Quantcast
The intrigue isn’t just about which major Glass will go with, but also whether he’ll sign another distribution deal or opt to enter into a joint venture, sell half of Glassnote and take some chips off the table.

I.B. BAD: THE HEAT IS ON

Starring The Lumineers, Justin Timberlake, Daniel Glass, The Civil Wars, Coldplay, David Guetta, Troy Carter and Other Hot Commodities
As for what really moves the needle in terms of Grammy sales spikes, it’s clearer than ever that performing on the telecast trumps winning a gramophone by a good margin. Witness Gotye, who won Record of the Year but didn’t perform, compared to The Lumineers, non-winners whose performance powered their rapid ascent to #1, as they sold 55k singles on iTunes in the hours after the show went on the air.

Non-nominee Justin Timberlake (last LP: 4.4m) used the Grammys as a key part of Peter Edge and Tom Corson’s brilliantly orchestrated setup for his March 19 RCA album, which also includes a heavily advertised Target exclusive, a Budweiser campaign and an eagerly awaited SNL appearance. Timberlake’s memorable performance of “Suit & Tie” immediately reignited sales on the track, pushing it to #2 at iTunes, while a mass of preorders took the album to #1. Handicappers have set the over/under for the album’s first week at 500k.

If anything, Mumford & Sons’ Album of the Year victory for Babel (now at 1.75m) made Daniel Glass an even hotter commodity. Many believe all three majors will pursue a deal with Glassnote, whose next big release will be the follow-up to Phoenix’s 2010 breakthrough LP. The intrigue isn’t just about which major Glass will go with, but also whether he’ll sign another distribution deal or opt to enter into a joint venture, sell half of Glassnote and take some chips off the table. The advantage of doing a joint venture is that the new funding would enable him to grow the company, which could significantly add to its value.

All the majors also covet The Civil Wars, who have completed the follow-up to their acclaimed debut album, which has sold 600k as an indie release. Nate Yetton, who heads their sensibility label and manages the duo, is the man in charge. Label heads are even more excited after hearing the new record, which is said to be very powerful. Looks like this one will be a multimillion-dollar deal. Expect massive heat as well around The Lumineers, whose Dualtone deal was for one album only. Christen Greene and David Meinert are the managers.

Warner Music paid at least $100m more for Parlophone than any other bidder was willing to go, and the $765m Universal took in makes the EMI deal look even better. Expect major cuts in overhead and personnel, despite Stephen Cooper’s assurances. Some believe Blavatnik and Cooper will cut Warner’s U.K. staff as well as Parlophone’s, with major cuts also expected in France.

Will the big acts signed to Parlophone get the opportunity to choose where they go? For starters, will Coldplay wind up on Atlantic or Warner Bros.?

When Terra Firma bought EMI in 2007, band manager Dave Holmes had Viva La Vida ready for release but wouldn’t deliver it until he got certain assurances from Guy Hands—and his already considerable leverage was further boosted by the fact that the managers of EMI’s biggest acts were collectively threatening open mutiny following the acquisition. Consequently, Hands had no choice but to give Holmes the power to control the band’s destiny. Viva La Vida, released in June 2008, went on to sell 7.9m worldwide, 2.8m of that total in the U.S. The subsequent Mylo Xyloto(October 2011) sold 6.7m globally, 1.9m in the States.

Given those numbers, Holmes once again finds himself in the driver’s seat. WB would appear to be a better fit for Coldplay in that the label has extensive experience working with rock acts—and Holmes is based on the West Coast. Parlophone’s David Guetta, by contrast, could conceivably fit at either Atlantic or WB. The producer/DJ has sold 3m albums and 18m singles worldwide off his latest project, Nothing but the Beat, with U.S. album sales accounting for around 500k.

Former WB Co-President/CEO Todd Moscowitz is having conversations with both Sony and UMG. Will he wind up at one or the other or go instead with Lyor Cohen, with whom he has a long history? The latest word is that Cohen has a well-funded start-up that he’s describing as a “content company.” Translation: he’s starting a label. Kanye West has reportedly said no to Cohen’s invitation to be part of his newco.

Troy Carter is getting a deal similar to Scooter Braun’s extremely successful one that will enable him to put acts on any of the Universal labels. The first act under the new arrangement is The Ceremonies.

Are Cash Money’s Slim and Baby about to make some big moves? The partners reportedly got north of $125m from their renegotiation with UMG. Are they on their way to becoming a major label?

Chris and Kelly Clancy, both onetime IGA execs, have a lot going on with management clients the Odd Future collective. Double Grammy winner Frank Ocean, who sprang out of Odd Future, is on IDJ, while the group itself is signed to Sony Music, which is putting out an album from Odd Future leader Tyler, the Creator.

Regarding the just-published Billboard Power 100, it would seem that hardly anyone who made the list is happy, as they question what the magazine’s definition of power is.

Names in the rumor mill: Johnny Wright, John Frankenheimer, Todd Glassman, Ferdy, Jody Gerson and Tommy Mottola.
NEAR TRUTHS: KINGDOMS
File under: The enemy of my enemy is my friend. (3/26a)
ONE SHINING HITS LIST
She shoots, she scores! (3/26a)
YTD MARKET SHARE
Zeroing in on the elite teams (3/28a)
BEST IN THE WEST:
STEVE BERMAN
High time for another Eminem skit (3/26a)
MUSIC REVENUE TOPPED $17B IN 2023: RIAA
Streaming subscriptions lead the charge. (3/27a)
THE NEW UMG
Gosh, we hope there are more press releases.
TIKTOK BANNED!
Unless the Senate manages to make this whole thing go away, that is.
THE NEW HUGE COUNTRY ACT
No, not that one.
TRUMP'S CAMPAIGN PLAYLIST
Now 100% unlicensed!
 Email

 First Name

 Last Name

 Company

 Country
CAPTCHA code
Captcha: (type the characters above)