• Unlocking the Truth Trying to Leave Sony, Promoting New 'Breaking a Monster' Documentary

    The relationship between Sony and grade-school rockers Unlocking the Truth appears to be coming to an end. The band made headlines over the summer after the label signed Malcolm Brickhouse, Jarad Dawkins and Alec Atkins to an impressive $1.8 million contract. According to Brickhouse, though, the group's lawyers are trying to eliminate the short-lived partnership, 'Billboard' noted. The singer relayed the news yesterday, March 14, at the premiere for the band's 'Breaking a Monster' documentary. Manager Alan Sacks offered no other information aside from confirming Brickhouse's statement.

  • Spotify Given Valuation of $5.7 Billion, According to New Report

    The news of Spotify's growth continues to roll in seemingly every week. The streaming giant just announced a deal with PlayStation and Sony that would launch a revamped service PlayStation Music across and PlayStation Network by connecting users's Spotify accounts to their gaming accounts. With all of the expansion that company has gone through in the past year or two, it has become one of the darlings of the music industry and tech startup world, where money flows like water. Spotify is seeing the payoff of that expansion with increasing valuations of its company, despite not being able to turn a profit. The latest valuation, according to a report from market research company Manhattan Venture Research, according to "Billboard," now has the Swedish streaming service sitting at $5.7 billion.

  • Spotify and Sony Partner With Playstation To Launch Playstation Music

    Spotify and Sony have teamed up with gaming giant, Playstation to launch Playstation Music. Playstation Network users will be able to link their Spotify accounts to their current accounts with their consoles. Users can import their current Spotify settings, including favorite artists, playlists etc., onto their Playstation 3 and 4 and Xperia smartphones and tablets. The move integrates Spotify's 30-million song library and over 1.5 billion playlists into the new network, which boats a membership of 64 million users.

  • Sony Unveils New ZX2 Walkman: Portable Music Player Will Sell for $1,120 This Spring

    Sony recently introduced the latest incarnation of its portable music player, the Walkman, and it is a far cry from the 1979 original. The ZX2 Walkman plays tunes at a higher resolution than CDs, MP3s and streaming files. The only downside to casual music lovers is that the device costs $1,120, CNN Tech reports."The new Walkman ZX2 is a great example of the quality of our high-res audio offerings," Sony Electronics executive Mike Fasulo said. "This Walkman is tailored for outstanding sound, and every piece of material and component has been crafted to realize the ultimate high-res audio experience on the move."Features for the device include 128 GB of storage — about 2,000 songs — a micro SD card port, Wi-Fi capabilities and a 60-hour battery life. Oddly enough, it runs the Android platform Jelly Bean, which is a little outdated.The ZX2 will be available in the spring. It comes at an opportune time for the company — Apple discontinued its flagship product, the iPod Classic, last year. Nearly two decades ago, Apple introduced the iPod to the world and it dethroned the Walkman as the most popular portable music device.

  • Sony's Salary Leaks Have Made Contract Negotiations Nearly Impossible

    We have spent the last few weeks dishing on the grand-scale hacking of Sony and the impact that it has had in the entertainment world. While learning that the FBI had officially determined that North Korea was ultimately the starting point for the hack, dealing with that situation may prove to be the very least of the company's problems. All the focus has been on The Interview, finally getting it into theaters and then what if any, repercussions would be. Sony still has to contend with a bunch of angry employees and that is a situation that's not going away any time soon.

  • Sony Will Release 'The Interview' in Theaters and on VOD After All

    If you are one of the growing number of people who wanted to see "The Interview" simply to defy North Korea's attempt to block its distribution, then it looks like you are in luck. Sony is reportedly gearing up to announce that the film, which was canceled a few days ago, will see the light of day. The plan as of now is to release the film in participating theaters as well as through video on demand simultaneously.The list of distributors is expected to be released at some point today, with theaters in both Atlanta and Austin, Texas, already on board to show the film. Talks between Sony and Dish Network reportedly fell apart over the weekend, and other possible distributors have expressed concern over the possibility of also being hacked if they agreed to show the film.

  • Amy Adams Interview on 'Today' Canceled When She Refused to Discuss Sony Hack

    Amy Adams held her ground with NBC executives yesterday and it cost her a promotional interview on "Today." The show wanted to get her opinion on one of the hottest topics out there now — the hacking of Sony — and apparently Adams refused to comment publicly. Her name has been mentioned in some of the leaked emails that prove she and Jennifer Lawrence were paid considerably less than their male costars in "American Hustle." It was a topic Adams refused to touch, so "Today" decided to cancel her interview on the spot in spite of her being there to actually promote her new film "Big Eyes."What actually transpired in the green room depends on who you ask. Adams's team insists she carried herself with grace while NBC insiders are saying things got heated and her attitude did not win her any fans. According to "Us Weekly," it was just business as usual for the morning show.

  • Is the United States to Blame for North Korea's Internet Being Completely Crashed?

    It looks like the United States might be giving North Korea a taste of their own medicine. The country's state-run internet began experiencing connectivity issues over the weekend and now according to various news outlets it has been completely down for about three hours now. This development comes on the heels of the FBI confirming that North Korea is responsible for the hacking of Sony that has lead to a business crisis of epic proportions for the company.

  • Due to Mounting Pressure, Sony Will Likely Release 'The Interview' Eventually

    It is kind of amazing how divided the United States is over racial issues, law enforcement and good ol' political agendas, but when a film studio gets hacked, it is fairly easy to get everyone on the same page — and quickly! Sony canceled everything in connection with its film "The Interview" last week, fearing that the group that has successfully hacked the company would make good on its threats of violence. Once it was confirmed that North Korea was responsible for the large security breech, the studio decided not to take any unnecessary risks and even the White House disagreed with the decision.First, Hollywood as a whole chimed in collectively, not wanting to feel like its business was being controlled by Kim Jong Un's regime. Then political leaders such as U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Newt Gingrich started rallying for the film's release. By this morning, Dec. 22, Sony started contemplating exactly what the best way to release "The Interview" might be. While the logical possibility was either video on demand or Netflix, some other companies might be more than a little skittish, fearing that they, too, will be hacked.

  • North Korea Speaks of 'Merciless Punishment' in New Threats Targeting the U.S.

    Back in 2008, North Korea was officially removed from the U.S.'s list of state sponsors of terrorism after spending two decades of being listed on it. Thanks to the fallout from the Sony hacking and due to the fact that the FBI has confirmed that it was indeed North Korea that was behind the huge breech in security, our government is now pondering whether or not to put the nation back onto that list.

  • 'The Interview' Has Been Shelved but Embarrassing Sony Leaks Keep Coming as Amy Pascal Slams Adam Sandler in Email

    Sony may have decided to appease the Guardians of Peace and not let "The Interview" premiere on Christmas Day or any other day in the near future, but that does not mean the hackers are finished wreaking havoc on the studio. Instead, newly leaked emails keep coming which indicate that the GOP's actual agenda involves quite a bit more than just making sure that one film does not see the light of day. Once again, Amy Pascal and her opinions are under fire.This time around, the subject of her disdain is Adam Sandler, who wanted a huge chunk of cash for a movie version of the board game Candyland. According to the leaked emails, Sandler asked the studio for $200 million for that flick and he also rallied to have his co-producer on "Hotel Transylvania 2," Allen Covert, get an extra $100,000."Adam is an a--hole and this is more his fault than anyone's but what we did was not communicate with each other and make assumptions," said Pascal, indicating that Sandler is not one of Sony's favorite people to deal with.

  • The FBI Officially Accuses North Korea of Successfully Hacking Sony

    Earlier this week the news broke that the FBI was reportedly linking North Korea to the high level hacking of Sony and this morning the government agency issued a full statement that officially points the finger at that country's government. Even while under the sharpest of microscopes, the hackers who refer to themselves as Guardians of Peace, again reached out to Sony officials, sending another email overnight that made it clear that they weren't the least bit intimidated even if their identity has been outed.
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