SXSW Music Festival Unveils Initial Artist Lineup

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorVivendi plans to list 60% of its share of Universal Music Group on the Euronext market in Amsterdam by the end of the year, according to announcements from the companies in the early hours of Saturday.

The Berlin Film Festival on Thursday unveiled the titles that will compete in the 2021 Berlinale as well as the high-profile features screening out of competition in Berlin's Berlinale Specials section.

South by Southwest Conference and Festivals have revealed the full program for the 28th edition of the SXSW Film Festival — and it will all take place online March 16-20.

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.

South by Southwest Conference and Festivals have revealed the full program for the 28th edition of the SXSW Film Festival — and it will all take place online March 16-20.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorUniversal and Sony Music, the two largest music companies in the world, have inked licensing agreements with the music streaming and discovery service Audiomack.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorJust days after Triller and Universal Music Group essentially declared war on each other, UMG has unveiled a global agreement with TikTok “that delivers equitable compensation for recording artists and songwriters and significantly expands and enhances the companies’ existing relationship, promoting the development of new innovative experiences,” the announcement reads.Via the agreement, which covers recorded music from artists at UMG’s labels and songwriters with

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorFor a new artist, a debut appearance on “Saturday Night Live” is a career milestone: an iconic show hedging the bet that you’re ready to go to the next level.

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 EditorThe Los Angeles-based music and technology company Create Music Group has launched a beta version of Create Carbon, a credit card that it says will give music creators the ability to access their royalties as soon as they’re earned, rather waiting to receive them via regular monthly payouts.The company prides itself on showing artists how much money they’re making on a daily basis by pulling millions of different data points from sources like Spotify, Apple Music

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorJason Flom’s Lava for Good Podcasts — whose “Wrongful Conviction” series brings to light the wrongful incarceration of innocent people — has joined forces with the content network and podcast listening service Stitcher for a series of new criminal justice-focused podcasts.

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 EditorVeteran rapper T.I. and his wife Tameka “Tiny” Harris have denied the most recent round of allegations from Sabrina Peterson, who previously accused the rapper of holding a gun to her head.The latest round of allegations are in a series of screenshots of DMs from several women accusing the rapper and his wife of disturbing incidents of sexual abuse and other transgressions allegedly from more than a dozen women.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorFew people, if any, were surprised that the annual Clive Davis Pre-Grammy Gala — the music industry’s biggest and most exclusive event, held every year since 1976 on the night before the big show — would be virtual in this unprecedented year. However, many people were surprised that when the Grammys moved their date up several weeks, from Jan.

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 EditorIt is no overstatement to say that on an Inauguration Day filled with memorable moments, 22-year-old poet Amanda Gorman’s poetry reading was definitely one of the most lasting.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorUnofficial reports began trickling out a few days ago, but now it’s official: Drake has become the first artist ever to surpass 50 billion combined streams on Spotify, a rep for the streaming service confirmed to Variety.Drake himself didn’t wait for official confirmation, posting the news on his Instagram Story over the long holiday weekend.Drake via his IG story pic.twitter.com/olaTZqwCHh— Drake Direct (@DrakeDirect_) January 18, 2021The feat is impressive but not

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorA Michigan nurse whose informal performance of “Amazing Grace” at a local hospital became an online sensation last year will sing at a memorial for those who have died from COVID-19 on Tuesday (Jan. 19), ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration.Lori Marie Key, 29, of Belleville, Michigan is set to sing “Amazing Grace” as part of the tribute ceremony to be held at 5:30 p.m.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorLegendary singer Ronnie Spector, who sang many of Phil Spector’s greatest productions as lead vocalist with the Ronettes and was married to him for six tumultuous years, posted about his death on Sunday, calling him a “brilliant producer but a lousy husband.”“It’s a sad day for music and a sad day for me,” she wrote in a Facebook post. “When I was working with Phil Spector, watching him create in the recording studio, I knew I was working with the very best.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorIn observance of what would have been Aaliyah’s birthday on Saturday, her estate posted an update on its progress in the long-overdue process of bringing her music to streaming services.Much of the influential R&B singer’s catalog, who died in a plane crash in 2001 at the age of 22, has never appeared legally on streaming services due to legal issues with her estate.