Estefan Deal Consolidates Copyrights Under UMPG Umbrella

Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) has signed an exclusive agreement to administer the publishing interests of Gloria and Emilio Estefan Jr. and their independent publishing companies Foreign Imported Productions & Publishing (FIPP) and Estefan Music Publishing Inc. (EMPI).

The deal marks the first time that all the copyrights the Estefans hold have been consolidated under one publishing umbrella. Previously, the FIPP and EMPI catalogs were administered by Sony/ATV, while Gloria Estefan published through EMI Music Publishing.

The Estefan catalogs comprise more than 3,000 songs, including such Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine hits as "Conga," "Don’t Wanna Lose You," "Reach," "Anything for You," "Words Get in the Way," "Bad Boy," "Here We Are," "Coming Out of the Dark," "Always Tomorrow," "Live for Loving You," and "Cuts Both Ways."

Pictured at the Estefan/Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) signing in Los Angeles in the front row are, from left, UMPG senior VP of Latin America Ivan Alvarez, worldwide president David Renzer, Gloria Estefan, Estefan Enterprises chairman Emilio Estefan Jr., and Universal Music Group president/COO Zach Horowitz. In the back row, from left, are UMPG senior VP of business affairs Michael Petersen, director of business/legal affairs Brad Shenfeld, and executive VP/CFO Michael Sammis.

The multicultural catalogs of FIPP – a top-ranked indie publisher according to the Billboard 2002 yearend Hot Latin Publishing Corporations chart – and EMPI also contain international English and Spanish hit compositions by songwriters including Randall Barlow, who recently wrote "Confiando En Ti" for La India and has also written and produced for Mandy Moore and Jaci Velasquez; Gian Marco, whose credits include songs for Marc Anthony and Velasquez; Tim Mitchell (Shakira, Moore); George Noriega (Shakira, Ricky Martin, Gloria Estefan, Alejandro Fernandez, Jennifer Lopez); Kike Santander (Fernandez, Cristian Castro, Gisselle); and Jon Secada.

Songwriter/artist/producer Emilio Estefan terms the UMPG move a "hard decision, because we worked with EMI and Sony for many years." But he lauds UMPG’s outreach.

"We don’t only hit one market but appeal worldwide because of the multi-ethnic diversity of our writers," Estefan says. "Universal has the right attitude and showed us that they can get our music out in different ways and places."

Nothing that his company "has always been very serious about the Latin side of the business," UMPG Worldwide president David Renzer lauds Estefan as a "visionary [long] at the forefront of the entire Latin crossover sound, who continues to be incredibly contemporary and hungry to have more hits." Negotiations between the parties, Renzer adds, took two years.

Renzer continues, "Emilio’s involved in some of the biggest crossover acts right now, like Shakira and Thalía. We’ve already plugged him into film activity, and he’s met with some of the [Universal] labels. And Gloria has a new album coming out this year."

Gloria Estefan’s forthcoming album for Epic will be her first English-language disc in six years. She says it’s both "very personal" and the first album of songs that she’s entirely written or co-written.

"I love that for the first time in a long, long, long time I’m back in the [publishing] fold," she says, nothing that at the beginning of the Estefans’ songwriting/publishing pursuits, she was "pretty much the writer for FIPP when it started in our garage in 1978."

Gloria Estefan, who is also working on the music and screenplay for a Connie Francis biopic, adds that the UMPG deal maintains her desire to keep her publishing and recording deals separate, rather than "having all the eggs in one basket."

© All rights reserved by Billboard 2003

LATIN NOTAS

WAR OF WORDS:

We all know that several artists have taken strong stands regarding the war in Iraq, gaining or losing sales as a result. But this is not so in the Latin world. With the exception of those in Spain, Latin artists have been low-key in expressing their opinions.

Perhaps Latin American artists do not feel personally involved in the Iraq conflict. But what happens when perceived attacks against liberty take place in Latin America, specifically in Cuba? Surprisingly, very little. Are Latin acts simply disinterested in political issues, or are they afraid of being controversial?

"I think you would have to ask them," producer Emilio Estefan Jr. says.

Weeks ago, Estefan; his wife, Gloria; and dozens of other exiled Cubans added their signatures to a letter endorsed and published by Latin intellectuals, artists, journalists, and politicians. It condemned the arrest of 79 Cuban dissidents, including journalists, who have been sentenced to up to 28 years in prison for their opinions.

Estefan says, "I'm glad people are finally realizing what happens over there. My cousin left Cuba through an embassy, and his mother was jailed for 15 years. These issues are close to our hearts because we're Cubans."

As for non-Cuban Latin American musicians, none signed the letter. In Spain, however, many of the same acts that very volubly condemned the war in Iraq _ including Joaquin Sabina, Victor Manuel, and Ana Belen - also signed the letter condemning the actions of the Cuban government.

These voices of opposition to Fidel Castro, in turn, led to an April 19 letter signed by 27 Cuban artists _ including Silvio Rodriguez, Leo Brouwer, Chucho Valdes, and Omara Portuondo _ appealing to their "confused" friends in the U.S. and Europe. One passage read: "These messages are being used in the great campaign that wants to isolate us and lay the groundwork for an aggressive military invasion from the U.S. against Cuba."

In response to the Cubans, 49 of the original protesting artists and intellectuals wrote yet another letter, published April 29 in American newspapers, in which they stood their ground. "We have condemned, and we continue to condemn these acts [in Cuba], because we consider them an attempt against liberty and life," it read. Protesting the Cuban government's actions and also the war against Iraq are not contradictory but "complementary" actions, continued the letter. It was signed by Pedro Amoldovar, Belen, Manuel, Miguel Rios, Sabina, Joan Manuel Serrat, Caetano Veloso, and Fernando Trueba, among others.

Here in Miami, there has still been no public comment from anyone outside the Cuban exile community, except for another Spaniard _ Alejandro Sanz _ who has specifically said he wants to address the issue in his upcoming Billboard Latin Music Conference question-and-answer session May 7. As for other acts, some have released general peace-themed songs and some have publicly called for peace, although no one specifies where. The lone exception was an anti-war concert that took place April 7 in Argentina.

Are all these acts worried that their comments will have repercussions on their Latin Grammy Award hopes? We hope that's not the case. Latin Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences president Gabriel Abaroa says the Latin Grammys will take place in Miami and the threat of public protest will not prevent this, as it did in 2001, when the awards show was moved at the last minute from Miami to Los Angeles. "The Grammys, like the Olympics, are not a political institution," Estefan adds. "The greatest right a person can have is freedom of speech. That's why I live in this country."

 

Gloria Estefan Gets Personal on 'Unwrapped'

MIAMI (Billboard) - Reinvention is often seen as essential for longevity in pop music. But for Gloria Estefan, the more things change, the more her personal life and public persona seem to stay the same.

It's a paradox that has allowed Estefan to remain relevant and enormously popular during more than two decades of music-making. Her name is recognized all over the globe, and she has sold upwards of 70 million albums worldwide, according to her label.

Still, her individual album sales in the U.S. have rarely been spectacular. Her biggest-selling albums to date, "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me" and "Into the Light," have sold 1.7 million and 1.8 million copies, respectively, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

But a new career highlight might be just around the corner, with the Sept. 23 release of "Unwrapped," Estefan's first English-language studio album in six years and her most intimate work yet.

Featuring duets with Chrissie Hynde and Stevie Wonder, "Unwrapped"--written almost entirely by Estefan--is neither dance-based nor obviously Latin-tinged. Its lush, acoustic sound is closer to that of Norah Jones than Madonna.

Still, with four Spanish tracks and at least one remix included, the album should please Estefan's core Latin and dance fan base while reaching out to the mainstream audience and new listeners.

"Unwrapped" -- which was co-produced by Sebastian Krys (Carlos Vives), Estefan and her husband, Emilio Estefan Jr. -- will be released worldwide by Sony Music.

"Someone said, 'This is Gloria's "Tapestry" album,' and I thought, 'This is so true,"' says Estefan Enterprises president Frank Amadeo, alluding to Carole King's landmark album. "The music, obviously, is very personal to her. She's tapped into a place she's never gone before. Musically, this is to her English-speaking audience what 'Mi Tierra' is to her Spanish-speaking audience."

"Mi Tierra," Estefan's homage to her Latin roots, has sold more than 1.1 million copies in the U.S. since its release in 1993, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

It was the first set to top the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart that year and spent 58 weeks in that position, more than any other album in the chart's history. Her most recent studio recording, the Spanish-only "Alma Caribe? -- Caribbean Soul," sold 255,000 copies in the U.S.

Expectations for "Unwrapped" are far higher, not just because Estefan bares her soul on it, but because musically, the album has greater commercial possibilities. Additionally, Estefan is planning to tour Europe and the U.S. next year in support of the album -- something she has not done for at least five years.

"This album is going to have a lot of appeal to a very broad range of people. And it will appeal to people who do not have a Gloria Estefan album in their collection," says Cice Kurzman, VP of worldwide marketing for Epic Records, which will work the album in the English-language marketplace while Sony Norte (formerly Sony Discos) mines the Latin marketplace.

The plans for "Unwrapped" will be officially announced July 21 at a press event. There, Estefan will also announce a series of 10 concerts Oct. 10-19 at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas (Billboard Bulletin, July 11).

The intimacy of the chosen venue, which seats 4,000, highlights the dichotomy that makes Estefan appealing.

WIDESPREAD APPEAL

She's the girl next door who can be found in the coffee shop (she frequently can in Miami, where she lives), but she can also become the diva spotlighted on an episode of VH1's "Behind the Music" or the powerful performer at a sold-out arena.

"I call myself the reluctant diva, when they joke with that whole diva thing," Estefan says. "Because I wasn't a performer. It wasn't what I envisioned myself as. I see myself more as a writer and a communicator. That's why I hope that in my shows, people take away a little more with them than just the music."

Whether Estefan sees herself as a diva or not, it's clear that, at 45, she continues to invoke an overwhelmingly positive response. And that response spans all age groups and backgrounds.

That is the reason why cable giant Comcast tapped her for a national campaign for Cable Latino, its cable package for Hispanic consumers.

"We looked at other artists, and she had the strongest appeal," says Scott Tenney, national marketing VP of Core Video Services for Comcast. "Not only in the Latino community, but she has great cross-market appeal."

The Comcast promotion, which kicks off in October, will offer a free copy of "Unwrapped" to new subscribers to the service. Although Estefan will not appear as a spokesperson endorsing Comcast, her photograph, videos and music--with the single, which is yet to be determined -- will be used in TV, radio and direct-mail advertising efforts.

Although the Cable Latino promotion will target Spanish speakers, Comcast will promote the new Estefan album on its video-on-demand service, which is aimed at the mainstream audience.

This ability to move effortlessly between cultures and audiences is another factor in Estefan's permanence. Unlike the younger crop of Latin acts, she never "crossed over." Instead, she simply did what came naturally.

Cuban-born and raised in Miami, Estefan grew up speaking more English than Spanish, but she was also surrounded by Spanish culture.

This is certainly not uncommon in Miami's Latino community. What is unusual is the meshing of those influences into a commercial sound that is more accessible to the mainstream than, say, Tito Puente's Latin jazz. Also, when Estefan sings in English, she does not have an accent.

Her story is well-known. Emilio Estefan Jr., a band leader who had a merchandising business on the side, met Gloria Fajardo at a 1975 wedding and convinced her to sing in his band. He also urged her to write, because the group wanted to play original material.

Three years later, Gloria Fajardo became Gloria Estefan, and the original Miami Latin Boys -- who played weddings and bar mitzvahs -- became the Miami Sound Machine.

The act's big breakthrough came with the 1985 album "Primitive Love," which sold 300,000 copies and included the huge single "Conga." The Estefans went on to win Grammy Awards and become business moguls. The reluctant diva became a convincing leading lady.

"She's the quintessential live entertainer," says Jack Sussman, senior VP of specials for CBS Television, who has worked on Estefan specials at CBS and VH1.

"She might not be the world's greatest vocalist or the world's greatest dancer or the world's greatest musician, but as far as the package is concerned, there are very few people who can compete with her."

This has invariably led to multiple film offers throughout the years, of which Estefan has only accepted two. Among those she turned down is the part Julia Roberts played in the 1988 movie "Mystic Pizza."

"I couldn't do it because of my schedule, and I wasn't ready," Estefan says. "I thought, 'Here's a great opportunity, here's a great role.' And the things I weighed at that moment were, 'Do I branch out and try to do two things at once, or do I really go down this road of who I am and cement that before going anywhere?' "

Estefan's film debut would occur 12 years later, in a secondary role in "Music of the Heart."

Neither memorable nor embarrassing, the appearance nevertheless left intact Estefan's image and reputation as a singer, composer and businesswoman.

CAREFUL WITH IS HER IMAGE

"As an artist, she takes care of herself; she thinks and she doesn't overdo it," says Luana Pagani, senior VP of marketing for Sony Music International Latin America. "And of course, being selective has helped her. She appears and disappears. She's there and she isn't there. And when she isn't there, it's not that she's at home, thinking of it as a ploy."

For a recent interview at the Estefans' Crescent Moon Studios, she showed up unrecognizable in jeans, braids and with a bandana tied around her head. She drove a nondescript car and was alone. Her cell phone rang periodically, and it was always her 8-year-old daughter, Emily.

Unlike Madonna, who was already a superstar when she began discovering the joys of motherhood, having kids around has been a constant for Estefan. Her oldest son, Nayib, is now 24.

For that reason, being a sex symbol was never an integral part of the package -- even though the package continues to be attractive.

"I always had my son when I became famous, so I never thought of myself that way," Estefan says. "If anyone ever saw me as a sex symbol, it wasn't anything I saw."

What people see, she says, is what they get.

"It's not that she stays the same she stays loyal to her roots," says Ron Slomowicz, a Nashville club/radio DJ. "She stays loyal to her club roots. She's always stayed close to her Spanish-language roots. And there really isn't anyone who's singing to women in their 30s and 40s. Madonna isn't relevant to them; neither is Mariah or Whitney Houston."

How do you measure relevance?

In Estefan's case, it doesn't have to do with endorsements or products; she flatly refuses to put her name on clothing, sunglasses or dolls.

It isn't the scant film roles or the occasional guest spots on TV, which also tend to be esoteric. (Recently, she was a guest on the Chris Isaak show that airs in the U.S. on Showtime.)

Rather, it's the reaction to the music. It sells steadily and continues to be heard and requested on a worldwide scale.

Regarding licensing, perhaps the most-requested Estefan-linked song is "Conga," which she did not write. In recent years, that track has been licensed for such major films as "Analyze This" and "The Birdcage" and TV series "Futurama." Estefan songs can be heard in the traveling "Dora the Explorer" stage show and "Elmopalooza," "Late Night With David Letterman" and "The Ricki Lake Show."

And then, there's the material Estefan has penned for the likes of Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, including the English words for the latter's "Whenever, Wherever."

Universal Music Publishing Group recently acquired the rights to the Estefans' vast catalog.

If Estefan is ever compared to another act, it tends to be Celine Dion, who boasts a similar, scandal-free image.

And like Dion -- with whom she has shared the stage for several specials -- Estefan has paced herself. That keeps her from appearing too hungry for exposure or taking on the feel of a nostalgia act.

"First of all, I'm not out there," Estefan says. "I don't have to be. That's the best part. Emilio grew the business to a point where he had other artists, I'm not the only artist, and I've been able to pick and choose what I do. What a luxury that is. I'm happy for whoever is out there having success. And at the same time, I'm relieved that I had the time to cement a relationship with my fans and that they're still loyal to me."

 

Anti-Foundation' spreads Estefan's good will

 

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Gloria Estefan isn't concerned only with making hits. She also wants to make a difference.

 

For the past 10 years, the charitable foundation bearing her name has done just that for thousands of deserving and desperate people around the globe.

 

Whether it is assisting hurricane victims in the Caribbean or impoverished children at home, the Gloria Estefan Foundation, based in Miami Beach, takes a low-key approach to raising money and giving it away.

 

Those close to the organization say that many of its good works go unpublicized.

 

Frank Amadeo, president of Estefan Enterprises and the foundation's vice president, likes to call it "the anti-foundation foundation.

 

"That's because we don't like to beat people over the head about it," Amadeo says. We don't like to organize big gala fundraisers. It tends to get burdensome after a time if you go back to the same sources for donations."

 

The foundation seeks out causes that fall through the cracks of mainstream charities -- such as buying instruments for marching bands for cash-strapped schools or ensuring that Santa Claus visits children living in homeless shelters.

 

Recently, when Miami's Mercy Hospital did not have funding for sorely needed equipment in its pediatric wing, the foundation stepped in, Amadeo says.

 

Amadeo adds that the foundation's endowment is derived from royalties on record sales, the sale of T-shirts and other merchandise at Estefan's Bongo's Cuban Cafe outlets and from benefit concerts. Even her fans get into the act.

 

"Her fans play a big part in it," he says. "Every year the fan club collects money on Gloria's birthday. Rather than sending her money, they send a check to the foundation."

 

The foundation parcels out about $500,000 per year to charitable causes, he says. These include MusicCares, a National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences-sponsored program for musicians in need of assistance; Kidzcare, a support organization for children and adolescents affected by or infected with HIV/AIDS; and the All for Kids Foundation, led by comedian/social activist Rosie O'Donnell.

 

Estefan also champions music education as a major backer of VH1's Save the Music Foundation, which provides funding for music classes at low-income schools.

 

Estefan and her foundation have played an especially large role in supporting the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis.

 

"As our capital campaign director, Gloria has been instrumental in helping raise more than $40 million for our research center," says Marc Buoniconti, a project spokesman. "Without her, we would not be the largest, most comprehensive spinal-cord-injury research center in the world."

 

Son of pro football Hall of Famer Nick Buoniconti, Marc was paralyzed during a college football game 15 years ago. Since then, he has been a relentless advocate of spinal-cord research.

 

Estefan's prolific fundraising on behalf of the project culminated in the opening of the Lois Pope Life Center at Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital.

 

Estefan became involved with the issue after her tour bus collided with a truck outside of Philadelphia in 1990, leaving her so badly injured doctors told her she would never walk again.

 

The project's co-founder, Barth Green, helped Estefan with her "miraculous" recovery, and she embarked on a worldwide tour the following year. She never forgot her good fortune.

 

The foundation made its largest single donation of $250,000 to the project in 1997, Amadeo says.

 

In addition, Amadeo says the foundation makes annual contributions through the royalties on two of Estefan's tracks -- "Always Tomorrow" (from "Greatest Hits, Vol. I") and "Path of the Right Love" ("Destiny").

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