For years, rock legends Led Zeppelin have had to battle in court to fight charges of widespread plagiarism during their illustrious recording career in the 1970s. The latest battle has been over their classic song “Stairway to Heaven,” and amazingly, c…
Category archives: Feature Story
7digital Continues to Crash — Revenues Plunge During the First Half of 2019
7digital is still in serious trouble — but the digital music company promises ‘operational profitability’ in 2020. Earlier today, digital music and radio services platform 7digital announced that revenues at the company fell sharply during the first ha…
Bitter Music Industry In-Fighting Prevented Any Action Against California’s AB5
California’s AB5 was signed into law this week without any exemptions or concessions for the music industry. So what happened? California’s AB5 is designed to curtail contractor abuse by tech giants like Uber, Lyft, and GrubHub. But the law generated…
California Passes AB5, Handing a Major Defeat to the RIAA, A2IM, and Music Artists Coalition
Earlier today (September 18th), California governor Gavin Newsom signed AB5 into law. Update (11:30 am PT): Jordan Bromley from MAC, Mitch Glazer from RIAA and Richard J Burgess from A2IM have emailed DMN — via PR rep Dawn Kamerling — stating that this…
Tekashi 6ix9ine Testifies Against Gang Members in Federal Court — And Potentially Ends His Career In the Process
Earlier this week, rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine testified in federal court against alleged members of the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods gang, which may eventually require him to enter a witness protection program. But if Tekashi 6ix9ine, whose real name is Dani…
The Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) Requests $66.25 Million In Funding — Just to Get Started
So, how much does it cost to get a mechanical licensing collection agency off the ground? That would be $37.25 million before the agency opens its doors, and another $29 million to get through the first year. All in, the as-yet-unformed Mechanical Lic…
Sony Resoundingly Rejects a Breakup Demand by Activist Investor Third Point
Sony has roundly rejected the break-up proposal, which was initiated by activist investor Daniel Loeb. Just hours ago, Sony Corp. officially rejected a plan to spin off its semiconductor business in a 8-page letter it sent to its shareholders. The pla…
R.I.P. Ric Ocasek of The Cars: 1944-2019
The Cars’ singer, songwriter and rhythm guitarist Ric Ocasek passed away over the weekend. Ric Ocasek, who shuttled The Cars into superstardom in the 80s, passed away at age 75. He was found dead in New York City, with the cause of death unknown. Sadl…
Warner Music Bets Big on Blockchain, Joins $11M Investment In Cryptocurrency Start-Up
Warner Music is betting big on blockchain technology after joining an $11.2 million investment in Dapper Labs. Dapper Labs is the cryptocurrency dev team behind the wildly popular Ethereum-based crypto game, CryptoKitties. CryptoKitties users can buy u…
PledgeMusic Almost Killed Artist Crowdfunding — Bandzoogle Has a Plan to Save It
It was a disaster that almost killed artist crowdfunding entirely. As PledgeMusic disappeared with potentially millions in fan contributions, the concept of an artist crowdfunding platform rightfully came under scrutiny by musicians. But how was it po…