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Iovine and his team are hoping the new service will further expand the cachet of the Beats brand, which has generated north of $1 billion in revenue worldwide.

I.B. BAD SETS A TEA TIME

With IGA Firing on All Cylinders and Beats Music Preparing for Launch, a Revitalized Jimmy Iovine Begins the Next Phase of His Multifaceted Career
New-release marketshare is the industry’s heat index, measuring the labels’ comparative hitmaking abilities in terms of current album sales. By this measurement, Monte Lipman’s Republic is running away from the competition year to date, leading its nearest rival, Peter Edge’s RCA, 8.5% to 7.4%. By contrast, TEA is a measurement of the labels’ overall business, including singles and catalog, and in this sector, Jimmy Iovine’s IGA leads the pack with 7.4%. With Eminem (11/5) and Lady Gaga (11/11) as well as the impressive IGA catalog, handicappers expect the company to end the year on top.

The big question surrounding Eminem’s LP has to do with whether it contains a track with broad demographic appeal along the lines of Recovery’s dual smashes, “Not Afraid” and the Rihanna-co-starring “Love the Way You Lie,” which combined to drive the album to just south of 5m units. “Berzerk,” the core-serving, male-skewing lead single from the upcoming album, will get ongoing exposure as the featured song on ABC’s prime-time college football telecasts through 12/7, which should ignite big first-week album sales.

Meanwhile, Iovine and Dr. Dre’s Beats Music/codename Daisy is in the final stages of preparation for a rumored November launch. Iovine, Dre and Beats Electronics President/COO Luke Wood have been developing the service for over two years. Beats Music CEO Ian Rogers is heading the business, while Head of Music, Curation and Artist Development Julie Pilat is overseeing what will be one of the service’s defining aspects: the creation of playlists curated by a carefully chosen assemblage of music professionals.

The Beats principals are deep into negotiations with the major telecoms about forming a wide-ranging partnership, and once that deal is set, expect a high-profile TV campaign to be rolled out leading up to launch. In terms of working capital, Len Blavatnik’s Access Industries contributed significantly to the $60m raised back in January.

Those who’ve seen the beta of the Beats/Daisy interface are raving about its elegant design and ease of operation, along with Beats’ signature hip factor. Beats Music will go head-to-head for dominance in this all-important sector with soon-to-launch iTunes Radio, as well as Spotify, Pandora and iHeartRadio. Iovine and his team are hoping the new service will further expand the cachet of the Beats brand, which has generated north of $1 billion in revenue worldwide.

Clear Channel’s Tom Poleman and John Sykes are getting huge props from the entire industry for so quickly and emphatically establishing the iHeartRadio Music Festival as the premiere live pop experience. The third edition of the fest (9/20-21) matches up modern-day superstars like Justin Timberlake, Katy Perry and Drake with all-time greats Paul McCartney and Elton John.

People are noting a creeping sense of apathy emanating from Atlantic, which has been ice cold on the charts apart from Bruno Mars in recent months. The prevailing theory is that Julie Greenwald essentially checked out following the departure of Lyor Cohen and is counting the days until she can rejoin her former boss.

What longtime upper-echelon corporate executive often referred to as Dr. No, who manages down poorly, is supposedly circling the drain career-wise?

Following Irving Azoff’s blockbuster pact with James Dolan’s MSG, numbers crunchers are digging through the mega-dealmaker’s history in hopes of determining exactly how many times he’s sold all or part of his management interests, and for how many millions of total dollars.

Guggenheim’s proposed deal to acquire VEVO, which looked like it had gone off the rails, now appears to be on track again.

The synergy between music and TV was evidenced once again this week in a highly competitive chart race between a pair of TV-spawned up-and-comers and their respective labels, as Republic’s Ariana Grande edged Epic’s Tamar Braxton for #1.

The next season of American Idol, which begins in January, will be without Iovine, the show’s chief mentor the last three seasons, as well as Dr. Luke, who had to back out of a judging job he’d initially accepted. Grumblings are said to be coming out of Dr. Luke’s camp about that $27m decision.

Interestingly, Dr. Luke co-wrote and produced several tracks on Katy Perry’s Prism for Capitol, including the massive lead single “Roar.”

Speaking of Perry, insiders say recently fired A&R executive Chris Anokute’s contractual issues with UMG will likely be settled, while Warner Bros. Records has signed sought-after act Bebe Rexha, whom Anokute manages.

Names in the rumor mill: Michael Guido, Charlie Walk, Bob Pittman and Jonathan Dickens.
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