Nickelodeon
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...
Nickelodeon Confirms SpongeBob is a Member of the LGBTQ+ Community
Nickelodeon broke the Internet on Saturday by confirming that SpongeBob Squarepants is a member of the LGBTQ+ community. “Celebrating #Pride with the LGBTQ+ community and their allies this month and every month,” Nickelodeon tweeted on Saturday. The caption was accompanied by photos of the Avatar character Korra, who identifies as Queer, and actor Michael D. Cohen, who is Transgender (via Out). Though Nickelodeon did not outright confirm SpongeBob’s sexuality, the implication is pretty clear. It’s worth noting, as Out points out, that SpongeBob creator Stephen Hillenburg previously said the characters on his show are asexual. As asexual people are considered part of the LGBTQ+ community, that may explain why SpongeBob was included in Nickelodeon’s Pride tweet. Or, he’s gay. Who c...
Spotify Adds 8-Minute, 46-Second Silent Track to Playlists for Blackout Tuesday
Like many others in the music industry, Spotify is partaking in Blackout Tuesday, a day intended for pause and reflection in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. The streaming company has blacked out its flagship logos throughout the platform, but perhaps even more striking is the change its made to some of its playlists: Spotify has added an 8-minute, 46-second silent track in honor of George Floyd. The specific 8:46 length reflects the amount of time Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin held his knee down on the neck of an unresisting Floyd, even as he pleaded, “I can’t breathe.” Floyd died as a result of “asphyxiation from sustained pressure,” according to an independent autopsy report released recently. <img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1041504" data-att...
