Branding

1. Jay-Z and Roc Nation Sports: What Are Their Prospects? Experts Weigh In

   April 03, 2013 6:48 PM EDT 4 9 17 1 0 In rhyme, Jay-Z has name-checked some of the biggest athletes in the world. And now he’s hoping to ink some of them to his new sports agency firm.   A major power merger took place on Tuesday when two of the biggest names in entertainment annou ...

2. Roc Nation Launches Roc Nation Sports With CAA, Signs Yankees’ Robinson Cano

   April 02, 2013 12:30 PM EDT With the Major League Baseball season just getting underway, Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano made news off the field, severing ties with longtime mega-agent Scott Boras and signing a deal with Jay-Z's Roc Nation management company, the ...

3. Chicago’s Wavefront Fest Reveals Lineup, Citibank Partnership (Exclusive)

   April 02, 2013 10:00 AM EDT Jus†ice and Diplo lead a diverse slate Wavefront Music Festival , a three-day electronic music event on Chicago’s Montrose Beach July 5-7, will feature diverse headliners like Jus†ice, Diplo, and Nicolas Jaar, Billboard has learned. The music-fo ...

4. Why We Took the Piracy Debate to a Times Square Billboard: Guest Column by Ghost Beach

   April 02, 2013 8:30 AM EDT The New York-based “tropical grit pop” duo Ghost Beach was recently selected as the latest band to have its music featured in an online commercial for American Eagle Outfitters -- and that deal brought the group the opportunity to also be featur ...

5. 'The Voice' Towers Over 'Idol' In Its First Week Back On Air

   March 29, 2013 2:01 PM EDT “American Idol” hit a new low in the ratings March 28, pulling in 3.45 million viewers in the 18-49 demographic and only 11 million total viewers. For the first time, NBC's “The Voice” is being watched by more people than “Idol.” While “Ame ...

6. Petition Demands Reebok Drop Rick Ross Over Date-Rape Lyrics

   March 29, 2013 11:56 AM EDT Rick Ross’ date-rape-referencing lyrics on rapper Rocko’s song “U.O.E.N.O.” have already sparked online outrage among women’s groups . Now a second wave of petitions is calling for Ross’ endorsement deal with Reebok to be discontinued, in part b ...

7. Clear Channel's iHeartRadio Music Festival Announces Return to Vegas

   March 28, 2013 11:22 AM EDT Clear Channel is bringing its successful iHeartRadio Music Festival back to the MGM Grand in Vegas for its third year, it was announced today. The festival will again include a "star search," dubbed the Macy's iHeart Radio Rising ...

8. Spotify Debuts First TV Commercial During NBC’s ‘The Voice’ As Part of $10M Ad Campaign

   March 25, 2013 5:16 PM EDT Nearly two years after launching in the U.S. primarily via word-of-mouth, Spotify will air its first in a series of U.S. TV ad commercials on NBC’s “The Voice” Monday night as part of a larger branding campaign valued at over $10 million in medi ...

9. Buzzmedia Rebrands Itself SpinMedia

   March 25, 2013 11:16 AM EDT Buzzmedia -- the online publisher which owns such websites as Stereogum, Celebuzz, Idolator, XLR8R, and dozens of others, and is a part-owner of Hype Machine and Brooklyn Vegan -- rebranded itself SpinMedia this morning, taking its name from Spi ...

10. Ultra Music Festival’s Heineken House Brings EDM Experience to Each Pour

    March 24, 2013 12:02 PM EDT Ultra Music Festival is celebrating its 15th anniversary by expanding to two weekends, and liquor sponsor Heineken is responding in kind. This year, the brand is debuting the Heineken House, a first-of-its-kind activation that extends Ultra’s au ...

11. Backbeat: Swedish House Mafia's Steve Angello Kicks Off Brand Partnerships, Solo Career During Ultra

    March 23, 2013 3:48 PM EDT 1 4 33 0 0 Just a few blocks from Ultra Music Festival, where his band Swedish House Mafia will play off into the sunset tomorrow, Steve Angello kicked off his new brand partnerships -- and, unofficially, his solo career -- at the unlikely location of the ...

12. Vinny Cha$e Talks Epic Records Deal, Major Label Debut & Street Wear Fashion Line

    March 23, 2013 12:28 PM EDT 7 17 0 0 For Harlem rapper Vinny Cha$e, loyalty played a big role in his decision to turn down a deal with Sean "Diddy" Combs' Bad Boy Records and instead go with Epic and A&R Aaron Reid, son of chairman/CEO Antonio "L.A." R ...

13. Carly Rae Jepsen Teams With Coke, 'American Idol' on Crowd-Sourced Song To Be Performed on Season Finale

    March 20, 2013 1:45 PM EDT Carly Rae Jepsen is prepping a new catch phrase-laden single for the summer, but is teaming up with Coca-Cola and “American Idol” to help her finish writing it. Jepsen is the latest artist to become the face of Coke’s Perfect Harmony program, wh ...

14. Business Matters: What the Music Business Can Learn From March Madness

    March 19, 2013 9:10 PM EDT The annual Division I men’s college basketball tournament started Tuesday at 5:40 p.m. eastern time. The music business could take a few pointers. Known as March Madness, the Division I tournament understands how to reach people online, how to d ...

15. Carlos Vives, Don Omar, Gerardo Ortiz to Perform at Billboard Latin Music Awards

    March 19, 2013 6:17 PM EDT Some of the biggest names in Latin music including Don Omar, Gerardo Ortiz, Michel Telo, Lucero and Carlos Vives arescheduled to perform at the 2013 Billboard Latin Music Awards during an April 25 broadcast on Telemundo.   Presented by State Far ...

16. Justin Timberlake Manager Johnny Wright on Secret Plans Around ‘20/20 Experience,’ Touring, Myspace, More

    March 19, 2013 8:00 AM EDT 2 54 19 3 0 Justin Timberlake has a rare ability to seem to be everywhere without actually being in that many places. In a way, the marketing around his new album,  The 20/20 Experience – out on RCA today – has taken a note from the way he managed to keep ...

17. #SXSW Instagr.am: Check Out the Photos You Sent Us!

    March 17, 2013 5:15 AM EDT 2 14 0 0 HEAD HERE TO SEE ALL OUR INSTAGRAM GALLERIES: Our new audience-generated Instagr.am gallery got a bumper crop of photos from #SXSW this year -- check out pics of Scooter Braun, Kendrick Lamar, Dave Grohl, Raekwon, Usher Pharrell, the Flaming Li ...

18. Justin Timberlake's Promotional Run-Up to 'The 20/20 Experience': A Timeline

    March 15, 2013 4:53 PM EDT 18 78 115 0 0 They say hindsight is 20/20, but when it comes to Justin Timberlake's comeback, they're not taking any chances. Next week's release of Timberlake's beyond-highly-anticipated new album The 20/20 Experience is riding on one ...

19. A Day in the Busy Life: Kendrick Lamar and Top Dawg Entertainment Go to Austin

    March 15, 2013 11:29 AM EDT Not just anyone would get a call from Alicia Keys to perform alongside her; so when Kendrick Lamar did, he went with it. The night before hopping on a red-eye to this year's SXSW festival, Kendrick Lamar performed two songs ("Swimming ...

20. Yahoo Announces Music Tour Featuring Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, Others

    March 14, 2013 8:42 PM EDT 6 280 727 2 0 UPDATED: The summer's 21-date traveling festival will include appearances by special guests Justin Timberlake, Frank Ocean and Trey Songz. Yahoo! made a big announcement at South by Southwest's Interactive portion in Austin, saying ...

21. Spotify’s Daniel Ek on the Future of Music Streaming, Competing With Apple and Google

    March 12, 2013 11:41 PM EDT “If you’re a business now and you’re only on the PC, you’re going to have some serious problems.” That’s how Spotify founder and CEO Daniel Ek described the biggest challenge facing his company and others in the industry during a one-on-one chat ...

22. SXSW 2013: Deadmau5, Kat Von D, Surfer Blood at the Sonos Studio

    March 12, 2013 8:51 PM EDT Sonos is getting some attention for putting on one of the coolest experiences at SXSW. Located down an alley near the Convention Center, the Sonos Studio is a large compound that includes a courtyard, a performance stage, two houses and an inter ...

23. Wisin & Yandel Team with Panasonic in Latin America

    March 12, 2013 8:06 PM EDT 1 50 19 0 0 Latin urban act Wisin & Yandel have signed on to be the official spokespersons for a Panasonic line of audio equipment that will see a major promotional campaign in Mexico and the rest of Latin America. Register today for the Billboard Lat ...

24. Billboard.biz Google Hangout From SXSW, With Ted Cohen, Benji Rogers, Glenn Peoples: Thursday 3 p.m. ET!

    March 12, 2013 5:51 PM EDT 3 12 0 0 Want to know what’s buzzing biz-wise at SXSW this year? What are the hot startups, companies, people and technologies? Find out at our Google Hangout, right here, on Thursday (March 14) at 3 p.m. ET when we have TAG Strategic’s Ted Cohen, Pledg ...

25. 3M's Virtual Presenter at SXSWi Recalls Tupac Hologram

    March 11, 2013 4:32 PM EDT One of the most head-turning displays at SXSW Interactive is 3M's life-size avatar that brings to mind the Tupac hologram at last year's Coachella festival. Called the Virtual Presenter , the digital avatar interacts with visitors and ...

26. Music Business Follows Health Trend With New Beverage Partnerships

    March 11, 2013 2:07 PM EDT Just as Beyoncé and Taylor Swift have become the respective new faces of Pepsi and Diet Coke, a new, healthier trend has emerged  with music and beverages. Artists and music executives are becoming the faces and equity partners in a series of ne ...

27. BandPage Unveils New 'Experiences' Service

    March 11, 2013 11:00 AM EDT Want to hang with George Clinton? Need a personal guitar lesson from Zakk Wylde? How about an 8-mile run with Dead Prez’s Stic.man while he teaches you beatboxing? BandPage on Monday is unveiling a platform allowing bands to design and sell cust ...

28. Troy Carter Talks 'Generation Flux' With Fast Company At SXSW Panel

    March 10, 2013 7:54 PM EDT From left: Padma Warrior, CSO & CTO of Cisco; Troy Carter, CEO of Atom Factory; and Robert Safian, editor of Fast Company, discuss Generation Flux at SXSW Interactive (Photo: Andrew Hampp)   First Douglas Coupland’s 1991 novel popularized th ...

29. SXSW Report: The Dos and Don'ts of Angel Investing

    March 08, 2013 6:09 PM EST Hundreds of orange-lanyard-clad attendees filled the grand ballroom of the Hilton in Downtown Austin mid-afternoon Friday, eschewing the formality of the official opening remarks taking place concurrently just across the street. On the agenda fo ...

30. SXSW Interactive: Daniel Glass, Britt Daniel, More on Why It's a Must for Music Biz

    March 08, 2013 2:17 PM EST Today marks the kickoff of Austin, Texas’ South By Southwest’s Interactive Festival -- now in its 18th year as its own distinct entity within the entire SXSW conference. But while SXSW Interactive started primarily as a hothouse for emerging tec ...

31. SXSW: This Year's Standout Brands

    March 08, 2013 12:49 PM EST 1 0 2 0 0 The branding of South by Southwest 2012 sometimes reached art-and-­commerce proportions so grandiose and surreal, Andy Warhol would have been proud. Lil Wayne dropped by to film a live commercial for Mountain Dew, Doritos erected a stage in the ...

32. Muse, Dave Matthews Band, Sting to Headline NCAA Big Dance Concert Series in Atlanta April 5-7

    March 07, 2013 7:00 AM EST Muse, Dave Matthews Band and Sting have been tapped to headline the 2013 NCAA Big Dance Concert Series, in conjunction with the 2013 NCAA Men’s Final Four, held in Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park April 5-7. The event is produced by the NCAA an ...

33. SXSW: Festival Expects 28,000 Attendees With or Without a 'Highlight'

    March 06, 2013 5:30 PM EST South by Southwest is expecting a crowd of 28,000 for the Interactive portion of its 11-day tech, film and music festival, Adweek reports. That's 3,500 attendees more than in 2012, and 9,000 greater that what showed up two years ago. Whoa, ...

34. Pandora Opens Up Audience Data to Media Buyers

    March 05, 2013 11:03 AM EST In yet another sign of the changing media landscape, Pandora announced today that it will make what is perhaps their biggest resource other than music, their audience data, available to two media buying platforms, STRATA and Mediaocean's &quo ...

35. StubHub Enters Into Naming Rights Deal for AEG’s Home Depot Center

    March 04, 2013 2:27 PM EST 8 13 33 0 0 In a surprising move that could further legitimatize the secondary ticketing market, StubHub has entered into a long-term agreement with AEG for naming rights to the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. Effective in June, the 27,000-capacity fa ...

36. Demi Lovato's 'Heart Attack' Hashtag Becomes Worldwide Trending Topic

    March 04, 2013 11:56 AM EST On Friday March 1, Demi Lovato debuted the release of the video for her new single “Heart Attack,” via an interactive online campaign where fans unlocked the video by tweeting the song’s lyrics, along with the hashtag “ #UnlockHeartAttack .” The c ...

37. 'Saturday Night Live' Rocked by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Mysterious Daft Punk Ad

    March 03, 2013 11:41 AM EST Those watching last night’s (March 2) episode of “Saturday Night Live” got an unexpected treat in the form of a 15-second, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it ad by French dance duo Daft Punk. The brief trailer, featuring a sparkling Daft Punk logo and the p ...

38. Country Radio Seminar: Lady Antebellum Plays Intimate Show for the Industry

    March 01, 2013 12:45 PM EST What better time to spotlight country music’s hottest acts than when you have more than 2,000 radio professionals in town? That was the case last night in Nashville, with a long line of options for those in town for the Country Radio Seminar. Some ...

39. Cumulus' Lew Dickey Explains Why NYC's New NASH-FM 'Is Good for Nashville' at CRS

    February 28, 2013 3:08 PM EST New York’s new Cumulus-owned station, Nash FM, is far more than a local radio signal now capitalizing on the popularity of hot, youth-leaning country music. Radio stations across the U.S. will have opportunities to affiliate with Nash as Cumulus b ...

40. France Examines Even Tougher Anti-Piracy Laws

    February 28, 2013 2:41 PM EST PARIS: -- Already home to some of the strictest anti-piracy laws for users, France’s Internet Authority (HADOPI) has  issued a new report examining ways to curb usage of streaming and direct download sites. Looking to stop piracy at the source, th ...

41. Baauer’s ‘Harlem Shake’: The Global Hit That Started With a One-Off Single Deal

    February 28, 2013 7:00 AM EST The Internet is full of free downloads, but most don’t end up topping the charts like Baauer’s “Harlem Shake.” The single was brought to market through a label as uncommon as the track’s quirky success story.   Jeffrees, a sub-label of Diplo’s Mad ...

42. Exclusive: Taco Bell Teams With Passion Pit, Twitter For SXSW Showcase, 'Rockumentary'

    February 27, 2013 7:53 PM EST Taco Bell is teaming up with Twitter and filmmaker Sam Jones (Wilco’s “I Am Trying To Break Your Heart”) for a first-of-its-kind “Rockumentary,” “Feed The Beat: SXSW 2013,” at South By Southwest on March 11. The project will feature performances b ...

43. Radio Disney Announces Performers, Segmented Broadcast for Kids

    February 27, 2013 1:12 PM EST Disney has released details for the Radio Disney Music Awards, taking place April 27 in Los Angeles' Nokia Theatre. Performers will include headliner Selena Gomez, Bridgit Mendler, Cody Simpson, Austin Mahone and Coco Jones. "The Radio D ...

44. 'American Idol's' Blake Lewis Signs With Republic, Lands Microsoft Campaign

    February 27, 2013 4:37 AM EST Hot on the heels of the announcement that American Idol alum Blake Lewis has inked a deal with Republic Records, the season six runner-up has released his new single, “Your Touch,” in a major advertising campaign as the soundtrack to Microsoft Int ...

45. Facebook: Friend or Foe to Music Marketers?

    February 25, 2013 6:55 AM EST Some people haven’t forgiven Facebook for the changes it made last year to its news feed algorithm, alterations that ratcheted down the audience reach for some posts written on behalf of brand. “You can spend a lot of time building up these audien ...

46. Exclusive: Tumblr Gets Into Music Discovery

    February 21, 2013 12:26 PM EST 28 57 250 0 Blogging site Tumblr is getting into music discovery. At the core of the blogging company's strategy will be a select group of editors that share music, video and pictures with the site's 95 million users.   "This is our destina ...

47. Billboard Latin Music Marketing Awards - Entries Now Open

    February 20, 2013 6:29 PM EST 4 12 37 0 0 The Billboard Latin Music Conference has officially opened its entries for the third annual Latin Music Marketing Awards. The awards, which recognize the integration of music and marketing by honoring agencies and labels that had successful ca ...

48. Sony Music, BandMerch Ink Retail Partnership

    February 20, 2013 10:40 AM EST 1 0 14 0 Sony Music Entertainment has entered into a strategic partnership agreement with BandMerch, the merchandising division of promoter AEG Live, to expand and develop Sony’s merchandising programs in the North American retail market in conjunction wi ...

49. Lil Jon Joins Zumba Fitness With New Single and Upcoming Nightclub Series

    February 20, 2013 5:27 AM EST 1 0 44 0 Entertainer Pitbull has done it and so has reggaeton singer Don Omar. Now DJ and rapper Lil Jon is joining Zumba Fitness with an upcoming new single and a nightclub series launching in April for the exercise brand which has inspired millions glob ...

50. 'Harlem Shake': The Making And Monetizing Of The Latest YouTube Dance Craze

    February 14, 2013 6:53 PM EST 8 192 197 0 Baauer’s “Harlem Shake” still has quite a ways to go before it becomes the next “Gangnam Style” in terms of total views, but the Mad Decent track became an unexpected viral smash last week at levels not seen since PSY’s American invasion -- an ...

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