business
Madison Square Garden Entertainment Names Scott Packman Executive VP and General Counsel
On Monday (June 29) Madison Square Garden Entertainment announced it had named Scott Packman executive vp and general counsel. Effective July 1, Packman will be tasked with overseeing and directing all of MSG Entertainment’s legal affairs and managing the company’s legal affairs team, including all corporate, commercial, transactional, litigation, regulatory and day-to-day legal matters. He will report to MSG Entertainment executive chairman and CEO Jim Dolan. Packman comes to MSG Entertainment with over 25 years of legal experience under his belt. Most notably, this includes a 14-year year stint at MGM Holdings/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, where he served in a variety of leadership roles, including 12 years as general counsel and secretary. During his run at the company, which he ended as senior ...
Lizzo, Megan Thee Stallion & Other Record Setters at the 2020 BET Awards
There were first-time winners in several key categories at the 20th annual BET Awards. Lizzo was named best female R&B/pop artist. She beat Beyoncé, who had won 10 times in this category, including the last six years in a row. Megan Thee Stallion won best female hip-hop artist, beating two former winners in the category – Cardi B, who had won the last two years, and seven-time winner Nicki Minaj. DaBaby won best male hip-hop artist, beating four-time winner Drake, among others. Gymnast Simone Biles won sportswoman of the year for the first time. She beat tennis legend Serena Williams (who had won 12 times in the category, including the last six years in a row). Here are other artists who made history at the BET Awards. Blue Ivy Carter, the eight-year old daughter of Beyoncé and Jay-Z, ...
‘Music From The Home Front’ All-Star Album Beats Bob Dylan to Australian Chart Crown
It took something special to keep Bob Dylan’s comeback album from the crest of Australia’s albums chart. Music From The Home Front (Bloodlines/Universal) is something special. The companion album to Michael Gudinski’s all-star virtual concert blasts to No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart, and becomes the ninth homegrown album to hit the summit in 2020. Music From The Home Front was broadcast on free-to-air Channel 9 on ANZAC Day, April 25, featuring performances from the likes of Tones And I, Kevin Parker, Vance Joy, Delta Goodrem, Dean Lewis, Crowded House and Jimmy Barnes. “I’m humbled and proud to receive this No. 1 award from ARIA on behalf of all the incredible artists who stepped up at the eleventh hour and delivered for ‘Music From The Home Front’, ‘Support Act’, ‘the RSL’ and all ...
Jawsh 685 and Jason Derulo’s ‘Savage Love’ Dances Into Lead In U.K. Singles Chart Race
A teenage New Zealander could be the next U.K. singles chart champion. Jawsh 685 (real name Joshua Nanai), the 17-year-old producer from Auckland, leads the Official Chart First Look with “Savage Love (Laxed Beat – Siren)” (RCA), his viral hit with U.S. R&B star Jason Derulo. An instrumental cut of “Savage Love” exploded on TikTok and spawned the “Culture Dance” challenge, which invited users to celebrate their heritage in dance. The version featuring Derulo’s vocals flew 22-4 in its first two weeks on the Official U.K. Singles Chart and is the top performer after the weekend’s sales and streaming activity. It if holds its position when the weekly survey is published this Friday, it’ll give Derulo his fifth U.K. No. 1, and Jawsh 685 his first. It’ll be a white-knuckle ride for the pair...
‘BET Awards 2020 Needed More Than Ever’: President Scott Mills Reflects on Show’s Lasting Impact & More
BET president Scott Mills wants viewers of this year’s BET Awards to understand one thing up front: don’t call it a virtual awards show. It’s a “complete mischaracterization of what the show is,” says Mills of the BET Awards which, like many other special events, has had to shift gears as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage. Celebrating its 20th anniversary, the ceremony will air Sunday evening (June 28) and also make its national broadcast debut on CBS. Noting that other media have tagged the show as virtual, Mills continues, “We actually never have described it as virtual. We said that we’re proceeding with the awards show and not doing it in front of a live audience.” Mills further emphasizes that the show won’t feature artists simply performing from their homes. Instead, performanc...
Concertgoers Seek Ticketmaster Terms of Use Click Rates in Antitrust Class Action
Concertgoers suing Ticketmaster and Live Nation over live event ticket fees believe no one actually reads the terms of service that bind them to arbitration and are asking a California federal judge for discovery that could help them prove the websites’ formats are to blame. Olivia Van Iderstine and Mitch Oberstein in April sued Ticketmaster and its parent Live Nation claiming the companies have a monopoly on live events and therefore can charge “extraordinarily high fees” for tickets. The companies responded in June with a motion to compel arbitration. They argue that in order to buy tickets through their sites users have to affirmatively agree to their terms of service at least three times — and those terms include a mandatory arbitration provision and a waiver of class...
Elton John’s Ex-Wife Renate Blauel Seeks High Court Injunction
Elton John’s ex-wife Renate Blauel has launched legal action against the “Rocketman” in London’s High Court. The German-born sound engineer filed paperwork last week to seek an injunction against the legendary British singer, according to various reports. The reasons behind the legal action remain unclear, though such cases are typically grounded in privacy matters or to prevent the publication of personal materials. Blauel’s lawyer confirmed to The Guardian that his client hoped the matter would be resolved “amicably,” but declined to elaborate on the case. John and Blauel became close during the recording sessions for his 1983 album Too Low for Zero album and the pair tied the knot the following year at a ceremony on Valentine’s Day in Sydney, footage of which aired live on Austral...
The Deals: Little Simz Renews AWAL Recordings Contract, Licensing Service Lickd Strikes UMG Partnership
Mercury Prize-nominated rapper and songwriter Little Simz (a.k.a. Simbi Ajikawo) has renewed her partnership with AWAL Recordings, which provides a full range of services including global marketing and promotion, digital and physical distribution, campaign coordination, A&R support, synch licensing and brand partnerships. Little Simz garnered acclaim with her most recent album, GREY Area, which was released on her own label, Age 101, via AWAL. In addition to the Mercury Prize, she has been nominated for AIM and BET Awards; additionally, she won the Q Award for best vocal performance and the NME Award for best British album. She has toured with Gorillaz, Lauryn Hill and Anderson .Paak and also starred in the Channel 4 crime drama Top Boy, which currently airs on Netflix. Little Sim...
U.K. Competition Regulator Launches ‘In-depth’ Investigation Into Viagogo StubHub Merger
Viagogo’s $4 billion acquisition of StubHub faces further scrutiny after the U.K.’s competition watchdog opened an “in-depth investigation” into the merger. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced on Thursday (June 25) that Viagogo has failed to address its concerns that the merger could result in a substantial lessening of competition, leading to music fans paying more for tickets. As a result, the regulator has launched a ‘Phase 2’ inquiry into the deal before deciding what, if any action, should be taken. Phase 2 investigations by the CMA are conducted by an independent panel and can last up to 24 weeks (extended by up to eight weeks in special circumstances). If the CMA rules that the merger of Viagogo and StubHub does substantially restrict competition in the U.K.’...
Trax Records Hit With Federal Copyright Infringement Lawsuit Over Royalties
Chicago-based Trax Records has been sued over its alleged failure to pay royalties. Artists Larry Heard and Richard Owens filed a federal copyright infringement lawsuit June 23 against Trax Records. Two days later, TaP Music Publishing announced that they are co-funding the legal action. Heard, professionally known as “Mr Fingers” and Owens said in court papers filed in the Northern District of Illinois that their lawsuit highlights the exploitation of the artists and their works, including unpaid royalties for various musical compositions and sound recordings that they created in the 1980s. Heard and Owens are also suing the Trax Records president Rachael Cain, known professionally as “Screamin’ Rachael.” They accuse Trax of “building its catalogue by taking advantage of unsophisticated b...
How We Work Now: Academy of Country Music CEO Damon Whiteside
In a series amid the coronavirus pandemic, Billboard is asking individuals from all sectors of the music business to share stories of how they work now, with much of the world quarantined at home and unable to take in-person meetings, attend conferences or even go into the office. Read the full series here. This installment is with Damon Whiteside, the new CEO of the Academy of Country Music. Damon Whiteside: I started the job Jan. 6 and I was still getting to know everybody. I’m based in Nashville and was at [the ACM’s Los Angeles] office two weeks a month for those first couple of months. And then, suddenly, we’re isolated and quarantined after we decide to close the office in L.A. the week of March 16. That was literally the week that I was planning to go back to L.A., so that’s b...
Here Are All the Livestreams & Virtual Concerts to Watch During the Coronavirus Crisis: Week of June 22
We’re nearing the end of June, which means the summer concert schedule is heating up, even if it doesn’t look quite like we planned. Most live events and large gatherings remain in hold throughout the country due to the coronavirus crisis, leading artists to continue the trend of livestreaming shows to connect with fans. With music venues still shut down from coast to coast, here’s your guide to the best live-streamed music content right now, for the week of June 22. As additional events are announced for the week, we’ll add them to this list. Check out the list of shows and musical events to stream from the comfort of your home this week below. June 23: Teddy Swims will kick off Cover Nation’s new livestream performance series Takeover Tuesday a...
