business
Alok se apoiou em produtores fantasmas não pagos para criar seus hits de Brazilian Bass
Nota do Editor: A Billboard publicou anteriormente uma versão condensada deste artigo em português. Como uma cortesia aos nossos leitores brasileiros, a Billboard decidiu publicar a matéria original em inglês na íntegra em português. Inclui atualizações sobre o status de “Un Ratito”. RIO DE JANEIRO – Atrás de um complexo murado numa estrada de terra cercado por palmeiras e uma exuberante montanha verde, os produtores e DJs Sean e Kevin Brauer aprenderam a fazer música enquanto viviam na comunidade religiosa Meninos de Deus nas duas primeiras décadas de suas vidas. O objetivo, no entanto, não era o estrelato na dance-music — era produzir rock cristão e música folclórica para apoiar o movimento religioso. Os irmãos Brauer tiveram uma educação domiciliar, não tiveram acesso à internet e tiver...
Kanye West Touts $1.3M in Stem Player Sales, Says Exclusive ‘Donda 2’ Release Sinks Apple Deal
After announcing Thursday that his forthcoming album, Donda 2, would be streaming exclusively on his branded Stem Player, Kanye West (now known as Ye) says he’s raked in over $1.3 million in sales over the past day alone. On Instagram Friday (Feb. 18), Ye posted that as of 11:09 a.m. PST he had sold more than 6,200 Stem devices in the past 24 hours, with sales totaling over $1.3 million. “Thats faster than I’ve ever sold any T shirt. God has a plan. New frontier,” Ye wrote of the sales figures. “Everyone that is supporting our revolution is changing the game for all artist. We no longer have to bow to people who don’t even truly care about music. I feel like I’m back at SOB’s performing Jesus Walks.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news At the time ...
Dan Rutman Joins Spotify as Head of Music Creator Partnerships
Dan Rutman has been hired at Spotify as head of music creator partnerships, the confirmed with Billboard on Friday (Feb. 18). Music Business Worldwide first reported the news after Rutman posted an update to LinkedIn the day prior. According to a job post advertising the role, Rutman will spearhead a partnerships strategy “that drives positive sentiment toward Spotify for Artists, accelerates creator adoption of our offerings, and positions Spotify as the ultimate place to build, reach, and monetize an audience.” He’ll also be tasked with developing “scalable processes to manage multiple partnerships simultaneously” while collaborating with Spotify for Artists leadership, creator marketing and Spotify’s corporate and business development teams. Rutman arrives at Spotify from TuneCore,...
Kanye West Files Legal Objections to Kim Kardashian’s Plan for a Quick Divorce
Attorneys for Kanye West are formally objecting to Kim Kardashian’s request to be declared legally single in March, saying the proposal creates a “risk of adverse consequences” that must be resolved. The objections are a response to Kardashian’s December request to split the divorce proceedings in two – a plan that would allow her to immediately be declared “single” before slower-moving proceedings, over child custody and assets, fully play out in court. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news That proposal is set for approval in early March, but in a filing on Wednesday (Feb. 16), West’s attorneys said he’d only consent to the plan if several pre-conditions are imposed. Among his stipulations are requirements that would be imposed on Kardashian’s abil...
Jay-Z, Meek Mill, Lil Baby & Michael Rubin’s Fanatics Acquire ‘True Classic’ Lifestyle Brand Mitchell & Ness
Jay-Z, Meek Mill, Lil Baby, Maverick Carter, Fanatics, the D’Amelio family and more have officially acquired iconic lifestyle brand Mitchell & Ness from former owner Juggernaut Capital Partners. The announcement came early Friday (Feb. 18). “Fashion is cyclical, but classics are forever,” Jay-Z said in a statement. “Mitchell & Ness is a true classic. I was an early adopter of this brand, as well as a part of a departure from athletic wear. I’m proud to play a small role in bringing it back, and in some cases, introducing the authenticity and quality of the Mitchell & Ness brand to a new generation.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Founded in 1904, Mitchell & Ness remains a go-to shopping hub for nostalgic sports jerseys, license...
Joe Rogan’s Spotify Deal Is Reportedly Worth Double What Was Originally Thought
Joe Rogan’s podcasting deal with Spotify was worth at least double previously believed, according to a report from The New York Times. On Thursday, The Times reported the streaming services’ exclusive arrangement with The Joe Rogan Experience was priced at “at least $200 million” for three and a half years, according to two anonymous sources — far exceeding the originally reported deal sum of more than $100 million. This puts the former Fear Factor host and comedian’s deal in the same ballpark as Spotify’s acquisition of entire audio studios — like Gimlet and Ringer — for slightly less than $200 million. The spending was all part of the company’s plan to become a premier destination for all audio content, not just music. Music, for the streaming service, has not proven to not incredib...
US Trade Rep Identifies 7 Online Platforms as Significant Threats to Music Creators
A U.S. government report highlighted the ongoing challenges that piracy poses to creators around the world, including from seven online platforms that pose significant threats in the music realm. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), in its 2021 Review of Notorious Markets for Counterfeiting and Piracy released Thursday (Feb. 17), identified 42 online markets and 25 physical markets that reportedly engage in or facilitate significant trademark counterfeiting or copyright piracy. The 2021 findings reflect a slight improvement over the 2020 report, which identified eight online threats to music creators. Last year’s list includes all the same sites listed this year in addition to Russian social media site VK. While VK is still listed in the 2021 report for its popularity in the...
Universal Music Group Partners With Curio for Future NFT Projects
Universal Music Group and NFT platform Curio will partner together on future NFT projects from UMG’s labels, subsidiaries and artists worldwide, the companies announced Thursday (Feb. 17). Curio, which has released over 75,000 NFTs since last February, will launch its first project through the agreement with Capitol Records artist Calum Scott in March. “With Curio, our labels will have a secure and dedicated platform to host these premium projects and provide new opportunities for collectors and fans from around the world to acquire unique pieces, inspired by their favorite artists and labels,” said Michael Nash, UMG executive vp digital strategy, in a statement. “UMG is focused on developing new opportunities in this space that place our artists and labels at the forefront, working to ens...
Red Bull Racing Team scores a $150M multi-year deal with Bybit exchange
The multi-year agreement defines Bybit as a Principal Team partner As the ‘new’ Tech Incubator Partner, Bybit will push for sustainability, diversity, and inclusion The Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team revealed on Wednesday that it reached a $150 million agreement with Singapore-based crypto exchange Bybit. The deal is expected to run for three years, with the funding split evenly at $50 million annually. According to the press release, the deal also marks the “single largest per-annum cryptocurrency venture” within the international sporting space. Bybit will join the team as a principal team partner – a newly-introduced level of partnership for the team. Among other activities, the exchange will also become the sole cryptocurrency exchange partner and Oracle Re...
Fireblocks completes First DAG acquisition to extend its payment offering
This is Fireblocks’ first-ever acquisition Fireblocks aims to enhance its payment offerings to acquirers and payment service providers Crypto infrastructure provider Fireblocks revealed yesterday that it had completed a deal to acquire Israeli crypto payments processor First Digital Assets Group (First DAG). The acquisition of the digital asset payments technology platform is the first-ever Fireblocks has completed. First DAG employees absorbed into the firm as part of the agreement Though specifics were not revealed at the time of the announcement, Fireblocks said that the deal was completed in cash and stocks. Two sources familiar with the matter have indicated that the price could be in the region of $100 million. Fireblocks plans to expand its current payment offering to enable p...
Recorded Music NZ CEO Damian Vaughan Announces Resignation
After nine years leading Recorded Music NZ, Damian Vaughan is ready to the leave the job. Vaughan has served as CEO of New Zealand’s labels association since June 2013, following a years-long stint as NZ Licensing Manager at APRA, the Australasian PRO. In a statement distributed Thursday (Feb. 17) to the local music industry, Vaughan admits it’s time to “move on and find my next challenge.” The past decade, he notes, has been a transformative one for the domestic industry and music fans, one that finds itself in a much better place. Vaughan’s recruitment to NZ’s labels body coincided with the dawn of the streaming age. In 2013, he explains, wholesale industry revenues were NZ$67.4 million and were comprised predominantly of physical sales and digital downloads. Fast forward to 2022, and “t...
Release of Bob Saget’s Autopsy Records Blocked by a Judge
A judge in Florida on Wednesday (Feb. 16) agreed with a request from the family of comedian Bob Saget and temporarily prohibited the release of any photos, video or other records related to the investigation into his death, saying that doing so would cause them irreparable harm. Explore Explore Bob Saget See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Saget’s wife, Kelly Rizzo, and his three daughters filed a lawsuit the previous day in Orlando, Florida, asking the state judge for a ruling that would prohibit the release of any records from the local medical examiner’s office and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office involving the probe into Saget’s death. Circuit Judge Vincent Chiu issued the temporary injunction, saying that Saget’s family would suffer “severe men...
