business
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...
Canadian restaurant chain reports earning 300% gains on BTC investment to weather pandemic
More than a year after a Canada-based Middle Eastern restaurant chain converted its fiat cash reserves into Bitcoin, the owner reported the move helped save the business during the pandemic. According to a Tuesday report from Canadian news outlet Toronto Star, when Tahini’s restaurant owners Aly and Omar Hamam and their cousin Ahmed decided to convert the company’s savings into Bitcoin (BTC) in August 2020 because it offered “a much better alternative to saving cash,” the price of the crypto asset was roughly $12,000. Aly Hamam reported the business had benefited from the initial crypto investment. “We made the move to the corporate balance sheet on a Bitcoin-standard back in August of 2020, and since then, we’re up more than 300 percent on our initial investment,” said Hamam. “It’s really...
Jay-Z Urges New York to Limit the Use of Rap Lyrics in Criminal Cases
Jay-Z, Meek Mill and other major musical artists are pressing New York lawmakers to pass legislation that would restrict when prosecutors can cite rap lyrics as evidence during criminal cases, saying such reform is “urgently needed.” Also signed by Killer Mike, Fat Joe, Robin Thicke and a slew of others, the new letter urged lawmakers to support Senate Bill S7527, known as “Rap Music on Trial,” which would limit the admissibility of someone’s music as evidence against them in a criminal trial. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The bill, introduced in November, is part of a broader legal debate over when prosecutors can or should cite rap lyrics – a practice that critics say offers little insight into an actual crime and can unfairly sway juries, ...
BitMEX acquires a German bank in line with its Europe expansion plans
The agreement of purchase is subject to regulatory approval by Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) BMX Operations AG, an affiliate firm created by BitMEX Group execs yesterday, revealed plans to acquire a 268-year-old German bank, Bankhaus von der Heydt. Though financial details were not disclosed, the purchase is to be finalised by the end of Q2 this year. BMX Operations, owned by BitMEX Group CEO Alexander Höptner and CFO Stephan Lutz, said it had signed a purchase agreement with the current owner of the bank, Dietrich von Boetticher. The acquisition of the bank is, however, tentative at present as it hasn’t been given the green light by Germany’s financial regulatory authority BaFin. “Through combining the regulated digital assets expertise of Bankhaus von ...
Metaplex Foundation closes $46 million raise to expand Solana NFT use cases
The firm specifically sought investors in the sports and entertainment industries to stick with the current NFT curve Metaplex Foundation, the creator of Solana’s NFT protocol Metaplex, has today said it completed a funding round in which it raised $46 million. The round was co-led by Jump Crypto and Multicoin Capital, with several other major brands, including Alameda research, Solana Ventures and Animoca Brands involved. Prominent public figures, including American rapper Snoop Dogg and several retired as well as active pro basketballers such as Michael Jordan, Allen Iverson, and Kevin Love took part. DJ production duo The Chainsmokers (via Mantis Venture Capital firm) and New York Knicks Executive Vice President also participated. In total, 90 investors pitched in the fundraising....
Judge Tosses Legal Malpractice Suit Filed By Ex-UMG Exec Charlie Walk
Prominent attorney Marc Kasowitz has defeated a legal malpractice lawsuit filed by former Universal Music Group executive Charlie Walk, who claimed the lawyer gave him terrible legal advice when Walk was hit with multiple accusations of sexual harassment. Walk, the former president of UMG’s Republic Records, claims that the attorney and his firm Kasowitz Benson Torres committed “catastrophic malpractice” by pressuring him to sign a “one-sided settlement” to exit the record label in 2018, but Justice Andrew Borrok dismissed those claims during a live hearing on Tuesday. As first reported by Law360, Borrok called Walk’s accusations against Kasowitz a “false narrative” and “absolutely outrageous.” Walk had argued that his attorney ignored key arguments in his favor, but Justice Borrok cited e...
