Warner Music
Warner Music Shareholder Who Named Label in Sexual Misconduct Suit Fails to Win Board Seat
Former Atlantic Records employee Dorothy Carvello lost her bid for a seat on Warner Music Group’s board of directors last month after failing to comply with certain requirements in the company’s bylaws, spokespeople for Carvello and the record label said on Tuesday (Jan. 3). Under a new rule passed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission last year that makes it easier for minority shareholders to wage campaigns for board seats, Carvello sought to nominate herself for a seat on WMG’s board, to be voted on at the next shareholder meeting. The activist and author, who alleged in her memoir, Anything for a Hit: An A&R Woman’s Story of Surviving the Music Industry, that she was subjected to sexual abuse and misconduct while working at Atlantic from 1987 to 1990, plans to run again ne...
Viral Hip-Hop Artist YNG Martyr Signs With Warner Music, Unleashes ‘It Happened’
YNG Martyr is the type of hip-hop artist who drives in his own lane. To push the cliché further still, his car is a self-designed one-off, and he rarely adheres to the speed limit. A proud Wiradjuri man, YNG Martyr today joins the Warner Music Australia roster. And straight out the gate, the 21-year-old drops “It Happened,” his first release through the music major. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “It Happened” is a kooky hip-hop number with touches of Earl Sweatshirt, a production that could come from anywhere. If you said it was born in Canberra, the Australian capital, you’d be right, and it would be a total fluke. YNG Martyr is no novice. His independent career has yielded more than 140 million streams for his tracks on Spotify. If ...
The Sandbox (SAND) metaverse token gains 40% after Snoop Dogg, Warner Music partnership
Sandbox (SAND) refused to go down despite broader negative market sentiment in the past 24 hours. Instead, the altcoin logged a breakaway recovery as traders assessed its recent high-profile partnerships as a sign that the project has strong fundamentals. SAND rose 10.23% to $3.38 at the UTC close on Jan.27, followed by another 5.42% spike to $3.57 on Friday. In contrast, Bitcoin (BTC), dropped 1.41% within the same timeframe. SAND/USD daily price chart. Source: TradingView SAND adoption booms Traders decided to increase their exposure to SAND after the Sandbox announced partnerships with American rapper Snoop Dogg and Warner Music, a major record label. On Jan. 27, Snoop Dogg tweeted a teaser of what appeared to be his upcoming nonfungible token (NFT) collection, dubbed ...
Warner Music Becomes Twitch’s First Major-Label Partner
Warner Music Group (WMG) is the first major recording company to partner with Twitch in a deal that will bring WMG artist channels, original music programming and more to the livestreaming platform. To start, WMG is launching artist channels for Warner Records stars Bella Poarch and Saweetie, plus Atlantic Records singer and producer Sueco, where they’ll share exclusive and behind-the-scenes content. Additionally, social media-focused digital media company IMGN — which WMG acquired last year — will produce a slate of original shows like “The Drop,” to discuss music news; “Freestyle Throwdown,” where rappers freestyle based on topics chosen by the audience; and “The One,” where guest artists perform the songs that influenced them. “...
David Bowie Estate and Warner Music Partner to Bring Icon’s Entire Catalog to Label
Among the artist’s later works covered by this new pact are 2002’s Mercury Prize-nominated Heathen; 2003’s Reality; 2013’s The Next Day; and his final studio album, 2016’s Blackstar, also shortlisted for the annual Mercury Prize. Blackstar dropped just two days before Bowie’s death, on Jan. 10, 2016. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, giving Bowie a posthumous, first leader. The following year, during the 59th Grammy Awards, Blackstar swept all five awards it was nominated for. Warner Music Group has controlled the lion’s share of Bowie’s recordings since 2013, when the company acquired the Parlophone Label Group, following the split-up and sale of EMI. In the intervening years, WMG has pulled the trigger of several releases showcasing Bowie’s...
Streaming Prices, New Revenue & More: 5 Highlights From WMG’s Earnings Call
The May 4 earnings call was filled with notable insights ranging from Spotify’s price increases in select markets to the importance of Warner’s data analysis. Here are the call’s highlights. Streaming Subscription Rate Increases: Cooper spoke about Spotify’s price increases in a small number of markets. He said he expects other streaming services will follow Spotify’s lead and rase their prices as well, provided Spotify does not see the higher prices increase its churn rate — which Spotify has said has not happened. “What people have a tendency to do on these services is build their library, build their playlists, and so there is a stickiness,” he said. “And I think that as Spotify and/or others experiment with these price increases, if they don’t see any meaningful churn event...
Warner Music Group Marketing Veteran Beth Appleton to Depart
Appleton has worked in the music industry for 25 years, starting with EMI in London and transferring to Australia for the first time in 2000. She returned to the U.K. to work for Richard Branson’s V2 label and Universal Music before joining Warner Music Australia in 2011, in the role as director of marketing. An honoree in Billboard’s Women In Music feature, Appleton returned to the U.K. in January 2014 to spearhead global marketing for WMG, based in London, and returned to Australia in January 2018 to assume her current role. In a separate message to staff, Appleton admits she’s ready to “pursue my next adventure.” At present, those plans have not yet been revealed. “As many of you know, I often ask the question ‘What is the right thing to do?,’” she continues. “Me moving on now is the ri...
Matt Corby Unveils Rainbow Valley Records With Warner Music Australia
Corby, a Newcastle native, has worked with a string of Australian artists at the studio, some of whom have gone on to impressive careers, including Jarryd James, Tia Gostelow and others. Now, with the label, he wants to take the discovery and development process to another level. “I’m pumped to step into a different role in the industry. To assist new and established artists from the perspective of an artist,” says Corby in a statement. “I’ve learned a lot over the last decade and am looking forward to bringing my knowledge and experience to the table for this new company. I’m excited to share the music we have already been a part of and will continue to foster with a diverse crew of people, hopefully, for years to come.” Corby and Henriksson are keen to sign and nurture artists across “mu...
How Davido, Wizkid, Olamide, Burna Boy broke streaming records in 2020
From all available statistics, facts and figures no other Nigerian musical artiste, male or female, was able to pull off what the quartet of Davido, Wizkid, Burna Boy and Olamide pulled off in 2020. The duopoly of Davido and Wizkid, which has been going on for years was questioned most especially by Burna Boy and the new face on the international scene, Olamide. Each one of them released an amazing album and it was a staggering success story on all streaming platforms. The figures showed Nigerian music has arrived on the international stage. Particularly of interest is Olamide, whose music has not really been able to cross the continent to the international stage. Well, thanks to his international connection, which has given wings to fly over the Atlantic. For Burna Boy, his fortunes have ...
Warner Music Australasia President Niko Nordström Is Returning to Finland
Warner Music Australasia president Niko Nordström is returning to his homeland, Finland, to take on a familiar role with the music major. Announced Tuesday, Nordström is named executive vice president, Warner Music Nordics and managing director of Warner Music Finland, based in Helsinki. Nordström will report to Mark Fry, the newly appointed president of Warner Music Nordics. “It’s fantastic news that Niko is returning home to the Nordics,” Fry comments in a statement. “He’s a friend and a partner, as well as one of the most admired figures in the history of the Finnish music industry. He moved the business and culture into the modern age, while nurturing an entire generation of groundbreaking artists.” Niko played a “central role in making Finland a pioneering global music market,” ...
The Weeknd Donated $500K to Racial Justice Initiatives: ‘Please Give What You Can Even If It’s a Small Amount’
The R&B star also challenged major labels and streaming services to “go big and public” with their donations. The Weeknd is urging his nearly 23 million followers to follow his lead in donating to nonprofit organizations committed to racial equality. On Monday (June 1), the star detailed receipts of $500,000 in donations he split between Black Lives Matter Global Network, Colin Kaepernick’s Know Your Rights Camp and National Bail Out. “Keep supporting our brothers and sisters out there risking everything to push for actual change for our black lives,” he captioned the Instagram slideshow. “Urging everyone with big pockets to give and give big and if you have less please give what you can even if it’s a small amount.” In a follow-up post t...
