Hard to Believe: Music giant which worked with Slayer and Björk will keep operating in Russia, and advises artists how to get around ban March 15, 2022 A French music giant has vowed to continue its operations in Russia, and even advised its partners how to work around sanctions. The ‘Believe’ group, which has worked with acts including Björk and Slayer, also has a UK arm, reportedly sent a newsletter last week to its partners in Russia, according to The Guardian, which [...]
UK music industry launches bullying and harassment helpline March 10, 2022 A new helpline that supports those suffering bullying and harassment within the UK music industry has launched today.
Face the music: Universal Music Group and Warner Media pull out of Russia March 9, 2022 Universal Music Group has suspended all operations in Russia and closed its offices in the country, the company announced last night. In a statement, the music giant said: “Effective immediately, we are suspending all operations in Russia and closing our offices there.” “We urge an end to the violence in Ukraine as soon as possible. [...]
Shape Of You: Ed Sheeran defends hit song in copyright legal battle March 7, 2022 British pop singer Ed Sheeran has given evidence at the High Court this morning as his three-week copyright case over the hit song Shape of You continues. Sheeran is involved in a dispute with two songwriters Sami Chokri and Ross O’Donoghue who claim that the 2017 tune rips off parts of their song Oh Why. [...]
Hallelujah: Hipgnosis buys all Leonard Cohen’s hits March 6, 2022 Hipgnosis continues its domination of the music publishing space, snapping up the entire music catalogue of the late music icon Leonard Cohen.
Universal Music launches Capitol Records China in a push to catch industry’s ‘fastest-growing market’ March 3, 2022 Universal Music has expanded its Chinese division, with the launch of Capitol Records China as a new frontline label focused on signing and developing Chinese music talent.
Billboard teams up with Universal Music to create NFT digital collectibles March 2, 2022 Music big names Billboard and Universal Music Group have teamed up to launch ChartStars, a non-fungible token (NFT) based project of curated digital collectibles that will leverage the environmentally friendly Flow Blockchain. The launch of ChartStars marks Billboard’s first scalable NFT product geared toward music fans. It will be a collection of artist-focused digital artwork that commemorates achievements and milestones [...]
Good times never seemed so good for Neil Diamond as he sells entire music catalogue to Universal Music February 28, 2022 Neil Diamond has sold his entire music catalogue to Universal Music, as well as 110 unreleased tracks, an unreleased album and archival long form videos, making him the latest musical icon to cash in on his hits.
Let It Be: Paul McCartney set to headline Glastonbury February 21, 2022 Glastonbury announced that Sir Paul McCartney will headline the festival this year after pandemic cancellations, making him the oldest artist to take the main stage. The 79 year old Beatle will perform on the Pyramid Stage in June, according to reports from The Sun. It comes after American superstar Taylor Swift pulled out of the festival [...]
Entrepreneur and YouTube music star Jamal Edwards dies age 31 February 21, 2022 Entrepreneur and YouTube star Jamal Edwards has died at the age of 31, sending shockwaves through the music industry. The British businessman was the founder of SBTV, an online urban music platform which helped launch the careers of artists Ed Sheeran and Skepta. The London-based platform was set up for discovering emerging artists, having grown [...]