Chinese music streaming service provider NetEase Cloud Music entered into a licensing agreement with the K-pop label JYP Entertainment, granting it the right to digitally distribute JYP's catalog in China. JYP artists include JY Park, TWICE, Stray Kids, BOY STORY, ITZY, Yao Chen and NMIXX.
Tik Tok announced a partnership with the European ticketing provider CTS event through which artists can now promote their live dates on TikTok videos and sell tickets through the CTS Eventim platform. The feature is available to any certified TikTok artist in Germany, with additional purchases to follow.
Warner Music South East Europe launched Balkan Electro, a new label focused on EDM, in collaboration with Ensis Records. Through the deal, Ensis artists can be distributed, promoted and marketed through the new label. Warner Music Poland will also work to sign new talent from the region with Balkan Electro, who will additionally work with Amsterdam-based Spinnin' Records and the dance-focused groups of Warner Music Central Europe and Warner Music France . First releases on Balkan Electo are “Back to 95” by Prisko and TBX (April 19), “Losing My Mind” by Melli (April 26) and “Bright As You” by Kevin's Palacios and Jordan's Grace (May 10 ).
The City of El Paso has approved a $30.9 million performance-based incentive agreement to support the creation of Notes LiveThe new $80 million, 12,500-seat outdoor amphitheater in El Paso, Texas, to be named the Sunset Amphitheater. According to a press release, the project will support more than 2,000 direct and indirect jobs with the potential to create a $5.4 billion impact for the El Paso community. Construction is scheduled to begin in late 2024 with an opening in early 2026.
Concert discovery app Songkick partnered with ticketing and marketing company Black Music and Culture Buds in a deal that will see Songkick record and promote Shoobs events to its 155 million users via its app, website and eCRM. The partnership is designed to boost the visibility of black cultural events and artists, including Afro Nation Portugal, Burna Boy and Piano People in the Park.
Ticket company AXS acquired a majority stake WRSTBND, a provider of access control, credential and point of sale solutions for live events and venues. WRSTBND will use the investment to develop its capabilities and offerings to customers while integrating AXS's Mobile ID technology with WRSTBND's ecosystem. “[WRSTBND’s] Hardware and software technology combined with the scale of AXS' leading festivals and live events clients, including Coachella, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Fest and Hyde Park BST, will create the most seamless and advanced access and payment solutions available anywhere “, he said. Strategy Director of AXS Mark Ruxin in a statement.
Celebrity trainerswhich provides transportation and logistics support for live events, has acquired Nashville-based entertainment coach leasing company Moonstruck Leasing. The acquisition will add several Prevost luxury coaches to Celebrity's existing fleet. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The Irish Music Rights Organization (IMRO)an international performing rights organization working with the music recognition technology company Audio to implement its Audio Meter in selected public spaces and retail locations in urban areas across Ireland, with plans to extend it to all types of businesses in the country. The partnership is designed to help promote a more accurate and transparent distribution of royalty distributions to music creators by identifying the background music played through Audoo Audio Meteres and reporting the data to IMRO. Business owners in Ireland can request a free sound meter.
Private company PAI Partners acquired a majority stake Audiotonix, which designs, manufactures and manufactures professional audio mixing consoles, production software and ancillary products. Investment house Ardian (which acquired Audiotonix in March 2020) will retain a minority stake along with Audiotonix management. UK-based Audiotonix specializes in the design, engineering and manufacturing of products that help deliver high quality sound for many formats including concerts, theater and sporting events. Its products have been used on tours by artists such as Coldplay and U2 as well as the Super Bowl and Sphere in Las Vegas.
RoExa tech startup driving smart audio production tools has received a £250,000 ($313,000) grant from the National Innovation Agency Innovation UK as part of a funding competition called Creative Catalyst: AI in the Music Industry. The grant will support research and development of RoEx's new model, ProStyle, which will provide a platform for mixing engineers to work with RoEx to train a machine learning model that captures their individual mixing style, allowing them so that they can earn from their sound identity. Through this, the aim is for musicians and creators to be able to mix tracks in the style of the engineer using ProStyle.
Full service entertainment marketing FlyteVu and CMO Club, a community of more than 1,500 CMOs in 30 cities worldwide, has created a partnership through which FlyteVu will offer Club CMO members “behind the scenes” access — both in person and virtually — to sports, music and pop culture events and experiences. Through the partnership, Club CMO members will be offered a closer look at FlyteVu's industry expertise and knowledge, which they can then transfer to their own organizations.
