1. Prince Royce Signs With Sony Music Entertainment

    April 01, 2013 9:23 AM EDT Bachata crossover act Prince Royce has signed a recording deal with Sony Music Entertainment to release albums in Spanish through Sony Music Latin and in English through RCA Records. Royce’s first Spanish-language album is due this fall and his ...

  2. Phil Ramone: A Selected Discography

    March 31, 2013 7:23 PM EDT 2 28 54 0 0 Phil Ramone was deferential to a fault. He liked to say it was the artist, not the producer, whose name appeared on the front of the album. That’s why you won’t find mention of Ramone on the covers of CDs by Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Frank Sinat ...

  3. Phil Ramone Looks Back at His Legendary Career in Expansive 1996 Billboard Interview

    March 30, 2013 2:20 PM EDT 1 82 206 0 0 Legendary producer Phil Ramone -- who helmed classic albums by Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Paul McCartney, Barbra Streisand, Bob Dylan, Frank Sinatra, Carly Simon and many others over a career that reached back to the early 1960s -- died this mor ...

  4. 'American Idol' Creator Settles with Fox Over 'X Factor' Money

    March 29, 2013 8:40 PM EDT There's a new détente that's been declared in the War of the Simons. In July 2011, "American Idol" creator Simon Fuller sued Fox Broadcasting over the Simon Cowell singing competition show "The X Factor." Fuller all ...

  5. Charles Caldas, Merlin CEO, Talks Market Complexities, UMG's 'Hubris' (Q&A)

    March 29, 2013 11:01 AM EDT Charles Caldas, CEO of Merlin, the global digital-rights champion for indie labels, received the prestigious IMPALA Outstanding Contribution Award this week, in recognition of his relentless work chasing royalties due to indie companies and arti ...

  6. Rick Ross Under Fire for Lyrics That Critics Say Condone Date Rape

    March 28, 2013 5:15 PM EDT Rick Ross is facing a growing online firestorm over lyrics that critics say condone date rape. The song in question, “U.O.E.N.O.,” by Atlanta rapper Rocko, features verses from Ross and Future and was released on a mixtape, Gift of Gab 2 , back ...

  7. Paul Williams, Crawdaddy Founder, 'Godfather of Rock Criticism' Dead at 64

    March 28, 2013 3:58 PM EDT 1 596 81 0 0 Paul Williams, the writer and editor who helped create what we now know as rock journalism with Crawdaddy!, a magazine he founded in 1966, died last night at the age of 64 from complications related to a 1995 bike accident. Williams began pub ...

  8. Business Matters: Spotify, Deezer Inactive Accounts Are Just Part of Doing Business

    March 28, 2013 2:57 PM EDT 6 7 40 0 0 When you hand out free accounts to a digital service -- especially in the age of Facebook Connect -- you're likely to find most people just aren't that into you. That's what Spotify and Deezer have found, notes music industry ana ...

  9. Mom+Pop Names Robbie Mackey New Head of Marketing, Announces Sub Service, New Imprint

    March 28, 2013 1:51 PM EDT Robbie Mackey, former head of The Orchard's interactive marketing department and alum of Mom+Pop's digital department, has been named as Mom+Pop's new head of marketing, it was announced today. The New York-based label is home to ...

  10. Downtown Music Taking 2013 Music Fest National With Earl Sweatshirt, Black Hippy, Purity Ring

    March 28, 2013 1:34 PM EDT Downtown Events, the live arm of the Downtown Music family of companies -- which include Downtown Records, RCRDLBL.com, Downtown Music Services and Downtown Music Publishing (which recently acquired the catalogs of Yoko Ono and John Lennon) -- t ...

  11. International Music Summit Announces Inaugural U.S Event With Russell Simmons, Troy Carter, Skrillex, More

    March 28, 2013 12:00 PM EDT After six years spent in Ibiza -- hosting wide-ranging conversations with the likes of David Lynch, Giorgio Morode and others --  the International Music Summit is set to debut to America. IMS Engage, to be held April 17 at the W Hotel in Los An ...

  12. 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 ...

  13. Backbeat: Prince Royce, Horacio Palencia, UMPG Celebrate Wins at BMI's Latin Awards in Vegas

    March 28, 2013 10:38 AM EDT Talk of new albums and new deals swirled during the BMI 20th annual Latin music Awards, held March 21 at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. From left: Phil Graham, BMI SVP, writer/publisher relations; songwriter of the year winner Horacio Palencia; Mich ...

  14. Rock Producer Bob Ezrin Talks About the Importance of Canada's Arts Scene During Canadian Music Week Keynote

    March 27, 2013 3:46 PM EDT 48 13 0 0 Bob Ezrin's keynote conversation with interviewer Ralph Simon of ASCAP was filled with interesting tidbits about the late Jack Richardson, like giving "the kid" the little-known band Alice Cooper to produce in 1970, to his curre ...

  15. ASCAP Announces Results of Biannual Board Elections

    March 27, 2013 11:16 AM EDT ASCAP has announced the results of its biannual elections to its board of directors, in a statement released today. 23 of the 24 electees, split evenly between twelve writers and twelve publishers with one 'symphonic and concert' membe ...

  16. Business Matters: Streaming, Subscriptions Rising, But Total Recorded-Music Revenues Down 1% in 2012: RIAA Report

    March 26, 2013 6:05 PM EDT 12 0 0 Subscription and streaming services experienced tremendous growth and accounted for 15% of record business revenue in 2012, according to RIAA statistics released Tuesday. That expansion helped digital revenue surge to 59% of total recorded musi ...

  17. Artists Carla Morrison, Olga Tañon, America Sierra and Kany Garcia Set for 'Latin’s Leading Ladies' Panel at 2013 Billboard Latin Music Conference

    March 26, 2013 5:35 PM EDT 1 31 47 0 0 2012 Latin Grammy revelation Carla Morrison, tropical superstar Olga Tañon, Regional Mexican composer and 3Ball MTY vocalist America Sierra, and Puerto Rican pop singer/songwriter Kany Garcia will represent the current strength of Latin music’ ...

  18. Backbeat: Steve Bartels, L.A. Reid, Tom Poleman, Alissa Pollack More at Taste of Hope Auction

    March 26, 2013 5:05 PM EDT Old friends, old rivals, and new music: the buzz at the 7th annual Taste of Hope entertainment industry dinner held last Thursday at New York City’s Three Sixty was decidedly upbeat as major music executives united in the name of charity – and b ...

  19. Dionne Warwick Files for Bankruptcy

    March 25, 2013 9:52 PM EDT   Dionne Warwick has filed for Chapter Seven bankruptcy over tax liens dating to the 1990s. Rolling Stone reports that the five-time Grammy winner, 72, filed on March 21, ending a lengthy relationship with the IRS that reportedly began with an i ...

  20. Karen Bliss, Billboard Canada Correspondent, Wins Music Journalist/Blogger Award

    March 25, 2013 1:13 PM EDT 2 5 11 0 0 Karen Bliss, Billboard's Canada correspondent, won the Music Journalist/Blogger of the Year at the 32nd edition of the Canadian Music & Broadcast Industry Awards last week during Canadian Music Week. The awards are considered Canada� ...

  21. NARM Announces First-Ever Music Industry Metadata Summit

    March 25, 2013 12:00 PM EDT The National Association of Recording Merchandisers and digitalmusic.org have announced its first-ever Music Industry Metadata Summit, which will be held in Los Angeles, May 6th and 7th, and is part of NARM's Music Biz 2013 conference. The ...

  22. SiriusXM Indie Awards: Japandroids, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Metric Win Big During Canadian Music Week

    March 25, 2013 10:32 AM EDT Canada’s SirusXM Indie Awards, held each year in Toronto as part of Canadian Music Week, honoured some rather big names Friday night (March 22) -- for an awards ceremony that strictly honors independent artists -- including Taylor Swift, Carly R ...

  23. K-Pop Fans Raise Hell After Popular Videos Get Blocked on YouTube

    March 24, 2013 6:10 PM EDT 1 0 23 0 0 What do K-pop fans and the state of Texas have in common? Answer: It's never a good idea to mess with either. Early Sunday morning (March 24), it appeared videos by K-pop entertainment agency, Cube Entertainment, were being blocked for int ...

  24. 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 ...

  25. My Chemical Romance Break Up: 'Time For It To End'

    March 23, 2013 12:33 PM EDT 1 1.488 k 76 5 0 My Chemical Romance has called it quits, the rock act announced on its website on Friday. The long-running group had been together for over a decade, releasing four studio albums. "Being in this band for the past 12 years has been a ...

  26. 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 ...

  27. Business Matters: Digital Piracy Study Conflicts with Two Papers it Cites

    March 22, 2013 8:41 PM EDT A report on music piracy by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre has ruffled some feathers in the music business. "Digital Music Consumption on the Internet: Evidence from Clickstream Data” also mischaracterizes the conclusi ...

  28. Simple Plan, Ralph James, Graham Henderson Among Canadian Music & Broadcast Industry Award Honorees

    March 22, 2013 12:35 PM EDT The Canadian music industry was out full force last night (March 22), jammed into a room at Toronto’s Kool Haus to honor three Hall of Fame inductees, a humanitarian and an assortment of companies and individuals from labels, managers, agents, r ...

  29. Ultra Music Festival and Miami Music Week: All of Our Coverage

    March 21, 2013 7:17 PM EDT 1 3 10 0 0 Five Questions at Ultra: Carl Craig on Trap Music, Planet E Records Ultra Music Social Scoop: On the Ground in Miami #ULTRAGRAMS: Miami via Instagram Backbeat: Swedish House Mafia's Steve Angello Kicks Off Brand Partnerships, Solo Career D ...

  30. Business Matters: Track Sales Down 2% in 2013, Not the First Deficit of the Digital Age

    March 21, 2013 6:54 PM EDT Track sales are down 2% through March 15, according to Nielsen SoundScan, suggesting the product has reached a mature stage as consumers are changing their behaviors. Digital albums are still growing, however, although their 9% year-over-year gr ...

  31. Boston's Tom Scholz Looks to Reclaim Rights to Hits, Sparking a Lawsuit from Former Manager and Publisher

    March 21, 2013 5:43 PM EDT Over the years, insiders in the music industry have expressed more than a feeling that this would be the year where there would be court battles that might forever shape the business. That's because changes to copyright law that went into e ...

  32. Arthur Fogel on 'Who The F**k Is Arthur Fogel' Screening at Canadian Music Week (Q&A)

    March 21, 2013 3:44 PM EDT In the documentary "Who The F**k Is Arthur Fogel," directed by Fogel's lifelong friend Ron Chapman, U2 frontman Bono calls him “clearly the most important person in the live music in the world.” Other praise follows by music busin ...

  33. Carly Rae Jepsen, Tegan & Sara, The Weeknd Win at Canadian Radio Music Awards

    March 21, 2013 3:15 PM EDT Canadian artists The Weeknd, Tegan & Sara, Carly Rae Jepsen and international acts fun. and Rihanna were among the winners last night (March 20) at the first of four awards shows held during Canadian Music Week 2013 (March 19-24). Sponsored ...

  34. Backbeat: Junior Sanchez, Windish, CAA, More at Red Light's A-List Ultra Party

    March 21, 2013 1:09 PM EDT Red Light Management’s Electronic Division made its courtship of electronic dance music official during Miami Music Week last night, with a networking party on the palatial grounds of Shore Club’s garden and pool area. Junior Sanchez (Ian Witlen ...

  35. Business Matters: 7 Areas for Possible Copyright Reform in the Music Business

    March 20, 2013 9:45 PM EDT Wednesday's hearing before the House Judiciary Committee's subcommittee on Courts, the Internet and Intellectual Property was a primer of the hot copyright issues to be discussed in the coming years. The comments of Register of Copyrig ...

  36. Rumblefish Acquires Administration Startup Catalogik

    March 20, 2013 5:14 PM EDT Rumblefish -- the consumer-oriented music licensing company that, through its Friendly Music service, lets YouTube users legally incorporate Rumblefish's wide catalog of music in their videos -- has acquired Catalogik, a music licensing and ...

  37. Pandora CFO Predicts Better Scaled Royalty Payments, Points to Increased Mobile Monetization

    March 20, 2013 12:52 PM EDT Internet radio giant Pandora believes it can lower its royalty costs as a share of revenue by roughly 20 percentage points over the next one to three years, the company's new chief financial officer said Tuesday.   Pandora believes its cont ...

  38. 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 ...

  39. YouTube, Partners Needs to Work Harder to Pay Songwriters, Publishers Fairly: Guest Post by Matt Pincus

    March 19, 2013 3:09 PM EDT From Billboard’s groundbreaking decision to factor YouTube views into the charts, to the “Harlem Shake,” to the historic agreements covering UGC content and Vevo videos, YouTube is becoming the mainstream music business. Yet, the ugly truth is t ...

  40. Maria Pallante, Register of Copyrights, to Congress: Copyright Needs to Be Updated for Digital Age

    March 19, 2013 12:45 PM EDT 2 3 27 1 0 Maria Pallante, Register of Copyrights, will urge Congress to think about passing “the next great copyright act” that will be “more forward thinking and flexible than before” when she testifies before the House Subcommittee on Courts, Intellect ...

  41. Warner/Chappell Names Jake Ottmann SVP of A&R

    March 19, 2013 12:43 PM EDT Warner Music Group's publishing wing, Warner/Chappell Music, has named Jake Ottmann its new senior vice president of A&R, charged with finding, signing and guiding new artists as well as bringing established artists into WMG's fold ...

  42. Q&A: Sean Parker and Shawn Fanning on 'Downloaded,' The Napster Revolution

    March 19, 2013 10:50 AM EDT They were wiry teenagers when they ignited the digital revolution, altering the music landscape forever with a little program called Napster in 1999. Now, 14 years later, Shawn Fanning and Sean Parker are older and wiser, but no less passionate ...

  43. 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 ...

  44. Business Matters: European Study on Piracy Conflicts With Conventional Wisdom

    March 18, 2013 8:49 PM EDT A new European Commission study based on Nielsen data from five European countries found that online music piracy did not hurt digital music purchases. In fact, the study found a slight, positive relationship between visits to illegal download s ...

  45. The Conan Bump: Quantifying Late Night Talk Show Sales & Social Numbers

    March 18, 2013 3:41 PM EDT This article originally appeared in the March 23rd issue of Billboard Magazine -- subscribe right here ! On the heels of his ratings-topping appearance on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” Justin Timberlake chose to extend his run on the late-night T ...

  46. Backbeat: Billboard & BMI's Annual SXSW Brunch Brings Together Movers and Shakers from Across the Biz

    March 18, 2013 12:38 PM EDT Another SXSW, another full lawn at the Four Seasons for Billboard and BMI’s annual Acoustic Brunch Friday, which kept the music and coffee flowing long after the fruit and breakfast burritos ran out. Sponsored by SunTrust and Southwest Airlines, ...

  47. Universal Music UK Announces Launch of Virgin EMI Records

    March 18, 2013 11:15 AM EDT 14 11 0 0 Universal Music UK's chairman and CEO David Joseph has announced the launch of Virgin EMI, an amalgamation of Universal Music subsidiary Mercury Records and Virgin Records, one of the many labels acquired by Universal in its takeover of E ...

  48. #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 ...

  49. George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, Bernie Worrell Talk 'Finding The Funk' - and Getting Paid for It - at SXSW Panel

    March 16, 2013 7:08 PM EDT 3 1.003 k 45 8 0 What began -- on paper, at least -- as a discussion on the documentary "Finding the Funk" by producers Nelson George and Arthur Baker (who moderated the conversation) quickly ran off the rails and became as much an exploration o ...

  50. SXSW Backbeat: SPIN and Solange at Stubb's, Earl Sweatshirt at Green Label Sound's Barbecue

    March 16, 2013 1:34 PM EDT 1 2 23 0 0 After the headlining act at MySpace's Saturday showcase was revealed to be Justin Timberlake , the next surprise guest to be unveiled would join the Afghan Whigs at FADER Fort on Friday night. Like most secrets this one wasn't kept lo ...

Pages