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A judge overseeing the estate of Aretha Franklin awarded real estate to the late star’s sons, citing a handwritten will from 2014 that was found between couch cushions.
The decision Monday came four months after a Detroit-area jury said the document was a valid will under Michigan law, despite scribbles and many hard-to-read passages. Franklin had signed it and put a smiley face in the letter “A.”
The papers will override a handwritten will from 2010 that was found at Franklin’s suburban Detroit home around the same time in 2019, the judge said.
One of her sons, Kecalf Franklin, will get that property, which was valued at $1.1 million in 2018, but is now worth more. A lawyer described it as the “crown jewel” before trial last July.
Another son, Ted White II, who had favored the 2010 will, was given a house in Detroit, though it was sold by the estate for $300,000 before the dueling wills had emerged.
“Teddy is requesting the sale proceeds,” Charles McKelvie, an attorney for Kecalf Franklin, said Tuesday.
Judge Jennifer Callaghan awarded a third son, Edward Franklin, another property under the 2014 will.
Aretha Franklin had four homes when she died of pancreatic cancer in 2018. The discovery of the two handwritten wills months after her death led to a dispute between the sons over what their mother wanted to do with her real estate and other assets.
One of the properties, worth more than $1 million, will likely be sold and the proceeds shared by four sons. The judge said the 2014 will didn’t clearly state who should get it.
“This was a significant step forward. We’ve narrowed the remaining issues,” McKelvie said of the estate saga.
There’s still a dispute over how to handle Aretha Franklin’s music assets, though the will appears to indicate that the sons would share any income. A status conference with the judge is set for January.
Franklin was a global star for decades, known especially for hits in the late 1960s like “Think,” “I Say a Little Prayer” and “Respect.”
A coalition of artist and label groups is calling on legislators to urgently address a 2020 court ruling that risks seeing European musicians lose out on millions of euros in royalties each year to U.S. acts.
For decades, American musicians have been denied royalties for the use of their music on broadcast radio or when it’s played in cafes, shops and bars in many overseas countries due to the lack of equivalent terrestrial radio performance and public performance rights in the United States. This practice is based on a principle known as material reciprocity, which means that broadcast and performance revenues are only paid out to countries that apply the same rights.
The longstanding practice of reciprocal treatment was, however, suspended in the European Union (EU) by a 2020 ruling from the European Court of Justice (ECJ). In that decision, the ECJ decreed that all recording artists are entitled to an equal share of the royalties generated when their music is played on radio or in public premises in the EU, regardless of their nationality — or the absence of radio and performance rights in an artist’s home country.
Brussels-based independent labels trade body IMPALA says the ECJ ruling will result in European artists and labels losing out on around 125 million euros ($137 million) in royalty income each year, with the equivalent sum instead going to U.S. musicians. Previously, these broadcast and performance royalties were mostly divided up between local labels according to their market share.
European countries that currently withhold public performance and broadcast royalty payments to U.S. artists and labels include the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Denmark and Ireland. (Outside of Europe, three countries —Japan, Argentina and Australia — also deny royalties to U.S. musicians because of a lack of reciprocal rights).
In 2019, prior to the court ruling, SoundExchange, which issues licenses to online and satellite radio services, estimated that recording artists and rights holders in the United States lost out on an estimated $350 million in royalty payments due to what it called the “unfair treatment of music creators.”
So far, the Netherlands is the only EU country to change its legislation in line with the ECJ ruling, which has become widely known as the “RAAP” case in reference to Irish collection society Recorded Artists Actors Performers (RAAP), which initiated the reforms by taking legal action against Phonographic Performance Ireland (PPI) in 2020. In that case, RAAP challenged PPI in the Irish High Court after it reduced royalty payments to performers from a 50-50 split with labels to around 20%. The case was then referred up to the ECJ, which made the now-controversial ruling in September of that year.
U.S. repertoire represents around 40% of all public performance and broadcast income collected annually in the Netherlands, according to Dutch collecting society SENA. Until recently, this income was neither collected nor distributed. Since the change in practice, SENA has increased its tariffs on public performance royalties from 12.5% to 26%.
Will Maas, chair of the Netherlands’ musicians’ union, said in a statement that the rise in rates is not enough to make up for the additional U.S. repertoire now being collected, resulting in a “clear and substantial drop” in revenue going to Dutch and European performers. “This is what awaits other countries if nothing is done to address this,” he added.
In response, IMPALA executive chair Helen Smith wants the European courts to reverse its 2020 ruling and restore the principle of material reciprocity.
“It is the EU’s responsibility to prevent European artists and producers losing millions every year to the USA, which has chosen not to protect these rights,” said Smith in a statement. She added that the lack of terrestrial radio performance rights and public performance rights in the United States costs the world music economy “hundreds of millions, if not billions a year.”
IMPALA also supports a flexible solution that would enable EU countries to pay U.S. artists if they already did so before the ECJ judgment.
Other music groups and CMOs backing IMPALA’s call for action include Adami in France, the Swedish Musicians’ Union, Belgium’s PlayRight and the German Federation of Musicians. They argue that reciprocal treatment forces countries to raise their own levels of protection for musicians by not allowing nations to benefit from other countries’ rules unless they follow the same standards.
Not everyone in the music business is against the ECJ ruling and the push for so-called national treatment — whereby foreign recording artists and labels receive the same types of royalties as the nationals of a given country — to be standardized across the global music business. Executives who back national treatment say that any fall in label income would likely be offset by the increased set of rights and royalty collections elsewhere in Europe resulting from the ECJ decision.
That, however, is not a view shared by IMPALA or its members.
“Hundreds of thousands of artists count on the EU to do the right thing,” said Dutch musician Matthijs van Duijvenbode in a statement, “and to do it fast.”
As Sean “Diddy” Combs continues to do damage control amid his ongoing legal troubles, 50 Cent is offering a his fellow rapper a lifeline — but not without taking a few shots at him in the process. After the Diddy-founded TV network REVOLT announced that the 54-year-old mogul would be stepping down from his role […]
Young Thug’s attorney told jurors Tuesday (Nov. 28) that his client was “born into a society filled with despair” and merely rapped about violent crime because “these are the stories he knew” — and that prosecutors had cherry-picked lyrics that matched the crimes they hoped to pin against him.
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A day after Atlanta prosecutors kicked off the artist’s racketeering trial by accusing Thug (Jeffery Williams) of running a criminal street gang that operated like a “pack” of wolves, his attorney, Brian Steel, responded by telling the jury that the rapper “doesn’t even know most of the people in this indictment” and had no reason to run a criminal organization.
“He’s not sitting there telling people to kill people,” Steel said. “He doesn’t need their money. Jeffery is worth tens of millions of dollars.”
In addition to refuting each of the alleged “overt acts” that form the basis for the RICO case against Thug, Steel defended his client’s First Amendment right to rap about the dangerous conditions he faced growing up in Atlanta’s Cleveland Avenue neighborhood.
“Yes, he speaks about ‘killing 12’ and people being shot and drugs and drive-by shootings,” Steel said, referring to a phrase that allegedly refers to murdering police. “This is the environment he grew up in. These are the people he knew, these are the stories he knew. These are the words he rhymed.”
“This is art,” Steel added. “This is freedom of speech.”
Thug (Jeffery Williams) was indicted last year on accusations that his “YSL” was not really a record label/music collective called “Young Stoner Life,” but a violent Atlanta gang called “Young Slime Life” that committed murders, carjackings, drug dealing and other crimes over the course of a decade.
Along with other charges, Thug stands accused of violating Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, a law based on the more famous federal RICO statute that’s been used to target the mafia, drug cartels and other forms of organized crime. If convicted on all eight of his counts, Thug faces decades in prison.
Go read an explainer of the YSL case here, including a full breakdown of the charges and a deep-dive into the background of the accusations.
Throughout his opening statements Tuesday, Steel told a story of a young, impoverished kid whose disdain for police and the justice system stemmed from real-life instances of neglect and mistreatment. Steel said Thug had watched presumably innocent people face serious consequences after “snitches” told lies to them, and had witnessed his mother be handcuffed after his brother had been shot. During that incident, Steel said Thug had watched police place a sheet over his brother’s face despite the fact that he was still breathing.
Describing his client as a malnourished child with rotted teeth, Steel said Thug had turned to rap as a way out of poverty. He “idolized” rappers Lil Wayne and 2Pac, the attorney told jurors, and even took his stage name from the latter’s 1995 song with Smooth titled “P.Y.T (Playa Young Thugs).” Steel said the stage name wasn’t intended to be menacing but is, instead, an acronym for ‘truly humbled under God.’
Steel spent a majority of his more than two hours of opening statements going through each of the individual charges and “overt acts” — the small actions that make up a RICO charge.
One of those alleged acts is that Young Thug rented a 2014 Silver Infiniti Q50 sedan that was allegedly used during the murder of a rival gang leader, Donovan Thomas, in 2015. But Steel denied that Thug had any involvement in the killing, saying he had regularly rented cars for friends and had been “sad” to learn of Thomas’ death.
Steel frequently criticized the use of rap lyrics as evidence — a controversial prosecutorial tactic that has drawn criticism in recent years. During Monday’s opening statements, for instance, prosecutors told jurors that a particular Thug lyric — “hundred rounds in a Tahoe” from the song “Slime Shit” — referred to Donovan’s killing in a Chevy Tahoe. But Steel disputed that argument, saying Thug rapped about various cars often and there was “no evidence of when that lyric was even created.”
At other points Tuesday, Steel repeatedly questioned the trustworthiness of Kenneth Copeland, a former YSL member who made headlines earlier this year when a video leaked showing him talking with police investigators. The attorney described Copeland as a “leech” and “snitch” who had lied to investigators to avoid facing his own criminal charges.
Copeland is listed as a prosecution witness in the case, and Steel’s statements — which suggested that Copeland could have actually committed some of the crimes in the indictment — indicate he believes Copeland could be a key witness for the other side.
Several of the alleged acts refuted by Steel involved riffs or interactions with other rappers, including the allegation that YSL affiliates had once fired gunshots at rapper Lil Wayne’s tour bus in service of Young Thug.
During his statements, Steel acknowledged that Thug had recorded a video about Wayne’s Atlanta appearance that showed him surrounded by people with guns. But he said Thug had been told to create the video by his management for entertainment reasons because such a beef “creates interest in fans.”
Steel also noted Thug’s publicized disputes with YFN Lucci. The attorney described Lucci as a less successful rapper who used Thug’s name for clout, including claiming to have sex with Thug’s fiancé. Steel asked the jury if the leader of a criminal street gang would’ve let that go unscathed for so long.
Thug’s attorney also alluded to Lil Uzi Vert, accusing prosecutors of misrepresenting text messages to make it appear that Thug was threatening the fellow rapper’s life when he wrote “YSL Rule the world kid. 24m on a nigga head…” Steel said the text was not a bounty but rather an innocuous reference to Vert’s highly-publicized decision to have a $24 million diamond implanted in his forehead.
The YSL trial will continue Wednesday with more opening statements from attorneys for the other five defendants (Marquavius Huey, Deamonte “Yak Gotti” Kendrick, Quamarvious Nichols, Rodalius Ryan and Shannon Stillwell). Once openers conclude, the district attorney’s office will begin presenting its case and calling witnesses – a process that could last months.
Day After Day Productions founder & CEO Seth Shomes has announced a number of new hires and promotions at his rapidly growing agency, including the appointment of Christianne Weiss, former APA agent and vp and head of its adult contemporary music division, to serve as svp and head of touring at DADP. She brings to DADP artists including the Pointer Sisters, El Debarge and Starship, among others expected to make the move in the future. Weiss is a graduate of Columbia College.
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Weiss will serve as the company’s “boots on the ground,” running the LA office and overseeing its staff, she explained.
“Seth has just done an amazing job with training the young agents that he recruits. It’s a well-oiled machine and I’m here to help expand upon that and help to hire some support staff that I think is some of the best talent that I’ve seen in a long time,” she tells Billboard.
Based in the company’s Los Angeles office, Weiss will be instrumental in servicing DADP’s diverse artist roster including 2023 Rock Hall of Fame Inductees Missy Elliott and The Spinners; as well as Ludacris, Flo Rida, Brian Wilson and many more.
Shomes also announced the promotion of Alan Rogozin as DADP general manager; promoted Aidan Flynn, Jordan Dempsey, and Marcus Greenstein to agents; and upped Erin Patterson to director of marketing.
“We’re continuing to have an upward trajectory where we’re servicing the clients in the best way possible,” says Shomes, who founded DADP in 1996, worked the Agency Group and later UTA from 2014 until 2021, leaving UTA to relaunch DADP. Shome’s equity partner in DADP is Ron Burkle’s Yucaipa Companies.
“Our clients are excited what we’re doing for them. We’re honored to be representing them and I love that we’re starting our new people at a assistant level and getting them quickly up to an agent level when they show the aptitude. So it shows a real opportunity for growth within Day after Day.”
Rogozin joined DADP at the start of 2023 and previously served as the company’s head of contracts and data and has worked at The Agency Group (TAG) and at United Talent Agency (UTA) after TAG’s acquisition. Rogozin holds an MBA in Music Management from William Paterson University and will continue to be based in New Jersey.
Flynn, Dempsey and Greenstein will be based in Los Angeles. Patterson will be based in Nashville and was most recently a marketing coordinator at the company. Finally, the company continues to expand with the hiring of five new coordinators, including Olivia Bentley, Marisa Flores, Jordan Golenberg, Andrea Parrish and Justin Scott-Young.
Prior to the most recent promotions and new hires, Michelle Scarbrough joined DADP as a Senior Agent after working at ICM for more than two decades.
Seth Shomes
Tim Norris
Full-service music company ONErpm is filling out further with the launch of two divisions, one being a new administration system meant to simplify managing an artist’s day-to-day needs — and the other an updated distribution platform geared for budget-crunched DIYers. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The […]
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has stepped down from his role as chairman for REVOLT. TMZ first broke the story, and Billboard confirms through Diddy’s reps. The news arrives in the wake of Combs’ three sexual assault lawsuits, including one made by his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura earlier this month.
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According to a statement made by REVOLT on Instagram Tuesday morning (Nov. 28), the Black music television company aims to continue its mission of creating “meaningful content for the culture.”
“While Mr. Combs has previously no operational or day-to-day role in the business, this decision helps ensure that REVOLT remains steadfastly focused on our mission to create meaningful content for the culture and amplify the voices of all Black people throughout this country and the African diaspora,” the statement begins. “Our focus has always been one that reflects our commitment to the collective journey of REVOLT — one that is not driven by the individual, but by the shared efforts and values of our entire team on behalf of advancing, elevating, and championing our culture and that continues.”
Co-founded in 2013, REVOVT currently houses several popular music podcasts including Drink Champs and Yung Miami’s Caresha Please. In a recent digital cover story with Billboard, Diddy spoke on the success of REVOLT.
“[My goal is to] make it not just the biggest Black-owned network but the biggest media company that I can,” he said. I’m not pigeonholing myself. Again, nobody’s going to give us power, and they’re not going to share it with us. That’s why 10 years ago, I named my network REVOLT, because we have to take our quality of life back. There’s so much value and information.”
Earlier this month, Cassie alleged that Combs abused her during their on-and-off 11-year relationship. One day after filing the lawsuit against Combs, which alleged “episodes of horrific abuse” including rape, she settled with the mercurial music star. “I have decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control,” Ventura said in a statement by her attorney, Douglas Wigdor. “I want to thank my family, fans and lawyers for their unwavering support.”
Combs responded, adding, “We have decided to resolve this matter amicably. I wish Cassie and her family all the best. Love.” No terms were disclosed and the release states that “the parties will have no further statements.”
Last week, Combs was accused of sexual abuse by two more women from alleged incidents stemming from the ’90s. Both suits were filed on Thanksgiving Day, the eve of the expiration of the Adult Survivors Act, which permitted victims of sexual abuse a one-year window to file a civil action suit regardless of the statute of limitations.
CTM Outlander, a partnership between Texas-based Outlander Capital and Dutch-based music entertainment company CTM, has signed singer-songwriter Sam Hunt in a go-forward publishing deal for his future works, in addition to acquiring Hunt’s publishing catalog.
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Georgia native Hunt has earned nine No. 1 Country Airplay hits, including “Breaking Up Was Easy in the ’90s” and “Take Your Time.” Hunt’s single “Body Like A Back Road” recently obtained RIAA Diamond-certification (10x platinum), and currently sits at 11x Platinum-certification.
As a songwriter, he’s also contributed to hit songs recorded by Kenny Chesney (“Come Over”), Keith Urban (“Cop Car”), Billy Currington (“We Are Tonight”) and William Michael Morgan (“I Met a Girl”). Derek Crownover, Willie Jones, Megan Pekar and John Rolfe of Loeb and Loeb handled the transaction on behalf of Sam Hunt.
“Discussing the sale of some of my catalog took a while and I am glad that it did, as I got to know André and his CTM Outlander team better and better. They continued to meet with me and my team over the last several months to discuss what working together might look like. I appreciate their diligence and belief in what I am doing as an artist, and more importantly, as a songwriter. I believe we will have a productive partnership both internationally and here at home,” Hunt said in a statement.
André de Raaff, CEO of CTM Outlander, said in a statement: “Sam has been on our radar for a long time, and we were very eager to work with him. Since we landed in Nashville, we signed some of the most prolific songwriters like Shane McAnally, Natalie Hemby, Ross Copperman and Michael Tyler. By adding Sam to our roster, who is not only one of the most respected songwriters in town but also a global superstar and touring artist, we feel we can service the community even better. We are truly honored that Sam, after being in talks with us for a long time, decided to sign with our company. Sam is an example of an artist and songwriter that we can help move forward in the international market; his body of work doesn’t only dominate the U.S. radio waves and streaming world but also travels throughout the world.”
Mike McKool, director at CTM Outlander, added, “We’re thrilled to add a singer-songwriter with the stature of Sam Hunt to the CTM Outlander family. Not only is he the type of artist that we want to be in business with, but more importantly he’s the type of person that we want to invest in. Sam has clearly experienced an immense amount of success, and our goal at CTM Outlander is to provide Sam with the resources he needs to achieve all his future endeavors.”
Earlier this year, CTM Outlander acquired songwriter Shane McAnally‘s catalog (the deal included a global admin agreement for SMACKSongs and SMACKBlue). The company also acquired Dutch music label and publisher Strengholt Muisc Group, with a catalog containing more than 100 Dutch No. 1 hits including works composed by Boudewijn de Groot, Lennaert Nijgh, Ramses Shaffy, Pierre Kartner, and more.
Live Nation will pay its 5,000 employees and service crew working at its club venues a minimum of $20 per hour, company officials announced earlier today.
“Shows wouldn’t happen without the unsung heroes who work in the background to help support artists and fans,” Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino explained, announcing that the wage hike was an extension of Live Nation’s On the Road Again program, first rolled out in September with the endorsement of touring legend Willie Nelson.
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“In addition to developing artists, clubs also help industry professionals learn the ropes, and many of our promoters and venue managers worked their way up from smaller venues,” Rapino continued. “The live music industry is on track for years of growth and offers a great career path, and by increasing minimum wages we’re helping staff get an even stronger start as they begin their journey in live.”
The $20 per hour base pay is significantly higher than federal minimum wage, which currently sits at $7.50 an hour and serves as the defacto minimum wage in 30 states. Washington has the highest minimum wage in the U.S., starting at $15.74 per hour, followed by California at $15.50, Connecticut and Massachusetts at $15 and New York at $14.20.
“Moving forward, base pay for hourly club staff will start at $20/hour, while supervisor roles will start at $25/hour with opportunity for advancement in the company,” a press release announcing the wage rate explains. The increases will impact more than 5,000 crew members who serve as box office attendants, production crew, artist hospitality, guest services, ushers, parking attendants, cleaning crews, sustainability coordinators, and more.”
“Live Nation prides itself on providing advancement opportunities and developing leaders from within,” according to a release announcing the new minimum wage. “And at venues participating in the On The Road Again, nearly half of all crew members were elevated from part-time into full-time roles over the past two years.”
Company officials added that two other initiatives announced by Live Nation — a commitment that all headline and support acts playing Live Nation clubs would receive $1,500 in travel bonuses on top of nightly compensation and zero fees on band merch sold at participating LN venues, would be extended through 2024.
The September announcement did draw criticism from the National Independent Venue Association, which criticized the program saying “Temporary measures may appear to help artists in the short run but actually can squeeze out independent venues which provide the lifeblood of many artists on thin margins.”
One NIVA member however, Thomas Cussins with Ineffable Music Group, which oversees 10 venues across California, said he welcomed the change, noting his company eliminated merch fees at the beginning of the year, noting it is an overall healthier ecosystem and you will actually do better in business because you are doing something that makes the process easier.”
Nikki Semin Han is back in business, leading TITAN CONTENT, a new U.S.-based K-pop specialist which has ambitions to disrupt the game.
Headquartered in Los Angeles, with studios there and in Seoul, TITAN is led by a leadership team that’s launched the likes of BoA, Girls’ Generation, SUPER JUNIOR, EXO, The Boyz, TWICE, ITZY and others.
Announced today (Nov. 28), TITAN’s founders and executive team includes K-pop luminaries Semin Han as chairman of the board; CEO Katie Kang; chief performance officer Lia Kim; chief visual officer Guiom Lee; and chief business officer Dom Rodriguez.
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The soon-to-be-launched venture plans to manage artists, develop new K-pop groups, and, in time, produce a raft of music festivals. TITAN will also combine “traditional K-pop training and artist development with Web3 and metaverse innovation,” reads a statement, “ushering in a new era in music and entertainment.” First signings have not yet been revealed.
“Think of TITAN like the Avengers of the K-pop community joining forces to redefine the industry,” comments Semin Han. “With a proven record of elevating global superstars, TITAN’s founders and executives have played key roles in helping shape K-pop and making it a global lifestyle with passionate fans across the world.” Together, “we’re creating a company where artists thrive, fans come first, music takes center stage, and industry disruption reigns supreme.”
K-pop is, of course, riding a global wave. Taking into consideration ticket sales, streams and online chatter, few genres have blown-up quite like it. “It’s undeniable that the genre is having a big year in music,” declares Luminate in its Mapping Out K-Pop’s Global Dominance report. Global on-demand streams (audio and video) of K-pop music topped 90.4 billion in the year to date, up 42.2% from 2022. Japan leads the way with 9.7 billion, according to the report, followed by the U.S. at 9.2 billion.
“By connecting the East and the West, TITAN plans to lead the K-pop revolution on a global scale,” adds Kang. “Not only will we utilize our vast experience and expertise to develop and create beloved K-pop artists and brands, we will also push the industry forward through savvy Web3 disruption.”
TITAN’s initial seed round was led and closed by RW3 Ventures and Raptor Group with Dreamus Company serving as a co-lead investor. Co-investors include Animoca Ventures, Sfermion, Bell Partners AB, Heros Entertainment, Infinity Ventures Crypto, Scrum Ventures, Planetarium, and Avalanche.