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These managers on the rise have guided their artists through breakout years, navigating such firsts as topping the charts, opening stadium shows (for none other than Taylor Swift) and even selling out arenas on their own.
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Drew Simmons
Age: 41Company: Foundations MusicKey Clients: Noah Kahan, Dayglow, COIN
“There is no off-cycle anymore,” says Simmons, who has had a front-row seat to Noah Kahan’s nonstop year, “and that is taxing on the infrastructure around the artist but also on the artist themselves.” From Kahan’s success with Stick Season and its deluxe edition (the latter debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200) to selling out arenas to raising nearly $2 million for mental health resources through The Busyhead Project, Simmons is “excited about opportunities ahead for artists as the paradigm shifts, placing more and more leverage in [their] hands.”
Noah Kahan and Drew Simmons
Patrick McCormack
James Rosemond Jr.
Age: 31Company: Mastermind ArtistsKey Clients: Ice Spice, RIOTUSA
Ice Spice became a chart staple this year, notching four top 10 hits on the Hot 100 including collaborations with superstars like Taylor Swift and Nicki Minaj. For Rosemond, being able to pair Ice and producer RIOTUSA with Minaj on two of those tracks (“Princess Diana,” “Barbie World”) was particularly gratifying: “I get high on helping creatives achieve their dreams and positively change their socioeconomic status.”
Ice Spice, RIOTUSA and James Rosemond Jr.
Dowan “StarTheStar” Wilson
Jesse Gassongo-Alexander, Phoebe Gold
Ages: 30, 29Company: UpCloseKey Clients: PinkPantheress, Tommy Gold
Gassongo-Alexander never planned to become a manager, but he says working with “a generational artist” like PinkPantheress has been an “incredible experience.” This year, the British artist-producer made her Hot 100 debut with the Ice Spice collaboration “Boy’s a liar Pt. 2” and was featured on the Barbie soundtrack. “By continually building trust with each other, we’ve navigated from the early days to now,” he says. Adds Gold: “Our flow has come from treating each other like human beings.”
Alistair Raymond
Age: 37Company: Beatnik Creative/Blue Raincoat ArtistsKey Clients: Arlo Parks, Lana Lubany, Miso Extra
Last year, Raymond’s independent management company partnered with Blue Raincoat Artists. And while he cites “financial support in the early stages of a new artist’s career” as a major challenge for managers, his entire roster leveled up in 2023. Parks’ second album, My Soft Machine, reached No. 9 on the U.K. Albums Chart, while Lana Lubany and Miso Extra both signed long-term record deals. “It takes at least one to two years to get a new artist off the ground with little monetary return,” he says. “It’s an all-or-nothing investment, but the best job in music.”
Aton Ben-Horin, Ethan Curtis
Ages: 43, 36Company: Plush ManagementKey Clients: JVKE, Coi Leray, Faouzia
Ben-Horin, who is also executive vp of A&R at Warner Music Group, describes this year as “incredible,” citing Hot 100 top 10 hits like Coi Leray’s “Players” (produced by Plush client Johnny Goldstein) and JVKE’s “Golden Hour.” The latter also sold out his first tour without a major label or marketing budget beyond radio. “While understanding the short-form content world is important for management,” Curtis says, “even more important is finding talent that is social media native.”
Sean Okeke
Company: Jonzing World EntertainmentKey Clients: Rema, Ruger
“The past 12 months have seen the biggest moments in the Afrobeats genre, which I am super happy I played a strong part in,” Okeke says. Thanks in part to a remix featuring Selena Gomez, Rema’s “Calm Down” became a global hit, reaching No. 3 on the Hot 100 and topping the Global Excl. U.S. chart, making Rema the first artist from Africa to reach No. 1. “The hunger and the joy to see a talent excel at the highest level brought me into this field,” Okeke says, “and has continuously influenced my stay here.”
Mandelyn Monchick
Age: 29Company: Red Light ManagemenKey Clients: Lainey Wilson, Meg McRee, Ben Chapman
Monchick met Lainey Wilson in 2015 and became fast friends with the country artist. “She didn’t have anyone championing her, and I thought she was a great songwriter, so I started talking about her every chance I had.” This year, Wilson added three more entries on the Hot 100, sold out her first headlining tour, won multiple country music awards and made her acting debut on Yellowstone. “We did everything we could for a long time,” Monchick says, “and it built a damn good foundation.”
Lainey Wilson and Mandelyn Monchick
Aubrey Wise
James Vitalo
Age: 35Company: Gold Theory ArtistsKey Clients: Turnstile, Knocked Loose, Beach Fossils
The past 12 months have been of growth for both Vitalo — who expanded his boutique firm one year after its launch — and Turnstile, which scored its first Grammy nominations (three total) and opened on blink-182’s arena tour. Vitalo, who first worked with the hardcore band as its booking agent before becoming its manager, says, “The biggest challenge has always been setting a realistic pace that will allow for longevity.”
Kristina Russo
Age: 34Company: KR ExperimentsKey Client: GAYLE
Russo describes the past year as “a wild time,” during which GAYLE received her first Grammy nomination (for song of the year with breakout hit “abcdefu”) and opened for P!nk overseas and for Taylor Swift on The Eras Tour. But her biggest priority is guiding GAYLE through the whirlwind: “We are adamant she, as a person, comes first,” Russo says. “Mental, physical and emotional health are imperative in order to do her job. Shout out to our therapists.”
Kristina Russo and GAYLE
Acacia Evans
Tom Skoglund
Age: 35Company: Full Stop ManagementKey Clients: Tate McRae, Harry Styles
Tate McRae scored two Hot 100 hits this year, including her fast-rising new single, “Greedy,” which arrived during her sold-out North American tour. Working on the pop artist’s next era has been “incredibly fulfilling,” Skoglund says, as was completing Harry Styles’ two-and-a-half-year Love on Tour trek. “Watching the meteoric success of Harry’s House being played to sold-out stadiums day in and day out will forever be a highlight of my career,” he says.
Heather Kolker
Age: 51Company: Dreamshop ManagementKey Clients: MUNA, Nanna, Of Monsters and Men
This year, Kolker (who started as an agent before switching to management) launched her own company while MUNA hit a high, touring with Taylor Swift and boygenius, selling out headlining shows and more. “You must believe that your artist can achieve the future they envision — and that you’re the right team to help get them there,” she says.
Danny Kang, Stefan Max
Key Client: Zach Bryan
Kang and Max have managed Zach Bryan through a breakout year, during which the country-rocker scored his first No. 1 album and Hot 100 chart-topper with “I Remember Everything,” featuring Kacey Musgraves. (This year alone, he has racked up 25 entries on the latter list.) His 2024 headlining tour will take him to arenas and, in some cases, stadiums.
Luis Villamizar
Age: 34Key Client: Feid
This year, Feid charted a pair of top 10 hits on Hot Latin Songs while MOR, No le Temas a la Oscuridad became his highest-charting entry on Top Latin Albums at No. 4. “Forming such a valuable team was one of the greatest successes,” says Villamizar. “It’s not just one person.”
Sam Schulman
Age: 33 Company: Best Friends MusicKey Clients: Bishop Briggs, Blake Rose, FINNEAS
Schulman credits her musician father and live music for inspiring her to become a manager. “The older I got, the more obsessed I became with the industry and wanting to be a part of it,” she says. That energy led to a major year: She co-founded Club Kassiani, a networking event for women in music, while her artists Blake Rose made his U.S. late-night TV debut and Bishop Briggs won the latest season of The Masked Singer. Schulman says her approach is all about “eliminating the ‘noise’ of what other artists are doing.”
Dani Russin
Age: 38Company: Good World ManagementKey Clients: Troye Sivan, Jake Wesley Rogers, Orville Peck
Russin met veteran manager Brandon Creed over a decade ago and “highly admired his ability for decision-making and diplomatic nature,” she says. She has worked with him ever since, this year joining his newly launched venture, Good World, where she enjoyed a “career highlight” working on Troye Sivan’s latest album campaign. Her history with Creed is her career’s only constant: “Management has always been a 24/7 job, but it’s also now this rapidly changing and ever-evolving ecosystem,” she says. “It’s what keeps things exciting. No two days are alike.”
Colette Patnaude Nelson, Eddie Wintle
Ages: 34, 36Company: Expand EntertainmentKey Clients: Conan Gray, J. Maya, Rowan Drake
Patnaude Nelson and Wintle, who together discovered Conan Gray as a high schooler on YouTube, agree that the biggest challenge for managers and artists today is cutting through the noise. “Building a fan base and getting people to care about your music is harder than ever,” Wintle says. It’s why watching 100,000 fans at Lollapalooza Argentina sing every word of Gray’s hourlong set in March was, as he recalls, “one of the craziest moments” of his career so far.
Colette Patnaude Nelson and Conan Gray
Dillon Matthews
Jayne Andrew, Ty Baisden
Ages: 36, 39Company: COLTUREKey Clients: Brent Faiyaz, Hamzaa, N3WYRKLA
In 2022, Brent Faiyaz scored a chart breakthrough with his independently released Wasteland, which summited the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. It was a moment his partners and COLTURE co-founders Andrew (head of management, partnerships and creative development) and Baisden (head of ventures) had been working toward for years. In May, Faiyaz inked an unprecedented partnership (estimated at close to $50 million) to form a creative agency with UnitedMasters. But the biggest success, Baisden says, is that they built their infrastructure “outside of the major-label system.”
Josh Marshall
Age: 32Company: Mogul VisionKey Clients: d4vd, Rubi Rose
Though Marshall says he “fell into” management, the past year has solidified his path — and that of his company, Mogul Vision, with help from GM Robert Morgenroth. And while breakout star d4vd has scored a pair of Hot 100 hits and an opening slot on tour with SZA, Marshall has set his sights even higher: “The biggest challenge,” he says, “is creating infrastructure around an artist to grow their business long term beyond music.”
Josh Marshall and d4vd
Raheem Powell
Holly Cartwright, Shira Knishkowy
Ages: 31, 35Company: Another Management CompanyKey Clients: Blondshell, Alvvays, Waxahatchee
Knishkowy worked in label publicity and communications at Spotify before pivoting to management — and almost immediately, she and Cartwright helped discover and sign indie rock newcomer Blondshell. This year, the artist and alt-pop act Alvvays made their respective late-night TV debuts and grew their audiences globally. “Breaking new artists alongside Holly and finding new ways to elevate artists who have already achieved a level of success alongside [fellow managers] Rennie Jaffe and Mike Sneeringer is something I’m really proud of,” says Knishkowy.
Bello
Key Client: Central Cee
“It’s all a blur,” Bello says of his last 12 months, during which fast-rising British rapper Central Cee broke U.K. chart history as “Sprinter” (with Dave) became the longest-reigning rap single, while in the United States, he debuted on the Hot 100 with his Drake collaboration, “On the Radar Freestyle.” For “90% of the time,” Bello says, milestones were met without a team in place. This year, however, Central Cee signed a multimillion-dollar deal with Columbia Records in partnership with Sony Music U.K. and with Wasserman Music for worldwide agency representation. Says Bello: “I take pride in being someone my artists can trust blindly and make sure they get what they deserve.”
Central Cee and Bello
Danny Wonders
This story will appear in the Oct. 21, 2023, issue of Billboard.
Whether they’re angel investors offering startups tens of thousands or venture capital power players with hundreds of millions, some of the shrewdest minds in and around the music business are using their expertise to reinvest in the tools of its future. The investors profiled here are just a sampling of the many focusing on new music technology right now; some of their peers prefer to keep their dealings private, while plenty more music executives turned investors have bet on areas other than music technology. Others are interested in music tech but aren’t actively investing. But with generative artificial intelligence, virtual reality and advancements in live-music technology on the horizon, the thought leaders highlighted here see the industry at a “tipping point” — and the next generation of companies may fundamentally change the way the music business works.
The Majors
The Big Three music groups have invested in tech platforms tied to fashion, gaming, music creation and even battling dementia — and executives say there’s more to come.
In February, on his first quarterly earnings call as the new CEO of Warner Music Group (WMG), Robert Kyncl laid out a future of “meaningful upside” for the music business: “As technology opens up emerging economies, the industry’s addressable market will continue to expand even further,” Kyncl told analysts. On top of that, he added, “innovation is constantly creating new-use cases for music, giving us the opportunity to diversify our revenue sources.”
As the major labels navigate a landscape increasingly dominated by streaming platforms and digital creation apps like BandLab and Boomy, it’s not surprising they have eagerly invested over $1 billion, according to label sources, in the nascent technology companies that have the potential to help them diversify and increase their revenue sources.
In the last four years, WMG has invested in gaming platform Roblox, digital fashion retailer DRESSX and music generator Lifescore, which is powered by artificial intelligence (AI). Sony Music Entertainment has backed another music creation (and collaboration) platform, Tully; social platform Fave; and Techstars Music, an accelerator program that provided funding and mentorship to promising music technology startups. (It was quietly shuttered after this summer’s class, according to managing director Bob Moczydlowsky.)
“It is always a highlight for us to support visionary entrepreneurs in developing innovative music tech and to help drive experimentation with new products and revenue models that enhance creativity, consumer experiences and overall value and utility for our creative partners and artists,” SME senior vp of strategy and investments Angela Lopes says.
Universal Music Group eschews venture capital investments, preferring to offer seed money, mentoring and other support for startups. The company has gotten behind two health-related music apps: Endel, which creates personalized AI-generated soundscapes to foster focus and sleep, and Music Health, the company behind Vera, which is designed to help those suffering from dementia, as well as next-generation radio broadcasting toolkit Super-HiFi. UMG senior vp of digital innovation strategy and business development Kristen Bender said in a statement that the company’s “music DNA — incubation, connectivity, mentorship [and] strategic partner network — is the greatest asset we can provide early-stage companies.”
It’s likely that the volume of these investments will only increase. Lopes says, “We continue to focus on strategic investment opportunities” in the tech sector. And on the earnings call, Kyncl said WMG will be “reallocating our internal resources in order to invest in technology and drive not only more tools for monetization for creators but also greater efficiencies for us.” —ELIAS LEIGHT
Music Companies
Willard AhdritzFounder/chairman, Kobalt; CEO, Ahdritz & Co.
Willard Ahdritz
Paul Brissman
Recent investments: Dice, un:hurdInterests: Mobile ticketing, data-driven marketing
As founder and chairman of Kobalt — a publishing administration company that used a technology-first approach to disrupt the world of music publishing — Ahdritz has always had a forward-thinking approach to the music business. In recent years, he has been investing in other newcomers using technology to power music innovation, including popular mobile ticketing app Dice, and he has taken on an investment and advisory role in un:hurd, which uses data to help artists run successful digital marketing campaigns.
Mike CarenFounder/CEO, Artist Partner Group/Artist Publishing Group
Mike Caren
Elisabeth Caren
Recent investments: beatBread, Sound.me, Release.GlobalInterests: AI, music production tools, label tools
The label/publishing entrepreneur entered investing by acquiring music catalogs, but in recent years has expanded his focus to music technology and related startups. He says various forms of music tech are worthwhile “for both financial growth and for the good of the industry.” Caren hopes that the new companies he backs can “unleash creativity for those with huge imagination and limited knowledge” as well as economic and relationship-based limitations. But whether these results come through AI, augmented reality, traditional or currently unheard-of means “is less important for me.”
Startup red flag: “I try to avoid great decks without functioning software. I want to invest in companies with a minimum viable product I can use immediately and a clear road map for their future development.”
Neil JacobsonFounder/CEO, Hallwood Media; partner, Hallwood Media Ventures
Neil Jacobson
Clay Wescott
Recent investments: Disco, Splice, SoundfulInterests: AI, music production tools, creator services, marketplace platforms
Jacobson, former president of Geffen Records and founder of songwriter-producer management powerhouse Hallwood Media, brings decades of experience at labels and publishers to investing. Hallwood Media Ventures was born out of a special purpose acquisition company Jacobson launched in February 2021 with partner Todd Lowen, raising $230 million for a publicly listed vehicle with the intent of merging with a high-growth, music-related business. Now, almost three years later, Hallwood is unencumbered by the restrictions of a SPAC and looking to invest “in the range of $25 million for minority stakes, up to $250 million for larger stakes or full takeouts,” says Jacobson, who adds that though the firm is seeking companies throughout the music sector, “music technology seems to be where we are spending a lot of our time.” Still, as technology evolves, Jacobson envisions that great managers, like those on staff at Hallwood, will be “more critical than ever. The world, especially music, is changing at a pace we’ve never seen before. The need for management teams to react quickly and intelligently will only be amplified.”
Words an investor should live by: “ ‘Show me the money!’ We say that half-jokingly, but companies need to demonstrate the ability to generate EBITDA [earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization] … We look for businesses that are executing on a responsible plan that is ready to be scaled with our help — both financially and strategically.”
Nick JarjourFounder/CEO, JarjourCo
Nick Jarjour
Dan Franco
Recent investments: Soundful, mayk.it, HIFI, Xposure, TrillerInterests: Music and gaming, livestreaming, virtual concerts, AI, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), fintech
Jarjour, an entrepreneur and manager for songwriter Starrah, says his first mentor told him: “Don’t just invest in companies. Advise them, consult them, sit on their boards.” So when he provides funding to a startup, he often assumes an advisory role too, as he did with mayk.it, HIFI, Xposure and more. He likens the role of an investor in a fledgling company to A&R, where his career began, and he aims to spot “hit companies” much as he would a song.
In the next five years, music tech will…: “See more artists and celebrity investors, more music and gaming partnerships, more growth in VR/AR music experiences … [There will be] a digital transformation for labels, funds and publishers propelled by breakthroughs like AI and the democratization of things.”
Andrew KahnHead of Crush Ventures
Andrew Kahn
Crush Ventures
Investments: Splice, Audioshake, Sound.xyz, CreateSafe, Rhythm.fmInterests: Fan technology, music production tools, creator tools
Alongside colleagues Aaron Matusow and Dan Kruchkow, Kahn leads the venture capital division for longtime independent management company Crush Music. With Crush Ventures, Kahn and his team make investment decisions that align with the overall company ethos: “We look to invest in building companies that could impact how we manage and grow the careers of Crush Music artists, who are also pop-culture brands,” Kahn says. That’s why the team is so interested in working with companies that create tools empowering artists, like Splice, Audioshake and CreateSafe. In the next five years, Kahn says he sees these companies “narrowing the gap between novice and pro.”
Startup red flags: “We try to avoid founders who are not living the culture of the market they are trying to enter or feeling the pain acutely of the problem they are trying to solve. Other nits are requests to sign [nondisclosure agreements] too quickly and early-stage companies using agencies to build core products.”
Naoki OsadaCEO, Avex USA; founder, Future of Music Fund
Naoki Osada
Caris Yeoman
Recent investments: Wave, Endel, Liminal Space, Strangeloop StudiosInterests: Metaverse, 3D, live experiences, virtual artists, music production tools
When he’s not running label and publishing operations at Avex USA, the thriving American outpost of the Japanese entertainment company, Osada is vetting emerging companies to invest in through Avex USA’s corporate venture capital division. Called the Future of Music Fund, Osada says he invests “in a selective, boutique way” in companies he feels build “immersive multisensory experiences of music” — like Endel’s personalized soundscapes that promote relaxation and Wave’s high-tech virtual concert production tools. So far, the fund has invested about $5 million and has now expanded to $25 million “based on the past successes.” Still, Osada notes that due to saturation in the market, he doesn’t “see quite as many mind-blowing early-stage companies these days as five years ago.”
Words an investor should live by: “In general, [our] motto is ‘innovate or die.’ We must constantly become different for the better in aspects of business/life to survive.”
Hazel SavageAngel investor; vp of music intelligence, SoundCloud
Hazel Savage
Alison Emerick
Recent investments: un:hurd, AudioShake, mayk.itInterests: AI and “all areas of deep tech in the music industry”
After building her own successful startup, Musiio, which SoundCloud acquired in 2022, Savage says she is “proud to invest in exceptional founders” as an angel investor. “I am looking for a founder or co-founders I believe in. They need that magic spark where when I look at them, I just know I could be working for them in 10 years and whatever they do, they will be successful,” she says. Since getting started, Savage has invested just shy of $1 million, the bulk of which has gone toward forms of AI that can ease pain points in the music business. She says she “learned from [her] own cap table about the kind of investor [she] wanted to be.”
In the next five years, music tech will…: “I think generative AI is here to stay … If we learn how to harness the tech and make it work for the musicians and the industry, it will be a net win all ’round. I also think we are evolving out of the existing stage of music streaming and into a new era where we all learn and figure out how to make sure the money fans want to spend goes directly to the artists they want to support.”
Agencies
Phil QuistInvestor, Connect Ventures; music/emerging tech agent, CAA
Phil Quist
Courtesy of CAA
Recent investments: Royal, Deep VooDooInterests: AI, music production tools, smart ticketing, live-concert experience enhancements
Kendrick Lamar’s innovative music video for “The Heart Part 5” — which used AI to morph the rapper’s face into the likenesses of Kanye West, O.J. Simpson, Kobe Bryant, Nipsey Hussle and Will Smith — was made possible by Deep VooDoo, an AI visual effects company and one of Quist and Connect Ventures’ recent investments. Since Connect’s establishment, Quist and his colleagues have invested “eight figures” into music-related technology that empowers creative innovation (like “The Heart Part 5”) because Quist feels “we are nearing a tipping point in the music industry” and a coming decade that’s “transformative and full of opportunity.” He believes the greatest opportunities in music lie in evolving the live-concert experience, investing in the fan-artist relationship, AI and the democratization of music creation, and he envisions a future where the Internet of Things finds its place in music, “transforming everyday objects into musical instruments or interfaces.”
Words an investor should live by: “Warren Buffett once said, ‘Be fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful.’ This quote reminds me to approach both investing and life with a contrarian mindset, not being swayed by the prevailing market sentiment or popular trends, but to rather look toward the future.”
Sam WickPartner, UTA; head, UTA Ventures
Sam Wick
UTA
Recent investments: Moment House, Stem, CameoInterests: AI, livestreaming, e-commerce, distribution
As head of UTA Ventures, Wick consistently asks founders the same five questions: “What is the problem? How big is the market? How are you solving it? Why are you the right team to solve it? What is your competitive advantage?” UTA Ventures’ portfolio includes startups from industries as diverse as its client roster, which ranges from music to film/TV to gaming and sports, but it has dipped into music technology with investments in Moment House and Stem. One of the most important considerations for investing in music, Wick says, is remembering that “music defines culture and is continually at the forefront of technological disruption and innovation … Any trend that impacts the arts more broadly will impact music first.”
Words an investor should live by: “A venture investor will make hundreds of investments throughout their career. When all is said and done, your relationships and reputation are paramount … Conduct yourself with integrity.”
Finance
Fred Davis and Joe PuthenveetilPartners, The Raine Group
Joe Puthenveetil (left) and Fred Davis photographed on March 21, 2023 at The Raine Group in London.
Paul Stuart
Recent investments: SoundCloud, Firebird, Amuse, Rock the BellsInterests: Decentralized distribution, streamlining royalty collection, generative AI
Raine Group partners Davis and Puthenveetil combined their backgrounds — Davis’ as a longtime music attorney, with generational music expertise imparted by his father, Clive Davis, and Puthenveetil’s in advising and investing for Grail Partners and 13 years helping steer Raine’s music and entertainment efforts — to become a dominant music business force. Apart from investing in some of the industry’s fast-growing new music technology firms, they have also had their hands in facilitating many of the industry’s biggest music technology transactions, such as the sale of tech-focused publisher Kobalt to Francisco Partners and the sale of AVL Digital (CD Baby) to Downtown.
In the next five years, music tech will…: “Platforms and distribution will evolve to connect artists directly with fans and unlock opportunities for engagement and monetization beyond streaming,” Puthenveetil says. “Music discovery and consumption will continue to integrate more deeply into other forms of entertainment, particularly in gaming. Music rights management will continue to get more complex and, hopefully, more transparent and efficient for rights holders.”
Bob MoczydlowskyManaging director, Techstars Music
Bob Moczydlowsky
Jen Hall
Recent investments: Endel, Triller, Tribe XR, Strangeloop Studios, Amper MusicInterests: Streaming, music production tools, AI
As the managing director for premier music technology accelerator Techstars Music, Moczydlowsky facilitated 70 pre-seed investments in startups like Endel, Community, Triller and Tribe XR for a total of $8.2 million during the existence of the program that started in 2017 and ended this year. Techstars connected founders not just with money but with mentors from many of the other investors and companies mentioned on this list, including Sony Music Entertainment, HYBE and Warner Music Group. “I invest at the earliest possible stage,” Moczydlowsky explains. “So 90% of my process is about the team … At the early stage, what matters are the people and their passion for the market and the problem.”
In the next five years, music tech will…: “I’m most interested in what comes next in this mature streaming market we’re entering. If music streaming 1.0 was about solving the problem of ‘make all the music play,’ I think music streaming 2.0 is going to be allowing fans a way to ‘play with all of the music.’ ”
Shachar OrenFounder/CEO, Sound Media Ventures
Shachar Oren
Courtesy of Shachar Oren
Recent investments: Boomy, Tribe XR, Dance FightInterests: Generative AI, blockchain, user-generated content, streaming, metaverse
For 18 years, Oren was CEO of the startup he founded — business-to-business music licensing platform Neurotic Media — which Peloton acquired in 2018. After the sale, he moved to Peloton as its vp of music before founding Sound Media Ventures, where he applied the skills he learned as an entrepreneur to invest in other founders’ businesses. Since then, Sound Media has invested about $500,000 in total seed funding for music-related startups like Boomy, Tribe XR and Dance Fight in addition to significant investments in other areas of entertainment and technology. As Oren puts it, his firm offers founders more than money: “Our experience and expertise in the music space, along with our relationships, give us the ability to drive growth for our founders.”
Startup red flag: “Testing the product and getting a feel for the market fit it can find, or better yet, interviewing customers and assessing how passionate they feel about the solution is key. If one can’t establish a clear market fit for a product or service, that’s a clear warning.”
Guy OsearyCo-founder, Maverick Management; co-founder, Sound Ventures
Guy Oseary
Amanda Edwards/Getty Images
Recent investments: Community, SeatGeek, Shazam, OpenAI, Stability AIInterest: AI
After making his name as a superstar manager and music executive, Oseary has more recently turned his attention to venture capital and funding the future of innovation, both inside and outside music. In 2015, he and co-founder Ashton Kutcher launched Sound Ventures, where he says he leans on his skills at spotting talent as a former A&R executive to find the next big company. At the National Music Publishers’ Association’s annual meeting this year, Oseary gave a keynote address that focused on AI: “There’s a whole new wave that’s happening, and it’s happening very quickly. That means things can scale quickly,” he said. He has two funds dedicated to AI; one has raised $200 million to make investments specifically in “foundational AI models,” which Oseary feels will be the bedrock of all companies in the future. “Our thesis is that everyone is going to plug into one of these foundational models. In a few years, I’m going to ask whatever company I’m working with, ‘Which one do you use?’ And they’ll say Google or OpenAI or Anthropic — it’ll be one of five or six companies that you’re going to put all your information into and use that model to help run your business.”
Shara SenderoffCo-founder, Born Ready; co-founder, Raised in Space
Shara Senderoff
TCK Photo
Recent investments: Audigent/Music IQ, Songclip, The WaveXR, Spatial Labs, Altered State MachineInterests: AI, blockchain, royalty collection, music production tools, AR
Through funds Born Ready and Raised in Space, Senderoff has invested approximately $30 million into music tech startups during her career. These days, she is most interested in the evolution of the creator economy and how generative AI tools will affect it, but her investments range widely, from blockchain-based solutions for royalty collection to generative music to virtual reality. “I’m relentlessly focused on viability of a business model and its alignment with market timing and demands,” she says.
Startup red flag: “Consistently investing in cutting-edge technologies, such as blockchain and AI, before they hit the mainstream has made it easy for me to spot hype cycles while also enabling efficient discernment of innovation from buzzwords. I pride myself on deep diligence.”
Matt SpetzlerPartner/co-head of Europe, Francisco Partners
Matt Spetzler
Courtesy of Francisco Partners
Recent investments: Kobalt (acquisition), AMRA (acquisition), Native Instruments, iZotope, Plugin Alliance, Brainworx, JKBXInterests: AI, music production, royalty collection, business-to-business music licensing
It has been a landmark year for Spetzler and his colleagues at Francisco Partners, which purchased tech-focused music publisher Kobalt and its global digital collection society, AMRA. The team also has invested significantly in music creation tools because, as Spetzler puts it, “technology has been, and will remain, a driving force behind empowering independent artists and creators.” His goal is to make Francisco Partners “one of the top technology and media investors” globally — and given that its last three years of investment into its audio portfolio has led to a combined value of over $4 billion, the company is well on its way toward that goal.
In the next five years, music tech will…: “I believe the power and economics will shift toward the artist/creator, and this empowerment will be driven by technology and increasing transparency.”
This story will appear in the Oct. 21, 2023, issue of Billboard.
When the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) unveiled its new healthcare plans for working artists in August, the trade association, which represents indie labels, presented it as “a welcome ray of light for the music industry.” The monthly premiums range from $80 to $1,240 and feature benefits such as $15 co-pays for doctor visits and regular screenings for breast cancer, diabetes and depression. Affordable dental, vision and even pet insurance plans are also available.
But buried in the descriptions of several plans, which are accessible for those with a $100 annual A2IM membership, are restrictions and costs that could drain indie musicians’ finances. Three of the five plans offered, which cost $80 to $210 per month for individuals and $160 to $510 for families, do not cover emergency room care, hospital room fees, childbirth/delivery costs in hospitals or any type of care from a physician or surgeon. The two more expensive plans — $560 to $690 for individuals and $1,060 to $1,240 for families — don’t cover ambulance charges, radiation, chemotherapy, dialysis or transplants.
“What A2IM is doing is fantastic. I am applauding them hugely for this,” says Tatum Allsep, founder and CEO of Music Health Alliance, a Nashville group that advises artists on healthcare. “But read the fine print.”
A2IM bills the plans as “compliant” with the Affordable Care Act (ACA, also known as Obamacare), but Allsep disagrees. “Nothing about this is aligned with the coverage on state exchanges. Not one bit,” she says. “Somebody’s going to think, for 80 bucks, they’re going to have health insurance because it says in black and white, ‘ACA-compliant.’ And that is absolutely false.”
Dr. Elisabeth Rosenthal, author of A Terrible Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back, adds, “It’s a terrible burden to place on patients to have to read the fine print in this way. I’ve spent my life thinking about these things, and I’m trained as a physician, and it gives me a headache to look at these policies.”
A2IM first offered health insurance to its 600 members, mostly indie labels, in September 2022, then expanded this past August to artists who are sole business proprietors.
A2IM president/CEO Richard James Burgess says the plans are “compliant” with the ACA and that “several dozen families” have enrolled in them so far.
“It was incredibly challenging to find affordable healthcare insurance for A2IM members outside of the state exchanges. For years, there appeared to be no viable options,” he says. “A2IM has never diminished the great work the state exchanges have done. We are not in competition with them. Rather, we wanted to offer more options to our members.”
According to a representative with the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, ACA-compliant plans must have three key characteristics: They have to cover preventive services (like vaccines and screening tests), prohibit insurers from denying clients based on preexisting conditions and ban limits for total healthcare costs. “On the exchanges, those plans basically have consumer protection built into them,” says Liz McCuskey, a Boston University professor of health law policy. Consumers can buy “off-exchange” plans outside of the ACA, but she says they “are subject to much lighter rules.”
Michael Desnoyers, director of sales for Chicago insurance broker Independent Health Agents, says of A2IM’s plans, “If it’s the first time they’re being offered to musicians, they probably don’t have the option to get their proper group plan through Blue Cross/Blue Shield or United Healthcare.”
Desnoyers adds that the A2IM options might work for musicians who are younger, with no serious health risks or preexisting conditions, even if they “don’t come through with the benefits the major medical plans do.” Tim Hebert — a Fort Collins, Colo., health insurance broker who is also a managing partner for Sage Benefit Advisors and the state legislative chair for the National Association of Benefits and Insurance Professionals — adds: “In certain situations, it can absolutely make sense. If [musicians] have moderate income but they just don’t have any assets, the A2IM plan works. It gives them basic coverage. You just don’t have to pay the higher premiums.”
Until 2010, self-employed musicians had few ways to obtain low-cost insurance, especially if they had preexisting conditions such as asthma or cancer. The ACA changed all that, and today, individual states are obligated to provide plans that cover catastrophic medical events and not to discriminate based on preexisting conditions. Still, several music industry organizations, including the Recording Academy, the American Federation of Musicians — and now A2IM — offer additional plans to members as cheaper alternatives.
For example, the academy provides plans for its more than 15,000 members through Stride Health that cost as little as $25 per month, with options to add dental, vision and life insurance coverage. The American Federation of Musicians (AFM), which represents 80,000 members of bands and orchestras, as part of Broadway productions and touring shows, provides group health insurance for freelance musicians. “The Affordable Care Act provided considerable relief to workers by requiring that health insurance be made available to them on a non-cancellable basis,” an AFM rep said in a statement, “but the ACA provided no meaningful relief for premium costs.” The plans offered through the academy and the AFM are similar to those on Obamacare state exchanges, according to Allsep.
Some major labels offer certain health-related benefits, if not actual insurance, to artists on their rosters. Sony and Universal Music Group (UMG) provide access to the Music Health Alliance, which offers expertise and suggestions on finding services elsewhere. Although reps for UMG and Warner Music Group did not respond to inquiries about health benefits, Sony artists can sign up for Artist Forward, which provides what the label calls “wellness solutions” like free counseling services.
Prior to its current offering, A2IM adopted a health plan from Zion Health Share, a Utah company that describes its membership as an “innovative and affordable medical cost-sharing community.” Its plan description stated, “This program is not insurance,” required participants to acknowledge that Zion “affiliates itself, and considers itself, accountable to a higher power” and limited care for people with preexisting conditions other than high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes.
Several healthcare experts criticized the plan, including Allsep, Rosenthal and Valarie Blake, a West Virginia University law professor who specializes in healthcare policy. “I would not enroll unless I was a gambling man,” Blake says. When Billboard asked A2IM to comment on the Zion plan, Burgess said it was no longer available through A2IM. Representatives for Zion Health did not respond to email inquiries. “I am glad they changed course,” Blake says.
Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. says he’s sympathetic to the A2IM’s healthcare efforts: “We’re all trying to figure this stuff out together,” he says. “It doesn’t matter who provides coverage. It’s the fact that people are signing up for coverage. That’s the win.”
But after reviewing A2IM’s current plans, Allsep cautions: “Buyer beware.”
SYDNEY, Australia — Veteran Sounds Australia executive producer Millie Millgate will lead Music Australia as its founding director.
Following a months-long recruitment process, Millgate joins Music Australia, which is established to support and promote the Australian contemporary music industry, with a remit to increase discoverability and develop markets and audiences.
With Millgate at the helm, Music Australia will be expected to invest in and stimulate a vibrant and sustainable music industry ecosystem.
The Music Australia gig is a “once in a generation opportunity,” admits Millgate in a statement, “and I am truly honored, excited, and ready to embrace the challenges and lead the change required to shape and grow a flourishing and sustainable industry.”
Music Australia sits under Creative Australia – formerly the Australia Council for the Arts – and was established under the Creative Australia Act 2023, which was enshrined into law in June.
Through her tireless work leading Sounds Australia, and the countless airmiles clocked up in its mission to build bridges for Australian artists globally, Millgate “is a well-known and highly respected figure in the Australian contemporary music industry,” comments Adrian Collette, CEO of Creative Australia.
Together with the “exceptional skills and experience of the Music Australia Council,” he continues, “we will create a bright future for artists and the music industry in Australia.”
During her nearly-15 years with Sounds Australia, Millgate managed the presentation of over 2,200 Australian artists on global show stages since 2009, covering 86 different international events, in 75 cities, across 26 countries.
Prior to taking the reins at Sounds Australia, Millgate held executive posts with the Association of Artists Managers and as creative director for MusicNSW, and she has served on several boards and committees, and including a current position as director on the board of music industry charity Support Act.
Australia’s music industry warmly welcomed Millgate’s appointment.
Comments ARIA and PPCA CEO Annabelle Herd, “Her storied career and rich experience promoting Australian artists on the global stage through Sounds Australia are exactly what is needed to lead Music Australia toward a focused plan that helps deliver more Australian music to more people, wherever they may be.”
Australia is “already a top 10 music market globally, and we’re growing,” Herd explains. “Our industry can and should operate as an export economy in the same way markets like Sweden and South Korea have already proved possible. We will rally behind Millie in any way we can, and I urge everyone with a vested interest in Australian music to do the same. Her success will be the industry’s success.”
Adds Dean Ormston, CEO of APRA AMCOS: “I’m so excited for Millie, and for the industry, that she’ll be heading up Music Australia. Millie has big ideas, a big heart, the respect of the industry, and the drive and determination to make big things happen. Millie’s appointment as the inaugural head of the agency is a testament to her dedication and vision over many years.”
Music Australia is an Australian Government initiative of the National Cultural Policy: Revive, launched in January of this year by the prime minister Anthony Albanese.
The Music Australia Council, effectively the Music Australia board, which includes legendary concert promoter Michael Chugg and Future Classics founder and CEO Nathan McLay, gathered Sept. 20 for its first meeting.
The Sounds Australia team salutes its outgoing leader. “It’s been an honor and privilege to work with her, and she’s inspired us every day with her passion, leadership and unwavering belief that Australian artists are truly some of the best in the world,” the industry organization comments. “The future of our industry is bright and we are so excited to see what she will do with Music Australia.”
Veteran touring specialist Rich Schaefer has been officially promoted to president of global touring at AEG Presents. Schaefer takes over the role from Gary Gersh, who announced he would be stepping down last month. In his new role, Schaefer will oversee all aspects of the concert promotion company’s worldwide touring deals, operations and talent relations. […]
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit accusing The Rolling Stones members Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of copying their 2020 single “Living in a Ghost Town” from a pair of little-known songs, ruling that the case was clearly filed in the wrong court.
Filed in March by songwriter Sergio Garcia Fernandez (stage name Angelslang), the copyright infringement lawsuit claimed that Jagger and Richards “misappropriated many of the recognizable and key protected elements” from his 2006 song “So Sorry” as well as his 2007 tune “Seed of God.”
But in a decision Wednesday (Oct. 18), Judge Eldon E. Fallon ruled that his Louisiana federal court lacked jurisdiction over Fernandez’s case. In doing so, he pointed out that Jagger and Richards are Brits, Fernandez lives in Spain, and The Rolling Stones have “only performed in New Orleans four times.”
“The mere fact that people in this district listen to the Rolling Stones or the alleged work does not permit this court to wield specific jurisdiction over the defendants,” Judge Fallon wrote in dismissing the case.
The judge only tossed the case “without prejudice” — meaning Fernandez is free to re-file the lawsuit in a more appropriate location. In the lead-up to Wednesday’s ruling, lawyers for The Rolling Stones argued that the case should have been filed somewhere in Europe.
In a statement to Billboard, Fernandez’s lawyer said he’s “disappointed and stunned by the court’s ruling.” But he vowed to “refile the lawsuit in a different venue in addition to reviewing other legal options.”
Released at the peak of the COVID-19 shutdowns in April 2020, “Living in a Ghost Town” was the first original material released by the Stones since 2012. The song, a blues-rock tune with reggae influences accompanied by a COVID-themed video, reached No. 3 on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart in May 2020.
In his lawsuit, Fernandez alleged that the new track was created by borrowing key features from his two earlier songs, including vocal melodies, chord progressions and other elements. “Defendants never paid plaintiff, nor secured the authorization for the use of ‘So Sorry’ and ‘Seed of God,’” his lawyers wrote at the time.
How would members of the iconic band have heard those songs, which have less than 1,000 spins on Spotify? Fernandez claims he gave a demo CD to “an immediate family member” of Jagger.
“The immediate family member … confirmed receipt … to the plaintiff via e-mail, and expressed that the musical works of the plaintiff and its style was a sound The Rolling Stones would be interested in using,” Fernandez’s lawyers wrote.
When the case was first filed, experts told Billboard that it was unlikely to succeed. Joe Bennett, a forensic musicologist and a professor at Berklee College of Music, said the songs shared only an overall vibe — based on mid-tempo rock grooves in the key of A minor — that’s been ubiquitous in rock and blues since the beginning.
“The Stones didn’t copy from Fernandez, because they didn’t need to,” Bennett said. “They’ve been playing grooves like this for a very long time, as have many others.”
CAA has nabbed British musician YUNGBLUD for worldwide representation. The singer, songwriter and actor (born Dominic Richard Harrison) recently concluded the North American leg of his YUNGBLUD – The World Tour this summer. He was formerly represented by UTA in North and South America. YUNGBLUD began his musical career with a 2018 self-titled EP and […]
LONDON — The new CEO of Swiss-based Utopia Music says he is focusing on making the company profitable within the next 12 months through “topline growth” and does not envisage making further cost savings through staff cuts or divestments.
Alain Couttolenc was announced as chief executive of Utopia Music on Thursday (Oct. 19), succeeding co-founder Mattias Hjelmstedt, who has been leading the company since February and now returns to his former role as executive chairman.
Speaking exclusively to Billboard, Couttolenc says he will utilize his 25 years’ experience of leading global data and media businesses to boost growth across all of Utopia’s revenue streams and move the company into profitability “in one year – maximum.”
“By getting the right data with the right AI [artificial intelligence] and the right positioning, I think we have the most unknown and unsold jewels in the industry,” he says. “Now the job is to take them out.”
Couttolenc joins Utopia from Ipsos, one of the world’s largest data companies, where he held the post of chief development officer. His executive career also includes senior leadership roles at data analytics company (and former Billboard owner) Nielsen Media, most notably SVP for Latin America and CEO of Europe Nielsen Media.
The Mexico-born, Swiss-based executive joins Utopia Music on the back of a highly turbulent 12 months that has seen the tech company undertake extensive cost-cutting measures, including several rounds of layoffs, multiple executive departures, office closures, legal action over a stalled acquisition deal and the offloading of three of its businesses — Absolute Label Services, U.S.-based music database platform ROSTR and U.K.-based publisher Sentric.
In under one year, the firm’s global workforce has been trimmed from approximately 1,200 staff to around 440.
Reflecting on Utopia’s well-publicized troubles, Couttolenc says the restructure that interim CEO Hjelmstedt began implementing in late 2022 was a “tough” but necessary response to the wider financial pressures felt by all tech companies over the past several years.
“The good news is that we’re still here,” says Couttolenc, who spent several months working at Utopia’s headquarters in the Swiss town of Zug on a consultancy basis, prior to being officially appointed CEO.
As a result of the restructuring, the chief exec says that Utopia is now well positioned at “the right size with the right products,” while his main goal is achieving profitability through “topline growth, not [reducing] cost out.”
“Cost out is about people and that is absolutely not my intention,” says Couttolenc, referring to the multiple rounds of job cuts and divestments Utopia undertook between late 2022 and summer 2023. “I think that’s in the past. It’s not my intention to continue that,” he says. “That’s a [closed] chapter.”
Instead, Couttolenc says he will focus on developing Utopia’s existing tech solutions for all layers of the music business, adding value for its artist, label, publisher, distributor, collecting society and streaming platform clients.
At present, those tech solutions encompass six main product services, spanning cross-platform analytics, an AI-powered recommendation engine targeted at DSPs and streaming services, lyric and language analysis tools to aid discoverability and Utopia’s royalty processing and payments system TrackNClaim, which tracks music consumption on digital platforms and helps identify conflicts and unclaimed mechanical royalties.
According to Utopia, TrackNClaim’s analysis of music consumption on YouTube in North America helped collect over $4 million in royalties for rights holders in 2022. The company aims to expand its TrackNClaim product to other streaming platforms and international markets.
Utopia’s other core businesses include its two main physical music distribution entities: Proper Music Group, which provides distribution services for over 5,800 indie labels and service companies, and Utopia Distribution Services (formerly Cinram Novum), whose clients include Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and [PIAS].
While the sale of CDs and vinyl may appear to sit uncomfortably with Utopia’s AI and tech-driven business model, Couttolenc says the opposite is true and both businesses deliver a wealth of vital sales data that Utopia then uses to drive revenue elsewhere, as well as providing opportunities for the company to upsell its services to artist and label clients. Together, Proper Music Group and Utopia Distribution Services account for 98% of the physical music market in the United Kingdom, says Utopia.
“For me, [physical] distribution is not a legacy business. On the contrary, it fuels the other solutions and vice versa. It’s a good hybrid to have,” says the chief exec, who was himself a music DJ in the 1980s.
In a statement announcing Couttolenc’s appointment as CEO, Utopia co-founder Mattias Hjelmstedt said the exec’s successful track record as a global business leader coupled with his “deep understanding of data and its implementation” makes him the ideal person to steer Utopia’s ongoing transition from a hyper-growth company to a profitable one.
“It’s our products that will ultimately talk for us,” says Couttolenc. “I’m pretty much obsessed with understanding and tracking why people listen to music. The why for me is very important because that’s where you understand the real trends of listeners.”
Virgin Music Group announced the members of its global leadership team on Thursday (Oct. 19).
The executives’ responsibilities are split across five regions. Jacqueline Saturn will serve as president of Virgin Music Group North America/executive vp of global artist relations; Thomas Lorain and Nick Roden will be co-presidents in Europe; and Victor Gonzales has been named president in Latin America and the Iberian Peninsula, with Cris Garcia Falcão working as MD of label and artist strategy/GM of Virgin Music Group Latin.
In Australia and New Zealand, Nathan McLay will assume the role of MD — working with Tim Janes as MD of global marketing for Virgin Music Group Australia — and Michael Roe will take the position of MD in Africa, Middle East and Asia (AMEA).
“It is an enormously exciting time to be working in the independent sector of our business,” JT Myers, co-CEO of Virgin Music Group, said in a statement. “In today’s market,” he added, “visionary music entrepreneurs can be successful on a global scale if they have the right team and infrastructure to empower them.”
In addition to announcing regional leaders, Virgin named Jay Blomquist as chief technology officer, Jeremy Kramer as execugtive vp of global marketing, Joy Larocca as executive vp/CFO, Liz Morentin as senior vp of global communications and brand strategy, Matt Sawin as head of global product strategy and operations, Nina Rabe-Cairns as head of global growth strategy and Zack Gershen as executive vp of global commercial and digital strategy.
The appointments are the latest step in a consolidation process for Universal Music Group’s various artist services outfits. In September 2022, the company lumped together Virgin Music Label and Artist Services, Ingrooves Music Group and the newly acquired mtheory Artist Partnerships into a new entity, Virgin Music Group — of which mtheory’s founders, Myers and Nat Pastor, were appointed co-CEOs.
“mtheory was founded on the idea that we could transform the music industry by offering better, more aligned partnerships with artists,” Myers said last year. “By bringing these incredible global teams and resources together, we have the opportunity to turbo-charge that vision, and deliver even more value to artists, labels and music entrepreneurs.”
Warner Music previously combined its Independent Label Group and Alternative Distribution Alliance (ADA) under one roof in 2012. Sony Music merged The Orchard and RED under the Orchard brand in 2017.
Exceleration Music signed a strategic partnership with the founders of American independent label Rounder Records — Ken Irwin, Marian Leighton Levy and Bill Nowlin, as well as Rounder’s first and longtime president/CEO, John Virant — on their new venture, Down The Road. The new label will be focused on “the historic depth and breadth of Americana,” according to a press release, including releases from banjo player Tony Trischka, bluegrass group Blue Highway and Irish traditional music performers Dervish. It will also reissue 14 catalog titles produced by the Rounder Records co-founders in recent years. Down The Road releases will be distributed by Redeye, which Exceleration acquired in September.
Audoo — a music technology company that provides data allowing artists, songwriters, PROs and CMOs to see in real-time where their music is played, enabling them to better collect on public performance royalties — raised $5 million in its last funding round from investors including Elton John and David Furnish, bringing its total raised to $22 million. “Working as a musician can be seen as all glitz and glamour but for the vast majority of artists, especially new and emerging acts, this isn’t the case,” said John in a statement. “It’s often brutally unfair and this sadly extends into being paid correctly. Right now, artists are not being paid accurately for their plays because the data simply doesn’t exist … That’s why we’ve invested in Audoo and their world-class technology and data, to help create a more transparent system for everyone, and ultimately to keep the music alive.”
Patreon acquired livestream ticketed event platform Moment (formerly Moment House). In the coming months, “foundational elements” of Moment will be integrated into Patreon, according to a blog post. Since its founding in 2019, Moment has partnered with artists including Justin Bieber, Tame Impala and Kygo.
Warner Music Group (WMG) acquired Indian artist management and live events company E-Positive, strengthening WMG’s position in the region. On its roster, E-Positive boasts Darshan Raval, one of the most-streamed artists in India. E-Positive will continue acting as a standalone company, led by founder/CEO Naushad Khan. “Darshan, as well as the whole of the E-Positive roster, will be able to harness Warner Music’s global network and start to connect with a wider international audience,” said WMG president of emerging markets Alfonso Perez Soto in a statement. “This deal helps us to level-up and enhance our 360 offering to artists by bringing in the knowledge and expertise of Naushad to Warner Music. Our improved suite of services we will enable our artists to transcend the whole of India and help bring Indian culture to the rest of the world.”
In more WMG acquisition news, the company bought the recorded music business of Jukka Immonen‘s The Fried Music. Based in Finland, The Fried Music artists — including Anna Puu, Knipi and Viivi — will be integrated into the Warner Music roster and enjoy access to its global network. Starting on Jan. 1, 2024, Immonen will also begin serving as head of A&R at Warner Music Finland.
Mediabase has acquired the All Access music distribution business unit from Joel Denver. “Through this integration, Mediabase offers a seamless user experience by providing downloads of broadcast-quality content from our label partners,” said Mediabase president/CEO Philippe Generall in a statement. “The power of these collective platforms promises to redefine how industry professionals access and leverage media assets.”
Hook, a platform that allows users to remix and remake songs using AI, closed a $3 million seed investment round led by Steve Cohen‘s Point72 Ventures and Waverley Capital, co-founded by former Warner Music Group CEO Edgar Bronfman, Jr. Other participants included Mark Gillespie‘s Three Six Zero and Japanese entertainment brand Avex. The investment will be used to continue developing Hook’s platform; Hook will also collaborate with artists and record labels to develop technology to unlock new revenue streams. Founded by CEO Gaurav Sharma, Hook is planning to launch a closed beta later this year.
ASM Global extended its 10-year partnership with Onondago County, N.Y., to manage The Oncenter and St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview in Syracuse. Under the new deal, ASM Global will continue managing The Oncenter convention and entertainment facility — which includes the Nicholas J. Pirro Convention Center, the Upstate Medical Arena and three theaters in the John H. Mulroy Civic Center — as well as the St. Joseph’s Amphitheater, a 17,500-capacity outdoor concert venue.
Elsewhere at ASM Global, the company signed a long-term renewal contract to continue managing three venues in Puerto Rico: the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot arena, the Antiguo Casino de Puerto Rico and the Puerto Rico Convention Center.
The Circuit Group, a new company with a stated mission to create business opportunities around artists’ intellectual property, formed a joint venture with management and production company Pivot Music (led by Paolo Mojo) and DJ-producer Rebūke. Under the partnership, Pivot and its premier act, Rebūke, along with his ERA Music label, will move under the Circuit Group umbrella. According to a press release, The Circuit Group acquires up to 50% of artists’ song catalogs, offering those artists an immediate source of revenue while also aligning their interests with Circuit Group’s vision of creating additional avenues for intellectual property. The company also invests in and strikes strategic alliances with other entities across recorded music, publishing, merchandise, brand partnerships, gaming, events, Web3 and more.
Artist-producer-multi-instrumentalist Terrace Martin partnered with Lowly and Create Music Group to launch a joint-venture record label named O’Connor. The label launched on Friday (Oct. 13) with “311!”, the first single off sneek, a collaborative album between Martin and singer-songwriter Gallant. O’Connor’s executive board includes Martin, Deon Ford (Lowly’s A&R director) and Samantha Whitehead (creative director, art historian and Martin’s day-to-day manager). Under the deal, Martin will also produce for select Lowly/Create artists while assisting in A&R and artist development with Ford.
Linkfire renewed an agreement with Warner Music Group to provide its Saas marketing platform to the company globally. The agreement extends through April 30, 2024.
BMG acquired global rights to all three studio albums from Australian artist Angus Stone‘s Dope Lemon project, including 2016’s Honey Bones, 2019’s Smooth Big Cat and 2022’s Rose Pink Cadillac, as well as his 2017 EP, Hounds Tooth. BMG released Dope Lemon’s fourth studio album, Kimosabè, on Sept. 29 under a new recordings deal.
Sphere Entertainment announced that amplification technology company Powersoft contributed immersive haptic technology and amplifier solutions to Las Vegas’ Sphere venue. Powersoft technology is integrated within the venue’s 10,000 haptic seats as part of Sphere Immersive Sound powered by HOLOPLOT.
Backline, a nonprofit that provides mental health resources to music industry workers and their families, announced a new partnership with Eventric/Master Tour, software that assists with tour logistics. Under the agreement, the Master Tour mobile app will now include an in-app button that directs users to mental health resources, including the Crisis Text Line, the National Suicide Hotline and Backline’s suite of resources. Master Tour boasts a user base of over 250,000, with 55,000 active monthly users.
AI sound wellness company Endel partnered with dance music label Spinnin’ Records to create 50 AI-generated soundscape album playlists tailored for focus, relaxation, sleep, physical activity and more. The first two soundscape albums are out now, with new albums set to release every week over the next two months. All of the albums will fall under a new profile called Spinnin’ COSMOS. Artists involved in the project to date include Brazilian DJs Felguk and Italian production and DJ duo VINAI. “With this collaboration with Spinnin’, we’ve transformed hundreds of tracks from their incredible catalog into life-enhancing albums and playlists at a huge scale while retaining the iconic sound of Spinnin’ Records and its artists,” said Endel co-founder/CEO Oleg Stavitsky in a statement.
Decca Records US and the World Federation for Mental Health announced a partnership for World Mental Health Day on Oct. 10. Under the agreement, Decca US released a World Mental Health Day-themed playlist of calming music featuring artists including Chad Lawson, Cody Fry, Kings Elliot, Balmorhea, Daigo Hanada, Lara Somogyi, Sophie Hutchings and Samuel Mariño. Additionally, Decca US artist Lawson, who hosts a podcast on mental health, partnered with AI-powered sound wellness company Endel to release a meditation soundscape album featuring reimagined tracks from his album breathe.