Streaming music provider Pandora announced a partnership with leading smart link aggregator, Linkfire, to make discovering music easier for fans, while amplifying marketing efforts for labels and artists. Pandora is the first music streaming service to provide Linkfire with advanced attribution data to help artists understand how their content is performing in order to create informed promotional campaigns to effectively reach their audience.

The Pandora integration will now offer artists the ability to search Pandora’s catalog and retrieve direct links to their songs, albums and playlists, as well as the ability to pre-release campaign planning that aggregates private links to content in advance of it going live.

“We have always been committed to helping artists find their fans and connect with Pandora’s massive listener base,” said Chris Phillips, Chief Product Officer, Pandora. “Our integration with Linkfire provides the industry with unprecedented ways to understand music streaming consumption and makes direct-to-fan marketing more impactful than ever.”

“The paradigm shift from downloads to streaming has often left artists and labels in the dark when measuring the effectiveness of their marketing activities,” said Andrea Arcari, Chief Business Development Officer, Linkfire. “We’re excited and proud to pioneer this new level of transparency with an innovative company like Pandora. It’s an industry game-changer and an essential component to building strong relationships between artists, labels and music services.”

“Pandora’s attribution data is invaluable for Capitol Music Group as we continue to innovate and invest in conversion-driven marketing. The company’s commitment to working more closely with the labels will better optimize digital campaigns and maximize results for artists, and we are glad to have played a driving role in this development. This partnership with Linkfire is a big step forward for the industry,” said Nicholas Osborne, Senior Director of Digital Strategy, Capitol Music Group.

The Linkfire partnership further demonstrates how Pandora invests in helping artists connect with their fans at scale. The company introduced AMP in late 2014, Artist Audio Messages in early 2015 and AMPCast in early 2016. Pandora also acquired Next Big Sound to help artists quantify the value of other channels including YouTube, Twitter and Facebook. To date, nearly 14,000 artists are using AMP to make critical career decisions and more than 22,000 Artist Audio Messages have been published, delivering over 1.6 billion impressions.

Elton John‘s biggest and most beloved hits are being reinterpreted on two new albums by rock and country artists:  Revamp (Island Records) and Restoration (Universal Music Group Nashville) set for release on April 6. Restoration will feature Dierks Bentley, Rosanne Cash, Emmylou Harris, Miley Cyrus, Vince Gill, Don Henley, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Maren Morris, Kacey Musgraves, Willie Nelson, Brothers Osborne, Chris Stapleton, Rhonda Vincent, Dolly Parton, and Lee Ann Womack putting their spin on classic John gems like “Rocket Man,” Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters,” “Honky Cat,” And “Sad Songs (Say So Much).”

Revamp features the hits reimagined by the best in pop, rock and urban with Mary J. Blige, Alessia Cara, Coldplay, Miley Cyrus, Florence And The Machine, Lady Gaga, The Killers, Mumford and Sons, P!nk and Logic, Q-Tip ft. Demi Lovato, Queens of the Stone Age, Ed Sheeran, and Sam Smith. Elton John, P!nk, and Logic join forces on “Bennie & The Jets,” on the new CD, while Alessia Cara reimagines “I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues,” and Mumford & Sons reinvent “Someone Saved My Life Tonight.” Lady Gaga’s version of “Your Song,” and Miley Cyrus’ take on “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” also appear on the star-studded collection. 

“We have two completely different albums; Revamp being the pop one and Restoration being the country one and God we have so many great artists doing our songs, it’s quite incredible,” said Elton John. “Restoration was Bernie’s project and he’s a huge country fan. The ‘Revamp’ was more my project. He came up with an astonishing list of country performers both new and legendary.  On Revamp I wrote out a wish list of people that I would love and asked them and to my surprise most of them said yes and we have quite an astonishing eclectic crew.”

“Because of our love of all kinds of music, we’re not stuck in one genre,” said John’s longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin. “From day one we borrowed from everything that’s good about American music – whether it’s blues, country, gospel, pop, pure rock – everything got thrown in the mix. I think that’s why our music over the years has been so varied. It would be tiring if you just got stuck in one niche your entire career, especially when it’s one as long as ours.”

The album art for Restoration was created by Taupin and symbolizes the role that U.S. culture and its native music has played as a driver in the John/Taupin canon. “For me, there’s an irony about the American flag,” Taupin says. “It’s been battered and beaten and burned, but it’s resilient. It’s always come back. I incorporate it with other things, and lately I’ve done a lot of pieces with deconstructed guitars and other found materials: barbed wire, broken bottles, things that people identify with on an everyday level.  If it’s on the floor and it works, I’ll put it into the artwork. But it all goes hand in hand with my belief in America and my interest, I would say obsession, with Americana.”

“’It’s always a huge compliment when an artist loves your song enough to take the time and effort to rework it,” said John. “As songwriters, Bernie and myself are thrilled when singers we admire and respect as much as those on Revamp & Restoration choose to add their own unique twist in the process. It means that our music is still relevant and ultimately that our songs continue to reach new audiences. We’re humbled and thank them all for their generosity.

Fans can hear many of these tracks during a new network TV special, Elton John: I’m Still Standing A Grammy Salute, which will air Tuesday, April 10 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on CBS. The star-studded tribute concert includes performances by Alessia Cara, Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, Miranda Lambert, John Legend, Kesha, Little Big Town, Chris Martin, Shawn Mendes, Maren Morris, Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith and SZA.

Last month John announced his ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road’ tour, which kicks off in the U.S. in September. Comprised of over 300 dates across five continents over three years, the tour marks the finale of 50 years on the road.

iHeartMedia, Inc. today announced that it has reached an agreement with its debtholders and financial sponsors of more than $10 billion of its outstanding debt. The agreement reflects widespread support across the capital structure for a comprehensive balance sheet restructuring that will reduce iHeartMedia’s debt by more than $10 billion. The company will continue operations as usual during the restructuring process.

To implement the balance sheet restructuring, iHeartMedia and certain of its subsidiaries, including iHeartCommunications, Inc., have filed voluntary petitions for relief under Chapter 11 in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division. Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiaries did not commence Chapter 11 proceedings.

The Company has filed a series of motions with the Bankruptcy Court to maintain business-as-usual operations and uphold its commitments to its employees and other stakeholders during the process. These “first day” motions will help facilitate a smooth transition into Chapter 11, and the company believes that its cash on hand, together with cash generated from ongoing operations, will be sufficient to fund and support the business during the Chapter 11 proceedings.

“iHeartMedia has created a highly successful operating business, generating year-over-year revenue growth in each of the last 18 consecutive quarters. We have transformed a traditional broadcast radio company into a true 21st century multi-platform, data-driven, digitally-focused media and entertainment powerhouse with unparalleled reach, products and services now available on more than 200 platforms, and the iHeartRadio master brand that ties together our almost 850 radio stations, our digital platform, our live events, and our 129 million social followers,” said Bob Pittman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “The agreement we announced today is a significant accomplishment, as it allows us to definitively address the more than $20 billion in debt that has burdened our capital structure. Achieving a capital structure that finally matches our impressive operating business will further enhance iHeartMedia’s position as America’s #1 audio company.”

Centricity Music has signed singer-songwriter-producer Isaac Peabody.

The 24-year old Seattle native, who goes by the stage name Peabod, caught Centricity’s attention with his independently-produced assortment of meticulously crafted rap songs. Peabod puts a new spin on the genre, yielding infectious positivity and wordplay that connects with audiences of all ages.

“Isaac is such a significant signing for us,” Centricity Sr. VP A&R John Mays said. “It’s always rare when we discover someone who we realize almost immediately is such a perfect fit for us personally, but beyond that, his music represents an entire new frontier for Centricity. Once we met him we knew we had to partner with him.”

Peabod is working on his debut Centricity EP, which will be released this summer.