Former president Barack Obama published his annual rundown of favorite songs on Friday (Dec. 28), an eclectic list of rock, pop, soul, R&B, hip-hop and Latin that features everyone from The Carters to Brandi Carlile, Khalid & Normani, Chance the Rapper, Courtney Barnett, J. Cole, Cardi B, Ashley McBryde, Jay Rock, Lord Huron, Kurt Vile and Malian singer Fatoumata…
APPLE ACQUIRES A&R AND CREATIVE SERVICES COMPANY PLATOON
MBW understands that Apple has acquired Platoon, the London-based creative services firm founded in 2016 by music industry veteran Denzyl Feigelson and LoveFilm co-founder, Saul Klein. Platoon has developed a raft of early-stage artists in the UK and US over the past two years who have gone on to make waves in the global business….
The Year Of The EP… Or Is It An Album? Or Is It A “Project”?
For once, Vince Staples wasn’t sure what to say. Five days after dropping another incredible collection of songs, the Long Beach rapper and reigning Twitter MVP logged into his account and wrote, “I was about to tell y’all FM! not an album but I don’t even know what an album is anymore so I’m just…
The Re-Issue Of The Beatles’ ‘White Album’ Reveals The Importance Of Preparation
You don’t have to be a fan of the Beatles to appreciate their brilliance. Over their relatively short career as the fab four from Liverpool, the Beatles recorded 206 original compositions across several different albums. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly how many albums sold, but data suggest it’s somewhere between 272 million and 600 million….
Sire President Rani Hancock On Growing Bryce Vine, What She Learned From Clive Davis & Why Data Isn’t Everything
In an interview with Billboard, Bryce Vine said that one of the reasons he wanted to sign with Sire is that he was excited to be working under a female label president and the perspective and insight that you would bring. Do you feel like your gender is part of the conversation surrounding the work that you do?…
Shazam, Instagram Partner On New Stories Functionality
Shazam is the latest partner in Instagram’s continued push into music. The Apple-owned song-identification app announced a new partnership with Instagram that will allow its users to share Shazams onto their Insta stories. The new feature debuted last month for iOS users who download the latest versions of both apps. Android users will be able…
SPOTIFY HAS LOST $9BN IN MARKET CAP VALUE IN LESS THAN THREE MONTHS
What goes up must come down. That’s a truism that Spotify and its investors are starting to feel. When the green machine landed on the New York Stock Exchange on April 3, it finished that day with a market cap value of $26.5bn, or $149.01 per share. From there, it was up, up and away: three months…
Universal Music Group Partners With New Label Edgeout Records With Focus on Artist Development
Universal Music Group (UMG) has signed an exclusive global label services agreement with new independent label Edgeout Records, the companies announced on Monday (Dec. 3). The news of the partnership accompanied Edgeout founder and Chairman Tony Guanci‘s announcement about launching of the label, explaining it is designed to find and develop the next generation of rock bands…
