NEAR TRUTHS: HERE COMES THE RAINE AGAIN

SANCTE ET SAPIENTER: It's interesting to note that the U.K. hasn’t produced many pop stars in recent times; Charli xcx is the first British pop siren to reach the stature of the biggest U.S. acts since the inimitable Dua Lipa. The Blighty biz is going through a change of the guard as Dickon Stainer succeeds David Joseph at the top of UMG U.K. The highly esteemed Joseph—who began his oversight of the British division beginning in 2008, marshaled the successes of Amy Winehouse, Florence + the Machine, Sam Smith, Lewis Capaldi and many more, and was awarded a CBE for his service to the biz—is exiting the industry to pursue a master’s in religion and theology at King’s College. We hold out hope for at least an occasional report about the streaming activity of Gregorian chants.

Stainer brings a wide musical framework to the post, having been a specialist in classical and jazz in his most recent job. There were momentary rumors, before Stainer's announcement, that Max Lousada (who signed both Dua and Charli) would step into the UMG U.K. role—an idea quickly dismissed by insiders as “preposterous.” Askers are now asking if Max and Irving Azoff might be up to something. The Brit was recently in L.A. taking meetings about what’s next, and he and Swirv are tight—does one plus one equal three? The opportunities seem endless.

Incidentally, one of the year’s true global breakouts from the U.K., Myles Smith, has been inked by Jason Iley’s Sony U.K.

RAINE STORM: Fred Davis, Joe Puthenveetil and the Raine Group team are having a very busy year as Larry Jackson’s gamma. (not a label) and the Nathan Hubbard/Nat Zilkha-led Firebird continue to grow their footprints in the marketplace. Eliah Seton’s SoundCloud and Milana Lewis’ Stem are also looking to expand their purviews. Major deals closed by Raine this year have involved Chord Music (KKR sold its giant catalog portfolio to UMG, which ponied up $240m for 25%+, conferring a $1.85b valuation, and Dundee Partners); Opus (another catalog-rich target, acquired by Litmus Music for a reported $400m); and Jonathan Strauss-helmed Create. What’s next?

YOU CAN’T GO HOME AGAIN: Has anyone who took a gig on American Idol or The Voice had a productive recorded-music career afterward? Many of the artists who spent time as on-air personalities for these network extravaganzas continue to do well with private events and/or limited touring. But for the most part, it’s been a career disaster for anyone hoping to return to the pop charts after a tenure in that demimonde, in part because the upper-demo audiences for said shows have little to do with the state of play in the music marketplace. But those outsized checks—and maybe having your kids see you on the tube—could make it worthwhile.