BMG Integrates New-Release and Catalog Divisions: ‘Music Is Music Regardless of Age’

Vanessa Feltz's ex fiancé Ben Ofoedu has opened up on how his life "spiralled out of control" following their break-up.The star has shared all about the most difficult time in a new interview amid a highly-publicised cheating scandal. Admitting that he could "understand how people want to end it all" when everything falls apart, Ben also said that bagging a new role in a London theatre show called Tony n' Tina's Wedding "saved" him.The 50 year old has taken on the role of a character called Vinnie Black in an immersive wedding-themed theatre show.The star said that the work opportunity also helped him amid grieving the death of his brother Roy, who sadly died recently at the age of 47.

Stacey Solomon left her children "annoyed" after she decided to get a tattoo tribute to her husband Joe Swash, the former EastEnders actor has revealed. Joe, 41, who was evicted from I'm A Celebrity...South Africa during last night's show, appeared on Loose Women today (Wednesday 10 May) to discuss his time in the jungle and his life with wife Stacey, 33. As he reflected on his experience in the jungle the second time around, and admitted to constantly missing his family and kids, Joe also spoke about the special inking Stacey decided to dedicate to him.

Paul Burrell and Phil Tufnell’s fall out in the I'm A Celebrity South Africa jungle may worsen as a body language expert predicts more conflict between the pair. Ex-cricketer Phil was left feeling “dejected” by Paul on Tuesday night after Princess Diana’s former butler failed to pick him to save from eviction, despite the pair having sparked up a friendship. Instead, Paul chose Dean Gaffney to save, leaving Joe Swash and Phil facing a trial that would see the loser leave the jungle.

proposed a constitutional amendment to deny legal recognition of LGBTQ rights to counter a popular constitutional amendment brought by the left-wing secularist Republican People’s Party (CHP), which sought to enshrine a woman’s right to wear a religious headscarf into the constitution. By introducing an amendment that attacks the LGBTQ community, Erdoğan hoped to not only cement support among social conservatives, especially radical Islamists who have long backed his party but to force CHP and other opposition parties to either come out in favor of his proposed amendment or reveal their pro-LGBTQ sympathies and risk losing the votes of devout Muslims.As public polls indicate that AKP has lost the level of support it once enjoyed before the global COVID-19 pandemic, especially with respect to inflation, rising prices, higher costs of living, and other economic issues, Erdoğan has increasingly found his party on the defensive, lashing out at rivals and desperately trying to paint them as opponents of “family values.”Speaking at Sunday’s rally in Istanbul, Erdoğan, who has held a lock on power for nearly two decades — serving as prime minister from 2003 to 2014 and as president since 2014 — vowed never to advance pro-LGBT policies, according to Reuters.“AK Party and other parties in our alliance would never be pro-LGBT, because family is sacred to us.

Kim Cattrall has gushed about Robert De Niro’s girlfriend and hailed his partner Tiffany Chen as “gorgeous and sweet” as the Hollywood star became a dad again aged 79. Robert and martial arts instructor Tiffany were first rumoured to be dating after being spotted holidaying together in France in 2021. While they have only been dating a couple of years, it’s believed Tiffany and Robert have known each other since 2015 after meeting on the set of The Intern.

As Lola Pearce’s death creeps ever closer, it appears the EastEnders favourite couldn’t catch a break this week, as her deteriorating health dealt the much-loved character yet another devastating blow on Wednesday. As regular viewers will know, Lola is currently battling a terminal brain tumour, with her fate tragically sealed in the coming weeks.

“God Is a Bullet” marks Nick Cassavetes’ return to the director’s chair since 2014’s “The Other Woman.” Cassavetes is historically known for being the son of acclaimed filmmaker John Cassavetes and actress Gena Rowlands but also directed many cult hits, including “John Q.,” “The Notebook,” and “Alpha Dog.” With “God Is a Bullet,” Cassavetes assembles a star-studded cast that includes Jamie Foxx, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, January Jones, Maika Monroe, Andrew Dice Clay, Karl Glusman, and Ethan Suplee.

Celebrity documentaries are all the rage these days, and as a recent New York Magazine article points out (a fantastic, must-read), in a feature article about the “murky ethics” in the growing doc and doc series explosion of the last few years, a lot of celeb docs are executive produced by the subject themselves and becoming something of vanity puff pieces or doc infomercials for the subject. But “Arnold,” the new Netflix doc about the legendary Arnold Schwarzenegger, does not list Schwarzenegger as any kind of producer, exec or otherwise, which hopefully bodes well (though you sometimes never know what goes beyond the scenes, he could still have a say or final cut as many do with celeb docs).

A 13-year-old boy is in hospital after being hit by a car on a Scots road.

Patients can expect swifter discharges and reduced ambulance waiting times thanks to a partnership between NHS Lanarkshire and The Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS).

Local retailers across Hamilton are offering customers weekly 1p bundles throughout May to help support the local community amid the current cost-of-living crisis.

A dad caused catastrophic and permanent brain damage to his own eight-week-old son after he violently shook the child, a court has heard.

Lewis Capaldi is set to appear on the hugely popular YouTube series Chicken Shop Date with Amelia Dimoldenberg.

Britney Spears has an unhealthy relationship with caffeine.

Taking sides…

Kim Kardashian has clearly loved spending a few nights this week sitting courtside at the Los Angeles Lakers‘ playoff games. So much so folks have started to wonder if there’s a more romantic reason she’s there…

A post shared by Rita Lee Jones (@ritalee_oficial)Known for being one of Brazil’s most successful singer-songwriters, Lee got her start in the group Os Mutantes who were considered one of Brazil’s most influential rock bands. Her album ‘Fruto Proibido’ (Forbidden Fruit) with the band Tutti Frutti is considered a Brazilian music classic.Lee’s musical career spanned more than 50 years.

Christopher Nolan has reflected on his decision not to cast Cillian Murphy as Batman in The Dark Knight trilogy.The director and actor — who have collaborated once again for the upcoming biopic Oppenheimer — recently discussed their long-time film partnership with Entertainment Weekly.Coming onto the subject of Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, Murphy admitted that he knew he wasn’t right for the part of Bruce Wayne/Batman, a role that ultimately went to Christian Bale.“It was clear to me from the beginning that I wasn’t Batman material,” said Murphy of screen testing for the role. “It felt to me that it was correct and right that it should be Christian Bale for that part.

Jennifer Garner would have wanted to be a minister if she hadn't created a successful acting career. In fact, the 51-year-old actress' mom is still convinced Garner that one day it will happen. "I would have really liked being a minister," the "13 Going on 30" actress told Allure magazine.

Mo Willems is stepping further into the multimedia entertainment world. The globally best-selling and award-winning children’s book author will team with Stampede Ventures and RedBird Capital to form Hidden Pigeon Company.

The series finales for “Riverdale” and “Nancy Drew” will air back-to-back as part of The CW’s summer slate.After the fourth and final season of drama series “Nancy Drew” launches Wednesday, May 31 at 8 p.m.

Cannes Film Festival, where Depp’s newest film “Jeanne du Barry” is slated to be the opening night feature. International sales on “Modi” will be handled by The Veterans.

SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher took some heat for comments she made on the picket line May 8, including how she doesn’t think what is “very important to writers … is the kind of the stuff that we’re [the actors] going after.” But while guesting on SiriusXM’s The Julie Mason Show, the former star of The Nanny said both her union and the WGA were “all cogs in the same wheel” and that “it’s important that we sit by our sister unions in solidarity.”

Todd Longwell It is often said that the secret to becoming a successful entrepreneur is finding a need and filling it. When Santa Monica-based BondIt Media Capital launched in 2013, it zeroed in on the deposits productions must leave with SAG-AFTRA, DGA, IATSE and other guilds to ensure that their members get paid in a timely fashion.  The company co-founders — CEO Matthew Helderman and COO Luke Taylor — knew from their experience working in the production trenches that these deposits, which sometimes take up to six months to be returned, can create a significant cash flow problem for low-budget projects during principal photography. 

BreAnna Bell The CW reveals Canadian sitcom “Run the Burbs” will make its US debut as the network unveils its Summer 2023 programming lineup. The network has renewed both newcomers “Family Law” and the comedy “Bump” for second seasons. Starring Jewel Staite and Victor Garber, the legal drama follows lawyer and recovering alcoholic Abigail Bianchi, as she struggles to put her career and family back together after hitting rock bottom. As a condition of her probation, Abby is forced to work at her estranged father’s law firm which results in a dysfunctional family law firm operating to help other families with their own dysfunctions. “Bump” is an Australian comedy-drama series about Olympia Chalmers-Davis, an overachieving 17-year-old student who has a surprise baby and the complications that ensue for the two families involved.

Thania Garcia It’s time. Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour — her first jaunt in nearly five years — has officially kicked off at Stockholm’s Friends Arena where she’s set to perform for nearly three hours at the Swedish capital. The stadium trek will continue across Europe through June before coming to North America and will run for at least 40 dates, mainly in stadiums. Club Renaissance will make stops at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey (July 29) and at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. (Sept. 2) amid stops in Chicago, Philadelphia, Toronto, Atlanta, Phoenix and Miami. A full slate of merchandise options was made available before the Stockholm show including black, gray and white t-shirts and hoodies. There was one customized “Opening Night” design with the city and date.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor In the wake of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing examining on Ticketmaster’s powerful presence in the live-entertainment market, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Mn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Ct.) today introduced legislation intended to improve competition in live event ticketing markets. Without naming the company, the announcement notes that “Today’s primary ticketing market is dominated by one company that by some estimates has locked up 70 to 80 percent market share and has used its dominance to pressure venues to agree to ticketing contracts that last up to ten years, insulating it from competition.”  Titled the “Unlock Ticketing Markets Act,” the legislation aims to “help restore competition to live event ticketing markets by empowering the Federal Trade Commission to prevent the use of excessively long multi-year exclusive contracts that lock out competitors, decrease incentives to innovate new services, and increase costs for fans,” referencing ticketing companies’ practice of exclusive contracts with venues and promoters.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Fugees rapper Pras was found guilty Wednesday of 10 counts related to a multimillion-dollar “clandestine foreign influence campaign scheme” funded by a wealthy Malaysian financier to peddle influence in the United States, according to the Associated Press and other news outlets.  The trial included testimony from witnesses ranging from actor Leonardo DiCaprio to former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions. The rapper, whose real name is Prakazrel Michel, was accused of funneling money from Low Taek Jho, a now-fugitive Malaysian financer, through false donors to Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign, and then attempting to quash a Justice Department investigation and influence an extradition case on behalf of China under the Trump administration.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Driven by big releases from Morgan Wallen, Taylor Swift, Tomorrow X Together, Drake and others, Universal Music Group saw its revenues rise 11.5% year over year to $2.71 billion in the first quarter of 2023. But the company’s earnings call on Wednesday was just as newsworthy for the company doubling down on the strong remarks it has made about the fast-rising presence of — some would say threat from — AI in the music world, which hit UMG in the form of “Heart on My Sleeve,” a song using AI-generated soundalikes of two of the company’s biggest artists, Drake and the Weeknd.  “The recent explosive development in generative AI will, if left unchecked, both increase the flood of unwanted content hosted on platforms, and create rights issues with respect to existing copyright law, in the U.S. and other countries, as well as laws governing trademark, name and likeness, voice impersonation, and right of publicity,” chairman-CEO Lucian Grainge said on the call. 

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor + Reach Music Publishing has acquired both the master and publishing rights of heavy metal legends and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members Judas Priest’s first two albums, “Rocka Rolla” and “Sad Wings of Destiny,” from Gull Entertainments. According to the announcement, Reach will be working in partnership with Judas Priest on these two albums and is planning a variety of projects to be announced later this year, including special releases for the 50th anniversary of “Rocka Rolla” in 2024. The majority of the group’s catalog was initially released on Sony Music’s Columbia or Epic labels but the first two albums, released in 1974 and 1976 respectively, had been owned by Gull for nearly 50 years.  

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor For those without long memories, Everything But the Girl are a British duo that first emerged in the early 1980s as a sort of neo-jazz outfit combining Tracey Thorn’s virtuoso but downcast vocals and Ben Watt’s formidable guitar playing. Over the next 15 years they morphed impressively through different styles — from Smiths-style jangly alt-rock to the slick pop of “The Language of Life” — but with 1994’s “Amplified Heart,” electronics began to enter their latest jazz-trio-ish incarnation. And when house music producer Todd Terry’s dancefloor-driven remix of that album’s “Missing” became a surprise global hit, Watt immediately embraced the then-burgeoning drum n’ bass scene in the U.K. and within months was behind the turntables for nearly all of the group’s live sets. The next two albums, “Walking Wounded” and “Temperamental,” evolved this sound, with beats and atmospheric keyboards creating the backdrop for Thorn’s increasingly soulful singing.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor The electronic-music dream team of Skrillex, Fred Again and Four Tet — which recently played a rapturously received five-hour set at Madison Square Garden — will close out the Coachella festival this weekend, sources tell Variety.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Emmylou Harris, Sheryl Crow, Amy Grant, Kacey Musgraves, Jason Isbell, Maren Morris, Margo Price, Mickey Guyton, Kelsea Ballerini and dozens of other top Nashville musicians are calling for the Tennessee General Assembly to pass “common sense gun safety legislation” before lawmakers end their session a few days from now, according to a report in the Tennessean. (A complete list of signees is below.) The letter calls for extreme risk protection laws and legislation strengthening requirements around secure storage of firearms. The letter was drafted after of the deadly Covenant School shooting last month, in which three adults and three nine-year-old children were killed. It was the 19 th shooting at a school or university in 2023 alone — one of hundreds of mass shootings in a country with a government that, largely due to Republican obstruction, refuses to pass more-thorough gun-control laws.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Lana Del Rey, Boygenius and Maggie Rogers will headline the Washington, D.C.-area’s longrunning All Things Go festival, taking place at Maryland’s Merriweather Post Pavilion for two days: Saturday September 30 and Sunday October 1. Also on the bill are Carly Rae Jepsen, Mt. Joy, Muna, Arlo Parks, Lizzy McAlpine, Tegan And Sara and Fletcher and more. Last year’s edition sold out with Lorde, Mitski and Bleachers headlining. ALL THINGS GO FESTIVAL 2023 LINEUP SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2023

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor The Coachella festival probably has more top-shelf musical talent in one place at one time than any other event in the world, and 2023’s day one was no exception: All three Boygeniuses — Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus — joined Muna for an afternoon finale, the two surviving members of De La Soul united with Gorillaz for their 2005 joint hit “Feel Good Inc.,” and Metro Boomin’s hour-long set featured more guests than a DJ Khaled album, with the Weeknd taking the stage for six songs and features from Future, 21 Savage, Diddy, Don Toliver, Mike Dean and more. Less successful was a hotly rumored team-up of main-stage headliner Bad Bunny with Post Malone, which was hobbled by major sound problems — “Something happened to el cabron cable!” Bunny fumed — but his duets with Jowell & Randy and Nengo Flow and Jhay Cortez were more successful (hey, there’s always next weekend). Elsewhere, Kaytranada brought out Kali Uchis and Amine, and the National’s Aaron Dessner joined Taylor Swift at — wait, that was a different concert…

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor It is no understatement to say that Timbaland is one of the most influential and successful songwriter-producers of the last three decades: Justin Timberlake, Missy Elliott, Jay-Z, Rihanna, Madonna, Drake, Bjork and even Chris Cornell are just the best-known of the literally hundreds of artists the man born Timothy Zachery Mosely has worked with since the Virginia-born, Miami-based hitmaker first popped onto the scene with records by Aaliyah and Ginuwine in the mid-1990s. His monumentally prolific musical output slowed down to normal speed for a few years while he focused on a multitude of other projects — most prominently “Verzuz,” the pandemic-spawned rap/R&B battle series he launched with fellow hitmaker Swizz Beatz, which he says has a top-secret announcement coming that will “take us to a whole other level”; and Beatclub, a curated platform for producers and songwriters to sell beats, demos and other song elements to artists, brands and music supervisors.