Zack O'Malley Greenburg's Blog, page 19

Gold Rush: Inside The Newest Vinyl Pressing Plant In Texas

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Deep in the heart of Texas, an old industry is thrumming to life once again, and there’s only one phrase to describe it: Gold Rush. That’s not a reference to any physical precious metal, but rather the name of the newest vinyl-pressing plant in Austin.

Founded by former Google executive and band manager Caren Kelleher, Gold Rush aims to capitalize on the lack of worldwide capacity for creating new vinyl records, which are selling at their highest levels sinc...

Lyor Cohen: Artists, Labels Are ‘Stoked’ About YouTube Music

Lyor Cohen attends the Gucci X Artsy dinner at Faena Hotel on December 6, 2017 in Miami Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jared Siskin/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

Despite the fact that YouTube is the world’s most popular destination for consuming music, the Google-backed streaming giant has long been something of a punching bag within the industry. Artists and labels have often decried the service’s royalty rates, typically far lower than those offered by Spotify or Apple Music; YouTube’s defe...

Dr. Ruth Thrills Under 30 Summit With Cofounder Couples Therapy, Tales Of Her Days As A Sniper

The Doctor Is In: Ruth Westheimer at the Forbes Under 30 Summit Global in Tel Aviv.

“Be careful,” says Dr. Ruth Westheimer to the crowd of several hundred assembled before her in Tel Aviv. “I was trained as a sniper.”

That was the opening salvo in a wide-ranging keynote interview featuring the world-renowned sex therapist and yours truly, kicking off the week’s festivities at the first-ever Forbes Under 30 Summit Global, a gathering of more than 600 of the world’s top young entrepreneurs and...

How Muzik Headphones Raised $70 Million From Michael Jordan, Drake And A French Billionaire Scion

The vibe at the West Hollywood headquarters of Muzik—the company behind the self-proclaimed “smartphone of headphones”—is, fittingly, pure startup. The only visible security seems to be a squadron of small dogs roaming the open-plan space. On the terrace, Muzik’s 41-year-old founder and CEO, Jason Hardi, sits in a wicker chair, his forearms encircled by tattoos. But it’s the name on his black T-shirt that sets the company apart from its tech brethren: Kering, the European luxury-goods giant b...

Why Major Labels Would Cash In On A Tencent Music IPO

People visit the Tencent stand during the 1st Digital China Summit at Strait International Conference and Exhibition Center on April 22, 2018 in Fuzhou, China. (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images)

Tencent Music Entertainment Group–the largest streaming service in Asia–is plotting an IPO that may top $25 billion, according to a recent report by the Wall Street Journal. That likely comes as welcome news for shareholders of its parent company, Tencent, one of the world’s biggest companies by reve...

How Beyoncé Turned Coachella Into The Super Bowl

INDIO, CA – APRIL 14: Beyonce Knowles performs onstage during 2018 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival Weekend 1 at the Empire Polo Field on April 14, 2018 in Indio, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Coachella)

Beyoncé is one of only a handful of acts to play the Super Bowl twice — she starred in the game’s halftime show in 2013 and 2016 — and three times if you count last weekend’s Coachella gig, and four if you count tonight’s as well. Allow me to explain.

When Beyon...

How Beyonce Turned Coachella Into The Super Bowl

INDIO, CA – APRIL 14: Beyonce Knowles performs onstage during 2018 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival Weekend 1 at the Empire Polo Field on April 14, 2018 in Indio, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Coachella)

Beyoncé is one of only a handful of acts to play the Super Bowl twice—she starred in the game’s halftime show in 2013 and 2016—three times if you count last weekend’s Coachella gig, and four if you count tonight’s as well. Allow me to explain.

When Beyoncé took...

For Avicii, An EDM Revolution — And Personal Evolution — Cut Short

Avicii at Rock in Rio Lisboa 2016 in Portugal in 2016. (Photo by Pedro Fiúza/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Avicii, the Swedish DJ and producer who was found dead today at age 28, had already helped define the sound known as Electronic Dance Music when he released his debut album in 2013. And even back then, he was striving to redefine the genre.

Fresh off the success of “Levels,” the 2011 smash that became his first song to chart in the U.S. and helped establish EDM’s foothold in the country, Av...

Avicii, Top DJ And EDM Producer, Found Dead At Age 28 In Oman

Avicii performing during Rolling Stone Live SF in 2016. (Photo by Rich Polk/Getty Images for Rolling Stone)

One of the brightest young stars in the music business has been extinguished: DJ and producer Avicii has died at age 28.

“It is with profound sorrow that we announce the loss of Tim Bergling, also known as Avicii,” a spokesperson said in a statement. “He was found dead in Muscat, Oman this Friday afternoon local time, April 20th. The family is devastated, and we ask everyone to please r...

RZA Enters ’36th Chamber’ — And A Fresh Model For Touring

Robert “RZA” Diggs is about to bring a martial arts classic to a theater near you — complete with live scoring.

Wu-Tang Clan founder Robert “RZA” Diggs sometimes goes by the alter ego Bobby Digital, but the origin of his latest venture — live scoring an iconic martial arts film — is decidedly analog.

“The true foundation of this dates back to VCR tapes,” says RZA, recalling his early days as a DJ in Staten Island, working alongside his pal Jon “DJ Skane” Lugo. “We had another buddy named Tom...