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Travis Scott, Live Nation and other organizers of last year’s deadly Astroworld music festival in Houston appear to have reached their first settlements with victims in the sprawling litigation over the disaster.
Nearly a year after a crowd-crush during Scott’s Nov. 5 performance left 10 dead and hundreds injured, attorneys for the family of Axel Acosta, a 21-year-old killed in the incident, confirmed Thursday that they had reached a settlement with the organizers. The terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
“Victim Axel Acosta was a beloved son, brother, and student,” said Tony Buzbee, who also represents scores of other victims. “He was kind and loving. He is greatly missed. Please keep his family in your prayers.”
Separately, Houston’s ABC affiliate reported late Wednesday that the family of Brianna Rodriguez, a 16-year-old who died at Astroworld, had also settled their claims. Neither settlement is yet posted to the court’s public docket.
Live Nation and a rep for Scott did not immediately return requests for comment on Thursday.
The agreements represent two of the first known settlements in the sprawling litigation over the Astroworld disaster, in which thousands of victims are seeking billions of dollars in damages from Live Nation, Scott and others. The lawsuits, consolidated before a single judge earlier this year, claim the organizers were legally negligent in how they planned and conducted the event, resulting in one of the deadliest concert disasters in history.
The defendants, which also include venue manager ASM Global and the municipal Harris County Sports & Convention Corporation, strongly deny the allegations and have assembled a formidable team of lawyers to fight the litigation.
According to a legal filing in May, more than 4,900 people have filed legal claims stating they were injured in some capacity at Astroworld. In addition to the 10 people who died, 732 claims have been filed by people who needed “extensive medical treatment” and 1,649 who needed less extensive care. Another 2,540 were listed as “other,” meaning the extent of their injuries was still being reviewed. It’s unclear how many people claim physical harm versus mental and emotional harm, like post-traumatic stress.
The individual settlements announced this week are likely only a precursor to a larger deal. Similar litigation over previous concert disasters, like the 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas that left 60 dead or the 2003 nightclub fire in Rhode Island that killed 100, were ultimately resolved with large settlements covering hundreds of victims.
Billboard has two new elevations within company in the Latin and Events departments. On Thursday (Oct. 20), Billboard announced that Leila Cobo has been promoted to the chief content officer of Latin/Español and Mary Rooney to vp, head of events, effective immediately.
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The promotion will see Cobo continue her oversight of Billboard Español and its newly created team, in addition to providing her expertise in all Latin content and programming. Under her leadership — she previously held the role of vice president of Latin and Latin industry lead — Billboard.com’s Latin vertical has earned nearly 2 million unique visits a month, and saw her extend her talents to programming Latin Music Week, the world’s longest running gathering in the Latin music industry. In Cobo’s new role, she will report to Hannah Karp, Billboard‘s editorial director and Mike Van, Billboard president.
“There is no other mainstream media company more committed to covering and celebrating Latin music than Billboard, and with the launch of Billboard Español we’re more committed than ever. It’s an honor to work with this amazing team and keep growing and building!” Cobo said.
Rooney’s promotion will see her continue her oversight of Billboard‘s signature business events and strategizing for the growth and development of the brand’s identity, including consumer-facing programs and event production across the country. Rooney previously led as the executive director of events at Billboard, and had a large hand in conceptualizing Billboard‘s Women in Music and Latin Music Week, as well as creating The Stage at SXSW. In her new role, she will report to Dana Droppo, Billboard‘s chief brand officer.
“I am thrilled to continue working alongside this talented team, and to represent the Billboard brand as we continue to grow the events business producing best-in-class events across the country,” Rooney said in a statement.
Van added of the two promotions: “We could not be more grateful and proud to be elevating two key executives to essential roles that will continue to propel the Billboard brand globally.”
Banda MS‘ new corrido, titled “141,” will become the first regional Mexican song to appear in a Call of Duty video game series. The track is set to be integrated into Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, with “several” versions of the song heard throughout different parts of the game. “141” is inspired by the members of the Task Force 141 and soldier Alejandro Vargas from the Mexican Special Forces, and ties in with the narrative of the newest installment of the first-person shooter game.
While Call of Duty has collaborated with Latin musicians in the past, most recently Ozuna, it’s the first time the video game franchise — developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision — taps a regional Mexican act to collaborate on a new song for one of its series. “It’s a huge step for the game and the community,” says Rodrigo Pérez, Call of Duty‘s senior franchise manager, Latin America. “We wanted to tell the story of Task Force 141 in a unique way, and we believe the song goes to the very essence of the characters and the story we are telling with Modern Warfare II.”
For the chart-topping supergroup, not only does “141” mark the first corrido they’ve released in 10 years, but it becomes an opportunity to showcase their traditional banda music on a global level, while also bringing in a new source of revenue.
“The franchise’s team in Latin America is mainly composed of Mexicans who love and respect our culture so, along with their team, we made sure that the song made sense for the game,” says Oswaldo Silvas, one of Banda MS’ vocalists. “We’re really proud to be part of the game’s DNA, and we would be honored to keep doing more of these collaborations because all eyes are on video games and for us, it’s a great opportunity to capture a new audience.”
The opportunity is for both sides with Call of Duty also strategically tapping and catering to the Hispanic market across Latin America. “Mexico and the Hispanic market have had a very strong passion towards the Call of Duty franchise for a long time, and with Modern Warfare II we had an amazing opportunity to celebrate the rich cultural legacy,” adds Pérez.
For a Mexican music song to be featured on Call of Duty, it only reinforces the genre’s newfound popularity across the U.S. and beyond. Once a niche genre, regional Mexican has gained an international following in recent years thanks to artists such as Banda MS, who have stayed true to their traditional Sinaloan banda roots but has also embraced the fusion of regional with genres from around the world.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II will become available for purchase on Oct. 28 on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X | S, PC and Xbox One.
Canadian singer Jacob Hoggard, former frontman for multi-platinum pop-rock band Hedley, was sentenced this morning (Oct. 20) to five years in jail for the sexual assault of an Ottawa woman.
The 38-year-old was given the sentence by Ontario Superior Court Justice Gillian Roberts.
The hearing began on Oct. 6 in person, then continued Oct. 14 on Zoom, at which Hoggard declined his right to speak. He was in court for the sentencing, after which he embraced his wife and was then led out.
In June, after a four-week trial, a jury found Hoggard guilty of sexual assault causing bodily harm of a woman known only as “JB.” Hoggard could have received as much as 14 years in jail. The Crown sought a sentence of between six to seven years in jail; the defense asked for three to four years.
For about an hour, Justice Roberts read out portions of her sentencing conclusion, before handing down the sentence.
“Ultimately, the total sentence must be proportionate to the gravity of the offending conduct and the circumstances of the offender, including his degree of responsibility,” she noted. “It must be sufficient to reflect the inherent harmfulness of a manipulative and particularly degrading rape.”
She then asked Hoggard to stand. “In all the circumstances of this offense, and this offender, I believe a fit and appropriate sentence is five years.”
Hoggard’s legal team had already filed a notice of appeal. The victim has also filed a lawsuit for $2.8 million Canadian (USD $2M).
In the trial, Hoggard was found guilty of one count of sexual assault causing bodily harm, but not guilty of two charges against another woman, one the same charge and the other of sexual interference (referring to a person under the age of 16).
The case, involving two women (one a minor at the time) was heard in a Toronto court. The separate assaults allegedly occurred in 2016 in Hoggard’s hotel room. One woman is from Ottawa, the other from the Greater Toronto Area.
Hoggard, who took the stand in his own defense, pled not guilty to all charges.
The verdict came six days after the revelation that a new charge had been kept out of the media since March to avoid tainting the current jury. Hoggard will face a new trial on one charge of sexual assault causing bodily harm. The rape is alleged to have occurred in Kirkland Lake, Ontario, in 2016 when the band was on tour.
Allegations against Hoggard began to surface on social media in early 2018. The singer had risen to fame in 2004 on the long-canceled television show Canadian Idol, finishing in the top three before signing with Universal Music Canada for his band Hedley. Capitol signed them in the U.S. in 2006 but later dropped them. In Canada, the band’s success included chart-topping singles, platinum certifications and headlining tours. Hoggard hosted the Juno Awards in 2015. The band’s seventh and final album, Cageless, was released in 2017.
After multiple women and girls told their stories online, Hoggard issued a statement in February 2018, which read in part, “I need to be completely clear: I have never engaged in non-consensual sexual behaviour in my life. Ever. However, over the last 13 years, I have behaved in a way that objectified women.” He added, “It’s time for me to change. I’ve decided to step away from my career indefinitely.”
Hedley’s agency, management and record label dropped the band and radio pulled their music from their playlists.
Hoggard was charged in July of 2018. He married his second wife later that year on Dec. 31.
The trial was originally scheduled to begin in November of 2018, but was pushed back several times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It finally began in May.
Stories about sexual assault allegations can be traumatizing for survivors of sexual assault. If you or anyone you know needs support, you can reach out to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN). The organization provides free, confidential support to sexual assault victims. Call RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline (800.656.HOPE) or visit the anti-sexual violence organization’s website for more information.
Omar Apollo has signed a global publishing deal with Concord Music Publishing. The new partnership comes after the Latin singer-songwriter’s major label debut album, Ivory (2022) via Warner Records, and a juggernaut soulful single “Evergreen (You Didn’t Deserve Me At All),” which recently landed at No. 51 on the Hot 100.
The contract with Concord will cover his complete music catalog, which includes Ivory and future works.
“Omar has already proven himself to be one of the most exciting artists, pushing music forward,” Jeremy Yohai, senior vp of A&R at Concord, said in a statement. “It’s been amazing working Omar together with Dylan [Shanks, management] and his current music success is only the beginning.”
“Working with Jeremy and the Concord Music Publishing team has been great,” adds Apollo.
The independent music publishing company also houses the works of acclaimed songwriters like The 1975, BIA, Daft Punk, and Duff McKagan, and represents the catalogs of legends such as Benny Blanco, Phil Collins, and Joan Sebastian among others.
Prior to Ivory, the Mexican-American artist was already a force to be reckoned with. He carved out a space as a prolific, millions-streaming SoundCloud creator; entered the top 20 of Heatseekers Albums for both 2019’s EP Friends and 2020’s mixtape Apolonio releases; and earned two Latin Grammy nominations in 2021. Plus, he’s been building a fervid, cult fan base that’s now ready for a mainstream breakthrough.
With a heady mix of pop-punk (“Talk”), delectable funk (“No Good Reason”), Spanglish trap (“Tamagochi”), and plenty of bluesy cuts in the new album, Apollo further testifies his genre-spanning prowess and song-crafting eminence and that’s equipped for global consumption. Proof? For starters, Ivory debuted at No. 1 of the Heatseekers Albums chart, and singles like “Evergreen” racked up about 66 million plays across streaming channels.
This year, the bilingual star made memorable appearances in major festivals like Coachella, Lollapalooza, and ALC Fest. He also guested on Good Morning America, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and is preparing for another headlining tour Stateside that includes stops at Brooklyn’s King Theatre and Los Angeles’ Greek Theatre.
Music publishing can sometimes be a drag, but today, that’s not a bad thing: Producers Entertainment Group (PEG) officially launches PEG Music Publishing on Thursday (Oct. 20), in collaboration with Warner Chappell Music (WCM), Billboard can reveal.
The LGBTQ+ talent management company’s newly created music publishing arm has an administration deal with WCM, which is a subsidiary of Warner Music Group. The freshly inked deal involves some of the biggest names in contemporary drag culture: Alaska Thunderfuck, Bob the Drag Queen, Ginger Minj, Jujubee, Manila Luzon, Miz Cracker, Peppermint, Sherry Vine and Trixie Mattel are the first signings as part of this arrangement. Additionally, country singer-songwriter Brandon Stansell, whose sophomore album This Must Be the Place was released over the summer, is also part of PEG’s deal with WCM. PEG says more signings from the company’s roster are to come.
“Throughout my career, I’ve been passionately dedicated to amplifying the voices of LGBTQ+ artists,” says Ryan Aceto, PEG Records head of A&R. “I’m thrilled that with this partnership, our artists and songwriters will have even more opportunities and resources to get their art out into the world. PEG Records is committed to putting our artists on the same level as other mainstream artists.”
“We’re excited to partner with Ryan and the PEG team to amplify the voices of LGBTQ+ music creators – finding new ways to market their music and tell their stories through playlisting and strategic partnerships, as well as creating new opportunities for them to collaborate with other Warner Chappell songwriters,” says Ashley Winton, WCM svp of creative services.
The admin deal between PEG Music Publishing and Warner Chappell Music applies to the aforementioned artists’ catalogs and future compositions. At the top of 2022, Warner Chappell Music – which has offices in more than 20 countries — made headlines when it was announced that WCM had acquired the rights to David Bowie’s catalog, including every song written by the late icon.
PEG Records’ Aceto has previously overseen partnerships with ADA/Warner Music Group, the Recording Academy, Epic Games, Peloton and the Grammy Museum. PEG Records is a member label of Warner Music Group’s Alternative Distribution Alliance.
Indie label, distributor and publisher EMPIRE has acquired tastemaking electronic label Dirtybird, the imprint founded by producer Claude VonStroke in 2005.
Per the terms of the deal, EMPIRE now owns the entirety of the Dirtybird brand, outside of Dirtybird’s live events including its annual Dirtybird campout. The deal includes Dirtybird’s back catalog and all future releases, with EMPIRE also now handling distribution and publishing for the San Francisco based imprint. A representative for EMPIRE declined to disclose financial details of the deal.
VonStroke, born Barclay Crenshaw, will continue to A&R the San Francisco-based Dirtybird label and also direct creative for Dirtybird apparel.
The sale marks the first foray into the electronic music space for EMPIRE, a San Francisco-based multi-hyphenate music company founded by Ghazi in 2010. The company has offices in New York, Nashville, the UK and the Middle East and has worked extensively in the hip-hop, Latin, country, R&B and Afrobeats, helping build the careers of artists including Kendrick Lamar, Anderson .Paak, XXXTentacion and Fireboy DML.
“Growing up in San Francisco and the Bay Area at large, dance music has always been a huge part of our music scene,” says EMPIRE CEO and Founder Ghazi. “EMPIRE at its core is a company that is for the culture. Dirtybird embodies the independent ethos and understands the cultural nuance of everything San Francisco and dance music.”
“I’m so excited to join another incredible independent Bay Area music company,” says Crenshaw, also the CEO of Dirtybird. “I will continue to A&R the Dirtybird label and direct the creative for the music and clothing, while EMPIRE has the capacity and resources to grow the brand globally. This is a dream come true.”
Since it’s 2005 launch, Dirtybird has become one of the United States’ leading independent electronic labels, helping develop and popularize the underground house and tech-house genres via releases by VonStroke and the cadre of Dirtybird artists including Justin and Christian Martin, J Phlip, Justin Jay, Walker & Royce and Nikki Nair. Crenshaw has run Dirtybird alongside his wife, Dirtybird COO Aundy Crenshaw, since launching the imprint.
EMPIRE and Dirtybird are formally announcing the partnership today (October 20) at ADE, the annual electronic industry conference happening this week in Amsterdam.
“Our deals are full-on partnerships,” Ghazi told Billboard in March of this year, “so the way the rights are written, recoupment is likely; master reversion, if there is a reversion, is likely; and artists tend to have a lot more creative input, not control.”
Pepsi has officially launched Pepsi Music Lab, an annual academy committed to shining a spotlight on the next generation of music superstars, the company announced Thursday (Oct. 20).
The new platform aims to foster talent career growth and provide developing artists with new performance opportunities, mentorship and coaching, brand-building workshops, professional content capture, radio amplification and more.
After unveiling the concept with a pilot program last year, Pepsi Music Lab has evolved into a full scale, multi-service platform with an array of opportunities and services for aspiring artists. The brand enlisted Steve Stoute‘s digital distribution company UnitedMasters to help identify musicians across a variety of genres, styles and regions across the U.S. who will take part in this year’s academy.
The Class of ’22-’23 is comprised of 12 aspiring artists from across the country, including five who were contestants on this year’s music competition series Becoming A Popstar, co-produced by Pepsi, MTV and TikTok. They are: AKINYEMI, Amira Unplugged, Brian V., Cain Lofton, GODBY, Kbthesinger, Lexie Hayden, Lynnea M, NOHEMY, Oompa, SERGIO and Tarik. Pepsi is also bringing Samy Hawk, the winner of Becoming A Popstar, into the Pepsi Music Lab family to continue supporting his career through new performance and brand partnership opportunities.
“Pepsi has a long history of helping great artists break through, reshaping pop culture and leaving an unforgettable impression on all of us,” said Steve Stoute, CEO and founder of UnitedMasters. “Now in partnership with UnitedMasters, Pepsi is empowering the next generation of creators, helping them hone their craft and develop their talent so that they can generate the next big moment. Connecting independent artists to a brand with this rich legacy is the formula for creating a new future of music.”
The yearly program will kick off with the Pepsi Music Lab bootcamp in New York City from Oct. 25–27, where artists will get the opportunity to learn from industry experts including Laurieann Gibson, LaRussell, Lenny S and Director X.
The artists’ partnerships with Pepsi will continue throughout the year with performances, event appearances and strategic programming to help grow their careers. Pepsi will also be hosting a two-day virtual summit with renowned music industry experts targeted at aspiring artists all over the country.
“Pepsi is a brand that has a proven global track record for minting music superstars and shaping some of the most iconic moments in music and pop culture. Now, we are excited to shine a spotlight on the next generation of artists with our new Pepsi Music Lab platform” said Todd Kaplan, CMO of Pepsi. “By removing barriers within the music industry, we can provide these talented artists with the resources, knowledge, exposure, and connections to help accelerate their growth as musicians and further enable their success – it will truly make a positive impact on the futures of the artists we believe will push the industry forward.”
Songclip has announced a partnership with Hipgnosis. Known as the “world’s only patented music clip company,” Songclip helps the music industry get clips of songs uploaded and properly licensed for apps like TikTok. The deal will allow Songclips to work with 100,000 new songs administered by Hipgnosis. This news arrives months after the 2022 NMPA Annual Meeting in which its CEO and president, David Israelite, announced that the organization will be partnering with Songclip to help remedy the issue of unlicensed music on emerging apps. To date, Songclip also has deals in place WMG, UMG, BMG, Kobalt and more.
Sony Music Publishing U.K. has signed producer and artist Lostboy to a global publishing deal. Known for his work with Tiesto and Ava Max’s “The Motto” as well as cuts with Bebe Rexha, Zedd, Kehlani, Why Don’t We, and more, he is considered by the Sony team to be one of brightest talents straddling pop, dance and electronic music. “He is without a doubt one of the world’s most exciting songwriters,” says Saul Fitton, senior a&r manager at SMP U.K.
Concord Music Publishing has signed Russell Dickerson, a multi-platinum country artist and songwriter. The deal includes Dickerson’s back catalog of songs — including “Yours,” “Every Little Thing,” and “Blue Tacoma” — as well as works made moving forward. Dickerson says of the deal, “I love that they are an independent company with worldwide reach. They value songwriters and today I’m humbled to be joining their roster of incredible talent.”
Bosworth Music (Wise Music Group) has announced its new worldwide publishing deal with Grandbrothers. The German-Swiss duo, made up of Erol Sarp and Lukas Vogel, release records via indie label City Slang and also work on respected film compositions, including a score for Hors Normes which debuted at the Cannes International Film Festival.
Warner Chappell Music has signed up-and-coming Nashville talent Jon Kraft to a publishing deal. A songwriter and artist in his own right, he will be represented by the company worldwide.
BDi Music has signed Aimée to a global publishing deal. The up-and-coming Irish pop writer and singer has been releasing music since 2018, and she now joins talents like Novo Amor, Amy Wadge, and more on BDi’s roster.
Cardi B didn’t hold back when she took the witness stand Wednesday (Oct. 19) in a lawsuit claiming her sexually-suggestive album cover left a man “humiliated,” repeatedly sparring with an opposing attorney, requesting “receipts” and claiming her accuser is “harassing” her in hopes of scoring a settlement.
The rapper’s testimony came in an unusual case filed by Kevin Brophy, a California man who claims parts of his back tattoo was unwittingly photoshopped onto the cover of Cardi’s 2016 mixtape Gangsta Bitch Music Vol. 1 to make it look like he was performing oral sex on the now-superstar.
During Wednesday’s hearing, Cardi and Brophy’s attorney, A. Barry Cappello, battled repeatedly. At two different points during their sparring, the judge dismissed the jurors from the courtroom to calm the bickering down. On the second dismissal, things got so heated that the judge told Cappello he had “totally crossed the line,” and even threatened to declare a mistrial after jurors had left the courtroom.
Earlier in the day, Brophy’s attorneys said they had sent the star a cease-and-desist seeking to have the image removed – prompting Cardi to fire back that the case was really about money, not changes to an album cover.
“This is not about taking anything down. Y’all have been harassing me for $5 million,” the star said to Cappello. Cardi later noted that the mixtape did not even earn that much, and her cut was even less.
The star also took exception to the suggestion that Brophy’s image on the cover had somehow contributed to her meteoric success over the past decade – a key part of his legal case against her. She said she had been “working my ass off [for] two kids” and that it’s “really insulting to me as a woman that a man is claiming responsibility.”
Released in 2016, the cover image of Gangsta Bitch certainly raised eyebrows. In it, the then-rising star is seen taking a swig of a large beer, staring directly into the camera with her legs spread wide and holding a man’s head while he appears to perform oral sex on her.
The actual man in the image was a model who had consented to the shoot, but a giant tattoo on the man’s back belonged to Brophy. Unbeknownst to Cardi, a freelance graphic designer had typed “back tattoos” into Google Image, found one that fit (Brophy’s), and Photoshopped it onto the model’s body. It apparently didn’t occur to him that he would need anyone’s approval to do so.
Brophy sued in 2017 for millions in damages, claiming he was “devastated, humiliated and embarrassed” by the cover. He says Cardi and others violated his so-called right of publicity by using his likeness without his consent, and also violated his right to privacy by casting him in a “false light” that was “highly offensive.”
Cardi’s legal team has argued those accusations are “sheer fantasy” and “vastly overblown” – and that Brophy is just suing her in an effort to “cash in the legal equivalent of a lotto ticket.” Her legal team says nobody would have recognized a relatively unknown man based merely on his back, and that he has little proof anyone did.
The trial kicked off on Tuesday, when Brophy testified that Cardi’s “raunchy” image had caused severe stress on his life. He called it a “complete slap in the face” that had caused him “hurt and shame.”
But at Wednesday’s hearing, Cardi pointed out from the witness stand that the model in the image was “a Black man that’s fit” who has hair. Brophy is white with a shaved head.
“It’s not Mr. Brophy’s back. It doesn’t look like Mr. Brophy at all,” she told Cappello. “There has been not one receipt he has provided in the court claiming, ‘Hey, that’s you on Cardi’s mixtape.’”
Wednesday’s proceedings also featured testimony by Brophy himself and his wife, as well as Cardi’s former manager Klenord “Shaft” Raphael. Testimony will continue on Thursday, with a verdict expected on Friday or Monday.re