1. Paul McCartney, Prince, Robert Plant: Why Veteran Musical Acts are Flocking to Social Media

    September 04, 2013 7:11 AM EDT When Paul McCartney joined Instagram on Aug. 28 to promote his new single and forthcoming album, the Beatles member joined an elite club of club of veteran musical artists like Prince and Robert Plant, whom in the past month have embraced the ...

  2. Ministry of Sound Launches Copyright Lawsuit Against Spotify

    September 04, 2013 6:22 AM EDT British dance music brand Ministry of Sound is taking the extraordinary step of suing Spotify for copyright infringement. London-based MoS launched proceedings Sept. 2 in the U.K.’s High Court, claiming the subscription service had refused to ...

  3. Business Matters: How Many Subscribers Does a Digital Music Service Need to be Profitable?

    September 03, 2013 8:18 PM EDT How many subscribers does a music service need to be profitable? Rdio CEO Drew Larner recently told NPR the service would "absolutely be profitable" when it achieves "real scale" of 25 million to 30 million subscribers. Lar ...

  4. Vevo Taps Jonathan Carson As First Chief Revenue Officer (Q&A)

    September 03, 2013 4:56 PM EDT Vevo has named Nielsen veteran Jonathan Carson as its first-ever chief revenue officer, a position that will see him leading Vevo’s global sales team across advertising and brand partnerships. Carson will effectively fill some of the duties prev ...

  5. Appeals Court Won't Revive Class Action Over Apple's Digital Music Sales

    September 03, 2013 4:15 PM EDT Most consumers don't like the type of digital rights management software that makes music purchased on Apple's iTunes Store only compatible on Apple devices. Unfortunately for one consumer who attempted to bring a class action lawsuit ...

  6. Warner/Chappell Appoints Key Figures to Global Digital Team

    September 03, 2013 2:00 PM EDT Warner Music Group's global music publishing arm, Warner/Chappell Music, has announced three new appointments on the digital side of its company, as Ann Sweeney, Stephen Dallas and Iain Morris take on new roles. Sweeney becomes executive V. ...

  7. Microsoft's Nokia Deal Adds Pre-Show Momentum to Berlin Consumer Electronics Fair

    September 03, 2013 10:30 AM EDT Microsoft’s deal to pay more than $7 billion for Nokia’s devices and services business is amping up the buzz ahead of IFA, the world’s largest consumer electronics fair, which kicks off Friday in Berlin. Microsoft announced the mega-deal Monday ...

  8. Microsoft Buying Nokia Devices and Services Unit For $7.2 Billion

    September 03, 2013 12:25 AM EDT Microsoft Corp. is buying Nokia Corp.'s devices and services business, and getting access to the company's patents, for a total of €5.44 billion ($7.2 billion) in an effort to expand its share of the smartphone market, the companies an ...

  9. Concert for Sandy Relief's Robin Hood Foundation Sues Patriot Communications Over 'Millions' in Missed Donations

    August 31, 2013 11:19 PM EDT A charity that helped organize last year's star-packed Concert for Sandy Relief says millions of dollars in donations were left on the table due to spotty service from the company tasked with processing the donations. In a lawsuit filed Wed ...

  10. Business Matters: What If Musicians Went on Strike Against Digital Services Like Spotify? It’s Possible

    August 30, 2013 7:23 PM EDT What if musicians went on strike and refused to make their music available on the digital services that have attracted so much negative criticism in recent years? It's not an entirely pointless thought exercise. People go on strike all ...

  11. Big Sean, Juicy J and Alabama Tribute Heading for Top 10 on Billboard 200

    August 30, 2013 6:52 PM EDT Rappers Big Sean and Juicy J, along with a new tribute album to country band Alabama, are headed for the top of the Billboard 200 albums chart next week. Industry sources suggest Big Sean's new "Hall of Fame" could sell approximat ...

  12. MLB to Co-Produce New York's Global Citizen Festival with AEG Live

    August 30, 2013 6:05 PM EDT Major League Baseball is dipping into the music business after buying the distribution rights for an upcoming concert in New York's Central Park. Through its digital media company, MLB Advanced Media, the league will co-produce this year� ...

  13. Clear Channel Taps Emeli Sande, Jake Bugg, Rita Ora For Bloomingdale's U.K. Style Campaign, NYC Concerts

    August 30, 2013 4:42 PM EDT Clear Channel has teamed with Bloomingdale’s to celebrate the fashion retailer’s celebration of Great Britain style with a multi-platform campaign that will include live shows, online radio and exclusive interviews. The custom partnership kicked ...

  14. Our Startup Could Be Your Band’s Life: Dismemberment Plan’s Travis Morrison Launches Shoutabl

    August 30, 2013 4:30 PM EDT When the last Dismemberment Plan album came out in 2001, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and smartphones didn’t exist. But technology isn’t the only thing that’s changed; over the course of those same 12 years, band frontman Travis Morrison joined a ...

  15. Cumulus Media to Acquire Radio Syndicator Dial Global

    August 30, 2013 11:56 AM EDT Cumulus Media, America's second-largest operator of radio stations after ClearChannel, has announced it will acquire Dial Global, one of the largest syndicators of radio programming. The acquisition, for which Cumulus Media paid $260 millio ...

  16. Made In America Ticket Sales Up 50%, Jay Z Surprise Possible

    August 30, 2013 8:00 AM EDT Even without curator Jay Z as a headliner, this weekend’s second Budweiser Made In America Festival is already well on track to surpass its inaugural year in Philadelphia. The two-day festival’s first iteration was a notable success, attractin ...

  17. New Signings: Boy George Signs with Kobalt, Rick Ross to ICM Partners, BMG Chrysalis US Land the Orwells

    August 30, 2013 7:30 AM EDT Here’s a look at the latest artist signings across the music industry, which include label, management, publishing and booking agency deals. Billboard.biz is interested in your company’s new signings. Please send announcements to Mitchell.Pete ...

  18. MTV VMAs Spur Early Gains for Miley Cyrus, NSYNC, Justin Timberlake, and More

    August 29, 2013 8:38 PM EDT Miley Cyrus, Robin Thicke and Justin Timberlake were all big winners during the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), even though only Timberlake actually won any awards. Cyrus and Thicke paired for a buzzed-about performance during the Aug. 25 s ...

  19. Justin Timberlake Rises on Social 50 Chart, Post-VMAs

    August 29, 2013 4:09 PM EDT Justin Timberlake climbs the 10-3 on Billboard's Social 50 chart this week, following his lengthy August 25 performance on the MTV Video Music Awards (VMA). On the show, he performed a 12-song medley that included a brief reunion with his & ...

  20. Spotify Names Jorge Espinel Head of Global Business Development

    August 29, 2013 2:19 PM EDT Jorge Espinel, who spent four years working on News Corp.'s digital strategy, has been named as Spotify's new head of global business development. As AllThingsD reports , the position has remained unfilled since October of last year , ...

  21. SiriusXM Shareholders Present Their Case on Liberty Media's Takeover

    August 29, 2013 12:48 PM EDT SiriusXM shareholders directors should have taken measures to prevent a takeover by Liberty Media, extracted a takeover premium and allowed a shareholder vote on the deal, the judge in the case heard this week.   “Malone wanted to enjoy all the ...

  22. Jay Z's 'Holy Grail' Becomes First Major Music Video to Premiere on Facebook's Player (Exclusive)

    August 29, 2013 12:27 PM EDT At noon EDT Thursday (Aug. 29), Jay Z and Justin Timberlake's "Holy Grail" music video became the first clip by a major music star to premiere on Facebook — and with a 24-hour exclusivity window to boot. The premiere utilize ...

  23. Vodafone In Talks To Sell Verizon Wireless Stake For Est. $100-$130 Billion

    August 29, 2013 7:40 AM EDT Britain's Vodafone PLC, one of the world's largest cellphone companies, confirmed Thursday that it was talking to Verizon Communications about selling its U.S. operations. The U.K. company is mulling its options for its 45 percent stak ...

  24. Avenged Sevenfold Heading for Second No. 1 Album on Billboard 200

    August 28, 2013 6:06 PM EDT Rock band Avenged Sevenfold is heading for its second No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart. Industry sources suggest the quintet's new album, "Hail to the King," should fly into the top slot next week with around 175,000 copies ...

  25. Nathan Hubbard, Ex-Ticketmaster CEO, On Bringing Commerce To Twitter: ‘The Music Industry Should Be Tremendously Excited' (Q&A)

    August 28, 2013 4:57 PM EDT In a move that could have huge implications for the music industry, former Ticketmaster CEO and president Nathan Hubbard was named as Twitter’s first head of commerce on Aug. 27 , a move that heralds a broadening for the social networking behemo ...

  26. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ ‘The Heist’ Passes 1 Million Sold

    August 28, 2013 4:42 PM EDT Mere days after their videos took home three Moonmen from the MTV Video Music Awards – including Best Hip-Hop Video for “Can’t Hold Us” – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ debut opus “The Heist” crosses the million copies sold mark. The set sold 19,0 ...

  27. Apple E-Book Ruling Won't Cover Music Downloads

    August 28, 2013 12:54 PM EDT The agency pricing model will live on at the iTunes Store. The judge in the Apple e-book price fixing case said on Tuesday she will limit the focus of her ruling to e-books.   U.S. District Judge Denise Cote said her ruling would not give the fe ...

  28. Luke Bryan Spends Second Week Atop Billboard 200 Followed by John Mayer, TGT Debuts

    August 28, 2013 11:01 AM EDT As expected, Luke Bryan's "Crash My Party" spends a second week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, as it sells 159,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan (down 70%). Out of 29 chart-toppers, it's only the sixth album this yea ...

  29. Colbie Caillat to Headline T.J. Martell 's Spirit of Excellence Awards Dinner Honoring Troy Carter, Rob Wells, Daniel Ek

    August 28, 2013 1:20 AM EDT The T.J. Martell Foundation today announced singer-songwriter Colbie Caillat will be headlining its Spirit of Excellence Awards Dinner, taking place in Santa Monica on October 12. Host of Hallmark Channel’s “Home & Family,” Mark Steines has ...

  30. Nathan Hubbard, Former Ticketmaster President, Named Twitter's Chief of Commerce

    August 27, 2013 2:41 PM EDT Nathan Hubbard, the former global president of Ticketmaster who exited the company in a surprise move earlier this month , has been named Twitter's new head of commerce, as Bloomberg reported earlier today . Describing his role, Hubbard exp ...

  31. VEVO Debuts on Apple TV Alongside Disney Channel, Smithsonian

    August 27, 2013 11:47 AM EDT In an update released today, VEVO and four other content sources -- Disney, Disney XD, the Smithsonian and the Weather Channel -- have joined the ranks of Apple TV apps. The launch makes VEVO's catalog of music videos, which the company say ...

  32. Myspace Launches ‘Music Video Collaborations With Artists We Like’ Program, Premieres with TV on the Radio, Federal Prism (Exclusive)

    August 27, 2013 11:43 AM EDT In a bid to cut through the noise of an altered internet landscape, and resuscitate its reputation as an ally for artists, the new Myspace has launched a program to produce original music videos. The program, dubbed “Music Video Collaborations W ...

  33. Miley Cyrus Sees Social Media and Digital Sales Benefits from MTV VMAs Performance

    August 26, 2013 7:51 PM EDT Miley Cyrus is reaping the benefits of her buzzed-about performance on the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) on Aug. 25 -- both in sales and social metrics. During the VMAs telecast, Cyrus performed her Billboard Hot 100 top 10 single "We Can& ...

  34. SoundExchange Sues SiriusXM Radio Over Royalty Calculations

    August 26, 2013 7:01 PM EDT SoundExchange has filed a lawsuit against SiriusXM Radio that contends SiriusXM "systematically underpaid" royalties from 2007 to 2011. The complaint was filed on Monday (Aug. 26) in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columb ...

  35. Behind the Boxscore: MetLife Stadium's Ron VanDeVeen On Kenny Chesney's Top-Grossing Concert

    August 26, 2013 3:42 PM EDT This week, country superstar Kenny Chesney earned the top slot on Billboard’s Hot Tours tally with box office totals reported from six venues on his No Shoes Nation tour, which wrapped Aug. 24.   Among this week's reported shows to Billboar ...

  36. Eminem Announces 'Marshall Mathers LP 2' In VMAs' Beats By Dre Commercial

    August 25, 2013 11:13 PM EDT Eminem returns with "The Marshall Mathers LP 2" on November 5. The rapper announced the news through a Beats by Dre commercial which played during tonight's (Aug. 25) MTV Video Music Awards. Check out the 16-second ad below. How ‘ ...

  37. Earl Sweatshirt, Jimmy Buffett and TGT Top 10 Bound on Billboard 200

    August 23, 2013 8:04 PM EDT After a week where only two albums debuted in the top 10 on the Billboard 200, next week should provide a healthy influx of new releases to the region. The new Billboard 200 chart's top 10 will be revealed on the morning of Aug. 28. John Ma ...

  38. Pandora Media Stock Slides 13 Percent

    August 23, 2013 6:30 PM EDT Shares of Pandora Media tanked 13 percent Friday, a day after the digital-music company reported its quarterly earnings but disappointing guidance. Pandora on Thursday reported earning 4 cents a share in the most recent quarter, twice what analy ...

  39. New Signings: August Alsina to Def Jam, Windish Agency Wins Bobby Womack, Frankie Rose Goes and Labrinth to Paradigm

    August 23, 2013 4:03 PM EDT Here’s a look at the latest artist signings across the music industry, which include label, management, publishing and booking agency deals. Billboard.biz is interested in your company’s new signings. Please send announcements to Mitchell.Peters ...

  40. Bud Light's 50 Concerts In 50 States Initiative - Did It Work? (Exclusive)

    August 23, 2013 2:01 PM EDT This story first appeared in the new Billboard Pick-up this issue here ; get your subscription here .   For its first attempt to host 50 concerts in all 50 states on the same day, Bud Light had modest goals for the audience it wanted to reach as ...

  41. Pandora to End Mobile Listening Cap, Adds Other Cost-Saving Measures

    August 23, 2013 11:47 AM EDT Pandora announced Thursday it will no longer enforce mobile listening cap as of Sept. 1. At the same time, the company revealed two new cost-saving measures, a sleep timer and a limit of song skips within a 24-hour period. The cap was implement ...

  42. Rdio Launches Ad-Supported Web Service in Australia

    August 23, 2013 10:58 AM EDT Music subscription service Rdio is expanding its "freemium" business model by launching an ad-supported web service in Australia. The service previously offered a limited amount of free listening without advertisements. "We want t ...

  43. Chart Moves: Washed Out, Valerie June Debut on Billboard 200, Wild Feathers Fly In at No. 1 on Heatseekers

    August 23, 2013 9:15 AM EDT This week on the Billboard 200 albums chart, Luke Bryan charged in at No. 1 , selling an impressive 528,000 copies of his latest album, "Crash My Party." It marked the second chart-topper for the country star, who logged a No. 1 earlie ...

  44. Chart Moves: Robin Thicke's 'Blurred Lines' Tops R&B/Hip-Hop Songs; Luke Bryan Scores Fifth No. 1 on Hot Country Songs

    August 23, 2013 9:00 AM EDT As previously reported , Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" (featuring T.I. and Pharrell) spends an 11th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, while Katy Perry's "Roar" blasts 85-2, and Lady Gaga's "Applause ...

  45. Norman Winter, Music Publicist for Michael Jackson, Bob Dylan, Dr. Dre and MCA/Universal Records, Dies

    August 22, 2013 9:16 PM EDT Norman Winter, who in his long Hollywood career as a music publicist represented Michael Jackson, Bob Dylan,  Janet Jackson, Garth Brooks, Paul Anka and many  others, died Thursday in Las Vegas due to complications from Lewy Body disease, accord ...

  46. MTV VMAs Set Sponsorship Record Despite 2012 Ratings Slump

    August 22, 2013 8:40 PM EDT MTV’s Video Music Awards have had a rollercoaster couple of years in the ratings, from reaching all-time highs in 2011 thanks to Beyonce’s baby bump to a 50% plunge in 2012. Yet despite last year’s drop, this weekend’s show, broadcast from Broo ...

  47. Pandora's Q2 Earnings: Revenue Up 55% to $157 Million, Net Loss Increased 44% to $7.8 Million (Updated)

    August 22, 2013 5:24 PM EDT Pandora's strong revenue growth didn't stop a widening of its net loss in the second quarter ended July 31. The company had revenue of $157.4 million in the quarter, up 55.4% from $89.4 million in the prior-year period. Although net lo ...

  48. Rate This App: Stereotypes - A VJ App for the YouTube Generation

    August 22, 2013 4:51 PM EDT Welcome to Rate This App, .Biz's regular series that allows users to learn about and rate new music apps.  The results from our last poll are in and the vast majority of you either work for Seenth.is or you really found the feed aggregating ...

  49. Big Sean Finds Spotlight By Staying Out of It

    August 22, 2013 12:45 PM EDT Big Sean has discovered that in order to find the spotlight, sometimes you have to stay out of it. The rapper put Miley Cyrus front-and-center in his recent "Fire" music video, with his face seen just briefly in the background. Then he ...

  50. Gerardo Ortiz, Jenni Rivera, Arrolladora Banda El Limon Lead Billboard Mexican Music Award Finalists

    August 22, 2013 9:17 AM EDT Young norteño star Gerardo Ortiz, the late Jenni Rivera and ever-popular Arrolladora Banda El Limón de René Camacho lead the list of finalists for the third annual Billboard Mexican Music Awards, set to air live on the Telemundo Network Oct. 9 a ...

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