Zack O'Malley Greenburg's Blog, page 75

Golden Oldies: How To Become A Music Publishing Mogul

In a sunny conference room high above midtown Manhattan Josh Gruss is explaining how to buy a song. Seems simple enough–$1.29 for an iTunes download. But Gruss is talking about the purchase of a much more complicated item: the copyright for the music itself.

“Let’s just say you really love the band Tesla,” he begins, looking at the website for ASCAP, the performing rights organization, and guiding the cursor to the search bar. “And you say to yourself, ‘I want to buy their ’80s ballad, “Love S...

Introducing The Hip-Hop Cash Princes List: Preview & Contest

Every summer since 2007, FORBES has released the Hip-Hop Cash Kingspackage–an accounting of the genre’s top annual earners. Jay Z, Diddy, Drake, Ludacris and Lil Wayne are among the names that regularly lead the pack, often mentioning the “Forbes List” in their songs.

This year, for the first time, we’re going to release a new package called Hip-Hop Cash Princes. It’s purpose: to give a nod to ten of rap’s most commercially-successful rising stars–the ones with the best chance of making the Ca...

From Blue To Green: Inside Pharrell’s Latest Fashion Venture

Halfway between Japan and North America, a swirling vortex of trash known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch occupies a slice the ocean’s surface twice the size of Texas. It’s not visible via satellite and is often hard to discern with the naked eye, mostly because it’s made up of pieces of clear plastic in various states of degradation.

These materials come from bags, bottles and other mundane household items, but the consequences of their presence are dire. Half of the 400,000 albatrosses bo...

How Paul McCartney Ended Up In A Nirvana Reunion

If it hadn’t been for Johnny Depp, Paul McCartney might never have won a Grammy for Best Rock Song with the surviving members of Nirvana.

That’s precisely what happened a little over a week ago at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards, when the former Beatle ended up onstage with Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear to accept the hardware for their collaboration, “Cut Me Some Slack.”

“I blame Johnny Depp,” McCartney explained to a group of reporters gathered at the Staples Center’s media room. “Be...

What Bruno Mars’ Super Bowl Show Means For His Earnings

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

Unlike the players who took the field for the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos at last night’s Super Bowl, halftime performer Bruno Mars won’t be paid for his efforts–as is the custom at the year’s biggest entertainment event.

“No appearance fee,” confirms NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy. “Same as always.”

For the Super Bowl’s halftime acts, payment comes in the form of exposure–and in the case of Bruno Mars, the dividends should...

Super Bowl Winners And Losers Of The Music Business

Super Bowl XLVIII ended in a rout–the Seattle Seahawks trounced the Denver Broncos by a score of 43-8–but the game’s winners and losers extended far beyond the football world.

Some of the biggest names in the music business took center stage at the largest entertainment event of the year, and for everyPeyton Manningthere was a Russell Wilson. Here’s a quick look at who emerged victorious–and who should start getting ready to try again next year.

WINNERS

Bruno Mars. Some observers initially quest...

How Bruno Mars Got The Super Bowl XLVIII Halftime Gig

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

With his halftime performance at Super Bowl XLVIII, Bruno Mars is set to join the likes ofPaul McCartney, Prince, U2, Madonna,Bruce Springsteen and Michael Jackson in the pantheon of acts who’ve graced the big game’s stage.

So how did the 28-year-old from Hawaii land the gig? He told FORBES the whole story during an interview for our annual 30 Under 30 issue, which hit newsstands earlier this month. It might surprise some to learn...

The Songs Behind Lorde’s Songs

When 17-year-old “Royals” singer Ella Yelich-O’Connor—known to the world as Lorde—took the stage to celebrate her Grammy victory for Song of the Year on Sunday, she kept her comments brief.

“Thank you to everyone who has let the song explode,” she said, moments after becoming the youngest musician to win a category other than Best New Artist. “Because it’s been mental. Universal, Lava, Songs Publishing … and my family, thank you.”

It seemed reasonable enough that she’d want to express gratitude...

Winners And Losers At The 2014 Grammys

The 56th Annual Grammy Awards have come and gone, and with them a handful of landmark moments for the music industry–a performance by a teenager from New Zealand, an onstage marriage of 33 couples, a Beatles reunion and a dominant performance by a pair of French robots.

Better known as Daft Punk, the duo took home five Grammys–the most of any act this year–and remained silent beneath their customary shiny helmets throughout multiple acceptance speech opportunities. Their collaborators did the...

Grammy Winners 2014: The Full List

Daft Punk took home the Grammy for Album of the Year, and gave the shortest acceptance speech in history: zero words.

In fact, the electronic duo–decked out in their trademark shiny helmets, this time atop tuxedos–didn’t utter a single syllable despite winning five times at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards. They instead farmed out that task out to collaborators including Pharrell Williams, who referred to them fondly as “the robots” and Nile Rodgers, who appeared in the Staples Center’s press roo...