Sony Music Unveils ‘Artist Assistance’ Counseling Services

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorAs promised, the Recording Academy has released the first official inclusion rider for the Grammy Awards, a contract addendum “designed to be a robust tool to ensure equity and inclusion at every level during the production of the 64th Annual Grammy Awards,” which take place in Los Angeles on Jan.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorBMG has promoted U.S. frontline recorded-music execs Angela Barkan and Cyndi Lynott to senior vice presidents, the company announced on Monday.On the East Coast, Barkan, who is currently overseeing new releases from Duran Duran, Bryan Adams and Kelis, has been promoted to SVP of marketing and will report to EVP Jason Hradil.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorKanye West made a surprise performance at a wedding in Venice, Italy, on Saturday, performing two of his classics as well as the live debut of two songs from his recent “Donda” album, along with some other songs. According to social media reports, he wore a creepy, almost Michael Myers-like mask that muffled his vocals.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorLong-running footwear brand Dr. Martens has announced their 2021 “Dr.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThis month marks 40 years since the release of U2’s sophomore album, “October,” and to celebrate, the group have today announced the launch of the biggest ever “Artist Takeover” on Pandora.Members of the group will take fans through the making of their first three albums — “Boy,” “October” and “War” — sharing stories, details and the music that inspired them along the way.U2’s Artist Takeover marks the first time an artist has created an ongoing series of

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorSolange’s Saint Heron studio and platform has announced the launch of its free library of “esteemed and valuable” books by Black creators for research, study and exploration. Each reader will be invited to borrow a book of their choice for 45 days, completely free of charge.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorBread Charity, a non-profit founded by Mustafa Sheikh (a.k.a. rapper Lil Mussie) with a mission to aid children living in poverty, has launched Bread Studios in Nipsey Hussle’s former middle school, Edwin Markham Middle School, in the Watts area of Los Angeles.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorSony Music’s top executives were informed of abusive behavior by the company’s long-running Australian chief, Dennis Handlin, more than two decades before he stepped down earlier this year, according to a detailed report by the country’s Australian Broadcasting Corporation that aired Sunday.Handlin — one of the most powerful executives in the country’s music business, who was also chairman of the Australian Recording Industry Association and an Officer of the Order

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorSplice, the platform for rights-cleared sounds and beats, has established its first Global Music Council, a strategic advisory board of artist entrepreneurs, activists and experts in major music territories. According to the announcement, the advisors were hand-picked to provide diverse perspectives, and an artist’s lens, on expanding access to Splice’s music creation platform around the world.Splice’s Global Music Council will be chaired by Caron Veazey, founder

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorPioneering Puerto Rican reggaetón artist Daddy Yankee has signed with WME in all areas. Among many other feats since he first emerged in the 1990s, he recently became the only Latin artist to log over one billion Spotify streams on three tracks, and also has racked up more than 7 billion streams in the last 12 months alone on YouTube — due only in part to “Despacito,” his collaboration with Luis Fonsi.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorAs part of the Association of Independent Music Publishers’ (AIMP) diversity, equity, and inclusion initiative, the LA Chapter is presenting a free event open to the entire industry entitled, “Leading the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Challenge: Fostering Change,” to be held on September 28, 2021 at 2 p.m. ET/ 11 a.m.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorAfter more than twenty years of horrifying and damning accusations, as of today R.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorTicketing platform Dice has raised up to to $122 million in Series C funding in a round was led by new investor, SoftBank Vision Fund 2, with follow on investments from Tony Fadell’s Future Shape, Blisce, French entrepreneur Xavier Niel, Mirabaud Private Equity, Cassius and Evolution.“We believe DICE’s technology has the capacity to transform the future of live entertainment,” said Yanni Pipilis, Managing Partner for SoftBank Investment Advisers.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorRoblox and the National Music Publishers’ Association today announced an agreement that “settles any previous claims against Roblox and sets the foundation for future partnerships with global publishers that will unlock new creative and commercial opportunities on its platform,” according to the announcement.In June, a group of music publishers sued Roblox through the NMPA for $200 million-plus, claiming copyright infringement by the company.The agreement settles

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorOn Thursday, just 15 months after it was formed, the Black Music Action Coalition will host its inaugural Music in Action Awards gala in Los Angeles, honoring musicians, executives, businesses, entrepreneurs, and activists who have made significant contributions to social justice, change, and/or equity over the preceding year.BMAC, which was formed after the transformative yet all-too-familiar events leading up to the Black Lives Matter protests last spring, will

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorOn a day that has been remarkably good for music companies on stock markets, Warner Music Group — which saw its stock climb thanks in part to Universal Music’s lofty IPO — on Tuesday announced the sale of an aggregate of 2,340,000 shares of the company’s common stock by affiliates of Access Industries to Morgan Stanley & Co. as the sole underwriter in the registered public offering of those shares.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorAfter months of strong words, the National Music Publishers’ Association and livestreaming platform Twitch have announced an agreement to work together “to build productive partnerships between the service and music publishers,” according to the announcement.The deal follows months of animosity toward the Amazon-owned streaming platform, from the NMPA along with other industry trade groups, including the RIAA and the Recording Academy, over what they deemed its

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe 2022 Grammy nominations will be announced on Tuesday, November 23, the Recording Academy announced on Tuesday.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorBjorn Ulvaeus, co-founder of ABBA and president of CISAC, unveiled a new global initiative called “Credits Due” on Tuesday that is intended to upgrade the music industry’s payment processes.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorHipgnosis Songs, founded by Merck Mercuriadis and launched on the London Stock Exchange in 2018, is one of the most disruptive upstarts in recent music industry history, spending more than $2 billion acquiring catalogs of hitmakers ranging from the Chainsmokers to half of Neil Young’s work, with a foundation in lesser-known but high-earning songwriters and producers such as Kanye West/Harry Styles collaborator Jeff Bhasker and Eurythmics cofounder Dave