With SONGS Music Publishing sold to Kobalt today, Ron Perry, minority owner and president, is on his way to head up Columbia Records. Sources say Perry was already the front-runner for the job, with a signed deal to helm the storied label to happen contingent upon SONGS being sold. With that now official, Perry will take…
The music videos from 2017 that we most need you to watch
Welcome to a very special installment of the beloved Verge column One Video, with Kaitlyn and Lizzie. Every week of 2017 — or, technically, since February 3rd, when we had the idea — we’ve been sifting through the slew of music videos that hit the web and selecting the one (or occasionally two, or occasionally…
Songs, Music Publisher of Lorde and Diplo, Bought by Kobalt
Carianne Marshall, left, Matt Pincus and Ron Perry of Songs Music Publishing, which is selling its assets to a rival music publisher, Kobalt. In a closely watched music deal, one upstart is buying another for the rights to a catalog of fresh pop hits like Lorde’s “Royals” and the Weeknd’s “Can’t Feel My Face.” Songs…
The Year in Charts 2017: Ed Sheeran Is Top Artist, Kendrick Lamar’s ‘DAMN.’ Rules Billboard 200
Following a male-dominated year on the charts, the year-end top 10 rankings of the overall top artists, Billboard 200 albums & Billboard Hot 100 songs are all populated by men. For the first time since 1984, the entire top 10 of Billboard’s 2017 year-end top artists ranking are all men. Ed Sheerancloses out the year…
YouTube’s new music streaming service reportedly launching next March
YouTube’s new music streaming service is set to launch next March, tentatively with the name Remix, according to a Bloomberg report. The news confirms an earlier report from The Verge published back in July, in which YouTube’s music head Lyor Cohen revealed that the company had plans to combine its YouTube Red video subscription service…
Sources: Apple is acquiring music recognition app Shazam
As Spotify continues to inch towards a public listing, Apple is making a move of its own to step up its game in music services. Sources tell us that the company is close to acquiring Shazam, the popular app that lets people identify any song, TV show, film or advert in seconds, by listening to…
Building Your Team I ASCAP EXPO 2017
http://www.ascap.com/expo Regardless of your position, surrounding yourself with valuable, knowledgeable collaborators is an absolute must. But when there are thousands of worthy candidates flooding today’s market, choosing your team can be a paralyzing prospect. At the 2017 ASCAP “I Create Music” EXPO, this expert panel of music industry professionals opined on how to build the…
See Spotify’s Most Streamed Music of 2017
Spotify just released its year in review numbers, and — unsurprisingly, given the dominance of blockbuster hits like “Shape of You” — Ed Sheeran has emerged as the platform’s most popular artist. The Brit-pop juggernaut is followed by three stars of hip-hop and R&B — Drake, The Weeknd and Kendrick Lamar — with EDM duo…
UK Regulators Side With AEG Over Live Nation, Azoff on Staples Center & O2 Arena Block Booking
AEG has prevailed in the latest round of its venue battle with Live Nation and Azoff MSG Entertainment after British regulators told company officials they would not be investigating AEG’s policy of block booking the Staples Center in Los Angeles and the O2 Arena in London. In September, AEG’s COO and chairman Jay Marciano told…
55% Of 2018 Grammy Nominations Went To Indie Artists
Independent artists make up 55% of nominations in all non-producer and non-spoken word categories, according to tabulations from A2IM. In 43 of the 81 categories, majority of nominees were on independent labels. The 2018 Grammy nominations have again recognized the importance of independent music. The independent music label sector accounts for about 37% of U.S. recorded music…
