bbpro
Music Discovery Is Entering New Age, With Streaming at the Helm (Guest Column)
MusicWatch’s latest project on music discovery surveyed 1000 music listeners in the US, covering their music listening habits and topics around the discovery experience. For generations, radio, retail and recommendations drove music discovery. These “3 R’s” helped to create awareness of new music; curated by DJ’s, record store staff and our closest friends. By the late aughts the discovery scene began to shift, with digital downloads and nascent streaming models taking a greater role, CD sales waning, and increasing emphasis on re-discovery of catalog music. Fifteen years ago MusicWatch collaborated with MusicBiz (then NARM) on a comprehensive study devoted to understanding music discovery. Broadcast radio was the top source of music discovery. We implored ret...
Deborah Dugan’s Arbitration Could Be Delayed If Recording Academy Successfully Opposes Open Hearing
“We acknowledge your request for ‘transparency and accountability’ as set forth in your January 29, 2020 letter to the Executive Committee, and we wholeheartedly agree with your proposal to have the dispute between you and the Academy heard publicly — so that the ‘public and the music industry’ can hear what happened between you and the Academy,” wrote Mason to Dugan. “In short, we welcome a full public airing of your allegations against the Academy as well as the Academy’s many claims and defenses against you,” Mason was named the official president/CEO of the academy on May 13, following a protracted search. Now, the academy’s attorney, Anthony Oncidi of Proskauer Rose, has written the arbitrator, Sara Adler, asking that the hearing be private, according to the New York Times,...
Marc Geiger’s SaveLive Hires Nadia Prescher With Madison House, NITO
“I’m joining Marc to build out his vision of the SaveLive network to support independent music venues,” Prescher tells Billboard. “Over the last 25 years as an agent, I’ve worked closely with the independent community, and more so since the pandemic with the National Independent Talent Organization. Marc and I agree indie venues should have a safe guarded opportunity to grow their businesses.” Prescher, who is a co-founder and vp of the National Independent Talent Organization, added, “We believe indies should have the options of a national network, without having to give up or alter their unique local brand or independent spirit. Our backgrounds will make sure the plan is very agent-friendly and artist-friendly, working across all genres.” On a personal...
Live Nation to Book New 6,000-Capacity Los Angeles Venue
The NFL’s Los Angeles Rams are getting new neighbors. Adjacent to the football team’s SoFi stadium will be the new Performance Venue at Hollywood Park. Hollywood Park, a nearly 300-acre sports and entertainment destination, and Live Nation have partnered in an exclusive multi-year booking agreement for its brand new 6,000-seat performance venue in Inglewood, California. The mixed-use area is being developed by Angeles Rams owner and chairman Stan Kroenke and will be adjacent to American Airlines Plaza. “The Performance Venue at Hollywood Park is a sophisticated, intimate venue that will host a wide range of world-class events, including celebrated musicians, immersive entertainment, and close-knit community gatherings,...
MusiCares Unveils Final, $2M Round of COVID-19 Relief Funding
The Recording Academy and MusiCares — its charitable arm providing health, financial, and rehabilitation resources to music workers in times of need — each made a $1 million base donation to kick off the fund last March. By one month later in April 2020, funds had been depleted. Now, the fund is once again open to music professionals who have had at least three years of employment in the music industry, or six commercially released recordings or videos. Anyone who has already received assistance from the fund is eligible to apply again. Once the final funds are distributed, MusiCares says it will continue to support the music community through “existing and new mental health and hardship grant programs and virtual support groups, among other programs.” MusiCar...
The Players Behind Rauw Alejandro’s ‘Todo de Ti’: See the Full Credits
Artists:Main Artist – Rauw Alejandro Songwriters:Composer Lyricist – Eric “Duars” Pérez RoviraComposer Lyricist – José M. Collazo “Colla”Composer Lyricist – Luis J. González “Mr. NaisGai”Composer Lyricist – Rafael E. Pabón Navedo “Rafa Pabon”Composer Lyricist – Raul Alejandro Ocasio Ruiz “Rauw Alejandro”Performance Arranger – Carlos Orlando Navarro Producers:Executive Producer – Eric “Duars” Pérez RoviraProducer – Luis J. González “Mr. NaisGai”Producer – Raúl A. Ocasio “El Zorro” Engineers:Mastering Engineer – Sensei SoundMixing Engineer – José M. Collazo “Colla”Recording Engineer &#...
Sony Music Will Start Paying Royalties to Legacy Acts That Still Owe the Label Money
The letter states that Artists Forward will focus on “prioritizing transparency with creators in all aspects of their development.” It continues, “Through this program, we are not modifying existing contracts, but choosing to pay through on existing unrecouped balances to increase the ability of those who qualify to receive more money from uses of their music.” Qualifying artists and participants will be notified in the coming weeks. As a result of the new policy, these legacy acts can now use financial services available through Sony Music’s artist portal. These include a new real-time advance feature that allows artists to receive instant advances on projected future earnings. (The feature is currently available in the U.S. and UK, and will be rolled ou...
Executive Turntable: Atlantic Names EVP Black Music Promotion, WFUV Hires Rita Houston Successor
“Kevin literally grew up at this company,” said Atlantic chairman & COO Julie Greenwald in a statement. “From day one, he’s been a passionate advocate for our artists, who love him and his relentless devotion to their music and their long-term careers. Kevin’s played a pivotal role in taking our prominence in Black Music to new heights, and I’m thrilled to be able to announce this richly deserved promotion for one of our own.” “Kevin is one of the most accomplished and respected promo execs in the industry,” added Kyser. “He’s worked tirelessly to break countless records, and he’s earned the admiration of the entire Black radio community for his honesty and dedication. I know he’ll be an outstanding leader for our promo team, and we’re all looking forward to the great work he’ll be doi...
European Commission Guidance Muddies the Waters for EU Copyright Directive
They include the requirement for platforms that rely on user-generated content — such as YouTube, TikTok or Facebook — to obtain “fair remuneration” license deals with rights holders and to make “best efforts” to remove unlicensed content and, most importantly, ensure that it stays down. But the document also introduces exceptions that music execs say streaming platforms could use to try and avoid liability for hosting unlicensed content — potentially replacing one safe harbor with another. “The guidance risks creating uncertainty and ambiguity by going beyond the scope of the directive,” says European authors group GESAC, which represents the rights of more than one million musicians, creators and rights holders. GESAC notes that while the guidanc...
Music Publishing Revenue Topped $4B in 2020, Says NMPA
The U.S. music publishing industry registered a 9.6% revenue increase to $4.077 billion in 2020, up from $3.72 billion in 2019, according to the NMPA presentation. Surprisingly, within that, performance collections grew 7.92% to $2.1 billion from $1.945 billion in 2019. Both growth percentages were slightly down from the increases posted in between 2019 and 2018 when total revenue was up 12.7% from $3.3 billion in 2018; and within that performance was up 8.1% from $1.8 billion in the year earlier period. Consequently, Israelite pointed out that the pandemic will likely continue to be a drag upon growth. “Even though the world felt the effects of COVID back in March of 2020, because of the delayed nature of much of the revenue streams for the publishing industry, there was a later imp...
Ari Emanuel Leaves Live Nation Board After Stocks Vest, Taking Endeavor Public
But his timing exiting Live Nation makes sense for another reason: Documents obtained by Billboard suggest Emanuel was waiting until June 3 for the vesting of his final stock award of 4,470 shares issued June 2020 worth nearly $400,000. In a Live Nation SEC filing announcing Emanuel’s exit, the company said he “withdrew from reelection to the board of directors and will not be standing for reelection at the Company’s annual meeting of stockholders” on June 10. Live Nation officials note that the split was amicable and “not the result of any disagreement.” Emanuel has enjoyed a long relationship with Live Nation chief executive and president Michael Rapino. Endeavor’s talent agency, WME, is one of the world’s largest music agencies and has booked the company’s clients across Live Nati...
How New Zealand’s Six60 Became the World’s Biggest Live Act This Year
Eden Park capped a string of major open-air shows in New Zealand, Six60’s second lap in support of their 2019 self-titled album. The band grossed $13.7 million and sold 168,761 tickets across seven shows in New Zealand in 2021, according to Billboard Boxscore. (Six60 played to another 10,000 fans at Cardrona Valley in Wanaka on Jan. 1; The pre-bought tickets were not included in official box office reports.) Having conquered their homeland, Six60 are now planning to take their touring juggernaut to audiences in Australia, the U.K. and Europe. “Every month we have a sit-down and try to figure out how to do something really big, to make a difference,” frontman Walters tells Billboard. “We’re continually trying to challenge ourselves.” A travel “bubble” connecting the lands Down Under op...
