Zack O'Malley Greenburg's Blog, page 103

SXSW: Off To Austin

It's too late to catch the Jay-Z show at South by Southwest, but there's plenty more music to come.

I woke up at dawn to catch a flight from Newark, and after breezing through security, I'm on my way to Austin (with a detour through San Antonio, thereby saving Forbes about $400 — be sure to try that next time you go to SXSW).

I'll be in Austin for the next five days — stay tuned to my Forbes blog for fresh stories and video interviews with artists from T.I. to Skrillex, executives from Noel...

Allen Stone: From Bible College To Kimmel In Under Five Years

Rolling Stone: The 24-year-old soul sensation is flirting with the edge of stardom.

It's almost midnight at Brooklyn Bowl and the headline act, a funky jazz trio called Soulive, has been playing for over an hour—but the crowd is still waiting. Across the renovated steel foundry, iPhones illuminate flannel shirts; moustaches twitch nervously.

Finally the band introduces its special guest: 24-year-old Allen Stone. With his tangle of blond locks and lumberjack sweater, he looks less like a soul...

Billionaires Of The Music Business 2012

Iron Solomon And The Business Of Battle Rap

The first time battle rap champion Iron Solomon participated in a lyrical prize fight, he didn't even know there was verbal warfare on his schedule.

Just 18 years old, Solomon was a finalist at End of the Weak's MC Challenge, a sort of hip-hop decathlon. Contestants compete in five categories (Beat Juggling, Written, Ciphers, A Cappella and Freestyle) with the aim of proving their superiority over a field of competitors.

The contest is more nuanced than the head-to-head battles that would...

Adele's Grammys: The Gifts That Keep On Giving

see photosAP

Click for full photo gallery: The Top-Earning Grammy Winners of 2012

Moments after the close of this year's Grammy Awards ceremony at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Adele skipped past the print media room, blithely belting "Rolling In The Deep." The crowd of reporters assembled inside started chanting her name; upon hearing this, she doubled back and held an impromptu press conference.

"It hasn't really sunk in," she said of her six Grammy wins, a smile still plastered across...

How Davy Jones And The Monkees Paved The Way For Jay-Z And Madonna

Davy Jones and The Monkees.

In April of 2008, Jay-Z agreed to a 10-year, $150 million deal with concert promoter Live Nation. The pact covered recordings, tours and endorsements, and provided funding for Roc Nation, a joint-venture record label and talent management agency over which Jay-Z would preside.

Jay-Z's agreement was among the most lucrative examples of the modern "360 deal," a setup where an artist gives up partial rights to multiple revenue streams in exchange for a hefty advance. ...

For Branson's Music Venues, Storm Could Have Been Worse

Branson, Missouri: Still rocking.

At the Icon Theatre in Branson, Mo., the power is still off, the telephone poles are bent or broken, and the ground remains littered with wires and debris.

But the venue dodged the worst of the tornado that ripped through the Ozark resort town last night.

"We sustained moderate damage, mainly glass, siding, roof … and some interior damage," explains Barrie Cunningham, the theater's operator. "We hope to do repairs and open for spring-summer season."

Fortunately...

Wiz Khalifa: I'll Earn $100 Million This Year

High Earnings: Wiz Khalifa says he'll make $100 million in 2012.

Perched in a smoky penthouse recording studio in Chelsea last night as the sun slipped into the Hudson River below, Wiz Khalifa found himself in a milieu conducive to making grand pronouncements.

About a dozen music journalists mingled with a handful of label executives, recording engineers and plus-ones; even the 24-year-old rapper's Rostrum Records labelmate (and fellow Forbes 30 Under 30 member) Mac Miller was in attendance.

The...

Why Are There Only Two Oscar Nominees For Best Original Song?

The Muppets: Leap-frogging other Best Original Song candidates.

Just as The Artist is heavily favored to win the Oscar for Best Picture this year, "Man Or Muppet"–from the Disney film The Muppets–is a near-lock for Best Original Song.

Though the latter is a fantastic ditty penned by Bret McKenzie, who makes up one half of the comedy duo Flight of the Conchords, its odds are good for a reason independent of musical merit: there's only one other nominee. That's right, "Man Or Muppet" and "Real ...

The Fastest-Growing University Endowments

see photosAP

Click for full photo gallery: The 25 Fastest-Growing University Endowments

Harvard is used to finishing first. America's oldest university routinely tops U.S. News And World Report's list of the world's best colleges; Bill Gates, a Harvard dropout, is the richest person in America. But not even former Crimson standout Jeremy Lin can win all the time. The same goes for his alma mater—Harvard ranks dead last on our list of the fastest-growing university endowments.

The University of V...