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27 Apr 2023

The Raine Group Partners Behind Music’s Biggest Deals: ‘This Is a New Generation of Capital Investing’

The music industry, like investment banking, is built largely on relationships, and Fred Davis and Joe Puthenveetil have built their careers on being relationship brokers to both worlds.

Partners at merchant bank The Raine Group, Davis — who is the son of music industry icon Clive Davis — and Puthenveetil are two of the most influential financial power brokers in the business. Since one of Raine’s earliest music deals advising Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates-based Mubadala Investment on its acquisition of EMI, it has advised on or invested in billions of dollars of transactions. In recent years, the pair managed the $230 million sale of CD Baby’s digital operation to Downtown Music Holdings, helped Antonio “L.A.” Reid and Charles Goldstuck raise $75 million to launch the HitCo label and led SoundCloud’s $170 million emergency investment round in 2017, which included recruiting Singapore state fund Temasek to invest alongside it. (Concord acquired Hitco’s entire sound recording catalog and certain additional releases but not the label or brand name in 2022.)

In the past year alone, Davis says the partners have had a hand in more than $1 billion in transactions, including advising Quality Control in its sale to HYBE America, advising private equity firm Francisco Partners in its acquisition of Kobalt and helping Larry Jackson raise $1 billion in capital for his new venture, gamma.

Raine remains an investor in SoundCloud and also helped create Firebird, a conglomerate of independent music labels, publishers and artist management groups that develop and advise artists and help them with business opportunities outside of music.

Market, From the Desk of, FTDO, Fred Davis, Joe Puthenveetil, The Raine Group

From left: A photo of Davis’
sons, a memento of Raine’s representation of Providence Equity in its deal with online music technology/instrument retailer Sweetwater, a family portrait with patriarch Clive Davis and a plaque commemorating Raine’s work with Downtown Music to sell its publishing company to Concord.

Paul Stuart

Puthenveetil, a graduate of Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, joined Raine in 2010 and was a driving force behind the CD Baby sale and HitCo fundraising, as well Raine’s investments in SoundCloud, concert/festival producer Blackbird Presents and promoter C3 Presents, which was sold to Live Nation. He sits on SoundCloud’s board of directors, with Davis, and on Blackbird’s board.

Fordham University School of Law-educated Davis (who launched his own law firm, Davis Shapiro & Lewit, before joining Raine) says one of the starkest trends shaping music today is that more money from more sources is flowing into the industry than ever before.

“When I was coming up as a music lawyer, there were maybe three, maybe four check writers,” he says. “The diversity of capital is so enormous in this industry right now. You have HYBE investing in Quality Control from South Korea. Eldridge Capital investing in gamma, along with Apple. Francisco Partners acquiring Kobalt. It’s strategic, private equity, high net worth, sovereign wealth.

“This is a new generation of capital investing in the music industry, “Davis adds. “We’ve never had an era like this ever.” Other investors that Raine has recently advised include pro wrestling giant WWE on its $21 billion combination with Endeavor, Japan’s Softbank Group and the crypto exchange Binance.

For those who aren’t familiar with The Raine Group, please provide some background on the firm and its network of investors.

Fred Davis Raine has nine offices around the world and is very global by its DNA. The network we have now in private equity, sovereign wealth, high net worth, family offices and strategic investors is so complementary to the network a traditional music lawyer has. We can collaborate and do what’s best for the client.

Market, From the Desk of, FTDO, Fred Davis, Joe Puthenveetil, The Raine Group

Part of a collection of Nike Air Jordans that Puthenveetil’s wife gifted him.

Paul Stuart

Describe what you do and how your services differ from, say, a music lawyer’s.

Joe Puthenveetil While Fred and I specialize in music, our firm specializes in everything around media and technology. For a lot of our clients, a big part of why they work with us is to access unconventional buyers and pools of capital. Being able to leverage that global expertise and global investors, we’ve got a pretty unique and broad set of relationships across the firm.

How did HYBE America’s acquisition of Quality Control happen?

Davis Last September, we took a trip to South Korea, set up a number of meetings with the best music companies in Korea and went there to uncover opportunities. From that trip, we made the connection between HYBE and our preexisting client Quality Control. We work best with the client’s music lawyer. Quality Control is represented by Damian Granderson, with whom we work extremely well.

Market, From the Desk of, FTDO, Fred Davis, Joe Puthenveetil, The Raine Group

A plaque commemorating Davis’ inclusion on Billboard’s 2022 Power List.

Paul Stuart

What does scaling Quality Control look like?

Puthenveetil Quality Control has taken its place in music and expanded it across culture to film and TV, sports, branding, and that’s how we think of the modern music industry. Talent is more than just their music. They are real brands and businesses. And the Quality Control team [COO Kevin “Coach K” Lee and CEO Pierre “P” Thomas] understands that better than anyone. Coach and P have been public about their ambitions to make Quality Control one of the biggest businesses in hip-hop and broader Black culture. Having a partner that can help them do that with capital and expertise, they may scale further into film, TV and video games.

Davis One of the visions that Coach and P have shared with us over the years is how they want to make Atlanta the home of hip-hop and street music the way Nashville is the home of country. HYBE will help them accomplish that vision.

Are Quality Control and gamma similar in that they are both trying to take artists beyond music? What are your views on that?

Puthenveetil One hundred percent. They both approach it in slightly different ways, but fundamentally, it’s driving at the same thesis and reality that artists build their careers through music, but build their brands and communities through everything else they do. That is where we see the industry going more and more. Thinking back to our trip to Korea last September, they have fundamentally understood that for a lot longer than we have in the U.S. On the investing side, we helped create a business called Firebird that has a similar belief and is partnering with the best labels, managers and publishing companies to help them expand beyond music and touring.

What is Firebird building?

Davis We invested in [as opposed to simply advising] Firebird. They are in the process of building a new-generation music company that will be a combination of managers and independent record labels as its core. They’ve done about a dozen transactions and are well on their path to building a great new music company.

How is Firebird different from gamma, which also calls itself a new music company?

Davis Gamma will not be in the management business the same way Firebird is. There will be some elements of crossover, but the essence of each company will be different.

What role did Raine play in the launch of Larry Jackson’s gamma?

Davis We’ve known Larry for many years. Larry approached us with an idea many years ago of what he wanted to build. Our role was to find the capital to invest in gamma. We negotiated the Apple investment, and we sourced the Eldridge investment and negotiated the terms of the deal. Raine represented Chelsea Football Club, which Todd Boehly and Eldridge acquired. Through our partner Joe Ravitch’s relationship with Eldridge, we introduced Eldridge to Larry. [Eldridge is an investor in Billboard.]

Puthenveetil We also helped [Jackson] translate his vision into a business plan and marketing materials and helped educate the investors on what this all means.

Market, From the Desk of, FTDO, Fred Davis, Joe Puthenveetil, The Raine Group

Paul Stuart

Why do you think investing in the music industry will be resilient even if market conditions worsen?

Davis Simple metrics of supply and demand. There is an incredible amount of capital that wants to get into music. There are not that many great companies. That market dynamic will keep valuations high and opportunities exciting.

Puthenveetil The reason everyone is excited about music is that, structurally, it is healthy. Companies are growing, they’re profitable. There are a lot of opportunities to invest, to acquire. When you look around at the broader landscape, sure, there are a lot of challenging sectors of the broader market. But everyone is still streaming music, everyone is still attending concerts. These companies are all still making record profits.

Historically, periods of economic downturn trigger a risk-off approach to alternative investment areas, which is what music is considered.

Puthenveetil Over the past six to nine months, we have gotten more calls from investors looking to enter this space than ever before.

Where do sovereign wealth funds want to invest in the music industry?

Puthenveetil Because of the growth of these funds, they have more people looking at spaces that might not have fallen in their purview before. That has resulted in GIC [in Singapore] investing in [Universal Music Group]. We brought Temasek into SoundCloud alongside us. We’ve seen sovereign funds in the Middle East looking at this space. In every process and transaction, we see more and more of that and expect it to continue. One of the early deals we did in the music space was advising Mubadala when they acquired EMI. At that time, very few people knew who Mubadala was, let alone expected them to buy that asset.

Globally, where do you see the opportunities?

Puthenveetil All of the developing markets. That’s where streaming growth is, and the audiences are younger. But it’s the innovation we see coming out of those markets that is exciting.

Are there any pockets of vulnerability in the music industry?

Davis From a major label’s perspective, the area of vulnerability is the incredible growth of regional music. The percentage of regional music that non-major labels represent around the world in multiple territories is at an all-time high, whether it’s K-pop in South Korea, Afrobeats in Africa or native music to France that’s not on major labels. This is a huge generational trend. From that perspective, it is a vulnerability for major labels.

27 Apr 2023

Marshmello & Farruko Fly Onto Hot Dance/Electronic Songs Chart With ‘Esta Vida’

Marshmello and Farruko score a top 10 debut on Billboard’s multimetric Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart (dated April 29) with “Esta Vida” at No. 10. The collab drew 2.2 million official streams and 450,000 radio airplay audience impressions and sold 600 downloads in the April 14-20 tracking week, according to Luminate.

“Vida” is Marshmello’s 15th top 10, the fifth-most among all acts since the chart began in January 2013; only Kygo (24), The Chainsmokers, Calvin Harris (22 each) and David Guetta (21) have more. The track is also Marshmello’s 57th total charted title, lifting him out of a tie with Skrillex for the third-most, after Guetta (76) and Kygo (62).

Marshmello owns three Hot Dance/Electronic Songs No. 1s, including “Happier” (with Bastille), which spent a record 69 weeks at the summit in 2018-20.

“Vida” is Farruko’s fifth top 10 on the tally, a collection that includes his 2021 nine-week No. 1 “Pepas.”

The EDM-Latin crossover “Vida” also bows on Latin Pop Digital Song Sales (No. 3), Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales (No. 7), Latin Pop Streaming Songs (No. 10) and Hot Latin Songs (No. 42), among other chart placements.

‘A Little’ More

On the Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart, ILLENIUM and Nina Nesbitt return to No. 1 for a third frame on top (after a one-week hiatus) with “Luv Me a Little.”

Continuing with the Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart, three team-ups hit the top 10 for the first time. First, Calvin Harris collects his 21st top 10 and Ellie Goulding grabs her 11th with “Miracle” (11-8). With the move, Harris passes Justin Bieber for a solo share of the third-most top 10s since the chart began in August 2003; only David Guetta (34) and Rihanna (24) have more.

“Miracle” is drawing core-dance airplay on Music Choice’s Dance/EDM channel, KMVQ-HD2 San Francisco and iHeartRadio’s Pride Radio, among other outlets. (The Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart measures radio airplay on a select group of full-time dance stations, along with plays during mix shows on around 70 top 40-formatted reporters.)

The track, for which a remix by Hardwell was released April 14, also earns top Streaming gainer honors on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs (at No. 9), up 15% to 2.8 million streams. “Miracle” also improves on Dance/Electronic Streaming Songs (15-13) and Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales, reaching a new high (11-5; 700 sold, up 59%). Further gains could be reflected on next week’s charts, following the April 21 release of its Mau P remix.

Further on Dance/Mix Show Airplay, the second new top 10 collab belongs to Audien and Codeko with “Antidote,” featuring JT Roach (15-9). The sixth top 10 for Audien, “Antidote” is the first each for Codeko and Roach.

Last but not least, Icona Pop parades to its fifth Dance/Mix Show Airplay top 10, while Galantis gets its ninth, with “I Want You” (12-10).

27 Apr 2023

Kim Kardashian Tearfully Navigates Kanye West Divorce in New ‘The Kardashians’ Trailer

The Kardashians are returning for season three of their popular Hulu reality series, and the first trailer dropped on Thursday (April 27), highlighting some darker moments the famous sisters have faced over the past year.

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Most notably, Kim Kardashian is seen struggling through her divorce from Kanye West, breaking down in tears when her sister Khloé asks if she’s OK. “I don’t know how Kim handles everything with her ex-husband,” Kendall Jenner tells the camera, before a scene in which matriarch Kris offers Kim support at a moment where she feels “the weight of the world” on her shoulders.

“He has made up the most insane narrative. We stay silent through all the lies for my kids,” Kim tells the camera while crying. While the trailer doesn’t specify what exact “narrative” Kim is referring to, Ye publicly alleged in February 2022 that the SKIMS founder had tried to “kid nap” their daughter Chicago for the child’s birthday, claiming that she hadn’t invited him to the birthday party and didn’t tell him where it was.

Kim later addressed his public criticisms. “From the beginning I have wanted nothing but a healthy relationship because it is what is best for our children and it saddens me that Kanye continues to make it impossible every step of the way,” she wrote on her Instagram Stories at the time. “I wish to handle all matters regarding our children privately.”

Season three of The Kardashians premieres on Hulu on May 25. Watch the new trailer below, which also addresses Khloé’s melanoma scare and the sisters setting unrealistic beauty standards.

27 Apr 2023

SiriusXM Revenue Slips 2% On ‘Softer’ Start to 2023

SiriusXM CEO Jennifer Witz‘s predictions last year that the first two quarters of 2023 would be “softer” proved right, as the audio entertainment company reported that revenues and subscribers edged lower in Q1.

SiriusXM reported revenues of $2.14 billion for the quarter ending March 31, marking a 2% drop, as revenue from subscribers and advertisers both fell between 1% and 2% compared with a year ago.

Still, those modest moves downward were better than the company had predicted for the start of the year, and executives raised their full-year guidance for adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, debt and appreciation (EBITDA) to $2.75 billion from $2.7 billion. They also raised their free cash flow guidance to $1.1 billion from $1.05 billion for the year.

“We outperformed our initial financial expectations, putting us in a strong position to increase our full-year guidance,” Witz said on a call discussing earnings. “We intend to make prudent decisions to remain a very profitable business that continues to serve as a primary audio subscription service to certain audio segments while being complimentary to others.”

The company’s cost-cutting campaign — which has impacted its real estate footprint, workforce and marketing spend — helped allow for continued investment in tech improvements Witz says will improve future growth. Costs related to the new product launches, expected later this year, reached $68 million in the quarter, up 15% from a year ago.

However, the 17% reduction in sales and marketing spend, combined with lower numbers of customers starting trial subscriptions late last year, contributed to 347,000 fewer SiriusXM self-pay subscribers for the quarter. The company ended the quarter with 7.2 million trial users, compared to 6.9 million a year ago.

Self-pay subscribers of Pandora Plus and Premium tiers increased by 7,000 from the previous quarter, but the total number of subscribers edged 2% lower, to 6.2 million in the first quarter from a year ago.

“We are still expecting modestly negative [subscriber growth] for the year,” Witz said. “I would expect the second half to be positive, and that nets us out to the modestly negative.”

The company is in the process of updating the back-end technology and its SiriusXM app, tools Witz says will make it easier to find specific genres, make purchases in the car and elsewhere, and further personalize the experience. The hope is that this will enable the company to introduce new products to the app faster, a key part of its growth strategy.

“We are really focused on investing in this new platform and making sure that positions us for growth going forward,” Witz said on the earnings call.

Key SiriusXM Financial Highlights:

Overall

  • The company forecast it will generate approximately $9 billion in total revenue for 2023, along with $2.75 billion in adjusted EBITDA and $1.1 billion in free cash flow.
  • The company reported $2.14 billion in revenue, down 2% from the prior year.
  • Adjusted EBITDA was down 9% from the year-ago quarter at $625 million.

SiriusXM Segment

  • SiriusXM reported segment revenues of $1.7 billion, down 2% from the prior-year period, due to lower ad revenue and vehicle paid promotional revenue.
  • Average revenue per user (ARPU) fell $0.24 to $15.29.
  • Self-pay subscribers decreased by 347,000.
  • SiriusXM’s total cost of services rose 2% to $664 million in the quarter on higher programming and royalty costs.
  • SiriusXM’s gross margin of 61% slipped one percentage point from the prior year.

Pandora and Off-Platform Segment

  • The Pandora and off-platform segment generated $462 million in revenue, down a slight 1% from the year-ago quarter’s $467 million.
  • Advertising revenue in the segment held roughly flat from a year ago.
  • The segment’s gross margin was 24%, down 5 percentage points from the prior-year period.

27 Apr 2023

5 Takeaways From Enrique Bunbury’s Chat With Billboard Español at LAMC 2023

Last year, Enrique Bunbury was on the verge of calling it quits. “I started having a convulsive, nocturnal cough that made me unable to sleep at night,” says the Spanish superstar, who went through his greatest moments of uncertainty while on tour celebrating his 35-year career. “I felt sand in my lungs. I accepted that it was the end of my career on stage.” But he did not retire, and the former frontman of Héroes del Silencio lived to tell the tale.

Bunbury chatted with Billboard during the virtual edition of LAMC 2023 about his upcoming album Greta Garbo, due out in May, why Los Angeles turned out to be the perfect place for him to live in anonymity and why he was on the brink of quitting the stage altogether.

Here are five things we learned from Bunbury, in his own words.

A severe allergy that he was unaware of almost led him to retire from the stage.

The last year has been complicated. The hardest and most traumatic part was at the beginning of 2022, when we started the 35th anniversary tour. I started having a convulsive, nocturnal cough that made me unable to sleep at night. I felt sand in my lungs. I had had a few episodes on previous tours, but it was on this one that I lost my voice and couldn’t sing. We came to the conclusion to end the tour. I accepted that it was the end of my career on stage. After several months of tests with a specialist, [we discovered] that the problem came from a chemical component in the smoke on stage called glycol. [It was] a source of satisfaction to know that I physically had no health problems, other than this reaction to a toxic component. I can lead an absolutely normal life and continue with my work.

His single “Invulnerables” is a sample of what he has experienced during the last year.

Almost all the songs on the new album [Greta Garbo] were composed in this period and have a very direct relationship with what was happening to me. There are some songs that show the most dramatic part and the circumstances of the lowest moments, and others in which I lived a certain euphoria and a certain enthusiasm thinking that nothing is over. In the end you move on to another stage, and there are new horizons that opened up and I started to get excited about the possibilities of expressing myself in other ways, and to be able to continue my career in a new direction. These ups and downs exist and are shown in the album.

Surprisingly, he found anonymity in Los Angeles.

I’ve been living in Los Angeles for 13 years. I’ve been a pretty nomadic person. I’ve moved around to different cities and I like to change houses and locations. It helps to have new perspectives to your outlook regarding music and the profession. I think musicians are observant in that sense. I can live a life of near anonymity. Sitting in a café and being able to observe and write is something I have not been able to do in some places because I have felt observed. Being known in cities in Spain or Latin America has hindered me a little bit. [In Los Angeles] I’ve been fortunate enough to be anonymous enough to be able to go to a supermarket, go to a movie, walk down the street. It’s something I’m especially grateful to the city for. 

At the same time, L.A. is a big capital — it’s a place where a lot of things happen on many levels. Not only Hollywood, there is also independent cinema and porn cinema, there is all kinds of cinema. The same in the music world, there are big and small record labels, and clubs with a very alternative vibe. It is a city where all the big artists want to go. Culturally, it’s a city that offers a lot.

He takes meticulous care of his wardrobe

I try to accompany the music with an image that corresponds to each of the albums or creative moments I’m in. I’ve always liked that artists on stage take care of their stage presence. It seems to me a form of respect for the audience. Dressing, let’s say, is like when you go to a special celebration, when you go to a birthday party, or when you go to a funeral or to a church. You try to dress as dignified as possible. I think there’s something ceremonial and festive about a concert. All that I want to show also with the costumes, with the lights, with the stage. It’s a way of respecting the public, the audience and the profession.

He identified with the Greta Garbo Syndrome.

The title [of my new album] comes from the actress Greta Garbo. At the age of 36 she decided to step away from public life. We call that the Greta Garbo Syndrome. It’s something that flitted through my life during this period. The thought that I wasn’t going to have that contact with the fans made me reflect in many directions. What was going to happen to me? To what extent was it going to be a total farewell? To what extent was it going to isolate me from not having that ceremonial contact with the fans? To what extent am I going to miss it much? Is it going to be a blessing? All these reflections appear on the album. 

Musically, it’s an album that we recorded organically, with analog tape, together with producer Adán Jodorowski. It may seem a bit retro or vintage, [but] I think it’s finally fresh, direct and electric. I have the impression that people are going to pick it up with interest for the fact of seeing me somehow so naked musically and in the texts.

The LAMC 2023 virtual event takes place this week, April 26-28, with back-to-back panels on mental health, music publishing, localization strategies and more. For the fourth year in a row, LAMC is offering free registration for all panels, workshops and presentations. Watch the full virtual program on Twitch.

27 Apr 2023

Nick Cannon Refuses to Believe He ‘Fumbled’ Mariah Carey Marriage

Nick Cannon spoke out on his new radio show on Wednesday (April 26) about the end of his marriage to Mariah Carey.

“Explain to me how I fumbled Mariah,” he asked his The Daily Cannon co-host Courtney Bee Bledsoe after she joked that he was the one to mess up the relationship, which ended in divorce in 2016. “I just know you’re not with her, so that’s a fumble,” his co-host jokingly clarified, leading him to clap back, “Maybe she fumbled me.”

The host of The Masked Singer went on to insist he “was there” to support the superstar — with whom he shares twins Moroccan and Monroe — throughout their eight-year marriage, but he didn’t delve into any details about their high-profile split.

Of course, since breaking up with Carey, Cannon has added a whopping ten more kids to his brood with five other women — including five babies who’ve all been born since last July. The Elusive Chanteuse, meanwhile, has been in a relationship with one-time backup dancer Bryan Tanaka.

On the topic of his ever-expansive gaggle of kids, Cannon bragged about what he referred to as his “super sperm” on Howie Mandel’s podcast just last week. “‘Cause I’ve practiced birth control, and people still got pregnant,” he explained before adding, “But, to say that, I’m trying to be as responsible as I possibly can, learning lessons.”

One of those lessons? That baby making is officially part of his public brand. Look for the media personality to lean even further into the concept of conception with his upcoming E! game show Who’s Having My Baby With Nick Cannon hosted by his pal Kevin Hart.

27 Apr 2023

Joey Moi Sets New Record for Most Weeks Spent at No. 1 on Hot 100 Producers Chart

Joey Moi makes history on Billboard’s Hot 100 Producers chart, as he scores a 28th total week at No. 1 (on the list dated April 29), surpassing Dan Nigro for the most weeks spent on top in the chart’s five-year history.

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Moi continues his reign thanks to 13 production credits on the latest Billboard Hot 100, nearly all of which are from Morgan Wallen’s latest album, One Thing at a Time. The set tallies a seventh consecutive week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

Leading Moi’s Hot 100 haul is “Last Night” at No. 2, after spending three weeks at No. 1. Here’s a recap of all 13 of his production credits on the latest chart:

Rank, Artist Billing, Title:
No. 2, Morgan Wallen, “Last Night”
No. 18, Morgan Wallen, “You Proof”
No. 22, Morgan Wallen, “Thinkin’ Bout Me”
No. 24, Morgan Wallen, “One Thing at a Time”
No. 25, Morgan Wallen, “Thought You Should Know”
No. 34, HARDY feat. Lainey Wilson, “Wait in the Truck”
No. 61, Morgan Wallen, “Ain’t That Some”
No. 64, Morgan Wallen, “Everything I Love”
No. 66, Morgan Wallen, “I Wrote the Book”
No. 67, Morgan Wallen feat. ERNEST, “Cowgirls”
No. 68, Morgan Wallen feat. Eric Church, “Man Made a Bar”
No. 84, Morgan Wallen, “Sunrise”
No. 98, Morgan Wallen, “‘98 Braves”

Notably, all 36 of One Thing at a Time’s tracks hit the Hot 100 in the set’s debut chart week (March 18), setting a new one-week record for Wallen for the most simultaneously-charted titles.

With his 28th week at No. 1 on Hot 100 Producers, Moi surpasses Dan Nigro, who scored 27 weeks on top, all in 2021, thanks to his work on Olivia Rodrigo’s LP Sour, fueled most heavily by its two No. 1 Hot 100 hits, “Drivers License” and “Good 4 U.”

Most Weeks at No. 1 on Hot 100 Producers:
28, Joey Moi
27, Dan Nigro
18, Louis Bell
14, Greg Kurstin
13, MAG
11, Owen Bradley
9, 30Roc
8, Finneas
7, Dr. Luke
7, OZ
7, Taylor Swift

Moi concurrently scores a record-extending 105th week at No. 1 on the Country Producers chart. He’s just the second person to amass at least 100 weeks at No. 1 on a Billboard producers chart, along with Tainy (119 weeks atop Latin Producers).

Billboard’s weekly Hot 100 Songwriters and Hot 100 Producers charts are based on total points accrued by a songwriter and producer, respectively, for each attributed song that appears on the Hot 100. As with Billboard’s yearly recaps, multiple writers or producers split points for each song equally (and the dividing of points will lead to occasional ties on rankings). Billboard launched its Hot 100 Songwriters and Hot 100 Producers charts, as well as genre-specific rankings for country, rock & alternative, R&B/hip-hop, R&B, rap, Latin, Christian, gospel and dance/electronic in June 2019. Alternative and hard rock joined in 2020, along with seasonal holiday rankings in 2022.

27 Apr 2023

8 Highlights of ‘The Power of Song: A Songwriters Hall of Fame Exhibit’ at Grammy Museum in L.A.

The Songwriters Hall of Fame hosted a preview of a new exhibit devoted to songwriters at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles on Wednesday April 26. At least nine SHOF inductees were present, including Charles Fox, Steve Dorff, Jimmy Jam, Holly Knight, Billy Steinberg, Rick Nowels, Mike Stoller, Jimmy Webb and Diane Warren.

The exhibit, which occupies an entire floor of the Grammy Museum, has a treasure trove of artifacts and memorabilia on display. Linda Moran, president and CEO of the SHOF, personally twisted arms to get songwriters, or their families, to loan out prized items.

One display case focuses on recipients of the Hal David Starlight Award, which goes to current writers at the peak of their game, who have not yet been inducted into the SHOF (but in many cases, probably will be). This brought in memorabilia by such younger writers as John Legend, Taylor Swift, Benny Blanco, Ne-Yo and Dan Reynolds (Imagine Dragons).

A mural on a side wall captured historical music moments from 1828 to the present. The oldest entries included Stephen Foster writing “Oh! Susanna” (1847), Thomas Edison inventing the phonograph (1877), the first issue of Billboard (1894) and Scott Joplin publishing “Maple Leaf Rag” (1899).  The newest entries included the launch of YouTube (2005), the debut of the iPhone (2007), Jay-Z becoming the first hip-hop artist in the SHOF (2017) and the spate of catalog sales by such top songwriters as Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen (the 2020s).   

Here are eight items showcased in the exhibit that especially caught our eye.

27 Apr 2023

Jelly Roll Puts His Spin on George Jones’ ‘Bartender’s Blues’

“Son of a Sinner” hitmaker Jelly Roll is known for a music career that has incorporated modern country, rock and hip-hop elements. But during a recent performance in Huntsville, Ala., as part of an all-star tribute concert to the late George Jones, Jelly Roll proved he can take on a country classic just fine.

During an all-star tribute concert in honor of the 10th anniversary of the death of Country Music Hall of Famer Jones, who died April 26, 2013 at age 81, Jelly Roll offered a cover of Jones’ 1978 classic “Bartender’s Blues.” The track was written by James Taylor, who included it on his 1977 album JT, before Jones recorded it the next year, as the title track of his Bartender’s Blues album (with Taylor offering harmony vocals). Jones’ version became a top 10 hit on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart in 1978. Jones would later re-record the song on his 1994 album The Bradley Barn Sessions, this time in collaboration with Trisha Yearwood.

Joining Jelly Roll on the bill for the Alabama tribute show that evening were artists including Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley, Jamey Johnson, Justin Moore, Lorrie Morgan, Mark Chesnutt, Michael Ray, Sam Moore, Tanya Tucker, Tracy Lawrence, Trace Adkins, Tracy Byrd, Travis Tritt, Wynonna Judd, Joe Nichols, Randy Travis and Sara Evans. The concert was also taped to air on PBS later this year.

Jelly Roll recently dominated the CMT Music Awards, held in Austin, Texas earlier this month. Jelly Roll took home male video of the year, breakthrough male video of the year (both for his “Son of a Sinner” video), and the CMT digital-first performance of the year honor, for his performance of “Son of a Sinner” on CMT All Access.

Listen to Jelly Roll’s cover of “Bartender Blues” in the video above.

27 Apr 2023

Gracie Abrams Gushes Over Taylor Swift Dedicating Surprise Song ‘Clean’ to Her on Eras Tour

Part of Taylor Swift‘s magic is her ability to make individual fans feel like she’s singing directly to them. But in Gracie Abrams‘ case, Swift actually was when she dedicated “Clean,” the April 1 Eras Tour show surprise song and a favorite of Abrams’, to the 23-year-old indie pop star.

Abrams has previously shared that she had no idea Swift — her idol since childhood — was going to make such a sweet gesture that night in Arlington, Texas, which marked the “21” singer’s first of several nights as an opener for the Eras Tour‘s North American leg. And in a recent interview with Teen Vogue, she reflected on how special the moment was for her as a lifelong Swiftie.

“I don’t think I realized the scale at which that one means something to everyone,” she told the publication. “That’s the thing about Taylor’s music. When one of her songs lands in a specific place in your life, it feels like you’re the only person in the world who has that extreme of a connection to the song.”

“I felt so grateful to hear it in that way, so stripped and raw,” Abrams continued. “That song has been kind of a constant security blanket since it came out. I have so many little memories listening to that song at times when I needed it. To hear her so thoughtfully dedicate it, I was like, ‘I could die now and be totally thrilled.’”

The L.A. native also got candid about how nerve-racking it can be to warm up a stadium-sized audience before Swift’s shows, saying she stays grounded while performing by keeping her eyes trained on the fans closest to her. “Otherwise,” says the “21” singer, “I think I would only be able to think about how I’m playing on the same stage as my favorite artist in the world, and she’s granting me that opportunity, and how did life get from being 10 years old and crying to her music in my room to being on this stage and celebrating her career in this way?”

Abrams has fully embraced how her fandom for Swift has become a core part of her own artistic identity, never shying away from the topic in interviews. In February, as she was gearing up to release her debut album Good Riddance, the “I Know it Won’t Work” artist told Billboard that Swift’s friendship and professional solidarity “means so much” to her.

“She’s as spectacular a person and friend as she is an artist, writer, director,” she continued. “She’s really that great. To be able to lean on her in any capacity really means a lot. The opportunity [to open for the Eras Tour] is so outrageous… I feel like I don’t even really believe it’s real. I’m so stoked to watch her crush it every single night. To see her up close in that way and be able to study that is the greatest gift.”

See photos from Gracie Abrams’ Teen Vogue shoot below.