Deutsche Bank has raised its valuation of Universal Music Group 45% to $33.19 billion, up from a previous $22.86 billion. That values UMG higher than the market capitalization of its parent company Vivendi, which currently sits at $32.35 billion. "With the hype around UMG stake sale having subsided, there is…
Category archives: Major Labels
Fake Beyoncé, SZA Albums Reveal Streaming Fraud Problem
Late last year, new albums by Queen Carter and Sister Solana appeared on Spotify and Apple Music. But instead of being the surprise releases by Beyonce and SZA that fans believed they were, both turned out to be illegally uploaded rough mixes and stolen tracks. There is no new SZA…
2018s Most Memorable LGBTQ Album Covers
While album sales certainly aren’t what they used to be, many artists still utilize these long form collections of music as a valuable format for telling personal stories, something which the album artwork is a huge part of. In this piece, David Deal looks at some of the cover highlights…
Queen Spotify Streams Surge 333%, 70% From Under Age 35
The hit film "Bohemian Rhapsody" has reignited interest in Queen, but not just among original fans, according to new stats from Spotify. Att last night’s Golden Globe Awards. “Bohemian Rhapsody” was the surprise winner for Best Drama and and Rami Malek won best actor for his portrayal of Freddie Mercury….
Taylor Swift’s "The Swift Life" Artist App To Shutter
Taylor Swift’s "The Swift Life" gamified artist app developed in partnership with games maker Glu Mobile, announced that it would shut down effective February 1st. Glus is also responsible for “Kim Kardashian: Hollywood,” “Britney Spears: American Dream,” “Katy Perry Pop” and “Nicki Minaj: The Empire.” Apps by musician’s have struggled…
R. Kelly Streams Jump After Damning Documentary Airs
R. Kelly streams increased significantly after the airing of a Lifetime docu-series that included interviews with victims and former friends Johnny Legend and Wendy Williams chronicling his alleged history of sexual abuse, including of underage girls. A rep for Spotify told The Blast that the “Ignition” singer’s streams were up…
Jury To Decide Ed Sheeran, Marvin Gaye Infringement Case
US district judge Louis Stanton has ruled that a jury will decide the outcome of a plagiarism lawsuit against Ed Sheeran over his No. 1 single “Thinking Out Loud.” The lawsuit, which alleges that Sheeran copied portions of Marvin Gaye’s 1973 hit “Let’s Get It On,” was launched against the…
2018 On-Demand Music Streams +42%, Paid Streams +50% In Q4 [BuzzAngle Music]
[UPDATED] On-demand audio streams set a record high of 534.6 billion in the US in 2018, up 42% over the previous year, according to the BuzzAngle Music Industry Year End Report. But the best news for artists and labels came thanks to 50% growth in streams by paid subscribers. Those…
Prediction: Spotify To Incubate ‘No Records Label Group’
Chris Castle envisions a 2019 Spotify that adopts a "No Records" model in lieu of a traditional label, allowing them to bask in the glory of having major artists signed without actually having to release any of their music. _________________________ Guest post by Chris Castle of Music Technology Policy Streaming…
RIAA Names Mitch Glazier Chairman, CEO and Michele Ballantyne COO
Mitch Glazier has officially taken the helm as the chairman and CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and Michele Ballantyne has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer of the music industry trade group. Mitch Glazier & Michele Ballantyne. Courtesy of: RIAA Originally announced in April of 2017,…