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The Star
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Star
'My greatest dream' - Taylor Swift buys back rights to old music
Taylor Swift performs on stage during 'The Eras Tour' at the Hard Rock stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, October 18, 2024. Swift, who has been publicly feuding with record executives since 2019 over the rights to her early music, now owns her entire catalogue, she said on her website May 30, 2025. — Photo: CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP Pop sensation Taylor Swift, who was locked in a feud with record executives since 2019 over ownership of her music, has bought back the rights to her entire back catalog, she said Friday. "All of the music I've ever made... now belongs... to me," she wrote on her website, after years of disputes over her first six albums, a number of which she rerecorded to create copies she owns herself. "To say this is my greatest dream come true is actually being pretty reserved about it," she wrote in the letter to her devoted followers. "To my fans, you know how important this has been to me – so much so that I meticulously re-recorded and released four of my albums, calling them Taylor's Version." Those records included the award-winning Reputation and Taylor Swift . Swift bought back her masters from Shamrock Capital, an LA investment firm, for an undisclosed amount. The re-recording power move came in the wake of public sparring with industry mogul Scooter Braun, her one-time manager whose company had purchased her previous label and gained a majority stake in her early work. He later sold Swift's master rights to the private equity company. Taylor Swift performs at Wembley Stadium as part of her Eras Tour June 21, 2024, in London. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP, File) 'This fight' "The situation left Swift publicly incensed: I just feel that artistes should own their work," she said in 2019. "She's a vocal advocate for artistes' rights," Ralph Jaccodine, a professor at the Berklee College of Music, told AFP previously. "She's built her own brand." Before her public efforts to regain control of her work, Prince, George Michael, Jay-Z and Kanye West all also fought for control of their masters – one-of-a-kind source material that dictate how songs are reproduced and sold – but none had gone so far as to re-record them completely. The queen of pop, whose recent nearly two-year-long, US$2bil Eras tour shattered records, said that she was heartened by the conversations this saga has reignited within my industry. Swift's lucrative tour which wrapped last year was a showbusiness sensation, and will have helped offset the costs of buying back her catalog. The 149 shows across the world typically clocked in at more than three hours long each. Tour tickets sold for sometimes exorbitant prices and drew in millions of fans, along with many more who didn't get in and were willing to simply sing along from the parking lot. "Every time a new artiste tells me they negotiated to own their master recordings in their record contract because of this fight, I'm reminded of how important it was for all this to happen," Swift said in her letter. – AFP
The Herald Scotland
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Sean ‘Diddy' Combs' former PA was ‘too traumatised' to answer his call in 2023
She was the second of three women expected to give evidence at the trial in Manhattan that they were sexually abused by Combs. Sean 'Diddy' Combs, right, blows kisses during his sex trafficking and racketeering trial in New York (Elizabeth Williams/AP) Bail was repeatedly denied for Combs following his September arrest after prosecutors argued he and his co-conspirators reached out to potential victims or witnesses after the former decade-long girlfriend, R&B singer Casandra 'Cassie' Ventura, sued him in November 2023. The legal case, which alleged years of sexual abuse, was settled within a day for 20 million dollars (£14.8 million). At a September bail hearing, assistant US attorney Emily Johnson said Combs had contacted at least one victim in November 2023 and was in constant contact with witnesses, including as late as last July. Mia said she at first was elated to hear from D-Roc, one of Combs' former bodyguards, when he reached out to her days after Cassie's lawsuit — until she realised he was at the Bad Boy Records founder's home and trying to reconnect her with her former boss. Then, she said, she felt 'terrified, threatened, scared, nervous'. Mia said she 'wanted to play dumb' and needed a game plan to protect herself. 'I didn't want my life to be in danger,' Mia said. Still, when she soon saw Combs himself trying to call her: 'I threw my phone as far as it would go behind the couch, and I ran outside.' Combs' lawyer Brian Steel launched into his cross-examination by quizzing the woman about several dozen posts she made about Combs, Cassie and other people and events in their orbit. Among them was a still image she posted on Combs' birthday in November 2013 from a comedy video featuring Combs as a doctor helping Mia give birth to a baby. Cassie Ventura, left, and Sean 'Diddy' Combs arrive at a Los Angeles film premiere in 2017 (Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) 'Shout out to my mentor,' she wrote, referring to Combs. 'Thank you for always letting me give birth to my dreams.' 'Here, you have posted on your personal account your rapist delivering the baby,' Mr Steel said. On Thursday, Mia claimed while giving evidence that she was awakened and then raped by Combs as she slept in a bunk bed in his Los Angeles home just months after he'd forcibly kissed her at his 40th birthday party in 2009. She said sexual assault continued sporadically, seemingly infrequent enough that each time she would think it would never happen again. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges that could result in a prison term of from 15 years to life if he is convicted. Mia, who worked for Combs from 2009 to 2017, including a stretch as an executive at his film studio, said there were exciting times in the job and the 'highs were really high and the lows were really low'. After she left Bad Boy Entertainment, Mia said, she received 250,000 dollars of a 400,000 dollar settlement to reimburse her for promised bonuses that were never paid and for unpaid overtime. But she said she never told her lawyers about the sexual abuse. She acknowledged during her testimony that she referenced her co-workers as 'family' and used the word 'love' in her correspondence with Combs even after he sexually attacked her. 'That's how we all talked to each other,' Mia said. While working for Combs, she said, she dated his sound engineer, although it was not a typical relationship because they rarely saw one another outside work. She said she has not been able to work since leaving the job because of post-traumatic stress. Mia said she would misinterpret emails asking 'where are you?' as scolding. She said someone calling her name from across the room would cause her alarm, even if it was an innocent attempt to get her attention. Throughout his cross-examination, Mr Steel struck a familiar, incredulous refrain, asking: 'Why would you promote the person who has stolen your happiness in life?' Mia told Mr Steel that the posts were a facade. 'Instagram was a place to show how great your life was, even if it was not true,' she explained, adding that followers of her then-public account included many Combs fans. 'Of course you post great times,' she said.
Toronto Sun
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Toronto Sun
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' ex-personal assistant says she was too traumatized to answer his 2023 call
Published May 30, 2025 • 3 minute read Sean Combs arrives at the Pre-Grammy Gala And Salute To Industry Icons at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020, in Beverly Hills, Calif. Photo by Mark Von Holden / Mark Von Holden/Invision/AP Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. NEW YORK — Sean 'Diddy' Combs ' former personal assistant testified at his sex trafficking trial Friday that she threw her phone across the room in terror and ran outside when she saw the hip-hop mogul calling her days after his longtime ex-girlfriend sued him two years ago. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account 'It was just so triggering to see that,' said the assistant, who was identified in court only by the pseudonym 'Mia.' She was the second of three women expected to testify at the federal trial in Manhattan that they were sexually abused by Combs. Bail was repeatedly denied for Combs following his September arrest after prosecutors argued he and his coconspirators reached out to potential victims or witnesses after the former decade-long girlfriend, R&B singer Casandra 'Cassie' Ventura, sued him in November 2023. The suit, which alleged years of sexual abuse, was settled within a day for $20 million. At a September bail hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Johnson said Combs had contacted at least one victim in November 2023 and was in constant contact with witnesses, including as late as last July. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Mia said she at first was elated to hear from D-Roc, one of Combs' former bodyguards, when he reached out to her days after Cassie's lawsuit — until she realized he was at the Bad Boy Records founder's home and trying to reconnect her with her former boss. Then, she said, she felt 'terrified, threatened, scared, nervous.' Mia said she 'wanted to play dumb' and needed a game plan to protect herself. 'I didn't want my life to be in danger,' Mia said. Still, when she soon saw Combs himself trying to call her, 'I threw my phone as far as it would go behind the couch, and I ran outside.' Combs' lawyer Brian Steel launched into his cross-examination by quizzing the woman about several dozen posts she made about Combs, Cassie and other people and events in their orbit. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Among them: a still image she posted on Combs' birthday in November 2013 from a comedy video featuring Combs as a doctor helping Mia give birth to a baby. 'Shout out to my mentor,' she wrote, referring to Combs, 'Thank you for always letting me give birth to my dreams.' 'Here, you have posted on your personal account your rapist delivering the baby,' Steel said. On Thursday, Mia testified that she was awakened and then raped by Combs as she slept in a bunk bed in his Los Angeles home just months after he'd forcibly kissed her at his 40th birthday party in 2009. She said sexual assault continued sporadically, seemingly infrequent enough that each time she'd think it would never happen again. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges that could result in a prison term of from 15 years to life if he is convicted. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Mia, who worked for Combs from 2009 to 2017, including a stretch as an executive at his film studio, said there were exciting times in the job and the 'highs were really high and the lows were really low.' After she left Bad Boy Entertainment, Mia said, she received $250,000 of a $400,000 settlement to reimburse her for promised bonuses that were never paid and for unpaid overtime. But she said she never told her lawyers about the sexual abuse. She acknowledged during her testimony that she referenced her co-workers as 'family' and used the word 'love' in her correspondence with Combs even after he sexually attacked her. 'That's how we all talked to each other,' Mia said. While working for Combs, she said, she dated his sound engineer, although it wasn't a typical relationship because they rarely saw one another outside work. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. She said she hasn't been able to work since leaving the job because of post-traumatic stress. Mia said she'd misinterpret emails asking 'where are you?' as scolding. She said someone calling her name from across the room would cause her alarm, even if it was an innocent attempt to get her attention. Throughout his cross-examination, Steel struck a familiar, incredulous refrain, asking: 'Why would you promote the person who has stolen your happiness in life?' Mia told Steel that the posts were a facade. 'Instagram was a place to show how great your life was, even if it was not true,' she explained, adding that followers of her then-public account included many Combs fans. 'Of course you post great times,' she said. Crime World Olympics Toronto Raptors Sunshine Girls
Toronto Sun
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Toronto Sun
Former Creedence Clearwater frontman John Fogerty celebrates 80th with show in Manhattan
Published May 30, 2025 • Last updated 0 minutes ago • 3 minute read Musician John Fogerty, right, performs with his son Shane Fogerty during his 80th birthday celebration concert at the Beacon Theatre on Thursday, May 29, 2025, in New York. Photo by Evan Agostini / Invision/AP Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account NEW YORK — As he turned 80 this week, John Fogerty was in a mood to honour his past and to revise it. We should all be so alive and so remembered at his age. Fogerty, in the midst of an international tour, played a rowdy 100-minute set Thursday night to an adoring, near-capacity audience at Manhattan's Beacon Theatre. Crowd members spanned from those likely to remember 'Proud Mary,' 'Fortunate Son' and other Creedence Clearwater Revival hits when first released a half-century ago to those looking young enough to have heard about them through their grandparents. At least from a distance, Fogerty didn't look or sound much different from his prime with Creedence, which was rarely off the charts between 1969 and 1971. He wore his trademark flannel shirt; had the same shaggy haircut, although with his bangs brushed back; sang with a vintage roar that has mellowed only slightly; and even played the same guitar, a Rickenbacker, that he had acquired back in the late '60s. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Fogerty presented himself as a proud rock 'n' roller, and a very proud family man. His band includes two of his sons on guitar, Shane and Tyler, with daughter Kelsy briefly joining them on a third guitar. Off to the side was his wife, Julie, whom he praised as the love and the hero of his life, if only because she gave one of the greatest gifts an old rock star could ask for: She helped win back rights to his song catalogue. Fogerty had battled over his copyrights for decades, and at one point found himself being sued for plagiarizing one of his Creedence hits, which at the time he didn't own. He has marked his victory with an upcoming album, 'Legacy,' for which he recorded new versions of 20 songs. If you were in the house Thursday night, you couldn't help hearing about it. A promotional film about 'Legacy' opened the show and Fogerty mentioned it again before his encore set. Both the album, subtitled 'The Creedence Clearwater Revival Years,' and his concert tell a story of how he wants to look back. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. As Fogerty noted at one point Thursday night, Creedence Clearwater Revival soared to the highest heights before imploding bitterly in the early '70s and never again recording or touring together. Only Creedence diehards would have known the identity of the other band members — drummer Doug Clifford, bassist Stu Cook, and guitarist Tom Fogerty, John's brother, who died in 1990. Their names were never mentioned, their faces near-invisible among the rush of images that appeared Thursday on a screen behind Fogerty and his band. The new tracks on 'Legacy,' each labeled 'John's Version,' leave only John Fogerty from the original group. The Beacon show was very much about where is he now, and how much he likes it. He dashed about the stage, rocked out on his Rickenbacker with the joy of a teenager on air guitar and even poured himself champagne. Fans clapped and danced, while being showered with confetti and dazzled with lasers and fog. The more informed sang along with 'Have You Ever Seen the Rain' and the baseball anthem 'Centerfield,' Fogerty's most famous post-Creedence song. Virtually all stood and cheered to serenade the night's guest of honour, whose birthday was the day before. Love concerts, but can't make it to the venue? Stream live shows and events from your couch with VEEPS, a music-first streaming service now operating in Canada. Click here for an introductory offer of 30% off. Explore upcoming concerts and the extensive archive of past performances! Crime Sunshine Girls Toronto Maple Leafs Sunshine Girls Toronto Raptors
Japan Today
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Japan Today
Smokey Robinson sues former housekeepers for defamation over rape allegations
FILE - Smokey Robinson attends the screening for "The Apollo" during the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival on April 24, 2019, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File) By ANDREW DALTON Smokey Robinson has filed a defamation lawsuit against four former housekeepers who accused him of rape and prompted a police investigation. Robinson and his wife Frances Robinson filed the counterclaim Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court against the women and their lawyers, whose allegations, they say, were 'fabricated in an extortionate scheme.' The filing is a fast and forceful legal and public pushback from the 85-year-old Motown music luminary in response to the women's May 6 lawsuit and a May 15 announcement from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department that its Special Victims Bureau is 'actively investigating criminal allegations' against Robinson. The women are seeking at least $50 million, alleging Smokey Robinson repeatedly raped and sexually assaulted them in his home when they worked for him between 2007 and 2024. They said Frances Robinson, a co-defendant, enabled him and created an abusive workplace. The counterclaim opens with friendly text messages from the women to contradict their claims against Robinson, whose songs, including 'Tears of a Clown' and 'The Tracks of My Tears," established him among the biggest hitmakers of the 1960s. The filing says the women 'stayed with the Robinsons year after year,' vacationed with them, celebrated holidays with them, exchanged gifts with them, asked for tickets to his concerts, and sought and received help from them including money for dental surgery, financial support for a disabled family member, and 'even a car.' The filing — which includes photos from the vacations and gatherings as exhibits — says that despite the couple's generosity, the women 'secretly harbored resentment for the Robinsons and sought to enrich themselves through the Robinsons' wealth.' 'Unfortunately, the depths of Plaintiffs' avarice and greed know no bounds,' the counterclaim says. 'During the very time that the Robinsons were being extraordinarily generous with Plaintiffs, Plaintiffs were concocting an extortionate plan to take everything from the Robinsons.' John Harris and Herbert Hayden, attorneys for the former housekeepers, said in a statement that the defamation suit 'is nothing more than an attempt to silence and intimidate the survivors of Mr. Robinson's sexual battery and assault. It is a baseless and vindictive legal maneuver designed to re-victimize, shift blame and discourage others from coming forward.' The lawyers said they intend to get the Robinsons' lawsuit thrown out by invoking California's laws against using the courts to silence and intimidate people who sue. The four women, whose names are withheld in their lawsuit, each allege that Robinson would wait until they were alone with him in his Los Angeles house and then sexually assault and rape them. One woman said she was assaulted at least 20 times while working for Robinson from 2012 until 2024. Another said she worked for him from 2014 until 2020 and was assaulted at least 23 times. The Sheriff's Department would give no details on its investigation beyond confirming its existence. Robinson, who was a central figure in the Motown Records machine with his group the Miracles and as a solo artist, is a member of both the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
