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Eagerly awaited albums from Daft Punk and The Civil Wars make Columbia’s formidable release schedule even more impressive, as Rob Stringer and his team look to follow a historic year with a strong second-half run in 2013.

I.B. BAD: IT’S ALL ABOUT THE SONG

…And the Line Forms Behind the Quintessential Song Man, Publishing Legend Marty Bandier
With the complex acquisition of EMI Music Publishing, consistently #1 in marketshare during his tenure, Sony/ATV chieftain Marty Bandier has emerged as the dominant player in the publishing business. Does the renowned executive have any serious rivals, or will any emerge in the coming years? Here are some of music publishing’s other stars and stars-in-waiting.

Prior to the combining of Sony/ATV and EMP, Universal Music Publishing, now led by Bandier protégé Evan Lamberg, was on top of the heap, a position it attained following the acquisition of BMG Music in 2007. An all-new BMG, which arrived a year later, has been extremely acquisitive under the leadership of Hartwig Masuch and Laurent Hubert, picking up such jewels as Chrysalis and Bug Music. Since the 2010 arrival of Cameron Strang, struggling Warner/Chappell has dramatically reversed its fortunes, and the recent addition of Big Jon Platt (another Bandier protégé) as creative head makes WCM even more formidable.

Gaining strength in the indie sector are Larry Mestel’s multi-dimensional Primary Wave and Matt Pincus’ employee-owned SONGS. Among the newest players is Big Deal Music, led by former Chrysalis U.S. head Kenny MacPherson, which has inked an admin deal with BMG.

And not to be overlooked are Bandier’s two chief executives, Jody Gerson and Danny Strick, who are leaving a large footprint in the space.

No one in the business would dispute that Justin Timberlake’s The 20/20 Experience is the story of the year. The RCA album continues to steamroll at retail, this week’s 76k tally bringing it close to 1.7m, with no slowdown in sight—and a second volume coming this fall.

The other 2013 success stories involve 2012 albums that have continued their momentum into this year, starting with The Truth About Love, from Timberlake’s labelmate P!nk, released 32 weeks ago, which adds 30k this week to a year-to-date total of 460k, bringing the life-of-album figure to 1.4m, with three hit singles significantly enriching the TEA number.

The hit list also includes Bruno Mars (out 20 weeks, 25k this week, 752k YTD, 1.26m overall), Interscope’s Imagine Dragons (34 weeks, 21k this week, 425k YTD, 863k overall), Dualtone’s Lumineers (56 weeks, 15k this week, 530k YTD, 1.22m overall), Glassnote’s Mumford & Sons (31 weeks, 17k this week, 763k YTD, 2.24m overall) and DIY sensations Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (29 weeks, 28k this week, 423k YTD, 637k overall).

Will Random Access Memories from Columbia’s globally buzzing Daft Punk become the second 2013 release to launch into the stratosphere when it hits in three weeks? Will the current 300k+ first-week projection hold up, or even increase, behind a growing radio story on lead single “Get Lucky”? Let the handicapping begin.

Label President Ashley Newton, who signed Daft Punk with Columbia ruler Rob Stringer, has some history with the duo, having inked them to their first deal as the MD of Virgin U.K. in 1996.

Stringer is on a roll right now. In addition to Daft Punk, the label emerged victorious following an industrywide pursuit of the self-titled second album from The Civil Wars, in partnership with Nate Yetton’s indie sensibility. Just about every major label jumped on the bandwagon after hearing the completed record, which has drawn raves across the board, one label head raving, “It’s an absolute stunner, an instant classic.” The deal was made by Stringer and L.A.-based A&R hitter Mark Williams.

These two eagerly awaited albums make Columbia’s formidable release schedule even more impressive, as Stringer and his team look to follow a historic year with a strong second-half run in 2013.

Are Scooter Braun and Justin Bieber about to announce a deal of massive proportions?

The Jackson Family vs. AEG trial began on Monday with a powerful opening argument from plaintiffs’ attorney Brian Parish, who read excerpts from seemingly incriminating emails sent by AEG Live head Randy Phillips. Many in the industry are hoping that a guilty verdict will finally be the end of the line for Phillips, who has gained a reputation over the years for what some describe as a chronic inability to tell the truth—as acts like Usher, Lionel Richie and Prince know all too well.

If he’s found culpable of talking out of both sides of his mouth in a desperate attempt to keep Michael Jackson ambulatory for his 50-date O2 Arena run, as the email trail suggests, and as several witnesses are expected to corroborate, these could be the untruths that seal Phillips’ fate, once and for all.

Names in the rumor mill: John Branca, Doug McVehil, Ashley Burns, John Janick, Brandon Creed and Joel Klaiman.
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