Zack O'Malley Greenburg's Blog, page 109

Why Pandora's Stock Continues To Slide

Pandora's shares are getting walked on.

Pandora continued its downward trajectory Tuesday. Shares of the popular internet radio service slipped 6.37% on the day, leaving the stock down 34.9% on the month and nearly 45% from its June initial public offering.

Shares have continued to dip despite plenty of good news in Pandora's third quarter financial results, released before Thanksgiving. The company surprised analysts by posting a profit, though it was slim. Revenue doubled to $75 million...

Google's Cyber Monday Surprise

Why Nickelback Isn't Getting Paid For Its Thanksgiving Day Gig

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Nickelback won't earn a penny for headlining the halftime show at the Thanksgiving Day game between the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers. And the reason might come as a bit of a surprise to many.

Some observers might guess that Nickelback is playing for free because of its charitable relationship with The United Way (the band will donate a quarter for every person who pledges to become a volunteer reader, tutor or mentor). Others may posit that Nickelback isn't getting ...

A Record Store Day For Black Friday

Black Friday Record Store Day: Stuff yourself with vinyl.

This week, scores of Americans will scarf down succulent bits of turkey, heaping helpings of stuffing–and plenty of vinyl. At least, that's what the organizers of Record Store Day are hoping.

Black Friday will be celebrated by 900 independently owned record stores in the U.S., Canada, Germany, France, the Netherlands and the U.K. with a raft of special deals and limited-edition releases. The festivities won't replace or replicate Record ...

Jay-Z 101: Defending The Georgetown Class

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Click for full photo gallery: Cash Kings 2011: Hip-Hop's Top 20 Earners

Last month, I journeyed to our nation's capital to see with my own eyes a popular Georgetown University class. It wasn't another grand strategy offering, nor did it explore the latest advances in quantum physics. But "Sociology of Hip-Hop — Urban Theodicy of Jay-Z" was impressive nonetheless.

The course's instructor, Professor Michael Eric Dyson, had invited me to give a guest lecture (my book, Empire State of...

Music Money Roundup: Sony-EMI, Google Music, Occupy Wall Street

The music hasn't quite stopped for Occupy Wall Street.

Most coverage of Occupy Wall Street has focused on Zuccotti Park and other protest sites, but the movement's reflection can be seen in an ever-growing array of mirrors–including the music industry.

It's not just Jay-Z's ill-fated "Occupy All Streets" t-shirt, released and subsequently pulled by Rocawear–or Russell Simmons' vocal but complicated support of the movement. The wave of consolidation among record labels that culminated in...

Why EMI Publishing Is Worth $2.2 Billion

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Sometimes, answers can be found far from where the questions are being asked. So perhaps it shouldn't come as a surprise that sentiments expressed at an event focused on European debt, emerging market risk and American commercial real estate explained why Citi was able to sell EMI publishing for $2.2 billion last week.

The event in question was a luncheon hosted by BNY Mellon. Of the four panelists who spoke, all were money mangers of some sort–and none so much as...

How Millennials Can Survive And Thrive In The New Economy

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Click for full photo gallery: 20 Job Rules For Millennials

This story appears in the Dec. 5 Investment Guide issue of Forbes Magazine. Click here for the full Investment Guide 2012 special report.

After graduating from Carnegie Mellon in 2005 Jenny Gammello spent two years in New York City struggling to launch an acting career ­before deciding to make her peace with grown-up job reality—and study for the LSAT. But a funny thing happened on Gammello's way to law school. She answered a...

Sony-EMI Deal Reunites Jackson 5 Songs With Michael Jackson

"I Want You Back" - Michael Jackson finally gets his wish.

In the years after Michael Jackson became an international superstar, the song "I Want You Back" took on a new, reflexive sort of meaning for him.

Flush with cash from the stratospheric success of his solo career, Jackson thought seriously about buying the publishing rights to some of the songs he'd recorded years earlier as a member of the Jackson 5–including "I Want You Back," one of hundreds in Motown's Jobete catalog, then owned b...

Sony-Led Group Officially Buys EMI Publishing From Citi

EMI goes to a Sony-led group for $2.2 billion.

Updating an earlier post, Citigroup has officially agreed to sell EMI's publishing arm to a group of investors led by Sony for $2.2 billion.

According to the statement just issued by Sony, the group includes billionaire David Geffen, Mubadala Development Company, PJSC Jynwel Capital Limited, the Blackstone Group's GSO Capital Partners LP and the estate of Michael Jackson, which co-owns the Sony/ATV music catalog.

It's expected that Sony/ATV, led b...