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Big Machine Label Group, Taylor Swift's old label, was sold to a company owned by the manager of Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande; source: deal valued at $300M+ — The country-pop record company Big Machine Label Group, one of the most successful independent labels in the country …


New WH press secretary Stephanie Grisham was bruised in a scuffle with N. Korean security while helping US media gain access to Trump's meeting with Kim Jong Un — New White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham was bruised Sunday in a scuffle between North Korean security and members …


Progressive news site ThinkProgress, launched 14 years ago, is put up for sale by the Center for American Progress as it faces falling ad revenue and donations — News site launched during the Bush years is running millions of dollars short. Its parent think tank says it will consider the editorial leanings of prospective owners.
Discussion:
CNN, @elienyc, @cd_hooks, @kileykroh, @zackford, @mattyglesias, @willmenaker, @jbenton, @igorvolsky, @thedailybeast, @joesudbay, @asymmetricinfo, @waywardwinifred, @celisa_mia, @jamessurowiecki, @fshakir, @chrisbangsdc, @lhfang, @rebleber, @rebekahentralgo, @annaholmes, @ddayen, @daniellebmclean, @davidsirota, @shortformernie, @josephsreed, @alyssarosenberg, @lauraolin and Mediaite


Canadian political cartoonist Michael de Adder dropped from a series of newspapers after his cartoon depicting Donald Trump and dead migrants went viral — Political cartoonist Michael de Adder has been dropped from a series of newspapers after his cartoon depicting Donald Trump stepping …
Discussion:
@deadder, @jason_chatfield, Politico, Washington Post, The Daily Cartoonist, @amstanley, @rubenbolling, @conor64 and @mehdirhasan


Spotify ends its direct music upload beta program for artists after debuting it last year, saying it would rather focus on features unique to the platform — Spotify is shutting down a program that allowed indie artists to upload their own music to the streaming service, the company announced today.
Discussion:
artists.spotify.com, Bloomberg, Variety, Music Business Worldwide, Engadget, @lucas_shaw, @lucas_shaw and RAIN News, more at Techmeme »


Nielsen Total Audience Report: 21% of SVOD users give up watching if they can't decide what to watch; the average adult takes 7.4 minutes to make a selection — The proliferation of streaming and the novelty of the subscription video on demand interface are contributing …
Discussion:
Broadcasting & Cable, MediaPost, Adweek and New York Post


Quillette editor Andy Ngo beaten, “milkshaked” by Antifa protestors during a rally in Portland — Quillette editor Andy Ngo was beaten up and had milkshakes thrown at him by Antifa protestors during a rally in Portland. … The video from Oregonian reporter Jim Ryan appears …
Discussion:
@jimryan015, @jaketapper, Oregonian, The Independent, Breitbart, Los Angeles Blade, @brianstelter, @tedcruz, Heavy.com, CBS News, Daily Mail, ABC News, Trending, Human Events, The Post Millennial, Breitbart and Reason


How TikTok users are supplanting the traditional functions of record labels, like talent scouting and publicity, for new artists — Lil Nas X's ‘Old Town Road’ is both a chart-topping phenomenon and a turning point for the music business. Here's what happens when a social media platform becomes a label.
Discussion:
@mediasmarts and @kevin2kelly


Of the 65 journalists laid off at New Orleans' Times-Picayune, 19 plan to remain as journalists in the city; The Advocate hired 10, 3 with grant-funded salaries — Less than a third of the former Times-Picayune staffers are staying in New Orleans journalism
Discussion:
Poynter, @skooks, @poynter, @tmorris504, @jameskarst, @yatpundit, @jbenton, @poynter, @lhcbmatt, @jbenton, @bpwarsh, @marshallramsey and Marshall Ramsey Fan …


Wirecutter EIC Ben Frumin wants the site to add more editorial-like content and expand into new product areas like privacy and data, style and beauty, more — With a new deputy in place, editor in chief Ben Frumin has sights set on expanding Wirecutter's audience. — Wirecutter's electronics recommendations homepage.


Sony's PlayStation Vue raises prices by $5/month for all tiers, bringing the cheapest plan to $50/month, following YouTube TV, which raised prices in April — Sony's PlayStation Vue live TV streaming service is joining its rivals with the roll out another price increase.
Discussion:
Broadcasting & Cable, The Streamable, Engadget, The Streamable and The Verge, more at Techmeme »


Bain Capital is in exclusive talks to buy a majority stake in ad giant WPP's Kantar unit in a deal valuing Kantar at about $4B, including debt — - Negotiations value Kantar research unit at about $4 billion — Advertising giant confirms talks reported by Bloomberg earlier
Discussion:
MediaPost, Reuters, Wall Street Journal and Ad Age