TikTok and Universal Music Group Settle Royalty Dispute With New Licensing Agreement

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music Childish Gambino — aka multihyphenate Donald Glover — doesn’t do anything by half, and as he promised last month, he has dropped a new version of his surprise release “3.15.20” (which quietly dropped in March 2020), under its original title “Atavista,” dates for “The New World Tour,” a massive trek through North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, launching in August. He also released a video for the album’s song “Little Foot Big Foot,” directed by Hiro Murai, featuring Young Nudy. He will follow with what he says is the last installment of the Gambino project, which will serve as the soundtrack to his film “Bando Storm and the New World.” Willow will support the AEG-produced tour in North America and Amaarae in Europe.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music Meshell Ndegeocello, Fishbone and others lead the 2024 season of the long-running BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival lineup. Now in its 46 th year, the festival returns to the Lena Horne Bandshell in Prospect Park beginning on June 8 and wrapping on August 24. It is the longest-running free performing arts festival in New York City.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music A long list of artists including Robert Plant, Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour, Peter Frampton, Bryan Adams and more have joined the late British singer Steve Marriott’s children and bandmates in opposing the release of “new” recordings featuring AI-generated versions of his vocals. The former frontman of the Small Faces and Humble Pie (and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee) was one of the most influential rock singers of the 1960s, renowned for songs like “All or Nothing,” “Tin Soldier,” “Itchykoo Park,” “I Don’t Need No Doctor” and more.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music It’s a strange sensation to see an artist who you last saw performing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” before a global audience of 120 million-plus at the Super Bowl singing ten feet in front of you at the Blue Note jazz club in New York’s Greenwich Village. But that was the consolation prize for 400 lucky fans who may not have been invited to the Met Ball on Monday night but certainly had a more satisfying feast for the ears.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music In the wee hours of Thursday — 2:35 a.m, ET, to be precise — Universal Music Group and TikTok announced the settlement of their three-month standoff over royalties, AI policies and other issues. The battle was significantly disruptive to the industry but most of all to artists, thousands of whom suddenly found their music muted on the world’s most powerful platform for discovering and promoting music.

Songs from popular artists like Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo and Drake will be back on TikTok months after they were suddenly pulled from the platform. Major record label Universal Music Group (UMG) has signed a licensing deal with the social media platform that addresses concerns of pay and the use of A.I.

TikTok and Universal Music Group (UMG) have announced that they have come to a new licensing agreement.Today (May 2), the social media platform and music label issued a press release announcing the new agreement. It comes after TikTok’s and UMG’s previous agreement expired in late January, with the latter withdrawing its artists’ music from the platform as a result of both parties’ inability to work out a new deal.In late January, UMG claimed that “TikTok proposed paying our artists and songwriters at a rate that is a fraction of the rate that similarly situated major social platforms pay”, which it says accounts for one per cent of its revenue.Now, however, UMG’s new agreement with TikTok will reportedly “deliver improved remuneration for UMG’s songwriters and artists, new promotional and engagement opportunities for their recordings and songs and industry-leading protections with respect to generative AI”, per a press release.Lucian Grainge, Chairman and CEO of UMG, said of their new partnership: “This new chapter in our relationship with TikTok focuses on the value of music, the primacy of human artistry and the welfare of the creative community.

Universal Music Group and TikTok have announced a new “multi-dimensional” licensing agreement that will return music from UMG’s family of artists, songwriters and labels to the short video platform.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music Richard Tandy, the keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist whose tenure with the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) spanned more than 50 years, has died, according to a statement from Jeff Lynne, the group’s frontman and co-founder. No cause of death was given, although sources said he had been ill for several years; he was 76.

Rachel Leviss is moving on.

Peter Andre has shared that he's quite taken with a distinctive Welsh name for his newborn daughter as the couple is still on the hunt for the perfect moniker.The 51 year old heartthrob, known for his hit Mysterious Girl, and his wife Emily, who is 34, haven't yet settled on a name for their little girl, who was born earlier this month. In the meantime, they've been lovingly referring to her as "bubba" while the six-week deadline to register her name draws closer. In a candid moment, Peter revealed that he's passed the baton to Emily since they have "less than four weeks before we have to register her".

Selena Gomez and Taylor Swift are known to have one of the strongest friendships in Hollywood. The pair have shown love and appreciation for each other throughout their careers, with fans of the pair remembering how supportive Taylor was following Selena’s breakup with Justin Bieber.Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce, Bradley Cooper and Gigi Hadid had a couples vacationSelena Gomez wears leather corset and diamond necklace in latest New York City outingBenny Blanco reveals his and Selena Gomez’s go-to food ordersAnd now that the two singers have found love; Taylor with Travis Kelce, and Selena with Benny Blanco, many are wondering if they have already gone on a double date.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music One of the challenges for electronic-music artists who aren’t making dance music is how to put on a compelling live show. The answer, of course, is to serve up not just exciting music but visuals as well, and at a packed Paramount Theater in Brooklyn on Friday, as usual, Oneohtrix Point Never (aka Daniel Lopatin) delivered.

Britney Spears has officially settled her conservatorship battle with her dad Jamie Spears.

Blink-182 have unveiled new 2024 US tour dates, teasing “new production elements” for their upcoming leg – see all details below.The pop-punk band announced the news on an Instagram story, where they revealed their new US leg would begin in June this year with 30 extra dates.The new show will also come with increased seat capacity and a full 360-degree view of the stage for fans.Blink-182 also announced a slew of support acts, including the likes of Pierce The Veil, Alexisonfire, Astronoid, Drain, Ekkstacy, Hot Milk, Jxdn, Landon Barker and Live Without.Tickets for the new leg can be purchased here, whilst VIP package options for the tour can be viewed and purchased here. See all dates below:JUNE20 – Orlando, FL – Kia Center *21 – Miami, FL – Kaseya Center *24 – San Antonio, TX – Frost Bank Center ^25 – Fort Worth, TX – Dickies Arena ^27 — Denver, CO — Ball Arena %30 – San Diego, CA – Petco Park +JULY02 – Glendale, AZ – Desert Diamond Arena +03 – Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena + 06 — Los Angeles, CA — SoFi Stadium +08– Fresno, CA – Save Mart Center +09 – San Francisco, CA – Chase Center +11 – Salt Lake City, UT – Delta Center <13 – Portland, OR – Moda Center <14 – Quincy, WA – Gorge Amphitheatre <21 – Flushing, NY – Citi Field #23 – Boston, MA – Fenway Park #24 — Hartford, CT — The XFINITY Theatre #26 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center >27 – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena >29 – Greenville, SC – Bon Secours Wellness Arena >30 – Raleigh, NC – PNC Arena >AUGUST: 01 – Lexington, KY – Rupp Arena >02 – Indianapolis, IN – Gainbridge Fieldhouse >06 – Minneapolis, MN – Target Center >07 – Milwaukee, WI – Fiserv Forum >09 – Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center >10 – St. Louis, MO – Enterprise Center +12 – Detroit, MI –

SPOILER ALERT! This post contains details from the entirety of Season 1 of Dead Boy Detectives.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music The career move after St. Vincent’s unexpected windfall from “Cruel Summer” — the song that began life as a collaboration between her and producer Jack Antonoff, was completed by Taylor Swift and, several years later, ended up as the theme song of the “Eras Tour” juggernaut — would be to make a pop-leaning album to capitalize on that success, even just a little.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor Showtime’s satirical thriller “The Curse,” created by stars Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie and also starring Emma Stone, has exclusively shared its Emmy submission plans with Variety. The three multi-hyphenates will have more than one chance at recognition across various categories for producing, acting, directing, writing and editing. “The Curse” explores the tumultuous lives of a married couple (Fielder and Stone), who encounter a string of misfortunes while filming an HGTV series in New Mexico.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music City Parks Foundation has announced the 2024 season of Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage, New York City’s iconic outdoor performing arts festival, bringing 85 free and benefit shows to Central Park and 13 neighborhood parks across the five boroughs. Andra Day, Ethel Cain, Ghostface Killa and Kim Gordon are just four of the artists slated to perform.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music Primary Wave Music has announced a new partnership with veteran singer-songwriter Neil Finn, founding member of Crowded House, longtime member of Split Enz and solo artist. The multi-million-dollar deal sees the company acquiring Finn’s music publishing catalog and writer’s share of public performance for his work with Crowded House as well as his solo material. Included in the deal are the many hits Finn wrote for Crowded House — “Don’t Dream It’s Over,” “Better Be Home Soon,” “Weather With You” and more — as well as his solo material and the songs he wrote as a member of Split Enz, including the 1980 hit “I Got You.” Released in 1986, “Don’t Dream It’s Over” appeared on Crowded House’s eponymous debut album and became the band’s biggest hit, reaching No.