Shawn Holiday to Launch New Label, Publishing Company With Irving and Jeffrey Azoff

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorIndependent label, distributor and publisher EMPIRE has opened a division in the US to help grow the local scene in West Asia and North Africa and its diaspora. To head up the territory, EMPIRE has hired Suhel Nafar (pictured above) as Vice President of Strategy & Market Development.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorRock and Roll Hall of Famers the Beach Boys have become the latest artists to sell their catalog and other assets: The group announced Thursday that Irving Azoff’s recently launched Iconic Artists Group has purchased a controlling interest in its intellectual property, including their sound recordings, the brand, select musical compositions, and memorabilia.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorBig Hit Entertainment, the South Korean company that brought BTS to the world, and Universal Music Group today announced an expanded strategic partnership that will see the two companies working together to “increase opportunities for artists through innovation and technology, whilst expanding the global reach of K-pop music and culture around the world,” according the announcement.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorAnnie Lennox, Cage the Elephant and Black Pumas will join the line-up for the 34th Annual Tibet House US Virtual Benefit Concert on Wednesday night (February 17).

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe Mechanical Licensing Collective announced Tuesday that it has received a total of $424,384,787 in accrued historical unmatched royalties from Spotify, Apple Music and other digital service providers, along with corresponding data reports that identify the usage related to these royalties. In other words, some songwriters and publishers will be receiving a windfall once the MLC reviews and analyzes the data to pay the copyright holders — the MLC anticipates

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 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 EditorDarcus Beese, president and CEO of Island Records since David Massey’s departure in 2018, will exit the company, a rep for parent company Universal Music Group has confirmed to Variety.“Darcus informed us of his decision to return to the U.K. for personal reasons and to pursue new career opportunities there,” the statement reads.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorCountry star Morgan Wallen, who found himself a pariah from the airwaves overnight after video circulated on Tuesday of him using a racial slur, has had his contract “suspended indefinitely” by his label, Big Loud Records, the company announced Wednesday.“In the wake of recent events, Big Loud Records has made the decision to suspend Morgan Wallen’s contract indefinitely,” the statement reads.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorTo honor the first day of Black History month, on Monday the Weeknd — who is the headline halftime performer at Super Bowl LV — chose Mama’s Southern Soul Food a Black-owned restaurant in Tampa, Fla., to feed the frontline healthcare workers at AdventHealth Carrollwood.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorIn the wake of Evan Rachel Wood’s announcement that Marilyn Manson “horrifically abused” her for years when they were in a relationship, Loma Vista Recordings, which released Manson’s latest album, has parted ways with the singer.“In light of today’s disturbing allegations by Evan Rachel Wood and other women naming Marilyn Manson as their abuser, Loma Vista will cease to further promote his current album, effective immediately,” the statement reads.

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 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 EditorThe April dates of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and its companion Stagecoach country music festival have been canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, according to Riverside County Public Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser.“We look forward to when the events may return,” Kaiser said via Twitter, although it was unclear whether later dates in 2021 may be scheduled.

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 EditorOn Tuesday, which would have been Eddie Van Halen’s 66th birthday, a giant mural of the guitar hero titled “Long Live the King” was unveiled outside the Guitar Center’s flagship store on Sunset Strip in Hollywood.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe Coda Collection, a new multi-media company, is launching a channel on Amazon Prime featuring rare concerts and music documentaries, exclusive premieres for films and more. The channel is combined with an editorial destination across Coda’s desktop and mobile sites, providing another perspective on the artists and music featured in the content.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorTom Stevens, bassist for the Los Angeles rock band the Long Ryders, a key group in the so-called “Paisley Underground” scene of the 1980s, died on January 24, according to an announcement from the band.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorLivestream and on-demand platform LiveXLive has announced the launch of a new original franchise show called “The Snubbys,” which is intended to honor “those who are deserving but not receiving.” The event, is slated to air on Sunday night (January 31) at 8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m.