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Cody Alan is joining SiriusXM’s The Highway with a new daily show set to launch Monday (Sept. 11).
The new show, titled Highway Mornings with Cody Alan & Macie Banks, will air weekdays from 5 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET on SiriusXM’s The Highway (channel 56), as well as on the SXM app. Alan will also continue to host CMT’s flagship weekly music TV show Hot 20 Countdown.
Highway Mornings with Cody Alan & Macie Banks will offer the latest in country music, pop culture and entertainment, with Alan and Banks interviewing celebrity guests, chatting with listeners and sharing their own personal stories. The new show follows the exit of former The Highway morning show host Storme Warren, who left The Highway earlier this year to join Garth Brooks’s The Big 615 country station with TuneIn.
“Cody is a well-respected and long-time member of the Country music community and we are thrilled to welcome him to The Highway family,” said SiriusXM senior vp/GM of music programming Steve Blatter in a statement. “Cody’s deep roots and connections in country music will keep our listeners’ fingers on the pulse of Nashville every morning as they tune in to Cody and Macie.”
Alan added, “I’m thrilled to be joining the SiriusXM family on The Highway. It will be a fresh start in mornings, with Macie Banks returning soon to join me. I plan to lean into my love for country music and my years of strong relationships in Nashville. The new show will be friendly and fun, and continue with an emphasis on artists and authenticity. After all, real life makes the best country songs, and from my experience, the best on air moments too! Also, I’m very excited to be part of The Highway’s rich tradition of passionately introducing fans to country music’s next generation. I can’t wait to get going!”
During his career, Alan has been named the 2021 national on-air personality of the year by the Country Music Association and has twice been named the Academy of Country Music’s personality of the year. After gigs in South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, Alan made it to the major leagues at age 23 when he landed at KPLX in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas. Alan was also a nine-time recipient of the country music director of the year award during his tenure in Dallas.
In 2017, Cody made national headlines after coming out as gay. He partners with GLAAD to host the annual Concert for Love and Acceptance and was honored with the 2022 visibility award from the Human Rights Campaign for his efforts in the LGBTQ+ community. The multi-faceted Alan also released the book Hear’s The Thing in 2021, writing about his on-air adventures, his coming out story and the lessons he’s learned from listening to others.
Sean “Diddy” Combs just scored a significant win in his case against alcohol giant Diageo after a judge denied two crucial motions filed by the liquor maker, according to court documents filed Thursday.
Combs himself was present in court for the ruling, during which New York state judge Joel M. Cohen rejected Diageo’s motions for the case to be dismissed or, alternatively, sent to private arbitration. The case will now move forward in state court, with the trial open to the public.
The lawsuit, brought by Combs in May, claims Diageo breached its partnership deal with the artist and entrepreneur for its DeLeón Tequila by failing to properly support the brand, thereby harming its sales. Combs’ lawsuit also leveled accusations of racism against the alcohol company, accusing it of treating his product line “worse than others because he is Black.”
In June, Diageo fired back by calling Combs’ racism accusations “false and reckless” and part of an effort to “extract additional billions” from the company while concurrently filing motions for dismissal or arbitration. At the same time, a spokeswoman for Diageo noted the company had permanently severed its business relationship with Combs, claiming the rapper had “repeatedly undermined our partnerships and threatened to publicly defame Diageo if we did not meet his unreasonable financial demands.” The company additionally painted Combs as “an unreliable and untrustworthy business partner” who failed in his obligations to support DeLeón.
In asking Cohen to keep the case out of court, the company argued that the “garden variety” business dispute should have been decided under a binding arbitration agreement previously signed by both parties. But the judge clearly disagreed, striking down Diageo’s motions after hearing oral arguments from attorneys on both sides of the case for more than 90 minutes on Thursday.
“This case has always been about getting fair and equal treatment,” said Combs’ lawyer John Hueston in a statement. “Today’s decision is an important step in the right direction. Diageo tried to end this action. Today the judge soundly rejected that effort.”
Combs added, “I’m fighting for fair and equal treatment for everyone. This isn’t just about me. I look forward to continuing this fight in court. We all deserve the same 24 hours.”
A spokesperson for Diageo sent the following statement: “While we are disappointed with yesterday’s procedural decision, it is important to underscore that this is not a ruling on the merits of the claims, which we maintain are false and baseless. We are currently considering all legal options.”
Demi Lovato has a new manager. The superstar has signed with Brandon Creed and his newly-launched firm Good World Management. At the end of August, Billboard broke the news that Lovato had parted ways with Scooter Braun‘s SB Projects in July. Lovato signed with Braun and his SB Projects firm in 2019. She was previously […]
This week, it’s almost more difficult to find a music chart that doesn’t lead with Zach Bryan. The Oklahoma native’s new self-titled album exploded out of the gate, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 200,000 equivalent album units, while its focus single, “I Remember Everything” featuring Kacey Musgraves, simultaneously debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100, his first No. 1 on each chart.
But that’s just scratching the surface. The album — which qualifies for both the country charts and the rock charts — is the first rock album to hit No. 1 in over a year; had the biggest week for a rock album in four years; and accumulated the biggest streaming week for a rock album in history. Meanwhile, “I Remember Everything” becomes the first song in history to hit No. 1 on all of the Hot 100, Hot Country Songs and Hot Rock & Alternative Songs charts, while all 16 of the album’s tracks are in the top 50 of the Hot 100, resulting in 20 of the top 40 songs on the chart being country songs for the first time… ever. If that’s not enough, “I Remember Everything” is the fourth straight country song to reach the top of the chart (following Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night,” Jason Aldean’s “Try That In a Small Town” and Oliver Anthony Music’s “Rich Men North of Richmond”) — also for the first time in history.
Any of which would be notable achievements on their own. But to set each mark all at once is, frankly, a little overwhelming. It’s been a long time coming for Bryan, whose last album, his major-label debut American Heartbreak, hasn’t fallen out of the top 40 on the Billboard 200 in the 67 weeks since it first debuted in the top 10 in June 2022. And the success of the project helps earn Warner Records vp of A&R Miles Gersh the title of Billboard’s Executive of the Week.
Here, Gersh helps to break down the success of the album and its big single, the recent run of success for country songs and where the label can help take the project from here. “I think the surge is really due to the quality of the songwriting attracting fans that want something that they feel they can relate to.”
This week, Zach Bryan’s self-titled album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 200,000 equivalent album units, his first to top the chart. What key decisions did you make to help make that happen?
This album was all about Zach. Coming off the great success of American Heartbreak and his sold-out tour, I think naturally the label wanted to pull out all of the stops to make this the biggest album possible. But the best decision that we — alongside [Warner Records co-chairman/CEO] Aaron Bay-Schuck — made was to give Zach the artistic freedom to create the album he wanted. We went against some industry norms with no advance singles or videos, but it turned out to be the exact right way to roll it all out.
At the same time, Zach and Kacey Musgraves’ duet “I Remember Everything” debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100, the first chart-topper for each artist and Warner’s first Hot 100 No. 1 in a decade. How did the track come together and what was behind its big debut?
This was actually the last song on the album to come together about a week before release. Zach always wanted this song to be a duet with a female vocalist and there was some back and forth about who made the most sense. For a moment it looked like it could just be Zach on the song, but when Zach’s manager Stefan Max played me Kacey’s verse, it was a no-brainer. We knew it was the moment the album was missing, and I’m glad it’s resonated with fans. I’m honored to be a part of not only a No. 1 song for Zach but a big hit for Warner as well.
The album is the latest in a line of projects that qualify for both the country and rock charts — and “I Remember Everything” is the first song in history to hit No. 1 on the Hot 100, Hot Country Songs and Hot Rock & Alternative Songs charts. What do you think is behind this surge in these types of projects, and how does Zach’s album fit into that?
Zach’s music has always been genre-less in my mind. I understand where both the country and rock designations come from, but he’s always just seemed like a singer/songwriter. By producing and writing 100% of this album he was able to experiment with the sounds that inspire him. I think the surge is really due to the quality of the songwriting attracting fans that want something that they feel they can relate to.
The album also now has the biggest streaming week for a rock album in history and becomes the first rock album in over a year to top the Billboard 200. For a genre that doesn’t often over-index in streaming, how did this album break through?
Although you hear some rock production on this album, I wouldn’t say it caters to the traditional rock fan. This album was able to break through because of the authenticity and relatability of Zach’s music, and really just him as a person.
“I Remember Everything” also marks the fourth straight country song at No. 1 on the Hot 100, something that has never happened before in the entire history of the chart. Why do you think country music is resonating in the U.S. right now?
I think there’s a couple reasons for this. First, growing up in L.A. in the ’90s and 2000s there was a stigma around country music that it just wasn’t cool. That’s completely disappeared with artists like Zach, Tyler Childers and others. Second, as streaming has grown throughout the country, places where people typically listened to the radio and bought songs on iTunes have transitioned into streaming, and they’re streaming a lot. So while I think there are a ton of new country music fans, it’s also the way that they’re consuming music that has changed.
After such a scorching-hot debut, how do you continue to boost this album and its singles moving forward?
While we’re all so excited about the success of this album out of the gate, I think it will continue to grow on people as they decipher and discover the meanings of each song. Zach’s team — Danny Kang and Stefan Max — is fantastic and with them we will find tasteful and authentic ways to expose the music to more people. That may be through music videos that Zach also writes himself, through moments like the Grammys and great work on the digital side.
Argentine singer-songwriter Abel Pintos has signed an exclusive global publishing agreement with Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG), the company announced on Thursday (Sept. 7). Known for his folk-tinged intimate heartfelt songs, Pintos’ career spans over nearly three decades. Since debuting at age 13, the Gardel Award-winning artist has released 14 albums (12 studio albums and two live albums). […]
The Recording Academy has promoted Todd Dupler to chief advocacy & public policy officer, effective immediately. In his role, Dupler oversees the advocacy division focused on championing creators’ rights and elevating policy issues that stand to affect the music community. He also orchestrates cross-departmental efforts to advance the overall advocacy goals of the Recording Academy […]
If it’s Friday that means another spin around the Executive Turntable, Billboard’s comprehensive(ish) compendium of promotions, hirings, exits and firings — and all things in between — across the music industry.
European indie labels body IMPALA unveiled a new board for the upcoming two-year term, with Francesca Trainini of Italian national association PMI elected president and Dario Draštata of Balkan regional association RUNDA tapped as new chair. Everlasting Records CEO Mark Kitcatt stepped down as president, but will continue as a board member and chair of IMPALA’s streaming reform group. Standing pat is Geert De Blaere of Belgium’s BIMA as treasurer and Helen Smith as executive chair. At the Vienna WAVES Festival and Conference, the trade body also reviewed its priorities for the new term, including a focus on streaming reform, artificial intelligence and growth in Central Eastern Europe. “The Central and Eastern European region is a huge market with amazing talent and I am excited to be able to chair IMPALA with the huge opportunities we have across streaming and the whole market,” said Draštata, whose RUNDA supports former Yugoslavia nations. For more information on the membership makeup and structure of IMPALA, click here.
Curb/Word Music Publishing promoted and added staff in its country music publishing department. Sarah Schumacher has been promoted to senior creative director, country publishing, while Calista Miller has joined the team as creative coordinator, country publishing. Schumacher previously worked at Disney Music Group and Darkhorse Music Management, before initially joining Curb/Word Music Publishing in 2021 as creative director of country publishing. Schumacher’s responsibilities include managing creative operations of the country songwriter roster and catalog, recently signing writer/producer Alex Kline into the Curb | Word Music Publishing family. Miller is a recent 2022 graduate of Belmont University’s Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business and previously interned for Curb/Word Music Publishing’s country team. Miller’s primary responsibilities include coordinating and facilitating strategic writing sessions for the country writer roster, managing social media strategy for the department, and assisting in pitching/placing writer catalog, in addition to catalog administration duties. –Jessica Nicholson
Music B2B company Revelator hired Luciana Pegorer and Arturo Soler to co-pilot the firm’s expansion into the booming indie Latin American market. Formerly of Warner Music Brazil, Pegorer will lead Revelator’s Brazilian office, while music industry veteran Soler will lead the company’s LATAM office out of Mexico. “Revelator has always operated globally but we saw that to serve the fast-changing Latin American market, we needed highly qualified, creative professionals with deep relationships, who were natives to the local market” notes Revelator founder and CEO Bruno Guez. “We found them in Luciana and Arturo.”
NPR president and CEO John Lansing announced he’ll retire at the end of the year after a four-year tenure that involved navigating the COVID-19 pandemic and a recent budget crunch. He’ll remain in place until NPR’s board of directors identifies his replacement, the public radio giant said. “We are all immensely grateful to John for his principled and tenacious leadership through a turbulent time for NPR, our system and our nation,” said NPR board chair Jeff Sine. Prior to joining NPR, Lansing was the CEO of USAGM, overseeing several global networks including Voice of America.
ICYMI: Timothy Xu is the new chairman and CEO of Universal Music Greater China … Julie Keiko Fujishima announced she was stepping down as president of talent agency Johnny & Associates … Elliot Grainge is joining Warner Music’s global leadership team … and this week saw the passing of Clive Davis’ righthand man at Arista, Elliot Goldman.
Australasian collecting society APRA AMCOS promoted Jonathan Carter from head of legal & corporate services to chief operating officer. Carter is a 15-year veteran of the rights group and scored his current position in 2016. In his spare time, he sits on the Global Legal & Policy Committee of CISAC and was previously president of the Copyright Society of Australia. “Given our growth, size and strategic ambition, we need to look at how we’re going to operationalise and drive our strategic plan across the company, and similarly ensure we’re taking a holistic view in mitigating risk,” said Dean Ormston, Chief Executive APRA AMCOS. “Jonathan will be critical in helping us collectively drive forward on our strategic plan.”
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology not only has a music department, but it just hired its first-ever professor Jazz. Grammy-nominated alto saxophonist, composer, bandleader and MacArthur Fellow Miguel Zenón has joined the MIT faculty. “MIT is an incredible school with top-tier students and a creative and open-minded aesthetic,” says Zenón. “I’m extremely excited and honored to become part of the MIT family.”
Last Week’s Turntable: Former Asylum Co-President Joins Hitmaker
Exceleration Music, the independent music company that has invested in and acquired numerous indie labels over the past several years, has acquired global digital and physical distribution and music services company Redeye, it was announced Friday (Sept. 8).
The deal not only marks Exceleration’s biggest acquisition to date but an expansion into distribution and services, effectively creating an entirely new division at the company — albeit one that will continue to operate under the Redeye name. Under the agreement, Redeye founders Glenn Dicker and Tor Hansen will continue to lead the company, retaining its existing staff and infrastructure while taking advantage of the resources and expertise offered by the Exceleration partners and team.
“We looked at what was happening with the distribution landscape, [which was seeing] a lot of consolidation,” Exceleration co-founder Glen Barros tells Billboard. “You know, you have each of the majors buying up indie distributors, and we thought it would be good to really preserve and strengthen a great indie option and make sure that indie labels have a fully independent path to market.”
The deal also includes Redeye’s in-house labels, Yep Roc and Sundazed, along with its publishing company, Riff City Sounds. Yep Roc’s roster includes Nick Lowe, Dave Alvin, Aoife O’Donovan, Alejandro Escovedo, Chuck Prophet and Jobi Riccio. Sundazed is a reissue label based in the United States.
Redeye — which signed a distribution deal with Exceleration in May — represents some of the world’s most prominent independent labels, including Beggars Group, Domino, New West, Saddle Creek, Mom+Pop, Kemado/Mexican Summer, Stones Throw, Warp, Drag City, Real Gone, Innovative Leisure, Carpark, !K7, Thrill Jockey, Luaka Bop, Partisan, Sargent House, Ninja Tune, Barsuk and Daptone.
Founded in 1996 by Hansen and Dicker, the distributor is headquartered in Hillsborough, N.C., and boasts more than 120 employees spread across 15 locations in the United States, Canada, Europe, the United Kingdom and Australia. Prior to the acquisition, it was wholly owned and operated by Dicker, Hansen and their team. In 2019, the company merged with Sweden-based distributor Border Music to expand its distribution operation in Europe.
In addition to Hansen and Dicker, Redeye’s leadership structure will remain in place following the acquisition. The list of high-level executives at the company includes Michael Petkov, head of international; Jason Taylor, director of global sales (physical and digital); Laura Pittard, director of global marketing; Michael Howard, associate vp of global operations; Hank Stockard, global business development director; Sean Pecor, IT director; and Jim Trenner, global accounting director.
Moving forward, Exceleration will support Redeye’s existing growth plans by providing operational and strategic support as well as capital. “Redeye has done a lot of work over the last few years to expand their worldwide footprint on the physical side, and they’re been a digital distributor for a long time too,” says Exceleration co-founder Dave Hansen. “So we’re going to work with them to continue building that network and offer a real solution for their existing customers, our label group and new customers [as well].”
More than anything, adds Barros, the Redeye acquisition dovetails nicely with Exceleration’s overall mission: to strengthen the independent music community in whatever ways it can. “We really want to serve this community according to what’s important within this community, and [that] is having, I think, an independent vibe,” he says. “It really is looking at the whole sector holistically and saying, ‘How can we really fill the needs of the community and do it in an indie way?’”
Exceleration was founded in 2020 by a group of five prominent independent label executives: Barros (former CEO of Concord Music Group), Hansen (executive chairman of Merlin and former GM of Epitaph), Charles Caldas (former CEO of Merlin), Amy Dietz (former GM of Ingrooves) and John Burk (a Grammy-winning producer and former president of Concord Records). Its music rights group includes investments and partnerships with labels and catalogs including +1 Records, Alligator, Azadi, Bloodshot, Candid, Heroic, Kill Rock Stars, Mom+Pop, SideOneDummy and The Ray Charles Foundation/Tangerine Records. The company currently boasts nearly 30 employees and is currently hiring for two additional positions, including a head of finance. Funding for Exceleration comes from all five of its partners as well as institutional and private investors.
“Working with the Exceleration team feels like expanding the family,” said Dicker in a statement. “Sharing strong ideals and a strategic vision, it feels like the next natural step on our journey towards providing our world class distribution service to an expanded independent community.”
Concord, under the name Alchemy Copyrights, has agreed to acquire the share capital of Round Hill Music Royalty Fund Ltd in a proposed deal jointly announced on Friday that values the rights in the fund at worth nearly $469 million.
If approved, Concord would acquire the music rights that sit in the publicly-listed Round Hill Music Royalty Fund, which includes 51 catalogs and roughly 150,000 songs by artists like Alice In Chains, Bonnie Tyler, Bush, Bruno Mars, Céline Dion, Lady A, Louis Armstrong, The Offspring, Carrie Underwood, The Supremes, Wilson Pickett and Whitesnake.
Launched in 2010, Round Hill Music was among the first catalog funds to raise money from instititutional investors to acquire and administer song catalogs. But since its November 2022 listing on the London Stock Exchange in November 2020, Round Hill Music Royalty Fund Ltd. has, like its peers Hipgnosis Songs Fund Ltd., struggled with a declining stock price this year as high inflation and interest rates have pressured alternative investments.
News of the Round Hill-Concord deal,reported earlier by Reuters, sent the fund’s stock up nearly 65% on Friday to $1.13 a share from its previous close of $0.69.
Under the proposed deal terms, Round Hill shareholders would receive $1.15 in cash per share, which values the ordinary share capital of the company at roughly $468.8 million.
While Concord’s proposed cash offer represents a premium price, it still represents a discount of approximately 11.5% to Round Hill Music Fund’s economic net asset value per share of $1.30.
In 2022, Round Hill reported its overall group revenues rose 32% year over year to $32.4 million and its portfolio’s fair value rose 13% $602.6 million.
The deal will be put to a shareholder vote at Round HIll’s nex general meeting on Oct. 18 and needs 75% of votes to pass. A group of shareholders led by Josh Gruss, Round Hill Music co-founder and CEO, who own roughly 33% of the fund’s shares have already signaled they will vote in favor of the deal.
“The Board is pleased to present this opportunity for liquidity at a premium to both the share price and the IPO price, as well as at a narrow discount to economic net asset value per share,” commented Robert Naylor, chairman of RHM. “The recommended offer represents excellent value for shareholders.”
Concord CEO Bob Valentine said that since its 2020 IPO, RHM has built an “impressive portfolio” of songs that “stand the test of time” and asserted that his company is “well positioned to maximise the value of this portfolio for all of the songwriters and artists within it.”
He added, “This offer enables RHM shareholders to realise their investment in the business at an attractive premium to the undisturbed share price, while the transaction provides an opportunity to create value for all stakeholders.”
Creative Artists Agency (CAA) has a new majority shareholder, Artémis.
The Pinault family’s investment company, Artémis has agreed to acquire the stake in CAA previously held by global investment firm TPG.
Through the arrangement, announced Thursday (Sept. 7), CAA’s Bryan Lourd, Kevin Huvane, and Richard Lovett have each made long-term commitments to continue leading the agency and will remain as co-chairmen of CAA. Lourd is expected to be named CEO following the completion of the purchase, while Jim Burtson, who led the CAA deal team, will remain president of CAA.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
“As a leader in its field with an outstanding management team, a crystal-clear focus on providing world-class service to world-class clients and a tremendous track record of growth, CAA has all the relevant characteristics to be part of the Artémis family, adding increased diversity, both in terms of geographical footprint and business activities, to our other assets,” comments Francois-Henri Pinault, Artémis CEO in a joint statement.
Artémis, whose assets include many of the most prestigious brands on the market, will now become a major player in the worlds of entertainment and sports, through its investment with CAA.
Founded in France in 1992, Artémis’ consolidated assets top $40 billion, including Kering, the luxury goods group that is home to Gucci, Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, Brioni, and other luxury brands; the Christie’s auction house; Pinault Collection, the world’s largest private collection of contemporary art; and more.
CAA’s “exceptional insight, relationships, and access across key sectors,” Pinault continued, along with its reputation for collaboration and innovation, gives “the company a formidable role in driving global opportunities for its diverse and culture-defining clients. We look forward to supporting the agency’s very bright path ahead.”
Singapore-headquartered global investment firm Temasek will remain a minority investor in CAA. CMC Capital remains a CAA strategic partner.
Allen & Company LLC served as financial advisor to CAA, and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz served as legal counsel. Rothschild & Co was financial advisor to Artémis, and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP served as legal counsel. Ropes & Gray LLP was legal counsel to TPG. Sullivan & Cromwell LLP served as legal counsel to Temasek.
The transaction is expected to be completed later this year, subject to the satisfaction of closing conditions.