International
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LONDON — Record labels, publishers and streaming services in the United Kingdom have signed up to a voluntary code of good practice that requires them to provide clear and transparent information to artists and creators about how their streaming royalties are calculated.
“The UK Code of Good Practice on Transparency in Music Streaming” was published Wednesday (Jan. 31) by the U.K. government’s Intellectual Property Office (IPO).
It obliges key players in the British music industry to supply musicians, songwriters, composers and producers with “timely, accurate and clear royalty accounting information,” as well as detail any deductions that have been applied.
Signatories include representatives of major and independent record labels, publishers, creators, collecting societies and streaming services.
Trade bodes BPI — which represents more than 500 labels, including the U.K. arms of Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group — and the Association of Independent Music (AIM), which acts on behalf of U.K. independent record labels and music companies, are among the music groups backing the pledge.
The U.K. government says the agreement forms a “significant point” in improving transparency around licensing deals and music streaming royalties that will build greater trust between record labels, streaming services and creators.
“This pioneering code, designed by the music industry with Government backing, has trust at its core,” said Viscount Camrose, minister for AI and Intellectual Property, in a statement.
The cross-industry pact, said Camrose, will “help ensure artists get the royalties and protections they deserve when their music is played on streaming platforms.”
Wednesday’s transparency agreement is the latest in an ongoing series of government-led interventions into the U.K. music industry fuelled by artist discontent over low payments from streaming.
In 2021, a Parliamentary inquiry into the music streaming business called into question the major record labels’ dominance of the industry and branded the global streaming model as unsustainable in its current form, saying it “needs a complete reset.”
Numerous government-led working groups, investigations and initiatives spun out of the eight-month-long Parliamentary probe, including last year’s industry-wide pledge – also made at the behest and overseen by the IPO – to improve the digital metadata for song recordings.
The new transparency agreement further increases the obligations on rights holders and digital services to address long-standing issues in music streaming, but it does not constitute a regulatory change and it is not clear what, if any, repercussions a record label or DSP would face for breaching its terms.
Rather, the voluntary code is intended as a stimulus for music companies to lift standards and deliver more accurate returns to artists by following a number of agreed principles.
They include labels, publishers and managers making it clear to artists the terms of their contracts, licence deals and remuneration terms, including any recoupable costs.
Streaming services are required to provide to all relevant rights holders accurate and timely usage data. The code also states that artists and creators should have a contractual right to audit financial information, including royalty payments, from labels, publishers, distributors, collecting societies and, in the case of self-releasing artists, streaming services that they hold contracts with.
Other music groups backing the transparency code include the Digital Entertainment and Retail Association (ERA), whose members include streaming services; the Music Publishers Association (MPA); Musicians’ Union (MU); Featured Artists Coalition (The FAC); Music Managers Forum (MMF); Music Producers Guild (MPG) and U.K. collecting societies PRS for Music and Phonographic Performance Limited (PPL).
The code will come into force on July 31 with the IPO set to carry out a first review of its implementation early next year.
In the meantime, several other government initiatives looking into the digital music business will continue to operate in the background, including a new working group –made up of industry stakeholders — looking into artist remuneration from music streaming.
Details on membership of the remuneration working group, which was first announced last May, will be published shortly, said the government. A report into equitable remuneration commissioned by the IPO is due to be published in the coming months
Commenting on the new transparency requirements, BPI chief executive Jo Twist said the “landmark agreement… builds meaningfully on the recent progress around metadata and other significant measures addressing creator concerns around music streaming.”
U.K. trade group The Council Of Music Makers said that while the commitments contained in the code “are modest, it provides a framework that can be used to start tackling the “systemic lack of transparency” in music streaming. The organization said it will be launching a complaints mechanism when the code comes into force for artists and their managers to report non-compliance with its terms.
“The big music and streaming companies need to stop using ‘artist-centric’ as a hollow buzzword and actually put artists and other music-makers at the centre of their businesses,” said a Council Of Music Makers spokesperson.
LONDON — A U.K. Parliament committee is calling on the British government to address the “endemic” misogyny and discrimination that many female artists face in the music industry.
A report from the Women and Equalities Committee (WEC) published Tuesday (Jan. 30) urges ministers to take legislative steps to protect musicians and creators from sexual harassment, including banning the use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in cases involving sexual abuse, bullying or misconduct.
The highly critical 70-page report acknowledges that female representation is improving in many areas of the business but warns that progress remains slow with sexual harassment and abuse against women common occurrences in an industry “still routinely described as a boys club.”
“People in the industry who attend awards shows and parties currently do so sitting alongside sexual abusers who remain protected by the system and by colleagues,” said the cross-party committee of MPs.
Their inquiry found a “culture of silence” existed across the music industry with many victims of sexual harassment or abuse afraid to report such incidents.
Victims who do speak out struggle to be believed or may find their career ends as a consequence, the committee found. They said that much of the evidence they had received had to remain undisclosed, “including commentary on television shows and household names,” due to confidentially and legal clauses.
The report follows an inquiry into misogyny in the U.K. music industry, which began in June 2022 and saw a number of artists and executives give evidence, including senior executives from all three major labels, representatives of the live industry, former BBC Radio 1 DJ Annie Mac and British pop singer and Ivors Academy board director Rebecca Ferguson.
Giving evidence in September, Ferguson, who first shot to fame on the U.K. version of The X Factor, said that misogyny in music was just “the tip of the iceberg of the things that are happening behind the scenes.”
She said that women in the music business who experience abuse often feel that they “can’t speak up” because “they are scared they will never work again.” Ferguson told MPs that she had been informed rapes were going unreported.
In addition to sexual abuse and harassment, the inquiry found that women pursuing careers in music face limited opportunities compared to men, a lack of support and persistent unequal pay, while female artists are “routinely undervalued and undermined.”
The committee recommends that ministers introduce legislation to give freelance workers the same protections from discrimination as employees, as well as imposing a legal duty on companies and employers to protect workers from sexual harassment by third parties.
On the subject of non-disclosure agreements, the report said the government should consider a retrospective moratorium on NDAs signed by victims of sexual abuse.
The report also called for stronger safety requirements for industry sectors where harassment and abuse are known to take place, such as recording studios and music venues.
Additionally, managers of artists should be licensed, while record labels were recommended to regularly publish information about the diversity of their creative rosters, workforce and gender and ethnicity pay gaps – a practice that many labels and large music companies already do.
The committee said the music industry and the British government should increase investment and support in diverse talent, particularly in male-dominated areas such as A&R, sound engineering and production.
“Women’s creative and career potential should not have limits placed upon it by ‘endemic’ misogyny which has persisted for far too long within the music industry,” Caroline Nokes, chair of the Women and Equalities Committee, said in a statement.
Responding to Tuesday’s report, Jo Twist, CEO of U.K. labels trade body BPI, and Yolanda Brown, BPI chair, said all parts of the music industry have “a shared responsibility” to tackle misogyny in music “head on.”
Silvia Montello, CEO of the London-based Association of Independent Music (AIM), said the report “makes for uncomfortable but sadly unsurprising reading.”
“It should not still be this hard, here in 2024, for women to be supported to succeed and to be taken as seriously as our male counterparts,” said Montello in a statement.
Earlier this week, Anna Wintour, chief content officer of media company Condé Nast, announced that Pitchfork will become a vertical at men’s magazine GQ and will undergo restructuring and layoffs. Many Pitchfork employees were laid off, including features editor Jillian Mapes, longtime employee and executive editor Amy Phillips and current editor-in-chief Puja Patel, according to Wintour’s memo to staff.
“Without Pitchfork, there will be fewer avenues for Canadian artists to reach a broad American audience,” says Polaris Prize-winning musician Cadence Weapon — real name Rollie Pemberton — who received coverage from the site early in his career and began writing reviews for it as a teenager.
“When Broken Social Scene and Arcade Fire got boosted by the Pitchfork Effect in 2003 and 2004, it gave independent Canadian musicians hope,” Pemberton tells Billboard Canada. “Back then, anything that wasn’t on a major label was largely ignored by our own country.”
“Getting a thoughtful and favourable Pitchfork review for The Shape of Your Name in 2019 cracked open the door for me into the U.S., which ultimately led to American labels and my agents coming on board,” says Canadian singer-songwriter Charlotte Cornfield. “I think that ultimately the changes at Pitchfork will create another barrier [to] entry for Canadian musicians when it comes to growing their careers outside of Canada.”
The concerns extend beyond Pitchfork. Many artists, writers and music industry members see the layoffs as part of broader trends in the music and media industries.
Andrew McLeod, who releases music as Sunnsetter and performs in Zoon and Ombiigizi, argues that the only obvious way to make new fans is to go viral.
“In the phase of the internet that we’re currently living through, it’s much harder to create new mechanisms of any significant size that exist outside of the structures of these massively capitalized platforms like Spotify, Meta, TikTok,” he explains. Major labels have the resources to mount massive social media campaigns, but for independent artists, it’s challenging to break through.
Read more about the impact of the loss of music media here. – Rosie Long Decter
Boots and Hearts Producer Launches Management Arm, RLive
Republic Live, producers of the annual multi-day Boots and Hearts country music festival north of Toronto, has launched a management division called RLive. Newly appointed Alberta native Casadie Pederson has been named as director of artist management and development.
RLive will be based in Nashville, where Pederson will work alongside Republic Live’s festival booker Brooke Dunford. The Republic Live Canadian office has also added Hannah Buske in Toronto. She will support Dunford in future festival bookings and support management and marketing initiatives.
RLive is a natural extension of the festival’s opening night emerging artist showcase. In an earlier interview, Dunford stated that promoting Canadian talent at Boots and Hearts Music Festival — which annually attracts 40,000 a night and offers on-site camping, carnival rides, food trucks and other amenities — has always been one of its chief mandates.
The first signing for RLive is Tyler Joe Miller, a Surrey, B.C. singer-songwriter who has scored seven top 10 Canadian country hits since launching himself in 2019 with two back-to-back No. 1 hits – “Pillow Talkin” and “I Would Be Over Me Too.” Miller joins fellow CanCountry stars Shawn Austin and Andrew Hyatt on a 20-city, west-to-east Country MixTape Tour of casinos, theatres and concert venues that opens in April.
Republic Live is a privately held Canadian company formed by the Dunford family that owns the 585-acre Burl’s Creek Event Grounds north of Toronto, where Boots and Hearts is staged annually.
Canadian venture capitalist Stan Dunford and Nashville-based live music promoter Nick Kulb were early backers of what has become one of the largest multi-day festivals in North America. – David Farrell
Chantal Kreviazuk Sells Song Catalogue to Anthem Entertainment
After decades as a Sony/ATV Music Publishing Canada songwriter, Winnipeg-born singer Chantal Kreviazuk announced that her song catalogue has been acquired by Anthem Entertainment.
It’s a major acquisition. In addition to CanCon hits of her own like “Before You,” “Boot,” “In This Life,” “Time,” “Weight Of The World” and “Get To You,” she’s also written songs by artists like Drake, Avril Lavigne, Shakira and Carrie Underwood. Her catalogue includes diverse hits like “Feel This Moment” by Pitbull and Christina Aguilera, and “Rich Girl” by Gwen Stefani.
Kreviazuk has won three Juno Awards and was awarded the Order of Canada in 2014, along with her husband, Raine Maida of Our Lady Peace, for their efforts to raise awareness and support for human and animal rights, mental health, education and the environment.
As for Anthem Entertainment, the Toronto-based company has made a major move into acquiring more publishing catalogues over recent months, including rising country singer Jordan Davis and some of Timberland’s catalogue, including cuts with Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z.
Last year, the independent company made some major executive moves, instating Jason Klein as the new permanent CEO. – David Farrell & Richard Trapunski
Last week in Canada: Top Vinyl Sales & Amazon Music’s Artists to Watch
Warner Music Group has launched the Warner Music Space, a new hub headquartered in Rio de Janeiro that will house Warner Music Brazil, Warner Chappell Music Brazil and ADA Brazil operations. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The newly-inaugurated collaborative space, located in Barra da Tijuca in […]
Spotify has outlined a number of changes it will soon be introducing for European users, including the ability to make in-app purchases, in response to new EU legislation governing how online companies and platforms operate in the region.
Beginning in March, Spotify’s European users will be able to make “seamless and secure” in-app payments for products such as audiobooks on iPhone and Android devices, the Swedish streaming company announced in a blog post on Wednesday (Jan. 24).
Users of Spotify’s free ad-supported service will additionally be able to upgrade to its premium offering through their phone (without leaving the app), while the company says it will begin directly communicating with customers about subscription offerings, upgrades, deals and promotions.
The changes are being implemented as a result of the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), a sweeping piece of legislation designed to curb the dominance of tech giants like Apple, Amazon, Google and Meta. The DMA forces tech companies trading within the EU region to open up their services and platforms to other businesses and allow them to operate more freely. For companies like Spotify, the law means that Apple is no longer able to charge them a 30% fee on all purchases made through its App Store — a long-running practice that served as a source of contention between the two companies and which is now prohibited in EU member states (smaller developers pay fees of around 15%).
Although the law officially came into force in November 2022, companies have until Mar. 7 to comply with the regulations. Apple didn’t respond to requests for comment when contacted by Billboard.
“For years, even in our own app, Apple had these rules where we couldn’t tell you about offers, how much something costs, or even where or how to buy it,” Spotify said in the blog post, entitled “The DMA Means a Better Spotify for Artists, Creators, and You.”
The company goes on to say that the changes it’s implementing will mean “good things for artists, authors, and creators looking to build their audiences of listeners, concert-goers, and audiobook-loving fans.”
Some of the ways Spotify said it will be looking to do that is by allowing creators to download its “Spotify for Artists” and “Spotify for Podcasters” tools directly from its site and alternative app stores.
“It should be this easy for every single Spotify customer everywhere,” stated the company, referencing its well-publicized battles with Apple in the United States and other international markets over transaction fees the tech company charges app developers.
Last week, Spotify accused Apple of “stopping at nothing” to protect its profits after the firm introduced commission fees of up to 27% in the United States for app developers that choose to sell products in places other than its own App Store.
Apple introduced the fees following a long-running legal battle with Fortnite developer Epic Games in U.S. courts. Although Epic lost the case, a California judge ordered Apple to make changes to how its store operates, including allowing links to outside platforms and third-party services. Last week, The Supreme Court rejected appeals from both Apple and Epic Games.
In Wednesday’s blog post, Spotify said it will “keep fighting” for governments and regulators to pass laws like the DMA “because freedom from gatekeepers means more choice for consumers and positive impact for artists, authors, creators and developers everywhere.”
One front in that fight is taking place in the United States, where Spotify founder/CEO Daniel Ek has actively lobbied Congress and the Biden administration to pass the Open App Markets Act, which would disallow Apple, Google and other app stores with more than 50 million users from forcing app developers to use their payment systems as a condition of distribution. Though the bill never made it to the floor of either chamber, advocates reportedly expect its reintroduction soon.
RAYE leads the nominations for the 2024 Brit Awards with seven nods – artist of the year, best new artist, pop act, R&B act, Mastercard album of the year for My 21st Century Blues and two nods for song of the year for “Escapism.,” a collab with 070 Shake, and “Prada,” a collab with cassö and D-Block Europe.
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This makes RAYE the most nominated artist in a single year since the Brits began in 1977. She eclipses the record of six nods jointly held by Gorillaz (2002), Craig David (2001) and Robbie Williams (1999).
“I am completely floored to be recognized seven times this year,” RAYE said in a statement. “I was a BRIT school student and I remember how deeply I dreamed of one day being recognized at the BRITs. I am currently a mess of overwhelming emotions and confusion as to how this even happened, to be honest.”
“From the moment RAYE joined the Human Re Sources roster, we believed that she had the music and vision of a generational talent,” Julius Erving III, the label’s founder and CEO said in a statement. “It’s exciting to see the voters and fans respond with such acclaim to the music and art RAYE has been creating and sharing.”
RAYE, 26, achieved global success with “Escapism.” The collab reached No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100. Her album My 21st Century Blues reached No. 58 on the Billboard 200.
Central Cee and J Hus each received four nods. Dua Lipa received three – artist of the year, pop act and song of the year with Mastercard. In addition, Lipa, who has won six Brits, is the first artist confirmed to perform on the Brits on March 2. The superstar last performed on the show in 2021. Lipa was also one of the first three artists confirmed to perform on the Grammys on Feb. 4.
2024 also sees the first Brit nomination for The Rolling Stones in more than a decade. The legendary band is nominated for alternative/rock act. The Stones were nominated four times previously in 1977, 1995, 1996 and 2013.
For 2024, The Brits increased the number of nominees for both artist of the year and international artist of the year from five to 10, a change aimed at improving representation and inclusion. More than half (55%) of the 2024 Brits nominations feature women – either as a solo artist or as part of an all-woman group. This figure rises to 57% when including women in mixed-gender groups.
The British pop/R&B act category was split in two this year — British pop act and British R&B act. Winners in both categories, as well as the three other genre categories – alternative/rock, dance and hip-hop/grime/rap – will be decided by a public vote via Instagram. (Nominees were decided by the Brits’ “voting academy.”) Voting will open on Thursday, Feb. 1, at noon, and close on Thursday, Feb. 15, at 6 p.m.
The Brits have a whopping 15 nominations in two categories – song of the year and international song of the years, which surpasses even the Oscars (10 nominees for best picture) and the Grammys (eight nominees in each of their Big Four categories – album, record and song of the year plus best new artist).
In December, The Brits announced The Last Dinner Party as the winner of the 2024 Rising Star award.
The winners of songwriter of the year and producer of the year will be revealed over the coming weeks.
The awards are scheduled to take place on Saturday, March 2, at The 02 Arena in London. This will mark the second year in a row that the show has been held on a weekend. The show will be broadcast live on ITV1 and ITVX.
Here’s the complete list of 2024 Brit Awards nominees.
Brits rising star
Caity Baser, EMI / Universal Music UK
Sekou, Island / Universal Music UK
WINNER: The Last Dinner Party, Island / Universal Music UK
Mastercard album of the year
Blur, The Ballad of Darren, Parlophone/Warner Music
J Hus, Beautiful and Brutal Yard, Black Butter/Sony Music
Little Simz, NO THANK YOU, Forever Living Originals/AWAL
RAYE, My 21st Century Blues, Human Re Sources/The Orchard
Young Fathers, Heavy Heavy, Ninja Tune
Artist of the year
Arlo Parks, Transgressive
Central Cee, Columbia Records/Sony Music
Dave, Neighbourhood/Live Yours
Dua Lipa, Warner Records/Warner Music
Fred Again.., Atlantic/Warner Music
J Hus, Black Butter/Sony Music
Jessie Ware, EMI / Universal Music UK
Little Simz, Forever Living Originals/AWAL
Olivia Dean, EMI/Universal Music UK
RAYE, Human Re Sources/The Orchard
Group of the year
Blur, Parlophone/Warner Music
Chase & Status, EMI/Universal Music UK
Headie One & K-Trap, One Records & Thousand8/The Orchard
Jungle, Caiola/AWAL
Young Fathers, Ninja Tune
Best new artist
Mahalia, Asylum/Atlantic Records/Warner Music
Olivia Dean, EMI/Universal Music UK
PinkPantheress, Warner Records/Warner Music
RAYE, Human Re Sources/The Orchard
Yussef Dayes, Brownswood Records/ADA/Warner Music
Song of the year
“Miracle,” Calvin Harris/Ellie Goulding, Sony Music/Universal Music UK
“Prada,” cassö/RAYE/D-Block Europe, Ministry Of Sound/Sony Music
“Let Go,” Central Cee, Columbia Records/Sony Music
“Sprinter,” Dave & Central Cee, Neighbourhood/Live Yours
“Dance the Night,” Dua Lipa, Atlantic Records/Warner Music
“Eyes Closed,” Ed Sheeran, Asylum/Atlantic Records/Warner Music
“Who Told You,” J Hus Ft Drake, Sony Music/Universal Music
“Strangers,” Kenya Grace, Warner Music
“Wish You the Best,” Lewis Capaldi, EMI/Universal Music Group
“Boy’s a Liar,” PinkPantheress, Warner Records/Warner Music
“Escapism.,” RAYE ft 070 Shake, Human Re Sources/The Orchard
“Dancing Is Healing,” Rudimental/Charlotte Plank/Vibe Chemistry, Columbia/Sony Music
“Firebabe,” Stormzy Ft Debbie, #Merky Records/0207 Records/Universal Music UK
“REACT,” Switch Disco & Ella Henderson, Relentless Records/Sony Music
“Messy in Heaven,” Venbee & Goddard, Room 2/Columbia Records/Sony Music
International artist of the year
Asake, YBNL Nation/Pri.me
Burna Boy, Spaceship/Bad Habit/Atlantic Records
Caroline Polachek, Perpetual Novice/The Orchard
CMAT, CMATBABY/AWAL
Kylie Minogue, BMG Records
Lana Del Rey, Polydor/Universal Music UK
Miley Cyrus, Columbia/Sony Music
Olivia Rodrigo, Polydor/Geffen/Universal Music Group
SZA, RCA/Sony Music
Taylor Swift, EMI/Republic/Universal Music Group
International group of the year
Blink-182, Columbia/Sony Music
Boygenius, Polydor/Interscope/Universal Music Group
Foo Fighters, Columbia/Sony Music
Gabriels, Parlophone/Warner Music
Paramore, Atlantic/Warner Music
International song of the year
“What Was I Made For?,” Billie Eilish, Darkroom/Interscope/Polydor/Universal Music Group
“Daylight,” David Kushner, Miserable Music/Virgin Music Group/Universal Music Group
“Paint the Town Red,” Doja Cat, RCA/Sony Music
“Giving Me,” Jazzy, CHAOS/Polydor/Universal Music UK
“People,” Libianca,5k Records/Sony Music
“Made You Look,” Meghan Trainor, Epic Records/Sony Music
“Flowers,” Miley Cyrus, Columbia Records/Sony Music
“Stick Season,” Noah Kahan, Mercury Records/Republic Records/Island UK/Universal Music Group
“Miss You,” Oliver Tree & Robin Schulz, Atlantic Records / Warner Music
“vampire,” Olivia Rodrigo, Polydor/Geffen/Universal Music Group
“(It Goes Like) Nanana,” Peggy Gou, XL Recordings
“Calm Down,” Rema, Mavin Records/Jonzing World/Virgin Music Group/Universal Music Group
“Kill Bill,” SZA, RCA/Sony Music
“greedy,” Tate McRae, RCA/Sony Music
“Water,” Tyla, Epic Records/Sony Music
Alternative/rock act
Promoted by Radio X
Blur, Parlophone/Warner Music
Bring Me The Horizon, RCA/Sony Music
The Rolling Stones, Polydor/Universal Music UK
Young Fathers, Ninja Tune
Yussef Dayes, Brownswood Records/ADA/Warner Music
Hip-hop/grime/rap act
Promoted by KISS Fresh
CASISDEAD, XL Recordings
Central Cee, Columbia Records/Sony Music
Dave, Neighbourhood/Live Yours
J Hus, Black Butter/Sony Music
Little Simz, Forever Living Originals/AWAL
Dance act
Promoted by Capital Dance
Barry Can’t Swim, Ninja Tune
Becky Hill, Polydor/Universal Music UK
Calvin Harris, Columbia/Sony Music
Fred again.., Atlantic/Warner
Romy, Young Recordings
Pop act
Promoted by HITS Radio
Calvin Harris, Columbia/Sony Music
Charli XCX, Atlantic/Warner Music
Dua Lipa, Warner Records/Warner Music
Olivia Dean, EMI / Universal Music UK
RAYE, Human Re Sources/The Orchard
R&B act
Promoted by Capital XTRA
Cleo Sol, Forever Living Originals
Jorja Smith, FAMM/The Orchard
Mahalia, Atlantic/Warner Music
RAYE, Human Re Sources/The Orchard
SAULT, Forever Living Originals
Last week, Luminate put out its 2023 year-end report. While the data company, which tabulates Billboard‘s charts and provides data for the film and TV industries, usually puts out a separate Canadian report, this year’s was instead a report on the global music industry as a whole.
Billboard Canada asked Luminate if it could supply any more data on who and what was hot in Canada in 2023, and they dug in for four more exclusive lists.
When it comes to vinyl sales, Taylor Swift, unsurprisingly, takes up the top three spots and four of the top 10.
Top 10 Vinyl Sales
Taylor Swift – 1989 (Taylor’s Version) – 43,000
Taylor Swift – Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) – 18,000
Taylor Swift – Midnights – 18,000
Olivia Rodrigo – Guts – 8,000
Pink Floyd – The Dark Side Of The Moon – 8,000
Lana Del Rey – Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd – 7,000
Taylor Swift – Red (Taylor’s Version) – 6,000
Fleetwood Mac – Rumours – 6,000
Arctic Monkeys – Am – 5,000
Rolling Stones – Hackney Diamonds – 5,000
Swift also takes the top spot for CD sales, but there are also two somewhat surprising Canadian albums represented: Neo-Romance from Quebecois pianist Alexandra Stréliski and A Boire Deboutte from francophone Acadian roots act Salebarbes.
Top 10 CD Sales
Taylor Swift – 1989 (Taylor’s Version) – 30,000
Metallica – 72 Seasons – 17,000
Alexandra Stréliski – Neo-Romance – 16,000
Taylor Swift – Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) – 13,000
Rolling Stones – Hackney Diamonds – 11,000
Taylor Swift – Lover – 10,000
Salebarbes – A Boire Deboutte – 10,000
Taylor Swift – Midnights – 10,000
P!nk – Trustfall – 8,000
Ed Sheeran – – 8,000
Head here for the top 10 on-demand streams for two of Canada’s most popular and rising genres: country and R&B/hip-hop. – Richard Trapunski & David Farrell
CIMA Calls On Government To Keep Its Canada Music Fund Promise
CIMA, the Canadian Independent Music Association, has launched a campaign calling on the public to contact Liberal representatives about the Canada Music Fund. Following a direct appeal to the government last fall, CIMA has turned towards the public in hopes of putting pressure on the government to make good on their campaign promise to increase the fund by $50 million.
The organization has set up a letter campaign that allows supporters to contact the government with a plea to increase the Canada Music Fund, which supports the operations of granting bodies FACTOR and Musicaction. According to CIMA, FACTOR invested $21 million in the Canadian music industry in 2022 alone and has supported 6,500 artists in the last five years.
FACTOR receives part of its funding from private radio broadcasters, but those contributions have been decreasing, with CIMA estimating they could be as low as $2 million in 2024. The Canada Music Fund is currently $25 million annually, and CIMA says that a $50 million increase is needed just to maintain current programming, while many music associations are calling for a $60 million increase. The Liberal government promised a $50 million increase in 2021 to help the Canada Music Fund keep up with demand and the rising costs of releasing and touring music.
CIMA president Andrew Cash spoke to the House Finance Committee on Nov. 14 about the increase and said that if the government fails to follow through, “companies will close, those that don’t will shed staff and release fewer artists, and this will result in fewer shows across the country, harming an already precarious live music sector, affecting local economies, and reducing revenues to government.”
FACTOR provides major financial support for artists looking to export their music internationally, with showcasing and touring grants that help artists travel to key industry events abroad, as well as support for marketing and sound recording.
“If the government does not make good even on their $50 million promise to our sector, FACTOR’s budget could be cut in half over the next couple of years,” states CIMA’s new public campaign. – Rosie Long Decter
Amazon Music Canada Announces Breakthrough Artists to Watch 2024
Amazon Music Canada has announced the six Canadian rising stars included in its Breakthrough Artists to Watch 2024. Throughout the year, these six musicians will include support from Amazon Music Canada, including year-long promotion, exclusive music, playlist placement, editorial and tailored developmental support for each artist’s career ambitions.
This year’s selections include inaugural Billboard Canada Punjabi Wave cover star Jonita Gandhi, francophone rapper Fredz, small-town Ontario country singer Owen Riegling, former breakout star of Canadian singing competition The Launch Jamie Fine, Ottawa singer-songwriter Anaïs Cardot and Victoria, British Columbia-based funk/R&B artist Diamond Cafe (who also just signed a major label deal with Warner Music Canada).
“The focus of Artist to Watch is to help artists who are bubbling up in Canada find ways to grow their audiences and connect with new fans across the country and globally,” John Murphy, head of music, Canada, at Amazon Music, tells Billboard Canada. “We’re looking forward to working closely with this year’s group of diverse, promising artists and helping even more fans discover them and their music.”
One of the goals of the program is to spread regional artists internationally, adds Murphy. Amazon Music launched its first Canadian edition of the initiative last year, and Murphy says it more than doubled the total fans of each artist throughout 2023. Madeline Merlo launched an original track on the streaming service called “You’ll Think of Me,” and more than 50% of its streams have come from outside of Canada.
All six of the artists selected have big plans for 2024, including new music, concerts and some other dreams. To let them speak for themselves, Billboard Canada asked each musician about their year ahead.
Read all of those interviews here. – Richard Trapunski
LONDON — European regulators are calling for sweeping new laws to help fix the “imbalance in revenue allocation” from music streaming and deliver higher rates of pay for artists and songwriters.
On Wednesday (Jan. 17), Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) voted overwhelmingly in favor of new legislation being drawn up to ensure creators are fairly compensated from music streaming with 532 votes for, 61 against and 33 abstentions.
The resolution is non-binding, meaning there’s no legal requirement for its recommendations to come into force, but the report’s endorsement by MEPs puts pressure on policy makers to address long-held complaints from musicians about low returns from streaming. The adopted text now passes to the European Commission for consideration.
“The Parliament is giving voice to the concerns of European creators, who are at the heart of the music streaming market,” MEP and rapporteur Ibán García Del Blanco said following Wednesday’s vote. Ensuring that authors are “credited and fairly paid has always been our priority,” he said.
The EU proposals state that current “pre-digital royalty rates” must be brought in line with “modern rates” and call on the industry to explore “fairer models of streaming revenue allocation” for artists and creators, including pro-rata and user-centric models “or totally new ones.”
The current global streaming model pioneered and dominated by Spotify, Apple, YouTube and Amazon Music leaves a majority of authors and performers with very low rates of pay and often means they are unable to sustain careers in music, say MEPs.
Over the past year, the standard pro-rata streaming model has been a major topic of consideration throughout the industry, leading to several of the leading streaming platforms to trial alternative models.
In September, Deezer announced that it was piloting a new “artist-centric” system in France in partnership with Universal Music Group that rewards artists and songs that actively driving listener engagement.
A few months later, Spotify announced that it too was looking to introduce changes to its streaming royalty model, including a new listening threshold that tracks must reach in order to qualify for royalties and a targeted clamp down on streaming fraud.
The EU report — titled “Cultural diversity and the conditions for authors in the European music streaming market” — does not reference those industry-led reforms. Instead, it calls on all stakeholders in the music business to take “all necessary steps” to overcome the current imbalances in the allocation of streaming royalties.
The report also strongly condemns the use of so-called payola schemes that force artists to accept lower royalty rates — or forgo them entirely — in exchange for greater visibility on streaming platforms.
One of its other key recommendations is that the EU takes action to protect the long-term prominence of European musical works on global streaming platforms by taking “concrete measures,” including the possibility of introducing quotas for European songs or artists.
Details on what form these quotas would take or how they would be implemented are not specified in the text, although quotas already exist in many European countries for domestic content broadcast on national radio and television stations.
“EU legislation should include diversity indicators to assess the array of genres and languages available and the presence of independent authors,” say MEPs, noting that the majority of streaming revenues go to major labels and big global stars, while less popular styles and less common languages are streamed less frequently.
On the subject of transparency and artificial intelligence (AI), the report says platforms should be obliged to make their algorithms and recommendation tools transparent to prevent unfair practice, such as the manipulation of streaming numbers.
In line with the terms outlined in the EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act — which was provisionally passed in December and forms the world’s first comprehensive set of laws regulating the use of AI — MEPs said music works generated by AI must be clearly labelled as such and unauthorized use of an artist’s voice or likeness banned.
Responding to the EU report, Helen Smith, executive chair of European independent labels trade body IMPALA, representing almost 6,000 music companies, said its adoption by MEPs “comes at a decisive time for the music sector.”
“The idea that artists should receive a fair contemporary digital rate reflects the independent sector commitment made almost ten years ago,” she said in a statement.
John Phelan, director general of international music publishing trade association ICMP, thanked rapporteur Ibán García Del Blanco for his “diligence and determination” in defending artists’ rights, while Jess Partridge, executive director of European Music Managers Alliance (EMMA) said the report “underlines the barriers faced by artists and their teams.”
“The music streaming market needs to properly reward those who are at the core of its success,” echoed Véronique Desbrosses, general manager of European Authors Society GESAC. “We count on the European Commission to take the next step and table the needed legislative proposals.”
Megan Thee Stallion, drag entertainer Aquaria and Japanese singer/songwriter LiSA are among the presenters set for the 2024 Anime Awards, which honors the craft and artistry of Japanese animation. The awards, to be hosted by voice actress Sally Amaki and entertainer Jon Kabira, will be presented on March 2 at the Grand Prince Hotel Shin Takanawa in Tokyo.
“Watching anime is one of my favorite things to do!,” Megan Thee Stallion said in a statement. “I love cosplaying all of my favorite characters, I love the storytelling, and I love getting inspiration from the different anime art styles! I’m really excited for the opportunity to attend and present an award at this year’s Crunchyroll Anime Awards. I’m looking forward to traveling to Tokyo and joining my fellow anime lovers as we celebrate and honor the best anime creators and shows in the world.”
LiSA, who has performed a number of hit anime theme songs, added: “Beyond time and borders, anime allows us to connect and be touched, be excited, and share the same emotions with others, regardless of age or values. Anime has the same potential and appeals that I feel towards music. I hope the wonderful Japanese anime continues to bring joy to many fans around the world. I consider anime to be one of the cultures that represents Japan, so I am very honored to be chosen as the presenter.”
Aquaria, American fashion model, drag entertainer and DJ who was crowned the winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 10, is also set to present. Aquaria is likewise a long-time anime enthusiast.
Other presenters set for the Anime Awards live ceremony or the Anime Awards pre-show include actress Iman Vellani (Ms. Marvel and The Marvels), Japanese night club host and TV personality Roland, British rapper Che Lingo, content creator Lena Lemon, artist and producer Yaeji and singer Ylona Garcia.
Crunchyroll, the streaming service that connects anime and manga fans across 200+ countries and territories, today revealed the nominees for the eighth annual Crunchyroll Anime Awards. The full list of nominees and voting instructions is available here. Fans can vote for their favorites across all 26 categories daily through the close of voting just before midnight PT on Jan. 27.
In celebration of this year’s Anime Awards nominees, a selection of nominated series streaming on Crunchyroll will be available on AVOD starting today. Fans interested in exploring the honorees have until March 2 to stream the titles for free, with ads. Anime Awards-nominated series will be available for AVOD viewing worldwide, pending regional availability.
Crunchyroll, LLC is an independently operated joint venture between U.S.-based Sony Pictures Entertainment and Japan’s Aniplex, a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc., both subsidiaries of Tokyo-based Sony Group.
Sony Music Solutions, Inc., a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc., will support Crunchyroll in the execution of the Anime Awards.
Alvaro Rizo has been named Gaira Música Local’s new MD, the company tells Billboard. Rizo will be based in the record label’s headquarters in Bogotá, Colombia. The label, which was founded in 1993 by Carlos Vives, is rooted in highlighting Colombia’s musical heritage with a roster that includes artists such as Gusi, Estereo Beat and […]