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A man charged with stalking Taylor Swift outside her Manhattan home was arrested for a third time Wednesday shortly after he was released from police custody, meaning he’s facing new felony charges that could keep him behind bars for years.
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David Crowe, 31, had already been arrested on Saturday and Monday outside Swift’s TriBeCa apartment building and charged with misdemeanor stalking and harassment. But after he was released following an arraignment hearing on Wednesday, he apparently bee-lined back to the same location.
Police say they responded to a 911 call around 2:30 pm about a disorderly male in the area of Swift’s apartment. Though Crowe was gone when they arrived, police say he later turned himself in and was arrested for violating the strict protection order imposed on him as a condition of his release.
In addition to the original charges, Crowe is now facing four counts of criminal contempt in the first degree, a spokesman for the New York Police Department confirmed to Billboard – a felony that can result in as much as a five-year prison sentence. It’s unclear if the new counts are bail-eligible under New York state law, which would make it harder for Crowe to seek another quick release.
Crowe could be arraigned in Manhattan court on Thursday or Friday on the new charges. Manhattan prosecutors declined to comment on Crowe’s latest arrest.
The Seattle native was first arrested on Saturday afternoon, police say, after they responded to a 911 call regarding a “disorderly person” near Swift’s apartment. Crowe had allegedly “attempted to open a door to a building at the location” and was taken into custody on a previous arrest warrant.
Then on Monday evening, witnesses reported an “emotionally disturbed male acting erratically” near the same location, police say; officers then spotted Crowe “harassing multiple complainants” and he was taken into custody.
Following that arrest, Crowe was charged with one count of stalking in the fourth degree, one count of harassment in the first degree, and one count of harassment in the second degree.
In charging documents, prosecutors say that a security guard for an unnamed individual — presumed to be Swift — reported that Crowe has been spotted near Swift’s apartment roughly 30 times since late November and that on multiple occasions he had stated that he was there to speak to the same unnamed individual. The security guard reported that he had “asked the defendant not to approach the building or to leave the immediate area surrounding the building” on 10 separate occasions.
If convicted of those original charges — all misdemeanors — Crowe faces up to three months in prison for both the stalking count and the first-degree harassment count. If convicted on the second-degree, Crowe faces up to a year in prison.
Country superstars Morgan Wallen and Eric Church are pairing for a different kind of collaboration: The two avid outdoorsmen have purchased outdoor lifestyle brand Field & Stream.
The duo are part of an ownership group that has bought the retail side of the trademark from Dick’s Sporting Goods and the media platform from Recurrent for an undisclosed sum. The move brings the brand under the same ownership for the first time in its 150-year history.
Plans call for expanding the brand to include the Field & Stream Music Festival, a new fall outdoor music event co-produced by Southern Entertainment; relaunching the print magazine, which ceased publishing in 2015; a refreshed digital platform; and a limited edition apparel collection inspired by Church and Wallen.
“I can remember my grandfather kept a few of his favorite Field & Stream magazines on the dash of his truck,” said Church in a statement. “That truck took us on hundreds of outdoor adventures and I all but memorized every story and every picture on every page. They were my Bible. It is the honor of my life to make sure that legacy carries on. It is both this responsibility to an American icon and also to a young boy in his papaw’s truck that will be the compass that guides our steps.”
“There’s nothin’ I love more than being with friends around a campfire, on a boat or in a deer stand — and Field & Stream represents all of those to me,” said Wallen. “Being part of its future is incredible and we want to keep bringing people together outdoors, makin’ memories, for generations to come.”
As Wallen told Billboard in December, he’s actively looking to expand into businesses outside of music, including his recent affiliation as an investor and brand ambassador with upstart Ryl Tea and moving into real estate. This falls into that plan. “I like having a bunch of different things for me to focus on. [Otherwise], I’ll get bored,” he said at the time. “I have a lot of opportunities, so I’ve been trying to take them.”
The new owners are also bringing back the Field and Stream 1871 Club, whose members will have exclusive access to the bi-annual print magazine and other benefits including priority ticket access to the music festival and VIP entry into outdoor experiences. Ten percent of net profits from the 1871 Club will go to non-profit organizations that support outdoor causes.
Doug McNamee, former president of Chip and Joanna Gaines’ Magnolia brand, will lead the Field & Stream brand. Colin Kearns, editor-in-chief of Field & Stream’s online site, will remain in his position.
“We are committed to reinforcing Field and Stream’s legendary status as the authoritative voice of the American outdoors,” said McNamee in a statement. “We look forward to unifying our passionate enthusiasts under a single canopy as we steward this trusted brand toward a thoughtful and expansive revival. As the latest in the lineage of caretakers, we aim to restore and amplify Field & Stream’s authentic voice with our extended storytelling family.”
BMG is reshuffling its deck in North America as the independent music powerhouse “doubles down” on its commitment to the world’s biggest music market.
Leading the changes is Jon Loba, who rises from BMG Nashville president to become president Frontline Recordings, North America. Moving forward, Loba is responsible for BMG’s entire North American frontline records business across Nashville, Los Angeles, New York and Canada.
The realignment continues with new duties for Thomas Scherer, until now running publishing and recordings activities in Los Angeles and New York. Scherer is named as head of global recorded catalog, while retaining responsibility for publishing, North America.
Now, Loba, Scherer and CFO Joe Gillen form BMG’s North American leadership triumvirate.
“We are making good on our promise to double down on our U.S. operation with a distinctive new approach,” comments BMG CEO Thomas Coesfeld, that is, an integrated frontline operation “spanning the whole of North America plus a global catalog business steered from Los Angeles.”
BMG, he continues, “is stepping up. This is an integral part of our new strategy to deliver for artists and songwriters and go for growth.”
Loba, who joined BMG in 2017, when the company acquired Nashville-based BBR Music Group, is rewarded for delivering BMG its first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with Jason Aldean’s “Try That In A Small Town,” and achieving success with Jelly Roll.
Loba, explains Coesfeld, is “the ideal person to take responsibility for our L.A.-based recordings business” as the group evolves in the streaming era.
A company stalwart, Scherer joined BMG in 2008, moving to L.A. as executive vp of global writer services in 2014, and enjoying several promotions thereafter.
“He is the ideal person to lead our new streaming-first global catalog operation based in Los Angeles, while also retaining oversight of our important U.S. music publishing business, the backbone of BMG’s U.S. operation,” Coesfeld says of Scherer. “With Thomas at the helm of our Global Catalog Recorded organization, BMG will step up its investments in catalog.”
The changes, announced today (Jan. 25), come six months after Coesfeld was appointed as CEO, succeeding the retiring CEO Hartwig Masuch.
Coesfeld’s “energetic and strategic approach to the business has been very inspirational for all of us, because that’s the way our Nashville team runs,” comments Loba in a statement. “I’m looking so forward to working even closer with our staff throughout North America and as important, helping bring the visions of our amazing artists to life.”
Following his promotion to the top job in July, Coesfeld wasted no time in reshaping the company to maximize growth and capture opportunities. Among the changes announced to staff last November, a new global catalog team based in Los Angeles; a “recalibration” of its presence in continental Europe in line with the new local-global emphasis, which will involve focusing on “functional centers of excellence within Europe,” as well as aggregation of budgets and expertise; a further acceleration of its investments in tech and its myBMG system for artists; and the clarification of roles and structures that the company says will make it “more accountable to its artist and songwriter clients.”
The changes didn’t end there. BMG ended its distribution agreement with the Warner Music Group’s ADA and brought its digital distribution in-house, while striking a deal with the Universal Music Group for its physical distribution; formed direct deals with Spotify and Apple Music; and “a number of existing positions” were made redundant – with some 40 staffers let go, Billboard reported.
“We are changing the way we do things,” Coesfeld said in a statement at the time. “We will combine creative intuition with data-driven insights to deliver the best service for our clients and customers.”
The estate of late Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland has partnered with Primary Wave Music to mine new opportunities for the singer-songwriter’s music and overall legacy, it was announced on Wednesday (Jan. 24).
Under the deal, Primary Wave will partner with the estate to capitalize on Weiland’s publishing copyrights and recording royalties for all songs and recordings by Stone Temple Pilots, his later group, Velvet Revolver, and his solo output.
The agreement also gives Primary Wave a share of Weiland’s name, image and likeness rights, while the estate will be given access to the company’s marketing team and publishing infrastructure. The two entities will work closely on new marketing, branding, digital and synch opportunities along with film and TV projects.
Formed in 1989 by Weiland, Dean DeLeo, Robert DeLeo and Eric Kretz, Stone Temple Pilots released a total of six studio albums with Weiland as frontman, four of which hit the top 10 on the Billboard 200 and one of which (Purple) debuted at No. 1 on the chart. Velvet Revolver also saw success, with the band’s 2004 debut, Contraband, landing at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and its second and final album, Libertad, debuting at No. 5 on the tally. As a solo artist, Weiland released a total of three studio albums and one with his band the Wildabouts in 2015.
Weiland scored six Grammy nominations during his lifetime and won two — one for best hard rock performance with vocal for Stone Temple Pilots’ 1993 single, “Plush,” the other for best hard rock performance for Velvet Revolver’s 2004 single, “Slither.”
“There are few rock artists that had the impact that Scott Weiland did on music,” said Larry Mestel, CEO/founder of Primary Wave Music, in a statement. “We are honored to partner with Scott’s family on such a legendary catalog of music and career. Scott’s influence on music is unparalleled and he remains one of the most influential musicians in rock music. We are extremely grateful the estate has chosen to partner with us to continue to grow his incredible legacy.”
“We believe that Primary Wave are the perfect partners to secure Scott’s legacy as one of the great front men in rock history,” added Brian Harris Frank of Shelter Music Group and Dana Dufine of DBD Squared Entertainment, who manage Weiland’s estate. “We look forward to working with Larry, Natalia, Adam, and their teams and believe that their ability to connect artists with culture will ensure that Scott’s impact will be felt for generations.”
Natalia Nastaskin, chief content officer at Primary Wave, added, “Scott is the original influencer. The stories behind his undeniably authentic lyrics, effervescent performances, impeccable fashion sense, and meteoric rise to stardom are a filmmaker’s dream. I’m thrilled to work with Scott’s family, as well as Dana and Brian, on expanding and extending Scott’s legacy through new compelling IP projects across film, television, and stage.”
Weiland died of an accidental drug overdose on Dec. 3, 2015. He was 48.
A man arrested and charged with stalking Taylor Swift outside her Manhattan home has been released from police custody on supervised release after an arraignment hearing on Wednesday (Jan. 24).
David Crowe, 31, was arrested both Saturday and Monday outside Swift’s TriBeCa apartment building. Manhattan prosecutors, who charged the man with one count of stalking and two counts of harassment, say Crowe has been seen at the location more than 30 times since November.
At his first court hearing on Wednesday, a judge ordered Crowe released from custody but issued a protection order barring him from trying to contact Swift and imposed supervision to ensure that he abides by the order and returns to court for his next hearing.
The charges against Crowe were not eligible for bail under New York law, but prosecutors had urged the judge to impose “supervised release at the highest possible tier and level.”
“The defendant’s continued conduct in showing up to this location despite numerous directives to leave shows a clear risk that the defendant will not abide by court orders to return to court,” Harriet Jiranek told the judge at the hearing. “Based on the conduct in this case, the defendant should be under some level of supervision to ensure he abides by the order of protection and returns to court as directed.
Crowe was first arrested on Saturday afternoon, police say, after they responded to a 911 call regarding a “disorderly person” near Swift’s apartment. Crowe had allegedly “attempted to open a door to a building at the location” and was taken into custody on a previous arrest warrant.
Then on Monday evening, witnesses reported an “emotionally disturbed male acting erratically” near the same location, police say; officers then spotted Crowe “harassing multiple complainants” and he was taken into custody.
In charging documents, prosecutors say that a security guard for an unnamed individual — presumed to be Swift — reported that Crowe has been spotted near Swift’s apartment roughly 30 times since late November and that on multiple occasions he had stated that he was there to speak to the same unnamed individual. The security guard reported that he had “asked the defendant not to approach the building or to leave the immediate area surrounding the building” on 10 separate occasions.
If convicted of the charges — all misdemeanors — Crowe faces up to three months in prison for both the stalking count and the harassment in the first degree count. If convicted of his third count, of harassment in the second degree, Crowe faces up to a year in prison.
Swift’s publicist did not immediately return a request for comment on the incident. Crowe could not immediately be located for comment.
As alcohol consumption declines among young adults and awareness about the mental health benefits of sobriety grows, nonalcoholic cocktails could prove key to finding new food and beverage revenue for the concert business.
In 2023, CMA Fest, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Danny Wimmer Presents’ Louder Than Life and Bourbon & Beyond were among a dozen festivals to include mocktails and sober spaces at their events; Live Nation introduced the “no-jito” to its venue menus; and Oak View Group launched an elevated nonalcoholic beverage program at its Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, Calif. And while conventional wisdom held that nonalcoholic drinks beyond soda and water would diminish alcohol sales, venues are finding that’s not the case.
“Since launching the mocktail program, our alcohol sales have remained steady, and overall beverage sales have increased by a margin that we are very pleased with,” says Daniel Griffis, president of global partnerships at Oak View Group. It has gone so well that OVG plans to start rolling out the program at other venues.
After launching in October in the premium level and expanding to the entire arena in January, Acrisure has sold more than 2,000 mocktails at $14 each — including the Blackberry Smash and the Firebirds Spritz, which use Lyre’s nonalcoholic spirits — says John Page, senior vp of Acrisure Arena, AHL team Coachella Valley Firebirds and OVG360 Facilities. “There have been a lot of positive comments that we are recognizing people that want to really experience the live event and have something different in terms of the beverage space, not soda or water,” he says. “This is one way that we can continue to show that we are aware and we have something for everyone in the venue.”
These activations were all launched in partnership with the nonprofit Stand Together and its 1 Million Strong initiative founded with sober community The Phoenix. They follow an open letter published in Billboard in January 2023 that featured 50 music industry leaders pledging support to 1 Million Strong.
“What I am excited to see, a year after, are those people actually doing it,” says Colette Weintraub, head of Stand Together Music, Sports & Entertainment.
At Live Nation, the initiative has brought a new corporate focus as well. Last May, the concert giant launched its Sober Nation program focused on fostering sober-inclusivity and destigmatizing addiction at their venues and offices. On Jan. 30 the company will host a Grammy-week brunch with 1 Million Strong and DMC of Run-DMC to raise awareness among staff and connect employees to available recovery and mental health resources.
On Jan. 30 the company will host a Grammy-week brunch with 1 Million Strong and DMC to raise awareness among staff and connect employees to available recovery and mental health resources.
For an industry that places a lot of emphasis on alcohol — from beverage sales to alcohol sponsors — Weintraub says the initiative has received a warm welcome so far. “We’re not saying ‘sober music industry,’ ” she says. “We’re saying this is an opportunity to expand and open the doors to more people and let more people participate in what’s important in life and supporting more people in achieving their full potential.”
Legendary songwriter and Country Music Hall of Famer Dean Dillon has signed a global publishing deal with River House Artists in partnership with Sony Music Publishing. Dillon, who was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002 and into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2021, is known for his long association […]
Spotify has outlined a number of changes it will soon be introducing for European users, including the ability to make in-app purchases, in response to new EU legislation governing how online companies and platforms operate in the region.
Beginning in March, Spotify’s European users will be able to make “seamless and secure” in-app payments for products such as audiobooks on iPhone and Android devices, the Swedish streaming company announced in a blog post on Wednesday (Jan. 24).
Users of Spotify’s free ad-supported service will additionally be able to upgrade to its premium offering through their phone (without leaving the app), while the company says it will begin directly communicating with customers about subscription offerings, upgrades, deals and promotions.
The changes are being implemented as a result of the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), a sweeping piece of legislation designed to curb the dominance of tech giants like Apple, Amazon, Google and Meta. The DMA forces tech companies trading within the EU region to open up their services and platforms to other businesses and allow them to operate more freely. For companies like Spotify, the law means that Apple is no longer able to charge them a 30% fee on all purchases made through its App Store — a long-running practice that served as a source of contention between the two companies and which is now prohibited in EU member states (smaller developers pay fees of around 15%).
Although the law officially came into force in November 2022, companies have until Mar. 7 to comply with the regulations. Apple didn’t respond to requests for comment when contacted by Billboard.
“For years, even in our own app, Apple had these rules where we couldn’t tell you about offers, how much something costs, or even where or how to buy it,” Spotify said in the blog post, entitled “The DMA Means a Better Spotify for Artists, Creators, and You.”
The company goes on to say that the changes it’s implementing will mean “good things for artists, authors, and creators looking to build their audiences of listeners, concert-goers, and audiobook-loving fans.”
Some of the ways Spotify said it will be looking to do that is by allowing creators to download its “Spotify for Artists” and “Spotify for Podcasters” tools directly from its site and alternative app stores.
“It should be this easy for every single Spotify customer everywhere,” stated the company, referencing its well-publicized battles with Apple in the United States and other international markets over transaction fees the tech company charges app developers.
Last week, Spotify accused Apple of “stopping at nothing” to protect its profits after the firm introduced commission fees of up to 27% in the United States for app developers that choose to sell products in places other than its own App Store.
Apple introduced the fees following a long-running legal battle with Fortnite developer Epic Games in U.S. courts. Although Epic lost the case, a California judge ordered Apple to make changes to how its store operates, including allowing links to outside platforms and third-party services. Last week, The Supreme Court rejected appeals from both Apple and Epic Games.
In Wednesday’s blog post, Spotify said it will “keep fighting” for governments and regulators to pass laws like the DMA “because freedom from gatekeepers means more choice for consumers and positive impact for artists, authors, creators and developers everywhere.”
One front in that fight is taking place in the United States, where Spotify founder/CEO Daniel Ek has actively lobbied Congress and the Biden administration to pass the Open App Markets Act, which would disallow Apple, Google and other app stores with more than 50 million users from forcing app developers to use their payment systems as a condition of distribution. Though the bill never made it to the floor of either chamber, advocates reportedly expect its reintroduction soon.
Madonna’s management team and Live Nation responded Wednesday to a high-profile lawsuit claiming the music legend harmed her fans by starting New York City concerts later than scheduled, disputing some allegations and saying they plan to “defend this case vigorously.”
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The response statement came after days of silence regarding the proposed class action lawsuit, in which two fans claim the star and the concert giant breached their contract with concertgoers and violated New York state laws by starting three December shows in Brooklyn more than two hours later than the scheduled.
In their joint statement, Madonna’s reps and Live Nation said that the just-completed European leg of her Celebration Tour had “received rave reviews” and vowed the fight back against the lawsuit’s allegations.
“The shows opened in North America at Barclays in Brooklyn as planned, with the exception of a technical issue December 13th during soundcheck,” Madonna’s reps and Live Nation said. “This caused a delay that was well documented in press reports at the time. We intend to defend this case vigorously.”
Ticket buyers Michael Fellows and Jonathan Hadden filed their case last week, claiming that the delays — starting at 10:30 pm rather than the scheduled 8:30 pm — caused real legal harm to ticket buyers who, among other things, “had to get up early to go to work” the next day.
“Defendants’ actions constitute not just a breach of their contracts … but also a wanton exercise in false advertising, negligent misrepresentation, and unfair and deceptive trade practices,” attorneys for the two men wrote in their complaint, filed in Brooklyn federal court.
The three concerts at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, stops on Madonna’s Celebration Tour, were originally scheduled for July but rescheduled to December due to the singer’s illness. Fellows and Hadden said they expected their show (Dec. 13) to start on time, and “would not have paid for their tickets had they known that the concerts would start after 10:30 p.m.”
“Defendants failed to provide any notice to the ticketholders that the concerts would start much later than the start time printed on the ticket and as advertised,” attorneys for the two men wrote.
Leaving Barclays Center after 1:00 a.m., the two men claimed ticket buyers were “left stranded in the middle of the night,” some “confronted with limited public transportation” options and others with increased prices for ride-share services. They also pointed out that the concert took place “on a weeknight,” meaning they “had to get up early to go to work and/or take care of their family responsibilities the next day.”
Can fans really sue over that? When they formally respond in court, Madonna and Live Nation will probably challenge many of the lawsuit’s claims by arguing that concert fans are on notice that live events sometimes start a little later than scheduled. They could also point to contractual provisions in ticket contracts that could give performers some leeway for unexpected delays.
In addition to Madonna herself, the lawsuit also named Live Nation and Barclays Center as defendants. In technical terms, the complaint alleged breach of contract; violation of New York’s business practices and false advertising laws; and several other forms of wrongdoing, including unjust enrichment.
The lawsuit also included a claim of so-called negligent misrepresentation, saying the concert organizers “knew or should have known” that the concerts would not start at 8:30 because of alleged past instances of Madonna taking the stage late — and should have warned fans.
“Madonna has a long history of arriving and starting her concerts late, sometimes several hours late,” attorneys for Fellows and Hadden wrote. “This history occurred throughout her 2016 Rebel Heart Tour, her 2019-2020 Madame X Tour, and prior tours, where Madonna continuously started her concerts over two hours late.”
Attorneys for Fellows and Hadden did not return a request for comment on Wednesday’s response statement.
Spirit Music Group has entered an administrative services agreement with Downtown Music Publishing. Previously, Spirit handled its U.S. administration in-house. A representative for the company confirmed there were no layoffs made in relation to this deal. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Through this new partnership, Spirit […]