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LONDON — Universal Music U.K. chairman and CEO David Joseph has announced he is stepping down after almost 17 years at the helm of the company.
The widely respected executive and longstanding label boss joined the U.K. arm of Universal in 1998 as general manager of Polydor and was promoted to chairman and CEO of Universal Music U.K. and Ireland in 2008. His departure was announced in a memo to staff on Monday (Sept. 23) in which Joseph said he was leaving the music business to study for a master’s degree in religion and theology at King’s College London, commencing next week.
“It has been an honour to work alongside you, creating something truly exceptional, a company that wasn’t only number one but also led with heart and creativity. We’ve done that together,” said Joseph in the memo, which has been viewed by Billboard.
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Joseph went on to say that his career in the record business, “once impossible to imagine, has been a gift for which I’m deeply grateful. Now, after 17 years in this role, it’s time to step into something new.”
The outgoing exec — who oversaw the EMI, Decca, Island, Polydor and 0207 Def Jam labels, as well as Abbey Road Studios — praised his former colleagues at Universal Music U.K. who “will undoubtedly continue to inspire, innovate, and lead the way.”
Joseph also issued a “special thank you” to Universal Music chairman/CEO Lucian Grainge “without whom none of this would have been possible. First, he hired me, and then he let me be myself.”
“This place, the people, the building, the conversations, the inspiration, and the music that somehow makes the rest of life blur into the background – these will all be missed immeasurably,” said Joseph, who described his 26 year career at Universal Music as “an absolute pleasure.”
In a separate staff memo, also seen by Billboard, Grainge described his two decades-plus working with Joseph, beginning with the turnaround of Polydor in the late 1990s, as a “remarkable journey.”
“One of the many things I respect about David is that he never tried to be anyone but himself and he guided the U.K. company to heights in a way that was completely authentic to him. In addition, I have enormous respect for his decision to take an entirely different path after so many outstanding years at UMG,” said Grainge.
The Universal Music chairman/CEO went on to say that he would be informing staff “what comes next” for the U.K. arm of the company “shortly, but today is about David.”
“His contributions—as an executive, as a leader and as a friend—have always been focused on making our company a better place for our employees and our artists. I know you will join me in wishing David our very best,” concluded Grainge.
As U.K. boss of the world’s biggest music company, Joseph was one of the most powerful record executives in the United Kingdom and was a regular fixture in Billboard’s annual International Power Players lists. In 2016, he was awarded a CBE for services to the music industry, while Amy Winehouse, Florence and the Machine, Sam Smith, Lewis Capaldi, Ellie Goulding are just a few of the U.K. acts that achieved global fame under Joseph’s watch.
Earlier this year, Joseph told Billboard that the international sales success of the Rolling Stones’ Hackney Diamonds, which topped the charts in 20 countries; followed several weeks later by The Beatles’ final song, “Now And Then,” reaching No. 1 in the U.K. and No. 7 on the Hot 100, were two of his recent highlights in the post, calling the campaigns “best-in-class examples of U.K. creativity exporting to the world.”
The London-based executive’s exit from Universal Music Group comes just a few months after the company announced it was merging its historic Island and EMI label divisions as part of a widespread restructuring of the firm’s U.K. business.
As part of that reorganization, two new frontline label groups — Island EMI Label Group, headed by Louis Bloom as president, and Polydor Label Group, led by Ben Mortimer – have been created, mirroring changes UMG made to its U.S. teams earlier this year with the formation of Interscope Capitol Labels Group and Republic Corps. The U.K. arm of Universal Music is additionally launching a new Audience and Media Division to support artists and labels, headed by Rebecca Allen.
This weekend brought the offical end of brat summer, and Charli XCX is now a week into her 21-city North America arena tour with Troye Sivan. So how much was brat summer worth?
While it’s impossible to know how much Charli made in total from the groundswell around brat, a colorful concept built on spontaneity and living life to its fullest, we crunched the numbers around a few brat summer deals. According to our rough estimate, these deals — specifically her cut of the ticket sales revenue from her co-headlined Sweat tour and other shows, earnings from the revenue generated by her catalog and songwriter share royalties this year, and the H&M ad campaign deal — netted Charli around $9.62 million so far this year.
Brat, Charli XCX’s sixth album, which debuted at No. 3 on the June 7-dated Billboard 200, is the long-time London rave singer’s most commercially successful album by far. Its lime green album art, Charli’s candid, sometimes vulnerable lyrics, and the open-ended conversation about what it means to be “brat” resonated with audiences, putting Charli at the center of the cultural conversation with everyone from Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign for U.S. president to a vegan sausage company embracing “brat” culture.
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“She has got the attention of anybody that she wants right now,” says Jenna Adler, Charli’s agent at CAA. The album’s 23 tracks (including remixes) passed the more-than 1 billion streams mark on Spotify in late August, and, according to Luminate, her catalog has racked up around 2 billion on-demand streams globally. Charli announced brand partnerships with H&M and Skims, and her first North America arena tour with Sivan sold out shows in Boston, Chicago, New York and San Francisco immediately.
Touring
The momentum that built over brat summer helped the pair of Charli XCX and Sivan sell more than 97%, or 261,694 of 269,733, of the total tickets available for their Sweat tour, Adler says.
With an average ticket price of around $90, Billboard estimates the tour has grossed roughly $23.5 million. After touring’s various costs, including the artist manager’s fee, touring artists usually take home around 34% of ticket sales, or in this case about $8 million. If it is a co-headline tour, that would likely be split 50/50, with Charli earning $4 million.
To build excitement ahead of the arena tour, Charli headlined a handful of sold-out shows branded Charli XCX Presents: PARTYGIRL shows, that were intentionally small to allow fans to feel part of a Charli XCX-DJ’d dance party, Adler says.
Three of those shows — held in London, Los Angeles and Sao Paulo in June — grossed $377,300 from a combined total of 7,413 tickets sold, according to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore. Billboard does not have data on two additional shows Charli headlined in Brooklyn and Chicago, and our calculations do not include Charli XCX’s many festival performances this year or revenue from merch sold at concerts — an area of touring that can be quite lucrative.
The Sweat tour marks the first time either Charli or Sivan will headline arenas in the world’s biggest music market, and tickets went on sale to the public on April 26. Roughly 70% were sold by the end of May, rising to 80% by mid-June and over 90% by the end of July, Billboard reported.
Total estimated touring income (for 3 party girl shows and Sweat tour): $4.1 million
Streaming
Kamala Harris’s campaign for president leaned into brat summer on July 21, the day President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race and endorsed Harris. Charli XCX posted on X (formerly Twitter) “kamala IS brat,” Harris’s campaign briefly adopted brat’s lime-green hue on social platforms, and the week of the 2024 Democratic National Convention, from Aug. 19 through Aug. 25, it was the sole sponsor of Spotify’s official “This is Charli XCX” playlist.
While Charli did not directly benefit from the sponsorship—the Harris/Walz campaign paid Spotify an undisclosed amount—the popular playlist with 2 ½ hours of her most popular songs got a boost in listeners and followers.
Roughly 127,000 Spotify users follow — or have saved — the Spotify playlist, which gained 12,400 new followers between Aug. 10 and Sept. 10, with around 5,000 users piling on during the Harris campaign’s sponsorship, according to Chartmetric.
Spotify monthly listeners of the playlist rose by 8.6 million, or 23.4%, to 45.5 million between Aug. 12 and Aug. 27. Listenership declined slightly during the three days that led up to Aug. 19, the first day of the DNC convention, but that trend reversed with the biggest single day boost occurring on Aug. 20. By Aug. 28, brat’s 23 official tracks, remixes and bonus tracks had nearly 1.08 billion streams on Spotify, Chartmetric says.
Globally, Charli XCX’s catalog has accumulated nearly 2 billion on-demand streams, according to Luminate. So far this year, her recorded music catalog has generated 722,000 album consumption units in the United States, as of Sept. 9, compared to an average of 216,000 album consumption units from 2021-2024, according to Luminate. Her songs have generated 781.13 million on-demand streams in the U.S. this year, primarily from audio on-demand streams. Programmed streams topped 10.73 million or double her three-year average.
That translates to nearly $6 million in revenue for her U.S. label and $13.4 million globally so far this year, based on Billboard estimates which were calculated by using RIAA U.S. data to determine wholesale rates, and per-stream rates provided by financial sources at major and indie labels. If Charli XCX gets traditional superstar royalties of 22% for “sale” formats like CDs, vinyl and downloads; and a 37% rate for on-demand streaming, Billboard estimates her take-home pay so far this year, minus the traditional 4% producer’s fee, would be nearly $4.1 million.
Charli’s master recordings have produced $1.52 million in royalty revenues for the publishers of the songwriters she has used and nearly $3.5 million in publishing royalties when extrapolating for global publishing revenue, according to Billboard’s estimates.
Billboard estimates Charli XCX has a 30% songwriter share for the songs on her album, which means her publisher would realize roughly $1.05 million for her catalog’s global activity so far this year. If Charli has a traditional 50/50 publishing revenue split deal, she would receive $525,000; if she signed a co-publishing 75/25 deal, she would net about $788,000; and if she owns her publishing royalties and has signed an administration deal, which can run from 85/15 to 94/6 with as much as 94% of the publishing revenue going to the songwriter and 6% going to the administrator, she could net as much as $922,000. (Calculations are based on a typical 88% administration rate.)
Total estimated streaming, catalog and publishing income: max $5.02 million.
Brand Deals
In the past month, Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS and H&M have both launched campaigns featuring Charli XCX. The SKIMS campaign, launched Aug. 21, has Charli modeling its new cotton collection of boxers, bralettes and fleece pants. For H&M, Charli stars alongside other culture shifters Arca, Lila Moss, Ajus Samuel, Loli Bahia, Wali Deutsch and others in the global retailer’s A/W 2024 campaign. Financial details of these deals are not public, but sources estimate Charli was paid a sum in the mid-six-figures for her deal with H&M.
Billboard has reported in the past that branding deals contribute $2.6 billion in revenue annually to the music industry, with sponsorship spending on music tours, venues and festivals comprising more than 60% of that amount. The remainder comes from fees paid for the use of music in ads, films, games and TV shows, with endorsement payments, such as clothing brand partnerships, contributing the smallest portion of revenue.
Marcie Allen, the MAC (Marcie Allen Consulting) president known for orchestrating some of the highest-profile brand partnerships in the music industry, says these kinds of deals, and what it takes to land them, are rarely about the money.
To attract attention from top companies serving the Gen Z market, “it isn’t just about awareness, recognition or buzz. It is about puncturing through culture to create an entire subculture, a new vernacular, and ultimately becoming embedded into identity.”
“The concept of ‘going viral’ is fundamentally changing and Charli XCX’s ‘brat summer’ is a perfect example.”
Additional reporting by Ed Christman and Eric Frankenberg
This is the first of a new column Billboard is launching in which we will unpack one financial issue a week for an artist in the news. Thanks for reading, and if you have suggestions or tips, email me at ediltsmarshall@billboard.com.
As Elliot Grainge prepares to take over as the new CEO of Atlantic Music Group on Oct. 1, he unveiled his new leadership team today (Sept. 23).
Craig Kallman, the longtime co-chairman/CEO of Atlantic Records, will now take on the title of chief music officer for Atlantic Music Group. Additionally, Zach Friedman and Tony Talamo, the former co-presidents of 10K Projects, which Grainge founded and sold to Warner Music Group last year, will become AMG’s chief operating officer and general manager, respectively. Erica Bellarosa will be general counsel, and former Republic chief creative officer Dave Rocco has been named president of creative.
At Atlantic Records, Lanre Gaba has been promoted to president of hip-hop, R&B and global music; Lu Mota has been named head of A&R for hip-hop, R&B and global music; and Marsha St. Hubert has been named head of marketing for hip-hop, R&B and global music. Kevin Weaver will retain his title as president of the West Coast, while Brandon Davis and Jeff Levin will be executive vps and co-heads of A&R for pop and rock. Marisa Aron will now take over as head of marketing for pop and rock.
Rayna Bass and Selim Bouab will remain as co-presidents of 300 Entertainment, while Nicholas Ziangas and Molly McLachlan have been promoted to co-presidents of 10K Projects. The announcement says that more announcements will be made shortly, and does not include leadership for Elektra Records, except to say that former president Gregg Nadel will be moving to a new role within the Warner Music Group.
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“Atlantic Music Group is home to the most extraordinary artists and executives in the world,” Grainge said in a statement. “This great label has moved through a meaningful transition, and emerged with a world-class team, made up of ambitious innovators and veteran visionaries. We have a plan to build on the extraordinary achievements of the last twenty years, honor the independent DNA of our labels, and collaborate with artists to pioneer a future filled with opportunity. To all our artists, managers, and partners, we are committed to a single principle — maximum impact for original artists. We’re looking forward to doing big, bold, brave things together.”
The announcement of the new structure follows an announcement last week about a reorganization of the Atlantic Music Group, through which several key leaders at Atlantic, 300 and Elektra departed the company, with layoffs of some 150-175 employees. That process is said to have been completed last week. Additionally, today’s announcement confirmed that 10K will continue as a standalone label under AMG, while Elektra, Fueled By Ramen and Roadrunner will continue as imprints.
“AMG will be lean, agile, fiercely creative, and deeply passionate about artists and their fans,” Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl said in a statement. “We’re opening an exciting new chapter in the story of an iconic label. Elliot’s thoughtfully chosen a team that combines a wealth of experience, a diversity of expertise, and a commitment to excellence.”
Jay-Z and Roc Nation teamed up with SL Green and Caesar Entertainment in late 2022 to launch a bid to open New York City’s first full-scale casino in Times Square. With a finite amount of licenses expected to be granted by New York State in 2025, Roc Nation is looking to improve their bid’s attractiveness […]
Shares of Spotify rose 8.0% to $365.00 this week to lead all music stocks in a week the Billboard Global Music Index reached a new high and many of its largest components posted mid- to high-single digit gains.
The Swedish music streaming giant was boosted by a report by Pivotal Research Group that increased its price target to $510 from $460 and reiterated its “buy” rating. Spotify’s intraday high of $368.29 on Thursday set a new 52-week high for the stock and was its best mark since Feb. 21, 2021.
Spotify led the 20-company Billboard Global Music Index (BGMI) to a record high 1,873.87, up 4.1% for the week, as ten of the stocks posted gains this week, nine lost value and one was unchanged. After a 4.8% drop the week ending Sept. 6 and stagnating since March, the BGMI has gained 7.4% in the last two weeks and raised its year-to-date gain to 22.2%—more than two percentage points above the gains of the Nasdaq composite (up 19.6%) and the S&P 500 (also up 19.6%).
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Stocks generally had a good week after the U.S. Federal Reserve announced on Wednesday a rate cut of half a percentage point, the first time the central bank lowered the overnight borrowing rate since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Investors had expected the Fed’s move, though, and had priced the effect of a rate cut into stock prices. Still, the Nasdaq composite climbed 1.5% to 17,948.32 and the S&P 500 rose 1.4% to 5,702.55. South Korea’s KOSPI composite index improved 0.7% to 2,736.81 and China’s Shanghai Composite Index rose 1.2% to 2,736.81. In the United Kingdom, the FTSE 100 fell 0.5% to 8,229.99.
Warner Music Group gained 4.9% to $30.44. WMG’s Atlantic Music Group laid off about 150 people Thursday as part of a restructuring plan that began in February. The week’s intraday high of $30.88 was WMG’s highest price since reaching $32.34 on July 24. The company also announced in an SEC filing this week it secured a $1.3 billion term loan that will be used to repay an existing loan and pay associated fees and expenses.
Live Nation shares also gained 4.9% to $103.65 and brought its year-to-date improvement to 10.7%. Thursday’s intraday high of $105.42 was its highest mark since April 1 and less than $2 below its 52-week high of $107.24. The concert promoter scored a win in Portland, Ore., this week after the city council upheld an August decision to allow the development of a 3,500-capacity music venue that will be operated by Live Nation.
Two other promoters also posted gains this week. MSG Entertainment, rose 4.6% to $42.16, while CTS Eventim improved 1.2% to 87.90 euros ($98.23). Another live entertainment company, Sphere Entertainment Co., dropped 2.7% to $41.09.
K-pop companies’ modest decline was an improvement from their consistently steep drops in recent weeks. The four South Korean companies had an average loss of 1.2% this week. HYBE fell 2.4%, JYP Entertainment dipped 1.2%, YG Entertainment slipped 0.9% and SM Entertainment lost 0.2%. After surging in previous years, the quartet has an average year-to-date loss of 40.4%.
Universal Music Group fell 3.6% to 22.75 euros ($25.42) following its Capital Markets Day on Tuesday. Analysts generally felt UMG set reachable financial targets and presented a believable roadmap about its strategy for the next four years. The Amsterdam-listed company laid out a strategy to achieve 8% to 10% cumulative annual growth rate (CAGR) for its subscription revenue and above 7% CAGR for total revenue.
Music streamer LiveOne had the biggest decline of the week, dropping 6.1% to $1.38. That put shares of LiveOne into the red for 2024 with a 1.4% year-to-date loss.
Universal Music Group hit enough right notes during its first Capital Markets Day (CMD) presentation since before going public in 2021, judging from Billboard’s review of a handful of equity analysts’ comments on Tuesday’s event.
Reviews of the presentation from London’s Abbey Road Studio, which featured talks by CEO Lucian Grainge and other top executives, varied from zealous to merely positive. JP Morgan analysts called UMG’s presentation “one of the best capital markets days we have attended in the past 30 years, and it further increased our already high conviction in the UMG story.” Barclays analysts didn’t believe there was enough new information to change investors’ minds about the company. Still, they wrote, “We viewed UMG’s arguments as convincing and their financial targets as achievable.”
As for the targets, UMG said revenue will grow at more than a 7% cumulative annual growth rate (CAGR) through 2028 — not including the impact of any mergers and acquisitions. As JP Morgan noted, UMG stuck with the “high single digit growth” it gave in its last CMD presentation before going public in September 2021. In other words, UMG believes it can achieve the same high single-digit growth rate that initially lured streaming-hungry investors when the company broke off from Vivendi three years ago. Had UMG downgraded to a lower revenue CAGR — say, in the mid-single digits — the post-presentation commentary wouldn’t have been as kind.
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Subscription music streaming’s role is so vital to UMG’s future that it crafted a narrative to explain how it can achieve CAGR of 8% to 10% in subscription revenue. It’s called Streaming 2.0 and it took center stage in the CMD presentation. In the initial Streaming 1.0 phase, services such as Spotify and Apple Music kept prices steady while prioritizing acquiring subscribers over maximizing revenue per user (ARPU). They paid the same royalty regardless of creator and quality of music. They built global presences but got most of their revenue from a relatively small number of Western markets.
Streaming 2.0 is about monetization and getting more from existing subscribers while signing up customers in developing markets. Not every stream will be worth the same and generic “functional music” will get paid less. Streaming platforms will use customer segmentation to offer premium experiences for customers willing to pay more. To that end, CFO Boyd Muir revealed that UMG is in “advanced talks” with Spotify about its planned “superfan” tier, which Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has said could be priced at $17 or $18 per month. Tencent Music Entertainment already offers such a product, Super VIP, that costs five times as much as a normal subscription.
With streaming growth slowing, it was important for UMG to prove it has a plan for the future of streaming. After all, subscription growth has an outsized impact on investors’ outlook. In July, UMG’s stock dropped 24% in a single day after UMG’s second-quarter earnings revealed a sudden, sharper-than-expected slowdown in streaming revenue. Streaming 2.0 neatly packages UMG’s various tactics into a simple, understandable concept.
UMG also leaned heavily into direct-to-consumer (D2C) sales of merch, vinyl and other items, and Muir gave a new data point: the company’s D2C sales are growing at a 33% CAGR and totaled 548 million euros ($612 million), or roughly 5% of total revenue, from about 1,300 online stores. That gives UMG a massive amount of data on its artists’ biggest fans. “The superfan/D2C opportunity is not just a complementary high growth revenue opportunity,” Muir said. “It’s also an important competitive advantage that is increasing our appeal to artists and giving us the capability to do more for them than our competitors.”
The music business has changed dramatically since UMG’s last CMD presentation in 2021. TikTok became the de facto way to break new artists. Vinyl sales exploded. Labels got better at selling directly to fans. Subscription services finally raised their prices. Artificial intelligence quickly became both public enemy No. 1 and the next big opportunity. Companies made a staggering number of investments in developing markets.
UMG’s task was to show it had a believable vision for the future. Given everything the company laid out, Grainge was able to do that when he told investors that “we are nowhere close to achieving the full potential of our business.”
Investors will want to see results first, though. In a week when stock markets rallied after the U.S. Federal Reserve chopped interest rates, UMG’s share price dropped 3.6%.
There are a lot of recognizable names on Billboard’s Alternative Airplay chart: Green Day, Jack White and Linkin Park are all in the top 10, to name a few. But this week, one of the most successful bands in the chart’s history spends a second week at No. 1: Cage The Elephant, whose latest single “Rainbow” becomes their 12th leader on the chart, tying Linkin Park and the Foo Fighters for the third-most all time.
That’s a significant milestone for both the band and its label, RCA Records. But RCA’s success atop Alternative Airplay goes deeper, and more unconventional, this week: Myles Smith’s breakout single “Stargazing” reaches No. 2 on the chart, giving the label the top two songs there for the week. And Smith’s achievement is all the more remarkable because the song is his first charting hit in the U.S., a relative rarity for an artist making waves at alternative. And that one-two punch success helps RCA’s senior vp of pop/rock promotion Gary Gorman earn the title of Billboard’s Executive of the Week.
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Here, Gorman explains the strategies that helped RCA hit those marks, the differences between veteran acts and new artists at alternative radio and how the promotions job has changed over the course of his extensive career. “The information and technology we have now vs. 15 years ago is staggering and allows us to be more strategic than ever,” Gorman says. “The bones of this job are, however, still the same. I expect that to continue, as long as music programing at radio is still editorialized.”
This week, Cage The Elephant spent its second week at No. 1 on Alternative Airplay with “Rainbow,” tied with Foo Fighters and Linkin Park for third-most all time, with 12 No. 1s. What key decisions did you make to help make that happen?
Cage The Elephant is a Goldilocks band for the alternative format. Their history of No. 1 songs and alternative chart success coming into the Neon Pill album cycle was undeniable. Not to mention, for my money, they are one of the most consistently ferocious live bands in the space. That being said, multiple No. 1s from any campaign are promised to no one, so a lot of the strategy here lies in the long tail of the promotional campaign and how to outline a comprehensive 24-plus-month plan. Our partners at Q Prime are an incredible asset and invaluable in all collective decisions from the timing, touring, artist participation and information sharing. One of the hardest and most discussed decisions wound up being about which single to lead with. Impacting the darker “Neon Pill” first into the lighter “Rainbow” still rings true for me.
With Myles Smith’s “Stargazing” at No. 2, RCA has both of the top two slots on the chart, with two vastly different songs. What strategy goes into making that happen?
So wildly different — it’s such an exciting moment. Cage is an established band at the format, and it had been many years since new Cage music, so the table was set and the anticipation was high. Myles, on the other hand, was a virtual unknown to alternative radio. As a result, the set up was more “door to door” as we sought early champions. A handful of alternative major-market programmers led the way, early, on the backs of a huge streaming story and we were off to the races. We couldn’t have achieved this level of success on this campaign without the early belief from those first alternative stations. Those folks have all my gratitude.
The upper tier of the Alternative Airplay chart is full of artists who have had careers stretching back 10 years or more — Cage, White, The Offspring, Linkin Park, Green Day — but Myles is a much newer artist, with “Stargazing” being his first charting hit in the U.S. How hard is it to break a new artist on alternative radio these days?
As Public Enemy once said, harder than you think. Alternative radio has always played a wide variety of new musical styles, but ultimately, it’s their gold libraries that hold everything together. One can say many of the most successful new songs at alternative have “connective tissue” sonically to a station’s music library. With the nostalgic feels coming out of the pandemic, heritage artists releasing new music have been a hot ticket item for many programmers, making shots on new artists even tougher. That being said, there certainly have been some brand-new artists with terrific runs at alternative in the last year. Myles Smith has been a triple threat with “Stargazing”: a sonic fit, incredible streaming and early power-worthy research.
On the flip side, why is the format so friendly to artists with long careers, when so much of pop radio is driven by new hits and new artists?
How much time do you have? Alternative radio today has remained true to their explosive origins, continuing to support a larger library of songs and artists dating back to the format’s inception. As a result, these stations tend to have a slightly older audience than pop, along with fewer current tracks in rotation at a given time. As mentioned, the wave of historic artists releasing new music has created quite a dilemma. Given the limited space for current music, it would seem many programmers have opted to lean into the artists they know have worked in the past. The irony, of course, is that we have seen some of the biggest researching songs of the year come from either new or unexpected artists at this format, with Myles Smith being a prime example.
How has radio promotion evolved over the course of your career?
The information and technology we have now vs. 15 years ago is staggering and allows us to be more strategic than ever. The bones of this job are, however, still the same. I expect that to continue, as long as music programing at radio is still editorialized. I learned a long time ago that the one constant in this business is change. Having a crackerjack team here at RCA across all formats, including the promo leadership from Keith Rothschild and Sam Selolwane, allows us to face new challenges and adopt new strategies while remaining focused and unrelenting in the amplification of our artists across the radio platform.
Michael Jackson’s estate has filed a legal action against a man who it claims has threatened to resurface ugly abuse allegations ahead of the upcoming release of a biopic about the King of Pop, according to multiple media reports.
As detailed by both the Washington Informer and the Financial Times on Friday, Jackson’s estate has filed a private arbitration case against the unnamed accuser, claiming his alleged threats violate an earlier, never-before-reported settlement over the abuse accusations.
In the arbitration case, the estate reportedly alleges that the earlier settlement — struck in 2020 — saw the accuser paid $3.3 million in return for signing a non-disclosure agreement. But the estate reportedly claims he’s now threatening to breach the agreement if he’s not paid another $213 million.
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In an interview with the Informer, estate executor John Branca reportedly said: “The associate’s lawyer even said to us, ‘If you don’t meet our demands, we’re going to have to share these allegations with a wider group of people.’ It was a shakedown. Enough is enough.”
The name of Jackson’s accuser and the details of his supposed allegations were not disclosed in media reports. It’s unclear when the arbitration case was filed, or what exactly it alleges. The Jackson estate would not confirm the accuracy of the reports and declined to comment on the matter.
The article from the Financial Times reported that the Jackson estate had also referred the matter to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles. A spokesman for that office did not immediately return a request for comment from Billboard.
The threats to go public come as the Jackson estate prepares for the premiere of Michael, a movie about the singer’s life starring his nephew Jaafar Jackson in the titular role. The biopic, directed by Antoine Fuqua, is set for release in April 2025.
Jackson, who died suddenly in 2009, was never convicted or held legally liable on any accusation of child molestation, but is still dogged by such allegations. Two men, Wade Robson and James Safechuck, continue to claim Jackson sexually abused them as children, spending the last decade pursuing civil lawsuits. And their allegations were amplified in 2019 by HBO docuseries Leaving Neverland, which laid out their claims in disturbing detail.
The Jackson estate has always vehemently denied all such claims, pointing out that the singer was acquitted in a 2005 criminal trial and arguing that his accusers are simply seeking monetary gain from an artist who cannot defend himself because defamation law does not extend to dead individuals.
Shortly before Leaving Neverland aired, the estate sued HBO over the series, claiming that “Michael Jackson is innocent. Period.” The case claimed the network had breached a decades-old contract that it signed to air a Jackson concert back in 1992, which included a provision banning HBO from making “any disparaging remarks” about the singer.
That lawsuit was eventually sent to private arbitration in 2019, where it remains pending. The status of such arbitration cases, similar to the one reported on Friday, are intentionally kept more private than traditional litigation and are difficult to ascertain from public records.
The 2025 Juno Awards will include awards for reggae recording, Christian/gospel album, and children’s album, after all.
CARAS, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS), has reportedly reversed a planned decision to put those three categories on hiatus, as well as the award for international album, the fate of which remains unknown.
Earlier in September, The Canadian Press obtained a letter which revealed the planned suspension of the four categories, part of a “broader set of updates” still to be announced.
Response was swift from the music industry and beyond, with many citing concerns that reggae recording and Christian/gospel album, especially, are categories that honour genres led by Black musicians.
“There’s a lot of anger among us reggae folks,” Juno nominee Jason Wilson told The Canadian Press, adding that the removal of the reggae award could only “ring alarms of racism.”
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“While (the Junos) might be saying the right things about inclusion, in the very same breath they’re ditching reggae and gospel. How can this be reconciled?” Wilson said.
Politicians spoke out as well, with federal MP Michael Coteau — also the former Ontario Minister of Culture — advocating for the reggae, Christian/gospel, and children’s album categories to be reinstated. “Revisit this really bad decision,” Coteau said on X. City councillor Josh Matlow added his voice to the chorus as well.
Juno Awards president and CEO Allan Reid announced the decision to reinstate the categories on Tuesday, September 17.
“I want to personally address the recent discussions surrounding changes we were considering for the 2025 Awards,” Reid wrote on Instagram. “Over the course of last year, CARAS underwent an extensive process reviewing all Award categories, taking into consideration data such as consumption, number of submissions, and other metrics,” Reid explained. “Given the feedback from the community, CARAS will not put these three categories on hiatus this year.”
Speaking with the Toronto Star, publicist and cultural commentator Dalton Higgins (who previously called the decision to eliminate reggae “a slap in the face to…the Black community” and “a PR nightmare of epic proportions”) emphasized that CARAS shouldn’t have considered eliminating those categories without consulting the communities that contribute to them.
“To not engage the Jamaican community or the broader Caribbean community in a healthy two-way dialogue,” Higgins said, “it felt like we were taking 20 steps backwards.”
This isn’t the first time artists have called out the Junos on issues of recognition and representation, including previous boycotts by hip-hop artists Rascalz and Drake.
More information about the 2025 Juno Awards category changes will be announced on Sept. 23, Reid clarified in his post.
The 2025 Junos will take place in Vancouver. -Rosie Long Decter
Jeremy Dutcher Becomes The First Two-Time Polaris Music Prize Winner
Jeremy Dutcher has won the Polaris Music Prize. Again!
The Indigenous singer-songwriter of Neqotkuk (Tobique First Nation) became the first two-time winner in the history of the music award, which celebrated its 19th edition this week (September 17) at Massey Hall in Toronto.
With the album Motewolonuwok, Dutcher beat nine other shortlisted albums: Cindy Lee’s Diamond Jubilee, NOBRO’s Set Your Pussy Free, TOBi’s Panic, DijahSB’s The Flower That Knew, Allison Russell’s The Returner, Bambii’s Infinity Club, Elisapie’s Inuktitut, The Beaches’ Blame My Ex and Charlotte Cardin’s 99 Nights.
Dutcher wins the $50,000 prize donated by the Slaight Family Foundation, which goes to the best Canadian album of the year, as determined by a jury of experts based solely on artistic merit.
“Six years ago, I put out my first record [and] this award changed my life,” he said. “I have unending gratitude to this music community. Not a single album on this list sounded like each other. That speaks to the breadth of music in this place.”
The night included performances by most of the nominated artists, with creative substitutions for those who couldn’t play: The Beaches’ Jordan Miller playing with teen band Thunder Queens, a string section playing along with a taped performance by Charlotte Cardin, a Cindy Lee video premiere, and a ballet inspired by Allison Russell’s “Eve Was Black.”
Read about the best moments of the the 2024 Polaris Prize gala here. -Richard Trapunski
Shaboozey Honoured at Toronto Concert as ‘A Bar Song (Tipsy)’ Hits 16 Weeks at No. 1 on Billboard Canadian Hot 100
Shaboozey has this year’s longest-running No. 1 hit on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 with “A Bar Song (Tipsy), and last week he got to celebrate it in a big way.
At his concert at Danforth Music Hall on Friday (Sept. 13), he welcomed Billboard Canada‘s Richard Trapunski, Mo Ghoneim and Jackson Turner onstage to present him with a plaque for the achievement.
“This is crazy man, this is nuts,” he said, raising the plaque triumphantly as the crowd cheered. “Y’all did it first!”
Shaboozey played the hit three times a row during his encore, with the crowd clearly loving every second of it.
The song has now spent 16 weeks atop the Canadian Hot 100, surpassing last year’s 15 weeks for Miley Cyrus’s hit “Flowers.” Lil Nas X has the current record at 19 weeks for “Old Town Road.” Shaboozey only needs three more weeks to tie it and four more to beat it.
“Let’s see if we can do it,” said the country star in his green room before the show, sitting backstage next to a portrait of Charley Crockett.
“A Bar Song (Tipsy)” hit No. 1 in Canada before the U.S. Hot 100, where it currently sits at 10 weeks at No. 1.
“I guess you guys got a lotta drinkers here, huh?” he joked, when asked why the song was resonating in Canada. “It just shows that you guys love to have fun. Every day is a celebration when people are listening to this song.”
The song is an ode to forgetting your troubles with a double shot of whiskey that interpolates rapper J-Kwon’s 2004 song “Tipsy.” An addictive country song that plays with elements of hip-hop and is easy to sing along to, “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” has shown to unite different kinds of listeners and get airplay in a variety of different radio formats.
Evidently, it also has a lot of staying power. -R.T.
Lisa Grossi Named Director of National Radio Promotion & Media Relations at Warner Music Canada
Warner Music Canada has announced the appointment of Lisa Grossi to the position of director, national radio promotion & media relations.
Grossi joins the company from Bell Media, where she served as the national music director for Virgin Radio & Move Radio, as well as music director & assistant program director for CHUM 104.5. She becomes the first woman ever to lead Warner Music Canada’s promotion department.
“Music is my passion. I live and breathe it,” Grossi says. “Growing up, it was my dream to work for a record label and I am so excited that this is now a reality. I’m thrilled to join Warner Music Canada to help break new artists and have continued success with their roster of established artists.”
Grossi has over 18 years of experience as a radio programmer, and the label heralds her appointment as a step to bring “Warner Music Canada’s radio team into the future.”
Madelaine Napoleone, vp of marketing, says “Lisa is a highly respected leader in the radio industry, bringing a fresh perspective on how we can enhance our partnership with radio both now and in the future. I’m also proud to share that with her appointment, we are the only major label in Canada to have an all-female radio team.”
Lisa Grossi was recently celebrated in the Industry Spotlight of Billboard Canada Women in Music. She gave this advice to the next generation of women in the industry: “Trust your gut. Speak your truth. Be authentic. Always give your honest opinion even if it’s not the popular opinion.”
That advice has led her into new terrain as she moves into the new role at Warner. –Kerry Doole
Welcome to a teeming edition of Executive Turntable, Billboard’s comprehensive(ish) compendium of promotions, hirings, exits and firings — and all things in between — across music. And what a depressing late-week it’s been, with Warner Music making deep cuts across its Atlantic Music Group that sources say will affect between 150-175 people. If you need a palette cleanser, read on for mostly good news but also check out Billboard’s weekly interview series spotlighting a single executive, our helpful calendar of notable events across the biz, and a regularly updated gallery honoring many of the industry figures we’ve lost throughout the year.
Believe appointed industry veteran Henri Jamet to lead its France operations as managing director, reinforcing its leadership team in its all-important home market. With over 20 years of experience, including the last decade at Believe, Henri has played a key role in the company’s artistic wins. He replaces Romain Vivien, who is now president of Europe and global head of music, and will report directly to him. This move aligns with Believe’s focus on A&R and artist development to boost market share across the 50 countries it now operates in. Henri’s career began at Universal Music and NRJ, followed by Wagram, where he became a marketing manager. In 2013, he joined Believe, leading labels such as AllPoints, naïve, and launching Animal63. Under his leadership, AllPoints became a leader in French rap — its artists dominated last year with 47 of the top 200 albums — while naïve emerged as a major pop label. “Henri is as close as possible to the ground, he is respected in the industry, he has a creative vision and knows the company culture,” said Believe founder and CEO Denis Ladegaillerie. “He is the ideal candidate to succeed Romain, one of the Group’s best ambassadors and a great example of career development with us.”
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Maximilian Paproth is coming back to Budde Music, where he worked for a decade earlier in his career, as global president A&R. In that role, Paproth will manage the company’s German operations, as well as its international A&R, starting in January 2025. He will report directly to company owner and CEO Benjamin Budde, who has been building the family-owned publishing company into an increasingly global operation that is active in the agency and concert promotion businesses, as well as its publishing business. Paproth worked at Budde in various roles from 2003 to 2023, then worked for Sony Music Publishing and then Universal Music, where he is currently vp of A&R for central Europe & international marketing Germany. “Max is now supporting our efforts to be the best partners for authors and artists at the perfect time,” Benjamin Budde said in a statement. Budde Music includes the Budde Talent Agency and the management company BuddeMgmt, as well as publishing and some recording operations. –Robert Levine
Downtown Music promoted Gareth Mellor to senior vp of global marketing & communications. Based in the UK, Mellor will lead M&C efforts across Downtown’s four divisions: publishing, distribution, artist & label services and royalties & financial services, which serve over 5,000 clients and 4 million creators in 145 countries. A Downtowner since mid-2021, Mellor was previously vp of global marketing and communications and earlier served as global head of B2B marketing for its distribution tech company FUGA. He has also held senior roles at TuneCore, AWAL and Kobalt. He reports to CEO Pieter van Rijn and chief commercial officer David Driessen, who commended Mellor’s global marketing expertise and contributions to FUGA, expressing confidence in his ability to strengthen Downtown’s brand globally. “With a strong understanding of global marketing, he has continued to deliver exceptional results-driven work at Downtown and I look forward to working alongside him in his new role as he continues to elevate and position Downtown’s brand in the global marketplace,” said the recently promoted Driessen.
Back to Believe, which is also reinforcing its commitment to Mexican music with two leadership appointments. Marco Cataño — who has a 25-year career and has worked at Sony Music and Warner Music — is named head of artist services LATAM, overseeing the Paris-based company’s premium offerings. As head of label & artist solutions México, José Pablo Molina’s division will offer solutions to independent artists and labels through the marketing and content distribution platform. Molina has 10 years of experience, previously working at ROC Nation and OCESA. “Both Marco and José Pablo have an outstanding track record in the music industry,” said Alejandra Olea, Believe America’s managing director. “Their experience allows them to identify areas of opportunity in the market to strengthen and develop Spanish-speaking talent. Their ability to attract and grow artists in a lasting way aligns with Believe’s priorities for Mexico and Latin America.” –Jessica Roiz
Merlin, the digital licensing partner for the indie music sector, welcomed back Kaoruko Hill as the music rights organization’s general manager of Asia-Pacific. Kaoruko’s career spans over a decade, including her most recent role at ByteDance, where she managed global music rights. From 2016 to 2020, she was instrumental in Merlin’s successful entry into the Japanese market, increasing membership and building strong partnerships as head of member relations and operations. She previously worked at Japan’s music copyright collective NexTone Inc., focusing on new media licensing and global partnerships. Merlin’s CEO, Jeremy Sirota, praised Kaoruko’s strategic vision and said her “deep commitment to the music industry make her the ideal leader to drive our efforts in the Asia-Pacific market forward.”
Hipgnosis Song Management named Sara Lord as its new chief creative officer, tasked with managing synch, audience development and leading Hipgnosis’ overall strategy and creative industry collaborations for its portfolio of some 40,000 iconic songs. A veteran of Concord Music, where Lord built an international team and launched the Concord art prize, Lord joined Hipgnosis in 2023 as executive vp of content. Lord will work alongside Katovsky under the new Blackstone ownership. “Sara has an outstanding track record and incredible knowledge of the creative industries,” Hipgnosis CEO Ben Katovsky said in a statement. “Hipgnosis owns many of the world’s most iconic songs and, as we seek to bring them to even wider audiences, building partnerships across these creative industries is a key part of our strategy. Sara is uniquely qualified to build these partnerships, while working closely with our songwriters and artists.” –Elizabeth Dilts Marshall
Sony Music Publishing promoted Antoine Dathanat to managing director of France, starting Oct. 1. He will succeed the SMP’s longtime French MD Nicolas Galibert, who is retiring at the end of the month. As MD of SMP France, Dathanat will be responsible for overseeing creative and business operations across France and supporting SMP songwriters around the globe. He will continue to be based out of Paris and will report directly to Sony Music Publishing president of international Guy Henderson. –Kristin Robinson
PUB FARE: Third Side Music has expanded into the UK and Europe by appointing Stephen Christian as executive vp of creative/A&R: International. Based in London, Christian will report to TSM’s COO, Jeff Waye, and work with LA-based Creative/A&R heads Brontë Jane and Alex Kelman to sign new talent and foster global opportunities for artists like SOFI TUKKER and Sky Ferreira. Christian is the former creative director and head of A&R at Warp Records, where he was instrumental in signing and developing acts like Danny Brown, Mount Kimbie and Kelela … peermusic appointed Samantha Schilling Robinson as vice president of peermusic Neighboring Rights. Schilling Robinson was previously vp of neighbouring rights at Songtradr, Inc. Schilling Robinson will be based in peermusic’s offices in Los Angeles.
Music funding platform beatBread appointed Andrew Maddox as head of finance to support its growth. Maddox previously held finance leadership roles at TikTok, including head of finance and payment services for US Data Security, and he’s the former chief of staff to TikTok’s COO. He also led finance for content, marketing, product, and operations. Prior to TikTok, Maddox worked at Amazon Prime Video, contributing to its expansion into live sports and international markets. beatBread CEO Peter Sinclair praised Maddox’s finance and strategic marketing skills, highlighting their importance as the company uses data science and automation to empower artists, labels, and publishers with flexible funding options. Maddox expressed excitement about joining beatBread, emphasizing “beatBread is at the forefront of enabling artists to pursue their passions without sacrificing control over their careers. The flexibility and choice the company is bringing to music funding is a true game-changer for independent artists and labels. I couldn’t be more excited to join the beatBread team.”
Music licensing platform Soundstripe named Angela Abbott as global head of music partnerships, overseeing strategic relationships for content creators, enterprises, and rights holders. With over a decade of experience in business development and strategic partnerships, Abbott brings expertise from her roles at TIDAL and Pandora, where she secured over $200 million in licensing deals with the big three major labels, among others. Abbott also stays involved with the Recording Academy and Women in Music, where she serves as global co-chair of partnerships & development. “We founded Soundstripe to address a critical gap in the music licensing space for content creators, but our vision extends far beyond that,” said Travis Terrell, Soundstripe’s co-founder and CEO. “With Angela’s proven track record and expertise in negotiating complex licensing deals with the world’s leading music companies, we are excited to accelerate our trajectory and provide top-tier music solutions for both creators and global brands.”
Andrew Leib, after 11 years at Red Light Management, launched Deep Feel Talent Co., a boutique artist management company. The firm’s inaugural roster includes Victoria Canal, Maris Jones, Nu Deco Ensemble, Andy Arthur Smith and Dana Nielsen. Deep Feel said it will emphasize creating long-term relationships with artists and aims to create a supportive community for musicians, content creators and producers. Leib began his career in artist relations at festivals like Lollapalooza and Riot Fest, co-created the immersive concert experience Brassroots District, and co-founded The UnCancelled Music Festival, raising over $100K for artists and venues during the pandemic. He also booked talent for the Miles Davis Estate showcase at SXSW. Leib says Deep Feel reflects his values of “building strong, authentic relationships with my clients and community, and creating space for creative voices to grow.”
Breakaway Music Festival, the annual multi-city event featuring a healthy dose of dance music, hired former Sony vp of corporate development Adam Wright as CFO and managing partner. In his new role, Wright will lead strategic initiatives, corporate development, brand growth and financial operations for Breakaway. The festival also elevated Jarrod Fucci from GM to festival president. This year’s BMF tour has three more dates left: Sept. 27-28 in Charlotte, Oct. 11-12 in Nashville and Oct. 25-26 in San Francisco.
Nettwerk made two significant hires to bolster its UK label team. Katie Graham has been appointed head of catalogue marketing and developments globally, moving from Warner Music Group, where she directed marketing strategies for renowned artists like Phil Collins, Enya, Ed Sheeran and Dua Lipa. She aims to enhance Nettwerk’s extensive catalogue with innovative strategies for both established and emerging talents. Additionally, Ruth Wyatt joins as director of sync for UK and Europe, bringing her experience from Warner Music UK, where she successfully placed artists in various sync opportunities. Her notable achievements include Sam Ryder’s “Christmas To Me.” Both hires were welcomed by Nettwerk co-founder Mark Jowett, who commended their expertise in catalogue development and sync, highlighting their commitment to supporting artists.
Spotify‘s head of podcast business, Sahar Elhabashi, is leaving the company at the end of 2024. Roman Wasenmüller, who currently oversees international podcast operations, will lead the division during the search for Elhabashi’s successor. Elhabashi’s six-year tenure included a strategic shift from exclusive creator deals to broader distribution, enhancing audience reach and ad sales. She joined Spotify in December 2018 as vp of content and took over the podcast division after Dawn Ostroff left in January 2023. Prior to Spotify, Elhabashi held c-suite level roles at Conde Nast and Discovery Communications, while earlier in her career she spent 15 years in senior leadership at MTV Networks.
The Circuit Group, a management collective empowering artists to have greater creative control over their IP, announced its expansion into the UK with the launch of Circuit Management, a joint venture with CTRLFRK. The initiative will be led by TCG chief strategy officer James Sutcliffe, who has been appointed CEO and president of The Circuit Group UK. Sutcliffe, an industry veteran with leadership experience at Ministry of Sound, LIVENow, PIXELYNX, and Monster Energy, will work under global CEO Dean Wilson. “Circuit Management is the culmination of our vision to create an environment where artists can truly succeed,” said Michael Boyce, founder of CTRLFRK and co-president of Circuit Management. “Partnering with Circuit enables us to offer a comprehensive approach to management, focusing on both artistic integrity and commercial success. We’re ready to make a lasting impact on the UK music landscape.”
ATC Group has launched Circa, a music promotions company led by Matt Black, former managing director of Your Army’s U.S. office. Circa, with offices in Los Angeles, New York, and London, will take over operations from Your Army America, offering integrated marketing and promotional campaigns globally. The London office will be led by Charlie Reid, who joins as general manager, following experience leading UK radio campaigns for artists like London Grammar, Jon Batiste, Marlon Hoffstadt and Jade Bird. In the U.S., Black’s team has managed campaigns for labels such as Atlantic, Warner, and RCA, achieving top chart placements for artists like RÜFÜS DU SOL and The Hives. Circa will continue campaigns for high-profile artists including Justice, Disclosure, SOFI TUKKER, and deadmau5. It operates within ATC Group’s Services division, alongside Familiar Music Group, companyX, Simpatico, [namethemachine] and Sandbag. “As a key component of ATC’s full service offering across our network of Group businesses, Circa will enable us to deliver an ever more integrated strategy to assist artists in achieving their creative and commercial goals,” said Adam Driscoll, CEO of ATC Group.
BOARD SHORTS: Marit Berning, Paul Smernicki, Shaurav D’Silva, and Tania Lee have been newly elected to the Music Managers Forum board, with Sandy Dworniak re-elected. Paul Craig and Kwame Kwaten have stepped down as chair and vice-chair, with successors to be announced in early October. The MMF aims to enhance its partnership with Music Minds Matter to provide more mental health support for managers. Additionally, the MMF will host a retreat for advanced managers in January 2025.
RoEx, a startup in intelligent audio production, partnered with UnitedMasters to offer AI-powered mastering services via UnitedMasters’ web platform and iOS app. To support its growth, RoEx appointed Tom Nield as head of partnerships, leveraging his 15-plus years of experience in music and technology, including roles at [PIAS] and startups like LANDR. In his new role, Nield will focus on expanding RoEx’s partnerships with music distribution companies and creator platforms. The partnership aims to enhance audio quality services and provide educational content through UnitedMasters’ Blueprint tool. Additionally, UnitedMasters and RoEx are launching an in-app challenge, awarding 50 artists with free mastering credits worth up to $150 each.
ASM Global elevated Gemma Vaughan to acting general manager of AO Arena in Manchester, effective immediately. Gemma, who joined ASM Global in 2023 as sales and marketing director, brings 14 years of experience in the live entertainment industry, having worked with Live Nation Entertainment, Cuffe & Taylor, and Escape to Freight Island. Throughout her career, she has collaborated with artists like Faithless, Mariah Carey, and Britney Spears, gaining a deep understanding of the industry. Vaughan’s predecessor as GM, Jen Mitchell, has left the company.
ICYMI:
Kevin Liles
The painful cuts this week at Atlantic Music Group have impacted between 150 and 175 people, according to sources, including key execs at Elektra (Chris Brown, Katie Robinson, Adam Abramson) and Atlantic (Michael Kyser, Paul Sinclair, Grace James). Follow developments here … Earlier this week, 300 Entertainment CEO Kevin Liles telegraphed his exit … Warner Music Japan chief Kaz Kobayashi announced his departure … TelevisaUnivision named a new CEO … and Sony Music Nashville chairman and CEO Randy Goodman is retiring.
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