State Champ Radio Renee Rapp
Singer-songwriter Reneé Rapp sported a full-on Coach outfit during the second weekend of the Coachella festival on Sunday (April 21). Rapp showed that all-black style can go a long way when it comes to fashion, even in the desert. The Mean Girls star rocked black Coach Tara biker boots ($395) with a Coach T-shirt ($95) […]
When Reneé Rapp’s manager and talent agent began routing the singer-actress’ debut 2023 tour, they opted to break a key rule in the touring business – always play the smaller venues before playing the larger venues.
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It’s a rule WME agent Ben Totis normally agreed with, and yet, Totis and Rapp’s manager Adam Mersel also believed Rapp had developed a special connection with fans as one of four stars on Mindy Kaling’s hit HBO series The Sex Lives of College Girls playing Leighton, an au-pair raised queer sorority princess attending a fictional liberal arts college in Vermont. The popular show created a huge audience for Rapp, especially with Gen Z adult females, and served as a perfect segue for Rapp’s pursuit of a music career. In July, Rapp confirmed she was leaving the show as it entered its third season.
“Original music and pop music has always been her passion,” Mersel said. “Now’s she getting back into the studio, making music and really taking a swing at it.”
While her popularity and name recognition are certainly a major advantage in live touring, the adage in the industry has long been that all artists — even high-profile new artists like Olivia Rodrigo in 2021 and in 2018 — should build their touring business slowly and deliberately, making sure the artist is ready and the early audiences are invested.
“One of the age-old rules of this business is don’t skip steps,” booking agent veteran Tom Windish with Wasserman Music told Billboard last month. Windish, who counts Eilish, Lorde and Alt-J as clients explains “if you sold 500 tickets the last time, maybe you’ll try to sell 1,000 this time. You’re not just bumping up to 2,000 because you have this data that’s indicating there might be more [demand].”
Rapp is not following that strategy. The North Carolina native put tickets on sale for the LA Greek Theatre (5,900 capacity) on Sept. 30 and the Anthem in Washington DC (6,000 capacity) on Oct. 27 two months before she had even released her debut record Snow Angel on Aug. 18 on Interscope.
As Totis and Mersel had hoped, both shows quickly sold out. She quickly sold out the famed Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, the Mission Ballroom in Denver and the Roadrunner in Boston (despite penning a breakup song on her new album called “I Hate Boston”). In total, Rapp has sold out 22 of the 30 North America dates on her tour, which begins Sept. 15 at the Bayou Music Center in Houston.
Mersel and Totis said there were plenty of reasons to think Rapp could be the exception to the “no skipping steps” rule. While the 23-year-old was new to the record and touring business, she had been involved in musical theater from an early age – and won best actress at the 2018 National High School Musical Theatre Awards (the Jimmy Awards).
“She grew up singing in North Carolina and that is always what she wanted to do with her life,” Mersel explains. “Musical theater sort of was by accident. She was running around really trying to hustle and make it, especially through high school.”
In December, Rapp released her EP and booked some teaser shows including the Troubador in LA and Le Poisson Rouge in New York “just to get her out there in front of her fans and get her on stage for the first time,” Totis explained.
“They were all just supposed to be small shows, but in New York we had 10,000 people sign up for waitlist because the tickets went so quickly,” Totis said, leading her team to add two more New York shows that same month.
Rapp is planning a four-show “take over” in New York starting Nov. 3 – playing two Terminal Five dates along with Brooklyn’s Avante Gardner and Kings Theater. After New York she heads to Europe where she has sold out five of 15 booked shows in the UK, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium before closing out her tour with back-to-back sold out shows March 1 at the famed Hammersmith Apollo in London and a March 4 show at 3Olympia in Dublin.
As for Snow Angel, it debuted at an impressive No. 10 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, the biggest U.S. sales debut for a debut female pop album in 2023
“The music’s great and she’s extremely talented. I don’t think anyone is concerned about her being comfortable on stage knowing where she came from,” Totis said.
The estate of Luther Vandross tapped Epic Rights — part of Universal Music Group’s merchandise and brand management company Bravado — as the global merchandise management agency to develop a multi-category worldwide retail and e-commerce program for the late singer. The agreement will see a roster of new licensing partners create branded merch and other elements to extend Vandross’ legacy in advance of multiple anniversary celebrations slated for next year. Vandross released his solo debut album, Never Too Much, in 1981; he went on to release 11 consecutive platinum albums and win a total of eight Grammys. According to a press release, over his more than 30-year career, he sold in excess of 40 million albums worldwide and also produced records for Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross and Dionne Warwick. Next year is the 20th anniversary of both his Dance With My Father album and Live at Radio City Music Hall, which marked his final live performances. Other activations will include the launch of the Luther Vandross Foundation and a remix collaboration for Black History Month.
Full-service B2B distributor FUGA, a division of Downtown Music, partnered with electronic label Insomniac Music Group for a deal that will see FUGA provide a range of distribution, marketing and label services for several labels under the Insomniac umbrella, providing access to over 260 DSPs globally. Insomniac will also be utilizing FUGA’s sync and audience engagement services and have access to its trends and analytics platform. Insomniac additionally reached a deal with Downtown Neighbouring Rights.
China-based online music platform NetEase Cloud Music struck a licensing renewal agreement with Japanese entertainment company Avex. Under the deal, the companies will collaborate on promoting the presence of Avex artists on the NetEase platform. Avex’s roster includes Ayumi Hamasaki, Ai Otsuka, Kumi Koda, Awesome City Club, HIRAIDAI, I Don’t Like Mondays and NAQT VANE.
Actor and singer-songwriter Reneé Rapp signed with WME in all areas. Known for her role on the HBO Max series The Sex Lives of College Girls, Rapp recently signed with Interscope Records, which released her debut EP, Everything to Everyone, on Nov. 11. She continues to be represented by Adam Mersel of Immersive Management, Lisa Socransky Austin and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern LLP.
Universal Music Group (UMG) partnered with Artist Partner Group (APG) on The Fast & Furious: Drift Tape (Phonk Vol 1), “a fan-first mixtape” released in conjunction with character pieces from Universal Pictures’ Fast & Furious franchise that are meant to reintroduce characters to fans. Led by APG CEO Mike Caren and UMG’s Steven Victor, the project features music and collaborations from Phonk music’s biggest artists, including Kordhell, MUPP, Kaito Shoma, SCXR Soul and more. The full mixtape will be released Dec. 16.
Montreal-based pianist and composer Alexandra Stréliski signed to XXIM Records/Sony Music Masterworks. The first release under the deal is the song “The Hills,” which is Stréliski’s first new music in four years; she’s slated to put out a new album in spring 2023. All forthcoming music will be released by XXIM Records/Sony Masterworks worldwide, excluding Canada, in partnership with Montreal-based Secret City Records, her Canadian label home since 2018.
MOBO Group welcomed The Orchard to its recruitment and mentoring platform MOBOLISE, which launched in beta in 2020. MOBOLISE “supports and connects career opportunities to empower diversity, excellence and transformation in the workplace,” according to a press release, via a jobs board, mentoring and career development events and educational resources. It aims to create a more equitable industry by overcoming systemic obstacles faced by Black professionals. “MOBOLISE directly supports The Orchard’s goal to attract diverse talent by providing resources and information to the MOBOLISE community as well as direct recruitment opportunities to add to our workforce,” said Naledi Nyahuma Seck, vp of diversity & inclusion at The Orchard.
The Tahoe Douglas Visitors Authority and Oak View Group reached an exclusive multi-year naming rights agreement with Tahoe Blue Vodka for a new live entertainment, sports and conference center on the south shore of Lake Tahoe. Located in Stateline, Nevada, the 6,000-capacity Tahoe Blue Center is projected to open in July 2023 and host 130 events annually. The deal includes prominent exterior and interior signage. This is the first naming rights sponsorship for the vodka brand.
Payton Smith (“Like I Knew You Would”) signed with Combustion Masters, which recently released his latest single “Need You To Not.” Smith is currently in the studio with Combustion president Chris Warren at the production helm. New music from the singer, who’s signed with Eclipse Music Group for publishing, is expected early next year.
Independent digital distributor IDOL signed a full-service digital distribution partnership with independent label Fire Records, which boasts acts including Black Lips, Jane Weaver, The Lemonheads and Vanishing Twin on its roster. IDOL will handle the digital distribution of Fire Records’ repertoire to its global network of DSPs, excluding South Korea. Fire Records will also work closely with IDOL’s international audience development team on marketing and release strategy for frontline releases, with a dedicated specialist working on the label’s back catalog.
Q Prime South signed singer-songwriter Paul Cauthen for management. Cauthen, who will be on tour throughout December and into early 2023, is working on new music for release next year. His most recent album, Country Coming Down, was released by Thirty Tigers.
Warner Music Latina has signed emerging Mexican singer-songwriter Arriola to “continue the development” of his career within the regional Mexican genre, according to a press release. Arriola (real name Eduardo Arriola Gómez) — who released his first single “En Eso Estoy” when the label announced his signing — is also currently working on additional new music that will be part of his first album under the label. – Griselda Flores
Synch clearance and licensing software Trevanna Tracks partnered with music and cue sheet reporting company Soundmouse. The deal will allow Trevanna users to move song metadata, including splits and usage, from Trevanna to Soundmouse in order to generate accurate cue sheets. “Trevanna’s data and documents give production teams everything needed to air a synced song, but it doesn’t take the next step to ensure ongoing downstream payments,” said Jennifer Freed, founder and CEO of Trevanna Tracks. “This process was brilliantly sorted by Soundmouse.” Added Soundmouse head of business development Mark Vermaat, “This partnership enables collaboration between music supervisors and editors, saves time, and significantly lessens the margin for error in reporting royalties.”
Irish singer-songwriter Lisa O’Neill signed with Rough Trade Records for the release of her next album, All of This Is Chance, which is slated for release Feb. 10.
Country trio Track45 signed with UTA for booking. Comprised of siblings Jenna, Ben and KK Johnson, the group will be working with UTA agent Lance Roberts as its day-to-day. Track45 is signed to BBR Music’s Group’s Stoney Creek Records and managed by T.R.U.T.H. Management’s Missi Gallimore.
Nettwerk Music Group signed several new artists: lo-fi hip-hop producer linanthem; Sun Lo, a new project from artist-producer Attlas and songwriter-vocalist Richard Walters; alt-pop duo Bestfriend; beatmaker and producer Mr. Käfer; and disco-pop artist and producer Wingtip. The label recently released linanthem’s single “wind in my sails,” Sun Lo’s debut single “Factory Gates”; Mr. Käfer’s single “Blurred”; and Wingtip’s single “Mr. 29.” On Dec. 9, the label will release Bestfriend’s new single “LEMON LIME.”
Natalie Carr signed with Dallas Austin‘s distribution company DAD, which will release her new song “Drive.”
Mailboat Records signed yacht rock group Yachtley Crew. The outfit, which is managed by Andy Gould and is revving up for a series of monthly performances at Palms Casino Resort’s KAOS, recently released their first original song, “Sex On the Beach.”
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