Legendary singer-songwriter Paul Simon has become the latest star musician to cash in on his lifetime body of work, selling his entire music catalog to Sony Music Publishing for an undisclosed amount. “I’m pleased to have Sony Music Publishing be the custodian of my songs for the coming decades," said Simon after the deal was announced. "I began my career at Columbia/Sony … [Read more...] about Paul Simon Latest To Sell Music Catalog
Special Report: The Downside of NFTs
By Gary Symons TLL Editor in Chief If you're like me, you've likely been reading about the recent NFT craze and wondering if these 'Non-Fungible Tokens' will be used in the licensing industry as a means to establish intellectual property ownership and licensing rights. The answer is both yes ... and maybe no. Most of the news about NFTs over the past month has focused on … [Read more...] about Special Report: The Downside of NFTs
Marvel, DC Initiate Seismic Shift in Comics Distribution
By Gary Symons Editor in Chief Marvel Comics has followed the lead of DC Comics, ending its exclusive arrangement with Diamond Comic Distributors, and signing a global agreement with publishing giant Penguin Random House (PRH) to be its new Direct Market distributor. Direct Market sales are those that involve distribution to independent comic book shops, which until recently … [Read more...] about Marvel, DC Initiate Seismic Shift in Comics Distribution
Virtual Esports Conference Slated For April 22
EBS/Cynopsis is virtually bringing together some of the biggest opportunities in esports as the industry's biggest leagues, platforms, content and teams serve up a showcase of activation delights for brands who want to reach and engage the highly-prized fanbase, watching and engaging in sports and esports. "We are thrilled with this year's lineup, which will deliver … [Read more...] about Virtual Esports Conference Slated For April 22
Vir The Robot Boy Is Now Teaching Kids
New Partnership Between Wow Kidz and Twinkl to Create Educational Materials Schools have taken a real hit over the past year due to COVID-19, but Vir the Robot Boy is flying in to the rescue with a new range of themed educational resources. The initiative is due to a partnership between Wow Kidz, the kids’ animation brand owned by Cosmos-Maya, with the global … [Read more...] about Vir The Robot Boy Is Now Teaching Kids
Fanatics Partners With NFL and Amazon In Major Strategic Shift
By Gary Symons TLL Editor in Chief Amazon is the dominant force in the Western world when it comes to ecommerce, with the one exception of pro-sports branded sports gear and memorabilia, and that's because the market is largely cornered by Fanatics. Now, that may be changing due to a game changing new partnership between the National Football League, Fanatics, and Amazon. The … [Read more...] about Fanatics Partners With NFL and Amazon In Major Strategic Shift
Songwriters Demand Musicians Stop Taking Credit For Their Work
By Gary Symons TLL Editor in Chief A group of the world's top songwriters are launching a rebellion of sorts against "a growing number of (recording) artists" who they say are taking credit—and royalties—for songs they had no hand in writing. Called The Pact, the group includes writers who have penned massive hits for Dua Lipa, Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, One … [Read more...] about Songwriters Demand Musicians Stop Taking Credit For Their Work
Jewel & GCA Partner on Noted: The Greeting Card Expo
The Greeting Card Association (GCA) and Jewel Branding & Licensing have announced a new partnership to co-locate Noted: The Greeting Card Expo and Showcase, running virtually on May 20 and 21, 2021. Noted debuted in 2019 with the goal of bringing together the greeting card community so attendees could connect with one another, discover new products, and celebrate the … [Read more...] about Jewel & GCA Partner on Noted: The Greeting Card Expo
Topps Releases the Monster of All NFTs
Collectibles Leader Topps Digital Issuing Godzilla NFT Collectibles on March 31 If you've been reading a lot about NFTs and were wondering when it would hit the world of licensing ... it already has, as collectibles firm Topps Digital continues to introduce exciting new products on the WAX Blockchain. Tomorrow, on March 31, Topps will conintue to build on its reputation as … [Read more...] about Topps Releases the Monster of All NFTs
Spielwarenmesse July Toy Fair Cancelled
In yet another sign that normality is still a long way off, the Spielwarenmesse conference in Nuremberg, Germany scheduled for July has now been cancelled due to "the unrelenting uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus pandemic both on a national and international level." Organizers say they've decided to cancel the event and to focus instead on a combined online and onsite … [Read more...] about Spielwarenmesse July Toy Fair Cancelled