Music licensing and publishing company North Star Media has acquired a portion of the Shrek franchise’s original composition royalty rights for $2.2 million, the company tells Billboard. The rights to royalties from 643 original compositions included in the four Shrek films (Shrek, Shrek 2, Shrek the Third, and Shrek Forever After) were bought on July […]

Nas is the latest superstar artist to ride the NFT wave. The rapper and Jared Gutstadt’s Audio Up Media are selling a limited number of eight animated digital posters that celebrate Nas’ Apr. 19, 2014 Illmatic 20th anniversary concert in Johannesburg, South Africa as non-fungible tokens (NFTs), Billboard has learned. A single copy of a

MUMBAI — Indian hip-hop star Badshah has moved majors. After six years with Sony Music, the Hindi, Punjabi and Haryanvi rapper and singer has inked a global agreement with Universal Music Group (UMG), the label announced today. Under the multi-year deal, Badshah, 36, will partner exclusively with UMG across all elements of his career, including

Warner Chappell Music, the publishing arm of Warner Music Group, announced today (July 29) that it will open its first office in Vietnam and will appoint marketing executive Vince Kobler as its general manager. This extends the major music company’s presence in the fast-growing nation which started when Warner Music, the recording arm of WMG,

For the first time in 15 months, live music is returning nationwide after the global coronavirus pandemic ravaged the industry. Billboard’s “My First Show Back” is a series dedicated to sharing stories from throughout the touring ecosystem about what’s happening now, what has been forever altered and what will never change. In this installment, pop

Miley Cyrus is totally in her element in the colorful ad for Gucci’s new fragrance, Flora Gorgeous Gardenia. The singer, who was announced as the face of the fashion house’s new Eau de Parfum from creative director Allesandro Michele in June, communes with flowers, cats and dogs in a lush, vibrant garden in the ad

Lil Nas X keeps playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers. The rapper, who has proven to be a master at extending the life of a single, found another new gear on Wednesday (July 28) when he dropped the “Uncensored” version of the already NSFW video for his latest single, “Industry Baby.” The “Baby”

Jason Sudeikis says a certain Foo Fighters track is helping inspire the writing for the second season of one of TV’s most feel-good shows, Ted Lasso. Speaking to Blink-182 bassist Mark Hoppus for the After School Radio show, the co-creator of the Apple TV+ series spoke about the significance of the rock band’s song “My

The X Factor, Simon Cowell’s ratings juggernaut that first aired in the U.K. in 2004 and has given rise to some of the biggest pop acts of the 2000s, has been canceled by British network ITV. The broadcaster has confirmed that there are “no current plans” for another season of the show in the U.K.

Esmé Bianco’s harrowing accusations of sexual assault and abuse at the hands of Marilyn Manson are “untrue, meritless,” and part of a “coordinated attack by multiple plaintiffs,” the goth-rocker claims in a new court filing. Earlier this year, Bianco, a star from the hit HBO series Game of Thrones, stepped forward to join others who’ve accused the