What started with a domestic disturbance call ended in an exchange of gunfire between two officers and a suspect, police said. The suspect — who has not been identified — … Click to Continue »
All southbound lanes of the Florida Turnpike are open again after being closed for six hours after a predawn crash that killed a dump truck driver. After the 5:40 a.m., … Click to Continue »
History has delivered the world many beloved duos, both real and others from the creation of some brilliant minds: Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King. Simon and Garfunkel. … Click to Continue »
MINNEAPOLIS — Several pieces of gun evidence were recovered from in and around the vehicle Winston Boogie Smith Jr. was sitting in when he was fatally shot by members of … Click to Continue »
On Wednesday (June 16), XXL unveiled its 2021 Freshman Class — including a rookie rapper who has already topped the Billboard Hot 100.
The 11 rappers on the list are 42 Dugg, Flo Milli, Morray, Pooh Shiesty, Lakeyah, Coi Leray, Toosii, Blxst, Rubi Rose, Iann Dior and DDG in the final fan-voted slot.
Dior is featured on 24kGoldn’s “Mood,” which held the No. 1 spot on the Hot 100 for eight nonconsecutive weeks last year. 24kGoldn won the fan-voted slot in 2020’s Freshman Class, alongside fellow future stars Polo G, Rod Wave, Latto, Lil Tjay, Jack Harlow, Chika and more.
This is the 14th XXL Freshman Class, with the list starting back in 2007 and skipping a year before returning in 2009. Notable Freshman Class alumni include Kid Cudi (2009), J. Cole (2010), Future (2012), Travis Scott (2013), Chance the Rapper (2014) and Megan Thee Stallion (2019).
See the full cover below:
Rita Moreno has issued a statement to The Hollywood Reporter commenting on remarks she made Tuesday on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, saying she is “incredibly disappointed” with herself for glossing over concerns of representation from the Afro-Latino community in Warner Bros.’ musical In the Heights.
Asked about criticisms of In the Heights over a lack of darker-skinned Latinos among its core characters, Moreno, 89, defended the film’s creator/producer Lin-Manuel Miranda (who also produced the documentary Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It).
Said Moreno: “I’m simply saying, can’t you just wait a while and leave it alone?”
The remarks drew backlash on social media for being an insensitive response to the Afro-Latino population; Moreno was even trending on Twitter on Wednesday as a result of the controversy.
Shortly after landing in Los Angeles from a flight from New York, Moreno issued this statement:
“I’m incredibly disappointed with myself. While making a statement in defense of Lin Manuel Miranda on the Colbert Show last night, I was clearly dismissive of black lives that matter in our Latin community. It is so easy to forget how celebration for some is lament for others. In addition to applauding Lin for his wonderful movie version of In the Heights, let me add my appreciation for his sensitivity and resolve to be more inclusive of the Afro-Latino community going forward. See, you CAN teach this old dog new tricks.”
Moreno next serves as executive producer for Steven Spielberg’s remake of West Side Story. Some Twitter criticism pointed out that she was darkened with makeup to play the role of Anita in the 1961 film version of the Broadway musical that won her an Oscar.
In January of 2019, Spielberg met with a town hall of locals in Puerto Rico to discuss how he’d tackle the material; some in attendance questioned if West Side Story perhaps took a culturally insensitive and dated approach to Puerto Rican culture.
The film, from Disney-owned 20th Century Studios with an updated screenplay by Tony Kushner, opens Dec. 21.
This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.
Earlier this year, David Alvarado was named Rich Music’s senior vice president of operations, furthering his prolific trajectory in the Latin music industry—one which he says has been very supportive of his identity.
“My sexual orientation has never defined me,” he tells Billboard. “I’ve been fortunate to work in an industry that thrives from diversity and inclusion.”
A former vp of marketing at EMI Music/Capitol Latin and vp of entertainment publicity for NBCUniversal/Telemundo, Alvarado, who’s a 2021 Pride Power Player, currently oversees everything from management to publishing to merchandise for Rich Music’s roster that includes urban stars Sech and Dalex.
In honor of Pride Month, Alvarado opened up to Billboard about his career path being part of the LGBTQ+ community. Read the Q&A below.
Billboard: How did the decision to come out impact your art?
Alvarado: I’ve been fortunate to work in an industry that thrives from diversity and inclusion. My sexual orientation has never defined me, and I’ve been able to live an open and honest life, including throughout my career.
Did you ever have an LGBTQ+ idol growing up?
Growing up, any LGBTQ+ visibility I had was limited. TV and film had a huge influence, which is why visibility is so important. I remember when I was an intern at PolyGram, I met a senior executive who was openly gay and that was definitely a positive influence on me.
Would you say the industry is more accepting of the LGBTQ+ community compared to when you first started your career?
Things have definitely progressed, and overall the industry is more accepting of the LGBTQ+ community.
What would you say to new artists who are on the rise and are unsure about coming out?
Only you know when you’re ready, but when you start living your authentic self is when you’re able to grow personally and professionally.
Any up-and-coming LGBTQ+ artist you’re excited about?
Duncan Lawrence and Fancy Hagood.
This year, I’ll be celebrating Pride by:
Listening to good music & reading Billboard!!!
Sony Music Entertainment announced Wednesday (June 16) that it has acquired U.K.-based podcast, TV and social media producer Somethin’ Else, marking the latest acceleration in the company’s aggressive podcasting push. The acquisition follows a previous global deal the companies struck in February 2020 to develop original podcast series across multiple genres.
Under the terms of the acquisition, Somethin’ Else chief content officer and vice chairman Steve Ackerman, along with its executive chairman and CEO Jez Nelson, will jointly lead Sony’s global podcast content and business development strategy. Ackerman will take on the role of executive vp, co-head global podcasts, overseeing operations out of New York, while Nelson will run U.K. podcast operations as Sony’s executive vp, co-head global podcasts. Both will report to Sony Music president, global digital business and U.S. sales Dennis Kooker and Tom Mackay, Sony Music president, premium content A&R.
Outside of podcasting, Somethin’ Else’s TV and social media business will be integrated into Sony Music U.K.’s 4th Floor Creative division, broadening the company’s ability to provide creative and commercial opportunities for its artists, labels and partners.
In a statement, Kooker said that Sony Music’s podcast division “is key to our plans for a fast-paced expansion in the market, diversifying our creative abilities and providing a home for exciting content that will benefit millions of podcast-lovers around the world.”
Since first getting into business together, Sony Music and Somethin’ Else have partnered on podcasts including David Tennant Does A Podcast With…, Power: The Maxwells, The Fault Line: Bush, Blair & Iraq and Cheat!.
“Having collaborated with Somethin’ Else on a number of hit podcasts, we know how impactful their work has been on shaping the marketplace,” added Mackay. “Under Steve and Jez’s leadership, we can now provide a range of expanded collaboration opportunities for the podcast community globally and focus on growing a robust slate of new in-house projects.”
The deal fits into Sony Music’s increasingly ambitious podcast strategy, highlighted by an announcement at last September’s IAB Podcast Upfront presentation that it would be launching 40 new podcasts over the coming year. Previously, the company formed joint ventures with Audible veteran Renay Richardson (Broccoli Content) and podcast developers Laura Mayer and Adam Davidson and in December 2019 made a strategic investment in podcast producer Neon Hum.
Added Ackerman and Nelson, “We’re delighted to be joining Sony Music at what feels like a critical moment in the growth and acceleration of the global podcast industry. Somethin’ Else is known as the leading premium podcasting production company in the UK and our ambition is to harness that drive and creativity to make Sony Music a global market leader. Sony Music is renowned for always putting the artists first in everything they do, and we’ve seen that culture fully embedded in their podcast offering too. That global expertise, artist first culture, and ability to cut through the noise has huge appeal to podcasting talent and we look forward to harnessing that in this new chapter of our business.”
Though Sony has stood out among the big three record companies in its podcasting push, Universal and Warner have also been ramping up their strategies in the growing space over the past couple of years. In April, WMG struck a deal with Spotify to develop original podcasts centered around the company’s artists, while UMG signed a partnership with the podcast company Wondery (now owned by Amazon Music) to develop original series in 2019. All of these deals amount to a play by labels to compete in a podcast market that has come to be increasingly dominated by global streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music and Tencent.
TrillerNet, the owner of the video-sharing app Triller and the Verzuz brand, has shifted its plans to go public and will now take a private investment before a direct listing on the New York Stock Exchange later this year, according to a source familiar with the deal.
TrillerNet already has commitments for $500 million from roughly a dozen of investors at a $5 billion valuation, according to the source. There is currently a target date set for early fourth quarter, but the exact timing of the listing depends on comments received by the SEC regarding Triller’s S-1 filing.
The company had been in deep discussions with special purpose acquisition corporations (SPACs) over the last eight to 12 months, confirms the source. But instead of merging with a SPAC — a blank check company that raises money through an IPO with the sole purpose of acquiring a private company — TrillerNet chose to take a direct investment from a group of large investors that have stakes in several of the same SPACs.
This route will give the group of private investors a 20% discount on the company’s valuation, providing TrillerNet with more funding than a SPAC merger at an equal valuation TrillerNet found this option to be preferable to a standard transaction in which SPAC founders would receive additional shares that would have ultimately diluted its equity value by 30%, according to the source. A spokesperson for TrillerNet declined to comment.
A direct listing would end a long-expected play for TrillerNet to trade on a public market. TrillerNet was reportedly close to a merger with an unnamed SPAC in the first months of 2021. In a Feb. 16, 2021, Billboard article, then-CEO Mike Lu claimed the company should be worth $10 billion after a $250 million funding round reported in October 2020 valued the company at $1.25 billion. Triller now claims to have 300 million app downloads to date.
Speculation that TrillerNet would have an IPO grew when Proxima Media Group, the investment company co-founded by former Relativity Media CEO Ryan Kavanaugh and TrillerNet’s majority investor, hired former Universal Music Group executive Tuhin Roy in November 2020 to make Triller’s operational standards “consistent with a publicly-traded company,” Roy told Billboard at the time.
Like the better-known TikTok, Triller allows users to create short-form videos backed by licensed music. Faced with a competitive space that includes Facebook’s TikTok clone, Instagram Reels, and Dubsmash, acquired by Reddit in 2020, the company lured some high-profile creators, including Charli D’Amelio and her family on a non-exclusive basis, as well as TikTok star Josh Richards, who also became an investor. Triller also hired two TikTok executives to lead its partnerships, Daniel Gillick and Mary Rahmani.
TrillerNet has meanwhile built a stable of video content focused on live events. Verzuz charges $29.99 a month or $299.99 a year for TrillerPass, a bundle of premium content from Verzuz, the DJ battle series it acquired in March 2021, and non-music content such Fight Club, a boxing and Big3, the Ice Cube-created three-on-three professional basketball league; and other live events. A large investment would allow TrillerNet to continue its high-growth trajectory by acquiring additional content.
TrillerNet attracted controversy in 2020 for inflating public user numbers, a claim the company denied while stating “there is no legal definition” of monthly active users or daily active users. “Triller’s value is in monetizing users, not MAU or DAU” because Triller encourages its users to interact with its content off the platform, not strictly inside the app as is common with social media apps, Lu told Billboard in a statement on Feb. 17. Record labels and music publishers had publicly feuded with Triller — Universal Music Group pulled its catalog in February 2021 — before resolving their disputes and signing licensing deals.
Investor interest in music extends well beyond hyper-valued publishing catalogs. Two music companies are expected to be acquired by SPACs in the coming months: music streaming service Anghami and Reservoir Holdings, owner of music publisher Reservoir Media. Vivid Seats, a secondary ticketing marketplace whose net revenue fell 76% in 2020, plans to be acquired by a SPAC at a $2.1 billion valuation. Music streaming company Trebel, which claims to have 3 million users, is selling equity at a $150 million valuation to private investors.
The South Miami City Commission moved closer Tuesday to adopting a new rule that would give residents the option to pay into a fund rather than being forced to install … Click to Continue »
