Showbiz Sandbox 319: The Changing Tide of Music Distribution

April 25, 2016

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Almost three years after Beyoncé made a big splash by releasing a secret album via iTunes, the pop star has snuck up the world once again with her latest work, a video album called “Lemonade”. This time however Beyoncé was strategic in how she distributed her album, premiering it with an HBO special, then exclusively to the streaming music service Tidal, before ultimately turning back to iTunes. More and more, big name acts are controlling how and to whom their music gets distributed.

Multi-genre musician Prince was way ahead of his time when it came to controlling how his music reaches the world. The legendary artist died suddenly last week leaving behind a lifetime of work a great deal of which was never released. We discuss the many fascinating ways the unexpected death of Prince was covered by the media and his sometimes unique distribution methods.

We’ll also take a look at the introduction of a new cinematic camera that has the potential to revolutionize filming and post-production by allowing to filmmakers “to effectively capture the color, direction and placement of every ray of light”.

Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment news including some behind the scenes drama at the morning talk shows, why China shut down some of the Apple iTunes stores and how Hollywood is making its way to West Africa.

Huntsman’ Flops With $20M; ‘Jungle Book’ Roars to $61M
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/box-office-huntsman-flops-20m-887201

‘Jungle Book’ A $341.3M Offshore Beast As ‘Huntsman’ Musters $79.1M; ‘Zootopia’ Tops $900M Global
http://deadline.com/2016/04/the-jungle-book-huntsman-winters-war-zootopia-batman-superman-international-box-office-weekend-results-1201742754/

India Box Office: ‘Jungle Book’ Becomes Top Hollywood Release Ever
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/india-box-office-jungle-book-885950

Are Hollywood Blockbusters Losing Their Punch at China’s Box Office?
http://variety.com/2016/film/asia/china-hollywood-blockbusters-batman-v-superman-1201756790/

‘Purple Rain’ Returning to U.S. Theaters This Weekend
https://variety.com/2016/film/news/purple-rain-returning-to-amc-theaters-this-weekend-1201759183/

“Happy Birthday” Legal Team Seeks to Free “We Shall Overcome” From Copyright
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/happy-birthday-legal-team-seeks-882961

Beyoncé Releases Surprise Album ‘Lemonade’ After HBO Special
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/24/arts/music/beyonce-hbo-lemonade.html

MTV Chief Vows to Restore Music to Programming
http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/mtv-music-wonderland-unplugged-sean-atkins-2016-upfront-tv-1201758027/

Beyonce’s ‘Lemonade’ Expected to Hit iTunes Sunday Night
https://variety.com/2016/digital/news/beyonce-lemonade-itunes-tidal-1201759663/

Tidal, Kanye West Face Class Action Lawsuit Over ‘The Life of Pablo’
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/tidal-kanye-west-face-class-action-lawsuit-over-the-life-of-pablo-20160418

CBS Argues Remastered Versions of Old Songs Original Enough to Be Copyrighted
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/cbs-argues-remastered-versions-old-886315

The Legality of Selling “Used” Digital Songs and Movies Headed to Appeals Court
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/legality-selling-used-digital-songs-881362

Michael Strahan Leaving ‘Live’ for ‘GMA’ (Exclusive)
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/michael-strahan-leaving-live-gma-885488

Inside Kelly Ripa’s Awkward Absence From ‘Live’
https://variety.com/2016/tv/news/inside-kelly-ripas-absence-from-live-1201757835/

Apple Services Shut Down in China in Startling About-Face
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/22/technology/apple-no-longer-immune-to-chinas-scrutiny-of-us-tech-firms.html

2016 Eisner Award Nominees
http://www.comic-con.org/awards/2016-eisner-award-nominees

Eisner Award Nominees: Oscars of the Comics World Is No Boys’ Club
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/apr/19/eisner-award-nominations-comics-world-no-boys-club

Sony Hits a Big Six with IPL
http://www.rapidtvnews.com/2016042342598/sony-hits-a-big-six-with-ipl.html

Twentieth Century Fox pacts with FilmOne for West Africa
http://www.screendaily.com/5102802.article

Comcast Announces Xfinity Apps for Samsung Smart TVs, Roku Streamers
http://variety.com/2016/digital/news/comcast-xfinity-tv-roku-samsung-1201757609/

Consumer Complaints About Broadband Caps Are Soaring
https://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Consumer-Complaints-About-Broadband-Caps-Are-Soaring-136797

James Levine, Transformative at the Met Opera, Is Stepping Down
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/15/arts/music/james-levine-transformative-at-the-met-opera-is-stepping-down.html

NAB: New Lytro Light-Field Camera That Could Bring Big Changes to Visual Effects Work Is Unveiled
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/behind-screen/nab-lytro-cinema-light-field-885841

Guy Hamilton, Director of Four James Bond Films, Dies at 93
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/guy-hamilton-dead-james-bond-886414

Doris Roberts Dies at 90; Italian Mamma From ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-me-doris-roberts-20160418-story.html

Prince, an Artist Who Defied Genre, Is Dead at 57
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/22/arts/music/prince-dead.html

Prince’s Legal Legacy: Contract Fights, Copyright Battles and Changing His Name
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/princes-legal-legacy-contract-fights-886521

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