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Lewis Capaldi wins four prizes at ASCAP London Music Awards

Lewis Capaldi won four prizes at the ASCAP London Music Awards 2021.
The 25-year-old singer has been revealed as the big winner as the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) reveals this year's honourees, shining a light on "incredible British songwriting and composing talent for their continued US success".
The 'Someone You Loved' hitmaker earned Lewis the prizes for Song of the Year and Top Streaming Song, while 'Before You Go' was a Winning Hot 100 Song, and both tracks were behind his Songwriter of the Year success.
In a special video greeting to all of this year's ASCAP London Music Awards winners, ASCAP Chairman of the Board and President Paul Williams said: "We've learned that however wide the space is between us, we are connected at a soul level.
"Your music reminds us of that. When your music connects with millions of people, that's power.
"That can change the world… Congratulations to all of this year's winners for your achievements."
Also recognised among the top songs of 2020 was Black Eyed Peas and J Balvin's hit 'RITMO' – co-written by Pete Glenister – which features a sample of Corona's 1995 hit 'Rhythm of the Night', and the track received both Top Hot Dance/Electronic Song and Winning Hot 100 Song prizes.
Joel Corry ft. MNEK's track 'Head & Heart' was honoured, with songwriters MNEK, Neave Applebaum, Robert Harvey, Lewis Thompson and Leo Kalyan all getting Winning Hot Dance/Electronic Song Awards.
Steve Mac and Bastille's Dan Smith were honoured for 'Happier' (by Marshmello ft. Basville) was a winner in the same category, as was Becky Hill's Meduza duet 'Lose Control', which she penned with Conor Blake Manning.
The ASCAP also recognised top composers for film and television, with Daniel Pemberton's work on 'Birds of Prey' earning Top Box Office WIth of the Year, with other gongs going to Christopher Benstead ('The Gentlemen'), Isobel Waller-Bridge and David Schweitzer ('Emma'), Andrew Lloyd-Webber ('Cats'), Natalie Holt ('Infidel'), and Devonte Hynes ('Queen & Slim').
Over in the world of television, Top Cable Series was given to Maurizo Malagnini and Peter Salem ('Call The Midwife'), and Top Network Series went composers Dan McGrath and Josh Philips ('Dancing With The Stars').
The Top Streaming Series & Film awards went to Martin Phipps ('The Crown'), Isabella The Machine Summers ('Little Fires Everywhere'), and Rob Lord ('Troop Zero').
Follow #ASCAPAwards on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @ASCAP and @ASCAPLondon Instagram to see surprise videos and photos from the 2021 ASCAP London Music Awards.
A full list of 2021 ASCAP London Music Awards winners can be found at www.ascap.com/londonawards21.

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KKR Buys Music Rights Portfolio for $1.1 Billion From Kobalt

In a recent development, KKR & Co. said it bought a portfolio of song rights from Kobalt Capital for $1.1 billion in the latest music deal by the private equity giant.

KKR joined forces with Dundee Partners, the family office of former Goldman Sachs Group Inc. partner Stephen Hendel, to purchase the KMR Music Royalties II portfolio, according to a statement Tuesday. The collection got more than 62,000 copyrights by artists and songwriters across music genres including pop, rock and country.
“This transaction positions us with significant scale, which we will continue to grow by providing flexible, creative capital to music rights owners,” said Jenny Box, a KKR partner, in the statement. “Across KKR, we are investing in innovative technology, media and entertainment businesses that are connecting fans to music in new ways.”
Music transactions became a trend during the pandemic as artists who were unable to tour looked to raise cash. Earlier this year, KKR teamed up with a music company to acquire song rights and also took a majority stake in the catalog of OneRepublic. Earlier this month, Blackstone Inc. said it’s partnering with manager Merck Mercuriadis to invest about $1 billion in acquiring music rights.

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Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow Celebrate ā€˜Industry Babyā€™ Going No. 1

Lil Nas X Ā is back at it again.
The rapper got his third No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Industry Baby” on the number one spot. The Jack Harlow-assisted song rises from No. 2, becoming Nas’ third leader on the chart and Harlow’s first.
Lil' Nas' took to Twitter recently to celebrate his latest chart achievement. “IT TOOK A FEW MONTHS BUT WE HERE! THANK U EVERYBODY! INDUSTRY BABY IS THE NUMBER 1 SONG IN THE WORLD! LESSSSSGOOOOOO!” he wrote.
IT TOOK A FEW MONTHS BUT WE HERE! THANK U EVERYBODY! INDUSTRY BABY IS THE NUMBER 1 SONG IN THE WORLD! LESSSSSGOOOOOO! PIC.TWITTER.COM/NS3DZFH1ZV
ā€” MONTERO šŸ¦‹ (@LILNASX) OCTOBER 18, 2021
Harlow also reflected on the milestone moment. “My first number oneā€¦ I’d be lying if I said I didn’t see this coming while I was writing my verse,” he tweeted. “This song is something I’m gonna be proud to be a part of for the rest of my life. Thank you for having me @LilNasX.”
MY FIRST NUMBER ONEā€¦
I’D BE LYING IF I SAID I DIDN’T SEE THIS COMING WHILE I WAS WRITING MY VERSE. THIS SONG IS SOMETHING I’M GONNA BE PROUD TO BE A PART OF FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME @LILNASX PIC.TWITTER.COM/6QP37DAPCZ
ā€” JACK HARLOW (@JACKHARLOW) OCTOBER 18, 2021
Kanye West, who co-produced and co-wrote the song with Take A Daytrip, also earns his fifth No. 1 single on the Hot 100.
Prior to “Industry Baby,” Nas’ debut single “Old Town Road,” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, topped the Hot 100 for a record 19 weeks in April-August 2019, while “Montero (Call Me by Your Name)” was No. 1 for a week in April.
In addition, Nas has overthroned Drake to become the rapper with the most monthly listeners on Spotify, second only to Doja Cat. His album Montero Ā is also the most-streamed album globally on Spotify for the fourth week in a row.

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NICKI MINAJ ADDRESSES DELAY IN RESPONDING TO HARASSMENT LAWSUIT

Nicki Minaj is speaking out on why she didn’t respond to the harassment lawsuit filed against her and Kenneth Petty, her husband.
In a formal legal documents, obtained by Complex, the rapper discloses her failure to formally respond to the complaint in a timely matter was an “innocent mistake.”
In August, Petty’s attempted rape victim, Jennifer Hough, sued the couple over alleged harassment and intimidation tactics, claiming that one of Minaj’s associates offered her a $20,000 bribe in order to get her to recant her rape claims. Petty was convicted of first-degree attempted rape in 1995 and had to register as a sex offender as a result.
Hough’s attorney, Tyrone Blackburn, said last week that the time for Minaj and Petty to formally respond to the complaint had expired. An attorney named Judd Burstein was recommended to Minaj on Sept. 22. After speaking on Zoom the following day, Minaj believed that Burstein had agreed to represent her, however, he was not formally retained until later.
“My failure to respond to the complaint was the product of an innocent mistake, and I ask the court to excuse the delay so that I can defend what I believe to be an entirely frivolous case which [Blackburn’s] counsel has brought against me in an effort to use my name to generate publicity for himself,” she said.
Minaj also denied that her husband was served with a copy of the summons and complaint. The process server is reported as having served the legal documents to a “Black male, 40 years old, 200 lbs.” with black hair and brown eyes.
“In fact, my husband is approximately 5’9″ tall and weighs no more than 175 pounds,” Minaj said in the documents. “Further, there is no person who resides in our house or who was present there on September 15, 2021, who fits the description contained in the affidavit of service.”
Burstein describes Nicki as the “proverbial ‘deep pocket'” and is seeking a motion to dismiss the amended complaint.

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Gully rap goes regional

A growing number of rap artists are now raising social concerns in local dialects and regional languages.

The song Mere Gully Mein, from the film Gully Boy, is set as the ringtone on Duleshwar Tandi’s phone. When he takes the call, the rapper sounds distracted; he is recording a new song at home. “One never knows when the power will go off and I need to finish this song now,” says the 27-year-old, who lives in Borda village in Odisha’s Kalahandi district. Tandi, who goes by the moniker Rapper Dule Rocker, shot to prominence on 4 July when the People’s Archive of Rural India (PARI) Network posted a video of his song. It caught the eye of music director Vishal Dadlani and artist Divine, who tweeted praise for him.
Tandi, who has been posting rap videos on his YouTube channel in the Sambalpuri language, also known as Kosli, and Hindi for a year, is part of a growing number of rappers raising social concerns in Indian languages. Confirming the trend, a YouTube India spokesperson cites the example of The Dharavi Dream Project, which doesn’t just talk about pressing issues but also runs rap, hip hop and beat boxing classes at its school in the Mumbai slum, one of Asia’s largest.

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The new song from the Gold Disc winning artist Tonio MC

 Tonio MC is back in full force and refusing to be held back in his new track, simply entitled “Brigitte”. His confidence permeates every moment of the track , an ode to his refusal to be afraid and instead to seize every moment that is offered up to him. 

 

“I no longer fear anyone,like Brigitte on the Harley, soon I’ll take flight – I keep my hands on the airframe” {translated from French} – Tonio MC, Brigitte 

 

Instantly recognisable by his technical flow, Tonio is supported in his musical endeavour by Louis Angeles and Aurelien Falconnet on production duties. The powerful earworm of a melody is enrobed in the mixture of rap and singing by the artist himelf. Mixed and mastered by Guillaume Joucelin , distributed by EMG (Eloquence Music Group), the song”Brigitte” is now available on all digital platforms. 

 

The song ‘Good Times’ alongside Mothas La Mascarade, Georgio & Lomepal is currently being certified as Gold, having been streamed more than 2 milion times.