Q1 2020 Q1 2020 CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR BRIT YOUR ON CONGRATULATIONS FROM EVERYONE AT UNIVERSAL MUSIC UNIVERSAL AT EVERYONE FROM s SUCCESS LEWIS LEWIS CAPALDI MABEL DAV E CELESTE BILLIE EILISH 11 WELCOME EDITOR’S LETTER In this issue... The popular modern maxim to ‘speak my truth’ Tim Ingham long it will take, or how much ownership they tacitly yet proudly argues there is always more are giving up. Then, they compete for attention 10 YouTube Music than one retelling of any event – bending every and resources that are already spread thin. It’s a Dan Chalmers & Lyor Cohen occurrence into a fiction-splashed narrative fight for creative and financial freedom.” onto which our own subjective viewpoint can, This attack on traditional label advances is the and should, be impressed. It adds to a collective latest broadside to be thrown on a voluminous 22 Kyn Entertainment erosion of the idea of the gospel – whether pile. Elsewhere, rapper Mase recently castigated Sonny Takhar religious, journalistic or anecdotal – furthering Puff Daddy on Instagram regarding a historical a rabid culture of self-trust. It is malleable, and publishing deal between the pair. Mase said that therefore open to manipulation, ego and error. Puff “purposely starved your artist”, adding: “For 28 The BRIT Awards It is the definition of Trump’s America. example, u still got my publishing from 24 years How did we end up in this situation, where ago in which u gave me $20k.” one person’s reality – no matter how warped by What is lost in both Rabkin Lewis and Mase’s self-serving myopia – has become more valued salvos here is a rounded view – the rapidly- 38 Nick Burgess & Mark Mitchell Parlophone than art, and more trusted than evidence? vanishing gift of being taught all sides of the I mean, it can’t all be down to TikTok. story. Rabkin highlights “heartbreaking” deals Such thoughts have been pinging around my that artists have endured – and this undoubtedly brain of late – not least when reading about a happens. But she ignores the multitude of artists, 52 Denzyl Feigelson Platoon new venture from L.A-based distribution and “One person’s of myriad commercial levels, who’ve enjoyed services company, Stem. For the betterment enduring and prosperous relationships with of its artists, Stem has launched Scale – a reality – no record companies (of varying generosity). Mase, financial mechanism designed to threaten the meanwhile, overlooks both the investment- 62 Hannah Overton Secretly Group age-old record company model of advances, by matter how heavy, high-risk industry dynamics of the 1990s, enabling artists to obtain an upfront payment and the fact that his position as a featured guest based on their current streaming income. warped by (and minority writer) on No.1 Bad Boy Records A few in Label Land have pointed out that hits (Mo Money, Mo Problems, Can’t Nobody 72 Conrad Withey Instrumental the $100m-backed Scale bears more hallmarks self-serving Hold Me Down etc.) blew up his career. of a bank loan than a trad record industry myopia – has The modern-day onus is rightly on record guarantee. If an artist borrows $8,000 from companies, like never before, to prove the value Stem while generating $1,000 per month become more they can bring to an independent act’s career. But 80 Markell Casey Pulse Music Group from streaming – and if said artist agrees to the music industry buzzword of ‘transparency’ sacrifice 60% of their income until the ‘advance’ valued than works both ways: it’s a rigged game if these indie is paid off – they would ultimately return art, and more artists are only being presented with a single, $9,920 to Stem/Scale... equivalent to a total deliberately injurious narrative. 86 Jim King AEG charge of $1,920. (Also, Scale’s ‘advances’, Stem It was therefore refreshing to see rapper/ has confirmed, never actually get written off.) trusted than producer Tunji Ige tweet in early March: What most struck me about Stem’s evidence.” “For every label/management violated me story announcement of Scale was this quote from the there’s a this nigga ran off once he got popping and 92 Jack Fryer The Square / Universal Music firm’s founder, Milana Rabkin Lewis, justifying I ain’t have no sunset clause on him.” the need for the launch: “It’s heartbreaking to His point: believe it or not, record labels get witness people take money without clearly screwed too. Perhaps, publicly and more often, seeing the amount they have to pay back, how it’s time they spoke their truth. 98 Charlie Owen / Kaiya Milan / Lyle Scougall MMF 104 Bart Cools Warner Music © Music Business Worldwide Ltd Contact: [email protected] 27 Old Gloucester Street, London, WC1N 3AX Advertise: [email protected] ISSN 2632-5357 Subscribe: MusicBizStore.com 1 7 XXXXXXXX Contributors KIERON DONOGHUE EAMONN FORDE VIDHI GANDHI Kieron Donoghue is the founder of Eamonn Forde has been writing about all Vidhi Gandhi is an artist manager and Humble Angel Records, and the creator areas of the music business since 2001. A&R at TMWRK management and of Warner Music Group’s flagship playlist He is Reports Editor at Music Ally and records – a company that represents the brand, Topsify. Donoghue became regularly writes for IQ, The Guardian, The likes of Diplo, TV on the Radio, Dirty global streaming playlist strategy boss Big Issue, Q and The Quietus among other Projectors, Animal Collective, MO and at Warner after the major acquired his titles. He completed his PhD at University Yellow Days. Gandhi was previously Playlists.net in 2014. Donoghue led of Westminster in 2001. His book, The A&R Manager for Ninja Tune, and has Global Distribution and Artist Services Topsify’s global strategy at Warner for the Final Days of EMI: Selling The Pig, is out worked in artist development and concert subsequent three years. now via Omnibus Press. promotions in both India and the UK. RHIAN JONES MARK MULLIGAN PETER ROBINSON Rhian Jones is a respected freelance Mark Mulligan is the founder of London- Peter Robinson has been a music journalist journalist who often focuses on the music based MIDiA Research, and one of for over 20 years, and keeps a keen eye industry. In addition to writing regularly the most respected, and widely-read, on the global entertainment industry. for Music Business UK and Hits Daily analysts working in the global business. Robinson has written for the likes of Double, she is a Contributing Editor for A technology and entertainment expert, The Guardian, The Times, TIME, Noisey, Music Business Worldwide. In this issue, Mulligan has been covering the digital i-D, Smash Hits, Q Magazine, Time Out, Jones discusses the trend of new artists music business for over a decade. In this Attitude, Notion and The Telegraph, and playing arenas. She also interviews three issue, he delves into the evolving nature of runs his own must-read online publication fast-emerging UK managers (page 98). the major music companies. over on Popjustice. 8 2 LEAD FEATURE BUK meets Dan Chalmers, as happy as ever to avoid answering-by- in their career. So, people like Pink Floyd, newly appointed Director of numbers. That said, numbers are the one David Bowie, Kate Bush, Led Zeppelin MYouTube Music, EMEA, at the thing Cohen largely refuses to discuss, and Fleetwood Mac, but also right the way firm’s North London HQ the morning even though, in an unusual move, Susan through to signing Stormzy for his first after the BRITs. Well, at the crack of 12:30, Wojciki, YouTube’s CEO, recently record, working with artists like AJ Tracey, at least. (For some reason, suggestions of published some important ones via a Major Lazer, Noel Gallagher, Macklemore an earlier rendezvous were knocked back.) blog post. In it, she revealed that and Ryan Lewis. The BRITs will have been quite a YouTube paid music rightsholders over The brilliant bit about it was I was able different night for Chalmers compared $3bn in 2019, through ad revenue and to build phenomenal relationships and to the annual ceremony he has become subscriptions – the latter coming from brilliant partnerships. I think that was accustomed to attending (even if the day 20m subscribers to either YouTube Music really my core strength, and the beauty of after provides a fuzzy familiarity). For the or YouTube Premium. the role at YouTube is I’m able to continue first time in nearly 20 years, the BRITs was Asked if he can go into any detail of and extend those partnerships. more school disco than school sports day how and where that $3bn came from, for Chalmers; he was an enthused neutral or if he’d like to forecast where that 20m Is there anything you’d pick out during rather than an anxious competitor – and number might go next, Cohen declines your time at Warner as a highlight or he rather liked it. As the exec points out, he to talk specifics. Instead, he offers up a something you’re especially proud of? had plenty of reasons to celebrate several different set of metrics and targets: “We I think it would be those relationships, rather of the big winners (and nominees) – partly want to be the No.1 revenue source to the than any one moment. That’s testament to thanks to his old ties and partly thanks to music industry. We want to be the easiest, the work that I was able to do with the his new employer. “I was hosted by artistic community, management Warner [at the BRITs], and there community and the label teams.