#UNIVERSALMUSICGROUP News

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Spotify will introduce new features to help Universal Music Group artists promote new releases and better engage with fans

wsj.com Spotify will introduce new features to help Universal Music Group artists promote new releases and better engage with fans.

Why Swifties Think Billie Eilish Just Low-Key Shaded Taylor Swift

newsweek.com Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek's network of contributors Billie Eilish's commitment to sustainability has been a defining feature of her career, both in her…

As Universal’s standoff with TikTok rolls on, UMG inks new deal with Spotify including ‘social tools’, video elements

musicbusinessworldwide.com The biggest music business story so far this year is Universal Music Group‘s very public falling out with social video app TikTok. But there’s another widely used app that…

Why Spotify Technology Shares Are Gaining Today

benzinga.com Spotify Technology SA SPOT shares are trading higher after the company and Universal Music Group UMGNF announced an expansion for promotional and social tools for UMG…

Universal Music Artists Gain Ability to Tease Unreleased Music on Spotify

billboard.com Universal Music Group announced on Thursday (March 28) that its artists will soon have the ability to tease unreleased music on Spotify. Sharing snippets of unreleased songs…

UMG and Lucian Grainge Blast Lawyer For Adding Them to Diddy Sex Abuse Lawsuit: ‘Recklessly False’

billboard.com Attorneys for Universal Music Group CEO Lucian Grainge fired back at a lawsuit that claims he and the label “aided and abetted” Sean “Diddy” Combs in his alleged sexual…

As Universal Music-TikTok Fight Continues, Company Sets Expansion Of Strategic Relationship With Spotify

deadline.com As its public dispute with TikTok continues, Universal Music Group has set an expanded strategic relationship with Spotify. The new agreement will “further amplify music…

Why Billie Eilish Insists on Sustainability In Her Career: ‘It’s a Never-Ending F

billboard.com Long before Billie Eilish became a global superstar, she says she was “notorious” among her friends for something else entirely. “When I would get a present, I would…

Spotify to Add New Features for Universal Music Artists

wsj.com As part of an expanded partnership, Spotify Technology will introduce new features that will help Universal Music Group artists promote new releases and better engage with…

Universal Music Group and Spotify Expand Strategic Relationship

benzinga.com Companies to collaborate on new promotional and social tools to help artists and songwriters drive interaction and excitement around new releases UMG artists will soon be…

Universal Music and Spotify Announce Vague ‘Expansion of Strategic Relationship’ That Probably Signals a Unified Effort Against TikTok

variety.com Universal Music Group and Spotify — the world’s largest music company and the world’s largest paid music-subscription service — have unveiled an expansion of their…

Universal Music Group Partners With Spotify to Offer Artists More Promotional Tools

hollywoodreporter.com Universal Music Group has expanded its relationship with Spotify to involve more promotional tools for musicians and greater distribution, amid its dispute with TikTok. As…

Diddy sex worker allegations detailed in full

newsweek.com Sean "Diddy" Combs has been hit by several sexual assault lawsuits in recent months, with court documents accusing the rapper of soliciting sex workers and trafficking…

Diddy paid Instagram model Jade Ramey as sex worker

newsweek.com Sean "Diddy" Combs paid Instagram model Jade Ramey as a sex worker, it has been alleged in one of the sexual assault lawsuits filed against the music mogul. On March 25,…

Amazon Announces Minority Ownership in ChatGPT Rival Anthropic AI, Completing $4 Billion Investment Deal

cryptonews.com Amazon has invested $4 billion in ChatGPT’s rival artificial intelligence (AI) startup Anthropic, solidifying its minority ownership in the company. In a recent…

5 First-Timers on ’s Charts This Week: Cloonee, Alek Olsen, King Hendrick$ & More

billboard.com Billboard has more than 200 different weekly charts, encompassing numerous genres and formats. While established artists often compete for a spot on the Billboard Hot 100…

Lauren Sanderson Tried the Whole Major Label Thing

billboard.com It’s a Thursday morning in Silver Lake, Calif., and singer-songwriter Lauren Sanderson is already feeling the fatigue set in. “It’s been all hands on deck 24 hours a day,”…

Diddy allegations include these major music industry moguls

newsweek.com When Homeland Security raided music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs' homes on Monday, it put the spotlight back on another lawsuit he is facing. Authorities raided the rap icon's…

What Diddy court document photos reveal

newsweek.com Following the raids on his properties by Homeland Security, there has been renewed interest in a lawsuit filed against Sean "Diddy" Combs in February. Rodney "Lil Rod" Jones…

Cuba Gooding Jr. Named as Codefendant in Sexual Assault, Harassment Suit Against Sean 'Diddy' Combs

thewrap.com Cuba Gooding Jr. was added as a codefendant in music producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones’ sexual harassment and sexual assault lawsuit against Sean “Diddy” Combs on Monday. The…

Rostrum Records President Erika Montes on the Indie Label’s New Chapter: ‘If We Can Build, Let’s Build’

variety.com Rostrum Records, the Los Angles-based, Pittsburgh-born indie label that helped launch the careers of stars Wiz Khalifa and the late Mac Miller, is experiencing a rebirth.…

HYBE AND UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP ANNOUNCE NEW GLOBAL ALLIANCE

benzinga.com The new global agreement will give UMG exclusive distribution rights across HYBE's roster of artists and labels SEOUL, South Korea, March 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- HYBE today…

UMG to Distribute HYBE Globally, Taps Scooter Braun to Head Promotional Activities in North America

billboard.com Universal Music Group (UMG) has expanded its relationship with HYBE to include the exclusive digital and physical distribution rights to the company’s artists for the next…

HYBE Strikes 10-Year Deal With Universal Music Group

variety.com Hybe, the Korean firm behind K-pop’s BTS, has struck an expanded 10-year deal with Universal Music Group (UMG), providing Hybe’s roster of artists and labels access to UMG’s…

HYBE, K-Pop Home To BTS, Expands Deal With Universal Music Group

deadline.com K-pop music purveyors HYBE today announced an expanded long-term agreement with Universal Music Group (UMG), providing them exclusive distribution rights across HYBE music…

Sean 'Diddy' Combs accuser Lil Rod adds Cuba Gooding Jr. to sexual assault lawsuit

aol.com Rodney "Lil Rod" Jones Jr., the music producer who filed a lawsuit against Sean "Diddy" Combs last month, has officially accused Cuba Gooding Jr. of sexual assault, naming…

Producer who accused Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs adds Cuba Gooding Jr. to sexual assault, harassment lawsuit

nbcnews.com Create your free profile or log in to save this article Create your free profile or log in to save this article A music producer who filed a lawsuit against Sean “Diddy”…

TikTok needs Taylor Swift more than Taylor Swift needs TikTok

simonowens.substack.com Image licensed from Getty Images Welcome! I'm Simon Owens and this is my media industry newsletter. If you've received it, then you either subscribed or someone forwarded it…

Robots vs Rock Stars: UMG and Roland Share Guidelines for AI Music

pymnts.com The year is 2034, Taylor Swift hasn’t had work in years, and all our favorite songwriters are just algorithms. This is the future that Universal Music Group (UMG) and Roland…

Why Are IFPI & MIDiA’s 2023 Revenue Figures So Far Apart? The Answer Lies in ‘Expanded Rights’

billboard.com The IFPI’s annual figure for global recorded music revenue, announced Thursday (Mar. 21) for 2023, is the gold standard for tracking the health of the music business. It’s…

Joni Mitchell Music Is Back on Spotify, After She Joined Neil Young in Pulling Songs Over Joe Rogan’s COVID ‘Lies’

variety.com Without fanfare, much of Joni Mitchell‘s music catalog is again on Spotify — a little over two years after she pulled her work from the streaming platform in solidarity with…

Tennessee takes a stand against a controversial tech issue

thestreet.com Fast Facts Tenn. Gov. Bill Lee on Thursday signed the ELVIS Act into law. The legislation grants the protection of artists' voices from misuse by AI. The legislation is…

Global Music Revenue Grew 10.2% in 2023

variety.com The IFPI Global Music Report has long been viewed as the definitive snapshot of the international music industry’s health (or otherwise). After all, the global recorded…

PRO-TEK VAULTS CELEBRATES 30 YEARS OF PROTECTING FILM & DIGITAL CONTENT HISTORY

benzinga.com BURBANK, Calif. and THOUSAND OAKS, Calif., March 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Founded in 1994 by Eastman Kodak, PRO-TEK Vaults, an industry leader in film preservation, media…

Acapella, Alarm Tones & ‘Fluffing a Duck’: How TikTokers Are Working Around the UMG Ban

billboard.com If you’ve scrolled through TikTok recently, you might have noticed that it sounds different than it did a few months ago. Users have gotten creative with their sound…

IFPI Global Report 2024: Music Revenues Climb 10% to $28.6 Billion

billboard.com Global music sales grew for the ninth consecutive year in 2023, with recorded music revenues increasing in every market and region, and across almost all formats, according…

Indian Rapper Badshah on New Album ‘Ek Tha Raja,’ Working With Shah Rukh Khan, Arijit Singh: ‘I’m Like This Cousin Who Starts the Party’ (EXCLUSIVE)

variety.com Indian rapper, singer-songwriter and music producer Badshah has just released his new album “Ek Tha Raja” (literally, there was a king). It is the third studio album for the…

James Blake Partners With Subscription Service Vault to Address Streaming Royalty Issues for Artists

variety.com After a handful of social media rants on the fairness of royalty payment structuring in the music industry, James Blake has announced his participation in the launch of…

Universal Music, Roland Corporation Publish ‘Principles for Music Creation With AI’ Guidelines

billboard.com As artificial intelligence and its potential effects on creativity, copyright and a host of other sectors continues to dominate conversation, the Universal Music Group and…

Roland Corporation and Universal Music Group Form Strategic Relationship to Empower Human Artistry

benzinga.com Collaboration Kicks off with Publication of "Principles for Music Creation with AI" for the Responsible Use of AI Within the Music Creative Ecosystem HAMAMATSU, Japan and…

Universal Music Group Named to Fast Company's Annual List of World's Most Innovative Companies of 2024

benzinga.com UMG also ranked No. 1 in Music category UMG recognized for industry leadership in generative AI and for pioneering artist-centric approach to streaming SANTA MONICA, Calif.,…

Music Industry Moves: Iconoclast Buys Rights to Tony Bennett’s Catalog

variety.com Iconoclast and the estate of Tony Bennett have struck a deal for the rights to the American singer’s catalog and name and image likeness. Iconoclast, working alongside Tony…

Nelson Mandela Estate Strikes Deal with Writer/Producer Josh Wakely to Create TV Drama Series About the South African Leader’s Life (EXCLUSIVE)

variety.com Nelson Mandela, the iconic anti-apartheid leader who went from 27 years as a political prisoner to eventually becoming the first president of a free South Africa, will be…

Tencent Music Profits Reach $735 Million, Despite Revenue Decline

variety.com Net profits at Tencent Music Entertainment, China’s largest digital music company, climbed 36% to reach $735 million (RMB5.22 billion) in 2023 – despite revenues declining…

Tencent Music Entertainment Group Announces Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2023 Unaudited Financial Results

benzinga.com Fourth quarter music paying users up 20.6% with monthly ARPPU increased by 20.2% year-over-year Net adds of 18.2 million music paying users recorded in 2023, up from 12.3…

Universal Music Group and Partners Monetize Music on Roblox

pymnts.com Universal Music Group (UMG), Republic Records and Styngr partnered on a solution that helps music labels curate, distribute and monetize music across the Roblox platform.…

Is UMG’s TikTok Standoff Creating More Opportunities for Independent Artists?

billboard.com As the showdown continues between Universal Music Group (UMG) and TikTok after the world’s biggest record company pulled content by its artists and songwriters from the…

An AI platform set up by a college student has pulled down deepfake versions of Drake and Amy Winehouse after facing a landmark legal challenge from the U.K.…

aol.com An AI company that is trying to recreate the voices of stars like Amy Winehouse and Drake is facing the might of the U.K. music industry in a landmark battle over how AI…

Universal Music Group, Republic Records, & STYNGR Bring Boombox to Roblox

benzinga.com For the first time ever, all in-platform streams will count towards the Billboard charts SANTA MONICA, Calif., March 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Universal Music Group (UMG) and…

College student pulls Drake AI deepfake model after threats from U.K. music industry

fortune.com An AI company that is trying to recreate the voices of stars like Amy Winehouse and Drake is facing the might of the U.K. music industry in a landmark battle over how AI…

Hollywood Brawl Intensifies: Michael Kassan Plots New Venture as Insiders Weigh MediaLink’s Future Without Founder

thewrap.com MediaLink founder and CEO Michael Kassan is determined to set up a new company to take on the juggernaut consultancy he built now that he is out at United Talent Agency, he…

TikTok’s Booming Growth Isn’t What it Used to Be

thedailyupside.com Judging from all the pearl-clutching surrounding a possible ban on TikTok in the US, one might think the Chinese-owned social media platform is an indestructible juggernaut…

Live Nation Stock Hits Highest Closing Price Since 2022, K-Pop Labels Rebound After Weeks of Losses

billboard.com Live Nation shares gained 4.0% to hit $103.77 this week, marking the stock’s best closing price since May 2, 2022, and the first time the concert promotion giant had five…

Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift Help Drive UK Music Sales to a Ninth-Straight Increase

billboard.com LONDON — Strong growth in streaming, vinyl and even CD sales saw music spending in the United Kingdom increase for a ninth consecutive year in 2023, according to annual…

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