business

During his keynote speech at Midem in Cannes, France, Lyor Cohen announced that his new label 300 has joined forces with Twitter in order to create A&R tools that will benefit the whole music business. “In the modern A&R business we are all looking for talent in various places, and certainly Twitter is a terrific place to look at talent,” said Cohen. “If you wa...

When Jay Z declared that there were new rules to this music industry, he wasn't kidding. King Hova's deal with Samsung to release his Magna Carta...Holy Grail album made his project platinum in a day, and forced the RIAA to redefine what constituted a sale in an ever-shifting business landscape. ...

LeRoy Benros’ Noizy Cricket!! imprint has re-signed his label to an extension under Universal Music Group. Benros’ label, in conjunction with Sarah Stennett’s Turnfirst Records, will work together to create a platform to develop artists before they sign to a major label. Noizy Cricket!! ...

Former Def Jam and Warner Music Group chief Lyor Cohen has announced the full details of his new music company, which he's launching with old Def Jam pals Todd Moscowitz and Kevin Liles. Not quite a record label, not quite a marketing company, the new venture is trying to create a template for the future of the music industry—which is why Cohen has named it 300, after the famous Spartan battle aga

Tequila Avión announced today that Jeezy will be the new multicultural adviser to company founder and chairman Ken Austin. Jeezy's primary role will be to advise Austin and Avión on how to understand and respect the environment of the multicultural consumer. The fastest-growing, ...

Russell Simmons, Steve Rifkind and Brian Robbins are coming together to push forward their latest innovative idea. Earlier today, Universal Music Group announced their partnership with Simmons, Rifkind and Robbins to launch All Def Music, which is a label that will center around signing, developing and promoting artists on YouTube...

Priority Records, one of the leaders of gangster rap back in its heyday, is relaunching with the help of Capitol Music Group and Insurgency Music. The independent force in hip-hop used to house legendary acts such as N.W.A., Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg and Eazy-E...

Don Cannon has been named as the new VP of A&R at the storied record label, Def Jam. The DJ/producer will keep his Atlanta address while working for the New York based label and be in charge of current and new artist projects as well as discovering new talent for the label, according to a report by Billboard. ...

Rostrum Records announced today that they have appointed collaborator E. Dan as their in-house producer and director of A&R. Dan was previously—and will continue to be—a founding member and owner of ID Labs, a Pittsburgh-based studio where he handled mixing, producing and engineering duties for local artists, which included Rostrum signees Wiz Khalifa and Mac Miller. “E. Dan has...

Christopher “Tricky” Stewart has stepped down from his position as president of A&R at Epic Records to focus on producing. The Grammy Award-winning songwriter/producer didn't announce if someone will be selected to fill in his A&R post. “It’s real simp...

Nicki Minaj is getting in on the adult beverage game, announcing today that she has become part-owner in the fruit-infused wine line Myx Fusions. As part of this new business venture, Nicki will become the focal point of the brand's marketing campaign, which will be spread across print, radio, television and special event platforms...

Michael Clervoix—better known as Sha Money XL—has left his position as SVP of A&R for Island Def Jam and been named EVP of Urban A&R for Epic Records. In an announcement posted on Billboard, Sha Money will oversee artist development and their recording process. He will also help ...