1. Allegro Media Group to Acquire Canadian Label Somerset Entertainment

    May 09, 2013 10:15 AM EDT The Allegro Media Group has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Mood Media's Somerset Entertainment label, a publicly-traded Canadian company. While terms of the deal were not disclosed, Billboard estimates Somerset has about $40 milli ...

  2. Lady Antebellum’s 'Golden' Album Release Party and Performance, Presented by Citi

    May 09, 2013 10:12 AM EDT “I feel like I can touch everybody,” Lady Antebellum’s Charles Kelley said with a smile last night, while standing on the small stage at the McKittrick Hotel in New York. And actually, he could. The tiny crowd of about 200 Citi card holders and ...

  3. Exclusive: On-Demand Streams Now Count Toward RIAA Gold & Platinum

    May 09, 2013 10:00 AM EDT In an uncommon move to tinker with the formula used to certify Gold and Platinum awards, the Recording Industry Association of America on Thursday announced it has started to incorporate on-demand streams towards its calculations for certifying ...

  4. Sony Corp Reports Q4 Profit, Music Sales Are Flat

    May 09, 2013 7:10 AM EDT Sony Corp. is back in the black for its fiscal fourth quarter, recording a 93.9 billion yen ($948 million) profit, with big help from a weaker yen that boosts overseas earnings. The Japanese electronics and entertainment company also dragged its ...

  5. The Eagles Catalog Joins Rdio -- Then Disappears

    May 09, 2013 2:12 AM EDT The Eagles catalog became available for streaming at Rdio on Wednesday after being a longtime holdout from subscription services. No other subscription service in the U.S. had nabbed the Eagles catalog. A check at Deezer's U.K. site turned ...

  6. Business Matters: Pandora Email to Artists Ruffles Feathers

    May 08, 2013 8:11 PM EDT Digital royalties are back in the news after being a continuously hot topic in 2013. An email exchange between artist and label owner Blake Morgan and Pandora founder Tim Westergren was seen in an article at the Huffington Post. Morgan told the ...

  7. Lady Antebellum Set for Third No. 1 Album on Billboard 200

    May 08, 2013 6:20 PM EDT Country trio Lady Antebellum should nab its third No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart next week with Golden . Industry sources project the new release will sell around 150,000 copies by the end of the tracking week on Sunday, May 12. The new ...

  8. Jennifer Lopez Signs With RedOne's 2101 Records

    May 08, 2013 6:09 PM EDT After a successful collaboration on 2011’s “On the Floor,” which reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, among other hit tracks from the album Love? , Jennifer Lopez and producer RedOne are reteaming for future business together. Lopez has signe ...

  9. Blue Note Records, ArtistShare Create Crowdfunding Label

    May 08, 2013 1:19 PM EDT Jazz label Blue Note Records has joined with crowdfunding platform ArtistShare in a new partnership called Blue Note/ArtistShare committed to discovering and nurturing up-and-coming young jazz talent. Inside Blue Note Records' Dazzling Spot ...

  10. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' 'Can't Hold Us' Tops Hot 100, Sets Chart Record

    May 08, 2013 1:15 PM EDT The act becomes the first duo in the chart's five-decade history to send its first two singles to No. 1. Plus, Florida Georgia Line's 'Cruise' sails back into the top 10 Macklemore & Ryan Lewis'  "Can't Hol ...

  11. Kenny Chesney Logs Lucky Seventh No. 1 Album On Billboard 200

    May 08, 2013 11:02 AM EDT Country king Kenny Chesney grabs his seventh No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart as Life on a Rock debuts atop the list. The set sold 153,000 copies in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Among country acts with the most No. 1s on ...

  12. DFA Label Documentary Short Celebrating 12th Anniversary Released (Watch)

    May 08, 2013 10:00 AM EDT DFA Records is now on a small screen near you (actually, below). Today, the Red Bull Music Academy released a 12-minute documentary short entitled “Too Old To Be New, Too New To Be Classic: 12 Years of DFA” that examines the history of NYC’s inf ...

  13. Madonna to Be Honored as Top Touring Artist at Billboard Music Awards

    May 08, 2013 9:00 AM EDT Madonna will be honored with the Top Touring Artist award at the upcoming Billboard Music Awards, an achievement earned by the worldwide success of her MDNA tour. CLICK FOR COMPLETE LIST OF BBMA FINALISTS • J.Lo, Lil Wayne, Minaj Performing • Ta ...

  14. Glassnote Founder Daniel Glass Feted at Musexpo in L.A.

    May 07, 2013 10:12 PM EDT 1 0 12 0 0 “One of the great minds and great guys in the music business” is how talk show host Jimmy Kimmel introduced Glassnote Entertainment founder and fearless label leader Daniel Glass at the Hollywood Roosevelt on Tuesday morning (May 7). The occasi ...

  15. Panelists Dive Into Album Credit Ecosystem at NARM's Music Biz 2013

    May 07, 2013 9:47 PM EDT Panel: The Album Credit Ecosystem Moderator: Maureen Droney, The Recording Academy Panelists: Alison Booth, Sony Nashville Jon Maples, Rhapsody International Ivy Skoff, Recording and Soundtrack Music Production Coordinator Shane Tobin, The Echo ...

  16. Grammy-Winning Dance Music Producer Peter Rauhofer Dies at 48

    May 07, 2013 7:01 PM EDT Grammy-winning DJ and dance music producer Peter Rauhofer died on Tuesday at age 48, according to a message posted to his Facebook page. The cause of death was brain cancer. "Today the music industry has lost one of its true heroes," t ...

  17. How Inconsistent Metadata Impedes Music Industry Growth at NARM's Music Biz 2013

    May 07, 2013 4:49 PM EDT Panel: Building Efficiency & Transparency In Royalty Reporting Moderator: Mark Isherwood, Rightscomm Panelists: Matt DeFilippis, ASCAP Larry Miller, MediaNet Daniel Susla, TouchTunes Les Watkins, Music Reports Inc. Rob Weitzner, Consolidated ...

  18. Mariah Carey's '#Beautiful' Featuring Miguel Off To Strong Radio, Sales Start

    May 07, 2013 3:20 PM EDT Mariah Carey's new single, "#Beautiful," is logging an impressive beginning, thanks to hefty first-day airplay across an array of Clear Channel Media and Entertainment-owned radio stations and a solid initial sales forecast.   The ...

  19. Rhapsody To Offer Digital Liner Notes

    May 07, 2013 2:13 PM EDT Subscription music service Rhapsody has signed on to assist The Recording Academy's push for the availability of digital liner notes. Last year the Academy launched the "Give Fans the Credit" campaign that is designed to give musi ...

  20. Independent Study: Sacred Bones Records

    May 07, 2013 10:29 AM EDT Label: Sacred Bones Records Founded: 2007 Location: Greenpoint, Brooklyn Number of Employees: 5 Next Release: Pharmakon, Abandon , May 14 Distributor: Secretly Canadian Twitter: @SacredBones Website: SacredBonesRecords.com "Independent Stud ...

  21. L.A. Reid's NYC Apartment Listed for $18.9 Million

    May 07, 2013 3:58 AM EDT Music executive and former X Factor judge L.A. Reid has put his six-bedroom New York City apartment on the market for $18.9 million. The full-floor 5,000 square-foot Upper East Side condo is on the 10th floor of the prestigious 515 Park Ave. bui ...

  22. Lauryn Hill Sentenced to Three Months in Prison

    May 06, 2013 6:08 PM EDT Grammy-winning singer Lauryn Hill was sentenced Monday to three months in prison and an additional three months in home confinement for failing to pay taxes on about $1 million in earnings. Lauryn Hill Settles Tax Bill Ahead of Sentencing Hill, ...

  23. EMI Wins Dispute Over Duke Ellington 'Net Revenue'

    May 06, 2013 5:23 PM EDT The decision is a defeat for Paul Ellington, the grandson of the great jazz pianist, who sued EMI for hundreds of thousands of dollars. He alleged that EMI had breached a 1961 songwriter royalty agreement with Ellington by deducting fees for for ...

  24. Sean Glass' WIN Re-Examines the Role of the Label for Upcoming Electronic Artists

    May 06, 2013 4:27 PM EDT This story -- on Sean Glass and his WIN Records reboot -- is from the May 11 edition of Billboard and featues a cover package on the passing of the late, great country legend George Jones as well as looks at Anheuser-Busch's massive spendin ...

  25. Miranda Lambert, Eric Church, Luke Bryan Lead CMT Music Awards Nominations

    May 06, 2013 1:38 PM EDT Eric Church, Miranda Lambert and Luke Bryan lead with four nominations apiece at this year's CMT Music Awards. The three artists are nominated in Video of the Year and CMT Performance of the Year. Church and Bryan are also up for Male Video of the Ye ...

  26. Morning Fix: Mariah Carey Debuts New Song, 'Boston Strong' Organizer Speaks, Rudimental Grabs Top Spot on U.K. Albums Chart

    May 06, 2013 9:01 AM EDT Get the Morning Fix Delivered To Your Inbox HERE PEPSICO CUTS TIES WITH LIL WAYNE FOLLOWING EMMETT TILL LYRIC CONTROVERSY PepsiCo is cutting its ties with Lil Wayne after the rapper made a crude reference to civil rights martyr Emmett Till in a ...

  27. Warner Music Group to Lower Its Debt Repayments

    May 03, 2013 7:34 PM EDT The Warner Music Group will not only get lower rates than previously thought for the $820 million term loan it will take on to pay for the Parlophone Label Group, but the deal will also allow WMG to reduce the rate the company is paying on its e ...

  28. Randy Rogers Band Aiming For Second Top 10 Album On Billboard 200 Chart

    May 03, 2013 5:48 PM EDT Randy Rogers Band is on course for its second top 10 album on the Billboard 200, as the country group's new  Trouble could sell around 20,000 to 25,000 -- so say industry sources. The country group's last set, 2010's  Burning the ...

  29. Slayer’s Jeff Hanneman Remembered at Somber But Celebratory Golden Gods Awards Ceremony

    May 03, 2013 4:46 PM EDT 1 60 14 0 0 The death of Slayer's Jeff Hanneman was announced just hours before Revolver Magazine's 2013 Golden Gods Awards, so it certainly cast a somber pall over the proceedings. But just as with the tragic deaths of "Dimebag" Darre ...

  30. Pitbull Drives Into Top Five on Social 50 Chart

    May 03, 2013 3:22 PM EDT Pitbull and Justin Timberlake make vaults into the top 10 on Billboard's Social 50 chart, following busy weeks for each star, while affinity for the late George Jones results in his making the survey for the first time.   The Social 50 rank ...

  31. Chart Moves: PSY Tumbles On Hot 100; Sara Bareilles Previews New Album; George Jones Back On Hot Country Songs

    May 03, 2013 12:47 PM EDT As previously reported , P!nk's "Just Give Me a Reason," featuring fun.'s Nate Ruess, spends a third week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Who else makes noteworthy moves on the Hot 100 and other song charts this week?   -- ...

  32. Billboard Taps SonicBids for Music Awards Post-Party Talent Search

    May 02, 2013 9:28 PM EDT After a night including performances from Prince, Taylor Swift and Lil Wayne, Billboard is looking for one act to take the Billboard Music Awards from the party to the after-party. One group will get to follow the evening of superstar acts with ...

  33. Chart Moves: The Neighbourhood Debuts, Van Halen's '1984' Returns After 20-Plus Years

    May 02, 2013 8:22 PM EDT This week on the Billboard 200 albums chart, Michael Buble achieved his fourth No. 1 album with "To Be Loved," as the pop singer's latest started with 195,000 copies sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Meanwhile, Fantasia scored ...

  34. George Jones Returns to Billboard Country Charts

    May 02, 2013 3:17 PM EDT 1 6 17 0 0 Legendary producer Billy Sherrill gets the last laugh on his dear friend and fellow Country Music Hall of Fame honoree George Jones, as "He Stopped Loving Her Today" soars back onto Hot Country Songs, some 33 years after Jones bet She ...

  35. How Reggae Meets EDM in Jamaica’s 'Rootstronic' Courtney John Project

    May 02, 2013 3:09 PM EDT On an April afternoon inside the rehearsal room at Kingston’s Big Yard Studios, singer Courtney John is working out the live rendition of his current single “Black Cinderella”, an audacious interpretation of Jamaican singer Errol Dunkley’s 1972 ...

  36. Kris Kross: A Billboard Chart History

    May 02, 2013 12:21 AM EDT While Kris Kross' chart star burned relatively quickly in the early- to mid-'90s, it burned brightly, with the duo scoring one of rap's, and the entire rock era's, biggest hits with its debut single, "Jump."   The p ...

  37. Will.i.am Executive Producing New Britney Spears Album

    May 01, 2013 7:28 PM EDT Britney Spears and Will.i.am are apparently taking their penchant for collaboration to a new level: according to the Black Eyed Peas frontman, Spears' follow-up to 2011's "Femme Fatale" will be executive-produced by none othe ...

  38. Lil Wayne Is 'Fine' After Suffering Another Seizure

    May 01, 2013 7:22 PM EDT Lil Wayne tweeted that he's "fine" after suffering another seizure on Tuesday night (April 30). The rapper, who suffers from epilepsy, was taken to Los Angeles' Cedars-Sinai hospital late Tuesday night and was released Wednes ...

  39. RedOne’s 2101 Records, Capitol Sign Worldwide Partnership Deal

    May 01, 2013 2:46 PM EDT RedOne’s 2101 Records will be distributed by Universal Music Group’s Capitol Records and its operations based at the Capitol Records Tower in Hollywood. Capitol Music Group chairman and CEO Steve Barnett made the announcement May 1.   Barnett sa ...

  40. P!nk Holds At No. 1 On Hot 100; Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Top Hot Digital Songs; Rihanna Rules Hot 100 Airplay

    May 01, 2013 2:27 PM EDT 'Just Give Me a Reason' claims a third week at No. 1 on the Hot 100, while Macklemore & Lewis log their second Hot Digital Songs leader and Rihanna scores a milestone No. 1 on Hot 100 Airplay. Plus, Icona Pop reaches the Hot 100� ...

  41. How 20-Year Old Chance The Rapper Has Nearly Every Major Label Chasing Him

    May 01, 2013 1:40 PM EDT 393 448 1 0 In high school, Chance the Rapper was the kid with the backpack full of CDs, hustling in hallways, foisting his latest mixtape on unsuspecting classmates. Now he plays coy in meetings with major labels, biding his time while big numbers and ...

  42. Civil Wars to Release Self-Titled, Post-Breakup Second Album in Late Summer

    May 01, 2013 1:27 PM EDT Columbia Records will release the Civil Wars’ self-titled follow-up to their debut, Barton Hollow , the 2011 album that earned them two Grammys, in late summer.   The Civil Wars, Joy Williams and John Paul White, had finished the album prior to ...

  43. Backbeat: Eve, Soledad O'Brien Talk Making It As a Woman in Male-Dominated Biz at XX Project

    May 01, 2013 11:04 AM EDT Last night, broadcast journalist Soledad O'Brien interviewed rapper/actress Eve as part of a monthly series hosted by The XX Project, an invitation-only group of professional women in various media industries. Held at No. 8 in Chelsea, this ...

  44. Chart Alert: Michael Bublé Tops Billboard 200; Fantasia Arrives At No. 2

    May 01, 2013 11:00 AM EDT As reported yesterday (April 30), pop singer Michael Bublé earns his fourth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 this week with the arrival of To Be Loved . The set sold 195,000 copies in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Bublé's ...

  45. Vivendi Reinforces Commitment to Becoming Media and Content Company

    April 30, 2013 9:29 PM EDT PARIS -- Shareholders of the telecoms and media giant Vivendi approved the appointment of five new members to the Supervisory Board in a meeting that was interrupted by protests from the French feminist group Le Barbe. As management board chairm ...

  46. Michael Buble Scores Fourth No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart

    April 30, 2013 8:00 PM EDT As predicted , Michael Buble earns his fourth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart with "To Be Loved." The Reprise/Warner Bros. Records set bows with 195,000 sold in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. "To Be Loved,& ...

  47. Universal Music Says Artist Privacy at Stake in Digital Royalties Dispute

    April 30, 2013 2:58 PM EDT In 2011, a proposed class action lawsuit was launched against Universal Music Group over digital income. The litigation from Rob Zombie and Rick James on behalf of themselves and others under the UMG umbrella seeks substantial damages from the r ...

  48. Curb Records Sues Tim McGraw in Federal Court

    April 30, 2013 1:19 PM EDT Curb Records is suing Tim McGraw. Again. Court of Appeals Sides with Tim McGraw in Curb Records Case The Nashville, Tenn.-based label has filed a lawsuit against the country music star and Big Machine Records in federal court, alleging copyright ...

  49. CBS Radio, Astralwerks Team Up For Talent Search Program 'She Can DJ'

    April 30, 2013 11:00 AM EDT CBS Radio is throwing its hat in the EDM ring, teaming with Astralwerks -- home to Swedish House Mafia, Empire of the Sun, and sister duo NERVO -- to launch a national talent search for the next great female DJ/producer, Billboard has learned. T ...

  50. Backbeat: Kenny Chesney Previews New Album 'Life on a Rock' in New York City for His Biggest Fans

    April 30, 2013 10:45 AM EDT In a production orchestrated much like a major live television show, a studio audience of about 90 fans sat within feet of country superstar Kenny Chesney to hear songs from his new album, ( Life On A Rock , out Tuesday, April 30th) and the stor ...

Pages