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Selena Gomez is cheering on Benny Blanco after the producer added a sexy new title to his already packed resume. In an interview with CBS Sunday Morning, the singer-actress gushed about People naming her boyfriend — whom she’s been dating since summer 2023 — one of 2024’s Sexiest Men Alive in a lineup that also […]
After closing multiple deals in the past several months, Prediction Enterprises has officially launched as a music rights management company. Co-founded by industry veterans Matthew Limones and Nicolás González, the firm focuses on the rights and revenues of top music industry creatives and rights owners.
“I’m proud to have been able to found a company that offers essential and meaningful services in the sector of the business where I saw the need,” said Limones, CEO, in a press release. “After my tenure as an executive at one of the most important collective management organizations in the world, I saw an opportunity to jump in and start an operation that managed the rights and revenue of creatives that grew their business on the recorded music side.”
The company provides services for labels, publishers, artists, producers, and songwriters, and negotiated “multi-million dollar transactions of music catalog rights” and deals for top names that include Pitbull, Natanael Cano, Gerardo Ortiz, Sech, Darell, Belinda, Gabito Ballesteros, Cristian Castro, Nacho, Fariana, Lit Killah and brands such as Latin music festival Vibra Urbana and media company Rapeton.
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González, COO, added in the press release, “Many creative artists’ music careers move very fast and don’t have time to understand and learn which music rights belong to them or where to start claiming their rights and collecting their royalties. We saw an opportunity to help them.”
Limones brings a rich background in music technology, policy and label management to his role as CEO of Prediction Enterprises. Before co-founding the new company, Limones served as vp of artist relations at RichMusic; he was also the director of marketing at Universal Music Group/Capitol Latin, and manager of artist and label relations at SoundExchange, where he expanded the company’s Latin digital footprint. Limones has been featured on Billboard’s 40 Under 40 list and is a Billboard Latin Power Player alum.
González also offers a diverse background in tech, music business, and production to his role as COO. Before this, the exec was integral to the Uruguayan pop group Rombai, contributing as a music director, composer and producer. His work earned him accolades including the Uruguayan Music Graffiti Awards and honors from the Viña del Mar International Song Festival. He also serves as vp of the Music Managers Forum in Miami.
Check out Prediction Enterprises’ official website here.
Many rappers have been the beneficiaries of the Drake stimulus package over the years, and Jay-Z believed J. Cole needed to align himself in that camp and get on the receiving end of a hit record with the 6 God. During a recent episode of Cole’s Inevitable audio series, the Dreamville boss and his manager […]
SEVENTEEN and Teddy Swims are the first performers announced for the 2024 Billboard Music Awards. Hosted by actress and comedian Michelle Buteau, the 2024 BBMAs presented by Marriott Bonvoy is set to air on Thursday, Dec. 12, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on FOX and Fire TV Channels, and on-demand on Paramount+, with performances also rolling out across Billboard.com, and via BBMAs and Billboard social channels.
Both artists have impacted the Billboard charts this year. Swims’ “Lose Control” topped the Billboard Hot 100 in March. His follow-up, “The Door,” reached No. 24 in October. His debut album, I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 1), reached No. 17 on the Billboard 200 in May. (Part 2 is due in late January.) SEVENTEEN has had six top 10 albums on the Billboard 200 since mid-2022. The K-pop group reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Artist 100 chart in May 2023.
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Both artists are finalists for BBMAs this year. SEVENTEEN is a finalist for top K-pop touring artist. Swims is a finalist for eight awards — top new artist, top song sales artist, top Hot 100 song, top streaming song, top radio song, top selling song, top Billboard Global 200 song, top Billboard Global (excl. U.S.) song
As previously announced, Zach Bryan, Taylor Swift, Morgan Wallen and Sabrina Carpenter are the leading finalists for the 2024 Billboard Music Awards.
This marks the show’s return to FOX, which carried the show from its 1990 inaugural broadcast through 2006. In addition, Paramount+ will provide on-demand streaming of the show, while the free Fire TV Channels app will provide one-click access to fans using Amazon devices (Fire TV smart TVs and streaming media players and Fire Tablets).
The BBMAs will celebrate music’s greatest achievements with exclusive original performances, artist interviews, and award celebrations taking place from global locations and in the midst of sold-out tours. Shaboozey will deliver a special performance from W Hollywood, part of the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio. Additional performers and special guests will be announced soon.
The BBMAs honors the year’s biggest artists, albums, songs, producers and songwriters across multiple genres, as determined by year-end performance metrics on the Billboard charts. The eligibility dates for this year’s awards are aligned with Billboard’s Year-End Charts tracking period, which measures music consumption from the charts dated Oct. 28, 2023, through Oct. 19, 2024.
The Billboard Music Awards are produced by dick clark productions, which is owned by MRC. MRC and Penske Media are co-parent companies of Billboard.
The show is presented by Marriott Bonvoy, Marriott International’s travel program and portfolio of more than 30 hotel brands. For more information, visit MarriottBonvoy.com
Camila Cabello knows C,XOXO wasn’t her most universally beloved album, but she’s choosing to take her cues from where it counts: namely, personal heroes Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.
In a new Nylon cover story published Monday (Dec. 2), the 27-year-old “I Luv It” singer opened up about how the Eras Tour headliner and “Break My Soul” singer’s validation of her work sustained her when she felt like most people “misunderstood” her latest LP. “Oh, f–k, now I’m going to sound name-drop-y,” she told the publication. “But Beyoncé told me she loved my album, OK? That’s the gold star.”
“And I walked away fully, like, tears brimming in my eyes,” Cabello continued. “She’s somebody I’ve watched from my childhood. Her and Taylor saying nice things about the album really meant a lot to me. Anytime an artist that I respect has said something to me like, ‘Hey, I really love what you’re doing,’ it recharges my battery. A lot of the time I felt so misunderstood.”
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The Cinderella star went on to say that people were “questioning [her] authenticity” throughout the C,XOXO rollout, something she thinks could be “because I’ve always been such a good girl.” “Being in the industry made me build that harder shell and harder exterior,” she added. “Like Rihanna, Beyoncé, Taylor — this kind of bravado happens in their later work. It’s building an armor. My previous albums were more clean-cut.”
Cabello’s fourth studio solo album dropped in June, debuting at No. 13 on the Billboard 200. From the beginning of its rollout, some critics tore into the vocalist’s exploration of other genres on the record — particularly C,XOXO‘s hyper-pop sensibilities, which some people wrote off as Charli XCX copycatting.
Of the comparisons to the “Von Dutch” musician, Cabello said, “People ran with this thing before the album was even out.”
“[Charli’s] one of my favorite artists, you know?” she continued. “[But] I can tell that people saying this weren’t even listening to the music. They didn’t do the reading. They didn’t do the listening.”
The “Havana” artist also gave an update on where she stands with former Fifth Harmony bandmate Normani, with whom she reunited at Paris Fashion Week in September to fans’ absolute delight. “With space, we can go back and tap into that,” Cabello said. “The past couple of times I’ve seen her, I say something and she laughs really hard. It doesn’t feel like we’re strangers. We’re getting back to the times when we [were] really close.”
See Cabello on the cover of Nylon and photos from the shoot below.
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Hunter Biden, the second eldest child of President Joe Biden, was pardoned by his father over the weekend in a move taken as an affront to the legal process by right-leaning observers. Earlier this year, Hunter Biden pled guilty in connection to a federal tax matter with President Biden issuing the pardon after previously stating he would not do so.
Hunter Biden, 54, was the target of false allegations concerning claims that Biden — when he was vice president — took a bribe to suggest that Ukraine fire prosecutor general Viktor Shokin to halt an investigation into Ukrainian gas company Burisma and to protect his son from charges since he worked on the company’s board.
Facing federal tax and gun charges, Biden admitted to lying on a federal form to obtain a firearm in 2018 as a drug user and was found guilty on three felony charges over the summer. The conviction made Bident the first child of a sitting United States president to be convicted in a criminal trial. Biden, who had his license to practice law suspended due to the conviction, was due to be sentenced on December 12 which no longer will happen after getting pardoned on Sunday (December 1).
Biden was a favorite target of Donald Trump and MAGA extremists during the 2020 presidential election cycle, harping heavily on the Ukraine matter despite little evidence supporting the claim. However, conservative pundits continued to seize on Biden’s legal issues and many are seemingly enraged that President Biden issued the pardon. President Biden stated the reason for the pardon was to counter the political motivations of his critics.
On X, formerly Twitter, MAGA Nation is attempting to turn the pardon of Hunter Biden around on President Joe Biden despite him leaving the office in January. We’ve gathered some responses and shared them in the list below.
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Photo: Getty
Sony Music UK has appointed Azi Eftekhari as its chief operating officer, effective immediately. Reporting directly to Jason Iley, chairman and CEO of Sony Music UK & Ireland, she’ll oversee key operational areas, including the label’s Commercial Group, and play a pivotal role in shaping the company’s overall growth strategy.
Eftekhari brings two decades of experience in the music and entertainment industries to her new position, having most recently served as co-president of Universal Music Recordings, managing global artists such as The Beatles, Elton John, Amy Winehouse, The Rolling Stones and The Spice Girls at the label’s catalogue division.
Prior to UMG, Azi held a significant role at YouTube as head of label relations, where she spearheaded the launch of YouTube Music across Europe and secured a landmark partnership with The BRIT Awards, further cementing her reputation as an innovator in the intersection of music and technology. Additionally, she co-led Remedy Inc., a creative agency delivering projects across music, theatre and branding.
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Eftekhari’s career began at Mercury Records, where she collaborated with Iley as director of digital and publicity, contributing to campaigns for artists like U2, Justin Bieber and Rihanna. Her leadership extended beyond individual companies, as she also served on the boards of the Official Charts Company and the Entertainment Retailers Association, showcasing her influence within the broader music industry.
Iley expressed confidence in Eftekhari’s “depth of experience straddling the world of music, tech and culture combined with commercial acumen,” while Azi voiced her gratitude for the opportunity to work with Illey. “He’s built an exceptional, future-facing company and I look forward to playing a part in continuing to champion the incredible roster of artists,” she said. “In this rapidly changing marketplace, there are many exciting opportunities to harness, and I can’t wait to help drive the business into the next chapter.”
Keep your hands off Kacey Musgraves. The singer called out a handsy fan who appeared to try to grab her arm and pull her in for a hug at her show in Tampa, FL at Amalie Arena on Friday, saying the incident almost got Texas serious. “Last night, this Tampa b–ch,” Musgraves said between songs […]
Beginning Monday (Dec. 2), SiriusXM’s Billboard Music Awards Channel spotlights the year’s biggest Billboard chart hits, serving as an all-inclusive soundtrack leading up to the 2024 Billboard Music Awards.
The Billboard Music Awards Channel will air on the SiriusXM App for a limited time. It will also play on The 10s Spot (channel 11) beginning Dec. 6.
The channel will highlight 2024 Billboard Music Awards finalists, including No. 1 hits from the 2024 Billboard chart year, spanning genres from pop, rock/alternative and R&B/hip-hop to country, Latin, dance/electronic and Christian.
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Zach Bryan, Taylor Swift, Morgan Wallen and Sabrina Carpenter are the leading finalists for the 2024 Billboard Music Awards. Hosted by actress and comedian Michelle Buteau, the 2024 BBMAs presented by Marriott Bonvoy are set to air on Thursday, Dec. 12, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Fox and Fire TV Channels, and on-demand on Paramount+, with performances also rolling out across Billboard.com, and via BBMAs and Billboard social channels.
The BBMAs honor the year’s biggest artists, albums, songs, producers and songwriters across multiple genres, as determined by year-end performance metrics on the Billboard charts. The eligibility dates for this year’s awards are aligned with Billboard’s year-end charts tracking period, which measures music consumption from the charts dated Oct. 28, 2023, through Oct. 19, 2024.
The Billboard Music Awards Channel marks the latest partnership between SiriusXM and Billboard. Recent airings include the Billboard Top 500 Summer Hits Countdown, the Billboard Women of Pop Countdown, the Billboard #2 Countdown Channel and the Billboard Top 500 R&B Countdown. Additionally, SiriusXM’s Big 40 Countdown, on ’80s on 8, and the Back in the Day Replay, on ’90s on 9, are based on historical weekly Hot 100 charts, with other current and classic charts counted down on channels including ’70s on 7, Prime Country and TikTok Radio.
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One of the two YSL defendants has run into some trouble. According to WSB-TV, Yak Gotti has been stabbed in Fulton County Jail. Sources at the jail state that Deamonte Kendrick aka Yak Gotti received minor injuries from the stabbing. The County Sheriff’s office stated that the YSL artist and another inmate got into a fight on Sunday, December 1st. The fight led to Yak getting stabbed by the opposing inmate.
Prosecutors are claiming that Yak Gotti is connected to murders linked to the YSL crew. The YSL artist was accused of being involved in violent crimes as part of the gang’s illegal activities. This is part of a bigger investigation into YSL, which already has serious charges like racketeering and violence. The case has gained much attention, especially since famous rapper Young Thug is involved. As more evidence comes out, the pressure on Yak Gotti, Stillwell, and others in the crew grows, making the situation even more intense for everyone involved.
More news to come as the story develops.
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