Hipgnosis stock hits record low as value of music portfolio plummets

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music If there’s a top jack-of-all-trades in the music industry, there’s a good chance it’s Ryan Tedder. He’s a hugely successful recording artist (as leader of OneRepublic), one of the top songwriter-producers of the past 15 years (Beyoncé’s “Halo,” U2, Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, Ed Sheeran, Maroon 5, Ariana Grande and many more) and is also a more savvy music publisher than many full-time music publishers.

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version) has broken the Disney+ record for the most-streamed music special of all time, just three days since its release.The concert film of Swift’s ongoing world tour, which has also broken multiple records, was made available on Disney+ on 14 March. See the official trailer for the film below.As per The Hollywood Reporter, the film was viewed for a collective 16.2million hours in its opening weekend, surpassing viewership of music films from Elton John, Beyoncé and The Beatles.Expanded from its original theatrical release back in October, the three-and-a-half-hour long film features songs previously cut from the original version, including ‘Cardigan’ and ‘Long Live’.The Disney+ edition also features performances of some of Swift’s iconic surprise songs, which she changes for each night on the tour.

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour broke records on Disney+ with 4.6 million views, making it the No. 1 music film ever on the platform per the studio.

Netflix announced six new Nordic feature film productions at its Next on Netflix showcase in Stockholm on Monday.

Glastonbury line-up poster has been edited to remove every artist that started their career in grassroots venues – and hardly any names are left standing.The first taste of the festival’s 2024 line-up was shared on Thursday (March 14), with Dua Lipa, Coldplay and SZA topping the bill.But as revealed by the Music Venue Trust’s edit of the poster on social media, the vast majority of the dozens of names announced so far started their careers coming through the small music venues that now find themselves straining under unbearable pressure in the UK in 2024.Yesterday I was read a quote from a senior figure in the live music industry which ran as follows: “We don’t see any problems in the pipeline for developing the next Ed Sheeran's etc due to grassroots music venues closing, the headliners are still coming”I call bullshit. https://t.co/vGe4RlBUIx— Mark Davyd (@markdavyd) March 16, 2024Only names such as Nigerian afrobeats superstar Burna Boy, the K-pop group SEVENTEEN and Camila Cabello, who rose to fame on the US version of The X Factor, remain when the direct beneficiaries of grassroots venues are taken away.Music Venue Trust CEO Mark Davyd commented on the edited poster, writing on X/Twitter: “Yesterday I was read a quote from a senior figure in the live music industry which ran as follows: ‘We don’t see any problems in the pipeline for developing the next Ed Sheerans etc.

Elton John is currently working on two musicals, and is already open to ideas regarding a third.The update was shared by the musician’s husband David Furnish, who opened up about Sir Elton’s current creative projects during a new interview.Speaking to The Sun at the 32nd annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Oscars viewing party last weekend (March 10), Furnish revealed that the renowned singer, songwriter and pianist currently has his hands full with two musicals.The first of which is The Devil Wears Prada – which premiered in the UK back in July – and Tammy Faye, which recently relocated to a Nederlander Theatre on Broadway.However, although Furnish said that they were “quite busy as it is” with the two projects, they haven’t closed themselves off to the idea of taking on a third (via The International News).“[As for] a catalogue musical? We’re always looking at it,” he revealed. “I haven’t found anything yet that really covers… I think if we wanted to do it, we would want to do it in a way that was really innovative and really exciting and different.“We’re open to any great ideas and it’s a wonderful catalogue,” he added.Elsewhere on the night, Furnish also shared an insight into his partner’s health ahead of him going into surgery.The procedure is set to be a knee operation and, according to his partner, should leave the ‘Rocketman’ singer feeling like “a new man”.“He’s doing amazing,” he told the outlet during the viewing party.

Stockport County could play in front of 18,000 people after it unveiled plans to expand its home. More details have been shared on the bid to grow Edgeley Park, where County have played since 1903. The club are currently flying high in League Two, but can only host 10,852 fans on matchdays.

Louis Walsh, the former manager of boyband Boyzone, had some harsh words for Ronan Keating on Celebrity Big Brother last night (Tuesday, 12 March). During a VIP pop party in the house, Louis, 71, made a snide comment about Ronan, 47, when the singer's hit 'Life Is A Rollercoaster' started playing. Ronan was a member of Boyzone - which also included 51-year-old Mikey Graham, Keith Duffy, 49, and 47-year-old Shane Lynch.The late Stephen Gately, who died in 2009 at 33, was also part of the popular group.

Thania Garcia Shawn Mendes is set to headline Rock in Rio for his first solo performance in two years. The “Treat You Better” singer has been on a hiatus from touring since he canceled his 2022 “Wonder” tour to prioritize his mental health. He’ll return to the stage for Rock in Rio on Sept.

After skidding to multi-year lows in late-2023, Disney stock has rebounded more than 20% thus far in 2024 as two activist investment firms have launched a proxy fight.

BBC).The ERA’s 2024 Yearbook (published today, March 6), which contains statistics on the music, video and gaming sectors, also found that the UK music market was worth £2.2billion last year. 84 per cent of this was attributed to streaming subscriptions.The number of shops physically selling music, however – like supermarkets and specialist chains – fell from 10,391 to 2,486 in that period.The demand for vinyl records, meanwhile, continued to increase for the 16th year in a row.

Representatives from the estate of Sinéad O’Connor have said the late Irish singer would have been “disgusted, hurt, and insulted” at her version of Nothing Compares 2 U being played at political rallies hosted by Republican presidential favorite Donald Trump. 

Pitbull is celebrating Dolly Parton after collaborating with the country star on “Powerful Women,” which Mr. Worldwide dropped in February.

Raye, a London-born music sensation, made history at the Brit Awards by scooping up six awards - the most any artist has won in a single year. Her record "My 21st Century Blues" clinched album of the year.

Two piña coladas, please. Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood are starring in a Prime Video reality series.The married country music superstars will headline “Friends in Low Places,” documenting their quest to build their dream honky-tonk bar in Nashville called … Friends in Low Places.The docuseries premieres March 7.“Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood embark on their most personal journey yet to build the honky-tonk of their dreams in the heart of Nashville,” the streamer said in press materials about “Friends in Low Places,” which is named after Brooks’ hit 1990 song.

Muse, Stormzy, Lewis Capaldi, Ed Sheeran and Dua Lipa.“The MTV EMAs is one of the biggest global music celebrations, bringing together local and international artists to create iconic performances for fans around the world,” said Bruce Gillmer, President of Music, Music Talent, Programming & Events, Paramount, and Chief Content Officer, Music, Paramount+. “With music at the very heart of Manchester’s rich creative heritage, this vibrant city – with the state-of-the-art Co-op Live – will guarantee a supercharged 2024 show.”Councillor Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, added: “As a city that is known the world over for our legendary music scene, MTV could not have picked a better place for this year’s EMAs.“With the expertise, experience and reputation we also have for delivering successful, world-class events, we’re confident Manchester will provide a superb platform for the best MTV EMAs yet, and look forward to welcoming MTV and the global music community to our city for what is set to be an epic celebration of music and artists.

Kate Bush has been announced as an official ambassador for this year’s Record Store Day UK.The 2024 edition of the annual event, which celebrates the culture of independent record shops, is due to take place on Saturday, April 20.This year, fans have the chance to buy special one-off collectable releases on vinyl, cassette and other formats from hundreds of acts – including The 1975, David Bowie, Daft Punk, Blur, Lily Allen, Gorillaz, Elton John, Paramore and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds.RSD ’24 marks the 17th edition of the event, and it comes after the news that vinyl sales rose by nearly 15 per cent in the first nine months of 2023, despite the ongoing dominance of streaming services.Now, it has been confirmed that Bush will serve as an ambassador for this year’s Record Store Day. In a statement, the legendary singer-songwriter said: “What a huge honour to have been asked to be [an] ambassador for this year’s Record Store Day.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music The bruising battle over royalties between Universal Music Group and TikTok entered a new and more severe stage in the early hours of Tuesday as songs published by UMG began to be removed from the platform. The standoff, which began earlier this month, initially saw recordings owned by UMG removed from the platform, but now is extending to a much larger number of songs by including those published by the company.

EXCLUSIVE: SkyShowtime‘s drama original Codename: Annika is taking its art crime sensibilities around the world.

Charli XCX has hinted that her upcoming new album is a dance record and that it goes back to her roots in club music.Recently, the musician previewed her new song ‘Von Dutch’ with a 20-second snippet on social media. The song is likely to be the first single released from her upcoming sixth studio album, details of which are yet to be announced.