Former Warner Music Group executive and the Orchard co-founder Scott Cohen said on Tuesday (Nov. 1) he is taking a new job as chief executive officer of a fintech platform aimed at selling fractional shares in song catalogs.

Cohen, who stepped down from his role as chief innovation officer at WMG in September, said the aim of the new venture is to “fractionalize ownership of music royalties.”

Fractional shares are a familiar concept in finance, and brokerages like Robinhood and Fidelity Investments sell them as a way to buy a slice of a share for less than the price of the whole stock. The market for buying and investing in music publishing rights has traditionally been open to only the world’s largest music companies and, more recently, money managers.

Introducing fractional shares could change that by making it possible for more smaller investors to participate alongside the deep-pocketed private equity funds and major labels.

In an email to Billboard, Cohen said has already secured rights from major artists and catalogs, and his team is now working to build the platform’s technology.

“We have a very aggressive timeline,” said Cohen, declining to provide a specific date when the venture would launch to outside investors.

Prior to joining WMG in 2019, Cohen founded the Orchard with Richard Gottehrer in 1997 and built it into the largest independent distributor on iTunes when the download platform launched in 2003. Cohen and Gottehrer sold the Orchard to Dimensional Associates, the private equity arm of JDS Capital Management, the same year, and subsequently expanded into video, music licensing, marketing & analytics, royalty collections, sports media, neighboring rights and more.

In 2015, Sony Music Entertainment bought out Dimensional Associates for $200 million, and in 2017 merged it with RED into a single global distribution entity operating under the Orchard brand.

While Cohen’s new venture has not yet settled on a name, he described its aspirations and potential as “transformational” for the music industry.

“I am only interested in doing things at scale,” Cohen wrote.

Post Malone is known for greeting his fans at concerts and signing autographs, but he took his fan interactions up a notch when he helped a couple reveal the gender of their baby on the way.

In a clip shared to TikTok from the “Congratulations” star’s show in Tulsa, Okla., on Friday night (Oct. 28), Post is seen signing a poster that was handed to him by a couple, who begin asking him to open the envelope taped to the poster, and reveal the gender of the baby.

“You want me to just tell you?” Post asks them, before confirming, “You didn’t see it? Y’all didn’t see it?” He then opens the envelope, and immediately, his jaw drops. He excitedly holds up the piece of paper, which reads, “It’s a girl!”

“You’re going to be a girl dad!” the star sweetly tells the father-to-be.

Post Malone himself is also a girl dad, as he welcomed his first child — a daughter — with his longtime girlfriend earlier this year. In an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe before the baby’s birth, Post said he’s “pumped beyond belief” to be a father, something he’s been dreaming about since he was a kid who walked around with a baby doll all the time. “I thought that was the coolest thing,” he said of his doll. “I would take him around everywhere. And I don’t know how long that lasted. But my mom still has it. And I guess, Zane, I’m so pumped up. I’m going to be a hot dad.”

Watch the adorable gender reveal below.

She’s got a princess face, a killer body, samurai mind. Nicki Minaj showed off her Disney princess fantasy in a new social media post on Monday (Oct. 31).

For Halloween, the rapper decided to dress up as a high-fashion Cinderella… or Chunderella, according to her fairy tale rewrite of a caption. “And as she heard the whispers…Chunderella snickered,” she wrote. “The ugly/evil step sisters had EVERY RIGHT to bicker (through their blisters!) After all, deep down inside…they knew…they’d never fit the glass slippers… The END.”

In the slideshow, Minaj poses in a blond wig, tiara and an architectural take on Cinderella’s classic blue gown. However, the Harajuku Barbie proved once she turned around that her version of the princess is quite the “Super Freaky Girl,” complete with two rather NSFW cutouts carved out of the backside of the dress.

Earlier this month, Nicki linked up with NBA YoungBoy on their new collaboration “I Admit,” which is featured on the latter’s brand-new album Ma, I Got a Family.

Meanwhile, she’s also been bumping heads with the Recording Academy over “Super Freaky Girl” being moved from the rap category into the pop category for voting at the upcoming 2023 Grammy Awards — that is, when she hasn’t been busy feuding with Latto on Twitter over whether her own “Big Energy (Live)” should (or shouldn’t) be facing the same categorization at the awards show.

In other awards news, Minaj recently landed five nods at the MTV EMAs, including best artist, best song and best video (both for “Super Freaky Girl”), best hip-hop and biggest fans.

Get a look at Nicki as “Chunderella” below.

Luke Bryan responded to a wave of criticism he’s received for warmly welcoming Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to his stage Friday night (Oct. 28).

The country star and American Idol judge brought out DeSantis in front of a Jacksonville, Fla., crowd, on a stop on his Raised Up Right Tour. In footage from the concert, DeSantis is seen tossing swag out to audience members and giving a high five to Bryan, who pats him on the back.

“We’re gonna have some fun and we’re gonna raise some money tonight for the great state of Florida,” Bryan announced at the show.

DeSantis shared a pair of photos on Twitter of the two appearing to have a good time on stage together. He wrote, “Thanks for letting me crash the party last night, @lukebryan!”

Bryan released a statement on Sunday defending his decision to have DeSantis join him at the show. He noted that “this felt right” as part of an effort to help raise awareness and money for people impacted by Hurricane Ian in Florida. The singer had postponed a set of Florida tour dates in September due to the hurricane.

“I typically don’t respond to stuff when I’m getting run down on a social platform but here’s the deal. I understand Governor Desantis is a very polarizing figure,” Bryan wrote on social media Sunday afternoon (Oct. 30). “But I grew up in a country where if a governor ask you if they can come and raise awareness to help victims of a natural disaster you help.”

“I’ve generally stayed out of politics throughout my career,” said Bryan. “I knew people would chatter about this but for me the more important piece was if I am going to come back there a few weeks after a large portion of people have been affected by a natural disaster in a state where people have been good to me this felt right. Raise awareness, have a little fun between the GA and FL college fans before the game and do what I love on stage.”

He closed the note by writing, “This is all I am saying about this. I’ll be outdoors with my boys. Enjoy your Sunday.”

“Your greeting of DeSantis on stage certainly appeared to be more than wanting to help Hurricane victims. It looked like a full endorsement of DeSantis – DeSantis is worse than polarizing,” one person commented on Bryan’s post. It was one of the top comments of more than 13,000, a significant uptick from the usual amount of comments seen on the singer’s tweets.

“So, it’s impossible to support victims of a hurricane while also supporting the LGBTQ community?” another asked. DeSantis was behind Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law, which prohibits instruction in Florida schools on sexual orientation or gender identity from kindergarten through grade three, or in any grade “in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.”

“You can raise awareness (and money) with your own name,” noted another Twitter user. “Having Desantis on stage with you have the impression (true or not) that you supported him. In this day and age, we all have to be willing to speak out against lies, hate and injustice.”

Below, see a video clip of the moment Bryan welcomed DeSantis to the stage, followed by Bryan’s statement.