1. Streaming Services: Which Artists Are Still Holding Out?

    February 04, 2013 9:51 AM EST 3 16 38 0 As if the subscription service's business model wasn't already difficult enough, a small group of artists holding out from those services could expect an advance to join one of them. And they'd have a pretty good argument. Holdout ...

  2. TuneCore Paid Out $102 Million to Artists Last Year, Company Claims

    February 01, 2013 5:14 PM EST 5 17 39 0 While some Jeff Price fans might question TuneCore's future  business prospects, the company's management tells Billboard that the company enjoyed robust growth last year, hitting revenues of $101.8 million for its artists through sale ...

  3. Universal Music Publishing Plots Exit From ASCAP, BMI

    February 01, 2013 4:10 PM EST 13 152 216 0 On the heels of Sony/ATV and EMI striking a deal to directly license their music to Pandora , Universal Music Publishing has notified ASCAP and BMI that it too will no longer rely on the two performance rights organizations to negotiate digit ...

  4. Business Matters: The Jury is Still Out on The Future of Music

    January 30, 2013 8:49 PM EST 8 15 45 0 The news from the annual MIDEM conference indicated streaming is the future of music. Deezer expanded to new countries. Rdio launched free tiers in new countries. Online video is a growing portion of revenue for record labels and music publisher ...

  5. Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis Sign With Universal Publishing

    January 30, 2013 3:11 PM EST 67 26 0 The long-running songwriting and production team of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis have signed an exclusive worldwide publishing administration agreement with Universal Music Publishing Group, the company announced today. The deal will encompass all ...

  6. Biz Q&A: SACEM CEO Jean Noel Tronc on Managing the World's Second-Largest Rights Society

    January 29, 2013 3:45 PM EST 7 4 12 0 Jean Noel Tronc is CEO of France's authors, composers and publishers collections society SACEM -- a job he's only held since June 2012.  Coming from the IT and television sectors, Tronc has had a steep learning curve but already under h ...

  7. Exclusive: Kobalt, STIM Form Aggregated Rights Arm to Accelerate European Licensing, Client Payments

    January 29, 2013 12:00 AM EST 1 16 21 0 Kobalt Music Group and STIM, a Swedish copyright management organization, have partnered to launch Kobalt STIM Aggregated Rights AB to effectively create a one-stop shop to Kobalt’s European rights for digital music services. The division will b ...

  8. Martin Mills' Call to Action: His Billboard MIDEM Speech In Full

    January 27, 2013 4:00 PM EST 33 377 202 0 This morning (Jan. 27) at MIDEM, Billboard honored Beggars Group founder Martin Mills with its Industry Icon Award for his innumerable contributions to the music business. His fiery speech (in full here) is a call to action for governments an ...

  9. Warner/Chappell's Cameron Strang: Six Questions

    January 27, 2013 2:30 PM EST 1 13 5 0 "Questions Answered" is a regular feature in the new and improved Billboard magazine. This article is from the premiere edition, which also features Gail Mitchell's cover story on Prince, Ray Waddell's examination of the earni ...

  10. Exclusive: John Lennon, Yoko Ono Catalogs Sign With Downtown Music Publishing

    January 25, 2013 8:05 AM EST 11 12 0 Downtown Music Publishing today announced the signing of publishing administration agreements for the U.S. with Lenono Music and Ono Music, home to the song catalogs of John Lennon and Yoko Ono respectively. Under the terms of the agreement, whi ...

  11. 13 Points to Watch at MIDEM 2013

    January 24, 2013 5:47 PM EST 21 0 0 0 As the world's largest trade fair for the music industry, MIDEM can be daunting to navigate. Last year's gathering drew more than 6,850 attendees from 77 countries, representing 3,120 companies, including 155 startups. This year's ...

  12. Downtown Sells Label to Cofounders, Focuses on Publishing

    January 24, 2013 5:34 PM EST 1 0 Downtown Music LLC, the privately held parent company of Downtown Records and Downtown Music Publishing, today announced the sale of its recorded music business to cofounders Josh Deutsch and Terence Lam. According to a statement, the move, effect ...

  13. MediaNet Expanding Services to Mechanical Rights Licensing, Administration

    January 24, 2013 1:07 PM EST 1 0 MediaNet, the back-end of such digital services like Mog/Beats and Songza, is expanding its offerings by providing mechanical rights licensing and administration. MediaNet currently relies on the Harry Fox Agency (HFA) to supply publishing license ...

  14. Ultra Music and Sony Announce Partnership, Patrick Moxey Named President of Electronic Music

    January 23, 2013 7:13 PM EST 71 15 0 Sony Music Entertainment and Ultra Music -- the EDM-focused record label, publishing house, management company and media platform owned and operated by Patrick Moxey --  have announced a globe-spanning strategic partnership between the two compa ...

  15. Exclusive: Kobalt Launches Label Services Division, Preps New Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Release

    January 22, 2013 6:35 PM EST 2 0 Not only did Kobalt sign a deal with Dave Grohl this week, the company is also formally introducing a new Label Services division that will handle digital and physical releases for independent artists as well as Kobalt clients. Though the division ...

  16. Kobalt Seals Exclusive Worldwide Administration Deal With Dave Grohl

    January 22, 2013 2:30 PM EST 1 1 0 Kobalt has finalized a deal with Dave Grohl to take over the exclusive worldwide administration rights to all of the musician's music, from Nirvana to the Foo Fighters to Them Crooked Vultures, the company announced today. The deal will go in ...

  17. Sony/ATV's Martin Bandier on New, 'Quite Reasonable' Pandora Deal

    January 20, 2013 6:05 PM EST Sony/ATV Music Publishing, which administers EMI Music Publishing's catalog, pulled digital rights for both catalogs from ASCAP and BMI at the top of this year. In doing so, it was following up on a strategy first employed by EMI, which did i ...

  18. Six Music-Related Issues Facing This Administration and Congress

    January 20, 2013 3:05 PM EST From performance royalties to deciding how musicians travel with their instruments on airplanes, numerous issues central to the music industry are alive Washington D.C. as the city prepares for the president inauguration on Martin Luther King, Jr. ...

  19. T.I. Shopping $75 Million Deal: Report

    January 20, 2013 2:01 PM EST T.I.'s contract with Atlantic expired last month, according to a report in TMZ , and he's working on getting a $75 million deal. The package reportedly would include three albums; 10-20 percent of publishing, touring, merchandise, film a ...

  20. Sony Corp. of America Sells New York HQ for $1.1 Billion

    January 20, 2013 1:49 PM EST In a move to bolster its balance sheet and cash position, Sony Corp. of America has agreed to sell its 550 Madison headquarters building in New York City for $1.1 billion to a consortium of investors led by the Chetrit Group. Sony companies, inclu ...

  21. Sony/ATV's Martin Bandier on New, 'Quite Reasonable' Pandora Deal

    January 18, 2013 7:00 PM EST 1 0 0 0 Sony/ATV Music Publishing, which administers EMI Music Publishing's catalog, pulled digital rights for both catalogs from ASCAP and BMI at the top of this year. In doing so, it was following up on a strategy first employed by EMI, which did i ...

  22. Sony/ATV Negotiates 25% Royalty Increase From Pandora: Report

    January 17, 2013 8:01 AM EST 1 0 The newly combined Sony/ATV-EMI music publishing powerhouse has used its market clout to negotiate a 25% royalty increase from Pandora, according to a report in the New York Post . The deal is said to run for the next 12 months. A source close to ...

  23. SoundExchange Distributions Grew 58% to $462 Million in 2012

    January 16, 2013 6:51 PM EST 1 0 0 SoundExchange distributed $462 million in digital performing royalties in 2012 -- a 58% increase over 2011 -- the organization announced Wednesday. The 22,000 payments, totaling $134.9 million in the fourth quarter of 2012, were 10% higher than th ...

  24. Digital Startups, Developing Market Establishing New African Music Industry

    January 15, 2013 7:10 PM EST 7 4 0 After long-term challenges with widespread piracy and a widely disparate radio and record industry, a burgeoning legitimate music scene is fast emerging on the continent of Africa. An expanding middle class, a fast-growing population with more tha ...

  25. Billboard's Parent Company Names Ross Levinsohn CEO

    January 15, 2013 1:11 PM EST Billboard's parent company has a new leader: Former Yahoo and Fox Interactive Media executive Ross Levinsohn In his role as CEO of Guggenheim Partners' newly-renamed Guggenheim Digital Media, Levinsohn will oversee Billboard, The Hollywo ...

  26. Ian Rogers Named CEO of Beats Electronics' Music Service

    January 10, 2013 2:05 PM EST Beats Electronics today announced that its new music service, project "Daisy," will have Topspin's Ian Rogers as its CEO. Rogers will oversee the "direction, vision and strategy" for project "Daisy" and the team ...

  27. UMPG, Capitol Music Group Launch Capitol CMG Publishing

    January 07, 2013 9:38 PM EST Universal Music Group Publishing and the Capitol Music Group and have launched a new publishing entity, Capitol CMG Publishing, which combines EMI CMG Publishing and Brentwood Benson Music Publishing. In putting together the two Christian publishi ...

  28. Radiohead's Thom Yorke Signs Administration Deal with Kobalt

    January 07, 2013 4:30 PM EST Radiohead singer Thom Yorke has signed a worldwide administration deal with Kobalt Music, the company has announced. Kobalt will represent Yorke's upcoming project Atoms For Peace and his previous solo album, 2006's "The Eraser.&quo ...

  29. Rizvi Traverse Management Buys 75% Stake In SESAC: Report

    January 07, 2013 10:00 AM EST Rizvi Traverse Management is the new majority owner of the Society of European Stage Authors and Composers (SESAC), according to press reports. A Wall Street Journal reports says the private equity firm paid $600 million for a 75% majority stake i ...

  30. Warner Music's Cameron Strang Gets Pay Raise to $2.25 Million; Lyor Cohen Highest-Paid WMG Employee in 2012

    December 28, 2012 3:32 PM EST Warner Music Group announced in an SEC filing Friday that Cameron Strang, Chairman and CEO of Warner/Chappell Music, and Brian Roberts, Chief Financial Officer, have signed new employment agreements with the company. Billboard Power 100: Cameron S ...

  31. BMG Acquires Mute Records Catalog

    December 21, 2012 6:15 PM EST In its second deal of the day, BMG Rights Management has acquired the Mute back catalog owned by EMI, which includes records released by artists like Depeche Mode, Erasure, Moby, Goldfrapp and Nick Cave. According to sources, BMG paid over 7 milli ...

  32. Rizvi Traverse On Verge of Acquiring SESAC

    December 21, 2012 11:15 AM EST Rizvi Traverse, a private equity firm, appears to be on the verge of acquiring SESAC, according to a filing with the SEC. On Dec. 11, Rizvi Traverse's Rizvi Opportunistic Equity Fund II, L.P. filed for an early termination notice from a Hart- ...

  33. Publishing Briefs: Reach, Downtown, House of Hassle, BMG Chrysalis, Patrick Joseph, Windish, More

    December 21, 2012 9:33 AM EST Reach Music Links With Zac Brown, Band, Southern Ground Reach Music Publishing has signed a worldwide publishing-administration agreement with Zac Brown, founder of the Zac Brown Band. In addition, Reach Music will administer publishing for artist ...

  34. BMG Beats Warner/Chappell to 'New Wave'-Heavy EMI Publishing Divestitures for $90 Million

    December 20, 2012 5:46 PM EST BMG successfully outbid Warner/Chappell to win control of nearly 30,000 songs divested by EMI, including popular UK '80s hits from acts like Tears for Fears and Culture Club. The catalogs -- which were sold for around $90 million, according t ...

  35. Exclusive: Rob Wiesenthal Out at Sony/ATV, Heading to Warner Music

    December 20, 2012 10:38 AM EST Rob Wiesenthal, President of Sony/ATV's international business, is leaving the world's no.1 music publisher to join Len Blavatnik's Warner Music Group as chief operating officer/corporate, WMG said on Thursday. Wiesenthal, a Sony Co ...

  36. Three Songwriter Organizations Oppose Internet Radio Fairness Act

    December 03, 2012 2:14 PM EST In the last three weeks, three coalitions of songwriter organizations have written letters to congress opposing the Internet Radio Fairness Act (IRFA) while asserting that songwriters royalty rates paid by services like Pandora are too low and nee ...

  37. Songwriter Organizations Pen Letter to Congress Opposing Internet Radio Fairness Act

    November 28, 2012 9:32 PM EST In conjunction with the House Intellectual Property Subcommittee hearing on music licensing reform held Wednesday, four songwriter organizations collectively wrote a letter to Congress opposing the Internet Radio Fairness Act. Radio Broadcasters G ...

  38. EMI Publishing Catalog Down to Four Suitors, One Bid Outstanding

    November 28, 2012 8:20 PM EST With one bid still outstanding, the auction to sell off a portion of EMI's publishing catalog is now down to four suitors. According to sources, those still in contention to buy the portfolio of songs -- dubbed the Rosetta catalog, which cont ...

  39. The Key Women Behind ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC

    November 28, 2012 12:03 PM EST The performing rights organizations -- ASCAP, BMI and SESAC -- play a crucial role in the financial health of the music industry, paying performance royalties to songwriters, composers and publishers. At each of the PROs, numerous female executive ...

  40. Publishing Briefs: NMPA Announces Capitol Hill Showcase To Coincide With Royalty Hearings; Ole, BMG & Kobalt Signings; More

    November 27, 2012 3:57 PM EST -- The National Music Publishers Association (NMPA) has organized a songwriters' showcase for Nov. 28, the same day as the House Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Competition and the Internet is holding hearings on music licensing. The e ...

  41. Bruce Cockburn, Trooper, Deadmau5 Honored at 2012 SOCAN Awards Gala

    November 20, 2012 2:06 PM EST Canadian musician/activist Bruce Cockburn and "Raise A Little Hell" rockers Trooper were honored with lifetime achievement awards last night at the 23rd annual SOCAN Awards Gala, which recognizes the accomplishments of Canadian songwrite ...

  42. Music Publishers, Congressmen Send Letter Protesting Internet Radio Fairness Act

    November 16, 2012 4:48 PM EST While Congress gets ready to consider the Internet Radio Fairness Act of 2012 later this month, which some say is designed to lower pureplay webcasters royalty rates to record labels, the National Music Publishers' Assn. and other songwriter ...

  43. From This Week's Billboard: TuneCore Opens In Japan, COO Scott Ackerman Discusses Company's Vision

    November 16, 2012 3:43 PM EST COO Scott Ackerman is currently running TuneCore. Below is a story from the new Billboard on the international expansion of TuneCore, the online distribution company and its vision for the future under COO Scott Ackerman who has run the company si ...

  44. Luke Laird, Dallas Davidson, Sony/ATV Win Big at 60th BMI Country Awards

    October 31, 2012 4:30 PM EDT Big winners: Rhett Akins, Dallas Davidson, Tom T. Hall and Luke Laird attend the 60th Annual BMI Country Awards at BMI on October 30, 2012 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Russell/Getty Images for BMI) "Take A Back Road" went cent ...

  45. Catt Gravitt, Jon Stone Win Big at SESAC Nashville Music Awards

    October 29, 2012 7:56 PM EDT Women were the center of attention when SESAC kicked off Country Music Week with its annual Nashville Music Awards on Sunday night. The performing-rights organization gave its songwriter of the year trophy to Catt Gravitt, a woman who had at least ...

  46. Songwriters Are Left Out of Pandora's Royalty Plan: Guest Post by Downtown Music's Justin Kalifowitz

    October 29, 2012 1:00 PM EDT Pandora's efforts to lower its royalty rates have inspired conversation and controversy in recent weeks. This editorial by Justin Kalifowitz -- president of Downtown Music Publishing and co-founder / CEO of Songtrust , a royalty collection pl ...

  47. Publishing Briefs: CISAC Summit, Kobalt, Paul McCartney, Wonderlous, Jingle Punks, More

    October 16, 2012 5:16 PM EDT CISAC Summit Set for June 2013 CISAC, the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers, will hold its fourth biennial World Creators Summit on June 4-5, 2013, in Washington, DC, at the Ronald Reagan Center. Formerly known as t ...

  48. ?uestlove, Universal Music's Harry Weinger To Teach 'Classic Albums' Course At NYU

    October 16, 2012 2:25 PM EDT An NPR intern's dismissive review of Public Enemy's "It Takes A Nation..." inadvertently brings ?uestlove to the Ivory Tower Ahmir '?uestlove' Thompson will soon be adding another job to his exhaustive list of titles: ...

  49. Peermusic, Bug, Warner, Others Win $6.6 Million in LiveUniverse Lyrics Lawsuit

    October 11, 2012 4:51 PM EDT Michael Jackson once sang, "You can't win / You can't break even/ And you can't get out of the game." With that in mind, a group of music publishers including Peermusic, Bug Music and Warner Chappell Music has won $6.6 mil ...

  50. B.B. King, Elvis Costello, Ray Davies, More Nominated For Songwriters Hall Of Fame

    October 11, 2012 10:31 AM EDT NEW YORK (AP) -- Elvis Costello, B.B. King and Ray Davies are among the nominees for the 2013 Songwriters Hall of Fame. They're joined by a slew of top acts, including Jimmy Buffett, Vince Gill and Rod Temperton, who wrote Michael Jackson ...

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