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Billboard‘s Branding Power Players list demonstrates that corporations sponsoring concerts is one of the music business’ crucial revenue streams, allowing artists to put on more massive tours than they may have done otherwise and promoters to keep the lights on in their arenas and amphitheaters. In its public filings, Live Nation, the world’s biggest promoter, […]
In a first, the Polaris Music Prize is rescinding Buffy Sainte-Marie‘s wins. The Juno Awards have also revoked the singer-songwriter’s awards and her induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS), the organization that administers the Junos, released a statement, writing that the singer-songwriter does not meet eligibility requirements following her confirmation that she is not Canadian — similar criteria that the Polaris Prize cited. It was a “not a reflection of Ms. Sainte-Marie’s artistic contributions,” CARAS writes.
CARAS says it made the decision following a thorough review and consultations with the CARAS Indigenous Music Advisory Committee.
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Sainte-Marie has faced criticism and scrutiny following a 2023 CBC investigation that cast serious doubt on her claims of Indigenous identity.
In January of this year, Sainte-Marie’s Order of Canada was terminated. On March 4, The Canadian Press reported Sainte-Marie issued a statement about the termination, saying that she returned the Order “with a good heart” and affirming that she is a U.S. citizen. “My Cree family adopted me forever and this will never change,” she added.
Sainte-Marie won the Polaris Prize — which is awarded annually by a jury of music critics to one Canadian album based on merit — in 2015 for Power In The Blood. She was also awarded a Polaris Heritage Prize, which honours albums released before the Prize’s founding in 2006, in 2020 for her debut solo album It’s My Way!
Now, those two awards will no longer be hers.
“Based on Sainte-Marie’s statement, Buffy does not meet Polaris Music Prize’s rules and regulations,” wrote the Polaris Prize. “Given Buffy’s statement regarding her citizenship, Polaris Music Prize will be rescinding all awards including her 2015 Polaris Music Prize and 2020 Heritage Prize,” the Prize states.
The PMP statement also acknowledges that not all Indigenous artists have access to government-issued paperwork, with the Prize asserting that this should not impact eligibility for the award.
The Prize’s eligibility criteria requires that nominees “be Canadian citizens or permanent residents, with proof of status provided through government-issued documentation, including passports, birth certificates, permanent resident cards, and/or Secure Certificates of Indian Status.”
Read the Polaris Prize and Juno Awards’ full statements on Billboard Canada .
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Canadian Vinyl Pressing Plant Promises to Absorb Tariff Costs for American Customers
An Ontario-based vinyl company has announced it will absorb tariff costs for American customers, receiving a mixed response.
As America imposes 25% tariffs on some Canadian imports (with others delayed until April 2), Precision Record Precision is committing to keeping prices stable for U.S. clients.
“We understand that recent tariff announcements may raise concerns, and we want to assure our US-based customers that any tariffs imposed by the US government on Canadian exports will be paid by and fully absorbed by PRP,” says a statement from CEO Shawn Johnson.
With manufacturing based in Burlington, Ontario, the company bills itself as one of the largest pressing plants in North America. The company was established in 2016 as a partnership between the massive Czech-owned vinyl manufacturer GZ Media and Canadian music distributor Isotope Music.
Some customers welcomed the decision, but the top comment on Instagram disagrees with the company.
“But the American clients SHOULD be paying the tariffs. Not the Canadian company. I understand the desire to not lose business but this is disappointing from a Canadian company and makes me question if I want to use Precision Pressing again thin [sic] the future,” the comment reads.
The trade battle between the U.S. and Canada, as well as persistent threats by the American President to annex Canada, have prompted uncertainty in the Canadian cultural industries as well as a wave of nationalism.
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Canadian Artists Hold the Top Two Spots on Billboard Albums Charts
Tate McRae is so close to superstardom.
The Calgary pop singer has notched her first No. 1 album with So Close To What, topping the Billboard Canadian Albums chart on the chart dated March 8. She bumps Drake and PartyNextDoor’s $ome $exy $ongs 4 U to no. 2, on that Canadian chart and on the Billboard 200 — a rare occasion where Canadians have the top 2 albums in both Canada and the U.S.
It marks a major ascension for the Canadian star, who has been building her profile since her breakthrough with 2020’s “You Broke Me First.” In the five years since, McRae has evolved into one of Gen Z’s biggest singers and performers.
McRae expressed her excitement at the No. 1 debut on Instagram. “????????? Are you kidding meeeeeeee Thank you Thank you Thank you 😭’” she wrote.
McRae also has 15 songs in total on the Canadian Hot 100 this week. Her highest placement is the sultry “Sports Car,” which she performed on Saturday Night Live this past weekend. That track sits at No. 11 on the Canadian Hot 100 and No. 16 in the U.S.
Drake and PartyNextDoor, meanwhile, have 16 tracks on the Canadian Hot 100 this week, though they are not as high as in the first week. The top placed song, “Nokia” drops 5-10, and “Gimme a Hug” moves down 10-39.
Overall, it’s a big week for Canadian artists on the charts.
Last Week In Canada: Billboard Live Stage Coming to NXNE
This summer, Bad Bunny is set to transform Puerto Rico’s typically quieter season with a 30-show residency at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot (a.k.a. El Choli). Choosing not to tour globally, the Puerto Rican superstar will instead showcase his latest album, Debí Tirar Más Fotos, exclusively on his home turf from July 11 to Sept. 14. The extraordinary demand for tickets — with 400,000 selling within four hours, half to international tourists — confirms the residency’s global appeal and its potential to substantially enhance the island’s local economy during its sweltering summer months.
This residency concept represents a first for Puerto Rico. Although the Coliseo has hosted multiple back-to-back shows in the past, with artists such as Daddy Yankee and Wisin & Yandel performing on consecutive weekends, the scope and magnitude of Bunny’s residency has never been seen before. This series of 30 shows is unprecedented not only for the number of shows but also for the intensity of the preparation and the international anticipation it’s been generating.
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On Jan. 5, Bunny released Debí Tirar, which reached No. 1 on multiple all-genre charts, including the Billboard 200 and Top Streaming Albums. Reflecting on this success, Benito told Billboard a few weeks after releasing the album, “Man, obviously I’m thankful with the way the world has embraced this album. The thing is, this project… it isn’t mine. It belongs to many people: everyone who worked with me, it belongs to Puerto Rico, my friends, my family. This project belongs to all of us who feel proud of being from Puerto Rico and being Latin.”
In anticipation of the residency, Alejandro Pabón, the Move Concerts promoter behind the residency, details the extensive preparations necessary to accommodate such an unprecedented influx of fans. “We’re expecting around 200,000 people from abroad visiting the island,” he says. “All the local businesses are going to be impacted. All the hotels are sold out. Today [Feb. 13], a local newspaper put out an article saying that for the residency dates, there’s a 70% surge on AirBnB.” While the volume of business will be overwhelming, Pabón mentions that the event’s organization relies on local labor, creating more job opportunities for Puerto Rican residents. “All the hotel staffing are going to have to level up because they’re expecting 100% capacity for those three months,” he says.
Preparing for the residency presents a complex challenge, introducing a level of scale and coordination previously unseen in Puerto Rico’s entertainment history. But it also promises to bring a raft of economic benefits to the island not typically seen during the summer season.
“Traditionally, July is the slowest month show-wise for the venue since forever. So we went and found the slowest period and booked it, which definitely is helping the economy,” says Pabón.
Travel and concierge expert Rob Dellibovi, who serves as founder/CEO of RDB Hospitality, elaborates on the strategic timing of the residency and its benefits to the local economy. “A time where it’s probably 30-40% occupancy, it’ll be like 90% because of all these shows,” he says. “The fact that they’re doing this in July and August is going to be a huge win for the island because nobody’s there at those times [due to the heat]. They’re not displacing any other kind of revenue; they’re just bringing people during the slow season to Puerto Rico.”
Pabón notes that Puerto Rico is well-equipped for major events, boasting a “state-of-the-art arena,” abundant “natural resources, great restaurants, and a lot of hotels.” Unlike typical residencies in cities like Las Vegas that feature international artists, this local showcase will potentially alter perceptions of the island as a global tourist hotspot.
Building on this framework, Coliseo de Puerto Rico has established itself as a rite of passage to Latin pop superstars and beyond. Situated in the heart of San Juan’s Milla de Oro, the venue has held some of Latin music’s most important events of the 21st century. A sold-out Coliseo performance is an affirmation of star power.
The Coliseo De Puerto Rico
Al Bello/Getty Images
El Coliseo is no stranger to record-breaking events. In 2021, Karol G made history by becoming the first international female artist to set the record for the fastest ticket sales at the venue with two sold-out dates. More than a decade earlier, on March 14, 2010, Metallica became the fastest-selling concert ever at the Coliseo, drawing a crowd of 17,286. However, Bad Bunny has already surpassed Metallica’s record twice: first in March 2019 and again in July 2022. In 2019, Daddy Yankee broke Wisin & Yandel’s record for the most consecutive sold-out shows at the venue with a total of 10 concerts as part of his Con Calma Pa’l Choli tour — a record Benito is now poised to break.
Jorge L. Pérez, the general manager of Coliseo de Puerto Rico, calls Bad Bunny’s upcoming residency a “historic event.” He tells Billboard that in August 2023, Pabón and Noah Assad, Bad Bunny’s manager, unveiled the concept of the residency to him. “I was blown away,” says Pérez, underscoring the complexity of keeping the plans under wraps. “When they started working the room blocks, I got calls from a lot of skeptical hoteliers. They were like, ‘Why are they asking for so many rooms?! What is happening?!’ I was like, ‘I can’t reveal that information, give them all the available inventory that you have. We have a signed contract at Coliseo. This is legit.’”
With the months-long advance notice of 30 sold-out shows, Pérez says the planning becomes much more manageable. Helping matters, he says, is the fact that they are sourcing all concessions products locally, with the venue to feature a special menu highlighting local delicacies such as “alcapurrias and bacalaitos,” embracing Puerto Rican culinary traditions.
“[This residency] will position Puerto Rico as a premier entertainment destination,” says Pérez. “It will open the eyes of visitors who have never come to Puerto Rico. It will create awareness of Puerto Rico as an entertainment and leisure destination.”
Pérez says that growth has been evident in the post-COVID era, as the Coliseo has consistently ranked in the top 20 on Pollstar’s year-end list of highest ticket sales among arenas globally. On Billboard’s 2024 year-end list of Top Venues (15,001+ capacity), Coliseo de Puerto Rico was ranked No. 39, with a gross of $52.5 million and 750,000 tickets sold.
With the Bad Bunny residency and other scheduled events, Pérez says he expects to set a sales record at Coliseo, projecting total ticket sales between 1.3 and 1.4 million for the first time in a single year. He adds that the venue is on track to hold more than 100 events in a single year — another milestone. Because of Bunny’s residency, he says there’s potential for the Coliseo to place among the top five on Billboard’s year-end Top Venues chart. At a minimum, projections show 2025 sales increasing by 73% from last year.
While the venue has hosted residencies before, such as Daddy Yankee with 12 shows in 2019 and Wisin & Yandel with 14 in 2022, this is the first time the Coliseo has accommodated a residency of this magnitude, says Pérez. “The uniqueness about this is a call made by the artist, saying, ‘I released a new album that’s at the top of the charts globally, and I am not going on tour. If you want to see these concerts, you have to come to my island.’ I believe that this call is what makes this residency very special — and the impact it will have on the island’s economy,” he says.
“They’re digging into what the whole Vegas set up is,” says Dellibovi, describing the economic strategy behind such events. “The casinos know that if they have a huge act like Adele, Céline Dion or whoever is doing a residency…people are going to fly in for it — and the casino itself is going to make a ton of money.”
Of the potential ripple effects the Bunny residency might have on the global entertainment scene, Dellibovi hints that it could spawn a new potential trend. “Is Andrea Bocelli going to do an Italian residency? I have no idea,” he says. “I just think it’s super cool that this is going to spark a whole new residency game, in my opinion, where people are going to go to all these places to see the artist in their homeland. Every international artist from any country is going to be like, ‘Oh s—, I’m going to go back to wherever I’m from and have a month of shows and make a lot of money.’ Those cities are going to want it because there are slow seasons. They need it. Everyone’s going to want to support this.”
Echoing this sentiment, Pabón emphasizes the significance of cultural representation and local benefit: “Who wouldn’t want to showcase their hometown or contribute to it in a positive way? It’s not just going to be the Sphere or the MGM [Grand in Las Vegas] doing residences.”
Traveling to Puerto Rico is particularly convenient for Americans, as only a driver’s license is required for entry. Given this ease of access, Puerto Rico is well-positioned to outpace other popular Caribbean destinations such as Mexico and the Dominican Republic in attracting American tourists, Dellibovi points out.
“This is a big trip for people. That’s a party weekend,” he says. “Make sure you’re stocked and make sure your vibe is right. Make sure that you’re ready to deal with a crowd that’s there to have fun. This is not your typical beach crowd. This is going to be people who are in town to party.”
With more than 1.1 million Puerto Ricans residing in the New York metropolitan area, accounting for 6.7% of New York City’s population in 2020, according to the New York Academy of Sciences, the city not only serves as a significant cultural epicenter for the Puerto Rican diaspora but also stands as a primary source of attendees for major events in Puerto Rico. He expects that will be the case here as well.
“New York is the number one [demographic] of people that are going to come visit,” Pabón says. “I’m definitely expecting a lot of second and third-generation Puerto Ricans to come back home. I know that for a lot of them it is going to be the first time that they’ll come visit, because not all of them have had the chance to be here. I know it’s going to be a special [destination] that’s going to let them connect with their island. It was the artist’s idea to create this synergy between them and their island.”
According to the Puerto Rico Report, there are about 5.8 million Puerto Ricans living in the United States, compared with 3.2 million on the Island.
“This is like a pilgrimage, a Hajj for Puerto Ricans,” echoes Dellibovi. “If you’re Puerto Rican, and you love Bad Bunny, who’s not going to want to go to the homeland and see him? It’s the coolest experience ever for actual Puerto Ricans [living abroad].’ He continues, “Bad Bunny is the biggest Latin artist in the world. He is the only Latin artist who can sell out a stadium in any city in the world. He can go to Sweden, Tokyo, Sydney, anywhere. It’s very rare for a Latin artist to be able to do that.”
Pabón emphasizes the deeper motivation behind the residency, reflecting a sentiment shared by his team: “We’re doing this not just for business, that’s secondary. This is done for our country, for our identity, because we really love Puerto Rico. The artist really loves it. Noah really loves it, and all the team. It’s personal. We’re all really excited and happy about this.”
Welcome to the latest Executive Turntable, Billboard’s weekly compendium of promotions, hirings, exits and firings — and all things in between — across the music business. There’s a full slate of personnel news this week, so let’s get started.
John Trimble, the longtime chief advertising revenue officer of SiriusXM — and Pandora before that — announced his departure after 16 years at the satellite/digital radio giant. Reflecting on his journey, he highlighted the twists and turns of his tenure, from Pandora’s start-up phase in the late aughts to its public offering and integration into SiriusXM in 2019. “Each step was defined by the risk-takers, colleagues who were truly teammates, and teammates who became friends,” he said on LinkedIn. “We built a high quality and sustainable revenue organization that can withstand the ups, downs and twists of crazy ad markets while being an integral part of the digital audio market.” Trimble, who lasted through seven CEOs and Pandora’s acquisition by SiriusXM, said he felt the company is in good hands and that it’s “time to go chase my growing bucket list.” Trimble joined Pandora in 2009 following stints at Glam Media and Fox Interactive. His successor as CARO is Scott Walker, previously the senior vp of the SiriusXM-owned ad platform AdsWizz. In a chat with Adweek this week, Walker said he aims to expand the company’s reach and improve its measurement and attribution capabilities.
Adrian Pope is the new executive vice president of digital business and global partner relations at Virgin Music Group. Based in London, he will connect VMG with its independent clients and digital partners globally. Pope previously served as chief digital officer at [PIAS] and managing director of its distribution and services business [Integral], collaborating with top indie labels and artists. He was instrumental in integrating [Integral] into Virgin following Universal Music Group’s acquisition of [PIAS] in 2024. With over 20 years in the digital music industry, Pope’s experience includes roles at Music Week and consultancy Understanding & Solutions. JT Myers, co-CEO of Virgin Music Group, praised Pope’s contributions to both [PIAS] and [Integral]. “We know his relationships and expertise will be important in our continued growth and success around the world and are grateful to have him play a key role on Virgin’s global leadership team,” said Myers.
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Jordan Fasbender, executive vp, chief legal officer and secretary of iHeartMedia, announced this week that she’ll resign by the end of the month to take a position outside the company. According to a new SEC filing, her resignation is not due to any disagreement with the company. The NYC-based legal executive joined iHeartMedia in mid-2019 as deputy general counsel and rose to her current role in November 2024 after signing new agreement extending her role through at least 2026. She previously served as senior vp and associate general counsel at 21st Century Fox and began her career as an associate at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP. Fabender’s replacement has not been announced, nor has she said where she’s headed next.
BMG is merging its Sync and Production Music teams into a unified global Sync Services structure to streamline operations and enhance services for clients in TV, film, advertising, gaming and tech. As part of this restructuring, Amberly Crouse-Knox and Scott Doran have been appointed senior vice presidents of Sync Services & Partnerships. Crouse-Knox will oversee North America and Latin America from Los Angeles, while Doran will lead UK and Asia-Pacific from London. Both will report to Johannes von Schwarzkopf, BMG’s chief strategy officer, and join Allegra Willis Knerr and Caspar Kedros in the global sync leadership team. Crouse-Knox has been with BMG since 2014, playing a key role in integrating X-Ray Dog Music. Doran, who joined in 2016, previously co-owned Altitude Music. This restructuring aims to strengthen the bridge between creators and clients, matching catalog cuts with impactful opportunities.
SharpTone Records appointed Jackie Andersen as its new head of label, succeeding Shawn Keith. With over 20 years in the industry and five years at SharpTone, Andersen has played a key role in the label’s growth. Her background in artist management has helped create supportive environments for musicians. She says “our commitment to empowering artists and connecting fans with cutting-edge music remains stronger than ever.” As part of the transition, Sal Torres has been promoted to head of A&R, bringing experience from Hopeless and Fearless Records. Founded in 2016, SharpTone, under the Nuclear Blast and Believe umbrella, continues to evolve. Nuclear Blast CEO Marcus Hammer and Believe Germany’s Managing Director Thorsten Freese praised Andersen’s vision, with Freese highlighting her “vision and expertise will foster even greater synergies across our network, allowing SharpTone to capitalize on Believe’s unique distribution, and audience development capabilities and global presence.”
Jody Williams Songs (JWS) promoted Nina Jenkins Fisher to vp/general manager and Tenasie Courtright to creative director. Fisher, with JWS since its inception in 2020, has signed and managed a diverse group of writers, including developing and major label artists, writer-producers and songwriters. She also oversees the company’s partnership with Warner Chappell Music. Courtright joined JWS in 2022 as creative coordinator and was later elevated to creative manager. Under Fisher’s supervision, Courtright now plays a key role within the company. JWS represents songwriters such as Andy Austin, Ashley McBryde and Vince Gill, and is a joint venture with Warner Chappell Music. Founder Jody Williams praised Fisher’s leadership in helping her launch the company from scratch and called Courtright an “innate communicator” who “offers creative ideas and solutions like a seasoned pro.”
Lauren Kilgore joined Sony Music Nashville and Provident Entertainment as senior vp of legal and business affairs. In this role, effective immediately, she oversees legal activities for both labels and collabs with business leaders to develop and implement legal, business and operational strategies. Kilgore reports to Taylor Lindsey, chair & CEO of Sony Music Nashville, and Ken Robold, president and COO. Recognized as one of Billboard‘s top music lawyers, Kilgore has spent her entire legal career in Nashville. She most recently served as a shareholder at Buchalter, where she handled various transactional entertainment matters.
Shore Fire Media promoted Chris Brudzinski to senior vp of business affairs and Dan Mansen to business operations specialist, reflecting the company’s growth since joining the Dolphin collective of marketing companies. Brudzinski, with 26 years at Shore Fire, will continue reporting to founder/CEO Marilyn Laverty. His role has expanded since joining as office manager in 1998 to include business development, accounting and human resources. He played a key role in adapting accounting practices after Shore Fire became a Dolphin subsidiary, collaborating with Dolphin CFO Mirta Negrini and overseeing a 50% increase in staff. Mansen, who started as mailroom coordinator in 2016, advanced to assist Brudzinski and became office manager in 2022. He led return-to-office procedures post-pandemic and managed Brooklyn HQ operations. In his new role, he’ll oversee accounts payable, sales order entry, and monthly accounting closings.
Global concert promoter Peachtree Entertainment added Marty Elliott as vp of university relations, and Andrew Goldberg as vp of strategic partnerships. Elliott has over 27 years of experience in venue management, business development and booking. Goldberg has previously held roles at Danny Wimmer Presents, Live Nation and Vinik Sports Group. –Jessica Nicholson
Musicians On Call, which brings music to the bedsides of patients in health care facilities, announced 11 internal promotions. Katy Epley is now chief operating officer, Elizabeth Black is senior vp of operations, and Nicole Rivera is vp of innovation. Other promotions include PJ Cowan (director of programs), Tarah Duarte (director of corporate partnerships), Melinda LaFollette (director of PR and events), Alli Prestby (creative director), Torianne Valdez (director of artist relations), Audrey Jadwisiak (senior program manager), Lia Okenkova (senior development manager) and Sasha Arnkoff (program manager).
NASHVILLE NOTES: Rachel Whitney is taking a sabbatical from her role as Spotify‘s head of editorial in Nashville, the company confirmed … Capitol Christian Music Group senior vp of A&R Josh Bailey left the company with plans to create his own firm involving both Christian and country music … Hsquared Management expanded its team with Kimberly Hopkins, who will serve as the day-to-day manager for Provident Label Group artist Lizzie Morgan and other clients.
New music streaming platform HIO is launching with an artist-first model designed to ensure a transparent path to compensation. Unlike traditional platforms, HIO’s per-user engagement model pays artists directly based on individual listener activity. HIO is led by CEO and founder Ryder Havdale, an indie label executive and musician, who envisioned the platform as an alternative to legacy streaming services. Arthur Falls, chief marketing officer, brings expertise from DFINITY Foundation and ConsenSys, while Galen Hogg, product lead, is a music industry veteran and NFT entrepreneur. The artist outreach team includes musician Eamon McGrath and Sheila Roberts, former director of marketing for PUMA Canada. “This isn’t about unpacking what traditional streaming services do or don’t do—it’s about proving there’s a better way,” said Havdale. “We built HIO because we believe artists deserve transparency, real engagement with their fans, and a revenue model that actually works for them.”
Chrysalis Records, part of the Reservoir group, appointed Colin Rice as director of catalogue marketing. Based in London, the former Sony executive will report to James Meadows, senior vp of marketing. He’ll focus on developing marketing strategies for the label’s catalog artists in the UK and internationally, collaborating with the US marketing team. Rice previously worked at Sony Music’s commercial music group division, overseeing international marketing for artists like Jimi Hendrix, Pink, Celine Dion. His achievements include international No. 1s for Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas” and campaigns for iconic albums by Pearl Jam, the Clash and others. Rice’s career began at Sanctuary Records, followed by roles at we7/Blinkbox music and Union Square Music. Meadows and Alison Wenham of Chrysalis Records praised Rice’s extensive experience and reputation.
Sound Talent Group promoted Sarah Pederson to director of finance, overseeing all accounting and finance operations for the agency. She began her entertainment career as founder and president of Family Tree Presents in Anchorage, promoting shows for bands like 36 Crazyfists. Through this work, she connected with STG co-founder Dave Shapiro, who invited her to join STG in San Diego as controller in 2020. Pederson, a metal fan, is excited about shaping STG’s future. Shapiro added: “She has been an integral part of our growth over the last 5 years and we look forward to many more years to come.”
Key Production Group, Europe’s leading bespoke physical music and packaging manufacturing broke, launched Key Intel, a new product development division led by strategy director John Service. This expansion includes entering the Irish market with newly hired consultant Ann Marie Shields. Key Intel will manage the ideation, creation and release of new products across the company’s subsidiaries. Upcoming innovations with sustainability in mind include a multi-disc boxset series, 3D packaging and a “100 % recycled alternative to shrink wrap.”
Iron Mountain Media and Archival Services appointed Andrea Kalas as vp to lead its expanded division. With over 20 years of experience, Kalas previously worked at Paramount, where she built a valuable film archive and preserved over 2,000 films, including The Godfather. She has also held roles at DreamWorks, Discovery and the British Film Institute. A former president of the Association of Moving Image Archivists, she is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and founded the Academy Digital Preservation Forum Initiative.
ICYMI:
Julie Greenwald
Mercury Records promoted Tyler Arnold to chairman/CEO and Ben Adelson to president/COO of the label, home to Post Malone and Noah Kahn … Street Mob Records hired veteran music executive Gustavo López as its new president … Richard Vega and Stephen Schulcz were promoted to partners in WME’s music division … and former Atlantic Music Group boss Julie Greenwald is now an executive-in-residence at the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at NYU’s Tisch School. [Keep Reading]
Last Week’s Turntable: EMPIRE Hires MD of Europe
Peso Pluma and his cousin, Tito Double P, were both fetted with special honors at the 2025 BMI Latin Awards, held March 6 at the Coastal Convention Center in the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami.
Peso Pluma received the BMI Champion Award for is great influence in the global musical landscape, and for opening doors to the exploding Música Mexicana movement. In winning the Champion Award, Peso Pluma joins a select group of honorees that includes Mark Ronson, Keith Urban and Residente. Peso Pluma also received the regional Mexican Songwriter of the Year award.
The Contemporary Latin Songwriter of the Year award went to both global superstar Karol G and producer and songwriter MAG, who each worked on six hit songs, including “Mi Ex Tenía Razón,” where they both have credits.
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Tito Double P also received a special award –the BMI Impact Award– for “his contributions to Peso Pluma’s success and his innovative songwriting that has propelled him into one of the most popular new artists in the Música Mexicana genre.”
Hit song “Lady Gaga,” written by Gabito Ballesteros and Alexis Fierro Román, was named Regional Mexican Song of the Year while “La Bebé (Remix),” written by Peso Pluma and HASA KING Beatz, won Contemporary Latin Song of the Year.
Sony Music Publishing took home the honor for Regional Mexican Publisher of the Year for representing 11 of the previous year’s most-performed regional Mexican songs, including those by JOP and his stable of songwriters at Street Mob Records; and Kobalt Music Publishing won Contemporary Latin Publisher of the Year for representing seven of the previous year’s most-performed contemporary Latin songs.
The evening was hosted by BMI’s President & CEO Mike O’Neill, and Jesús González, VP creative for Latin, with awards given to the songwriters and publishers of the top 50 Latin songs of the previous year, including Ryan Castro and Miguel Armenta.
The gala also featured live performances by FloyyMenor, who sang his smash hit “Gata Only,” and Jasiel Núñe, who, accompanied by his excellent band, performed an impressive medley that blended Mexican, blues and country sensibilities.
Prior to the ceremony, the BMI Foundation presented the 2025 Peermusic Award to jazz pianist Tomás Jonsson, a student at Peabody Conservatory, for his winning song “Ocurrencias.”
For a complete list of 2025 BMI Latin Award winners, click here.
iHeartMedia CEO Bob Pittman apparently believes his company’s stock is undervalued.
The executive sent a message to Wall Street on Tuesday (March 4) when he spent $320,000 to purchase 200,000 iHeartMedia shares, according to an SEC filing released Thursday (March 6). Investors took note, sending the company’s stock price up 23.2% to $1.86.
iHeartMedia shares had plummeted 27.7% in the four trading days following the company’s fourth quarter earnings release on Feb. 27. The stock fell 15.3% to $1.77 following the announcement and slipped an additional 14.8%, to $1.51, by Wednesday (March 5). But Thursday’s SEC filing reduced iHeartMedia’s year-to-date decline to 6.1% from 23.7%.
CEOs will occasionally buy shares of their companies when they believe the market is undervaluing the company. In March 2020, Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino bought approximately $1 million worth of shares as the price faltered at the pandemic’s onset; Live Nation’s share price has since risen 262% to $131.11. In May 2022, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek bought $50 million of Spotify shares a week after the stock hit an all-time low of $95.74. “I believe our best days are ahead,” Ek wrote on Twitter at the time. Spotify’s share price has since risen nearly six-fold to $543.51.
iHeartMedia, the country’s largest radio broadcaster, is trying to navigate the decline in broadcast radio while building a digital business. Although it ranks No. 1 in podcast market share, the company’s legacy business is still twice the size of its digital business. To shore up its financials, the company has laid off employees, sold tower sites and restructured its debt.
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Last week, iHeartMedia executives told investors that first-quarter revenue would decline in the low single-digits and full-year revenue would be flat. CFO Rich Bressler said that January revenue was up 5.5% but February revenue was on track for a 7% decline as consumer sentiment suffered its biggest one-month decline since August 2021.
“Although the year began with optimism, many companies are now focusing on how potential tariffs, inflation and higher interest rates may impact their businesses, introducing an element of uncertainty,” said Bressler.
Pittman remained optimistic and believed those uncertainties will “steady up a lot” as the year progresses. “If there’s a change, people take a beat and adjust to the change,” he said. “There’s a big change between this [presidential] administration and the last one, and I think people are digesting. I don’t think the uncertainty is totally unexpected, and it’s certainly understandable.”
At 2025’s two biggest music awards shows thus far, winning musicians have used their platforms to try to foster change.
At the Grammys in February, Chappell Roan sparked debate when she challenged record labels to provide better healthcare provisions and a living wage for stars, saying, “Labels, we got you, but do you got us?” Then, at the U.K.’s BRIT Awards on Saturday night (Mar. 1), homegrown artists like Myles Smith and Ezra Collective used their winners’ speeches to spotlight the importance of music education and youth clubs in the U.K. As Smith collected the BRITs Rising Star Award, the folk-pop star discussed his upbringing in Luton, England, in a single-parent household and lamented the lack of opportunities in state schools to learn about and play music.
Speaking directly to the U.K. government, Smith — whose single “Stargazing” peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January — asked, “If British music is one of the most powerful cultural exports we have, why have we treated it like an afterthought for so many years? How many more venues need to close? How many more music programs need to be cut before you realize that we can’t just celebrate success, you have to protect the foundations that make it?”
Also speaking up at the BRITS was jazz band Ezra Collective, whose members shouted out youth clubs that give teenagers extra-curricular opportunities to learn music skills following its triumph in the group of the year category. “This moment right here is because of the great youth clubs, and the great teachers and the great schools that support young people playing music,” drummer Femi Koleoso said. He shouted out youth organisations in London, such as Kinetica Bloco and Tomorrow’s Warriors, and said that the solution for youth disengagement in the U.K. “lies with giving a young person a trumpet.”
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It’s a topic that hits home amid industry panic about the next wave of superstars from the U.K. and Ireland. In February, the IFPI (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry) reported that no British artists featured in the top 10 bestselling singles or albums charts globally for the first time in two decades. Just two years ago, seven of the 20 artists in the two charts were British.
U.K. Music reports that in 2023, the music scene was worth £7.6 billion ($9.78bn) to the U.K. economy, an increase from 2022. Incoming figures for 2024 will no doubt see a similar bounce following the U.K. leg of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour alongside other big-name tours. But a number of companies in the sector tell Billboard U.K. that the pipeline from schools to stages is at risk.
While music lessons feature on the national curriculum for U.K. state schools (non fee-paying comprehensives), over the last decade there’s been a considerable drop in the number pupils studying the subject at GCSE (14-16 year olds) and A level standards (16-18 year olds). National exam results in 2023 reported that fewer than 5,000 students in England took A level music, a 46% drop since 2010.
Music Hubs — a national programme to provide high-level music education to schools — set up by the Department of Education (DfE) will provide funding to schools to the tune of £79 million ($101 million) in 2025, and that funding may be extended to 2028. But Demos, a think tank, says that the new Labour government has inherited a “black hole” in its music education budget of £32.3 million ($41.6 million) per year, with rising staffing costs and a lack of specialist music teachers being part of the issue.
The Labour government has made positive noises about the sector. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said at the party’s conference in September that “every child deserves the chance to study the creative subjects that widen their horizons, provide skills employers value, and prepare them for the future, the jobs and the world that they will inherit.” But some feel that in the government’s mission to drive growth in the economy, creative sectors in education are being left behind in favour of other subjects like maths, English and sciences.
Writing in the show programme for The BRIT Awards, Alexis Cruickshank of The BRIT School says that fundraising efforts to ensure a high standard of education are a constant pressure. The BRIT School is a state school in Croydon, South London, with a particular focus on performing and creative arts that has spawned stars including Adele, RAYE and Amy Winehouse.
“We need to keep the fundraising efforts to top up the shortfall between what the government give us to run a state secondary school and the contribution we receive annually from our founding funding partners, The BRIT Trust,” Cruickshank wrote. “Our focus is always nurturing and supporting the young people currently studying at the school — they are our future. The UK does the arts brilliantly. It’s such a source of pride, and it needs to be invested in.” In 2023, it was announced that a satellite campus in Bradford, Yorkshire, in the north of England, would form the BRIT School North.
The disparity between those educated at state schools and those in private institutions was brought into focus following recent comments by Sam Fender. Speaking to The Sunday Times last month, the high-flying rocker claimed that the U.K.’s music industry is “80%, 90% kids who are privately educated,” and that a young musician from his hometown in the north east of England “will not be seen because it’s rigged.”
A 2024 report from the non-profit organisation The Sutton Trust indicates that best-selling musicians are six times more likely to have been privately educated than educated at a state school, and that privately educated students take up more than half of enrollment at the most prestigious music conservatoires such as London’s The Royal Academy of Music (60%) and Royal College of Music (56%). Arts Council England says that without sustained financial support, a child from a lower-income family has “virtually no chance of becoming a professional musician.”
While a number of this year’s BRITs winners were educated at state schools, leading artists such as Charli XCX — who picked up five awards on the night, including the prestigious album of the year prize — were educated at fee-paying schools. Charli studied at the £38,319 ($49,368) per year Bishop’s Stortford College in Hertfordshire, while her Brat collaborator A.G. Cook, who picked up producer of the year, was enrolled at The King Alfred School in London to the tune of £30,000 per year ($38,489).
Joe Armon-Jones, keyboardist of Ezra Collective, was a former pupil at elite institution Eton College (former pupils include heir to the throne Prince William and his brother, Prince Harry), while lead singer Abigail Morris of The Last Dinner Party — which won best new artist — was educated at Bedales School in Hampshire with an annual fee of up to £43,000 ($55,321).
The 93% Club, a network of state educated students and professionals, say that music education goes beyond practical teaching, and that showcasing and encouraging career pathways should form a larger part of the curriculum. “The sharp decline in arts education in state schools remains a pressing issue, driven by the separation of the arts from so-called ‘strategically important’ subjects,” says Fin Wright, head of communications at The 93% Club. He adds that the larger companies in the music industry “have a duty to support talent from state schools and lower socioeconomic backgrounds” and calls on them to offer additional work placements and to abolish unpaid internships, saying that they exclude those unable to work for free.
The importance of opening career paths rings true with Ben Selway, the managing director of Access Creative College, the U.K.’s largest independent training provider across creative fields. Former pupils at Access Creative’s seven campuses include Ed Sheeran (now a patron of the ACC), Rita Ora and Jorja Douglas of BRIT-nominated girl group FLO.
Selway concurs with Smith that there needs to be a greater focus on making music education a viable option for young people. “The lack of access to music education for under-16s results in a generation of young people who’ve not been afforded the opportunity to spark their interest in music and realise their talent,” he says. “There is significant pressure caused by venues closing which results in ever shrinking opportunities for young performers to put their craft into practice. A lack of celebration of the arts being a credible career option built over time can at times make it difficult.”
The positive noises by the government need to be backed up by action, Selway says, but acts like Sheeran are stepping up to fill the void. In January, the “Shape of You” singer established the Ed Sheeran Foundation, which provides grants for select schools, projects and community music groups across the UK. The mixed funding approach from both state sources and private investment will no doubt be key in the coming years.
Smith’s speech has resonated across the industry and brought back to the forefront an important conversation. As Selway says, the lessons learned can resonate for decades to come: “We want to give young people the opportunity to find their tribe and the space to develop their careers, and not just moments.”
LyricFind is suing Musixmatch over allegations that its rival struck an exclusive licensing deal with Warner Music Group (WMG) that’s “unprecedented in the music industry” and is aimed at securing an illegal monopoly for providing lyrics to streamers like Spotify.
In a complaint filed Wednesday (March 6) in San Francisco federal court, LyricFind accuses Musixmatch and private equity owner TPG Global of violating federal antitrust laws by signing the deal with Warner Chappell Music (WCM), the publishing division of WMG, claiming it was designed to crush competition.
“TPG’s and Musixmatch’s goal was simple: make sure that Spotify, and other [streamers], have no choice but to obtain [lyrics] from Musixmatch despite its higher fees — a plainly anticompetitive result,” the company’s attorneys write. “LyricFind brings this lawsuit to stop defendants’ unlawful conduct, which has eliminated competition and raised prices.”
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The three major music companies have typically licensed their vast catalogs of lyrics to companies like Musixmatch on a non-exclusive basis, LyricFind says, allowing rival companies to compete to offer the best lyric services to streamers. But Musixmatch’s new deal with Warner allegedly shuts out competitors from offering the music giant’s lyrics — an “unprecedented” approach.
“To compete effectively, LyricFind and Musixmatch must be able to provide Lyric Data Services for all major publishers’ song titles,” the company’s attorneys write. “Defendants’ scheme had the intended effect [and] the only remaining practical choice for [digital services providers] is to contract with Musixmatch, at whatever price Musixmatch demands.”
In a statement to Billboard, a spokesman for Musixmatch said: “It’s our policy not to discuss legal matters publicly. We believe these are meritless accusations and choose to concentrate on what matters most: our customers & partners.”
A spokesman for WMG, which was not named in the lawsuit nor accused of any wrongdoing, did not immediately return a request for comment.
In early 2024, LyricFind says it was “very far along in negotiations” to replace Musixmatch as the lyrics provider for Spotify, the world’s largest music streamer and “Musixmatch’s largest customer.” When TPG and Musixmatch learned of the talks, they allegedly became “desperate” and struck the licensing agreement with Warner in an effort to kill the deal.
The move worked, LyricFind’s attorneys say: After the Warner agreement was in place, Spotify said it “had no choice” but to break off the negotiations with the lyrics provider. Instead, the streamer re-upped its previous agreement with Musixmatch despite “having already negotiated a significantly better price and service with LyricFind.”
“LyricFind was robbed of an opportunity to partner with Spotify on a contract worth tens of millions of dollars to LyricFind, and that would have strengthened LyricFind’s competitive position in the rest of the market,” the company’s attorneys write in the lawsuit.
The Musixmatch-Warner deal is also scuttling other business for LyricFind, the lawsuit says, including prompting iHeartRadio to break off renewal talks “when it learned that LyricFind would no longer be able to service WCM’s catalog.” Instead, the radio giant signed with Musixmatch “at a price over five times higher.”
“Other DSPs that have already invested great sums to integrate LyricFind’s system will also be forced to switch to Musixmatch, and nobody else, at a significant cost, while paying Musixmatch’s monopoly fees,” the suit says. “LyricFind’s viability as a business is now in jeopardy, as it can no longer compete for DSPs’ business.”
In a statement announcing the case, LyricFind CEO Darryl Ballantyne said the company was “taking action now to protect every music streaming service’s right to partner with the lyric provider of their choice.”
“Musixmatch is now effectively the gatekeeper to any DSP that wants to have a complete lyric offering,” Ballantyne said. “There is simply no way around having to work with Musixmatch.”
Read the entire complaint here:
Growth in recorded music, publishing and merchandise helped Universal Music Group (UMG) post strong revenue growth in both the fourth quarter and full year 2024, while cost savings from layoffs helped the company produce even better earnings gains.
Driven by an 8.2% increase in recorded music subscription revenue, full-year revenue was up 6.5% (7.6% at constant currency) to 11.83 billion euros ($12.8 billion). With a lower cost base, adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EDITDA) improved 13.8% to 2.66 billion euros ($2.88 billion), while adjusted EBITDA margin climbed to 22.2% from 21.3% in 2023.
During Thursday’s earnings call, CEO Lucian Grainge called 2024 “a tremendously successful year for us at UMG” and cited the company’s “healthy revenue and double-digit adjusted EBITDA growth for each and every year since 2021 when UMG became a standalone public company.” He rattled off a host of UMG’s accomplishments for the year, including having four of the top five artists on Spotify and nine of the top 10 artists — and all of the top five — on the IFPI Global Artist Chart. UMG also had the two biggest new artist breakthroughs of 2024 in Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter. Roan won the Grammy for best new artist in February.
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In the recorded music segment, full-year revenue increased 5.2% (6.4% in constant currency) to 8.9 billion euros ($9.63 billion). Adjusted EBITDA climbed 11.4% to 2.28 billion euros ($2.47 billion). Streaming revenue grew 5.9% to 6.04 billion euros ($6.54 billion), with subscription revenue doing the heavy lifting, rising 8.2% while other streaming revenue — namely ad-supported streaming — fell 0.8%. Downloads and other digital revenue dropped 13.0% but accounted for just 180 million euros ($195 million), or roughly 2% of recorded music revenue. Physical revenue fell 1.6% (up 1.1% in constant currency) to 1.36 billion euros ($1.47 billion). Licensing and other revenue jumped 12.9% to 1.33 billion euros ($1.44 billion).
In music publishing, full-year revenue rose 8.4% (9.0% in constant currency) to 2.12 billion euros ($2.29 billion) and adjusted EBITDA improved 8.7% to 511 million euros ($553 million). Led by strong streaming growth, digital revenue improved 12.4% to 1.27 billion euros ($1.37 billion) and accounted for 60% of total publishing revenue. Performance revenue grew 6.3% to 442 million euros ($478 million). Synch revenue fell 0.4% to 253 million euros ($274 million). Mechanical royalties dropped 4.6% to 103 million euros ($112 million).
Full-year merchandise revenue grew 19.3% to 842 million euros ($911 million), although adjusted EBITDA declined 8.5% to 43 million euros ($47 million). UMG COO/CFO Boyd Muir said the revenue growth reflected “robust superfan demand that is driving strong growth in both direct-consumer and touring revenue.” The lower EBITDA resulted from lower-margin touring merchandise sales, said Muir, though UMG expects merchandise margins to improve as the company ramps up its direct-to-consumer business.
UMG experienced 75 million euros ($81 million) of cost savings in 2024 in the first phase of a 250-million-euro ($270 million) cost savings program. Muir said the company will provide an update on the second phase of the program at a later date and added the implementation “remains on — if not slightly ahead of — schedule.” When UMG announced its cost-savings plan in February 2024, Grainge said the redesign “carefully preserves what we’re best at: creative A&R, marketing independence, unique label brand identities” and an entrepreneurial and competitive spirit.
Cash paid for catalog acquisitions grew to 266 million euros ($288 million) in 2024 from 178 million euros ($193 million) in 2023. Last year’s figure included the acquisition of the remaining stake in RS Group in Thailand and the completion of a 2023 catalog acquisition. UMG had a busy M&A year, buying the remaining share of [PIAS] and investing in Chord Music Partners, NTWRK and Mavin Global. As a result of that activity, free cash flow fell to 523 million euros ($566 million) in 2024 from 1.08 billion euros ($1.17 billion) in the prior year.
Comprehensive fourth-quarter revenue grew 7.2% to 3.44 billion euros ($3.67 billion), or 7.9% in constant currency. Adjusted EBITDA jumped 19.1% to 799 million euros ($852 million). Adjusted EBITDA margin rose to 23.2% from 21.1%. Excluding one-time items, fourth quarter revenue was up 6.1% in constant currency. That non-recurring revenue included the 20 million euros ($21 million) of DSP catch-up income and 40 million euros ($43 million) of legal settlements.
Recorded music subscription revenue climbed 7.9% (9.0% in constant currency) in the fourth quarter, safely within the company’s prior long-term guidance of 8% to 10%, though it suffered a one-percentage-point hit from a decline in revenue from fitness platforms. Ad-supported streaming revenue fell 5.1% (4.1% in constant currency). Combined subscription and ad-supported streaming revenue grew 4.6% (5.6% at constant currency).
Ukrainian electro-folk duo ONUKA spent last summer touring European concert halls and headlining festivals. Now, due to a recent wartime directive, they must remain inside their home country — so the band boards trains and buses to gigs at underground shelters, as well as buildings near metro stations, in case Russian missile attacks interrupt the music.
“These shelters can accommodate up to 1,000 people. It’s a big concrete room with some seats,” says Eugene Filatov, 41, ONUKA’s producer, who performs with his wife, frontwoman Nata Zhyzhchenko, 39, and five bandmates. “People still need this cultural life.”
The group recently downsized its 2025 touring ambitions due to a late-February announcement by Ukraine’s culture ministry: As of March 3, male Ukrainian “journalists and culture professionals” of draft age will no longer receive recommendation letters for traveling abroad. So ONUKA is performing closer to its Kyiv home, readying a new album, the long-delayed Ukrainian Constructivism, for release next month, and spending more time with the couple’s children, 4-year-old Alex and 1-year-old Lina.
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By Telegram call from Kyiv, three days after U.S. President Donald Trump‘s chaotic and disturbing Oval Office news conference with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Filatov and Zhyzhchenko discuss the long-term impact of Russia’s February 2022 invasion on their family and music. (Filatov, who has an “education sector” deferral from military enlistment because he is a lecturer at Ukraine’s Chernihiv Music College, also responded to follow-up email questions.)
When we previously spoke in 2023, ONUKA was still touring the world. Nata said, “When you are outside, especially when your child or parents or family is here, it’s very hard to accept.” How is your family? Is everybody OK?
Zhyzhchenko: Our kids are safe. They’re all right. The first night, in maternity hospital, [Lina] spent the night inside. That was the worst night for us. I think she’s a war kid. She decided to come to our family in a country that is at war, in a city at war, in the night.
“War kid.”
Zhyzhchenko: This generation of children are totally war kids. They have another mentality, and this is their route, this is their life, this is their routine. We don’t have to compare our childhood with their childhood, because they are another generation. They are a war generation.
In our past interviews, you’ve spoken of Russian missiles disturbing your lives. Are explosions still happening where you live in Kyiv?
Zhyzhchenko: It’s still going on. We have another kind of weapons. It’s like flying scooters.
Filatov: It’s like big drones. Every night, there are a couple hundred of them. We sometimes hear it.
Zhyzhchenko: It sounds like a scooter, and they are flying at nighttime. That’s why the sound spreads very brightly, and physically that is why we can define them from a few kilometers. When we are lying in our beds, it’s some kind of big noise scooter sound in the sirens of night.
How terrifying.
Filatov: Thanks for the American people who are supporting Ukraine. We feel much more safe, because American systems are really, really huge and really helpful. It saves our lives. The explosions happen mostly every day, somewhere, in some cities of Ukraine.
Zhyzhchenko: It doesn’t stop.
Filatov: It’s kind of a lottery.
Zhyzhchenko: A few weeks ago, some piece of this drone collapsed near our house, and it injured the post office. This is the post office —
Filatov: — where we take our packages mostly every day.
Zhyzhchenko: Even a few times a day. It’s close here to us, less than a kilometer. We have this acceptance. It’s our reality.
Filatov: Life goes on, anyway.
How are you able to play shows under these conditions?
Filatov: Performing in shelters is a relatively new practice for Ukrainian artists. In Kharkiv, all cultural events take place exclusively in venues that have shelters — no theaters or concert halls operate unless they provide a safe space.
Zhyzhchenko: Everything happens under rockets. We have to take that fact.
What do the shelter performances feel like?
Zhyzhchenko: It’s a very pleasant feeling, because you know your performance won’t be interrupted. You have to evacuate people if you hear the siren. In a shelter, you have to not interrupt your performance. It’s some kind of comfort and very confident feeling.
How do you get to the shows?
Filatov: We usually travel either by train or by bus with the whole team. Trains can sometimes be the fastest option, especially when border queues are long, but traveling by road gives us more flexibility. So, we just trust our luck and hope for a smooth crossing. Sometimes, though, it turns into quite an adventure — like [summer 2024], when we had to travel non-stop for two days from a festival in Poland just to make it in time for Atlas Weekend in Kyiv.
Who takes care of your kids when you are performing outside of Kyiv?
Filatov: We have a support system that includes nannies, grandparents and kindergarten. They take turns depending on the circumstances.
Do your kids get to see any of the performances? What do they think?
Filatov: They are really small. Our small girl doesn’t even understand, for now, what’s going on. Our boy, Alex — it’s sad to notice that in the kindergarten, for example, they have some games, and they [name] the games after the weapons, or the missiles, or the drones.
Zhyzhchenko: When they are in kindergarten, they go to a shelter, and it is some kind of ritual. They call this shelter “the cave.” He says, “We were in the cave today, and we draw in there,” or singing some song in this cave. It’s not so terrifying for him, because it’s his reality. No one is panicking, because we have adjusted to it. The main safety is the behavior of elder people and adults around this situation.
How are the rest of your family — parents, grandparents, siblings?
Zhyzhchenko: Everyone is safe. Everyone is working with the nation and charity causes and everyone volunteers. But inside our musical team, some people are on the front line. … Everyone has some relatives or friends who [have] died and these deaths are closer and closer.
Who are you referring to, “inside our musical team”?
Zhyzhchenko: Our graphic designer was on the front line and now we have no answer [from] him. This is a hard situation, how to understand that nothing is OK. You just have to see when this person was online the last time, and you see that this date is not changing. It’s hard to realize that maybe he’s captured, maybe he’s in hospital. But I think the reality is much worse. We are trying to go through with his command, and get information about what happened to him.
What did you make of the Feb. 28 press conference with President Zelensky and President Trump?
Zhyzhchenko: All people are very upset about what’s going on. But I think all this is temporary. Everything changes so much. It’s like a roller coaster. Some days we are best friends, the next day we are enemies, the next day we are supporters, the next day it’s very chaotic.
I do hope all people in the world understand that Russia invaded Ukraine, and we are the victim and we are standing. … We defend all Europe, because everything will be changing, very fast and terrible, if Ukraine falls. I really believe we will stand and we will not fall and we will survive.
If I wanted to leave, I would leave Ukraine. But I’m here with my little kids. I actually truly and sincerely believe in this roller coaster life.