Record Labels
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Mom+Pop Music has become the latest coastal label to open an office in Music City, naming Katie Fagan as president of Mom+Pop Music Nashville.
Fagan was previously head of A&R for Prescription Songs in Nashville for the last eight years and had opened Prescription’s first office outside of Los Angeles.
“I will continue M+P’s legacy by signing tastemaker artists and bands, leaning into the local talent pool in the Americana, folk, alt-country and indie spaces,” Fagan tells Billboard. “While expanding our footprint in Nashville is a priority, we know that these genres span worldwide, and I want to be cognizant of talent within these spaces globally as well. We hope to provide a home to both legacy acts and up-and-comers looking for a strategic creative partnership where we can elevate and uphold the integrity of their artistic vision.”
For now, Mom+Pop Nashville will rely on existing staff in New York and Los Angeles “with the goal of hiring locally when the timing aligns appropriately and strategically,” Fagan says.
“Katie has proven herself an important voice and advocate for creatives in the Americana, folk, and Alt-Country spaces,” said Michael Goldstone, founder of Mom+Pop, in a statement. “No one is better suited to reinforce and grow Mom+Pop’s presence in Nashville and globally as we broaden our industry aesthetic.”
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At Prescription, Fagan, who has been featured on Billboard’s 40 Under 40 and Women in Music lists, worked with a number of acts, including Joy Oladokun, Anderson East, Maggie Rose, Nick Bailey, Sarah Hudson, Malibu Babie and Cirkut, as well as songwriters/producers who landed placements with Lana Del Rey, Chris Stapleton and Noah Kahan, among others.
Fagan is also co-founder of The Other Nashville Society (TONS), which helps promote non-country music in Music City through its 1,500 members; a member of She Is The Music’s songwriting and publishing committee; and a governor of the Recording Academy’s Nashville chapter.
Mom+Pop, which was formed in 2008, includes Caamp, Chaparelle, Del Water Gap, Magdalena Bay and Pablo Pablo on its current roster. The self-distributed label has a staff of 25 with offices in New York, Los Angeles, London and Nashville.
Warner Music’s independent music distribution and artist services arm, ADA, has partnered with Three Six Zero Recordings to handle global distribution for all new releases from the label, the companies announced on Monday that (Feb. 24). Three Six Zero Recordings represents multi-platinum acts like WILLOW, Jaden and The Prodigy, as well as artists such as […]
Big Machine Records has signed to its roster duo Something Out West, featuring actor/musician Chet Hanks and musician Drew Arthur. The duo’s debut song for the label, “Leaving Hollywood,” is set to release Feb. 28, while Something Out West is currently working on a project with producer Julian Raymond. Big Machine Records’ roster also includes Tim McGraw, Carly Pearce, Midland, Rascal Flatts, Jackson Dean and more.
The duo formed after Hanks and Arthur were roommates in California while each was setting out on a journey toward sobriety. The friendship evolved into musical collaboration and songwriting sessions. In 2018, Hanks and Arthur recorded under the name FTRZ, releasing the song “Models.” Eventually, they made their way to Nashville to continue writing and recording.
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Hanks previously told US Weekly the upcoming new music is based off of “a lot of meaningful life experiences and heartbreak and all that good stuff.”
“Drew and Chet are building a one of a kind sound and story with Something Out West, powered by their undeniable energy and creative connection,” Big Machine Label Group chairman & CEO Scott Borchetta said in a statement. “We’re thrilled for them to join the Big Machine Records family and for the world to experience this fresh, dynamic duo.”
“Upon the first moment meeting Chet and Drew, I was immediately struck with their creative spirit and artistic vision,” added Kris Lamb, evp/general manager of Big Machine Records. “Something Out West know exactly who they are, and Big Machine Records is thrilled to fuel their journey.”
“We’re thrilled to partner with Big Machine and Scott Borchetta,” Hanks said in a statement. “The support they’ve shown for ‘Leaving Hollywood’ and the rest of the music has been incredible. Drew and I have been making music together for a long time, and we feel really proud to have a home at Big Machine for this upcoming project.”
“I wrote ‘Leaving Hollywood’ five years ago, but it feels like the timing and the way we’re releasing it were always meant to be,” Arthur added. “We’re excited for people to hear what we’ve been working on.”
There’s no denying West Coast rapper AZ Chike had a remarkable 2024. After appearing on two of rap’s biggest releases with ScHoolboy Q’s “Movie” and Kendrick Lamar’s Hot 100 top 15 hit “peekaboo,” Chike announced on Friday (Feb. 21) that he’d be inking a deal with Warner Records, a mere two weeks after K. Dot rapped his bars on the Super Bowl stage.
“Everything was just aligned bro. Even right now, it’s so aligned [that] it’s kinda scary,” Chike tells Billboard.
Chike has been hard at work making music since 2013, getting his first taste of success in 2017 with “Burn Rubber Again.” The song accrued over 25 million plays on SoundCloud, and from there, he’s been steadily building momentum. Eventually, the hard work caught the attention of TDE and as Chike said multiple times in our interview, “the rest is history.”
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“We are thrilled to welcome AZ Chike to Warner Records at such a pivotal moment in his career. As an artist who has built incredible momentum over the past year, Chike, who was brought in by our partner Tim Hinshaw, has already captivated audiences and proven his impact,” says Aaron Bay-Schuck, co-chairman & CEO of Warner Records in a statement. “His talent, vision, and artistry have set him apart, and we are honored to support and help bring his music to an even larger global audience.”
Chike is equally as excited and dropped off his latest single “Whatx2” on Friday to celebrate the news.
“Tim Hinshaw bringing me in at Warner and having a sit down with Aaron Bay-Schuck was the best decision I could have made following up all my current success,” he says. “I love how in tune they are with the culture and hip-hop. It feels like I’m supposed to be here. The stars are aligning and I’m happy they are a part of that alignment.”
Billboard spoke with AZ Chike about his new single, signing with Warner, and how he’s been doing since Kendrick’s electric Super Bowl performance.
Where were you when Dot rapped your “peekaboo” bars at the Super Bowl? How were you feeling?
I had rented out a house to go watch it with my close friends and family type sh-t and we didn’t know he was gonna do that. That’s the thing with this dude Dot, he always surprisin’. He’s got somethin’ up his sleeve, he don’t share the information and I’m close with a lot of people on his team, and every time something happens that’s surprising, he calls me right after, like, ‘yeah, I wanted to tell you so bad.’ He did the same sh-t when GNX dropped.
When did you first connect with TDE?
We wanted to follow in their footsteps and do the conscious rap, but L.A. wasn’t f–king with it, bro. So we just [rapped about] the life we actually live. The ratchet, street shi-, lot of bi–hes, money all this other sh-t goin’ on. We resulted to that and right hand to God, probably like four months after that, it took off.
How did you tap in with ScHoolboy on “Movie?”
[Akeem] called me like, ‘What you on?’ I was like, ‘I ain’t on sh-t’. He was like, ‘pull up to the studio right quick,’ he didn’t even tell me it was with Q. I pull up and it’s Q there and Q is just given’ me all these props. Letting me know he been seein’ everything. I spent like a week with him in the studio and for the first three days we didn’t even do no music. He was just feelin’ me out, givin’ me the homie treatment. I passed I guess! [laughs] It was dope.
How did you meet Kendrick?
Q FaceTimed me, and he never f–kin’ FaceTime’s me. I answer, he in the Double R with the stars on the ceiling. He’s like, ‘What you on? You around anybody?’ I’m like, ‘Nah.’ He like, ‘I just got off the phone with Dot. He wanna f–k with you. I just wanted to hit you up and let you know before I give him your number.’ Like, pause. But I had to keep my cool! That’s the thing with TDE, you don’t wanna be groupied out. That night, Dot text me. We say, ‘What’s the deal?’ in L.A. or, ‘Sta deal?’ He say, ‘Sta deal? This Dot.’ I pulled up on him and the rest was history.
Nothing’s been the same since.
Before Q and Dot hit me up, I went through something crazy in life where I was ready to crash. Last year, I was still one foot in, one foot out with sh-t. So I was f–ked up in the head about sh-t just ready to go a different way, and in a sense that sh-t kinda saved my life. God will take everything from you and give it back to you ten times. It was in a sense of that and, I still gotta tell Dot that cause that sh-t was crazy.
What’s next for you? Tell me about your new single “Whatx2?”
“Whatx2” is the fun record, just circling back to how I got here and just having fun and kicking things off before I get even a little crazier. Now I get to kick it into tenth gear. Now you’re gonna really see what’s going on on the music side. I am coming out with an album called No Rest For the Wicked. The goal is to release it in May. We dropping a video and a single every month leading up to it.
It’s game-time.
Yeah, this is just what I signed up for. As you see, I’m on go. I’m in every meeting, [and] on every e-mail. This is what I’m built for, and I’m not turning down no responsibility. I embrace the pressure.
Puerto Rican salsa singer Christian Alicea has signed a record deal with Rimas Entertainment, Billboard can announce. The announcement comes ahead of the release of Alicea’s upcoming single “Hello, What’s Up?,” which is set to drop Thursday (Feb. 20) at 7 p.m. ET. “I’m feeling a lot of emotions but mainly I feel proud,” Alicea […]
HYBE is partnering with Grammy-winning producer and OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder to form a new boy group, the company announced Thursday (Feb. 19). The project, to be led by Tedder alongside HYBE chairman Bang Si-Hyuk and HYBE America CEO Scooter Braun, will kick off with a global talent search. Once the members of the group […]
The REPUBLIC Collective, which includes Island Records, Def Jam Recordings, Mercury Records and Republic Records, has announced several executive promotions and new hires.
Recently, Jeffrey Remedios, former Universal Music Canada chief, was appointed president of strategic development. In his new role, Remedios oversees high-priority growth initiatives for Republic’s labels, focusing on international A&R, Republic recording studios, brand expansion, and more, reporting directly to REPUBLIC Collective CEO Monte Lipman and COO Avery Lipman.
Key promotions across departments include Joe Carozza as executive vp and global media officer, Brittney Ramsdell as evp of creative sync, Julie Vastola as svp of creative, and Zoë Briggs as vp of global marketing. Gary Spangler revamped the Audience team, elevating Natina Nimene to evp of urban audience and artist relations, Lucas Romeo to evp of pop audience, Brett Dumler to svp of pop audience, James Brown to svp of urban audience, and Roya Raji to vp of touring.
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Kevin Lipson expanded his team with strategic hires and promotions, including longtime Capitol Music Group svp of streaming strategy Jeff Temske coming over as evp of global research and analytics, and Colin Yost elevated to vp of innovation and gaming partnerships. Additionally, Brian Sutnick was promoted to evp of global replay strategy, Ryan Stevens to svp of commerce, Charlene Thomas to svp of global replay strategy, and Blair O’Brien to vp of commerce.
Monte Lipman praised these recent advancements, calling them “hard-earned and well-deserved,” and emphasized the collective’s commitment to artist development and finding “generational talent.”
The executive changes follow another record-breaking year for REPUBLIC Collective, which topped Billboard’s major year-end label rankings for the fourth consecutive year. In 2024, the collective amassed 72 albums on the Billboard 200, including 13 No. 1s, and 209 songs on the Hot 100, with eight chart-toppers, reinforcing its dominance in the music industry.
Record executive and former artist manager Abou “Bu” Thiam has formed a new partnership with Atlantic Music Group that brings his BuVision label to the Warner-owned major, Billboard has learned. As part of the deal, BuVision’s artists’ projects will now be released and marketed through Atlantic moving forward. Artists as part of the venture include […]
On Saturday, Feb. 15, Billboard and EMPIRE came together at EMPIRE’s San Francisco studios to celebrate Billboard’s second annual Sports and Music issue, honoring some of the most powerful people operating at the intersection of the industries of sports and music. The issue, which features EMPIRE founder/CEO Ghazi on the cover, as well as a […]
Warner Records has partnered with respected hip-hop and R&B executive Tim Hinshaw to launch Free Lunch Records, an extension of his creative and touring firm Free Lunch Agency, the companies announced on Wednesday.
The collaboration aims to provide Warner artists ready access to Free Lunch’s creative, touring and sync services while serving as a new platform for emerging talent. Warner Records senior vp of A&R Ericka Coulter has been named general manager of the upstart label, which also announces its first two signings in Syd and Alex Isley. Coulter will keep her continue her role at Warner, the label noted.
Hinshaw announced Free Lunch Agency in August 2023 while still head of hip-hop and R&B at Amazon Music, a role he held five years. At launch, Free Lunch said its goal was to “authentically connect brands with artists and culture through bespoke storytelling and real-life experiences.” The agency’s name is a nod to the free lunch programs provided by public schools and parks in underserved communities nationwide.
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While at Amazon, Hinshaw played a key role in securing major partnerships, including the exclusive livestream of Kendrick Lamar’s The Big Steppers Tour and Amazon Music Live performances featuring Lil Baby, A$AP Rocky, and 21 Savage. He also spearheaded deals for high-profile events, including for Tyler, The Creator, J. Cole’s Dreamville Festival and Summer Walker.
As Amazon executive Steve Boom said at the time, Hinshaw put Amazon Music into the conversation among the hip-hop and R&B community “in a way, frankly speaking, we were not.” His efforts there earned him executive of the year honors in Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players list in 2022.
Prior to joining Amazon Music, Hinshaw built the urban music division at Fender Guitars, worked in music marketing for Vans and co-managed his brother, songwriter Prince Charlez, leading to a joint venture with Island Def Jam and a global publishing deal with Universal.
Warner Records co-chairman and CEO Aaron Bay-Schuck praised Hinshaw’s ability to create impact beyond music.
“Tom [Corson] and I are thrilled to welcome Tim and his Free Lunch team to the label,” said Bay-Schuck. “His expertise stretches far beyond finding and nurturing talent – he knows how to make sure his artists are making an impact. Early on in our conversations, it was clear bringing Tim and Free Lunch into the Warner fold would be a perfect synergy. Tim is immersed in the vast culture of hip-hop and R&B, across music, sports, fashion, and live entertainment, and together we’ll work towards our shared goal of uplifting the best and brightest in the genre.”
Hinshaw added that “by uniting Free Lunch Agency with Warner Records, we can combine our expertise in creative, music, and brand building to elevate the first-class roster,” saying, “together we’ll expand the scope of artist narratives to connect even more deeply with fans across the globe.”