Grammy-winning artists Chappell Roan, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, LaPolt Law founder/owner and SONA co-founder Dina Lapolt, Primary Wave founder/CEO Larry Mestel and the organization Girls Make Beats will be honored at the Songwriters of North America’s fifth annual Warrior Awards, to be held Oct. 12 at Los Angeles’ Skirball Cultural Center.

Songwriters Bonnie McKee and Shane Stevens will host and perform, with singer/songwriter Morgan Wade and Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee Desmond Child also performing.

SONA’s board of directors selects the honorees. “Our board is out in the world seeing the good things that people are doing and so at the beginning of the year, we pool our ideas of who’s doing good work,” says SONA co-founder and CEO and Emmy-winning songwriter Michelle Lewis, adding that the board likes to pick honorees from across sectors, including artists, executives and organizations. “We look at what’s important at the time in terms of issues and advocacy and who is using their platform to make things better for songwriters and music creators. We’re honoring the do-gooders.”

Roan’s outspoken comments advocating for insurance for music creators at this year’s Grammys sparked a chord with SONA. “When she gave that speech, my phone blew up,” Lewis says. “We’ve been trying to deal with getting songwriters health insurance for as long as we’ve been around.”

New at the ceremony this year will be the Emerging Songwriter Warrior Award presented by YouTube Songwriter, which celebrates a SONA member on the rise. SONA members may nominate potential honorees for the award here through Aug. 22. The winner will be announced at the awards show from the five finalists.  

SONA, which advocates for songwriters’ and composers’ rights, as well as provides education and opportunities for its roughly 1,000 paid members, was founded 10 years ago. It represents songwriters’ interests before legislative bodies, administrative agencies and courts and provides a unified voice to protect songwriters’ rights and compensation. The organization is based in Los Angeles but expanded to add a New York chapter last year.

The awards will serve as the finale to the second annual SONA Warrior Awards week, which will include a number of activities, including include a wellness fest, hosted by the SONA Foundation, the organization’s philanthropic arm.

Other events include an intimate Oct. 7 house concert at a songwriter’s home, which will benefit the SONA Foundation’s Therapy Access Project. On Oct. 10, SONA will host its annual Songwriters Summit, which takes place at a major recording studio and serves as a state of the union for the songwriting community with panels and sessions on current issues. Following the Summit, the Hotel Café will host The Arena Rock Coffee House, which will feature the songs of Child, who has written numerous hits for Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Cher and more.  “Desmond’s going to be there and it’s going to be star-studded,” Lewis says. All the proceeds from the concert, which is open to the public, go to the SONA Foundation.

Lewis says the inspiration for SONA Warrior Awards week is the Ivor Novello Awards in the U.K.  “We don’t have that here: by songwriters for songwriters celebration day and week,” she says. “They are completely the inspiration for adding the [Emerging Songwriter] award and the week of programming.”

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

Want to brush up on your dealmaking skills? Here’s your chance to learn from one of the best agents in the biz — Rich Paul. When he’s not booed up with fiancée Adele courtside at NBA games, Paul is running Klutch Sports Group and representing some of the biggest athletes in the NBA, including LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Draymond Green.

Partnering up with MasterClass, the super agent and CEO is launching his own class — the Dealmaker’s Mindset — to provide subscribers with vital information on tactics, strategies and the right mindset to use when building a career and negotiating blockbuster deals.

Three key lessons highlighted in his Dealmaker’s Mindset class include making the first move, the foundations of dealmaking and how to control the narrative. Paul uses his own personal experience building Klutch Sports Group without a law degree or MBA and trusting his instincts on pivotal negotiations early in his career. He also shares how maintaining relationships with his clients, built through consistent communication and support, is one his most effective tools.

“You don’t need to be a lawyer or a business executive to negotiate like a pro,” Paul says in a press release. “In this class, I’m sharing the same strategies I use with my clients — how to build trust, create leverage and walk away with more than anyone thought possible. Whether buying a car or closing a multimillion-dollar deal, members will learn how to bet on themselves and come out on top.”

A few more notable accomplishments in Paul’s impressive career include being named GQ‘s Power Broker of the Year, being recognized on TIME‘s list of Most Influential Companies and reversing the “Rich Paul Rule,” which would have restricted agents without college degrees from representing NCAA athletes.

How Much Does MasterClass Cost?

The platform starts at $10/month (which works out to $120 a year for a single subscription). The subscription gives you unlimited access to all 200-plus classes, including new courses launched monthly.

There’s also Premium Plan that costs $20/month ($240 a year) and grants users the ability to share this plan with six users in total. That brings the price down to just $3.33/month per user, and makes this the cheapest MasterClass price online. Premium subscribers also get access to downloads to watch classes offline.

Watch the trailer for Rich Paul’s Dealmaker’s Mindset MasterClass below.

Alejandro Duque, the leader of Warner Music Latin America, has been named to a dual role as the new president of ADA, the company announced today (July 23). Based in Miami, Duque will continue to report to Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl, with no changes to his current role as president of Warner Latin.

Duque takes over from Cat Kreidich, who announced yesterday (July 22) that she would be leaving the company, having served as president of ADA since April 2021. Under her purview, ADA — WMG’s indie distribution division — oversaw successes from Kesha, Flume and Banks, oversaw new deals with Three Six Zero and Rostrum, and helped expand the division’s global footprint.

Duque, who has led Warner Latin since 2021, has worked within the major-indie space through strategic partnerships during his tenure at the company. “Across the globe, there are dynamic, culture-shifting artists with a wide variety of needs to propel their careers forward,” Duque said in a statement announcing his new role. “We’re committed to growing our distribution business and enhancing the ADA brand, through a combination of excellent service, flexible deal-making and tech innovation. We’ve done this successfully in Latin America, and now we’re taking that holistic approach to the entire business by integrating our independent distribution strategy even more tightly with our teams in the U.S. and around the world.”

“Alejandro’s leadership will help us differentiate ADA, providing independent labels and artists with opportunities at a speed and scale they won’t find anywhere else,” Kyncl said in a statement about the new appointment. “He has a proven track record of supporting the indie community, as well as a deep understanding of WMG’s reach and resources as catalysts for global superstardom. This combination is going to bring down barriers for ADA’s clients, plugging them more directly into our infrastructure, and empowering them to build their businesses.”

Duque spent much of his two decade career at Universal Music Latin, working with artists such as Karol G and Sebastian Yatra. He moved to Warner Latin in the summer of 2021, replacing Iñigo Zabala, and has worked with artists such as Danny Ocean, Myke Towers, Natanael Cano, Tokischa, Yandel and more during the past four years. Initially reporting to WMG international chief Simon Robson, Duque has reported directly to Kyncl since a major restructuring of the company in August 2024.

Duque’s appointment signals the latest move from WMG to address its distribution wing, which it has focused on since Kyncl initially took over, first by exploring an acquisition strategy that ultimately did not lead to a major deal, then through what Kyncl said would be an internal building process. “I’ve looked at all distribution companies over the last 18 months, and what I can tell you is that we’re not willing to grow this at all costs,” Kyncl said at a Morgan Stanley conference in March. “We have an incredible technology team … and they have been building features already for a year and a half. This way you get to the same outcome much more efficiently.”

Travis Kelce thinks that the classic ’90s film Pretty Woman hits pretty close to home, considering his relationship dynamic with Taylor Swift.

In a hilarious moment from the latest episode of New Heights posted Wednesday (July 23), the Kansas City Chiefs tight end and his brother/cohost, Jason Kelce, joked that Travis is living out a gender-swapped version of the Julia Roberts and Richard Gere-led film. Pretty Woman — which the siblings broke down for a film-club segment of their podcast — centers around a prostitute (Roberts) who falls in love with a wealthy and powerful businessman (Gere). 

The parallels between the plot and Travis’ romance with Swift first came up when the two brothers started discussing whether Pretty Woman could be considered a feminist movie. “I think the only way to gauge it is to flip the script,” the Happy Gilmore 2 actor began. “I think we need to make Pretty Man. “And we need to have a CEO billionaire woman be so high class that she doesn’t know where she’s going.”

“Travis, you’re living Pretty Man right now,” Jason interjected, causing his younger brother to burst out laughing. “You are Pretty Man. You’re living your own Julia Roberts straight down.”

Cackling, the Grotesquerie star said in reference to a racy scene from Pretty Woman, “I’m wearing nothing but a tie when Taylor comes home.”

“You can’t beat it, man,” Travis continued before recalling the time he met the film’s lead actress at one of Swift’s Eras Tour shows in Dublin in 2024. “That’s why me and Julia Roberts — when I met Julia — it felt like we were the same person. She spoke to me in this movie.”

The tight end added jokingly, “I’m just an NFL stripper, that’s it — just an NFL hooker, man.”

As one of the highest performing players in American football this past decade, Travis is, in reality, a far cry from the struggling status of Roberts’ character in Pretty Woman — but it’s certainly true that Swift, a billionaire and possibly the most famous woman in the world, has elevated him to new levels of fame. The athlete has been open about how dating the 14-time Grammy winner has brought him more attention and opportunities. 

The couple first started dating in 2023. Swift has since ingrained herself in Chiefs Kingdom and in Travis’ family, becoming close with her boyfriend’s parents, Donna and Ed Kelce, and brother.

Also on the latest episode of their podcast, Jason recalled the first time he met Swift at a Chiefs vs. Buffalo Bills matchup in January 2024 — which also happened to be the same game where a shirtless Jason sparked a viral moment while cheering his younger brother on. “That was a f–king really fun day,” the former Philadelphia Eagles center said.  

He added to his brother, “Also the first time I met your girlfriend, so that was an all-timer.”

Watch the Kelce bros discuss Pretty Woman on New Heights below.

David Geffen’s lawyers are hitting back after the music and film mogul’s estranged husband sued him over explosive allegations of paid sex, exploitation and abuse, vowing to defeat what they called a “false, pathetic lawsuit.”

The response came less than a day after Donovan Michaels filed a shocking lawsuit Tuesday (July 22), claiming his soon-to-be ex-husband, Geffen, exploited a young man with a history of “neglect, poverty, instability and legal entanglements” by lavishing him with money in return for serving as “a sexual commodity.”

Accusing Geffen of breach of contract, the lawsuit claims the mogul verbally promised a “lifetime” of support in 2020 — only to “cut him off” when the pair began divorce proceedings in May, less than two years after they married in 2023.

But in a strongly worded response statement on Wednesday, Geffen’s lawyer Patty Glaser denied the lawsuit’s allegations and vowed to fight back. “There was no contract — express, written, oral or implied — that has ever existed,” Glaser said. “We will be vigorously and righteously defending against this false, pathetic lawsuit.”

The lawsuit from Michaels, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, went far beyond accusing Geffen of simple breach of contract. Across dozens of pages, it included a wide range of ugly allegations about his brief marriage to the billionaire entertainment titan.

“This case is not about a mere personal falling out — it is about the systemic exploitation of a vulnerable, marginalized young gay Black man by a wealthy, powerful white gay billionaire who believed himself untouchable,” wrote Michaels’ lawyer, Bryan Freedman, in documents obtained by Billboard.

From their first meeting — at which Michaels claims Geffen paid him thousands for sex — the lawsuit alleged that Geffen used a “toxic mix of seduction, control, promises of love and lavish displays of wealth” in order to trap his husband “in a cycle of dependency, submission and humiliation.”

“Behind the glittering facade of their relationship was a calculated pattern of abuse and commodification,” Michaels’ lawyers wrote.

The case was filed as a so-called Marvin action — a reference to a landmark 1976 California court ruling involving Lee Marvin that established that unmarried partners sometimes have legal rights following a split. Michaels says the relationship prior to their 2023 marriage represented “a Marvin-type partnership” in which Geffen made legally enforceable promises of support.

Geffen’s existing divorce case, filed in May by prominent Hollywood divorce lawyer Laura Wasser, will continue to be litigated separately. But Tuesday’s case could be aimed at allowing Michael to seek financial remedies based on the three years prior to marriage, after Geffen’s alleged promise of support.

With a net worth reportedly over $9 billion, Geffen has long been one of the entertainment industry’s wealthiest figures. In 1970, he co-founded the influential Asylum Records, then later founded Geffen Records, which was eventually absorbed by Universal Music Group. In 1994, he co-founded DreamWorks Pictures with Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg.

In 2023, Geffen married Michaels (whose real name is David Armstrong), a former exotic dancer 50 years his junior, without a prenuptial agreement. After less than two years of marriage, Geffen filed for divorce in May, citing irreconcilable differences.

In Tuesday’s lawsuit, Michaels aired many alleged details about his previously private relationship with the media mogul, including that they had met in 2016 on a website called SeekingArrangements.com that aims to facilitate “mutually beneficial” relationships. He also claimed Geffen paid him $10,000 for sex on the night that they first met.

According to Michaels, what started as “a paid sexual relationship” eventually evolved into long-term partnership, in which Geffen allegedly promised in 2020 to provide for him forever.

“Geffen told Michaels he loved him and the two would treat one another as life partners, share all assets equally, and Geffen would support Michaels financially for life,” his lawyers wrote. “Michaels gave up his dreams – his modeling career, his independence – to dedicate himself fully to this promise.”

After the pair married in 2023, the lawsuit claimed much of the marriage “seemed to be based on Geffen’s sexual proclivities,” with the mogul demanding “sexual access at will, including acts Michaels found degrading.” He alleged Geffen had “an unquenchable thirst for control,” frequently demeaned him and plied him with drugs and alcohol as “tools of coercion.”

When Michaels attempted to get sober and “things got difficult,” he said Geffen quickly demanded a divorce, saying he “discarded him just as easily as he had acquired him.” Michaels said he was left with no option but to file his lawsuit because his ex has refused to negotiate their split unless Michaels fires his attorneys and uses Geffen’s own “handpicked team of lawyers.”

Wrote Michaels’ lawyers: “Geffen has made it clear that he will stop at nothing to destroy Michaels.”