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 | Posted by djcisco
| Wed, May 12, 2010 at 12:38 PM |
   An appeals court Tuesday refused to hold Remy Ma's former record label accountable for the 2007 shooting of Makeda Barnes-Joseph, which sent the Grammy Award-nominated rapper to prison. The court noted that a Universal Music Group Inc. affiliate had severed ties with the rapper before the shooting.
The lawsuit is one of several that have tried to take record companies to task for the misdeeds of rappers who cultivate an outlaw image.
Barnes-Joseph's lawyer, Lauren Raysor, argued that the real-life violence reflected the image Remy Ma projected in songs laced with references to guns and that the record companies groomed her tough persona for profit.
"Possessing a violent disposition, advocating violence and hatred and the ability to be vulgar were all a part of (Remy Ma's) job requirements," Raysor wrote in court papers.
Universal noted that the rapper was released from her contract nine months before the shooting and said the incident had nothing to do with her work.
"This event, this assault, was clearly undertaken for personal reasons only," a lawyer for Universal, Ross P. Masler, told a panel of state Supreme Court Appellate Division judges last month.
Pointing to the contract release, the judges upheld a lower court's decision to dismiss Barnes-Joseph's case against Universal and various affiliates. She is still pursuing claims against Remy Ma and the nightclub and seeks roughly $100 million in damages.
 Share on Facebook ·  Bookmark on Delicious | Posted by newsngossip
| Thurs, November 12, 2009 at 3:08 PM |
NEW YORK - Universal Motown Republic Group, a division of Universal Music Group, the world's leading music company, today launches two new web portals designed specifically to help unsigned artists get heard. The portals, powered by TuneCore, a leading digital music distribution company, are branded under the Republic and Motown banners:
http://www.unimodigitaldistribution.com/
http://www.republicdd.com/
Following UMG's recent agreement with TuneCore, UMRG's new portals will make use of TuneCore's leading distribution platform to provide unsigned artists worldwide distribution into the iTunes Store, eMusic, Nokia and other digital download stores. In addition, artists may have the chance to be involved in label showcases, creating and producing proper studio demos, or receiving professional reviews of their music by an artist or member of the company's A&R team. And as the careers of unsigned artists grow, they may benefit from having a number of artist-discovery, marketing and upstreaming opportunities within UMRG.
"Now, more than ever, the Web has opened up countless opportunities for unsigned artists to distribute their music directly to their audiences and we want to collaborate with them throughout that process," stated Cameo Carlson, Senior Vice President of Digital Business Development for UMRG. "And thanks to TuneCore, we can create a portal that provides them access to digital distribution and the expertise of a major label."
Jeff Price, CEO and founder of TuneCore.com, said, "It's our job to serve and connect artists with opportunities they choose and want. If an artist's goal is to be part of one of the most recognizable names in music, this relationship will potentially provide them a direct in to help them get heard and discovered by the people they want to reach, all while having complete control." 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  UMG to use Play MPE digital distribution system in all 77 countries where they operate.
Vancouver, BC - Destiny Media Technologies is pleased to announce that Universal Music Group, the world's leading music company, has chosen Destiny's Play MPE® media distribution system to securely distribute pre-release tracks throughout Europe, Asia, South America and Africa.
This new international agreement builds on UMG's successful transition to secure digital distribution of pre-release content to press and radio partners in North America, and will provide Play MPE® services to all 77 countries where Universal Music's wholly owned companies and licensees operate.
By adopting Destiny's Play MPE® services, we can ensure that our pre-release content can be distributed quickly to all of our external press and radio contacts as well as our territories in a secure and controlled environment.
Mark Moroney, VP, Production, at Universal Music Group International, said, "By adopting Destiny's Play MPE® services, we can ensure that our pre-release content can be distributed quickly to all of our external press and radio contacts as well as our territories in a secure and controlled environment."
Recipients receive high quality original audio files in a quick digital download, which locks to authorized computers. If the user is given adequate rights, they are able to export the file into an unlocked format. A proprietary inaudible watermark is embedded into the music so that if an unauthorized copy is found, the source of the file can be traced. In use by over 1,000 labels around the world, the Play MPE® network currently has over 28,000 registered recipients. Since launch, the system has delivered over 133,000 tracks representing over 127 million transactions.
"We are very pleased that Universal Music Group is expanding their North American usage into the rest of the world and look forward to working with their team to continue the transition from physical to digital in the international distribution of pre-release content and to standardize it to everyone's benefit," said Steve Vestergaard, CEO Destiny Media
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