Entertainment

Three months after raising $16 million through a seed round led by Paradigm and Founders Fund, NFT music platform Royal has closed another significant round of funding, raising over $55 million from a Series A led by venture capital firm Andreesen Horowitz’s crypto investment division, a16z.

Helmed by EDM artist Justin Blau, also known as 3LAU, as well as JD Ross, a co-founder of real estate startup Opendoor, Royal acts a marketplace for users where they can buy NFTs that represent collective ownership in the works of artists. Royal supposedly represents a quite early yet promising step towards a NFT functionality that lies outside of the spheres of gaming and visual

Pinna, a prominent audio entertainment platform developed exclusively for kids aged 3-12, recently announced a partnership with Kaplan, an educational service company, and Kindness Factory, a non-profit organization, to make the world a kinder place. Pinna, in partnership with Kindness Factory and Kaplan, is set to launch its newest podcast series- Pinna Original podcast, One Small Act, ahead of World Kindness Day.

The podcast focuses on the Kindness Curriculum, which is developed by the Kindness Factory and Kaplan, and centers on emphasizing the twelve qualities of kindness, including, Collaboration, Empathy, Compassion, Trust, Honesty, Gratitude, Humility, Humor, Perspec

Bloomsbury, the publisher of the famous book series Harry Potter, has reportedly revealed groundbreaking profits as well as sales owing to the high demand for publications such as Tom Kerridge's bestselling cookbook during the Covid-19 outbreak.

According to reports, the publisher managed to post such immense profits in the face of a supply chain crisis. The company stated that people have a newfound interest in reading books, with escapism, fantasy, cookery, and social inclusion, all selling well.

As per Bloomsbury, customers ordering sooner than in past years raised sales for the six months ending in August. For the uninitiated, t

Takasaki, the only Japanese municipal music studio, has reportedly announced plans to launch a music label as part of a bid to help raise the profiles of local artists across the world.

The Tago Studio Records Takasaki label was created this month by Tago Studio Takasaki, run by the city of Takasaki in Gunma Prefecture, to the northwest of Tokyo. The ‘music city Takasaki’ initiative is a massive effort to find exceptional amateur musicians performing throughout the prefecture and help them turn into world-class performers.

According to reports, a song from the label's first artist has already been released, and those eng

Xandrie SA, the parent company of Qobuz, a high-quality music streaming platform based in France, has reportedly acquired e-Onkyo music, a platform to download high-resolution music, from Onkyo Corporation, a Japan-based electronics manufacturer.

Xandrie is the world's top specialist in entertainment and digital culture. It is presently in the midst of a significant acquisition spree to expand its expertise, overall portfolio, and global reach.

The purchase accelerates Qobuz's Asian growth strategy and comes approximately a year after the company raised more than €10 million ($10.92 million) to support its expansion.

Dice, a London-based events firm that has developed a platform to help users explore and attend live events that could be of interest to them, has reportedly secured over $122 million in a Series C investment round, which sources estimate puts the firm's valuation at $400 million.

According to reports, the investment round was led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2 with prior backers, including iPod "father", Nest's co-founder Tony Fadell, French entrepreneur Mirabaud, Blisce, Xavier Niel, Evolution and Cassius also participating.

DeepMind co-founders Demis Hassabis and Mustafa Suleyman are among the company's previous inve

Disney+, the streaming service from the American entertainment behemoth, is reportedly slated to debut in South Korea first through a deal with LG U+, which is the smallest of Korea's three IPTV providers. Then it speculated that it would form a partnership with KT, the largest of the three, to broaden its reach even more. 

Disney had already previously announced November 12th as the debut date for Disney+ in South Korea, where it would be charging&nbs

UAE-based music streaming platform, Anghami, has reportedly inked a partnership with Amazon to give Prime subscribers free access to the company’s premium paid tier service, Anghami Plus, in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Under the deal, Prime members in these countries will be getting a six-month free subscription to Anghami Plus, followed by 50% off the subscription charges for a period of next six months.

According to Ronaldo Mouchawar, Amazon’s Vice President of Middle East and North Africa, the company is persistently looking for ways for making the lives of Prime subscribers better, easier, and more fun with Amazon Prime ev

South Korea’s National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA), has reportedly announced that it has launched a new project in collaboration with other Asian art institutes to promote art on a global level.

According to reports, the project would encompass various initiatives like online VR programs, as well as a dedicated website showcasing Korean art with English descriptions, so that audiences would be able to enjoy them from their own homes and not venture out too much during the pandemic.

Under the initiative, a new online subscription-based streaming service called, ‘Watch and Chill’, was also jointly launch