Music royalties firm PPL collects record revenues of £247m for artists May 14, 2019 Music licensing company PPL has reported its highest-ever annual revenues as it paid out to a record number of musicians and rights holders. PPL, which is one of the UK’s two main royalties agencies, collected revenues for its members of £246.8m in 2018, up 13 per cent on the previous year. Read more: Hipgnosis snaps [...]
US Supreme Court rules against Apple in App Store antitrust dispute May 13, 2019 The US Supreme Court today gave the green light to a lawsuit on behalf of consumers, which accuses Apple of creating a monopoly on iPhone apps and forcing users to overpay with high commission fees. In a 5-4 ruling, the Supreme Court upheld a decision to allow the class action to proceed. The customers argued Apple's [...]
US markets follow Europe downwards as China announces retaliation tariffs May 13, 2019 US markets have followed their European counterparts sharply downwards after the bell, following China's announcement of retaliatory tariffs on $60bn worth of US goods in the latest development in the two countries' trade war. Read more: Global markets in tailspin after Trump threatens huge China tariff rise The US’s S&P 500 opened down 1.8 per cent [...]
Why did Lush, Apple and Wetherspoons quit Twitter? May 13, 2019 Tapping into a dissatisfaction with social media, cosmetics firm Lush recently announced that it would move away from it, justifying its decision by drawing attention to the financial and ethical cost of using social media. The move marks Lush as the latest brand to take a new approach online. It’s a global brand, whose environmentally-conscious [...]
Hipgnosis snaps up rights to music catalogue of Eurythmics co-founder Dave Stewart May 10, 2019 Music royalties investment firm Hipgnosis has bought the rights to more than 1,000 songs written by Eurythmics co-founder Dave Stewart. Read more: One Media IP shares jump as streaming boosts profits The songwriter and record producer is best known as one half of pop group Eurythmics, which he formed in 1980 with eight-time Brit Award [...]
DEBATE: In light of the latest study, have we overreacted about the effect of social media on teenagers? May 10, 2019 In light of the latest study, have we overreacted about the effect of social media on teenagers? Kevin Craig, chief executive and founder of communications agency PLMR, says YES. While the discussion about the impact of social media on young people has been a hot topic at the school gates over recent years, we parents have [...]
Facebook co-founder joins chorus of voices to break up the company May 9, 2019 Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes has echoed calls to break up the social media giant amid a rise in anti-trust and data privacy concerns surrounding big tech. Hughes, a former roommate of chief executive Mark Zuckerberg, called his power "unprecedented and un-American" in an opinion piece for the New York Times. "We are a nation with [...]
Here’s a closer look at Google’s new budget Pixel phones, the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL May 7, 2019 Google has just announced two new additions to its lineup of Pixel phones at its annual Google I/O event in California. The Pixel 3a and the Pixel 3a XL will start at the relatively piddling sum of £399 (compared to £739 for the Pixel 3) and are positioned as a pair of wallet-friendly, value-for-money alternatives [...]
The green rush? The UK’s cannabis industry is reaching dizzying new highs May 7, 2019 Predicting the emergence of the UK’s next billion-pound industry is the dream of any investor. Yet what if, unbeknown to many of its citizens, the UK were already competing as a global leader in that market? When it comes to the burgeoning legal cannabis market, this is already the reality. According to the UN’s International Narcotics [...]
50,000 businesses exposed to cyber attacks through SAP systems May 2, 2019 Up to 50,000 businesses running Sap software are at risk of being hacked after security researchers uncovered new ways to exploit insufficiently protected systems. German firm Sap, which provides software to more than 90 per cent of the world’s top 2,000 firms, said it had issued guidance on configuring security settings in 2009 and 2013. However, security [...]