New York, United States | AFP | Spotify soared Tuesday to a value of more than $26 billion in its long-awaited stock debut as the market delivered a ringing endorsement of the future of music streaming. In one of the largest public offerings ever in the tech sector, Spotify on …
Read More »Kim Jong Un attends rare concert by South Korean pop stars
Seoul, South Korea | AFP | North Korean leader Kim Jong Un Sunday attended the first concert in Pyongyang for over a decade by South Korean entertainers, including a K-pop girlband, the latest gesture of reconciliation before a rare inter-Korean summit. The visit, described by many as a cultural charm …
Read More »US judge jails rapper DMX one year for tax fraud
New York, United States | AFP | A US federal judge on Wednesday sentenced troubled American rapper DMX, best known for his taunting song “Party Up (Up in Here),” to one year behind bars for tax fraud. The 47-year-old rapper and actor, real name Earl Simmons, pleaded guilty last November …
Read More »Drake breaks new streaming record – in video games
New York, United States | AFP | Hip-hop superstar Drake has broken a new record in streaming — this time in video games. The most streamed artist on Spotify, whose latest hit “God’s Plan” has spent the last seven weeks at number one on the US singles chart, made waves …
Read More »Rihanna hits Snapchat over beating ad, sending shares tumbling
New York, United States | AFP | Rihanna on Thursday denounced Snapchat after an advertisement made light of her beating by fellow pop star Chris Brown, sending the company’s share prices tumbling. The social media platform — which counts 187 million users, especially young people drawn to its quickly vanishing …
Read More »Jamaican singer sues Miley Cyrus over lyric
New York, UNITED STATES | AFP | A Jamaican artist has filed a $300 million lawsuit against pop star Miley Cyrus over her 2013 hit “We Can’t Stop,” saying a key lyric was snatched from him. On the track about exploring sexual and other personal freedom, Cyrus sings, “And we can’t …
Read More »Thousand artists to perform at African festival
Abidjan, Ivory Coast | AFP | A thousand artists from over 50 countries will gather in Ivory Coast on Saturday for a week-long festival of African music, theatre, dance, comedy, slam poetry and storytelling. The 10th edition of the biannual Market for African Performing Arts, known by its French initials as …
Read More »Spotify files to go public, eying streaming growth despite losses
New York, United States | AFP | Spotify on Wednesday announced a long-awaited public listing, voicing confidence that its streaming model will keep reshaping the music industry but acknowledging that the company has yet to turn a profit. In its filing with US regulators, the Swedish platform that over the course …
Read More »French jazz violinist Didier Lockwood dies aged 62
Paris, France | AFP | Noted French jazz violinist Didier Lockwood, a disciple of the late Stephane Grappelli, has died of a heart attack in Paris, his agent said. Lockwood, who turned 62 on February 11, died early on Sunday morning. The night before his death, he had performed at …
Read More »Senegalese singer quits Oxfam role over sex scandal
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Senegalese singer Baaba Maal is quitting his role as global ambassador for Oxfam over the British charity’s handling of sexual misconduct allegations concerning its staff, the BBC reported. “What has happened on a human level is disgusting and heart-breaking,” he told BBC Newsnight late …
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