Randal B.’s Post

New Post: Ye vs. Taylor? Here We Go Again on This Week’s Billboard 200  - https://lnkd.in/gQMvnDic - The Contenders is a midweek column that looks at artists aiming for the top of the Billboard charts, and the strategies behind their efforts. This week, for the upcoming Billboard 200 dated Aug. 10, Ye looks for his 12th consecutive charting album to debut at No. 1 – but he’ll have to get past a familiar longtime foe first.  Ye & Ty Dolla $ign, Vultures 2 (YZY): We must be nearing the 15th anniversary of the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, because Ye (formerly Kanye West) and Taylor Swift are mixing it up again. This time, it’s not particularly personal: Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department has been the album to beat on the Billboard 200 for over three months now, and Ye & Ty’s typically long-expected and long-delayed sequel o set Vultures 2, originally set for March, finally saw release last Saturday (Aug. 3), after being announced for the day before.   Nevertheless, the race is now on, and Ye and Ty are in it to win it. As is typical of last-second new Ye releases of the past decade, Vultures 2 is not available for physical purchase upon its release – it is available only in digital format, on iTunes and Amazon and at his webstore, and is currently being sold for just $5. Late on Tuesday night (Aug. 6), Ye released a new deluxe edition to the album as a webstore exclusive, featuring a new song currently not available on streaming, “Take Off Your Dress.”  Given these maneuvers and Ye’s history on the chart, Vultures 2 would seem a likely frontrunner for the No. 1 spot. However, the set’s performance on streaming has not been equivalent to the dominance of his and Ty’s first Vultures: On Apple Music, the album only claims three of the top 50 spots, and it only has a single entry in that range on Spotify: “Field Trip,” which appears to be the closest thing to a breakout hit on the album – and still nowhere near a threat to debut atop the Billboard Hot 100 like runaway smash “Carnival” did off the preceding set. Add to that some middling notices from fans and critics, many of whom have deemed the album unfinished-sounding, as well as a partial first tracking week (thanks to the delayed Saturday release), and Vultures 2 is fighting an uphill battle to claim the 200’s top spot this week.    Still, with “Take Off Your Dress” drawing a highly positive fan response so far, the new deluxe edition of the album should help its numbers a decent amount. And the bar has been lower to clear with Tortured Poets in the last couple weeks than it was in the first few months – Swift’s album reigned last week with just 71,000 total units, the lowest total for a No. 1 album on the chart since March.   Taylor Swift, The Tortured Poets Department (Republic): It’s been a lucky 13 week

New Post: Hipgnosis Sues Barry Manilow for Breach of Contract Over 2020 Catalog Deal - https://lnkd.in/gT2XCBtC - LONDON — Hipgnosis Song Fund is suing Barry Manilow over bonus payments relating to its acquisition of the singer’s catalog four years ago. The lawsuit was filed at the High Court in London on Monday (Aug. 12). The case is listed as breach of contract, but details of the claim are not publicly available. Three defendants are listed on the court filing: Manilow; Manilow Productions; and the artist’s management company – Hastings, Clayton & Tucker Inc trading as Stiletto Entertainment. News of the court case was first reported by the Financial Times. Related Hipgnosis Songs Buys Barry Manilow Catalog 08/03/2020 In a statement to Billboard, a spokesperson for Hipgnosis described the dispute as a “routine commercial matter concerning the interpretation of certain clauses in a contract regarding bonus payments, which the court is ideally placed to address.” “While we regret that this couldn’t be resolved directly between the parties, we continue to hold Barry and his music in the highest possible regard and we are confident that this can be resolved in a fair and reasonable way,” the spokesperson went on to say. Billboard understands that the claim is for a low sum in the single digit millions. Representatives for Manilow either did not respond to requests to comment or could not be reached. The court action comes almost exactly four years after Hipgnosis announced that it had acquired 100% of Manilow’s worldwide recording royalties (excluding SoundExchange royalties) in his catalog, comprising 917 songs, for an undisclosed figure. The deal included some of the 81-year-old singer’s biggest hits, including “Mandy,” “I Write the Songs,” “Looks Like We Made It,” “Can’t Smile Without You” and “Copacabana (At the Copa).” Speaking in 2020, at the time of the catalog acquisition, Hipgnosis founder Merck Mercuriadis called Manilow “an incomparable artist, songwriter, arranger, musician and performer,” while the veteran singer praised Mercuriadis for creating “a new type of music company.” A great deal has changed at Hipgnosis since then. Last month, private equity group Blackstone completed a $1.6-billion acquisition of the six-year-old, London-listed investment trust that had amassed a huge catalog of 65,000 copyrights including songs by Red Hot Chili Peppers, Journey, Shakira, Blondie and Neil Young. The takeover followed a tumultuous year in which the publicly traded fund faced a shareholder revolt following a series of missteps and accounting sca

We studied Billie Eilish's rollout strategy for "HIT ME HARD AND SOFT." What we learned: If you want to build a deeper connection with fans, look at what Billie's doing. Every step of this rollout was infused with a personal touch that resonated with the album's theme. Billie not only shared a deeper side of herself in the music, but also created intimate experiences for her fans in the promotion of the album. From exclusive merch drops to surprise DJ sets and free listening parties, it all felt incredibly personal, fostering an even stronger connection with her audience. While we understand that not every artist has the same resources as Billie, we've broke down her strategy into practical, budget-friendly tips. These tips are designed to empower you to create a successful rollout strategy, regardless of your budget. Check out the full case study: https://lnkd.in/ewFxvQ3F Need help planning your next release strategy? Our team of music industry experts has trained the Venice Co-Manager tool to help you create a powerful, personalized plan. Try it here: https://lnkd.in/enUvYFQG #musicindustry #marketing

New Post: A New Era: Inside Warner Music Group As Elliot Grainge Prepares to Take Charge of Atlantic - https://lnkd.in/g6DMs_pU - The power of the major label has been completely decimated.”  That broadside came from Elliot Grainge during an interview with The Los Angeles Times last year. In the profile, Grainge, founder of the independent label 10K Projects and son of Universal Music Group chairman/CEO Lucian Grainge, added that the majors were like “a conveyor belt with 100 other priorities” and “mediocre-at-best product-management departments.” In his view, there was “not one example” of an artist “signed, developed and marketed from scratch to huge fanfare by a major label in the last three years.”  Related Warner Music Group Announces Major Executive Restructure, Max Lousada to Step Down 08/01/2024 Sixteen months later, one of those conveyor belts will soon belong to Grainge. In a sudden and surprising shakeup, Warner Music Group announced that the 30-year-old will take over as CEO of Atlantic Music Group on Oct. 1, less than a year after WMG entered a joint venture with 10K. In his new position, Grainge will oversee the renowned Atlantic Records, as well as 300 Elektra Entertainment and his own imprint.   This means he will jump from managing a staff of around 30 in 2023, according to The L.A. Times, to commanding hundreds of employees. And as part of the overhaul, at least two well-regarded WMG veterans are headed for the exits: Max Lousada, who served as the company’s CEO of Recorded Music since 2017; and Julie Greenwald, who had led Atlantic as chairman and COO since 2006. The upheaval marks an abrupt generational shift for Atlantic, the storied label co-founded by music legend Ahmet Ertegun in 1947. “They’re going from the most traditional, A&R-driven leadership to a very contemporary, digitally-native new administration,” says one executive who has worked with Grainge in the past. “It’s going to be interesting to see what happens.”  “Cutting Away the Bullshit”  Grainge has risen rapidly in a remarkably short time in the business, and several executives who have worked with him cheered his latest promotion. “We’re still operating in an antiquated system, and Elliot’s found his success by cutting away the bullshit,” says Solomon Sobande, who managed XXXTentacion, the SoundCloud rapper-turned-streaming superstar, before his death and teamed up with Grainge to release X’s ? album in 2018. “There’s a certain level of commitment to his artists, making sure they had everything they needed to be successful, that I was always enthralled by.”  Some Warner emplo

Interesting article Nat!

🎶 Attic Office Anecdotes #5: The business of music 🎶 The first four anecdotes focused on how artists protested and raised awareness of issues through their songs. This anecdote looks at the ‘business’ side of making music - just as fascinating. In today’s music ‘marketplace’, the financial value of music has been significantly reduced. Streaming services offer a pittance for each play, and now #AI can even write songs. So artists' main source of revenue is touring, and it’s no wonder companies have also been looking for a bigger piece of the pie there as well. For the #Swifties among us, it’s no secret that getting tickets to Taylor Swift’s Eras tour was hampered by crashing websites, dynamic pricing, and much more. This led to hearings in the US Congress, anti-trust lawsuits and numerous social media meltdowns. Her royal Swiftness herself even put out a statement slamming #Ticketmaster, saying she was ‘p*ssed off’. But it’s actually not the first time this company has been in hot water. Did you know that way back in the nineties, the grunge band #PearlJam took #Ticketmaster to court to block the company from charging high service fees and buying out venues for them to play at? At the height of their fame, they lost significant revenue trying to protect their fans. In the end, the band named after aunt Pearl’s famous jam does sell tickets for their tours through Ticketmaster, but on their own terms. 🌟 What does this have to do with #bizhumanrights? Well, Swifties would argue that attending an Eras concert is a basic human right. 😁 But I truly believe access to music and the arts are so valuable to the human experience that the price tag to access should not be prohibitive - and companies should not be out to gouge. 🌟

New Post: LISA’s ‘Rockstar’ Rises Above All International Hits on Global Excl. U.S. Chart So Far in 2024 - https://lnkd.in/ganJCPUQ - LISA debuts at No. 1 on the July 13-dated Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart with “Rockstar,” notably making BLACKPINK the first group with three members that have led the list as soloists. The song’s flashy debut also breaks a long streak of geographical monotony on the international ranking. The Global Excl. U.S. chart ranks the 200 biggest songs of each week, based on streaming and data from more than 200 international territories, with U.S. consumption removed, as compiled by data tracker Luminate. So, even more than the Billboard Global 200, and in further contrast to the U.S.-based Billboard Hot 100, the Global Excl. U.S. chart has spotlighted artists from Africa, Asia, South America and elsewhere in its upper reaches since its 2020 launch. Related 2024 Midyear Market Share: Taylor Swift Helps Republic Beat WMG; Interscope, Warner Records… 07/11/2024 But while 2024 has minted new smash hits and ascendant stars, those breakthroughs have generally been by American acts, and performed entirely in English. LISA stands out not only as the first Thai artist to top the list in 2024, but also as the first artist not from primarily English-speaking countries the U.S., Canada, or the U.K. to reach the summit all year. (“Still, “Rockstar” is sung almost entirely in English, with one line in Japanese repeated.) At 2024’s midyear point (reflecting charts dated Jan. 6-June 29), 47 songs reached the top 10 of Global Excl. U.S., up noticeably from 26 during the same period of 2023. But just 40% of 2024’s top 10s in that span were by artists from outside the mainland U.S., compared to 92% last year and 85% the year before. In terms of language, 34% of this year’s top 10s included non-English-language lyrics, down from 58% in 2023 and 64% in 2022. Each of the last two years had major narratives, particularly in Latin music, driving representation in their first six months. In 2022, Bad Bunny released his culture-dominating album Un Verano Sin Ti, which spawned seven top 10s on Global Excl. U.S. Last year, Peso Pluma led a streaming explosion of regional Mexican music, expanding the pan-Latin footprint on the global stage. Plus, a growing wave of Nigerian artists including CKay, Rema and Tems have diversified the top of the chart. More than that, those years featured Global Excl. U.S. top 10s from Argentina, Brazil, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Sweden and beyond. Many of those territories have cracked the top 10 this year as well, but less frequently, and amid a much larger pool of hits.

New Post: Steve Aoki’s Dim Mak Label Names Lorne Padman to President - https://lnkd.in/gsaGMcez - Steve Aoki‘s longstanding Dim Mak label has a new president, with Lorne Padman — the imprint’s vp for the last decade — assuming the position. In the role, the Los Angeles-based Padman will oversee strategy for the imprint, which was founded by Aoki in 1996 while he was a student at UC Santa Barbara. The current Dim Mak roster includes producers like Henry Fong, Chyl, Ookay, Deorro, Cash Cash, Cheyenne Giles, Sikdope, 4B and more, with upcoming releases from Ray Ray, Mila Falls, Nostalgix and Aoki and Afrojack’s collaborative Afroki project, among others. “Throughout Lorne’s ten years as vice president, he has been an integral part of the label’s success story,” Aoki tells Billboard. “His ability to cultivate strong relationships within the industry has been critical in elevating the reputation of Dim Mak’s brand. I’m confident that Lorne’s leadership and hard work will continue to steer the label toward further growth and excellence.” Related Steve Aoki On His New Music, Big Bets And Becoming the ‘Loud’ Asian American Hero He… 04/26/2024 Padman tells Billboard that for him, the label’s health and vibrancy is demonstrated by the fact that artists from across the roster collaborate often, without being pushed to by management. “For me,” he says, “that’s an indication we must be doing something right, if we’re creating an ecosystem of talent that all want to work with each other and get along socially and musically.” These artists make many different styles of electronic music, with Dim Mak focused less on cultivating a specific sound and more on releasing compelling, relevant output. The idea, Padman says, is to offer a “complementary roster of different sounds, from really fresh underground and cool and new. But also, a bit like a financial portfolio, you can’t only be taking moonshots, you also need to have some established things that will guard our reputation and can also financially open the possibility of being able to take swings at emerging artists.” Taking swings is built into Dim Mak’s business model, with the label’s New Noise imprint having released music from a totally new artist every two weeks for the last decade. This structure offers artists with what is often their first official release, providing them with the Dim Mak visibility boost while helping the label identify emerging sounds and trends. Altogether, Padman says, it’s “an avenue to market for development artists that are potentially too small for some other other labels.” Padman brings decades of

"It's already a minefield for independent artists to navigate breaking into the music industry, particularly in a social media-dominant world that largely hinges on a breakthrough digital moment. Music data analysis firm Chartmetric deemed it was “harder than ever” for undiscovered artists to go viral, according to a 2023 report, with 81 percent of artists on Spotify pulling in less than 1,000 monthly streams." Thanks so much Rolling Stone for giving a mention to our 2023 Year in Music report! Catch the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eED7Qnhd #musicindustry #musictech #musicbusiness #musicnews

🤝 England x Crosstown Rebels 🤝 Crosstown Rebels has been at the forefront of electronic music for 21 years. A label that represents the core values of underground music, nurtures talent and acts a global benchmark for quality music. Recently we saw the label go viral with A Made By Pete track showing even after 21 years it can capture the attention of the world. The video has: 🌍 4.9million plays on Instagram 🌍 204thousand likes 🌍 21thousand saves 🌍 57,000+ follows 🌍 Culmianting with The FA syncing a number of records for some upcoming marketing campaign. Building the right content, positioning it in the right place and making it it fits your brand objectives drives real growth. #Marketing #DigitalMarketing #MusicMarketing