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Spotify is targeting radio broadcasters with its latest product update that will make it easier to convert radio shows into on-demand podcasts and offer a new source of ad revenue on existing content.
Beginning Thursday, Spotify’s “broadcast-to-podcast” technology will be fully integrated into Megaphone, the podcast ad tech and hosting platform that Spotify acquired in late 2020. The radio-to-podcast conversion technology itself comes from the Australian podcasting platform Whooshkaa, which was purchased by Spotify in 2021.
Using Megaphone, publishers will be able to input the URL to a live stream of their broadcasted content and automatically have a podcast created from that programming, according to Emma Vaughn, Spotify’s global head of advertising business development and partnerships. The “broadcast-to-podcast” tech will identify ad marker locations, giving publishers the opportunity to remove the ads that were originally aired on the live version of the program and dynamically insert new ad spots in their place, resulting in more revenue.
Companies using “broadcast to podcast” can continue to sell their own ad inventory or, in the near future, do so through the Spotify Audience Network, the audio giant’s ad marketplace.
“These publishers obviously have a ton of content that they create. The libraries are massive, [but] they don’t always have a full podcast operation that’s set up, [so] creating podcast-only content might not make sense for them,” Vaughn told The Hollywood Reporter. “That’s where ‘broadcast to podcast’ comes in because it’s seamless and allows them to join the ecosystem.”
As part of the initial rollout, publishers like Fox Corp. — which has an existing advertising and distribution deal with Megaphone for its Fox Audio Network — will use the conversion technology to create on-demand podcast versions of the broadcaster’s radio programming, though Vaughn said the goal is to attract publishers and broadcasters around the globe that “previously weren’t able to access Megaphone and access the podcast ecosystem.”
The executive also noted that converting radio programming into podcasts could give radio broadcasters a better chance at expanding their reach to Gen-Z listeners.
“More and more people are listening to content via these digital channels,” Vaughn said, “so it’s going to be able to bring some of this broadcast content that was maybe more isolated to a certain type of demographic to the Spotify demographic and to these young audiences that they haven’t been able to capture before.”
This story was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.
Reigning CMA entertainer of the year winner Luke Combs and Ryman Hospitality Properties’ Opry Entertainment Group have joined forces to reimagine Nashville’s Wildhorse Saloon, located at 120 2nd Ave. N., as a Combs-inspired multi-level entertainment venue; it’s set to open in 2024.
The yet-to-be-named complex will total 69,000 square feet, including an outdoor-indoor capacity of nearly 3,200 people, and will reflect Combs’ passions for music, songwriting, whiskey and sports. Specifically, the venue will take inspiration from Combs’ debut hit “Hurricane,” which went 8x multi-Platinum and spent two weeks at the pinnacle of Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart in 2017.
Speaking with Billboard at the Wildhorse Saloon in downtown Nashville, Combs said that watching Opry Entertainment’s work on Blake Shelton’s Ole Red venues was inspiring.
“I’ve had other offers for venues, but I always thought if I had the chance one day to do a venue, I would want to work with them. Working in hospitality the way they do, they bring something unique to the table.”
Combs added, “I talked with Blake about it this January, when we were talking about working with the Opry folks. He had so many great things to say about them and was like, ‘You should absolutely do this,’ and he was excited for me. It was great to get that affirmation.”
The entertainment complex will include a 1,500-person capacity concert venue for ticketed events. Meanwhile, a proposed rooftop bar (720-person capacity) with views of the Cumberland River and Nissan Stadium will add 9,000 square feet of entertainment space to the existing 60,000-square-foot venue.
The three interior levels will convey Combs’ songs, lifestyle and connection to his Bootlegger fans.
Colin Reed, Ryman Hospitality Properties’ executive chairman, told Billboard that he estimates the project will cost in the “tens of millions,” though he declined to offer specific financials.
Reed described the venue as containing a “250-seater honky-tonk at the front that can open up into the concert hall behind it.” He adds that the concert hall will include a “Beautiful Crazy” area designed for groups and bachelorette parties, as well as a bourbon bar and an area dedicated and inspired by Combs’ Bootleggers fanclub.
“We’ve definitely tried to prove over the years that we always think about the fans first,” Combs told Billboard. “I wanted to continue to do that with this spot, too. I didn’t just want to slap y name on something and wash my hands of it. I’ve been very hands-on with this. I wanted it to be something where my fans felt like they could come to. Obviously, if they are in the fanclub, there will be special things and special places for them to come to and unique opportunities.”
“With the honky-tonk, when I say 250 people, it will be two stories,” Reed tells Billboard. “It will be a small, intimate 250-capacity, where people will be on the second floor, looking down onto a stage and on the ground floor it will have a great bar behind it.”
Reed adds that the third floor is include a “new-generation sorts bar, to provide people who come to Nashville, who want not only to drink good bourbon, good beer, but also listen to music and watch their favorite sports team play.”
In the meantime, the venue will continue to operate as the Wildhorse Saloon until the new venue opens in 2024.
The Wildhorse Saloon opened in downtown Nashville in 1994 and has since been home to more than 4,000 television show episodes and tapings, as well as a destination for corporate events. The venue previously hosted The Wildhorse Saloon Dance Show on The Nashville Network in the 1990s and served as a base for the CMT show Can You Duet.
Combs says fans can absolutely expect to see some surprise appearances and performances from him at the venue.
“Any opportunity or any time I do something in town, I can do it here, because this is a spot that is large and versatile. It will be a really unique spot,” Combs says.
Combs is currently on his world tour, will will visit Nashville this weekend, for two shows at Nissan Stadium.
The rapper Cam’ron is facing a copyright lawsuit over allegations that he used a 2003 image of himself on t-shirts, jewelry and a slew of other merchandise sold by his Dipset Couture – all without any kind of license from the original photographer.
In a complaint filed Tuesday (April 11) in New Jersey federal court, photographer Djamilla Cochran claimed the “Hey Ma” rapper (real name Cameron Giles) splashed her image — a shot of Cam wearing a fuzzy pink coat and hat while holding a matching flip phone — across a wide range of Dipset products.
She says he also repeatedly posted the image to Instagram to promote those products, which also included shower curtains, pillows, swimsuits, socks and even a birthday cake. The complaint came with numerous screenshots of Dipset Couture’s product listings and Cam’ron’s posts promoting them.
And, according to the lawsuit, Cam’ron was alerted numerous times that he was using the image without a license.
“Getty Images notified defendants of their infringing activities by mail and email on multiple occasions,” Cochran’s lawyers wrote. “Despite those notifications, defendants continued to sell merchandise and continued to display the photograph on website and accounts.”
Reps for Cam’ron did not immediately return a request for comment.
Cochran’s image (featured above) captured Cam’ron at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Show in New York in 2003, wearing a flashy color that would become a key part of his brand identity. In 2016, GQ magazine used the photo atop an article titled “Cam’ron Is Very Particular When It Comes to the Color Pink,” saying that the rapper had “defined himself with an iconic pink mink coat” at that fashion show.
While it might sound unfair to a celebrity, the copyrights to a photo are almost always retained by the person who snapped it. Being featured in an image doesn’t grant someone a right to use it for free, and certainly not on commercial merchandise.
That’s not a new dilemma for stars. Over the last few years, Miley Cyrus, Dua Lipa, Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Emily Ratajkowski, LeBron James, Katy Perry and others have all faced copyright cases after they re-used photos of themselves snapped by someone else.
But the lawsuit against Cam’ron is potentially more serious than those earlier cases, which mostly dealt with stars just reposting an image on social media. His alleged unauthorized use of Cochran’s image on numerous commercial products, even after he was allegedly warned to stop, could leave him facing more substantial damages.
According to screenshots included in the lawsuit, Cam’ron had been doing so for years. Instagram posts from his mr_camron handle dating back as far as 2014 show Cochran’s image, including on skateboards, facemasks and reposted in full.
Legendary concert promoter James “Disco Donnie” Estopinal is planning a new festival for central Texas, timed to coincide with a rare total solar eclipse that will be visible across North America next year.
Dubbed the Texas Eclipse, the celebration will take place April 8, 2024 in Burnet at Reveille Peak Ranch, located just 60 minutes outside of Austin.
“About a year from now, millions of people from around the world will be able to witness a once-in-a-lifetime bucket-list event,” Estopinal tells Billboard. “The Texas Eclipse is distinct from the events we normally create and will involve collaboration with various groups and organizations to produce a unique and collective event experience.”
So far, few details on the event have been released. A press release announcing the event explains “Texas Eclipse will be a nexus of cultures, passions and interests; bringing together a curated experience for all to encourage discovery, exploration, and participation. In addition to featuring multi-genre world class music talent, it will also feature the best of Central Texas culture, including interactive art installations and local food and craft vendors. Beginning the weekend before, attendees can camp on the stunning festival grounds to enjoy a host of family-friendly fun, including exciting music performances, mind blowing space exhibits and interactive technology activations ahead of the eclipse.”
Estopinal is partnering with event producer Mitch Morales from Texas event production company Probably Nothing — creator of Austin’s long-running Euphoria festival — for Texas Eclipse.
“Growing up in Central Texas, it’s been a dream of mine to help create an event that celebrates a once-in-a-life experience and brings people from around the world to enjoy the best of music art and culture,” Morales says. “The venue is unique and spectacular and I don’t think there’s a better venue to observe the 2024 eclipse. I’ve admired the team at DDP for a long time and am thrilled to be working with them to bring this dream to reality.”
The April 8 eclipse is expected to last 4 minutes and 20 seconds and will be seen across Texas and a large swath of North America as it heads east, with the first location in continental North America to experience totality being Mexico’s Pacific coast at around 11:07 a.m. PDT., according to an information page created by NASA. The eclipse is expected to be visible in Texas at approximately 12:23 p.m. CDT.
The 50,000 person event will be spread over the 1,200 acre Reveille Peak ranch, which provides 200 acres of camping grounds, 60 miles of trails and is decorated by beautiful lakes, winding creeks, wooded forests and rolling hills.
More at seetexaseclipse.com
Courtesy Photo
Pulse Music Group has formed a joint venture with publishing client Cordae, who signed in 2019. Though the company has not announced signees yet, their partnered publishing firm, dubbed HI-LEVEL Publishing, will sign and develop songwriters with Cordae acting as the company head.
Primary Wave has purchased a stake in the recorded music and publishing catalog of Sarah McLachlan. The partnership includes songs like “Angel,” “I Will Remember You,” “Hold On, and more.
Reservoir has acquired the publishing and recorded music catalog of Mannie Fresh, the former in-house producer for Cash Money Records. Mannie Fresh (real name Byron Thomas) is credited with producing nearly all the songs across 15 major albums for the label from 1998 to 2004, including projects by Juvenile, T.I. and Lil Wayne. Outside the booth, he is best known as half of hip-hop duo Big Tymers, alongside label co-founder Brian Williams, who went by Baby back then but is now Birdman. Their hits include “Still Fly” — with its 74 million streams on Spotify — as well as “This Is How We Do” and “Get Your Roll On,” among others.
Wise Music Group has acquired a controlling interest in Edition Peters Group, the storied music publishing house which was established in 1863. Wise will now own Edition Peters Group in partnership with Christian Hinrichsen, a descendant of the company’s founders. It is best known for its association with classical greats like Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Grieg, Gustav Mahler, Hugo Wolf, Richard Strauss, Morton Feldman, George Crumb, and John Cage.
Warner Chappell Music has signed Oliver Tree to a global publishing agreement. With multiple RIAA-certified Gold and Platinum records under his belt, Ryan Press, president of North America at WCM calls Tree a boundary pusher with “an innovative and future forward approach.”
Warner Chappell Music and Songs & Daughters Publishing have signed Kimberly Perry to a joint publishing deal. One-third of the sibling trio The Band Perry, Perry says signing this deal is “Beyond thrill[ing].”
Warner Chappell Music has signed Austin Shawn to a global publishing agreement. Shawn’s previous cuts include “Rock and A Hard Place” by Bailey Zimmerman, which is currently No. 10 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, a first for Zimmerman.
Primary Wave has acquired a stake in singer-songwriter Russ Ballard’s publishing catalog as well as the writer’s share of performance income. included in the deal are songs like “So You Win Again,” “Since You’ve Been Gone,” “I Surrender,” “New York Groove,” “You Can Do Magic,” and “Liar,” and “You Can Do Magic.”
Avex USA Publishing has signed Lucien Parker to a publishing deal. The hip hop producer and songwriter has penned a number of tracks with major stars already, including “My Friends” by Ty Dolla $ign, DJ Mustard, Lil Durk.
Kobalt and Clarence Coffee Jr. have joined forces to launch Artism Mind Music Publishing. Kobalt also announced Artism’s first signees Caroline “Sur Back” Sans and Dan Ewins.
Warner Chappell Music has signed up-and-comer Jossef to a global administration publishing deal. The urban singer-songwriter — who has yet to release his debut album — has scored collaborations with Ñengo Flow and Eix. “He has a promising career ahead,” notes Laz Hernandez, vice president A&R, U.S. Latin & Latin America, WCM.
Peermusic has signed Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame Inductee Loreena McKennitt to a global publishing administration deal, encompassing both McKennitt’s entire back catalog as well as works made in the future.
Kobalt has signed Leader Entertainment/ El Reino Infantil Network to a publishing administration agreement. The deal entails the administration of both Leader’s back catalog of kids’ music as well as future releases.
Lil Yachty has reached a settlement with a non-fungible token (NFT) seller called Opulous over allegations that the company used his name and likeness without permission to raise over $6.5 million in venture capital funds.
Yachty (real name Miles Parks McCollum) sued the company last year, claiming that Opulous launched an advertising blitz for a “Lil Yachty NFT Collection” that would give buyers access to new music from the rapper — without ever securing his approval.
But in a filing on Tuesday (April 11), attorneys for the company notified a federal judge that it had reached a settlement with Yachty to resolve the case. They said the case would be dismissed within 45 days, after the deal is finalized. Neither side offered additional details on the terms of the deal.
Yachty’s case against Opulous was one of several lawsuits filed last year over NFTs, a buzzy form of digital collectible that skyrocketed in popularity in 2021. But the market for NFTs largely collapsed last year, and the lawsuits filed over them are also beginning to drop off.
In his January 2022 complaint, Yachty called the Opulous project, which also included images of him, a “blatant and conscious disregard for plaintiff’s exclusive legal rights.” It additionally claimed that the company did press interviews about his alleged involvement in the project.
His lawyers said that Opulous had pitched his management team about a potential partnership, and that he joined a second call for a “a general introductory meeting,” but that the two sides never came close to signing a deal.
“There were no further communications between the parties, and accordingly no agreement or deal terms for plaintiff’s involvement in the defendants’ launch of the Opulous platform was ever reached,” the lawsuit read.
But even without his approval, Opulous then allegedly announced it would be launching a line of music NFTs and be “kicking things off with a series of unmissable NFT drops led by world-famous artists including Lil Yachty.” That was allegedly followed by numerous social media posts featuring similar claims, as well as images of the rapper, the suit said.
The suit, which also named Opulous founder Lee James Parson and his Ditto Music as defendants, claimed a slew of specific violations, including trademark infringement, unfair competition and a violation of Lil Yachty’s so-called right of publicity — the right to control how your name and likeness are commercially exploited.
Maggie Rogers has signed an exclusive worldwide publishing agreement with Universal Music Publishing Group. The deal sees Rogers recorded music and publishing all joining under the Universal Music Group roof, given the singer-songwriter has been a longtime signee of Capitol Records.
Rogers got her start as a NYU student, writing and producing her own material. When Pharrell Williams gave a master class at the university, Rogers showed him a song she had been working on called “Alaska.” His astonishment at Rogers’ prowess as a producer, songwriter and singer was captured in a viral video that catapulted the young singer to instant acclaim. “Alaska” became her first major label release.
Since then, Rogers earned herself a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist and released two albums Heart It In a Past Life — which hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Alternative Albums and No. 2 on Billboard 200 — and Surrender (2022) — which landed at No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Alternative Albums chart and No. 3 on Billboard’s Top Rock Albums chart.
News of the publishing deal arrives just as Rogers prepares for her next tour through the U.S. and Europe. In an attempt to combat bots and scalpers, Rogers “went old school” as she put it in a recent Instagram post: she opted for an in-person, box office pre-sale for all tour stops. “F–k bots + f-k fees. come buy a ticket in person. tomorrow only… Come kick it like its 1965,” she wrote.
Rogers was previously signed to Sony Music Publishing.
Rogers said of her new publishing deal: “I’m so proud to call UMPG my home and can’t wait begin this next chapter of my career alongside so many writers and professionals I respect and admire.”
Jennifer Knoepfle, evp and co-head of A&R at UMPG, added, “Maggie is one of my favorite songwriters, and I have been lucky to work alongside her since the early stages of her incredible career. We are so excited for her next chapter in her new home at UMPG, and she will have the best support for her creative journey.”
MQA, the audio coding technology company that makes high-resolution streams for companies like Tidal, entered into administration after its founding financial backer stepped down from its board, according to company filings and media reports.
Anton Rupert, grandson of the billionaire South African tobacco tycoon of the same name, was terminated from the position of director of the board of MQA Limited on March 17, according to a filing. Rupert represented Reinet Investments S.C.A., MQA’s founding funder.
The London-based company specializes in making large music files small enough to be compatible on any service or playback device without losing any quality, it says. While it grew its brand presence through partnerships with major music compies like Xiami Music in China, Tidal and the independent music trade group Merlin, it has struggled to make a profit.
The company flagged its uncertain financial future in its most recent annual report, which was for the year ending Dec. 31, 2021. In a statement in the report, MQA chief executive Mike Jbara described the company as a “loss-making start-up” and said it is aware it faces competition for its employees from other U.K.-based technology companies offering certain financial incentives. The company also stated it had secured funding committments to maintain operations only through the first quarter 2023.
MQA’s business was built on driving demand for their tech by providing tools to content creators who would add to the catalog of music made using MQA’s technology. Those MQA files would make their way to consumers ears via distributors and broadcasters that have agreements with MQA.
For listeners, the proof would be in the quality of the stream. The company said it had 132 consumer product agreements as of Dec. 2021.
Last week, technology news website What HiFi? wrote MQA was going into administration, citing a statement from the company. What will happen to the services MQA provides to its partner companies is unclear, but going into adminstration does not always disrupt a companies’ core operations, at least not at first.
Similar to declaring bankruptcy in the U.S., entering into administration in the U.K. protects insolvent company from creditors. This breathing space gives the company time to pull itself out of its financial problems or the court-appointed administrator will advise taking steps — such as selling off assets — to help pay off the company’s debts.
MQA did not respond to a request for comment.
In their last annual report, the company said it is “confident that we will obtain additional funding commitments during those discussions in (the first quarter) 2023.”
National Public Radio is quitting Twitter after the social media platform owned by Elon Musk stamped NPR’s main account with labels the news organization says are meant to undermine its credibility.
“NPR’s organizational accounts will no longer be active on Twitter because the platform is taking actions that undermine our credibility by falsely implying that we are not editorially independent,” NPR said in a statement Wednesday.
Last week, Twitter labeled NPR’s main account as “state-affiliated media” on the social media site, a label also used to identify media outlets that are controlled or heavily influenced by authoritarian governments. Twitter later changed the label to “government-funded media” and gave it to at least one other public news organization, the BBC.
“We are not putting our journalism on platforms that have demonstrated an interest in undermining our credibility and the public’s understanding of our editorial independence,” NPR’s statement said.
The Public Broadcasting Service said Wednesday it has also stopped tweeting from its main account because of its new label and has no plans to resume. PBS said: “We are continuing to monitor the ever-changing situation closely.”
NPR’s main account had not tweeted since April 4. On Wednesday, it sent a series of tweets listing other places to find its journalism.
The company said NPR journalists, employees and member stations can decide on their own if they want to keep using the platform.
NPR’s chief communications officer, Isabel Lara, said in an email that “NPR journalists and employees will decide on their own if they wish to remain on the platform, same for NPR member stations as they’re independently owned and operated.”
NPR does receive U.S. government funding through grants from federal agencies and departments, along with the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The company said it accounts for less than 1% of NPR’s annual operating budget.
Twitter’s new labels have often appeared arbitrarily assigned. It tagged NPR with the “state-affiliated” label after Musk participated in a public conversation about NPR on Twitter, and then deleted mention of NPR, but left up BBC, on a web page where it described why they should not get that label.
Since then, it has given NPR, BBC and some other groups a “government-funded” label but hasn’t done the same for many other public media outlets, such as their counterparts in Canada and Australia.
In an interview Tuesday with a BBC technology reporter at Twitter’s San Francisco headquarters, Musk acknowledged that the British news organization “is not thrilled” about the state-affiliated labels and asked the reporter for feedback.
“Our goal was simply to be as truthful and accurate as possible,” Musk said. “So I think we’re adjusting the label to be ‘publicly funded,’ which I think is perhaps not too objectionable. We’re trying to be accurate.”
SBS Entertainment, the live event arm of Spanish Broadcasting Systems, and global venue development company Oak View Group (OVG) have inked a multi-year strategic agreement, the companies tell Billboard.
The deal, which has been in the works for two years, is described as an effort to “reimagine the live industry landscape” and an opportunity to reach new markets with Latin-focused music events.
Founded in 2015, OVG has grown to work with more than 400 venues worldwide. The deal with SBS marks the first time they’ve teamed up with a Latin company that focuses on producing and promoting large-scale live events. For 16 years now, SBS has produced L.A.’s Calibash, the best-known urban Latin festival in the U.S. that has boasted J Balvin, Daddy Yankee and Karol G as headliners over the past few years. It also produces the New York-based Mega Bash concert (presented by SBS radio station La Mega 97.9), which in December will take place for the first time at UBS Arena — marking the first event announced under the partnership.
Conversations about a possible partnership began when New York’s OVG-developed UBS Arena, which opened in November 2021, was still under construction. It was then that Mark Shulman, the facility’s senior vp of programming, invited the SBS Entertainment team to tour the grounds.
“When you look where [UBS] is located and [the] diversity nearby, Latin music should be a core of what this building is built on,” says Shulman. “I reached out to SBS, being such a leader in live events, and brought out their entire team so they could experience it from its early days. That began the explorations of what the possibilities might be. What started as a New York discussion quickly turned into a national discussion.”
But it wasn’t until last year that the national deal was sealed, and it happened when Francesca Bodie, president of business development at OVG, and Alessandra Alarcón, president of SBS Entertainment, met at Billboard‘s Women In Music 2022 event (both women were honored that year).
“I knew Mark had a relationship with SBS, but Alessandra and I just sat together at the event and said, ‘Wouldn’t it be great to work together?’ The fact that our venue in Palm Springs will do over 20 Latin shows this year, we thought, ‘This is not just a New York thing, this is going to be a nationwide opportunity,’” says Bodie. “We could’ve easily done a one-year commitment but doing a multi-year deal instead was a no-brainer. They have the team that can execute these marquee events and we have state-of-the-art arenas in the U.S and in the world. It was just a natural fit.”
“In our continuous dialogue with OVG about where to take the shows next, we suspect we’re going to be bringing our marquee shows to other markets,” says Christopher Martinez, director of business affairs at SBS. “We are focusing a lot on growing our heritage brands. There’s also a focus on regional Mexican and we’re planning on bringing one-off shows to Austin and also to Palm Springs. We’re definitely looking at expanding and not just focusing on reggaeton.”
The deal between SBS Entertainment and OVG comes at a time when Latin music continues to see global growth across multiple metrics, particularly in touring. The top 25 Latin tours of 2022 grossed $990.8 million and sold 8 million tickets (based on Billboard‘s Boxscore reporting period of Nov. 1, 2021-Oct. 31, 2022). Moreover, in 2022, Latin music outpaced growth in the overall industry with a 24% increase, totaling $1.1 billion in revenue, according to the newly-released RIAA U.S. Latin revenue report, which also highlights an all-time high in terms of market share for the genre at 6.9%.
“Companies like OVG are prioritizing the Latin space and now see the value of partnering with media companies like us because we are the general market now,” says Martinez. “We’re seeing people responding to what the new normal is [with] respect to Latin music.”
Adds Bodie, “As we look at the way we want to continue to anchor and prioritize [Latin], it is critically important that we have alignment with SBS.”
With OVG venues under development in the United Kingdom and Brazil, Bodie hopes to keep expanding their deal with SBS by developing Latin-focused content and activations in those markets. “We’ll definitely talk about what those opportunities will look like in the future.”