Dylan Smith

R. Kelly Faces Charges of Spreading Sexually Transmittable Diseases

March 5, 2020

Battling on Multiple Fronts: R. Kelly’s New York lawyers refute STD-related charges as the rapper pleads not guilty in Chicago. R. Kelly is now facing felony charges in New York, Minnesota, and his native Ch... Read More...

Slipknot Suspends Entire Asian Tour on Coronavirus Concerns

Dylan Smith

March 5, 2020

Citing health concerns over the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic, Slipknot has indefinitely postponed the Asia portion of their upcoming tour. The eight-piece heavy-metal band took to Twitter to annou... Read More...

Apple, Netflix, IBM Officially Pull Out of SXSW — Who’s Next?

Dylan Smith

March 5, 2020

Downtown Austin, TX (photo: Avi Werde) Another day, another high-profile South by Southwest (SXSW) 2020 cancellation — or cancellations, to be precise. Citing concerns about the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19... Read More...

Bad Bunny Scores Spotify’s Biggest Debut of 2020 — After a Paid Promotional Campaign

Dylan Smith

March 4, 2020

Popping up on a Spotify account near you (photo: Digital Music News). Bad Bunny's new album is killing it on Spotify — partially due to the platform's paid advertising options. Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny ... Read More...

TikTok’s Streaming Music Service, Resso, Officially Launches In India — Without Universal Music

Dylan Smith

March 4, 2020

Photo Credit: Resso TikTok parent company ByteDance has launched Resso, its long-awaited music-streaming service, in India. Though the platform bears some similarities to TikTok, it’s been tailored to resemb... Read More...

Fired Recording Academy CEO Says She Has Evidence of Grammys Voting Corruption

Dylan Smith

March 4, 2020

Ex-Grammys CEO Deborah Dugan Having been officially fired by the Recording Academy just two days ago, Deborah Dugan has made good on her promise to retaliate by coming forward with what she claims is evidence... Read More...

Amazon, VEVO, TikTok, Intel Cancel SXSW — Organizers Still Refuse to Call Off the Event

Dylan Smith

March 4, 2020

Austin–Bergstrom International Airport, which services downtown Austin and SXSW (LoneStarMike CC 2.0) Amazon, Vevo, and TikTok have all canceled their SXSW 2020 appearances within the last 24 hours. But the m... Read More...

Ariana Grande’s ‘7 Rings’ Copyright Infringement Lawsuit Might Get Tossed

Dylan Smith

March 3, 2020

The previously reported Ariana Grande copyright infringement lawsuit could be dismissed sooner rather than later. Earlier today, District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald sent a letter to the lawsuit’s plaintiff a... Read More...

The Average Canadian Songwriter Earned Just $67 Last Year from Domestic Digital Sources

Dylan Smith

March 3, 2020

photo: Annie Spratt SOCAN members — including songwriters, composers, producers, publishers, and other composition rights owners — received an average of $67 (Canadian dollars) for domestic digital royalties ... Read More...

Marvin Gaye’s Estate Doubles Down on Pharrell Williams Perjury Charges

Dylan Smith

March 3, 2020

Marvin Gaye's estate has doubled down on perjury allegations against Pharrell Williams, whose statements in a 2019 GQ interview are said to have contradicted those he gave while under oath in the courtroom. ... Read More...

German High Court Postpones YouTube Illegal Uploads Ruling

One of Germany’s Largest ‘Fake Stream’ Operations Has Been Shut Down

Dylan Smith

March 3, 2020

Followerschmiede.de on Tuesday, March 3rd, 2020 The recording industry has taken decisive action against a company that offered artists stream-manipulation services—i.e., fake plays on Spotify and other leadi... Read More...

Facebook Officially Exits SXSW 2020 — 24 Hours After Twitter Cancels

Dylan Smith

March 3, 2020

Following Twitter’s lead, Facebook has pulled out of South by Southwest (SXSW) 2020. Even so, event organizers say the mega-festival will go on as scheduled, despite rising domestic and international concerns... Read More...

Author Dylan Smith