Innholdsfortegnelse for August 3, 2013 i Billboard Magazine

AT&T’s proposed $1.2 billion acquisition of Leap Wireless International, which includes the popular Muve Music service, doesn’t appear to be hanging up the carrier’s discussions for a distribution deal with other music services, including Beats Music, according to sources familiar with the talks. ¶ The No. 2 U.S. wireless operator is considering a branded tiered strategy that would see Cricket’s Muve Music marketed to less affluent, prepaid subscribers, while Beats Music would target customers willing to pay a premium for their phone package. Executives knowledgeable with the discussions caution that no agreements have been reached, and that “all the carriers are talking to all the music services.” ¶ Carriers have been exploring the economics of bundling deals as a way to attract and retain customers. Many have monitored Muve and…

Vinyl’s resurgence is no secret. Sales are up 33% through July 15 after an 18% gain in 2012, according to Nielsen Sound-Scan. But less well-known are the high costs and the challenges in manufacturing and distributing vinyl records. There’s a long list of great things about vinyl. The vinyl record has brought back the enjoyment of collecting physical copies of music in a time when most music is either downloaded or streamed. The success of Record Store Day can be attributed in part to vinyl’s analog characteristics: RSD special titles are limited, and the product and packaging can be memorable. Vinyl has helped sustain independent retail. In fact, some stores carry nothing but that format. The resurgence is apparent in some recent sales numbers. Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories moved…

Capitol Music Group (CMG) and Insurgency Music joined forces to relaunch the pioneering rap imprint Priority as CMG chairman/CEO Steve Barnett pursues an aggressive strategy to rebuild the storied label group from the ground up. Priority, once home to names like N.W.A, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg (aka Snoop Lion), will now be a producer-driven label focusing on electronic and progressive urban music. Helming Priority as president is Insurgency Music co-founder and electronic music veteran Michael Cohen. The Aug. 13 release of underground club track “Higher,” by Just Blaze & Baauer featuring Jay Z, will formally signal Priority’s relaunch. Simultaneously, Cohen also announced that producer Harry Fraud’s Surf School label has signed with Priority. Fraud’s production credits include Rick Ross, Wiz Khalifa, French Montana and Mac Miller. Appointed chairman/CEO of…

Mike Peters, the frontman for U.K. bands the Alarm and Big Country, has been fghting cancer for 18 years. In the mid-’90s he went into spontaneous remission after being diagnosed with lymphoma. Ten years later he was diagnosed with leukemia “My ambition is to stay alive as long as I possibly can with the drugs I’ve got until the drugs that have the cure come along,” says Peters, who undergoes chemotherapy every two months while on tour with Big Country. In the meantime, Peters is working to help save the lives of other cancer patients through the Love Hope Strength foundation, an organization he cofounded in 2006 with fellow cancer survivor James Chippendale, executive VP of entertainment insurance company Doodson. LHS has partnered with numerous tours and music festivals to…

The burgeoning legal music industry in India has, thus far, received little attention from the rest of the world. But for global players, there’s a massive opportunity in this fast-growing market—one that numbers in the billions of dollars, as revenue barriers like piracy and lack of connectivity are removed. With a predicted 14.7% CAGR through 2016, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers, the Indian market will roughly double in the next five years. In fact, as online music continues to drive the industry, streaming continues to drive online engagement and mobile drives streaming, it’s a fair assumption that the Indian music market will surpass the West in the near future in terms of consumer numbers. The 1.2 billion people in India and tens of millions in the Indian diaspora comprise the world’s largest…

1 Metallica’s Kirk Hammett (left) and James Hetfield set San Diego ablaze with a secret show celebrating their new film “Metallica: Through the Never” at Comic-Con International on July 19 at the Spreckels Theatre. 2 The “Metallica: Through the Never” crew debuted excerpts from the movie, a mash-up of a concert doc and a fictional narrative film, at Comic-Con on July 19. “When fucking Metallica calls you, you go,” director Nimrod Antal said of why he took the project on. From left: Metallica’s Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield, actor Dane DeHaan, Antal, Metallica’s Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo. 3 Alt-rock champs Weezer performed at a zombie-filled private party celebrating the 10th anniversary of the “Walking Dead” comic book series at Comic-Con on July 19. From left: Weezer’s Brian Bell, “The…

Name: Dave Porter Hometown: Studio City, Calif. Paying dues: After finishing his studies at Sarah Lawrence College, Porter worked as an assistant engineer at Philip Glass’ studio in New York. Big break: Porter was hired as composer on TNT’s “Saved” in 2006, a year after he worked as music editor on the final season of HBO’s “Six Feet Under.” Dave Porter’s studio may seem cramped, but the electronics that clutter the walls have a particular purpose: providing the score for the fifth and final season of AMC’s acclaimed show “Breaking Bad,” which premieres Aug. 11. “In these final eight [episodes], I was able to revisit some things from past episodes that I wanted to bring back musically,” says Porter, who has scored the show since it started in 2008. “I…

Senior VP Of A&R, Atlantic Records ATLAnTIcRecORDS.cOm @ABSATLANTIC THRIVING A& It can take a long time to sign an artist. Even if the artist in question is Bruno mars. Aaron Bay-Schuck, 31, who signed mars to Atlantic four years ago, met him in 2005, “but it wasn’t until 2009 that the label saw the vision,” he says. That vision, and Bay-Schuck’s persistence, paid of big time. Mars’ second album, Unorthodox Jukebox, had sold 1.5 million copies since its December 2012 release, according to nielsen Sound-Scan. The album debuted at no. 2 on the Billboard 200 and rose to the top spot 11 weeks later. “From the outside world, it looked like it happened quickly, but it really is an artist development success story in every way,” Bay-Schuck says. “A&R at…

Music Agent, Creative Artists Agency; Music Sponsorship Agent, Creative Artists Agency CAA.COM ROCKIN’ DEALS Ryan Harlacher, 36, and Laura Hutfless, 31, are two of Creative Artists Agency’s top young agents to watch. Harlacher has helped boost the firm’s growth in the rock music touring space. As the responsible agent for such bands as Avenged Sevenfold, Shinedown, Slipknot and Godsmack, Harlacher also works on a team that helps book and produce festivals like Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, Rockstar Energy Uproar Festival and Gigantour. “We’re constantly trying to develop situations that create opportunities for our clients and the rock genre as a whole,” says Harlacher, who also books Lou Reed, Chevelle and newcomers Dead Sara, Nightmare and the Cat, and Beware of Darkness; he says he’s looking forward to a fall…

Executive VP, Warner/Chappell Nashville WARNERCHAPPELL.COM @NASHVAUGHN GROWING, SMARTLY Here’s something that even Ben Vaughn doesn’t know about Ben Vaughn. he had been chosen for the 2012 40 under 40 list—until we received a bounced-back email announcing he’d fallen victim to EMI layoffs last year. No matter. His rapid comeback at Warner/ Chappell Nashville confirms our previous judgment. Vaughn, 37, has long known what his future held, so perhaps it’s not surprising that he has already led three of the most successful music publishers in Nashville. “I was raised to find what you love to do and figure out how to make money doing it,” says Vaughn, who moved to Nashville to attend Belmont University and at the age of 21 was named GM of Big tractor music. Thirteen years later…

A middle-of-the-night adventure radically transformed the sound of WHTZ (Z100) New York. In the fall of 1992, a group of the station’s programmers showed up around 2 a.m. to test their hunch that the audience was ready for something new. The musical winds had shifted. Pop had gone soft. Bryan Adams and Celine Dion had replaced Michael Jackson and Prince on the playlist. Top 40 stations across the country, including Z100, were faltering in the ratings. The late-night entourage included PD Steve Kingston, assistant PD Frankie Blue and afternoon host Elvis Duran, accompanied by MTV VP of programming Matt Farber. Duran went on the air and played songs by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Depeche Mode and Pearl Jam, songs that listeners on New York’s Long Island were familiar with…

Most histories of WHTZ (Z100) New York start with the city’s one-time top 40 powerhouse WABC flipping to the news/talk format in May 1982. While that change was emblematic, top 40 had been dormant for a while in New York. WABC really had been an AC station for a year or so, struggling to compete with WNBC, which was a top 40 chart reporter but in actuality was an adult top 40 station. On FM, where top 40 had never really gotten a foothold, WXLO (99X) had gone adult top 40, then R&B/hip-hop. WPIX tried to fill the void for less than a year. By the time Z100 launched in August 1983, top 40’s comeback was well underway nationally. The excitement was strong enough that longtime rocker WPLJ had segued…

KORI WITHERS Last things first. Yes, Kori Withers is the daughter of soul/pop icon Bill, but she’s determined to craft her own lasting impression. Withers co-wrote “Live Like a Warrior” from Matisyahu’s 2012 album Spark Seeker, and she’s since paired her lilting vocals with legend Booker T. Jones on “Watch You Sleeping,” from the latter’s Concord release Sound the Alarm. The Los Angeles-based ASCAP artist has performances in New York, at South by Southwest and, most recently, L.A.’s El Rey Theatre for Jones’Sound the Alarm promo concert under her belt. Of the younger Withers and her own soul/pop brand, Jones told Billboard.com (June 4), “Kori is very expressive. She’s her own person; a beautiful singer.” Adept at piano and guitar, Withers grew up loving ’50s musicals and ’70sera singer/songwriters. She’s…

GOODIE MOB Legendary Atlanta-based hip-hop outfit Goodie Mob has announced its first nationwide tour since 2009— featuring all four original members CeeLo, Big Gipp, Khujo and T-Mo—in anticipation of its forthcoming LP Age Against the Machine, out Aug. 27 via the Right Records/ Primary Wave. Helping the act organize its jaunt is William Morris Endeavor agent Brian Ahern. “Having been gone for a couple years, to rebirth something like this with a new tour is very special and a great opportunity for all of us.” ROUTING: Anchoring the tour with a hometown finale appearance at ONE MusicFest in Atlanta, (Sept. 14), Ahern worked in reverse to fill out the rest of the dates. “We looked at where their ticket-selling history was, in addition to both record sales and previous airplay,…

FILM Born Again Through Bruce To be a fan of Bruce Springsteen is to use his persona and music as a guidepost for life—that’s the takeaway from the personal testimonials revealed in the crowd-sourced documentary “Springsteen & I.” The rock icon’s passion, dedication and sense of right and wrong resonate deeply around the globe, with connections made through his music, chance encounters and concerts. Not surprisingly, there is a large population getting through life with Springsteen’s assistance. The charming “Springsteen & I” consists of fans filming themselves talking about the bard of New Jersey—in many cases reducing their analysis to three words— as well as riveting, decades-spanning concert clips, from early black-and-white footage of a performance of “Growing Up” to a 2012 London festival appearance. There are tales (and, in…

When Kevin Gates stepped out of jail in 2011, he was surprised to discover that his fan base had spilled beyond the borders of his hometown of Baton Rouge, La. The 27-year-old had toyed with rapping but didn’t take it seriously until freed from a three-year prison stint for drug and firearm charges. He is now managed by Young Money Entertainment and owns a label, Bread Winners Association, partnered with Atlantic Records. His first album, Stranger Than Fiction, debuts this week at No. 37 on the Billboard 200 with 8,000 copies sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan. “Rap was more of a release for me, a journal,” Gates says. “I suffer from deep depression, so my only release is music. I didn’t know I had the following I had. Once I…

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…

Twitter’s six-second videoclip app Vine had its first major hit as a promotional platform this week by helping a 15-month-old song go viral and rocket up Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Songs. The track, “Don’t Drop That Thun Thun,” released in April 2012 by Los Angeles-based group FiNATTiCZ, is enjoying an unexpected second wind in sales and streams, thanks to a perfect storm in social media. Unbeknown to the act and its label, eOne Music, the song was the soundtrack for a user-generated video posted July 9 on Vine, a video blogging platform that has a six-second limit. The clip shows five young women dressed in bikinis dancing provocatively to “Don’t Drop That Thun Thun.” The video was tagged “Twerk Team,” piggybacking of another hip-hop phenomenon, twerking, a dance mashup of twitching…

Social music startup unveils virtual goods model Social music service Turntable.fm debuted its first attempt at monetization. Called Turntable Gold, it gives subscribers a premium level of service with features not available to other users. Turntable Gold is unique in that music fans are charged for virtual goods rather than access to music. Gold members get to insert “chat stickers,” such as icons like a pink heart, and animated GIFs into chat. Premium avatars have animation when the Gold member is DJ’ing. Paying members also get exclusive laptop stickers. The virtual goods retail model has worked in areas outside of music, notably in online videogames with brands like “World of Warcraft.” Launched in May 2011, Turntable.fm raised a $7 million round that allowed it to follow the common strategy of…

Ken Parks Ken Parks runs Spotify’s U.S. operations and also oversees the digital music service’s global relationships with music labels and publishers. The former EMI executive opened the Spotify office on Ninth Avenue in New York after leasing space from Island Records founder Chris Blackwell in 2010. He’s currently making plans for a move to a larger space for the growing company. 5:00 AM I’m an early riser, which helps because I’m on the phone with Stockholm fairly often, which is six hours ahead. I usually have at least one call with our founder/CEO Daniel EK before breakfast and then start plowing through email. 7:30 AM Still reading emails on my train journey. 9:00 AM I have a meeting with a facilities manager to discuss layouts for our new offices…

Applaud the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for understanding that the Primetime Emmy Awards no longer need be determined by platform or time slot. This year’s nominations reveal a welcome agnostic approach to TV in 2013: the recognition of series on Netf ix, including nine nominations for “House of Cards” (two for the superb music by composer Jeff Beal); the dominance of “Top Chef” in multiple arenas; commercials; and portions of programs (Beyoncé’ Super Bowl performance, for example). Yet as one scans the 99 categories, even pausing to debate the relevance of makeup for a single-camera series (non-prosthetic) vs. makeup for a multicamera series or special (non-prosthetic), it feels that a key element in modern storytelling remains absent from the awards: music supervision. Consider the vital roles music plays…

Mike Knobloch What did you wake up thinking about this morning? I have the devil and angel on each shoulder when I wake up—I start thinking about [work] and I also try to talk myself out of thinking about it so I can come to work with a fresh perspective. I thought first that I miss my kids, who are away at summer camp, and then about a particularly challenging film. I also realized I have to stop sleeping with my iPhone on my night table to get a better work-life balance. Describe a lesson learned from a failure. You don’t want to get too high with the highs, because we all know it’s cyclical. We also don’t want to get too low with the lows, so I think perspective…

Outside Lands, Aug. 10-12 San Francisco’s music history will likely always be pegged to the generationdefining Haight-Ashbury scene of the ’60s, but it certainly didn’t end there. Since 2009, the city’s played host to what’s rapidly becoming one of the must-see summer festivals: Outside Lands (Aug. 10-12, sfoutsidelands.com). The festival’s fifth year is its biggest yet, with headliners Paul McCartney and Nine Inch Nails, local legends Camper Van Beethoven and Bay buzz acts Midi Matilda and Thao & the Get Down Stay Down among the many acts gracing its stages. Outside Lands is set in beautiful Golden Gate Park , and “there’s nothing better than seeing live music in a forest that’s in the middle of a great metropolis,” says Bryan Duquette of Another Planet Entertainment, which is co-producing the…

No desk. That’s the first thing you notice when you walk into John Janick’s office in Santa Monica, Calif. Nine months into his new role as president/COO of Interscope Gefen A&M, the slender wunderkind works in a lean setting: two blue-and-white hounds tooth-checked chairs facing an L-shaped sofa fronted by a slim, rectangular coffee table, on which sits a white writing pad and an Apple laptop. Two large speakers sit on their sides atop a built-in white credenza, separated by a fat screen. “We’re still working on it,” Janick says as he glances around his office. “But it’s coming together.” As is his first year at Interscope’s helm. Tapped as IGA chairman/CEO Jimmy Iovine’s heir apparent, the 35-year-old Janick stepped into the position last October (see his 40 Under 40…

Manager, The Creed Co. THECREEDCO.COM @BRANDONCREED MANAGING MARS Brandon Creed, 36, made the acquaintance of Bruno mars when he was an A&R executive at epic and mars was pedaling songs and pushing to get signed. Though Creed admits he “wasn’t 100% sure the artist thing was going to be a go,” he saw enough potential to leave the label and become mars’ manager. Wise move. As mars passes more milestones, Creed is particularly proud of the approach the management team has taken to the current album and tour campaign. “We’ve bucked a few trends,” he says, from the choice of first single “Locked Out of heaven” to Unorthodox Jukebox art to spending nine months promoting the album globally to launching a “bigger tour than some people thought we should have…

Managing Director, Sony Music U.S. Latin SONYMUSICLATIN.COM CREATIVE PARTNERSHIPS Nir Seroussi, 37, a Berklee College of Music grad who’s also a songwriter, has been instrumental in signing marquee acts to Sony Music U.S. Latin since he was upped to his position in 2011. “Signing all these icons like Gloria Estefan, Prince Royce and Carlos Vives are the biggest accomplishments,” Seroussi says. “We are in the business of content, and to be successful we need the best talent we can get.” Seroussi joined Sony’s Latin operation in Los Angeles in 2004 and was largely responsible for beefing up the company’s regional Mexican roster, developing acts like Los Cuates de Sinaloa and more recently, Gerardo Ortiz. But his biggest impact has been in taking a more direct role in signing and developing…

Broadcasting from high atop the Empire State Building, WHTZ New York— Cola contest. better-known as Z100—has set the bar for top 40 radio for the better part of three decades. As it marks its 30th anniversary on Aug. 2, it stands tall as a multimedia pop culture juggernaut that’s helping reshape radio’s role in the digital age. From the “Morning Zoo” and the station’s iconic jingles in the ‘80s to the epic contests and star-studded events it stages today, no modern-era top 40 outlet has been more copied or carries more heft. The station has become a prototype for owner Clear Channel Media and Entertainment. Much of the national programming heard across its 850 radio stations had its genesis on Z100, from the Artist Integration program—which Z100 began in 1997…

When Tom Poleman joined WHTZ (Z100) New York as PD in February 1996, the station was a shadow of its former self. Its alternative-leaning pop position had been co-opted by market rival WXRK’s flip to alternative, and a newly launched dancepop outlet that resurrected the fabled WKTU call letters was cornering the dial’s feel-good position. Ranked 18th with a 2.6 Arbitron share, new owner Chancellor Media was having serious discussions about blowing up the once mighty Z100 and starting over with a new format. But Poleman had long dreamed of programming Z100. He says he “worshipped” the station while working in college radio at Cornell University in the mid-‘80s and closely followed it as a young programmer in New Haven, Conn., and Houston. “I pulled that playbook out of my…

Kathleen Hanna is about to open her latest ASCAP check, in hopes that it can relieve some of the damage done to her bank account lately. She’s just selffinanced and self-produced Run Fast, due Sept. 3 on TJR Records, her second album under the name the Julie Ruin and first with a band under the moniker. “It’s like winning an Oscar,” she says as she peels open the envelope. “Let’s see if I got $17 or $400.” Sure enough, the amount turns out to be on the higher end of the spectrum—likely thanks to “blanket cable” airings of TV shows and films (including “Dirty Girl” and “The Quiet”) that featured songs from her most commercially successful band, Le Tigre. In the right context, the songs on Run Fast could very…

John Perry, WIIL Chicago. Five Finger Death Punch, “Lift Me Up.” Guest Rob Halford from Judas Priest is a bonus. This band knows how to bring it when it comes to face-melting rock these days. We just moved it to power rotation; it exudes so much energy. It’s hard not wrap your station around a band like this. Rival Sons, “Keep on Swinging.” This band blew us away in a recent studio performance. Great song, great musicians and a scary talented singer in Jay Buchanan, who reminds me of a young Robert Plant. The hook is one of those that gets stuck in your head for days. Papa Roach, “Leader of the Broken Hearts.” The whole Connection album is great. Jacoby Shaddix has found his voice again, and the band…

COUNTRY DANIELLE BRADBERY “the Heart of Dixie” (3:30) PRODUCER: Brett James wRitERs: Brett James, troy Verges, Caitlyn smith PUBLisHERs: various Big Machine Records There’s no denying the Dixie Chicks’ “Wide Open Spaces” vibe of “The Heart of Dixie,” the debut single from latest “Voice” winner Bradbery. As the youngest artist, and first country act, to win the singing competition, the 16-year-old steps out strong with an inspiring song that nods to genre trailblazers like the Chicks and Carrie Underwood while displaying the distinct country identity of its vocalist. —JM ROCK KINGS OF LEON “supersoaker” (3:50) PRODUCER: Angelo Petraglia wRitERs: Kings of Leon PUBLisHERs: various RCA Following the overwhelming success of the singles “Use Somebody” and “Sex on Fire” in 2009, Kings of Leon released an album, 2010’s Come Around Sundown,…

After 28 years with EMI, British electro-pop duo Pet Shop Boys is enjoying a stellar start to its newfound life outside the major-label system. Electric, the band’s 12th studio album and first on its own x2 imprint (via Kobalt Label Services), enters the Billboard 200 at No. 26 with 11,000 first-week sales, according to Nielsen SoundScan, surpassing the 7,000 units its predecessor Elysium moved upon its release 10 months ago and landing Pet Shop Boys their highest domestic chart entry in nearly 20 years. In the United Kingdom, Electric debuted at No. 3— the duo’s highest chart position since 1995’s Alternative. The positive critical response to Electric, which was produced by Grammy Award winner Stuart Price (Madonna, the Killers) and fnds the veteran act returning to its EDM roots, has…

Replay’ For The First Time After two years of starring in “Shake It Up” on the Disney Channel, Zendaya is breaking out on her own. The singer/actress’ “Replay” debuts at No. 42 on the Pop Digital Songs chart with 12,000 sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and serves as the lead track from her forthcoming Hollywood Records debut album. Zendaya has previously released songs on multiple “Shake It Up” soundtracks; they have sold a combined 550,000 downloads. Wolanin’s New ‘Guy’ Whitney Wolanin inks her longest Adult Contemporary chart run, as “Wrong Guy (I Did It This Time)” (TopNotch) bullets at No. 17 in its 21st week. Wolanin arrived with “Honesty,” which reached No. 23 during a 20-week chart run last year. Long before she performed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in…

This week Billboard looks at the current Hot Billboard 100 and which of its songs are powered more by sales, airplay or streaming points. Those three data elements are weighted, and then blended together, for Billboard to arrive at the Hot 100’s overall ranking. The below graphic shows the six songs with the greatest percentage of points in either sales, airplay or streams. 1 DANIELLE BRADBERY Sales: 98% Airplay: 2% Streams: 0% The latest winner of “The Voice” doesn’t have much of a voice on radio yet, as her single starts at No. 58 on the Hot 100 thanks to outof-the-gate sales (a 78,000 debut, according to Nielsen SoundScan). The song rises 60-55 on the Country Airplay chart. 2 FIFTH HARMONY Sales: 70% Airplay: 8% Streams: 22% The debut single…

Digital marketers. Short-form videos are demonstrating viral capabilities similar to YouTube videos. Vine’s hashtag and new trending feature give marketers a way to monitor the pulse. The key in this instant gratification culture is to act quickly before the fad fades Artists and labels. Vine and Instagram are ad-free, but once they introduce ads, there could be revenue-sharing possibilities for videos that use copyrighted content. Artists like Jason Derulo use the platforms for promo by giving away music snippets timed exactly for Vine and Instagram. Lucian Grainge. The Softbank offer shows that Lucian Grainge made the right play in championing the purchase of the EMI recorded-music operation. The entire music group just got offered a multiple higher than the 7.5-times multiple UMG paid for EMI. Sony Music. If activist investor…

Christian music is experiencing one of its most significant shake-ups in recent years as artists and labels reassess relationships across the board in one of the music industry’s traditionally stable niche genres. Surprising news of Christian superstar Michael W. Smith’s move to Capitol Christian Music Group after 30 years with Provident Music Group (Billboard.biz, July 18) was only the latest example of a Christian music icon looking to revitalize a career with a new label relationship. Steven Curtis Chapman exited Capitol CMG’s Sparrow label last year to sign with Provident Music Group and has a new studio album, The Glorious Unfolding, due Sept. 30. Meanwhile, Amy Grant has released her first album of all-new material in a decade, on Capitol CMG, after 30 years with Word Entertainment. The album, How…

WHAT: Three months ago, Softbank, a Japanese Internet and telecommunications company, offered to buy Universal Music Group from Vivendi for $8.5 billion and was turned down, even though the valuation exceeded analysts’ expectations by $1 billion-$ 2 billion, it was revealed last week. The Softbank offer also surpassed the 7.6 times price of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization that Citigroup realized through the separate sales of EMI Music Publishing and EMI recordedmusic operations. With the $8.5 billion bid and UMG’s estimated EBITDA to hit about $940 million on an annualized basis, that represents a nine-times multiple. WHY: Vivendi turned it down, even though legions of shareholders think the company should divest its entertainment assets. Sanford C. Bernstein analyst Claudio Aspesi, who agrees that Vivendi should unload its media…

On July 16, Marc Anthony performed “God Bless America” during the 84th Major League Baseball All-Star Game at Citi Field in Queens. It was one of those vintage Anthony performances: emotional, f awless and distinctive. And it made perfect sense. Anthony—born and raised in New York, the son of Puerto Rican parents—has for years been a go-to guy to sing patriotic songs at sporting events, with Ryan Seacrest calling his performance of the national anthem at the 2011 NBA finals one of the 10 best in history. The July 16 performance would turn out to be just as notorious, for very different reasons. It unleashed an avalanche of vitriol from viewers, upset that a “Mexican,” a “spic,” a “Spanish fuck,” was singing “God Bless America.” Among my favorites: “The guy…

1 The gang’s all here: Republic execs, Cash Money/Young Money bigwigs and a whole lot of friends crowded Bagatelle in New York for a raucous listening party for the Rich Gang compilation on the eve of its July 23 release. Here, DJ Khaled, Cash Money co-founder/co-CEO Bryan “Birdman” Williams and Republic Records CEO Monte Lipman (front row, from left) link up while Lil Wayne (in the blue hat), Bow Wow (white shirt) and Young Money president Mack Maine (yellow shirt) look on in the background. 2 Republic Records CEO Monte Lipman, Cash Money co-founder/co-CEO Ronald “Slim” Williams and chairman/CEO of Universal Music Group East Barry Weiss (from left) kept it business casual at the Rich Gang party. 3 Water under the bridge: Rapper Juvenile (right), who left Cash Money bitterly…

The upswing in vinyl sales has been news during the last five years. But in San Francisco, the format never went out of style. A crate-digger’s paradise, the city has long supported an outsize number of renowned record stores. For help tracking the top vinyl vendors in the city by the Bay, we asked longtime San Franciscan and acclaimed producer Dan “The Automator” Nakamura. With his sample-heavy beats for the Gorillaz, Kasabian and his alt-hip-hop group Deltron 3030 (which is reuniting after 13 years to release its sophomore album, Event II, on Oct. 1 through Bulk Recordings), Nakamura arguably knows the ins and outs of his city’s many record shops better than anyone. Amoeba Music 1855 Haight St., amoeba.com The sprawling San Francisco location of the noted Amoeba chain opened…

For the second year, Billboard turned to our readers to help us identify young executives under the age of 40 who are having the greatest impact in driving our business forward. The decision in 2012 to expand our long-running Power Players special feature 30 Under 30 with a revised age criteria has allowed us to highlight the achievements of a greater number of established executives who, nonetheless, are still at a relatively early stage in their careers. The change had another result: a surge in reader nominations when the call when out this spring on Billboard.biz. With the added exposure of this project on Twitter, we received more than 400 reader suggestions for execs to recognize. Billboard editors then set about reviewing those nominations in detail, a process lasting several…

Executive VP/Head Of Urban Music, Universal Music Publishing Group; SeniorVP, Motown Records UMUSICPUB.COM, MOTOWN.COM @HABERSMASHER DUAL ROLE, SINGLE FOCUS In her dual role, Ethiopia Habtemariam, 33, maintains one single focus: “Quality songwriters, producers and artists who will have careers for a long time. Nothing novelty,” she says. Universal Music Publishing Group’s urban division is having a hot year, thanks to Miguel (his own “Adorn” as well as work on Janelle Monáe’s new album The Electric Lady) and chart successes penned by roster mates J. Cole (his No. 1 Billboard 200 album Born Sinner), Rock City (Miley Cyrus, Rihanna, Ciara) and Ester Dean (Selena Gomez). Another UMPG artist, Big Sean, will release his sophomore set on Aug. 27. Also on the roster: Def Jam singer/songwriter Jhené Aiko. Launching its revamp last…

Founder/CEO, INGROOVES INGROOVES.COM @ROBBMCDANIELS GROOVIN’ Since acquiring fontana from universal music group in 2012, Robb McDaniels, 39, has led the integration of the company into Ingrooves, which now has 150 employees and distributes more than 200 labels. Besides adding physical distribution capabilities to the company’s digital side, Ingrooves has established marketing service capabilities with the creation of Inresidence, which serves such acts as mazzy star, Big Black Delta, Kate Nash, thievery corporation and primal scream, and is just now launching a music publishing company. Ingrooves also serves as the digital pipeline for UMG, so along the way last year, the company signed a deal with BMG Rights management to distribute the sanctuary and mute catalogs that it acquired from umg and began taking in EMI product that UMG acquired for…

It was a rocky start for what would become one of radio’s most influential stations. When the summer Arbitron ratings came out for WHTZ (Z100) New York shortly after its sign-on on Aug. 2, 1983, the market’s new “flamethrower” was blowing smoke instead of shooting fire. PD/morning man Scott Shannon went on the air and read the ratings of each New York station in descending order. When he got to Z100 at the bottom of the list, he made a confession. “‘I came here to do a job, and I suck,’” Shannon recalls saying as he cued up Bill Conti’s “Gonna Fly Now (Theme From Rocky).”Then Shannon made a pledge: “We are going to unite and put the greatest radio station in America on the air,” he said. “We are…

As it enters a fourth decade of playing “all the hits,” WHTZ (Z100) New York has more avenues to connect music with fans than ever. No longer limited by the current music slots on its broadcast signal, Z100’s playground now encompasses the Web, social media, HD digital radio, iHeartRadio and live events. “As a programmer, you think about how to maximize those tools to make your terrestrial station even bigger and more essential for what the audience comes to you for,” says Sharon Dastur, who joined Z100’s programming department in 1996 and was promoted to PD in 2006. Digital platforms have made the brand a more potent driver of pop culture. “When you talk to Sharon about music, it’s a programming and 360-degree marketing conversation,” Republic Records executive VP Charlie…

From August 1980 through April 1987, every RCA nonseasonal single released by Alabama topped the Billboard country charts—a streak of 21 consecutive No. 1 records. The Country Music Hall of Fame members added another 12 chart-toppers through to 2011’s “Old Alabama” with Brad Paisley. Several of those classics will see new life on upcoming album Alabama & Friends, due Aug. 27 on Show Dog-Universal and featuring Alabama staples recorded in collaboration with today’s biggest stars. With the band reuniting for a tour this year, lead singer Randy Owen says the members embraced a tribute album because “we’ve been so blessed to have had a number of hits, and all these songs to sing. To have these young kids who like our songs want to participate in a project like this…

Glasgow, Scotland, dance-rock act Franz Ferdinand is back with its first album in four-and-a-half years—but singer/guitarist Alex Kapranos admits the comeback almost didn’t happen. “I met up with [bassist] Bob [Hardy] before we started this record and had a very forthright conversation,” says Kapranos from Scotland the day after compatriot Andy Murray’s historic Wimbledon win. “I said we should either make a record because we want to enjoy making one, or we shouldn’t make one at all. It shouldn’t be through obligation or financial motivation. It should be because you want to be with those three other guys, making music that makes you feel alive.” After two years promoting 2009’s commercial disappointment Tonight: Franz Ferdinand, the band returned home “sick of touring” and with personal relationships at a low ebb.…

DANCE Krewella’s Lively ‘Night’ Flag-raising synths and ferry vocals fuel the latest single from EDM whiz kids Krewella, with singers Jahan and Yasmine Yousaf earnestly channeling various best-selling pop divas and producer Kris “Rain Man” Tindl piecing together another intense arrangement. On this song from the group’s debut LP (out this fall via Krewella/Columbia), the threesome hits the ground running with a robotic vocal that morphs into the hook “I live for the night” within the first 10 seconds. With lyrics like, “If you bleed that red blood, dance until you get enough” and “I’m gonna rage ’til the dawn, all-nighter,” Krewella’s motives are clear: This is dance club pandering, and it does its job, no matter how shamelessly. A filthy halftime drop at the 2:13 mark might be enough…

Despite having appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 for 47 weeks (returning to its No. 3 peak this issue), Imagine Dragons’ “Radioactive” keeps growing. The song continues to gain in streaming, digital sales and, beftting its title, airplay. 21 weeks “Radioactive” links a 21st week at No. 1 on Rock Airplay, breaking the record for the longest reign dating back to the Nielsen BDSbased chart’s June 20, 2009, inception. Foo Fighters’ “Rope” ruled for 20 weeks from its debut the week of March 12, 2011. 26 Reinforcing its lengthy journey to multiformat radio acceptance, “Radioactive” debuts at No. 26 on Adult Contemporary—46 weeks after it debuted on Alternative. The song continues to ripen at other formats, pushing 5-2 on Adult Top 40, bulleting at No. 3 on Mainstream Top 40…

As expected, Jay Z’Magna Carta . . . Holy Grail holds at No. 1 for a second week on the Billboard 200, selling 129,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan (down 76%). The set debuted atop the list last week with 528,000. As Magna Carta . . . Holy Grail retains its crown, it’s the first rap album in nearly two years to spend two weeks at No. 1. The last rap album to rack up two weeks in the penthouse was Lil Wayne’Tha Carter IV, which led the Billboard 200 charts dated Sept. 17 and Sept. 24, 2011. With a second week atop the list, Jay Z now totals 23 weeks at No. 1 during his career. Since the chart started using SoundScan data on May 25, 1991, only four…