DMN takes a look back at the top music industry news this week.
This Week: November 7 to 11, 2016
Musicians React to Donald Trump’s Shocking Election Day Win
Are musicians truly divided after Donald Trump winning after Election Day? Donald Trump pulled off a shocking victory last night in the U.S. Presidential Election. Despite every… Read More…
Updated: Major Rapper Plans to Support California Independence Effort, ‘CalExit’
Despite a resounding Presidential victory for Donald Trump, many Californians are refusing to accept the result. Now, a major West Coast rapper is preparing to joining the burgeoning California independence movement, ‘CalExit’. Updated, Thurs. 2:30 pm PT: Si… Read More…
Dark, Brooding, Somber, Artsy Leonard Cohen Dies at 82…
Leonard Cohen, 1988. Leonard Cohen, the dark and artsy singer-songwriter whose career spanned multiple decades, passed away this week. He was 82. He’s been compared to Dylan at times, though Leonard Cohen c… Read More…
Band Pays $1 Million to Open for Motley Crue, Gets Sprayed With Urine
Motley Crue was known for their bad boy antics. $1 million later, the Raskins found out the hard way. Mötley Crüe is now facing a serious lawsuit by a former opening act, a group effectively swindled and terrorized. Logan … Read More…
Lady Gaga Blasted for Wearing “Nazi” Get-Up at Clinton Rally
No, Lady Gaga did NOT wear a Nazi uniform to a Hillary Clinton rally, though it sure did look like it. Users on social media platforms like rallied against Lady Gaga after sh… Read More…
Pandora Wants 45% of Its Workforce to be ‘Employees of Color’ by 2020
Pandora is vowing to hire more ’employees of color’ over the next few years. But what exactly is an ’employee of color’? Pandora has just announced a sweeping affirmative action program, one designed to cur… Read More…
YouTube Rolls Out HDR Enabled TV Support for Select Channels
Image by Kārlis Dambrāns (CC by 2.0) YouTube + HDR = YouTube HDR for HDR-enabled TVs and displays. Any questions? For users with HDR-enabled 4K Smart TVs or displays, they’re now able to watch their favorite… Read More…
Don Henley: Pallante Stood Up for the Creative Community, and Got Fired
Image by Alice Bartlett (CC by 2.0) Who is truly responsible for the US Copyright Office controversy? Carla Hayden? Google? Was it just an argument? Was it all coincidence? Not so for Don Henley. Several weeks ago, Maria Pallante suddenly changed office. Sh… Read More…
Drake’s Views Reaches 3 Billion Streams on Spotify
Drake’s rolling in 3 billion views on Spotify. According to Music Ally, songs on Drake’s album Views surpassed 3 billion total streams on Spotify. As of writing, the tally stands at 3,056,324,234. The most streamed trac… Read More…
Welcome to Live Video, Instagram. We’ve Been Waiting for You…
Instagram is now following papa Facebook with a strong live video push. In an interview with the Financial Times, Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom confirmed that the service will r… Read More…
New TV Pilot Explores Unsolved Murders of Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls
Who killed Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls? A new USA Network pilot series aims to find out. USA Network ordered the production of Unsolved, a scripted true crime story th… Read More…
Last Week: October 29 to November 4, 2016
1. Apple Music Considering a Serious Price Drop, Sources Say
What’s the ‘sweet spot’ price that will get streaming music to a billion subscribers? Maybe Apple Music will finally figure that out. Apple Music may be preparing for a major price drop, according to a pair … Read More…
2. Lil Wayne Says ‘Black Lives Matter’ Doesn’t Matter
Image by hollywoodsmile310 (CC by 2.0) File this one under #lilwayne #NOtoblacklivesmatters and #youngblackandrich. But Lil Wayne is now the latest rapper to speak out against the Black Lives Matter movement. In September, Lil Wayne got into some pretty ho… Read More…
3. 1 Out of Every 4 CDs Sold on Amazon Is Counterfeit
Chinese counterfeiters are overrunning Amazon with fake discs. And you don’t need an Amazon Prime account for these deals. Every weekend, in a relatively quiet and quaint part of Los Angeles, you can find c… Read More…
4. Guvera Stops Paying Their U.S. and Latin American Employees
Image by Tim Green (CC by 2.0) Guvera is at it again. Here at Digital Music News, we’ve talked about beleaguered Australian music streaming startup Guvera. The company started off strong, though. They initially raised $100 million from wealthy Australian fa… Read More…
5. Bob Dylan Just Punk’d Everyone on the Nobel Prize
After a prolonged silence, Bob Dylan has proudly accepted his Nobel Prize for Literature. The award simply left him ‘speechless’. We thought he was blowing it off. The greatest singer songwriter in history was simply too good, too pompous for the Nobel Pr… Read More…
6. YouTube Strikes Deal with GEMA After Seven Long Years
Image by Kevan (CC by 2.0) YouTube finally strikes a deal with GEMA, ending their seven-year standoff. To say that YouTube and GEMA have had a contentious relationship is a huge understatement. For the past … Read More…
7. Bono Wins His Most Prestigious Award Yet. You Won’t Believe What It Is…
Women are up in arms! Glamour says Bono has done more for women than any woman. But should he be awarded the ‘Woman of the Year’ award? Glamour is now catching some serious heat for doing the unthinkable. … Read More…
8. Hot 97 DJ Accuses Drake of Using a Ghostwriter (Again…)
Image by Thomas Hawk (CC by 2.0) I’m pretty sure Drake isn’t using THIS Ghostwriter. Canadian rapper Drake told Hot 97 DJ Peter Rosenberg that he has used a ghostwriter in past songs. In an interview with S… Read More…
9. David Bowie Fans Flipping Out Over the Latest iPhone Update
Guess the man’s literally an icon. David Bowie is now the latest inductee into iPhone’s extensive emoji cast. But when will this be released? David Bowie is now part of the esteemed iPhone emoji selection,… Read More…
10. The New Apple MacBook Pro: 3.5mm Jack, No Native USB Legacy Support
Image by audio-collage (CC by 2.0) Apple MacBook Pro + Touch Bar – Native USB Legacy Support = A courageous, cable-filled future. As expected, Apple unveiled their brand new Macbook Pro. As always, it’s looking pretty sweet. You can purchase the Macbook Pro… Read More…
2 Weeks Ago: October 24 to 28, 2016
1. Unauthorized Facebook Videos Help to Sell More Music, Study Shows
How important are fan-created, unauthorized Facebook videos to artist careers? Now, we have a much better idea. As the music industry battles with Facebook over royalties and what’s fair, there’s always been … Read More…
2. Twitter Just Fired 350 Employees and Shut Down Vine
Twitter’s 3Q 2016 earnings beat Wall Street’s expectations as the company posted a strong adjusted revenue of $616 million. This is an… Read More…
3. Is Google Behind the Recent Firing at the U.S. Copyrights Office?
Looks like someone got the axe at the Copyrights Office thanks to Google. Maria Pallante was abruptly removed from the U.S. Register of Copyrights early Friday morning… Read More…
4. Kanye West Can’t Sing, Can’t Play, Can’t Dance…
Today in Hate! David Crosby questions the lofty claims of ability by Kanye West. Kanye West likes to exalt himself. Last year, he declared himself to be “the greatest living rock … Read More…
5. SoundExchange Submits Rates Proposal for 2018 Until 2022
SoundExchange submitted their SiriusXM rates to the Copyright Royalty Board, according to a new report from Music Business Worldwide. Based on expert analysis, SoundExchange proposes a rate that is the greater of 23%… Read More…
6. MOST DEBATED: Was Michael Jackson Just a Dirty Child Molester? A New Lawsuit Says Yes.
Long after his death, accusations of child molestation continue to dog Michael Jackson’s legacy. This time, a new victim claims that the King of Pop paid her $900,000 t… Read More…
7. Kim Kardashian Losing an Estimated $300,000 a WEEK on Social Media…
In the wake of a suspicious Paris robbery, Kim Kardashian’s absence from social media could be proving costly. Kanye West’s earnings, on the other hand, are surging. Kim Kardashian’s drama-filled robbery in Paris may be costlier than first imagined. The r… Read More…
8. Bank of America Hating on Pandora: ‘They’ll Never Get 10 Million Subs…’
Looks like Ari Herstand isn’t the only getting hated these days. After a splash of hate from Bank of America, Pandora’s stock remains guttered this week. It’s been a really rough week for Pandora. Wall Street is pounding the company’s stock amidst structu… Read More…
9. Eric Clapton Sued By Bo Carter’s Estate Over Incorrect Credit on Iconic Song…
What’s in a song, Eric Clapton? For the Estate of Bo Carter, about $5 million. Earlier this month, the Estate of Armentia Chatmon, better known as Bo Carter, filed a lawsuit against Eric Clapton, Warner Music Group, Sony/ATV M… Read More…
10. Avenged Sevenfold Releases Its Seventh Album on the Wrong Label
Friday was a happy day for American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold. They’ve just released their new album, The Stage. This marks… Read More…