Music Industry Moves: Sony Publishing Signs Ashley Gorley; iHeartMedia’s Alissa Pollack Joins Musicians On Call Board

A community council meeting was halted by a naked man who joined the video call in a bath.

EXCLUSIVE: Pixar co-founder and longtime Disney Animation President Ed Catmull has joined the Board of Directors and Creative Advisory Board at Baobab Studios.

Self Esteem, has penned an essay about the pressure she believes female artists face to provide TikTok content.The article comes following a number of artists speaking publicly about their experiences of their labels and management pushing them to post on the social media platform.They include FKA Twigs, who has said: “It’s true all record labels ask for are TikToks and I got told off today for not making enough effort” and since deleted her TikTok account. Charli XCX, Florence Welch and more have also expressed similar sentiments.Halsey, meanwhile, said earlier this month: “I have a song that I love that I wanna release ASAP, but my record label won’t let me… my record company is saying that I can’t release it unless they can fake a viral moment on TikTok.

Michele Amabile Angermiller Epic Records has promoted Ayanna Wilks to vice president of publicity and has hired Natalie Geday as VP of publicity as well.Both report to Melissa Victor, SVP and head of publicity for the Sony Music label. Both are based in Los Angeles.Wilks (pictured at left) was previously senior director of public relations and has worked on the media campaigns for Giveon, Bia and Mimi Webb as well as newcomers India Shawn, Melvoni and MK xyz, among others.

Adele – has spoken out on the issue of financial barriers within the music industry.In a new interview with The Telegraph, Epworth warned of the lost potential that comes with those of underprivileged backgrounds attempting to break into the business. “Because of cuts in funding, youth club closures, venues closing and growing hardship, it’s getting harder and harder to get into the creative industries unless you already know somebody who can advise you or offer you an internship,” he said.“If you’re a kid from an underprivileged background without those links, you’ve got no hope of fulfilling your dreams of a job in music.”The English producer went on to put his support behind London’s Ivors Academy, a music academy who are offering a new two-year diploma in Creative Entrepreneurship aimed at students aged 19 and over.

Thania Garcia Among the many topics discussed during the Power Marketers of the Music Industry panel at Variety‘s 2022 Entertainment Marketing Summit, clearly TikTok and the importance of fan relationships were at the front of the group’s minds. Moderated by Variety‘s Andrew Hampp, the panel sorted through the many questions surrounding the marketers who are behind some of today’s top and developing music acts.This year’s music marketing panelists included: Krystian Santini of RocNation; Corey Sheridan of TikTok North America; Kendra Ellis of Atlantic Records; Val Pensa of RCA Records; and Alissa Pollack, executive VP of global music marketing at iHeartMedia.Pollack opened the conversation by discussing the key to Doja Cat’s TikTok success: “Doja Cat’s gonna do what Doja Cat wants to do,” she said.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorFormer Lady Gaga manager and Spotify exec Troy Carter and fellow Q&A co-founder Suzy Ryoo have announced the Venice Music Collective, an independent membership music community for creators powered by Web3. Launching this month, the collective is a place “where members are given access, opportunities and the ability to achieve greater wealth as an independent,” according to the announcement, which adds that “The goal is to empower and support independent artists and their careers in a more equitable way that currently exists.”Membership provides access to industry contacts: distribution, sync, analytics, financial services, events, workspaces, and more, according to the announcement.

Rosie Perez is a trailblazer. The actress, dancer, choreographer, writer, and more, is a New York icon and someone who broke ground for Latinos and people of color in the industry.

Thania Garcia AJR has signed with Mercury Records, the Universal Music label that recently relaunched via Republic Records. The New York-based trio of brothers Adam (vocals/bass), Jack (vocals/guitar), and Ryan (guitar/piano/vocals) Met, are currently in the midst of the U.S.

After two seasons as a CBS All Access/Paramount+ exclusive, the Stephen Colbert-produced Tooning Out The News is moving to Comedy Central.

Julie Plec has probably had better days.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music CriticMusic publishing, a part of the industry that rarely raises its hand to be its hottest or most controversial subject, has recently been an uncharacteristic source of news headlines again and again, due to a seeming gold rush that has major artist-songwriters selling off their catalogs for huge figures. As the chairman-CEO of Sony Music Publishing, Jon Platt naturally has a few thoughts about this crest of cashing in. And they’re mixed, even if he’s not about to wax gloomy about writers getting their due.“There’s no one particular answer to this —  no one-size-fits-all answer, to be honest with you,” Platt said during a keynote Q&A at the annual Music Biz conference in Nashville Wednesday.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorRepublic Records has announced the promotion of Chris Blackwell to EVP of A&R and Content Strategy, as announced today by label president Wendy Goldstein.According to the announcement, in this new role, Blackwell will continue to shepherd the creation and development of content for the entire Republic Records roster. Additionally, he will work with new artists to identify and maximize content opportunities at the onset of their careers. Blackwell played a major role in Coi Leray’s rise by producing her viral “Cooking With Coi Leray,” and also collaborated with Ka$hdami, Lil Wayne, Benee and Kash Doll on upcoming programming.

Carrie Underwood was one of the many moms to be celebrated on Sunday in honor of Mother's Day.MORE: Carrie Underwood's husband announces personal news in rare social media postThe country star's doting husband Mike Fisher paid a special tribute to her on the day, sharing a selection of never-before-seen pictures of Carrie with their two young sons.Mike also posted a photo of his own mom, Karen Fisher, and wrote alongside them: "Grateful for these 2 incredible moms! Happy Mother’s Day!"VIDEO: Carrie Underwood and Mike Fisher's love story Fans were quick to comment on the post, with one writing: "Precious beautiful pictures," while another wrote: "Beyond precious." A third added: "This is so lovely."MORE: Carrie Underwood's son steals the show in adorable new photoMORE: Carrie Underwood enjoys evening out with eldest sonCarrie and Mike are doting parents to sons Isaiah and Jacob. The family live on a beautiful farm in Nashville, and often travels the road together for Carrie's many performances.The couple have been married since 2010, and first met after being introduced by a mutual friend, Carrie's bassist Mark Childers.A post shared by Mike Fisher (@mfisher1212)Carrie Underwood's husband Mike Fisher paid tribute to his wife on Mother's DayThe couple were living in different countries at the time, with Mike in Canada and Carrie in the United States.

Thania Garcia Universal Music Publishing Group has signed Dave Bayley of Glass Animals to an exclusive, global publishing agreement. Glass Animals, who are signed to UMG’s Republic label in the U.S., were  named Group of the Year for Variety’s Hitmakers.Jody Gerson, chairman and CEO of UMPG, said: “I am a Glass Animals fan and I am especially delighted to work closely with UMPG’s global creative teams to amplify Dave Bayley’s talents as a writer and producer, not only for his band but also for other artists who inspire and excite him.”Glass Animals manager, Amy Morgan of September Management, added, “After the success of ‘Heat Waves’ and ‘Dreamland,’ the next chapter for Dave is going to be a really important one.

Mourning an icon. Celebs from Hollywood to Nashville and beyond are grieving the death of Namoi Judd.

Naomi Judd died on Saturday just outside of Nashville. She was 76.Naomi's death stunned the world, especially since The Judds — also featuring her daughter Wynonna -- were set to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame on Sunday. The duo had also announced a tour set to kick off this fall.Following the tragic news, Carrie Underwood took to Twitter and expressed her condolences to the legendary singer.

J. Kim Murphy When news broke on Saturday that Naomi Judd had died, figures from across the music industry voiced their mourning of the country music legend, remembering the life of the Judd family matriarch.Judd died at the age of 76.