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Snoop Dogg is going where the money is. Snoop Dogg, who acquired Death Row Records in 2022, shared the low payout he received from streaming. After receiving 1 billion streams on Spotify, he recalls being compensated only $45,000, as AFROTECH™ previously told you. “In the streaming world, I can show you right now. They just sent me some sh-t from Spotify, where I got a billion streams, right? My publisher hit me. I said, ‘Break that down, how much money is that?’ That sh-t wasn’t even $45,000… You see what I’m saying? So it’s like…when this sh-t came out, I could tell an artist that same song that you put out traditionally that didn’t make no money, give it to me. Every time you sell it if somebody else sells it you get 10% of it,” Snoop said on the “Business Untitled” podcast. However, in response, a Spotify spokesperson said: “We can’t speak to endorsement deals for Web3 companies but…$45,000 for a billion streams? It’s well documented that a billion streams on Spotify generates...
Authenticity has remained Kordell Beckham’s superpower beyond the villa. Beckham and his girlfriend, Serena Page, were crowned the Season 6 champions of Peacock’s “Love Island USA,” which had become the most-watched series on streaming platforms in the U.S. ahead of the season finale in July 2024, per NBC Universal. Beckham and Page also made history as the first Black couple to win on the show, The Hilltop mentions. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Jennifer Hudson Show (@jenniferhudsonshow) Investing Cash Prize The couple — who now have 7 million followers combined across their TikTok and Instagram accounts — earned a $100,000 cash prize on the show, which they split evenly, according to US Weekly. Beckham has decided to be wise with a portion of his earnings going toward investments, and this will include the launch of his own clothing brand now in the works with his team. “We’ve been talking with a bunch of businesses to see what we can do to jumpstart a clothing...
Entrepreneurship is a long, arduous journey that’s rarely linear. And, for Black entrepreneurs the process can be even harder. It’s no secret that minorities and female founders often struggle to secure capital when compared to white male founders. Even attracting as much visibility in mainstream media as other businesses — including social media growth — can be harder. Plus, not having a network of fellow entrepreneurs who understand the challenges can make the entire experience lonely. Daymond John, a serial entrepreneur, understands this process all too well. From his days launching the iconic streetwear apparel brand FUBU to parlaying his business acumen into the investor niche, John learned from his growing pains. Now, he wants to help other Black-owned businesses navigate those issues. From Hollis, Queens, To The Tank Today, John is a household name, thanks to his tenure on the ABC’s “Shark Tank.” But many people are familiar with him from FUBU, a streetwear brand he started...
It was a celebration for Hip-Hop when it was announced that De La Soul regained their music catalog, which wasn’t available for fans for over 20 years. On March 3, the Long Island, NY group’s first six albums made its debut on streaming services after Reservoir Media acquired Tommy Boy Records, their former label, in 2021, according to a press release.
What better way to kick off the year than with an event where Black corporate executives, investors, and tech moguls link up to discuss today’s trending topics? On March 30, AfroTech Executive Seattle convened at the Four Seasons Hotel. The highly anticipated event included top companies like Microsoft and The Collective as well as speakers such as Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan, who led the fireside chat “ Sustainable Leadership: Thriving in Your New Role.” Photo Credit: Mat Hayward
Cxmmunity is still on a mission to make esports accessible at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The Black-owned non–profit spearheaded by Christopher Peay and Ryan Johnson has announced its second annual HBCU Esports League Verizon Celebrity Pro-Am. Students will compete in Uno and Fortnite alongside celebrity figures including T-Pain, Brett Gray, Mike Evans, Erin Ashley Simon, Allisha Gray, Bas, Tarik Cohen, FaZe Swagg, Sonny Digital, and more. “We want to continue elevating and raising awareness around HBCU esports programs while showing these schools and these students that there are really cool people in sports, entertainment, and music supporting the gaming space,” Johnson told AfroTech exclusively. In addition to playing alongside celebrity favorites, students can also look forward to a prize pool of $10,000 with $2,000 for the Uno segment that will be donated to the school’s esports programs and $8,000 for the Fortnite tournament to support student...
The beef between Pusha T and McDonald’s has recently resurfaced in quite an interesting turn of events. The rapper’s feud with the fast-food company first began to brew after he wrote its “I’m Lovin’ It” jingle in 2003 with his brother, No Malice, in which they weren’t adequately compensated. Justin Timberlake was reportedly paid $6 million for recording the hit. Now, according to Rolling Stone, Pusha T is getting the last laugh after the foul deal on his end of a one-time fee but no royalties. On March 21, Arby’s aired its commercial “Spicy Fish Diss,” bars courtesy of the Virginia emcee. The ad is for the sandwich company’s marketing purposes, but the shots fired are a bit more personal for him.
Aaliyah’s legacy will forever be cemented into the culture, but a new collection honors the late singer for both her exceptional talents and the love she had for Detroit, MI, just in time for International Women’s Day. According to Complex, KITH has released an exclusive line of apparel featuring photos of the “Rock The Boat” singer that have never been seen by the public before thanks to a partnership with her estate and photographer Robert Whitman. The collection is a personal one for KITH founder, Ronnie Fieg, who has been a fan of the New York-born, Detroit-raised singer. Her impact continues to touch the lives of generations of fans both past and present. It might even attract even more fans debuting just months following reports previously made by AfroTech about the long journey to clearing the musician’s catalog for streaming services.
LeBron James’ recent investment is taking him further into the food business. AfroTech previously reported in February that the NBA superstar’s Foundation teamed up with Old El Paso to officially open their first-ever restaurant in 2023. Now, he’s joined a new platform that is for the foodie community. Page Six reports that James became an investor in Kittch, a live-streaming platform for chefs and creators to connect, which launched on Mar. 8. After being in beta for three to four months, the platform aims to highlight famous chefs along with users having free access to their live streams of cooking from their homes or restaurants, according to the outlet. After the effects of the pandemic, Kittch’s co-founders created the idea to help rebuild upon what chefs had lost out on financially.
Kanye West continues to show why he’s truly a genius. As someone who does it all, the rapper’s Stem Player — what he calls the “first Yeezy Tech product” — has brought in $2.2 million in sales in one day thanks to his latest album, reports HYPEBEAST. Per Kanye West, the move to release his music via his Stem Player platform rather than streaming services such as Apple Music, Spotify, or TIDAL caused him way more monetary gain. “To earn the $2.2 million we made on the first day on the stem player the album would have had to stream 500 million times,” Kanye West shared. “We did more revenue on Stem Player, without the album even being out than we would have done with the album being out on streaming.” Just months following the release of “Donda,” Kanye West revealed that he would release “Donda 2” exclusively via his Stem Player. And, according to the “Jesus Walks” emcee, this was because the percentage that artists receive on streaming platforms is significantly low. “Today artists...
Kanye West is known for thinking outside of the box. And, with his next album “Donda 2,” things are no different. Ahead of its release on Feb. 22, Kanye West took to Instagram to announce it will not be available on streaming platforms such as Apple Music, Amazon, Spotify, and YouTube. But, the album will be available for streaming on his $200 stem player that AfroTech previously reported allows fans to “customize any song.” “Donda 2 will only be streaming on my own platform, the stem player. You can download new music from stemplayer.com. You can play 4 different elements of the track: vocals, drums, bass and music. It also has a MP3 player available. We currently have 67,000 available and are making 3,000 a day,” Kanye West wrote via Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/tv/CaHAZv4ju7N/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link If you are wondering why the sudden move to venture away from streaming giants, West revealed his disdain for the “oppressive system.” “Donda 2 will only be available on...
ComplYant is here to help small businesses with their tax needs. And thanks to a recent seed funding round, they’re able to help now more than ever. In a press release announcement, it was revealed that the company closed a seed funding round of $5.5 million led by Craft Ventures with participation from Mucker Capital, Slauson & Co., and Techstars. ComplYant was founded by Grid 110 and Techstars alum Shiloh Johnson. There are more than 31 million small businesses in the United States, and they pay billions in tax penalties every year for filing forms or making payments late. Some businesses just forget while others don’t understand enough about the taxes they owe to know that they owe them. ComplYant’s digital platform solves this problem by streamlining workflow, providing a savings wallet for taxes, and allowing accountants to collaborate with client accounts – all right in your browser. Using ComplYant, U.S. small business owners easily manage and take charge of income tax, sales...