olympics
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Paris might be hosting the Olympics this year, but so is Oz. Ahead of the 2024 Games, Wicked has unveiled a thrillifying new partnership with NBC Olympics — which is broadcasting the summer games — while leading lady Ariana Grande has arrived in the city just in time. As unveiled on social media Thursday (July […]
If U.S. gymnastics superstar Simone Biles were to perform her triple-twisting double backflip to Taylor Swift’s “…Ready For It?” at the Paris Olympics, as she did at the trials in late June, NBC almost certainly won’t need a costly special license to air the track live. NBC pays performing rights organizations ASCAP, BMI and SESAC for blanket public-performance licenses, and the PROs distribute the royalty payments to their hundreds of thousands of members, such as songwriters, publishers and composers, from Paul McCartney to Dua Lipa to Swift herself.
These payments can add up to big money: The 2020 Olympics drew more than 3 billion viewers, a key factor in determining performance-royalty payments. “The larger the audience for the broadcast will generally result in a higher royalty,” says an ASCAP spokesperson.
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For the live TV broadcast, or online live-streaming, the blanket licenses cover all the necessary song rights — foreign PROs pay for the foreign TV broadcast rights and U.S. PROs pay for the U.S. rights. It gets trickier if NBC decides to use the song later, in a delayed broadcast, highlight video or some kind of YouTube-style on-demand streaming. In such cases, says Joy Butler, a Washington, D.C., entertainment and digital-technology attorney and author of The Permission Seeker’s Guide Through the Legal Jungle, NBC might need a separate synch license, negotiated with a publisher.
“But NBC might have reasons to not obtain that sync,” Butler adds. “They’re reporting on the Olympics, which is a newsworthy event. That gives them excellent reasons to rely on fair use.”
Fair use refers to a U.S. copyright doctrine in which a journalist can air snippets of a recorded song in the context of reporting a news story, or quote lyrics while reviewing a record. If an NBC news report on Biles’ Olympic performance picks up a bit of “…Ready For It?,” that may qualify, but NBC would have to tread carefully. “Fair use is very fickle,” Butler says. “The cases kind of go both ways. So you have to do risk assessment if you’ve got music in the background, and you’ve got a taped version which is delayed or on demand.”
TV producers tend to be disinclined to contact rightsholders and negotiate new (and perhaps costly) new licenses when using a song in the background of a recorded video, Butler says: “It absolutely happens that producers will err on the side of caution, and not have the music playing, just have the video run without the audio.” An NBC spokesperson declined to comment for this story.
This royalty-paying system can be cumbersome, but public venues such as the Bercy Arena in Paris and broadcasters such as NBC are used to it. “This is the same system that is in place for all audio-visual programming, including other sports events,” says the ASCAP rep.
Lady Gaga is taking over the Olympic stage. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the singer is set to perform at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games this Friday (July 26). Other rumored artists speculated to perform include Celine Dion, Dua Lipa, Ariana Grande and French singer Aya Nakamura, though none have been […]
Snoop Dogg is completing another side mission in life when he joins NBC as part of the coverage slated for the upcoming 2024 Summer Olympics. While breakdancing is now an Olympic sport, rapping won’t be at the Olympic Games in Paris. However, if there were a team for rap at the Games, Snoop Dogg knows the three hip-hop legends he’d be taking with him to represent the United States.
“Definitely would take Eminem,” Snoop tells Billboard on a Wednesday morning (July 24) conference call from Paris. “Gotta have that global experience. I definitely would take Rakim. Old school. Then I would go grab a female. I’d go grab Queen Latifah. Just so that way, I got some royalty. Then, naturally, I gotta take Snoop Dogg. Come on, man. What are we talking about? I mean, dream team. Let’s go.”
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With Snoop joined by Rakim, Eminem and Queen Latifah, were rapping an actual Olympic sport, he’d be bringing quite the potent mix of rhyming icons with him as part of Team USA, with his picks boasting plenty of experience in the hip-hop realm.
It’s slated to be a very busy few weeks in France for Snoop Dogg once the Opening Ceremony kicks off the Olympic Games on Friday night (July 26). He’ll join NBC’s Mike Tirico as part of Primetime In Paris, which will provide wall-to-wall coverage of Olympic competitions, and will go behind the scenes with some of the world’s favorite athletes.
Snoop Dogg will also be serving as a torchbearer at the 2024 Summer Olympics. The Death Row alum is set to carry the lit-up torch through the streets of Saint-Denis in northern Paris.
“It says a lot about America as far as where we at in this world,” he said later in the call about having the torchbearer honor bestowed upon him. “I look at it as a prestigious honor. I would’ve never truly dreamed of something like this. I’ma be on my best behavior. I’ma be on my best athleticism. I’ll be able to breath slow, walk fast and have a smile on my face.”
Snoop continued, “I’m thinking back to Muhammad Ali and when Muhammad Ali was holding it. It was emotional for all of us to see the champ holding that torch and walking it up there. That’s what it feels like to me. My own version of it.”
The Opening Ceremony is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC and will be streaming on Peacock.
The rousing sports-anthem melody that will underpin the opening and closing Olympics 2024 ceremonies came to Victor le Masne in roughly three seconds. “I don’t know how,” says the French pianist and composer, a longtime producer who was in the early-2010s electro-pop duo Housse de Racket. “But what’s important is the realization of this idea. It took me three seconds to find it, but maybe 18 months to finish it.”
The Paris 2024 organizers picked le Masne to compose the new theme, titled “Parade,” after he’d rearranged the French National Anthem, “La Marseillaise,” for the end of the Tokyo Games. An orchestra performed the new piece for the first time May 8, when the Olympic flame arrived in Paris on a yacht — with le Masne on piano and synthesizer. “I just decided a few days before: ‘I think I want to be in the orchestra playing my piece with the flame arriving in France,’” he recalls, by Zoom from Paris. “It was so much, but I said, ‘Let’s be even more too much.’”
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In the interview, conducted about two weeks before the games begin on July 26, le Masne, 42, discussed the creative challenges and deadline pressure involved in composing a new piece for the Olympics ceremonies — as well as his work on “La Marseillaise” and his fondness for the American “Dream Team” that won basketball gold at the 1992 Olympics.
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What’s going through your head as you’re in the orchestra, playing your own composition, watching the flame come in on a yacht?
It was a hint of the amazing emotion and the tension that I had in my mind. When the woman in charge of the broadcast was saying, “3, 2, 1,” I was like, “Wow, this is really crazy.” But I loved it, obviously.
How long did it take you to come up with the “Parade” melody?
I just sat on my piano like I always do. I was in a group of musicians, a committee with the artistic director of the Olympics, some historians, some athletes, and we were seeing each other every week and discussing, with friends, art, sport and obviously the Olympics. Maybe twice a week. Quite easily, this melody came. … For the first time in modern Olympics, it’s not in a stadium for the opening ceremony, but in the heart of the city. The idea is, we’ll be on boats, country by country, arriving on the Seine River. I was picturing this moment. I wanted my tune, my theme, to be powerful and joyful and speak for everybody. I hope.
Did you play sports? Are you a fan of a particular sport?
I was a big basketball fan, for Barcelona 1992 — I was 10 years old and I saw the Dream Team, with Michael Jordan and all the gang. Also, I’m from the generation of Andre Agassi, with tennis. Being a musician, my professor was really hard with me, like, “You have to play music, you have to practice and practice,” [so] I didn’t have time to do as much sport as I wanted.
You’ve been composing music for the Olympics as a full-time job for the last 18 months. How has it changed your life?
For me, there’s a before and after the Olympics. The task is so huge. I’m a composer of a huge score, almost 12 hours of music. You will have in the ceremony some songs — some French songs — but I had to produce it, arrange it, work with different artists. That’s very difficult, to make everybody happy. Every country will parade on this music, so you can’t do wrong. Everybody needs to be happy with what they’re listening to. But, also, you have to be bold and unusual.
How discerning have the Paris 2024 people been, in terms of accepting your music?
They trust me, and they chose me for my ability to translate what we want into music. I’m not only the composer, I’m like a storyteller. When I present the music to them, it’s not like, “Ah, I don’t like this bass line or drum feel.” It’s more like, “Do you like the story we are telling together?” And if not, okay, I can try something else. That was an ongoing discussion with the committee. But I enjoyed a lot of freedom.
How did you get this job in the first place? Did you have to apply? Do you have a sense of how much competition there was?
In 2021, in the springtime, I had a call and was asked to try to do a new version of “La Marseillaise,” the French national anthem, for Tokyo 2021. It’s the moment when Tokyo stopped and they say, “Okay, next city is Paris.” I didn’t know then, but I know now, there was a competition. There were different composers. I sat on my piano, and I started to play the melody: da, da, da. I thought, “This is actually nice.” In France, we have this feeling with the anthem, a little bit with violence, it’s a military feeling. And thinking of the Olympics, it was also during Covid, so the world was going through a difficult time. I changed all the chord progressions and did a whole realization of the whole thing, like a jazz guy would do. I’m a huge fan of Stevie Wonder, and I was like, “What would Stevie do?”
Two or three years later, I was working on a musical called Starmania, as musical director and arranger. The director of the musical had been asked to be the artistic director of the Olympics. He was like, “You already did that with the Olympics, do you want to continue with me?” If you are faced with your destiny, some crazy stuff can happen.
Will you participate in the performance of your work, during any of the ceremonies, as you did with the Olympic flame ceremony?
It’s in 15 days, but I still don’t know. I’ve got many options. I think I will not perform as a musician myself. If anything goes wrong, I have to be just checking everything. Also, me and the artistic director are not allowed in those rooms, because we created this show and they don’t want to have us if we are too emotional. I think I will be in a quiet room with a lot of screens and I will be, “Oh, my God!”
What will you do after it’s all over?
I think I will go to sleep for a little moment. I can’t commit to anything. Obviously, I will be back at work as soon as possible. I want to really experience it fully and not say, “In two weeks, I’ll be back at that.”
Do you have a prediction for who takes home the gold in basketball?
I would say … France. [Laughs] France!
Snoop Dogg is set to carry the Olympic torch on its final leg through Paris, adding a touch of West Coast cool to the City of Light.
The legendary rapper, known for hits like “Gin and Juice” and “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” will join the ranks of torchbearers as the flame makes its way to the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The 52-year-old, whose real name is Calvin Broadus Jr, posted a photo to social media on Tuesday (July 23) of himself standing outside the city hall Hotel de Ville alongside the caption: “U Ready? Paris 2024 Olympics ya digggg”, with gold medal and boxing glove emojis.
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He added, “U gots to do it!! Will u be watchin?? #FollowTheDogg #ParisOlympics.”
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Snoop will carry the torch through the streets of Saint-Denis, the northern Paris suburb that houses the Stade de France Olympic Stadium, as confirmed by the town’s mayor, Mathieu Hanotin.
It comes following the BTS star Jin also served as an Olympic torch bearer as a representative for South Korea on Sunday (July 14), which also happened to be Bastille Day.
The Doggfather’s latest roles as Olympic torch bearer and guest correspondent add to his already impressive list of side quests that have seen him dabble in everything from cooking shows with Martha Stewart to commentary on his own wildlife series, Planet Snoop.
On being an NBC correspondent for the 2024 Olympics, Snoop said: “I grew up watching the Olympics and am thrilled to see the incredible athletes bring their A-game to Paris,” he said in a statement at the time. “It’s a celebration of skill, dedication, and the pursuit of greatness.”
“We’re going to have some amazing competitions and, of course, I will be bringing that Snoop style to the mix. It’s going to be the most epic Olympics ever, so stay tuned.”
And it seems he’s taking his prestigious Olympic guest correspondent role seriously. In June, he participated in the 200m trial run in Oregon over the weekend.
Rocking a Team USA shirt honoring the late Kobe Bryant to go with his American flag-themed pants, the Doggfather laced up his Nike kicks for the race against Ato Boldon and Wallace Spearmon. Unfortunately, Snoop’s competition ended up leaving him in the dust as he finished the race in a distant third place with a time of 34.44 seconds.
For comparison, the 2020 Olympic gold medalist clocked in at 19.62 seconds.
“34.44 for a 52-year-old? Ain’t bad,” he said, clapping in approval when he saw his time.
The 2024 Olympic Games will run from Friday, July 25 to Sunday, Aug. 11.
Celine Dion is reportedly making her much-awaited comeback during the Paris Olympics‘ opening ceremony on Friday (July 26), according to Variety. The “My Heart Will Go On” icon was seen in the French capital on Monday (July 22) at Royal Monceau hotel near the Champs-Élysées, per the publication, though there is no official announcement or […]
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If we know anything about Snoop Dogg it’s that he’ll always have a lighter on him of some sort, but he’s taking his flame-baring skills to another level during the Olympics as he’s been chosen to be one of the last torchbearers of the Olympic flame when the Olympic Games get underway in Paris this weekend.
Months after it was revealed that Snoop Lion (people don’t call him that enough) would be a commentator for the Olympic Games, Deadline is reporting that he will indeed be partaking in history when he carries the Olympic torch in Paris in a few days. Truth be told, we can’t wait to see it with our own eyes. Will he run with it, walk with it, or roll with it in a 6-4? We don’t know, but we hope he makes it without dropping it or using it to light a blunt. On second thought, we’d like to see him use it to light a spliff. They don’t call him Snoop Lion for nothing.
Per Deadline:
Local media reported that Snoop Dog will carry the flame during its penultimate leg on Friday around the northern Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, which is hosting part of the Olympic Village and is also home to Stade de France and the new Olympic Aquatics Centre.
The flame will then be head onto the Olympic cauldron in the Tuileries Gardens in central Paris, its final destination for the duration of the 2024 Olympics.
French personalities set to carry the flame on Friday include rapper MC Solaar, actress Laeticia Casta, Saint Omer film director Alice Diop, Paralympian Charles-Antoine Kouakou and rugby player Abdelatif Benazzi.
The identity of the final torchbearer has yet to be announced.
Yeah, this gives us more reason to tune into the Olympics opening ceremony this Friday. We wonder if he’s practicing how to carry it or if he’s just going to freestyle it once they pass him the torch. Either way, we’ll be watching as will the rest of the world.
Don’t f*ck this up, Snoop!!
What do y’all think of Snoop Dogg being chosen to carry the Olympic flame at the opening ceremonies? Let us know in the comments section below.
Lady Gaga has arrived in Paris ahead of the 2024 Olympics, and fans think she’s there for more than the croissants. On Monday (July 22), the pop superstar was photographed waving and blowing kisses to fans in the City of Light as she stood next to her car, dressed in a low-key baseball cap, sunglasses […]
Unlike meticulously choreographed gymnasts or figure skaters, the breakdancers at the 2024 Olympics have no idea in advance what music they’ll hear while competing. And that’s the way they like it. “It’s all based off of improvising and adapting in the moment,” Victor Montalvo, 30, one of the four U.S. breakdancers, tells Billboard. “You never […]