business
Universal Music Publishing China Hosted a ‘League of Legends’ Songwriting Camp With Riot Games
As the music industry continues to invest deeper into the lucrative esports space, Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) China and Riot Games China have concluded a songwriting camp focused on promotional songs for the game publisher’s upcoming 10th League of Legends World Championship. The camp took place at the end of July and brought together 14 UMPG China songwriters — both virtually and in the GUM Studio Shanghai recording facility — to create six songs for the widely-viewed championship, which takes place this year in Shanghai from Sept. 25 to Oct. 31. “Music and gaming are activities of no boundary. When matching them well, possibilities are endless,” said UMPG China managing director Joe Fang. “I am honored to be partnering with Riot Games on t...
NME Launches In Asia
NME, the venerated British music title, has launched in Asia. Based in Singapore and operated by BandLab Technologies, the NME.com/Asia site will hope to feed the growing appetite in southeast Asia for music news, features and pop-culture insights. Currently, the platform has a split of 60-70% international content from the flagship U.K. title, and 30-40% local content. A core team of four writers handle copy from across the region, led by Iliyas Ong, former editor of Time Out Singapore; and Karen Gwee, former editor of Bandwagon and writer at NPR. The initial push-out focuses on Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines, Meng Ru Kuok, CEO of BandLab Technologies tells Billboard. “Singapore is unique, it imports music very well and it tends to the indie music scene, in which NME is strong.” ...
Ozuna, J Balvin and Anuel AA Sell Out Baja Beach Fest 2021 in Rosarito, Mexico
The three-day event is the first Latin festival to sell out during the pandemic. A Latin and Reggaeton festival in South Baja is giving hope to festival promoters following a strong sell out. Earlier today, organizers of the Baja Beach Fest announced that they had sold all available tickets for the festival — slated to run Aug. 13-15, 2021 — in its first year as an expanded three-day event. In total, 35,000 three-day passes starting at $329 were sold in about four weeks thanks to a strong lineup headlined by Ozuna, Anuel AA and J Balvin. That makes it one of the first sellouts of a 2021 festival during the pandemic. Launched in 2018 by Aaron Ampudia and Chris Den Uijl and held at Papas and Beer in Rosarito, Mexico — a small beach to...
Soundtrack Your Brand Signs Global Licensing Deal With Universal Music
The Swedish company, which operates in 73 markets, is pushing to disrupt the background music segment of the market. The growing segment of music streaming for businesses has taken another step forward. Soundtrack Your Brand, a cloud-based music service that is trying to become the Spotify of the business streaming world, signed a global licensing deal with Universal Music Group to use its catalog of music on the platform. The Stockholm-based company, which says it is the world’s fastest growing B2B music platform, delivers the flexibility of music-streaming technology to brands and businesses. Founded in 2013 with Spotify as a co-founder, Soundtrack Your Brand operates in 73 countries and competes in the background music segment with startups like Rockbot as well as with entrenched player...
Biffy Clyro Blast Into Lead on Midweek U.K. Albums Chart
Biffy Clyro aren’t celebrating yet, but the veteran rockers are charging to a third No. 1 album in the U.K. Biffy’s A Celebration of Endings (Warner Records) leads the Official Chart Update, and is currently outpacing the rest of the Top 5 combined, the OCC reports. A Celebration of Endings clocks up the most physical and download sales at the midweek point and is on track to equal the No. 1 positions of their 2013 LP Opposites and 2016’s Ellipsis. Celebration leads an all-new Top 4 at the halfway point, as indie rock outfit Sea Girls’ debut Open Up Your Head (Polydor) opens at No. 2; Manic Street Preacher James Dean Bradfield is at No. 3 with Even in Exile (Montyray), his first solo studio album in 14 years; and English folk-rock veterans Levellers mark their return with Peace (On The Fid...
2 Men Indicted in 2002 Killing of Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay
Two men have been indicted in the 2002 slaying of hip hop artist Jam Master Jay, which until now had been one of New York City’s most notorious unsolved killings, three law enforcement officials told the Associated Press on Monday. The officials were not authorized to speak publicly and did so on the condition of anonymity. One of them identified the suspects as Ronald Washington and Karl Jordan. Federal prosecutors were expected to announce the charges at a news conference Monday afternoon. Washington, who had reportedly been living on a couch at Jay’s home in the days before his death, was publicly named as a possible suspect or witness as far back as 2007. He is currently serving a federal prison sentence stemming from a string of robberies he committed while on the run from police afte...
Supreme Court Asked to Review ‘Stairway to Heaven’ Fight
Is the Supreme Court ready to make music history? One petitioner is giving nine justices of the high court such an opportunity while hardly being subtle about it. Here are the opening notes from a new cert petition: “It is fitting, perhaps, that the future of music copyright law be decided by a case about rock ‘n’ roll’s most iconic song, ‘Stairway to Heaven.’” The petition comes from Michael Skidmore, trustee for the Randy Craig Wolfe Trust — which is to say he’s representing an interest once belonging to Randy “California” Wolfe, singer-songwriter for the rock band Spirit. Wolfe authored a song “Taurus,” which many observers see as being extremely similar in structure to the opening of Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven.&#...
Drake Eyeing Strong Debut In U.K. With ‘Laugh Now Cry’
Joel Corry and MNEK’s summer smash “Head & Heart” is racing to a fifth week at No. 1 in the U.K., while Drake is rolling to a high debut with “Laugh Now Cry,” his collaboration with Chicago rapper Lil Dirk. Based on 48 hours of sales and streams, “Head & Heart” has a “comfortable” lead, according to the Official Charts Company. It’s holds the top spot on the Official Chart: First Look by a margin of 5,000 chart sales, with Nathan Dawe featuring KSI’s “Lighter” slotting in at No. 2. Drake’s “Laugh Now Cry” starts at No. 3 on the sales blast, and is set to become the Canadian rapper’s 17th Top 5 single and the first appearance on the Official U.K. Singles Chart for Lil Durk. The next highest debut could be “Midnight Sky” by Miley Cyrus. It’s at No. 13 on the preliminary chart an...
Taylor Swift’s ‘Folklore’ Enters Third Week at No. 1 In U.K.
Taylor Swift logs a third consecutive week atop the Official U.K. Albums Chart with Folklore (EMI), as Joel Corry and MNEK’s “Head & Heart” (Asylum/Perfect Havoc) locks-up a full month at No. 1 on the national singles survey. Swift’s latest set rules the current chart frame after blasting away the competition by a margin of 6,000 chart sales, according to the Official Charts Company. It’s the U.S. pop star’s fifth leader in the territory. Oxford four-piece Glass Animals score a career high with Dreamland (Polydor), new at No. 2. The LP easily eclipses the No. 23 best of their sophomore and most recent album, How to Be a Human Being, from 2016. Dreamland is the best selling vinyl title of the week. Heavy metal veterans Deep Purple enjoy a rare Top 5 appearance as Whoosh! (Ear Musi...
Taylor Swift’s ‘Folklore’ Extends Streak Atop Australia’s Albums Chart
Taylor Swift holds onto her Australia chart crown as Folklore (Republic/Universal) holds off new releases from Luke Bryan and In Hearts Wake for a third successive week at No. 1 on the ARIA Chart. Meanwhile, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s “WAP” (Atlantic/Warner) just misses out on a chart-topping bow on the national singles survey, as Jawsh 685 x Jason Derulo’s “Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat)” (Columbia/Sony) bags a sixth week at the summit. Folklore, which also rules the albums charts in the U.S. and U.K., should continue to chart high after its release on CD in Australia. It’s the only album this year to hold the ARIA No. 1 for more than two weeks. U.S. country star Luke Bryan has his third Top 10 as Born Here Live Here Die Here (Capitol/Universal) starts at No. 2, a new caree...
As Britain Starts Socially-Distanced Gigs, Many Venues Face Closure Amid Pandemic
When Keiron Marshall was 15, he found his way out of a desperate situation with help from an unexpected source: Eric Clapton. The guitar great was host at the first gig Marshall ever went to, and he was joined on stage by Gary Brooker of Procol Harum, The Who’s Pete Townshend and Beatle Ringo Starr. Since then, London’s music scene has been a liferaft for Marshall, a musician who now runs a group of small concert venues with his wife. Growing up in south London, he’d endured racial slurs and regular beatings because of his Pakistani heritage. His uncle was killed in a racially motivated attack; his mother was a heroin addict. But the music scene they know and love may soon be unrecognizable because of the coronavirus pandemic, which has plunged the U.K. economy into its worst recession on ...
Biggie’s Son CJ Wallace Releases His First Music as He Grows Social Impact Company
Over a Zoom video interview, Christopher “C.J.” Wallace, Jr. holds up his dad’s jersey that almost eclipses Wallace and the entire computer screen. “It’s a 5XXL,” Wallace tells Billboard. On the back of the jersey, ‘POPPA” is stitched in bright yellow letters against the hunter green fabric. The young entrepreneur was only five months old when his father, The Notorious B.I.G., was killed. Now 23, Wallace has finally done something he says he was “very scared of for the longest time”: releasing his own music, inspired by his dad’s. “I just avoided it because you don’t wanna mess up anything great,” says Wallace. Born in New York City and raised in Los Angeles, Wallace has been in the process of building his own legacy with Think BIG — a social impact company that he co-founded with bu...
