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| EXCLUSIVE: GEE ROBERSON FORMS NEW LABEL, BLUEPRINT, THROUGH INTERSCOPE GEFFEN A&M: Geffen Records chairman Gee Roberson will transition to create and own a full service record company called Blueprint to be distributed by Interscope Geffen A&M. Several artists on the Geffen roster are expected to join Roberson at the New York-based label, including Hit-Boy and LEP Bogus Boys. Billboard.biz |
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| BMG BEATS OUT WARNER/CHAPPELL FOR EMI’S ROSETTA CATALOG FOR $90 MILLION: BMG successfully outbid Warner/Chappell to win control of nearly 30,000 songs divested by EMI. Known as the Rosetta catalog, the group of songs includes popular UK ’80s hits from acts like Tears for Fears and Culture Club among others . Billboard.biz |
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| EXCLUSIVE: ROB WIESENTHAL OUT AT SONY/ATV, HEADING TO WARNER MUSIC: Rob Wiesenthal, President of Sony/ATV’s international business, is leaving the world’s No. 1 music publisher and is expected to join Len Blavatnik’s Warner Music Group as chief operating officer. Billboard.biz |
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| GLASSNOTE PITTING MAJORS AGAINST EACH OTHER, MAY GET ‘OUTLANDISH’ DEAL: With Glassnote’s distribution deal with RED ending on the last day of February, Daniel Glass is pitting Doug Morris against Lucian Grainge in hopes of coming out with a multi-million-dollar payday, according to sources . Billboard.biz |
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| BUSINESS MATTERS: JOINING SPOTIFY HASN’T BEEN GOOD FOR METALLICA’S SALES: Billboard.biz looked at Nielsen SoundScan data for Metallica’s studio albums for four-week periods leading up to Christmas from 2008 to 2012. Based on the catalog’s performance in previous years, album sales were 15% below expectations the week the titles were added to Spotify and 35% below expectations the following week. Sales were in line with expectations the week before the titles were added to Spotify. Billboard.biz |
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| WHY ISN’T KANYE WEST ON THE ’12-12-12′ CONCERT ALBUM? Kanye West may have been the only male performer who was wearing a skirt at the “12-12-12” Concert for Hurricane Sandy relief last week, but that probably isn’t the reason why he’s the only musical performer not featured on the album of the event. Several sources speculate why … Billboard.biz |
INSTAGRAM REVERTS TO ORIGINAL TERMS OF SERVICE AFTER OUTCRY: Following the controversy over recently-unveiled changes to its terms of service, Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom just announced via blog post that the advertising-related section of the TOS has reverted to “the original version that has been in effect since we launched the service in October 2010.” That doesn’t mean Instagram won’t ever make ever make advertising-related changes to its TOS. Instead, Systrom says that the company needs to figure out the details of its advertising program first .
TechCrunch
TATE STEVENS WINS ‘X FACTOR,’ $5 MILLION CONTRACT: On Thursday night’s “X Factor” finale, country singer Tate Stevens clinched the title of the show’s second winner beating out budding teen star Carly Rose Sonenclar and winning a $5 million recording contract with Syco/Epic Records. Stevens’ triumph marked a win for mentor L.A. Reid, who announced last week that he would be leaving the show at season’s end. Former contestants one Direction debuted their new single “Kiss You.”
Billboard.com
HUNDREDS HONOR RAVI SHANKAR AT CALIFORNIA MEMORIAL: Hundreds of friends and family on Thursday remembered sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar as an unfailingly generous teacher with a gentle spirit and sense of humor whose music fostered understanding between East and West. His wife, Sukanya Rajan, and daughters – singer Norah Jones and Grammy-nominated sitarist Anoushka Shankar – sat in the front row as speakers such as Olivia Harrison and Zubin Mehta paid tribute. play. Shankar died last week in San Diego at age 92.
Associated Press
CLEAR CHANNEL GIVES EDM A TERRESTRIAL-RADIO HOME ON BOSTON’S FORMER WFNX: Clear Channel has launched its first Electronic Dance Music (EDM) broadcast station replacing the adult hits format on WHBA-FM with a new station called Evolution 101.7. Clear Channel purchased the signal, which had been alternative-formatted WFNX, from the Phoenix Media/Communications Group back in May of this year. The new station, is expected to feature music from artists such as Skrillex, David Guetta, Calvin Harris and will air shows hosted by a mix of well-known and up-and-coming DJ’s like Diplo, Fatboy Slim, Paul van Dyk and others.
Billboard.biz
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– HOORAY! THE WORLD DIDN’T END
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