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Multi-faceted entertainers Billy Ray Cyrus and FIREROSE have signed with Scott Adkins for exclusive management representation, and with Nick Meinema of Action Entertainment Collaborative for global agency representation.
Adkins also manages country singer-songwriter and Country Music Hall of Fame member Tanya Tucker and is president/CEO of public relations firm Adkins Publicity. Meinema’s Action Entertainment Collaborative also represents Trace Adkins, Terri Clark, James Barker Band, Sawyer Brown, Thompson Square and more.
“Billy Ray Cyrus is royalty in all aspects of the entertainment business who continues to reign as a true visionary, and FIREROSE is a multi-talented gem whose talent blew me away the moment I heard her stylistic voice. I’m thrilled to continue representing both artists in a management capacity after working with Cyrus for more than eight years,” Adkins said via a statement.
“We’re thrilled we got the call and opportunity to represent Billy Ray Cyrus and FIREROSE, and are excited to put into motion the plan they have for their future, while building off of Cyrus’ indelible career as a bonafide hitmaker and entertainer, as we embark into the next chapter with FIREROSE,” added Action Entertainment Collaborative founder Meinema.
Cyrus and FIREROSE recently issued their new duet, the Diane Warren-written “Plans.”
“Like our song says, ‘It’s a new day.’ ‘New Day’ was FIREROSE and my first Top 20 radio hit together. It sowed the seeds for a lot of change still yet to come. A new beginning. This moment in time marks not only a new chapter but to be honest, it’s a brand new book,” Cyrus said in a statement.
“I am honored and thrilled to be represented by Scott Adkins and Nick Meinema,” FIREROSE added. “I’m very much looking forward to this next exciting stage of my career and taking my artistry to the next level with this power team. There’s a great synergy in our creative vision and trajectory for my artistic goals.”
Cyrus earned his breakthrough hit in 1992 with “Achy Breaky Heart,” which enjoyed a five-week run at No. 1 on Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs chart beginning on May 30, 1992. One week later, his Some Gave All album hit the summit on Top Country Albums for the first of 34 total weeks, setting a precedent at the time for a debut album. He followed with country hits including “Some Gave All,” “It Won’t Be the Last,” and “It Could’ve Been Me.”
He went on to diversify his career, taking on acting roles in series including Doc and Still the King, as well as the Disney Channel series Hannah Montana with his daughter, singer-songwriter-actress Miley Cyrus. In 2019, he united with Lil Nas X for a remix of “Old Town Road,” which spent 19 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 and is now certified 17-times multi-platinum by the RIAA.
FIREROSE and Cyrus previously collaborated on the song “New Day,” while FIREROSE is known for her indie-pop tracks “Fragile Handling,” and “Way Out,” which have each earned more than 1 million views on YouTube.
See the official video for the couple’s song “Plans” below:
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Warner Music Group’s share price didn’t improve much this week, but its 5.6% gain nevertheless led the 21 music stocks in the Billboard Global Music Index.
On Tuesday (Aug. 8), Warner Music Group (WMG) reported that its quarterly revenue increased 9% year over year in the fiscal quarter ended June 30. That was music to investors’ ears after WMG’s revenue grew just 1.7% in the previous quarter, but it wasn’t exactly a surprise: WMG executives had previously told investors that the company’s new release schedule was weighted in the back half of its fiscal year and that its financials would pick up accordingly. And a Billboard analysis of Luminate data found that the company’s U.S. market share had started to improve by early May.
Only four of the Billboard Global Music Index’s 21 stocks finished the week in positive territory. Sphere Entertainment Co., the company behind the state-of-the-art Las Vegas venue set to open in September, improved 5.5% to $39.77 and German promoter CTS Eventim gained 4.8% to 61.80 euros ($67.76). Elsewhere, Hipgnosis Songs Fund rose 3.9% to 79.8 pence ($1.01).
This was the third consecutive week the index declined in value after reaching an all-time high in the week ended July 21.
LiveOne shares dropped 4% this week despite the company raising guidance on its fiscal 2024 revenue and adjusted EBITDA. In the fiscal quarter ended June 30, the company — which is behind music streaming platform Slacker and podcast brand PodcastOne — posted revenue of $25.7 million, up 24% year over year, and adjusted EBITDA of $4.9 million, up 46% year over year.
iHeartMedia shares fell 24.9% to $3.38 this week after the company warned of continued softness in advertising. The U.S. radio giant posted second quarter revenue of $920 million, down 3.6% year over year. Other radio companies also declined. Cumulus Media fell 5.9% to $4.96, while Townsquare Media — not a member of the Billboard Global Music Index — fell 19.7% on Wednesday following the company’s second-quarter earnings results but recaptured some of the losses on Thursday and Friday to finish the week down 7.2% at $10.50.
French streaming company Deezer fell 9.4% to 2.12 euros ($2.32) this week and has lost 16% since reporting mid-year earnings on Aug. 3. The company lowered its forecast for full-year revenue growth slightly to a range of 7% to 10%, down from a more than 10% increase. Although the company’s decision to raise its price in 2022 helped its average revenue per user to increase 8.3%, its subscribers declined by 100,000 to 9.3 million from the prior-year period.
In related news, Disney shares rose 4.9% after the company’s second quarter beat earnings expectations, even as it revealed that its Disney+ subscriber count fell 7.4% to 146.1 million in the second quarter. Starting in October, Disney will raise the prices for both ad-free and ad-supported tiers of Disney+ and Hulu by at least 20%. Following the price increases, ad-free Disney+ will cost $13.99 per month and ad-free Hulu will cost $17.99 per month.
Music services have been far more hesitant than streaming video-on-demand services to raise prices. Spotify just increased its individual plan price in the United States — by $1 to $10.99 — for the first time since launching in 2011. By contrast, Hulu last raised its prices in October 2022 and has increased its the price of its ad-free tier by 39% in less than a year.
Music stocks’ decline mirrored stocks’ broad declines this week. In the United States, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq composite fell 0.3% and 1.9%, respectively. In the United Kingdom, the FTSE 100 was down 0.5%. South Korea’s KOSPI composite index declined 0.4%. News that the U.S. producer price index, a gauge of wholesale prices, rose 3% in July — the biggest one-month gain since January — was a factor in U.S. stock prices falling Friday.
It didn’t take long for news of a lawsuit against Lizzo to put a dent in her sales and streaming activity. Multiple metrics — such as on-demand audio streams and Instagram followers — reveal a small but noticeable fan backlash in the week following news that the singer was sued in a Los Angeles court by three tour dancers who claimed the “Special” singer subjected them to sexual harassment and a hostile work environment.
From August 1 — the day the lawsuit became public — to August 8, Lizzo’s daily U.S. on-demand audio streams fell 21.7% while her daily U.S. track sales have declined 35%, according to Luminate.
Almost half of the decline in U.S. track sales appears to be the result of a drop-off in sales of “Pink,” Lizzo’s contribution to the Barbie: The Album soundtrack. Excluding “Pink,” Lizzo’s track sales declined 19.3% from August 1 to August 8. The decline in her on-demand audio streams excluding “Pink” was unchanged at 21.7%.
The cumulative loss over the seven-day period is relatively minor: about 6 million on-demand audio streams with a royalty value of roughly $10,000 to her record label, according to Billboard’s estimate. Smaller yet is the cumulative decline in royalties from track sales of roughly $1,000 over the same period.
The financial damage would be far greater if Lizzo’s streams and sales continue to be impacted by the controversy. The lawsuit could remain in the public spotlight for some time: The attorney representing the three plaintiffs claims to have received “at least six other inquiries” from people with similar stories regarding their employment by Lizzo. If her U.S. sales and streams continued at the current rate, the cumulative decline in U.S. royalties from streams and track sales would amount to about $89,000 over the first 30-day period and $320,000 over a 90-day, three-month period.
Although her streaming numbers dropped considerably, Lizzo lost just 0.1% of her Spotify followers, amounting to roughly 6,000 of her 5.6 million followers, in the seven days after news of the lawsuit broke. But the singer took a bigger hit on social media. In the week after the lawsuit, Lizzo’s Instagram followers fell 1.7% to 13.4 million while her TikTok followers declined 0.7% to 26.8 million, according to Chartmetric.
Social media numbers fall when services occasionally remove fake followers, but “it is highly unusual to see these simultaneous declines in follower accounts on multiple services,” says Chaz Jenkins, Chartmetric’s chief commercial officer. Artists’ followers tend to increase steadily over time. In fact, before the lawsuit, Lizzo’s Instagram never declined more than 0.1% over any seven-day period in 2023. .
Seeing some fans’ reaction to Lizzo’s lawsuit recalls how Doja Cat lost about 600,000 Instagram followers in roughly two and a half weeks, according to Chartmetric, after the rapper traded barbs with her fans. She received none of the groundswell of support that Jason Aldean experienced after CMT’s decision to pull the video for his song “Try That in a Small Town” sparked a national conversation. From July 1 to August 10, Aldean’s YouTube subscribers grew by 10.9% to 2.7 million, his Instagram followers increased 5.9% to 4.3 million and the track went to No. 1 on the Hot 100. But, as Kanye West’s rebounding music consumption suggests, listeners may not stay mad for long.
Round Hill Music has acquired the remaining share of Big Loud Shirt’s catalog of music publishing rights, bringing Round Hill Music’s ownership of Big Loud Shirt’s music catalog to 100%. Round Hill previously acquired a share of the Big Loud Shirt catalog in 2014.
Round Hill has also acquired 50% of the writer’s income streams from songwriter/producer Craig Wiseman, the founder/owner of Big Loud Shirt.
The Big Loud Shirt catalog comprises more than 1,200 songs recorded by artists including Blake Shelton, Dierks Bentley, Carrie Underwood, Faith Hill, Luke Bryan and Tim McGraw. The majority date prior to 2015, with 75% of them at least seven years old.
According to a press release announcing the deal, streaming income generated from Big Loud Shirt’s catalog increased approximately 200% from 2017 to 2021.
The deal brings new rights into Round Hill’s portfolio and expands its existing interests in songs including McGraw’s “Live Like You Were Dying” (co-written by Wiseman), Underwood’s “Before He Cheats” and “Blown Away” and Strait’s “I Saw God Today.”
According to a release, this acquisition also increases Round Hill’s exposure to the country music market, which as of December 31, 2022, comprised 11% of their portfolio.
Round Hill Music CEO Josh Gruss said in a statement, “Craig Wiseman and his publishing company, Big Loud Shirt, have produced some of the highest profile, most recognizable and enduring country music hits of the last three decades, bringing them firmly in line with the song profile of the Company’s portfolio. We have a terrific working relationship with Craig, who we have known for many years, and are deeply familiar with these songs. This investment not only enables us to further increase Round Hill Music’s exposure to the fast-growing Country music genre but also provides an exciting opportunity for us to leverage our in-house platform to manage these incredible songs, maximizing their income streams and further growing their value.”
Wiseman added, “I have known and been working with Round Hill for a decade and I’m thrilled to be expanding our relationship by sharing these incredible pieces of art with them. I know they will manage these songs carefully and effectively, identifying creative opportunities to bring them to new audiences worldwide.”
When Travis Scott decides to do something, he usually goes big.
And with his latest album, he decided to go colossal, with a 60,000-person concert unveiling his latest release, Utopia, at Rome’s iconic Circus Maximus, the ancient stadium that used to serve as a chariot racing venue during the Roman Empire. The event came together in less than a week and served as a capstone to the rollout for what became the biggest debut week for a hip-hop album this year, and the third-biggest week of any album at all in 2023, moving 496,000 equivalent album units.
Even more remarkable for an album in a genre that heavily over-indexes in streaming, half of the units moved for Utopia came from sales, as Scott continues to be one of the most innovative artists in music with his sales strategies. Helping him pull all this off has been his manager, Cactus Jack GM David Stromberg, who earns the title of Billboard’s Executive of the Week.
Here, Stromberg talks about the huge first week for Utopia, the challenges in pulling off that show at the Circus Maximus and why artists should be celebrated for their approach to merchandising and sales. “A24 releases merch for their big movies, Disney and Marvel create massive product lines around their blockbusters, fans line up for jerseys and official merch at every sporting event,” he says. “But strangely in music, it’s now considered a negative towards overall consumption and metrics behind a project. I feel record-breaking artists who are able to move merchandise at an elite level should be celebrated at a time when branding, creativity and marketing [are] generally nonexistent in the music industry.”
This week, Travis Scott’s Utopia debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 496,000 units, the third-biggest debut week of any album this year and by far the biggest for any hip-hop album. What key decisions did you make to help make that happen?
Our small core team has been together since the start of Travis’ career. Cactus Jack is essentially an independent label and polymath-driven creative agency — we oversee everything from marketing strategy to design and execution. I also handle everything on the business end. For this project, Travis really wanted to lean into building a strong visual language. Producing his film CIRCUS MAXIMUS on an insanely tight timeline, shooting in exotic locations around the world and premiering the album within a film in theaters nationwide was a massive undertaking but definitely set up the project in a unique way. We are all super proud of the final product and it was amazing to see the world’s reaction.
This is his first album since 2018’s Astroworld, which also posted around 500,000 units in its first week. After five years, how did you work to set up this release to the point that it nearly equaled his last?
While the numbers are powerful and have important historical context, our focus is always primarily on the music and world-building. ASTROWORLD was such a seminal moment in culture, we wanted to level up that energy and recapture the feeling of event albums, which are clearly lacking in music lately. UTOPIA‘s first-week global streaming numbers actually almost doubled ASTROWORLD, Billboard just quantifies merch bundles differently now than in 2018 [in terms of sales]. On a global consumption level, it’s safe to say it actually far surpassed ASTROWORLD.
Of those units, about half came from streaming and half came from sales. What was the strategy around each side of that, particularly the sales side?
One thing that doesn’t get talked about nearly enough when judging music consumption data is the inherent disadvantages hip-hop faces in manufacturing physical music product. Due to the fluid nature of rap collaboration, leak culture and last-minute changes, vinyl lead time always far exceeds album delivery dates for rap. Pop artists are usually able to turn in their albums five to six months early and manufacture a significant amount of vinyl with a robust retail plan in place. Vinyl often ends up accounting for well over 50% of these pop artists’ first-week totals, whereas hip-hop is judged entirely on streaming. In an even playing field, rap stars are going to far out-stream even the biggest names in pop music, but for whatever reason they aren’t graded on the same sales curve. Going into this rollout we wanted to crack the code — we successfully manufactured our own vinyl and CDs in record time and built an e-com plan to leverage day-and-date physical music for the first time in modern mainstream rap. It was a really ambitious plan but thankfully everything came together smoothly. Huge thank you to recent Billboard cover hero Larry Jackson for his invaluable guidance and strategy throughout this whole process.
How important are direct-to-consumer sales and merch to an artist like Travis?
Man… I’d love to eventually have a deeper conversation around this topic at large. For some reason, direct-to-consumer and merch is used as a negative connotation against artists like Travis, oftentimes by artists or labels doing the exact same thing in their online stores to diminishing returns. Why stigmatize artists with extremely active fan bases who want to engage and support the album, even at a much higher price point than just a la carte music? Since the inception of rock and roll, merch has always been an important part of supporting your favorite artists. A24 releases merch for their big movies, Disney and Marvel create massive product lines around their blockbusters, fans line up for jerseys and official merch at every sporting event. But strangely in music, it’s now considered a negative towards overall consumption and metrics behind a project. I feel record-breaking artists who are able to move merchandise at an elite level should be celebrated at a time when branding, creativity and marketing [are] generally nonexistent in the music industry.
How did you choose the Circus Maximus for that performance, and what were the challenges in pulling it off?
Ancient worldwide settings were an early reference point for this album. Travis was particularly interested in civilizations that transcended technological and cultural limitations to reach new heights. Part of the film is essentially a live performance from the ancient Pompeii amphitheater ruins. We have a couple other Wonders of the World locations held for possible performances, currently studying timing and logistics. With the Circus Maximus show we basically put it on sale, designed the stage, produced the livestream ourselves and sold 60,000 tickets in less than a week. It was a crazy challenge but one of the most rewarding and epic shows of his live career. The energy and hearing the album live for the first time in that setting was an unforgettable experience and iconic way to conclude the first week of UTOPIA rollout.
How are you working to keep the momentum for this release going in the weeks and months to come?
I don’t want to say too much, but there is a lot in the works. Definitely continuing to build the UTOPIA world in unexpected ways. We just released the CIRCUS MAXIMUS film on Apple Music after a week of exclusivity in theaters. We’ve been thinking a lot about touring in different, innovative ways and utilizing new technologies in live performance. And Travis is always working on new music.
As artificial intelligence remains the hottest topic of 2022, last month President Biden stood alongside big tech leaders as they pledged impotent “voluntary commitments” to control the emerging technology. Those leaders did so fully comprehending the dangers posed by the rapid and unrestricted penetration of AI through society — which are especially grave for artists and creators.
None of the commitments can give anyone in the music or creative industries comfort. They are as basic and malleable as “prioritizing research” and “sharing information on managing AI risks.” It is impossible to monitor big tech’s compliance with them. Even worse, all of the commitments are unenforceable.
We are already experiencing the consequences of the unbridled development and use of AI. Copyrighted material is being routinely ingested and used by AI conglomerates without the consent or even knowledge of rights holders. AI-generated vocals and deepfakes — given prominence by the Fake Drake and The Weeknd’s “Heart On My Sleeve” saga — are prevalent and becoming more realistic by the day. “Artificial streaming” — whereby AI bots create and upload songs, and then artificially inflate streaming numbers — is a massive issue for the streaming industry. Misinformation and inaccuracies in AI output are rampant. Generative AI programs suffer from what experts call “hallucination” — where they make up or misrepresent facts. The victims are widespread, ranging from lawyers given fake legal cases to cite in court papers, to a professor named as the accused in a sexual harassment scandal fabricated by AI.
Nicholas Saady
The lacuna of AI regulation and long wait for decisions in significant AI court cases leaves rights holders, and broader society, at the mercy of big tech. That includes the protagonists of the 2016 Cambridge Analytica scandal (where there were laws in place prohibiting such misconduct), Frances Haugen’s 2021 revelations about Facebook and its platforms’ impact on issues such as teen health and even human trafficking, as well as those being investigated by the FTC for engaging in unfair or deceptive practices causing harm to consumers. Some in this group have recently shown immense hostility to lawmakers, and threatened to leave the EU if it regulates AI. None are those whose history or current actions compel public trust.
We also have minimal, if any — a point recently illustrated by the California Stability AI lawsuit, in which key issues are copyright infringement and data scraping — transparency around the ingestion and scraping of data by companies that own generative AI. Content and data protections were not formulated with current forms of AI in mind. Nor were copyright and right of publicity laws. It is unclear whether they provide sufficient protections, and in any case, are difficult to enforce amidst the black box of AI data ingestion.
Draconian regulation is not the answer to these issues. Nor is inaction. Congress has been exceptionally slow to move. While some lawmakers have proposed legislation, held a few congressional hearings, and suggested new federal agencies to deal with AI, nothing meaningful has resulted. The significant AI litigation is also not progressing quickly. Recently, a Federal Judge indicated that he was inclined to dismiss the California Stability AI lawsuit, but would give the plaintiffs a chance to reformulate their case. This means any decision or guidance is unlikely this year. Similar court cases will not provide definitive guidance soon, and many may settle. Even if decisions are released, they will not be universally applicable.
U.S. Congress’ inaction starkly contrasts the European Union’s continued development of its “AI Act,” which includes important guardrails for the use of AI. For generative AI such as ChatGPT, the AI Act requires disclosure of content generated by AI; prohibitions on the ability to generate illegal content; and publication of copyrighted data used for training. It also prohibits real-time and remote biometric identification systems and cognitive behavioral manipulation using AI. While the final form of the Act is being negotiated, the EU hopes to “reach an agreement by the end” of 2023.
However, the EU AI Act is not a panacea — especially not for artists and creators, as music industry organizations like GESAC, ICMP, IFPI, IMPALA and IMPF recently pointed out to the EU. To properly protect human creativity and rights in creative output, more can be done to increase transparency regarding the data on which AI is trained and record keeping of the same — particularly content which is protected by registered copyrights. Such publicly accessible information will enable artists and creators to determine if their content has been ingested by AI, and also to make fully informed assessments as to whether AI outputs constitute infringement or fair use of their content. Stronger protections around the use of video and audio deepfakes and digital recreations of humans, particularly celebrities, are becoming an increasing priority to protect privacy, creativity and livelihoods.
The stakes are too high for a wait and see approach. We saw what happened when that approach was employed with cryptocurrency: FTX and other similar debacles. The potential impact of generative AI is greater because of its universal application and almost limitless potential. As history and the cacophony of current AI lawsuits make clear, big tech has little regard for the intellectual property, livelihoods and creativity of artists and creators, nor for individuals’ privacy and personal information.
The recent “voluntary commitments” won’t change a thing. Congress should take swift action. It has a unique opportunity to lead the world in AI regulation by passing an enhanced version of the EU AI Act. The risks of inaction amidst the rapid development and use of generative AI — like AI’s capabilities — are in many respects, existentially threatening.
Nicholas Saady is a U.S. and Australian lawyer, who represents high-profile organizations and individuals — including major artists, labels and agents — regarding complex intellectual property, technology and commercial matters. He has also published widely on issues relating to technology, AI, NFTs and cryptocurrency.
Universal Music Singapore hired Alice Kent as general manager, overseeing day-to-day operations and spearheading efforts to up the UMG division’s presence in the Southeast Asian island country. She reports to UMG chief of South East Asia Calvin Wong, who says Kent “brings with her a pioneering spirit and a wealth of experience from her decades of working in the music and entertainment industry” — including a recent stretch as marketing, partnerships and business development director at Live Nation Entertainment Singapore, and before that senior roles at both Warner Music and Sony Music. Among the many feathers in Kent’s cap include securing sponsorship deals for Blackpink and brokering partnerships with Singtel and PayPal, in addition to working with Billie Eilish and the Singapore Tourism Board.
Alexander Vazelakis was named head of A&R for longstanding dance imprint Ultra Records. This is Vazelakis’ return to the label, where he previously spent nearly a decade working with artists including Sofi Tukker, Icona Pop, Steve Aoki, Anabel Englund and DVBBS. Based in Los Angeles, Vazelakis most recently served as VP of A&R at both Helix Records and Ultra Publishing and now reports to Ultra Records President David Waxman. –Katie Bain
SiriusXM promoted longtime executive Jen Leiweke to vice president of artist and industry relations. Previously a senior director on the talent and industry relations team, Leiweke joined Pandora in late 2010 and has worked across marketing, brand partnerships, live and experiential. In the past year, Leiweke helped develop a major sponsorship framework with American Express around SiriusXM’s Small Stage Series, which has featured performances from John Legend at The Wiltern in Los Angeles and Halsey at Union Transfer in Philly, among others. She also helped launch SiriusXM’s first foray at Miami Art Basel along with partner Chase Sapphire. Prior to joining Pandora, which was acquired by SiriusXM in 2019, Leiweke held positions at Alison Prod Public Relations and AEG.
Marigo Mihalos was also promoted to vice president at SiriusXM, where she oversees the entertainment booking team specializing in film, TV, and lifestyle. Before joining the satellite radio giant, Mihalos launched her own PR agency and later solidified her reputation as a booker on television shows like The Wendy Williams Show and Who Want to Be a Millionaire. Her best-of list of wins at SiriusXM include snagging the entire cast of Elvis for a Graceland appearance and orchestrating a collaboration between Bravo host-with-the-most Andy Cohen and icon-of-icons Dolly Parton at Dollywood. She can be reached at Marigo.mihalos@siriusxm.com.
Nashville-based publishing and artist development company Back Blocks Music expanded its team, adding Autumn Ledgin as senior director of A&R and Elizabeth Cook as creative coordinator. Back Blocks Music was founded by Billboard Power Player and 40 Under 40 recipient Rakiyah Marshall, with a roster including Ashley Cooke, Lily Rose, Blake Pendergrass and Tucker Wetmore. Ledgin previously worked at Good Company Entertainment, as day-to-day manager for the company’s roster, including Jake Owen and Larry Fleet, before adding A&R duties and becoming a board member and planning coordinator for the Jake Owen Foundation. Cook joins Back Blocks Music during her senior year at Belmont University as a songwriting major; she previously interned at Creative Nation and King Pen. –Jessica Nicholson
Believe-owned TuneCore appointed Tash Shah as its new vice president of International at the digital music distributor. Shah is a 12-year veteran at Spotify, where she served as the streaming giant’s first head of marketing in the UK and most recently held the title of director of growth programs. At her new gig, which is based in London, she’ll drive TuneCore’s international growth into new global markets oversee a team across 17 countries, while developing programs to benefit TuneCore’s growing roster of artists and labels. Shah will eventually report to TuneCore’s TBA chief revenue officer, but in the interim will work directly with CEO Andreea Gleeson.
Songtradr appointed Paul Langworthy to chief revenue officer of the music licensing marketplace and distribution platform. Reporting directly to CEO Paul Wiltshire, Langworthy’s focuses will include expanding licensing, music management, and creative branding opportunities, as well as continuing expansion into markets where music rights management remains under-monetized. Langworthy was previously CEO of U.K. digital music company 7digital, which Songtradr scooped up earlier this year for roughly $23 million. At the time of the acquisition, it was announced that Langworthy and the bulk of 7digital’s senior leadership team would join Songtradr. “Paul has a proven track record of successfully managing large teams, multiple revenue streams and has a deep understanding of the complex music rights ecosystem we work in,” said Wiltshire.
ICYMI: Tom Becci joined Concord Label Group as chief executive … peermusic appointed Elizabeth Rodda as president of Latin America and global society relations … About sixty employees are set to be impacted by layoffs at CAA … and Quality Control CEO Pierre “P” Thomas won Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players’ Choice Award.
A2IM hired Melissa White as director of membership and Jasmine Lopez-Alvarez as marketing manager of the independent music advocacy group. In their new roles, White will oversee A2IM’s label relations and membership engagement strategy, while Lopez-Alvarez will manage marketing initiatives and spearhead membership growth. White arrives from sample marketplace Tracklib, where she rose to music catalog director; Lopez-Alvarez has clocked time at SiriusXM, Maruder and HIFI. “Their experience and passion for independent music will play a crucial role in developing our reach and furthering our mission,” said Richard James Burgess, CEO of A2IM. You can reach the pair at melissa@a2im.org and/or jasmine@a2im.org.
Industry veteran Nathalie Rubin joined PR collective Hustle&Co. as account supervisor. Based in Los Angeles and reporting to founder and CEO Jenn DeMartino Callister, Rubin’s remit will center around driving campaigns for clients including music investment firm Influence Media Partners, destination experience company Vibee and something called Spotify (specifically its EQUAL and GLOW programs). Prior to joining Hustle, Rubin served as publicity manager at Elektra Entertainment, acing press campaigns for the label group’s artist roster found on Fueled by Ramen, DTA Records and the mothership imprint. She kicked off her career with a five-year stretch at BMG Recorded Music, where as in-house publicist she worked directly with a murderer’s row of rock favorites including Evanescence, Thrice, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and My Chemical Romance’s Frank Iero. She can be reached at Nathalie_Rubin@hustleandco.com.
The Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC), a non-profit organization founded in 2020 to combat systemic racism in the music business, added rapper-activist Cordae and Live Nation Urban president Shawn Gee to its Executive Leadership Council. Cordae and Shawn Gee, who received the Social Impact Award at BMAC’s inaugural annual gala, join a growing list of industry leaders on the ELC, including Dina LaPolt, Wassim “Sal” Slaiby, Jonathan Azu, Tariq Cherif and Jeff Azoff, among others. See a full list here.
VRTCL, a content management and influencer marketing agency, promoted Imani “Mango” Lewis to director of music and Jenn Rilloraza to director of brands and content. In their new roles, Lewis will lead overall strategy and operation of the music and social teams, while Rilloraza will continue working with her team to develop authentic content on behalf of some of the world’s biggest brands. Both report to FH Media CEO, Ash Stahl, who says they “have a proven history of working closely with artist and commercial brands to amplify their messages in ways that are completely authentic.” VRTCL was acquired by Create Music Group in early 2022 and folded into an FH Media roster that also includes influencer brands Flighthouse, Teenager Therapy and Retirement House.
Nashville Notes: Musicians On Call, a Nashville-based nonprofit that brings live and recorded music to the bedsides of patients in healthcare facilities, announced a series of promotions and new hires. Promotions include Kat Weeks to vp of marketing, Torianne Valdez to senior talent manager and PJ Cowan and Caroline Love to senior program managers. New hires include Orenda Senior as program coordinator and Sasha Arnkoff as executive assistant … Triple Tigers hired Nashville-based Blake Nixon as director of Southeast promotion. He previously held a similar role at Show Dog Nashville … Shelby Yoder founded songwriter/producer management company willo&co. She was previously head of Milk & Honey Nashville.
Longtime music executive Steve “Steve-O” Carless has partnered with Warner Records on a joint partnership to start his label Defiant Records. Carless, who is president of A&R at Warner, told Billboard that creating Defiant was a “lifelong mission.”
“I just believe in achieving what you set out to do no matter the risk, test, or obstacle,” he said. “It’s important to be brave and intentional to not lose sight of that. I wanted this to be representative of the career I’ve been privileged to have and also speak to the artists who dream to create their story on their own terms, who aren’t scared to be who they are unapologetically.”
Defiant Records houses burgeoning acts, including Bandmanrill, Sha EK, and McVertt, who teamed to craft the bulky 27-track project The Defiant Presents: Jiggy In Jersey. Executive produced by McVertt (who co-produced Lil Uzi Vert’s Hot 100 top 10 hit “I Just Wanna Rock), Bandmanrill and Sha EK thrive in a playground where Jersey Club and drill music coexist. Having previously worked with Pusha T, Big Sean and the late Nipsey Hussle, among many others, Carless believes his experience will come in handy when building out the careers of his signees.
“I truly believe that my experience affords these artists an opportunity and mentorship that’s hard to duplicate,” Carless relayed to Billboard. “I have 10,000 hours of experience in management, A&R, digital, and promotions. I’ve been inside a record company for my whole career and have simultaneously operated outside of those buildings as well. I’ve helped build brands and companies and also understand the agency piece of it thoroughly. I think all of that super-serves these artists in a way that can create more unexpected opportunities and expedited learning because it’s a unique situation here at Defiant Records.”
Regarding plans to grow Defiant Records into a powerhouse, Carless has a simple rinse-and-repeat strategy he thinks will be the blueprint for his label.
“The plans are simple, be authentic and detailed. We set attainable goals, achieve them, and repeat. We will always be the best in our space. The name of the game is to be consistent and curate our big-picture and individual stories simultaneously. Our focus has primarily been YouTube because it’s the most current breeding ground for global talent, and we’ve signed each one of our artists based on their following on the platform.”
Stream The Defiant Presents: Jiggy In Jersey below.
The organizer of a Malaysian music festival is seeking 12.3 million ringgit ($2.7 million) in losses from British band The 1975, after its lead singer’s on-stage protest of the country’s anti-gay laws prompted authorities to shut down the festival, the company’s lawyer said Friday (Aug. 11).
Future Sound Asia sent a letter to the band on Monday demanding compensation over a breach of contract, said FSA lawyer David Dinesh Mathew.
During the July 21 performance, Matty Healy used profanities in his speech criticizing the Malaysian government’s stance against homosexuality, before kissing bassist Ross MacDonald during the opening show at the Good Vibes Festival in Kuala Lumpur. Footage of the performance was posted on social media and sparked backlash in the predominantly Muslim country.
In Malaysia, homosexuality is a crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison and caning.
The government slammed Healy’s conduct, blacklist the band from the country and cut short the three-day festival. Some in the LGBTQ+ community also took to social media to criticize the band, saying Healy had disrupted the work of activists pushing for change and also endangered the community.
In the letter, Mathew said the band had given a written pledge before the show that it would adhere to all local guidelines and regulations. Instead, Healy’s “use of abusive language, equipment damage, and indecent stage behaviour” caused financial losses to FSA.
“Unfortunately, the assurance was ignored,” Mathew said Friday in a written statement to The Associated Press. “Their actions have had repercussions on local artists and small businesses, who relied on the festival for creative opportunities and their livelihoods.”
As such, he said FSA demanded that The 1975 acknowledge their liability and pay 12.3 million ringgit in compensation for damages incurred. On its website, FSA said it is in the midst of accommodating all refund requests.
The lawyer said FSA will take legal action in the courts of England if the band fails to respond by Monday, a week after the legal letter of claim was sent.
The band canceled its shows in Taiwan and Jakarta, Indonesia, after the fiasco in the Malaysian capital. It wasn’t the first such provocative on-stage display by Healy in the name of LGBTQ+ rights: In 2019, he kissed a male fan during a concert in the United Arab Emirates, which outlaws same-sex sexual activity.
Following his 10-year prison sentence this week for shooting Megan Thee Stallion, Tory Lanez took to Instagram late Thursday (Aug. 10) to maintain his innocence and declare that he won’t “stop fighting till I come out victorious.”
Lanez (real name: Daystar Peterson) — who was convicted on three felony counts in December over the 2020 shooting — addressed the note to his “Umbrellas” fan group.
“I have never let a hard time intimidate me,” he wrote. “I will never never let no jail time eliminate me. Regardless of how they try to spin my words, I have always maintained my innocence and I always will.”
He writes that during his sentencing hearing, he took responsibility for “verbal and intimate moments that I shared with the parties involved,” but not for the shooting itself. “In no way shape or form was I apologizing for the charges I’m being wrongfully convicted of. I remain on the stance that I refuse to apologize for something that I did not do.”
Tuesday’s decadelong prison sentence for Lanez — which comes more than three years after the July 2020 shooting — was more than the probation sought by his lawyers but less than the 13 years prosecutors had suggested. The shooting occurred after Lanez, Megan Thee Stallion (real name: Megan Pete) and their friend Kelsey Harris left a party. According to prosecutors, Meg exited the vehicle and Lanez shot at her feet while shouting, “Dance, bi—!” Lanez was charged with the shooting in October 2022.
Read Lanez’s new statement in full below:
To The Umbrellas,
I have never let a hard time intimidate me. I will never never let no jail time eliminate me. Regardless of how they try to spin my words, I have always maintained my innocence and I always will.
This week in court I took responsibility for all verbal and intimate moments that I shared with the parties involved. … That’s it.
In no way shape or form was I apologizing for the charges I’m being wrongfully convicted of. I remain on the stance that I refuse to apologize for something that I did not do.
I’ve faced adversity my whole life and every time it looked like I would lose, I came out on top. This is nothing but another moment where my back is against the wall and I refuse to stop fighting till I come out victorious.
Tough times don’t last, tough people do.
To my family, friends and umbrellas thank you for your continued support.
See you soon.