Apple will finally shut down iTunes. Apple will rollout new software for Mac this fall and iTunes will cease to exist. Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, and Apple TV will replace iTunes. For those who have an iTunes library full of songs – no need to worry. Your iTunes library will exported into a new app, which includes your downloaded songs, purchased songs, or songs ripped from a CD.
Both Miley Cyrus and Katy Perry are back with new music. Miley dropped the first of three six-song EPs while Katy Perry released a Ariana-Grande style single “Never Really Over.” Perry is aiming for the radio charts and Miley is taking chances again. In fact, Miley hasn’t made a radio album since Bangerz which was released 2013. There has been a lot of talk if Miley and Katy can still move tracks and and sell tickets. While Miley and Katy focused on outside endeavors new pop stars dominated like Post Malone, Ariana Grande, Cardi B, and Billie Eilish.
Most pop stars rarely last more than 5 years, nobody survives the changing trends. That still doesn’t mean business is over. They can still generate lots of money, even though they can’t pack the same size venues. When the pop stars of yore like Katy and Miley discover the fact they will no longer be trending topics, they will actually start writing great music again – the type of songs that broke them in the first place. Creativity is the highest when their are no strings attached.
Taylor Swift promises to get political on her new album. Even though politics has done little to bolster her career, Swift told Elle Mag, “I definitely think there are political undertones in the new music I made,” “I’m not planning to stop encouraging young people to vote and to try to get them to talk about what’s going on in our country. I think that’s one of the most important things I could do.”
While some artists-turned- activists, have used their platform to influence people, many stay away from such controversy. Dolly Parton says, “I learned a long time ago to keep your damn mouth shut if you want to stay in show business.” Parton told Nightline, “I don’t do politics. I’m not getting into any of that. I have a lot of fans out there and I don’t want to offend anybody. Besides, I just don’t get into that. If you are deciding you may want to ask me something more serious, don’t, because I’m not going to answer it.”
After 60 years, Warner Bros. Records has rebrands itself and even acquires a new a logo. Its new name is Warner Records.
“For the first time in the label’s history, we’ve had the opportunity to create a distinct, modern identity entirely of our own,” U.S. Co-Chairman & COO Tom Corson and as U.S. Co-Chairman & CEO Aaron Bay-Schuck said in a joint statement. “The timing couldn’t be better, since we all feel the label is at a moment of reinvention that builds on our legacy, while moving into a future driven by fearlessness and creativity.”
After Time Warner sold off Warner Bros. it was agreed that the company would continue to use its name and logo for 15 years.
“We wanted the Warner Records brand to have the power and freedom to mean different things to different people around the world,” said Christie. “A new logo isn’t meaningful on its own, and our label will always be defined by the originality of our artists, our music, and our people.”
The music industry is turning to Hollywood for a new stream of revenue. Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody which became the biggest biopic ever generated $903 million worldwide on a $50 million budget. Even though the success of Bohemian Rhapsody was once-in-lifetime, it’s still worth for music labels to invest in documentaries because of the massive exposure. Even a biopic that bombs can still impact artist streams and downloads. With the success of Bohemian Rhapsody, Hollywood is on a biopic craze hoping to make the most out of the momentum. As the Hollywood Reported stated, “singers become as bankable as superheroes at the box office?”
Here are some upcoming biopics:
Elton John – ‘Rocketman’
David Bowie – ‘Stardust’
Dusty Springfield – ‘So Much Love’
Celine Dion – ‘The Power of Love’
Aretha Franklin – ‘Respect’