Record Labels
How Def Jam’s Marisa Pizarro Found a New ‘Healing’ Purpose in Supporting the AAPI Community
The Billboard 2020 Women in Music top executive found herself and the rest of UTOPIAA switching gears to address the AAPI community’s needs. One way they sought to accomplish this was by organizing an AAPI Anti-Violence Town Hall to address the increased hate crimes and violence. The town hall, which was scheduled on March 17 after weeks of planning, happened to come just one day after three shootings in Atlanta-based spas killed eight people, six of whom were Asian American women. “We literally had [the town hall] scheduled for weeks, and then Tuesday happened, and we were in shock,” Pizarro tells Billboard. “The way that Universal stepped up was like, ‘OK, what do you guys need right now?’ And it was crazy that we had that plan...
Scooter Braun Selling Ithaca Holdings to HYBE, Home of BTS
HYBE will handle the acquisition through its wholly owned state-side subsidiary HYBE America, buying a 100 percent of Ithaca Holdings, including its properties, such as SB Projects and Big Machine Label Group. Braun, Ithaca’s CEO, will join the board of HYBE, and Scott Borchetta will remain CEO of Big Machine Label Group. As part of the transaction, private equity firm The Carlyle Group is exiting its significant minority stake in Ithaca after initially investing in the company in 2017 by way of its Carlyle Partners VI fund. The new partners said that “artists of both companies will participate in the capital increase of HYBE, to further strengthen the ties between the two companies,” without providing further detail. “With Ithaca ...
Sony Music Acquires Top Brazilian Indie Label Som Livre For $255 Million
Founded in 1969 by music producer João Araújo, Som Livre initially focused on releasing soundtracks for Globo’s soap operas and continued to specialize in compilations. A decade ago, the label shifted its strategy to developing and managing artists and became the largest producer of music in Brazil, where local music represents almost 70% of total consumption. Today, the label is home to more than 80 artists, including massive sertanejo act Jorge & Mateus, forró star Wesley Safadão and Latin Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Maria Gadú. Som Livre artists had five out of the top 10 songs in Brazil in 2020, according to the IFPI 2021 Global Music Report. They included Henrique and Juliano’s “Liberdade Provisória,” the No. 1 streaming track in Brazil in 2020. With the acquisition, Sony b...
The Deals: MOD SUN Signs With Big Noise, ADA Pairs With Billy Mann
Big Noise is a record label, publishing and media company offering artists the opportunity to develop and transform their artistry. The company manages artists across various genres like hip-hop, alternative and pop. Warner Music Group’s ADA Worldwide announced a partnership with Billy Mann and Benton James for their new label icons+giants. Mann, who is a Grammy-nominated songwriter, producer, entrepreneur and artist manager and James, an A&R executive and artist manager, will combine their digital marketing and A&R track record with ADA’s global influence, resources and connected artist services. “On behalf of everyone at ADA and Warner Music, we welcome Billy and Benton and the icons+giants team to the ADA family,” said Eliah Seton, president of independent music and ...
Virgin Music Label and Artists Services Launches In Australia
The team Down Under “has a genuine passion for partnering with and servicing the best and most innovative independent artists and labels from around the world,” he adds. Joining Janes at Virgin Music Australia are former Caroline Australia colleagues Sam Cross and Ella Symons, who switch over to the positions of Senior Label Manager (both were Label Relations and Marketing Managers at Caroline), while ex-Caroline label coordinator Claire Tate shifts into the newly-created role as marketing and audience manager. Also, Lachlan Duthie joins as label coordinator, and Juliette Younger and Jodie Grinsted are named media and promotions managers. With the new team in place, enthuses Janes, “we are energized for our biggest year yet, and I cannot wait for this new chapter to begin.” That new chapte...
Australia’s Recording Industry Posts Growth During Pandemic
Again, Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music and the myriad streaming brands powered the market, posting total growth of 14% in 2020, for income of A$362 million ($275 million). If there’s one sour note to be gleaned from the numbers, it’s the slowing rate of growth for subscription services, which had raced to 30% growth in 2019. Vinyl albums are another bright point, spinning A$29 million ($22 million) in sales, up 32% versus the previous year. Sometime in 2021, the vinyl market will overtake the CD business, once a powerhouse format that’s now worth just 5.6% of the total market. Digital single and album sales continue to trend down, shrinking by 27% year-on-year. Downloads now represent just 6% of the total market. ARIA’s trade results were reported with no fanfare, and were oversh...
88rising & SiriusXM Launch Speaker Series to Dismantle Anti-Asian Racism
The Asian community in the U.S. has been targeted by a dramatic rise in hate crimes over the past year, not helped by the fact that former President Donald Trump often referred to COVID-19 as the “China virus.” The incidence of hate crimes against Asian-Americans rose by 149% in 2020 in 16 major cities compared with 2019, according to the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism. On March 16, a shooting at three Atlanta massage parlors that has been suspected to be racially motivated left eight people dead, six of them Asian women. 88rising, which includes a record label and management company with signees like Joji and NIKI, initially faced backlash for its response to the shooting: posting a yellow square to its official Instagram, reminiscent of the ill-received black...
Alfonso Perez-Soto Elevated to Warner Recorded Music’s President of Emerging Markets
In recent years, WMG has opened affiliates in India, Turkey and the Middle East, and has inked a string of strategic deals with key labels and distributors, including Doğan Music (Turkey), Ziiki Media (Punjabi music), Africori (Africa), Sky Digital (Punjabi music) and Tips Music (Bollywood). “I want to unlock huge opportunities for artists from the diverse tapestry of countries that we classify as emerging markets,” said Perez-Soto. “I’ll work round the clock to build a global stage for them to stand on, connecting them with fans in their home countries and far beyond.” Robson added: “The increasing connectivity of music fans in emerging markets is opening doors for artists worldwide, but the huge volume of music on streaming services means that, mo...
Irving Azoff, Musician Orgs Hail California Bill to Cap Recording Contracts at 7 Years
If passed, the FAIR Act would correct for a 1987 amendment that excluded recording artists from the Seven Year Statute, a labor law designed to prevent employers in California from enforcing excessively long contracts. As a result of the 1987 amendment, which was pushed by the major record labels, recording artists who seek the protection of the statute are susceptible to legal action and severe monetary damages if they decide to part ways with the label they’re under contract to. In a statement, Music Artists Coalition founder Irving Azoff says amending the current law has become even more urgent in light of the streaming boom. “Streaming has been an unprecedented bonanza for the record labels, but not so for artists,” said Azoff. “It is unfair that the only Californians excluded fr...
Westlife Sign Global Deal With Eastwest, Tease ‘Surprise Announcements’
The band’s members remark: “We have found a record label that share the same energy and high ambitions as the four of us, in what will be a very busy year, where there will be some surprise announcements and of course new music.” Formed in 1998, Westlife made an immediate impact. They hold the record for most consecutive No. 1s in the U.K. (seven) and most singles to debut at the summit. All told, they’ve scored eight No. 1 albums in the U.K. and have a remarkable bounty of 14 No. 1 singles, one of the biggest hauls for any act. Twenty-five Westlife singles have hit the U.K. Top 10. According to Warner Music, the group has sold over 55 million records worldwide. Warner Music expects to add to that tally. “Westlife is one of the most popular and commercially successful boybands of all ...
Never Say Die: Black Label is Shutting Down
It’s the end of an era after famed dubstep imprint Never Say Die: Black Label announced that it is shutting down indefinitely. In a statement shared via social media, the team behind the Never Say Die Records sub-label said that they have been “prompted to rethink” how they release music due to it “being blurred to staggering new levels.” In order to move forward with a more cohesive brand, all future releases will now appear under the single umbrella of its parent label. “One of the only positives we can take from the pandemic is that huge strides have been made in genre fluidity, with producers continuing to push the boundaries and keep the bass scene moving,” the statement reads. “As a result, we increasingly find that some ...
Jim Catino, Longtime Sony Music Nashville A&R Head, to Depart in June
“When I joined Sony Music almost six years ago, there was a need, and thus an opportunity, to reimagine the company’s priorities and what A&R could/should mean for Sony Music Nashville going forward. Particularly in the area of breaking new artists,” Goodman wrote. “Jim has been an important partner in making all of that happen from our very first meeting. Here we are, six short years later, having achieved significant artist break throughs as well as our aspirational goal of claiming #1 current market share for country. None of that would have happened without Jim’s creative vision, leadership and ability to execute. He has made an indelible mark on the amazing legacy of Sony Music Nashville and thus we all owe him a great debt of gratitude.” Among the artists Catino had worked with o...
