Music News: Prince estate names Universal publisher of song catalog
November 02, 2016

Prince’s estate has named Universal Music exclusive worldwide administrator for the late icon's entire song catalog. Prince's staff had been handling those duties themselves since a previous contract with Universal expired in 2013; now, Universal will once again administer publishing for the songs and will "work closely with the artist's estate to develop new creative outlets for his music."
Still to be determined is how material from Prince's legendary vault of unreleased music will be released, though most bets are on the artist's longtime label Warner Bros. (Billboard) Wondering what a music publisher does? Check out our Music Rights 101 infographic.
The Weeknd says his forthcoming album is strongly influenced by both Prince and David Bowie. The album's title, Starman, is an homage to Bowie. The Weeknd (a.k.a. Abel Tesfaye) says that before Prince's death, there were plans for The Weeknd to record with Prince at Paisley Park. (Rolling Stone)
Vedder and Murray play the Band
Video has surfaced of Eddie Vedder and Bill Murray sitting down for a joint jam session at a house party after Game Four of the World Series. Derek Trucks was also part of the hang, which included a rendition of the Band’s "The Weight." (Billboard)
EODM plan Paris documentary
Eagles of Death Metal have announced a documentary about their experiences surrounding last year's Paris attacks, which included a deadly mass shooting at their Bataclan concert. Eagles of Death Metal: Nos Amis (Our Friends) will debut in February on HBO. (Pitchfork)
New rap record
Having just set the Guinness record for world's longest rap, Murs has just lost it. The new record-holder: Arkano, a rapper from Spain. Arkano set the record by rapping in Spanish for 24 hours, 34 minutes and 27 seconds late last month in Madrid. (Billboard)
Obama's hi-fi
Audiophiles are geeking out over a photo of Barack Obama’s home stereo system. You can own the same model of turntable as the President of the United States, it turns out, for $329: it's a Denon DP-300F. It's not recommended, however, that you follow the President's lead in putting the turntable on the same shelf as your speakers. (Fact)
Westworld player-piano songs released
Music fans have been loving the player-piano arrangements of rock classics heard in the fictional wild-west theme park on HBO's Westworld. Now, four of those arrangements have been released online. They include old-timey instrumental versions of songs by the Rolling Stones, Radiohead, the Cure, and Soundgarden. (Billboard)
Tegan and Sara sing in Simlish
For the latest game in the Sims series, Tegan and Sara have recorded a version of their song "Stop Desire" in Simlish, the language spoken by the game's simulated humans. (Pitchfork)
