The Record Business in 2014, UMG and Havas Media's Data Alliance, and More in This Week's Labels Digest

TOP STORIES Music in 2014: Taylor Takes the Year, Republic Records on Top, Streaming to the Rescue  Sales plummet across the board as digital and on-demand make an impact -- here is Billboard's comprehensive analysis of the recording industry in 2014. Big Machine's Scott Borchetta to Receive Presidential Award at Music Biz 2015  Big Machine Label Group president/CEO Scott Borchetta will receive the Presidential Award for Outstanding Executive Achievement at the Music Biz 2015 Awards Luncheon on May 14 at the Sheraton Nashville Downtown Hotel in Nashville. Mercury Records Co-Founder Irwin Steinberg Dies at 94  A co-founder of Mercury Records and an innovator in the digital music industry has died. Irwin Steinberg was 94. Universal Music and Havas Media's Data Alliance: Welcome to the (New) Music Business  There's a saying about radio: it's not the music business, it's the advertising business. The new partnership between Universal Music Group and Havas Media is proof the same can be said of the larger music industry. 7 Surprising Facts About Music Sales Last Year  We've rounded up a few strange chart facts from 2014 that may have passed under your radar. Billboard 200 Chart Moves: Pentatonix Earns 2014's Top Selling Christmas Album  Pentatonix's 'That's Christmas To Me' finishes 2014 as the year's top selling Christmas album. Universal Music Files Copyright Lawsuit Over Mixtapes Sent to Prisoners  A care package featuring Eminem songs is "contraband personified," says the music giant.