Shares of Cumulus Media gained 9.7% this week, the leading stock in the Billboard Global Music Index and one of only four stocks in the 21-company index to end in positive territory Friday (June 23).

Overall, the Billboard Global Music Index declined 3.5% to 1,287.41 — more than double the 1.4% declines of the S&P 500 and Nasdaq. Music stocks were more in line with the Nasdaq when the overpowering effects of a small number of tech companies are removed, however. That’s because a few powerhouses — such as Microsoft, Apple, Alphabet and Amazon — often account for a large fraction of the Nasdaq’s gains. To that point, QQQE, an exchange-traded fund that gives equal weight to 100 Nasdaq stocks, declined 2.9% this week.

In the United Kingdom, the FTSE 100 declined 2.4%. South Korea’s KOSPI index fell 2.1%. Central banks in England, Turkey and Norway raised interest rates this week. Investors can reasonably expect more rates hikes in the United States, too. Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell said on Wednesday the central bank may continue to raise rates — there have been 10 since March 2022 — but “to do so at a more moderate pace.” When central banks raise interest rates, stocks tend to fall because businesses and consumers are expected to cut back on spending and higher rates make bonds relatively more attractive to stock returns.

Cumulus Media improved to $3.40 a week and a half after the company announced it will sell about 1.75 million Class A common shares — nearly 10% of outstanding shares — at $3.25 per share in a modified Dutch auction that closed on June 9. While the sale will gross about $5.7 million, not including fees and expenses, the final result was well below the company’s goal to sell up to $10 million of shares as part of a previously announced $50 million share repurchase plan.

Shares of French music streaming company Deezer gained 3.6% to 2.32 euros ($2.54), bringing the stock’s year-to-date loss to 20.5%. U.S. streaming company LiveOne gained 3.3% to $1.58. Year-to-date, LiveOne has gained 145.3%. The only other company with a week-over-week improvement was South Korea’s HYBE, which improved 1.2% to 301,000 KRW ($236.91).

The other three Korean music companies declined this week: SM Entertainment and YG Entertainment each fell 5.6% and JYP Entertainment dropped 3.5%. Still, K-pop has been a resounding success for investors in 2023. Led by JYP Entertainment’s 93.7% year-to-date gain, the four Korean companies’ stocks have risen an average of TK% in 2023.

One company, Anghami, was unchanged and the index’s other 16 stocks were in negative territory this week. MSG Entertainment had the Billboard Global Music Index’s largest decline after dropping 17.1%. Sphere Entertainment Co., which spun off MSG Entertainment in April, intends to sell part of its 33% stake in MSG Entertainment. The news dropped the live entertainment company’s share price 12.1% on Wednesday. At Friday’s closing price, Sphere Entertainment’s sale of 5.25 million shares would gross about $170 million that could help fund the state-of-the-art Sphere at The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas that’s set to open in September.

Taylor Swift added another show in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday, bringing the total Brazil concerts scheduled for The Eras Tour to six. Meanwhile, legislators in the country are scrambling to rein in rampant ticket scalping.

The newly announced show will be on Nov. 17 and open the Brazil leg of the tour, promoter Tickets For Fun announced Thursday. Pre-sales for the concert will start June 26 and open to the general public on June 28. Swift now has three shows scheduled in Rio de Janeiro, followed by three in São Paulo, all in November. The five initially announced dates are all sold out.

Massive demand for Swift’s first-ever concert appearances in Brazil have presented an opportunity for scalpers, both in person and online, who have tried to resell tickets for five to 10 times their face value, according to Brazilian media reports and social media posts. According to the Tickets For Fun website, tickets for The Eras Tour range from 190 reais ($40) to 1,050 reais ($220) face value.

Brazilian fans, including many teenagers, waited in wintry lines overnight and scuffled with scalpers, with some reportedly receiving threats of violence by scalpers. Ultimately, most regular fans were denied tickets, which sold out in 40 minutes; online ticket lines had over 1.5 million people waiting before they opened officially. Consumer protection agents have removed about three dozen scalpers, and police have arrested at least a dozen people, according to Brazilian publication Folha De S. Paulo.

The chaos has led Swift to add three more shows in the country — and to initial action by legislators to try to crack down on scalping.

Congresswoman Simone Marquetto from São Paulo proposed a law this week — being dubbed the “Taylor Swift Law” — that would criminalize the selling of tickets by scalpers to protect consumers. In justifying her proposal, Marquetto refers to the Swift controversy, without mentioning the pop star’s name directly, according to the draft law submitted to congress. She is pushing for an urgent vote from Brazil’s full congress on the bill.

“To purchase tickets, consumers could go to the physical points of sale, or through the organizer’s website, but fans claim that unauthorized resellers purchased a large number of tickets, making it impossible to sell to other consumers,” Marquetto writes in her bill.

A law on the books since 1951 already prohibits “crime against consumers” in Brazil and requires jail time up to two years for offenders, although convictions are usually converted into community service.

The law Marquetto introduced would double jail time to a maximum of four years and make reselling for profit punishable by fines of 100 times the value of the ticket. In the case of Swift concerts in Brazil, fines could reach 600,000 reais ($125,500), according to online publication The Brazilian Report.

Marquetto’s bill also introduces the possibility of penalizing promoters and sponsors that are allowing scalping to occur. Her bill states that promoters, organizers or sponsors of an event could be fined twice as much as the actual “employee” doing the scalping.

“This crime is sometimes carried out with the consent of the promoter and even in conjunction with scalpers,” Marquetto writes in her bill. “Event promoters must take responsibility for the sale of their tickets and act to curb the actions of scalpers.”

Another legislator, Pedro Aihara from Minas Gerais, has proposed a new law targeting online “digital scalping.” And Erika Hilton, another member of congress from São Paulo, has called on the São Paulo attorney general’s office to investigate the ticket sales for Swift’s shows.

Three law enforcement agencies have formed a joint operation with 50 police officers to combat ticket scalping around the Allianz Parque stadium in São Paulo where physical sales of Swift tickets have been taking place. Authorities questioned 25 suspects who were later released, according to a report by Showmetech, a Brazilian technology site.

 

Earlier this month, jam band Greensky Bluegrass moved its annual Camp Greensky festival to Iceland, a country the act had never visited before but figured would be a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. With three nights of shows booked in the capital of Reykjavik, “we decided to do more,” says band member Anders Beck. The week before the festival, the band journeyed five hours up north in a rented van to Flóki Studios, a farmhouse-turned-music recording space. 

There, along with guest keyboardist Holly Bowling, the band spent four days recording four tracks, which it plans to release as an EP. What solidified the decision to go to Iceland, Beck says, was the country’s Record in Iceland program, which reimburses artists 25% of recording-related costs. “If we’re going to go record, it’s great to get a kickback, obviously, from government funding,” Beck tells Billboard. “And we thought that being in a really unique place like northern Iceland, in the middle of nowhere, would make for some unique music. And it indeed did.”

Iceland, an island country of 388,000 residents that has provided dramatic backdrops for Game of Thrones and the Star Wars film saga, has benefitted substantially from its move 14 years ago to establish a film-production refund program, which has boosted tourism and local economic activity. Now the Nordic country is building on its film-industry success by offering a world-leading financial incentive for music artists — both local and international — to record there.

Record in Iceland, a promotional program run by public-export office Music in Iceland, pays back one-quarter of expenditures for studio recording time, wages, travel expenses, lodging, post-production work and other related expenses — with no minimum spending requirement. To be eligible, artists must release at least 14 minutes of music to the public within 18 months of their Iceland recording sessions.

The program, which began operating in 2020, is helping keep local stars like Björk at home to record, organizers say. Aside from Greensky Bluegrass, it has helped rock band Portugal. The Man and jam bands Umphrey’s McGee and Disco Biscuits. (Blur front man and Gorillaz co-creator Damon Albarn, a Brit who also has Icelandic citizenship, thanked Record in Iceland in the liner notes of his 2021 album, The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows, but did not utilize the reimbursement, a spokesperson says.)

The long-term agenda for Iceland, the world’s 54th-largest music market with revenues of $10.9 million in 2021, is to become “a creative hub in the middle of the Atlantic” where North American artists can stopover in on their way to Europe, or vice versa, and to develop home-grown talent to grow the music industry, says Leifur Björnsson, Record in Iceland’s project manager, who runs the program with Sigtryggur Baldursson, the former Sugarcubes drummer, who acts as managing director. 

Encouraged by its film program’s success, Iceland’s parliament in 2019 approved an act establishing the music-recording incentive, which is funded by Iceland’s Ministry of Culture and Business Affairs. Iceland is hardly alone among countries and local jurisdictions competing for film-production business with tax credits and other incentives. But what Iceland is offering music artists is unmatched by any other country, music industry officials tell Billboard. While some music markets — notably Canada, France and Germany — offer government grants to local artists to record music, no country is offering as meaningful a reimbursement for international artists wanting to travel abroad to record.

“It does seem to be unique as a program,” says John Blewett, a spokesperson for IFPI in London, who inquired with affiliate member organizations at Billboard’s request.

The closest analogue Billboard could find was a failed proposal in New York state to establish an Empire State Music Production Tax Credit, which would offer a 25% tax refund for qualifying music productions, with a minimum spend of $25,000 in the state. The credit, which would cover expenses ranging from studio and equipment rental fees to hotel and transportation expenditures directly related to music production, has died in a senate committee four times since it was first proposed in 2015 and has never become state law, says a spokesperson for Sen. Kevin S. Parker (Brooklyn), who introduced the bill. Parker’s bill proposed capping aggregate refunds at $25 million a year.

Tennessee created a program in 2018 which awards grants up to 25% for producing original scores for film, television, animation, commercials, video games and multi-media projects. The minimum spend is $50,000 in the Nashville area and $25,000 in other areas, with a cap of $500,000 per company per year. (The program has helped garner Nashville a new moniker, “Soundtrack City,” for its increasingly global role in scoring, especially for video games.)

Björnsson says European music export offices, which are usually public-private partnerships, are routinely inquiring about Iceland’s program, including, more recently, Estonia and Finland. “In Estonia they are starting to talk about it on the government level,” he says. (Billboard reached out to Music Estonia, the country’s music industry development and export office, but did not receive a response.)

In Finland, a music-recording incentive has been discussed for a few years, says Heli Lampi, a spokesperson for IFPI affiliate Music Finland, “but it has not yet progressed into any concrete action plan or legislative initiative.”

Music industry organizers in Iceland are hoping to use Record in Iceland to build a larger and more experienced pool of music-recording talent, including engineers and session musicians. “It’s a great experience for studio owners to have clients of the highest caliber,” says Björnsson. “It elevates the level of professionalism here in the country and creates the know-how.”

In the United Kingdom, where refund incentives exist for the film/TV and video game industries, music-industry representatives have lobbied government officials for an Iceland-like incentive for recording artists, but “they haven’t been sufficiently persuaded of the need to do it,” says Gennaro Castaldo, a spokesperson for the British Phonographic Industry Industry (BPI). “The film industry is much bigger, and the benefits were [proposed] when the industry in the U.K. was going through a difficult time some years ago.” 

The U.K.’s Film Tax Relief program which has operated since 2007, allows production companies to claim back up to 25% of costs they incur in the country. It persuaded Lucasfilm/Disney to film the three Star Wars sequels and Rogue One in the U.K., plus the Andor streaming series for Disney+. The British Film Institute (BFI) says that 2022 saw a record £6.27 billion ($7.76 billion) spent on film and TV production in the U.K. — £5.4 billion ($6.68 billion) from overseas productions, largely from the U.S.

From Film in Iceland to Record in Iceland

Film in Iceland, which started in 1999, spawned a burgeoning local industry and many well-trained “below-the-line” film industry professionals. Iceland now has 37 production service companies listed on its Film in Iceland website.

Spending on film and television projects in Iceland in 2022 totaled 6.75 billion krona ($50 million), up fivefold from 1.34 billion ($10 million) in 2018. Iceland doled out just over 2 billion krona ($15 million) in reimbursements last year. The government has steadily increased the Film in Iceland reimbursement percentage, from 12% in 2001 to 25% in 2017, and then to 35% last year.

Like the music refund scheme, there is no minimum budget for a film, TV show or documentary to be eligible to get back 25% of production costs in Iceland. But to qualify for a 35% reimbursement, production costs must total at least 350 million krona ($2.6 million), and the project must work at least 30 days in Iceland with a staff of at least 50 people.

Iceland, with its desolate snow-capped mountains, glaciers and lava fields, has a natural advantage in luring dozens of big-name films and television shows — including Batman Begins, Interstellar, two Marvel films, two recent Star Wars films, two James Bond movies and the Will Ferrell comedy, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga. HBO’s Game of Thrones also filmed parts of seven seasons there, including many scenes depicting lands “North of the Wall.”

Due to COVID-19 shutdowns, the program got off to a relatively slow start in 2020, with a lot of studio bookings falling through. But over the past year the music program became “a well-oiled machine,” says Björnsson, with the Ministry of Culture — following a review by a four-person committee — issuing refunds two to four months after artists submit their invoices and expenses.

Iceland has several professional-level music studios, nine of which Record in Iceland features on its web site. While Flóki Studios, which is owned and operated by Colorado-based experiential travel company Eleven Experience, is up north, most are in and around Reykjavik, the capital. Reykjavik Recording Orchestra (RRO), a dedicated session ensemble based in the Harpa concert hall where Greensky Bluegrass performed, has recorded with Björk and renowned film composers Hans Zimmer and Jóhann Jóhannsson. Rapper Kanye West recorded at Greenhouse Studios in 2016, before Iceland’s recording incentive was in place. Sundlaugin Studio, where post-rock band Sigur Rós records, overlooks a creek and pond. Masterkey, co-run by pianist Markéta Irglová, who won an Academy Award for Best Original Song for “Falling Slowly,” boasts views of a majestic mountain. 

While generous, the music-refund program does have a few catches. Only “lead performers” are eligible for reimbursement for travel and lodging expenses, which would not include traditional session players charging a rate to play on the recording. While there is no defined stipend for lodging and travel costs, the rule of thumb is that artists should travel in economy class, and that if flights and hotels make up more than 50% of the total budget submitted for a refund, the refund committee would most likely not approve it, says Björnsson.

When the recording is of a concert or other live event, only direct costs for recording, postproduction and royalties for performers may be calculated for reimbursement, the Record in Iceland act states. And artists need to be efficient and committed to releasing music to meet the 18-month requirement for putting out music.

“That is one corner of it where I’ve said like, ‘What if an artist just wants to come screw around in Iceland, and those tracks don’t come out?’” says Chris Funk, a member of indie rock band The Decemberists who also co-manages Flóki Studios. “But they have to have rules around these things, so people aren’t just screwing around and taking advantage of it. I totally understand it.”

Greensky Bluegrass, which initially decided to travel to Iceland at the invitation of U.S.-based destination promotions company Pilgrimage of Sound, which put on Camp Greensky, plans to release its EP, possibly on its own label, within the 18-month window, along with a documentary about the sessions. Beck hopes the band can do more adventure recording. “Life gets in the way of a lot of things you want to do,” he says. “But for me it was definitely an inspiration to think outside the box.”

The group’s only small regret, Beck says, is that they couldn’t experience the spectacle of Northern Lights that Iceland is so famous for. 

“Greensky, it’s the name of our band. We go to the only place where the sky actually turns green. Iceland, Northern Lights. And of course, we’re there the wrong time of year,” he says with a laugh. “But I don’t know if our festival would have been as fun had it been dark all day, instead of light all night.”

Additional reporting by Richard Smirke.

Luke Combs sends his 18th consecutive career-opening single to the top 10 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart as “Love You Anyway” rises from No. 11 to No. 10 on the list dated July 1.

In the tracking week ending June 22, the song — which Combs co-authored with Ray Fulcher and Dan Isbell — increased by 12% to 17.4 million impressions, according to Luminate.

Plus, Combs’ cover of Tracy Chapman’s 1988 classic “Fast Car” (which she penned solo) motors 5-2 (31.1 million, up 18%). The remake has also crossed over, as it places at Nos. 11, 12 and 22 on the Adult Contemporary, Adult Pop Airplay and Pop Airplay charts, respectively.

Combs doubles up in the Country Airplay top 10 for the first time since Oct. 30, 2021, when his “Cold as You” ranked at No. 5 while he was featured on Jameson Rodgers’ “Cold Beer Calling My Name” at No. 7.

‘Last Night’ Still Leads

Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” dominates Country Airplay for an eighth week (32.9 million, down less than 1%). He now boasts the longest-leading hit in the chart’s 33-year history – “You Proof” (10 weeks, 2022) – and, with “Last Night,” ties for the second-longest command. Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett’s “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” started its eight-week domination in August 2003, after Lonestar’s “Amazed” led for eight frames beginning in August 1999.

Also being supported by pop and adult radio, “Last Night” ranks at No. 8 on Adult Pop Airplay and Pop Airplay and No. 17 on Adult Contemporary.

Musician David Kushner has signed with WME in all areas. The Chicago-born Kushner continues to be managed by Brent Shows of ALTAR MGMT. In April, Kushner broke onto the Billboard Hot 100 chart with his single “Daylight” and plans to take his talent on the road this fall.

After releasing his debut EP Footprint I Found in September, featuring singles “Miserable Man” and “Mr. Forgettable,” Kushner drew attention for his latest single “Daylight.” In addition to reaching the Hot 100, “Daylight” also cracked the top 10 of the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. Chart.

TikTok has been a huge factor in Kushner’s popularity as fans liken his deep vocals to Bon Iver, Hozier and The Lumineers. When he released a snippet of the song in January on the platform, it went viral and racked up more than 230,000 clips on TikTok before its official release on DSPs.

The 23-year-old now boasts over 26 million monthly listeners on Spotify and over 3.9 million followers on TikTok with over 100 million likes on the platform.

Earlier this month, Kushner told Billboard that even though he grew up in a musical family, he struggled to find his voice until a vocal coach encouraged him to experiment with a lower range and he found his artistic footing. “I entered a new creative dimension in a way,” says Kushner, who has since removed those earlier songs from streaming services. “It felt like I stepped from one world into another.”

Starting in September, Kushner will hit North American Leg for his The Daylight Tour 2.0. He is currently scheduled to play 20 sold-out gigs across the U.S. and Canada including New York’s Webster Hall, The Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles and close out on Oct. 1 at the Showbox in Seattle. Tickets went on sale Friday (June 23) and sold out within minutes. A full list of dates can be found below.

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Reps. Ted W. Lieu (D-CA) and Ben Cline (R-VA) have joined together to re-launch and co-chair the bipartisan Congressional Songwriters Caucus to focus on advancing policies that support independent songwriters and strengthen copyright protections.

The new caucus has support from the Recording Academy, Nashville Songwriters Association International, BMI, ASCAP and the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA), according to a press release. No specific names of independent songwriters were included in the release, and a representative for Lieu has not responded to Billboard’s requests for more information.

The caucus was originally formed in 2003 by Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) when she served as a House representative for Tennessee. According to her website, part of her focus at the time was cracking down on China’s intellectual property theft and how that affected songwriters and other creatives.

The interests of musicians is also represented in Congress with the Recording Arts and Sciences Congressional Caucus, which was established in 2005 and continues today, helmed by Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and new Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY).

Hailing from Southern California, Rep. Lieu says he understands first hand how “talented songwriters… contribute to so much of our culture and society. I’m thrilled to join Congressman Cline in co-chairing the new bipartisan Congressional Songwriter’s Caucus, which will work to support America’s brilliant songwriters by ensuring they can protect their work and make a living doing what they love. Music contributes so much to our way of life, and we must ensure those creating it are compensated fairly. I’m grateful to the numerous songwriter advocacy organizations who’ve partnered with us on the creation of this caucus and look forward to working together to support our artists.”

“Making art, specifically music, is a powerful way to leave a mark on the world,” says Rep. Cline. “It’s a part of our everyday lives, from what we listen to on our commutes in the morning, to the music we select for our most important life events, such as birthdays, weddings, and funerals. But today’s modern music landscape can make it more difficult for certain artists, especially independent songwriters, to make a living. That is why I’m proud to co-chair the Congressional Songwriters Caucus, which will play an important role in promoting the songwriting community by working to ensure the creative rights of songwriters are protected.”

“It All Begins With A Song,” says Bart Herbison, executive director of NSAI. “the entire music ecosystem. Since the Songwriters Caucus was initially launched 20 years ago, technology has completely changed the way music is delivered. American songwriters still face challenges in the digital era and we are very grateful to Congressmen Cline and Lieu for their bipartisan support.”

“On behalf of our over one million affiliates, I’d like to thank Representatives Cline and Lieu for co-chairing the Congressional Songwriters Caucus. Both have always been champions for creators, and we are in excellent hands with them leading the charge for songwriters and composers on the Hill. We stand ready to work with them to ensure creators are supported by strong copyright law and that they are fairly compensated for their work,” adds Mike O’Neill, president and CEO of BMI.

“Songwriters are the foundation of America’s vibrant music industry, and we appreciate Representatives Cline and Lieu recognizing the importance of ensuring we have champions in Congress. As technology transforms the music landscape, ASCAP looks forward to engaging with members of the Congressional Songwriters’ Caucus to protect the rights of American music creators and defend the value of their hard work and creativity,” says Paul Williams, president of ASCAP.

“We applaud Representatives Cline and Lieu for leading the Congressional Songwriters Caucus and we are excited about today’s launch. NMPA is the leading advocate for music publishers and their songwriter partners and we greatly look forward to working with the Caucus to advance policy interests that will protect creators and ensure that songwriters thrive,” says NMPA president and CEO David Israelite.

“The Recording Academy is proud to support the re-launch of the Congressional Songwriters Caucus which helps connect songwriters and composers with lawmakers to ensure that their unique interests are heard and understood. We are grateful to the new Caucus Co-Chairs, Representatives Ben Cline and Ted Lieu, for their support and leadership and we look forward to working with stakeholders across the songwriter community to advance the Caucus forward,” says Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr.

This week’s Billboard 200 is led by a paid of familiar faces in Morgan Wallen and former One Direction member Niall Horan. But coming in at No. 3 behind those two is a complete newcomer to the top echelon of the chart, with an album that’s more than eight months old: Noah Kahan’s Stick Season (Mercury/Republic), which saw its deluxe version come out and send the album soaring from No. 100 to No. 3 on the chart with 71,000 units, far and away the best mark of Kahan’s career.

It’s a big moment for Kahan, who also achieves a slew of additional firsts in his career: his first entry on the Hot 100, with the No. 43 debut of “Dial Drunk,” which also reached No. 1 on Hot Alternative Songs; and No. 1 album markers on Top Rock & Alternative Albums, Top Rock Albums, Top Alternative Albums and Americana/Folk Albums for Stick Season, which saw a vinyl release of the original version the same day that the deluxe, with seven additional tracks, was released. And the rejuvenation of the album, and Kahan’s career-best marks, earns Mercury Records general manager Ben Adelson the title of Billboard’s Executive of the Week.

Here, Adelson talks about the strategy for boosting Kahan’s album — his third for Republic (the label relaunched Mercury Records in April 2022 with executive vps of A&R Adelson and Tyler Arnold at the helm, at which point Kahan moved to Mercury) — to career highs, and how the label developed the singer and songwriter over the years to get to this point.

“The landscape of the business is always changing but the one thing that remains constant is true artistry,” Adelson says. “Our belief in Noah from the beginning has always been in him as a songwriter and artist.”

This week, Noah Kahan’s Stick Season jumped from No. 100 on the Billboard 200 to No. 3, becoming the highest-charting album of his career and his first-ever top 10. What key decisions did you make to help make that happen?

It was truly a team effort, from making the incredible records with Gabe Simon, Konrad Snyder, Carrie Karpinen and Ryan Hewitt to the amazing teams at Mercury Records, Republic Records and Noah’s management at Foundations Music. There was such a cohesive partnership between the songs, creative and rollout that the buildup to its release felt more about an artist than a singular song or moment.

This week’s deluxe reissue coincided with the first time the original was available on vinyl. What was your sales strategy with this release?

Alex Coslov, our head of marketing at Mercury, and Kevin Lipson, head of commerce for Republic, identified the fan demand for vinyl as we were releasing the original album. We started on production early and they saw the opportunity to deliver the vinyl on the same date as the new album. It was a key part of this week’s number, showing the true passion of Noah’s fans.

Last week, the album earned 11,000 equivalent album units; this week, that ballooned 574% to 71,000 units, with 48,000 of that unit count coming from streaming. What changed between the album’s initial release and this deluxe reissue that helped streams explode that much that quickly?

Sometimes, it’s just letting the music shine. Noah made a fantastic album featuring some of the best songs I’ve ever been a part of. With seven new tracks on Stick Season (We’ll All Be Here Forever), we put a marketing strategy together of sharing the new music as early as possible with his core fan base. Alex Coslov and the team treated the rollout as a new album, not a reissue, and with engagement high throughout the past year that momentum brought in all the fans.

Latest single “Dial Drunk” is Kahan’s first No. 1 on Hot Alternative Songs and his first-ever song to hit the Hot 100, coming in at No. 43 this week. How have you built that song, and his profile at radio, to reach new heights in his career?

Noah Kahan and Noah Levine, who plays guitar in his band, wrote the song together and we knew it was special from the first time we heard it. Amanda Dobbins, Drew Hauser, Gary Spangler and the entire Republic radio team immediately started getting plans together, and with the amazing job they’d already done over the years at Triple A and Alternative, we were set up perfectly for this moment.

This is Kahan’s third album for Republic, and the first to reach this level of success. How did you bring him along steadily in an era of the music business when so much happens so fast?

The landscape of the business is always changing but the one thing that remains constant is true artistry. Our belief in Noah from the beginning has always been in him as a songwriter and artist. We’ve always wanted to support him however we could, and we followed his vision and passion for this album. At Mercury, giving artists the time to develop and find their path is what matters most to us.

What have you learned from watching his career grow? And what are the plans to continue growing from here?

We have learned at Mercury that supporting our artists’ creative visions and instincts is the best way to achieve true success. For Noah, that meant going back to his roots of growing up in Vermont and New England and using that to guide the album, art, marketing and creative. Noah’s accomplishments have reinforced our belief that taking the time with genuine artists and never cutting corners, even with the current challenge of breaking acts, truly works. We know things will only continue to grow for Noah and it is our responsibility to make sure that each step of the way feels authentic to him and his fans.

Previous Executive of the Week: Jon Loba of BMG Nashville

Sunset Blvd Records hired Tim Devine as the label’s new head of A&R. He’s already signed a trifecta of ’90s alt-rockers to the imprint: Everclear, Fastball and Butthole Surfers. Devine is perhaps best known for his integral role in reviving Bonnie Raitt’s career at Capitol Records — read about their Nick of Time triumph here — and for A&R’ing Brandi Carlile at the dawn of her career, as well as his work with Blind Melon, Katy Perry and Train. He began his career in product management at Warner Bros. Records before taking on an artist development role at MCA Records and later as vp of A&R at Capitol, where he signed Raitt and worked albums by the Beastie Boys and Paul McCartney, among others. He recently served as West Coast GM of Columbia Records. “Everyone is taking my calls,” Devine says of his new role, “and this position fits my skill set like a glove. I look forward to building the next chapter of SBR’s success.”

Valérie Bernard joined Deezer earlier this year as its chief human resources & sustainability officer. In her Paris-based role, the HR veteran is tasked with all things talent acquisition, employee development and performance management, along with developing initiatives to match the company’s environmental, social and governance goals. She arrived at the streaming service from Richemont Group, and earlier was human resources director of Canal+ International. Bernard reports directly to Deezer CEO Jeronimo Folgueira, who says she’ll “be a key player in continuing to build an open, inclusive and vibrant culture at Deezer.”

SiriusXM and Pandora have promoted Rachael Spangler to head of music talent relations and Azu Olvera to head of Latin music talent booking. Spangler and her team of eight are in charge of booking artists for interviews, live performances and other various programming and events for the satellite radio giant. She began her career at Epic Records. Olvera recently installed a massive feather in her cap for her role in opening the new SXM Miami studio and office, and the launch of the ‘Hits Uno’ channel. “We’re not thinking of Latin as a backseat but as a driver of success and engagement,” she told Billboard of the launch, which included an intimate performance by Carlos Vives, an interview with Pitbull and a Becky G town hall-style conversation.

Warner Chappell Music upped Wallace Joseph to senior vp of A&R and Jon Chen to vp of A&R. Joseph is best known for his work with some of R&B and hip-hop’s biggest talents, including Summer Walker, Wale, Ari Lennox, JetsonMade and Tay Keith. Chen has fostered a diverse roster of boundary-pushing music makers, including Ian Kirkpatrick, Benson Boone, BEAM, Sir Nolan and Ashnikko. The two will continue to report to Ryan Press, president of North America, to continue to expand WCM’s roster. –Kristin Robinson

Jan Fischer was promoted to CEO of EMP, the European specialty music and entertainment merchandise e-tailer acquired by Warner Music in 2018. Fischer has been helping to lead the company, where he has been both CFO and COO, since the departure of Ernst Trapp last month. Fischer has been part of the EMP team since 2013 and is based out of Lingen, Germany, reporting to Karl Walsh, executive vp and head of global commerce for WMG. In recent years, the standalone unit has worked with acts including Panic! At the Disco, Metallica and Guns N’ Roses, along with major brands like Disney and Marvel, to launch a network of merch websites that serve millions of customers.

Veteran music and tech PR executive Jason Roth is Wasserman Music‘s new vp of communications, overseeing the fast-expanding talent agency’s comms strategy and industry relations, among other duties. Roth has held senior roles at a who’s-who of media and tech companies, including SiriusXM, Pandora, Hewlett-Packard, Apple and Capitol Records. At the Cupertino outfit, Roth led global communications during a major expansion of iTunes and the launch of the App Store. His work at Capitol included publicity wins for The Beatles, LCD Soundsystem and Liz Phair, among others. He’s also a writer, with clippings from numerous publications including Spin, The Chicago Tribune and NPR Music, where he profiled the J. Geils Band’s signature hit.

Marguerite Jones was named vp of A&R at Republic Records, where she will oversee the overall direction of A&R strategy and work on projects for artists across hip-hop, R&B and pop. Based in Los Angeles, Jones joins the UMG powerhouse after a productive four years at Sony Music’s RCA Records, where she rose from intern to manager of A&R and singed Latto in the process. “MJ has established herself as one of the industry’s most prescient and forward-thinking A&R executives,” said label co-president Wendy Goldstein. “She has been instrumental to culture-defining breakout talent, and her ability to spot greatness is already proven.”

Also this week… Sony Music hired BPI’s Geoff Taylor for a first-of-its-kind AI role, TikTok COO V. Pappas stepped down and Tina Davis was named president of EMPIRE.

CAA has promoted Yasi Agahnia, Logan Binstock, Abe Coelho, Ryan Quint and Karen Schillinger to agent roles across various division, and Erik Toral to executive in global client strategy. In terms of disciplines, Agahnia (Los Angeles) works in the music touring area’s private events division; Binstock (LA) works with high-profile agent Christian Carino to create new business opportunities for their clients; Coelho (LA) is in the media finance department, specializing in independently financed films; Quint (LA) works in the comedy touring department and reps Craig Ferguson, Ron White and Nurse Blake, among others; and Schillinger (Nashville) is in the music touring division. As for the LA-based Toral, he will work on creating cohesive brand strategies and launching talent-led business endeavors for CAA talent. All six of the newly promoted team members come from CAA Elevate, the agency’s overhauled agent trainee program.

Anna Lisle joined Alternate Side Management, the US-based full-service management company that’s home to leading LGBTQ+ artists Meet Me @ The Altar and Cavetown. Lisle arrives from 7DS Management and brings artist Summer Salt to ASM and will take on Madds Buckley and co-manage Roekapara and Daisy Grenade. Alternate Side also recently hired John Helps, a day-to-day manager based in London and a member of post-rock band Maybeshewill. Helps works under artist manager Cory Hajde.

Michael Sherman was promoted to vp of business development at music marketing firm feature.fm, where he’ll zero in on emerging trends, conduct market research and lead negotiations with potential partners. In his previous role as director of biz dev, Sherman “spearheaded strategic initiatives to drive the company’s growth and expand its reach in the music industry,” the company said. Sherman is based in Los Angeles.

DICE appointed music industry veteran Caron Veazey to its board of directors. Veazey founded Something In Common, a management and consulting agency specializing in music, film, art and culture. Previously, she managed Pharrell Williams for nearly a decade.

Nashville Bites: Grace Watson joined Black River as senior director of streaming and revenue. She arrives from Universal Music Group’s Nashville-based Capitol Christian Music Group, where she served as manager of commercial partnerships … Warner Chappell Nashville A&R manager Bethany Mako returns to the company, where she formerly interned. Mako was working as Songs & Daughters A&R manager … Shore Fire Media promoted Nashville-based Nick Jurich to junior account executive from publicity assistant. The division’s current clients include LANCO, Dillon Carmichael and Chase Matthew … Nashville-based Gibson Brands promoted Beth Rasnick to chief of staff to the CEO. Her previous roles in the company include director of strategy and projects. –Tom Roland

Sony Music has created a new position of executive vp of AI, and hired former BPI CEO Geoff Taylor to take up the role, according to an internal memo obtained by Billboard. Taylor, who spent 15 years as chief of the British recorded music trade body, will report to Sony Music Entertainment COO Kevin Kelleher.

In the new role, Taylor will coordinate the major label’s business efforts surrounding artificial intelligence, and coordinate across the global digital business and business and legal affairs division, according to the memo.

The move comes as the music business continues to grapple with the particular challenges that are beginning to arise through the proliferation of artificial intelligence in the digital world, particularly its effect on copyright and ability to be trained on existing musical compositions, among other issues. Battles have begun to pop up around AI-generated music on streaming services, and songs that have been released that mimic existing artists, producers and songwriters without their input or consent, with additional use cases popping up seemingly every day.

The position appears to be the first AI-specific executive-level role introduced by any of the major labels. Check out Kelleher’s memo below.

All,

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has great significance for the future of the music industry and, as a result, more focused attention on it is required.

Accordingly, we are delighted to share that Geoff Taylor will be joining us as our new Executive Vice President, Artificial Intelligence.

Reporting to me and working closely with our Global Digital Business and Business & Legal Affairs divisions, Geoff will align and help coordinate the work of every part of the business that touches AI.

Geoff brings to our company decades of music industry experience. Most recently, from 2007 to 2022 Geoff was the Chief Executive of the BPI, our UK Trade Body for recorded music, where he led the fight against piracy and fraud and advocated for the strategic importance of recorded music to jobs, investment and maintaining the UK’s global competitiveness. Prior to joining the BPI, Geoff was General Counsel and Executive Vice-President at our global recorded music trade body, the IFPI from 2005-2007.

In these roles, Geoff has worked with our company for several years and I am delighted he is joining to help us successfully navigate a key moment in the history of the music industry.

So please join me in welcoming Geoff to Sony Music and feel free to reach out to him with any questions you might have at [Sony Music Entertainment Email Redacted].

Kevin

The Copyright Royalty Board issued its final determination on Thursday (June 22) for songwriters’ and publishers’ U.S. streaming royalty rates during the Phonorecords III period of 2018 to 2022, reaffirming its previous decision to increase the rates 44% incrementally.

This new filing triggers the start of a complicated reconciliation process to account for the past five years of royalties under the new rates. Once the Federal Register publishes the determination — which is expected within the next 60 days — streamers and publishers have six months to review their accounting for the period and rectify any additional royalties owed to the other party. This is likely result in a financial boost for the music business. Any adjusted payments from either side that lag behind this six month period will result in fines.

This final determination also triggers a 30 day clock, permitting participants in the CRB proceedings to file an appeal with the DC circuit court. Given that this verdict has already taken five years to be reached, however, sources close to the involved participants tell Billboard it’s unlikely any appeals will be filed.

Participants in the Phono III remand proceeding include National Music Publishers’ Association, Nashville Songwriters Association International, songwriter George Johnson, Spotify, Pandora, Google and Amazon.

As previously reported, the ruling increases royalties each year during the five-year period — from 11.4% to 15.1% of service revenue by 2022 — but also affirmed key requests from streaming services during their lengthy appeal, limiting royalties based on total content cost (TCC) and reinstating a rate ceiling step in the formula.

Proceedings to decide how to pay songwriters and publishers for U.S. mechanicals during 2018-2022 began over five years ago. In 2018, a CRB determination set the headline rate moving upwards from 10.5% of a streamer’s revenue in 2018 to 15.1% in 2022 and increased the subscriber count calculations for discounted family and student plans to 1.5 times and 0.5 times, respectively.

The 2018 determination also removed the publishing rate ceiling mechanism that prevents the publishers from automatically benefiting with higher payments when their label counterparts are able to negotiate higher rates for their master recordings. Many of the details from the previous determination for Phono III were especially favorable to the music business, so streaming services took issue with it, especially its removal of the rate ceiling.

Hoping to regain some of the more streamer-friendly stipulations in Phono II, Spotify, Pandora, Google and Amazon launched an appeal in early 2019 that was successful and resulted in a “remand” process that dragged on until now. Apple did not participate in the appeal.

UPDATE: This story was updated June 22 at 9:15 p.m. EST to correct that the Federal Register must first publish the determination before the six-month countdown begins for the involved parties to rectify any payment issues.