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Warner Chappell Music has hired Christine Belden for the new role of vp global head of film, TV and media music. This role sees the major publisher investing more resources and attention to its film and TV music catalogs. Reporting to Rich Robinson — the company’s executive vp global sync and media original music — Belden will oversee acquisitions of broadcast rights in the film and TV industry.
Coming over from Kobalt, where she was responsible for the company’s creative and strategy for its global film and television publishing business, Belden brings her experience working with some of the top names in the film business to Warner, including A24, National Geographic, Black Label Media and more. She also previously held a position as an agent at CAA, representing composers and music supervisors and providing creative music support.
“I’m super excited to be joining Warner Chappell as the company heightens its focus on the ever-evolving publishing space within the film and television industry. I’ve been working with music supervisors, composers, and producers throughout my career, so I’m looking forward to developing new opportunities in this space with WCM’s global resources,” Belden says.
“We are delighted to have Christine join the team as we continue to expand our global capabilities in the sync space,” Robinson says. “Her integral knowledge of the entertainment industry brings a level of expertise that will help us develop new, synergistic opportunities between our songwriters and film and television clients.
Based in Los Angeles, Belden’s new role rounds out Robinson’s leadership team, and her role will provide extra support to Warner Chappell’s songwriters, working in the film/TV music space.
The Sundance Institute has unveiled the slate of feature films, indie episodic and New Frontier selections that will screen at the 2022 edition of the Park City festival from Jan. 20-30 – and several music-related documentaries are in the mix, including films centered around controversial pop icons Kanye West and Sinead O’Connor.
Perhaps the most attention-grabbing of the newly announced selections is jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy, a documentary described as “an intimate and empathetic chronicle featuring never-before-seen footage from 21 years in the life of a captivating figure.” Directed by Clarence “Coodie” Simmons and Chike Ozah – who have jointly directed multiple music videos for the star now known as Ye – the film will make its world premiere at the next year’s festival before debuting on Netflix at an unspecified date.
In an era when the careers and controversies of stars including Britney Spears and Janet Jackson are being reevaluated, a new Sinead O’Connor documentary, Nothing Compares, will also screen at Sundance 2022. Directed by Kathryn Ferguson and world-premiering in the World Cinema Documentary competition, the film will shed new perspective on the career of the Irish singer-songwriter by charting her brief rise to global mega-fame “and subsequent exile from the pop mainstream” between 1987 and 1993 while considering her legacy “through a contemporary feminist lens.”
World-premiering in the U.S. Documentary competition, the film TikTok, Boom will bring festivalgoers the “personal stories of a cultural phenomenon, told through an ensemble cast of Gen-Z natives, journalists and experts alike” in considering the vide-sharing app’s brief but controversial history. Meet Me In the Bathroom, meanwhile, is described as “an immersive journey” through the New York music scene of the early 2000s. Directed by Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace, it’s based on the book of the same name by Lizzy Goodman and will have its world premiere as part of Sundance’s Midnight section.
Other music documentary world premieres slated for next year’s festival include Sirens directed by Rita Baghdadi (World Cinema Documentary competition), which will center its lens on “the Middle East’s first all-female metal band” as they pursue stardom; and Mija (NEXT section) directed by Isabel Castro, which documents an ambitious young music manager “whose undocumented family depends on her ability to launch pop stars.”
The 2022 Sundance Film Festival is a hybrid event that will take place in-person in Park City, Utah, online and through “satellite screens” at seven arthouse cinemas across the U.S. that will showcase a curated selection of films during the festival’s closing weekend (Jan. 28-30).
See the Sundance 2022 online film guide and schedule here. Ticket packages go on sale Dec. 17 and single tickets will be available for purchase on Jan. 6.
As country music grapples with how to become more inclusive, a study commissioned by the Country Music Association reveals that while the number of people of color enjoying the genre is rising, 20% say they experienced racial profiling and/or harassment at a country music live event.
That was one of the key takeaways from “Country Music’s Multicultural Opportunity,” a Horowitz Research study commissioned by the CMA, whose results were presented during a Dec. 7 webinar by CMA senior director of market research Karen Stump and Horowitz’s chief revenue officer and insights & strategy lead Adriana Waterston.
The study also found that while 50% of overall respondents who had listened to country music at a live music venue reported perceiving events as “family-friendly” and 43% said they felt “a sense of camaraderie with the audience,” only 33% reported that they frequently “feel safe” at a country music event.
The study emphasized the importance of reframing the perception that the country audience is “white,” given that the research showed that one in four Black and Latinx fans and one in five Asians listen to country music on a weekly basis.
The Horowitz study included a three-week online community of Black, Latinx, Asian and white participants, as well as an online survey of more than 4,000 consumers, ages 18 and older, 1,000 of whom identified as Latinx, 1,000 as Black, 1,000 as Asian and 1,000 as white/non-Latinx.
Only 36% of study participants who listened to country music at a live venue reported seeing many people of their same race/ethnicity, while 23% reported they feel as though they stand out due to their race/ethnicity. Additionally, 14% reported being made to feel uncomfortable and unwelcome during such an event and 17% reported seeing racist symbols, such as flags and hand gestures, while attending a country music live event. White listeners over-indexed for many of the “positive” feelings listed, while Black listeners more frequently reported feeling uncomfortable, feeling that that they stand out due to their race/ethnicity.
As the country becomes more multi-culturally diverse, it is vital that the country music community find a way to reach potential listeners who may feel excluded from the genre. Over the last decade, the multi-racial population grew by 30%, according to the Horowitz research. Specifically, the white population declined 8%, while Hispanic and Asian-American populations grew by 20% each and the Black U.S. population grew by 8.5%.
Reaching Multicultural Audiences
Multicultural listeners spend 2.9 of every 10 music listening hours with country music, while white/non-Hispanic listeners spend 4.2 out of 10 music listening hours tuning in to country music.
The study showed that in order to increase engagement, engaging fans via video, YouTube and television is essential: While 69% of white participants report viewing music-related video content weekly, that percentage was higher for Black (76%), Latinx (79%) and Asian (75%) study participants.
The study also broke down which audiences used various platforms most frequently, reporting that only 45% of white participants reported using YouTube’s free version, as compared to 51% of Black participants, 55% of Asian participants and 55% of Latinx participants. Overall, Black participants overindexed on platforms including YouTube’s free version, TikTok and Instagram, while Latinx study participants overindexed on platforms including YouTube’s free version, Spotify, Tiktok and Instagram. Asian study participants overindexed on YouTube’s free version as well as Spotify.
Barriers and opportunities
When asked why participants do not listen to country music, the most common response selected was “Just not that into it,” a response selected by 57% of Latinx participants, 53% of Black participants and 59% of Asian participants.
Drilling down, Black, Latinx and Asian study participants said barriers keeping them from engaging with country music included not receiving streaming music playlists/recommendations that include country music, as well as feeling that the country music industry is not interested in attracting people of color to the genre, that the country music industry does not market or advertise to them and that they do not see enough Black, Latinx and Asian artists in country music.
According to the study, 35% of participants believe the industry is not interested in attracting people of color. However, among study participants who identify as “core” country music listeners, 71% of white core listeners feel that country music is becoming more diverse lately, as do 66% of core Asian country music listeners, 59% of core Latinx listeners and 66% of core Black listeners.
Working to Diversity Country Music
Asked which initiatives could have the most impact on attracting higher multicultural listenership in country music, the most-cited response from Black, Latinx and Asian participants was collaborations with artists of other genres, as well as seeing more Black, Latinx, Asian and other diverse country music artists, seeing more artists speak up for racial and social justice and the industry itself doing more to celebrate cultural diversity.
The study found that it is not only Black, Latinx and Asian country music listeners who support these initiatives. Among the “white core” country music listeners in the study, many agreed with the same initiatives. 67% said they “Very/Somewhat agree” that they would like to see more collaborations between country artists and artists in other music genres, while 60% selected that they “Very/Somewhat agree” with seeing more Black, Latinx, Asian, and diverse artists in country music, while 59% supported the industry doing more to celebrate cultural diversity. 58% of white core country music listener participants supported artists speaking up for racial/social justice.
The former ‘Empire’ actor was convicted Thursday on five of six charges he staged an anti-gay, racist attack on himself nearly three years ago and then lied to Chicago police about it.
Touring in the Latin realm returned in a big way after live music was sidelined by the ongoing pandemic, which shut down any iteration of an in-person concert for nearly 18 months.
With the numbers to prove that Latin music is in demand and that fans are more than ready to see their favorite Latin artists live — even if that means having to wear a mask during the entirety of the show — nine of the 40 top tours of 2021 were by a Latin act.
Landing a top 10 spot on the list is Mexican grupero band Los Bukis, who reunited after 25 years for a sold-out stadium tour produced by Live Nation. A week after announcing a three-date tour in June, and selling out those dates in a matter of hours, Los Bukis added additional dates to their Una Historia Cantada trek that reunited Marco Antonio Solís with his former band.
“The demand was very clear, and fans understood this was a historic event that hasn’t happened in 25 years,” Hans Schafer, senior vp touring, Live Nation Latin, previously told Billboard. “This is only a growing momentum and, now more than ever, the market is very healthy and thriving.” Los Bukis’ tour grossed a total of $49 million in nine shows alone.
But before Los Bukis announced their reunion tour, Maluma was among the first batch of artists, if not the first, to announce an ambitious tour for 2021. In February, the Colombian artist unveiled dates for his CMN-produced Papi Juancho Tour, which kicked off Sept. 1 in Sacramento. “We gave the industry a needed infusion. It’s good for the market, and we’re ready to go. We can’t keep postponing tours,” CMN’s CEO Henry Cárdenas said when the tour was announced. Maluma’s 27 shows grossed a grand total of $24 million.
From Los Bukis’ reunion tour to Grupo Firme’s historic run at Staples Center, below are the top Latin tours of 2021, according to Billboard‘s 2021 year-end Boxscore charts.
These tours are ranked by gross revenue as reported to Billboard Boxscore.
No. 6: Los Bukis
Total Gross: $49,667,153
Total Attendees: 357,343
Number of Shows: 9
Back together again after 25 years, Los Bukis reunited for a historic stadium tour, presented by Live Nation, that kicked off in Los Angeles on Aug. 27 at L.A.’s newly-opened SoFi Stadium. The last time the Mexican ensemble played in L.A. was in 1995 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in front of 60,000 fans. After their start in L.A., they went on to play in major cities such as Chicago and San Antonio for a total of nine shows across the U.S.
No. 14: Maluma
Total Gross: $24,488,668
Total Attendees: 240,384
Number of Shows: 27
In September, Maluma returned to touring with back-to-back shows in California to kick off his CMN-produced Papi Juancho Tour. After not touring for 18 months, the Colombian star serenaded fans from the in-the-round or 360-style stage, which allowed for more interaction with fans from every corner.
No. 18: Aventura
Total Gross: $20,821,596
Total Attendees: 160,982
Number of Shows: 4
With guest performances by Bad Bunny and Karol G, Aventura — helmed by Romeo Santos, Henry Santos, Lenny Santos and Max Santos — resumed touring dubbing their Inmortal Tour their last-ever tour together. The group officially launched their short but lucrative U.S. trek at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on Aug. 14.
No. 20: Pitbull
Total Gross: $19,837,668
Total Attendees: 419,238
Number of Shows: 32
Produced by Live Nation, Mr. Worldwide’s 32-city tour kicked off in August at the DTE Energy Music Theatre in Detroit and made stops across the U.S. in Chicago, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Atlanta and more before wrapping up in Tampa, Fla in October. Titled the I Feel Good Tour, the trek was his first in nearly two years and featured special guest Iggy Azalea who performed in select cities.
No. 21: Enrique Iglesias & Ricky Martin
Total Gross: $19,265,066
Total Attendees: 177,642
Number of Shows: 15
In 2020, Enrique Iglesias and Ricky Martin were ready to embark on their first-ever co-headlining tour — but the pandemic had other plans. As the touring industry re-opened in early 2021, the two Latin global stars officially hit the road in September, making pit stops in Los Angeles, Miami and Las Vegas. With Sebastian Yatra joining the pair in select cities, the tour produced by Live Nation officially wrapped up in November.
No. 23: Grupo Firme
Total Gross: $18,625,726
Total Attendees: 203,703
Number of Shows: 19
Grupo Firme helped relaunch Staples Center on July 30, playing the Los Angeles arena’s first concert in 513 days. It also marked the beginning of the supergroup’s historic run at the arena with their first (of seven) full-capacity, sold-out show — making history as the first Latin act to perform the most shows in a single calendar year at Staples (the only other artist that has done more is Adele with eight in one calendar year). Outside of L.A., Firme went on to sell out shows in other cities including Chicago, New York and Vegas.
No. 26: Alejandro Fernández
Total Gross: $16,371,965
Total Attendees: 157,924
Number of Shows: 23
Alejandro Fernández kicked off his 2021 Hecho en Mexico U.S. tour on Sept. 10 at the Grand Sierra Theatre in Reno, Nevada. The 21-date tour, presented by Live Nation, wrapped up on Oct. 24 at the Arizona Federal Theatre in Phoenix. On tour, the Mexican superstar was joined by 25 people on stage, including his full band, his Mexican mariachi, special guests Christian Nodal and his son, Alex Fernández. Hecho en Mexico also served as a fundraiser for Families Belong Together, where Fernandez donated over $100,000 from the tour proceeds to assist immigrant families separated at the U.S.-Mexico border.
No. 34: Marc Anthony
Total Gross: $13,648,954
Total Attendees: 115,454
Number of Shows: 16
The Marc Anthony North American tour kicked off Aug. 27 in San Antonio’s AT&T Center, making stops in major cities including Chicago, Miami and Los Angeles. Produced and presented by CMN and Magnus Media, the trek reunited Anthony with fans following his 2019 Opus Tour that saw him perform around the globe up until the COVID-19 imposed lockdown. One of the highest-grossing touring acts in the Latin realm, in 2019, Anthony sold 233,962 tickets in the U.S. and grossed $25.4.
No. 38: Pepe Aguilar
Total Gross: $12,597,948
Total Attendees: 118,393
Number of Shows: 14
Pepe Aguilar made his touring return with his Jaripeo Sin Fronteras Tour, which included 14 U.S. dates for 2021. Conceptualized by the renowned star himself, the family-friendly concert featured performances by Pepe, Angela Aguilar, Leonardo Aguilar, Antonio Aguilar Jr., Banda Sinaloense and Mariachi Zacatecano. Produced by Live Nation, the tour officially kicked off Sept. 4 in Phoenix and wrapped up on Dec. 5 in San Jose, California’s SAP Center.
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