Music Attorney Donald Passman on AI, Streaming’s Future, Catalog Sales and the State of the Industry

Travis Kelce loves to watch Christmas movies during the holiday season!

during the four-block walk, I would buy only a drip coffee. If I saw more than three, I would splurge on the oat milk latte.I saw seven.The Everywhere bag certainly lived up to its name in 2023. Originally designed for Lululemon educators—a.k.a.

Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and Harry Styles to pay a levy to help the nation’s small and medium-sized live music spaces.Angus Robertson, SNP Culture Secretary, has said he would consider the tax amid concerns over the future of arts funding in Scotland.It came after he was questioned in Holyrood by Green MSP Mark Ruskell, who suggested that the introduction of just a £1 levy on each ticket could help raise over a million pounds per year.Robertson went on to say that “new thinking” was needed in terms of arts funding in the country.He explained: “We have gone through a pivot point during the pandemic; there has been a change in social behaviours and there has been extreme distress in the arts and cultural sector.“We acknowledge that and we have tried to support the sector through that difficult period.”Robertson added: “The levy proposal is worthy of further consideration.”The Music Venue Trust (MVT) said 120 grassroots venues have closed across Britain in 2023 alone, and that Scotland is “disproportionately” affected (via The Times).Those in favour of the levy have suggested that the additional £1 would go unnoticed by most concertgoers as tickets for these huge shows usually have high prices to begin with.However, critics have claimed that the tax could further price out those on lower incomes because these concerts are already expensive and come with additional fees.Tickets for Taylor Swift‘s upcoming ‘Eras Tour’ dates at the Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, for example, cost £109.40 for general standing access.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music Jack Harlow, Range Media Productions and Media.Monks, in partnership with Meta, are producing an immersive VR concert and behind-the-scenes VR documentary called “Jack Harlow No Place Like Home: A VR Concert.” The show takes a behind-the-curtain look at his record-breaking, sold-out third annual “No Place Like Home: The Kentucky Tour” in his home state, leading up to the finale concert in Lexington. Tune-in exclusively in Meta’s Horizon Worlds with a Meta Quest VR headset. Jack Harlow No Place Like Home: A VR Concert will premiere in VR on Thursday, January 4 at 5 p.m.

Taylor Swift was back at it on Sunday!

Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez were spotted attending Ramy Youssef’s fundraising event for Gaza in Brooklyn, New York.The show took place at the Brooklyn Academy of Music on December 8. Youssef had previously announced that all of the proceeds from the final 12 nights of his “More Feelings” tour would go to the American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA).Youssef – who has been vocal about calling for a ceasefire in the Middle East – said the charity works to “provide humanitarian relief to the people of Gaza”.

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour will be available to watch at home from December.Directed by Sam Wrench, the concert film documents Swift’s latest tour which runs through her biggest hits and rarities across all ten of her studio albums.After it was released in cinemas in October, the film has become the highest-grossing concert movie ever, earning $249million at the worldwide box office. It also landed a nomination at the 2024 Golden Globes for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement.In the US, Canada, UK and Ireland, the film will be available to rent digitally from December 13 (to coincide with Swift’s birthday).Other confirmed territories include Australia and New Zealand from December 14, and Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Mexico and Brazil from December 21.As listed on Swift’s website, the film will be available from Apple TV+, Vudu, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, Xfinity, YouTube and Sky.The extended version on streaming services will include songs which were cut from the cinematic release, including ‘Wildest Dreams’, ‘The Archer’ and ‘Long Live’.In a four-star review of the film, NME wrote: “It’s a staggering feat.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music Variety Hitmaker of the Year SZA, Karol G and Peso Pluma are among the big honorees in the Recording Industry Association of America’s year-end tally and its “Class of 2023,” recognizing the top albums, singles and first-timers who earned their first Gold & Platinum certifications in 2023. Highlights include: SZA has the most certifications with 15 titles, including the Top Album with 3x Platinum SOS and Top Single with 5x Platinum “Kill Bill” Peso Pluma scored the highest album certification for a first-time artist with his Platinum collection, “Génesis” Karol G scored the top Latin album with 5x “Platino Mañana Será Bonito,” while Carin Leon & Grupo Frontera’s collaboration “Que Vuelvas” is the top Latin single.

Everyone always wants to wear the same clothes as Taylor Swift, but you’re going to have a hard time finding the sweatshirt that she wore to the Chiefs-Bills game.

TIME magazine’s choice for Person of the Year, pop star Taylor Swift, and suggested other finalists like the Trump prosecutors or the Hollywood strikers might have been more deserving of the title. “She does everything, but for me, the TIME magazine Person of the Year, used to be man of the year in 1927, when it started, it was ridiculous.

Taylor Swift is sharing her story, and it will not be edited. The singer was named Time’sPerson of the Year, and she looked into some of the career-defining moments of her life. One of those moments, which she called “career death” has Kanye West and his ex-wife Kim Kardashian at the center.

MGM+ has acquired Oscar winner Alex Gibney’s two-part documentary In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon, an immersive journey into the work of one of greatest singer-songwriters in the history of the recording industry.

Taylor Swift-mania, with Oxford Press University that the word “Swiftie,” the noun used to refer to Taylor Swift fans, was almost selected as this year’s pick.

Taylor Swift, Barbie and Hollywood strikers are among the nine contenders for Time’s 2023 Person of the Year, the magazine announced today.

Taylor Swift isn’t going to miss an opportunity to cheer on her boyfriend Travis Kelce!

Caroline Brew editor Time has released its 2023 Person of Year Shortlist, which includes Taylor Swift, Hollywood strikers, Trump prosecutors and Barbie among the final contenders. The Person of the Year will be announced Wednesday morning. The Writers Guild and SAG-AFTRA both went on strike this year, pausing the development and filming of many shows and movies.

Dancing with the Stars” is reaching its conclusion, with the series finale scheduled to air next week. Five couples will take the dance floor next Tuesday, preparing two performances that encapsulate and showcase the work they’ve done over the past months.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are reportedly living together. The hot celebrity couple are said to be spending as much time together as possible before Swift has to head back out on tour. This means that Swift will be staying in Kansas City, where Kelce plays for the Chiefs.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic The latest episode of Variety‘s “Strictly Business” podcast features Aaron Dessner — the man Swifties are indebted to for collaborating on big chunks of “Folklore” and “Evermore,” but who more than earned his keep for a quarter-century prior to that as a member of the exalted-in-their-own-right band the National. Dessner’s Grammy-winning group has been one of the mainstays of rock ’n roll since the late ’90s.

Spotify Wrapped has been launched, revealing the most popular artists, songs, albums and podcasts in the UK and giving users special insight into their own listening habits.Shared each year by the streaming platform, this latest edition introduces a range of new features and is available to access now via the Spotify mobile app (iOS and Android) or on desktop by heading to the website.As well as showing the usual insights into each user’s own listening habits, a new range of features have been rolled out for the 2023 edition too. These include a new section called ‘Me in 2023’ which reveals which one of the 12 listening styles best describes the way you listen on Spotify, and a new section called ‘Sound Town’, which matches you to a city based on your listening and shared artist affinity.Pre-existing insights such as Top Five Genres and Top Five Artists have also been given a new design, and some of the most popular musicians of 2023 have recorded messages that will be played if they feature as one of your top artists.An AI DJ feature has also been added to guide listeners through their personalised Wrapped – serving up a mix based on your taste and sharing commentary about some of your favourite artists, genres, songs and more.