Social media networks featuring short-form video continue to drive music licensing deals, with Universal Music Group announcing this week a licensing deal with Singapore-based TikTok rival Lomotif. Lomotif is a social networking platform with the mission of democratizing video creation. The company was co-founded by video enthusiast Paul Yang in 2014, and has been granted three technology patents uniquely focused on empowering creators to share and watch short videos with ease through remix and collaboration. The Lomotif app is available in the Apple and Google stores, and Lomotif is one of five partners selected by Snapchat for a bi-directional integration for posting stories between the two platforms. While not as large as TikTok, Lomotif has been downloaded more than 225 million times, and has 31 million monthly active users, watching an average of… . . . read more
Helinox Collab With Pop Superstars BTS
Helinox, a Korean company that first designed many of the portable furniture items we now see at sporting events, concerts, parks and campsites, is dropping its second collaboration with pop supergroup BTS. So popular that their fans are known as the BTS Army, the Korean boy band has worked with Helinox to release a completely new line of tents, chairs, pop-up table, and other accessories for the outdoors. “We’re honored to be working with BTS and this collaboration is ultimately about demonstrating that gathering and enjoying the outdoors mean many things to many different people,” said Young Lah, Global CEO of Helinox. “As a brand, we want to give people the ability to fully enjoy the outdoor lifestyle on their terms, and find comfort regardless of whether that’s at a… . . . read more
BMG Inks Music Licensing Deal With SESAC And Mint
The music publisher BMG has expanded its existing partnership with SESAC Digital Licensing to grow its digital music business in Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Established in 2008, BMGis the world’s fourth-biggest music company, and a record label and music publisher in one. BMG’s 20 offices across 12 core music markets now represent over three million songs and recordings, including many of the most renowned and successful catalogs in popular music history. The agreement provides for new digital licensing deals for BMG’s Anglo-American music library in Southeast Asia and Australia/New Zealand, and expands on an existing agreement for the fast-growing Indian market that was signed in early 2019. The deal also includes a critical relationship with Mint Digital Services (Mint), which is an alliance between the US music rights organization SESAC and Swiss… . . . read more
AC/DC Launches Beer, Sex Pistols In Licensing Battle
There’s Anarchy in the UK, as The Sex Pistols’ guitarist Steve Jones and drummer Paul Cook are suing former band frontman John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten) over the use of their songs in the upcoming Danny Boyle biography series Pistol. The series, slated for streaming broadcast on Disney+, is based on Jones’ 2016 memoir Lonely Boy, but Lydon says the book and the series paint him as the villain of the piece. Claiming the book depicts him in a “hostile and unflattering light,” Lydon says he will not approve licensing of the band’s music for Pistol, unless he is ordered to do so by a judge. All parties agree the band had a notoriously fractious relationship, but the lawyer for Jones and Cook, Edmund Cullen, says the band had an… . . . read more
KISS Is Rocking New Licensing Deals For World Tour
Legendary rock band KISS is heading back on the road on the End of the Road World Tour, and has launched a licensing blitz along with their exclusive agent Epic Rights. The licensing agency says it has signed several new licensing agreement over the last year across multiple product categories for key territories worldwide, with many new and unique products for retail. The new KISS product launches will coincide with the return of the End of the Road World Tour, which launched in 2019 and generated record sales. With the end of the pandemic lockdowns in site the tour is back with rescheduled shows and new additional concert dates. Thanks to their blistering rock classics and their larger than life stage presence, KISS continues to be among the most merchandised bands… . . . read more
Hipgnosis Is Rocking Revenue With Music Catalog Acquisitions
Leader in the Evolution of Music Licensing Says Revenue and Dividends Are Up, After $1 Billion Acquisition of Music Catalogs In the music world, 2020 will be remembered as the year when the value of popular music catalogs soared into the stratosphere, but 2021 will be the year that strategy was shown to pay off, as Hipgnosis unveiled impressive profits and revenue growth. Hipgnosis is a leader in the space, as the London-listed public company spent a jaw-dropping $1 billion during the pandemic to acquire the rights to hit songs. Hipgnosis now owns the rights to 65,000 songs by artists from Neil Young to Beyoncé, and those songs are raking in the dough because of a massive uptick in music streaming, and the use of licensed music on social media… . . . read more
MeUndies Is Rocking Some Rolling Stones Imagery
The apparel brand MeUndies is bringing some classic rock to its collection of underwear, sleepwear and loungewear, licensing the famous Rolling Stones lips and tongue logo for products aimed at its community of loyal Gen Z and millennial customers. The logo may well be the most famous in the world for any musical act, and was designed originally by artist John Pasche to adorn a poster for the Rolling Stones upcoming tour in 1970. After a couple of attempts that didn’t win over the Stones’ frontman Mick Jagger, Pasche says Jagger came back to him with a drawing of the Hindu God Kali, and suggested using that as a source for the art. Pasche later said he was struck by the open mouth and protruding tongue, which he thought caught… . . . read more
Universal Music Announces Licensing Truce With Triller
The months-long licensing dispute between Universal Music Group and the social video site Triller appears to be over, as UMG announced it has signed a worldwide agreement for its music catalog. Triller is a social media video app, similar to TikTok, in which users can combine video and licensed music to produce their own videos. Triller is different in the sense videos are generally longer, and may last for an entire song, whereas TikTok specializes in shorter, 15-second videos. The two companies were locked in a bitter dispute after Triller said it didn’t need a licensing deal with UMG, which resulted in Universal pulling its entire music catalog from the platform. Universal also said Triller had failed to pay licensing fees for songs from Universal’s catalog. Since then, however, Triller announced… . . . read more
India’s Tips Industries Licenses Music For YouTube
As the short video wars heat up between TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels, music labels are enjoying new value for licensing their IP. Now, India’s Tips Industries has signed a lucrative deal with Google, allowing users of its YouTube Shorts service to use any music owned by the label. “As part of this deal, Tips will license its large catalogue to YouTube platform allowing the huge Indian Diaspora across the world to create content inspired by its ever popular and superhit music library, in diverse Indian languages,” Tips said in a statement. Tips Industries chairman and managing director Kumar Taurani said this partnership will open possibilities for creators and users to explore their creativity. In December last year, Tips Industries announced a global deal with social media giant Facebook… . . . read more
Update: Jerry Garcia’s Rainforest Benefit Sandals Sell Out in Hours
“Somebody has to do something, and it’s incredibly pathetic that it has to be us.” –Jerry Garcia, Rainforest Benefit Concert Press Conference, September 1988 A collection of limited edition sandals offered by shoemaker KEEN Inc. and the estate of the late musician Jerry Garcia sold out just hours after being offered on Earth Day. KEEN says the limited-edition, individually numbered Newport Garcia LTD sandals, dropped at 12:01 AM on Earth Day and sold out by noon the same day. KEEN, a long-time defender of public lands, created the limited edition, individually numbered collection, using Garcia’s unique artwork to raise awareness and funds to Protect the Tongass National Forest. KEEN will donate one per cent of proceeds from this style, and the overall Garcia collection, to The Wilderness Society’s ‘Protect The Tongass’… . . . read more