Zack O'Malley Greenburg's Blog, page 52

Five Takeaways From Next Big Sound’s Midyear Music Report

Two years ago, FORBES wrote about how data outfit Next Big Sound was the next big thing–more specifically, how the New York-based startup was helping to usher in an era of Moneyball for music. It seems this was an accurate prognostication: the company was gobbled up by Pandora in May for an undisclosed sum.

Next Big Sound now has access to all the consumption data at Pandora, which streams music to tens of millions of listeners every day. The latest result: itsData to Date report, a look at...

Dr. Dre: Straight Outta Compton–And Into A New Model For The Music Business?

Dr. Dre with Ice Cube and director F. Gary Gray on the promotional trail for‘Straight Outta Compton.’ (Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images for CinemaCon)

The doctor is in: late last night, Dr. Dre finally released the third solo album of his quarter-century-plus career. And, as he first announced earlier this month on his Beats 1 radio show, the work in question was not his long-rumored Detox (“It just wasn’t good,” said Dre), but rather a new album inspired by upcoming filmStraight Outta C...

Jon Stewart: A Late-Night Legend, But Not For Earnings

Barack Obama: One of the many guests who made Jon Stewart’s Daily Show legendary.(Photo: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images).

Jon Stewart’s Daily Showcareer is coming to a close, accompanied by atorrent of praise for his work over the years. Here at FORBES, we’ve noted his forward-thinking use of new media, not to mentionhis far-reaching value to television and the broader American consciousness.

Stewart will clearly go down in history as one of the top late-night personalities of all timein terms of...

The Clintons Out-Earned All But Three Rappers In 2013-2014

More money, more problems? The Clintons don’t seem to think so. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images).

Dr. Dre, Diddy and Jay Z were the top earning hip-hop stars during 2013 and 2014, combining to pull innearly $900 million over that span. Right behind them is a name known for nabbing multi-million-dollar properties, traversing the globe on rareprivate planes and scoring six-figure fees for delivering the spoken word to adoring crowds around the world: Clinton.

More precisely, it’s Bill and...

Country Cash Kings 2015: Aftermath & Analysis

Garth Brooks is this year’s king of country cash. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images for dcp).

Last week we released the 2015 edition of our annual Country Cash Kings list, and it was one for the record books: Garth Brooks took in an astounding $90 million on the year.

Not only did that sum make him No. 1 on this year’s ranking, it gave him the largest payday FORBES has ever tallied for a country act. Brooks was followed on the list by 2013cover star Toby Keith ($53 million) and Jason Aldean...

Bye-Bye, Billionaire: Ryan Kavanaugh’s Relativity Media Files For Bankruptcy

Ryan Kavanaugh and actor Kevin Costner at the after party for the premiere of Relativity’s ‘Black Or White,’ which grossed a disappointing $21.5 million. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images).

Ryan Kavanaugh is a billionaire no longer: Relativity Media, which made up the bulk of his net worth, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy today, according to a statement released moments ago. The company reportedlycouldn’t come up with the cash to pay off debts of at least $320 million.

Relativity says thefi...

The World’s Highest-Paid Country Acts 2015

Country Cash King: Garth Brooks earned $90 million in 2015, more than any other country act over the past year–or any other year. Photo: Brian Ach/Getty Images.

Garth Brooksmay have friends in low places, but his earning power is quite the opposite.

The country legend pulled in $90 million over the past year, making him No. 1 on our annualCountry Cash Kingslist. In addition to being the highest total this year, it’s also the biggest single-year payday FORBES has ever recorded for a country ac...

How Jason Aldean Cashed In On The Changing Landscape Of Country

Road Warrior: Country star Jason Aldean has been banking the bulk of his bucks from a rock-tinged live show. Photo: David Yellen for Forbes.

The sun has just set over Hartford, Connecticut, but the night is about to explode with light–of a solar sort of intensity.

As the drums and electric guitars kick in at the Xfinity Theatre, animated flames engulf the jumbotron overhead. Real flames shoot skyward in a carefully choreographed bunchbelow, making everyone in the front rows feel as though the...

Can Trisha Yearwood Become Country’s Martha Stewart?

Feeling At Home: Trisha Yearwood is reinventing herself as a lifestyle brand. Photo: Russ Harrington.

Trisha Yearwood is sitting in her house, looking at two dog beds—and finding inspiration.

The canine sleeping quarters are made by Martha Stewart’s company, part of a sprawling lifestyle empire that includes everything from picnic baskets to pizza ovens. Yearwood can’t stop gushing about how perfect the beds are for her two rescue dogs, and she’s similarly impressed by the lady on the label.

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Country Cash Kings 2015: Preview & Contest

Where will Kenny Chesney rank on this year’s Country Cash Kings list? Tune in on July 29th. (Photo by Erika Goldring/Getty Images for CMT).

Country music continues to gobble up an ever-larger share of the mainstream music world, and a growing number of acts are profiting immensely.

To find out who the genre’s top earners are–and how much they’re making, exactly–tune in on July 29th as we reveal this year’s Country Cash Kings list. You can expect to find features and videos with some of the bi...