#MAGFAB: Keke Palmer on cover of Teen Vogue For Feb 2024
In her cover story with the mag, Palmer opens up about just how many changes she went through in 2023. Those transformations include becoming CEO of KeyTV and the record label Big Bosses Entertainment, turning 30 and becoming a mom to her son, Leodis.
“When I was younger, I used to have so much anxiety. I love to perform, but is that something that can last forever?” Keke asked. “I think I always would wonder, is it something that times out? Obviously, you have people that have been acting their entire careers…. but I just never knew how I could scale myself.”
That thought process is how KeyTV became the next step in her career evolution.
“If you were a lawyer, you want to get to be a partner,” she continued. “I didn’t understand what the version of that was for me. Some people become directors or they become a producer or they become the head of Paramount.”
Because Palmer has been in the entertainment industry for nearly her entire life, she wants to take that knowledge and use it to teach and empower the next generation.
“When you create generational wealth within underserved communities, you create wealth within our entire economy,” Keke explained. “My hope and my desire is to teach people the skills that I have, to teach them how to brand themselves, how to be entrepreneurs, how to work within a system, but also use that system to create something that’s unique to them. In doing that… I’m not behind the eight ball. And now my son, he can start at stage 10 instead of having to start at stage one like I did. I want other people to have that [too].”
While talking about her son, Palmer also revealed that the sacrifices she was forced to make so young have allowed her to be a mother in a way she’s always dreamed of.
“I 100% feel like money doesn’t buy you happiness. I’m not always happy because of my money. But the [financial] security I have with my son is a stress reliever,” she admits. “I’m not saying that a mom that is struggling isn’t patient, because I know that they are. But if they’re not, it’s like, ‘I get it, Miss Lady….’ So when I look at the position that I’m in and the kind of parent that I am or that I’m becoming, I think it’s remiss [not] to say that I have a lot of help.”
The new mother goes on to explain that it truly does take a village, noting that she and her home village share a few principles: Positive head spaces, respect, no judgment and unconditional support.
“It’s more about keeping Leo insulated with the people that I know and trust, that don’t just love him, but love themselves,” Keke explained. “That’s really big. It’s important that he has good examples. He observes everything. It’s about giving him the proper role models and making sure my family is around.”
You can read more from Keke Palmer’s cover story with Teen Vogue here. Amidst Hardship, Keke Palmer Is Focused on Her Son, Company, and Legacy
“When I was younger, I used to have so much anxiety. I love to perform, but is that something that can last forever?” Keke asked. “I think I always would wonder, is it something that times out? Obviously, you have people that have been acting their entire careers…. but I just never knew how I could scale myself.”
That thought process is how KeyTV became the next step in her career evolution.
“If you were a lawyer, you want to get to be a partner,” she continued. “I didn’t understand what the version of that was for me. Some people become directors or they become a producer or they become the head of Paramount.”
Because Palmer has been in the entertainment industry for nearly her entire life, she wants to take that knowledge and use it to teach and empower the next generation.
“When you create generational wealth within underserved communities, you create wealth within our entire economy,” Keke explained. “My hope and my desire is to teach people the skills that I have, to teach them how to brand themselves, how to be entrepreneurs, how to work within a system, but also use that system to create something that’s unique to them. In doing that… I’m not behind the eight ball. And now my son, he can start at stage 10 instead of having to start at stage one like I did. I want other people to have that [too].”
While talking about her son, Palmer also revealed that the sacrifices she was forced to make so young have allowed her to be a mother in a way she’s always dreamed of.
“I 100% feel like money doesn’t buy you happiness. I’m not always happy because of my money. But the [financial] security I have with my son is a stress reliever,” she admits. “I’m not saying that a mom that is struggling isn’t patient, because I know that they are. But if they’re not, it’s like, ‘I get it, Miss Lady….’ So when I look at the position that I’m in and the kind of parent that I am or that I’m becoming, I think it’s remiss [not] to say that I have a lot of help.”
The new mother goes on to explain that it truly does take a village, noting that she and her home village share a few principles: Positive head spaces, respect, no judgment and unconditional support.
“It’s more about keeping Leo insulated with the people that I know and trust, that don’t just love him, but love themselves,” Keke explained. “That’s really big. It’s important that he has good examples. He observes everything. It’s about giving him the proper role models and making sure my family is around.”
#RHOA: Kandi Burruss and Todd Tucker Dazzle in Coordinated White Looks
Kandi Burruss is no stranger to an elegant, glamorous style, and when she has her husband, Todd Tucker, by her side, it's even more of an extravagant event.
Such was the case on January 29, when Todd took to his Instagram page to share what may be one of the most adorable photos of himself and his wife we've seen. Keep scrolling to get all the details of The Real Housewives of Atlanta couple's recent post together, which included some sweet coordination and stylish flourishes.
Kandi Burruss and Todd Tucker wear coordinated white looks
In the Instagram post, Todd posed with Kandi outside as the pair rocked coordinated white styles. "One of my favorite pics of me and [Kandi]," he captioned the post, in which he rocked a baby blue short-sleeved collard shirt and crisp white pants. The restaurateur paired his look with white sneakers and a gold watch.
Kandi, for her part, opted for a white ruched minidress, pairing her outfit with white heels with criss-cross straps in the front and ties in the back.
#MusicNews: New Jill Scott Music on the way?
Scott took to X/Twitter to post her first tweet of 2024, and her words radiated with enthusiasm and leaped off the screen. After greeting her adoring fanbase and posting a smiley face emoji, she wrote, “I’m over here blushing and smiling hard. I like it.” The “it” in question is her new collection of music, and if she likes it, then we’re pretty sure we’re gonna love it.
She continued, “What I’ve cooked for you has so much love, truth, vibrant ENERGY.” Coming from the woman who’s fed us a steady diet of soul food on “The Way,” “He Love Me (Lyzel In E Flat),” “Golden,” “Crown Royal” and so many more classics over the past 24 years, she is speaking our love language. If anyone knows how to synthesize love, truth and vibrant energy into R&B and soul music, it’s Jill Scott.
Jill kept it brief, ending her message with, “I’m looking soooooooooooooo forward to this body of work.” That’s literally all that she wrote, but that’s all the confirmation that we need. A new Jill Scott project is finally on the way. It sounds as if the collection may be near completion, and she’s satisfied with the results. We don’t know any additional details about this forthcoming body of work, but our bodies are ready for it.
Be sure to follow Jill Scott on X/Twitter https://twitter.com/missjillscott in case she decides to pop up there to share more new album news in the coming days, weeks and months. Read her complete tweet below.
#HipHopNews: Megan Thee Stallion Announces "Hot Girl Summer Tour" And Confirms New Album
“We’re having the tour this year. The ‘Hot Girl Summer Tour’ is going to be [in] 2024, summertime,” Megan revealed. This will be the rapper’s first solo trek in several years, coinciding with her new LP release. She added, “I feel like I’ve never been able to be outside doing my own thing during the summer since, like, 2019. So, this is going to be the first time that I drop an album on time for the summer. I do want to give the Hotties the Megan Thee Stallion experience.”
Megan performed for the first time since Tory Lanez’s sentencing in August 2023. She gave fans an exciting show at the Outside Lands Music Festival in San Francisco, California. In September of that year, Beyoncé brought her out during the Houston stop of the “RENAISSANCE WORLD TOUR.” There, the pair did a live rendition of “Savage (Remix).”
Elsewhere in her conversation with “GMA,” Megan discussed her return after being shot in the foot by Lanez in 2020. She said, “It was really rough because, for the past couple years, music just seemed so negative to me. I just wasn’t in a good space mentally after everything that had happened to me, and it just all felt like, ‘I’m tired of this. I’m tired of fighting.’ But I had to tell myself, ‘You know what? I don’t want to give up.’”
Meanwhile, her feud with Nicki Minaj was highlighted in their respective singles, “Hiss” and “Big Foot.” In the former, Megan appeared to take a dig at the Trinidadian rapper’s husband, Kenneth Petty. She spat, “These h**s don’t be mad at Megan, these h**s mad at Megan’s Law.”
Minaj responded in “Big Foot” with, “Bad b**ch, she like 6 foot, I call her big foot, the b**ch fell off, I said get up on your good foot.” Megan has yet to respond directly to the diss track.
Broadway Legend (The Wiz, Dreamgirls) Actor Hinton Battle, Tony-Winning Actor, Dead At 67
Hinton Battle, the three-time Tony Award winning actor, has died at age 67. His cause of death is unknown.
The tragic news was confirmed by his friend, Debbie Allen, on social media. The famed dancer-actress wrote, “Today I honor Hinton Battle, my dear friend who left us to dance and sing in God’s Ensemble last night. He fought this battle to live and be creative impacting audiences and young people across the globe. Let us always hold him high in our hearts and in our mind’s eye and forever speak his name.”
Battle is best known for his role as Wayne in 2006’s Dreamgirls and as Scarecrow in the original 1975 run of The Wiz on Broadway.
Fans flooded Allen’s comments on Instagram with an outpouring of love and condolences. One wrote, “Devastated. One of the most talented humans ever to inhabit our planet. My deepest condolences to his family and friends.” Another chimed in, writing, “Heartbroken over this news. A legend in our hearts today and always.”
Battle was born in Germany on November 29, 1956. His agency regarded him as one of “Broadway’s most respected musical stars.” He studied at Washington, D.C.’s renowned Jones Haywood School of Ballet and at the School of American Ballet in New York City before launching his career on Broadway as a teenager by originating the role as Scarecrow in The Wiz.
According to Playbill, he went on to win three Tony Awards for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his roles in Miss Saigon, The Tap Dance Kid, and Sophisticated Ladies. Later, he transitioned into acting, writing, directing, and producing as an adult.
Battle made appearances in Touched By An Angel, Quantum Leap, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Foreign Student, and These Old Broads. Then, Battle and Yoshimoto Kogyo opened the Hinton Battle Dance Academy in Tokyo to help prepare the youth for a career within entertainment.
We sends our deepest condolences to the Battle family during this time.
Michael B. Jordan Is David Yurman’s Global Brand Ambassador For “The Vault” Collection
Michael B. Jordan has now added Global Brand Ambassador to his vast résumé which already includes actor, director, philanthropist and more. Luxury brand, David Yurman, has tapped the Creed star for their first-ever Men’s High Jewelry “The Vault” line.
Jordan poses in one campaign photo wearing three cuban link bracelets in the colors gold, silver and rose gold. He also sports their Pavé Chain Necklace in White Gold with Diamonds and matching bracelets in another image.
“I thought it was excellent working with two other Black men in the industry,” Jordan told Essence of the opportunity. “It was a lot of fun! Growing up in this industry, there weren’t key Black and brown faces in those positions. Working with talented photographers and creatives like Tyler Mitchell and Jason Bolden was a great feeling.”
Although the 36-year-old is backing the high-end jewelry line now, he admitted to the outlet that he wasn’t always a flashy guy. He shared that he would usually go for a more low-key style, including tucked-in chains, stud earrings, and simple watches.
“I think this is probably the most jewelry you’ve ever seen me wear in this campaign,” Jordan added.
“The Vault” collection consists of 30-pieces including glimmering pavé diamond necklaces, bracelets, rings and cufflinks. According to Jordan, his favorite accessories from the line are the chain necklaces. He said, “I felt like the design, the angles and curves they have on it, speaks volumes to me.”
Nia Long 'Honored' To Be Cast As Michael Jackson's Mom Katherine In Antoine Fuqua's Biopic
Nia Long has been added to the onscreen Jackson family. The actress has been confirmed as the latest addition to the cast of an upcoming Michael Jackson biopic titled "Michael" to portray the family matriarch Katherine Jackson.
Feeling honored to take on the role, the actress gushed over Michael's mother in a statement. "Katherine Jackson is an incredible pillar of strength and grace for the entire Jackson family," she said in the statement issued on Tuesday, January 30. "As a mother, she was selfless and endured forces beyond her control yet still managed to help build a legacy beyond measure. I am honored to bring her voice to the screen and share Michael Jackson's story with audiences everywhere."
Director Antoine Fuqua admitted he has been a fan of Nia, citing her "iconic performances throughout her career." The filmmaker shared, "I've been a fan for a long time because her characters stay with you. I'm excited to now work alongside her as she pours all of that into Katherine Jackson: a woman who was the glue, the rock, and the heart of the Jackson family during its best and its most turbulent times."
Producer Graham King added, "Beyond Nia's incredible talent, I was deeply moved by her connection to the material and her commitment to honoring Katherine and the love she had for her son."
The official Instagram page of GK Films also shared the news by posting a screenshot of Deadline's article about Nia's casting and captioning it, "We are honored and proud to announce the amazing, Nia Long to join our cast of MICHAEL as Katherine Jackson."
A 4-time NAACP Image Award winner, Nia rose to prominence after starring in the film "Boyz n the Hood" (1991). She is also best known for her portrayal of Beullah "Lisa" Wilkes on the NBC sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" (1991-1995). Her other acting credits include films like "The Best Man" (1999) and "Big Momma's House" (2000) as well as TV series "Third Watch" (2003-2005) and "NCIS: Los Angeles" (2017-2018).
The 53-year-old is joining Michael's nephew Jaafar Jackson, who has been cast as the late King of Pop, and Colman Domingo, who was recently tapped to portray the family patriarch Joe Jackson. Meanwhile, 9-year-old Juliano Krue Valdi, who is a big fan of Michael, is set to play a young version of the late singer
Per the official logline, " 'Michael' will bring audiences a riveting and honest portrayal of the brilliant yet complicated man who became the King of Pop. The film presents his triumphs and tragedies on an epic, cinematic scale - from his human side and personal struggles to his undeniable creative genius, exemplified by his most iconic performances. As never before, audiences will experience an inside look into one of the most influential, trailblazing artists the world has ever known."
The film is set to be released in the United States on April 18, 2025, with production currently underway.
Trump Allies Plotting 'Holy War' Against Taylor Swift In Fear Of Potential Endorsement For Biden
Citing three people familiar with the matter, Rolling Stone reports that Trump aides working on his campaign, his longtime allies in right-wing media and an array of outside advisers to the ex-president have long predicted that Swift will eventually endorse Biden as she did in 2020. While the Grammy winner has not officially endorsed Biden's 2024 campaign, Trump's allies are allegedly plotting to declare a "holy war" against the singer.
In fact, Trump has been fighting his private battle of egos with Swift. The former president privately claimed that he is "more popular" than the 34-year-old songwriter and that he has more committed fans than she does, a source close to Trump claims. The source spills that the 77-year-old also told some confidants it "obviously" made no sense that was not named TIME's magazine 2023 Person of the Year, an honor that went to Swift in last December.
Despite their alleged behind-the-scenes discussion, Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller shrugged off the prospect of a Swift endorsement for Biden. "Joe Biden might be counting on Taylor Swift to save him, but voters are looking at these sky-high inflation rates and saying, 'We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together'," Miller wrote.
Meanwhile, Fox News host Jeanine Pirro, who has acted as an informal political adviser to Trump, including during his presidency, warned Swift to stay out of 2024. "Don't get involved. Don't get involved in politics; we don't want to see you there," she said. "Joe Biden is in [a] hole with young people, he knows it. And if he thinks Taylor can get him out of that hole, he's gonna go for it."
Former GOP presidential hopeful and current Trump hype man Vivek Ramaswamy went as far as sharing a conspiracy theory that the upcoming Super Bowl is rigged to boost Biden following the Kansas City Chiefs' win. He claimed that unnamed forces would rig the Super Bowl to give the as-yet nonexistent endorsement from the "artificially culturally propped-up couple" increased visibility.
Swift is expected to attend the Super Bowl LVIII to support her boyfriend Travis Kelce, who will play with his team Chiefs against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, February 11.
The news of Trump allies' planned attacks on Swift arrive after The New York Times reported on Monday, January 29 that Swift is a key name on Biden aides' "wish lists of potential surrogates." His team is reportedly brainstorming on ways to get to officially sign her name on the Biden ticket heading into the November election.
One of the ideas is allegedly sending Biden to one of Swift's "Eras" tour stops. At the moment, however, this is very unlikely as the "Anti-Hero" songstress will start the international leg of her tour in February and will not return stateside until the fall, which would be too late.
The Baltimore Orioles Reportedly Selling For $1.73b To Rubenstein, Arougheti
Private equity billionaires David Rubenstein and Mike Arougheti have reached an agreement to purchase the Baltimore Orioles from the Angelos family in a deal that values the MLB club at $1.725 billion, according to Puck.
Rubenstein, the co-founder of private equity giant Carlyle Group, and Arougheti, co-founder of Ares Management, will start by buying 40% of the Orioles, the report says. They will buy the remaining 60% following the death of 94-year-old Peter Angelos, who stepped away from the team years ago due to illness. That structure could help the family minimize the tax hit in the sale.
Rubenstein, who is from Baltimore, will be the team’s control owner, Puck reported. MLB owners have not yet voted on the deal, and there is no timetable for it to close. John Angelos, Peter’s son, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Attempts to reach Rubenstein and Arougheti through their companies weren’t immediately successful.
The Orioles are owned by Angelos and his family. Angelos’ two sons, Lou and John (currently CEO of the team), are currently locked in a legal battle over the recent amendments to the family trust, a fight that has fueled speculation over the team’s future.
The Orioles are worth $1.6 billion, according to Sportico’s most recent valuations. That ranks 18th in the 30-team league. The club’s 2022 revenue of $264 million ranks 24th.
The Orioles won the AL East last season for just the second time in the past 26 years behind one of baseball’s youngest and most exciting rosters. Keeping that talent, which includes Rookie of the Year Gunnar Henderson and 25-year-old catcher Adley Rutschman, will grow significantly more expensive as they progress further into their careers. Spending on players, or lack thereof, has hounded John Angelos for much of the past few years as he’s overseen one of the sport’s lowest payrolls.
that the team was going to have to raise prices “dramatically,” which angered many fans.
Should the Orioles sell while Peter Angelos is still alive, it could cost the family hundreds of millions in capital-gains taxes, a number that would decrease if the team is sold after his death. That tax burden has been a critical part of the family’s thinking in talks with potential buyers.
Byron Allen submits $30 billion offer for Paramount Global, including debt
Bloomberg News, which first reported the news said Byron Allen made a $14.3 billion offer to buy all of the outstanding shares of Paramount Global, citing people familiar with his terms.
Paramount Global declined to comment. More detauks to follow.
Parcel Giant UPS is cutting 12,000 Jobs!
UPS announced Tuesday that it will cut 12,000 jobs as part of a bid to save $1 billion costs. Managers and contractor positions will make up most of the layoffs.
The job cuts come as UPS issued a disappointing sales outlook for this year, saying it expects global revenue of between $92 billion to $94.5 billion. That would be up from the $91 billion in revenue it reported for 2023, but analysts surveyed by Refinitiv had been expecting revenue of at least $95.6 billion.
UPS lost business last year as customers concerned about a possible strike by the Teamsters shifted shipments to rival carriers, such as FedEx. Although UPS said it expects to get most of that business back, it had won back only about 60% of that lost business.
UPS’ business surged to record levels in the first three years of the pandemic, as online shopping exploded. The company’s sales topped $100 billion for the first time in 2022. The fact that revenue in 2023 fell more than 9% and won’t top that benchmark again in the near future is “candidly difficult and disappointing,” said CEO Carol Tome on a conference call with investors Tuesday.
“Some of this performance was due to the macro environment and some due to disruptions associated with our labor contract negotiations as well as higher costs associated with the new contract,” she said.
UPS’ (UPS) stock sank 7% on Tuesday.
Employee headcount at UPS had grown with the surge in business to about 540,000. It trimmed that headcount back to about 495,000 by the end of last year through attrition and reduced flying hours, rather than layoffs.
But the company forecast that the overall US small package market, excluding Amazon, will grow by less than 1% in 2024. The company also is dealing with a 12.1% increase in union wage rates, driving its efforts to cut other costs. And trimming salaried staff is a major part of its cost-cutting effort.
UPS said it has about 85,000 managers as part of its global workforce of nearly 500,000 employees. It has more than 300,000 hourly US workers represented by the Teamsters union.
“It’s a change in the way we work,” said CFO Brian Newman. “So as volume returns to the system, we don’t expect these jobs to come back. It’s changing the effective way that we operate.”
Jonathan Majors says he relies on his faith and prayer post-guilty verdict
As previously reported, a New York jury found Majors guilty on one count of reckless assault in the third degree and a charge of harassment as a violation, all of which stemmed from an incident in March 2023 that involved his ex-girlfriend, Grace Jabbari. He was acquitted on another charge of assault and one of aggravated harassment. Sentencing is expected to take place Feb. 6 with Majors facing up to a year in prison.
“It is clear that the jury did not believe Grace Jabbari’s story of what happened in the SUV because they found that Mr. Majors did not intentionally cause any injuries to her,” said Majors’ attorney, Priya Chaudhry, following the verdict. “We are grateful for that. We are disappointed, however, that despite not believing Ms. Jabbari, the jury nevertheless found that Mr. Majors was somehow reckless while she was attacking him.”
Chaudhry continued, “Mr. Majors is grateful to God, his family, his friends and his fans for their love and support during these harrowing eight months. Mr. Majors still has faith in the process and looks forward to fully clearing his name.”
Earlier this month, the Creed III star gave his take on the matter in an interview with “Good Morning America.” During the interview, he stated that life has become difficult and he hadn’t been able to see his daughter because of his legal issues. He also denied physically attacking Jabbari while admitting that the relationship was toxic. “I’ve witnessed [domestic abuse] but never participated. I’ve been smacked up before, but never exercised it.”
Justin Timberlake Teases New *NSYNC Music: We’ve ‘Been in the Studio’
It might be more than just a Trolls soundtrack song.\
In an interview with Kelly Clarkson for her talk show Monday, Justin Timberlake teased that he and the *NSYNC boys — JC Chasez, Lance Bass, Joey Fatone, and Chris Kirkpatrick — have been making music.
“We’ve been in the studio,” Timblerkae told Clarkson. “So there may be a little something in the future.”
Timberlake nodded after the crowd erupted in applause. Before then, he reflected on how quickly the guys picked things back up when they made “Better Place” for Trolls Band Together last year.
“It’s kind of crazy,” he said. “There’s so much that picks up right where it left off as far as chemistry.”
The return of *NSYNC has been teased little by little. The group reunited at the MTV Video Music Awards when they presented Taylor Swift with the Moonperson for Best Pop. “I’m not doing well pivoting from this to this, like I had I had your dolls,” Swift said, calling the five-piece “pop personified” as she accepted her award. She asked: “Are you doing something? What’s going to happen now?”
*NSYNC later dropped the Trolls track and posed for photos on the red carpet for the premiere
The Clarkson interview comes after the singer was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live. There, he performed two tracks from his sixth solo album, Everything I Thought I Was. Among the tracks was a gospel song called “Sanctified,” which he performed with rapper Tobe Nwigwe. The pop star had premiered a snippet of the tune during an ESPN ad earlier in the week and, live from New York, performed the song in full for the first time. He also played “Selfish,” the LP’s lead single
“We were talking about the song itself and just breaking down the idea that you just don’t hear that from men often, that they would express an emotion that makes them vulnerable,” Timberlake said of the song in an Apple Music interview. “And then, growing up the way I grew up, you’re taught not to do that. But I don’t know, it just felt like a really honest song.”
He continued, “The lyrics just started to come out honestly. And when I listened to the whole album, I felt like it’s probably, of all the songs on the album, production-wise, probably the most straightforward, and I don’t want to say simple because it’s complex within its simplicity to me.”
Taylor Swift, Drake, BTS Music May Leave TikTok This Week as UMG Licensing Negotiations Collapse
In the letter, released Tuesday (Jan. 30) and addressed to UMG artists and songwriters, the company states that it’s particularly concerned about the rates that TikTok is offering to pay for its catalog. Other points of contention include the amount of content on TikTok that infringes its artists’ and songwriters’ works without providing “meaningful solutions” to help them combat it, the level of hate and harassment on the platform and TikTok’s stances on artificial intelligence (AI).
“With respect to the issue of artist and songwriter compensation, TikTok proposed paying our artists and songwriters at a rate that is a fraction of the rate that similarly situated major social platforms pay,” the letter reads.
Also according to UMG, during the negotiations, the ByteDance-owned social giant “demanded a contractual right which would allow [AI] content to massively dilute the royalty pool for human artists” while “developing tools to enable, promote and encourage AI music creation on the platform itself,” which UMG states is “nothing short of sponsoring artist replacement by AI.”
In the letter, UMG continued by claiming that when it proposed that TikTok take “similar steps as our other platform partners to try to address these issues, it responded first with indifference, and then with intimidation.”
“As our negotiations continued, TikTok attempted to bully us into accepting a deal worth less than the previous deal, far less than fair market value and not reflective of their exponential growth,” the letter added. “How did it try to intimidate us? By selectively removing the music of certain of our developing artists, while keeping on the platform our audience-driving global stars.”
If UMG pulls its catalog, it would affect all music distributed and administered by its recorded-music division as well as Universal Music Publishing Group. The company’s roster includes such megastars as Taylor Swift, BTS, Drake, Ariana Grande, The Weeknd, Lady Gaga, Lana Del Rey, Billie Eilish, Eminem, Nicki Minaj, Justin Bieber, Karol G and Post Malone.
“It is sad and disappointing that Universal Music Group has put their own greed above the interests of their artists and songwriters,” said TikTok in a statement sent to Billboard. “Despite Universal’s false narrative and rhetoric, the fact is they have chosen to walk away from the powerful support of a platform with well over a billion users that serves as a free promotional and discovery vehicle for their talent. TikTok has been able to reach ‘artist-first’ agreements with every other label and publisher. Clearly, Universal’s self-serving actions are not in the best interests of artists, songwriters and fans.”
The last deal UMG struck with TikTok to license both its recorded music and publishing was announced on Feb. 8, 2021. In July, WMG inked a multi-year licensing deal with TikTok that allows the company to use WMG’s music on its app as well as CapCut and its new “social streaming platform” TikTok Music, which is currently available in Brazil, Indonesia, Australia, Singapore, and Mexico. At the time the deal was announced, WMG CEO/chairman Robert Kyncl and TikTok’s chief executive Shou Chew said the agreement would benefit artists.
This is not the first time the music business has had issues with TikTok. In 2019, when the platform was just getting started, the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) called on Congress to investigate TikTok for potential copyright theft. It was also reported around that time that TikTok was operating on expired deal extensions that were grandfathered in from when it acquired Musical.ly in late 2017. In March 2020, Billboard reported that all three majors had struck short-term licensing deals with TikTok.
Read the full open letter below.
Our core mission is simple: to help our artists and songwriters attain their greatest creative and commercial potential. To achieve these goals, our teams employ their expertise and passion to strike deals with partners all around the world, partners who take seriously their responsibilities to fairly compensate our artists and songwriters and treat the user experience with respect
One of those partners is TikTok, an increasingly influential platform with powerful technology and a massive worldwide user base. As with many other platforms with whom we partner, TikTok’s success as one of the world’s largest social platforms has been built in large part on the music created by our artists and songwriters. Its senior executives proudly state publicly that “music is at the heart of the TikTok experience” and our analysis confirms that the majority of content on TikTok contains music, more than any other major social platform.
The terms of our relationship with TikTok are set by contract, which expires January 31, 2024. In our contract renewal discussions, we have been pressing them on three critical issues—appropriate compensation for our artists and songwriters, protecting human artists from the harmful effects of AI, and online safety for TikTok’s users.
We have been working to address these and related issues with our other platform partners. For example, our Artist-Centric initiative is designed to update streaming’s remuneration model and better reward artists for the value they deliver to platforms. In the months since its inception, we’re proud that this initiative has been received so positively and taken up by a range of partners, including the largest music platform in the world. We’ve also moved aggressively to embrace the promise of AI while fighting to ensure artists’ rights and interests are protected now and far into the future. In addition, we’ve engaged a number of our platform partners to try to drive positive change for their users and by extension, our artists, by addressing online safety issues, and we are recognized as the industry leader in focusing on music’s broader impact on health and wellness.
With respect to the issue of artist and songwriter compensation, TikTok proposed paying our artists and songwriters at a rate that is a fraction of the rate that similarly situated major social platforms pay. Today, as an indication of how little TikTok compensates artists and songwriters, despite its massive and growing user base, rapidly rising advertising revenue and increasing reliance on music-based content, TikTok accounts for only about 1% of our total revenue.
Ultimately TikTok is trying to build a music-based business, without paying fair value for the music.
On AI, TikTok is allowing the platform to be flooded with AI-generated recordings—as well as developing tools to enable, promote and encourage AI music creation on the platform itself – and then demanding a contractual right which would allow this content to massively dilute the royalty pool for human artists, in a move that is nothing short of sponsoring artist replacement by AI.
Further, TikTok makes little effort to deal with the vast amounts of content on its platform that infringe our artists’ music and it has offered no meaningful solutions to the rising tide of content adjacency issues, let alone the tidal wave of hate speech, bigotry, bullying and harassment on the platform. The only means available to seek the removal of infringing or problematic content (such as pornographic deepfakes of artists) is through the monumentally cumbersome and inefficient process which equates to the digital equivalent of “Whack-a-Mole.”
But when we proposed that TikTok takes similar steps as our other platform partners to try to address these issues, it responded first with indifference, and then with intimidation.
As our negotiations continued, TikTok attempted to bully us into accepting a deal worth less than the previous deal, far less than fair market value and not reflective of their exponential growth. How did it try to intimidate us? By selectively removing the music of certain of our developing artists, while keeping on the platform our audience-driving global stars.
TikTok’s tactics are obvious: use its platform power to hurt vulnerable artists and try to intimidate us into conceding to a bad deal that undervalues music and shortchanges artists and songwriters as well as their fans.
We will never do that.
We will always fight for our artists and songwriters and stand up for the creative and commercial value of music.
We recognize the challenges that TikTok’s actions will cause, and do not underestimate what this will mean to our artists and their fans who, unfortunately, will be among those subjected to the near-term consequences of TikTok’s unwillingness to strike anything close to a market-rate deal and meaningfully address its obligations as a social platform. But we have an overriding responsibility to our artists to fight for a new agreement under which they are appropriately compensated for their work, on a platform that respects human creativity, in an environment that is safe for all, and effectively moderated.
We honor our responsibilities with the utmost seriousness. Intimidation and threats will never cause us to shirk those responsibilities.
Fani Willis Alleged Lover Nathan Wade Reaches Divorce Settlement with Wife
Nathan Wade, the embattled special prosecutor in Donald Trump’s sprawling Georgia election interference case, has settled his divorce – a day ahead of a scheduled hearing where he was expected to be asked about an alleged affair with Fulton County (GA) District Attorney Fani Willis that has become a sticking point in the former president’s criminal prosecution.
By entering into a temporary divorce agreement Tuesday, Wade no longer has to testify in a Wednesday hearing in which he may have had to answer questions about allegations that he had an improper romantic relationship with Willis and used money he earned on the case to take her on lavish vacations
Trump and two of his co-defendants are seeking to disqualify Willis’ office and to have the case dismissed, claiming that the alleged affair and financial ties amount to a conflict of interest.
“The Wade v. Wade hearing scheduled for January 31, 2024, has been removed by consent of the parties, a Consent Temporary Order has been entered by Judge Thompson,” Thomas Davis, staff attorney to Cobb County Judge Henry Thompson, emailed CNN on Tuesday.
An order signed by Thompson indicates the parties have entered into a “temporary agreement addressing all issues” and that the parties agreed the terms of the agreement will not be filed in court.
Willis appointed Wade to the special prosecutor position in November 2021, as the investigation into 2020 election interference by Trump and his allies was ramping up.
The allegations against Willis and Wade were raised in a 127-page court filing earlier this month by former Trump 2020 campaign official Mike Roman, a who was indicted over his role in the fake electors plot in Georgia.
Willis and Wade have not publicly responded to the allegations. The Fulton County district attorney’s office has until the end of this week to respond to the allegations in writing to Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee, who is overseeing the sprawling racketeering case.
AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
Hot Horse?
Dog Horse?
Dog Horse?
EVENING GOODIES: Meet Max
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HAVE A GREAT DAY ALL!!!
EFREM
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