Universal Music Group IPO In Amsterdam Boosts Company’s Value To $53B After Shares Leap 39%

Addie Morfoot ContributorDespite having never made a documentary, Todd Haynes didn’t hesitate when Universal Music Group’s David Blackman approached him in 2018 to make a nonfiction feature about the enormously influential rock band the Velvet Underground, which was initially mentored by Andy Warhol and launched the careers of Lou Reed, John Cale and Nico.The Oscar-nominated director — known for narrative features including “Far From Heaven” “Carol,” “Dark Waters” and the Bob Dylan meditation

A couple of major industry players are planning to put their spin on music documentaries and scripted content.

“Cats” is one of the most beloved theatrical musicals in history, yet the 2019 big-screen adaptation wound up as one of the all-time worst movies ever made — despite an all-star cast including Idris Elba, James Corden, Taylor Swift, Jennifer Hudson and Dame Judi Dench.

Taylor Swift used her acceptance speech at The Gracie Awards to thank her fans, saying “you continue to blow me away all the time.”The awards “focus on women who are making positive change and who further the discussion of what a fulfilling career in media looks like,” and Swift won the Grand Award for Special or Variety for her ‘Folklore: The Long Pond Sessions’ concert film.Swift was introduced by Olympic gymnast Simone Biles who said the award “is given to a woman that has made contributions

Shirley Halperin Executive Editor, MusicColdplay has extended its deal with Warner Music Group via a new long-term agreement with Parlophone and Atlantic Records, Variety has learned. The news arrives ahead of the UK band’s ninth studio album, the Max Martin-produced “Music Of The Spheres, which is due out on Oct.

Michele Amabile Angermiller In celebration of the Spice Girls’ 25th anniversary, the group has partnered with Universal Music Group’s Bravado for a wide-ranging deal spanning merchandising, direct-to-consumer products, touring, brand and retail licensing and distribution on a global scale.The girl group — comprised of original members Mel B, Emma Bunton, Melanie C, Geri Halliwell and Victoria Beckham — released its debut album “Spice” on Nov.

Olivia Rodrigo has opened up about drawing inspiration from other artists’ work, touching on adding extra songwriting credits to tracks on debut album ‘Sour’ months after the record’s release.In July, Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff and Annie Clark (AKA St.

Back to the grind! Dale Moss blew off some steam after his split from Clare Crawley during a joint workout event with fellow Bachelorette alum Tyler Cameron.

Two of the biggest acts in music just teamed up for an out of this world new video.

Coldplay and BTS have released the music video for their new collab!

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.

Geoff Mayfield If Universal Music Group’s spinoff from parent Vivendi was an album or single, it would be number one with a bullet, in old music-industry terms: With a closing price of €25.10 on the first day of the company’s stock launch on the Euronext Amsterdam, the world’s largest music company landed a whopping 36.5% above its initial reference price of €18.50.The splash yields a market value of €45.51 billion ($53.37 billion), easily justifying the rosy evaluations that investment

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorReggaeton star, actor and philanthropist Don Omar has signed a multiyear partnership with Saban Music Group (SMG). The label founded by entertainment giant Haim Saban and headed by CEO Gustavo López is home to such acts as Static and Ben El, Nakkia Gold and Chesca, among others.“I am thrilled to be joining forces with Saban Music Group and being backed by the savvy business and artistic instincts of Haim and Gus,” said Omar.

Universal Music Group surged by more than a third in the first minutes of trading on Tuesday, following an initial public offering (IPO).Ten minutes into the trading session, shares were changing hands at €25.61 on the Euronext Amsterdam stock exchange. That is a 38% leap compared with the €18.50 figure that the group announced on Monday as its reference price.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorUniversal Music Group’s long-awaited debut on the stock market doesn’t officially launch until Tuesday morning in Europe, but the process just began with Euronext announcing that the technical reference price for UMG’s shares is around $21.70 per share (€18.50), which would place its value at around $39 billion.The price, which was communicated to Euronext by Vivendi, UMG’s current parent company, was first reported by Reuters.

Geoff Mayfield With Universal Music Group on the brink of launching one of the biggest initial public offerings to date, it’s worth noting how much the music industry has changed — and hasn’t — since analysts placed the business on the critical list 20 years ago.By the mid-oughts, the music industry had lost half of its peak value, but the advent of streaming and a rising awareness of the value of intellectual property — not to mention the multi-billion dollar, albeit pandemic-hobbled touring

New Music Friday! It's every audiophile's favorite day of the week, and some of our favorite artists from all different genres have blessed us with new tunes.Lil Nas X finally welcomed his highly anticipated bundle of joy, releasing his debut album,, Taylor Swift surprised fans by leap-frogging her  re-release and sharing «Taylor's Version» of her hit, «Wildest Dreams,» and Sam Smith and Summer Walker teamed up for the latest release from the soundtrack, the soaring ballad «You Will Be

Taylor Swift is making her fans' wildest dreams come true! On Friday, the 31-year-old singer released a new version of «Wildest Dreams,» a fan-favorite track off of her 2014 album, , after the original track started trending on TikTok thanks to the social media app's slow zoom trend.«Hi! Saw you guys got Wildest Dreams trending on tiktok, thought you should have my version,» Swift wrote on Twitter, adding four kissing face emojis.Before dropping the entirety of her version of the song, Swift

Mick Brigden, a tour manager who has worked with The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison and more died on Sept. 5 at age 73 following an accident at his home.  Brigden’s wife, Julia Dreyer Brigden, told the Press Democrat that the music industry legend died following an accident that occurred while he was digging a grave for the family’s pet dog on their property.