Reminder – Tencent Music will file its IPO today.
According to IPO Zaozhidao, a reputable WeChat news agency, Tencent Music will present its IPO filing today. With an expected launch in mid-October, the music division of Chinese conglomerate Tencent will have an expected valuation of over $30 billion.
Nashville’s Music Row in danger of extinction.
Home to multiple songwriting sessions, publishing houses, and law firms, Music Row, an iconic part of the music industry in Nashville, has lost 43 buildings in the past 5 years, each with connections to the music industry. New developments, including apartments and hotels, have replaced them.
Activists have made a strong effort to preserve the neighborhood. They’re attempting to preserve Bobby’s Idle Hour, Rhinestone Wedding Chapel, Warner/Chappell Music, and the former offices of Ed Bruce Agency.
Carolyn Brackett, a Senior Officer for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, told a local affiliate,
“The message has got to be loud and clear that we are going to lose Music Row if you keep taking five buildings here and four buildings here, six buildings here and demolish them and putting up a generic office building or a generic apartment building. In 10 years, Music Row won’t be here.”
Ahead of the Copyright Directive vote, a new study reveals Europeans love to stream music on YouTube.
PRS for Music, a UK performing rights society, has found 85% of people in Malta used YouTube to stream music in the last 3 months. 28% only used the video platform to listen to music. Only 32% of people used Google Play, and 28% used Spotify. 14% hadn’t used any digital music platform at all.
Ahead of a key vote on the Copyright Directive – which would force Google and other user-generated video platforms to pay a fair share on royalties – John Mottram, Head of Policy and Public Affairs, said,
“The research shows the importance of YouTube to users and to the music industry in Malta. Services like YouTube and Facebook have built massively successfully global business by giving users access to music and other content and it is essential that those who create and perform the music we all love can share in that success.”
PRS for Music didn’t reveal how many people were surveyed.
su:ku:ya re-launched.
Adrian McGruther, a music entertainment lawyer in Sydney, has re-launched the artist management and development company. The relaunch roster of su:ku:ya includes Gordi, Willaris. K, Pleasure Coma, Micra, James Christowski, and Paradise Estrange. The company will work with “a small group of forward-thinking artists.”
Tom Swoon sentenced to jail.
A judge in Poland has sentenced Swoon, a Polish DJ/producer, to 50 months in jail after pleading guilty to manslaughter in a deadly drunk driving accident. The accident near Goleniów left 1 person dead, with another injured. Swoon – real name Dorian Tomasiak – had driven in excess of 100 miles per hour. In addition to his jail sentence, Swoon will have to pay a fine close to $18,000. He also can no longer drive in the country.
Sony unveils a new joint venture label.
New Tribe Music, a joint venture between Sony Music Entertainment Australia and songwriter/producer Jon Hume, will focus on promoting Australian acts. Kira Puru, a singer/songwriter in Melbourne, is the new label’s first signing.
T.I. signs with Epic Records.
After confirming the signing, the Atlanta rapper/actor dropped two new songs – ‘Jefe’ and ‘Wraith.’ During a career spanning 15 years, he has won 3 Grammy Awards and 3 BET Awards.
UTA unveils multiple partners.
Rene Jones, Jim Meenaghan, Rich Shuter, and David Spingarn have joined United Talent Agency (UTA) COO Andrew Thau as non-agent partners.
Rene Jones serves as Global Head of Philanthropy. The 14-year UTA veteran has previously served at national nonprofits and political campaigns.
Jim Meenaghan, who serves as Co-Head of UTA Independent Film Group, oversees the agency’s motion pictures business affairs. He previously served at Walden Media and Walt Disney Pictures.
Rich Shuter serves as Head of Television Business Affairs. He previously served at DreamWorks Television and DreamWorks SKG.
David Spingarn serves as Chief Strategy Officer. He previously served at Disney, Fox, and Universal Music.
Paradigm Talent Agency announces a key hire.
Perry Gilman will serve as the first new music agent of Paradigm’s Toronto office. He has served at Madison House and The Feldman Agency.
Concord Music poaches a key executive from Vevo.
In the newly created position, Tina Funk, former General Manager at Vevo Germany, will now serve as Managing Director at Concord Music. She’ll lead the expansion of the company’s combined music publishing business in Germany across Administration, Synchronization, and Creative. Funk will report to John Minch, European President of Publishing.
B! Noticed Public Relations announces a key hire.
Leslie Armstrong will serve as Social Media Manager at Nashville-based B! Noticed Public Relations. Her portfolio at the company includes promoting artists’ music awareness, tours, booking profiles with interactive live-streams, video and photo incorporation, and informational posts on social media platforms. As an editor, Armstrong has covered events for organizations, including St. Jude and T.J. Martell, multiple awards shows, including ACM and CMA, and other country music events.
Beatport announces a key hire.
Heiko Hoffman will serve as Director of Artist and Label Relations at Beatport, a division of LifeStyle. Based in Berlin, he’ll oversee the company’s relationships with indie labels and artists. Hoffman has served at Germany’s Groove Magazine and hosts shows on NTS Radio and Fritz, a local public radio station.
Featured image by midem (YouTube screengrab).