Iconic Artists Group announce deal with Nat King Cole estate

Thania Garcia Daddy Yankee’s forthcoming retirement, which the reggaeton giant announced last Sunday (March 20), has helped boost streaming numbers for his latest album “LEGENDADDY.”  According to his label, Republic Records, track from the album accumulated 175 million streams just three days into its release.Anticipation was high for the album, his first since 2013’s “King Daddy,” and “LEGENDADDY” quickly soared to No. 1 on Spotify’s Global Top Album Debut chart and, and, on Apple Music’s All-Genres list, hit peak position in 19 markets including Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Mexico and Spain.

It’s undeniable that there is a strong fanbase for Legendary’s Monsterverse franchise, as “Godzilla vs. Kong” was able to earn $468.2 million at the global box office, even with a hybrid theatrical/HBO Max release last year.

Prior to its deal with Irving Azoff’s Iconic Artists Group which was announced last week, the Nat King Cole estate sold a stack of the late musician’s recordings to Universal Music, it has now emerged.Cole had a career-long relationship with Capitol Records, which was acquired by Universal when it bought the EMI record company back in 2012. However, in the latter part of his career a by then famous Cole negotiated a deal with Capitol that allowed him to retain the rights in his later recordings, which he then licensed back to the label.According to Forbes, the estate sold those rights to Universal in a deal worth somewhere between $10 million and $20 million.

EXCLUSIVE: Mathew Knowles, father of Beyoncé and former manager of Destiny’s Child, is gearing up for his own King Richard-style origin story as part of a wide-ranging deal with investment fund APX Capital Group.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterUniversal will continue to be in the business of Judd Apatow.The company’s film and television studios announced on Wednesday that they have entered into multi-year production agreements with Apatow and his company Apatow Productions.Apatow’s relationship with Universal Pictures began in 2005 with “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” and has continued to be mutually successful. His films, including “Knocked Up,” “Trainwreck” and most recently “The King of Staten Island,” have grossed nearly $3 billion at the global box office.

Not everyone gets to eat themselves.

Florence + The Machine have announced three intimate UK shows for next month.The London band, who detailed their fifth album ‘Dance Fever’ last week, will take to the stage at Newcastle’s O2 City Hall (April 15), Blackburn’s King George’s Hall (16) and London’s Theatre Royal (19).Per an official listing, Florence Welch and co. “will play music from the new album for the first time, along with some favourites from previous albums”.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefSouth Korean indie studio More In Group is using Hong Kong FilMart to launch its new feature film project “19 39.”Director Park Jae-ho is setting a quick turnaround for the comedy-drama movie which has not yet been filmed, but which he plans to release in summer this year.The story, written by Kim Min-Jung transports five 39-year-old women back to their childhoods, to experience high school and first love. Their happy memories contrast with present day reality as women on the cusp of middle age.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe family of legendary singer-songwriter Nat King Cole, one of the most important and influential musicians of the 20 th century, has entered into an agreement with Irving Azoff’s Iconic Artists Group to manage and expand his legacy to new generations, the company announced today.Details of the transaction were not disclosed, beyond the fact that it “encompasses a broad range of rights from Cole’s legendary career including his recorded music, publishing, television shows, and name and likeness.”In the decades before his 1965 death from lung cancer at the age of just 45, Cole scored more than 150 singles across Billboard’s pop, R&B, and country charts and has sold an estimated 50 million-plus records worldwide. While best known as a crooner, he was a formidable jazz musician as well, and is best known for classics like “The Very Thought of You,” “Straighten Up and Fly Right,” “Unforgettable,” “Nature Boy,” “Stardust,” “When I Fall In Love,” “Mona Lisa,” “L-O-V-E,” and the holiday staple, “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire).” As the announcement notes, Cole, who was born in Alabama in 1919, was subjected to all the barriers of the Jim Crow era, yet his success played no small role in advancing Black Americans’ presence in entertainment and public perception.

Big Bang member T.O.P expressed his desire overhaul the K-pop system of training and creating idols and artists.In a new interview with Prestige Hong Kong, the South Korean musician spoke about the “harsh” K-pop system, observing how the current training regime affects younger K-pop idols and their mental well-being.“I, myself, am fortunate that I only spent less than a year as a trainee before I debuted – a relatively short time – but after, I saw all the trainees, the boys and girls, they’re under a very harsh system,” T.O.P said.“They’re told what to do and trained just like robots,” the rapper added. “They might get popular, they might get bigger, but in their heart and in ways we can’t see, they’re being isolated, and feel lonely inside.”To address this, T.O.P expressed his desire to change the system and establish a new type of K-pop record company.