International
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BRISBANE — Budjerah signs with United Talent Agency (UTA) for representation in the Americas, Billboard can exclusively reveal.
The fast-rising Australian singer and songwriter is repped by global touring agent Noah Simon, whose roster has included Post Malone, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Jacob Collier, Masego and others.
Hailing from Fingal Head, New South Wales, Budjerah is one of the most promising young artists in his homeland. The 21-year-old singer and songwriter was the inaugural winner of the Michael Gudinski prize at the 2021 ARIA Awards, won his first APRA Music Award in 2022 for most performed R&B/soul work of the year for “Higher” with Matt Corby, and collected best new artist at the 2023 Rolling Stone Australia Awards.
The young man with the golden voice has several chances to add to his collection next month at the 2023 National Indigenous Music Awards (NIMAs); he’s in the hunt for artist of the year, song and film clip of the year, both for “Therapy,” which has chalked up more than 6 million streams.
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On the live front, Budjerah supported Ed Sheeran on the Brit’s 2023 stadium tour (and jumped on a remix of Sheeran’s “2step”), performed a sold-out headline show at the Sydney Opera House for Vivid LIVE, scored a slot on the For The Love festival run, and he’s booked for the traveling Spilt Milk fest in November and December.
The Coodjinburra artist’s career is guided by Lemon Tree Music, Regan Lethbridge and David Morgan’s Australia-based artist management company, whose stable includes Tones And I and Tash Sultana.
“I am thrilled to represent Budjerah and proudly welcome him to the UTA family,” comments Simon. “He is undoubtedly a singular talent with a timeless voice and in close collaboration with Lemon Tree, we’re excited to introduce his exceptional artistry to the Americas.”
To celebrate the UTA pact, Budjerah shares the new single “Video Game” (via Warner Music Australia), a “thank you to all my fans who’ve supported me at my shows over the last year,” he says in a statement.
Penned by Meg Mac, Matt Corby and Chris Collins, the stripped-back track explores the emotions behind growing up and finding himself, and can be streamed below.
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LONDON — “I still feel like that little girl who started out in music publishing,” said Universal Music Publishing Group chairman and CEO Jody Gerson as she accepted the Ralph Peer II Award for Outstanding Contribution to Global Music Publishing. It was presented by the award’s namesake at the July 10 annual meeting of the International Confederation of Music Publishers, or ICMP, held at Abbey Road Studios in London.
Gerson was, of course, being modest: She’s one of the most accomplished publishing executives in the world. But in front of dozens of European publishing and collective management executives, she shared the story of how she got started in the business.
The Pennsylvania native grew up in a music family that owned nightclubs in Philadelphia, and she had always been interested in getting into the music business. But when she first applied for label jobs, she didn’t have much luck. Eventually, she scored an interview with Chappell Music (later Warner Chappell) and her first job there was as the archivist, where she ran the tape library and became interested in the demos submitted by songwriters.
“I started thinking about marching songs with artists,” she remembered.
At the time, she pointed out, the music publishing business was much smaller, both in absolute terms and in comparison with recorded music, which dwarfed it in terms of both revenue and, it seemed to many at the time, wow factor. Now publishing is thriving, and a series of big song catalog purchases are generating plenty of excitement and attention.
The award was presented by Ralph Peer II, executive chair of peermusic and the initial recipient of the ICMP award that’s now named after him. “This wasn’t my idea,” he joked about the name of the prize. “It was foisted on me.” But he praised Gerson’s dedication to the publishing business. “On an everyday level she helps make the industry better,” he said. “She has acumen in business and music that’s very deep.”
Gerson was introduced by Mumford & Sons singer-songwriter Marcus Mumford, who praised her as well as the publishing business at large. “I don’t think artists are the best at protecting their songs, and managers aren’t always much better,” he joked. “We need publishers!”
The ICMP meeting itself, held at Abbey Road before the awards dinner, was more about business — royalties, metadata and the other details that make sure publishers and songwriters get paid as fast and accurately as possible. Trombonist Eric Crees, who plays at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden spoke about making film soundtracks, as did composer Stephen Warbeck.
A third-party software provider is to blame for a major disruption to a ticket sale for six Taylor Swift shows in France, according to a statement issued by Ticketmaster France. “This morning’s sale was disrupted by an issue with a third-party vendor who is working to resolve the issue as soon as possible,” the company […]
Sacré bleu! Ticketmaster France pressed pause on the presales for four Paris dates and both shows in Lyon for Taylor Swift‘s 2024 European Eras Tour.
“Some of you may be having issues with the site this morning,” the company tweeted on Tuesday morning. “We are working on it and will let you know.”
The four Paris dates at La Défense Arena on May 9, 10, 11 and 12, 2024 were set to go on sale today in two stages, with one sale for May 9 and 10 opening at 9 a.m. local time and another, for May 11 and May 12, due to start at 11 a.m. Sales for the two dates at Lyon’s Groupama Stadium, set for June 2 and 3, were due to begin at 1 p.m.
“We will keep you informed of the new on-sale time as soon as possible,” the company said. “All codes will remain valid.”
As in past presales, fans had to sign up in order to be put into a lottery for code to redeem for a shot at tickets. But shortly after the Paris sale had begun, “winning” fans began having problems and Ticketmaster suspended the presale, citing issues with the site.
Leading up to the sale, the company gave fans an idea of what to expect:
Tickets will be available for purchase via the website for access code holders on July 11, 2023. Tickets will be sold on a first come, first served basis while currently available inventory lasts. It’s a simple, standard purchase process and the steps below will help you navigate your search and purchase.
If you are selected to receive an access code, you will receive an email and two SMS messages the afternoon before ticket sales begins on July 11 2023
The messages will include timing details and a link to where the on-sale will occur, and your unique access code.
Prepare for the sale by creating your customer account in advance if you don’t already have one. Sign-in to your Ticketmaster Account in advance. Know your Ticketmaster password, or reset your password in advance. For a faster checkout, make sure you have a valid credit card with updating billing information in your account.
The company did not respond to a request for details on the nature of the site outage.
Though “July 11” won’t carry the same stain as “Nov. 15” — the date Ticketmaster’s site buckled under the weight of millions of Swift fans trying to purchase initial U.S. Eras Tour dates — it remains another botched sale for a Swift sale for the ticketing giant.
Last week, Swift announced an additional 14 dates for her European trip next year, with Paramore opening all dates. Swift’s Eras Tour launched in Glendale, Arizona on March 17. She plays two nights at Denver’s Empower Field this weekend before heading to Seattle and the San Jose area later in July.
Loverboy, April Wine, Glass Tiger, Chilliwack and PRISM are among 13 rock acts from the 1970s and ’80s that will be added to Canada’s Walk of Fame. They will be celebrated in an event at Massey Hall in Toronto on Sept. 28.
The eight other acts that will be inducted are Lee Aaron, Lighthouse, Max Webster, Michel Pagliaro, Platinum Blonde, Rough Trade, The Parachute Club and Trooper.
“These trailblazing musicians have had an extraordinary impact on our Canadian rock landscape,” Jeffrey Latimer, CEO of Canada’s Walk of Fame, said in a statement. “Their longevity, many of whom still tour and sell out venues, is inspiring, and we are proud to welcome them each to Canada’s Walk of Fame.”
All 13 acts will be in attendance for the event, which will feature live performances, special guests and a reunion of Canadian DJs. Lou Pomanti is musical director.
Canada’s Walk of Fame’s partners in producing the event are Anthem Entertainment and Live Nation. Tickets go on sale through Ticketmaster.com on Friday, July 14, at 10 a.m. ET. A limited number of tickets will be sold during a general on-sale on Thursday, July 13, between 10 a.m.-10 p.m. ET. AMEX cardholders qualify for Front of the Line ticket access from Wednesday, July 12 at 10 a.m. ET to Thursday, July 13 at 10 p.m. ET.
Loverboy, April Wine and Chilliwack have been voted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
Loverboy, Parachute Club and Glass Tiger have won Juno Awards for single of the year. Glass Tiger won back-to-back awards in that category in 1986 for “Don’t Forget Me (When I’m Gone)” and in 1987 for “Someday.” Loverboy won in 1982 for “Turn Me Loose,” Parachute Club in 1984 for “Rise Up.”
All three of those groups have also won Juno Awards in other categories, as have Lighthouse, PRISM and Trooper.
Six of these 13 acts have cracked the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100. Loverboy amassed nine top 40 hits, followed by Glass Tiger (four), April Wine (three), Chilliwack and Lighthouse (two each) and PRISM (one).
The Sept. 28 event is a one-time music induction celebration for the 25th anniversary events. This event is separate from the annual Canada’s Walk of Fame Induction Ceremony to be held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on Saturday, Dec. 2, where all of the 2023 inductees will be honored. The annual induction ceremony will feature performances and tributes from today’s top stars and alumni from the past 25 years. A special broadcast will air at a later date on CTV.
Canada’s Walk of Fame was established in 1998 by founders Bill Ballard, Dusty Cohl and Peter Soumalias, with Dianne Schwalm and in partnership with Gary Slaight.
Canada’s Walk of Fame is a national, not-for-profit organization that celebrates achievement in the fields of arts & entertainment, sports & athletics, entrepreneurship & philanthropy, humanitarianism, and science, technology & innovation. Canada’s Walk of Fame has more than 200 inductions to date, with stars having a permanent place of tribute on the streets of Toronto’s Entertainment District. For a complete list of inductees, visit: www.canadaswalkoffame.com
LONDON — Global hit records by Harry Styles, Glass Animals and Ed Sheeran, coupled with the popularity of U.K. acts in emerging markets like the Middle East and Africa, helped British music exports climb to a record high of £709 million ($910 million) in 2022, according to new figures released by labels trade body BPI.
The London-based organization says 2022’s export tally is the highest annual total since BPI began analyzing labels’ overseas income in 2000. Last year also marked the ninth consecutive year of growth in U.K. music export trade revenues, which slumped to just over £200 million ($254 million at today’s exchange rates) in 2007.
BPI, which represents over 500 independent labels, as well as the U.K. arms of Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group, says the consistent year-on-year rise puts the country’s record industry on track to exceed £1 billion ($1.27 billion) in annual music exports by the end of the decade.
Driving last year’s 20% growth was a combination of globally successful British artists and the strong value of the U.S. dollar and other foreign currencies against the pound sterling.
British singer-songwriter Harry Styles’ hit single “As It Was” was the world’s most-streamed song in 2022, according to Luminate data cited by BPI, while Glass Animals’ “Heat Waves” was number two. Other songs by U.K. artists in the year-end global top 10 included Elton John and Dua Lipa’s “Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)” and Ed Sheeran’s “Shivers.”
In total, around 450 U.K. artists accumulated more than 100 million global streams last year, up from almost 400 in 2021, BPI reports. That list includes Adele, Arctic Monkeys, Calvin Harris, Coldplay, Dave and Sam Smith, as well as veteran acts The Beatles, Pink Floyd and Queen. Overall, British artists claimed more than a quarter of the 50 most-streamed songs on Spotify in 2022.
Worldwide, consumption of British music increased in every region last year, says BPI, with export revenues rising 11% in Europe and up 28% in North America (equivalent trade values were not provided). The fastest-growing regions for U.K. music exports were Africa (up 48%) and the Middle East (up 59%).
On a country-by-country basis, all but one of the U.K.’s leading music export markets recorded a rise in export sales, including the U.S. – the leading international market for British acts – where revenues grew 28% to £292 million ($371 million). The second biggest country for U.K. music sales is Germany, where revenues climbed 4% to £58 million ($74 million), followed by France (up 15% to $54 million).
In line with the past several years, the U.K.’s share of the global recorded music market remains around 10%, reports BPI, despite the growing international popularity of music acts from Latin America and Asia, particularly South Korea.
In a statement, BPI interim chief executive Sophie Jones said the continued success of U.K. labels and artists overseas was “an exceptional achievement in the face of unprecedented competition on the global music stage, both from long-established and rapidly-expanding new music markets.”
The U.K. is the world’s third biggest recorded music market behind the U.S. and Japan with sales of just over $1.8 billion in trade value, according to IFPI’s 2022 Global Music Report.
TikTok is launching a new “social music streaming service” in Indonesia and Brazil, the company announced Thursday (July 6).
TikTok Music is a premium-only service that users will be able to synch with their existing TikTok accounts in order to listen to, share and download the tracks they discover on TikTok. The service is available starting now in both countries; all new TikTok Music users will be offered a one-month free trial.
TikTok Music will launch with a “full catalogue of music from thousands of labels and artists,” according to a press release. That includes Sony Music, whose catalog hasn’t been available on TikTok’s existing streaming service, Resso, since September. The release adds that Sony’s catalog will become available on Resso again beginning Thursday.
Following Thursday’s launch, Resso — which launched in March 2020 in India and Indonesia before later being made available in Brazil — will cease operating in both Indonesia and Brazil on Sept. 5. Existing Resso users will be invited to transfer their accounts to TikTok Music “with the click of a button,” the release states.
TikTok’s pivot to a subscription-based streamer began in May, when its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, announced that Resso would become a premium-only service.
Among other features, TikTok Music subscribers will have the ability to swipe up and down on the app to explore personalized music recommendations; connect with “like-minded” music fans; sing along to real-time lyrics; co-create collaborative playlists with friends; import their music libraries from external playlists; and search for lyrics to discover songs, according to the press release. The service will include uninterrupted ad-free listening and a download function allowing users to listen to music offline.
“We are pleased to introduce TikTok Music, a new kind of service that combines the power of music discovery on TikTok with a best-in-class streaming service. TikTok Music will make it easy for people in Indonesia and Brazil to save, download and share their favourite viral tracks from TikTok,” said Ole Obermann, global head of music business development at TikTok, in a statement. “We are excited about the opportunities TikTok Music presents for both music fans and artists, and the great potential it has for driving significant value to the music industry.”
For more than a year, ByteDance has been signaling its intention to launch a music streaming service that would compete with Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and YouTube. In spring 2022, the company registered the handles @TikTokMusic on both Twitter and Instagram; that May, it also filed a trademark application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for a service under the same name. In October, Billboard confirmed that ByteDance was in conversations with all major music rights holders to launch its music streaming service in additional countries in Latin America, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
The launch of TikTok Music is a potential game-changer for the music industry, as rights holders have pressured the company to embrace a subscription model over an ad-supported one. Streaming subscriptions are a primary driver of music industry revenue, with paid subscription streaming revenue surpassing $10 billion in the United States for the first time last year, according to the RIAA. It accounts for 77% of all streaming revenue and nearly two-thirds of total revenue.
International independent pioneers Michel Lambot and Kenny Gates received IMPALA’s Outstanding Contribution award to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the [PIAS] group. The award was announced on Tuesday (July 4).
Over the last four decades, [PIAS] has grown from a vinyl record importer on behalf of UK independent record labels into a key European and global recording, marketing and distribution outlet. [PIAS] currently has 19 offices and 280 employees active globally.
Lambot and Gatesalso founded IMPALA in 2000 to develop a single voice for the independent music sector in Europe. They were instrumental in creating Merlin as well as Worldwide Independent Network (WIN), with a view to supporting and expanding the independent music ecosystem internationally.
Lambot and Gates were presented with their awards by Helen Smith, executive chair of IMPALA, at their BXL CENTRAL – CHEZ [PIAS] record shop and office located on Rue Saint Laurent in Brussels.
“Michel and Kenny’s story is an inspiration to all emerging independents starting out in the sector,” Smith said in a statement. “The contribution of [PIAS] to the European music sector is totally unique. [Their] amazing 40th-anniversary re-releases speak for the artists and great music, and IMPALA, Merlin and WIN speak for their approach on collaboration making everyone stronger.”
“Back some 25 years ago, we had the idea to combine forces of a handful of independent companies to increase our market leverage and playing field,” Lambot said in a statement. “That sounded crazy and naive: trying to unify independent companies owned and run by people fiercely independent was antinomic… And now getting an award by IMPALA which has become a kind of institution makes me feel so proud and so happy. The recognition by our peers of what we did all these years and are still doing, Kenny and myself, as [PIAS] on one hand, and for the independent world on the other hand, is very moving”.
Gates, who serves as CEO of [PIAS] added: “Our goal at [PIAS] has always been to expand our dreams by creating a company of holistic values that reflects a pan-European diversity. It’s been an incredible journey of constant adaptation, and we couldn’t receive this award without thanking all our staff and friends.”
IMPALA’s Outstanding Contribution Award is designed to put a spotlight on European independent music and those who drive it, as well as initiatives that deserve particular recognition. Previous recipients include Tony Duckworth, Didier Gosset, FONO, Kees Van Weijen, Keith Harris OBE, Tom Deakin, Love Record Stores, Music Declares Emergency, Markus Tobiassen and newspaper Dagens Næringsliv, Jonas Sjöström, Plus 1 Refugees welcome!, Alison Wenham, Label Love, Eurosonic Noorderslag, Sabine Verheyen MEP, Armada Music/Armin van Buuren, Martin Mills OBE, Mary Moneyball MEP, Charles Caldas and Mario Pacheco.
Lambot and Gates previously received the Indie Champion award at the AIM Music Awards 2022 in London.
Late British media journalist Juliana Koranteng previously invited Lambot and Gates to share their story on her 20MinutesWith podcast. In this episode, the two executives talked about their ambitions, successes and challenges in growing the [PIAS] network over the years. (Sadly, it turned out to the last episode Koranteng recorded. The journalist died in February at age 64.)
IMPALA was established in 2000 and now represents nearly 6,000 independent music companies. The organization’s mission is to grow the independent music sector sustainably, return more value to artists, promote diversity and entrepreneurship, improve political access, inspire change and increase access to finance.
The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts have been home to wide a variety of international hits, across many genres, cultures and languages. Dance music has been able to seamlessly float across cultural and geographic lines, including on the latest, July 1-dated rankings, as three artists, each from a different continent, debut with their own high-energy boosts.
Kylie Minogue, one of Australia’s most enduring stars, debuts on the Global 200 with “Padam Padam” at No. 190 while climbing to No. 169 on the Global Excl. U.S. list. Since its May 18 release, the thumping track has increased its weekly streams each week, culminating in a 17% bump to 9.6 million worldwide in the frame ending June 22, according to Luminate.
The song is Minogue’s first non-holiday entry on either global chart and continues to build months before the expected September release of parent album Tension; no tracks from her 2020 set Disco appeared on the surveys.
Elsewhere, South Korea-born, Germany-based singer, DJ and producer Peggy Gou makes her global chart debut, at No. 137 on Global Excl. U.S. with “(It Goes Like) Nanana.” The house single drew 9.6 million streams worldwide June 16-22, its first full week of release.
Plus, Germany’s Purple Disco Machine teamed with France’s Kungs on “Substitution,” new on Global Excl. U.S. at No. 199, up by 3% to 7.9 million streams around the world. Neither act has made the Global 200, but “Substitution” is the second entry for both on Global Excl. U.S., following the former’s “Hypnotized,” which hit No. 121 over a 23-week stay in 2020-21, and the latter’s “Never Going Home,” which reached No. 107 amid a 15-week run in 2021.
The burst of dance music on this week’s global charts is diverse, both geographically and stylistically. These tracks join others by chart mainstays including David Guetta and Calvin Harris, as well as such pop artists drawing from the dance world as Dua Lipa, whose “Dance the Night” holds in the Global 200’s top 40, and Jain, who jumps from 68-41 with 2016’s resurgent “Makeba” (which is now being promoted to pop radio).
She make it look easy, ‘cause she got it. Earlier on Thursday (June 29), Billboard reported that the first nine shows of Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour made her the top-grossing touring act of May. But there’s more! She wrapped the European leg of the tour Wednesday night in Warsaw, posting career-high blockbuster numbers. According to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore, Beyoncé grossed $154.4 million and sold 1 million tickets across 21 shows.
Not only is that a huge number that resists qualification, it’s the biggest gross and attendance of any of Beyoncé’s previous European legs. On 2016’s The Formation World Tour and 2018’s On the Run II Tour (co-headlined with Jay-Z), she earned $87 million, marking a 77% bump on her recent stint.
The so-far $154 million-plus total from 21 shows over two months is more than any artist made in the six-month window that defined Billboard’s midyear report. Of course, Harry Styles, Elton John and other acts atop those charts continue to add to their hauls, but it bodes well that the Renaissance World Tour isn’t even half done, putting it in immediate contention for year-end honors.
The tour’s attendance of 1.05 million improves upon 871,000 in 2018 and 867,000 in 2016. It’s the first time that any leg of any solo Beyoncé tour broke the seven-digit milestone.
Of the 14 markets Beyoncé hit, 12 of them yielded local records. That includes the biggest gross in the history of London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Warsaw’s PGE Narodowy, plus the attendance record at Tottenham. Elsewhere, she set highs for single-night engagements and broke ground among women and Black artists throughout Europe.
The obvious standout of the European shows was a five-night run in London, earning $42.2 million from 240,000 tickets. It instantly blasts in to the all-time top 10 Boxscores, ranked seventh behind two engagements apiece from Harry Styles, Take That and Coldplay. That makes it the single biggest report by a woman, a Black artist, or by any act from the United States.
Further, Beyoncé broke the $10 million barrier with double-headers in Solna, Sweden; Amsterdam; and Warsaw. She scored one more eight-figure show with one night at Paris’ Stade de France. The $10.1 million is slightly off from the $10.9 million from On the Run II, but consider that the 2018 gross came from two shows, matching 92% of that gross with just one show in 2023.
These 21 shows push Beyoncé’s reported career gross to $921.7 million and attendance to 9.9 million. But she’s not done for the near future.
The Renaissance World Tour continues with 36 shows in the U.S. and Canada, kicking off on July 8-9 in Toronto. If Beyoncé continues at this pace, the North American leg would gross $264 million and sell 1.8 million tickets. That leg alone would pass the global total of The Formation World Tour to become the biggest of Beyoncé’s career, though it’d make for a worldwide total of about $415 million and 2.8 million tickets.
On that 2016 run, Beyoncé paced $5.3 million in North America, compared to $5.1 million in Europe, indicating that those estimates could be slightly low. Her Renaissance grosses leapt by 44% in Europe from her previous solo tour, but post-pandemic results across the industry have exacerbated an existing ticket-price gap between the continents. Despite typically smaller capacities, North American stadium grosses have ballooned in a more extreme way than in Europe, which could push Beyoncé’s totals even higher.
Final results will depend on final pricing via the dynamics of a post-pandemic ticketing ecosystem. But it is more than safe to say that Beyoncé will soar beyond $1 billion and 10 million tickets in career figures due to her biggest tour ever.