Celebrity Life
Inside the Ambitious Plan to Monetize the Beach Boysâ Legacy
Brian Wilson, Mike Love, and Al Jardine on why they've sold a controlling interest in their intellectual property to a new company led by Irving Azoff â and how they hope to celebrate their 60th anniversary
Mary Wilsonâs Tireless Music Business Advocacy
âSheâd look you in the eyes, and your only response was âYes maâam,ââ one lobbyist says of the late Motown legend's efforts for artists' rights
If Universal Music Sells Its Spotify Stock Right Now, Artists Get $500 Million
Universal is sitting on billions of dollars in Spotify stock. If it sells its stake today, it will trigger a massive payout for artists â but that's not the only reason it should cash out
A Field Guide to Musicâs Potential Crypto Boom
Cryptocurrency enthusiasts envision a future where artists are paid fairly, the secondary ticketing market is no longer ravaged by scalpers, and the value of digital memorabilia soars
Why Did Sony Music Just Spend $430 Million on Indie Label AWAL?
The deal, which is one of the biggest acquisitions in music in recent years, is really about the unstoppable explosion in DIY indie artists
Ja Rule, a Robinhood User Since 2014, Calls GameStop an âUprisingâ
The rapper is furious over the Robinhood-Reddit-GameStop saga: "The little guys are left holding the bag"
The Three Biggest Myths Deluding the Modern Music Business
From Spotify payouts to YouTube's global user base, the music industry is rife with misinformation. Let's set the record straight
Why Superstar Artists Are Clamoring to Sell Their Music Rights
Musicians are cashing in on their catalogs to the tune of millions. What's driving the trend? Which artists and songwriters have sold their rights â and what does it mean?
Music Catalogs Are Selling for Serious Cash. Now Wall Street Wants In
KKR's re-entry into the music business, buying the copyrights of OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder in an unusual direct acquisition, signals a new wave of Wall Street interest in an area financial giants have ignored for years
The Crisis Behind the All-White Grammy Category
Only white artists were nominated for Best Childrenâs Album â and three of them have asked to be taken off the ballot. Artists of color in childrenâs music are fed up with the genreâs homogeneity: âItâs like being served a baked potato with fries and hash browns on the side,â says one black artist
Music Isnât Enough for âMusic Streamingâ Services Anymore
Amazon Music agreed to pay $300 million for a podcast company. Why didn't it want to spend the money on a music deal â like, for instance, the acquisition of Taylor Swift or Neil Young's music catalog?
How 2020 Changed the Music Business Forever
From six-figure TikTok snippets to virtual-reality stardom to Travis Scott McNugget pillows, here are 12 ways the bizarre year upended the music industry â setting artists and fans up for an even wackier 2021