Welcome back to the MMBC Newsletter!

We hope you had a fun, relaxing summer— and maybe even caught a show or two along the way. While summer was in full swing, MMBC has been working incredibly hard to plan some exciting events for the year ahead.

Stay tuned for the latest updates and news from every corner of the industry!

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As summer comes to an end, we face a challenge: who released the song of the summer?

There are so many artists whose releases are contenders. Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” set the tone for the season, an upbeat, catchy hit worth listening to for hours on end. Then there’s “Hot to Go” by Chappell Roan, a 2023 release that has resurfaced due to Roan’s boom in popularity and its fun lyrics that invite listeners to dance. “TGIF” by Glorilla is sure to find its way into the mix due to its tailor-made chorus for the summertime. The list goes on and on, making it very difficult to pick just one. That said, there are a few artists whose songs played such a significant role in making Summer 2024 an unforgettable season for music.

Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” was destined to be a hit. Embodying the sound of West Coast hip-hop paired with iconic bars in his verses on top of the catchy chorus, it’s the kind of song that, regardless of whose side of the beef you were on, makes you want to get up and rap every word. At ‘The Pop Out: Ken and Friends’ concert on Juneteenth, which served as an ode to West Coast rap, Lamar performed “Not Like Us” five times, and the crowd never missed a word or a beat. While Lamar’s success is not a surprise, this will undoubtedly go down as one of the most memorable moments of his already historic career.

Speaking of career-defining moments, Charli XCX has taken over the summer with her sixth studio album Brat. She blends hyperpop, house, and electronic melodies to create songs like “Guess” and “360.” The album peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and garnered almost 47 million streams in its first week, marking her highest-charting album and biggest streaming week in her career thus far. It’s also seeing success on social media, with roughly 1.3 million videos made of people dancing to “Apple” on TikTok, including actor Glen Powell. Brat has evolved into a pop culture phenomenon due to its marketing style, addictive songs, and aesthetic. Charli’s success this year has truly made “brat summer” a summer to remember.

Naturally, we can’t talk about artists who ruled the summer without mentioning Megan Thee Stallion, the creator of the iconic phrase “Hot Girl Summer.” She kicked off the season with the aptly named tour and released her third album, Megan, at the end of June. Many songs from the project grew popular on social media, such as "Otaku Hot Girl" – a song that marries Megan’s love for anime and music – and "Where Them Girls At" – a feel-good song for the girls that’s gotten attention from Olympians Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles. However, the song that has garnered the most attention is “Mamushi,” a track featuring Japanese rapper Yuki Chiba that has blown up in the United States and Japan. Regardless of whether or not people speak Japanese, everyone is singing the chorus and doing the dance on TikTok created by dancer Mona. After all, no matter the language, “I get money, I’m a star” is a lyric that will always resonate. Once again, Megan proves that she owns the summertime.  

The hunt for the song of the summer may not have gotten easier, but that may be the best part. 2024 has already been full of stellar releases, and this summer is no exception. We may not be able to pick one song or artist who truly made the summer special, but we can walk away knowing that it was an exciting time for music.

At the beginning of the month, the iconic music festival Lollapalooza took place at the historic Grant Park in Chicago.

Hinterland Music Festival was held in Saint Charles Iowa from August 2 - 4th for its 9th year.

Outside Lands is a music festival that celebrates music, food, wine, art, and everything Bay Area-related by investing in preserving the area's cultural vitality.

Breakaway is a festival focused on EDM, hip-hop, and pop. It hosts in various locations – Florida, North Carolina, Ohio just to name a few – but attracts fans in traditionally underserved cities when it comes to music festivals.

Hailing from Dallas, Texas, Liz Eason has established herself as a formidable force in the realms of music distribution and rights management. Her career has seen her shape the success of industry heavyweights like French Montana and Usher, while also nurturing the next generation of talent at Lava/Republic Records.

Currently, Eason manages the pop sensation Haiden Henderson, all while pursuing academic excellence, having recently completed her MBA at the prestigious Vanderbilt Owen School of Management.

In this exclusive MMBC Conference episode, Liz offers a rare glimpse into her dynamic career. She delves into the critical role of relationships in the music industry, the nuances of artist management, and her aspirations for Haiden's bright future. Whether you're an aspiring music professional or a seasoned industry insider, Liz's insights are sure to inspire and inform.

Warner Music Q2

Warner Music Group (WMG) is holding its head high after the release of its quarterly reports on August 7th. The reports detail a 10.2% year-over-year increase in recorded music streaming revenues on a constant currency and like-for-like basis. In comparison, Universal Music Group (UMG) reported a 5.8% yearly increase—just over half of WMG’s growth. While Warner enjoyed success with major hits from artists like Benson Boone, Zach Bryan, and Teddy Swims, much of their market growth can be attributed to the blockbuster hits in the previous calendar year.

The "halo effect" of music is evident in Warner’s numbers this year—when an artist has a release that performs well on the charts, it creates a "halo" effect on the artist’s entire catalog, driving streams and revenue across the board. This phenomenon is observable with artists like Benson Boone, Zach Bryan, Dua Lipa, Charli XCX, Twenty One Pilots, and others.

WMG and UMG have increased their market value by 1.9% and 6.5%, respectively, avoiding the feared crash in music industry streaming. However, large music firms must recognize that blockbuster hits are becoming less crucial, as independent and smaller-label artists are playing an increasingly significant role in the industry, though often driving lower revenue numbers.

UMG Nashville

Timbaland, born Timothy Zachery Mosley, is venturing into new territory by partnering his Mosley Music label with UMG Nashville. For more than 20 years, Timbaland has dominated the pop, R&B, and hip-hop music scenes, creating some of the biggest singles. His innovative production style and unique beats have shaped the sound of contemporary music, working with A-list artists such as Missy Elliot, Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, and Aaliyah.

As a successful label in its own right, Mosley Music Group has been at the forefront. Distributed by Def Jam, it’s home to various artists across different genres such as Timbaland himself, One Republic, Carson Leders, and previously, Bubba Sparxx, Nelly Furtado, and Chris Cornell. 

The partnership with UMG represents a strategic move for Timbaland’s label, as UMG Nashville is a major player in the country music scene. This collaboration aims to explore the amalgamation of country and hip-hop, breaking new artists in the country genre. This partnership could lead to blending styles and creating unique soundscapes, resulting in innovative music within the country sphere.

AJ became involved with MMBC during the winter semester of his freshman year and has had a significant influence ever since. As the Vice President of Marketing, AJ oversees all aspects of social media and marketing strategy. He currently leads a talented team of over 16 members and spearheaded the implementation of a content creation system that significantly boosted MMBC’s presence on TikTok and Instagram, with followers growing from 450 to over a thousand.

This summer, he is working at the 740 Project, a music marketing firm, as a Data Analytics and Marketing Intern. His role focuses on conducting comprehensive social media audits for various clients, primarily in hip-hop and R&B. Some notable names include Chikoruss, Agnez Mo, Will Smith, and Justin Quiles. AJ utilizes his computer science skills in Python and Google Analytics to analyze engagement metrics, identifying high-performing content. He also contributes to tailored marketing campaigns that integrate SEO optimization and content calendars, significantly boosting artist visibility. This hands-on experience has provided AJ with invaluable insights into the strategic and analytical aspects of music marketing.

Alongside his internship, AJ developed a personal project, SongSync, a web application designed to create mood-based playlists using advanced audio analysis. The application is built with React for the front end and utilizes Spotify API to access comprehensive music data. For the backend, he employed Python and FastAPI to ensure efficient and scalable API development. The core of SongSync is its ability to analyze song features such as energy, tempo, danceability, and more, matching tracks to users’ mood preferences. This project not only enhanced his technical skills but also demonstrated its effectiveness in delivering personalized music experiences. Currently in beta testing, AJ is awaiting a quota extension from Spotify to further expand and publish the application!

To learn more about AJ, check out the links below:

SongSyncWebsite: https://songsync-official.vercel.app/

Portfolio website: https://aj-das.github.io/portfolio/

Next up is Mackenzie, a dedicated member of the MMBC since her freshman year. This summer, she had the incredible opportunity to participate in the UTA Externship program, where she engaged in an executive speaker series, networked with fellow externs, and connected with UTA employees. As she was taught about each facet of the agency, she thought it was incredible to forge new connections and continue enhancing her understanding of the entertainment space.

Following the externship, Mackie took on the role of a digital/marketing intern at Primary Wave Music in June. She spearheaded social media content creation across multiple platforms, including Meta, X, YouTube, and more, daily. She also designed weekly newsletters, and engineering software, including PowerPoint, Premiere Pro, CapCut, InShot, Woobox, and more to generate marketing campaigns to drive engagement. Her experience included bi-weekly meetings with company executives to discuss industry trends and strategies, teaching her the importance of strategic thinking in building successful online campaigns.

Mackie’s journey this summer reflects her passion for the entertainment industry and her drive to excel in her field. We can’t wait to see how she applies what she has learned to MMBC this semester!

Donations to the Michigan Music Business Club are always welcome and greatly appreciated.

All monetary gifts are put towards funding our wide range of events, including concerts, speakers, and other professional and creative development events.

MMBC has brought an accomplished lineup of musicians, agents, producers, publicists, lawyers, and composers to speak and perform for the club and the greater Michigan community. To pay the generosity of others forward, many of our events have raised money for charity and local Ann Arbor businesses. Regardless of the amount, all donations help our organization continue to bring authentic and memorable experiences to fans and aspiring industry professionals here at the University of Michigan.