Gulfport's own, Young Slugs, signed a "Cool" dream deal with the prestigious Hollywood label, Bungalo Records distributed by Universal Music Group Distribution.

Top producers and label executives are surrounding Slugs with full support on his new highly anticipated single release, "Cool".

According to Canadian Wire services,Slugs just returned back home to Gulfport after shooting a high end music video shoot that can best be described as a full production feature film shoot ran by top Hollywood film producer, Christian Strickland. The music video shoot created major buzz in the city of Miami.

Slugs stars alongside Drake's HYFR star, Stephanie Monique, in a music video that will change the face of HipHop with high cinematic techniques and its intense movie storyline. Strickland is set to go back in the studio for post production with the release date forthcoming.

Universal Music Group is being asked to pay the piper when it comes to digital licensing -- and the bill could end up being pretty hefty indeed.

Public Enemy frontman Chuck D (born Carlton Douglas Ridenhour) filed a class-action lawsuit against Universal in U.S. District Court in Northern California on Tuesday, alleging that the music giant has short-changed its artists and producers in licensing deals for digital downloads and ringtones.

The suit alleges that Universal owes its artists "hundreds of millions of dollars in royalties" because of the discrepancies.

According to the suit, Universal's artists and producers are entitled to 50 percent of the net receipts from digital downloads and ringtones.

However, the suit alleges, the company has treated such transactions like sales of physical product. Meaning that not only is there a much lower royalty rate involved, but the company makes deductions for things like containers and packaging -- which aren't an issue for digital downloads or ringtones.

The difference, the suit claims, is massive.

According to Ridenhour's claim, under UMG's current method of accounting, artists and producers receive $80.33 for every 1,000 downloads, when the correct amount should be $315.85 per 1,000.

On the ringtone side of things, the discrepancy is even more drastic. The suit claims that UMG's current accounting method yields $49.89 per thousand downloads, as opposed to the $660 per 1,000 that the suit claims is actually owed.

Ridenhour, who claims breach of contract, is demanding a jury trial.

The Public Enemy frontman isn't the only one claiming shenanigans in UMG's accounting. The trust of deceased "Super Freak" singer Rick James has also filed a class-action suit against the company, also claiming that UMG is treating licensing profits as resale profits. Though the company attempted have the complaint dismissed, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston dismissed that motion Tuesday.

TheWrap was unable to reach UMG for comment.

By Tim Kenneally | Reuter

Rapper sensation Kritikal has been seen and heard on multiple television networks as well as being heard on major radio stations nationwide. Kritikal's recent hit song, "Miss NYC" has been grabbing attention by NBC NonStop- All Night with Joey Reynolds and New York's hottest Top40 radio station Z100 just to name a few...

Distributed by Team Mash'N Entertainment / Universal Music Group, Kritikal recently was interviewed on UrbanMusicBuzz with DJ/Host Chris Tian. Tian feels Kritikal has an enormous urban sound and that he should be supported by others who follow Rick Ross, Li'l Wayne, Black Eyed Peas and so many others...

Chris Tian Quotes:

When I first heard, "Miss NYC" I felt like I was taken back to New York, Long Island where I'm originally from and really enjoy this hot track! It is so hard to find very good rap & hiphop music these days to be added to the appreciation of Rap and HipHop culture.

Conard "C.Pro" Howe, CEO/The Sound, LLC and Artist Manager, Quotes:

"Kritikal is a talented artist and song writer and 'Miss NYC" is a great example
of that. The collaboration between Kritikal and Anthony M. is a synergy of good song writing, great vocal performances and solid music production.
The response has been extremely positive across all the formats it's been
played.His next release "I'm Hot" will continue to build on that winning synergy and I'm looking forward to getting that out to the public as well."

Tune in Wednesday, March 23rd at 9PM (Eastern Standard Time) to a LIVE interview with Kritikal on UrbanMusicBuzz at link below:

http://www.urbanmusicbuzz.com/liveinterviews.html

Source Syndicated by:
UrbanMusicBuzz Team
www.urbanmusicbuzz.com
press@urbanmusicbuzz@yahoo.com

In the wake of Doug Morris' early departure from Universal Music Group to take the helm at Sony, Vivendi announced today the appointment of Lucian Grainge as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of UMG. Grainge who was formerly CEO of UMG, will continue to report to Jean-Bernard Levy, CEO of Vivendi, and serve as a member of the Vivendi Management Board.

Lévy said in a statement: "We are delighted to appoint Lucian to the top position in music worldwide. His track record over the last 30 years in the music business is impeccable. He is perfectly qualified to lead UMG through the digital era across the globe."

Grainge, a British citizen, started his career with CBS/April Music in 1979, advancing to positions in A&R and talent development, rising to senior management positions at PolyGram UK and Universal Music internationally. He has led Universal Music Group International since 2005.

Vivendi also announced that Activision Blizzard has elected Grainge to its Board of Directors, effective immediately.

Source

Makeda Barnes-Joseph, the woman Remy Ma was convicted of shooting, has renewed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against the jailed rapper's label Universal Music Group.

In 2007, Barnes-Joseph was shot twice in the abdomen by her former friend Remy Ma over a financial dispute. Remy Ma was convicted and sentenced to 8 years in prison. Barnes-Joseph filed her suit against Universal in 2008, claiming the company encouraged Remy's criminal behavior by allowing violence in her music and retaining her as an "employee" during the criminal investigation.
The label countered with a motion summary judgment to have the complaint dismissed, which Judge Betty Owen granted last April.

Barnes-Jospeh's attorney, Lauren P. Raysor, filed an Appellate Brief on February 2 to appeal the decision, arguing her client's case was not given due process as "the Court either disregarded or misunderstood the employment status of Remy Smith, aka "Remy Ma," with Universal Music Group at the time of the shooting."

Earlier this week, opening oral arguments began in New York State Supreme Court.
Remy Ma has a parole hearing scheduled in 2013 for consideration of early release.

NEW YORK, and AUCKLAND, New Zealand - Universal Music Group (UMG), the world's leading music company, and Serato Audio Research announced an innovative, global and secure digital distribution service for DJs entitled Whitelabel.net.

The service, which has successfully delivered 2.5 million tracks to over 40,000 DJs worldwide during a pre-launch trial over the past year, marks the first collaboration of its kind between a major recording company and a service specifically designed for DJs.

The Whitelabel MP3 format is a high quality audio file that is ID-tagged with artist and song information, and pre-analyzed for use with Serato DJ software. These files will play as a low quality preview in any MP3 player, and a high quality version when played through Serato approved hardware. Whitelabel.net provides a direct relationship between record companies and performing DJs, reigniting the tradition of breaking new music in clubs. Moreover, Whitelabel.net provides record labels with coveted statistics and feedback on fresh new music as it is introduced to DJs, while enabling DJs to host unique versions of songs with all of the track information they need prebuilt in the audio files.

"Serato is setting the standard for professional DJs that are breaking hits on the radio and in top clubs," said Vincent Freda, Executive Vice President of Digital Logistics for Universal Music. "Using their Whitelabel.net service, we can reach the DJ directly and quickly with new music. Whitelabel.net is more efficient than sending vinyl records and more secure than delivering conventional audio files over the internet."

"We developed the Whitelabel.net service with input from Universal that was completely invaluable," reports Sam Gribben, General Manager of Serato. "They have so much experience with music distribution and helped us figure out the essentials for all labels, no matter how big or small. In turn, we were able to provide them with the security of our Whitelabel audio files to ensure that music could not be leaked or distributed illegally."

Google Inc is partnering with major music labels to launch a new feature to make it easier for music fans to discover, sample and buy songs on the search engine, according to two people familiar with the plan.

The new feature will be facilitated by start-ups iLike and LaLa, which will enable songs to be streamed on the Google page that will also feature a "buy" button to help reduce the number of steps fans need to acquire music.

The new service has been lined up to launch next Wednesday by iLike and LaLa and all the major labels -- including Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group and EMI Music - will be involved in the launch.

ILike was recently acquired by News Corp's social networking site MySpace.

LOS ANGELES - Furthering its mandate to provide unique digital solutions that empower record labels and artists to easily sell and promote content directly to fans, Universal Music Group Distribution (UMGD), the award-winning sales, distribution and marketing division of Universal Music Group, the world's leading music company, has entered into an agreement with Echospin, a leading technology company. The announcement was made today by Jim Urie, President & CEO of UMGD, and Jon Lowy and Damian Manning, Co-Founders of Echospin.

As part of this agreement, UMGD's family of labels and chart-topping artists will utilize Echospin's innovative technologies to integrate direct-to-fan sales and promotions into their websites, allowing, for the first time, a major music company and its artists, across all genres, to sell digital, physical and mobile goods all in one location.

"Echospin has created a market leading commerce and media delivery platform that facilitates the sale and promotion of digital, physical and mobile products all in one shot," stated Mr. Urie. "It will provide our artists with unmatched opportunity and reach in the marketplace. As UMGD continues to expand and lead the industry in direct-to-fan initiatives, this agreement with Echospin will provide our artists and labels with more flexibility on how they distribute their music, while providing fans much easier access to a broad variety of content from the artists they are passionate about."

"UMGD is committed to building closer relationships between artists and their fans. We're thrilled they chose Echospin to be their partner in this unique opportunity," commented Mr. Lowy.

"It's exciting to see the world's leading artists using our solutions to provide fans with the effortless and rewarding experiences they deserve," added Mr. Manning.

An example of the diversity of product that this new platform enables is the 3 Doors Down "Ultimate Fan Pack," an Echospin-powered exclusive offer, which includes re-mastered CDs, a re-mastered vinyl LP, a poster, a special autographed "early entry pass," T-shirt and an instant download of the re-mastered "Kryptonite" MP3 single. Also upcoming are online stores and offers from Mariah Carey, Lady Gaga, Kid Cudi, Hollywood Undead, Mary J Blige, Soulja Boy Tell 'Em, Julianne Hough and the Verve Music Group, which will include music and products from Diana Krall, Jamie Cullum, Queen Latifah, Katherine McPhee and Herbie Hancock, among others

Leading Music Company Joins With Leading Online Metrics Company

NEW YORK - Universal Music Group, the world's leading music company, has entered into a long-term music monitoring and information deal with BigChampagne, the leading online music measurement company, for North America.

As part of this deal, BigChampagne will provide UMG's market-leading family of labels with analysis of songs and listening patterns from millions of users of social networks and online music services.

"As we continue to expand our services to our artists and partner labels, it's important to utilize the best research tools available especially when it comes to the proliferation of music discovery and consumption on the web," stated Jim Urie, President & CEO of Universal Music Group Distribution. "And with the addition of BigChampagne, we provide a comprehensive view of the marketplace, from the radio, online, and retail perspectives, all of which results in more opportunities for our artists and labels."

"UMG's recognition and support of our work spans nearly a decade," commented Eric Garland, BigChampagne Founder and CEO. "As the music market continues to diversify, UMG is demonstrating critical thought leadership in understanding and meeting the demands of the new landscape. We are excited to work together to improve the state of the art in measurement and analytics."

UMusic.com

BigChampagne.com

NEW YORK - Universal Music Group (UMG), the world's leading music company, and Tapulous, Inc, have entered into an agreement to build new music games for the iPhone and iPod touch. The first game, a special edition of Tap Tap Revenge with pop sensation Lady Gaga, goes live today for $4.99 in the Apple App Store.

"With the new Tap Tap Revenge, you can listen to me, Lady Gaga, play the latest in iPhone games, and watch a series of graphics that represent my journey through 'The Fame.' It's perfect for my super, super fans, or for growing 'The Fame' lovers, who can listen to my album while tapping along with Love, Art and Technology," said Lady Gaga.

Tapulous is a Palo Alto-based startup that has emerged as one of the leading application developers within Apple's App Store. Its flagship music game, Tap Tap Revenge, has seen more than 11 million installs. In April, comScore announced that Tap Tap Revenge is the #1 most popular app on the App Store and is installed on nearly 1 out of 3 iPhones/iPod touches.

"We are delighted to partner with Tapulous, whose products strengthen the connection between artists and fans," stated David Ring, Executive Vice President of Business Development and Business Affairs for Universal Music Group's eLabs, the company's new media and technologies division. "This is just another example of how UMG is continuing to cultivate online entertainment by offering our consumers even more ways to enjoy the musical experience."

"The ability to offer great music and partner with superstar artists is critical to our ability to delight our users and maintain our position as the leader in music games and iPhone apps," commented Tapulous CEO Bart Decrem. "As the world's leading music company, UMG has a fantastic roster of artists, and the company has been very aggressive in exploring the new possibilities offered by the iPhone, so this marks an important milestone for our company."

Under this new agreement, UMG and Tapulous will launch a series of initiatives, including:

-- A variety of music-oriented games featuring UMG artists in 2009.

-- The ability for users to purchase top hits from UMG artists to play in

the upcoming Tap Tap Revenge 3.0 game. Tracks will be available for

purchase for $.50 per track, marking one of the first examples of

in-app commerce in an iPhone game.

-- And at least one brand new rhythm game with a top performing artist

from UMG in the Fall of 2009, with the two companies working together

on additional games

Sony Music Entertainment (SME) Joins Universal Music Group (UMG) to Make Professionally-Created Content Available from Broad Array of Musical Artists

NEW YORK - Sony Music Entertainment (SME) has joined Universal Music Group (UMG) to create VEVO, the new premium music video and entertainment service conceived by UMG and powered by YouTube. The announcement was made today (June 4) by Doug Morris, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of UMG, and Rolf Schmidt-Holtz, Chief Executive Officer of SME. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Music fans will be able to view professionally-created content from UMG's and SME's broad array of chart-topping artists through VEVO, the innovative online premium music video hub being built for consumers, advertisers and content owners that will blend the very best in top-notch music content with YouTube's leading edge video technology and user community. The content will be made available on YouTube through a newly created VEVO channel, on VEVO.com, the service's marquee destination site, and through a special VEVO branded embedded player. The service will also serve as a syndication platform for additional internet destination sites, expanding the reach of the VEVO brand across the worldwide web. In addition to the participation of SME and UMG, VEVO is exploring additional strategic participation by third-party investors to join this innovative entertainment platform as equity partners.

"We are delighted that SME has joined us in this exciting new service that will further transform premium music content into a legitimate commercial enterprise that benefits fans, artists and advertisers," stated Mr. Morris. "VEVO will harness the power of the enormous traffic generated by YouTube and direct it to a dynamic destination created specifically for consumers and advertisers alike."

"We are excited to be participating in VEVO with Universal Music Group. SME is committed to delivering the best possible music experiences to consumers and with VEVO, we share a common vision of offering music videos and other premium video content from some of the world's greatest artists in an attractive, clean and intuitive environment that appeals to fans and advertisers alike. We look forward to working with VEVO to develop a first-class destination that will attract a massive online audience from day one, boast some of the most desirable demographics on the Web and develop new and innovative ways to monetize music video," commented Mr. Schmidt-Holtz.