Deals
Believe UK has signed a global services deal with electronic music brand fabric. Under the partnership fabric becomes a client of Believe’s b:electronic imprint, which will provide genre specialist label management, audience development and distribution for fabric’s labels. Panos Polimatidis, Believe’s Head of Label & Artist Solutions, UK, says, “We are THRILLED to partner up with fabric in this new era and excited to help the brand and its artists reach even wider global audiences”. Hiroki Beck, fabric’s Head Of Labels, adds, “This partnership represents an exciting opportunity for fabric’s recordings division as we navigate the evolution of digital music consumption in 2024”.
Romy has partnered with meme-fodder ‘spiked seltzer’ brand White Claw, for its ‘Refreshing Sounds’ summer 2024 series. The collaboration includes a three-part video series filmed at key club spaces in Romy’s career, a remix of her single ‘Twice’ by Paris-based producer Desire, and upcoming parties in London and Ibiza. “Music was my teenage obsession and it has helped me so much with expressing myself in new ways”, Romy says of the partnership. Michael Dean, UK Marketing Director of White Claw, adds: “Romy is the perfect partner for White Claw and we couldn’t have chosen anyone better to bring our refreshing ethos to life”.
R&B artist Monica has signed with talent agency WME. WME will represent her ahead of two upcoming album releases: an R&B project titled ‘MDA’ and a country album called ‘Open Roads’, executive produced by Brandi Carlile, both of which are due to be released later this year. Monica says, “I’m truly excited about this full circle moment to reconnect with WME since that’s where it all started for me with my debut album, ‘Miss Thang!’”
Appointments
Talent agency Wasserman has hired private equity veteran Steve Murray as Executive Vice President Of Mergers & Acquisitions And Strategy. Murray, previously a Principal at Providence Equity Partners, has a long history with Wasserman, having led Providence’s strategic investment in the company in November 2022 and played a key role in Wasserman’s acquisitions of CSM Sport & Entertainment and Brillstein Entertainment Partners in 2023. “Steve will play a leading role in Wasserman’s growth strategy moving forward”, says Chief Financial Officer Elena Rochelli, noting Murray’s nearly fifteen years of experience in complex transactions within the sports, music and entertainment industries. Murray adds, “There is a tremendous opportunity to advance M&A and growth across the company, and I look forward to helping drive this future success”.
Factory International has appointed Rivca Burns as its new Head Of Music. Burns, who has fifteen years of experience as a freelance creative producer, has been acting in the role since January and has already curated events at Aviva Studios including ANOHNI And The Johnsons’ first show in a decade. “Factory International and Aviva Studios are world-class, and working with musicians from across the world, the UK, and locally to thrive, experiment, and wow audiences is going to be a truly exciting adventure”, says Burns. John McGrath, Factory International’s Artistic Director and Chief Executive, adds, “Rivca’s invaluable contribution to the transformation of Festival Square and Factory Sounds makes her perfectly placed to take forward our vision for Aviva Studios as a new home for innovative music”.
Digital
Deezer has reported 14.9% revenue growth to €267.9 million for the first half of 2024, improving its EBITDA from last year’s first half loss of €13.1 million to a loss of €5 million for H1 2024. Stu Bergen, the outgoing interim CEO of Deezer, says, “These positive results are the result of strong performance throughout Deezer. The company is on track for profitability, and we are all proud of the current achievements”. Partnerships revenue saw particularly strong growth, up 39.2% to €86.9 million, driven by new subscriber acquisition and the ramp-up of deals with RTL and Mercado Libre.
Spotify has reversed course on removing unlimited access to lyrics for its ad-supported users. The streaming giant restricted lyrics viewing for Spotify Free accounts in May, but has now reinstated unlimited access, offering free tier users the ability to view lyrics after clicking past a banner ad. While the company insists that it is “always testing and iterating”, the quick reversal suggests that Spotify may see more upside from ad impressions than using lyrics as a Premium conversion tool. In addition those ad impressions are possibly a way to offer publishers compensation for the use of lyrics within the app, something that is a point of contention in Spotify’s fall-out with the National Music Publishers Association in the US. At the very least the ads could be a way for Spotify to offset some of the costs of providing lyrics to users on its free tier. “We’ll be expanding lyrics availability for Spotify Free users so more people can enjoy viewing more lyrics, globally”, the company says.
Web3 and fan engagement platform AmplifyWorld has launched a $500,000 artist fund, that it says comes from reallocating its marketing budget. The grants, ranging from $1000 to $50,000, are intended to cover music-related expenses such as marketing, touring and studio hire for musicians of all genres and career stages. “Instead of investing in Meta and Google Ads, we’ve decided to put half a million dollars directly into the hands of musicians”, says Sam Bates, AmplifyWorld’s Chief Marketing Officer. The fan engagement platform, co-founded by Kasabian drummer Ian Matthews and tech entrepreneur Irfon Watkins in 2022, uses Web3 technology to help artists share music, build fan communities and access analytics. Applications for the fund remain open until 1 Sep.
Meta has launched its AI Studio product to users in the US, enabling users to create custom ‘AI clones’ of themselves for use across Meta’s platforms. Built on Llama 3.1, AI Studio enables users to design AIs for a variety of purposes including generating memes, offering travel advice or answering common DMs. Meta notes, “You can use a wide variety of prompt templates or start from scratch to make an AI that teaches you how to cook, helps you with your Instagram captions, generates memes to make your friends laugh”. Creators can make their AIs public or private, with the option to share them across Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and web platforms. The feature is currently unavailable in the European Union due to regulatory uncertainty, with Meta facing data protection complaints in several EU countries over its use of user data for AI training.
ByteDance apps have been banned on US House Of Representatives staff devices, expanding beyond the existing TikTok prohibition. The Capitol’s Office Of Cybersecurity will enforce the ban from 15 Aug, requiring staffers to remove all ByteDance applications, including Lemon8, Capcut, Lark and Hypic. “ByteDance products will be blocked and removed on House-managed devices, starting with mobile devices”, states the memo sent to staffers on 30 Jul.
Legal
R Kelly has petitioned the United States Supreme Court to overturn his convictions for child pornography possession and inducing minors to engage in sexual acts. Kelly’s attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, argues that the 2003 PROTECT Act, which indefinitely extended the statute of limitations for child sex crimes, should not apply to Kelly’s case as the alleged acts occurred in the 1990s. “Congress specifically didn’t include a clause allowing the law to be applied to alleged conduct committed before 2003”, Bonjean notes. The Supreme Court is expected to decide within the next few months whether to hear Kelly’s appeal.
Universal Music has been dropped from another sexual assault lawsuit against Sean “Diddy” Combs. The dismissal, filed jointly by the plaintiff’s counsel and UMG’s legal team, removes the major label from the case brought by model Crystal McKinney, who alleges Diddy drugged and sexually assaulted her in 2003. The suit, which still names Diddy and his companies as defendants, claimed UMG “enabled” Diddy’s alleged misconduct.
Young Thug’s trial continues as Judge Paige Reese Whitaker denied both a mistrial motion and the rapper’s latest request to be released on bail under house arrest. Whitaker, the third judge to preside over the case, stated, “I don’t think that the fact that I’m coming in mid-trial is a basis to grant a mistrial”, and refused to reconsider a revision to bail bond terms, saying, “I am not going to reconsider any bond issues that have already been ruled on absent legitimate changed circumstances”. The trial, which accuses Young Thug and associates of using their Young Slime Life record label as a cover for gang activity, has faced multiple setbacks since the rapper’s arrest on 9 May 2022. Whitaker indicated she would rule on other mistrial motions and motions to disqualify prosecutor Adriane Love the following day.
Live
Live Nation Entertainment has reported its Q2 2024 results, with revenue up by 7% to over $6 billion. The company’s CEO, Michael Rapino, says, “We continue to see strong demand globally, with a growing variety of shows attracting both casual and diehard fans who are buying tickets at all price points”. Looking ahead the company says it expects 2025 to be a “very busy” year, with plans to open fourteen major venues globally in 2024/2025. Rapino adds, “Our stadium pipeline for 2025 is bigger right now than it was two years ago in 2023”. The company also disclosed an additional $94 million in accruals related to the Astroworld litigation in Q2, bringing the total to $280 million this year.
Other Industry News & Events
Beyond The Music has announced initial details for its 2024 conference, scheduled for 9-11 October at Manchester’s Aviva Studios. The event will feature twelve “summits”, four keynotes and ten networking sessions, with topics including misogyny in music, economics of streaming, and AI. Early confirmed speakers include Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, Rebecca Ferguson, and Tony Harlow of Warner Music UK, with more to be announced.
The UK Streaming Transparency Code has taken effect, with BPI and AIM launching support initiatives. The code was negotiated by various industry stakeholders brought together by the UK’s Intellectual Property Office as part of its economics of streaming work. It aims to improve transparency for artists and songwriters around digital royalties and streaming business models. BPI has released a compliance checklist for labels and distributors, while both trade organisations plan to host demo days showcasing member portals. Sophie Jones, BPI Chief Strategy Officer, states, “We’re delighted that the UK is the first music market in the world to have an industry-wide code on transparency”.
Restore The Music has awarded £240,000 in grants to fourteen state schools in London, Newcastle, Manchester and Birmingham, reaching 11,000 pupils and providing access to nearly 1500 instruments and additional resources. Rebecca Hickey, Secondary Director of Harris Federation, says: “Restore The Music has injected a phenomenal level of investment to our music departments, resulting not only in state-of-the art equipment, but a significant lift in student engagement, enjoyment and success with music”. Matt Griffiths, CEO of Youth Music, adds: “It’s great to see Restore The Music ploughing crucial funding into the North of England, as our new research shows young people from the region are feeling less supported and nurtured musically than ever”. Charlotte Edgeworth, Sony Music UK Director Of Diversity, Inclusion And Social Impact, comments: “We remain hugely proud of this partnership, as RTM expand their reach across the country, ensuring that access to quality music education and instruments reach more young people in the areas of most need”.
Releases & Tours
BADBADNOTGOOD have released their new single ‘Best Left Unsolved’.
The Blessed Madonna has released her new single ‘Godspeed’, featuring DJ E-Clyps. Her new album ‘Godspeed’ is out 11 Oct, with features from Kylie Minogue, Joy Crookes and more.
LOVE IS NOISE have released their new single ‘Jawbreaker’.
Coco & Clair Clair have released their new single ‘Kate Spade’. Their new album ‘Girl’ is out 30 Aug.
FLOHIO has released her new single ‘All The Thrills’.
Caribou has released his new single ‘Volume’.
Ella Eyre has released her new single ‘domino szn’.
Willie Watson has released his new single ‘Slim and The Devil’. His self-titled debut album ‘Willie Watson’ is out 13 Sep.
Sub Focus has released his new single ‘Wildfire’.
Chiedu Oraka has released his new single ‘Helly Hansen 6’.
Chime School have released their new single ‘The End’. Their new album ‘The Boy Who Ran The Paisley Hotel’ is out 23 Aug. They’ve also announced a UK tour, including a show at The Victoria in London on 29 Sep. Tickets are available here.
Pink Martini have announced a 30th anniversary tour, including a show at Paris’ Accor Arena. Tickets are available here.