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04 May 2023

With a Focus on Mental Health, The Newly Launched Happy Jack Records Is Extending the Legacy of Its Founder’s Late Son

On July 2, 2020, Jack Nathan went to a party with some friends near his hometown of Livingston, New Jersey. Amidst the revelry, the artist and college student took what he thought was a Percocet. But the pill was laced with fentanyl, and by the early hours of July 3, Jack Nathan had died of fentanyl poisoning. He was 19 years old.

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In the wake of Jack’s death, his parents — Bradi Harrison and former Republic Records SVP of Promotion & Artist Development David Nathan — took over the apparel company their only son had founded years prior and was successfully running from his dorm room in Denver. This company, Happy Jack — called so for a nickname a very smiley young Jack had earned during a Pamper’s commercial shoot when he was a baby — sold T-shirts, hoodies, hats and other streetwear, with Jack Nathan donating percentages of his profits to mental health-focused charities.

He himself had long struggled with anxiety and depression, and in making clothing and other visual art, he found a creative outlet that helped him deal with it. A lover of music, especially hip-hop, he was just beginning to expand his business into managing musical acts when he died.

“I have never been more excited, passionate and sure of something in my entire life,” he wrote of his company on Instagram just a few weeks before his death. “I can not sleep, I can not think, I can’t eat. I promise, I f–king promise you, Jack Nathan is a name you’ll never forget.”

Through a new venture, Jack’s father David Nathan and his business partner Sam Koch are making sure to honor that statement. Today (May 4), the elder Nathan and Koch are launching Happy Jack Records, a boutique label taking a mega-proactive approach to the mental health of its artists, in honor of the person the label is named for.

David Nathan, who spent 21 years at Republic Records, brings deep industry contacts and knowledge to the project. Koch — who’s in his 20s — brings a dual passion for music and mental health, along with an understanding of the industry gained from his entrepreneur father, who runs an event production company. Together, Nathan and Koch are structuring Happy Jack Records to be a mental health optimization platform for the artists signed to it, and via them, to anyone who taps into their music.

“Think of us like a bootcamp,” Koch says. “We have a team of coaches attacking different elements of wellness, everyone from therapists, to a psychiatrist, to a vocal coach, to a life coach. We’re going to align them with a fitness trainer and a nutritionist. You’re talking about it all every week in therapy. We put artists into our program for 18 months, and they come out on the other side better individuals.”

With this multi-layered approach to artist development, the plan is to only sign three to four artists a year, with the funding necessitated by the bootcamp approach underwritten by donations. (Happy Jack Records is set up as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.) The idea is to sign up-and-coming artists from across genres and focus on acts who have themselves struggled with mental health issues.

The launch party for Happy Jack Records, happening in conjunction with Mental Health Awareness Month, happens this evening at New York City’s Ascent Lounge with a fundraising event featuring performances by The Arti$t, SNF.JT, American Idol winner Nick Fradiani and a DJ set by ZeeMuffin. Following this fundraising launch, the label will lock in a distributor, with Nathan saying they’re considering got some “amazing options” on this front.

The goal is to also develop partnerships across the industry when the label is fully up and running, and also do cross-collabs with Happy Jack apparel, which David Nathan and Jack’s mother Brandi Harrison took over when their son passed away and which has since donated more than $150,000 to mental health related organizations like Lady Gaga’s Born This Way, Release Recovery, Active Minds and Child Mind Institute.

For David Nathan, the new label is dually an homage to his son and an effort to help evolve an industry in which, until recently, conversations around mental health were taboo. “Honestly, there wasn’t anything,” he recalls of his time at Republic. “There were no help lines, no coaches. You couldn’t make a phone call to the record label five or ten years ago and be like, ‘I’m not gonna go on tour this year, because I need to get my head right.’”

While many mega-stars have since become more open about their mental health challenges, Happy Jack Records’ focus on emerging artist is an effort to tackle the lack of industry inroads and limited access to mental health resources such artists often experience.

“With all the fame, money and success, [a lot of the biggest artists in the world] still have issues,” says Koch. “You can only imagine what it’s like for artists that have no money and don’t have teams of people behind them to give them the resources they need.”

The idea is that artists signed to Happy Jack Records will use the label as both a conduit to their own self actualization (and through it, career success), and will also use their growing platforms to tell the stories of their personal growth.

“We are not interested in signing artists that don’t want to use it as a platform,” says Nathan. “Whatever their issue is, or their experience has been, we want them to share it. And we want them to educate with it. One of the things that we’re really trying to focus on is making this a community for the misunderstood.”

In a cross collaboration with the Happy Jack apparel company, Happy Jack Records is also focused on making mental health cool via merch that Jack himself might have designed. (During our Zoom call for this story, Koch wears a t-shirt from the line that says “I told my therapist about you.”) Another goal is that at the end of each year, Happy Jack Records will take 15% of what its earned from each artist and donate it to a mental health charity of that artist’s choice, with the caveat being that the artist must match the donation. “We’re essentially in a good way, forcing ourselves and forcing the artists to put their money where their mouth is and really be that spokesperson for what they believe in,” says Nathan.

For David Nathan and Koch, everything their doing is essentially a continuation of the work Jack Nathan himself started, via his own unique amalgamation of art, business and honest conversations about his interior life.

“Jack always wanted to start a record label,” says Koch. “He was managing artists at one point, and he loved music. I feel like we’re taking the Happy Jack concept and just doing what Jack would have done.”

 

04 May 2023

Ed Sheeran Wins Copyright Trial as Jury Finds He Didn’t Copy Marvin Gaye

A Manhattan federal jury on Thursday (May 4) cleared Ed Sheeran of allegations that his “Thinking Out Loud” infringed the copyright of Marvin Gaye’s famed “Let’s Get It On,” allowing the star to avoid millions in potential damages.

After a closely-watched trial before a packed courtroom, the seven-person jury issued a verdict that determined Sheeran had proved he didn’t infringe upon the copyright of the soul classic. Following the verdict, he briefly put his hands over his face in relief and hugged his lawyer, according to the Associated Press. As jurors left the courtroom, Sheeran quietly mouthed the words “thank you” in their direction. He then spoke for about 10 minutes with the plaintiffs, including the daughter of Ed Townsend, who co-created the 1973 soul classic with Gaye. They hugged and smiled with each other.

If he’d been found liable, Sheeran would have been facing millions in potential damages and could have been forced to change the credits on his song. After a jury verdict in 2015 that found Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams‘ megahit “Blurred Lines” had infringed Gaye’s “Got To Give It Up,” the two stars were ultimately ordered to pay a $5 million judgment, plus ongoing royalties from their song.

The verdict came nearly seven years after Sheeran was first sued by the heirs of Ed Townsend, Gaye’s longtime producer who co-wrote “Let’s Get It On,” over “Thinking Out Loud” — a commercial and critical success that hit No. 2 on the Hot 100 before winning the Grammy Award for song of the year. (Gaye’s actual heirs, who won the verdict over “Blurred Lines” are not involved in the case.)

In their suit, Kathryn Townsend Griffin and other heirs of Ed Townsend said Sheeran had “knowingly and intentionally infringed” the earlier tune, stealing the “heart” from one of the most “instantly recognizable songs in R&B history.”

The trial, taking place at the U.S. federal courthouse in Lower Manhattan, kicked off Tuesday with opening statements from both sides. Benjamin Crump, representing Griffin, told the jury to use their “common sense” to see that the pop star had stolen the “magic” from the earlier song. But Sheeran’s attorney, Ilene Farkas, said Griffin had not right to monopolize the “exceedingly common musical building blocks” featured in both songs. “Plaintiffs do not own them, because nobody does,” Farkas said. “All songwriters draw from this same basic toolkit.”

Later that same day, jurors then heard testimony from Sheeran himself, who strongly denied the allegations and insisted that he be allowed — over complaints from opposing attorneys — to offer additional context to defend his actions: “I feel like you don’t want me to answer because what I’m going to say is going to make quite a lot of sense,” Sheeran said.

One key piece of evidence during the trial was a video clip from a 2014 concert, in which Sheeran seamlessly switches from “Thinking” to “Lets” and back again, drawing huge cheers from the crowd. Crump called it a “smoking gun” against the star: “That concert video is a confession.”

But Sheeran and his lawyers said the video simply underscored the fact that he had done nothing wrong by using a basic set of chords that appear in many songs: “Quite frankly, if I’d done what you’re accusing me of, I’d be an idiot to stand up in front of 20,000 people and do that,” the singer said from the witness stand.

Later in the week, jurors heard testimony from Amy Wadge, who co-wrote “Thinking” with Sheeran (but isn’t named as a defendant), and Jake Gosling, who produced the song (also not named as a defendant). And both sides called their own musicologists — Lawrence Ferrara for Sheeran and Alexander Stewart for the Townsends — who offered dueling expert testimony about whether the similarities between the two tracks met the legal requirements for copyright infringement.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.

04 May 2023

Ed Sheeran Confides in Taylor Swift Because She ‘Actually Truly Understands Where I’m At’

As Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift‘s success has multiplied, so has their friendship. In a recent interview, the “Shivers” singer opened up about how he and his famous friend like to confide in one another, especially when it comes to issues pretty much only they can relate to.

“I have long, long, long conversations with Taylor about stuff just because I feel like she’s one of the only people that actually truly understands where I’m at,” Sheeran told Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe. “I had an hour-20 conversation with her yesterday and we were just — everything that was on our minds we talked about.”

“I mean that in itself is kind of therapy as well, because you’re actually talking to someone that genuinely gets it,” he continued. “That has all the things that you feel and have insecurities about and how other people treat you or how your family treat you, how your friends treat you. She’s basically in the same sphere.”

It goes without saying that Sheeran and Swift, who’ve been close friends and collaborators since 2012, have both reached a rare level of global fame only a few stars per generation ever achieve. With the multiple Grammys and No. 1 hits, there undoubtedly comes certain difficulties the average person can’t empathize with — like, for instance, being called away from your personal life to defend your music’s originality in high profile copyright lawsuits, as the “A Team” musician has experienced in recent weeks.

Sheeran also spoke with Lowe about working on his upcoming album Subtract (stylized “-“) with Swift’s Folklore collaborator Aaron Dessner on the “Anti-Hero” artist’s recommendation. “I’m always, not guarded, but I kind of would keep my distance if there would be a collaborator that she’d be working with closely just because that’s her thing,” Sheeran explained. “And I don’t want to be like, ‘Well going to do that too.”

“But she said, ‘I think it’d be really important for you as an artist to do what I did and work with Aaron because this is what it did for me,” he continued. “So that sort of opened the door to it, and I am incredibly grateful. I’m making some of the most meaningful music to me that I’ve made in a very long time.”

Listen to Ed Sheeran’s full conversation with Zane Lowe below.

04 May 2023

50 Cent Announces 2023 ‘Final Lap’ Global Tour with Busta Rhymes, Jeremih

50 Cent is hitting the road this summer for a global tour called The Final Lap that will kick off on July 21 with a show at the Maverik Center in Salt Lake City and keep him on the road through a planned Nov. 12 gig at the Resorts World Arena in Birmingham, England.

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The Live Nation-produced outing is a celebration of the 20th anniversary of Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson’s 2003 debut album, Get Rich or Die Tryin’, will feature a set list comprised of 50’s greatest hits and tracks he hasn’t performed live in decades according to a release. He will be joined on all the dates by his longtime friend Busta Rhymes and by Jeremih on the North American dates, with more guests to be announced later.

Fans can sign up for tickets for the North American leg via Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan, with registration open now through Sunday (May 7) at 11:59 p.m. ET.; click here to register. A limited amount of tickets will be available during a general onsale beginning May 12 at 10 a.m. local time here while supplies last. Presale tickets for the European leg will go on sale beginning at 10 a.m. local time on May 10, with the general on sale kicking off on May 12 at 10 a.m. local time here.

The Final Lap North American and European tour dates:

July 21 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Maverik Center

July 23 – Denver, CO @ Ball Arena

July 25 – St. Louis, MO @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre

July 27 – Noblesville, IN @ Ruoff Music Center

July 28 – Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena

July 29 – Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center

July 31 – Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage

August 2 – Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre

August 3 – Mansfield, MA @ Xfinity Center

August 5 – Darien Center, NY @ Darien Lake Amphitheater

August 6 – Cleveland, OH @ Blossom Music Center

August 8 – Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live

August 9 – Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center

August 11 – Hartford, CT @ XFINITY Theatre

August 12 – Camden, NJ @ Freedom Mortgage Pavilion

August 13 – Virginia Beach, VA @ Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach

August 15 – Raleigh, NC @ Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek

August 16 – Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion

August 17 – Atlanta, GA @ Lakewood Amphitheatre

August 19 – Tampa, FL @ MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre

August 20 – West Palm Beach, FL @ iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre

August 22 – Tuscaloosa, AL @ Tuscaloosa Amphitheater

August 24 – Houston, TX @ Toyota Center

August 25 – Dallas, TX @ Dos Equis Pavilion

August 27 – Albuquerque, NM @ Isleta Amphitheater

August 29 – Phoenix, AZ @ Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre

August 30 – Los Angeles, CA @ Crypto.com Arena

August 31 – Chula Vista, CA @ North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre

Sept. 2 – Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre

Sept. 4 – Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Center

Sept. 6 – Ridgefield, WA @ RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater

Sept. 7 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena

Sept. 8 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena

Sept. 10 – Calgary, AB @ Scotiabank Saddledome

Sept. 11 – Edmonton, AB @ Rogers Place

Sept. 13 – Winnipeg, MB @ Canada Life Centre

Sept. 15 – St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center

Sept. 16 – Chicago, IL @ United Center

Sept. 17 – Detroit, MI @ Pine Knob Music Theatre

Sept. 28 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Ziggo Dome

Sept. 29 – Hamburg, Germany @ Barclays Arena

Sept. 30 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ Royal Arena

Oct. 4 – Oslo, Norway @ Spektrum*

Oct. 5 – Trondheim, Norway @ Spektrum*

Oct. 7 – Stockholm, Sweden @ Avicii Arena

Oct. 9 – Riga, Latvia @ Arena Riga*

Oct. 11 – Lodz Poland @ Atlas Arena

Oct. 14 – Berlin, Germany @ Mercedes-Benz Arena

Oct. 15 – Oberhausen, Germany @ Rudolf-Weber-Arena

Oct. 20 – Zurich, Switzerland @ Hallenstadion

Oct. 21 – Nice, France @ Palais Nikaia

Oct. 22 – Milan, Italy @ Mediolanum Forum

Oct. 24 – Munich, Germany @ Olympiahalle

Oct. 25 – Mannheim, Germany @ SAP Arena

Oct. 26 – Brussels, Belgium @ Forest National

Oct. 28 – Prague, Czech Republic @ O2 Arena

Oct. 31 – Strasbourg, France @ Zenith

Nov. 2 – Nantes, France @ Zenith

Nov. 3 – Paris, France @ La Defense Arena

Nov. 6 – Dublin, Ireland @ 3Arena

Nov. 9 – Glasgow, Scotland @ OVO Hydro

Nov. 10 – Manchester, England @ AO Arena

Nov. 11 – London, England @ The O2 

Nov. 12 – Birmingham, England @ Resorts World Arena

*Non-Live Nation date

04 May 2023

Ed Sheeran’s ‘Thinking Out Loud’ and Marvin Gaye’s ‘Let’s Get It On’ Both Up in Sales and Streams in Wake of Copyright Trial

Welcome to Billboard Pro’s Trending Up column, where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, curiosities and trends that have caught the music industry’s attention. Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip. 
 
This week: The pop smashes on both sides of a major copyright dispute see gains, Nate Smith makes his case as country’s next reliable hitmaker and Luke Combs’ cover of an ’80s alt-folk classic gives it a sales boost.

Listeners Making Their Own Judgments in Ed Sheeran-Marvin Gaye Copyright Trial

It’s been a long week for global pop star Ed Sheeran, as he defended himself against claims of copyright infringement from the heirs of Ed Townsend, co-writer of Marvin Gaye‘s 1973 soul classic “Let’s Get It On.” Sheeran was accused of plagiarizing “Let’s Get It On” with his own Grammy-winning 2014 smash “Thinking Out Loud” — a charge that he not only strenuously denied, but threatened to quit music altogether if he was found guilty of it. (Today, the jury returned a not guilty verdict, so presumably fans will not have to go directly from the release of Sheeran’s – (Subtract) album this Friday, May 5, into mourning for his career.)

It may be cold comfort for Sheeran, but a small silver lining to his recent legal battle is that it’s drawn enough attention in news headlines and over social media over the past week to direct listeners back to the songs in question. “Thinking Out Loud” rose 15% in weekly on-demand official U.S. streams, from under 2.7 million for the tracking week ending April 20 to over three million the following week, according to Luminate — while also nearly tripling in sales, from under 400 to almost 1,100. And the numbers have also gone up for “Let’s Get It On,” which has risen 11% in streams (to around 900,000) and 93% in sales (to nearly 400) over that same period.

Clearly, listeners are interested in drawing their own conclusions about the similarities (or lack thereof) between the two songs as the trial goes on — and with the official verdict now in, the number of those independent investigations may still continue to climb. — ANDREW UNTERBERGER

Nate Smith’s Country Fans ‘Ship ‘Wreckage’

Much like Zach Bryan and Bailey Zimmerman, Nate Smith is a new-school country singer-songwriter beloved by the TikTok set, and the California native has leaned into app engagement, regularly teasing songs and even posting “duets” with fans who are lip-synching along with his tracks. “Wreckage,” a track from Smith’s self-titled debut album that was released last Friday (Apr. 28) on Arista Nashville, has been out since November, but the tender love song (“Laying in this bed beside you, I don’t have to hide away / You see all the wreckage, and it wrecks me that you stay,” Smith growls) keeps rising in streams in part due to TikTok engagement, as well as some prime placement on major streaming playlists.

“Wreckage” leads both Amazon Music’s Country Heat playlist and Spotify’s Hot Country this week — especially impressive, considering competition like Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” and Luke Combs’ “Fast Car.” And although the song has been hovering around 3 million weekly U.S. on-demand streams since the beginning of April, last week, as Smith went into full album-promo mode, that weekly total rose 44% to 4.68 million streams, according to Luminate.

Although “Wreckage” has yet to hit the Billboard Hot 100 — Smith’s previous single, “Whiskey on You,” peaked at No. 43 last year — that could change next week, if streams continue to rise and country fans, including Smith’s 1.5 million TikTok followers, delve into his first full-length. – JASON LIPSHUTZ

Tracy Chapman’s Original “Fast Car” Speeding Up in Song Sales

Country superstar Luke Combs‘ cover of alt-folk hero Tracy Chapman‘s 1988 smash “Fast Car” is one of the surprise breakout hits of 2023, climbing all the way to No. 14 on the Hot 100 — now just eight spots away from matching the peak of the original — and becoming one of the spring’s best-selling songs, reaching No. 3 on Billboard‘s Digital Song Sales listing.

While the cover has not resulted in a pronounced streaming uptick for Chapman’s version, its sales impact has carried over: The original “Fast Car” jumped 148% in digital song sales the week of Combs’ Gettin’ Old release week (the album with his cover) to nearly 800 copies, and that weekly sales number has continued to climb to nearly 1,000. The numbers are still relatively small, but if they continue to climb — or simply steady at a higher weekly number than it was doing two months ago — it could add up to a nice little annual bonus for the artist behind what Combs has called his “first favorite song.” – AU

04 May 2023

Mary J. Blige & Pepsi Announce Inaugural Strength of a Woman Scholarship

On the heels of Mary J. Blige’s second annual Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit in Atlanta (State Farm Arena, May 11-14), event co-presenter Pepsi announced it has partnered with Blige to present a scholarship to a deserving HBCU female student this fall. The forthcoming award is among $200,000 in donations to organizations and initiatives dedicated to securing empowerment, education, elevation and equity for Black women. 

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In addition to the inaugural PepsiCo x Mary J. Blige Strength of a Woman Scholarship, Pepsi is funding several local Atlanta organizations selected in collaboration with Blige. Focused on empowering women in the areas of wellness, technology, finance and creative arts, the chosen organizations include Silence the Shame, City of Refuge, Right Hand Foundation and Earth Girl ATL. 

“Between Pepsi and [music partner] Live Nation Urban, I have some great heavy hitters that are helping me to benefit our people and all the women who are coming out; that are helping to uplift, encourage, inspire, give back and donate,” Blige tells Billboard. “And speaking of donate, I’ve partnered with Pepsi to donate $200,000 on behalf of a college scholarship as well as organizations that support and amplify women across the city. To keep doing things like this to help the community is why I’ve partnered with such heavy hitters.”

Among Pepsi’s other programming initiatives at the Mother’s Day weekend event, which expanded to an additional day this year, is Pepsi Dig In. Supporting Atlanta-based female-operated, Black-owned restaurants, the platform will provide complimentary food from Ms. Icey’s Kitchen, Gocha’s Breakfast Bar, Twisted Soul and Local Green Atlanta. Pepsi will also turn its spotlight on Black women entrepreneurs and changemakers through its Stacy’s Rise Project and Doritos SOLID BLACK platform, hosting a dinner to honor women who have made an impact at the company and in the Atlanta community.

In a statement, PepsiCo senior vp, industry relations and multicultural development Kent Montgomery said, “The Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit has proven to be a powerful platform for Pepsi and its brands to create opportunities that bring long-lasting change to amplify and elevate women. This year, with even more events for fans to experience, we want to recognize, celebrate and support the voices of the community from the incredible onstage talent, including the iconic Mary J. Blige, to the on-the-ground local restauranteurs and entrepreneurs whose vision and passion inspire others.”

Mary J. Blige

Rounding out the four-day Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit are two nights of concerts and a comedy showcase. The former includes an R&B show starring Ms. Lauryn Hill, Summer Walker and Muni Long. The evening before will feature a special “MJB B-Sides” set in celebration of hip-hop’s 50th anniversary. Nine-time Grammy winner Blige and friends — Jodeci, Busta Rhymes, Jeezy, Jadakiss, Method Man and DJ Drama — will roll out rarely performed hits.

Says Blige of hip-hop’s 50th anniversary, “It means so much because we held on to our voices and to our expression. And we continue to give and to inspire other generations to speak their truth through hip-hop. And that makes me feel good. As for the show that night, you’ve just got to come and see.”

Closing out the festival on May 14 will be a new event, The Purpose Ball. It will honor the LGBTQAI community and feature a special performance by Saucy Santana. “The Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit is about showing love and the LGBTQAI community is a part of our community,” says Blige. “We love and support them.”

Tying in with her festival theme, Blige executive produced two Lifetime original movies through her Blue Butterfly production banner. Borrowing their titles from her catalog of hits, both will premiere in June: Mary J. Blige’s Real Love (June 10) and Mary J. Blige’s Strength of a Woman (June 17). 

“At the end of the day, real love is something we’re all searching for,” notes Blige. “But once we find it for real, we find it in ourselves. And that’s when we become really strong women.”

04 May 2023

Music’s New Secret Weapon? Creatives as Executives (Guest Column)

Pick a lane. How many times have you heard that? For me, I’ve lost count. I’ve never been one for labels, boxes, or genre assignments. I feel that extends to every vertical of my life – down to how I live, work, love, and find joy.

In some ways, I took the whole “dances to the beat of my own drum” as far as I could. Just call me an Avril Lavigne lyric, because I am “anything but ordinary,” honey! Maybe that has stifled some of my success, but I would argue that it’s helped me more than it’s hurt me. I am resourceful, adaptable, resilient, and I relate to so many different human experiences – which in my line of work(s) has been nothing short of an asset.

For example I’ve been a songwriter for over 19 years professionally, a performer since the age of three, a major label signed artist at the age of 19, and I’ve worked behind the scenes as an industry professional since 2014. That being said, even as someone with years of professional experience it took me years to land a mid-to-senior level role working for a reputable music company. No one wanted to hire me, because I didn’t have a college degree and I never worked as a coordinator. For some reason that never applied to the men I used to tour with, but that’s a story for another day.

The question is… why aren’t we looking at future employees with a holistic viewpoint? Why are we assigning only one genre tag and then disregarding their potential because we can’t place them?

When I pitch music, the more metadata tags the better; I want to know the song can fit many opportunities, not just when all the stars align. Why are we afraid when a future teammate offers layers? Often in my interview process, I would get asked if “being an artist” was going to get in the way of my prospective job. It’s such an odd question to me, because as a freelancer most of my life was and is about time allocation. No one is more mindful of how I spend my time… than me. There’s also no one way to be an artist.

I see a lot of fear when it comes to hiring in the music industry. Hands-on experience in the creative music space is a huge asset and shouldn’t be looked at as a liability. Often, a potential employee goes to college, scores an internship, lands an assistant gig, and then shoots up the ladder… but they’ve never been to the factory. They don’t know how the product is made.

Here’s the thing – traditional music industry folk can’t empathize with the talent, because they have never lived it. They don’t speak the language.

When we don’t understand each other, can’t relate to each other’s experiences, and have no visibility in the day to day functions of each other’s jobs it can become a breeding ground for miscommunication.

Miscommunication is the enemy of progress and productivity aka the enemy of getting sh*t done.

Not to say there’s anything wrong with taking a traditional route to the top of the music business, but it shouldn’t be the only path and at the very least… go to the factory y’all!

When I received the opportunity to work for other companies (not just my own) – I jumped at it! To me, it’s just another tool in my arsenal. I had a front row seat to look into how the other side strategizes, rationalizes, moves mountains, and builds winning campaigns on behalf of their roster.

I got to hear the worst and the best from peers and senior executives that would have never kept it real with me as the talent/creative. I listened to everything intensely. What I heard motivated me to get to work. I saw how both sides need each other, that it’s a marriage and that marriage is rocky at best.

How do we save this union? Like anything in life… we seek to understand and we find better ways to communicate effectively. A strong tool I can offer you? Hire a former creative or active creator. Let them help fix what’s not working – they know how to. They’ve been small businesses for years. They’ve been on the road, they’ve had the odds stacked against them and they still got on that stage and SERVED. That’s someone I want on my team. The show must go on and they know how to deliver the goods.

As a songwriter I listen, internalize, and then externalize. I aim to understand and have others find themselves in the work. I create. I am a little big problem solver, so why would this be any different in behind the scenes business?

Open up your doors to creators and allow them to bring the positive tension this industry desperately needs. We only grow when we allow ourselves to be uncomfortable, so embrace the fear.

Creatives are builders, let them build. They may show up with big dreams, but they’re going to have the know-how to see it through. Give them a chance to bring home the bacon. They’ve been singing for their (YOUR) supper anyways, now let them sit at the table.

Jessica Vaughn is the head of sync at Venice Music and president of Head Bitch Music. Before breaking into the business side of the industry, Jessica began her career as an artist under the name Charlotte Sometimes, releasing a debut album on Geffen Records and later appearing on season 2 of NBC’s hit series The Voice.

04 May 2023

Terri Clark, Trooper & More to Be Inducted Into Canadian Music Hall of Fame

Country singer Terri Clark, rock band Trooper, French Canadian singer Diane Dufresne and veteran jazz pianist Dr. Oliver Jones will be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame on May 18 at Studio Bell in Calgary, Alberta.

The induction ceremony, presented by Music Canada, is set to stream live at 9 p.m. ET on CBC Gem, CBCMusic.ca/junos and on CBC Music’s Facebook and YouTube pages. This is the second iteration of the event, which was paused during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tickets are on sale now at junoawards.ca. 

Clark, Trooper and Dufresne will take the stage to perform. Robi Botos and jazz vocalist Ranee Lee will perform in tribute to Jones, who will accept his honor in person.

Jann Arden, a 2021 Canadian Music Hall of Fame recipient, will induct Clark, who featured Arden on her 2012 recording of the country staple “Leavin’ on Your Mind.”

Deborah Cox will make a special appearance, following her 2022 induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and her performance at the 2022 JUNO Awards.

“The breadth of talent involved in this year’s event is a true testament to what Canadian musicians are capable of – global influence, record-breaking success and immense creativity,” Allan Reid, president and CEO, CARAS/The JUNO Awards & MusiCounts, said in a statement.

Clark has placed seven albums in the top half of the Billboard 200, topped by Greatest Hits 1994-2004, which rose to No. 14 in 2004. Clark’s albums have included collabs with such stars as Vince Gill, Alison Krauss, Reba McEntire, Dierks Bentley and Tanya Tucker. She has also placed seven singles on the Billboard Hot 100, topped by “I Just Wanna Be Mad,” which reached No. 27 in 2003.

Trooper cracked the Billboard 200 in 1978 with Thick as Thieves. The album included the band’s only Hot 100 single, “Raise a Little Hell.”

Established in 1978, The Canadian Music Hall of Fame was created to acknowledge artists who have contributed to the recognition of Canadian music globally. Previous honorees include Nickelback, who received the honor on this year’s Juno Awards broadcast in March; Gordon Lightfoot, who died earlier this week; Alanis Morissette, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Barenaked Ladies, Joni Mitchell, k.d. lang, Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, Oscar Peterson, RUSH, The Guess Who, The Tragically Hip, Sarah McLachlan and Shania Twain.

04 May 2023

The Weeknd & Lily-Rose Depp Get Close in New Teaser Poster for ‘The Idol’

HBO’s The Idol is about to get the summer sizzling on streaming service Max. To further drum up anticipation for its premiere, HBO and The Weeknd shared a teaser poster for the show — which the singer stars in alongside actress Lily-Rose Depp — on Thursday (May 4).

The image shows The Weeknd as his character Tedros and Depp as pop star Jocelyn. The duo wears dark sunglasses and stylish ensembles while sitting in the back of a red convertible with its top down, as a sunny sky and Los Angeles palm trees serve as the backdrop. In the car, Depp and The Weeknd interlock hands while she leans back into his chest.

“We all crave things that aren’t good for us,” the premium network’s Twitter account captioned the post. “#THEIDOL premieres June 4 on Max.” The Weeknd also shared the snap to his own account, writing that fans should “buckle the f–k up” for the show’s arrival.

With about a month before The Idol‘s premiere, The Weeknd released “Double Fantasy,” a track in collaboration with Future that is set to appear on the album’s official soundtrack, on April 28. And though the “Blinding Lights” singer was not scheduled to do a set at Coachella, he made an appearance during Metro Boomin’s performance to give the song a live debut.

See the poster for The Idol below.

04 May 2023

Anitta Admits She Was So ‘Nervous’ to Meet Madonna That She Got Sick: ‘I Was Feeling Bad’

Anitta stopped by The Howard Stern Show on Wednesday (May 3) for a no-holds-barred chat about her bisexuality and, well, getting diarrhea before meeting Madonna.

Pressed by the host about whether dating women was “still on the table” for her, the “Envolver” singer responded with a hesitant yes, saying, “I haven’t been with a woman in a while. No, I don’t think I would fall in love with a woman. But I wouldn’t say never, I wouldn’t say never.”

One female artist Anitta certainly got nervous to meet was Her Madgesty — to the point that the encounter sent her running for the bathroom.

“I got there a little earlier than her,” the Brazilian star said of their session to record “Faz Gosoto” for 2019’s Madame X. “Thank god, ’cause then I had time to take a s–t. Crazy. I was feeling bad, like, you know when you’re too nervous and you just get [mimics grumbling sounds]? My stomach was just going crazy … She would know this probably now, but at the time she didn’t, which was great.”

Elsewhere during the chat, Anitta plugged her intimate perfume Puzzy. “This is a spray that you spray in your most intimate areas?” asked a curious Stern, to which she replied, “In your p—y, in your butt, in your d–k, in your balls — everything … [It’s for] men, women, everybody.”

Just days before the interview, the Latin superstar — who recently inked a new record deal with Republic Records after publicly parting ways with longtime label Warner Music Group — attended both the star-studded party to celebrate the grand re-opening of the Tiffany & Co. flagship store in New York City and the even grander 2023 Met Gala.

Watch Anitta hold nothing back on Howard Stern below.