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12 Apr 2024

2024 WNBA Draft Pick: How to Watch Live Without Cable

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Draft Day is almost here. The 2024 WNBA Draft will broadcast live from the Brooklyn Academy of Music in Brooklyn, N.Y. on Monday (April 15).

Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, LSU’s Angel Reese, Stanford’s Cameron Brink and Tennessee’s Rikea Jackson are some of the stars of women’s college basketball that will be entering the league. Clark, the all-time NCAA scorer, is expected to be the No. 1 draft pick.

Keep reading for details on when and how to watch the WNBA draft without cable.

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How to Watch the WNBA Draft on ESPN Without Cable

The 2024 WNBA Draft is presented by State Farm and will air at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. And you don’t need cable to watch live or on-demand, from any location and various streaming devices.

You can watch ESPN live on DirecTV Stream, Sling TV, Fubo and Hulu + Live TV. Get instant access to ESPN and other sports channels for one low price — all you need is internet access (and ExpressVPN to stream internationally).

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Subscribe to DirecTV Stream or Fubo to watch ESPN and over 75 other channels. Both streaming plans include a free trial, DVR recording and the ability to stream from multiple devices at once.

Subscribe to Sling TV and save $20 off your first month. The streaming plan includes 30+ channels such as ESPN, TBS, FS1, FX and other channels.

ESPN will air coverage of first round pick from five team draft rooms located in Indiana, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, and Washington. The network will also broadcast live coverage from the Indiana Fever and Los Angeles Sparks official watch parties.

ESPN’s Ryan Ruocco will host the draft broadcast alongside analysts Rebecca Lobo and Andraya Carter and reporter Holly Rowe. The WNBA draft festivities starts with the WNBA Countdown Presented by Google at 7 p.m. ET and hosted by LaChina Robinson, along with analysts Carolyn Peck and Chiney Ogwumike. The pre-show will features “interviews with key draftees,” highlight from Clark’s college basketball career and a fashion rundown, per ESPN.

After a record-breaking NCAA Women’s championship that saw the highest ratings in championship history, Reese hopes the ratings surge will extend to the WNBA.

“I think I’ve done a lot in college and so many different players have done the same thing. Being able to take this to the [WNBA] is where you want to do it at. And I think they deserve it, especially the vets,” Reese told the New York Post on Friday. “I mean they’ve done a great job, laying the groundwork for us.”

12 Apr 2024

Benson Boone Scores First Airplay Chart No. 1 as ‘Beautiful Things’ Tops Adult Pop Airplay

Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things” ascends to No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult Pop Airplay chart (dated April 20).

The song marks multiple firsts, including Boone’s initial leader on any Billboard airplay survey.

Plus, with the track on Night Street/Warner Records, Warner has promoted two consecutive Adult Pop Airplay No. 1s for the first time, as “Beautiful Things” supplants Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control,” on SWIMS Int./Warner, after four weeks at the summit.

Additionally, with “Beautiful Things” at No. 1 and “Lose Control” at No. 2, Warner boasts the to two titles on Adult Pop Airplay simultaneously for the time.

(The Adult Pop Airplay chart, which began in Billboard’s pages in March 1996, ranks songs by weekly plays on 80 adult top 40 radio stations monitored by Mediabase, with data provided to Billboard by Luminate.)

The Adult Pop Airplay coronation for “Beautiful Things” is the song’s latest chart feat. It has ruled the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart for seven weeks and the Billboard Global 200 for six frames (through charts dated April 13). On the Billboard Hot 100, it has reached a No. 2 high. It concurrently climbs to No. 3 on Pop Airplay.

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Boone previously charted two songs on Adult Pop Airplay: “Ghost Town” moseyed to No. 12 in February 2022 and “In the Stars” reached No. 24 in September 2023.

“Beautiful Things,” which Boone co-wrote, is on his debut LP, Fireworks & Rollerblades, released April 5.

“My two other songs that have done well, I wasn’t prepared for them,” the Washington native, who claims 6.8 million TikTok followers, recently told Billboard. “I teased them without even having the song[s] fully ready. So much happened so fast, and looking back, I could’ve done a lot better at keeping that moment [going]. But this one, I’m ready. I’ve been ready for this one.”

All Billboard charts dated April 20 will update Tuesday, April 16, on Billboard.com.

12 Apr 2024

Dua Lipa & Zayn Malik Release New Music, Azealia Banks & Doechii Are Beefing & More | Billboard News

It’s Friday, April 12th, and there’s a bunch of highly anticipated new music from some of the hottest artists! Dua Lipa just dropped her latest single “Illusion,” Zayn Malik released his new highly-anticipated track, “Alienated,” Sabrina Carpenter starts her new era with “Espresso” and more new releases. Azealia Banks and Doechii are fighting on social media. Coachella takes LA by storm this weekend, and we have a sneak peek just for you inside the year’s hottest music festival. Billboard Explains Metro Boomin’s journey through the charts. Sheryl Crow spills inspiration about her new album, ‘Evolution,’ performing with Olivia Rodrigo and more!

Tetris Kelly:
Doechii and Azealia Banks go off online, new music from some of the biggest names in pop. We’ve got Sheryl Crow in the studio, and we explain Metro Boomin’s many hits. It’s Friday, April 12. And I gotta get on the road to Coachella, but that doesn’t stop the news from happening and a whole crop of new music. Let’s jump into our Friday Music Guide. Dua Lipa is bringing us one step closer to ‘Radical Optimism’ with “Illusion.” More new music throughout the show, but for now our top story. Something is in the air because the girls are fighting. Let’s break it down. It’s been Azealia Banks versus Doechii online since Doechii posted this IG asking her followers what her fandom should be called to which Banks replied “Definitely should call them ‘Wannabes’” and Doechii wasn’t going to let that slide. Replying “The first time you came for me I let it slide out of respect for my elders. It’s not my fault you sellin’ sh*tty soap and I’m selling platinum records. Leave me alone please.” The feuding was far from over. Azealia Banks tweeted, insinuating Doechii paid for her streams, accused her of being homophobic, called her ugly and brought up her skin tone. Doechii went off on IG ending her clap back by saying “Your diagnosis is wasted talent…

Watch the full video above!

12 Apr 2024

Luke Combs Unveils New ‘Take Me Out to the Ballgame’ Ballad

Luke Combs is set to play two shows at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on April 12-13, as part of his Growin’ Up and Gettin’ Old Tour. The two-time CMA entertainer of the year winner took a moment while at the field to perform a new song called “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”–but this song is far from the typical cheery ode to hometeams, homeruns and striking out–instead, the song is a yearning ballad, which centers on a young boy who’s trying to convince his divorced father to take him to a baseball game for his upcoming birthday–in hopes that in the process, his father will reunite with the boy’s mother. Elsewhere, the song’s lyrics also touch on the feelings of guilt the boy feels over the dissolution of his parents’ marriage.

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During Combs’s performance, Milwaukee’s American Family Field (home to the Milwaukee Brewers) serves as a backdrop as Combs sits on a chair in the ball field’s stands. Combs’s wife Nicole commented on the video, saying, “Okay great spot for this one I’ll give u that.”

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Milwuakee Brewers player Christian Yelich also commented, writing, “Enjoy the Homer Dome,” to which Luke responded, “Will do bud! Thanks for the bat!!!”

Other commenters included Combs’s frequent co-writer Ray Fulcher, who co-wrote songs including “When It Rains It Pours” and “Even Though I’m Leaving.” Fulcher wrote, “Really proud of this one, pal.”

Combs leads the nominees for this year’s Academy of Country Music Awards, with eight nods, including entertainer of the year, album of the year, song of the year, male artist of the year and single of the year. The Academy of Country Music Awards will stream live exclusively for a global audience on Prime Video on Thursday, May 16, at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT/5 p.m. PT from Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. 

See Combs’s performance of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” below:

12 Apr 2024

Yung Bleu ft. Lil Wayne “Confirmation Remix,” Nasaan ft. Royce Da 5’9” “Goated” & More | Daily Visuals 4.12.24

HipHopWired Featured Video

2021 Revolt Summit

Source: Prince Williams / Getty

It’s been a while since we’ve gotten any new solo work from one Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. a.k.a Lil Wayne and though it doesn’t seem like that’ll be happening anytime soon, at least Tunechi is blessing everyone with guest verses on other artists records.

Such is the case for Yung Bleu’s visuals to “Confirmation Remix” in which Bleu showers a beautiful young woman with love and attention from the bar to his bedroom before Weezy kicks his verse while flossing two fistful of icey rings like he done took home a few championships in his sport.

Speaking of dope features, Royce Da 5’9” blesses Nasaan with guest verse of his own and in the clip for “Goated,” Nine Nickel and Nasaan give everyone a lesson in how to drop bars while working an everyday 9 to 5.

Check out the rest of today’s drops including work from NLE Choppa, Tinashe, and more.

YUNG BLEU FT. LIL WAYNE – “CONFIRMATION REMIX”



NASAAN FT. ROYCE DA 5’9” – “GOATED”



NLE CHOPPA – “SLUT ME OUT 2”



TINASHE – “NASTY”



DON TRIP – “2 SEATER”



POISON IVI – “CHICKEN TENDER”



CRUCH CALHOUN – “FREE TADOW 2”



TANNER ADELL – “WHISKEY BLUES”



12 Apr 2024

Music Stocks Have Biggest One-Week Loss in Nine Months

Music stocks suffered their biggest one-week decline in nearly a year as inflation fears gripped the markets. In the U.S., the annualized inflation rate rose to 3.5% in March from 3.2% in February, the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics announced Wednesday. That drew concerns the U.S. Federal Reserve would alter its plan to cut interest rates in June. Combined with rising oil prices and weaker-than-expected earnings from banking giants JPMorganChase and Wells Fargo, there wasn’t much good news for investors. 

Fourteen of the 20 companies in the Billboard Global Music Index lost value this week. The index fell 3.2% to 1,782.67, the largest one-week drop since it lost 4.2% for the week ended July 28, 2023. Still, the Billboard Global Music Index is up 16.2% year to date and has increased 43% in the last 12 months. 

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Most major stock indexes lost ground this week. In the U.S., the S&P 500 dropped 1.6% to 5,123.41 and the Nasdaq composite fell 0.5% to 16,175.09. South Korea’s KOSPI composite index declined 1.2% to 2,681.82. China’s Shanghai Composite Index lost 1.6% to 3,019.47. The outlier was the U.K.’s FTSE 100, which improved 1.1% to 7,995.58.

Among music stocks, iHeartMedia was the biggest winner of the week after rising 6.3% to $2.18. The improvement came despite a lack of market-moving news or regulatory filing from the radio giant. In fact, the main reason iHeartMedia has been in the news lately has been less than flattering. In March, Forbes reported that iHeartMedia had paid ad revenue from Sen. Ted Cruz’s podcast, Verdict, to his political action committee (PAC). That led BP America to request that iHeartMedia not place its ads on podcasts that funnel ad revenue to PACs. Two campaign watchdogs, Campaign Legal Center and End Citizens United, allege that Cruz violated federal law and on Tuesday (April 9) formally asked the Federal Election Commission to investigate.

Hipgnosis Songs Fund, the London-listed company that invests in music rights, improved 5.7% to 74 pence ($0.92). HSF has gained 7.2% since the company’s board of directors released a damning due diligence report on March 28. Conducted by Shot Tower Capital, the report claimed the fund’s investment manager, Hipgnosis Song Management, overstated revenue and misled investors about the control it had over investments in its portfolio. The board will release its conclusions to the due diligence report by April 26 and will seek shareholder approval for its proposals at a not-yet-announced extraordinary general meeting. 

Sphere Entertainment dropped 10.7% to $41.80 this week. On Monday, after Seaport Global downgraded Sphere Entertainment to neutral from a buy rating on growth concerns, the company’s share price dropped 3.8% to $45.00. The stock dropped another 5.3% on Friday despite no news or regulatory filings. U2’s 40-show residency wrapped up on Mar. 2, and the band led Billboard’s Boxscore in February with a $56.5 million ross from 10 concerts. Rock band Phish will perform a four-show run at the Sphere in Las Vegas from April 18-21. 

Believe shares dropped 9.8% to 14.88 euros ($15.88) after Warner Music Group announced on Sunday it would not bid on the Paris-listed company. Back on Mar. 7, WMG revealed its interest in acquiring Believe and stated it would pay “at least” 17 euros per share, an amount well above the 15.00 euros ($16.01) per share offer by a CEO-led consortium. Investors immediately bet WMG’s effort would prevail by bidding up Believe shares to nearly 17 euros. From Mar. 28 to April 2, Believe was trading as high as $16.92 and closed above 16.50 euros from Mar. 25 to April 5. With WMG out of the picture, the consortium’s initial offer of 15 euros per share is the new ceiling. 

The index’s most valuable companies had relatively mild declines. Universal Music Group fell 2.0% to 27.04 euros ($28.85) and Spotify dropped 3.2% to $300.53. Live Nation lost 2.4% to $100.99. CTS Eventim fell 3.8% to 82.00 euros ($87.50). HYBE declined 4.9% to 213,000 won ($154.28). After deciding not to pursue Believe, Warner Music Group bucked the trend by rising 0.3% to $33.44. 

Quarterly earnings reports will give stocks a chance to rebound in the coming weeks. Of the release dates announced thus far, Spotify is first out of the gate on April 23 followed by Believe on April 24, Deezer on April 29, SiriusXM on April 30, Universal Music Group on May 2 and Warner Music Group on May 9.

12 Apr 2024

 Doja Cat, Lana Del Rey, Tyler the Creator & More at Coachella This Weekend | Billboard News

Coachella takes LA by storm this weekend, with headliners like Lana Del Rey, Doja Cat and Tyler the Creator taking the stage and many more exciting artists playing at the iconic desert festival. Here’s all the artists and parties you should look out for during the year’s hottest music festival.

Tetris Kelly:

The desert is open for business and with weekend one of Coachella kicking off, we’re telling you what you can expect from one of music’s biggest weekends. Doja Cat, Tyler the Creator and Lana Del Rey are the weekend’s headliners with a special super hyped appearance by No Doubt. But the excitement doesn’t stop there. Latin music is bigger than ever at the fest with Peso Pluma taking the stage and we hear J Balvin has an epic set on the way. We can’t wait for the weekend surprises. We’ll also be at all the biggest parties hanging out at Revolve Fest kicking it with Celsius, Neon Carnival and so much more. Thank you Saweetie. Our full recap will be out on Monday.

12 Apr 2024

Emilee Moore Opens Up About the Heartbreak That Inspired Coachella Billboard Performance & New Single ‘Hanging On’

For Coachella attendees, even driving to the festival is fun. Leading up to Palm Springs, Calif., drivers can enjoy a line of creative billboards promoting various products, songs and festival performances along the freeway.

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Emilee Moore, however, wanted to take it a step further following the release of her unifying new track, “Hanging On,” which perfectly captures how tough moving on is after a heartbreak. “I wanted to do the most epic, grand thing for this song, and Coachella was just around the corner,” she tells Billboard. “I thought, billboards are so related to Coachella, and that would be a perfect place to perform. Not only are we catching people who love music, but we also might reach some people who are escaping their heartbreak for the weekend and going to a festival to not think about an ex.”

For the singer-songwriter, there’s nothing better than a sign from the universe — so why not show other heartbroken music lovers a literal sign? “When I was going through my worst experience with heartbreak, I was always looking for a sign and I would find meaning in literally everything I could because I just wanted to feel less alone and feel understood,” she says. “I really just wanted to make a literal sign where it’s like, ‘This is your sign. You’re not alone in those feelings.’”

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The billboard also features a personal connection between Moore and her devoted fan base. Leading up to the project, she asked her fans to send her objects that keep them fittingly “hanging on” to a past relationship, and she received everything from love letters and jewelry to t-shirts and small trinkets. “There’s so much history to these objects,” she gushes, getting visibly emotional. “I have chills even thinking of it.”

Moore then teamed up with an engineer to create a heart on the billboard comprised of photos of the fan-sent objects. “It just allowed me to have a further connection with them,” she says of the billboard and her fans. “It felt so powerful and impactful.”

However, the billboard is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Moore’s “connection” with her fanbase. Many of them have been following her since the beginning of her career, and her Instagram comments section is full of personal stories and a feeling of safety in the singer’s music. How did she grow so close with her fans so quickly? “Vulnerability,” she says, “I always try to be as open as possible and I really try to express things that people are afraid to talk about so that I can validate those feelings for people. Then, they’re willing to open up to you and they’re willing to connect with you on a deeper level.”

She continues, “I guess the biggest thing for me is anytime I’m trying to think of what I want to do for a release or on my social platform, I take it back to my younger, heartbroken self and I think about what I needed in those moments and I try to create that on my page. If you look on my Instagram, for example, you’ll see a lot of movie scenes, you’ll see heartbreak quotes and those are not random, but they’re very specific to my experience and heartbreak and when I would see those growing up, I would feel less alone.”

As for advice for her fans if they’re “Hanging On” to heartbreak, Moore says to take the time to heal. “Let yourself feel, and not push away the feelings because they’re too painful,” she shares. “Let it hit you and you let it wash over you like a wave in those moments and then you can start to heal little by little. There’s no rush. It’s not a race. You don’t have to move on at the same pace your friends are or other people in your life. It’s you and your heart and only you can heal in the right timing.”

12 Apr 2024

We Break Down Every Sneak Diss on Future & Metro Boomin’s ‘We Still Don’t Trust You’

Future: “Don’t you know? Don’t you know?/This life is amazin’, special occasions, we smoke n—as like packs/We roll n—as like…we cook n—as like crack, givin’ it back/So many ties, right or wrong, down for the guys (Swerve)/We ready to ride, dawg, whenever it’s time (Whenever)/However we gotta play it, we can’t be in the blind (Never in the blind)/It’s gon’ seem complicated to you if you not one of mine (Not one of mine)”

Future: “Ain’t goin’ against my mans to f—k on his b—h, I’m gon’ f—k up these bands/Got too many options, they meet my demand, my team, we done spinned/You went against the gang, you read what I’m saying, it’s out of my hands”

These issues with Drake seem to be deeper than rap. I’m not sure if this all stems back to the now infamous “tweeters and deleters” Instagram Story from the Canadian rapper. Future takes the “If Metro doesn’t trust you, I’m going to shoot you” slogan to heart, acknowledging all the moving parts and mutual relationships that are going to be tested.

A couples scenes come to mind.

First, there’s this scene from the first Godfather where Michael is in a garage testing out the gun Clemenza set up for him and Clemenza is explaining to him why this tug of war for power is necessary for getting rid of the bad blood every five to 10 years.

This scene applies to the Big 3 in Drake, Kendrick, and J. Cole, but I’ll also throw Future in the mix who clearly feels he’s the odd man out of this equation. Every few years or so, rap has to go through a power struggle. We’ve seen this movie before throughout the genres history, whether it be Boogie Down Productions versus the Juice Crew or Roc-A-Fella versus the Ruff Ryders, and Nas and Queensbridge.

Then there’s the scene from The Wire where Slim Charles is telling Avon they’ve come too far to stop fighting now. This applies to the lines: “So many ties, right or wrong, down for the guys/We ready to ride, dawg, whenever it’s time” and “You went against the gang, you read what I’m saying, it’s out of my hands.”

Like Slim says, “Once you in it, you in it. If it’s a lie, then we fight on that lie, but we gotta fight.” This clip applies to some of the things said on “Nobody Knows My Struggle” as well.

12 Apr 2024

Danna Paola’s ‘Childstar’ Album & More: Which Is Your Favorite New Latin Music Release This Week? Vote!

This week, Billboard’s New Music Latin roundup and playlist — curated by Billboard Latin and Billboard Español editors — feature fresh new releases from artists such as Danna Paola, Víctor Manuelle, TINI, and more.

Mexican songstress Danna Paola kicks off a new era in her career with CHILDSTAR, an album that showcases a departure from her signature pop-urban sound that catapulted her to stardom. On this new set, she places all bets on an edgier sound powered by a synth-pop “fantasy,” as she describes it.

Meanwhile, TINI delivers her most personal and introspective album yet with un mechón de pelo. “Taking my time to release this very intimate project was important in allowing me to express all the feelings and emotions I was bottling up,” the Argentine star said about the project in a statement. “I am extremely excited to share this album. I hope that in some way it can accompany listeners through their dark moments and encourage them to share their truths when the time is right, because in the end…that’s what life is all about, and it’s never too late.”

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Regional Mexican star Joss Favela and rapper Gera MX team up for “Cuando Llegue El Día,” a bolero-rap fusion that contemplates life’s fleetingness and the surety of death. Other new releases include Los Mesoneros and Caloncho’s, “Nuestro Año” and Víctor Manuelle’s riveting Retromántico set, which includes collabs with Tito Nieves, Johnny Rivera and Gilberto Santa Rosa. 

Which is your favorite new Latin music release of this week? Vote below!