Live Nation continues The War on Straws. 50 House of Blues Entertainment venues have implemented a straw-by-request policy. The Live Nation-owned venues have made plastic straws and other “accessible alternatives” available upon demand. Live Nation h…
Category archives: Feature Story
IMPALA Urges European Commission to Block Sony’s EMI Music Publishing Acquisition
If Sony’s acquisition for EMI Music Publishing goes through, will it really harm the music market? The Independent Music Companies Association (IMPALA) has filed two complaints with the European Commission. The organization, which represents the indie…
MSG Defends Its R. Kelly Booking: ‘We Have a Long History of Not Censoring Performers.’
Madison Square Garden is going forth with its R. Kelly booking, despite howls of protest against the singer. It’s official: R. Kelly is scheduled for an upcoming performance at the Madison Square Garden Hulu Theater in New York City this coming S…
Artist Merchandise? Spotify Introduces Playlist Merchandise for ‘mint’
Spotify is steering music merchandise into a totally unexpected direction. So are Rap Caviar hoodies next? Spotify is now steering its experimental ambitions into merchandise, with a playlist-inspired line of merchandise. Assuming this is part of a b…
Spotify Will Have More U.S. Users Than Pandora by 2022, Study Projects
According to industry analyst firm eMarketer, Spotify is poised to surpass Pandora in the number of US-based active users by 2022. We’ve closely tracking the race between Spotify and Apple Music, specifically over US-based paying subscribers. Bu…
Exclusive: SoundCloud Tapped to Power Bacardi & Major Lazer’s Talent-Scouting Initiative
Bacardi and Major Lazer’s long-running branding campaign is now being boosted by SoundCloud — with artists potentially getting signed. SoundCloud’s back-from-the-brink comeback is now attracting some serious partnerships. That includes Bac…
The Music Modernization Act Faces an ‘Extremely Tight Deadline’ Before Midterm Elections
Did SESAC kill the Music Modernization Act, after all? Now, the MMA’s proponents face a seriously trimmed timetable for passage — and a significantly more complicated fight ahead. The Music Modernization Act (MMA) ultimately survived a serious c…
Latest Industry: Martin Garrix, The RIAA, Amazon Music Brazil, Danny Wimmer Presents, LiveXLive Media, More…
Martin Garrix launches Apple Music mix featuring music from his label. Dutch DJ and producer Martin Garrix has released his STMPD RCRDS mix on Apple Music featuring music from his label. In an interview on Beats 1 with Zane Lowe, the Dutch DJ said, “I’…
A Billionaire Investor Is Pressuring Nielsen Entertainment to Sell Itself
Billionaire Paul Singer is apparently placing pressure on Nielsen Holdings to puts itself on the market. Shares of Nielsen Holdings rose 10% after Elliot Management, the hedge fund managed by Singer, disclosed an 8.4% stake in the company. Anonymous s…
Ticketmaster Will Close Two Resale Sites in Europe
It appears stiff competition from anti-scalping organizations as well as face-value ticketing platforms forced Ticketmaster’s hand. Live Nation has shuttered two European Ticketmaster secondary ticketing platforms – Get Me In! and Seatwave. Starting to…