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RCA’s leadership changes announced earlier Thursday (Jan. 14) reflect the label’s decision to “lean further in on hip-hop and R&B,” RCA chairman and CEO Peter Edge tells Billboard.
Mark Pitts rises from RCA’s president of urban music to RCA Records president, while John Fleckenstein – who has served as co-president with Joe Riccitelli since 2018 — has been upped to chief operating officer. (Riccitelli is exiting the company.)
Pitts has had a pivotal role in signing, developing and advancing the careers of many R&B and hip-hop artists throughout his more than 25 years in the industry, including The Notorious B.I.G., Usher, Miguel, J.Cole and Chris Brown, and has led the label’s efforts to usher in a new generation.
“We’ve been one of the leaders in R&B for quite a few years, that’s not new territory for us,” says Edge, citing SZA, H.E.R., Bryson Tiller, Khalid, and Jazmine Sullivan’s resurgence. “We’ve been in the middle of that and we’re going to be building more of a hip-hop roster.” RCA is already experiencing break-out moments with female rappers Flo Milli and Mulatto, both of whose debut projects spawned gold certified singles.
Edge stresses that despite the lean in, RCA, home to acts like Foo Fighters, P!nk and Alicia Keys, will continue to sign acts of all stripes, heralding burgeoning singer-songwriter Tate McRea and her success with “you broke me first.” “If an artist is great, I don’t get stuck on genre,” he says.
Other moves in the restructuring included the departure of Riccitelli, who was well regarded as a top radio promotion executive. RCA will continue to work with Riccitelli as a consultant.
Many labels find themselves rethinking their radio promotion strategy as the largest terrestrial radio programmer, iHeartRadio switches to more centralized programming and, more importantly, streaming becomes a bigger part of the listening experience.
“We have to approach promotion in a broader fashion,” says Edge of the evolution that has been progressing over the last several years. “The truth about how records are breaking is it’s not just radio, radio plays a part, but it’s social media, DSPs, TikTok. It used to be go to radio and get your record played and have a hit. Now there’s many different ways to get a hit. We have to evolve and put resources into digital marketing and promotion in addition to radio and have a broader view.”
Edge declined to address if any other specific changes were coming in the radio promotion division, saying, “we’re still in radio promotion, but we’ve diversified in all aspects. We’re taking a few different tacks instead of focusing so heavily on radio alone. It’s about getting your audience.” He also notes the importance of terrestrial radio in strong hip-hop and R&B communities like Atlanta and New York, where “there is a strong culture around the mix shows and morning shows.”
In an earlier, previously announced change, executive vp/GM Geo Bivins left the company in December. Edge says his position will be filled from within and expects to make an announcement next week.
RCA’s overall market share in 2020 was 4.66%, compared with 5.18% in 2019, according to MRC Data, while current market share dipped to 3.57% in 2020 from 4.38%.
Grammy best new artist nominee Doja Cat provided RCA with its top-selling album last year. Her Hot Pink album moved 845,000 album consumption units in 2020, according to MRC Data.
Lily Allen is growing past a dark time in her life and career.
The 35-year-old singer appeared on the latest episode of The Recovery podcast on Wednesday (Jan. 13), where she opened up about her years-long battle with addiction, which started when she became “co-dependent” on alcohol back in school.
“All I wanted was affirmation and praise and I didn’t even really get it then. I got it from strangers, but I didn’t really get it from the people I wanted it from,” she explained of her music career after dropping out of school. “In fact, I was kind of met with a bit of resentment from those people. Taking responsibility for my own actions, you know, I definitely like buried my head in drugs and alcohol, but I was really sad.”
She recalled feeling “worthless,” and turning to Adderall. “I was 14-stone [196 lbs.] and just did not feel like a pop star at all,” she said. “So, I started taking this drug called Adderall, which is like speed, to lose weight. And then I got addicted to this drug because it made me invincible and I could work really long hours and be all the different people that I was required to be at the time.”
In 2014, Allen joined Miley Cyrus on her Bangerz tour, which was difficult for her mental health. “It was a very highly sexualized tour and I had just spent the last three years pushing babies out,” she explained. “It couldn’t have been less what I felt like. And also, I’d never ever supported someone. So, I was sort of like re-entering this phase of being a pop star again but not doing it on my terms anymore. I was supporting this girl who was much younger and more attractive than I felt and I just started out in [many] ways.”
She then began cheating on her then-husband, Sam Cooper, with whom she shares nine-year-old daughter Ethel and eight-year-old daughter Marnie. “I remember being in LA and thinking like, ‘None of this acting out is working anymore. Maybe I should try heroin,’” she recalled. “I’d been in a scene… and knew that when that thought popped into my head it was time to confront my demons. That was about five years ago. And I started recovery.”
Though she “got clean” after going to a program, six months later she began drinking again. “I lost my marriage. I lost my house I worked for 10 years to buy. My career started sinking. I lost all my friends. I was so resentful. So angry all the time. Really felt like the world owed me stuff,” she said. “That went on for another four years.”
Thankfully, Allen is now sober again and is focusing on developing a healthy relationship with her children. “I’m in the process of breaking that cycle. I felt so guilty about neglecting my kids in those early years of their life and having to go off on tour and misbehave in the way that I was. I really have a great relationship with my kids now,” she explained. “I’m there to pick them up at the school gates whenever I can be. I’m dropping them off in the morning, and I’ll make them dinner, and they’ll come to me when they’ve got problems, and that’s golden to me.”
Her current husband David Harbour, whom she married last year, also adds to her new, happier lifestyle. “I’m in a really happy and healthy relationship. He’s sober, has been sober for 20 years now,” she shared. “We’re thinking about what we’re going to do with the rest of our lives… I don’t have as much as I had then in terms of success and wealth, but I have success and health in my mind, which is more valuable I think.”
Listen to the full podcast here.
Back in January 2020, #DuaLipaIsOverParty began trending on Twitter after Dua Lipa attended Lizzo’s Grammy after-party at the Crazy Girls strip club in Los Angeles.
After footage of Lipa throwing money on the dancers and putting bills in their underwear surfaced online, the pop star, Lizzo and Lil Nas X (who was also in attendance) received criticism for being anti-feminist.
Lipa responded to the backlash in a new cover story for Rolling Stone on Thursday (Jan. 14), noting that the bash at the strip club was actually the opposite of anti-feminist. “I just feel like, if you’re a feminist, you have to also support women in all fields of work,” she explained. “We have to support sex workers, we have to believe that that [work] is their choice and their right.”
“It seems quite hypocritical, I think, people picking and choosing as to how they want to support women and when it suits them,” she continued. “That’s another form of misogyny, which really derives from the male gaze.”
Read the full interview here.
Another day, another A-list catalog sale.
BMG has acquired Fleetwood Mac co-founder Mick Fleetwood’s interests in the band’s recordings, the company announced Thursday (Jan. 14). The deal gives BMG Fleetwood’s royalty interest in over 300 recordings, including Fleetwood Mac hits including “Dreams,” “The Chain,” “Go Your Own Way” and “Landslide.” It excludes the band’s recorded work from their first two albums.
The deal is particularly lucrative following the viral success of “Dreams” on TikTok, where the song racked up 2.8 billion views and led to a streaming and sales bonanza for the more than four-decade-old hit and its attendant album Rumours. In the wake of the viral TikTok clip, the song racked up 182 million streams and sold 126,000 downloads, while Rumours moved over 86,000 albums in the U.S. in 2020 and was propelled back into the top 10 on the Billboard 200. In the process, the band garnered a legion of new, younger fans.
The sale was brokered by Fleetwood’s manager Carl Stubner of Shelter Music Group.
“This is a wonderfully inspiring marriage between two creative partners that understand all aspects of the business,” said Fleetwood in a statement. “Foremost, BMG understands the artistry and puts the artist first. If this partnership is any indication of my past, and now future, working relationship with BMG, it’s that they truly ‘get it’.”
Today’s deal bolsters Fleetwood’s existing relationship with BMG, which has the rights to the theatrical, record and mediabook release of the 2020 all-star concert event Mick Fleetwood & Friends, which celebrated Fleetwood Mac founding guitarist Peter Green and the band’s early years.
“Mick Fleetwood is the bedrock of one of the greatest bands in rock, he has a unique talent to bring together musicians of all genres and of course he is one of rock’s greatest drummers,” said BMG CEO Hartwig Masuch in a statement. “BMG is proud to represent his greatest work and excited about the forthcoming launch of Mick Fleetwood & Friends.”
“This acquisition highlights the value of timeless recordings in a streaming market which is increasingly benefitting established rather than newer artists,” added BMG executive vp group strategy and M&A Justus Haerder. “While recent acquisition activity in the music market has focused on music publishing, this is a pure recorded investment which will get the full benefit of streaming growth. Catalogues such as Fleetwood Mac’s which connect with every generation are benefiting disproportionately from that growth.”
The sale of Fleetwood’s recorded music rights marks the third time in less than two months that a member of Fleetwood Mac has sold all or part of their catalogs to music companies hungry for acquisitions. In December, Stevie Nicks struck a wide-ranging partnership with Primary Wave that included a joint venture deal and the sale of a majority stake in her publishing copyrights. Earlier this month, Lindsey Buckingham sold 100% of his writer’s and publisher’s share of his 161-song catalog to Hipgnosis.
The wait is over: Selena Gomez has released her highly anticipated Spanish-language song “De Una Vez,” a rhythmic pop track that touches on healing and empowerment.
“I am incredibly proud of my Latin background,” Gomez said about her new single in a statement. “It felt empowering to sing in Spanish again and ‘De Una Vez’ is such a beautiful love anthem.”
The track, produced by Tainy, Albert Hype, Jota Rosa and NEON16, premiered alongside a music video directed by Los Pérez (Tania Verduzco and Adrián Pérez). The visual finds Gomez in a mythical house surrounded by magical visuals, where she steps into rooms representative of her evolution. Toward the end of the video, the words “Baila Conmigo” emerge, hinting at a potential second Spanish single.
Following the release, she posted on Twitter: “This is the beginning of something I’ve wanted to explore for so long. I hope you love it as much as I do.”
It’s safe to say that fans love “De Una Vez” already, with a fan posting, “Selena you sound so good the vocals I’m shaking.” Another wrote, “it’s a masterpiece.”
Earlier Thursday, Gomez confirmed she was dropping a Spanish song, releasing the cover art for “De Una Vez.” She then retweeted her 2011 tweet where she had teased Spanish music was coming. “I think it will be worth the wait,” she added.
“De Una Vez,” released via Interscope Records and UMG, drops just a few days after zealous fans started speculating on social media that she’d drop Spanish-language music soon after several murals promoting new music were spotted across Mexico. “Mexican Selenator took a picture with a painted wall in Sayulita, Mexico,” the fan page Selena Gomez Worldwide tweeted.
The song is the singer’s second Spanish-language track. She released “Un Año Sin Lluvia” in 2010.
