Innholdsfortegnelse for March 9, 2013 i Billboard Magazine

The IFPI’s Digital Music Report 2013, released Feb. 26, suggests the bottom of the 13-year-long global revenue slump may be in the rear-view mirror. At the same time, there’s no reason to believe strong growth is imminent. ¶ Record industry trade revenue grew a scant 0.3% last year, according to the annual report. That slight glimpse of green shoots was the first annual gain for the global industry since 1999. ¶ Digital revenue increased 9% to $5.6 billion last year and now accounts for 34% of industry revenue. An abundance of legal alternatives has helped turn revenue upward, IFPI chairman Placido Domingo wrote in the report’s opening letter. The biggest seller globally was Adele’s 21 with 8.3 million units sold, followed by Taylor Swift’s Red (5.2 million). THE Action SILLERMAN…

U.S. record labels started sending infringement notices this week to fve major U.S. Internet service providers (ISPs), who will pass the notices on to alleged pirates through the Center for Copyright Information (CCI). Notices will alert subscribers of their infringing behavior, educate them on copyright and ofer links to legal music services. Repeat infringers may eventually have their Internet speed slowed but will not have their accounts terminated. The result of a voluntary agreement among the ISPs, the RIAA and the Motion Picture Assn. of America, the Copyright Alert System begs three questions: Is it too late, is it too limited in scope, and will it work? Piracy has changed since the days when the RIAA sued individuals for copyright infringement. Last year the number of U.S. Internet users ages…

The metal community is rallying together to help raise money for the family of Relapse Records director of sales Pat Egan, who died from pneumoniarelated complications on Feb. 18. “Pat was a f xture of the New York hard rock and metal scene for 30 years,” says Rennie Jaf e, VP/label manager of Philadelphia-based Relapse. “Everybody knew him and he was everybody’s best friend.” In the hours after Egan’s death, Jaf e reached out to about 25 Relapse acts—including Baroness, Red Fang, Revocation, Toxic Holocaust, Pig Destroyer and comedian/metal fan Brian Posehn—asking if they’d waive track royalties for inclusion on a compilation album. “Everybody said, ‘Absolutely. Let us know if there’s anything else we can do,’” Jaf e says, noting that Egan had recently celebrated his 10th year at Relapse…

It’s a given that a healthy new music business will look very diferent from the old one. Not just in the transformation from physical to digital or from a sales model to a consumption model, but also the rise of new markets outside U.S. borders that have developed as the music biz retrenched and focused on its problems at home. One sleeping giant very much on the rise is Nigeria, where I recently spoke at a music business-themed day during Social Media Week Lagos. Already Africa’s biggest consumer market with a population of some 160 million, Nigeria has produced world stars like Fela kuti and Sunny ade. But after nearly three lost decades of national economic mismanagement and political upheaval, the formal music business crumbled and majors exited the market.…

CEO, BMG What did you wake up thinking about this morning? Very much family stuf. When I am not traveling, I take care of our three kids in the morning. It’s a routine to take them to school. After that, I met our CFO for cofee at a cafe and we thought about what our next moves might be, and we plotted for the integration of Sanctuary. It’s the perfect catalog for us to expand our master rights activity. Describe a lesson you learned from a failure. I can’t identify one failure; there were many failures. But if you don’t fail, you can’t eventually succeed. If there is a failure recently I can name, we didn’t get to buy EMI Music Publishing. We thought it was in reach, but we…

“I mix and match organic elements with electronic instruments.” A Conn electric organ occupies a prime piece of real estate in the living room/recording studio of Michael Fitzpatrick, aka Fitz, leader of the soul- and new wave-infuenced Tantrums. It’s the instrument that, after being purchased for $50, led to a breakthrough sound for the then-budding artist Fitzpatrick; a new song, “Breaking the Chains of Love”; and the creation of a band. “It was one of those things where a song writes itself in fve minutes,” he says. “I had never sung in that style before— that was the beginning.” It shares space with another dozen keyboards—one being the Yamaha upright piano Fitzpatrick learn ed on as a child—most of which were purchased used and with a singular purpose in mind.…

With the twin promises of holiday gains and awards eligibility, fall and winter tend to get all the attention. But for labels and artists looking to make an impact with new projects, spring is actually fertile ground. As fans look to begin their music year in earnest and festival season enters full bloom, platforms abound for anyone with the resources and foresight to take advantage. Plan accordingly. “When you get away from some of the noise and competition of the fourth quarter, fans are hungry for new music and the airwaves are a lot more open for making something big happen,” Republic Records executive VP of marketing Jim Roppo says. “The spring is a great time to promote an album. People are ready, they’ve paid of their Christmas bills, and…

Wheelhouse, April 9 L Arista Nashville M Bill Simmons, Fitzgerald Hartley B Rob Beckham, William Morris Endeavor BRAD PAISLEY’S GOAL in recording his eighth studio album, Wheelhouse, was to get out of his comfort zone. Geographically he didn’t travel far—he converted a farmhouse on his property into a studio—but sonically, Paisley explores new territory. “I wanted to do some genre-bending, but not the kind of mashup where you feel violated,” says Paisley, who self-produced for the f rst time. “I wanted it to feel like a country band in a house bringing in all these other things they liked without rules or walls.” The 17-track collection, recorded with his band the Drama Kings, features guest vocals by Charlie Daniels on “Karate,” Dierks Bentley on “Outstanding in Our Field” and LL…

TBA, May M Irving Azof and Randy Jackson, Maroon Entertainment B Rob Light, Creative Artists Agency “IT’S A LOT TO JUGGLE, but I’m handling it,” Mariah Carey says while driving to an evening studio session in Las Vegas for her new album. In town for the Vegas Week segment of “American Idol,” the f rst-year judge was on her way to meet up with producers Jermaine Dupri and Bryan-Michael Cox after having put dem babies to bed. “It’s about making sure I have tons of good music, because at the end of the day, that’s the most important thing,” says Carey, who had worked with the pair (“We have our own chemistry,” she adds) until 6 a.m. that morning from the night before. (She’s also enlisted producers Big Jim Wright,…

It’s been nearly 17 years since Greg Kurstin scored his frst Billboard hit with “Whoever You Are,” the breakout single from ’90s alt-rock band Geggy Tah, for whom he was a guitarist/keyboardist for more than seven years. But it wasn’t until 2012 that Kurstin, a songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist, really hit his stride. “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You),” one of three songs he contributed to Kelly Clarkson’s Stronger, spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became the singer’s biggest hit (and the top-selling single of any “American Idol” alum). P!nk’s “Blow Me (One Last Kiss),” one of fve songs he contributed to her sixth studio album, The Truth About Love, was a top fve hit last fall, and follow-up single “Try” (produced by Kurstin) hit…

Few people anticipated the rise of Atlas Genius— least of all the group itself. The Australian indie-pop quartet lands at No. 34 on the Billboard 200 this week with debut album When It Was Now, capping a two-year journey from local cover band to rising international stars. The album sold 14,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The band broke through with “Trojans,” an initially self-released single that’s held steady in the top 10 of the Alternative chart since Nov. 24, peaking at No. 4. A surprisingly polished earworm with dancefriendly guitar licks and a dare-you-not-to-singalong chorus, “Trojans” was the frst original track the group ever recorded, but it was good enough to get the band recognized on the blog of New York/London-based Neon Gold Records in the summer of 2011.…

12 MONTHS AGO Despite lacking a label deal, Buckcherry finished recording the self-produced Confessions (which features songs about the seven deadly sins) in March and whipped up fan excitement with a series of webisodes that premiered that month. Frontman Josh Todd says the long wait before the album’s release was “frustrating, but we’re veterans. We know that it’s better to wait and have the right people behind your record than to put it out with the wrong people backing it.” Every week Buckcherry posted 10 in-studio photos shot by guitarist Stevie D. Fans and voted for their favorites, and the first 24 who chose the winning picture received signed prints from the band. 2 MONTHS AGO After signing to Century Media Records, its third label, in November, Buckcherry offered a…

OH, THERE HE GO IN THAT FOREIGN AGAIN, KILLIN’ THE SCENE BRING THE CORONER IN. “BUGATTI,” ACE HOOD FEATURING RICK ROSS AND FUTURE Are you surprised by how fast “Bugatti,” which climbs to No. 62 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week, has grown? i never had no record that ever grew that fast. as soon as we dropped it, instantly the dJs was calling. we only had the record out a few days—they’re calling me, telling me the record’s charting and all this good stuf. we knew it was huge, but didn’t know it was a smash like this. it’s been tearing up the clubs. Do you think it will be a crossover hit? ain’t no lie: if it crosses over, i’ll cry. For an artist that’s considered “street,”…

Celtic thunder returns to a familiar spot this week as the vocal group’s new mythology debuts at no. 1 on World albums. the set is the ninth leader for the act on the tally. the irish ensemble’s latest brings the group into a tie (yet again) with Celtic Woman for the most no. 1s on World albums. it’s likely that when Celtic Woman drops a new album, it’ll reclaim the most-no. 1s title. as for Celtic thunder, this is the fourth straight year where the act has released an album shortly before st. patrick’s day (march 17). the new album follows 2012’s Voyage, 2011’s Heritage and 2010’s it’s entertainment! it makes sense for Celtic thunder to capitalize on the irish holiday, as the group usually tallies some of its biggest…

Tim McGraw celebrates his 25th Country Airplay No. 1, as “One of Those Nights” rises 2-1. Dating to the chart’s Jan. 20, 1990, inception, McGraw trails only Alan Jackson and George Strait, each of whom has collected 26 chart-toppers. “One” rules with 38 million audience impressions (up 1%), according to Nielsen BDS. While McGraw tags behind Jackson and Strait for the most Country Airplay No. 1s, he leads for the most weeks at No. 1 in the chart’s 23-year archives. With 70 frames on top, he outshines Kenny Chesney (68), Strait (66), Jackson (60) and Toby Keith (53). Before this week, McGraw had most recently crowned Country Airplay with “Felt Good on My Lips” for three weeks in January 2011. He first reigned with “Don’t Take the Girl” for two…

The leader of Atlanta’s new school, Trinidad James, scores his biggest sales week yet with his debut set, Don’t Be S.A.F.E., selling 4,000 copies (a 348% rise, according to Nielsen SoundScan). The impressive increase, and subsequent 71-23 catapult on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, is due to the mixtape-turned-EP becoming available physically last week—71% of its sales came from physical purchases. Notably, the physical product’s release also helped spawn a new digital best of more than 1,000 copies for the set. Don’t Be S.A.F.E.’s breakout hit “All Gold Everything” reaches the top 10 of the Rhythmic airplay chart for the first time with a 12-10 skip in its 10th week (see Billboard. biz). It has now reached the top tier of R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay (No. 4 peak), Rap Airplay (No. 3), Hot R&B/Hip-Hop…

Afrojack’ collaboration with Chris Brown, “As Your Friend," registers significant gains across the dance charts and even becomes the DJ/producer’s third Billboard Hot 100 hit, debuting at No. 88 (see page 42). It zooms 16-8 on Dance/Electronic Songs, compensating for its lack of streaming availability with first-week sales, to the tune of 32,000 downloads (Afrojack’s fourth-best sales week ever as a lead artist). The No. 8 debut for “Friend” on Dance/Electronic Digital Songs earns Afrojack his first top 10 since “Take Over Control” in August 2011. On Dance/Mix Show Airplay, it’s his fourth top 10 (14-10), and on Dance Club Songs he inches up 16-13 despite the lack of any ofcially commissioned remixes. Copycat covers, timely released to capitalize on confused consumers, are nothing new, but it’s rare that they…

How did Warner Bros.— which has prided itself in the recent past on be ing a rock label—suddenly end up with two of the hottestselling singles of the moment, one a hiphop smash and the other a dance track? By acting very quickly, say sources familiar with the Los Angeles-based label. Baauer’s “Harlem Shake,” released on Diplo’s Mad Decent label, tops the Billboard Hot 100 for a second week, as the Brooklyn producer’s viral smash continues to register enormous You-Tube streaming fgures. (“Shake” debuted on the Hot 100 last week concurrent with the addition of U.S. YouTube video streaming data to the chart, alongside Nielsen SoundScan sales fgures and terrestrial radio airplay, on-demand audio streaming and online radio streaming, as tracked by Nielsen BDS.) In the No. 2 spot is…

WHAT: In separate deals, Warner/Chappell Music signed Jay-Z, Beyoncé and the Roc Nation publishing catalogs to worldwide administration agreements. The performer/songwriters and the hiphop publishing company had previously been at EMI Music Publishing, which was acquired by a Sony Corp. of America-led consortium and is now administered by Sony/ATV Music Publishing. In order to lure the three away from EMI, sources suggest Warner/Chappell likely paid large advances and ofered a cut-rate administration deal below the typical 15% fee charged for that function. Warner/Chappell declined to comment on the fnancial details. WHy: Sources suggest that picking up Jay-Z and Beyoncé is more about profle and prestige than it is about the benjamins. Jay-Z and Beyoncé often get a songwriting credit for songs on their albums, but they’re usually one of four…

If a One Direction picture is worth a thousand words, a three-second looped animated GIF of the pop band is probably worth millions of fan shares. On Jan. 7, One Direction released the video for “Kiss You,” the third single from the British boy band’s second album, Take Me Home. In slightly more than 24 hours, the act racked up 10.4 million Vevo views, nearly breaking the site’s record for a single day. And GIF fles—short animated clips—are a big part of how the group did it. The “Kiss You” video skips narrative for visuals, placing the members in a variety of fun scenes with short cuts in between—a mix of visual elements perfect for the creation of animated GIFs. Sure enough, within an hour of the single’s release, One…

when the lineup for the frst Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tenn., “emerged” in the spring of 2002—“announced” would be too strong a word—the people that needed to hear about it heard about it, and the festival sold out in two weeks primarily through Bonnaroo.com. The rapid sellout was a testament to the new power of directto-fan marketing and heralded a new era in immersive music experiences. That success also immediately took producers AC Entertainment and Superfy Presents from regional indies to prominent national players. While it has since smartly evolved to encompass varying musical styles, back then, with anchor headliner widespread panic, Bonnaroo was entrenched in (and dependent upon) the thriving jam band scene. Festivals at large were a minor part of the North American concert business…

The celebrations raged from coast to coast, with Elton John’s annual star-studded AIDS fund-raiser raking in $6 million, and New York industry titans and talents coming out in force to fete the new Billboard. “Musicians from around the globe came together to breathe life into this music .” —“Life of Pi” composer Mychael Danna .biz For photos of the music business at work and play, go to billboard.biz To submit photos for consideration, send images to backbeat@billboard.com…

On Jan. 22, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs took the stage at Sydney’s Metro Theatre, where, nearly a decade earlier to the day, the rock trio’s feral frontwoman almost died. Back in 2003, Karen O—drunk on the energy of the crowd (among other things)—fell headf rst of that very stage, thwacking a guardrail on her way down. The monitor that she’d been clinging to toppled with her, collapsing onto her head. Living up to her bedlamite reputation, Karen O f nished “Rich,” the song she’d been singing, and followed it up with “Maps,” the elegiac ode to forfeited love that reached No. 9 on Billboard’s Alternative chart and turned the New York–based band’s debut album, Fever to Tell, into a certif able hit. (The video for “Maps” has since been viewed…

True Romance, April 16 L Atlantic M David Bianchi, Grand Union Management B Matt Galle and Marty Diamond, Paradigm Hertfordshire, England, native Charli XCX earned oodles of cred for her dreamy electro-goth mixtapes in 2012, as slithering singles like “Nuclear Seasons” and “You’re the One” became faves among the Hype Machine set. But as she started to f irt with peppier beats and perkier atmopherics on “Grins” and the Gold Pandasampling lead single “You (Ha Ha Ha),” Charli XCX, 20, coined the term “angel pop” to more accurately describe her sound. “I feel like people say things like ‘synth pop’ or ‘electro pop,’ and I don’t feel like that’s totally accurate,” she says. “I’m making music that’s f oaty and dreamy but still poppy and feels like actual songs.” Many…

Pop’s biggest tickets do double duty as brand ambassadors this spring Taylor Swift and Diet Coke. Arguably the most brand-friendly singer in music today, Swift added Diet Coke to her roster in January when she signed on as its new brand ambassador. As part of the partnership, Diet Coke is giving away “Silver Tickets” to fans through its Facebook page for Swift’s Red tour, which begins March 13 in Omaha, Neb. Much like Swift’s similar deal as a creative director for Keds, the Diet Coke pact was based on the singer’s personal afinity for the product. Beyoncé and Pepsi. A recurring Pepsi spokeswoman since 2003, Beyoncé renewed her relationship with the company in late 2012 as part of a $50 million creative fund that will include original content and creative…

This year, the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Gustavo Dudamel will be conducting them both Touring in the classical world is a diferent ballgame than the pop music world. The venues are smaller, the bands are larger, and the proft—well, that happens only in select situations. In fact, taking a symphonic orchestra on the road is a logistical behemoth of almost comic proportions. When the Los Angeles Philharmonic, with Gustavo Dudamel in his fourth season as music director, heads to Europe and New York in March, it will require 545 plane tickets and 133 trunks with instruments and cases (that’s 28,855 pounds, or more than 14 tons). So why do it? To establish and promote an identity, and perhaps an agenda. With a 2013 program that will have the L.A. Phil—recently dubbed…

A SCAP collected $941 million in revenue last year, down 4.5% from its 2011 total of $982 million. But royalty payments increased slightly to $827 million, up from $824 million in the previous year. The dedline in revenue was due to royalty payment decreases from the radio industry and from retail background music services, according to the organization. Although revenue declined last year, it still represented the third-highest collection year in the organization’s history ASCAP says revenue from the cable industry and from abroad ofset the downturn from radio and retail. The organization says it expects to present audited results in its year-end report to members. According to ASCAP, the collecting society managed to maintain a high level of royalty payments through careful fnancial management, which anticipated the revenue declines…

With this year’s Academy Awards shining its spotlight on music from the movies, a number of acts and songs are benefting from the Feb. 24 ABC broadcast. Among the highlights: Adele returned to the performance stage for the frst time in more than a year, singing her Oscar-winning theme to the James Bond flm “Skyfall”; Shirley Bassey sang “Goldfnger” in tribute to the spy-movie franchise’s 50th birthday; and Barbra Streisand celebrated the late Marvin Hamlisch with “The Way We Were.” 56k 56% Adele’s “Skyfall,” which earned her and cowriter Paul Epworth the Oscar for best original song, sold 56,000 downloads, a 56% gain in sales for the week ending Feb. 24, according to Nielsen SoundScan. On the Billboard Hot 100, where it already peaked at No. 8, it rebounds 83-61.…

While there was a lot of excitement on last week’s Billboard 200 thanks to the impact from the Grammy Awards, things get back to (dreary) normal on this week’s tally. mumford & Sons’Babel remains at No. 1 for a ffth nonconsecutive week, but sells just 63,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. That’s down 66% compared with last week, when it jumped back to the top of the list with 185,000. Babel’ sum this week is the lowest sales week for a No. 1 album since Zac Brown Band’Uncaged moved a light 48,000 on Aug. 11, 2012. On the bright side, Babel marks the longest run at No. 1 for an album by a duo or group since 2004. That year, outKast’Speakerboxxx/The Love Below wrapped a seven-week nonconsecutive rule at No.…

Why release an EP, Loud, for your debut instead of a full-length? the way we’re treating loud is to have something out in the universe. We’ve been touring and doing all this awesome stuf, and we had really no product out. it’s cool to have a platform to say, “this is r5.” i don’t think it’ll be a huge chart success. it would be totally cool if it was, but it’s more of a warm-up. We’re also going to do a “complete my album” type thing: around september, we’re going to add eight more songs. is it tough writing songs with your relatives? sometimes there will be an argument over whether we should say a certain line or do a chord change or something like that. it’s nice to be…

Justin Timberlake reaches a new peak on Streaming Songs as “Suit & Tie,” featuring Jay-Z, rises 19-12, giving Timberlake and Hov their highest position in the seven weeks the Streaming Songs chart has existed. The song’s new position is driven by the track’s ofcial video, which has nearly 10 million views on Vevo as of Feb. 27. The track received more than 3 million U.S. streams for the week, up from 1.9 million (a 56% increase). One Direction’s new single, “One Way or Another (Teenage Kicks),” debuts on Streaming Songs at No. 5 due to the surge in popularity of its ofcial video, which arrived after a series of trailers built momentum for the cause-driven clip’s Feb. 20 debut. The activity helped generate more than 5 million U.S. streams for…

As Blake Shelton prepares for the March 26 release of his 10th studio album, Based on a True Story, the set’s lead single “Sure Be Cool If You Did” becomes his 13th, and quickest, No. 1 on Hot Country Songs (eight weeks). The track is Shelton’s first leader since “Over” reigned for two weeks in September, a month before the ranking’s methodology changed from measuring core country radio audience to a streaming, digital download and an expanded radio panel hybrid. Under the previous formula, Shelton’s quickest No. 1 ascent was 10 weeks with “Honey Bee” in 2011. “Cool” logs a third cumulative week atop Country Digital Songs with 71,000 sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan, rises 10-7 on Country Airplay (28 million audience impressions, up 9%) and ranks as the week’s…

Kendrick Lamar’ “Poetic Justice,” featuring Drake, breaks into the top 10 of multiple charts this week thanks primarily to the release of its “Boyz N the Hood”-inspired video. Since its Feb. 22 premiere on YouTube, the Lil Homie, Dave Free and Dangeroo Kipawaa-directed clip has been watched nearly 3 million times. On the Billboard charts, the cut reaches the top tiers of Rap Songs (11-7), Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (13-9), Rhythmic airplay (14-9) and Rap Digital Songs (14-10), where it rose 10% to 34,000 downloads, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The song’s rise comes at the perfect time for Lamar, as his breakout hit “Swimming Pools (Drank)” begins its descent on all of the aforementioned charts. Although the track ushered in his Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums No. 1 good kid, m.A.A.d city on…

Swedish House Mafia takes the top ranking on the weekly Boxscore chart with a $2.9 million gross from five sold-out performances in mid-February at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, one of the final venues on the EDM act’s farewell tour. Appropriately titled One Last Tour, the trio’s final efort together is heading into its last month with a slate of shows booked in multiple New York venues. Following a Feb. 28 concert at the Hammerstein Ballroom benefiting Hurricane Sandy relief eforts, the act plays Madison Square Garden on March 1 and then Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on the three following nights. All four shows are sold out. After New York, only Los Angeles and Miami remain on the North American leg of the tour, which launched last November. The…

Crowd-funding, made popular by services like Kickstarter and PledgeMusic, has taken of as a phenomenon heading to a value of more than $3 billion this year, according to data from Deloitte. Crowd-funding’s impact on the music industry has centered on artists seeking fnancing for album projects or tours. And in general, crowd-funding platforms typically enable an entrepreneur or artist to seek fnancing online from amateur investors like fans and followers. But crowd-funding may expand to be the new venture capitalism. Pending U.S. legislation could soon allow small-time investors to also crowd-fund startups. Deloitte reports that crowd-funding revenue is led by high-interest peer-to-peer lending companies like Lending Club and Prosper to the tune of $1.4 billion annually. But the best-known crowd-funding is when large numbers of everyday people give out money…

Apple has agreed to a preliminary settlement of a class-action lawsuit that alleged the company failed to properly notify parents when their kids made iTunes purchases. The settlement, which was due to be presented to a federal court judge on March 1 for approval, could result in refunds to as many as 23 million people. It could also af ect how Apple handles in-app purchasing, a key revenue generator for many iOS applications. “We’d like to think that our actions already had a hand in forcing Apple to make a number of changes,” says Michael Boni, a partner at Boni & Zach, which represents some of the plaintif s in the cases f led between April and May 2011. “When we f led our lawsuit, and consistently thereafter, Apple has…

Founder/VP, Yamaha Entertainment Group Chris Gero has run artist relations for Yamaha for nearly 20 years, overseeing the brand’s 3,500-strong global network of artists including Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys and Jason Mraz. Last year Gero founded Yamaha Entertainment Group to steer the instrument brand’s first label as a one-stop-shop operation based in Nashville. The first album on the label will be from U.K. band Leogun (signed to Elton John’s Rocket Music Management), due this spring. 6.00 AM I get woken up by a 3-year-old “alarm clock”— my son—and while he’s having breakfast later I start going through emails. Because we’re an international company—headquartered in Japan, with artist operations in Los Angeles—a lot of information comes in overnight for me in Nashville. 9.00 AM Meet with my core staff…

As CEO, you know that you cannot build a world-class company unless you maintain a world-class team. But how do you know if an executive is world-class? Beyond that, if she was world-class when you hired her, will she stay world-class? If she doesn’t, will she become world-class again? These are complex questions that are made more complex by the courting process. Every CEO sets out to hire the very best person in the world and then recruits aggressively to get him. If he says “yes,” she inevitably thinks she’s hit the jackpot. If I had a tattoo for every time I heard a CEO claim that she’d just hired “the best VP in the industry,” I’d be Lil Wayne. So we begin with a strong bias that whomever we…

South By Southwest New bands, old friends and the best barbecue on earth: How artists and execs navigate Austin’s music melee from March 8 to 17. GETTING THERE “When Dashboard Confessional last played SXSW, we’d just put out our biggest record and came in on a tour bus. This year, I’m making the national debut of my new band Twin Falls, and we’re driving up in a van, humping our own gear, playing as many places that will have us.” —Chris Carrabba STAY HERE “The Driskill [below] is where the older execs stay. They hang out at the bar and talk about the great old days of the music industry.” —PJ Bloom, music supervisor (“Glee,” “The New Normal” “The new luxury hotel is the W, right next door to the…

Timberlake suits up, Brad Paisley branches out, and David Bowie gets back to business. Mariah talks creative rebirth and Dixie Chick Natalie Maines tells all about fying solo. From spring breakthroughs to strategic platforms, the lowdown on the full bounty of essential albums. Contributors Judy Cantor-Navas, Leila Cobo, Chuck Dauphin, Phil Gallo, Andy Gensler, Gary Graf, Andrew Hampp, Justin Jacobs, Jason Lipshutz, Kerri Mason, Nicole Pajer, Mitchell Peters, Deborah Evans Price, Erika Ramirez, Reggie Ugwu, Ray Waddell, Brad Wete, Emily Zemler MARCH Biffy Clyro Opposites, March 12 L Warner Bros. M Warren Entner, Warren Entner Management; Paul Craig, Nostromo Management; Dee Bahl, 1554 Management B Ron Opaleski, William Morris Endeavor (North America); Steve Zapp, International Talent Booking (United Kingdom) Clyro’s boisterous sixth album, Opposites, debuted at No. 1 in the…

After the music industry posted its fi rst rise in international album sales last year, breaking a 12-year decline, retail outlets and streaming services plan to extend a boost in consumer purchases this spring with everything from unique artist partnerships to sponsorships at music festivals. With dependable sellers including Justin Timberlake, Kenny Chesney and Michel Bublé prepping spring releases, some outlets will use pre-existing platforms to give newer musicians support. Last year, Spotify fl eshed out its apps to create custom, interactive interfaces for albums including Bruno Mars’Unorthodox Jukebox. In addition to building similar programs for upcoming LPs, the company intends to enhance its Emerge app, which promotes newer acts based on user-driven data. “In 2013, we’re zeroing in on a more structured matrix approach,” Spotify head of content Steve…

Mother, May 7 L Columbia M Simon Renshaw, Strategic Artist Management B Brian Greenbaum, Creative Artists Agency Natalie MaiNes is leaviNg the Dixie Chicks roost in a big way on her frst solo album. Mother fnds Maines stepping out of the country music world— which she told Billboard was like “an abusive husband” at a MusiCares event last month in Los Angeles—to make “a more rock-sounding record” with producer Ben Harper. The 10-song set certainly touches on her country past in songs like Patti Grifn’s “Silverbell” and the torchy “Vein in Vein,” but the bulk of Mother comprises such departures as the title track—a cover of the Pink Floyd song that Maines recorded for the “West of Memphis” soundtrack—hard rockers like “Trained,” rich pop tunes like “Without You” and a…

In what likely will be a trend for the next few years, Sony/ATV is the No. 1 - ranked music publisher, based on its market share of the top 100 songs as compiled by Nielsen BDS. For the fourth quarter, Sony/ATV, which includes administration for EMI Music Publishing, posted a share of 25.8%, which is up slightly from the 25.7% share that the combined entity tallied in the third quarter. On June 29, 2012, a Sony Corp. of America-led consortium completed the acquisition of EMI Music Publishing and assigned the company to Sony/ATV for administration. In the fourth quarter, Sony/ATV, which also took the No. 1 ranking in the top 100 country songs with a 22.9% share, claimed a stake in 52 of the top 100 tracks, including Rihanna’s “Diamonds”…

As the big get bigger, they leave opportunity on the table for the smaller independent publishers. At least that is the view of PEN Music president/owner Michael Eames, who is positioning his company for growth. As it is, things are going well for PEN as it approaches its 20th anniversary next year, thanks to all the changes in the industry. “I call it ‘the BMG efect,’” Eames says, referring to the rollup executed by that company, as it has acquired Bug Music, Cherry Lane, Stage 3, Evergreen and the Virgin Music catalog during the last four years. Beyond that, Sony/ATV is now administering EMI Music Publishing, thanks to its acquisition by a Sony Corp. of America-led consortium. “A lot of songwriters and catalogs are unhappy with the changes and transition…

Dance/rock band Krewella broke into the Billboard Hot 100 last week with “Alive,” which continues to build this week, going from No. 99 to No. 79. The year-old single— a piano-pop/techno blend that has already spent 23 weeks on Billboard’s Dance/Mix Show Airplay tally—powered onto the chart thanks to good old pavement -pounding, according to Columbia Records executive VP/GM Joel Klaiman. “In the frst two weeks of the year, our staf played new music for radio, and this record just stood out,” he says. “The response was overwhelming. We felt we had done enough groundwork with the band’s base to make a run at radio.” After just a year as a group, the rapid success of Krewella—singer/songwriter sisters Jahan and Yasmine Yousaf and producer Rain Man, aka Kris Trindl— suggests…

LEGEND Bullets indicate titles with greatest weekly gains. Album Charts Recording Industry Assn. of America (RIAA) certification for physical shipments & digital downloads of 500,000 albums (Gold). RIAA certification for physical shipments & digital downloads of 1 million units (Platinum). Numeral noted with Platinum symbol indicates album’s multiplatinum level. RIAA certification for physical shipments & digital downloads of 10 million units (Diamond). Numeral noted with Diamond symbol indicates album’s multiplatinum level. Latin albums certification for physical shipments & digital downloads of 50,000 units (Oro). Latin albums certification for physical shipments & digital downloads of 100,000 units (Platino). Numeral noted with Platinum symbol indicates album’s multi-platinum level. Digital Songs Charts RIAA certification for 500,000 paid downloads (Gold). RIAA certification for 1 million paid downloads (Platinum). Numeral noted with platinum symbol indicates…

break out the birthday cake! adele’s 21 turns 2 years old this week. the blockbuster Xl/Columbia set debuted on the billboard 200 on march 12, 2011. since its arrival, the diva’s sophomore set has yet to leave the top 40. the lowest it has ever ranked is no. 35, on dec. 8, 2012. as has been well-documented, 21 has spent 24 nonconsecutive weeks atop the list—the longest run at no. 1 since prince & the revolution’s purple rain also logged 24 weeks at no. 1 in 1984-85. 21 continues to sell strongly despite its last ofcial single, “rumour Has it,” falling of the billboard Hot 100 last June. to date, 21 has sold 10.4 million copies, making it the 15th-biggest-selling album since nielsen soundscan started tracking sales in 1991. adele’s…

Wiz Khalifa shoots up the ranks of the Social 50, experiencing a 42-6 rise due to online buzz surrounding the highly publicized birth of his and Amber Rose’s baby, Sebastian, who was born Feb. 22. A predelivery photo of Khalifa that he posted on Instagram has received more 300,000 likes and helped him add 216,000-plus fans on the photo-sharing platform during the charting week. Meanwhile, on Uncharted, Darwin Deez score big (a No. 46 debut) with a popular music video for its single “You Can’t Be My Girl” from its new album Songs for Imaginative People. The clip cleverly utilizes readily available, free stock footage of women doing mundane things like eating a salad or sitting on a park bench. These clips are stitched together in Darwin Deez’s video, where…

French rock quartet Phoenix returns with “Entertainment,” which storms onto Hot Rock Songs at No. 25. The single starts on Rock Digital Songs at No. 22 with 14,000 downloads sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and Rock Airplay at No. 23 with 3.2 million first-week audience impressions, according to Nielsen BDS. “Entertainment,” which introduces Phoenix’s fifth studio set, Bankrupt! (April 23), enters the Alternative airplay chart at No. 19 (see page 51). The band’s last album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, yielded the two-week Alternative No. 1 “1901” and the No. 4-peaking “Lisztomania.” Imagine Dragons, meanwhile, flies 9-3 on Hot Rock Songs with “Radioactive,” which boasts Digital and Streaming Gainer honors. The song, atop Alternative for a second week, gains by 36% to 103,000 downloads sold, its highest weekly sum, and passes 1…

In its 11th week on Tropical Airplay, Leslie Grace’ “Day 1” steps 2-1 to become her second chart-topper on the list. Her debut, “Will U Still Love Me Tomorrow,” hit the top of the chart on Oct. 27, 2012. In the chart’s 18-year history, only two other females have reached the summit with their first two appearances: La India with “Nunca Voy a Olvidarte” (two weeks) and “Ese Hombre” (five weeks) in 1994, and Fanny Lu with “No Te Pido Flores” and “Y Si Te Digo” in 2007. On Latin Pop Airplay, Don Omar posts his fourth No. 1 as his workout-friendly “Zumba” steps 2-1 in its 14th week. 2010’s “Danza Kuduro” was his first leader on the list, followed by “Dutty Love,” featuring Natti Natasha, and “Hasta Que Salga…

This Week’s Trend Report: Billboard Hot 100 Songs, by Streams, Airplay and Sales This week we look at the current Billboard Hot 100, specifically at which songs are powered more by sales, airplay or streams. The five on the far left of the chart are charting mostly due to sales, the five in the middle largely due to airplay, and the five on the right mostly because of streams. 1 NELLY Sales: 84% Airplay: 13% Streams: 3% While it rises 26-24 in its fifth week on the Mainstream Top 40 radio airplay chart, it’s a No. 15 entrance on Hot Digital Songs (99,000 sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan) that yields a No. 42 Billboard Hot 100 bow. In comparison, his No. 3-peaking 2010 Hot 100 hit “Just a Dream” began…