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The Big Boss Talks: Daddy Yankee Is Teaching Reggaetón’s Stars How to Own Their Careers
Yes. When I’ve had to pay someone for the respect, I’ve done so. “I’m worth so much” — OK. I’ve always understood an artist’s value. If we collaborate and you charge me X, that’s fine. Most of my collabs are exchanges, but remember, there’s a very fine line there. What if my song works, but yours doesn’t? Hopefully both tracks work, but that’s not always the case, and I get that. I get that you have a value that you need me to cover so that in the end, we’re all in a good place. But the business is flexible, and I’m flexible in many areas. I understand that sometimes, we’re talking about cultural moments rather than simply chart position. “China” [Anuel’s hit featuring Karol G, J Balvin, Ozuna and Yankee] is a good example. I saw it as a song that was important for the genre. Whe...
Google announces partnership with NFT specialist firm Dapper Labs
The partnership is an attempt to capitalise on the trend of blockchain projects making it big with the backing of centralised cloud hosts, especially in the NFT space In an announcement yesterday, Google has confirmed that it will be partnering with Canadian blockchain startup Dapper Labs in a move that allows the search engine giant to make crucial strides into the blockchain and digital assets world. Dapper Labs is best known for its development of some of the most popular non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on the market, including the $860 million NBA Top Shot. Its NFT platform is the fourth largest by sales volume with users conducting between 500,000 and 1 million transactions per week this summer. The multi-year partnership will focus on solving scalability issues for Dapper Labs’ Flow block...
Coinbase increases junk bond offering to $2B after investors swarm
Leading U.S.-based cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has seen enormous demand for its junk bond offering, with the firm increasing the size of the sale by one-third from $1.5 billion to $2 billion. According to Economic Times, at least $7 billion worth of orders were placed in competition for equal quantities of seven and 10-year bonds, offering interest rates of 3.375% and 3.625% respectively. The publication cites an anonymous source as claiming the interest rates were cheaper than the initial quotes offered by Coinbase, with the influx of demand suggesting buyers hold a higher opinion of the company’s credit-worthiness than initially suspected by the exchange. “The strong demand is clearly a big endorsement by debt investors,” commented Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Julie Chariell. Howe...
Bitcoin steals $47K from bears as critical BTC price resistance crumbles
Bitcoin (BTC) tentatively reclaimed $47,000 on Sept. 15 in a move which analysts believe should open up the path to $50,000. BTC/USD 1-hour candle chart (Bitstamp). Source: TradingView Bitcoin bulls escape another retest of lows Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed BTC/USD holding the $47,000 mark Wednesday, this being crucial to flip for bullish continuation. The level had seen fierce defense by whales the day before, but bulls ultimately won the upper hand, lifting Bitcoin out of a multi-day descending channel. Even a dip towards $46,000 failed to materialize, reinforcing the more optimistic case for short-term BTC price action. There’s the 4HR candle close for #BTC If a dip occurs to ~$46100 from this point, it will likely be a retest opportunity t...
Morgan Stanley launches cryptocurrency research team
Morgan Stanley, one of the largest banks in the United States, is setting up a new crypto-focused research division. The Wall Street megabank has appointed Sheena Shah as lead cryptocurrency analyst for its dedicated cryptocurrency research team, Bloomberg reported on Sept. 13. Shah worked as Morgan Stanley’s lead currency strategist covering G10 currencies for more than eight years and contributed to the bank’s crypto-related research efforts. In the new role, Shah will reportedly focus on analyzing the impact of cryptocurrencies on equities and fixed-income investments like treasury and corporate bonds. Announcing the news in a memo to staff, Morgan Stanley’s executives stressed that the launch of a dedicated crypto research team “is in recognition of the growing signific...
Hong Kong landlords lease to crypto exchanges following regulatory clarity
Hongkong Land, a property landlord in Hong Kong, has leased out commercial office space to a local crypto-asset firm named HashKey Group following clarity around cryptocurrency regulations. Neil Anderson, Hongkong Land’s director, believes that the decision to lease commercial property to crypto businesses was heavily reliant on the recent crypto regulations set by the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC): “The SFC’s recent decision to regulate digital asset exchanges in Hong Kong gives us confidence that this new asset class has a regulatory framework, and therefore a future within the finance industry.” Hong Kong regulators require crypto businesses to be licensed locally and offer their services only to professional investors. Hong Kong’s regulatory decisions around cryptocurre...
XLM price analysis: XLM to test its 200 SMA after latest rally
The cryptocurrency market posted gains for the second consecutive day yesterday, with most cryptocurrencies up by more than 2% over the past 24 hours The cryptocurrency market continued its recovery yesterday following the huge losses recorded last week. Bitcoin was able to stay above the $45,000 mark, posting gains of 3.2% in the past 24 hours to trade at $47,160 per coin. Ether is also looking to top the $3,400 mark after rallying by nearly 3% over the past few hours. The second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap could look to surpass the $3,500 resistance point if the current market conditions persist. Binance Coin (BNB), XRP, Polkadot and Dogecoin are all trading in the green zone. Stellar Lumen (XLM) is also rallying, with the coin up by 4.5% over the past 24 hours. With its latest ...
Gate.io introduces a $100M fund to invest in startup projects
Cryptocurrency startups are receiving investments from venture capital firms, hedge funds and fellow crypto companies Cryptocurrency exchange Gate.io announced the launch of its $100 million fund yesterday. The fund is designed to support startups in the cryptocurrency space and is available to applicants interested in scaling their projects. The exchange announced this on its platform yesterday. The fund, named Gate Ventures, will provide funding to crypto startups. Gate.io stated that “Gate Ventures is a worldwide venture investment initiative, which is focused on decentralized infrastructure, ecos, and applications that will reshape the world in the digital age. Endorsed by Gate’s eco, Gate Ventures offers financing, operational resources, and expertise to the crypto communi...
South Korea Antitrust Authorities Fine Google for $177 Million USD
Google has officially been slapped with a $177 million USD fine by The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC). Korean regulators are accusing the company of using its dominant market position to hinder the growth of other Android competitors. Specifically, according to Yonhap News, Korea’s antitrust authorities are concerned that the anti-fragmentation agreement (AFA) that Google makes its manufacturers sign prior to allowing them to use its Android operating system, actually deters competition. The agreement essentially prevents other phone manufacturers including Korean conglomerates like Samsung and LG to install or create their own versions of the Android OS for their own devices. The authorities are now looking to put a stop to the agreement and want to ban the company from forcing its ma...
9 Burning Questions That Will Be Answered at the 2021 Emmy Awards
As the Super Bowl halftime headliner, The Weeknd stands to win an Emmy if that show wins. There might be some satisfaction for him in beating the Grammys, after the Grammys failed to give him a single nomination last year. The Weeknd’s megahit “Blinding Lights” was widely expected to be a leading contender. Remarkably, Jesse Collins has three chances to win in this category. He was one of the top producers of the Grammys, the Oscars and the Super Bowl halftime show. Here are eight more burning questions that will be answered Sunday night. 2. Will RuPaul become the first person of color to win 11 career Emmys? RuPaul may become the first person of color to win 11 Emmys. He’s currently in a tie with Donald A. Morgan, a cinematographer and lighting director, with 10 Emmys each. RuPaul won two...
‘Wicked,’ ‘The Lion King’ and ‘Hamilton Reopen to Cheers on Broadway
“The Lion King,” “Hamilton” and “Wicked” all staked out Tuesday to reopen together in early May after then-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo picked Sept. 14 for when Broadway could begin welcoming back audiences at full capacity. The trio of shows were beaten by Bruce Springsteen’s concert show in June and the opening of the new play “Pass Over” on Aug. 22, as well as the reopening of two big musicals — “Hadestown” and “Waitress.” But the return of the three musicals — the spiritual anchors of modern Broadway’s success — as well as the return of the long-running “Chicago” and the reopening of the iconic TKTS booth, both also on Tuesday, are important signals that Broadway is back, despite pressure and uncertainty from the spread of the delta variant. The crowds virtually blew the roof off the thr...
2021 ARIA Awards Scrap Gender Categories, Sets Digital Event
Right now, more than half the population of Australia is experiencing lockdown, including the residents of Sydney, the home and birthplace of the ARIAs. Any member of the jet set in these parts has first-hand knowledge of the letdown from lockdowns ruining their travel plans. For organizers, a waiting game wouldn’t work. And nor would a hybrid show. “Unfortunately,” notes ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd, “we are still living through a pandemic. As much as we wish it were different, it is just not possible to come together for an in-person event.” The entire show will stream on YouTube and other platforms, including the free-to-air Channel 9 network’s 9Now digital channel. “There are some cool things you can do on YouTube and we are going to take advantage of those,” Herd tells Billboar...
