Island Records Names Mike Alexander General Manager

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorSpotify’s staff was up in arms about the company and co-founder/CEO Daniel Ek’s defense of Joe Rogan in a town hall meeting Wednesday that followed its middling quarterly report and subsequent stock drop, according to a report in the Verge that cites a leaked audio recording of the meeting.In Ek’s 15-minute speech, he positioned the company as both a platform and publisher, saying that “There are many things that Joe Rogan says that I strongly disagree with and find very offensive,” he said, but defended the company’s relationship with the controversial podcaster by stating, “If we want even a shot at achieving our bold ambitions, it will mean having content on Spotify that many of us may not be proud to be associated with. Not anything goes, but there will be opinions, ideas, and beliefs that we disagree with strongly and even makes us angry or sad.” Reps for Spotify did not immediately respond to Variety‘s requests for comment.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorSpotify posted middling results for the fourth quarter of 2021 — a period that does not include the recent controversy over Neil Young and other musicians removing their music from the streaming giant, which is the world’s largest paid music-subscription service.Premium subscribers grew to 180 million — up 8 million from the 172 million reported last year — and monthly average users grew 18% to 406 million, from 381 million.However, ARPU (average revenue per user) grew just 3% year over year in the quarter, and just 1% on a constant currency basis. Ad-Supported revenue reached a record 15% of total revenue, according to the announcement, with gross margin at 26.5%.Spotify’s market capitalization fell about $2.1 billion over a three-day span last week after Young pulled his songs from the audio-streaming giant.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorOn Wednesday (Feb. 2), nearly a week after Joni Mitchell requested for her music to be removed from Spotify, several of her albums remain available on the streaming service.

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.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor“The Sound of Philadelphia,” a documentary on the 1970s “Philly Soul” sound and its masterminds Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff and Thom Bell, is coming from Warner Music Entertainment, Warner Chappell Music, and Imagine Documentaries, in partnership with Jigsaw Productions, the companies announced on Wednesday. The lushly orchestrated but soulful sound — exemplified by songs like “Love Train” by the O’Jays, “If You Don’t Know Me Now” by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, “Me and Mrs.

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 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 EditorThe ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and a blizzard that dropped nearly a foot of snow on New York certainly could have put a major damper on the War on Drugs’ biggest-ever concert in the five boroughs — but despite those obstacles, an impressive crowd witnessed the group’s debut at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night.Indeed, the Philadelphia band’s 18-song, 130-minute performance in many ways offered a refreshing snapshot of the state of arena rock circa 2022. Aside from drummer Charlie Hall’s snazzy patterned shit and windblown hair and a tasteful light show, there was little, if any, flash.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe late rapper XXXTentacion left behind a complicated legacy after he was murdered during a robbery in June of 2018 — dozens of platinum or gold-certified and influential songs amid charges of domestic abuse and violence. A pioneer in the SoundCloud emo-rap genre, nearly four years after his death, the Florida rapper’s earliest songs on the platform are finally seeing official release via Columbia beginning today (Jan.

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.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor300 Entertainment — the label home of Megan Thee Stallion and Young Thug, which was acquired by Warner Music earlier this month for $400 million —has launched a content and film division, 300 Studios. Its debut project, “RACE: Bubba Wallace,” is a docuseries that will be released on Netflix next month.300 Studios is headed by Kevin Liles, who is chairman/ CEO of both 300 Entertainment and Elektra Music Group, with former Viacom executives Kelly Griffin as head of creative strategy and Nolan Baynes as GM. According to the announcement, the studio “is primed to develop multi-format, feature, and episodic content through a cultural point of view.”According to the announcement, 300 Studios has over 20 projects in production, including film, music-lifestyle series, episodic content, and podcast initiatives.

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.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorWasting no time in the wake of Neil Young’s decision to remove his music from Spotify to protest the anti-vaccine views expressed on Joe Rogan’s podcast on the service, SiriusXM has relaunched Neil Young Radio, a satellite and streaming music channel featuring music and exclusive stories from Neil Young.Following its launch in December as a limited-run channel, Neil Young Radio now returns to its limited engagement slot on SiriusXM’s Deep Tracks, channel 27, for 7 days starting today, and for a month streaming on the SXM App.SiriusXM hosts multiple conservative radio shows that espouse views similar to or more outspoken than Rogan’s — particularly on SiriusXM Patriot channel, which features Sean Hannity, Breitbart News, Andrew Wilkow and others — however, satellite radio is covered by different broadcast licenses than streaming services and a rights-holder would not be able to prevent its music from being broadcast. Streaming services host content at the discretion of the rights holder; since Warner Music holds the rights to Young’s music, he had to request the company remove his catalog from Spotify.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorSpotify will remove Neil Young’s music from its platform, per his request, following his objections to Joe Rogan’s statements about the Covid-19 vaccine on his Spotify-hosted show. The music is expected to be removed later Wednesday.A rep for Spotify said in a statement to Variety: “We want all the world’s music and audio content to be available to Spotify users.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe full list appears below, but highlights include Cassandra Jenkins (New York), Coogie (South Korea), Ian Sweet (Los Angeles), Kosha Dillz (New York), La Doña (San Francisco), Moonchild Sanelly (South Africa), Pom Pom Squad (New York), Sloppy Jane (Los Angeles), Wet Leg (England), Wolf Eyes (Detroit) and dozens more.According to the announcement, SXSW continues to plan for a hybrid event (in-person with online viewing and participation options). The festival has updated its Covid-19 guidelines and will continue to coordinate with both the City of Austin and Austin Public Health — more details on SXSW’s Covid protocols are available on the SXSW website.All SXSW Music registrants receive primary access to Music and Convergence Conference programming, including Keynotes and Featured Speakers, Music Festival showcases, the Comedy Festival, exhibitions, networking Meet Ups, the Flatstock Poster Show, Registrant Lounge, the SXSW Outdoor Stage at Lady Bird Lake concerts, and the closing BBQ & softball tournament.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorRihanna is putting $15 million behind her belief that climate change is a social justice issue by making that sizable donation to the movement through her Clara Lionel Foundation.On Tuesday the singer announced that the money will be distributed between 18 climate justice organizations working in seven Caribbean nations and the United States, including the Climate Justice Alliance, the Indigenous Environmental Network, and the Movement for Black Lives, according to the Associated Press.“Climate disasters, which are growing in frequency and intensity, do not impact all communities equally, with communities of color and island nations facing the brunt of climate change,” Rihanna said in a statement. The grants, which were made in partnership with Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey’s #StartSmall fund, are focused on groups with female, LGBTQ and Black and indigenous leaders because their communities are at the greatest risk.“Funders must build partnerships with grassroots organizations, acknowledging their deep understanding of what is necessary to achieve climate justice in their own communities,” said Justine Lucas, Clara Lionel Foundation’s executive director.During the height of the pandemic in 2020, Rihanna and Dorsey together donated $15 million to mental-health services as well as $2.1 million each to aid victims of domestic violence in Los Angeles.Earlier this week, Rihanna’s  Savage X Fenty lingerie line announced a new funding round of $125 million led by Neuberger Berman.Rihanna was officially named a billionaire last year when Forbes estimated her net worth at $1.7 billion.