Demi Lovato ‘stable’ after heroin overdose.
Demi Lovato is “okay and stable” following a heroin overdose. The news comes a month after she revealed she broke her sobriety. The singer has struggled with drug use in the past. Lovato remains hospitalized in Los Angeles.
YouTube starts signing six-figure checks in battle against IGTV.
Google has started signing six-figure checks to YouTube’s top creators in an attempt to keep new content exclusively on the video platform, or at least on both platforms. Canadian YouTuber Lily Singh and others received checks as high as seven figures, according to Business Insider. YouTube dismissed the news, stating it has “no new initiative in place.”
“We have always invested in our creators’ success and will continue to do so to ensure they have a great experience and can find continued growth and opportunity on YouTube.”
Live Nation’s stock jumps following ‘inevitable’ merger with SiriusXM.
Live Nation shares have climbed over 1% in pre-marketing trading following a statement from BTIS Research. Upgrading the company’s stock, analyst Brand Ross wrote,
“We and a growing group of investors have come to believe a nearer-term combination of SiriusXM and Live Nation is inevitable. We believe Liberty President and CEO, Greg Maffei, has long desired to combine Sirius and Live Nation into a single music distribution company and has encouraged a marriage of his two music industry interests in the past.”
Philadelphia gives in to Jay-Z.
Jay-Z and Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney have reached an agreement. The rapper/entrepreneur’s Made in America festival will remain in Benjamin Franklin Parkway. A joint statement from Mayor Jim Kenney and Roc Nation reads,
“Mayor Jim Kenney and Desiree Perez, Chief Operating Officer of Roc Nation, had a productive meeting today to discuss the future of the Made in America festival. Both parties have agreed to continue to host the festival along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, and are committed to addressing operational and community challenges associated with this large-scale event.”
Yup, expect to still find ISIS videos and the terror group’s supporters on YouTube.
According to a new study, YouTube continues failing to take down jihadist videos within two hours of their initial uploads due to ‘staggering’ holes in monitoring. Counter Extremism Project (CEP) found that the Google-owned video platform failed to take down one in four ISIS videos. YouTube had also left up terrorist propaganda and recruitment videos for up to three days at a time, with videos receiving tens of thousands of views. Six in ten ISIS supporters who have uploaded the videos still have active accounts on the platform. Videos include how to make bombs, direct threats to Prince Harry, and calls to supporters to launch terror attacks in London and Birmingham.
TRON Foundation officially acquires BitTorrent.
BitTorrent, Inc. has confirmed TRON Foundation, a San Francisco file-sharing company, has officially acquired the company. In a statement, TRON Foundation founder Justin Sun said,
“The BitTorrent acquisition embodies TRON’s ‘All-In Decentralization’ strategy. TRON and BitTorrent share the same vision for a decentralized Web. I believe BitTorrent will gain new life from integrating into the TRON ecosystem, and TRON will continue BitTorrent’s protocol legacy.”
YouTube loses money on TV subscribers.
YouTube TV has around 800,000 subscribers and reportedly loses money on a per-subscriber basis, paying $49 per month for content for each subscriber. “People familiar with the situation” told The Information YouTube TV has fewer subscribers than other live TV streaming services. Dish’s Sling TV and AT&T’s Directv Now, for example, have four million subscribers between them. Hulu’s Live TV service now has close to one million subscribers. YouTube TV, along with other live TV streaming services, will likely lose more money, as all have agreed to strong annual price increases as high as 7%.
MTV VJ Jesse Camp goes missing.
Authorities in Riverside, California are investigating the disappearance of former MTV VJ Josiah Camp, better known as Jesse Camp. His sister, Mariah, reported the VJ missing on July 19th after he failed to respond to calls from family members and herself. Camp was last seen in Riverside.
Hedley frontman arrested over sexual assault claims.
Jacob Hoggard, lead singer of Canadian pop-rock band Hedley, has turned himself to Toronto Police. Authorities charged him with two counts of sexual assault and one count of sexual interference. A four-month police investigation revealed that in 2016, he assaulted two women, one under the age of 16. Hoggard will appear in court in Toronto Thursday.
Blink 182 resumes tours and Las Vegas residency.
Blink 182 has announced a North American tour following several cancellations at the group’s Las Vegas residency due to health issues. Travis Barker had contracted blood clots in his arms. Blink 182’s 2018 tour will kick off in Moorhead, Minnesota on September 12th and wrap up in Council Bluffs, Iowa on September 25th. The group will also resume its Las Vegas residency at the Pearl Theater on October 26th.
‘Cannabis experience’ unveiled at California music festival.
Another Planet Entertainment and Superfly have announced the ‘Grass Lands’ experience, a cannabis-focused area at California’s Outside Lands music festival. It will reportedly focus on the “celebration, education, and integration of cannabis products into daily life.” Outside Lands will take place on August 10th to the 12th at the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.
RCA Records UK unveils a slew of appointments and new hires.
RCA Records UK has promoted Parris O’Loughlin to Senior Urban Artist Manager. The label has also hired Minnie Harding as Artist Influencer Marketing and Strategy, Whitney Asomani and Tasha Demi as Artist Managers, Sej Jheeta as Artist Strategy Manager, Feo Ogunfidodo as Audience Development Manager, Ore Olukoga as A&R Scout, and Netanya Pilikian as Marketing Assistant.
BMG launches new label with Michael Knox.
County music producer Michael Knox has launched a new label in partnership with BMG. He’ll develop, sign, and release emerging artists through Music Knox Records.
Tramlines Festival honors Sarah Nulty.
Performers and attendees honored Sarah Nulty at the Tramlines Festival. The festival’s co-founder had passed away following a short illness earlier this month. Staff, artists, and attendees wore ‘Be More Nutty’ shirts in her honor. On Twitter, English singer/songwriter Craig David wrote,
“Thank you everyone @tramlines festival today you were absolutely amazing! Thank you Sarah Nulty for creating such an amazing festival & may you rest in peace knowing that you’ve brought so many people together and your legacy will live on.”
Sony Music UK signs The Kingdom Choir.
The Kingdom Choir has signed a deal with Sony Music UK. The group’s debut album will drop on November 2nd.
Featured image by GFDL (CC by 2.0)
“TRON and BitTorrent share the same vision for a decentralized Web. ”
Is “decentralized Web” code for “massive copyright infringement”?