HAPPY NEW YEARS FROM US AT VENZO DIGITAL!
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Thursday, December 15, 2011
BLOG: Shirtify T-Shirt Of Month Club: Music You Like, Money For Independent Artists
Source: Hypebot .
Shirtify is a t-shirt of the month club that's based on your social listening preferences. This Canadian starup uses music services like Spotify to identify what you're listening to and sends you a t-shirt for a band you enjoy. If you're an artist whose music is getting streamed a lot, this might be a good way to get paid.
Shirtify, is a project from the folks at Wantering who also created Window Shop, a site featuring merchandise found by fashion bloggers with links to the online outlets. With Shirtify they're setting up fulfillment as well.
Shirtify identifies your listening preferences via Spotify, Rdio, Pandora or Last.fm. They then send you relevant band t-shirts on a monthly basis for $35, annually for $399 or in a 3-shirt pack for $99. It is kind of pricey, which may be its downfall, but shipping is included and they have a "no questions asked" returns policy.
However, the biggest reason for the pricing is the fact that they pay the bands full price for their shirts, unlike probably any other retail outlet or related service. So part of their pitch is being a way for bands to get paid who may not be getting rich off streaming services.
They're currently contacting bands for shirts but don't have a posted submissions process. If you're getting streamed regularly on any of the above services, I'd suggest using this form to let them know you're interested.
More @ The Next Web.
Hypebot contributor Clyde Smith maintains his freelance writing hub at Flux Research and blogs at All World Dance and This Business of Blogging. To suggest topics for Hypebot, contact: clyde(at)fluxresearch(dot)com
Thursday, November 17, 2011
WaTunes Launch New Premium Mobile Streaming Service On iPhone!
WaTunes, the new mobile streaming service launch its premium version of its new "WaTunes 5" iPhone app. With WaTunes PRO, users are able to listen to up to 60 different genres, surf the web, and more for just $1.99. WaTunes is becoming a competitive app in hopes to compete against services like Pandora, SoundHound, and Shazam! WaTunes was previously a Facebook Music Store, enabling users to download over 10 million songs from Universal, EMI, Sony, and Warner. Today WaTunes plan is to later implement its music store service into its streaming iPhone app service, enabling users to download music on the go while streaming to their favorite genres of music.
So how does WaTunes 5 work?
Simple. Users are able to just select the genre of music they like and they are tuned in. Listening to music 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! Its that easy! So what can WaTunes do that others can't? How about surfing the web while you listen to your music?! Users are able to surf their favorite websites and listen to music at the same time. This gives users complete inertia of their music experience through WaTunes. What platform is WaTunes 5 is available?
WaTunes 5 is available on the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad devices. To get started, click on the App Store button below and get WaTunes 5 PRO today and stream unlimitedly!
Saturday, November 5, 2011
WaTunes Is Back With New Streaming Music Service!
WaTunes, the Facebook Music Store has been rebranded today as the new mobile radio streaming service with the launch of WaTunes 5. WaTunes 5 is a mobile app developed on the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad that enables users to stream unlimited music 24/7! You can download the app by clicking HERE!
So how does it work?
As a user you can download your FREE copy of the app and begin listening to your favorite genre of music. Simply select what genre you want, select your favorite style, and off you go! It's that easy! But it doesn't stops there, the app also enables the user to surf the web while they are tuning to their favorite genre of music, download their favorite songs on iTunes, get the latest news on the service, and much more!
So what does the FREE version comes with?
As a free user of the service, you gain access to four genres including: Electronic/Dance, Hip-Hop/Rap, Pop, and Reggae. You'll also be able to download songs from iTunes, surf the web, view the latest news & tweets, and more!
When will the Premium version comes out?
The premium version will be released on December 13th with more genres, more selections, and more features. All priced at $1.99.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Don't Have An App? You're Not Reaching 50% Of Potential Fans [SURVEY]
Source: Hypebot
www.google.com" src="http://www.hypebot.com/.a/6a00d83451b36c69e2015436a17504970c-200wi" alt="image from www.google.com" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-color: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 5px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px;" />Read the results of a new survey of mobile users, and you come to the conclusion that not having an app or mobile friendly site means you're missing a regular chance to connect with more than half of your potential fan base. Nielsen’s third quarter survey of mobile users revealed that 43% of all US mobile phone subscribers own a smartphone and whopping 62% of mobile adults aged 25-34 do. Among those 18-24 and 35-44 years old the smartphone penetration rate is hovering near 54%.
Other groups show only slightly lower penetration rates. Around 40% of 12-17 year-old teens and 40% of 45-54 year-olds reported owning a smartphone, as opposed to a more basic feature phone. After younger adults, the segment with the second fastest-growing smartphone penetration rate is those aged 55-64. Smartphone penetration among this older group is only 30%, but jumped 5% this quarter. As the smartphone market continues to expand, Android remains the most popular smartphone operating system in the United States, with 43%, whileApple is the top smartphone manufacturer, with 28% of smartphone consumers sporting an Apple iPhone.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Download the Aleasha Smooth Jazz iPhone App Free For Thanksgiving!
Source: Official News
Hey everyone,
We are very excited for the holidays and we want to give back to you, our listeners! Starting today we are giving away our hot selling iPhone app FREE for the holidays.Whether you have an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch, you can now download our amazing app and take Aleasha Smooth Jazz & Neo Soul where ever you are! Hurry now as this limited time promotion ends on November 22nd, 2011.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
PRESS RELEASE: Aleasha Rivers Launches New Christian Store
Aleasha Rivers Launches New Christian Store
BIRMINGHAM, MI – September 28th, 2011 – Aleasha Rivers, Co-Founder and CEO of exclusive clothing store Menaire Yellow launch new Christian store called Marcus Dion Christian Shop.
Marcus Dion has all the accessories and apparels for everyone including glasses, necklaces, keychains, mousepads, and other items. The Christian store also provides a collection of gospel music as you shop online.
“Marcus Dion is a Christian store designed to cater to all who enjoy Christian products and accessories. Inspired by my younger brother, I wanted to create a store that focuses on feeling the voids of all who have lost a loved one.“ Says Aleasha Rivers, CEO of Marcus Dion Christian Shop.
About Marcus Dion Christian Shop
In 2003, Marcus Dion, a very humble and happy young boy was diagnose with a very rare lung disease. Later that year, Marcus passed away. He was 11 years old. In memory of Marcus, Marcus Dion Christian Shop was founded in 2011 by his elder sister Aleasha ("Leasha") to share his memory to the world through the power of God.
Website: http://www.marcusdionchristianshop.com
Contact: aleasharivers@xeinge.com
PRESS RELEASE: Exclusive Clothing Store Launch On Cafepress.com
Exclusive Clothing Store Launch On Cafepress.com
BIRMINGHAM, MI – September 28th, 2011 – Exclusive clothing store Menaire Yellow today partnered with Cafepress.com to launch its extensive brand for women.
Starting today, women from all around the world will be able to purchase designer t-shirts, pants, sweaters, and more through Cafepress. Menaire Yellow is designed to offer women a high-end style of designer clothing while providing a feel of elegancy.
To kick off the launch, Menaire Yellow is offering its new VIP Program that enables customers to receive a 10% discount on their next purchase of items.
“We are very excited to launch our extensive line of clothing through Cafepress. We believe that our customers will be fully satisfied with our service as we tailor our store specifically to their needs.” Says Aleasha Rivers, Co-Founder & CEO of Menaire Yellow.
About Menaire Yellow
Menaire Yellow is an exclusive designer clothing store for women. We aim to present a high-end style of clothing while providing an elegant feel to your everyday life. Visit our website and shop for our branded sportswear, home & lifestyle, and women’s collection items.
Website: http://www.menaireyellow.com
Contact: aleasharivers@xeinge.com
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Kevin Rivers Resigns From WaTunes, Appoints Kyle Rivers As New CEO
Dear WaTunes Customers,
Over the past 5 years, I wanted to build a great product that enables musicians to get the best out of their music. It was at that end that I founded WaTunes as a home for many to share their musical gifts. Today, WaTunes is a MP3 Music Store embedded into the Facebook community. With over 10 million songs from majors and indies, we are the driving force of premium downloads on Facebook. We have enabled millions of musicians to sell their music within Facebook and have paved the way for indies for years. As effective immediately, it is with great distinction that I have officially decided to leave the company and appoint my brother Kyle Rivers as the new CEO. This is due to my increasing focus in other ventures. Kyle is an amazing individual with innovative ideas and savvy. He has serve as President of WaTunes for 3 years and have distinctively master the knowledge of the music industry. I entrust that he will further provide growth for WaTunes as he works to express and share all of your ideas to make WaTunes a better music service. (For further questions regarding WaTunes and its updates, please contact Kyle via Twitter @kylerivers) So What's Next For Me?Currently I am working on a new venture called: Venzo Digital, a powerful delivery platform for iTunes. We enable everyone to sell unlimited music on iTunes without sacrificing any upfront fees or cost. This includes: music, music videos, ringtones, iTunes LPs, and iPhone apps. Our business model and mission is growth. We want to grow with our customers as we build our strategic relationship with everyone of them. I encourage everyone who is in need of distributing music on iTunes to check us out at: www.venzodigital.com.Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Is WaTunes The iTunes of Facebook?
Source: HubPagesDetroit-based digital music company WaTunes, once redefined music distribution for independent musicians and labels, by offering music distribution entirely free. Most distributors require an upfront fee, and also a percentage from the artist's sales generated, but WaTunes offered their services with no upfront fees (unless you utilized the VIP package) and gave the artist's 100% of their royalties. 
Since April of 2010, WaTunes phased out the distribution service entirely, and focused on their Music Store application on Facebook ironically titled The Music Store.
Powered by MediaNet, users can discover and download millions of songs from The Music Store in .MP3 format much like Amazon MP3. Unlike iTunes, you have to download the particular content in .WAV, and is usually only compatible with Apple only devices, or devices the supports that type of format.
Unfortunately, WaTunes does not store user information, but utilizes an encryption service for security purposes. You will be required to input personal information, and your credit card numbers every time you go to make a purchase.
Although, most companies out there like Apple's iTunes, Google, Mozy, and The Rackspace Cloud, all offer cloud computing. WaTunes does not as of yet. Still WaTunes has a lot to offer as far as convenience, and simplicity. What's also convenient about the app, is that it's all within the Facebook walls, so you shouldn't ever have to worry about navigating between windows or tabs.This enables you to chat with your friends without interruption while searching for your favorite songs or albums.
Also worth mentioning is the fact that if you like a particular song, you can share it among your friends by clicking the Share/Like button on the album or song page. From there you are given the option to not only share it on Facebook, but to over 50 different social networking sites all at once!
Finally, if you're an artist yourself, WaTunes allows you to post your album link to their wall. With that, WaTunes chooses to submit your album among various others, and places you into their Staff Picks section of the marketplace. What's cool about that? Well having your album placed into the staff picks section along with major artist's is already cool enough. but It'll also provide you a marketing strategy that'll help gain more exposure, and ultimately increase brand awareness/fan base.
WaTunes is already being considered "The iTunes of Facebook" thus far, and as they keep implementing fresher, innovative ideas. WaTunes will be soon be among the high-ranks along with other juggernauts in this competitive market. Currently, their app has a rating of 4.3 stars out of 5. If you're interested in checking out The Music Store app. Head on over to their app page at:
The Music Store
The Marketplace
Album page
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
UPDATE: Venzo Music (VMG) Announces Delivery to Apple's iCloud
Sources: VMG Blog
Hi everyone,
I am very proud to announce that Venzo Music (VMG) is now able to deliver your catalog into Apple's new iCloud. iCloud is Apple's answer to cloud computing. With iCloud, you can place music, videos, photos, and documents all in the cloud and automatically be downloaded to all your Apple devices (iPod, iPhone, iPad, Mac, etc.).
Through Venzo Music (VMG), we enable you, the artist, to enable your music to be made available in the cloud. This makes it easy for your fans to easily download your music to all of their devices. Currently, this service is available only in the United States. As time progress, we will be able to fully gain access to iCloud to other territories. As apart of our agreement with iCloud & iTunes, we will be able to pay you 80% of the total revenue shared from iCloud (58% to labels + 12% to publishers).
UPDATE: Venzo Music (VMG) Announces Delivery to the Apple iCloud
Hi everyone,
I am very proud to announce that Venzo Music (VMG) is now able to deliver your catalog into Apple's new iCloud. iCloud is Apple's answer to cloud computing. With iCloud, you can place music, videos, photos, and documents all in the cloud and automatically be downloaded to all your Apple devices (iPod, iPhone, iPad, Mac, etc.).
Through Venzo Music (VMG), we enable you, the artist, to enable your music to be made available in the cloud. This makes it easy for your fans to easily download your music to all of their devices. Currently, this service is available only in the United States. As time progress, we will be able to fully gain access to iCloud to other territories. As apart of our agreement with iCloud & iTunes, we will be able to pay you 80% of the total revenue shared from iCloud (58% to labels + 12% to publishers). For more information on the new "iTunes in the Cloud", check out this amazing video of Apple presenting iCloud.
Source: CNETMonday, June 6, 2011
WaTunes: 4 Reasons Today's Apple iCloud Launch Is Much More Important Than You Think
Source: Hypebot
www.google.com" src="http://www.hypebot.com/.a/6a00d83451b36c69e201538efcc37f970b-200wi" alt="image from www.google.com" style="margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px;" /> At about 10AM PT today, Steve Jobs will take the stage at Apple's WWDC2011 to announce the company's latest products. (We'll be tweeting developments live @hypebot and follow with a midday story.) High on the list is iCloud, an online digital music storage locker and player, that on the surface seems like a robust version of what Google and Amazon launched last month. But Apple's iCloud launch is far more significant than that; and could have a major impact on how music is monetized and consumed.
4 Reasons Today's Apple iCloud Launch Is Much More Important Than You Think:
- The first licenced locker: Since the iCloud is the first digital locker to be launched with licenses from the major record labels and publishers, we'll get to see what rightsholders willing to allow and just how "game changing" music lockers can be.
- The future of owning music vs. renting: Cloud music lockers are about the availability of songs you've bought wherever you are. If they take off, they encourage ownership. That doesn't mean that streaming music is dead and there will be hybrids - Spotify's player, for example, already can combine songs on your hard drive with songs in their stream - but a successful iCloud also means that owning music isn't dead either.
- Making money from old music, again: For the first time since the vinyl to CD replacement cycle, record companies will be collecting money for music that's already been purchased. That money kept labels financially strong throughout the 1980's and 1990's. It's unlikely that revenues from cloud lockers will be that substantial, but even if just 10% of Apple users eventually adopt iCloud, at the reported 58% label and 12% publisher share of $25, that's some serious cash annually for a long time. The major labels have already collected a reported $100 - $150 million in advances from Apple for the iCloud.
- Cementing Apple's Dominance: The labels have again given Apple first mover status, but more importantly, because the iCloud only works on iTunes and Apple created devices, Steve Jobs has found yet another way to keep customers within his closed eco-system of software, devices and stores.
Friday, June 3, 2011
WaTunes: Apple Signs Universal For iCloud, More Details Leak
Source: Hypebot
www.google.com" src="http://www.hypebot.com/.a/6a00d83451b36c69e2014e88d9f2d9970d-120wi" alt="image from www.google.com" style="margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px;" /> Apple has added a deal with Universal to the other three other major label agreements it reached earlier, as it readies an official Monday launch of it's iCloud music service. according to multiple sources. Major music publishers are also apparently on board, and Apple is in talks to add film and television shows to iCloud. Deals have not been finalized, however, with thousands of indie labels and publishers. More leaked Apple iCloud details:
- Streaming will not be available at launch, but will be soon.
- For now at least, iCloud will store only music purchased on iTunes.
- Cut of the iCloud fee: Labels 58%, Publishers 12%, Apple 30% according to CNet.
- Universal and Sony had been demanding 60% of the revenue.
- Apple has offered independent labels 53% of cloud revenue. Some indie label executives tell Billboard that they are pushing for a bigger share.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
WaTunes: Facebook Speeds Toward 700 Million Users. Where Are They Coming From?
Source: Hypebot
www.google.com" src="http://www.hypebot.com/.a/6a00d83451b36c69e201538ed8526f970b-120wi" alt="image from www.google.com" style="margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px;" /> Facebook continues to explode, and is now closing in to 700 million users. But much of the growth is coming from outside of the U.S. Brazil alone added 1.9 million new users to Facebook in May, according to SocialBakers. That's a jump of 11 %. Here is a chart of the top growing countries for Facebook in May 2011.
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Friday, May 20, 2011
WaTunes: And Sony Makes 3. Apple Nears Cloud Music Launch
Source: Hypebot
Sony has become the third major label to make a deal to licence Apple's iTunes cloud music service, according to Bloomberg. EMI and WMG have completed similar deals with Apple in recent days according to multiple sources. UMG is rumored close to signing on. But even 3 majors out of 4 places Apple much closer to a rumored launch during its June 6th Worldwide Developer Conference. Apple must also complete deals with music publishers, but they have tended to fall in line once the labels have signed on.
As I wrote in yesterday's commentary, it appears that the labels, despite privately complaining about iTunes dominance, have handed Apple another major victory and left potential competitors in the dust. Read more here.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
WaTunes: Tunecore CEO Jeff Price Defends Flat vs. % Music Distribution Fees, Venzo Music CEO Kevin Rivers Responds!
Source: Hypebot
When Tunecore raised its yearly flat fee digital distributions rates recently, many users supported the change while a few vowed to leave the service. Yesterday, after competitor CD Baby offered a discount to artists to switch to its percentage based distribution, a heated debate raged among Hypebot readers over Tunecore's new rates and flat fee vs. percentage based distribution fees for d.i.y. artists. As part of his response, Tunecore CEO Jeff Price shared a passionate argument in favor of flat music music distribution:
Jeff has more to say in his comments to the original post here. It's an important debate. Jeff, CD Baby and others in the inudstry are paying attention. Tell them what you think. Official Responses from Venzo Music CEO, Kevin Rivers:"I am by no means suggesting TuneCore is not a business, it is. And it does charge a flat fee for a service, but I feel I can look someone in the eye honestly when I do that, not when I take a piece of what they make when their music sells.
...You get what you pay for with no hooks left in you in the event you succeed...I don't believe in pre-assuming artists are going to fail, and I don't believe when you have success others should be able to claw away as much as they can because you bet wrong"
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
BLOG: iTunes Service Venzo Music Steps In After TuneCore Raises Prices
From Digital Music News:
This is one of those things you only notice when you notice. For example, when your annual renewals are due within 30 days. And in the past few weeks, Tunecore has more than doubled its album distribution renewal fees, from $19.98 to $49.99.Actually, that's a 150% increase, and $30 means something to most artists. We talked to a Tunecore customer service rep about the shift, who confirmed that the price hike actually happened April 6th. But of course, Tunecore wasn't about to trumpet the change. Singles and ringtone distribution renewal charges remain the same - at $9.99 per year.
We had little trouble locating pissed-off artists. "This is a highly alarming event and many artists consider it blatant fraud," one artist wrote on the Velvet Rope forum. "The sign-up deal was $19.98 per year to renew an album. I want you to know I will immediately be contacting the Better Business Bureau, the Consumer Protection Agency and RipOff Report."
Tunecore does reserve the right to change rates, and the company has been notifying artists - but typically within 30 days of renewal. That technically allows time to shop around, though shifting contents to another service can be a huge hassle. And, there are serious penalties for non-renewal. "You must renew by the date above to keep your music live on the online stores you selected," the Tunecore letter states. "If you do not renew, your release will be taken down from the online stores after the renewal date. You will lose all your reviews, comments, future sales and your TuneCore Media Player. "
Official Response from Venzo Music (VMG):
We are very aware on how the distribution market has shifted. Due to these changes, more and more competitors are now able to take advantage of what seems like a grave error to music artists around the world. I am proud to say that Venzo Music has a much broader approach to getting people's music on iTunes. As the only iTunes platform that never charge any flat fees, we are opening our doors to any music artists who wants to gain access right into the iTunes Store.
In exchange for 20% of sales made, we are offering everyone to sell unlimited music, music videos, ringtones, and iTunes LPs on iTunes. Unlike other services out there, we grant users the ability to literally upload their music directly on iTunes, giving them more leverage and control of their music. Our business model is a non-changing model. We are very excited to be able to offer our services to any artist and record label without charging and increasing prices - Kevin Rivers, CEO Venzo Music (VMG).
For more information on Venzo Music check out their video at: http://www.youtube.com/itunesdistribution
Monday, May 9, 2011
PRESS RELEASE: Facebook App WaTunes Launches Marketing Strategy For Indies
DETROIT – May 9th, 2011 – Facebook music store app WaTunes has announced a strategic marketing strategy aimed towards independent artists to gain exposure on the music service. WaTunes is a music store that enables Facebook users to download over 10 million songs without leaving the social network. Users are also able to share music outside of the social network to other platforms including Twitter, Yahoo!, AOL, and Gmail.
Starting today, WaTunes will enable independent artists to share their WaTunes albums on the official WaTunes app Wall in exchange to gain exposure on the service through WaTunes’ Staff Picks section. Through this unique strategy, artists are able to share their albums via their Facebook page while their fans can simply buy their music without leaving the site.
“When we first moved our service entirely on Facebook, we knew we were on to a much broader idea. Now with this strategy, we are able to fully cater to any independent artists out there while enabling them to be placed alongside mainstream artists like Lady Gaga or Jennifer Lopez.” Says Kevin Rivers, CEO of WaTunes.
WaTunes currently license over 10 million songs from all four major record companies (Universal Music, Sony Music, Warner Music, and EMI Music) as well as major independents (CD Baby, TuneCore, ReverbNation, IODA).
About WaTunes
WaTunes is the world's most convenient music store app created exclusively on Facebook! WaTunes enable users to download and share new music instantly without leaving the site. Users can also share music on any other social network.
Friday, May 6, 2011
WaTunes: OFFICIAL: Warner Music Group Sold For $3.3B
Source: Hypebot
ACCESS INDUSTRIES TO ACQUIRE WARNER MUSIC GROUP
In $3.3 Billion All-Cash Transaction
NEW YORK, May 6, 2011 – Warner Music Group Corp. (NYSE: WMG) and Access Industries, the U.S.-based industrial group, today announced the execution of a definitive merger agreement under which Access Industries will acquire WMG in an all-cash transaction valued at $3.3 billion. The purchase includes WMG’s entire recorded music and music publishing businesses.
The purchase price of $8.25 per share represents a 34.4% premium over the volume-weighted average share price of $6.14 over the previous six months.
Under the terms of the merger agreement, WMG’s stockholders will receive $8.25 per share in cash at the closing of the transaction. WMG’s Board of Directors approved the transaction and recommended that WMG’s stockholders approve the transaction. In addition to stockholder approval, the transaction is subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals. It is anticipated that the transaction will be completed in the third calendar quarter of this year.
WMG’s Chairman and CEO, Edgar Bronfman, Jr., said, “We believe this transaction is an exceptional value-maximizing opportunity that serves the best interests of stockholders as well as the best interests of music fans, our recording artists and songwriters, and the wonderful people of this company. We are delighted that Access will be the new steward of this outstanding business. They are supportive of the company’s vision, growth strategy and artists, while bringing a fresh entrepreneurial perspective and expertise in technology and media. Most importantly, Access supports Warner Music’s commitment to our recording artists and songwriters who are the foundation of our current and future success.”
Len Blavatnik, Chairman and founder of Access Industries, said, “I am excited to extend my longstanding involvement with Warner Music. It is a great company with a strong heritage and home to many exceptional artists. I look forward to working closely with the many talented people within the company.”
Jorg Mohaupt, Head of Media at Access Industries, added, “The music industry is at an inflection point where digital adoption is rapidly gaining momentum. Warner Music, as one of the most progressive forces in the music business, is well positioned to capture this opportunity for music creation and distribution.”
Scott Sperling, Presiding Director of WMG, said, “It has been our great pleasure working with the extraordinary team at Warner Music over these past seven years. The company has managed to significantly increase market share and profitability during our ownership period and consistently outperformed even during a challenging period for the industry. Len Blavatnik and Access are likewise deeply committed to the music business and we know that we will be leaving the company in good hands.”
Following the closing of the transaction, WMG will become a privately held company and its stock will no longer be traded on the New York Stock Exchange. The company will retain the Warner Music Group name and will continue to operate out of its current facilities.
Thomas H. Lee Partners L.P. and its affiliates, Bain Capital Partners, LLC and its affiliates, and Edgar Bronfman, Jr., who together hold approximately 56% of the company’s outstanding shares, have entered into a voting agreement with Access under which those stockholders have agreed to vote their shares in favor of the merger.
Access has secured committed financing from Credit Suisse and UBS Investment Bank. These funds, in addition to equity financing from Access, will finance the cash consideration to WMG’s stockholders.
Goldman, Sachs & Co. and AGM Partners LLC acted as financial advisors to WMG, and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP acted as the company’s legal advisors. Credit Suisse and UBS Investment Bank acted as financial advisors to Access, and Debevoise & Plimpton LLP acted as Access’ legal advisors.
Quarterly Results Announcement
WMG noted that with the proposed transaction, it will not host a conference call to discuss results for the second quarter of fiscal 2011. The company expects to file its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2011 by May 10, 2011.
Additional Information and Where to Find It
In connection with the proposed transaction, WMG intends to file relevant materials with the SEC, including a proxy statement. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THESE DOCUMENTS (IF AND WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE) AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS TO BE FILED WITH THE SEC IN CONNECTION WITH THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT WMG, THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION AND RELATED MATTERS. Investors and security holders may obtain these documents (and any other documents filed by WMG with the SEC) free of charge at the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. In addition, the documents filed with the SEC may be obtained free of charge by directing such requests to WMG’s Investor Relations department at 212-275-2000, or by visiting the Investor Relations portion of WMG’s website at investors.wmg.com. Investors and security holders are urged to read the proxy statement and the other relevant materials when they become available before making any voting or investment decision with respect to the proposed merger.
Participants in Solicitation
WMG and its directors, executive officers and certain other members of WMG’s management may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from WMG’s stockholders with respect to the proposed transaction. Information about WMG’s directors, executive officers and members of management is contained in WMG’s most recent proxy statement and annual report on Form 10-K. Stockholders may obtain additional information about the directors and executive officers of WMG and their respective interests with respect to the proposed transaction by security holdings or otherwise, which may be different than those of WMG’s stockholders generally, by reading the definitive proxy statement and other relevant documents regarding the proposed merger, when filed with the SEC. Each of these documents is, or will be, available as described above.
“Safe Harbor” Statement under Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995
This communication includes forward-looking statements that reflect the current views of WMG about future events and financial performance. Words such as “estimates,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “projects,” “plans,” “intends,” “believes,” “forecasts” and variations of such words or similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends, or that do not relate to historical matters, identify forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are made as of today, and we disclaim any duty to update such statements. Our expectations, beliefs and projections are expressed in good faith and we believe there is a reasonable basis for them. However, we cannot assure you that management’s expectations, beliefs and projections will result or be achieved. Investors should not rely on forward-looking statements because they are subject to a variety of risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from our expectations. Please refer to our Form 10-K, Form 10-Qs and our other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission concerning factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in our forward-looking statements.
About Access Industries
Access Industries is a privately held, U.S.-based industrial group with long-term holdings worldwide. Access was founded in 1986 by its Chairman, Len Blavatnik, an American industrialist. Access' industrial focus spans three key sectors: natural resources and chemicals; telecommunications and media; and real estate. (www.accessindustries.com).
Access Industries’ holdings in the digital media sector currently include significant stakes in Perform Group (the online sports broadcaster), Acision (the leading mobile broadband and value added services provider), ICEnet (mobile broadband services provider in Scandinavia), ViKi (the international video site, translating the best of TV and movies into over 150 languages) and Mendeley Research Networks (the social Web application for sharing research papers, discovering research data and collaborating).
About Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group became the only stand-alone music company to be publicly traded in the United States in May 2005. With its broad roster of new stars and legendary artists, Warner Music Group is home to a collection of the best-known record labels in the music industry including Asylum, Atlantic, Cordless, East West, Elektra, Nonesuch, Reprise, Rhino, Roadrunner, Rykodisc, Sire, Warner Bros. and Word. Warner Music International, a leading company in national and international repertoire, operates through numerous international affiliates and licensees in more than 50 countries. Warner Music Group also includes Warner/Chappell Music, one of the world's leading music publishers, with a catalog of more than one million copyrights worldwide.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
WaTunes: Michael Robertson: YouTube Legal Battle Ain't Over
Source: Hypebot
![]( "image from <a href=")
www.google.com" src="http://www.hypebot.com/.a/6a00d83451b36c69e201538e4f8cf4970b-120wi" alt="image from www.google.com" style="margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px;" /> Viacom suffered a resounding defeat in their lawsuit against Youtube, but that was just the first round and Viacom promptly appealed. Now a higher court will examine the issues. This isn't just ceremonial. Lower court's rulings are routinely overruled even in copyright cases. In fact the Cablevision case was (thankfully) completely reversed by the higher court. With that in mind, I decided MP3tunes should file a brief of support in the Youtube case. We scoured internal Viacom documents in the case and uncovered evidence of elaborate schemes to market movies, TV shows and music using Youtube. To improve the effectiveness, they masqueraded their corporate actions as those of motivated fans. So thorough was the deception that Viacom itself couldn't track what was authorized and what was not making it impossible for anyone else (including Youtube) to know. While Viacom is telling the court that Youtube is a giant piracy operation their own words tell a completely different story. Rather than me summarizing I thought it would be most interesting to pull quotes directly from internal emails. Viacom emails on fake leaks, hiding their actions and altering videos:
www.google.com" src="http://www.hypebot.com/.a/6a00d83451b36c69e201538e4f8cf4970b-120wi" alt="image from www.google.com" style="margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px;" /> Viacom suffered a resounding defeat in their lawsuit against Youtube, but that was just the first round and Viacom promptly appealed. Now a higher court will examine the issues. This isn't just ceremonial. Lower court's rulings are routinely overruled even in copyright cases. In fact the Cablevision case was (thankfully) completely reversed by the higher court. With that in mind, I decided MP3tunes should file a brief of support in the Youtube case. We scoured internal Viacom documents in the case and uncovered evidence of elaborate schemes to market movies, TV shows and music using Youtube. To improve the effectiveness, they masqueraded their corporate actions as those of motivated fans. So thorough was the deception that Viacom itself couldn't track what was authorized and what was not making it impossible for anyone else (including Youtube) to know. While Viacom is telling the court that Youtube is a giant piracy operation their own words tell a completely different story. Rather than me summarizing I thought it would be most interesting to pull quotes directly from internal emails. Viacom emails on fake leaks, hiding their actions and altering videos: "THIS MUST BE VIRAL AND NOT DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO US."
"It should definitely not be associated with the studio - should appear as if a fan created and posted it." "Noone can know that Fanscape or MTV is involved in this." "Dana wants the clip to look as though it was leaked out by production instead of purposely placed by Spike or the UFC." "In light of the fact that the goal is to make [the video] look 'hijacked' we won't blur the round number on the clock. Steve actually suggest we throw (if technically possible) visual time code on it to add to the hijacked effect." "It's also completely finished footage so maybe we want to 'rough it up' with some time code before we release it virally."
Emails from Viacom and others demanding content THEY placed on Youtube be removed:
"We need your help with something. All of the Last Kiss content that we uploaded has somehow been removed-not per our approval. How can we get this back up? How does this happen?"
"We did it yet again! We issued a take-down on a video that was living in one of our channels." "This is the second time in as many months that our channels have been disabled. I do understand that Youtube is not to blame for these disruptions and instead it more systemic of what occurs in big companies like our clients where one department isn't aware of what another department is doing." "Can you please reinstate the Youtube account warnerbrosonline? I believe we sent notices to YouTube regarding warnerbrosonline and we would like to retract the notices." "Viacom is cease-and-desisting the content from MTV off YouTube and has caused our account to be disabled, making all of the MTV videos we have on that account inaccessible." "All three of our Fanscape YouTube channels have been disabled. We have copyright infringements from Viacom or MTV related companies (i.e. record labels) that we need to take care of as soon as possible. If we can't keep a YouTube channel live then it makes it very difficult to blast out the MTV videos provided by you to promote new/existing shows."
(Youtube responded it was taken down to an infringement notification.)
While Viacom tells the court that YouTube knows or should know what videos are pirated these documents tell a different story. Because media companies use the net for marketing they often don't know what's authorized and that is partly because they because they're large organizations partly because they intentionally hide their own actions.
There are striking similarities between the Youtube case and the MP3tunes' case. There's even references to "record labels" in some of the emails. In MP3tunes' legal battle EMI lied to the court claiming they don't distribute promotional songs online when they clearly do. In that case users helped gather evidence of EMI's deception. In Youtube's case the words written by Viacom employees themselves reveal the truth and why the appellate court should AFFIRM the lower courts ruling.Wednesday, May 4, 2011
WaTunes: WMG Update: Bids Are In, Deal Expected Soon
Source: HypebotAccording to multiple sources final bids are in the hands of the Warner Music Group board for review and they hope to finalize a deal quickly. The three bidders remaining are billionaire investor Len Blavatnik's Access Industries; a joint bid from Tom and Alec Gores' Platinum Equity and Gores Group; and a pair of separate bids from Sony Corp's recorded music arm and publishing units in partnership from investor Ron Perelman and Guggenheim Partners respectively, Reuters is reporting.
CEO Executive Edgar Bronfman Jr and his board are said to want to close the sale process without delay with one of the existing bidders because a sale to a rival music company or the sale of EMI could make a WMG sale more difficult to get by regulators.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
WaTunes: EMI Pulls Digital Rights From ASCAP In Radical Plan To Streamline Licensing
Source: Hypebot
As digital music innovation has picked up pace, bundled rights and one stop licencing has become the mantra of music tech startups and academics. But until today, no major player had taken real steps to make streamlined licensing a reality.
For EMI, the change is designed to streamline the performance rights licensing process for its EMI April Music catalog to for audio streams, streaming video, cloud music and other similar services. April Music is one of EMI's two largest catalogs, featuring almost 200,000 songs. Now, they can easily license many digital services whether they need a mechanical license, a synchronization license, a performance license or all three.
Without ASCAP taking a cut, EMI Music Publishing could also see a net revenue increase.
“The digital world demands a new way of licensing rights in musical compositions,” said EMI Music Publishing Chairman & CEO Roger Faxon in a statement. “We are reunifying the rights in many of the songs that we represent. By bringing these rights back together our aim is to reduce the burden of licensing, to create greater efficiency and importantly to reduce the barriers to the development of innovative new services. That absolutely has to be in the interest of everybody involved in the process - songwriters, licensees and consumers alike."
Monday, May 2, 2011
WaTunes: WMG $3 Billion Sale Could Be Completed This Week
Source: Hypebot
An group of investors that included Ron Burkle and Napster founder Sean Parker reportedly dropped out of the auction last week as did Live Nation.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
WaTunes: Sony Passes UMG As Top Label Group
Source: Hypebot![]( "image from <a href=")
www.google.com" src="http://www.hypebot.com/.a/6a00d83451b36c69e201538e32635d970b-200wi" alt="image from www.google.com" style="margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px;" /> Sony Music Entertainment has passed the Universal Music Group in year-to-date U.S. music market share for the first time since 2005. According to Nielsen SoundScan, Sony's overall album market share is 29.35%, just above Universal T 29.26%. That means when Doug Morris takes the helm of Sony un June, he will once again top the most successful label group in the country. But an aggressive release schedule could tip the scales towards UMG later this year.
www.google.com" src="http://www.hypebot.com/.a/6a00d83451b36c69e201538e32635d970b-200wi" alt="image from www.google.com" style="margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px;" /> Sony Music Entertainment has passed the Universal Music Group in year-to-date U.S. music market share for the first time since 2005. According to Nielsen SoundScan, Sony's overall album market share is 29.35%, just above Universal T 29.26%. That means when Doug Morris takes the helm of Sony un June, he will once again top the most successful label group in the country. But an aggressive release schedule could tip the scales towards UMG later this year. Tuesday, April 26, 2011
WaTunes: Facebook Adds Send Button, Improves Groups
Source: HypebotSince Facebook introduced its Groups feature in October, 50 million Groups have been formed. But until today, there has been no good way to message a small number of people. Yesterday with the launch of a Send button, Facebook has changed all that. In addition to Send details below) new improvements include integration with Questions, the ability to upload photo albums and additional membership controls.
"A year ago, we launched the Like button, which gives you a quick way to share the things you find on the web with all your friends," Elliot Lynde, a Facebook Groups engineer, wrote in a blog post. "But there are times when you find something that you only want to share with a few specific people."
How Send Works:
It you are in a site with Send buttons installed and want to tell your roommates about a great article that you only want to share with them, hit the new Send button and decide who to send it to: friends, groups or any email address. You can then add a message and send the page to friends’ inboxes or post it to a Group wall.
Starting today, the Send button will be available on over 50 high traffic websites including WSJ, HuffPo and Orbitz. Expect many more sites to add it in the coming days.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
WaTunes: Live Nation Senior Exec Calls Bob Lefsetz An "Asshole With A Computer"
Source: Hypebot
Pls print this - if you have the ballsYou are an asshole with a computer. I can finally say what every relevant member of our industry thinks. I dare you to sit in michael rapino’s chair for one week - and then write your column. I dare you to do one thing, just one, that takes a risk to move our industry forward the way michael and irving have for their entire careers versus whining about the glory of the past and criticizing those who pour their hearts into our business today. I dare you, just once, to be on the other side of your cowardly, late night computer jabs and feel the way I’m sure nathan does right now after working 20 hours a day for the last five years. Until then you are a coward and a cynic and a man who never spent a day in the ring and is so bitter in his irrelevance that he takes shots at the guys who are actually doing something.Ineptly yours,
From: Jason Garner
Subject: Re: Live Nation Compensation
Jason Garner
Friday, April 22, 2011
WaTunes: Do You Really Want A Major Label Deal?
Source: Hypebot
This guest post comes from Robin Davey, a musician, artist and Head of Music and Film Development at GROWVision Media.
When you take into account the cost of recording an album, paying a producer, giving your manager 20%, and splitting what remains of the advance between your band members, you can kiss goodbye those aspirations of putting an Escalade in the drive way. In fact you will be lucky to be able to afford to fix the oil leak in your Ford Focus.
The 360 deal further exemplifies this notion. If the majors take a piece of everything, the artist loses an even bigger portion of their lifeline when it comes to everyday survival. A CATCH 22 SITUATIONIn the current climate, the only way you will gain any major label attention is if you are already achieving a level of independent success. This is the catch 22 that the 75% of bands - who are still eager to pursue the major route - just don’t get.If you already have independent success, why would you want to go to a major?This is also what is weighing down the majors; they can no longer take the risk of signing every act with potential, and they cannot offer a lucrative incentive for those who are already proving themselves in the independent market. With services like Topspin and Bandcamp, it is now easy to sell direct to your fan base. High visibility in the marketplace and accessibility to new followers are also far more obtainable without the need of industry muscle. As a result you have the prospect of earning substantially more independently, than the royalties filtered down through the corporate system.It is the quandary of the industry which has deepened the us and them divide between musicians and labels. But this is really only the majors problem. Because they are the ones with plummeting profits, and it is the independent musician who is gaining a foothold.INDEPENDENCE DAYThe independent mentality is to do everything in house in order to keep costs down and productivity up. The corporate mentality has always been to get outside entities to do the job when needed. Although the majors would have departments to handle tasks like promotion, design and radio, it seemed they were only there to fulfill contractual obligations for the artists that did not show the prospects of real success. Any manager with experience would negotiate the use of an outside company to initiate a prolonged campaign, as opposed to the week or so the in-house department could dedicate to individual releases. I do see the latest job hiring at major labels reflecting a more independent mindset. They are on the look out for multimedia creators to handle a plethora of tasks, and this is certainly a step in the right direction. However, if they want to survive they don’t need to be tentative about this, they need to be bold, because it is the boldness of independent bands that is winning the day. Musicians who unabashedly embrace new ideas, and create innovative and accessible content are making the break through. As yet this is something that the majors haven’t been able to compete with, or indeed, fully comprehend.NO EASY ROUTE So aspiring bands and artists, I am afraid there is no easy route, the majors will certainly not provide it, and they never did. It comes down to hard work and offering up something different and innovative. And when the majors do come knocking, you will realize that the 25% who were not interested, are probably the ones who can actually pay their rent.Monday, April 18, 2011
WaTunes: How To Get Your Music Into Video Games!
Source: Hypebot
The National Association of Recording Industry Professionals (NARIP) held a professional’s panel in downtown San Francisco last Wednesday where top minds in the video game industry discussed ways that independent musicians could increase their chances of getting their music placed into video games.
The worldwide video game industry is poised to exceed $70 billion by 2015, thanks to the combined growth of console, portable, PC, and online video games, according to market researcher DFC Intelligence. As the industry grows, the opportunity for musicians to have their music licensed becomes increasingly more competitive.
Follow these tips to increase your chances of landing a placement:
Do Your Homework
Sony Computer Entertainment of America (SCEA) Music Director Chuck Doud recommends learning everything you can about the video game industry before knocking on the doors of supervisors.
“Find out what they need and what they’re looking for,” Doud said. “Seek out the developers who are doing the types of games that would be a good fit for your music. Think of the developers first, and don’t take the ‘hire me’ approach – you won’t get anywhere.”
SCEA Music Supervisor Matt Levine concurs: “Once we have a sense for how the game will shape out artistically, we’ll then set a list of potential candidates. We all talk to each other and we’ll ask around. We don’t hold any favoritism towards the indies nor the majors. The bottom line is this: if you’re good, and you have the sound we’re looking for, your chances of a placement increase.”
Note: Gamasutra.com and GameIndustry.biz are excellent resources for staying up to date on the business end of video games!
Start Small
Former Director of Music Relations for Electronic Arts/EA Sports, and current CEO of Eckhardt Consulting Randy Eckhardt:
“Don’t bother trying to meet with top-level people right away,” he suggests. “Seek out smaller developers first, as it certainly helps to show that you’ve had placement before. The current expansion into online social games that are using not as rich and deep content has expanded opportunities to score smaller games.”
2011 is predicted to be the year when mobile social games see a significant increase. Interestingly enough, the 2nd most highly valued company in the video game industry today is not just social, but also only four years old (Zynga - makers of FarmVille).
“The emergence of casual games is huge,” added Chuck Doud. “There are more developers popping up and therefore many more contacts for independents to approach.”
Make Their Job Easier
Music supervisors and licensors are flooded with hundreds of submissions on a daily basis, and there are only so many hours in a day. To increase your chances of being heard, make it easy for them to access and listen to your music.
“I’d much rather stream tracks," said Matt Levine. "I’d rather not download anything. I’m also more likely to listen to your music if your website is clean and very clear.”
“Don’t be sending out demos,” Chuck Doud suggests. “Send us your highest quality work that's ready to be licensed. Also, make sure you distinguish who owns what before submitting a track. All paperwork should be in place and your tracks should be ready to be licensed tomorrow if they had to be.”
Remember to Be of Service
The role of your music is to enhance the gamer's experience while they interact with the art on screen; it’s not supposed to take center stage. The more your intention lay in assisting the overall artistic vision of the project, and not so much on just landing a placement, the more likely music supervisors will want to work with you.
Getting your music in video games should be just one part of your strategy as a musician. While it can certainly lead to generous returns for larger-scale projects, it should ultimately be part of the marketing plan and not the primary desired source of income. With that, the more front-end research you do, the more rapport you build up, and the easier you make it on the people behind the scenes, the more likely you’ll earn a placement.
For more information on the National Association of Recording Industry Professionals, head to NARIP.com
Friday, April 15, 2011
WaTunes: MySpace Faces Data Sharing Class Action Lawsuit, CT0 Dimitry Shapiro Exits
Source: Hypebot
“MySpace knowingly serves as and profits handsomely from being a conduit through which details of the most intimate aspects of its members’ lives, as reflected in their Internet browsing history and otherwise, are transmitted to data aggregators, who package the information into profiles and sell it like any other commodity to advertisers,” according to the complaint filed as Virtue v. MySpace Inc., 11-cv-1800, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York, Brooklyn.
To further add to the confusion, Chief Technical officer Dimitry Shapiro is leaving MySpace. "Today is my last day at MySpace. Forming a new company on Monday, in LA. Hiring developers: Ruby/Node.js/JavaScript/CSS/UX/UI," read his Thursday afternoon message.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
WaTunes: Google Sick Of Dealing With Labels, May Drop Portions of Music Service
Source: Hypebot
Google is said to want users to be able to try the service for free with the first 500 tracks stored by users at no charge. WMG and perhaps others are unwilling to budge. "Google is just about at the end of their rope with the major label licensing process,” according to industry veteran Wayne Russo.
Google's logical move may be to launch a more limited product without licences much as Amazon did recently. Despite public condemnations, no labels or publishers have challenged Amazon Cloud with litigation.
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Although I am more in favor of the percentage model, I think this issue was a bold, yet unprecedented move on TuneCore.
While I strongly agree with Jeff that no artist should be denied access to distribution, I have to disagree with his comments in regards to a percentage based model.
Don't get me wrong, I think what Jeff and Peter did with TuneCore is truly a masterpiece. They, like myself and CD Baby have really brought real innovation to the industry. I also would say that I do respect Jeff's opinions, viewpoint and his philosophies. That being said, I honestly don't see why artist should pay any flat fees in exchange to have their music on iTunes.
Base on recent study that an average TuneCore user only makes $178 a year, it is apparent that flat flee models may prove to be more expensive short term & long term than a percentage model. Many reasons could be due to high maintenance cost in hosting the albums on their servers, implementation and deployment on features (as this was practically the case), and of course maintaining the systems.
There are many reasons why I believe a straight-forward percentage based model works is the following:
1.) Its sustainable long-term.
2.) Provides investments to both the artist and the distributor
3.) Sales can be use to re-invest in distribution systems based on customer feedback (i.e. What do the customer really want? And how do we give it to them?).
4.) No increase in prices. Everything remains the same.
5.) Customers don't have to worry about using their credit cards to pay a distributor for renewal fees. Everything is already taken out. The artists are paid, distributors are paid, everyone stays happy.
Now here is where things gets juicy. Lets say for example an artist made $50,000 in a year with 50 albums. It is clear to say that through a flat fee distributor (charging $49.99 per year) they only have to pay $2,500 out of the deal as oppose to $10,000 (from a distributor taking 20% out of the back-end). Seems like a lot of cash right?
Now ask yourself this question: Would it be easier to give a distributor $10,000 to ensure that they are in business long-term? In which they could utilize the funding to not only improve their systems but also their marketing efforts?
OR
Would it be easier to pay $2,500 and hoping that other users are paying the same amount to keep them in business long-term?
Now lets be more realistic. Say an average artist makes $178 a year off of one album. A flat fee company would take $50 while a percentage base company would only take $35.60 (20% taken out).
Overall, I would say that the core function of a business is to make money. Whether or not the model will work in anyone's favor is his or hers own opinion.