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As the streaming industry continues to grow, many Black artists still struggle to own their music and capture its full value — a gap Connect Music aims to close. Founded in 2020, Connect Music is a Memphis-based independent music distribution, publishing, and rights management company that helps independent artists and labels monetize their work, secure funding, and retain 100% ownership. It operates as a curated, closed platform, meaning artists can’t simply sign up through a public portal. The company’s catalog success includes Dee Mula’s viral hit “Blow My High,” alongside collaborations with Grammy-nominated producers Mike & Keys and artists including Sauce Walka, Don Trip, Boosie Badazz , and BIG30. Scaling Connect Music At its helm are President and CEO George Monger and Chief Technology Officer Ivan Walker. Together, they lead a tech-driven company operating at the intersection of finance, data, analytics, and culture — where strategy guides every move. “When you recognize...
Miguel is carving out time to educate the youth on the music industry. Scholar-in-Residence The Grammy-winning musician and producer, who released the album “CAOS” in 2025, is the 2025-2026 Scholar-in-Residence at New York University’s (NYU’s) Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, according to a press release. Students will be able to take part in seminars, masterclasses, cross-disciplinary collaborations, and the “CAOS Curriculum,” which will shed light on his creative process, marketing, and the business of the music industry, from negotiating contracts to intellectual property. “We are excited to host Miguel as this year’s Scholar-in-Residence,” said Jack H. Knott, the Gale and Ira Drukier Dean of NYU Steinhardt, in the press release. “As a successful artist and music entrepreneur, Miguel has many first-hand lessons and practical strategies to share with our students to help prepare them for their future careers.” Miguel also spoke candidly of his post...
Cardi B’s new and improved, “old school” haircare brand is in demand. When she was a teenager, the “Am I the Drama?” artist learned how to make hair masks and hair oils, but she hadn’t been consistent with her hair health, she told Elle. She was also perming, bleaching, and dyeing her hair, and admitted to gluing tracks directly onto her hair at 17. “You know what’s so crazy that I think about, why the hell would I do that? What the hell was going on? Why were we doing that? That’s how much I was mistreating my hair. I kept flat-ironing my hair every day,” she said, according to the outlet. Eventually, she adopted a healthy hair routine, which she has remained vocal about on social media, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. In a 2020 Instagram post, she shared the ingredients for her hair mask, including avocado, two eggs, mayonnaise, and black castor oil. Her journey resonated with audiences, and fans encouraged her to turn it into a business. “For a long time, my fans were asking me...
A jury has ruled on the industry practices of Live Nation and Ticketmaster. CNN reports the U.S. Department of Justice and 39 state attorneys general, including those from New York and Washington, D.C., sued Live Nation, the parent company of Ticketmaster, in 2024. Live Nation merged with Ticketmaster in 2010 and now controls 86% of the market for concerts and 73% overall when sports are included , according to Jeffrey Kessler, an attorney for the states, per The Boston Globe. Live Nation’s dominance is at the center of a court case. It owns or controls more than 265 concert venues and generated $22 billion in annual revenue at the time of the lawsuit, according to court records. The lawsuit states that its presence in the live-events sector was harmful to attendees, performers, and small promoters and venue operators. The lawsuit also alleges that Live Nation established a “ self-reinforcing ‘ flywheel,” charging customers, and then using the revenue to book artists for long-term...
Independence was always the goal for Grammy-nominated producer Jaasu Mallory. Growing A Passion For Music Jaasu, a name meaning builder and creator in Hebrew, would manifest in his day-to-day life as a producer and songwriter. The Harlem, New York, native attended Columbia Prep, a K-12 private school, and was involved in music programs. His mother supported his aspirations by purchasing him a $1,000 MacBook and a Pioneer controller, a decision he says was “one of the best investments she’s made.” Ultimately, it was DJing that paved the way for his interest in becoming a producer. He began DJing at bar mitzvahs, making $500 a year by age 12 or 13, he recalled. His turning point, when he realized he could have a career in the music industry, came in high school. Not only were people enjoying the songs he produced, but a few records he produced for Famous Dex and Rich the Kid became popular and earned millions of YouTube plays. The summer before starting college at the University of...
A portion of Tina Turner’s historic catalog has been acquired by Pophouse Entertainment. The late singer, who died in 2023 at 83, is widely recognized as the “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” according to Variety. She was also a 12-time Grammy winner and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice. Two years before her passing, she decided to sell her recordings, music publishing, and name and likeness rights to BMG. The deal was reportedly valued at $50 million, according to Variety. BMG CEO Hartwig Masuch called the acquisition both an honor and a responsibility that he vowed to take seriously. “Tina Turner’s musical journey has inspired hundreds of millions of people around the world and continues to reach new audiences … She is truly and simply the best,” he said at the time, according to Music Week. At the time of the deal, Turner commented: “Like any artist, the protection of my life’s work, my musical inheritance, is something personal. I am confident that with BMG and...
Apple Music users will now be informed when AI is used to generate content. Billboard reported that Apple Music has updated its “ delivery requirement ” to ensure record labels and music distributors are transparent with users by adding “ Transparency Tags ” when AI is used for the “ material portion ” of content. It would cover the areas of artwork, track, composition, and music video. Apple Music views the requirements as a vital step toward transparency and the establishment of industry-wide best practices and policies that will benefit all parties, according to a newsletter it shared. “Proper tagging of content is the first step in giving the music industry the data and tools needed to develop thoughtful policies around AI,” Apple said in the newsletter, according to Music Business Worldwide. “And we believe labels and distributors must take an active role in reporting when the content they deliver is created using AI.” Apple Music’s four areas in which its Transparency Tags can...
Keith Lee, the content creator and food critic whose TikTok food reviews have driven national attention to local restaurants and small businesses, is preparing to take that influence offline with the launch of a new food festival set to debut this spring. The festival, Keith Lee’s Familee Day, will kick off on May 16 in New Orleans and is positioned as a multi-day experience centered on food, music, and family-friendly programming, according to a video Lee shared on TikTok. At its core, the event aims to create sustained visibility and economic opportunity for small and underrepresented restaurants that often struggle to break through traditional marketing channels, he said. A Festival More Than A Year In The Making In the video announcing Familee Day, Lee shared that the event has been in development for more than a year and was intentionally designed to go beyond a standard food festival model. “At first I was gonna say, ‘hey, we got a food festival coming out, and it’s food,...
Tyler, the Creator was recognized in Hollywood on Dec. 6 as Variety presented him with its Innovator of the Decade award during the publication’s annual Hitmakers event. The honor marked a moment of reflection for the artist, who spoke about his 15-year career while accepting the award. According to Variety, he was surprised when he was informed he had been selected and noted that the news made him think about the artists he has long considered innovators, including Stevie Wonder, Missy Elliott, Kanye West, and Pharrell Williams. “It made me think like, ‘Yo, I don’t take the time out to look back at what I’ve done, for me, the folks around me, for the last 15 years. For me, always looking forward, me always wondering what the next thing is — that’s where I sit comfortable at,” he told attendees, per the outlet. André 3000 presented the Innovator of the Decade award and highlighted Tyler, the Creator’s influence across multiple creative fields. He noted Tyler, the Creator’s...
In a recent interview, T-Pain shared he could have made more money from his hit song, “Buy U A Drank.” The rapper from Tallahassee, FL, first experienced commercial success with the release of “I’m Sprung” in 2005, which was the lead single from his debut album “Rappa Ternt Sanga.” The song peaked at No. 8 and remained on Billboard’s Hot 100 Chart for 26 weeks, Revolt reports. In 2007, “Buy U A Drank” was released and was even more successful. The song reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 Chart and went triple Platinum, according to Genius. T-Pain reflected on the success of the single and how it impacted his wealth on the “Club Shay Shay” podcast. He made revenue, but suggested he could have earned more if the masters and publishing rights agreement had been different. His song paid respect to rappers Lil Scrappy and Lil Jon, prompting the artists to claim publishing rights. “When I did ‘I’mma Buy U A Drank, then I’mma take you home with me. I got money in the bank.’ As soon as I...
D’Angelo’s estate has launched the D’Angelo Pancreatic Cancer Fund, a global philanthropic initiative honoring the late soul musician, who passed away on Oct. 14, 2025, at age 51 after a private battle with pancreatic cancer. According to PEOPLE, the fund was created in partnership with the Black Boy Joy Foundation (BBJF) and the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network to support research, early detection studies, awareness campaigns, family support programs, and advocacy initiatives, with a particular focus on Black men and boys, addressing a disease with a survival rate of just 13%. In a statement, the estate said, “As a visionary artist, cultural pioneer, and devoted father, D’Angelo’s influence transcended music and defined a generation. Today with the Black Boy Joy Foundation x Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, we formally launched this initiative to honor his life and courageous battle with pancreatic cancer.” PEOPLE also reports that the D’Angelo Pancreatic Cancer Fund will be led...
HarbourView Equity Partners and Grammy-winning artist and producer Hit-Boy have announced an exclusive partnership. According to Billboard, the deal follows the conclusion of Hit-Boy’s 18-year publishing agreement with Universal Music Publishing Group. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Sherrese Clarke, founder and CEO of HarbourView Equity Partners, said the firm is committed to investing in creators who shape culture. View this post on Instagram A post shared by HarbourView Equity (@harbourviewep) “Hit-Boy’s work has defined a generation of music, blending innovation with impact in a way few others have,” Clarke said when announcing the news. “We’re honored to partner with him and proud to help preserve, celebrate, and continue his extraordinary legacy.” Hit-Boy said the partnership represents a new chapter in his career focused on ownership, innovation, and creative freedom. “HarbourView will be a forward-thinking partner and that is exactly what I want when making...
As the 2026 Grammys approach, singer, songwriter, and producer Leon Thomas is among the nominees for Album of the Year for “MUTT,” his 14-track project that incorporates Jazz, Neo-Soul, and Rock influences. According to the Recording Academy, the organization behind the Grammys, “MUTT” is the singer’s sophomore album, released in 2024 as a follow-up to his debut album, “Electric Dusk.” The album draws inspiration from artists ranging from Art Blakey and Miles Davis to Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, and its layered instrumentation and vocals highlight Thomas’ meticulous approach to production and artistic direction. At the time of its release, Thomas — a former child star on Broadway and Nickelodeon — told Essence in an interview, “This album is me stepping into my confidence. It was a tough journey getting into music out of Nickelodeon during my twenties, but now, in my thirties, I’m showing people that I know what I’m doing—and I’m having a good time doing it.” According to the...
Victoria Monét wants to see more guardrails regarding AI’s role in the music industry. In an interview with Vanity Fair, the “On My Mama” singer discussed Xania Monet, an AI artist who topped Billboard charts and secured a multi-million-dollar record deal, as previously reported by AFROTECH™. The AI artist was created by Telisha “Nikki” Jones, a Mississippi-born poet and entrepreneur who writes Xania’s music. “There’s real emotions and soul put into those lyrics,” Jones said in an interview with “CBS Mornings” co-host Gayle King. Victoria is among the artists criticizing Xania, suggesting it may have been created using her likeness. Victoria also added that when her friend submitted a prompt to ChatGPT asking it to create an image of “Victoria Monét making tacos,” and the image it generated resembled Xania. “It’s hard to comprehend that, within a prompt, my name was not used for this artist to capitalize on,” she told Vanity Fair. “I don’t support that. I don’t think that’s fair....
The late Michael Jackson is still at the top of his game. Jackson’s influence on music began in his childhood as a member of the iconic sibling group The Jackson 5, formed in Gary, Indiana. The group produced classics such as “I Want You Back,” which sold over six million copies worldwide and was later inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, according to Jackson Dynasty, along with hits like “ABC,” “I’ll Be There,” “Blame It on the Boogie,” and more. Jackson’s track record as a solo artist cemented his status as a legend, with albums that have stood the test of time and changed the trajectory of the music industry. His albums include “Thriller,” which followed the success of “Off the Wall” and was the brainchild of both Jackson and Producer Quincy Jones. “Thriller” sold over 70 million copies worldwide, The Root reports. It is regarded as one of the best-selling albums of all time and led Jackson to earn eight Grammys in one night. View this post on Instagram The King of Pop...