Zack O'Malley Greenburg's Blog, page 64

Richard Branson Never Offered Led Zeppelin $800M For Reunion Tour

It seemed like a storyconceived in rock-and-roll heaven: billionaire Richard BransonofferedLed Zeppelin roughly $800 million to reunite for a 35-date international reunion tour; Jimmy Page signed on, but in a theatrical act of defiance, frontman Robert Plant tore up the document–and a guarantee that Zeppelin would have the most lucrative tour of all time.

However, this story–like many that appear too good to be true–appears to be complete fiction. Its origins trace back to a story by U.K. tabl...

RZA Explains New Wu-Tang Album’s Unusual Delivery System

On a recent trip to Las Vegas, RZA met up with fellow Wu-Tang Clan member Raekwon to discuss–among other things–the group’s upcoming album,A Better Tomorrow. There was one problem, though: neither artist had the audio files handy.

Fortunately for both, RZA happened to have a mysterious black-and-yellow contraptionthe size of a tape measure on hand. Hepushed a button on the top of the device, and suddenly a burst of sound filled the room. It was one of the tracks fromA Better Tomorrow; a handfu...

How Many Times Can DJ Khaled Say ‘We The Best’ In 40 Seconds?

DJ Khaled made his first appearance on FORBES’ annual Hip-Hop Cash Kings list this year, earning an estimated $7 million, the best figure of his career thus far.

He also stopped by our New York headquarters to discuss his various business ventures, most of which are called We The Best–namely a record label, an album, and, most recently, a headphone line with Bang & Olufsen.

“Being the best and representing We the Best, you have to go to the best, you have to work with the best,” he explained in...

The Real Story Behind Jay Z’s Champagne Deal

Earlier this week, media outlets around the world started trumpeting Jay Z’s latest boardroom triumph. “Jay Z buys Armand de Brignac champagne brand,” blared the BBC. “Jay Z likes $300 champagne. So he buys the company,” proclaimed CNN.

Problem is, this piece of ‘news’ isn’t actually new. As I reported in my Jay Z biography, Empire State of Mind, the Brooklyn-born mogul has had a financial interest in Armand de Brignac since its inception–helping boost his net worth to $520 million, by FORBES’...

The Top-Earning Women In Music 2014

see photosMyrna Suarez

Click for full photo gallery: Highest-Paid Women In Music 2014

In 2013, Beyoncé had one of her best years in recent memory, pulling in $53 million. How did she follow the feat? By more than doubling that total in 2014.The superstar singer enjoyed the biggest year of her career, earning $115 million—making her the top-earning woman in the music business.

“Like everyone else, you work really hard and you want it to be great; you want your friends to like it,” she told FORBES...

Five Potential Reasons For Taylor Swift’s Spotify Breakup

Taylor Swift has been having quite the week. Last Monday, she released her fifth studio album,1989, which is now forecasted to sell over 1.2 million copies its opening week. This morning, she announced a world tour for 2015. And this afternoon, her music disappeared from Spotify.

The decision to pull music from the popular streaming service is a fascinating one, and it may have broad ramifications throughout a music industry still figuring out the digital world.

So what went into the decision?...

Who Are Music’s 30 Under 30? Help Forbes Decide

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Click for full photo gallery: 2013 30 under 30: Music

At the end of every December for the past three years, FORBES has released its 30 Under 30 package, listing the top young game-changersin over a dozen industries. We’re about to do it again–and we need your help creating the list.

Last year, the 30 Under 30 in music included pop stars like Lady Gaga and Rihanna, rappers such as Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole, and DJs from Avicii to Zedd. Our featured artist, Bruno Mars, even curated a...

The Top-Earning Dead Musicians Of 2014

see photosGeorge De Sota/Redferns

Click for full photo gallery: Top-Earning Dead Musicians 2014

It’s been more than five years since his passing, but Michael Jackson remains royalty among postmortem earners, pulling in triple-digit millions every full year since his death.

This year is no different. Fresh off the May 2014 launch of his posthumous albumXscape, the King of Pop rules our Halloween-spooky list of Top-Earning Dead Musicians once again with annual earnings of $140 million.

The bulk of...

Why Taylor Swift’s ’1989′ Could Be The Last Platinum Album Ever

see photosChristopher Polk/Getty Images for Wonderwall

Click for full photo gallery: Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift has unveiled quite a few surprises of late—moving from Nashville to New York, ditching the country format that elevated her to superstar status, and even trying her hand at rapping in new album 1989.

“I like to look at albums as being sort of statements,” she told Billboard. “Visually, sonically, emotionally, I like them all to have their own fingerprint. This time I’m kind of just doin...

Where To Stay In Afrojack’s Amsterdam

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Click for full photo gallery: Where To Stay In Afrojack's Amsterdam

Heading to Amsterdam? Take a tip from Netherlands native Nick “Afrojack” Van de Wall–the subject of the ForbesLife cover story“A Spin With Afrojack“–and stay in one of these top-notch hotels.

–The Grand Amsterdam | +31 20 555 3111 | sofitel-legend-thegrand.com

Afrojack’s favorite hotel in Amsterdam, this building has been hosting royalty since 1578–guests have ranged from the French Queen Marie de’ Medici to the King o...