Innholdsfortegnelse for Jan-25-14 i Billboard Magazine

NET NEUTRALITY NEUTERED A U.S. Court of Appeals panel struck down a key provision of the FCC’s 2010 “net neutrality” ruling, potentially opening the door for broadband providers to begin charging a premium for, or restricting access to, certain websites and services. The panel’s decision is a setback for proponents of the open Internet, reversing the FCC’s attempt to codify principles of equal access among service providers. The FCC says it would consider its options in light of the ruling. RENZER JOINS SPIRIT Former Universal Music Publishing Group chairman/CEO David Renzer is named president of Spirit Music Group, the indie publisher that owns the catalogs of songwriters like Pete Townshend, Alan & Marilyn Bergman and Marc Bolan. Mark Fried will continue as president/CEO and work with Renzer to double the…

Co-Founder, Secretly Canadian Partner, Secretly Label Group From its humble beginnings in 1996 as a small independent label in Bloomington, Ind., Ben Swanson, with his brother Chris, has grown Secretly Canadian into Secretly Label Group, a small empire that consists of three other partner-run labels (Jagjaguwar, Dead Oceans and Numero Group), a distribution company and a publishing arm. In 2012, Jagjaguwar act Bon Iver took home Grammy Awards for best new artist and best alternative music album. Last year, Secretly Canadian’s Major Lazer stormed Billboard’s Dance/Electronic Albums chart, reaching No. 1 with its sophomore release, Free the Universe. 7.00 AM I get up with my 2-year-old daughter, make coffee and put on some demos and other new music that’s just come in. Then I check emails from our U.K. office…

WHAT: Sony Corp. agreed to sell its Gracenote music database subsidiary to TV/newspaper conglomerate Tribune for $170 million, a 35% discount from the $260 million that Sony paid for Gracenote in 2008. The transaction is set to close by the end of March. Gracenote launched in 1998 gathering data on CDs and vinyl albums. It’s since branched out to TV shows, boasting a database of 180 million music tracks and TV shows. Apple uses Gracenote to identify CDs WHY: Tribune, which owns 23 TV stations and eight daily newspapers including the Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune, says it will combine Gracenote into Tribune Media Services, a subsidiary that serves up TV and movie listings to cable companies. Adding Gracenote will round out Tribune’s offering to include a wider breadth…

Thomas is set to perform at Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, Calif., on March 30. All four dates ft into a larger Matchbox 20 tour that will begin at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Catoosa, Okla. (Jan. 29) and wrap at the Hammersmith Apollo in London (April 16-17). The Atlantic City dates have sold out. “The first year was supposed to be a one-of,” Marisol says. “But the Borgata offered us the yearly spot. It’s wonderful: My husband gets to do what he loves to do, and we get to raise a great amount of money and awareness for our foundation.” The intimate acoustic shows will feature Thomas performing a range of hits from his Matchbox 20 and solo material as well as covers. He describes the concerts…

Four years ago I wrote an opinion piece in Billboard warning of the cash-fow crisis that would hit when consumers realized the massive value proposition that streaming subscription services offer. It may have taken longer than I expected, but it is firmly upon us. Despite all the negative press about the low per-stream rate, Spotify is now the No. 2 digital retailer for most labels in terms of income. Apple, Google, Microsoft, Beats Music (as of next week) and many others have launched streaming subscription options for their customers. All told, streaming revenue makes up approximately one-quarter of all income for most content owners, having quadrupled in the last two years. So what is the short-term impact, and how long will it last? Longer term, what does this mean for…

“She touched me with ‘Natural Woman’ and ‘Going Back.’” —Phil Collins 1 Clear Channel threw down at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Jan. 8 to announce its iHeartRadio deal with Jaguar, Land Rover, Volvo and Kia . Toasting the news were (from left) Clear Channel’s Alyson Richards and Owen Grover and Clear Channel Entertainment Enterprises president John Sykes. Krewella headlined the party at the Haze nightclub at the Aria Resort & Casino. 2 Genesis Media co-founder/CEO Richard Smullen (left) celebrated the iHeartRadio deal with Clear Channel Media and Entertainment president/CEO Richard Bressler at Clear Channel’s CES party. 3 Nstep: Nick Cannon (left)—who hit CES for the fifth time, promoting Monster’s new headphones NTune, NErgy and NPulse— alongside iHeartRadio’s Chris Williams at the Clear Channel soiree. 4 Legendary…

It doesn’t take long to figure out how Howard Stern has risen to his unprecedented level of success. Having arrived for the day’s photo shoot and interview (“It’s Howard Stern!” a man says, elbowing his friend as the 6-foot-5-inch radio icon walks past them toward the elevator, a scene similar to random fans praising him in an airport in his 1997 box office No. 1 hit “Private Parts”), Stern’s curiosity is instantly noticeable. Stern, who counts photography among his hobbies, inundates lensman Andrew Eccles with questions about angles, backlighting and poses. Also evident: Stern’s humility. “Pretty good . . . for me,” he says as he scans some of the just-shot images on the studio’s laptop. “He makes me look like Brad Pitt.” He pauses, then adds, “Those are some…

FEW MANAGERS ARE SO CLOSELY associated with one act as Paul Mc-Guinness has been with U2, a group he took from a fledgling band of dubious musicianship playing Dublin bars to where it is widely considered the biggest group in the world. News broke late last year that McGuinness would step back from day-today duties for U2 after more than 35 years, handing the reins to Madonna manager Guy Oseary, as the band’s management shifts from McGuinness’ Principle Management to the management division of Live Nation, with whom U2 signed a 12-year touring/merchandising/e-commerce pact in 2008. In a statement, U2 said, in part, “Paul has saved us from ourselves many times over and we would not be U2 without him,” describing his ongoing role as “mentor in chief.” The move…

Oliver Schusser Senior director, iTunes International Apple Oliver Schusser, senior director at iTunes International, keeps a low media profle, consistent with Apple’s tightlipped culture. But his impact on international music can’t be missed—or underestimated. Lady Gaga chose the 2013 iTunes Festival in London to premiere tracks from her album ARTPOP. Consider the resources Schusser offers artists and labels outside the United States: A recording in the iTunes Store has the potential to reach purchasers in 119 countries and be one of the 20 billion paid-for tracks downloaded to date. Play live at the annual iTunes Festival, and one’s streamed performance is seen live in more than 100 countries. Dan Cryan, senior director of digital media at research group IHS Screen Digest, says of Schusser’s achievements: “ITunes is the biggest music…

Martin Mills Chairman, Beggars Group Edward Peto Managing director, Beggars Group China Beggars Group, led by founder/chairman Martin Mills, has long been the unoffcial standard-bearer for ambitious international expansion among independent labels. Comprising four imprints—4AD, XL, Matador and Rough Trade—Beggars, co-headquartered in London and New York, operates out of 16 countries, including Australia, Sweden, Japan— and, most recently, China, where market specialist Edward Peto is helping the organization devise new market strategies. “We’re working to establish our brand and develop perception and knowledge of our artists and labels in an environment that’s still very challenging,” Mills says of the nation with the world’s second-largest economy. “But you have to believe that a profitable market will emerge when the likes of Spotify, Rdio and other ‘freemium’ models move in.” The steady…

Alejandro Soberon Kuri Chairman/CEO Corporacion Interamericana de Entretenimiento George Gonzales General director Ocesa-CIE As head of Mexico’s biggest live entertainment company, Alejandro Soberon Kuri leads a company that also has holdings in Colombia and Central America, and trades on the Mexican stock exchange. CIE’s holdings include Ocesa (of which Televisa owns 40%), Mexico and Latin America’s biggest concert promoter. Last year, the company presented 589 shows in Mexico alone—two-thirds more than the 365 produced in 2012—which were seen by 3.4 million people. Ocesa-CIE placed third on Billboard’s Top 25 Promoters year-end list with 3,486 shows, 7.4 million tickets sold and a total gross of $226,340,244. The company ranked behind only Live Nation and AEG Live. Top shows included a Sasha, Benny & Erik reunion tour, Red Hot Chili Peppers and…

Anjula Acharia-Bath Chairman/CEO Desi Hits! With friends in Bollywood and Hollywood, Desi Hits! chairman/CEO Anjula Acharia-Bath has made a name for herself as a one-stop shop for the import and export of pop stars to South Asia. In 2011, Interscope tapped her to steer marketing and public appearances for Lady Gaga in India, considered a delicate prospect at the time given the country’s conservative leanings and the overtly progressive politics of Gaga’s then new album Born This Way. Acharia-Bath waged a campaign to endear the Mother Monster to key influencers in the Bollywood centric entertainment industry. The result? A TV appearance beamed to 40 million homes, the cover of major daily newspapers and a splashy performance at the Formula 1 after party in New Delhi—with nary a scandalous headline in…

Raja Rajamannar Chief marketing officer MasterCard Global As American Express and Citibank look to expand and scale their U.S. music strategies to the international sector in 2014, they’ll have to play catch-up with MasterCard, which established a firm footprint in the international music industry in 2013. MasterCard expanded its longtime sponsorship of the United Kingdom’s BRIT Awards by creating a Priceless Duet programs that enabled the No. 1 fan of three best new artist nominees to re-create their favorite singer’s music video—with surprise appearances from the acts themselves. (Rita Ora, Conor Maynard and Delilah were featured.) It also established naming rights with the MasterCard Center in Beijing and Arena Ciudad in Mexico City, expanded a global events series called Priceless Cities in more than 100 countries and inked powerful deals…

Michael Gudinski Chairman Mushroom Group of Cos. The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, Nine Inch Nails, Queens of the Stone Age, Leonard Cohen. When Michael Gudinski chases the big artists, he aims for the stars. His Frontier Touring had another massive year in 2013, either touring or announcing treks for all the aforementioned acts. Frontier promoted Springsteen last year, marking the Boss’ first visit Down Under in a decade. Remarkably, Springsteen is heading back in 2014, with Frontier again promoting. With Frontier at the reins, Swift in 2013 became the first female artist to undertake a stadium tour in the country since Madonna’s Girlie Show run 20 years earlier. Nine Inch Nails and Queens of the Stone Age have a co-headlining tour in March. And in the…

Afo Verde CEO Sony Music Entertainment Latin Region, Spain & Portugal Afo Verde has oversight of Sony’s U.S. Latin operations as well as those throughout Latin America, Spain and Portugal. That includes working closely with sister labels RCA, Columbia, Epic and MasterWorks in marketing and developing their rosters throughout the region, as well as jointly working crossover acts like Ricky Martin, Pitbull, Santana and Shakira. Overall, Verde says, “we had a great year breaking new acts at a local level and signing superstars. In 2014 we will be breaking them internationally.” These include Dani Martin, Ismael Serrano and Malu in Spain (supervised by Sony Spain president Jose Maria Barbat); Axel, Babasonicos and Abel Pintos in Argentina (supervised by Sony Argentina president Damian Amato), along with Illya Kuryaki & the Valderramas,…

Denis Handlin Chairman/CEO, Sony Music Entertainment Australia & New Zealand President, Sony Music Entertainment Asia In 2014, Denis Handlin will achieve the rare milestone of 30 years as leader of Sony Music’s Australian company. The Sydney-based, Brisbane-born executive is showing no signs of slowing down. His entrepreneurial smarts have been recognized in recent years with Sony Music handing him responsibilities for all of the company’s activities across Asia, where he has strengthened senior management and A&R. He’s also long-serving chairman of the Australian Recording Industry Assn. Handlin has played a major part in Pink’s astonishing success in the market, where latest album The Truth About Love was the best-selling release for both 2012 and 2013—a feat never before achieved. The album is eight-times platinum (single platinum certifcation is 70,000 units).…

Daniel Ek CEO Gustavo Diament Managing director, Latin America Sunita Kaur Managing director, Asia Pacific Jeff Levick Chief sales officer Spotify A year ago Spotify was available in 20 countries. Today that number is 55—and it will continue to grow in 2014. “For us [the growth is in] Latin America, Asia and Africa,” CEO Daniel Ek says. Spotify has yet to launch in any of Africa’s 56 countries but the company hired managing directors for Asia and Latin America last year. Sunita Kaur joined Spotify in July to head the company’s Asia Pacific operations from its Singapore office. A 17-year veteran of media companies, Kaur was most recently an advertising director at Facebook. Gustavo Diament became the managing director of Spotify’s business in Latin America in September. He was previously…

Max Hole Chairman/CEO Universal Music Group International Max Hole began last year with a promotion, efective Jan. 1, 2013, to chairman/ CEO of Universal Music Group International, reporting directly to UMG chairman/ CEO Lucian Grainge. The move made Hole the top executive outside the United States at the world’s largest record company, responsible for all of UMG’s international operations. Hole also leads the company’s worldwide classical business, including the iconic Deutsche Grammophon and Decca Classics labels. Committed to growing Universal’s already considerable global market share, Hole made a number of senior appointments in 2013 that served to consolidate and strengthen the music monolith’s international operations. These included the promotion of Frank Briegmann to president of Central Europe, George Ash to president of Asia Pacifc and Naoshi Fujikura to president/ CEO…

Jesus Lopez Chairman/CEO Universal Music Latin America & Iberian Peninsula Jesus Lopez has purview not only of U.S. Latin operations for Universal Music Group but also Universal’s operations throughout Latin America, Spain and Portugal. Within that structure, he oversees a team of executives that includes Victor Gonzalez, president of Universal Music Latin Entertainment (with oversight of the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America); Jose Antonio Eboli, president of Universal Music Brazil; and the late Simon Bose, who until his death on Dec. 31 was president of Universal Music Spain. Universal’s capabilities as a global company have allowed it to mine different formats and assets across territories. “La Voz” (The Voice), for example, has been a boon for multiple Universal artists who have served as judges, including Marco Antonio…

Stu Bergen President of international Warner Recorded Music Promoted last summer to president of international at Warner Recorded Music, Stu Bergen presides over the company’s operations in continental Europe, Canada, the Asia Pacific region, Latin America and licensee territories, while also leading strategy across emerging markets including Africa, Russia and India. “We are about acting as one global organization to break, develop and support our acts,” says Bergen, whose remit includes overseeing global marketing campaigns behind all priority releases. He credits the 2013 integration of Parlophone Label Group with strengthening Warner’s front-line roster, bolstering operations in many key European markets and “adding more world-class executive talent.”Last year’s acquisition of Russia’s Gala Records and the launch of Warner Music South Africa (following a buyout of Gallo Records’ share of the joint…

Richard Manners Managing director Warner/Chappell Music U.K. While much attention in music publishing is focused on the digital-licensing shootout in the United States, Warner/Chappell U.K. managing director Richard Manners says that sorting out music licensing with the streaming services in the United States, Australia and New Zealand (which he also oversees) remains a work in progress as well. On the creative side, Manners says highlights of the past year included “seeing London Grammar break through.” The band released the single “Strong” on Sept. 1 and it peaked at No. 2 on the U.K. chart. Manners expects similar success in the United States, where the band is signed to Columbia. He also points to Tom Odell’s breakthrough, with debut album Long Way Down hitting No. 1 in the United Kingdom. Finally,…

Yang Hyun-Suk Chief producer YG Entertainment It should come as no surprise that Yang Hyun-Suk—the man who helped launch PSY’s global breakthrough—has helmed some of South Korea’s most successful acts: He’s a former K-pop star himself. The executive started in Seo Taiji and Boys in 1992—a male group credited with shaping Korea’s modern pop scene—but focused on producing after the trio disbanded four years later. For Yang and YG Entertainment, 2013 began with boy band BigBang wrapping its first world tour in Seoul in January, completing an 11-month, 12-country trek after performing for 800,000 fans, according to the company. BigBang leader G-Dragon embarked on an Asian tour in March, visiting eight countries in six months and playing in front of 570,000. PSY followed up global smash “Gangnam Style” with “Gentleman,”…

After Phantogram released its debut album, Eyelid Movies, in 2009 on indie label Barsuk Records, there was instantaneous demand for the Saratoga Springs, N.Y., act. The duo of Josh Carter and Sarah Barthel quickly found themselves in the middle of an oldfashioned major-label bidding war. “It was unreal,” Barthel recalls. “We were just touring, doing our thing, being on an indie label, and then all at once every label called us and said, ‘We want you! Come here and we’ll spend money on you for dinner and buy you Champagne!’ Our lawyer calls it the best time of his life.” The artists selected Republic, primarily because they felt that senior VP of A&R Nate Albert understood how best to help them grow their fan base (and, as Barthel puts it,…

In 2010, an unknown BRIT School graduate singing over dizzying bass drops took the U.K. singles chart by storm with the song “Katy on a Mission,” a boastful dubstep heater featuring the lyrics, “When we erupt in to the room, and hear the sub go boom.” “I would have been a rapper if I wasn’t born a ginger girl,” Katy says with a laugh, calling in from London. But it’s clear the 24-year-old redhead made the right career choice. Two more top 10 U.K. singles and a Mercury Prize nomination (for her 2011 debut On a Mission) later, she’s prepping her second album, Little Red, due Feb. 10 on Rinse/Columbia. Katy B (aka Kathleen Anne Brien) promises the new set will expand beyond her familiar club milieu. “On the first…

Eric Church didn’t get this far by playing it safe, but his fourth studio album strikes out further than expected. The Outsiders is ultimate outlaw country, taking Church into arty realms marked by moody nuance and unapologetic daring. The album’s one-two opening of the stomping title track, with its prog-rock outro, and the plaintive “A Man Who Was Gonna Die Young” reveals his sense of reach and creative mission. And he keeps underscoring it as he slides from the swampy grit of “Cold One” to the gentle nostalgia of “Talladega” and the soulful favor of “Like a Wrecking Ball.” “Devil, Devil” is an eight-minute aural adventure, and sinister album-closer “The Joint” has all the makings of a future flm adaptation. The album has a few messy moments, but that cockeyed…

Nearly two years before a Beats by Dr. Dre ad broke his song “The Man,” Aloe Blacc got some important feedback about it from none other than Dr. Dre himself. Interscope executive VP of A&R Larry Jackson told him, “‘Dre wants to meet you. He loves ‘I Need a Dollar,’” the singer recalls, naming his 2010 breakout single. “When I met him, I asked what he thought about my other songs, and he wasn’t impressed by ‘The Man.’ It gutted me. I felt like I had disappointed him.” But Blacc, known mostly for singing and cowriting Avicii’s hit “Wake Me Up!”—for now, at least—took heed of one of Dre’s tips: Look for inspiration from Marvin Gaye, whom the producer said could represent male ideas but still appeal to women. At…

OVER THE COUNTER KEITH CAULFIELD The soundtrack to Disney’s “Frozen” holds for a second week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, while Beyoncé’ self-titled album also sits tight at No. 2. “Frozen” sold another 86,000 copies in the week ending Jan. 12, according to Nielsen Sound-Scan, down 48% from its 165,000 haul in the previous week. (That sum was bolstered by sale-pricing in the iTunes Store—an assist that wasn’t provided in the most recent tracking week.) Last week, it was initially forecast (on Billboard. com) that Beyoncé would likely return to No. 1 this week. However, “Frozen” bested its sales projections, selling about 5,000-10,000 more than expected. The forecast for Beyoncé was around 90,000 on Jan. 9, but then scaled back to 80,000 by the weekend. Beyoncé fnishes the…

Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre convinced a generation and their parents to buy $300 headphones they didn’t know they needed, bringing premium audio gear to millions of mainstream listeners for the first time. ¶ The multibillion-dollar question is whether they can do the same with streaming music as Beats Music prepares to launch on Jan. 21. ¶ As the momentum slows for digital downloads, the $16.5 billion global recorded-music industry is increasingly looking to paid music services like Beats Music to fuel growth. ¶ So far, subscription on-demand services have stayed stubbornly in the realm of music aficionados, despite being available to consumers since December 2001, when Rhapsody launched its “all you can eat” service. Today, only about 5% of adults in the United States and Europe pay for on-demand…

Apps generated an estimated $26 billion in worldwide revenue in 2013, up 44% over 2012, according to Gartner. The most common way people spent money on those apps was through the “freemium” model—free downloads that sell items within the app. As of November 2013, the business model accounted for a whopping 92% of the revenue generated in Apple’s App Store and 98% of the Google Play app store, according to a year-end report from Distimo. The overwhelming dominance of freemium, however, doesn’t extend to all types of apps. That’s the case with music apps, which derived 35% of their revenue in November from paid-for titles. Only 65% of the revenue generated by music apps came from freemium selections in 2013, according to Distimo. One music app that uses the freemium…

Connected devices. Gracenote’s acquisition is validation that as music and video are increasingly enjoyed over Internet-connected devices, context and recommendations are key. The Echo Nest. Gracenote’s nearest competitor, run by Jim Lucchese, could also find its stock rising as an acquisition target as the role of data becomes even more strategic in digitally delivered entertainment. New artists. Technologies from Gracenote and other data companies that can recommend similar music to listeners increase the chances that new artists are discovered. If breakout acts like the Head and the Heart and Haim are in the mix, it boosts their chances of finding their audiences.…

SFX is partnering with Clear Channel on a marketing and content initiative that will place EDM-related programming on Clear Channel’s terrestrial and digital radio stations and in its live venues. The partnership will leverage the brand power of Beatport—a dancededicated online music store and one of SFX’s many acquisitions in the EDM space—to create three new products. Beatport-branded programming will include a national DJ talent contest airing live on select Clear Channel stations nationwide, including Evolution, iHeart-Radio’s dance music hub (curated by BBC legend Pete Tong). An original live event series is also in the works, specifcally a national program slated for Halloween 2014. Perhaps most significant, however, is a weekly Beatport “Top 20 Countdown,” which will air on at least 10 major-market Clear Channel stations, including top 40 outlets…

If the battle between copyright and piracy seems one-sided in the United States, consider what a music market looks like in Africa. Piracy is everywhere. Yet Kenya provides a good example of how a legitimate market works, and attempts to grow, under difficult circumstances. Pirated music and movies are nearly ubiquitous in Nairobi. In the center of this city of 3.1 million people, piracy is standard business. CDs typically cost 100 Kenyan shillings ($1.20). Some CDs have a standard 10 or 12 audio tracks, while many CDs offer dozens, often more than 100, MP3 tracks for the same price. Kenya’s digital music marketplace is mostly illegal and unlike those of Western countries. Take the popularity of the USB drive, the tiny storage device also known as the thumb drive. Kenyans…

For one weekend a year, the talk in Anaheim, Calif., is less Mickey Mouse than Deadmau5 as nearly 100,000 producers, engineers, DJs and gear heads converge for music’s largest trade show, the National Assn. of Music Merchants. And though it’s turning 113 , NAMM is showing no signs of slowing. The industry is back to pre-recession highs, according to NAMM president/CEO Joe Lamond, thanks largely to popular culture and technology. To wit, there’s a first-ever EDM component (see story, right). That means you’ll likely find veteran rock engineers (think Christopher Walken in the “Saturday Night Live” “more cowbell” skit) sipping Mai Tais poolside with buzz-topped, barely pubescent DJs. You’ll also see the NAMM regulars, a surprising mix that includes former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, actor Gary Sinise and Alex Skolnick…

Interns, take note: Howard Stern’s executive producer Gary Dell’Abate—who’ll celebrate 30 years of working with Stern on Sept. 4—started out bringing the boss lunch. Through the years, he grew into the gatekeeper who books the show’s guests (while remaining one of Stern’s favorite sources for on-air ribbing). While the show has featured more than its share of porn stars, strippers and mainstream misfits, Dell’Abate (famously nicknamed “Baba Booey” for his 1990 mispronunciation of “Baba Looey,” cartoon character Quick Draw McGraw’s sidekick) reveals that Stern’s mandate for 2013 was a stronger focus on music and film A-list guests. He delivered, and looks to keep doing so in 2014—so far Steven Tyler, Jon Bon Jovi and John Fogerty are confirmed for Stern’s birthday bash on Jan. 31. How have you changed the…

Nearly two-thirds of the trade value of music sold in physical form, and more than 40% sold through digital channels, is generated outside the United States, according to IFPI, the global music business trade group. Among the top 10 live music promoters of 2013, according to Billboard Boxscore data, seven are based outside the United States. When it comes to market growth, IFPI in 2013 reported increases in nine of the world’s top 20 international markets, while the United States had a modest slide. Billboard’s Power Players series highlights the achievements of executives who drive our business forward with their artistic and business vision. To compile this list, Billboard reached out to numerous sources with international perspective and experience, and also tapped our global team of contributing writers. We asked…

Alison Wenham Chairman/CEO Assn. of Independent Music Established in 1999, the London-based Assn. of Independent Music represents the interests of more than 850 independent music companies based in the United Kingdom, including such indie luminaries as Domino, Bella Union, Mute, Warp, Cooking Vinyl and XL Recordings, as well as numerous bedroom startups and DIY operations. Led by chairman/CEO Alison Wenham, the nonprofit organization provides training and business support to its members, as well as lobbying government to ensure policies are supportive of the indie sector. “AIM’s principle mission is to level the playing field so that all companies, irrespective of size, have a fair chance of competing,” says Wenham, who also is founding chairman of the Worldwide Independent Network and helped set up AIM’s U.S.-focused sister organization, the American Assn.…

VP of global alliances and ventures Joe Belliotti Head of global music marketing Coca-Cola Coca-Cola’s formidable power as a global music player can first be charted by the growth of Spotify. The streaming service expanded to 15 new territories in 2013 as a direct result of Coca-Cola’s minority investment in the company in 2012. “We took a risk in investing in Spotify, but today it’s a certainty,” VP of global alliances and ventures Emmanuel Seuge says. “Streaming has become so much more the norm of how people listen to music, and we feel so proud and committed to do much more.” Many of Coca-Cola’s global music initiatives are tied to its sponsorship of the Olympics and the World Cup, the latter of which will have its original anthem performed in…

Axel Dauchez CEO Deezer Ask Paris-based CEO Axel Dauchez when France’s in-demand international music-streaming service Deezer will enter the United States and all he says is, “There is a great chance this year.” While the industry speculates about Deezer’s entry into the biggest music market, Dauchez’s cohorts are proving that paid-for music on foreign shores is on the up. The 5-year-old venture is already in 182 countries worldwide. The “freemium” multiple-device (from mobile to smart TV) service has licensed more than 30.6 million tracks from the majors, indies and rights-management firms. The 12 million monthly active users can access free unlimited music for 12 months. They include 5 million paying subscribers, more than double the number in 2012, who commit £4.99 ($8.20) or £9.99 ($16.20) monthly for the ads-free Premium…

Willard Ahdritz Founder/CEO, Kobalt Music Group Richard Sanders President, Kobalt Music Group Chairman, Kobalt Label Services Paul Hitchman Managing director, Kobalt Label Services Hans van Berkel Executive chairman, Kobalt Neighboring Rights Kobalt continues to grow on multiple fronts, including music publishing, recorded music and neighboring rights administration. In 2013, the publishing division expanded into ownership through deals for the music publishing of Steve Winwood, Lindsey Buckingham and the B-52s. Kobalt has also launched a global label services division that has issued albums by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Pet Shop Boys, New Kids on the Block and Travis, CEO Willard Ahdritz says. That division is overseen by Richard Sanders, who lays out strategy and approves the economics for artist deals. Paul Hitchman oversees day-to-day management and is in charge…

Charles Caldas CEO Merlin Charles Caldas has made international independent labels cool. As CEO of Merlin, the global rights agency for licensing indies’ music to digital platforms, he has battled long-entrenched notions that only major-label catalogs had value. He particularly recognized indies’ value to the rapidly growing streaming-music market. The sweet end result: $75 million-plus in royalties from streaming and subscription services in 2013. No wonder Merlin is called the “fourth major.” Fast Company magazine declared it the world’s ffth-most-innovative company in 2013. Launched in 2008, Merlin has signed up 20,000-plus independents in 39 countries, including global hitmakers Beggars Group, PIAS and !K7. It has locked multiterritory licensing deals with mega streaming platforms like Spotify, YouTube and Deezer, plus single-territory agreements including Russian service Zvooq. Legitimate digital-music ventures need Merlin…

Terry McBride CEO Nettwerk Music Group Described as a “visionary” by one industry partner, Terry McBride of Nettwerk Music Group in Canada has recently reported a raft of sales success with his management clients and label artists crossing borders. Britain’s Passenger (aka Mike Rosenberg) has had a million-selling single in the United Kingdom with “Let Her Go.” The song also reached No. 1 in more than 20 countries, while the artist’s All Little Lights has gone platinum in the United Kingdom (300,000 units) and gold in Canada (40,000). California band Family of the Year has earned a gold single (150,000) in Canada. Chinese-born, Canada-based singer/songwriter Wanting has had a No. 1 album with Say the Words in China, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Macau and Hong Kong. And most notable of all,…

Dennis Kooker President of global digital business and U.S. sales Sony Music Entertainment Dennis Kooker oversees Sony Music’s digital business around the world, apart from Japan. He and his team work with Sony’s various business units to set Sony’s digital priorities, negotiate licensing deals, execute global and multiterritory sales initiatives and work to build the businesses of Sony’s partners. (In the United States, Kooker oversees physical sales as well as the independent distribution business at RED.) In the past year, Sony has worked on the opportunities that digital distribution presents around the world, Kooker says. “It still feels like we are just at the tip of the iceberg with the potential for growth and restoring the music industry to growth after a long period of decline.” The company is investing…

Nick Gatfield Chairman/CEO Sony Music Entertainment U.K. & Ireland A committed A&R policy was always the likely game plan of a label group head who used to be in a successful band. Former Dexy’s Midnight Runners saxophonist Nick Gatfeld’s first two years as Sony U.K. & Ireland chairman/CEO have seen him refocus the company’s front-line labels—Columbia, RCA, Epic and Syco Music—on the best, and most exportable, artist talent. That time has also included the launch of the Sony Associated label division, which harnesses the energy of numerous external A&R sources. It includes a suite of such labels as Phonogenic, Search & Destroy, Xenomania, Ultra and Relentless. Gatfeld cites such 2013 success stories under the new structure as Laura Mvula, Tom Odell and Kodaline—all of whom followed appearances in critics’ new…

Simon Cowell Co-owner Syco Entertainment Syco Entertainment last year sealed a three-album deal with its biggest U.K. stars, wrapped its first scripted feature flm, prepped its first West End theater production and started a banner for niche TV programs. Not bad for a year’s work. While the U.S. version of Simon Cowell’s “X Factor” was losing viewers at a steady clip, his London-based enterprise was growing at an impressive pace. Cowell produced One Direction’s “This Is Us” flm, which grossed $39.7 million outside the United States, and signed a deal to keep the boy band in the Syco fold for another few years. “One Chance,” the Cowellproduced biopic of Paul Potts, the opera singer who won “Britain’s Got Talent,” made $1.6 million in its opening weekend in the United Kingdom…

Pascal Nègre Global head of new business, Universal Music Group Chairman/CEO, Universal Music France President, Universal Music Italy, Middle East & Africa Slightly more than a year ago, Pascal Nègre’s already packed schedule got a bit busier. He was appointed to the newly created role of global head of new business for Universal Music Group, while retaining his existing posts as head of Universal Music in France, Italy, the Middle East and Africa. Nègre’s promotion placed him in charge of driving UMG’s strategic growth initiatives on a global basis. Working across brand partnerships and new business models, Nègre’s first year in the role was marked by UMG inking deals with various international brands, tech companies and banks in more than 70 countries. Nègre says that during the past 12 months…

Paul Connolly President, Europe; managing director, United Kingdom Universal Music Publishing Group Paul Connolly continues to lead Universal Music Publishing Group in the United Kingdom and Europe to growth through organic signing and acquisitions. In the latter strategy, during the year UMPG acquired the BBC’s music catalog, which includes music from such British TV series as “Doctor Who” and “Planet Earth.” Connolly’s team re-signed Florence & the Machine and the Clash, and UMPG enjoyed a No. 1 record in the United Kingdom with John Newman’s “Love Me Again,” written by UMPG’s Steve Booker. Grammy Award-nominated Gregory Porter, who was signed by the publisher out of France, will issue a new album, and Swedish House Mafa had a huge global hit with “Don’t Worry Child,” which sold more than 3.5 million…

Iñigo Zabala President Warner Music Latin America & Iberia Iñigo Zabala supervises Warner’s Latin markets throughout Latin America, Spain and Portugal, with a roster that includes Maná, Luis Miguel and Laura Pausini as well as international non-Latin acts like Bruno Mars and Coldplay. The most “boutique” major in the Latin realm, Warner expanded substantially in 2013 after its full acquisition of Parlophone (EMI) in Spain, incorporating acts like Pablo Alboran, Spain’s top-selling new artist of the past several years. The Parlophone integration, now fully complete, “has been transforming for us,” Zabala says, noting that as a result the label also launched Warner Portugal. Key in the integration was Warner Music Spain president Charlie Sanchez, who also oversaw the Spanish efforts of Get In—Warner’s management and touring company— which produced more…

Misa Watanabe Chairman Watanabe Production Group Misa Watanabe is among a select group of music publishers who has been working in the uppermost echelons of the industry for many decades. She attended the first MIDEM in 1967 and booked Japanese artists for such American TV programs as “The Ed Sullivan Show” and “The Danny Kaye Show.” She was instrumental in breaking Queen in Japan and thereby enhancing its worldwide success. In 1981, at the 25th MIDEM, Watanabe was honored as one of 12 who had contributed to the development of music worldwide. This prestigious group included Chris Blackwell, Richard Branson, Clive Davis, Ahmet Ertegun, David Gefen, Berry Gordy and Quincy Jones. In 2013, Watanabe oversaw the many accomplishments of her publishing company, including the signing of the flm music catalogs…

The final choice of honorees for Billboard’s first International Power Players list represents the collective ranking and judgment of Billboard’s editors. However, we began the process of creating this list by reaching out to our global team of contributors, senior international executives (some of whom were subsequently chosen for inclusion in this feature), corporate press representatives and a host of industry sources listed below. We’re grateful for their suggestions and input. Rich Benglof, president, American Assn. of Independent Music Scooter Braun, founder, SB Projects Fred Bronson, author, Billboard Books; writer, American Music Awards; contributor, Billboard Ted Chung, partner; Stampede Management Daniel Glass, founder/CEO, Glassnote Entertainment Group Emmanuel Legrand, journalist, Legrand Network; copyright and music publishing editor, One Movement for Music; conference coordinator, World Creator Summit; former global editor, Billboard Steve…

Gone are the bamboo earrings, dollar-bill pendants and fst-pounding swagger of her 1989 hit “Bufalo Stance,” though otherwise not much has changed. Sitting in a cafe in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood, in cargo pants, lace-up boots and a hand-knit sweater, her hair falling in dark ringlets around her glowing, wrinkle-free face, Neneh Cherry could pass for any young hipster in the hood. But she’s not. This month, the now Stockholm resident turns 50. Yet she’s lost none of her edge: On Feb. 24, Cherry’s releasing Blank Project on SmallTown Supersound, her first album in 16 years, a relentlessly rhythmic mashup of beats, beat poetry, soul and rap that rocks like metal and thumps like an EDM record without actually being one. “It’s the fastest album I’ve ever recorded,” Cherry says of…

Shakira makes a highly anticipated return to pop music following 2010’s Spanglish project Sale el Sol with “Can’t Remember to Forget You,” a pop-rock anthem so stadium-sized it even recruits Rihanna for a couple of bars. While the Barbadian pop princess is a welcome presence beginning in the song’s second verse, “Can’t Remember” is really Shakira’s showcase. The Colombian superstar’s voice is more limber and supple than in the past, and she deftly cuts through an arrangement that fuses dancehall and rock in a way that recalls Bruno Mars’ “Locked Out of Heaven.” Shakira’s upcoming English-language album, due in March, has a lead single that’s enjoyably ska-tinged—another left turn in a career full of them. —AH Shakira’s voice is more limber and supple than in the past, and she deftly…

With the launch of debut single “You Sound Good to Me” on Jan. 7, “Pretty Little Liars” actress Lucy Hale finally jump-started the music career she began pursuing a decade ago. The country-pop offering debuts at No. 88 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 21 on Hot Country Songs, and sold 42,000 downloads in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It’s the Hot Shot Debut on both charts, and the best opening for a solo female artist on Hot Country Songs since Danielle Bradbery’s “The Heart of Dixie” bowed at No. 16 last August. Meanwhile, its offcial music video has earned 1.3 million YouTube views since debuting concurrently with the song last week. Hale’s starring role on the ABC Family hit helped ensure a high-profle launch…

8 MONTHS AGO After singing on Rudimental’s 2012 hit “Feel the Love,” Newman struck out on his own with “Love Me Again,” which premiered on Vevo in May and rose to No. 1 on the United Kingdom’s Official Singles chart in July. Island Records scheduled the album for Oct. 14 in Britain, but Republic, Newman’s U.S. label, held it back. “Love Me Again” debuted stateside on Aug. 29 on CBS Radio, before going to top 40 and adult top 40 on Sept. 17. “We used the great stories coming from the U.K. to solidify interest,” Republic executive VP of marketing Jim Roppo says. U.S. fans got a sneak peek of Tribute with the EP Love Me Again on Oct. 14. The title track was named iTunes’ Single of the Week.…

Q&A Idina Menzel Your work on the “Frozen” soundtrack is scaling the Billboard Hot 100: “Let It Go” is No. 25 this week, while “For the First Time in Forever,” with co-star Kristen Bell, is No. 65. How did you get involved with the film? They actually saw me for [2010 film] “Tangled” originally. I went in and sang, and the casting director [Jamie Sparer Roberts] saved it on her phone without telling me. I didn’t get the gig, but she kept me in mind for “Frozen,” knowing it was in the early stages. This is one of the few Disney films without a male love interest, like a Prince Charming type. I feel so proud to be a part of this project, because they broke down a lot of…

1929-2014 Attorney Donald Engel, whose groundbreaking legal victories for Olivia Newton-John and other musical acts snapped a record-industry stranglehold by freeing artists from their contracts, has died. He was 84. Engel, who also successfully represented Donna Summer, Teena Marie and Boston’s Tom Scholz in key court cases, died Jan. 15 in Redwood City, Calif., after a long battle with leukemia, attorney Mark Passin of Los Angelesbased Robins Kaplan Miller & Ciresi told the Hollywood Reporter. Engel specialized in representing performers who were reeling from their contracts, and record companies often chose to settle rather than litigate when they were informed that he was hired. His clients also included musical artists Don Henley, the Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, Cher, Dixie Chicks, Rod Stewart, Van Halen, Leiber & Stoller; and…

Bob Frank Co-Founder/President, Qello Founder/CEO, Bob Frank Entertainment What did you wake up thinking about this morning? Qello is launching a separately branded children’s platform that will be a big deal this year, and every morning I wake up thinking about the launch. The content deals for the launch are being wrapped up now. We have one major international broadcast deal that is in the ninth inning and we hope to have it wrapped up by MIDEM. Also, I woke up wearing my Bob Frank Entertainment record-business hat. We have quite a few distribution deals ready to close that we will plug into my deal with RED in the U.S. Describe a lesson you’ve learned from a failure. I have failed many times but true failure is about not getting…

TOURING Facility management firm Global Spectrum, which manages more than 120 public-assembly facilities around the globe, appoints Hank Abate senior VP of arenas and stadiums. He will relocate from Pittsburgh to Global Spectrum’s Philadelphia headquarters and report to COO John Page. A veteran of the facility management world, Abate has spent the last 20 years at SMG, most recently serving as senior VP of arenas and stadiums. In that role, he oversaw 70 nationwide venues and supervised the recent opening of Pittsburgh’s 18,500-capacity Consol Energy CenCenter. In related news, Global Spectrum parent company Comcast-Spectacor recently named Dave Scott acting president/COO following the departure of president/COO Peter Luukko. LABELS Epic Records promotes Benny Pough to executive VP. He was executive VP of urban music. Warner Music Group promotes Kris Ahrend to…

DIGITAL DOMAIN ALEX PHAM @ALEXPHAM Loud And Clearer At CES, high-resolution audio was one of the highlights. But can quality win over convenience? One of the key messages at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas was the promotion of high-resolution audio, a new digital format that labels, device makers and retailers see as a way to potentially revive fagging download sales. Put simply, high-resolution audio (HRA) refers to the way music is digitally captured in the form of computerized bits. The highest rate is 24-bit sound samples taken 192,000 times per second. CDs are generally captured at a rate of 16-bit samples taken 44,056 times a second. The idea is that more bits can lead to better sound. If widely embraced by consumers, a new format gives…

U2 held court after the 71st annual Golden Globe Awards on Jan. 12, toasting its “Mandela” win with Sean Combs, manager Guy Oseary and Taylor Swift. Jared Leto, Lady Gaga, Jimmy Iovine and Usher made the rounds at the Beverly Hilton, home to the Globes and its many after-parties. 1Power seat: After Bono officially introduced new manager Guy Oseary when U2 accepted the Golden Globe for best original song for “Ordinary Love,” from the “Mandela” soundtrack, the singer welcomed him to the winners’ table at the Weinstein Co./Netflix after-party at the Trader Vic’s Lounge in the Beverly Hilton. Celebrating the victory (from right) were Bono and his wife, designer Ali Hewson; Oseary; and Sean Combs, who was a presenter. 2 Though Taylor Swift (center) didn’t nab a Globe for “Sweeter…

There was a time when DJ purists would turn up their noses at anyone using digital controllers at gigs. “That’s not the case anymore,” in Music’s Adam Cohen says. Digital technology now dominates shows and studio recordings. “I’ll bet you almost every one of the top 10 tracks [on the Billboard Hot 100] is computer generated,” NAMM president/CEO Joe Lamond adds. That’s why this year NAMM is highlighting EDM for the first time with DJ sets and audio expos , panels featuring the Crystal Method’s Ken Jordan and Grammy Award-nominated DJ/producer BT hosting the Technical Excellence & Creativity Awards . And don’t expect the EDM theme to be a one-of at NAMM. With brands like Universal Audio partne ring with Diplo and the Glitch Mob, EDM acts are picking up…

“I love Howard for his truth, humor and fearlessness whenever I go on his show. He tries to find out how many times I got laid when I was in the Beatles. I find the best way to deal with him is to adopt the attitude of a slightly disapproving elder brother, as questions like that are none of his business. He still asks them and I love him for it.” —Paul McCartney “Howard is the coolest, hands down. You’re never being interviewed by Howard, you’re having a conversation with him. Two guys shooting the shit. Howard always makes his guests feel at ease, and he is without a doubt the absolute best at what he does. You never quite know where it’s going next, and that impulsivity and lack…

Rob Hallett President of international touring, AEG Live Thomas Miserendino President/CEO, AEG Europe John Cappo President/CEO, AEG China Anshutz Entertainment Group was a global model from its inception, and the same can be said for its touring arm, AEG Live. Rob Hallett, president of international touring, “looks after” AEG Live’s world tours when they venture of North American shores. This year, that included Bon Jovi, the highest-grossing tour of 2013, and Justin Bieber, which Hallett steered through Europe and Central and South America. He also has been working with Leonard Cohen for six years around the globe. AEG doesn’t have offices in every territory but Hallett has strategic alliances with promoters worldwide. “There are not many countries in the world where I don’t have [relationships],” he says. Also on behalf…

CEO Fred Casimir Executive VP of international repertoire BMG Rights Management Since launching the company in 2008, Hartwig Masuch has navigated BMG Rights Management’s growth to become the third-largest music publisher in the world, behind Sony/ATV, which also manages the EMI Music Publishing catalog, and Universal Music Publishing Group. But from the get-go, the company also included recorded music in its strategic plans and 2013 was the year the company started busting moves to establish itself as a force to be reckoned with on that side as well. Fred Casimir was recently appointed to head that effort. ”Our biggest challenge is to extend our market position and to replicate the success we have had in publishing,” Casimir says. BMG Artist Services, thanks to the acquisition of the Sanctuary and Mute…

Camilo Durana Global director Budweiser Sports & Entertainment The Budweiser Made in America Festival, founded in 2012, was a calculated risk to create a branded experience around music—albeit curated and headlined by Jay Z, who proved to be a big draw. Not only did the first year sell $5 million worth of tickets, but it provided a model for a music program that’s being adapted for 85 countries under the tag line “Made for Music.” Camilo Durana leads a global team at Anheuser-Busch that has already partnered with Jay Z and Rihanna for global ad campaigns, and a program that helps position Budweiser as a premium lager in developing territories like Brazil and China. “Both Rihanna and Jay Z have incredible stories that click perfectly with what Budweiser stands for,…

Christian Tattersfield CEO, Good Soldier Chairman, BRITs Committee For four years, from August 2009 to September 2013, Christian Tattersfeld held the post of CEO at Warner Music U.K. and chairman of Warner Bros. Records U.K. During his time at the helm, Tattersfeld had sustained success, growing revenue and increasing Warner’s domestic market share. “I wanted to cultivate an environment where artists could achieve their full potential, and I believe we have achieved that,” says Tattersfeld, who stepped down from the top job last year to form independent music company Good Soldier, which contains recording and publishing divisions. The latter has already scored big through publishing deals with the 1975 and Birdy, while his overall goal for Good Soldier is simple: “We’re single-minded in our focus,” he says, “which is to…

John Reid President, Live Nation Europe Concerts Michael Coppel President, Live Nation Australasia Alan Ridgeway President, Live Nation International and Emerging Markets John Reid oversees all European business for the world’s largest promoter, which includes 36 festivals (as well as those booked by Live Nation) and by far the biggest promoter network in Europe. Live Nation Europe enjoyed a strong year, especially with festivals in Holland, Belgium and in the United Kingdom with Reading, Leeds, Creamfields, Download and the Electric Daisy Carnival. While the growth of the U.S. festival market garners much attention, European music fans embraced the experience decades earlier, resulting in a more mature market with its own challenges. “The festivals had a phenomenal year across the board,” Reid says. Beyond them, “the show count overall was much,…

Richard Griffiths & Harry Magee Co-founders Modest! Management Richard Grifths and Harry Magee’s achievements in orchestrating One Direction’s global conquest might be a case study in distilling vast collective industry experience into an international mission. But Modest! is far more than a one-band samba, representing U.K. pop staples Olly Murs and Little Mix, veteran vocalist Alison Moyet and others, with offices in London, Australia and New York. The executives still run the business by feel, with “no specifc breakdown of different responsibilities,” Grifths says. In 1D world, 2014 looks likely to be even bigger than the year that preceded it. “With our stadium tour, we’re going to be playing to probably 2 million people” outside the United States, he adds. “Doing our first European tour last year was great—we did…

In addition to the individual executives and companies in our International Power Players report, we have reserved this place of honor for those executives who lead essential industry organizations or associations. Performing rights organizations (PROs) worldwide are, to a great degree, responsible for the financial health of the music industry through their payment of performance royalties to songwriters, composers and publishers, fulfilling the same role as ASCAP, BMI and SESAC, their counterparts in the United States. In early 2013, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry reported that performance rights revenue was the fastest-growing sector in the music industry, rising 9.4% to $943 million for the 2012 fiscal year, up from $862 million in 2011. In the top five music markets outside the United States (as ranked in IFPI’s 2013…

Edgar Berger President/CEO of international Sony Music Entertainment For Edgar Berger, whose purview encompasses all business outside the United States, Sony Music International’s success stories for 2013 include One Direction (biggest-selling album of the year in the United Kingdom), Celine Dion (Canada), Maitre Gims (France) and Andrea Berg (Germany). And that’s without factoring in the overseas success of such stateside hitmakers as Justin Timberlake, Daft Punk, Miley Cyrus and Pink, whose The Truth About Love made history as the first to claim honors as Australia’s biggest-selling album for two consecutive years. Among other acts generating notable buzz: Fedez (Italy), Abraham Mateo (Spain) and Caspar (Germany). In addition to entering new markets like Peru, the company acquired the Now! brand in Europe. Berger says that his—and the industry’s—biggest lesson of 2013…

Alexander Ljung Co-founder/CEO SoundCloud SoundCloud’s Alexander Ljung is making some noise on the international digital-music stage. The co-founder/CEO of the Berlin-based social-sound service, Ljung oversees the strategy and spreads the vision at one of the few social-media colossi from outside the United States. Its 250 million active monthly users are one-quarter of Facebook’s reach, but the “freemium” service boasts 40 million registered uploaders of mostly music. Meanwhile, recent partnerships with Google+ and Instagram further push its growth potential. Numerous 2013 accolades include Time’s 50 Best Websites and the European Commission-backed European Tech Entrepreneurs of the Year. No wonder it’s been dubbed the “Twitter of music.” With 200-plus staf at offices in San Francisco, London, New York and Sofa, Bulgaria, Ljung is constantly moving. “The ambition is to ‘unmute the Web,’…

Fernando Alterio CEO Time 4 Fun Fernando Alterio runs Time 4 Fun, the leading Brazilian concert promoter in an exploding South American concert market. T4F was the fourth-highestgrossing promoter in the world in 2013, according to Billboard Boxscore, reporting grosses of more than $176 million and attendance of more than 2.4 million from 900-plus shows. T4F has received the top independent promoter (international) honor at the Billboard Touring Awards four of the last five years. Under Alterio, TF4 presented some massive concerts in 2013, none bigger than Black Sabbath and Megadeth at Campo de Marte in São Paulo, which grossed more than $7 million from attendance of 67,770. T4F also promoted the two metal bands in Rio de Janeiro ($3.2 million), Porto Alegre ($3.1 million) and Belo Horizonte ($1.6 million)…

Rob Wells President of global digital business Universal Music Group Rob Wells is the person responsible for growing the digital business at the world’s largest music company, Universal Music Group. As president of global digital business, he leads the company’s strategic development across its divisions, identifying the platforms of the future and building strategic partnerships. Wells has led UMG’s digital business since 2010. Prior to that he was senior VP of the international division. UMG chairman/CEO Lucian Grainge called him “instrumental” to the company’s success on digital platforms when Wells was named to UMG’s executive board in May.…

Robert Bakish President/CEO Viacom International Media Networks Robert Bakish is responsible for Viacom’s media networks, including MTV and BET, outside the United States. Besides setting up owned-and-operated MTV networks in Brazil and Russia in October—outlets there were previously licensed—MTV looks to expand the multiplatform efforts it has initiated around major events like its European Music Awards. “MTV Hottest,” primarily a U.K. event, connected Twitter, the network and its website, bringing in 120 million fan votes to determine the year’s most popular act. (One Direction won.) Such contests, Bakish says, “will broaden geographically on a country-by-country basis” in the coming years. With more than 60 MTV channels, multiplatform efforts that attract sponsorship dollars (and allow them to monetize Twitter efforts) will continue, especially with programming and contests that lead up to…

Max Lousada CEO, Warner Music U.K. Chairman, Atlantic Records U.K. When Christian Tattersfeld stepped down from the top spot at Warner Music U.K. last fall, Max Lousada was the obvious first choice as successor. Chairman of Atlantic Records U.K. since 2004, Lousada has enjoyed huge domestic and international success through breakout home-grown acts Ed Sheeran, Plan B, Rudimental, Birdy, Rumer, Paolo Nutini and James Blunt, as well as overseeing U.K. campaigns for Atlantic’s international roster. Now CEO at Warner Music’s U.K. arm, his remit has grown to include labels Rhino, Reprise, Roadrunner, Nonesuch, 679, Warner Music Entertainment, Warner Bros. Records and the newly acquired Parlophone, which was integrated into the company last year. “Bringing the Parlophone label into Warner Music U.K. was a huge milestone for us, which went way…

Simon Fuller Founder/owner XIX Entertainment On New Year’s Day, BBC Radio 2 began airing a radio documentary on Simon Fuller where he shared his thoughts on creating “Pop Idol,” one of TV’s most successful formats; launching the Spice Girls; and his taste in music. One element that’s a constant in his successes: Fuller believes in working at home first. “I would always prefer to have a massive success in the home market first and then look to break worldwide,” Fuller says. “People expect the place of origin to deliver a hit first, and it gives confdence to every other country if this is the case. It isn’t essential, and I have a number of examples where this hasn’t been the case. But a perfect strategy would always include your home…

When MIDEM convenes in Cannes Feb. 1-4, the event will once again draw participants from more corners of the globe than any other music business conference. In 2013, more than 6,400 participants from 75 countries and 3,000 companies participated in MIDEM, which is now in its 48th year. How can one get a grasp on the numerous offerings at MIDEM? Billboard offers this guide to 14 points to watch at MIDEM in 2014 from a trans-Atlantic perspective, as compiled by senior editorial analyst Glenn Peoples in the United States and contributor Richard Smirke in the United Kingdom. Note that event times are subject to change. Find updates at MIDEM.com. 1. The Global Village Of The Music Industry MIDEM is like the Olympics of the music business. Although no medals will…

Diane Michaels, triple A KPND Spokane, Wash. Bruce Springsteen, “High Hopes.” The Boss is back and in fine form, taking guitarist Tom Morello along for the ride. I miss the late Clarence Clemons, but Tom gives this a nice edge. Great rocking anthem for our social and political climate. Walk Off the Earth, “Gang of Rhythm.” This group first surprised me with their clever adaption of Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know.” They built their fan base by themselves, with help from labels, managers and agents, and then teamed up with Columbia. They’ll see much success this year. Frank Turner, “The Way I Tend to Be.” I recently saw him perform and loved his folk/punk sensibilities. I love folk with an edge. A very engaging artist to see live.…

The race to create the perfect mobile music player has been ongoing, and Beat by Monkey Bits is an app that fips the script on what’s already been tried by creating a stripped-down, gesture-based player for iOS. Not to be confused with Beats Music, the streaming music service helmed by Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre, the Beat app was created by Monkey Bits, a mobile/Web user-interface design company based in Serbia. The free app’s latest version for iOS was released in November. Beat isn’t a streaming service or music discovery app—it’s simply a music interface. The app is currently limited to playing tracks that users already have on their phone, but support for iTunes Match is forthcoming. The screen gestures that control the app are intuitive and easy to use.…

NBC’s presentation of the 71st annual Golden Globe Awards aired on Jan. 12, bringing with it millions of viewers and a high-profle win for U2 and Danger Mouse. U2’s “Ordinary Love,” written by the band and Danger Mouse, won the best original song trophy, beating out contenders from Taylor Swift, the “Frozen” soundtrack and Justin Timberlake. 6% 20.9M The Globes were the top non-sports program of the week, scoring 20.9 million viewers, according to Nielsen, up 6% compared with last year’s 19.7 million. It was the most-watched Globes since 2004, when the telecast tallied 26.8 million viewers. 131% 7K U2 and Danger Mouse took home the best original song award for “Ordinary Love,” from “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.” Sales of the song jumped 131% to nearly 7,000 downloads for…

Brotherly Love Although the Swon Brothers gained valuable exposure as finalists on the fourth season of NBC’s “The Voice,” they’re out shaking hands at country radio to promote their first radio single, “Later On,” which gains traction below Billboard’s Country Airplay chart. Muskogee, Okla., natives Zach and Colton Swon are preparing their first studio album for Arista Nashville. The pair performed the set’s lead track on “The Voice” on Dec. 10—released digitally the same day, it has sold 30,000 downloads, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Kodaline Surges Stateside After Dublin-based quartet Kodaline entered the United Kingdom’s Official Albums chart at No. 3 in July with debut effort In a Perfect World, RCA has made inroads with the band in the United States. Lead single “All I Want” was featured on MTV’s…

Trend Report: Billboard Hot 100 Songs By Streams, Airplay And Sales This week, Billboard looks at the current Billboard Hot 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 rating. The graphic below shows the five songs with the greatest percentage of points in sales, airplay or steams. 1 DJ SNAKE & LIL JON This week’s rank: 51 Sales: 80% Airplay: 4% Streams: 16% Sales are leading the way for the buzzworthy dance hit. The track holds at No. 2 on Dance/Electronic Digital Songs with 74,000 downloads sold in the Nielsen SoundScan tracking week ending Jan. 12. It’s sold 359,000 to date. The tune’s latest…