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Hundreds of country artists, from superstars to new aspirants, will spend June 5-8 saying thanks to their fan base and working to build new audiences when an expected 90,000 daily visitors attend CMA Fest in Nashville.
But for most of those artists, there’ll be one or more people at their side who are likewise invested in making the most of the annual event. Managers benefit when their artists expand their fan bases and increase consumption, driving up ticket prices and boosting merchandise sales.
Thus, those managers are focused on maxing out the connection their acts make with consumers during CMA Fest, but they have other interests during the festival, too: evaluating the market, networking with industry contacts and checking out other artists they might want to sign.
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“I can go around town and see 20 things in a day instead of having to take 20 days to see 20 things,” says Play It Again Music GM Cade Price, who manages Dylan Marlowe, Faith Hopkins and Slater Nalley. “It’s not like we’re trying to go sign anything and everything, but it’s CMA Fest. I think we do ourselves a disfavor if we don’t go out there and see. You just never know who you’re going to stumble onto.”
Fans have a good idea of the artists they may see. Nightly concerts at Nissan Stadium are one of the primary attractions for CMA Fest, an annual event since 1972 that has generated a summer network TV special for more than 20 years. Keith Urban, Cody Johnson, Rascal Flatts, Jason Aldean, Scotty McCreery, Luke Bryan and Blake Shelton are among the nearly 30 artists slated for the stadium main stage this year.
But while the football field garners the most attention, some of the most important work of CMA Fest occurs during the day at nine smaller festival stages, plus a bundle of unofficial adjunct performance spots. Those platforms help new and developing artists, in particular, showcase their talents to consumers in their target audience who may not otherwise be fully aware of them. This year’s participants on those building stages include Bryce Leatherwood, Charlie Worsham, Cooper Alan, Crowe Boys, Hudson Westbrook, Madeline Edwards and Tyler Braden.
It’s a massive opportunity for fans to experience artists they don’t know well and, in turn, a prime chance for artist managers to get a big-picture assessment of country’s most avid fans.
“It’s always kind of fun to observe the people that come in and get a good idea of what the country fan base looks like at that point in time,” says Champ Management founder Matt Musacchio, who counts Vincent Mason, Jessie James Decker, Dawson Anderson, Abbie Callahan and Sons of Habit as clients. “You see how the fan base differs from artist to artist and stage to stage, depending on who’s playing.”
Unlike their artists, most managers are able to blend in with the crowd, and it provides them a great opportunity to move across the Downtown Nashville footprint. Much of their day is spent shepherding their acts through their schedules, and they’re bound to encounter other executives and musicians they already know backstage. But most have some breakaway moments when they can check out other performances and new amenities, where they’re likely to run across industry contacts.
“For me personally, it was massive,” says Los Angeles-based Type A Management founder Alex Lunt, who attended his first CMA Fest in 2024 with Dasha. “It was an amazing opportunity to really just tap in with the entire country community because you have everybody. You even have all the coastal label execs there. They’re all going to come to CMA Fest.”
The scouting gives a better sense of the opportunities, too. That’s particularly valuable as their artists return year after year and their goals change. Lunt’s first experience a year ago, when Dasha’s single “Austin” was breaking out, was an overload.
“Last year, we were just kind of like a fire hose to the mouth and saying yes to everything,” he notes.
Dasha played two songs on the spotlight stage at the stadium, the first time she had performed for an audience of 50,000. But she also packed some of the smaller adjunct events in Nashville bars. For this year, they focused more on branding, creating a line-dance experience at the Whiskey Bent Saloon.
“She’ll have her Coyote Ugly moment, perform on the bar and do a couple numbers,” Lunt notes. “We just wanted to give her her statement, and we’re calling it ‘Dashville’ because her whole tour is basically called ‘Welcome to Dashville.’”
For managers with years of CMA Fest history, every iteration brings new perspective on the format and their clients.
“It’s fun to see the artist’s career grow incrementally with what they’re doing at CMA Fest every year,” Musacchio says. “It’s always, I think, a good gauge of how the last year has been and where things are going, and kind of where the artist sits in the grand scheme of things.”
It’s also a great motivator for manager and artist. The large turnout from the country audience invariably reminds participants how many consumers are willing to invest in the genre. But it also offers a physical reminder of how many artists are competing for those listeners. Hopefully, both the manager and the artist find motivation in that part of the experience.
“It makes you think about how much new music is being released each week,” Price says. “That’s allowing us to see that and gets our minds going: ‘What do we need to be doing to stand out in the crowd?’”
Former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer will avoid prison time after striking and killing a man with his car in Los Angeles last year, according to a new report.
In an Alhambra, California, courtroom on Wednesday (May 28), Klinghoffer pleaded no contest to misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence after hitting the man, 47-year-old Israel Sanchez, with his 2022 GMC Yukon on March 18, 2024, according to Rolling Stone. Sanchez, who was in a crosswalk when he was hit, was pronounced dead at a hospital later that day.
As a result of the no jail plea deal, Klinghoffer was sentenced to one year of informal probation and 60 days of community labor, Rolling Stone reports. Additionally, he must complete a driver safety class and pay restitution in an amount to be determined at a later date.
After Klinghoffer entered his plea deal, a prosecutor read a statement that warned against distracted driving, according to Rolling Stone: “If you continue to drive while distracted, and as a result of your driving someone is killed, you can be charged with murder.” Klinghoffer then said that he understood.
Also during the hearing, Sanchez’s only daughter, Ashley Sanchez, read a victim impact statement in which she called him “an extraordinary grandfather” whose “absence has left an irreversible void in our lives,” according to Rolling Stone. In addressing Klinghoffer, she said her father’s death had caused her “deep and lasting trauma” and called it an “avoidable loss.”
Klinghoffer still faces a wrongful death lawsuit over the incident. In the complaint, filed by Ashley Sanchez, her attorneys wrote, “Video of the incident shows that defendant Josh Adam Klinghoffer made no braking or slowing motion until after he fatally struck Israel Sanchez, indicating that defendant was likely driving while distracted.” The woman’s lawyers also claimed to have video evidence showing that Klinghoffer was “using a device mere seconds before” he hit Sanchez. The trial in that case is slated to kick off on July 1, according to Rolling Stone.
Representatives for Klinghoffer and Ashley Sanchez did not immediately return requests for comment on Wednesday.
A touring guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers in the late 2000s, Klinghoffer officially joined the band full-time in 2010 as a replacement for John Frusciante. After working on two studio albums with the group, he was fired in 2019 following Frusciante’s return. He has also served as a touring guitarist for Pearl Jam and released solo material under the name Pluralone.
Global success enjoyed by the likes of Central Cee, Charli xcx and Dua Lipa helped lift British music exports to a record high of £794 million ($1.72 billion) in 2024, according to new figures from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).
The London-based trade body says last year’s total is the highest since it began analyzing labels’ overseas income in 2000, and that it’s more than triple the £243 million ($328 million) from 2013. The result also means that the U.K. remains the world’s second biggest exporter of music, making up around 8% to 9% of global streams, says the BPI.
Driving last year’s stats was a combination of established, globally successful British artists and a new generation of homegrown talent making waves on the world stage. In total, around 600 artists accumulated more than 100 million global streams throughout 2024, including high-charting releases from Central Cee, Charli xcx and Dua Lipa, alongside platinum singles for Myles Smith (“Stargazing”) and Good Neighbours (“Home”).
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Data by Luminate shows that the list of top revenue-generating artists also includes contemporary himakers Adele, Arctic Monkeys, Ed Sheeran, Harry Styles and Sam Smith, as well as icons who first rose to prominence in the 1970s, such as Queen and Elton John.
Consumption of British music increased in all but one of the main global regions in 2024, says BPI. This trend was led by an incrase of 29% in the Middle East and 12% in Africa. North America and Europe remained the biggest regions for export.
The BPI attributes many of these major gains to British record labels’ long-term investment in new talent and established acts. The organization reports that between 2020-2024, label businesses invested more than £2 billion ($2.7 billion) in artist A&R and marketing.
The rate of growth is declining, however. The BPI reports that income from the sales and streams of British music overseas increased by just 1.9% in 2024, compared to 7.6% in 2023 and 20% in 2022. In previous years, the consumption of British music globally was bolstered by extensive album and touring campaigns from superstars including Styles and Lewis Capaldi. Last year, however, no British artists ranked among the 20 most-streamed artists globally, according to the IFPI.
BPI chief executive Dr Jo Twist said in a statement: “It’s brilliant to see British artists, backed by their labels, continue to shine on the world stage, including a new generation of talent such as Charli XCX, Lola Young, and Myles Smith, among others. Their emergence shows we are on the cusp of future success.”
In her statement, Twist also stressed the importance of raising awareness around the government’s potential future approach to generative artificial intelligence training, as well as highlighting the need for further conversation around music education in the U.K.
Twist continued: “If we are to realise this potential in an increasingly competitive global market and keep British music a headline act, we need the right environment where the industry comes together to deliver growth to the UK. We have a Government that values not just the cultural power of British music but also the foundations of its success: creative arts education, labels that are supported and encouraged to invest in talent, successful programmes like the Music Export Growth Scheme, and a gold standard copyright framework that safeguards creativity and rewards human artistry.”
Donald Trump has pardoned YoungBoy Never Broke Again, the rapper confirmed on Wednesday (May 28). The news was first reported by CNN’s Jasmine Wright on X. “President Trump has also issued a full pardon to rapper NBA YoungBoy, one of the most streamed rappers, who was convicted of possessing weapons as a felon,” she wrote. […]
Smokey Robinson has filed a countersuit against four longtime housekeepers who accused him of rape earlier this month, claiming the allegations were part of an “extortionate scheme” by the women and their attorneys.
The new cross-complaint, filed in Los Angeles court Wednesday (May 28), came three weeks after the unnamed housekeepers filed a $50 million civil lawsuit over allegations that the legendary Motown singer repeatedly raped them over nearly two decades in his employ.
In filing the countersuit, defense attorneys for Robinson went on offense — accusing the four women and their attorneys (John W. Harris and Herbert Hayden) of defamation, invasion of privacy, civil conspiracy and even elder abuse over the “fabricated” allegations.
“The depths of plaintiffs’ avarice and greed knows no bounds,” Robinson’s attorney Christopher Frost writes, according to a copy of the submitted complaint obtained by Billboard. “During the very time that the Robinsons were being extraordinarily generous with plaintiffs, plaintiffs were concocting an extortionate plan to take everything from the Robinsons … and wrongfully destroy the Robinsons’ well-built reputations.”
Allegations made during court cases, such as those against Robinson, are typically shielded from defamation lawsuits by the First Amendment. But Robinson’s attorneys say the accusers and their lawyers stepped outside those protections by holding a press conference in which they “paraded themselves in front of the media” and created a “media whirlwind.”
“While the law protects plaintiffs’ ability to concoct whatever fiction they may wish to create in a legal pleading … it does not allow plaintiffs to make gratuitous and slanderous allegations in media circus-type press conferences,” Frost wrote in the cross-complaint.
Attorneys for the accusers did not immediately return a request for comment on Wednesday. Frost confirmed that the cross-complaint was filed with the court on Wednesday but declined to comment otherwise.
Robinson was sued on May 6, accused of forcing the housekeepers to have oral and vaginal sex in his Los Angeles-area bedroom dozens of times between 2007 and 2024. The singer’s wife, Frances Robinson, was also named as a defendant over claims that she didn’t do enough to stop the abuse, despite knowing that he had a history of sexual misconduct.
In addition to the sexual abuse allegations, the lawsuit also claimed that the Robinsons paid their employees below minimum wage, and that Frances Robinson created a hostile work environment replete with screaming and “racially-charged epithets.” The accusers also filed a police report, leading the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to open a criminal investigation.
In Wednesday’s countersuit, the Robinsons’ attorneys told a very different story. They said the housekeepers had “stayed with the Robinsons year after year” because the couple had treated them as “extended family,” including financially helping them and celebrating holidays together. The complaint quoted alleged text messages in which the accusers wished Robinson a happy birthday and told him “love you.”
“The Robinsons did not abuse, harm, or take advantage of plaintiffs,” Frost wrote. “They treated plaintiffs with the utmost kindness and generosity.”
According to Wednesday’s new filing, the housekeepers and their lawyers made “pre-litigation demands for $100 million or more” before filing their case. When that failed to work, the new filing says the accusers went public with the allegations as loudly as they could.
“The resulting media whirlwind was swift and severe, being picked up by virtually every major media outlet worldwide, and the harm to the Robinsons’ reputation [is] palpable,” Frost wrote. “The Robinsons are afraid to open the newspaper, read the internet, or even go out in public for fear of what they may hear or see next, no matter how fabricated.”
The filing focused on statements by Harris, the attorney, at a May 6 press conference calling Robinson a “serial and sick rapist” and a “serial assaulter” — statements that Robinson says are fair game for a defamation case: “Plaintiffs may be able to make slanderous statements in a legal pleading (for now), but they are not entitled to do so in gratuitous, self-serving press conferences.”
In addition to defamation and other wrongdoing, the Robinsons say the accusers tried to “hide, conceal, and destroy evidence exposing their illegal scheme,” including by taking Frances Robinson’s phone and deleting text conversations. The filing hinted that the Robinsons would seek additional penalties for such “spoliation” of evidence.
Former Mojo Music executive Alan Wallis has launched Dynamite Songs, a new publishing venture that boasts rights to songs performed by Ed Sheeran, Kendrick Lamar and Papa Roach, it was announced on Wednesday (May 28).
Described as a “specialist music publisher,” Dynamite Songs has acquired around 50 catalogs to date, including those of Ed Sheeran and Paolo Nutini songwriter Chris Leonard; Sly Jordan, whose songs have been performed by Lamar and Sean Kingston; Jim Sullivan of the English electronic music duo The Wideboys; Dan + Shay songwriter Danny Orton; and Papa Roach’s Anthony Esperance and Bruce Elliott-Smith.
With backing from Crestline Investors Inc., a Fort Worth, Texas-based investment manager with $16 billion in alternative credit assets under management that previously invested in Mojo, Wallis says Dynamite will focus on rights to enduring catalogs that are considered “smaller sized deals.”
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“The smaller end of the music rights market has been under-appreciated for too long,” said Wallis, who previously led the music transactions practice valuing catalogs at Ernst & Young LLP and will serve as Dynamic Songs’ CEO.
“Our experience with Mojo Music has shown that there are brilliant songwriters and catalogues to be found — you just need to know where to look. With one of the best teams and networks in the business behind us, we’re strongly placed to navigate this market segment, allowing us to support songwriters and honour their works and legacies,” Wallis said in a statement.
Started in 2018 by Wallis and two former Spirit Music Group principals, Mark Fried and Peter Shane, Mojo Music & Media grew to include some 40 catalogs and 30,000 songs before it was acquired by Concord in 2023 for an undisclosed amount. Mojo’s portfolio included portions of songs recorded by REO Speedwagon, KISS, Cheap Trick, Duran Duran and Earth Wind & Fire.
Wallis’s team includes former Mojo Music & Media executives Sophie Brown, who will serve as CFO/COO; Lisa Macy, who will serve as head of sync; and Tom Donovan, Dynamite’s head of business development. Dynamite’s investment manager is Naomi Riley, whil Peter Thomas, previously MD of Carlin Music, serves as chief catalogue officer.
Reservoir Media wrapped up earnings season on Wednesday (May 28) by announcing that its revenue rose 10% to $41.4 million in the fiscal fourth quarter ended March 31. Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA), a popular measure of profitability, was $18.2 million, up 14%.
“The music industry has a longstanding ability to weather broader macroeconomic headwinds as consumers believe in the value that music brings to their daily lives,” CEO Golnar Khosrowshahi said during the earnings call. “Our top-line growth is a testament to the demand and resiliency of our catalog.”
Music publishing revenue grew 6% to $27.9 million in the quarter. Digital, publishing’s largest revenue stream, rose 5% to $13.6 million. Sync revenue jumped 51% to $5.5 million due primarily to the timing of licenses. Performance revenue dropped 13% to $6.5 million and mechanical royalties fell 6% to $1.2 million.
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Recorded music revenue improved 7% to $12.0 million. Digital revenue jumped 19% to $8.8 million due mainly to price increases and subscriber growth at subscription platforms. Direct affiliations with collection societies helped neighboring rights rise 15% to $1.1 million. Physical sales fell 26% to $1.3 million due to a lighter release schedule. Sync revenue fell 29% to $700,000 due to the timing of licenses.
Full-year revenue of $158.7 million beat the high end of the guidance range of $155 million to $158 million. Adjusted EBITDA of $65.7 million also topped the high end of the guidance range of $64.5 million.
“Reservoir had a standout fiscal year, capitalizing on our opportunities to boost our organic revenue,” said CFO Jim Hindlmeyer. “Thanks to our value enhancement team, the deals we closed this year were substantial and delivered notable value to the company, and profitability was further aided by our internal efforts to control costs.”
In a busy year for signings, Reservoir Media inked songwriting deals with Snoop Dogg and Death Row Records, k.d. lang, Travis Heidelman and Aaron Zuckerman, among others. It also acquired the publishing catalog of Lebo M, Lastrada Entertainment, Big D Evans and Billy Strange, and purchased the produce royalties of Jack Douglas (Aerosmith, Cheap Trick).
While Reservoir Media has a roster of Western songwriters and recording artists, the company also focuses on emerging markets. This month, Reservoir Media announced its PopIndia subsidiary acquired the publishing and master rights of Musicraft Entertainment, which spans decades of Indian music. Khosrowshahi described the growth rate of India’s music business as “pretty significant given both the size of the population and the opportunity for the number of people to become streamers of music.”
Guidance for fiscal 2026 is revenue of $164 million to $169 million, which at the midpoint would result in 5% annual growth. Adjusted EBITDA guidance of $68 million to $72 million represents 7% growth at the midpoint.
Reservoir Media shares fell as much as 8.4% Wednesday morning but recovered to $7.69, down 1.4%, by early afternoon. The share price jumped 7.9% on Tuesday (May 27) on heavier than average trading volume.
K Music has signed a worldwide admin deal with Kobalt, the company announced on Wednesday (May 28). The agreement was done via the indie label’s K Music Publishing; Kobalt will administer future output and select tracks in the company’s repertoire.
The strategic partnership with Kobalt aims to provide K Music Publishing with the global reach and resources to “further elevate its artists, expand their presence worldwide, and drive continued success in the evolving music industry,” according to a press release. Founded in 2019 by Alfredo Becerra, Leonardo Soto and Carlos Santos, K Music is home to música mexicana star Luis R Conriquez.
“Freddy, Leo, and their team have built in K Music a modern music company infused with a passionate entrepreneurial spirit embodied by the music of its artists,” Nestor Casonu, president of Latin America for Kobalt, said in a statement. “We are thrilled to welcome K Music Publishing into the Kobalt global family.”
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“We are excited to join the Kobalt Family,” added Alfredo Becerra, CEO of K Music. “This partnership is a significant milestone for K Music and K Music Publishing. We look forward to the incredible possibilities that lie ahead. This deal is not just about securing the intellectual property of our songwriters but about offering new pathways to the talented creators we represent, helping them break through new markets, and achieving even greater success.”
The deal includes Conriquez’s runway hit “Si No Quieres No” with Netón Vega, which scored the Sonora-born singer-songwriter his first Hot 100 entry. K Music — previously Kartel Music — also includes acts such as Joel De La P, Tony Aguirre, Dinamicos Jrs, Novillos De La Sierra and Said Norzagaray on its roster.
“Kobalt partners with companies that are reshaping the future of music,” said Tere Romo, Kobalt’s senior creative director for Latin America. “K Music has consistently demonstrated its ability to discover and develop groundbreaking talent in the música mexicana community. This partnership marks an exciting new phase for both of our companies and we’re thrilled to support K Music Publishing as they continue to push the boundaries of the genre and bring their incredible artists to a global audience.”
K Music Publishing was represented in the deal by Christopher Navarro, partner at Singh, Singh & Trauben LLP.
Gebbia Media has acquired Big Machine Rock from HYBE America for an undisclosed price in an effort to move into the rock space.
Big Machine Rock has been part of Big Machine Label Group (BMLG), which was founded by CEO Scott Borchetta in 2005. SB Projects bought BMLG in 2019 and, in 2021, HYBE bought Ithaca Holdings, which included SB Projects and BMLG for $1.05 billion.
Big Machine Rock’s current roster includes Daughtry, Badflower, Sammy Hagar and Ryan Perdz. Since its move into rock in 2017, BMLG has placed hits across Billboard’s rock charts, including Mainstream Rock Airplay and Alternative Airplay, with past and present acts like Badflower, Cheap Trick, Daughtry, Friday Pilots Club, Ayron Jones, L.A. Rats, Motley Crue, Pretty Vicious, Starcrawler and The Struts.
“Growing up with incredible music by iconic artists like Sammy Hagar, Van Halen and The Doors, I recognize the importance of bringing rock to a new generation of listeners and fans who are ready to embrace it,” said David Gebbia, CEO of Gebbia Media, in a statement. “Big Machine Rock embodies the Gebbia Media approach: bold, cross-generational, and deeply in touch with the culture. This acquisition allows us to further our mission of empowering artists through investment in robust catalogs and cross-platform expansion.”
The move is also expected to expand Big Machine Rock’s global reach.
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Heather Luke-Husong will continue to serve as GM of the Nashville-based imprint.
“Gebbia Media’s investment will allow Big Machine Rock to grow into a full-fledged label completely focused on rock,” says Borchetta, who is also chairman of labels for HYBE America. “They will continue to be distributed through our family of labels and will stay connected to the Big Machine mothership.”
Gebbia Media is a subsidiary of Siebert Financial Corp.
“By bringing Big Machine Rock into the Gebbia Media portfolio, we’re aligning visionary talent with the resources and stability of a diversified financial platform, ensuring long-term growth and cultural impact,” said John J Gebbia, CEO of Siebert Financial.
In the music space, Siebert has also formed partnerships with Larry Jackson’s GAMMA and L.A. Reid LLC for the female trio SIMIEN, building on Gebbia Media’s alliance with artist and entrepreneur Akon.
As part of the agreement, Borchetta will join the advisory board of Siebert Financial.
Assistance in preparing this story provided by Keith Caulfield.
Stationhead announced the launch of a new feature on Wednesday (May 28): Collections, which allows users to show off the physical and digital merchandise that they have bought through the fandom platform.
“We were inspired by what fans were already doing,” Ryan Star, founder and CEO of Stationhead, said in a statement. “They would post receipts to prove they were there first — that they didn’t just show up late to the party. We wanted to honor that devotion and make it more fun, meaningful, and permanent.”
Stationhead debuted in 2017 as an app that allowed Spotify subscribers to transform their playlists into personalized radio stations. “It turns everybody into a DJ, basically,” Troy Carter said at the time. “You can play music, you can go live, there’s a great flow and people are commenting — it’s almost as if you took Facebook Live and layered it onto the platform.” When the civilian-turned-DJ played music, every listener also streamed it on their Spotify account, so the streams counted towards the charts.
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In January 2023, the platform added “channels,” rooms dedicated to the fanbases of specific artists. A year later, when “superfan” became the buzzword of choice for the major labels, Stationhead was well positioned to take advantage of additional interest.
The company says it now has 20 million users, and half of them are between 18 and 25. It makes money primarily from taking a portion of downloads that are sold through the platform.
The rollout of Collections follows close on the heels of another new initiative, Stationhead Shop, which launched in March, allowing artists to sell their merch on the platform through an integration with Shopify.
The goal of Stationhead Shop, Star explained, was twofold: To “combine the excitement of the merch booth with the scale and social currency of a gaming platform,” while also providing artists with another way “to monetize and build direct relationships with their most passionate and loyal fans.”
After fans buy something, they now have the ability to flaunt their purchase. “In a world where your online identity matters, this is how fandom shows up,” Star added. “If Roblox and Fortnite taught a generation to express themselves through virtual skins and items, we see Stationhead Collections becoming that for music.”