Mediagazer: Sources: Blackstone hires advisers to explore the sale of song rights, including from Bob Dylan, Adele, and Ariana Grande, that it expects to fetch $3B or more (Lucas Shaw/Bloomberg)

10:05 PM ET, January 15, 2025

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David Folkenflik / NPR:

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David Folkenflik / @davidfolkenflik:

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Brian Steinberg / Variety:

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Bloomberg:

Vietnam slashes at least 16 state media outlets as part of a cost-cutting drive that will eventually leave just one national station on air — - State media outlets are slashed in cost-cutting drive — Communist Party plans to reduce size of government by 20%

Discussion: RTÉ

Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:

Sources: Blackstone hires advisers to explore the sale of song rights, including from Bob Dylan, Adele, and Ariana Grande, that it expects to fetch $3B or more — - Music valuations have soared since Blackstone acquired SESAC — Apollo, Warburg, Pincus are among firms that looked at assets

Geoff Weiss / Business Insider:

TechCrunch says it has cut staff amid “evolving needs” and fewer than 10 employees were impacted; no other Yahoo properties were impacted — - TechCrunch has cut staff amid “evolving needs,” the company told Business Insider. — The Washington Post, HuffPost, and Vox Media have all conducted layoffs in 2025.

Discussion: @johnbiggs, @mattrosoff, @mediaevan.bsky.social and MediaPost

Urvi Dugar / Reuters:

UMG says Bill Ackman-led Pershing Square exercised its right to request a US offering and secondary listing of the record label; UMG has been based in Amsterdam — Universal Music Group (UMG.AS) said on Wednesday that billionaire Bill Ackman-led Pershing Square (PSH.AS) …

Discussion: Billboard, Universal Music Group N.V., Bloomberg and @billackman

George Winslow / TV Tech:

Survey from US TV trade group TVB: over half of Netflix, Disney+, and Max subscribers are on ad-free tiers, local TV news is the most trusted news source, more — New TVB study highlights the importance of broadcast TV for brands … In more specifically highlighting the enduring importance …

Discussion: TVNewsCheck, TVB and Radio & Television …

Joe Coscarelli / New York Times:

Drake sues UMG for defamation and harassment, calling its release and promotion of “Not Like Us” an example of valuing “corporate greed” over artists' safety — In a federal lawsuit on Wednesday, Drake accused Universal Music Group of putting his life and reputation …

Steven J. Horowitz / Variety:
Drake pulls his petition accusing UMG and Spotify of inflating Kendrick Lamar's “Not Like Us” with bots and payola; the diss track accuses Drake of pedophilia

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