Universal Music Unveils IPO Plan for Later This Year

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorSony Music Publishing has partnered with Silence the Shame to launch “The Soundtrack of Mental Health,” a global multi-year program which will offer songwriters, employees, and the greater music community educational trainings and support around mental health.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe latest music festival to give up on 2021 is Spain’s popular Primavera Sound Barcelona, which called off this year’s installment due to the pandemic. Tickets can be transferred to the 2022 edition, the lineup for which will be revealed on June 2; refunds will be available after that date.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorUniversal Music Publishing has signed rising British singer-songwriter Holly Humberstone, whose debut EP received a rave review in Variety last fall, to an exclusive, global publishing agreement. The 21-year-old singer was voted No.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorSwedish singer-songwriter Zara Larsson has signed with Sony Music Publishing, the company announced Monday morning.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorLive Nation has taken a timeline provided by the British government as an all-clear for the summer festival season, selling some 170,000 tickets this week to three major U.K.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorIn its pursuit of carbon neutrality, BMG has committed to offsetting all of its global site and employee-related greenhouse gas emissions, the company announced. In defining a long-term strategy to avoid, reduce, and offset CO2 emissions, BMG revealed it had offset over 3,000 tons of CO2 produced in 2019 by investing in Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standard (CCBS) certified climate protection projects.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe Black Music Collective (BMC), a newly launched initiative by the Recording Academy, will host its inaugural Grammy Week event in celebration of Black creators’ and professionals’ contributions to the music industry.The event will feature performances by H.E.R., Yolanda Adams, PJ Morton and rapper and producer duo Freddie Gibbs & Alchemist.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe Weeknd is one of the great serial collaborators of this era, and he is generous with his praise about the artists he’s worked with, who range from Ariana Grande and Lana Del Rey to Travis Scott and SZA.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorBrooklyn rapper Bobby Shmurda (real name: Ackquille Jean Pollard) has been released from prison, according to a statement from the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. “At approximately 8:30 this morning,  Ackquille Pollard was conditionally released from Clinton Correctional Facility.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorSydney’s The Kid LAROI has signed a worldwide deal with Sony Music Publishing. The artist, songwriter, and producer, whose real name is Charlton Kenneth Jeffrey Howard, is currently riding the success of his song “Without You” and 2020 debut mixtape, “Fuck Love.”In his native Australia, The Kid LAROI, who is signed to Columbia Records, is the youngest solo artist to reach No.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorAs part of a long presentation called “Stream On,” Spotify announced that it will be introducing a hi-fi option later this year, among other benefits for fans and creators.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe gaming platform Twitch, which has had no shortage of music-copyright issues in recent months, cut off the audio for Metallica’s BlizzCon performance Friday due to legal concerns, replacing it with comically inappropriate instrumental folk music.

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 EditorAs part of its mission to invest $100 million in organizations focused on achieving social justice, the Warner Music Group / Blavatnik Family Foundation Social Justice Fund has announced its initial six grant recipients: Black Cultural Archives, Black Futures Lab, Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRRC), Howard University, REFORM Alliance and Rhythm & Blues Foundation.The WMG/BFF SJF was established in June 2020 in the wake of the killings of George Floyd,

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorQuavo, one-third of the Atlanta hip-hop trio Migos, will make his feature-film debut alongside Robert DeNiro, John Malkovich and Jack Huston in the forthcoming film “Wash Me in the River,” which is directed by Randall Emmett (“Midnight in the Switchgrass”) and is currently filming in Puerto Rico.According to the announcement, Quavo (real name: Quavious Keyate Marshall) will play the role of Coyote, “a ruthless and heartless drug lord.” The second directorial outing

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 EditorSpotify announced Tuesday that Mona Sutphen will join its board of directors in April, subject to shareholder approval.Sutphen is a private equity advisor and a co-founder/advisor for several technology start-ups, and was a senior White House official during the Obama Administration. She is currently a Senior Advisor at The Vistria Group, a Chicago-based private equity firm, and is a venture advisor and co-founder of several technology start-ups.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorIn celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Stax Music Academy, Concord — which owns the legendary soul label Stax Records — has announced the Concord Stax Scholarships, which will provide full tuition to at least 20 students in each year over the next five school years. According to the announcement, Concord has pledged “a minimum of $1 million through donations from its owners, team members, friends and partners.” With this new funding, the

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