Critically acclaimed singer and songwriter Mary J. Blige has signed a first-look agreement with Lionsgate. Blige recently founded the production company, Blue Butterfly Productions, which reportedly received interest from several different companies. T…
Author archives: Marsha Silva
Facebook & Instagram Bring Music Enhancements for Stories Into Brazil
Facebook and Instagram have updated their music-related capabilities in Brazil. To date, the social media platforms have optimized their music functions for users in more than 40 countries, with Brazil being the latest to receive the enhancements. Braz…
Hipgnosis Says Its Monster Bets Are Already Paying Off: “There’s More Evidence to Back Our Thesis”
Hipgnosis is paying 10X — or more — on hit-heavy songwriter catalogs. Just months later, the company says its bets are already paying off. Hipgnosis, the UK-based song-rights investment company, is already applauding itself for a successful year one. …
Amazon Music Debuts ‘Handpicked’ Artist-Curated Playlists — Starting With Katy Perry
Amazon Music users can now listen to playlists that have been crafted by popular artists and bands. Amazon revealed the addition to its Amazon Music platform with a debut song collection curated by Katy Perry. The move is just one part of Amazon’s rec…
Snoop Dogg-Backed Cameo Raises $50 Million to Send Personalized Celebrity Greetings
Cameo, a Chicago-based startup that allows users to purchase video messages from prominent actors, athletes, celebrities, and musicians, just received a whopping $50 million in series B funding from Kleiner Perkins. Cameo, which was founded by Martin B…
Sonos Sues Bluesound for Patent Infringement — But What’s the End Game?
Sonos, the Santa Barbara-based maker of speakers and home-entertainment products, is suing Lensbrook Industries, the parent company of smart-speaker manufacturer Bluesound, for copyright infringement. Sonos filed the lawsuit in California, alleging tha…
Gibson Sues Dean, Luna Guitars for Trademark Infringement & Counterfeiting
Gibson has filed a lawsuit against Armadillo Distribution Enterprises, the owner of Dean Guitars and Luna Guitars, for several alleged legal violations, including trademark infringement and trademark counterfeiting. The former charge is relatively co…
YouTube Is Under Federal Investigation Over Violations In Child Privacy Laws
The U.S. government is now investigating YouTube for over alleged violations of children’s privacy laws, it was recently revealed. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is apparently spearheading the effort. The existence of the investigation was first re…
Chance the Rapper, Kygo, Daddy Yankee Headlining the Inaugural Miami Beach Pop Festival
While Ultra Music Festival struggles to pin down a Miami-area location, a competitor has already moved into town. The inaugural Miami Beach Pop Festival, a three-day concert scheduled to begin on November 8th, just added a number of superstar headliner…
Google Responds to Accusations of Plagiarizing Lyrics — And Blames It All on LyricFind
After Google partner Lyricfind admitted to ‘minuscule’ levels of plagiarism, Google is now weighing in. Google has responded to accusations made by Genius, a well-known resource for viewing and commenting on the lyrics of popular songs. Genius long sus…