Global

1. Kanye West Criticized By Human Rights Foundation Over Kazakhstan Performance

   September 04, 2013 1:36 PM EDT The Human Rights Foundation has criticized Kanye West for performing at a wedding in Kazakhstan, joining a chorus of detractors who say he legitimized the human rights violations of the nation's president. The rapper performed at the weddin ...

2. Elton John Receives Inaugural Brits Icon Award

   September 04, 2013 2:38 AM EDT Rod Stewart on Monday night presented Elton John with the inaugural Brits Icon award during a gala event and concert here. The event, which ITV taped at the London Palladium for later this month, marked John's return to the stage after surg ...

3. 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. ...

4. Chris Hart Finds Home Abroad in J-pop World

   September 03, 2013 12:30 PM EDT Leaving San Francisco, singer Chris Hart has made himself at home in "J-pop." His album of cover versions of Japanese pop tunes is rising on the charts. And the crooner is scoring on this nation's equivalent of "American Idol ...

5. Regulators OK AEG's Planned Takeover of London's Wembley Arena

   September 03, 2013 4:55 AM EDT U.S. live event giant AEG Live's bid to take over management of the Wembley Arena has been cleared by Britain's Competition Commission. AEG currently owns and operates the O2 Arena -- which recently played host to Beyonce, Justin Biebe ...

6. 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 ...

7. BMG Rights Management to Acquire Bulk of Primary Wave's Publishing Assets (Exclusive)

   September 02, 2013 2:05 PM EDT Updated 11:13 AM -- BMG Rights Management, a subsidiary of German media conglomerate Bertelsmann, has agreed to acquire the bulk of publishing assets owned by the U.S.-based independent music publishing and management company Primary Wave, the ...

8. Avenged Sevenfold's 'Hail To The King' Claims U.K. Chart Crown

   September 02, 2013 2:54 AM EDT As Ellie Goulding’s “Burn” (Polydor/Universal) started a third week atop the U.K. singles chart yesterday (Sunday) to become the longest-running bestseller by a domestic artist in 2013, Californian rockers Avenged Sevenfold landed their first No ...

9. John Bromell, Former Warner Chappell Australia Head, Dies at 71

   September 01, 2013 9:59 PM EDT John Bromell, the award-winning Australian music executive who led Warner Chappell’s local affiliate for more than a decade, has died in a car accident. He was 71. Bromell crashed his car Saturday (Aug. 31) near his home at Coffs Harbour, New So ...

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. Foreign Musicians Touring in Canadian Live Venues Face New Application Fee

    August 30, 2013 5:45 PM EDT TORONTO -- Ottawa is picking the pockets of American and other foreign musicians performing in Canadian clubs and bars. New federal regulations has booking agents and promoters bringing international artists and bands into the country having to ...

12. 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 ...

13. Warner Music Group Promotes Sara Nemerov to SVP/Head of Global Consumer Products and Brand Licensing

    August 30, 2013 1:57 PM EDT Warner Music Group promotes Sara Nemerov to senior VP/head of global consumer products and brand licensing, Billboard has learned. In addition to overseeing consumer products and brand licensing, Nemerov will develop retail partnerships and new ...

14. 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 ...

15. Australia’s Future Music Festival, Mushroom Group Team-Up

    August 30, 2013 5:34 AM EDT Australia’s EDM-focused Future Music Festival has struck a strategic alliance with Michael Gudinski’s Mushroom Group and its concert promoter arm Frontier Touring Company, with effect from Sept. 1. The alliance is a win for both parties. With th ...

16. Bertelsmann Registers Record First-Half Operating Profit

    August 30, 2013 4:27 AM EDT German media giant Bertelsmann on Friday reported its highest profit from operations for a first half of the year in its long history, with operating profit jumping $50 million to $1.02 billion. The company also posted net profit of $557 million ...

17. Rolf Harris Hit With Underage Sex Abuse Charges

    August 30, 2013 12:04 AM EDT Rolf Harris, the feted Australian-born, British-based entertainer, will face court next month to answer numerous charges relating to sexual abuse with youths. British police have charged the 83-year-old with nine counts of indecent assault and f ...

18. Universal Music Earnings Decline Due To EMI Acquisition Costs, But Sales Increase

    August 29, 2013 8:41 PM EDT The Universal Music Group suffered a decline in earnings in the first half of 2013 due to costs related to its acquisition of EMI Recorded Music and the subsequent restructuring to produce synergistic cost savings. But its topline enjoyed a nice ...

19. Caribbean Fever Irie Jamboree Music Fest With Shabba Ranks, Capleton, Damian Marley To Debut at Brooklyn's Barclays Center

    August 29, 2013 7:50 PM EDT The three Caribbean music arena shows this Labor Day weekend will precede Brooklyn's annual West Indian Day Parade A contingent of prominent New York City based Caribbean music promoters have come together to stage a three-day festival at B ...

20. 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 ...

21. Vivendi Q2 Earnings Slip, UMG Results Improve

    August 29, 2013 5:36 AM EDT French entertainment and telecom conglomerate Vivendi on Thursday reported lower second-quarter earnings amid weaker results at its telecom businesses. The company, which owns Universal Music Group, French pay TV giant Canal Plus and others, als ...

22. AMCOS, Boom Video Strike ‘World First’ Licensing Deal

    August 29, 2013 3:46 AM EDT Australasian mechanical copyright society AMCOS has struck what it describes as a “ground-breaking” partnership with video advertising firm Boom Video -- Australia and New Zealand’s first YouTube partner network. It's pitched as the first “ ...

23. 'The Voice' Producer Talpa Bolsters Int'l Team With Executive Appointments

    August 29, 2013 12:33 AM EDT Dutch producer Talpa, the maker of hit talent format "The Voice," has strengthened its Talpa International division with a number of new appointments. Register today for Billboard's 2013 Film & TV Music conference in Los Angel ...

24. 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 ...

25. Tom Windish on Signing 16-Year-Old Lorde To the Windish Agency: 'She Keeps Getting Bigger Every Day'

    August 28, 2013 2:30 PM EDT Tom Windish, the president of boutique booking agency the Windish Agency, was among numerous talent firms competing to sign the highly buzzed-about 16-year-old New Zealand singer Lorde. “At the time, I think there were a few other agencies sniff ...

26. Banda el Recodo Re-Ups with UMLE/Fonovisa

    August 27, 2013 7:09 PM EDT The iconic regional Mexican group Banda El Recodo has renewed their recording contract with Universal Music Latin Entertainment.  Founded 75 years ago, recently signed on to continue making music through UMLE's Fonovisa label.   "La Ba ...

27. Richard & Adam's 'Impossible Dream' Is UK's Longest Running No. 1 Album of 2013; Ellie Goulding Has Top Single

    August 26, 2013 10:30 AM EDT Classical vocalist brothers Richard & Adam’s “The Impossible Dream” (Sony Music CG) became the longest-running No. 1 of the year on the U.K. artist album chart Sunday (Aug. 25), by moving into a fourth week at the summit. Ellie Goulding’s “B ...

28. Green Day, Avenged Sevenfold, Megadeth Confirmed to Play Australia’s 2014 Soundwave Fest

    August 26, 2013 7:34 AM EDT Green Day, Avenged Sevenfold, Alice In Chains and Megadeth are among the big names confirmed to the hard rock and heavy metal-edged Soundwave Festival, which winds its way across Australia next February and March. The bill for the five city trek ...

29. 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 ...

30. 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 ...

31. EFF, Lawrence Lessig Launch Lawsuit Over Phoenix Video Takedown

    August 23, 2013 4:03 AM EDT The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and Lawrence Lessig have filed suit against the Australian independent label Liberation Music for “misusing copyright law” to scrub from YouTube a lecture which carried a Phoenix tune. The video at the ce ...

32. Illya Kuryaki Wins Big at Argentina’s Premios Gardel

    August 22, 2013 12:52 PM EDT Illya Kuryaki & The Valderramas, the funky rap-rock duo comprised of Dante Spinetta and Emmanuel Horvilleur, were the big winners at the Premios Gardel in Buenos Aires last night (August 21). They won five awards, more than any other artist, ...

33. 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 ...

34. PRS for Music and YouTube Announce Licensing Deal

    August 21, 2013 3:54 PM EDT PRS for Music and YouTube have announced the signing of a license agreement, covering the more-than 100,000 artists, composers and publishers who are members of the performing rights organization. The agreement covers over 130 territories throug ...

35. Sid Bernstein, Promoter Who Brought the Beatles to Shea and the Rolling Stones to the U.S., Dead at 95

    August 21, 2013 2:44 PM EDT Sid Bernstein, the promoter who brought the Beatles to Shea Stadium, has died. He was 95. Bernstein's daughter, Casey Deutsch, says her father died in his sleep Wednesday morning at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. Bernstein was an ear ...

36. Billboard Bits: Peter Allen’s ‘Australia’ Added to Sound Archive, Vanda & Young Songwriting Comp Winner, Springsteen Returns

    August 21, 2013 6:54 AM EDT Peter Allen’s "I Still Call Australia Home," Russell Morris’ "The Real Thing," and Archie Roach’s "Took the Children Away" are among the ten works being added to the registry of the National Film and Sound Archive o ...

37. Cold Chisel Create Own Label, Change Distribution Ahead of Catalog Relaunch

    August 21, 2013 3:49 AM EDT After more than 35 years on the books of Warner Music, legendary Australian rock group Cold Chisel are taking the DIY route. When the rights to all of their recordings recently reverted to the band for the first time, they grabbed the opportunit ...

38. Fritz Rau, German Music Promoter Mick Jagger Dubbed 'Everyone's Fairy Godfather,' Dead at 83

    August 20, 2013 11:51 AM EDT German concert biz impresario Fritz Rau, a highly respected German promoter, has died at the age of 83 in Kronberg, near Frankfurt. Over the past 50 years Rau organized concerts for acts such as the Rolling Stones, the Yardbirds, Cream, Jimi Hen ...

39. Beats by Dr. Dre Maker Looking for New Investor (Report)

    August 20, 2013 7:12 AM EDT Beats Electronics, the company behind the Beats by Dr. Dre headphones, is looking to broaden its product lineup and bring in a new investor, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the situation. Beats Music Beefs Up Curati ...

40. Live Nation Australasia Teams with Brand Agency Mixitup

    August 20, 2013 5:59 AM EDT Live Nation’s Australasia company has formed a joint venture with brand agency mixitup Enterprises, which will focus on creating music and entertainment brand partnerships across Australia and New Zealand. The new venture, mixitup Australia, con ...

41. Sinking Jamaican Dollar Brings Challenges to Reggae Sumfest, the Country’s Largest Music Festival

    August 19, 2013 2:22 PM EDT The ongoing devaluation of the Jamaican dollar within the past 12 months has brought significant challenges and steep price increases to this year’s staging of Reggae Sumfest, Jamaica's largest music festival. “It cost US$2 million to put ...

42. EDM's Dead, Long Live... EMC? SFX's IPO Looms Large While the Industry Sells Out (From the Magazine)

    August 19, 2013 12:43 PM EDT THIS ARTICLE FIRST APPEARED IN BILLBOARD MAGAZINE – READ MORE HERE AND GET THIS WEEK'S ISSUE OR SUBSCRIBE TO BILLBOARD Disco Donnie Estopinal, the first promoter to sell his business to Robert F.X. Sillerman's newly re-formed SFX E ...

43. Germany’s Recorded Music Biz Reports Rare Growth In First Half

    August 19, 2013 6:58 AM EDT It’s been a long, painful slide but Germany’s record business is finally showing signs of growth. First-half revenue from physical and digital music formats rose to a total value of €660 million ($881 million), up 1.5% compared to the first-half ...

44. Ellie Goulding's 'Burn' Fires-Up To Debut At No. 1 in Britain

    August 19, 2013 5:02 AM EDT British singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding scored her first U.K. No. 1 single on Sunday (Aug. 18), debuting at the summit with “Burn” (Polydor/Universal). The Official Charts Company’s latest data also showed brothers Richard & Adam’s “The Imp ...

45. Business Matters: Why U.S. Download Sales Peaked in 2011

    August 16, 2013 8:18 PM EDT Digital download sales are likely to increase again in 2013. But by one measure, downloads actually peaked in 2011. Download sales accounted for 73% of digital revenues in 2011 and fell to 70% last year, according to annual shipments tracked by ...

46. Australia's High Court Decides Commercial Radio Should Pay for Internet Simulcasts

    August 15, 2013 11:56 PM EDT Australia's commerical radio stations who streamed music via online simulcasts should pay a separate license fee, the country’s High Court has decided. In doing so, the court has drawn a line under a legal battle which has rumbled on for mo ...

47. Biz Poll: Why Have Album Sales Hit Historic Lows?

    August 15, 2013 4:10 PM EDT As Billboard’s Ed Christman reported on Aug. 2, U.S. album sales hit new historic lows, marking the longest consecutive stretch in the Nielsen SoundScan era that the music industry has gone without scanning more than five million units.   For th ...

48. U.K.'s ITV Pushing for Simon Cowell Return As Judge on 'X Factor'

    August 15, 2013 2:30 AM EDT U.K. broadcaster ITV is making another push to get Simon Cowell to return as a judge on the U.K. edition of "X Factor" as part of negotiations to extend the talent show's run here beyond its upcoming 10th season. A current three-y ...

49. Former EMI Executive to Run Expanded Music Business for Germany's RTL

    August 13, 2013 10:12 AM EDT Germany's leading commercial broadcast group, RTL Deutschland, is expanding its music rights business with the launch of a new label, Music for Millions, and increasing its licensing and live events operations. Uli Mucke, a former vp new mu ...

50. Lorde First Woman in 17 Years to Top Alternative with 'Royals'

    August 12, 2013 1:31 PM EDT With the aptly-titled "Royals," Lorde becomes the first lead solo female to crown Billboard's Nielsen BDS-based Alternative chart in more than 17 years.   No female soloist, in fact, had led the list as a lead artist in Lorde' ...

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