Radio Edit | 8.14.23

Taking a break from planning Sunday’s charity event for his management client Machine Gun Kelly, Andre Cisco sat down with us to talk about everything they have planned for MGK Day, both present and future.

August 13th was officially declared 'MGK Day' in Cleveland last year- the same week as his sold out show at NRG Stadium, home of the Cleveland Browns. Can you give us a little background on how this recognition came to be?

MGK’s love for his hometown is no secret. As a north star, he’s always dreamt of selling out his hometown stadium. So, after we finally sold out the stadium and performed, the amazing Mayor recognized his impact and set the stage for a day of celebration in Cleveland. However, MGK didn’t want to make the day about him, but use it as a day to celebrate the city and expose others to his hometown.

This year, you're throwing an event in Cleveland on that day aimed at bringing the local community together through food, music, and philanthropy. Which organizations are you looking to support through this event?

The goal of MGK Day is to highlight and support the heart and soul of Cleveland: The local creators, entrepreneurs, businesses, community orgs and especially The Cleveland Metro School District, which is fostering the next generation of creative talent coming out of our city.

Looking at the ticket site, it looks like admission is free for those who commit to bringing a school supply donation with them to the event- which is amazing. How has it been working with the Cleveland Metro School District as a collaborative partner on this initiative?

We’re happy for the opportunity to provide support in as many areas as we can, and to show our appreciation for all of the hard work the Cleveland Metro School District does. First we want to support the kids by helping cross as many supply needs off their lists as possible. The district has been wonderful to work with, and we want nothing more than to support the educators that get the entire community started on the right foot.

In addition to music, you'll also be showcasing the work of local painters, sculptors, and fine artists. How are you curating this selection of artists to showcase?

One of our most important initiatives of this event was to highlight the local artists of Cleveland. MGK Day is not just about one person, it is about the power of the influence of art and bringing the community together to celebrate creativity and connection. We sought out artists of all mediums through social media in hopes to take their artistic vision and talent to the people of the city to experience in real life.

Can you talk a little bit about MGK's relationship with the city of Cleveland and why it's clearly so important to both him and your team?

Cleveland is where MGK became who he is today as a person and an artist. Its his roots. The influence of the city is so clear in his music and his life. From the food, culture, sports teams and of course MGK concerts, make the city incomparable to any other place in the world. He loves Cleveland and being given this official day is one of the greatest honors for him and our team, so we needed to celebrate big and give back to the city as much as possible!

What do you see MGK Day looking like 10 years from now?

Over the next ten years we plan to build facilities and platforms that foster future creative talent coming out of Cleveland that function year round and not just on one day. The 10 year anniversary of MGK Day will be a celebration of a decade of building up resources that support young talent and bring an economic boost to the local community and creative industries. By year 10, the event will encompass the entire downtown community, similar to a SXSW or New Orleans Jazz Festival, and will include a week-long schedule of events, showcasing all things Cleveland. We plan to be fundraising on an even larger scale, giving back to the education and beautification of the city and creating an annual event where people can be present with their families and friends; a day of community and fun.

If you're interested in helping MGK and his team support the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, please consider donating here!

Grammy Submissions

With the Grammy submission process already in full swing, we thought it would be helpful to to include a little FAQ with some key dates

How can I submit my work or the work of one of my clients? There are two ways to submit a project for Grammy consideration: the first is through your membership account if you’re an Academy member, and the second is to register as a media company.

How do I know if my project is eligible? The current eligibility period runs from October 1st, 2022 - September 15, 2023. Note that tracks have a two year shelf life in genre categories so even if a track came out before Oct 1st, you can still submit it, provided it wasn’t submitted last year.

Does it cost money to submit? Yes, standard pricing runs from Aug 1 - 23 ($95/entry for media companies, $75 for members) and deadline pricing runs from Aug 24-31 ($125/entry for both). *Note: members are given 5 courtesy entries

It’s my first time submitting, any tips? Here’s a helpful video on how to submit your music to the Grammy process

Financial tools for labels

Operating as a new brand and business under Stem, the distribution services company has launched Tone in an effort to create modern financial tools for the music industry. For labels, Tone seeks to simplify and streamline royalty processing by ingesting sales/cost data and determining royalty figures across their entire roster.

Per their press release, “Artists receive statements that are mobile-friendly and easy to understand. And the dashboard shows all recipients—artists, songwriters, producers, and everyone else—how their work is performing across time and across platforms.”

Noting the impact that streamlined royalty processing will have on smaller labels’ ability to scale their business, early adopters of the service include A-Trak’s Fool’s Gold Records and 3LAU’s Blume Records.

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SIGNINGS

Grandson has signed with Rupert Lincoln at Hills Artists

Ten Atoms has added Regina Spektor to management roster

Kim Petras has signed with CAA for touring; will be repped by Chris Ibbs and Christian Carino

Brandon Creed and Lydia Asrat will co-manage Normani

Ivan Cornejo has signed with Interscope

Warner Music Latina adds Belinda to roster

LIVE | TOURING

CAA rumored to undergo round of layoffs; rumored to impact about 60 staff members

LABEL | PUBLISHING

Steve Carless announces launch of Defiant Records under Warner

Newly-launched SYCO Publishing will sign/develop songwriters and catalogs that will be administered and supported exclusively through UMPG

SM Entertainment has announced plans to launch Kreation Music Rights, a new publishing arm for for the South Korean entertainment behemoth

Round Hill Music has acquired the remainder of the Big Loud Shirt catalog

TECH | SOCIAL

TikTok announces ‘Gimme The Mic:’ a music contest show allowing musicians to showcase their talent on the platform’s livestream

New AI firm Futureverse has created a text-to-music model they hope “works with the music industry”

APPOINTMENTS

Ultra Records has named Alexander Vazelakis was named head of A&R

Joie Manda’s Platinum Grammar Publishing adds three senior executives: Matt Spiller (General Manager), Adrian Nunez (Head of A&R) and Leetal Nissenbaum (EVP of Global Sync & Strategic Operations)

Concord Label Group has appointed Tom Becci as chief executive; will oversee Concord’s recorded music division, including frontline label and catalog operations.

Alice Kent hired as GM of Universal Music Singapore

SiriusXM has promoted Jen Leiweke to vice president of artist and industry relations

Also at Sirius, Marigo Mihalos was promoted to vice president, where she’ll oversee the entertainment booking team specializing in film, TV, and lifestyle

Back Blocks Music, a Nashville-based publishing and artist dev company, has rounded out its team with Autumn Ledgin (senior director, A&R) and Elizabeth Cook (creative coordinator)

Tash Shah has been appointed vp, international at TuneCore

Hey! We are Lunch Club, an artist management services and special projects company. We work on some cool stuff, and you can too. We're looking to expand our network of creatives across the world, so whether you are a photographer, graphic designer, drone pilot, colorist... we want to meet you! Fill out this form if interested!

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