Billboard – August 10, 2019

(C. Jardin) #1

AUGUST 10 , 2 019 | WWW.BILLBOARD.COM 57


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Lance Alleman


AGENT


WME


Alleman, 35, did $22 million in bookings


for WME in 2018 with 370 fair and


festival dates, and he has almost


surpassed those numbers this year, he


reports. The agent also co-signed (with


colleague Carrie Murphy) Shy Carter,


who co-wrote two No. 1 hits on the


Country Airplay chart for Kane Brown,


including “Heaven,” which SESAC


named country song of the year in 2018.


AN INCLUSIVE WORKPLACE IS


“Invaluable,” says Alleman, the first


openly gay agent in WME’s Nashville


office. “I’ve felt nothing but love and


support from my colleagues.”


Alaysia Sierra


Bragg-Miles


HEAD OF R&B PROGRAMMING


Apple Music


Bragg-Miles* digs deep on social


media to find voices that they feel


need to be heard. “I’ve never seen


anyone who looks like me here,” says


Bragg-Miles, who identifies as a queer,


nonbinary, black, woman-presenting


person and works to add diverse new


faces like Tierra Whack, Summer


Walker and Omar Apollo to Apple’s


playlists. “I’ve been able to help create


visibility for artists of all identities who


otherwise may not have received major


support,” they say.


MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE “The lack of


visibility and [opportunity] access for


women. I’m speaking more specifically


about engineers, producers, A&Rs


and executives. We need to create


more spaces for women to be seen


and heard.”


Jess Caragliano


CO-FOUNDER/CEO


Terrorbird Media/Terrorbird


Publishing


Under Caragliano, 37, Terrorbird has


expanded beyond radio promotion,


publicity, synch licensing and


publishing administration into original


music composition, working with digital


service providers and international


marketing strategy. “I am proud to lead


a 15-person team, the majority of whom


identify as female and/or queer,” says


Caragliano of her fully independent


music marketing company that recently


celebrated its 13th year.


MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE “Mental health


and emotional well-being are crucial


issues that need to be addressed for


everyone’s long-term sustainability.”


Christine Carson


HEAD OF INTERNATIONAL


MARKETING


Glassnote


Carson, 34, drives the success of


Glassnote’s artists outside the United


States. In the past year, label acts


Mumford & Sons, Childish Gambino


and The Strumbellas earned gold


record certifications abroad; Jade Bird


and Half Moon Run sold out European


tours, says Carson; and Aurora broke


through on the Australian Recording


Industry Association charts.


PRIDE TODAY IS “An understanding of


the history of the LGBTQ+ movement


and [the ability] to look back while


progressing continually forward.”


Jane Chen


VP INTEGRATED MARKETING


Live Nation


While Live Nation’s overall sponsorship


and advertising revenue rose 13% in


2018, business doubled in categories


that Chen* oversees: tech, mobile,


gaming, travel and business-to-


business. That was “driven by deals


with brands we’ve never worked with


before, like T-Mobile and Google Pixel,


Dish network and Sony,” she says.


WHERE INCLUSION IS NEEDED As a


lesbian woman of color, Chen says she


embodies an “intersectionality” that


she would like reflected at festivals.


“People look up at the stage and see


who is performing. It’s very obvious


when certain identities are missing.”


Trinity Colón


VP MUSIC PROGRAMMING


SiriusXM


As part of SiriusXM’s Xtra


Channels programming expansion,


Colón, 51, created the Chillhop


channel, an extension of her focus


on “a newer generation of relaxing


music” — hip-hop and jazz [fusion],


new age, standards and more. “We’re


always looking for ways to create


something that appeals to more than


just the standard pop, rock and hip-


hop audience.”


MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE “Cultivating


sustainable artist careers in an era of


streaming singles. The way music is


going right now with streaming, it’s


just setting up one-hit wonders.”


Darren Davis


PRESIDENT


IHeartMedia Networks Group/


iHeartRadio


With the promotional clout of its


more than 850 broadcast stations,


iHeartMedia earlier this year overtook


NPR as top podcast publisher


worldwide, according to Podtrac,


though Davis, 46, acknowledges


that the two media companies now


“jump back and forth” in the top spot.


For June, Podtrac says iHeart’s 252


podcasts drew a U.S. unique monthly


audience of 19 million and 130 million


global downloads and streams.


MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE “We can all


use more courage, regardless of what


part of our life we’re talking about.”


Ismail Elshareef


SENIOR VP FAN EXPERIENCE


Ticketmaster


Elshareef, 44, led the launch of the


Ticketmaster Smart Queue, the


company’s latest scalper-fighting


technology, which acts as a “virtual


line” that has blocked more than


11 billion bots from nabbing tickets


to events. The new technology has


helped Ticketmaster increase revenue


20%, he says, while the interactive


seat-map feature has led fans to opt


for higher-tier tickets, says Elshareef.


PRIDE TODAY IS “Advocating for the


community — the larger community of


Americans in America — and for each


other and for what is right.”


Alleman


Caragliano


Carson


Chen


Colón


Davis


Elshareef


METHODOLOGY


Executives who publicly


self-identify as LGBTQ


were chosen by editors


based on factors


including, but not limited


to, nominations by


peers, colleagues and


superiors at selected


music companies. In


addition to nominations,


editors weigh impact


on consumer behavior


as measured by metrics


such as chart, sales and


streaming performance;


social media


impressions; career


trajectory; and overall


impact in the music


industry, using data


available as of June 6.


1923


Ma Rainey makes


her first recordings.


The pioneering blues musician created


much of the musical template that is


associated with the genre, and her


lyrics — on songs like 1928’s “Prove


It on Me Blues” — frankly addressed


same-sex attraction and her sometimes


androgynous appearance long before


such topics were commonly discussed.


—TIM SOMMER


QUEER MUSIC MILESTONES


*DECLINED TO PROVIDE AGE


Bragg-Miles


Azalea (left)


and Mateo


on Jimmy


Kimmel Live!


in April.


COLLABORATE WITH DRAG QUEENS


ARTISTS LIKE TAYLOR SWIFT AND IGGY AZALEA ARE


CASTING DRAG STARS IN VIDEOS AND PERFORMANCES


1. Work with queens year-round. While Pride month is a great


time to bring visibility to the LGBTQ community, it’s also extremely


busy for drag artists. “Drag queens are wanting to move to the


forefront,” says Silky Nutmeg Ganache, who performed alongside


Iggy Azalea at one of the rapper’s recent tour stops. “But believe me,


we are available beyond the month of June.” Instead, ask to work


with queens on projects that make sense for all involved. “Keep


it real and genuine,” says the Spice Girls’ Melanie C, who is on a


solo world tour performing with drag queens from Sink the Pink, a


London-based queer nightlife collective. “Don’t jump on the [drag]


bandwagon, because people will see through that.”


2. Provide necessary accommodations — including payment.


Like any artists, queens need time and space to prep hair, makeup


and costumes before a shoot begins. “Take into consideration


having proper places to get ready,” says Vanessa Vanjie Mateo,


who has also appeared with Azalea in multiple music videos and


performances. And while exposure is great, it doesn’t replace


proper compensation. “I’m not going to do something that’s not


financially beneficial or not [going to] further my brand,” says


Trinity the Tuck, who appeared in Taylor Swift’s “You Need to


Calm Down” video. “[Swift’s] staff took really good care of us.”


3. Treat queens as partners, not props. Trixie Mattel, who had a


comedic bit part in Azalea’s “Started” video, says she won’t take


a job in which she isn’t used for her full abilities. “If I get invited


to do something and it’s like, ‘You will be one of 12 drag queens


in a scene that’s two seconds,’ I don’t go,” she says. “I am not the


potted plant being rolled out for the video.” That also means being


willing to return the favor down the line. “If there ever comes a


time where I have a cause,” says Ganache, “you best believe that


I’m going to call back on you for your help.” —STEPHEN DAW


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