. [Gentry, one half of Montgomery Gentry, died in a helicopter accident in 2017.]
Bryan’s music has an honest rawness to it like Zach Bryan, Warren Zeiders, Oliver Anthony and Koe Wetzel. Is there strength in numbers that radio can’t ignore as we see a wave of artists like this telling their truth?
I think the market has shown that it is hungry for this style, and I think country radio does a great job of keeping their finger on the pulse of the market. That said, the level of success of others was not part of our conversation when we made the decision to take “We Ride” to radio.
What were the key steps you took to make it happen? Building out the right team was really important. We met with many people and had to make some tough decisions to get the right people with a strategy that aligned. Ultimately, the strategy took form in three phases — pre-release social push; post-release digital-first approach with our internal team; followed by a big push at radio with the New Revolution team. I don’t think we would be seeing the same level of success without the right team executing in each phase.
This is Average Joes’ first Top 10 on Country Airplay since 2012. What did you hear in the song that made you know you should push it?
We knew we had something when we heard the work tape. Bryan is a great songwriter, and this is a great example of it. The vibe is unique, and the song is uniquely Bryan. We also heard the response from the market. Being able to take a song that already had that kind of data, we didn’t have to ask radio to take as big of a chance on it because it was already a proven winner.
How much of Bryan’s success is how open he is with his very compelling story, including attempting suicide and his struggles with alcohol? And as someone who is newly sober, how did the label take steps to protect his sobriety?
All credit for Bryan’s sobriety goes to him — he’s one of the most determined people I know, and he is doing great so far. We absolutely seek to support him, whether it was helping facilitate treatment by taking a month off from recording, playing shows, and radio promo, as well as providing a safe environment to work in, and making sure he has a healthy team around him.
How important was TikTok to fans learning about the song?
It was huge building up to release. Andrew Davis, our vp of marketing, and his team put together a long lead plan focused on the platform and fought hard for it, even when some of us started to get antsy about setting a release. They deserve a lot of credit for that.
“We Ride” has more than 190 million streams on Spotify, far and away his biggest streaming song. How has streaming helped propel its success, and what was the key component to the digital campaign?
It was a little slow coming out the gates — DSPs weren’t as familiar with Bryan initially — but once they noticed the groundswell, they were quick to jump on board, and really helped grow the song early on.
Will terrestrial radio be part of Bryan’s story going forward?
Absolutely. They have been great partners, and we look forward to continuing that relationship.