APPOINTMENTS
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Spotify’s Chief Financial Officer Paul Vogel is leaving the company, just days after it announced that it is making 1500 employees redundant. CEO Daniel Ek says that he and Vogel have jointly “come to the conclusion that Spotify is entering a new phase and needs a CFO with a different mix of experiences”. As news of the layoffs caused a spike in Spotify’s share price on Tuesday, Vogel cashed in $9.4 million worth of shares. So he’s probably going to be alright even if he can’t immediately find another job.
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Spotify UK & Ireland MD Tom Connaughton is also exiting the company. “It’s been a privilege to lead this team, and to be part of a brand that plays such a central role in people’s lives”, he says, “whether that’s the amazing artists and their teams whose work we love, our friends and colleagues across the industry, and of course the audience who listen along”.
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Warner Chappell has appointed Jessica Entner to the newly created role of Vice President, Creative Sync Strategy. “As a former WCM writer myself, I know firsthand the current challenges that artists and music creators are facing to diversify their portfolios”, she says. “There’s a largely untapped opportunity to champion these writers by bringing impactful music solutions to brands and advertisers, and I’m looking forward to the work we’ll do together”.
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Warner Music’s 300 Entertainment has promoted Lallie Jones to VP Marketing and Josh D’Amore to SVP Digital & Streaming. “They have been a vital part of some of our biggest success stories and will undoubtedly play crucial roles in many more to come”, say co-Presidents Rayna Bass and Selim Bouab. “We can’t wait for what 2024 has in store as our team only continues to grow and evolve with incredible energy and enthusiasm”.
EVENTS
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Music conference IMS Ibiza has announced that it will return for its fifteenth edition on 24-26 Apr in a new location at the Mondrian Ibiza and Hyde Ibiza hotels. Speakers will include Ninja Tune co-founder Matt Black and Tomorrowland founder Michiel Beers. “IMS continues with our third and most important edition since the pandemic, but also our fifteenth event in Ibiza”, says lead curator Ben Turner. “Now that the industry has - mostly - enjoyed its bounce-back, this is the real test of stability as consumer habits settle down. It is also a moment where global events have impacted the unity of our scene, presenting many with challenging decisions to make”.
RELEASES
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Green Day have released new single ‘Dilemma’. “We’ve seen so many of our peers struggle with addiction and mental illness”, says Billie Joe Armstrong. “This song is all about the pain that comes from those experiences”. Their new album ‘Saviours’ is out on 19 Jan.
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Jack Savoretti and Katherine Jenkins have released a cover of ‘What The World Needs Now Is Love’ in aid of War Child. “When Katherine did me the honour of inviting me to sing with her, we were both struggling to comprehend the world around us”, says Savoretti. “Both of us agreed that the one thing we all needed was love. This time of year people tend to think more with their hearts than with their heads, we want people's hearts to sing along with us as loud as they can to help War Child give hope to children whose lives have been torn apart by war”.
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Fred Again has teamed up with Baby Keem for new single ‘leavemealone’.
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Bleachers has released new single ‘Alma Mater’, the second single from upcoming new album ‘Bleachers’.
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Former Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach has released his first new music for a decade, a single called ‘What Do I Got To Lose?’ “To me, ‘What Do I Got To Lose?’ is the perfect sentiment for me right now”, he says. “It’s an anthem for coming back and crushing it. It’s time to lay down the law and put the hammer down old school-style”.
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Barry Can’t Swim has released new single ‘Always Get Through To You’ featuring Surya Sen. “I’d been a fan of Surya for a while, his first mixtape is excellent”, says the producer. “I knew I wanted to work with him, and it was one of those where we hit it off right away - just chatting about life, football and random bits. Eventually we got round to the tune and spoke about The Neptunes as a big reference for blending dance and hip hop energy, so we aimed in that direction. Then very quickly Surya had the perfect bars for the beat”.
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Mall Girl has released new single ‘Super Lazy Girl’. “The song is in simple terms about - the oh-so-stupid and very-2023 term - 'situationships' - and in more complex terms about the fear of committing to something that feels real and more sustainable than hazy nights when you’ve lost your phone and possibly some of your integrity”, says frontwoman Bethany Forseth-Reichberg. “So, when true love suddenly comes around, how do you know that you are ready for it? I don’t think you know, just have to jump into it and stop being a lazy girl”. Their new album ‘Pure Love’ is out on 26 Jan.
GIGS & TOURS
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Doja Cat has announced UK tour dates in June next year, including a performance at the O2 Arena in London on 14 Jun. Tickets go on general sale on 14 Dec.
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The Postal Service and Death Cab For Cutie will co-headline East London’s All Points East festival on 25 Aug.
AWARDS
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The Last Dinner Party have been announced as the winners of this year’s BRITs Rising Star Award. "We are so proud beyond measure to have won the BRITs Rising Star”, say the band. “It's an honour to achieve something so iconic so early on in our career and we can only hope to keep making music that connects with all the incredible people who have listened to and supported us so far. Thank you!”