Billboard News

Publishing News

  1. BMI Posts $901 Million Annual Revenue - BMI kept alive its 24-year record-breaking revenue and payouts streak by posting $901 million in revenues for the fiscal year ended June 30, a 7.4% increase from what it collected in the prior year. BMI will disperse $786 million to songwriters, composers and copyright owners, an 8% increase over the prior year.
  2. Q&A: NMPA's David Israelite - As the industry awaits a key ruling on royalty rates and the passage of anti-piracy legislation in Washington, the NMPA chief explains what's at stake.
  3. Sony/ATV Signs Johnta Austin - Sony/ATV Music Publishing has signed Grammy Award-winning songwriter Johnta Austin.
  4. Rights Management Firms Expand Reach - With music rights, licensing, and fees becoming top-of-mind issues lately, rights management firms RightsFlow and RoyaltyShare are expanding their footprint in the space.
  5. Sony/ATV Signs Middle East Licensing Deal - Sony/ATV Music Publishing has made a license agreement with Rotana Audiovisual, a leading producer, distributor and publisher of Arabic music and film.
  6. Opinion: Rates Should Reflect Music's True Value - How successful would a nightclub be if it didn't play music? That was one of the questions facing Australia's Copyright Tribunal last year when it had to decide on setting a new royalty rate for nightclubs to pay for using recorded music.
  7. Chrysalis Predicts Loss, Scales Back Echo Label - Independent music group Chrysalis Plc says the economic downturn will impact on its publishing revenues, as declining physical sales reduce mechanical revenue and a slowing advertising market affects synch income.
  8. Bicycle Acquires Stake In Survivor, .38 Special Songs - The Bicycle Music Company has acquired a majority interest in Jim Peterik's Easy Action Music catalog, which includes global hits from Survivor and .38 Special. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
  9. Classical Publisher Boosey Turns To Pop Synchs - Label management specialist Absolute has signed an agreement with Boosey & Hawkes, under which the the classical publisher's Music Consultancy division will pursue global synch deals for Absolute's roster of independent labels and artist-owned labels.
  10. Latin Briefs: Don Tetto, SESAC Latina, Chelo - Don Tetto affiliates with SESAC Latina; Chelo secures placement of "Yummy" in Motorola spots.

Digital

  1. iTunes China Back Online - Users can once again access iTunes in mainland China.
  2. B-Unique Bosses Support New Fan-Funded Model - U.K. label B-Unique's managing directors Mark Lewis and Martin Toher have signed up as consultants to a new investment scheme, Bandstocks, which allows fans to buy a stake in artists' album releases.
  3. Judge Rules In Favor Of Veoh - On Aug. 27, U.S. District Judge Howard Lloyd ruled that online video-sharing service Veoh isn't liable for copyright infringement for material uploaded to its Web site by users, dismissing a lawsuit brought by adult entertainment production company Io Group.
  4. T.I. Sets New Record With Hot 100 No. 1 Jump - T.I. establishes the mark for biggest jump to the top of the Billboard Hot 100, as "Whatever You Want" soars 71-1 in its third week on the list.
  5. Bedingfield Named Spokeswoman for New EA Game - Natasha Bedingfield, the English singer and songwriter, will be the new face of game publisher Electronic Arts' upcoming video game, Boogie SuperStar.

Retail News

  1. Jonas Brothers Begin Second Week At No. 1 - Despite a huge drop-off from the gaudy numbers it posted last week, the Jonas Brothers begin a second week at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 with "A Little Bit Longer."
  2. Going For The Gold - As the 2008 Summer Olympics came to a close Aug. 24 in Beijing, the world's top athletes weren't the only ones celebrating victory. Such artists as Taylor Swift, Chris Brown and Brandi Carlile enjoyed a significant lift in sales thanks to TV song placements.
  3. Barnes & Noble Reports $15M Q2 Net Income - Barnes & Noble posted $15.4 million in net income, or earnings of 27 cents per diluted share, on sales of $1.22 billion in the company's fiscal second quarter ended Aug. 2.
  4. Jonas Bros. Score Third-Best Debut Week Of '08 - As expected, the Jonas Brothers score their first No. 1 album on The Billboard 200 this week with "A Little Bit Longer."
  5. New AC/DC Album To Be Wal-Mart Exclusive - As expected, AC/DC's new album, "Black Ice," will be sold exclusively in the U.S. via Wal-Mart, Sam's Club and the band's Web site.

Legal & Management

  1. Judge Rules In Favor Of Veoh - On Aug. 27, U.S. District Judge Howard Lloyd ruled that online video-sharing service Veoh isn't liable for copyright infringement for material uploaded to its Web site by users, dismissing a lawsuit brought by adult entertainment production company Io Group.
  2. Blogger Arrested Over Guns N' Roses Leaks - Federal authorities say they have arrested a blogger suspected of streaming songs from Guns N' Roses unreleased album, "Chinese Democracy," on his Web site.
  3. 'Suge' Knight Busted For Assault, Drugs In Vegas - Police say rap music mogul Marion "Suge" Knight is in a Las Vegas jail on drug and assault charges after he was accused of beating his girlfriend while brandishing a knife.
  4. Santana, The Doors Reach Tentative Settlement With Wolfgang's Vault - A tentative settlement has been reached in a two-year-old case involving some classic rock acts against Wolfgang's Vault, which sells memorabilia and streams concert footage online.
  5. Doors Legal Dispute Nearing Resolution - The end is near for a bitter legal dispute between the three surviving members of the Doors now that the California Supreme Court has refused to take up their case.

Record Labels

  1. Blogger Arrested Over Guns N' Roses Leaks - Federal authorities say they have arrested a blogger suspected of streaming songs from Guns N' Roses unreleased album, "Chinese Democracy," on his Web site.
  2. Jonas Brothers Begin Second Week At No. 1 - Despite a huge drop-off from the gaudy numbers it posted last week, the Jonas Brothers begin a second week at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 with "A Little Bit Longer."
  3. Razor & Tie Ups Tischker - Razor & Tie Entertainment has promoted Beka Tischker to the role of VP of A&R and music publishing.
  4. U.K. Indie Gut Goes Into Administration - Gut Records' assets are up for sale after the U.K. independent label went into administration.
  5. BMI Posts $901 Million Annual Revenue - BMI kept alive its 24-year record-breaking revenue and payouts streak by posting $901 million in revenues for the fiscal year ended June 30, a 7.4% increase from what it collected in the prior year. BMI will disperse $786 million to songwriters, composers and copyright owners, an 8% increase over the prior year.

Branding

  1. Line of Dylan Harmonicas Set For Release - Bob Dylan is for the first time endorsing a line of harmonicas.
  2. Bedingfield Named Spokeswoman for New EA Game - Natasha Bedingfield, the English singer and songwriter, will be the new face of game publisher Electronic Arts' upcoming video game, Boogie SuperStar.
  3. Trojan To Offer Grants To Artists - Trojan Brand Condoms, which is owned by Church & Dwight, is asking musician and artists to apply for the Trojan Artists Grant program. Grants for the program range from $3,000 to $4,000, and the deadline for applications is Sept. 5.
  4. Bass, Braxton Set For 'Dancing With The Stars' - On Monday, ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" revealed its latest lineup of
    celebrity dancers and named two musicians - Lance Bass and Toni Braxton - as contestants.
  5. Key Alliances Trump Radio Indifference Ahead Of New Nelly Album - Nelly's last album, "SweatSuit," hit shelves four years ago, but his absence hasn't dampened his branding opportunities.

Indies

  1. Razor & Tie Ups Tischker - Razor & Tie Entertainment has promoted Beka Tischker to the role of VP of A&R and music publishing.
  2. Italian Indie Label Plots U.S. Expansion - Italian indie Planet Records, which has pioneered the entry of multiple tropical acts into the European market, is opening offices in the United States by the beginning of 2009.
  3. Merge Turns 20 With Curated Boxed Set - North Carolina indie Merge Records will celebrate its 20th anniversary with the release of SCORE!, a subscription-only boxed set.
  4. Orchard Taps Caroline Exec Bull - The Orchard has hired Caroline distribution executive Michael Bull as GM, to oversee TVT Distribution.
  5. Leveraging Social Networks Takes Focus At Bandwidth - A panel on "word of mouse" at the Bandwidth conference focused on new trends in social networking and how advertisers can leverage those networks to reach music fans.

Rock & Pop

  1. Oasis Kicks Off Tour, Adds NYC Show - Oasis kicked off its North American tour with Ryan Adams Tuesday in Seattle, debuting four songs from its upcoming album, "Dig Out Your Soul," including first single "The Shock of the Lightning."
  2. Replacements Drummer Steve Foley Dies - Steve Foley, who played drums with the Replacements at the tail end of their career, died last weekend in Minneapolis.
  3. Blogger Arrested Over Guns N' Roses Leaks - Federal authorities say they have arrested a blogger suspected of streaming songs from Guns N' Roses unreleased album, "Chinese Democracy," on his Web site.
  4. Bedingfield Named Spokeswoman for New EA Game - Natasha Bedingfield, the English singer and songwriter, will be the new face of game publisher Electronic Arts' upcoming video game, Boogie SuperStar.
  5. Jonas Brothers Begin Second Week At No. 1 - Despite a huge drop-off from the gaudy numbers it posted last week, the Jonas Brothers begin a second week at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 with "A Little Bit Longer."