business
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...
ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus Says Royalties Allowed Him to Write ‘From 9 to 5′
“Being a songwriter myself and knowing what copyright has done for me and the sense of pride I have in owning my rights, I would tell any songwriter, ‘Please don’t do it unless you really, really have to,'” he suggested. Ulvaeus’ compositions extends beyond his work with ABBA: He co-wrote the lyrics for the musicals Mamma Mia!, Chess and Kristina från Duvemåla and co-composed the music for the first two with his fellow ABBA member and songwriting ace Benny Andersson. Ulvaeus and Andersson also worked together on both of the Mamma Mia! films based on ABBA’s pop hits, which the two co-wrote starting in the 1970s. But the competition for songwriters to get paid has only grown “fiercer,” he notes, over...
CISLAC raises concerns over Nigeria’s debt profile, coronavirus accountability
The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), has expressed concerns over $2.18 billion foreign loan request to the Nigerian Senate to fund the 2021 Appropriations Act, by President Muhammadu Buhari. It has therefore urged the National Assembly to insist on an analysis of debt repayment strategy to be in place as its key priority to approvals. In a statement by Executive Director, CISLAC and Head of Transparency International – Nigeria, Auwal Ibrahim Musa Rafsanjani, he said national public finance management regime is meant to save the nation’s economic system from collapse: rescuing jobs, supporting livelihoods and bailing out many businesses on the brink. He warned the government to avoid the catastrophe that the international finance institutions forced on Greece: destroying ...
Rice millers protest ‘multiple taxation’ in Ebonyi
Rice millers in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, have protested against what they claimed to be multiple taxation in the state’s mill market. The millers, who decried alleged extortions of traders by the management of the market, called on the state government to find a lasting solution to it. They appealed to the government to review its revenue policy and reduce the increased taxes. The protesters carried placards with different inscriptions such as, “Management should not take rice mill as their father’s business”, “We are tired of the multiple and high taxes”, “We need an elected chairman and not Caretaker Committee to move development forward in the mill.” Speaking with journalists in Abakaliki on Tuesday, Chukwuma Eniokoro, the chairman of millers in the market, said they embarked on the pea...
‘She’s Perfect Right Now for Top 40’: How Ariana Grande Made History at Pop Radio
Grande has spent much of the past decade finding success at top 40 radio: “POV,” which moves up to No. 7 on this week’s chart (while “Positions” drops to No. 8 and “34+35” holds at No. 9), is the superstar’s 19th top 10 hit on the Pop Airplay chart. Since her first top 10 hit came in June 2014 with her Iggy Azalea collaboration “Problem,” Grande has become the most consistent top 40 presence in the Pop Airplay chart’s upper tier, with her 19 top 10 hits the most of any artist in that nearly seven-year time frame (Justin Bieber comes in second, with 15 top 10 hits). Now, with a record three concurrent top 10 hits on the chart, Grande has demonstrated just how dominant her blend of traditional pop, R&B, hip-hop influences and powerhouse vocals have become at the format. “Listeners love h...
Tencent Music Reports Steady Q1 as China’s Streaming Market Grows
In 2020, China had the fourth largest music streaming market globally, growing 90.7% to $718 million, according to IFPI. Just as Western music services are jumping into podcasts, TME is making a hard push into long-form audio — mainly audiobooks — in what Cussion Pang, chairman of Tencent Music, said in a statement is an “evolution into an all-in-one online music and audio entertainment destination in China.” TME isn’t turning this plan into more money just yet: average revenue per subscriber dropped 1.1% to 9.3 yuan ($1.44) from the first quarter of 2020. Long-form audio does, however, make the music apps stickier by increasing engagement: in Q1 2021, the percent of monthly active users who listened to long-form audio improved to 20.0%, compared to 5.5% in Q1 2020 and 15% in Q...
