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Radio Edit

Radio Edit

3.3.2023

Radio Edit Team
March 03, 2023

This week we have increased investor attention towards hip-hop catalogs, a Brooklyn venue’s new membership program, and a look at how teams can proactively manage their artist’s mental wellness.

Other stories include a refocus on how Tidal is investing in artists on the platform and a busy week for TikTok.

Top Stories

Big sales from Dr. Dre and Future spark increased catalog interest in hip-hop

While the barrage of publishing catalog acquisitions was initially focused primarily on legacy rock and pop acts, recent catalog sales by Dr. Dre (~$200mm), Future ($70mm) and Juice WRLD (nine figures) have sparked increased interest in hip-hop catalogs of late. Prior to these deals, hip-hop made up a slim percentage of catalog acquisitions with investors citing concerns over their unknown long term popularity and the collaborative nature of the genre oftentimes resulting in many writers sharing the publishing of a song.

When assessing the value of a songwriter’s catalog, investors often look at the artist’s decay curve- “a period in the life of a song when its popularity wanes and eventually reaches a state of predictable income generation.” As the evaluation of a song’s decay curve is informed by the historical performance of other songs in the genre, recent factors like the previously-mentioned catalog sales and hip-hop’s 50th anniversary milestone have led to an increased appetite for hip-hop catalog investment.

Taking a strategic approach to capitalizing on the genre’s culture around sampling and collaboration, catalog rights companies like Hipgnosis are opening their catalogs to platforms like Beatclub, where producers can sample their catalogs and give their songs new life. As long as streaming is the primary driver of revenue for these catalog investments, expect investors to increase focus on streaming’s most popular genre. Billboard

As artists continue to cancel tours citing mental health concerns, what can be done on the front end to manage artists’ mental health needs

Earlier this week, Justin Bieber announced that he would be canceling more of his Justice tour dates, with speculation it's due to mental health concerns, which previously impacted earlier dates on the tour. With more and more instances of artists canceling or postponing concerts for mental health purposes, we thought it would be a good time to check in with our friend Ashley Daily, an artist manager working on providing a platform for artists and their teams to manage an artists’ mental health as they navigate their career and grueling tour schedules.

You're a vocal advocate for the prioritization of an artist's mental health and are even working on a program that pairs artists with an artist wellness coach through your management company, Breakroom 17. Can you explain exactly what an AWC is, what they do for an artist, what differentiates them from a traditional therapist, and how they fit into an artist’s broader team? Artist Wellness Coaching is a new initiative within the music industry designed to preventatively support and guide Breakroom17’s artists through mental health and wellness challenges posed by pursuing a career in the music industry. [We accomplish this] by providing them 24/7 access to a licensed therapist with music industry experience. The AWC is a crucial part to the artist team: they are the only person on the artist team whose sole responsibility, purpose, and interest is to advocate, strengthen, and protect the artist’s mental and emotional well-being. Our AWC meets with artists on a weekly or biweekly basis, as a therapist might, but is available to them 24/7, unlike a therapist. This has proven very helpful for our touring clients who need flexibility. An AWC sits at the same table as the manager, agent, attorney, A&R, etc. to advocate on behalf of the artist and help the team create a highly efficient ecosystem for the artist to thrive in, eliminating potential challenges before they arise and resolving conflict, whether that be internal conflict the artist is working through or external team conflict, in real-time.

Over the last few years we've seen more and more examples of artists canceling or postponing tour dates to prioritize their mental health. It's obviously great that artists now feel empowered to do this knowing it will disappoint fans, but could more be done ahead of time within the artist's camp to prevent this from being a last resort? Or is this more so just an example of a team rolling with the punches and listening to their artist? More can be done inside of the artist’s camp to prevent artists from reaching mental and physical breaking points. Canceling a tour should be a last resort, not the industry standard answer to mental health or artist-wellness challenges. Record labels and management companies need to have a long, hard think about whether it’s worth continuing to perpetuate the industry's bad habit of being reactive to artist mental health challenges: it’s hurting your bottom line. Preventative care for artists is actually in the best interest of all parties connected to an artist’s career; if the artist is able to sustain a blossoming career in the music industry because active steps are being taken to ensure their health, they actually operate at a higher “peak” performance and thus make more money (and the entities connected to the artists stop losing millions on canceled tours).

Where can we find more information on the work you’re doing with the AWC program? Follow @breakroom17, and come to one of our Break Rooms, our live music series, in support of mental health and entrepreneurship in music. [Our AWC] Michael Dorren, Ph.D. speaks in depth about the Artist Wellness Coaching program and music industry specific challenges, as well as how an artist or artist team may overcome them.

Brooklyn venue Elsewhere launches membership program

Brooklyn’s Elsewhere has announced a new multi-tier membership program, designed to incentivize more patrons to attend shows and further build out a sense of community around the venue. The membership tiers are as follows:

Tier 1: Freaks With Benefits ($2/mo)- free coat check, ability to skip the line, and access to the venue’s private Discord channel
Tier 2: Sonic Explorer ($6/mo)- all the perks that come with the FWB tier plus 50% off unlimited tickets for the member and a guest
Tier 3: Patron Saint ($30/mo)- all above tier benefits plus free entry to shows and parties, 50% off tickets for a guest, access to reserved tickets for sold-out shows, and free merch

Given that only about 15% of Elsewhere’s shows sell out, the thinking was “How can we incentivize people to show up to those events that they otherwise probably would not have come to because they’re unfamiliar with the artist. The new program helps drive more customers to the venue, which means more artist discovery, more bar and merch sales and better-attended shows,” says Elsewhere co-founder Jake Rosenthal. After beta testing the program since late last year, the venue is optimistic for its success after 600 people applied for the initial 50 slots in just 48 hours. Billboard

What Else Is Going On

Signings

Peermusic signs songwriting team The Stereotypes to worldwide publishing admin deal

Label

UMG announces new partnership with Deezer focused on creating new streaming model

Streaming

Deezer boosts revenue 13% after employing B2B strategy

Spotify launches RADAR Songwriter development program

Tidal ditches ‘direct artist payout’ program; shifts focus to emerging artists

Live / Touring

Nine years and 87 shows later, Billy Joel’s MSG residency has now grossed over $200mm

Glastonbury announces 2023 lineup

Tech / Social

TikTok announces 60-minute screen time limit for minors

A look at the manpower that goes into AI music market

How Brooklyn music venue Elsewhere uses Discord to build community

White House orders removal of TikTok app from all US government devices. Canada invokes their own ban

Appointments / Departures

Appointments

Island Records promotes Erika Clark to VP, Media Relations

Venice Music brings on Fadia Kader as EVP & GM

The Syndicate has announced promotions for Amy Tremmel (SVP, Marketing and Events), Brendan Bourke (VP, Publicity), and Joe McGinnis (VP, Radio Promotions)

BPI taps Jo Twist as CEO

Nzinga “Zing” Shaw hired as Recording Academy’s Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer

Web3 music streaming platform Audius brings on Shamal Ranasinghe as Chief Business Officer

UMPG appoints Shirin Foroutan to SVP and GM, Europe

Featured Shows

Los Angeles | Mar 4 | Jawny / Wallice | El Rey | Tickets

Nashville | Mar 5 | Emotional Oranges | Eastside Bowl | Tickets

NYC | Mar 5 | Nessa Barrett | Terminal 5 | Tickets

London | Mar 6 | Panic! At The Disco | O2 | Tickets

Featured Releases

Slowthai / UGLY (A) / Method

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