Universal Music Group has bought a 49 percent share of Play It Again Sam [PIAS], an independent music giant responsible for distributing labels such as Warp, Ninja Tune, and Domino. The Belgian company, which was founded in 1983, will remain under the control of its founders Kenny Gates and Michel
According to a recent investigation by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), streaming services and associated record labels are not making excess profits, and can therefore not afford to pay artists more money. The CMA, who acts as the UK’s competition watchdog, will take no further action against streaming
The US Department of Justice is opening an investigation into Live Nation and Ticketmaster. According to The New York Times, the antitrust investigation “is focused on whether Live Nation Entertainment has abused its power over the multibillion-dollar live music industry.” Live Nation and Ticketmaster have come under scrutiny for monopolising
The nominees for the 2023 Grammy Awards have been announced. Competing in the Dance / Electronic categories are Diplo, Bonobo, Rüfüs Du Sol, and Beyoncé, who all earn nominations for both Best Dance / Electronic Album and Best Dance / Electronic Recording. Significantly, Beyoncé is the first Black female artist
The MOBO Awards, a ceremony celebrating excellence in British music of Black origin, has introduced a best Electronic / Dance Music category to this year’s proceedings. Sponsored by Mixmag, nominees for the new award are FKA Twigs, Eliza Rose, ANZ, Sherelle, Nia Archives, and Jax Jones. The MOBO Awards have
Spotify has begun testing User Choice billing on Android devices in select markets, reports The Verge. Earlier this year, Google announced it would pilot a project that would allow users to bypass Google Play billing in favour of their own payment choices. Google will still receive a percentage of these
Mount Kimbie’s Kai Campos was left “heartbroken” after a large-scale installation put up in conjunction with the band’s new album was blown down by Storm Claudio. Composed of four massive silver baubles, the components of the installation could be seen “flying” down Tottenham Court Road in London on Monday evening.
Culture / events / music business / music culture / music news / New Album
Frank Ocean is launching a new radio show on Apple Music. Homer Radio is a one hour broadcast that will go live weekly, every Thursday at 22:00 (ET). According to Ocean, Homer Radio will be an ‘hour long window’ into the after-hours sounds of the New York City based headquarters
Founder of female-led collective Lady Of The House, Laila McKenzie has stepped down from her role at the organisation temporarily. This follows allegations of harassment, bullying, and gaslighting against McKenzie. Established in 2020, Lady Of The House champions the visibility and work of women and femmes in the dance music
In the age of streaming and digital releases, leaks have become somewhat of an inevitability. But for every instance of Spotify uploading an album a week too early, there’s more nefarious instances of hackers infiltrating servers to steal unreleased records. That’s the case with 23 year old Adrian Kwiatkowski, a
