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Eagles singer Don Henley filed a lawsuit in New York on Friday (June 28) seeking the return of his handwritten notes and song lyrics from the band’s 1976 album Hotel California.
The civil complaint filed in Manhattan federal court comes after prosecutors in March abruptly dropped criminal charges midway through a trial against three collectibles experts accused of scheming to sell the documents.
The Eagles co-founder has maintained the pages were stolen and had vowed to pursue a lawsuit when the criminal case was dropped against rare books dealer Glenn Horowitz, former Rock & Roll Hall of Fame curator Craig Inciardi and rock memorabilia seller Edward Kosinski.
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“These 100 pages of personal lyric sheets belong to Mr. Henley and his family, and he has never authorized defendants or anyone else to peddle them for profit,” Daniel Petrocelli, Henley’s lawyer, said in an emailed statement Friday.
According to the lawsuit, the handwritten pages remain in the custody of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office, which declined to comment Friday on the litigation.
Lawyers for Kosinski and Inciardi dismissed the legal action as baseless, noting the criminal case was dropped after it was determined that Henley misled prosecutors by withholding critical information.
“Don Henley is desperate to rewrite history,” Shawn Crowley, Kosinski’s lawyer, said in an emailed statement. “We look forward to litigating this case and bringing a lawsuit against Henley to hold him accountable for his repeated lies and misuse of the justice system.”
Inciardi’s lawyer, Stacey Richman, said in a separate statement that the lawsuit attempts to “bully” and “perpetuate a false narrative.”
A lawyer for Horowitz, who isn’t named as a defendant as he doesn’t claim ownership of the materials, didn’t respond to an email seeking comment.
During the trial, the men’s lawyers argued that Henley gave the lyrics pages decades ago to a writer who worked on a never-published Eagles biography and later sold the handwritten sheets to Horowitz. He, in turn, sold them to Inciardi and Kosinski, who started putting some of the pages up for auction in 2012.
The criminal case was abruptly dropped after prosecutors agreed that defense lawyers had essentially been blindsided by 6,000 pages of communications involving Henley and his attorneys and associates.
Prosecutors and the defense said they received the material only after Henley and his lawyers made a last-minute decision to waive their attorney-client privilege shielding legal discussions.
Judge Curtis Farber, who presided over the nonjury trial that opened in late February, said witnesses and their lawyers used attorney-client privilege “to obfuscate and hide information that they believed would be damaging” and that prosecutors “were apparently manipulated.”
The federal judge presiding over the Department of Justice’s sweeping antitrust case against Live Nation thinks the trial can begin as early as March 2026, according to recent federal court filings.
Judge Arun Subramanian explained Thursday (June 27) in the case’s first pre-trial hearing that he hoped jury selection could begin that month, although he stopped short of setting a firm date.
One of the first items of business for Subramanian, who was appointed to the federal bench by President Joe Biden in 2023, is to rule on a planned motion by Live Nation to move the case from the Southern District of New York to the federal circuit court in Washington, D.C., where Live Nation’s 2010 merger with Ticketmaster was first approved. Subramanian said he believed his court could properly preside over the case but that he would fully consider the advisement.
Prior to being appointed to the federal bench, Subramanian was a partner at litigation firm Susman Godfrey LLP, which currently represents Live Nation in the 2021 Astroworld festival class action lawsuit. Subramanian did not work on that case.
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Government attorneys said in a Tuesday (July 25) filing that they plan to bring additional claims against Live Nation, noting the new claims could include information that attorneys from Live Nation have designated as highly confidential and might ask the courts to seal.
Attorneys for the government “do not believe any of the information at issue merits sealing or overcomes the presumption of public access to judicial documents,” the filings explain, noting that if Live Nation doesn’t budge, the government will ask the judge to rule on the matter.
Department of Justice (DOJ) lawyers also complained that Live Nation attorneys have delayed discovery requests and failed to “fully comply with any of the United States’s three pre-complaint civil investigative demands” dating back to October 2022.
“It took Defendants nearly a year to start producing custodial documents,” the filing reads, noting that “their responses to many specifications remain incomplete today.”
Lawyers for Live Nation called the government’s discovery allegation false, noting that “since October 2022, Defendants have spent over 200,000 attorney hours reviewing documents, produced over 600,000 documents from nearly 70 custodians, produced over 33 million observations of data, submitted dozens of written responses, and provided investigative deposition testimony from three high-level executives in response to Plaintiffs’ investigations. In addition, DOJ has access to nearly two million documents that Defendants produced during prior investigations.”
Attorneys for Live Nation added that they want “any documents, data or testimony Plaintiffs received from third parties during their investigation” no later than July 22, 2024.
Live Nation is also challenging the government’s unusual request for a jury trial instead of having the verdict determined by a judge. “If it occurred, it would be the first jury trial ever in a government-brought monopolization case,” the company’s attorneys wrote.
Outside of Live Nation, the government also says it plans to issue more than 100 third-party subpoenas to “ticketers, promoters, ticket brokers, venues, venue management companies, artists, and artists’ agents and managers.”
Live Nation declined to comment for this story.
Live Nation is being represented by longtime attorney and litigator Timothy L. O’Mara and Alfred C. Pfeiffer, both partners at Latham and Watkins. Pfeiffer is the former co-chair of the firm’s Antitrust & Competition Practice. Ticketmaster is represented by David R. Marriott with Cravath, who successfully represented Illumina against the Federal Trade Commission and secured a 2022 victory for the Louis Dreyfus Company against DOJ efforts to block the sale of Imperial Sugar to U.S. Sugar.
The government is represented by Bonny Sweeney, who joined the DOJ in 2022. Sweeney formerly served as a partner at San Francisco firm Hausfeld where she was co-chair of its U.S. antitrust practice group. In 2023, she was named antitrust lawyer of the year by the California Lawyers Association.
Sphere Entertainment Co. stock gained 5.4% to $35.04 this week after Point72 Asset Management, the hedge fund of Wall Street giant Steve Cohen, took a 5.5% stake in the company, making it one of the best-performing companies on this week’s Billboard Global Music Index.
Cohen is the owner of the New York Mets professional baseball team. Sphere’s sister company, MSG Sports — James Dolan is CEO of both companies — owns two of the city’s major professional sports franchises, the New York Knicks basketball team and the New York Rangers hockey team. The Sphere venue in Las Vegas will host its first sports event Friday evening (June 28): the National Hockey League draft.
Elsewhere, radio companies Cumulus Media and iHeartMedia gained 9.1% and 9.0% this week, respectively, as radio stocks bested other publicly traded music companies on the Billboard Global Music Index. Both Cumulus and iHeartMedia clawed back nearly half of the losses they suffered in the previous two-week period. After dropping 21.1% from June 7 to June 21, Cumulus finished up at $2.04. Similarly, iHeartMedia had lost 21.1% in the prior two weeks and finished this week at $1.09. Townsquare Media, which is not in the Index, rose 9.2% to $10.93, turning its 5% year-to-date loss into a 3.7% gain.
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Many radio companies are still having a tough 2024, however, as they slog through a challenging advertising climate. Through June 28, iHeartRadio has fallen 59.2% and Cumulus is down 61.7%.
The Billboard Global Music Index was effectively unchanged from the previous week, rising less than one point to 1,815.54. The index’s year-to-date gain was also unchanged at 18.3%. Most of the stocks showed little movement as 16 of the 20 companies fell within the range of +2.1% to -3.4%. Even though 12 of the companies posted gains, the biggest winners are among the index’s smallest companies, and those winners were overcome by losses suffered by larger companies such as Spotify (down 1.1%), CTS Eventim (down 1.3%) and SiriusXM (down 3.4%).
Streaming stocks had the worst week of any sector after losing an average of 0.4%. The top streamer was Anghami, which rose 0.9% to $1.07. Cloud Music and Deezer each lost less than 1%. LiveOne fell 1.3% to $1.57.
Reservoir Media was the week’s greatest gainer after improving 11.9% — 9.6% on Friday alone — to $7.90. The gain came without major news or analyst commentary. The last analyst to increase a price target on Reservoir was B. Riley on May 31, the day after Reservoir announced that its full-year revenue increased 18% to $145 million.
K-pop companies all had modest increases this week. HYBE gained 1.3% to 202,500 won ($146.60). SM Entertainment, also a Billboard Global Music Index member, rose 1.1% to 80,400 won ($54.21). Elsewhere, JYP Entertainment jumped 2.1% to 57,300 won ($41.48) and YG Entertainment sank 1.0% to 40,300 won ($29.18). All four stocks have fallen sharply in 2024, however, with an average year-to-date decline of 22.6%.
Major stock indexes had mixed results this week. In the United States, the Nasdaq composite rose 0.2% to 17,732.60 and the S&P 500 fell 0.1% to 5,460.48. South Korea’s KOSPI composite index gained 0.5% to 2,797.82. In the United Kingdom, the FTSE 100 dropped 0.9%. China’s Shanghai Composite Index declined 1.0% to 2,967.40.
Another piece of legislation in Washington, D.C., is making its way through Congress that would pay artists and record labels for plays at terrestrial radio. If that sentence sounds familiar, that’s because the issue has long been present on Capitol Hill without managing to win a presidential signature.
In 1988, Frank Sinatra sent a letter to Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Ella Fitzgerald, Bruce Springsteen and about 20 other music luminaries about a decades-old inconsistency in music copyright law. There’s no reason why the writer and publisher should be compensated for radio plays but not the performer, he argued. Sinatra foresaw an expeditious end to his activism. “We are optimistic that with a united effort, we will be able to achieve successful results within a reasonable period of time,” he wrote. But 36 years and numerous legislative attempts later, other artists are still working on the task.
The latest artist to pick up the baton is country icon Randy Travis, who appeared before a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing on Wednesday (June 26) in support of the latest legislation to address the issue, the American Music Fairness Act. Artists helped build radio in the U.S. and should be properly compensated, said Randy’s wife, Mary Travis (Randy has had difficulty speaking since suffering a stroke in 2013). Passing AMFA, she told lawmakers, “would make many old wrongs finally right.”
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The safest statement of the afternoon, though, went to Subcommittee chairman Rep. Darrell Issa, who admitted the hearing was “a repeat of some things we’ve seen in the past.” In recent memory, lawmakers have introduced the Performance Right Act in 2007 and 2009; the Free Market Royalty Act in 2013; Fair Play, Fair Pay in 2015 and 2017; the Ask Musicians for Music Act (AM-FM) in 2019; and now the AMFA in 2022 and 2023.
AMFA is like its predecessors in numerous ways: It provides accommodation for small broadcasters that reduce their royalty obligations. It protects the royalties paid to songwriters and music publishers for the performance of musical works on terrestrial radio. Most importantly, the bill codifies a performance right for sound recordings.
But is anything different about AMFA? “The language of the bill hasn’t changed since [the Performance Rights Act in 2009,” says Linda Bloss-Baum, associate director of American University’s business and entertainment program. “And I’d say kind of the appetite on both sides to have a meaningful negotiation hasn’t really changed either.”
The radio industry’s opposition to a new performance right certainly hasn’t changed. “A new performance royalty could spell the end for many local stations,” Curtis LeGeyt, president/CEO of the National Association of Broadcasters, said during Wednesday’s hearing. After surviving an advertising slowdown from the COVID-19 pandemic and facing the rise of streaming platforms, radio stations are arguably in worse financial shape than in years past. “Local broadcasters across this country are operating on extremely tight margins right now,” LeGeyt added.
The AMFA attempts to go easy on small broadcasters while holding regional and national conglomerates to a higher standard. Mike Huppe, president/CEO of SoundExchange, believes bill makes better accommodations for small broadcasters than its predecessors. Under the AMFA, stations that earn less than $1.5 million in annual revenue (and whose parent companies make less than $10 million in annual revenue) would pay $500 annually. Small, non-commercial stations with annual revenue of less than $100,000 would pay as little as $10 per year. “In that sense,” says Huppe, “this is the best bill for small broadcasters that there’s ever been.”
Unlike previous bills, the AMFA also includes language that says the Copyright Royalty Board, which would set royalty rates payable by stations, could take the promotional value of radio play, and the fact that stations currently pay sound recording royalties for streaming on their digital platforms, when setting rates. But that’s unnecessary, says David Oxenford, partner at Wilkinson Barker Knauer. “The section of the Copyright Act that deals with royalties that are payable to SoundExchange already has this part of the consideration” in determining how royalty rates are set, he says.
The main differences between the AMFA and its predecessors might not be found in the actual language of the bill. Market conditions have changed. At Wednesday’s hearing, lawmakers seemed more impatient and fed up than in years past.
In his closing remarks, Issa used his bully pulpit to warn broadcasters that Congressional intervention would be more painful than a negotiated deal with record labels. “I will tell you that at least this chair and the ranking member of the full committee, we stand ready to negotiate fairly small amounts to change a principle to get this behind us,” Issa said to LeGeyt. “And if you don’t take that, [then] quite frankly you have to live with the consequences.”
Issa’s tone suggests the climate in Washington, D.C., has changed. Huppe believes streaming and AI have made people more aware of the “inequities” facing creators. Issa is among the subcommittee members to have sponsored legislation to protect intellectual property from the threat of generative AI. Rep. Adam Schiff, another subcommittee member, was one of a trio of lawmakers to send a letter to the Registrar of the U.S. Copyright Office out of concern that Spotify’s decision to take a discounted mechanical royalty rate for its music-audiobook bundle was not in the spirit of the Music Modernization Act.
What’s more, radio could get a big boost from the AM Radio in Every Vehicle Act, which would mandate all automobiles manufactured in the U.S. to have AM radio. The bill would mandate technology that benefits radio broadcasters; FM stations, too, would presumably be included in in-dash stereos. Logically, at least, that could strengthen artists’ and labels’ argument.
“We’re not necessarily against the [AM Radio in Every Vehicle Act],” says Huppe, “but we would say, how can you possibly do that and not fix [the performance right] at the same time?”
Last January, Olivia King sat at her dining room table and made a beat — in five minutes.
The Rhode Island-based pop/R&B artist doesn’t play instruments or use music-production software. Instead, she created her track with Overtune, a music-making app that allows users to combine beats and samples from a wide range of instruments and other sounds, write and record vocals, and otherwise use a simple smartphone interface to make music meant to soundtrack content on platforms like TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. Overtune was developed in Iceland and launched in 2020.
Now, King’s use of the app is helping expand Overtune’s applications beyond social platforms and into more traditional releases. After using Overtune to add her own vocals to her five-minute beat, she made a video of herself performing the song snippet, then posted it to TikTok as part of a brand deal with the app. The video started racking up views; it now has more than 10 million of them.
Capitalizing on this interest, King created an entire song based on her original minute-long TikTok. A steamy ballad called “Unfinished Business,” the two-minute, 18-second song was made entirely with Overtune beat packs and released last Friday (June 21). It marks the first release through Overtune’s new label service, which is centered on a partnership with SoundOn, the music distribution model launched by TikTok in 2022 in the U.S. and U.K.
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Building SoundOn into Overtune “fits directly into the changing music industry,” says Overtune co-founder Jason Daði Guðjónsson. “Social media platforms like TikTok are at the forefront of that kind of transformation, and I think Overtune is perfectly positioned to help artists navigate the changing landscape by providing them with the tools to create and now also share and monetize their music.”
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SoundOn is designed to help independent, emerging artists navigate TikTok, upload music, get paid for its use, market and promote themselves on the platform, and distribute their music to outside DSPs. Through its integration into Overtune, paid users can release Overtune-produced songs via SoundOn directly in the app, which has a free tier along with a subscription service priced at $9.99 a month. (This paid option also offers other features like exclusive beat packs.)
“I’ve worked with probably every distributor under the sun, but never before with SoundOn,” says King. “I’m excited for it, because TikTok has changed the music industry.”
Overtune’s ability to produce music tailor-made for TikTok has attracted serious interest, with the company receiving $2 million in seed funding from Whynow media (founded by Mick Jagger’s son, Gabriel Jagger), along with investments from a group that includes Guitar Hero founder Charles Huang. Its advisory board includes former Sony Music UK head Nick Gatfield. And while the use of the app to make full-length songs is relatively new, along with King’s song, Overtune was used in the creation of “Framtíðin er hérna” (“The Future is Here”), a song made for the National Broadcasting Station of Iceland’s 2023 New Year’s Eve show.
Overtune’s founders want to make music creation ultra-simple by providing thousands of different sounds that are organized by tempo and pitch for easy matching. (Some commenters were suspicious about whether King had actually made her beat in five minutes, so she made another video in which she recreated the process to prove it.) The app currently offers assistive AI that answers user questions and is developing other AI functions that are being trained on Overtune’s proprietary beat packs. Later this year, the company will also launch a function that lets users generate loops using written prompts.
Overtune recently added an AI function with which users can apply vocals filters that mimic the voices of artists from Snoop Dogg to Elvis, along with celebs like Morgan Freeman and fictional characters like Marge Simpson. (This function will soon be replaced by AI voices developed in-house and designed to modify individual voices, rather than replicate those of celebrities.)
“The beautiful thing about it,” Guðjónsson says of the app as it currently stands, “is that you don’t have to know anything about tech or music to be able to create songs.”
Overtune sounds aren’t copyrighted, so users can earn royalties from the music made on the app when it’s uploaded to TikTok and DSPs like Spotify and Apple Music. But Guðjónsson says Overtune users “gravitate toward TikTok” especially, making SoundOn “a natural addition to our offerings.”
The app also allows users to make music at TikTok’s unique pace. Artists can experiment with song snippets, then use SoundOn to put them on TikTok and test them with audiences before completing the song and releasing it on more traditional DSPs.
Making distribution easier is also just an extension of the company’s broader mission. “Becoming a musician is not supposed to be that difficult,” Guðjónsson says. “As it is today, you have to own a lot of expensive equipment and have a big presence to be noticed by the labels, but anyone can go through our services.”
For King, this ease is a major part of the app’s appeal.
“As an independent artist you have to be consistent, and the best way to be consistent is to be efficient,” she says. “With Overtune I can do a full demo on the app, then distribute through SoundOn, which makes life easier as an independent artist.”
Pharrell Williams and Louis Vuitton are facing a lawsuit over their launch of a high-end line of “Pocket Socks,” filed by a California company that says it’s been using that same name for more than a decade on a similar product.
In a case filed last week in Los Angeles federal court, Pocket Socks Inc. says the luxury brand’s product — a literal sock-with-a-pocket that launched at Paris Fashion Week last year and sells for the whopping price of $530 — infringes its existing trademark rights to the name.
“Much attention and publicity has been generated for Louis Vuitton’s ‘Pocket Socks,’ including defendants, the press, and consumers using the name ‘Pocket Socks’ for their product which irreparably injures Pocket Socks’ longstanding brand and trademark rights,” the company’s lawyers write in the June 20 complaint.
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Louis Vuitton announced in February 2023 that Williams would serve as the company’s men’s creative director, and he debuted his first line for the company later that year at Men’s Fashion Week in Paris.
One of the items apparently rolled out at last year’s event was the Pocket Socks — a pair of knitted socks that feature a pocket adorned with a pearl. The socks received some notoriety in January when Jermaine Dupri was razzed on social media for wearing them during his Super Bowl halftime performance. Though currently unavailable for purchase, the socks are listed on Louis Vuitton’s UK website for £420 — roughly $530 in U.S. dollars.
Louis Vuitton’s new product didn’t sit well with Pocket Socks Inc., which says it’s been using that exact same name since 2012 for its own line of socks that feature a zippered pocket sewn into each pair. In its lawsuit, the company says it owns several federal trademark registrations for the brand and that the new product clearly infringes those rights.
In a statement announcing the new lawsuit, Pocket Socks Inc. claims Louis Vuitton’s new line “threatens to undermine the hard work and dedication” that has gone into building the brand: “This massive luxury brand and their designer Pharrell Williams should know better and behave within the law,” said CEO Evan Papel.
In technical terms, the lawsuit accuses Williams and Louis Vuitton of infringing both the trademark to the name as well as the so-called “trade dress” — meaning the actual look of the product. The sale of similar-looking socks under the same name is “likely to cause confusion, or to cause mistake, or to deceive consumers,” the lawsuit claims.
As the case moves forward, one possible defense argument from Williams and Louis Vuitton could be that the name Pocket Socks is too “descriptive” to serve as a trademark. Under U.S. trademark law, terms that merely describe the goods or services being sold cannot be locked up as an exclusive brand name.
Neither a rep Williams nor Louis Vuitton immediately returned requests for comment.
One of Canada’s biggest stars is getting one of the country’s highest honours. Pop-rock star Avril Lavigne has been named to the Order of Canada, a civilian honour that recognizes outstanding achievements and contributions to the country. Lavigne was announced by Governor General Mary Simon yesterday, amongst a list of 83 new appointees that includes scientists, economists, poets and activists.
Lavigne’s appointment highlights her impressive commercial and artistic achievements, as well as her charity work. “With over 50 million albums sold worldwide, she paved the way for female-driven punk-rock music and continues to do so today,” the notice reads, going on to mention her support of individuals living with disabilities and serious illnesses through the Avril Lavigne Foundation.
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The Order of Canada appointment comes as Lavigne is celebrating her successes with Greatest Hits, a new compilation released June 21 featuring platinum singles like “Complicated” and “Sk8er Boi” as well as her Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 “Girlfriend.” Lavigne is one of Canada’s best selling artists.
The Canadian icon is also taking her hits on the road with a major tour, which kicked off in Vancouver in May and begins its second leg in Toronto on Aug. 12 with a sold-out Scotiabank Arena show.
Beyond the charts, Lavigne helped pave the way for a punk-inspired vision of girlhood in the early 2000s, when most female pop stars were embracing a more traditionally feminine image. Lavigne’s brash attitude and white tank top and tie combo cemented her as an icon for a generation of Canadian kids.
Lavigne wasn’t the only musician recognized by the Order of Canada this week. Montreal singer-songwriter Daniel Lavoie was named an Officer of the Order, as were percussionist Beverley Johnston and conductor Kent Nagano. -Rosie Long Decter
Mustafa’s ‘Name Of God’ Named Best Canadian Music Video of the Year, Winning 2024 Prism Prize
Mustafa has become the first two-time winner of the Prism Prize, the award that celebrates the best in Canadian music videos. He has won the 2024 Grand Prize for video of the year for “Name of God.”
Mustafa, also known as Mustafa Ahmed and Mustafa The Poet, also took home the award in 2022 for “Ali.” Both of his winning videos are self-directed. Mustafa’s win comes with a $20,000 prize, the largest monetary award for music videos worldwide.
Mustafa released “Name of God” last year days after penning a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urging him to speak for Palestine. The song and video touch on violence and grief as well as the power of community and tradition.
Mustafa isn’t this year’s only winner. Nemahsis has won the fan-voted Audience Award, winning “i wanna be your right hand.” That $2,500 prize goes to both artist Nemahsis and directors Norman Wong and Amy Gardner. The video takes the Palestinian-Canadian artist in a choreographed dance through a restaurant kitchen and into a showstopping empty-room dining hall performance.
Mustafa and Nemahsis beat out a strong shortlist of videos, including clips from The Beaches, Feist, Snotty Nose Rez Kids and more. See the whole list here and check out the four other special award winners here. -Kerry Doole
k.d. lang To Be Inducted Into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 2024
k.d. lang will be inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 2024 by the Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA). The induction will take place at Country Music Week 2024 in Edmonton, Alberta, September 11–14 leading to the CCMA Awards.
“I am beyond thrilled, and frankly pleasantly surprised to be honored in this way,” says lang, who was born in Edmonton. “My love for the prairies, the people and our culture underscore every ounce of my inspiration. Not without its complexities, I might add. Such is life. I am so stoked to be coming to Edmonton to bask in this celebration… with deepest gratitude.”
Emerging in the 1980s as part of a then-burgeoning “cowpunk” scene, lang has had one of the most powerful and beautiful voices in country music and beyond. A queer icon and activist in many spheres, she’s expanded the boundary of the genre and pioneered within and beyond it.
“Today, we are excited to announce the incomparable k.d. Lang as our 2024 Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame Artist inductee,” says Amy Jeninga, president of CCMA. “A true Canadian icon and trailblazer in country music and beyond, k.d. embraced the genre with unparalleled passion, and her extraordinary talents have left an indelible mark on the cultural landscape of our nation. We proudly honour her incredible legacy and outstanding contributions, and can’t wait to celebrate her induction in Edmonton this September.”
The Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame is housed at Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre, in Calgary. A new exhibition celebrating new and historic inductees will open September 11, 2024, with more details still to be announced. -Richard Trapunski
Country Label MDM Recordings Inks Global Deal With Warner Music Canada’s ADA CANADA
Country music is big business in Canada right now, and one of the nation’s major labels has made a new deal to reflect that.
ADA CANADA, the independent label and artist services arm of Warner Music Canada, has announced a new exclusive global distribution deal with MDM Recordings. Founded by Canadian music industry veteran Mike Denney in 2008, MDM Recordings describes itself as “a full service independent label and management company specializing in country music.”
MDM has an impressive track record, especially with up-and-coming country acts. Its roster has included such notable Canadian country musicians as Chad Brownlee, Tyler Joe Miller, Bobby Wills and Don Amero, and music released on the label has earned over 450 million global streams, and more than 500,000 physical units sold. Artists currently on the MDM roster include Jess Moskaluke (a platinum-selling artist and Juno and CCMA Award winner), Charlie Major, Amero, and The Redhill Valleys, alongside promising newcomers Savannah Jade and Josh Stumpf.
MDM Recordings has twice been awarded record label of the year at the Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) Awards. Mike Denney has been honoured with the record company person of the year title three times and has overseen seven CCMA Award wins for their artists.
“MDM Recordings has always been about fostering incredible talent and sharing their music with the world,” says Denney. “This partnership with ADA Canada marks an exciting new chapter for us. We are thrilled to leverage ADA’s extensive global network to bring our artists’ music to an even broader audience.”
Greg Morris, VP of ADA Canada, says: “Mike Denney had a vision 16 years ago to create MDM Recordings, and he has done incredible work building it into what it is today. It has an excellent track record of discovering and developing country artists, and has regularly been recognized as one of the best country labels in Canada. I’m proud that Mike has entrusted ADA Canada to support and grow his business, and am excited to work with him and his team to grow his artists’ success, and help them connect with their fans around the world.” -Kerry Doole
For the past few months, things seem to have only been getting better for Sabrina Carpenter. Last summer, while opening on Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, she began going viral for the city-specific outros she would tack on to the end of her song “Nonsense,” a true fan-driven hit that reached No. 56 on the Hot 100 and No. 10 on Pop Airplay. Next came “Feather,” off the deluxe edition of her Emails I Can’t Send album, which went even further, reaching No. 21 on the Hot 100 and becoming her first-ever Pop Airplay No. 1 earlier this year.
But that was just the beginning. “Espresso,” her single she released on top of her Coachella performance in April, exploded to No. 2 on the Hot 100 and No. 1 on the Global 200, cementing her as the pop superstar of the moment, crowned accordingly with a performance (and skit appearance) on Saturday Night Live. But her latest single, “Please Please Please,” then went even further — after debuting at No. 2 on the Hot 100 and giving her the top two songs on the Global 200, “Please Please Please” then ascended to the top of both charts, giving Carpenter her first-ever Hot 100 No. 1 and the distinction of replacing herself atop the global charts.
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The momentum has been dizzying — with every level conquered, another fell right after. Or, as Island Records vp of A&R Jackie Winkler puts it, “‘Nonsense’ walked so ‘Feather’ could jog, then ‘Espresso’ ran so that ‘Please Please Please’ could start a stampede.” And the success earns Winkler, who originally signed Carpenter to Island and has worked with her ever since, the title of Billboard’s Executive of the Week.
Here, Winkler talks about the building success of each of these songs, Carpenter’s evolution as a songwriter, the way that A&R has evolved over the years — and what will come next. “I think this album is going to blow people away,” Winkler says of Carpenter’s forthcoming Short N’ Sweet, due out in August. “If you like ‘Please Please Please’ and ‘Espresso,’ just wait for what’s in store.”
This week, Sabrina Carpenter’s “Please Please Please” reached No. 1 on the Hot 100, her first-ever song to top the chart. What key decision did you make to help make that happen?
Sabrina and Jack Antonoff had known each other personally for some time, so it was a natural progression for them to eventually work together. Given the chemistry that Sabrina and Amy Allen had already built, putting the three of them together felt like the perfect musical combination to undoubtedly yield something exceptional. It’s also fun to share the success of this song with David Gray and Jenn Knoepfle at UMPG who were instrumental in connecting the dots.
“Please Please Please” also hit No. 1 on the Global 200, replacing “Espresso,” which was No. 1 last week. Why do you think these songs are resonating, and working so well, around the globe?
To put it simply, the two songs speak for themselves. The first time I heard “Please Please Please” and “Espresso,” both sounded like hit records to me. The extraordinary nuances of Sabrina’s vocal delivery and quick-witted lyrics, combined with Jack Antonoff and Julian Bunetta’s brilliant productions, all play an essential role in what makes these songs so infectious and undeniable. They are especially bold, and nobody could pull them off as fearlessly and authentically as Sabrina.
Since last year, Sabrina has been on an increasingly-ascendant run up the charts, from “Nonsense” to “Feather” to “Espresso” and “Please Please Please.” How have you worked with her to help her develop her sound in the past year to reach this level?
It really feels like all four songs came at the perfect times in her career. “Nonsense” walked so “Feather” could jog, then “Espresso” ran so that “Please Please Please” could start a stampede. At the core, the music Sabrina makes is perfectly reflective of who she is as a person, and all the quirks and character are what give her such a strong musical identity. Writing with her friends has always felt like the most effortless way to allow her to be herself, so protecting that process at all costs will remain a vital part of her ever-evolving sound.
You originally signed Sabrina to Island several years ago. How have you seen her develop as a songwriter and as an artist since then?
From day one, Sabrina’s superpower has always been knowing exactly who she is and the type of musical collaborators she’s wanted to work with. I’ve witnessed her develop into an extraordinary songwriter who has not only coined entirely new phrases, but also infiltrated popular culture around the world with her lyricism alone. One of the most rewarding parts about seeing her succeed is that none of this has happened by skipping steps or catching a lucky break. It is all owed to her remarkable talent, the music itself and the relentless detail put into every aspect of her creative campaign. [Island co-CEOs] Justin Eshak and Imran Majid are ambitious leaders who strongly encourage our artists and our Island Records staff to take risks musically and strategically, which has made this journey even more gratifying as we continue to charge forward with no limitations.
With such a string of successful singles, how does that influence your approach to her upcoming album?
I think this album is going to blow people away. If you like “Please Please Please” and “Espresso,” just wait for what’s in store. Every ounce of the album oozes with Sabrina’s personality — funny, sincere, cheeky and intelligent, but above all, it’s honest. There isn’t a single song on the album that one could mistake for another artist, which is by far my favorite part.
How has A&R changed over the course of your career, and how has technology changed the role?
Technology continues to be a valuable tool for us to perform our jobs more efficiently. Since the start of my career, our access to information, data and even resources used to break artists have multiplied; however, my approach to signings, choosing singles and pairing creatives has never wavered from following my gut instinct. What will remain constant in A&R is the importance of maintaining genuine relationships, remaining selective and staying true to finding artists with longevity, a point of view and an unparalleled vision.
Diplo is facing a civil lawsuit accusing him of violating “revenge porn” laws by sharing sexually-explicit videos and images of a former romantic partner without her permission.
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In a complaint filed Thursday in Los Angeles federal court, an unnamed Jane Doe accuser claimed that the DJ (real name Thomas Wesley Pentz) recorded their sexual encounters and shared the materials with others on Snapchat “without plaintiff’s knowledge or consent.”
“Plaintiff brings this action to recover for the emotional and physical injuries she endured because of Diplo’s actions and to make sure no one else is forced to suffer the privacy invasions and physical and mental trauma she felt and continues to feel to this day,” the woman’s attorneys write.
In her complaint, the woman claims she had consensual sexual relationship with the DJ from 2016 to 2023. During that time, she says she occasionally “gave defendant Diplo permission to record them having sex, but never gave him permission to distribute those images and videos to third parties and reiterated that he was not to record them without her explicit consent.”
“Plaintiff trusted defendant Diplo and believed that he would respect her wishes to keep their sexual images and videos confidential and that he would not record them having sex without her consent,” her lawyers write.
But last fall, the woman says she was contacted by someone claiming to be in possession of images and videos of “plaintiff and defendant Diplo having sex.” She says the materials, allegedly shared over Snapchat five years earlier, depicted her “genitals, buttocks, and face,” as well as her voice.
After the incident, Jane Doe says she reported Diplo’s actions to the New York Police Department, which later “issued a warrant for defendant Diplo’s arrest for dissemination of intimate images and/or videos depicting Plaintiff.”
In an email to Billboard, the NYPD confirmed that a report had been filed and that there was an active investigation, but declined to comment on the claims of an arrest warrant: “There is a criminal complaint on file for unlawful dissemination for a suspect with the name of Thomas Pentz which is currently being investigated by NYPD detectives.”
In 2022, when Congress reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act, lawmakers created for the first time a federal law banning the disclosure of “intimate” images without the consent of those depicted in them. The lawsuit accuses Diplo of violating that provision, as well as an earlier revenge porn law enacted by the state of California.
Both representatives and an attorney for Diplo did not return requests for comment.
Diplo was previously accused of revenge porn by another woman. In 2020, he was sued by a woman named Shelly Auguste over claims that he had distributed nude photographs of her without permission. His attorneys called it a “smear campaign” and sued her back for stalking, trespassing, and distributing private materials. That litigation is ongoing.
It’s time for another spin around the Executive Turntable, Billboard’s comprehensive(ish) compendium of promotions, hirings, exits and firings — and all things in between — across music. Check out this year’s Pride List of top LGBTQ+ executives in the industry. We also have a weekly interview series spotlighting a single executive and a regularly updated gallery honoring many of the industry figures we’ve lost throughout the year.
Universal Music Sweden managing director Joakim Johansson has been promoted to president of the entire Nordics region for Universal Music Central Europe. He’ll continue MD’ing on the Sweden side but adds oversight of UMG operations in Denmark, Norway and Finland, as well as the Baltics (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania). The individual directors of those markets (Casper Bengtson/Denmark, Kimmo Valtanen/Finland and Bjørn Rogstad/Norway) will now report directly to Johannson, who continues to beeline to Frank Briegmann, chairman & CEO of UMCE and Deutsche Grammophon. Johansson’s expanded role aligns with Briegmann’s ongoing strategy to amplify cross-market collaboration and innovations throughout Central Europe. Johansson joined the company in 2013 as GM of Universal Music Sweden, being promoted to MD six years later. “The Nordic countries boast a rich musical heritage and are at the forefront of industry innovation,” he said. “It’s an honor to lead our talented team in this vibrant region, and I look forward to driving our vision into the future.”
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Audacy elevated journeyman Jeff Sottolano to chief programming officer, effective immediately. Sottolano, who joined CBS Radio in 2001 as an intern and has served as executive vp and head of programing since 2021, will now oversee content strategy and creation in all formats across broadcast, streaming and podcasts, as well as work with product and technology teams on ways to improve creator tools and more. Over a 15-year stretch at CBS, which was acquired in 2017 by Entercom (later Audacy), Sottolano held programming roles in Rochester and Philadelphia before joining the front office in 2014 as director of programming. During the Entercom era, he rose to executive vp of programming, which carried over following the post-Audacy rebrand. For most of the last decade, Sottolano’s brand portfolio has gained market share in the A25-54 demo and he has led numerous company-wide initiatives including Audacy Launch, the company’s new music discovery platform for rising artists. “I consider myself so fortunate to work with our programmers, talent, anchors, reporters and producers who, together, build incredible brands, entertain and inform, and make a difference in the lives of millions of consumers every day,” said Sottolano.
Spirit Music Group appointed Lou Al-Chamaa to executive vp of A&R, a role based in Los Angeles and reporting to Spirit’s chief creative officer, Frank Rogers, who lauded the new hire’s “drive, passion and experience in building successful writer rosters” while in senior roles at AVEX USA, Sony Music Publishing and during his time as a consultant. “The opportunity to collaborate with such a forward-thinking team and contribute to the evolution of music creation is incredibly inspiring,” Al-Chamaa said. “I am deeply committed to fostering an environment where artists, songwriters, and producers can thrive creatively.”
Capitol Christian Music Group boosted its A&R efforts at a pair of its most storied imprints. Walter Thomas is promoted from director of artist development at CCMG to the new position of vp of artist development for Motown Gospel and TAMLA. Thomas, who joined the UMG label group last year, reports to CCMG co-presidents Brad O’Donnell and Hudson Plachy. Working closely with Thomas is Alexandria “Dria” Dollar, who joined CCMG in the role of senior director of A&R at TAMLA and Motown Gospel following a stretch as director of A&R at Reach Records in Atlanta. “These iconic labels have a legacy of inspiring and uplifting music,” said Thomas, adding that “Alexandria’s innovative approach and keen ear for talent are unmatched, and I am confident that together we will elevate our artists to new heights.”
Kelly Bolton
Credit: Jessica Amerson
Warner Records added Kelly Bolton as vp of A&R. Working out of Nashville, Bolton will work with Warner co-chairman/CEO Aaron Bay-Schuck on signing, developing, and cultivating country artists for the Los Angeles-based label. Bolton will report to executive vp and head of A&R Karen Kwak. Over the past few years, Warner has added artists including Zach Bryan, Dasha and Warren Zeiders to its roster. Bolton most recently served five years at Ashley Gorley’s Tape Room Music, rising to senior vp of A&R. Prior career stops include Big Deal Music and Black River Entertainment. –Jessica Nicholson
RADIO, RADIO: Vox co-founder Melissa Bell is the next CEO of Chicago Public Media, non-profit owner of WBEZ and the Chicago Sun-Times. She succeeds Matt Moog and officially starts Sept. 3 … Not so fast on that retirement, Joe Verbrugge. SiriusXM‘s chief commercial officer was supposed to depart yesterday (June 27) but will instead remain in place until July 31 before switching to a part-time role as advisor to the CEO through the end of the year.
Wasserman Music added three veterans to its global ranks as it looks to build on the firm’s suite of client services. Joining the London team as manager of tour marketing is Adam Clements, who has 15 years of experience between stops at Birmingham’s O2 Academy and O2 Institute, Eventim UK and AEG Presents. Over in Chicago, Oskar Muller joined as director of pricing & ticketing (Chicago) after serving as pricing director at Live Nation Entertainment. Finally, in sunny L.A., Jenn Rilloraza joined as manager of brand partnerships following time as director of marketing, brands and creative services for Create Music Group’s VRTCL vertical. “We are relentless in continually creating new ways to serve our valued clients around the world, and these important new additions to Team Wass reflect that,” glowed Wasserman Music president Lee Anderson.
The Academy of Country Music made promotions and new hires across several departments. Tommy Moore has been promoted to chief of staff and vp, industry relations & awards, board administration and governance. Kris Reyes has been promoted to senior director of finance, operations and HR. Meanwhile, Jesse Knutson has been elevated to director of publicity and media relations. Haley Montgomery has been elevated to director of industry relations & awards, while Jennifer Davis has been promoted to senior manager of events. Brittany Uhniat has been promoted to manager of content & creative production. New hires include Katie Casserly as coordinator of social media, with Maggie Feyrer hired as coordinator of strategic partnerships and Delaney Loughran as assistant, industry relations & awards. –J.N.
BOARD SHORTS: The Association of Music Producers elected Matt Nelson of Yessian Music as the ad music trade group’s new president of its national board. Nelson, who joined the board’s eastern chapter six years ago, succeeds Carol Dunn as national board president. Succeeding Nelson as president of the eastern chapter will be Made Music Studio executive Amy Crawford … The International Bluegrass Music Association elected two new members of its board and welcomed the return of a third. After a year away, former IBMA board chair Mike Simpson is back, and joins newcomers CJ Lewandowski and Annie Savage as board officers … Musicians On Call appointed True Public Relations co-owner Marcel Pariseau and songwriter Sam Hollander to its national board of directors.
Dylan Brewer, a veteran label executive and experiential marketer, launched a new creative music company dubbed FRAUDULENT. Since forming, the Los Angeles-based firm has already worked on campaigns for Laufey (alongside Microsoft) and Jessie Reyez. The two-time Clio award winner was most recently vp of marketing and head of experiential at Epic Records, working on a roster including Ozzy Osbourne, Madison Beer, Bakar, BEAM, AG Club, Headie One, J Hus and more. Prior to joining Epic in 2018, Brewer was a marketing and strategy lead at Def Jam Recordings for over three years, and earlier in his career produced music campaigns at Google. Reach out to Brewer at hi@fraudulent.live.
WHY&HOW added veteran artist manager Patrick Farr to its management team, based in Nashville. Farr arrives following six years at his own Revelator Management company, and another six at Philymack before that. During his career he has worked with such artists as Nick Jonas, DNCE and Demi Lovato, as well as Sophia Scott, who comes with him to WHY&HOW. “Not only does Patrick bring immense experience, but a fitting addition to our roster in Sophia Scott,” said WHY&HOW founder & CEO Bruce Kalmick. “I’ve been a fan of Patrick’s work ethic and savvy approach to artis development for a long time – we look forward to having him jump in with our team.”
NASHVILLE NOTES: Lauren Thomas was promoted to Columbia Nashville svp of promotion from vp and will have a day-to-day role with both the Columbia and RCA Nashville imprints … Big Machine Label Group promoted Ashley Sidoti to svp of promotion and digital for its Valory Music Co. imprint. Sidoti most recently served as vp of promotion and digital … The Gospel Music Association appointed veteran producer, marketer and network leader Steve Gilreath as executive director of the Christian & Gospel Music Museum at the Dove Center. Gilreath will report directly to Jackie Patillo, president of the Gospel Music Association … The Academy of Country Music is looking for a director of brand creative and design, as well as a director of strategic partnerships. View the listings here.
Influencer marketing agency VRTCL elevated Imani “Mango” Lewis to director, overseeing operations for the entire VRTCL team. Lewis, who is based in Los Angeles, joined VRTCL in March 2021 as music department manager before rising to head of music — and then director of music — last year. Recent wins for the viral content firm include campaigns for Beyonce’s “Texas Hold Em,” Kasha’s “Austin” and Lil Durk’s “All My Life.” “Imani’s exceptional talent and dedication have consistently driven some of our most successful influencer campaigns in recent years,” said Ash Stahl, CEO of umbrella company FH Media. “Her innovative strategies and unwavering commitment to excellence make her an invaluable asset to the VRTCL team.”
BSI Merch, a UK-based independent music merch and tech company, selected Charlie Simmonds to lead its expansion into the Asia-Pacific market. Located in Tokyo, the new outpost will primarily focus on e-commerce, merch supply, tour support, sales and superfan-related services. “By focusing on e-commerce and localising our services, we aim to deliver world-class support and grow our presence in this key market,” said Andy Allen, CEO. Throughout his career, Simmonds has worked with such artists as Billie Eilish and Sticky Fingers, and events including New York Comic Con and Signature Brew.
ICYMI:
Cheryl Paglierani
UK Music made it official, appointing interim chief Tom Kiehl as full-on chief executive of the music trade body. He succeeds Jamie Njoku-Goodwin, who left last year to work for soon-to-be former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak … Music agent Cheryl Paglierani joins CAA from UTA, where she served as a partner … Rodrigo Prichard was named general manager of Rimas Entertainment, effective July 1. Meanwhile, Kristen Quintero-Garriga has been named vp of brand partnerships under RIT.MO.
Last Week’s Turntable: SXSW London Staffs Up