Deals
Primary Wave Music has partnered with composer and flugelhorn player Chuck Mangione, acquiring his music publishing and other music rights. The deal includes Mangione’s writer’s share, artist royalties and neighbouring rights for his entire repertoire, encompassing hits such as ‘Feels So Good’ and ‘Bellavia’. Primary Wave will provide Mangione access to its marketing team and publishing infrastructure for new opportunities. Mangione says, “I am really THRILLED to join the roster of iconic artists who are represented by Primary Wave”.
boohooMAN has launched a collaboration with South African ampiano duo Major League DJz to release a 54-piece collection of clothing. The twin brothers behind Major League DJz, Bandile and Banele Mbere, say, “Our collaboration with BoohooMAN is a celebration of our roots and our journey. We are excited to blend African aesthetics with contemporary fashion, creating a collection that represents the vibrant energy and creativity of amapiano culture”.
Jake Owen and Keith Gale have launched Good Company Entertainment Records, an extension of their existing artist management company. Based in Nashville, the independent label aims to provide comprehensive services to both new and established artists. Styles, also known as Styles Haury, has been announced as the label’s first signing and will release a self-titled EP on 30 Aug, followed by an album in October. Gale, Managing Partner of Good Company Entertainment, says, “From music creation to release, we work closely alongside each artist to establish a plan specific to their needs”.
Dolly Parton has launched a new cosmetic line, Dolly Beauty, in collaboration with Scent Beauty. The collection, an extension of her existing fragrance partnership, is currently available exclusively online with in-store distribution planned for 2025. The initial product release is the Heaven’s Kiss Lipstick, featuring four shades ranging from bright red to pale pink. Parton says, “All of my life I’ve wanted to be pretty, and my new cosmetic line is going to allow me and you to be our very best”. Steve Mormoris, Founder & CEO of Scent Beauty, comments, “We are THRILLED to introduce Dolly Beauty, as we believe Dolly Parton embodies many generations of women who are excited to experience this connection to one of the world’s most beloved people”.
Kid Cudi has partnered with Bisquick to release a limited-edition funnel cake mix. The rapper, who is recovering from a foot injury sustained at Coachella earlier this year, has designed the packaging featuring cartoon-style illustrations of himself and his dog. The Cudi’s Funnel Cake Mix is accompanied by custom merchandise including t-shirts, aprons and plates. Cudi says, “DIS AINT NO PANCAKE BABYYY!”
DJ Khaled has partnered with Nesquik for a new cinnamon bun flavoured milk drink. The beverage, called Another Bun, features notes of sweet cinnamon and warm baked dough and will be available this month. Khaled announced the collaboration on Instagram, saying, “Ideas be flowing and me and the team bringing to light. ANOTHER BUN ANOTHER ONE!”. This partnership follows Khaled’s recent honour in Miami, where 8 May was officially declared ‘DJ Khaled Day’ in recognition of his musical achievements and community contributions.
Kira Lynn has signed a worldwide co-publishing and administration agreement with Muserk. Paul Goldman, CEO and Founder of Muserk, says, “We are so proud to welcome Kira to our roster at Muserk. She’s such an impressive songwriter and combines that talent with a great voice, work ethic and vision that makes her so much fun to work with”. Lynn says, “Paul, Marc and the Muserk team are the right partners for me at the right time in my career, and I am so excited to join them!”
Legal
Spotify has come under scrutiny from South Korea’s antitrust regulator over its subscription cancellation policy. The streaming service is one of five companies, including Netflix, accused of violating the country’s e-commerce law for consumer protection, according to The Korea Economic Daily. The Fair Trade Commission is specifically targeting practices around mid-cycle subscription cancellations, arguing that consumers should be reimbursed for the remaining period. This investigation is part of a broader crackdown on online subscription services in South Korea, with the FTC also examining YouTube Music‘s bundling policy and keeping tabs on Kakao-owned digital service provider Melon.
Two former Kakao executives have been indicted without detention over the 2020 acquisition of production studio Baram Pictures by Kakao Entertainment. Lee Joon-ho, former head of investment strategy at Kakao, and Kim Sung-soo, former Kakao Entertainment co-CEO, face charges including breach of trust and bribery for allegedly inflating the purchase price of Baram Pictures for personal gain. Prosecutors claim Lee profited 31.9 billion won ($23.8 million) from the deal, while Kim received approximately 1.26 billion won in commission. The indictment follows an investigation into Kakao’s alleged stock manipulation during its acquisition of SM Entertainment last year.
Yamaha Music UK has reported the theft of a container holding 1300 PSR-F52 portable keyboards. In a statement issued earlier today the company says, “Last night, Yamaha experienced a theft in which an entire container was stolen”. The stolen keyboards are an entry-level model which retails for around £79 each, representing as much as £100,000 in potential lost revenue if unrecovered. Yamaha says it believes it’s unlikely the keyboards will be sold individually, suspecting instead that thieves may attempt to sell them in bulk to UK music retailers. The company is urging businesses to report any suspicious offers of large quantities of PSR-F52 keyboards to Joanne Homer at Yamaha, who can be reached by email at joanne.homer@music.yamaha.com or by phone on 07903 251878
Streaming, digital & broadcast
China’s NetEase Cloud Music has reported financial results for the first half of 2024, with revenue increasing 4.1% year-over-year to RMB4.1 billion or approximately $568.8 million at the six month currency average. The company saw significant growth in its online music services, with revenue up 26.6% to RMB2.6 billion ($359.8 million) driven by increased paid subscriptions. Gross profit rose 47.7% to RMB1,425.7 million ($197.8 million), with gross margin expanding to 35.0%. Net profit reached RMB809.9 million ($112.4 million), compared to RMB293.8 million ($40.8 million) in the same period last year. The company says, “We remained steadfast in prioritising development in our core music business and fostering a long-lived, thriving community”.
Instagram has introduced a new feature allowing users to add a song to their profile, which many people are comparing to MySpace‘s functionality in the early 2000s. The music appears in the bio area and can be played or paused by profile visitors, though it doesn’t autoplay. Users can select a 30-second portion of a track from Instagram’s licensed music library. To launch the feature, Instagram is collaborating with Sabrina Carpenter, whose profile now includes a teaser of her unreleased song ‘Taste’ ahead of her album release on 25 Aug. Instagram says this profile music feature is currently the only way to hear the new track before its full release.
Splash, an AI music startup known for its Roblox game ‘Splash Skate And Music‘, has received certification from Fairly Trained. Tracy Chan, the CEO of Splash, says, “We strongly believe in the Fairly Trained principle that it is unethical for generative AI companies to make money off the backs of artists and songwriters without compensation or attribution and are proud to have earned the Fairly Trained certification”, adding that the company employs “full-time musicians” and uses a paid “network of producers” to train its AI models.
Apple Music has partnered with Manchester-based clubbing brand The Warehouse Project to produce spatial audio DJ sets. The collaboration will involve recording sets from the upcoming WHP24 series and mixing them into spatial audio for distribution on Apple Music. Artists including Nia Archives, Black Coffee, Disclosure and Loyle Carner are scheduled to perform at the autumn events. In preparation, Apple Music has converted some sets from last year’s events into spatial mixes, featuring artists such as Skream, Chloé Robinson and Yung Singh. Stephen Campbell, Apple Music’s Global Head Of Dance, Electronic And DJ mixes, says, “Spatial Audio DJ Mixes on Apple Music allow the listener to feel the energy and vibe of the dancefloor from wherever you are, creating a truly unique experience”.
Bandcamp has teamed up with music marketing platform Linkfire, offering artists the ability to include Bandcamp as a destination on their Linkfire landing pages. “Featuring Bandcamp prominently on your Linkfire pages simplifies the promotion process by allowing fans to discover, purchase and support your music directly from a single link”, says Bandcamp, adding that it plans to roll out additional link aggregator integrations in the coming months.
Live
CTS EVENTIM has reported accelerated growth in the second quarter of 2024, with consolidated revenue increasing by 21.2% to €793.6 million compared to the same period last year. The ticketing and live entertainment company saw its adjusted EBITDA grow by 23.3% to €110.0 million in Q2, outpacing revenue growth. International markets, including Italy and Spain, contributed significantly to the company’s performance, with major events featuring artists like Bruce Springsteen and Ultimo. Klaus-Peter Schulenberg, CEO of CTS EVENTIM, says, “Our performance in terms of growth and earnings has been excellent in the second quarter of 2024. As announced, we will achieve further growth this year, both organically and through a successful acquisition”.
Camp Bestival has announced it will not hold its Shropshire event at Weston Park in 2025. The family-friendly festival, which attracted over 20,000 attendees to its third year at the site last weekend, began in Dorset in 2008 before launching a second edition on the Shropshire/Staffordshire border in 2022. Festival curator Rob da Bank had previously spoken about a “bedding in process” for the event. The organisers are now encouraging attendees to purchase tickets for the Dorset edition instead.
Ticket touting platform SeatGeek has launched Parties, a new ticket-sharing feature, which is being rolled out ahead of the start of this year’s NFL season. The system allows users who purchase tickets to invite friends to events and manage group attendance while maintaining control of all tickets, including revoking and reassigning tickets. In a press release, the company says that the new feature is “Inspired by reservation apps like Airbnb and Resy” and that “Parties offers a seamless way for ticket owners to send event invites to a group while still maintaining control of all the tickets, making group attendance more convenient than ever.”
Usher has resumed his ‘Past Present Future’ tour after a neck injury forced him to postpone Atlanta dates. The tour resumed in Washington DC where Usher performed in two shows at the Capital One Arena on Tuesday and Wednesday. Local artists Wale, Raheem DeVaughn and Sugar Bear joined him for the Wednesday show. The rescheduled Atlanta concerts will conclude the tour’s North American leg in December.
The Carlton Club, a 111-year-old community music venue in Manchester, has launched a fundraiser to fight an eviction notice from its landlord The Building Company. The club, which has operated as a social club, music venue and event space since 1913, needs an initial £50,000 to cover professional fees for the first part of its legal campaign. The eviction process is expected to take at least twelve months, during which the club will remain open.
Artist News
A$AP Rocky has delayed the release of his new album ‘Don’t Be Dumb’ due to “leaks and sample clearances”. The rapper announced on X that the album, originally scheduled for 30 Aug, will now be released in the autumn. The record is expected to feature collaborations with artists including Tyler, The Creator, Metro Boomin and Pharrell Williams. Rocky wrote on X, “LEAKS AND SAMPLE CLEARANCES ARE DISRUPTING THE ALBUM. ITS BEEN 6 YEARS AND I WANNA MAKE THE BEST ALBUM EVER. IM SORRY FOR THE WAIT”.
Flying Lotus has confirmed he was responsible for the creation of two ringtones used on the Apple iPhone. The LA-based producer and DJ revealed on Twitter that he composed the ‘Daybreak’ and ‘Chalet’ ringtones, which have been available on iPhones since iOS13 was released in 2019. The news came after the producer appeared in an episode of the Twenty Thousand Hertz podcast discussing the “sound of Apple”, including notification tones and ringtones. After the episode was released Flying Lotus, tweeted, “I wrote some ringtones that have been in ur iPhone since iOS13. ‘Daybreak’ + ‘Chalet'”.
Imagine Dragons drummer Daniel Platzman has left the band to focus on his film composing career. Platzman, who joined the group in 2011, announced his departure on Wednesday, expressing gratitude to fans for their support over his decade-long tenure. Platzman says, “I’m excited to be able to share more soon about the projects I’ve been hard at work on over the past few months centered on my biggest passion: film scoring and composing”. The band has not yet announced a replacement drummer.