business
Ed Sheeran Wins UK Copyright Case Over ‘Shape Of You’
Ed Sheeran has won a copyright battle in UK court over his chart-topping 2017 hit “Shape of You,” after a judge ruled Wednesday (April 6) that the star did not copy the song from a little-known track. The judge ruled that Sheeran’s mega hit, which spent 12 weeks atop the Hot 100, did not infringe a 2015 song called “Oh Why” released by an artist named Sami Chokri, who performs as Sami Switch, and music producer Ross O’Donoghue. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Sheeran quickly celebrated the ruling in a video posted to social media – and blasted what he called “baseless” lawsuits and the harm they’re doing to the music industry. “While we’re obviously happy with the result, I feel like claims like this are way too common now and have beco...
Lightning Labs secures $70M from Valor Equity-led Series B raise
The Bitcoin-focused firm intends to use the funds to continue advancing its Lightning solutions Lightning Labs also proposed a new protocol, Taro, that will facilitate low-cost stablecoin transactions Lightning Labs yesterday shared news of a $70 million Series B raise, adding that the funds will go into projects set to introduce stablecoin and other asset transfers on Bitcoin. The funding round saw participation from several names, including asset management firm Baillie Gifford and Valor Equity Partners – the latter leading it. Other entities and individuals that took part are NYDIG, Goldcrest Capital, Kingsway, Stillmark, Brevan Howard, Moore Strategic Ventures, Silvergate CEO Alan Lane, and Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev. The California-based, which focuses on the development of software tha...
Lightning Labs secures $70M from Valor Equity-led Series B raise
The Bitcoin-focused firm intends to use the funds to continue advancing its Lightning solutions Lightning Labs also proposed a new protocol, Taro, that will facilitate low-cost stablecoin transactions Lightning Labs yesterday shared news of a $70 million Series B raise, adding that the funds will go into projects set to introduce stablecoin and other asset transfers on Bitcoin. The funding round saw participation from several names, including asset management firm Baillie Gifford and Valor Equity Partners – the latter leading it. Other entities and individuals that took part are NYDIG, Goldcrest Capital, Kingsway, Stillmark, Brevan Howard, Moore Strategic Ventures, Silvergate CEO Alan Lane, and Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev. The California-based, which focuses on the development of software tha...
Lauren Alaina Parts Ways With Longtime Record Label
Singer-songwriter Lauren Alaina has parted ways with her longtime record label home, Billboard has confirmed. Alaina first shared the news on social media, with a lengthy statement thanking UMG Nashville and Mercury Records for being her label home from the beginning of her career, after she came in second place on the 10th season of American Idol in 2011 (fellow country entertainer Scotty McCreery was the winner that season). “I want to thank the staff at Mercury Records and UMG Nashville for everything they have done for me over the last 11 years,” Alaina said. “They have been my label home since the day I walked off the American Idol stage as a really young, wide-eyed, eager 16-year-old kid. Now, at 27 years old I look back and see just how much I have changed and grown in to the woman ...
Los Angeles’ Forum Arena Is Now the Kia Forum
The 55-year-old Forum in Los Angeles has landed a new naming partner. Going forward, the Southern California arena will be known as the Kia Forum. Automotive company Kia has become the naming rights and official automotive partner for the arena, which used to serve as the home of the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers. “Kia America is proud of our history in Southern California going back to the establishment of our US Headquarters here in 1992, and so we all celebrate now being part of one of the most historic, and emotionally-connected live entertainment and sports venues in California – if not the world,” said Kia America vp of marketing Russell Wager in a release. “We are thrilled to be a part of the entertainment and excitement of live music and events at the Kia Forum moving forward.” The Foru...
For the Record: And the Winner Is… Grammycore!
For all the recent controversy surrounding the Grammy Awards, this year the Recording Academy managed to spotlight a significant creator with an urgent message for the American public. And did anyone say anything more urgent than Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy? Not for lack of trying. “We’re here because music serves the world,” said Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. in a pre-taped message, “and at the new Recording Academy” – the “new” emphasized with one of those thumb-points politicians do – “we serve music.” For the last half-decade, as the rise of streaming drove lighter, more pop-friendly sounds to the top of the charts, music fans have been griping about the menu the academy has been offering. They have boldly made the case that the Grammys often recognize yesterday’s ...
OTR to offer crypto payments option powered by Crypto.com
OTR will collaborate with payments processor DataMesh to roll out point of sale terminals for the new option The convenience store chain will accept crypto in 170 of its outlets Australian convenience store mammoth On The Run (OTR) has announced plans to offer customers an option to complete payments for goods and services using more than 30 cryptocurrencies. The initiative will be brought to life via a collaboration with Singapore-based crypto and digital asset exchange Crypto.com. The exchange will enable OTR to integrate the Pay Merchant layer that allows merchants to settle crypto transactions. With the service planned to become active starting in July, the chain will offer the option in 170 of its outlets across the states of South Australia and Victoria. Sydney-based payment services...
Monthly Report: Dubai attracts top cryptocurrency exchanges
Dubai recently made strides to regulate its crypto sector, and now everyone is moving there The EU parliament votes for a proposal that could affect privacy around digital asset transfers Ronin is working with authorities to track an attacker who got away with $625 million in crypto assets from the blockchain in March Ethereum is a step closer to the Merge Dubai woos crypto giants as it targets becoming a hub Dubai’s crypto scene pulled in several crypto exchanges last month thanks to the environment it has created for cryptocurrencies. The Arabian city is leading the push for the United Arab Emirates to become a global leader in digital assets. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid, ruler of the UAE, said on March 9 that the emirate of Dubai had established the country’s first-ever regul...
Harry Styles’ ‘As It Was’ Breaks Spotify Single-Day Streaming Record
Harry Styles‘ new single “As It Was” has set a new Spotify record in its first day of release. On Saturday (April 2), Spotify confirmed that “As It Was” is now the most-streamed song in the United States in a single day, with 8.3 million streams, a record that was formerly held by Olivia Rodrigo‘s “Drivers License” (8 million streams). Styles’ new song is also now the most-streamed song globally on Spotify in a single day for 2022 so far, with 21.6 million streams. That number of streams tops Anitta‘s “Envolver,” which saw 8.6 million single-day streams in March. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “As It Was,” which dropped on March 31, is the first taste of Styles’ upcoming third album, Harry’s House. The 13-track album is scheduled ...
SOCAN Collections Rebound 6% to $325M
The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) saw collections rebound 6.4% to 416 million Canadian dollars ($325.5 million) from the prior year’s total of 391 million Canadian dollars ($305.9 million), despite the pandemic’s lingering economic impact in 2021. The SOCAN revenue collection total breaks out to $310 million Canadian ($242.55 million) in domestic receipts and 105 million Canadian dollars ($82.94 million) from foreign receipts. Domestically, that represents a 6.5% increase from 2020’s 291 million Canadian dollars ($227.64 million), while it’s a 6% increase over the 100 million Canadian dollars ($78.2 million) the society took in from foreign territories that year. “Given the challenges of the pandemic, at the end of 2020 we prepared for a financially a...
From Slip-N-Slide to Miami NFT Week, Ted Lucas Talks Embracing Tech to Close the Black Wealth Gap
Back in 1994, Ted Lucas was an entrepreneur on a mission. That quest led to his founding Miami-based Slip-N-Slide Records, home to hip-hop pioneers such as Trick Daddy, Trina, Plies and Rick Ross. Now 28 years later, Lucas is embarking on another mission. This time he’s determined to close the Black and Brown wealth gap through technology and innovation programs. In addition to establishing the non-profit organization TechNolij (pronounced tech knowledge) to support women and minorities seeking to enter the field, Lucas co-founded the inaugural Miami NFT Week conference, which kicked off Friday (April 1) at the Mana Wynwood Convention Center. Wrapping April 3, the three-day event is part of the city’s Miami Tech Month campaign. Three days before the launch of Miami NFT Week, Billboard chat...
Inside Track: NFT LA Brings Web3 Networking IRL; Miami Music Week’s Big Return
The NFT | LA conference brought web3 networking into real life this week, taking over the Los Angeles Convention Center and surrounding downtown restaurants, bars and venue spaces with the city’s first-ever blockchain-focused gathering of this size. From March 29-31, official programming at the convention center included panels and keynotes covering music, gaming, art, fashion, cryptocurrency and more intersections of culture, commerce and emerging blockchain technology. Mark Cuban, Sandbox CEO Mathieu Nouzareth, Andrew Yang and Baron Davis were some of the big names speaking, as startups showcased their new products, patrons sported shirts with their own Bored Ape characters on them and frames for displaying those virtual non fungible tokens in your IRL living room took up a considerable ...
