Business
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For some music companies, 2022 was the payoff for weathering the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic. When business returned that year — sometimes in record-setting fashion — these companies rewarded their executives handsomely, according to Billboard’s 2022 Executive Money Makers breakdown of stock ownership and compensation. But shareholders, as well as two investment advisory groups, contend the compensation for top executives at Live Nation and Universal Music Group (UMG) is excessive.
Live Nation, the world’s largest concert promotion and ticketing company, rebounded from revenue of $1.9 billion and $6.3 billion in 2020 and 2021, respectively, to a record $16.7 billion in 2022. That performance helped make its top two executives, president/CEO Michael Rapino and president/CFO Joe Berchtold, the best paid music executives of 2022. In total, Rapino received a pay package worth $139 million, while Berchtold earned $52.4 million. Rapino’s new employment contract includes an award of performance shares targeted at 1.1 million shares and roughly 334,000 shares of restricted stock that will fully pay off if the company hits aggressive growth targets and the stock price doubles in five years.
Live Nation explained in its 2023 proxy statement that its compensation program took into account management’s “strong leadership decisions” in 2020 and 2021 that put the company on a path to record revenue in 2022. Compared with 2019 — the last full year unaffected by the COVID-19 pandemic — concert attendance was up 24%, ticketing revenue grew 45%, sponsorships and advertising revenue improved 64%, and ancillary per-fan spending was up at least 20% across all major venue types. Importantly, Live Nation reached 127% of its target adjusted operating income, to which executives’ cash bonuses were tied.
The bulk of Rapino’s and Berchtold’s compensation came from stock awards — $116.7 million for Rapino and $37.1 million for Berchtold — on top of relatively modest base salaries. Both received a $6 million signing bonus for reupping their employment contracts in 2022. (Story continues after charts.)
Lucian Grainge, the top-paid music executive in 2021, came in third in 2022 with total compensation of 47.3 million euros ($49.7 million). Unlike the other executives on this year’s list, he wasn’t given large stock awards or stock options. Instead, Grainge, who has been CEO of UMG since 2010, was given a performance bonus of 28.8 million euros ($30.3 million) in addition to a salary of 15.4 million euros ($16.2 million) — by far the largest of any music executive.
This year, shareholders have shown little appetite for some entertainment executives’ pay packages — most notably Netflix — and Live Nation’s compensation raised flags at two influential shareholder advisory groups, Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass Lewis, which both recommended that Live Nation shareholders vote “no” in an advisory “say on pay” vote during the company’s annual meeting on June 9. Shareholders did just that, voting against executives’ pay packages by a 53-to-47 margin.
Failed “say on pay” votes are rare amongst United States corporations. Through Aug. 17, just 2.1% of Russell 3000 companies and 2.3% of S&P 500 companies have received less than 50% votes on executive compensation, according to executive compensation consultancy Semler Brossy. (Live Nation is in both indexes.) About 93% of companies received at least 70% shareholder approval.
ISS was concerned that the stock grants given to Rapino and Berchtold were “multiple times larger” than total CEO pay in peer group companies and were not adequately linked to achieving sustained higher stock prices. Additionally, ISS thought Live Nation did not adequately explain the rationale behind the grants.
To determine what Rapino, Berchtold and other executives should earn, Live Nation’s compensation committee referenced high-earning executives from Netflix, Universal Music Group, SiriusXM, Spotify, Endeavor Group Holdings, Fox Corporation, Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. and Paramount Global. Netflix co-CEOs Reed Hastings and Ted Sarandos were paid $51.1 million and $50.3 million, respectively, in 2022. Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslov made $39.3 million in 2022 — including a $21.8 million cash bonus — a year after his pay totaled $246.6 million, including $202.9 million in stock option awards that will vest over his six-year employment contract. Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel and executive chairman Patrick Whitesell received pay packages worth $308.2 million and $123.1 million, respectively, in 2021 thanks to equity awards tied to the company’s IPO that year (the received more modest pay of $19 million and $12.2 million in 2022).
Some companies in the peer group didn’t fare well in “say on pay” votes in 2023, though. Netflix, got only 29% shareholder approval in this year’s say-on-pay advisory vote after Hastings’ and Sarandos’ compensations both increased from higher stock option awards while the company’s stock price, riding high as COVID-19 lockdowns drove investors to streaming stocks, fell 51% in 2022. Warner Bros. Discovery’s 2022 compensation squeaked by with 51% shareholder approval.
Minutes from UMG’s 2023 annual general meeting in May suggest many of its shareholders also didn’t approve of Grainge’s compensation. UMG’s 2022 compensation was approved by just 59% of shareholders, and the company’s four largest shareholders own 58.1% of outstanding shares, meaning virtually no minority shareholders voted in favor.
UMG shareholders’ votes could be meaningfully different next year. Anna Jones, chairman of the music company’s remuneration committee, said during the annual meeting that in 2024, shareholders will vote on a pay package related to Grainge’s new employment agreement that takes minority shareholders’ concerns from the 2022 annual meeting into consideration. Grainge’s contract lowers his cash compensation, and more than half of his total compensation will come from stock and performance-based stock options.
Other companies in Live Nation’s peer group received near unanimous shareholder approval. SiriusXM’s 2022 executive compensation received 98.5% approval at the company’s annual meeting. Paramount Global’s executive compensation was approved by 96.4% of its shareholders. Endeavor didn’t have a “say on pay” vote in 2023, but a year ago, it’s sizable 2021 compensation packages were approved by 99% of voting shareholders.
As the radio industry came back from pandemic-era doldrums, two iHeartMedia executives — Bob Pittman, CEO, and Richard Bressler, president, CFO and COO — were among the top 10 best-paid executives in the music industry. It was new employment contracts, not iHeartMedia’s financial performance, that put them into the top 10, however. Both executives received performance stock awards — $6.5 million for Pittman and $6 million for Bressler — for signing new four-year employment contracts in 2022. Those shares will be earned over a five-year period based on the performance of the stock’s shareholder return. Neither Pittman nor Bressler received a payout from the annual incentive plan, however: iHeartMedia missed the financial targets that would have paid them millions of dollars apiece. Still, with salaries and other stock awards, Pittman and Bressler received pay packages valued at $16.3 million and $15.5 million, respectively.
Spotify co-founders Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon once again topped the list of largest stockholdings in public music companies. Ek’s 15.9% stake is worth nearly $4.8 billion while Lorentzon’s 11.2% stake has a market value of nearly $3.4 billion. Both Ek and Lorentzon have benefitted from Spotify’s share price more than doubling so far in 2023. In September 2022, the inaugural Money Makers list had Ek’s stake at $3.6 billion and Lorentzon’s shares at $2.3 billion.
The billionaire club also includes No. 3 HYBE chairman Bang Si-hyuk, whose 31.8% of outstanding shares are worth $2.54 billion, and No. 4 CTS Eventim CEO Klaus-Peter Schulenberg, whose 38.8% stake — held indirectly through his KPS Foundation non-profit — is worth $2.25 billion. They, too, have benefitted from higher share prices in 2023. Last year, Bang’s stake was worth $1.7 billion and Schulenberg’s shares were valued at $2.1 billion.
These top four shareholders and three others in the top 10 have one important thing in common — they are company founders. At No. 5, Park Jin-young, founder of K-pop company JYP Entertainment, owns a $559 million stake in the label and agency he launched in 1997. Another K-pop mogul, No. 8 Hyunsuk Yang, chairman of YG Entertainment, owns shares worth $199 million in the company he founded in 1996. And No. 9 Denis Ladegaillerie, CEO of 18-year-old French music company Believe, has a 12.5% stake worth $112.7 million.
Live Nation’s Rapino again landed in the top 10 for amassing a stockholding over a lengthy career, during which he has helped significantly increase his company’s value. Rapino, the only CEO Live Nation has ever known, took the helm in 2005 just months before the company was spun off from Clear Channel Entertainment with a market capitalization of $692 million. Since then, Live Nation’s market capitalization has grown at over 20% compound annual growth rate to $19.1 billion. Rapino’s 3.46 million shares represent a 1.5% stake worth $291 million.
Selling a company that one founded is another way onto the list. Scooter Braun, CEO of HYBE America, has a 0.9% stake in HYBE worth $69.8 million. That’s good for No. 10 on the list of executive stock ownership. Braun, HYBE’s second-largest individual shareholder behind chairman Bang, sold his company, Ithaca Holdings — including SB Projects and Big Machine Label Group — to HYBE in 2021 for $1.1 billion.
These rankings are based on publicly available financial statements and filings — such as proxy statements, annual reports and Form 4 filings that reveal employees’ recent stock transactions — that publicly traded companies are required by law to file for transparency to investors. So, the list includes executives from Live Nation but not its largest competitor, the privately held AEG Live.
Some major music companies are excluded because they are not standalone entities. Conglomerates that break out the financial performance of their music companies — e.g., Sony Corp. (owner of Sony Music Entertainment) and Bertelsmann (owner of BMG) — don’t disclose compensation details for heads of record labels and music publishers. Important digital platforms such as Apple Music and Amazon Music are relatively small parts of much larger corporations.
The Money Makers executive compensation table includes only the named executive officers: the CEO, the CFO and the next most highly paid executives. While securities laws vary by country, they generally require public companies to named executive officers’ salary, bonuses, stock awards and stock option grants and the value of benefits such as private airplane access and security.
And while Billboard tracked the compensation of every named executive for publicly traded music companies, the top 10 reflects two facts: The largest companies tend to have the largest pay packages and companies within the United States tend to pay better than companies in other countries.
The list of stock ownership is also taken from public disclosures. The amounts include common stock owned directly or indirectly by the executive. The list does not include former executives — such as former Warner Music Group CEO Stephen Cooper — who are no longer employed at the company and no longer required to disclose stock transactions.
In 1961, when career counselors arrived at 14-year-old Carole Broughton‘s U.K. school, she aspired to work in the fashion business. But the counselors dissuaded her from that path — and, after Broughton said her uncle worked in book publishing, steered her to song publishing instead. Afterward, her mother accompanied her to a job interview at Mills Music in London, which became her entry into a six-decade career in the music business, during which she worked with acts including ABBA, The Zombies, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Barry Manilow and British crooners Adam Faith and Anthony Newley.
“Growing up in the ’50s and ’60s, parents would [say to their daughters], ‘What do you want a career for? You’re only going to get married and have kids.’ You’d go on a short typing course and become a secretary,” Broughton says. “I just liked to get my teeth stuck into something and see it through.”
In her quiet, methodical way, Broughton was a pioneering female executive in the music business, solving technical problems like logging songwriting data into early computer systems. She started at a time when men ran just about everything, but over the years grew into a formidable executive. By the ’70s, she began to encounter more women at conferences like MIDEM in Cannes, France, but women who ran companies were rare. “I do remember one incident where somebody said they’d like to speak to a director of the company, and I said, ‘I am the director,’ and they said, ‘Well, I don’t like to speak to a female,’” she recalls. “That actually happened once!”
“Obviously, there were a few issues,” she adds.
Today, Broughton, 77, is MD of Bocu, a British independent label and publishing group that has had stakes in early Genesis masters and ABBA’s catalog, among many others. She recently sold The Zombies their master recording catalog, including classic hits such as “She’s Not There” and “Time of the Season,” after managing it for 59 years. “I wouldn’t say [the business] has changed for the better, but it’s obviously more lucrative,” she says.
Broughton was 15 when she began shopping sheet music for hits like Nat King Cole‘s “A Blossom Fell” to local bandleaders. At the time, she found herself at the center of Swinging London and the British Invasion. “Elton John was the tea boy,” Broughton says of her time on Denmark Street, the capital of Music Row, a pub-filled neighborhood where The Rolling Stones, The Kinks and Small Faces made early recordings. “David Bowie used to travel in on the same train. He’d have his ballet shoes in his bag.”
Broughton’s early days in the music business were “a magical time,” she says, when the denizens of Denmark Street piled into pubs and cafes and made lifelong contacts. Back then, she befriended Robert Wise, who printed her companies’ sheet music and in 2020 bought The Zombies’ publishing catalog from Broughton’s Marquis Enterprises.
“Just fun days, really,” Broughton recalls of ’60s London. “You’d have a meal out in the evening, and you’d get home, and my parents would have another meal sitting in the oven.”
In her spare time, Broughton, an Elvis Presley fan, traveled the United Kingdom with her then-husband, who served as bassist in a group called The Four that was opening for British rock star Billy Fury. (The Four supported The Rolling Stones, too, but Broughton and her husband didn’t interact with Mick and company.) “If you traveled in a van — say you had a husband or a boyfriend in a band — you always had to keep the curtain shut. They didn’t want the fans to know you had wives or girlfriends,” she recalls. “Billy Fury wanted to have screaming fans — we’d have to run up to the stage and try to grab hold of the artists. Then the bouncers would come and throw you off the stage. A lot of that was planned.”
At work, Broughton learned the nuances of copyright and realized “publishing had more longevity.” Contemporary hits might come and go, but memorable songs made money forever, covered by bandleaders, recorded by other artists, licensed to movies and TV shows and more. When she was 17, a friend at Essex Music, a publishing company down the street, called Broughton to say she was leaving to get married and recommended her for the job. Soon, another employee who worked for publisher Joe Roncoroni and producer Ken Jones left their company, Marquis Enterprises, which evolved from commercial jingles to production.
As the company’s signees, from The Zombies to Jonathan King — who had a hit with 1965’s “Everyone’s Gone to the Moon” — became successful, Marquis expanded, working with stars from Hedgehoppers Anonymous to Genesis. Broughton took on more responsibilities as the company grew into an umbrella organization encompassing as many as seven publishing and production entities — and when Roncoroni and Jones died, she took more control. “When Joe died, we bought the shares from various people — Joe’s widow, and the boys [The Zombies] were happy to sell their shares at the time. They probably were short a few bob.”
Banding with another veteran publisher, John Spalding, Broughton became co-director of the company, renamed Bocu Music. (Spalding had looked after the publishing for the Fantasy and Prestige labels for years, including the Creedence Clearwater Revival catalog as well as those of jazz giants such as Thelonious Monk and Miles Davis.) Bocu published the B-side of ABBA’s first single, 1974 Eurovision winner “Waterloo,” and, within a few years, Broughton and Spalding became the Swedish supergroup’s co-agent and sub-publisher, developing a close relationship with the band (until Universal Music Group took over the rights in 2016).
“It started getting really busy,” Broughton says.
Broughton toured with ABBA in 1977, “helping backstage with the ironing of the outfits,” she recalls. Over time, she used the contacts she made with ABBA to help her old friends from the ’60s, The Zombies. Soon, she was working in the early synch business, pitching songs to studios and advertisers by sending out tapes. The Zombies were often beneficiaries, landing “Time of the Season” in the 1990 film Awakenings and “She’s Not There” in a Chanel spot in 2015.
When Spalding died in 2011, Broughton took over Bocu. Now that The Zombies own their masters, she looks after 700 remaining copyrights, including Kid Creole and the Coconuts‘ “There But for the Grace of God Go I,” Johnny Logan’s 1980 Eurovision winner “What’s Another Year” and, as ever, King’s “Everyone’s Gone to the Moon.”
Broughton’s career-long focus on publishing, as opposed to working at record labels, served her well in the early 2000s when mp3s, Napster and online piracy threatened to destroy the album sales business. Licensing copyrights for films, TV shows and advertisements kept Bocu afloat. “We still had great copyrights and masters that were in demand,” she says. When YouTube and Spotify kicked in, she noticed that new fans were discovering her clients’ music — particularly The Zombies — more than they ever had.
There were issues with streaming licenses and how to pay artists and songwriters at first, but eventually performance rights organizations such as the United Kingdom’s PRS for Music sorted out the details. Although Broughton’s company has expanded beyond the music business in recent years — it owns a fish restaurant in Essex and a portfolio of rental properties run by her 33-year-old son — she remains active in Bocu. “I should probably have long since retired,” she says. “But this business gets in your blood, doesn’t it?”
The best advice I’ve received is… When I was first starting out, a secretary I took over from always used to say, “Listen and learn, even if it’s behind closed doors.” If your boss was in a meeting, always have an ear out, so you’d be one step ahead. If someone wanted a file on something, you were already there. She retired and I stepped in as secretary and I was still only about 17. I had staff under me. I just was always determined to make the best of a situation. I’d be there with the tea or the coffee, or the file.
My big break was… Just coming into this industry.
Something most people don’t understand is… The complexities of how copyright works. When you start explaining how money is collected, people outside the industry are always quite astounded by how complex it all can be.
Dealing with musicians is… My two main ones have been ABBA and The Zombies, and you couldn’t have worked with nicer people. I know there used to be a saying in the industry — “All artists are ‘dot-dot-dot,’” and not a very nice word — but I only had good experiences. You take them under your wing. I always called The Zombies “my boys.”
Yandel has signed with Warner Music Latina, marking his first deal with a major label after releasing his latest albums (Quien Contra Mi 2 and Resistencia) via his own company, Y Entertainment. The signing took place at the Empire State Building in New York City, where Yandel kicked off Hispanic Heritage Month festivities by leading […]
Shakira is again facing tax charges in Spain after Barcelona prosecutors charged the singer with allegedly failing to pay $7.1 million in tax on her 2018 income. The Associated Press reported that the action announced on Tuesday (Sept. 26) is tied to allegations that Shakira (born Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll), 46, used an offshore company […]
Live Nation, the world’s largest concert promoter, is launching an ambitious new program to improve the lives of touring musicians and cut down on the growing costs traveling artists facing criss-crossing the country.
Today, the concert giant has announced the launch of “On the Road Again,” a new program inspired by legendary singer/songwriter Willie Nelson to support developing artists and their road crews. The program — which has no expiration date and is expected to save artists tens of millions per year — tackles the growing costs of travel expenses and the ability of artists to make money through merch sales.
“Touring is important to artists so whatever we can do to help other artists, I think we should do it. This program will impact thousands of artists this year and help make touring a little bit easier,” said Nelson, who provided his famous hit song On the Road Again as the anthem for the program.
Starting today, all acts playing Live Nation owned and operated clubs, from headliners to support acts will receive a $1,500 gas and travel cash stipend per show to all headliners and support acts, on top of nightly performance compensation.
As part of the program, the company’s clubs will no longer charge merchandise selling fees, allowing artists to keep 100% of merch profits. Many artists rely on merch sales to generate cash for the band while they’re on the road. In January, Ineffable Music Group became the first company to wave merch fees for the companies 10+ venues and showrooms. The decision by Live Nation to waive these fees will likely lead to more cash in the hands of touring artists.
“Touring is a crucial part of an artist’s livelihood, and we understand travel costs take one of the biggest bites out of artists’ nightly profits,” a press release from Live Nation reads. “By helping with these core expenses, we aim to make it easier for artists on the road so they can keep performing to their fans in more cities across the country.”
The On the Road Again also includes financial bonuses to local promoters that help execute at shows as well as tour reps and venue crew members that have worked over 500 hours in 2023. On the Road Again also includes $5 million to Crew Nation, a fund created during the pandemic to support crew across the industry facing unforeseen hardship.
“Delivering for live artists is always our core mission,” said Michael Rapino, President and CEO of Live Nation in a statement to Billboard. “The live music industry is continuing to grow and as it does, we want to do everything we can to support artists at all levels on their touring journey especially the developing artists in clubs. Like Willie says, this is all about making it a little easier for thousands of artists to continue doing what they love: going out and playing for their fans.”
Conpany officials added that On the Road Again is “a true collaboration that draws on insights from Nelson’s years on the road as well as feedback from touring artists, their teams and venue operators to help support day to day life on tour. All benefits from On the Road Again are being provided directly from the venue’s existing earnings, with no increases to consumers.”
For more information on the program and a list of participating venues, visit roadagain.live
Courtesy Photo
Spotify likes its Collaborative and Blend playlist features so much that it decided to mash them together to make a new one. Simply called Jam, the feature allows a premium user to launch a real-time, collaborative playlist session with a whole “squad” of friends (including free users), who are then invited to add songs, receive […]
On a trip to visit his mother in Israel last year, Lyor Cohen, YouTube’s global head of music, asked her one of those big life questions that’s impossible to answer with anything but a big answer.
“She has 16 grandchildren and four sons, she’s 92 years old, and she is moving around this world by herself and still enjoying her grandchildren, healthy,” said Cohen. “And I said to her, ‘You’re a very, very lucky person.’ And she said, ‘Yes, I know that.’ And I said, ‘So, why are you so lucky?’
Without hesitation, she replied, “The more you give, the more you receive.”
At 63, with three kids and an illustrious career in music, Cohen said it’s this giving spirit that inspired him to accept this year’s Spirit of Life award from City of Hope, one of the country’s leading cancer treatment and research centers.
“We’re in the giving business and so we’re grateful to be here and to have the privilege,” said Cohen. “It’s a privilege to do it, but you have to get out of your normal grind to recognize that.”
Dr. Joseph Alvarnas speaks to a group on a tour of City of Hope on April 17, 2023.
Ryan Hartford
The honor, bestowed by City of Hope’s music, film and entertainment industry (MFEI) fundraising group, is reserved for entertainment industry titans and has helped the MFEI group raise $150 million since launching in 1973. Now in its 50th year, recent recipients in music include Republic Records founders/chief executives Monte and Avery Lipman (2022), Epic Records chairperson/CEO Sylvia Rhone (2019) and Sony Music Publishing chairman/CEO Jon Platt (2018). As such, the events around them are regularly a who’s-who of industry heavyweights and well-wishers leading up to the gala dinner where the award is presented, which this year will take place Oct. 18 at the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles.
In April, before the monthslong rollout of events including the All In For Hope Poker Tournament in May and the Music Trivia Bowl in July began, Cohen and seven of his staff members woke up early to drive over 100 miles from the Coachella Valley in rush hour traffic for a tour of the City of Hope campus in Duarte, Calif., just outside Los Angeles. It was the morning after the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival’s first weekend, where Cohen’s team oversaw what was likely the largest festival livestream event ever, broadcasting to more than 45 million people worldwide, according to the company. Many of them noted they hadn’t even had a cup of coffee yet.
Cohen, the tallest of the bunch, dressed in all black with a scarf around his neck, led the group, which also included Universal Music Publishing Group, North America president Evan Lamberg, entertainment lawyer Dina LaPolt, Culture Collective founder/CEO Jonathan Azu and Spirit Music Group chairman David Renzer — all of whom are on the City of Hope MFEI Board — as they followed City of Hope staff around the expansive 100-plus acre grounds.
There, they spoke with doctors and scientists to better understand the organization’s research efforts and care services. One of the key advantages City of Hope has in the field, several staff members explained, is that the proximity of scientists, treatment staff and manufacturing facilities, all of which are on-site, allows cross-collaboration that brings their research — seeking cures for cancer, HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening diseases — directly to patients without delay. Throughout, Cohen listened closely and expressed an intent to focus on how to address health disparities for Black people in the United States to create more equitable access to healthcare and establish greater trust in the system.
“I’ve made a living on Black music,” he said, “and what I’m particularly interested in is figuring out how the Black community could demystify getting early treatment and understanding about cancer and how they get the opportunity to help educate and eradicate cancer in these communities.”
Dr. Debbie Thurmond speaks on a tour of City of Hope on April 17, 2023.
Ryan Hartford
Cohen launched his career in the 1980s New York hip-hop scene as a road manager for Russell Simmons‘ Rush Productions before going on to manage the label. He later headed up Def Jam and then Warner Music Group before co-launching 300 Entertainment and, in 2016, joining YouTube. He had a hand in the careers of Public Enemy, DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, De La Soul, Eric B. & Rakim, A Tribe Called Quest, Jay-Z, DMX, Ja Rule and Ludacris. He acknowledges this is an opportunity to support the people and culture that built his success.
Supporting economically disadvantaged and racially diverse communities facing barriers that limit their ability to find and sustain specialized care was the focus of City of Hope’s Closing the Care Gap event on Aug. 29 and has been at the center of the organization’s MFEI fundraising since 2018. According to City of Hope, only 20% of cancer patients in the United States are treated at National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers, which can sometimes mean the difference between life and death. It’s something the City of Hope treatment and research center is addressing through community partnerships, government policy, expansion and diversifying its own workforce.
“My big takeaway is that there are so many people that have committed a lifetime to helping others that are selfless, that are so enthusiastic about solving some of these big problems,” Cohen said after the tour. “I saw and met many of the doctors here that loved the fact that they were in an organization that’s biased to speed of getting things done, and breaking the code and making things happen. I felt like this is a joyful place to work and a joyful place to solve these problems.”
Jordan Schepps, Jonathan Azu, Ali Rivera, David Renzer, Waleed Diab, Dina LaPolt, Stephen Bryan, Vivien Lewit, Jake O’Leary, Lyor Cohen, Evan Lamberg, Zach Horowitz, and Loren Fishbein on a tour of City of Hope on April 17, 2023.
Ryan Hartford
Brittany Howard signed with Island Records. The singer, also the lead singer and guitarist for Alabama Shakes, is ramping up to release new music on the label and embark on a headlining tour that kicks off Nov. 6 and will include shows at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium and the Corona Capital Festival in Mexico City. Howard’s debut solo album, Jaime, was released in 2019 and netted her two Grammy nominations — best rock song and best rock performance for the track “History Repeats.” She’s managed by Red Light.
Range Media Partners signed Russell Dickerson to its music division. Dickerson’s first four singles topped Billboard’s Country Airplay chart, starting with 2018’s “Yours.” He’s slated to launch his Big Wheels & Back Roads headlining run later this month. Since launching just over two years ago, Range’s music division has launched its own label in partnership with Capitol Music Group and Virgin Music & Artist Label Services, representing a range of talent including Jack Harlow, Saweetie, Justin Tranter, Cordae, Midland, Hailey Whitters, Luke Grimes and Paul Russell. – Jessica Nicholson
Range Media also signed Chinese singer-songwriter, dancer and actor Lay Zhang to a global deal across all areas. Zhang, who first rose to fame as a member of the K-pop group EXO, scored his first Billboard 200 entry with his 2018 solo album, NAMANANA: 03, which debuted at No. 21 on the chart. According to a press release, Zhang boasts over 80 million followers across his social media accounts. In addition to music, he’s currently starring in the Chinese box office smash No More Best and is slated to star opposite Jackie Chan in the forthcoming film A Legend; he’s also a brand ambassador for Hublot, Sprite, Fila and Bang & Olufsen.
Puerto Rican hitmaker Yandel signed a record deal with Warner Music Latina. Yandel, a reggaeton icon whose career spans decades — he broke out in the early 2000s as one half of the duo Wisin & Yandel — signed his contract at the Empire State Building in New York City, where he had the honor of kicking off the Hispanic Heritage Month celebration by leading the lighting ceremony. “Yandel’s iconic career has resonated with audiences worldwide, and his influence in the music industry is undeniable. This collaboration signifies a new chapter of innovation and creativity. We are excited to work hand in hand with Yandel to bring his music to fans across the globe,” said Warner Music Latina president Alejandro Duque in a statement. Yandel added, “I am truly excited to join the Warner Music Latina family and look forward to bringing new music to fans worldwide, fostering this new adventure with the label, and continuing to write my musical story together.” – Griselda Flores
Indian-born singer-songwriter-composer Guru Randhawa signed with CAA for representation. Known for Bollywood and Punjabi hits including “Patola,” Lahore” and “High Rated Gabru,” Randhawa broke into the U.S. mainstream with his 2019 Pitbull collaboration, “Slowly Slowly.” The music video for his latest single, “You Talking To Me,” has been viewed 30 million times in four weeks, according to a press release. He’s currently working on English-language music in Los Angeles. Randhawa is also represented by Exceed Entertainment in Mumbai, India; High G Talent; and the law firm Gang, Tyre, Ramer.
Warner Music Nashville signed singer-songwriter Matt Schuster. The Illinois native released his major-label debut track, “Tell Me Tennessee,” on Friday (Sept. 22). Schuster also has a cut on Bailey Zimmerman’s album Religiously. The Album., with “Chase Her,” and will open for Ashley Cooke, Dylan Scott and Kameron Marlowe this year. His team includes manager Eric Parker at Extended Play, booking agents Nate Towne, Braeden Rountree and Morgan Kenney at WME and Universal Music Publishing Group. – J.N
Ally Brooke partnered with AI-powered label SNAFU Records to release her new track, “Gone To Bed,” on Friday (Sept. 29). The deal marks Brooke’s reunion with Joey Arbagey, SNAFU’s president of A&R who first worked with Brooke during her time in Fifth Harmony. Brooke is managed by William Bracey, Sharona Nomder and Rue Golan and represented for booking by Mike G at UTA. She was previously signed to Atlantic Records as a solo artist and to Epic Records as part of Fifth Harmony.
The U.K. office of Believe partnered with Afroswing artist Darkoo and U.K. rapper Tion Wayne for their new single, “Shayo.” Believe will spearhead a full artist services campaign for the track encompassing global digital and physical distribution, digital marketing, digital service provider pitching and partnerships and more. The deal includes support from Believe’s audience development team spanning over 50 countries. “Shayo” marks Darkoo and Wayne’s third collaboration.
Rising rock artist Amira Elfeky signed with Anemoia Records/Atlantic Records, which released her latest track, “Coming Down,” on Sept. 15. Her relationship with Anemoia — a genre-agnostic imprint that specializes in early artist development and also boasts The Hellp, southstar and PEARCE on its roster — began nearly two years ago when she and her manager-masterer-mixer, Tylor Bondar, began working on music in Anemoia founder Ian Hunter‘s Los Angeles home. She released the track “Tonight (Demo)” in July. More music from Elfeky is expected in the fall.
Singer-songwriter Tiera Kennedy signed with Hill Entertainment Group for management and WME for global representation in all areas. Kennedy will be managed by Kodi Chandler, Greg Hill and their team, while at WME her reps are Risha Rodgers and Carter Green. She recently released “Jesus, My Mama, My Therapist,” a track off her forthcoming debut album. Kennedy is signed to Big Machine.
U.K.-born singer-songwriter-producer and multi-instrumentalist Finn Askew (“Roses,” “Feather”) signed to Elektra Entertainment, which released his latest single, “Perfect Colour,” on Friday (Sept. 22). Askew is managed by Marissa Rodney and was formerly signed to Polydor Records.
Indie rock duo Mae signed to Equal Vision Records, which will release new music from the band early next year (their first in nearly five years); Mae vocalist David Elkins is currently producing the new album at his Nashville-based Schematic Studios. Eva Alexiou-Reo manages and handles booking for the duo, which was previously signed to Tooth & Nail and Capitol Records and also released music on its own label, Cell Records.
Indigenous Canadian hip-hop duo Snotty Nose Rez Kids (comprised of Young D and Yung Trybez) signed to Sony Music Entertainment Canada. The 2023 Polaris Music Prize-shortlisted group is slated for a brief autumn tour to support its fifth full-length album, I’m Good, HBU? Brodie Metcalf at Meta Arts serves as the duo’s manager, while booking is handled by Jordan Powley at The Feldman Agency.
Universal Music Latino signed emerging reggaeton artist Fiamma, who rose to attention in 2020 with her single, “Chiki Pon.” Born in Puerto Rico and based in Miami, the singer said in a statement: “I am very grateful to the Universal Music Latino family for giving me the opportunity to represent the women of Puerto Rico in this prestigious company. This is a dream I’ve had since I was a child, and I’ve worked hard to get here, but now the real work begins. Thanks to everyone who has contributed to making this possible.” – G.F.
The yearslong legal battle over Ed Sheeran‘s “Thinking Out Loud” has officially drawn to a close. The heirs of Ed Townsend, co-writer on Marvin Gaye‘s “Let’s Get It On”, who sued Sheeran in 2016 for allegedly infringing the classic song in his smash 2014 single, have officially dropped their appeal in the long-running case, according […]
Enter the National Arts Club, a Victorian Gothic Revival brownstone off Manhattan’s Gramercy Park; climb four winding flights of stairs; pass the Pastel Society of America; and there will be the offices of director Wes Anderson’s longtime music supervisor, Randall Poster. And though in summer 2023 Hollywood is at a strike-induced standstill, Poster, creative director of Premier Music — the advertising-focused music supervision agency — is as busy as ever.
(Update: A tentative deal has been reached between screenwriters and the studios, streaming services and production companies.)
Poster’s film projects in the next several months include music supervision for the fall’s The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (with Anderson), Priscilla (with Sofia Coppola), Killers of the Flower Moon (with frequent collaborator Martin Scorsese), as well as Joker: Folie á Deux (with Todd Phillips) and Hit Man (with Richard Linklater).
And that’s just his day job. Amid the pandemic, an unlikely new passion became a calling when Poster started the Birdsong Project, enlisting his diverse group of artist friends to create music inspired by or incorporating birdsong in an effort to benefit avian life. The result: For the Birds, a 20-album box set containing 172 new pieces of music and 70 works of poetry (all proceeds go to the National Audubon Society) and has led to a growing global community that’s still evolving under his leadership, one in which he hopes the music industry will take a real interest.
How has the strike affected your business?
There are some movies I’m working on that we can’t get finished because we can’t get the main actors to do [automated dialogue replacement]. And then there are movies that were meant to start in the fall that are pushing. I think everyone’s unclear about how it’s going to play out. I don’t really talk to a lot of other music supervisors, but for people who are just scraping by in music supervision, the shutdown of shows is brutal. In terms of music departments, there has been constriction at the streamers, but I’m not sure that was borne out of the strike, at least to this point. But in the short term, I’m busy. And our company, in terms of doing a lot of advertising work, thankfully, that has been very active.
A sampling of Poster’s extensive collection of musician paintings by Dan Melchior, part of an ongoing series, alongside a ceramic bird by Ginny Sims.
Nina Westervelt
Even in the music industry, I think few understand very well what a music supervisor actually does. How would you explain it?
I view my work as a filmmaker, not just a person who deals with the music — using music to best tell a story, to compensate where the story needs a bit of help and having a really candid and fluid relationship with directors and producers. People always say to me, “Oh, Randy Poster’s the guy who picks the music for the Wes Anderson movies” — but I don’t pick the music. I don’t want to be the one who does. Directors pick. I may present, we may have a conversation borne out of months of musical dialogue, but ideally, it’s the director’s medium. When people come out of the movies I work on and say, “Oh, the music was the best part,” that’s not really a victory. When people say, “I don’t really even remember the music,” sometimes that’s the best service you can do to the film — that it feels like the fabric of the movie.
What does a normal day of work look like for you?
Making sure rights are coming in; working on scenes of a movie and putting different songs up to it; making calls to record companies and publishers to see if I can narrow a price differential in terms of what we have to pay and what they’re asking us to pay; reaching out to artists and managers to see if people are interested in recording new music; looking at cues that are coming in from the composer on the movie; putting together a playlist for a director — like when starting a project, using the music to establish a dialogue. Describing what music is doing is very difficult, and words don’t necessarily mean the same things to different people, but if you can relate to songs, it gives you a sense of tempo, vibe, instrumentation they like. And then getting feedback from directors and editors: “This is working. This isn’t. Is there too much music in the movie? Is there not enough?” Sometimes it’s my role to protect the silences.
From left: A painting of country artist Jim Reeves by artist Henry Miller; a ceramic bird sculpture by Joseph Dupré; a painting of Buck Owens’ band, The Buckaroos, by Ashley Bressler (one of many artists Poster has discovered on Instagram).
Nina Westervelt
Has the catalog sales boom affected your bottom line?
When certain catalogs were held by the artist or the artist’s camp, there was a little more flexibility. If a company pays $500 million for an asset, they can’t license something at what they would say is a sort of embarrassing rate. Like, “We’re only licensing this for $10,000 a use; it’s going to take us 200 years to recoup our investment.” On the other hand, I always feel, especially with older catalogs, a movie use is going to open up a new audience to that artist, whether it’s “Oh, that’s Rod Stewart?” or “Wow, I had an idea of what Janis Joplin was like, but I’m surprised by this.”
Does it feel less personal than working with publishers and songwriters?
I wish things were more human and less corporate, but I’ve seen it throughout my whole career. You used to have 12 companies you’d license music from, and then two companies would merge and they’d cut half the staff. They’d have the catalog, but no one would know whom to talk to. A lot of times, what we have to do is convince these companies they actually own something or help them make a connection. That can also be fun — the detective work that goes into figuring out who owns the rights to something. I just wish the music companies had more of an understanding of the process of filmmaking. Oftentimes, it’s not just needing the price to be right — it’s also getting a timely answer. Name the price; just give me an answer.
A cardboard replica of the police car from the Blues Brothers movie by artist Richard Willis.
Nina Westervelt
On the flip side of that, the synch business is so huge. Do you get pitched often?
Yeah, people are pitching nonstop. There are people whom I respect and trust, and my response is always I want to listen to anything you think is great, but I just want to find the right music. This is going to sound horrible, but I don’t do anybody any favors. I’ll do you a favor in life as my friend, but I will not put music in a movie because I’m connected to somebody. I certainly do file things away for the future. I may love a song but not have the right movie for it. At the moment, I’m working on things in the ’20s, the ’50s — period pieces.
How do you seek out new music?
Every way — through social media, through traditional music press, recommendations. I have two daughters who are very into music. Artists lead you to artists a lot. I’ve been very reluctant to use an algorithm to find music. Probably at certain points I’d benefit from that, but I like to discover it myself.
A beaded African tribal hat Poster bought from a street vendor on Manhattan’s Houston Street. “As we started reaching out to artists we loved to make album covers for the box set, I found myself looking at all sorts of bird- centric pieces, and I couldn’t resist them.”
Nina Westervelt
Speaking of discovery, how did you get the idea for the Birdsong Project?
I’m a New York City kid; I’m not really a nature boy. But during the pandemic, we were all somewhat soothed by the way nature seemed to be doing its thing, unperturbed by the virus, and a lot of my friends were noticing there were so many birds. A friend I work with, Rebecca Reagan, who lives in California and is much more involved in nature causes, was like, “You should get all your musician friends to create music around birdsong. That would be a great way to joyfully draw people’s attention not only to the beauty and variety of birds but also the crises facing birds. It would be a nonpolitical way to draw people to protect the birds.” For the most part, I’ve found, no one wants to see birds die. It’s a way to bring together people in community, which seems to be so difficult otherwise. The response from artists was very positive, and it just kept going.
What do you get out of it that you don’t from your day job?
I’m usually the person who has to be a very strong editorial hand in getting what we need for a movie. Here, I just said [to artists], “Thank you.” It was very much a broad invitation to do what they feel. I didn’t really give notes, other than maybe, “Hey, this is beautiful. Can it be nine minutes versus 23 minutes?” It was liberating. I had to allow a certain kind of randomness versus how you sequence music for a movie.
What are your ambitions for the project with respect to the music industry?
I would like to see us adopted by the music community like they have the TJ Martell Foundation. But that may be a longer road. So we’re just working away. The label Erase Tapes has 10 artists on the compilation, so in 2024, they’re going to do a Birdsong album by taking their artists and remixing them, and I’d like to do collaborations with other labels so it spreads. That way I’m not the record company — we work with your artists, we curate with you. I think we’ll be ready in 2025 to hopefully do a big Birdsong concert maybe in Central Park.
At this point in your career, you’re a bit of a music supervision legend. How do you advise young people who want to do what you do?
I encourage them to find their contemporaries who want to make movies and throw in. It has never been easier to make movies. I wanted to work on movies where that one kid in the movie theater thinks, “I want to do this” — Wes and I were that kid. Do whatever you need to do to create and be creative. When people ask me the difference between how I work now and how I worked 25 years ago — well, I probably cry a little bit less, in the sense that when a director does not choose a song I feel is so right, I have more of a balanced [reaction]. I still am up for battles, though. And hopefully, people want to work with me because I’m not just a rubber stamp. We have to fight for every cue.