Jay-Z doesn’t just put on shows; he stages events. After invading Philadelphia last month for his first annual “Budweiser Made in America” festival, Hov returned to his native borough to christen Brooklyn’s Barclays Center for the first of eight shows in a sold-out run. Opening its doors to the public for the first time yesterday…

A record label is suing Kanye West for what it claims are illegal song samples on the rapper’s latest album. TufAmerica says two tracks on West’s 2010 disc “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” include a bit from of “Hook and Sling, Part 1” by New Orleans singer-pianist Eddie Bo. TufAmerica says it bought the rights…

Robert Kraft is leaving his position as president of Fox Music to create a new venture to develop musical films and television shows. Kraft has been the chief executive of Fox Music since 1994, becoming president in 1998.  He supervised the music for all  the studio’s films, including “Titanic,” “Waiting to Exhale,” “Moulin Rouge,” “Slumdog…

Vivendi’s Universal Music Group completed the $1.9 billion acquisition of EMI’s recorded music arm. “This is a next step towards ensuring the health of our industry,” said UMG chairman and CEO Lucian Grainge. “EMI is finally returning to people who have music in their blood. We are acquiring incredible labels and a roster of stellar…