Peter Kafka in News on August 19, 2011 at 12:01 pm PT
New owners, new management: Edgar Bronfman Jr., who has run the label since 2004, moves up to chairman. Access Industries installs Stephen Cooper in his place.
Peter Kafka in Media on June 10, 2011 at 12:58 pm PT
The pact means that the streaming music company now has U.S. deals in place with three of the four largest labels, making it likely that the company will finally be able to move across the Atlantic this summer.
Peter Kafka in Media on May 6, 2011 at 7:09 am PT
Warner Music Group has a new owner: Len Blavatnik, a Russian-born billionaire who already owned part of the music label.
Next question: Will Blavatnik keep his new purchase, carve it up, or try to double down on his music bet?
Peter Kafka in Media on April 21, 2011 at 2:31 pm PT
Amazon rolled out a cloud-based music service last month, without the approval of the big labels. But sources say Apple is seeking licenses–and paying up–for the rights to do something similar, and already has some pacts inked.
Peter Kafka in Media on February 22, 2011 at 3:30 am PT
Spotify is set to cash a very big check. And while the big music labels would like to get their hands on most of it, immediately, they won’t. So how will the streaming service spend its dough?
Peter Kafka in Media on February 1, 2011 at 9:05 am PT
This has been happening in slow motion for years, and now it’s done: One of the world’s biggest music companies is now owned by one of the world’s biggest banks. But not for long.
News Byte
Peter Kafka in Media on January 20, 2011 at 4:18 pm PT
Warner Music Group has hired Goldman Sachs to find a buyer for all or a portion of the music company, reports the
New York Times. Warner Music Group has also hired Goldman Sachs to help it buy all or a portion of longtime rival EMI Music Group, the Times reports. The Times politely calls this an “unusual two-track process,” but it makes perfect sense for Goldman, which gets paid no matter what.
Peter Kafka in Media on January 19, 2011 at 4:18 pm PT
This doesn’t get them into the States, but it gets them a lot closer: Music service Spotify has finally signed with Sony for a U.S. distribution deal. Multiple sources tell me the deal, which has been very close since last fall, is now closed.
Peter Kafka in Media on January 4, 2011 at 10:33 am PT
Roger Waters and crew said they didn’t want their record label selling singles in Apple’s music store. But those concerns seem to have been resolved.
Peter Kafka in Media on November 16, 2010 at 8:09 am PT
The Beatles are locked up on iTunes until sometime in 2011. What happens after that? It’s not clear! Which means that Beatles conspiracy theorists have something new to chew on.
