1. Interscope Geffen A&M Acquires Remaining Share of A&M/Octone Records

    October 07, 2013 5:44 PM EDT Interscope Geffen A&M announced Monday that it will acquire the remaining 50% share of the A&M/Octone joint venture from Octone Records. Formed in 2007, the joint venture was scheduled to conclude in mid-2014. Octone's year-to-date ...

  2. NARM Renames Itself the Music Business Association, Expands Mandate

    October 07, 2013 12:16 PM EDT The National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM), the trade organization founded in 1958 which represents music retailers, distributors, and others involved in the sale of music and related merchandise, has announced it is restructurin ...

  3. Warner Music Group Moving Headquarters To Paramount Plaza From Rockefeller Center

    October 07, 2013 10:10 AM EDT The Warner Music Group, the world’s third largest record company, is moving from its long-time headquarters at 75 Rockefeller Center and relocating to 1633 Broadway Tower, according to an Oct. 1 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission ...

  4. Chart Moves: Elton John's Top Five Feat, Nirvana's 'In Utero' Returns, 'Jon Stewart' Sends Atoms Flying

    October 04, 2013 9:07 PM EDT This week on the Billboard 200 albums chart, Drake led a party of debuts in the top 10, as his "Nothing Was the Same" started with 658,000 copies sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan. His launch marked the second-largest sales week of ...

  5. SoundExchange Distributes Record $153 Million in Q3, Celebrates 10-Year Anniversary

    October 04, 2013 4:48 PM EDT SoundExchange set another record for distributions in the third quarter, sending $153.7 million to record labels and artists in the third quarter. The figure was 25.5% greater than the same period last year and 74.7% above the $88 million dist ...

  6. Country Music Association Awards 2013 Voter Guide (PDF)

    October 03, 2013 12:00 PM EDT Country Music Association members will receive their third and final CMA Awards ballot on October 10 and will have until Oct. 28 to fill it out. The final results will be revealed during the airing of the 47th annual CMA Awards  -- "Country ...

  7. U.S. Digital Track Sales Down 3.4% This Year, Overall Album Sales Drop 6.1%

    October 03, 2013 12:54 AM EDT U.S. digital sales continue to be under pressure. In the third quarter, the digital track sales decline accelerated and now the slowdown of digital album sales growth is beginning to seep into red. For the nine-month period digital track sales ...

  8. Lorde on Topping Hot 100: It's 'Like My Birthday, Christmas, Washing My Hair After a Month'

    October 02, 2013 5:30 PM EDT Hey, Lorde, you've just topped the Billboard Hot 100 with "Royals." How does it feel? "It feels like a combination of my birthday, Christmas and washing my hair after a month of not doing so," Lorde beamed to Billboard e ...

  9. Celebrating 10 Years of NYU’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music with 'Enormous Pride' (Backbeat)

    October 02, 2013 12:53 PM EDT Jeff Rabhan , chair of the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at New York University, was understandably proud as he spoke at a celebration of the 10th anniversary of the program, held Sept 26 at Gallow Green, the rooftop garden bar of Ma ...

  10. Drake Leads Debut-Filled Top 4 on Billboard 200 Followed by Kings of Leon, Cher, Elton John

    October 02, 2013 11:00 AM EDT The Billboard 200's top four albums are all debuts this week, led by Drake's "Nothing Was the Same," which launches at No. 1 with 658,000 sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Last Friday, industry sources forecast that the s ...

  11. New Signings: Warner Music Nabs Ylvis, WME Inks Leah Turner, Maximum Artist Adds Lalah Hathaway, Warner/Chappell Signs Danny Orton

    October 02, 2013 7:45 AM EDT Here’s a look at the latest artist signings across the music industry. Billboard.biz is interested in your company’s new signings. Please send announcements to Mitchell.Peters@billboard.com for inclusion in our regular report. Click here for the ...

  12. Drake's 'Nothing Was the Same' Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200

    October 01, 2013 10:05 PM EDT It's official: As expected, Drake's "Nothing Was the Same" has debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart with the second-largest sales week of 2013. Drake's 'Nothing Was the Same': The Billboard Cove ...

  13. Justin Timberlake Heading for Second No. 1 Album this Year, Lorde Aiming For No. 3 (Updated)

    October 01, 2013 7:16 PM EDT Justin Timberlake's "The 20/20 Experience -- 2 of 2" is bound for the top of the Billboard 200, according to industry forecasters. While Billboard has yet to announce this week's top 10 albums on the Billboard 200, we're ...

  14. Polly Anthony Remembrances: Jimmy Iovine, Michele Anthony, Doug Morris, Celine Dion, Shakira, Macy Gray, More Pay Tribute

    October 01, 2013 1:30 AM EDT The loss of Polly Anthony this week impacted a large swath of the music industry who responded in droves to the loss of a beloved music executive who helped guide the careers of many successful artists (including, Macy Gray, Shakira, Celine Dio ...

  15. David Bowie's 'The Next Day' Gets 3-CD Reissue

    October 01, 2013 12:30 AM EDT David Bowie’s Mercury Prize-nominated album "The Next Day" will be reissued next month as a three-disc collector’s edition with a handful of previously-unreleased tracks. The set, called “The Next Day Extra,” includes the original 14-t ...

  16. Britney Spears' Las Vegas Residency Director Baz Halpin Reveals Production/Visual Details (Exclusive)

    September 30, 2013 8:56 PM EDT Over the past four months, award-winning touring director Baz Halpin has been working tirelessly on designing the production, visuals and lighting for Britney Spears’ upcoming nightclub-esque residency at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in ...

  17. Polly Anthony, Former Epic and Geffen Executive, Dead at 59

    September 30, 2013 8:00 PM EDT Polly Anthony, the Epic Records president who helped break and/or worked with such artists as Macy Gray, Shakira, Celine Dion, Rage Against the Machine, Michael Jackson, Jennifer Lopez and Pearl Jam, passed away at her home in Beverly Hills, ...

  18. Former Music Industry Veteran Polly Anthony Dies

    September 29, 2013 7:59 PM EDT Music industry veteran Polly Anthony, who served in executive roles at such record labels as Epic and Geffen, has died after a long battle with pancreatic cancer, according to All Access. Read Billboard.biz's updated and in-depth Polly A ...

  19. Christian Tattersfield Stepping Down as CEO of Warner Music UK, Max Lousada Named Successor

    September 29, 2013 3:55 PM EDT Warner Music Group today announced Christian Tattersfield will step down from his role as CEO, Warner Music UK and co-chairman, Warner Bros. Records UK in February 2014 and that Max Lousada, chairman of Atlantic Records UK, has been named his s ...

  20. Billboard Roundtable: EDM & Brands; the Jay Z-Samsung Model (Video)

    September 27, 2013 11:59 PM EDT The Panel Marcie Allen Founder/president, MAC Presents Lori Feldman Senior VP of brand partnerships & music licensing, Warner Bros. Records Marcus Peterzell EVP of entertainment, Ketchum Sports & Entertainment; head of Ketchum Sounds Boz ...

  21. Chart Moves: Grateful Dead's Highest Charting Album Since 1987, Mumford & Sons' 'Sigh' Hits 3 Million & Josh Groban's TV-Fueled Return

    September 27, 2013 11:59 PM EDT This week on the Billboard 200 albums chart, Jack Johnson scored his fourth No. 1, as "From Here to Now to You" arrived atop the list with 117,000 sold  in its first week (according to Nielsen SoundScan). Also noteworthy was how there ...

  22. Kings of Leon, Cher and Elton John Heading for Top Five on Billboard 200

    September 27, 2013 9:40 PM EDT It will be busy on the Billboard 200 albums chart next week, as a slew of big-name acts are heading for high debuts. As previously reported  on Wednesday, Sept. 25, Drake's new album "Nothing Was the Same" is heading for a very st ...

  23. !K7 Label Services Signs Up Friends of Friends in Europe, Acid Jazz Worldwide

    September 27, 2013 1:50 PM EDT !K7 Label Services, a division of the Berlin-borne, London-based label and one-stop music biz shop , has announced another round of label partnerships, this time with the fast-on-the-rise L.A. label Friends of Friends (Shlohmo, Groundislava) and ...

  24. 'Get Off My Lawn': Readers Respond to Country's 'Image Problem'

    September 27, 2013 11:30 AM EDT Last week’s column  drew comments from readers in such disparate country music hotbeds as Australia and Brazil. Citing recent critical comments about current country music from some of the format’s own stars, including Zac Brown and Gary Allan, ...

  25. Bart Cools To Lead WMG's Dance Music Strategy

    September 27, 2013 6:46 AM EDT Bart Cools, a key dance music executive with EMI for more than 20 years, has joined Warner Music Group. The Dutchman will lead WMG’s dance music strategy in the role as executive VP, global A&R and marketing, dance music, for Warner Recorded ...

  26. Tupac Shakur's Mother Suing Over Royalties

    September 26, 2013 2:08 PM EDT  She also demands that unreleased masters be handed over in a lawsuit that follows a company's purchase of the song catalogue of Death Row Records. Afeni Shakur is demanding more than $1.1 million in royalties from the exploitation of her s ...

  27. Michele Anthony Named Universal Music EVP, U.S. Recorded Music (Exclusive)

    September 26, 2013 10:00 AM EDT Veteran music execuctive Michele Anthony is joining Universal Music Group in a newly-created role. With effect from Nov. 1, Anthony will become UMG’s executive vice president, U.S. recorded music, reporting to the group’s chairman/CEO Lucian Gra ...

  28. Blue Note and Panasonic Partner on In-Car Audio (Exclusive)

    September 26, 2013 9:00 AM EDT Blue Note Records has signed a licensing partnership with Panasonic to help develop and co-market a car audio system that would be tuned to the types of music featured in Blue Note's catalog, whose artists range from Norah Jones and Van ...

  29. Britney Spears Manager Larry Rudolph on Ticket Sales, Lip-Synching, New Revenue Streams (Exclusive)

    September 26, 2013 8:26 AM EDT “It’s a new chapter in the Britney Spears saga,” says her manager Larry Rudolph, who’s standing outside of a rehearsal studio at CenterStaging in Burbank, Calif. It’s a typically sunny Los Angeles morning and dozens of scantily clad dancers h ...

  30. Drake Heading for 675,000-Plus No. 1 Debut on Billboard 200

    September 25, 2013 8:53 PM EDT Drake is set to rock the Billboard 200 chart next week. The hip-hop star's "Nothing Was the Same" album is on course to earn the second-largest sales week of the year and easily debut at No. 1. Industry sources forecast the effort ...

  31. Slayer’s Booking Agent on North American Headlining Tour, Epic Stage Plans, Performing Without Jeff Hanneman (Q&A)

    September 25, 2013 3:26 PM EDT Losing a key member can sometimes cripple a band, but legendary rock act Slayer continues to trash on in memory of founding guitarist Jeff Hanneman , who died at 49 in May from alcohol-related cirrhosis.  Slayer has recently been touring through ...

  32. Is Chronixx Jamaican Reggae's Next Big Thing? Chris Blackwell, Diplo Think So

    September 25, 2013 2:45 PM EDT On Sept. 17, SOB's nightclub in lower Manhattan presented the New York City debut of Jamaica’s most buzzed about reggae act, Chronixx and the Zinc Fence Redemption. Throughout their 8-date Dread and Terrible east coast tour (so named for th ...

  33. Jerry Greenberg, Former Atlantic Prez and Chic Breaker, to Launch New EDM Label Pacific Electronic Music

    September 25, 2013 12:38 PM EDT With a career that includes breaking '70s disco acts such as Chic, the Trammps, Sister Sledge and others, Jerry Greenberg sees contemporary EDM as the perfect vehicle for his return to the label world. Greenberg is launching the new Pacific ...

  34. Jack Johnson Scores Fourth No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart

    September 25, 2013 10:59 AM EDT Singer/songwriter Jack Johnson claims his fourth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200, as "From Here to Now to You" bows atop the list with 117,000 sold in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan.   The new effort is his third cons ...

  35. Simone Bosé Exits as Chairman of Parlophone Spain

    September 24, 2013 1:36 PM EDT Simone Bosé, chairman of Parlophone Music Spain & Portugal, has announced he will leave his post on September 30. Bosé’s departure comes in the wake of EMI and Warner's merger in Spain. Bosé was the head of EMI’s operations in Spain for ...

  36. Nirvana’s ‘In Utero’ Turns 20: Ex-Geffen Execs' Remembrances, Anecdotes, Marketing Strategy (How 'Rape Me' Became 'Waif Me')

    September 24, 2013 12:43 PM EDT Nirvana had much to live up to following the release of its groundbreaking 1991 album, “Nevermind.” But, with the weight of the world on them, the grunge trio surprised (and perhaps alienated) many with its raucous and emotionally raw follow-u ...

  37. Gerardo Ortiz, Joan Sebastian to Perform at Billboard Mexican Music Awards

    September 23, 2013 5:15 PM EDT The Billboard Mexican Music Awards 2013 will feature some of the biggest names in the business who will take to the stage including Joan Sebastian, Banda El Recodo de Cruz Lizarraga, Gerardo Ortiz and Banda Los Recoditos.  The show, airing live ...

  38. Billboard Roundtable Part 2: Bruno Mars, the Super Bowl, Big Data (Video)

    September 23, 2013 3:30 PM EDT The Panel Marcie Allen Founder/president, MAC Presents Lori Feldman Senior VP of brand partnerships & music licensing, Warner Bros. Records Marcus Peterzell EVP of entertainment, Ketchum Sports & Entertainment; head of Ketchum Sounds Bo ...

  39. Big Machine's Scott Borchetta On Spotify, Beats Music, Entering TV With Dr. Luke

    September 23, 2013 12:28 PM EDT When Scott Borchetta caught up with Billboard at IHeartRadio in 2012, he was struggling with the best royalty solution for Big Machine Label Group and free streaming music services like Spotify. One year later, however, little has changed about ...

  40. John Lennon: The Bermuda Tapes Interactive Album App to Launch

    September 23, 2013 11:25 AM EDT A new interactive album app called "John Lennon: The Bermuda Tapes" will launch Nov. 5, exclusively through the iTunes App Store. Directed by filmmaker Michael Epstein, the app chronicles the legendary singer-songwriter's 1980 soj ...

  41. Clear Channel Prepping IHeartRadio Country Music Fest, TV Awards For 2014 (Exclusive)

    September 23, 2013 8:21 AM EDT In a wide-ranging video Q&A (below) at the IHeartRadio festival in Las Vegas with Billboard Saturday night, John Sykes, Clear Channel president of entertainment enterprises and Tom Poleman, Clear Channel President of national programming p ...

  42. Interscope To Recall Madonna’s 'MDNA World Tour' Blu-ray in U.S., Manufacturing Error Blamed

    September 23, 2013 1:39 AM EDT Interscope Records is recalling every copy of Madonna’s "MDNA World Tour" Blu-ray issued in the United States, blaming an “error in manufacturing” that has compromised the 5.1 audio. Interscope made the announcement via its Facebook pa ...

  43. Ylvis, of Viral Video 'The Fox' Fame, Sign to Warner Music, Play iHeartRadio Fest

    September 22, 2013 10:15 AM EDT Norwegian comedy duo Ylvis made their live U.S. debut at Las Vegas' iHeartRadio festival on Friday, Sept. 20 as the night's surprise guests. The two musician brothers, Vegard and Bard Ylvisaaker, performed their YouTube hit "The F ...

  44. Insane Clown Posse's Gathering of the Juggalos Facing Financial Difficulties

    September 21, 2013 1:54 PM EDT Vendors at the latest outdoor festival featuring rap-metal group Insane Clown Posse are complaining they're owed thousands of dollars by promoters of the southern Illinois event, who now pledge they'll find a way to pay the tab. Severa ...

  45. Epic Records Names Shalik Berry VP of A&R

    September 20, 2013 9:32 PM EDT Shalik Berry has joined Epic as VP of A&R, Billboard has learned. In his new role, the Los Angeles-based Berry will focus on urban music and report to Epic chairman/CEO L.A. Reid. Billboard Power 100: Antonio "L.A." Reid Berry is c ...

  46. Jack Johnson Set for No. 1 on Billboard 200, Avicii and Chris Young Aiming For Top 10

    September 20, 2013 9:06 PM EDT Singer/songwriter Jack Johnson is on course for his fourth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200, while EDM superstar and recent Billboard cover act Avicii is aiming for a top 10 debut with his first album, "True." Industry sources suggest ...

  47. Britney Spears' 'Work B**ch!' Aiming for High Hot 100 Debut, Pop Radio Playing Edited Version

    September 20, 2013 5:57 PM EDT One more time, Britney Spears has caused a circus-like frenzy ahead of a new album. "Work B**ch!" introduces Spears' eighth studio set, due Dec. 3. While the track is off to a fast start at radio, its title and lyrics are causing ...

  48. Record Companies Allowed to Pursue Vimeo for Copyright Infringement

    September 20, 2013 12:15 PM EDT A federal judge in New York won't allow user-generated video website Vimeo, owned by Barry Diller's IAC, to dodge a big copyright lawsuit. Capitol Records and other big labels brought the legal action in December, 2009, alleging that ...

  49. Chart Moves: Album Sales Hit New Low; Madonna's 'MDNA World Tour' Debuts; Earth, Wind & Fire Reaches Chart High

    September 20, 2013 9:30 AM EDT This week on the Billboard 200 albums chart, Keith Urban beat out the Weeknd for the No. 1 slot by less than 3,000 copies. Urban's "Fuse" debuted at No. 1 with 98,000 copies, while the Weeknd's "Kiss Land" started w ...

  50. Wisin Announces Solo Album for December

    September 19, 2013 6:04 PM EDT The artist known as Wisin, one half of the powerhouse urban duo Wisin y Yandel, has signed a recording deal with Sony Music and will release a solo album in December. The announcement by Sony comes less than a week after the news that Yandel wil ...

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