Warner Music Group Corp. will release its financial results on Wednesday, August 7, 2024, for the third quarter ended June 30, 2024, instead of the previously announced reporting date of August 8, 2024. The company will hold an earnings conference call that morning at 8:30 a.m. ET.

To access the conference call, please register here. Once registered, you will receive an email with the dial-in number along with your personalized pin needed to join the call. We suggest you call in 10 minutes prior to the start time. If you do not anticipate asking a question, we recommend joining via the webcast at www.wmg.com. The replay of the conference call will also be available via the webcast at www.wmg.com.

Audacy announced the 2024 lineup for We Can Survive, the annual event supporting the Company’s mental health initiative, I’m Listening. Superstar Justin Timberlake will be joined by mega boy band New Kids On The Block, singer-songwriter Tate McRae, multi-instrumentalist Benson Boone, R&B crooner Khalid and emerging artist Isabel LaRosa at Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, on Saturday, September 28. Hosted by NEW 102.7 FM (WNEW-FM), the event exemplifies music’s power to connect communities and promotes having more mental health conversations. 

“Music is a driving force in so many of our lives. Having an event like We Can Survive that features artists our fans love while supporting mental health just shows how powerful songs and lyrics can be,” said Michael Martin, Senior Vice President of Programming and Head of Music Initiatives, Audacy. “We look forward to welcoming all of the extraordinary artists and can’t wait to see them light up the night.”

The show will follow the annual I’m Listening broadcast, which will air across Audacy’s portfolio of stations on Wednesday, September 25. I’m Listening delivers engaging conversations to listeners nationwide through the annual broadcast special, specialty radio programming, collaborations with national and local organizations and more. The campaign aims to encourage those who are dealing with mental health issues to understand they are not alone. 

A portion of the event’s proceeds will benefit Audacy’s longstanding I’m Listening partner, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), and their life-saving work of delivering education, loss support, advocacy efforts and community-based programs, including their ongoing public service campaign, “Talk Away the Dark,” which raises awareness of how to spot the warning signs for suicide and having real conversations that connect people to help.

“Partnering with Audacy to raise awareness for mental health and suicide prevention has been incredibly impactful and has helped us reach millions of their listeners with information on the importance of mental wellness,” said Bob Gebbia, Chief Executive Officer, AFSP. “Further, by bringing the biggest stars out for the We Can Survive concert, Audacy has raised over $2 million for suicide prevention since 2021.

These funds support AFSP’s mission to save lives, bring hope to those affected by suicide, and make possible programs that educate the public about mental health and suicide prevention, as well as programs for survivors of suicide loss and those affected by suicide. We are very grateful for Audacy’s commitment to our cause and those who will attend the concert to support our lifesaving work.”

Listeners can get early access to tickets through the presale on August 1 from 10:00 a.m. ET until 11:59 p.m. ET or while supplies last. To get the presale link and code, download the free Audacy app and follow NEW 102.7, or sign up for the NEW 102.7 newsletter at NEW1027.com. Tickets for We Can Survive go on sale on August 2 at 10:00 a.m. ET and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com. For more information on the event, visit WeCanSurvive.com. 

Fans will have a chance to win tickets to Audacy’s We Can Survive through the Company’s partnership with Fandiem, a digital fundraising platform that allows fans to donate to charitable causes for a chance to win prizes and experiences. For more information on how to win, visit WeCanSurvive.com. 

Audacy’s We Can Survive is sponsored by BetterHelp, Dove, Hyundai, Hard Rock Hotels, New Jersey Division of Travel & Tourism, Slomin’s, Key Food and Their Family of Supermarkets, Sangría Señorial and Verizon.

Building anticipation for a new album release is crucial for its success. In today’s music landscape, gaining prerelease momentum across multiple platforms can be exhausting and inefficient. Spotify for Artists provides powerful tools to maximize your release’s potential, reach a global audience, and deepen fan connections before your music is released.

Countdown Pages: Now Available to All Eligible Artists

After a successful test with select artists, Spotify is expanding Countdown Pages to all eligible artists starting today. This feature allows fans to presave an upcoming album, preview the tracklist, watch Clips, purchase merch, and see a timer counting down to the release moment—all on Spotify. Artists with at least 5,000 active listeners in the last 28 days can now create their own Countdown Pages to build hype and drive streams once the album is released.

Where to Find Countdown Pages

Listeners can find Countdown Pages across the Spotify app, including in the artist profile, Now Playing view, Search, and Home. When a new album drops, Spotify sends a push notification to all presavers and adds it to their libraries.

The Importance of the Prerelease Period

“The lead-up to an album’s release is arguably the most important time during a project’s life cycle,” said Sam Duboff, Global Head of Spotify for Artists, Marketing & Policy at Spotify. “The prerelease moment can often be disjointed across many different platforms. Spotify is focused on becoming the best home for artists and labels to release and promote their new music.”

Successful Use of Countdown Pages by Top Artists

Artists like Taylor Swift, Anitta, KAYTRANADA, Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, Charli XCX, and many others have already used Countdown Pages. Earlier this year, Taylor Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department” became the most presaved album Countdown Page in Spotify history.

The Benefits of Countdown Pages

• Fan Engagement: More than 80% of Spotify presaves happen the week an album is announced and the week leading up to its release.
• Increased Streams: Nearly 70% of users who presave an album stream it in the week following its release.
• Effective Promotion: Artists like Meghan Trainor and Conner Smith have successfully used Countdown Pages to engage fans and promote their albums.

Using Clips to Drive Engagement

Artists who upload Clips to their Countdown Pages average twice as many presaves as those who don’t. For example, the alt-rock band Wallows used Clips to share studio footage and the album trailer, driving presaves and excitement for their record.

New Tools to Amplify Releases

With the expansion of Countdown Pages, Spotify continues to invest in new tools designed to amplify the release moment and help artists build their fan bases. Features like Countdown Pages, Clips, Canvas, Campaign Kit, and more are available through Spotify for Artists. The recently launched New Release Guide offers a comprehensive resource for artists promoting their new music.

Park Avenue Artists and Primary Wave Music Launch Orchestral Concerts for Iconic Legacy Artists, Commencing With “The Voice of Whitney” Houston

Forward-thinking creative agency Park Avenue Artists has joined forces with innovative independent music publisher Primary Wave Music  to create and tour a radically new approach to amplifying and reveling in the voices of legacy artists. 

Their first collaboration is “The Voice of Whitney: A Symphonic Celebration,” coming to the stage in August 2024. The Chicago Philharmonic will provide a lush foundation for original master recordings of the singer’s most beloved performances. Before traveling to top venues across the country, the celebration will premiere at the Ravinia Festival near Chicago. (For additional info, see ravinia.org)

“The Voice of Whitney” represents the first shared effort between the partners, in what is planned to be an ongoing collaboration to craft compelling performances using the voice or instrument of late, great musicians. These orchestral concerts pair refined symphonic scores with high-quality recordings to shine a new light on favorite works and songs.

This creative approach to expand the concert has been part of PAA’s work for years. The agency’s unique expertise in the symphonic space ranges from a sold-out concert at the Dolby Theater for Grammy-winning electronic musician ZEDD, to the acclaimed PBS special Seasons of Cuba with Joshua Bell. With its attention to musical detail and its open-minded engagement with technology, PAA is an ideal partner to transform the evergreen work of legacy artists into fresh entertainment.

To create shows like “The Voice of Whitney,” PAA worked with The Estate of Whitney E. Houston and Primary Wave Music to find rare footage and license recordings. Whitney’s vocal part, separated from the instrumental bed fans know from her songs, will resound via high-quality recording over a lush symphonic score played live and created to highlight what made Whitney so compelling.

From her legendary Super Bowl XXV performance of “The Star Spangled Banner” to timeless hits “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” “Greatest Love of All,” “I Will Always Love You,” and “How Will I Know,” among many others, Whitney fans will be immersed in the great singer’s world as the evening weaves through her iconic songbook, film performances, intimate home videos, and never-before-seen photos and footage.

“We are constantly seeking new ways to bring culturally impactful, artful performances to more audiences,” says David Lai, PAA co-president.

 “This project highlights how legacy artists and their estates can continue to create meaningful experiences for music lovers, and ‘The Voice of Whitney’ is the first in several planned collaborations,” continues PAA co-president, Ross Michaels “We know it will be successful thanks to this partnership with Primary Wave.”

iHeartMedia announced today that Steve Darnell has been named Metro President for Sacramento, CA, effective immediately. iHeartMedia Sacramento has a strong cross-platform presence and includes a number of iconic brands and franchises — both broadcast and digital — encompassing more than seven stations comprised of music, talk and news formats. 

iHeartMedia has the leading consumer reach and influence across multiple platforms and delivers more live programming than any other media company. As Metro President, Darnell will be responsible for managing all operations of the cluster, while working closely with other business leaders in the Sacramento market. He will report to DJ Hodge, Division President for iHeartMedia.

“After many years of successful leadership in our Pacific Area, it was clear early-on that Steve was the perfect candidate to lead our Sacramento Market as Metro President,” said DJ Hodge, Division President for iHeartMedia. “Steve is the ideal choice to continue the great work done by Sara McClure, who is moving into our Unified Partnerships Division.”

Darnell most recently served as the Area President for iHeartMedia’s Pacific Area. He also served as the Market President for iHeartMedia’s Fresno Market, as well as Fresno’s Senior Vice President of Sales. Steve is a proud graduate of Fresno State University.

“I’m excited for the opportunity to lead our Sacramento team and market leading iconic station brands. Sacramento is a dynamic, thriving city and I’m thankful that DJ Hodge, Hartley Atkins and Rich Bressler have entrusted me with continuing our growth in this very important market,” said Steve Darnell.

iHeartMedia is the leading media outlet in the Sacramento market with multiple platforms, including its broadcast stations; live events; data; and its digital businesses and platforms, including mobile, social and its own iHeartRadio, iHeartMedia’s free all-in-one digital music, podcasting and live streaming radio service –  available across more than 500 platforms and over 2,000 devices including smart speakers, digital auto dashes, tablets, wearables, smartphones, virtual assistants, televisions and gaming consoles.

iHeartMedia announced today that Sara McClure has been named Vice President of Unified Partnerships for California, effective immediately.

Unified Partnerships, a division of iHeartMedia, has a 22-year history of providing advanced media resources for its ad agency partners. Those resources include helping agencies win new advertising clients, retention of their most important relationships and the ability to earn greater yield.

In addition to iHeartMedia having the leading consumer reach and influence across multiple platforms and delivering more live programming than any other media company, its Unified Partnerships division provides ad agencies with comprehensive media resources, subject matter expertise and superior advertising results for brands and government campaigns.

Sara McClure joins the Unified Partnerships team from iHeartMedia Sacramento, where she most recently served as the Market President. After graduating from Chico State, McClure has achieved significant success in her nearly 30 years as a media executive. In her new role, she will report to Breeanna Malik, EVP for Unified Partnerships.

 “I am extremely excited to have Sara join our division. She will be broadening her responsibilities and offering her incredible expertise to leading agency partners throughout California,” said Michael Preacher, President of Unified Partnerships at iHeartMedia.

“I look forward to advancing my career by joining the Unified Partnership division. This incredible team has unlimited possibilities and I’m excited to bring my scope of marketing and big idea thinking to our partners,” said Sara McClure.

Three Jewish students will be in federal court next week to stop the University of California, Los Angeles, from allowing and assisting antisemitic encampments that bar Jewish students from accessing the heart of campus.

In Frankel v. Regents of the University of California, Becket and co-counsel Clement & Murphy PLLC filed a lawsuit against UCLA after it helped a group of activists as they set up an encampment where they harassed Jewish students and stopped them from accessing classes, the library, and other critical parts of campus.

UCLA reinforced these zones—both by providing metal barriers and by sending away Jewish students—while taking no effective action to ensure safe passage for Jewish students.

On June 24, three current UCLA students asked the court to put an immediate stop to UCLA’s actions so that they could return to class free from fear that they would be harassed and excluded for being Jewish.

UCLA then doubled down, disavowing any obligation to protect its Jewish students, and claimed—despite the numerous encampments that have continued on UCLA’s campus—that the students have nothing to fear when classes begin again. In response, the students pointed out to the court that the May encampment was hardly an isolated incident.

Rather, it merely demonstrated the unchecked antisemitism that ran rampant both before and after those appalling events took place.

Given that UCLA has now admitted to the court that it set up barricades reinforcing the encampment and follows a policy prohibiting calling the police “preemptively,” it could not be clearer that “[w]hen activists discriminate against and threaten Jews, UCLA protects the activists, not their Jewish victims.”

Yitzchok Frankel is a law student and father of four who faced antisemitic harassment last semester simply for wearing a kippah and who was forced to abandon his regular routes through campus because of the Jew Exclusion Zone.

Frankel detailed how UCLA’s continued failures have forced him to cancel plans on campus with his family and to forgo opportunities to mentor incoming Jewish students on campus during orientation week.

Eden Shemuelian, another law student, has also had to avoid using campus facilities and participating in law school orientation events because of UCLA’s continuing failures to ensure the safety and equal access of Jewish students. With the beginning of the fall semester looming, the students will ask the court to ensure that Jews will never again face such antisemitic bigotry at UCLA.