FULL CIRCLE MUSIC GROUP

Dr. Dre will be honored by the Recording Academy for his trailblazing production work.  Dre broke onto the music scene in the late 1980s as a co-founding member of groundbreaking rap collective N.W.A. and went on to produce hits for everyone from Eminem, Tupac, Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z, Nas and Busta Rhymes to Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent, Gwen Stefani, and countless more. He will be honored during the 13th annual Producers & Engineers Wing GRAMMY Week celebration on January 22 at Village Studios in Los Angeles. “Dr. Dre is an influential force in music,” said Deborah Dugan, President/CEO of the Recording Academy. “Dre breaks boundaries and inspires music creators across every genre. His evolution as a producer solidifies him as a leader of the pack within our industry, and we watch in amazement as he continues to shape the future of music.” In addition to celebrating Dre’s legacy, the event will also salute the overall industry influence of the Producers & Engineers Wing’s more than 6,400 professional members and their commitment to creativity and technical prowess in the field of recording. According to the Recording Academy, its Producers & Engineers Wing advocates year-round for excellence and best practices in sound recording, audio technologies, and education in the recording arts, along with proper crediting, recognition and rights for music creators. Dre is the recipient of six GRAMMY Awards. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016. - CelebrityAccess

The High Court of England and Wales has ruled against digital radio company TuneIn in a copyright infringement case brought by Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group. The lawsuit filed by the two major record companies alleged that TuneIn played and rebroadcast music without a U.K. license. Of particular concern was the TuneIn's Pro app, which has a record feature that allows the app to effectively function as a download on-demand service. TuneIn currently has more than 75 million monthly active users. This win for the two labels is likely to embolden other rightsholders to file legal actions against TuneIn in the UK, as well as other countries where it is available. TuneIn's website is available in 22 languages, each with its own content tailored for the specific language or region. TuneIn also offers 5.7 million on-demand programs. Sony Music Entertainment commented: “The UK Court’s ruling is a critical move in the right direction, and we appreciate its work in reaching a decision in this case. Today’s judgement confirms what we have long known to be true: that TuneIn is unlawfully redistributing and commercializing links to unlicensed music on a widespread scale. “While this decision marks an important victory against TuneIn’s blatant copyright infringement in the UK, the company continues to unlawfully profit from massive global commercialization of unlicensed copyrighted sound recordings by turning a blind eye to basic licensing requirements and hiding behind safe harbor claims to avoid paying music creators. “This deprives music creators of compensation for their work, and gives TuneIn an unfair competitive advantage in relation to licensed webcasters that honor their legal obligations and respect the need for artists to receive a fair return on the essential value they provide.”  

Lizzo has added a songwriting credit to her mega-hit "Truth Hurts," effectively admitting that the lyric "I just took a DNA test / Turns out I'm 100% bitch," which is at the core of the track, came via Twitter. British singer Mina Lioness has been in months-long battle with Lizzo, but in a tweet on Wednesday she was vindicated , "I just took a DNA Test, turns out I'm a credited writer for the number one song on Billboard." I just took a DNA Test, turns out I’m a credited writer for the number one song on Billboard. — Long Jevetina (@MinaLioness) October 23, 2019 The battle over who wrote "Truth Hurts" is just getting started.  Brothers Justin and Jeremiah Raisen believe that they deserve a songwriting credit on the hit because the lyric was used in an unreleased track called "Healthy" from an April 2017 studio session with Lizzo and other songwriters.  They told there side of the story on Instagram.           View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by Justin Raisen (@justinraisen) on Oct 14, 2019 at 11:50pm PDT Lizzo also took to Instagram to deny the brother's claim and acknowledge Mina's contribution. "The men who now claim a piece of Truth hurts did not help me write any part of the song," wrote Lizzo. "They had nothing to with the line or how I chose to sing it. There was no one in the room when I wrote Truth Hurts, except me, Ricky Reed, and my tears. That song is my life, and its words are my truth."           View this post on Instagram                   Truth Hurts... but the truth shall set you free. A post shared by Lizzo (@lizzobeeating) on Oct 23, 2019 at 10:19am PDT

The holidays are right around the corner, and whether or not you celebrate them, it's  a great time of year to show your fans just how much they mean to you, either through free music, a special holiday cover, or something else altogether. ____________________________ Guest post by James Shotwell of Haulix You don’t need to believe in Santa to shower the people who support you with love and music this holiday season. The latest Music Biz can help. The holiday season is upon us. Even if the snow has yet to fall in your area, there are signs of Christmas and Thanksgiving in every department store in North America. Other holidays are present as well, of course, and the marketing machine promoting the impending arrival of those special days is already in full effect. There may be two months left in 2019 as we post this, but we might as well be preparing for the start of 2020. You may not believe in Santa Claus. You may not celebrate Christmas or Thanksgiving at all, but we can all agree the reason for the holiday season is good. Holidays exist to remind us what matters most in life. They are special days where we set aside the grind of work to focus on the people who love and support us, as well as those we love and support. Fans love and support you, so why wouldn’t you include them in your holiday plans? You don’t have to spend a bunch of money remind your audience that you appreciate their work, but you do need to lift them up. Here are some ideas: 1. Free Music There is an old adage about the best course in life often being the most obvious one, and that is very much the case with this suggestion. Your fans support you all year long in hopes that you will both come to their town and continue to release music that touches their lives. Though you are unable to be everywhere at once on Christmas, you can make your music available for anyone who has yet to add it to their personal collection. Whether you choose to make a song, album, or even your entire catalog available as a free download, you should see a rise in engagement as a result. People who have been waiting to buy your album when they see you live won’t be able to resist the free download, and there is a high likelihood they will recommend your friends take advantage of the offer as well. 2. Record and release a holiday cover (maybe give it away as well) The world has heard countless covers of holiday classics, but the world has yet to listen to your take on great seasonal staples, and that is why you can still use them to give back to fans this Christmas. I know my favorite Christmas covers are those performed by my favorite bands, and I’m willing to bet the same can be said for most music fans. Record a holiday cover, be it in a studio or in your own home, and share it with fans in the days leading up to December 25. You can even take things one step further and ask fans about their favorite holiday songs in advance, that way your cover will have an even higher likelihood of being shared by your followers. 3. Surprise your fans with free stuff (no contest necessary) Everyone is thinking of others during the holiday season, or at least they should be, so many fans may not have money to buy the limited edition winter merch items you have available in your online store. To show fans you understand their dilemma, consider offering a give away where you send a prize pack including numerous merch items, as well as items not available in your store (handwritten lyrics, drum head, etc.) to one lucky fan. Don’t make it a contest and don’t ask for contact information in exchange for consideration. Simply pick a fan, or four, and send them a present. With any luck, the fan(s) will share their surprise with the world, and you will earn brownie points for being one of the more thoughtful artists in music today. 4. Stream an acoustic performance from your home/studio/van/bus/basement There are few things music fans love more than seeing their favorite artists playing bare-boned versions of their favorite songs. Since there is no way everyone who follows you could attend a single performance, especially one planned close to Christmas, make the event special by broadcasting your set on one or more of the popular live streaming services that have risen to prominence over the last year. If those services require you to charge consumers, like with StageIt, then you should also consider giving all the money earned to charity. This way, fans feel like they are giving back by tuning in, and you walk away having established yourself as an artist who hasn’t lost sight of the problems that exist outside your immediate surroundings. Win-Win. 5. Holiday scavenger hunt This idea has become increasingly popular in the age of IG and Snapchat stories. The setup is relatively straightforward: In the hours before an event or while traveling to a new city, musicians leave merchandise/gifts for fans in public spaces. Clues on where the items can be found are then posted to feeds, which fans can then respond to as they begin their hunt. These activities encourage engagement and help bring fans together in the real world. As people converge on the location of whatever you’ve hidden they encounter others who follow your music. This can lead to community building, which in turn helps you. 6. Give the gift of other artists’ music via playlists Mixtapes are dead. The once popular way to share your favorite music with others has gone the way of the dinosaurs, and in its play we have playlists. Many artists already maintain playlists on services such as Spotify and Apple Music, but the holiday season presents a unique opportunity to further connect with your audience through a well-curated playlist that takes the holidays or end of the year roundups. Select one song from all your favorite albums from the last 12 months. Gather your holiday favorites. Heck, put together a compilation of songs from artists who you wish to tour with after the new year. Create something that is personal to you and fans will feel more connected to your efforts as a result. James Shotwell is the Director of Customer Engagement at Haulix and host of the company's podcast, Inside Music. He is also a public speaker known for promoting careers in the entertainment industry, as well as an entertainment journalist with over a decade of experience. His bylines include Rolling Stone, Alternative Press, Substream Magazine, Nu Sound, and Under The Gun Review, among other popular outlets.

While it may be the one of the most discussed social media platforms of the present day, many still struggle to understand what exactly TikTok is, much less how to utilize it as the powerful marketing tool which it undeniably is. Here, we clear some of the fog surrounding TikTok marketing. _________________________________ In this latest article from MusicThinkTank, David Steinberg shares several insights on how artists can harness the power of TikTok as marketing tool for indie artists. "After you have successfully added your music to TikTok, it is no use if people will not see or use it. How are they supposed to do that if you do not have a lot of followers on the list? Here comes the value of TikTok marketing. If TikTok marketing is done right, anything is quite possible. You just need to know how to sell what you want to sell. Here are some of the tips for that purpose:" [Continue Reading]

Independent label Fat Possum Records has appointed Melinda Caffin as COO. Based in New York, Caffin, who most recently served as CFO of Red Bull Records, will be tasked with overseeing the company’s strategy and business operations. Previously, she served as VP Finance & Label Operations of RED Distribution/Sony Music Entertainment, Director of Business Affairs at Atlantic Records, and Manager of Finance at Tommy Boy Records. Fat Possum’s current artist roster includes Al Green, The Black Keys, Band of Horses, Spiritualized, and Courtney Marie Andrews among others. - CelebrityAccess

Just weeks after Bandsintown launched twenty-four Worldwide, US and City Live Music Charts, the top-ranked concert discovery platform has added the Billboard + Bandsintown Tour Index, four new weekly touring indexes available exclusively on Billboard. The Billboard + Bandsintown Index is comprised of four new weekly charts: Global Top Artists, U.S. Top Artists, Global Rising Artists and U.S. Rising Artists. The Top Artists rankings include acts with 250,000 or more Bandsintown trackers (followers), and the Rising Artists measures acts with 10,000-249,999 trackers. These weekly rankings are based on percentage growth in overall engagement for the previous 30 days and include new trackers, ticket clicks and event RSVPs. Billboard expanded its touring coverage from two weekly rankings to seven monthly charts earlier this year. Billie Eilish leads this week's inaugural Top Artists ranking, both globally and in the US. "Her lead is fueled by a 111% increase in ticket clicks and 104% in event RSVPs on Bandsintown," writes Eric Frankenberg, Billboard Chart Manager, Boxscore.  "Eilish will relaunch the Where Do We Go? World Tour with a string of sold-out U.S. arena shows in March and April before continuing in Europe and South America throughout 2020." "The Amity Affliction score the No. 4 slot on the global rankings (No. 24 on the U.S. index)," continues Frankenberg, "though not with the uniform momentum that landed Eilish the pole position. The Australian metal band bumps by 1.6% in total trackers and 8.8% in event RSVPs but sports a spectacular 234% increase in ticket clicks. The additional twenty-four Bandsintown Worldwide, US and City Live Music Charts are published on Bandsintown, Bandsintown for Artists, and Hypebot. Bandsintown's Fabrice Sergent at Billboard Live Music Summit Frankenberg will join Billboard senior director of touring and live Dave Brooks on stage at next week's Billboard Live Music Summit for "How Data Supports Developing Artists: A Conversation With Bandsintown's Fabrice Sergent" to take a deeper dive into how Bandsintown is providing a uniquely predictive look at fan activity in the important live music sector. MORE: Bandsintown Launches First-Ever Predictive Touring Charts For Established and Emerging Artists

Here industry veteran Stacy Wiseman dispenses some sage advice on how to expect the unexpected and keep the train on the rails while on tour, drawing from her considerable experience working with artists like Lizzo, Hannibal Buress, Iliza Shlesinger, and others. __________________________ Guest post from AWAL This is the second piece featuring tour manager Stacy Wiseman. Click here for the first read.  Smooth sailing is learned, not given. Dodge, dip, duck, dive, and dodge your way around enough nonsense on tour and you’ll find there’s no such thing as a picture-perfect run. Fortunately, there’s lots to be done in the risk mitigation department, and Stacy Wiseman, who’s traveled the world alongside the likes of Lizzo, Hannibal Buress, Iliza Shlesinger, Mallrat, and more, knows a thing or two about keeping trains on the tracks.  Whether you’re plotting your first road campaign or in the midst of an international headliner, forward march for 10 lessons from Wiseman worth keeping in mind. But first, before you do, a few more words from us. It goes without saying that good decisions don’t always come easy when you’re in the thick of it — we get it, consider this a no judgment zone. If sleep’s a foreign concept, the bus broke down last night, and you just said hello to the 630th face of the day as your temperature hit fever territory, any source of numbing comfort looks like a great idea.  If there’s any trick to self-preservation, though, it’s not letting mistakes become patterns. One regrettable night doesn’t need to lead to a washed week. When teams rally together to sidestep unhealthy choices and identify probable issues in advance (e.g. blocking off time to hit the hotel gym, or packing non-habit-forming substances like melatonin to help everyone recharge), there’s a lot more good and a lot less bad. Godspeed, yall.  Wiseman with San Holo. Expect your first tours to test — and strengthen — your endurance. “I worked with Louis the Child I think for 14 months or so as their first tour manager. Literally, Freddy had just graduated high school, and he had the number one song in the country because him and Robby wrote The Chainsmokers' drop for 'Closer.' So they were just these kids. And it was a huge learning experience. Our first tour was in a Sprinter. I mean, it was a crazy time. I feel like every tour manager should do a Sprinter van before they graduate to a tour bus, because every time I do tour buses now I am just so grateful for them. Because it was ... It had it's time, but it was miserable in the van. You're literally sitting in the captain's chairs for what feels like an eternity. Our openers were on a bench in the back, and we're doing eight hours drives and not really getting much sleep, and then having to load in when we finally arrive.”  Exercise often, especially when it’s the last thing you want to do. “This past year, I took a good chunk of it off, after I helped TM for Hannibal Buress’ comedy run. A road team could be 15 people or two people, but as the tour manager, you’re always putting others above yourself. It took me awhile to realize the toll it had on me. Now I try to bike every day. I think I did 75 miles this week. It’s even more important for artists: a day can feel like a week and they blend together. Before I start a trip, I research in advance to see which hotels have gyms and try to block time off, and I always ask if anyone on the team wants to join me the day of. You have to help each other out. I recently had a 12-hour flight with Iliza [Shlesinger], when we went to Portland, Maine, and I just wanted to crash. She was like, ‘Nope, let’s go workout for 30 minutes,’ and I felt happier and refreshed.” Give your immune system a hand before it starts hurting.  “Every hospitality rider I’ll ever make will include fresh-pressed juices and raw ginger shots. When I gave San Halo one for the first time, he was like, 'What is this? Are you trying to kill me?’ By the end of the tour, he was like, ‘Where are my raw ginger shots?’ On another tour, one person started sneezing in the back of the van. The next day, another one had joined him. I’m thinking, ‘Ah shit, here we go’ [Laughs]. One of my jobs is to try and avoid that and be proactive, because one sick person can sink the whole ship, but everyone has to be onboard. I’ve even done group stretches before soundcheck in the past.” Wiseman and Lizzo backstage. Love your stomach. Food that’s cheap and fast will set you back. “You can eat shitty every once in awhile, but having Chipotle and Domino’s every night is going to slow you down and make you feel like crap. Do it enough and your mental health will suffer. When you’re tired from performing and traveling nonstop, the temptation is to feast on the densest, cheapest, closest thing, but most of those options will make it worse, or give you the wrong nutrients. Sometimes the $0.99 hamburger is really all there is, but if you get fruits and meats in advance, or make your rider more healthy, you can get what you need without spending a fortune.” Celebrate responsibly with group guidelines and buddy systems.  “I have a two-drink rule with everyone I work with. Next to the artists themselves, I’m basically the leader, and I’m there to make sure everything goes smoothly. I’ve seen multiple tour managers and crew members get shit-faced and cause problems at festivals and shows, crossing that line of respect you’re never going to get back again. Like fighting security guards, or TMs on smaller tours getting hammered when they’re supposed to drive. It’s a lot of fun, but it can’t be a rockstar lifestyle 24/7, at least not for the team.” Treasure sleep for what it is: the most valuable asset on the road.  “Most nights there’s enough time for a shower, one beer, or passing out. If load-out after the show is at 1:00 a.m. and that takes two-and-a-half hours and there’s a 5 a.m. afterparty, like with a lot of EDM tours, you can’t be messing around too much. Some of my friends working with major DJs are flying to five countries in three days to do 10 shows or parties. I’ve been up for 72 hours straight and I don’t say that with pride. Younger TMs on the rise now ask me how you know whether you’ve made it as a tour manager, and my answer is when you’ve started hallucinating from exhaustion, because the schedules get that intense. When you’re backstage, you’re really just on your computer, making sure whatever’s next will be alright. If you can fit it in the budget, having a hotel room with double beds to let people rest in and out during the tour stop is helpful. Or a lot of times, when we can have early venue access, I’ll try to get the bus there 30 minutes to an hour early so people can lay out on the couches.” Let drivers drive — nothing more, nothing less. “If a tour is covering lots of ground and it’s not jetting from one place to the next, the designated driver should get the crew in safely, park the Sprinter or the bus, go to their hotel, and be back the next day or whenever the call time to pack up is. If you give your driver extra jobs, the odds that they’re not rested enough increases. They’re legally required to never drive more than 10 hours straight without an eight-hour break.” Wiseman with Lizzo and co. onstage at Radio City Music Hall.  Run a tight ship by tracking every dollar / maximizing every minute. “We’ll make two-page informational packets for the openers to cover frequently asked questions so we’re all on the same page. Most of the riders are six to 10 pages. For hospitality, I usually have to write something like, ‘All receipts must be turned in, taped on pieces of paper, with the correct charges circled.’ If you someone loses a receipt, you have to give that money back. You have to keep your records clean and accurate. When I don’t say that, the runners come back to me with crumpled money, change, and missing receipts, and that’s time a TM won’t have. Even something as simple as calling ahead matters on tour. If you need something specific from Guitar Center, call before you go. Wasting energy doesn’t fly.” Have high expectations for all things security-related. “When runners are taking the artist from one place to another, they shouldn’t be on the phone. Security guards shouldn’t be on the phone, or taking pictures for fans at the barricade. A lot of them aren’t getting paid a ton, even at major festivals, and sometimes you’ll have people paying to get past to the artist pit. Once there was a security guard for stage right, which can lead to the artist's backstage area, and he was using his phone multiple times. I was like, ‘What are you doing?’ He even admitted it to his  supervisor. And then he told me I shouldn’t be a tour manager because I’m a woman with issues. That got him fired. I become a mama bear if these things aren’t taken seriously, if the things we discuss in our security meetings aren’t followed. Nowadays evacuation plans and all of that are pretty standard, which is devastating, but I want to feel safe. There was a show not too long ago where they were like, ‘We don’t do bag checks,’ and I was like, ‘Absolutely not, that has to be protocol, I don’t care if we have to hold the doors another 15 minutes. Lots of venues have metal detectors backstage too now. I want that. I want everyone to feel safe.”  Spare women the bull shit and get out of their way. “I’ve been doing this for awhile, but I still get hounded — old school assholes who’ve worked at venues for a long time, drunk stage hands who’ve pushed me against a wall calling me a piece of shit. People telling me, 'Come home with me or I’ll make your career suffer.’ A few months ago I was buying goosenecks for some mics and one of the sales associates sort of ignored me. He’d just relay through his coworker, ignoring my existence. Now, I’m from the south. I will call your ass out. I’ll kick your ass and then make you some homemade sweet tea, you know? But it just pisses me off. Grow the fuck up. Yes, I have a vagina and tits. You have a dick. Congratulations. We’re all here trying to make a show awesome. In some of the most tense moments I’ve learned to just laugh. That really throws people off. I’m proud that it’s becoming harder to get away with that behavior. We’re doing a show in front of 1000s of people. Get over yourself and do your job so I can do mine.”  Click these pretty blue words for touring advice from AWAL artists. Keep up with industry news and dive deep into artist stories with AWAL Weekly, our weekly newsletter. 

FRIDAY 11.1.19 Music Business News From Around The Web Updated continuously under the More News tab

Live Nation Entertainment has reported both record operating income and adjusted operating income for the third quarter of 2019. According to Live Nation, operating income grew 11% in the quarter and 12% year-to-date while AOI grew 11% in the quarter and 13% year-to-date, handily beating last year’s Q3 results which were also records for the company. Live Nation reported revenue for the quarter of $3.73bn, which was down 2% from the $3.83bn they reported in Q3 2018. Live Nation reported that concert demand continues to accelerate and stated that through mid-October, they have sold 92 million tickets, which is a 6% improvement over 2018. According to Live Nation, 73 million fans attended more than 26 thousand concerts and generating $113 million in operating income, which is up 14%, and $333 million in AOI, which is up 17% from last year. “Our international business has been particularly robust this year, delivering much of our fan growth with a strong year for stadiums and theaters, while in the United States our arena and theater activity was also up. As we have grown our show volume and the breadth of artists with which we work, we have also been more effective in pricing tickets closer to market value, particularly with our platinum pricing tool. So far this year we have had over 3,000 arena and amphitheater shows use platinum tickets, with a 54% increase in the number of platinum tickets sold per show,” Live Nation Chairman and CEO Michael Rapino said. Live Nation also touted other aspects of their “concert flywheel” noting that the average event revenue per fan from hospitality was up in all of their venues, most notably in amphitheaters where average revenue per fan increased by $2.50 to over $29 per person. Live Nation’s Sponsorship unit reported double-digit growth for the quarter, growing operating income by 17% and adjusted operating income by 18% for the quarter. For the full 9 months of 2019, sponsorship revenue has grown by 11% year-to-date at Live Nation venues, while festival sponsorship has grown by 31%. Ticketmaster grew operating income growth by 30% and generated its highest AOI quarter ever, up 20% from last year, while revenue for the unit hit $388.5 million for the quarter, up 5% from the same period in 2018. “This growth continues to provide Ticketmaster the scale to invest in the evolution from paper tickets to digital, which is being demanded by venues and content that are seeking greater control of their tickets and looking to develop a more direct connection with fans,” Rapino said. “Our Presence rollout is pacing ahead of schedule, and we expect digital ticketing to be installed at over 700 venues, representing 120 million tickets, by the end of this year, with over 60% of the fans at digital-enabled events now entering with their mobile devices,” he added. Rapino also provided a rosy view of business operations for the company in 2020, noting that the concert pipeline for next year was already filling up with over 1,500 stadium, arena and amphitheater shows booked already. “And as we look forward, we continue seeing tremendous opportunity to expand our global concerts and festivals business, driving further growth in on-site execution, sponsorship and ticketing,” Rapino said. photo: Rapino (Live Nation / Rainer Hosch) - CelebrityAccess