Sony Music Entertainment Korea signed a deal to distribute the K-pop label's roster Attraktincluding his most successful act, FIFTY FIFTY. Sony Korea will also oversee global marketing campaigns and business development initiatives for the company, while Arista Records will handle US-based marketing and distribution. FIFTY FIFTY has a new album due out at the end of September.
Apple Music is partnering with the Indian telecom giant Bharti Airtel in a deal that will give the latter company's customers access to Apple Music later this year, combining it with Bharti Airtel's Wynk Music platform, significantly expanding the streamer's footprint in the world's most populous country. Access to Apple TV+ is also included in the deal for Bharti Airtel's Xstream customers.
Flo Rida and his JetSet1 Enterprises closed cooperation with High Point Gamer, Dash Media Partners and executive producer Damon Jones which aims to create the gaming lifestyle segment for underserved communities worldwide, including by increasing education and career opportunities in these communities in the gaming and technology sectors. As part of the deal, the partners also plan to tour High Point's Crazy God tournament series and other console games through a festival-style model. “Together, we're building career pipelines that will empower the next generation of leaders in gaming and entertainment,” said High Point Gamer co-founder Derek Watford in his statement, adding that the Crazy God 4 The tournament will be held at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida at the end of the year.
Seat Uniquean online platform that connects fans with hospitality packages and premium tickets to live events has raised £14.5 million ($19.04 million) as part of an extensive Series A funding round led by Nickleby Capital. The funds will be used to further develop the Seat Unique platform, expand its reach into new areas and more.
Myst Musica company dedicated to bringing South Asian music to a global audience, has announced a global distribution and label services agreement The Orchard. Under the deal, Myst artists will have access to The Orchard's full suite of artist and label services. Sri Lankan musician, actress and model Jacqueline Fernandez will be the first artist to release music under the deal later this month.
Artist collaboration company CULTUREwho was a key factor in the rise of singer Brent Faiyaz and other artists, formed a partnership with Joe Kay and his company Soulectionwhich includes an independent record label, a world tour arm and a weekly radio broadcast on Apple Music 1. “After thirteen years of remaining independent and achieving many milestones with an artist-first approach, this partnership will elevate Soulection to new heights. Kay said in a statement. “CULTURE's Their track record of scaling businesses and their commitment to artist-friendly practices aligns perfectly with our values.” The collaboration began with a series of events in New York presented by COLTURE and Kay. More information can be found here.
Three Norwegian indie labels — PropellerRecordings, IndieRecordings and 777 Music — merged to form the new tag team Sounds like gold. Based in Oslo, Norway, the label will work with Virgin Music Group worldwide. The company is run by the founders of Propeller Recordings, Indie Recordings and 777 Music to provide distribution, marketing, management and creative support to executives working with artists such as boy pablo, Highasakite, Gåte and Jan Eggum. The management team includes; Kristine Bjørnstad and Tim Dunhamthe founders of 777 and former head of Virgin Music Group's Nordic operation. In addition, Sounds Like Gold has taken over the operation of the historic record label Grappa and its subsidiaries, founded by Grappa Helge Westby serving as chairman of the board of the tag team.
Independent distributor IDOL signed a global collaboration with Berlin-based indie label City Slang. As part of the deal, IDOL will handle digital distribution, digital marketing and audience development for City Slang's frontline and catalog publications worldwide. IDOL will serve up Caribou's upcoming album Honeywhich will be released on October 4, along with music from Eferklang, Faux Real, Jessica Pratt, Lambrini Girls, Los Bitchos, SPRINTS, Calexico, Tindersticks and Lambchop.
Indie hip hop label Backwoodz Studioz signed a worldwide distribution deal with Rhymesayers Entertainment which will bring the Backwoodz catalog to retailers for the first time, including releases by Armand Hammer, billy woods, Kenny Segal, Blockhead, ELUCID, Cavalier, ShrapKnel, Moor Mother, AKAI SOLO, Fatboi Sharif and Fielded. The first release under the deal will be a reissue of Backwoodz artist and founder Billy Woods and Kenny Segal's 2019 album Hideouts on September 27. “For much of the last ten years, our physical distribution network has been an a la carte affair, working with a variety of different entities on a case-by-case basis,” Woods said in a statement, adding: “This distribution partnership should benefit artists us by bringing all our titles under one umbrella, thereby simplifying and streamlining our operations, while increasing our reach and marketing capabilities.”
Licensing platform Soundstripe works with DAACI to launch its new AI song editing feature. The tool “analyzes a song and instantly identifies its short, self-contained sections,” allowing editors to rearrange, repeat, add or delete those sections in the browser to create different variations and mixes of a track, according to a press release. They can then download them to import into their projects. Soundstripe also stores the Content ID of the original track, “keeping producers within the parameters of the original license when editing the track,” the release adds.
iHeartMedia and TelevisaUnivision achieved strategic partnerships with the media Airtaskera global marketplace for local services including home repairs, pet care and event planning. iHeart will contribute $5 million in audio advertising in exchange for a $5 million four-year convertible note with a 5.0% coupon rate. Univision will invest $4.75 million in terrestrial and digital broadcast services for a 17.2% equity stake in Airtasker.
Turntable laboratories has secured $8.2 million in funding ahead of the public launch of its new social music platform Hangout, which allows music lovers, co-workers and others to “get together, DJ together and interact in a playful virtual environment,” according to with a press release. The round, which will be used to expand Hangout's engineering infrastructure team, was led by Founders Fund, Elizabeth Street Ventures, 468 Chapter and f7 Businessmenwith angel investor contributions Michael GiomarinCEO of WordOut. Created by the co-founder of Turntable.fm Joseph Perlathe Hangout features virtual DJ booths that allow users to spin privately curated tracks for themselves and their friends, while also offering “public themed rooms based on their tastes and interests.” The platform, which is scheduled for a full public launch later this year, also offers custom digital avatars and chat options.
of Canada ACTRA Recording Artists' Collecting Society (ACTRA RACS) in collaboration with the Codeless Metadata Platform Noctil to streamline the ingestion and processing of artist and recording metadata. The move is designed to improve the accuracy and efficiency of ACTRA RACS operations. Noctil uses artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to improve matching and identification, leading to faster and more accurate distributions of rights to artists and performers.
