Welcome back to the "Spotlight," and well…I am watching the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series while writing this, so let’s just jump right into it:
- Jay-Z is taking JV (Jay-V?) partner Bacardi to Delaware Chancery Court in a bid to compel the spirits company to disclose corporate records regarding the jointly owned Cognac brand D’Usse. Not an unreasonably request if I D’Usse so myself.
- Plant-based food company Wicked Foods launches concession stand for the Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Lynx home games at the Target Center selling approachable vegan fare to basketball fans. Wicked is sure to be at the tip of the tongue, especially when the Boston Celtics are in town.
- LeBron James’ son Bronny James continues to rake in NIL dollars, because apparently being really good at basketball and having a father who is really good at basketball makes you really marketable. Which is to say, my sons would do well to hit the books.
Endorsement Deals, Sponsorships & Investments
Bronny James Lands Another NIL Sponsorship, Inks Deal With Beats By Dre
October 18, 2022 via International Business Times
Bronny James, the 18-year-old high school basketball player and son of Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, signed a name-image-and-likeness (NIL) endorsement deal with Beats By Dre.
SEC Charges Kim Kardashian With Violating Anti-Touting Law, Signals to Celebrities That Payments for Endorsements Must Be Disclosed
October 18, 2022 via Greenberg Traurig
To Kim Kardashian’s fans and followers, her endorsement of a product signals the product is on trend.
"King of NIL" Rayquan Smith on How to Market Yourself With Hustle
October 18, 2022 via Entrepreneur
After companies initially denied the opportunity to partner with Smith, many of them changed their tune once he proved his branding and marketing value.
Wicked Kitchen to Debut Plant-Based Food at Timberwolves Games This Year
October 18, 2022 via Bring Me The News
Wicked Kitchen, a 100 percent plant-based food brand, is debuting a concession stand at Minnesota Timberwolves games for the 2022-23 season.
Global Superstar Meghan Trainor's All-New "Made You Look" Music Video Debuts Exclusively In Candy Crush Saga
October 14, 2022 via WILX-TV
Today, "Candy Crush Saga," one of the world's most popular mobile games, is celebrating its 10th anniversary by teaming up with GRAMMY™ award-winning musical artist, Meghan Trainor.
SponsorUnited: Alex Morgan Is the Most Endorsed Female Athlete of 2022
October 13, 2022 via PR Newswire
SponsorUnited, the leading global sports and entertainment intelligence platform tracking more than 700,000 sponsorships and endorsements across 200,000 brands, recently released its 2022 "Women In Sports Report," which analyzed brand partnerships for both collegiate and professional sports across teams and individual athletes.
Sports
Study: Women’s Sport Sponsorships Expand 20 Percent in 2022
October 19, 2022 via SGB Online
Sponsorship deals across women’s sports increased 20 percent year-over-year (YoY) in 2022, according to a study by sponsorship data and advertising services firm SponsorUnited.
Tom Brady, Steph Curry Among Athlete Investors in VR Golf Platform
October 19, 2022 via Sportico (subscription may be required)
Golf+, a VR golf platform with a vision of letting users virtually play any course from their living room, recently raised a $6 million seed round.
Kroenke Reimbursing NFL for Bulk of Rams’ Litigation Settlement
October 18, 2022 via Sportico (subscription may be required)
The NFL is set to avoid a potential legal controversy with Rams owner Stan Kroenke over litigation stemming from his team’s relocation from St. Louis to Los Angeles.
Music Biz
Jay-Z Sues Bacardi for Disclosure of Financial Records as Cognac Deal Sours
October 19, 2022 via Digital Music News
Jay-Z sues Bacardi for full transparency of financial records, inventory, and marketing data as their cognac deal sours.
Why the Music Industry Is Headed for a Tussle With TikTok Over Royalties
October 18, 2022 via Music Business Worldwide
TikTok’s parent ByteDance has a plan to topple Spotify. Trouble is, that plan is struggling to get off the ground.
TN Senator Files Bipartisan Bill Requiring Radio Stations to Pay Musicians More for Plays
October 15, 2022 via News Break
A lot of people get a cut of the money when a song plays on the radio, but not necessarily the person singing or playing the instruments.
Songclip and Hipgnosis Announce Partnership to Facilitate Licensing and Compliance of Hipgnosis Catalogue Across the Global App Marketplace
October 13, 2022 via News Break
Songclip, the world's only patented music clip company, and Hipgnosis Songs Management (“Hipgnosis”), the investment company offering investors a pure-play exposure to songs and associated intellectual property rights recently announced a partnership to enable Songclip to offer users access to around 100,000 Songs administered by Hipgnosis.
Film & TV
As LIV Golf Viewership Sags, More Media Rights Obstacles Crop Up
October 19, 2022 via Sports Business Journal
Barring a last minute change and announcement of a deal, LIV Golf will complete its inaugural season "without earning a penny for its media rights," and as the league closes in on winter, the list of "potential suitors is dwindling, while the list of concerns around the league is only growing," according to James Colgan of GOLF.
NFL, Amazon Announce Black Friday Game Starting with 2023 Season; Teams TBD
October 18, 2022 via Bleacher Report
Amazon and the NFL are expanding their deal to include a game on Black Friday for the 2023 season.
Universal Studio Group Strikes Development Deals With TikTokers as Part of New Initative
October 17, 2022 via News Break
NBCUniversal has launched an initiative designed to turn TikTokers into its next generation of television creators.
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs)
Italy: The Potential of NFTs for the Music Industry - Global Advertising Lawyers Alliance (GALA)
October 18, 2022 via Mondaq
The music industry has undergone massive changes in the past twenty years. With streaming services overtaking CDs, music became available to the public at the cost of a monthly fee, which completely changed the way musicians made money off their music.
Will Snoop Dogg Endorse BudBlockz, Like Elon Musk Endorsed Dogecoin?
October 18, 2022 via Analytics Insight
Since 2020, we’ve seen the rise of celebrities getting involved in Web3 projects.
K-Pop Group, Cherry Bullet Is Launching Their First NFT and Metaverse Experience in Gemie
October 17, 2022 via Yahoo! News
Gemie, an Asian entertainment-focused metaverse platform and NFT marketplace, aims to create immersive digital experiences and digital assets which provide online and offline holder benefits.
