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20 Oct 2023

Megan Thee Stallion & 1501 Certified Entertainment Agree To Part Ways

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Megan Thee Stallion & 1501 Certified Entertainment Agree To Split

Source: Mike Coppola / Getty / Megan Thee Stallion

1501 Certified Entertainment will no longer be a thorn in the side of Megan Thee Stallion.

Spotted on Vulture via Billboard, the years of back and forth and court battles between Thee Stallion and 1501 Certified Entertainment have finally ended after both parties agreed to “amicably part ways.”

The Houston Hip-Hop star and Carl Crawford’s imprint “mutually reached a confidential settlement to resolve their legal differences,” lawyers revealed to Billboard on October 19.

The terms of the agreement were unavailable in Billboard’s reporting.

The news further confirms Megan Thee Stallion’s newfound independence after revealing to the Hotties that she is no longer on a label and will fund her next project, which seems to be on the way.

To show there is no more ill will between them, Carl Crawford, who wasn’t shy about bumping his gums and attacking his former artist throughout their legal battle, told Billboard that he and his label “wish Megan the very best in her life and career.”

The Road To Freedom Was A Hard-Fought One For Megan Thee Stallion

Megan Thee Stallion’s road to freedom from her now former label was a hard-fought one. The “Big Ole Freak” rapper filed multiple lawsuits against 1501 due to her deal that she alleged was “unconscionable,” with the support of her management, Roc Nation.

In our previous reporting, Thee Stallion accused her former label of trying to sabotage the release of her last project, Traumazine, the final album in her deal, and is owed money from missing royalties.

Thee Stallion’s lawyers even claimed that 1501 was draining its bank accounts to avoid paying Megan Thee Stallion.

The label countered, claiming Thee Stallion owed them money from her tours.

Congrats to Thee Stallion on getting her freedom.

—

Photo: Mike Coppola / Getty

20 Oct 2023

Nirvana’s Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic Tell Conan O’Brien About Band’s Disorienting Rise to Fame: ‘We Were Kids’ — Exclusive

Going from the underground to Michael Jackson-level fame overnight is mind-melting for anyone. But for the scruffy 20-something punk rockers in Nirvana it was even more disorienting, and life-changing than they could have ever imagined.

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In an exclusive Billboard preview of next week’s episode of the Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend podcast, the former late night talker sits down with living Nirvana members drummer Dave Grohl and bassist Krist Novoselic to discuss the effects of going from touring in a van to topping the charts.

O’Brien notes that there was just a three-day gap between when Nirvana’s second, and final, major label album, In Utero, dropped in September 1993 and the kick-off of his original late night talk show on NBC, Late Night With Conan O’Brien. “I remembered the music on the album — because I was such a huge fan — being background music to the terror and the weirdness of me starting a late night show from complete obscurity,” says O’Brien, who is also joined by In Utero producer/engineer Steve Albini for the chat celebrating the album’s 30th anniversary.

“That’s similar to the Nirvana experience I would imagine,” says Grohl, who recalls that he was just 21 when the band suddenly became massive in 1991 upon the release of their axis-tilting major label debut, Nevermind; Novoselic was 25, Cobain was 24. “We were kids and so when you talk about the amount of time that’s gone by to me it’s not even so much about the years, it’s about the experiences that just kind of led, one after another, going from three kids that were basically living or touring out of a van to then becoming a huge band.”

Grohl says that the divisive 1993 follow-up turned into the “uncomfortable soundtrack” to that transition from obscurity to intense scrutiny, with the band living in a totally “different world” during the sessions for that album than they were just 16 months earlier.

Trying to put the leap into perspective, Novoselic says that Geffen Records had such modest expectations for Nevermind that it initially printed only 50,000 CD copies. O’Brien adds that he spoke to someone who worked at the label at the time who noted that when the album with “Smells Like Teen Spirit” as its lead single blew up Geffen had to stop printing copies of titles by all its other artists to go full-born on Nevermind.

The three-year period between when Nevermind dropped and singer Kurt Cobain‘s death by suicide in April 1994 felt like “10 years,” according to Novoselic, with Albini putting a button on the chaotic whirlwind by describing how Nirvana went from being “couch surfers to being the biggest band ever in the world” in a span of 18 months.

The problem, O’Brien posits, is that Nirvana came out of the punk scene, where he suggests that flossy displays of wealth and success were considered anathema to the ethos of the DIY culture. Albini, however, pushes back against what he says is a notion often espoused by those outside the scene that punks consider success to be “bad and evil.” It’s worth noting that Cobain was an avowed admirer of he Beatles and that the retro video for the Nevermind single “In Bloom” was an homage to Beatlemania.

“I have never experienced that genuinely from anybody in the punk scene that wasn’t purely an expression of jealousy,” Albini says, adding that, for the most part, Nirvana’s fans wanted them to become successful and beloved. O’Brien clarifies that he was thinking more of the immense pride the band had in topping the charts — Nevermind went from selling 6,000 copies in its first week to hitting No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart in January 1992, pushing Michael Jackson’s Bad from the top spot — combined with a WTF? feeling from the band at their historic ascent.

“Before we made the record Nevermind we were pretty much living in squalor,” says Grohl, describing the tiny “f—ing disgusting” apartment he shared with Cobain that was covered in corndog sticks and cigarettes. “I would have done anything to have my own apartment and to be able to do that through making music.”

And, to be fair, the Foo Fighters frontman says he didn’t have $1 million in his bank account overnight when success came, but rather suddenly his per diem was a lordly $15 per day, enough for two packs of cigarettes. Grohl also says he didn’t feel conflicted or harbor any shame in helping to pay off his mother’s house or buying her a car with his newfound cashflow.

“I think the reason why I didn’t feel personally conflicted was because I knew the band hadn’t done anything outside of our true selves to get there,” Grohl says.

The full interview with the trio will debut on Monday (Oct. 23) on the Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend podcast, with an extended version including music slated to debut that same day at 6 p.m. ET on SiriusXm’s Lithium (channel 34); additional broadcasts (all ET) will take place on Oct. 23 at 9 p.m.; Oct. 24 at 10 a.m.; Oct. 25 at 12 a.m. and 1 p.m.; Oct. 26 at 5 p.m.; Oct. 27 at 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.; Oct. 28 at 2 p.m. and Oct. 29 at 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. 

Watch the preview of Grohl, Novoselic and Albini on Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend below.

20 Oct 2023

Lauryn Hill Leaves It All on the Stage at ‘Miseducation’ 25th Anniversary Concert in Brooklyn

“Thank you for your grace and patience,” Ms. Lauryn Hill gushed. “I’m ’bout to sing my voice out, but that’s okay because I’m in BK!” Ms. Hill — armed with both an admirable air of gratitude and a motivation to quell the controversy caused by her tardiness at her Oct. 17 Newark opening show — mounted a glorious celebration of her seminal Miseducation album, the Fugees’ legacy, hip-hop’s 50th anniversary, Black innovation, and family, both blood and chosen, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY, on Thursday night (Oct. 17).

Considering that she’s selling scores of tickets off the back of a 25-year-old album and no new material, it should be clear that Ms. Hill has nothing to prove. Yet, with a seemingly ever-deteriorating reputation as a punctual performer — fresh with new grumbles following Tuesday night’s show — Lauryn Hill did, in fact, have something to prove. Gracing the stage around 9:40 p.m., the Grammy-winner battled and conquered a slew of technical issues, holding on dearly to the two constants that have kept her such an alluring cultural figure for nearly three decades: music and family.

Donning a stunning white pantsuit complete with an oversized bow on the back, Ms. Hill opened the show with “Everything Is Everything” — a subtle nod to the ways in which the show would track the interconnectedness and cyclical nature of Black music and Ms. Hill’s approach to her art.

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, Ms. Hill’s debut solo album, arrived on Aug. 25, 1998. The album debuted atop the Billboard 200, making her the first solo female rapper to reach No. 1 on the chart. The record, which was certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2021, spawned three Billboard Hot 100 top 40 singles: “Doo Wop (That Thing)” (No. 1, two weeks), “Ex-Factor” (No. 21) and “Everything Is Everything” (No. 35). Miseducation won Hill five Grammys in one night, making her the first woman to do so; her album is also the first hip-hop record to receive the Grammy for album of the year. Hill’s debut solo studio album — which remains her only studio LP as a solo artist — was added to the Library of Congress in 2015.

All this is to say that few albums can sit in the same space as Miseducation, and that’s part of the reason why a tour of this nature can exist and excel. Despite delivering some of the most recognizable couplets and hooks in late-20th century pop music on Miseducation, Ms. Hill opted to perform reimagined arrangements of each track, nearly seamlessly executed by a sprawling live band featuring a hearty brass section, a standout guitarist, and background singers that, at times, assisted the crowd in singing Ms. Hill’s biggest hits with their original melodies.

More often than not, the new arrangements functioned as an extension of the Miseducation universe. During a lively rendition of “Final Hour,” she interpolated The LOX, DMX and Lil’ Kim’s “Money, Power & Respect” — a move that contextualized Miseducation with other hip-hop classics of its time and ilk. While singing “When It Hurts So Bad,” however, Ms. Hill beckoned the audience to re-contextualize that song with a montage of Tina Turner’s live performances playing on the jumbotron. Ms. Hill’s goal for the night was not to simply rest on the laurels of Miseducation, but to continue to imagine where else she can take the album 25 years after release.

Ms. Hill repeatedly spoke about writing and recording much of the album while she was in her 20s, and with motherhood and family informing so much of her introspection throughout the night’s show, she laid bare why it makes sense for her to never release another studio album. Towards the end of the set, she flashed a self-attributed quote on the screen that read: “This life is a process of learning.” Her (mis)education will never end. And, for what it’s worth, the new arrangements were terrific: a gospel-informed outro to “Superstar” was particularly moving, even while she was visibly voicing her frustration with the sound team because she was apparently unable to hear herself onstage. The new arrangements also allowed Ms. Hill to find new pockets, providing the foundation for some truly virtuosic rapping to complement the rasp and physicality that bookmarked her singing.

“To Zion” was the obvious peak of the night; Barclays Center may never feel that small and intimate again. With a montage of home videos playing in the background, Ms. Hill fought through tears to deliver a downright magnificent performance of one of her most personal and beloved songs. Zion himself took a break from his stage duties to hug and console his mother, eventually returning to the spotlight to give a brief message of world peace and love. Zion Marley was far from the only Marley present onstage on Thursday night: Ms. Hill brought out her former partner Rohan Marley for a trip down memory lane as they recounted the making of Miseducation (as well as the making of their five children), and her son Joshua Omaru Marley performed in the middle of “Doo Wop (That Thing),” effectively killing the crowd’s already dwindling energy considering how late the night was getting. Outside of her blood family, Ms. Hill also took some time to celebrate the original members of her band and tour crew who are still with her 25 years later.

Following an action-packed solo set — at one point, she stopped the show to make sure security could attend to a fan in need of assistance — Wyclef Jean and Pras joined Ms. Hill onstage to herald the beginning of the Fugees set in celebration of The Score’s 27th anniversary. By the time the trio got into the meat of their set, the crowd — most of which looked like they experienced the height of Miseducation and The Score in real-time — didn’t have the energy Wyclef was looking for. Nonetheless, their set was just as exhilarating as Ms. Hill’s solo showcase. Between breathless renditions of “Vocab,” “Nappy Heads,” and hits like “Killing Me Softly” and “Ready or Not,” Fugees’ dynamic performance was yet another example of the old heads outclassing the new school in terms assembling an engaging and consistent live show.

Ms. Hill’s penchant for new arrangements also permeated Fugees’ set, with a drill remix of “Fu-Gee-La” drawing Wyclef into the center of the crowd as the track morphed to include snippets of Bobby Shmurda’s “Hot N—a.” Wyclef also delivered some standout solo moments, including a tender cover of Bob Marley’s classic “No Woman, No Cry” and a bombastic rendition of “911.” Given Brooklyn’s rich history of West Indian-American culture, it was a particularly rich site for Fugees to commemorate The Score, and that much was felt as Wyclef and Pras gushed about their love of Kings County, from Flatsbush Avenue to the parkway.

An intensely emotional and physical show that highlighted the multitudes of blessings music can bring in this life, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill 25th Anniversary Tour‘s stop in Brooklyn made for a challenging but triumphant night for two musical acts who the industry is still desperately trying to catch up to.

20 Oct 2023

Mariska Hargitay Gushes Over Taylor Swift’s Impact on Kids: ‘She’s Pure Magic’

Mariska Hargitay is a Swiftie for life. The Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star — whose character, Olivia Benson, is the namesake of one of Taylor Swift‘s cats — gushed about her admiration for the “Anti-Hero” singer.

“She’s pure magic,” Hargitay told Entertainment Tonight Thursday (Oct. 19) at the WMC Women’s Media Awards in New York City. “There’s nothing she can’t do. It’s been so beautiful to reconnect to that innocence, you know? I think Taylor gives such a beautiful message to kids and unlocks these girls’ emotions.”

The actress attended multiple Eras Tour shows around the country, and walked the red carpet with her 12-year-old daughter, Amaya, at the pop star’s concert film premiere earlier this month. “I see how it affects my daughter and she cries and just opens up like a flower,” Hargitay noted of Swift’s impact. “And [I see] how meaningful it is, and I’m grateful to be part of it and watch that journey.”

“It’s been so beautiful [to see] how she gracefully walked through her journey and allowed herself to evolve and truly step into her power pose, her talent and all of her glory,” she added. “And she’s got quite a bit of it … I think she is a magicmaker.”

Hargitay has been pals with Swift since the two became friendly at an Ingrid Michaelson concert in 2014, and the “Karma” musician even cast her in the 2015 music video for “Bad Blood.” The SVU star appeared side by side with Ellen Pompeo, whose Grey’s Anatomy character, Meredith Grey, is the namesake of another of Swift’s cats. Later that year, she walked the stage with the 12-time Grammy winner at a 1989 Tour show.

Swift’s Eras Tour film was a box office success before it even premiered Oct. 11, with AMC Theaters reporting an unprecedented demand for tickets. It grossed $92.8 million in its first weekend, becoming the top music concert film of all time.

“I’ve always had fun doing this,” Swift said at the project’s world premiere in Los Angeles. “I can’t believe I get to do music as a career. That’s crazy. I’ve always had so much fun doing it. I’ve never had this much fun in my life as I have had on The Eras Tour. It is far and away just the most electric experience of my life.”

20 Oct 2023

Techstars Music Is Shutting Down — So What’s Next?

Founded in 2017, Techstars Music was known as the premier music technology accelerator, providing funding and support to now-thriving companies like Endel, Splash, Hello Tickets, Community and Replica Studios. The company chose 10 startups each year and provided $120,000 to each, along with mentoring from its network of 316 music and entertainment executives from HYBE, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, Concord, Quality Control and more.

Of the 70 startups that Techstars selected, the most successful 21 have gone on to raise over $263 million in follow-on funding since. Despite those successes, managing director Bob Moczydlowsky says that the company chose its final class this past summer — but his career as an investor is far from over.

Why is Techstars Music shutting down?

Even though the way we have been investing has been working, it has been held back by the constraints of an accelerator, which we feel is an outdated model. The amount of capital we can provide is limited. It is also held back by the constraints of labeling it “music.” We want to invest in companies solving problems for music, not music tech companies, but the reality is that founders see “Techstars Music” on the door and they bring us their startup to help kids learn to play a violin. We actually believe instruments will become irrelevant and software will mainly replace them. Our thesis now is we want to fund the future of entertainment, self-expression and live events. This changes almost nothing in how we have already been operating and evaluating companies, but we want this thesis publicly understood.

Why are accelerators outdated?

The accelerator is a great product. It was designed around the time of the financial crisis of 2008. Because angel and pre-seed investors largely disappeared, accelerators fit a need and had great returns. Plus, it helped new companies get the mentorship they needed. Now the cost of running a business — talent, travel, etc. — has grown. Smart founders can now find online most of the information accelerators provide on how to structure a company. The economic deal that accelerators offer to founders has not evolved in that time, so every year, the accelerator is providing the same amount of capital investment, buying the same amount of equity from founders, but that capital is buying fewer and fewer things … We need to make more investments and do it on a rolling, year-round basis. We need to provide more capital too so companies can better leverage the connections we can give them.

What does the future of your investing look like post-Techstars Music?

The goal is to be the best investor in this category. To do so we need to make more investments and do it on a rolling, year-round basis. We need to provide more capital too, so companies can leverage the connections we can give them better.

You’re not trying to invest in music companies but “invest in companies solving problems for music.” Can you explain what that means?

Music startups typically do not generate venture returns … You also have competitors like Apple, Amazon and Google that use music as a loss leader for other products. That makes investing in that sort of music startup very difficult, especially a pre-seed investor like us.

Because streaming has become the dominant way we are listening to music, it has altered a lot of other habits around it as a consequence … I want to invest in companies solving problems for music, like Community, a direct-messaging service. It’s not musical at all, but it is used by artists and enables them to connect to their fans directly better than ever.

Do you think it is helpful, given investors know how tough music businesses are to run, to define themselves as something besides primarily a music company?

Let me be clear: You cannot change how you define your company to make investors happy, or you will not raise capital, but you need to be savvy as a founder about how you present your business and find investors who are looking for you. One of the myths about raising venture capital is that founders persuade investors to invest in them. Investors are out there looking for companies to invest in all day long, every day. We are just trying to find companies that match our thesis. 

We think about it like this: we see the problems the music business has. We see how music and entertainment are going to change over the years, so let’s invest in the things that solve the problems or get us closer to those new realities, not just saying “Hey, let’s see all the music tech startups.”

Do you think this is a particularly fruitful time for investors, given the rapid rise of AI, the maturation of streaming, etc.?

There is more opportunity and more radical change coming in the next five to 10 years than we’ve had in the last decade. The last 10 years were about maturing the streaming market and putting rights owners and artists on stable financial footing. The music business is now as big as it has ever been by revenue, but growth is slowing in the number of new subscribers. We’re at a point where music streaming 1.0 is perfected — what does streaming 2.0 look like? We’re shutting Techstars Music down so that we can come back with the right vehicle for the next 10 years.

In your crystal ball, what do you think Streaming 2.0 looks like? 

If Streaming 1.0 was about making all the music play, Streaming 2.0 should be about being able to play with all the music.

Your thesis focuses not just on music now, but live events, self-expression and entertainment altogether. Do you see these sectors converging?

Absolutely. What is the difference between an athlete, a musician, a TV star at this point in terms of the media they deliver? They all have podcasts, documentaries, merchandise, fashion lines — of course, they all have their specialty, but I think it is evident that there will be even more convergence coming soon.

This story will appear in the Oct. 21, 2023, issue of Billboard.

20 Oct 2023

Mike Shinoda on Investing in Music Tech: ‘With New Technology Comes New Responsibilities’

Mike Shinoda has long incorporated new tech into both his solo work (like the Beat Saber VR pack and sci-fi/horror web video game that helped launch his recent single “Already Over”) and his music with Linkin Park (like the AI-generated visuals used in the recent music video for unearthed band demo “Lost”). But the artist-producer has also become a key investor in music technology — starting with Linkin Park’s Machine Shop Ventures, which launched in 2015 as a mix of venture capital projects and live-music activations, and now more recently on his own. Since April 2022, he has also served as community innovation adviser for Warner Recorded Music, providing a forward-thinking artist’s perspective on subjects like Web3 and AI.

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“With labels and future tech, I feel like doors are opening to new types of artists,” Shinoda says. “At a certain point, you wouldn’t have considered a content creator on a social platform to be a music artist. Now you can! In the future, those doors might also be open to nontraditional projects that are pushing the boundaries of what it is to be an artist.”

Have you been surprised by the degree of industry focus on AI this year, or did you see it coming?

Unless you were already deep in the trenches, I think AI hit everybody in a similar way — it blew up very big, very fast — but part of that is people developing complex things behind the scenes. Once some of the general concepts about how one could use AI became more widely known — and the concerns and the creativity, all the different positive and negative sides of it — people started releasing things, and you started getting a sense of how fast it’s moving and all the things we could do.

It’s exciting and it’s new, but you know, I come from an illustration background, and that artist community was up in arms immediately, saying, “Hey, guys, this technology is stealing from us. These are copyrighted images, and it’s pulling them and riffing off of them to make new things.” That’s just the tip of the iceberg.

How much has being an artist informed how you interact with these new technologies and potentially invest in them?

Being an artist, there are times when you are relied on to develop a vision of something, and it needs to come from you — you are responsible for it, you curate it, you collaborate with other people to make it the best it can be. And as part of that, you’re also in charge of communicating it, of accepting criticism and sorting through ideas. Whether as a kid growing up doing drawing and painting and graphic design, to everything with the band and all of our releases, that skill set carries over to a lot of the founders that I’ve worked with and had the chance to meet over time.

What is an early highlight of your own investing career?

I was one of many investors and advisers when Spotify came to the U.S. To be honest, it wasn’t a lot of money — but it was fascinating to talk with Daniel [Ek] and his team as they were in the midst of the huge cultural shift that happened.

Which areas of music tech are you most interested in right now?

One thing that has been on my mind is that with new technology comes new responsibilities. Historically, artists have been on the end of this equation where their work gets treated like it doesn’t have very much value. When you’re a smaller artist, you go, “Well, this is just the way it is. This is how I get to the point where people hear me for the first time, so I’m going to give away everything for free and just play that game.” And then when you get to a certain point, you realize, “Oh, my gosh. My stuff really does have value. How do I capture that value?”

Because of the changes in technology, different companies developing new things are trying to take a big bite out of the apple that is the artist’s intellectual property. For any artist that hears me talking about this, I hope that it occurs to them: It’s your job to protect the work, to put a value on it, and that value might actually be higher than other people might say it’s worth.

Additional reporting by Kristin Robinson.

This story will appear in the Oct. 21, 2023, issue of Billboard.

20 Oct 2023

Executive Turntable: WHY&HOW Promotes Three Company Veterans; The Orchard Grows in West Africa

If it’s Friday that means another spin around the Executive Turntable, Billboard’s comprehensive(ish) compendium of promotions, hirings, exits and firings — and all things in between — across the music industry.

WHY&HOW, the artist management company led by Bruce Kalmick, has promoted Halie Hampton Mosely to chief operating officer, Eddie Kloesel to executive vice president, and Chris Koegen to general manager and head of global strategy. Kloesel has been there from the jump, joining WHY&HOW’s founding team in 2020 as vp of touring and sponsorships. Prior to W&H, he was a manager at Triple 8. Hampton Mosely and Koegen both joined the agency in October 2021 — as vps of roster operations, and artist strategy and marketing, respectively. Hampton Mosely’s last job was at Hit Farm, where she served as day-to-day manager for Florida Georgia Line. Koegen’s previous posts include stints at Amazon Music and Big Machine. All three will continue to report to Kalmick, who calls them all “instrumental.”

“Not only have they helped shape our overall corporate strategy and ensured our artists’ success, but each of them are dedicated to fostering the professional development of our internal team to allow for continued success across all facets of our business,” said Kalmick. “I’m thrilled to have them step into these roles as we look towards the next phase of our company.”

Wait there’s more! The Austin-based company, which recently became part of the Red Light Management family, also elevated Evan Kaufman to senior vp of creative, a role that will see him continue to lead creative strategy across the roster — plus expand his role to include content ideation and creation.

The Orchard hired Lanre Masha to be its director of West Africa as the independent distributor angles to boost its presence on that side of the continent. In his new role, Masha will run regional support for Orchard artists and aid in signing new ones, as well as handle day-to-day release strategies and general distribution matters. Based in Lagos, he reports to evp and head of strategy Prashant Bahadur and works closely with vp of market development for Africa Ben Oldfield. Masha joins The Orchard from Trace Media, where in eight years he rose to GM for music and editorial. The Nigeria native also clocked time in Chicago in marketing and sales roles at Pepsico. “West Africa is no longer a young market,” Mash said. “We are leading the global expansion of music from the region, connecting artists with fans worldwide.”

All In the Family: Billboard parent Penske Media Corporation promoted George Grobar to president, overseeing the company’s operating units and business plans. The 14-year-veteran of PMC was previously chief operating officer and reports directly to founder and CEO Jay Penske. Prior to joining PMC, Grobar was senior vp of Disney Mobile, and before that put in 8 years at Unisys … and earlier this month PMC announced that former Complex and Paramount executive Celine Perrot-Johnson joined the company as executive vp of operations and finance. She oversees operations of PMC’s fashion, luxury, art and women’s interest brands, including the “bible of fashion” itself — Women’s Wear Daily. She reports to Grobar and is based in NYC.

Nashville-based management services company mtheory shared that industry veteran Erik Pettie is their svp and head of artist services and partnerships. Pettie and his team work with artists and their teams on providing label-like support from soup to nuts during a project cycle. His 15-year career was most recently highlighted by a two-year stint as head of artist strategy, editorial and marketing partnerships at Believe-owned Tunecore. Other career highlights include senior marketing roles at Cash Money, Republic, Motown and Universal Music Group. He is based in mtheory’s NYC office. “After years of dedication to supporting artists and labels, I’m eager to continue by shaping this division to help redefine campaign standards,” Pettie said. “This is an exciting new chapter, and I’m ready to make a positive impact!”

Mom+Pop promoted Whitney Dublin to senior director of digital marketing. During her tenure with the company, Dublin has led digital marketing campaigns for artists including FKJ, Del Water Gap, Orion Sun and Raffaella. Prior to joining Mom+Pop, Dublin worked as a product manager at the Orchard, as a digital marketing manager at RED, and a marketing coordinator/Hip-Hop/R&B social media strategist at Sony Legacy. Mom+Pop co-owner Thaddeus Rudd said Dublin’s “contributions to our artists’ success are noteworthy and her talent was obvious to us from the beginning.” –Jessica Nicholson

Donna Budica and George Karalexis officially launched Ten2 Media, a content distribution and marketing company focusing on music and monetization on YouTube. Ten2 Media works with clients on content strategies and then distributes, markets and monetizes that video content on YouTube. The company works with a growing roster of clients that includes Warner Music, Brent Faiyaz, French Montana, Diddy and NLE Choppa. “When we are able to maximize the artist’s revenue, we help create audience awareness and growth… because when artists succeed, so do we,” said Budica, a CAA veteran who is COO of the new firm. Karalexis, who is CEO, began his music career as a musician (his pre-YouTube band put out some spirited pop-punk in its day) before entering the management space and founding companies like FAUX Entertainment and WAVVE.

ICYMI: Utopia Music hired a new CEO after a rrrrough year … Round Table Management hired Steve Ford as head of artist development … Virgin Music Group shuffled its global leadership team … Rich Schaefer was named president of global touring at AEG Presents … and Millie Millgate is Music Australia’s first director.

BandLab Technologies, fresh off a “strategic collaboration” with UMG to engage responsibly with AI, added a trio of executives to its team. Joining BandLab as senior advisor of AI, innovation and strategy is Drew Silverstein, formerly the CEO of Ampler Music and vp of music at Shutterstock. Earlier this month, Kevin Breuner was hired at head of artist development and education, and Jessica Strassman as head of industry relations and artist services in the Americas. Breuner clocked 17 years at CD Baby, rising to svp of artist engagement and education, while Strassman joins from TikTok where she cofused on label partnerships.

Nashville-based music business management firm Farris, Self & Moore has promoted Stephanie Alderman to partner. Though the company will retain its current name of FSM, Alderman will be included in all leadership decisions and high-level initiatives. Alderman, a trained classical pianist and graduate of Belmont University, has more than 15 years of experience in business management, in addition to experience in artist management, publicity and tour production. “Stephanie Alderman is undeniably one of the best business managers in our business,” said founding partners Kella Farris, Stephanie Self, and Catherine Moore in a joint statement. “Her ability to relate and listen to her clients, create a financial strategy, and then execute it effortlessly is truly exceptional. Her all-in approach, innovation, and authenticity make her the perfect fit for our leadership team.” –JN

Digital marketing agency Creed Media hired Christian Birch-Jensen as its first-ever chief strategy officer. Birch-Jensen joins the Gen Z-centric company from TikTok, where he was part of the social media giant’s European strategy team. He reports to CEO Timothy Collins. Creed also promoted Alex Falck and Sanu Harharan from co-heads of music partnerships to co-heads of commercial partnerships — expanding their purview to cover tech, movies and TV. Additionally, Camilla Larsson was upped from head of entertainment operations to overall head of operations. Creed clients include the big three major labels, as well as Spotify and Live Nation.

Live events project management firm PRG hired Paige Newman as an account executive for its artist development team. While PRG is best known for large-scale projects, the firm is now increasingly offering their services — audio, lighting, rigging, video, etc. — to developing artists. Newman arrives after a three-year tenure at Image Engineering, a specialist in lasers and other live-events lighting.

Digital distributor ONErpm tapped Nathalia Vieira to manage its new synch department. Based in Los Angeles, Vieira and her team work on securing placements for ONErpm clients. Her previous roles include music licensing coordinator at Hit the Ground Running and as a creative music manager at Pusher. ONErpm’s other services include music distribution, marketing support, publishing, accounting and global payment systems.

Kevin Hart’s global entertainment company Hartbeat hired Janina Lundy as evp and head of marketing and brand strategy, and Adam Puchalsky as evp and global head of Pulse, the firm’s branded entertainment studio and marketing consultancy. Puchalsky will be based in New York City, while Lundy will operate from Los Angeles. “Janina’s exceptional talent for super-serving high-growth audiences and building entertainment brands, combined with Adam’s global storytelling expertise and deep commitment to brand partnerships will enrich our team and bring significant value to our team and partners,” said Hartbeat CEO Thai Randolph.

Last Week’s Turntable: H8WG Goes Wild in LA

20 Oct 2023

Folarin Back: Wale Returns With “Max Julien” Single, Now Signed To Def Jam

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Wale should be counted among one of the most talented rappers of his generation and the respect he’s gained in the industry was hard-earned. After taking some time away from releasing music, the DMV spitter is back with a new single “Max Julien” and is now signed to one of the most iconic labels in Hip-Hop.

Wale last dropped in October of 2021 with his last studio album Folarin II and appears to be his last with Warner and Rick Ross’ Maybach Music Group. According to TMZ Hip Hop, the Washington, D.C. artist has been signed to Def Jam Recordings for months but kept details under wraps.

Usually an active figure on social media, Wale has kept largely mum until a recent post announcing the leadup to his new single, the aforementioned “Max Julien” produced by D.Woo.

From “Max Julien”:

I been goin’ through it lately

Nobody give a sh*t but wanna know more lately, uh

Damn, I been more alone lately

It’s no coincidence, been sayin’, “No more” lately

Yeah, see, I’m selfish but never pretentious

It’s not potential when the friendship that come with intentions

We’ve spun the song a few times this morning and the track proves that Wale is, without doubt, one of the most gifted lyricists in the game. There is also some vulnerability that shines alongside the usual bravado. All of this is delivered in his signature DMV accent and his always present confidence.

Check out “Max Julien” below. Welcome back, Folarin.



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Photo: Getty

20 Oct 2023

Nicki Minaj Freestyles Over Drake & Chief Keef’s ‘All the Parties’: Listen

Pink Friday 2, the sequel to Nicki Minaj’s blockbuster 2010 debut studio album, arrives on Nov. 17, and the Head Barb has yet another special Pink Friday surprise for her Barbz. On Friday morning (Oct. 20), the “Last Time I Saw You” rapper took to her official YouTube account to upload a freestyle over Drake and Chief Keef’s “All the Parties.”

“These b—–s don’t want beef, chef, hold the steak/ These b—–s don’t want smoke, say ‘no’ to vape/ I get these b—–s scramblin’ when I throw the bait/ One sub kill five b—–s, OceanGate,” she spits before referencing her still-unreleased “Big Difference” track, which she teased during her performance at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards with the line “Like three hunnids blue.” Minaj tackles the crisp beat after letting Drake’s original first verse and Chief Keef’s chorus play in full.

“All the Parties” is from Drake’s For All the Dogs, which recently became hits 13th No. 1 title on the Billboard 200 and spawned the Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single “First Person Shooter” (with J. Cole). Minaj was originally set to appear on the album, according to an announcement from Drake himself during his July 8 It’s All a Blur tour stop. “I’m gonna give away one thing for you tonight because I got a lot of love for Detroit,” he said on stage. “So I’m gonna have to tell you that me and Nicki Minaj did our first song together in, like, a really long time. I got a lot of love for her.”

Nonetheless, when the 23-song set arrived on Oct. 6, Minaj was absent from the tracklist. Through “For All the Barbz,” YMCMB fans can find some solace and celebrate a new unofficial collaboration between the Harajuku Barbie and the 6 God.

On Oct. 12, Minaj posted a Twitter poll for her fans to decide what the next Pink Friday surprise would be. Although she eventually ended up releasing a Pink Friday 2 reject called “Bahm Bahm,” Minaj initially joked, “Ion feel like doing no freestyle right now my G!!!! ?? Go vote yall!” when she saw the freestyle option winning the poll.

Check out Nicki Minaj’s new freestyle below:

20 Oct 2023

Maluma & His Girlfriend Are Expecting a Baby: Watch the Reveal in ‘Procura’ Music Video

Maluma is going to be a dad!  The Colombian artist revealed that he and his girlfriend, Susana Gomez, are expecting their first child together via a new music video posted at midnight on Friday (Oct. 20). 

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Titled “Procura,” the song is an edgy bachata-urban fusion about two people who are crazy for each other and have an unforgettable romance. At the beginning, Maluma is giving a speech at one of his previous concerts and shouting out his girlfriend: “I love you. So many years looking for love elsewhere and I didn’t realize it was next to me.”

The four-minute video documents the couple’s relationship with never-before-seen clips, the heartfelt moment they found out they were going to be parents and the lavish sex reveal, when they found out they will be having a girl. The couple also revealed she will be named Paris. 

The “Hawái” singer first made the big reveal during his Don Juan tour stop in Washington, D.C., on Thursday (Oct. 19). 

“Music is the only way I can talk to my fans and I wanted to let them know that I’m having a baby,” he said in an interview with NPR Music‘s Alt.Latino. “It’s perfect timing with all of the things that I’m living. I’m looking for more personal experiences too […] I also want to grow as a human being, not only as an artist. This makes me feel so human, but at the same time, the more human I feel, the more artist I get.”

He’s always dreamt of fatherhood, he admitted. “Paris, our beautiful daughter, is growing inside her mom’s belly and she gives me many reasons to keep dreaming. She made a reset in my mind. She’s everything for me right now. My days are brighter than ever,” he expressed.

Listen to Maluma’s new single and watch the sweet baby announcement above.