Zack O'Malley Greenburg's Blog, page 87

New Deal For Jay-Z, Hip-Hop Hegemony For Universal

Jay-Z: New deal, new heights.

Jay-Z has released more No. 1 albums in his career than any other solo artist–11, to be exact. He hasn’t released a new record yet this year, but he’s been very active on the business front. Recent announcements include a publishing deal with Warner/Chappell, a summer tour with Justin Timberlake and the launch of Roc Nation Sports, with Robinson Cano as its first client.

Today, the hit parade continues. Universal Music Group announceda global partnership with Roc N...

SXSW 2013: Forbes Goes Inside The Studio With High Highs

SXSW: High Highs At Daytrotter's Pop-Up Studio.

The 2013 edition of the South By Southwest music festival wrapped up late last month, but here at FORBES, we’ve still got a few more stories to deliver from deep in the heart of Texas.

We brought you a host of pieces on the business of Austin‘s biggest event, with contributions from yours truly detailing the city’s pedicab economy during South By Southwest, chronicling the increasing corporate presence there and exploring why most artists play the...

What Jay-Z’s Robinson Cano Deal Means For His Nets Stake

Jay-Z: Waving goodbye to his Nets stake?

Jay-Z is a master of persuasion. In the past five years alone, he extracted a $150 million deal from Live Nation, coaxed Rihanna into signing with his management company and tied the knot with Beyoncé.

His latest conquest—and perhaps his most unlikely so far—is Robinson Cano. Jay-Z lured the Yankees’ second baseman away from super agent Scott Boras and signed him to Roc Nation Sports. The rapper’s new agency will represent Cano in conjunction with CAA as...

Debating The Concept Of Golden Ears With Clive Davis

Clive Davis talks Golden Ears and gold records.

Clive Davis sat down with me last month to discuss his autobiography, The Soundtrack of My Life, which is now in its fifth week on the New York TimesBest Sellers list.

In addition to delving into his memoir, though, the legendary music executive spent some time talking about the notion of ‘Golden Ears,’ a concept that’s mentioned frequently in his book.

Davis didn’t have any musical training before ascending to the top spot at Columbia Records in t...

Why Madonna Isn’t On The Forbes Billionaires List

Madonna: Marching toward $1 billion? Not so fast.

FORBES released its annualBillionaires issueearlier this month, and the list features plenty of new faces (Tory Burch,Renzo Rosso) alongside the usual suspects (Bill Gates,Warren Buffett).

There are plenty of entertainment moguls on the list (David Geffen,Oprah Winfrey), but there aren’t any billionaires who’ve gained their wealth by working as a musician or actor. Not Diddy orJay-Z, notBrad PittorAngelina Jolie—and notMadonna.

Yet earlier this w...

Why Jay-Z Is Making More Than Justin Timberlake On Their Summer Tour

Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake: Expect to see a lot of this combination over the summer.

In the summer of 2003, Jay-Z spent much of his time on the road, playing 33 dates with 50 Cent, Busta Rhymes and Missy Elliott on the Rock the Mic tour. His estimated take-home pay per show: $100,000.

Ten years later, things are a little different for the Brooklyn-born rapper. In the intervening time, Jay-Z sold his Rocawear clothing line for $204 million, inked a $150 million multiple rights deal with Live Na...

Inside Jay-Z’s Latest Summer Score

Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake: Expect to see a lot of this combination over the summer.

In the summer of 2003, Jay-Z spent much of his time on the road, playing 33 dates with 50 Cent, Busta Rhymes and Missy Elliott on the Rock the Mic tour. His estimated take-home pay per show: $100,000.

Ten years later, things are a little different for the Brooklyn-born rapper. In the intervening time, Jay-Z sold his Rocawear clothing line for $204 million, inked a $150 million multiple rights deal with Live Na...

The Cash Money Way: Drake, Jay Sean And Birdman Explain

Birdman & friends at Cash Money's Grammy party.

Bryan “Birdman” Williams might not be the top name on this year’s Forbes Five list of the wealthiest rappers, but he’s tops among his nine-figure peers in one important respect: he’s got the oldest record label of the bunch.

Along with his brother Ronald “Slim” Williams, Birdman founded Cash Money Records in 1991 and seven years later scored a lucrative distribution deal with Universal Music Group. In conjunction with its Young Money imprint, the...

50 Cent’s Next Beverage Bonanza

50 Cent: Set for another score.

50 Cent got his first taste of just how lucrative the beverage business could be in 2007, when Coca-Cola bought VitaminWater’s parent company for $4.1 billion. The rapper had received an equity stake as compensation for shilling his Formula 50 flavor, increasing his holdings as the years went on—and after the big sale, he walked away with $100 million.

“People were talking about how much money I made, but I was focused on the fact that $4.1 billion was made,” he...

The Forbes Five: Hip-Hop’s Wealthiest Artists 2013

see photosCHARLES SYKES/INVISION/AP

Click for full photo gallery: Hip-Hop's Wealthiest Artists 2013

Sean “Diddy” Combs rose to mainstream fame in the late 1990s rapping about his desire for Benjamins, otherwise known as $100 bills. A decade and a half later, he might need to consider some larger denominations—McKinleys, Clevelands andMadisons, perhaps—to express his wealth.

Diddy ranks No. 1 on this year’s Forbes Five,our list of hip-hop’s wealthiest artists, with an estimated net worth of $580...