Coda Collection, New Music Video Channel With Rare Concerts and Docs, Launching on Amazon Prime Next Month (EXCLUSIVE)

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorVivendi plans to list 60% of its share of Universal Music Group on the Euronext market in Amsterdam by the end of the year, according to announcements from the companies in the early hours of Saturday.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorLike most art forms, recent music history is filled with artists whose music lots of people just don’t get — whether it’s the Grateful Dead or Tyler, the Creator, whether it’s Insane Clown Posse or Dave Matthews.Well, today Spotify is launching a podcast on that very subject: the awesomely titled “Bandsplain.” The Spotify Original show is hosted by Yasi Salek, who talks to music experts and journalists about cult bands and iconic artists and attempts to get to the

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorSony Music Publishing has rebranded, introducing what it describes as “a new brand identity with a redesigned logo and revitalized mission.”Under the leadership of Jon Platt, chairman & CEO since 2019, the renewal of the Sony Music Publishing name signifies an important step in the company’s evolution and further aligns the business with Sony’s entertainment brands, according to the announcement.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorR. Kelly’s New York jury trial has been delayed for a fourth time due to COVID-19 concerns, according to the Chicago Tribune.The singer had been scheduled to go on trial April 7 on racketeering charges — which allege he ran a criminal enterprise designed to recruit women for sexual misconduct — but at a status hearing Tuesday, U.S.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorUniversal and Sony Music, the two largest music companies in the world, have inked licensing agreements with the music streaming and discovery service Audiomack.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorJust days after Triller and Universal Music Group essentially declared war on each other, UMG has unveiled a global agreement with TikTok “that delivers equitable compensation for recording artists and songwriters and significantly expands and enhances the companies’ existing relationship, promoting the development of new innovative experiences,” the announcement reads.Via the agreement, which covers recorded music from artists at UMG’s labels and songwriters with

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorFor a new artist, a debut appearance on “Saturday Night Live” is a career milestone: an iconic show hedging the bet that you’re ready to go to the next level.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe Black Forum label — founded by Berry Gordy and the Motown Corporation in 1971 — will relaunch in 2021, “providing a platform to a new generation of writers, thinkers and poets,” according to the announcement. In addition to newly recorded releases, Black Forum will reissue six of the historic albums that established its legacy, beginning with Dr.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe Los Angeles-based music and technology company Create Music Group has launched a beta version of Create Carbon, a credit card that it says will give music creators the ability to access their royalties as soon as they’re earned, rather waiting to receive them via regular monthly payouts.The company prides itself on showing artists how much money they’re making on a daily basis by pulling millions of different data points from sources like Spotify, Apple Music

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorJason Flom’s Lava for Good Podcasts — whose “Wrongful Conviction” series brings to light the wrongful incarceration of innocent people — has joined forces with the content network and podcast listening service Stitcher for a series of new criminal justice-focused podcasts.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorAlong with the news that legendary singer Tony Bennett is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, the singer’s team revealed that he and Lady Gaga recorded a follow-up to their chart-topping 2014 album, “Cheek to Cheek,” even as Bennett battled the disease.The news, confirmed by a rep for Bennett, was revealed in the AARP magazine article announcing Bennett’s illness, which he and his team manager to keep under wraps since he was diagnosed in 2016.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorTwo years after he was named co-head of Columbia Records’ Urban Music division, Shawn Holiday will be joining Irving and Jeffrey Azoff to launch a new record label and publishing venture, a rep for Columbia confirmed to Variety.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorSony Music Entertainment announced it has entered into a definitive agreement with Kobalt Music Group to acquire Kobalt’s recorded-music operations, including AWAL, and Kobalt Neighboring Rights.AWAL and Neighbouring Rights will become a new division within SME’s suite of independent artist and label services offerings and will be enhanced by the technology and network of SME’s independent music distribution company, The Orchard, according to the announcement.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorArlo Parks is the kind of artist who almost could have been created in a test tube for a certain type of music fan. A 20-year-old singer-songwriter raised in London to Nigerian/Chadian-French parents (her real name is Anaïs Oluwatoyin Estelle Marinho).

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorFew people, if any, were surprised that the annual Clive Davis Pre-Grammy Gala — the music industry’s biggest and most exclusive event, held every year since 1976 on the night before the big show — would be virtual in this unprecedented year. However, many people were surprised that when the Grammys moved their date up several weeks, from Jan.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe South by Southwest Music Festival has announced its initial list of showcasing artists who have been invited to perform online at the 35th annual event, taking place March 16 – 20, 2021.According to the announcement, the event “will be a unique online musical experience where industry professionals and music lovers can discover an unparalleled range of artists and styles from around the world, expanding listeners’ horizons from their own homes.”Showcases and

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorSinger-songwriter Sabrina Carpenter, newly signed to Island Records, is making a splash with her surprise first release on the label: a song that obviously addresses the drama surrounding her, “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” stars Joshua Bassett and Olivia Rodrigo, and Rodrigo’s smash hit, “Drivers License.”Many fans have speculated that Rodrigo’s song is about the rumored relationship between Bassett and Carpenter.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorAs promised, Billie Eilish has finally dropped her long-awaited collaboration with Spanish singer Rosalia, “Lo Vas a Olvidar (You Will Forget Her),” is dropping Thursday, Jan. 21, at noon ET / 9 a.m.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorLate on the day that Lil Wayne officially received his long-rumored pardon from former President Trump, he dropped a new song called “Ain’t Got Time.”While the song’s lyrics don’t specifically address the pardon, he does reference the December 2019 federal weapons charges that were cleared by it.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorIt is no overstatement to say that on an Inauguration Day filled with memorable moments, 22-year-old poet Amanda Gorman’s poetry reading was definitely one of the most lasting.