Top News:
Gawker:
75% of Gawker Media editorial staff voted yes to unionize and be represented by Writers Guild of America, East — Gawker Media Votes To Unionize — Yesterday, more than 100 Gawker Media editorial employees voted on the question of whether to be represented by the Writers Guild of America …
Discussion:
Reynolds Center, Washington Post, Capital New York, The Huffington Post, Writers Guild of America East, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, @ajplus, New York Times, @rustyk5, Columbia Journalism Review, @samfbiddle, @hamiltonnolan, @nicknotned, @johngapper, Washington Post, FishbowlNY, Guardian, The Awl, The New York Observer, Talking Points Memo, TechCrunch, bizjournals, New York Magazine, International Business Times, New York Post, CNNMoney, BuzzFeed, Poynter, PandoDaily, Politico, Variety, The Wrap, Mediaite, @jacobinmag, Talking New Media, Mother Jones, @zackseward, USA Today, @jim_newell, @jledbetter, @adamclarkestes and @justinjm1
RELATED:
Joel Johnson / Gawker:
Former Gawker editorial director discusses details of business model, explains Kinja's failure, and says several sites have been shopped around — Congratulations, Edit! — Congratulations, Edit! I think unionizing was a smart, brave decision, and one that gives you a chance at security in a turbulent environment.
Discussion:
Gawker, Poynter, bookforum.com, @tcarmody, @nicknotned, @ryantate, State Maker, Business Insider, PandoDaily, @glennf, @rafat, @b_fung, @spragued, @mikeisaac, @conordougherty, @saschasegan, @allisonchopin, @scottlucas86, @ukuleledan, @kyle_luke, @jimwaterson, @silviakillings and @sgardner
Glenn Peoples / Billboard:
Spotify Royalties Grew to $300 Million in First Quarter — Spotify may have its critics, but the embattled music subscription service can routinely point to growing pile of royalties it has paid to rights holders. Billboard has learned the music subscription company paid out $300 million …
RELATED:
Anna Clark / Columbia Journalism Review:
Columnist builds a Facebook following of 130k by sharing news and civil discussion — How Connie Schultz built a unique community on Facebook — In an era when journalists feel pressure to use social media to build their personal brands, Connie Schultz has done something far more interesting.
Bloomberg Business:
Sources: music labels are seeking close to 60% of proceeds from Apple's new music service, more than the 55% Spotify pays — Apple's Pushing to Complete Streaming Music Deal Before Event — Just days before Apple Inc. plans to reveal a music streaming service, the company is still negotiating with record labels over terms.
Discussion:
Business Insider, TIME, AppleInsider, The Next Web and MacRumors
Agence France-Presse:
Kuwait shuts private TV station critical of government — Kuwait on Thursday closed the privately-run Al-Watan satellite television channel, which has been critical of the government, citing financial reasons. The commerce and industry ministry said it has revoked the commercial licence …
Bloomberg Business:
Vodafone Said to Discuss Options Including a Merger With Liberty — Vodafone Group Plc and Liberty Global Plc are discussing a range of potential transactions, including an outright merger, amid consolidation in the telecommunications industry, people with knowledge of the matter said.
Discussion:
Poynter, Telegraph, New York Times and Wall Street Journal
Andrew Beaujon / Washingtonian:
Reporters at the Washington Post Will Soon Be Able to Check Their Articles' Traffic — Deal between union and management will let journalists see how their stories do on the Web. — The Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild and the Washington Post's management have reached a “tentative agreement” …
Discussion:
@nickwoltman
Jared Malsin / Guardian:
Egypt court hears closing arguments for three al-Jazeera journalists being retried — Defence lawyers for Mohamed Fahmy, Baher Mohamed and Peter Greste refute charges of spreading ‘false news’ and aiding Muslim Brotherhood — Defence lawyers for three journalists on trial in Egypt …
Discussion:
Associated Press, sbs.com.au and Globe and Mail
Globe and Mail:
Canadians who use VPNs to watch US Netflix are stealing, says new Bell Media president — Bell Media president urges behavioural shift to prevent ‘stealing’ — The head of one of Canada's largest media companies has taken a bold stance on piracy, equating the use of workarounds to get access …
Discussion:
Winnipeg Free Press, CBC News, Canada Business, AlphaBeatic, Mashable and TorrentFreak
Women's Media Center:
Study: men wrote 62% of print stories, 58% online, 62% of wire content, and 62.1% overall — WMC Divided 2015: The Media Gender Gap — Women's Role in U.S. Media: Still Dismal? Getting Stronger? The Women's Media Center - founded by Jane Fonda, Robin Morgan, and Gloria Steinem …
Discussion:
International Business Times, PBS NewsHour, Vox, nycity.today, Poynter, Associated Press, Guardian, @talkingbiznews, BuzzFeed and TIME
Bruce Houghton / hypebot:
Rhapsody, BandPage Partner For More Personalized Streaming, Direct To Fan Commerce — From its humble start as a Facebook enhancement app, BandPage has promoted itself as an artist marketing and monetization tool. Over the last year, thanks to a much evolved offering and key partnerships …
Discussion:
Business Wire and Billboard