Sublime
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The most prominent recent victory for organized musicians was 2018’s Music Modernization Act, which, among other things, established mechanical royalties for streaming, based on a “grand bargain” offering streaming services indemnity from infringement lawsuits in exchange for royalties. The MMA was sponsored by conservative Republicans Bob Goodlatt... See more
Worker’s Song | Franz Nicolay
Take Whitney Houston’s 1987 smash “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me),” which was bought in late 2022 as part of a $50 million to $100 million deal by Primary Wave, a music publishing company backed by two private equity firms. The song was recently rebooted into our collective hippocampus via a movie about the singer, titled, naturally, “I... See more
Marc Hogan • Same Old Song: Private Equity Is Destroying Our Music Ecosystem
And without helping himself to a slice of the songwriting credits, which would have been standard practice. The failure of George Martin to rip them off remains one of the most bizarre elements of their story.
Rob Sheffield • Dreaming the Beatles
Hipgnosis Songs Fund bought a 50 percent stake in the funk star Rick James’s catalog, which includes his irresistibly catchy 1981 hit “Super Freak.” To monetize its prize, Hipgnosis found a lightly modernized update of the “Super Freak” track, had Nicki Minaj assemble a songwriting crew and voilà: In 2022, Ms. Minaj’s “Super Freaky Girl,” essential... See more
Marc Hogan • Same Old Song: Private Equity Is Destroying Our Music Ecosystem
“Paula was the ex-wife of Irish rock star Sir Bob Geldof, late of the Boomtown Rats, and the ex-consort of Australian rock star Michael Hutchence, late in a more permanent sense, and was widely admired by many distinguished Americans, including Andy Warhol, who hailed her first book-a collection of photographs entitled Rock Stars In Their Underpant... See more
# George Michael's Influence on One Direction and the Posthumous Tributes from Liam Payne's Peers
The musical legacies of George Michael and Liam Payne intersect through the broader context of pop culture, artistic influence, and posthumous recognition. While there is no direct record of public statements exchanged between George Michael and Liam
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