Harry Styles donated $1.2 million to charity during his 10-month solo tour.
During his first solo tour, Harry Styles donated $1.2 million to 62 global charities. The tour also helped promote voter registration work, helping HeadCount, a non-profit organization, register hundreds of fans. Styles also encouraged water conservation, saving the equivalent of 10,000 single-use water bottles and 3,200 by his band and crew.
Argentina rock sensation Cristian ‘Pity’ Alvarez charged with murder.
A judge has charged Argentine rock star Cristian ‘Pity’ Alvarez with murder. According to judge Martín Yadarola’s report, Alvarez shot a man four times following a dispute. The lead singer of both Viejas Locas and Intoxicados claimed he shot the man in self-defense. Alvarez’s lawyer claimed the singer had drug problems during the time of the incident. Yadarola disagreed, stating Alvarez knew what he was doing.
Jay-Z’s childish ultimatum to Philadelphia – Hold his music festival on the ‘Rocky’ steps or he’ll move it to another city.
Desiree Perez, COO of Jay-Z’s Roc Nation, has told Variety the rapper/entrepreneur wants his music festival – Made in America – held on the famous ‘Rocky’ steps. The statement comes after Mayor Jim Kenney said the festival would be held elsewhere in the city due to costs. Apparently, he didn’t consult with Jay-Z first. Perez said,
“We have never seen any other location or been told about another location. Jay said, ‘I want to be on the ‘Rocky’ steps. The name of the festival is Made in America, it’s Labor Day weekend, this is the city of the founding fathers — everything means something. We chose that space. This is a symbolic space in the birthplace of America for freedom and everything we stand for.”
Headliners for first annual Firebird Music Festival announced.
Jeffrey Osborne, Earl Klugh, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Rick Braun, and Everette Harp will perform at the first annual Firebird Music Festival in Scottsdale, Arizona. Harp serves as Managing Partner at JEMRock Productions, the company putting on the jazz festival taking place on September 23rd.
Niall Horan earns almost $3 million from his solo music firm.
Niall Horan has paid himself nearly $3 million from his new solo music firm over a 17-month period. Neon Haze Music paid its directors $2.994 million between the end of June 2016 to November 2017. The company reportedly sat on a cash pile of $2.56 million at the end of November. Horan had set up the firm after leaving One Direction and prior to embarking on a solo career.
Fourth David Bowie boxed set unveiled.
Parlophone Records has announced the upcoming release of a David Bowie boxed set. David Bowie: Loving the Alien 1983-1988 marks the singer’s most commercially successful period and includes Let’s Dance and Tonight. The boxed set will drop on October 12th.
Looks like a lot of people headed to the Exit.
The four-day Exit Festival has set a new attendance record, with over 200,000 turning out. The 18th annual event saw 55,000 people attend each day. Migos, David Guetta, and Grace Jones headlined this year’s Exit Festival. Alice Merton, Fever Ray, and Ziggy Marley also performed.
Festival No. 6 goes on hiatus.
In a statement, Festival No. 6 organizers have confirmed the event will go on hiatus after this year. The music festival will take place in at Portmeirion in North Wales on September 6th to the 9th.
“When we started Festival No.6 we had one aim – to create a completely new type of festival in a location unlike any other, catering for a different type of audience. Over the past six years, we’ve done everything we can to bring you an unrivalled festival experience in a truly unique setting, driven by a desire to do things differently. Running Festival No.6 hasn’t been without its challenges. Portmeirion is a complex site and we’ve had fun adapting and reinventing the festival every year, but unfortunately, No.6 is just not sustainable in its current format and so we’ve made the difficult decision to take a breather – 2018 will be the last Festival No.6 for now.”
Louis Tomlinson signs Mark Gillespie and Matt Vines as Managers.
Mark Gillespie has signed up as Co-Manager of former One Direction star Louis Tomlinson. He joins Matt Vines. James Grant Group previously managed Tomlinson.
Ian Fintak joins TKO.
The Kirby Organization (TKO) has expanded its agent team, adding Ian Fintak. The industry veteran recently served as Head of International for Paradise Artists. Jim Lenz, another former Paradise veteran, had previously joined TKO. Based in Los Angeles, Fintak’s TKO clients include Devo, Ricki Lee Jones, Berlin, and Tom Tom Club.
The Orchard announces a key promotion.
The Orchard has named Chris Manning as General Manager of UK and Europe. He will manage day-to-day operations. Manning will report to Ian Dutt, Managing Director of The Orchard UK.
Reservoir signs deal with Tracklib.
Tracklib, a music sample clearance service, has signed a deal with Reservoir Records to bring Philly Groove Records’ catalog to its service. Producers, DJs, and other music creators can search for and find hit tracks on Tracklib from The Delfonics, First Choice, Sound Experience, and Ben Aiken, among others.
Ditto named Chance the Rapper’s digital distributor for latest album.
Ditto Music, a music distribution and services company, has become the official digital distribution partner of Chance the Rapper’s newest work. The company has around 150,000 artists on its standard distribution service.
Jennifer Hudson and Taylor Swift join ‘Cats’ movie.
Jennifer Hudson and Taylor Swift have joined the upcoming movie version of Broadway play Cats. They join James Corden and Ian McKellen.
BMG extends deal with Cat Stevens.
BMG has expanded its long-term administration deal with Cat Stevens. The new agreement includes 50 years of his original songs and recordings, as well as other visual, audio, and literary content. The announcement comes right before Stevens’ 70th birthday this Saturday.
Paramount fires Amy Powell.
Paramount CEO Jim Gianopulos has fired Television President Amy Powell following racially charged remarks at an internal meeting. She has denied the allegation. In a memo, Gianopulos explained that the racially charged comments came during a studio notes call for Paramount Networks’ First Wives Club reboot. The show will feature a predominantly black cast.
“Having spent the past several days conducting a thorough investigation into this matter and speaking to those who were present, our Human Resources and Legal teams came to the same conclusion, and we have made the decision to terminate Amy’s employment, effective immediately.”
Featured image by Harry Styles (YouTube screengrab).