Record Labels
Top Music Execs & Their Employees Aren’t Donating to the Same Political Candidates
“I don’t love that [Phil] supports all these right wing causes, but his political beliefs are so far detached from the work we do and our company values,” explains one high ranking executive, who notes that despite being very conservative, Anschutz supports LGBT causes and has given millions to groups some describe as being left of center. Employees at Liberty Media, which owns SiriusXM, Pandora and a 35% stake in Live Nation, for the first time ever have given more money to Democratic candidates than Republican ones. In 2020, individuals at the company gave $209,374 to Democrats and $92,485 to Republicans — more than a 2-1 margin. Back in 2016, Democrats only received $134,636 while $385,700 was spent on Republican candidates, while in 2012, only $12,500 was spent on Democrats with ...
Executive Turntable: Downtown Ups Tracy Maddux to CCO; AIM Adds 5 Women to Board
Over in London, Dean Luck — who was previously the Finance Director at Extreme Music — now serves as International Controller. Reporting to Vice President of Finance Dan Bettes, Luck is in charge of international financial matters at Downtown. His responsibilities include financial reporting, treasury management, and multi-jurisdictional compliance. “Even in the midst of a global pandemic, we’ve continued to hire at a steady clip in 2020 to support our growth. I’m regularly impressed with the amazing talent we are able to bring into the Downtown organization from both within the music industry and beyond,” said Downtown CEO Kalifowitz in response to the company’s new appointments. At Endless Noise, founder/Grammy-winning composer Jeff Elmassian has named Dave Chapman as the sou...
Sony Music Shrugs Off Pandemic, Reports Q2 Gains
Within that, the company received a one-time gain of 6.5 billion yen ($62.2 million) by selling shares of Big Hit Entertainment subsidiary Pledis and another 5.4 billion yen ($50.85 million) in what it terms a music company business transfer of an undisclosed business, which it apparently no longer owns a stake in. But even without those gains, the company would have posted a 40.95 billion yen ($384.7 million) in operating income, or a 9.3% increase. The Sony segment containing its music operations breaks out to:— Recorded music operations of Sony Music Entertainment and Sony Music Japan comprising 123.3 billion yen ($1.16 billion). That’s a 9.9% increase from the 2019 second quarter when recorded music tallied 112.2 billion yen ($1.045 million).— Music publishing operations of Sony/ATV Mu...
Republic Records Rules Top Three on Billboard 200 Albums Chart
With Republic Records claiming Nos. 1-3 (the label shares distribution credit with Epic on Savage Mode II), it’s the first time a label has held the top three since Republic itself did it on the July 14, 2018-dated chart. That week, Drake’s Scorpion (Young Money/Cash Money/Republic) debuted at No. 1, while Florence + the Machine’s High as Hope (Republic) debuted at No. 2, and Post Malone’s Beerbongs & Bentleys (Republic) held at No. 3. The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1...
Yandel & Rapeton Founder El Guru Launch New Artist Development Venture
“I’ve been following Angel’s growth for several years,” says Yandel, whose real name is Llandel Veguilla. “I think he’s a natural A&R who truly wants to help new artists. I’m 100% convinced that with my record label, I can contribute to grow this Rapeton Approved, an idea Angel has been working on since 2016.” Y Entertainment already has producers and artists signed to its roster, including Catalyna, Nesty and Izzy Guerra. However, the new Rapetón Approved will start from scratch in its search for talent, says Yandel’s manager, Andy Martínez, who helped piece the deal together. Likewise, Rapetón will continue to function as it normally does, focused on covering the world of Latin urban music in general and the reggaeton in particular, where Guru is a widely respected fixture with a You...
BTS Label Big Hit Entertainment Doubles Shares in Smash Stock Market Debut
A strong debut was expected by industry analysts given BTS’ enormous fanbase, officially termed the BTS ARMY, who are quick to pounce on virtual and physical concert tickets, album collectibles and other extensive merchandise lines. BTS accounted for more than 80% of the company’s revenue during the first half of 2020, according to a report by investment management company Samsung Securities. The group — consisting of members J-Hope, RM, Suga, Jungkook, V, Jin and Jiminwhich — launched in 2013 and has since performed sold-out shows across the world, breaking numerous Billboard chart records in the process. BTS became the first K-pop act to top the Billboard Hot 100 last month with “Dynamite,” their first all-English song, and this week occupies the top two slo...
Executive Turntable: Atlantic Shuffles Marketing Department, Sony & Tencent Solidify Liquid State Label Head
Elsewhere at Atlantic, the label has announced that David Grant will move from New York to Los Angeles to take on the role of senior vp, marketing and head of marketing for film & TV soundtracks. In his dual role, Grant will continue running key projects from Why Don’t We, Ben Platt, Reiley and more. He will jointly report to Sinclair and Atlantic’s West Coast president Kevin Weaver. Sony Music Masterworks and independent touring professionals Stephen Lindsay and Brett Sirota have formed RoadCo Entertainment, a brand-new booking agency that specializes in live family entertainment. RoadCo will develop and produce live events and interactive attractions based on popular brands and pre-existing intellectual properties while collaborating with Sony Masterworks and the broader Sony network...
Phoebe Bridgers Launches Saddest Factory Label With Dead Oceans: Exclusive
That dream comes to fruition today with the launch of Bridgers’ own Dead Oceans imprint, Saddest Factory. The name is a tongue-in-cheek mispronunciation of the word “satisfactory” — which also happens to be a term used frequently in record deals — that was originally made on Twitter by her former Sloppy Jane bandmate Haley Dahl. “It’s always been a dream of mine to have a label, because I’m also such a music fan,” says Bridgers. She says she has been essentially pitching artists to Dead Oceans for years, and finally decided to ask Secretly for a label of her own when indie band Bright Eyes announced their signing to Dead Oceans in February — a deal that came together after Bright Eyes frontman Conor Oberst and Bridgers formed the indie-rock du...
The Deals: Burna Boy Signs With SESAC, Waterparks & Smallpools Soak Up New Record Contracts
Singer-songwriter and Nigerian pop star Burna Boy has signed with performing rights organization SESAC for direct U.S. representation. Born Damini Ogulu, Burna Boy recently released his fifth studio album Twice As Tall, executive produced by Ogulu, Sean “Diddy” Combs and Bosede Ogulu. It was the follow-up to 2019’s African Giant, which nabbed Burna Boy a Grammy nomination this year for Best World Music Album. Burna Boy’s U.S. stardom took off only recently, thanks in part to collaborations with American music stars including Coldplay’s Chris Martin (“The Monsters You Made”) and Sam Smith (“My Oasis”). He was also featured on last year’s Lion King soundtrack The Gift, curated by Beyoncé. “With his empowering lyrics and enrapturing beats, it’s no surprise that Burna Boy is leading the w...
BMG Launches Record Label With French Soccer Club Olympique de Marseille
BMG has struck a strategic partnership with French Ligue 1 football (soccer) club Olympique de Marseille (OM) that includes the launch of OM Records, a new hip-hop, rap and R&B label. OM Records will be headquartered in Marseille, France, which has been a hotbed of French hip-hop since the 1990s and served as a proving ground for artists including BMG publishing clients IAM and Fonky Family. Emile Hauck will manage the new imprint and all of the club’s other music activities as OM Records’ A&R and project manager. He will report to BMG France general manager Sylvain Gazaignes. Under the agreement, BMG will be the exclusive partner for all OM music projects and activities; it also includes a licensing deal for BMG’s production music library, which OM will use for all inte...
All Music Industry Initiatives to Help Get Out the Vote This Election Season (Updating)
On Nov. 3, U.S. voters will decide if President Donald Trump gets four more years in office or send Democratic ticket Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to the White House. Ahead of what has been said to be the most important election in at least a generation, non-partisan voter registration organizations including HeadCount and Voto Latino, in partnership with labels and artists, have launched music-driven initiatives that incentivize eligible voters – especially young ones – to get registered and vote. Even labels and digital streaming platforms have rolled out campaigns to encourage both employees and artists to vote this election. And venues across the country will serve as polling sites for early voting and on Election Day. From Spotify’s “Play Your Part” to HeadCount’...
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...
