THE KING ENTERTAINS HIS COURT

Lucian Grainge—the music industry’s certified #1 power player (you can look it up)—presided over his third annual UMG artist showcase at the Ace Theatre on Saturday afternoon in front of a who's who of UMG execs worldwide as well as the most prominent industry gatekeepers. It was posh and exclusive, yet we somehow managed to sneak in a nobody disguised as a somebody to recap the festivities. Here’s our spy’s dispatch.

The presentation kicked off with one of the company’s biggest hits of 2014, Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy,” after which Grainge addressed the room from his table. There would be no pyro today, he explained, just music. Sam Smith then took the stage to sing two songs, including “Stay With Me,” accompanied only by a piano. “It’s good to keep my mind off what’s happening by singing, so thank you for having me,” he said with characteristic humility.

The body of the showcase alternated between sizzle reels and live performances from Tori Kelly (who, when she nailed the riffing high notes, got a similar reaction as Ariana Grande last year), Ryn Weaver (who kept her cool through mic trouble in first verse of “Promises” and received a rousing ovation when the problem fixed and her voice rang out), Keith Urban (who segued from solo piano on “Bring You Back” to a full-band perf of “Good Thing When I See It”), Glassnote’s Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear, Dot/Big Machine’s Maddie and Tae, ‎Fall Out Boy, Shawn Mendes (acoustic), The Weeknd, James Bay and Maroon 5, after which Adam Levine intro’d Rozzi Crane from his 222 imprint and joined her for a duet with her.

Presentations were peppered through the event. A Citi commercial highlighting UMG artist integration was shown. After giving props to the parent company for its support of music films and documentaries, UMe’s Bruce Resnikoff played an animated clip of the Kurt Cobain doc Montage of Heck, which premieres May 4 on HBO. UMG U.K. chief David Joseph intro’d what should turn out to be the definitive Amy Winehouse doc, arriving in July or September. Grainge reacted emotionally, commenting, “I can’t believe it’s been seven years.”

‎As a drizzle wet the streets of downtown L.A., Grainge made a parting comment. “Thank you,” he said, “not only to the artists but the rainmakers who make this company and its global footprint‎.”