Recording Academy Investigating Industry Attorney Joel Katz, Leaked Memo Says

Internal Recording Academy memos push back against Deborah Dugan’s allegations. Per a pair of internally circulated Recording Academy memos that were leaked by Variety, the organization’s higher-ups are taking a number of steps to address and investiga…

Was James Brown Murdered? Atlanta District Attorney’s Office Examining New Evidence

  An Atlanta prosecutor is considering launching an investigation into James Brown’s death after receiving new evidence. An Atlanta-based federal prosecutor is now reviewing the circumstances surrounding James Brown’s 2006 death.  The stunning ann…

Wu-Tang Clan Impersonators Steal $100,000 from Hotels, Recording Studios

Georgia police have arrested a pair of men who allegedly scammed hotels out of thousands by impersonating high-profile music-industry figures and rap artists, including members of the Wu-Tang Clan.  The scammers’ leaders, Walker Washington and Aaron Ba…

J. Cole Inks a Multi-Year Partnership With Puma — Starting With a Sneaker

J. Cole has signed a multiyear sponsorship deal with shoe and apparel powerhouse Puma.  The 35-year-old took to Twitter to announce the agreement, writing, “Been imagining this for 10 years. It’s time.” A five-minute YouTube video, en…

Coronavirus Cancellations Continue: Stormzy Backs Out of Asian Tour Dates

Owing to coronavirus fears, British rapper Stormzy has indefinitely postponed the Asian portion of his Heavy is the Head Tour.   The 26-year-old took to Instagram to reveal the news, which was attributed to “ongoing health and travel concerns.” It was …

JUUL Accused of Attempting to Hire Miley Cyrus to Influence Children

Attorney General Maura Healey, of Massachusetts, has claimed that the vaping brand JUUL tried to hire Miley Cyrus and other high-profile influencers to popularize vaping products.  The Miley Cyrus accusation was part of a lawsuit filed on Wednesday by …

Jennifer Hudson to Perform Kobe Bryant Tribute at the NBA All-Star Game

Jennifer Hudson is set to honor Kobe Bryant with a tribute ahead of the 2020 NBA All-Star Game.  According to details from the NBA, Hudson’s performance will kick the All-Star Game off, before the players are introduced. Additional details weren’t made…

Live Nation Expands Into Taiwan With Tixcraft Buyout, Opens Singapore Offices

Live Nation-owned Ticketmaster has set its sights on Asia’s highly lucrative ticketing and event promotion market.   Ticketmaster, wholly owned by Live Nation, recently announced the acquisition of Taiwan’s Tixcraft, a popular ticketing ser…

The 1975 Commits to Playing ‘Gender-Balanced’ Festivals — Except Reading and Leeds

The 1975 has indicated that they will only perform at ‘gender-balanced’ music festivals — those that feature a roughly even number of male and female artists or a ratio that favors the latter. However, the four-piece pop band from Cheshire,…

Katy Perry’s “Roar” Music Video Surpasses 3 Billion Views — One of 9 Videos to Cross the Threshold

On the heels of a multimillion-dollar copyright infringement ruling and accusations of cultural insensitivity, Katy Perry finally has some good news to celebrate: “Roar” has received over three billion views on YouTube. Here’s the Katy Perry vid,…