Dylan Smith

PRS for Music Agrees to New Foundation Funding Following Pushback, Citing ‘The Increase In Interest Rates During 2022’

January 17, 2023

Photo Credit: PRS for Music Last June, PRS for Music faced pushback from more than 50 music industry organizations over its plans to reduce PRS Foundation donations. Now, the entities have unveiled a newly in... Read More...

YouTube Renews Coachella Livestream Deal Through 2026, Plans to ‘Incorporate New Elements’ Following 2022 eCommerce Buildout

Dylan Smith

January 17, 2023

A shot captured at Coachella 2015. Photo Credit: David Jones YouTube, the longtime livestream partner of Goldenvoice-organized Coachella, is officially set to continue broadcasting the annual music festival t... Read More...

Warner Music Group ‘Taps Into the Explosive Spanish Language Market’ With Gibson-Sponsored Prime Video Series

Dylan Smith

January 17, 2023

A promo image for Melody, which is scheduled to debut on Prime Video on February 22nd. Photo Credit: Warner Music Group Warner Music Group (WMG) is officially set to bring a Spanish-language musical series, s... Read More...

Court Sets 2024 Trial Date In Epidemic Sound’s Copyright Infringement Battle Against Meta

Dylan Smith

January 16, 2023

Photo Credit: Unsplash In November, a federal judge rejected Facebook parent Meta’s motion to dismiss a copyright infringement suit levied against it by royalty-free song library Epidemic Sound. Now, the high... Read More...

Music Monetization Platform Orfium Acquires Cue Sheet Management Company Soundmouse

Dylan Smith

January 16, 2023

Orfium CEO Rob Wells, who previously served as Universal Music Group's president of global digital business. Photo Credit: Orfium Music-tech platform Orfium has officially announced the acquisition of 23-year... Read More...

Court Rejects RIAA Motion for Attorneys’ Fees In Years-Running Legal Battle With Stream-Ripper Yout

Dylan Smith

January 16, 2023

Photo Credit: David Veksler Earlier this month, the RIAA doubled down on its aggressive push to make stream-ripper Yout cough up $250,000 in attorneys' fees as part of their long-running courtroom confrontati... Read More...

The Gap Band Heirs Sue BMG Over Allegedly Owed ‘Uptown Funk’ Royalties

Dylan Smith

January 13, 2023

The Gap Band heirs are officially suing BMG for allegedly failing to pay owed royalties stemming from the incorporation of 1979’s “Oops Upside Your Head” in Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk” (2014). ... Read More...

Seeker Music Acquires Catalogs of John Ryan and Jon Bellion, Emphasizes Pursuit of Deals With ‘Modern-Day Songwriters’

Dylan Smith

January 13, 2023

(l to r) Seeker Music CFO Jennifer Scher (formerly CFO of Round Hill and Spirit), CEO Evan Bogart (the son of Casablanca Records founder Neil Bogart), COO Rob Guthrie (previously a Songs Music Publishing exec)... Read More...

Warner Bros. Discovery Reportedly Explores $1 Billion+ Catalog Sale Amid Broader Debt-Reduction Effort

Dylan Smith

January 13, 2023

The Burbank offices of Warner Bros. Entertainment. Photo Credit: Junkyardsparkle Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ: WBD) is reportedly exploring a possible $1 billion sale of its music library, including the sou... Read More...

TikTok Reportedly Undercuts Rival Platforms On Ad Costs As Regulatory Scrutiny Continues

Dylan Smith

January 12, 2023

Photo Credit: Solen Feyissa TikTok has reportedly adopted comparatively low prices for on-platform advertisements in an attempt to draw digital-marketing business away from competitors including Instagram and... Read More...

John Fogerty Fulfills ‘Decades-Long Dream’ By Acquiring a Majority Stake In Creedence Clearwater Revival Catalog

Dylan Smith

January 12, 2023

John and Julie Fogerty. Photo Credit: Kyle Spicer After an array of companies scooped up high-profile song rights during 2022, Creedence Clearwater Revival founder John Fogerty has flipped the script by purch... Read More...

Kakao Entertainment Draws Nearly $1 Billion In Funding From ‘Leading Sovereign Wealth Funds,’ Sets Sights On Global Expansion

Dylan Smith

January 12, 2023

Photo Credit: Kakao Entertainment South Korea’s Kakao Entertainment, which operates several K-pop labels, a streaming service, and more, has announced the completion of a nearly $1 billion raise fueled by “le... Read More...

Author Dylan Smith