Innholdsfortegnelse for January 19, 2013 i Billboard Magazine

While a gaggle of suitors has been perusing the EMI and Universal Music Group assets that European Union (EU) regulators demanded UMG to divest, the next few weeks should pinpoint the true contenders. So far, prospective buyers have signed non-disclosure agreements and have made preliminary non-binding bids based on a teaser with a brief description of the assets. But after they've spent weeks examining data, all serious interested parties are expected to tender informed bids. Some suitor sources say, however, that the auction process has been slowed because data is in disarray, leaving suitors still waiting on necessary information. According to some sources, 22 parties initially participated in the early stages of examining the assets, which consist of labels Parlophone, Chrysalis, Sanctuary, EMI Classics and German jazz imprint MPS, plus…

Edgar Cortazar's music has been recorded by some of Latin music's biggest names: Luis Miguel, Olga Tanon and Pedro Fernandez are just some of the entertainers who have worked with the songwriter. While these days the Latin Grammy Award winner is in demand for songwriting, he's also a t t e m p t i n g t o create a business that adapts popular music from English to Spanish. "Adapting music from English To Spanish is nothing new," Cortazar says. "The Beatles, Elvis and Nat 'King' Cole have recorded in Spanish like so many others. But now that the Latino marketplace has matured and become more powerful, there's the potential for artists t o expand and introduce their music to a much bigger audience." In 2006, Cortazar won a…

Universal Music Group's acquisition of EMI solidifies its dominance in many music categories, according to Nielsen SoundScan's year-end numbers, but the upcoming sale of Parlophone is likely to have an impact on the rankings in rock and its alternative subgenre. Warner Music Group had been the traditional leader in rock, coming in as the No. 1 album distributor between 2006, when SoundScan first started tracking the genre, and 2011, only to be displaced by Sony Music as the top-ranked distributor in 2012, driven by releases from Jack white, bruce Springsteen, John Mayer and train. In tracks, however, WMG came in third with 24.9% market share behind Sony’s 25.1% and UMG’s 30.7%, which includes three months of EMI share. EMI has another 6.5% in rock market share from the first nine…

Seated inconspicuously in a corner booth at Nashville's Sportsman's Grill less than a week before Christmas, Tim McGraw seems to have found a little peace on earth. Professionally, at least (though he doesn't make that distinction), McGraw says that "the last five or six years have probably been the toughest years of my life." After an acrimonious split from Curb Records, his label home for the first 20 years of his career, McGraw will release his first record on Big Machine on Feb. 5, Two Lanes of Freedom. The title comes from an anthemic track on the record, and freedom—and acceleration— are prevailing themes on a set that finds McGraw and longtime producer Byron Gallimore delivering a sonically ambitious collection of songs that is equal parts fun, romance and big-picture…

Let freedom ring: Fresh off the release of single "Get Free," featuring Dirty Projectors' Amber Coffman, Major Lazer has announced a Free the Universe world tour that includes dates with Dragonette, Angel Haze and Lunice. Booked by the Windish Agency, the tour kicks off in Toronto at the Danforth Music Hall (Feb. 28), before making stops including House of Blues in Cleveland (March 3) and Pageant in St. Louis (March 21). Jumping the pond, Major Lazer will hit Roundhouse in London (May 4), Link in Bologna, Italy (May 10) and elsewhere before closing at Berghain in Berlin (May 16)... World party: Celebrated "dhol and brass" band Red Baraat has announced a slew of U.S. dates, following an opening slot with Antibalas last month in Brooklyn. Booked by James Carter of…

There’s a distinctly frosty aesthetic to Wolf’s Law, the lush sophomore album by Welsh alt-rock trio the Joy Formidable, out Jan. 22 on Atlantic imprint Canvasback Records. In addition to the inventive guitar tones and thunderous percussion the band is known for, the disc features chilly orchestral scores and the actual crunch of feet walking through snow outside of the isolated cabin near Portland, Maine, where it was recorded. “I don’t know if it’s because we’re from North Wales, but we’re definitely the sort of band that prefers wintry pines,” lead vocalist/guitarist Ritzy Bryan says. “We’re probably distracted if there’s too much sunshine and comfortability.” Itching to record the songs she and bassist Rhydian Dafydd had written while on tour promoting their 2011 full-length debut, The Big Roar, the band…

In 2003, extolling the virtues of the deal between his then-new ISO label and Columbia Records, David Bowie cautioned that fans shouldn’t hold their breath waiting for new music. “I made it clear when I signed with them that I expected to put out an album whenever I wanted, and they had no problem with that,” Bowie said. He wasn’t kidding. In the nine years since an emergency angioplasty in 2004 cut short his last tour, promoting the previous year’s Reality, Bowie has been out of the public eye. So he caught the world by surprise when he released a new single and video, “Where Are We Now?,” on Jan. 8, his 66th birthday. He also announced the March 12 release of new album The Next Day, which he’s been…

Ester Dean has spent the past few years penning hits for everyone but herself. Since 2006, the singer/songwriter has built a resume packed with chart-topping singles including Rihanna's "Where Have You Been," Nicki Minaj's "Super Bass" and Katy Perry's "Firework." But after a few false starts to her singing career, the 26-year-old is ready to take the spotlight. Following her big-screen debut in movie musical "Pitch Perfect," the Muskogee, Okla., native is prepping her studio debut, Story Never Told (Interscope), which is currently without a street date, though it was completed five months ago. The disc will be led by the single "How You Love It," featuring Missy Elliott, but Dean drummed up buzz by closing 2012 with a self-financed video for slow jam "Baby Making Love." She's also prepping…

EXECUTIVE TURNTABLE Send submissions to:exec@billboard.com RECORD COMPANIES: Columbia Records names Justin Eshak VP of A&R. He was an artist manager at Mick Management. UMG Nashville promotes Dawn Gates to VP of digital marketing. She was senior director of new media at Capitol Records Nashville. Verity Gospel Music Group promotes Stanley Brown to head of A&R and Cheryl Marks to VP of marketing. Brown was senior director, and Marks was senior director. Geffen Records chairman Gee Roberson will transition to create and own Blueprint, a full-service record company to be distributed by Interscope Geffen A&M. Several artists on the Geffen roster are expected to join Roberson at the New Yorkbased label, including rapper/producer Hit-Boy and Chicago hardcore rappers LEP Bogus Boys. He will remain co-CEO of development company Blueprint Group. BBR…

As 2013 gets under way, the South Korean music industry—and the K-pop genre with which it is so tight ly bound—are optimistically charting their future course. 2012 was the year of PSY and his monster global hit, “Gangnam Style,” which took the sound of Seoul to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and proved a bona fide cultural phenomenon, bringing in its wake massive publicity for K-pop acts. However in January, just one month after “Gangnam Style” became the first YouTube clip in history to pass 1 billion views, PSY— and the K-pop industry as a whole—faced an unlikely wake-up call in the form of London market trader Muhammad Shahid Nazir and his Warner-backed song, “One Pound Fish.” Widely acclaimed as the new “Gangnam Style,” the U.K. hit suggests…

MUNOZ SIGNS WITH SESAC LATINA Ricky Muñoz, leader, founder, accordionist and vocalist of award-winning norteño group Intocable, has signed with SESAC Latina. The deal covers all territories worldwide except Mexico. Muñoz’s agreement coincides with Intocable’s recent new record deal with Universal Music Latin Entertainment, signed in November. Intocable, long signed to EMI Latin, spent a year as an indie act before going to UMLE. The first album to be released under both new deals is Peligro de Extinció (In Danger of Extinction), due in March. Muñoz’s publishing is signed to Serca and Good-I Music. His catalog prior to Peligro de Extinció will remain under administration with BMI. —Judy Cantor-Navas and Justino Águila JUDGE ORDERS ARREST IN JARA DEATH A Chilean judge has ordered the arrest of eight former military officials…

The first meeting for Josh groban’s sixth studio album occurred not in a recording studio or at the offices of longtime label Warner bros. records. it was during a party at Kid rock’s house. Perhaps inspired by the setting or the host, groban chatted up rob cavallo, longtime producer of rock, green day and my chemical romance, and also groban’s boss. cavallo had been appointed chairman of Warner bros. just before the release of groban’s 2010 album, the rick rubin-helmed Illuminations, and he was curious about where the prince of classical crossover pop wanted to head next. “The stressed to me that he loved his other records, but he said, ‘i think there’s something more,’” cavallo recalls. That missing piece was surprising. groban had been listening to a lot of…

BRANDING AND SPONSORSHIPS ARE an integral part of the contemporary music career, not only offering significant revenue but also playing a critical role in promotion. The challenge, and an area where Tim McGraw excels, is weighing opportunities against the prospect of an inauthentic fit or overexposure. Choosing the right opportunities and filtering through the myriad offers is "always a struggle," McGraw says. "It's never as simple as saying, 'That's what I'll do and that's what I won't do.' I've made bad choices, I've made good choices, I've made mediocre choices." With current branding partners like Pennzoil, Outback Steakhouse, Coty and Operation Homefront on the philanthropic side, McGraw seems satisfied with his current branding portfolio. "I try not to overplay anything," he says. "But at the same time it aggravates you,…

Charlie Wilson could have chosen the easy way. He could've kept traveling down the hit-filled road he paved as frontman of R&B/funk trio the Gap Band. Or kept adding to a noteworthy list of artist/producer collaborations that includes Kanye West, Snoop Dogg and Justin Timberlake. Instead, Wilson has achieved an elusive goal: a second careeras a chart-topping, Grammy Award-nominated solo artist. "Charlie doesn't take the Gap Band's earlier influence for granted," RCA Records senior VP of marketing Lisa Cambridge-Mitchell says. "But he doesn't attempt to recapture his past. He has the amazing ability to look forward, making music that's current yet true to his roots." That skill set is helping Wilson close in on another potential No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult R&B chart with “My Love Is All I Have.”…

Even as Glassnote continues to beef up its recording roster with albums from Mumford & Sons and Phoenix, its publishing arm, Four Song Night, has artists making waves of their own. Singer/songwriter Cara Salimando, one of the company's first signings, is coming off a busy 2012 where she self-released 12 EPs—one for each month—after a recording contract with Universal Motown fell through when the label restructured in 2011. The EP project was partly the result of her collaborations with dance artists Frankmusicand Fred Falke and songwriters and producers ranging from Dan Wilson (Adele, Dixie Chicks) to David Katz (Katy Perry, Train). One of those songs—"Telescope," co-written with Dave Munday (Bryan Adams, Melanie C) and co-published by Four Song Night—was recorded by U.K. pop singer Cheryl Cole for her album A…

With a 14th week atop the Nielsen BDS-based Alternative airplay chart, Muse's "Madness" becomes one of the 10 longest-commanding songs in the survey's 24-year history. Of those 10, two belong to the British trio: The band spent 17 weeks at No. 1 with "Uprising" in 2009-10. "Madness" appears on Muse's sixth studio album, The 2nd Law, which became its highest-charting set on the Billboard 200 when it debuted at No. 2 the week of Oct. 20, 2012. It has sold 256,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Notably, of the 10 tracks to log the longest Alternative reigns, eight belong to the Warner Bros, family (see graph, below): Six have been released by the label, while the related Reprise and Elektra imprints yielded one each. "Many factors have contributed to our…

>>>'CHANGE' IS ON THE AIR After reaching No. 8 on the Triple A airplay chart two weeks ago with the jangly "Change," Churchill is prepping to release its debut full-length, due this spring on A&M/Octone/Interscope. Last week, iTunes featured the band's breakout song as its free single of the week. The spotlight helped prompt a 37% sales gain for the act's EP of the same name, according to Nielsen Sound-Scan; the set jumps 30-9 on Heatseekers Albums. Next up for Churchill is its first headlining tour, which launches Jan. 15 in St. Louis. >>>EMERALD SHINES After scoring European success, Dutch singer Caro Emerald's "Back It Up"(Grandmono) is earning support at U.S. adult top 40 radio. KWYE Fresno, Calif., leads with 154 plays for the song through Jan. 6, according to…

While new revenue is f lowing to Latin labels from streaming and mobile services, sales of Latin music continued to drop at an increasingly alarming rate. For the week ending Dec. 30, sales of Latin albums—defined as albums that are 51% in Spanish—added up to 9.8 million units, according to Nielsen SoundScan, a 21.2% drop from the 11.8 million tallied in 2011. The number is particularly distressing when considering that overall album sales across all genres fell only 4.4% in 2012. And in comparison to the prior year’s numbers, the panorama is even more dismal. Then, overall album sales across all genres rose while Latin sales dropped, but by only 4.3%, the equivalent of 500,000 units. This time around, there were 2 million fewer albums sold in 2012 than in…

The honeymoon is over at the Barclays Center, Brooklyn’s new $1 billion arena showplace, but the party has just begun. “I dreamt of this opening, and it went off exactly the way I was hoping it would go off,” says Sean Saadeh, VP of programming for the arena. Since opening Sept. 28 with the first of eight sellouts from Jay-Z, part owner in the new home of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets, the building has hosted a little bit of everything. But Jay-Z out of the gate was a pressure-packed run of dates, on a lot of levels. “Jay-Z was a great show to open with, [considering] the uniqueness of the stage and show, and the fact that Jay-Z is one of our owners,” Saadeh says. “It was a special moment,…

AFTER LONG-TERM CHALLENGES WITH widespread piracy and a widely disparate radio and record industry, a burgeoning legitimate music scene is fast emerging on the continent of Africa. An expanding middle class, a fast-growing population with more than 65% under 35 and digital startups helping to leapfrog infrastructure weaknesses are making major African cities emerge as not only sources of great local talent that can go global in a meaningful way, but also markets and venues for U.S. and other global artists touring and selling their music. “Africa is the last big secret in the music world, and it’s just about to blow up,” says Obi Asika, CEO of Lagos, Nigeria-based media and entertainment company Storm 360. “In South Africa and the associated regions around southern Africa, [the business and music…

It’s just a pop song: an uptempo ditty about fun-loving lust, with a chorus that would inspire as much pogoing as singing along. But for Tegan & Sara, “Closer,” the first single from their seventh studio album, Heartthrob (Jan. 29, Warner Bros.), is a whole new world. “When we first played the record for people, they were like, ‘Oh, my God, are you terrified?’” says Tegan Quin, half of the twin-sister duo. “They called it a total departure, but it doesn’t feel that wild to me anymore.” “Closer” has a driving kick drum and a twinkling synth breakdown, like many of the electro-infused songs on the radio. But it also has the smartly specific lyrics, catchy melody and impassioned delivery for which Tegan & Sara are known. Heartthrob—10 tracks of…

In 2009, Christopher Owens opened his debut album with former band Girls singing, “Oh, I wish I had a boyfriend/I wish I had a loving man in my life/I wish I had a father/Maybe then I would’ve turned out right.” From the beginning, it was apparent he wasn’t another indie-rock poster boy mentioning vague platitudes or obscure references. He really wanted to connect. Four years and a career’s worth of tumult later, Owens has disbanded Girls and will release his first solo album, Lysandre, on Jan. 15 on Fat Possum. This time around, he’s crystallized his lyrical approach to one line, a mission statement, from lead single “Here We Go”: “If your heart is broken, you will find fellowship with me/If your ears are open, you will hear honestly from…

ALBUMS POP RA RA RIOT Beta Love Producer:Dennis Herring Barsuk Records Release Date:Jan. 22 Those who embraced Ra Ra Riot'sfirsttwoalbums will undoubtedly scratch their heads while listening to the band's third release, Befa Love—and then start dancing. Ra Ra Riot has moved from thoughtful, baroque-style pop into more uptempo, kinetic song forms where the energy is mostly high, brevity is key, and melody is stringently outlined by the newly spare arrangement sensibility. The jagged gait of "Dance With Me" sets the tone with frontman Wes Miles' playful declaration of "I wanna beyourtoy," while"Binary Mind," "Angel, Please," "I Shut Off" and the title track are propulsive blasts of joyfully catchy pop. And "That Much" references the blueeyed soul of Hall & Oates. Balancing the euphoria are the vibey R&B leanings of…

Multiple Grammy Award winner. Global platinum seller. Now Adele can add one more title to her esteemed list: electronic dance diva. The songstress reaches her highest mark on Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart with "Skyfall," which jumps 16-13. That bests her previous peak on the chart, "Rolling in the Deep," which hit No. 14 in May 2011. "Skyfall," the platinum-selling title song from the James Bond film soundtrack, is a torchy, minorkey ballad—not the stuff that dancefloor hits are made of. And it doesn't have any official remixes, at least not stateside: XL Recordings released a set in Germany only. But that didn't stop Billboard's DJ panel. Many reporting members created their own club-ready versions, driving it up the chart. It's not the first time Adele has seduced remixers with…

The “Les Misérables” soundtrack album jumps to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 this week with 92,000 copies sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan, becoming the first soundtrack to top the tally since The Hunger Games: Songs From District 12 and Beyond opened atop the chart on April 7, 2012. The last musical film soundtrack to lead the chart was Hannah Montana: The Movie on May 2, 2009. “Les Misérables” is only the ninth stage musical-turned-movie whose companion film soundtrack hit No. 1. (“Les Miz” is based on the same-named 1985 stage musical.) It follows “Mamma Mia!” (2008), “Dreamgirls” (2007), “Grease” (1978), “The Sound of Music” (1965), “West Side Story” (1962), “South Pacific” (1958), “The King and I” (1956) and “Oklahoma” (1956). “Les Misérables” declined 32% in sales in the week…