Morning Fix: Super Bowl Sync Score; UMPG's PRO Exit Plan; Beyonce's 'Mrs. Carter' Tour
By Andy Gensler
It was another healthy synch marketplace for the Super Bowl this year. The top three publishers reported a combined 24 synchs placed in the Big Game, with nine for Universal, eight for Sony/ATV and seven for Warner/Chappell (Kobalt, the fourth largest publisher, also scored one for Budweiser with Stevie Nicks’ “Landslide”).
Billboard.biz
On the heels of Sony/ATV and EMI striking a deal to directly license their music to Pandora, Universal Music Publishing has notified ASCAP and BMI that it too will no longer rely on the two performance rights organizations to negotiate digital performance licenses and royalty rates. However, digital royalties only account for about 3% of PRO's revenue today, although undoubtedly that will grow going forward.
Billboard.biz
BEYONCE ANNOUNCES 'THE MRS. CARTER SHOW' TOUR AFTER SUPER BOWL PERFORMANCE
Shortly after a Super Bowl halftime show that set Twitter ablaze, Beyonce announced that she will embark on "The Mrs. Carter Show," a nearly four-month transatlantic tour that will kick off in Serbia on April 15.
Billboard.biz
The stock market reached new highs Friday as the Dow Jones surpassed 14,000 for the first time since 2007, but music-related stocks -- such as Pandora, Live Nation, and Sirius XM -- have performed even better recently.
Billboard.biz
Justin Timberlake's "Suit & Tie" (RCA), featuring Jay Z, makes a record-setting debut on Billboard's Mainstream Top 40 chart, which measures pop radio airplay, as monitored by Nielsen BDS, soaring in at No. 14.
Billboard.biz
In first solo concert in five years, Justin Timberlake takes lucky Super Bowl weekend crowd on a tour of hits old and new. The DirecTV party was hosted by Mark Cuban's AXS TV.
Billboard.biz
Not surprisingly, Beyonce was the most-Tweeted artist of Super Bowl 47 by a mile. But the race for most-Tweeted music-related commercial was very close – with Bud Light’s Stevie Wonder-starring ad slipping past Volkswagen and Jimmy Cliff by less than 100 Tweets.
Billboard.biz
ANDREA BOCELLI, TEGAN AND SARA ARE TOP 10 BOUND ON BILLBOARD 200 CHART
Justin Bieber's "Believe Acoustic" seems a lock for a No. 1 debut on the Billboard 200 albums chart next week. Andrea Bocelli will perhaps settle for the runner-up slot, as his new album, "Passione," might sell around 85,000. And Tegan and Sara will easily claim their best week ever (and first top 10) on the chart, as the duo’s new release, "Heartthrob," will probably bow in the top five.
Billboard.biz
Bieber's fifth time at the top of Hot Tours, George Strait's second placing, and the 13,000-capacity Sydney Entertainment Centre – this week in the world's biggest tours.
Billboard.biz
The complaint against the independent trade association was dismissed when Judge Thomas P. Griesa signed a stipulation agreement between the satellite radio station and A2IM on how the trade group can act when discussing Sirius with its membership.
Billboard.biz
PARLOPHONE REFUSES TO JOIN GOOGLE PLAY MUSIC SERVICE
Parlophone, the UK label which counts Coldplay and Kylie among its artists, has launched a boycott of Google’s new music service, Google Play. Sources at the record company, which is up for sale as a condition of Universal’s deal to buy its parent, EMI, said it has refused to join the Google service claiming that it offers no obvious benefit to its musicians. Parlophone’s refusal to join the service will be seen as a major blow to Google, which has been battling to persuade music companies it can be helpful to them.
Telegraph
RISING POSTAGE RATES THREATEN US INDIE LABELS
The price of a first-class stamp in the US has risen by a penny to 46 cents – but much more significant costs for overseas shipping could hurt independent record labels. Speaking to Nantucket public radio network WCAI, Dischord Records’ Brian Lowit said that, while postage rate increases were common, he’d “never seen one this drastic.” While the postage hike might not be too significant domestically, Dischord – which sells CD albums for around $10 and vinyl LPS for $11 – will now see shipping costs to the UK for $18.60 where it would have previously cost $13.17.
Music Week
MICHAEL BUBLE TO HOST JUNOS, CANADA'S MUSIC AWARDS
Canadian crooner Michael Buble will be hosting the 2013 Junos, the Canadian music industry awards, from Regina, Saskatchewan. The Vancouver-born singer has previously appeared on the Junos, and come away with an armful of trophies. Now he will host the industry kudosfest, to air on the CTV network on April 21, 2013.
The Hollywood Reporter
BIFFY CLYRO SCORE FIRST EVER OFFICIAL UK NUMBER ONE ALBUM
Biffy Clyro have scored their first ever Official UK Album Chart Number One with 'Opposites'. The Scottish rockers sixth studio album sold an impressive 75,000 copies in its first week, eclipsing the 43,000 previous album 'Only Revolutions' sold, to debut in at the top, according to the Official Charts Company. The double album is the highest selling new entry of 2013 so far.
NME
THE VERGE HIRES GREG SANDOVAL, WRITER WHO QUIT CNET IN PROTEST
Greg Sandoval, the CNET senior writer who resigned in protest when the site’s parent company, CBS, interfered with its editorial coverage last month, has been hired by The Verge, the Web site that first revealed the full extent of CBS’s involvement. Mr. Sandoval will be a senior reporter for The Verge when he starts in a couple of weeks. He said in a blog post that he had received a “written guarantee from management that nobody from the business side of the company will ever have any authority over my stories.”
New York Times
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