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Nora Fatehi, a Canadian-born Bollywood star with Moroccan roots, has signed a recording contract with Warner Music as the actress, dancer and singer looks to add “global music star” to her professional accomplishments. Based in India, Fatehi will work closely with WMG teams in the U.S. and globally on music-related releases and projects, but remain signed with Indian label T-Series for her Bollywood work.
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Fatehi made her name across India performing what are known as item songs — special musical numbers inserted into a movie — in numerous Hindi, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam films. Her appearance in the 2018 film Satyameva Jayate, in which she performed the Bollywood classic “Dilbar,” led to her recording and sining an Arabic version of the song in collaboration with Moroccan group Fnaire that has racked up hundreds of millions of views on YouTube.
Her other musical endeavors have included collaborations with Tanzanian artist Rayvanny for the Afropop track “Pepeta,” as well as British singer Zack Knight for the pop song “Dirty Little Secret.” She has also released several solo tracks, including “I’m Bossy” earlier this year. According to WMG, Fatehi’s Bollywood songs have garnered over five billion views on YouTube, such as “Saki Saki,” Kusu Kusu” and “Garmi.”
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In late 2022, Fatehi shared the stage with global stars Davido, Ozuna, Manal, Balqees, Rahma and GIMS at the closing ceremony of the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, where she grabbed the spotlight for the English version of Cup anthem “Light the Sky.”
Indian music fans spend over 24 hours each week listening to music, with top genres including Bollywood and Indian Pop, among others, according to IFPI’s latest Engaging With Music report. Fatehi’s background and versatility, along with being fluent in multiple languages, means she won’t be limited to the vast market of her home base. The Middle East and North Africa, for example, was the fastest growing region for music in 2022, jumping 24%, reported IFPI, while Asia grew by 15.4%.
“Nora is an extraordinary talent, electric performer, and cross-cultural superstar whose music reflects the rich diversity of her background,” said WMG CEO Robert Kyncl. “Her passion and ambition are infectious and we’re excited to help her reach new audiences, places, and heights across the globe.”
Alfonso Perez-Soto, president of emerging markets for WMG, added: “I’ve been blown away by Nora’s star power. She has the creative ability and sheer stamina you need to become one of the world’s biggest artists. We can’t wait to put the global resources of Warner Music at her disposal as she starts the next chapter of her music career.”
In the meantime, Fatehi’s film career continues in its upward trajectory with the release on Friday (Feb. 23) of Crakk – Jeethegaa Toh Jiyegaa, a Hindi-language film billed as the “first-ever extreme sports action film in India.”
“I’ve enjoyed great success in my career so far, but this deal is a significant step forward in my musical journey, a new chapter in my international career,” she said. “My ambition is to be a global music star and performer, connecting with fans all over the world. I want to use my diverse cultural background to create music and dance that brings everyone together! I’m excited to work with Warner Music to leverage their experience and expertise to help me fulfill this goal.”
Songwriters and publishers are due nearly $400 million in additional payouts following the Copyright Royalty Board‘s Phonorecord III final determination in August, according to information the Mechanical Licensing Collective (the MLC) released on Friday (Feb. 23). During the Phono III blanket license period (2021-2022), the MLC reports that digital service providers like Spotify, Amazon Music, […]
The American Federation of Musicians has reached a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers as of Friday.
The agreement, which concerns basic theatrical motion picture and basic television motion picture contracts, comes with “historic breakthroughs” on streaming residuals and protections against AI, according to AFM. The agreement is unanimously recommended by the bargaining committee.
While AFM leadership said they could not comment on the exact details in the contract, they confirmed that the tentative deal language includes streaming residuals for musicians for the first time.
“This agreement represents a major win for musicians who have long been under-compensated for their work in the digital age,” said AFM International President and Chief Negotiator Tino Gagliardi. “We have secured historic breakthroughs in streaming residuals, established critical guardrails against the misuse of AI, gained meaningful wage increases and other important gains. This agreement represents a watershed moment for the artists who create the soundtracks for countless film and TV productions.”
The tentative agreement must be approved by AFM International Executive Board and then will next be submitted for ratification by roughly 2,000 members working under the contracts.
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The deal came after a first round of negotiations from Jan. 22 through Jan. 31 and then a second round that began Feb. 21 and lasted until the early hours of Feb. 23. The negotiations took place at the Sherman Oaks offices of the AMPTP.
AFM held a rally outside the offices on the first day of negotiations, with members from several other entertainment unions attending to show their support. The tentative agreement comes just ahead of the March 4 start date for negotiations between the AMPTP and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and the Hollywood Teamsters.
“I want to congratulate our AFM Fair Share for Musicians bargaining unit members for their unwavering commitment to fighting for a contract that fairly compensates them for their invaluable contributions to film and TV and protects them in the ever-changing film and television industry,” Gagliardi concluded. “We were not alone in this negotiation, and we were proud to have the full backing of fellow unions: SAG-AFTRA, Writers Guild of America, IATSE, and the Teamsters. It was yet another powerful reminder that when we have solidarity in the labor movement, we can achieve great things. We also would like to thank Carol Lombardini, president of the AMPTP, as well as the AMPTP and its member companies, for helping bring these negotiations to a successful conclusion.”
This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.
Cumulus Media led all music stocks this week by gaining 20.2% to $4.70 after the radio broadcaster announced it had employed a “poison pill” to ward off a Singapore-based investor.
In January, Renew Group Private Ltd increased its stake in Cumulus Media from 5.2% to 10.01%. To protect the best interests of all Cumulus shareholders, the board of directors explained, the company chose to enact a “limited-duration shareholder rights plan” that would dilute Renew Group’s equity if it exceeds a 15% stake. In justifying the move, Cumulus said Renew Group has investments in other media companies, including a direct competitor to Cumulus.
Music stocks were broadly up this week as the Billboard Global Music Index improved 1.5% to a new high of 1,684.49. The index is up 9.8% in the young year and has gained 38.4% over the past 52 weeks. Of the index’s 20 stocks, 13 finished the week in positive territory, six lost value and one was unchanged.
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Stock markets around the world reached new highs this week, too. In the United States, the Dow reached a new closing high of 5,088.80 on Friday (Feb. 23) after surpassing 5,100 for the first time earlier in the day. The Nasdaq composite also reached a new high on Friday and finished the week up 1.4% to 15,996.82. The S&P 500 improved 1.7% to a new closing high of 5,088.80. Japan’s Nikkei 225 index reached an all-time high on Thursday (Feb. 22), finally surpassing the previous record reached in 1989 when the Japanese economy was the world’s envy.
Music streamer LiveOne was the second-best performing music stock of the week after its shares jumped 17.9% to $1.71, bringing its year-to-date improvement to 22.1%. With no other music stocks posting double-digit gains, the next best performance came from Chinese music streamer Cloud Music. Its shares rose 4.1% to 90.95 HKD ($11.63) as Chinese stocks finished the week strong after hitting a five-year low in February. In an attempt to bolster the market, Chinese regulators this week established trading restrictions such as limits on short-selling and institutional investors.
Spotify shares gained another 4.0% this week to close at $256.10, bringing its year-to-date gain to an impressive 36.3% (which has added approximately $13.4 billion to its market capitalization). On Wednesday (Feb. 21), the company announced the creation of a new music advisory agency, AUX, that will connect brands with artists. The inaugural campaign matches Coca-Cola with DJ-producer Peggy Gou in what the company called “a long-term partnership that will span live concerts and events, social media content, a branded playlist, and on-platform promotional support.”
Live Nation shares finished the week up 2.2% to $95.32 and rose 2% on Friday following the company’s encouraging fourth-quarter earnings release. Morgan Stanley raised its price target from $110 to $120 in part because Live Nation said it expects double-digit growth in adjusted operating income in 2024 thanks to a busy touring schedule in its high-margin amphitheaters. “This is going to be a great year,” president/CEO Michael Rapino said during Thursday’s earnings call.
Radio broadcaster iHeartMedia was the index’s biggest loser of the week after dropping 12.5% to $2.32. The company will announce its results for the fourth quarter of 2023 on Feb. 29.
Booking agent Cara Lewis is once again representing Kanye West, working to revive his prosperous touring career that she architected in the 2000s and 2010s before he meticulously destroyed it after firing her in 2016.
Lewis has already had some early success, landing West and Ty Dolla $ign a headlining slot at Rolling Loud in Los Angeles March 14 to promote their new chart-topping album, Vultures 1. But in the long term, Lewis faces much more difficult odds undoing the damage West wrought on his own career, burning bridges with promoters, racking up multi-million-dollar lawsuits with vendors and production companies and making vitriolic and antisemitic statements that have gotten him banned by all the major talent agencies.
That leaves very little runaway for Lewis — “a self-described Jewish girl from the Bronx,” according to a 2023 profile in Pollstar — to relaunch West’s career. The saga is the talk of the town in both Los Angeles and New York, with more than six high-level booking agents telling Billboard that Lewis’ ability to produce business opportunities for West will be determined by West himself.
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“He’s still on his bulls—, which means he is still in self-destruct mode and can’t work,” said one prominent booking agent who spoke on the condition of anonymity but said their agency was approached about representing West and passed. “I don’t take anything he says at face value. He needs to go away for at least a year and get sober.”
Lewis did not respond to a request for comment.
“There’s not really any upside for Cara,” says another booking agent who was also pitched on representing West. “She’s going to spend most of her time being told ‘no’ by promoters who have been burned by Kanye in the past. And any gigs she does land for him are going to be nightmares to get through.”
West has recently posted on social media about his booking challenges. On Feb 6, he took to Instagram to complain about the lack of interest from major arenas in hosting a listening party for his new album.
“We just sold out the United Center in seven minutes,” he shared in a video. “It’s the only arena that I had access to in the past year. And when I call, people say there’s no [availabilities] for me, and you know why that is.”
West made the video shortly after the O2 Arena in London rejected a similar request. He followed up that video by asking followers to contact Lewis for booking opportunities, showing a text message Lewis had sent to West expressing confidence about his future prospects. The post showing the text message was later deleted by West.
Kanye first began working with Lewis in 2006 when she was at the William Morris Agency, which became William Morris Endeavor (WME) in 2009. In 2012, Lewis quit WME to join CAA, bringing with her high-profile clients like Eminem, Ne-Yo, T.I. and West. Together, West and Lewis developed a touring strategy that generated $160 million in ticket sales, including his Watch the Throne Tour with Jay-Z, which generated $75 million in sales and was the highest-grossing tour ever when it wrapped, according to Billboard Boxscore.
Had West not stopped touring in 2016, he could have easily generated hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue from concerts and festivals in the years since. Even without any regular income from touring for the last seven years, West still ranks as the fifth highest-grossing hip-hop act in Billboard Boxscore history.
But instead of building upon their success, West fired Lewis and CAA and signed with UTA in March 2016. The Wrap reported at the time that West left CAA to expand his acting portfolio following the success of his cameo in Zoolander 2.
West returned to CAA a year later, but by then Lewis was already gone, working to launch her own boutique agency after she and CAA parted ways in November 2016.
While Lewis was setting up her new business, things really started going downhill for West. In October 2016, moments before taking the stage at the Meadows Music & Arts Festival in New York, West learned that his wife, Kim Kardashian, had been robbed at gunpoint in her Paris hotel room. He ended up canceling the set so that he could fly to France to be with her.
The Paris incident also led him to cancel two dates on his Saint Pablo Tour, ultimately returning to the road five days later on Oct. 7 to perform a show at the United Center. Fans noticed that West had seemed withdrawn and erratic on the tour, which eventually ended 20 dates early in Sacramento on Nov. 19, 2016, when West performed three songs before launching into a tirade about Facebook, Jay-Z, Hillary Clinton and Beyoncé before walking offstage. West was hospitalized two days later following a welfare check conducted by the LAPD.
An investigation by insurance company Lloyds of London, which West had hired to insure the tour, alleged that he was abusing alcohol and marijuana on the tour. The two parties eventually settled the dispute, court documents show.
In 2022, West was sued by Phantom Labs, a company he hired to help produce the Free Larry Hoover benefit concert with rapper Drake in December 2021. Six months after the concert, Phantom Labs sued West, saying it was owed “$7 million by Kanye in outstanding fees for work on various projects over the past year,” including the Free Larry Hoover concert and his 2022 appearance at Coachella, which Kanye canceled days before he was to take the stage.
“While West’s history is well known, I wouldn’t say the curtain has closed on his career quite yet,” said one promoter who has followed West’s career and didn’t want to be named in this article. “I’m going to reserve judgment until after his Rolling Loud appearance. If he pulls off a big show and people view it as successful, that will buy him a lot of goodwill and time. Perhaps some of [his] former partners can be persuaded to work out an agreement with him. Or maybe he will blow the whole thing up again. Either way it will be entertaining to watch, and we can all say we were there to see it happen.”
If 2023 was the year of Taylor Swift, 2024 could be the year of the superfan.
While Swift’s The Eras Tour proved that music fans are willing to spend large sums and travel far to see their favorite artist, for years promoters have improved their revenues by selling premium experiences to concerts and festivals. Whether it’s dynamically priced seats close to the stage, VIP access or a revamped cocktail offering, there are more options for fans willing to pay more to enjoy the sights, sounds and hospitality of live music. Expect an even greater emphasis on this in the new year.
The focus on superfans isn’t confined to live music. The CEOs of Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group both started the year by highlighting a desire to better serve superfans. In the recent past, that may have meant NFTs and newfangled web3 offerings. Today, superfans buy multiple copies of albums (both LP and CD) and merchandise, often directly from the artist’s web store. Streaming services could soon be getting into the game, too, by offering “superfan clubs,” Spotify CEO Daniel Ek suggested in a Jan. 24 open letter.
But live music has a unique ability to upcharge for premium experiences — and add to companies’ bottom lines in the process. Tickets for superstar acts have proven to have remarkably resistant to price increases. In 2023, the average price of a Taylor Swift concert ticket on Stubhub was nearly $1,100. Drake, Morgan Wallen and Beyonce prices averaged about $450, $390 and $324, respectively.
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Emphasis on superfans makes sense in an era of higher priced primary tickets that capture value that would otherwise go the secondary market. Artists are increasingly willing to charge more up front rather than lose money to re-sellers. Still, the typical secondary ticket is still almost twice the price of a primary ticket, Live Nation president and COO Joe Berchtold said during the company’s earnings call on Thursday. Currently, about 9% of Live Nation’s amphitheater business comes from premium offerings such as VIP boxes, added president and CEO Michael Rapino. He thinks that should be 30% to 35% instead. To get those numbers, Live Nation is upgrading the concert experience.
This year, Live Nation plans to spend $300 million of its $540 million of capital expenditures on revenue-generating projects. The top four projects — including Foro Sol in Mexico City and Northwell Health at Jones Beach on Long Island — will account for $150 million of the $300 million. The other half includes several projects in the tens of millions of dollars such as VIP clubs, viewing decks, rock boxes and new bar designs, said Berchtold. Those “tactical improvements,” as he called them, can produce a return on investment in the 40–50% range.
Putting more emphasis on revenue-generating enhancements will boost the bottom line in 2024. Following a stadium-heavy touring slate in 2023, Live Nation will put more tours in owned and operated amphitheaters and arenas that allow the company to capture fan spending on parking and hospitality. Stadium shows have higher average ticket prices, Rapino explained, but amphitheater and arena shows produce higher per-person spending. In other words, the venues are smaller but have better margins for the promoter. As a result, Live Nation expects higher adjusted operating income in the second and third quarters. “We’re going to have a fabulous year,” said Rapino.
Dynamic pricing — seats closer to the stage are priced far above seats further away — is just getting started outside of the United States and presents “a great growth opportunity” as it expands from Europe to South America and Australia, said Rapino. There’s room for growth in the United States, too, as dynamic pricing extends beyond the top artists and into amphitheaters and other concerts. “We still think that’s a multi-year opportunity to continue to grow our top line plus [our] bottom line,” he said.
The price-conscious fan isn’t forgotten as concerts increasingly cater to big spenders. Live Nation offers a lawn pass for amphitheaters called Lawnie Pass — the 2024 edition costs $239 each and offers lawn admission to multiple shows at select amphitheaters — and sold an unlimited pass for select clubs called Club Pass in 2022. And company executives have repeatedly stated that a benefit of dynamic pricing is that higher prices for in-demand seats allow for lower prices for seats further from the stage.
But from live music to music streaming, companies are searching for ways to beef up their margins. As such, expect the market to continue segmenting into higher-value and lower-value fans.
Paul Hourican announced on Thursday (Feb. 22) that he was leaving TikTok, where he served as global head of music operations. “After four and a half amazing years and with a lifetime’s worth of memories and achievements in the bag, I have made the decision to move on from TikTok,” Hourican wrote on LinkedIn. He […]
Beyoncé’s Chart Hit Is Also a Win for Canadian Songwriters
This week, Beyoncé became the first Black woman to top Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart with “Texas Hold ‘Em.”
There are some surprising Canadian connections. The song is co-written and co-produced by Ontario-born writer/producer Nathan Ferraro, who co-produced the track with Killah B and Beyoncé. Two other Canadian songwriters also participated in the runaway hit: Megan Bülow (who records and performs as bülow) and Elizabeth “Lowell” Boland (a.k.a. Lowell).
Ferraro was in an alt-rock band called The Midway State that had some success in Canada in the late 2000s. A signing to Interscope as a teenager brought him to Los Angeles, where he splits time with Toronto (his signing with the label also led to a collaboration with a then up-and-coming Lady Gaga).
After writing for mostly Canadian artists, including Carly Rae Jepsen and Jessie Reyez, Ferraro had a modest hit with bülow in “Not A Love Song,” which started their collaboration as songwriters. He also wrote with Lowell (signed to Canadian label Arts & Crafts), with the two forming a songwriting team that picked up steam in 2022 when they collaborated on the Charli XCX song “Yuck.”
“[The collaboration] works well for us,” Ferraro tells Billboard Canada. “We’re such good friends and we know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. I think we all have a lot of mutual respect, so we have a lot of confidence together and that allows us to take risks. We’ve written probably 100 songs together.”
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But none of their credits have been as big as “Texas Hold ‘Em,” which could become a breakthrough for Ferraro and his collaborators.
“Honestly, since I was 14, I had the vision that I would write songs that could have a major impact,” he says. “And it’s pretty delusional because it’s just so, so far away. I grew up in Collingwood, Ontario. But you put one foot in front of the other and write lots and lots of songs and don’t give up.” – Richard Trapunski
Neil Young’s New Album FU##IN’ UP Includes Live Recordings from Intimate Toronto Venue The Rivoli
Canadian icon Neil Young is adding to his immense discography with a new release this spring: a live album titled FU##IN UP. The album, featuring Young’s longtime band Crazy Horse, consists of nine live recordings from 2023 and is set for a limited edition two-LP release this April in partnership with Record Store Day.
According to the album’s credits, it was recorded at Toronto’s Rivoli club, meaning it likely captures Neil Young & Crazy Horse‘s secret show at the venue last November.
At that show — supposedly a private birthday party for Canada Goose CEO Dani Reiss — the band performed most of its 1990 album Ragged Glory, according to reports that generated a lot of buzz when they appeared online days later. FU##IN’ UP features primarily songs from Ragged Glory, with new titles taken from lyric fragments. (“Over and Over,” shared as a single, is now “Broken Circle.”)
The album features performances from Crazy Horse members Billy Talbot on bass, Ralph Molina on drums, and Nils Lofgren and Micah Nelson on guitar and piano, while Reiss is credited as a presenter.
To tease the album announcement, Young previously shared a version of “Cinnamon Girl” recorded at the Rivoli on his site, Neil Young Archives. “This version of Cinnamon Girl is an example of the energy captured as the horse road through the RIVOLI club in Toronto Nov 4, 2023,” the post reads.
Neil Young and Crazy Horse will be returning to Toronto to tour the new album, though this time at a venue with a higher capacity: They’ll play Budweiser Stage on May 20, as part of their 2024 Love Earth Tour — their first major tour in a decade. – Rosie Long Decter
Tanya Tagaq Plays a Pivotal Role in True Detective Season Finale
The new season of True Detective wrapped up this past weekend, and timed with the tense final episode, HBO also released the show’s gripping soundtrack. Inuk artist Tanya Tagaq, one of the most celebrated contemporary musicians in Canada, contributed to seven songs on the soundtrack and made appearances in the show itself.
Subtitled Night Country, the fourth season of the HBO detective show takes place in the fictional town of Ennis, Alaska. It stars Jodie Foster and Kali Reis as Liz Danvers and Evangeline Navarro, two police officers trying to figure out how the recent bizarre deaths of six scientists are linked to the murder of Iñupiaq activist Annie Kowtok. Through its mystery framing, the show explores themes like colonial violence, environmental destruction, and missing and murdered Indigenous women.
While the score was primarily composed by British composer Vince Pope, Tagaq’s vocal work and throat singing add power to his compositions. Tagaq is listed as a featured artist on six tracks on the soundtrack and is the sole artist credited on “Tanya’s Lullaby,” a beautiful composition where Tagaq’s voice is layered to ghostly effect.
Tagaq had an impact on the series in more ways than one. She appears as an actress in the show, playing a doula, and her family’s names also provided inspiration for two of the series’ characters: Danvers and Navarro visit a fisherman named Oliver Tagaq in one episode, while Navarro also periodically spends the night with a sweet bartender named Qavvik, a version of Tagaq’s daughter’s name. Tagaq thanked season four showrunner Issa López for including the names in the show.
“Oliver Tagaq and Kavvik. Kavvik is my youngest daughter’s name. Thank you @IssitaLopez for including our names in #TrueDetective” she tweeted. – Rosie Long Decter
It’s time for another quick spindle around the Executive Turntable, Billboard’s comprehensive(ish) compendium of promotions, hirings, exits and firings — and all things in between — across music. Ever ponder, “who is music’s most influential lawyer?” Here’s your chance to vote for Billboard‘s Top Music Lawyers Power Players’ Choice Award, honoring the attorney whose industry peers believe had the most impact in the past year.
Erica Bellarosa is Atlantic Records‘ new head of business affairs and general counsel, effective Feb. 26. Based in New York City and reporting to Atlantic Music Group chairman & CEO Julie Greenwald and Atlantic Records chairman & CEO Craig Kallman, Bellarosa is a 19-year veteran of the storied label and most recently occupied the post of evp of business & legal affairs. In her elevated role, the Yeshiva University alum will head up the label’s business/legal affairs and contract administration departments. The promotion is right on the heels of former general counsel Michael Kushner moving up to parent Warner Music Group as its senior vp, deputy general counsel of business and legal affairs after 25 years with Atlantic. Greenwald and Kallman said: “At Atlantic, we nurture executive development as much as artist development, so it’s been great to watch Erica develop into a powerhouse leader over the past two decades. An invaluable asset to our team and a passionate advocate for our artists, she has a deep understanding of the music and legal landscape, along with second-to-none negotiating skills.
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Global talent agency Wasserman Music welcomed four new executives to its ranks. They are: Josh Dick, an NYC-based vice president who brings more than 20 years of experience and several clients, including Flatbush Zombies. In Nashville, Jonathan Insogna also joins as a vice president. The 17-year WME veteran has a client list that includes Morgan Wade, Yola, Cam Whitcomb and Drew Erwin. Londoner Rebecca Prochnik joins as a director and will represent artists including AJ Tracey, Black Lips, Calibre, Ghetts, Paranoid London and others. Finally, Gideon “Shay” Royale joins as a director based in New York. A former financial advisor, he’ll lead the agency’s growth in the Afro-music space, and mind a roster that includes Victony, Black Sherif, Gabzy, Blxckie, melvitto and WurlD. “Their unique backgrounds and experience will help to drive Wasserman Music’s accelerating growth across global territories, emerging genres, and innovative new ways to serve our valued clients around the world,” commented Lee Anderson, evp and managing executive.
A2IM president and CEO Dr. Richard James Burgess announced that the indie trade body’s longest-serving staff member, Sheryl Cohen, will be stepping down later this year. Cohen joined A2IM in 2010 as operations manager and worked her way up to head of strategic planning, her current role. Her boatload of responsibilities includes program curator of Indie Week, which has doubled its programming under her watch, plus she handles the organization’s mentorship program, co-writes grants and did we mention she’s the current acting CFO? In candid fashion, Cohen explained her reasoning behind taking her professional life into a different direction. “As I turn 55, I am looking at the next chapter of life with profound gratitude and excitement for what’s to come,” she said. “It’s not a mid-life crisis, but rather, in the words of Chip Conley, a mid-life chrysalis. I am creating an opportunity to transition to a new career where I can serve the other communities and passions in my life, and hopefully continue to make a positive impact.” Cohen’s last day will be Friday, Aug. 2.
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum promoted five staff members. Grace Cavanaugh has been upped to director of event services and catering. Cavanaugh has more than 15 years of experience in the event industry and joined the museum in 2015. Kelsey Reiner has been named associate director of event sales; prior to joining the museum, Reiner worked as event sales manager at the Loveless Café/Loveless Events. Daniel Lonow has been promoted to Haley Gallery director; he has been with the museum for nine years. Elek Horvath, who joined the museum in 2000, has been promoted to associate director of collection access. Michael McCall, a 17-year museum veteran, has been promoted to associate director of editorial. In this role, he will assist in managing the development of written content for the museum’s exhibitions, books, public programs, website, social media and educational materials. He previously served as senior museum writer-editor and has curated more than 20 exhibitions, hosted numerous museum programs, as well as co-edited the second edition of The Encyclopedia of Country Music. –Jessica Nicholson
Create Music Group named Carl LeGrett to senior vp of A&R and music publishing at the company, effective immediately. Since joining CMG as an intern in 2018, LeGrett has quickly established himself as a trusted partner to up-and-coming songwriters and producers, with a client role that has collaborated on dozens of hits by Ice Spice, Lil Durk, Megan Thee Stallion and Bad Bunny, among many others. Founder and CEO Jonathan Strauss said LeGrett’s “deep entrepreneurial spirit led him to identify a need in the marketplace and his dogged determination helped him win the confidence of music’s most prolific producers and songwriters. His ability to think outside the box and discover untapped talent and trends has made him a true leader and we look forward to his continued success here at Create Music Group.”
BOARD SHORTS: The Mechanical Licensing Collective announced six appointments to the org’s advisory committees, including three additions to the Dispute Resolution Committee (songwriter David “DQ” Quiñones, Spirit Music Group’s Consuelo Sayago and Vydia’s Matthew Skiba), one to the Operations Advisory Committee (Concord Music Publishing’s Lidia Kim) and two new faces (songwriter “Bruce” Waynne Nugent and Sony Music Publishing’s Dale Esworthy) on the Unclaimed Royalties Oversight Committee. Committee terms last three years … Music community startup We Are Giant added William Morris Endeavor co-head of Nashville Becky Gardenhire to its board of directors. She’ll act as a strategic advisor to WAG founding CEO Andy Apple and his team on their efforts to expand the music platform’s footprint in the always-growing Nashville market. Gardenhire joins the recently added AEG Presents exec David Rappaport on the board.
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Moonbug Entertainment hired former Spotify executive Courtney Holt as the children’s content factory’s first-ever global head of music and strategic audio initiatives. A spoke in the Candle Media wheel, Moondug creates and distributes your favorite children’s YouTube channels, namely Cocomelon and Blippi. The Los Angeles-based Holt will focus forging strategic partnerships with artists and building out the company’s music label. Holt joins Moonbug after a five-year run as Spotify’s head of talk partnerships, editorial and global markets. Prior to that he exec’d at Maker Studios, where he worked with eventual Candle co-founder Kevin Mayer. Earlier in his career, Holt held positions at MySpace, MTV and UMG.
Thomas Jamois was appointed managing director of Wise Music France, where he’ll manage all office staff and the company’s regional publishing houses, including Première Music, Éditions Alphonse Leduc, Campbell Connelly, Les Editions Transatlantiques, Bleu Blanc Rouge, Choudens, Le Chant du Monde and Musique des Anges. Jamois arrives at Wise Music Group from Velvetica Music, a publishing indie he founded in 2011. Prior to that, he was head of music publishing and synch at Naïve for seven years. “I’m delighted to have Thomas join the Wise Music family, and I look forward to working with him to lead our French and Francophone business forward with continued catalogue acquisitions and high-profile signings,” said Wise Music chief Marcus Wise.
NASHVILLE NOTES: Full-service marketing agency FlyteVu welcomed Brooks Parker as vp of business development and Purvi Patel as account director. Parker has more than a decade of artist management experience, and most recently worked in experiential marketing at Nashville-area agency Streamline. Patel was most recently president and head of partnerships of media agency Claima Stories, with prior stops at Alice’s Table and Reebok, where she worked on influencer-focused strategies … Kings Hill Music named two-time Dove Award-winning recording artist Billy Gaines as director of A&R for the label. “I have a deep-seated desire to help artists use their gifts to fulfill their calling from God,” said Gaines, who is also signed to KHM … Briana Galluccio joined One Country as director of promotion & partnerships … River House Artists promoted Kayla Adkins to creative director of publishing from creative manager.
The Core Entertainment, known for a roster that includes clients Bailey Zimmerman and Nate Smith, named Dan Dymtrow as general manager and Jamie Sudhalter as senior director of A&R. Dymtrow most recently served as executive manager at Maverick Music and head of music at tech startup Curio. Sudhalter most recently served as senior director of A&R at Mercury Records. The Core Entertainment was co-founded by Kevin “Chief” Zaruk and Simon Tikhman in 2019, and focuses on cultivating talent in music, sports, film, television, and technology. In 2023, The Core expanded beyond talent management into the record label space with a partnership with UMG’s Lucian Grainge. –JN
ASM Global appointed Karin Sinclair as the new GM of Södra Teatern, one of Sweden’s oldest active theaters. Sinclair joins ASM from Scandic Hotels, where she was revenue manager for the Swedish chain’s 85 hotels.
ICYMI:
Pulse Records hired Tim Glover as president of A&R. He was previously executive vp of A&R at Interscope Geffen A&M, where he ran point for the label’s two-handers with Dreamville and LVRN … NTWRK is acquiring Complex from Buzzfeed, which purchased the media company in 2021 for $300 million. NTWRK co-founder/CEO Aaron Levant — who co-founded ComplexCon with Complex founder Marc Ecko in 2016 — will become CEO of the new company.
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Live Nation had another record year in 2023, topping the all-time highs reached in 2022 when artists hit the road in heavy numbers after COVID-19 restrictions shut down the touring business for most of 2020 and 2021.
The concert promoter and ticketing giant had revenue of $22.7 billion in 2023, up 36% from the prior year, thanks to record levels of attendance, ticket sales and sponsorships. Adjusted operating income (AOI) was $1.86 billion, up 32% year-over-year and double the AOI from 2019, the last full year before the pandemic.
As artists went on tour in record numbers, there was ample fan demand to soak up the increased supply of live music. Concert attendance climbed 20.3% to 145.8 million. Attendance in North America rose 16.6% to 81.3 million and international attendance spiked 25.4% to 64.5 million. The biggest attendance gains came from stadium shows — notably Metallica, Beyonce and Luke Combs — which grew 60% to 29 million. The number of concerts — individual shows and festivals — rose 15.3% to 33,629 in North America and 13.5% to 16,430 internationally.
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The rise of K-pop and Latin music, along with Live Nation’s Dec. 2021 acquisition of Mexican promoter OCESA, led to an increasingly international concert business. Live Nation’s top 50 tours had 50% more international acts in 2023 than five years ago, and additional international dates meant tours had 15% more shows on average.
“Our digital world empowers artists to develop global followings, while inspiring fans to crave in-person experiences more than ever,” said president/CEO Michael Rapino in a statement. “At the same time, the industry is delivering a wider variety of concerts which draws in new audiences, and developing more venues to support a larger show pipeline.
The concerts division’s full-year revenue increased 39% to $18.76 billion as demand increased across markets and venue types. At Live Nation’s owned and operated venues — branded as Venue Nation — attendance increased 13% to 55 million and ancillary per-person revenue had double-digit growth. At its amphitheaters, per-person spending increased 10% to over $40. Because Live Nation owns and operates those venues, its bottom line benefits from increased fan spending on items such as beverages, food and merchandise.
At Ticketmaster, revenue rose 32% to $2.96 billion and AOI improved 35% to $1.12 billion. Total fee-bearing gross-transaction value (GTV) rose 30% to $36 billion — North America GTV rose 26% while international GTV jumped 42%. The number of fee-bearing tickets sold increased 17% to over 329 million. New clients accounted for 21 million additional tickets old, with about 80% of those coming from international markets.
The sponsorship and advertising division’s revenue increased 13% to $1.1 billion and its AOI rose 14% to $675.1 million. Led by growth in beverage, technology and financial services sectors, Live Nation’s sponsorship business had over 100 partners with multi-million-dollar, multi-year commitments.
In the fourth quarter, historically a slow period compared to the spring and summer months, Live Nation’s revenue rose 36% to $5.8 billion. The concerts division’s revenue soared 44% to $4.87 billion. The company’s AOI rose 20% to $116.9 million in the quarter.
Looking ahead, “we expect all our businesses to continue growing and adding value to artists and fans as we deliver double-digit operating income and AOI growth again this year, with our profitability compounding by double-digits over the next several years,” Rapino added. Through mid-February, Live Nation has sold 57 million concert tickets, up 6% year-over-year, and Ticketmaster had $13 billion in fee-bearing gross-transaction-volume for events so far in 2024, a double-digit increase. In addition, the company has booked 75% of its expected sponsorship commitments, also a double-digit increase from the prior-year period.