Round Up: Grooveshark bites itself, Spotify announces apps, major label moves & more…
Grooveshark emails have bite
Catching up after a turkey hangover, some of what’s happening around the biz… Things are looking messy for Grooveshark, who is facing aggressive legal action from Universal Music Group, with the surfacing of some incriminating internal emails… After teasing a big announcement and “new direction” for Spotify, the streaming-music service unveiled the news in New York City yesterday of a new platform with integrated apps from a variety of third party developers including Rolling Stone, Songkick, Pitchfork and others… According to CNET, it seems the rift between Vevo and MTV may soon be ending, with word that the two parties are negotiating a deal which would give MTV’s online properties access to Vevo’s music videos… Prior to the holiday weekend, Warner Bros. Records announced a three-year global partnership with Vice Music. Those keeping score note that the deal was originally spear-headed by now departed Warner Bros. A&R executive Steve McDonald, who also currently plays in OFF!, one of the bands on Vice’s roster… Dizzee Rascal is taking his label Dirtee Stank to Universal in a deal that will see the major distributing and marketing releases from the UK indie… Elsewhere, more changes within the ranks of Sony Music emerged this week, with further reporting of Sony’s top digital executive Thomas Hesse departing for Bertelsmann, while Tricky Stewart and Mark Shimmel are expected to be announced as part of the continuing executive selections at Epic Records under L.A. Reid… Meanwhile, the New York Posts‘ Page Six reports today that Drake has parted ways with both his management firm, Hip Hop Since 1978 and his agency, ICM, in favor of William Morris Endeavor… And top-notch writer/producer and former member of Whiskeytown, Mike Daly, has taken a new position doing A&R at Walt Disney Records.
10.6.11Digital Round Up: More Spotify, Rhapsody + Napster, Rdio goes free & more…
There seems to be quite a bit of optimism lately in the realm of digital music and what the future holds for subscription services. So far 2011’s album sales are already up from the previous year, with a big bump from digital, and at least one major label is claiming that they’ve finally figured out “free”. Glassnote artist Mumford & Sons became the third artist ever to sell 1 million digital albums, and even MTV has announced a second O Music Awards show, celebrating music and technology, which is set for October 31st… Spotify was quick to release new user data within only a couple months of launching its service in the U.S., and while they are clearing unclear in terms of paying versus free and how many are U.S.-only as opposed the world-wide, the overall statement is that a lot of people are trying out the service. The announcements in the music arena made during Facebook’s recent f8 conference also helped boost the outlook of not only Spotify, but a number of other digital music services including MOG, Rdio and iHeartRadio that were also included in the social networks big changes. And while most eyes remain on the Swedish-start up, the competition continues to counter with new moves of their own. Rdio announced this week that it will be launching a free on-demand streaming service, that has no ads, and an unspecified limit on free-listening, which follows a similar move by MOG… Meanwhile, Rhapsody has acquired Napster from Best Buy, in a purchase that will raise the longtime streaming service’s plateauing numbers… Elsewhere, Apple revealed during their press event on Tuesday that its new iCloud service will be extended to Europe, following recent reports that the company was seeking worldwide music rights from labels and publishers… And after only a few months as the new owners of MySpace, Specific Media held presentations for top-level advertisers at Radio City Music Hall on Monday, trying to generate excitement for the site, which will be focused primarily on music and video content. Creative partner and investor, Justin Timberlake (who has also been tapped to play Neil Bogart in an upcoming biopic of the Casablanca Records co-founder) was on hand for the presentations as well.
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Take Notice: of Verona
L.A.-based of Verona have recently been drawing praise from both critics and artists alike, with comparisons to acts like Florence and the Machine, and landing on ‘bands to watch in 2011′ lists, including a recent feature on the MTV daily series The Seven. Comprised of members hailing from Brooklyn and Toronto, the band set up shop in Los Angeles, and have been touring constantly for the last year, including performances at Summerfest, SXSW, The Seattle Music Festival, Sundance Film Festival and The New Music Seminar. of Verona will take up residency at the Viper Room for the month of September, and they’re currently giving away their new self-produced album Fall Like Roses, which was mixed by John O’Mahony (Metric, Coldplay), on their Facebook page…. Check it our HERE.
03.2.11Bits & Pieces: Morris Move to Sony Music Top Spot Confirmed, Warner Music Gets Bids, Thumbplay Unloaded & More…
Morris takes his talents to Sony
The big news this morning from within the big four music groups (soon to be three?), is the confirmation that outgoing Universal Music Group CEO Doug Morris will indeed take over the reigns as new chief executive at Sony Music on July 1st, as Rolf Schmidt-Holz departs at the end of this month. Sony Corp. chairman Howard Stringer will fill the role in the meantime. Morris held the role of CEO at UMG since 1995, before announcing a successor in Lucian Grainge at the beginning of last year. On the other side of the coin, RCA/Jive label chief Barry Weiss will also leave the building this week, as he takes a top spot in Grainge’s East Coast Universal label operation… Bloomberg reported this week that Warner Music Group, which recently put itself on the block with help from Goldman Sachs, has received ten offers so far including bids on its publishing division Warner/Chappell Music by Sony/ATV Music and KKR-backed BMG Rights Management, while Russian billionaire Len Blavatnik is seeking to acquire most of the company. UMG did not submit an offer, reportedly due to anti-trust concerns – though they may be interested in acquiring parts of the recorded music business… In what could be seen as a preemptive move as Spotify appears to be gearing up for a U.S. launch (including reportedly making hires), Rhapsody is offering a 60 day free trial for its streaming service… Ringtone company Thumbplay, who transitioned into the music subscription arena earlier than most current players, has been bought by Clear Channel. It appears that the new owners of the service intend to transition the service into online radio, utilizing the Thumbplay technology and talent and integrating it into Clear Channel’s current free iheartradio service… Elsewhere, Live Nation California prexy Rick Mueller is reportedly leaving and heading to rival AEG… MTV and Sony/ATV’s Extreme Music are launching Hype Production Music as the result of a new licensing partnership that will focus on emerging and independent artists… And despite continued turmoil in the digital music landscape, investors are once again starting to dump big cash in the chaotic space.
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Tuesday Bits & Pieces: BMG Eyeing EMI’s Recorded Music, Mobile Music Muves & More…
Sights on EMI masters, not publishing
A curveball was thrown in the speculation surrounding the fate of EMI yesterday, with the revelation from BMG Rights Management CEO Hartwig Masuch in an interview with Music Week, that the JV is more interested in the company’s recorded music assets, than the publishing catalogue. Contrary to most thinking, that the KKR-backed venture was eyeing the publishing arm of EMI, Masuch explained, “Integrating EMI’s publishing would be tough, but if you look at the recorded side, it is a different story,” adding “it is no secret we are more interested in rights to masters than publishing.” If this is the case, it should make for a more intriguing bidding process for the legendary music company, and it also begs the question of who the top contenders for the publishing assets will be… Elsewhere, little known prepaid provider Cricket Wireless received headlines with the announcement of a new mobile music service called Muve, which will launch in January of next year. The details of the service are intriguing, though a gamechanger it likely is not, remember Nokia’s Comes with Music?… As LimeWire continues to shutter and shelve its various products and services, the company has found a new home for its little known freelance marketplace platform, LimeExchange.com… And as MTV releases its Artists to Watch in 2011, some are predicting a return to rock in the new year for the channel; the list includes A Day to Remember, New Politics, Warpaint and The Vaccines.
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Wednesday Bits & Pieces: Google’s War Chest is Key to Music Service, mSpot Goes Mobile & more…
App Approved
In case anyone had forgotten about Google’s plans to unleash a music service, a reminder comes in the form of new reports that the company is still in the process of negotiating with the labels for a launch next year, and their biggest, and most obvious bargaining chip, is lots of money, tens of millions in fact according to recent speculation. While it was originally thought that Google would first unveil a paid download type of service by the end of this year, similar to iTunes, ahead of moving toward the primary goal of a online music locker, indications now are that they’ll bypass a download store in favor of cloud-based streaming right out of the gate. Reasons for the delay in launch may include infighting over control of the music project, and failure to acquire an already built infrastructure in the form of Spotify or Rhapsody, rather than building something completely new. Matt Rosoff has the scuttlebutt at SAI… Speaking of music streaming, start up mSpot has gotten approval for their free iPhone app, which essentially provides the same desktop-to-mobile music synching feature that everyone is waiting for Apple or Google to launch, though as MediaMemo points out, the company currently has no licenses with the labels. A situation that seems to leave the company in a position to either be targeted for legal action or acquisition… The crux of the digital music dilemma is most often that technology innovators and content holders find themselves at an impasse, with the new distribution system, telecommunication companies, keeping their distance from the wrangle. Looking to the future, comments this week from Jean-Bernard Lévy, CEO of Vivendi, parent company of Universal Music Group among many others, could be seen as revealing. In discussing the company’s expanding umbrella and concentration on new businesses, Lévy said, ”The worlds of telecoms networks and content are merging,” – “And we are in the middle.”… Elsewhere, Yahoo has confirmed the already well documented layoffs, that total 600 staff members, or roughly 4% of its workforce… NBC is planning to launch their own American Idol rival, The Voice of America, which will start airing next spring, well ahead of the planned fall launch of Fox’s other Idolesque series, The X Factor… And MTV in partnership with The Echo Nest has launched a new algorithm-based music discovery site called MTV Music Meter, which puts focus on emerging artists alongside those already established, and is being seen as another step to maintaining the recently achieved online music dominance over Vevo…
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Wednesday Bits & Pieces: BMG Buys Chrysalis, Myspace on the Block & more…
BMG buys Chrysalis
Heading out of the holiday weekend, industry chatter continues over the acquisition of Chrysalis by BMG Rights Management. One of the world’s largest independent publishers, Chrysalis publicly announced that it was in early-stage talks for a potential sale or merger just less than one month ago. Others bidders said to have been in serious talks include Imagem and Bug Music, though BMG RM came in with the winning offer at just over $168million. The purchase is the latest in a series this year from the joint-venture backed by Bertelsmann and private equity firm KKR – who is being seen as the driving force behind the publisher’s aggressive acquisitions – which also includes Cherry Lane, Adage IV and Stage 3. Following the acquisition, CEO Hartwig Masuch made comments indicating that he believes BMG is now the world’s largest independent music publisher, and is just behind the top four major music publishers. EMI Music Publishing continues to be another likely target in the event of its break up, which would easily make BMG a rival for the top spot… Following the quick deflation of any excitement over the relaunched Myspace last month, comments by News Corp. COO on Monday seem to all but spell out the likelihood of a sale for the beleaguered social network. Though Myspace did release a new mobile site and iPhone app this week, a direction some see as the most sensible one for the site who has seen its numbers drop even more drastically over the past year. Likely bidders for the site being mentioned include the usual digital media giants like Yahoo and AOL, though others see Google (who is also in the midst of discussions to acquire the red hot startup Groupon) as an interesting candidate as well… Elsewhere, the L.A. Times takes a look at the recently overhauled MTV and its focus back on music… Sony Music mistakenly takes action to pull songs offline from Bradford Cox, whose musical projects include Deerhunter and Atlas Sound… And PC Magazine has responded to the letter it received from a group of industry executives last week, which included signees from organizations such as the RIAA, Harry Fox Agency, Sound Exchange, ASCAP, BMI and SESAC, criticizing the publication for a recent article naming file-sharing service alternatives in the wake of LimeWire shutting down…
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Wednesday Bits & Pieces: Tip of the UMG Change-Over, Yahoo Music Head Departs, MTV Funding Videos & More
Changes afoot @ UMG
The departure of longtime Universal Music Group vice chairman and CFO Nick Henny was announced this week, the first high-level executive to exit under new UMG ruler Lucian Grainge. Seen as only the tip of what will be a massive restructuring at the largest of the four major music groups, chatter continues about the fate of executives and the labels themselves including Island Def Jam, Mercury and both Motown and Republic labels. Stay tuned… After a relationship lasting almost four decades, Queen has officially parted ways with EMI, signing with UMG in a deal that will see the release of remastered albums next year… In more exits, Yahoo Music chief Jeff Bronikowski is reportedly leaving to join AOL Music - AOL has also been named among those recently interested in acquiring Yahoo, other names on the list include BMG Rights Management backer KKR… Though no longer “Music Television” in name, MTV has announced the launch of a new series of videos called Supervideos, that will see the company funding the videos themselves – a move spawned by the return of music video popularity online, and possibly the rise of a new rival in Vevo. The first video project is for the LCD Soundsystem song “Pow Pow”… Elsewhere, Warner Music is launching an archival project dubbed Sight of Sound, which will focus on the integral role that visuals played in the pre-Internet age, and to document the rich history of the label… And after two years of running as an ad-funded streaming service, the UK company We7 is refocusing as an online radio service similar to Last.fm and Pandora.
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Wednesday Bits & Pieces: LimeWire No More, Apple + Spotify + Google = ??? & the New MySpace
Gets a Relaunch
Yesterday LimeWire software was dealt a blow in the form of a permanent injunction from a U.S. District Judge issued to parent company Lime Group, essentially killing the software that once was found on 1/3 of all PCs. Reports of a new legal digital music service began when the initial injunction was handed down against the company in May, though it appears licensing talks with major labels have broken down. The company still insists that they hope to launch the new service before the end of the year… Meanwhile, TechCrunch published a piece yesterday claiming that Apple has been in sporadic discussions with Spotify about acquisition, though it’s very early in the process, and no price has been offered. The claims are being questioned by many, believing that a deal of that kind for Apple would not make sense, if for no other reason than the presumed high price alone. However in the same post, it was revealed that Google had offered $1 billion for the service last year around the same time that the company acquired Lala… The new redesigned MySpace was launched in beta last night, and the new focus of the beleaguered social network will apparently be on entertainment content. Recognizing that they’ve been passed by in the social networking arena by Facebook, they no longer aim to compete, and are now looking to become the web’s biggest hub for music, movies and games – seeing MTV now as a more apt comparison. The backend of the site has also gotten a major overhaul, something that has been much needed since its acquisition by News Corp back in 2005…
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In Case You Missed It: Vevo – MTV Standoff Continues, Imeem & MOG Founders on Startups & Spotify’s Ballsy Play…
Web TV Means Opportunity for Music
News, commentary and opinions in the tech + music arena were particularly plentiful this week, with many of the current players making headlines… Vevo and MTV are still at an impasse for a deal that would allow the former to sell ads on the latter’s properties and target their viewers, a scenario that MTV is not comfortable with. While publicity battling over who has the #1 spot in views has become common, the heart of the matter is that Vevo continues to capture the majority of the online music video market, with deals in place with all the major labels except Warner Music Group, but its sights are set on bigger targets in the form of deals like the recent Google TV partnership. AdAge has more on the standoff… And television increasing looks likes the next platform to conquer for digital music, with set-top boxes growing in availability and increased features, mainly apps. As smartphones multiply and the user base for those who get their music delivered via web and mobile apps increases, TV is quickly becoming a big part of the equation. More on why this is at Evolver.fm… The founder of the now deceased Imeem, Dalton Caldwell, gave some cautionary words to those looking to enter the music startup world this week, pointing to the difficulty to innovate in the current landscape… Though MOG CEO and founder David Hyman, was quick to share his opposing opinion via TechCrunch, saying, “digital music seems to be a game that every 20-something wants to try and play, and it’s almost as if creating a digital music product is a rite of passage for millions of young buck programmers. It’s unfortunate that because it’s a sexy space, and because there are tons of entrants into the field, all of the noise creates an impression that winning can’t be done. It certainly can”... [Update: Rhapsody weighs in on opportunity for music startups via SAI]… Former young buck behind Napster, Sean Parker, is feeling confident about Spotify in spite of continued roadblocks in the U.S., saying of the company’s model, which is creating most of the hesitation from labels in the states, “You have no choice. We’ve got you by the balls, you’ll have to become a subscriber.” Parker, who was speaking at a DailyBeast event, also claimed a launch of the service in the states will still happen before the year ends … Elsewhere, Google has launched its music service… In India… Viacom has tapped a new big gun lawyer to lead its next round in court against YouTube… The L.A. Times catches up with Tim Westergren on what’s next for Pandora… And Chamillionaire schools tech entrepreneurs and talks to ThisWeekIn…
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