Option chain shows key data for Vivendi's stock options at various strike prices and expiration dates. Traders use this information to analyze potential trades and assess market sentiment for Vivendi.

Vivendi (OTC:VIVHY) Stock, Option Chain

Vivendi

VIVENDI SA ADR

Vivendi SE is an integrated content, media and communications group. The company operates businesses throughout the media value chain, from talent discovery to the creation, production and distribution of content. The company now operates segments as Canal+ Group, Lagardere, Havas, Prisma Media, Gameloft, Vivendi Village, New Initiatives, Generosity and Solidarity Corporate. It derives maximum revenue from Canal+ Group. The company operates geographically in France, Rest of Europe , Americas, Africa and Asia/Oceania, out of which Africa derives key revenue.

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VIVHY

The proven Zacks Rank system focuses on earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find winning stocks. Nevertheless, we know that our readers all have their own perspectives, so we are always looking at the latest trends in value, growth, and momentum to find strong picks.

Is Telefonica Stock Undervalued Right Now?

Media

Most of us have heard the dictum &#34;the trend is your friend.&#34; And this is undeniably the key to success when it comes to short-term investing or trading. But it isn&#39;t easy to ensure the sustainability of a trend and profit from it.

Here&#39;s What Could Help Vivendi Maintain Its Recent Price Strength

African,American,Gamer,Playing,Intense,Action,Game,In,Tournament,Talking

Gaming

General

Gameloft&#39;s switch to real-money-only for Disney Speedstorm&#39;s premium pass in Season 7 sparks player frustration and refund discussions.

Gameloft&#39;s Disney Speedstorm Move Triggers Backlash From Gamers

Vivendi SE

The proven Zacks Rank system focuses on earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find winning stocks. Nevertheless, we know that our readers all have their own perspectives, so we are always looking at the latest trends in value, growth, and momentum to find strong picks.
Looking at the history of these trends, perhaps none is more beloved than value investing. This strategy simply looks to identify companies that are being undervalued by the broader market. Value investors rely on traditional forms of analysis on key valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are undervalued, leaving room for profits.
In addition to the Zacks Rank, investors looking for stocks with specific traits can utilize our Style Scores system. Of course, value investors will be most interested in the system&#39;s &quot;Value&quot; category. Stocks with &quot;A&quot; grades for Value and high Zacks Ranks are among the best value stocks available at any given moment.
One company value investors might notice is Telefonica (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/tef#NYSE">TEF</a>). TEF is currently holding a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy) and a Value grade of A. The stock is trading with a P/E ratio of 12.68, which compares to its industry&#39;s average of 16.68. Over the last 12 months, TEF&#39;s Forward P/E has been as high as 14.44 and as low as 10.61, with a median of 12.83.
Another notable valuation metric for TEF is its P/B ratio of 0.84. The P/B ratio is used to compare a stock&#39;s market value with its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. This stock&#39;s P/B looks solid versus its industry&#39;s average P/B of 2.06. TEF&#39;s P/B has been as high as 0.93 and as low as 0.62, with a median of 0.76, over the past year.
Value investors also frequently use the P/S ratio. This metric is found by dividing a stock&#39;s price with the company&#39;s revenue. This is a prefered metric because revenue can&#39;t really be manipulated, so sales are often a truer performance indicator. TEF has a P/S ratio of 0.57. This compares to its industry&#39;s average P/S of 1.07.
Vivendi (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/vivhy#OTC">VIVHY</a>) may be another strong Diversified Communication Services stock to add to your shortlist. VIVHY is a # 2 (Buy) stock with a Value grade of A.
Vivendi is trading at a forward earnings multiple of 11.91 at the moment, with a PEG ratio of 0.92. This compares to its industry&#39;s average P/E of 16.68 and average PEG ratio of 1.59.
Over the last 12 months, VIVHY&#39;s P/E has been as high as 16.77, as low as 9.36, with a median of 10.91, and its PEG ratio has been as high as 0.96, as low as 0.80, with a median of 0.87.
Vivendi also has a P/B ratio of 0.65 compared to its industry&#39;s price-to-book ratio of 2.06. Over the past year, its P/B ratio has been as high as 0.65, as low as 0.45, with a median of 0.57.
Value investors will likely look at more than just these metrics, but the above data helps show that Telefonica and Vivendi are likely undervalued currently. And when considering the strength of its earnings outlook, TEF and VIVHY sticks out as one of the market&#39;s strongest value stocks.
<a href="https://www.zacks.com/stock/news/2301584/is-telefonica-tef-stock-undervalued-right-now?cid=CS-BENZ-FT-tale_of_the_tape|yseop_template_2-2301584">To read this article on Zacks.com click here.</a>

Most of us have heard the dictum &quot;the trend is your friend.&quot; And this is undeniably the key to success when it comes to short-term investing or trading. But it isn&#39;t easy to ensure the sustainability of a trend and profit from it.
The trend often reverses before exiting the trade, leading to a short-term capital loss for investors. So, for a profitable trade, one should confirm factors such as sound fundamentals, positive earnings estimate revisions, etc. that could keep the momentum in the stock alive.
Our &quot;Recent Price Strength&quot; screen, which is created on a unique short-term trading strategy, could be pretty useful in this regard. This predefined screen makes it really easy to shortlist the stocks that have enough fundamental strength to maintain their recent uptrend. Also, the screen passes only the stocks that are trading in the upper portion of their 52-week high-low range, which is usually an indicator of bullishness.
Vivendi SA (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/vivhy#OTC">VIVHY</a>) is one of the several suitable candidates that passed through the screen. Here are the key reasons why it could be a profitable bet for &quot;trend&quot; investors.
A solid price increase over a period of 12 weeks reflects investors&#39; continued willingness to pay more for the potential upside in a stock. VIVHY is quite a good fit in this regard, gaining 0.6% over this period.
However, it&#39;s not enough to look at the price change for around three months, as it doesn&#39;t reflect any trend reversal that might have happened in a shorter time frame. It&#39;s important for a potential winner to maintain the price trend. A price increase of 4.2% over the past four weeks ensures that the trend is still in place for the stock of this company.
Moreover, VIVHY is currently trading at 80.7% of its 52-week High-Low Range, hinting that it can be on the verge of a breakout.
Looking at the fundamentals, the stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), which means it is in the top 20% of more than the 4,000 stocks that we rank based on trends in earnings estimate revisions and EPS surprises -- the key factors that impact a stock&#39;s near-term price movements.
The Zacks Rank stock-rating system, which uses four factors related to earnings estimates to classify stocks into five groups, ranging from Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) to Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive externally-audited track record, with Zacks Rank #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988.
Another factor that confirms the company&#39;s fundamental strength is its Average Broker Recommendation of #1 (Strong Buy). This indicates that the brokerage community is highly optimistic about the stock&#39;s near-term price performance.
So, the price trend in VIVHY may not reverse anytime soon.
In addition to VIVHY, there are several other stocks that currently pass through our &quot;Recent Price Strength&quot; screen. You may consider investing in them and start looking for the newest stocks that fit these criteria.
This is not the only screen that could help you find your next winning stock pick. Based on your personal investing style, you may choose from over 45 Zacks Premium Screens that are strategically created to beat the market.
However, keep in mind that the key to a successful stock-picking strategy is to ensure that it produced profitable results in the past.
<a href="https://www.zacks.com/stock/news/2282508/here-s-what-could-help-vivendi-vivhy-maintain-its-recent-price-strength?cid=CS-BENZ-FT-tale_of_the_tape|recent_price_strength_screen-2282508">To read this article on Zacks.com click here.</a>

Here's What Could Help Vivendi Maintain Its Recent Price Strength

Vivendi SE&#8216;s (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/VIVHY#OTC">VIVHY</a>) Gameloft&#8217;s decision to exclusively tie The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/DIS#NYSE">DIS</a>) Disney Speedstorm&#8217;s premium battle pass track to real-money purchases has sparked <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/general/gaming">discontent among players. </a>
<a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/disney-speedstorm-players-upset-as-dev-makes-battle-pass-only-purchasable-with-real-money">According</a> to IGN, previously, gamers could use in-game tokens, earned through gameplay or purchased with real money, to access the premium track alongside a free track. 
However, starting from Season 7, slated to start in April 2024, this option will be eliminated, requiring a $9.99 expenditure for premium rewards.
The frustration is palpable, particularly among long-time players who invested in Founder&#8217;s Packs under the assurance that tokens could secure future battle passes. Some argue that this alteration breaches the initial agreement, prompting discussions about potential refunds.
Gameloft had communicated through various channels, such as its support page and FAQs, that tokens could indeed be utilized for battle pass purchases. This information remains accessible on platforms like the PlayStation Store and Microsoft Store, where tokens can be obtained.
The discrepancy between prior assurances and the impending change has left players feeling misled. Despite the forthcoming alteration, existing information regarding token use for in-game purchases remains unaltered, adding to the reported confusion and dissatisfaction among the player base.
Now Read: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/general/gaming/24/04/38169087/ubisoft-accidentally-leaks-star-wars-outlaws-release-date-special-editions-and-more">Ubisoft Accidentally Leaks Star Wars Outlaws Release Date, Special Editions And More</a>
Photo: Shutterstock

Gameloft's Disney Speedstorm Move Triggers Backlash From Gamers

<ul>
<li>Jack Tretton, the former CEO of&nbsp;Sony Group Corp&#39;s&nbsp;(NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/sony#NYSE">SONY</a>) Sony Computer Entertainment America,&nbsp;<a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1847345/000110465921154391/tm219697d5_s1.htm#s1_013" style="background-image:initial; background-position:initial; background-size:initial; background-repeat:initial; background-attachment:initial; background-origin:initial; background-clip:initial; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; color:#4a6ee0" target="_blank">led a $225 million</a>&nbsp;special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC) pursuing a deal in the video game industry.</li>
<li>Tretton is known for making the PlayStation a popular gaming console.</li>
<li>Tretton is now the CEO of PowerUp Acquisition Corp.</li>
<li>PowerUp looks to acquire a company in the interactive media space that focuses on video games but is open to choosing a company in any industry.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Bruce Hack serves as PowerUp&#39;s Executive Chairman. Hack was a director then chairman of Technicolor SA from 2010 to 2019. Hack has held the roles of&nbsp;Vivendi SE&nbsp;(OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/vivef#OTC">VIVEF</a>) (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/vivhy#OTC">VIVHY</a>), Vivendi Games&#39; CEO, and&nbsp;Activision Blizzard Inc&nbsp;(NASDAQ: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/atvi#NASDAQ">ATVI</a>) Vice Chairman.</li>
<li>Price Action:&nbsp;SONY shares traded lower by 0.39% at $125.43 in the premarket session on the last check Friday.</li>
</ul>

IPOs

Tech

ATVI

Sony Group Corporation American Depositary Shares

SONY

VIVEF

Former Sony PlayStation Executive Floats $225M Gaming SPAC

Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/sbux#NASDAQ">SBUX</a>) is teaming with Taylor Swift in promotion of the music icon&rsquo;s release of her &ldquo;Red (Taylor&rsquo;s Version)&rdquo; album scheduled for Friday.
What Happened: Starbucks first dropped a hint of its partnership with Swift on Nov. 8 with a <a href="https://twitter.com/Starbucks/status/1457739701566181383">tweet</a> declaring it&#39;s &quot;red season,&quot; a reference to the title of Swift&rsquo;s album.
A Starbucks tweet from Friday morning finds a woman&rsquo;s hand picking up a red scarf and a Starbucks coffee cup marked &ldquo;Taylor&rsquo;s Version.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Watch it all begin again&hellip;with a Grande Caramel Nonfat Latte (Taylor&rsquo;s Version).
</blockquote>

Restaurants

SBUX

Starbucks Teams With Taylor Swift On 'Red (Taylor's Version)' Album Promotion

Bruce Springsteen is in talks with Sony Music (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/sony#NYSE">SONY</a>) for the sale of his album and publishing catalogs.
What Happened: Springsteen has been with Sony Music&rsquo;s Columbia Records since 1972. According to reporting from <a href="https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/9654308/bruce-springsteen-talks-sony-music-sell-recorded-music-catalog/">Billboard</a> and <a href="https://variety.com/2021/music/news/bruce-springsteen-sell-album-catalog-publishing-sony-music-1235103370/">Variety</a> that cited unidentified sources, negotiations on the album catalog sale is almost completed while the publishing catalog negotiations are still in progress.
Billboard&rsquo;s sources claim the combined album and song catalogs are worth between $330 million and $415 million. Variety&rsquo;s sources stated the talks have been underway for several months.
Related Link: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/21/11/23829868/elon-musk-is-even-wealthier-than-scrooge-mcduck-tony-stark-and-jay-gatsby">Elon Musk Is Even Wealthier Than Scrooge McDuck, Tony Stark And Jay Gatsby</a>
Why It Matters: Music catalogs are a lucrative revenue source for entertainment companies, which are able to license classic tunes to films, television shows and commercial advertising. For performers who have gained legendary status but are past the state of chart-topping hits, catalog sales represent a financially enriching valedictory to long careers.
<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/21/04/20449888/slip-slidin-away-sony-music-acquires-paul-simons-music-catalog">Paul Simon</a> sold his catalog to Sony Music in April for an undisclosed sum while <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/20/12/18673902/changing-of-the-guard-bob-dylan-sells-music-library-to-universal">Bob Dylan</a> sold his music catalog last December to Universal Music Group, a subsidiary of Vivendi (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/vivhy#OTC">VIVHY</a>) for a reported $400 million.
Springsteen has generated 65.5 million album sales in the U.S. over the past half-century, according to the RIAA, while Billboard estimated that his album catalog generated approximately $15 million in revenue last year while his publishing catalog generates roughly $7.5 million per year.
Photo: Courtesy of Netflix.

Bruce Springsteen In Talks To Sell Album, Publishing Catalogs To Sony Music

The 1970s Swedish pop quartet ABBA is reuniting for the first time since 1982 for a new album and a virtual concert.
Can You Hear The Drums, Fernando? The official ABBA page on Twitter (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/twtr#NYSE">TWTR</a>) heralded the new collaboration between Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Agnetha Faltskog, Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, who haven&#39;t&nbsp;performed together since 1982.
&ldquo;ABBA ARE BACK with &lsquo;Voyage&rsquo;, a brand new album and revolutionary concert,&rdquo; said the ABBA <a href="https://twitter.com/ABBA/status/1433476050814750721">tweet</a>. &ldquo;Listen to two brand new songs now and pre-order &lsquo;Voyage&rsquo; from the official store for first access to tickets. For more info, link in our bio.&rdquo;
ABBA&rsquo;s website posted the announcement that &ldquo;Voyage&rdquo; will be released on Nov. 5 on the Capitol label from Universal Music Group, which is majority-owned by Vivendi (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/vivhy#OTC">VIVHY</a>).
&ldquo;Voyage&rdquo; will consist of 10 new songs and two singles, &ldquo;I Still Have Faith in You&rdquo; and &ldquo;Don&#39;t Shut Me Down,&rdquo; have been released online.
ABBA will also be the focus of a concert to be held next spring at Queen Elizabeth Park in London. However, the group will not be on stage &mdash; the performance will be done by avatars of the group created through motion-capture technology backed by a 10-piece live band.
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pAzEY1MfXrQ" width="560"></iframe>
Thank You For The Music: ABBA was formed in 1972 with the pairing of married couples F&auml;ltskog and Ulvaeus and Lyngstad and Andersson. The foursome put Sweden on the global pop music map in 1974 by winning the Eurovision contest with their song &ldquo;Waterloo.&rdquo;
ABBA group sold more than 150 million albums before disbanding in 1982. The two marriages ended in divorce, and in the post-ABBA years Andersson and Ulvaeus collaborated on stage musicals while Lyngstad and F&auml;ltskog pursued solo careers. Prior to &ldquo;Voyage,&rdquo; the foursome only appeared together in public once in 2016.
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hWGWFa3jznI" width="560"></iframe>
Photo: Screenshot of ABBA from the 1974 music video for their groundbreaking hit song &quot;Waterloo.&quot;

Events

TWTR

Mamma Mia! ABBA Reunites After Four Decades For New Album, Virtual Concert

Billionaire investor Bill Ackman&#39;s SPAC&nbsp;Pershing Square Tontine Holdings (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/psth#NYSE">PSTH</a>)&nbsp;said on Monday it is no longer pursuing a deal to buy 10% of Universal Music Group, a unit of Vivendi SE (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/vivhy#OTC">VIVHY</a>).
What Happened: Ackman-led special purpose acquisition company had last month said it was&nbsp;<a href="http://www.benzinga.com/m-a/21/06/21638091/bill-ackmans-spac-to-buy-10-stake-in-universal-music-group-from-vivendi-in-4b-deal">buying the 10%&nbsp;stake</a> in Universal for about $4 billion, creating a new special purpose acquisition rights company, or a SPARC, which was expected to trade on the NYSE or Nasdaq.
Pershing said it had decided to withdraw the deal talks after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) raised issues related to several elements, especially whether the structure of the business combination qualified under the NYSE rules.
See Also:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/m-a/21/06/21575496/bill-ackman-spac-deal-for-universal-music-group-could-face-battle-from-dan-loeb-among-others">Bill Ackman SPAC Deal For Universal Music Group Could Face Battle From Dan Loeb, Among Others</a>
&ldquo;We and our counsel had multiple discussions with the SEC attempting to change its position on the issues that it had identified,&rdquo; Ackman said, adding that the company&rsquo;s next deal will be a conventional SPAC merger.
Why It Matters: Ackman&rsquo;s complicated SPARC deal failed to woo the SEC. Unlike a SPAC, a SPARC does not intend to raise capital through an underwritten IPO in which investors commit capital upfront&nbsp;before knowing the company with which it will combine.
Universal Music Group, which owns the rights to music from artists such as Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga, will become a public company when it is listed on Euronext Amsterdam in September.
Ackman said in a statement that &quot;none of us anticipated this outcome&quot; but Vivendi will not be &quot;left at the altar&quot; as a result of this fallout.
&quot;Pershing Square will be fulfilling PSTH&rsquo;s commitment to Vivendi,&quot; the billionaire said, adding&nbsp;that the firm&nbsp;still intends to be a long-term shareholder in UMG.
Price Action: PSTH shares closed 1.76% lower at $20.63 on Friday.
Photo by Tony Webster on <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/diversey/19200025289">Flickr</a>

PSTH

Bill Ackman's SPAC Abandons Universal Music Group Deal Over SEC Objections

Bill Ackman hosted an analyst day Wednesday for his Pershing Square Tontine Holdings (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/psth#NYSE">PSTH</a>) SPAC. Here is a look at some of the new and updated details from the company&rsquo;s merger and remaining company.
The event included more than <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpeHWiRuu2k">100 slides</a>, over three hours of content and a Q&amp;A session.
Ackman On The SPAC Deal&#39;s Complex Structure: Ackman did his best to answer questions on the <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/m-a/21/06/21429882/bill-ackman-spac-announces-universal-music-deal-could-investors-see-a-1-hit">complex structure</a> of the SPAC merger.
&ldquo;We are willing to accept a high degree of situational, legal and/or capital structure complexity in a business combination if we believe that the potential for reward justifies this additional complexity, particularly if these issues can be resolved in connection with and as a result of a combination with us,&rdquo; PSTH <a href="https://pstontine.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Pershing-Square-Tontine-Holdings-Transaction-Overview_vFinal.pdf">said </a>in its 2020 prospectus.
The transaction was broken down in several slides. The total distribution will be determined by the share redemptions and warrant exchanges. The current rate is .643, which means an investor would receive&nbsp;64 UMG shares for each 100 PSTH shares owned.
Fractional UMG shares will be paid in cash.
&ldquo;As people understand this transaction, I believe it will trade at even higher premiums than ever before,&rdquo; Ackman said.
Ackman On Music Monetization: Universal Music Group was highlighted during the analyst day, as expected. Ackman said music is following a path similar to software-as-a-service, suggesting a future music-as-as-service model.
Music subscription plans come with lower costs than streaming platforms like Netflix Inc (NASDAQ: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/nflx#NASDAQ">NFLX</a>).
Universal Music had 32% market share versus 16% for rival Warner Music Group (NASDAQ: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/wmg#NASDAQ">WMG</a>), and&nbsp;Universal had almost double the revenue Warner notched&nbsp;in 2020.
Ackman On Music NFTs: Investors were likely pleased to hear<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/money/what-is-a-non-fungible-token-nft/"> non-fungible tokens</a> mentioned during the presentation. Music could be the ideal art form for NFTs, according to Ackman, who said they could transform the music industry.
Ackman On US Listing For UMG: One piece of new information shared Wednesday was the possibility of Universal Music Group being listed in the U.S.
&ldquo;I have spoken to the NYSE and they would absolutely love to have UMG on their exchange,&rdquo; Ackman said. The UMG board&nbsp;would have to choose to pursue this route, but Ackman made clear the NYSE was open to it.
Ackman On A UMG Dividend: Universal Music Group could pay a dividend, Ackman told investors. It&#39;s up to the board, but Ackman said he expects it to occur.&nbsp;
Related Link: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/m-a/21/06/21429882/bill-ackman-spac-announces-universal-music-deal-could-investors-see-a-1-hit">Bill Ackman SPAC Announces Universal Music Deal: Could Investors See A #1 Hit?</a>
Ackman Wanted Larger Stake: Universal Music Group will be 10% owned by PSTH shareholders.
&ldquo;The only negative of this transaction is that we couldn&rsquo;t buy more,&rdquo; Ackman said. &ldquo;We were looking at as much as 17% but ultimately landed on 10% for various tax and legal reasons.&quot;
Ackman suggested that PSTH could own more of Universal Music Group down the road.
UMG will be 42% owned by current Vivendi (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/vivhy#OTC">VIVHY</a>) shareholders, 20% by Tencent Holdings (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/tcehy#OTC">TCEHY</a>), 18% by Ballore Group, 10% by Vivendi and 10% by PSTH shareholders.
Ackman On RemainCo Timeline: After the UMG deal closes, the RemainCo will have $1.5 billion for completing additional deal.
&ldquo;RemainCo will have a much larger market for opportunities,&rdquo;
Ackman said they have held discussions and reengaged with a possible partner for the RemainCo.
&ldquo;I feel the burden of the opportunity cost of our investors.&rdquo;
Ackman suggested he will stay&nbsp;quiet on a potential merger partner for the RemainCo until the transaction with Universal Music Group is finalized. Ackman said the RemainCo deal will be a more traditional merger.
SPARC: The timeline on the SPARC is 10 years, much larger than the normal two-year timeframe to complete a SPAC merger.
&ldquo;We actually think the longer the timeline, the quicker we get a deal done,&rdquo; Ackman said.
The SPARC will look at companies that include mature unicorns, family owned companies, distressed companies, corporate carve outs or companies owned by private equity, he said.&nbsp;
PSTH Price Action: Shares of PSTH ended Wednesday&#39;s session 3.2% lower at $22.97.&nbsp;<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-0oDxFHggkI" width="560"></iframe>

NFLX

TCEHY

8 Key Takeaways From The PSTH SPAC Analyst Day, With Universal Music Group Merger Details

Pershing Square Tontine Holdings (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/psth#NYSE">PSTH</a>), a blank-check firm owned by billionaire investor William Ackman said on Sunday it is buying 10% of Universal Music Group, a unit of Vivendi SE (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/vivhy#OTC">VIVHY</a>), for about $4 billion.
What Happened: Universal Music Group, which is home to artists such as Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga, is being listed on the Euronext Amsterdam in the third quarter this year&nbsp;in a planned spinoff from the French media conglomerate Vivendi. Under the terms of the deal, once the listing is complete, PSTH shareholders will receive UMG shares.
After the $4 billion purchase of the 10% stake in UMG, PSTH will continue to exist and still have access to around $2.9 billion in cash with which Ackman plans to pursue another deal.
See Also: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/m-a/21/06/21429882/bill-ackman-spac-announces-universal-music-deal-could-investors-see-a-1-hit" style="text-decoration:none">Bill Ackman SPAC Announces Universal Music Deal: Could Investors See A #1 Hit?</a>
Why It Matters: The billionaire will create a new special purpose acquisition rights company, or a SPARC, which is expected to trade on the NYSE or Nasdaq, and will allow holders to subscribe for SPARC shares once it finds its initial business combination partner, the company said.
Unlike a SPAC, a SPARC does not intend to raise capital through an underwritten IPO in which investors commit capital upfront &ndash; before knowing the company with which it will combine.
Assuming all of the SPARC Warrants are exercised, it will have a minimum of $6.6 billion of cash and access to up to $10.6 billion to complete a deal.
Price Action: PSTH shares closed marginally down at $22.70 on Friday.&nbsp;
Photo by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/diversey/19200025289">Tony Webster</a> on Flickr

Bill Ackman's SPAC To Buy 10% Stake In Universal Music Group From Vivendi In $4B Deal

Last week featured five&nbsp;announced SPAC deals. The week also had earnings from several well-known former SPACs. Here is a look back at the week that was SPACs for deals, rumors and headline news all covered on Benzinga&rsquo;s &ldquo;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4k0fH8EgI3Z9twaah9Sz_PQQ7VC19X_Y">SPACs Attack.</a>&rdquo;
Listen to this week&#39;s <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/money/podcast-show/benzinga-spacs-podcast-spacsattack/">SPACs Attack</a>.&nbsp;
SPAC Deals:
Ecommerce company Boxed announced a SPAC merger with Seven Oaks Acquisition Corp (NASDAQ: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/svok#NASDAQ">SVOK</a>). Boxed offers bulk consumables to businesses and households using an end-to-end artificial intelligence-driven platform.
Boxed is working on a software-as-a-service (SaaS) offering for future growth, including a signed SaaS partnership with one of Asia&rsquo;s largest retail conglomerates Aeon Group. The company is forecasting revenue of $212 million for fiscal 2021, up 14% year-over-year.
Solid-state battery company Solid Power <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/m-a/21/06/21567971/solid-state-battery-company-solid-power-lands-spac-deal-what-investors-should-know">announced </a>a SPAC merger with Decarbonization Plus Acquisition Corporation III (NASDAQ: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/dcrc#NASDAQ">DCRC</a>) valuing the company at $1.2 billion.
Investors in Solid Power include Ford Motor Company (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/f#NYSE">F</a>), BMW (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/bmwyy#OTC">BMWYY</a>), Samsung and Hyundai Motor Company GDR (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/hymtf#OTC">HYMTF</a>). Solid-state batteries being developed by the company are expected to have a range of 500 miles and provide cheaper costs to automotive companies.
Ford and BMW have an existing joint development to use Solid Power batteries in future electric vehicles.
5G and renewable infrastructure service provider QualTek announced a SPAC merger with Roth CH Acquisition III Co (NASDAQ: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/rocr#NASDAQ">ROCR</a>) valuing the company at $829 million.
Founded in 2012, QualTek provides services to companies in the 5G, telecom and renewable energy sectors in North America. Services include fiber-optic infrastructure, program management, engineering, permitting, testing, emergency restoration, and electrical services.
The company expects to grow revenue with increases in federal and municipal infrastructure spending.
Radiation technology company Mirion Technologies <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/m-a/21/06/21608089/mirion-technologies-gets-spac-deal-with-gsah-what-investors-should-know">announced </a>a SPAC merger with GS Acquisition Holdings&nbsp;Corp II (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/gsah#NYSE">GSAH</a>) valuing the company at $2.5 billion. Mirion is a leader in radiation hardware, software and alignment for hospitals, urgent care clinics, dental offices, veterinarians and nuclear power plants. Mirion has a market share leading position in 14 of 17 categories it operates in.
Seventy percent of the company&rsquo;s revenue comes from replacement, maintenance and recurring items.
Revenue for Mirion was $651 million in fiscal 2020 and the company forecasts revenue to hit $689 million in fiscal 2021.
Agriculture technology company Local Bounti <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/m-a/21/06/21625674/indoor-farming-company-local-bounti-the-latest-agtech-company-to-go-public-with-spac-what-investors">announced </a>a SPAC deal with Leo Holdings III Corp (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/liii#NYSE">LIII</a>) valuing the company at $1.1 billion. Strategic partner and investor Cargill is part of the SPAC merger investment and will provide additional funds for the company.
Local Bounti operates in the controlled environment agriculture segment, growing cut lettuce, living lettuce and living herbs with indoor year-round farming using less water, zero pesticides and providing cost-competitive produce to consumers.
Related Link: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/m-a/21/06/21459123/10-spacs-and-former-spacs-that-could-be-short-squeeze-candidates-clover-nikola-and-more">10 SPACs And Former SPACs That Could Be Short Squeeze Candidates: Clover, Nikola And More</a>
SPAC Rumors:
Thrasio could be valued at $2 billion in a SPAC merger with Churchill Capital V Corp (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ccv#NYSE">CCV</a>), <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/21/06/21541770/thrasio-in-talks-to-merge-with-spac-churchill-capital-v-report">according </a>to Bloomberg. The company acquires new sellers on the third-party marketplace of Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/amzn#NASDAQ">AMZN</a>).
Satellite launch company Virgin Orbit is rumored to be merging with NextGen Acquisition II Corp (NASDAQ: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ngca#NASDAQ">NGCA</a>). A deal could value the company owned by Sir Richard Branson at $3 billion, according to Sky News.
Virgin Orbit was spun off of Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/spce#NYSE">SPCE</a>) four years ago.
The company launched ten small satellites into space in January and is scheduled to launch more by the end of June as one of only two commercial small satellite operators to hit the milestone.
Indoor and urban farming company Infarm could announce a merger with Kernel Group Holdings Inc (NASDAQ: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/krnl#NASDAQ">KRNL</a>), according to Bloomberg.
Headline News:
One of the big movers of the week was Arrival SA (NASDAQ: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/arvl#NASDAQ">ARVL</a>), which found itself mentioned as a short squeeze or low float name from retail traders. The company also announced in a filing that it will be calling the warrants of the stock, sending shares back down to close out the week.
Clever Leaves Holdings (NASDAQ: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/clvr#NASDAQ">CLVR</a>) announced a supply agreement with CBD Life Holding, marking the company&rsquo;s first commercial agreement in the Mexican market. CBD Life Holdings has more than 18,000 points of sale in Mexico.
Draftkings Inc (NASDAQ: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/dkng#NASDAQ">DKNG</a>) was the <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/21/06/21569136/draftkings-falls-on-hindenburg-short-report-calls-out-sports-betting-co-for-skirting-law-hiding-blac">target of a short report</a> from Hindenburg Research calling the company &ldquo;A $21 billion SPAC betting it can hide its black market operations.&rdquo;
The report targeted SBTech, an owned company of DraftKings that was part of the three-way SPAC merger. Accusations included SBTech being linked to the black market, money laundering and organized crime. SBTech made up 25% of the company revenue at the time of the SPAC merger.
Rocket Lab, set to merge with Vector Acquisition Corp (NASDAQ: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/vacq#NASDAQ">VACQ</a>), announced it won a NASA award contract for a mission to Mars in 2024. The contract will undergo further reviews and could be part of a larger announced deal by the end of July. Rocket Lab has existing contracts to fly missions to Venus and orbit the Moon.
Pershing Square Tontine Holdings Ltd&nbsp;(NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/psth#NYSE">PSTH</a>), which announced plans to acquire 10% of Universal Music Group from Vivendi SE&nbsp;(OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/vivhy#OTC">VIVHY</a>) <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/m-a/21/06/21575496/bill-ackman-spac-deal-for-universal-music-group-could-face-battle-from-dan-loeb-among-others">could face</a> a struggle to get the votes needed on June 22 for the deal. Several Vivendi shareholders are objecting to the deal favoring a more favorable tax spinoff instead. Dan Loeb&rsquo;s Third Point has built up a stake in Vivendi and did not announce&nbsp;if it opposes the PSTH transaction yet.
Lordstown Motors Corp (NASDAQ: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ride#NASDAQ">RIDE</a>) shares plunged after the company&rsquo;s CEO Steve Burns and chief financial officer both resigned from the company. Lordstown admitted to inaccurate pre-order disclosures.
Be sure to tune into &quot;SPACs Attack,&quot; Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. EST. Here are the links to the past week&rsquo;s shows.
Monday: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SlaXmxQm-c&amp;t=30s">SIGNA Sports United SPAC $YAC</a>
Tuesday:<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTfBrMrxNFE&amp;t=5s"> 3 SPAC ETFs</a>
Wednesday:<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHaY2nvuINs&amp;t=2s"> Fast Chargers SPAC EVgo $CLII</a>
Thursday: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hR9B6-hJl8I&amp;t=11s">SPAC BATTLE Who Will Win?</a>
Friday: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RmDwoqwWYM">Who Will Win The Best &amp; Worst SPAC?</a>
Disclosure: Author is long shares SPCE.
(Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@freestocks?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">freestocks</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/on-the-phone?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a>)

Small Cap

AMZN

ARVL

BMWYY

CLVR

DCRC

DKNG

GSAH

HYMTF

KRNL

LIII

NGCA

Lordstown Motors Corp. - Class A Common Stock

RIDE

ROCR

SPCE

SVOK

VACQ

SPACs Attack Recap: Looking Back At 5 SPAC Deals, New SPAC Rumors And Headline News

Diana Ross has announced the upcoming release of &ldquo;Thank You,&rdquo; her first original album since&nbsp;2006&#39;s &ldquo;I Love You.&rdquo;
It&rsquo;s My Turn: Ross recorded the new 13-track album at her home studio during the COVID-19 pandemic. The title track was released on Thursday at midnight and the album is scheduled to go on sale in September.
&quot;This collection of songs is my gift to you with appreciation and love. I am eternally grateful that I had the opportunity to record this glorious music at this time,&quot; Ross said in a statement.
&quot;Thank You&quot; is being released by Decca Records, a division of Vivendi&#39;s (Pink: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/vivhy#OTC">VIVHY</a>) Universal Music Group.
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Reach Out And Touch Somebody&rsquo;s Hand: The Detroit-born Ross came to prominence in the 1960s as the lead singer in The Supremes before launching a solo career in the 1970s. Among the honors she received are a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, a Tony Award for her 1976 one-woman Broadway show &ldquo;An Evening with Diana Ross,&rdquo; an Academy Award nomination for her film debut &ldquo;Lady Sings the Blues,&rdquo; the Kennedy Center Honors and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
&ldquo;Thank You&rdquo; is Ross&rsquo; 25th studio album as a solo performer. Her most recent chart-topping song was a remix of the 1976 tune &ldquo;Love Hangover,&rdquo; which topped the U.S. dance music charts.
See Also: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjKo8ad_HZ8">The Early Bird Morning Show: Stocks on My Watchlist</a>
(Diana Ross in a 2010 Las Vegas concert. Photo by DVSROSS/Flickr Creative Commons.)

Diana Ross To Release First Album In 15 Years

Bill Ackman&#39;s plan to acquire 10% of Universal Music Group could face a setback with Vivendi shareholders speaking out against the transaction.&nbsp;
What Happened: Bill Ackman&rsquo;s Pershing Square Tontine Holdings Ltd (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/psth#NYSE">PSTH</a>) <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/m-a/21/06/21429882/bill-ackman-spac-announces-universal-music-deal-could-investors-see-a-1-hit">announced </a>a plan to acquire 10% of Universal Music Group, a unit of Vivendi SE (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/vivhy#OTC">VIVHY</a>).
Vivendi is hoping to complete a spinoff of Universal Music Group&nbsp;with shareholders owning 60% of the company that will trade on the NYSE Euronext exchange, along with a 10% stake for PSTH, 20% stake for Tencent Holdings ADR (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/tcehy#OTC">TCEHY</a>) and a retained 10% stake for Vivendi.
&ldquo;Selling off pieces of UMG to other investors in return for cash is a sub-optimal capital allocation decision. We would prefer Vivendi spin off its entire ownership of UMG to the shareholders in a tax-efficient manner,&rdquo; Artisan Partners&nbsp;portfolio manager David Samra told <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-10/ackman-s-universal-music-deal-spurs-pushback-from-vivendi-holder?sref=TBDibEcD">Bloomberg</a>.
Artisan is the 11th largest shareholder of Vivendi and is in preference of a tax-efficient spinoff instead of the planned partial stakes.
&ldquo;Placing a tax burden on the shareholders of Vivendi through the de-merger process is unattractive. We believe management should find a tax-friendly solution,&rdquo; Samra said.&nbsp;
Another Vivendi shareholder Bluebell Capital Partners is <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-14/loeb-s-third-point-said-to-have-substantial-position-in-vivendi?sref=TBDibEcD">pushing </a>for Vivendi to complete the transaction in a tax-efficient spinoff method. The shareholder has asked France&rsquo;s financial market regulator to look into the pending transaction, Bloomberg reports.
Related Link: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/m-a/21/06/21429882/bill-ackman-spac-announces-universal-music-deal-could-investors-see-a-1-hit">Bill Ackman SPAC Announces Universal Music Deal, Could Investors See A #1 Hit?&nbsp;</a>
Why It&rsquo;s Important: Vivendi shareholders are scheduled to vote on the PSTH transaction on June 22. The vote looks to see at least some votes against, with Artisan and Bluebell both speaking out.
Hedge fund Third Point led by Dan Loeb is also a large Vivendi shareholder with Bloomberg <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-14/loeb-s-third-point-said-to-have-substantial-position-in-vivendi?sref=TBDibEcD">reporting </a>a &ldquo;substantial position&rdquo; now owned by the firm.
Third Point has been acquiring shares of Vivendi for several months and to date has not made comments on how it feels about the Universal Music Group transaction.
The calls for Vivendi to change the transaction and&nbsp;waiting for Loeb to make statements could lead to terms of the deal being changed or the vote being delayed.
There is also a chance&nbsp;the deal gets voted down, which could send Ackman back to the drawing board for a SPAC merger target.
PSTH&nbsp;Price Action: Shares of Pershing Square Tontine Holdings are trading down 0.58% at $22.47&nbsp;Tuesday afternoon at publication. 
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(Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@frankielopez?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Frankie Lopez</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/snare-drum?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a>)

Bill Ackman SPAC Deal For Universal Music Group Could Face Battle From Dan Loeb, Among Others

&ldquo;All Things Must Pass,&rdquo; George Harrison&rsquo;s landmark 1970 album, is being released in an extravagant 50th-anniversary presentation that includes previously unheard recordings and ephemera related to its creation.
What Happened Then: Harrison had recorded two solo albums while still part of the Beatles &mdash;&nbsp;1968&rsquo;s &ldquo;Wonderwall&rdquo; and 1969&rsquo;s &ldquo;Electric Sound&rdquo; &mdash;&nbsp;and began work on &ldquo;All Things Must Pass&rdquo; six weeks after the Beatles disbanded.
Harrison would later acknowledge that much of the music on the three-record &ldquo;All Things Must Pass&rdquo; was written during the Beatles&rsquo; era but was rejected by his bandmates for inclusion on the band&rsquo;s albums.
&ldquo;I had so many songs and I had so much energy,&rdquo; Harrison said. &ldquo;For me to do my own album after all that &mdash;&nbsp;it was joyous. Dream of dreams.&rdquo;
Harrison collaborated with producer Phil Spector (who left the project before its completion) and an expansive parade of musical talent including fellow ex-Beatle Ringo Starr, Billy Preston, Klaus Voorman, Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker and a 20-year-old Peter Frampton.
The album included the hit singles &quot;My Sweet Lord&quot; and &quot;What Is Life&quot; plus two compositions that many music scholars consider to be among Harrison&rsquo;s finest, &quot;Isn&#39;t It a Pity&quot; and the title track.
Harrison released a 30th anniversary remixed edition in 2001, the year he passed away at the age of 58 from cancer-related health issues. After&nbsp;&ldquo;All Things Must Pass&rdquo; was reissued, it was certified six times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
See Also: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNSl88Ap-8Q">Raz Report: Sandy Munro</a>
What Happened Now: Harrison&rsquo;s son Dhani has executive produced the new re-release, which offers remixes of the original contents plus 42 tracks consisting of outtakes, studio jams and demo recordings that were never previously released.
The new edition will be available in different formats. The most lavish is a $998.98 limited-edition boxed deluxe set featuring&nbsp;an artisan-designed wooden crate including eight LPs, five CDs and an audio Blu-ray disc. Joining it is a&nbsp;96-page scrapbook curated by Harrison&rsquo;s widow Olivia featuring archival notes and track-by-track annotations by Harrison and photographs from the recording session, as well as a 44-page book about&nbsp;the album&rsquo;s production.
This set also includes a wooden bookmark made from a felled oak tree on the singer/songwriter&rsquo;s estate and miniature replicas of Harrison and the garden gnomes that were part of the album&rsquo;s cover art.
&ldquo;All Things Must Pass&rdquo; will also be released in&nbsp;five LP and three CD editions. Capitol/Ume, a division of Vivendi SE&#39;s (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/vivhy#OTC">VIVHY</a>) Universal Music Group, is releasing the 50th-anniversary edition.
(George Harrison &mdash;center &mdash; with Billy Preston and President Gerald Ford at a 1975 White House function. Photo courtesy of the U.S. National Archives.)

George Harrison's 'All Things Must Pass' Receives 50th Anniversary Re-Release

Garth Brook, the bestselling solo artist and one of the most well-known country music stars, is set to be honored at the 43rd Kennedy Center Honors on&nbsp;Sunday, June 6.&nbsp;
The event will air at 8 p.m. EST on CBS and will be available to stream on Paramount+, both units of ViacomCBS (NASDAQ: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/viac#NASDAQ">VIAC</a>).
The <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/06/04/1003259986/this-years-kennedy-center-honorees-have-a-jolly-romp-at-the-white-house">Kennedy Center Honors</a>&nbsp;can be&nbsp;compared to a knighthood in Great Britain or the French Legion of Honor, representing&nbsp;a similar top honor in the U.S.
Brooks released albums on <a href="https://www.capitolrecords.com/#/">Capital Records</a>, a unit of Universal Music Group, which is owned by Vivendi SE (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/vivhy#OTC">VIVHY</a>). Universal Music Group is <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/m-a/21/06/21429882/bill-ackman-spac-announces-universal-music-deal-could-investors-see-a-1-hit">in talks</a> with Pershing Square Tontine Holdings Ltd (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/psth#NYSE">PSTH</a>) for an ownership stake and Tencent Holdings ADR (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/tcehy#OTC">TCEHY</a>) owns 20% of the company.
Related Link: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/m-a/21/06/21429882/bill-ackman-spac-announces-universal-music-deal-could-investors-see-a-1-hit">Bill Ackman SPAC Announces Universal Music Deal, Could Investors See A #1 Hit</a>
Amazon.com, Inc.&nbsp;(NASDAQ: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/amzn#NASDAQ">AMZN</a>) <a href="https://variety.com/2016/digital/news/garth-brooks-amazon-music-exclusive-1201893966/">secured </a>an exclusive streaming deal with Brooks in 2016 for many of his songs.
Over his career, Brooks sold hundreds of millions of records and&nbsp;seven of his albums were certified Diamond by the RIAA, representing sales of 10 million or more.
Here is a look at the top-selling albums by Kennedy Center Honor recipient Garth Brooks.
No Fences: The second studio release from Brooks was released in 1990 and became his first No. 1 country album. The album sold more than 17 million copies and featured hits such as&nbsp;&ldquo;The Thunder Rolls&rdquo; and &ldquo;Unanswered Prayers.&rdquo;
The album&rsquo;s &ldquo;Friends in Low Places&rdquo; was the ACM Single of the Year and is a staple at concerts by Brooks. The album is the 13th&nbsp;<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/50-best-selling-albums-all-time-2016-9">bestselling album</a>&nbsp;and the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wideopencountry.com/country-albums-best-selling/">second bestselling country album </a>of all time.
Ropin&rsquo; the Wind: The 1991 studio release from Brooks was his first album to top both the country and regular album charts. The album featured singles &ldquo;Rodeo,&rdquo; &ldquo;The River&rdquo; and &ldquo;Papa Loved Mama.&rdquo;
Brooks also recorded a cover of Billy Joel&rsquo;s &ldquo;Shameless&rdquo; for the album.
More than 14 million copies of the album have been sold and&nbsp;ranks 32nd on the top-selling albums of all-time chart.
Double Live: It depends on which chart you look at to see how many copies of Brooks&rsquo; &ldquo;Double Live&rdquo; were sold.
One ranking lists the album as the ninth bestselling album of all time with 21 million copies, while Wide Open Country ranks the album fifth for country albums with 10.5 million copies sold.
The live album is one of the bestselling live records of all time and a fan favorite for lovers of Brooks&rsquo; music.
Sevens: The 1997 release from Brooks was a No. 1 record that featured songs like &ldquo;Two Pina Colados&rdquo; and &ldquo;Longneck Bottle.&rdquo; The album also featured a duet with Brooks and his future wife Trisha Yearwood called &ldquo;In Another&rsquo;s Eyes,&rdquo; which was a Grammy Award-winning single.
The album is the ninth best-selling country album of all time with more than 10 million sales.
Garth Brooks: The 1989 debut from Brooks featured singles &ldquo;Much Too Young,&rdquo; &ldquo;If Tomorrow Never Comes&rdquo; and &ldquo;The Dance.&rdquo; The album sold over 10 million copies and is the 10th bestselling country album of all time. &ldquo;The Dance&rdquo; was the ACM Song of the Year.
(Photo:&nbsp;Garth Brooks performs at the 2020 Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song concert at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., March 4, 2020. Photo by Shawn Miller/Library of Congress,&nbsp;CC0, <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Garth_Brooks_(49627465292).jpg">via Wikimedia Commons</a>)
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Education

VIAC

5 Bestselling Garth Brooks Albums Of All Time

Last week featured six announced SPAC deals and featured earnings from several well-known former SPACs. Here is a look back at the week that was SPACs for deals, rumors and headline news all covered on Benzinga&rsquo;s &ldquo;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4k0fH8EgI3Z9twaah9Sz_PQQ7VC19X_Y">SPACs Attack.</a>&rdquo;
SPAC Deals:&nbsp;Connected vehicle data company Wejo announced a SPAC deal with Virtuoso Acquisition Corp (NASDAQ: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/voso#NASDAQ">VOSO</a>) valuing the company at&nbsp; $800 million. Wejo provides data for customers and automotive manufacturers, including the ways people live, work and travel. Palantir Technologies Inc&nbsp;(NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/pltr#NYSE">PLTR</a>) and General Motors Company&nbsp;(NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/gm#NYSE">GM</a>) are investors.
Areas of expansion for Wejo include traffic management, advertising, fleet management, SaaS solutions, car sharing and rental, payments and roadside assistance. The company works with 17 OEMs and Tier 1 automotive companies.
Wejo is estimating revenue of $4.3 million in fiscal 2021 and $23 million in fiscal 2022.
Alkuri Global Acquisition Corp (NASDAQ: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/kuri#NASDAQ">KURI</a>) <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/babylon-a-world-leading-digital-first-value-based-care-company-announces-plans-to-become-a-public-company-via-4-2-billion-merger-with-alkuri-global-acquisition-corp-301305279.html">announced </a>a SPAC merger with digital healthcare company Babylon Health. The deal values the company at a pro forma equity value of $4.2 billion. Babylon covers more than&nbsp;24 million people across four continents.
Among the investors in Babylon Health is Palantir.
The company is seeking to &ldquo;re-engineer the $10 trillion global healthcare market to better align systemwide incentives and shift the focus from reactive sick care to preventative healthcare.&rdquo; The result from Babylon will be reduced costs and better health care for its members.
The company offers Babylon 360, a digital-first care service and Babylon Cloud Services, a self-care tool for patients and clinicians.
Babylon Health has projected revenue of $321 million in fiscal 2021, which would be a 305% year-over-year increase.
The long wait is over to see what company Bill Ackman will acquire with the Pershing Square Tontine Holdings Ltd&nbsp;(NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/psth#NYSE">PSTH</a>) SPAC.
Ackman <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/m-a/21/06/21429882/bill-ackman-spac-announces-universal-music-deal-could-investors-see-a-1-hit">confirmed </a>the company is in the process of acquiring a 10% stake in Universal Music Group, currently owned by Vivendi SE (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/vivhy#OTC">VIVHY</a>) and Tencent Holdings ADR (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/tcehy#OTC">TCEHY</a>).
The deal would value Universal Music Group at $42 billion, including UMG being spun-off and publicly listed in Europe. PSTH shareholders will own stakes in three separately traded securities after the completion of the transaction, a pro-rata share of UMG, a pro-rata share of PSTH and one five-year right per share (a SPAR) of Pershing Square SPARC Holdings.
Goldman Sachs valued Universal Music Group at $53 billion earlier this year.
Universal is the largest music company in the world with rights to artists including Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, The Weeknd, Queen, The Beatles and Bob Dylan.
Universal had some of the most played artists on Spotify Technology SA&nbsp;(NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/spot#NYSE">SPOT</a>) in the last year and the first quarter of 2021.
Universal Music group competes with Tencent Music Entertainment Group - ADR&nbsp;(NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/tme#NYSE">TME</a>),&nbsp;Sony Music, a unit of Sony Group Corp (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/sony#NYSE">SONY</a>) and Warner Music Group Corp (NASDAQ: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/wmg#NASDAQ">WMG</a>).
UMG had revenue of $9.0 billion in the last fiscal year, up 4.7% year-over-year.
End-to-end data analytics company BigBear.ai <a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210604005419/en/BigBear.ai-to-Become-Publicly-Traded-Company-via-Merger-With-GigCapital4">announced </a>a SPAC merger with GigCapital4 Inc&nbsp;(NASDAQ: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/gig#NASDAQ">GIG</a>), valuing the company at a pro forma enterprise value of $1.57 billion.
BigBear.ai provides data analytics for sectors that include the national security and defense community and the commercial sector. The company uses artificial intelligence and machine learning at scale to provide decision support for its customers.
BigBear.ai sees the global AI/ML market growing from $58 billion in 2021 to $310 billion by 2026.
The company is projecting a 2021 revenue of $182 million. BigBear.ai sees revenue growing at a compounded annual growth rate of 43% from 2021 to 2025, supported by a backlog of $500 million.
Related Link:<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/fintech/21/06/21393922/june-spac-merger-vote-calendar-a-look-at-upcoming-votes-and-stocks-to-watch?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+benzinga%2Fnews+%28Channels+-+News%29"> June SPAC Merger Vote Calendar: A Look At Upcoming Votes And Stocks To Watch</a>
SPAC Rumors:&nbsp;According to a report from TechCrunch, autonomous vehicle company Aurora is in talks to go public with Reinvent Technology Partners Y (NASDAQ: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/rtpy#NASDAQ">RTPY</a>). The deal could value the company at a range of $12 billion to $20 billion and be announced in the coming weeks.
Reid Hoffman, who is a leader of the Reinvent SPACs, was previously an investor in the company.
Other Aurora investors include Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/amzn#NASDAQ">AMZN</a>), T. Rowe Price and Shell Ventures.
Aurora <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/m-a/20/12/18687551/uber-to-offload-self-driving-unit-to-amazon-backed-startup-aurora?utm_source=dlvr.it&amp;utm_medium=facebook">acquired </a>the self-driving unit of Uber Technologies (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/uber#NYSE">UBER</a>) valuing the combined company at $10 billion. As part of the deal, Uber owns 26% of Aurora.
A partnership was signed by Aurora with Volvo Trucks for autonomous semi-truck development in North America earlier this year.
Headline News:&nbsp;Skillz Inc (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/sklz#NYSE">SKLZ</a>) announced an <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/m-a/21/06/21386181/skillz-to-acquire-advertising-platform-aarki-for-150m-to-expand-mobile-gaming-footprint">acquisition </a>of Akari to form an integrated eSports advertising platform. Akari reaches 465 million monthly users and could help Skillz expand its reach to target new customers. Akari uses data and machine learning algorithms to help advertisers with industry-leading return on investment.
Joby Aviation, which is going public with Reinvent Technology Partners (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/rtp#NYSE">RTP</a>) announced a partnership with REEF Technology and Neighborhood Property Group.
The partnership includes the development of takeoff and landing sites for Joby&rsquo;s aerial ridesharing service set to launch in 2024.
REEF is the country&rsquo;s largest parking garage operator and could provide more than 5,000 sites in North America and Europe for Joby Aviation. The initial focus will be on key areas in Los Angeles, Miami, New York and San Francisco.
Topps issued first-quarter financial figures and an <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/cryptocurrency/21/06/21394779/topps-spac-falls-on-rival-launch-amc-movement-why-muds-shares-are-rebounding-wednesday">update </a>on its relationship with Major League Baseball after shares of its SPAC <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/cryptocurrency/21/04/20499853/trading-card-company-topps-announces-spac-deal-continued-nft-expansion">acquirer </a>Mudrick Capital Acquisition CorporationII (NASDAQ: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/muds#NASDAQ">MUDS</a>) fell.
Topps reported first-quarter sales of $166.6 million, a year-over-year increase of 55%. The company said it has a licensing partnership with Topps to offer physical and digital products and the two will continue to release NFT trading card products.
Shares traded down earlier in the week on news of a new MLB NFT partnership with Candy Digital, a <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/cryptocurrency/21/06/21367519/fanatics-michael-novogratz-gary-vee-team-on-nft-platform-lou-gehrig-speech-up-first">new platform </a>from Fanatics, Michael Novogratz and Gary Vee.
The Original Bark Co (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/bark#NYSE">BARK</a>) started trading under its new name and ticker. The company saw shares trade down Monday on a warning issued by the company after ties to a dog dying that the owners linked to a Barkbox product.
Mergers were approved for SPACs Bespoke Capital Acquisition Corp (NASDAQ: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/bspe#NASDAQ">BSPE</a>) with Vintage Wine Estates, Jaws Mustang&nbsp;Acquisition Corp (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/jwsm#NYSE">JWSM</a>) with Cano Health and TS Innovation Acquisitions Corp (NASDAQ: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/tsia#NASDAQ">TSIA</a>) with Latch.
Chamath Palihapitiya <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/general/biotech/21/06/21401280/chamath-palihapitiya-launches-4-new-biotech-spacs-what-investors-should-know">filed for four new SPACs</a>, this time targeting the biotech sector with partner Suvretta. Each SPAC is seeking to raise $200 million and contains no warrants.
The filings suggest targeting companies that can improve the quality of life including treatment options for the central nervous system, neurodegenerative diseases, psychiatric diseases and addiction.
The four SPACs are Social Capital Suvretta Holdings Corp (NASDAQ: DNAA), Social Capital Suvretta Holdings Corp II (NASDAQ: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/dnab#NASDAQ">DNAB</a>), Social Capital Suvretta Holdings Corp III (NASDAQ: DNAC) and Social Capital Suvretta Holdings Corp IV (NASDAQ: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/dnad#NASDAQ">DNAD</a>).
Be sure to tune into &quot;SPACs Attack,&quot; Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. EST. Here are the links to the past week&rsquo;s shows.
Tuesday: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTamV3wiKW4">Best Mexican Company SPAC? $BWMX</a> 
Wednesday: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxO0xI8eB-I&amp;t=13s">Leading Fintech SPAC</a> 
&nbsp;

BARK

BSPE

DNAB

DNAD

JWSM

KURI

MUDS

PLTR

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SKLZ

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UBER

VOSO

SPACs Attack Recap: PSTH Among 4 SPAC Deals, One New Rumor And Headline News

The long wait is over to see what Bill Ackman will acquire with the&nbsp;Pershing Square Tontine Holdings (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/psth#NYSE">PSTH</a>) SPAC. Ackman confirmed the company it had been in discussions with Friday morning while also announcing another target could be on the way.
The SPAC Deal: Pershing Square Tontine Holdings&nbsp;<a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210603006167/en/Pershing-Square-Holdings-Ltd.-Provides-Update-to-Investors#.YLn7ZNnOgrw.twitter">confirmed </a>discussions to acquire 10% of Universal Music Group for $4 billion. The acquisition values Universal Music Group, owned by Vivendi SE&nbsp;(OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/vivhy#OTC">VIVHY</a>) at an enterprise value of $42 billion.
The transaction is subject to Vivendi shareholders and a June 22 shareholder meeting vote. PSTH shareholders would own 10% of UMG with Tencent Holdings&nbsp;ADR (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/tcehy#OTC">TCEHY</a>) owning 20% and Vivendi retaining a 10% stake.
Under the terms of the deal, PSTH shareholders will own three separately traded securities after the completion of the transaction:
<ul>
<li>Pro-rata share of UMG ordinary shares, representing approximately $14.75 per PSTH share.</li>
<li>Pro-rata share of PSTH after the distribution of the acquired UMG shares, which will have approximately $5.25 in cash per share.</li>
<li>One transferrable five-year right per share (a SPAR) of Pershing Square SPARC Holdings, which is expected to trade on the NYSE.</li>
</ul>
Universal Music Group is being listed on the Euronext Amsterdam in the third quarter of 2021 in a planned spinoff from Vivendi. Once the listing is complete, PSTH shareholders will receive UMG shares.
The warrants for PSTH will not be exercisable for shares of UMG. PSTH shareholders will have the opportunity to exchange their redeemable warrants for shares of PSTH Class A common stock. Vivendi and PSTH are still discussing the treatment of sponsor and director warrants.
After the $4 billion purchase of the 10% stake in UMG, PSTH will have around $1.5 billion in cash remaining.
One SPAR will be distributed for each share of PSTH Class A common stock. If all SPARs are exercised, SPARC will raise $5.6 billion in cash from SPAR holders.
The SPARC (special purpose acquisition rights company) has a design structure to help avoid &ldquo;incurring the opportunity cost of capital of a typical SPAC.&rdquo; The SPARC will not be subject to a typical two-year SPAC commitment period and will have no warrants out.
About Universal Music Group: Universal Music Group is the largest music company in the world. The company owns the rights to music from artists including Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, The Weeknd, Queen, The Beatles and Bod Dylan.
&ldquo;Universal Music Group is one of the greatest businesses in the world,&rdquo; Ackman said.
The leader of PSTH said UMG meets all of the acquisition criteria and is in a market seeing growing global demand.
Competitive advantages listed for UMG in the press release are having the No. 1 market share, an iconic world-class management team, massive and growing total addressable market, streaming market seeing high growth, irreplaceable owned IP, predictable recurring revenue and long-term margin expansion opportunities.
In the last fiscal year, Universal Music Group had four of the top five artists on Spotify Technology SA&nbsp;(NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/spot#NYSE">SPOT</a>) with Drake, J Balvin, Juice WRLD and The Weeknd. The company also had the No. 1 song for 2020 with The Weeknd&#39;s &ldquo;Blinding Lights.&rdquo;
In the <a href="https://www.vivendi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/20210303_VIV_PR_2020-Vivendi-earnings.pdf">first quarter </a>of 2021, Universal Music set&nbsp;a record with the top-selling album for 17 consecutive weeks. The company also had the No. 1 song for 12 of the 13 weeks in the first quarter on Spotify.
Related Link: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/m-a/21/05/21091049/bill-ackman-talks-the-timeline-reacts-what-pershing-square-spac-is-looking-at-to-buy-maybe">Bill Ackman Talks, The Timeline Reacts: What Pershing Square SPAC Is Looking At To Buy...Maybe</a>
Music Company Valuations: A Rolling Stone <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/pro/features/universal-music-ipo-worth-billions-1144150/">article </a>listed the valuation of Universal Music Group at a range of $29 billion to $100 billion in March.
Goldman Sachs <a href="https://variety.com/2021/music/news/universal-music-group-valued-53-billion-goldman-sachs-1234963605/">valued </a>Universal Music Group at $53 billion in a &ldquo;Music in the Air&rdquo; report earlier this year, increasing the value of the music company from $36 billion last year.
Tencent and its streaming business Tencent Music Entertainment Group&nbsp;- ADR (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/tme#NYSE">TME</a>) bought a 10% stake in UMG this year&nbsp;to add to its existing 10% stake. The recent purchase valued Universal Music Group at $36.8 billion.&nbsp;
Vivendi reported revenue of 16.09 billion euros for the last <a href="https://www.vivendi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/20210422_VIV_PR_Vivendi-revenues-Q1-2021.pdf">full fiscal year</a>, up 1.2% year-over-year. UMG led the way with revenue of 7.43 billion euros ($9.0 billion USD), up 4.7% year-over-year. Recorded music was up 6.7% year-over-year, led by growth in streaming. Music publishing revenue was up 14.4% year-over-year for the last fiscal year.
EBITA for the UMB segment was 1.33 billion euros of Vivendi&rsquo;s 1.63 billion euros total.
Sony Group. Corp (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/sony#NYSE">SONY</a>) has a music business that is wholly owned by the company. Sony is valued at over $120 billion by market capitalization. Sony Music had&nbsp;revenue of $8.5 billion in the last<a href="https://www.sony.com/en/SonyInfo/IR/library/presen/er/pdf/20q4_sony.pdf"> fiscal year</a>.
Warner Music Group Corp&nbsp;(NASDAQ: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/wmg#NASDAQ">WMG</a>) trades with a market capitalization of $18 billion. The company <a href="https://investors.wmg.com/news-releases/news-release-details/warner-music-group-corp-reports-results-fiscal-fourth-quarter-8">reported </a>revenue of $4.46 billion in the last fiscal year (ending Sept. 30) and EBITDA of $837 million.
Benzinga&rsquo;s Take: Investors are not impressed with the &ldquo;iconic company&rdquo; Ackman is acquiring with PSTH shares. UMG is the largest music company and is getting a deal done at a lower valuation than analysts had pegged earlier this year.
The unique structure of PSTH has been a catalyst for shareholders from the start. Under the terms of the deal, shareholders will get a stake in UMG while also keeping a stake in the remainder of PSTH which could acquire an additional business.
PSTH shareholders will also get first rights to buy shares of the next Ackman-led SPAC, according to prior comments made by the investor.
PSTH Price Action: Shares of PSTH are down 9.78% to $22.60 on Friday morning at publication.&nbsp;
(Photo: Via CNBC)

Movers

Bill Ackman SPAC Announces Universal Music Deal: Could Investors See A #1 Hit?

Britain&rsquo;s Royal Mail Group plc (Pink: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/roymy#OTC">ROYMY</a>) is releasing a series of commemorative stamps celebrating Paul McCartney while forecasting a profitable fiscal year aided by parcel deliveries during the pandemic.
What Happened: The new stamps encompass McCartney&rsquo;s solo career and make&nbsp;no mention of his Beatles years.
The series consists of eight stamps featuring a selection of McCartney&rsquo;s album cover art from his 1970 solo debut album &ldquo;McCartney&rdquo; to his most recent release, 2020&#39;s &ldquo;McCartney III,&rdquo; released by Universal Music Group, a subsidiary of Tencent Holdings (Pink: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/tcehy#OTC">TCEHY</a>) and Vivendi (Pink: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/vivhy#OTC">VIVHY</a>).
Also included are four black-and-white stamps of McCartney in recording sessions during the past five decades.
Absent from the stamps are images of McCartney&#39;s collaborators during his years with the band Wings, including his late wife Linda.&nbsp;
The Royal Mail is also offering 39 gift items that incorporate the new stamps, including framed stamp sheets, limited edition stamp books, a limited-edition medal cover with a plectrum medal struck by the Royal Mint and postcards featuring the stamp designs. All of the McCartney-related items will be available beginning May 28.
Related Link: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/21/04/20449888/slip-slidin-away-sony-music-acquires-paul-simons-music-catalog">Slip Slidin&#39; Away: Sony Music Acquires Paul Simon&#39;s Music Catalog</a>
&ldquo;Paul McCartney remains a vital figure at the center of rock and pop, an artist whose legacy is immense, but whose work continues to generate popular attention and critical acclaim,&rdquo; said David Gold, director of public affairs and policy for Royal Mail.
McCartney is the third music star to be honored by Royal Mail with a commemorative series, following the late David Bowie in 2017 and Elton John in 2019. Unlike the stamp program from the U.S. Postal Service, which only produces commemorative stamps featuring deceased figures, Royal Mail policy enables the issuance of stamps honoring living subjects.
What Else Happened: While Royal Mail&rsquo;s new stamp series will certainly enjoy a flurry of sales from McCartney&rsquo;s fans, the organization is holding its own in today&rsquo;s digital age.
Last month, Royal Mail reported that was forecasting more than $1.25 billion in revenue for the fiscal year that ended in March, adding it expects&nbsp;an adjusted operating profit of roughly $972 million when it releases its full-year earnings data on May 20. Royal Mail said it intended to pay a dividend of 13 cents per share, adding the spike in parcel shipments during the pandemic helped boost its financial health.
(Photo courtesy Royal Mail.)

ROYMY

Royal Mail Issues Paul McCartney Stamps, Predicts Pandemic-Fueled Profit

Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger has become the latest celebrity to find his way into the <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/money/what-is-a-non-fungible-token-nft/">non-fungible token</a> (NFT) hemisphere, teaming with Foo Fighter&#39;s Dave Grohl on an auction designed to raise funds for organizations helping independent music venues that were impacted during the coronavirus pandemic.
If You Start Me Up I&#39;ll Never Stop: The veteran rockers have collaborated on a new song called <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MN9YLLQl7gE">&quot;Eazy Sleazy&quot;</a> that was released on April 13, and they have partnered with 3D artist Oliver Latta (also known as Extraweg) on collaborated on an audio-visual charity NFT featuring a 30-second loop of the song.
In a press announcement on this endeavor, the piece being auctioned &quot;evokes a surreal essence of breaking through the barriers of the human mind and pushing forward on the brink of social collapse to provide a much needed moment of artistic relief as the world slowly transitions out of lockdown.&quot;
The auction went live at 1&nbsp;p.m. ET&nbsp;on the Nifty Gateway platform and will remain online for 24 hours. All proceeds from the sale will be split between divided the nonprofits Music Venue Trust and the National Independent Venue Association, which focus on providing assistance performance venues, and Back-up, which aids entertainment technology professionals within the music world experiencing financial difficulties. A portion of proceeds will also be given to environmental organizations.
At last check, the current bid was $8,988.
Related Link: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/cryptocurrency/21/03/19993449/kings-of-leon-to-release-new-album-as-3-nfts">Kings Of Leon To Release New Album As 3 NFTs</a>
I Sit and Watch As Tears Go By: Jagger penned the song &quot;Eazy Sleazy&quot; in response to the hope for a post-pandemic world.
&quot;It&#39;s a song that I wrote about coming out of lockdown, with some much-needed optimism,&quot; said Jagger, citing Grohl for &quot;jumping on drums, bass and guitar&quot; and helping him choose the charities to receive the auction&#39;s proceeds.
The song is the first by Jagger since the Rolling Stones&#39; last recording to date, the April 2020 &quot;Living in a Ghost Town,&quot; released by Polydor label, part of the Universal Music Group owned by Tencent Holdings (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/tcehy#OTC">TCEHY</a>) and Vivendi (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/vivhy#OTC">VIVHY</a>).
Mick Jagger photo by Ninian Reed / Flickr Creative Commons.

Mick Jagger Partners With Dave Grohl On NFT Fundraiser For Music Venues

DMX, the rapper and actor who commanded the spotlight for his on-screen talent and off-screen troubles, died Friday at the age of 50 at White Plains Hospital in New York, where he had been receiving treatment after suffering a heart attack at his home last week that left him in a vegetative state.
A Difficult Beginning: Earl Simmons was born Earn Simmons in Mount Vernon, New York, and his childhood was beset by multiple traumas including bronchial asthma, receiving multiple injuries after being hit by a drunk driver while crossing a street, and an abusive family environment. He was expelled from school after the fifth grade and was twice placed in group homes.
As a teenager, he partnered with a local rapper and took the name DMX &ndash; standing for DarkMan X &ndash; but an arrest and two-year incarceration at the age of 16 for stealing a dog delayed his chance to move forward in music.
In the early 1990s, DMX was producing mixtapes and selling them on New York City street corners. He gained enough of a local underground following that The Source magazine highlighted him in a 1991 &ldquo;Unsigned Hype&rdquo; column. He signed in 1992 with the Ruffhouse subsidiary of Columbia Records, a division of Sony Corporation (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/sne#NYSE">SNE</a>), but was dropped after recording a single that failed to chart.
Career Highs, Personal Lows:&nbsp;DMX continued performing, making guest appearances on other artists&rsquo; recordings, but it wasn&rsquo;t until 1998 that his career took off with the single &ldquo;Get Me a Dog&rdquo; on the Def Jam label, which is part of the Universal Music Group co-owned by Vivendi SE (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/vivhy#OTC">VIVHY</a>) and Tencent Holdings (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/tcehy#OTC">TCEHY</a>). The single went gold and was followed by the album &ldquo;It&rsquo;s Dark and Hell is Hot,&rdquo; which went platinum five times over.
He also branched into acting with starring roles in the films &ldquo;Belly&rdquo; (1998), &ldquo;Exit Wounds&rdquo; (2001) and &ldquo;Cradle 2 the Grave&rdquo; (2003).
DMX&rsquo;s personal life was plagued by health and legal issues. He became addicted to crack cocaine at the age of 14 and said he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Throughout his adult life, he was arrested multiple times on charges including drug possession, animal cruelty, nonpayment of child support, and reckless and unlicensed driving. He pleaded guilty to tax fraud charges in 2017 and served one year in prison.
Related Link: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/21/04/20449888/slip-slidin-away-sony-music-acquires-paul-simons-music-catalog">Slip Slidin&#39; Away: Sony Music Acquires Paul Simon&#39;s Music Catalog</a>
Musical Legacy: In his last interview recorded in February for the &ldquo;Drink Champs&rdquo; podcast, DMX discussed an upcoming album he planned that would include collaborations with Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg, Alicia Keys, Usher and Bono. His last studio album, &ldquo;Redemption of the Beast,&rdquo; came out in 2015.
In recent years, there has been a trend of excessively increased album sales of iconic performers following the news of their deaths.
In a 2019 <a href="https://www.meiea.org/Journal/Vol19/Renard_Gretz">study</a> published in the Journal of the Music &amp; Entertainment Industry Educators Association, among the most dramatic album sales following a star&rsquo;s passing have involved Prince (a 16,000% increase the day following his death in 2016), Tom Petty (up 6,800% the day after he died in 2017) and Soundgarden (up 550% the week after frontman Chris Cornell died).
(Photo by Rzom / Flickr Creative Commons.)

Movers & Shakers

DMX, Rapper With Troubled Life, Dies At 50

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JPMorgan analyst Daniel Kerven raised the firm's price target on Vivendi (VIVHY) to EUR 12.90 from EUR 12.40 and keeps an Overweight rating on the ...

Vivendi price target raised to EUR 12.90 from EUR 12.40 at JPMorgan

UBS analyst Adam Berlin maintained a Buy rating on Vivendi (0IIF – Research Report) today and set a price target of €10.00. The company's shares cl...

UBS Sticks to Their Buy Rating for Vivendi (0IIF)

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Barclays resumed coverage of Vivendi (VIVHY) with an Overweight rating and EUR 3.25 price target The new Vivendi is now an investment vehicle with ...

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