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Joss Stone and Eurythmics co-founder Dave Stewart have partnered with SongBits to allow fans the chance to own part of Stone’s 2021 single “Never Forget My Love”.
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Stewart – who produced and co-wrote the song – is also a co-founder of SongBits, which aims to empower independent artists by providing fans the chance to own a share in their favorite songs.
Utilizing blockchain technology, fans are able to own a ‘bit’ of these songs and share in their success. The purchase includes lifetime ownership of the ‘bit’, along with the appropriate revenue that comes along with that respective percentage of the streaming rights.
Now, Stone and Stewart have offered Stone’s 2021 single “Never Forget My Love” to fans, with purchases going live on Friday (Jan. 31). 20% of the profits will be donated to the World Central Kitchen charity, which provides food to communities affected by war or natural disasters. Founder José Andrés is currently on-ground in Los Angeles aiding those impacted by the devastating fires.
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“I’m excited to be working again with my friend Dave on this project,” Stone said in a statement. “‘Never Forget My Love’ is one of my favourite tracks from the last album we did together. He’s such an innovator – always looking at new tech stuff and also finding ways to help fellow musicians. This one also helps the brilliant charity World Central Kitchen.”
Alongside the basic purchase of a ‘bit’ of “Never Forget My Love”, additional benefits are also available depending on the cost of purchase, including signed items from Stone, vinyl variants, exclusive concert tickets, and guitar and songwriting lessons from Stewart.
“Basically, we did lots of tests with more sort of indie, semi-unknown artists, to make sure SongBits was working fully, and it is, and it worked for every artist thus far,” Stewart added. “And then I talked to Joss, and we decided this would be a great song, because we’re giving a percentage to World Central Kitchen and, appropriately, it’s called, ‘Never Forget My Love’.
“It’s one of our songs we did together that we both really love. It was a single, and we always thought it was a song that potentially worked kind of as a radio single, but never really got the chance so much to fully promote it, but it’s one that, after Joss has played it live many times, fans love, and it’s one that grows and, could grow exponentially, depending on which way DSPs move, in different directions, for example, with Web3.”
Stewart co-founded SongBits with Russell Sheffield in 2021, and has been passionate about the impact that a platform such as this can potentially have on the wider music world, including offering younger artists the opportunity to earn greater income in an industry dominated by streaming.
“One of the reasons I’m interested in developing SongBits is the alternative route for younger artists to actually have some income to even get going,” Stewart added. “You know, at the moment, lots of artists can’t afford to even start going on any tours because the income from DSPs is so minimal, and you need to get started and be able to go and play shows.
“And I just noticed recently, that 80% of artists in the U.K. say they can’t tour. There’s no way to finance their tours, whether they’re small, medium or even larger ones, and this is one of the actual ways of ensuring that there is some money coming in, immediately, and it connects with their real fans and involves them and gives them equity in the journey.”
Stone’s “Never Forget My Love” was originally released in 2021 as the lead single from her 2022 album of the same name. Though the record was her first not to chart in the U.S., it did top the U.K. R&B Albums chart.
Fans can purchase a ‘bit’ of Joss Stone’s “Never Forget My Love” via its page on SongBits.
Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond.
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This week, The Weeknd closes out a trilogy, JENNIE continues shining solo and Morgan Wallen declares that it’s him, hi, “I’m the Problem.” Check out all of this week’s picks below:
The Weeknd, Hurry Up Tomorrow
Concluding the trilogy that began with the 2020 blockbuster After Hours and continued with the daring 2022 follow-up Dawn FM, The Weeknd splits the difference between commercial potency and devil-may-care pop experimentation on Hurry Up Tomorrow: an 84-minute opus that includes guests ranging from Lana Del Rey to Giorgio Moroder to Anitta to Travis Scott, the new album brushes off modern conventions, mixes soul-baring introspection with immaculate dance grooves, and goes for the gusto.
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JENNIE feat. Dominic Fike, “Love Hangover”
Ahead of new album Ruby, which arrives on March 7, JENNIE showcases a fresh side of herself on “Love Hangover,” which nudges her pop aesthetic towards the breezy rhythms and blurted-out realizations of her collaborator on the track, Dominic Fike; the final product is fun, funky and the perfect excuse to drop the sure-to-go-viral line “I swear, I’ll never do it again! / Ah, s–t, I did it again.”
Morgan Wallen, “I’m the Problem”
As the title track of his upcoming fourth studio album, “I’m the Problem” functions as a platform for Morgan Wallen to examine his own flaws while accusing his partner of not being perfect, either: “You hate that when you look at me, you halfway see yourself,” the country superstar sings, the hurt in his voice betraying the song’s more confrontational lyrics.
Latto feat. Playboi Carti, “Blick Sum (Remix)”
Months after first surfacing online, the version of Latto’s “Blick Sum” featuring Playboi Carti has finally arrived on streaming services, with the Atlanta rappers now trading verses that mix firearms metaphors — “That .22′ ain’t gon’ do, that 90 get me out my thong,” Latto declares — while keeping up with the bleary beat.
Zach Bryan, “Blue Jean Baby”
So many Zach Bryan songs have lore attached to their creation and release, factoids that make every hit and deep cut all the more compelling — and with “Blue Jean Baby,” a rollicking demo that fans have been hoping would some day be finished, Bryan stays prolific as a storyteller while providing listeners with another page in the history books.
EST Gee, I Ain’t Feeling You
“I really got it all right now, one of the very few,” EST Gee drawls at the top of “Houstonatlantaville,” a team-up with Lil Baby and Travis Scott; indeed, the Louisville native sounds reinvigorated on I Ain’t Feeling You, honing his bruising delivery and understanding how to operate over booming percussion more effectively than ever.
L.S. Dunes, Violet
Rock supergroups typically harken back to their members’ primary collectives, but L.S. Dunes — which features members of My Chemical Romance, Thursday, Coheed and Cambria and Circa Survive — is creating something new on sophomore album Violet: helmed by Will Yip, the new full-length takes the coiled energy of 2022’s Past Lives and stretches it out, and the sprawl results in towering anthems like “I Can See It Now…” and “Forgiveness.”
Editor’s Pick: Jamie xx feat. Erykah Badu, “F.U.”
The genesis of Jamie xx’s scorching new house track involves a Primavera festival after-party with faulty equipment that forced Erykah Badu to ad-lib through a set with just a microphone, which Jamie recorded on his phone and later rearranged into a song, with Badu’s help; it’s a fascinating backstory that also isn’t necessary to feel enthralled by the communal excitement of “F.U.,” Badu’s voice beckoning an unseen crowd as the beat slingshots around.
It’s stadium status once again for The Weeknd. The Toronto crooner announced plans for the North American 2025 After Hours Til Dawn Tour on Friday (Jan. 31) and he’s bringing “Timeless” collaborator Playboi Carti with him. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Along with Carti, Mike Dean is […]
Two musical trios have joined forces for a harmony-drenched new song about heartbreak, with country group Rascal Flatts and sibling pop trio the Jonas Brothers blending their vocal talents on the new track, “I Dare You.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Flatts’ Gary LeVox launches the first […]
Latin Grammy-winning DJ and producer Michaël Brun has been churning out bangers for over a decade — but his latest single shifts him into history-making territory.
Out Friday (Jan. 31), “Touchdown” — the Haitian star’s new anthem – features Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper J Balvin, Jamaican dancehall legends Bounty Killer and Beenie Man, and rising Jamaican singer-songwriter Tasan, the daughter of reggae legend Papa San. Izy Beats, who helmed Koffee’s 2018 crossover hit “Toast,” helped co-produce.
A celebratory anthem, tailor-made for major sports victories, “Touchdown” beautifully marries the already closely intertwined genres of dancehall and reggaetón, using their shared DNA to combine contemporary Latin superstars with dancehall giants of eras past. J Balvin first premiered the track on ESPN as the network’s Monday Night Football ambassador, marking a rare usage of Caribbean music on the iconic sports brand’s broadcast. The cross-genre collaboration served as the official promotional anthem for the 2025 NFL Wild Card Weekend games.
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“Touchdown” previews a busy year for Brün that includes his first-ever arena show. On June 28, Brün will mount his BAYO! Festival at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. The festival’s steady growth over the past half-decade is just one segment of Brün’s efforts to uplift Caribbean music around the world.
“I actually was part of the [Grammy] committee for best global music performance,” he exclusively tells Billboard hours before “Touchdown” hits DSPs. “At Spotify, I curate the ‘Haitian Heat’ playlist and help them with other Caribbean stuff.”
Last year, Brun prioritized collaborations, joining forces with artists spanning genres and generations, including Keyon Harrold (“Playa Noche”), Charly Black (“Jessica”) and John Legend (“Safe”). With an ever-growing festival and new music on the horizon, Michaël Brun caught up with Billboard to break down the making of “Touchdown,” his favorite Haitian artists and who he thinks will win the Grammy for best reggae album on Sunday (Feb. 2).
How did “Touchdown” come together?
This process has taken a couple of years. I’ve known J Balvin for years, and we’ve worked on a lot of projects together. My first platinum records and a lot of my No. 1s were with him. [Brun co-produced and co-wrote J Balvin’s Ed Sheeran-assisted “Forever My Love,” which topped Latin Airplay in 2022]. In the process of making some new songs together a couple of years ago, we started talking about the influence of dancehall in reggaeton and how much dancehall artists have influenced and shaped the global sound.
Then we had the idea to do something that honored [the songs] we used to listen to at parties. “Touchdown” came from the idea of that link between everything that’s happened in dancehall history and the way that Haiti has been influenced by the Caribbean, Latin America and our own local sounds.
Once we made that initial concept, I knew I wanted to tap in with some friends and icons from Jamaica. I reached out to Tasan, who sings the hook, and Beenie Man and Bounty Killer, who are two iconic dancehall artists from Jamaica. I also reached out to Izy – who produced iconic dancehall songs like Koffee’s “Toast” — to co-produce the song with me.
This is the first time Beenie Man and Bounty Killer have ever been featured on a track together, which is pretty monumental given their history. What does this moment mean to you as a dancehall fan?
I think that it’s really representative of what I believe in: [the power of] bridging different cultures and people. I want my music to make people feel good. I want you to feel that the culture is enriching you. I think that both of their careers have been incredible and have been so influential… not just in Jamaican sounds, but global sounds too.
We actually cut their verses around the time of their Verzuz battle [in 2020], it was literally that week that we started the process. It was really special. I’m grateful that we also got to link in Kingston and Miami. That’s all I care about: genuine cultural unity and authentic cultural portrayal.
Do you have any plans to get this performed live anytime soon?
I have BAYO coming up, and that’s been so much fun for me because it’s rooted in Haitian culture and history. I started it in Jacmel in the South of Haiti, but the music that I play and the artists that pop up for the show are from all around the world. Haitian music is very traditional — we have our genres like konpa and rara — but we also play music from everywhere. I’ve already had a couple of the artists on “Touchdown” pop up in past shows. We might get some really good surprises!
Talk to me a bit more about how BAYO! has grown over the past five years.
It’s been wild. The very first New York show we did was at Music Hall of Williamsburg, and there were about 500 people or so. BAYO! was such a crazy twist for me because, up to that point, I was a DJ doing electronic music and I wanted to set up this festival concept to bring the sounds that I love from the Caribbean and all the different global diasporas to New York and different parts of the U.S. Now we’re hitting Europe and Canada too. The energy at that first show was so special; it made sense to me as a concept, so to see it go from Irving Plaza to Brooklyn Steel and then to Central Park and Prospect Park has been a dream come true.
And the feedback I get from everybody that comes – whether it’s people flying from different cities or people in the New York community — is that it feels like a family. The show is the embodiment of my music. This is my claim, but BAYO! is the best party in the world!
Every festival has its own approach, but, personally, I love to be surprised. I work hard every year to surprise people with the lineup. We never announce who’s performing, so when you show up you might see Maxwell or J Balvin – anybody can pop up! This festival is my pride and joy.
It’s interesting to have a song like “Touchdown” arrive amid the ongoing “Dem Bow” copyright case. How do you feel the song honors and acknowledges the musical lineage of these genres?
We’re honoring icons for the work that they’ve done and creating new moments that incorporate different aspects of their lineages. We’re bridging culture-holders with modern-day and up-and-coming stars. Having these songs in these global moments is important for people to see. I feel like these cultures are very separate segments for a lot of people and if they’re not explicitly shown it, it’s hard for them to understand what the links are. This is my way of helping to create that mutual respect across the board and have all of us in community with each other. Everybody on “Touchdown” actually loves the other artists.
What’s the dream sporting event to perform “Touchdown” at?
Oh man, the Super Bowl! In terms of the song itself, it’s the perfect fit, and J Balvin has also already done the Super Bowl [as a guest of Shakira and J. Lo’s in 2020]. On a personal level, I really love football (soccer), so the World Cup too. Any stadium sporting event with people chanting works, that’s what the energy of the song was from the beginning. It’s also so cool to have Caribbean music on ESPN, I think it’s the first time they’ve ever done that! It’s pretty amazing to be part of that lineage now.
Is “Touchdown” leading to a larger project for you this year?
I’ve been working hard on a lot of stuff. There’s more music coming with some very special artists who I’ve been working with for the past few years, one of which everyone’s gonna be surprised about because she had such an insane 2024. I won’t reveal too much, but I feel like my entire bucket list has been checked off.
Who are some Haitian artists we should be keeping our eyes and ears on in 2024?
What Naïka is doing on a global scale with incorporating different sounds from Haiti — whether it’s twoubadou or konpa – is incredible. Her song “6:45” was pretty massive last year on socials and streaming. On the rap side, Baky is about to drop his new project which I know is gonna be crazy. One other person I think is fire is Rutshelle Guillaume; we worked on a song with John Legend together last year. She’s one of the big singers from Haiti. Everybody comes through to BAYO!, so you should pop out this year!
Who do you think will take home the Grammy for best reggae album on Sunday?
Oh, that’s a tough one. I think Vybz [Kartel] might take it, man. His comeback is a pretty big deal. It depends on the voter base, of course. What Vybz is doing right now is really important for the culture. I think it will probably go to [the Bob Marley: One Love soundtrack] though because of the movie. If the culture voted, it would be Vybz, in my opinion.
Outside of BAYO and your new music, what else can fans look forward to from you this year?
I’ve been producing a lot of projects. I’m really close with Naïka; she’s working on her debut album right now, and it’s a really, really special project that incorporates so many influences from her Haitian heritage. There’s a lot of really fun stuff that I’ve been involved with that I think will be rolling out at different points throughout the year.
On a personal note, my mom passed away in December, which was a pretty crazy journey because she had cancer for three years. With this show and my music, my career is all about honoring her. She was born in Georgetown, Guyana, and she was very philanthropic. I genuinely want to ensure that I’m continuing to honor her through philanthropy and community building. We created the Sharon Andrea Lee-Brun Memorial for BAYO Fund at the end of the year as opposed to people sending flowers and stuff. We ended up donating $12,000 to different education and food sovereignty organizations in Haiti.
I’m in my next life now without my mom, so I’m trying to keep her in mind always.
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LiAngelo “Gelo” Ball has officially blessed us with the music video for “Tweaker”.The visual features Gelo cruising down the street in a drop-top, flanked by his brothers, Lonzo and LaMelo. The trio is vibing out to Gelo’s smooth 2000s-style anthem, a moment that feels almost like fate. This viral moment wouldn’t have happened without a little push from the fans, though. Gelo first previewed “Tweaker” on Neon’s streaming show, and after that, the internet went wild, begging him to release it.
The demand was undeniable, and when he dropped the track, the response was electric. The momentum didn’t stop there. Not long after the song’s success, Gelo secured a record deal with Def Jam, one of the biggest labels in the game, and earned a premium slot at Rolling Loud, one of the most prestigious music festivals in the world. Most artists grind for years to get that kind of exposure, but Gelo did it off a single—truly impressive.
Towards the end of the “Tweaker” video, Gelo teases his next single, which promises to be a club banger. With lyrics like “Baby, can you pleeeease, shake that a* for me”*, it’s safe to say we’ll be hearing this one on repeat. Get ready for the ladies to be on their feet, twerking to Gelo’s next hit.
Check out some of the reactions to LiAngelo Ball’s ‘Tweaker’ music video below.
After becoming the youngest winner of the Latin Grammy for best new artist in 2023, at the age of 19, Joaquina finally released her highly anticipated first LP, Al Romper La Burbuja, on Friday (Jan. 31). The album, released under Universal Music Latino and co-produced by the young singer-songwriter mostly with Julio Reyes Copello, represents a crucial moment in her artistic and emotional evolution, with a mature, authentic, and reflective proposal.
“I believe that with this project I found myself for the first time fully,” Joaquina tells Billboard Español. “This year marks five years since I released my first song, [‘Primer Amor’], and I think all these years have brought me to this moment. Obviously, incredible things have happened, but I feel that right now it’s like the real beginning, so I am very grateful for this.”
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Comprising 14 songs, Al Romper La Burbuja — which follows her Latin Grammy-nominated EP Los Mejores Años from 2023 — includes the previously released singles “Quise Quererte,” “Escapar de Mí,” “Desahogo,” and “Pesimista,” among others, as well as an alternative version of “El Alquimista” and six new tracks, mostly a fusion of poetic folk-pop and classic rock.
The album’s title (which loosely translates to “breaking the bubble”), is “a metaphor for what it means to take care of the things that make you who you are,” she explains. “Having your own stronghold, your escape where you can grow and be yourself and flourish while you take care of your heart, and being able to have that place in your mind that you return to when you need it most and where you can remind yourself of your purpose always.”
It opens with “Carta a Mí” (Letter to myself), which is the way she defines the set as a whole, and closes with “Gracias por Estar Aquí” (Thanks for being here), an ode to her friends. “I think there is a lot of nostalgia on this album,” the Venezuelan artist adds. “That’s like a prevailing factor throughout the project, which is very nostalgic.”
At 20, she feels she has learned a lot about herself, personally and professionally, in the last few years.
“I’ve learned to believe more in myself and to be true to my instincts and the things that move me,” she says. “And making this album I have grown a lot as a songwriter, but also in areas like production. It was always a dream for me to grow in that field. So as a musician, as a producer, I am very proud that this is just the first project.”
Below, Joaquina breaks down five essential tracks from her new album, Al Romper la Burbuja.
JOAQUINA ‘AL ROMPER LA BURBUJA’
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“Capricho”
It’s one of my favorite songs on the album because I feel like it talks about an emotion that took me a long time to put into words. It talks about that moment when you want to understand why a person hurt you, and about always connecting the dots to understand why things happened a certain way. I am a person who likes to understand things a lot and I need to be talking about it all the time, I need to be like dissecting it all the time — and I found myself in a situation where I was talking too much about this thing that had happened to me, and I was so tangled in the subject, I couldn’t let go…
One day in a conversation with my mom and my sister, I kept going and they told me: “Joaqui, this is not you, this person is bringing out the worst part of you, you can’t let this happen.” And I said, “No, but I want that person to ask for forgiveness because I don’t understand why things happened the way they did, and I don’t understand why this person had to act this way because I didn’t do anything.” And in the end they told me, “You don’t have to understand anything, you don’t have to understand everything.” And that really stuck with me. The song talks about that, about you wanting to repay the person in kind for the situation, but deep down you know that that’s not you and that it’s just a whim — because you want the person to ask for forgiveness and you want things to have happened as you would have done them. It is a very complex feeling, a mixture of pain, anger, and sadness. That’s why I love that song.
“Desahogo”
It is one of the cheekiest songs on the album. It’s a song about not understanding what you’re feeling for someone, about a past love that you let go and that deep down you regret but don’t want to admit, so you’re kind of analyzing the situation from the outside and saying, “Well, I don’t remember if I miss you or if I miss the attention you gave me, or if it’s just nostalgia, but this is just a relief.” It’s a bit of a reflection on what it means not to know what you’re feeling for someone, whether you miss the version of yourself that was with them in the past or if you really miss them. In terms of production, I think it’s a perfect mix between a more organic world and a more synthetic world. I think that’s the whole album, but “Desahogo” especially is one of the songs that best combines that. I use Auto-Tune for the first time as an instrument.
“El Alquimista”
“El Alquimista” is the existential doubt of the album, that’s what I call it. And it’s placed as track seven, because for me it’s the climax of the album, but also seven is a divine number, so it’s like a nod to that. It alludes to the book [of the same name by Paulo Coelho], although the story and what I tell is not at all similar. Literature inspires me a lot, so when I read this book and heard that they called God by this term — and that an alchemist is someone who turns mud into gold — it seemed so powerful to me, and I decided to make a literary allusion. “El Alquimista” is a very honest song; it’s an analysis of everything that surrounds us on all levels.
And the creation process was almost supernatural. I wrote all the lyrics first as a poem in one day. I went to Julio [Reyes Copello]’s studio and it’s a very funny story because he tells me, “Oh, I love the idea, but I don’t have time to write today. Can we meet tomorrow?” I’m like, “Yes.” And he says, “But read me the lyrics, what do you have? Can we do something like that with the harmony?” And I go, “Yes, we can do something like that.” “Ah, what do you think?” And he started playing on the piano and we got carried away. I mean, it was done literally in an hour, him on the piano and me doing all the melody and the lyrics, improvising with the lyrics I had. And it’s a song that means a lot to me because I posted it on social media and the video went way more viral than anything I’ve ever posted in my life.
In the album there’s a version that’s inspired by Venezuelan folk music; it has arrangements inspired by llanero music and joropo. The musicians who played on the song are Venezuelan: There’s a cuatro, there’s a harp, there’s a bandola. We made the arrangement thinking of making an allusion to my Venezuelan rootsm and that was always the idea from the beginning. So I’m excited that the demo version on the piano came out and now the complete and more produced version comes out.
“Matices”
It’s a song that talks about when life wants to put you in certain categories. I think that as a human being, but especially as a woman, the world usually wants to put us in boxes and say that you can only be one thing or another. This song is a bit of a fun way of complaining about that, of analyzing. I am a person who thinks that black and white do not exist, that is, that everything has nuances, that nothing is black or white — neither what you should be as a person, nor the way you see life, nor the answers. So in a way the center and the inspiration of the song is my discomfort with people wanting to put me in a box. But I do it from a fun place. It’s a concept that I’m very passionate about and being able to put it into words was nice.
“Gracias por estar aquí”
This song (whose title means “Thank you for being here”) I wrote for my lifelong friends. It happened that I was on a work trip super far away, it was one of my first work trips. I arrived [back in Miami] and I was exhausted, but I went to the beach with my school friends who were here, and I hadn’t seen them in a long time [because they’re in college]. It was the best day of my life in a long time — and I realized that sometimes you have to get away from home and the people you love to appreciate them again.
Before, I always wanted to leave Miami and see the world because I was tired of the superficiality of the city and the people. I never felt good in high school, really, I always felt very uncomfortable and I have many songs that talk about that. So I find it interesting that the opening track of the album, which is “Carta a Mí,” says that the world is bigger than this city, bigger than your room. And at the end “Gracias por Estar Aquí” is like, “Wait, no, but I want to be at home, I want to be in my room, I want to see my lifelong friends, I want to see my sister, I want to see my parents.” I think that’s why the album is a complete journey.
The song also has my favorite chorus of the whole album. It says: “Where will time have gone? Where will it be? Who will be the owner? Will it be floating through the air waiting for someone to catch it? And if one day I catch it, I will squeeze it tightly with white fingers and in the hand a fist.” I wanted to explain the idea of grabbing something like that with your hands — I’m very passionate about that idea of nostalgia and wanting to capture every memory you’re living in your life, every memory you’ve lived, being able to take a photo and have it with you forever.
Welcome to Executive Turntable, Billboard’s weekly compendium of promotions, hirings, exits and firings — and all things in between — across the music business.
Earlier this week, we released our annual rankings of the music industry’s top executives, however, Thursday brought the shocking news of the passing of one those honorees. Ben Vaughn, president and CEO of Warner Chappell Nashville, died Thursday of undisclosed causes at only 49. “The music community has lost a truly extraordinary executive and human being,” said Troy Tomlinson, chairman and CEO of rival UMPG Nashville.
Read on for this week’s updates.
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Alison Smith, longtime executive vp and chief distribution and publisher relations officer at BMI, announced her retirement after nearly 40 years with the company. Starting in 1985 on a temporary assignment in Nashville, Smith’s career at BMI has evolved through multiple departments, ultimately overseeing all domestic and international royalty distribution and administration services for over 1.3 million affiliated songwriters, composers and music publishers. She’s been based in New York since 1987 and will officially step down at the end of March. In her announcement to colleagues, Smith expressed her deep affection for the PRO and said her decision leaned heavily on wanting to spend more time with family and friends. She pointed out the fact she spent her entire career at BMI “says everything about our company, the people, and our mission to support, guide and protect our songwriters, composers and publishers,” adding, “music has always been my passion and will continue to be, and I know BMI will always be a shining star in this business.” Among her numerous industry accolades, Smith was recognized as one of Billboard’s Women in Music for two consecutive years in 2018 and 2019, and again in 2023.
BMI president and CEO Mike O’Neill commended Smith’s significant contributions to both BMI and the wider music community. He also announced that Smith will serve as a strategic advisor for the next two years, with Shouvik Das, svp of distribution, publisher relations & administration services, assuming her responsibilities and reporting directly to him.
“I have known Alison since I began working at BMI 30 years ago, and she has been a colleague, partner, advisor and friend to me every day that I have been here,” O’Neill said. “Alison is part of the fabric of BMI, and she has helped us become the company we are today. She has touched so many lives in an indelible way, not just internally at BMI but also within the larger music community. She will be missed.”
Meanwhile…
Universal Music Publishing Group welcomed Jamie Kinelski as the publisher’s new senior vice president of A&R, reporting to evp and head of U.S. A&R, Jennifer Knoepfle. Based in New York, Kinelski will focus on signing, developing and mentoring songwriters, artists and producers while helping expand UMPG’s U.S. A&R team. Kinelski previously served as senior vp and head of West Coast creative at Kobalt, where she signed and developed artists like Rogét Chahayed, Cuco, and Father John Misty. She also built key partnerships with Heavy Duty Publishing and 88Rising. Before Kobalt, she was creative director at ASCAP, working with artists such as Big Sean and HAIM. Knoepfle praised Kinelski’s leadership and “fierce” advocacy for songwriters, calling her a “tremendous asset to the dynamic and fresh executive team we are building,” adding, “her vast publishing and leadership experience will be extremely valuable to our company’s continued growth.”
Concord promoted Jonathan Eby to executive vp of information systems and technology. Eby will continue to be based in Concord’s Nashville office, and will oversee the company’s global technology, including infrastructure, development and strategy across all of Concord’s business areas. Eby joined Concord in 2017, and previously served as COO of classical music distributor/label Naxos. –Jessica Nicholson
NASHVILLE NOTES: Former CAA music agent Sabrina Butera launched the artist and influencer management company Collide Talent, offering a full-service platform for artists, influencers and entrepreneurs. The company’s initial roster includes country artist Austin Snell, whom she rep’d at CAA, and DIBS Beauty co-founder Courtney Shields … 615 Leverage + Strategy relaunched as Results Global with its existing partners, chief marketing officer John Zarling and COO Jackie Campbell, remaining atop the organization’s structure. The team, which counts Dolly Parton as its largest client, also includes brands account director Alissa Endres, manager of talent projects and music marketing Dawson Simmons, account coordinator Aden Henke, creative director Frashier Baudry and media planner and strategist Lauren Miskella … Business management firm O’Neil Hagaman added principal Rick Myers. He spent the last three years as Big Machine Label Group svp of finance and IT.
Joseph Morrison and Amy Hart, veterans of Eliot Grainge’s 10K Projects, teamed up with tech entrepreneur Scott Lewis to launch prairy (prairy.xyz), a remote-only label focused on speed in closing deals and servicing artist needs. The prairy team is strategically located across the U.S. and Canada, including Los Angeles, Nashville, New York and Atlanta. Operating without a physical office, prairy uses a San Francisco venture-style model that emphasizes speed, iteration and flexibility. The label has already signed a diverse roster of artists, including Dylan Espeseth, .idk., Ri Wavey, Nicole Amoroso, yurms and has partnerships with TRENCH HOUSE and others. Lewis emphasizes prairy’s commitment to operational agility, saying the “system is broken, and we think there’s a better way. The music industry is accustomed to schedules set by the month – we prefer to get things done in days, not weeks.”
BOARD SHORTS: The MLC appointed four new members to its advisory committees. Jennifer Falco of Hipgnosis Songs Group joins the Dispute Resolution Committee, while Iwona Wyrzykowska of Universal Music Publishing Group, Jessica Richling O’Malley of Warner Chappell Music, and Kristina Johnson of Kobalt Music have been named to the Operations Advisory Committee … NAMM elected eight new board members to three-year terms during its 2025 Show. The newly elected board members are Mayumi Allison, Betty Bennett, Jenna Day, Jeremiah Manriquez, Tim Pratt, Thomas Ripsam, Tom Tedesco and Hans Thomann … The Worldwide Independent Network held aboard meeting on Jan. 23, confirming Zena White and Maria Amato for a third term as chair and treasurer, respectively. New members include Felippe Llerena as director, with Cecilia Crespo and Ian Harrison joining as observers. Tony Kiewel transitioned from observer to director. Outgoing members Alejandro Varela, Sandra Rodrigues and Garry West were thanked for their contributions. A full list of WIN board members is here.
ShopKeeper Management, founded by Marion Kraft in 2009, promoted Crystal Dishmon to co-manager of Miranda Lambert alongside Kraft, while continuing to manage Tenille Townes. Dishmon, with extensive industry experience, including senior roles at AEG and Dale Morris, has been with ShopKeeper since 2010. Additionally, Laura Spinelli has been promoted to day-to-day manager for Lambert and continues as digital marketing manager. Spinelli has led innovative marketing campaigns and brand partnerships during her nearly decade-long tenure at ShopKeeper. Based in Nashville, ShopKeeper represents Lambert, Townes and Pistol Annies. The promotions highlight ShopKeeper’s commitment to mentorship and empowering female leaders in the music industry.
Ross Anderson, a former Warner Music communications executive, has launched Dept. of Connection, a New York-based PR agency focused on helping next-gen artists and brands build lasting cultural connections. The agency’s celestial roster includes Deafheaven and Superheaven, no relation, with more projects t/b/a soon. Anderson previously served as vp of public relations at Elektra Entertainment, leading campaigns for Turnstile, Slipknot, Gojira, Twenty One Pilots and more, until his departure in September of last year. He began his career at Atlantic Records in 2007, working his way up to vp. You can reach Ross here.
Rough Bones, a boutique label based in London, launched a new office in Lagos, Nigeria, to expand into the Afrobeat genre. Leading the office is senior A&R exec Jeffrey Onuoha, operations manager Daisy Ogunlana, digital strategist Eskor Umo, and A&R rep Samuel Mark.
Indie distributor IDOL appointed Camille Floch as international marketing and label services coordinator. Floch, previously a label manager at [PIAS], will work under Constance de Bosredon, promoted to head of international, marketing and label services in 2024. In comments, De Bosredon welcomed Floch and highlighted IDOL’s commitment to labels and artists. IDOL also announced this week that it has partnered with Mexican Summer and Dom Recs for global digital distribution, marketing and audience development.
ALL IN THE FAMILY: Former Billboard-er Andrew Hampp is now managing director of music and consumer partnerships at Variety. Since joining the PMC publication in 2022, he has created partnership opportunities with brands like TikTok, Sony Audio and Cash App. Hampp’s priors in the branding space include founding 1803 LLC, where he consulted for clients across media, advertising and music, and a two-and-a-half year tenure as vp at MAC Presents. In a past life, Hampp was Billboard’s senior correspondent, covering branding, sponsorships and tech during much of the 2010s.
ICYMI:
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Warner Records upped Mike Chester to general manager … Arwen Hunt will lead Various Artists Management‘s new office in Australia … AEG promoted Adam Wilkes to president/CEO of AEG Presents, Europe and Asia-Pacific and elevated Alex Hill to president/CEO of AEG International … Wasserman Music hired five key executives … David Field stepped down as president/CEO of Audacy … Katie Welle is now head of U.S. A&R at SMP … Eve Konstan is out as Spotify‘s general counsel … and the longtime president of the Kennedy Center is passing the torch. [Cont.]
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Post Malone had the dream team backing him up on set for his fourth Super Bowl commercial with Bud Light, with the singer-rapper this year starring alongside Peyton Manning and comedian Shane Gillis for the beer’s game-day spot. In the 60-second spot that premiered Friday (Jan. 31), Posty and Gillis come to the rescue when […]
Frank Ocean has begun filming his directorial debut in Mexico City with Alien: Romulus and Industry star David Jonsson. According to Variety, the rising British actor will have top-billing in the currently untitled independent film whose plot has not yet been revealed.
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No other information is available about the latest project from the enigmatic Ocean, who has been mostly out of the public eye since he pulled out of the second weekend of Coachella in 2023 after suffering a leg injury during his first weekend headlining set.
At the time a rep said, “After suffering an injury to his leg on festival grounds in the week leading up to weekend 1, Frank Ocean was unable to perform the intended show but was still intent on performing, and in 72 hours, the show was reworked out of necessity. On doctor’s advice, Frank is not able to perform weekend 2 due to two fractures and a sprain in his left leg.”
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The singer — whose most recent album was 2016’s Blonde — added in a statement at the time, “It was chaotic. There is some beauty in chaos. It isn’t what I intended to show but I did enjoy being out there and I’ll see you soon.”
Since then, he’s released the 48-page booklet Mutations, a 2023 project featuring photos taken by Ocean that was printed on tissue-weight paper, and, in November of that year, a minute-long preview of an unnamed moody track. The latter was the first new music from the enigmatic performer who had not issued any new music since he surprise-dropped two singles, “Dear April” and “Cayendo” in 2020, followed by a never-released, untitled nine-minute song on the Christmas special on his Apple Music 1 Blonded Radio show in December 2021.
Ocean also dropped another unnamed snippet in December 2023, accompanied by a 24-second video in which he enthusiastically danced to a mid-tempo R&B jam. Producer Michael Uzowuru revealed in an interview last year that he’d been in the studio with Ocean in Miami working on new music, after collaborating with him on both Blonde and 2016’s visual album Endless. The singer described their relationship thusly: “Me and Michael’s careers exist post hip-hop — that genre, that culture, informs both of us greatly, but his appetite has grown; his vocabulary, musically, has grown so much over the time that I’ve known him.”