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Jeremy Holgersen has joined APA as a senior vice president and agent in the concerts division, it was announced today by Bruce Solar, the company’s head of concerts. Holgersen arrives at APA from UTA, where he worked following its acquisition of The Agency Group. It was during his lengthy tenure at The Agency Group — joined in 2000 — that he and Solar met.
Holgrensen’s roster at UTA included Action Bronson, Apocalyptica, At The Gates, Bad Brains, Bob Vylan, Cypress Hill, D’Angelo, G-Eazy, GZA, Jesse Royal, Ms Lauryn Hill, Nova Twins, Patoranking, The Pogues, , Protoje, Suicidal Tendencies and more, “most of whom are expected to join him at APA,” according to a press release.
“We are truly excited to have Jeremy join us at APA,” says Solar in a statement provided to Billboard. “Jeremy is a great agent with exciting clients and a wonderful colleague who I loved working with in the past and am glad we have reunited.”
Holgersen added, “the industry has taken note of all the exciting things that are happening at APA and how well they represent music artists in a 360-degree fashion, and I know that the best is yet to come for the artists that are joining me at APA.”
Holgersen joins touring agent Steve Kahl, who came to APA from CAA in October, as well as former ICM Partners touring agents Mitch Blackman and Mike Hayes. Others include comedy agents Chris Smith and Josh Lanham from ICM, Steve Kahl from CAA and Sam Sauerhaft, who previously worked in management.
Clients joining APA from these agents include Kamasi Washington, Blackbear, Robert Glaspar, Jax, Belinda Carlisle, Jon Belion, Martin Lawrence, Mike Epps and over 100 others.
The latest battleground in Megan Thee Stallion’s war with her record label is a dispute over whether her manager – Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez – can be forced to sit for a deposition.
For months, the two sides have sparred over whether Perez must answer questions from lawyers for record label 1501 Certified Entertainment. They say she is “one of the most critical” witnesses in the ongoing case; Megan’s lawyers say they’re just trying to “harass” a busy executive who has little pertinent info.
In the latest filing on Tuesday, Megan’s attorneys said 1501’s arguments in the dispute are “entirely off base, bordering on nonsensical.” Perez doesn’t have any “unique or superior personal knowledge,” they said, and 1501’s lawyers should have sought such info from “alternative sources.”
The star rapper (real name Megan Pete) has been fighting with 1501 for more than two years, claiming the company duped a young artist into signing an “unconscionable” record deal in 2018 that was well-below industry standards. She says that when she signed a new management deal with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation in 2019, she got “real lawyers” who helped her see that the deal was “crazy.”
That core dispute has mushroomed into additional litigation, with both sides accusing the other of various forms of wrongdoing and claiming millions in damages. A judge ruled in December that the case will need to be decided by a jury trial; a date has not yet been set.
With both sides preparing to make their case, 1501 sought to have Perez sit for a deposition – meaning she would meet with the company’s lawyers and answer questions about Megan’s case under oath. But the rapper’s lawyers quickly threw a challenge flag in November, seeking a so-called protective order that would have shielded Perez from what they called “gamesmanship” by 1501.
They pointed to what’s known as the apex doctrine, which limits when high-ranking executives can be forced to give a deposition. (That’s the same rule that Spotify cited last year when it tried to shield CEO Daniel Ek from questioning in a copyright lawsuit.) Under the apex doctrine, busy top officials only need to testify when they have unique info that can’t be derived from other less burdensome sources.
“1501 does not seek relevant, admissible evidence because Perez does not have any,” Megan’s lawyers wrote in their November filing. “Rather, 1501 is intent on harassing Perez and disrupting her responsibilities as CEO of Roc Nation.”
The label quickly fired back in December, arguing that Perez had been “directly, personally, and substantially involved in the underlying facts of the lawsuit.” They claimed she’d had direct conversations about whether Megan’s 2021 Something for Thee Hotties counted as an “album” under her deal – a central dispute in the case. And they said Perez had personally negotiated one of Megan’s record contracts at issue in the lawsuit.
“Ms. Perez is trying to use her position at Roc Nation to prevent 1501 from obtaining otherwise discoverable information from her as a fact witness,” the label’s lawyers wrote. “1501 is not seeking discovery from Ms. Perez as CEO of Roc Nation. Rather, 1501 is seeking discovery from Ms. Perez as a fact witness.”
With Tuesday’s new filing from Megan’s lawyers, both sides have now fully made their arguments, and a judge will rule in the coming weeks or months on whether Perez must sit down with 1501’s lawyers. A rep for Megan and Roc Nation did not immediately return a request for comment on the deposition dispute.
Steve Zager, lead attorney for 1501, told Billboard his client was simply trying to obtain key information from an individual who was “intimately involved” in the events that led to litigation: “It is not harassment to try to serve a witness with knowledge of the facts of a case with a deposition subpoena where her lawyers have refused to accept service on her behalf.”
Read this week’s entire legal filing from Megan Thee Stallion’s lawyers here:
YouTube will return for its second presentation during Upfronts week at Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall, taking over the longtime home of Disney and during a time slot closely following Netflix’s first advertiser showcase.
David Geffen Hall will be a major upgrade for YouTube’s second Brandcast during Upfronts, which has long been an advertiser marketplace typically dominated by legacy TV networks. Last year, the Google-owned video giant hosted its first presentation at Imperial Theatre in midtown, which seats just under 1,460 people. David Geffen Hall will expand YouTube’s audience capacity to 2,200.
Last year, YouTube Brandcast — which featured performances from Jon Batiste and Lizzo — promoted YouTube Shorts, the company’s TikTok competitor, and live shopping. This year’s presentation is also expected to hone in on Shorts and YouTube TV, which recently nabbed the rights to the NFL Sunday Ticket package.
YouTube Brandcast will take place on the Wednesday of Upfronts, May 17, at 7 p.m. ET, followed by an afterparty. The timing may be less ideal for advertisers also attending Netflix’s first Upfront presentation at the Paris Theater, which is happening that same day at 5 p.m. ET and is also followed by an afterparty.
NBCUniversal will kick off Upfronts week on May 15 at Radio City Music Hall. Disney has not yet announced a date or venue for its Upfront presentation, and Paramount Global is skipping the event entirely in exchange for a series of gatherings in April.
Like last year, YouTube will still have a presence at the digital-focused IAB NewFronts with a morning presentation on May 1.
This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.
GoldenSky Country Music Festival will return to Sacramento this year on Oct. 14 and 15 at Discovery Park, with a performer lineup led by Eric Church, Sacramento’s own Jon Pardi, as well as Maren Morris and Parker McCollum.
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Also performing are Jordan Davis and Country Music Hall of Famer Wynonna Judd, as well as Lainey Wilson, Elle King, Eli Young Band, Niko Moon, Ingrid Andress, Nate Smith, Adam Doleac, Frank Ray, Tenille Arts, Drake Milligan, Megan Moroney, Kidd G, Willie Jones, Lakeview and Avery Anna. GoldenSky Country Music Festival is produced by Danny Wimmer Presents in partnership with Visit Sacramento.
”We’re thrilled to partner with DWP to bring the West Coast’s premier country music experience back to Sacramento,” said Visit Sacramento President & CEO Mike Testa. “This year’s incredible lineup, coupled with unique local activations and Sacramento as the backdrop will make for an unforgettable weekend. We can’t wait to welcome music fans from across the country back to our city.”
The event will also feature an array of activities for festivalgoers, including GoldenSky Beer Festival, a “festival within the festival” that will showcase the top local, regional and national tastes with over 150 different selections of beer, hard seltzer and ciders. The Farmhouse, presented by California Bountiful, will offer a local food experience featuring some of Sacramento’s top dining establishments. Other festival offerings include El Dorado Market, River City Saloon & Dance Hall, Loud Lounge, Wines of Sacramento and Sidelines Sports Bar.
GoldenSky Country Music Festival debuted as a two-day event in 2022, with 50,000 people in attendance for a lineup that included Tim McGraw, Sam Hunt, Brothers Osborne, Midland, Carly Pearce and Parmalee.
Oak View Group (OVG) has hired ASM Global’s senior vp of finance and global solutions Gary McAneney to serve as senior vp of finance and CFO at OVG’s UBS Arena at Belmont Park in New York.
Based in the Mid-Atlantic region, McAneney starts his new role effective immediately and will report to Francesca Bodie, president of business development for OVG, and Kim Stone, president of UBS Arena and executive vp of OVG East Coast.
“OVG has experienced unmatched industry growth over the last year, and Gary’s bold leadership and dynamic experience will be instrumental as we continue to steam ahead. We look forward to having him aboard,” said Bodie.
With more than 30 years of experience, McAneney will lead financial operations across all OVG-owned and operated venues within its ever-expanding business development division, plus oversee finance functions at UBS Arena.
“I’m pleased to welcome Gary to the team at UBS Arena,” Stone said. “With his diverse background in all financial disciplines, and proven ability to make valuable contributions, Gary will play a critical role at UBS Arena and be an asset across all other OVG divisions given his extensive experience in the industry.”
McAneney joined ASM Global in 2019 out of West Conshohocken, Penn., and has had a long career in the facilities business. At SMG, which merged with AEG Facilities to form ASM Global in Oct. 2019, he oversaw financial and accounting reporting for all of SMG’s operating contracts, including Mercedes Benz Superdome (New Orleans), NRG Stadium (Houston), Soldier Field (Chicago), U.S. Bank Stadium (Minneapolis) and Moscone Center (San Francisco).
“I’m excited to join the world-class team at Oak View Group, and for the opportunity to work with the most progressive and dynamic company in our industry. The quality of leadership and vision within OVG is unparalleled,” said McAneney.
A Florida jury on Wednesday (Jan. 18) awarded Flo Rida $82 million in damages from energy drink maker Celsius in a lawsuit that claimed the company violated an endorsement deal with the rapper.
After a day of deliberations, a Broward County jury awarded the sum after finding that Celsius breached two contracts it had struck with the rapper in the mid-2010s, his lawyers confirmed to Billboard. Flo Rida’s lawsuit, filed in 2021, claimed he was owed millions in additional stock and ongoing royalties under the terms of the deals.
In an interview with Billboard, Flo Rida’s attorneys said their client was pleased with the outcome and believed that “the justice system performed well today.”
“It was a matter of respect,” said John J. Uustal of the firm Kelley Uustal PLC, who repped the rapper along with partner Cristina M. Pierson. “He was due these shares, he worked for them, and he wasn’t going to just let it go.”
An attorney for Celsius did not immediately return a request for comment on the verdict. Celsius will be able to appeal the verdict, first by asking the judge to overturn it and later by appealing the case to a state appeals court.
During a five-day trial, attorneys for the rapper (real name Tramar Dillard) argued that Celsius had met key sales thresholds that entitled Flo Rida to additional stock amounting to a one-percent stake in the business — a cut his lawyers claimed was worth at least $75 million now that Celsius had grown successful. They said his promotion had helped boost “a tiny local company that was about to go out of business.”
Celsius’ lawyers argued back that the company had broken no promises, saying the sales thresholds hadn’t been triggered and that the rapper had already been paid “far in excess” of what he was owed. They told the jury that Flo Rida was simply chasing a large cash payout to which he wasn’t entitled: “A business deal is a business deal. You don’t get a do-over just because you’re unhappy with the results.”
On Thursday, the lawyers for Flo Rida told Billboard that they believed arguments painting their client as “greedy” had backfired with jurors: “They understood all these complicated legal issues and in our view came to the right conclusion,” Uustal said. “After our client finished testifying, the was no doubt that this was not a greedy individual.”
Music curator Ari Elkins and Avex USA have joined forces to form the new label co-venture Blue Suede Records. Seeking to sign undiscovered talent, Blue Suede will provide its signees with hands-on development and a non-traditional approach to the changing music business.
Elkins is possibly TikTok’s most popular music curator and has helped his nearly 2 million followers find new music and undiscovered artists to add to their playlists for the last few years. The 22-year-old’s presence on the short-form video app has led him to become host to Spotify Live’s Soundtrack Your Day and Simon Cowell’s newest show, Stem Drop. But through the creation Blue Suede, Elkins will now be able to not only recommend new artists, but build with them as well.
Avex USA, the American operation of leading Japanese music/entertainment company, is also new to the record label sector of music. Just over a year ago, the company launched its label SELENE, and since then, has signed artists like Sadie Jean, Austin George, Sophie Holohan, Billianne and Zach Hood, many of which have gone viral on TikTok.
Together, Elkins and Avex bring a fresh approach to the label business and a penchant for digital marketing.
“Ari has built a dedicated audience of millions through his love of discovering new music,” said Lucas Thomashow, svp of Avex USA and head of SELENE. “His passion for finding and championing new artists is infectious, and something we share at Avex USA. Ari has found new ways to connect audiences and music and to help songs cut through, we felt he was perfect to partner with and launch a disruptive new label venture.”
“I’m so excited to take my love for finding new artists and sharing them with the world to the next level with Avex and the launch of Blue Suede. What we are building is a unique opportunity for emerging artists to get best-in-class traditional label services but also truly tangible and contemporary marketing power. I’ve been following AVEX and SELENE’s work since inception and have always admired their swift mobility and unconventional approach to the music industry, which in 2023 is so crucial,” adds Elkins.
BRISBANE, Australia – Look Out Kid, the independent Australian artist management business, is joining forces with Monster Artist Management to form one of the market’s power centers, with a footprint on both sides of the Pacific.
The enlarged business operates as Look Out Kid, Billboard can exclusively reveal, and guides a 13-strong roster, uniting some of the top exports from Australia and New Zealand with a string of hot acts.
Through the new arrangement, Monster’s Jacob Snell and Alexandra “Apple” Bagios will join the company, and they’re bringing their roster of international clients, which includes Methyl Ethel and Hatchie (Australia); The Beths (New Zealand); plus U.S. acts Cloud Nothings, Sweeping Promises, and Palehound.
At Look Out Kid, they’ll join a stable that includes Courtney Barnett, Middle Kids, Sarah Blasko, U.S. artist Faye Webster and Canadian Beverly Glenn-Copeland.
By joining forces, the team has the opportunity to be in multiple markets at once. The move is “designed so that we can better support” the roster in their “artistic and career goals,” Nick O’Byrne, Look Out Kid’s owner/director and artist manager, tells Billboard.
“We’re trying to pull the smart management minds out of the nitty gritty, everyday stuff that takes so much time, that the artist doesn’t see, and give them more time talking to artists about music, strategy and achieving their goals, whether its financial, career, artistry.”
Snell, who serves as director of strategy and artist manager, and Bagios, as artist manager, are based in Los Angeles, and the Look Out Kid team continues to operate out of its Melbourne headquarters. Owner/director Katie Besgrove is shifting from day-to-day artist management to the general manager position.
Meanwhile, a new hire will oversee the roster’s live and touring activities for the first time, lifting the company’s headcount to seven.
Concerts specialist Emma Hawkes joins the team as touring and operations manager, a new role. Hawkes was recently production manager of Courtney Barnett‘s U.S.-based touring festival Here And There, which debuted in 2022 and returns this year.
“We love their roster, we share similar tastes and we care about the same things when it comes to the business of music,” Look Out Kid says of Monster in a statement. “It’s important to take notice when you find a kindred spirit in this crazy business so this feels like a natural step for us.”
The conversation to come together was a natural one. “We talked about it for about six months. Just trying to work out when it would work,” O’Byrne notes. “We finally got there towards the end of last year.”
Monster was established in Perth, Western Australia, in 2010. O’Byrne formed Look Out Kid in 2011 as a vehicle to manage Barnett. Using the know-how he’d accumulated as general manager of trade association Australian Independent Record Labels Association (AIR), and as executive programmer of the Bigsound conference and showcase event, O’Byrne’s business quietly flourished, and Barnett emerged as one of Australia’s most successful artists of her generation.
The singer-songwriter’s debut Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit peaked at No. 4 in Australia, No. 16 in the U.K. and No. 20 in the U.S., and won the Australian Music Prize, a trio of ARIAs and a nomination for best international female at the BRIT Awards. Her solo followup cracked the top 10 in the U.K, led several Billboard charts, and peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard 200. A third solo set, Things Take Time, Take Time, dropped in 2021.
The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on Jan. 24 at 10 a.m. EST examining the ticketing industry and Ticketmaster’s handling of the Taylor Swift ticket sale, Senator Amy Klobuchar‘s (D-MN) office announced.
Titled “That’s The Ticket: Promoting Competition and Protecting Consumers in Live Entertainment,” the hearing will look at accusations of anti-competitive behavior in the ticketing space and examine the history of the 2010 Department of Justice consent decree governing the merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster.
The merger has long been criticized by members of both parties with Klobuchar recently identifying the Swift crash as an example of how “Ticketmaster’s power in the primary ticket market insulates it from the competitive pressures that typically push companies to innovate and improve their services.”
The Nov. 15 sale crash, which affected both Ticketmaster and its competitor SeakGeek, was the result of massive demand from Taylor Swift fans and an illegal bot attack, Ticketmaster wrote in a Nov. 15 blog post.
Klobuchar, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights, will be joined at the hearing by ranking member Mike Lee (R-UT) for the hearing before the full Senate Judiciary Committee with Chair Dick Durbin (D-IL) and incoming ranking member Lindsey Graham (R-SC).
“The issues within America’s ticketing industry were made painfully obvious when Ticketmaster’s website failed hundreds of thousands of fans hoping to purchase tickets for Taylor Swift’s new tour, but these problems are not new. For too long, consumers have faced high fees, long waits, and website failures, and Ticketmaster’s dominant market position means the company faces inadequate pressure to innovate and improve,” Klobuchar said in a statement. “At next week’s hearing, we will examine how consolidation in the live entertainment and ticketing industries harms customers and artists alike. Without competition to incentivize better services and fair prices, we all suffer the consequences.”
“American consumers deserve the benefit of competition in every market, from grocery chains to concert venues,” Lee added. “I look forward to exercising our subcommittee’s oversight authority to ensure that anticompetitive mergers and exclusionary conduct are not crippling an entertainment industry already struggling to recover from pandemic lockdowns.”
“It’s been more than a decade since Ticketmaster merged with Live Nation, and competition in the ticketing and live entertainment industries has only gotten worse. Too often, consumers are the ones who pay the price for this market failure,” said Durbin. “I look forward to this hearing to explore what led to this environment, as well as steps we can take to bring competition back to these industries in a way that puts fans and artists first.”
“I’m glad to see the committee will look into the Ticketmaster debacle,” said Graham. “I look forward to hearing more about how we got here, and identifying solutions.”
A witness list has not been released for the Jan. 24 hearing. A spokesperson for Ticketmaster did not comment when asked about the upcoming hearing.
Microsoft is the latest technology giant to lay off scores of employees as the entire sector continues to restructure itself in the name of profitability over growth.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced that the company will lay off approximately 10,000 employees, beginning Wednesday. The layoffs, which will be completed by the end of Q3, will represent a bit less than five percent of the company’s workforce.
Nadella said that affected employees will receive “above-market severance pay, continuing healthcare coverage for six months, continued vesting of stock awards for six months, career transition services and 60 days’ notice prior to termination, regardless of whether such notice is legally required.”
Microsoft is a video game giant, owning the gaming platform Xbox and studios like Bungie and games like Minecraft. It is also in the midst of a proposed $69 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard, which is facing regulatory opposition.
Microsoft is also seeking to become a major player in advertising and is Netflix’s global ad sales and technology partner.
In his memo, Nadella outlined the rationale for the cuts, hitting similar themes to other CEOs over the last few months.
“As we saw customers accelerate their digital spend during the pandemic, we’re now seeing them optimize their digital spend to do more with less,” he wrote. “We’re also seeing organizations in every industry and geography exercise caution as some parts of the world are in a recession and other parts are anticipating one. At the same time, the next major wave of computing is being born with advances in AI, as we’re turning the world’s most advanced models into a new computing platform.”
Microsoft is just the latest tech giant to cut back. Amazon said earlier this month it would cut 18,000 employees, while Facebook and Instagram owner Meta announced plans to cut 11,000 employees last year. Snap, Twitter and Netflix also made significant cuts last year.
But Nadella also sought to rally the troops as the company moves forward.
“When I think about this moment in time, the start of 2023, it’s showtime—for our industry and for Microsoft. As a company, our success must be aligned to the world’s success,” he wrote. “That means every one of us and every team across the company must raise the bar and perform better than the competition to deliver meaningful innovation that customers, communities, and countries can truly benefit from. If we deliver on this, we will emerge stronger and thrive long into the future; it’s as simple as that.”
Read Nadella’s memo on THR.com
