Zack O'Malley Greenburg's Blog, page 35

Music Business Losers 2016: One Direction, Kanye West, Inauguration Concert

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Yesterday Itook a look at some of the biggest winners in the music business over the past year. The appearance of some figures(Taylor Swift, the highest-paid celebrity of 2016) may have been less surprising than others (Michael Jackson, by far the top-earner if deceased stars are considered).

Today I’ll dig into the other side: the losers of the music business over the past year. Prior iterations of this year-end rounduphave featured namesfromRobin Thicke to...

Music Business Winners 2016: Taylor Swift, Michael Jackson, Afterlife Lineup

Taylor Swift: And the winner is … me!(Photo by Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images)

In December 2015, I named Taylor Swift one of the music industry’s biggest winners for the second year in a row after she pulled in $80 million, earning the No. 4 rank in pay among all musicians. But she seemed to have an even bigger payday in the works from her 1989 World Tour.

“It’s a stadium tour, it’s enormous,” Pollstar’s Gary Bongiovanni told me at the time. “I would imagine that she’s going to dwarf what eve...

Nielsen’s $560M Gracenote Buy Links Analytics Giants, Boosts Tribune

WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA – FEBRUARY 14: Recording artist Leon Bridges performs onstage at the Nielsen Pre-Grammy Party at Hyde Lounge on February 14, 2016 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for MAC Presents)

Media analytics powerhouse Nielsen is buying entertainment metadata leader Gracenote from Tribune Media Company for $560 million, the companies announced today. The deal should boost Nielsen as it continues to move beyond its trademark TV ratings into the digital...

Kidz Bop Goes Pop: Inside An Unlikely Music Empire

The Kidz Bop Kids perform at the Crazy 8 capsule collection launch in New York. “They based some of these looks off what we tend to wear,” says Ashlynn Chong (left). Photo courtesy of Kidz Bop.

Beneath the glow of a string of stage lights in an airy studio high above New York’s Chelsea Market, a squadron of middle schoolers waits patiently to see a group ofpop stars take the stage. But it’s not Katy Perry and Justin Timberlake who are about to perform—it’s the Kidz Bop Kids, a band of four yo...

Jon Bon Jovi’s Net Worth: $410 Million In 2016

MIAMI BEACH, FL – DECEMBER 03: Singer Jon Bon Jovi performs onstage during the Bon Jovi live concert presented by SiriusXM during Art Basel at Faena Theater on December 3, 2016 in Miami Beach, Florida. Private Concert Airs Live On SiriusXM’s Bon Jovi Radio. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for SiriusXM)

Jon Bon Jovi ranks No. 16 on our first-ever list of America’s Wealthiest Celebrities, in which we calculate total net worth by looking at assets and career earnings. Here are some of the de...

Jimmy Buffett’s Net Worth: $550 Million In 2016

LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 09: Musician Jimmy Buffett performs at the after party for the premiere of Universal Pictures’ ‘Jurassic World’ at Hollywood & Highland on June 9, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Jimmy Buffett ranks No. 13 on our first-ever list of America’s Wealthiest Celebrities, in which we calculate total net worth by looking at assets and career earnings. Here are some of the details behind his fortune.

Name:Jimmy Buffett

Net worth: $550 mil

Ra...

Bruce Springsteen’s Net Worth: $460 Million In 2016

WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 22: U.S. President Barack Obama shakes hands with musician Bruce Springsteen during a Presidential Medal of Freedom presentation ceremony at the White House November 22, 2016 in Washington, DC. The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest honor for civilians in the United States of America. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Bruce Springsteen ranks No. 14 on our first-ever list of America’s Wealthiest Celebrities, in which we calculate total net worth by looking a...

The World’s Highest-Paid Musicians Of 2016

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What happens when you smash the Rolling Stones’ North American touring record, sell millions of albums and add seven-figure endorsements with the likes of Keds, Diet Coke and Apple? If you’re Taylor Swift, you clock the biggest single-year payday of your career.

The “Wildest Dreams” singer pulled in $170 million during our scoring period, making her the highest-paid musician—and the highest-paid celebrity of any stripe—on the planet.

“She not only delivers w...

Kanye West’s Saint Pablo Cancellation Could Cost Him North Of $10 Million

Jan. 17, 2014, Kanye West as he arrives for the Givenchy men’s Fall-Winter 2014-2015 fashion collection in Paris. (AP Photo/Zacharie Scheurer)

Kanye West abruptly canceled the remaining 21 shows on his current concert tour, a source confirmed to FORBES today.

“The remaining dates on the Saint Pablo Tourhave been cancelled,” said a spokesperson for concert promoter Live Nation. “Tickets will be fully refunded at point of purchase.”

The cancellation comes in the wake of a series of recent rants...

Donald Trump, Fake News And The Celebrity Industrial Complex

Fact And Fiction: Donald Trump appears to have gotten a boost from fake news. Just as dangerous are the bogus stories that get gobbled up by the blogosphere, digested by mainstream media and vomited out to the public as fact. (Photo: BENJAMIN FATHERS/AFP/Getty Images)

Do you remember the time Richard Branson offered Led Zeppelin $800 million for a 35-date reunion tour? Or when Taylor Swift earned$365 million in a single year? Or the other day, when Jay Z tried to pay $40 million for the right...