Zack O'Malley Greenburg's Blog, page 120

A Visit to The Rolling Stones' Morocco

Did Mick Jagger find those pants in Tangier?

In the late 1960s the Rolling Stones paid a visit to Morocco while awaiting a verdict on drug charges against them in the U.K. The escape didn't do much for group morale: original group member Brian Jones brought girlfriend Anita Pallenberg along, only to have her run off with Keith Richards a few days later.

On a recent trip to Tangier, where the northern edge of Morocco stares across the Strait of Gibraltar at Spain, I discovered why the Stones m...

Retirement Planning Lessons for Vanilla Ice

Vanilla Ice's retirement plan.

Back when "Ice Ice Baby" soared to the top of the charts in 1989, rapper Vanilla Ice probably thought he'd be able to retire early on the fruits of his musical success. His major label debut, To The Extreme (which featured four songs with either "Vanilla" or "Ice" in the title), was certified 7x platinum in 1991. The album moved more than 11 million units worldwide, far greater than the total of any single album released thus far by the world's most...

Michael Jackson: Secret Business Genius?

Michael Jackson: Getting down to business.

In 2010 Michael Jackson earned $275 million — more than Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Madonna and Jay-Z combined — despite the fact that he was no longer alive.

Though much of that total can be attributed to the swell of nostalgia that boosted sales of all things Michael in the months following the King of Pop's death, a sizable part is the product of his underrated business acumen.

To be sure, Jackson's spending habits could put a Russian oligarch to shame...

Warner News Echoes Bronfman's Past, EMI's Future

Edgar Bronfman, Jr.

It's rare to see a publicly-traded company's shares rise 27% in a single day. It's even rarer to see a publicly-traded company's shares rise 27% on a day its chief executive is found guilty of insider trading by a foreign court.

That's exactly what happened on Friday as Warner Music Group's shares surged on reports of the company possibly putting itself up for sale, even as news spread that French courts had fined chairman and CEO Edgar Bronfman, Jr. 5 million fine Euros a...

The 360 Degrees of Don Kirshner's Legacy

Monkee Business.

When Don Kirshner passed away at the age of 76 on Tuesday, the music world lost someone who'd helped to shape its trajectory through the middle of the 20th Century. Known by many as The Man With The Golden Ear, his career included a powerful role at the Brill Building's famed songwriting stable and later his own television program, "The Don Kirshner Rock Concert," which gave national exposure to artists such as Billy Joel and The Police.

Kirshner was also instrumental in the ...

Russell Simmons Talks New Book, Oprah, and Practicing Yoga With Diddy (Forbes Video)

Earlier this week I interviewed mogul Russell Simmons, the co-founder of Def Jam Records and creator of Phat Farm clothing, about his new book Super Rich. Check out the video below to hear Uncle Rush's thoughts on writing, business, Oprah, and practicing yoga with fellow hip-hop impresarios.

For more on the business of music, check out my new book Empire State of Mind: How Jay-Z Went From Street Corner to Corner Office. You can also follow me on Twitter @zogblog.

Why Lady Gaga Will Earn $100 Million in 2011

Click Here For Full Gallery: Lady Gaga

Whether it's showing up to an awards ceremony clad entirely in raw meat or nearly suffering a deep-vein thrombosis while wearing a dress made of caution tape on an airplane, Lady Gaga has a knack for making headlines.

She also has a talent for moneymaking. Gaga raked in $64 million last year by our estimate, making her the seventh highest-paid musician in the world, just $1 million behind sixth-ranked Jay-Z. Only U2 ($130 million) and AC/DC ($114 million) ...

Jay-Z Speaks Financial Truth in New Song With Kanye West

Jay-Z and Kanye West: Richer than you and Lil Wayne.

In a shocking turn of events, Jay-Z has used the microphone to proclaim his financial superiority over the rest of his hip-hop peers. The assertion comes in a new song with Kanye West entitled "H.A.M.," which stands for "Hard As a (Mofo)" and is the first single from the duo's upcoming collaboration album, Watch the Throne.

On the track, released on Kanye's Facebook page early Tuesday morning, Jay-Z complains that his competitors merely...

Ludacris Debuts Headphone Line at CES, Faces Stiff Competition

Ludacris: The latest rollout.

In 2008 Dr. Dre launched his Beats by Dre headphone line, a joint venture with Interscope Records' Jimmy Iovine — and started the latest craze in hip-hop moneymaking. Within months, Snoop Dogg, Diddy and Jay-Z followed suit. And earlier today, Ludacris became the latest rapper to — wait for it — roll out a set of headphones.

Showcased in New York's CES tech-fest, "Soul by Ludacris" is the product of a partnership between the self-proclaimed Mouth of the South and S...

John Forte: From Brooklyn to Russia With Love

John Forté: Rockin' it to Russia.

A few months ago I wrote about the remarkable story of John Forté, the Grammy-nominated musician freed from prison two years ago by way of a last-minute pardon from a very unlikely source: George W. Bush.

Today, Forté approaches life with a mixture of wonder and urgency that perhaps only someone who's making up for lost time could muster. Since the end of 2008 the former Fugees-affiliated singer/rapper/producer/songwriter has recorded more than 60 songs...