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1r0=0rnTHE FRANKCSfilm~~ OCEAN@~mm~ COMMOTION:~@~~@TI•@~g THE OVER UNDER LUCIAN~M~ □~~ BANSw~~® EXCLUSIVESrn~~~M® •wrn@ THE SINGER’S UNORTHODOX APPLE RELEASE STRATEGY FREED HIM FROM A DEF JAM DEAL AND WON HIM A NO. 1, AS UMG ’S CEO ISSUES AN EDICT Jennifer Lopez beats Britney Spears’ record by selling BY SHIRLEY HALPERIN million in tickets for one show during her Las Vegas residency.

strength of 225,000 to 250,000 emancipated, and all proceeds and equivalent album units earned in kudos go directly to Frank. Pretty a week. That’s because Ocean — f—ing ballsy.” signed to Def Jam for his previous The Ocean salvo comes in the Grammy-nominated album, 2012’s wake of several high-pro—le UMG Channel Orange — was no longer artists who, in the last six months, on the label, having have aligned with maneuvered out of his streaming services Tidal The Black Keys’ Dn Auerbch UNIVERSALU MUSIC GROUP contract by reimbursing and Apple for the initial gets slapped with a  chairman Lucin Gringe spent the company for the distribution of their lawsuit for bailing on a IVE.

L the weekend of Aug. 20 thinking $2 million-plus spent on music. Among them: Howlin’ Wolf documentary. AEG long and hard about his business. Blond and releasing it to Drke (for Views) and As Twitter buzzed with will-he- iTunes via his own Boys Knye West (The Life The cover to Ocean’s

FILMMAGIC. VEE: or-won’t-he speculation about Don’t Cry imprint. Blond album. of Pablo), and, slightly NT/ the imminent release of Frnk All Def Jam got for its further back, Arin LAS HU

CHO Ocen’s oft-delayed sophomore trouble after an anxious four-year Grnde (Dangerous Woman), NI album, Blond — an Apple Music wait? A streaming-only “visual Rihnn (Anti) and U2 (Songs of ERBACH: ERBACH: exclusive, paired with pop-up album” called Endless, released Innocence). While not every rollout shops in four cities, that o‰cially the day before, that is ineligible for has been smooth (both West and

FILMMAGIC. AU dropped that Saturday — the British the Billboard 200. But it will ful—ll Rihanna saw hiccups upon release), Goldenvoice director of festival FF/ LO executive could take little comfort Ocean’s contractual obligation it was Ocean’s album that signaled talent Stcy Vee is taking the in a UMG act headed straight for to the label, multiple sources a last straw for Grainge, who in Stagecoach fest on tour as a

LOPEZ: JON KOPA JON LOPEZ: the top of the Billboard 200 on the con—rm. Marvels one insider: “He is turn issued a corporate mandate showcase for rising country acts.

ILLUSTRATION BY A NDREA M ANZA TI SEPTEMBER 3, 2016  WWW.BILLBOAR D .CO M 17