business
Warner Music CEO Stephen Cooper Discusses the ‘New Era in Music Entertainment’
“Music has gone way beyond singles, albums and videos,” he said during Goldman Sachs’ Communacopia conference, touching on TikTok, gaming, streaming expansion and more. Warner Music Group (WMG) CEO Stephen Cooper discussed the now publicly-traded company’s streaming-fueled growth and future outlook during Goldman Sachs’ virtual Communacopia conference Thursday, envisioning that music’s continued application to social media, fitness, TV and film and other businesses will ring in a “new era in music entertainment.” “Music has gone way beyond singles, albums and videos,” he said. “Subscription streaming is just the beginning.” Specifically, the executive pointed to Peloton, TikTok and video games (including in-game p...
Thomas Coesfeld to Succeed BMG’s Maximilian Dressendörfer as CFO
Thomas Coesfeld has been named deputy chief financial officer at BMG, effective Oct. 15. He will assume the role of CFO on April 1, 2021, succeeding Maximilian Dressendörfer, who is taking on new responsibilities at the company. Since June 2019, Coesfeld has served as chief strategy officer on the executive committee of the Bertelsmann Printing Group, a division of BMG’s parent company Bertelsmann. He also serves as CSO at Mohn Media. In his new role, he will report to BMG CEO Hartwig Masuch and Bertelsmann CFO Bernd Hirsch. Coesfeld began his career in 2014 as a management consultant at McKinsey in Munich, Germany, where he gained experience in sales and strategy with a focus on the insurance, logistics, and automotive industries. He joined Bertelsmann at the top of 2016 and spent a year ...
The Long-Awaited Return of Cam — And Why She Took Her Time
Country singer Cam’s boundary-pushing new album will finally arrive this fall — and on a new label. Two years ago, Cam was at a crossroads in her career. In the spring of 2018, she embarked on the Listening Room Tour, a series of intimate club dates that featured stripped-down arrangements and the kind of real talk that goes down between friends over a bottle of wine. But at the same time, the relationship with her Nashville label was strained, and close to ending. Instead of letting that cast a shadow over her performances, it sparked something inside of her — and having a direct line to her audience was added fuel. “I remember being so fucking spicy,” she says now. “I was like, ‘Fuck it!’ I laughed so hard, and people had such a good time. I was like, ‘This is why I’m here, not the other...
Inside Amazon’s Big Push in Latin Music: Exclusive
The online retail giant launches its first major Latin music brand. Amazon Music is placing a new big focus on Latin music with the launch of “Amazon Music LAT!N,” a Latin music brand with a broad umbrella that includes over 100 new and revamped playlists, an emerging artist program, merchandise, video and multiple catalog programs among many other initiatives. Using the tagline “La Musica que nos conecta” (The music that connects us) — a reference to the fact that Latins come from many countries and cultures but are connected by music and language — the LAT!N hub, which includes music in Spanish and Portuguese, will live within Amazon at amazon.com/latinmusic. It seeks to establish Amazon as a major player in Latin music streaming and content, as well as retail. “T...
Complex Names Maurice Peebles New Editor-In-Chief
Complex Networks has named a new editor-in-chief to oversee its news and video operations: Maurice Peebles, who will take over the job beginning Oct. 5. Peebles, who most recently was digital editor-in-chief at SportsNet New York for two years, replaces Damien Scott, who left Complex in April, according to the company. Peebles is returning to the company where he started as a digital intern in 2006, and eventually became the deputy editor of its sports vertical for two years. He also spent time working at Bleacher Report, Barstool Sports and The Ladders. “We are excited for Maurice to rejoin Complex at such a pivotal and culture-shifting time not only for our company but also for media in general,” Complex general manager Donnie Kwak, to whom Peebles will report, said in a stat...
How Maria Schneider Is Using Her Jazz Orchestra to Take On Big Tech
The composer and bandleader — a Grammy favorite and a fierce advocate for artists’ rights — takes on the ‘Data Lords’ with her newest album. When Maria Schneider sits down to write music, it is seldom with a specific idea in her head. Lately, though, the celebrated orchestral jazz composer and bandleader — a five-time Grammy winner and a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master — has had a lot on her mind. “Early on, I became very aware that big data companies were using musicians as carrots so that they could gather data from users,” says Schneider, 59. “And this has been a huge frustration for me. It has really destroyed the music industry for those that make the music, and now I feel that for our society at large it’s a catastrophic loss.” That frustration fueled the idea...
Life After Death: What Are the Posthumous Grammy Odds For Rap’s Lost Stars?
Hip-hop lost three of its brightest voices in the past year — but thanks to recent posthumous albums, their presence could still be felt on Grammy night. One of the most moving moments of February’s Grammy ceremony came during the pretelecast, when best rap performance was awarded to “Racks in the Middle,” led by the late Nipsey Hussle, who had been killed in a March 2019 shooting. The award was accepted by his family, including his grandmother Margaret Boutte. Wearing sunglasses, she thanked those in attendance for “showing all the love that I have felt for [Nipsey] all of his life.” Powerful moments like that could well take center stage on the main telecast at the next ceremony. Over the past few years, a number of hip-hop’s leading artists have died — many of whom still had recorded mu...
Carrie Underwood, Thomas Rhett & All the Record-Setters at the ACM Awards
A tie for entertainer of the year? Beautiful. Crazy. There was a shocker at the end of the 55th ACM Awards, the first tie for entertainer of the year (or any major category, for that matter) in the show’s history. The co-winners were Carrie Underwood, winning in the category for the third time, and Thomas Rhett, winning in the category for the first time. Swift is the first woman in ACM history to win entertainer of the year three times. She previously won the award in 2008-09. The only other female artist to win twice in the category is Taylor Swift, who took the prize in 2010-11. Rhett won a second prize this year—video of the year for “Remember You Young.” That award was announced in the run-up to the show. Underwood previously won female artist of the year three times (2006-08). Rhett ...
Bogota Music Market: 5 Takeaways From Henry Cárdenas’ Inspiring Chat
On the third day (Sept. 16) of the Bogotá Music Market, Billboard‘s Leila Cobo sat down with Henry Cárdenas, owner and president of event and concert promotion firm Cardenas Marketing Network (CMN) for the weekly daily “inspiring” conversation. During the chat, the pair talked about the impact the COVID-19-imposed lockdown has had on the live industry, when shows are likely to resume again and how he met his longtime friend and business partner Marc Anthony. Cárdenas was part of a number of panelists featured on BOmm’s first all-digital edition with programming that includes 20 panels, workshops and showcases running through Sept. 18. The full program and viewing instructions can be accessed here. Below, find five takeaways from the nearly one-hour ch...
Apple Unveils All-In-One Subscription Bundle
Apple will bundle some of its subscription services together for discount. Customers who want to buy subscriptions to Apple TV+, Apple Music, Apple Arcade and iCloud storage will soon be able to do so for a combined price that starts at $15 per month. The company has unveiled Apple One, a series of bundles of its various services. Plans range in monthly price from $15 to $30 depending on how many people are accessing the bundle and what offerings are included. The Apple One individual plan will cost $15 per month and includes Music, TV+, Arcade and 50GB of iCloud storage. The family plan, which includes access for up to six people, features the same mix of services and more cloud storage for $20 per month. The premiere plan, which also includes access for up to six people, adds News+ and n...
Kaskade Loses Bid to Thwart Financial Subpoena in KAOS Nightclub Lawsuit
A U.S. magistrate judge has rebuked an effort by Kaskade to withhold information on concerts the DJ played in the wake of the closure of the KAOS nightclub is Las Vegas and ordered the performer to pay the hotel’s attorneys’ fees for the cost of enforcing a subpoena. Ryan Raddon, who performs as Kaskade, is suing F.P. Holdings, a limited partnership connected to the Palms Casino Resort, for breach of contract over his residency deal at the KAOS nightclub, which closed in November after six months of operation. KAOS was supposed to anchor a $690 million renovation of the Palms and host a residency by global superstar Marshmello, but the club lost nearly $50 million, according to a Nov. 6, 2019, quarterly earnings call, and shut down permanently. Raddon was ma...
YouTube Launches TikTok Competitor in India
YouTube Shorts allows users to record and upload 15-second videos straight from their mobile phones. YouTube is entering the race to usurp TikTok’s dominance in the short-form video space with YouTube Shorts, a new tool that will allow users to record and upload 15-second videos straight from their mobile phones. This week, YouTube will launch an early beta of Shorts in India, which in late June banned TikTok and dozens of other Chinese-owned apps, citing security concerns. Since the ban, the popularity of TikTok competitor Triller exploded in India, surging to No. 1 on Apple’s App Store in the country. In its early beta launch in India, Shorts will boast a number of creation tools similar to those on TikTok and its competitors, including a multi-segment camera allowing users t...
