I
N SEPTEMBER 2016, THE INDIE-FOLK
act Bon Iver returned from a
five-year break with a new album,
22, A Million, that reached No. 2 on
the Billboard 200. But lead singer Justin
Vernon saw the album’s success as a chance to
do something bigger.
During a tour stop in Sydney, the band asked
fans for donations to benefit one of the largest
local shelters for abused women in the area,
Northern Beaches Women’s Shelter; by the
end of the evening, it had raised $11,000. That
overwhelming response led Bon Iver to launch
the 2ABillion campaign, through which the
group raises money for human-rights charities
at every stop on a given tour.
2AB collects funds from online auctions
for concert ticket packages, a portion of
merch sales and on-site donations. So far, the
campaign has raised nearly $340,000 over
the course of three tours for such charities as
youth music education nonprofit Girls Rock
Denver. Last year, the average donation to
each partner was nearly $7,000. In April, 2AB’s
funds helped the Argrow’s House women’s
shelter in Illinois pay off part of its mortgage.
“Not everyone is safe,” says Vernon. With
2AB, “we thought we could not only learn
about the organizations helping those in
need, but also allow our fans to encounter
these groups.” He says that roughly 7,000 fans
have participated in 2AB at on-site charity
tables alone, leading to more than 4,300 sig-
natures collected for various campaigns and
initiatives. Vernon also shares the names of
each charity partner with the band’s 756,000
Twitter followers and 564,000 Instagram
followers, and takes time onstage to shout out
their efforts.
During Bon Iver’s current tour for new
album i,i, the band is playing some of the big-
gest venues of its career — and 2AB is thriving
as a result. After the tour’s West Coast dates,
which included stops at San Francisco’s
Chase Center and Los Angeles’ The Forum,
2AB netted $65,000 in donations. Vernon
expects that number to double after the East
Coast leg, which ends on Oct. 19 at Raleigh,
N.C.’s PNC Arena.
“Engaging with so many people at the show
will help us reach more survivors this year,”
says Alison Safran, founding director of Surviv-
ing in Numbers, which raised more than $1,000
for its campus sexual assault prevention work-
shops at Bon Iver’s Sept. 15 date at The Forum.
Molly Beahen, Bon Iver’s manager, says
that as 2AB grows along with the band,
the team aims to select charities that cross
all racial, ethnic and socioeconomic lines.
“We’re always striving to do more,” she says
— for instance, the Latinx-focused women’s
shelter Casa de Esperanza was picked as an
upcoming Minnesota partner. The band also
changed the language of 2AB’s fliers to be
inclusive of all sexual orientations.
“When we work in the industry, it’s really
easy to forget that music has a power that
goes beyond the sales charts and compe-
tition,” says Vernon. “[It’s important to]
remember that music can embolden people
and give them the strength to be whom they
want to be.”
GOOD WORKS
Opening Act: Your
Local Charity
On Bon Iver’s biggest tour yet, the band is bringing nonprofits
fighting gender inequality and sexual violence center stage
BY TATIANA CIRISANO
Spotify is looking for a new executive to lead
the teams and global strategy for editorial,
programming, catalog, talent relations and
more. (Nick Holmstén, who previously held
the role, moved to an advisory position in
September.) The new head of music will
guide the streaming giant as it expands
its global paying subscriber base. Spotify
expects to have more than 1 billion paying
subscribers by 2030, up from 108 million
announced in July.
REQUIREMENTS
A background in music and technology is
a must. Ideal candidates will have proven
managerial skills and leadership experience
because this role oversees more than 100
employees, a number of different teams and
more than 5,000 Spotify-owned playlists.
A flair for innovation is also key, as the
global head of music is one of the most
industry-facing positions at the company.
According to a representative, applicants
will be expected to think of new, creative
ways of interacting with artists, managers
and songwriters.
THE HARD PART
As the point person for artist and label
relations, the global head of music must
foster relationships with various industry
figures and companies while Spotify
renegotiates major-label license renewals and
appeals songwriter royalty rate increases —
processes that can put the two sides at odds.
THE BOSS
The position reports to the chief content
officer, Dawn Ostroff. At Spotify, Ostroff
spearheaded the company’s expansion into
podcasts and helped sign strategic partner-
ships with the Obamas. The global head of
music also will work with Jeremy Erlich, a
major-label veteran, and Marian Dicus, who
are currently serving as interim co-heads of
music while Spotify searches for a permanent
replacement. —CLAUDIA ROSENBAUM
HELP WANTED
GLOBAL HEAD OF
MUSIC, SPOTIFY
Lynyrd Skynyrd founding bassist LARRY JUNSTROM died at age 70. MARY ELLEN CATANEO, who led publicity teams at Columbia Records and Sony Music Entertainment, died at 65.
Bon Iver’s Vernon
at the All Points
East Festival in
London on June 2.
IVE
R
:^ MICH
A
L^
A
U
G
USTINI/
S
H
U
T
T
E
R
STO
C
K
.24 BILLBOARD • OCTOBER 12, 2019