business
Sumner Redstone, Tenacious Entertainment Media Mogul, Dies at 97
Sumner Redstone, the hard-charging mogul who parlayed his father’s New England drive-in theater business into a media empire that now flows into virtually every avenue of entertainment, has died. He was 97. Redstone was the controlling shareholder of the recently merged ViacomCBS, and previously CBS Corp. and Viacom, who made famous the mantra “content is king.” His daughter and ViacomCBS chair Shari Redstone said: “My father led an extraordinary life that not only shaped entertainment as we know it today, but created an incredible family legacy. Through it all, we shared a great love for one another and he was a wonderful father, grandfather and great-grandfather. I am so proud to be his daughter and I will miss him always.” “It is with great sadness that we announce th...
Publisher & Songwriter Streaming Royalty Rates Headed Back to CRB for Review: What’s in the Ruling
The Copyright Royalty Board went too far when it eliminated a rate ceiling from digital streaming services’ calculation determining music songwriter and publishing royalties. That’s part of the verdict from a D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals opinion that was made public Tuesday (Aug. 11), sending the CRB ruling back to the three-judge panel that made the verdict in a 2 to 1 split decision in 2018. The overall all-in music publishing royalty rate ceiling had previously been a part of the rate formula from 2008 to 2018. But will the 44% increase in royalties stand? {“nid”:”9431493″,”type”:”post”,”title”:”Appeal Ruling on Publisher Royalty Rate Hike Looks to Favor Digital Services: Sources”,”relative_path&#...
Danny Wimmer Presents Names Joe Litvag President Of Live Events
Leading independent live entertainment producer and promoter Danny Wimmer Presents has announced the addition of executive Joe Litvag as its president of live events. Litvag, an industry veteran, brings over 25 years of knowledge and experience in all aspects of the live events industry. In this newly created position, Litvag will oversee the operation of DWP festivals and concerts and will lead DWP’s growth into venue management, booking, national touring, event services and more. “Getting Joe on our team is a move we have wanted to make for a long, long time. Joe’s experience and leadership will be essential to our success as DWPcontinues to invest in new opportunities,” commented Danny Hayes, DWP’s chief executive officer. {“nid”:”9400321″,”type”...
Universal Music Group & Tencent Music Launch New Label in China
Universal Music Group and Tencent Music Entertainment Group (TME) are strengthening their ties with a new joint venture music label that will develop, produce and showcase Chinese artists, the companies announced Monday (Aug. 10). The news came with announcements UMG had reached a multi-year licensing extension with Tencent, as well as a new multi-year licensing deal with Chinese streaming platform NetEase Cloud Music. Under the renewed agreement between Tencent and UMG — first signed in May 2017 — Tencent will continue to distribute UMG content on its associated streaming platforms QQ Music, Kogou Music and Kuwo Music, as well as the karaoke platform WeSing. {“nid”:”9399541″,”type”:”post”,”title”:”Universal Musi...
Taylor Swift’s ‘Folklore’ Tops Midweek Chart In U.K.
Taylor Swift’s Folklore is in pole position for a third consecutive week at No. 1 in the U.K., though her challengers aren’t far behind. Folklore is the most streamed album week in the first half of the chart cycle to lead the Official Chart Update. Glass Animals’ Dreamland (Polydor) is just 600 chart sales behind in second place, and is the week’s best seller on physical formats, the OCC reports. Dreamland should give the English psychedelic pop outfit their first Top 10, besting the No. 23 peak of their sophomore 2016 album How To Be A Human Being. {“nid”:”9431667″,”type”:”post”,”title”:”Taylor Swift's 'Folklore' Outraces Fontaines D.C.'s 'A Hero\u2019s Death' For U.K. Chart Title”...
Musicians Criticize Jeff Bezos’ ‘Willful Blindness’ to Twitch Music Royalties
While testifying at a congressional hearing late last month, Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos admitted that he wasn’t sure whether or not the company pays royalties for the music users stream on Amazon-owned livestreaming platform Twitch (it doesn’t). His response angered artist-run non-profit Artist Rights Alliance, which has sent a letter to Bezos challenging him to pay artists their fair share, as music streaming on Twitch continues to surge. “We were appalled […] by your inability or unwillingness to answer even the most basic question about Twitch’s practices in this regard,” the letter reads. “As Twitch uses music to grow its audience and shape its brand, the company owes creators more than the willful blindness and vague platitudes you offered du...
Taylor Swift’s ‘Folklore’ Enters Second Week at No. 1 In Australia
Taylor Swift’s Folklore (Republic/Universal) rules Australia’s albums chart for a second successive week in Australia as Jawsh 685 and Jason Derulo’s “Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat)” (Columbia/Sony) bounces back to the summit in its eighth week on the singles survey. Folklore is one of six Swift albums to hit No. 1 in Australia with her 2014 set 1989 logging the most time at the top, at nine weeks. Wollongong surf rock duo Hockey Dad land a career best with their third album Brain Candy (BMG/Warner), new at No. 2. It’s the followup from 2018’s Blend Inn, which peaked at No. 6 on the ARIA Albums Chart. Brain Candy is this week’s best-seller on vinyl. Dropping in at No. 3 is the new album from veteran singer-songwriter Paul Kelly and pianist/composer Paul Grabowsky, Please Leav...
Taylor Swift’s ‘Folklore’ Outraces Fontaines D.C.’s ‘A Hero’s Death’ For U.K. Chart Title
The U.K. chart week was a game of two halves as Taylor Swift’s Folklore started slow but pulled away to snag a second successive week at No. 1. Folklore fell to No. 3 in the first half of the week, with Irish rockers Fontaines D.C. looking well set for their first No. 1 with A Hero’s Death (Partisan). However, Swift and her U.K. record company EMI changed the course of the race by bringing forward the release of Folklore on CD, and the LP dashed to the finish line in first position. When all streams and sales were tallied up, Folklore finished 3,500 chart sales ahead of Fontaines D.C.’s second set, which starts at No. 2 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart and is the market-leader in vinyl sales. {“nid”:”9431617″,”type”:”post”,”title”...
Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s ‘WAP’ On Track For Highest New Chart Entry In U.K.
Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion new collaboration “WAP” has bolted out the gate in the U.K., while Joel Corry and MNEK’s “Head & Heart” (Asylum/Perfect Havoc) is on track for a fourth week at No. 1. “Head & Heart” leads the Official Chart First Look, based on preliminary sales and streaming data from the first 48 hours of the chart cycle. It’s an unchanged top five on the chart blast with Jawsh 685 & Jason Derulo’s “Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat)” (RCA), Nathan Dawe featuring KSI’s “Lighter” (Atlantic), Harry Styles’ “Watermelon Sugar” (Columbia) and AJ Tracey & Mabel’s “West Ten” (AJ Tracey) filling up the top spots, respectively. {“nid”:”9431667″,”type”:”post”,”title”:”Taylor Swift's 'Folk...
Madonna Out of Interscope Deal After Nearly a Decade
Sources close to Madonna confirm to Billboard that the Queen of Pop is out of her deal with Interscope after nearly a decade. The iconic singer first inked a three-album deal with Interscope in 2011 at a base of $1 million per LP; with the release of Madame X in 2019, that three-album deal is up, and Madge is eying a new label to call home. While The Sun reports that Madonna is considering a return to Warner Music (which was known as Warner Bros. when she called it home for her series of albums released from 1983-2008), sources tell Billboard that she has not inked a new deal anywhere as of Saturday (Aug. 8) and any talks are in early stages. Warner Music declined to comment for this story. Madonna’s three albums for Interscope include the Billboard 200 toppers MDNA (2012) and Madame...
Appeal Ruling on Publisher Royalty Rate Hike Looks Like it Favors Digital Services Contentions: Sources
Spotify, Amazon, Pandora and YouTube have been handed a procedural victory on their appeal to a 44% royalty rate increase for songwriters and publishers, sources tell Billboard. The U.S. Court of Appeals in D.C. that reviewed the digital services’ appeal on the Copyright Royalty Board’s (CRB) mechanical rate determination has thrown out the rate structure cobbled together by a majority of the board’s three judges, Billboard has learned. The ruling, which is under seal, could wash away the rate increase that the CRB judges — in a split 2–1 decision — had awarded songwriters and music publishers in January 2018. The CRB ruling was finalized in February 2019 and appealed by digital services a month later on grounds of procedural issues with how the CRB determined...
How Struggling Indie Venues Are Lobbying Local Governments for Support — And Getting Some
As Congress debated the next federal coronavirus aid package this week in Washington, independent music venues across the country have been waiting in anticipation for what will either be a saving grace or a devastating blow to their businesses. Now, as Capitol Hill heads into the weekend with a planned recess days away, there’s still no clarity whether proposed legislation supporting these businesses that have been shuttered since mid-March will make their way into a final package and save an estimated 90% of them from closure by the end of the year. The Save Our Stages Act, introduced by Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) on July 22, would establish a $10 billion grant program exclusively for live venue operators, promoters, producers and talent representatives. The Restar...
