Tupac Shakur Estate, Soundgarden Leave Universal Music Group Fire Class Action

Tupac was killed on the night of Tyson's fight

French entertainment and telecom conglomerate Vivendi said Tuesday that it has closed its sale of a 10 percent stake in Universal Music Group to a consortium led by Chinese online giant Tencent. It confirmed the deal was based on an enterprise value of €30 billion, or $33 billion at current exchange rates, compared with $33.6 billion when the transaction was announced at the end of 2019.

By Jake Kanter

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to shut down thousands of businesses around the country and keep millions of people confined to their homes around the globe, the Universal Music Group today (March 30) announced a multi-million dollar initiative intended to support its artists, songwriters and employees over the next several months.

Universal Music Group today announced several initiatives to bring relief to musicians, its employees and the music industry in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic that in a short time has devastated so much of the global economy. It also pledged to assist its artists in their charitable efforts

Warner Music Group has made a donation to MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund launched last week, CEO Steve Cooper said in a memo to the company’s staff.

Steve Earle is the latest artist to drop his claims against Universal Music Group regarding the 2008 fire on the backlot of Universal Studios Hollywood. Earle filed a voluntary request with the court on Monday (March 23) to dismiss his claims “without prejudice,” thereby reserving his right to litigate those claims in the future.With Earle exiting, Tom Petty’s widow Jane Petty remains the sole plaintiff in the lawsuit against UMG regarding losses due to the fire.

Steve Earle has pulled out of a lawsuit against Universal Music Group that was filed by five artists last year over damage the artists’ musical recordings suffered in a 2008 fire that destroyed many assets in the company’s vaults. With the withdrawal from the lawsuit earlier this month of the Tupac Estate and Soundgarden, and withdrawal last year of the group Hole, this leaves only the contested estate of Tom Petty.

As millions of TikTok users distract themselves from the global COVID-19 pandemic with the “Hips Don’t Lie challenge,”Shakira, herself, is urging everyone to face reality. The international superstar broke her silence on Sunday, March 22, pleading with fans in an inspiring and informative Instagram video.

Literally at the tail end of the continent, Argentina may have shut down its borders but not its music.Since last week, Universal Music Argentina and its management and live concert division launched an initiative called #Musicaentucasa (MusicInYourHouse). Every day at 4 p.m.

Sir Lucian Grainge has been hospitalized after testing positive for coronavirus, multiple sources have confirmed to Billboard following the initial report by Variety.The Universal Music Group chief executive officer and chairman -- who was ranked No. 1 on the 2019 Billboard Power 100 chart and was selected as the Billboard executive of the decade -- is currently undergoing treatment at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Universal Music Chairman and CEO Lucian Grainge has been hospitalized after testing positive for coronavirus, multiple sources exclusively told Variety. He is currently receiving treatment at Los Angeles’ UCLA Medical Center, sources said.

After Netflix and Disney shuttered all live-action productions, Universal has decided to do the same with “Jurassic World: Dominion,” “Flint Strong” and the untitled Billy Eichner project all going on hiatus effective Friday.

Universal Music Group’s home offices in Santa Monica, Calif., were evacuated Friday after an employee tested positive for the coronavirus. All staffers were directed to leave the buildings “in an orderly manner,” although the discovery was made toward the end of the day and a source tells Variety that most of the staff had either left or were already working from home.

The Tupac Estate and Soundgarden have pulled out of a lawsuit against Universal Music Group that was filed by five artists last year over damage the artists’ musical recordings suffered in a 2008 fire that destroyed many assets in the company’s vaults.