These are the stories making headlines in fashion on Thursday. Bolis Media has acquired a majority stake in Office Magazine, the independent New York publication shaping downtown culture. As part of the merger, finalized in September 2025, Simon Rasmussen remains editor in chief, while co-founders …
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Iconic Artists Group (IAG) has acquired a portion of the Frank Sinatra estate.
IAG founder Irving Azoff revealed the news about the legendary singer while speaking at Bloomberg’s Screentime Conference, held Oct. 8-9 in Los Angeles. As first reported by Bloomberg on Sunday (Oct. 12), Azoff said Iconic “recently acquired a chunk of the Sinatra estate.”
Frank Sinatra Enterprises (FSE) confirmed the deal in a statement to Billboard: “Frank Sinatra Enterprises, Tina Sinatra, and Warner Music Group are delighted to welcome Irving Azoff and Iconic to the dedicated team serving the life’s work and legacy of Frank Sinatra.”
In 2007, Sinatra’s family and Warner Music Group (WMG) formed Frank Sinatra Enterprises, a global partnership to manage all aspects of Sinatra’s career, as well as his name and likeness. The deal also included ownership of Sinatra’s recordings from his Reprise era. Sinatra started Reprise, which is now owned by WMG, in 1960. FSE also represents Sinatra’s rights to his Columbia and Capitol catalogs.
It is unclear how much of the estate IAG acquired. Azoff declined to comment beyond his Screentime remarks, as did FSE beyond its statement. WMG also declined to comment.
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The deal comes nearly three years after Iconic made an agreement with the Dean Martin Family Trust to manage and expand the fellow Rat Packer’s legacy. The deal included name, image and likeness, as well as the trust’s share of Martin’s Capitol and Reprise Records sound recordings, feature films, and Martin’s variety shows and specials.
During Azoff’s Q&A at Bloomberg, moderator Lucas Shaw, Bloomberg’s managing editor of media and entertainment, also asked Azoff what he considers the most valuable catalog in the world. “I normally would have said The Beatles, but I’m not sure that’s true anymore,” Azoff said. “You maybe gotta say Taylor [Swift] at this point.”
IAG works with a number of other artists and estates, including The Beach Boys, Linda Ronstadt, Cher, Rod Stewart and Nat King Cole, among others. Azoff told Bloomberg‘s Shaw that The Beach Boys’ revenue has doubled since IAG got involved in their business.
Almost 40 years after The Smiths broke up, Morrissey is truly leaving the band.
At least the singer’s 50% stake in the iconic Manchester group.
On hiatus from touring this summer and about to start a series of shows in Canada, the East Coast and hitting Smiths stronghold of LA on October 25, the man known as Moz has put up for sale his rights to the songs, the name, the merch, and perhaps most importantly and lucratively the publishing.
In a post on Instagram Wednesday, Morrissey said he “has no choice but to offer for sale all of his business interests in ‘The Smiths’ to any interested party / investor.” Possibly running into the tens of millions at least, the successful bidder would purchase:
1. The name ‘The Smiths’, as created by Morrissey.
2. All Smiths artwork, as created by Morrissey.
3. All Smiths merchandising rights.
4. All Smiths songs lyrically / musically.
5. All synchronisation rights.
6. All Smiths recordings.
7. All contractual rights for Smiths publishing.
If there was any doubt of the origins of this surprise move by Morrissey, who broke ranks with his now ex-reps at Red Light Management / Pete Galli Management in 2024 after just a few months, the songwriter made it clear that he feels he doesn’t owe anything, to paraphrase a Smith tune, to his former bandmates living and dead. “I am burnt out by any and all connections to Marr, Rourke, Joyce,” he wrote today of Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, now deceased bass player Andy Rourke and estranged drummer Mike Joyce. “I have had enough of malicious associations.
With legacy artists across all genres like Kiss ($300M for everything), Bruce Springsteen ($500M for his catalog), David Bowie ($250M for his catalog) and Michael Jackson (whose estate sold 50% of the Thriller singer’s music assets to Sony Music Group last year for $1.2B) cashing in, Morrissey’s move is neither crass nor careless by any measure.
Looking at The Smiths’ depth musically from their 1984 self-titled debut to their masterpiece of The Queen Is Dead in 1986 and more, plus the generation defining epic “How Soon Is Now?” song, the band is certainly a money maker even today.
Part of any estimation of the worth of Morrissey’s portion of the Smiths, who broke up in after five years together in 1987 not long after Marr left, has to be the stature the band has in contemporary culture. Specifically, as the soundtrack to many a life, from the 1980s and onward on both sides of the pond.
The band’s songs have been used in dozens of films from Pretty in Pink, The Wedding Singer, Never Been Kissed and Shaun of the Dead to Forgetting Sarah Marshall, (500) Days of Summer, The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Transformers spinoff Bumblebee. The Smiths also have appeared on TV’s Sex Education, Black Mirror, American Horror Story, Psych, That ‘80s Show and many more. Love Spit Love’s cover of the popular “How Soon Is Now?” was theme song of original Charmed series.
Like the Oasis and Guns’n’Roses reunion tours, a Smiths revival could see the band bigger on tour than they were in their heyday.
However, the trial balloon of a reunion tour for an an “eye-watering amount of money” was shot down by Marr last year. “It was a little bit about principles, but I’m not an idiot,” Marr said on a soccer podcast earlier this year. “I just think the vibe’s not right.”
The offer from AEG Entertainment Group came after bassist Rourke had died in May 2023. Morrissey, whose bookings are handled by WME, initially said Marr ignored the “lucrative offer.” In September 2024, Marr posted his response online, stressing he didn’t “ignore the offer — I said no.”
Adding to antagonism between the two songwriting partners, both of whom hav had pretty stellar solo careers the past four decades, has been Marr’s 2018 trademarking of The Smiths name. Learning in 2018 that no one had actually obtained the band’s trademark of itself, the guitarist had his team complete the paperwork. Morrissey, a.k.a Steven Morrissey, claimed Marr made the move “without consultation.”
At the time, Marr said not true.
“A failure to respond led Marr to register the trademark himself,” Marr said in a September 2024 statement. “It was subsequently agreed with Morrissey’s lawyers that this trademark was held for the mutual benefit of Morrissey and Marr. As a gesture of goodwill, in January 2024, Marr signed an assignment of joint ownership to Morrissey. Execution of this document still requires Morrissey to sign.”
As of now, Morrissey is taking offers.
Reps for Johnny Marr, who is a frequent collaborator with Hans Zimmer on film scores in recent years, did not respond today to Deadline’s request for comment on Morrissey’s sale news. Or to quote the title of one of the band’s 1986 songs, Is It Really So Strange?
Drake
Drake is publicly calling out crypto gambling platform Stake, claiming several attempts he’s made to withdraw money were blocked without explanation.
The rap star shared a screenshot on his Instagram Story showing a message from a customer service rep who wrote,
“We were unfortunately unable to process your last withdrawal attempt as well.” Drake added as a caption over the post: “4 withdraw attempts blocked on @stake with no explanation…Is it personal?”
His complaint comes shortly after Drake appeared to announce he’s cut ties with Stake after partnering with them for years. On a recent livestream hosted by fellow Stake endorser Trainwreck, Drake took to the comments section to blast the platform’s executives Ed Craven and Bijan Tehrani for how they treat talent, reportedly writing:
“Eddie been dissing the owls f**k Eddie… F**k this goof… W’s for my brother TRAIN tonight… They want smoke with ovo so its uppppppp…MAX them and have a great stream… We built this s**t… And they treat us like s**t still.”
Drake’s withdrawal troubles are surprising considering he reportedly earned $100 million annually endorsing Stake, according to a 2023 Financial Times report. He was known for heavily promoting the platform, often sharing his wins with fans.
Are you surprised to see Drake publicly clash with a brand he once heavily promoted?