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MUMBAI â Drawing more than 60,000 music fans over two days, with 40 artists performing on four stages spread across 50 acres, the inaugural edition of Lollapalooza India this weekend conquered the mantle of the largest multi-genre festival ever held in India.
In the countryâs exponentially growing live music scene, Lollapalooza was somewhat late to the party, arriving more than a decade after multi-genre properties such as the Bacardi NH7 Weekender and Vh1 Supersonic. That meant audience expectations for an international brand like Lollapalooza were somewhat higher, especially because ticket prices (between $70 and $90 for advance purchase) were almost double those for its homegrown Indian counterparts.
To Indian music fans it felt like a super-sized Weekender, with some of the former programming and production team members working for Lollapalooza. The main difference: huge stages with amped-up sound and light production. Lollaâs crowd of roughly 30,000 per days also topped Supersonicâs latest edition in 2020, which pulled in about 20,000 over two days; and last Novemberâs Weekender, which drew a little less than 20,000 per day over three days, according to people who work with the festivals.
Indian promoter BookMyShow â which previously produced stand-alone concerts by Justin Bieber and U2 at a cricket stadium in the outskirts of the city â staged the first installment of Lollapalooza India at the Mahalaxmi Racecourse, situated in the heart of Mumbai on a narrow road that frequently witnesses traffic snarls.
For many of the domestic acts â which made up 60% of the line-up â Lollapalooza was the biggest event theyâve played in their career to date. The festival featured headliners Imagine Dragons, The Strokes, Diplo, Cigarettes After Sex and Indian hip-hop star Divine, with debut India performances from Chinese pop star Jackson Wang and U.K. indie rock trio The Wombats.
Watching the performances, Lollapalooza felt a lot like a festival in the U.S. or Europe. But it also suffered from the same problems that plague other Indian festivals. Sound-related issues hindered some sets. Attendees lost cell phone service towards the evening. Bottlenecks at the end meant those who drove to the venue needed over an hour to leave, despite BookMyShow having encouraged the use of public transport by not providing on-site parking.
Lollapalooza India will also be remembered for the rampant reselling that took place prior to the festival, over WhatsApp groups and through messages shared on posts from the festivalâs official Instagram page. The majority of resellers werenât scalpers, but rather customers who bought early bird tickets in August and were disappointed by the line-up when it was revealed in November, according to one poll on Twitter.
The roster had been rumored to include such names as Metallica, Pearl Jam and Green Day, who had played the 2022 editions in the U.S., South America and Europe, as well as Red Hot Chili Peppers and Arctic Monkeys, who are touring Asia right now. BookMyShow, which co-produced the festival along with Perry Farrell and C3 Presents, neither confirmed nor denied the rumors, fueling speculation that at least some of those names might be on the bill. (Billboard reached out to BookMyShow for comment on Monday about the rampant reselling and fan issues with the final lineup but has not heard back yet.)
The Indian edition included a bunch of acts, such as metal band Bloodywood, pop ensemble Easy Wanderlings, alternative rock group The F16s and pop-rock outfit The Yellow Diary who have already performed at several festivals this season â as well artists like Divine and singer-songwriter Prateek Kuhad, who have recently gone on nationwide tours.
The backlash posed some interesting questions: Is it fair game for festival promoters to sell tickets before the line-up is announced? How many of its headliners does a global festival have to replicate to live up to its âinternationalâ reputation? Does India have enough festival-worthy acts to sustain the number of festivals being staged?
Despite a consistently growing listenership for international music on audio-streaming services, promoters in India have yet to solve logistical and infrastructure challenges. The economics of bringing million-dollar international artists to the country for a one-off show are far trickier than booking them for multi-city dates across Europe and South America, other continents to which Lollapalooza has expanded. This is coupled with the severe lack of venues for events the magnitude of Lollapalooza in cities such as Mumbai where there are few vast open grounds.
Among the most talked about sets were those by Imagine Dragons, The Strokes, Greta Van Fleet and Canadian-Punjabi hip-hop star A.P. Dhillon (who some criticized for relying heavily on a backing track).
Lollapalooza India 2023.
Courtesy Photo
From the number of revelers that flocked to their stages, it was evident India has a fervent following for acts as wide-ranging as dream-pop band Cigarettes After Sex and former K-pop idol Jackson Wang, to electronic music producer Madeon and indie pop group Japanese Breakfast.Â
While the organizers might have played it relatively safe with the Indian line-up, most local artists drew sizable crowds, with Divine and Kuhad attracting thousands in a testament to their current superstar status. Farrell, meanwhile, was seen walking around the festival site and being stopped for selfies by fans.
A substantial proportion of the attendees comprised first-time festival goers, including Mumbai residents who didnât have to take the effort of traveling to neighboring city Pune where Weekender and Supersonic are held.
After originally debuting in 1991 as a farewell tour for Farrell, the singer of Janeâs Addiction, Lollapalooza has been an annual multi-genre event in Chicagoâs Grant Park since 2005, after Farrell and William Morris partnered with Austin-based Capital Sports Entertainment (now C3 Presents). The festival expanded to South America â Santiago, Chile; SĂŁo Paulo and Buenos Aires â and to Berlin, Paris and Stockholm. In 2014, Live Nation bought a controlling interest in C3.Â
As they get set to work on the 2024 edition of Lollapalooza India â C3 Presents partner Charlie Walker told Billboard in July that they âdonât go anywhere with the expectation of not going on foreverâ â the organizers have plenty of feedback to consider when planning its return.
Colombian record executive Adriana Restrepo has been appointed IFPIâs regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean. Restrepo will now head the global record music organizationâs regional operations in Latin American and the Caribbean, based out of the organizationâs offices in Miami and reporting directly to IFPI chief executive Frances Moore.
Restrepo takes over the post vacated by Javier Asensio, who served as regional director of the IFPI since 2011. Asensio, whoâs been on Billboardâs Latin Power Player list on multiple occasions, stepped down from his role at the end of 2022 to return to his native Spain.
âHaving worked directly with Adriana for a number of years as she served on our boards, I know first-hand the level of passion, commitment and knowledge of the Latin American music sector that she brings to the role,â said Moore in a statement. âI would also like to thank Javier who has been outstanding in overseeing our work in the region for over a decade and achieved so much during a period of rapid change and evolution in the market.âÂ
Restrepo comes from a business and recording industry background and is one of the very few women who have headed record labels, including multinationals, in Latin America. She was most recently president of Sony Music Andes, based in BogotĂĄ, Colombia, and overseeing Sonyâs operation in the Andean region, which includes Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. Prior to that, Restrepo was president of powerful Colombian indie Codiscos, one of the regionâs oldest and most respected labels and publishers, with a vast catalogue of tropical and popular music.
Restrepo comes to the post at a time when the Latin American music industry is on a path of massive growth. Recorded music revenues in Latin America grew 31% in 2021, exceeding $1 billion in revenues for the first time, and making it the 12th year of consecutive growth for the region.
Restrepo, who served on the IFPIâs main board between 2018 and 2020 is familiar with the organization.
âThe region is experiencing a stellar moment due to the massive production of new talent for the entire world,â she said in a statement. âI will continue the good work developed by Javier with the National Groups and the collective management organisations seeking to reach new goals for the benefit of IFPI members.â
At Sony Andes, Maria Mercedes âMechasâ Montejo has been appointed to lead the company.
 âWe will miss Adriana here at Sony Music Latin Iberia, but we are thrilled to know that her professionalism and experience will be of service to the entire Latin music industry in her new role.  We wish her all the best,â said Afo Verde, chairman & CEO Latin America, Spain and Portugal for Sony Music Entertainment.
Verde, and the other regional label heads will be working closely with Restrepo, as they do traditionally with IFPI leadership, and support for Restrepo has been unanimous.
 âAdriana brings experience, knowledge and a great capacity for work, at a time when the challenges we face in Latin America continue to be enormous.  There is nobody better than her to continue the great job done by Javier Asensio during the last decade,â said JesĂşs LĂłpez, chairman & CEO, Universal Music Latin America & Iberian Peninsula, Universal Music Group.
Added Alejandro Duque, president, Warner Music Latin America:Â âIâve known Adriana for many years and believe she has the right qualities and commitment to lead and execute our industryâs agenda in the region for years to come.â
BMG has announced a long-term succession plan for Hartwig Masuch, the record label and publisherâs only CEO since launching in 2008. Parent company Bertelsmann said Monday (Jan. 30) that Masuch will be replaced by Thomas Coesfeld, BMGâs CFO, effective Jan. 1, 2024.
Thomas Coesfeld
Bertelsmann Printing/Group_Kai-Uwe Oesterhelweg
When he takes over as chief executive, Coesfeld will also receive a seat on the Bertelsmann Group Management Committee (GMC), which advises the Group Executive Board. Masuch will remain in an advisory role after the transition, which will be âfinalized at the end of the year,â said Bertelsmann chairman and CEO Thomas Rabe.
Under Masuchâs leadership, BMG has grown to be the fourth-biggest recorded music and publishing company in terms of revenue, trailing only the three majors. At a gathering of senior Bertelsmann execs in early October, Masuch announced BMG would be generating one billion euros in revenue starting in 2024. In the first half of 2022, the most recent final figures available, the company reported revenues grew 25% to 371 million euros ($405.7 million), compared to 2021âs first half.
In recent years, BMG has acquired music rights from Peter Frampton, Harry Nilsson, Simple Minds, Tina Turner and MĂśtley CrĂźe, among others, and through a partnership with KKR the company has acquired catalogs from John Legend and ZZ Top. On the label side, BMG has signed Duran Duran, Santana, Bryan Adams, Maxwell and Louis Tomlinson.
âSince 2008, [Masuch] has built the new BMG from scratch with a completely new business model that focuses on the needs of artists and songwriters, based on its core values of service, fairness, and transparency,â said Rabe.
Masuch joined Bertelsmann in 1991, overseeing Germany, Switzerland and Austria as part of BMG Music Publishing first incarnation. In 2008, he advised Bertelsmann when the company sold its share of Sony BMG Music Entertainment to Sony in 2008, and soon, helped start BMG Rights Management â which later became BMG.
âAfter 32 years at Bertelsmann and more than 14 years at BMG, now is the right time for me to hand over the reins to a new generation,â Masuch said in the companyâs announcement. âI am convinced that the company will be in the best hands with Thomas Coesfeld and BMGâs outstanding, highly motivated global leadership team. As our annual results will show, the company is in excellent shape both creatively and financially. I look forward to a seamless transition by the end of the year. I am sure that under Thomasâ leadership, BMGâs core values of service, fairness and transparency will continue to evolve and flourish, leading the company to even greater success.â
Coesfeld was named deputy chief financial officer at BMG in October 2021 before taking over as CFO in April 2021. He previously served as chief strategy officer on the executive committee of the Bertelsmann Printing Group, a division of BMGâs parent company Bertelsmann. He began his career in 2014 as a management consultant at McKinsey in Munich.
âI am sure that under Thomasâ leadership, BMGâs core values of service, fairness and transparency will continue to evolve and flourish, leading the company to even greater success,â said Masuch.
Added Coesfeld, âUnder Hartwig Masuchâs leadership, BMG has delivered an impressive growth story and developed into a modern music company in which data, technology, and services play a key role. My aim is to continue this success story together with the companyâs top management and its more than 1,000 employees worldwide, and to leverage the enormous creative and entrepreneurial potential of the music industry for Bertelsmann.â
On Feb. 4, the evening prior to the 65th Grammy Awards, the Recording Academy will award its first-ever award for song for social change at the Special Merit Awards Ceremony. The frontrunner to receive this award is considered to be âBaraye,â a Farsi language protest song by 25-year-old Iranian musician Shervin Hajipour that received a reported 95,000 of the 115,000 submissions for this category.
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Hajipour wrote âBarayeâ using words from internet posts Iranians wrote about the uprisings in that country in the wake of the murder of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini at the hands of Iranâs morality police. (The crime was her purported lack of appropriate head covering.) Posted on Sep. 28, less than two weeks after Aminiâs death, it quickly went viral, becoming the anthem for the global protest movement sparked by her death. Hajipour, who lives in Iran, was arrested by the Islamic regime the day after posting the song. He was released on bail the following week and is currently awaiting trial.
âBarayeâ has been covered by numerous artists, including a rendition in English by Iranian singer Rana Mansour and another from Coldplay, who performed âBarayeâ at a November stadium show in Argentina, with accompaniment by Iranian actor Golshifteh Farahani. Designer Jean Paul Gaultier used it to soundtrack his runway show at Paris Fashion Week earlier this month.
Today (Jan. 27) Iranian-German DJ/producer Human Rias is taking âBarayeâ a step further with a six-track remix package. This project, Baraye the Remixes for the People of Iran is the inaugural release on his newly minted 7Rituals label. Proceeds from the project will go to a foundation benefitting Iranians.
The first of these remixes is done by Rias himself and taps into his instinct for dancefloor heat via precise drum work and a percolating trance rhythm. He slots Hajipourâs heart-wrenching words neatly into his rework, retaining all the sorrow and hope of the original vocal, bolstering it with uplifting atmospherics and occasional effects-treated snippets of Hajipour voice. Listen to this remix below.
Subsequent remixes from the project will be released every Friday. A stunning version from Berlin titan Jan Blomqvist drops on Feb. 3, followed by Hamburg-based duo ANDATA (who are also partners in the projectâs associated merchandise through Customised Culture), PEGAH, American producer RSRRCT, and ending with Berlin-based pair Victor Ruiz & Tao Andra on Mar. 3. As there is no official studio recording of âBaraye,â and therefore no stems available, remixers worked with what was available online, altogether delivering a powerful package that expands the songâs reach into the global electronic scene.
Riasâ idea for the package was sparked when Blomqvist posted his version of the song to Instagram last November. âThe idea is to help put Iran and [its peopleâs] suffering into the public eye, to ensure that the world is exposed to what is happening,â Rias says of the project. âWhat better [way] to do this than [by using] my resources the best way I know how, through our global electronic music platform?â
Berlin-based artist PEGAH was also a huge part of the inspiration for the remix package. Rias explains: âShe approached me at one of my parties in Munich, where I could truly see her passion and her hurt as a fellow Iranian, and it was clear it was important to have her involved as well.â
âI didnât really choose the remixers based on who they are â but rather their sound, and music that I personally love,â he continues. âHaving more artists on this means we have more diversity, and thatâs important to expand across genres. I hope everyone finds a remix that works for their sets, enabling more of our colleagues to play this song.â
Like all Iranians and their supporters, Rias awaits the announcement of the Special Merit Award with bated breath. âIn a way, it makes Iran be seen again by the West, which has led to a massive surge in global support,â he says. âThat brings me to tears, and also leaves me speechless that the rest of the world has united to support.â
LONDON â Madison Square Gardenâs plan for a ânext generationâ 21,500-capacity concert venue in London won another key endorsement this week when a planning committee approved the development, despite strong objections from residents and rival live events company AEG. Â
On Tuesday, the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) granted MSG a 25-year advertising license subject to a five-year review. Now, London Mayor Sadiq Khan needs to approve the project â called MSG Sphere London â before work can begin. In rare instances, government ministers can also intervene and suspend planning applications.Â
New York-based Madison Square Garden Entertainment (MSG) first submitted plans for the venue in March of 2019. Since then, the company has encountered sustained opposition from councilors and residents who are concerned it will blight the area with noise and light pollution.Â
MSG is proposing to build the arena on a five-acre plot of land in Stratford, East London, adjacent to the Olympic Park and would be located just five miles away from the 20,000-capacity The O2 arena, the U.K.âs top grossing venue, which is operated by AEG.Â
The MSG Sphere in Las Vegas, under construction.
Courtesy Photo
The design of the MSG Sphere London mirrors the spherical crystal ball design of the MSG Sphere at The Venetian in Las Vegas â due to open later this year at a cost of $1.8 billion â and measures 90 meters (295 feet) tall by 120 meters (394 feet) wide. Its exterior will be covered in a programmable skin of more than one million LED lights, which will primarily be used for showing videos and advertising.     Â
The LLDC had provisionally approved the venue last March, but the committee still needed to sign off on several aspects of the planning process, including MSGâs strategy for managing the Sphereâs controversial advertising display.Â
The proposed arena still doesnât have a price tag, and MSG said in its most-recent quarterly earnings, filed in November, that there is no âdefinitive timelineâ for its construction.
Opponents of the venue are calling on Khan to block the development. AEG says it was âdismayedâ by the committeeâs decision to give MSG Sphere London the go ahead.Â
âWe call on the Mayor of London to uphold his election promise to do whatâs best for Londoners, including the residents of [the London Borough of] Newham who are having this huge development forced on them, by directing refusal of the planning application,â AEG says in a statement.Â
AEG says MSG Sphere Londonâs LED illuminated exterior âwas conceived for the heart of Las Vegasâ and is âat a wholly unprecedented scale for London and totally out of keeping with the surrounding area.âÂ
Campaign group StopMSGSphere, who spoke at Tuesdayâs meeting, and several local councilors have urged the Khan to quash the development, which would be MSGâs first venue outside of the United States.
Following the ruling, a spokesperson for MSG â whose portfolio includes New Yorkâs Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall and the Forum in California â said the company âremains committed to bringing MSG Sphere to Londonâ and promised the venue would create âthousands of jobs and [generate] billions of pounds for the local, London and U.K. economy.âÂ
MSG says it will provide blackout blinds to homes located within 150 meters (492 feet) of the new London arena and will run a telephone line for residents to register any complaints.
Should it get the go ahead, MSG Sphere London will be one of the U.K.âs biggest indoor concert venues with a scalable capacity of up to 17,500 seated, or 21,500 with a mixture of seated and standing. That exceeds the U.K.âs two biggest existing arenas, Londonâs The O2, which has a maximum capacity of 20,000, and Manchesterâs AO Arena, which holds up to 21,000 people.Â
Construction is currently underway in Manchester on what will be the U.K.âs biggest indoor music venue, the 23,500-capacity Co-op Live being developed by the Oak View Group, which counts Harry Styles as an investor. It is set to open in December.
The Eastern European country of Belarus has adopted a law that essentially legalizes piracy of music and other forms of copyrighted entertainment, which could make it a hotbed for piracy well beyond its borders.
Under the law, which President Alexander Lukashenko approved in early January, copyrighted music, films and other audiovisual content originating from âunfriendly countriesâ can be used in Belarus without permission from rights holders.Â
The law doesnât provide a list of âunfriendly countries.â But based on the Belarusian governmentâs previous statements, the legislation primarily targets Western nations, which slapped sanctions on Belarus following mass repressions of people for protesting the rigged presidential vote in 2020 and, more recently, because of Belarusâ support of Russiaâs invasion of Ukraine.
Belarus has never been a major music market â it does not show up in the IFPIâs ranking of the 62 biggest markets â and the major global labels had traditionally run operations there from their Russian offices. Since the labels pulled out of Russia after the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, they have also cut ties with Belarus. The country, which sits between Russia to the east and Ukraine to the south, backed Russian President Vladimir Putinâs Ukraine invasion last year by allowing Russia to launch part of its attack from Belarusian territory.Â
Despite its small stature in the music industry, analysts say that under the governmentâs piracy-permitting law Belarus could play an outsized role in spurring more global piracy.
âAs Belarus is a very small music market â a rounding error in the global market â there will be little direct impact in terms of music revenues for western rights holders,â says Mark Mulligan, music analyst at MIDiA Research.
âWhat might be impactful though is whether piracy networks start to operate from Belarus, distributing globally but operating under the protection of Belarussian law.â
The music industry is already dealing with a spate of piracy networks based in Russia and surrounding countries that are distributing pirated content to other markets, sometimes on other continents. Among the best-known operations are the stream-ripping websites FLVTO.biz and 2conv.com, run by Tofig Kurbanov, who reportedly lives in southern Russia.Â
More than two dozen record labels and the RIAA have pursued Kurbanov in the U.S. for copyright damages. Last February, a U.S. district judge in Alexandria, Va., approved an $82.9 million judgement against the Russian for circumventing YouTubeâs anti-piracy measures and infringing copyrights of audio recordings. The court found that Kurbanovâs operation drew more than 300 million users from around the world to his sites in a single year. (Kurbanov says he plans to appeal.)
And in Brazil, Paulo Rosa, IFPI affiliate Pro MĂşsicaâs president, told Billboard in 2021 that most of the fake streams being peddled to consumers in the South American country originate from hacker operations in Russia.
The Belarusian piracy law could nevertheless set an example for neighboring Russia, which for months has been considering a similar move to legalize copyrighted content from certain Western countries. Since the early 2000s, Russia has often followed the example of Belarus in strengthening authoritarian rule.
Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko speaks during a press conference on December 19, 2022.
Contributor/GI
Before the war with Ukraine, Russia had the 13th-largest music market in 2020 with revenues of $328 million, a 58% bump from 2019; it was the fastest-growing market in the world in 2019 and 2020, according to the IFPI.Â
While Russiaâs relations with the West are at their lowest point since Cold War, and many Western companies have left the country, the legalization of piracy would likely further isolate Russia â and could âset back the Russian music industry by decades,â one person at a global music company tells Billboard.
In recent years, Russia had made a substantial effort to shed its reputation as a place where piracy ran rampant. VK, the Russian analog of Facebook, which for years allowed users to share unlicensed music tracks on the platform, eventually cleaned up its act and signed license agreements with global majors a few years ago.
Now that the majors have left Russia, dozens of pirated albums have already been reappearing on VK, including recent releases from Taylor Swift (Midnights, on Universal Music Groupâs Republic Records) and Red Hot Chili Peppers (Return of the Dream Canteen, on Warner Music Groupâs Warner Records).
The legalization of piracy would certainly make it harder for Western streaming services to start operating in Russia again, says Mulligan. While Russia is still âearlier in its streaming development,â he says, âlonger term it could become a significant market and at that stage Western rightsholders would want to ensure that their music is being paid for when it is being consumed at scale.â
New laws legalizing piracy would fly in the face of treaty commitments made by both Belarus and Russia. Both countries are signatories to the Berne Convention and other World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)-administered treaties.Â
âSuspending IP protection as Belarus is presently considering would violate its obligations under these WIPO treaties and would seriously dampen Belarusâ opportunities to become integrated into the global trade community and to secure [Most Favored Nation] status, or to further integrate with the [European Union], thus minimizing its economic opportunities in the long term,â says Neil Turkewitz, president of Turkewitz Consulting Group.
Also, âany actions legalizing piracy would destroy any chance of investment in local creative industries and would hurt local artists and their fans the most,â the IFPI tells Billboard in a statement. âSuch actions would be in clear breach of international copyright law and trade agreements.â
Reservoir Media said on Thursday it signed publishing deals for the catalogs and future works of Indian rappers MC Altaf and DâEvil and the producer Stunnah Beatz.
The deals are the result of a 2020 joint venture launched by Reservoir and Gully Gang, the label and entertainment group founded by Indian hip-hop star DIVINE. Established to sign and develop talented new songwriters in India, Altaf, DâEvil and Stunnah Beatzâs songs have racked up more than half a billion streams, including on collaborations with DIVINE like âMirchiâ and âDisco Rapâ and Gunehgar, an album released late last year.
Investments by music companies based in the United States in artists, publishers and distributors based in Asia and other emerging markets has been growing at a rapid clip in recent years, with the trend expected to grow in 2023 particularly in the area of catalog investment. Luminate cited the opportunities in emerging markets, driven by the continued growth of streaming subscriptions there, as one of the main reasons investor appetite for song catalogs is growing.
India is the 17th-ranked music market globally, and it generated revenues of $219 million in 2021, up 20% from 2020, with streaming revenue jumping 87%, according to IFPIâs Global Music Report.
Founded in 2007, Reservoir has made investing in emerging markets a key prong of its diversification strategy. With its partner PopArabia, an independent music company headquartered in the United Arab Emirates, Reservoir acquired stakes in the Egyptian label 100COPIES, the Lebanese label and music publisher Voice of Beirut and signed publishing deals with Egyptâs Mohamed Ramadan, Lebanonâs Zeid Hamdan and Moroccan hip-hop star 7liwa.
Reservoir Founder and Chief Executive Officer Golnar Khosrowshahi said in a statement, âWeâre proud to be ushering in these deals, which demonstrate Reservoirâs steadfast commitment to our ongoing emerging markets strategy. As we invest in these local acts and share them with global audiences, we are well-positioned to not only tap into their potential growth, but also help facilitate the flow of culture from East to West.â
Spek, Reservoirâs executive vice president of international and emerging markets and founder of PopArabia, described MC Altaf, DâEvil, and Stunnah Beatz as three artists âat the heart of some of Indiaâs biggest rap music today.â
Chaitanya Kataria, Gully Gang chief executive officer, said he was âexcited that (MC Altaf, DâEvil and Stunnah Beatz) will gain access to new global opportunities with support from Spek and Reservoir.â
Since Iranian uprisings against the countryâs oppressive regime began last fall, one silver living is that the music of Iranian artists is being noticed and listened to by a global audience.
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Two of these artists, producers AIDA and Nesa Azadikhah, have curated Woman, Life, Freedom, a 12-song compilation of original electronic music from female Iranian artists released on Friday (Jan. 20) via Apranik Records, founded in 2022 as a response to the protests.
âWoman, Life, Freedomâ is the slogan for this movement, which began upon the murder of 22-year-old Iranian woman, Mahsa Amini, by the countryâs morality police on Sep. 16, 2022. The global outpouring from around the globe in the wake of these protests have has found its way into all art forms, with music arguably at the forefront.
The Islamic Republic of Iranâs punishment of its people through imprisonment, sentences and executions â including that of high-profile individuals such as rapper Toomaj Salehi â is motivating artists to create. Featuring female Iranian producers TK SarrSew, MENTRIX and Sharona Lico as well as AIDA and Azadikhah, Woman, Life, Freedom ranges in style from electro to breaks to techno, ambient and experimental. The tracks are bold and unapologetic, with topics and inspiration wholly tied to the current situation in Iran.
AIDA and Azadikhah represent the far ends of the Iranian population spectrum. AIDA is an Iranian producer living abroad, with her international perspective and strong roots to her ancestral country both reflected in her music. A DJ/producer whoâs equally skilled in playing traditional Iranian instruments, Azadikhah lives in the capital city of Tehran, creating within the confines of a regime which believes in the silencing of women, particularly in song.
âThe theme of this collection is power, defiance, and ferocity and can be heard across all of the tracks,â AIDA and Azadikhah share in a statement. âThis is the energy with which Iranian women continue to push for freedom. We dream of a future where women and girls can openly and safely practice, grow, and shine within arts, especially electronic music.â
Proceeds from the not-for-profit compilation will benefit charities aimed at helping women who are struggling in Iran. The first of these Iran-based organizations specifically aids women and children recovering from domestic violence, addiction, homelessness and societal distress.
Listen to and purchase Woman, Life, Freedom via Bandcamp.
Brazilian powerhouse singer-songwriter Ludmilla has inked a new management deal with WK Entertainment and Central Sonora. The alliance arrives after she won a 2022 Latin Grammy for her album Numanice #2, and after making history as the first Afro-Latina artist to reach one billion streams on Spotify.Â
â[This deal] is a very important step in my career,â Ludmilla tells Billboard EspaĂąol. âWK Entertainment/Central Sonora, together with my company Sem Querer Produçþes, will add structure and they will assist in enhancing my musical work, which is my focus. I am very happy and excited about this partnership and I am sure it will yield many results.âÂ
Together, the teams will work to further amplify Ludmillaâs global artistic development. Central to this growth is Central Sonoraâs CEO Cesar Figueiredo, who is leading this new stage in the artistâs career. He will oversee all management functions of the project. Walter Kolm, who is the founder and CEO of WK Entertainment and WK Records, will also provide support while helping develop key relations for Ludmillaâs continued growth.Â
âLudmilla reflects the true sonority that exists in Brazil today. She is ready to conquer the world by exploring our Brazilian culture,â Figueiredo said in a statement shared with Billboard EspaĂąol. âOur alliance began a few years ago as a friendship and has since blossomed, giving us the opportunity to finally work together professionally. It is truly an honor for me as a manager to represent a highly regarded and iconic artist such as Ludmilla.âÂ
âThis is a phase in my career that is very diverse and different from anything Iâve ever done, a phase that accompanies my current state and the work I propose, which has 100 per cent my truth and [aligned with] my artistic vein,â the artist adds. Â
With her propulsive pop and funk formula, Ludmilla has become a force to be reckoned with in her native Brazil and beyond. And her ever-expanding fan base further testifies her rise to prominence â she currently has 28.8 million followers on Instagram and 10.5 million on Twitter. The singer-songwriter navigates stylistic configurations with ease, whether sheâs soulfully singing an R&B ballad (âQuem ĂŠ VocĂŞâ), spitting some funky carioca bars (âTic Tacâ) or charming listeners with sweet samba songs (âMaldivasâ). Her gritty trap features equally intrigue, like on âTanto Faz.âÂ
âI think of funk as an agent of change, especially in the lives of so many peripheral people who donât have opportunities,â she says. âFunk embraces and elevates, it makes is claim our place in the world.âÂ
Ludmilla is poised to drop her next singles âSou MĂĄ,â featuring funk MCs Tasha and Tracie, as well as âNasci Pra Vencerâ on Feb. 2. âThe lyrics [to the latter trap song] tell my story, which is similar to the story of those who come from a place without [economic] gains, but with talent and hard work, we can reach places we never thought possible. Itâs about me, but itâs also about others who I hope feel represented,â she says.
Last week, Billboard EspaĂąol exclusively announced WK Recordâs Brazilian operational expansion, which began quietly running last year. It will function to develop the careers of local talent with global appeal, while creating international opportunities for them.Â
âI am delighted to welcome Ludmilla to our family of artists and join her in this exciting new journey, in partnership with Central Sonora,â Kolm stated. âOur companies look forward to amplifying Ludmillaâs career around the world and to consolidate [her] position as one of Brazilâs top artists.âÂ
Ludmilla is currently working on an eclectic album which, she mentions, will span genres like pop, R&B, funk, trap and more.
A court in India has ordered internet service providers to block access to 20 sites that were used to illegally download audio and video streams in India from platforms like YouTube, the IFPI says.
The civil ruling, published in the High Court of Delhi on Jan. 12, was the first such action in India to tackle the practice of stream-ripping, one of the countryâs most rampant forms of piracy. The 20 blocked sites collectively received nearly half a billion visits last year from users based in India, according to the IFPI, which coordinated the action with the Indian Music Industry (IMI) on behalf of Sony Music India, Universal Music India and Warner Music India.
The labels told the court that the ârogue websitesâ were providing services in which copyrighted content on various platforms, primarily YouTube, could be downloaded in mp3 or mp4 format by copying the link in the space provided in the websites. Because the details of the websitesâ real administrators are masked, the plaintiffsâ lawyer argued it would be impossible for them to pursue the websites in separate proceedings regarding individual copyrighted content.
Justice C Hari Shankar, who wrote the order, directed Indiaâs government to issue a notification calling upon the various Internet service providers to block access to the websites in India. (The court order reviewed by Billboard says there are 18 defendants, but IFPI says the decision targets 20 infringing websites and more than 50 urls.)
In India, websites are regularly blocked on the basis of copyright infringement using Section 69A of the Information and Technology Act 2000 (as amended in 2008), Information Technology Rules 2009 and civil procedure rules, the IFPI tells Billboard.
âWe welcome this decision and the strong message it sends to operators of stream ripping sites, wherever they may be based, that we are prepared to take the appropriate action against them,â Frances Moore, IFPIâs chief executive, says in a press release.
âGiven that itâs the first time a website blocking order has been granted against stream ripping websites, this precedent is an important step in the right direction for the Indian recorded music industry,â Blaise Fernandes, IMIâs president and CEO, says in the same release.
Digital music has been leading the way in the rapid growth of Indiaâs music market, which booked $219 million in recorded music revenues in 2021, up 20.3% from 2020. Streaming, which grew by 22.5% in 2021, now represents 87% of total trade value in the 17th-largest music market, according to IFPIâs Global Market Report.Â
But the IFPI notes that a study last year found that India still has a rate of piracy more than twice that of most major music markets, with 73% of internet users using unlicensed or illegal methods to listen to music, compared to a global average of 30%. Intellectual property rights theft âis like a cancer,â Fernandes wrote in a 2020 op-ed. âYou need both palliative care via social messaging, as well as chemotherapy via the Indian Penal Code or laws that keep up with the needs of Indiaâs digital requirements.â
Beyond India, the recording industry has stepped up efforts to crack down on stream-ripping websites. Courts and authorities in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Denmark, Ecuador, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Peru, Russia and Spain have all issued decisions over the last few years ordering service providers to block customersâ access to such websites, the IFPI says.
U.S. music companies have also battled stream-rippers, who are often based outside the country. In a case brought by more than two dozen record labels, a U.S. magistrate judge in Alexandria, Va., recommended in December 2021 that the operator of two Russian stream-ripping sites, Tofig Kurbanov, pay $82.9 million in damages for circumventing YouTubeâs anti-piracy measures and infringing copyrights of audio recordings.
Kurbanovâs piracy operation drew more than 300 million global users to the sites from October 2017 to September 2018 alone, the court said. (U.S. District Judge Claude Hilton accepted the $82.9 million recommendation last February. In March, Kurbanov told the court he would appeal the judgement.)
As the streaming market has grown globally, the IFPI has also helped coordinate court and police actions to shut down sites peddling fake streams in major recording markets like Brazil and Germany, which are artificially juicing the success of songs and albums.
In France, the fifth-largest music market, a study released this week by a French government organization found that one billion streams â or between 1% to 3% of all streams in the market â were fraudulent in 2021. The report, which analyzed data from Spotify, Deezer and Qobuz, notes that âthe methods used by fraudsters are constantly evolving and improving,â and that âfraud seems to be getting easier and easier to commit.â