State Champ Radio executive turnable
The Recording Academy has appointed Nzinga “Zing” Shaw as chief DEI officer. She reports directly to Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr., while vp of DEI Ryan Butler reports to her.
Shaw oversees diversity, equity and inclusion efforts across all areas of the Recording Academy, including internal and external programs, organizational and staff culture, membership, awards and related initiatives.
“I am thrilled to introduce Zing to the Recording Academy as our Chief DEI Officer,” Mason said in a statement. “Her groundbreaking work in the DEI field speaks for itself and we are excited to see how she’ll amplify the Academy’s commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment and drive positive change throughout the organization.”
“I am proud to join the Recording Academy and work with a talented team of leaders to cultivate a culture of inclusion that fosters different points of view and empowers diverse colleagues,” Shaw said in a statement. “The organization has made incredible strides in diversity, equity and inclusion over the last few years, and I look forward to being part of the Academy’s continued commitment to supporting both our internal stakeholders and the music community at large.”
With direct support from Butler and Ricky Lyon, manager of DEI, Shaw is responsible for ensuring that diversity and inclusion are core business values and those standards are demonstrated throughout the organization.
Shaw is known for her pioneering DEI work with the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks, launching the MOSAIC symposium (Model of Shaping Atlanta through Inclusive Conversations), and making the Hawks the first professional sports team to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community. Additionally, Shaw was the first chief DEI officer at three top organizations: Edelman, Starbucks and the National Basketball Association.
In addition to serving on the board of trustees of Fisk University, the board of directors of ColorComm, and the board of advisors of Arctos Sports Partners, Shaw was appointed by former President Jimmy Carter to serve a six-year term on the board of councilors of the Carter Center.
Shaw holds a bachelor’s degree from Spelman College and a master’s from the University of Pennsylvania. She was a study abroad scholar at Oxford University in the U.K.
Veteran talent buyer Jon Halperin has joined the expanding team at From The Roots as talent buyer for its boutique festival site and amphitheater, Poconos Park in Pennsylvania.
From The Roots is a new music real estate development, venue management and independent promoter company founded by veteran entertainment entrepreneur, executive and marketer John M. Oakes.
In early 2022, From the Roots acquired more than 200 acres of land, including the nearly $40 million- development formerly known as Mt. Laurel Performing Arts Center and the Tom Ridge Pavilion.
“From The Roots recognized the venue’s immediate potential, took action, renovated, upgraded and reopened as Poconos Park,” according to a press release.
Halperin has been buying music talent for nearly 25 years for venues like the Chain Reaction in Anaheim, Calif. (where he booked the Mars Volta’s first show) as well as The Glass House in Pomona, Calif.
“It’s great to be working with Jon again,” says Oakes. “Jon has decades of history and knowledge from booking a wide range of talent across genres. We are excited to work with him to curate headliners and continue to foster developing artists on shows as he has throughout his career.”
Halperin will work remotely from Southern California and continues to book the Isle of Light festival in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, as well as the Gridlife and Celebrez en Rose festival brand. Halperin also worked for the Coachella Music and Arts Festival, First City Festival in Monterey Calif., All Tomorrow’s Parties Warped Tour and Hootenanny.
“This opportunity allows me to continue to expand my talent buying reach,” says Halperin, “While at the same time it is very exciting to be a part of a growing a larger capacity independent venue and company!”
Jeff Olson has been hired as vp of booking for Crypto. com Arena, Microsoft Theater and L.A. LIVE. In his new role, Olson will focus on sourcing talent and securing deals with high-priority clients and promoters for shows for all three venues. In addition, he’ll be responsible for working with the Los Angeles Lakers, Kings, Clippers and Sparks to assist with the scheduling and maintaining the arena’s calendar as well as working with the award shows and residencies to assist with the scheduling and maintaining Microsoft Theater and L.A. LIVE venue calendars.
“We are incredibly excited to have Jeff Olson joining our team,” says Lee Zeidman, president, Crypto.com Arena, Microsoft Theater and L.A. LIVE. “He brings over 23 years of experience and knowledge of booking and event production to our venues and to the market, along with strong industry relationships. We are looking forward to having Jeff joining us here in Los Angeles and booking a variety of content for our venues in this competitive market.”
Hallie Yavitch, svp of booking and marketing for the trio of venues, said she was happy to welcome Olson back to town for this position — from 2002 to 2014 he lived in LA while working as a talent buyer and marketing director for the Arena Network.
“His impressive resume, experience and relationships will help our venues continue to grow and succeed in a competitive landscape,” Yavitch said.
The Michigan State alum started his career in the live entertainment industry as a talent buyer for Meridian Entertainment in Holt, Michigan in 1998 and went on to work at the ArenaNetwork before becoming the director of booking, events and marketing for the Memphis Grizzlies and FedEx Forum. In his time at the FedEx Forum, he delivered multiple record years in both the number of events, as well as fiscal performance for the venue. From November 2021 to February 2023, he became director of booking & special events for Snapdragon Stadium, the OVG360-managed facility in San Diego.
Olson will report directly to Yavitch.
LVRN continues to bolster the company by adding nine-time Grammy-winning producer and songwriter Bryan Michael Cox. Cox will serve as senior vp of A&R and executive producer for upcoming albums and artists for the label.
“A&R has become a lost art in this new generation of music because of the gap in relationship between A&R, the artist, and the label,” says Justice Baiden, LVRN co-founder. “Bryan-Michael Cox is a respected and accomplished producer and executive, and he’s the perfect addition to our team to help continue in bridging that gap. Bryan not only speaks the same language as the artist, but he also shares the same values as LVRN. We are on an unwavering mission to disrupt and redefine the rules of the music industry while also preserving the quality and integrity of the music. When I think of someone who handles music with care, I think of Bryan, and we’re excited to welcome him home to Atlanta and LVRN.”
“The time is right for this union because what LVRN has been able to do culturally is incredible,” adds Cox, who has worked with Usher, Mariah Carey and Justin Bieber throughout his career. “The commitment to the full picture of artist development is something that this business has been missing. From the single selections to album track listing to the rollouts, each artist has been launched uniquely with care. Justice pays attention to detail, and he has great understanding of what hit records should sound like without compromising the artists creativity and identity. I have a great track record of being able to bond with artists, get the best out of them, and, of course, being able to create or identify hit records. This is a perfect fit.”
Earlier this year, CEO and co-founder of MUSIC Matt Pincus joined the label’s board of directors and invested $25 million. The investment values LVRN at more than $100 million.
Helen Murphy is no longer CEO of Anthem Entertainment, according to a rep for the company. Jason Klein, who previously served as senior vp of business affairs and Canadian general manager, is taking over as interim CEO.
Anthem Entertainment was formerly known as ole Media Management. The rebrand, which took place in 2019, reflected the organization’s widening purview as it expanded from a music publishing company into something more multi-faceted. Over the course of several years, it acquired recordings (including the Rush catalog), music production companies and an audiovisual secondary-rights business, which Murphy described as “the second-largest collector of audiovisual secondary rights in the world, after the Motion Picture Association of America, which collects for the major studios.”
Murphy was named CEO in November 2018, a little more than six months before ole became Anthem. She had previously worked as CFO at PolyGram Records, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and Warner Music Group. Anthem “is a joyous name,” she told Billboard in 2019. “Everybody knows what an anthem is.” Murphy was named to Billboard‘s Power List in 2019 and 2022 and to Billboard‘s Women in Music list the same years.
In 2019, Anthem looked after publishing rights for 50,000 songs by over 400 songwriters. During Murphy’s tenure, the company expanded its publishing business by purchasing 50% of Wrensongs, acquiring a song catalog from Boardwalk Music Group and picking up the Kelly Archer song catalog. Archer helped pen country hits like Travis Denning’s “After A Few” and Justin Moore’s “Somebody Else Will,” both of which hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart, and Brett Young’s “Sleep Without You,” which reached No. 2.
Last March, sources told Billboard that Anthem was up for sale. “This is a very exciting time for Anthem, as we look to strategically broaden our opportunities globally,” Murphy said in a statement at the time. “Anthem has hired an investment bank to help it evaluate all of its strategic growth options. The company has strongly emerged from the worst phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, having grown across all segments of its business, and we want to continue to capitalize on our growth momentum.”
Billionaire Elon Musk is already floating major changes for Twitter — and faces major hurdles as he begins his first week as owner of the social-media platform.
Twitter’s new owner fired the company’s board of directors and made himself the board’s sole member, according to a company filing Monday with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
He’s also testing the waters on asking users to pay for verification. A venture capitalist working with Musk tweeted a poll asking how much users would be willing to pay for the blue check mark that Twitter has historically used to verify higher-profile accounts so other users know it’s really them.
Musk, whose account is verified, replied, “Interesting.”
Critics have derided the mark, often granted to celebrities, politicians, business leaders and journalists, as an elite status symbol.
But Twitter also uses the blue check mark to verify activists and people who suddenly find themselves in the news, as well as little-known journalists at small publications around the globe, as an extra tool to curb misinformation coming from accounts that are impersonating people.
“The whole verification process is being revamped right now,” Musk tweeted Sunday in response to a user who asked for help getting verified.
On Friday, meanwhile, billionaire Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal said he and his Kingdom Holding Company rolled over a combined $1.89 billion in existing Twitter shares, making them the company’s largest shareholder after Musk. The news raised concerns among some lawmakers, including Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut.
Murphy tweeted that he is requesting the Committee on Foreign Investment — which reviews acquisitions of U.S. businesses by foreign buyers — to investigate the national security implications of the kingdom’s investment in Twitter
“We should be concerned that the Saudis, who have a clear interest in repressing political speech and impacting U.S. politics, are now the second-largest owner of a major social media platform,” Murphy tweeted. “There is a clear national security issue at stake and CFIUS should do a review.”
Having taken ownership of the social media service, Musk has invited a group of tech-world friends and investors to help guide the San Francisco-based company’s transformation, which is likely to include a shakeup of its staff. Musk last week fired CEO Parag Agrawal and other top executives. There’s been uncertainty about if and when he could begin larger-scale layoffs.
Those who have revealed they are helping Musk include Sriram Krishnan, a partner at venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, which pledged back in the spring to chip in to Musk’s plan to buy the company and take it private.
Krishnan, who is also a former Twitter product executive, said in a tweet that it is “a hugely important company and can have great impact on the world and Elon is the person to make it happen.”
Jason Calacanis, the venture capitalist who tweeted the poll about whether users would pay for verification, said over the weekend he is “hanging out at Twitter a bit and simply trying to be as helpful as possible during the transition.”
Calacanis said the team already “has a very comprehensive plan to reduce the number of (and visibility of) bots, spammers, & bad actors on the platform.” And in the Twitter poll, he asked if users would pay between $5 and $15 monthly to “be verified & get a blue check mark” on Twitter. Twitter is currently free for most users because it depends on advertising for its revenue.
Musk agreed to buy Twitter for $44 billion in April but it wasn’t until Thursday evening that he finally closed the deal, after his attempts to back out of it led to a protracted legal fight with the company. Musk’s lawyers are now asking the Delaware Chancery Court to throw out the case, according to a court filing made public Monday. The two sides were supposed to go to trial in November if they didn’t close the deal by the end of last week.
Musk has made a number of pronouncements since early this year about how to fix Twitter, and it remains unclear which proposals he will prioritize.
He has promised to cut back some of Twitter’s content restrictions to promote free speech, but said Friday that no major decisions on content or reinstating of banned accounts will be made until a “content moderation council” with diverse viewpoints is put in place. He later qualified that remark, tweeting “anyone suspended for minor & dubious reasons will be freed from Twitter jail.”
The head of a cryptocurrency exchange that invested $500 million in Musk’s Twitter takeover said he had a number of reasons for supporting the deal, including the possibility Musk would transition Twitter into a company supporting cryptocurrency and the concept known as Web3, which many cryptocurrency enthusiasts envision as the next generation of the internet.
“We want to make sure that crypto has a seat at the table when it comes to free speech,” Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao told CNBC on Monday. “And there are more tactical things, like we want to help bring Twitter into Web3 when they’re ready.”
He said cryptocurrency could be useful for solving some of Musk’s immediate challenges, such as the plan to charge a premium membership fee for more users.
“That can be done very easily, globally, by using cryptocurrency as a means of payment,” he said.
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