Business
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Artists have long complained that streaming pays poverty wages — fractions of a cent per stream — and increases the difficulty of sustaining a recording career through a slow trickle of royalties. Some conservative-leaning artists are proving to be an exception to the rule with fans who still buy downloads at a time when streaming dominates music consumption.
Oliver Anthony’s “Rich Men North of Richmond” became a surprise hit — and could reach No. 1 on the Hot 100 — thanks to a confluence of two factors: As we’ve seen with several other songs recently, when a song gets caught up in — or leans into — the American culture wars, conservatives often buy downloads. “Rich Men North of Richmond” was an instant success: From Aug. 10 — the day with the first sales and audio streaming activity — to Aug. 15, daily U.S. streams went from zero to nearly 700,000 in just two days, according to Luminate, while daily U.S. downloads went from zero to more than 20,000 in each of the next four days. To put that in context, in a typical week the top track on the Hot 100 might sell 15,000 downloads.
In the seven-day period ended Aug. 15, “Rich Men North of Richmond” had 11.2 million on-demand audio streams that earned him roughly $40,000, Billboard estimates. But the track amassed an impressive 117,000 track downloads that netted Anthony about $81,000 — or 65% of the royalties earned from U.S. sales and streams. And because the track is distributed by DistroKid, which charges a flat fee for distribution, and owned by Anthony, he pockets the entire amount. Although the YouTube video hosted by radiowv has 21.6 million views, Luminate shows no video streams for the recording and Billboard does not know if Anthony is earning royalties from YouTube.
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Such high download sales make “Rich Men North of Richmond” an outlier in popular music. More often than not, a No. 1 track on the Hot 100 gets most of its revenue from streaming. Download sales have fallen precipitously in recent years and accounted for just 1.1% of U.S. track equivalent albums year to date, according to Luminate. On the most recent Hot 100, for the week of Aug. 19, Morgan Wallen’s chart-topping “Last Night” generated about 80% of its revenue from 20.8 million on-demand audio streams compared to just 5% from 5,000 track downloads. When Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire” topped the chart for a week in July, 81% of its revenue came from 31.3 million on-demand audio streams compared to 6% from 9,000 track downloads.
Some people have speculated that the song’s instant success must be the result of astroturfing — the use of fake grass-roots campaigns to gain public awareness. The themes in “Rich Men North of Richmond” — it criticizes both tax-hungry politicians and poor welfare recipients — struck a chord amongst conservatives and almost overnight became a favorite of rightwing politicians, pundits and instigators such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green, Matt Walsh and Kari Lake. While there’s no clear evidence of such a campaign at the moment, the track’s rise was quick even by the standards of today’s internet viral hits.
What’s clearer, though, is that “Rich Men North of Richmond” has a lot in common with K-pop tracks that soar to the top of the Hot 100 because fans buy downloads with the express purpose of getting the artist a good chart position. When Jimin’s “Like Crazy” topped the Hot 100 for a week in April, 241,000 track downloads accounted for 85% of its revenue. When his BTS bandmate Jung Kook hit No.1 with “Seven” in July, 59% of its revenue came from 138,000 downloads.
Conservative music fans act like K-pop fans when it comes to supporting a song. Track purchases helped Jason Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town” reach No. 1 on the Hot 100. In the week of Aug. 5, when the track sat atop the chart, 175,000 downloads accounted for 56% of revenue generated from streams and sales, according to Billboard’s estimate. Two weeks ago, “American Flags,” a patriotic song by rapper Tom MacDonald, sold 18,000 track downloads in the week — second only to “Try That in a Small Town” that week. The following week, the No. 11 most downloaded song was “Go Woke Go Broke” by Jokes on Woke, a country song that attacks recent villains in conservative culture such as Bud Light, CMT, Disney, Ford, Adidas and Barbie.
It’s not necessarily just fans voting with their money, though. The shopping habits of conservative-leaning music fans can help explain why Oliver, Aldean and the others have sold so many downloads. Notably, the country music market — which tends to lean conservative — was slower to adopt streaming (however, it has recently been catching up) and sees a higher-than-average level of purchases. Country music accounted for 35% of the top 100 track downloads in the week ended Aug. 10 — and six of the top 10 — while Christian/gospel accounted for 3%. Both genres have less representation on the Hot 100, which also incorporates streaming and radio spins. Country accounted for just 21% of the tracks on the current Hot 100 chart, while Christian/gospel was absent from the chart.
Whether it’s K-pop or country, songs typically can’t count on download sales alone to provide longevity on the charts. “Try That in a Small Town” sales fell 85% in a week, dropping the track from No. 1 to No. 21 on the Hot 100 in the week dated Aug. 12. Similarly, “Like Crazy” fell from No. 1 to No. 45 the week after its peak. As the culture wars quickly move onto the next issue, the lasting endurance of “Rich Men North of Richmond” depends on how many real fans Anthony has made in this time.
Webster “Yenddi” Batista Fernandez, one of the leaders of the largest-known YouTube music royalty scam in history, was sentenced to nearly four years in prison on Tuesday (Aug. 15). The court documents were made publicly available on Friday.
According to court documents, Batista is ordered to serve 46 months in prison for one count of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy. Upon his release from prison, he will be placed on supervised release for 36 months.
From about 2016-2021, Batista and his partner, Jose “Chenel” Teran, ran MediaMuv, a music company that claimed ownership of and collected YouTube royalties from over 50,000 songs, despite not having legal rights to nearly any of those works. The victims were primarily from Latin genres and ranged from hobbyist musicians to global superstars like Julio Iglesias, Don Omar, Anuel AA, Prince Royce and more.
Batista and Teran were ultimately indicted on 30 counts of conspiracy, wire fraud, money laundering and aggravated identity theft in November 2021. Six months later, Batista accepted a plea deal, admitting to one count of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy. His partner, however, did not plead guilty and accept a plea deal until just before the start of his Jan. 17 trial date. Ultimately, Teran admitted guilt to single counts of conspiracy, wire fraud and transactional money laundering.
Teran was given a heftier sentence than his counterpart — in late June, he was sentenced to nearly six years in prison for his involvement in the scheme. According to the government’s sentencing memorandum, Teran’s sentence was “undoubtedly substantial” but reflects a desire to “deter future conduct” similar to the MediaMuv scam. The document adds that Teran is at high risk to re-offend, given his interest in returning to the music business after prison and the sheer scale and savviness of his scam.
“In particular, the government is alarmed that even news of his indictment did not stop Teran,” says the court document. After his indictment, the document revealed that Teran siphoned another $190,000 of stolen royalties and moved those funds to a bank account “out of the government’s reach.”
A court document filed on Aug. 7 claimed that Batista is working toward rehabilitation and should receive more leniency in his sentence as a result. “He wanted to rehabilitate his life” since his arrest in November 2021, says the sentencing memorandum. “[He] participated in Hustle 2.0, which is a self-directed learning program designed for incarcerated individuals to give them the tools for rehabilitation.” On May 3, 2023, Batista received a certificate for completing its “pre-season program.”
Many of the artists whose works were claimed and stolen from by MediaMuv are still unaware. To check and see if you are a victim, please click here and contact victim witness specialist Todd McKenney, todd.mckenney@usdoj.gov.
Performance Rights Organization BMI is engaging with outside parties over the possibility of a sale, as the organization seeks to continue its transition into a for-profit entity. But where those profits will come from is of concern to several groups that advocate on behalf of songwriters, who have sent an open letter to BMI CEO Mike O’Neill addressing the issue.
Chief among those concerns is whether any profits that BMI does accrue will come at the expense of royalties that would otherwise be paid out to songwriters for the exploitation of their works, which is the business in which BMI has operated for more than 80 years. In its most recent annual report, for the year ended June 30, 2022, BMI — which represents repertoire by songwriters like Kendrick Lamar, Taylor Swift and Rihanna, among some 1 million others — reported that its revenue reached $1.573 billion and that it distributed $1.471 billion to songwriters, its highest mark ever. (While BMI has always been a private company that could have operated to reap profits, it has up until last year chosen to operate as a not-for-profit entity. ASCAP, its main competitor, is a non-profit 501-C corporation.)
“Songwriters have a vested interest in changes at BMI and in any proposed transaction which is wholly dependent on songs they have written,” reads the letter, signed by the Black Music Action Coalition, the Music Artists Coalition, Songwriters of North America, the Artist Rights Alliance and SAG-AFTRA, and which was obtained by Billboard. “BMI does not own copyrights or other assets; it is a licensing entity for copyrights owned by songwriters and, by extension, publishers. Songwriters have a right to understand these decisions and how it impacts us.”
The letter outlines three areas of concern: BMI’s profits; the proceeds from any potential BMI sale; and what may happen operationally at BMI in the event that the organization is, in fact, sold.
Under the first heading, the groups ask to verify whether BMI generated $135 million in profit since the shift to the for-profit model; how those profits were generated; whether that increase in profits would benefit songwriters; and whether any future profits might come at the expense of distributions to songwriters.
The second heading questions whether songwriters, publishers or broadcasters would receive any proceeds from any potential BMI sale; and if it were the latter, if that would not be effectively a rebate on the licensing fees they pay to broadcast songs, essentially lowering the cost to their businesses.
And on the final point, the groups ask whether any writers or publishers would receive benefits that are not extended to others; ask for assurances that writers will not be driven away or discouraged from joining BMI; and whether, if BMI is sold to private equity investors, the new owners would seek profits at the expense of disbursements to songwriters.
A spokesperson for BMI did not provide a comment at time of publishing.
Last month, in a memo to staff, O’Neill sought to explain reports about BMI reopening talks for a sale, after initial conversations had stalled out last year. “Delivering for our affiliates is always our top priority, and we have a responsibility to engage in discussions with outside parties if they can help further that mission,” O’Neill wrote in the memo. “That is exactly what we are doing right now, and no final decisions have been made.”
Following that news, publishers quietly began grousing about BMI’s intention to switch to profitability, but only privately. The only major publisher who has responded to a request for comment on BMI’s move to convert to profitability was the Universal Music Publishing Group. “We don’t comment on rumor or speculation, but to be very clear, we will only support changes that increase value for songwriters and will not stand for any that result in our songwriters being paid less than what they deserve,” UMPG chairman and CEO Jody Gerson said in a statement to Billboard at the time. “We have a long history of successfully fighting for our songwriters and will continue to do so.”
Read the letter in full here:
August 17, 2023
Mr. Mike O’Neill Broadcast Music, Inc.
Re: BMI Proposed Transaction
Dear Mike:
As you know, there is no BMI without songwriters. Songwriters have a vested interest in changes at BMI and in any proposed transaction which is wholly dependent on songs they have written. BMI has been very active: BMI announced a shift to a “for-profit” model and engaged Goldman Sachs to explore a transaction where a private equity company would purchase BMI. BMI does not own copyrights or other assets; it is a licensing entity for copyrights owned by songwriters and, by extension, publishers. Songwriters have a right to understand these decisions and how it impacts us.
As advocacy organizations representing songwriters, we have questions about the impact of a proposed transaction on our songwriter members. In the spirit of transparency, we hope that you will answer the following questions:
BMI Profits
We heard that BMI has reported $135m in profits since it shifted to a “for profit” model. Is that accurate?
If so, how did BMI increase its profits so dramatically?
Will songwriters benefit from this increase in profits?
What does BMI project its future profits to be?
We all know that the way to become more profitable involves increasing revenue and/ordecreasing expenses. If revenue increases, shouldn’t that money go to songwriters? Will BMI need to reduce its distributions in order to drive future profits?
Proceeds from a BMI Sale
If BMI sells, will writers or composers receive part of the sale proceeds?
If BMI sells, will the broadcasters on BMI’s Board receive the sale proceeds?9420 Wilshire BlvdBeverly Hills, CA 90212
If so, why should broadcasters be the biggest beneficiary from a sale of a company whose only asset is songs that belong to songwriters?
If broadcasters benefit from the sale of BMI, aren’t they essentially receiving a rebate on the licensing fees they’ve paid? In other words, they got to play songs for free?
If BMI sells, will publishers receive part of the sale proceeds?
If BMI were to sell who else would receive a share of the sale proceeds?
Proceeds from a BMI Sale
If BMI sells, will writers or composers receive part of the sale proceeds?
If BMI sells, will the broadcasters on BMI’s Board receive the sale proceeds?
If so, why should broadcasters be the biggest beneficiary from a sale of a company whose only asset is songs that belong to songwriters?
If broadcasters benefit from the sale of BMI, aren’t they essentially receiving a rebate on the licensing fees they’ve paid? In other words, they got to play songs for free?
If BMI sells, will publishers receive part of the sale proceeds?
If BMI were to sell who else would receive a share of the sale proceeds?
BMI Operations after a Sale
If BMI is sold, will any writers receive a benefit that is not extended to all writers (e.g., equity or profit participation)?
If BMI is sold, will any publisher receive a benefit that is not extended to all publishers and writers?
Private equity companies have aggressive return on investment goals. Since BMI is for profit, private equity owners will demand increased profits to meet their expectations. How can writers and composers be assured that private equity owners of BMI won’t drive more profits for themselves at the expense of songwriters?
Can BMI assure writers and composers that BMI’s profit margin will not exceed what BMI currently charges writers and composers as overhead?
We have concerns that increased profits for a private equity owner could come from lowering distribution rates or decreasing distributions by driving writers away from BMI. Can you assure songwriters that neither of these things will happen?
BMI is required to provide a home to any writer who wants to join. Can BMI confirm that they will not seek to drive writers away from BMI or discourage writers from joining BMI?We appreciate your attention. We will make ourselves available so that we can better understand this process and explain it to our members. We look forward to hearing from you prior to the completion of any proposed transaction.
Sincerely,
Black Music Action CoalitionMusic Artists CoalitionSongwriters of North AmericaSAG-AFTRAArtist Rights Alliance
Additional reporting by Ed Christman.
A federal judge ruled Friday (Aug. 18) that U.S. copyright law does not cover creative works created by artificial intelligence, weighing in on an issue that’s being closely watched by the music industry.
In a 15-page written opinion, Judge Beryl Howell upheld a decision by the U.S. Copyright Office to deny a copyright registration to computer scientist Stephen Thaler for an image created solely by an AI model. The judge cited decades of legal precedent that such protection is only afforded to works created by humans.
“The act of human creation — and how to best encourage human individuals to engage in that creation, and thereby promote science and the useful arts — was … central to American copyright from its very inception,” the judge wrote. “Non-human actors need no incentivization with the promise of exclusive rights under United States law, and copyright was therefore not designed to reach them.”
In a statement Friday, Thaler’s attorney Ryan Abbot said he and his client “disagree with the district court’s judgment” and vowed to appeal: “In our view, copyright law is clear that the public is the main beneficiary of the law and this is best achieved by promoting the generation and dissemination of new works, regardless of how they are created.”
Though novel, the decision was not entirely surprising. Federal courts have long strictly limited to content created by humans, rejecting it for works created by animals, by forces of nature, and even those claimed to have been authored by divine spirits, like religious texts.
But the ruling was nonetheless important because it came amid growing interest in the future role that could be played in the creation of music and other content by so-called generative AI tools, similar to the much-discussed ChatGPT. The question of copyright protection is crucial to the future role of AI since works that are not protected would be difficult to monetize.
“Undoubtedly, we are approaching new frontiers in copyright as artists put AI in their toolbox to be used in the generation of new visual and other artistic works,” the judge wrote. “The increased attenuation of human creativity from the actual generation of the final work will prompt challenging questions.”
The current case, however — dealing with a work that was admittedly created solely by a computer — “is not nearly so complex,” the judge wrote. Given the lack of any human input at all, she said, Thaler’s case presented a “clear and straightforward answer.”
Though Friday’s ruling came with a clear answer, more challenging legal dilemmas will come in the future from more subtle uses of AI. What if an AI-powered tool is used in the studio to create parts of a song, but human artists add other elements to the final product? How much human direction on the use of those tools is needed for the output to count as “human authorship”?
Earlier this year, a report by the U.S. Copyright Office said that AI-assisted works could still be copyrighted, so long as the ultimate author remains a human being. The report avoided offering easy answers, saying that protection for AI works would be “necessarily a case-by-case inquiry,” and that the final outcome would always depend on individual circumstances.
Read the full opinion here:
Tim Hinshaw, Amazon Music’s head of hip-hop and R&B, will be exiting the company after five years to launch his own agency, Free Lunch. Free Lunch’s first client is Amazon Music. Before Hinshaw officially opens the agency, he will remain at Amazon in his current role through November.
“Tim and the Rotation team have established Amazon Music as a powerhouse in hip-hop and R&B,” said Ryan Redington, vp of music industry for Amazon Music, in a release announcing the news. “We’re incredibly supportive of Tim realizing his dream of launching his own agency, and we’re thrilled to continue to work together on developing the most impactful campaigns for artists and our customers.”
According to the release, Free Lunch’s principal focus will be to “authentically connect brands with artists and culture through bespoke storytelling and in real-life experiences.” The agency derives its name from the free lunch programs offered by public schools and parks in underserved communities across the country.
“Free Lunch is an ode to my youth and the dreams I had as a child, which have now blossomed into a beautiful reality,” said Hinshaw, who grew up in Compton. “My work throughout my whole career and especially at Amazon Music has always been a reminder that where you come from doesn’t have to dictate where you end up. I look forward to continuing to work with my incredible colleagues at Amazon Music and building a company that will open doors for people with backgrounds like mine.”
Hinshaw has served as Amazon Music’s head of hip-hop and R&B since 2018. In helming the company’s industry strategy and partnerships for the genres, he also works closely with the streaming service’s global flagship brand, Rotation. Launched in 2019, Rotation presents new and emerging artists through playlists like Rap Rotation and R&B Rotation. Sharon Bako, Rochelle Balogun, Jane Shin and Andrew Sexton initially comprised the Rotation team.
Under Hinshaw’s leadership, Rotation has expanded in recent years. Sierra Lever joined Sexton to oversee label relations while Josh Peas leads artist relations. Stephanie Harris became a member of Balogun’s team, which curates Amazon Music’s hip-hop, R&B and Afrobeats programming. Melanie Mercedes came aboard in 2022 to lead Rotation’s social media presence. Hinshaw, Balogun, Lever and Peas are 2023 Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players honorees, with Hinshaw recognized as executive of the year in 2022.
“I want to thank Steve Boom [Amazon Music vp] and Ryan Redington for believing in me,” added Hinshaw. “When we initially discussed this idea, neither of them flinched and that meant the world to me and my family. Black executives have oftentimes gotten the short end of the stick after giving their all in this industry. I can name so many. It’s not often you see this type of support from major corporations for executives like myself and that should be celebrated. This is not only a win for me, it’s a win for hip-hop culture, a win for creative executives and a win for the Westside of Compton. Free lunch for the youth forever.”
French Montana is facing a copyright lawsuit claiming his 2022 song “Blue Chills” features an unlicensed sample from a singer-songwriter – who says the rapper tentatively agreed to pay her for the clip but then never actually did so.
Skylar Gudasz’s ghostly 2020 song “Femme Fatal” can be heard playing throughout French’s track, and she claims that the rapper’s reps offered to pay her for the sample – both in upfront fees and an ongoing payments, including a fifty-percent share of the publishing copyright.
But in a lawsuit filed Thursday in North Carolina federal court, the singer says French (whose real name is Karim Kharbouch) then dropped “Blue Chills” without ever actually signing that deal.
“Despite repeated promises from defendants …. no signed agreement, fees, royalties, licensing agreements or monies have ever been sent to plaintiff,” Gudasz’s lawyers wrote in the lawsuit.
A rep for French Montana did not immediately return a request for comment.
Gudasz says she was first contacted in May 2022 by Deborah Mannis-Gardner, a well-known industry exec who has been called the “queen” of sample clearance, about French using “Femme Fatal” in an upcoming song. Gudasz says she and her lawyer then negotiated a deal in which she would receive more than $7000 in upfront fees, an .08 percent cut on master royalties, and a fifty-percent share of the copyright for French’s new composition.
But a month later, she claims that French, without notice, released the song “prior to finalizing and signing a licensing agreement.” Gudasz says that her lawyer quickly alerted Mannis-Gardner about the problem.
“Oh jeez,” Mannis-Gardner allegedly wrote in a response email, saying she would reach out to French’s attorney about the issue. But Gudasz says the situation was never resolved: “DMG continued to maintain there would be a final agreement, sent emails finalizing the licensing agreement and requested invoices from plaintiff, which plaintiff timely sent … and even sent plaintiff a congratulatory email.”
Gudasz says the aborted negotiations show that French “knowingly infringed” the earlier song, because they show that he was aware that he needed a license but chose to proceed without one. She claims that French even posted comments to Instagram congratulating her, and acknowledged her role in “Blue Chills” on an episode of Apple Music’s Rap Life Radio.
“The unauthorized and infringing use by defendants of the song ‘Femme Fatale’ has caused irreparable harm, damage and injury,” Gudasz’s lawyers wrote. “Plaintiff has been deprived of the rightful experience of benefitting and enjoying the fruits of her labor.”
In addition to French Montana, the lawsuit also names producer Harry Fraud (real name Rory William Quigley) as a defendant, as well Sony Music Entertainment and several other companies involved in French’s song. Mannis-Gardner is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit and is not accused of any wrongdoing.
Few things have captured the cultural zeitgeist in 2023 more than Barbie, Greta Gerwig’s film based on the classic Mattel toy that has become a $1 billion-movie since its release in July. But anyone who has seen the movie can attest that it’s more than just a comedic sendup or a feminist film lacing into cultural stereotypes of the past half-century — it’s also a deeply musical film, with songs by Lizzo, Matchbox 20 and others playing central roles in how the story plays out.
So it naturally follows that the soundtrack, with original songs by Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, Ice Spice and Nicki Minaj, and more, would make waves as well — though perhaps few people predicted it would do this well. Three weeks after the soundtrack’s release, the album remains at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, while three of its singles — Dua’s “Dance The Night,” Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?” and Ice Spice and Nicki’s “Barbie World” — are in the top 15 of the Hot 100, and the top 10 of the Billboard Global 200. And that sustained success helps earn Atlantic Records West Coast president and Barbie soundtrack album co-producer Kevin Weaver the title of Billboard’s Executive of the Week.
The Barbie soundtrack isn’t Weaver’s first film success — he’s also been heavily involved in the soundtracks for The Greatest Showman, Suicide Squad, Daisy Jones & The Six, Birds Of Prey, Furious 7, The Fault in Our Stars and The Fate of the Furious, among others. But the Barbie film and soundtrack has captured the world’s collective attention in ways that none of those others truly have.
Here, Weaver discusses the impact of the film and its music, how Warner Music Group leveraged an all-hands-on-deck strategy to market it around the world and how the music played such a central role in the film itself. “The fact that Greta saw this film almost as a musical, and was so involved with the soundtrack, was an absolutely critical factor in how and why the music worked so well,” he says.
This week, the Barbie soundtrack spends its third week in the top five of the Billboard 200, with three of its songs in the top 15 of the Hot 100. How did this project come together, and what were the particular difficulties in pulling it off?
We had been tracking the development of the film for a few years and had frequent conversations with Warner Bros. and Mattel about partnering on the soundtrack. Once Greta and Noah [Baumbach] became attached to the project and Margot [Robbie] and Ryan [Gosling] were cast as Barbie and Ken, we aggressively started to put the pieces together. We try to start early on these types of projects, so we can actively contribute to how music shapes the project and vice versa. This was similar to when we worked on The Greatest Showman where we had a deal in place before the film was even officially greenlit by the studio.
The Barbie movie has become a cultural phenomenon. What have you guys done to market the soundtrack alongside that?
The music and our singles really helped fuel the cultural phenomenon months before the film had even opened. We were out with our singles, videos, social content, partnerships and strategy starting in late May. It felt critical to us that the soundtrack was an integral part of the overall campaign’s DNA. Our partners at Warner Bros. and Mattel really leaned into the music by incorporating it into every aspect of Barbie media and marketing in a truly unprecedented manner. The level of collaboration on this project and working with such smash records was the initial driving force behind this success.
The album didn’t just resonate in the U.S. — three of its songs are in the top 10 of the Global 200 chart, including two (Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?” and Dua Lipa’s “Dance The Night”) in the top three. What did you do to help market this release beyond the U.S.?
We enlisted our entire global marketing machine at WMG in a way that I have never experienced before. Very early on, Max [Lousada] and Julie [Greenwald] deemed the album a “Superstar Level Release” where each single got our most coveted “track of the week” priority assignment. This means that every track had every possible lever pulled behind it, in every territory throughout the globe. We also had every marketing team throughout the world working hand in hand with their local counterparts at Warner Bros. and Mattel. By doing this, we unlocked every co-op marketing opportunity across all three companies, including digital partnerships, media, physical retail, in-theater and anything else you could imagine.
How have you guys been able to tap into the craze around the various merchandising tie-ins with the movie?
We have some co-op products with Mattel, plus more in the works for later this year. Mattel helped us tremendously with our vinyl and CDs at all major retailers around the world. We were also able to work together on all of their key Barbie promotions, which gave the soundtrack massive additional visibility in the marketplace.
Given how music plays such a central role in the film, how closely did you work with the film team and the movie studio on the soundtrack?
We worked in lockstep with the filmmakers, Mark Ronson, and the music supervisor, George Drakoulias. We were given the opportunity to see scenes from the film very early on while Greta was still in the beginning stages of assembling the director’s cut. This enabled us to come up with creative ideas and strategize with Greta as she was making the film. From that point on, we would all speak and text daily with bi-weekly creative calls. We constantly passed ideas back and forth, showed artists and writers scenes from the film and shared music for review as soon as a new demo or mix came in. Everyone provided feedback in real time. The fact that Greta saw this film almost as a musical, and was so involved with the soundtrack, was an absolutely critical factor in how and why the music worked so well.
You’ve worked on several huge soundtracks in the past several years, including The Greatest Showman and several Fast & Furious films. What did you learn from those that you applied to this, and how was this one different?
First and foremost, I always do what is best for the movie. You have to let the music become a character in the film with its own voice. If you super-serve the creative needs of the movie as the basis for everything, then the songs become a true extension of the film as opposed to an afterthought. With this clear directive, we work with artists who align with the overall aesthetic tone of the movie, and then hone in on hit records.
How have you been able to keep the momentum on this release going?
It’s the gift that keeps on giving. We worked intentionally early on to create our own brand with this music and have continued to market it past the film’s release just like we would with any other superstar artist. Greta made a masterpiece and now we get to continue to grow this music outside of the four walls of the film, which helps both the film and our music brand continue to flourish. We get to come up with new creative ideas every day while having fun building upon what we’ve already been able to accomplish.
Every aspect of this project has been a dream and I couldn’t be more grateful to the entire team at Atlantic, the global teams at WMG, our creative partners, Greta, Mark, George and the filmmakers, as well as our partners at Mattel and Warner Bros. Every single thing we have done here has gone against the grain and we are thankful to have had enormous support in an unprecedented capacity by all involved.
Last Week’s Top Executive: Cactus Jack GM David Stromberg
Seattle’s famed Bumbershoot music festival has been on hold for three years after the annual event traded producers and the pandemic interrupted live music for years. This Labor Day weekend (Sept. 2-3), however, the beloved festival is back, celebrating its 50th anniversary and focusing in on community.
In January of 2022, Bumbershoot owner Seattle Center selected the New Rising Sun coalition as its production partner to reimagine the local event. With Neumos co-owner Steven Severin, Museums of Museums founder Greg Lundgren and McCaw Hall general manager Joe Paganelli leading the group, the two-day festival is back in the hands of locals and Severin says the community has embraced their vision of putting emphasis on Pacific Northwest artists for the lineup with Band of Horses, Sunny Day Real Estate and headliners Sleater-Kinney and finding ways to make a major festival more accessible to everyone in the community.
“People were like, ‘Holy sh*t. This is what we’ve been asking for,’” Severin says of the lineup announcement. “This is a 50-year-old festival that has gone through many different changes and metamorphosis, and this is how I believe that Seattle wants to see it.”
Most recently, Bumbershoot was produced by AEG Presents, which agreed to produce the festival with Seattle non-profit festival production company One Reel beginning in 2014 to help cover the $1 million in debt One Reel had wracked up. By 2019, AEG announced it would not renew its contract to work on the festival.
Knowing full well that most festivals take years to turn any profit, Severin – who serves as Bumbershoot’s co-president & director of music programming – says New Rising Sun has worked to remove barriers for those who want to attend the milestone event by partnering with e-commerce giant Amazon, which agreed to underwrite presale tickets for this year’s festival to keep the event affordable. Amazon sponsored a special early bird $50 single day and $85 two-day general admission ticket, the lowest ticket prices have been in a decade, according to Severin. The company also worked with arts organization Third Stone to give out 5,000 tickets to area nom-profits and community organizations.
“I’m never going to fault AEG for how they ran things because that is how festivals changed. The whole model changed. You went for bigger and bigger and bigger artists,” says Severin, but now “the money stays here, it doesn’t go to New York or LA. It’s homegrown, as local as it gets.”
Lundgren, who also founded Vital 5 Productions, believes the festival can attract even more locals through its robust art programming. While there will be traditional festival art exhibits such as large-scale paintings and sculptures called Out of Sight, Lundgren says they are “drawing a larger circle around” what people consider art. The festival will include wrestlers, pole dancers, filmmakers, roller skaters, double Dutch jump rope performers, nail artists, makeup artists, fashion designers, extreme pogo stick and sign spinners (yes, like the folks who spin Subway signs on street corners).
“The more that you start to examine people that work within those [expanded art] spaces, the more that you realize that not only is this their daily practice, very similar to a painter or to a modern dancer or to a filmmaker,” says Lundgren. “But their own attitude and their own ethos around what they do is very much centered around self-expression, around how they’re communicating with their larger world.”
There will be a tattoo runway, where anyone can walk the catwalk to show off their body art. People can sing their favorite karaoke song with an improvised burlesque dancer interpretive dancing at burlesque karaoke and the festival will host a Witch Dome with everything from tarot to past life readings and palmists.
“My hope is that by year two or year three you won’t be able to tell who the performer is and who the audience is. To me, that’s a huge success,” says Lundgren. “If we can create a festival that everybody feels like they have not only the capacity, but the invitation to participate in.”
Additionally, Third Stone – the non-profit arm of Bumbershoot – launched the Workforce Development Program to offer young adults aged 17-25 the opportunity to learn critical business skills within the festival and live music setting. In partnership with The UC Theatre’s Concert Career Pathways (CCP) program, this six-month tuition-free, hands-on education experience and paid internship began in April 2023 and will culminate in the opportunity to work on the grounds at the festival and graduation.
This year’s 16 participants come from all around Washington with most coming from low-income communities and identifying as people of color and/or members of the LGBTQ+ community.
“The heart of the program is to reduce barriers of entry into the [music industry] workforce,” says Third Stone executive director James Miles. “The goal is to prepare these young people to take on any job in live production.”
The program includes in-depth courses with industry veterans from around the industry, as well as hands-on jobs putting on this year’s Bumbershoot. Following graduation for the 16 students, Third Stone will help support the participants in landing their desired job.
Skye Landgraf is the first director of partnerships and programs at We Are Moving the Needle, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering and supporting women and non-binary pros in the recording industry. The D.C.-based Landgraf will work to expand WAMTN’s core programs in higher education and oversee the org’s annual Fix the Mix report. (This year’s FtM found that women and non-binary people are drastically underrepresented in audio producing and engineering roles.) Landgraf is also tasked with growing WAMTN’s institutional partnerships to help drive meaningful change in the industry. Prior to joining WAMTN, Landgraf served as the director of institutional advancement at the American Association of University Women (AAUM), as well as the associate director of foundation relations at George Washington University.
“In just two short years, WAMTN has already made a difference in the careers of women and non-binary individuals pursuing careers behind the boards, but we still have much work to do,” We Are Moving the Needle founder Emily Lazar. “Bringing in Skye, whose decade of experience in the nonprofit world, deep knowledge of music, and commitment to gender inclusivity and equity, will allow us to make an even bigger impact on our industry.”
Josh Javor departed X-ray Touring and is now a partner at WME and co-head of the talent agency’s music department in London. Javor spent 17 years at X-ray, scoring a spot on last year’s Billboard International Power Players list for his handling of Coldplay’s massive world tour, and for a major partnership between X-ray and Artist Group International. Over the years, he has had a hand in guiding the UK live careers of such artists as Eminem, Phoebe Bridgers, Bright Eyes, Belle & Sebastian and many more. “Josh has not only built a roster of artists that shape music, he’s also been an integral part of building the international touring industry as we know it today,” said Lucy Dickins, WME’s global head of contemporary music and touring, who Javor will be reporting to. “With Josh coming on board, our London office is doubling down on being the leading team in the region and on the international stage.”
Arista Records vp of promotion Mark Neiter announced his departure from the label, effective Aug. 23. The radio promo veteran joined the Sony Music imprint in September 2021 and points to successful campaigns for Maneskin, Lola Brooke and Beach Weather among his top accomplishments. Prior to joining Arista, Neiter put in the work (21 years worth) at Interscope, where as vp of national top 40 promotion he collaborated with — and built airplay dominance for — artists ranging from Maroon 5, Lady Gaga, Imagine Dragons and Eminem. According to RAMP, Neither will continue to consult for Arista. “I want to thank Davi Massey, Nick Petropoulos and the whole Arista team for a great run here,” he said. “I am excited to learn about what future opportunities lay out there.” He can be reached at mneiter11@gmail.com.
RIP Two All-Timers: Clarence Avant and Jerry Moss
Craig Newman joined the loving embrace of Paladin Artists, where he’ll focus on expanding the agency’s performing arts, family, special attractions and comedy divisions. The veteran agent won’t stop rocking, however, and is bringing along his diverse roster of clients that includes Bachman-Turner Overdrive, WAR and former Monkee Micky Dolenz, among others. Based in Los Angeles, this is a reunion of sorts for Newman, who used to work with Paladin co-founders Steve Martin and Andy Somers, as well as Bruce Solar, during his time as head of performing arts at APA. Newman’s diverse client list also includes chef Robert Irvine, illusionist Rick Thomas, American Girl Live! In Concert and Mini Pop Kids. “Craig Newman — aka Craigie Fresh! Master of time, the Ukulele and Arts Centers,” said Martin. “Paladin is happy to welcome Craig and his indomitable spirit, taste in artists, perspective and work ethic.”
Big Machine Label Group advanced Brooke Nixon to director of streaming, while the label’s The Valory Music Co. imprint has named Chris Waters to succeed Nixon in her previous role as southeast director of promotion & marketing. Nixon joined Big Machine Label Group in 2015, serving as the Dot Records promotion coordinator, before to moving to The Valory Music Co. imprint. Waters most recently served as director of promotion at Pearl Records with Garth Brooks. His career has also included radio and record promotion roles with Show Dog Nashville, Warner Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and Cumulus Nashville WSM Radio. –Jessica Nicholson
Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation, a non-profit providing support services to school districts and musical instruments to underfunded music programs, named Tricia Williams as its next president and CEO in anticipation of the departure of Felice Mancini, who guided MHOF for a quarter century. Williams has been program director at the org since 1999 and is credited with creating a novel consulting service that districts use to more efficiently secure music and arts funding. Replacing Williams as program director is Todd Shipley, the former Director of Arts Education for the Tennessee Department of Education. Over Mancini’s tenure, MHOF has invested more than $34 million in musical instruments distributed to thousands of school music programs nationwide. “Felice has been instrumental in molding MHOF into the most admired music education foundation nationwide,” said Scott Holtzman, chairman of the board. “Our entire Board joins me in saying that we feel that Tricia has proven she is exceptionally qualified to lead MHOF at a critical time in the evolution of music and the arts in our public schools.”
ICYMI: Oak View Group (OVG) appointed Ade Patton as CFO … Elektra Entertainment promoted Jacob Fain to executive vp and head of A&R .. and the music team at TikTok was hit with layoffs. The cuts affected seven staff members, including senior product strategy & ops lead Kelly Chen and U.S. music partnerships and operations lead Marisa Jeffries.
Kobalt promoted Alaine Fulton to vice president of creative and clearance synch, putting her in charge of the London-based team that tackles strategy across how synchs are used, their clearance, and licensing administration. Fulton was previously director of UK creative and clearance synch and in the past year has negotiated and closed deals with the new Barbie movie, Samsung and Lexus, among others.
Various Artists Management hired Emily Thorpe-Jones as the London-based agency’s new head of brands and corporate. In her new role, which is effective immediately, Thorpe-Jones will work on all brand partnerships, commercial opportunities and corporate live bookings, and report jointly to Group CEO David Bianchi and Various Artists Management USA CEO Matt Luxon. She splits her time between Los Angeles and London. Prior to joining VAM, whose roster includes Melanie C, La Roux, The Libertines and Supergrass, among others, Thorpe-Jones worked extensively in radio PR before moving into the publishing sector, where she agency director at Hearst.
Too Lost, a music distribution and technology company, just added seven new employees — and a pair of promotions — within its office in Los Angeles. Up first at director of communications is Damien Ritter, formerly COO of BeatStars. Next up is Meghan Lyttle, who takes on the role of product manager following her time at Spotify and Peloton. Then its Jennifer Ferrer, a former senior manager at ADA Worldwide, who is Too Lost’s new senior product manager. Jake Selvey, previously with 300 Entertainment, steps into the role of A&R manager. Jheanelle Henry joined Too Lost’s Label Services department from MySeat. Ariana Slater and Carly Golisch round things out as new product and operations coordinators. And finally, Aldo Davalos was promoted to general manager and head of business development, while Buster Ross got bumped up to associate director of A&R. Too Lost offers distribution and publishing services that deliver, monetize and protect the songs of over 200,000 indie artists and labels.
Apple veteran Peter Stern joined Ford as president of the automaker’s new Ford Integrated Services unit. Up until January, Stern was vice president of services at Apple, where he was the driving force in launching non-music pillars including Apple TV+, iCloud and Apple Arcade. As part of his job, he headed up all marketing for Apple Music and Apple Podcasts.
UK-based marketing and digital consultancy agency Blackstar hired Dan Alani as head of creative. He’ll oversee Blackstar’s creative studio and work in tandem with the agency’s social and marketing teams on client campaigns. Alani was previously a senior producer at Able Media, working on campaigns for Harry Styles, Beyonce and others. Blackstar was launched in 2018 by former Universal Music Group marketing exec Olivia Hobbs, who is “beyond excited to be welcoming Dan… who brings with him 10 years of experience delivering creative campaigns for some of the world’s biggest icons.”
Dr. Moiya McTier joined the Human Artistry Campaign, a coalition of music and entertainment organizations that support ethical standards around AI, as an advisor and public communicator. The org describes Dr. McTier’s role as essentially “Explainer-in-Chief,” advising and educating policymakers and fellow creatives about the promise and the risks of AI. Since being announced at this year’s SXSW, the HAC’s efforts have been co-signed by music firms including Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA), American Association of Independent Music (A2IM), SoundExchange, ASCAP and BMI, among others.
Nashville Notes: Courtney Gregg launched Blue Sky Artist Management, with an artist roster that already includes Gaelic Storm, David Cook and John Baumann, among others. The former Carnival Music president (with previous stops at Billboard and ASCAP) is joined at Blue Sky with Kelsey Fitzgerald (Artist Management as Management Coordinator) and Corey Piper (Social Media and Tour Promotions Coordinator). Reach her at courtney@blueskyartistmgmt.com. … Bobby Bones renewed his affiliation with iHeartMedia. He will continue as an iHeart vp/creative director … Canada’s Corus Entertainment promoted Ronnie Stanton to vp of audio from vp of programming … Bad Blocks Music hired senior director of A&R Autumn Ledgin and creative coordinator Elizabeth Cook. Ledgin arrives from Good Company Entertainment. Cook joins following internships at Creative Nation and King Pen Music … Sarah Bennett joined The GreenRoom PR as senior publicist following a run in the same role at IVPR.
Jerry Moss once spent a day in Athens, Greece, screaming at the heads of the world’s top electronics companies during a Billboard music-industry convention. It was 1981. Sony’s Norio Ohga and Philips’ Jan Timmer were trying to persuade record executives to switch from their beloved LP to this new, high-tech “compact disc,” and Moss, co-founder of storied indie A&M Records, which would break Janet Jackson, Sting, Soundgarden and Blues Traveler, led the opposition.
Moss, who died Thursday at 88, believed CDs “would kill the industry because the perfect digital master would invite and facilitate piracy,” according to John Nathan‘s 1999 book, Sony.
As I was researching this subject for my own book, Appetite for Self-Destruction: The Spectacular Crash of the Record Industry in the Digital Age, I had to verify this claim. Nathan described a mob of outraged record execs chanting, like soccer hooligans, a “slogan that sounded like a Madison Avenue nightmare”: “The truth is in the grooves!”
This was the generous and magnanimous sales expert who was endlessly patient with his artists, willing to lose money on an album to advance a long-term career, whom Sting would describe as an “elder brother, a wise head, a man’s man and a mensch”?
I was sure Moss would be too embarrassed to rehash this history, because, eventually, the CD helped him and his partner, trumpeter Herb Alpert, become super rich, selling A&M to PolyGram for $500 million in 1989. (That’s $1.23 billion in today’s dollars.) But the exec who co-founded A&M with Alpert in a garage in 1962, after selling the master for Alpert’s Tijuana Brass instrumental “Tell It to the Birds” for $750, quickly agreed to a phone interview – and a wonkier follow-up later.
“I made a bit of a small statement at the meeting,” understated Moss, who at the time of our interview was running his post-A&M label, Almo Sounds, which had signed Gillian Welch as well as Garbage and Imogen Heap. “I liked the hardware and the whole ease of the CD, and I generally applauded the idea that Sony and Philips were getting together on this one piece of machinery.
“But,” he added, “I thought they could have done something to stop piracy.”
On Second Thought…
What finally turned Moss around was the economics of the CD. The price of vinyl records was stuck at $8.98 — and after Tom Petty threatened to affix a huge “$8.98!” sticker on his 1981 album, Hard Promises, his own label, MCA, and the rest of the industry were blocked from raising prices. The CD allowed A&M to “charge a multiple for this thing,” Moss said. Also, retail stores were charging labels for advertising — a “mighty blow,” Moss called it. After disco crashed in 1979, LP sales plunged. “Retailing and selling became very pinched,” he added.
“The retailers wanted more and artists and producers wanted more for what they were doing. The record companies were getting squeezed further and further,” Moss went on. “And here comes the CD.”
The shiny, futuristic format was in high demand, and retailers were willing to buy it from labels for $10 wholesale, far higher than the LP, then sell it to customers for $16.
“So A&M, after just a tiny bit of study, decided this was going to be our future,” Moss said.
Like the bigger labels, A&M had to find plants to manufacture the CD, quickly making a deal with a German company. And the CD, to which Moss had been so screamingly opposed in 1981, made A&M profitable beyond anything Alpert and Moss had once imagined: “The company was a different company from 1979 to 1989, certainly.”
A Bittersweet Sale
Alongside Alpert and the late Gil Friesen, then the day-to-day operations exec who referred to himself as the ampersand in A&M, Moss decided they had no choice but to sell the company they loved. Music stars in the late ’80s and early ’90s were demanding multimillion-dollar advances, and, as an indie, A&M couldn’t compete with bigger labels for the up-front guarantees. The trio stayed on for a couple of years after the sale, but PolyGram had a mandatory retirement age of 61. In 1991, Moss found himself with a new boss, Alain Levy, who became PolyGram’s worldwide president and CEO, and, Moss recalled, “wasn’t laughing at my jokes.”
(In 1998, PolyGram was sold to Seagram, which merged it with Universal Music Group, today the world’s biggest label.)
“I don’t regret selling, because I felt we had nothing but to do that. There was no alternative. We would have had to have gotten a lot smaller, and gotten our investment in different, other ways,” Moss told me. “I can’t say I’m sorry I sold A&M. I will say I’m sorry I had to leave.”