Jeffrey Harleston Oversees Small Army of Attorneys for UMG’s Sprawling Music Empire

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorRed Bull Records has bulked up its staff with a number of hires and promotions. Nikki Cox will serve as the label’s Chief Marketing Officer, leading the organization’s efforts across marketing, digital, publicity, and streaming.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorSpotify, the world’s top paid music-streaming service; Hybe, the company formerly known as Big Hit that spawned BTS; and Clubhouse, the actual-human-conversation-based social-media platform launched just last spring, have made Time magazine’s annual “100 Most Influential Companies” list.According to the announcement, “To assemble it, Time solicited nominations across sectors including health care, entertainment, transportation, technology and more, from our global

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorWEA, the Label and Artist Services division of Warner Music Group, today announced that Benjamin Blank has been named president of media, a newly created position. In this role, Blank will lead WMG’s new digital advertising and creative content division, unifying WMG’s digital advertising under one unit.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorHasbro announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell Entertainment One Music (widely known as eOne Music) for an aggregate price of $385 million in cash.The transaction has been approved by Hasbro and Entertainment One Canada’s board of directors, and is subject to customary closing conditions and receipt of regulatory approvals.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorIn the latest blockbuster music-catalog deal, Downtown has sold its 145,000 owned and co-published copyrights to an affiliate of the Concord music company.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorRapper, actor and activist Common has signed with YM&U management of his music endeavors, the company has announced. He will be represented and managed by Kevin Wolff, who signed him to YM&U, alongside Anthony Rodol.Common is the only rapper to win Grammy, Academy and Emmy Awards; he has also won a Golden Globe.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorFive-time Grammy-winning rapper Lil Wayne has joined UTA, the company announced, for worldwide representation in all areas. With a catalog reaching back to the 1990s, Wayne is one of the most influential and successful rappers of all time.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorNormally, for an interview like the one Variety did on Tuesday with Oscars musical director Questlove and show producer Jesse Collins, the reporter can ask at least somewhat informed questions.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorEver since the music industry began its streaming-fueled recovery around five years ago, the songwriting and publishing communities have been protesting not only the uneven payment structure of streaming — which sees recorded-music rights holders being paid three times what publishing is paid — but also the imbalanced power and payment structures of the music industry.

football players growing up in North Carolina, Chase Rice had his sights set on the NFL. After an outstanding sophomore season with the Tar Heels, that goal seemed realistic.Then the linebacker who tore up the ACC in 2006 tore up his left ankle in the season opener as a junior.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorEarly Friday, Apple Music sent a carefully worded letter to artists, music labels and publishers that briefly explained “how creators earn royalties” from the service, which is the world’s second-largest, behind Spotify.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorApple Music claims it pays artists a penny per stream in a letter posted Friday on the streaming service’s artist dashboard, according to the Wall Street Journal.The disclosure, made in a letter to artists delivered Friday via the service’s artist dashboard and sent to labels and publishers, is seemingly a response to Spotify’s “Loud and Clear” report detailing its payment processes published last month.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorNew York-based music-rights company Reservoir Holdings has announced that it will list on NASDAQ through a merger with the Roth CH Acquisition II Company.According to the announcement, the transaction values the combined company at $788 million and is expected to provide approximately $246 million in gross proceeds to the company.Upon closing of the transaction, the combined company will be renamed Reservoir Media, Inc.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorAttorney Joel Katz, former founding chairman of Greenberg Traurig’s entertainment and media practice and a top official at the Recording Academy, has joined Barnes & Thornburg. He will remain based in Atlanta, where he will serve as as senior counsel for the firm’s entertainment, media and sports practice.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorVeteran artist manager Adam Leber has announced the launch of his new management and media company Rebel (Leber’s name spelled backwards) in partnership with LiveNation.Under this banner, he will continue to represent longtime clients Miley Cyrus, Lil Nas X and Labrinth, among others, for management worldwide. He remains based in Los AngelesMost recently, Leber has operated as a partner of Maverick, which he co-founded in 2014.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorSony Music Publishing announced it has acquired the song catalog of Paul Simon, one of the most successful and influential songwriters of the past 75 years. The milestone deal includes Paul Simon’s classic songs spanning more than six decades, from his time as a member of Simon & Garfunkel, through his extraordinary career as a solo artist – among them, “The Sound of Silence,” “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” “The Boxer,” “Mrs.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorMemphis rapper NLE Choppa was arrested Sunday in Davie, Fla.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorYoshiki, leader of the group X Japan, has donated $100,000 in support of mental health to MusiCares to help music creators and industry professionals affected by depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, or other mental health concerns, the organization announced Monday.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorSome artists are coy about their sexuality, and some just go for it.