In April, when Pharrell Williams put together Something in the Water — an event in his hometown Virginia Beach, Virginia, that featured performances by Travis Scott, Anderson .Paak, and Pusha T — he went out of his way to emphasize that it was not, in fact, a music festival. “This …
Read More »John Sykes, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's New Steward, Talks Hall's Evolution
When the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced that Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner would be stepping down from his longtime post as chairman next year, the big question was whether changes would be on the horizon for the storied institution. John Sykes, iHeartMedia’s president of entertainment enterprises, pledges …
Read More »Are the Major Record Companies Ready for These Five Threats?
Two years ago, Goldman Sachs issued a report which whipped up global excitement over the future of the record business — most particularly, the future of the three major music rightsholders, Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group. The headline was an exciting one: Goldman’s report forecast …
Read More »Mariah Carey Song From 1994 Breaks Music Streaming Record
Drake, Ariana Grande and their modern pop ilk may seem to reign supreme on music-streaming services. But a Mariah Carey song from 1994 — you know the one — just broke the all-time single-day streaming record on Spotify. “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” the sprightly holiday song that …
Read More »Music Fans Are Increasingly Crossing Borders For Shows, Report Says
Ticket-resale giant StubHub, the world’s biggest ticket marketplace, released its fourth annual “Year In Live Experiences” report on Tuesday, highlighting one point in particular: More people are crossing borders to attend concerts, festivals, sports games and other live events than ever before. Nearly 200,000 customers traveled to a different country …
Read More »Music's New Chart Rules Care – a Lot – About Whether You're Paying to Listen
When is a stream not a stream? Billboard, which publishes the definitive album and song charts for the U.S. music industry, has had to ask itself that odd question in the last few months. After facing pressure and criticism from subscription music-streaming services, the trade publication announced last October that …
Read More »Inside Springsteen and Swift's War on Scalping
Bruce Springsteen‘s team was cautiously optimistic on August 30th, as the first round of tickets went on sale for “Springsteen on Broadway,” a run of 79 solo acoustic shows in a small theater in New York. Springsteen knew demand for tickets would be enormous, and wanted to make sure they …
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