Month: November 2015

SFX Looks to Restructure Debt

EDM promoter SFX Entertainment has hired investment bank Moelis & Co. to explore possibilities regarding the sale of non-core assets and restructuring its debut. The news was first reported by Reuters. A spokesperson for SFX confirmed the hiring to Billboard. SFX shares rose 20 percent to $0.36 on the news before falling to $0.302 by…


Canadian Songwriters Secure Royalty Ruling Around Broadcast Plays

Rights holders in Canada earned a victory last week when the Supreme Court ruled that copies of musical works for broadcast are protected by copyright law, siding with the collective management society SODRAC over objections by the CBC….


Spotify Offers Deep Discounts – 3 Months For 99¢, Free With Chromecast – Artists Get Nothing

Just in time for the holiday buying season, Spotify is repeating some the deep discounts that it offered earlier this year. And while they may help keep the music streamer stay competitive, they offer almost nothing in compensation to artists and rights holders. Spotify is promoting deep discounts to its Premium service, which usually costs $9.99 per month….


BBC Sound Of… 2016 List Revealed – But How Much Does It Really Matter?

The BBC has unveiled the 15-artist longlist for its annual Sound Of… poll for 2016. It includes a range of new artists from the UK and beyond, including Alessia Cara, Billie Marten, Blossoms, Frances, Izzy Bizu (pictured), J Hus, Rat Boy, WSTRN and Jack Garratt – who last week was named as the winner of…


The Weeknd, ‘Uptown Funk’ and Jidenna Big Winners at 2015 Soul Train Awards

R&B/soul — in all its colorful glory — was celebrated during Centric/BET’s telecast of the annual Soul Train Awards this evening (Nov. 29), taped Nov. 6 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. The Weeknd and “Uptown Funk” tied with two awards each to lead the winners’ circle….


Adele’s ’25’ Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart, ’21’ Returns to Top 10

As earlier reported, Adele’s 25 album makes a truly historic debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. The set — released on Nov. 20 through XL/Columbia Records — earned 3.48 million equivalent album units in the week ending Nov. 26, according to Nielsen Music. Of that figure, 3.38 million were in pure album sales ­– the single largest sales week for an album since…


German Court Rules Internet Providers Are Obliged to Block Pirate Sites

Germany’s Federal Court of Justice has upheld a legal ruling that effectively obliges Internet service providers to block access to copyright infringing websites in instances where the site’s operators and hosts are unidentifiable….


Cannes Lions Advertising Festival Adds Music Event

Music is getting its own event at the  highly regarded global advertising and branding gathering, the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The well-regarded annual Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has announced that it is adding a new, two-day segment focusing on music and entertainment….


How Global Release Day Has Stuffed Thanksgiving Week In The US

One of the unintended consequences of setting Friday as the industry’s Global Release Day that I haven’t seen reported in the trades or heard mentioned in conversations I’ve had with label executives is that it subtracted one of the key release weeks of the year from the territory that generates the most revenue: Thanksgiving week…


Rihanna’s ‘ANTI’: How a Rumored Tidal Exclusive Release Would Affect the Album

As the buzz for Rihanna‘s eighth studio album ANTI continues to grow, the latest rumors indicate the album could arrive this Friday, Nov. 27, with a one-week exclusive on Tidal before going wide to other distributors. And if that’s the case, the Roc Nation singer can expect lower than usual first week streams….