(L-R) Global Head of Country Music at Spotify, John Marks and Lil Nas X visits the Spotify House during CMA Fest at Ole Red on June 06, 2019 in Nashville.
Brett Carlsen/Getty Images for SpotifyMonths after he ended a run as Spotify USA global head of country programming, John Marks has established a new consulting firm, JohnMarks.me, to assist artists and their associated teams as they develop streaming strategies.
Marks' five-year tenure at Spotify built atop his previous history as SiriusXM head of country programming and a lengthy programming background at radio stations in San Diego; Salt Lake City; Little Rock, Ark.; Beaumont, Texas; and Cincinnati.
That experience provides him an insider's perspective that mirrors the skills of the country industry at large: The collective business has established familiarity with promoting to the needs of broadcasters for decades, but it now focuses frequently on a newer streaming platform with its own set of data that's influenced by a different array of consumer uses and built-in functions. The language and the needs of the platform don't always overlap with the best practices at terrestrial radio.
"Even though there is no rhyme or reason to a lot of it, I've been able to look at the data on a lot of music, and I have what I feel is a reasonable approach to what is more likely to stream than others,"says Marks.
Marks' knowledge base includes insights on release strategies, social media and some A&R decisions.
"Even though there is no rhyme or reason to a lot of it, I've been able to look at the data on a lot of music, and I have what I feel is a reasonable approach to what is more likely to stream than others,"says Marks.
Marks' knowledge base includes insights on release strategies, social media and some A&R decisions.
The world leader, who has repeatedly faced criticism for featuring songs from artists who do not want their music connected to his political views, shared a viral clip of We Can’t Be Friends (Wait For Your Love) that focused on the lyric: “Me and my truth we sit in silence.”
The footage shows Trump at a rally while the statement “Men can’t have babies and should never compete in women’s sports” appears on screen.
The Team Trump TikTok account posted the video with the caption: “This shouldn’t be controversial! #trump #arianagrande #maga.”
Ariana responded in a comment that was later removed, saying: “Never use my music again. Also, your truth is false.”
Trump has a well known record of opposing transgender rights, and the US Supreme Court recently ruled that states can prohibit transgender women from taking part in women’s sports. In a 6 to 3 ruling, the justices determined that such laws do not breach Title IX or the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause.
The decision in June came after several other actions by the Trump administration involving transgender policies. Earlier in May, the Supreme Court also permitted the administration to continue with its “Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness” order, which would prevent transgender individuals from serving in the US military.
Ariana’s statement arrived soon after Taylor Swift also took steps to stop Trump from using her music on TikTok. Trump had featured a number of her songs in his social media posts, including a video of him and his wife Lady Melania Trump watching fireworks accompanied by August.
The song was later taken off the post and replaced by a notice that read: “This sound isn’t available.”
Trump appeared to deliberately select Taylor’s track, adding the message: “I’m sure @Taylor Swift is going to be super excited we used her song!”
He also responded to the Team Trump video with: “Mood because it’s August and Donald Trump is your president.”
Other Taylor Swift songs that were removed from Trump’s TikTok content included The Fate of Ophelia and Father Figure.
Trump previously made headlines when he wrote “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!” on Truth Social after the singer publicly announced that she planned to support Kamala Harris in the previous presidential election.
