Morning Fix: Hurricane Sandy Hits Concert Biz; UMG-EMI Nashville Restructuring; Google Play Gets WMG
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HURRICANE SANDY TO COST CONCERT BIZ MILLIONS: With live events being cancelled or postponed as Hurricane Sandy pounds the Eastern Seaboard and beyond, stakeholders in the live entertainment industry are reviewing insurance policies and contemplating big losses in marketing and promotion expenses and lost or delayed profits. ( Read our updated concert show cancellations story here.) |
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UNIVERSAL ANNOUNCES NEW STRUCTURE, APPOINTMENTS FOR NASHVILLE LABEL GROUP: In the wake of the Universal Music/EMI merger, the integration of the two companies’ Nashville operations is coming together under chairman/CEO Mike Dungan. The four imprints within Universal Music Group Nashville are Capitol Records, Mercury Records, MCA Records and EMI Records. Among the multiple new appointments is Tom Becci, who has been named senior VP and COO for the label group. (The news follows layoffs in the Nashville offices last Friday.) |
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GOOGLE PLAY FINALLY ADDS WARNER MUSIC, DEBUTS FREE SCAN-AND-MATCH MUSIC LOCKER: Google may be playing catch-up with its music-download store and online locker service, but the company just made up a lot of ground. Warner Music Group has finally licensed its catalog to Google’s music-download store, which means Google can now add a scan-and-match feature that’s already available from competing online lockers from Apple and Amazon. |
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ROGER WATERS, BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, MADONNA, COLDPLAY, KENNY CHESNEY AMONG 2012 BILLBOARD TOURING AWARDS FINALISTS: Among the 2012 Billboard Touring Awards finalists are mega-tours by such veteran artists as Roger Waters, Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Madonna, Coldplay and Kenny Chesney, along with newer stars like Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert, Lady Antebellum, the Black Keys and Taylor Swift. |
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EXCLUSIVE: TROY CARTER, TERRY RICHARDSON TEAM FOR POP WATER, LAUNCHING IN EARLY 2013: Troy Carter, founder and CEO of entertainment company Atom Factory and manager of Lady Gaga, and fashion photographer Terry Richardson are teaming up for a new consumer product, Pop Water, set for an early 2013 debut. The new beverage will be marketed as a healthier alternative to sugary soft drinks. |
BUSINESS MATTERS: CAN COPYRIGHT ALERTS WORK IN U.S.? HADOPI REPORT BRINGS PROMISING SIGNS: The long-awaited Copyright Alert System, or CAS, is coming to the U.S. in the next few weeks. The impact the alerts will have is unknown, but a report released last week by the French Hadopi agency brings promising signs.
Billboard.biz
PANDORA’S MOBILE MAKEOVER: PLAYING TO THE ‘LEAN-FORWARD’ LISTENER: Pandora has unveiled a major upgrade to its mobile application in an effort to make its Internet radio service more engaging and social. The new features include artist bios, song lyrics, curated genre stations, and the ability to share listening activity with friends.
Billboard.biz
TAYLOR SWIFT MEDIA BLITZ: OVER 70 RADIO OUTLETS IN ONE DAY: The Taylor Swift media blitz to promote Red continued as the reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year took part in something very unique — a multi-station remote broadcast held at Nashville’s Pinnacle Building, in which she discussed the album all day long on stations across the world.
Billboard.biz
CLEAR CHANNEL ANNOUNCES ROYALTY DEAL WITH NAXOS: Clear Channel announced its latest radio royalties deal with Naxos Records, one of the biggest independent classical labels. Naxos, will program Classica, a new classical station on iHeartRadio, Clear Channel’s app collecting hundreds of radio streams. Clear Channel has already made groundbreaking royalty deals with Big Machine (Taylor Swift) and Glassnote (Mumford & Sons).
NY Times
EX-SANCTUARY CEO ON BOARD AT PROPER: The Proper Music Group has announced changes to its board and senior staff, including the appointment of ex-Sanctuary Records CEO Joe Cokell as non-executive director of Proper Music Group Trading. Elsewhere, Aaron Black is promoted to Group Technical Director and Esther Tewkesbury takes on the new role of General Manager, Product and Marketing within Proper Music Distribution.
Music Week
TWO TOP APPLE EXECUTIVES PART WAY WITH APPLE: Apple Inc. shook up its executive ranks Monday as retail senior vice president John Browett and iOS software SVP Scott Forstall’s departures were announced. Both have presided over missteps this year: Browett cut staffing hours at Apple’s retail stores, a move the company reversed and Forstall’s division launched a software update in September that replaced Google Maps with Apple’s first mapping application that quickly drew unfavorable comparisons.
Associated Press
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