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Donna Summer Dominates Social Networks After Death
May 18, 2012 – Record Labels | Digital & Mobile | Chart Alert
Donna Summer died on the morning of May 17 and many people reacted by taking to the Internet and online music services. » Full Story

Radio Remembers Donna Summer: Songs Get Huge Airplay After News of Singer's Death
May 18, 2012 – Radio | Record Labels | Digital & Mobile
From Sirius XM to her hometown of Boston, radio celebrates the late Queen of Disco. » Full Story

Business Matters: Bono Will Make Maybe $10 Million, Not $1.5 Billion, From Facebook's IPO
May 18, 2012 – Touring | Record Labels | Legal & Management | Digital & Mobile
Contrary to widespread reports in the media, Bono is not about to rake in $1.5 billion on Facebook's IPO today. He is a managing director for a private equity firm -- Elevation Partners -- and may be set to make around $10 million on the sale. Elsewhere, Amanada Palmer's Kickstarter hits $750K, and Nathan Hubbard takes to Twitter to talk Ticketmaster fees. » Full Story

Spotify, BandPage Win, Slick Rick Performs at SoundCtrl's FlashFWD Awards
May 18, 2012 – Record Labels | Digital & Mobile
At 7pm on a rainy Tuesday evening right in the middle of Internet Week NY, tech entrepreneurs and music enthusiasts alike filed into the Gramercy Theater to attend the 3rd annual FlashFWD awards show. Presented by SoundCtrl, a NYC-based event platform for the convergence of music and digital media, in conjunction with Fuse and Pepsi, FlashFWD aims to recognize companies and individuals who have made significant innovations in the music industry. » Full Story

Ryan Seacrest's Bieber-Off Helps Cimorelli Make Social 50 Chart Gain
May 18, 2012 – Digital & Mobile | Chart Alert
Ryan Seacrest's official Web site recently launched a Bieber-off contest, in the hopes of finding the best fan-created cover of "Boyfriend." Popular YouTube coverband Cimorelli (comprised of six sisters) have jumped in with their own rendition and have made it past the first Bieber-off cutoff along with MattyB and previous Social 50 resident Tyler Ward. » Full Story

Bubbling Under: 'Next' Up for Emeli Sande: U.S. Success
May 18, 2012 – Record Labels | Indies | Digital & Mobile | Chart Alert
Each Friday, Billboard presents "Bubbling Under," a weekly look at new and noteworthy acts making their way toward Billboard chart success. Up this week: Emeli Sande, Gavin Creel, A$AP Rocky and Rhett Walker Band. » Full Story

5 Reasons Why Facebook Won't Spend its IPO Money on the Music Business
May 18, 2012 – Record Labels | Legal & Management | Digital & Mobile
After raising $6.84 billion in its initial public stock offering, Facebook will have more than enough cash on hand to acquire a major music company or two. A major music publisher or record label can be had for a few billion dollars. Same goes for a major concert promoter or digital music service. But don’t hold your breath. » Full Story

Shazam To Offer Free, Exclusive Download of Usher's 'Climax' During Billboard Music Awards
May 18, 2012 – Record Labels | bbma2012 | TV & Film | Digital & Mobile | Branding | Rock & Pop | R&B/Hip-Hop
During Sunday's night's telecast of the Billboard Music Awards on ABC (8:00 p.m. EDT), Shazam will offer viewers a free and exclusive download of Usher's hot chart-topping single "Climax" remixed by Diplo. The track, from Usher's forthcoming Looking 4 Myself (June 12, RCA Records), has been No. 1 on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop chart for the past five weeks. » Full Story

BBC 6 Radio Has Highest Numbers Two Years After Nearly Getting Axed; Digital Radio Up 5%
May 18, 2012 – Radio | Record Labels | Global | Digital & Mobile
Listenership to BBC 6 Music, the UK's BBC digital alternative station, grew to a record high last quarter, attracting an average weekly audience of 1.45 million, according to the latest RAJAR (Radio Joint Audience Research) figures. Digital radio listening grew 5% year-on-year with a weekly reach of 23.5 million people. » Full Story

Jermaine Paul Vs. Javier Colon: 2012's 'The Voice' Winners Not As Chart-tastic as 2011
May 18, 2012 – Record Labels | TV & Film | Digital & Mobile | Branding | Rock & Pop
Songs performed on the May 7 live-performance season finale of NBC's "The Voice" debut on the top 50 of the Hot Digital Songs chart – but the impact is less than after last year's coronation episode. » Full Story

Facebook's IPO is One of World's Largest
May 18, 2012 – Record Labels | Digital & Mobile | Branding
Facebook finds out today just how much status updates, puppy photos and billions of "likes" are worth on Wall Street. Facebook's stock is set to begin trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market today, the day after the world's definitive online social network raised $16 billion in an initial public offering that valued the company at $104 billion -- more than Amazon.com, Kraft, Walt Disney and McDonald's. » Full Story

Chart Moves: Jennifer Lopez's 'Dance Again' Rebounds, 2Chainz's 'No Lie' Debuts on Hot 100
May 18, 2012 – Digital & Mobile | Rock & Pop | Latin | R&B/Hip-Hop
As previously reported, Train's "Drive By" chugs into the Billboard Hot 100's top 10 in its 18th week, marking the longest ascent to the top 10 this year, while Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know" (featuring Kimbra) spends a fifth week at No. 1. Let's see who else keeps on rolling -- or gets derailed -- on this week's chart. Click through for more. » Full Story

Business Matters: Critics of Universal-EMI Merger Still Lining Up, But Outcome Still in Doubt
May 17, 2012 – Record Labels | Global | Legal & Management | Digital & Mobile
The proposed acquisition of EMI's recorded music division by Universal Music Group is expected to see a rocky road ahead, though not everybody is lining up against the merger. Elsewhere, Pandora continues to be lumped in with social media companies despite facing very different operating challenges. » Full Story

2012 Billboard Music Awards -- Now With More Social Media
May 17, 2012 – Record Labels | TV & Film | Digital & Mobile | Branding | Rock & Pop | R&B/Hip-Hop
After a banner 2011 with record TV ratings, the Billboard Music Awards are back this Sunday, May 20th live on ABC at 8/7c. This year, social media will play an even greater role with on-air integration, free downloads, celebrity tweets (hashtag #BBMA - not just for the famous), ticket giveaways, and much more. » Full Story

MTV Tr3s Looking For Next Big Latin Act in 'Dame Un Break' Competition
May 17, 2012 – Record Labels | TV & Film | Digital & Mobile | Latin
MTV Tr3s is looking for the next big music act in the "Dame Un Break" competition which will give aspiring Latino artists a chance to compete in an online battle of the bands campaign on Ourstage.com, network officials announced. » Full Story

Spotify Raising Funding at $4 Billion Valuation: Report
May 17, 2012 – Record Labels | Digital & Mobile | Branding
Music subscription service Spotify is reportedly raising money at a $4 billion valuation with Goldman Sachs set to invest $100 million and the round fetching as much as $220 million. A $4 billion valuation would put Spotify in the upper echelon of music companies valued higher than WMG, Pandora and Live Nation. » Full Story

Fool's Gold Launches 'The Goldmine,' Premium Digital Subscription Service
May 17, 2012 – Touring | Indies | Digital & Mobile | Branding
Brooklyn-based independent label Fool's Gold announced today it is launching a premium digital subscription service called The Goldmine. The new service will provide access to new Fool's Gold music as high quality 320 mp3 / WAV downloads, plus extras, including: back catalog selections, exclusive content (remixes, a cappella tracks, DJ sets), merch discounts, priority access to events, and “other surprises the Fool's Gold braintrust decides to cook up.” » Full Story

Google Unveils 'Knowledge Graph,' Providing Vital Info Alongside Search Results
May 17, 2012 – Digital & Mobile | Branding
Google is introducing a new tool, designed to make its search engine smarter. The new feature debuted Wednesday draws from a Google-built database of more than 500 million people, places and commonly requested things to provide a summary of vital information alongside the main search results. » Full Story

GM Vs. Ford: Companies Ask If Advertising on Facebook Pays?
May 17, 2012 – Record Labels | Digital & Mobile | Branding
Responding to extraordinary demand, Facebook said Wednesday that it would sell more stock in the company's initial public offering. But ahead of the IPO, a debate emerged between two of the nation's largest automakers: Does it pay to advertise on the social network? General Motors and Ford have a different take on the social media site's marketing effectiveness. » Full Story

Scooter Braun Talks Schoolboy-Universal Deal: 'Lucian Grainge Doesn't Want to Embrace the Old Business'
May 16, 2012 – Record Labels | Legal & Management | Digital & Mobile | Rock & Pop | R&B/Hip-Hop
Billboard.biz caught up with Scooter Braun (also known by legions as "Justin Bieber's manager") at the Third Annual FlashFWD Awards on the same day his Schoolboy Records announced a label and distribution deal with UMG Chairman Lucian Grainge. Here the 30-year old entrepreneur discussed avoiding complacency, dominating the Hot 100 (thanks to Bieber, The Wanted and Carly Rae Jepsen) and the music execs he most admires. » Full Story

Myxer Gets Millionth Install, Plans Bigger Facebook Integration, to Bring Social Listening to Mainstream
May 16, 2012 – Digital & Mobile
Myxer, long known for its sales of ringtones, wallpaper, and other relics of the pre-smartphone era, impressed us with its plan for its group-listening app, Myxer Social Radio. Myxer founder Myk Willis told Evolver.fm that Myxer will see its millionth install this week, which is nothing to sneeze at. » Full Story

Carrie Underwood's 'Blown Away' Album Nabs Second Week At No. 1
May 16, 2012 – Radio | Record Labels | Digital & Mobile | Retail | Rock & Pop | Chart Alert | R&B/Hip-Hop
Carrie Underwood holds at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for a second week, with "Blown Away" selling another 120,000 copies (down 55%, according to Nielsen SoundScan). It's Underwood's third No. 1 album, but first to spend more than a week at the top. » Full Story

Facebook Boosts IPO Shares By 25 Percent
May 16, 2012 – Record Labels | Global | Legal & Management | Digital & Mobile | Branding
Facebook says 25 percent more shares will be sold as investors clamor for shares in the year's hottest stock offering. The social networking behemoth said in a regulatory filing Wednesday that about 421 million shares will be sold, up from 337 million under its earlier plans. » Full Story

Aaron Sorkin to Write 'Steve Jobs' Movie for Sony
May 15, 2012 – TV & Film | Digital & Mobile
Scott Rudin is producing the biopic about the polarizing Apple co-founder. » Full Story

Business Matters: Facebook Says Spotify Has Hit 20 Million Users; Spotify Says It Ain't So
May 15, 2012 – Global | Digital & Mobile
Spotify has reached 20 million monthly active users, according to a count seen at Facebook. But Spotify is sticking with its latest publicly released numbers of 10 million active users and more than three million paid subscriptions. Speaking of Spotify, the company is going back to the future with a promotion aimed at university students in the United Kingdom. And Senzari reportedly has raised $1 million from “investors in both Miami and Silicon Valley » Full Story

Marianas Trench Leads Drake, Justin Bieber With Seven Noms in Canada's MuchMusic Video Awards
May 15, 2012 – Record Labels | Global | Digital & Mobile
Pop band Marianas Trench has emerged with seven nominations for the 2012 MuchMusic Video Awards, topping other nominees such as Drake, Justin Bieber, Nickelback and Simple Plan. The annual awards will be broadcast live June 17 at MuchMusic, housed inside the Bell Media building in downtown Toronto. » Full Story

Universal Music Group Q1 Revenue Up 9.1%, Credits Madonna, Nicki Minaj, Gotye, Van Halen Releases
May 15, 2012 – Record Labels | Global | Legal & Management | Digital & Mobile | Retail | Rock & Pop | R&B/Hip-Hop
Universal Music Group revenues increased 9.1% to $1.28 billion in the first quarter of 2012. Earnings before interest, taxes and amortization (EBITA) grew 47% to $90.8 million. Parent company Vivendi attributed revenue growth in part to a strong release schedule that included albums by Madonna, Nicki Minaj, Van Halen, Gotye, Lana Del Rey and Germany’s Unheilig. » Full Story

David Clark Leaves Fuse, Re-Joins MSG Media As EVP Sales
May 15, 2012 – Digital & Mobile | Executive Turntable
David Clark, former general manager of Fuse, is joining Madison Square Garden Media as executive vice president of integrated sales. Mike Bair, president of MSG Media, will continue his oversight of Fuse as the network searches for a new executive. » Full Story

Facebook Considered a Fad By Half of America, Views Divided by Generation (Poll)
May 15, 2012 – Record Labels | Digital & Mobile | Retail | Branding
Half of Americans think Facebook is a passing fad, according to the results of a new Associated Press-CNBC poll. But in the run-up to the social network's IPO, half the people surveyed say they think Facebook is a good bet with those under 35 being the most interested in the massive social network's stock offer. » Full Story

Exclusive: Muve Music Adds TuneCore, the Orchard and CD Baby
May 15, 2012 – Digital & Mobile
Muve Music, the music subscription of Cricket Wireless with 600,000 subscribers across the U.S., has added the catalogs of TuneCore, the Orchard and CD Baby. The deals will more than double Muve Music’s catalog to over 10 million tracks. » Full Story

Keane, Rita Ora Top U.K. Music Charts
May 14, 2012 – Record Labels | Global | Digital & Mobile | Retail | Rock & Pop | R&B/Hip-Hop
East Sussex melodic rock quartet Keane scored their fifth consecutive No. 1 on the U.K. album chart yesterday with “Strangeland” (Universal Isand). London starlet Rita Ora debuted atop the singles survey with “R.I.P.” (Roc Nation/Columbia/Sony Music Entertainment), which follows her chart-topping guest appearance on DJ Fresh’s “Hot Right Now” in February. » Full Story

Silversun Pickups, Tank, Karmin and Keane Aiming for Top of Billboard 200
May 11, 2012 – Record Labels | Digital & Mobile | Retail | Rock & Pop | R&B/Hip-Hop
Carrie Underwood's "Blown Away" may find itself at No. 1 for a second week on the Billboard 200 albums chart, fending off Adele's "21." Industry sources suggest Underwood's fourth album will sell between 95,000 and 110,000 by the end of the tracking week on Sunday, May 13. » Full Story

Business Matters: Doing More With Less - A Key Theme at NARM 2012
May 11, 2012 – Touring | Record Labels | Legal & Management | Indies | Digital & Mobile | Retail
The theme at NARM’s Music Biz 2012 conference was forced austerity. “We’re doing more with less,” one major label executive said when asked how his company was doing. Also, investors and analysts have reacted positively to Live Nation’s first quarter earnings. The company’s shares rose 6.6% Thursday and another 0.7% Friday. And MP3tunes.com has filed for bankruptcy, but that won’t stop EMI from proceeding with its lawsuit against the company, according to CNET. » Full Story

Justin Bieber, Shakira's New Videos Stir Big Chart Moves
May 11, 2012 – Digital & Mobile | Rock & Pop | Chart Alert | Latin
Superstar Shakira makes the biggest jump on Billboard's Social 50 chart, thanks to the debut of her new video for "Addicted to You." The clip's arrival spurs a big 15-6 rise for the diva, who also saw an overall 34% rise in online activity. » Full Story

Q&A: eMusic CEO Adam Klein on How Subscription Services Help His Download Business @NARM
May 11, 2012 – Record Labels | Digital & Mobile | Branding
You couldn’t swing a dead cat at the NARM convention without hearing a conversation about subscription services. Most people have a “wait and see” attitude about upstart companies like Spotify with both paid and free streaming services. eMusic CEO Adam Klein seems to have made up his mind, however – and he likes them. » Full Story

Social Marketing: Adding Dollars to Fan Interaction at NARM Conference
May 11, 2012 – Digital & Mobile | Retail | Branding
Turning fan engagement into dollars was the topic of one NARM panel, where representatives from RootMusic, Neurotic Media, Hip Digital Media, and YouTube discussed tactics for taking social interaction and turning it into a viable, monetized fan base. » Full Story

Samsung Acquires mSpot, Cloud-Based Service Provider
May 11, 2012 – Record Labels | Global | Digital & Mobile | Retail
Samsung Electronics has announced it is acquiring mSpot, Inc., a mobile cloud-based content service provider. The acquisition will allow users of Samsung devices to access digital content, including music, video and radio. » Full Story

Billboard's 40 Under 40: Cast Your Nominations Here!
May 11, 2012 – Touring | Record Labels | Publishing | Global | Indies | TV & Film | Digital & Mobile | Retail | Branding | Rock & Pop | R&B/Hip-Hop
Who do you think are the rising young executives under forty years old who are driving the music business forward? Billboard's new Power Players special feature "40 Under 40" will identify these individuals -- and we invite our readers to offer their nominations online here. Make your voice heard here. » Full Story

Deezer Signs Worldwide Licensing Deal With Merlin
May 11, 2012 – Record Labels | Global | Legal & Management | Indies | Digital & Mobile
Streaming service Deezer has signed a global licensing deal with independent rights agency Merlin which will bring labels, including Warp, Yep Roc, Epitaph, Tommy Boy, !K7, Merge, Koch to the digital platform. Meanwhile, in an interview with .Biz, Merlin CEO Charles Caldas stated his vigorous opposition to the EMI-Universal merger. » Full Story

MP3tunes.com Files for Bankruptcy
May 11, 2012 – Record Labels | Legal & Management | Digital & Mobile
MP3tunes.com announced Thursday that it filed for bankruptcy in San Diego, according to multiple media reports. The company, founded by former MP3.com founder Michael Robertson in 2005, had been battered with lawsuits from EMI since 2007. » Full Story

Global Retail, Labels Plan For Record Store Day 2013 at NARM
May 10, 2012 – Record Labels | Global | Indies | Digital & Mobile | Retail | Rock & Pop
While this year's Record Store Day was a resounding success, retailers and labels met in a townhall meeting to figure out how they can make next year's event even bigger. Labels and retailers from around the globe gathered at NARM to discuss everything from lack of product available to issuing exclusive items from big-name artists. » Full Story

Chart Moves: Coldplay's 'American Idol' Gain; 'Avengers' Soundtrack Debuts; Jackie Evancho Returns to No. 1
May 10, 2012 – TV & Film | Digital & Mobile | Retail | Rock & Pop | Country
As reported earlier this week, Carrie Underwood claimed her third No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart with "Blown Away." The effort, her fourth release overall, debuted atop the list with 267,000 copies sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It was a busy top 10, as six new albums debuted in the region. Norah Jones' "Little Broken Hearts" started in the runner-up slot (110,000), while the "Now 42" compilation staked its claim at No. 3 (95,000). » Full Story

Business Matters: @NARM Royalties Are Getting Messier; Can the Problem Be Fixed?
May 10, 2012 – Record Labels | Digital & Mobile | Retail
Digital music has record labels and artists swimming -- some may say drowning -- in a sea of data. The NARM panel “Commerce vs. Royalties: Fitting a Square Peg in a Round Role” had the panelists and audience pondering exactly how to fix the mess. Also, Facebook has announced an upcoming app store called App Center -- but it’s not what you think. App Center does not sell apps that run on the Facebook platform. » Full Story

SoundCloud Gets A Redesign: We Take the Beta Version for a Test-Drive
May 10, 2012 – Record Labels | Digital & Mobile
Faster, better-looking, and with an indispensable set of new features, the next version of SoundCloud's web app debuted online Wednesday at 10 a.m. PST to 10,000 invited beta testers. » Full Story

Tamiko Fletcher Named VP of Cumulus Network Operations
May 10, 2012 – Radio | Digital & Mobile | Branding
Cumulus Media Networks today announced the appointment of Tamiko Fletcher to Vice President of Network Operations. Fletcher will oversee the operational aspects of new program and service launches and assist Dennis Green, Senior Vice President of Affiliate Sales, in the management of day-to-day operations in the Dallas office. » Full Story

Spotify's Artist In Residence DA Wallach on Apps, Artist Services, and What His Job Title Means
May 10, 2012 – Digital & Mobile | Branding | Rock & Pop
As one of its many efforts to make itself a different kind of music-subscription service, Spotify brought in an official “artist in residence”: DA Wallach, one half of the pop-rock duo Chester French. Wallach, who turns up in both Rick Ross videos and on social media panels, talked with Billboard.biz about exactly what his job entails. » Full Story

New Spotify Apps Dive Into Online Dating Via Listening Preferences
May 10, 2012 – Record Labels | Digital & Mobile
There's a new matchmaker in town -- actually, two. The latest round of Spotify apps -- Tastebuds.fm and Fellody -- offer to help people find romance through music. » Full Story

Facebook Announces New App Center
May 10, 2012 – Record Labels | Digital & Mobile | Branding
Facebook has announced a new App Center on its Developer Blog which it describes as both a place for people to discover social apps and a vehicle for developers to promote and build upon their apps. The post, written by Facebook engineer Aaron Brady, also announced the introduction of paid apps and a mobile version of the new platform. » Full Story

Live Nation's Q1 Report: Ticket Sales, Net Loss Up
May 10, 2012 – Touring | Record Labels | Global | Digital & Mobile | Branding
Through April 30, 2012, Live Nation concert ticket sales are up 23% over the same period in the prior year, with North America up 25% and International up 19%, according to financial reports disclosed Wednesday. Live Nation’s growing stake in the robust North American concert business helped boost ticket sales by more than 30% for the period. » Full Story

Soundcloud Passes 15 Million Users, Launches New Design in Private Beta
May 10, 2012 – Indies | Digital & Mobile
Soundcloud has announced a complete site redesign that aims to bolster the site’s audio sharing features. The company also said it has signed up more than 15 million users. » Full Story

Sony Reports $463 Million Music Profit While Parent Corp. Posts Record $5.7 Billion Loss
May 10, 2012 – Record Labels | Publishing | Global | Legal & Management | Digital & Mobile | Retail
Sony Corp. racked up a record annual loss of $5.7 billion in its fourth straight year of red ink while Sony posted an operating profit in music of $463 million for the year on sales of $5.5 billion. The label's best-sellers included Adele's "21" and Beyonce's "4." » Full Story

Tech Types Tackle TV-Music Tie-Ins at NARM
May 10, 2012 – Record Labels | Publishing | TV & Film | Digital & Mobile | Retail | Branding
Turning living rooms into virtual record stores guided by television shows and ads is just a few technological clicks away from becoming a reality. How to get there was the subject of a fascinating NARM panel which included Audible Magic''s Jay Friedman, Ted Cohen of TAG Strategic and NPD Group's Russ Crupnic. » Full Story

Germany and the UK Launch Music Streaming Charts
May 10, 2012 – Global | Indies | Digital & Mobile | Retail | Rock & Pop | R&B/Hip-Hop
Much like Billboard did this past March when it launched its On-Demand Songs chart with Nielsen and DigitalMusic.org, the UK and Germany have followed suit, announcing the launch of national digital music streaming tallies. » Full Story

Business Matters: @NARM - Ready or Not, Brands and Music Are BFFs
May 9, 2012 – Touring | Record Labels | Digital & Mobile | Retail | Branding
Brands are getting more involved with music. That may not always be a good thing, but it’s a trend that isn’t going to reverse course. “Bands and Brands 2012: Who’s in Charge?” may have been one of the most important panels at NARM, a conference typically associated with retailers and record labels. And one metric stands out in Live Nation’s first-quarter results released Wednesday: revenue per concert. Revenue from concerts declined 0.1% to $448.7 million from $449.3 million in the first quarter of 2011. » Full Story

NARM's Jim Donio Details Organization's Future Plans, Presents Awards at Conference
May 9, 2012 – Record Labels | Legal & Management | Indies | Digital & Mobile
In the last six years NARM has had to transform itself to "coincide and anticipate the needs and the reshaped profile of the evolving music industry,” the organization's president Jim Donio, said at the beginning of his address this morning at the Century City Hyatt Plaza. He then proceeded to enumerate many of the initiatives NARM has launched in order to keep itself relevant for the industry, before presenting awards. » Full Story

INGrooves CEO Robb McDaniels Says Sustainable Industries Will Come Back at NARM Music Biz 2012
May 9, 2012 – Record Labels | Digital & Mobile
In the opening keynote Q&A at the NARM “Music Biz 2012” convention, being held in Los Angeles this week, Robb McDaniels, founder and CEO of Isolation Network, reminded the music industry that every sustainable industry has its ups and downs, but most eventually come back. » Full Story

NARM Announces New Board Members
May 9, 2012 – Record Labels | Digital & Mobile | Retail
NARM announced today its slate of new officers at the organization's annual convention, with Brent Muhle, Craig Pape, and John Trickett coming on board, and Rachelle Friedman re-elected as the organization's chair. » Full Story

SiriusXM Launches Latin Grammy Show
May 9, 2012 – Radio | Record Labels | Global | Digital & Mobile | Latin
National Latino Broadcasting (NLB) is launching a daily radio show on SiriusXM produced jointly with the Latin Recording Academy and centering on the Latin Grammy Awards and its nominated and winning artists. » Full Story

Coachella Gets 30,000 Fans to 'Live Click' Around Festival, Automatically Link to Social Media
May 9, 2012 – Touring | Digital & Mobile
Coachella got a little technological boost from 30,000 of its own attendees, as the festival's wristbands included a radio-frequency identification (or RFID) enabled device that allowed the wearer to check in and update their status on Facebook at various checkpoints around the festival grounds » Full Story

Kim Dotcom Doc Co-Produced by Donovan Leitch, Biography By Neil Strauss In the Works
May 9, 2012 – Global | Legal & Management | TV & Film | Digital & Mobile | Branding | Rock & Pop
Kim Dotcom, the indicted founder of shuttered file-sharing service Megaupload, will reportedly be the subject of a documentary and biography according to co-producers Donovan Leitch and Alex Mardikain. The duo also say former New York Times music writer Neil Strauss has a book on Dotcom in the works. » Full Story

Exclusive: Frenchkiss Label Group Announces First Distributed Labels: ATP, White Iris, Underwater Peoples, More
May 9, 2012 – Record Labels | Indies | Digital & Mobile
Frenchkiss, which announced the formation of the Frenchkiss Label Group earlier this year, has announced the first nine labels joining the fold: ATP Recordings, Cavity Search, Cult, God Mode, Holiday Friends, JAXART, Pendu Sound, Underwater Peoples and White Iris » Full Story

Liberty to Boost Stake in Sirius XM
May 9, 2012 – Radio | Legal & Management | Digital & Mobile
Billionaire John Malone's Liberty Media Corp. said Tuesday that it will spend $650 million to increase its effective control of satellite radio company Sirius XM Radio Inc. to 45.2 percent. » Full Story

Business Matters: NARM Embraces Big Data -- Will Big Data Reciprocate?
May 8, 2012 – Record Labels | Legal & Management | Digital & Mobile | Retail
Big Data invaded the NARM conference on Tuesday afternoon. The music industry at large is certainly interested in harnessing big data to work smarter. But is it ready for big data? And did legal injunctions against LimeWire have any impact on consumer behavior? Nielsen Entertainment senior VP of analytics and client relations David Bakula gave a presentation at NARM on a Nielsen research project that tackled the question. » Full Story

Exclusive: Whitney Houston To Be Honored in Next 'VH1 Divas' Tribute
May 8, 2012 – TV & Film | Digital & Mobile | Branding | Rock & Pop | R&B/Hip-Hop
VH1 will pay tribute to Whitney Houston for its next “VH1 Divas,” Billboard has learned. The network will tape the performance in Los Angeles in December with Houston’s longtime musical director Rickey Minor. VH1 also plans to renew its investment in music programming, according to VH1 President Tom Calderone, with both old (“Storytellers,” “Unplugged” “Behind The Music,” “Pop Up Video”) new (“The Greatest,” “Big Morning Buzz Live”) and online (Tuner) programming. » Full Story

Alliance to Distribute CD Baby Catalog
May 8, 2012 – Digital & Mobile | Retail
Alliance Entertainment has signed on to distribute CD Baby's enormous inventory of titles to its brick and mortar account base, as well as the online stores serviced by the giant wholesaler. » Full Story

Facebook Breaks Up With Grooveshark on Eve of IPO
May 8, 2012 – Record Labels | Legal & Management | Digital & Mobile | Branding
With its initial public stock offering days away, Facebook has deleted the official page and app of Grooveshark, the music streaming service currently in litigation with the four major labels over its alleged use of unlicensed music. Facebook is partnered with many of Grooveshark licensed competitors. » Full Story

Rdio Hosts Hack Day For In-House Team, Produces RSS, Shazam Apps
May 8, 2012 – Record Labels | Digital & Mobile
At its San Francisco headquarters, Rdio recently held its first-ever hack day -- a marathon event where coders build stuff that works, fast. Most hack days are open to the public, but Rdio's was a strictly in-house affair, with engineers from the streaming music service setting aside their regular work to focus on building their "dream features" using Rdio's API. » Full Story

Universal U.K Partners With Liam Gallagher's Pretty Green Clothing Label To Open Virtual 'Shop-Front' Record Stores
May 8, 2012 – Record Labels | Global | Digital & Mobile | Retail | Branding
Launching May 24, Universal Music U.K. is to partner with British fashion company Pretty Green – the clothing label and retail chain set up by former Oasis, now Beady Eye singer Liam Gallagher – to host a U.K.-wide chain of virtual shop-front record stores, whereby customers can use their smart phones to scan and purchase a range of vinyl albums displayed in shop windows. » Full Story

Beastie Boys' Mike D on Adam Yauch's Passing: 'World Is In Need of Many More Like Him'
May 8, 2012 – Record Labels | Legal & Management | Digital & Mobile | R&B/Hip-Hop
The third pillar of the Beastie Boys rap triumvirate Mike Diamond, AKA Mike D, posted a statement on the Beastie Boys Facebook page on passing of Adam "MCA" Yauch whom he referred to as his "closest friend, band mate and really brother." The statement was posted along with a picture of MCA on the Madison Square Garden scoreboard. » Full Story

CTIA Wireless Assoc. Kicks Off Annual Trade Show With Mobile Wallets
May 8, 2012 – Record Labels | Digital & Mobile | Retail | Branding
CTIA Wireless, the U.S. cellphone industry's annual trade show that starts Tuesday, is drawing heavy participation not just from the cellphone industry, but from MasterCard, Visa, and other companies in the business of moving money around. » Full Story

Bebo Valdes Proposed for Spain's Prince of Asturias Prize
May 8, 2012 – Record Labels | Global | Legal & Management | Digital & Mobile | Jazz | Latin
Spanish pop singer Miguel Bosé and Academy Award-winning director Fernando Trueba are among supporters of a proposal to honor Grammy winning Cuban pianist Bebo Valdés with Spain’s prestigious Prince of Asturias Award. Past winners include Bob Dylan and Paco de Lucia. The campaign was started by Barcelona's gladyspalmera.com. » Full Story

Business Matters: Google Going Vertical, Plans to Invest in Online Video Creator Machinima
May 7, 2012 – Legal & Management | TV & Film | Digital & Mobile | Retail
Google is boosting its video content even further by investing in Machinima, re-iterating the push they made when flooding YouTube with $100 million to bolster its original programming. Elsewhere, online commerce startup Gumroad has raised $7 million in funding despite some potential content concerns, while Perfect 10 is suing Tumblr for copyright infringement. » Full Story

ShareMyPlaylists Launches iOS App For iPhone, iPad
May 7, 2012 – Record Labels | Digital & Mobile | Retail | Branding | Rock & Pop | R&B/Hip-Hop
ShareMyPlaylists.com has announced the launch of a new music discovery iOS app based around its curated Spotify playlists. Since its launch in 2009, ShareMyPlaylists has published over 87,000 curated Spotify playlists. Amongst its more noted playlist creators: tech titan Sean Parker and Belgian-Australian singer-songwriter (and current Hot 100 chart-topper) Gotye. » Full Story

Sainsbury's, UK's Third-Largest Supermarket, Launches Music Download Store
May 7, 2012 – Record Labels | Global | Digital & Mobile | Retail | Branding
Sainsbury’s, the U.K.’s third-largest supermarket, has launched a music download store. Sainsbury's Entertainment website offers a catalog of over 2.3 million tracks with song prices starting at £0.89 ($1.44) and the majority of chart albums costing £6.99 ($11.29). » Full Story

Marina & The Diamonds Debut At No. 1 On UK Album Charts
May 7, 2012 – Record Labels | Global | Digital & Mobile | Retail | Rock & Pop | R&B/Hip-Hop
Marina and the Diamonds debuted at No. 1 on the U.K. album chart yesterday with sophomore album “Electra Heart” (679/Atlantic/Warner Music). Tulisa, known as a member of pop/R&B band N-Dubz and as a judge on “The X Factor,” went straight to the top of the singles survey with “Young” (All Around The World/Universal Island). » Full Story

German Pirate Party Scores Third Election Win
May 7, 2012 – Record Labels | Global | Legal & Management | TV & Film | Digital & Mobile
Germany's Pirate Party, which calls for copyright law to be radically reformed or abolished, has won a third victory in state elections. The Pirates took 6 seats with 8.2 per cent of the popular vote in state elections in the small Northern state of Schleswig-Holstein on Sunday. » Full Story

Beastie Boys' Adam 'Ad-Rock' Horovitz On Adam Yauch's Death
May 6, 2012 – Record Labels | Digital & Mobile | R&B/Hip-Hop
Adam Yauch's Beastie Boys band member Adam Horovitz, aka Ad-Rock, has taken to the band's blog to express his feelings and thank fans for their support in the wake of Yauch's death on Friday. "I'm glad to know that all the love that Yauch has put out into the world is coming right back at him," Ad-Rock posted. » Full Story

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