Richard Smirke, Freelance Journalist Profile

Articles

Billboard Celebrates Spanish Music Leaders at Exclusive Event in Madrid: ‘Total Commitment’

1 month ago | billboard.com | Franchesca Guim |Elizabeth Dilts Marshall |Bill Donahue |Richard Smirke

After a successful First Spanish Music Encounter at the WiZink Center in 2024, Billboard returned to Madrid on Tuesday (March 18) with “Leaders of Music in Spain,” an event that reaffirms its commitment to the country’s music scene. The cocktail event, held at the Hotel VP Plaza España Design, gathered more than a hundred executives, artists, and key industry figures to strengthen ties and boost the global projection of Spaniard music.
ATEEZ's KQ Entertainment Partners With AEG to Produce Tours

1 month ago | billboard.com | Elizabeth Dilts Marshall |Bill Donahue |Richard Smirke |Melinda Newman

ATEEZ KQ ENTERTAINMENT KQ Entertainment, the South Korean music company behind ATEEZ, signed a multi-year agreement with AEG Presents to oversee the production of all global tours for the K-pop supergroup.
UMG Asks to Halt Discovery In Drake Lawsuit, Says He’s Even Demanding Kendrick’s Contract

1 month ago | billboard.com | Bill Donahue |Richard Smirke |Melinda Newman |Paul Grein

Universal Music Group is asking a federal judge to halt all discovery in Drake’s defamation lawsuit over Kendrick Lamar’s diss track “Not Like Us,” arguing that the star is unfairly demanding “highly commercially sensitive documents” – including Lamar’s record deal. A day after moving to dismiss the lawsuit, UMG followed up Tuesday by asking the judge to pause discovery until he rules on that motion.
Miley Cyrus Can’t Dismiss ‘Flowers’ Copyright Lawsuit Over Bruno Mars Song, Judge Rules

1 month ago | billboard.com | Bill Donahue |Richard Smirke |Melinda Newman |Paul Grein

Miley Cyrus has lost her initial bid to dismiss a copyright case claiming her chart-topping “Flowers” ripped off the Bruno Mars song “When I Was Your Man,” allowing the high-profile lawsuit to proceed toward a trial. Seeking to end the case at the outset, attorneys for Cyrus had argued that the plaintiff who filed the lawsuit lacked the legal “standing” to pursue it.
IFPI Global Report 2025: Music Revenues Up 5% to $29.6 Billion Amid AI Copyright Concerns

1 month ago | billboard.com | Richard Smirke |Melinda Newman |Paul Grein |Griselda Flores

LONDON — Global music sales grew for the tenth consecutive year in 2024 but the risk of generative AI systems using copyright-protected music to freely train their systems poses “a very real and present threat” to the future of the industry, warn record executives.
Regina Jones Talks Launching Groundbreaking 1960s Black Music Publication ‘SOUL’

1 month ago | billboard.com | Gail Mitchell |Chris Eggertsen |Leila Cobo |Richard Smirke

There will never be enough time or space to recognize all the unsung heroes and trailblazers in the music industry that deserve to be acknowledged. But as Black History Month winds down, one pioneer stands out: Regina Jones, former co-owner and editor-in-chief of the groundbreaking music and entertainment publication, SOUL Newspaper.
How Chile’s Viña Del Mar Festival Navigated Controversy and a Nationwide Power Outage

1 month ago | billboard.com | Leila Cobo |Richard Smirke |Marc Schneider |Chris Eggertsen

This Tuesday (Feb. 25), at 3:15 p.m., the country of Chile lost power. With a seconds-long shudder that was felt from North to South, 80% of the country was left without electricity.
Proper Music Group Acquired by Music On Vinyl Owner Artone, Ending ‘Rollercoaster’ Utopia Era

1 month ago | billboard.com | Richard Smirke |Marc Schneider |Chris Eggertsen |Michael Saponara

LONDON — Proper Music Group, the U.K.’s leading physical distributor for independent labels and artists, has been acquired by Netherlands-based Artone, bringing an end to a tumultuous three-year period during which the firm was owned by Swiss fintech company Utopia Music. Completion of Artone’s acquisition of Proper Music Group was announced by the company Friday (Feb. 28), one day after Proper was placed in administration (roughly equivalent to Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection).
Proper Music Group Acquired by Music On Vinyl Owner Artone, Ending ‘Rollercoaster’ Utopia Era

1 month ago | flipboard.com | Richard Smirke

NowExpert explains why the hands and feet of Gene Hackman’s wife were reportedly mummifiedLegendary actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead Wednesday in their New Mexico home, along with their dog, in circumstances officials deemed “suspicious enough” to warrant a thorough investigation. CNN's John Miller and forensic pathologist Dr. Judy Melinek analyze the deaths.
After Splitting From Paramount, Save the Music Lands $10 Million Endowment Fund

2 months ago | billboard.com | Chris Eggertsen |Jessica Nicholson |Paul Grein |Richard Smirke

From the late 1990s into the 2000s, “VH1 Save the Music” was a household name known for its annual Divas Live benefit concerts featuring such bold-faced icons as Aretha, Whitney, Mariah and Celine. But by the end of the 2010s, following the television network’s pivot to reality series like Love & Hip-Hop and Basketball Wives, the branding no longer made sense.

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Richard Smirke @rsmirke

14 May 23

RT @billboard: Sweden’s Loreen overcame strong competition from Finland and Israel to win 2023’s #Eurovision Song Contest in a closely foug…

Richard Smirke @rsmirke

9 Feb 23

RT @bigissuenorth: Loud in sound and opinion, @mogwaiband have surprised themselves with their longevity. In this week's issue, @plasmatron…

Richard Smirke @rsmirke

7 Feb 22

RT @ErinShanagher: Thanks for having me @bigissuenorth 🙏🏻

Richard Smirke

Articles

Billboard Celebrates Spanish Music Leaders at Exclusive Event in Madrid: ‘Total Commitment’

ATEEZ's KQ Entertainment Partners With AEG to Produce Tours

UMG Asks to Halt Discovery In Drake Lawsuit, Says He’s Even Demanding Kendrick’s Contract

Miley Cyrus Can’t Dismiss ‘Flowers’ Copyright Lawsuit Over Bruno Mars Song, Judge Rules

IFPI Global Report 2025: Music Revenues Up 5% to $29.6 Billion Amid AI Copyright Concerns

Regina Jones Talks Launching Groundbreaking 1960s Black Music Publication ‘SOUL’

How Chile’s Viña Del Mar Festival Navigated Controversy and a Nationwide Power Outage

Proper Music Group Acquired by Music On Vinyl Owner Artone, Ending ‘Rollercoaster’ Utopia Era

Proper Music Group Acquired by Music On Vinyl Owner Artone, Ending ‘Rollercoaster’ Utopia Era

After Splitting From Paramount, Save the Music Lands $10 Million Endowment Fund

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