FFRR Records, the legendary Warner–owned dance imprint, has announced respected A&R executive and DJ, Andy Daniell, to lead the label moving forward. Daniell comes to FFRR from British indie, Defected Records, which he had joined in 2004.
Originally launched in 1986, FFRR (Full Frequency Range Recordings) was founded by BBC Radio 1 broadcaster and DJ Pete Tong under the London Records banner. The label went on to have considerable success with acts such as Orbital, Armand Van Helden, Carl Cox, Salt ‘N’ Pepa and All Saints across the late 80s and 90s. The label closed its doors for the next decade before being re–launched by Warner Music U.K. in 2011, alongside Tong. It now operates as part of Parlophone Records with Tong having taken on the role of President for Three Six Zero Recordings earlier in the year.
“Dance music plays such an important role in U.K. music culture and I want FFRR to be the most exciting and compelling destination for electronic and dance music creators in the UK,” said Parlophone Co–President Nick Burgess alongside the announcement of Daniell’s appointment. Burgess added that Daniell is “one of the best A&R’s in the business.”
At Defected, Daniell was responsible for the signing of the CamalPhat and Elderbrook worldwide hit “Cola,” which has generated over 400 million times and a Grammy nomination in the Best Dance Recording category. Other A&R credits include “Look Right Through” by Storm Queen, which reached the top of the U.K. singles chart, and “Freak Like Me” by Lee Walker vs DJ Deeon. Daniell started as a global DJ for the Defected brand, eventually evolving and establishing himself as a successful leader in the A&R arena.
Daniell commented, “The opportunity to play a part in the future of such an iconic label is an incredible honour. I’m looking forward to building FFRR’s reputation for identifying artists and tracks that have both underground credibility and far–reaching crossover potential.”
In his new role, Daniell will report to Elias Christidis, Parlophone Records’ Head of A&R.
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BRING ME THE HORIZON REVEALS FIRST SPOTIFY DATA–DRIVEN PERSONALIZED MERCH
Fans of leading U.K. rock outfit, Bring Me The Horizon, can now put their own stamp on the band’s merchandise with the brand new “amo in colour” experience. In a world–first initiative to connect streaming and physical merchandise, the “amo in colour” website makes use of Spotify data to generate unique t–shirts based on a fans listening habits.
After logging in using their Spotify credentials, fans can pick their favorite six songs from the album. Listening data is then matched against the loudness and energy of those tracks, incorporating data from music intelligence platform The Echo Nest, and resulting in an exclusive t–shirt with a design unique to those with similar Bring Me The Horizon streaming tastes. For fans without a Spotify account, there is an option to manually input their song choices.
The Grammy–nominated, multi–Platinum band garnered a No.1 album in the U.K. with amo earlier this year, peaking at No.1 in 17 countries on iTunes. Their album, That’s The Spirit, has generated over a billion streams in the U.K. The new merch initiative started with frontman Oli Sykes hand–posting t–shirts he designed and has grown into a global clothing enterprise called Drop Dead.
The website was developed as a collaboration between Bring Me The Horizon’s label, RCA Records U.K., Sony Music U.K.’s 4th Floor Creative, and built by creative agency Phantom.
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SYLVIA RHONE HONORED AT INSPIRATIONAL CITY OF HOPE GALA
Last week, City of Hope, a world–renowned independent research and treatment center, raised more than $4 million at a black–tie gala honoring Epic Records Chairwoman and CEO Sylvia Rhone. Proceeds from the evening will go toward the nonprofit institution’s research seeking improved treatments for cancer, diabetes and other life–threatening diseases. The annual event featured a special duet performed by Alicia Keys and Sara Bareilles, as well as performances from Yolanda Adams and En Vogue. Eric H. Holder Jr., 82nd Attorney General of the United States, presented Rhone with the prestigious Spirit of Life award.
| Pictured (l–r) are Swizz Beats, Alicia Keys, Sylvia Rhone and Sara Bareilles |
A friend and admirer, former Attorney General Holder, gave an incredibly moving and personal speech, reflecting on Rhone’s life–long commitment to the music industry and thanking those who paved the way. Rhone, the first African American woman to receive this award, recalled attending similar ceremonies in the past but never seeing anyone who looked like her on stage. Now, she said, she hopes that doors are open for everyone.
In a surprise display of admiration and respect for Rhone, En Vogue performed a medley of their biggest hits from their time under her leadership at Atlantic and Elektra Records. For the first time ever, the Billboard and American Music Award–winning group performed as a quintet, seeing founding members Terry Ellis and Cindy Herron reuniting with original singers Maxine Jones and Dawn Robinson as well as current member Rhona Bennett, who has been performing and recording with En Vogue for over 15 years. While En Vogue has both performed and recorded as a quartet and a trio, this marked a “first” for the five women to perform together.
Guests in attendance included 21 Savage, Swizz Beatz, Chloe Bailey, Bonnie Hunt, Jimmy Jam, DJ Khaled, Zara Larsson, Natalie Martinez, Meghan Trainor and Daryl Sabara and Forest Whitaker among others.
This year, the gala also included a Paddle8 art auction with many of the pieces on display around the venue. Proceeds from the auction, featuring works by Derrick Adams, Deana Lawson, Julie Mehretu, Charles White and Kehinde Wiley, will go toward the fight for health equity.
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UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP’S JAY FRANK PASSES AT AGE 47
Widely–respected digital and music industry veteran, Jay Frank, passed away yesterday. Frank was 47–years–old and the cause of death was cancer. A forward–thinking digital music entrepreneur, Frank is credited with creating industry–leading techniques for implementing data and analytics to maximize performance of artists’ albums and songs on streaming platforms. Frank most recently served as Sr. Vice President of Global Streaming Marketing for Universal Music Group (UMG), having joined the company in 2015.
Frank’s innovation around playlist streaming has resulted in industry standard practices for music marketing, allowing record labels to develop deeper engagement between artists and fans, while bringing artists to new audiences globally.
Sir Lucian Grainge, Chairman and CEO of UMG, said in a statement, “Jay leaves an immense legacy. He was a creative and tireless leader who made significant contributions to the evolution of our global marketing efforts. Many of the ways we market our artists and their music in the streaming era stems from Jay’s innovative work. But more than anything else, Jay was a loving father and husband. We send our deepest condolences to his family and friends. We will miss him dearly.”
Prior to his role at UMG, Frank founded digital–only record label, DigSin in 2011, alongside digital music marketing firm DigMark. Before that,he also founded Futurehit Inc., which predicted the commercial potential for songs, and from 2007–2011 was Sr. VP of Music Strategy at CMT. He also served as VP of Programming and Label Relations for Yahoo! Music between 2001 and 2007.
A&R Worldwide’s Sat Bisla, a close friend of Jay Frank for many years, stated, “I’m utterly devastated to hear about the passing of Jay Frank. He and I had been close friends for almost 18 years. I had a wonderful dinner with Jay just a couple of month ago, and in typical Jay fashion, our conversation was about family, life and music. Jay’s passing is a massive loss to so many he touched with his exceptionalism, grace and humility. I’ll never forget the amazing memories we built as friends whilst traveling the world together [including our memorable time in France with our mutual friend, the late David Goldberg], as well as in Los Angeles and Nashville. Jay was a digital visionary, author, streaming entrepreneur, true friend and supporter to myself and to A&R Worldwide and his passing leaves a massive void for all of us. Our thoughts go out to Jay’s wife Linda, daughter Alex and his family, friends and colleagues.”
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Amazon Music has made its way to Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD via a new app available in the App Store for Apple TV. Downloading the app offers users access to the full catalog and playlist offerings on Amazon Music. The move comes as the latest cooperative effort between the two firms with Apple Music making its way to Amazon’s Alexa and Echo devices, as well as Fire TV, in the U.K. earlier in the year. The new Amazon Music for Apple TV app has rolled–out to the U.S., U.K., Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Canada, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Mexico, Japan and India.
Primary Wave Music Publishing continues to add to its portfolio with the finalization of an agreement that sees the company acquiring a stake in the music publishing catalog, as well as master artist royalties, of the legendary guitarist, singer, songwriter and performer Tommy Shaw. The acquisition encompasses some of Shaw’s biggest hits from Styx such as “Renegade,” “Fooling Yourself,” and his top 10 hit “Too Much Time On My Hands.” Additionally, the deal includes several songs from his solo projects, as well as a number of compositions from Damn Yankees and Shaw Blades. Having formed in the early 70s, Styx has had the distinction of being the first recording act ever to have four consecutive triple platinum albums in a row (Grand Illusion, Pieces of Eight, Cornerstone, and Paradise Theater). In 1975, right before the start of a tour in support of their latest album, guitarist John Curulewski parted ways with the band and was immediately replaced with Shaw. During Shaw’s time with the group throughout the late 70s, their releases earned at least platinum certification. Styx went on to become one of the top U.S. rock acts and has played more live dates since 1999 than all of its previous years on the road combined.
Apple’s newest update for Mac computers, Catalina, which became available last Monday, has officially signaled the end of iTunes. The transition mirrors the functionality that has long been present on iPhones with apps for music, video and books split into separate platforms. Moving forward, those users with Apple Music subscriptions will see iTunes hidden on their Mac devices. The move to split the content platforms allows Apple to expand features for specific media types and focus promotional efforts on its TV–streaming and music offerings to combat declining iPhone sales.
In other news regarding Apple’s roll–out of the Catalina, the company is advising DJs to not transition to the new OS. It was revealed last week that Catalina does not save XML data as iTunes files are sorted automatically into Apple’s three new apps, Apple Music, Apple Podcasts and Apple TV. The XML organizational metadate is what allows DJs to drop specific songs into setlists and folders by genre to be imported directly into digital DJ software like Traktor and Rekordbox. Catalina’s new format leaves a DJs work on sorting their collections disorganized and useless. Apple is currently at work on a patch update to address the issue but advises DJs not to update until a fix has been identified.
Following his sold–out performance In Boston, Capitol Music Group (CMG) has presented Scottish artist and songwriter Lewis Capaldi with a plaque to commemorate over 2.5 million U.S. adjusted track sales, including more than 350 million combined streams of the U.S. Platinum single, “Someone You Loved.” After topping the U.K. Official Singles chart for nearly seven weeks, “Someone You Loved” entered the top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100 in its 19th consecutive week on the chart. Currently at No.3, it is the first top 5 single from a debut U.K. artist since July 2018. “Someone You Loved” also reached No.1 on the Hot AC Radio chart, top 5 on the Top 40 Radio chart and No.1 on the U.S. Shazam chart. Streams of the track worldwide have surpassed 1.2 billion. Already certified Platinum by the RIAA, “Someone You Loved” is now certified Platinum or greater in 14 countries. Capaldi recently performed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and is currently on a sold–out headline tour of N. America. His March 2020 tour of the U.K. and Ireland sold–out in seconds, making him the first artist in history to sell out arenas prior to the release of a debut album. Pictured (l–r) are: Sam Breslin, manager Ryan Walter, Lewis Capaldi, CMG Chairman & CEO Steve Barnett, Jen Ashworth and Greg Marella.
Veteran marketing executive Denise Karkos has been tapped by SiriusXM and Pandora as Chief Marketing Officer. Karkos’ new role will see her tasked with leading brand and digital marketing initiatives for both platforms while reporting to SiriusXM’s President of Sales, Marketing & Operations, Jennifer Witz. Karkos joins SiriusXM/Pandora from TD Ameritrade where she had maintained oversight of advertising, social media, analytics and other arenas, having led the recent marketing push behind the company’s acquisition of competitor Scottrade for $4 billion. Her resume includes additional stops at The Via Group, L.L. Bean and Digitas as well as others.
Spotify has revealed additions to its Canvas offering that allows artists to incorporate looping visuals into their recordings. The announcement came on the heels of this weekend’s second annual National Album Day in the U.K. which looks to highlight the full album listening experience across all formats. After receiving feedback, Spotify has opened up the Canvas beta to some of the streamer’s more active Spotify For Artists users. Past acts who have taken advantage of the platform include Bon Iver, Flying Lotus and Celine Dion. Alongside new release, the Canvas feature is also open to implement on past music releases.
In other Spotify news, the DSP’s U.K. operations saw a boost in operating profit of 125.4% year–upon–year to £10.46 million for 2018. In the company’s figures to the Companies House, Spotify U.K. reached gross profit of £77.78 million for the year, an increase of 3% over the previous year. Net profit also increased from £3.49 million to £6.82 million with admin expenses rising 17.5% to £68.87 million. With Spotify’s Swedish parent arm taking over U.K. subscription revenue sales in late 2016, total revenue for the U.K. office fell from £107.1 million to £77.8 million. U.K. ad sales jumped by 19.6% to £23.9 million and the offices staff rose from 236 in 2017 to 285 in 2018, resulting in salary increasing to £25.8 million from £19.6 million in 2017.
Entertainment One (eOne) has finalized a global publishing administration deal with Juno Award–nominated, Toronto–based artists Zed’s Dead and their publishing company, Deadbeats Publishing. Under the deal, eOne will oversee administration on the current Zed’s Dead and Deadbeats catalogue as well as on future works. Among the recent standout tracks for the artists are included “We Could Be Kings” featuring Deadbeats artist DNMO and vocalist Tzar, “Lift You Up” featuring Delta Heavy, “Rescue” featuring Dion Timmer and vocalist Delaney Jane, and “Stars Tonight” featuring DROELOE. At the same time, Deadbeats will be releasing a compilation of new artists including DNMO, 1788–L, Eprom, Shades, Nebbra and Kid Froopy. Zed’s Dead’s long–awaited artist follow up to their Northern Lights full–length will follow in early 2020.
In other eOne news, the entertainment firm has revealed a growth in its quarterly loss with the company’s film, TV and music division decreasing revenue by 7.6%. Pre–tax loss for eOne’s first fiscal quarter reached £43.9 million over last year’s £6.8 million loss for the same period. The news comes as Hasbro prepares to acquire eOne for $4 billion, pending regulatory approvals. According to eOne, its film, TV and music unit revenue dropped to £143.8 million from £155.7 million while revenue from its family and brands division, including the popular Peppa Pig franchise, was “broadly stable” in comparison to the same period last year.
Media firm Group Nine Media has revealed plans to acquire PopSugar to bring the female–centric brand into its portfolio that already includes Thrillist, The Dodo, Seeker, and NowThis. While specifics were not revealed of the transaction, The Wall Street Journal reported that anonymous sources valued PopSugar at $300 million. According to Group Nine, the combined company will reach 70% of 18–34–year–olds, counting over 200 million social media followers. Under the deal, PopSugar’s Co–Founders, Brian and Lisa Sugar, will join the executive team at Group Nine with Brian Sugar and investor Michael Moritz assuming spots on the firm’s Board of Directors.
Leading Chinese music streamer, Tencent, is set to welcome artist recordings from indie distributors TuneCore and CD Baby as a result of partnerships finalized with both firms last week. Included under the partnership are Tencent–owned QQMusic, KuGuo and Kuwo which collectively count 652 million active mobile users each month. CD Baby artists receive the added benefit at no additional cost while TuneCore artists will have to pay a one–time fee of $1.98.
Big Deal Music Group and Family Affair Productions have extended their global publishing deal with multi–Platinum, Grammy–nominated songwriter, producer and artist Teddy Geiger whose works have generated billions of streams worldwide. The companies first signed Geiger to a global publishing deal in 2014 at the beginning of her successful collaboration with Shawn Mendes. Her partnership with Mendes has earned her a 2015 BMI Song of the Year award for the hit single “Stitches,” as well as additional hits with “Treat You Better,” “Mercy,” “There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back,” the Grammy–nominated “In My Blood,” the global hit “Lost In Japan,” and Mendes’ recent single “If I Can’t Have You.” Geiger played a key role on the Billboard No.1 self–titled Shawn Mendes full–length, producing and co–writing 11 tracks. Additional writing credits include those for Maroon 5, Anne–Marie, Dej Loaf, Leon Bridges, Christina Aguilera, One Direction, Tiesto, Matoma, Empire of the Sun, Niall Horan, 5 Seconds of Summer, Birdy, DJ Snake, DNCE and P!nk, with whom she co–wrote the title track from the latest album, Hurts To Be Human, featuring Khalid.
Shazam recently submitted financial results to the U.K.’s Companies House which revealed an increase in users on the platform to 478 million from 400 million in the previous frame. The company also posted revenue for the year–end of £31.4 million a decrease from 2017’s revenue total of £40.8 million with profit before taxation hitting £144.3 million, a flip of £17.7 million in losses the year prior. The new figures come after Apple acquired Shazam in September of last year for $400 million. Among the moves made following the acquisition were Apple’s removal of ads from the free Shazam app as well as the launch of a new trending chart that makes use of Shazam to feature and predict emerging talent. Additionally, June saw the app offering the ability to tag songs with your headphones in and also, the integration of Shazam data into the Apple Music for Artists offering.
As it prepares to celebrate its 50th year milestone, Glastonbury revealed that it sold out its 2020 edition in only 34 minutes. According to a Twitter post from Emily Eavis, Glastonbury Co–Organizer and daughter of the event Founder Michael Eavis, over 2.4 million people sought to snag one of the 135,000 passes available. To–date, only soul music legend Diana Ross has been confirmed to perform for the event’s 50th year celebration in Somerset, England, set for the popular Sunday teatime slot on June 29th. The festival stated on Twitter, “There will be a ticket resale in April – plus we’ll be announcing details of a special ballot for the sale of 50 pairs of tickets in the coming days.”
peermusic’s U.K. office has finalized an exclusive global publishing agreement with Americana brother duo Adam and Lawrence Purnell, collectively known as Foreign Affairs. Having first entered the British music scene in 2015 with “Sell My Soul,” the duo’s single garnered them BBC Radio support and a slot at Glastonbury. 2017 saw them hitting the road as a support for acts such as Margo Price, Aaron Watson, Frankie Ballard, Striking Matches and Morgan Evans. Other live slots have included those at Country2Country at The O2, Buckle & Boots Festival, Summertyne Festival and The Great Escape. Foreign Affairs are also set to perform at C2C’s London Country Music Week later this month. The publishing agreement covers Foreign Affairs’ The Old Fire Station and The First EPs, in addition to future works.
Bandsintown has announced the roll–out of its Live Music Charts, the first data–driven predictive charts based on current interest in artists’ touring activity. The 24 worldwide, U.S., and city charts are driven by Bandsintown’s data insights based on the interactions of its 50 million registered users who generate 500,000 clicks to ticketing sites every day. The charts weigh a formula that encompasses both tracker growth and fan engagement via the platform. Bandsintown has also partnered with Billboard to exclusively present the Billboard + Bandsintown Tour Index, four exclusive weekly charts launching later this month which will showcase the top overall and rising artists both domestically and globally, utilizing Bandsintown data. As of last week, Bandsintown for Artists and Hypebot will publish monthly worldwide and U.S. emerging and established artist charts as well as weekly buzzing and emerging artist charts for 10 major U.S. cities, including Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, Nashville, New York, and San Francisco. Bandsintown is also set to present international charts in the coming weeks.
Universal Music Publishing Australia has signed multi–Platinum–selling New Zealand group Drax Project to an exclusive publishing deal for Australia and New Zealand. Drax Project recently joined forces with Academy Award–nominated and multi–Platinum–selling artist Hailee Steinfeld for a fresh take on their hit “Woke Up Late.” The track is certified triple Platinum and counts more than 60 million Spotify streams worldwide. Composed of members Shaan Singh, Matt Beachen, Ben O’Leary and Sam Thomson, the group went from busking on the streets of Wellington, NZ to sharing the stage with acts such as Ed Sheeran, Camila Cabello, Christina Aguilera and Lorde. “Woke Up Late” debuted on Billboard’s Pop Songs Chart and was selected as Zane Lowe’s World Record as well as Amazon’s “Song Of The Day.” The track won “Single Of The Year” at the 2018 VNZMA’s (New Zealand Music Awards), where Drax Project were also awarded “Breakthrough Artist” honors. On the heels of their newest singles, “All This Time” and “Catching Feelings,” Drax Project have just released their self–titled debut full–length which debuted at No.2 on the New Zealand Official Top 40 Album Chart and No.1 on the official top 20 NZ albums.
Metallica has been confirmed as the headliner for all five of Danny Wimmer Presents’ hard rock festivals in 2020. The band is confirmed for two separate headlining sets at each event, a first for the band, with unique set lists for each show. Included in the festival circuit are Charlotte, North Carolina’s Epicenter (May 1st – 3rd); Daytona Beach, Florida’s Welcome to Rockville (May 8th – 10th); Columbus, Ohio’s Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival (May 15th – 17th); Lousiville, Kentucky’s Louder Than Life (September 18th – 20th); and Sacramento, California’s Aftershock (October 9th – 11th).
After closing $6 million in financing from Vocap Investment Partners and Craft Ventures, tech–enabled production music startup Soundstripe is making moves to grow its footprint into the production music space. The company revealed today that it is partnering with some of the world’s leading video editing platforms to integrate the Soundstripe service into their desktop applications, including Adobe Premiere Pro. Premiere Pro users who either subscribe to Soundstripe or choose to become subscribers will now have access to the service’s full music catalog with the ability to search and filter songs and sound effects, test tracks directly in their video and timeline, and seamlessly license and import the chosen tracks into their project, all within the Premiere Pro application. Soundstripe also recently announced an integration with Frame.io, the world’s most powerful review and collaboration platform. These partnerships collectively further Soundstripe’s mission to “Keep Creatives Creating” by allowing video creators to speed up production without sacrificing soundtrack quality or risking copyright infringement. Soundstripe’s unique subscription model allows video creators to pay a monthly fee for unlimited synch usage of the Soundstripe music catalog and has led to more than 2 million “micro–licenses” being issued in over 130 countries since launching in 2016.
EKKO Music Rights Europe’s President & Co–Founder, Pelle Lidell, has informed A&R Worldwide that their songwriter/producer duo Moonshine, along with Bobii Lewis and Charite Viken, contributed to the success of K–pop supergroup SuperM’s recent EP having co–written the track “Super Car.” SuperM released The 1st Mini Album EP on October 4th and saw the set debut at No.1 on the Billboard 200 chart, making them the first Korean act to top the chart with their debut release. The EP was released as eight different versions, one for each member of the group as well as one “united” version. The 1st Mini Album was released by SM Entertainment and Capitol Records.
Ticketing exchange platform, Lyte, Inc., has secured $15 million in Series A funding it was revealed last week by the firm’s CEO, Ant Taylor. The funding will be used to further the platform’s development and scale operations as Lyte seeks to support the evolution of the live entertainment arena. The funding was closed by Jackson Square Ventures with Industry Ventures, Accomplice Ventures and Correlation Ventures as well as industry insiders Activist Artist Management, Coelius Capital, Pandora’s former CTO Chris Martin, Matt Mickiewicz (Co–Founder, 99 Designs) and Rob Goldberg, CEO of Fresno Unlimited and Lyte board member. Among the primary ticketing firms who have made the integration of Lyte into their ecosystem are AEG’s Elevate, Live Nation’s Front Gate and Eventbrite. Lyte now counts 60% of the $13 billion secondary market across the events it supports. 2019 saw Lyte matching its total 2018 revenue in this year’s first quarter alone, increasing reservations booked by 5 times from a year ago to $78 million year–to–date. Partnerships for Lyte include over 50 leading music, food and wine, and pop culture festival events nationally as well as 300 music venues and touring acts.
Coinciding with World Mental Health Day, which took place last Thursday, YMU Group has launched a wide–ranging mental health and well–being initiative that will take a forward–thinking approach to the ever–changing and challenging landscape its staff and the artists it represents face. Conceived by YMU Group’s Martha Kinn (Music Director) and rolled–out in partnership with mental health and well–being specialist Samantha Parker of Parker Consulting, this new service for YMU Music will encompass artist assessment sessions including referrals and signposting, where appropriate, to experts and specialists in the field of mental health and addiction alongside a health and well–being drop–in facility and a therapeutic support group for YMU Music staff. YMU Group also offers six free counseling sessions to all staff through their employee assistance program. The new program is available to all YMU Group Music employees and the artists it represents.
SoundExchange has revealed an update to its website in a move to provide further transparency and potentially lower the amount of black–box royalties. Expected to roll-out in November, the new features will include the ability for artists and labels to view all recordings currently linked to their accounts while allowing them to search and claim recordings across the platform’s pending and unmatched database, comprised of ISRC codes that haven’t been matched to date with sound recordings. They will be housed under the My Catalog portion of the SoundExchange Direct platform. The ability for artists and labels to search the unmatched recording database, and make claims on recordings they own, will hopefully result in less royalties going unclaimed and less money to the black box. For those songs already tied labels and artists, a percentage breakdown will be given of the payment for each artist or label account associated for the plays recorded for those works. Additional features include “nearly real–time transparency into active SCRCO overlaps and disputes on recordings,” an offering that provides rival claimants the ability to resolve their own issues. Sound recording owners will also be able to upload recording and release date for all of their own recordings.
Music gaming start–up, Five Vectors, has raised $1 million in its latest round of seed funding, led by BITKRAFT Esports Venture. The firm was founded this year by Andrés Lauer, former Head of UMx at Universal Music Group, and Wasae Imran, former Head of Sales and Partnerships at ESL Turtle Entertainment. Five Vectors has signed several artists, and producers, and claims to have a catalogue of 80 songs for which they maintain worldwide licensing rights. Among the esports and gaming company partnerships they’ve secured are those with Rainbow Six Siege, SK Gaming and PlayBrain eSports in Japan, to create music curated specifically for their shows. Counting offices in Berlin and Los Angeles, the start–up operates two brands with 2DEX, a gaming–focused music label, and Players Republik, a consumer gaming brand for apps and audio products.
10K Projects has signed multi–Platinum producer/writer, multi–instrumentalist Taz Taylor and his creative collective Internet Money to a JV label deal. The first release under the new agreement came last week as the single “Somebody,” by Internet Money featuring Lil Tecca and A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie. Taylor’s credits include work with some of hip–hop’s biggest names such as XXXTentacion, Desiigner, Kodak Black, Trippie Redd, Juice WRLD, Big Sean, Drake, Gucci Mane and Chris Brown. More recently his work with Lil Tecca on his “Ransom” single was a top five hit on the Billboard Hot 100. Other artists currently being developed under the joint venture include Iann Dior, who’s “Gone Girl” featuring Trippie Redd is currently on the charts, and PoorStacy. Taylor first emerged on the scene selling beats for a one–time fee as well as developing a variety of software sound packages for sale online. Within two years, he was generating over $500,000 annually with his online business. In 2017 he signed a music publishing deal with Warner Chappell’s Artist Publishing Group. With over 300,000 subscribers on YouTube and millions of views, Taylor’s tips for nascent producers has allowed him to identify talent very early in their creative evolution. To–date he has invited producers/beatmakers such as Nick Mira (Juice WRLD, Post Malone, Tierra Whack), JRHITMAKER (Drake, Rich The Kid, Tekashi 6ix9ine) and KC Supreme (Megan Thee Stallion, Iann Dior, Trevor Daniel) into the Internet Money collective.
A new partnership has been finalized between marketing firm Loud and Live and leading Latin American indie promoter, Move Concerts. The JV sees the two companies furthering their footprint collectively across N. and S. America. Move brings to the partnership over four decades of experience in the live entertainment space with offices in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Costa Rica and Puerto Rico, having worked with global talent such as Ed Sheeran, The Rolling Stones, U2, Shawn Mendes, Bruno Mars, Shakira, Katy Perry, Michael Bublé, Roger Waters, Phil Collins, Iron Maiden and others. Loud and Live’s work in the live arena has seen the firm produce and manage successful national tours, festivals and concerts in the U.S. for Pitbull, Ricky Martin, The Chainsmokers, Marco Antonio Solís, Daniel Habif, Brantley Gilbert, Steve Aoki, Luis Fonsi, Calvin Harris, Roberto Carlos, Juan Luis Guerra, Franco De Vita, Vicente Garcia, Pedro Capó and Ricardo Montaner. Along with live event production, the JV will look to engage brand sponsorship opportunities for live events within the territory.
AIM’s recent AGM saw the organization electing new members to its board as well as revealing a new knowledge partnership with BBC Music to deliver new assets and information to those entering the independent market. Presented as part of AIM’s annual report by CEO, Paul Pacifico, the roll–out of a distribution report, providing a reference point for music distribution by detailing the digital supply chain for the 21st century, and details on the trade body’s membership growth, were also noted. Among the four new appointed board members were included Daniel Miller (Mute Artists); Hannah Overton (Secretly Group); Jeff Bell (Partisan Records); and Yvette Griffith (Jazz Re:freshed), who replace Ben Rimmer (Believe); Jason Rackham (PIAS); Snooky Grubb (Mute Records); and Tim Dellow (Transgressive).
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IN THE SPOTLIGHT:Markus Kuehn, Rachel Levy, Alistair Norbury, Miles Leonard, Sunil D’Sa, Shabs Jobanputra, Mark Beaven, Ty Stiklorius, Daniel Schmidt, Jurek Owsiak, Fredrik Ekander, Karl Anderson and Nora Felder.
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Have you ever sent a text message you regretted, clicked on the wrong link, posted an inappropriate message or image on social media, accidentally replied “send all” on an E–mail, or made a total ass of yourself? Yes, we’ve all had a jackass moment at one time or another in our life. Yes, we’ve all had a jackass moment at one time or another in our life. Life can be a parking lot – you just never know what spot you’re going to get! Click HERE to see some jackass parking moments that simply don’t hit the spot.
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A&R WORLDWIDE’S 'ARTIST OF THE WEEK'– CHLOÉ CAROLINE
Manhattan Beach, California native Chloé Caroline creates music that radiates a warm, authentic, Southern California vibe. A prolific writer, she combines influences ranging from Fleetwood Mac, Amy Winehouse and Dusty Springfield to the pop and writing sensibilities of Ed Sheeran and Shawn Mendes. Her current single “Forgive Me” shines a light on the normality of mental health struggles, perfectionism, and societal expectations. Produced by Jamie Houston, best known for his work with Steven Tyler, Sheryl Crow and Miley Cyrus, the song has been added to the Spotify iTunes U.S. Top 100 playlist and American Top 40, in addition to being added to CMT’s NEXT UP NOW channel. Her music has been featured in 10 films/soundtracks through Lionsgate, Lifetime and Hallmark; she also acted in last year’s feature film Love of Course and wrote/performed the film’s soundtrack. She recently performed to a sold–out crowd at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville and will have upcoming residencies at The Hi Hat in Los Angeles and with Caesars Entertainment in Las Vegas. Sample “Forgive Me” HERE, learn more about Chloé Caroline at www.chloecaroline.com and contact Lindsay Fellows at l.fellows@verizon.net for all inquiries.
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Three years ago in an intimate studio in Leichhardt, Gaspar Sanz was formed. The Australian quartet comprised of James Bell (vocals), Sam Devenport (drums), Jesse Lawrence (guitar) and Dom Coulton (bass) quickly became known for their ability to mix psych–rock with high energy pop. In 2017, they released their debut single and video “On My Way,” which earned support on triple J’s “Best New Videos,” quickly followed with the release of their debut self–titled EP. At the top of 2018, they unleashed “I Swim,” which was an immediate hit and reached No.1 on the indie charts, No.3 on the overall charts at triple J Unearthed, and earned support from New Zealand’s Radio Hauraki, a part of iHeartRadio’s global digital stable. The four–piece continued to have success releasing singles, including “Scene of the Crime,” which climbed to No.1 on the local indie charts, supported by both triple J and triple J Unearthed, as well as being picked up by influential music blogs such as Indie Shuffle and Happy Mag, and was added to Spotify’s Indie Arrivals playlist. This year Gaspar Sanz signed with Australian–based label Helium Records and released their sophomore EP, Meanderthal. They have continued to build a reputation for their incredible onstage performances, led by frontman James Bell’s magnetic energy, combined with the wild frenzy of movement and passion that engages even the most passive of viewers. Discover Gaspar Sanz and experience their visual for “Meanderthal” HERE, and for inquiry discussions, reach out to Rebecca Coleman–Smith at manager@gasparsanzmusic.com or Alan Robertson at alan.robertson@wearehelium.com.
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“PASSPORT APPROVED” PLAYLIST FOR Sunday, October 13th, 2019: The weekly import show. Heard on more than 60 radio stations on six continents weekly including: The World Famous KROQ 106.7FM Los Angeles, Radio Doble Nueve, Lima, Peru; KNRK–FM Portland OR; KNDD “The End” Seattle WA; KCJK–FM “Alternative x1051” Kansas CityMO; WLKK “Alternative Buffalo” NY 107.7FM; WZRH–FM New Orleans; KHTB Salt Lake City, UT; KBZT–FM 94.9FM San Diego CA; KKDO “94.7FM” Sacramento CA; KWSS “93.9FM” Phoenix AZ; KRML “102.1FM” Carmel CA, KFRR “New Rock 104.1FM” Fresno CA; Radio 1, Mumbai, India; WCNR Charlottesville, VA; KIWR “The River” Council Bluffs, IA; 2XM Ireland(national radio); WAPS–FM “The Summit.FM” Akron–Canton, OH; WKTL–FM Youngstown, 105.5FM XFM Nairobi, Kenya; PUK–FM Johannesburg, South Africa; KSKI–FM, Sun Valley/Twin Falls, ID; WITH “90.1FM” Ithaca, New York; UCFM 87.8FM Australian Capital Territory, Australia, WRUR 88.5FM Rochester New York; WCRU–FM Hamilton, NY and on The Independent FM (iHeartRadio) in the United States and many others. Also, on the worldwide web and twice–weekly segment on Flux FM Germany (Berlin, Brandenburg and Stuttgart) and Allgauhit–FM Bavaria Germany, as well as streaming on one of the world’s fastest growing streaming platforms, JioSaavn.
Listen to this two hour show by clicking HERE:
YONAKA – “Rockstar” (Atlantic, UK)
DEMOB HAPPY – “Autoportrait” (SO Recordings, UK)
HONEYMOAN – “Low Blow” (Unsigned, South Africa)
TEN TONNES – “Counting Down” (Warner Music, UK)
MOONLIGHT BREAKFAST – “Summer” (Kiez Beats, Romania)
TRIBE FRIDAY – “Badger” (Unsigned, Sweden)
AMBER RUN – “Neon Circus” (Easy Life, UK)
TALISCO – “Moments” (Roy Music, France)
LARKINS – “Sugar Sweet” (Good Soldier Songs, UK)
LOLA MARSH – “Echoes” (Anova Music, Israel)
WAITING FOR SMITH – “Monkey’s In My Head” (Four One Seven Records, UK)
STICKY FINGERS – “Teenage Vertigo” (Sureshaker, Australia)
SEA GIRLS – “Violet” (Unsigned, UK)
CALLUM BEATTIE – “Nothing Hurts Like You” (3Beat/Universal, UK)
LAUREN HIBBERD – “Frankie’s Girlfriend” (Unsigned, UK)
FEELDS – “Glass Arms” (Unsigned, Australia)
THE DUNTS – “Bad Decisions” (Unsigned, Scotland)
VINCI – “Lions” (Unsigned, Ireland)
THE MYSTERINES – “Take Control” (Unsigned, UK)
JAMES DEACON – “Not Givin’ Up” (Bad Future, South Africa)
POST–PARTY – “Love You Everyday” (Unsigned, Ireland)
MAGNUS MIA – “Head Like A Hole” (Unsigned, Hong Kong)
TIM SCHOU – “Beat Around The Bush” (Iceberg Records, Denmark)
SPEAKER FIRST – “If It Ain’t You” (Vulcan, Indonesia)
LILLY AMONG CLOUDS – “Look At The Earth” (PIAS, Germany)
SPYRES – “Otherside” (Unsigned, Scotland)
NOSOYO – “Glitter” (Embassy of Music, Germany)
MADS LANGER – “Me Without You” (Sony, Denmark)
LUNA BAY – “Call The Night” (Unsigned, UK)
IVY FLINDT – “Seal My Lips” (Unsigned, Germany)
DOTAN – “Numb” (7 Layers, Holland)
LIME CORDIALE – “Inappropriate Behavior” (Chugg Music, Australia)
SOPHIE & THE GIANTS – “Waste My Air” (Unsigned, UK)
ABHI THE NOMAD – “Me No Evil” (Unsigned, N. America)
(Check out the Passport Approved Radio “Featured Artists” on the daily profile exclusively on AllAccess.com including NOSOYO, Larkins, Brandon Jack and The Artifacts, The Swoons and Callum Beattie) |
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