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DJ Khaled is on the move. During a press conference in Miami (Feb. 9), Khaled announced a partnership with Def Jam Recordings for his We The Best imprint. Under the deal, Khaled will also serve as the global creative consultant to Def Jam and UMG.
Khaled joins the label following an eight-year tenure with Epic Records. His run there included four Billboard 200 No. 1 albums, most recently his 2022 release God Did. He also netted six Hot 100 Top 10 tracks, highlighted by his 2017 chart-topper “I’m The One.”
“This new chapter marks a special time for me,” said Khaled in a press release. “The energy at this point in my career is at an all-time high and I’m grateful to Sir Lucian Grainge for allowing me to join his empire at this stage in my journey. Together, we will achieve even greater heights and take it to the next level. I feel blessed and so inspired with renewed energy. I’m excited to not only partner, but to come back home to Def Jam. Tunji Balogun is not only an extraordinary A&R, but a true music-man and visionary who continuously is responsible for introducing the world to some of its next greatest superstars. I’m excited to join my sister and visionary executive LaTrice Burnette once again, as we have had tremendous success on every single project we have collaborated on in the past. Def Jam is the culture and together we will make history yet once again.”
DJ Khaled is a great artist, hitmaker, mentor, and cultural innovator,” added UMG chairman/CEO Sir Lucian Grainge. “It gives me great pleasure to welcome him home to UMG where we look forward to working together to amplify his brilliant creative instincts and unique vision.”
Def Jam chairman/CEO Tunji Balogun also shared his jubilation regarding Khaled’s signing, saying: “Beyond a proven hitmaker, incredible producer, undeniable artist, and consummate showman, DJ Khaled occupies the rarified air of cultural icon. His uncanny ability to continuously have his finger on the pulse of the culture, to reach audiences all over the world in innovative yet authentic ways, and his remarkable savvy for marketing, promoting and eventizing everything he touches is absolutely second to none. We are thrilled to partner with DJ Khaled and We The Best, both as a multi-platinum, award-winning artist and as a valued executive. Without a doubt, Khaled can only make us better.”
Khaled is fresh off his Grammys performance of “God Did,” which featured Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Fridayy and John Legend. He also had five nominations at this year’s show.
New Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl addressed investors for the first time since taking over the company at the top of the year, acknowledging the “tough quarter” for the major label while also laying out a vision for how he sees the music industry’s present and future.
The company posted revenues of $1.48 billion for the quarter that ended Dec. 31, 2022, down 8% from the same period the year before, which the company noted contained an extra week, skewing comparisons slightly. Growth came from the publishing sector, which saw revenues up 9.2%, or 14.2% in constant currency, while recorded music revenue fell 10.6%, or 5.6% in constant currency, with recorded streaming revenue down an 6.7%, though the company said that streaming revenue was up half a percentage point when adjusted for the extra week, with a lighter release schedule and falling ad-supported streaming revenue the causes.
That led to Kyncl’s acknowledgement that WMG had a tough quarter, noting that, “like most companies, WMG has been dealing with macroeconomic headwinds and the impact of currency exchange rates.” He added that WMG’s release schedule for this year is weighted toward the second half of the year, with releases from Ed Sheeran, Cardi B, David Guetta, Aya Nakamura and Bebe Rexha on the horizon.
Kyncl then spoke about both his decision to join Warner after 12 years at YouTube and seven at Netflix, as well as his vision for growth for the music industry and the effects of artificial intelligence and TikTok on how that future will look, both creatively and monetarily.
“This industry has achieved something rare: It’s built mutually beneficial, long-term partnerships with many of the world’s biggest companies — Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta, Spotify and Tencent among them,” he said. “As successful as music has become, there’s still meaningful upside ahead for three reasons. One, as technology opens up emerging economies, the industry’s addressable market will continue to expand even further. Two, innovation is constantly creating new use cases for music, giving us the opportunity to diversify our revenue sources. Three, music is still undervalued, especially when compared to other forms of entertainment, like video.”
On the last point, Kyncl pointed out that Netflix’s subscription price has roughly doubled since 2011, the year that Spotify debuted in the U.S., while the price of a music subscription has remained largely flat, even though music subscriptions contain access to a wide swath of the world’s available music, whereas video streamers — of which nearly 80% of U.S. households subscribe to three — are segmented.
He also spoke about his vision for WMG’s role in that future, noting that he hired two former YouTube employees in his first five weeks — Tim Matusch as executive vp of strategy and operations, and Ariel Bardin as president of technology — which should “tell you something about our priorities” in the future.
“We will continue to invest in new artists and songwriters, our catalog and our global expansion,” he said. “At the same time, we plan to thoughtfully reallocate some resources to accelerate how we use technology and data to empower artists and songwriters, as well as drive greater efficiency in our business.” That, he added later in the Q&A section of the call, will come “with continued focus on financial discipline and cost containment.”
That doesn’t necessarily mean layoffs, however; he noted that WMG “has actually been much more measured in its headcount growth, for instance, over the last few years than others in the industry who are now undergoing significant layoffs,” and had been addressing financial initiatives even before the recent fluctuations in the market. “But again, I’d like to reiterate that I’ll be focusing on reallocating our internal resources in order to invest in technology and drive not only more tools for our creators, but also greater efficiencies for us,” he added.
On the topic of AI — which he called “probably one of the most transformative things that humanity has ever seen” — Kyncl said that the conversation falls into four buckets in how content owners need to work with AI platforms: “One is the use of existing copyrights to train generative AI. The second is sampling of existing copyrights as the basis for new and remixed AI generated content. The use of AI to help and support creativity — so an assistive way to do that. And most importantly, find ways to protect the craft of artists and songwriters from being diluted or replaced by AI-generated content.”
But he also stressed that the conversation is not just about the future of AI, but about how things can be handled today to prepare for that future — namely, that the processes for identifying and tracking copyrighted material on platforms and making sure they are monetized for the copyright owner need to be better in the present to prepare for what is to come. That’s something Kyncl has plenty of experience with from his time with YouTube, whose ContentID system was overseen by new WMG exec Bardin, and something he says Warner will be focusing on under his purview.
Another benefit from his YouTube days, Kyncl says, is his experience being on the other side of the negotiating table from the major labels when it came to developing YouTube as a partner with and contributor to the music industry. During his tenure, Kyncl helped steer the relationship between YouTube and the labels from one of animosity to one of mutual benefit, which he stressed came from a collaborative approach — one he intends to bring to Warner in its approach to its relationship with TikTok, which is currently in a similar situation to the YouTube of old, in terms of being under fire from the music business for its perceived low payouts and under-valuation of music on its platform. Kyncl described how YouTube’s position changed in answering a question about whether the labels will push for changes with its relationship with TikTok.
“At YouTube, we looked at this problem very closely, and we decided that music was very important to us, and that’s why we did it,” he said, referencing YouTube’s push into subscription streaming, tools like Shorts and improvements to ContentID, among other initiatives. “TikTok needs to do that. It’s the right decision for them to evaluate. And you can see from YouTube’s execution what the results of the finding was for us. But I can’t speak to what TikTok finds. That’s up to them. But my answer is, a holistic relationship is what we’re looking for.”
Rapper Vico C has signed a record deal with Nain Music, a division of Rimas Entertainment, Billboard has learned.
Previously signed to EMI Latin, where he released albums such as En Honor a la Verdad and Desahogo following his release from prison in the early 2000s, Vico C is kicking off a new phase in his career with a new deal and an upcoming studio album due in May.
“During these times, when it’s a great necessity to put out content that’s pure, a new platform opens to continue to do what I’ve always done with my music: touch hearts and revolutionize a lost society,” Vico C said in a statement. “That’s why I think the most important part of my union with Nain/Rimas is the liberty they’ve given me to express what I want.”
The Puerto Rican artist, born Luis Armando Lozada Cruz, became one of the most recognized and respected Latin rap artists of the 90s with songs such as “Me Acuerdo,” “Bomba Para Afincar,” “La Recta Final” and “Viernes 13.” On the charts, Vico C has eight entries on Billboard‘s Top Latin Albums, three hit the top 10, and three entries on both Hot Latin Songs and Latin Airplay.
“It’s a privilege to work with an artist of this stature with a great trajectory like Vico, who’s legacy in Latin music and and in the new generations is still in full force,” added Fidel Hernández, CEO of Nain Music.
Vico C is managed by his wife Sonia Torres.
Warner Music Group’s net revenues fell nearly 8% to $1.48 billion, despite growth in streaming revenues and its music publishing business, as the company suffered from a tough comparison to the year-ago quarter, it reported on Thursday.
WMG reported net profits declined by 34% to $124 million compared to the year ago period when the company reported $188 million in net income. This quarter, which ended Dec. 31, 2022, had one fewer week than the quarter ending Dec. 31, 2021, which resulted in outsized earnings in the year-ago period.
Executives said that beneath those headline figures, the company saw a 9% growth in music publishing revenue, 13.2% in music publishing streaming revenue and 11% increase in operating income.
“The foundations of this company are strong, and our addressable market is continuously growing,” Warner’s new CEO Robert Kyncl said in a statement. “Music’s value, power, and ubiquity are among the many reasons I decided to join WMG and lead the next phase of our evolution. As we navigate a challenging business environment, we expect to have a strong release schedule in the second half of 2023 while managing our costs throughout.”
The company’s music publishing division contained most of the quarter’s highlights, with revenues up 9.2%, or 14.2% in constant currency, driven by increases in digital and performance revenue. Digital revenue increased by 12%, or 15.5% in constant currency, and streaming revenue increased 13.2%, or 16.8% in constant currency, on growing streaming and timing of new digital deals, the company said. Digital revenue now represents 59.6% of total music publishing revenue, up from 58.1% last year. Performance revenue increased thanks to continued growth from the hospitality industry, concerts and live events, while mechanical revenue was flat. Synchronization revenue declined on lower commercial licensing activity in the U.S.
In the recorded music division, revenue fell 10.6%, or 5.6% in constant currency, on lower digital, physical and artist services and expanded rights revenue. While streaming revenue was down 6.7% in the quarter, when adjusted for the impact of the extra week in 2021, WMG said recorded music’s streaming revenue was up half a percent, impacted by al ighter release schedule and a slowdown in ad-supported revenue due to macroeconomic conditions.
WMG revenue fell 7.8%, or 2.7% in constant currency, compared to the year ago quarter, which had an extra week
Digital revenue decreased 5%, 0.9% in constant currency
Streaming revenue decreased 4%
Music publishing revenue increased 9.2%, or 14.2% in constant currency
Music publishing streaming revenue grew 13.2%, or 16.8% in constant currency
Recorded music streaming revenue decreased 6.7%, or 2.6% in constant currency, on a lighter release schedule impacted by the fewer number of weeks in the quarter
Net income was $124 million this quarter, down 34% from $188 million one year ago
Adjusted net income of $110 million was down 51% from $223 million in the year ago quarter
South Korean music company HYBE has made a major entry into the U.S. market by acquiring Atlanta-based QC Media Holdings, the company behind hip-hop label Quality Control Music and a roster that includes Migos, Lil Baby, City Girls and Lil Yachty.
Founded in 2013 by CEO Kevin “Coach K” Lee and COO Pierre “P” Thomas, Quality Control will fall under the HYBE America umbrella and the leadership of its CEO, Scooter Braun. HYBE America encapsulates SB Projects, as well as Big Machine Label Group, which HYBE obtained through its 2021 acquisition of Braun’s Ithaca Holdings.
“Based on hip-hop, QC has been making a strong presence in the American music scene,” HYBE CEO Jiwon Park said in a statement. “With our shared vision, I have high hopes in what we can operate and achieve together.”
In HYBE, Quality Control gets a team with a history of building artists from scratch into global stars. “All of HYBE’s leaders are entrepreneurs with phenomenal combined history [of] finding talent and taking it to the next levels,” said Thomas in a statement.
“P and I are ecstatic about this partnership with Scooter and HYBE and are confident they can get us to our global ambitions we’ve had in our scope since the beginning of the company as nothing means more than our artists impacting worldwide,” Lee added. “Over many years, Scooter and I have cultivated real trust and a common way of looking at the world and culture.”
Quality Control expands Braun’s purview to a genre that has been missing from HYBE’s broad roster. SB Projects clients include Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato and Kid Laroi. Big Machine’s country-focused roster features Tim McGraw, Thomas Rhett and Rascal Flatts. HYBE has dipped its toes into hip-hop with Big Machine’s partnership with Blac Noize! Recordings, the label behind the 2022 summer anthem “F.N.F. (Let’s Go)” by Hitkidd and Glorilla.
HYBE dominates K-pop with artists such as BTS, the BTS members’ solo projects, Tomorrow X Together, Enhypen and Seventeen. In December, it launched a new Japanese imprint, Naeco, and signed Japanese singer Yurina Hirate. HYBE also has a joint venture with Universal Music Group’s Geffen Records and is developing an international girl group in the U.S. But the ambitious Korean company had a limited presence in the world’s largest music market until the 2021 Ithaca acquisition. Quality Control, Braun’s first major acquisition as HYBE America CEO, further diversifies HYBE and gives it a premiere hip-hop brand.
Quality Control’s recordings have been distributed through Universal Music Group’s Motown Records, which formed a joint venture with Quality Control in 2015 along with UMG’s Capitol Music Group. A HYBE spokesperson did not comment on the state of the joint venture following the acquisition. Quality Control’s Thomas noted that both companies have a relationship with “the Universal Music Group family of companies [that] makes this seamless,” he said in a statement.
In 2022, Motown/Quality Control’s overall market share rose to 0.97% from 0.90% in 2021. In terms of current market share — music released over the previous 18 months — Motown/Quality Control improved from 1.18% in 2021 to 1.33% in 2022. It had remained part of Capitol’s market share during that period, despite its ostensible status as a standalone entity. Capitol’s overall market share declined from 6.81% in 2021 to 6.40% in 2022 while its current share dropped from 5.64% in 2021 to 4.97% in 2022.
In 2022, Lil Baby had 2.97 million equivalent albums – a metric that combines sales and streams – and 4.3 billion on-demand streams in the U.S. in 2022, according to Luminate. His track “In a Minute” peaked at No. 14 on the Hot 100 in April and ranked No. 43 on the year-end Hot 100 Songs chart. Despite not releasing a new album in 2022, Migos had 2.9 million album equivalent units and 4.3 billion on-demand streams last year. Lil Yachty had 424,000 album equivalent units and 637.8 million on-demand streams. City Girls had 251,000 album equivalent units and 361.6 million on-demand streams.
The acquisition also broadens HYBE’s tech portfolio. HYBE built its own social media platform, Weverse, to create a direct connection with its K-pop groups’ massive fan bases. It also owns a controlling stake in AI audio startup Supertone. Last year, Quality Control’s Solid Foundation Management, the company’s artist management arm, invested an undisclosed sum in music streaming platform SoundCloud. “This partnership is a vital part of our plan to innovate the entertainment industry through a diversified portfolio and innovative technologies,” said Bang Si-Hyuk, HYBE’s chairman, in a statement. “We will work together to continue adding to the global depth of hip-hop.”
Additional reporting by Dan Rys.
Universal Music Group’s Def Jam Recordings is the latest major label imprint to venture into Web3 through the launch of a virtual band, The Whales. Comprised of cartoon NFT whale characters, the group’s debut full-length album has an all-star cast of producers and songwriters attached.
The deal is a partnership with The Catalina Whale Mixer, a collection of 5,555 NFT avatars on the Solana blockchain. Created by tech studio WAGMI Beach in December 2021, the concept of The Whales was born when co-founders Ben Willis and Joshua Andriano met with Def Jam’s DJ Mormile and Ryan Rodriguez. “We pitched the idea of a community-grown avatar group to DJ and [they] just got it,” says Willis. “To be working with Def Jam on releasing this one-of-a-kind new music project is a dream come true.”
Def Jam has not yet confirmed the musicians behind the project but says it will involve a “who’s who” of musical talent. The Whales’ first project will be released as a full-length album, while the group will tap into the broader Catalina Whales Mixer community to deepen the relationship between music and Web3 culture.
The virtual artist NFT playbook is becoming a trend among bigger record labels. The same concept was executed by 10:22PM — another Universal Music Group imprint — which licensed characters from the Bored Ape Yacht Club to create the animated band KINGSHIP. Warner Records’ Web3 subsidiary Probably a Label is also developing a virtual artist in collaboration with its 5,555 NFT holders through a voting system.
The team at WAGMI Beach — whose founders are music industry veterans themselves, previously at management company Indie Pop — believes this model will improve the way artists and labels engage directly with fans by letting them be part of the process. “At the core of all the NFT and Web3 attention is a fundamental technology change that will alter how music and art is consumed by generations to come,” said co-founder Alec Lykken. “This is our initial dive into what we believe to be an incredible new wave for artists and fans alike.”
Concord CEO Scott Pascucci is stepping down effective June 30 after helming the fifth biggest music company for a decade. Bob Valentine, who ascended to president in 2021 from CFO, will become Concord’s new CEO.
Additionally, Concord’s chief label officer Tom Whalley will also vacate his role but will continue to be involved as founder of Loma Vista Recordings, his joint venture with Concord. Pascucci, who remains on Concord’s board of directors, and Whalley will be inaugural members of Concord’s new advisory board.
“I started my career in the music business 30-plus years ago for the simple reason that I love music, and I discovered along the way that I enjoy building businesses and leading teams of people,” said Pascucci in a statement. “Thanks to [Wood Creek founding partner] Brett Hellerman, I was given the opportunity to do all of those things at Concord. In 10 years, we have built a company that matters in the music industry, a place that cares about its employees, artists and writers, and that is well-positioned for the future. I am proud of all that we have accomplished. I look forward to continuing on the board of directors, to help guide the company forward under Bob’s leadership, while also having more time to focus on my interests in film and social impact initiatives.”
(Wood Creek Capital Management bought Concord from Village Roadshow in 2013. Concord is now a private company funded by institutional capital and Concord’s management team.)
Pascucci’s announcement comes several weeks after Concord launched Concord Music Royalties, LLC Series 2022-1, a $1.8 billion asset-backed security that will allow further growth through funding reserve accounts, paying down debt and other uses.
“It positions us beautifully for the future,” Pascucci tells Billboard of the security. “It has given us significant additional capital for growth while also dramatically broadening the base of institutional lenders who are now familiar with the company.”
The succession plan has been in the works since 2019. “An orderly succession in key positions is critical to the stability and future growth of the company, as evidenced by the smooth transition from Jake Wisely to Jim Selby as chief publishing executive a few years ago,” Pascucci continues. “ My decision to move out of the CEO position and to stay on the board was made over 2 years ago, at which time Bob moved into the role of president.”
Bob Valentine
Elena Goss/Courtesy of Concord
“Scott has made the transition from CFO to president remarkably smooth and easy,” Valentine says. “As CFO I was used to a particular flow of helping to finance our acquisitions and new productions; in stepping into the president’s role, I needed to get into the rhythm of the creative process outside of a purely financial lens. Scott’s extraordinarily patient, and he’s made sure to loop me in on some of the many day-to-day things that I wouldn’t have been in the middle of as CFO. Also, the senior team, most of whom are in Nashville, work very closely with each other. That makes a transition like this easier than they tend to be for a company.”
Valentine’s history with the company precedes Pascucci’s. He joined Norman Lear’s ACT III Communications in 1999 when it acquired Concord Records. He left in 2001 but returned in 2005 as CFO.
“I have had the privilege of helping to build Concord into the company that it is today ever since Norman Lear and his business partner Hal Gaba had the extraordinary foresight to buy a small, independent jazz record label in the same year that Napster was invented,” Valentine said in a statement. “The journey since then has been scary, thrilling, surprising, and incredibly rewarding.”
Valentine tells Billboard that Concord will proceed on its current path. “We’ll continue to focus on our core mission: to champion artists, elevate voices and impact culture. We can’t do any one of those without the other two. At the heart of everything we do is artistry; it’s our job to identify it, elevate it, and ultimately impact culture with it,” he says. That has been and will continue to be true for everything we focus on, whether it’s furthering our frontline label division’s breadth and depth, acquiring iconic songs and recordings, signing new and exciting songwriters, or licensing and co-producing theatrical works. I’m also excited about our Concord Originals segment, which aims to develop and adapt some of our music and theatrically based works (past and present) for film and television.”
Concord’s catalog consists of more than one million songs, composed works, plays, musicals and active recordings and includes works from Phil Collins, Creedence Clearwater Revival, John Fogerty, Daft Punk, Miles Davis, Danny Elfman, Evanescence, The Fania All-Stars, Genesis, Imagine Dragons, Isaac Hayes, James Taylor, Jewel, Joan Sebastian, Nine Inch Nails, Pink Floyd, Cyndi Lauper, Little Richard, Nikki Six, Otis Redding, R.E.M., Rodgers & Hammerstein, Pete Seeger, St. Vincent, Taking Back Sunday, Ryan Tedder, The Traveling Wilburys, The Vince Guaraldi Trio and Hans Zimmer.
Headquartered in Nashville, Concord has additional offices in Los Angeles, New York, London, Berlin, Melbourne and Miami. Concord also has staff in Auckland, Sydney, Tokyo and Toronto.
As chief label officer, Whalley oversees frontline imprints Fantasy Records, Concord Records, Concord Jazz, Rounder Records, Loma Vista Recordings, Easy Eye Sound, KIDZ BOP and Fearless Records.
“In 2014, I found a great partnership with Scott Pascucci and Concord,” says Whalley, who co-founded Interscope Records and was Warner Bros. Records chairman/CEO from 2001 to 2010. “That partnership helped build a very important independent label, Loma Vista Recordings. It has been an added bonus to serve as the chief label officer for frontline labels at Concord. I am very proud of what we have accomplished.”
Following Whalley’s departure, Concord will create a new role that will oversee the entire recorded music division, including frontline and catalog operations.
The new advisory board, which will be unveiled this fall, will also include Wisely, as well as other members from allied fields, such as music, film, theater and technology. It will act as a resource for best practices and new business opportunities for Concord.
Pascucci’s news comes a week after the announcement that Hartwig Masuch, CEO of BMG, the fourth biggest music company, is leaving at the end of the year after 15 years at the company. He will be replaced by BMG CFO Thomas Coesfeld.
Warner Music Group adds another YouTube veteran to its executive leadership team with the hiring of Ariel Bardin as the label’s first president of technology. In his new position, Bardin will head tech and data teams tasked with creating new systems and products to “support the next phase of WMG’s global growth,” the company said on Tuesday (Feb. 7).
The New York-based Bardin will report to his former Google colleague Robert Kyncl, who officially became CEO of WMG on Feb. 1 following the departure of longtime chief Stephen Cooper.
“Ariel understands how technology can serve creativity to have real, long-lasting cultural and commercial impact,” Kyncyl said. “He has a tremendous appreciation for artistry, deep technical expertise, and a proven track record in execution at the highest level. We’re fortunate to welcome him to our team.”
Bardin spent 16 years at Google, where as vp of product management he helped build, launch and grow some of the company’s household-name products, including Google AdWords and Google Payments. For YouTube, he is credited with leading teams working on various creator-centric products as well as its Content ID system, which finds and monetizes user-uploaded videos for rights owners. In the fall of 2021, Bardin joined software company Celonis as its chief product officer.
“I had the pleasure of working with Robert during our time together at Google, where I especially enjoyed our work empowering and equipping YouTube creators,” Bardin said. “WMG is entering an exciting new era under his leadership, and I’m looking forward to joining him and the rest of the company on a mission to provide the highest level of service to the company’s artists, songwriters, and teams.”
The appointment of a newly created president role arrives two days before WMG will announce financial results for its first quarter — along with its first earnings call with Kyncyl at the helm.
The 65th annual Grammy Awards took place Sunday night (Feb. 5) in Los Angeles and included plenty of shockers in the top categories, as Harry Styles, Lizzo and Bonnie Raitt took home album, record and song of the year honors, respectively. But the fourth major category, best new artist, also served up a surprise, as Bronx-born, 23-year-old jazz singer Samara Joy took home the honor following the breakthrough success of her debut album for Verve Records, Linger Awhile.
Joy was understandably thrilled when taking the podium to accept the honor from last year’s recipient Olivia Rodrigo, thanking her family, fans and fellow nominees when making her speech. “To be here because of who I am — all of you have inspired me because of who you are, you express yourself for exactly who you are authentically,” she said. “So to be here by just being myself, by just being who I was born as, I’m so thankful.”
After the ceremony, Joy also sent a statement to Billboard. “Music has been in my family for generations. Singing has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember,” she said. “So to be able to represent a genre as rich as jazz while honoring the musical legacy in my family is a true blessing. I’m so thankful to everyone for their support and I hope I continue to make my family proud.”
For Verve, Impulse! and Verve Forecast president Jamie Krents, the moment was the culmination of another huge year at the Grammys, coming on the heels of the massive success of Verve artist Jon Batiste last year, who took home a surprise album of the year honor. “I won’t say I couldn’t believe it, but it did feel like a dream, because she’s been working really hard,” says Krents on Monday. “Even for a 23-year-old who has a lot more energy than me, she’s worked incredibly hard and she does it the right way. She’s gracious and she’s really appreciating the ride.”
Joy’s win for best new artist also continues a strong recent track record for Verve in the highly-competitive best new artist category, with Arooj Aftab nominated last year and Tank and the Bangas receiving a nod in 2020, giving it three nominees in four years — not bad for a label that rarely dips a toe in the mainstream. And Verve’s other wins were spread across several genres as well: Samara Joy also won for best jazz vocal album, while Madison Cunningham took home best folk album, Renée Fleming And Yannick Nézet-Séguin earned best classical solo vocal album, Time for Three won best classical instrumental solo and Kevin Puts was awarded best contemporary classical composition. And it’s those wins across the board of which Krents is most proud. “This is what it’s all about for us,” he says. “Getting this kind of recognition and seeing these artists be called out for doing superb work. I’m really pleased.”
Congrats on these wins. What did you think of the evening?
It was kind of like a dream. As deserving as these artists are, it’s really competitive. We’re a label that’s extremely artist-development focused, and we had a great year last year with Jon Batiste, who was very nominated going into it, and we were optimistic — certainly in the case of Samara, in the jazz category in which she was nominated, we felt like she had a great shot, and we were pleased that she won, and same with Madison. But you just never know. These are high integrity categories, where every artist — I mean, in folk, you had Judy Collins, and she’s a legend. So you just never know.
I left the pre-telecast already feeling elated that Madison and Samara had both won. And then with best new artist, there were so many nominees and it was such a disparate group of acts, it was sort of hard to know which way the voting would go — indie rock, to Wet Leg, who are amazing? Would it go R&B? I just think Samara’s had a very very fast rise to prominence, and she really deserves it. I think people connect with her voice, but I also think people connect with her, and I think she articulated that well in her speech. She really emphasized the fact that this means a lot to her because she’s putting herself out there. She’s not a construct, she’s somebody who’s gone to school for this, she spent half of her life last year on the road and is really doing this organically, and I think that’s really gratifying, to be part of that, when you know you’re making music that isn’t chasing trends, that is about letting these artists evolve. We were thrilled.
What was going through your head when Samara won best new artist?
It was so reminiscent to me of when Jon Batiste won album of the year last year, where it was like, “Wow, this artist shocks the world, I don’t think the Vegas odds were saying this would happen.” But at the same time, it was just like, all of this talk about making these awards more transparent and fair and reflecting what our world looks like now, this is a great, affirming moment. And also, this should be a snapshot of an artist at the beginning of a great career, and that fits her. That’s exactly where she is. Best new artist should be that — someone who’s really breaking through on their own terms and with authenticity, and she is. I’ve worked at Verve for over two decades, and a voice like this just does not come along [often]. When you have artists in the catalog like Ella [Fitzgerald] and Billie Holliday and Nina [Simone], you can’t just sign a jazz artist lightly, because those comparisons are going to come. There’s nothing we can do about it, and she’s risen to it.
So what was going through my head was, if there was any 23-year-old in the world who deserves it, it’s this woman. She’s putting in the work and she respects her audience and she really deserves this. She’s been a really good partner. She absolutely appreciates why we ask her to do all of the things that we do. And that’s part of it, too. She’s been really open to strategy and to opportunities. And she’s a huge focus. It’s self-fulfilling.
People are comparing Samara’s win to Esperanza Spalding, who surprised everyone by winning the category in 2011.
I think that’s kind of reductive, in the sense that these are both female jazz artists coming from the jazz space. I mean, I get that, but it’s also very different. In Samara’s case, she’s so young, and this happened, I think, faster for her than the cadence of Esperanza’s journey to best new artist. But I can understand it — the surprise to many people, and any time a jazz artist — whether it’s Herbie Hancock winning album of the year in the 2000s or Stan Getz winning album of the year in 1965 — there’s always a gasp in the theater.
But musically, she and Esperanza are very, very different. At that point, you might as well compare her to Muni Long or some of these other nominees. She loves TikTok and she loves Beyoncé, and as much as she loves jazz, she’s also a very normal 23-year-old woman. She’s not just one thing. So I get the comparison — and she loves Esperanza — but I just don’t think we’re following any sort of Esperanza template. I think those comparisons happen because they’re both jazz, or jazz-adjacent, artists winning that award. But it’s like how [Samara] gets a lot of comparisons to Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald — I also understand why those come, but I feel confident saying that she’s got her own voice and her own road here.
You guys had a great year last year with Jon, but Verve has had a pretty great run in recent years in the best new artist category, with Samara, Arooj Aftab last year and Tank and the Bangas a few years before that all getting nominated. What do you attribute that to?
This is the thing that I’m most proud of. All of the awards are wonderful, but best new artist, when you’re a record label with a legacy like Verve, whether you’re talking about Ella or the Velvet Underground, this is about artist development, being a place for artists who are maybe a bit left of center, or who aren’t on what the current trend is, and then giving them the chance and supporting them to really evolve and develop. And that takes patience and resources and it’s very international, because we live in that world and all of these artists do really well outside the U.S. But the fact that we have had these nominations and Samara’s win in the best new artist category is the most validating thing, I think, for Verve. Because every label talks about artist development — if you sat in on any A&R pitch to sign any artist, no one’s gonna say, “Well, you’ve got one chance and that’s it.” Everyone says it, but I feel like this is a little bit of proof of concept that we mean it, that we’re good at it and that we bring that value. Ultimately, it’s the artists who achieve it, but we’re there to amplify what they do with a strategy that does get that kind of recognition.
I wish Madison had won it earlier in her career — I don’t want to leave her out of the story, because winning her first Grammy and doing an incredible performance, she just released a song with Remi Wolf — Madison’s also on this trajectory where everyone who owns an instrument knows she’s incredible, but she’s now starting to transcend that and people are starting to realize what a good songwriter she is, and her music is really connecting with an audience outside of the choir she’s been preaching to. So she’s also someone who’s got a different future than she maybe had two years ago. But to get back to your question, the best new artist story for Verve, and having three nominations in the last four years, if someone were to ask me what I feel best about at Verve, I would probably cite that.
Madison won for best folk album, Samara won also for best jazz vocal album and you had winners in three different classical categories. What do these wins say about what you guys are doing at the label?
I’ve been at Verve for a long time, and there have been different iterations of Verve, and I’m really grateful that at this point we’re so supported. Universal’s a big company, the number one music company quantitatively. But you don’t need Verve to compete with our sister labels who are signing the [biggest] artists. Verve is the home for eclectic music at Universal. And I think these wins across a disparate group of categories shows we have a fluency and a value in all of those areas, but mostly it’s about the fact that there’s no template. Whether you’re a classical artist coming through Decca or Deutsche Gramophone, or a singer/songwriter or indie type of artist like Kurt Vile or Madison coming through that side, or you’re Samara Joy and in my opinion the greatest jazz singer out there, we bring you some value and we can help you and support you and help amplify your vision. And if you’re more mainstream or more in that game, Universal has lots of great options for you there, too, with places like Capitol and Interscope and Republic.
But Verve exists to serve a different agenda. It’s a business — we still have to keep the lights on, and these artists all have careers and a commercial aspect to what they do — but I think something like the Grammys showing that yesterday, it highlights that. That’s what we’ve built this company to be. We’ve staffed the company so that we have the right people to help these real, generational artists, artists that make timeless music, not making records that only sound topical today. It’s artists making records like those that we’re proud to have in our catalog, from Coltrane to Oscar Peterson to Nina Simone to the Velvet Underground. We’re still making records that will be resonant long after I work there.
“We’re back!” Universal Music Group chairman/CEO Lucian Grainge said to a round of applause, opening the first UMG Grammy week artist showcase in three years due to the pandemic. “A lot has happened in these last three years, but today is about the music.”
UMG’s pre-Grammy artist showcase at Milk Studios has always been about the emerging artists that are coming through the ranks at Universal Music Group in a given year, and the performances are a highly-anticipated event each year. But the pandemic meant that this year’s was the first since 2020, and this edition also included highlights from a series of forthcoming docu-films that the company is set to release.
Grainge spent a few moments in his opening remarks shouting out the artists who were set to perform, as well as those in attendance, which included Elton John, Jon Batiste, Sabrina Carpenter, Yo Gotti, Niall Horan, Fletcher, Ice Spice, Queen Naija and Natalie Jane. “We all know the extraordinary power of music; it touches each of us,” he said. “Music’s power increases in a socially conscious way whenever artists use their talents to promote positive change in our community. When we at UMG employ the vast reach and resources of our company to support our artists in their efforts to promote change, the power of music blossoms even more.”
He then introduced a video that focused on Billie Eilish and her mother’s efforts to address climate change and promote sustainability with her tours and the way she lives her life, as well as UMG’s own efforts to promote sustainability and limit their carbon footprint and waste. Then Grainge introduced Eilish herself, who came out and accepted UMG’s Amplifier Award for her efforts.
“I do as much as I can — I feel like I can always do more — but I feel very impressed and excited that you guys are actually making this a priority and thinking about it and doing your part to support me,” Eilish said while accepting the award. “I would just say I’m really thankful — I feel really seen right now. I spend a lot of my time feeling really anxious because I don’t feel like a lot of people, and especially people in the business, care very much, and it’s really nice to see that this is happening and that you guys do. And I just wanted to say, everyone in this room, we can all do our part. I know a lot of you got some money in your f—in’ pocket, so you can use it for good things and not stupid things,” she added, laughing. She then thanked her mother, and continued, “I’m always trying to think of how to do things in the least wasteful ways possible, and it’s shocking how little I feel that gets reciprocated, and it makes me feel like nobody’s doing anything. So it’s nice to see that you are, and I’m really thankful.”
Then the performances got underway, beginning with Kim Petras, who sang her song “brrr” before bringing out Sam Smith for their chart-topping collaboration “Unholy.” Verve Records artist — and best new artist nominee at this year’s Grammys — Samara Joy then came out to perform a beautifully jazzy “Sweet Pumpkin,” with her vocals taking things to the next level with her trio on stage, and GloRilla hit the stage with highly energetic performances of her songs “Tomorrow” and “FNF.”
Elton John then emerged from the crowd to introduce Stephen Sanchez, a young singer and guitarist signed to Republic Records. John thanked the Universal staff — the label group that he’s been with his entire career — before noting how when he was a young artist he benefited from and valued the support he got from established artists who reached out to him and encouraged him. He then turned his attention to Sanchez, who he compared to Roy Orbison and Ricky Nelson. “I am so thrilled to see this boy, at 20 years of age, taking the reins and writing this great song — he’s gonna be a big, big star,” John said. “I really think he’s the bee’s knees.”
Sanchez then played “Evangeline” and “Until I Found You,” two songs with his retro feel, adding that he wasn’t sure if he was allowed to talk on stage instead of just performing — “It feels like I broke into a party I’m not supposed to be at,” he joked — and thanking Elton before walking off to a big ovation. Singer-songwriter Lauren Spencer-Smith got a huge ovation as well, with the crowd audibly gasping at her vocal performances of brand-new, unreleased track “Best Friend Breakup” and her breakout hit “Fingers Crossed.” And Universal Music Latino signee Feid brought a Latin presence to the afternoon, with guitar-rocking performances of “Tengo Fe” — “the song that changed my life while we were in lockdown,” he noted — and “Porfa.”
Def Jam signee Muni Long showcased her powerful vocals and impressive range with the new, unreleased song “Made for Me,” a gorgeous ballad that will be included on her upcoming debut album, which she added she’s still working on, before shimmering on her own breakout hit from last year, the sultry “Hrs and Hrs.” And TDE/Capitol artist Doechii wowed those in attendance with a breathlessly insistence dance set of “Persuasive” and “Crazy” that packed raw energy into every second of her performance.
The show didn’t just contain performances, but was also an opportunity for Universal to preview three new documentaries that it will be releasing in the coming months, including Love to Love You, a Donna Summer doc directed by her daughter, Brooklyn Sudano, as well as Roger Ross Williams, that will arrive on HBO in May, and a Paul McCartney documentary directed by Morgan Neville focusing on his post-Beatles career in the 1970s, when he had to reinvent himself with his solo work and his band Wings, that is called Man on the Run and will be released in 2024.
Batiste was also on hand to speak about an upcoming documentary that follows his life for the past year, called American Symphony, that explores the emotional highs of his big Grammy wins last year, when he took home album of the year, and the devastating lows of his wife’s cancer battle, a film that he says became about a lot more than he originally envisioned while he worked on his next musical project.
“Making things is difficult. Being an artist is vulnerable process, it’s a vulnerable existence. It takes so much to express the truth of how you feel, where you’re from, to connect to the universal humanism, humanity, that everyone has from the beginning of time until now,” Batiste said, also praising director Matthew Heineman. “It’s like you’re connected to a source that exists on a plane that you can’t see but we can all feel. It’s just as real as this table, just as real as anything. And I really believe the process of that is a messy process. You gotta scrap with it a little bit. You gotta roll around. You gotta get a handle on it. I wanted to make a film that captured the process of it all — a lot of unprecedented moments in my life over this year, highs and lows, intense highs and very intense, near tragic, lows.”
The showcase ended with a surprise set from Shania Twain, whose new album Queen of Me came out this past week. The Canadian icon performed a stripped down “You’re Still the One” and an abbreviated honky tonk “That Don’t Impress Me Much” — complete with a tweak of a lyric to “OK, so you’re Lucian Grainge” — before grabbing an acoustic guitar for “Honey I’m Home.” Twain’s appearance capped an afternoon of star-studded performances, showcasing that UMG has another new crop of young stars with bright futures ahead.