Innholdsfortegnelse for November 16, 2013 i Billboard Magazine

DEEZER DOUBLES UP Deezer, the Francebased music streaming service, says it has doubled its global paid subscriber base in the past year to 5 million. Spotify’s last announced total was 6 million. While Deezer has yet to launch stateside, it has expanded to more than 180 countries worldwide. In France, where its user base is the strongest, Deezer has benefited from a three-year partnership with telecom giant Orange. In 2012, it received a $130 million investment from Warner Music Group owner Access Industries. PITBULL TO HOST AMAS Latin star Pitbull will host the 2013 American Music Awards. The annual bash, which honors artists based on popular vote, will take place Nov. 24 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. In addition to hosting duties, Pitbull will take the stage as…

Momentum has continued to gather behind online video in the last five years, with music being the category that’s experiencing the biggest growth—though that doesn’t necessarily mean the industry will reap any additional revenue in the immediate future. According to a study by the Pew Research Center, 50% of all online adults watched music videos in 2013, up from 32% in 2009. It was the biggest jump in viewership for all the categories tracked by Pew. Much of the love comes from younger demographics. Among viewers ages 18-29, 81% watch music videos, but only 39% of viewers ages 50 or older do so. Though popular, music is only the fourth-most-popular video category among adults—after comedy, how-to clips and educational videos. Music is, however, more popular than news, animation, politics and…

Co-Chairman, Entertainment/Partner Manatt Phelps & Phillips What did you wake up thinking about this morning? I have this involuntary mechanism: I go to bed very relaxed, then usually I wake up around 3 or so with my mind racing, processing stuff . I came up with a solution to a problem that I had no idea how I would solve when I went to bed. It was how I was going to frame an email to someone. I have no idea how that happens. What will define your career in the coming year? I became co-chair not that long ago [in March], and I have to see that this department stays at the forefront, building and expanding by looking for new opportunities. From an internal standpoint, at the same time,…

Nine Entertainment, the Australian media conglomerate that owns Ticketek, Sydney’s Allphones Arena and free-to-air broadcaster Nine Network, will soon launch an initial public offering. The entertainment group expects to raise $697 million Australian ($660 million) of fresh capital and give it a market capitalization of about $2.2 billion Australian ($2.1 billion). The retail offer for shares opened Nov. 1, and Nine expects to begin trading Dec. 12 on the Australian Securities Exchange. New shareholders would own about 33% of the firm. Nine’s 20,000-capacity Allphones Arena (formerly Acer Arena) in West Sydney makes regular entries on the Billboard Boxscore chart, and Ticketek is one of the two giant ticket companies in Australia (the other is Ticketmaster) with a market share estimated at 40%. . . . Scotch maker Chivas Regal is…

BUSINESS MATTERS GLENN PEOPLES @BILLBOARDGLENN Want to discover cool local events and never miss another concert? A surprising number of app developers are trying to help people find events—and sometimes sell them tickets— through their smartphones. Judging from the number of apps and their level of financial backing, it’s clear that people think too many events are missed, too few tickets are being sold and people want to have more fun than they’re currently having. Some startups have received substantial financial backing. Applauze just raised $7.2 million from such investors as True Ventures, m8 Capital and StubHub co-founder Jef Fluhr. The developer of the History of Jazz and Band of the Day apps raised another $3.2 million last year. Yplan ofers users in New York and London the ability to…

ANSWER KEY 1 The living dead: Lawyer Elliot Resnik of Shukat Arrow Hafer Weber & Herbsman and his wife Alissa paid tribute to Dia de los Muertos. 2 Vote for Pedro: Justin Bieber manager Scooter Braun put on his best throwback Napoleon Dynamite, posting on Instagram: “He is back! 10 year high school reunion time! #dynomite #halloween.” 3 Who’s sunny side up? Fuse senior VP Liana Huth and friend made us wonder which came first, the chicken or the egg? 4 In the ring: Nicki Minaj wrestles with WQHT New York personality and WWE über-fan Peter Rosenberg, dressed as the late, legendary “Macho Man” Randy Savage. 5 Eminem manager/Shady Records co-founder Paul Rosenberg brought the terror to the “Saturday Night Live” set, posing as Jason just days before Marshall Mathers’…

“Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour,” which recently became the ninthtop-grossing tour in history, will return to North American arenas in 2014, Billboard can exclusively reveal. “We’re in the process of fiercely booking it,” Cirque du Soleil senior VP of touring shows Finn Taylor says. “We’re mostly trying to do new markets so we can bring the show to new audiences, but there are some repeats of our more successful markets from the first tour.” Created in a partnership between the Michael Jackson estate and Cirque, “Immortal” will visit small to full-size arenas in the United States, Canada, Mexico and perhaps South America, beginning in March. The Cirque-promoted North American tour will perform in about 40 cities, but specific routing details weren’t available at press time. John Branca, who serves…

T Bone Burnett railed against technology, Randy Newman noted he admires Kanye West’s orchestrations, and composer Richard Sherman recalled his days spent with Walt Disney 50 years ago trying to find a central storyline for the character of Mary Poppins. The topics at the 12th annual Billboard/Hollywood Reporter Film & TV Music Conference ranged far and wide, but conversations returned repeatedly to the intersection of music and storytelling. More than 500 people attended the event, held Oct. 29-30 at the W Hotel in Hollywood. Panels explored everything from the tools that composers use to make horror flms spooky to the details of the plan to license Imagine Dragons songs and how those synchs drove success on Billboard’s charts. To top it of, composer Hans Zimmer, whose work is associated with…

Alexandra Patsavas covered her nearly 20-year career in music supervision during a keynote Q&A, touching on such early successes as “The O.C.” and “Roswell” as well as more recent ef orts on “Hart of Dixie,” “Scandal” and “Grey’s Anatomy.” Clips of uses of music by the Cure, Dexy’s Midnight Runners and Passion Pit in “The Carrie Diaries,” “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” and the “Twilight” films provided an insight into how Patsavas works. Among her observations: What makes a song synch-friendly: “I’ve been placing music into TV shows and movies since 1995 and I listen to music with an ear for how it fits behind dialogue and how a viewer is going to feel when they hear a song. The music I like the best tends to be synch-friendly.”…

With many midsize publishers gobbled up by BMG Rights Management in the last few years, a void has been left in the marketplace. Reservoir Media Management is part of a new group of up-and-coming publishing frms moving to fll it. The frm launched in 2007 as part of a diversifcation move by DRI Capital, an investment frm that specializes in the income streams of pharmaceutical drug patents. DRI was acquired by the Khosrowshahi family in 2002 after it sold its Future Shop electronics chain to Best Buy. Since entering the music space, Reservoir has put to work about $75 million in music publishing acquisitions, president Golnar Khosrowshahi says, accumulating a portfolio of about 50,000 songs, including the catalogs of 2 Chainz, Bruce Roberts, Big & Rich, Ja Rule, Lil Jon,…

For the touring industry, November in New York has become known as the time to herald its top achievers, who’ll be honored at Billboard’s 10th annual Touring Awards on Nov. 14 at the Roosevelt Hotel. This year’s awards will be hosted by Gary Dell’Abate, aka Baba Booey, executive producer of “The Howard Stern Show,” who says, “I’m thrilled and honored I’ve been asked to host the awards. Apparently Sinbad and Carrot Top were unavailable.” Dell’Abate, of course, is joking, but for the touring industry, the Billboard Touring Awards are known as the most accurate standards of quantifiable success in the biz. The awards—apart from honors like Legend of Live and a handful of others—are based on box-ofice data reported to Billboard Boxscore between Oct. 1, 2012, and Sept. 30, 2013.…

Music venues are key to the overall success of the live entertainment business. The Billboard Touring Conference & Awards taking place Nov. 13-14 in New York will recognize the world’s highest-grossing facilities for the 2013 touring season. Here’s a look at the venue finalists, based on Billboard Boxscore results between Oct. 1, 2012, and Sept. 30, 2013. TOP ARENA The O2 Arena in London has hosted more than 200 events during the past 12 months, ranging from superstar concerts and music awards shows to basketball games and boxing matches. O2 GM Rebecca Kane says the venue’s success during the period is a “combination of the quality of our excellent event content, world-class facilities and brilliant teamwork.” Kane says the highest business contributions at the O2 came from a 10-night stand…

For nearly four decades, worldwide entertainment and convention center management company SMG has set standards in the business of developing, managing and marketing live event venues. In the past 10 years alone, SMG has opened or renovated more than 20 facilities in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. It has, in fact, been a decade of openings. As the live event business reaches new heights and drives the fortunes of the wider music biz, SMG plays an important role in the singular task of managing the venues that draw performers and their fans again and again. The company, based in suburban Philadelphia, traces its history back to the 1977 creation of the Facility Management Group formed by the Pritzker family, then owner of the Hyatt hotel chain, to…

Bob Papke, SMG VP of live entertainment theaters, observes that operating and managing a theater or performing arts center isn’t the same as operating and managing an arena or stadium. And therein lies the diference between his company and others. “We know theaters,” says Papke, who has been with SMG for more than 23 years and has run the company’s theater division since 2010. “We put theater operators in our theaters and performing arts centers. We understand the importance of rehearsal schedules for the local orchestra. We understand preserving traditional dates for the dance companies and how important their ‘Nutcracker’ dates are. We understand how booking a theater season works in terms of Broadway series, operas, symphonies and ballet companies, because that’s what we do. “Those things are different in…

Since opening in August 2010, Champions Square in New Orleans has not only been the premier venue for Saints fans to gear up for games, it’s become a popular destination for concerts, festivals and corporate events. The 121,000-square-foot outdoor space, with a capacity of 7,000-plus, is located adjacent to the recently refurbished Mercedes-Benz Superdome, the home of the NFL’s Saints, and the New Orleans Arena, the home of the recently rechristened NBA franchise New Orleans Pelicans (formerly the Hornets). In the competition for events, the combination of these venues and location gives SMG a clear advantage, says Alan Freeman, GM of SMG New Orleans and all three venues. “We can hold a wide array of events, large and small, in our facilities, which gives us a major competitive advantage over…

Since 1961, the Sioux Falls Arena has been the premiere site for indoor entertainment and sports events in Sioux Falls, S.D. But next fall that will change. The arena will continue to host a variety of events, but it will be replaced to a large extent by the Denny Sanford Premier Center, named for the businessman/philanthropist and founder of First Premier Bank and Premier Bankcard. Slated to open in September 2014, the $115 million multipurpose arena is currently under construction adjacent to the existing Sioux Falls Convention Center and Arena, and at times will be used in conjunction with those facilities, giving the complex a combined total of more than 132,000 square feet. Owned by the city and operated by SMG, the new building will ofer nearly double the concert…

CARDIKNOX Cardiknox is a collaboration between Thomas Dutton, former frontman of Fueled by Ramen band Forgive Durden, and Lonnie Angle. The duo initially began developing a musical, “Razia’s Shadow,” in their hometown of Seattle a few years ago. Meanwhile, Dutton was producing bands in his studio and invited Angle, whose background is in theater, to work on some songs. “It dawned on us that there was something here,” Angle says. “We wanted to see what would happen if we kept writing. It wasn’t really intentional—the music just came.” The pair accumulated several ‘80s-inspired pop-rock songs, all produced by Dutton, and relocated to New York earlier this year. So far the duo has unveiled two tracks, “Hold Me Down” in July and “Technicolor Dreaming” in September, and has a fivesong EP…

MATT NATHANSON Last month, singer/songwriter Matt Nathanson jetted on a fall tour to continue pushing his eighth studio effort, Last of the Great Pretenders, which arrived July 16 on Vanguard. Aiding him with the jaunt is Brian Manning of Creative Artists Agency (CAA), Nathanson’s agent of 10-plus years. “Matt is the client I’ve worked with longest in my career,” he says. “He’s been touring a long time—a road warrior in the truest sense.” Routing: Nathanson has an extensive tour history in North America, and Manning focused on cities that did well for him in the past, with no new markets on this swing. “I don’t know if we have many stones unturned in the continental United States at this point,” Manning jokes. Accompanied by opener Joshua Radin, Nathanson will play…

Eminem Eminem is inescapable on the charts this week, as the rap titan crowds the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 and tops Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for the first time. All of the action is leading up to the anticipated No. 1 arrival of The Marshall Mathers LP 2, which should open atop the Billboard 200 next week with the second- largest sales frame of the year (see story, page 89). 763K The four songs that have been released so far from The Marshall Mathers LP 2—“The Monster,” “Berzerk,” “Survival” and “Rap God”—sold a combined 763,000 downloads in the week ending Nov. 3, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The four rank at Nos. 3, 15, 16 and 17, respectively, on the Hot 100, making Eminem the first artist since the…

‘Stardust’ Settles In Gemini Syndrome scales its first Billboard songs chart, as “Stardust” (Warner Bros./ADA) debuts on Mainstream Rock at No. 39. The track appears on the band’s debut album, Lux, which entered Heatseekers Albums at No. 3 and Hard Rock Albums at No. 8 the week of Sept. 28. Formed in Los Angeles in 2010, the quintet (whose fans are called “Synners”) spent parts of September and October on tour as an opening act, with Escape the Fate and Miss May I, for Five Finger Death Punch. Feat Of Clay Markell Clay approaches his first chart appearance as “Magic” builds beneath Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop. The Philadelphia-born/Petersburg, Va.-raised singer/songwriter first basked in the national spotlight in 2010 as a contestant on the “Wild-Out Wednesday” segment on BET’s “106 & Park.” The…

1 “TKO,” JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE This week: 37 Last week: 53 2 weeks ago: 56 Radio airplay accounts for the biggest portion of the song’s Hot 100 points (44%), but it gains in all three of the chart’s metrics. “TKO” punches 32-29 on Hot 100 Airplay (37 million audience impressions, up 3%, according to Nielsen BDS), 54-48 on Hot Digital Songs (32,000 downloads sold, up 19%, according to Nielsen SoundScan) and nears Streaming Songs (1.3 million U.S. streams, up 122%, according to BDS). 2 “BURN,” ELLIE GOULDING This week: 57 Last week: 63 2 weeks ago: 68 “Burn” could return Goulding to the Hot 100’s top 40 as a lead artist for the first time since “Lights” peaked at No. 2 last year. She followed with the No. 47-peaking “Anything Could…

Things were looking great for Lady Gaga’s ARTPOP by the afternoon of Nov. 3. Lead single “Applause” continued to pick up steam at radio, and had climbed to No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 the week prior. Album track “Do What U Want” had been so rapturously received upon its release on iTunes that it became the album’s last-minute second single over the planned “Venus.” And fan excitement for a Nov. 10 ArtRave event in New York—where she would premiere ARTPOP, its companion app, exclusive sculptures from Jeff Koons and a live-streamed concert—was high. ¶ But by the time Gaga appeared at the YouTube Music Awards around 6:30 p.m. ET, dressed like a ’90s grunge rocker in a flannel, a brown wig and a trucker hat with her song…

CEO PledgeMusic Since its founding in 2009, PledgeMusic has grown its roster of artists who use the London company’s platform to raise money—from Slash and Ben Folds Five to Minus the Bear and Ginger Wildheart. It’s like Kickstarter, but designed just for musicians. About 86% of campaigns launched through PledgeMusic reach their goals. Its CEO is a coffee-chugging, hockey–loving, globetrotting musician who obsesses over his vinyl collection. 7.00 AM I do 50 sit-ups and 20 pushups. This is a new thing. Then, first coffee. It’s always pour-over. Check Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and my RSS feeds. 9.00 AM Do a U.K. A&R call with the London and European Union teams to discuss upcoming releases and launches. Second coffee, which is a full pot at the office. I am tempted by a…

WHAT: In late October, SFX Entertainment announced three deals to bolster its digital portfolio: agreements to purchase Tunezy, Arc90 and Fame House. Financial details weren’t disclosed. The deals closely followed an initial public stock offering that will help build a more diversified company. As SFX explained in its flings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, $150 million of the $242 million in IPO proceeds would be spent to close the acquisitions of four promoters. By late October, SFX had completed three of the four acquisitions: ID&T, producer of Tomorrowland, Mystery land, Sensation and Q-Dance; Totem Onelove Group, promoter/producer of the Stereosonic outdoor festival in Australia; and Made Event, owner/producer of the Electric Zoo Festival in New York. Some of the remainder of the proceeds—about $92 million—is going to the acquisition…

A year after Hurricane Sandy, many Jersey Shore residents and businesses remain in a state of f ux. An Oct. 29 report on NBC’s “Today” underscored just how much more work is needed to restore the once-thriving waterfront area. In league with Shore residents’ unflagging determination, fund-raising efforts continue. On the national front, there’s “12-12-12.” The documentary, which premiered Oct. 29 in Los Angeles, reveals the planning and organization involved in staging the Hurricane Sandy benef t concert. Its lineup included Paul Mc-Cartney, the Rolling Stones, Kanye West, Eddie Vedder and Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band. All f lm proceeds go to the Robin Hood Sandy Relief Fund. Speaking of the E Street Band, bassist Garry Tallent is among the host of New Jersey music community members who…

SOUND & VISION PHIL GALLO @PHILGALLO58 Procedural dramas, the dominant form in scripted network TV, rarely provide a platform for recorded music. “The Blacklist,” NBC’s breakout hit of the fall season, has been a newsmaker for its ratings success, particularly in the numbers generated by DVR viewing in the seven days after an airdate, as well as the show’s attempt to become a hybrid of serialized programs that dominate cable and the self-contained story lines of shows like the “Law & Order” franchise. Less noticed, though quickly becoming formidable, is the presence of music on the show. With a range of synchs that run from classics like the Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil” to contemporary tracks like Suuns’ “Up Past the Nursery,” music supervisor John Bissell has used music…

1 Towers of power: Clear Channel New York VP Thea Mitchem got props from A$AP Ferg backstage at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center for WWPR’s Powerhouse all-star jam on Nov. 2. Nicki Minaj, Meek Mill and Kendrick Lamar also hit the stage. 2 Hug it out: 2 Chainz proved he’s a softie at heart, sharing the love with Monami Entertainment CEO Mona Scott at the Powerhouse show. 3 Angel investors: It was an Arista reunion as Clive Davis (center) posed with Usher (left) and Pharrell, whose harmonies hit the sweet spot at Gabrielle’s Angel Foundation’s Angel Ball to benefit cancer research at New York’s Cipriani Wall Street on Oct. 29. 4 Smooth operators: Pharrell and Usher crooned onstage at the Angel Ball, while Rita Ora and Maxwell turned heads offstage by turning…

Between Michael, Janet and the Jackson 5, pop music’s first family casts a long shadow. But that hasn’t stopped Austin Brown, son of eldest Jackson sister Rebbie, from shining. Since releasing debut album Highway 85 on indie South 5 Records earlier this year, the 27-year-old singer/songwriter/producer has been drawing critical praise, crowds—and inevitable comparisons. At a recent show at Webster Hall in New York, there were unmistakable traces of his uncle in Brown’s soaring falsetto, sharp dance steps and boyish good looks. But he didn’t mention his family name to the enthusiastic crowd, and much of his online press and promotion doesn’t either. “It’s a blessing and a curse—I’m not trying to be anybody else,” Brown told Billboard afterward. “I can’t help the way I sound, I can’t help the…

T Bone Burnett received the Maestro Award at this year’s conference for his achievements with music in film and TV. Awarded Grammys for his work on “O Brother, Where Art Thou?,” “The Hunger Games” and “Crazy Heart” (which also won an Academy Award), Burnett’s next project arrives in December: Ethan & Joel Coen’s film “Inside Llewyn Davis.” The movie is set in the Greenwich Village folk-music scene of the early ’60s, and Burnett has created a canon of music for Davis, a struggling folkie played by Oscar Isaac (who does his own singing and guitar playing in the film). Burnett explained his methodology, and commented on the state of technology and the music business. Among his thoughts: Record before filming: “Almost every film I do, I record before the filming…

Sony/ATV Music Publishing and its EMI Music Publishing administered portfolio were red hot during the third quarter, tallying 33% in market share among the top 100 radio airplay songs. That’s more than four percentage points better than the industry-leading 28.7% share that the company turned in for the second quarter, and more than double of its closest competitor, Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG), which posted a 15.4% share. During the quarter, Sony/ATV, also the leading publisher for the top 100 country airplay songs, had a share in 59 of the top 100 tracks, including the Nos. 1, 3 and 4 songs, respectively: Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” (featuring T.I. and Pharrell), Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky,” (featuring Pharrell) and Maroon 5’s “Love Somebody.” This showing represents the ffth quarter in a row…

During the last two years, Warner/ Chappell Nashville has emerged as a prime player in country music publishing. In the quarter just completed, it racked up its highest market share in country radio airplay since Billboard began tracking the category in first-quarter 2010. “We have upped the pace in how we are attacking the market,” says Ben Vaughn, who in October 2012 was named head of the publisher’s Nashville ofce. “We are deepening our conversations with the labels and making sure we are everywhere.” Vaughn, who reports to Warner/Chappell Music president of creative Jon Platt, began his music career as an intern in the Nashville offce. Along the way, he’s served as GM of Nashville’s Big Tractor Music before heading up EMI’s Nashville team where he previously worked with Platt.…

In its 10-year history, the Billboard Touring Conference has become known for the quality and creativity of its case studies and keynote sessions. Memorable speakers from past conferences include Gene Simmons, Perry Farrell, the teams from Backstreet Boys and New Kids on the Block, the AEG Live team behind Michael Jackson’s ill-fated This Is It concerts (and the triumphant film that followed), Live Aid’s Kevin Wall, Live Nation global touring chairman Arthur Fogel, U2 manager Paul McGuinness and last year’s keynote Q&A, Irving Azof. Rather than giving a notable power player a platform to serve his or her own agenda and filibuster for an hour, the conference keynote presentations and case studies come in the form of Q&As, strategic drill-downs and powerful examinations— often offering time for text-to-screen questions from…

One Direction, Bruno Mars and Luke Bryan will compete for the Breakthrough Award at the Billboard Touring Awards on Nov. 14 in New York. The honor goes to the top-grossing artist that cracks Billboard Boxscore’s top tour recap for the first time in his or her career based on ticket sales reported between Oct. 1, 2012, and Sept. 30, 2013. Past winners include Lady Antebellum, Jason Aldean, Lady Gaga, Il Divo, Miley Cyrus and Justin Timberlake. BRUNO MARS It’s been a big year for Bruno Mars. In addition to being named the halftime show performer at the 2014 Super Bowl, Mars recently wrapped his first sold-out headlining tour of North American arenas. The stateside leg of the Moonshine Jungle tour began June 22 at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.,…

SMG has opened or renovated more than 20 venues in the past decade. 2003 Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena Jacksonville, Fla. Save Mart Center Fresno, Calif. Osceola Heritage Park and Silver Spurs Arena Osceola, Fla. Ford Arena Beaumont, Texas Soldier Field (renovation) Chicag 2004-2006 American Bank Center Corpus Christi, Texas Coliseo de Puerto Rico Hato Rey, Puerto Rico Eastern Kentucky Exposition Center Pikeville, Ky. John Paul Jones Arena Charlottesville, Va. 2007-2008 BOK Center Tulsa, Okla. Bank of Kentucky Center Highland Heights, Ky. Rogers K-Rock Center Kingston, Ontario 2009-2010 INtrust Bank Arena Wichita, Kan. Huntington Center Toledo, Ohio ShoWare Center Kent, Wash. 2011-2013 DCU Center (renovation) Worcester, Mass. Wagner Noël Performing Arts Center Midland, Texas Pinnacle Bank Arena Lincoln, Neb. Denny Sanford Premier Center Sioux Falls, S.D. First Direct Arena Leeds, England…

SMG operates two publicly owned arenas in Canada and is currently providing pre-opening services for two others, as well as looking at other bids north of the border. The two operating arenas are Mississauga’s Hershey Centre and Kingston’s Rogers K-Rock Centre, both in Ontario. Meanwhile, the Meridian Centre in Ontario’s St. Catharines is planning to open in fall 2014, and a still-unnamed venue will launch in 2015 in Medicine Hat, Alberta. SMG’s Savor Food and Beverage is contracted for the concessions and catering. “SMG sees tremendous opportunities, as many secondary-market communities in Canada are considering or in the process of developing new arenas and multipurpose venues,” SMG senior VP of operations and business development Harry Cann says. “In many cases, these cities have an existing junior or minor professional hockey…

Historically, arena-size venues in the United Kingdom have followed the same lines as their U.S. counterparts, with seating arranged around a quadrangle capable of doubling as an ice hockey rink or basketball court. The new First Direct Arena, located in the northern U.K. city of Leeds, is SMG’s first purpose-built venue to forgo the traditional design in favor of a “fan-shaped” orientation, where every seat in the 13,500-capacity venue is positioned to face the stage. “As much as I love ice hockey and basketball, they are not major sports in this country,” SMG Europe managing director John Sutherland says. “Ninety percent of our business comes from concerts and end-stage entertainment, so I started to question why we build arenas in the U.K. predominantly for sport, and not for entertainment.” Using…

Following up an album that produced four No. 1 singles might make some artists a little nervous. Jake Owen isn’t one of them. “If anything it made me excited to make a new record, because I knew I had people’s attention,” says Owen, whose new RCA release, Days of Gold, arrives Dec. 3. “Sometimes you put a lot of pressure on yourself to recreate something that you know people are going to buy and enjoy. But at this point in my life I’m very confident of where I am and how hard I’ve worked to get here. I built an audience that enjoys what I do, so it’s important for me to put out the best songs possible.” Owen has had a lot of practice doing just that. He signed…

Stan Branson, adult R&B WKXI Jackson, Miss. Drake, “Hold On, We’re Going Home.” I never thought I would be playing—let alone hyping—a Drake song for my adult R&B station, but [this song] moves with an old-time groove and lyrics that an adult audience can feel and relate to. Ronald Isley featuring Kem, “My Favorite Thing.” Ronald Isley and Kem are a mix of old school and neo-soul that blends together so well, it sounds instantly familiar. “My Favorite Thing” takes you on that recognizable Isley Brothers-type of trip, and then Kem comes in, bringing the song to a whole new horizon. Leon Timbo, “Don’t Call.” Leon Timbo isn’t a household name, but “Don’t Call” has become a household favorite here at the station because of its gritty feel and simple…

Young the Giant begins its sophomore album campaign with the rollicking, pleasingly muscular “It’s About Time,” the lead single from the January 2014 release Mind Over Matter. Formerly with Roadrunner Records, the promising rock act shifts to Fueled by Ramen for album No. 2—which makes sense, since this new track merges the glossy pop-punk that built the label with driving guitar lines that could pass for a Foo Fighters single. Lyrics like “Born to be angry, grip on the vice/Click on the trigger girl, sip wine on ice” are pulpy enough to entertain, and Sameer Gadhia’s theatrical vocal approach deposits them admirably. The alternative charts may yield fewer straight-ahead guitar jams these days, but for the many alternative PDs who found success with the likes of New Politics, Fueled by…

When reggaetón trailblazer Daddy Yankee releases an album, it usually debuts at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart. So why celebrate the fact that Yankee’s King Daddy bowed at No. 7? Because this marks the first time a digital-only album debuts in the top 10 of the chart. The 11-track set sold 2,000 first-week copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan—a success in a Latin marketplace where digital albums have struggled. Yankee has long espoused an online strategy for his El Cartel label, which is distributed through a licensing deal with Universal Music Latin Entertainment. “Our new highway is the Internet,” the rapper (real name Raymond Ayala) told Billboard last year. “Our genre doesn’t depend on radio. It depends on putting music up on the Internet and [letting] things run…

Arcade Fire debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with Refektor, selling 140,000 copies in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. This is the band’s second No. 1 album. It also bowed atop the list with its last set, 2010’s The Suburbs. However, that record started with a slightly larger fgure: 156,000. After a career as an independently distributed band, the act shifted to Universal Music Group Distribution (UMGD) for Refektor—along with a new partnership with Capitol Records. The band is still with its longtime label Merge Records, which celebrates its sixth top 10 with Refektor. Merge earlier hit the top 10 with Arcade Fire’s Neon Bible (No. 2 in 2007), Spoon’Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (No. 10, 2007) and Transference (No. 4, 2010), and She & Him’Volume…

I Tunes Radio is riding a trend of lean-back digital listening, but Apple’s new Internet radio service isn’t a Pandora killer yet. In October, the first full calendar month the two services competed against one another, Pandora’s streaming hours rose 8.1% to 1.5 billion from 1.4 billion the prior month. The number of people who listened to Pandora in October fell 2.5% to 70.9 million from 72.7 million in September. But the October numbers should put to rest—for the time being—predictions that Apple would use its massive iTunes user base and legendary brand afnity to knock Pandora from the top of the Internet radio leader board. Expectations for iTunes Radio have been high. During Apple’s earnings call on Oct. 28, CFO Peter Oppenhiemer revealed that 20 million iOS 7 users…

Far from being fatal for radio stars, video is helping propel some broadcast stations into the era of digital content. That was the case when the BBC’s Radio 1 decided to put its hourlong interview with Kanye West on its YouTube channel in September. Days later, late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel did a parody of West’s interview. That prompted a war of words between West and Kimmel on Twitter, culminating in a Kumbaya moment when West appeared on Kimmel’s show. All told, the interview garnered 3.5 million views, making it the most-watched music interview BBC Radio has ever created. “It’s safe to say that 10 years ago, a U.S. chat show host wouldn’t have seen it, wouldn’t have responded to it and wouldn’t have entered into an A-list Twitter…

MEDIA Nielsen announces new executive appointments, including the promotion of Erin Crawford to GM of music/senior VP of the entertainment group. The company also appoints Tatiana Simonian and Andrew Feigenbaum VPs of client solutions. Based in Los Angeles, Crawford will be the commercial leader for Nielsen’s music group and oversee content acquisition for the company’s entire entertainment group. She was senior VP of content acquisition. Los Angeles- based Simonian, who appeared on Billboard’s 2012 Women in Music list, will work closely with brands engaged with music. She previously served as head of artist and music industry relations at Twitter. Feigenbaum is based in New York and will work primarily with Nielsen’s label clients. He was account executive for music partnerships at Muve Music. Simonian and Feigenbaum report to Crawford. LABELS…

Drinking Profits Artists have long promoted liquor brands and whitelabel spirits—now a new model can help them build a brand from the ground up The traditional artist/brand liquor partnership just got “coldcocked” by Rick Zeiler. Zeiler has been a pioneer in melding spirits and music, with a proven track record doing such deals with Jägermeister and Grey Goose Vodka at Sidney Frank Importers as director of marketing for 18 years. Jäger, for instance, is a brand built in the United States largely on the backs of musicians, tours and brand/band partnerships with such acts as Slayer, Staind, Slipknot, Slightly Stoopid, Korn, Eric Church, Dierks Bentley and others. With Jäger, Zeiler built brand identity, sponsored bands and helped develop artists, most memorably through the Jägermeister tours and sponsorships at festivals. Zeiler…

1 She’s the best: Kacey Musgraves performed “Follow Your Arrow” at the 47th annual Country Music Assn. Awards at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Nov. 6 before winning best new artist. The ABC broadcast was up by double digits from last year, according to Nielsen, gaining 21% and reaching an audience of 13.7 million. 2 You looking at me? Republic Nashville president Jimmy Harnen (right) points out the perks of the Big Machine CMA after-party at the Rosewell, mugging with Republic Records chairman/CEO Monte Lipman. 3 “I’m never going to forget this. Ever, ever, ever,” said Taylor Swift, who took her Pinnacle Award right to the Big Machine after-party, where she reveled with labelmates and president/CEO Scott Borchetta. In back, from left: Eli Young Band’s James Young and Mike Eli, Rascal…

IN THE FALL OF 1987, not long after the release of his blockbuster album Bad, Michael Jackson and his longtime lawyer/adviser John Branca piled into a van to see the Los Angeles debut of Cirque du Soleil at the Santa Monica Pier. They took a van, with Branca driving, despite the fact that Jackson had gifted Branca with a Rolls-Royce, and their journey was briefy stalled after Branca headed in the wrong direction on the congested Interstate 405. But the pair eventually made it to the show. Cirque du Soleil was 3 years old at the time, and true to its inspiration in the circus, was housed in a tent on this visit to Los Angeles. Jackson could hardly contain his excitement to watch the Quebec troupe perform, Branca recalls.…

In June 2010, a year after Michael Jackson’s death, Billboard looked at the estate’s music-based revenue streams and estimated that some $1 billion of gross revenue flowed into it. Through interviews with industry experts and our own numbercrunching, Billboard examined the revenue that Jackson generated in 2012, as well as that to date in 2013, and also estimated the earnings that revenue generated for the estate. The results don’t match those of 2010, when Jackson’s loss was still fresh, but they remain impressive: 2012 music-based revenue of $544.6 million, with the estate’s earnings at $121 million. Estate sources suggest the full earnings total is closer to $160 million, which would leave $39 million in merchandising, film and TV licensing, DVD sales and other licensing deals. MUSIC SALES AND STREAMING 2012…

Randy Newman is busy writing and recording new material for a planned album next year, he told Billboard after his keynote Q&A with his son, William Morris Endeavor head of visual media Amos Newman. “I haven’t made enough records for the amount of time I’ve been doing it,” Newman said, referring to his 13 studio albums recorded during the last 45 years. “I’m not exactly satisf ed with the amount of output I have had, but what are you going to do?” Newman spoke at length at the conference about composing for animated pictures like the three “Toy Story” f lms and the recent “Monsters University,” and delved deeper into songwriting in a conversation with Billboard. How has writing songs for film aff ected the way you write for yourself?…

When Ashley Gorley was growing up in Kentucky, he wanted to be like Babyface. Years later, he ended up having quite a lot in common with the R&B superstar—when it comes to penning No. 1 hits. In 2006 Gorley registered his first smash with Carrie Underwood’s “Don’t Forget to Remember Me,” and since then, seldom has a week passed when he hasn’t had an entry on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. (This week he has five.) Among his No. 1s are Darius Rucker’s “It Won’t Be Long Like This,” Keith Urban and Brad Paisley’s “Start a Band” and Trace Adkins’ “You’re Gonna Miss This,” named song of the year by the Nashville Songwriters Assn. International in 2008. His current hit for Luke Bryan, “That’s My Kind of Night,” is currently…

Nearly 100 panelists—more than half of them first-timers— will share their strategies, vision and perhaps even a few trade secrets at the sold-out 10th annual Billboard Touring Conference, set for Nov. 13-14 in New York at the conference’s longtime home, the Roosevelt Hotel. To mark the conference’s 10th anniversary, this year will host the return of one of the event’s most popular and informative panels, a deep drill-down on artist development, this year titled “Who’s Got Next.” Several of the most savvy assessors of talent in the live music industry will weigh in on proven artist-development touring strategies; the pros and cons of headlining, support and/or festival plays; and digital/social/mobile campaigns proven to move the needle in selling tickets. The panel will also make informed predictions on artists in the…

George Strait will be the first country artist honored as a Legend of Live at the 10th annual Billboard Touring Awards on Nov. 14 at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York. Billboard’s highest accolade in the touring space, Legend of Live honors individuals or bands that have made significant and lasting contributions to live music and the touring business. Beyond success at the box office, the Legend of Live award recognizes professionalism and steadfast commitment to the art and craft of live performance and the fan experience at concerts. Previous honorees have been promoter Michael Cohl, promoter Jack Boyle, Elton John, agent Frank Barsalona, the Allman Brothers Band, Ozzy Osbourne, Rush, Journey and Neil Diamond. Nearly 40 years into his touring career, Strait remains one of the most in-demand headliners,…

If the box office-driven honors are the meat and potatoes of the Billboard Touring Awards, the special honors are the gravy. Apart from the trophies based on Billboard Boxscore data, the Touring Awards also give special recognition in a variety of sectors. Those honors include the Concert Marketing & Promotion Award, determined by a panel of judges, and the Eventful Fans’ Choice Award, determined by online fan voting. In addition, George Strait will be the first country artist honored as Legend of Live (see story, page 56), and presenting sponsor Shell Rotella will induct 10 members into the newly established Haul of Fame, recognizing the production/ transportation side of the touring industry for the first time. The Fans’ Choice Award is determined by fans who vote at Eventful.com, and voters…

As with other areas of strength at venue giant SMG, the company’s marketing arm benefits venues and partners alike because of its size and network of experienced staff. SMG senior VP of entertainment Jim Mc-Cue and John Bolton, GM of the BOK Center and Cox Business Center in Tulsa, Okla., and national director of marketing for SMG, oversee four regional directors of marketing and roughly 140 arena marketing professionals. “It’s like every other facet of our business,” Bolton says. “There’s a complete network of support that helps our venues be successful. We focus on whatever we can do to help promoters, agents and shows sell tickets, but we also focus on the venue itself and how we can market it. It’s also about how the community reacts to what we…

After establishing ofices in Puerto Rico in 2006, SMG now operates several venues in the territory, including the Coliseo de Puerto Rico, the Puerto Rico Convention Center, the Lawn Amphitheater at Bahia Urbana and the Humacao Arena and Performing Arts Center. The 5,000-capacity amphitheater can handle the biggest outdoor events in Old San Juan, including concerts and festivals. Jochi Davila, regional VP of business development/senior GM of SMG Latin America, oversees the venue with Bahia Urbana amphitheater GM Linnette Isona. Davila says the “magnificent San Juan waterfronts” make the venue and adjacent businesses unique. It’s part of a 21-block area in the heart of Old San Juan, one of the Caribbean’s most popular tourist attractions. Aside from staging concerts, the complex also ofers several dining and recreational options., including the…

The Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Neb., opened in September with a bang that’s still resonating. Highlighting the new facility’s first few weeks is a slate of 10 concerts in 80 days from a variety of top-tier talent. Michael Bublé was the venue’s first concert on Sept. 13, followed by Jason Aldean with openers Jake Owen and Thomas Rhett on Sept. 19, the Eagles on Oct. 4, Miranda Lambert and Dierks Bentley on Oct. 10 and Bon Jovi on Oct. 20. Upcoming shows include P!nk on Nov. 9, Trans-Siberian Orchestra on Nov. 14, John Mayer on Nov. 22, Elton John on Nov. 23 and Jay Z on Dec. 1. On top of that impressive lineup, the 16,000-capacity arena, which is owned by the city and managed by SMG, will host…

From vegan cafe waitress to breakthrough artist. That’s the short take on Jhené Aiko. But like most seemingly overnight sensations, there’s a lot more to her story. Like the fact that Aiko has been “putting out music on and of for 10 years,” she says. Longtime fans of the petite 25-year-old singer/songwriter remember her vocal work with B2K. In the years since, she’s graced songs by such A-listers as Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, Big Sean and Wale. But newer converts know her as the sultry voice on “From Time” from Drake’s Nothing Was the Same— and her resulting slot on his current 40-stop arena tour. Now Aiko is ready to go from supporting player to stand-alone star with Sail Out, her formal solo debut, an EP intended to appease her…

The title of Yo Gotti’s new album, I Am, due Nov. 19 through a new partnership between his CMG imprint and Epic Records, is meant to be a mission statement: The Memphis MC, known for releasing mixtapes and albums independently, will remain the blue-collar, street-focused rapper he’s always been, major-label deal or not. Since signing in February, he’s been in Epic’s headquarters putting the title into action, letting the label’s employees know exactly who he is. “I’m working with everybody hands-on,” he says over the phone, strolling through his new label home’s New York ofces. “The art department, TV, radio, marketing, song licensing department—in my prior [label] situations, I never even met those people. The same way you have your homeboy’s name saved in your phone, I have these people…

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree in the Akins family. Thomas Rhett is following in the footsteps of his hitmaking singer/songwriter father, Rhett Akins, and now the two are dominating the charts together. Released this week by Valory Music, Rhett’s debut album, It Goes Likes This, bows at No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart and No. 6 on the Billboard 200 with sales of 36,000, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The album is boosted by its smash title track/third single, which was penned by Akins, Ben Hayslip and Jimmy Robbins. After logging three straight weeks at No. 1, the song dips to No. 3 on Country Airplay this week. Rhett attributes the success of the single to its “brilliant simplicity. It’s one of those tunes when you…

A&E’s “Duck Dynasty” TV family the Robertsons debut at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 with Duck the Halls: A Robertson Family Christmas (Universal Music Group Nashville), their first foray into music. 4-6 MONTHS AGO Beginning in early April, UMGN senior VP of marketing Cindy Mabe and her team met with the Robertsons to solidify the album’s concept and rollout strategy. “Our goal was to make fans feel like they were invited to the Robertsons’ Christmas dinner,” she says. The Robertsons announced the album at the Country Music Assn. Music Fest on June 8, making a splash with a series of live stunts. “We sent out hundreds of Santas into the festival playing duck calls and giving away rubber ducks with the album title,” Mabe says. “We also set up…

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…