business
Russ Millions and Tion Wayne Bag Historic Chart Title In Australia With ‘Body’
Meanwhile, U.S. rapper J. Cole earns a Top 20 debut with “i n t e r l u d e” (Interscope/Universal), lifted from his sixth album, The Off-Season. It’s new at No. 20 on the ARIA Singles Chart, and is Cole’s first appearance on the survey since “Middle Child” peaked at No. 15 in February 2019. Also new to the chart this week is Pink’s “All I Know So Far” (RCA/Sony), which drops in at No. 25 for the U.S. pop star’s second chart entry for 2021, following “Cover Me In Sunshine” (No. 6 in March). “All I Know So Far” is the title track from her upcoming live documentary, due out May 21 on Amazon Prime. U.S. rapper Trippie Redd bags his first entry on the ARIA Chart with “Miss The Rage” (Universal), new at No. 31; while returning British rock outfit Coldplay make their first appearance...
How Does Chopra Global’s Devi Brown Stay Mindful?
My life first took me into entertainment. I started working in radio and doing some TV, and kind of on the L.A. music scene when I was 18. But the deeper desire there was always the storytelling and it was always my curiosity. I don’t consider myself in the music industry now. I actually don’t even listen to anything with the exception of Soulection Radio, which I think is one of God’s greatest gifts. Back then, I had a lot of access to celebrity but the root of my work was always in deep curiosity about people’s journeys. I interviewed Kendrick [Lamar] maybe like a decade ago, and in that interview I asked him about depression and mental health – that was the word that we were using. I was getting responses from listeners about how much that helped them. I also rem...
Nigerian farmers raise alarm as insecurity threatens food availability
Some concerned parties in the agriculture sector have appealed to the federal government to intensify efforts in curbing banditry, kidnapping and terrorism, as these can threaten food security. The parties made the appeal in separate interviews with newsmen on Friday in Abuja. They noted that the recent increase in kidnapping and banditry had made a lot of farmers run from their farmlands in search of safe hideouts. The Executive Secretary, National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA), Paul Ikonne, said there was a need to urgently address the insecurity challenges in the country in order to overcome the challenge of food shortage. Ikonne noted that dialogue remained critical in addressing issues of insecurity and herders, adding that a peaceful dialogue between farmers and her...
Influence Media Buys Stake in Julia Michaels’ Song Catalog
Also included are Michaels’ publishing stakes in several of her songs as a solo artist, including “Issues,” “I Miss You” (with Clean Bandit), “Carry Me” (with Kygo) and “Friends” (with Justin Bieber and BloodPop). Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The Michaels acquisition is the second from Influence Media’s music fund with the Municipal Employees’ Retirement System (MERS of Michigan), which boasts $100 million in initial capital to invest in the recording and publishing rights of commercially proven songs. Its first joint acquisition, of select copyrights from songwriter Ali Tamposi’s catalog, was announced in April. “Like Carole King, Sia and Bruno Mars before her, Julia Michaels belongs in the pantheon of great songwriters who can write classics for themselves as well as o...
Kara DioGuardi’s New Singing Competition Puts Mental Health in Focus
“Some of the greatest songs out there were born of our artists’ struggles,” DioGuardi tells Billboard. “So as an industry, I think it’s really important that we look forward [to] helping our artists with their mental health and their wellness — that that becomes something that is on the forefront of all of these record companies’ minds when they’re signing talent today.” Sing It Forward’s eight semi-finalists (Jay Alan, Conor, Sydney Sherwood, Cameron Lane, Alexander Hensley, Jessa Pontier, Govan and Janie) were chosen from around 1,000 entrants who posted an original or cover song to YouTube, TikTok or Instagram with the hashtag #SingItForwardChallenge while explaining why the song was important to them. The winner will receive a raft of prizes, including a s...
Vivendi Sets Date for Universal Music Group Spinoff
Shares of Universal Music Group will begin trading on the Amsterdam Euronext market “before or by” Sept. 27, parent company Vivendi revealed on Wednesday (May 12). Vivendi’s proposal for the UMG share distribution will be put to a vote at the company’s shareholders’ meeting on June 22. Vivendi’s largest institutional shareholders “have been calling for the split or distribution” of UMG to better reflect the fast-appreciating value of its music division, according to Wednesday’s report. Vivendi’s own valuation suggests UMG is being grossly undervalued: on Wednesday, Vivendi’s market value on Wednesday was 32.4 billion euros ($39.11 billion), slightly below Vivendi’s estimate of 33 billion euros ($39.84 billion) for UMG — even though UMG accounted for 45.8% of Vivendi’s first-quarter revenue...
Event & Arena Marketing Conference Sets Finalists for First Impact Award
Director of marketing for KLOS-FM Wendy Ellis was nominated for the Impact Award for the creation of meal distribution service California Love Drop. Ellis teamed up with Wahoo’s Fish Tacos co-founder Wing Lam and Blue-C co-founder Eric Morley to deliver nearly 20,000 meals at 61 different locations since April 2020. Another Macon Centreplex nominee, Peyton Jeter stood out among the Impact Award submissions for her pivotal role in the creation of the venue’s Racial Reform and Inclusion Committee. The hard work of the Committee became a standard that Spectra Venue Management rolled out to the entire Management portfolio and led Peyton to be a Regional Champion where other venues can use her as a resource to get their venue’s committee up and ...
VP Osinbajo: Nigerian government democratising broadband connectivity
It’s the first in sub-Saharan Africa and one of the three such cutting-edge facilities on the continent, with top prime global certifications for smart card manufacturing and it is based in Lagos, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, relished yesterday afternoon while touring SecureID company’s premises, and affirmed Nigeria’s extremely bright economic future, which he said cannot be aborted despite current challenges. According to him, “the economic future of our nation is extremely bright. Yes, we have challenges today and they may look daunting. But let me assure you that these issues will be resolved. The march of this nation to its manifest destiny as Africa’s leading economic power will not be aborted. We are more than able to overcome.” An impressed Prof. Osinbajo said the Buhari Admi...
Recording Academy Job Listing Calls for New CEO to Continue Diversity Efforts & ‘Leverage Technology’
The position will have seven direct reports, including the chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer, a new position filled by Valeisha Butterfield Jones last April. The broad job description does not include a specific mandate that the new CEO has led a large team before, only that the candidate has “a track record of leading through change and driving innovation,” as well as experience in developing revenue streams, and understanding the needs of helming a membership-driven organization. The position reports and “partner[s] closely” with the board of trustees. Much of the description calls for someone who is a big ideas person, using such terms as a “critical thinker” and “culture shaper,” with a “track record and experience holding themselves and team members accountable to evolving...
Here’s How ‘Fearless (Taylor’s Version)’ Performed in Its Fourth Week Compared to Taylor Swift’s Original ‘Fearless’
Taylor Swift released Fearless (Taylor’s Version), her re-recording of her best-selling 2008 sophomore album, a little over a month ago, and scored a No. 1 debut on the Billboard 200 chart. In the month since its release, we’ve been keeping track of how the unprecedented chart-topper — the first re-recorded version of another album to reach the peak of the Billboard 200 — has performed as compared to the original Fearless, in terms of weekly listenership. In its fourth week on the Billboard 200, Fearless (Taylor’s Version) slips out of the top 10, coming in at No. 15 after posting at No. 9 on last week’s tally. The re-recorded Fearless earned 24,000 equivalent album units for the chart week dated May 15, according to MRC Data, down from 33,000 equivalent album units in the prev...
UMG Hires Former eBay Exec Richelle Parham to Lead Global D2C Efforts
Parham’s appointment is considered significant in several ways. As the ex-CMO of eBay, she has a deep knowledge of the platforms and methods that are facilitating online sales. In recent years, she has worked with private equity firms investing in e-commerce start-ups. Parham joins UMG from WestRiver Group, where she was managing director, leading investments in the consumer experience economy, and she has served on the board of Best Buy, e.l.f. Beauty, LabCorp and, until recently, Scripps Network Interactive. UMG possesses “an incredibly talented leadership team, a global footprint, iconic labels and publishing company, as well as other music businesses,” she explains in a statement. “Together these elements form an unparalleled opportunity for a consumer-demand-driven e...
Halsey Is Songwriter of the Year at 2021 BMI Pop Awards
BMI also honored the songwriters, publishers and administrators of the 50 most-performed pop songs of the previous year. This year’s class of recipients included a record 59 first-time Pop Award winners such as BENEE, Edgar Barrera, Doja Cat, Trevor Daniel, Metro Boomin, Noah Cyrus, Roddy Ricch, SAINt JHN, JP Saxe and more. “It is an honor and a privilege to represent some of the best pop music creators in the world,” said Barbara Cane, vice president, worldwide creative. “Their songs are groundbreaking, dynamic and inspiring, and we celebrate their dedication to craft, discipline and success.” The winners of the 69th annual BMI Pop Awards were announced Monday (May 10) in an online celebration and on BMI’s social channels. Fans can view the complete list of winners, listen to their music,...
