Jem Aswad-Senior: Last News

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Singer-songwriter Margo Price has never been a conventional country artist and she is one of the very few to make outspoken statements in favor of stronger gun-control laws in the U.S. She and her husband prominently attended memorial ceremonies for the victims of Nashville’s Covenant School shooting this spring and today she posted a deeply moving essay in Rolling Stone titled “Sit Beside Me in the Darkness.” It is marks her first piece of writing since her 2022 memoir, “Maybe We’ll Make It,” in which she addresses many hard life subjects, including the death of her infant son due to congenital heart disease. It’s a long and detailed essay that covers the meeting she and fellow singers Amy Grant, Sheryl Crow, Ruby Amanfu, Allison Russell and Will Hoge had with Gov. Bill Lee and the unexpected empathy she felt for him, the faith she has in Gen Z, and the change she believes women can create when working together. 

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor In a sprawling new cover story in Vanity Fair, the Weeknd talks about the dark rumors surrounding his forthcoming HBO series “The Idol” and speaks broadly of what will apparently be the third iteration of his musical persona.   The series comes at a transitional time for the artist, who spoke of his theatrical ambitions in an expansive 2020 Variety cover story pegged to the release of his blockbuster album “After Hours.” In many ways “The Idol” is a conclusion of that dark, superstar phase of the Weeknd: Although he insists he is not Tedros, the abusive and misogynistic Svengali he portrays in the show — who is manipulating a pop star played by Lily Rose Depp, both career-wise and personally — it’s not worlds away from the nihilistic, sex-obsessed, drug-addled persona that populates many of his songs. In fact, he says he’s closer to Depp’s character.          

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Today, Empire, the independent record label, distributor, and publisher, has named Jennifer Cabalquinto to the post of chief financial officer. Cabalquinto will oversee all day-to-day and long-term financial planning and accounting operations for the music powerhouse, and strategize Empire’s reach beyond music into the sports, videogame, tv/film and live entertainment sectors.  Cabalquinto arrives at Empire with more than 25 years of experience working witn the financial foundations in various entertainment industries. Previously, she held Chief Financial Officer positions at 2K Games, Universal Studios Hollywood, Telemundo and the Golden State Warriors, where she most oversaw the development and financial execution of Chase Center and was one of the few c-suite women executives in the NBA during the Warrior’s five straight NBA Finals appearances and three NBA championships.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor When Daft Punk launched its fourth and presumably final mission statement, “Random Access Memories,” into the atmosphere 10 long years ago, it was greeted with the kind of genre- and generation-spanning adulation that’s rare in any genre. At the time of its release, the supernova of cool around Daft Punk was so pervasive — and the hits from the album, particularly “Get Lucky,” were so ubiquitous — that it topped album charts all over the world, won four Grammys (including album of the year and best-engineered album) and got a whopping 8.8 score from Pitchfork, a publication that played no small role in the duo’s rise. Yet it was a drastic about-face for the pioneering duo, whose electronic and dance music of the previous 15-odd years had spawned countless influences and whose world-shaking 2006-7 tour basically spawned EDM. Fans expecting another electronic masterpiece instead they got a deliberately retro album that intentionally used the technology and recording techniques of the ‘70s and ‘80s to evoke the pristine, perfectionist grooves of Michael Jackson, Chic, Steely Dan, Fleetwood Mac and others — and even unfurled a yacht-rock flag on “Fragments of Time.” It has orchestras, choirs and a battery of top-notch musicians including pioneering funk guitarist Nile Rodgers, virtuoso bassist Nathan East, pedal steel guitarist Greg Leisz and powerhouse drummer Omar Hakim. There are guitar solos, tinkling electric pianos, ‘70s funk bass, piledriving drums and even acoustic guitars. Bored with electronics, the duo “wanted to do what we used to do with machines and samplers, but with people,” said the duo’s Thomas Bangalter.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Seeker Music has acquired the masters and publishing catalog of Charlotte Caffey, lead guitarist and a primary songwriter of pioneering all-female group and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members the Go-Go’s. Caffey co-wrote some of the group’s biggest hits and was the sole songwriter on its signature song, “We Got the Beat.” Since its release in 1981, the song has become the group’s most successful and most-covered track. She also had a hand in writing the group’s hits “Head Over Heels,” “Vacation,” “How Much More” and “Turn to You.” Beyond her work with The Go-Go’s, Caffey has also written songs covered by such artists as Keith Urban (the country hit “But for the Grace of God”) and her Go-Go’s bandmate Belinda Carlisle, as well as in the film and TV space, where she’s written several theme songs, including for the “Clueless” TV series.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor New Warner Music CEO Robert Kyncl faced a light release schedule during his first two quarters in office and has promised not to candy-coat the results. Although the company’s revenue was up 4% and its publishing division posted a strong quarter, the company is just beginning to emerge from that thin stretch of releases with strong performances from three recent albums from its Atlantic Records division, from Ed Sheeran, Jack Harlow and Tiesto. As he did in his first earnings call, Kyncl nodded to that situation and then looked ahead to a robust release schedule for the remainder of 2023, with upcoming releases from Dua Lipa, David Guetta, Lil Uzi Vert, Burna Boy, Kelly Clarkson, Tiago PZK, Bailey Zimmerman, and others. “I’m very confident in the path forward, as we combine creative and marketing excellence with tech innovation to propel our growth,” he said.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Tariq Trotter — aka the Roots’ co-founder and rapper better known as Black Thought — will be releasing a memoir titled “The Upcycled Self,” out Nov. 14 on One World. While Trotter, who has won four Grammy Awards and three NAACP Image Awards, has been a deeply successful and influential artist for nearly four decades, the announcement notes that Trotter’s story “begins with a tragedy: as a child, Trotter burned down his family’s home,” it says. “‘The Upcycled Self’ doesn’t just narrate a riveting and moving portrait of the artist as a young man, but gives readers a courageous model of what it means to live an examined life. In vivid vignettes, he tells the dramatic stories of the four powerful relationships that shaped him — community, friends, art, and family — each a complex weave of love, discovery, trauma, and loss.”

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor In his first interview since his victory in the “Thinking Out Loud” copyright infringement lawsuit last week, Ed Sheeran told “Good Morning America” why he feels the jury believe that he did not copy Marvin Gaye’s 1973 hit “Let’s Get It On” for his song. It was “101 songs with the same chord sequence, and that was just, like, scratching the surface,” he said, adding that the jury “was very quick to see that and be like, ‘Oh, yeah.'” (Sheeran seems to have chosen that number randomly to illustrate a multitude.) Sheeran had been steadfast in his denial that he’d taken from Gaye’s song, despite the lawsuit brought by the family of Gaye’s co-writer on the song, the late Ed Townsend. While Sheeran’s song does recall the tempo and chord progression of Gaye’s hit, ultimately his testimony and even performance of the song, solo on acoustic guitar, during the trial helped to lean the jury in his favor. He even mashed it up with other songs that are generally similar.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Long-running Canadian pop-punk act Sum 41 have announced that they are splitting up after 27 years together, with their forthcoming album, their ninth studio effort, to be their last. “‘Being in Sum 41 since 1996 brought us some of the best moments of our lives,” the band wrote in a social-media message on Monday. “We are forever grateful to our fans both old and new, who have supported us in every way. It is hard to articulate the love and respect we have for all of you and we wanted you to hear this from us first. “Sum 41 will be disbanding,” it continues. “We will still be finishing all of our current tour dates this year, and we’re looking forward to releasing our final album ‘Heaven :x: Hell,’ along with a final worldwide headlining tour to celebrate. Details will be announced as soon as we have them.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Black Eyed Peas frontman and veteran producer, entrepreneur and motor-racing enthusiast Will.I.Am has announced a partnership with Formula 1 that he’s launching with a new single with Lil Wayne titled, naturally enough, “The Formula.” Will is Formula 1’s new Global Artist in Residence, and the 2023 FIA Formula 1 championship season will see the release of more F1-inspired tracks as part of a Global Artist in Residence alliance, culminating in a new Will.I.Am solo album slated for the fall of 2023.  “The Formula” is the first music to be released and will also be featured within the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix broadcast on May 7. 

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Now that’s an entrance. The stage for Kali Uchis’ “Red Moon in Venus” tour is bathed in red-pink light, centered around an elevated platform with stairs leading up either side and archways beneath. A gradually brightening, supernova-like light fills the video screen behind it. The singer enters the stage, slowly carried by her six dancers, but obscured by the kind of giant frilly feathers you see in old movies, where a luxuriating empress is being gently fanned with them by servants. They scale the steps, gently set her down in the middle of the platform, then pull away the feathers as the crowd shrieks, revealing Uchis standing regally with her back turned, looking at the audience over her shoulder, clad in an all-red ensembled of a halter, short skirt, stockings, sleeves and a pair of towering boots with needle-thin heels. As “Telepatia” starts, she busts some slinking moves while the dancers peel off until one of them returns, delivering her microphone.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Despite angry words from Taylor Swift, major issues with its Ticketmaster division, a Senate hearing and incoming legislation, Live Nation posted another record-breaking quarter in Q1 of 2023, with a record $3.1 billion in revenue — up 73% from the same period last year — and a record 19.5 million fans attending its events as the global touring business returns to full strength. The company’s concerts division already has sold almost 90 million tickets for shows this year already, more than 20% ahead of last year, and posted adjusted operating income of $320 million, a 53% increase. “With many major tours — from Beyoncé to Drake to Bruce Springsteen — demand was so strong that even when artists added a number of additional shows, they still were not able to meet all of the fan demand,” Rapino said.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Much of the music industry heaved a collective sigh of relief when the news broke Thursday that Ed Sheeran was found not liable on a copyright claim alleging that he copied key elements from the Marvin Gaye ‘70s hit “Let’s Get It On” for his own song “Thinking Out Loud.” The case is one of countless similar infringement cases that have been brought before courts, settled, or continue in seemingly endless loops of appeals. But there’s little question that recent ones — at least the ones that followed the 2015 “Blurred Lines” decision that shook the industry — have sided with creators. The lawsuit around Katy Perry’s “Dark Horse” went on for five years before being decided initially in favor of Christian rapper Marcus Gray — who claimed her song was substantially similar to his earlier track “Joyful Noise” — but was overturned in 2020 when a judge ruled that the eight-note “ostinato” Perry allegedly copied lacked the “quantum of originality” to warrant copyright protection (Gray’s appeal was unsuccessful). Later in 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take up the long-running copyright battle over Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven,” leaving in place a ruling that rejected infringement allegations over the 1971 song. The justices denied a petition aimed at reviving the case, ending six years of litigation over claims that the song’s writers, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, plagiarized the song’s iconic intro from the 1968 song “Taurus” by the group Spirit.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Veteran rapper, actor and entrepreneur Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson has announced dates for a global tour in celebration of the 20th Anniversary of his galvanizing debut album, “Get Rich or Die Tryin’.” Produced by Live Nation and presented by Sire Spirits, The Final Lap Tour will make stops across North America and Europe including Toronto, Brooklyn, Atlanta, Houston, Amsterdam, Oslo, Paris, and many more. Additional markets are expected to be announced soon.  Busta Rhymes will support on all dates, and Jeremih will support on all North American dates. According to the announcement, the “Final Lap Tour” “will feature the rap icon performing dozens of fan-favorite and chart-topping hits along with select tracks that have not been performed live in decades. Plus, the tour will feature support from special guest and longtime friend,  with more special guests to be announced. 

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor The Songwriters Hall of Fame announced today that Post Malone will be the 2023 recipient of the Hal David Starlight Award, which is intended to honor “gifted young songwriters who are making a significant impact in the music industry with their original songs.” The award was created in 2004 to honor Hal David, Burt Bacharach’s longtime songwriting partner and SHOF chairman emeritus, for his support of young songwriters. Past recipients include Taylor Swift, Drake, Ed Sheeran, Lil Nas X, Sara Bareilles, Nick Jonas, Halsey, Nate Ruess, Imagine Dragons’ Dan Reynolds, John Legend, Alicia Keys, Ne-Yo, Benny Blanco, Jason Mraz, John Mayer, Rob Thomas, and John Rzeznik.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Any serious fan of rapper-actor Jack Harlow knows that he carries a lot of pride for his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky — it’s not only mentioned in many of his songs but he’s made major donations to local organizations (including AMPED, Center for Women and Families, Grace James Academy, Louisville Urban League and Metro United Way), and last year he even played a special American Express-sponsored concert and livestream in Brooklyn where fans were served food made by several of his favorite hometown restaurants, an imaginative way to use a corporate sponsor to benefit fans and hometown businesses. Today he continues to bring it home by announcing the official launch of the Jack Harlow Foundation, which “will serve as the Louisville, KY native’s primary philanthropic vehicle to reinvest, uplift and support organizations aiming to make the city that raised him a better place,” according to the announcement. Head here for more information on the foundation.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Fast-rising R&B star Brent Faiyaz has struck a wide-ranging partnership with Steve Stoute’s company UnitedMasters that spans a recording partnership and a creative agency. UnitedMasters CEO and founder Steve Stoute says, “Brent Faiyaz is one of the most prolific independent artists today and we are extremely excited to embark on this new partnership with him. It’s been inspiring to watch his journey as an artist over the years and with this partnership we look to further amplify his creative vision and support his entrepreneurial ambitions.”

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a statement honoring legendary singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, who died Monday at the age of 84. In it, he recalls meeting Lightfoot as a child, when Trudeau’s father Pierre was prime minister in the 1970s and ’80s. “I was deeply saddened to hear of the passing yesterday of Gordon Lightfoot, one of Canada’s greatest singer-songwriters.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Ed Sheeran had strong words for a musicologist on Monday as the court hearing over alleged similarities between his hit “Thinking Out Loud” and Marvin Gaye’s classic “Let’s Get It On” entered its second week. “I think what he is doing is criminal,” Sheeran said of the prior testimony from Alexander Stewart, a musicologist hired as an expert witness by Gaye’s estate, according to the New York Times. “I don’t know why he’s allowed to be an expert.” Sheeran, Warner Music Group and Sony Music Publishing are being sued by three heirs of songwriter Ed Townsend, who is the credited co-writer with Gaye on the 1973 song.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Celebrating the 10 th anniversary of her hit “Brave,” Sara Bareilles has announced the “Brave Gowns Collection,” a series of garments for children’s hospitals in partnership with the California-based company of the same name, started by Summer Germann, who lost her own younger brother to cancer.  The collection includes a line of colorful hospital gowns for children intended to provide an alternative to traditional patient wardrobe. Dupporters can gift these gowns to children in hospitals across the United States or contribute a donation of any amount. Head here for more information. Bareilles said, “Over the years, I have seen healthcare communities adopt ‘Brave’ as an anthem — weaving my song into all kinds of stories of patients and their families as they face different challenges and continue to meet each moment with resilience and grace. I am so inspired by the very difficult work being done on the front lines by our health care facilitators and hospital staff and especially by the young patients in hospitals all over the country showing up every single day, even when it’s hard, with bravery and strength. This collection is meant to remind them all HOW BIG THEIR BRAVE IS and how much we love them!”

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Ed Sheeran has announced details for the “- Tour” (pronounced “Subtract Tour”), a special run of dates set to take place in theaters and auditoriums in 14 cities across North America. The shows, mostly with singer-songwriter Ben Kweller in support, will take place in between dates on his massive stadium tour — titled  “+ – = ÷ x Tour” (pronounced “Mathematics Tour”) — which was announced last fall. Sheeran is using Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan technology for the theater dates. Registration opens on Friday, April 28 at 10 a.m. ET and closes on Sunday, April 30 at 11:59 p.m. ET. The Verified Fan onsale is set to begin on Tuesday, May 2 at 10 a.m. local venue time.