Management
Page: 10
Grupo Frontera has signed a management deal with Habibi, Noah Assad‘s management firm, Billboard can report. Raymond Acosta, director of talent management at the company — which also includes Karol G on its roster — will lead Frontera’s management team.
The deal comes seven months after Frontera and Bad Bunny‘s massive collaboration, “Un x100to” — an irresistible cumbia, norteña track — peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was also up for song of the year at this year’s Latin Grammys.
Over the past two years, Grupo Frontera — previously managed by Victor Ruiz — went from local McAllen, Texas, band to a música mexicana global force. Composed of Adelaido “Payo” Solis III, Juan Javier Cantú, Julian Peña Jr., Alberto Acosta, Carlos Guerrero and Brian Ortega, the group broke out last year thanks to its tejano spin on Morat‘s 2019 single, “No Se Va.” The inventive cover scored the norteño group its first entry on any Billboard chart, ultimately peaking at No. 3 on the Hot Latin Songs tally (dated Nov. 12, 2022).
According to Raymond Acosta, Habibi was approached by Mexican hitmaker Edgar Barrera — who’s penned and produced for Grupo Frontera — and Alberto Acosta of Frontera after seeing the impact “Un x100to” had. “I asked Noah for an opportunity to get to know and study Mexican culture,” Acosta explains. “Because for me, identities are very important. One of my role models is Mr. Angelo Medina, he was the manager of José José and Emmanuel. He was the one who taught me [that] when you’re going to cross the pond, you have to know where you’re going.”
Grupo Frontera released its debut album, El Comienzo, via Barrera’s BorderKid Records label. The set bowed and peaked at No. 3 on the Top Latin Albums chart. In the past year alone, the group has placed eight songs on the Billboard Hot 100 — including “Que Vuelvas” with Carin Leon, “Bebe Dame” with Fuerza Regida and “Frágil” with Yahritza y Su Esencia. They have a distribution deal with Believe and own their masters.
“If you want to be the number one manager, your artists have to be number one,” adds Acosta. “I’m fulfilling my dreams by fulfilling the dreams of others. I think that’s the beauty of the management part. [At Habibi,] we don’t copy-paste marketing plans. That’s why when you see all the projects, none of them look alike. And seeing everything that is behind Frontera, the personality of each one and what they are doing, motivates us a lot.”
Additional reporting by Leila Cobo.
This past week has been one of the big ones on the music calendar, with the Recording Academy announcing the nominees for the 2024 Grammy Awards, set to take place on Feb. 4. When they were unveiled, one of the year’s biggest honorees was Victoria Monet, whose album JAGUAR II was a critical smash when it debuted in September of this year. Monet, who started her career as an artist in a girl group before seeing success as a songwriter for Ariana Grande, Blackpink, Travis Scott and others, earned seven nominations, the second-most of any artist, including nods in the coveted best new artist and record of the year categories.
The nominations span a variety of areas: in addition to best new artist and record of the year for her song “On My Mama,” she earned nods for R&B album, R&B performance, R&B song, traditional R&B performance and engineered album, non-classical, recognizing her for artistry, songwriting, performance and overall quality. It’s a testament to Monet’s work rate and vision, as well as to the team around her, including manager Rachelle Jean-Louis, who earns the title of Billboard’s Executive of the Week.
Here, Jean-Louis discusses the work and planning that went into setting up and delivering JAGUAR II, how the album campaign extended into every facet of Monet’s career and the dedication and teamwork that it took to pull off a feat that is now being recognized with so many nominations by the academy. “One thing I’ve heard people say is, ‘If the music is great, people will find it,’” Jean-Louis says. “Sure — but they’re more likely to find it if you can give them as many touch points and opportunities as possible.”
This week, Victoria Monet was nominated for seven Grammy Awards, including best new artist and record of the year, the second-most of any artist for the upcoming 2024 awards. What key decisions did you make to help make that happen?
The first important decision was made years ago, on the heels of her writing two No. 1 records. She had an opportunity to open on a tour she was excited about, and I advised she focus on her artistry and developing an identifiable world and sound, specifically as an artist, for fans. That was our first “tough” conversation — convincing someone I’d just started working with to pause and reflect on the big picture. We focused on developing her own sound with longtime collaborator D’Mile. That world became JAGUAR — the first project we released independently in 2020, and now, JAGUAR II. I A&R’d and co-executive produced both projects and worked alongside her and D’Mile to make something we were all proud of.
The next important decision at that time was choosing to stay independent and partner with Platoon for the first JAGUAR so she had full creative autonomy and as bulletproof of an identity as possible before going back into a major label system. Back then, she had interest from the majors because of songwriting success, but I wanted loyal core fans there for her, not just anyone she was affiliated with, so if and when she did decide to partner with one, it would be a true partnership to help amplify her vision. JAGUAR II was released via Lovett Music in partnership with RCA Records to help her music reach new heights.
She was a songwriter for years before beginning her recording career, which is not always an easy transition for artists to make. How did you help that process, and what were the challenges involved?
This is actually a common misconception. Victoria did start her music career as an artist; she was signed in a girl group that ended up getting dropped from their label. To provide for herself and keep working while sorting out contracts and having developed further under an incredible songwriter like Lashawn Daniels, who wrote hits like “Say My Name” for Destiny’s Child, she tried to keep her dream of artistry alive by songwriting. It can be incredibly difficult for people who have success as songwriters first to be able to brand themselves and differentiate the songs they write for others from their own work. Victoria has always been great at that. Victoria’s artistic voice really is unique. After the music was made, I wanted to make sure her visual identity was credible and set her apart. I searched Vimeo for hours looking for directors before finding Valentin Petit, an incredible French director, to shoot “Moment” as the first true music video from JAGUAR. It’s important to me that the visual art match the caliber of the music. We have an incredible creative team that is dedicated to that, which you can see by the videos for JAGUAR II. Our creative director Charlotte and art director Jess are both fearless, talented women who work hand in hand with us to push the art and story forward.
This nominated album, JAGUAR II, is the second half of a two-project series. How did you approach the entire rollout differently from perhaps a more traditional release schedule?
Attention spans are so short. One thing I’ve heard people say is, “If the music is great, people will find it.” Sure — but they’re more likely to find it if you can give them as many touch points and opportunities as possible. When we first started talking about the rollout for JAGUAR in 2019, we were going to do three parts to be consistent and give fans more chances to discover Victoria and her music. More singles to focus on one at a time to point back to a cohesive world. We didn’t plan for a pandemic to happen in the middle of that process, but we adapted and released four singles off a nine-song project to keep it going consistently for as long as possible over the course of a year. A lot of the rollout for both JAGUAR and JAGUAR II is sustained by content in between our videos and singles, and great press moments thanks to our longtime indie publicist Dana Meyerson at biz3. We released two singles in 2021 after the birth of her daughter to stay in the conversation, did her first pre-show award show performance at BET Awards that year, then revisited the remaining songs for JAGUAR II.
Coming back to the remaining music years later, Victoria felt something was missing and that she could do better, so I set more sessions for her. Those songs were “Cadillac,” “Party Girls (feat. Buju Banton),” “Alright” produced by Kaytranada, “How Does It Make You Feel,” “Stop (Askin Me 4Shyt)” and “On My Mama.” More than half of the album. She was right.
For JAGUAR II specifically, how did you want to present it, given it was such a long-awaited project and yet, also, her debut album?
Victoria is one of the most dedicated perfectionists I’ve ever met — in the way that I imagine the greats I’ve always respected were when they created some of the most important albums of our time. We wanted to continue the theme of JAGUAR being a representation of Victoria as a complex Black woman, making sure each song showed another side of her so it could speak to women everywhere. We still believe in albums as experiences, not chasing singles, so that was a determining factor of what songs to pick to represent JAGUAR II. The singles were all different enough to keep fans engaged and looking forward to the album.
We started with “Smoke” featuring Lucky Daye since it continued the sound established with D’Mile on the first project. It served the true R&B purists in her fanbase. Victoria felt strongly about “Party Girls” as the next single to get out ahead of the summer given the island influence. Our label supported her vision to deliver a visual that continued to elevate her art, and it accomplished that by raising the bar for her.
“On My Mama” was the easiest entry point for all of the above — there’s enough musicality for the purists, a recognizable sample that isn’t overused, a hip-hop element to bring in new fans, a universal celebratory message and an incredible video with choreo that continues to have its own viral moment. It’s an ode to Black culture and Victoria’s identity on multiple fronts as a Black woman. “On My Mama” is where she arrived, right before we put out the album. Thanks to our passionate radio team led by Sam Selolwane, “On My Mama” has hit No. 1 on urban radio and is making its way across the charts at other formats as well.
In addition to the singles, the key to this rollout was using her live show to propel the music. Victoria is an incredible performer. In March of this year, we kicked off her new era with “Smoke,” and quickly followed with the announcement of her first-ever solo show in partnership with Spotify to bring the experience to Los Angeles. We did this again right after “On My Mama” came out in June, announcing her highly anticipated first solo tour, which sold out in minutes. By the time the album came out, we had a sold-out tour for loyal fans and so much positive feedback on the songs. The tour intentionally brought most of the songs on JAGUAR II to life to keep people going back to the album after its release. Word of mouth, whether via the Internet or real life, is still some of the most valuable advertising, and the tour has accomplished that.
There is a wide breadth to these nominations, which celebrate artistry, songwriting, performance and overall quality. What does that say about Victoria as an artist, and to the work you guys have put in?
It says a lot about Victoria. Her dimensions as an artist are mirrored by her dimensions as a person: she’s already wearing many hats of intersectionality as an openly bisexual Black woman. She’s also a mother, so these nominations are already serving as lessons for her daughter that she can do whatever she chooses to. It’s a beautiful thing to watch Victoria be nominated as an artist for the first time and share that experience with her daughter, who is also making history as the youngest ever to be nominated. Representation matters deeply. The nominations amongst her peers in the Recording Academy speak to seeing the range of her skills, each of which she works hard to hone.
The nominations speak to the years of hard work collectively by Victoria and our largely female team. It’s a largely affirming moment in my own life and career for every time I thought maybe the world would not recognize what I have been working hard to get people to see and sacrificing time with family and loved ones to do. I advocated for a difficult path in favor of creative control for Victoria and she trusted me.
I’m an independent manager that is also an openly queer Black woman. I’m a first-generation American and daughter of Haitian immigrants. This is something I have dreamt of since I was a kid. The majority of superstars have male managers, and most of them are white. While the journey was incredibly difficult and at times isolating, it makes these nominations very rewarding for me personally. It’s a reminder to trust my instincts. This is a moment for our entire team, in which we are being seen. Everyone has been working tirelessly at their crafts before meeting Victoria and came together to make something we are all proud of.
What can all these nominations help you guys further accomplish moving forward — and what is next for you guys?
The nominations have started opening doors to opportunities our team has been pitching and campaigning for Victoria for years, but the work doesn’t stop. There’s certainly a tangible validity to them that is really helping our cause. Things aren’t necessarily automatically easier or not requiring work per se, but they absolutely are helping as another co-sign to the credibility of Victoria as an artist.
Victoria has been telling me just about every week she’s been doing promo, touring or working that she can’t wait to get back in the studio because she’s inspired, and I can’t wait to dive back into the creative process. There’s still so much to do. We’re looking forward to releasing more music and content and doing more collaborations. We’re excited to bring her live show to more people and continue to build her audience globally. She’s expressed a desire to act as well.
And what do these mean for you as a manager?
I want to be able to continue to open doors for myself and others through these nominations. I have two stellar artist clients — one being Victoria and one being an incredible rising vocalist named Saint Harison that I want to make sure reach as many people as possible with their talent. The journey for Victoria has been an incredible story that people are authentically connecting to. I’ve always been a creative first and foremost, and my heart has been in storytelling. Whether that’s helping to get out the stories of my clients or telling stories of my own, that has been the root of my passion that I’m excited to keep exploring.
Warner Records has launched underscore works recordings, a joint venture with Charly Salvatore’s Nashville-based management company underscore works.
The new label will focus on discovering and developing fresh country music talent, and launches with two new signings: Dipper and Wesko.
Salvatore launched underscore works in 2022; the company works with artists including Warren Zeiders, Priscilla Block and Dalton Dover. Zeiders, who is signed directly to Warner Records, debuted on Billboard’s Hot 100 with “Pretty Little Poison,” which is currently in the top 20 on the Country Airplay chart.
Texas native Dipper recently released his debut EP Evergreen, including his first single, “She’s Got Wings.” Dipper also signed a global publishing deal with Bailey Zimmerman, The Core Entertainment and Warner Chappell Music.
North Carolina native Wesko spent the past four years performing with his band and writing songs, while working as a foreman for an erosion control company and balancing a full college course load. He continued building his audience in North Carolina, as well as building his social media following before signing with underscore works recordings.
Warner Records’ Co-Chairman & CEO Aaron Bay-Schuck and Co-Chairman & COO Tom Corson said in a statement, “Together with Charly, we’ve already seen incredible success with Warren Zeiders – a newcomer to the scene who has quickly made a big impact. The underscore team shares the same dedication we have when it comes to artist development and building meaningful and lasting careers, making it a no brainer to expand our partnership so we can support even more special artists. Dipper and Wesko are two genuinely talented, hard-working musicians with bright futures ahead, and we look forward to collaborating with underscore to bring even more great music to fans around the world.”
Salvatore added, “Aaron, Tom, and the entire world-class Warner Records team have an amazing track record when it comes to breaking new acts and, more importantly, sustaining that momentum. They’ve been incredible partners with Warren, and there’s no one else I’d want to be running alongside as we take this exciting next step in the underscore works journey. With a deep passion for developing emerging artists, I’m thrilled to embark on this new chapter with remarkable talents like Dipper and Wesko, who are destined to captivate the world’s stage.”
Latin superstar Chayanne is a chart machine. The Puerto Rican heartthrob boasts a multi-decade streak of 15 albums that have reached the top 10 on Billboard’s Latin Pop Albums chart since his self-titled debut in 1989. Only one other Latin act (Rocío Dúrcal) has matched that feat.
But Chayanne’s last album was 2014’s En todo estaré, released nine years ago, while his last tour stopped short in early 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. And although he’d had plenty of singles chart activity since then, his last No. 1 was 2007’s “Si nos quedara poco tiempo,” which topped the Hot Latin Songs chart.
Certainly, expectations and pressure were high for Chayanne to deliver, and he’s done just that. His new album, Bailemos, out on his longtime label, Sony Music, opened at No. 3 on Billboard’s Latin Pop Albums chart, while his current single, “Bailando Bachata,” notched its 13th week at No. 1 on Billboard’s Tropical Airplay chart, marking his longest-running single to date on any chart. One of the most successful Latin touring acts in the market, Chayanne is also readying what will be his next mammoth, multi-year tour, which kicks off next year and will include arenas and stadiums in the United States, Latin America and Spain.
Despite the long gap between studio albums, at the core of Chayanne’s success is consistency: He’s a self-described “label artist” who has been signed to Sony since his 1989 debut. He could also be described as a one-manager artist. Patty Vega, director of Chayanne’s Chaf Enterprises, has managed him for the past 27 years with a steely, steady hand. The Colombian-born Vega, known for her no-nonsense, get-it-done style and her ability to position her client in every country in the world, is one of the very few female managers in Latin music, albeit one who prefers to stay behind the scenes. This week, given Chayanne’s success, she earns the title of Billboard’s Executive of the Week — and explains why her legacy artist remains in his prime.
It’s been nine years since Chayanne’s last studio album. What did it mean to you as a manager to wait nearly a decade for your artist to release an album?
It was a struggle because the years kept going by. But Chayanne was waiting for his moment, and in between, he did two tours — and remember, each Chayanne tour takes roughly two and a half years to complete. Then we had the pandemic, and that’s when we started to talk about an album. So it’s not like we weren’t on it. Afterward, Sony’s songwriting camp system was magnificent and it’s something Chayanne hadn’t done before. They brought together songwriters, producers and the artist, who in this case had input on everything and was able to pinpoint what he wanted and contribute to the songs. And we see the results: 13 weeks at No. 1 and No. 3 in sales. The experience of making this album was totally different from before.
How so?
Before they would send us songs, the songwriter would chat with Chayanne, Chayanne would give his input, they’d record a demo, but it’s very different from actually being in the studio and working the songs there. This time, we had three studios going on, and in the space of one week, we had 16 songs, which we whittled down to nine.
Chayanne became a superstar at a time when albums were sold, radio and TV were all-important and there were few Latin global stars. How do you explain to an artist like that that the world of music and promotion is very different now?
We had very long, involved conversations, and above everything, we have a very good relationship. We have our big differences in terms of the proposals that we consider. But he is always open to analyze something. Sometimes he’ll get up and say no, but a seed is planted. This was a long process. For example, he was very reticent with social media. He said he didn’t have the time and he didn’t want to do things his fans might not like or want. Convincing him to really work on his social media was intense. But today, he understands it perfectly, and everything he does resonates, which says a lot about his fans and how faithful they are to him. Those millions of followers he has, he’s gained every one of them organically. For example, “La Bachata” — you go on Instagram and there’s thousands of posts of people dancing to it.
That’s Chayanne. How did you change?
Well, I had to learn. You have a formula that’s given you a great response for decades. And suddenly, it’s not the same. So you have to adapt. That’s why convincing Chayanne to open up to other things was so major. He’s remained relevant because, first and foremost, people love him. That’s not something you can buy; that’s genuine and that’s something we’ve built through the years. But also, beyond music, for example, we do a lot of campaigns.
What do you mean by campaigns?
We have many commercial campaigns with brands, and that keeps his image relevant in many countries. Lala in Mexico, for example, is a very well-known milk brand and every year we do a national campaign that includes traditional media like television and banners, and digital. [Department store] Falabella has done a Christmas campaign with Chayanne in Chile, Colombia and Peru for five consecutive years. Chayanne’s image is very present.
While you’re doing a lot with digital and social media, radio has been very central to the promotion of this album. Is it a struggle with the label to attack both avenues of promotion?
Not at all. It may seem old school but it’s essential for us. And Chayanne has spent his entire life with Sony, and this marketing team is the best. We meet constantly, and they understand perfectly that although he now has a younger audience — because the age range of his fans is younger now — he also has a fan base that doesn’t understand social media as well, and still listens to radio and still wants to buy the CD and the poster. Radio is still very important, and radio has embraced Chayanne in every country. Television is also important and continues to sell for us. We have to consider all those elements: the mothers, the aunts, the grandmothers, the daughters. It’s many generations. But, I felt supported one thousand percent [by the label]. I thank my team every day… They’re all on team Chayanne.
What has been the biggest challenge with this album?
The same one as ever: To get people to love it. Having him do something great and being able to say, “We did it.” It’s very hard [to stand out] in such a competitive industry where there are so many young artists making hits, and where artists from other generations aren’t as visible. You have to really strive to do something better than the last album. Make a better tour than the last tour. At the end of the day, word of mouth is what gets people to your shows. But in the end, all the pieces fell into place. This album had to come out now, and Chayanne had to be ready.
I know you’re touring next year. What can you tell me?
It’s throughout all of Iber-America: from Spain to Argentina, going through every single country in Central and South America. For the U.S. I already have a proposal for 40 arena dates. Our last tour was 100 dates, and we had to cut the last five months due to the pandemic. As Alejandro Soberón [CEO of OCESA] once said, with Chayanne, you have to sell subscriptions because female fans go see him again and again when he plays. [He] can play a Movistar arena now, and come back months later and do it again. We repeat in a lot of markets.
You’ve worked with Chayanne for 33 years, 27 of them as his manager. That’s very unusual, especially now, when artists change managers at a very fast clip. To what do you attribute the longevity?
I think honesty. And loyalty. The most important thing for me is to look someone in the eyes and know that I’m telling them the truth and they can trust me. That’s the way it’s always been. We’ve disagreed, of course; we have our tempers. But we’ve worked with respect: He respects my work and I respect his.
The Record Company has signed with Jeff Castelaz of Cast Management, the band tells Billboard.
The signing announcement follows the release of the band’s fan-driven The 4th Album, which dropped in September via Round Hill Records, its new label home after being dropped by Concord Music late last year.
Formed in 2011, the Grammy-nominated, L.A.-based roots rock trio featuring Chris Vos (guitar, lead vocals), Alex Stiff (bass), and Marc Cazorla (drums). The band’s first album, Give It Back To You, which included the hit single “Off the Ground,” earned it two Grammy nominations, a No. 1 single on AAA radio and a slot opening for John Mayer on tour.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
With a new album out, The Record Company is returning to the road in 2023. It will play the Regent Theatre in L.A. later this month (Nov. 18) before heading out on tour in January for a rebooked cross-country run during which they will play White Oak Music Hall in Houston (Jan. 20), the 9:30 Club in Washington DC (Feb. 2) and the Fillmore in San Francisco (Mar. 14).
“The new record is us taking our own advice from ‘Off the Ground,’ which is a very honest reflection of where we had been in our careers and how we we’re going to get ourselves in gear to keep moving,” Vos tells Billboard. “As an artist, when you’re in a moment where a challenge comes at you, the only choice you really have is to do what you feel is the most honest and true to yourself, and that’s what we are trying to do with this album.”
Dropped by its previous label at the end of last year, the band canceled its tour and began working on writing new music, planning to “hold ourselves accountable to these songs,” Vos explains. “When we finished, we felt like we [made] a really honest record and we could stand behind that.”
The new album was recorded inside Stiff’s L.A. house and relied on older, weathered instruments and makeshift studio equipment to capture a more rootsy sound. Prior to recording, the group members told themselves, “Let’s just do that thing that got us excited years ago when we started the band,” Stiff says. “Just putting our heads together and setting up the mics and doing it ourselves.”
Cazorla remembered that when they pulled out his drumset, the “heads on the drums had not been changed in 12 years. There wasn’t a conscious decision not to include anything new — but there’s magic in those old instruments. They sound like they’ve got stories to tell.”
The 4th Record had been well received by fans for its back-to-its-roots sound, consistency and raw, rowdy moments like first single “Dance on Mondays,” a feisty toe-tapper that opens with a needling bassine and garage-rock-to-blues chorus.
“It’s a song about fighting your way out of a dead-end,” says Stiff, who came up with the song’s hook as a quick quip after being invited out on a school night. Over time, the idea became about saying, “I’m not doing a f—ing dance to anybody anymore,” he adds. “That’s how I’m gonna rebound out of this feeling I’m having. It’s how I am going to overcome it and beat it in the end.”
The next single for The Record Company is “Roll With It,” a more traditional roots rock track with plenty of handclaps, vocal harmonies and call and response choruses — challenging the band to follow up its past success with new victories while maintaining its timeless sound.
“That’s like very much a lot of what’s happened to us in our career,” says Stiff. “We get this like unexpected hit song and we became surrounded by people asking how we are going to duplicate our success; essentially duplicate something that just kind of happened. We don’t know, but we do like how this song, one of the last ones we wrote for this album, came together pretty quickly and very much sounds like our kind of thing, and we’re pretty psyched with it.”
WME announced on Tuesday (Oct. 24) that the agency has signed the estate of Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti for management worldwide under its WME Legends division.
WME Legends is focused on estate and legacy brand management, with the objective of growing the legacies of artists and brands for a new generation.
Kuti (born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti) is a Nigerian-born musician, bandleader, composer, political activist and Pan-africanist who created the Afrobeat genre, a percussion-heavy fusion of funk, jazz, fuji and highlife music. That eventually led to the genre’s 21st-century polyrhythmic offshoot, Afrobeats, which has been steadily crossing into the mainstream over the last few years. Kuti died in 1997 after suffering from complications with AIDS.
The WME Legends team will manage Kuti’s name, image, likeness, life, IP, music and publishing rights across WME and parent company Endeavor’s departments and companies worldwide in partnership with the administrators of Kuti’s estate. All existing deals controlling his recordings and music publishing remain. Partisan Records will continue to distribute Kuti’s catalog in North America, while Universal Music still distributes it in the rest of the world. His music publishing is split between BMG and Sony worldwide.
WME Legends is focused on growing Kuti’s legacy for a new generation with various projects, including a definitive scripted biopic; an expansion of the Fela! stage musical franchise; previously unreleased masters and unpublished songs; licensing and merchandising; commercials and endorsements; and more. It has not yet been determined who will distribute and admin the previously unreleased material.
The Kuti biopic is currently in development. Notably, 12 Years a Slave director Steve McQueen was previously developing a Kuti biopic for Focus Features to star Chiwetel Ejiofor. In 2013, McQueen dropped out and was replaced on the project by Nigerian director Andrew Dosunmu, though McQueen told The Hollywood Reporter the following year that the project was “dead.” However, in the same story, producer Lydia Dean Pilcher told the outlet the biopic was still in development outside of Focus. It’s unclear whether any of the above-named players are involved in the current version of the biopic.
WME Legends also represents the estates of The Notorious B.I.G., Andy Kaufman, Eartha Kitt, Waylon Jennings, Peter Tosh and Charlie Sifford, as well as Ram Dass’ Love Serve Remember Foundation and the iconic New York punk/new wave club, CBGB.
During the course of the negotiation, the Kuti estate was represented by Olajide Oyewole, a member of DLA Piper Africa.
The K-pop agency ATTRAKT announced that it has terminated its contracts with three of the four members of the girl group FIFTY FIFTY, stating that the three members — Aran, Sio and Saena — had “slandered and defamed the agency” and sought to break their contracts.
The termination is in response to an apparent contract dispute between all four members of the group and ATTRAKT that arose in June, according to the Korea Times, wherein the group alleged that ATTRAKT had breached its contract by “failing to provide accounting data” and neglecting the group’s mental health, according to the outlet. Since then, the fourth member of the group, Keena, dropped her lawsuit and returned to the agency.
FIFTY FIFTY broke out onto the charts in a major way earlier this year with their hit “Cupid,” which initially gained momentum on TikTok before rising to No. 17 on the Hot 100 and spending two weeks at No. 1 on the Global Ex-U.S. chart in May, while also reaching the top 10 of the Pop Airplay chart in July, peaking at No. 7 and becoming just the second K-pop group, behind BTS, to reach that territory. The group, which was formed by ATTRAKT last year, signed a deal with Warner Records / Warner Music Group Korea in April of this year.
A rep for Warner Records did not return a request for comment..
In its statement, ATTRAKT also alleged a “conspiracy” between the three members of the group and Sung-il Ahn, also known as SIAHN, who is the founder/CEO of The Givers, a K-pop consulting firm that co-managed the group alongside Attrakt and who is the producer of “Cupid.” According to the Korea Times, Attrakt has filed a suit for damages against SIAHN and The Givers over its involvement in the contract dispute, alleging SIAHN attempted to poach the group away from ATTRAKT.
In April, SIAHN told Billboard that ATTRAKT and The Givers were taking a different approach towards the group than the typical K-pop company does with its artists, which typically combine management and label services under one roof.
“We plan to propose a new label structure for FIFTY FIFTY — a separate label for them, solely concentrating on the artist’s development,” SIAHN said at the time. “K-pop companies have an entrenched ‘artist-agency’ relationship, which poses a significant obstacle to an artist’s long-term global expansion. To overcome this persistent problem, The Givers is exploring a structure where the label directly contracts with the artist while the main producer oversees the creative aspects of the group and collaborates with the label.”
At the top of 2020, Nick Mueller found himself in the throes of his first Grammy week. “I was lucky enough to be at a lot of the events because of what was happening in my business at that time – but there were a lot of people that weren’t,” he recalls, speaking of his peers, many of whom were also in their early twenties. “That week specifically is very power driven; You’re not invited to certain things unless you’re of certain stature and you’re doing things at a certain level. And I wanted to create something that didn’t feel like that.”
Growing up in Dallas, Mueller (now 25) started unofficially managing local high school acts his junior year. After graduating in 2016, he worked for Austin-based production, promotion and management company Scoremore. Two years later, he moved to Los Angeles to ultimately pursue management full time.
By 2019, Mueller was enjoying his first major win as his client Ant Saunders scored a viral hit with the melodic pop song “Yellow Hearts.” Less than a year later, Mueller founded Golden Kids Group alongside his business partner Lil Fogarty and in 2021 he not only launched the company’s label arm but decided to make good on his promise of creating an event that felt more aligned with his position in the industry – and Golden Hour was born.
“Lil and I discussed, ‘How can we create an atmosphere for young people?’ And by young, there’s no age restriction, it was more the energy that people brought to the environment,” says Mueller. “How can we create an event where people feel like they’re equal to each other and build relationships and friendships, whether or not it translates to business…It’s more about connecting people with similar interests on the same journey in L.A. and watching what comes of it.”
The first Golden Hour – hosted at the picturesque Harbor Studios in Malibu – was held in fall 2021 for about 120 people. “The feedback was immense,” says Mueller. “People would come back to us and say, ‘I got a job from this.’” In its second year, Golden Hour doubled in size. And this year, Mueller estimates the event hosted over 300 attendees.
“The music industry can be so fiercely competitive but from the beginning, Nick and I have seen how powerful it is to choose to be collaborative instead,” says Fogarty, 26. “The business is a tricky world to navigate – especially as a young exec dealing with a lot of industry firsts – but it’s a lot less tricky when you have a community of people to lean on for guidance. Not only is it empowering to share knowledge, but by collaborating we get to put our artists in better situations too.”
Golden Kids is a small but mighty team of three, with Zoe Burbridge assisting with administrative work. The company’s size is something Mueller says he and Fogarty discuss often, considering how much the roster has grown. To date, the management side alone boasts 347aidan, Ant Saunders, Sky McCreery and TELYKAST. (SEB and Anees round out the recording roster.)
“We have such a system in place that allows us to operate at a high level without feeling overwhelmed, but still being able to bring the utmost value to everyone that we touch,” says Mueller, “which is kind of the MO of the company.”
Below, he explains what drove him to launch his own firm and why creating space for young executives to connect remains as much of a priority as helping an artist catch their big break.
How do you perceive the role of a young manager in this business?
We have to always be of the mindset of, ‘How can we help people win?’ It doesn’t matter what they can bring to us or provide for us. If we can do that, opportunities are going to present themselves. And maybe it’s cliche, but life is short and this business is small, and at the end of the day, yes, we’re impacting people and we’re building careers and changing fans’ lives through the music, but it’s not that deep. One day when it’s all gone, if you didn’t have fun and you didn’t help people along the way, then it’s pointless in my eyes.
How does that approach and hosting an event like Golden Hour help you and your company’s visibility?
When we’re in meetings, people will bring it up and say, ‘Oh, my friend that lives in New York has never even been, but that’s how they know about Golden Kids.’ We’ve seen that where the company is recognized not because of the artist, but because of the event, which is spectacular and at the end of the day when you bring people together and you have the intentions that we have, naturally, it’s going to help the brand build. I think that goes for anything. And I think it’s important to us that we’re providing an atmosphere to grow and to win. When you do that, things work out.
How would you describe where Golden Kids is at right now?
We’re in a very pivotal point of the company and a lot of the artists are at that cusp where they could either break or they don’t. And so for us, the focus has to be 10x what it was when we were just starting with them and that’s why we can’t take on everyone that we would love to. But we still find ways to advise or consult. Artists call me all the time and say, ‘Hey, what do you think about this? Should I do this deal? What do you think about this manager? What do you think about this agent?’ And I’m always open to that. And there’s no strings attached.
For other young managers whose artists are on the cusp of breaking, what’s your advice for navigating that window of time?
I think the most important thing is the relationship that you have with the artists, because as artists grow and get bigger, there’s a lot of people and a lot of voices that come into the mix, whether it’s a label, a publisher, bigger managers that want to partner with you… you have to be extremely tight with the artists and with the crew around the artists in those moments, because the easiest place to derail a team is at that moment when they’re breaking. Because it’s exciting, there’s a lot of things happening, there’s a lot of people that want to talk, there’s a lot of people that want your attention. And that’s the nature of the business that we work in. But you have to trust the decisions that you and the artist want to make, and go with those.
Looking back on the past year, what are you most proud of?
I’m extremely proud of how we operate and how we’re building the company, the artists and each other up. As a manager and as an executive it is so important to make sure [our artists are] happy and that they’re constantly excited and feeling like [their break is] just around the corner, because the second that they lose hope is a very dangerous thing. So for me, the biggest achievement in the last 12 months is just where all of our artists’ heads are at.
These managers on the rise have guided their artists through breakout years, navigating such firsts as topping the charts, opening stadium shows (for none other than Taylor Swift) and even selling out arenas on their own.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Drew Simmons
Age: 41Company: Foundations MusicKey Clients: Noah Kahan, Dayglow, COIN
“There is no off-cycle anymore,” says Simmons, who has had a front-row seat to Noah Kahan’s nonstop year, “and that is taxing on the infrastructure around the artist but also on the artist themselves.” From Kahan’s success with Stick Season and its deluxe edition (the latter debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200) to selling out arenas to raising nearly $2 million for mental health resources through The Busyhead Project, Simmons is “excited about opportunities ahead for artists as the paradigm shifts, placing more and more leverage in [their] hands.”
Noah Kahan and Drew Simmons
Patrick McCormack
James Rosemond Jr.
Age: 31Company: Mastermind ArtistsKey Clients: Ice Spice, RIOTUSA
Ice Spice became a chart staple this year, notching four top 10 hits on the Hot 100 including collaborations with superstars like Taylor Swift and Nicki Minaj. For Rosemond, being able to pair Ice and producer RIOTUSA with Minaj on two of those tracks (“Princess Diana,” “Barbie World”) was particularly gratifying: “I get high on helping creatives achieve their dreams and positively change their socioeconomic status.”
Ice Spice, RIOTUSA and James Rosemond Jr.
Dowan “StarTheStar” Wilson
Jesse Gassongo-Alexander, Phoebe Gold
Ages: 30, 29Company: UpCloseKey Clients: PinkPantheress, Tommy Gold
Gassongo-Alexander never planned to become a manager, but he says working with “a generational artist” like PinkPantheress has been an “incredible experience.” This year, the British artist-producer made her Hot 100 debut with the Ice Spice collaboration “Boy’s a liar Pt. 2” and was featured on the Barbie soundtrack. “By continually building trust with each other, we’ve navigated from the early days to now,” he says. Adds Gold: “Our flow has come from treating each other like human beings.”
Alistair Raymond
Age: 37Company: Beatnik Creative/Blue Raincoat ArtistsKey Clients: Arlo Parks, Lana Lubany, Miso Extra
Last year, Raymond’s independent management company partnered with Blue Raincoat Artists. And while he cites “financial support in the early stages of a new artist’s career” as a major challenge for managers, his entire roster leveled up in 2023. Parks’ second album, My Soft Machine, reached No. 9 on the U.K. Albums Chart, while Lana Lubany and Miso Extra both signed long-term record deals. “It takes at least one to two years to get a new artist off the ground with little monetary return,” he says. “It’s an all-or-nothing investment, but the best job in music.”
Aton Ben-Horin, Ethan Curtis
Ages: 43, 36Company: Plush ManagementKey Clients: JVKE, Coi Leray, Faouzia
Ben-Horin, who is also executive vp of A&R at Warner Music Group, describes this year as “incredible,” citing Hot 100 top 10 hits like Coi Leray’s “Players” (produced by Plush client Johnny Goldstein) and JVKE’s “Golden Hour.” The latter also sold out his first tour without a major label or marketing budget beyond radio. “While understanding the short-form content world is important for management,” Curtis says, “even more important is finding talent that is social media native.”
Sean Okeke
Company: Jonzing World EntertainmentKey Clients: Rema, Ruger
“The past 12 months have seen the biggest moments in the Afrobeats genre, which I am super happy I played a strong part in,” Okeke says. Thanks in part to a remix featuring Selena Gomez, Rema’s “Calm Down” became a global hit, reaching No. 3 on the Hot 100 and topping the Global Excl. U.S. chart, making Rema the first artist from Africa to reach No. 1. “The hunger and the joy to see a talent excel at the highest level brought me into this field,” Okeke says, “and has continuously influenced my stay here.”
Mandelyn Monchick
Age: 29Company: Red Light ManagemenKey Clients: Lainey Wilson, Meg McRee, Ben Chapman
Monchick met Lainey Wilson in 2015 and became fast friends with the country artist. “She didn’t have anyone championing her, and I thought she was a great songwriter, so I started talking about her every chance I had.” This year, Wilson added three more entries on the Hot 100, sold out her first headlining tour, won multiple country music awards and made her acting debut on Yellowstone. “We did everything we could for a long time,” Monchick says, “and it built a damn good foundation.”
Lainey Wilson and Mandelyn Monchick
Aubrey Wise
James Vitalo
Age: 35Company: Gold Theory ArtistsKey Clients: Turnstile, Knocked Loose, Beach Fossils
The past 12 months have been of growth for both Vitalo — who expanded his boutique firm one year after its launch — and Turnstile, which scored its first Grammy nominations (three total) and opened on blink-182’s arena tour. Vitalo, who first worked with the hardcore band as its booking agent before becoming its manager, says, “The biggest challenge has always been setting a realistic pace that will allow for longevity.”
Kristina Russo
Age: 34Company: KR ExperimentsKey Client: GAYLE
Russo describes the past year as “a wild time,” during which GAYLE received her first Grammy nomination (for song of the year with breakout hit “abcdefu”) and opened for P!nk overseas and for Taylor Swift on The Eras Tour. But her biggest priority is guiding GAYLE through the whirlwind: “We are adamant she, as a person, comes first,” Russo says. “Mental, physical and emotional health are imperative in order to do her job. Shout out to our therapists.”
Kristina Russo and GAYLE
Acacia Evans
Tom Skoglund
Age: 35Company: Full Stop ManagementKey Clients: Tate McRae, Harry Styles
Tate McRae scored two Hot 100 hits this year, including her fast-rising new single, “Greedy,” which arrived during her sold-out North American tour. Working on the pop artist’s next era has been “incredibly fulfilling,” Skoglund says, as was completing Harry Styles’ two-and-a-half-year Love on Tour trek. “Watching the meteoric success of Harry’s House being played to sold-out stadiums day in and day out will forever be a highlight of my career,” he says.
Heather Kolker
Age: 51Company: Dreamshop ManagementKey Clients: MUNA, Nanna, Of Monsters and Men
This year, Kolker (who started as an agent before switching to management) launched her own company while MUNA hit a high, touring with Taylor Swift and boygenius, selling out headlining shows and more. “You must believe that your artist can achieve the future they envision — and that you’re the right team to help get them there,” she says.
Danny Kang, Stefan Max
Key Client: Zach Bryan
Kang and Max have managed Zach Bryan through a breakout year, during which the country-rocker scored his first No. 1 album and Hot 100 chart-topper with “I Remember Everything,” featuring Kacey Musgraves. (This year alone, he has racked up 25 entries on the latter list.) His 2024 headlining tour will take him to arenas and, in some cases, stadiums.
Luis Villamizar
Age: 34Key Client: Feid
This year, Feid charted a pair of top 10 hits on Hot Latin Songs while MOR, No le Temas a la Oscuridad became his highest-charting entry on Top Latin Albums at No. 4. “Forming such a valuable team was one of the greatest successes,” says Villamizar. “It’s not just one person.”
Sam Schulman
Age: 33 Company: Best Friends MusicKey Clients: Bishop Briggs, Blake Rose, FINNEAS
Schulman credits her musician father and live music for inspiring her to become a manager. “The older I got, the more obsessed I became with the industry and wanting to be a part of it,” she says. That energy led to a major year: She co-founded Club Kassiani, a networking event for women in music, while her artists Blake Rose made his U.S. late-night TV debut and Bishop Briggs won the latest season of The Masked Singer. Schulman says her approach is all about “eliminating the ‘noise’ of what other artists are doing.”
Dani Russin
Age: 38Company: Good World ManagementKey Clients: Troye Sivan, Jake Wesley Rogers, Orville Peck
Russin met veteran manager Brandon Creed over a decade ago and “highly admired his ability for decision-making and diplomatic nature,” she says. She has worked with him ever since, this year joining his newly launched venture, Good World, where she enjoyed a “career highlight” working on Troye Sivan’s latest album campaign. Her history with Creed is her career’s only constant: “Management has always been a 24/7 job, but it’s also now this rapidly changing and ever-evolving ecosystem,” she says. “It’s what keeps things exciting. No two days are alike.”
Colette Patnaude Nelson, Eddie Wintle
Ages: 34, 36Company: Expand EntertainmentKey Clients: Conan Gray, J. Maya, Rowan Drake
Patnaude Nelson and Wintle, who together discovered Conan Gray as a high schooler on YouTube, agree that the biggest challenge for managers and artists today is cutting through the noise. “Building a fan base and getting people to care about your music is harder than ever,” Wintle says. It’s why watching 100,000 fans at Lollapalooza Argentina sing every word of Gray’s hourlong set in March was, as he recalls, “one of the craziest moments” of his career so far.
Colette Patnaude Nelson and Conan Gray
Dillon Matthews
Jayne Andrew, Ty Baisden
Ages: 36, 39Company: COLTUREKey Clients: Brent Faiyaz, Hamzaa, N3WYRKLA
In 2022, Brent Faiyaz scored a chart breakthrough with his independently released Wasteland, which summited the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. It was a moment his partners and COLTURE co-founders Andrew (head of management, partnerships and creative development) and Baisden (head of ventures) had been working toward for years. In May, Faiyaz inked an unprecedented partnership (estimated at close to $50 million) to form a creative agency with UnitedMasters. But the biggest success, Baisden says, is that they built their infrastructure “outside of the major-label system.”
Josh Marshall
Age: 32Company: Mogul VisionKey Clients: d4vd, Rubi Rose
Though Marshall says he “fell into” management, the past year has solidified his path — and that of his company, Mogul Vision, with help from GM Robert Morgenroth. And while breakout star d4vd has scored a pair of Hot 100 hits and an opening slot on tour with SZA, Marshall has set his sights even higher: “The biggest challenge,” he says, “is creating infrastructure around an artist to grow their business long term beyond music.”
Josh Marshall and d4vd
Raheem Powell
Holly Cartwright, Shira Knishkowy
Ages: 31, 35Company: Another Management CompanyKey Clients: Blondshell, Alvvays, Waxahatchee
Knishkowy worked in label publicity and communications at Spotify before pivoting to management — and almost immediately, she and Cartwright helped discover and sign indie rock newcomer Blondshell. This year, the artist and alt-pop act Alvvays made their respective late-night TV debuts and grew their audiences globally. “Breaking new artists alongside Holly and finding new ways to elevate artists who have already achieved a level of success alongside [fellow managers] Rennie Jaffe and Mike Sneeringer is something I’m really proud of,” says Knishkowy.
Bello
Key Client: Central Cee
“It’s all a blur,” Bello says of his last 12 months, during which fast-rising British rapper Central Cee broke U.K. chart history as “Sprinter” (with Dave) became the longest-reigning rap single, while in the United States, he debuted on the Hot 100 with his Drake collaboration, “On the Radar Freestyle.” For “90% of the time,” Bello says, milestones were met without a team in place. This year, however, Central Cee signed a multimillion-dollar deal with Columbia Records in partnership with Sony Music U.K. and with Wasserman Music for worldwide agency representation. Says Bello: “I take pride in being someone my artists can trust blindly and make sure they get what they deserve.”
Central Cee and Bello
Danny Wonders
This story will appear in the Oct. 21, 2023, issue of Billboard.
Round Table Management has hired Steve Ford as artist manager/head of artist development, the company announced on Tuesday (Oct. 17). Round Table represents We The Kingdom, Cody Carnes, Kari Jobe and more. With the hiring of Ford, artists Britt Nicole, Ivan Theva, One Common and Jillian Warman will join the firm’s roster of clients. In […]