Warner Music Group Joins MusiCares’ Coronavirus Relief Fund

Warner Music Group (WMG) has appointed Oana Ruxandra to the role of chief digital officer & executive vp of business development, where she will oversee the label group's global digital strategy.

The Performing Rights Organizations—American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI), and SESAC—have teamed up to form a new coronavirus relief fund as part of the MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund. The fund will focus on helping songwriters, composers, and lyricists. Make donations or apply for assistance here.

The cast of That Thing You Do! is getting back together!

It's official, the Oneders are getting the band back together for a good cause. That Thing You Do! stars Tom Everett Scott, Johnathan Schaech, and Ethan Embry all announced on their social media pages Monday that they will be reuniting online for a live watch party in support of MusiCares COVID-19 relief fund on Friday, April 17 at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on their new YouTube Channel.

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Apple Music has launched a $50 million advance royalty fund to ensure that artists will get paid and label operations can continue during the coronavirus pandemic, Rolling Stone reports. The streaming giant confirmed the news in a letter to labels (obtained by Rolling Stone). Eligible labels must have a direct Apple Music distribution deal and earn $10,000 minimum on a quarterly basis.

LONDON – Warner is looking to grow its share of the fast-developing music market in Southeast Asia with the opening of its first dedicated office in Vietnam.Based in Ho Chi Minh City, Warner Music Vietnam will be led by managing director Lisa Nguyen, who joins the major from digital media company Zing Media, owned by Vietnam's VNG Corporation.Nguyen reports to Warner Music Asia president Simon Robson.

Leonardo DiCaprio, Laurene Powell Jobs and Oprah Winfrey on Thursday donated millions of dollars to help launch America's Food Fund, to help the most at-risk people during the COVID-19 crisis. DiCaprio and Powell Jobs donated a joint $5 million and Apple gave another $5 million to a GoFundMeweb page; Winfrey donated another $1 million; and the Ford Foundation also put in $1 million.

Japan’s entertainment and technology giant Sony has unveiled a $100 million fund to support people around the world affected by the coronavirus.

Grammy Awards are great, but the Recording Academy’s greatest contribution to the music industry is arguably MusiCares — its charitable foundation to support music industry workers in need.

Sometimes laughter is the best way to get people through a difficult time. A number of comedians will join forces to participate in Laugh Aid, a four-hour live stream that benefits Comedy Gives Back's COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund.

Selena Gomez's new music video for «Dance Again» is here!

The Producers Guild of America is joining the ranks of organizations hustling to provide financial assistance to industry members who are out of work amid the coronavirus outbreak. The guild is launching Producers Guild of America Relief Fund with a starting gift of $100,000 from Grey's Anatomy producer and former PGA president Mark Gordon, the organization announced Tuesday.

Two leaders of the American fashion industry — Anna Wintour and Tom Ford — are creating a fund to help young designers impacted by the coronavirus. A Common Thread, as it's called, repurposes the annual CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund at least for this year.

Amid ongoing calls for the U.K. government to offer financial support to the country's self-employed and freelance workers, Netflix has donated 1 million pounds ($1.2 million) to help establish a new fund set up by the British Film Institute and the Film and TV Charity.

Amazon Music, Facebook, SiriusXM-Pandora, Spotify, Tidal, and YouTube Music announced today that they are contributing to the COVID-19 Relief Fund announced last week by the Recording Academy’s charitable foundation MusiCares to support music industry workers in need.

Netflix has launched a $100 million relief fund for members of the creative community put out of work by the spread of coronavirus. “Almost all television and film production has now ceased globally—leaving hundreds of thousands of crew and cast without jobs,” Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s chief content officer, said in a statement.

German performing rights organization GEMA has launched an emergency relief fund worth up to $43 million for its songwriter and composer members, according to Music Business Worldwide.