Author: djfrosty
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The REPUBLIC Collective, which includes Island Records, Def Jam Recordings, Mercury Records and Republic Records, has announced several executive promotions and new hires.
Recently, Jeffrey Remedios, former Universal Music Canada chief, was appointed president of strategic development. In his new role, Remedios oversees high-priority growth initiatives for Republic’s labels, focusing on international A&R, Republic recording studios, brand expansion, and more, reporting directly to REPUBLIC Collective CEO Monte Lipman and COO Avery Lipman.
Key promotions across departments include Joe Carozza as executive vp and global media officer, Brittney Ramsdell as evp of creative sync, Julie Vastola as svp of creative, and Zoë Briggs as vp of global marketing. Gary Spangler revamped the Audience team, elevating Natina Nimene to evp of urban audience and artist relations, Lucas Romeo to evp of pop audience, Brett Dumler to svp of pop audience, James Brown to svp of urban audience, and Roya Raji to vp of touring.
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Kevin Lipson expanded his team with strategic hires and promotions, including longtime Capitol Music Group svp of streaming strategy Jeff Temske coming over as evp of global research and analytics, and Colin Yost elevated to vp of innovation and gaming partnerships. Additionally, Brian Sutnick was promoted to evp of global replay strategy, Ryan Stevens to svp of commerce, Charlene Thomas to svp of global replay strategy, and Blair O’Brien to vp of commerce.
Monte Lipman praised these recent advancements, calling them “hard-earned and well-deserved,” and emphasized the collective’s commitment to artist development and finding “generational talent.”
The executive changes follow another record-breaking year for REPUBLIC Collective, which topped Billboard’s major year-end label rankings for the fourth consecutive year. In 2024, the collective amassed 72 albums on the Billboard 200, including 13 No. 1s, and 209 songs on the Hot 100, with eight chart-toppers, reinforcing its dominance in the music industry.
Record executive and former artist manager Abou “Bu” Thiam has formed a new partnership with Atlantic Music Group that brings his BuVision label to the Warner-owned major, Billboard has learned. As part of the deal, BuVision’s artists’ projects will now be released and marketed through Atlantic moving forward. Artists as part of the venture include […]
It was a beautiful ride in 2024 for Benson Boone, as the breakthrough artist scored the biggest hit on the planet.
Boone’s “Beautiful Things” is crowned the IFPI Global Single Award for 2024, effectively the world’s best-performing single across all digital formats.
Boone earns bragging rights as his signature song planted itself at or near the top of sales charts, everywhere.
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Released in January 2024, “Beautiful Things” nabbed top spot in this year’s IFPI Global Single Chart, his first appearance in an IFPI Global Chart Top 10, and won silverware at the Billboard Music Awards, MTV Video Music Awards and MTV Europe Music Awards.
The 21-year-old Monroe, WA native was nominated for best new artist at the 2025 Grammys, where he performed the song, and it peaked at No. 1 in the U.K. and Australia. “Beautiful Things” reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.
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During the calendar year, “Beautiful Things” racked up 2.11 billion equivalent global subscription streams, according to data published today (Feb. 20) by the IFPI, and including paid subscription streaming, ad-supported platforms, and single-track downloads.
“We are delighted to present the IFPI Global Single Award to Benson Boone,” comments Victoria Oakley, CEO, IFPI. “As a global breakout artist, this is an amazing achievement to produce a truly worldwide hit. Congratulations to Benson, his team and Warner Records for this incredible accomplishment.”
Boone discovered his love for music when his friend asked him to join their group for a Battle of the Bands competition. He went on to audition for American Idol, where he received a standing ovation from the judges. Ultimately, he dropped out of the talent quest and took a different road, signing to Imagine Dragons’ lead singer Dan Reynolds’ label, Night Street Records/Warner Records. Now he’s on top of the world.
Boone leads a fresh-faced top three, ahead of Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” and Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control,” respectively. U.S. artists dominate the tally with nine of the top 10. Irishman Hozier prevents a clean sweep with “Too Sweet,” dropping in at No. 6. IFPI’s recently-anointed Global Recording Artist of the Year, Taylor Swift, appears at No. 9 with “Cruel Summer.” The cut, lifted from her 2019 album Lover, enjoyed a resurgence thanks to her record-breaking The Eras Tour.
Top 20 IFPI Global Singles Chart 2024
Janelle Monáe will explore the art of the con in the upcoming Universal Pictures adaptation of Tanya Smith’s 2024 memoir, Never Saw Me Coming: How I Outsmarted the FBI and the Entire Banking System – and Pocketed $40 Million. According to Variety, Monáe will star in the film and also produce through her Wonderland Pictures company.
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Smith — who saw herself a modern-day Robin Hood after figuring out how to wipe out her relatives’ debt by manipulating the banking system — will be an executive producer on the movie. The gripping story is described as a heist thriller that provides a “powerful examination of systemic prejudice and economic inequality,” following Smith’s journey from mischievous teenage hacker to a master manipulator of the U.S. financial system.
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The book’s publisher, Hachette Book Group calls the story a riveting tale of an “unsuspecting woman who creates an ingeniously clever white-collar scheme that manipulates the Federal banking system out of millions — who eventually loses everything that is most important to her.”
The story follows Smith as she begins her life of deception as a teenager with an interest in technology, figuring out how to acquire the phone numbers of stars including Michael Jackson and other celebs, before moving on to stealing and depositing $5,000 into her grandmother’s bank account, and, by 18, confiscating $40 million dollars in cash, gold, diamonds and commodities from banks using hacked wire transfers.
“The FBI is hot on her tail and hauls her in for an interview, demanding Smith let them know who she’s working for, ‘as these are not the kind of crimes Black people are smart enough to commit,’” reads the book synopsis. “Their words, indicating that intelligence was determined by race, severely offended Smith. Up for the challenge, she proves the FBI wrong and over time steals $40 million dollars, while securing diamonds, gold bars, and other commodities. Her lifestyle attracts the wrong kind of people, even those who set out to kill her.”
The investigators hot on her trail, Smith is tagged as “one of the single biggest threats to the entire U.S. banking system,” earning her the longest prison sentence ever (13 years) for white-collar crimes, only to be released after mounting her own “brilliant defense.” Along the way, Smith escaped from prison two years into her sentence by disguising herself as a lawyer and gave birth to two children while incarcerated.
Monáe latest starring role will follow up on her well-received roles in the films Moonlight, Hidden Figures, Harriet, Antebellum and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.
The Osheaga Festival in Parc Jean-Dreapeau in Montreal (Aug. 1-3) announced its 2025 lineup on Wednesday (Feb. 19), which will feature headlining sets from The Killers, Tyler, the Creator and Olivia Rodrigo.
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The stacked-and-packed roster also includes: Glass Animals, Doechii, Dominic Fike, Lucy Dacus, Finneas, Gracie Abrams, The Chainsmokers, The Struts, Future Island, Smino, Tommy Richman, Shaboozey, Kaleo, TV on the Radio, Cage the Elephant, Jamie XX, Royel Otis, The Beaches, Chet Faker, Gigi Perez, Bossman Dlow and Bigxthaplug, among many others.
Tickets for this year’s event will go on sale on Friday (Feb. 21) here; $1 from every ticket will be donated to the Evenko Foundation, which provides musical instruments to schools in Quebec and encourages young people to pursue a life in the performing arts.
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Among the other acts on this year’s roster are: Barry Can’t Swim, Jorja Smith, Artemas, James Hype, Nico Moreno, Måneskin singer Damiano David, Omah Lay, La Femme, Joey Valence & Brae, Wunderhorse, BBNO$, Sammy Virji, Alex Warren, Claude Vonstroke, Good Neighbours, Naomi Sharon, Adam Ten, Whitney, Matt Champion, Isoxo, Marina, Mark Ambor, Amaarae, Loco Dice, The Dare, Jersey, Oden & Fatzo, Ruby Water, Inji and Kenny Mason.
Last year’s Osheaga hosted nearly 150,000 fans at the city’s largest outdoor concert venue, where they took in sets by Noah Kahan, Green Day, SZA, Melanie Martinez, Lil Tjay, Smashing Pumpkins, Martin Garrix, Reneé Rapp, Hozier, Teddy Swims, Teezo Touchdown, Rancid, Chappell Roan, Raye, Tyla, Kevin Abstract, Justice, Jungle and T-Pain.
Check out the 2025 Osheaga Festival poster below.
Lady Gaga has made a career of wearing the most outrageous, impractical and confounding costumes in pop history. But one outfit in particular has continued to top the list of her most cuckoo couture: the Franc Fernandez-designed meat dress she wore to the 2010 MTV VMAs.
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The cow costume accessorized with steak shoes and a shank chapeau blew minds at the time and continues to be one of her most iconic looks. But in a new lie detector test with Vanity Fair, Gaga was asked if she would ever wear the raw chuck couture — which was later preserved and turned into beef jerky — again.
“I don’t think so. No,” Gaga, 38, told the examiner, who informed the singer that her answer was “inconclusive.” Gaga seemed taken aback, responding, “Oh, well, that was a surprise.” She was also reminded that she asked Cher to hold her meat purse while accepting the video of the year award for “Bad Romance.”
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When the interviewer asked if that moment brought her closer to the fellow pop icon, Gaga said, “I think so. In the moment.”
Dressed in a lacy white outfit with peaked shoulders and a corset top, a serious-looking Gaga seemed nervous to take the test, admitting that she does not “have a good poker face,” which the examiner said caused the machine to detect “some deception.”
“So I do have a good poker face? Thank you,” she replied with a contented smile. In a timely query, Gaga was reminded that the video for her 2009 collab with Beyoncé, “Telephone,” says “to be continued” at the end, prompting a question about whether there will be a second part some day. “Yes,” Gaga said, though she admitted she didn’t know when it would be released, and, when presented with a picture of Beyoncé and asked if her fellow pop icon would be involved the second time, slyly saying “maybe.”
As for whether she’s ever answered the phone and said, “sorry, I can’t hear you, I’m kind of busy,” as she sings in the song, Mother Monster said, “I feel like I might have done that before, but maybe not,” fretting that she was saying both yes and no; the interviewer said either way she was being truthful.
Also, for the record, she still has that giant egg she arrived in at the 2011 Grammy Awards, which is stashed in her 40,000-square foot archive with her other famous costumes.
At press time it wasn’t clear if the second “Telephone” would be including on Gaga’s upcoming seventh studio album, Mayhem, which is slated to drop on March 7. Earlier this week, the singer revealed the full track list for the 14-track LP, which will feature the previously released singles “Die With a Smile,” “Abracadabra” and “Disease,” as well as “Garden of Eden,” “Perfect Celebrity,” “Zombieboy,” “Vanish Into You,” “LoveDrug,” “How Bad Do U Want Me,” “Don’t Call Tonight,” the Gesaffelstein-collab “Killah,” “Shadow of a Man,” “The Beast,” “Blade of Grass” and two bonus tracks, “Kill For Love” and “Can’t Stop the High.”
Watch Gaga take the VF lie detector test below (beef talk begins at 11:30 mark).
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. NJZ are putting on their denim and dancing shoes for Calvin Klein‘s spring 2025 campaign. Directed and shot by Oliver Hadlee […]
Ozzy Osbourne was once invited to audition for a role in Pirates of the Caribbean—but the opportunity was shut down by his longtime manager and wife, Sharon Osbourne.
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During a recent appearance on Billy Corgan’s The Magnificent Others podcast, Sharon revealed what she considers the “biggest mistake” she ever made on the legendary Black Sabbath frontman’s behalf. “He got offered to go and read for Pirates of the Caribbean, and I’ve never said this to anyone,” she admitted to the Smashing Pumpkins frontman. “And I said no. Now wouldn’t he have been perfect?”
Corgan immediately agreed, responding, “He would have been perfect! Maybe it’s not too late, but God bless.”
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While it remains unclear which character Ozzy was being considered for, the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise has a history of casting rock legends. The Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards famously played Captain Teague, the father of Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow, in At World’s End (2007) and On Stranger Tides (2011).
Paul McCartney also made an appearance in Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017) as Jack Sparrow’s uncle, Uncle Jack. Given Ozzy’s unmistakable persona and theatrical stage presence, it’s easy to imagine him fitting right into the swashbuckling world of the blockbuster franchise.
Beyond his near brush with Hollywood, Ozzy has remained active in music despite ongoing health struggles. In recent years, he released Patient Number 9 (2022), which earned a Grammy for Best Rock Album, and announced his retirement from touring due to health concerns. Meanwhile, Black Sabbath’s final reunion show is set to take place on July 5 in Birmingham, featuring appearances from Guns N’ Roses, Tool, and even actor Jason Momoa.
While Ozzy never got his shot at the high seas, his legacy as the Prince of Darkness remains untouchable—onstage and, perhaps, in an alternate timeline, on the big screen.
Drake’s Anita Max Win Tour in Australia continues to deliver viral moments—this time, with the rapper handing out $30,000 to a pregnant fan at his Sydney show at Qudos Bank Arena on Wednesday night (Feb. 19).
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During a break in his set, Drake was scanning the crowd for signs when he spotted one that read: “I’m 20 weeks pregnant.” In a video circulating social media, the “Hotline Bling” rapper immediately reacted with disbelief.
“Are you 20 weeks pregnant? Get out of the pit. Get outta there,” Drake told the fan, later identified as Tiana Henderson, before instructing security to move her to VIP seating. “Give her some VIP tickets immediately and like $30,000,” he added before jokingly asking, “Who the f—brings a baby to a mosh pit?”
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Henderson and her friend were then escorted out of the packed general admission area to a more comfortable spot in VIP.
Drake’s latest giveaway is just one of many on his Anita Max Win Tour, where he has been handing out cash to fans throughout Australia. At his Melbourne show earlier this month, he reportedly gifted a fan $25,000 after noticing a sign referencing his son, Adonis, and another $20,000 to a concertgoer celebrating her birthday. While performing in Perth, he handed out $40,000 to two fans, including one waving the Canadian flag.
Earlier this week, he made headlines again by giving $30,000 to a fan in Sydney who held up a sign asking for help to quit their job at McDonald’s. The rapper played into the Australian slang, repeating the request in an exaggerated Aussie accent: “Help us quit Maccas, mate.”
In addition to his on-stage giveaways, Drake has been using the tour to promote $ome $exy $ongs 4 U, his newly released joint album with longtime collaborator PARTYNEXTDOOR, who has joined him on-stage during his Australian tour.
Released on Feb. 14, the project has been a commercial success, earning over 56.6 million first-day streams on Spotify—making it the second-highest debut of the year. $ome $exy $ongs 4 U also broke the record for the biggest R&B/Soul album in Apple Music’s history by first-day streams worldwide.
Drake and Party are set to headline the first day of this year’s Wireless Festival in London with special guest Summer Walker in July. Drake will also headline the next two days with “The Mandem,” Burna Boy, and the Worl’ Boss Vybz Kartel by his side.
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Touring can bring its fair share of unexpected adventures, but for British rockers The Wombats, a night out in Rio de Janeiro took an unnerving turn when an argument with the wrong person led to a high-stakes chase back to their hotel.
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Frontman Matthew “Murph” Murphy explained the incident to The Daily Star’s Wired column, revealing that drama unfolded during a night out when tensions escalated between someone in the band’s group and a local they had unknowingly crossed paths with.
“We got chased in Rio by a gang. We were out, someone said the wrong thing, we were doing the wrong thing,” Murphy told the newspaper as per Music-News. “Somebody – I won’t say who got into an argument with this other guy, and didn’t realise who he was, or what he was in.”
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The moment of confrontation quickly turned into something more sinister. As the band piled into a taxi, they realized they were being followed. “Our taxi was chased back to the hotel by these two Land Rovers,” Murphy revealed. “I ran up to my hotel room, and our tour manager had to diffuse the situation.”
He added, “Apparently, it was pretty freaky.”
While the Rio incident might have been their most alarming encounter, it wasn’t the only dramatic moment the band faced while touring in Brazil. Just days earlier, The Wombats had to cut their set short in São Paulo after a cyclone wreaked havoc mid-performance.
“When we played in São Paulo, a freak cyclone hit the stage in the middle of our third track and completely soaked us,” Murphy told NME in Oct. “Wrote off all the gear. Some steel split, and the stage we were on had folded down.”
Despite the mayhem, the festival carried on, with The Strokes headlining later that night under far-from-ideal conditions.
Murphy explained, “We were on the other stage, but it was facing the main stage where The Strokes were headlining. They went on that night, but all the drapes had come off, there was no screen, they were just playing against scaffolding. It was pretty ridiculous.”
The Wombats will soon kick off their upcoming arena run across the U.K. in March 2025. The band will take the stage in cities including London, Nottingham, Cardiff, and Manchester, with additional festival appearances lined up later in the year, following the release of their sixth studio album, Oh! The Ocean.