Labrinth signs exclusive songwriting agreement with BMG

Singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Labrinth has signed a worldwide exclusive songwriting agreement with BMG. Since 2010, Labrinth has amassed five Top 10 UK singles including Let The Sunshine, Earthquake, Last Time, Jealous and No.1 smash hit with Emeli Sande, Beneath Your Beautiful. Meanwhile, Labrinth's 2012 debut LP, Electronic Earth, peaked at No.2 and spent 42 weeks on the Official UK Albums Chart.   As well as his own solo material, Labrinth has written and produced for a number of big names including Rihanna, Emeli Sande, Kygo, The Weeknd, Plan B and Mike Posner He has also collaborated on multiple occasions with Tinie Tempah, having produced and co-written the rapper's groundbreaking debut single Pass Out, which landed at No.1 on the charts and won gongs at both the 2011 BRIT and Ivor Novello Awards.

Interscope Records signs M.O

The UK's hottest new girl group just became the UK's hottest new export. M.O have just announced they are signing to legendary U.S label Interscope Records. This follows growing excitement and attention around the band internationally with the release of their major label debut via Universal’s Polydor Records, Who Do You Think Of? in the UK.  Home to the likes of Lady Gaga, Kendrick Lamar and Lana Del Rey, Interscope Geffen A&M Chairman and CEO John Janick said: "I've been watching M.O connect with music fans, especially over the course of 2016. As well as being great writers, the group has a sound that draws on some of the greatest dance and r&b music, while being unique to them at the same time.  We are really excited to build on the current UK success and break them here in the US." 

Canadian music companies successfully settle legal action against isoHunt 

Canadian and international music companies have settled litigation against isoHunt Web Technologies Inc. (“isoHunt”) and its founder Gary Fung (“Fung”) with the entering of orders by consent against isoHunt and Fung.  The settlement ends a lawsuit filed in 2010 alleging substantial copyright infringement of music on the isoHunt site, as well as an opposing action filed by isoHunt and Fung.  isoHunt and Fung agreed to a court order finding them liable for infringing the music companies’ rights in their recordings, which were made available for BitTorrent file-sharing through isoHunt’s websites. Fung and isoHunt further agreed not to be associated with any service that makes the music companies’ recordings available without authorisation, including by BitTorrent or any other file-sharing technology.

UMG to produce film about INXS lead singer Michael Hutchence

Universal Music Group is producing a feature-length documentary film about the extraordinary life of INXS lead singer Michael Hutchence. Passion Pictures, the multi-award winning production company with film credits including the Academy Award-winning documentary Searching For Sugar Man, will co-produce. Richard Lowenstein, a close friend of Hutchence and whose writing and directing credits include He Died with a Felafel in His Hand, Say a Little Prayer and Strikebound, has agreed to direct. INXS is signed to Universal Music Publishing Group. David Blackman, UMG’s head of film and television development and production, said: “Michael Hutchence was a musical genius who led one of the world’s biggest bands to global stardom, only to succumb to a tragic end. We have assembled an incredible team that is committed to telling Michael’s story and providing the world with a portrait of a man who left behind an enduring musical and cultural legacy.”  

Riff Racer is the first game ever to have Apple Music integration

Games developer Foam has developed a new mobile game called Riff Racer which takes any piece of audio and analyses it down to its core components, creating a "stunt-filled racing experience for every track in your library". Whilst users can play with music from their iTunes library, or one of twenty-five bundled tracks, users are also encouraged to sign up to Apple Music in the game, after which they can play the game to regularly updated curated playlists from the FOAM team, across seven different music genres. “As a small independent developer, Foam's mission is to explore innovation around new platforms and API’s, explains Steve Milbourne, co-founder of Foam. "We’re delighted to launch Riff Racer on iOS and also be the first game to integrate the Apple Music service."

André Rieu’s 2016 Maastricht Concert breaks UK & Irish box office records

Event Cinema specialists CinemaLive are proud to announce that André Rieu’s 2016 Maastricht Concert which screened at 544 cinema locations across the UK and Ireland this weekend, grossed a verified result of £1,408,251 (source: Rentrak), making it the highest grossing music concert of all time to be broadcast to cinemas throughout this territory, surpassing last year’s Maastricht concert in cinemas. Last year’s event was the first music concert to take over £1m at the UK box office on a single day. This record beats previous cinema events by One Direction, Ed Sheeran and Take That, among many other artists.

Official Trending Chart - Week 30 2016

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