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Back in September 2022, what were initially trials and tribulations turned into triumphs. As previously reported by AfroTech, Timbaland and Swizz Beatz reached a settlement agreement with Triller over the Verzuz acquisition. The turn of events came after the music legends sued the company for $28 million for a breach of contract.
If a theme song was needed for what’s happening with the popular music platform, Verzuz, then cue Dr. Dre’s “Next Episode.” In a recent development from Swizz Beatz and Timbaland, all is not copasetic with the folks at Triller. The musical duo has sued the social media app for breach of contract to the tune of $28 million.
Former president and COO of Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment, Steve Pamon, has secured a new position. According to a press release, Verzuz and Triller have appointed Pamon as the President of Verzuz. Under the new title, the executive will oversee the operations of global business including go-to-market and production. In addition, Pamon will manage logistical operations for Verzuz such as contracts, sponsors, venues, programming, live events, and partnerships. “Steve is the proverbial triple threat. His exceptional track record and reputation across Parkwood Entertainment, the NFL, and HBO, delivering global entertainment innovation, and his devotion to respect and lift culture makes his stewardship of the Verzuz brand the perfect match,” Triller CEO Mahi de Silva said in a press statement. “Verzuz is a cultural phenomenon and Steve’s leadership is a perfect complement to Swizz Beatz and Timbaland, who continue to curate the iconic Verzuz events. Steve will accelerate the Verzuz...
Verzuz has held it down for the culture since its debut in 2020. Created by legendary record producers Swizz Beatz and Timbaland , Verzuz has continued to soar in popularity, and at one point, it even amassed over 136.5 million views for the music showdown battle between Brandy and Monica. Now Verzuz is leveling up on the financial side. Verzuz via Triller has plans to become a publicly-traded company on the stock market. Deadline reports, the deal will be made possible due to a reverse merger with SeaChange. Once the deal is finalized, “TrillerVerz” will become the new face and will be valued at an impressive $5 billion. TrillerVerz will trade under the ticker symbol ILLR on the Nasdaq. The merge will accomplish a shared goal to become “a leading AI-powered social media platform for content, creators & commerce,” and to “create a leading voice on the Web3.0 movement and embrace the power of decentralized systems to enable greater participation in the multi-hundred billion dollar...
The conversation around who could possibly battle Jay-Z on Triller’s Verzuz — an online series created by producers Timbaland and Swizz Beatz — has been circulating around since the platform first began. Kodak Black has recently announced that he believes he’s the promising contender for the heavyweight Hip-Hop mogul.
Triller continues to pledge its support for Black creators. In a press release, the company announced its Assembly for Black Creators, an initiative that will bring together more than 250 Black content creators and major brands — including Popeyes and Hallmark — with an overall goal of helping the parties form relationships to create branded content. “We started this effort with a deep appreciation of the huge impact Black Creators have had on culture and content around the world. With this series, we are catalyzing the need for brands, agencies, and media properties to invest in Black creators and media owners,” said Mahi de Silva , CEO of TrillerNet, parent company to Triller, Verzuz, Amplify.ai, and other media brands in an official statement. “Events like the Assembly for Black Creators are essential for pushing important industry-wide change, as it is scalable and repeatable, deploys spend directly to individuals and brands, and helps create a thriving ecosystem of media,...
This is where music and technology intersect! Timbaland’s Beatclub is set to become the first music-tech startup to be invited to join the IBM Hyper Protect Accelerator, a mentorship program dedicated to providing startups with data protection, privacy, and security solutions while pushing for advancement in the startup ecosystem. The premier global marketplace for music creators was co-founded by legendary producer, Timbaland, alongside his longtime manager, Gary Marella. “At Beatclub we leverage the hyper ledger fabric and smart contracts to underpin all of our business processes and transactions across our marketplace,” said Eric Czar , Chief Technology Officer at Beatclub, in an official press release shared with AfroTech. “Our participation in IBM Hyper Protect Accelerator will enable us to continue our development work as we automate the self-executing license terms for our music products and enable all of our transactions to be fully transparent and trackable, all while...
It’s the battle of the 1990s rappers on VERZUZ, as Fat Joe faces off against Ja Rule. While there’s some question as to who will emerge victorious, tonight, what’s clear is that despite his various controversies, the man born Joseph Cartagena has overcome plenty of legal battles to get a $4 million net worth, according to Celebrity Net Worth. As he told Forbes Magazine, he did so by keeping his eye on the prize, and by addressing the issues as they came up without allowing them to get out of control. “I’m known to be hands-on 100%,” Fat Joe said to the outlet. “I don’t know any other way to be, than a leader by example. When I came up in Hip Hop, there was no such thing as a Puerto Rican rapper doing Hip Hop for many mainstream people, so I was the ship, the captain, and the crew. The new artists that I have, need to see me in action and feel my energy and drive to know what it takes to be successful. A hit record is only a part of that puzzle.” Let’s take a look at how Fat Joe...
Looking to be the official DJ of the biggest live music phenomenon in the industry? Well look no further, Triller and Verzuz are offering an opportunity of a lifetime. Complex reports that both streaming platforms have commenced a global search for their first resident DJ to help warm up crowds for all Triller-hosted events — including Verzuz, Triller Live, Triller Fight Club, FITE and more. The DJ competition is a one-of-a-kind career opportunity that comes with a $1 million annual salary that’s up for grabs for both experienced and “aspiring DJs from around the world.” “We’re excited to help find Triller’s new Resident DJ, which will be a DJ gig like no other,” Verzuz co-founders Timbaland and Swizz Beatz said in a statement. “The Verzuz audience knows what’s up, so when the voting begins you can be sure the winning DJ will be someone who has all the right stuff. We can’t wait to discover the next superstar behind the decks.” Triller executive chairman Bobby Sarnevesht also adds...
Verzuz’s impact continues to remain supreme! According to The Hollywood Reporter (THR) , during a celebration of the culture’s most innovative creators, Swizz Beatz, co-founder of the virtual battle series that continues to be a smash hit, received the Icon Award. “I always knew that when creatives celebrated each other it would work, when two creatives get together instead of being in competition and pitted against each other — although it is called Verzuz , it’s still a celebration,” said the “Party Up” producer during his acceptance speech. Following the ceremony, the legendary producer gave insight on why he and his Verzuz partner, Timbaland, made the decision to sell the platform to TrillerNet, the parent company of the global AI-powered short-video app Triller. He explained that the two will become TrillerNet shareholders as a part of the deal and will split part of their stake in the company among the 43 artists who have performed on Verzuz thus far. Swizz Beatz also...
Before Verzuz made its surprising announcement to join forces with video network app Triller, Apple attempted to make Swizz Beatz and Timbaland an offer to purchase the company. According to a report from Bloomberg, people with knowledge of the deal — who asked not to be identified due to private discussions — shared that the tech giant initially put their bid in but their offer was much lower than what Triller ended up paying Verzuz. Neither of the Verzuz co-founders or a spokesman from Apple has commented on this news as of yet. Last July, a deal was made between Apple and Verzuz in which the spontaneous music platform was able to live-stream its events through Apple Music and Beats 1 simultaneously with its Instagram page. However, that streaming deal came to an end once Triller entered the picture. REVOLT reports that while many people were shocked to hear that Verzuz had sold its platform — including “Power” actor Michael Rainey Jr. who accused the co-founders of being...
The Verzuz brand is strong and it’s growing even larger with its latest collaboration with online fitness platform Peloton. According to an exclusive from Variety, Verzuz’s musical streaming series and Peloton’s digital at-home workouts have formed the perfect partnership to bring together music and fitness through music-themed classes inspired by Verzuz-style playlists. Rolling Stone reports that “Peloton Verzuz” is an extension of Peloton’s Artist Series — a collection of themed workouts set to a specific artist’s catalog or new album. An early drafted press release shared with the outlet noted that the new partnership marks a celebration of “the iconic music of two legendary artists, in one friendly competition, across multiple disciplines.” Now, Peloton users will be able to enjoy their favorite artists’ music as it goes head-to-head in a song match-up that creates the ultimate musical fitness experience. According to an announcement from Peloton, the partnership is described as...
Verzuz is coming up on its one-year anniversary, so now is the perfect time for the groundbreaking livestream music platform to take it to the next level. In an exclusive from Billboard, the outlet shares that co-creators and Grammy-winning producers Swizz Beatz and Timbaland have joined the Triller management team in an equity deal where the network — also the parent company of the Triller app — has acquired Verzuz. Verzuz, the livestream platform created by @THEREALSWIZZZ and @Timbaland , has been acquired by @Triller 's parent company https://t.co/qv5dFUhEIO — billboard (@billboard) March 9, 2021 “There is no more disruptive and innovative brand in music today than Verzuz,” said Bobby Sarnevesht — executive chairman and co-owner of Triller — in a reported statement. “Both Triller and Verzuz share the ‘artist first, music first’ vision. We view this acquisition as more of a partnership than an acquisition, as Swizz, Timbaland and the other 43 artists who are all becoming...
Verzuz was created back in April of last year as a way to unite people from all over while sheltered in-place at home. The platform’s battles first began with appointed artists streaming from the comfort of their homes. Then its partnership with Apple Music gave it an in-person upgrade to make the battles more accessible for viewers. Following delays and postponed events, the platform is now taking new COVID-19 precautions to switch back to its original format. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Verzuz (@verzuztv) The live streaming platform posted a message on their socials this morning stating that it will be returning to its original format of having artists stream from separate locations. “This has been an emotional week,” the platform stated. “In addition, as COVID-19 numbers continue to increase, safety is a top priority for us. As much as we enjoy having everyone together in the same room, to protect the artists and everyone who works with us in putting the...