Canadian rock star and songwriter Neil Young is out of the blue, and heavily into the black, after selling a 50 per cent interest in his music catalog for an estimated $150 million US. As noted in this week's Special Report from The Licensing Letter, the past four years and 2020 in particular have seen a massive increase in the value and scale of music catalog deals. Sales … [Read more...] about Neil Young to Cash In on Music Catalogs
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Music Licensing Collective Goes Live
By Gary Symons TLL Editor in Chief New Year's Day marked a major change in the music licensing industry, as the Mechanical Licensing Collective went live as part of the Music Modernization Act. The bill was passed in 2018 with the goal of bringing in more fair rules for the compensation of musicians and songwriters, and called for the establishment of a body to oversee … [Read more...] about Music Licensing Collective Goes Live
#1 TikTok Star Charli D’Amelio and Family Get Hulu Series
Charli D'Amelio must have one of the fastest arcs to stardom of all time, rocketing to 100 million followers as the top TikTok user, and now getting a series on Hulu with her sister Dixie (also a TikTok star of note), and their parents Heidi and Marc. “The D’Amelio Show” will air on Hulu in 2021 as an eight-episode docuseries that follows “the first family of TikTok” as they … [Read more...] about #1 TikTok Star Charli D’Amelio and Family Get Hulu Series
Deadline Passes for TikTok Forced Sale With No Deal in Sight
By Gary Symons TLL Editor in Chief TikTok owner ByteDance has blown by the deadline set by US President Donald Trump to sell the company to a US buyer, but US officials say they are not enforcing the executive order. US officials also say they will not extend the Dec. 4 deadline for TikTok's parent company to sell off the rapidly growing social media app, but CNN and … [Read more...] about Deadline Passes for TikTok Forced Sale With No Deal in Sight
Universal Music Acquires Bob Dylan Catalog in 9-Figure Deal
Bob Dylan must be 'Knockin' on Heaven's Door' right about now, after Universal Music Publishing Group announced the acquisition of the singer-songwriter's entire music catalog for a reported nine-figure sum. The exact acquisition cost is still 'Blowin' in the Wind,' but rumors are that it will top Stevie Nicks $100 million deal last week from Primary Wave, and could be one of … [Read more...] about Universal Music Acquires Bob Dylan Catalog in 9-Figure Deal
Special Report: The TikTok Gold Rush Has Begun
Why Brands Need to Engage With the Upstart Social Media Platform By Gary Symons, TLL Editor in Chief It’s been a while since a new social media platform has really punched through the ceiling to join the ranks of the well-established giants like Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. In early 2019 not many people in the West even knew about TikTok; it was just another in a series … [Read more...] about Special Report: The TikTok Gold Rush Has Begun
TikTok Stars Snag Deal With Build-A-Bear Via Joester Loria Group
If you're in licensing and you're not following TikTok stars like the sister duo WeWearCute, then you better start. The sisters Ashley and Emma have racked up billions of views on the rising social media platform, and represented by Joester Loria Group and TTPM Influencer Talent Management, they are knocking down deal after deal after deal. This week Joester Loria announced … [Read more...] about TikTok Stars Snag Deal With Build-A-Bear Via Joester Loria Group