business
Ennio Morricone, Legendary Composer for the Movies, Dies at 91
Ennio Morricone, the Oscar winner whose haunting, inventive scores expertly accentuated the simmering, dialogue-free tension of the spaghetti Westerns directed by Sergio Leone, has died. He was 91. The Italian composer, who scored more than 500 films — seven for his countryman Leone after they had met as kids in elementary school — died in Rome following complications from a fall last week in which he broke his femur. A native and lifelong resident of Rome whose first instrument was the trumpet, Morricone won his Oscar for his work on Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight (2015) and also was nominated for his original scores for Terrence Malick’s Days of Heaven (1978), Roland Joffe’s The Mission (1986), Brian De Palma’s The Untouchables (1987), Barry Levinson’s Bugsy (1991) and Giuseppe To...
The 13 Best Things That Happened in Music This Week (July 3)
This week was full of star-studded events and awards shows, with the “Global Goal: Unite For Our Future” concert, BET Awards and Juno Awards all taking place virtually. In other awards show news, we’ve got an update on the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards — more on that later. Take a look at some of the week’s biggest music happenings below. Stars came together for the virtual “Global Goal: Unite For Our Future” concert From Jennifer Hudson’s rousing kickoff to Justin Bieber and Quavo’s stripped-down performance, the “Global Goal: Unite For Our Future” event on Saturday (June 27) was chock-full of amazing moments. Christine and the Queens, Chloe x Halle, Shakira and more also performed. In case you missed the concert, you can watch all of the must-see performance videos here! The 20...
Executive Turntable: Royalty Network Names Black Empowerment Advisory Council, Grand Hustle Founder Launches Music Incubator
Indie publisher The Royalty Network has launched Black Empowerment Thru Music, a new program designed to connect emerging black musicians, producers, songwriters and entrepreneurs with music industry leaders. As part of the initiative, the company is now inviting professional and established musicians, artists, attorneys, songwriters and others to get involved in the effort in a multitude of ways – whether by providing free studio time, financially supporting designated organizations, donating instruments to schools, matching grants or mentoring, among other activities. A number of established industry players have signed up to serve on the Black Empowerment Thru Music advisory council, including artists stic & M-1 of hip-hop duo dead prez, producer Darien Bankhead, entrepreneur and ex...
Guy Sebastian’s Former Manager Titus Day Arrested For Allegedly Defrauding Singer
Chart-topping Australian pop singer Guy Sebastian says he’s “absolutely devastated” by allegations his former manager Titus Day had ripped him off to the tune of more than A$1 million ($690,000). Day was arrested Wednesday night (July 1) at his home in Bondi, Sydney and was charged with multiple fraud offences. New South Wales police allege Day defrauded Sebastian of A$1.15 million ($800,000) over a seven-years period, from December 2013. According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Day is facing 61 counts of dishonestly obtain financial advantage by deception. On Thursday, he was granted bail at Waverley Court, under the condition that he surrenders his passport, puts up a A$10,000 surety and he is not to contact Sebastian. The court heard that Day, who worked w...
After Dismal Year-End Results, LiveXLive Wants to Pivot Conversation to Pay-Per-View and Podcasts
Would you pay $150 for a ticket to see a virtual Monsta X concert if it included a 20-second digital meet and greet with the band? Plenty of the Monbebes (the nickname for the K-pop group’s fans) would gladly pay, according to a press release from LiveXLive, one of five announcements the company has sent out since it dismal annual earnings report came out last week. Besides announcing LiveXLive had sold out of the VIP passes, LiveXLive is hoping to convince investors it is on sound financial footing as it goes into the second quarter. With live events on hold for the rest of the year, the company is hoping pay-per-view concerts and podcasts will help the streaming company reign in growing losses, a high-interest loan that’s restricted a large chunk of its ca...
Apple Music Launches Africa Rising Artist Showcase with Debut Cover Star Omah Lay
The new program, designed to elevate the careers of African artists, will also include a companion playlist. Over the last couple of years, Africa has become an increasingly important force on the global music scene, leading labels, publishers and streaming services to extend their reach on the long-neglected continent. In late April, Apple Music announced an expansion of its platform in two dozen African countries, and now the streaming service has unveiled a new initiative to identify and showcase rising talent on the continent. Named Africa Rising, the artist program and companion playlist will feature an African artist chosen by Apple Music’s editorial team every two months, using the full weight of the platform to elevate their careers in Africa and around the world. The first artist ...
Ed Sheeran, Rolling Stones and More U.K. Music Stars Plead With Government for Live Sector Aid
Some 1,500 artists backing #LetTheMusicPlay warn of ‘mass insolvencies’ from ongoing concert lockdowns due to COVID-19. Some of the U.K.’s biggest music stars are pleading with their government to come to the aid of the £4.5 billion ($5.6 billion) live music sector during the coronavirus lockdown, warning that government support is vital to prevent “mass insolvencies.” A group of 1,500 artists — including Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa, The Rolling Stones, Rita Ora and many others — signed a letter to Oliver Dowden, the secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport, urging the government to create a funding package for the live sector similar to what Germany’s government did last month. “With no end to social distancing in sight or financial support from government yet agreed,...
Banda Los Sebastianes’ ‘En Eso No Quedamos’ Hits No. 1 on Regional Mexican Airplay Chart
The song follows the reign of “Mi Meta Contigo.” Banda Los Sebastianes clock their third No. 1, and second in a row, on the Regional Mexican Airplay chart as “En Eso No Quedamos” ascends 2-1 on the survey dated July 4. “En Eso No Quedamos” (which translates to “We Didn’t Agree on That”) follows the six-week reign of the group’s “Mi Meta Contigo” in November. Banda first led the Regional Mexican Airplay chart for six weeks with its longest-charting title “A Través del Vaso” (39 weeks on the chart) in Feb. 16, 2019, over three years after the band’s first entry on the chart, “Indeleble” (No. 39, Sept. 2015). “En Eso No Quedamos” rises thanks to a 13% boost in audience impressions (to 6.2 million) earned in the week ending June 28, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data. With a 19-week cli...
Jay-Z’s Made in America 2020 Canceled Due to Pandemic
Jay-Z’s annual festival in Philadelphia, Made in America, won’t take place Labor Day weekend due to the coronavirus pandemic. In a statement Wednesday, the rap mogul’s Roc Nation company said it plans to produce the popular festival in 2021. “2020 is a year like no other. We are in a pivotal time in this nation’s history. Collectively, we are fighting parallel pandemics, COVID-19, systematic racism and police brutality. Now is the time to protect the health of our artists, fans, partners and community as well as focus on our support for organizations and individuals fighting for social justice and equality in our country. Therefore, the Made In America festival will be rescheduled for Labor Day Weekend 2021,” Roc Nation said in a statement. {“nid”:”8528889″,”t...
LP Announces Global Livestream Concert From Los Angeles
Musician and prolific songwriter LP has announced her first global livestream event scheduled for Aug. 1. The 2020 Virtual World Tour will broadcast live from The Beehive studios in the Los Angeles and is expected to be the artist’s only full-production concert in 2020. “I was expecting to tour throughout 2020 around the world, but unfortunately we had to postpone that to 2021. So, to lift my own spirits, and hopefully other people’s, I decided to put together a proper concert here in L.A., live-streamed everywhere, for everyone to be a part of,” LP said in a release. The multi-camera, HD video, 80-audio-channel concert will kick-off live at 1pm PST and will feature LP and her band performing a set of hits, fan favorites, covers, brand-new music, new v...
Spotify Launches New Subscription Plan For Couples in U.S., 54 More Markets
Spotify has unveiled a new, cheaper premium subscription option for couples, called Premium Duo, that will be rolled out in the United States and 54 other markets today (July 1). The single plan will allow two people living at the same address to have individual premium accounts, which are also entwined through playlists like its Duo Mix of favorites from each party, for just $12.99 a month. Spotify began testing the new tier last March, piloting Premium Duo in Columbia, Chile, Denmark, Ireland and Poland. Now with its wider rollout, Duo joins Spotify’s individual plan ($9.99/month), family plan ($14.99/month for up to six accounts under one roof) and student plan ($4.99/month). [embedded content] In a blog post announcing the new tier, the company noted that a user study found that of cou...
Cirque du Soleil Files for Creditor Protection
Cirque du Soleil filed for creditor protection in Canada on Monday (June 29) while it develops a plan to restart its business amid the pandemic. The creator of many of the most popular shows in Las Vegas on Monday blamed the “immense disruption and forced show closures as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.” The Montreal-based circus arts show company temporarily suspended its productions around the world in March because of the new coronavirus outbreak. Cirque du Soleil also announced the termination of approximately 3,480 employees previously furloughed in March. In connection with the filing, Cirque du Soleil said it has entered into a purchase agreement with its existing shareholders TPG, Fosun and Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec as well as Investissement Quebec as a debt provide...
