AJR, currently somewhere in the wilds of Pennsylvania on their way to a show in Pittsburgh, have signed with the newly relaunched Mercury Records/Republic Records.
"Dear Kevin," writes Lenny Beer, "Congratulations on your return to KROQ. The timing is auspicious; present conditions provide a huge opportunity to revitalize the Alternative format you previously helped pilot to greatness."
While telescopes have been trained on the blood moon and the black hole, industry eyes have been gazing at stars: supernova Bad Bunny, the supermassive Kendrick Lamar and super-diva Lady Gaga. Meanwhile, the future’s so bright for Stringer and Cooper they’ve gotta wear shades.
At the L.A. kickoff breakfast for the City of Hope's Spirit of Life campaign honoring Republic founding bros Monte and Avery Lipman, the pair fixed their smiles gamely for a gauntlet of photo ops with fellow industry heavyweights. Here they flank prior Spirit of Life honoree, Sony Music Publishing boss and recent Music Biz keynoter Jon Platt, who predicted that the value of this shot would ultimately exceed 20x earnings. For more images, click the link.
The class of Q2 2022 includes such beguiling artists as Muni Long, KA$HDAMI, JNR Choi, Leah Kate and Pheelz, among other buzzing newcomers. Which of these will be tearing up the charts in the near future?
For the third consecutive week, the bar for the biggest opening this year has been raised. Kendrick Lamar's fifth studio album, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, is on pace for the year's largest debut and a slam-dunk #1.
There's much joy in Silverlake (or "Silver Lake," if you're in the Chamber of Commerce) as multifaceted L.A. music company Pulse Music Group celebrates the participation of its writers in the Top 3 songs in the U.S.
Rhino Records is joining in the centennial celebration of Charles Mingus’ birth with a panel discussion of the influential bassist/bandleader/ composer’s accomplishments and the reissue of his 1957 album Mingus Three.
As we prepare our Pride 2022 special, we revisit this revealing conversation with acclaimed singer/songwriter Joy Oladokun, who addresses the challenges and inspirations associated with her background and identity. "As a human, I happen to intersect with three groups of people who experience prejudice and stereotyping: women, queer people and Black people," she says. "As a musician, it’s part of my goal to be really human."
SUPERSTAR RELEASES
Who's next?
MUSIC BIZ SPECIAL
It's Comic-Con for numbers geeks.
THE BIG CHEESE
Theories of evolution from 30,000 feet.
THE NEXT GIANT DEAL
A&R in overdrive.
|