Sony/ATV CEO Martin Bandier Scores $100 Million Alone from EMI Music Publishing Acquisition

Sony/ATV’s CEO Martin Bandier has scored a cool payday from the publisher’s acquisition of EMI. Earlier this year, in the first major strategic move from recently appointed CEO Kenichiro Yoshida, Sony bought Mubadala’s 60% stake in EMI Music Publishing…

A $300 Million Copyright Lawsuit Against Miley Cyrus Moves Forward

Miley Cyrus can’t yet stop Michael May’s lawsuit. Last March, Michael May, a Jamaican dancehall artist better known as Flourgon, filed a lawsuit against Miley Cyrus. He claims that the female pop singer stole a single lyric from his 1988 track, ‘We Run…

Ja Rule Has Plans to Launch an ‘Iconic Festival’ and Artist Booking App

Ja Rule should’ve learned from the repercussions of the disastrous Fyre Festival.  Facing two multi-million dollar lawsuits, he still hasn’t. Nearly two years ago, Ja Rule and millennial entrepreneur Billy McFarland moved forward with an idea to ‘revol…

Spotify Says It Paid $340 Million for Its Podcast Expansion

We now know how much Spotify paid to acquire Gimlet Media and Anchor. A little over a week ago, Spotify published great news for investors. In its Q4 2018 report, Premium subscribers reached 96 million, up 36% year-over-year.  Monthly active users (MAU…

UMG Pulls Ryan Adams’ Album as the FBI Launches a Criminal Investigation

Because of his alleged conduct against women and minors, Ryan Adams may have just lost everything. Several days ago, The New York Times publishing a damning investigation. For years, Ryan Adams, a 44-year-old singer/songwriter, has emotionally abused a…

Universal Music Group (UMG) Posts Over $3 Billion in Streaming Revenue in 2018

Streaming continues to strengthen Universal Music Group’s bottom line. Ahead of its proposed sale, Vivendi has posted a great profit from its subsidiary, Universal Music Group (UMG). Across labels, record sales, publishing, merchandising, tours, and mo…

Qobuz, an Unnecessarily Costly Streaming Music Service, Launches in the US

Qobuz executives fail to explain why you should pay up to $300 a year just to switch from Spotify or Apple Music to stream your favorite music. A brand new streaming music service has launched in the United States. Qobuz, a self-proclaimed platform for…

Industry Responds to Ryan Adams Allegations – But What Are the Legal Ramifications Ahead?

Ryan Adams faces serious allegations of abuse, harassment, and phone sex with an underage girl. Ryan Adams isn’t at a good place right now. According to an investigation by The New York Times, the singer/songwriter has offered multiple women to ‘jumpst…

Live Nation Acquires Neste, Forming a New Live Joint Venture — Neste Live!

Neste marks the fourth acquisition Live Nation has made so far this year. Live Nation Entertainment has made another important acquisition. The live entertainment giant has acquired a majority stake in Neste, a full-service event marketing agency. Live…

Georgia Wants to Impose Taxes on Streaming Services and Digital Purchases

Like Chicago before it, Georgia wants to cash in with a serious tax on streaming services and digital purchases. Several years ago, in an attempt to cash in on the growing consumption of streaming technology, the city of Chicago passed a controversial …