1. Global Repertoire Database HQ to be based in London and Berlin

    May 12, 2013 11:18 PM EDT The Global Repertoire Database (GRD) -- a cross-industry initiative to deliver a global one-stop-shop for the cataloging of music ownership rights -- is to set-up its international headquarters in London with its operations center based in Berli ...

  2. 'Great Gatsby' Soundtrack Selling Big, Headed for No. 2 on Billboard 200

    May 10, 2013 9:43 PM EDT The all-star soundtrack to the film "The Great Gatsby" is off to a fast start. Industry forecasters suggest the new compilation album, which was released this past Tuesday (May 7), might sell over 100,000 copies by the end of the track ...

  3. Jack Conte’s Patreon: Anyone Can Be a Patron of the Arts

    May 10, 2013 9:00 PM EDT You don’t have to be a scion of the Medici or Guggenheim family to be a patron of the arts. Jack Conte’s Patreon site will let anyone become a benefactor for as little as $1. Tapping into an ancient human instinct to support culture, Conte is le ...

  4. How Do Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Compare With Other Duos, Chart-Wise?

    May 10, 2013 5:51 PM EDT As previously reported, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis log an historic No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week, as "Can't Hold Us" (featuring Ray Dalton) follows their "Thrift Shop" (featuring Wanz) to the top, making the ...

  5. TBS Orders Cee Lo Green Reality Series

    May 10, 2013 5:02 PM EDT The Voice's Cee Lo Green is heading to TBS. The Turner cable network has given a six-episode series order to an unscripted series featuring Green, it was announced Friday morning. "The Cee Lo Life" (working title) is expected to p ...

  6. Paul Gourlie, Long Time Agent at The Agency Group Toronto, Dead at 37

    May 10, 2013 5:00 PM EDT Paul Gourlie, a long-time booking agent at The Agency Group in Toronto, passed away this morning (May 10) at St. Michael’s Hospital from cystic fibrosis. He was 37. Gourlie was the responsible agent for such acts as The Trews, KMFDM, Saul Willia ...

  7. Business Matters: Market Is Ready for YouTube Subscription Channels

    May 10, 2013 4:41 PM EDT Questions popped up as soon as YouTube unveiled its paid subscription channels Thursday. Will people pay a monthly fee to watch videos on YouTube? What will the impact be on cable TV? Can YouTube compete with Netflix? YouTube has been an adverti ...

  8. Chart Moves: Selena Gomez 'Get's First Hot Digital Songs Top 10; Arianna Drives Onto Hot 100; Florida Georgia Line Dominates Country Airplay

    May 10, 2013 3:47 PM EDT As previously reported , Macklemore & Ryan Lewis log an historic No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week, as "Can't Hold Us" (featuring Ray Dalton) follows their "Thrift Shop" (featuring Wanz) to the top, making the ...

  9. Are Beer Drones the Future of Music Festivals? A Q&A With Darkwing Aerial's Dean Engela

    May 10, 2013 3:08 PM EDT The Bible may encourage its adherents to "beat their swords into ploughshares,” but what would scripture say about transforming weapons into beer delivery systems for music festivals? Enter Dean Engela, co-founder of South Africa's Dar ...

  10. Festival Sponsorship Spending Projected to Set Record in 2013

    May 10, 2013 2:33 PM EDT Sponsorship for the live music business is up more than 15% in three years as more brands look to tap into fans’ passion This story below on the growth of branding at U.S. music festivals is from the May 18 edition of Billboard magazine featurin ...

  11. Bubbling Under: Mr. Little Jeans Gets Bigger

    May 10, 2013 12:40 PM EDT Each Friday, Billboard presents "Bubbling Under," a weekly look at new and noteworthy acts making their way toward Billboard chart success. Up this week: Mr. Little Jeans, Wild Feathers, Morgan Frazier and A$AP Ferg. Mr. Little Jeans W ...

  12. How Three Upstarts Derailed Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, And Tyler, the Creator’s Branding Deals: Guest Post by Dan Charnas

    May 10, 2013 12:14 PM EDT Dan Charnas (@dancharnas ) is the author of The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip-Hop (Penguin) and Def Jam: The First 25 Years of the Last Great Record Label (Rizzoli). Billboard.biz welcomes responsible commentary -- contact jem. ...

  13. T.I. Talks '$200 Million' Major Label Deal & 'G.D.O.D.' Mixtape

    May 10, 2013 10:44 AM EDT Not too long ago, T.I.'s Grand Hustle imprint wasn't living up to its name. The Atlanta rapper spent the better part of 2009 through 2011 behind bars, first for weapon charges and then again for a probation violation stemming from drug ...

  14. Chart Moves: Fleetwood Mac Returns After 10 Years, Lindsey Stirling Hits New Chart High

    May 10, 2013 8:30 AM EDT This week on the Billboard 200 albums chart, Kenny Chesney roped his seventh No. 1, as "Life on a Rock" arrived atop the list with 153,000 sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It was one of just two debuts in the top 10 this week, as ...

  15. Billy Bragg, Amanda Palmer Confirmed as Guest Speakers for Bigsound Confab

    May 10, 2013 1:21 AM EDT Outspoken British musician and social activist Billy Bragg will join Dresden Dolls’ Amanda Palmer – the million-dollar lady of crowd-funding -- as guest speakers at the 2013 Bigsound conference and showcase event in Brisbane, Australia. Other in ...

  16. Apple, Universal Music Group Reach Agreement for iRadio Service: Report

    May 09, 2013 10:14 PM EDT Universal Music Group has agreed to license its songs to Apple Inc.'s proposed iRadio streaming service, according to the Financial Times.  With the largest record company in the bag, the Cupertino, California, hardware company now only nee ...

  17. What's Next for Randy Jackson After 'American Idol'? (Analysis)

    May 09, 2013 9:19 PM EDT 1 3 11 0 0 The goal of “American Idol,” a dozen seasons ago when it started, was to create stars out of unknowns. It did so for Simon Cowell, perhaps the most famous A&R man on the planet, who has surrounded himself with television and music projects ...

  18. Business Matters: What An Audio-Streaming Device and 3D Smartphone from Amazon Could Mean to the Music Biz

    May 09, 2013 8:46 PM EDT Amazon is developing a range of hardware products including an audio-only streaming device and a smartphone with 3D capabilities that does not require special glasses, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. The development of another ...

  19. As I Lay Dying's Tim Lambesis Pleads Not Guilty to Murder Solicitation Charge

    May 09, 2013 8:00 PM EDT As I Lay Dying's Tim Lambesis pled not guilty to a solicitation-of-murder charge at his arraignment on Thursday. As I Lay Dying Singer Tim Lambesis Arrested Over Plot to Kill Wife Bail was set at $3 million, sources on the scene confirmed t ...

  20. Rolling Stones Flex Their Tickets: Organizers Push Back at Suggestion Tickets Being Sold at Discount

    May 09, 2013 7:50 PM EDT Some may view it as a matter of semantics, but promoters of the Rolling Stones' 50 & Counting tour insist ticket-price adjustments in Los Angeles and elsewhere reflect "flex pricing" (as opposed to "discounting") and ...

  21. BET Teams With AEG for 3-day LA Festival

    May 09, 2013 7:50 PM EDT As BET Networks prepares to announce this year's slate of BET Awards nominees and special honorees on May 14, the countdown begins for its first BET Experience at L.A. Live. Moving to the Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles after nine yea ...

  22. Over the Counter: Kenny Chesney's Lucky Seventh No. 1

    May 09, 2013 7:40 PM EDT The superstar is second only to Garth Brooks among country acts with the most chart-toppers. Country king Kenny Chesney grabs his seventh No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 as "Life on a Rock" debuts atop the list. The set sold 153,000 c ...

  23. Brett Gurewitz's Fig Music + Lionel Conway's Jalma Music = Mothership Music

    May 09, 2013 7:20 PM EDT Veteran music publisher Lionel Conway and Epitaph Records owner Brett Gurewitz have launched a new publishing company, Mothership Music, that will bring together the latter's Fig Music and the former's administered Jalma Music. Conway ...

  24. EDM Goes Major With Atlantic's Big Beat

    May 09, 2013 7:20 PM EDT In 2010, it took Atlantic Records Group chairman/CEO Craig Kallman nearly three months to convince Liz Miller, now GM of his revived Big Beat imprint within Atlantic, to join the team. "I said 'no' immediately," says Miller, ...

  25. Slayer's Jeff Hanneman Death Due To Alcohol-Related Cirrhosis

    May 09, 2013 7:11 PM EDT One week after Slayer's Jeff Hanneman died at the age of 49, the guitarist/songwriter's official cause of death has been revealed to be alcohol-related cirrhosis, or an irreversible scarring of the liver. In a message posted to Slayer& ...

  26. Sponsorship for Live Biz Up as Brands Tap Into Fans' Passions

    May 09, 2013 6:55 PM EDT Brand sponsorship for festivals, tours and music venues keeps growing in the United States, and is projected to reach $1.28 billion in 2013, according to marketing analytics firm IEG Research. Music continues to capture an increasing share of do ...

  27. Rituals: Sasquatch! Festival

    May 09, 2013 6:45 PM EDT The ins and outs of the Memorial Day weekend music blowout, where roots and rock join forces in the Pacific Northwest (Quincy, Wash., May 24-27). GETTING THERE Flying to Seattle and driving is probably the easiest way to get there. I have driven ...

  28. Selena Gomez and PSY Rebound on Social 50 Chart

    May 09, 2013 6:40 PM EDT The Social 50 ranks the most popular artists on YouTube, Vevo, Facebook, Twitter, SoundCloud, Wikipedia, Myspace and Instagram. The chart's methodology blends weekly additions of friends/fans/followers along with artist pageviews, song play ...

  29. Randy Jackson Exits 'American Idol'

    May 09, 2013 6:20 PM EDT It’s official: Randy Jackson is leaving American Idol. The longtime judge and last remaining member of the original panel, which featured Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul, exits the program after 12 seasons. "Yo! Yo! Yo! To put all of the specu ...

  30. Primary Wave Nabs $125 Million Financial Partnership

    May 09, 2013 5:55 PM EDT 1 0 9 0 0 Primary Wave Music has announced a new financial partnership with Credit Suisse and SunTrust Bank that's valued at $125 million and expands the music company's seven-year relationship with the two banks. Primary Wave's current man ...

  31. Wisin Y Yandel: Not Splitting Up But 'Recording Separately,' Manager Clarifies

    May 09, 2013 5:40 PM EDT 2 3 19 0 0 Contrary to reports and rumors that have swirled in recent weeks, reggaetón duo Wisin & Yandel are not splitting up, according to manager Edgar Andino. “Wisin has been recording in Puerto Rico and Yandel in Orlando, and because they’re reco ...

  32. Gear: John Shanks' Arena-Ready Sound

    May 09, 2013 5:20 PM EDT When Bon Jovi, Kelly Clarkson and Blake Shelton need to blast out the hits, they turn to super-producer John Shanks. "I came up from the other side of the glass," says John Shanks, perched in front of the massive Neve mixing board domi ...

  33. 2013 Billboard Music Awards: Taylor Swift, PSY, Miguel, David Guetta & More Talk the Year on the Charts

    May 09, 2013 5:20 PM EDT We caught up with 12 of the BBMA finalists and performers to help recount the incredible high points, new discoveries and memorable moments that caught their ears during the past 12 months. Tune in to ABC on May 19 at 8 p.m. EST to watch the act ...

  34. Tracy Morgan: The 2013 Billboard Music Awards Host Harbors Recording Dreams

    May 09, 2013 5:20 PM EDT "I see treeeees of greeeeen, red roses tooooo..." Ten years after leaving "Saturday Night Live," Tracy Morgan's eyes still light up when he morphs his voice into a gravelly croon for a pitch-perfect Louis Armstrong impre ...

  35. Around the 55th Annual NARM 'Music Biz' Convention

    May 09, 2013 4:43 PM EDT The U.S. music industry's sales, retail, distribution and marketing mavens descended on the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza for NARM's annual "Music Biz" convention. In his opening speech, NARM president Jim Donio termed the meet ...

  36. YouTube Launches Paid Subscription Channels

    May 09, 2013 3:00 PM EDT YouTube on Thursday unveiled its subscription model, allowing channels to charge monthly fees to viewers who want to access their videos. The move represents a significant departure from the free, ad-supported model that has thus far propelled Y ...

  37. Exclusive: Clear Channel Working on Song-Swapping Technology

    May 09, 2013 1:38 PM EDT Clear Channel is working on a technology that would replace songs in streamed content with a different song while accounting for the different in song lengths, according to a patent application recently filed with the U.S. Patent Office. Clear C ...

  38. Who Will Pay For YouTube Videos? Alchemy Networks Has One Answer

    May 09, 2013 1:23 PM EDT Who will pay the monthly subscription fee to access a YouTube channel? Peter Griffith, Chief Executive of Alchemy Networks, believes he has one good answer to that question: afficionados of rap battles, an urban art form dating back to the 1970s ...

  39. Mariah Carey No Longer Managed by Randy Jackson

    May 09, 2013 11:33 AM EDT It’s been described as an “experiment,” a “rebound” and “a little bit of a joke,” but alas, Mariah Carey and Randy Jackson are going back to being just friends. The veteran American Idol judge is no longer co-managing Carey, The Hollywood Report ...

  40. Allegro Media Group to Acquire Canadian Label Somerset Entertainment

    May 09, 2013 10:15 AM EDT The Allegro Media Group has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Mood Media's Somerset Entertainment label, a publicly-traded Canadian company. While terms of the deal were not disclosed, Billboard estimates Somerset has about $40 milli ...

  41. Backbeat: Lady Antebellum’s 'Golden' Album Release Party and Performance

    May 09, 2013 10:12 AM EDT “I feel like I can touch everybody,” Lady Antebellum’s Charles Kelley said with a smile last night, while standing on the small stage at the McKittrick Hotel in New York. And actually, he could. The tiny crowd of about 200 Citi card holders and ...

  42. Exclusive: On-Demand Streams Now Count Toward RIAA Gold & Platinum

    May 09, 2013 10:00 AM EDT In an uncommon move to tinker with the formula used to certify Gold and Platinum awards, the Recording Industry Association of America on Thursday announced it has started to incorporate on-demand streams towards its calculations for certifying ...

  43. Kobalt Launches New Portal, Unlocks User-Generated YouTube Royalties

    May 09, 2013 8:43 AM EDT Kobalt has added to its bet on greater transparency with the launch of a new interactive client portal where clients can view the usage data and royalties earned on YouTube user-generated videos. The music publisher expects this technology, and ...

  44. Sony Corp Reports Q4 Profit, Music Sales Are Flat

    May 09, 2013 7:10 AM EDT Sony Corp. is back in the black for its fiscal fourth quarter, recording a 93.9 billion yen ($948 million) profit, with big help from a weaker yen that boosts overseas earnings. The Japanese electronics and entertainment company also dragged its ...

  45. NARM President Jim Donio Addresses 'Music Biz' Conference on the Future of Retail

    May 09, 2013 6:18 AM EDT With NARM president Jim Donio now enjoying his 25th anniversery with the organization, he kicked off the opening session for the "Music Biz," held at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza, by noting that NARM has revinvented itself many time ...

  46. The Eagles Catalog Joins Rdio -- Then Disappears

    May 09, 2013 2:12 AM EDT The Eagles catalog became available for streaming at Rdio on Wednesday after being a longtime holdout from subscription services. No other subscription service in the U.S. had nabbed the Eagles catalog. A check at Deezer's U.K. site turned ...

  47. Taylor Swift Confirms Red Tour Will Play Stadiums Down Under

    May 09, 2013 1:54 AM EDT Taylor Swift is big in Australia. So big, she’s poised to become the first solo female artist to undertake a stadium tour in this country since Madonna’s “Girly Show” tour 20 years. Swift’s The Red Tour, dates for which were announced today, wil ...

  48. Rolling Stones Sax Man's Wild Life Story Optioned for Documentary

    May 08, 2013 9:11 PM EDT 1 2 14 1 0 Independent producer Scott Putman and director-producer Jeff Stacy have secured rights to saxophonist Bobby Keys' rollicking, addictively readable biography "Every Night's a Saturday Night: The Rock 'n' Roll Life of Leg ...

  49. Antfood, Southern Comfort, Human Lead Inaugural AMP Awards Winners

    May 08, 2013 8:49 PM EDT 1 11 11 0 0 The Association of Music Producers held the inaugural AMP Awards in New York on Wednesday night during Creative Week, honoring the best uses of music in advertising and branding. Eleven trophies were awarded in 10 different categories, plus tw ...

  50. Business Matters: Pandora Email to Artists Ruffles Feathers

    May 08, 2013 8:11 PM EDT Digital royalties are back in the news after being a continuously hot topic in 2013. An email exchange between artist and label owner Blake Morgan and Pandora founder Tim Westergren was seen in an article at the Huffington Post. Morgan told the ...

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