business
Latest Astroworld Lawsuit Filed by Family of 9-Year-Old Boy ‘Trampled’ at Festival
“This young child and his family will face life-altering trauma from this day forward, a reality that nobody expects when they buy concert tickets,” said Benjamin Crump, the family’s attorney, in a statement. “Concerts and music festivals such as this are meant to be a safe place for people of all ages to enjoy music in a controlled environment. None of that was true about the Astroworld Festival.” In addition to Scott, the lawsuit also named promotors Live Nation and ScoreMore as defendants, as well as many others involved in planning and operating Astroworld. Friday’s deadly crush occurred during the first night of a two-day festival attended by more than 50,000 people at Houston’s NRG Park stadium complex. Witnesses report thousands of fans pressing toward the stage, causing a panicked ...
Session Musicians Win Greenlight for $8M Royalty Fee Settlement With AFM, SAG-AFTRA
The lawsuit, filed by musician Kevin Risto in June 2018, accused AFM and SAG-AFTRA of essentially taking an illegal cut from the recording royalties that are paid to so-called non-featured artists — better known as session musicians. The two unions administer the Intellectual Property Rights Distribution Fund, which holds performance royalties from non-interactive digital streaming services like Pandora for the use of copyrighted sound recordings. The fund then distributes that money to session musicians, both union and non-union alike. Risto, a non-union musician, accused AFM and SAG-AFTRA of exploiting their control over the fund to improperly tack on a new 3% service fee, paid directly to the unions, before distributing that money. The lawsuit said the new fee was not in the best ...
Tencent Music Ekes Out 3% Revenue Gain After Tough Quarter
At the end of the quarter, QQ Music’s daily video views and viewers reached 100mm and 18mm respectively, representing triple-digit annual growth. Music streaming services may bear the name “music” but are increasingly “pan-entertainment,” a term TME used to describe competitors that lured away its “casual users” and caused monthly average users to drop from the second quarter. (Music users’ average revenue per user slid to 8.9 RMB ($1.39) from 9.4 RMB ($1.47) in the prior-year period.) In addition to focusing on videos, TME is building its live-streaming business, used by 10,000 musicians by the end of the third quarter, and long-form audio — audiobooks, podcasts — that reach 140 million users monthly, up 89% increase year over year...
Maxwell and His Musze Enter New Label Partnership With BMG
Added BMG president, repertoire & marketing, New York and Los Angeles Thomas Scherer, “Throughout his career, Maxwell has continually and thoughtfully raised the bar in his craft. He is central to what the team is building and accomplishing in BMG’s R&B and hip-hop repertoire. Welcome Maxwell … you’re very much a part of our family now, and we’re excited to help write the future chapters of your success.” Maxwell, who will be presented with the Legend Award at the Soul Train Awards later this month, launched his professional recording career in 1996 with debut album Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite. The critically acclaimed, Grammy-nominated album, which is certified two-times platinum, spun off the hits “Ascension” and “Sumthin’ Sumthin’,” certi...
Gabby Barrett, Blanco Brown & More Among 2022 CRS New Faces of Country Music Finalists
This year, Barrett earned her second No. 1 hit with a three-week run at the pinnacle of Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart with “The Good Ones.” Also among those earning No. 1 hits on Billboard‘s Country Airplay over the past year were Brown (“Just The Way,” with Parmalee), Moon (“Good Time“), Shane (“My Boy“), Wilson (“Things a Man Oughta Know“), McCollum (“Pretty Heart”), and Rodgers (who earned his second No. 1 hit with “Cold Beer Calling My Name” featuring Luke Combs). Hayes, who released his debut single in 2010, has earned one of the biggest all-genre hits of the year with “Fancy Like,” which has reached No. 1 on several Billboard charts, including Hot Country Songs and Cou...
ASCAP Country Music Awards: Josh Osborne Earns First Songwriter of the Year Win
Ashley Gorley’s “One of Them Girls” (recorded by Lee Brice) was named ASCAP country music song of the year. ASCAP social media will highlight Gorley’s award acceptance for the certified platinum single, which hit the pinnacle of the Billboard Country Airplay chart. Sony Music Publishing was named publisher of the year at the ASCAP Country Awards for the first time since 2012. The company’s winning songs included “Breaking Up Was Easy in the 90’s” (Sam Hunt), “Hole in the Bottle” (Kelsea Ballerini), “Lady” (Brett Young) and “Things a Man Oughta Know” (Lainey Wilson). Sony Music Nashville CEO Rusty Gaston will be featured on ASCAP’s social media platforms, thanking their songwriters and staff. The ASCAP Country Music Awards social media rollout will also feature performances of t...
Marvel’s ‘Eternals’ Tops Box Office With $71 Million USD
Marvel‘s Eternals opened at the top of weekend box office, raking in $71 million USD in North America. Chloé Zhao‘s Marvel film debuted lower than the numbers of Black Widow and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which opened with $80.3 million USD and $75.5 million USD, respectively. Eternals did, however, open in international markets like the United Kingdom, France, Germany, South Korea and Australia, earning $161.7 million USD at the global box office and making it the second-highest global weekend behind F9. Despite starring the likes of Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Lia McHugh, Brian Tyree Henry, Lauren Ridloff, Barry Keoghan, Don Lee, Harish Patel, Kit Harington, Salma Hayek, and Angelina Jolie, Eternals was previously named the lowest-rating Marvel film on Ro...
Ed Sheeran’s ‘=’ Blasts to No. 1 In U.K.
Of that lofty sum, 68% was physical sales, including 11,600 copies on vinyl, the week’s best-seller on wax. Meanwhile, streaming generated 18% of combined sales, and the remainder (14%) was downloads. Meanwhile, former Verve frontman Ashcroft bows at No. 2 with his retrospective Acoustic Hymns Vol. 1 (BMG), for his sixth U.K. Top 10 album, while the 25th anniversary reissue of Spice Girls’ debut Spice (UMC/Virgin) heats at up No. 5. Philadelphia rock outfit The War On Drugs start at No. 6 with I Don’t Live Here Anymore (Atlantic). It’s their second appearance in the Top 10, following 2017’s A Deeper Understanding, which peaked at No. 3. Over on the Official U.K. Singles Chart, Adele holds top spot for a third week with her hit comeback track “Easy On Me.” It was anything but an easy victor...
Ed Sheeran, Adele Battle For U.K. Singles Chart Crown
Adele’s “Easy On Me,” the U.K.’s best-seller of the past three weeks, is close behind at No. 2, with just 500 chart sales separating them. Based on OCC data from the first 48 hours in the chart cycle, Brighton rapper ArrDee has the hottest start with Flowers “(Say My Name)” at No. 6. The track, which puts a drill spin on Sweet Female Attitude’s “Flowers” and Destiny’s Child’s “Say My Name,” is set to become the artist’s third U.K. Top 10 single. Also aiming for a Top 20 debut is Travis Scott’s new release “Escape Plan” while Summer Walker and SZA’s joint “No Love,” from Walker’s Still Over It LP, is new at No. 20. If it keeps its momentum, it’ll give Walker her highest charting U.K. single to date, and SZA’s fifth Top 20. The Official U.K. Singles Chart is published late Friday, local time...
Travis Scott Is ‘Absolutely Devastated’ After Astroworld Tragedy Leaves 8 Dead
According to Houston Fire Department Chief Samuel Peña at a Friday night press conference, a “mass casualty” event occurred at 9:38 p.m. local time at Houston’s NRG Park. Estimating the crowd’s attendance at around 50,000, Peña said trouble began shortly after 9 p.m. when “the crowd began to compress toward the front of the stage and that caused some panic and started causing some injuries. People began to fall out and become unconscious and that created additional panic.” Per Peña, Astroworld’s medical tent and staff was “quickly overwhelmed” by the scale of the incident, after which the Houston fire department stepped in and dispatched 50 units. The second day of Astroworld, which began in 2018 and is in its third year, was canceled a...
Astroworld ‘Had More Security’ Than the World Series, Houston Mayor Says After Tragedy
During a press conference on Friday night, Houston Fire Department Chief Samuel Peña said a “mass casualty” event occurred at 9:38 p.m. local time at Houston’s NRG Park. Estimating the crowd’s attendance at around 50,000, the chief said trouble began shortly after 9 p.m. when “the crowd began to compress toward the front of the stage and that caused some panic and started causing some injuries. People began to fall out and become unconscious and that created additional panic.” Per Peña, Astroworld’s medical tent and staff was “quickly overwhelmed” by the scale of the incident, after which the Houston fire department stepped in and dispatched 50 units. Astroworld representatives have confirmed that day two of the Houston festival is canc...
Astroworld Security Officer Was Pricked by a Needle, Treated With Narcan
During the same press conference, Fire Department Chief Samuel Peña confirmed “there were several, many instances where they administered Narcan on the scene.” Later, when asked by press whether any person other than the aforementioned security officer was pricked by an unknown needle, Finner replied, “Right now we have that one.” Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner confirmed at the press conference that took place shortly after 3 p.m. local time that the number of fatalities remained at eight. The ages of seven of those who died ranged from 14-27 years old. One male victim of the incident has yet to be identified. The mayor added that six of the eight families have been notified. As of this afternoon, 13 of the 25 people rushed to the hospital last nigh...
