The AvA Connection

⭐ Coolest Thing I Saw This Weekend

“Unforeseen circumstances" is the live event world’s version of “It’s not you, it’s me.” Sure, it can sometimes mean actual unforeseen circumstances like weather or a sudden illness (or Stevie Nicks’ recent fractured shoulder. GET BETTER QUEEN) but more often it’s code for “we couldn’t fill the venue.” Industry people know it’s the PR bandage for a bruised ego and bad sales.

That all changed when JP Saxe dropped this refreshing op-ed in Variety after he had to cancel his tour. Click below to read through the slideshow. Even my goldfish brain was able to make it through the 12 slides. You can too.

🐝 The Weekly Buzz (7 Entertainment Industry Headlines That Actually Matter)

1) As podcasting becomes video-oriented, Amazons is shuffling around its Audio Business and cutting 110 from its staff, although they are denying that Wondery Studio will shut down. Video platforms, especially YouTube, play a significant role in podcast discovery, with 58% of listeners finding new podcasts through the platform.

2) SESAC, the Performing Rights Organization (PRO), just raised $889M by turning its entire business into collateral, in a move called “whole business securitization.” The deal, which includes rights to artists like Ariana Grande and Kurt Cobain, was so popular it was oversubscribed by three times. SESAC now has $1.1 billion in debt, fueling its ongoing expansion.

🧠 Industry Insight: In the most basic terms, a PRO collects royalties for songwriters when their music is played. SESAC, a for-profit PRO, uses Wall Street tools like securitization to scale, unlike nonprofit ASCAP, which can’t leverage capital markets in the same way.

3) YouTube is testing Instagram-style collab videos to continue to fuel creator growth and reach.

4) The NFL and ESPN just sealed a multi-billion-dollar deal, giving ESPN access to top NFL media assets like RedZone, NFL Network, Fantasy Football, and seven more regular-season games. In exchange, the NFL may take up to 10% equity in ESPN. The deal, four years in the making, is complex and requires regulatory approval, which could take up to a year. Expect an official announcement next week.

5) ‘F1’ just became Brad Pitt’s highest grossing movie of all time, reaching $545 million globally & overtaking ‘World War Z’ which topped out at $540 million in 2013.

6) ‘Peaky Blinders’ creator Steven Knight is enlisted as the next writer for the James Bond franchise. The film will be directed by Dune’s Denis Villeneuve under Amazon MGM Studios, and also is the first Bond film since Daniel Craig left.

7) ‘The Conjuring’ house, and all of its contents including the Annabelle Doll, was just purchased by… comedian Matt Rife. He plan to open it up for public tours and overnight stays. Can’t be scarier than my inbox this AM though. Timing isn’t concerning at all with a paranormal investigator just dying on a US tour with the doll.

🏃 Industry Moves

1. Warner Records “overhauled” 3 executives (aka pushed them out the door), and has promoted 3 new people internally in a bid towards “future focused revitalization.”

2. David Ellison has set his team at Paramount Global.

3. WME Sports named Max Eisenbud as their new Head of Client Representation. He previously had the same role at IMG for tennis exclusively, but now his reach will grow into golf, action sports, and sports content at large.

📚 Book and Podcast Rec:

Each week, I highlight a new book and podcast that I am into. This week’s is How Music Got Free: A Story of Obsession and Invention. “Journalist Stephen Witt traces the secret history of digital music piracy, from the German audio engineers who invented the mp3, to a North Carolina compact-disc manufacturing plant where factory worker Dell Glover leaked nearly two thousand albums over the course of a decade”

And check out the CEO of Imax on The Town to discuss how the company is working with filmmakers over a year in advance, and becoming the “destination” event for major movies (like the Odyssey that sold tickets a year in advance for the opening). It seems like more of those early drops may be in the works too.

👋 See you back here on Wednesday for a brand new selection of Entertainment jobs

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This newsletter is written by Warner Bailey and edited by Riley Furey and Dominik Sansevere.

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