1. 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 ...

  2. Viacom and Warner Partner to Develop New Latin Talent, Isabella Castillo First Signing

    March 21, 2013 5:55 PM EDT Warner Music Latina and Viacom International Media Networks of the Americas (VIMN) have signed an exclusive distribution and expanded-rights partnership to develop the network’s roster of new music acts for the Latin market. Register today for t ...

  3. 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 ...

  4. Subscription-Music Wars: The Greatest Trick the Majors Have Ever Pulled Off: Guest Post by Jason Herskowitz

    March 21, 2013 4:05 PM EDT 28 76 63 0 0 Jason Herskowitz is a core contributor and co-founder of Tomahawk , an open-source music platform that -- among other things -- creates a music aggregation and interoperability layer across music providers. He talks endlessly on Twitter about ...

  5. 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 ...

  6. Universal Music, Disney Music Strike Global Commercial, Creative Pact

    March 20, 2013 3:35 PM EDT The Walt Disney Co.'s Disney Music Group and Vivendi's Universal Music Group have expanded and deepened an ongoing relationship via a long-term global commercial and creative agreement, the companies said Wednesday. The deal, announced ...

  7. Baauer Tops Hot 100 For Fifth Week, Despite Continued Streaming Slide

    March 20, 2013 2:44 PM EDT Baauer leads the Billboard Hot 100 for a fifth week with "Harlem Shake," although the viral smash registers a fourth consecutive week of declines in YouTube streaming. As a result, the song's lead shrinks considerably over the cha ...

  8. Justin Timberlake's '20/20' Sales Forecast Rises: 750,000-Plus Debut Likely

    March 20, 2013 12:19 PM EDT 1 8 71 0 0 Justin Timberlake's new The 20/20 Experience album is selling at an extraordinary rate in the U.S. Industry sources are forecasting that the pop super star's set could sell as many as 750,000 copies by the end of the tracking week on ...

  9. Bon Jovi, David Bowie Among Six Debuts To Hit Top 10 On Billboard 200

    March 20, 2013 11:37 AM EDT It's the most top 10 debuts appearing on the chart in four months. The last time there were more in a week was the Dec. 1, 2012, chart, when seven albums arrived in the region. That week, One Direction's Take Me Home led the debut pack ...

  10. Romeo Santos, Sony/ATV, Mayimba Music Celebrate at ASCAP Latin Music Awards

    March 19, 2013 9:50 PM EDT Romeo Santos, who last week tied Enrique Iglesias as the only Latin artist to score five No. 1 hits on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart from a single album, was named Songwriter of the Year at the 21st annual ASCAP Latin Music Awards. Register ...

  11. Bon Jovi Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200, David Bowie Trails at No. 2

    March 19, 2013 9:19 PM EDT 25 9 0 0 Bon Jovi scores its fifth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart, as What About Now debuts with 101,000 sold in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It's the act's third straight studio album to debut at No. 1, following Th ...

  12. Business Matters: What the Music Business Can Learn From March Madness

    March 19, 2013 9:10 PM EDT The annual Division I men’s college basketball tournament started Tuesday at 5:40 p.m. eastern time. The music business could take a few pointers. Known as March Madness, the Division I tournament understands how to reach people online, how to d ...

  13. 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 ...

  14. 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 ...

  15. 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 ...

  16. 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 ...

  17. eMusic Merges with E-Book Distributor K-NFB Reading

    March 18, 2013 10:44 PM EDT 1 1 23 0 0 Online music service eMusic merged on Monday with an e-book distributor K-NFB Reading to form the new company Media Arc Inc. Media Arc "will offer a comprehensive source of more than 17 million songs, 40,000 audio books and 600,000 eBooks, ...

  18. 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 ...

  19. Puerto Rican Rockers Black Guayaba Ink 360 Deal With VeneMusic

    March 18, 2013 8:19 PM EDT Black Guayaba at VeneMusic’s offices in Miami. L-R: Jorge Pino, VP of music for Venevision International; guitarist Javier Morales; drummer Gabriel Calero; guitarist Gustavo Gonzalez; keyboardist Carlos Colon; bassist Carlos Ortiz; Fidel Hernand ...

  20. Lil Wayne's Seizure Had 'Nothing to Do With Drugs,' Says Birdman

    March 18, 2013 7:36 PM EDT Lil Wayne had a single seizure caused by stress, not drugs, and will soon be leaving an L.A. hospital where he's been for nearly a week, Birdman said on Monday in a radio interview aimed directly at quashing "false rumors." " ...

  21. 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 ...

  22. Could Pop Radio’s Next Hit Be A Cover Of A... 1930s Appalachian Folk Song?!

    March 18, 2013 2:04 PM EDT Although it’s spent 11 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 and sold almost half a million (498,000) downloads, according to Nielsen SoundScan, Anna Kendrick’s quirky single "Cups" (UME/Republic) is just now adding a new element to its succe ...

  23. 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, ...

  24. 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 ...

  25. Justin Timberlake Wows at SXSW Myspace Show

    March 17, 2013 1:17 PM EDT 3 48 42 0 0 After wowing the nation through an early stream of his upcoming album,  The 20/20 Experience , and several televised performances, it's safe to say that Justin Timberlake doesn't have anything to prove. But at last night's SXSW ...

  26. #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 ...

  27. Richard Thompson Discusses Songwriting, New Album at SXSW

    March 17, 2013 12:29 AM EDT Richard Thompson sat down with Grammy Foundation VP Scott Goldman to discuss songwriting, his fine new album, "Electric," and how he developed his guitar style in a Songwriter Session at the Austin Convention Center on Friday. He playe ...

  28. 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 ...

  29. 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 ...

  30. SXSW Backbeat: Usher and The Afghan Whigs Surprise The Fader Fort While Lil Wayne Health Scare Shocks Backstage

    March 16, 2013 1:12 PM EDT 1 27 43 0 0 Andy Cohn , president and publisher of the Fader, gave himself the best birthday present imaginable Friday night. One of his all-time favorite bands, The Afghan Whigs , headlined a closing-night set with surprise guest Usher that practically r ...

  31. SXSW: David Lowery and Co. Lash out Against Industry 'Pimps'

    March 16, 2013 11:16 AM EDT 3 336 68 3 0 Passions ran high Friday evening at what was described by its organizers as “an artists’ panel” in the Austin Convention Center for SXSW. The distinction was deliberate -- too many panels and presentations at this conference had failed to rep ...

  32. Bon Jovi, David Bowie Eye One-Two Finish on Next Week's Billboard 200 Chart

    March 15, 2013 8:07 PM EDT As reported earlier this week, Bon Jovi and David Bowie were vying for the No. 1 slot on next week's Billboard 200 albums chart. Bon Jovi has now pulled ahead, and it seems like the band's new album, "What About Now," is a lo ...

  33. SXSW Q&A: Merlin CEO Charles Caldas on Distribution, Streaming, BBQ and Music

    March 15, 2013 5:20 PM EDT =A gathering of thousands of musicians is a good place to find the CEO of a global rights agency that represents independent music companies in over 25 countries. Charles Caldas is CEO of Merlin, the nearly five-year-old network that represents ...

  34. Justin Timberlake's Promotional Run-Up to 'The 20/20 Experience': A Timeline

    March 15, 2013 4:53 PM EDT 18 78 115 0 0 They say hindsight is 20/20, but when it comes to Justin Timberlake's comeback, they're not taking any chances. Next week's release of Timberlake's beyond-highly-anticipated new album The 20/20 Experience is riding on one ...

  35. Chart Moves: P!nk Roars, Justin Timberlake’s Post-‘SNL’ Gains; Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert Cozy Up

    March 15, 2013 10:43 AM EDT As previously reported, "Harlem Shake," the viral smash from Baauer, logs a fourth week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' former four-week Hot 100 No. 1 "Thrift Shop," featuring Wanz, re ...

  36. Consumer Data Shows Old Ways Still Most Profitable, SXSW Panel Says

    March 14, 2013 10:19 PM EDT 8 34 75 4 0 In a panel led by representatives of EMI’s Global Insights department at SXSW Thursday, researchers poured cold water on what you might call the irrational exuberance of the digital music industry (not to mention SXSW attendants).   Independen ...

  37. SXSW Panel: Pitchfork’s Schreiber, Hollywood Bowl’s Rees, and More on State of Music Curation

    March 14, 2013 10:07 PM EDT With more ways than ever to discover, consume and create music, those who excel at filtering the flood are enjoying increasing amounts of capital -- both cultural and financial. Fenway Recordings founder Mark Kates gathered a team of influential ...

  38. Spotify, Rdio, Xbox Music Reps Debates the Merits of Subscription Music Streaming at SXSW

    March 14, 2013 8:26 PM EDT With the rapid growth of platforms like Spotify and Deezer -- and white hot rumors of competing offerings emanating from the likes of Apple and Google -- it’s no surprise that the rise of music streaming subscription services is some of the most ...

  39. Can APIs Solve Music’s 'Crisis of Innovation'?

    March 14, 2013 4:39 PM EDT There’s an old saw among established technology companies that says innovation happens elsewhere, that big ideas can come from small, unexpected places. The best way to tap into that potential, according to this view, is to throw open the gates ...

  40. Dave Grohl's SXSW Keynote Urges Artists to Find Their Voice, Chides Negativity

    March 14, 2013 4:33 PM EDT “The musician comes first” was Dave Grohl’s mantra during his keynote speech Thursday at South By Southwest, an engaging and carefully prepared 45 minutes that encouraged up and coming artists to protect their independence and creative visions f ...

  41. Backbeat: Billboard and Spotify's Live Showcase Has 'Harlem Shake' Moneymakers, Kendrick Lamar

    March 14, 2013 3:28 PM EDT Billboard and Spotify presented Spotify Live Wednesday night at the 1100 Warehouse located directly across the street from the Fader Fort. That’s where headliner Kendrick Lamar made a surprise appearance at the end of Ab-Soul and Schoolboy Q’s s ...

  42. Backbeat: Enabler PR, Don Giovanni, Sacred Bones and Suicide Squeeze Team for Holy Mountain Showcase in Austin

    March 14, 2013 1:14 PM EDT Last night, Enabler PR teamed up with indie labels Don Giovanni Records , Suicide Squeeze Records , and Sacred Bones for their official showcase at Holy Mountain. The night's eclectic lineup -- including singer-songwriter Laura Stevenson an ...

  43. Downtown Music’s Josh Deutsch Talks ‘Harlem Shake’ Success, Future Business Plans at SXSW

    March 13, 2013 9:00 PM EDT Earlier this year, Downtown Music -- which comprises Downtown Records, Downtown Publishing and other businesses -- announced that it was selling its records division to founders Josh Deutsch and Terence Lam, who would run the business independen ...

  44. Amanda Palmer Talks New Business Models, Plays Ukulele at SXSW

    March 13, 2013 8:18 PM EDT 1 0 16 0 0 There's much more to crowdfunding than meets the eye, and that requires partnering with companies for distribution to reach retailers and fans, music Amanda Palmer said at SXSW on Wednesday. But Palmer could not say if this exciting new bu ...

  45. Early Iron Maiden Drummer Clive Burr Dies

    March 13, 2013 7:34 PM EDT Clive Burr (pictured above, bottom left), the former drummer for heavy metal band Iron Maiden, died in his sleep on the evening of March 12 at age 56. Burr had been battling poor health for years, according to the band’s official site, and had b ...

  46. David Bowie vs. Bon Jovi For No. 1 on Next Week's Billboard 200 Chart

    March 13, 2013 4:00 PM EDT On next week's Billboard 200 chart, rock legend David Bowie is in the hunt for his first No. 1 album, while veteran group Bon Jovi could nab its fifth chart-topper. The new Billboard 200 chart's top 10 will be revealed on the morning o ...

  47. Baauer Leads Hot 100 Again, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Rule Hot 100 Airplay

    March 13, 2013 1:30 PM EDT Baauer commands the Billboard Hot 100 for a fourth week with "Harlem Shake," although the viral sensation logs a second straight week of declines in YouTube streaming. The chart's No. 2 song, and former four-week No. 1, Macklemore ...

  48. Universal Launches Pan-African Mobile Streaming Service Kleek

    March 13, 2013 1:01 PM EDT Universal Music Group has teamed with Samsung to launch a pan-African mobile music service entitled the Kleek, which was officially unveiled today (Mar. 13) at the Samsung Africa Forum in Cape Town, South Africa. The free to access service is to ...

  49. Original Yes Guitarist Peter Banks Dead At 65

    March 12, 2013 10:11 PM EDT Peter Banks, who served as an original guitarist for the influential prog rock band Yes, passed away in his London home last Thursday (March 7) from heart failure at the age of 65. An o fficial statement was released by the official site of Bank ...

  50. 'Good Vibrations' Revisits the Irish Punk Explosion Via Its Belfast 'Godfather'

    March 12, 2013 9:29 PM EDT 1 1 20 0 0 "Good Vibrations" is the story of the Belfast record shop that begat the label of the same name, releasing crucial 45s and LPs from the Undertones and other Irish punk bands in the 1970s. Based on the memories of founder Terri Hooley, ...

Pages