business
HitPiece Wanted to Make an NFT for Every Song — Only Its Founders Forgot to Ask Artists First
Over the last couple days, a beta version of a new platform called HitPiece has sparked outrage and confusion throughout the music industry after artists and their teams began finding NFTs of their songs posted on the marketplace without their permission. The NFTs were listed as “available for auction” or as “live” auctions under individual song titles with corresponding album artwork, and while they were characterized as “music NFTs” they did not appear to contain audio. HitPiece’s mission, according to the company’s pitch deck, is to make a “1 of 1 NFT for every song,” allowing “USD and Crypto for payment.” The company launched in December, but it wasn’t until Tuesday that people began to really take notice that it was listing NFTs for artists ranging from XXXTentacion to John Lennon to ...
Twitch Reaches Deal With Merlin for Independent Labels
Live streaming platform Twitch has entered into an agreement with digital music licensing service Merlin to create revenue-earning opportunities for independent artists. Merlin represents more than 20,000 labels and hundreds of thousands of artists from every country in the world, who can now interact with fans, generate earnings and build community on Twitch. Similar to the recent agreements formed between Twitch and Universal Music and Warner Music’s recorded music divisions, the Merlin partnership is not a licensing deal. “We’re thrilled to collaborate with Twitch for this groundbreaking deal,” said Merlin CEO Jeremy Sirota in a release. “We’ve been engaged in conversations with Twitch since the day I started at Merlin, and I’m pleased that our team found a path for Merlin members and t...
For Lil Wayne, Mac Miller & More, Bringing Mixtapes to Streaming Is a Boon — But Clearing Them Is ‘Hell’
In the last few years, many cult-favorite hip-hop mixtapes from the 1990s and 2000s have made their way to streaming platforms, including Apple Music, Tidal and Spotify. Fan demand helped, but the hard work was done by sample clearance experts like Deborah Mannis-Gardner, who negotiated with copyright owners and labels whose songs and recordings were sampled on the tapes, to secure the necessary licenses. In 2021 alone, streaming services started offering Mac Miller’s critically acclaimed 2014 mixtape Faces, A$AP Rocky’s 2011 debut Live. Love. A$AP; Megan Thee Stallion’s compilation project Something For Thee Hotties which includes a handful of her standalone freestyles from the last few years, and Nicki Minaj’s breakout 2009 project, Beam Me Up Scotty. “This all started during COVID last ...
NYDIG offering allows participating companies to pay employees in Bitcoin
The New York Digital Investment Group, or NYDIG, has launched a benefit program allowing employees of participating companies to convert a portion of their paychecks into Bitcoin. In a Tuesday announcement, the NYDIG said several firms involved with sports, entertainment and digital currencies would be among the first to offer the crypto payments, including Everbowl, MVB Bank, StretchZone, crypto analytics firm The TIE, crypto mining firm Iris Energy and Fertitta Entertainment — the conglomerate behind restaurant giant Landry’s and the National Basketball Association’s Houston Rockets. Company employees who participate in NYDIG’s Bitcoin Savings Plan can choose how much of their pay will be converted into Bitcoin (BTC), with no transaction or cold storage fees. NYDIG chief innovation...
White House on Spotify’s Joe Rogan Mess: ‘There Is More That Can Be Done’ to Inform Users
The White House is weighing in on the Spotfiy-Joe Rogan fiasco. White House press secretary Jen Psaski, in her daily press briefing, was asked by Politico’s Max Tani about Spotify’s decision to add content advisories to podcast episodes that discuss COVID-19 and related issues, such as vaccines. “This disclaimer, it’s a positive step, but we want every platform to be doing more to be calling out mis- and dis-information, while also uplifting accurate information,” Psaki said. “Ultimately, our view is that it is a positive step, but there is more that can be done.” Explore Explore Joe Rogan See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “Our hope is that all major tech platforms, and all major news sources for that matter, be responsible and be vigilant to ensure the ...
White House on Spotify’s Joe Rogan Mess: ‘There Is More That Can Be Done’ to Inform Users
The White House is weighing in on the Spotfiy-Joe Rogan fiasco. White House press secretary Jen Psaski, in her daily press briefing, was asked by Politico’s Max Tani about Spotify’s decision to add content advisories to podcast episodes that discuss COVID-19 and related issues, such as vaccines. “This disclaimer, it’s a positive step, but we want every platform to be doing more to be calling out mis- and dis-information, while also uplifting accurate information,” Psaki said. “Ultimately, our view is that it is a positive step, but there is more that can be done.” Explore Explore Joe Rogan See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “Our hope is that all major tech platforms, and all major news sources for that matter, be responsible and be vigilant to ensure the ...
Reddit co-founder’s VC raises $500 million, targets investment in crypto
The internet entrepreneur told Wall Street Journal that a significant fraction of the funds would be injected into crypto Elsewhere, Bahamas-headquartered FTX exchange yesterday revealed it had closed a $400 million in a Series C funding round 776 Management, the venture capital firm founded by Reddit co-creator Alexis Ohanian, has secured a $500 million raise across two of its funds. Wall Street Journal shared earlier today that the firm plans to allocate a sizeable portion of the funds into cryptocurrencies. In addition to blockchain ventures, the firms will also allot the funds to projects in other niches like climate and space exploration. “I’m proud to announce @sevensevensix has raised $500M for our two newest funds, bringing our total AUM to $750M. We’re just ...
Gomez Founder Tom Gray Appointed Chair of Ivors Academy
LONDON – Tom Gray, a prominent artist rights advocate and founding member of British rock band Gomez, has been elected chair of The Ivors Academy, the U.K. association for songwriters and composers. Gray has been a key figure in the global push for creators to receive a greater share of streaming royalties. In April 2020, he founded the #BrokenRecord campaign, calling for reform of the music industry and a rebalance of power away from record labels and streaming platforms and towards artists. Gray’s #BrokenRecord campaign ran alongside The Ivors Academy’s #FixStreaming drive, attracting support from stars like Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, and compelling U.K. regulators to take a closer look at how the record business operates. That led to a nine-mo...
‘The New York Times’ Acquires Wordle
The New York Times has officially acquired the popular daily word game, Wordle, for an undisclosed sum in the low-seven figures. Wordle is set to join New York Times Games’s portfolio less than six months after its release in October 2021. According to the New York Times, the game gained traction in late 2021/early 2022 with almost 300,000 players and currently has millions of daily players. “If you’re like me, you probably wake up every morning thinking about Wordle, and savoring those precious moments of discovery, surprise and accomplishment. The game has done what so few games have done: It has captured our collective imagination, and brought us all a little closer together. We could not be more thrilled to become the new home and proud stewards of this magical game, and are honored to...
Bill Cosby Asks Supreme Court Not to Revive Sexual Assault Case
A lawyer for Bill Cosby asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday (Jan. 31) to reject a bid by prosecutors to revive his criminal sex assault case. The 84-year-old actor and comedian has been free since June, when a Pennsylvania appeals court overturned his conviction and released him from prison after nearly three years. The state’s highest court found that Cosby believed he had a nonprosecution agreement with a former district attorney when he gave damaging testimony in the accuser’s 2005 lawsuit. That testimony later led to his arrest in 2015. Explore Explore Bill Cosby See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Cosby lawyer Jennifer Bonjean says the case rests on a narrow set of facts that should not interest the Supreme Court. “Notwithstanding the com...
COVID restrictions stymie digital yuan rollout at Beijing Winter Olympics: Report
Though athletes and support staff arriving for the Beijing 2022 Olympics still have the option of using digital currency for payments at many venues, the international test run of China’s CBDC is reportedly facing hurdles due to the pandemic. According to a Monday report from CNN, athletes, officials and journalists for the country’s Olympics games are largely separated from the population of China in a quarantine “bubble” to prevent the spread of COVID-19. These precautions combined with the Chinese government deciding to limit the number of in-person spectators may result in far fewer people testing the digital yuan as a method of payment at the major event. “The Olympic Games would have been the first real chance for tourists and Chinese nationals alike to familiarize themselves w...
Sony Music Publishing to Provide Songwriters With Mental Health and Wellness Resources
Sony Music Publishing will provide its global roster of songwriters and composers with access to free, confidential counseling services and wellness resources, the company announced Monday (Jan. 31). Starting Tuesday, the new Songwriter Assistance program will offer 24/7 counseling support via global hotlines, in addition to ongoing counseling services for emotional health issues including stress, anxiety, depression and family/relationship challenges. The company’s songwriters and composers will also be given unlimited access to customized resources for tackling responsibilities such as researching childcare and eldercare options, navigating life transitions, co-parenting and budgeting for major life events. Songwriter Assistance is an expansion of SMP’s Songwriters Forward Legacy Unrecou...
