ITNTW: Collapsing airlines, chart-topping albums, and changes to TikTok’s music royalties.
Thousands of Bonza airline customers were left in the lurch this week, as the regional budget airline announced voluntary administration on Tuesday. The short-lived business was showing signs of trouble, continuously cancelling flights, leaving passengers stranded over the Christmas holidays, as well as failing to pass regulatory approvals of the fleet.
Other airlines, including Virgin and Qantas have offered free flights to Bonza passengers who have been affected by this shock announcement. Bonza promised passengers full refunds for flights that had been cancelled, but have now backtracked on this, with administrators Chadwick Hill claiming the business is in no position to issue refunds at this time.
Unfortunately, it seems many people may not receive a refund immediately, if at all. Despite Bonza collapsing, their last act of business to promise refunds to customers was definitely not the best decision. It is a shame, especially in the current cost-of-living crisis, that affordable options for consumers are not successful in operation. Airfares have regularly been considered a luxury for many, and the collapse of Bonza will definitely cement a further divide between middle-class Aussies who may not be able to afford the flight costs from major airlines.
In other news, Taylor mania remains.
Taylor released her long-awaited eleventh studio album on April 19, and as of May 3, the first 14 places of the Billboard Hot 100 are currently occupied by Miss Swift. The long awaited release of ‘The Tortured Poet’s Department’ was hyped up across Taylor’s social media, as well as numerous mentions of the release at her Eras Tour shows. If anyone has mastered the art of the album drop, it’s Taylor. Previously having multiple surprise releases of albums including Evermore and Folklore, Swift dabbled in this again, dropping a second part to The Tortured Poets Department 2 hours after its initial release, sending fans and the media crazy. Her decision to not release any singles for her 11th album, can also be seen as a PR masterstroke. It forced fans to listen to the entire album and placed the attention back on to her storytelling abilities. And it was extremely successful, with the album skyrocketing straight to the top of charts globally.
Staying in the world of music, as I pen this ITNTW, it’s been announced that Universal Music Group has signed a multi-dimensional licensing agreement, allowing TikTok access to the global library of music that UMG owns the rights to. Great news for existing and emerging artists, as well as avid Tik Tokers who can now create content without having to resort to using a royalty-free instrumental. With many new artists previously finding fame via posting on the platform, the announcement is exciting for those up and coming who can utilise TikTok as a key publicity tool for their music.
Written by Clare Fitzgerald, Publicist at InsideOut PR & Victoria Guest, PR & Influencer Coordinator at InsideOut PR / #AsSeenOn