Roc Nation Records has reportedly at least five senior-level executives, according to Billboard. Those let go include senior vp promotion Azim Rashid, senior vp A&R Orlando McGhee, executive vp marketing Gita Williams and senior director publicity Fairley McCaskill. The exits follow that of label president Benny Pough, who left the…
Author archives: Bruce Houghton
China’s Tencent Eyes 50% Stake In UMG
The major labels always have always feared that Spotify has ambitions to also become a record label. However reak that may or may not be, the streamer’s partner in China, Tencent music is in serious talks to acquire as much as 50% of Universal Music Group. ___________________________________ French conglomerate Vivendi…
AM BRIEF: Live Nation Goes Green, Parness Exts Spotify, Tencent Eyes UMG & More
FRIDAY 5.24.19
Music Business News From Around The Web
Updated continuously under the More News tab
SoundCloud Adds Digital Distribution With Acquisition Of Repost Network
SoundCloud has acquired digital rights management and distribution company, Repost Network. With the acquisition, SoundCloud can offer "high-performing, emerging creators " distribution, analytics and content protection. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. It is expected to close in the coming weeks. Repost Network’s 6000+ clients include RedBull Records, Waka…
PledgeMusic Fiasco Is Even Weirder Than You Think – Part 1 [David Lowery]
Few failures have had a more direct impact on the indie music community than the recent demise of PledgeMusic, not only for those owed millions of dollars, but also for the many others who had come to rely on the platform for pre-sales and fundraising. In recent days, a variety…
BUSINESS OF INDIE: Soundcloud Hires Indie Rep • Syntax Move To Nashville • Americana Nods • Merlin • More
In this newest edition of the Business Of Indie, Souncloud names a liaison with the independent music community, distributor Syntax exits san Diego for Nashville, the Americana Awards names nominees and much more. Like Hypebot’s More News section, The Business Of Indie is nestled under its own Indie tab at…
DJ Khaled, Maren Morris, More Lead Pandora ‘Sound of Summer’ Campaign
Pandora is teaming with DJ Khaled, Maren Morris, Thomas Rhett, Natti Natasha and Dalex among others for the third edition of its recurring “Sound On” series for the upcoming summer season. The streaming service’s “Sound of Summer” campaign, which is geared towards “inspiring listeners to get out and discover their…
More Crowdfunding Trouble? Layoffs At Indiegogo, CEO Exits
The CEO of crowdfunder Indiegogo is exiting "for personal reasons" amid multiple reports of layoffs at the company. Former Reddit exec Andy Yang will takeover as Indiegogo CEO today. Both Indiegogo and Kickstarter have been criticized by users after some crowdfunding campaigns failed to deliver promised products. More recently, music…
Tracklib Raises $1.7M For Easy Music Sample Licencing
Music sampling startup Tracklib has raised $1.7 million. The new funding for the Stockholm based company was led by the Sony Innovation Fund, WndrCo and Jörg Mohaupt, an early-stage investor who also has stakes in Discogs and Amuse. Tracklib enables instant licencing of music samples. J.Cole’s latest double-platinum single Middle…
Spotify Resets Some Passwords After ‘Suspicious Activity’
Spotify has notified some users that their account passwords had been reset. In an email to some Spotify users, the streaming giant said the password was reset “due to detected suspicious activity.” “As part of our ongoing maintenance efforts to combat fraudulent activity on our service," a Spotify spokesperson told…