ICE, a European copyright hub and distributor of song rights royalties, has officially paid more than €1 billion ($1.11 billion) worth of online royalties to rightsholders. ICE is comprised of three major rightsholders groups: PRS, STIM, and GEMA. The …
Author archives: Marsha Silva
Fyre Festival Trustee Chases Down Blink-182, Kendell Jenner, Emily Ratajkowski for Payments
It’s been more than two years since the fraudulent Fyre Festival imploded, but the fallout from it continues to this day. Earlier this week, the trustee handling the bankruptcy case relating to the festival filed a slew of lawsuits against those involv…
MTV Video Music Awards Hit an All-Time Ratings Low — for the Third Straight Year
Ratings for the MTV Video Music Awards just took another bath. The 2019 awards show, which broadcasted on August 26th, was watched by a new all-time-low number of viewers. Just 1.93 million fans tuned in for the program on MTV, down from 2.25 million …
U.S. Department of Justice Urged by Senators to Investigate Live Nation, Ticketmaster
Two Democratic U.S. Senators are asking the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) antitrust division to investigate online ticket markets, which they insist “are not working for American consumers.” The two specifically targeted Live Nation and its wholly-owne…
Hyper-Leveraged Hipgnosis Raises Another $63 Million
The ultra-aggressive shopping spree continues at Hipgnosis. The London-based Hipgnosis has just received an additional £51.1 million ($63 million), a signal that investors are doubling-down on the fund’s aggressive asset acquisition strategy. The publi…
Universal Music Says Soundgarden Is Fabricating Damages from the 2008 Fire; Demands an Immediate Dismissal of All Claims
Earlier this week, lawyers for Universal Music Group (UMG) sought the immediate dismissal of a $100 million lawsuit stemming from the devastating 2008 Universal Studios fire. One of UMG’s lawyers specifically disputed claims made by Soundgarden, which …
And Now, Netflix Is Releasing a Fyre Festival Spoof Series
The ill-fated Fyre Festival might not have seemed funny to those who purchased tickets and traveled to the Bahamas, but Netflix believes that the 2017 episode is worth spoofing. The streaming giant recently provided additional information about The I-L…
Ahead of Its High-Profile UMG Deal, Tencent Music Is Suddenly Getting Grilled by Chinese Regulators
Look like Chinese regulators are having a little kerfuffle with Tencent Music. Will this complicate Vivendi’s partial sale of Univeral Music Group? Just a few weeks after Chinese internet and media giant Tencent Holdings announced its intentions to pu…
“Baby Shark” Owner Pinkfong Faces a Copyright Infringement Lawsuit — Based on a Public Domain Song
Yet another hit song is the subject of a copyright infringement lawsuit. This time it’s the children’s song “Baby Shark” created by the South Korean brand Pinkfong, which has garnered more than 3.3 billion views on YouTube. A musician named Johnny Onl…
D.C. Concert Promoter Seth Hurwitz Takes Leave Following Prostitution Charges
Seth Hurwitz, a Washington, D.C.-based concert promoter and venue owner, is taking a leave of absence after being arrested and charged with solicitation of prostitution. Prior to the arrest, which came on the evening of August 21st, police conducted a …