business
Carrie Underwood Lands Fifth No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales Chart With ‘My Savior’
Of My Savior’s debut sales of 68,000, physical album sales comprise 43,000 of that figure (all in CDs) while digital album sales comprise 25,000. The CD was a strong performer with Internet and mail-order sellers (like Amazon) and mass merchants (Target, Walmart, etc.). Unlike a number of albums that have posted sturdy debut-week sales figures in recent times, My Savior’s first-week did not benefit from the availability of a vinyl LP. Instead, its vinyl edition will be released on April 30. My Savior also debuts at No. 1 on the Top Christian Albums and Top Country Albums chart, and at No. 4 on the all-genre Billboard 200. It’s her second No. 1 on Top Christian Albums, following last year’s My Gift (her first Christmas record) and her ninth consecutive leader on Top Country Albums (the enti...
IMPALA Unveils Sustainability Program for Europe’s Independent Music Sector
One specific initiative under the program will be the development of the first carbon-accounting tool specific to recorded music, covering both the supply chain and label activities. Collective offset investment options for IMPALA members will also be considered. Last month, IMPALA made one of its first strides in meeting the climate charter’s targets by asking streaming services to help assess and reduce the carbon footprint of digital music, which was unveiled as part of a comprehensive ten-step streaming plan. Among other things, the plan asks DSPs to help reduce artists’ reliance on touring by creating “new initiatives and products” to increase their earnings in the streaming space. In addition to Weidenmüller, the task force which developed the sustainability package includes Ali...
Kesha Seizes on New Free Speech Law for Counterattack Against Dr. Luke
But as the case creeps along, now towards a trial date that’s expected to come this autumn, the ground beneath the parties’ feet has shifted. Last year, inspired by individuals like Donald Trump and Harvey Weinstein, New York passed a law intended to protect free speech from frivolous lawsuits. The anti-SLAPP legislation has many components, and it may be working as libel defendants are on a massive winning streak. Now, Kesha — advised by O’Melveny’s Daniel Petrocelli and Leah Godesky — is hoping to use the anti-SLAPP’s law’s allowance for a counterclaim to pursue compensatory and punitive damages plus attorneys’ fees and costs that she has incurred over seven long years defending what Kesha’s legal team believes to be a meritless defamation suit. ...
This Consultant Wanted Countries to Invest in Music. So He Took His Case to the U.N.
Shapiro was especially perplexed by the absence of music in discussions around the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a collection of 17 intertwined objectives to tackle such systemic issues as poverty, gender inequality, climate change and lack of access to quality education included in the U.N.’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (adopted by all U.N. member states in 2015). “In most countries, governments choose how they’re going to spend money based on SDG targets and indicators,” says Shapiro. “So the way to get music projects embedded into government policy is to embed it into SDG policy.” Unfortunately, he found there was “no framework to engage with music” at the U.N. Shapiro’s first significant stab at rectifying the i...
Danny Wimmer Presents Launches BrandMark, With Maureen Valker-Barlow at Helm
Danny Wimmer Presents has spun off its sponsorship and branding department into BrandMark Agency, a wholly owned standalone business run by DWP’s evp Maureen Valker-Barlow who will now serve as president of BrandMark. Valker-Barlow joined DWP in 2019 after holding various sales roles at record labels and at agencies with clients that include Anheuser-Busch, BMG, Bushmills Irish Whiskey, Cantu Beauty, Jack Daniel’s, KAMP (K-Pop Festival), Kona Brewing Co., Manic Panic, Proof Media Mix, Rockstar Energy Drink, Shelter Music Group and Zenni Optics, among others. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautiful people, chat and make money in the process. Earn rewards by cha...
Maureen Esisi: Leaving my marriage was my best decision ever
Maureen Esisi, ex-wife to popular Nollywood actor, Blossom Chukwujekwu, says she once contemplated suicidal thoughts after her divorce. Maureen talked about her failed marriage to the Nollywood actor in a monologue on her Youtube page. According to her, although it was not easy leaving the 2-year-old marriage, it “was the best decision ever.” “Let’s look back two years ago when I left my marriage. I left my marriage penniless broken and penniless. I can remember it like it was yesterday. I have no money in my account. My business had suffered so much,” she disclosed. “And I was broken. I had a friend who felt it in her heart to be there for me. I love her to bits. I moved out of my then home and moved into this place that you all love today. “It wasn’t easy, I swear. For the first time in ...
Demi Lovato’s ‘Dancing With The Devil’ Shuffling to Strong U.K. Chart Debut
Also new on the midweek chart is Dry Cleaning, the South London post-punk outfit whose debut LP New Long Leg (4AD) opens at No. 3. The late, great David Bowie could nab a 35th Top 10 as The Kit Kat Klub (Live New York 99) (Parlophone) bows at No. 6 on the chart blast, just ahead of The Fratellis‘ sixth album Half Drunk Under a Full Moon (Cooking Vinyl), at No. 7. Half Drunk could give the Scottish rockers’ a fourth Top 10. Finally, U.S. rapper Lil Tjay has the most-streamed album of the week with Destined 2 Win (Columbia). It’s new at No. 9 on the Official Chart Update. Over on the midweek singles survey, Lil Nas X has the upper hand with “Montero” (Call Me By Your Name) (Lil Nas X). “Montero” leads the Official U.K. Singles Chart Update, ahead of Nathan Evans’ “Wellerman” (Pol...
Adam Leber Launches New Management Company, Rebel, With Live Nation
Leber manages Miley Cyrus, Lil Nas X and Labrinth, among others. Adam Leber, the longtime manager for Miley Cyrus, Lil Nas X, Labrinth and more, is launching a new management company in conjunction with Live Nation, he announced today (April 5). The new company will be called Rebel, which is Leber’s name spelled backwards, and he will retain his clients for worldwide representation. Leber was most recently a partner at management conglomerate Maverick, which he co-founded in 2014 alongside other music management heavyweights Clarence Spalding, Larry Rudolph, Guy Oseary, Gee Roberson, Scott Rodger, Cortez Bryant, Ron Laffitte and Caron Veazey. With the formation of his new company, Leber will be leaving Maverick. “This is a new chapter for me,” Leber said in a statement. “It’s e...
4 Black Artists to Perform on 2021 ACM Awards: Here’s the Full Lineup
As previously reported, a record four Black artists were nominated for ACM Awards this year — Guyton and Brown as well as two artists who were are not on the ACM’s “full superstar performance lineup” — Jimmie Allen and John Legend. The other performers set to appear on the show are Kelsea Ballerini, Dierks Bentley, Lee Brice, Brothers Osborne, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, Luke Combs, Dan + Shay, Ryan Hurd, Jack Ingram, Alan Jackson, Elle King, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Ashley McBryde, Maren Morris, Carly Pearce, Jon Randall, Thomas Rhett, Blake Shelton, Chris Stapleton, Urban, Underwood and Chris Young. Notably absent from the performer lineup — though of course it’s not a surprise — is Morgan Wallen, whose Dangerous: The Double Album spent ...
NMPA and RIAA Chiefs: Music Creators and Fans Deserve Better From Twitter (Guest Op-Ed)
Record companies and music publishers want this partnership to work and are proud to help power Twitter’s success. We recognize artists and songwriters benefit greatly from being able to talk to their fans, share their work, and generate excitement and interest in great music in this way. However, the viral immediacy and global reach of the Twitter platform presents a double-edged sword – one that cuts especially deep for artists, songwriters, and music rightsholders who see their work leaked, copied, distributed, and monetized on the platform with almost no recourse. Last year music creators sent more than 2 million notices to Twitter of unlicensed and infringing appearances of copyrighted music on the platform – more than 200,000 of which dealt with the especially harmful presence of not...
Got NFT Ideas? Guy Oseary, Ashton Kutcher, Mark Cuban and Snoop Dogg Are All Ears
“Someone might have a little bit of financing. They may have a deck. They may have an idea scribbled on a napkin. In order to support the ecosystem, it’s not just going to the top,” he notes. “You’ve got to support the little guys, too.” Without giving specifics, Oseary says he has already invested in “a lot of the greatest NFT platforms on the marketplace.” Applications are open from Monday (April 5) to April 12. Finalists will be notified on April 16. Then on April 21, 30 finalists will join the judges for virtual pitch sessions. Some number of winners will share a pot of about $1 million; the size of investments and terms given will vary. NFTs are “non-fungible” tokens — unique, unlike a cryptocurrency or fi...
Lil Nas X Rules U.K. Singles Chart With ‘Montero’
Meanwhile, last week’s best-seller, Nathan Evans’ “Wellerman” (Polydor), dips 2-1, while ATB, Topic & A7S’s “Your Love (9pm)” (Positiva) completes a 10-week climb into the Top 10, up 12-8. Also reaching the Top 10 for the first time is Tom Grennan “Little Bit Of Love” (Insanity), lifting 13-10. Not far behind is Grennan’s collaboration with Ella Henderson, “Let’s Go Home Together,” up 19-13. Over on the Official U.K. Albums Chart, the silverware this week belongs to Ben Howard, whose Collections From The Whiteout (Island) opens at No. 1. It’s the British singer and songwriter’s second No. 1 album, following 2014’s I Forget Where We Were. His other studio collections Every Kingdom (2011) and Noonday Dream (2018) both peaked at No. 4. One full year after its release, Dua Lipa’s Futu...
