business
SoundCloud Inks First-Ever A&R Partnerships With T-Pain’s Label, Linda Perry & More
Repost and Nappy Boy Entertainment will first support signee SprngBrk, an artist and producer who has collaborated with the likes of Ty Dolla $ign and Drake and is releasing the new track “Pride” today. Repost will work alongside Perry — who has written and produced hits for artists like P!nk, Christina Aguilera and Gwen Stefani — on the British singer-songwriter Frances Lion, who is signed to Perry’s record label, publishing, management and production firm We Are Hear. “I’m always ready to jump on board when I see a company supporting the independence of an artist, and when I heard of the changes SoundCloud wanted to make to support emerging talent, I immediately said ‘count me in,'” Perry said. “We will be focusing on the art and the ...
Sony Music Promotes International Marketing Execs Melissa Thomas and Monica Cornia
Thomas will continue reporting to Sony Music Group chairman Rob Stringer. Along with Cornia, she was named a Billboard International Power Player earlier this year. “Melissa knows how to harness the global power of our Company to help break our U.S. artists around the world,” said Stringer in a statement. “Her teams, in conjunction with our U.S. Record Labels, have created unique marketing campaigns that resonate with audiences and push our artists to success. I’m so happy that Melissa will be leading our U.S. Repertoire’s international marketing team for the future.” Thomas added, “Music has no borders anymore. Our audiences are global from the beginning and hits can break from anywhere. I love bringing our U.S. artists to as many audiences as we can around the globe and I’m looking forwa...
Olivia Rodrigo Chases Chart Double In U.K.
Some way behind at No. 2 at the midweek albums survey is Gary Numan’s 22nd studio effort Intruder (BMG), which is on track to give the veteran synth-pop artist his seventh Top 5.Intruder, so far, is the biggest physical release of the cycle. Meanwhile, Twenty One Pilots are coming in to land their third U.K. Top 10 with Scaled And Icy (Atlantic/Fueled By Ramen), new at No. 3, following the American alternative rock artists’ performance Sunday (May 23) at the Billboard Music Awards. Another act who’s enjoying a post-BBMAs boost is Pink, whose All I Know So far: Setlist (RCA), the companion set to her streaming concert film, bows at No. 4. It’s the most downloaded album of the week. Pink, the Icon Award winner and a performer at the BBMAs, also sees a spike for her 2010 career retrospec...
Billboard and NYU ‘Music Industry Essentials’ Educational Program Hosts Free Info Session
Wondering if the Music Industry Essentials course from NYU Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music and Billboard, powered by Yellowbrick, is right for you? If so, you can join a live Zoom call this afternoon to hear from a student currently enrolled in the course and see all that the course has to offer, as well as what her personal experience has been like. Listeners will have an opportunity to ask questions in real time and will be better equipped with the information to decide if the program is something they’re interested in pursuing. The six-course, 20-hour plus program strives to give prospective students the tools to build the foundation of a successful career in the industry. In addition to learning extensively about several different aspects inside the world of music — ...
Paul Weller Scores Sixth Solo U.K. No. 1 With ‘Fat Pop’
Also enjoying a fast start is J. Cole’s The Off-Season (Interscope), new at No. 2. The Off-Season clocks up the most album streams in a single week of 2021, and gives the U.S. rapper his third Top 10 album in the U.K., equaling the peak of his previous album, 2018’s KOD. Three tracks from The Off-Season this week enter the Top 20 on the national singles chart. Meanwhile, Rag’n’Bone Man’s Life By Misadventure (Columbia) dips 1-3 on the albums survey, while alternative pop hero St Vincent starts at No. 4 with Daddy’s Home (Loma Vista), for her highest-peaking LP in the U.K. The Top 5 is rounded out by the Black Keys’ Delta Kream (Nonesuch). It’s new at No. 5, for the blues-rockers’ fourth U.K. Top 10. Over on the Official U.K. Singles Chart, Tion Wayne & Russ Millions’ “Body” (Atlantic) ...
Olivia Rodrigo Heading For U.K. Chart Crown With ‘Good 4 U’
It’s now set to replace Tion Wayne & Russ Millions’ “Body” at the summit. “Body,” which logged three weeks at No. 1 and is the first drill leader in the U.K., dips to No. 3. “Good 4 U” is one of three tracks from Rodrigo’s newly-released debut album, Sour, that impact the chart blast after the weekend. Previous single “Déjà Vu” is currently at No. 5 and “Brutal” is at No. 10. Sour also features Rodrigo’s global hit “Drivers License,” which locked-in top spot for nine weeks earlier this year and is the biggest single of 2021, the OCC reports. The rising star performed the song May 11 at the Brit Awards in London. Meanwhile, K-pop superstars BTS is set for the U.K.’s top debut with “Butter,” which opens at No. 2 on the First Look survey. BTS is in winning form. “Butter” creamed the...
Lagos registers over 400 money lenders, vaccinates 2,500 intending pilgrims
Lagos State Government has disclosed that it has registered over 400 money lenders in the last two years, just as it noted that it has also vaccinated over 2,500 intending pilgrims for the next hajj. Making this disclosure at a ministerial press briefing to commemorate the second year in office of the state Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, at the Press Centre in Ikeja yesterday, the state Commissioner for Home Affairs, Prince Anofiu Elegushi, stated that the ministry is in partnership with the Money lending sector in a way that most of such organisations are mandated to register with the ministry for the coordination of their activities. According to him, “In return, the ministry has registered, profiled and monitored the viability of such companies to ensure that while the money lenders are ...
Japan’s Top Concert Promoters Form Alliance to Bring Back International Acts
Promoters in Japan are currently in dire straits due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. Ticket sales lost because of cancellations and postponements from the pandemic totaled approximately $333 million (36.3 billion yen) in 2020. Earlier this month, Japan extended a state of emergency until the end of May for Tokyo and three other areas amid a fourth wave of coronavirus cases, which are hitting Tokyo and Osaka particularly hard. Japan, where more than 12,100 people have died from COVID-19, recorded 216 deaths on May 18, the most since early January, according to Johns Hopkins University. The members of the new IPAJ are Avex Entertainment Inc., Creativeman Production Co., Hanshin Contents Link Co. (Billboard Japan), Hayashi International Promotions Ltd., Kyodo Tokyo, Inc., Live Nation Japa...
Inside Track: UMG’s Potential US Investor, FTC Knocks Back Ticketmaster Probe
Asking around, one name keeps popping up: Liberty Media, the majority owner of satellite radio provider SiriusXM — itself owner of music streamer Pandora — and 33% of concert promoter Live Nation. Liberty also owns 5% of terrestrial broadcaster iHeartMedia and tried to buy 40% while iHeartMedia was in Chapter 11 bankruptcy. And despite concerns a larger stake would result in anticompetitive behavior, the Department of Justice approved Liberty’s request to increase its stake beyond 5% in July 2020. Liberty Media could take a piece of UMG and add intellectual property to a “full stack,” vertically-integrated media company. On paper at least, Universal could woo artists by offering exposure on Liberty-owned broadcasters and with concerts on Live Nation-run tours and festivals. It ...
Rivers government seeks relocation of NIMASA cabotage department
The Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, has appealed to the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to return its Cabotage Services Department to Port Harcourt. Wike made the appeal when the Director-General of NIMASA, Dr. Bashir Jamoh, visited him in Port Harcourt, recently. Wike said operations of the Cabotage Services Department of NIMASA used to be in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, but it was relocated to Lagos. The governor said in spite of his administration’s procurement of gunboats for security agencies, especially the Police and Navy to assist in the fight against piracy and ensure safety on the waterways for NIMASA’s businesses to thrive, the state did not get anything in return. He commended Jamoh for the initiative aimed at harnessing ocean resources as an ...
Publishing Briefs: Sacem and Spotify Extend Contract; WCM Signs Vinylz
Bolstered by its expertise in the management of authors’ rights in the digital sphere, Sacem has consolidated its position as a leader in collective management by regularly renegotiating its agreement with Spotify over the years in order to guarantee its members the fairest possible remuneration for the use of their works. Together, Sacem and Spotify will continue to explore this ever-changing and strategic market for the entire music ecosystem. Warner Chappell Music signed a worldwide publishing agreement with multi-platinum record producer Vinylz. He’s become a go-to producer for numerous stars like Travis Scott, Drake, Justin Bieber, Rihanna and many more. “I couldn’t be happier to be reunited with Vinylz. We’ve had a great, longstanding successful relationship spanning...
After Two COVID-19 Cancelations, Bluesfest Plots October Return
It was the second successive year COVID-19 had sunk Bluesfest’s best-laid plans. The most recent was a gut punch for the wider music industry, and the local businesses that rely on footfall that’s triggered by the five days of festivities. That cancelation “really affected the industry and pulled the last strands of confidence out of everything,” notes veteran concert promoter Michael Chugg. Rather than dwell on the negatives, Noble and his team have locked-in a lineup and new dates, Oct. 1-4, for what will be the first major festival to return since the pandemic struck. “We’re rising,” Bluesfest director Peter Noble told Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Breakfast program Wednesday (May 19), immediately after the announcement of Bluesfest’s return. “We have to do that because the Aust...
