Business
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South Korea-based music distributor YG PLUS, a subsidiary of K-pop powerhouse YG Entertainment (BLACKPINK, BabyMonster), signed a licensing deal with African streaming and download service Boomplay that will bring YG’s catalog to the platform. According to a press release, Boomplay boasts 70 million users. “We look forward to a successful partnership with YG PLUS that will bring their catalogue to new listeners and help connect their artists with music lovers and fans in the African region,” said Boomplay in a statement.
Hitmaker Distribution struck a distribution deal with indie label Blac Noize! Recordings, in which Hitmaker founder/CEO Tony Bucher is a partner. Blac Noize’s roster includes HitKidd, Jdot Breezy, Nevi, Toure and Marc Nasty.
Tunespotter, an audio-visual clip database that allows users to search, listen to and view “synch moments” from movies, TV shows, trailers, games and commercials, acquired What-song.com. The deal effectively combines “the data and search power of two leading music search platforms – letting users see, hear, and learn more about sought-after TV or movie moments in a single, easy-to-use place,” according to a press release. “The database we’ve established gives Tunespotter an immediate aggregator and audience,” added What-song.com founder Tom Andrew. “Their ability to empower the user journey with their incredible visual tool chest and social app capabilities extends our reach and consolidates our strengths, positively impacting consumers with more rewarding, long form engagement.” Tunespotter claims that What-song.com attracts more than 1 million unique users per month.
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Warner Music Brazil invested in and partnered with Sua Música Group, which owns the Sua Música Brazilian music platform and distributor Sua Música Digital. Through the deal, the companies will team up to develop regional artists and songwriters. According to a press release, Sua Música Digital manages the digital careers of and handles royalty management for more than 1,000 artists across Brazil, including Tarcísio do Acordeon, Vitor Fernandes and Thiago Aquino. “The combination of Sua Música’s significant presence in regional music with our national reach and global network will amplify the efforts of both companies and offer artists new creative and commercial possibilities and opportunities,” said Warner Music Brazil president Leila Oliveira in a statement.
Private equity company Goldman Sachs Alternatives acquired a majority stake in live experiences company TAIT from Providence Equity Partners, subject to regulatory approvals. No financial details were disclosed. “Goldman Sachs’ network and expertise will enable us to grow our global footprint and offerings, empowering the company to better serve clients, drive innovation, and pioneer new technology,” said TAIT CEO Adam Davis in a statement announcing the deal. TAIT has worked with artists and brands including Taylor Swift, Cirque Du Soleil, Beyoncé, Royal Opera House, Nike, Google and The Olympics.
Downtown-owned business-to-business distributor FUGA announced partnerships with three U.K. music companies: One House, drum and bass label Critical Music and Berry’s Room, an imprint of British-Nigerian Afrobeats artist Maleek Berry. One House (Eliza Rose, Pretty Girl) will take advantage of FUGA’s global distribution and marketing services, including physical distribution, synch, YouTube channel management and access to FUGA’s trends and analytics platform. Critical Music (QZB, Mefjus, Waeys, Ivy Lab) will use FUGA’s global distribution and marketing services to support its current and future releases. And Berry’s Room will utilize FUGA’s distribution, marketing and YouTube channel management services for Berry’s catalog and the release of his upcoming debut album; FUGA will als help the imprint support other Afrobeats artists.
Shamrock Capital‘s Content Strategy division acquired a film, TV and music portfolio from Vine Alternative Investments. The portfolio boasts an ownership interest in more than 450 songs, according to a press release. Shamrock would not confirm which songs were included in the deal.
Producer and creative executive RedOne’s 2101 Records imprint signed a distribution deal with Vydia, a distribution service under the gamma. umbrella. Vydia will support 2101’s roster and manage the rights and distribution of RedOne’s back catalog.
Independent dance music label Armada Music partnered with electronic music duo Deep Dish in a deal that will see Armada managing part of Deep Dish’s music catalog — namely, the duo’s 2005 album George Is On. Through the deal, the album returned to DSPs and download portals worldwide on Friday (July 19) for the first time in several years.
Global growth firm Triple G Ventures, led by CEO Gregg Stein, announced a partnership with Revelator, which provides digital IP infrastructure to independent music businesses. Through the deal, Triple G will help to enhance Revelator’s market presence, drive growth and increase awareness of Revelator’s end-to-end digital rights and royalty management solutions. Stein will also now serve as Revelator’s new chief marketing officer.
Alexis Lanternier was named CEO of French music streamer Deezer, replacing interim CEO Stu Berger, the company announced Thursday (July 25). Lanternier, who will be based at Deezer’s Paris headquarters, most recently co-founded and developed Branded, a digital-first consumer goods company. Prior to that, Lanternier was an executive vp of Walmart Canada e-commerce and also […]
Slowing growth in subscription streaming sent Universal Music Group’s share price down 23.5% following the company’s second-quarter earnings report on Wednesday (July 24).
On Thursday (July 25), UMG shares dropped as far as 19.93 euros ($21.61), 29.8% below Wednesday’s closing price, before closing at 21.70 euros ($23.53) – a 23.5% decline that erased 12.2 billion euros ($13.25 billion) from UMG’s market capitalization.
Investors were reacting to a marked slowdown in streaming revenue in UMG’s recorded music division: In the second quarter, music subscription revenue grew 6.9%. That was down from 12.5% in the prior-year quarter, while overall streaming revenue grew 4.1% compared to 11% a year earlier. Non-subscription streaming revenue dropped 4.2% after growing 2.9% in the prior-year quarter.
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Analysts had expected far better. Barclays, for example, forecasted overall streaming growth of 10.5% and subscription growth of 11.0%. Guggenheim had forecast subscription growth of 11.3%.
During Wednesday’s earnings call, Michael Nash, UMG’s executive vp of digital strategy, singled out Spotify, YouTube and “local and regional” platforms for continuing to add subscribers. Apple Music and Amazon Music were conspicuously not mentioned, leading some analysts to believe those platforms are struggling to add new subscribers. “Other larger partners have been less successful at driving global adoption,” said Nash, “and there’s been some slowdown in terms of subscriber additions there.”
Despite the streaming slowdown, UMG managed to improve both top-line revenue and margins. Overall revenue grew 8.7% to 2.93 billion euros ($3.16 billion). As a percentage of revenue, adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) improved to 22.1% from 21.9% in the prior-year period. Physical music sales grew 14.4% and merchandise sales jumped 43.7%. Analysts were far more concerned about the change in streaming, however, and seemed less concerned about improvements in lower-margin physical and merchandising that tend to naturally fluctuate based on new release and touring activity.
Many analysts lowered their price targets following Wednesday’s results, albeit by smaller margins than investors dropped the share price on Thursday. Guggenheim dropped UMG by 14% to 27.50 euros ($29.82). Barclays lowered its price target by 12% to 26.00 euros ($28.20). Citi lowered UMG by 7.8% to 29.50 euros ($28.20). And Kepler Cheuvreux reduced its price target 3.5% to 27.00 euros ($29.28).
On July 18, 1991, Phoenix, Arizona hosted the first Lollapalooza. By the time gates opened, those who were there estimate it was 110 degrees.
Many artists on the bill — Butthole Surfers, Rollins Band, Ice T — felt beat up by the heat, but it was only Nine Inch Nails, whose sequencer malfunctioned after sitting in the sun, that ended their performance after two songs because of it. Frontman Trent Reznor made his feelings about the situation known as he flipped over amps and mic stands on his way offstage.
“I would advise groups like that not to play outside in that type of heat,” says Danny Zelisko, who partnered with Perry Farrell to promote the festival that year. “Fortunately, there was a whole lineup of groups behind them that didn’t have to rely on electronics.”
Thirty-three years later, Phoenix has grown into the nation’s fifth largest city, with 1.6 million residents. It’s also the country’s hottest major metropolitan area, with scientists attributing the city’s rising average temperatures to both carbon emissions and heat trapped by man-made structures as development sprawls further into the Sonoran Desert. Last year was the warmest on record globally, according to the National Weather Service, and the fourth hottest on record in Phoenix.
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Amid a heatwave last July, the city clocked 19 days with record-high temperatures, including two that reached 119. Last July 22, a show by rock act Disturbed at the city’s Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre was postponed when the band’s equipment wouldn’t work in the 118-degree heat. A month later, 50 Cent postponed a show at the same venue due to an excessive heat warning.
A major tour stop for acts moving through the Southwest, Phoenix is home to many small, mid-sized and large-scale venues. Outdoor spaces include the 20,000-capacity Talking Stick, which is operated by Live Nation, and the 5,000-capacity Mesa Amphitheatre in nearby Mesa, Ariz., both of which host shows over the summer. (This summer, Mesa’s schedule is down to one summer show, in August, from several last year. May and August 2023 sets by Interpol and My Morning Jacket were moved to nearby indoor venues. A representative for the Amphitheatre did not immediately respond to Billboard‘s request for comment about whether these moves were heat related.)
But amid extreme heat — which is again currently gripping the city, many other areas of the U.S. and the world beyond — is Phoenix simply getting too hot to play in the summer, or is it business as usual?
Zelisko, who’s put on shows in the city for the last 50 years and has worked in nearly all its indoor and outdoor venues with his company Danny Zelisko Presents, says agents often ask about the realities of playing there in the summer. But despite concerns, “The fact is that economics come into it as well, and in many cases they can make more money outside, so sometimes acts just grin and bear it.”
Given that many summer tours are routed through amphitheaters and thus designed specifically for these types of spaces, it can also be difficult to move into a different kind of venue for a single show.
But certain artists “just won’t play outside when it’s this hot,” Zelisko adds. “It’s a wise move, because you’re really putting your crew out. These people will finish a show in Albuquerque, drive all night, show up here at 7 a.m. to load in, then do it all over again. Throwing a super-hot day into the mix is hard on some people.”
Steven Chilton, who promotes mostly indoor club shows in Phoenix under the name Psyko Steve, agrees the city is “a little slower” in summer, with some artists routing further north.
But Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre’s head of venue operation Karl Adams says he’s seen “no major changes” in how shows have been routed through the venue in recent years. This summer, Talking Stick has hosted shows by artists including Kenny Chesney, Paula Abdul and Cage the Elephant, with Sammy Hagar, Megadeth and more on the calendar through the end of August.
With some artists and fans willing to brave the Phoenix heat for a show, safety protocols at both outdoor and indoor venues are crucial. In the last 30 to 40 years, Zelisko says more responsibility has fallen on promoters to look out for crowds in the heat. “As it’s turned into a business where you put an act up any time of year that you can get them, promoters really plan for what’s going to happen on game day,” he says. “You have to look out for people, because you want them back as a customer.” This is particularly true for venues that have large expanses of concrete or asphalt, which can get to 130 degrees or hotter on a warm day.
At Talking Stick, protocols include encouraging fans to bring their own water bottles and fill them at free water stations. The venue is equipped with misting fans and cooling stations, provides free sunscreen and even has onstage air conditioning for artists. It also emails ticket holders prior to the event with show information that includes advice on how to prepare for weather, with this info also posted to the venue’s social accounts. Zelisko recalls handing out cooling ice pack necklaces at particularly hot shows, creating shaded resting areas and putting up pools backstage for bands to jump in after a set.
“When you’re a fan in line and somebody goes through handing out water, it’s a simple gesture, but very appreciated,” says Zelisko. “You’ve got to be thinking about that stuff, because you don’t want people dropping by the time they come in.”
That was the worst-case scenario outcome last December in Rio de Janeiro, when a 23-year-old fan died from heat exhaustion in a hospital after passing out during the second song of a Taylor Swift concert. Fans lined up for hours before the show in temperatures that reached 105, and many accused organizers of not delivering enough water supplies for the more than 60,000-person crowd. Fans also reported that they were not allowed to take their own water into the stadium.
Last summer, heat exhaustion was widespread at shows throughout the U.S., with Jason Aldean experiencing heat stroke while onstage in Hartford, Conn. last July. Zelisko predicts that all promoters will eventually have to deal with some type of weather issue, and that the heat in places with humidity is more challenging than the dry heat of the desert.
Still, “most of our 911 calls are heat related,” Chilton says of the Rebel Lounge, the 300-cap venue he manages. “It’s a big issue every summer, and it’s always the shows [that skew younger] where kids arrive early and want to sit outside in the sun for 10 hours in 110-degree heat, because they want to be first in line. Then they come into the venue exhausted and dehydrated and pass out. That’s a constant struggle for us.”
At Rebel Lounge, fans are thus only allowed to wait outside an hour before any given show. Once inside, Chilton says the venue has a competitive advantage, given that it has stronger air conditioning than many other local indoor venues, with these places losing out on summer bookings because they don’t get as cool inside.
While he says the cost of running multiple air conditioners is “very significant,” it’s worth it for the comfort of fans and artists. He recalls seeing a show at a nearby venue with weaker A.C., “and the band was furious at the end of the night.” Chilton says no one in the crowd complained, as locals know the realities of summertime in Phoenix.
The general vibe among those interviewed for this story is that the effects of climate change don’t yet feel hugely significant “because it’s always blazing hot in the summer,” says Zelisko, who once successfully fried an egg on a sidewalk during a 120-degree day. “I’m not saying it’s not getting hotter, because there’s a lot of proof that says it is, but what are you going do about it? We’ve still got to live.”
For Chilton, the difference thus far is “not necessarily that it’s more miserable, it’s that it’s miserable longer,” with heatwaves lasting longer than they used to. Still, the biggest weather issue he’s experienced wasn’t heat-related, but a fluke rainstorm during the two-day Zona Music Festival he produced in December of 2022.
“I did the research, and since 1900 in Phoenix it’s only ever rained three times on that day,” he says. “It was the most rain Phoenix had seen on a single day in like, a decade.”
Promoters also emphasize that Phoenix’s desert climate offers its own advantages. Adams of Talking Stick says the venue has “a longer season than some outdoor venues” since it can start hosting shows in April and continue them through the fall.
Zelisko wishes more groups would come to town in January, February and March — when outdoor shows are impossible in much of the country due to the cold — “because that’s the best time of year here.”
But as things stand, it’s unlikely summer shows will stop anytime soon in America’s hottest big city. “Performing outside in Phoenix in July is crazy,” says Zelisko. “But money makes people do crazy things.”
For the first half of 2024, the stock market was a microcosm of the shifts in the music industry’s balance of power. Streaming stocks soared as investors rewarded companies that grew their paid-subscriber bases; radio stocks plummeted as companies struggled through a soft advertising market.
Spotify was the best-performing stock in the 20-company Billboard Global Music Index (BGMI) for the measurement period, Jan. 2-June 28, 2024. Shares of the Swedish company, which trades on the New York Stock Exchange, jumped 67.4% to $314.45 on June 28 and reached as high as $331.08 on June 5 — its highest mark since February 2021, the month that the shares closed at their all-time high of $387.44. Subscribers grew to 239 million at the end of March, up 14% from the prior-year period.
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A year-and-a-half ago, Spotify ended 2022 at $70.05, down 66% for the year. The remarkable turnaround stemmed from a change in business strategy. In its formative years, Spotify funded its rapid growth at the expense of profits. Investors tacitly approved of this strategy. But after a pandemic-fueled boom in streaming stocks, investors tired on growth-obsessed companies and demanded sustainable margins and better bottom lines. (Netflix sank 51% in 2022 and has since recovered, too.) So Spotify moved to become “relentlessly resourceful,” as CEO Daniel Ek put it, laying off nearly a quarter of its workforce and cutting many of its high-cost exclusive podcasts, including its deal with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Archewell Audio. It also raised prices globally — twice in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia — to further boost margins.
The six streaming companies on the BGMI posted an average gain of 21.8%, which bested the 18.3% average increase of all stocks on the index. China’s Tencent Music Entertainment rose 55.8% as first-quarter paid subscribers grew 20.2% year over year to 113.5 million, helping offset a sharply declining social entertainment business. LiveOne improved 12.1% as the company finished its fiscal year (ended March 31) with a 30% increase in paid subscribers and a 19% revenue gain. Anghami, based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, managed a 2.9% gain and got a lift when video streaming platform OSN+ acquired a 55.5% stake in April. Paris-based Deezer was the exception, dropping 19.2%.
Only companies in takeover acquisitions came close to the streaming leaders’ performances. Listed on the London Stock Exchange, investment trust Hipgnosis Songs Fund rose 42.2% to 1.024 pounds ($1.30) as a result of Blackstone’s offer — which was backed by HSF’s board and accepted by shareholders on July 8 — to buy the company’s shares at 1.05 pounds ($1.31) apiece, a 49.2% premium over the pre-offer price. Likewise, Believe climbed 40.0% to 14.70 pounds ($15.79) after a consortium led by CEO Denis Ladegaillerie raised its stake to 95% through a tender offer at 15 pounds ($16.11), a 21% premium price before the takeover bid was announced.
At the other end of the spectrum, radio companies — iHeartMedia, Cumulus Media and SiriusXM — lost an average of 56.4%. Cumulus dropped 61.7% as first-quarter revenue fell nearly 3%. iHeartMedia dropped 59.2% and lost 36% on May 10 alone after the company’s forecast for second-quarter revenue was below analysts’ expectations. SiriusXM slipped 48.3% after it lost 445,000 self-pay satellite radio subscribers in 2023 and had slow uptake of its revamped, lower-priced streaming app launched in November. Lower average revenue per user and an “uncertain” advertising market means the company expects full-year revenue to drop more than 2% this year.
All four live music-ticketing companies posted gains at the midyear mark and had an average gain of 8.8%. Live Nation probably would have done better than its 0.2% increase had the U.S. Department of Justice not filed an antitrust lawsuit on May 23 that seeks to break up the company’s promotion and ticketing businesses. Germany’s CTS Eventim, which acquired Vivendi’s festival and ticketing businesses in June, climbed 24.4% thanks to a 22% jump in 2023 revenue and expectations for “a moderate rise” in 2024. MSG Entertainment and sister company Sphere Entertainment gained 7.5% and 3.1%, respectively.
Record labels and music publishers dropped an average of 4.4% if HSF and Believe are excluded (and gained 8.6% including them). Reservoir Media gained 10.8%, Universal Music Group rose 7.6%, and K-pop companies SM Entertainment and HYBE fell 12.7% and 13.3%, respectively. Warner Music Group lost 14.4%.
This story appeared in the July 20, 2024, issue of Billboard.
VAI Resort, metro Phoenix’s new $1 billion hotel, culinary and live entertainment destination opening later this year, has partnered with Tixr, the privately-held primary ticketing and live event company. Tixr will exclusively ticket events and experiences for the property’s amphitheater, poolside area and nightclub.
The $50 million, 11,000-capacity VAI Amphitheater in Glendale anchors the 60-acre property with 1,100 guest rooms offering a number of views of the concert venue. From hotel room balconies, to sky boxes, VIP booths and high-end reserved seats, the property offers a number of unique vantage points to see performances. The property will also feature a dayclub, as well as regular programming at its nightclub, with Tixr powering all live event commerce.
“Everything we’re building at VAI Resort, from the property itself to the guest experience, is unique, bigger, bolder, and first-of-its-kind. That ethos is reflected in the technology partners we’ve chosen like Tixr and the innovative feature set they bring to the table,” said Howard Weiss, VAI Resort’s senior v.p. of Entertainment & Sponsorships. “After a long vetting process, there’s no question that Tixr was the right choice for us,” Weiss added, noting, “it’s a true partnership, and every day we’re reminded of why we chose them.”
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“VAI Resort is not just a world-class destination; it’s unlike anything you’ve ever experienced. With its diverse venues and experiences on property, each with their own tech needs, VAI is the forward-thinking kind of partner Tixr is uniquely suited for,” said Robert Davari, co-founder and CEO of Tixr. “We can power sales for the entire resort, from complex reserved seating to bottle service, hotel packages—virtually anything—which hasn’t been possible before on a single system. And we do it in an visual, elegant way that feels nothing like traditional ticketing. We’re working closely with the VAI team to bring their vision to life and can’t wait to get operational.”
Tixr powers more than 500 live entertainment brands in 40 countries. The Los Angeles-based company said that since its inception, it has processed nearly $2 billion in transactions through its unified commerce platform, designed for sales beyond admission tickets.
The beach-style resort is located near State Farm Stadium — home of the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals — and a soon-to-be completed theme park from Mattel — VAI is set to open in 2025. In February, hotel officials announced they had inked a partnership with Live Nation and C3 Presents to book the amphitheater.
Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” updates a long-standing country music tradition — drowning one’s sorrows in whiskey — by way of J-Kwon’s 2004 rap hit “Tipsy.” The first time the singer played it for his label, EMPIRE, one question was top of mind for those in attendance: “Everybody was like, ‘When are you going to country radio?’” recalls EMPIRE CEO Ghazi.
In Ghazi’s view, that was a “very limited” plan. He had a more ambitious one: Push the song to multiple formats simultaneously. “For a record like that,” he says, “it’s a no-brainer.” Shaboozey released “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” in April; within a month, EMPIRE was promoting it to five different segments of the airwaves.
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Radio promotion is traditionally expensive, which is why it’s one of the last frontiers in the music industry that is still dominated by the major labels. Yet “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” released by an independent, recently became the first single in history to crack the top 10 on Billboard’s Country Airplay, Pop Airplay, Adult Pop Airplay and Rhythmic Airplay charts. (Adult pop is like regular pop but more sedate, while rhythmic usually mixes rap, R&B and some dance music; the rankings are based on airplay from a panel of stations in each format.)
“It’s important that Shaboozey has been able to show that you can do that as an independent artist,” says Heather Vassar, senior vp of operations for EMPIRE in Nashville. “We had several offers from majors who wanted to work the record, and it was really important that we were able to stay true to how we operate” — and scale the charts without their help. All that airplay counts towards the Hot 100, which Shaboozey has topped twice in non-consecutive weeks; notably, when “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” rebounded to No. 1 on the latest ranking, it was down in streams and sales, but up 11% in radio audience.
Songs that do well in multiple spaces on the airwaves usually unite coalitions of similar-minded formats. Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” and The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights,” for example, both hit No. 1 at pop, adult pop and adult contemporary. “Typically pop will share a lot with adult contemporary,” says Tom Poleman, chief programming officer at iHeartMedia. “It’s a similar group [of listeners], just an older demographic.”
The biggest R&B hits, however, tend to amass a different base of support. Robin Thicke, Pharrell Williams and T.I.’s “Blurred Lines” and Mariah Carey’s “We Belong Together,” both massive radio hits, reached No. 1 at adult R&B, mainstream R&B/hip-hop, rhythmic and pop.
EMPIRE, which has been traditionally strong in hip-hop and Afrobeats, will often promote songs to mainstream R&B/hip-hop, rhythmic and pop, according to Ghazi. But Shaboozey’s combination of formats is unusual. Only 13 songs have ever appeared on all four of the charts where he is now romping inside the top 10.
Country radio in particular has faced criticism in recent years for being unwilling to support songs by women or Black artists. Despite this history, 30 stations played “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” in April before EMPIRE sent the track to country programmers on May 3. “The streaming numbers were undeniable, but I was wondering how long it would take to convince a terrestrial country radio program director” to play the track, says Johnny Chiang, lead programmer for country music at SiriusXM and Pandora. “I am pleasantly surprised that they got it pretty quick.”
EMPIRE brought in Magnolia Music, an indie promotion company that has worked with the singer Randy Houser, to handle its country radio campaign. “Country radio, respectfully, always wants loyalty from artists,” Vassar says. “There was curiosity — is this one-and-done? Is Shaboozey going to go elsewhere [and stop paying attention to country radio] after this?”
Not everyone was concerned, though. For Tim Roberts, Audacy’s vp of country, Shaboozey “was already accepted by a bunch of country artists, so it just seemed natural” to play him. He first learned about “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” from a DJ who told him it was filling the floor at Coyote Joes, a country nightclub outside of Detroit, where Roberts also serves as a brand manager for WYCD. Two Audacy stations, KMLE and WPAW, were among the first prominent supporters of the song.
To quell other programmers’ anxieties, EMPIRE played them the rest of Shaboozey’s album, which has plenty of country signifiers, from pedal steel guitars to a sample of a horse neighing. In addition, Vassar says, the label introduced the singer to programmers when they were able to, “so they can understand the world that he’s building.” Roberts met Shaboozey the week of the Academy of Country Music Awards; the singer Jelly Roll brought him out during a performance at Billy Bob’s.
After EMPIRE officially started pushing “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” to country radio in May, 43 more stations threw it into their playlists immediately, including 38 owned by iHeartMedia. The format accounts for more than 20% of the single’s airplay so far, second only to top 40.
Shaboozey’s efforts to conquer pop and adult pop were aided by the fact that those formats have been more receptive to country songs recently — last year, Luke Combs’ “Fast Car” and Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” both crossed the divide. That sound “has been working at the top 40 format,” says Matt Johnson, program director for WPLW. “And when you combine that with a feel-good song as the weather is getting sweltering, that’s a recipe for a summertime hit.”
iHeartMedia felt similarly. “We got really aggressive at pop on that song because we saw it taking off,” Poleman says. Pop stations now account for more than 40% of Shaboozey’s airplay.
While there has been common ground recently between country and pop-adjacent formats, it’s still rare for country and rhythmic stations to share tracks. “Sometimes programmers follow the rulebook too much where it’s like, ‘This song doesn’t fit the normal criteria of what a rhythmic record should sound like,'” acknowledges Jonathan Steele, brand manager for KKFR in Phoenix. “I listen to everything and ask, is this going to alienate our audience? With Shaboozey, I knew my audience was going to get that hook stuck in their head.”
The rhythmic format was slower to welcome “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” relative to country and pop. But the track kept showing up on Shazam charts in places like Columbus, Ohio, where Chris Harris oversees WCKX, another rhythmic outlet. He started playing Shaboozey’s single in May, and he now has his eye on another alcohol-fueled country-rap fusion, Moneybagg Yo’s “Whiskey Whiskey,” a collaboration with Wallen.
Harris also “took a gamble” at his mainstream R&B/hip-hop station, WIZF, and added “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” there recently. “We got a great response,” he says. But this is the one format EMPIRE targeted where “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” has faltered, failing to get near the upper reaches of the chart.
Still, “Next week, we should be top five at four formats,” Ghazi says. “I’m going to take a stab at going No. 1 at all four. Why not?”
Chris Brown and Live Nation are facing a second lawsuit over an alleged melee that took place backstage at a concert in Fort Worth last week, filed by a security guard who says he was “brutally and severely” beaten when he tried to break up the fight.
In a civil complaint filed Tuesday in Houston court, Frederick Overpeck accuses the singer of assault and battery over the alleged incident, in which Brown and members of his entourage allegedly brawled with four fans in the VIP area of the July 19 concert.
The lawsuit, which comes a day after the four alleged victims filed their own separate lawsuit, cites Brown’s “checkered past,” including a high-profile 2009 attack on his then-girlfriend Rihanna that led to a felony conviction.
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“The plaintiff herein is just the latest in a long line of individuals who have suffered at Brown’s hands,” Overpeck’s attorneys write. “This R&B performer lacks civility and boldly disregards life and health of anyone who he targets.”
According to the lawsuit, Overpeck says he witnessed Brown and his entourage attack the four men after the singer was reminded that he had “beef” with one of the alleged victims. “I don’t forget shit,” Brown allegedly said to the four men, before instructing his entourage to “fuck em up.”
Working as a security guard, Overpeck says he attempted to “de-escalate” the situation and “intervene to stop the violence,” but was “thrown out of the way” as “chairs and punches started flying.” During the fight, Overpeck says he was repeatedly kicked and that one of Brown’s men jumped on top of him.
The “brutal assault” left Overpeck with “crippling neck injuries,” the lawsuit claims, including a fractured neck that has left him unable to work and needing “extensive medical treatment.”
The lawsuit also names three members of his entourage — Conway, Hood Boss (a.k.a. Omololu Omari Akinlolu) and Sinko Ceej — as defendants. It also names tour promoter Live Nation as a defendant, accusing the company of negligence for failing to protect him despite Brown’s history of violent behavior.
The lawsuit is seeking “no less” than $15 million in damages, but such demands have little bearing on how much money is eventually awarded if a lawsuit is ultimately successful.
The case largely echoes claims made a day earlier in a separate by the four fans allegedly attacked by Brown — Larry Parker, Joseph Lewis, Charles Bush and Damarcus Powell. In that case, a Houston judge has already issued a temporary restraining order barring Brown and others from destroying any videos of the alleged incident and requiring them to hand over such evidence.
In Wednesday’s new lawsuit, attorneys for Overpeck referenced that court order – and said that they believe a video of the fight exists: “The initial assault, wherein Brown is clearly shown throwing the first punch, is captured on video. A temporary restraining order has now been entered to preserve such video.”
LONDON — Record companies that actively embrace sustainability are more efficient, more innovative and more likely to appeal to artists, fans and employees, according to research carried out by European independent labels trade body IMPALA.
The Brussels-based organization’s inaugural report into the economic benefits of sustainability, published Thursday (July 25), says that labels who have implemented green measures, such as reducing travel and shifting distribution from air to sea freight, make cost savings over time and reduce waste.
Other rewards identified by IMPALA members who took part in the survey include tax breaks for sustainable initiatives and the ability to gain a competitive advantage over less-eco-friendly businesses when it comes to attracting and retaining artists, especially from younger musicians who place sustainability high among their list of priorities.
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Labels and music companies who have taken environmentally friendly action additionally benefit from an improved brand image among music fans and a more creative and forward-thinking business culture, said the trade group.
The report’s findings are based on qualitative interviews IMPALA conducted earlier this year with a number of European indie labels signed up to the organization’s sustainability task force, including Beggars Group, Ninja Tune, PIAS, Warp and Domino.
Independent research projects carried out by U.K. labels trade body BPI, professional services company PWC and Harvard Business Review into sustainability also fed into the report’s findings.
Helen Smith, executive chair of IMPALA, said its research indicated that the adoption of sustainability practices by record companies benefits not just the planet but also delivers “concrete advantages in other areas such as attracting artists, reducing costs, hiring and retaining employees,” as well as “being seen as a [market] leader.”
“The question of futureproofing is also important as companies see sustainability as an opportunity before it becomes a burden, and this pays off almost immediately,” said Smith in a statement accompanying the report.
IMPALA, which represents 6,000 independently owned European labels and music companies in 33 countries, launched its sustainability program in 2021. It aims to halve the sector’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and achieve net zero emissions before 2050.
To help reach those goals the organization devised a carbon footprint calculator for member labels to measure and reduce their emissions. So far, nearly 150 labels have signed up to the initiative, which has now been rolled out to the U.S. in partnership with the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM).
IMPALA’s first carbon footprint calculator data report, which was published last year, found that the biggest source of carbon emissions for the indie sector is manufacturing (predominantly vinyl production), followed by the distribution of physical products.
To help tackle the climate crisis record labels around the world are taking positive steps to become more sustainable by reducing waste, water, electricity and fuel consumption.
Other green practices that have been recently introduced by IMPALA members include replacing plastic jewel CD cases with cardboard ones and switching vinyl production from PVC compound to the more environmentally friendly polyethylene terephthalate (PET) material, which equates to a 70-80% reduction in energy consumption, says the organization. Opting for 140g vinyl instead of 180g also lowers production costs and labels’ environmental impact, it adds.
Members of IMPALA’s sustainability task force noted that green initiatives had a significant impact on the quantity and quality of job applications they received, improving employee retention and workplace culture.
“We’re proud to have sustainability as one of our core company values and have seen this translated with attracting and retaining top talent, said Horst Weidenmueller, chair of IMPALA’s sustainability task force and CEO of K7 Music.
Last month, the Germany-based label became one of the first indies to receive B Corp certification in recognition of its social and environmental practices. “It’s great to see consumers and suppliers moving in the same direction,” said Weidenmueller in a statement.
According to a 2022 survey by U.K. charity Music Declares Emergency and the University of Glasgow, music fans are more likely to care about climate change and place a higher priority on tackling the crisis than non-music fans. A different survey by U.K. entertainment product manufacturer Key Production found that 71% of 18–24-year-old respondents were willing to spend more on physical music products with a reduced environmental impact. Across all age groups, 50% of respondents said they would pay a premium price for eco-friendly merchandise, CDs or records.
In line with consumers’ growing concerns around environmental issues, sustainability has become a key focus and area of investment for the wider music industry.
Last year, Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group joined forces to establish the Music Industry Climate Collective (MICC) – a new alliance to address and lessen the sector’s environmental impact, which is being assisted and advised by A2IM.
In 2021, all three major record companies, plus independent labels BMG, Beggars, Partisan, Warp, Ninja Tune and the Secretly Group, signed up to the Music Climate Pact, a wide-ranging commitment to “decarbonize” the global record business.
If U.S. gymnastics superstar Simone Biles were to perform her triple-twisting double backflip to Taylor Swift’s “…Ready For It?” at the Paris Olympics, as she did at the trials in late June, NBC almost certainly won’t need a costly special license to air the track live. NBC pays performing rights organizations ASCAP, BMI and SESAC for blanket public-performance licenses, and the PROs distribute the royalty payments to their hundreds of thousands of members, such as songwriters, publishers and composers, from Paul McCartney to Dua Lipa to Swift herself.
These payments can add up to big money: The 2020 Olympics drew more than 3 billion viewers, a key factor in determining performance-royalty payments. “The larger the audience for the broadcast will generally result in a higher royalty,” says an ASCAP spokesperson.
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For the live TV broadcast, or online live-streaming, the blanket licenses cover all the necessary song rights — foreign PROs pay for the foreign TV broadcast rights and U.S. PROs pay for the U.S. rights. It gets trickier if NBC decides to use the song later, in a delayed broadcast, highlight video or some kind of YouTube-style on-demand streaming. In such cases, says Joy Butler, a Washington, D.C., entertainment and digital-technology attorney and author of The Permission Seeker’s Guide Through the Legal Jungle, NBC might need a separate synch license, negotiated with a publisher.
“But NBC might have reasons to not obtain that sync,” Butler adds. “They’re reporting on the Olympics, which is a newsworthy event. That gives them excellent reasons to rely on fair use.”
Fair use refers to a U.S. copyright doctrine in which a journalist can air snippets of a recorded song in the context of reporting a news story, or quote lyrics while reviewing a record. If an NBC news report on Biles’ Olympic performance picks up a bit of “…Ready For It?,” that may qualify, but NBC would have to tread carefully. “Fair use is very fickle,” Butler says. “The cases kind of go both ways. So you have to do risk assessment if you’ve got music in the background, and you’ve got a taped version which is delayed or on demand.”
TV producers tend to be disinclined to contact rightsholders and negotiate new (and perhaps costly) new licenses when using a song in the background of a recorded video, Butler says: “It absolutely happens that producers will err on the side of caution, and not have the music playing, just have the video run without the audio.” An NBC spokesperson declined to comment for this story.
This royalty-paying system can be cumbersome, but public venues such as the Bercy Arena in Paris and broadcasters such as NBC are used to it. “This is the same system that is in place for all audio-visual programming, including other sports events,” says the ASCAP rep.