business
VP Osinbajo: Nigerian government democratising broadband connectivity
It’s the first in sub-Saharan Africa and one of the three such cutting-edge facilities on the continent, with top prime global certifications for smart card manufacturing and it is based in Lagos, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, relished yesterday afternoon while touring SecureID company’s premises, and affirmed Nigeria’s extremely bright economic future, which he said cannot be aborted despite current challenges. According to him, “the economic future of our nation is extremely bright. Yes, we have challenges today and they may look daunting. But let me assure you that these issues will be resolved. The march of this nation to its manifest destiny as Africa’s leading economic power will not be aborted. We are more than able to overcome.” An impressed Prof. Osinbajo said the Buhari Admi...
Recording Academy Job Listing Calls for New CEO to Continue Diversity Efforts & ‘Leverage Technology’
The position will have seven direct reports, including the chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer, a new position filled by Valeisha Butterfield Jones last April. The broad job description does not include a specific mandate that the new CEO has led a large team before, only that the candidate has “a track record of leading through change and driving innovation,” as well as experience in developing revenue streams, and understanding the needs of helming a membership-driven organization. The position reports and “partner[s] closely” with the board of trustees. Much of the description calls for someone who is a big ideas person, using such terms as a “critical thinker” and “culture shaper,” with a “track record and experience holding themselves and team members accountable to evolving...
Here’s How ‘Fearless (Taylor’s Version)’ Performed in Its Fourth Week Compared to Taylor Swift’s Original ‘Fearless’
Taylor Swift released Fearless (Taylor’s Version), her re-recording of her best-selling 2008 sophomore album, a little over a month ago, and scored a No. 1 debut on the Billboard 200 chart. In the month since its release, we’ve been keeping track of how the unprecedented chart-topper — the first re-recorded version of another album to reach the peak of the Billboard 200 — has performed as compared to the original Fearless, in terms of weekly listenership. In its fourth week on the Billboard 200, Fearless (Taylor’s Version) slips out of the top 10, coming in at No. 15 after posting at No. 9 on last week’s tally. The re-recorded Fearless earned 24,000 equivalent album units for the chart week dated May 15, according to MRC Data, down from 33,000 equivalent album units in the prev...
UMG Hires Former eBay Exec Richelle Parham to Lead Global D2C Efforts
Parham’s appointment is considered significant in several ways. As the ex-CMO of eBay, she has a deep knowledge of the platforms and methods that are facilitating online sales. In recent years, she has worked with private equity firms investing in e-commerce start-ups. Parham joins UMG from WestRiver Group, where she was managing director, leading investments in the consumer experience economy, and she has served on the board of Best Buy, e.l.f. Beauty, LabCorp and, until recently, Scripps Network Interactive. UMG possesses “an incredibly talented leadership team, a global footprint, iconic labels and publishing company, as well as other music businesses,” she explains in a statement. “Together these elements form an unparalleled opportunity for a consumer-demand-driven e...
Halsey Is Songwriter of the Year at 2021 BMI Pop Awards
BMI also honored the songwriters, publishers and administrators of the 50 most-performed pop songs of the previous year. This year’s class of recipients included a record 59 first-time Pop Award winners such as BENEE, Edgar Barrera, Doja Cat, Trevor Daniel, Metro Boomin, Noah Cyrus, Roddy Ricch, SAINt JHN, JP Saxe and more. “It is an honor and a privilege to represent some of the best pop music creators in the world,” said Barbara Cane, vice president, worldwide creative. “Their songs are groundbreaking, dynamic and inspiring, and we celebrate their dedication to craft, discipline and success.” The winners of the 69th annual BMI Pop Awards were announced Monday (May 10) in an online celebration and on BMI’s social channels. Fans can view the complete list of winners, listen to their music,...
Shuttered Venue Operators Grant Payments Will Start Arriving Next Week
The amount of funding for the second and third tiers, along with any supplemental funding, will be based on what remains after the SBA awards grants to the first priority group. “This emergency relief can’t come soon enough for those on the precipice of going under. We’ll be very grateful when the money is distributed as Congress intended,” says National Independent Venue Association board member Audrey Fix Schaefer. “It’s been very hard to hold on, but even tougher to plan for reopening without the money to hire back staff, rent venues and secure acts with deposits. It will be incredible when the $16 billion Congress earmarked to save our stages becomes a reality.” As of today, 11,500 SVOG applications have been sub...
Coldplay Blasting to U.K. Top 10 With ‘Higher Power’
Expect “Higher Power” to enjoy a bump following Chris Martin and Co.’s performance of the song Sunday (May 9) on American Idol, and again at the top of the 2021 Brit Awards this Tuesday (May 11). At the summit of the chart blast is current No. 1 “Body,” by Tion Wayne & Russ Millions. Last Friday, the single lifted 4-1 to become the first drill track to lead the Official U.K. Singles Chart. It’s the most-streamed song of the weekend, the OCC reports. Following the release of his sophomore album Life By Misadventure, Rag’n’Bone Man is eyeing a new peak with “Anywhere Away From Here,” his collaboration with Pink. It’s up 31-11 on the First Look survey. The pair will perform the duet live at the BRITs, to be held at London’s O2 Arena. Finally, The Kid Laroi’s “Without You” ...
Taylor Swift Set to Receive Global Icon Award at 2021 Brit Awards
That 2015 win for international female solo artist is Swift’s only Brit Award to date, from six nominations. Swift has set many records on the U.K. charts, as she has in the U.S. and around the world. She is the only female artist in the 21st century to amass seven No. 1 studio albums on the Official U.K. Albums chart. The Official Charts Company also reports that Swift is the U.K.’s top-selling artist of 2021 to date, which is remarkable for an artist 15 years into her career. Swift has amassed 17 top 10 hits on the Official U.K. Singles chart, but, surprisingly, she has landed just one No. 1 single on that chart — “Look What You Made Me Do,” which spent two weeks on top in 2017. Swift is not expected to perform on The Brit Awards with Mastercard 2021 — as the show is official...
Clubhouse Now Available for Android Users
Clubhouse will continue to apply its invitation-only system — which allows existing community members to invite a handful of contacts — for Android users “as part of the effort to keep the growth measured,” according to a statement on the Android launch. The announcement comes a week after Clubhouse announced beta testing had begun for a “handful of friendly testers.” “It has been a little over a year since we set out to build a new type of network — a more human place on the Internet based on voice, where people from all corners of the world could come together to talk, listen, hang out, share, debate, learn from each other, deepen friendships, meet new people, and experience unforgettable moments together,” Paul Davison and Rohan Seth, as well as the Clubhouse team, shared in a statement...
Royal Blood Splashes at No. 1 In U.K. With ‘Typhoons’
The Brighton pair lead a Top 10 crammed with new releases. Merseyside act The Coral snag a sixth Top 10 LP and highest-chart position in 18 years with Coral Island (Run On), new at No. 2. Mick Fleetwood & Friends’ live tribute Celebrating The Music of Peter Green (BMG) debuts at No. 3, just ahead of British singer Birdy, whose Young Heart (Atlantic) flies in at No. 4. Gojira, the French metal band, score their first Top 10 album with Fortitude (Roadrunner), new at No. 6, just ahead of Norwegian DIY singer-songwriter Girl in Red‘s debut effort If I Could Make It Go Quiet (No. 7 via Marie Ulven), and Pink Floyd’s Live at Knebworth 1990 (No. 8 via Rhino). Completing the Top 10 is DJ Khaled’s digital-only 12th studio set Khaled Khaled. It’s the most-streamed album of the we...
Country Music Drama Produced by Talent Manager Jason Owen Lands Fox Series Order
The series, written by Hilfers, will feature original music and covers. The production counts Jason Owen, one of music’s top managers, among its exec producers. He is expected to bring his wealth of knowledge and relationships to make a mark on the series as his client roster includes such artists as Kacey Musgraves, Faith Hill, Little Big Town and the estates of Johnny and June Carter Cash. Sources say some of Owen’s clients are expected to appear and/or perform on the series, which will begin casting immediately. When Fox picked up the script nearly two years ago, the drama was poised to be a co-production between the network and its former in-house Gail Berman-led SideCar content development accelerator. SideCar was disbanded last summer, with Berman returning to run her production comp...
Insomniac Ruling Upheld Despite Appeal That Judge Was Heavily Medicated
The dispute is linked to a disagreement over the future of the How Sweet It Is music festival, which ran from 1999 to 2001. Rotella helped revive and finance the festival in 2005 but had a falling out with Alper and Ballou over the future of the event in 2010. Alper and Ballou claimed Rotella created a competing event called Beyond Wonderland, which still operates today, and that they were owed a piece of the festival. The legal fight went to arbitration, where the case was heard by Schiavelli, who eventually ruled against Alper and Ballou, saying the men bore most of the responsibility for the collapse of their relationship with Rotella and Insomniac due to their “cavalier and essentially non-negotiable attitude.” Schiavelli also noted that the lawsuit wasn’t filed against Insom...
