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Why Taylor Swift’s favourite emo band sneaked lyrics by Motley Crue, Bad Company and Madness into the album that saved their career
Jimmy Eat World’s breakthrough 2001 album Bleed American nearly didn’t happen, as the Arizona band spent much of the late 1990s struggling commercially despite critical acclaim, prompting them to leave their major label, Capitol, and their management at the end of 1999. Rebuilding from scratch, the band wove hidden lyrical references to acts including Motley…
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Cracker Barrel CEO to step down after overseeing logo backlash last year
Cracker Barrel’s chief executive, Julie Masino, is to step down, nearly a year after she oversaw a rebranding effort that provoked a fierce political backlash. The restaurant chain unveiled a modernised logo last August that dropped “Uncle Herschel”, the overalls-clad figure leaning on a barrel, prompting critics online to brand the update “woke” and “soulless”,…
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SAG-AFTRA Joins Antitrust Fight Against Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger While CEO Vows Deal Will Proceed
Hollywood’s largest union has formally opposed the proposed $111 billion merger between Paramount and Warner Bros., requiring enforceable protections as a condition of support. This move aligns with legal action filed by
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SAG-AFTRA Comes Out Against Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger
SAG-AFTRA, Hollywood’s largest union, has formally come out against the proposed $111 billion merger between Paramount and Warner Bros., adopting a resolution to oppose the deal unless enforceable safeguards are put in place. The move follows a lawsuit from 12 state attorneys general seeking to block the transaction, and makes SAG-AFTRA the third major entertainment…
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Universal Music Group completes €500 million share buyback program
Universal Music Group has completed its first-ever share buyback programme, spending €499.2 million (around $568 million) to repurchase 26,707,529 of its own shares since the initiative began in April. The move forms part of a broader capital return strategy that also saw UMG sell half its Spotify stake to help fund the buybacks, reflecting management’s…
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Robin Schwartz Joins Liz Garbus & Dan Cogan’s Story Syndicate As Head Of Scripted; Company Re-Ups Tomorrow Studios Deal
Robin Schwartz has joined Story Syndicate, the production company run by Liz Garbus and Dan Cogan, as Head of Scripted, taking charge of all scripted development and production. Her appointment coincides with the company renewing its first-look television deal with Tomorrow Studios, the ITV Studios-backed venture led by Marty Adelstein and Becky Clements, reinforcing Story…
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Paramount chief tells staff he remains confident WBD deal will close
Paramount CEO David Ellison told staff in a memo that he remained “highly confident” the company’s $111 billion (£85 billion) acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery would still close, after Paramount announced it would delay the deal for several months while contesting antitrust lawsuits brought by 12 state attorneys general. The reassurance was significant for employees…
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Facial recognition rolled out at Pokémon card stores to stop scalpers
The Pokémon Company introduced facial recognition technology at five Japanese pop-up stores selling its trading card game, its latest measure to curb rampant scalping and the black market that has grown around increasingly valuable cards. The step, applied to customers of elementary-school age and above, follows an earlier requirement for government-issued ID when buying cards…
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Ari Gelaw promoted to SVP, Creative A&R at Sony Music Publishing
Sony Music Publishing has promoted Ari Gelaw to Senior Vice President, Creative A&R, expanding her role to lead the publisher’s US R&B/Hip-Hop team across its New York, Atlanta and Los Angeles offices. The move, announced on 27 July, recognises her contribution to SMP’s creative growth and roster expansion since joining in 2022, and comes amid…
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Will the Emmy Awards Be Unified? The TV Academies Are Holding Merger Talks
The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS) and the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) have announced they are holding “exploratory talks” about reunifying, nearly 50 years after splitting in an acrimonious 1977 separation. A merger would matter significantly for the industry, as it could pave the way for a single, unified…