Business
Page: 204
Tekno has formed a new strategic alliance with Mr. Eazi, with Tekno’s Cartel Music label and Mr. Eazi’s independent music company emPawa Africa striking a joint venture and Tekno joining emPawa Africa as an investor and a partner. “With this deal with Tekno and Cartel Music, we are ushering in a new phase of emPawa,” […]
Kelly Clarkson has settled a lawsuit against her ex-husband Brandon Blackstock over commissions he was paid during his time as her manager, according to a new report in Rolling Stone.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Clarkson requested a dismissal of the case on Tuesday (May 21), while Blackstock and his father’s management firm, Starstruck Entertainment, requested to dismiss the case on Wednesday (May 22), according to court documents reviewed by Billboard — though the documents do not mention a settlement.
Billboard has reached out to Clarkson and Blackstock’s reps for more information but did not receive a response at the time of publication.
Trending on Billboard
The reported settlement comes two months after Clarkson filed a case in Los Angeles courton March 14 seeking a ruling that Starstruck Entertainment had been violating state labor rules stemming from the start of their relationship. The lawsuit sought the return of “any and all commissions, fees, profits, advances, producing fees or other monies” she paid to Starstruck Entertainment dating all the way back to 2007.
Clarkson filed for divorce from Blackstock in June 2020 after seven years of marriage. The case was finalized in 2022, and the singer agreed to pay her ex-husband monthly child support of $45,601 for their two children — nine-year-old daughter River Rose and eight-year-old son Remy Alexander — plus a one-time payment of $1.3 million.
Shortly after Clarkson filed for divorce, Starstruck sued her for alleged unpaid fees, claiming the company had “invested a great deal of time, money, energy, and dedication” into her and had “developed Clarkson into a mega superstar.”
In response, Clarkson filed a complaint with California’s Labor Commissioner, claiming that Blackstock and Starstruck had violated California’s Talent Agencies Act by serving as her managers as well as unlicensed talent agents who booked her business deals. In November, a Labor Commissioner ruled in Clarkson’s favor and Blackstock was ordered to repay Clarkson more than $2.6 million in commissions she paid him for handling a number of deals, including her role as a coach on The Voice. A month later, Blackstock and Starstruck challenged the ruling in court, asking for a Los Angeles judge to rule rather than the Labor Commissioner.
Range Music has promoted Jared Cotter to partner, the company announced Thursday (May 23). Cotter, who has been at Range since 2022, had been vp of A&R for the management company, which operates as the music division under the umbrella of Range Media Partners. Cotter manages Paul Russell, whose song “Lil Boo Thing” reached No. […]
Lana Del Rey will receive this year’s NMPA Songwriter Icon award, the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) announced today. The award will be presented at the organization’s annual meeting at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City on June 12.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Del Rey, 38, has received 11 Grammy nominations (but, surprisingly, no wins yet). Her nods include three in songwriting categories – “Norman Fu—ing Rockwell” and “A&W,” both for song of the year, and “Young and Beautiful” (from Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby) for best song written for visual media. She was also nominated for a Golden Globe for co-writing “Big Eyes” from the Tim Burton of the same name.
“Lana Del Rey defines being iconic,” NMPA president and CEO David Israelite said in a statement. “Her influence is felt across all genres and has inspired the biggest artists in the business. Her songwriting is deeply personal, and she continues to innovate – bringing fans thought provoking lyrics and indelible style.”
Trending on Billboard
Savan Kotecha will receive the NMPA Non-Performing Songwriter Icon award. Kotecha has received Grammy, Golden Globe and Oscar nods in songwriting categories. He received a Grammy nod for best song written for visual media and a Golden Globe nod for best original song for “Love Me Like You Do” and an Oscar nod for best original song for”Husavik” from Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga.
“Savan Kotecha is virtually unmatched in his impact on pop music,” Israelite said in a statement. “He has helped craft the sounds for so many of the biggest hits of the past decade. We are thrilled to honor his continued success.”
The timeless ballad “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” co-written by Luigi Creatore, Hugo Peretti and George David Weiss, will be honored as an NMPA Iconic Song. Elvis Presley’s original hit version of the song, recorded for his 1961 film Blue Hawaii, reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1962. UB40’s reggae-tinged cover version, recorded for the film Sliver, spent seven weeks at No. 1 in 1993.
Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA) will receive the NMPA President’s award for his work to support creators.
Additionally, Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl will sit down for a keynote conversation. Register of Copyrights Shira Perlmutter will discuss the current challenges of protecting intellectual property.
Tokischa will launch her own record label called SOL under a new global partnership with Warner Music Latina, Billboard can exclusively announce today (May 23).
The Dominican artist (born: Tokischa Altagracia Peralta Juárez) will release her own music and sign new artists under the new deal that’s in partnership with her manager (and SOL co-founder) Angelica Piche within WML and supported by Atlantic Records.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
“We are thrilled to launch SOL, a label that will be a home for misunderstood artists,” Piche, who’s in charge of the project’s development, said in a statement. “It’s very important for us to give a voice and a space to people who, like us, started from scratch.”
Both teams at WML and Atlantic are excited to form part of Tokischa’s new career era.
Trending on Billboard
“She is an artist who takes counterculture to its highest and best expression. It is a privilege to help expand her global impact and support her limitless creative vision,” adds Alejandro Duque, Roberto Andrade Dirak, and Natalie Cotton of the Warner family.
Since kicking off her music career in 2018, the 28-year-old artist has shined with her groundbreaking and unapologetic music, bringing to the forefront the Dominican Republic’s thriving local underground scene, known as “el bajo mundo.”
“For me, when I feel free is when I’m myself,” she previously expressed during the women on the rise panel at the 2022 Billboard Latin Music Week. “For me, freedom is to feel comfortable with what surrounds me, with what I do, to feel unique. To feel special and loved by myself because one of the steps toward freedom is self love, and if I love myself and understand and know myself, and know what I need, I know where I’m going to walk and how I’m going to do it.”
With the new partnership, Warner Music Latina—alongside its international team and record labels—aims to introduce Tokischa’s “music to fresh audiences, bolstering her presence across diverse countries and cultures, and ultimately establishing her as a true global star,” noted the press statement.
Tokischa
Courtesy of Warner Music Latina
The U.S. Department of Justice and a group of 30 states on Thursday filed a long-awaited antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation, accusing the concert giant of market dominance and demanding that it and Ticketmaster be broken up. “It is time to break it up,” said Attorney General Merrick Garland at an announcement of the suit on Thursday.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
The lawsuit, filed in Manhattan federal court, claims that Live Nation has abused its huge market power to stifle competition, including through the use of exclusive ticketing contracts that lock venues into using Ticketmaster for all events. As part of its case against Live Nation, Garland said the government will present evidence taken from emails between Live Nation chief executive Michael Rapino and Oak View Group chief Tim Leiweke, as well as communications between Rapino and the head of powerful equity firm Silver Lake capital.
“We allege that Live Nation has repeatedly wielded its powers to keep its rivals from expanding in the U.S. concert promotions market through threats and retaliation,” Garland said. In his remarks, he alleged that in 2021, Live Nation threatened to retaliate against Silver Lake unless it divested from TEG, one of its portfolio companies. According to Garland, Live Nation chief Michael Rapino told Silver Lake that he “failed to understand why [the equity firm] continued to invest in a business that competes with Live Nation.”
Trending on Billboard
Garland added: “The threats ultimately succeeded and Silver Lake has tried to sell TEG altogether. We allege that Live Nation does not maintain its dominance in the live industry by staying ahead of its competition on the merits. It does so by unlawfully eliminating its competition. We allege that Live Nation controls the live entertainment industry in the United States because it is breaking the law.”
To address the alleged violations, the DOJ argues that Live Nation must divest ownership of Ticketmaster – effectively undoing a controversial 2010 merger that was approved by federal regulators despite fears that it would give the company too much power over live music.
“Today’s complaint alleges that Live Nation-Ticketmaster have engaged in anticompetitive conduct to cement their dominance of the live concert market and act as the gatekeeper for an entire industry,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco during today’s press conference. “Today’s action is a step forward in making this era of live music more accessible for the fans, the artists, and the industry that supports them.”
Live Nation has long faced criticism over its market share, but scrutiny of the company increased dramatically following the disastrous November 2022 rollout of tickets for Taylor Swift’s 2023 Eras Tour, which saw widespread service delays and website crashes.
The DOJ had already launched an investigation into the company’s practices earlier in 2022, prior to the Swift incident. But the botched presale sparked Congressional hearings, civil antitrust lawsuits, and calls to break up the company. Lawmakers like Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), the chair of the Senate subcommittee for antitrust issues, warned that Live Nation’s power “insulates it from the competitive pressures that typically push companies to innovate and improve their services.”
According to the 120-page complaint filed by the government, Live Nation-Ticketmaster has “unlawfully maintained monopolies in several concert promotions and primary ticketing markets and engaged in other exclusionary conduct affecting live concert venues, including arenas and amphitheaters.”
The complaint specifically takes aim at Live Nation’s “flywheel model,” which it describes as a “self-reinforcing business model that captures fees and revenue from concert fans and sponsorship, uses that revenue to lock up artists to exclusive promotion deals, and then uses its powerful cache of live content to sign venues into long term exclusive ticketing deals, thereby starting the cycle all over again.”
Live Nation has rejected such accusations. In a blog post last month, the company’s top antitrust lawyer argued that claims about “monopolies” were designed to “rile up fans against Live Nation and Ticketmaster.” As recently as Tuesday, company president Joe Berchtold said that the company’s practices were “fully defensible” and that a settlement with the DOJ was still possible.
“The DOJ’s lawsuit won’t solve the issues fans care about relating to ticket prices, service fees, and access to in-demand shows,” a statement from Live Nation reads. “Calling Ticketmaster a monopoly may be a PR win for the DOJ in the short term, but it will lose in court because it ignores the basic economics of live entertainment, such as the fact that the bulk of service fees go to venues, and that competition has steadily eroded Ticketmaster’s market share and profit margin. Our growth comes from helping artists tour globally, creating lasting memories for millions of fans, and supporting local economies across the country by sustaining quality jobs. We will defend against these baseless allegations, use this opportunity to shed light on the industry, and continue to push for reforms that truly protect consumers and artists.”
When Live Nation and Ticketmaster merged in 2010, the DOJ approved the deal but imposed a so-called consent decree designed to prevent the company from abusing its position. Those restrictions were set to expire in 2020, but they were extended by five years after the DOJ accused Live Nation of repeatedly violating the decree.
The results are in: for the first quarter of 2024, Warner Chappell earned the top spot on the Country Airplay publisher rankings for the second quarter in a row.
With a 33.08% market share, WCM, helmed in Nashville by president/CEO Ben Vaughn, is the top publisher. This is thanks to the shares the publisher had in eight of the top 10 songs of the quarter. Overall, it also had stakes in 68 of the quarter’s top 100 Country Airplay songs, including Country Airplay No. 1 Nate Smith’s “World On Fire,” HARDY’s No. 2 “Truck Bed,” and Warren Zeider’s No. 3 track “Pretty Little Poison.”
Apart from Sony Music Publishing’s five-consecutive-quarter reign at No. 1 from Q3 of 2022 to Q3 of 2023, Warner Chappell has consistently held the quarterly top country music publisher title in Nashville, dating back to about 2017.
Trending on Billboard
This quarter Sony Music Publishing held in second place with a 20.04% market share on the Country Airplay chart. SMP has shares in 51 of the chart’s songs including the top two tunes this quarter, which are both thanks to its tie to one of Nashville’s biggest hitmakers Ashley Gorley, who sold his catalog and signed a go-forward deal with SMP (in partnership with Domain Capital Group) in May 2022. For the first quarter, Gorley ranked as the top country songwriter, with a co-writer stake in 16 of the period’s Top 100 Country Airplay songs.
The rest of the market share for other companies on the Country Airplay chart lags far behind Nashville’s top two publishers. BMG comes in third, for example, with 8.18% market share, which is slightly more than two percentage points up from where they were last year in Q1 with 6.09% Country Airplay marketshare. It is the first time BMG has ranked above major publisher, Universal Music Publishing Group, since Q1 of 2018. Top songs for the publisher this quarter include Cody Johnson’s “The Painter,” the No. 4 song on the Country Airplay chart, and Chayce Beckham’s “23,” the No. 8 tune.
Universal Music Publishing Group holds the fourth spot this quarter with 6.85% market share on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart. Just three quarters ago, UMPG had an especially good quarter with a 12.71% ranking — about double what it reached this time. Top songs for UMPG include Thomas Rhett’s “Mawmaw’s House,” the No. 5 song and Scotty McCreery’s “Cab in a Solo,” the No. 15 tune.
Looking at the rankings from No. 5 to No. 8, Kobalt ranks fifth in market share for the Country Airplay chart at 5.78%; Big Machine Music slightly surpasses Concord at 4.11% to 4.10% market shares, respectively; Spirit Music ranks eighth with 2.02%.
The ninth largest publisher on the Country Airplay chart belongs to Purple Rabbit Music, the publishing company that represents songwriter Tracy Chapman. The spot represents the continued impact her song “Fast Car,” which was covered by Luke Combs last year and performed by the two artists together at the Grammy awards earlier this year. Its placement in the rankings represents its debut for the Top 10 Country Airplay publishers.
Lastly, Anthem brings up the end of the Top 10 Country Airplay publishers with a 1.87% marketshare, a tick below Purple Rabbit’s 1.88% share for the quarter.
Last CPQ: Tracy Chapman and Oliver Anthony Make History
Warner Chappell Music (WCM) has signed a global publishing deal with 4-time Grammy nominee and jazz/R&B star Patrice Rushen. Known for her work with artists like Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock and Prince, Rushen is also celebrated for her groundbreaking role as the first female musical director for top award shows, including the Grammys and Emmys.
Reservoir Media has acquired the producer royalties and publishing catalog of the late hip-hop producer-songwriter Deon “Big D” Evans, best known for his work with Tupac Shakur. Evans, acclaimed for producing hits like “Brenda’s Got a Baby” and the Grammy-nominated “Changes,” significantly shaped hip-hop and collaborated with other notable artists like Digital Underground and Ne-Yo.
Brandon Silverstein Publishing and Avex USA have teamed up to sign Kavi to a worldwide publishing deal. While the 21-year-old producer is perhaps best known for his hit song “Million Dollar Baby” by Tommy Richmond, which recently reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hip-Hop/R&B chart, Kavi has also crafted the sound of other talents, including Yeat and KanKan.
Trending on Billboard
Warner Chappell Music (WCM) has signed a global publishing deal with songwriter and producer Toby Daintree, known for his work with Artemas on hits like “i like the way you kiss me” and “if you think I’m pretty.” Daintree, a multi-instrumentalist, has also collaborated with artists such as FKA Twigs and Joy Crookes, and will now work closely with WCM UK’s team to further his career.
Armada Music‘s BEAT Music Fund, its dance music investment fund, has expanded by acquiring the artist and songwriter royalties for Jax Jones‘s catalog, including shares of “You Don’t Know Me” with RAYE and “All Day and Night” with Madison Beer and Martin Solveig. It has also acquired the artist shares of Australian singer/songwriter AMBA SHEPHERD‘s catalog, including dance hits with artists like Hardwell, R3HAB, Porter Robinson, and QUIX. Lastly, BEAT is partnering with Sola Records on a joint venture, including signees Maur & FABER, Draxx and Majestic.
Sony Music Publishing Nashville and CAM Creative have signed country music songwriter Ryan Larkins to a global publishing deal. Known for co-writing Bill Anderson’s Grammy-nominated “Someday It’ll All Make Sense” and Cody Johnson’s #1 hit “The Painter,” Larkins has collaborated with legends like Tony Lane and Tom Douglas and recently released his debut EP with Red Street Records.
Writer-artist Matt Stell renewed his publishing deal with Endurance Music Group (EMG). The move comes as he preps the June 7 release of Born Lonely, his first full-length album to emerge since his 2019 signing with RECORDS Nashville. Every track on the project was co-written by Stell, who reached No. 1 on Country Airplay with his first two RECORDS singles, “Prayed for You” and “Everywhere But On,” both of which he also co-wrote. Stell joined EMG in 2020 when the publishing house purchased Wide Open Music. –Tom Roland
Position Music has inked a worldwide publishing deal with London-based songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Sam Merrifield. Merrifield, known for his work with artists like Lewis Capaldi, Marshmello and Mimi Webb, has recently contributed to hits like “American Psycho” and the UK Top 10 single “Good Without,” and has upcoming projects with Marshmello, Cheat Codes, and Zara Larsson.
Producer, songwriter, and composer Hilton Wright II has signed an exclusive global administration deal with Warner Chappell Music. Along with the deal, his media company, Seven15 Labs, has launched its music publishing division through an exclusive global administration and co-publishing deal with Warner Chappell, aiming to expand the reach and impact of Wright’s extensive catalog, which includes work with Big Sean, Mike Posner, and brands like Walmart and Ford.
Warner Chappell Music (WCM), alongside The Roots and Live Nation Urban, is launching the ‘Message in the Music’ songwriting camp from May 28th to June 1st in Philadelphia, coinciding with the Roots Picnic 2024 festival. The camp will honor Philly music legends Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff and Thom Bell, showcasing their legacy and promoting contemporary local songwriting talent. Hosted by Ryan Press (WCM), Shawn Gee (Live Nation Urban), Pop Wansel, and The Roots’ Questlove and Black Thought, the camp aims to create opportunities for local writers and producers. Over 50 writers and artists, including top talents from Philadelphia and WCM’s roster, are expected to attend. Select songs from Gamble, Huff and Bell’s catalog will be available for sampling via WCM’s Beat Broker platform to mark the trio’s 60th Anniversary.
Concord Music Publishing has signed an exclusive worldwide administration deal with Emmy and Drama Desk-nominated composer and lyricist Eli Bolin, covering his entire catalog and future works. Bolin is renowned for his work on Documentary Now!, Sesame Street, Nine Perfect Strangers, and the Netflix special John Mulaney and the Sack Lunch Bunch.
Sony Music Publishing hosted its second annual SMP x BeatStars Hitmaker Week, a global songwriting camp held from April 1-5 in Miami, Florida at Circle House Studios. The event hosted 67 songwriters/producers and artists from around the world for collaborative writing sessions, educational workshops and more. This included Farruko, Brray, Nardo Wick, Rob 49 and ScarLip, among others.
Seeker Music has partnered with Latin record label and entertainment company MITH Media to jointly sign songwriters and artists, manage catalogs and expand into the LATAM and U.S. Latin-music markets. The first signings under this partnership are Grammy-nominated songwriter K. Sotomayor and singer-songwriter Dēlian, with plans to develop new projects and actively manage Seeker’s catalog in Latin America.
Boom.Records is entering a partnership with Warner Chappell Music to launch Boom.Publishing. WCM will administer the publishing rights for Boom.Publishing’s signees as well as offer more creative support through writing camps and sessions.
1916 Enterprises has welcomed multiple new songwriters to its publishing company. This includes Nashville-based songwriter Carly Paige, Los Angeles-based producer Jack Riley, and Olivia Kiene (through a joint venture with Sevs Publishing).
A Department of Justice lawsuit against Live Nation for violating U.S. antitrust laws is imminent and could be filed as soon as Thursday (May 23), a source with knowledge of the DOJ’s plans tells Billboard.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
The lawsuit is rumored to charge that Live Nation has a monopoly on event ticketing through Ticketmaster and that it illegally uses its monopoly power to grow its business and stifle competition. The DOJ has been investigating Live Nation for more than two years. With that investigation now wrapped, company president Joe Berchtold recently said he was that he was hopeful his company would avoid a legal showdown with the DOJ’s top antitrust lawyer, Jonathan Kanter.
“These are always serious discussions. We wouldn’t get to this point if they didn’t have concerns, but the good news is we’re still talking and they’ve said they have an open mind,” Berchtold told attendees at the J.P. Morgan Global Technology, Media and Communications conference in Boston on Tuesday (May 21).
Trending on Billboard
“Without getting into the real details of the conversation, I think it’s fair to say I continue to believe that we fundamentally have business practices that are fully defensible,” Berchtold added, before continuing: “We’re also open to figuring out common ground in order to get this settled and moved on. But we don’t know exactly what they want at this point still.”
Live Nation declined to comment for this story.
The Department of Justice’s case is believed to be centered around Ticketmaster’s use of exclusive ticketing contracts when signing up venues for its ticketing services. Typically, Ticketmaster pays venues an advance on the revenue that it generates from the fees it charges consumers as part of the ticket-buying process. The longer the contract, the larger the advance Ticketmaster can pay out.
DOJ officials don’t like the practice, arguing that it locks out new companies from competing in the ticketing space. Ticketmaster officials, however, argue that they are open to working with non-exclusive contracts — both the Greek Theatre in Hollywood and Red Rocks in Denver are open facilities where promoters use the ticketing provider of their choice — but that venues often rely on exclusive deals to meet their capital needs.
While Ticketmaster holds more exclusive ticketing contracts than any other company, it isn’t the only one to make use of them: Every major competitor pays upfront advances in exchange for exclusive ticketing agreements with venues and sports teams.
That includes SeatGeek, which reportedly paid $10 million in 2021 for exclusive rights to ticket events at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn for a seven-year term. Two years into the agreement, Billboard reported at the time, Barclays Center and BSE Global chief executive Sam Zussman threatened to publicize SeatGeek’s tech problems and breaches of contract if it didn’t immediately agree to terminate the deal.
SeatGeek eventually agreed to wind down its relationship with Barclays Center and was replaced by Ticketmaster. DOJ officials reportedly scrutinized the incident during its investigation of Live Nation.
In the wake of a falling out between RBD and its ex-manager and business partner Guillermo Rosas — a split made public in January when Billboard reported that the two had parted ways — the Mexican band has shared an official statement addressing the ongoing dispute.
In a statement issued Wednesday (May 22), RBD responded to previous claims made by Rosas and his company, T6H, to People En Español that there was “no financial mismanagement” tied to the band’s ultra-successful Soy Rebelde Tour. Hitting back at that characterization, RBD members Anahí, Christopher Von Uckermann, Dulce María, Christian Chávez and Maite Perroni claim that there were in fact “significant irregularities” revealed in a forensic accounting investigation led by Critin Cooperman, alleging that nearly $1 million remains unaccounted for after T6H began receiving funds related to the tour in December 2022.
According to the official statement issued by RBD’s lawyers and shared with Billboard, T6H and Citrin Cooperman — a services firm that acted as a business manager for the tour and also conducted the financial audit — were the “only entities responsible for the tour payments.” None of RBD’s members “had access to manage the money or make payments,” the band claims.
Trending on Billboard
Furthermore, the band says, T6H has “hindered the process” by not signing “key” documents necessary for the resolution of payments and the tour, which marked RBD’s grand return to touring after splitting in 2008.
Billboard reached out to T6H for comment but did not hear back by press time.
“Given the considerable amount of money involved and the discrepancies found, all our projects are currently on hold. We have had to pause this shared dream with you, including a possible continuation of the tour,” the statement continues. “Our goal has always been to resolve these discrepancies professionally. We remain committed to cooperating with all parties involved to achieve a fair and transparent resolution. Our integrity and the trust of our fans are paramount, and we will not rest until these matters fully resolve.”
In December, RBD wrapped its massive world tour, which, as of Nov. 30, had grossed $197.1 million since launching in August. Rosas also worked with the band as a concert promoter from 2006 to 2008.
Under a new business model designed for RBD’s comeback tour, the five members and Rosas were deemed equal partners in a new joint venture. The deal had the band splitting all new revenue, including for music, with Rosas, who in 2020 helped clear the rights to the group’s catalog. He also brought Live Nation on board as the promoter for the reunion tour and CAA for global representation of the band.