business
Tidal Launches Free Tier, Steps Into User-Centric Payments
Tidal is launching a free tier in the U.S. and is introducing a user-centric payment model for its premium subscription offerings, the company announced Wednesday (Nov. 16). The moves mark the first major shifts under its new parent company Square, which acquired Tidal earlier this year for $302 million. The streaming service now has three tiers for listeners to choose from: Tidal Free, which gives U.S.-based listeners free access to Tidal’s 80 million song catalog; Tidal HiFi, which offers high-fidelity audio and offline listening with a new feature called My Activity that will provide daily listening insights for listeners for $9.99 a month; and Tidal HiFi Plus, a $19.99 a month subscription that includes immersive sound options like Dolby Atmos Music and Sony 360 Audio and Master Qualit...
Taylor Swift Leads Race to U.K. Albums Chart Crown
If Swift snags the glory, Red (Taylor’s Version) would be her second U.K. leader of 2021 and her fourth in less than two years. The U.S. pop superstar would also equal Kylie Minogue as the female solo artist with the second-most U.K. No. 1 albums in U.K. chart history, and behind just Madonna, with 12, according to the OCC. Based on midweek data, the new, 10-minute cut of Swift’s fan-favorite “All Too Well” is set to be the week’s highest-charting debut single, currently at No. 7. Meanwhile, last week’s albums chart champion, ABBA’s Voyage (Polar), which shifted more than 200,000 in its first seven-days, dips 1-3 on the Official Chart update, while Rod Stewart is on track for his 37th U.K. Top 10 album with The Tears of Hercules (EastWest/Rhino). It bows at No. 5 on...
Scott Clayton Joins UTA as Co-Head of Global Music Division
Throughout his career, Clayton has worked with John Mayer, Zac Brown Band, Kings of Leon, Dead & Company, Train, My Morning Jacket, Michael Franti, Rodrigo y Gabriela and many others. He worked at CAA for 17 years as a co-head of their Nashville office, served as the co-chair with the Mayor of Nashville of the city’s Music City Music Council, and is a member of the Nashville Public Radio Board of Directors. “Scott is the epitome of what we look for in a leader at UTA: he is a strong advocate for artists and has a long history of supporting and mentoring colleagues,” said UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer in a release. “Sam and David have done a great job building a world-class team and we are very excited for Scott to join us as we continu...
LeBron James, Drake and Naomi Osaka Team Up To Invest in Sports Technology Company, Potentially Worth Billions
LeBron James, Drake and Naomi Osaka have linked up to invest in a sports technology company called StatusPro. Started by two former football players, Andrew Hawkins and Troy Jones, the firm describes themselves as a sports tech and gaming company that incorporates player’s data and augmented and virtual reality to create a bevvy of training and fan engagement products. According to the press release, the sports tech firm is part of a growing industry that is projected to be worth $57 billion USD by 2027. StatusPro currently has partnerships with a number of NFL teams including the Baltimore Ravens, the NFL Players Association and NCAA collegiate teams. Additional investors for the company include Verizon, KB Partners, Greycroft and Leeds United stakeholders. Hawkins and Jones are amongst t...
Taylor Swift Breaks Spotify Single-Day Streaming Records With ‘Red (Taylor’s Version)’
Taylor Swift‘s re-recorded Red album has made Spotify history in its first day of release. Red (Taylor’s Version), Swift’s 30-track album that arrived on Nov. 12, is already breaking records on the streaming service: On its opening day it became the most-streamed album in a day by a female, with more than 90.8 million global streams, Spotify confirmed with Billboard. With this feat, Swift tops her previously held record with 2020’s Folklore, which in its first day saw 80.6 million streams. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautiful people, chat and make money in the process. Earn rewards by chatting, sharing photos, blogging and ...
It’s Time for the Country Music Association to Show Not Tell (Guest Column)
Like most things in American culture, country music actually has strong Black American influences. Instruments such as fiddles and harmonicas can be traced back to Black communities in the antebellum South. Additionally, the banjo, a staple in country music, originated in West Africa. The history of the Black cowboy has effectively served as a staple symbol of the country music industry and culture. However, the genre has been whitewashed and appropriated thanks to gatekeepers like the Country Music Association. Black people have been systematically excluded from country music to the point where they are often berated and persecuted for even participating in the industry. From experiences with fans to the music labels, Black country artists recount being called rac...
ABBA’s ‘Voyage’ Sails to No. 1 In Australia
Prior to the launch of the ARIA Charts in 1983, ABBA had leaders here with ABBA (11 weeks, December 1975 to February 1976), The Best of ABBA (16 weeks, March 1976 to July 1976) and Arrival (8 weeks, November 1976 to January 1977), the charts compiler reports. Also, in 2018, the Mamma Mia! soundtrack, a collection of ABBA covers, hit No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart. Australia has a deep connection with ABBA which dates back to the ‘70s, when Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Anni-Frid toured these parts at the height of their popularity. The Melbourne-originated tribute brand Bjorn Again has been giving ABBA fans their fix since the late ‘80s and, in the ‘90s, the Aussie indie film Muriel’s Wedding introduced a new generation to the supergroup’s catalog. Voyage is also expected to bla...
Disney’s Q4 2021 Performance Misses Expectations as Streaming Subscription Growth Slows
Amid slowing growth for its Disney+ streaming platform, media giant Disney has failed to meet expectations for Q4 of 2021. According to the company, revenue came in at $18.53 billion USD over the past quarter, falling just shy of the $15.78 billion USD expectation. Earnings per share dropped 20 cents year on year to 37 cents per share, as opposed to the predicted 49 cents per share. Most importantly, Disney+ subscriptions only reached 118.1 million, coming 1.5 million short of the 119.6 expected. Disney attributes much of this quarter’s struggles to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has caused many productions across the globe to shutter, delaying the company’s release schedule and slowing the flow of new content on Disney+. “Although film and television production generally resumed beg...
Roblox Reports Exceptional Q3 2021 Results With 102% Increase in Revenue
The Roblox Corporation has posted exceptional results for Q3 of 2021. According to the company’s report, revenues from Roblox increased 102% year over year to reach $509.3 million USD, while net cash provided by operating activities came in at $181.2 million USD, with free cash flow increasing 7% to $170.6 million USD. Bookings also increased by 28% during the quarter to $637.8 million USD. Most impressively, the platform’s average daily users reached 47.3 million players, marking an increase of 31%, with hours engaged going up 28% to a staggering 11.2 billion hours. “Engagement is our north star. We’re very pleased that during the third quarter, people of all ages from across the globe chose to spend over 11 billion hours on Roblox,” said David Baszucki, Chief Executive Officer of Ro...
Aluna Is Launching a New Orleans Dance Festival With an All-Black Lineup
“I’ve talked a lot about the future of dance music I want to see, and here it is,” Aluna tells Billboard. “This unique experience of honoring dance music’s heritage and getting a taste of what’s to come will reignite a much needed connection back to what dance music is all about – creating a place where people from all different communities can come together and dance their hearts out feeling free to be themselves.” Produced in partnership with Pollen Presents, the festival will celebrate the Black and LGTBQ+ origins of dance music in a city famous for Black and brown musical excellence. In addition to performances — which will include late night warehouse parties — Noir Fever will also host a speaker series with keynote talks, workshops and a marke...
Mariah Carey Teams Up With McDonald’s For a Menu of Free Goodies Leading Up to Christmas
“Some of my favorite memories with my kids are our family trips to McDonald’s, and of course, each of us has our go-to order. Mine is the Cheeseburger, and I get it with extra pickles,” Carey said in a press release for the announcement. “Bringing together some of our favorite food from McDonald’s with my all-time favorite season is a holiday wish come true.” “Mariah goes with the holidays like ketchup and fries, so we couldn’t think of a better partner to help us celebrate the upcoming season,” said Jennifer Healan, vice president, U.S. marketing, brand content and engagement of McDonald’s USA. “Just like McDonald’s brings people around the table with their favorite orders, Mariah’s music connects us all during ...
Jay-Z Wins Trial Over Soured Cologne Deal
“You failed to prove your case, they failed to prove their case,” Justice Andrew Borrok said to an attorney for Parlux after the verdict was read aloud in court. “You’re excused.” Wednesday’s verdict came after nearly six years of litigation over “Gold Jay-Z,” which the superstar launched in 2013 through a partnership with Parlux, which had previously launched licensed fragrances with other major artists like Rihanna. Parlux accused Jay-Z and his S. Carter Enterprises of failing to promote the fragrance, breaching the terms of their business contract and costing the company millions. The lawsuit said he refused to appear for events like Good Morning America and then refused to approve later iterations needed to keep the brand relevant. Jay-Z denied ...
