Page 1 Management Adds Nina Musolino As Manager

Nina Musolino has joined Page 1 Management as Manager. The management firm has teams in New York, Nashville, London, Auckland and Sydney. Their roster includes Grammy-winning writer and producer Joel Little, who has worked with artists such as Taylor Swift, Khalid and Imagine Dragons; and Grammy-nominated songwriter and producer Drew Pearson, whose credits include projects with Zac Brown Band, Kesha and Phillip Phillips. They also represent artist Jawsh 685, among others.

A musician herself, Musolino will be based in the company’s Nashville office, helping to promote growth while working closely with Senior Director Danielle Middleton in New York. As Manager, she will be responsible for signing and managing talent, reporting directly to Page 1 Founder & CEO Ashley Page.

“I’m so proud to welcome Nina and look forward to working hand-in-hand to help expand the services we can offer our clients,” says Middleton.

Musolino’s prior positions include Publisher and Artist Manager at Fourward Music in Nashville, where she helped develop and guide the careers of publishing and management clients. She attended Belmont University and spent her early career gaining unique insights while working at Red Light Management.

“I’ve known Nina for years and have been impressed by everything she’s accomplished so far. It’s an honor to have her join our growing U.S. team,” shares Page.

“I’m thrilled to be part of the Page 1 Management family! Excited to be working alongside an incredibly talented team, and continue to expand our presence in Nashville and beyond. Massive thanks to Ashley Page and Danielle Middleton for their love and support,” says Musolino.

 

Tylar Bryant & The Kentucky Gentleman Selected For First Black Opry Residency

Nashville-based singer-songwriter Tylar Bryant and brother duo The Kentucky Gentleman—made up of twins Brandon and Derek Campbell—are among the five acts that have been selected for the first Black Opry Residency, a project partnership between Philadelphia public radio station WXPN and The Black Opry, a platform for Black musicians and fans of Americana music.

Announced in November, WXPN’s Black Opry Residency supports and spotlights rising Black performers whose original music is rooted in the Americana genre. Applications were open to independent Black artists of ages 21 and over with at least three years of professional performing and recording experience.

Out of 100 applicants, Bryant and The Kentucky Gentleman were selected alongside Hudson Valley singer-songwriter Denitia, Boston-based folk artist and multi-instrumentalist Grace Givertz and Philadelphia-based performer Samantha Rise to star in the inaugural event, based on the overall excellence and quality of their craft, lyrics, production, and consideration for the point at which they are in their careers.

The Black Opry Residency will kick off in Philadelphia on March 18 and conclude with a public finale on March 24 at World Cafe Live, to highlight both individual new work and their collective talents as a group.

For more information, click here.

 

Underground Music Collective To Host Virtual Panel On Black Industry Professionals 

Nashville-based music publication Underground Music Collective will host a series a virtual panels, with the first focusing on the experiences of Black industry professionals.

The first panel, Succeeding as a Black Entrepreneur in the Music Industry, will take place on Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 6 p.m. CT. During the discussion, veterans of the music world will share their experiences navigating the industry as a Black creative, the challenges they’ve encountered and overcome as well as the lessons they have learned along the way.

“One of the first discussions our team had in determining programming for the new year was how we can invite members of our community to share their experiences in the music industry,” says Underground Music Collective Founder & CEO, Gerard Longo. “For Black History Month, we are inviting key industry leaders from our community to share their perspectives, in the hope of creating a broader dialogue.”

The discussion will be moderated by Brandi Sims, Brandinc PR CEO, and the panelists will include Sidney Eugene, Music Business Mentor at LearnMBE.com; Sacha Walton, SWI Management Founder and Author of Beyond The Music: A Music Artist Entrepreneurship Guide; and Lord Goldie, Nashville-born hip hop artist, producer and artist manager.

The virtual panel is free to attend and attendees can register on Eventbrite.

 

Debbie Z Entertainment & Discover Sooner Announce Songwriting Program 

Publishing and management company, Debbie Z Entertainment, and advocate for unsigned songwriters and artists, Discover Sooner, have announced the Saturday Songwriting Sessions. The two-day, in-person songwriting event is designed to help songwriters and artists connect and co-write with signed songwriters. Set to take in Mt. Juliet on April 28-29, attendees will connect and participate in two co-writing sessions with six songwriters signed to major publishers.

The lineup of writers will include Doug Johnson, Don Henry, Marti Dodson, Jacob Hackworth, Lauren Hungate, Topher Brown and Jason Saenz.

The early deadline for songwriter applications is March 12, and the final deadline is April 2. Spots are limited and early applicants will receive preference. See more details here.

 

Trish Holman Joins Syntax Creative

Independent digital distributor Syntax Creative has hired Trish Holman as a crucial member of their operations team.

Holman is the third hire in recent history and brings over 30 years of music industry experience. She began her career at Homeland Records in 1990, and was the Production Manager for Mansion Entertainment for the last 14 years.

Warner Music Group Corp. has announced its first-quarter financial results for the period ended December 31, 2022.

“Music’s value, power, and ubiquity are among the many reasons I decided to join WMG and lead the next phase of our evolution,” shares Robert Kyncl, CEO. “As we navigate a challenging business environment, we expect to have a strong release schedule in the second half of 2023 while managing our costs throughout. The foundations of this company are strong, and our addressable market is continuously growing. We are excited to drive new monetization opportunities through our investments in new artists and songwriters, our catalog, and our global expansion.”

“Our results reflect our resilience and operational discipline in the face of macroeconomic headwinds, as well as the impact of the extra week in the prior-year quarter,” adds Eric Levin, CFO, Warner Music Group. “Our continued focus on efficiency enabled us to deliver strong operating and free cash flow growth, even while certain revenue lines came under pressure. We are enthusiastic about our release schedule for the second half of the fiscal year, which will feature amazing music from some of our biggest artists.”

Financial Highlights:
– Underlying Growth in Total Streaming Revenue Despite a Challenged Macroeconomic
– Environment and the Impact of an Additional Week in the Prior-Year Quarter
– Continued Momentum in Music Publishing with Double-Digit Revenue Growth
– Adjusted OIBDA Margin Improvement Underpinned by Disciplined Operating Performance
– Robust Growth in Operating and Free Cash Flow with Strong Conversion

For the three months ended December 31, 2022:
– Total revenue decreased 8% or 3% in constant currency
– Digital revenue decreased 5% or 1% in constant currency
– Net income was $124 million versus $188 million in the prior-year quarter
– OIBDA increased 9% to $349 million versus $320 million in the prior-year quarter or 16% in constant currency
– Adjusted OIBDA decreased 6% to $335 million versus $355 million in the prior-year quarter or was flat in constant currency
– Cash provided by operating activities increased 62% to $209 million versus $129 million in the prior-year quarter

Read the full report here.

Dream 3 Publishing has announced a partnership with Kobalt that will include Kobalt’s publishing administration, creative services and sync department.

“Kobalt is the perfect partner for us. We love everyone on their creative team and how much Kobalt adds to our small company,” says Emily Olson, Dream 3 Publishing. “We are excited about all of our future signings and success together.”

Dream 3 Publishing launched in October of 2022 with Olson, Greg Hill and Laurel Kittleson-Cobb at the helm. The partnership announcement follows the signing of the company’s flagship writer Ben Caver.

“I knew I wanted to be involved with Dream 3 from the first conversation I had with them,” says Kevin Lane, Senior Director, Creative at Kobalt.  “The combined experience and expertise of Greg, Laurel and Emily make Dream 3 the ideal partner and a destination for creatives.  The sky’s the limit for what we will accomplish together.”

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum has announced the promotions of Nina Burghard and Lisa Purcell to executive vice president roles. Burghard will serve as Executive Vice President of Finances and Operations, and Purcell will serve as Executive Vice President of External Affairs.

Both previously holding senior vice president titles, Burghard and Purcell step into newly created positions and report to museum CEO Kyle Young, providing key strategic counsel.

“Both Lisa and Nina have moved into expanded roles, taking on the supervision of additional departments and scopes of work, helping to strengthen the institution,” shares Young. “Their talents and leadership have been essential to the success of the museum and its growth over the past decade.”

Previously serving as Senior Vice President of Financial Services and Operations, Burghard added the museum’s information and technology department to her responsibilities, as well as the management of the museum’s COVID-19 safety processes during the pandemic. She oversees the museum’s financial operations, including financial statement analysis; company-wide and departmental budget and cash flow preparation and analysis; accounting; and forecasting. Her information and technology oversight includes infrastructure, internal communications, networking and data storage, applications, reporting and data analysis. Additionally, she is responsible for the organization’s human resources as well as the museum’s maintenance and operations departments.

Prior to joining the museum in 1998, Burghard spent a decade with Arthur Anderson LLP, where she managed a number of clients with varying businesses, including healthcare, insurance, benefit plans, not-for-profit organizations and more. She holds a bachelor’s in accounting from the University of Tennessee and is a certified public accountant. She is a member of the Tennessee Society of Certified Public Accountants, where she serves as a past president of the Tennessee Chapter and past chair of the Industry Committee.

Purcell previously served as Senior Vice President of External Affairs. She has added supervision of the marketing and public relations departments to her scope of work, which supports the museum’s development, education and community engagement efforts. Her leadership areas encompass contributed income, including individual giving, planned giving, membership and corporate partnerships; educational programming; public relations; public affairs; and marketing. In 2022, the integrated external affairs team provided programming and instruction for more than 130,000 individuals in nearly 1,600 in-person and virtual education programs; facilitated a record number of news stories featuring the museum and its initiatives; engaged nearly 150 volunteers; coordinated two Medallion Ceremonies, which induct new Hall of Fame members; facilitated major exhibit and programmatic partnerships; collaborated with digital service providers; and more.

Prior to joining the museum in 2014, Purcell served as vice president of external affairs for Hands On Nashville and worked in the program and administrative departments of diverse nonprofit organizations, ranging from the Frist Art Museum to the music business charity T.J. Martell Foundation. She holds both undergraduate and master’s degrees in art history from West Virginia University and has completed certificate programs in leadership at Belmont and Harvard universities. Purcell serves on the Leadership Music Board of Directors and the Education Board Committee of the Nashville Symphony.