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HarbourView Equity Partners continues to scoop up R&B/hip-hop music assets with its latest acquisition of certain publishing and recorded music assets from singer, songwriter and record producer Jeremih. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Jeremih’s Hot 100 hits include “Birthday […]
Authorities in the Dominican Republic have arrested U.S. rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine, who is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday on charges of domestic violence. The rapper, whose real name is Daniel Hernández, is being held at a jail in the capital of Santo Domingo, where he was arrested Wednesday, officials said. No further details […]
Hipgnosis Song Fund’s board of directors wants a workaround to the call option that gives the investment advisor, the Merck Mercuriadis-led Hipgnosis Song Management, the ability to purchase the company’s music catalogs if its contract is ended. After consulting with shareholders who own more than 60% of outstanding shares, Hipgnosis Songs Fund’s board of directors […]
Music executives Ángel del Villar and Javier “El Tamarindo” González have joined forces to launch a new distribution company, DSTRO7. Del Villar’s indie label, DEL Records, will be exclusively distributed by DSTRO7, as will González’s Tamarindo Rekordsz, which he founded in 2012. According to a press release, the company will focus on music streaming, monetization, […]
The first-ever North American music industry climate summit is growing.
The inaugural Music Sustainability Summit has announced that due to high demand, it’s moving the event from the USC campus to the 2,300-capacity The Novo in downtown Los Angeles.
Set to take place on Feb. 4, the summit will feature a day’s worth of discussions on how the music industry is addressing, adapting to and finding solutions for the climate crisis.
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In addition to the summit’s previously announced programming, the event has added a conversation with promoters and venues including Lindsay Arell, the chief sustainability officer of ASM Global; Lucy August-Perna, the head of global sustainability at Live Nation Entertainment; Erik Distler, the vp of sustainability at AEG; and Kristen Fulmer, the head of sustainability at Oak View Group and GOAL. The discussion will focus on challenges, bright spots and visions for the future.
Additionally, the summit has added a conversation between representatives from several major labels, including Olga LaBelle, the vp/head of ESG at Warner Music Group. Representatives from two other labels will be announced in the coming weeks.
Newly added speakers include Jonathan Foley, the executive director of Project Drawdown; Cassie Lee, the CEO of Sound Future; Adam Met of the band AJR, who also serves as the executive director of Planet Reimagined and a professor at Columbia University; artist Beattie Wolfe; artist AY Young; Jett Glozier, the global head of infrastructure at Sound Diplomacy; Jon Ozaksut, the digital director at the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication; and Rita Kampalath, the chief sustainability offer of L.A. County.
Tickets for the summit are on sale now and available on a sliding scale. The doors open at 8:30 a.m., with programming beginning promptly at 9 a.m. and running until 5:30 p.m.
The event is being organized by the Music Sustainability Alliance, which provides science-based solutions, business case analyses, best practices and tools for operational change across the music industry. The Alliance reports that a diverse group of attendees has already registered for the event, including big names in climate science and sustainability, along with music industry professionals from venues, promoters, agencies, production companies, artist management companies and more.
“Every job is a climate job,” the Music Sustainability Alliance’s Amy Morrison tells Billboard.
Billboard is the official media partner of the Music Sustainability Summit.
Madonna is facing a federal class action lawsuit because she allegedly started three New York City concerts later than scheduled, a delay that her accusers say caused real legal harm to ticket buyers who “had to get up early to go to work” the next day.
In a complaint filed Wednesday (Jan. 17) in Brooklyn federal court, ticket buyers Michael Fellows and Jonathan Hadden claim the Material Girl breached her contract with concertgoers and violated New York state laws by starting three December shows past 10:30 rather than the scheduled 8:30.
“Defendants’ actions constitute not just a breach of their contracts … but also a wanton exercise in false advertising, negligent misrepresentation, and unfair and deceptive trade practices,” attorneys for the two men write.
The three concerts at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, stops on Madonna’s Celebration Tour, were originally scheduled for July but rescheduled to December due to the singer’s illness. Fellows and Hadden say they expected their show (Dec. 13) to start on time, and “would not have paid for their tickets had they known that the concerts would start after 10:30 p.m.”
“Defendants failed to provide any notice to the ticketholders that the concerts would start much later than the start time printed on the ticket and as advertised,” attorneys for the two men write.
Leaving Barclays Center after 1:00 a.m., the two men say ticket buyers were “left stranded in the middle of the night,” some “confronted with limited public transportation” options and others with increased prices for ride-share services. They also point out that the concert took place “on a weeknight,” meaning they “had to get up early to go to work and/or take care of their family responsibilities the next day.”
In addition to Madonna herself, the lawsuit also names Live Nation and Barclays Center as defendants. In technical terms, the complaint alleges breach of contract; violation of New York’s business practices and false advertising laws; and several other forms of wrongdoing, including unjust enrichment.
The lawsuit also includes a claim of so-called negligent misrepresentation, saying the concert organizers “knew or should have known” that the concerts would not start at 8:30 because of alleged past instances of Madonna taking the stage late — and should have warned fans.
“Madonna has a long history of arriving and starting her concerts late, sometimes several hours late,” attorneys for Fellows and Hadden write. “This history occurred throughout her 2016 Rebel Heart Tour, her 2019-2020 Madame X Tour, and prior tours, where Madonna continuously started her concerts over two hours late.”
Reps for Madonna and Live Nation did not immediately return requests for comment.
Read the entire lawsuit against Madonna here:
Korn guitarist Brian “Head” Welch has invested in Atlantic Behavioral Health, a new mental health treatment center serving Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The center focuses on anxiety, depression and other mental health disorders, combining individual therapy, group therapy and medication management. “Partnering with Atlantic is so personal to me and not just another business to invest in,” said Welch in a statement. “I know what it feels like to live at the bottom of a dark pit, but I also know if you put in the work, the light will come back on, and Atlantic is going to help so many people find that light switch.”
Tune.FM, a Web3 decentralized music streaming platform with an integrated music NFT marketplace, received $20 million in funding from investment group LDA Capital. Tune.FM allows artists to monetize their fanbases through streaming royalty micropayments and digital music collectibles with exclusive unlockable experiences powered by the JAM token ($JAM) using Hedera Hashgraph distributed ledger technology. Tune.FM will use the funds to grow its user base, expand its development team, launch new products and increase liquidity for the JAM token internationally.
iHeartMedia has formed a strategic collaboration with Zigazoo Kids, which encompasses social networks Zigazoo (for children 13 and up) and Zigazoo Kids (for children under 13). Under the deal, the companies will explore opportunities between iHeartMedia’s portfolio of music and podcasts and Zigazoo’s content. iHeartMedia will additionally launch a national, multi-million-dollar campaign across its multiplatform audio network to stoke further awareness of Zigazoo’s social networks.
Independent radio promotions firms Your Army and Strange Loop Promo have merged. Under the deal, both companies will now operate under the Your Army banner out of offices in L.A., New York and Vancouver, Canada.
The U.K. office of Believe has signed a long-term label solutions partnership with Mahogany, the global multi-platform music brand behind the Mahogany Sessions YouTube channel. Under the agreement, Mahogany will handle global distribution for Mahogany’s label, Mahogany Records, along with its video platforms Mahogany Sessions, COVERS and Lagoon. Mahogany will additionally work with Believe’s audience development team to develop the global reach of its imprints across established and developing markets and expand their content into new territories, genres and audio-visual formats. Forthcoming plans include the public launch of Mahogany’s bespoke digital distribution service, Mahogany Songs.
Sony Music Masterworks has formed a strategic venture with London-based live entertainment company Roast Productions. Operating internationally, Roast Productions produces theater, concerts and family entertainment events. Founders Bonnie Royal and Michael Stevens will continue leading Roast’s day-to-day operations while partnering with Masterworks on developing a range of new productions. They will work closely with Masterworks president Mark Cavell and Ollie Rosenblatt, founder/CEO of U.K.-based producer/promoter Senbla.
Comedy festival SF Sketchfest has partnered with livestreaming platform Veeps to stream five of its featured shows exclusively on the platform between Jan. 21 and Feb. 4. The shows to be livestreamed are: Triumph the Insult Comic Dog’s Let’s Make A Poop!, Kids in the Hall: Scenes They Wouldn’t Let Us Do, Varietopia with Paul F. Tompkins, Hello From Magic Tavern and The Trav-enture Zone: A Night of Dungeons & Dragons & Also Comedians. The Kids in the Hall and Tompkins shows will only stream live; the others will be available to replay for 48 hours.
ASM Global has announced a new naming rights partnership with Strawberry Hotel Group that begins in July. Under the deal, ASM will rename the former Friends Arena in Stockholm, Sweden, to Strawberry Arena.
Artelize — a platform that uses artificial intelligence to collect information about concerts and events in opera, classical music, ballet and dance, musicals, spoken theater and jazz, allowing artists and producers to quickly create posts that promote their upcoming events — has closed a pre-seed funding round of €1 million ($1.09 million) led by Bjørn Bruun, founder of Danish fashion brand Bruuns Bazaar, along with other angel investors. Based in Copenhagen, Denmark, Artelize also received a government grant from the Danish Innobooster Programme and a loan facility from the Danish Export and Investment fund as part of the round. The funding will allow Artelize, which is mainly focused on the U.S. market, to expand into the United Kingdom and Europe.
ADA Italy has signed a distribution deal with LaTarma Records. Founded by Marta Donà, LaTarma’s roster includes Ale, Giovanni Toscano, Dolcedormire, Matteo Crea and Angelina Mango.
Production music company ALIBI Music has signed Cadence Music Group as its new synch agent for Canada.
The layoffs plaguing the tech sector have hit YouTube. The streaming video platform will cut about 100 roles as part of a restructuring of its content teams. YouTube chief business officer Mary Ellen Coe announced the changes in a memo Wednesday, and a spokesperson for the platform confirmed them to The Hollywood Reporter. TubeFilter first reported the restructuring. As […]
Spotify‘s annual best new artist party is returning for Grammy Week 2024.
On Thursday, Feb. 1, the streamer will showcase live performances from Grammys best new artist nominees Noah Kahan, Gracie Abrams, Victoria Monet and Jelly Roll, among others, at Paramount Studios in Hollywood. The event kicks off at 7 p.m.
“2024 marks eight years since launching Spotify’s Best New Artist campaign and seven years that we have hosted the party to honor the nominees,” says Jeremy Erlich, Spotify’s global head of music, in a statement. “Our mission is to support new artists and artist development, and BNA is a moment to honor the best of the best. It’s been incredible to celebrate with the artists and their teams and see this event grow to what it has become today.”
“Our team has been working for months to bring this event to life,” added Joe Hadley, Spotify’s global head of music partnerships & audience. “Not only do we get to celebrate the artists, but we also get to lift up our partners on the labels, publishers, management and industry teams who we work with day in and day out. Spotify prides itself on being the premiere partner for artists of all stages and their teams. It’s a privilege to not only showcase the incredible art being made but also bring opportunities to artists that help propel careers to the next level.”
The year’s other best new artist nominees are Fred again.., Ice Spice, Coco Jones and The War and Treaty.
Spotify first hosted its best new artist Grammy party in 2017, when it showcased performances by two nominees: The Chainsmokers and Maren Morris. Last year, the party featured performances from all 10 best new artist nominees — Anitta, Omar Apollo, Domi & JD Beck, Muni Long, Latto, Måneskin, Tobe Nwigwe, Molly Tuttle, Wet Leg and eventual winner Samara Joy — at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood.
Reservoir and PopArabia have signed In2Musica — the label, publisher and production house of Lebanese star Nancy Ajram — to a global publishing deal. This includes the Ajram’s owned full back catalog as well as future works.
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Warner Chappell has signed a global publishing deal with Sharon Van Etten. A renowned indie rock artist and songwriter, news of the deal arrives shortly after Van Etten was shortlisted for Best Original Song at the 2024 Academy Awards for “Quiet Eyes” from Past Lives.
Position Music has signed Austin Powerz to a worldwide publishing deal. A songwriter and producer to Drake, Meek Mill and Lil Durk, among others, Powerz is perhaps best known for working on Drake’s hit “Lemon Pepper Freestyle” ft. Rick Ross.
Just Isn’t Music, the publishing arm of Ninja Tune, has joined IMPEL, an international collective licensing agency that represents digital music publishing rights. The Just Isn’t Music roster includes Thundercat, The Cinematic Orchestra, ODESZA, Bonobo, Young Fathers, Flying Lotus, Andreya Triana, Nova Twins, Black Country, New Road, The Heavy and Roots Manuva.
Rogét Chahayed’s TruSauce Publishing has signed artist and producer Pale Jay to a global publishing deal. Along with releasing his own music, Jay also has cuts with Erick the Architect, Jenevieve and more on the way.
Warner Chappell has signed Brittney Spencer to a global publishing agreement. In 2021, the country singer-songwriter had a breakout hit with the independently released “Sober & Skinny” which amassed millions of streams, but she has been sharing the stage with acts like Willie Nelson, Jason Isbell, The Highwomen, Reba, Bobby Weir, Brandi Carlile, and Maren Morris for many years. “Signing my first publishing deal in my 10th year of living in Nashville has to be the biggest cliche, and I wear it like a badge of honor,” she jokes.
Spirit Music Nashville / Fluid Music Revolution has renewed its publishing deal with Nathan Barlowe. Though he is a successful writer, penning songs recorded by artists like Taylor Swift, Steven Tyler, Keith Urban, Ayron Jones and Newsboys, Barlowe is also the frontman of pop rock act Luna Halo.
Warner Chappell and Space Colonel Publishing have signed Joey Green to a global publishing deal. Though he is perhaps known as a contestant on The Voice, the country singer-songwriter has also shared the stage with artists like Lainey Wilson, Parker McCollum, Eli Young Band, Randy Rogers, Kevin Fowler, Sean McConnell, Sam Riggs, and Giovannie and the Hired Guns.