Maverick (company)

Maverick
Entertainment management
Entertainment
Industry Music, Film, Entertainment
Founded 1992 (original company)
2014 (management group)
Founder Madonna
Frederick DeMann
Veronica "Ronnie" Dashev (1992)
Guy Oseary (2014)
Headquarters Beverly Hills, California, United States
Key people
 Guy Oseary (CEO, Founder)
Greg Thompson (President)
Gee Roberson
Shawn Gee
Cortez Bryant
Larry Rudolph
Adam Leber
Scott Rodger
Clarence Spalding
Wassim “Sal” Slaiby
Lee Anne Callahan-Longo
Kevin “Chief” Zaruk
Seth England
Products Management, Music, Entertainment, Film, Television program, Music Video
Website Maverick.com

Maverick was an entertainment company founded in 1992 by Madonna, Frederick DeMann and Veronica "Ronnie" Dashev. It was owned and operated by Warner Music Group. It included a recording company (Maverick Records), a film production company (Maverick Films), book publishing, music publishing, Latin record division (Maverick Musica) and a television production company. The first releases for the company were Madonna's 1992 coffee table publication, Sex and her studio album Erotica which were released simultaneously to great controversy.

DeMann was bought out of the company for a reported $20 million in 1998. Guy Oseary increased his stake in the company and took control as Chairman and CEO. Madonna and Dashev left in 2004 after a lawsuit between Maverick and Warner Music Group.

In 2014, the company was revived as a management group founded by Oseary in partnership with Live Nation Entertainment. The company rebranded as "Maverick" on October 17, 2014. Currently as of 2018, Maverick consists of Oseary, President Greg Thompson and other recording artist managers Larry Rudolph, Adam Leber, Gee Roberson, Shawn Gee, Cortez Bryant, Scott Rodger, Clarence Spalding, Wassim “Sal” Slaiby, Lee Anne Callahan-Longo, Kevin “Chief” Zaruk and Seth England.[1]

Maverick Records

Maverick Records was launched in April 1992 as a unit of the Maverick entertainment company. It was a joint venture between Madonna, Frederick DeMann, Veronica "Ronnie" Dashev and Time Warner.[2] The name is combined from the names of three of the founders; Madonna, Veronica and Frederick. The company had divisions for recording, music publishing, television, film, merchandising and book-publishing. The venture was part of a $60 million recording and business deal between Madonna and Time Warner . It gave her 20% royalties from the music proceedings, one of the highest rates in the industry, equalled at that time only by Michael Jackson's royalty rate established a year earlier with Sony.[2]

At the time of its launch. the company was bi-coastal; having offices in both New York City and Los Angeles. The record company division of Maverick also consisted of sub-label, Maverick Musica (a Miami, Florida-based satellite label focusing on Latin-American music) and Maverick Music Publishing. The first releases for the company were Madonna's 1992 coffee table publication, Sex and her studio album Erotica which were released simultaneously to great controversy.[3]

Commercial success

Platinum record (middle) for Madonna's 2001 greatest hits album, GHV2, released by Maverick Records.

Maverick's first commercial success was with the self-titled debut album by Seattle-based grunge band Candlebox. Released in 1993, the album would be RIAA-certified quadruple platinum in the United States. The following year, the label signed Canadian musician Alanis Morissette, whose third album (and Maverick debut) Jagged Little Pill was released in 1995, and would be eventually certified 16x platinum in the U.S. (with international sales of $33 million)–making it the best selling album in the label's history, and of the 1990s.

DeMann was bought out of the company for a reported $20 million in 1998, after which Guy Oseary increased his stake in the company and took control as chairman and CEO.

Throughout the 1990s to the middle 2000s, Maverick would also release albums by Erasure, Michelle Branch, Meshell Ndegeocello, U.N.V., Dana Dane, N-Phase, Dalvin DeGrate, The Prodigy, Cleopatra, Tyler Hilton, Muse, Deftones, Summercamp, No Authority and William Orbit. "I'm happy with Maverick as a label," observed The Prodigy's Liam Howlett. "They respect their bands; even the ones who aren't selling."[4]

Litigation and decline

By the early 2000s, Maverick saw its commercial fortunes decline and business operations financially unravel. In March 2004, the label and Madonna filed suit against Warner Music Group (and its former parent company, Time Warner), claiming that mismanagement of resources and poor bookkeeping had cost the company millions of dollars. Warner filed a countersuit, alleging that Maverick had lost tens of millions of dollars on its own.[5][6][7]

On June 14, 2004, the dispute was resolved when Maverick shares owned by Madonna and Dashev were purchased — which effectively exiled the two of them from the company, as it then became a wholly owned subsidiary of Warner Music Group. Then Maverick CEO Guy Oseary, meanwhile, retained his position until WMG purchased his label shares in 2006.[6] The same year, the band Lillix, which at the time was signed to the label, claimed that the Maverick label no longer existed and that all the artists were now handled by Warner Bros. directly. In 2007 the record company folded.[1]

Two of the label's most successful artists, Alanis Morissette and Michelle Branch, left in the late 2000s. Branch left in 2007 after disbanding The Wreckers, while Morissette left in 2009 after the release of Flavors of Entanglement. Madonna's recording contract remained with Warner Bros. Records under a separate agreement until 2009.

In 2010, Maverick Records brought teenage file-sharer, Whitney Harper, to court and won the case. Harper was ordered to pay $750 per song for the three dozen uploaded on the Internet.[8] The case is known as Harper v. Maverick Recording Co..[9]

In 2011, Maverick Records co-released Greyson Chance's debut album Hold On 'til the Night, but other than that the label has remained in dormancy.

Recording artists

Maverick Films

Maverick Picture Company was the film division of Maverick founded in 1992.[2] The first film it produced was Dangerous Game in 1993, directed by Abel Ferrara and starring Madonna, Harvey Keitel and James Russo.

In 2001, the company was rebranded as simply Maverick Films and was solely managed by Madonna and Guy Oseary, CEO of another Maverick division, Maverick Records. In 2004, Madonna and Dashev were bought out of Maverick after a lawsuit with Warner Music Group and they no longer have an interest in the company. Madonna has since formed another company, Semtex Films which oversees productions relating to the singer. Oseary has retained the rights to the Maverick name.[10]

Film productions

Maverick Films:[11]

Maverick Picture Company:[12]

Maverick Management

In 2014, Oseary announced that he was forming a joint venture with Live Nation Entertainment to establish a management group and will amalgamate other managers and their companies into one venture. Oseary originally was joined by Reign Deer's Larry Rudolph and Adam Leber, Blueprint Group's Gee Roberson, Cortez Bryant and Shawn Gee, Quest Management's Scott Rodger, Spalding Entertainment's Clarence Spalding, Laffitte Management's Ron Laffitte and I Am Other's Caron Veazey. All nine managers combined their companies together, rebranded them and their respective employees as "Maverick" on October 17, 2014.[1]

As of February 2015, the only Maverick recording artists still signed to Warner Music were Muse (who were transferred to Warner Bros. Records in 2003), Deftones (transferred to Reprise Records) and The Prodigy (who returned to Warner Bros. in 2014).

In March 2015, founder Madonna released her album Rebel Heart, featuring the Maverick logo on the back cover. This, though, signified a new collaboration between Oseary, Madonna's manager, and Live Nation Entertainment as a management group, not a record label.[1]

In April of 2016, Maverick announced that Greg Thompson was leaving his position as EVP at Universal’s Capitol Music Group to join Maverick as president: “You want the best captain steering the ship,” Guy Oseary was quoted on Music Business Worldwide. “Now we have that, with Greg on the team.”[13] Thompson has also worked for EMI, Island/Def Jam, Elektra, SBK Records and Chrysalis, where he started in 1985.[14]

In May of 2016, Wassim "SAL" Slaiby, CEO of XO/Sal & Co’s, joined the Maverick Management team with The Weeknd, Belly and Massari.[15]

Maverick courted Big Loud Management for a year until November 2017, when Maverick parent company Live Nation announced they had paid an undisclosed sum to acquire Big Loud and their six-artist roster.[16] Formerly of Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment, Lee Anne Callahan-Longo also joined the Maverick Management roster in November 2017.[17]

Alisann Blood was appointed Senior Vice President of Brand Partnerships on the Maverick team in February of 2018. Previously, Blood was part of Crush Music, where Sia, Green Day, Fall Out Boy and Lorde are managed. Prior to Crush, Blood served as Vice President of Brand Partnerships and Sync at Capitol Music Group.[18]

In March of 2018, Meredith Gardner joined the Maverick family as Senior Vice President of Digital. Formerly Gardner served as SVP at Capitol Music Group, working with artists Sam Smith, Beck, Disclosure, Troye Sivan, Niall Horan, Migos and Katy Perry as well as overseeing digital marketing for CMG labels including Astralwerks, Blue Note, Harvest, Motown and Virgin.[19]

In July 2018 Maverick announced the signing of Latin pop artist Ricky Martin under manager Lee Anne Callahan-Longo based out of the Maverick New York office.[20]

On August 3, 2018 Aerosmith officially joined the Maverick family under Larry Rudolph who has managed Steven Tyler since 2014.[21]

As of August 2018, Oseary and Thompson are currently accompanied by artist managers Adam Leber, Lee Anne Callahan-Longo, Larry Rudolph, Gee Roberson, Cortez Bryant, Shawn Gee, Scott Rodger, Wassim “Sal” Slaiby, Clarence Spalding, Kevin “Chief” Zaru and Seth England. Maverick currently has offices in Los Angeles, New York, Nashville and London.[22]

Managed Artists

Other divisions

  • Maverick Musica – Latin division of Maverick Records[23]
  • Maverick Books – book publishing
  • MadGuy Television – television production
  • MadGuy Films – film and television production
  • Maverick Music – publishing division

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Hampp, Andrew (2014-10-17). "U2 and Madonna Manager Guy Oseary Is Trying to Reinvent the Music Biz". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  2. 1 2 3 Holden, Stephen (April 20, 1992). "Madonna Makes a $60 Million Deal". The New York Times. Retrieved May 27, 2008.
  3. ↑ Kirschling, Gregory (October 25, 2002). "The Naked Launch". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 27, 2008.
  4. ↑ Elliott, Paul (February 1998). "Their year: The Prodigy". Q #137. p. 95.
  5. ↑ "Madonna's label sues record giant". BBC. March 26, 2004. Retrieved June 7, 2008.
  6. 1 2 Shawhan, Jason (August 26, 2007). "Madonna sells record company". NME. Retrieved June 9, 2008.
  7. ↑ "Entertainment - Madonna's label sues record giant". BBC.
  8. ↑ "Court rejects teen's appeal in Internet music case". The Seattle Times. November 29, 2010.
  9. ↑ "Harper v. Maverick Recording Co". Loeb.
  10. ↑ Schneider, Michael (2008-08-08). "Maverick Films splits". Variety. Retrieved 2018-06-19.
  11. ↑ "Maverick Films [us]". IMDb.
  12. ↑ "Maverick Picture Company [us]".
  13. ↑ Ingham, Tim (2016-04-08). "Greg Thompson Leaves Capitol To Run Management Empire Maverick". Music Business Worldwide. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  14. ↑ Rys, Dan (2016-04-07). "Greg Thompson Named President of Maverick Music, Exiting the Capitol Tower". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  15. ↑ Bliss, Karen (2016-05-26). "The Weeknd Co-Manager SAL Joins Guy Oseary's Maverick: Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  16. ↑ Newman, Melinda (2017-11-09). "Maverick Partners With Big Loud Management, Expands Nashville Footprint: Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-08-01. After Maverick courted Big Loud for more than a year, Maverick parent Live Nation has paid an undisclosed sum to acquire the management unit, whose six-artist roster also includes...
  17. ↑ Schneider, Marc (2017-11-27). "Lee Anne Callahan-Longo, Who Helped Build Beyonce's Parkwood, Joins Maverick". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  18. ↑ Brooks, Dave (2018-02-05). "Maverick Hires Alisann Blood to Oversee Brand Partnerships". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-02-05.
  19. ↑ Variety Staff (2018-03-28). "Maverick Names Meredith Gardner Senior VP of Digital". Variety. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  20. ↑ Halperin, Shirley (2018-07-14). "Ricky Martin Signs With Maverick Management". Variety. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  21. ↑ Billboard Staff (2018-08-03). "Aerosmith Signs With Larry Rudolph's ReignDeer Entertainment Ahead of 50th Anniversary". Billbaord. Retrieved 2018-08-04.
  22. ↑ "Maverick Management". Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  23. ↑ HOCHMAN, STEVE (1999-11-28). "Maverick Records Goes for Baroque With Orbit". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2018-06-19.
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