Dr. Dre Sells Beats for $3 Billion

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Artist News, Industry News,

Dr. Dre has secured a deal to sell his Beats Music business to Apple for $3 billion, making him the richest artist in hip-hop.

The co-founder, who launched the headphones and streaming service with friend Jimmy Lovine, will leave Interscope, which he founded, to work with Apple alongside his business partner.

"I've always known in my heart that Beats belonged with Apple. The idea when we started the company was inspired by Apple's unmatched ability to marry culture and technology. Apple's deep commitment to music fans, artists, songwriters and the music industry is something special," Dre said, according to NME.com.

Dre could be set to become hip-hop's first billionaire after Apple announced they will buy the business for $2.6 billion, as well as spending $400 million "that will vest over time." Talking about the deal, which has been rumored for weeks, Apple's CEO Tim Cook said, "Music is such an important part of all of our lives and holds a special place within our hearts at Apple. That's why we have kept investing in music and are bringing together these extraordinary teams so we can continue to create the most innovative music products and services in the world."

Click to continue reading Dr. Dre Sells Beats for $3 Billion

Gallery: Dr. Dre Sells Beats for $3 Billion

Quincy Jones Blasts Michael Jackson Album

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Artist News, Gossip, Pop, New Releases,

Quincy Jones has blasted the new Michael Jackson album Xscape.

The legendary producer - who masterminded some of the late singer's biggest hits - thinks the posthumous recording was only released to "make money."

"It's about money. They're trying to make money. And I understand it. Everybody's after money, the estate, the lawyers. It's about money," he said.

Quincy admitted it "bothers" him to see so much of the 'Thriller' star's previously-unreleased music being made public but has learned to accept it has nothing to do with him. When asked if he was bothered by the recordings, he told Jian Ghomeshi's Q talk show on CBC Radio, "Yeah, but it's not my business anymore. They're not our business."

Quincy's comments come months after he launched a $10 million breach-of-contract lawsuit in relation to the recordings released after the "Billie Jean" star's death in June 2009. He alleged master recordings he had worked on were wrongfully edited and remixed so as to deprive him of back-end profit participation. He also claimed he had been denied credit for his work and that MJJ Productions and Sony Music have entered into deals taking profits that should have been included in the calculation of royalties.

Gallery: Quincy Jones Blasts Michael Jackson Album

Britney Spears Offered $12 Million to Extend Residency

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Artist News, Concerts / Tours, Gossip, Rumors, Pop,

Britney Spears is close to extending her Las Vegas residency.

The "Perfume" singer, whose show Piece of Me at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino has been a huge success, has reportedly been offered $12 million to continue performing until 2016. According to New York Daily News, the pop star is close to securing a deal with Ceasers Entertainment, the parent company of Planet Hollywood, to stay on at the venue.

"Britney Spears has been a great success for the company and will be extended, if she wants to do it, and I cannot see why not. She has been filling the place every night, and she is enjoying it and is in good health," said Ceasers Palace President, Gary Selesner.

The 32-year-old star was scheduled to perform 50 shows per year in 2014 and 2015 as part of the initial deal, earning her an impressive $30 million, and Gary admitted it was a "gamble" in the beginning but he is now happy with how popular the show is and wants her to return for further dates.

Click to continue reading Britney Spears Offered $12 Million to Extend Residency

Gallery: Britney Spears Offered $12 Million to Extend Residency

Rihanna Offered Settlement in Accountants Case

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Artist News, Gossip, Hip-Hop & Rap, Pop, R&B / Soul,

Rihanna has been offered a settlement of over $10 million in her legal battle against her former accountants.

The "Diamonds" hitmaker had taken action against Peter Gounis and his firm Berdon LLP, claiming their poor financial advice had led to her losing a reported $9 million in 2009, and though she was initially suing for $35 million, the New York Post newspaper claims the firm have offered a settlement and the paperwork to end the case will be signed later this week.

In her claim, Rihanna - whose real name is Robyn Fenty - said the firm advised her to buy a $7 million house, even though they knew she was "bleeding cash."

"The defendants advised Ms. Fenty by e-mail that purchasing a home in Los Angeles 'would be a good investment' despite knowing Ms. Fenty was experiencing financial difficulties," her lawyer Edward Estrada wrote in legal documents.

Click to continue reading Rihanna Offered Settlement in Accountants Case

Gallery: Rihanna Offered Settlement in Accountants Case

Rihanna Suffered Financial Troubles

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Artist News, Concerts / Tours, Hip-Hop & Rap, Pop, R&B / Soul, Reggae,

Rihanna claims she was "effectively bankrupt" in 2009.

The "Only Girl in the World" hitmaker blames her accountants' poor decision making for her fortune dwindling away from $11 million in cash at the beginning of the year to $2 million several months later.

In documents filed in her gross mismanagement case against the accountancy firm, Berdon LLP, Rihanna claims they gave her the go-ahead to buy a house priced between $7 and $7.5 million, which she did - and later sold for a $2 million loss. To further add to her financial woes that year, the singer's expenses "doubled," TMZ reports. In the lawsuit, Rihanna also claimed her 2009 Last Girl on Earth tour was losing money but she was never warned of this by the accountants.

Berdon previously claimed Rihanna's own "financial action or inaction" or those of people working for her caused her to lose money, not their decision-making. They also dismissed the "Diamonds" star's previous objection she paid an "above-average" commission of 22 per cent as something she had signed off on herself.

Click to continue reading Rihanna Suffered Financial Troubles

Gallery: Rihanna Suffered Financial Troubles

Adele Earns $50 Million Without New Tours or Albums

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Artist News, Pop, R&B / Soul,

Adele earned $50 million in 2013 without touring or releasing any music.

The Skyfall singer's Melted Stone company revealed a turnover of $50 million for the past financial year, which was filed this week with Companies House. According to reports in The Sun newspaper, Adele took home $19.8 million, which included a $8 million pay package and a $11.8 million dividend.

Her huge income was earned despite not releasing any albums or singles, and she didn't go on the road to play a run of live shows. However, the success of her album 21 has boosted her bank balance, despite being released three years ago.

Although Adele has been quiet musically for a while, she has been raising her 16-month-old son Angelo, with work now starting on her highly-anticipated third album.

Gallery: Adele Earns $50 Million Without New Tours or Albums

Lily Allen Turned Down $100 Million Gig

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Gossip, Performances, Pop,

Lily Allen feels like an "idiot" for turning down a gig worth "$100 million."

The "Hard Out Here" singer was asked to perform on the website, Second Life, which she would have been paid in the "virtual" currency, Bitcoin. The singer, who is believed to be worth more than $10 million, turned down the offer, despite Bitcoins now selling for about $100 each.

Lily took to Twitter to reveal her mistake at the weekend, posting, "About 5 years ago someone asked me to stream a gig live on second life for hundreds of thousands of bitcoins, 'as if' I said. #idiot #idiot [sic]."

The 28-year-old star, who gave birth to her second child, Marnie Rose, in January last year, came back to the music industry at the end of 2013, recording a version of Keane's "Somewhere Only We Know" for the John Lewis Christmas advert. It spent two weeks at number one last month.

Click to continue reading Lily Allen Turned Down $100 Million Gig

Gallery: Lily Allen Turned Down $100 Million Gig

Eminem Demands $2 Million for Super Bowl Gig

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Gossip, Performances, Rumors, Hip-Hop & Rap, Pop, R&B / Soul,

Eminem reportedly refused to perform at a Super Bowl party unless he was paid $2 million.

The "Monster" rapper is said to have been approached to play a concert at the NFL Owners Party during Super Bowl week in 2014. According to TMZ, the offer was for Eminem to perform a set of his greatest hits for 1,500 guests following a lavish dinner, but organizers were forced to find a replacement act after the rapper demanded the hefty fee.

Reps for the event were also eyeing a performance from Kanye West only to find that his fee was also out of budget. "[For Kanye] it was $1 million, plus a lot of other perks," a source revealed.

As a last resort organizers have reportedly snapped up "Tight Rope" singer Janelle Monae who will perform for a more reasonable $150,000.

Click to continue reading Eminem Demands $2 Million for Super Bowl Gig

Gallery: Eminem Demands $2 Million for Super Bowl Gig

‘Forbes’ Names Madonna Highest-Paid Musician

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Artist News, Concerts / Tours, The Charts, Alternative, Country, Hip-Hop & Rap, Pop, R&B / Soul, Rock,

Madonna has topped Forbes' list of highest-paid musicians.

The 55-year-old singer is still the queen of pop according to the magazine, earning $125 million from June 2012 to May 2013 thanks to her sell-out MDMA Tour, miles ahead of her nearest rival Lady Gaga, who raked in $80 million. Rockers Bon Jovi and country singer Toby Keith were next, with Coldplay coming in fifth place.

Despite lackluster sales of her latest album, Madonna made her fortune from fans paying $100 a ticket to see her tour - which grossed $305 million - as well as from merchandise sales, a clothing line, fragrance and investments in companies like Vita Coco. This comes as little surprise, since Madonna had already been crowned the world's highest-earning celebrity by Forbes in August, with filmmaker Steven Spielberg, author E.L. James, radio personality Howard Stern and X Factor boss Simon Cowell rounding out the top five.

However, the magazine estimates Lady Gaga could easily top the highest-paid musicians list next year because her current earnings were affected by her hip injury, which forced her to cut her Born This Way Ball tour short. Had she completed the tour, she could potentially have made $200 million.

Click to continue reading ‘Forbes’ Names Madonna Highest-Paid Musician

Gallery: ‘Forbes’ Names Madonna Highest-Paid Musician

Lorde Signs $2.5 Million Deal

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Artist News, Industry News, Upcoming Releases, Electronic, Pop,

Lorde has signed a $2.5 million publishing deal.

The 17-year-old singer, whose track "Royals" hit number one in both the UK and America, has landed a contract with Songs Music Publishing. "She's going to be a really big songwriter outside of Lorde. She's going to have a lot of big songs out there as Ella [Yellich O'Connor], she's a once-in-a-generation type artist," President Ron Perry told Billboard.

The record company is also said to be keen for the brunette star to collaborate with its other artists, including Diplo and The Weeknd, as well as writing songs for others.

Lorde is the first New Zealand singer to score a number one in the US and her track has been in the top spot for six weeks, while her album Pure Heroine has spent five weeks in the top ten. Lorde is also the youngest female chart-topper in the US in the past 25 years and her hit song is still in the top five in the UK.

Click to continue reading Lorde Signs $2.5 Million Deal

Gallery: Lorde Signs $2.5 Million Deal