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12 Mar 2024

Music Monitoring Service MonitorLATINO Expands to Spain

Music monitoring company MonitorLATINO has expanded its services to Spain, giving the music community in the country “access to a platform with advice, data and accurate song playback information on radio and digital platforms,” according to a press release.

Founded more than 20 years ago in the United States, the reputable music industry firm — which is aligned with market trends and contributes to the growth of music and local artists — covers 19 countries in Latin America including Mexico, The Dominican Republic, Colombia, Argentina, Panama, Peru and Nicaragua.

Now, monitorLATINO has taken its music monitoring and strategic tools to the European country.

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The monitorLATINO charts in Spain, which are updated weekly, are based on what’s consumed locally, including at 75 key radio stations. This week, for example, Feid and ATL Jacob’s “Luna”; Emilia and TINI‘s “La Original Mp3”; and Ana Mena’s viral “Madrid City” are among the top three songs in the country.

“In this era of musical globalization, where geographical barriers are fading thanks to digitalization, monitorLATINO is positioned as a catalyst for change and progress, continuously adapting to trends,” said Juan Carlos Hidalgo, CEO of monitorLATINO, in a statement. “The expansion to Spain is a response to the need for tools and analytics that drive the success of artists and music professionals in an increasingly interconnected marketplace.”

With its expertise in radio, music and events, monitorLATINO has more than 3,000 active users. Most of its clients are record labels, radio stations, event promoters and independent artists who want to know how their songs are performing on the radio and digital platforms.

12 Mar 2024

Which Song on Ariana Grande’s New Album ‘Eternal Sunshine’ Is Your Favorite? Vote!

It’s been a few days since Ariana Grande released what is already one of the year’s most acclaimed albums, Eternal Sunshine, on March 8, meaning fans have had ample time to pick their favorite song on the project.

Marking the pop star’s seventh studio record, the 13-track, Max Martin-produced LP is just 35 minutes long. Even so, Grande was able to deliver one of her most rich, vulnerable bodies of work to date, jam-packed with gut-punch lyrics about love lost and found that will have you crying and dancing at the same time.

As hinted at by the title, the new effort is partially a concept album inspired by Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet’s classic 2004 sci-fi romantic drama Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. In the music video for “We Can’t Be Friends” — the Victorious alum’s second single this cycle, following the Billboard Hot 100-topping “Yes, And?” — the singer puts her own spin on the film’s premise, undergoing brain surgery to remove all memories, both good and bad, of her former love.

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From songs about the end stages of a broken relationship (possibly shedding light on Grande’s split from ex-husband Dalton Gomez) to finding new, cosmos-disrupting love in the face of pain (ahem, Ethan Slater), the undercurrent of Eternal Sunshine is self-love driven by brutal honesty, growth and holding dear one’s own worth. Billboard has already revealed our favorite tracks — see the official ranking here — but now, it’s your turn to decide.

Cast a vote for your favorite song on the album below.

12 Mar 2024

Saigon Let’s The Choppa Spray On Diddy, Says He Is “Glad They Got His A** Up Outta Here”

HipHopWired Featured Video

Saigon Rips Diddy On X, Blames Him For Hip-Hop's Downfall

Source: Paul Hawthorne / Getty / Saigon

Remember Saigon? Well, he isn’t biting his tongue in regards to the embattled Bad Boy CEO Diddy

Spotted on HipHopDX, Saigon hopped on X, formerly Twitter, to blame Diddy for ruining Hip-Hop and being responsible for the music genre’s now penchant for being all about money.

In his post, the rapper/actor wrote, “This negro Puffy flipped Hip-Hop culture into all about worshipping nothing but $$$… Thats why Im kinda glad they got his a** up outta here.”

He continued, “Go look at the content in Hip-Hop music before that ‘All About The Benjamins’ song … Creativity mattered.”

Damn, tell us how you really feel.

This is not the first time Saigon had something to say about Diddy. Immediately following Diddy being hit with rape and sexual assault accusations, the “Pain in My Life” rapper commented on the matter writing on X:

“Daaamn…. Who thinks Diddy Did It ???? I told myself years ago if fame and money comes with all this type of ish, they can KEEP it.”

“I stepped away from all this shit to raise my babies and I dont regret ONE second of it.”

Saigon Has No Love For Diddy

Saigon also called out the mogul for pushing alcohol in his music. Diddy is no longer in business with Diageo after the two companies settled their dispute, which led to parting ways with Ciroc and DeLeon Tequila.

“Nobody cares about your music career so now you’re pushing vodka… Ciroc Boys. Every popular rapper you go ‘hold on you need your marketing? We’ll pay for your marketing if you just promote this vodka.’

“Poison, shit that’s killing us and n-ggas do it that’s why Rick Ross is big. That’s why every Rick Ross video you see, before he even comes on you see a bottle of Ciroc pass by the screen.”

We wonder if he feels the same way about all of the other rappers whose names are attached to alcohol brands.

12 Mar 2024

Saigon Let’s The Choppa Spray On Diddy, Says He Is “Glad They Got His A** Up Outta Here”

HipHopWired Featured Video

Saigon Rips Diddy On X, Blames Him For Hip-Hop's Downfall

Source: Paul Hawthorne / Getty / Saigon

Remember Saigon? Well, he isn’t biting his tongue in regards to the embattled Bad Boy CEO Diddy

Spotted on HipHopDX, Saigon hopped on X, formerly Twitter, to blame Diddy for ruining Hip-Hop and being responsible for the music genre’s now penchant for being all about money.

In his post, the rapper/actor wrote, “This negro Puffy flipped Hip-Hop culture into all about worshipping nothing but $$$… Thats why Im kinda glad they got his a** up outta here.”

He continued, “Go look at the content in Hip-Hop music before that ‘All About The Benjamins’ song … Creativity mattered.”

Damn, tell us how you really feel.

This is not the first time Saigon had something to say about Diddy. Immediately following Diddy being hit with rape and sexual assault accusations, the “Pain in My Life” rapper commented on the matter writing on X:

“Daaamn…. Who thinks Diddy Did It ???? I told myself years ago if fame and money comes with all this type of ish, they can KEEP it.”

“I stepped away from all this shit to raise my babies and I dont regret ONE second of it.”

Saigon Has No Love For Diddy

Saigon also called out the mogul for pushing alcohol in his music. Diddy is no longer in business with Diageo after the two companies settled their dispute, which led to parting ways with Ciroc and DeLeon Tequila.

“Nobody cares about your music career so now you’re pushing vodka… Ciroc Boys. Every popular rapper you go ‘hold on you need your marketing? We’ll pay for your marketing if you just promote this vodka.’

“Poison, shit that’s killing us and n-ggas do it that’s why Rick Ross is big. That’s why every Rick Ross video you see, before he even comes on you see a bottle of Ciroc pass by the screen.”

We wonder if he feels the same way about all of the other rappers whose names are attached to alcohol brands.

12 Mar 2024

Here’s What Ayesha Curry Had to Say About Drake’s Lyric About Her

Ayesha Curry got her own line in Drake’s 2021 album, Certified Lover Boy, and she shared her thoughts about it in a recent episode of Watch What Happens Live.

“I think I was dumbfounded,” the cookbook author and wife of NBA star Stephen Curry told host Andy Cohen of the “Race My Mind” line, in which Drizzy raps, “How I’m supposed to wife it?/ You not Ayesha enough.”

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She continued, “That’s our family, so I think I was appreciative that they respect me so much that they think I’m a great wife.”

Upon its release in 2021, Drake’s Certified Lover Boy blasted to the top of the Billboard 200 albums chart. He also notched 21 songs on the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, with “Race My Mind” debuting at No. 18. In the 63-year history of the Hot 100, it marked the second instance of an artist infusing 21 songs in the top 40 simultaneously, with both frames belonging to Drake. He first charted 21 titles on the Hot 100 dated July 14, 2018, concurrent with the chart arrival of his LP Scorpion (with 20 of the 21 entries that week from that set).

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See the moment with Ayesha Curry below.

12 Mar 2024

Drake Wants Out of Astroworld Lawsuits, Arguing He Was ‘Not Involved In Any Planning’

Drake is pushing to be dismissed from the sprawling litigation over the 2021 disaster at Travis Scott‘s Astroworld festival, arguing that he had nothing to do with planning the deadly event and can’t be sued for simply showing up for a brief guest appearance.

More than 2,500 people have sued over the 2021 Astroworld event during which a crowd of fans rushed toward the stage during Scott’s Nov. 5 performance, leaving 10 dead and hundreds injured. Though the lawsuits mainly target Scott, Live Nation and other organizers, Drake was also named as a defendant in some cases because he appeared on stage during Scott’s deadly performance.

But in a motion filed Friday (Mar. 8) in Houston court, attorneys for Drake (real name Aubrey Drake Graham) argued that the star should not be involved in the case at all. They said he had no involvement in Astroworld beyond being asked to take the stage — and that festival organizers had “confirmed under oath that Mr. Graham was not involved in any planning.”

Trending on Billboard

They also say that Drake was unaware of any safety problems before he took the stage. “Mr. Graham did not receive any security briefings, was not informed of any crowd control issues, injuries or deaths in the crowd, or any stop show orders at any time either before or during his 14-minute performance.”

Instead, they say that Drake merely “arrived at the venue at approximately 7:30 PM and remained largely secluded backstage in a trailer until approximately 9:54 PM,” at which time he was “informed to take the stage.”  The star then “immediately took the stage as requested, performed for approximately 14 minutes, and then exited the stage at 10:08 PM.”

The lawsuits over Astroworld claim that organizers were legally negligent in how they planned and conducted the event, including by failing to provide adequate security and emergency support. The cases, combined into one single large action in Houston, are seeking billions in potential damages. Much of the last two years has been spent in discovery, as the two sides exchange information and take depositions of key figures.

In Friday’s motion, Drake’s lawyers argued that the discovery process had resulted in “hundreds of hours” of depositions and “hundreds of thousands of pages of documents,” but that none of it had established that Drake could be held liable for negligence.

“Plaintiffs produce no evidence that Mr. Graham actually knew of any risk in the Festival site design and layout, competence or adequacy of Festival staffing and personnel, or emergency procedures such as show stop authority,” his lawyers wrote.

The alleged victims, represented by an array of plaintiffs law firms, will have a chance to respond to Drake’s motion in the weeks ahead.

12 Mar 2024

Tracee Ellis Ross Shares That She Used to Intern for Arsenio Hall & More | Billboard Women in Music 2024

Billboard Women in Music host Tracee Ellis Ross shares she used to intern for Arsenio Hall and five things you didn’t know about her backstage at the 2024 Women in Music event.

Tracee Ellis Ross
My name is Tracee Ellis Ross, I’m the host this evening. Five things you don’t know about me: One, I love olives. My favorite olive is a green olive — not with a pimiento; with a pit. Couldn’t think of the word. Another thing that you should know about me that other people don’t know that’s very important for you to know about me is I love gum, chewing gum. Very big on chewing gum. I love chewing gum. I eat chewing gum like it’s going out of style. And I like to eat the gum, spit the gum out, stick it somewhere, hopefully in a garbage can. And then eat more gum. It’s a problem. What’s the next thing you should know about me? My favorite of all beverages? Water. What’s the fourth thing you would know about me? Oh, I’m extremely organized. And when I say organized, I mean problematic. And before I was acting, I used to go into companies and organize them. My first job was at a bank. I was organizing files. Oh, I’m sorry, a sixth one. I worked for Arsenio Hall. I interned for Arsenio Hall. Exactly. I was reading scripts. I mean, I didn’t really think I was doing anything but they told me that I was like, you know, helping make sense of things. In all honesty, it was my idea. Right, that’s what people don’t know about. Now you know.

Watch the full video above!

12 Mar 2024

Spring Break Travel Gear: The $20 Earbuds You Need to Buy

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.

The weather is getting nicer, and spring break and festival season are almost here.

And of course, it’ll be more expensive to travel this year than in previous year. With rising travel prices on everything from gas prices to airline tickets, it’s nice to find clever ways to save money however you can.

Whether you plan to travel or stay home for spring break or will be traveling to a music festival this year, earbuds are a great addition to your tech gear. If you don’t have room in the budget for the more expensive, noise-canceling earbuds like Airpods, Bose QuietComfort Earbuds or Beats Power Beats Pro, you can get a decent pair of in-ear headphones for less than $25.

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Spring Break Travel: The $20 Earbuds You Need to Buy

Soundcore by Anker P20i True Wireless Earbuds

$19.99

$24.99

20% off

Soundcore by Anker P20i headphones are a solid choice for budget shoppers, and they’re on sale for $19.99. As one Amazon shopper put it, “They fit perfectly and the sound quality is amazing.”

If you’re looking for earbuds that won’t fall out, these comfortable earbuds are designed to stay put during your commute and your workout. They offer up 30 hours of playtime in the charging case, and 10 hours on a single charge.

The earbuds feature 10mm dynamic drivers to deliver rich, well-balanced sound. Bluetooth 5.3 technology helps ensure a stable connection for clear, skip-free music, and the earbuds are fast charging (10 minutes gets 90 minutes of play time).

These true wireless earbuds are outfitted with AirWings with a hollow, silicone build that deflates and conforms to the shape and size of your ears. The earbuds have an IPX5 waterproof rating, which means that they can handle rain and workout conditions, but they’re not designed for showering or swimming, and you don’t want to wear them in a sauna or a stream room.

You can pair them with your iPhone or Android for a perfectly immersive listening experience, while you travel to your spring break destination.

If you’re looking for earbuds under $20, the Toxo A1 Mini wireless buds are 50% off at Amazon, which drops the price down to $15.29.

Spring Break Travel: The $20 Earbuds You Need to Buy

TOZO A1 Mini Wireless Earbuds Bluetooth 5.3 in Ear Light-Weight Headphones Built-in Microphone

$15.29

$29.99

49% off

Like Soundcoare, Tozo earbuds are equipped with Bluetooth 5.3, sound isolation, noise cancellation and are IPX5-rated, but they offer less battery time (six hours compared to 10 hours; 24 hours in the charing case).

For additional tech recommendations, check out our roundups of the best wired headphones and producer-approved studio headphones.

12 Mar 2024

Over 50% of U.S. Internet Users Now Pay for a Music Streaming Service

A dozen years after Spotify launched in the United States and 18 years into the existence of YouTube, streaming music is so ingrained in Americans’ behavior that 91% of the U.S. internet population used a music streaming service in the last year, according to the 22nd edition of MusicWatch’s U.S. Annual Music Study. 

According to the report, released Monday (Mar. 11), the number of U.S. subscribers to music services such as Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music Unlimited reached 109 million in 2023 — meaning over half of U.S. internet users aged 13 and over now pay for a music streaming service. That number increases to 136 million if SiriusXM and Amazon Prime Music are included. SiriusXM is predominantly a satellite radio service that also has an internet product. Amazon Prime provides music streaming to customers who sign up for Prime for free shipping and other perks. 

In 2012, just 56% of Americans used any type of music streaming service. That number jumped to 69% in 2014 and surpassed the 80% mark in 2018. But 2023 was the first time music streamers surpassed 90% of the internet population. MusicWatch counts music streaming on ad-supported audio platforms such as Spotify and Pandora, paid services such as Apple Music, and video services such as YouTube. For the sake of this survey, short-form video platforms such as TikTok and Instagram Reels are not considered to be music streaming platforms.

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The number of people who stream music has grown even faster than the proportion of the population that does so. In 2012, the U.S. internet population stood at roughly 125 million. By 2023, it had grown by nearly 60 million to 193 million. The way people access the internet has changed over that period. In the early days of the internet, people mostly had a dial-up home internet connection, but over time, home internet access improved while mobile internet usage exploded. 

The prevalence of mobile internet has played an important role in music streaming adoption. Not long ago, MusicWatch principal Russ Crupnick noticed a change in the reasons why people paid for subscription services. Early subscription adopters were heavy users who found value in features such as playlists, connecting to their social networks and recommendations. Then, about five years ago, Crupnick found new subscribers’ reasons for paying a monthly fee started to change. 

More recent adopters of paid music streaming services care more about access, not features, says Crupnick. As more people had smart speakers, bluetooth headphones and in-dash entertainment systems in their cars, it was important for services to offer a seamless listening experience as they moved from place to place. “It just works,” he says of subscribers’ rationale for paying. “It works everywhere that I want and works on all of my devices.”

Per-capita spending on recorded music increased 7% from 2022 as music subscriptions, CDs and vinyl all saw double-digit gains. That improvement came from both organic growth and price inflation, says Crupnick. Music subscription services pushed through a string of price increases after keeping their prices mostly untouched for many years — Apple Music in Oct. 2022, Spotify in July, YouTube Music also in July and Amazon Music in August. 

12 Mar 2024

‘Kung Fu Panda’: Where to Watch the Animated Movie Series Online

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.

Jack Black‘s animated film takeover is continuing as he returns as Po the panda in Kung Fu Panda 4. The actor has been dominating the screen with his viral performance as Bowser in the Super Mario Bros. movie, which landed him on the Billboard Hot 100 for his electric breakout hit “Peaches.”

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And Kung Fu Panda 4 won’t be the last animated film that Black lends his voice to: He’s also planning to join another video game-turned-movie for Minecraft alongside Jason Momoa. Until then, the Jumanji actor will bring Po back to life onscreen as he faces new foes and adventures on his kung fu journey.

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Is Kung Fu Panda 4 Out Now?

Kung Fu Panda 4 premiered in theaters on March 8, and you can still get tickets to the movie to watch the latest film on the big screen.

In the fourth installment, Po (Black) is asked to evolve from the Dragon Warrior to the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace. But, before he can undertake his new responsibilities (and figure out what it means to be a spiritual leader), he must find and train someone else to become the Dragon Warrior. Matters only get more complicated when a mysterious and powerful shapeshifting sorceress, Chameleon (Viola Davis), sets her sights on Po’s staff of wisdom, which would give her the power to summon all of Po’s past villains that he vanquished to the spirit realm.

Other cast members include Awkwafina, Dustin Hoffman, James Hong, Bryan Cranston, Ian McShane and Ke Huy Quan.

Now that all four movies are out, you can check below to see the streaming options for how to watch all three Kung Fu Panda movies online.

How to Watch Kung Fu Panda Movies Online for Free

The Kung Fu Panda movies were distributed by Universal Pictures, which makes Peacock the official streaming platform for the franchise. You can stream Kung Fu Panda, Kung Fu Panda 2 and Kung Fu Panda 3 online through Peacock. If you’re already a Peacock subscriber, you can watch all Kung Fu Panda movies for free when you log into your account.

Don’t have a Peacock subscription? The streaming platform doesn’t offer a free trial, but does have affordable plans starting at $5.99/month or you can save around 17% off with an annual plan starting at $59.99/year. Click here or the button below to start your Peacock subscription.

Peacock has two subscriptions to choose from: the Premium Plan and the Premium Plus plan. The Premium Plan is ad-supported and the cheapest option at $5.99/month. With it, you’ll get access to all the new and hit Peacock, NBC and Bravo content, thousands of hours of movies and TV series, live sports and events and more than 50 live channels.

Peacock’s Premium Plus plan is ad-free for $11.99/month and includes everything in the Premium plans as well as your local NBC channel live 24/7 and the ability to download select titles to watch offline.

Original Peacock, NBC and Bravo content you can look forward to streaming include Mission Impossible, Based on a True Story, America’s Got Talent, Kevin Hart: Reality Check, Love Island, Poker Face, Bel-Air, Poker Face, Yellowstone, The Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip, Vanderpump Rules and more.

How to Watch Kung Fu Panda Movies At Home

If you’d rather own the movies you can buy Kung Fu Panda, Kung Fu Panda 2 and Kung Fu Panda 3 as a set online through Prime Video for 40% off. A Prime membership isn’t required in order to stream the Kung Fu Panda movies online either — once you purchase the films all three will automatically be downloaded to your library to watch at your leisure.

Collectors can also buy the Kung Fu Panda: 3-Movie Collection on DVD to keep on display or watch on your portable DVD player on your travels. Amazon is offering the movie collection for 38% off slashing the price to $12.

How to Watch Every 'Kung Fu Panda' Movie Online for Free

“Kung Fu Panda: 3-Movie Collection” [DVD]

$12.41

$19.98

38% off

You can keep all three movies in one safe case with the Kung Fu Panda: 3-Movie Collection. Inside is three discs as well as bonus content and special features that’ll give you more insight into the making of the films.

Check out the trailer for Kung Fu Panda 4 below.