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Haliey Welch, better known as the “Hawk Tuah Girl,” announced the launch of her own vocal sample pack on Wednesday (Nov. 20). Producers looking to sample Welch will be able to do so via BeatStars, the popular online beat marketplace. It’s a shrewd move by Welch: Her voice has already been sampled willy-nilly since she […]
The Seoul Regional Office of Employment and Labor announced on Wednesday (Nov. 20) that it has closed its investigation into a case alleging harassment against NewJeans member HANNI after determining that the singer cannot be considered an employee under the law.
According to a statement from the Labor office, “It is difficult to consider HANNI a worker under the Labor Standards Act, so the case was administratively closed.” HANNI, 20, (born Phạm Ngọc Hân), made her debut as a member of the first girl group signed to the HYBE label ADOR in 2022; ADOR is a sub-label of HYBE, whose other labels support such acts as BTS, SEVENTEEN and Le SSERAFIM, among others.
After the Vietnamese-Australian singer claimed during a YouTube livestream in September that a manager of another K-pop group under the HYBE umbrella (ILLIT) instructed their artists to “ignore” her inside the HYBE HQ in Seoul, HANNI’s fans filed a complaint with the Ministry of Employment and Labor as well as one with a civil rights organization.
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HANNI gave tearful testimony about the alleged incident last month, telling the National Assembly’s Environment and Labor Committee, “We have a floor in our building where we do hair and makeup and, at that time, I was waiting in the hallway because my hair and makeup was done first… I said hello to all of them, and then they came back about five or 10 minutes later. On her way out, [the manager] made eye contact with me, turned to the rest of the group, and said, ‘Ignore her like you didn’t see her.’ I don’t understand why she would say something like that in the work environment.”
In a stunning moment during that testimony, HANNI said the various alleged incidents of disrespect made her realize that, “this wasn’t just a feeling. I was honestly convinced that the company hated us.”
She added that these were not isolated incidents and that she often felt undermined and ignored by her company’s management team, which left her and her bandmates feeling disrespected. “We are all human. I think a lot of people are forgetting that,” she said during her testimony. “I understand that the contracts for artists and trainees may be different [from that of regular workers], but we are all human.”
The statement from the Labor office dismissing the investigation continued, “Given the content and nature of the management contract HANNI signed, it is difficult to regard her as a worker under the Labor Standards Act, which involves working in a subordinate relationship for wages.” The reasoning for the ruling noted that the relationship between HANNI and ADOR was one in which, “each party fulfills their contractual obligations as equal contracting parties, making it difficult to consider there was supervision or direction from the company.”
In addition, the ruling noted that, “Company rules, regulations, and systems that apply to regular employees were not applied to her (as an artist)… both the company and HANNI shared the costs necessary for entertainment activities. Both parties bear their own taxes, and she pays business income tax, not employment income tax,” and “HANNI bears the risks associated with generating profits and potential losses from entertainment activities.”
LONDON — The United Kingdom’s music industry is at a “tipping point” due to increasing competition from other international markets and the threat posed by unregulated generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), the head of umbrella organization UK Music has warned.
In 2023, the music industry contributed £7.6 billion ($9.6 billion) to the country’s economy, up 13% from the previous year, according to the organization’s annual This Is Music study, which measures the economic impact of the U.K. music industry across all income streams including live, record sales, publishing, merch, brand endorsements and public performance revenue for UK based music creators and rights holders.
Huge grossing U.K. tours by Beyonce, Burna Boy and Harry Styles helped drive the record economic contribution, said UK Music, which bases its calculations upon the gross value estimates of money generated through music sales, concerts, recording studios, touring and music tourism — roughly equivalent to pre-tax profits and salaries.
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However, despite strong appetite for British artists and songs, the country’s music market is facing several significant challenges that threaten its continued prosperity, says UK Music. It identifies increasing competition from other international markets, tough financial conditions for grassroots artists and music venues, as well as the potential risks posed by generative AI on music creation as the biggest dangers to the sector.
According to export figures released earlier this year by U.K. labels trade body BPI, artists from the United Kingdom now cumulatively account for less than 10% of global music streams, compared to 17% in 2015. BPI says the U.K.’s declining share of the global music market is partially down to it facing tougher competition from fast-growing international markets such as Latin America and countries like South Korea.
The U.K.’s grassroots live sector is also battling a number of well-documented financial hardships with around 125 small capacity music venues closing in 2023 and more 350 currently at risk of closure, according to the Music Venue Trust (MVT) charity. Additionally, this year has seen 60 U.K. music festivals either postpone, cancel or close due to rising costs, slow ticket sales and poor weather, says the Association of Independent Festivals (AIF).
“We are now at a tipping point, and if the problems we face are not addressed then future growth cannot be guaranteed,” said UK Music chief executive Tom Kiehl in a statement on Wednesday (Nov. 20).
Kiehl said that without tougher regulation “the wild west” of generative AI could further undermine the U.K.’s long-held status as the world’s second biggest exporter of music behind the United States. Kiehl is calling for the British government to press ahead with implementing laws that protect artists and rights holders from AI developers using copyright protected works to train their systems without permission.
UK Music also wants to see ministers establish a legislative framework that will require tech companies to clearly identify AI created music and keep records of works that have they have ingested, akin to what the European Union introduce earlier this year in its AI Act.
Other areas where UK Music said urgent action was needed to maintain the market’s growth in the face of heightened international competition was in music education and the live industry. The organization is urging the Labour government to press ahead with its previously proposed cap on secondary ticket resale prices, as well as secure a cultural touring agreement with the EU that will allow visa-free touring for musicians and crew.
In a statement, U.K. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy called the country’s music industry “a real British success story” that is “vitally important” to driving overall economic growth. Nandy said she was committed to ensuring that the government works with the music industry to build upon its current success for years to come.
“By supporting vital grassroots venues, introducing new secondary ticketing protections for fans and ensuring all children can access high quality music education in schools, we can help the sector go from strength to strength in the future,” said Nandy.
According to figures released earlier this year by U.K. labels trade body BPI, global superstars like Styles, Adele and Ed Sheeran helped British music exports climb to a record high of £775 million ($974 million) in 2023 based upon estimated label trade revenue — the highest annual total since BPI began analyzing labels’ overseas income in 2000.
UK’s Music’s This Is Music study uses a different methodology to report on export revenues, which it says climbed to a record high of £4.6 billion ($5.8 billion) in 2023, up 15% year-on-year. That export figure is based upon gross income generated overseas by British music companies and creators, including recorded music, publishing, brand endorsements, merchandise sales, international touring by homegrown artists and foreign visitors attending U.K. gigs and festivals (so-called music tourism).
The total number of people employed in the U.K. music industry grew 3% year-on-year to a record 216,000 full-time equivalent posts, reports UK Music.
Mexican music star Ana Bárbara has signed a global publishing deal with Kobalt, the company tells Billboard. The indie publisher will administer all of the Mexican music star’s catalog and future recordings. Bárbara’s previous publisher was Ingrooves Music Publishing. The deal comes on the heels of Bárbara’s Reina Grupera U.S. Tour, which celebrated her 30th […]
Veteran artist manager Peter Rudge started his music career in 1968 when he took up a temporary £20.00 per week ($25.00) post at Track Records, the London-based independent label formed by The Who managers Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp that was also home to The Jimi Hendrix Experience and Marc Bolan. His original plan was to work at Track for three months while he waited to take the Civil Service entrance exam.
Instead, Rudge soon found himself traveling the world with The Who as their tour manager before going on to manage the group outright alongside Bill Curbishley, launching what would become a 55-year career in the business.
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In the 1970s, Rudge also worked closely with The Rolling Stones, overseeing the band’s huge global tours throughout the decade, and Lynyrd Skynyrd, which he managed from 1973 until the 1977 plane crash that killed several members of the group, including singer Ronnie Van Zant. Other artists he’s represented over the past five decades include Roger Waters, Madness, Duran Duran, Il Divo, Ball & Boe and English rock band James, his longest and closest client which he has managed since 1989.
Last month, Rudge announced he was retiring from artist management to work on other music projects, including co-producing a film documentary about pioneering music agent Frank Barsalona, who is widely credited with revolutionizing the rock concert business.
“I got into business labeled the youngest guy in business and now I’m labeled the oldest guy in the business,” says Rudge, speaking exclusively to Billboard. “I don’t really want to be that. I’ve got nothing left to prove.”
Here, Rudge shares some of the biggest lessons he’s learned from 55 years in “the artist management trenches,” along with some of his favorite stories about life on the road with the Stones, The Who and countless others — from dealing with the deaths of several members of Lynyrd Skynyrd in a 1977 plane crash to becoming a target of the Hells Angels. “I tend to talk a lot,” he says laughing. “My mouth is my instrument.”
“You’ve got to front up to so many egos.”
“Artists are an acquired taste. I love them. I’ve worked with them, but I have to be [like] Henry Kissinger because I’ve spent my entire life translating the artist vision, their wishes to the label, to the publisher, to the agent in two different languages. You could call it an art form but it’s what I was good at. I originally wanted to be a diplomat. But I always wanted to travel, and I loved music. It was the other passion I had besides football, and I saw the opportunity very early [to enter the music business] and I got sucked into it.”
Stand up for yourself and don’t be a pushover.
“The first time I met The Who face to face I was sitting in the Track [Records] office. I had a little desk in an anteroom outside Kit and Chris’ office. Pete Townshend draped his coat over me as if I was a coat stand and walked into the office without looking at me. I thought, ‘How do I deal with this?’ So, I threw it at him and said, ‘You’ve left something behind.’ And he just broke into a smile. You’re constantly tested in life, and I was never intimidated in that way. [James’ singer] Tim Booth says I’m always the loudest guy in the room, but you’ve got to take control. When an artist asks a question, they don’t want you to say, ‘I don’t have the answer.’ You’re there for a purpose and you can’t show a lot of weakness or vulnerability because that will get exploited and taken advantage of.
“We all know the manager is on the thin end of the legal contractual chain in this business. The manager is always the buffer [between the artist and record company, agent and promoter]. But if the record goes wrong or the tour loses a lot of money, it’s the manager who usually takes the bullet in the head. Most of my bands have fired me at one point or another. You’re not 55 years in the business and don’t get fired.”
Nothing compares to touring with The Rolling Stones in the 1970s.
“They got me in for the ‘72 tour. They never had a manager. Mick’s been the only manager of the Stones, to be honest. My brief was the ’72 tour but also you went across everything with Mick [Jagger]. He would come to you and say, ‘Pete, what do you think about this or that?’ He’d play everybody off against everybody — in a lovely way. I’ve got a massive amount of respect for Mick Jagger. We did the Exile on Main St. tour and that was successful, and I toured with them all through the Seventies. Marshall Chess was running the record company [Rolling Stones Records] and Mick would always use me to come in and I’d work with Atlantic Records. I did a little bit of everything, but my main thing was the tours, and we did some big shows.”
Always plan ahead.
“I used to have to get off the plane first, when it was on the runway, because we were always worried about getting busted [for drugs] and Keith [Richards] getting done in particular. I’d go to a pay phone and call the number of another pay phone in the city somewhere where the advance man was. I’d say, ‘Are we clear? Do you think the police are there? Is anyone in the hotel?’ And that was it — get off the plane, let’s go. It was like [British sitcom] Dad’s Army when you look back at it now. It was incredible but we were playing to 70,000 people every night.”
“The Stones are the exception to most of the rules.”
“1978 was my last [Stones] tour. I’d run my course with them, to be honest. Bill Graham took over. Then Michael Cohl. I was young and I probably screwed up. I should have been more responsible in terms of drink and things of that nature. You get caught up in that world. It’s a very intoxicating world. But they were phenomenal years… The Stones are the exception to most of the rules. They’ve got the best frontman who ever existed. And a guitarist who’s led every indulgent rock and roll fantasy life and who is going to outlive us all. For me, that’s the great rock and roll story — that Keith Richards is going to be the last man standing.”
“Live is the one authentic thing in the music business”
“You can basically manipulate everything else. I’d forgive a band a bad record. But when I saw them live, if I got them, I was with them forever. And I thought that about The Who. If The Who came along now, they’d probably be dropped after their second album. They were too inconsistent. They were too stubborn. They didn’t sell a lot of records. It was a very transitional stage and the thing that kept it all together was live. That connects the dots. So, I took that mantra into all the artists I’ve worked with… Lynyrd Skynyrd were a bar band. A bunch of scruffy kids from Jacksonville. No style. No image. But God could they play. And God was Ronnie Van Zant good live. And God did he connect with his audience. It was amazing. So that’s always fueled me. That’s always been where my passion lies and that’s what I took into [managing] the James guys. If a band is good live you’ve got some collateral to fall back on.”
Find a supportive financier to write the checks.
“I look back at [managing] The Who and we never cared about [promoting] the record. They just went and toured. And they were running at a huge loss, in some respects because [Pete] Townshend smashed up his guitars all the time. They beat up the equipment. They had no consideration for money and the reason that we were able to tour the U.S. and Europe out of cycle was because they found a bank manager in Ealing [London] who kept giving them overdrafts. He did it because he was a huge Who fan. Back in the day, we wouldn’t let the labels backstage. Jesus, they were a pain in the neck. I remember with the Stones there was a time when Ahmet [Ertegun, co-founder and legendary former president of Atlantic Records] never got a pass. It was a different time.”
Managing artists can sometimes be a hairy business.
“The Hells Angels came after me because I was the first guy to take over [managing The Rolling Stones] after Altamont [Free Concert]. I remember once they came into the office. Big Vinny [Vincent Girolamo] was 300 pounds. He had a nose ring. Jagger was there and he went and hid in the back bathroom. They hung me out of the window, 5th floor, 57th Street, by my ankle. I went to someone and said, ‘The Angels are after me. What can I do?’ And they said, ‘You’ve got to tell the FBI,’ which I did. The FBI said, ‘We’ll wire you up’ because the Angels wanted money to pay off legal fees. I remember a great quote the FBI played me back later on the tape where one of the [Hells Angels] said, ‘We like to cook young guys like you. We like to boil you.’ It was intimidating, but I bullshitted my way out of it.
“In the end, I was put in touch with [someone in] one of the, shall we say, New York families who was the father of a promoter that we used — a really high-level ranking guy. They sent someone down and said, ‘Leave him alone.’ And I never heard from [the Hells Angels] again, except in Europe we used to get them coming along but our guys used to handle it quite well. The guy that helped me out on that, the father of the promoter, was found three years later in the Hudson [River] without his head.”
“The only real gift you can give an artist is truth and objectivity.”
“There are moments where you have to be prepared to be fired or disagree and say, ‘Look, you’re wrong.’ I’m your eyes and your ears. I’m your radar. No one tells you the truth. They tell me the truth when you walk out of the room. Have you ever heard anyone in a room tell you anything other than, ‘That’s a great record?’ No, you haven’t. Have you ever come off stage and had anyone tell you, ‘That was a shit show?’ No, they haven’t.’ You’ve got to have someone who is telling you that. With James we had that relationship. We built it up over a long time and it’s based on trust. Some artists can accept it, and others can’t.”
“This business is all about relationships.”
“You’re going to see everybody on the way down that you saw on the way up. So don’t burn bridges and don’t beat people up when you’re in the position to. I could have been accused over the years of being a bastard. And, yes, I was at times. I was probably alcohol or drug fueled back in the ‘70s but so was everybody. I did jump on [former CBS Records chief executive] Walter Yetnikoff’s desk once and point my finger at him but that was the way you did things back then. I wouldn’t do it now. I feel now you don’t mug someone. You pick their pockets.”
Management can be a thankless job.
“I’m 78 now. I want to travel on my own terms because [artist] management — it’s not your life. It’s not your agenda. You’re constantly having to manage other people’s lives. You very rarely get an artist who will ever call you up and say, ‘Pete, how’s the family?’ It’s usually: ‘I know it’s Sunday morning but how do I get a cab?’ I’ve always said, you can negotiate a $5 million publishing contract for an artist but if the car you send them to go to the signing is late, you’re a bad manager. And you have to have that in the back of your head all the time. It’s insane.”
“You sacrifice a lot in this business.”
“I want to do other projects, but I want them to have a beginning and an end. I don’t want it seven days a week, 52 weeks a year. You sacrifice a lot in this business. I was on the road nonstop when my two kids were growing up. I hardly saw them. I’ve been separated because of that dysfunctionality of living half the time in America, half the time in England…It is exhausting. You wake up every morning to questions and it is Groundhog Day after a while. There’s really nothing you haven’t seen before. I think you get a little cynical and that’s not healthy in our business.”
Dysfunction isn’t always a bad thing.
“Bands that love each other break up out of boredom after three albums. When I promoted a Pink Floyd show they didn’t even want their trailers backstage in sight of each other. With Mick and Keith, I was involved in an album when they were never in the studio together at the same time. James are the most dysfunctional bunch of guys I’ve ever met. But when these bands get on stage, when they cross that white line, something special happens that I’ve always been in awe of.”
There’ll be many lows…
“The saddest point of my life, the worst, was the Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crash one week before they were going to headline Madison Square Garden [in 1977]. Bands south of the Mason–Dixon line didn’t get to play places like New York then and we were about to play it. That was a longstanding mission. I loved that band. I loved Ronnie Van Zant. That did break me.”
And many highs.
“The highs? There’s been so many. I’ve worked with some magnificent artists and some of the Roger Waters, Lynyrd Skynyrd or Duran Duran shows [were special]. James at Rock in Rio this summer was quite a moment for me. But nothing tops some of the Stones stuff. You know, Jagger leading a 200 people conga line down the LA Forum doing ‘Sympathy For The Devil’ [in 1975] was unbelievable. There’s been so many of those moments with so many bands. I have to say the last James tour when they sold out [London’s] The O2 [arena] and the Manchester Co-op Live — that gave me immense satisfaction and pride. It was the wonderful culmination of a 35-year journey.”
On Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, four days before the 67th annual Grammy Awards, the Recording Academy Producers & Engineers (P&E) Wing will honor producer, engineer and mixer Jimmy Douglass at its annual Grammy Week Celebration. The event will take place at The Preserve LA in East Hollywood.
“Our P&E Wing proudly celebrates Grammy Week each year with a special evening that unites producers, engineers and artistic professionals to honor a truly deserving creator,” Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, said in a statement. “This year, we’re thrilled to pay tribute to the extraordinary Jimmy Douglass, who has led groundbreaking creative and technical efforts in the recording industry, encouraging artists to transcend genre boundaries and contributing to iconic musical projects that will resonate for generations.”
“Throughout his illustrious career spanning more than four decades, Jimmy’s visionary approach to producing, engineering and mixing has shaped some of music’s most iconic recordings,” said Maureen Droney, vp of the P&E Wing. “Jimmy consistently pushes the boundaries of sound by bringing unconventional techniques into the studio while inspiring countless artists along the way.”
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Douglass (also known as The Senator) is a five-time Grammy winner for his work on Justin Timberlake’s “SexyBack” (best dance recording, 2007); Timberlake’s “Love Stoned/I Think She Knows” (best dance recording, 2008); John Legend & The Roots’ Wake Up! (best R&B album, 2011), CeCe Winans’ Let Them Fall in Love (best gospel album, 2018) and Andra Day’s The United States vs. Billie Holiday (best compilation soundtrack for visual media, 2022).
Douglass has also received five album of the year nominations for his work on Missy Elliott’s Under Construction, Timberlake’s Justified and FutureSex/LoveSounds, Pharrell Williams’ Girl, and Jay-Z’s 4:44. He has additionally notched two record of the year nods for Timberlake’s “What Goes Around…Comes Around” and Jay-Z’s “The Story of O.J.”
In addition to paying tribute to Douglass, the event will celebrate the year-round work of the Producers & Engineers Wing and its members.
Grammy Week culminates with the 67th Annual Grammy Awards at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025, broadcasting live on CBS and streaming live and on-demand on Paramount+ from 8-11:30 p.m. ET/5-8:30 p.m. PT. Prior to the telecast, the Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony will be held at the Peacock Theater at 12:30 p.m. PT/3:30 p.m. ET and be streamed live on live.Grammy.com and the Recording Academy’s YouTube channel.
A federal judge ordered prosecutors Tuesday not to use papers taken from the jail cell of Sean “Diddy” Combs until he rules on defense claims that they are trial preparation materials protected by attorney-client privilege.
Judge Arun Subramanian made his ruling at a Manhattan federal court hearing after lawyers fiercely disputed the circumstances and relevance of the seizure of 19 pages that were photographed by an investigator inside the cell of the music mogul.
Combs, who has pleaded not guilty to all charges, is accused of coercing and abusing women for years with the aid of a network of associates and employees.
The seizure came during what the government has described as a multi-day sweep of all cells at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, intended to remove any weapons or contraband as an anti-violence measure.
Defense lawyer Marc Agnifilo said he may ask the judge to dismiss the indictment or force a recusal of prosecutors if the judge rules that the materials were obtained and used improperly.
Combs, who hugged his lawyers when he first entered the courtroom, carried a stack of papers as he was led away at the end of the hearing.
Agnifilo said he was unaware that the papers in Combs’ cell had been photographed by an investigator with the Bureau of Prisons and turned over to prosecutors until he saw them cited in written arguments opposing his $50 million bail proposal. A bail hearing is set for Friday.
He said two references to the papers were made as prosecutors argued that Combs has continued to commit crimes since his September arrest.
Prosecutors said Combs orchestrated social media campaigns aimed at tainting the jury pool, tried to publicly leak materials he thought would be helpful to his case and contacted potential witnesses through third parties.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Slavik said the seized materials were scrutinized by independent government lawyers who are walled off from the prosecution to determine if they were protected by attorney-client privilege.
They were not discussed with defense lawyers because some of them were deemed to pertain to a covert and continuing investigation of Combs, she said.
Slavik also said prosecutors had no contact with jail officials beforehand and gave no instructions regarding any search of Combs’ cell.
Some of the photographed pages contained a to-do list and inspirational quotes along with comments about birthdays, according to Slavik, while two excerpts pertained to Combs paying and finding damaging material about potential witnesses.
Agnifilo said, however, that even things that seem unrelated to the case are protected by attorney-client privilege. For instance, he said, attorneys have discussed with Combs prospective witnesses they might call.
“Every single thing” in the seized papers is subject to attorney-client privilege because Combs discussed them with lawyers, Agnifilo said.
“The government now knows potential defense witnesses for a May 5 trial,” he added. “This has been a complete government failure.”
The judge asked each side to submit written arguments in the coming weeks.
This story was originally published by The Associated Press.
Pam Matthews will retire from her role as executive director at the International Entertainment Buyer’s Association (IEBA) in the first quarter of next year after 11 years at the helm of the talent buying and booking organization. Matthews modernized the group’s annual conference in Nashville, transforming the once sleepy get-together into a must-attend annual conference […]
This is The Legal Beat, a weekly newsletter 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: A lawyer repping alleged Diddy victims is accused of extorting settlements out of “innocent celebrities” by linking them to the rapper; NBA YoungBoy reaches a plea deal to resolve prescription drug charges; Sony settles a copyright lawsuit over Whitney Houston’s biopic; and much more.
THE BIG STORY: Mystery Celeb Sues Diddy Crusader For Extortion
Back in October, shortly after Houston attorney Tony Buzbee announced that he’d be filing a torrent of abuse litigation against Sean “Diddy” Combs, he gave an interview to TMZ warning that he was also planning to sue other celebrities who had “allowed it to go on” and “said nothing” about the alleged abuse: “All of these individuals and entities in my view have exposure here,” he said.
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During the same interview, Buzbee confirmed that he’d already been sending legal demand letters to those high-profile individuals and that some had quickly inked settlements to avoid lawsuits and keep their names private. In a clip from the TMZ newsroom discussing the interview, one staffer said: “It just feels like a money grab!”
Now, it turns out that sentiment is shared by one of the celebrities Buzbee is targeting.
In a lawsuit filed Monday (Nov. 18) in Los Angeles, an unnamed “John Doe” celebrity accused Buzbee of extortion, claiming the attorney was threatening to unleash “wildly false horrific allegations” if they weren’t sufficiently paid off. Repped by a legal team from the white shoe law firm Quinn Emanuel, the mysterious “public figure” called Buzbee’s efforts a “cynical extortion scheme” aimed at “innocent celebrities” who have “any ties to Combs — no matter how remote.”
The case raises uncomfortable questions about the American legal system. Are threats of civil litigation and demands for settlement simply a cost-effective way for attorneys to seek justice for victims? Or are they tantamount to legalized blackmail, exploiting the publicity surrounding lawsuits and the risk of reputational ruin to coerce unearned payouts?
To Buzbee, who immediately announced that he would move forward with his lawsuit against the mystery celeb, it’s clearly the former: “It is obvious that the frivolous lawsuit filed against my firm is an aggressive attempt to intimidate or silence me and ultimately my clients,” he said in a statement following the filing of the extortion case. “That effort is a gross miscalculation.”
Other top stories this week…
MORE DIDDY NEWS – Prosecutors accused the disgraced rapper of seeking to “subvert the integrity” of his sex trafficking case from jail, including by contacting witnesses and orchestrating “social media campaigns” to influence public opinion and taint the jury pool. The star’s lawyers quickly fired back, claiming prosecutors had obtained their evidence by improperly searching his cell and violated his right to attorney-client privilege — actions they called “outrageous government conduct.”
LIL DURK UPDATE – Represented by a prominent new criminal defense attorney, Lil Durk pleaded not guilty to federal murder-for-hire charges over an alleged plot to kill rival rapper Quando Rondo in a 2022 shooting. At the same arraignment hearing, the judge also set a tentative trial date for early January, but that schedule could (and very likely will) be moved back as the case proceeds.
PLEA DEAL – Rapper NBA YoungBoy pleaded guilty to his role in a large-scale prescription drug fraud ring that operated out of his multimillion-dollar home in Utah — a location where he was already serving under house arrest stemming from earlier gun charges. The deal came with a 27-month prison sentence, but the penalty was suspended pending the resolution of YoungBoy’s firearms case.
METAL SETTLEMENT – Megadeth and lead singer Dave Mustaine agreed to pay $1.4 million to resolve allegations that they still owed commissions to Cory Brennan, a longtime manager who says he was “unceremoniously” fired and replaced by Mustaine’s son. But the deal will not resolve Mustaine’s countersuit, in which he claims that Brennan’s “repeated management failures” caused him serious harm.
“REAL LOVE” RESPONSE – Universal Music Group (UMG)asked a federal judge to dismiss a copyright lawsuit claiming Mary J. Blige’s 1992 hit “Real Love” sampled from “Impeach the President” by the Honey Drippers — a legendary piece of hip-hop source material used by Run-DMC, Dr. Dre and others. UMG argued that the accuser (Tuff City Records) popped up “out of the blue” decades later to sue over two tracks that “sound nothing alike.”
YE SUED YET AGAIN – The rapper (formerly Kanye West) was hit with a lawsuit over Vultures 1 from a group of Memphis rappers who claim the star and Ty Dolla $ign committed “brazen” copyright infringement by sampling from a 1994 song called “Drink a Yak (Part 2)” even after failing to secure a license. The new case is just one of more than a dozen that have been filed against Ye over claims of unlicensed sampling or interpolating during his prolific career.
WHITNEY CASE CLOSED – Sony Music reached an undisclosed settlement to end a lawsuit claiming the producers of the 2022 Whitney Houston biopic (Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody) never fully paid to use her songs, including “I Will Always Love You” and “I’m Every Woman.” The case, filed in February, said such licenses were particularly valuable in the context of musical biopics: “It is nearly impossible to explain the importance of a musician’s creative genius or unique style and talent without the use of the musician’s music.”
Global Citizen has made two key appointments to their executive leadership team, the company tells Billboard. Katie Hill, senior vp of music, entertainment and artist relations, has been promoted to chief music and entertainment officer, while lfeoma Chuks-Adizue has been hired as Global Citizen’s first-ever MD in Africa.
Hill has been at the company since 2014, leading the music, entertainment and artist relations team in securing renowned acts for Global Citizen’s festivals and campaigns to support the international education and advocacy organization’s mission to end extreme poverty. She’s worked closely with Beyoncé, Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar, Billie Eilish, Finneas, Coldplay, BTS‘ Jung Kook, BLACKPINK‘s LISA and many more artists, as well as their management teams, to ensure Global Citizen’s mission is clear and accessible. She also developed the company’s Ambassadors and Advocates for Change program, which has built long-term partnerships with Usher, Hugh Jackman and Priyanka Chopra Jonas.
“I’m thrilled to be joining Global Citizen’s executive leadership team as Chief Music and Entertainment Officer. It’s been an honor to help build such an important movement, which truly leverages the power of music and entertainment to create positive change in the world,” Hill tells Billboard in a statement. “When I reflect on the impact that has been achieved over my last 10 years at Global Citizen, I am inspired by the passion and dedication of so many incredible artists and partners across the industry that have joined us in the fight to end extreme poverty. I can’t wait to build on this collaborative impact.”
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Chuks-Adizue will spearhead Global Citizen’s activities in Africa, implementing its strategy across the continent including the next installment of Move Afrika: A Global Citizen Experience. In November 23, Lamar and his company, pgLang, teamed up with Global Citizen to create Move Afrika, a first-of-its-kind touring circuit across Africa that aims at driving economic investment, creating jobs and supporting entrepreneurship opportunities in each host country. Lamar headlined Move Afrika: Rwanda in Kigali last December, with pgLang set to serve as the curator of Move Afrika until 2028. According to a press release, that event employed more than 1,000 Rwandans and engaged 75% local crew and production staff, with a specific focus on creating opportunities for skill development and international skill training. Ghana joined Rwanda as a host country for Move Afrika earlier this year.
In her new role, Chuks-Adizue will oversee key partnerships that span business development, marketing, broadcast and event production, as well as Global Citizen’s Africa-based teams and operations. Based out of Global Citizen’s office in Lagos, Nigeria, Chuks-Adizue will also work closely with the company’s executive leadership in New York, playing an instrumental role in building relationships with private sector partners and within the philanthropic community.
“I’m honored to be joining the Global Citizen team in this newly created position to drive efforts and impact across Africa. Powered by everyday advocates, campaigns and events that span the world, Global Citizen’s efforts are critical to ending extreme poverty, and I’m humbled to bring my experience and leadership to this vital work,” says Chuks-Adizue. “I look forward to working with many fantastic partners to continue the momentum and growth of Move Afrika, the pioneering music touring circuit, and drive economic investment, job creation and entrepreneurship opportunities across the continent.”
Prior to joining Global Citizen, Chuks-Adizue served as executive director commercial at Chemical and Allied Products PLC (CAP PLC), a prominent paints manufacturer and distributor in Nigeria, and held key leadership roles at Procter & Gamble Nigeria and Cadbury Nigeria.
“Ifeoma’s extensive leadership experience, together with her passion for advocating for women and girls across Africa, perfectly aligns with Global Citizen’s mission,” adds Global Citizen president Liza Henshaw. “Her vast networks of relationships across various sectors will be instrumental in advancing our work across the African continent for years to come.”