The 2013 MTV Video Music Awards are all ready. Nominees have been released and going with how MTV announced the location of this year’s 2013 MTV Video Music Awards, they’ve gone the social media route revealing nominees throughout the day on MTV’s Vine and Instagram accounts. Leading the pack with six nods apiece are Justin…

As reported last night (July 16), Jay-Z’s “Magna Carta Holy Grail” album bounds in at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, marking the rap titan’s 13th leader. The set sold 527,000 copies in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan, the second-largest sales frame of the year. (2013’s biggest week still belongs to Justin Timberlake’s…

Released to one million Samsung users on July 4, Jay-Z’s twelfth album, Magna Carta Holy Grail. Five days later, on July 9, Jay’s latest Roc Nation album in full stream was made available to Spotify users. The music streaming service now says that Jay made history. According to Spotify press releases, Magna Carta Holy Grail…

Longtime music and tech publicist Jason Roth has been named Spotify’s new director of communications for the U.S., reporting to U.S. communications head Graham James. Roth, a self-proclaimed music obsessive, will be based in San Francisco at Spotify’s new offices above the city’s historic Warfield Theater. Previously, the Chicago-bred Roth had managed PR at iTunes…

Justin Timberlake** surprised everyone by announcing a second volume of his smash album, The 20/20 Experience**. But there’s already a controversy surrounding the project: Last week, the pop star unveiled the album’s new single, “Take Back the Night,” which is facing criticism for its title, as it is also the name of a well-known sexual…

For years, Virginia producer Timbaland and Brooklyn emcee Jay-Z worked together to craft numerous records that would later be featured on Vol. 3… Life and Times of S. Carter, The Black Album, and more. And with Tim’s extensive work on the newly-released Magna Carta Holy Grail, it came as a surprise to many when it…

After Cracker frontman David Lowery criticized the Internet radio service for paying him what he would “make from a single T-shirt sale,” a spokesperson fires back. As musicians continue to battle with streaming services over pay scales, one digital music service is fighting back. Pandora, the Internet radio service that, as of June, claims a…

The advocacy group Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) has asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate the app created by Jay-Z** and Samsung to distribute the rapper’s latest album, Magna Carta Holy Grail. In order to download the LP via the app, users were required to grant the Samsung-exclusive program access to such information as…

Universal Music Group (UMG) is going through some changes with their East Coast Label Group and with brand partnerships. Read the full article below: Mauro DeCeglie and Jules Ferree have each been named Vice President, Brand Partnerships for the East Coast Label Group of Universal Music Group (UMG), the world’s leading music company. UMG’s East…

Following the acquittal last weekend of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, Stevie Wonder** says he won’t perform in Florida or anywhere else that recognizes the “Stand Your Ground” law, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The law permits the use of force for self-defense without an obligation to retreat first. “I…