Atlantic Records Promotes Lanre Gaba to Co-President of Black Music

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorAfter seeing her song “Fingers Crossed” become a TikTok smash, Vancouver Island singer/songwriter Lauren Spencer-Smith has partnered with Universal Music Group’s Island Records and Republic Records. According to the announcement, “The innovative partnership, structured with manager and business partner David Ehrlich (pictured above, right, with UMG chief Lucian Grainge, left, and Spencer-Smith), allows Lauren Spencer-Smith to keep her independent spirit via her own imprint while tapping into premium services from both labels.”After breaking through on TikTok, “Fingers Crossed” garnered over 100 million streams hitting the Top 50 on Spotify in 23 countries and peaked at No.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorPrimary Wave Music announced that it has acquired the music rights from the estates of Layne Staley and Mike Starr of the Grammy-nominated Seattle band Alice In Chains.The deal will see the publisher acquire a stake in the Layne Staley’s and Mike Starr’s music publishing catalog, as well as master royalty income stream; terms of the deal were not disclosed.The work of the band’s main songwriter, Jerry Cantrell, was not included, nor drummer Sean Kinney or later members Mike Inez and William DuVall. However, the deal does encompass shares in some of the band’s biggest hits, such as “Man in the Box,” “Rooster” and “No Excuses,” as well as their biggest hit, “Would?” The latter song, released in 1992, and not only appeared in the era-defining Cameron Crowe film “Singles” but was also included on the hit soundtrack.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorDr. Dre has made the historic move of bringing two deaf rappers into this year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show.Sean Forbes and Warren “WaWa” Snipe, will appear alongside Dre, Eminem, Mary J.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterA+E Networks has promoted Sharon Scott to president of the company’s unscripted division, including Category 6 Media and Six West Media.In this newly created role, Scott, who most recently served as executive vice president of Category 6 Media, will have oversight of A+E Network’s expanding full-service nonfiction content creation unit. She will continue to report directly to Paul Buccieri, president and chairman of A+E Networks Group.Additionally, A+E Networks has upped Steve Ascher, who was previously executive vice president of Six West Media, to oversee development for the company’s entire unscripted division, including Category 6 Media.

Fans went wild last summer when photos of Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck seemingly recreating the yacht scene from the “Jenny From the Block” music video surfaced. In pictures captured at the time, the 52-year-old songstress sported a bikini as she laid on the luxury boat, while Affleck placed his hand on her butt.

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck seemingly recreating the yacht scene from the «Jenny From the Block» music video surfaced. In pictures captured at the time, the 52-year-old songstress sported a bikini as she laid on the luxury boat, while Affleck placed his hand on her butt.  Fans went into overload with theories as it reminded them of the clip from the music video that was released almost 20 years ago.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorDavid Crosby and Stephen Stills have joined Neil Young and Graham Nash in asking their labels to remove their collective recordings from Spotify.According to the announcement, in support of stopping harmful misinformation about Covid-19 on Joe Rogan’s Spotify-hosted podcast, the musicians have decided to remove their records from the streaming platform including the recordings of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young; Crosby, Stills & Nash and Crosby-Nash, as well as Crosby’s and Stills’ solo projects. Nash has already begun the process to take down his solo recordings.In a unified statement, the band members commented, “We support Neil and we agree with him that there is dangerous disinformation being aired on Spotify’s Joe Rogan podcast. While we always value alternate points of view, knowingly spreading disinformation during this global pandemic has deadly consequences. Until real action is taken to show that a concern for humanity must be balanced with commerce, we don’t want our music – or the music we made together – to be on the same platform.” Reps for Spotify did not immediately respond to Variety‘s request for comment.Following a similar request by Joni Mitchell, the move reunites the five artists, who have been friends and collaborators since the 1960s, in a stance that they certainly could not have imagined 50 years ago.

Meek Mill has aired a number of grievances against his label Atlantic Records, saying they were delaying the release of his new music against his wishes.He said he was “blackballed” by the label during the release of his last album ‘Expensive Pain’ and accused them of “outsmarting young black kids taking advantage and calling it business.”Meek also said that Atlantic cut him out of managing Roddy Ricch while he was in jail after he introduced the label to the rapper, saying it was the “same thing” that had happened with him and Rick Ross years earlier. NME has reached out to Atlantic Records for a response.“So look I made Atlantic records 100’s of millions and let them rape me out out [sic] Roddy a artist they came to me about in jail,” Meek wrote.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorMegaforce Records co-founder Jon Zazula — who launched the iconic label, which released the first albums from Metallica, Anthrax and many others, with his wife Marsha in 1982 — died Tuesday in Florida, a rep for the label confirms to Variety. He was 69.Marsha passed away of cancer in January of last year.Known as “Jonny Z,” Zazula was the more freewheeling half of the company’s founding duo, known for his raucous laughter and, sometimes, his temper.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorAs part of its first Environment Social Governance report, Warner Music Group announced on Tuesday that it will waive unrecoupled debuts for heritage artists, following Sony Music, which made that move last year.Just hours later, a source confirmed to Variety that Universal plans to make a similar announcement as part of its ESG report later this year; Music Business Worldwide first reported that news.What that means is that eligible artists, songwriters and others who had not recouped their advances and/or other expenses will now receive royalties that previously had gone toward paying down those expenses. That situation has meant that many artists have received low or even no royalty payments as the company applied their earnings to paying down debts they may have incurred through signing advances or other recoupable expenses that standard record-label contracts oblige the artist to cover.

Audio Up, home to such audio programs as Stephen King’s “Strawberry Spring,” Michael Cohen’s “Mea Culpa” and the just-released Audible exclusive “Maejor Frequency,” is bolstering its executive ranks with the hiring of music supervision trailblazer PJ Bloom and label marketing veteran Christine Kauffman.Bloom (pictured at left) will serve as co-president of music, alongside John Ingrassia. Kauffman has been named executive VP, brand strategy and partnerships.Bloom’s resume includes, most recently, a nearly five-year run at Warner Records, where he served as SVP of film and television music and soundtracks, leading the label’s creative, marketing and licensing efforts in the music for screens space.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorCountry artist Mickey Guyton will sing the National Anthem, R&B singer Jhene Aiko will perform “America the Beautiful,” and gospel act Mary Mary will perform “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” accompanied by the Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles, as part of the pre-game ceremonies for the Super Bowl on Feb. 13, the NFL announced on Tuesday.Also, actress Sandra Mae Frank will perform the National Anthem and “America the Beautiful in American sign language on behalf of the National Association of the Deaf, and veteran DJ-producer Zedd will act as the official pregame DJ during player warmups.The choices speak to the NFL’s recent moves toward greater diversity, announced when it first teamed up with Roc Nation as an entertainment consultant in 2019.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorSony Music Publishing has announced Songwriter Assistance, a new program that will provide its global roster of songwriters and composers with access to free, confidential counseling services and wellness resources.According to the announcement, starting February 1, Songwriter Assistance will offer 24/7 counseling support via global hotlines, as well as ongoing counseling services for emotional health matters such as stress, anxiety, depression, and family/relationship challenges.SMP songwriters will also have unlimited access to customized resources for tackling daily responsibilities such as researching childcare and eldercare options, navigating life transitions, co-parenting, budgeting for major life events, and more.In a letter to songwriters and composers announcing the program, Jon Platt, Chairman and CEO, Sony Music Publishing said, “We are committed to providing you with services that matter. The importance of wellness cannot be overstated, and with Songwriter Assistance, we look forward to offering a whole new level of care and support.”Amy Cranford, SMP senior VP of publishing administration, said, “We are passionate about taking care of Sony Music Publishing’s songwriters and composers and providing them with the best level of support.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorIsland Records has named Mike Alexander general manager, it was announced by new label co-CEOs Imran Majid and Justin Eshak. Alexander will continue to be based in New York and report jointly to Majid and Eshak.A nearly two-decade veteran of Island’s parent company Universal Music Group, Alexander has for the past year been an executive VP at Island, overseeing the operations for the label including releases by Shawn Mendes, the Killers, Demi Lovato and others. He previously served as executive vice president of international for UMG, a position that jointly encompassed Island Records, Def Jam Recordings and Republic Records.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorPrimary Wave Music has expanded its partnership with long-running British group and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees Def Leppard.The deal will see the company acquire an additional stake in the band’s music publishing catalog as well as master royalty income stream.Terms of the deal were not disclosed; many of the band’s biggest hits are included in deal, such as “Pour Some Sugar on Me,” “Rock of Ages” and “Photograph.”The band’s repertoire includes 11 studio albums, which have sold more than 110 million copies globally.The relationship between Primary Wave and Def Leppard began in 2009 with a deal to market and administer the band’s catalog of songs. Over the years the songs have been synced on a number of television shows, including “Cobra Kai,” “Hit the Floor,” “The Simpsons Guy,” “American Horror Story 1984” and more.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorOneOf has formed a preferred partnership with Warner Music Group that will see the company create exclusive NFTs for a range of artists across WMG’s catalog of music.A Green Web3 company, OneOf’s NFT platform creates NFTs that are significantly times more energy efficient than its competitors and are specifically designed with the music community in mind, offering NFTs from collectible and generative PFPs, to music royalties and experiences, according to the announcement.In December, a previously unreleased recording made when Whitney Houston was 17 years old was sold in a 24-hour auction on the OneOf NFT platform. The winning bid was for $1 million, the highest priced NFT auction item on the Tezos (XTZ) blockchain.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorMoon Projects, former TikTok music chief Mary Rahmani’s joint venture with Republic Records, has unveiled its first signing: Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Em Beihold, whose song “Groundhog Day” became a viral smash last year.Today she’s released the single and video “Numb Little Bug,” which she first teased on TikTok a few months back.“I try to write happy sing along pop about sad topics,” Beihold, 23, says. “I go for the lyrics or chords you wouldn’t necessarily expect.”She adds about the song, “Last year, all of my dreams were coming true. Everything I wanted was happening, but somehow I didn’t feel anything.

Cynthia Littleton Business EditorSusan Brandt has been promoted to CEO of Dr. Seuss Enterprises, the privately held company that manages the rich vault of books and IP associated with the beloved author.Brandt has been with the San Diego-based Seuss Enterprises for 24 years, most recently serving as president. 2021 marked Seuss Enterprises’ highest revenue-generating year since its founding in 1993.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorAriana Grande, Silk Sonic, Doja Cat featuring SZA, Dua Lipa, Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber featuring Daniel Caesar and Giveon, Lil Nas X, Olivia Rodrigo and the Kid Laroi are among the top nominees for the 2022 “iHeartRadio Music Awards,” airing live from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, Tuesday, March 22, on Fox and on iHeartMedia radio stations.Now in its ninth year, the iHeartRadio Music Awards will celebrate the most-played artists and songs on iHeartRadio stations and the iHeartRadio app throughout 2021, while also offering a preview of the upcoming hits of 2022, according to the announcement.“The 2022 iHeartRadio Music Awards will once again celebrate the great artists and songs we’ve featured on iHeartRadio stations throughout the past year,” said Tom Poleman, President and Chief Programming Officer for iHeartMedia. “We can’t wait to celebrate the year in music with iconic performances and never-before-seen collaborations.” Artists receiving multiple nominations include Justin Bieber, Olivia Rodrigo, Doja Cat, Giveon, Lil Nas X, Silk Sonic, The Kid LAROI, SZA, Drake, Ed Sheeran, Megan Thee Stallion, Måneskin, Taylor Swift, Jason Aldean, Billie Eilish, BTS, David Guetta, Tate McRae, Ariana Grande, Daniel Caesar, The Weeknd, Five Finger Death Punch, Cardi B, Joel Corry, AJR, Carrie Underwood, Luke Combs, The Pretty Reckless, All Time Low, twenty one pilots, Mammoth WVH, blackbear, Machine Gun Kelly, Imagine Dragons, Moneybagg Yo, H.E.R., Foo Fighters, Jazmine Sullivan, Banda Sinaloense MS De Sergio Lizárraga, Pop Smoke, Coi Leray, Bad Bunny, Regard, Rauw Alejandro, Farruko, KAROL G, Calibre 50, Dua Lipa and La Arrolladora Banda El Limón De René Camacho.