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Welcome to Publishing Briefs, our semimonthly bulletin of recent signings, deals and doings in the wide world of music publishing. Since we last spoke, Primary Wave bought a stake in a Notorious catalog, Eslabon Armado frontman Pedro Tovar inked a deal with Kobalt, reggaetón star Ryan Castro signed with Warner Chappell, BMI said it will no longer charge an application fee when new songwriters seek to join, Sevdaliza signed her first-ever publishing pact with Sony Music Publishing, Word Collections launched a royalty collection service, and Joaquina signed a global deal with WCM.
Caught up? Here’s what else is going on:
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Reservoir Media signed a new publishing deal with five-time Grammy-nominated R&B artist El DeBarge. The agreement covers his solo catalog and hits from his time with the family group DeBarge, along with future projects. El DeBarge’s career began in the 1980s when Berry Gordy signed him and his siblings to Motown Records, leading to hits like “You Wear It Well,” “Time Will Reveal,” “Love Me in a Special Way” and “All This Love.” His solo career took off in 1986 with the hit “Who’s Johnny,” which reached No. 3 on the Hot 100, and he continued to release successful albums, including 1994’s Babyface-assisted Heart, Mind and Soul. Over the years he has collaborated with legends like Dionne Warwick, Quincy Jones, Al Green and the Isley Brothers. “I’ve been a fan of DeBarge and El in particular since I was 16 years old, so I’m incredibly humbled to welcome him and his evergreen hits to the Reservoir family,” said Reservoir evp of A&R and catalog development Faith Newman. “His music has touched generations, and we are excited to work with him to further amplify his incredible catalog.”
Artist House signed award-winning songwriter and producer Sam Hollander to an exclusive global administration deal. Known for hits with Panic! At The Disco, Weezer, Katy Perry, Fitz and the Tantrums, Cobra Starship, One Direction and more, Hollander is “one of the best topliners of the last 20 years and one of the highest-quality people you’ll ever meet,” said Artist House co-founder Gregg Wattenberg. In the early 2000s, Hollander gained recognition as one-half of the production duo S*A*M and Sluggo, alongside Dave Katz. Together, they played a key role in shaping the pop-punk sound of Fueled By Ramen’s golden era. His work has also appeared in films and TV, and he notably held the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Rock Songwriters Chart for nine weeks. In 2022, Hollander released his memoir, 21 Hit Wonder, providing an insider’s look at his journey through the industry. Hollander, with 23 U.S. Top 40 hits to his name, said joining Artist House “feels like coming home,” adding that “their vision for the future of the music business and their dedication to revitalizing the New York songwriter community align perfectly with my passion for this city’s rich musical legacy.”
Billy Steinberg and his son Ezra Steinberg signed new global publishing deals with Sony Music Publishing. This expands SMP’s partnership with Billy, which began in 1992, and introduces Ezra to SMP’s roster. Their works will be under Steinberg Music, their newly formed company. The elder Steinberg’s latest deal with SMP covers his newer catalog, including hits like “I’ll Stand by You” by The Pretenders and “Give Your Heart a Break” by Demi Lovato. This move consolidates his newer catalog with his original SMP catalog, featuring Hot 100 No. 1s like Madonna’s “Like a Virgin,” Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors” and The Bangles’ “Eternal Flame,” among others. Billy was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2011. Brian Monaco, president and global chief marketing officer of SMP, expressed excitement about expanding their partnership with Billy — “an extraordinary songwriter whose music speaks to all generation” — and welcoming Ezra. “Representing Billy’s catalog continues to be one of our greatest privileges and we are honored that he’s entrusted us to champion these treasured songs,” he said.
SMP president and head of US A&R Katie Welle, Ezra and Billy Steinberg, and chairman/CEO Jon Platt
Sony Music Publishing
Raleigh Music Publishing and the ICM Crescendo Music Royalty Fund have partnered to acquire a majority interest in the Cal Mann publishing catalog, which includes such songs as Chubby Checker’s “Let’s Twist Again,” The Dovells’ “Bristol Stomp” and House of Pain’s “Jump Around.” The latter song is in the Mann catalog through sampling Mann’s co-written song, “Popeye the Hitchhiker,” also by Checker. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The acquired catalog includes over 200 songs in all, according to the announcement. Besides the above songs, Mann also was involved in writing songs for Elvis Presley Bobby Rydell, Pat Boone and Charlie Grace, among others. Raleigh Music Group co-president Peter Raleigh expressed excitement about the partnership, highlighting the potential for new opportunities through sync placements and creative initiatives to “introduce these classics to new audiences.” –Ed Christman
Sony Music Publishing UK signed singer-songwriter Freya Ridings to an exclusive global publishing deal, covering her future works, including her upcoming third studio album. Ridings rose to fame in 2018 with “Lost Without You,” earning a BRIT nomination and leading to her debut album. Her sophomore release, Blood Orange, featured hits like “Castles” and “Weekends” and helped her accumulate nearly 4 million monthly Spotify listeners. Sony Music Publishing UK president David Ventura lavished praise upon Ridings’ songwriting and voice, calling it a long-awaited partnership. “For almost a decade, I have been trying to work with Freya, simply because her songwriting and voice are hypnotizing,” he said. “After all this time, it is exciting to have the opportunity to finally be in her team. Freya’s songwriting is inspired – she has many things to write about and her work ethic is incredible.” For her part, Ridings said “it’s been a dream of mine since 19 to sign” with Sony.
Concord Music Publishing has signed Nashville-based singer-songwriter Zachary Knowles, with the deal including all Knowles’ future works. In 2021, Knowles released his debut album, tendency to be a loner, and this past July issued his latest EP Look Mom, No Hands. “When I first met Zachary, I felt an instant creative connection,” said Melissa Spillman, vp of A&R at CMP. “He is a multi-faceted songwriter and artist who can create great music in so many different genres, and I am thrilled to have him join the Concord family.” –Jessica Nicholson
Melody Place signed singer-songwriter Melody Federer as the first standalone writer under its publishing arm, Melody Place Publications. Melody Place president Sandy McGraw, who has long admired Federer’s work, highlighted her innovative songwriting and said he’s thrilled to have her on board. Federer will play a key role in artist development, collaborating with artists like Katharine McPhee. Federer has worked with major artists such as Pink, Michael Bublé, and Kelly Rowland, and co-written with legends like Burt Bacharach. Federer has also released solo material, including “This Town” and “The Wonder Years,” featured on “Elton John’s Rocket Hour” radio show. Her latest release is the indie-pop track “Knocked Up.”
Centricity Music, an indie Christian music company, signed indie-rock/alt-pop artist and California native John Allan to a recording and publishing contract. Allan’s music is inspired by artists including The National, Gang of Youths and The Killers, and he’s set to release his debut single via Centricity later this month. “People are going to believe something about God based on what the song is saying,” said Allan, who released a pair of EPs in 2022. “I really believe it’s about stewarding what He’s planted and chasing the idea until it’s healthy enough to thrive in someone else’s life.”
Last Publishing Briefs: Reservoir Makes a ‘Key’ Move in Egypt
Musicians have often expressed a desire to make a difference in the world, through both their art and their actions. Now, the world’s biggest music company has assembled a powerful squad of corporate ninjas to help its artists get the job done.
In June 2024, Universal Music Group chairman/CEO Lucian Grainge announced the creation of the UMG Global Impact Team to “enact and amplify the company’s vision for positive change through community engagement, environmental sustainability, events and special projects,” the company stated.
Music industry veteran Susan Mazo — who has been with UMG since 2014, is chief impact officer/executive vp and serves as the founding chair of UMG’s All Together Now Foundation and is a co-creator of the Amplifier Award, which recognizes artists committed to positive change — assembled the new team of specialized change agents.
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The members of the Global Impact Team, who happen to be all women, include Mazo; UMG senior vp/head of sustainability Dylan Siegler; Kristin Jones and Arielle Vavasseur, co-founders of Inside Projects, a strategy and marketing agency that specializes in social impact; UMG senior vp/executive director of the Task Force for Meaningful Change Menna Demessie; UMG vp of global impact Markie Ruzzo; and UMG senior director of global impact and communications Sharlotte Ritchie.
“The strategy came from the highest levels of the company,” Mazo says, “working closely with Lucian Grainge and Will Tanous,” UMG’s executive vp/chief administrative officer and a member of the company’s executive management board. Mazo says they sought to form a team who “could help create change and awareness through the power of their networks.”
That team’s work led to the announcement last September of UMG’s 2024 Use Your Voice campaign, which built upon a similar initiative four years earlier and sought to increase voter awareness and participation in the November general election. UMG partnered with leading voter resource organizations including HeadCount, the NAACP, the National Council of Negro Women, When We All Vote and the Voto Latino Foundation.
Mazo notes that HeadCount has reported that Sabrina Carpenter got more voters engaged in last year’s election than any other artist the organization works with. HeadCount says Carpenter inspired 35,814 voter registrations and got another 263,087 voters to take other actions outside of registration, such as checking their polling location. The team also launched UMG sound practices for events, a guide for integrating sustainability into UMG initiatives.
In January, as wildfires devastated Los Angeles, the Global Impact Team supported UMG’s overall response. UMG partnered with groups and organizations including Support + Feed, Dodgers Foundation, World Central Kitchen and Bruce’s Catering to serve first responders and families in need. UMG merchandising company Bravado donated clothing to affected UMG employees and the fire departments in Pasadena and Santa Monica. The company canceled all of its Grammy weekend activities, donating and repurposing all resources including hotel rooms, catering, trucking and vendor resources to relief efforts. In addition, UMG’s All Together Now U.S. employee matching program had record donations following the announcement of a 150% super match for fire relief organizations. UMG’s efforts regarding wildfire relief are ongoing.
Most recently, the Global Impact Team helped UMG expand its four-year partnership with the nonprofit Music Health Alliance to launch the Music Industry Mental Health Fund. The initiative, announced in February, will provide comprehensive, high-quality outpatient mental health resources for qualified members and workers of the music industry. Mazo calls the expanded partnership “the most natural way to ensure continuous and effective mental health support for anyone working in our industry.”
Are the issues that the Global Impact Team addresses “of particular concern to the current generation of UMG artists? Absolutely,” Mazo says. “And we’re really taking the lead from what our artists are interested in and what our artists are talking to us about.”
This story appears in the March 22, 2025, issue of Billboard.
Live Nation, BMI, ASCAP, Nettwerk Music Group, Soundstripe and the Recording Academy rank among the best places in the music business for women to work, according to a first-of-its-kind survey.
The 40-year-old nonprofit organization Women in Music, in partnership with company reviews platform InHerSight, has unveiled its first edition of WIM Best Places To Work, recognizing top companies in several areas, based on industrywide initial survey data. Women in Music, established in 1985, describes its mission as serving “to advance the awareness, equality, diversity, heritage, opportunities and cultural aspects of women in the musical arts through education, support, empowerment and recognition.”
“The music industry has long been a cultural force for change, and now more than ever, we have to take the lead in prioritizing diversity in leadership as much as the diversity of the music we represent,” Women in Music president Nicole Barsalona says.
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“Research shows that gender-diverse leadership drives revenue, innovation and talent retention — it’s not just good practice, it’s critical to our success as an industry,” Barsalona says. “Future surveys will include increased diversity metrics to add even more depth to the data, but this is an exciting start.”
The WIM Best Places To Work initiative honors music companies that demonstrate excellence in fostering inclusive workplace culture and ensuring satisfaction across metrics that matter to women, such as salary, leadership opportunities, remote work options and parental leave.
Women in Music notes that the survey is ongoing and accessible through its website to ensure that it’s continually updated to reflect the latest industry standards in workplace excellence.
“Our philosophy has always been that data is central to building better workplaces,” InHerSight co-founder and CEO Ursula Mead says. “So when organizations like Women in Music come to us recognizing the power of data, we’re thrilled to realize their initiative.”
The survey cites research from consulting firm McKinsey that states that companies with strong female representation at the top outperform competitors by nearly 50% in profitability and share performance.
In addition to those previously named, smaller companies and organizations (of two to 51 employees) that ranked high on the survey include the Music Business Association, The Syndicate, Blackstar Agency, the American Association of Independent Music and the Mechanical Licensing Collective.
“I’m thrilled to know that the Music Business Association scored so well in the WIM Best Places To Work survey,” MBA president Portia Sabin says. “Diversity is very important for us in all aspects of what we do, and we’ve worked to diversify our board, our events and our staff. One thing we strive for is to have diversity at all levels of the company, providing a mentorship aspect for younger people who may join us. It’s very true that our diversity makes us stronger as a team and makes this a great place to work.”
The survey collected data on 17 research-backed metrics. The results singled out the top companies in categories including equal opportunities for women and men, women in leadership, salary satisfaction, flexibility, remote work opportunities, maternity and adoptive leave, employee responsiveness and a sense of belonging.
Live Nation, for example, stood out for its maternity and adoptive leave policies, ability to telecommute, remote work opportunities, flexible work hours and equal opportunities for men and women.
The WIM Best Places To Work initiative has been launched at a challenging time for corporate America, says Monika Tashman, a partner at prominent music industry law firm Loeb & Loeb and an advisory board member at Women in Music.
“With diversity, equity and inclusion programs terminated at the federal level and a vow to police the private sector’s DEI initiatives,” she says, “it is vital that we publicize, promote and encourage private sector companies that are committed to constructing a workplace culture and benefits package that is unbiased and crafted to allow all employees to thrive.”
Women in Music is a 501(c)3 charitable organization, unaffiliated with Billboard, founded in 1985 to educate, empower and advance women in the music industry. WIM hosts year-round educational and career development programming in chapter markets around the world, with equity-focused initiatives that include WIM Safe(r) Spaces, the WIM Workplace Initiative, the WIM Mentorship Program and the WIM Executive Internship Program. To become a charitable partner or to make a donation, go to womeninmusic.org.
This story appears in the March 22, 2025, issue of Billboard.
As the concert business soars to new heights, five of its most powerful women have been on a tear. As leading agents across five top booking agencies, Jenna Adler, Lucy Dickins, Samantha Kirby Yoh, Cara Lewis and Marsha Vlasic serve as tour architects and chief dealmakers to the stars, shaping the live-music landscape while helping their artist clients build their brands and broaden their businesses beyond music to sustain their careers.
With her client Adele, Dickins helped create a 75,000-capacity Munich venue purpose-built for the superstar’s 10 August 2024 shows (and aptly named Adele Arena). “I don’t think anyone else has ever done that,” Dickins jokes over Zoom. Lewis famously got a shoutout in 1987’s “Paid in Full,” on which Eric B. and Rakim explain, “Cara Lewis is our agent … and together we get paid in full.” The hip-hop touring powerhouse’s wins go back decades — and include moments like Eminem’s first-ever show outside Detroit in 1999.
When we speak, Adler has just returned home from a trip to Dubai with her client Jennifer Lopez and expounds on the new heights that Deftones — “the first band I ever signed” — are currently achieving. Vlasic casually mentions that “Neil” — as in longtime client Neil Young — recently called to discuss his upcoming coastal tour. And Kirby Yoh is keen to chat about LCD Soundsystem’s recent Los Angeles and New York residencies, which encompassed 20 shows and which she booked for the band that she has helped guide through arenas, festival headlining slots and beyond over the years.
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Their rosters are deep, their wins are many, and their reputations as leaders not just in the “female agent space” but the world of agents, period, are renowned. While each works for a different company — Kirby Yoh is a UTA partner and its co-head of global music, Dickins is WME’s global head of contemporary music and touring, Adler is a music touring agent at CAA, Lewis is founder and CEO of Cara Lewis Group, and Vlasic is the co-chair of Independent Artist Group’s music division — there’s a clear kinship among them, with the five women throwing out adjectives like “legendary,” “chic,” “magnificent” and “respected” when referring to one another.
“I hate losing,” Adler says. “But at the same time, I’d rather lose to one of them than to any of my male counterparts.”
Here, the five discuss their long careers, juggling their professions with motherhood and how agencies are changing for artists and female executives alike.
Jenna Adler, whose clients include Jennifer Lopez, Doja Cat, Charli xcx, Shaboozey and Deftones.
Myles Hendrik
In terms of working with well-established touring acts, how do you guide an artist through a long career? How do you manage demand as an artist evolves?
Samantha Kirby Yoh: The No. 1 thing is partnering with an artist. You’ve really got to listen to what their vision is, what their priorities and concerns are. Those change over the years. Cyndi Lauper had a lifelong dream of playing an arena tour. She’d never done arenas and also wanted to do a spectacular presentation in regard to her life’s work. It’s not guiding so much as listening and then putting it together and being in true partnership with the manager and artist.
Jenna Adler: You can’t just be a transactional agent. It’s never going to last that way. You have to be really passionate because at the end of the day, we’re selling.
Cara Lewis: Once an artist’s fan base has solidified, doors open. It is about coming up with different opportunities that align with that artist to further enhance the brand and continue adding to their longevity. That can be as simple as playing larger venues, adding a sponsor or doing a brand partnership that increases awareness and grows the fan base … The ultimate goal is longevity and the ability to reinvent and hold fans’ attention throughout the evolution of a career.
Marsha Vlasic: To be honest with you, it’s not mathematics and it’s not chemistry. It’s pretty much instinct. I’m very confident in telling [artists] what I think they should do. I’m not afraid of them. A lot of people tiptoe around artists. Even certain managers are afraid to talk to their own artists. But once you go through a certain number of years and earn a certain amount of respect, then artists reach out to you and trust you.
Lucy Dickins: It’s about building a strong, authentic relationship. I need to understand an artist’s vision and figure out how to tell that story. From when we’re starting to work together to when they become huge clients, authenticity is, for me, the most important thing because I think people can see through [anything inauthentic].
Lucy Dickins, whose clients include Adele, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, James Blake and Lola Young.
Courtesy of WME
What’s your philosophy on artist development?
Dickins: You’ve got to build a solid foundation that allows them to grow, experiment and evolve, while they’re also grounded and true to what they are. It’s not one size fits all. My thing is always just focusing on empowering them with the tools, knowledge and support they need to make informed decisions and trust their instincts. I’m a gut person, so for me, it’s like, “Go with what you want and just be authentic.”
Vlasic: I worry about taking that leap of faith too quick, too big, and then you’re f–ked. Artist development to me is turning people away, selling out, having a great show … Again, a lot of it is instinct.
Lewis: Throughout my career, I have always been at the forefront of artist development, championing female artists. In the early stages of an artist’s career, you have to know how to capture the urgency, which is all about strategically planning based on artist analytics, packaging and, of course, ticket pricing.
Kirby Yoh: My philosophy is to listen and tell the story of who they are. If there is a deep love in regard to beats, it’s about where we can get them DJ’ing in the warehouse and doing a remix. Every step and play have to be intentional and authentically build on the lore of who they are. And don’t miss steps. You have to do the steps to build your community with you so they feel they’re on the journey with you all the way.
Are festivals still effective in breaking new artists?
Adler: For me, it’s about the long game and not taking festival money so fast, not even looking at festivals until we have a bit of control over where we want to play. I always say we should never play a festival before four o’clock because before four, you’re playing for the vanity of it. Instead, let’s go out and do the hard work and create our own fan base so we can point to a scoreboard and say, “I sold this and that out. This isn’t a favor.” I don’t care about doing all these festivals. There are always exceptions, but my go-to is not worrying about being on a poster in a [small font size] just to say we’re there. Let’s go and sell out a 300-seat club.
Vlasic: I don’t know what else we have to break a new artist. Having an artist’s name on a festival poster is very important. All promoters look at who’s on there, and at least the emerging artists can play to a bigger audience than they would if they went on the club scene and did 300 a night.
Kirby Yoh: I love festivals. It depends on what festival it is. The smaller festivals, like the 20,000-capacity, are doing great. If you look at [San Francisco dance festival] Portola and [festival creator] Danny [Bell’s] exceptional skill set as a curator, it doesn’t even break artists but brings people who only heard of X, Y or Z DJ and then they suddenly hear the artists that inspired that DJ. It takes them on a kind of learning [journey]. [Portola] has done that exceptionally.
Dickins: I think it’s arguable to say if a festival breaks an artist, whereas before it used to be really important. Now a lot of artists on the way up ask if it’s more important to do their own show and build their own brand. If you’re in the opening slot on a stage or up against a load of clashes, what are you really getting out of that? I don’t know. As opposed to doing your own show with your core fan base or attracting people coming to see you build your brand.
But if you’re a bigger artist, they’re still huge milestones because they bring massive exposure and the chance to reach global audiences. And there are smaller festivals, or genre-specific festivals, that are becoming more prominent. Doechii played Camp Flog Gnaw last year; that was a huge moment. The big ones are good for the bigger ones, and the more bespoke, genre-specific ones are becoming more prominent for the smaller artists.
Samantha Kirby Yoh, whose clients include LCD Soundsystem, Björk, Rosalía, FKA twigs and St. Vincent.
Courtesy of UTA
How are you seeing artists handle ticket pricing? In regard to the all-in approach where customers only see the final cost, is it important for fans to know the face value that artists are charging before ticketing fees?
Vlasic: None of my artists want fans to be pissed off because they think they’re charging too much. The thing is, somebody’s going to be miserable about something all the time. That’s my feeling on ticket pricing. With older artists, where it may be their last tours, they don’t want to go out just for the fun of being on the road. The road is no longer something [those artists] are dying to do, but this is their means of income. They don’t want to piss people off, but they want to maximize it.
Lewis: It all depends on artist, market, viability and urgency. Keep prices low, within reason and without compromising [an artist’s] ability to tour and offer an innovative production. Be cognizant of ticketing fees. Know what the competitive acts are charging and make an analysis of the sales and how the scaling is related to the result. Understand that each market has different needs due to the economy and different urgency.
Dickins: International markets tend to be much more cautious [than in the United States]. But ticket fees are a huge thing. At the International Live Music Conference in London, everyone was telling me that there are major concerns around ticket fees and the lack of transparency because fans feel misled when those additional fees are tacked on at checkout.
Kirby Yoh: I think most artists want the experience to be as easy as possible. When you go to buy a ticket for your favorite artist’s show and you’ve got $100 in your pocket, you want the total checkout cost to be $100.
Adler: I am so sensitive to ticket pricing because I look around like, “How can all these people afford all these shows?” Yet every show is selling out, even though the average ticket price is north of $100. I always try to go on the lower side, almost to a fault. I get a lot of pushback because they say I’m leaving money for scalpers to come in. I don’t want that. It’s such a delicate balance.
Cara Lewis, whose clients include Eminem, Travis Scott, Erykah Badu, Khalid and Don Toliver.
Laura Rose
You’re all so well established. How has your job changed over the years?
Adler: The biggest difference I see is that now the artist wants a relationship with their whole team. When I started, none of the agents had direct relationships with their artists. Agents always had to go through a manager. Now artists want to be able to pick up the phone and talk to their agent.
Dickins: When I was first booking tours, there was a load of in-market stuff you never paid much attention to that now you do because the look goes everywhere. Your first look is really important because that can play into stuff later on in a career. It’s way more involved, much more detail-oriented and much more strategic.
Lewis: Social media has changed our lives. It is the key to it all and has changed the way we market and sell everything. Professional networking platforms have given us resources to connect with anyone at any time about anything.
Vlasic: I think the pandemic changed things more than how long I’ve been in the business. Since the pandemic, the whole structure of the business is different in terms of the back-office stuff. I have a beautiful office. I rarely go there. I don’t have a schedule. Maybe I’ve always beat my own drum in terms of being at a company, but the company structure and routine have changed drastically.
Most of you have children. What is it like doing your job as a mother?
Vlasic: I don’t know how I did it. I seriously don’t. I didn’t have family that I could call at any given moment. My husband had his own thing going. I went home almost every night, made sure they had dinner and the homework was done, and then I went out. I don’t know how the girls do it now, but the difference is, if you’re an agent at most companies, you don’t have to be in the office for a certain amount of hours like I did. I remember one time one of my sons was really sick, and I was staying home to get the test results from the doctor … My boss at the time called me and said, “I hope you realize you should be working regular hours,” knowing my son was sick. That wouldn’t happen now.
Adler: I have 23- and 25-year-old sons, and CAA allowed me to [raise them] with such seamless patience. They were incredibly supportive even before it was a thing. I nursed every day, my kids came in, but that was because [CAA managing director] Rob Light had five kids, and he was a great dad. He understood. All the guys here had kids and understood it was family first. I was really lucky in that way.
Dickins: As a female agent, the sacrifices I have to make with a young family are huge. It’s something I battle on a daily basis. I got back from London two days ago. I go to Australia on Sunday, I come back for one day, then I go to London for two days. When I look at men in my positions, they don’t have the guilt that I have … My husband deserves a f–king award because he has to hold the fort all the time. When my 9-year-old is crying because she doesn’t want me to go away and I have to go because I have to spend time with a client, it’s tough. I think that’s why, in the touring aspect, it’s especially hard for women.
Marsha Vlasic, whose clients include Neil Young, The Strokes, Cage the Elephant, Norah Jones and Elvis Costello.
Kat Stanas
In recent years, it feels like the glass ceiling has been broken in agenting, and your careers are a testament to that. Does that feel true? How could this world be more supportive of women?
Vlasic: When I was starting out, I didn’t know I was any different. I didn’t know people viewed me as “You’re one of the only women.” I just worked hard and was determined. There are times I’ll come off a panel and a young girl will come up and say, “It’s so hard for us as women.” I’m thinking, “What the f–k are you talking about?” There are more women agents, more women managers, more women musicians. Don’t use that as an excuse.
Kirby Yoh: I think it has become more supportive to women, but there’s still a lot more to do. There need to be more opportunities, full stop. But we’re getting there. More people are hiring women. More people are empowering them with tools and skills, and more of us are pulling our sisters with us in a good way, like, “Come to the studio with me. Come to the show.”
Lewis: [Billboard’s] Women in Music [has] been an amazing platform not only honoring the talent but also bringing awareness to the behind-the-scenes executives pushing the industry forward. We need more of this. When you put your heart and soul into all that you do and succeed at it, it should raise you up, not keep you stagnant at a company.
Adler: It used to be that the males would pit us against each other because the women weren’t close to each other and there were very few slots. It’s taken a long time to change the narrative of “She can’t be in leadership because she doesn’t get along with so-and-so.”
I don’t know if I should say this, but I’m going to. Women in Music is such a powerful issue. There are few places to celebrate what we do. On the other hand, I say to myself, “But I should be part of the overall list.” I play with the boys every single day. I appreciate all of it and it means so much to me, but that’s where I am today: I love my female sisterhood, but I can also play with everybody.
This story appears in the March 22, 2025, issue of Billboard.
Primary Wave said on Thursday it partnered with The Notorious B.I.G.‘s estate to acquire a stake in the Brooklyn rapper’s music publishing and recordings, as well as certain name, image and likeness rights.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier on Thursday that Biggie Smalls’s late mother, Voletta Wallace, reached the deal with Primary Wave shortly before her death earlier this year, and that it valued his estate at $200 million.
The celebrated MC was born Christopher Wallace on May 21, 1972, in Brooklyn, and while he was killed in 1997, his influence on hip-hop and rap and his role in launching the careers of artists like Lil Kim and Junior M.A.F.I.A. has led to the sale of more than 28 million albums in the United States and a steady rise in the value of his works.
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Biggie’s albums Ready To Die, Life After Death and the posthumously released Born Again spent the combined equivalent of more than 3 years on Billboard‘s top album sales chart, with Life After Death and Born Again both hitting No. 1.
The rap icon had 15 songs chart on the Billboard Hot 100, including “Mo Money Mo Problems” featuring Puff Daddy, Ma$e and Kelly Price, which was No. 1 for two weeks in 1997, “Hypnotize,” which spent three weeks at No. 1 the same year, “One More Chance/Stay With Me,” “Big Poppa/Warning” and “Juicy/Unbelievable.” Biggie was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020.
Primary Wave’s portfolio of songs includes works by Whitney Houston, The Doors, James Brown, Stevie Nicks, Nirvana, Prince and Bob Marley. The company and estate described this as a “panoramic partnership that will encompass The Notorious B.I.G.’s music publishing and recordings, as well as his name, image and likeness.”
Name, image and likeness rights are needed to license an artist’s work for films. Known for its role in licensing music for biopics, like Bob Marley: One Love and Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody, Primary Wave is currently involved in biopics about Boyz II Men and Boy George—both of which are in production.
“The estate and Primary Wave will collaborate on all business moving forward in an effort to continue the incredible and innovative ork done thus far with one goal in mind, to keep the legacy of The Notorious B.I.G. alive,” the company said in a statement.
Indie digital rights organization Merlin has announced the participants for its third annual Merlin Engage program, which is designed to help promote and support female leaders in the independent music industry. Over a six-month period, the program connects young women aspiring to careers in the music business with senior leaders within it, and this year it will expand to include community building.
The program, which began in 2023, saw a 70% increase in nominees for participation over last year. Mentees are offered one-on-one sessions with their mentors, receive peer support from other participants in the program and have the opportunity to go to skill-building workshops, according to a press release. Harvard Institute of Coaching fellow Miriam Meima will also return as program facilitator for a second year.
“The power of Merlin Engage goes beyond mentorship — it’s about building a community where women across the Merlin membership can find support, encouragement and guidance as they build their careers in the music industry,” Merlin CEO Jeremy Sirota said in a statement. “I’m incredibly proud that we continue to expand this program, the commitment to mentor from our most senior leaders, and support from the entire Merlin Board in driving positive change within the industry.”
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This year, mentors will include executives from companies like Exceleration, EMPIRE, Secretly, Domino, Beggars, Ninja Tune, Epitaph, BMG and more; mentees hail from companies like IDOL, OneRPM, Hopeless Records, Stones Throw Records, Better Noise, Sub Pop and Nettwerk. (A full list of mentors and mentees is below.) Merlin consultant Dan Nevin is also returning to help support the program.
“It’s incredibly important to support, encourage and empower women to expand their career paths in the music industry,” said Liz Erman — managing director at Nettwerk Music Group and a former mentee who is returning to the program this year as a mentor — in a statement. “We have so much to contribute and can elevate the level of success of any company if we can access the right leadership opportunities. I hope that by sharing my experiences and guidance, I can help others reach their goals more easily.”
Another former mentee, Exceleration Music digital operations manager Larissa Woss, called the program “a transformative experience” in a statement. “My mentor truly listened to me, taking the time to understand my challenges and goals, which gave me the confidence to take the next step in my career,” Woss said. “Equally valuable was the incredible network of people I connected with. This program is not just about developing skills — it’s about fostering a supportive, empowered generation of female leaders in the independent music industry. I’m proud to be a part of it.”
Below is the full list of participants this year.
Mentors: Amy Dietz (Partner, Exceleration), Anne Jenniskens (General Manager, Paradise), Bria Fisher (VP of Communications, EMPIRE), Chloé van Bergen (VP Operations, UK & EU, Secretly), Clare McKinney (Director, Commercial and Business Affairs, Domino), Dionna Johnson (VP of Marketing, EMPIRE), Emma Lomas (Head of Licensing & Creative, Beggars), Eniko Gallasz (Managing Director, WMMusicDistribution), Liz Erman (Managing Director, Nettwerk), Marie Clausen (Managing Director, US, Ninja Tune), Megan Jasper (CEO, Sub Pop), Narin Karadaghi (General Counsel, Amuse), Nitsa Kalispera (EVP Global Recorded Music Supply Chain Operations, BMG), Patra Sinner (General Counsel, Symphonic) and Sue Lucarelli (President, Epitaph).
Mentees: Allison Kleshefsky (DSP Editorial & Partnerships Lead – Americas, IDOL), Diana Schweinbeck (Senior Director, Artist & Label Services, Cinq Music, USA), Dominique de Solminihac (Artist Marketing Manager South Cone, ONErpm), Francesca Caldara (Vice President, Recorded Music, UNIFIED), Gianna Archetti (Head of Operations, iGroove), Jovana Medic (Director of IDJTV/Director, IDJDigital), Lexie Viklund (Director of A&R, Better Noise), Lisa Riepe (Head of Sales & Marketing, Zebralution), Maiko Okabe (Global Campaign Manager, Warp Records), Maya Kalev (Label Manager, UK & Europe, Stones Throw Records), Naomi Bressani (Head of Digital, Republic of Music), Nele Knueppel (Director, Digital Rights & Distribution, Nettwerk Music Group), Nicole Abea (Director of Influencer & UGC Promotions, Marketing/Promo, Hopeless Records), Phoebe Petridis (Senior Manager, Digital Operations and Technology, Domino Recording), and Rachel White (Director of Audience Development (Marketing), Sub Pop Records).
Regional Mexican superstar Gerardo Ortiz testified against Ángel del Villar, the CEO of his former label Del Records, on Wednesday (March 19) in a downtown Los Angeles federal courtroom. The West Coast-based executive’s criminal trial began on Tuesday where he is accused of doing business with a concert promoter linked to Mexican drug cartels.
The trial follows a 2022 criminal complaint that charged Del Villar, among other defendants, with conspiring to violate the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act. The complaint also alleged that on April 19, 2018, FBI agents approached Ortiz in Phoenix to inform him about Jesus “Chucho” Pérez Alvear’s designation under the Kingpin Act. Mexican concert promoter Pérez Alvear — who was killed in 2024 — ran a company called Gallistica Diamente (Ticket Premier) and until March 2019, promoted concerts in Mexico for DEL Entertainment.
The designation prohibited Ortiz from conducting business with Pérez and performing concerts that Pérez promoted. Prosecutors claim that the música mexicna hitmaker went on to perform concerts organized by Pérez after Del Villar “convinced” Ortiz to “ignore the FBI warning.”
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Ortiz — who pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge in the case and is cooperating with the FBI — took the stand and told the jury he saw Pérez Alvear with Del Villar at the Del Records office in Los Angeles two or three times, according to Univision Noticias. He added that Pérez Alvear was at the office to hire bands and artists to perform at his shows in Mexico. He went on to confess that he had performed at Feria de San Marcos in Aguascalientes, Mexico in April 2018, promoted by Pérez Alvear, even after he had already been designated under the Kingpin Act and FBI agents had alerted him that if he performed at the Feria, he could face up to 10 years in prison and pay a fine of $1 million — which is why he was charged initially.
The “Dámaso” singer — who signed to Del Records in 2009 and parted ways with the company in 2019 amid a contract dispute — testified a day after the trial began where Del Villar’s lawyers argued in the opening statements that the Latin music executive was allegedly “manipulated” by former Del Records employee Brian Gutiérrez who “convinced” Del Villar that “everything” the company was doing was “legally acceptable,” according to reports by Rolling Stone.
“There is something deeply wrong and manipulative about how this case was created and investigated,” Del Villar’s defense lawyer Marissa Goldberg said on Tuesday. “The ones who actually created this crime, who manufactured it, are not sitting as defendants, which is even more deeply wrong.”
Founded by Del Villar in 2008, Del Records is considered a powerhouse in regional Mexican music. The label has been música mexicana giants including Ortiz, Ariel Camacho and Eslabon Armado, whose global hit, “Ella Baila Sola” with Peso Pluma, became one of the biggest songs of 2023.
Passed in 1999, the Kingpin Act allows the U.S. to impose targeted sanctions on foreign individuals involved in the illegal drug trade and ban U.S. residents from doing business with them. If convicted of violating the law, Del Villar would face a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.
Mariah Carey has won a federal court ruling dismissing a copyright lawsuit over her perennial holiday classic “All I Want for Christmas is You” – a decision that cited an expert who said the songs mostly just shared “Christmas song clichés.”
In a ruling issued Wednesday, Judge Mónica Ramírez Almadani rejected allegations from songwriter Vince Vance that Carey and others had stolen key elements of her Christmas blockbuster from his 1989 song of the same name.
Ruling that Vance had failed to show that the songs were similar enough to violate copyright law, the judge cited analysis by a musicologist who said the two tracks were “very different songs” that shared only “commonplace Christmas song clichés” that had been used in many earlier tracks.
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“Plaintiffs have not met their burden of showing that [the songs by] Carey and Vance are substantially similar under the extrinsic test,” Ramírez Almadani wrote, using the legal term for how courts assess such allegations.
The judge not only tossed out Vance’s case, but also ruled that he and his lawyers should be punished for filing “frivolous” arguments. Calling it “egregious” conduct that aimed to “cause unnecessary delay and needlessly increase the costs of litigation,” the judge ordered that Vance and his lawyers to repay the legal bills Carey incurred defending those arguments.
Vance (real name Andy Stone) first sued Carey in 2022, claiming “All I Want” infringed the copyrights to a 1989 song of the exact same name recorded by his Vince Vance and the Valiants. Vance claimed that the earlier track received “extensive airplay” during the 1993 holiday season — a year before Carey released her now-better-known hit.
“Carey has … palmed off these works with her incredulous origin story, as if those works were her own,” Vance wrote in his latest complaint. “Her hubris knowing no bounds, even her co-credited songwriter doesn’t believe the story she has spun.”
Vance’s allegations were a big deal because Carey’s song is big business. The 1994 blockbuster, which became even more popular after it was featured in the 2003 holiday rom-com Love Actually, has re-taken the top spot on the Hot 100 for six straight years and earned a whopping $8.5 million in global revenue in 2022.
Carey’s attorneys asked the judge to end the case last year, arguing that the two songs shared only generic similarities that are firmly in the public domain – including basic Christmas terminology and a simple message that’s been used in “legions of Christmas songs.”
“The claimed similarities are an unprotectable jumble of elements: a title and hook phrase used by many earlier Christmas songs, other commonplace words, phrases, and Christmas tropes like ‘Santa Claus’ and ‘mistletoe,’ and a few unprotectable pitches and chords randomly scattered throughout these completely different songs,” Carey’s attorneys wrote at the time.
In Wednesday’s ruling, Ramírez Almadani granted that motion by endorsing two reports from musicologists hired by Carey’s lawyers that strongly rejected Vance’s allegations. In one report, New York University professor Lawrence Ferrara testified that he had found “at least 19 songs” that incorporated the same lyrical idea as “All I Want” that had been released prior to Vance’s track.
“[Vance] and [Carey] in their entirety are very different songs and the only element of similarity is the use of a common lyrical idea and Christmas song clichés that were in common use prior to [Vance],” Ferrara wrote in the report that the judge cited.
Vance’s attorneys submitted their own expert reports supporting his allegations, but the judge rejected them as evidence – saying that one was “not based on sufficient facts or data” and was “not the product of reliable principles and methods” as required by existing legal precedents.
Neither side immediately returned requests for comment.
Eslabon Armado‘s frontman and songwriter Pedro Tovar has signed a worldwide publishing deal with Kobalt, the company tells Billboard. The agreement was done via Tovar’s Armado Publishing; Kobalt will administer the Mexican-American artist’s entire catalog and future songs globally.
“I’m excited to join the Kobalt Music family in this new career stage,” Tovar said in a statement. “As a songwriter, I have always sought a company that values creativity and provides the necessary support to elevate my music to a global audience. I know that with Kobalt, I’ll continue growing and sharing my stories through my songs.”
Since having a major breakthrough in 2020, the sierreño act has been on a winning streak and fueling the música mexicana movement along the way.
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Over the course of four years, Eslabon released six consecutive chart-topping albums — all of which hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Regional Mexican Albums chart. In 2022, the group made history, with Nostalgia becoming the first top 10-charting regional Mexican album ever on the Billboard 200. A year later, Eslabon released its blockbuster hit “Ella Baila Sola” with Peso Pluma. The song was a runaway success and made history when it entered the Billboard Hot 100‘s top five. Last week, Eslabon released its eight studio album, Vibras de Noche II, a follow-up to the band’s 2020 set Vibras de Noche.
“Pedro Tovar is one of the most exciting artists and songwriters making music today,” added Nestor Casonu, president of Kobalt Music Latin America. “Through this partnership, we’ve had the privilege of understanding the values of an extraordinary family, led by Doña Nelly, with whom we’ve built both a professional and personal bond. I’m excited about the great things we’ll achieve together in the future.”
“At Kobalt, we want to sign songwriters who have singular voices that resonate with a wide audience,” said Teresa Romo, Kobalt’s senior creative director for Latin America. “Our partnership with Pedro Tovar represents an exciting new phase in his songwriting career, and we’re honored to support his creative independence and nurture new opportunities.”
Armado Publishing was represented in the deal by Christopher Navarro, partner at Singh, Singh & Trauben LLP.
In a first for a music streaming company, Paris-based Qobuz has publicly released the per-stream royalty rate it pays to rights holders. Qobuz tells Billboard it paid out an average per-stream royalty rate of $0.018732, or 1.8782 cents, in the 12 months ended March 31, 2024. That all-in rate, which covers both recorded music and publishing, works out to $18.73 for every 1,000 streams.
“Today, we are taking this step for greater transparency,” Qobuz deputy CEO Georges Fornay said in a statement. “Our payout rates are now public. This unprecedented move in our industry is a necessary first step toward promoting a fairer and more sustainable streaming model. Choosing Qobuz means taking concrete action for fairer compensation for all artists and supporting musical diversity, values that our customers cherish.”
One reason streaming companies haven’t released their per-stream royalty rates is because royalties aren’t paid on a simple, per-stream basis. Rather, royalties are the result of complex calculations based on such factors as market share and guaranteed minimums. Qobuz admits as much in the press release announcing its first-of-its-kind calculation, which was conducted by a major accounting firm. “It should be noted that the methods of payment to labels and publishers are not systematically based on remuneration per stream,” it reads. “Calculation methods may vary from one contract to another.”
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Nevertheless, the per-stream royalty rate has persisted as a popular metric for gauging streaming services’ value to artists and rights holders. And although Qobuz is often mentioned as the platform with the highest per-stream rate, there are no official numbers to show its place in the royalty hierarchy. Companies have disclosed the amounts of royalties paid annually and cumulatively, but never, until now, on a per-stream basis.
At approximately $0.0187 cents per stream, Qobuz ranks well ahead of its peers, based on the limited, imperfect information available. The best comparisons come from music catalog investor Duetti, which released its own calculations in January for per-stream rates paid to independent artists. That report said the average royalty for master recordings—excluding the publishing component that Qobuz included—was $0.00341 per stream in 2024, though Qobuz wasn’t included in those rankings. Publishing typically accounts for approximately 20% of music streaming content costs, which would put Qobuz’s recorded music per-stream royalty at approximately $0.015—4.4 times the average on Duetti’s list.
Amazon ranked first on Duetti’s list at $0.0088 per stream and was followed by TIDAL at $0.0068, Apple Music at $0.0062 and YouTube at $0.0048. Spotify’s $0.003 per-stream payout was lower than its peers because of high usage, geographical mix, reliance on free and discounted plans and Discovery Mode, through which artists accept a lower royalty in exchange for in-app promotion.
One reason Qobuz pays relatively well is because it charges a relatively high price. Average revenue per user (ARPU) at Qobuz is $121.13 annually or $22.38 per month, while Spotify’s latest ARPU (for the quarter ended December 31, 2024) was 4.85 euros ($5.29). In the U.S., Qobuz charges $12.99 per month—$1 more than Spotify’s music-and-audiobook tier—or $129.99 per month when purchased annually. In its home country of France, Qobuz charges 14.99 euros ($16.35) per month or 149.99 euros ($163.55) annually. That’s 34% higher than the 11.12 euros ($12.13) per month Spotify charges.
The company cited other aspects of its business that result in the relatively high royalty rate. Qobuz does not have an ad-supported tier that would pay less than subscriptions. Additionally, the platform provides greater valued through uncompressed files and high-resolution audio, which, along with “exclusive editorial content,” merit a higher price, the company says. And Qobuz highlights artists and genres—jazz and classical, for example—that are underrepresented at other streaming platforms. As a result, the company argues, more revenue is generated for a wider range of artists.
Geography also plays an important role in the size of Qobuz’s royalties. In the 26 markets where where Qobuz is available—including the U.S., Japan, U.K., Germany, France, Sweden and Canada—consumers tend to spend money on music subscriptions. The service is not available in many emerging countries such as India where subscription prices are low and listeners overwhelmingly opt for free, ad-supported options. And while Qobuz available in places like Mexico and Brazil where subscription costs are lower, it costs more than its competitors in those markets. In Mexico, for example, Qobuz’s monthly price is 150 pesos ($7.49) to Spotify’s 129 pesos ($6.44). In Brazil, Qobuz costs R$25.90 ($4.59) to Spotify’s R$21.90 ($3.88).
The difference between Qobuz and its peers may narrow over time as royalty rates improve—slightly—in the coming years. Spotify, according to reports, plans to launch a higher-priced plan that includes high-quality audio. Various companies are taking measures to marginally improve payouts. Deezer, for example, has changed its royalty scheme by demoting AI-created tracks, removing “non-artist noise content” and provide better payouts to what it terms “professional artists.” Spotify changed its royalty payout scheme in 2023. As more platforms follow suit, average royalty rates should inch upward.