Dylan Smith

Cher Sues Mary Bono, Trustee of Sonny Bono’s Estate, Over Royalty-Termination Notice

October 14, 2021

Cher performing live in 2019. Photo Credit: Raph_PH 75-year-old singer and actress Cher is officially suing Mary Bono, the fourth wife of Sonny Bono and trustee of the Bono Collection Trust, for allegedly att... Read More...

Reservoir, SiriusXM Back Scripted-Podcast Company Audio Up In $12 Million Raise

Dylan Smith

October 14, 2021

About one month after inking a “worldwide” administration deal with Joni Mitchell, Reservoir (NASDAQ: RSVR) has backed audio-entertainment and podcast-production company Audio Up in a $12 million Series B led... Read More...

Latest Music Industry Gigs: Universal Music, Vurbl, Warner Music, PRS for Music, More

Dylan Smith

October 13, 2021

Music industry veteran Moses Martiny, Sony Music Publishing's new SVP of global digital commercial strategy. Photo Credit: Ivan Weiss Here’s a recap of recent executive shuffles — including both hirings and i... Read More...

Metaverse-Focused ‘Music Experience Startup’ Stage11 Announces $5.8 Million Funding Round, Partnerships With Snoop Dogg and David Guetta

Dylan Smith

October 13, 2021

An aerial shot of Paris, France, where Stage11 is headquartered. Photo Credit: Alexander Kagan Paris-headquartered “immersive music experience startup” Stage11 has officially announced the completion of a nea... Read More...

Adele Officially Announces ‘30’ — Her First Album in Six Years

Dylan Smith

October 13, 2021

Adele performing live in Tennessee. Photo Credit: Kristopher Harris After years of speculation – and a COVID-prompted delay – Adele has officially announced 30, which will mark her first release since 2015’s ... Read More...

Latin Music Half-Year Revenue Surpasses $400 Million Amid Continued Double-Digit Streaming Growth

Dylan Smith

October 12, 2021

Photo Credit: RIAA Latin music earnings grew 36.6 percent year over year in the U.S. during 2021’s opening half, according to a newly released report from the RIAA, for $407.4 million in revenue across H1 202... Read More...

Beggars Group Posts Heightened 2020 Operating Profit Despite Cutting New Releases by 20%

Dylan Smith

October 12, 2021

Grimes, who released Miss Anthropocene via Beggars Group's 4AD. Photo Credit: Caitlyn Ridenour Despite releasing a smaller number of projects and grappling with the pandemic-prompted pause on live performance... Read More...

Blackstone Officially Invests $1 Billion In Music Rights, Takes Ownership Stake In Hipgnosis Song Management

Dylan Smith

October 12, 2021

Last week, reports suggested that Blackstone (NYSE: BX) was preparing to invest $1 billion in music rights as part of an agreement with Hipgnosis founder Merck Mercuriadis. Now, the billion-dollar partnership... Read More...

Worm Capital: “Spotify Will Ultimately Prove Out To Be the Google of Audio”

Dylan Smith

October 11, 2021

Though Spotify stock (NYSE: SPOT) has parted with more than one-quarter of its value since the start of 2021, financial professionals at five-year-old Worm Capital are confident that the Stockholm-based audio... Read More...

The UK Nighttime Economy Has Lost Nearly 400,000 Jobs Amid the Pandemic — Including 86,000 Positions In the Cultural Nighttime Sector

Dylan Smith

October 11, 2021

An aerial shot of London, England, which has seen its nighttime live entertainment space part with a substantial number of jobs since 2020's start, according to a study from the Night Time Industries Associati... Read More...

Primary Wave Acquires Stake in Bing Crosby’s Name, Brand Rights, and IP — Including ‘Many’ Unreleased Recordings

Dylan Smith

October 11, 2021

Bing Crosby in 1945. Photo Credit: El Daniel Santiago About 10 weeks after acquiring a major stake in Prince’s estate, Primary Wave has officially purchased a multimillion-dollar interest in the catalog of Bi... Read More...

16 Million Americans Learned to Play Guitar During the Pandemic, Fender Study Finds

Dylan Smith

October 8, 2021

A study from Fender has revealed that 16 million Americans began learning guitar during the last two years. Photo Credit: Alex Suprun A new study from Fender has found that about 16 million Americans between ... Read More...

Here Are Some of the Latest — and Most Significant — Sync Music Deals

Sync Licensing Is Helping This Tropical Music Star Find Fans on the Global Stage

Here’s How a Volume-Based Sync Licensing Approach Helped These Musicians Score a VRBO Placement

Here’s What Drives Sync Licensing Success — According to a Veteran Creator Fresh Off a Samsung Placement

How I Landed a Juicy Sync Deal With SZA and TAZO

Fitness Apps Are Using Indie Music to Revolutionize Workouts — With Additional Growth and Licensing Opportunities Forthcoming

How to Avoid DMCA Strikes Against Your Twitch Channel — A Short Guide

An Insanely Detailed Discussion About the Music Modernization Act

Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music Are Only Getting Bigger — Which Is Great News for Niche Streaming Platforms (Our Latest Podcast)

Meet the Artist Who Is Literally Saving His Fans’ Lives — Our Latest Podcast

How to Game the Billboard Charts (And Why You Shouldn’t) — Our Latest Podcast

Stop Chasing Playlists and Start Building a Music Career — Our Latest Podcast

‘Bone Conduction’ Headphones Don’t Go Over Your Ears — But Still Transmit Sound to Your Inner Cochlea

Now That the Music Modernization Act Has Passed, Who’s Gonna Run the Damn Thing?

Cher Sues Mary Bono, Trustee of Sonny Bono’s Estate, Over Royalty-Termination Notice

Reservoir, SiriusXM Back Scripted-Podcast Company Audio Up In $12 Million Raise

Latest Music Industry Gigs: Universal Music, Vurbl, Warner Music, PRS for Music, More

Metaverse-Focused ‘Music Experience Startup’ Stage11 Announces $5.8 Million Funding Round, Partnerships With Snoop Dogg and David Guetta

Adele Officially Announces ‘30’ — Her First Album in Six Years

Latin Music Half-Year Revenue Surpasses $400 Million Amid Continued Double-Digit Streaming Growth

Beggars Group Posts Heightened 2020 Operating Profit Despite Cutting New Releases by 20%

Blackstone Officially Invests $1 Billion In Music Rights, Takes Ownership Stake In Hipgnosis Song Management

Worm Capital: “Spotify Will Ultimately Prove Out To Be the Google of Audio”

The UK Nighttime Economy Has Lost Nearly 400,000 Jobs Amid the Pandemic — Including 86,000 Positions In the Cultural Nighttime Sector

Primary Wave Acquires Stake in Bing Crosby’s Name, Brand Rights, and IP — Including ‘Many’ Unreleased Recordings

16 Million Americans Learned to Play Guitar During the Pandemic, Fender Study Finds

Author Dylan Smith