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The talk surrounding Sean “Diddy” Combs allegedly not paying his artists has been circulating for quite some time now, but he’s finally clearing the air.
Oct 5, 2022
YouTube Music serves as a music service that supplies tunes, but more importantly, sheds light on the artists and their stories. In 2021, Director of Black Music & Culture Tuma Basa professed to AfroTech that the platform’s mission is to continue connecting the dots and being a sort of institutional memory for the culture. In an influential team effort, Artist Partnerships Lead Brittany Lewis and Global Music Strategist Lead Mahlet Seyoum are heavily involved in supporting artists.
Jun 20, 2022
Eric Thomas, better known as ET, is globally recognized as one of the most influential motivational speakers. Aside from inspiring the masses through his videos, which have amassed millions of views, the leader’s messages are shared in his time of also being a critically acclaimed author, world-renowned speaker, educator, and “The Hip Hop Preacher.” While being widely known for leading people to transform into their most successful selves, ET has taken a piece of his own advice by leveling up on his online outreach with his new platform, The ETVerse.
Apr 29, 2022
Is Yo Gotti trying to put more artists on game? Following the 64th annual Grammy Awards, it appears rapper Yo Gotti was left with some food for thought. The “Rake It Up” rapper took to Instagram revealing he wants to help other artists get the recognition they deserve, through the expansion of Collective Music Group (CMG). It appears a management division is already in the works. “I just left the Grammys and I figured something out,” Yo Gotti said to his nearly six million followers on Instagram. “I ain’t see enough of the artists we worked with or artists I feel like should be a part of this shit whether it be performing or winning awards… Long story short, I came up with a new idea — a new hustle — From now on, I’m finna start managing artists. It’s a lot of people I think should be at the Grammy’s and other sh*! too. I want to start with two or three artists.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Yo Gotti (@yogotti)
Apr 6, 2022
Is a new Young Money on the way? It may be with Nicki Minaj’s next venture. She’s dominated the rap industry for over a decade, so it’s only right that the rapper embarks on her next journey. After being in the business of influencing female rappers that have followed her pinkprint, Nicki is creating her own artist roster. In an interview with Joe Budden, she revealed that she’s building her own record label and management company, according to Variety. Just as the legendary 2000s to 2010s Hip-Hop era that came out out of Lil Wayne signing her and Drake to Young Money Entertainment, Nicki is carving a new executive path that will bring new buzzing talent for today’s industry. “I am creating my own management company,” she shared with Budden, according to Variety. “I’m also doing my record company. I have a couple of artists that I will start the record company with. I’ll speak on that closer to album time.” There’s no set in stone date yet for Nicki’s upcoming fifth studio album, so...
Mar 10, 2022
21 Savage is now a tech investor. According to TechCrunch, the rapper has invested in the seed round of Sound.xyz, a platform that aims to help artists get money through (non-fungible tokes) NFTs. The seed funding round totaled $5 million in capital influx. “Sound.xyz is a new startup looking to help recording artists monetize their community through NFTs, as the startup looks to build out a suite of tools designed to bring musicians into the so-called ‘web3’ fold,” reports the outlet. “The startup released its first product earlier this month, Listening Parties, which enable artists to sell NFTs tagged to the release of new songs.” While he’s on board with the new startup’s mission, 21 Savage investing in a tech business isn’t surprising. In 2018, the rapper said he was through with blowing his money on things like jewelry and cars. Instead, he said, he wanted to invest in things that help his long-term bottom line, including real estate and startups. Just one year later, Rolling...
Dec 17, 2021
TIDAL is finishing what it started when it comes to better supporting artists, and they’re adding more plans too. On Nov. 16, the streaming service announced a free tier for the first time, exclusive to U.S. -based listeners, The Verge reports. Subscribers will have free access to TIDAL’s 80 million song catalog and their entire playlist selection with limited interruptions. The platform will be using the interruptions to educate consumers on the music industry. TIDAL HiFi has also been upgraded, which is now split into two separate plans. The standard paid plan offers high-fidelity audio and offline listening with new features including TIDAL Connect and My Activity, for $9.99 a month. TIDAL HiFi Plus — the new third plan — is a $19.99 a month subscription that will have the “best-in-class immersive sound formats,” including Dolby Atmos and Sony 360 Audio tracks, according to the company. The company’s latest evolution doesn’t just stop at subscribers’ satisfaction, but will also...
Nov 17, 2021
More celebrities are getting into the non-fungible Token ( NFT) game and Quincy Jones is among the latest in the music industry to come forward and back a newly-launched NFT music platform that’s reshaping the fan experience. According to Variety, OneOf — co-founded by Lin Dai, Joshua James, and Adam Fell — announced that in addition to the music mogul’s investment, other musicians supporting its platform include Doja Cat, H.E.R., John Legend, the estate of Whitney Houston, TLC and many more. All of these artists supporting the platform are gearing up to release their own upcoming collections of green-friendly non-fungible tokens to give their fans access to new exclusive content. “I cannot wait to release my first Juicy Drops collection,” Doja Cat said in a statement reported by Variety. “However, I want to be mindful of environmental concerns and accessibility to all of my fans before we go live. Happy to now be working with OneOf, who is addressing both of these issues.” Similar...
May 25, 2021
The NFT (non-fungible token) boom over the last few weeks has taken over the cryptocurrency game for artists around the world, and now Black women are leading the charge to elevate the space just for them. Photographers Lauren Washington and Diana Sinclair — both associated with digital database Black Women Photographers (BWP) — have been integral players in ushering more Black women into the NFT space through online discussions on Clubhouse, Twitter and an onboarding process onto cryptocurrency platform, Foundation. According to Sinclair, Washington — who also specializes in film, screenwriting and directing — was the first Black woman photographer to join the platform with intentions of innovating the space for artists and women who look just like her. “I knew about crypto and investing because a friend of mine (Darrian Aldridge, a Black digital asset investor) who runs The Crypto Clubhouse room,” she tells AfroTech. “So I was learning about what that all means and what blockchain...
May 16, 2021
New York City is giving back to its creatives with a major outlet to not only benefit them but the city too. The New York Times (NYT) reports that the city is launching a brand new $25 million recovery program to lend financial support to artists and performers whose income has been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The new program, the City Artist Corps, will reportedly provide funding to artists and musicians as well as other performers to help them create works across the city through public art, performances, pop-up shows, murals and other community arts projects. According to Gonzalo Casals, New York City’s cultural affairs commissioner, the initiative aims to ensure artists are not being left out of the city’s recovery efforts during the pandemic. “We want to make sure that we put funds in the pocket of artists,” he said in an interview with the NYT. “Artists have been one of the hardest-hit populations. They have so much to offer and so much give.” City officials...
May 12, 2021
Here’s something to toast to! In a new partnership, EFFEN Vodka joins forces with Allies in Arts to create an official 2021 Pride 365 Bottle. According to PR Newswire, the bottle is a celebration of Pride, not only during Pride Month but year-round, and is the company’s commitment to building a more inclusive world. Street muralist and LGBTQQIA2S artist, Sam Kirk, has been commissioned to design the bottle which will celebrate Black and LGBTQQIA2S communities and spotlights each day as a new chance to live loud, vibrant, and proud. View this post on Instagram A post shared by EFFEN vodka (@effenvodka) “We’re huge fans of Sam’s work and thrilled with how the Pride 365 bottle came out,” said I van Hidalgo , Senior Marketing Director of Regional Brands at Beam Suntory in an official news statement. “There’s no doubting the immense obstacles and barriers the LGBTQQIA2S and Black communities continue to face, and we are honored to join forces with Allies in Arts and Sam to create the...
Apr 8, 2021
Coined NFTs, the craze over non-fungible tokens has been sweeping the digital art world, but will they last? This expert doesn’t think so. Damon Abramson is the founder of Harmony Technologies and he is confident that NFTs won’t last once the hype calms down. He has has been working in the digital space for more than 40 years, and he is an expert digital marketing consultant who has been following blockchain and NFTs from the start. He told AfroTech that NFTs have actually been around for three or four years, which is a lot longer than the craze going on right now. “I see NFTs going away,” Abramson said. “Think about it, generally, this is how we place value on things. They are unique and not everyone can get them. The NFT situation is, okay it’s unique, but everyone can make a copy of it. It’s not like you can charge me in a museum to see your digital art.” If you aren’t familiar with NFTs yet, think of them as one-of-a-kind trading cards as The Verge explained. No one card is the...
Mar 26, 2021
Alicia Keys — 15-time Grammy award-winning singer and songwriter — is putting her talents to good use and spreading the wealth of music knowledge to aspiring artists. According to Variety , Keys has promised to share her approach to songwriting with the masses through her newly-launched online-video class, which shares over 19 lessons and three-plus hours of visual learning content. Keys launched her class on MasterClass, a streaming platform that has various courses led by celebrities and experts alike. The platform offers an annual $180 subscription plan and full access to the platform’s catalog of 90-plus classes. According to an announcement from MasterClass, the legendary singer is inviting users into her studio to walk them through her entire songwriting and producing process for creating heartfelt music with authentic emotion. “Alicia is simply a legend,” said David Rogier, founder and CEO of MasterClass, in a statement. “She appeals to and unites her audience with empathy...
Nov 25, 2020
As part of its new initiative, social media platform TikTok is taking control of New Music Fridays with the help of fellow artists. Over the last few months, TikTok has earned a solid reputation for boosting both old and new songs through users’ content. Now, it’s channeling that same power of the music industry to change the timing of Friday music releases by launching its exclusive live-only “Watermarked” listening session series, Billboard reports . Courtesy of TikTok Through this new feature on the app, TikTok is now partnering with artists and inviting them to debut new music for fans live each Thursday at 11:30 p.m. ET, 30 minutes before new albums, projects, or singles hit streaming at midnight on Fridays. Additionally, artists will walk listeners through their album’s key tracks during each session while fans ask questions posed in the comments section. According to Billboard , TikTok initially had a quarrelsome relationship with the music industry concerning music...
Oct 21, 2020
Even during this unique time, artists are still finding creative ways to support one another. Among those supporting the music community is Pharrell, who recently announced that he’s partnering with SoundCloud to hand-pick new artists to create a charity album. “For our shared passion and vision for music, @i_am_OTHER and I are teaming up with @SoundCloud to discover the next creators. Starting today you can tag #SCxiamOTHER on your SoundCloud track for a chance to be featured on a compilation we’re working on,” he said in an Instagram post. https://www.instagram.com/p/B_SSQDBH3la/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link The SoundCloud compilation album titled, “SoundCloud Presents: i am OTHER, Volume 1,” will champion emerging musicians and provide funding for undiscovered artists’ future music releases. This partnership both calls attention to a community that’s often overlooked and shows support for their artistic crafts. “We know the rise of the coronavirus has hit creators hard with a loss...
Apr 23, 2020