Zack O'Malley Greenburg's Blog, page 84

Spotify Doesn’t Enrich New Artists–But Who Does?

Thom Yorke: Not singing Spotify's praises.

Nigel Godrich and Thom Yorke, both famed for their work with Radiohead, have been in the headlines today for airing their thoughts on Spotify.

The duo pulled three projects–Yorke’s 2006 solo album Eraser, the 2013 album Amok(by Atoms for Peace, a band that includes both Yorke and Godrich) and a self-titled album by Ultraista in which Godrich also had a hand–from the popular streaming music service.

“The reason is that new artists get paid f**k all with...

No BS! Brass Band At Forbes: Full Video Coverage

Late last month, the No BS! Brass Band stopped by the FORBES headquarters in New York, and much merriment ensued.

The Richmond, Va.-based group–co-founded by Bon Iver trombonist Reggie Pace–filled our halls, stairwells and cubicles with the strains of songs including Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”before heading to our roof deck to perform a mini-concert.

While on the premises, No BS! brought new meaning to the term “elevator music” and even surprised Steve Forbes himself with some blaring horns.

K...

Jay-Z’s Newest Rule: Who Needs A Single?

Jay-Z and Beyonce celebrate the rapper's new album--and new rules--with some killer moves on the dance floor.

Jay-Z has a penchant for making new rules. On his 2007 album American Gangster, for example, he broke from musical tradition and trumpeted it in song–rather than launch into a chorus after the first verse of the fifth track, he simply declared, “And I don’t need no hook for this sh*t!”

Apparently he doesn’t need singles, either.

His latest album, Magna Carta Holy Grail, is now available...

Thriller At Forbes: No BS! Brass Band Crashes The Newsroom

Had you stopped by the FORBES headquarters the Friday before last, you might have noticed something unusual emanating from the elevators. Not idle chatter about the weather or the Yankees, but music–very, very loud music–Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” to be precise.

The occurrence wasn’t the result of an inconsiderate boombox-toting employee, or a sudden resurrection of the King of Pop in the offices of a business publication. Rather, it was the arrival of No BS! Brass, an 11-piece drum-and-bra...

Jay-Z’s Album Just Leaked–And Gave Him The Best First Week Sales Of His Career

Jay-Z: Best leak ever.

Jay-Z‘s album just leaked.It won’t hit record stores for another 72 hours, and at this very moment, perhaps a million people are listening for free. Within a hour or two, it’ll probably be recorded and uploaded to just about every illegal file-sharing site on the web.

But for Jay-Z, this is hardly a crisis–rather, it’s all part of a plan that guaranteesMagna Carta Holy Grail will give him the best opening-week sales figures of his career.

The “Empire State of Mind” rapper...

Rum Diaries: Kenny Chesney Diversifies With Blue Chair Bay

Kenny Chesney: Country singer, rum runner.

One evening about a decade ago, Kenny Chesney was lounging by the beach in the U.S. Virgin Islands with some friends, watching the sun dip beneath the horizon. The air was warm, the water was clear blue, and he felt completely at ease.

“I remember thinking right then if I could bottle this up, that’s what I’d like to do,” Chesney tells FORBES.

Earlier this year, the country star realized his dream with the launch of Blue Chair Bay, his very own brand of...

How Scott Borchetta Built Country’s Hottest Label

Speed Racer: Scott Borchetta, chief of Big Machine Records.

Scott Borchetta was a middle-schooler when he participated in his first car race, an amateur tilt at a Quarter Midget Association racetrack in Northridge, California.

Piloting his own quarter midget–a go-kart-esque vehicle with a full roll cage, the same type that NASCAR drivers like Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart trained on–Borchetta fell just short of victory.

“I think I finished second or third,” he says over coffee on a recent trip to...

Country Cash Kings 2013: Toby Keith Leads List Of Top Earners

see photosJamie Kripke

Click for full photo gallery: The Ten Top-Earning Country Music Acts of 2013

When Toby Keithwrote the song “I Love This Bar” a decade ago, he probably didn’t realize just how true the lyrics would prove to be. In the chorus, he croons: “Just walkin’ through the front door puts a big smile on my face.”

That’s certainly the case these days when he strolls into any I Love This Bar And Grill, the restaurant chain he launched two years after releasing the song. He’s got 18 loca...

Forbes Celebrity 100: World’s Most Powerful Musicians 2013

see photosAP

Click for full photo gallery: Celeb 100: Power Musicians

There aren’t many industries in which one can endure a season-ending injury and still finish the year on top. But that’s what happened to Lady Gaga, who ranks highest of all musicians on the 2013 edition of FORBES’ Celebrity 100 power list.

The Queen Monster earned $80 million over the past 12 months–and would have banked even more had it not been for a hip injury that cut her Born This Way Ball Tour short. The excursion gross...

Toby Keith, Cowboy Capitalist: Country’s $500 Million Man

With 70,000 fans awaiting him at the Houston Rodeo, the world’s largest, Toby Keith sits in his tour bus, as relaxed as the denim on his legs. He’s holding court with his usual crew–business partners, not groupies–and he’s mischievously daring me to eat the worm.

Half the size of a golf tee, the caterpillar-like creature floats beneath an inch of mezcal, tequila’s smokier cousin. Keith instructs everyone to raise their red Solo cups–which, unlike mine, are devoid of bug carcasses–and slam thei...