business
‘GameStop: Rise of the Players’ Documents the r/WallStreetBets GME Revolution
2021 was no doubt a very interesting year for a variety of reasons, but one of the highlights for those in the finance or gaming spheres was the GameStop r/WallStreetBets saga. Whether you see it as retail investors bringing the fight to Wall Street or a more simple pump and dump scheme from a select group of Reddit users, the entire story is still phenomenally captivating, and now there’s a documentary about it you can watch. Titled GameStop: Rise of the Players, the new documentary is directed by Jonah Tulis and produced by Blake J. Harris, the same team behind Console Wars. The trailer (featured above) shows exclusive access to some of the key players in the saga and of course, also features the movement’s founder Keith “Roaring Kitty” Gill. “Spotlighting the human side of a s...
SEC rejects MicroStrategy‘s Bitcoin accounting practices: Report
Business intelligence firm MicroStrategy reportedly acted contrary to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC‘s) accounting practices for its crypto purchases. According to a Bloomberg report, a comment letter from the SEC released Thursday showed that the regulatory body objected to MicroStrategy reporting information related to its Bitcoin (BTC) purchases based on non-Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). The business intelligence firm has been reporting that it used these methods of calculating figures for its BTC buys, excluding the “impact of share-based compensation expense and impairment losses and gains on sale from intangible assets.” Essentially, this negates some of the effects of the volatility of the crypto market. GAAP rules are seemingly not design...
Sidney Miller, Pioneering ‘Black Radio Exclusive’ Publisher, Dies at 89
Sidney Miller, founder and publisher of Black Radio Exclusive (BRE) — one of the industry’s first Black music trade magazines — died Thursday in Arlington, Virginia, following a long illness. He was 89. Miller invested his savings and sold his house and car to pursue his dream of establishing a publication specifically targeting the Black music market. Launched in 1976, BRE became a pivotal force in underscoring the importance of Black radio and promoting the cultural and commercial impact of Black artists and Black music in the contemporary music arena. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news BRE’s success also spawned what became a popular industry staple, the BRE Convention. The annual event attracted key national and international music executives ...
Adele’s Last Minute Cancellation Leaves Vegas, Fans Wondering: What Went Wrong?
Adele shocked fans on Thursday (Jan. 20) when she took to Instagram to explain that her Las Vegas residency — which was set to open the next day — had been postponed indefinitely due to production delays caused by COVID-19, fighting through tears as she explained, “We’ve run out time.” The “Easy on Me” singer told fans “My show ain’t ready” to open on Friday due to “delivery delays and COVID” spreading amongst the team of people working with the artist to launch her first performance series in a half decade. Adele said she was embarrassed and “gutted” to have to make the announcement just one day before the 24-show run opened. Last month, Billboard predicted that the January-to-April weekend concert series would net Adele $2 million per show and help her avoid exposure to COVID that could ...
Netflix Shares Plunged 20% After News of Slowing Subscriber Growth
Netflix has officially reported its Q4 earnings for 2021. While the streaming giant has been able to increase its earnings per share in Q4 to $1.33 USD versus $.19 USD a year ago, it was not enough to maintain a steady share growth. Netflix’s shares plummetted more than 20% in after-hours trading after news of slowing subscribers. This marks the lowest levels the shares have been since June 2020. The global paid net subscriber additions were 8.28 million versus the predicted 8.19 million. While Netflix did surpass expectations, the number is still fewer than the 8.5 million subscribers Netflix added in Q4 of 2020. Netflix expects to add 2.5 million subscribers in Q1 of 2022, which falls way below the 3.98 million it added in Q1 2021. With a lower benchmark, it lowers the confidence of many...
Sony Music Publishing UK Launches Second Songs Joint Venture
Sony Music Publishing UK has teamed up with creative executives Caroline Elleray and Mark Gale to launch Second Songs, a joint venture publishing and songwriter management company. Helmed by both Elleray and Gale, who both previously served as executives at Universal Music Publishing Group, Second Songs will focus on making sustainable careers for both developing and established songwriters. Under its management arm, producer and songwriter Steph Marziano — who has penned songs with Hayley William, Matilda Mann, Denai Moore and more — will act as Second Songs’ first signee. At this time, there have been no announcements regarding publishing clients. During their tenure at UMPG, Elleray and Gale were responsible for signing some of the hottest artists and writers of the last two decade...
Former Binance US CEO Catherine Coley is still missing, and no one seems to be talking
Around the time Binance.US announced former Comptroller of the Currency Brian Brooks would be leading the crypto exchange, former CEO Catherine Coley effectively dropped off the face of the digital world. Coley, who had regularly posted updates on Binance.US and her personal life to her Twitter account, has been inactive on the social media platform since April 19. Her job experience on LinkedIn ends with her two years as CEO of Binance.US, which she left in June 2021, and her online silence has led at least one news outlet to reach out to San Francisco authorities to determine if she had been reported missing — as of October, the answer was “no.” Major figures in crypto also noticed the absence of Coley. Ripple chief technology officer David Schwartz said in July that the former Binance.U...
David Waxman Appointed President of Ultra Records
Ultra Records has a new leader. On Thursday (Jan. 20), the venerable dance music label announced David Waxman as its president. Ultra’s parent company, Sony Music, confirmed that it now owns 100% of Ultra Records and that Ultra’s founder and now-former president Patrick Moxey has left the label. Moxey founded Ultra Records in 1995, and Waxman has been with the label as its head A&R for more than 20 years. The label entered a partnership with Sony Music in 2012, as dance music was experiencing a major rise in popularity in the United States. As president, the New York-based Waxman will oversee the day-to-day operations of the label, identify and develop new artists and projects and work with Sony Music to expand the Ultra Records roster and back catalog. During his tenure at Ultra Recor...
Google ready to dip its feet in blockchain as it eyes more advancements
Google is looking into crypto as part of its financial services growth plans Google’s parent entity, Alphabet Inc., revealed yesterday it had hired former PayPal executive Arnold Goldberg to take charge of its payments division. The tech company is ramping up efforts towards expanding financial services, an endeavour that includes cryptocurrencies. “Crypto is something we pay a lot of attention to […] As user demand and merchant demand evolves, we’ll evolve with it,” Google’s president of commerce, Bill Ready, told Bloomberg. The company’s current payments platform, Google Pay, allows contactless transactions, in-app, and online purchases. The service is available on select user devices, including smartwatches, tablets, and Android mobile devices. Accord...
Britney Spears Case Drives California to Limit Conservatorships
Disability rights activists and advocates for Britney Spears backed a California proposal Wednesday (Jan. 19) to provide more protections for those under court-ordered conservatorships, while promoting less-restrictive alternatives. Their move came as the volatile Spears case again boiled over in a Los Angeles County courtroom. Explore See latest videos, charts and news The hearing to settle lingering issues in the aftermath of Spears’ conservatorship, which was terminated in November, quickly descended into a series of angry accusations between attorneys for Spears and her father, and the case appears headed for a long trial to determine the truth of allegations of misconduct against him. The case is Exhibit #1 for groups including Disability Voices United, Disability Rights California, D...
The Deals: Round Hill Acquires Nancy Wilson Royalty Stake, Murda Beatz Signs With ADA
Round Hill Music acquired a significant share of Nancy Wilson‘s master royalties and has entered a long-term deal to administer her neighboring rights income. Though the exact share of the Heart singer, songwriter and guitarist’s master royalties remains undisclosed, Round Hill will own portions of classic Heart songs like “Barracuda,” “Magic Man,” “Alone,” “Crazy on You” and “These Dreams” — all of which were co-penned by Wilson. Trevor Bowen, chair of Round Hill Music, said of the deal, “We are very pleased to announce the acquisition of Nancy Wilson’s fantastic catalogue of classic Heart tracks from across her career including songs from her double and triple platinum selling albums. This important acquisition provides the Company with direct exposure to a timeless American rock band.” ...
Tom Brady’s NFT platform Autograph raises $170M to scale operations
The nonfungible token (NFT) marketplace Autograph co-founded by Super Bowl champion Tom Brady has announced it closed on a $170 million funding round. In a Wednesday announcement, Autograph said Andreessen Horowitz, or a16z, and VC firm Kleiner Perkin co-led the $170-million Series B round with contributions from crypto investor Katie Haun’s firm, Nicole Quinn of Lightspeed Venture Partners, and San Francisco-based venture firm 01A. The company said it planned to use the funds to scale its NFT technology and hinted at a series of partnerships aimed at expanding its user base. In addition to the funding round, Haun, a16z general partner Arianna Simpson, and Kleiner Perkins partner Ilya Fushman will join Autograph’s board of directors, with a16z general partner Chris Dixon joining the firm’s...
