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The U.K. has elected a new government. Following the country’s General Election on Thursday (July 4), Labour won an overwhelming majority with 412 elected MPs, and its leader, Sir Keir Starmer, is the new Prime Minister. The U.K. had been under Conservative rule since 2010, but the Rishi Sunak-led party lost 249 seats, finishing with just 121, the worst result in its history.
This comes as little surprise, as polling consistently put the left-wing party Labour ahead of its rivals. The only real question was how comprehensive the result would be. Starmer’s success rivals previous Prime Minister Tony Blair and his landslide victory with Labour in 1997’s General Election.
Starmer ran his campaign on a ticket of “Change,” but few knew quite what that meant. There were promises of economic growth and a greater respect for the office, but a final YouGov poll released the day prior to the election found that only 5% of registered voters were choosing Labour MPs for “policy reasons.” Despite the seat majority — 326 elected MPs are required to win in the U.K.’s first-past-the-post electoral system — Labour’s vote share has increased by just 1.5% from the 2019 General Election that it lost comprehensively. It’s been a line of attack hammered repeatedly: What does Labour actually stand for?
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It’s a question that the music industry has been asking, too. Between the cost-of-living crisis, the rise in inflation and the long-running impact of Brexit, a perfect storm has been brewing under the Conservatives which, Ed Sheeran suggested earlier this week, did “not value art at all”.
There are positive noises. In its manifesto, Labour says it “will implement our creative industries sector plan as part of our Industrial Strategy, creating good jobs and accelerating growth in film, music, gaming, and other creative sectors.” There are references to assisting performers in touring through the EU, ensuring “new consumer protections on ticket resales” and plans to ban “no fault” evictions which, as NME previously reported, is contributing to the housing crisis felt by creatives and society at large.
Michael Kill, CEO of the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA), is optimistic that the members he campaigns on behalf of — venues, clubs, bars, performers, workers and more — feel positively towards the new government. Fourty four percent of respondents to the NTIA’s Consumer Insight Survey feel that Labour is supportive of the arts, culture and sport, compared to the Conservatives at just 11%.
“There’s been lots of positive rhetoric behind the scenes,” says Kill, but “it still seems very unclear where Labour is from the manifesto.” There will now be additional concern that Thangam Debbonaire, who had been widely expected to become the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sports, failed to win her seat in her Bristol Central constituency; she is one of just two shadow cabinet ministers to not join the party in government.
The changes that Kill and other industry bodies like the Music Venue Trust (MVT) are calling for are simple. He points to the VAT rate (Value Added Tax) that campaigners like the NTIA and Save Our Scene want reduced to 12.5%, and a reduction of VAT on tickets for music events at grassroots venues. They say these changes would bring them closer to comparative rates in Europe.
In 2022, it was estimated that the nighttime economy generated £136.5 billion, an increase from 2019’s pre-pandemic figure of £121.3 billion, but the NTIA’s report notes that inflation and an increase in operating costs means that any turnover gains will be “essentially wiped out.” Between policy, legislative and financial issues, the live music and hospitality industry is on the back foot.
“We do need to change the attitude in terms of the value we bring,” Kill says. “The nighttime economy needs to start to be perceived as non-burdensome and more value-driven. The worry that we have is that the U.K. is going to lose that status as a real driver of culture.”
There are similarly pressing issues for artists, too. Lily Fontaine, lead singer of indie-rock band English Teacher, which released its critically acclaimed debut album This Could Be Texas on Island Records this year, says artists like themselves are in a dire position. “I’m still not earning. It’s still a struggle for me and my band,” she says. “And it’s even more of a struggle for smaller artists that are trying to make a career.”
When Fontaine gave evidence to the Culture Media & Sport Parliamentary Committee on Grassroots Music Venues in March, she pointed out the “cost-of-touring” crisis and the burden it places on her and her band to keep their tour crew — from technicians to production staff — employed and paid. Though the band received funding from PPL Momentum Accelerator to help record its first single, the sheer cost will lead to a landscape unrepresentative of the U.K.’s diverse music scenes.
“We didn’t have enough time to maintain full-time jobs to get enough money,” Fontaine says. “It was so hard to create and to enjoy creating [our debut album] when you’ve got to think about earning. Then that creates a homogenised scene because only the people that can afford it would do it.”
Manchester-based musician Chloe Slater — who released her single “Nothing Shines On This Island” earlier this year — is concerned that young people are being priced out of music events that help inspire creativity, and that grassroots music venues are closing at an alarming rate. The MVT says that 125 grassroots venues shut down in 2023, while the Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) says that 50 independent music festivals have been canceled, postponed or closed in 2024.
“Grassroots venues and festivals [are] where young musicians hone their craft, and the industry is an ecosystem,” Slater says. “And if you lose those venues, it’s such a massive part of that. I don’t understand where all the new artists are supposed to come from if they’re not there.”
A levy on tickets at larger venues to help support the grassroots venues has been recommended by MPs. Kill welcomes this suggestion but wants to ensure the whole ecosystem is supported, not just music venues. Elsewhere, Labour has suggested a crackdown on secondary ticket touts, but its position on AI is still uncertain, even as it’s become a pressing topic in the music industry and beyond.
The in-tray is bulging and the U.K. music industry is holding its breath, hoping that the incoming Labour government can meet the challenge.
James Dolan will continue his run as Sphere Entertainment Co.’s executive chairman/CEO for another three years. Sphere Entertainment gave Dolan a three-year contract extension that runs from July 1 to June 30, 2027, according to a July 3 regulatory filing. Sphere Entertainment consists of Sphere, the groundbreaking, $2.3-billion venue in Las Vegas; MSG Networks, which […]
Our interview starts with one of the many stories that make up the legend of Paul Anka. For the soon-to-be 83-year-old, the tale is one of many he enjoys regaling people with from his generations-spanning career, where he’s been both in front of the mic (he first topped the Billboard Hot 100 as a teen idol in 1959 for four weeks with “Lonely Boy” and recently wrapped his Seven Decades tour) and behind the pen (he wrote the English lyrics for Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” and co-wrote Michael Jackson’s “Love Never Felt So Good,” and even has credits on modern hits by Drake and Doja Cat). No wonder there’s a long-in-the-works Broadway show dedicated to his songbook.
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Now, the Canadian singer-songwriter is adding ‘podcast host’ to his stacked resume. Dubbed Our Way (naturally), his podcast is produced by iHeartMedia and showcases Anka alongside co-host and friend Skip Bronson talking shop with an eclectic array of guests including Michael Bublé, Clive Davis, Sebastian Maniscalco and Jason Bateman. (Bateman, who co-hosts the SmartLess: On the Road podcast alongside Sean Hayes and Will Arnett, also happens to be Anka’s son-in-law.) It’s the perfect medium considering Anka is bursting with stories: butting heads with Jerry Lee Lewis, hanging out with the Rat Pack in Las Vegas steam rooms, having Michael Jackson crash at his house. Did we mention the time Vladimir Putin sang to him?
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Wondering where to start, let’s allow Anka to take the lead considering he recently added ‘interviewer’ to his skill set: “I brought The Beatles to the United States,” Anka declares. “We can start there.”
Let’s talk about you bringing The Beatles to America.
Well, I got my start before them. I got lucky in ‘55; I was the luckiest teenager in the world and became an international creature traveling all over the world and wound up settling down with my wife in France, may she rest in peace. On one occasion in the early ‘60s, I went to Paris to see a friend of mine working at the Olympia Theater. In the course of it all, an announcer came on: “Ladies and gentleman, The Beatles.” I’m going, beetles? But these four guys came on. Being a musician, I was like, “Wow. What’s happening here?” So when I performed at the Olympia myself, they showed up to see me. We continued the relationship into London where we hung out socially. When I came back to New York where I was living part time, (I talked to) my agents at General Artists and I said to them, “There’s these guys! There’s something going on there.” I kept hounding them, and they went over and met with their manager Brian Epstein, and it evolved from that. They came over to Sullivan in ‘64 and all of the sudden music was a thing, like on Madison Avenue. When I was hopping around, it was a smaller industry.
Before The Beatles, you were a teen idol. Did you take full advantage of that?
It’s kind of like how it is today: same bullsh-t, more lights. But back then, we were under the thumb, if you will, of agents and managers because it was all new. I couldn’t leave my hotel because there’d be thousands of kids outside. I was living the dream but saying, “What’s going on here?” I was hiding away trying to deliver three albums a year.
Did you date any of the starlets of the era?
Starlets? Not really. I’m 15, 16 and 17. The only time I ever got serious was with Annette Funicello, a product of Disney who evolved to become America’s sweetheart. I wrote an album for her and we traveled together on tour. But much to the chagrin of the Disney people, I was trying to make the best of the situation. They had people around watching us and trying to curtail it. She wanted to get married and I didn’t, we were too young. Ultimately, she married my agent, Jack Gilardi.
Was there anybody you worked with or met who was most unlike their public persona?
Good question. Well, I knew everybody. We all traveled together and there weren’t a lot of venues. People like Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and Dean Martin, I saw their gentle sides; they were caring. Someone like Jerry Lee Lewis was wilder than I thought. I had to travel to Australia with him and he didn’t like me much. The most gentle, though, was Buddy Holly, who was my friend. We became very close and I knew everything going on in his life. We were going to start a company, and my manager booked him on that tour when he ultimately died [in a plane crash on Feb. 3, 1959, alongside Ritchie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson].
What was it like when you found out his plane had crashed? I know you even wrote a song for him, 1959’s “It Doesn’t Matter Anymore.”
It was devastating to all of us. We were very close. Unlike today, I’m not sure how close people are with each other when egos and narcissists emerge in the industry. But back then we were a bunch of close kids. Buddy was probably more talented than all of us. His music influenced us, too.
Paul Anka
Paul Anka Productions
Who else influenced you at that time?
There was also The Everly Brothers, another major influence. But I’d go on tour with them and they wouldn’t even talk to each other; there was real hatred, fighting and carrying on, then they’d go on stage and that was it. So they were great guys, but they couldn’t be together or socialize and that was very sad to us. Chuck Berry was another wild man; we loved Chuck and his talent, and then we realized he was a real womanizer. It got to a point where if we had to take a bus from New York to a distant state, he was always wanted for something or other by the cops. So he had to be flown over two or three states where he was wanted, and then we’d have to pick him up. He ultimately went to jail at the end of that tour.
Tell me about your first time meeting Frank Sinatra.
For all of us, he was on our radar as someone we wanted to emulate: be like him, dress like him, play his same places. It was always Sinatra, Sinatra, Sinatra. He made it difficult for anybody to stand in front of a band after him. The first time I met him socially was at Trader Vic’s, the restaurant. I left my table and went over to introduce myself, intimidated to death. He was very kind and very nice to me. Once I started working in Vegas and hanging out in the steam room with him, we were friends. But I’m still very young. I’m still a kid in the steam room with all of these guys walking around nude trying to avoid eye contact.
What would go on in the steam room?
Unimaginable. I’ll leave it at that. Everybody’s walking around, having laughs, talking business. There were moments when certain times we’d have girls come in and meet us late at night. We were free back then — nobody was afraid of the press the way they are today. I wasn’t really asserting myself. But I certainly absorbed it, enjoyed it and went with the flow. I’ve seen a lot of experiences with him. When you went out with him, you brought your passport because you’d never know where you’d wind up. I saw a show with him in Philadelphia and he had his Learjet waiting. He said, “Come to New York tonight and stay with me.” When we got to New York, he said, “Let’s go to the boat” and we were going up and down to Connecticut. So the one night out turned into a week. It was monumental to me, because I had never spent so much quality time with him like that. We’d go out and there’d be cherry bombs being thrown around. It’d be a lot of frolicking around.
Another time we were in the Fontainebleau in Miami. There’d be holes in the wall, because the FBI was always trying to bug him which pissed him off. We got in there one night and it was late. He said, “Empty the terrace” and threw all these lawn chairs over the terrace on the beach. It was all kinds of fun stuff like that. There was nobody like him.
Is there a song you wrote that you wished Sinatra had recorded?
Well, one of the last ones he recorded but didn’t come out at the time, “Leave It All To Me.” It was actually only released a year ago or so. I kept pushing it and he finally recorded it, but he wasn’t well at that time and he left the studio early. They tabled it for a while and then put it out. So there you go!
Throughout your career you always championed artistic expression. I’m thinking of your album of rock covers, for example. But I wanted to ask you about two different moments, and very different artists. What did you think when Doja Cat sampled “Put Your Head On My Shoulder” for her song “Freak”?
Well, “Shoulder” started before Cat came along. It had a life before her and was very hot on TikTok. But I thought she was talented and knew her manager. They sent it to me for approval and I said, “Why not?” So I signed off on it and away she went and gave it that next life, if you will. I was in full accord. But we’re suffering badly from the music business today, there are no real great heroes happening with it. It’s all about (Daniel) Ek right now and streaming. The music industry is just not what it was anymore. So it’s getting very difficult to sell, so I said let Doja Cat go with it and see what happens. It’s very difficult for anybody to really be heard and seen today.
From one spectrum to another, Sid Vicious recorded a punk cover of your iconic song “My Way,” which famously featured at the end of the movie Goodfellas. How did that come about?
Sid called for a license and I said “no” originally to that, then said, “Why did I say that?” He was sincere. So I said, “Let me think about it.” I had to live with it for a while obviously. Once I computed everything and looked at it hard, I said, “Yeah, go.” And I approved it. Later (the director Martin) Scorsese called for a license to use it. I admire Marty greatly, he’s one of our greatest directors and I loved the cast.
Did you check in with Sinatra for that? After all, it’s by all accounts an insane cover of one of his signature songs.
No, an artist would have no say in that whatsoever unless you use his record. There were certain artists he would verbalize (not liking), but I’ll leave that alone. They were more in another vein. He didn’t like rock n’ roll music from the inception, we all know that. But in terms of “My Way,” I got no feedback on something that he disliked.
The legacy of “My Way’ is still going strong. In the past year alone, the song opened the broadcast of Super Bowl LVIII, was played at Alexei Navalny’s funeral, and is featured in the trailer for the new Brad Pitt and George Clooney movie Wolfs. What are your thoughts on this endurance?
Well, there’s actually a major documentary coming out about “My Way” which I think is going to Cannes next year. I can’t tell you what really jarred me aside from the Vicious record. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by many of the versions: the Gipsy Kings’ version is amazing, Brook Benton, Nina Simone’s version is amazing. I wrote when I was 25 after Sinatra told me was quitting. When I went to write it in New York, it was a spiritual moment; I don’t know where the hell it came from. What really jarred me in relation to the song, is when I started to hear what was happening in the Philippines where they take their karaoke seriously: one person who sang “My Way” got killed, then another person got shot. I think it’s up to eight or nine people who got shot because they sang it wrong! I went to the Philippines just a few months ago and they said, “Yeah, it’s for real! If they don’t like the way you sing it, they shoot you.” And of course I’ve sung it all over the world, to presidents. To Putin.
Wait, you have to tell me what it was like singing to Vladimir Putin.
I had been to Russia a few times before, but singing to him (at a charity event in 2010) and knowing his station in life and his vibe was monumental and moving. He’s into the song, like a lot of others, for whatever reason. It was unlike anything I’ve ever done, and it paid off because I went to the Hermitage Museum with him after until three in the morning eating the greatest caviar I’ve ever had in my life.
What did you talk about?
He was gracious. He didn’t speak English that well, so there were interpreters and bodyguards. It was really about music. He loves the song “Blueberry Hill” by Fats Domino and played it on the piano.
You’re saying Putin played it on the piano?
Yeah, and he sang it. But we also talked about the art that was on the wall. But you have to be careful when you talk, especially with someone who’s not fluent with you. You want to keep civilized without him thinking, “Why am I being asked this?”
One more person I wanted to ask you about is Michael Jackson. He’s now this mythic figure, but what was Michael like one-on-one?
I go in with the Jackson family because they’d come to Caesars Palace to see me or Sinatra when he was much younger. But when he started to take off, I was with Sony Records when he was there. In the early ‘80s I was doing an album of duets and I got a call that he wanted to be part of the project. We already had people like Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins, but I liked how Michael was evolving. He came out to my house in Carmel, California and stayed with us; that’s when I really got to know him. You know immediately this is a talented person. I was listening to the sounds and arrangements in his head and I’d be banging away at the piano, feeling it differently than anybody else I had worked with. He had that honest innocence. Michael was a sponge too, he wanted to know everything that I could teach him. We talked a lot of shop. We even had conversations about plastic surgery… We know where he went with that. I remember him being competitive with the Osmonds at the time. But I loved Michael; he had a sincerity, a love and a passion for show business and what he was doing.
We wrote three songs, including “This Is It” and “Love Never Felt So Good.” Years later, Drake showed up at my house to work on another track, “Don’t Matter To Me.” Working with him was different because he was all computer stuff. But the only negative part for me with Michael was when he took the tapes out of my studio, because Thriller was taking off and he changed his mind about what we worked on. But I was already into it, spent my money and was getting ready to sweeten them. I ultimately got my tapes back. All of the other stuff with Michael is none of my business, it’s all unfortunate. The Michael I knew was gentle, complimentary and a friend. And that was it.
You went from records to the streaming era as host of the Our Way podcast. What’s it like navigating the show? Do you enjoy interviewing people?
I like it conceptually, and I was living vicariously through it with my son-in-law Jason Bateman who has the best one, SmartLess. I was approached a few times after I did that one, and Howard Stern. I like to talk very openly and honestly, so timing is everything in my business and now I have talked to people like Clive Davis, Gayle King and Bill Burr, and sit there for an hour and a half and just talk. But what I also like is that I’m a listener, and I love it.
You were always the young guy working with these older artists. How do you feel now that it’s flipped?
Well, it’s great living both sides. It’s gratifying that I’m here still doing what I love, and still working and advising. Someone like Michael Bublé has been a dear friend and we talk constantly. Young people don’t understand how we’d go in the studio without any technology except a piece of tape, then rehearsed and rehearsed until we got it. Instead of now, “Oh, we’ll take a year to do this.” But giving wisdom and direction is very heartwarming. The greatest thing in life and my biggest thrill is when you give and see what it does for people. When I was a kid, even the guys I was hanging with like Sinatra or Dean Martin, nobody came from a sophisticated background. We all got lucky and found our groove and vibe. Now I wear the hat of the guys I witnessed; you become who you see. At my age right now, I still do that. And while I enjoy it, I also don’t look at life through a rearview mirror. If you stand still, they throw dirt on you.
Paul Anka
Paul Anka Productions
It’s time for a July 4th weekend edition of the Executive Turntable, Billboard’s comprehensive(ish) compendium of promotions, hirings, exits and firings — and all things in between — across music. Check out this year’s Pride List of top LGBTQ+ executives in the industry. We also have a weekly interview series spotlighting a single executive and a regularly updated gallery honoring many of the industry figures we’ve lost throughout the year.
Thomas Coesfeld celebrated his one-year anniversary as CEO of BMG by joining the executive board of Bertelsmann, parent company of the Berlin-based music giant. The 34-year-old executive is point-person for Bertelsmann’s music business as a member of the board, which also includes chief executive Thomas Rabe and Thomas’ big brother Carsten Coesfeld, CEO of its venture capital arm, as well as company CFO Rolf Hellermann and chief human resources officer Immanuel Hermreck. Coesfeld took the reigns of BMG from longtime CEO Hartwig Masuch on July 1 of last year, and in short order instituted a new organizational structure by globalizing its catalog, sales and marketing teams and a “recalibration” of its presence in continental Europe, among other changes. Prior to rising to CEO, Coesfeld had been named deputy CFO at BMG in October 2021 before taking over as full-on CFO the following spring. During that time he oversaw BMG’s balance sheet and helped the company land 70 deals, including acquiring the catalogs of Mötley Crüe and Tina Turner, as well as those of Paul Simon, The Pointer Sisters, Peter Frampton and others.
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He previously served as chief strategy officer on the executive committee of the Bertelsmann Printing Group, but began his career in 2014 as a consultant at McKinsey. Coesfeld is also a member of Bertelsmann’s Group Management Committee (GMC), which advises the executive board.
“[Coesfeld] knows Bertelsmann well from various positions,” Rabe raved in the announcement. “As CEO of BMG, he has made important decisions for the future of the business, for example by bringing digital distribution in-house and using artificial intelligence in various areas of the music business. Thomas will enrich the work of the Management Board as well. I look forward to working even more closely with him.”
Meanwhile…
Hannah Neaves
Laura Lewis
Universal Music UK promoted Hannah Neaves to sole president of its catalog division, Universal Music Recordings. Her co-president over the last two years, Azi Eftekhari, has left the company, Billboard can confirm. Neaves and Eftekhari joined UMR in early 2022, roughly a year after the pair launched a London-based creative agency called Remedy Inc. Prior to joining forces, Neaves was creative director at TaP Music and Eftekhari had been head of label relations (EMEA) at YouTube. In the last two years, UMR’s wins include “Now and Then” — the “last Beatles song” — and other releases featuring Bob Marley, Amy Winehouse, the Spice Girls and more. “Hannah is, first and foremost, an artist person with an innate understanding of where creativity and discovery meet, something she has brought in abundance since re-joining our team,” said Universal Music UK chief David Joseph, referencing Neaves’ tenure at UMG’s Polydor earlier in her career. “A truly exceptional and inspiring executive, Hannah has already had huge success, most recently creatively leading the global and record-breaking Now And Then campaign for The Beatles, and there’s so much more to come.”
Former BMI executive Jody Williams was elected to a one-year term as the new chair of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum‘s board of officers and trustees. The publishing veteran, who founded Jody Williams Songs in 2020 following a 14-year run at BMI, has served on the museum’s board for 17 years. He replaces outgoing chair Mary Ann McCready, who remains as a trustee. CMHFM CEO Kyle Young remarked that Williams is “woven into the fabric of country music’s creative community in a true and meaningful way” and “resolute in furthering country music’s vitality as a cultural artform.” The Nashville institution also elected several new members to the board, including artist manager Clint Higham and WME agent Becky Gardenhire.
Merlin, the digital licensing partner for the independent music sector, welcomed Neil Miller as its new general counsel. Miller arrives from Greenberg Traurig, where he served as partner of the global law firm for three years. Prior to that, Miller was an associate general counsel at Facebook and earlier in his career spent six years as GC at SoundCloud. He is based in the UK. “Merlin is a dynamic organisation operating in a complex and ever changing legal and commercial environment,” said Charlie Sexton, Merlin COO. “Neil’s wealth of experience across music and digital entertainment is exactly what we need to meet these challenges. He is highly respected across the industry and brings a valuable blend of long-term thinking, technical skills, and impressive leadership.”
Believe has new leadership in place for its efforts throughout China, naming Charles Liu as general manager and Rebecca Dong as managing director for the growth-ready region. Based in Beijing and reporting to Sylvain Delange, Believe’s president of Asia-Pacific, Liu will focus on building partnerships and growing Believe’s roster of labels and artists. Dong rolls up to Liu and will manage all operations, along with legal, finance and HR matters. Believe has operated in China since 2016 and has grown to 80-plus “digital and music experts” across offices in five cities, the company said. “Greater China is both an exciting and challenging market where Believe’s unique approach can significantly contribute to accelerate the rise of a strong, diverse and thriving local music ecosystem as we’ve done is so many other markets in Asia Pacific,” said Delange.
NASHVILLE NOTES: Universal Music Group Nashville hired Houston Gaither as director of radio marketing. She was previously Sony Music Nashville’s manager of content, promotion and artist development … Former PLA Media director of publicity and branding Becky Parsons formed Found Sound Media, a PR and management firm focused on developing LGBTQ+ and female artists … Kylie Taylor joined Black River Entertainment as a graphic designer. Reach her at ktaylor@blackriverent.com.
OTM Music, a boutique publishing company with footholds in London, New York and Los Angeles, welcomed Kristin Genovese as the firm’s new U.S. head of sync and Kate Sweetsur as the new head of A&R. The company, which provides creative services for its roster of songwriters and brands, also noted the recent additions of Chi Chi Nwakodo as senior creative and Ethan Mizen as A&R manager.
ICYMI:
Britney Davis
Hipgnosis Song Management founder Merck Mercuriadis will step down as chairman of the investment manager, months after vacating the CEO role … Stephanie Rosa is managing director of Tixr‘s new London office … Former Capitol Music Group executive Britney Davis was named general manager at Quality Control … Warner Records promoted Robert Santini to senior vp of brand partnerships and ad sync … and Mano Sundaresan is the new head of editorial content for Pitchfork.
Last Week’s Turntable: Audacy OG Elevated
After 14 years, a new political dawn in the United Kingdom as Keir Starmer’s Labour Party storms to victory in the general election. And the end of the Tories’ long reign.
Labour won in a predictable landslide, paving the way for Starmer to become the next prime minister.
The U.K. music industry, through its various support networks and lobby bodies, has welcomed the incoming, center-left government, with a resounding message: let’s get to work.
“Our industry faces serious challenges and needs urgent attention to recover from years of neglect through the cost of living crisis and the pandemic,” comments Michael Kill, CEO of the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA).
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Michael Kill, CEO of NTIA, Welcomes Labour Government: The Real Work Starts Today! “As CEO of the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA), I warmly welcome the new Labour Government. Your commitment to our sector, vital to the UK’s economy and culture, is appreciated.… pic.twitter.com/HXWFQJvWlY— Night Time Industries Association (@wearethentia) July 5, 2024
The sector must now “rebuild trust with the new government, after years of feeling misunderstood and undervalued, we must work towards changing the narrative around the value of the night time economy, secure stronger representation at all levels, and create a more integrated regulatory system.”
Kill continues, “We must also address tax disparity, reform business rates, protect independent operators, and align VAT with European standards.”
UK Music CEO Tom Kiehl calls on the new leader to use his “resounding mandate for change” to boost jobs, growth and opportunity in the sector.
The nation’s music industry contributes almost £7 billion ($9 billion) annually to the U.K. economy and supports 210,000 jobs, according to the London-based umbrella organization, which represents all sectors of the U.K.’s music industry.
Right now, explains Kiehl, the music business faces “a number of challenges, but also opportunities. A strong relationship between UK Music and the new government will be essential to navigating what the rest of this decade brings.”
UK Music sends its congratulations to Sir Keir Starmer and his team on their election victory, which gives his new Government a resounding mandate for change. My reaction to the outcome of the 2024 General Election https://t.co/u5OEtHDxnI— Tom Kiehl (@Tomkiehl) July 5, 2024
UK Music developed and published a 10-prong pre-election “manifesto” for the next government, which includes objectives to boost music exports, protect music spaces, improve music education and encourage responsible AI use.
“As the collective voice of the music industry, UK Music already has strong links with Sir Keir’s top team,” Kiehl adds. “Our plan is to continue to build on those relationships and work across the political spectrum, including the many newly elected MPs, to deliver real change and further growth for our world-leading sector.”
According to an BBC forecast published Friday morning (July 5), Labour is set to take 410 seats (out of 650) with an expected majority of 170. For the Conservatives, the result could be their worst in history, with the party predicted to win as few as 129 seats.
Sean “Diddy” Combs has been hit with a new lawsuit by exotic dancer Adria English, who claims she was a victim of sex trafficking orchestrated in the 2000s by the Bad Boy mogul and others she named in a sprawling complaint filed Wednesday (July 3) in New York federal court.
According to the lawsuit, filed by attorneys Ariel Mitchell-Kidd and Steven Metcalf, English was a victim of sex trafficking at the hands of Combs along with his fellow defendants Tamiko Thomas, who was allegedly an employee of Bad Boy Entertainment at the time, and a man named Jacob Arabov (a.k.a. Jacob The Jeweler). She alleges that the trio was “aided and abetted” by several companies also named as defendants in the complaint, including Bad Boy Entertainment, Combs Global Enterprises, Sean John Holdings, VIBE magazine and its current parent company, Penske Media Corporation (PMC). (PMC did not own VIBE when the alleged events occurred.)
Notably, the complaint alleges that the actions of all defendants amounted to a violation of federal RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) laws, which have historically been used to target the mafia, drug cartels and other organized crime rings (a similar state-level law in Georgia has formed the basis of prosecutors’ case against rapper Young Thug, whom they allege leads a violent Atlanta street gang known as Young Slime Life). These types of racketeering laws make it easier for prosecutors to sweep up members of alleged criminal enterprises based on many individual actions.
English claims she first came into contact with Combs in 2004 — when she says she was working as a dancer at Larry Flynt’s Hustler Club in Manhattan — after accompanying her then-boyfriend, model Anthony Gallo, to an audition for a Sean John modeling campaign. While at the audition, she says Gallo and another model were asked to perform fellatio on Combs as a condition of booking the job. After Gallo refused, she claims he was later told he could book the campaign if he commanded English to work as a go-go dancer at Combs’ Labor Day White Party in the Hamptons, N.Y. “In an effort to assist Mr. Gallo’s desire to become a model, Plaintiff agreed to what she believed to be legitimate employment,” the complaint reads.
While working the event, English says she was instructed to give lap dances and be “sexually flirtatious” with guests and “forced to consume liquor and illicit narcotics,” including bottles she claims were laced with ecstasy. She alleges she was subsequently invited to perform at additional White Parties, where Combs and Thomas — whom she compares to Ghislaine Maxwell, the former associate of late sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein — eventually “groomed” her into sex trafficking.
By her third White Party, English claims that Combs and Thomas demanded she partake in sexual intercourse with guests, using knowledge of her past work in adult films “to coerce” her into doing so. This activity, she claims, continued through 2009 at White Parties thrown at Combs’ Hampton and Miami residences.
One of the men English says she was forced to have sexual intercourse with during this period was Jacob Arabov (Jacob The Jeweler) at the behest of Combs, as she feared she could lose her job along with her boyfriend’s future modeling opportunities. “Plaintiff, fearing not only her safety, but her and her then-boyfriend’s job security, did as instruct and went with Defendant Jacob where she engaged in forced sexual intercourse with Defendant Jacob at the demand and behest of Defendant Combs,” the complaint reads.
English further alleges that Combs kept hidden cameras in every room of his Hamptons and Miami homes and believes her sexual assaults were caught on tape, including when she was “unconscious.”
During this period, English also alleges that VIBE magazine published an image of her in a November 2006 story about Combs’ White Parties without her consent, claiming its use violates her “rights to privacy via misappropriation.” She claims she “did not discover the infringing use” until April 2024. She further accuses VIBE and parent company PMC of “intentionally and falsely marketing and promoting” Combs’ White Parties “as a high-profile networking and social event in an effort to disguise and deceive the real intent of the event…and to further the goals of the Defendants illegal and criminal Enterprise.”
English says she continued putting up with Combs’ demands in part due to promises that he would help her break into the music business by putting her in an all-female music group. She says she finally detached herself from Combs when she returned to California in 2009, at which point she claims she suffered from deep depression and anxiety in response to the past trauma of being assaulted and trafficked, along with her unraveling career.
According to the lawsuit, English’s victimization at the hands of Combs and his alleged co-conspirators has led her to suffer continued “extreme emotional distress” that has impacted every aspect of her personal life.
In a statement sent to Billboard, Combs’ attorney Jonathan Davis said, “No matter how many lawsuits are filed it won’t change the fact that Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted or sex trafficked anyone. We live in a world where anyone can file a lawsuit for any reason and without any proof. Fortunately, a fair and impartial judicial process exists to find the truth and Mr. Combs is confident he will prevail against these and other baseless claims in court.”
Billboard reached out to Thomas and Arabov for comment but had not heard back by press time. PMC declined to comment.
This is the 10th sexual misconduct lawsuit to be filed against Combs since his ex-girlfriend, pop star Cassie, made waves with her sexual abuse suit against the mogul in November, which was settled less than 24 hours later. He has vehemently denied all cases against him. Combs’ Miami and Los Angeles homes were raided by federal agents in March, though no arrests were made.
In May, disturbing footage obtained by CNN showed Combs abusing Cassie in an elevator bank at a Los Angeles hotel in March 2016. Soon after the footage came out, Combs apologized for his actions, which he says he was “disgusted” by.
“I was f—ed up. I mean, I hit rock bottom. But I make no excuses,” he said in the since-deleted Instagram clip. “My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I’m disgusted. I was disgusted then when I did it, I’m disgusted now.”
In the wake of the allegations, the fallout for Combs has continued to reverberate. Last month, his media company Revolt announced employees would become the company’s largest shareholders after Combs reportedly sold his stake to an anonymous buyer. Also in June, Combs’ Miami Day honor was revoked and Howard University withdrew an honorary degree it bestowed upon him.
Editor’s Note: PMC is the parent company of Billboard.
Vinyl Group CEO Josh Simons, Billboard senior editor Lyndsey Havens and VibeLab co-founder Lutz Leichsenring join the second wave of speakers locked-in for Bigsound 2024, Australia’s annual conference and showcase extravaganza.
Also confirmed to this year’s lineup is Music Venue Trust CEO Mark Davyd and Live Nation’s Kamran Haq, senior national promoter at the concerts giant and senior booker for Europe’s Download Festival.
Simons, the leader of Vinyl Group, Australia’s only ASX-listed music business, will speak at Bigsound just six months after the company completed the acquisition of The Brag Media, which is now housed alongside Jaxsta, Vampr and Vinyl.com. A former artist with indie band Buchanan, Simons has, over time, successfully raised A$20 million for his tech startups.
Havens, say organisers QMusic, will share her thoughts on leadership and authenticity in the current landscape, while Leichsenring will offer perspectives on creating sustainable music ecosystems.
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The daytime industry sessions will include a timely panel discussion, “Who Gives a F*ck About Australian Music?,” which will explore the global perception of Australian music and engagement from local music fans.
Meanwhile, a slew of 50-plus buzz acts are added to the nighttime program, including Miiesha, Bean Magazine, tiffi, Stella Bridie, Neptune, Same Blood, TOWNS and Alayna.
Set for Sept. 3 – 6 in Brisbane, the 2032 Olympic city, Bigsound’s conference and showcase extravaganza will once again make a splash in the vibrant Fortitude Valley.
As previously reported, “Milkshake” star Kelis and Amy Taylor, singer with ARIA Award-winning punk rock act Amyl And The Sniffers, are keynote speakers, while a lineup of international speakers has been confirmed, including Korda Marshall (Mushroom Group), Bradly Palmer (Concord Music Publishing), Elliott Lefko (AEG / Goldenvoice).
The event is supported by the Queensland government through Tourism and Events Queensland, and is presented by Oztix and Brick Lane.
Visit Bigsound.org.au for more.
Warner Music Group (WMG) sent letters to tech companies this week instructing them not to use the label’s music to train artificial intelligence technology without permission. Sony Music sent out similar letters to over 700 companies in May.
“It is imperative that all uses and implementations of machine learning and AI technologies respect the rights of all those involved in the creation, marketing, promotion, and distribution of music,” Warner’s notice reads.
It continues, “all parties must obtain an express license from WMG to use… any creative works owned or controlled by WMG or to link to or ingest such creative works in connection with the creation of datasets, as inputs for any machine learning or AI technologies, or to train or develop any machine learning or AI technologies.”
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The notices from Sony and Warner come in the wake of the AI Act, legislation that was passed in the European Union in May. “Any use of copyright protected content requires the authorization of the rightsholder concerned unless relevant copyright exceptions and limitations apply,” the act notes. “Rightsholders may choose to reserve their rights over their works or other subject matter to prevent text and data mining, unless this is done for the purposes of scientific research.”
If companies take this action, then “providers of general-purpose AI models need to obtain an authorization from rightsholders if they want to carry out text and data mining over such works.”
The Cold War between the music industry and much of the AI world has been heating up in recent months. Labels are adamant that AI companies should license their music if they want to use those massive catalogs of recordings to develop song generation technology.
Most AI companies, however, aren’t interested in paying. They often argue that their activities fall under “fair use” — the U.S. legal doctrine that allows for the unlicensed use of copyrighted works in certain situations.
In June, the three major labels sued two AI music companies, Suno and Udio, accusing them both of “willful copyright infringement on an almost unimaginable scale.” “These lawsuits are necessary to reinforce the most basic rules of the road for the responsible, ethical, and lawful development of generative AI systems and to bring Suno’s and Udio’s blatant infringement to an end,” RIAA Chief Legal Officer Ken Doroshow said in a statement.
In a response to the suits, Suno CEO Mikey Shulman said his company’s tech is “designed to generate completely new outputs, not to memorize and regurgitate pre-existing content.” Udio said it “stand[s] behind our technology.”
Anthem Entertainment has launched a new joint venture with Jared Gutstadt, the founder/CEO of Audio Up. The JV’s first two signees include Randy Savvy of Compton Cowoys and alt/pop/folk singer Kayslee Don Collins. The new deal puts Gutstadt and Anthem back in business together for the first time since 2019, when Gutstadt left his post as CEO of Jingle Punks, an Anthem subsidiary which he also founded. Audio Up will now have the ability to develop some of the former publishing and intellectual property assets that Gutstadt created when he was with Jingle Punks, including the Bear and a Banjo scripted podcast series. Audio Up can also work with new and existing Anthem music catalogs which the goal of creating new IP lanes for Anthem’s frontline signees. Anthem and Audio Up will also now have access to each other’s premiere studio spaces in Toronto, Nashville and Los Angeles.
Heavy Duty Music has announced new publishing deals with acclaimed indie singer/songwriter Jessica Pratt, avant-pop talent Cecile Believe (SOPHIE, Caroline Polachek) and both a publishing and label deal with Berlin-born artist/producer RIP Swirl. Swirl also acts as Heavy Duty’s first signing through its new joint venture with Imran Ahmed‘s In Real Life, which is already home to talents like Erika de Casier and Peggy Gou.
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Position Music has signed a worldwide publishing deal with Maya Kurchner in collaboration with Chosen People. Kurchner signed with Chosen People back in 2020 and has since worked with acts like Chappell Roan, Bebe Rexha,Tiësto, Alesso, Bazzi, Tinashe and more.
Third Side Music has announced an exclusive creative publishing deal to administer the works of composer Galt MacDermot in the United States. This includes his Tony-winning compositions for Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical (HAIR), Two Gentlemen of Verona, the film Rhinoceros and more.
Liz Rose Music has announced the signing of Jenna Johnson to an exclusive publishing deal. A multi-faceted talent, Johnson is best known for working alongside artists of all genres, from Nate Smith, BigXThaPlug, David Guetta, Bebe Rexha, Ty Dolla $ign, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, The Band Camino to Jared Benjamin and more.
Reservoir has signed songwriter-producer Lewis Thompson to a worldwide publishing deal for all future works. As a songwriter, Thompson has tracks like “Bed” by Joel Corry, RAYE, and David Guetta, “Head & Heart” by Joel Corry feat. MNEK and “I Wrote A Song” by Mae Muller in his repertoire. He’s also an artist in his own right, releasing tracks with David Guetta, Becky Hill and Alle Farben, dating back to 2022.
Position Music has signed Khalid “Khal” Yassein to a global publishing deal. Yassein is best known as the lead singer of indie folk outfit Wild Rivers, but he has also collaborated with a slew of other artists to date, including Sasha Sloan, venbee, Oh Wonder, Morgan Evans, The Fray, Matt Hansen, Maddie Zahm.
Rafter 3 Music and Warner Chappell Music have signed a global publishing deal with singer-songwriter Austin Michael. Hailing from Van Alstyne, Texas, Michael got his first intro to the music business through season 17 of American Idol, back when he was just 15. Since then, he moved to Austin and dedicated himself full-time to his artistry. This is his first publishing deal.
Wise Music Group has signed Sofi Paez to an exclusive publishing agreement with Berlin-based Bosworth Music GmbH. A pianist and composer born in San José, Costa Rica, Paez is now based in Berlin and experiments with piano, voice and electronic elements. Since 2023, her EP Circles gained the critical acclaim of her peers, and it led to her being handpicked to perform at Olafur Arnald’s OPIA launch event.
Edition Wilhelm Hansen, part of Wise Music Group, has signed Teitur “Teitur” Lassen to a publishing deal. The agreement is a co-publishing deal, partnered with Arlo & Betty Music, a company operated by Lassen’s longtime manager Christian Ulf-Hansen. Since getting his start nearly two decades ago, Lassen has released a slew of records, spanning from Stay Under the Stars (2006) to Songs from a Social Distance (2023) with Aarhus Jazz Orchestra.
When New Orleans rapper B.G. came home in September after serving an 11-year sentence following his guilty plea on two counts of possession of a firearm and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice, the rap community rejoiced. He’s the man responsible for entering the phrase “bling-bling” into the pop culture lexicon, after all.
But nearly a year later, the founding member of ’90s rap group Hot Boys is facing an unusual legal challenge: On Friday (June 28), a U.S. District Court judge in Louisiana ruled that the New Orleans rapper must provide the U.S. Probation Office with a copy of the lyrics to his upcoming songs for approval before producing or promoting them.
The decision, handed down by U.S. district court judge Susie Morgan, came several months after B.G. (real name Christopher Dorsey) was arrested in March for performing at a Las Vegas concert alongside rapper Lil Boosie; apparently, B.G. needed prior permission from the court to associate with acts that also have felony convictions on their record, as Lil Boosie does. The probation officer in the case also cited B.G.’s work with Gucci Mane, another rapper/convicted felon with whom B.G. released a collaborative mixtape, Choppers & Bricks, in December.
B.G. was subsequently released on his own recognizance pending the judge’s decision. Shortly after, the rapper expressed his frustration in an Instagram post, saying in part, “It’s crazy how after paying my debt to society with 12 and a half years of my life I come home and still ain’t free…I been doing everything the right way and it seems like that ain’t enough.”
At a court hearing on June 18, B.G. and prosecutors confirmed they had reached a deal to modify the conditions of the rapper’s supervised release following his March arrest but “disagreed” over the prosecutors’ request to prohibit the rapper “from promoting and glorifying future gun violence/murder” in his music and at his concerts, according to the June 28 ruling.
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“The Defendant argues that the additional condition proposed by the Government is an unconstitutional prior restraint of speech that is an overly broad condition of supervised release,” the ruling reads.
The judge ultimately found that the prosecutors’ request was “not sufficiently clear and specific to serve as a guide for the Defendant’s conduct and for those entrusted with his supervision,” instead imposing a special condition that B.G. provide the probation office “with a copy of the lyrics of any song he writes,” according to the ruling. All lyrics B.G. shares with the probation office will be passed to the U.S. government, which can then decide if his “conduct is inconsistent with the goals of rehabilitation,” the ruling continues.
A representative for B.G. did not immediately respond to Billboard‘s request for comment.
The ruling is certain to cause controversy at a time when the practice of lyrics being used against rappers in criminal court has become a hot-button issue. In November, a judge ruled that Young Thug‘s lyrics can be used during his YSL RICO case, saying that “the First Amendment is not on trial.” Bobby Shmurda and the late Drakeo the Ruler have also had their lyrics used against them in criminal cases. There have since have been laws passed and proposed on both the state and federal levels to stop the criminalization of rap lyrics; in September, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law a statute restricting the practice, while similar laws have been proposed in New York and the U.S. House of Representatives.