Highlights

  • RIAA Modernizes: Gold and Platinum Program Now Takes Streaming Into Account

    To align its Gold and Platinum Certifications with actual listening trends, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has announced the inclusion of on-demand audio and video streams  in its Gold and Platinum Program. It has become impossible to discuss the music industry without discussing streaming – the phenomenon that has revolutionized music consumption and disrupted the entire industry.   The RIAA latest announcement is no exception to the trend.  Gold and Platinum Certifications have been a long-respected measure of artists’ success in the music industry.   However, as revenue from streaming overtakes digital downloads, a Program that ignores streaming figures […]

  • The Biggest Hurdle at the Rio Olympics: Avoiding the Zika Virus

    Less than nine months away from the Opening Ceremony of the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared that the Zika virus in Latin American poses a “global public health emergency of international concern.” Spread by bites from the Aedos mosquito and considered as devastating to humans as Ebola, there is currently no vaccine or medication to prevent the disease.  WHO has already cautioned that Zika is likely to “spread explosively,” creating widespread concern among the approximately 10,5000 athletes anticipated to partake in the Rio Games as well as the nearly half-million visitors who plan to […]

  • Possible Corruption in Tennis

    Possible Corruption in Tennis

    The Australian Open, one of the four big grand slams in tennis, started last week amongst reports and rumors of match-fixing.  The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), the governing body for professional male tennis players, has taken the reports very seriously.  ATP Chairman, Chris Kermode, stated earlier this week, ”We need to address the perception, public confidence, hit it head on. We don’t have anything to hide at all.” The ATP has hired an independent review of the ATP’s anti-corruption department and investigation into any possible match-fixing. To read more about this story, click here.  Chandler Howell is a Sport Highlight Contributor for the Harvard […]

  • 2016 Oscars Boycott Watch: Spike Lee, Jada Pinkett-Smith, and counting

    Last Thursday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the official nominations for the 2016 Oscars. Proponents for greater racial diversity in the film industry are critical of this year’s list, especially of the fact that, for the second year in a row, all the nominees for Best Actor are white. The disappointment at this year’s lack of racial diversity has been sharpened both by national events that have sparked public debate over the systemic racial inequalities and sentiment that the Academy’s long-promise for greater inclusion has been long-dodged. One vocal critic has been Spike Lee. Known for creating […]

  • Blade Runner or Blade Gunner

    Oscar Pistorious, the South African athlete who made history when he became the first double amputee sprinter to compete in the summer Olympic games in London in 2012, is seeking to appeal his conviction for murdering his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp on Valentines Day in 2013. In a surprise turn of events last month, the “Blade Runner’s” manslaughter conviction was overturned and replaced by a murder verdict when South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal ruled that the lower court improperly applied the rule of “dolus eventualis” – whether the athlete knew that his actions would likely result in a death. Although Mr. […]

  • Crossing the Line? Director Errol Morris Will Go to Trial Against Film Subject, Joyce McKinney

    Next month, acclaimed documentary filmmaker Errol Morris will face off in court against the subject of one of his documentaries, Joyce McKinney. Morris is perhaps best known for his 1988 film Thin Blue Line, which ultimately contributed to the exoneration of its subject, Randall Adams. His 2011 movie Tabloid tackled McKinney’s sensational relationship with her former fiancé, Kirk Anderson. In 1977, Anderson, a Mormon, left McKinney to go on a mission trip to England. Convinced he had joined a cult, McKinney followed him to England, where she allegedly kidnapped and raped him. Much of the film centers on the media’s reaction […]

  • CPR for an EDM Corpse: $20 million enough to revive SFX Entertainment?

    The Electronic Dance Music (EDM) industry has seen its share of extreme ups  and downs in the last few years. Built largely on big-name glamour and social-media driven popularity, no one has cashed in on the EDM trend like those riding the festival wave, such as successful events companies Insomniac and Goldenvoice; well known for putting on the annually anticipated Electric Daisy Carnival and Coachella music festivals. Unfortunately, not everyone who has entered the game has profited so well. Such is the case for electronic music events company SFX Entertainment. SFX has been on bankruptcy watch since late November 2015, and […]

  • #NetflixEverywhere: The Binge Era of TV Consumption

    It’s official: Netflix is taking over the world, at least in the online television viewing sphere. While Netflix had been rolling out its services in incremental stages due to subtitling, dubbing its content, and marketing cost, its expansion occurred far ahead of schedule. During his keynote address at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Reed Hastings, the Chief Executive of Netflix, announced that the company was live in all countries, excluding Syria, Crimea, and North Korea, where it’s banned by US law from operating, and China. The Great Firewall of China, the government-controlled mechanism that regulates Internet activity in Mainland China […]

  • Thrill of the Fight: Huckabee Defends use of “Eye of the Tiger” at Kim Davis Rally

    Rude Music Inc., owned by Frankie Sullivan, is suing yet another politician for copyright infringement. The music company sued Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee for copyright infringement after he used the company’s song, “Eye of the Tiger,” at a rally in support of Kim Davis. Ms. Davis, the now infamous Kentucky clerk, was jailed after she refused to issue marriage licenses to gay couples. Mr. Sullivan is a former member of the band, Survivor and co-author of the song, made famous by the movie Rocky III. Back in 2012, Rude Music sued Newt Gingrich for his use of the song during […]

  • DMCA is Re-Examined: No More “Safe Harbors” for Digital Providers to Dock?

    Throughout 2015, the myriad of music copyright infringement lawsuits donning headlines presented an industry theme: music copyright law has failed to adequately adapt to the digital age that has been ushered in by rapid technological advances. Perhaps as a response, the U.S. Copyright Office has announced it will conduct a public study of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act’s “safe harbor” provisions to assess the costs and burdens that copyright owners and digital service providers bear in the DMCA’s “notice-and-takedown process.” Currently, the safe harbor provisions provide legal protection for providers and platforms, like YouTube, in that they are only legally obligated […]

  • The (Ultimate?) End of the Sepp Blatter-FIFA Era

    In addition to their current eight-year ban from soccer, Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini, the two former FIFA leaders, are facing the possibility of a lifelong ban for mishandling the world’s largest soccer organization. During his 17-year tenure as the head of FIFA, Mr. Blatter was regarded as one of the most powerful figures in the sports world. However, after a slew of accusations of corruption and bribery, the US and Switzerland launched individual corruption investigations in early 2015 that ultimately led to the indictment of multiple high-level soccer officials. In the wake of the widespread corruption scandal, Mr. Blatter stated […]

  • The Grammy’s Hotline Won’t Bling at This Year’s Ceremony

      As usual, when the list of Grammy nominees was announced earlier this year, there were a few no-brainers: Taylor Swift, The Weeknd, and Kendrick Lamar all received a multitude of nominations. A few snubs: including Fetty Wap being excluded from the Best New Artist category. And a few head scratchers: specifically, the lack of love from the Recording Academy towards the smash hit of the summer/year, Drake’s Hotline Bling. The reason for the lack of recognition wasn’t the fault of the Academy’s Voting Members, but rather a clerical error by Drake’s label, Cash Money. According to MTV.com, Cash Money omitted […]

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