INDUSTRY
The New CIA Logo is Getting Roasted for Its Resemblance to a Rave Flyer
What’s more lit than secret CIA operations? More dope than clandestine government missions? More sick than protecting national security? Those questions must have been the criteria for the CIA’s new aesthetic rebrand, which has been lambasted for pandering to Millennials and Gen-Z in its goal to attract recruits. After the Central Intelligence Agency unveiled its chic 2021 re-skin, the Internet does what it does best—roast it. The organization’s new logo, which has been dragged for its resemblance to a voguish techno party flyer, looks as if it was designed by an anthropomorphized black v-neck. The dystopian rebrand produced some hysterical tweets, most of which liken it to an esoteric Detroit techno party that you wouldn’t be invited to. After ...
CBN: Naira to fall further in January
Barely five days to the end of the year 2020, the Central Bank of Nigeria has disclosed that a survey carried out by its Statistics Department revealed that the naira is expected to depreciate further in January 2021. The report, titled, ‘December 2020 Business Expectations Survey Report’ added that there might also be a steady rise in interest rate from December till the next six months. The naira witnessed a sharp fall in recent weeks, reaching its lowest on November 30, 2020, when it exchanged for N500/$1. Since then, the dollar has been hovering between N460 and N470. As of Friday, however, one dollar exchanged for 465 in the parallel market. Also, the Nigerian economy had on November 21 slid into its second recession in five years when the economy shrank again in the third quarter. Th...
US Congress Set to Pass $15 Billion Save Our Stages Act for Independent Music Venues
As of Sunday, Congress has thankfully reached a deal on a $900 billion stimulus bill that will provide urgent aid to those most affected by the pandemic. The hard-hit music industry has been included in the measure via a designated $15 billion package called the Save Our Stages Act. The bill is expected to officially pass in Congress early this week. Through the provision, independent music venues and movie theaters—along with similar cultural institutions—will become eligible for grants through the Small Business Administration, with awards of up to $10 million earmarked for six months of payroll, rent and other necessary costs. Venues that have lost more than 90% of their annual revenue will be able to apply in the first two weeks before the process opens up to those who have lost at lea...
Same-Day COVID-19 Screening Tested at Barcelona Concert
The city of Barcelona is hard at work to get their citizens back into live music venues. This past Saturday, 1,000 residents gathered to participate in a medical study to evaluate the effectiveness of same-day coronavirus screening to safely host cultural events. In order to be chosen to participate, volunteers had to pass an antigen screening. 500 were then randomly selected to enjoy the free concert inside Barcelona’s Apolo Theater. Those who were not selected were asked to return home. By doing this, a control group was formed, which allowed the organizers to analyze if there was any contagion inside the venue despite the initial screening. The issue they are trying to get around is the fact that these antigen tests are not always as accurate as the other tests currently bein...
EDM.com’s Best of 2020: Industry Leaders
This year, the team at EDM.com is proud to publish four installments of “Best of 2020” coverage: Industry Leaders, Performances, Music Producers, and Songs. Oftentimes, end-of-year coverage offered by the music industry’s vast pool of publications is limited to its artists and performers. In order to honor the extraordinary work of the music community’s unsung people and brands, we’ve recognized ten industry leaders whose contributions helped shape the future of dance music in 2020. EVENT ORGANIZER/PROMOTER Winner: Brownies & Lemonade 2020 saw Brownies & Lemonade transform the ethos of their venerated club nights into a full-blown digital event brand that never failed to deliver dance music fans jaw-dropping lineups and memorable st...
Proposed Law Could Make Streaming Copyrighted Material on Twitch Without Permission a Felony
In the latest omnibus spending bill making its way through Congress, a provision has been added that would effectively render the streaming of copyrighted music without permission a felony offense. The provision has been added to the bill by Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina. If passed, the provision would likely land streaming platforms—including Twitch—in more hot water, as the video giant has continued to butt heads with major labels and copyright representatives for much of 2020. This fall, Twitch introduced what they claimed was a fully licensed product called “Soundtrack by Twitch,” which purportedly allowed streamers to play music without fear of being issued a DMCA takedown. However, the Recording Academy and the RIAA, among other organizations, rebut...
Court stops COSON from general distribution practice
A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has declared that the General Distribution which is practised by the Copyright Society of Nigeria, COSON, is illegal. The practise involves the annual distribution of the same amount of music royalties, usually about N30,000 each, to thousands of the organization’s members. This practice was challenged in court by the Music Publishers’ Association of Nigeria, MPAN, in Suit No. FHC/L/CS/1418/2019; Green Light Music Publishing Ltd, Chocolate City Music Ltd, Premier Music Publishing Company Ltd v. Copyright Society of Nigeria Ltd/Gte. The judgement which was delivered on November 25, 2020, by Justice Oguntoyinbo also ordered COSON to stop further distribution of royalties “in a manner known as ‘General Distribution’ or how so ever called which does not re...
Minister: Industry, trade, investment key to economic diversification
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo, says the sector is crucial in the drive toward diversification of the nation’s economy, away from being oil dominated. Adebayo spoke in Abuja at the Physical/Virtual 12th National Council on Industry, Trade and Investment meeting, with the theme “Revitalisation of the Industry, Trade and Investment Sector in Nigeria in the Post-COVID-19 pandemic era”. He explained the pivotal role of the ministry as a key actor in the economy with the mandate to stimulate domestic investment and attract foreign direct investment into all sectors. The minister said it was committed in facilitating trade in goods and services and maximising benefits of international trade through functional bilateral and multilateral trade relations. Acc...
The COVID-19 Impact on Publishers and Songwriters—A Look Ahead to 2021
This story was co-written with Amanda Montgomery and Laura Veras. In today’s marketplace, there is no doubt that one of the toughest avenues to establish a viable career is as a songwriter. The 9.1c mechanical royalty—which has not been adjusted for inflation since 2006—has become less significant due to the emergence of streaming and the plunge of physical sales and downloads. Now, the impact of COVID-19 has contrived new challenges for songwriters and their publishers to tackle as alternative revenue streams, such as touring, continue to erode in the virus’ wake. To give a general idea of how COVID-19 has trickled down to the publishing community, the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC) projected that global music publishing collections will fa...
Ex-President Obasanjo, catfish farmers brainstorm on how to move aquaculture forward
Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and Catfish farmers in the country on Saturday met to brainstorm and strategize for better productivity in the industry. The farmers, under the aegis of the Catfish Farmers Association of Nigeria (CAFAN) met with the former President, who is a founding member of the body at the boardroom of Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) Abeokuta. Obasanjo who expressed satisfaction in returning to the association, after what he described as an interregnum, assured that the industry would be at enviable heights in no distance future if they all worked together as a body. Obasanjo said, “I started poultry farmers association and as a result of its achievements, that was why I began the catfish association too. What put me off, was that I was arrested,...
This New App Could Prove to be a Global Solution for Clubbing Safely in 2021
There’s a new app that could potentially pave the way to partying safely in the pandemic era. Announced at the annual International Nightlife Congress meeting in Valencia, Spain, Liberty Pass validates whether a user has produced a negative COVID-19 test within a 72-hour period, allowing the user to access bars and clubs accordingly. The app aggregates official medical information and produces a QR code with a green check mark if the individual has successfully tested negative. When a vaccine becomes available, those who receive it will also be permitted to attend events for the entire period of time the vaccine is considered valid. Liberty Pass (via DJ Mag) It’s important to acknowledge that, in theory, an attendee could become infected with COVID-19 during the 72-hour p...
Lagos assembly tasks governor on second wave of coronavirus
Following the ravaging effect of the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic, the Lagos State House of Assembly, yesterday, called on the state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to direct the Commissioner for Information, Mr. Gbenga Omotoso, to intensify public enlightenment campaigns to curtail its spread among Lagosians. Speaker of the House, Mudashiru Obasa, who presented the matter during plenary on Tuesday, also said it was important for the House to invite the Commissioner for Health, Professor Tunji Abayomi, to brief the House on the state government’s efforts to prevent the spread of the disease in the state. He stressed that there was an urgent need to ensure that all the COVID-19 protocols were strictly observed, even as he the government to ensure that enforcement was total as the most rel...