Quavo’s Rocket Foundation and his late nephew and Migos bandmate Takeoff’s family have responded to the 49 shooting victims in at Atlanta last weekend by launching a trauma therapy fund to support family members immediately effected by the tragedy. Two of the victims were directly connected to the Rocket Foundation: Deshawn Johnson, a 2024 Rocket Camper, and Coach Ball, leader of Offenders Alumni Association and a Rocket grantee.
The fund will provide trauma expert therapeutic services for children and families and support grantee organizations, Hope Hustlers and Offenders Alumni, who are leading frontline community violence intervention efforts to end the cycle of gun violence and offer ongoing mentorship and support in affected neighborhoods.
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Quavo launched the Rocket Foundation in 2022 after Takeoff was shot and killed as an innocent bystander outside a Houston bowling alley, committing $2 million to invest in community violence intervention. In May, he named Gregory Jackson Jr., former Deputy Director for the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, as president of the foundation.
Quavo and the foundation were honored with the Humanitarian of the Year Award at Variety’s 2024 Hitmakers event.
To donate, visit the official Rocket Foundation donation page: https://www.pledge.to/rocket-foundation
+ pgLang, the production house of Kendrick Lamar and longtime director Dave Free, is opening its doors a bit more with the launch of Project 3, a new company that will “focus on building brands externally.”
Project 3 Agency, the first company under the Project 3 umbrella to launch and the result of pgLang’s acquisition of the 30-person agency Frosty, will offer up its services across creative direction, brand strategy, content creation, event planning and production.
Following the 2020 launch of pgLang, they “soon realized that we couldn’t extend our services broadly,” pgLang writes in a statement. “Now, five years later, we are finally ready to share our knowledge, experience and resources with others.”
Since launch pgLang has provided creative direction on the Lamar-starring 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show and in 2024 announced it would be co-producing a live-action film alongside Trey Parker and Matt Stone. In 2023 the company partnered with Global Citizen on the establishment of a major touring circuit in Africa.
To learn more about the agency (sort of…), see the video below.
+ The AWAL label has promoted Matt Riley from managing director to president of its U.K. office, with Victoria Needs and Sam Potts were named co-managing directors.
“It is a privilege to recognize the amazing work of our U.K. leadership team,” said AWAL CEO Lonny Olinick in a statement. “Matt, Sam and Vic work selflessly as a leadership team, always putting aside any ego to do what’s best for each other, our artists and our AWAL team … Their results speak for themselves.”
+ Concord Music Publishing has announced a deal with British rapper J Hus covering all future copyrights worldwide, the pair announced today. Patrick Lubega, A&R Manager at Concord Music Publishing in London, will handle day-to-day management and coordination.
J Hus’ most recent album, 2023’s “Beautiful and Brutal Yard,” was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize, debuted at No. 1 in the U.K. and featured Drake, Burna Boy and Jorja Smith.
“J Hus is a once-in-a-generation artist,” said Kim Frankiewicz, evp of Worldwide A&R at Concord Music Publishing, in a statement. “His sound continues to redefine British music, and his storytelling resonates far beyond the U.K. We are honoured to be part of this next phase in his journey.”
+ TikTok and iHeartRadio are launching a singing competition via TikTok Live, launched July 28 and running through Sept. 26, culminating in a live finale at the iHeartRadio Theater in Burbank.
The concept, titled “Next up: Live Music,” is a social-media-mediated competition wherein viewers can watch performances live via TikTok and vote through favorite performers also in real time, in combination with a judging panel’s scores. The competition will stream live in three phases – auditions, semi-finals and finale.
“The artists who receive the highest number of likes, views, comments, shares, and overall support during their live performances, along with strong feedback from the judges, will advance to the next round,” the companies explain. “For artists, it’s a launchpad to break through. For fans, it’s a front-row seat to discover and support the next generation of stars — and a direct role in deciding who advances.”
Auditions are currently open to artists with at least one original song, 50,000 or more followers on TikTok and are unsigned by a label, among other qualifications.
Tuesday, July 29
Warner Records is restructuring and refocusing its marketing team, the company announced today. The new structure “brings together digital and traditional marketing” to streamline the department’s operations overall. The change was spearheaded by the label’s general manager, Mike Chester.
The new marketing team will be overseen by Dalia Ganz (pictured above, right, with Chester), who was promoted to executive vice president/head of digital & marketing from senior vice president. Reporting to Ganz will be: Sam Riddle, now SVP/head of digital marketing; Will Morrow, promoted to SVP/head of viral marketing; and three senior vice presidents of marketing strategy & operations: Jesse Ervin, who had been upped from VP, TJ Landig and Shawnae Corbett-Rice. Chester has also overseen changes to the company’s commerce department, which is led by senior VPs Axel Hyge and Dave Edwards.
“Mike [Chester] has played a critical role in breathing new life and energy into this company,” said Tom Corson, Warner Records’ co-chairman and COO in a statement, “proving over and over again that we are the best artist development label in the business. With the revamping of our marketing and commerce teams, he’s helping drive us to a whole new level of growth and success.”
Three executives will be laid off as part of the restructuring, as CEO Robert Kyncl said earlier this month: Dionnee Harper, EVP of marketing & artist development; Josh Remsberg, SVP and head of commercial revenue; and Kristine Ripley, VP of artist development.
Chester said, “I want to thank Dionnee, Josh, and Kristine for their dedication to this company and its artists. We wish each of them the very best in the next chapter of their journey.”
+ London-based entertainment manager Andrew Mishko and day-to-day manager Jill Irvine will head the new U.K. office of Stern Management, the company announced today.
Mishko was most recently a manager at Bad Habit while also serving as label manager of longtime Sophie and Charli xcx collaborator A.G. Cook’s PC Music, a role he will continue alongside his new duties at Stern. He brings clients such as EKKSTACY, Witch Post, Alaska Reid, Dylan Fraser, Martha Skye Murphy (co-managed with Irvine) and Mangetsu. All of those artists will join Stern Management’s roster, which currently includes Djo, Finn Wolfhard, Metric, The Black Angels, Ben Abraham and Phosphorescent, among others.
“Andrew is, first and foremost, a music lover with impeccable taste,” says company founder Nick Stern. “I love his roster and his dedication to developing career artists. As Stern Management grows, having a U.K. presence has become essential, and Andrew’s groundwork in the market will prove invaluable to the company.”
+ Big Loud Records imprint Big Loud Rock has named Jenny Huynh director of media, in charge of overseeing the label’s press strategy and execution. Huynh was most recently a publicist for 2b Entertainment, working with artists like Green Day, My Chemical Romance and Josh Groban, among others.
“In an ever-evolving media landscape, her energy, fresh perspective, and strong connections will be key in helping our artists stand out,” said Big Loud president Joey Moi in a statement.
+ Round Hill Music has acquired the master and publishing rights to one indelible single along with the publishing rights of a respected producer, it announced Monday. The company has acquired the publishing and master rights to Modern English’s well-known 1982 single “I Melt with You,” a song which has featured on the soundtracks of “50 First Dates” (in the form of a Jason Mraz cover) and “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” (covered by Nouvelle Vague).
It also announced the acquisition of producer Vini Poncia’s publishing rights, which includes songs from rock legends Kiss, Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, and British singer-songwriter Leo Sayer.
“In their own ways, Modern English and Vini Poncia have produced timeless music which has had a lasting impact over many decades,” said Round Hill CEO Josh Gruss in a statement. “Their catalogs resonate with Round Hill’s focus on time-tested music with proven commercial performance and further growth potential. This acquisition is particularly meaningful for me on a personal level since Modern English was the very first concert I attended when I was nine years old.”
“Modern English is thrilled to be working with the Round Hill Music team and, as the song says, ‘the Future’s Open Wide’,” Josh Zieman, Modern English’s manager, said.
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