Both YouTube and Apple have established $100 million funds to aid the black community in the coming years, as part of a broader plan to bolster support for minority groups. YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki announced her company’s fund today, in a “mid-year u…
Author archives: Dylan Smith
CNN Films Secures the Rights to ‘Jimmy Carter Rock and Roll President’
CNN Films has acquired the North American distribution rights for Jimmy Carter Rock and Roll President, a documentary that explores the 39th president’s interest in and relationship with music. Jimmy Carter Rock and Roll President was initially slated …
Garth Brooks Is Simulcasting a Live Concert to 300 Drive-In Movie Theaters
Country music mainstay Garth Brooks is preparing to deliver a one-night-only concert to drive-in movie theaters across North America. Garth Brooks recently unveiled the socially distanced concert, which follows similar – albeit smaller-scale – efforts …
Scooter Braun, Alex Rodriguez Drop $30MM on Virtual Concert Startup Wave
Virtual concert platform Wave has garnered $30 million in funding from investors including longtime Justin Bieber manager Scooter Braun and MLB great Alex Rodriguez. Bonnaroo co-producer Superfly, Twitch co-founder and former COO Alex Lin, and Californ…
Travis Scott Faces Copyright Infringement Lawsuit for Lifting a Guitar Riff from Instagram
Rapper Travis Scott has been named in a copyright-infringement lawsuit for allegedly stealing the guitar riff featured in his popular “Highest in the Room” track. 21-year-old Danish producer Benjamin Lasnier filed the lawsuit in a California federal co…
Black Music Coalition Issues List of Demands for British Companies: ‘We Expect That These Long Overdue Steps Will Be Implemented’
A number of black music executives have formed the Black Music Coalition and dispatched a firmly worded letter containing progress-minded demands for UK companies to implement. The Black Music Coalition addressed the open letter to “chairmen, CEOs, pre…
Coachella and Stagecoach Festivals Officially Cancelled
Just 24 hours after Lollapalooza 2020’s cancellation, both Coachella and Stagecoach have been officially cancelled by local officials. Please note: the following report has been updated to include details of Coachella’s official cancellation. Ear…
One Week Later — How’s Warner Music Group Stock Doing?
One week ago, Warner Music Group (WMG) returned to the stock market in a big way, with investors pushing its per-share value up by more than 20 percent – and adding almost $400 million to its market cap – in a single day. But how has the Big Three reco…
Grammy Awards Officially Removes the Term ‘Urban’ from Its Categories
Amid ongoing protests over the death of George Floyd, the Recording Academy has removed the term ‘urban’ from multiple Grammy Awards categories, as part of a broad shift in its categorizations and rules. Recording Academy officials unveiled the Grammy …
Nearly 90% of US Independent Venues Face Shutdown Following COVID-19
According to a newly published survey from the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), 90 percent of independent venues may be forced to permanently close their doors in the next few months, owing to the fiscal strain of ongoing coronavirus lock…