In the ever-evolving landscape of technology and media, Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) stands as a powerhouse – not just in terms of its vast portfolio, but also in its commitment to innovation and inclusion. On the heels of its 100-year anniversary, the company remains committed to its mission of amplifying the voices of global storytellers to reflect audiences around the world, promoting diversity, removing barriers and creating space for all to share ideas and be heard. As the Senior Vice President of Applied Data Science and Machine Learning, Haile Owusu has witnessed first-hand the organization’s transformative journey. Across his five years, WBD has drawn the brightest minds and fostered an environment of creativity, diversity and limitless opportunities. A Legacy of Reinvention WBD’s scale is unparalleled, boasting 95 million direct-to-consumer subscribers globally. This scale gives the company even more reason to be innovative while addressing complex tech issues and solving...
“The Weekend” hasn’t been the same since 2017. That was the year SZA told the girls she had “it covered for the weekend.” For those not already familiar with her art, “The Weekend” was one of the hit singles off of her debut album “Ctrl” that catapulted SZA and her music into the mainstream. Born Solána Imani Rowe, SZA is a New Jersey native who’s been professionally releasing music since around 2012, with EPs and a list of singles. Since starting her music career, SZA has enjoyed success in the industry, breaking free from the narrative that “ R&B is dead.” Her career has landed her 39 songs on the Billboard charts, seven of which were ranked Top 10 hits, per Billboard. Most recently, her song “Kill Bill” became her first-ever song to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 list. In a Twitter post, she noted how much the moment meant to her. “took me a over week to process cause I dreamt of this my entire career.. didn’t feel real lol, still doesn’t,” she shared. “but I wanna say...
Some individuals rely on a stacked resume to prove why they are worthy of a position. However, for Maurice Slade, his love for music has overshadowed the value of any bullet point. Slade was recently appointed as SoundCloud’s Head of Marketing, Artist Relations, where he will cultivate the artist-to-fan relationship. Of course, he is well positioned for this role as he previously played a hand in the branding and marketing strategies for Hip-Hop artists Travis Scott and 21 Savage while working under Epic Records. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Maurice Slade (@squarebiz)
Meghan Markle seems to be ready for her take over of the podcast industry. Forbes reports that the Duchess of Sussex’s Archetypes podcast has knocked The Joe Rogan Experience out of the No. 1 spot on Spotify podcast charts in the U.S. The major feat comes only two days after Markle dropped her first episode. What’s more, her podcast is dominating across Australia, Canada, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.
What would the music industry be without Black music? Or rather, what would it be without Black women ? Across eras in music, Black women — especially those more behind the scenes — have been the glue that holds things down. We love to sing along with our favorite artists. However, credit also needs to be rightfully given to the songwriters, producers, and composers who are a key reason why we blast our favorite tracks on YouTube, streaming platforms, and beyond. From infectious hooks to a catchy bass, it’s all a part of the formula to a smash record. Take a look at some of our favorite Black women behind the charts — who majority also have successful careers as artists — that AfroTech has our radar on.
Janet Jackson has been a powerful force in the music industry for over three decades, and she’s not letting up anytime soon. To tell her story within her own terms, the global pop star brought the world into her iconic eras and personal life in her executive-produced documentary that aired on Lifetime and A&E. According to Variety, her documentary reached 15.7 million viewers. In addition, much love and support were shown for Jackson’s discography after it aired. The music veteran’s albums have taken over iTunes Top 10 Pop sales chart including No. 1 with “Control,” That Grape Juice reports. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Janet Jackson (@janetjackson)
Merch and ticket bundles have been a major point of contention for artists and fans alike. Now, Billboard is changing the rules . On Monday (July 13), the revered music authority announced that it will no longer count “albums bundled with merchandise and concert tickets on its album and song charts altogether.” The rule has no set date on when it will apply—for tours, it will begin in October 2020—but under the new mandate, all albums bundled with merch or tickets “must be promoted as an add-on to those purchases in order to be counted on the charts.” Billboard Announces New Chart Rules: No More Merch & Ticket Bundles https://t.co/xhb0mqaEWD — billboard pro (@billboardpro) July 13, 2020 If an artist chooses to bundle their release with add-ons, Billboard requires that both the album and extras must be available for purchase individually at a lower cost, alongside the music, on an artist’s direct website. Ever since the bundle wars began, the argument has been that sales don’t...
Thanks to the “#SavageChallenge,” Megan Thee Stallion has topped the Hip Hop/Rap iTunes charts with her latest hit “Savage” from her newly released EP “Suga.” Recently Megan made headlines when her record label, 1501 Certified Entertainment, attempted to block the release of her music . However, Meg jumped over what seemed to be a roadblock as the judge granted her the green light to release music. Megan isn’t looking back and she has the chart rankings to prove it. She took to her Twitter to let us all know Savage is ranked no. 1. HOTTIES SAVAGE IS # 1 ON THE HIP HOP/ RAP CHARTS ON ITUNES 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 — TINA SNOW (@theestallion) March 20, 2020 The “Savage Challenge,” created by TikTok user, Keara Wilson, has broken the internet. Meg put her stamp of approval on the dance and posted it on her own Instagram. To date, the post has 3.3 million views. https://www.instagram.com/p/B9wnzVwlsY4/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link Celebs like Keke Palmer, Marsai Martin, and more have jumped on the...
Editorial Note: Opinions and thoughts are the author’s own and not those of AFROTECH™. Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have been wreaking havoc on the American people, from their quest to gain access to sensitive information within the government to assisting President Donald Trump with his plan to lay off federal employees and dismantle government agencies like the Department of Education . Federal jobs were once a symbol of stable employment, but with mass layoffs and confusion surrounding what jobs still exist, that sentiment may not exist anymore. So far this year, about 200,000 federal workers have had their roles eliminated and 75,000 federal employees have been laid off, with more to come as DOGE continues to comb through federal agencies. Agencies have done hiring freezes, offered buyouts, and mass-fired workers. Some workers doubt that they will even receive the settlement that the administration is offering. Many of these attempts to cut down...
Allow your money to work for you. Financial experts Carter Cofield and George Acheampong are bridging the gap in financial literacy among Black entrepreneurs and professionals. Through their platform, Melanin Money, they aim to close the $100 billion wealth gap and help their users achieve their first seven-figure net worth, its website notes. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the platform launched as an e-commerce brand but scaled into a financial social network in 2017. It offers courses on personal finance, wealth building, and entrepreneurship led by educators. In 2024, these workshops reached 20,000 people. “We decided to create this hybrid educational model where every other month we’re basically doing a virtual conference where people who may be not in a position to hire an advisor or are curious if an advisor is right for them, they get to learn our top strategies over the course of five days,” Acheampong said on the “Black Tech Green Money” podcast, which AFROTECH™ Brand...
GloRilla once admitted that she plans to become a billionaire and continues to progress towards this milestone. The Memphis-born rapper has remained the talk of the town, lighting up the charts through hit singles that include “TGIF” and “WHATCHU KNO ABOUT ME” and what started it all, “F.N.F.” released in 2022. “It mean a lot to be able to be a a voice for my city,” she said during an interview with AFROTECH™. Before the artist’s journey kicked into gear, she worked overtime to make her dreams a reality. Working at jobs such as Nike and FedEx with little to no energy, she remained optimistic the grind would pay off, and it has. “I was doing 12 hours at Nike and maybe seven to eight hours at FedEx. And I was just doing all that to sponsor my rapid career so I could be able to pay for videos and studio time,” she explained. In 2022, GloRilla signed to Yo Gotti’s label Collective Music Group. He has remained a constant supporter in her journey as an artist and in business. As AFROTECH™...
Editorial Note: Opinions and thoughts are the author’s own and not those of AFROTECH™. TikTok may go dark in the United States. As a former TikTok employee, the way the ban will work here in the United States will be different than the one in India in 2020. The first difference is the politics surrounding why the bans are happening in the two countries in the first place. In India, the ban was less about TikTok and more so about the strained relationship between India and China. The root of their strain comes from the dispute that China and India have related to who owns Aksai Chin, which India claims to be part of its Ladakh region. China has claimed the land since 1962 and the Sino-Indian War. Due to the longstanding tensions between the two countries since, India opted to use economic tools against China, which in this case meant banning Chinese companies from doing business in India. When TikTok was banned from India so were WeChat, Alibaba, and Xiaomi. In the United States,...
As American social media users brace for the Jan. 19 TikTok ban , thousands have begun searching for alternative apps to satiate their doom scrolling fix. While many American-based tech CEO’s such as Mark Zuckerberg had hoped that the TikTok ban would encourage users to flock to other short-form video players such as Instagram or YouTube Shorts, it seems that the masses have stumbled onto an unknown gem called Xiaohongshu instead. The app, which translates to RedNote in English, is owned by a Shanghai-based company known as Xingyin Information Technology, and touts itself as a lifestyle, social networking and e-commerce service . Given that RedNote primarily serves a Chinese audience, it defaults to Mandarin upon download, and exposes new users to an audience of hundreds of millions of overseas subscribers. The sudden influx of so-called “TikTok refugees” has caused RedNote to skyrocket in popularity, taking it to the number one position among the free apps chart on both the Apple...
Fanbase, founded in 2018 by Isaac Hayes III, is rapidly climbing the charts in the App Store. The Atlanta, GA-based social media company allows users to not only create content but also get paid through various mediums, including video, photos, audio, and stories, its website mentions. Additionally, through subscriptions valued from $2.99 to $99.99, users can further support creators in exchange for exclusive content. “For people who value content and community, Fanbase is a free-to-download, free-to-use, next-generation social network that allows any user to earn money from day one,” the company website reads. Moreover, users not only have a chance to participate in Fanbase but can also opt-in to become an investor. For a minimum amount of $399, users make an investment that will be “speculative, illiquid, and involves a high degree of risk , including the possible loss of your entire investment.” “I’m the only Black-founded start-up social media app that’s currently in existence...