1. 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 ...

  2. 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 ...

  3. 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 ...

  4. 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 ...

  5. 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 ...

  6. 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 ...

  7. 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 ...

  8. 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 ...

  9. 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 , ...

  10. 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 ...

  11. 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 ...

  12. 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 ...

  13. 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 ...

  14. 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 ...

  15. Backbeat: Backstage Kem-istry at the Gibson

    August 28, 2013 1:50 PM EDT Billboard caught up with Motown artist Kem following his Aug. 25 opening stint for the Isley Brothers and Maze featuring Frankie Beverly at Universal City’s Gibson Amphitheatre. The singer/songwriter/musician is gearing up to record his fourth a ...

  16. 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 ...

  17. Independent Study: IAMSOUND Records

    August 28, 2013 11:40 AM EDT Label: IAMSOUND Records Founded: 2006 Location: West Hollywood, L.A. Number of Employees: 5 Number of active artists: 4 Biggest release: Lord Huron, "Lonesome Dreams," Soundscan 46,000 Next release: Kate Boy, Early 2014 Distributor: RE ...

  18. 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 ...

  19. 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 ...

  20. 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 ...

  21. Gallo's Film/TV Briefs: ‘Gatsby’ Music Supervisor Anton Monsted To Fox; ‘Kinky Boots’ Composer Honors the Duke; Queen Latifah's 'Teach;' ‘Short Term 12’ Composer's Gig; More

    August 27, 2013 6:33 PM EDT   Monsted To Twentieth Century Fox Anton Monsted, executive music supervisor and co-producer of  “The Great Gatsby,” has been named senior vice president of Fox Music at Twentieth Century Fox. Monsted was previously general manager of Baz Luhrma ...

  22. Rick Ross Signs with ICM Partners for Concert Bookings and More

    August 27, 2013 5:48 PM EDT Rapper Rick Ross has signed with ICM Partners for representation in all areas. Ross’ responsible agents for concerts at ICM are Zach Iser and Caroline Yim. Previously, the rapper’s live bookings were handled in-house by his team. New Signings: ...

  23. 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 ...

  24. Motown Honors Unsung, But Instrumental, Maxine Powell, Responsible for Giving Artists 'Class'

    August 27, 2013 1:32 PM EDT She didn't sing a note or write a lick of a lyric, but Smokey Robinson contends that Maxine Powell was as essential to Motown Records' operation as the legendary label's songwriters, producers and musicians. Powell was in charge o ...

  25. Rick Nowels, Lana Del Rey Co-Writer, Talks 'Summertime Sadness' and His Catalog Of Hits

    August 27, 2013 12:41 PM EDT Rick Nowels has penned some of the most melodic pure-pop hits of the last quarter-century-plus. Chart Beat goes one-on-one with one of pop music's master tunesmiths For more than 25 years, Rick Nowels has crafted some of the most memorable ...

  26. Frederick 'Toots' Hibbert Launches $20 Million Injury Lawsuit

    August 27, 2013 4:32 AM EDT Grammy-winning reggae musician Frederick "Toots" Hibbert is suing several organizations after he was injured during a May concert in Richmond. Hibbert has filed the $20 million lawsuit in Richmond Circuit Court against Venture Richmond ...

  27. 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 ...

  28. Eddie 'Piolín' Sotelo Files Civil Extortion Lawsuit Against Six Former Univision Staffers

    August 26, 2013 6:20 PM EDT Radio personality Eddie “Piolín” Sotelo filed a lawsuit today against six former Univision employees and their Los Angeles attorneys, alleging civil extortion and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The lawsuit claims the defendants “a ...

  29. Chris Tyng's Grow Music Project Pays it Forward To Independent Artists

    August 26, 2013 4:14 PM EDT Composer Chris Tyng is opening his Santa Barbara County studio to developing and buzz-worthy musicians for free, no strings attached.   Tyng is launching the Grow Music Project to provide artists with two or three days in his state of the art st ...

  30. Rap-A-Lot Records Signs with RED Distribution

    August 26, 2013 12:43 PM EDT Houston-based label Rap-A-Lot Records has signed a multi-year agreement with RED Distribution, a Sony Music Entertainment-owned sales and marketing division that handles releases for over sixty independent record labels, for digital and physica ...

  31. BMI Celebrates 'Biggest Revenue Year Ever,' Cash Money's Williams Brothers, Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj

    August 26, 2013 7:55 AM EDT "If you go against me, you’re guaranteed to lose," said BMI Icon recipient Bryan "Birdman" Williams at the 2013 R&B/Hip-Hop Awards. From the pre-show calls to get everyone seated to the endless procession of songwriting ...

  32. Justin Timberlake Rescues 2013 MTV VMAs as Show Turns 30

    August 26, 2013 1:31 AM EDT MTV is never fond of promoting the age of its annual Video Music Awards and as it turned 30 Sunday night in Brooklyn it worked hard to say it could compete with the raunch of the Internet, the career achievement component of the Grammys and up-t ...

  33. MTV VMAs: Katy Perry To Perform Live From Iconic Brooklyn Locale, Producer Promises Borough Love Letter

    August 25, 2013 8:07 AM EDT Brooklyn’s Barclays center was an empty black box for much of August. The last concert to take place in the 19,000-seat venue? Beyonce’s Aug. 5 gig, capping off three nights at the venue her husband Jay Z helped bring to fruition. But as of Satu ...

  34. 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 ...

  35. Ben Kweller Expands His Noise Company Label, Manager Kevin Wommack Named President

    August 23, 2013 5:08 PM EDT Indie rocker Ben Kweller has joined forces with longtime manager and industry veteran, Kevin Wommack, who will also serve as President of Kweller's record label, the Noise Company. Wommack has enlisted Mary Juney and Emmy Black, both of who ...

  36. 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 ...

  37. 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 ...

  38. Strange Music Rules on Rap Albums Chart

    August 23, 2013 10:00 AM EDT Missouri-based independent label Strange Music notches its eighth debut on Rap Albums this year as Stevie Stone’s “2 Birds 1 Stone” opens at No. 9 with 5,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. No other imprint has placed as many titles ...

  39. Lady Gaga's 'Applause' To Get Kia Hamster Treatment During VMAs

    August 23, 2013 9:36 AM EDT Katy Perry won’t be the only artist with a commercial synched up to her performance during this weekend’s MTV Video Music Awards. Lady Gaga’s “Applause” will become the latest song to get the dancing hamster treatment from the Kia Soul, in a ...

  40. Marvin Gaye's Family Rejected Robin Thicke's Six-Figure Offer (Exclusive)

    August 23, 2013 8:27 AM EDT Billboard has learned that Robin Thicke’s team offered a six-figure sum to members of Marvin Gaye family in order to preempt a copyright infringement showdown, but the family turned it down. According to sources knowledgeable with the lawsu ...

  41. 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 ...

  42. 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 ...

  43. Ed's Publishing Briefs: UMPG Re-ups Admin Deal with Warner Bros; Imagem Strikes Deal with Counting Crows, Jimmy Cliff; Coolio's Song Auction

    August 22, 2013 5:28 PM EDT UMPG SIGNS DEALS WITH WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT, BURT BACHARACH Universal Music Publishing Group has renewed its worldwide music publishing administration agreement with Warner Bros. Entertainment, which will cover the music from Warner Bros. P ...

  44. 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 ...

  45. Sub Pop and Nirvana's First Record Contract: Simplicity Ahead of a Squall

    August 22, 2013 1:04 PM EDT Six hundred bucks well spent—not that we had it at the time. That what Sub Pop had to say when it posted the first page of its original, starkly simple, contract between Nirvana and the still-fledgling Seattle label. The document dates to when N ...

  46. Getting Out The Vote: Round Two of CMA Awards Online Balloting Underway

    August 22, 2013 1:04 PM EDT The 24-hour period beginning at 8 p.m. on Aug. 19 saw a wealth of country events in Nashville: No. 1 parties for Jake Owen, Brad Paisley and Tim McGraw, and a dinner/listening party for Keith Urban’s forthcoming album "Fuse." There’s a ...

  47. 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 ...

  48. FYF Fest Founder Sean Carlson on Goldenvoice, Market Saturation and 2013's Stellar Lineup (Q&A)

    August 21, 2013 4:21 PM EDT Outside of the market-leading Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, one would be hard-pressed to find another multi-day music festival in Southern California with a more impressive lineup than this year’s FYF Fest in Los Angeles.  Celebra ...

  49. Maker Studios to Buy Blip

    August 21, 2013 4:21 PM EDT Maker Studios, whose 60,000 YouTube channels command more than 4 billion views a month, has signed an agreement to purchase Blip, a producer and distributor of original Web videos, according to sources close to the deal, which is expected to clo ...

  50. 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 ...

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