— Sony/ATV Music Publishing has landed a long-term, worldwide exclusive administration agreement for Bruce Hornsby‘s extensive catalog. Hornsby, who is a three-time Grammy winner, released “Levitate,” his first album on Verve, in September 2009. Including in the deal are such hits as “The Way It Is,” “Mandolin Rain,” “The End of the Innocence,” and “Every Little Kiss.” The creative contact for Bruce Hornsby is Sony/ATV Music Publishing co-president Danny Strick.
— EMI Group is considering job cuts to reduce costs according to the Sunday Telegraph. The report said the plan was disclosed by EMI Music chief executive Elio Leoni-Sceti. The company is also seeking to boost sales at its digital operations division to 75 percent of revenue in five years from 25 percent.
— Wynonna Judd will reunite with her mother, Naomi Judd, for a final “The Judds” tour. Wynonna made the announcement on the Saturday edition of the Early Show on CBS.
— The speculation mill is working overtime in anticipation of who Fox will hire to replace Simon Cowell as an “American Idol” judge after he leaves the show at the end of the current season, and a Page Six source said Howard Stern‘s name is now in the mix. “It’s one of the few shows that could compete with Stern’s $100 million-a-year Sirius contract, and ‘Idol’ bosses think he’d be even nastier than Simon.”
