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Rebel Wilson is countersuing The Deb producers Amanda Ghost, Cameron Gregor and Vince Holden, accusing them of a “troubling pattern” of “theft, bullying and sexual misconduct.”
The cross-complaint comes months after Ghost, Gregor and Holden sued Wilson for defamation in July after she initially accused them of sexual harassment and embezzlement in an Instagram video. The producing trio alleged in their lawsuit that Wilson lied in an attempt to release her movie The Deb — which Wilson directors, produced and starred in — at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, as well as secure a writing credit on the film.
Wilson’s new suit alleges that Ghost was sexually harassing the film’s lead actress, Charlotte MacInnes, and “forced MacInnes to live in her Bondi Beach penthouse apartment with her,” where “Ghost took a shower and a bath with MacInnes.” It also claimed that “Ghost was overheard making overtly sexual remarks to MacInnes on set.”
In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, MacInnes said, “There is no truth to the allegations made involving me. I made a statement to the film team when this was first said in September 2023, and I am saying this again now to draw a line under it. Making false accusations undermines real victims, and I won’t be the subject of a fabricated narrative.”
In Wilson’s suit, Ghost, Gregor and Holden are also accused of scheming to inflate the film’s budget and pocket the excess funds, according to the complaint. The suit said they “embezzled AU $900,000 from the film’s budget to be split between them.”
When Wilson reported the allegations to executive producer Danny Cohen, which he allegedly ignored, according to the suit, that’s when the producing trio “orchestrated a malicious and unyielding retaliatory campaign directed at her.”
Wilson claimed that the ongoing threats and intimidation tactics led her to hire “personal security on the set of The Deb,” so she could finish filming. The complaint also alleged that Gregor threatened to “terminate” the project and “fire its approximately 300 cast and crew members,” unless she signed a document “stating she withdrew her complaint about Ghost’s sexual misconduct” allegations.
Wilson’s attorney Bryan Freedman wrote in a statement, “Amanda Ghost, Cameron Gregor, and Vince Holden attempted to manipulate the narrative by recklessly filing an outlandish lawsuit. Their real problem? Only a fraction of their outrageous conduct has been revealed thus far. In their desperation to shift the story, they neglected to consider that this strategy would only lead to RW’s filing of a cross-complaint which exhibits a plethora of their shocking misconduct which there are many witnesses to. Many brave people have come forward who have had similar dealings with Amanda Ghost. While unfortunate, this was not a surprise. Stay tuned, this is just the tip of the iceberg. There is much more to come.”
THR has reached out to reps for Cohen, Ghost, Gregor, and Holden for comment.
This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.
Welcome to the latest spin ’round the Executive Turntable, Billboard’s comprehensive(ish) compendium of promotions, hirings, exits and firings — and all things in between — across music.
We’ve seen the departure of Spotify’s global head of music and a changing of the guard at Verve, but otherwise it’s been a fairly quiet week. Read on for [mostly] good news and also check out Billboard‘s just-released annual list of Latin music’s most powerful executives, plus our weekly interview series spotlighting a single executive, our helpful calendar of notable events, and have you ever wanted to look at tchotchkes inside the office of an executive while reading their in-depth answers to the most important questions facing the biz? From the Desk Of is probably your jam.
Aric Steinberg has been elevated to executive director of Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, the 30-year-old non-profit that delivers a lifeline to musicians and industry types facing financial hardships due to illness, disabilities or other challenges. Founded by folk singer-songwriter Victoria Williams in 1994 following the release of a star-studded benefit album on her behalf, the charity offers financial assistance to artists, composers, road crew, agents and others in the form of grants to cover essential expenses ranging from medical bills to housing and food. The LA-based Steinberg joined Sweet Relief in 2010 and most recently served as executive vp of development and artist relations, though he has been essentially filling the role since the 2017 passing of former director Rob Max. “It is long overdue that in 2024 we are officially giving Aric the title of executive director … as he has been embodying that position for many years now,” noted fund president Bill Bennett. “I look forward to an extraordinary future with Aric where Sweet Relief will continue to help more and more musicians and music industry workers in need.”
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Sweet Relief has assisted a wide range of artists over the years, most recently Sick of It All frontman Lou Koller and singer-songwriter Jesse Malin — who both have benefit concerts planned for them later this year. “I see a bright future for Sweet Relief as we continue to grow and help more musicians and music industry professionals every year,” said Steinberg. “This 30th anniversary year has been our best ever, and I look forward to serving the community in the years to come.”
Meanwhile…
Alen Torosyan is promoted to general manager of Warner Music Emerging Markets, effective Oct. 1, while Jonathan Jules has joined as vice president of creative. Both will report to Alfonso Perez Soto, president of emerging markets. This division is home to artists including Calin, Diljit Dosanjh and Joeboy, and covers rapidly growing regions such as Africa, Eastern Europe, India, and the Middle East, which have expanded through strategic investments and partnerships. Torosyan, with over a decade at Warner Music, was previously vp of operations for the division. Jules, formerly vp of international marketing and operations at EMPIRE, will now drive strategic leadership to WMEM’s A&R and marketing teams. Perez Soto praised Torosyan’s “unflappable” ability to multitask and carry out detail-oriented projects “without losing his forensic focus on detail,” and lauded Jules’ entrepreneurial drive and “ability to read the shifting sands of culture and music, anticipating tomorrow’s trends.” Perez Soto added: “Together, they’ll help us superserve artists and rapidly grow our business.”
Sony Music Publishing hired Caroline Elleray as vice president of creative, songwriter services, effective immediately. In this role, Elleray will lead efforts to support songwriters, manage catalogs and collaborate with global creative teams to explore new growth opportunities. The London-based Elleray reports to co-managing directors Tim Major and David Ventura. With over two decades of experience in music publishing, including previous stints at UMPG and BMG, she has discovered and developed artists like Coldplay, Keane, Feist, Rex Orange County and Mumford & Sons. Alongside her new role at SMP, Elleray will continue managing Second Songs, a publishing and management venture she co-founded in 2022 with Mark Gale. Second Songs, in partnership with SMP UK, represents talents like Victoria Canal and songwriters Matt Hales and Dan Green. “Her track record, the songwriters and artists she has worked with speak for themselves, showcasing her immense and relentless dedication for music creators,” said Ventura, who is also SMP UK’s president and svp of international.
Nashville-based record label New West Records promoted Tommy Robinson to general manager and vp of sales, while Brady Block was boosted to senior vp of media and reissues producer. Katie Keller has been upped to vp of project management, while Meg Barron rises to director of A&R and publishing. Brooke Nixon joins as vp of digital marketing, following a role as director of streaming at Big Machine Label Group imprint The Valory Music Co. New West’s current roster includes Aaron Lee Tasjan, 49 Winchester, Ben Folds, American Aquarium and more. –Jessica Nicholson
Universal Music Finland appointed veteran executive Petri Mannonen to CEO, effective immediately. Mannonen joined UMG in 2010 as a commercial director and in 2017 expanded his responsibilities to include overseeing operations in the Baltics (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania). Prior to Universal, he was CEO of Viasat Finland (now Viaplay), a pay television company. The UMF roster includes KUUMAA, Mirella and Robin Packale, among others. “The Finnish music market is in a really interesting situation at the moment,” said Mannonen. “Music is now easier to release than ever, and as the selection grows, the role of major record labels is also emphasized. Our job is to focus on building long-term artist careers while taking care of artists. We want to offer our current and future artists a creative and professional place to grow and develop while making sure that their music reaches the right audiences.”
FUGA, the Downtown-owned B2B music distributor, promoted Renato Vanzella to general manager of LATAM, expanding his previous role as GM of Brazil to oversee operations in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico. Vanzella will focus on business development, client relations, and partnerships with DSPs, reporting to Sarah Landy, the senior vp for the Americas. Since joining FUGA in 2019, Vanzella has significantly grown the team and secured key clients, including Elemess, MJC Music, Beeside Records, and Radar Records. Landy praised Renato Vanzella’s promotion, highlighting his “exceptional strategic vision and leadership” over the years. “Renato consistently has demonstrated a deep understanding of the local music landscape, and his passion for collaboration and client service has earned him the respect of our team and our partners,” she said.
Armada Music appointed Susanne Hazendonk as head of catalog, bringing over 15 years of industry experience from Spinnin’ Records and Warner Music Benelux. Having worked with top dance artists such as Lucas & Steve, Sam Feldt and Afrojack, as well as hitmakers like Bruno Mars and The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Hazendonk is well-versed in both dance music and big ol’ hits. She’ll report directly to COO Jop Bonnike, leading marketing and storytelling efforts and overseeing the expansion of Armada’s catalog department and acquisitions through the BEAT Music Fund. Bonnike praise Hazendonk’s “unwavering passion and infectious enthusiasm for dance music, adding, “As we continue to prioritize the growth and evolution of our catalog department, we’re looking forward to working alongside Susanne to seize new opportunities in the market.”
Big Loud Rock added Zach Siegal-Eisman as vice president of digital and viral marketing, overseeing the imprint’s digital marketing strategy and execution, as well as artist growth and digital presence of both upcoming and catalog record releases. Earlier this year, Siegal-Eisman launched the marketing consultancy Amplify Legacy and previously worked at social media agency Crowd Surf and at Artist Network Management. –J.N.
BOARD SHORTS: The Music Managers Forum appointed Niamh Byrne as chair and Jill Hollywood as vice chair, succeeding Paul Craig and Kwame Kwaten, respectively, who recently stepped down after serving two three-year terms. Byrne, co-founder of Eleven Management, has made a mark with artists including Damon Albarn, Blur and Gorillaz. She brings a wealth of experience, having held roles at Universal Music UK and her consultancy firm The Engine Room. Hollywood, founder of Echo Beach Management, has managed both legendary producers and emerging talents, including current roster Jacknife Lee, Ash Howes and Ash Workman. Hollywood previously spent over a decade at Big Life Management. MMF also said that Theory Management’s Hide Whone is joining the board, replacing Clare Wright … Newport Folk launched the Newport Folk Stewardship Program, designed to recognize individuals who have significantly contributed to Newport’s legacy and challenge the “Folk Family” to innovate for the future. The first appointee is St. Louis-born Americana artist Nathaniel Rateliff, who’ll focus on artist advocacy, mentorship and fellowship, both within the Newport Folk community and beyond. He’ll serve a three-year term, with two years as an active steward and one as an advisor to his successor.
Nettwerk welcomed Ruth Wyatt as director of sync for UK and Europe, bringing her experience from Warner Music UK, where she successfully placed artists in various sync opportunities. Her notable achievements include Sam Ryder’s “Christmas To Me.” Wyatt said she’s looking forward to helping Network build out its sync opportunities across the UK and Europe, adding, “It’s never been a more exciting time to be in the sync space, with more productions being made than ever before and we’re witnessing breakout productions from the Nordics, Spain, Germany, France Australia, all of which are attracting overwhelmingly international audiences, subsequently creating global impact for our artists.” Nettwerk co-founder Mark Jowett, said Wyatt’s “expertise in achieving syncs is matched only by her passion for supporting great music and artists.”
Alphabeats, a startup using music and neurofeedback tech to help athletes improve mental acuity, announced that chief commercial officer and U.S. president Jorrit DeVries will assume the role of global CEO. Current chief Han Dirkx, one of alphabeats’ three co-founders along with DeVries, will move into the role of chief operating officer and lead the company’s product, research and development, and technology teams based in The Netherlands. As U.S. president, DeVries has overseen sales, marketing, product development and fundraising. Prior to joining alphabeats, he was global head of category development at Spotify, and he has also held senior roles at Samsung, Vodafone and Warner Music, leading teams in the U.S. and Europe.
ICYMI:
Jeremy Erlich
Verve Label Group promoted Jamie Krents to CEO and president, and Dawn Olejar to chief operating officer … Harvey Mason Jr. isn’t going anywhere … Republic appointed Mary Catherine Kinney as executive vp of artist & label strategy … Alicia Arauzo and Luis Fernández are the new co-managing directors of Universal Music Spain … Jeremy Erlich will be leaving his position as Spotify’s global head of music … and Narcís Rebollo has been appointed CEO and president of UMG’s spun-out Global Talent Services. [MORE]
Last Week’s Turntable: An Old Friend Returns to Budd
After Garth Brooks was accused of rape and other sexual misconduct in a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles on Thursday (Oct. 3), the country star has responded and insists he is “not the man they have painted me to be.” The allegations come from an unnamed woman who claims Brooks sexually assaulted her while she […]
EMPIRE is not for sale, said company founder/CEO Ghazi at the Trapital Summit on Thursday (Oct. 3) in Hollywood.
While appearing on a panel titled “The Rise of Independent Music” at the inaugural edition of the conference, Trapital founder Dan Runcie played a short game of over/under with Ghazi, asking the EMPIRE head how many calls he’d recently received about selling the label/distributor.
“You run a music company that has done well from a business perspective and many companies that are your peers in this space are being acquired, they are selling, they are raising money,” Runcie said, adding that EMPIRE is an attractive company to acquire at the moment. He then asked Ghazi if he had received over or under four phone calls in the last 12 months poking around to see if he would sell or allow investment.
“I haven’t gotten any phone calls,” Ghazi said sternly to the audience. “Because everybody knows I’m not for sale. Period. I am dead serious. I am living my purpose. There’s no price on that.”
The declaration comes as independent music distributors like Stem, Downtown, ONErpm and Believe have begun fundraising and exploring acquisitions from major music companies and other investors. Earlier this year, Warner Music Group looked into acquiring Believe (talks between the two ultimately fizzled out) and later hired Goldman Sachs banker Michael Ryan-Southern to lead its search to buy a distributor.
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While EMPIRE would be an ideal acquisition target for the majors or private equity, Ghazi said that’s not an option.
“I’m one of the very few people that I don’t give a s— about money. I care about money that I can share with other people within the livelihood that I get to create,” Ghazi said at the one-day conference. “I used to tell people when I started EMPIRE, ‘I want to be the Robin Hood of the music business.’ And I think that I’ve stuck to my principles. People will always poke around and it never gets to me.”
Ghazi explained that he has brushed off any inquiries that have come his way and has tried to keep his eye on the prize. “We’re helping thousands of people. We’ve created micro-economies all across this planet we call Earth and, for me, there’s nothing more special than that,” he added.
The EMPIRE CEO’s declaration comes as client Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” continues its No. 1 streak on the Billboard Hot 100 with 12 weeks at the summit to date.
“Did you ever think that one of the biggest songs you would have would be a country song?” Runcie asked during the conversation.
“I didn’t think it wouldn’t be,” Ghazi responded. The CEO went on to explain that about five years ago, EMPIRE set out to find stars and that in every genre they explored — including hip-hop, country and Afro music — they found someone special. “A lot of it just has to do with having the right taste, your thumb on the pulse and approaching the culture with understanding what they’re trying to do,” he said.
Independent music trade bodies have hit out at TikTok for boycotting collective license talks with Merlin by seeking to strike direct deals with its indie label members, accusing the platform of trying to divide the sector and “drive down the value” of music.
Licensing talks between TikTok and Merlin, which negotiates digital licenses for a coalition of more than 30,000 independent labels and music companies, representing 15% of the global recorded music market, abruptly ended late last month when “TikTok walked away before negotiations even began,” according to a letter Merlin sent to its members on Friday (Sept. 27).
The London-headquartered indie rights organization, which counts the labels 4AD, Domino, Matador, Subpop, Partisan, Warp, XL Recordings and Secretly Group among its members, said that TikTok told them that it would not be renewing its license deal, due to expire Oct. 31, and was instead looking to licence its members directly.
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A spokesperson for TikTok confirmed Monday (Oct. 1) that it was “committed to entering into direct deals with Merlin members in order to keep their music on TikTok.”
One of the reasons TikTok has given for not renegotiating its deal with Merlin is its concerns over alleged streaming fraud, which a TikTok spokesperson told Billboard specifically relates to a handful of Merlin members delivering songs or remixes of songs that they don’t own the rights to.
Addressing those allegations, Merlin told members it has worked “productively and collaboratively with TikTok” on streaming manipulation and fraudulent content “and until now, no concerns have been raised.”
Executives and trade bodies from across the independent music sector have also called into question TikTok’s reasoning for not renewing its deal with Merlin, while also slamming its attempts to boycott collective licensing with the company.
Brussels-based independent labels trade body IMPALA, which represents over 6,000 indie music companies in Europe and has previously criticized TikTok for the low returns it pays to rightsholders, said it strongly opposed TikTok’s attempts to boycott Merlin.
“Given the timing, it seems clear that TikTok’s real intention is to fragment the sector and drive down the value of independent music, rather than deal with streaming manipulation,” said Mark Kitcatt, chair of IMPALA’s streaming group, in a statement on Thursday (Oct. 3).
“Record labels have entrusted their rights to Merlin to negotiate on their behalf and by TikTok going directly to rights holders they are disrespecting the licensing agreements that are in place,” added Dan Waite, chair of IMPALA’s digital committee. “Like a supermarket chain negotiating directly with individual farmers for the price of their milk, it’s difficult to see how this can work out in the farmers’ favour.”
Referencing TikTok’s cited concerns around streaming manipulation, IMPALA’s executive chair Helen Smith questioned how seeking direct deals with Merlin members would better address the issue than renewing a collective license. “This feels like a smoke screen for boycotting Merlin given the history and the timing and the fact the whole industry is working hard on this important issue,” said Smith in a statement.
“TikTok’s claim that leaving Merlin would alleviate fraud is technically and effectively incorrect,” Gee Davy, interim CEO of the U.K.-based Association of Independent Music (AIM), tells Billboard. She claims that TikTok can already choose which music catalogs it uploads through the Merlin deal, and stresses it is by the industry working together “and TikTok re-engaging with Merlin that the industry will fight online fraud.”
“The resource required to close deals and manage a large number of independent music relationships, take down unlicensed music, and handle fraud separately across a number of participants would surely outweigh any gains,” says Davy. “And that’s aside from any reputational issues that arise from TikTok claiming to respect independent music while in practice showing that they don’t respect the licensing choices of independent music businesses.
“Many smaller labels and artists will be locked out of any direct licensing, which will sour relations as well as set back many years of work by Merlin, AIM and others in improving equitable access to the market and diversity of music available to consumers. We urge TikTok to speak to us and consider the bigger picture and; most of all, to recognise the inadvertent damage their actions have caused and return to discussions with Merlin.”
Those sentiments were echoed by Dr. Richard Burgess, president of the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM), who earlier this week told Billboard: “TikTok’s refusal to negotiate a deal with Merlin isn’t just a setback — it’s a threat to the whole music ecosystem.” Burgess said the dispute “isn’t just about Merlin; it’s about properly recognizing the value of artists and their music.”
The Brussels-based International Music Publishers Forum (IMPF) has also urged TikTok to reengage and strike a licensing agreement with Merlin, calling its attempts to “circumnavigate” collective licensing “a thinly veiled attempt to divide independent labels and drive down the price of music.”
“Merlin’s members have entrusted their rights to the organisation in order to uphold transparency, efficiency and fair remuneration. That must be respected,” said IMPF in a statement.
Merlin is the third music organization this year, after Universal Music Group (UMG) and the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA), to express challenges in renewing music licenses with TikTok. In February, UMG’s failure to reach a deal with TikTok led to the removal of its entire catalog of hits from TikTok for about three months.
In April, after publicly supporting UMG’s position against TikTok, the NMPA allowed its TikTok license, which was used by a number of indie publishers, to lapse as well. It has not been renewed. A spokesperson for TikTok says that many of the indie publishers have now established their own direct licenses with the short-form app.
Unless a swift resolution can be found between TikTok and Merlin — or Merlin’s label members choose to negotiate individual license deals with the ByteDance-owned platform — hit songs from artists like Nirvana, Phoebe Bridgers, Diplo, The Lumineers, Mac Demarco, Madlib, Mitski, Thundercat, Wet Leg and Coolio could start to be removed from TikTok on Nov. 1.
From CDs to streaming to AI, new technology has had an outsized impact on the music industry for decades — and Venice Music founder/CEO Troy Carter predicts the next big technological shift will come in the form of synthetic artists.
At a panel titled “The Future of Streaming” at the inaugural Trapital Summit in Hollywood on Thursday (Oct. 3), Carter said he does not believe audiences will be able to tell the difference between physical artists and their holographic images in the coming years — and that those lifelike holograms represent the next big revenue generator in music.
To illustrate his point, Carter highlighted what Industrial Light & Magic created for the ABBA Voyage holographic concerts in London. “In terms of live experience, it’s a combination of artificial intelligence and high-end holographic imaging that seems real. The audience won’t be able to tell the difference,” said Carter. “When you go to whatever streaming service, you won’t be able to tell whether that is a human artist or a synthetic artist. When you go to see them live, you won’t be able to tell if it is a human artist or synthetic artist. And the audience won’t care.”
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The bold prediction from the former Spotify executive stemmed from Trapital founder and moderator Dan Runcie’s question about what will replace streaming in the music consumption hierarchy as the technology reaches its saturation point.
While Carter stated that the ascension of synthetic artists will take away from “the purity that our industry thrives on…the genie is out of the bottle and the audience doesn’t care,” he said. “They’re going to gravitate towards it and it’s going to be hugely competitive with what legacy music is today.”
The use of synthetic artists, Carter believes, will be beneficial to both human artists and the wider industry due to its scale. By employing them, he said, “you could do [live experiences and recorded music] in every language. You could do it in all parts of the world. Then there are ways for real artists to be able to use that technology to be able to scale their businesses, as well.”
The discussion followed Carter’s thoughts earlier in the panel on where the music industry needs to be placing its energy now that, in his words, the trend of signing artists from TikTok is “starting to crumble.”
“Everybody chased what was hot on TikTok. We gave the keys to TikTok,” said Carter. “Everybody bet on ephemeral artists for the most part and ephemeral songs on TikTok and that’s starting to crumble now. We got to get to a point where it’s, ‘Okay, let’s bet on the art. Let’s bet on the artist. Let’s bet on development and really put strategy around that.’ The people who can do that are going to build billion-dollar brands with artists.”
According to Carter, the music industry can best use new technologies to its advantage by striking true partnerships with the companies that create it.
“In order for this to work, you need partners in this ecosystem whose incentives are aligned with our industry,” he said. “Me going inside of Spotify, Lyor [Cohen] going inside of YouTube, Jimmy [Iovine] and Larry [Jackson] going inside of Apple, it was people who were actually internally helping to align the interest [of music and technology] and being able to explain why [the music] is important. Some great things came out of that, in terms of building real partnerships. We have to hold all partners who are coming into our industry, who we’re giving content to, accountable for that.”
Country music star Garth Brooks is facing a lawsuit over allegations that he sexually assaulted an unnamed woman while she worked for him as a hairstylist and makeup artist.
In a lawsuit filed Thursday (Oct. 3) in Los Angeles court, attorneys for the anonymous Jane Roe accuser claim Brooks raped her during a May 2019 stay in a Los Angeles hotel room and also exposed her to “other appalling sexual conduct” during that same year.
The lawsuit claims that the singer took advantage of the accuser’s mounting financial troubles to subject her to “a side of Brooks that he conceals from the public.”
“This side of Brooks believes he is entitled to sexual gratification when he wants it, and using a female employee to get it is fair game,” Roe’s attorneys write.
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Notably, the accuser also alleges that Brooks was behind a mysterious lawsuit filed last month, obtained by Billboard, in which an anonymous “celebrity” plaintiff sued in Mississippi federal court over an an unnamed accuser’s sexual abuse allegations. Calling the accusations false and an “ongoing attempted extortion,” the earlier case asked a judge to stop her from further publicizing them.
“The abusive Mississippi action by Brooks is a blatant attempt to further control and bully his sexual assault victims by utilizing his multimillionaire resources to game the legal system,” Roe’s lawyers write in Thursday’s complaint. “Brooks is desperate to prevent his millions of fans from learning about the horrific things he has said and done to a junior female employee who did nothing to deserve such treatment.”
A representative for Brooks did not immediately return a request for comment.
In her lawsuit, the plaintiff claims she began working in 1999 for Brooks’ wife, Trisha Yearwood, but started to work for Brooks in 2017. When she experienced financial difficulties in 2019, she says Brooks offered to help her by giving her more work.
The first alleged incident occurred earlier in 2019, when Brooks allegedly emerged from the shower naked and forced the accuser to touch his erect penis and said he had fantasized about her performing oral sex on him. She says she denied his advances but continued to work for him.
Months later, in May, Roe claims that when she and Brooks stayed together in a Los Angeles hotel, he booked only a single room for both of them. She claims that during their stay, he violently raped her in the room.
During the months that followed, the plaintiff claims Brooks repeatedly acted inappropriately toward her in other ways, including sending sexually explicit text messages, physically groping her breasts, and making sexually charged remarks toward her.
“We applaud our client’s courage in moving forward with her complaint against Garth Brooks,” said the accuser’s attorneys, from the prominent plaintiff’s firm Wigdor LLP. “The complaint filed today demonstrates that sexual predators exist not only in corporate America, Hollywood and in the rap and rock and roll industries but also in the world of country music.”
Though Brooks has not yet responded to Thursday’s lawsuit, documents filed in the earlier mystery case in Mississippi tell what appears to be his side of the story.
After a former professional associate “encountered financial difficulties” and asked for financial assistance in 2020, the lawsuit says that the unnamed celebrity plaintiff “complied out of loyalty” and offered help. But when he eventually refused her increasing demands, inclduing for salaried employment and medical benefits, the lawsuit says the woman responded with “false and outrageous allegations of sexual misconduct.”
Later, the unnamed woman allegedly “offered to refrain from publicly filing her false and defamatory lawsuit against plaintiff in exchange for a multi-million dollar payment” — a demand that the lawsuit called “extortion.”
“Defendant’s allegations are not true,” the unnamed celebrity wrote in last month’s lawsuit. “Defendant is well aware, however, of the substantial, irreparable damage such false allegations would do to Plaintiff’s well-earned reputation as a decent and caring person, along with the unavoidable damage to his family and the irreparable damage to his career and livelihood that would result if she made good on herthreat to ‘publicly file’ her fabricated lawsuit.”
Last year, TikTok attempted to answer a seemingly simple question: What would TikTok be without music?
In February 2023, the company ran tests in Australia limiting the amount of licensed music some users encountered on the app. TikTok never revealed the results of those tests to the public, but some Australians who had their music libraries limited took to Twitter (now X) to complain. “wtf is up with tiktok removing like half the sounds??? like i swear ive seen SO many tiktoks where the sound has been removed,” tweeted one user.
The evidence is only anecdotal, but these tweets suggest that having limited access to licensed music did have at least some impact on the user experience in Australia.
Since its inception, the value of music has been an existential question for TikTok. This comes as no surprise; the company started out as the lipsyncing app Musical.ly, and in its current form, it is one of the most effective music discovery tools in the world. But since the modern-day TikTok launched as a general social media app — one that still features lots of music — the company has struggled to figure out how big a role music should play in their business — and how much they should have to pay for it.
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In the last year or so, TikTok has fought a prolonged battle against Universal Music Group over music licensing rates, AI, and safety concerns, leading to UMG’s three-month boycott of the platform; downsized parts of its music team; shut down the development of TikTok Music, its nascent music streaming app; and, last week, “walked away” from Merlin’s attempts to negotiate a renewed collective license for the 30,000 indie labels and distributors it represents. Instead, citing issues around fraudulent content, TikTok is only pursuing direct deals with Merlin’s member labels.
The UMG feud in particular seemed to represent a major turning point in TikTok’s perception of the value of music. The stalemate, which lasted from February to May, essentially took the small experiments done in Australia and brought them to a global stage with the world’s single largest catalog. Everyone from stars like Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Drake and the Weeknd, down to small artists signed to labels using UMG distributor Virgin, were removed from the platform overnight. If any event would have proved that music had negotiating power over TikTok, it would’ve been this one — but the impact was much more limited than the music biz would have hoped.
From talking to TikTok users during the UMG feud, many felt that the app experience was largely the same. Rarely, if ever, would anyone find a video on their “For You Page” with muted UMG audio. Whatever unknowable algorithm controls that feed simply adjusted to serve videos with still-available songs instead, seamlessly. The only time a user would notice the difference is if they were making a video themselves and realized they couldn’t find songs from a UMG-affiliated artist.
Plus, UMG artists big and small proved that they still wanted to make content for the app, even though doing so diminished the pressure UMG could put on TikTok to improve their compensation. Some UMG artists played their songs live instead of using the UMG-owned recording. Others would use unauthorized remixes (including sped up, slowed down and mashed up versions) of their UMG-controlled songs. Some ended up striking direct deals with the platform or finding contractual workarounds to skirt the ban, and the final nail in the coffin seemingly came when Taylor Swift’s catalog suddenly came back to TikTok on April 11 —– complete with a special campaign around her then-upcoming album, The Tortured Poets Department.
When the two companies finally reached a deal three weeks later, just before UMG’s next earnings call, UMG chairman/CEO Lucian Grainge spoke triumphantly about the new TikTok deal. “This new chapter in our relationship with TikTok focuses on the value of music, the primacy of human artistry and the welfare of the creative community,” Grainge said. It’s quite possible that, with the new deal, UMG extracted many of the concessions that it wanted from TikTok.
Still, overall, the effects of the three-month standoff were pretty limited: many TikTok users didn’t notice a change, while UMG’s stream count went unaffected. The key takeaway is that artists, desperate for promotion, would still make musical content for the app for free, even if it infringed on their own unlicensed copyrights. It became a race to the bottom, like so many other things in music.
So it comes as little surprise that when Merlin’s TikTok license came up for renegotiation, TikTok played hardball —– or rather, TikTok just refused to play ball with Merlin altogether.
Instead, TikTok wants to license its 30,000 indie record label members individually — a move which Merlin sees as an attempt to “fractionalize” members to “minimize” licensing costs, according to a letter Merlin sent to its labels last week.
The whole idea of Merlin — which says it represents 15% of music repertoire globally — is for these small, individual labels to be able to band together and negotiate deal terms with digital partners that are at least in the same neighborhood as their bigger major label brethren. Antitrust laws prevent Merlin from telling its members what to do, meaning TikTok is technically free to negotiate individually and bypass their coalition. Even if Merlin could pull such a move to band together its membership against TikTok, it’s hard to imagine a boycott of indie music going any better than UMG’s.
Optically, it’s one thing for TikTok to stand up to the biggest music company in the world and argue that UMG had put their own greed above the interests of their artists and songwriters” in an attempt to lower the rates it had to pay the label. It’s another entirely for the app, which has over a billion users, to lowball the little guys.
Overshadowing all of this, of course, is the fact that TikTok’s corporate parent Bytedance is in a court battle with the U.S. government that, if it loses, could mean it would be forced to sell its U.S. business. In preparation, TikTok is likely cutting costs wherever it can. Given how tough it is for the music industry to walk away from TikTok, it’s unfortunately one of the easiest places to start.
So what is the value of music to TikTok? It’s been a moving target throughout the company’s history. In light of recent events, however, I’ll let you be the judge.
This story was published as part of Billboard’s new music technology newsletter ‘Machine Learnings.’ Sign up for ‘Machine Learnings,’ and Billboard’s other newsletters, here.
Irenic Capital Management LP, a Manhattan-based hedge fund, has taken an 8.1% stake in Reservoir Media and believes the music company is “undervalued,” according to a regulatory filing dated Monday (Sept. 30).
Described as an “activist investor” by The Wall Street Journal, Irenic called on Reservoir to “undertake a full strategic review of all alternatives to maximize shareholder value and to form a special committee to the Board to oversee such a process.”
“The Reservoir Media board of directors values shareholder input and we remain focused on executing our strategy to drive value, in line with our fiduciary duty to all shareholders,” a company spokesperson said in a statement to Billboard.
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Reservoir’s stock has outperformed many of its peers in the multi-sector, record label/music publisher sector in 2024. Through Wednesday, Reservoir’s 7.7% year-to-date gain has bested Universal Music Group (down 8.3%), Warner Music Group (down 12.5%) and the four K-pop companies: HYBE, SM Entertainment, JYP Entertainment and YG Entertainment (down an average of 33.1%).
Only French music company Believe, which has gained 42.5% because it was the target of a management-led takeover, has done better than Reservoir. In explaining the move to take it private, Believe CEO Denis Ladegaillerie said the company had “outperformed its objectives” but its success “has not been reflected in the share price evolution.”
Still, Reservoir is well below its original $10.00 price when it merged with Roth CH Acquisition II Co, a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), in 2021. Wednesday’s $7.68 closing price is well below its 52-week high of $9.20.
Irenic owns stakes in trucking company Forward Air, Canadian software company Kinaxis and industrial technology company Barnes Group Inc., where Irenic CEO Andy Katz gained a board seat in March. On its website, Irenic explains that it “invests in public companies and works collaboratively” with management for improvements in operating and financial performance “that create long-term value for the company and its owners.” Katz previously worked at Elliot Management and focused on “special situations” such as public equity activism and distressed credit.
Spotify is reportedly raising prices for subscribers in Canada.
The move comes amidst the implementation of the Online Streaming Act, which sees the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) requiring major foreign streamers — those with revenues over $25 million — to pay 5% of revenues as base contributions into funds for Canadian content.
The price increase also comes as the streaming giant raises costs in markets beyond Canada. In July, Spotify increased prices in the U.S. from $11 monthly for individuals to $12. That increase follows a previous hike in 2023, which affected both the U.S. and Canada, and marked the app’s first price increase since 2011.
In a statement to Billboard Canada, a Spotify spokesperson does not explicitly link the increase to the “streaming tax” but does indicate the company is part of a legal challenge against the CRTC. Spotify joined Amazon and Apple filed legal challenges against the CRTC this summer, following the June announcement of the regulation.
“As we continue to innovate and invest in providing our listeners with greater value than ever before, we occasionally update our prices,” a spokesperson for Spotify tells Billboard Canada. “We may also adjust our prices to reflect local macroeconomic factors and meet market demands while offering an unparalleled service. We, along with a number of others, have filed a legal challenge against the CRTC streaming tax in Canada, and so will not be commenting further publicly at this time.”
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The Online Streaming Act was implemented this year after extensive consultations last fall. The base contributions from major streamers are expected to generate 200 million in funds for Canadian content, with the contributions directed toward “areas of immediate need,” including funding bodies FACTOR and Musicaction, as well as the Indigenous Music Office.
Music rights-holders have called for increases to streaming prices, which haven’t matched inflation over the last decade. Spotify has been re-evaluating its prices and royalty models as it invests in audiobooks, making changes to its revenue share payouts which have de-monetized songs receiving fewer than 1000 plays per year.
The company has also made adjustments to its presence in Canada, laying off Nathan Wiszniak, Head of Artist & Label Partnerships at Spotify Canada, during a round of cuts last December. The company has since hired Elizabeth Phipps as Label Partnerships Lead, Canada.
During the consultations for the Online Streaming Act last fall, Spotify’s Olivia Regnier provided testimony before the government that suggested they might make changes to how Spotify operates in Canada if forced to pay.
“If asked to make a burdensome contribution, irrespective of our existing investments, Spotify will need to make financial decisions to sustainably run our business,” said Regnier. “Additional costs could require us to cut expenses, including [reducing] our resources for editorial, partnership, and promotional programs in Canada; reduce resources currently going back to the music ecosystem; or force us to raise prices for Canadian consumers,” she continued.
When the decision was announced in in June, organizations like the Motion Picture Association — Canada, which represents platforms like Netflix and Disney +, expressed dismay.
Others, like the Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA), welcomed the announcement. “As we look towards the future of music in Canada, this decision lays the groundwork for a dynamic partnership with digital platforms where Canadian talent can thrive both domestically and internationally,” said CIMA President Andrew Cash.
Spotify has more than 600 million users and reported 3.6 billion euros in first quarter global revenue this year.
This article was originally published by Billboard Canada.