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Warner Music Group, Warner Chappell Music, BMG and the independents’ digital rights agency Merlin have struck content arrangements with Pinterest, a move that will enable the imaging sharing and social platform’s millions of users to interact with popular music.
Announced Wednesday (Oct. 19), Pinterest’s raft of partnerships which will allow its community to add tracks to their Idea Pins from a global catalog, including works by Ed Sheeran, Silk Sonic, Anitta, and many others.
WMG becomes the first major label to partner with Pinterest, highlighting the music giant’s commitment to bringing music to fans to create and engage with via short-form video content, a rep explains.
“The future of media will be founded on music,” comments Oana Ruxandra, chief digital officer & EVP, business development, WMG, in a statement. “WMG, including our publishing partners at Warner Chappell, is incredibly excited to partner with Pinterest to help inspire their users to engage, design, and imagine. Together, the creative potential for Pinterest audiences will be virtually endless.”
The content drop is powered by 7Digital, the B2B digital music solutions platform, and expands on Pinterest’s existing royalty-free music library. Music micro-licensing expert Rumblefish is providing Pinterest with music metadata and license management services, a statement explains.
“This partnership has been a truly collaborative process to visualize how Pinterest creators can make music a more integral part of their experience on the platform,” add Jeremy Sirota, CEO, Merlin. “We are excited to make independent music part of Pinterest’s exciting feature. Merlin members are excited to see the content that emerges from it.”
As Pinterest introduces a library of licensed major label and independent music, the San Francisco-based business presses the button on a new music feature to make it even easier for Pinners and creators to find and add their favorite tracks to Idea Pins.
“Music plays a vital role in elevating storytelling and empowering storytellers, creators, and Pinners who inspire the world every day on Pinterest,” comments Malik Ducard, chief content officer, Pinterest. “We are thrilled to partner with Warner Music Group, Warner Chappell Music, Merlin, and BMG to bring the latest music tracks to our platform and elevate the content and inspiration created on Pinterest.”
Pinterest launched in 2010 and boasts more than 400 million monthly active users who’ve dropped billions of “pins,” bookmarks to save quality content for later. The service is available on iOS and Android, and at pinterest.com.
This is The Legal Beat, a weekly column about music law from Billboard Pro, offering you a one-stop cheat sheet of big new cases, important rulings, and all the fun stuff in between.
This week: Cardi B goes to trial in a weird case over a bawdy album cover, Gunna is again refused bond in Atlanta, Ed Sheeran warns that a copyright ruling might “strangle” future songwriters and much more.
THE BIG STORY: Cardi Heads to Trial Over Bawdy Album Cover
In one of the weirder cases you’ll ever hear about, Cardi B is headed to a federal courthouse today to defend against claims that the cover of her debut mixtape “humiliated” a man named Kevin Brophy, who alleges he was unwittingly photoshopped into the artwork to make it look like he was performing oral sex on the now-superstar.Yes, you read that right. And I didn’t even tell you yet that the entire thing hinges on a giant back tattoo featuring “a tiger battling a snake.”As Cardi’s star was rising in 2016, she released Gangsta Bitch Music Vol. 1 with a provocative cover – an image of her swigging a beer, staring into the camera … with a man’s head between her legs. The actual guy in the image was a model (who consented to the whole thing), but the giant tattoo on his back belonged to Brophy (who didn’t). Unbeknownst to Cardi, a freelance graphic designer had typed “back tattoos” into Google Image, found one that fit, 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.Years later, the two will now square off before a jury over whether the image broke the law, and whether Cardi herself is to blame.Brophy claims the star and others violated his right of publicity by using his likeness without his consent, and also invasion of his privacy by casting him in a “false light” that was “highly offensive” to a reasonable person. He claims he was “devastated, humiliated and embarrassed” by the cover.Cardi says those accusations are “sheer fantasy” and “vastly overblown.” Her legal team says Cardi had no idea Brophy’s image was being used, and that he’s just suing her in an effort to “cash in the legal equivalent of a lotto ticket.” But their chief argument is even simpler: That nobody would have ever recognized a relatively unknown person based on a cropped image of his back tattoo.“No matter how much plaintiff may be obsessed with the notion, the fact remains that it is not ‘him,’ or a ‘likeness of him,’ or ‘his identity’ in the cover image,” Cardi’s lawyers wrote.Cardi is expected to testify at some point, with a verdict expected by the end of the week or early next week. We’ll keep you posted over at Billboard.com when the news drops.
Other top stories this week…
VLOGGER BETTER HAVE MY MONEY – Elsewhere in Cardi-world, a federal judge ruled that Tasha K – a gossip blogger who made salacious claims about the star – must either immediately pay up on an almost $4 million defamation verdict or secure a bond covering the entire amount. Tasha is currently appealing the verdict and wanted to pause the judgement while she does so, but Cardi’s lawyers warned last month that the YouTuber had bragged about taking steps to “insulate herself” from the huge damages award, and might use the delay to avoid paying entirely.GUNNA DENIED BOND YET AGAIN – For a third time, a Georgia judge refused to release Gunna from jail ahead of his January trial in the sweeping case against Young Thug and others accused of operating a violent gang in the Atlanta area. The order came after prosecutors claimed to have text messages in which a co-defendant in the sprawling case offered to “whack someone” on the rapper’s behalf, prompting the judge to say that he had the “same concerns” about the potential for witness tampering. But just a day later, Gunna’s lawyers cried foul, claiming the alleged smoking gun text actually had “nothing to do with witness intimidation” and had been used to mislead the court.SHOTS FIRED OVER POWERHOUSE MUSIC LAWYER – In an exclusive interview with Billboard’s Frank DiGiacomo, Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner blasted the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for its upcoming induction of powerhouse music lawyer Allen Grubman, saying it was “about money and bending to the ego of a music business power broker.” Grubman is one of the most powerful attorneys in the industry, counting Bruce Springsteen, Lizzo, The Weeknd, Lil Nas X, Lady Gaga and other stars as clients, as well as major music companies and digital streamers. But Wenner said he decided to speak out because he believes Grubman clearly doesn’t fit the criteria: “Grubman has made no contribution of any kind, by any definition, to the creative development or the history of rock & roll.”WARHOL & PRINCE AT SCOTUS – More than three decades after Andy Warhol‘s death and six years after Prince‘s sudden passing, the two pop culture icons took center stage at U.S. Supreme Court , as the justices heard arguments in a major copyright case. At issue in the dispute is whether the late Warhol made a legal “fair use” of a photograph of Prince when he used it as the basis for a set of his distinctive screen prints – or merely infringed the copyrights of Lynn Goldsmith, the photographer who snapped it. During the proceedings, the justices grappled with tough questions, like what exactly is necessary to “transform” a copyrighted work into a fair use. In a lighter moment, Justice Clarence Thomas disclosed that he had been a fan of Prince’s music “in the ’80s,” to which Justice Elena Kagan asked “no longer?” As the room erupted in laughter, Thomas replied enigmatically: “Only on Thursday night.”ED SHEERAN WARNS OF ‘STRANGLED’ SONGWRITERS – The pop star’s lawyers asked a federal judge to rethink a recent decision that said the singer must face a trial over whether “Thinking Out Loud” infringes Marvin Gaye‘s “Let’s Get It On.” The decision came two weeks after Judge Louis Stanton refused to toss the case out, ruling that a jury would have to decide Sheeran’s argument that he only borrowed basic, unprotectable musical “building blocks.” In the new filing, the star’s lawyers warned the judge that forcing musicians to face trials over such material would have a chilling effect on the industry and threaten to “strangle creation” by future songwriters. In technical terms, Sheeran’s attorneys want the judge to either undo the ruling entirely, or allow them to immediately appeal it before he faces trial.SLACKER HIT WITH HUGE UNPAID ROYALTY BILL – A federal judge ruled that streaming platform Slacker owes nearly $10 million in unpaid performance royalties to record labels and artists. SoundExchange, which collects streaming royalties for sound recordings, sued Slacker and parent company LiveOne in June, claiming they had refused to pay millions over a five-year period. This week, Judge André Birotte Jr. made it official, ordering that Slacker pay $9,765,396 in unpaid royalties and late fees. Importantly, he also banned the company from using the so-called statutory license – a key copyright provision that allows radio-like streamers to get easy access to licenses at a fixed rate. Now, Slacker will presumably need to negotiate direct licenses from rights holders for sound recordings, similar to what on-demand streaming services like Spotify must do.
TikTok’s former U.S. head of content partnerships, Bryan Thoensen, has joined Spotify to oversee the company’s content strategy and partnerships with individual audio creators, known as the talk creator content and partnerships team.
Thoensen will report up to Max Cutler, who was promoted earlier this year to lead Spotify’s partnerships with creators and now holds the title of vp of talk creator content. In his new role at Spotify, Thoensen will also oversee the team’s business development and acquisitions as part of the audio giant’s larger exclusive podcast strategy.
“Bryan’s knowledge of the creator landscape will be critical as we build out our platform strategy with the goal of becoming a true platform beyond distribution, and reinforce our mission of building trust with creators,” Cutler wrote in a memo to staff.
Prior to joining Spotify, where the executive began meeting with the talk creator content and partnerships team in the past few weeks, Thoensen oversaw TikTok’s relationships with top public figures and managed relationships with brands like the NFL, NBA, Condé Nast and NBC. He was also formerly a svp for original entertainment at Fullscreen and a director of content for Hulu’s original programming following a roughly six-year career at WME.
Thoensen will remain based in Los Angeles.
This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.
Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson presented fellow Canadian musician Tom Cochrane with the SOCAN Cultural Impact Award on Monday night (Oct. 17) for his 1991 enduring hit “Life Is A Highway,” which rose to No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1992 and was No. 1 in Canada, winning Juno Awards for single of the year and songwriter.
The anthem, found on Cochrane’s second solo album, Mad Mad World, sold a rare million copies in Canada (a diamond certification), and has, in recent years, racked up more than 1 billion streams, according to SOCAN, the performing rights organization.
Lifeson and Cochrane have been friends for over four decades. “I played with him on occasion and performed ‘Life Is a Highway,’ as well,” Lifeson told some 500 members of the music industry at the private event at Sheridan Centre Toronto Hotel.
“I am a friend, a collaborator, and like many, many others of his millions of fans around the world, I am a huge admirer of his work. Neruda is one of my all-time favorite records,” Lifeson threw in of the 1983 album by Cochrane’s original band Red Rider. “Tom is an amazing artist and songwriter, and with ‘Life Is a Highway,’ he created the perfect analogy of what we all go through. It is a magical blend of music and lyrics with an infectious chorus that sticks with you, and a theme that is inspiring and uplifting. It truly captures our journeys down the highway of life, the high roads, the detours, the dead ends, the U-turns, and especially the fear of running outta gas, the challenges that we all face in order to reach our destinations.”
Lifeson said the song’s “joyous melody” is a hopeful reminder that no matter how many roadblocks life presents, “we will always find a way around them,” adding, “It is the perfect message, especially over the past few years and what we’ve all experienced.”
Among the many covers and adaptations, the song was covered by Rascal Flatts for the 2006 animated movie Cars and by Chris LeDoux for his 1998 album, One Road Man, was used in a now-classic segment of the animated TV series Family Guy, placed in Hollywood films like There Goes The Neighborhood and Cheaper by the Dozen, and more recently in the video game Lego Rock Band (Rascal Flatts’ version).
In 2016, a stretch of highway in Manitoba starting in his hometown of Lynn Lake to the city of Thompson was renamed Tom Cochrane’s Life Is a Highway.
Despite its buoyant, positive vibe, the song was born out of a life-altering humanitarian trip Cochrane took to southeastern Africa with World Vision Canada. Hence the lyric: “From Mozambique to those Memphis nights / The Khyber Pass to Vancouver’s lights / Knock me down and back up again / You’re in my blood, I’m not a lonely man.”
After a video tribute, which touched quite heavily on the inspiration for the song, Cochrane took the stage to accept the award from Lifeson, and dug out his speech, written “old school” on a piece a paper. “Talk about cultural achievement,” he said of Lifeson, calling Rush “one of the top five bands of all time.”
After thanking friends and associates, he said of Rascal Flatts, “What could I say about those guys? Everybody says, ‘That’s horrible, they stole that song from you.’ I said, ‘I wish they’d steal some more songs from me,” he laughs. “And I told [singer] Gary [LeVox] that and they flew us a bunch of writers down to Nashville. I mean such generous guys.”
He then thanked Red Rider and Mad Mad World musician John Webster, who insisted he take “the stupid little poppy demo” called “Love Is a Highway” and develop it into the anthem it is now.
“Indeed, the lyrics in the top line were written in the wee hours of the morning in my little home studio, the shed in Oakville…The lyrics were written in response to a trip to that I had taken to Africa with the humanitarian relief organization, World Vision. They do incredible work and I encourage everybody to support them. In 1989, after witnessing terrible suffering, in particular in war-torn Mozambique, it put deep scars on my psyche and I needed something ‘up’ and positive to pull me out of this funk and this soul searching,” Cochrane explains.
“And so that was what I was going through after that trip. Webby, John Webster, and I had recorded a bed track for ‘Love Is a Highway’ in that shed a few weeks earlier and I couldn’t find the proper words…I woke up that night out of a bit of a dream state and an epiphany occurred to me that we can’t control what happens to us here and there. All we can do is control what’s ahead of us and the people we come in contact with every day… And so, by five in the morning, the song was written, it was done and I felt better for it.
Since Canada removed all COVID-19 restrictions, Cochrane has been back out on the road — 38 shows to date, with more scheduled in November.
“When we play ‘Life Is a Highway,’ the energy that we get back from the crowd, from the audience, is intense. It’s powerful,” he reflects. “And the joy, the positive electricity, is cathartic and it’s immense. We feel elevated. But more than that, we feel privileged to be up there and very lucky to be the vehicle, excuse the pun, to deliver that energy.”
To cap off the three-hour awards, Lifeson jumped onstage to join musicians Bill Bell, Dala, Davide Direnzo, Molly Johnson, Jeff Jones, Sam Roberts and Julian Taylor on a version of the song.
At this point, who would book Kanye West – especially to sit down with an interviewer who doesn’t generally challenge his guests?
On Oct. 7, West, now known as Ye, tweeted that he would go “death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE.” Days later, Vice reported on unaired footage from the rapper’s Tucker Carlson interview, in which he made a series of bizarre and anti-Semitic comments, on how he wants to create “kinetic energy communities” and would rather his children celebrate Hanukkah, since “at least it will come with some financial engineering.” Then an episode of The Shop was canceled because West used the interview to “reiterate more hate speech and extremely dangerous stereotypes,” according to the CEO of the company behind the show.
After all this, West was booked to appear on the Oct. 15 episode of the podcast Drink Champs, which is shown on Revolt, the cable television and online media company founded by Sean “Diddy” Combs. (It was preceded by a disclaimer saying it does not reflect his views.) And guess what? West ranted about the “Jewish media,” called Planned Parenthood “our Holocaust Museum,” and said Jewish lawyers made so much money because they would divorce people when Catholics wouldn’t. He also falsely blamed George Floyd’s death on fentanyl, rather than on the police officer who murdered him. As West ranted, N.O.R.E., the show’s host — who has since apologized — basically just sat there, murmuring “mmm” and, occasionally, “hmm-mmm.”
Drink Champs is supposed to be informal, but a better interviewer would have at least pointed out that Drake, who West said in the interview was “the greatest rapper ever,” is Jewish himself.’Revolt pulled the show offline yesterday afternoon – the company has not issued any statement or commented to Billboard on why it did so – although it’s easily available on YouTube, which should take it down as well. It’s worth asking why it was shown in the first place. One clue: N.O.R.E. tweeted that “my Ye interview got more views then (sic) football haha!!!” Except this isn’t funny. At a time when media companies are being more careful about hate speech – a good thing in my view – why does there seem to be an exception for anti-Semitism?
It’s easy to dismiss West’s interview — along with his latest, with Chris Cuomo — as the latest chapter in the very public breakdown of an incredibly talented musician, which is upsetting to see. What’s more disturbing is that anyone could have thought it was OK to show this. N.O.R.E. apologized on Breakfast Club, and said there were “four Jewish people in the room” who showed an “understanding where Kanye was coming from.”
The disclaimer that ran before Drink Champs says the show does “not reflect the views or opinions” of Combs or Revolt. Fair enough. Presumably Combs also didn’t agree with the July 4, 2020 speech by Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, whom Facebook banned in 2019, along with Alex Jones and some right-wing figures, for engaging in hate speech. (Revolt hasn’t shown any of his speeches since then.) Weeks later, Combs tweeted a job offer to Nick Cannon, who had just lost his deal with ViacomCBS after a podcast interview with former Public Enemy “Minister of Information” Professor Griff that trafficked in anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. Like West, Cannon said he couldn’t be anti-Semitic because Black people are “the true Hebrews.”
Cannon apologized, and good for him. Revolt hasn’t. After Cannon sat down with a rabbi to talk about anti-Semitism, Jay Electronica called the rabbi a “coward” and challenged him to debate Farrakhan. Neither Combs nor Jay Electronica, who sampled Farrakhan on his debut album and got an 8.4 from Pitchfork, seems to have faced any consequences.
Revolt bills itself as “the unapologetic, authoritative voice of Hip Hop culture,” which is important and valuable. But that doesn’t mean guests should be allowed to engage in anti-Semitic or other conspiracy theories without being challenged. One of the frightening things about West’s rants is how much right-wingers with a history of racism seem to love them. This episode of Drink Champs was anti-Semitic and disrespectful to the memory of George Floyd, whose family is said to be considering a lawsuit against West. Revolt needs to apologize, to both Floyd’s family and the Jewish community, and make clear that it has no tolerance for anti-Semitism — and other music and media companies should do the same.
For the Record is a regular column from deputy editorial director Robert Levine analyzing news and trends in the music industry. Find more here.
The Knitting Factory brand is returning to Los Angeles after more than a decade.
The new venue, Knitting Factory NoHo, will open on the second floor of the Federal Bar in North Hollywood. The venue is a 300-plus-capacity room that offers a patio and expansive local views from the historic building. Formerly a bank, the Federal Bar building was built in 1929 and has high-beamed ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows.
Since Knitting Factory Hollywood closed in 2009, Knitting Factory Entertainment (KFE) CEO Morgan Margolis has developed a hospitality division of the company. In Los Angeles alone, this includes The Federal Bar, El Tejano, Thirsty Merchant, Cantiki and Boomtown Brewery partnerships. KFE is also behind the Desert Daze festival with partner Phil Pirrone. Additionally, the company remains a longtime partner with local promoter and Spaceland Presents CEO Mitchell Frank on the Regent Theatre in Downtown L.A.
“While this is a more intimate venue than our partner venue, Regent Theatre (1,000 cap.), our team plans to bring incredible live experiences for musicians, comedians, artists, and fans alike, as our company has been doing for decades,” said Margolis in a statement. “In North Hollywood specifically, we’ve been in the area since The Federal Bar opened with a private performance from jazz legend Stanley Clarke in January 2011, and there is an appetite for more music-based programming as the neighborhood continues to grow into a distinct residential and entertainment district.”
Knitting Factory
Morgan Margolis
The space above the Federal Bar previously hosted private events and live shows from artists including John Doe, Kurt Vile, Big Thief, Ducktails, Cayucas, Sea Wolf, Chuck Prophet, Jenny O. and Motopony. Existing facilities are currently undergoing major renovations, including raising and widening the stage, improving sightlines, and upgrading audio-visual production. The new venue also hides a classic speakeasy, which will operate as a private VIP bar and green room.
Veteran music curator Chris Diaz will serve as Knitting Factory Noho’s consultant talent booker. Diaz got his start as a sound engineer and local booker at Knitting Factory Hollywood. Diaz moved from sound engineer to senior talent booker, moving to New York after Knitting Factory Hollywood closed to program the newly opened Knitting Factory Brooklyn. He returned to Los Angeles in 2013 to book two venues for California promoter Goldenvoice — The Roxy Theatre on the Sunset Strip and The Glass House Concert Hall in Pomona — before booking for Spaceland Presents at The Regent Theatre.
“Working with Knitting Factory Entertainment again, and specifically with Morgan, is like being reunited with a long-lost family member,” said Diaz. “It is very exciting to be a part of bringing this legendary brand back to Los Angeles, to help ensure its future legacy.”
Programming for the new L.A. venue is set to begin later this year. The news of the new North Hollywood location comes after the closure of Knitting Factory Brooklyn and the announcement of a new Knitting Factory venue that will open in New York’s East Village neighborhood in early 2023.
An inductee of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is protesting one of the Hall’s upcoming inductions. Complicating matters is that the protest comes from Jann S. Wenner, the founder of Rolling Stone and a co-founder and former chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, who was himself inducted into the institution as a non-performer in 2004, when he was a recipient of the Ahmet Ertegun Award.
Wenner says that entertainment attorney Allen Grubman, who is also a founding board member and set to receive the Ertegun award next month, does not meet the Hall’s criteria for the honor. “Allen Grubman has made no contribution of any kind, by any definition, to the creative development or the history of rock & roll,” says Wenner. “He has been chosen because of his clout as entertainment super lawyer. This decision is about money and bending to the ego of a music business power broker.”
Grubman — long one of the most powerful attorneys in the music industry — counts Bruce Springsteen, Lizzo, The Weeknd, Lil Nas X, J Balvin, U2, Mariah Carey, the David Bowie estate, Lady Gaga and Madonna among the clients of his firm, Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks, as well as Spotify, Live Nation, and the major record companies and music publishers. He will be one three recipients of the Ertegun award at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Nov. 5 in Los Angeles along with Interscope Records co-founder/CEO Jimmy Iovine and Sugar Hill Records founder Sylvia Robinson, who will be inducted posthumously.
Grubman was nominated by Jon Landau, who, in addition to being a founding board member of the hall of fame and the head of its nominating committee, is the manager of Springsteen, a client of Grubman’s firm. Landau — who began his career as a rock critic — and Wenner have been friends and allies since the beginnings of Rolling Stone, as Wenner details in his recent memoir, Like a Rolling Stone. Wenner also takes aim at Grubman in his book in passing, saying the lawyer “didn’t know Jerry Lee Lewis from Jerry Lewis.”
“Jon remains one of my oldest and best friends,” Wenner told Billboard. “But we completely disagree about this. We have different agendas. Mine is the integrity of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Jon has got a business relationship to maintain.” And that relationship, he adds, constitutes a “conflict of interest” when it comes to Landau’s endorsement of Grubman.
The Rolling Stone founder decided to go public with his dissatisfaction after Billboard contacted him about a passage in his memoir detailing his decision to retire as chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation at the beginning of 2020 (both Billboard and Rolling Stone are owned by Penske Media Corp.; Wenner no longer has a full-time role with the magazine he founded). “My only worry was the pressure to compromise the integrity of the nominating and voting. I should have known better,” wrote Wenner, who remains a board member. “After I resigned, I was told that music business power-brokers on the board were going to be inducted. These individuals had made not one iota of difference to the history, present or future of the creation of music, which was the explicit criterion. But they had accumulated influence and wealth. It was an inside job.”
Allen Grubman at New World Stages at Worldwide Plaza in New York City.
Michael Kovac/GI for NARAS
Wenner doesn’t name anyone in his book, but in May, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced that Grubman, who is a founder and board member, would receive the Ahmet Ertegun Award, which, according to the organization’s website, is given to “non-performing industry professionals who, through their dedicated belief and support of artists and their music, have had a major influence on the creative development and growth of rock & roll and music that has impacted youth culture.”
When Billboard contacted Wenner about the passage, he confirmed that he was referring to Grubman.
This year’s Ahmet Ertegun Award inductees were chosen for the first time by a committee formed by the hall of fame foundation’s current chairman, iHeartMedia president of entertainment enterprises John Sykes. He is a committee member along with Landau (who also heads the hall’s nominating committee); Jody Gerson, the chairman/CEO of Universal Music Publishing Group; Jon Platt, chairman/CEO, Sony Music Publishing; Rob Light, the head of CAA’s music department; and Joel Peresman, president/CEO of the foundation. A hall of fame insider says that in past years the Ertegun inductees were chosen via a “consensus decision” that included Wenner, Landau, and musicians Paul Shaffer and Robbie Robertson. The source adds that the creation of a formal committee had been Wenner’s suggestion, although Wenner had wanted more people outside of the industry, such as music historians and artists.
According to one source familiar with the situation, “Wenner presented his case against Allen to the full committee” in a “a lively 20-minute debate” during which all of the committee members got to express their views. Multiple sources confirm that the subsequent vote was five-to-one in favor of Grubman’s induction with Wenner casting the sole dissenting vote. (The committee voted unanimously to induct Iovine and Robinson.)
Wenner’s account of the proceedings is significantly different. He says that the discussion and vote regarding Grubman’s induction “was no more than a 45-minute phone call, and prior to that call, I was told by Jon that my dissent would be useless. The issue was already settled,” he says.
In response, the source says, “It is generally routine for committee members to discuss how they would likely vote on different issues before a meeting and how an upcoming vote will likely go.”
Another source familiar with the committee’s voting process says Grubman’s induction is justified because he is “one of the all-time great dealmakers, but his impact and those of the next generation of agents and lawyers who followed him, is not always appreciated.” The source contends that Grubman’s decades of “staunch advocacy and success in negotiating groundbreaking deals for these artists changed the balance of power in the industry,” providing the artists he has represented “the security and stability that allowed them to focus on their craft.”
Wenner says the argument that Grubman “is responsible for historic changes in recording artists’ contractual relationships with record companies is ex-post facto hogwash. This is an artful but disingenuous fig leaf to cover the absence of a valid reason. It is putting lipstick on a pig.”
Wenner says that inducting Grubman into the hall of fame is the equivalent of giving former CAA founder and Disney studios chief Michael Ovitz an Oscar. “The underlying and inescapable truth is that he has not made one iota of difference then, now or for the future of rock & roll,” he says. “He doesn’t make music. He makes money.”
A statement issued by the foundation did not address Wenner’s allegations directly but instead adopts language the hall of fame’s website uses to describe its criteria for the Ahmet Ertegun award: “The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame relies on a diverse group of expert music professionals and artists to select those who are inducted each year. We welcome this year’s group of very well deserving inductees and congratulate them on their significant influence on the music and artists that have moved youth culture.” Grubman, Landau, and spokespersons for Light and Platt declined to comment. Sykes, Peresman and Gerson did not respond to requests for comment.
But one source with ties to the organization says, “This is just Jann being Jann. After all of his great contributions, it’s sad that he’s making these unnecessary personal attacks to bring attention to himself.”
“That is a personal attack,” says Wenner. “Why can’t they defend themselves?”
Atlantic Records nailed it when they promoted Brandon Davis and Jeff Levin in tandem a couple years ago, so naturally they’re doing it again. The star A&R execs have been upped to executive vice presidents and co-heads of pop A&R at the Warner Music imprint, with both Los Angelenos — and now-former senior vps — reporting to the president of A&R, Pete Ganbarg.
“Our mission has always been to attract, sign, and nurture the greatest talent across every genre,” commented Atlantic Records chairman & CEO Craig Kallman. “Brandon and Jeff are our pop A&R stars, bringing us a string of game-changing artists. They’ve got spot-on musical instincts, combined with the insight and ability to nurture artists at every stage of their careers.”
Davis has been with Atlantic for 11 years, having joined the company as an assistant in the A&R department. In partnership with producer Ricky Reed, he helped sign and develop Lizzo at the label in 2015 and also worked on the bestselling soundtrack for The Greatest Showman, and recently co-A&R’d Charli XCX’s album, Crash, and Ava Max’s forthcoming sophomore album.
Levin, meanwhile, joined Atlantic in 2010 and has signed Melanie Martinez, Jaymes Young and Oliver Tree, among others. He A&R’d Ben Platt’s debut album Sing To Me Instead and Charlie Puth’s third album, Charlie, and has worked with Warner Chappell Music to A&R G-Eazy and Bebe Rexha’s hit single “Me, Myself & I” and sign Logic to a global publishing deal.
“At Atlantic, we pride ourselves as much in executive development as we do in artist development,” noted Ganbarg. “Both Brandon and Jeff have worked at Atlantic their entire professional lives, rising from entry level intern and assistant positions to become an integral part of the leadership of our A&R team.”
Earlier this year, Davis spoke with Billboard about his success with Lizzo and the changes in the industry — such as the TikTokification of artist promo — since the release of her first album.
“The marriage of A&R and marketing has become closer than ever before,” he said. “As an A&R executive, I now need to think like a marketing and digital executive. I have spent more time than ever before working hand-in-hand with our marketing staff, and also letting them into the record making process earlier. A&R in the current environment has become about so much more than just music and record making — you need to be entrepreneurial and have a sophisticated understanding of many different verticals.”
Streaming platform Slacker owes SoundExchange nearly $10 million in unpaid performance royalties, according to a recent ruling by a federal judge, issued after settlement talks between the two broke down.
SoundExchange, which collects streaming royalties for sound recordings, sued Slacker and parent company LiveOne in June, claiming they had refused to pay millions over a five-year period. As recently as September, court documents indicated the two sides were having “meaningful settlement negotiations.”
But last week, SoundExchange played an unusual legal trump card: A pre-signed consent judgment, inked by execs at Slacker back in 2020 as part of a previous effort to get the streamer to pay its royalty bill. Under the terms of that earlier deal, if Slacker ever defaulted again, its executives agreed that a judge should enter a judgment against the company for the full sum owed.
On Thursday, Judge André Birotte Jr. did exactly that – ordering Slacker to pay $9,765,396 in unpaid royalties and late fees. He also permanently barred the company from using the so-called statutory license, a federal provision that makes copyright licenses for recorded music automatically available to internet radio companies like Slacker and Pandora at a fixed price.
Without access to the statutory license, Slacker will presumably need to negotiate direct licenses from rights holders for sound recordings, similar to what on-demand streaming services like Spotify must do.
A spokesman for Slacker and LiveOne did not return a request for comment on Tuesday. In a statement to Billboard, SoundExchange president and CEO Michael Huppe said the lawsuit demonstrated that the group “takes our role in defending fair compensation for creators seriously.”
“Despite a prior agreement, multiple promises, and repeated negotiations, Slacker and LiveOne failed to pay properly for the music – on which the companies built their business model,” Huppe said. “It is regrettable that this step became necessary, but we will not back down when it comes to protecting creators and ensuring they are well-represented and properly paid under the law.”
We Can[‘t] Work It Out
In its lawsuit, SoundExchange claimed Slacker stopped paying recording royalties way back in 2017, and that a subsequent audit revealed it had been underpaying for years before that. In 2020, the two sides entered into the repayment plan, which gave Slacker two years to pay its debts. But in the June lawsuit, the SoundExchange claimed that Slacker quickly failed to live up to the plan.
“By refusing to pay royalties for the use of protected sound recordings, Slacker and LiveOne have directly harmed creators over the years,” Huppe said at the time. “Today, SoundExchange is taking a stand through necessary legal action to protect the value of music and ensure creators are compensated fairly for their work.”
Though SoundExchange clearly had the earlier agreement as leverage, it appears the two sides tried again to work out a settlement. In early September, attorneys for Slacker asked for more time, saying that the two sides were engaged in “ongoing meaningful settlement negotiations with the expectation that a settlement would be reached.” But they said such talks had not been easy.
“The negotiations have proven to be complicated. There have been a number of offers, back and forth, and numerous emails, calls and discussions,” wrote Jeffrey A. Katz, Slacker’s outside counsel. “A final resolution appears promising but is not guaranteed. Defendants would like to remain focused on their pursuit of a negotiated resolution.”
After dipping her toes in the Los Angeles fashion industry as a merchandiser and “not really feeling it,” veteran music publicist Romina Magorno discovered her passion for public relations when she got her first big break at D Baron Media in 2006.
“I took the gig as an assistant at a 30K pay cut, which was insane, but it was in my gut. Something told me I was made to be in public relations,” says Magorno, who credits D Baron Media founder and CEO Diana Baron as the mentor who taught her how to be a true, traditional publicist.
At the agency, Magorno worked on projects like Los Lonely Boys, JoJo, Leann Rimes and All-American Rejects, to name a few. She relocated to Miami in 2010, where she worked at Nevarez Communications and tackled her first Latin projects, including Daddy Yankee, Chyno y Nacho, Elvis Crespo and Amelia Vega. Two years later, in September 2012, she decided to launch her own public relations agency.
“I realized that in order for me to really solidify myself in this space (Latin at that time), I needed to branch out on my own,” she explains. “I was also about to have a baby and wanted more flexibility with my time.”
Magorno now spearheads her own boutique public relations and marketing firm, Imagine It Media, with a foundation in music, entertainment and communications strategy for the U.S. Latin crossover markets, Mexico and Latin America. The Miami-based agency also specializes in talent wrangling, strategic brand partnerships and event media management.
In the past 10 years, Imagine It helmed major projects for Camila Cabello, The Spongebob Movie soundtrack, Justin Quiles and LMFAO’s Sky Blu, among others. Currently, the company’s roster includes Anitta, Tainy, Farruko, Myke Towers, Piso 21, Jorge Drexler, Steve Aoki, C. Tangana, Yahritza y Su Esencia and newcomer Un León Marinero, to name a few, as well as corporate clients NEON16, Sony Music Latin and NTERTAIN.
Below, learn more about Magorno and her agency.
What were some initial challenges when you first opened?
The credibility. I had shifted markets and did not really have super solid relationships and I found bookers, producers and journalists had their favorites and it was a challenge for sure. But I persevered and eventually, the phone calls and emails were answered. I am a people person, it’s hard to say no to this face. Ha! JK.
In your 16-year career, how do you keep motivated with your business?
Breaking new talent. Giving them my platform to really break into the market. Nowadays with streaming, it’s just so amazing to have an endless jukebox of artists and music to discover. For example, the Latin folk music movement is really making noise and having a revival. We most recently signed an indie artist from Mexico, Un León Marinero, who is in this space. He is an incredible songwriter and musician and I am so excited to show the world his talent. You have to check out his music.
What drives you to want to work with an artist?
There are many components to this question. Talent, of course, but also that I really connect with the person behind the music. It is something that is very important to me. Another component when I started my own thing, what drove me then, was to retain one big client so that I would have leverage on my hands. Having big artists means a lot of the opportunities are incoming, and although that is wonderful, what really drives me is moving things and opening doors for the up and comers. I have artists that have been with me for many years and at the beginning, media would shut the doors over and over again. Eventually, the doors opened and the feeling of accomplishment for me is so rewarding.
Who do you turn to for business advice or who has taught you the most about the business?
It’s always good to have a few people you can go to. My fellow PR colleagues Kary An Diaz and Nini Veras have been solid when it comes to advice on work-related things. But there are two people who have helped me see things clearly and supported me on so many facets, Ivelisse Malave and Lex Borrero. These executives have always been my cheerleaders and I am so thankful to have them in my life and to get to work together on projects.
What’s the most crucial advice you can offer to up-and-coming publicists?
Focus. Stay behind the scenes. Work with integrity and really learn to not only offer PR services but also to know and understand strategy. I see so many of the new schools of publicists who have no real understanding of what it is to sit and build a strategy. This is something I wish I would have learned a lot earlier on in my career, but things were a lot different then too.