Facebook to Share Ad Revenue With Creators, Music Rightsholders on UGC

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorVeteran rapper and activist Meek Mill and talent agency WME have formed a strategic partnership focusing on the next wave of cultural leaders, according to an announcement issued Thursday. The agency will also represent Mill in all areas.The relationship is part of Meek’s new initiative Culture Currency, “designed to expand Meek’s business while identifying and supporting his network of artists, athletes, and entertainers so that they can take better advantage of their influence on culture, and open up more opportunities for them within the entertainment, brand and business space,” the announcement states.WME will represent Mill in all areas while working together to identify talent to potentially represent or partner with, and in turn who can benefit from the resources and global reach of the agency that spans film, television, music, books, digital, endorsements and more.

What Survivor alliance? Sarah Lacina and Ben Driebergen go off about fellow alum Tyson Apostol in this sneak peek of the Wednesday, August 10, episode of The Challenge: USA, provided exclusively to Us Weekly.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorDespite some “headwinds” including an unusually strong dollar, a lighter-than-usual release schedule and several short-term expenses, Warner Music posted a solid third quarter of 2022, with a strong showing from its publishing division and 12% revenue growth that the company stressed would have been closer to 15% if not for the above factors. The company also announced a new deal with Meta (formerly Facebook) and several upcoming legal settlements that it says will bring in $25 million in OBITDA, both of which will have a strong impact on Q4.“We delivered solid double-digit growth on a constant-currency basis, even against the backdrop of a slowdown in the advertising market and some one-time items affecting year-over-year comparisons,” said Steve Cooper, CEO, Warner Music Group.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorUTA announced today that  Robert Gibbs has joined the agency as a partner and co-head of its Atlanta office.In his new role, Gibbs will join UTA Atlanta co-heads Rich Paul, Arthur Lewis, and Steve Cohen to help grow the agency’s footprint across music, sports, film, fine arts, television, podcasts, and more, according to the announcement.“Robert’s experience in the industry, combined with his enthusiasm to help us build in Atlanta, made him the perfect choice to join UTA and our leadership team there,” said UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer. Last September UTA and its partner company Klutch Sports Group established an office in the city.“Over the past several years the momentum at UTA has been undeniable,” said Gibbs.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorVeteran Russian musical collective and  activists Pussy Riot will be joined by some high-profile guests for their forthcoming concert at Los Angeles’ El Rey Theater on Wednesday: comic Sarah Silverman will be performing a full set, while Big Freedia — fresh from her prominent guest spot on Beyonce’s “Break My Soul” —  Salem Ilese, Josiah, Boyfriend, Slayyyter and Eva Elfie will be making special guest appearances, along with previously announced artist Rei Ami.The appearance is a rare high-profile slot for Silverman, who has been keeping a relatively low profile in recent months. Big Freedia and Salem Ilese both appear on Pussy Riot’s “Matriarchy” mixtape, which dropped on Friday. Ilese also released the viral hit “Crypto Boy,” and for which the group’s Nadya Tolokonnikova created the single artwork.

Writer Sarah Burgess and star Sarah Paulson said they were trying to understand and depict what motivated Linda Tripp in Impeachment: American Crime Story. The FX limited series depicts the impeachment hearings of President Bill Clinton (Clive Owen) after his affair with Monica Lewinsky (Beanie Feldstein). Paulson plays Tripp, who recorded Lewinsky’s phone calls with Clinton and gave them to Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr (Dan Bakkedahl).

The creators and star of the HBO Max series Station Eleven became worried about releasing a show about a pandemic during the second year of the Covid pandemic. However, creator Patrick Somerville, director Hiro Murai and star Himesh Patel focused on the limited series’ hopeful message.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorMike Dean is a man of few words, letting his music do the talking on songs he’s produced for himself — such as his 2021 album “4:22” — and for others, including Beyonce, Kanye West the Weeknd — who he’s currently opening for on the “After Hours Til the Dawn” stadium tour — and his just-released compilation, “See You Next Year.”Oh, and the occasional social media post, like Wednesday night’s minor drama involving his apparent removal from Kid Cudi’s Moon Man Landing Festival in Cleveland next month. Dean wrote, “Looks like I won’t be playing moon man’s landing this year.

Tegan and Sara has welcomed her first child with her partner.Taking to the duo’s official Instagram yesterday (August 2), the Canadian musician shared a photo she’d taken in the mirror of herself cradling her new baby.“My #crybaby,” she captioned the post, referencing Tegan and Sara’s recently-announced 10th album.Check out the image below.A post shared by Tegan and Sara (@teganandsara)Tegan and Sara are due to release ‘Crybaby’ – the follow-up to 2019’s ‘Hey, I’m Just Like You’ – on October 21 via Mom+Pop Music. The band have already previewed the project with the songs ‘Yellow’ and ‘Fucking Up What Matters’.

Emily Longeretta Sarah Paulson is nominated for an Emmy for her role as Linda Tripp in “Impeachment: American Crime Story” — the sole acting nod for the FX series — but could it be her last time in the anthology? The fourth season, rumored to be focused on “Studio 54,” is in the works.“I’m sort of in this very interesting place where I’ve taken the last year off, which has been wild. Believe me, don’t think I don’t know what a privileged place it is to sit in and know that I can take a year off and still be able to live my life and not in a fearful way and that is a real really lucky thing,” she says. “I’ve said no to some things, which is a wildly new thing.

EXCLUSIVE: Hollywood publicity firm The Lede Company on Tuesday announced the launch of its Social Impact Division, which will be led by newly appointed Chief Social Impact Officer Sarah Acer.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorOne of the wonders of music streaming is its borderlessness. Back in the day, a person might never hear, let alone purchase, music outside their country or comfort zone if they didn’t happen to wander into that area of a record store or radio dial.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorSony Music Publishing has signed rising singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Em Beihold to a worldwide publishing agreement. Her gold-certified single “Numb Little Bug” has been on the Billboard Hot 100 for 24 weeks, and she released her debut EP “Egg in the Backseat: last week.

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. From sound engineers and screenwriters to celebrity makeup artists and stylists, Variety‘s series “Ask an Insider” asks top professionals within the entertainment industry to share their must-have essentials, for work … and for play.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorHer most famous client only needs one name to be recognized, but legendary Madonna publicist Barbara Charone can go one better: she’s known throughout the music industry simply by her initials.BC’s remarkable 50-year career is now being celebrated in her new memoir, “Access All Areas,” which has been the talk of the U.K. industry since its publication at the end of last month.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorEven in a fast-moving film like Jordan Peele’s “Nope,” there are some easter eggs you just can’t ignore — and one that has caught more than a few viewers’ eyes is the bizarre preponderance of characters wearing T-shirts featuring alt-rock bands from the late ‘80s and early ‘90s.It starts with the character Angel (Brandon Perea) wearing a Wipers T-shirt — the legendary Portland band beloved by Kurt Cobain. Then you see one with a Mr.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorKobalt, one of the world’s largest music publishers, has removed its entire 700,000-song catalog from Facebook and Instagram in the United States, a rep for the company confirms to Variety.The company’s U.S. licensing contract with Meta, parent of the two social-media giants, has expired and the two parties have failed to reach a new deal.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorPearl Jam have canceled a second concert on their European tour due because of damage to singer Eddie Vedder’s vocal cords from wildfires that have been plaguing France.The group canceled Wednesday’s show in Vienna and have announced that Friday’s concert in Prague is off as well.In an Instagram post on Wednesday, the band announced that “due to the extreme circumstances at the last outdoor site outside of Paris (heat, dust, and smoke from the fires) our singer Ed Vedder’s throat was left damaged. He has seen doctors and had treatment but as of yet, his vocal cords have not recovered.