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Independent artists have earned more than $5 billion through TuneCore. The distribution partner for self-releasing artists — owned by Paris-based Believe — announced the $5 billion milestone today, marking the first public achievement of its kind among distributors for self-releasing artists, according to the company.
“Crossing $5 billion earned by TuneCore artists is a defining milestone for independent music—it shows that creative freedom and financial success can go hand in hand,” said TuneCore CEO Andreea Gleeson in a release. “Reaching this milestone didn’t just happen; it’s the result of listening closely to what artists need today and evolving TuneCore to power their growth. By combining innovation with intention, we’ve built programs like TuneCore Accelerator to help artists reach new audiences, and publishing services that ensure they collect every cent their music generates. This milestone reflects the extraordinary talent and drive of our artists around the world, and we’re proud to be the partner helping to fuel their success.”
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TuneCore was founded in 2006 with a mission to democratize music distribution for self-releasing artists and has evolved into a global company for independent artist development. Surpassing the $5 billion milestone reflects the cumulative earnings of all TuneCore artists since 2006 from bedroom producers to global stars alike—and comes just 17 months after surpassing the $4 billion mark.
“This achievement is a testament to TuneCore’s unwavering commitment to innovation for the independent artist community,” said YouTube’s global head of music Lyor Cohen in a statement. “For almost two decades, they’ve been committed to providing the infrastructure for artists to build durable careers and monetize their work. We share that mission—ensuring that YouTube is the global destination for their artists to build meaningful connections with their fans. We are proud to partner with TuneCore and celebrate this monumental success!”
TuneCore credits its nearly two decades of success to its parent company Believe which has direct relationships with digital service providers and streaming platforms worldwide. Another recent factor in the company’s success comes from the TuneCore Accelerator, the company’s flagship artist development platform. Accelerator provides artists with access to promotional and marketing opportunities designed to drive discovery, build audiences, and deepen fan engagement. In just the past year, artists in the program have generated over 21 billion new streams, sparked 2.5 billion artist discoveries, and seen their median royalties grow fivefold.
DSPs from Spotify to Apple Music are celebrating TuneCore’s milestone. With Spotify’s svp/global head of music Charlie Hellman stating, “We are proud to partner with TuneCore to uplift independent artists and enable countless songwriters, producers, and performers to turn their passion for music into a career. TuneCore paying $5B to artists is an inspiring milestone that reflects how far independent music has come in the streaming era.”
Apple Music and Beats vp Oliver Schusser added: “At Apple, we celebrate the creativity and value of creators across every stage of development, and we commend TuneCore for helping so many talented independent artists from around the world earn money and build careers on their own terms. Congrats!”
Globally, TuneCore’s reach continues to expand, with over 75% of new artists and labels joining TuneCore in the last year coming from outside the United States.
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Mention Jeff Price‘s name in a room full of music executives and some will almost certainly wince and say that he is a troublemaker — an entrepreneur who enjoys noisily lashing out at those in the business he perceives are not doing right by music artists, songwriters, comedians and other creators.
Most conspicuously, that sense of righteousness has manifested in a two-year on-and-off email battle — often with journalists, including this reporter cc’d — with the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC), the nonprofit organization established by the Music Modernization Act (MMA) to administer blanket licenses for digital streams and downloads in the United States.
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Price claims that deficiencies in the MLC’s operations have deprived clients of his current startup, Word Collections, royalty payments, and, in other cases, have delayed payments.
What Price’s critics rarely acknowledge is that Word Collections is the third successful business that he has built as a result of his indignation. “It’s usually a combination of something that I’m frustrated with, combined with having an opportunity in my professional career to correct it,” he says of his entrepreneurial ventures.
For example: Price founded TuneCore in 2006 to help DIY artists and indie labels get their music onto digital platforms for a fraction of what it previously cost. Then, in 2013, he started Audiam, which claims YouTube publishing royalties for DIY songwriters who, in many cases, are uninformed about music publishing and how to get paid for their work. And he established his latest venture, Word Collections, in 2020 to fight for and collect mechanical royalties for comedians’ recordings, which many digital services were not paying at the time.
Although Price admits he departed the first two companies under unpleasant circumstances — possibly due to his combative nature — TuneCore and Audiam were successfully sold. Word Collections is still in a growth phase, but many of Audiam’s investors are helping to fund it — proof that he remains a bankable entrepreneur.
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And these investors are not small players. Key among them is Black Squirrel Partners, the investment division of Metallica’s business operations. The band and Black Squirrel were a client and investor, respectively, in Audiam and followed Price to Word Collections, which now also represents music artists. (Pop artist Jason Mraz is among other investors who did the same.)
The reason: Black Squirrel principal and partner Eric Wasserman says that while at Audiam, Metallica’s income “went from a small amount to a significant portion of the revenue from their [intellectual property].”
The band apparently is happy at Word Collections as well. In July 2023, Price and Word Collections closed on a $5 million investment round led by Black Squirrel, which became its lead investor. “We are very enthusiastic about this company and Jeff’s leadership,” Wasserman says. “Word Collections is doing a great job representing the Metallica catalog.”
Other Word Collections clients include Greta Van Fleet, The Offspring, Grace Potter, Thomas Dolby, Galactic, John Oates, Switchfoot, Richard Marx and the estate of Johnny Marks, among other songwriters. Word Collections, which employs a staff of 10, also represents the comedy catalogs of Robin Williams, George Carlin, Margaret Cho, Jerry Seinfeld and Billy Crystal, among others.
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Because of his history of saber-rattling, Price acknowledges that industry executives have accused him of being an opportunist looking for industry problems so that he could profit from those issues.
“Yes, it [can be] a business opportunity, but that’s usually not the driving force,” he says. “It isn’t like, ‘Ha ha, here’s this thing, let me go make money off it.’ It’s more of, ‘This thing is not right, let’s fix it,’ which also happens to be a business opportunity.”
Metallica
Ross Halfin
‘That’s stealing in my mind’
Slim with gray hair parted in the middle, Price does not resemble a street fighter. He even sports a broad smile in his LinkedIn photo. Of all the stands he has taken against the industry, he is best known for publicly opposing — and loudly criticizing — the MMA, which passed in 2018 and dramatically changed digital music licensing and how payments are made for compositions. He was even part of a group, which dubbed itself the American Music Licensing Collective (AMLC), that vied against the National Music Publishers’ Association’s (NMPA) preferred assemblage of major music publishers to be designated the MMA’s administrator of digital licenses.
The U.S. Copyright Office went with the NMPA-backed team — now known as the MLC — but not before Price had alienated several of the industry’s legacy players.
While the passage of the MMA was largely hailed as a beneficial game-changer for songwriters, Price alleges that the law created a form of legal theft that benefits large publishers. That’s because songs for which the publisher or payout instructions cannot be determined are designated as black-box monies — they are also called unmatched or unclaimed royalties — and if the rightful recipient cannot be determined within three years, the MLC has the authority to distribute these monies to publishers based on their market share.
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Unmatched royalties total hundreds of millions of dollars annually, and Price contends that the bulk of them are generated by DIY creators who don’t know how to properly register their songs with the MLC. Worse, he says, if those creators learn belatedly that their royalties were distributed elsewhere, they cannot retroactively claim them, because according to the text of the MMA, distributions of unclaimed and/or unmatched royalties “shall supersede and preempt any state law (including common law) concerning escheatment or abandoned property, or any analogous provision, that might otherwise apply.”
“I believe [digital services] should get a license and pay a commensurate royalty, and the entity that earns the royalty should get the money,” Price says. “The other side is like, ‘We don’t want to do that. Why don’t we just take all this money that’s not getting paid and hand it to ourselves based on a black-box [market-share] allocation?’ And that’s stealing, in my mind.”
However, the MLC has yet to use this market-share mechanism to disburse any black-box monies, which have been accumulating for the last eight years and predate the passage of the MMA.
Price has other issues with the MLC, and in addition to the blizzard of emails he has sent its CEO, Kris Ahrend, and other executives there, his complaints are collected in a 53-page memo submitted by Word Collections that opposes redesignating the organization as the administrator of blanket compulsory mechanical licenses “without significant policy and governance changes to achieve the [MMA’s] intended goals and objectives.”
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Word Collections’ memo is one of 63 posted on the U.S. Copyright Office website as it conducts a mandated periodic review on whether the MLC should be redesignated. While other submissions suggest improvements, the overwhelming majority support the MLC’s reappointment, if the more than 500 publishing companies and industry trade organizations cited in the MLC’s own filing are counted. Among those in favor are Warner Chappell Music, peermusic, the RIAA, the Recording Academy, the Academy of Country Music, the Association of Independent Music Publishers and the NMPA.
The MLC declined to comment, but industry executives say in its defense that the organization is dealing with a vast amount of data and, as a result, its execution “will never be flawless or perfect,” as one music publishing source puts it.
In the early days of streaming, Price’s squeaky-wheel approach earned him grudging respect as a renegade. But over the years, his detractors have grown in number, and some say they are weary of his unyielding combativeness, even if he is right.
‘The messenger being the problem’
One executive says Price “is a classic example of the messenger being the problem, not the message,” explaining, “While he is really trying to get the most money for songwriters, the way he has gone about highlighting these issues pisses off everybody.”
An executive in the digital music realm calls Price “litigious.” In reality, Price has not directly sued any digital services, but through data supplied by his company, he was involved in songwriter lawsuits filed against Spotify, including a 2017 legal action led by Camper Van Beethoven founder and musicians’ rights activist David Lowery that resulted in a $45 million settlement, and others by Four Seasons member and songwriter Bob Gaudio, Bluewater Music, and Dolby.
Word Collections’ data was also used in lawsuits filed by a number of comics against Pandora, including Andrew Dice Clay, Bill Engvall, Ron White and the estates of Carlin and Williams. Price says his clients usually don’t resort to litigation until a digital service has spent about a year ignoring requests for payment.
Others in the industry offer a more charitable assessment of Price. One executive who has crossed swords with him says he’s “difficult to work with” but concedes that “98% of what he says is correct.” The executive adds, “[Price] is not a lawyer, so sometimes he gets a nuance wrong, but in terms of the important stuff — like how digital services didn’t pay publishing properly and what’s wrong with the system in publishing — he was the only one making noise.”
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“I think Jeff is a catalyst and is brilliant,” says Jordan Bromley, entertainment group leader for law firm Manatt Phelps & Phillips. “Guys like him don’t follow rules or lines of politics. They say the quiet things out loud.”
Though Price concedes that he “once” apologized to the MLC for mistakenly claiming it hadn’t paid out Pandora royalties due to Word Collections, he expresses no regret for his unflagging approach to perceived transgressors. “Water on stone eventually makes the Grand Canyon,” he says. “I am working from outside the system to change the system.”
Before entering the music industry, Price lived an itinerant life. His mother founded an advertising agency in the 1970s when it was still a male-dominated business, and they moved frequently for her career. Growing up, he says he attended eight schools in a 12-year period. He also spent time in Japan and Israel, where he served in the latter’s military reserve. He worked as a bartender, sold books out of mall kiosks and was a production assistant for film/TV producer Rachael Horovitz, the older sister of the Beastie Boys’ Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz.
Price, who attributes his rectitude to once witnessing his father stop an attack against another person, entered the music industry in 1991 as a co-founder of the SpinART indie label, which released the music of such indie acts as Frank Black, The Church, Apples in Stereo, The Boo Radleys and Vic Chesnutt before succumbing to bankruptcy in 2007. “SpinART taught me everything I know about the industry,” Price says. “I wouldn’t be able to make informed decisions without the knowledge that experience gave me.”
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As iTunes, Rhapsody and other online music stores started up, Price began looking for a digital distributor for SpinART, but says he was angered by the terms he was offered, especially what he considered unwarranted high distribution fees. “Distributors were demanding 15% to 30% of revenue to basically send a digital file to places like Apple and Amazon,” he says. “Overlaying the analog business funnel on top of the digital channel just didn’t make sense.”
Price voiced his grievances in a 2006 issue of Billboard. “I despise the economic model of aggregators. They are morally repugnant,” he said. “On the physical side, distributors work their asses off. They provide co-op opportunities; they’ll have regional sales reps. In the digital world, they don’t provide that service. They’re an aggregator.”
Through his dissatisfaction, Price saw an opportunity to fill a void in the market, and with partners Gary Burke and Peter Wells launched TuneCore in 2006. To date, it’s his most successful venture and remains a major indie player 13 years after he and his partners left the company.
TuneCore’s model was simple and elegant. It initially charged a flat rate of $7.98 an album per year and a delivery charge of 99 cents per song to put titles up on all the digital stores, with all sales revenue going to the artist. By 2010, prices had increased to $49.99 an album per year and $9.99 per song.
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Price’s refusal to play by established rules earned him scorn when he created his own International Standard Recording Code (ISRC) — essentially digital fingerprints for tracking royalties — for works released by TuneCore artists instead of paying the RIAA, which, at the time, assigned the codes.
‘Took off like a rocket‘
TuneCore “took off like a rocket and it was a heck of a learning curve,” Price recalls. “All of a sudden, we were doing over a million dollars a month. We were like, ‘Holy crap!’ And then that number became $8 million to $10 million a month. It got crazy how quickly it grew.”
The company eventually needed funding to accommodate that growth and brought in Guitar Center and Opus Capital as investors. But the introduction of private equity blew up management in 2012. Price and some of his staff were ousted, and in 2015, the company was acquired by Believe Music, where it is now one of the largest independent distributors in the world.
While at TuneCore, Price realized that indie artists were not collecting their fair share of music publishing royalties and started a publishing administration division. After his departure, he founded Audiam in June 2013 as, he says, a corrective.
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His team built a system that tracked down cover versions of songs and user-generated videos on YouTube and other streaming platforms that included unlicensed recordings of songs. On behalf of its clients, Audiam claimed the songs to collect both publishing and recorded master royalties that were due.
A publisher administrator client of Audiam says, “We may have found 30 cover versions of a song, but when Jeff entered the picture, he said, ‘Here are 225 ISRC cover versions of that song.’ ”
Like TuneCore, anyone could sign up for Audiam, but this time Price’s economic model took an undisclosed percentage of the revenue.
Official videos of a song were easy to find and claim, but songs included in user-generated videos and cover versions performed by DIY artists were not, and Audiam’s success enabled the company to expand into licensing and collecting publishing royalties from other digital platforms such as Spotify and Amazon. But that meant Price was soon butting heads with those platforms’ service agents, like the Harry Fox Agency and Music Reports Inc.
Audiam eventually attracted major artists such as Metallica, Mraz and Jimmy Buffett. Industry heavyweights also invested, including Q Prime co-founder Cliff Burnstein, then-WME head of music Mark Geiger, Victory Records founder Tony Brummel, Distrokid founder Philip Kaplan, Silva Entertainment namesake Bill Silva and Provident Financial Management.
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When Audiam’s growth required new sources of funding, Price and his investors agreed to sell the company to the Canadian performing rights organization SOCAN in 2016. But his relationship with the PRO soured, in part because of his vociferous opposition to the MMA and the NMPA’s backing of the legislation that calls for market-share distribution of black-box monies.
When Price and the AMLC team he helped assemble began jockeying with the NMPA’s choice to administer blanket mechanical licenses for the MMA, informed sources say his efforts — which included posting videos to YouTube that questioned the fairness and transparency of music publishing — resulted in SOCAN management taking fire from the mainstream music industry.
SOCAN pressured Price to abandon his protest, sources say, and his relationship with the PRO became further complicated when Audiam’s investors began agitating for an additional equity payout because, they claimed, the company had hit previously agreed-upon profit performance targets.
Price says he resigned due to the equity payout issue, which created a conflict because he was serving as his initial investors’ security representative while also still leading the company. He says he agreed to stay on long enough to help prepare Audiam for a sale, but was terminated before that happened.
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Price declines to elaborate but says his parting with Audiam, like his departure from TuneCore, was “unpleasant,” and in 2021, SOCAN sold the company — ironically, to the MLC’s data management agent, the Harry Fox Agency, which is now owned by the Blackstone-owned SESAC Music Group. As for Audiam’s investors, sources say that a lawsuit filed on their behalf resulted in an undisclosed settlement in addition to the initial payout from the sale. (SOCAN declined to comment, as did Eric Baptiste, who led the PRO when it purchased Audiam.)
By then, Price had started Word Collections, which originally focused on comedy streams. He likened comedians’ jokes to song compositions that were deserving of publishing royalties. Up to then, most digital services had been paying record labels for comedic master recordings but not the underlying literary compositions. “That’s what Jeff does,” says ClearBox Rights founder and principal John Barker. “He recognizes when people aren’t getting paid, and he finds a solution.”
After the expiration of Price’s noncompete clause with Audiam, Word Collections expanded into music publishing administration, putting him in competition with his former company. And though TuneCore remains Price’s most successful startup, he claims Word Collections’ revenue now matches the publishing royalty volume collected by Audiam.
Price retains strong opinions on the MMA and gives no indication that he’s ready to ease up on the MLC, certainly as long as publisher market share could be used to disburse black-box monies. But he claims he has dialed back his combativeness on a number of industry issues because much of what he complained about has been corrected.
And in a number of ways, Price is no longer the outsider he claims to be. “It’s an interesting paradox for me,” he says. “We are directly licensed outside North America with the largest digital services in the world, which enables Word Collections to collect mechanical and performance royalties from streams. Wherever we can, we disintermediate the CMOs, the subpublishers and the black boxes in between songwriters and their money. For nondigital, we collect from 104 countries and are direct members in 40 of the music rights organizations in their countries through a joint venture with Nashville publishing administrator Bluewater Music,” he adds. “We work for some of the most important artists in the world and some of the biggest artist management companies and music companies in the world. I like being on the same side of the fence as them.”
Russ discovered TuneCore by accident: Nearly 15 years ago, he watched his close friend, the rapper Bugus, Google “How do I get my song on iTunes,” and it led him to the New York-based distribution, publishing and music licensing service. Today, Russ is the face of TuneCore — and a blueprint for independent artists looking to play in the big leagues.
“I was getting 20 cents a month [from my music] in 2011,” he recalls while sitting outside his Atlanta home. “TuneCore was a lifesaver… As streaming started to take over and my music started to gain more traction, TuneCore was paying the bills. It was how I was able to take care of my family when s–t went left.”
These days, the 32-year-old rapper is cashing six-figure checks every week from TuneCore — and he isn’t afraid to show off the impressive receipts on social media. “This is what it looks like when you own your music and you have an extensive catalog and you’re distributing it independently,” he boasts.
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While rap’s mainstream has never embraced Russ or bestowed him glossy awards and accolades, he has still managed to build a successful and lucrative career with a rabid fan base. And his numbers can’t be denied: According to the RIAA, the New Jersey-born rhymer passed 35 million units sold earlier this year. In 2022, he became the first solo rapper to perform at the pyramids of Giza.
“I think it’s a testament to having an extensive catalog and having a loyal audience, [and] the music being timeless,” he says. “I try to tell artists you don’t have to try to get a song that immediately takes off. I have damn near 500 songs out and I think three of them have.”
Russ, whose next project, W!LD, will drop June 27 (an accompanying headlining tour with Big Sean opening is planned), has bucked plenty of music industry conventions on his way to stardom. He believes in flooding the market and has often spent monthslong stretches releasing singles rather than stockpiling them for albums and their corresponding cycles.
“The reason I’m not a big believer in the traditional way of putting out music is because it puts too much pressure on you,” he explains of his singles-based strategy, even if he admits “the album is still God.”
“When you’re putting out a song a month, you move on pretty quickly,” he continues. “It’s good spiritually. Just put the s–t out and give yourself a chance to be discovered.”
When you think about your journey to selling 35 million units, what runs through your head?
Just build a catalog that your fans can live with over the course of time. I think that’s what my catalog has done. It’s songs about my life, and fans have incorporated them into their lives. Maybe it didn’t go platinum in the first year, but over time, people keep listening to the s–t.
What advice do you have for indie artists today?
Stay in the studio and perfect your craft. Stock up on as many great songs as possible, put them out consistently and detach from the results. The traditional way of putting out music puts too much pressure on you. If you do the whole “I take two years off and I come back with a 13-song album,” that shit better be it. You take two years off and you come back with 13 songs and it doesn’t even resonate, it’s like, “Now what?”
It’s crazy that 2017’s There’s Really a Wolf, the first of three albums you released while you were signed to Columbia, is the first platinum album to be completely written, mixed, mastered, recorded and arranged by one person. What does that represent for you?
It’s a constant reminder that I’m enough. No matter what, I know I can do all this s–t when it comes to the music-making process and reach the mountaintop. A platinum album is still the pinnacle of success, as far as a metric in the music business. Knowing I can sit in the studio, make all the beats, mix it, master it, write everything, put it out and it goes platinum is a big confidence boost. I know that the reason I have the fans I do is because of me and my taste. It’s a reminder that people f–k with me for me.
What can you tell us about your new album, W!LD?
It’s my favorite offering of music. It has my favorite elements of all my albums: the depth and introspection of Santiago, the sonic freedom and versatility of There’s Really a Wolf, the grit that Zoo has and the bars that Chomp has. It’s me at my best.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
I think in 10 years, I’m going to be primarily acting. I got a movie coming out [Don’t Move will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September]. I really love acting … it’s a different level of community I don’t get from music. [I don’t think I’ll be] touring nearly as much [but] still putting out music. It’s probably going to go to that traditional place where it’s like you don’t hear from me musically for two years and then I drop an album. Knowing me, I’ll just be putting out songs randomly and it will lead to an album.
This story appears in the June 7, 2025, issue of Billboard.
Time to drop the needle on the latest Executive Turntable, Billboard’s comprehensive(ish) compendium of promotions, hirings, exits and firings — and all things in between — across music.
Read on for (mostly) good news and also check out Billboard‘s annual list of top executives leading the live sector, plus our weekly interview series spotlighting a single c-suiter, our helpful calendar of notable events, and have you ever wanted to look at tchotchkes inside the office of an executive while reading their in-depth answers to the most important questions facing the biz? From the Desk Of is probably your jam.
Daniel Lang was elevated to senior vp of global society relations and digital rights at Warner Chappell Music, reporting to CEO Guy Moot. Based in London, Lang will manage relations with U.S. and international collection societies, focusing on optimizing digital income flow and ensuring timely payments to songwriters. He’ll also represent Warner Chappell in negotiations with DSPs including Spotify and YouTube, among others. Since joining Warner Chappell in 2017, Lang has held key digital licensing roles, strengthening relationships with partners and modernizing practices with collection societies. Promoted to vp in 2021, his efforts have improved payment processes for songwriters. WCM CEO Guy Moot praised Lang’s management of both digital licensing and society relations, adding, “It was an experiment to combine these remits and it paid off handsomely. I’m delighted that he’s agreed to take on this expanded global role as I know our writers will continue to benefit from his proactive, collaborative and inventive approach.”
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Mavin Global chief operating officer Tega Oghenejobo has added president to his title at the Nigerian record label, effective immediately. Oghenejobo, who joined Mavin in 2012, has been instrumental in Mavin’s rise as an African music powerhouse, fostering talent development — the label’s roster includes Rema, Tyra Starr and others — and securing strategic alliances, such as with Universal Music Group, which purchased a majority stake in the compny earlier this year. Under Oghenejobo’s guidance, Mavin’s international wins include Rema’s “Calm Down” remix with Selena Gomez, which became the first Afrobeats track to reach over a billion Spotify streams, while Ayra Starr’s album “The Year I Turned 21” made her the first Nigerian female artist to chart on the Billboard 200. As president and COO, Tega aims to elevate Mavin’s global reach and boost its roster. Mavin CEO Don Jazzy praised Tega’s leadership and is confident in his vision to propel the company further. “Tega has been a cornerstone of Mavin’s success since day one,” said Jazzy. “His leadership, vision, and deep industry insights have been vital in shaping the label’s growth. His promotion to President and COO is a testament to his remarkable achievements, and I am confident he will continue to lead Mavin to even greater heights.”
Warner Chappell Music Korea appointed Sophia Hong as managing director, effective immediately. Reporting to WCM APAC president Arica Ng, the Seoul-based Hong will lead the company’s South Korean music publishing operations, focusing on market presence and business growth. Her role includes developing strategic initiatives, leading teams and identifying growth opps. Hong brings experience from roles at companies like Kakao Corp, MTV, Nickelodeon and Sesame Workshop in both the U.S. and Asia. “Her unique insights, fresh perspective and curiosity about new approaches will enrich our work,” praised Ng. “We are committed to empowering songwriters and fostering collaboration, and with Sophia on board, we are well-positioned to create deeper connections with fans. We will collaborate closely to ensure that their voices are heard and their stories leave a lasting impact globally.”
Jayce Varden joined SongVest as chief strategy officer to spearhead the development of Songshares, a platform that enables fans to purchase fractional royalty shares in songs. Varden, who co-founded PledgeMusic and raised over $100 million through its crowdfunding campaigns, brings experience in fan engagement and artist support to the royalty investment platform. Additionally, Varden co-founded channl, a platform focused on audience engagement, and contributes as an advisor at Berklee Online. SongVest CEO Sean Peace praised Varden’s expertise in fan experiences and his alignment with the company’s mission to democratize music ownership. “Jayce’s pioneering work with PledgeMusic set a new standard for fan engagement, and his expertise in building unique fan experiences aligns perfectly with SongVest’s vision,” said Peace. “Together, we are taking the next step in democratizing music ownership for fans while empowering artists.”
TuneCore appointed Atticus Shelley as vice president of finance, reporting to chief financial and strategy officer Matt Barrington. Shelley will lead the company’s financial strategies, manage the finance team, boost efficiencies and will also provide financial insights to guide expansion efforts and other top-level decisions. Shelley brings extensive experience from roles at Hulu, Spotify, and Investi Financial Inc., where he recently served as executive director of finance. At Spotify, he was the founding director of the company’s financial planning and analysis team and was instrumental in the DSP’s rapid global expansion. In announcing the appointment, Barrington highlighted TuneCore’s focus on scaling its offerings and supporting independent artists, expressing confidence in Shelley’s leadership to drive financial operations and “act as a key partner to the business around our artist development and growth strategies.”
The Country Music Association‘s senior director of integrated marketing Michelle Kirk will transition to the CMA Foundation as senior director, effective Dec. 1. In the new role, Kirk will be instrumental in the strategic planning, program development, operational oversight and directing of the foundation’s inititatives. Kirk first joined the CMA in 2012 as strategic partnerships coordinator, and moving into a senior manager role before transitioning to WME as a brand partnerships agent in 2015. Kirk rejoined CMA in 2019 and was promoted to the senior director, integrated marketing role earlier this year. –Jessica Nicholson
Music industry veteran Latoya Lee joined Berklee as the director of industry and employer engagement. In the role, she’ll support students’ talent development and help them establish connections within the industry, promoting both creative and professional growth. Lee launched her industry career at Konvict Muzik/BuVision ENT, advancing from an assistant to an A&R executive. During a six-year run at Warner Music Group, where she rose to senior director of A&R, Lee contributed to Trey Songz albums, Flo Rida’s “GDFR” and the Furious 7 and Suicide Squad soundtracks. She also collaborated with Berklee grad Charlie Puth on his hit “See You Again” and signed Xenia Manasseh to a publishing deal. Later, as vp of creative at Atlas Music Publishing, Lee supported Grammy-winning projects, including Nas’s King’s Disease III.
Downtown Music‘s direct-to-creator division, CD Baby, promoted Nicholas Salomone to senior vp of business development and revenue, overseeing strategic partnerships and revenue growth across CD Baby and its services. He began his tenure at CD Baby in 2017 as senior content ID analyst, rising through the ranks to his more recent role as vice president of business developments and partnerships. Based in Seattle, Salomone reports to CD Baby president Molly Neuman, who said his “deep understanding of independent artists and their needs, along with his ability to foster strong relationships with our key revenue partners, make him the perfect leader for this role.” –J.N.
Leif Janzen joined Red Bull Records as vp of digital marketing, reporting to chief marketing officer Nikki Cox. In this role, Janzen will lead fan engagement and music discovery, focusing on platform development, partner management, paid media strategy and content creation for the label, home to Blxst, Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. and others. With over a decade of digital marketing experience, Janzen previously served as senior director of digital marketing at Capitol Music Group, working with artists like Aidan Bissett and Young Miko. He also held roles at Warner Music Group’s ADA, Victory Records, and worked as a talent buyer/media manager in Chicago.
Killphonic Rights strengthened its leadership team after securing funding from Stilwell Creative Capital. Industry veterans Syd Butler and Michelle Fantus join as co-heads of A&R. Butler, founder of Frenchkiss Records, has experience developing artists like Passion Pit, while Fantus brings over 18 years in senior A&R roles at Sony/ATV, Razor & Tie, Concord, and OneRPM, with recent work in creative partnerships at Spotify. Chelsea D’Amico becomes head of sync and creative licensing, adding a decade of experience from Mad Decent and Concord, where she worked with artists like Diplo. Michael Grubbs, previously head of A&R, shifts to head of creative, utilizing his background as an artist, producer, and composer. Jill Pedone, former head of sync, is now head of operations, leveraging her expertise from Lava Publishing and Sumerian Records and her longstanding collaboration with CEO Caleb Shreve.
Prodigy Artists promoted Eric Bindman to director of operations, supporting the LA-based music management firm’s growth and expansion. Previously a senior manager at Prodigy, Bindman has managed artists such as Audien, Elephante, Niiko x Swae, and Mattilo. With over 15 years of industry experience, he brings a multi-disciplinary background in artist management, touring, publishing, marketing and logistics. His prior work includes tour-managing acts like Deorro, Two Friends and Gareth Emery. Founded by Steven Haddad and Will Runzel, Prodigy Artists’ roster includes SLANDER, NGHTMRE, HEKLER, Wolfgang Gartner, and Bekon. Haddad and Runzel praised Bindman’s dedication and expertise since joining the company, calling him a “meticulous and skilled artist manager” who’ll “bring invaluable expertise to this next stage of growth.”
Better Noise Music unveiled key promotions and hires to enhance its artist development efforts. Jackie Kajzer has been promoted to senior vice president of radio promotion and artist development, recognized for discovering artists like Five Finger Death Punch. April Ginns is now tour marketing manager, responsible for strategic tour marketing plans. Victor Lang, promoted to managing director of Europe, will oversee BNM’s European initiatives. Finally, Frank Ehlers joined as senior label manager for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland (GSA), bringing 20 years of industry experience to support artist growth in the region. BNM president/COO Steve Kline and GM Paul Cormack highlighted the positive impact of these changes, emphasizing the value of Frank’s expertise and the expanded roles of Victor, Jackie, and April. This restructuring reflects BNM’s commitment to a growing roster, which includes From Ashes to Ashes, Bad Wolves and The Hu.
SeatGeek appointed Mike Shane as executive vp of enterprise partnerships to enhance its growth and innovation strategy. Shane brings over ten years of experience from roles with the Washington Nationals, Philadelphia Flyers, and Wells Fargo Center. Reporting to co-founder and president of supply Russ D’Souza, Shane will focus on expanding enterprise partnerships and advancing ticketing technology. D’Souza praised Shane’s industry insight and growth-driven innovation, highlighting his strong track record. “Mike has sat in the chair that our current and future clients are in, and knows the challenges they face as well as their ambitions,” he said.
ICYMI:
Boyd Muir
Universal Music Group’s CFO, Boyd Muir, shifted over to the newly created role of COO … EMPIRE hired Jeffrey Yoo as senior vp of East Asia … Over in Australia, Simone Schinkel stepped down as CEO of Music Victoria … UTA appointed Kirk Taboada, a veteran in the live Latin music scene, as an agent within its music division … Goldenvoice unleashed a new round of promotions within its talent buying group … and Dick Clark Productions appointed Diana Miller as evp of talent. [KEEP READING]
Last Week’s Turntable: TikTok Star Hooks Up With Jen
French music company Believe benefitted from “healthy” paid streaming growth as its third-quarter revenue grew 9.1% to 215 million euros ($197.6 million at the quarter’s average exchange rate), the Paris-based company announced Tuesday (Oct. 24).
The owner of distributor TuneCore and labels such as Groove Attack and Naïve said organic revenue growth of 7.5% would have been 15.4% without the impact of the currency translation within the digital royalties it receives from its digital partners. Paid streaming “remained strong,” the company stated in its earnings release, although revenue was not yet impacted by recent price increases “due to their deployment calendar in some markets.”
Revenue grew 25.9% to 66.9 million euros ($61.5 million) in Europe outside of Believe’s two single largest markets, France and Germany, accouting for 31.1% of total revenue. The company cited particularly strong growth in Southern Europe, Eastern Europe and Turkey. The addition of Liverpool-based Sentric, acquired from Utopia Music in March, helped revenue growth in the United Kingdom. Revenue was up only 0.7% in France, which accounted for 16% of total revenue, after growing more than 40% in the prior-year quarter. Revenue dropped 6.4% in Germany due to non-digital sales being down “strongly” as Believe moved away from contracts it believes were too weighted in physical sales and merchandise.
Revenue from Asia Pacific and Africa grew 6.6% to 55.8 million euros ($51.3 million) and accounted for 25.9% of total revenue. The company was helped by increased paid streaming penetration in the region but hurt by soft ad-supported streaming and a stronger euro against local currencies. Greater China was particularly strong, while Japan was aided by Believe’s roll-out of its Premium Solutions offering. The Americas accounted for 14.4% of Believe’s revenue and grew 8.4% in the quarter; Brazil and Mexico were particularly strong, the company said.
Believe is comprised of two segments, Premium Solutions and Automated Solutions. Premium Solutions revenue rose 10.1% to 202.9 million euros ($186.5 million). Automated Solutions, which includes TuneCore, dropped 4.5% to 12.1 million euros ($11.1 million) due to a stronger euro and a challenging comparable period influenced by TuneCore’s launch of unlimited pricing in July 2022.
Looking forward, Believe increased its forecast for adjusted earnings before taxes, interest and amortization margin from 5% at the mid-year mark to 5.5%. The company reiterated its guidance for full-year organic growth of 14%.
Although Believe’s growth slowed in the last two quarters, the company expects its organic growth rate — excluding foreign exchange impacts and the impacts of acquisitions — will recover in the fourth quarter “thanks to solid paid streaming trends enhanced by price increases by some large digital partners, a slight recovery in ad-funded streaming expected at the end of the quarter and additional market share gains,” it stated in the earnings release.
Next year’s revenue will get an additional boost from subscription services following up their recent price increases by further raising prices to 12 euros/$12 per month, said CEO Denis Ladegaillerie during Tuesday’s earnings call. “We definitely expect [price increases] to come. ‘When’ is the question. But it’s going to be 2024, no doubt.”
Total revenue increased 9.1% to 215 million euros ($197.6 million).
Digital sales rose 7.1% while non-digital sales rose 39.6% as reported (12.4% at constant currency and constant perimeter).
Digital sales accounted for 92% of revenue, the same as the prior-year quarter.
Premium Solutions revenue grew 10.1% to 202.9 million euros ($186.5 million).
Premium Solutions’ digital sales rose 16.8% and non-digital sales rose 11.2%.
Automated Solutions revenue dropped 4.5% to 12.1 million.
TV producer and recording industry executive Roey Hershkovitz was named vp of sound & picture at Universal Music Group (UMG), a newly-created position. In the role, Hershkovitz will lead visual content capture across UMG’s studios, develop new programming and build on the company’s immersive audio efforts. Alongside head of video services Joe McCrossan, he will also develop new strategies to build on the company’s multimedia services and capabilities available to record labels, artists and songwriters. In addition to his vp of sound & picture title, Hershkovitz will also serve as head of West Coast studios, where he will continue to oversee Capitol Studios and its ongoing renovation. He was also appointed to UMG’s audio leadership team to drive innovation and audio quality, including Dolby Atmos Music adoption across a broad array of consumer products. Now based out of Santa Monica, Hershkovitz will report to executive vp of digital studios Christopher Jenkins and senior vp of recording studios & archive management Pat Kraus. Prior to his promotion, Hershkovitz was vp of Capitol Studios & Digital Studios.
Rapper Papoose was named head of hip-hop at TuneCore, where he will lead the Believe-owned company’s artist ambassador program for hip-hop and rap, scouting emerging talents, overseeing artist education and career advice workshops and acting as a brand advisor for new programs and technology launches. He’ll report to CEO Andreea Gleeson. In addition to his new executive role, Papoose also announced the release of his new single, “Making Plays” featuring Jim Jones and Jaquae, which drops Feb. 10. He can be reached at papoose@tunecore.com.
Colton McGee was named senior vp of business and legal affairs at Concord Label Group. Based at the company’s Nashville headquarters, McGee will work with executive vp of business and legal affairs Gregg Goldman as a key member of the business and legal affairs team for Concord’s recorded music division. McGee previously spent 13 years at BBR Music Group in Nashville, handling business and legal affairs for both BBR and BMG (the latter since 2017). He can be reached at colton.mcgee@concord.com.
Warner Chappell Production Music (WCPM) will expand into Brazil with a new team based in São Paulo, headed by Renato Moraes. In his role, Moraes will lead a team focused on building out a local repertoire and work to expand the company’s footprint by servicing the region’s film, TV, radio and advertising clients with WCPM’s catalog. The team will also provide custom music services and work to broaden creative partnerships. Moraes will report to vp of licensing & music creative Sinéad Hartmann and work closely with director of strategic, commercial, film, synch and licensing Flávia Cesar. He joins the company from Music Branding Brazil, where he was head of recordings and publishing. Moraes can be reached at Renato.Moraes@warnerchappellpm.com.
Adam Gardiner was named senior vp of international synch at Concord Music Publishing; he joins the company from Universal Music Group’s creative division, Globe, where he served as head of film & TV. In his new role, Gardiner’s purview will include all music publishing synch activity outside the U.S., with the U.K., Germany and Australia synch teams reporting directly to him. He will also coordinate all of the company’s third-party synch activity. Based in London, he reports to president of international publishing John Minch.
Music scholar and musician Jason King was named dean of the USC Thornton School of Music, effective July 1. He currently serves as chair of the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at Tisch School of the Arts, New York University and also serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Popular Music Studies.
Joe Conyers III was named senior advisor to global growth investor Warburg Pincus in their technology group, specifically focusing his efforts on new investment opportunities in music and entertainment companies. Conyers was formerly executive vp and global head of NFT at Crypto.com and chief strategy officer of Downtown Music Holdings; he also co-founded Downtown subsidiary Songtrust. Conyers can be reached at jc@joeconyers.com and his website is joeconyers.com.
Erika Montes was named president at Rostrum Records, where she will lead the company’s growth strategy and oversee frontline label operations. Montes most recently led artist and label relations at SoundCloud, where she served as global vp. She reports to Rostrum founder Benjy Grinberg and can be reached at em@rostrumrecords.com.
Artist manager Andy Robinson and cross asset speculator Sean Stockdale launched Interstellar Music Services, a rights management company that “will primarily be made available to those qualifying artists and songwriters who wish to retain full control of their recordings and compositions,” according to a press release. The company will work to maximize the collection of royalties via a suite of services that includes digital distribution, sync and brand partnerships, metadata cleaning, neighboring rights, publishing administration, DSP repitching and detailed analysis and reporting. Joining Interstellar at launch are David Wille and Sarah Bargiela, who join as global head of sync and brand partnerships and head of copyright and royalties, respectively. Robinson formerly launched Interstellar Music and Interstellar Publishing, which informed the establishment of Interstellar Music Services; Stockdale has 13 years of experience in asset management, with a particular expertise in saber metrics. Wille most recently served as senior vp at Kobalt Music Publishing, while Bargiela was senior income tracking manager at BMG Rights Management.
Ru Ping Gan was named vp of digital, Asia Pacific at Warner Chappell Music, where she will oversee Warner Chappell Music Asia Pacific’s digital strategy and commercial operations while working closely with the global digital and WCM Asia leadership team to help shape international policies that support local songwriters. She will also be tasked with driving digital strategic planning initiatives. Gan, who was most recently vp of revenue and deal strategy, joined WCM Asia Pacific in 2013.
Butch Spyridon, longtime head of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp (NCVC) who has served as president and CEO since 2003, will retire from the organization on June 30, 2023, following 32 years as its top executive. He’ll be succeeded by current president Deana Ivey, who will be promoted to president and CEO effective July 1, 2023. On that date, Spyridon will transition into a role as a strategic consultant to the NCVC under a two-year contract that will see him recruiting major global events to the city, including the Rugby World Cup and, if an enclosed stadium is approved, the Super Bowl.
Patra Sinner was named general counsel at Symphonic Distribution, where she will advise the company’s senior management team on both internal and external legal needs and manage and negotiate partner contracts including DSPs, industry organizations and contractors, as well as record labels, ambassadors and artists. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Sinner has been in private practice for nearly 20 years and is also the co-founder of Nashville-based artist management, distribution and label services company Vista 22. She can be reached at patra@symdistro.com.
Meike Nolte was appointed business development manager for b:electronic, the dance & electronic division of Believe. Reporting to b:electronic global director Leigh Morgan, Nolte will be tasked with defining and executing the sourcing and acquisitions strategy for labels and artists within the electronic division. She most recently led Beatport’s artist services department.
Dave Felipe was named director of publicity at Zach Farnum‘s 117 Entertainment, where he will oversee all publicity initiatives for 117’s roster. He was most recently public relations manager for the Mechanical Licensing Collective (the MLC). Felipe can be reached at Dave@117group.com.
Ra-Fael Blanco was promoted to senior vp of media relations & communications for Universal/Virgin Music’s SRG-ILS Group; he was previously vp of media relations. Blanco will continue overseeing PR and media efforts for SRG-ILS clients including Chaka Khan, Brian McKnight and Erica Campbell, among others. He reports to general manager Michael Cusanelli and founder/CEO Claude Villani. Blanco can be reached at Ra-Fael@2rsentandmediapr.com.
Austin-based publicist Trey Hicks launched his own PR agency, Painting Pictures. Joining Hicks in the new venture is Allison Winkler. Hicks previously worked as an account director at Giant Noise and founded Trey Hicks PR. He can be reached at trey@paintingpictures.co.
Lauren Branson joined River House Artists as vp of publicity, where she will develop and execute PR strategies for the company’s roster. She reports to founder and CEO Lynn Oliver-Cline and vp and gm Zebb Luster. Branson joins from BMI, where she served as senior director of media relations for eight years. She can be reached at lauren@riverhouseartists.com.
Amber Morris was hired as global account director – TikTok at Songtradr. In the role, Morris will build and maintain the company’s relationship with TikTok, working with their team to expand the video-sharing platform’s partnership with Songtradr.
TuneCore and Sentric Music Group have renewed and expanded their long-term partnership. The refreshed deal will allow TuneCore’s DIY musicians to use Sentric’s technology and direct global collection network to increase revenue opportunities. The original partnership was formed in 2018, allowing TuneCore artists to submit unlimited songs for a one-time $75 set-up fee and 15% commission with the option for synch services as well.
Big Machine Music — a subsidiary of HYBE America — has signed Troy Cartwright to an exclusive co-publishing deal. Last year, the Texas-born artist was named On the Horizon Artist by SiriusXM channel The Highway. As a songwriter, he has already written with Ryan Hurd, Josh Abbott Band, Nickelback and more.
Warner Chappell Music has signed an agreement with Truth or Dare Publishing to co-develop select artists from the Truth or Dare Management Projects roster. Led by Missi Gallimore, Truth or Dare Publishing’s client list features KK Johnson of Track 45, Ben Roberts of Carolina Story, Mary Gauthier, Abbey Cone and Sam Williams (grandson of Hank Williams).
Bucks Music Group has signed New Zealand-born Molly Payton to an exclusive publishing deal in the U.K. and Europe. She remains signed to Mushroom Music Publishing, which has a longstanding relationship with Bucks, for the rest of the world.
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