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14 Aug 2023

BLACKPINK’s Born Pink ‘Encore’ Tour: Where to Buy Tickets Online for Cheap

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BLACKPINK isn’t done touring North American just yet. Rosé, Jisoo, Lisa and Jennie will hit the stage in Las Vegas on Friday (Aug. 18) for an “encore” performance of the Born Pink World Tour.

The group made history last week with sold-out, back-to-back concerts at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

BLACKPINK’s “encore” tour will include upcoming shows in Los Angeles and San Francisco. The extended tour has already made history with BLACKPINK joining Beyoncé and Taylor Swift as the only female acts to sell out back-to-back shows at MetLife.

BLACKPINK will bring the tour to Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Aug. 18, San Francisco’s Oracle Park on Aug. 22 and L.A.’s Dodger Stadium on Aug. 26.

BLINKs can purchase resale tickets on Ticketmaster starting at approximately $121 and there are several tickets priced well below $200. Currently, the cheapest ticket prices that we’ve found start at $90 (for the Las Vegas concert) but most around closer to $117-$145 on Vivid Seats, StubHub and Seat Geek. The more expensive seats, located closer to the stage, are priced around $400-$1,200 depending on the date.

BLACKPINK Born Pink Encore World Tour Tickets

$from $90

BLACKPINK’s North American extended tour run will once again end in Los Angeles, but this time at Dodger Stadium. Last year, the group ended the North American tour with two, back-to-back shows at the Banc of California Stadium.

It’s been a great year for BLACKPINK as the group celebrates its seventh anniversary and other milestones like headlining Coachella in April. The Born Pink tour launched last October in Seoul, South Korea. The tour made stops in London, Paris, Copenhagen, Barcelona, Amsterdam and other cities around the glob.

Want more BLACKPINK? Read our roundup of affordable (and adorable) gifts for BLINKs.

14 Aug 2023

Going to Karol G’s Mañana Sera Bonito Stadium Tour? Here’s the Full Setlist

Karol G kicked off her first-ever stadium tour at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas last week on Thursday (Aug. 10).

The Colombian artist — who will continue the 15-date trek at the RoseBowl in Pasadena, Calif. tonight (Aug. 14) — performed nearly 30 of her biggest hits from her albums Ocean, KG0515, Mañana Será Bonito, and the recently-released Mañana Será Bonito (Bichota Season).

She kicked off the night with the Shakira-assisted “TQG,” which hit No. 1 on the Hot Latin Songs, Latin Airplay, Latin Rhythm Airplay, Billboard Global 200, and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts, followed by notable reggaeton bangers including “Mi Cama,” “Bichota,” “El Makinon,” and “Amargura,” to name a few.

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The Mañana Será Bonito stadium tour will visit key cities such as Miami, Houston and New York, and follows the artist’s history-making Lollapalooza performance as the first female Latin act to headline the festival in more than 30 years.

The Live Nation-produced tour also counts with special guests Young Miko, Bad Gyal, and DJ Agudelo888, who will be opening Karol’s shows on different occasions.

Last year, Karol’s arena $trip Love Tour became the highest grossing U.S. tour by a Latin woman in history, grossing $69.9 million across 33 shows in North America, according to numbers reported to Billboard Boxscore.

Karol G

Karol G

Alive Coverage

See the full setlist of Karol G’s opening night, below:

  • “TQG”
  • “Besties”
  • “Mi Cama”
  • “El Barco”
  • “X Si Volvemos”
  • “Tusa”
  • “Amargura”
  • “Bichotag”
  • “Oki Doki”
  • “Una Noche en Medellín”
  • “Sejodioto”
  • “Punto G”
  • “Bichota”
  • “El Makinon”
  • “Carolina”
  • “Gatúbela”
  • “Mercurio”
  • “Gucci Los Paños”
  • “200 Copas”
  • “Kármika”
  • “Ojos Ferrari”
  • “Cairo”
  • “Tus Gafitas”
  • “Mientras Me Curo del Cora”
  • “MAMIII”
  • “S91”
  • “Amargura”
  • “Mi Ex Tenía Razón”
  • “Provenza / Provenza (Tiesto Remix)”

14 Aug 2023

Drake Brings Out Bad Bunny During Los Angeles Concert to Announce New Collab

A new Drake and Bad Bunny collaboration is on the horizon. During the “Jumbotron S–t Poppin” rapper’s Sunday night (Aug. 13) concert in Inglewood, Calif., he brought up Bunny for a special announcement during his set, much to the delight of concert attendees.

“I wanna tell y’all something, because y’all are L.A. and we love you,” Drake told the crowd during a brief break between songs. “It’s been like six years since me and Benito did a song, so we got a song coming for y’all on my album and it’s real.” Billboard has reached out to Drake and Bad Bunny’s representatives for comment and any additional information.

The rappers last worked together on their collaborative track “Mía,” which was released in 2018. The song marked a few feats for each artist: “Mía” peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became Bunny’s first top 10 single as a lead artist; and the single marked Drake’s 26th top 10 on the chart. The song also marked the first time Drake sang entirely in Spanish on a track. The new track (the title of which is unknown) will appear on Drake’s forthcoming studio album, For All the Dogs (release date TBD).

Elsewhere during Drake’s concert, Bad Bunny made headlines for attending the show alongside Kendall Jenner and packing on PDA during the show. The couple went to the concert with Jenner’s older sister, Kim Kardashian.

See video footage from Drake announcing his new Bad Bunny collaboration below.

14 Aug 2023

Here’s Why Fans Think Ed Sheeran Is Teasing New Music With Cryptic ‘Autumn Is Coming’ Messages

Ed Sheeran can’t stop reminding fans: “autumn is coming.” And while it’s certainly possible that the pop superstar is just really, really passionate about the fall season, Sheerios are pretty sure that he’s actually teasing the arrival of a new project.

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Let’s back up. Sheeran has been cryptically dropping the phrase “autumn is coming” for a couple weeks now, using it to caption a number of Instagram photos and videos. Funnily enough, one of the pictures was a meme of the musician standing in front of a fall landscape, with all of the leaves replaced with hundreds of pictures of him and his ginger hair.

Then, on Sunday (Aug. 13), the “Bad Habits” singer shared a montage of clips from his time in Minneapolis, where he recently broke U.S. Bank Stadium’s attendance record with his Mathematics Tour. In the caption, he wrote: “Had an absolute blast. Left some clues around the stadium about autumn coming. Did you know autumn is coming?”

While in Minneapolis, Sheeran also worked a shift at the Lego store in Mall of America, where he sang a surprise performance of his 2013 hit “Lego House.” He also passed out his own custom Lego figurine, which wears a shirt reading — you guessed it — “Autumn is coming.”

But that’s not all. Fans also noticed that at his Aug. 5 Kansas City show, Sheeran sported a jersey emblazoned with the number 9 and, in place of his last name, “Autumn.” Then, one week later, at his Minneapolis show, he wore a jersey with the number 29, this time printed with the word “Variations.”

With the potential clues in place, fans online are trying to connect the dots. “Autumn Variations?” theorized one fan on Twitter. “Autumn is coming! 9/29, 29/9 aka September 29?”

“I’m throwing this out there now that Autumn Variations is coming on September 29 based on the clues given by Ed this weekend in Minneapolis,” tweeted another fan.

If fans are correct and Ed’s unconfirmed next album does come out this fall, it’ll be his second LP to drop this year. In May, he released Subtract (stylized “–“), which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200.

See what Sheerios are making of Ed Sheeran’s “autumn is coming” mantra below:

14 Aug 2023

Morgan Wallen’s ‘Last Night’ Claims 16th Week Atop Hot 100, the Most Ever for a Non-Collaboration

Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” adds a 16th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart. The song breaks out of a tie with Harry Styles’ “As It Was” for the sole longest No. 1 run for a non-collaboration, while overall tying for the second-longest reign in the Hot 100’s 65-year history.

Plus, SZA’s “Snooze” jumps from No. 15 to No. 10 on the Hot 100, becoming her eighth career top 10, and the fifth on her album SOS.

The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data, the lattermost metric reflecting purchases of physical singles and digital tracks from full-service digital music retailers; digital singles sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites are excluded from chart calculations. All charts (dated Aug. 19, 2023) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Aug. 15). For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.

Wallen’s “Last Night,” released on Big Loud/Mercury/Republic Records, drew 59.6 million radio airplay audience impressions (down 11%) and 26.3 million streams (down 2%) and sold 5,000 downloads (down 22%) in the Aug. 4-10 tracking week, according to Luminate.

As “Last Night” leads the Hot 100 for a 16th week, it surpasses Harry Styles’ “As It Was,” from 2022, for the longest command ever for a song by an act with no accompanying artists.

Among all songs, “Last Night” matches the second-longest rule in the Hot 100’s history, which dates to the chart’s Aug. 4, 1958, inception.

Longest-Leading Billboard Hot 100 No. 1s:

  • 19, “Old Town Road,” Lil Nas X feat. Billy Ray Cyrus, beginning April 13, 2019
  • 16 (to date), “Last Night,” Morgan Wallen, March 18, 2023
  • 16, “Despacito,” Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee feat. Justin Bieber, May 27, 2017
  • 16, “One Sweet Day,” Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men, Dec. 2, 1995
  • 15, “As It Was,” Harry Styles, April 16, 2022
  • 14, “Uptown Funk!,” Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars, Jan. 17, 2015
  • 14, “I Gotta Feeling,” The Black Eyed Peas, July 11, 2009
  • 14, “We Belong Together,” Mariah Carey, June 4, 2005
  • 14, “Candle in the Wind 1997”/“Something About the Way You Look Tonight,” Elton John, Oct. 11, 1997
  • 14, “Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix),” Los Del Rio, Aug. 3, 1996
  • 14, “I’ll Make Love to You,” Boyz II Men, Aug. 27, 1994
  • 14, “I Will Always Love You,” Whitney Houston, Nov. 28, 1992

“Last Night” also passes “As It Was” for the longest No. 1 Hot 100 stay of the 2020s so far. Here’s an updated look at the longest-leading hits each decade (with songs, on average, having logged longer No. 1 runs since Luminate data began contributing to the chart in late 1991).

Longest-Leading Billboard Hot 100 No. 1s by Decade:

  • 2020s: 16 weeks (to date), “Last Night,” 2023
  • 2010s: 19 weeks, “Old Town Road,” Lil Nas X feat. Billy Ray Cyrus, 2019
  • 2000s: 14 weeks, “I Gotta Feeling,” The Black Eyed Peas, 2009 / “We Belong Together,” Mariah Carey, 2005
  • 1990s: 16 weeks, “One Sweet Day,” Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men, 1995-96
  • 1980s: 10 weeks, “Physical,” Olivia Newton-John, 1981-82
  • 1970s: 10 weeks, “You Light Up My Life,” Debby Boone, 1977
  • 1960s: 9 weeks, “Hey Jude,” The Beatles, 1968 / “The Theme From A Summer Place,” Percy Faith and His Orchestra, 1960
  • 1950s: 9 weeks, “Mack the Knife,” Bobby Darin, 1959

“Last Night” first led the Hot 100 in March, becoming Wallen’s initial No. 1 on the chart, and has logged a record-tying five distinct stays on top: March 18; April 15-22; May 6-July 8; July 22; and Aug. 12-19.

The song rebounds to No. 1, from No. 3, for an 18th week atop the Streaming Songs chart; rises 7-4 following a week atop Digital Song Sales; and dips 4-6, after reaching No. 2, on Radio Songs.

The single also tops Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, which employs the same multi-metric methodology as the Hot 100, for a 25th week, the sole fourth-longest domination since the chart became an all-encompassing genre ranking in 1958; Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line’s “Meant to Be” spent a record 50 weeks at No. 1 in 2017-18.

“Last Night,” which crowned the Country Airplay chart for eight weeks and crossed over to No. 5 peaks on both Pop Airplay and Adult Pop Airplay, additionally claims an 11th week atop Billboard’s Songs of the Summer chart, having led each week since the list returned. (Meanwhile over the weekend, Wallen made news for his hairstyle change. Mull it over here.)

Luke Combs’ cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” notches a fifth week at its No. 2 Hot 100 high.

Notably, after topping Country Airplay for five weeks, “Fast Car” leads Adult Pop Airplay for a second frame and becomes Combs’ first top 10 on Pop Airplay (12-10). It’s the first song by a lead solo male to have hit No. 1 on both Country Airplay and Adult Pop Airplay and reached the Pop Airplay top 10; among all acts, four songs previously achieved the feat, as it follows Gabby Barrett’s “I Hope” (featuring Charlie Puth on its pop remix; 2020); “Meant To Be” (2018); Lady A’s “Need You Now” (2009-10); and Faith Hill’s “Breathe” (1999-2000).

Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” pushes to a new No. 3 Hot 100 high, from No. 4, four years after its release on her 2019 album Lover, as it’s now being promoted as a single, while she has been performing the song on her The Eras Tour. It likewise climbs to new No. 3 bests on both Radio Songs (68.1 million, up 6%) and Digital Song Sales (7,000, up 85%), while rebounding 19-5, also a new highpoint, on Streaming Songs (18.2 million, up 14%), as it wins the Hot 100’s Sales and Streaming Gainer awards.

Rema and Selena Gomez’s “Calm Down” ascends 6-4 on the Hot 100, after reaching No. 3, as it posts an eighth week atop Radio Songs (88 million, down 1%). It tops the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart for a  milestone 50th week, extending the longest reign since the ranking began over a year ago.

Gunna’s “Fukumean” lifts 7-5 on the Hot 100, after hitting No. 4, while ruling the multi-metric Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts for a fourth week each.

Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire” rises 9-6 on the Hot 100, five weeks after it debuted as her third No. 1; Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night” twirls 10-7 for a new high; Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice’s “Barbie World,” with Aqua, holds at No. 8, after reaching No. 7, as it takes top Airplay Gainer honors (26.1 million, up 54%); and Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” returns to the top 10 (12-9), after it led for eight weeks beginning in January.

Rounding out the Hot 100’s top 10, SZA’s “Snooze” surges 15-10, with 61.9 million in radio reach and 1,000 sold (each sum essentially even week-over-week) and 10.4 million streams (down 1%).

The song is SZA’s eighth career Hot 100 top 10 and the fifth on her album SOS, after “Kill Bill,” which led for a week in April, marking her first No. 1; “Nobody Gets Me” (No. 10, December 2022, concurrent with the set’s launch atop the Billboard 200 albums chart); “I Hate U” (No. 7, December 2021); and “Good Days” (No. 9, February 2021).

SZA has also hit the Hot 100’s top 10 as featured on Doja Cat’s “Kiss Me More” (No. 3, July 2021); with Kendrick Lamar on “All the Stars” (No. 7, March 2018); and as featured on Maroon 5’s “What Lovers Do” (No. 9, November 2017).

Meanwhile, Babyface is one of the co-writers and co-producers of “Snooze.” The legendary talent, who has notched five Hot 100 top 10s as a recording artist and first reached the region in the 1980s, places in the top 10 as a writer for the first time since Drake’s “Fair Trade,” featuring Travis Scott, hit No. 3 in September 2021. “Fair Trade” samples Charlotte Day Wilson’s 2019 single “Mountains,” which Babyface co-wrote.

Apart from samples, Babyface appears in the Hot 100’s top 10 with a newly composed song for the first time since P!nk’s “Most Girls,” which he produced and co-wrote, hit No. 4 in November 2000. (That also marked his last top 10 rank as a producer until “Snooze.”)

Again, for all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram and all charts (dated Aug. 19), including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh on Billboard.com tomorrow (Aug. 15).

Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.

14 Aug 2023

Samsung’s Curved Monitor ‘Brings Videos to Life’ & Is Currently 32% Off on Amazon

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.

If you work from home and/or are an avid gamer, the tech you use can impact how you get your work done. New tech isn’t cheap though, and you don’t always have a spare $200 to drop on a new computer monitor or laptop. Thankfully, there’s an Amazon deal on a new Samsung monitor you’ll want to race over to. The Samsung Curved Monitor is currently 32% off marking it down to $149.99 (regularly $219.99).

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Unlike traditional computer monitors, this curved design will help give you a wider view of graphics using a panoramic screen design. Gamers can enjoy a more immersive experience as the screen aims to curve around you. One reviewer even went as far as to say the digital display “brings videos to life” it’s so crisp.

Keep reading to shop the Samsung monitor deal below.

black curved monitor with screen saver

Amazon

Samsung Curved Computer Monitor

$149.99 $219.99 32% OFF

Save 32% on the Samsung Curved Computer Monitor and enjoy features such as a 27-inch screen that provides a panoramic view. It comes with “eye saver mode,” which will help reduce blue light emission and is made with a 3000:1 contrast ratio to bring you deep black and bright white shades when relevant. Looking to save energy? The model includes energy-saving mode to reduce how much output you’re using in a sitting.

Amazon has also given it a 4.6-star rating with over 15,000 shoppers rating it five-stars. One shopper has even described their gaming experience as “immaculate” since incorporating it into their computer setup as the video display is that good.

For more product recommendations, check out our roundups of the best speakers, Xbox deals and over-ear headphones.

14 Aug 2023

Chuck D Calls on Eric Adams to ‘Free Kidd Creole’ During Public Enemy’s Hip-Hop 50 Bronx Concert

New York City was popping over the weekend with #HipHop50 concerts and parties celebrating the NYC-spawned art form that began at DIY parties in housing projects and has grown into the most popular genre of music in America.

While Friday (Aug. 11) night’s Yankee Stadium concert featuring A-listers and neglected genre pioneers understandably got the most shine, ITSALLBLACKMUSIC’s 5X5 Block Party series ensured that each borough’s role in hip-hop’s evolution was honored, too. On Saturday (Aug. 12) at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx, luminaries from Public Enemy to KRS-One to Talib Kweli made damn sure the birthplace of hip-hop was rocking for the genre’s 50th anniversary.

Chuck D was listed on flyers as one of the Bronx concert’s headliners, but with Flavor Flav joining him on stage, Public Enemy was in full effect outside the residential building that hosted a storied breakbeat-heavy set in a rec room by DJ Kool Herc on Aug. 11, 1973. (That party, put on by Herc and his sister Cindy Campbell, is one of many key events in the genre’s genesis, but for purposes of the global #HipHop50 celebrations, their party at 1520 Sedgwick is the reason Aug. 11 is celebrated as birthday of hip-hop.)

Unapologetic as always, Chuck D said Public Enemy was offered a spot at the all-star Yankee Stadium concert but turned it down when KRS-One asked the group to make sure the Bronx birthplace got its dues on the anniversary. “F—k Yankee Stadium,” Chuck D concluded.

In between classic cuts like “Bring the Noise,” “911 Is a Joke” and “Fight the Power” (which still pack a wallop thanks to Chuck and Flav’s runaway-train energy), Chuck D demonstrated to the audience — a cross-generational swath of current residents, former locals trading tales of the not-necessarily-so-good-old-days and younger fans who needed Google Maps just to find the spot — that PE remains as politically outspoken as ever.

Chuck asked people to take out their phones, then reminded everyone that phones can be used to track your location and store data about you. He also shouted out imprisoned hip-hop pioneer Kidd Creole of Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five (not to be confused with the lead singer of Kid Creole and the Coconuts, another Bronx legend) and claimed the retired rapper, whose real name is Nathaniel Glover, was “railroaded” by the system.

“Free Kidd Creole,” Chuck said, adding that “someone needs to talk to [NYC Mayor] Eric Adams” about the situation.

In April 2022, Glover was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 16 years in prison for stabbing a homeless man, who later died in a hospital, in 2017. Glover’s attorney argued the stabbing was in self-defense, alleging Glover felt threatened after the man approached him around midnight in midtown Manhattan.

14 Aug 2023

8 Must-Hear New Country Songs: Carly Pearce, Cody Johnson, HunterGirl & More

This week in country: Carly Pearce offers up a tribute to the genre, Cody Johnson honors a life-changing, steadfast love, Carrie Underwood sees what’s good — and what’s missing — in an ex’s new relationship, and HunterGirl elevates a career-surging story.

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Meanwhile, O.N.E the Duo bring sass and substance to their new release and Ingrid Andress teams with Switchfoot in this week’s batch of new music. Check it all out below.

Carly Pearce, “Country Music Made Me Do It”

“I wear my hair a little too high/ and my heartbreak on my sleeve,” Grammy winner Pearce declares on this new release, her warm, dusty voice succinctly wrapping her musical lineage (from Loretta Lynn to Dolly Parton to Barbara Mandrell) into a single verse.

Digging deeper, and working again with Josh Osborne and Shane McAnally, Pearce artfully lays the blame for a litany of life choices on the imprint left on her by decades of country music. Early heartbreaks, flirtations with whiskey, her small town-to-ballgown journey of stardom, divorce and more are laid at the proverbial feet of three chords and the truth.

Since her debut single in 2017, Pearce has forged her commitment to the genre with her twangy vocals, Opry performances, traditionally oriented instrumentation and songs like “Dear Loretta” and “What He Didn’t Do.” With her new release, this CMA female vocalist of the year winner is simply saying it ever more boldly.

Cody Johnson, “The Painter”

Johnson became a CMA Award-winning juggernaut last year with “‘Til You Can’t,” an ode to making the most of every moment and cherishing time with loved ones. Here, he reprises his sentimental tone, offering a glorious ode to a lover who brings a kaleidoscope of colors to his life, someone who “finds the beauty in the thrown away and broken things.”

As with “‘Til You Can’t,” Johnson may not be a writer on this song (that distinction goes to Benjy Davis, Kat Higgins and Ryan Larkins), but he proves yet again that he possesses a keen ear for great song and a standout lyric.

HunterGirl, “Ain’t About You”

“Strumming strings used to feel like breathing/ Now it takes your breath away, counting years and counting reasons it won’t work,” HunterGirl sings, laying dreamy vocals over reverberating chords, elevating the doughty struggle of turning a passion into a viable career.

HunterGirl crafted this song solo, just weeks before her career-pivoting audition for American Idol, in which she earned runner-up status.

William Michael Morgan, “In Walked You”

Morgan first broke through with “I Met a Girl” back in 2015, earning a No. 2 hit on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart. Though subsequent singles failed to replicate that early success and Morgan parted ways with his former label home in 2019, he continues issuing his sterling brand of neo-traditional country. His latest, written by Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne and Ross Copperman, proves a perfect foil for Morgan’s smooth, ’90s country-indebted voice. The softly swinging melody, burnished fiddle and guitar — and gentle meet cute tale of love in a barroom — should excite any fans of George Strait and Alan Jackson.

Carrie Underwood, “Give Her That”

Her ex-lover has moved on to a new relationship, giving his new love roses, love and possibly even a diamond ring — but she knows he’ll never be able to give away the time he previously had with her. Over rippling, R&B-tinged guitar, Underwood sings of cataloging items and moments both simple and profound — an old Lynyrd Skynyrd band shirt, his mama’s necklace. Sonically, this track doesn’t break new ground, but rather fits comfortably within the bounds of her upcoming deluxe version of Denim & Rhinestones, out Sept. 22.

Steep Canyon Rangers, “Recommend Me”

This venerable bluegrass outfit takes inspiration from a literary title (Wiley Cash’s When Ghosts Come Home) on this new song. Vocalist Graham Sharp’s warm, cracked vocals convey a tale of two characters who are committed to one another, no matter what trials they have had to traverse. Atop subdued, shimmery fiddle and guitars, the song’s lyrical apex comes as one of the characters reaches a stark realization: “Once I thought that in my arms/ This world might never do you harm/ And all this time I could not see It’s been you protecting me.”

“Recommend Me” is is an early glimpse into SCR’s upcoming album Morning Shift, out Sept. 8 on Yep Roc Records.

O.N.E the Duo, Blood Harmony

This mother-daughter duo’s debut album finds their familial harmonies soaring over a churning of pop and R&B, yet dripping with country twang, fiddle and harmonica. Sultry R&B and searing fiddle team up as they take on “”Jolene and Jezebel” in “Hoedown.” “Hearts Like Mine” feels more down the center, reminiscent of the pop-inflected country currently dominating radio, while the muddy, bluesy “River of Sin” is a stellar harmony showboat. The smoky “One Minute to Midnight” oozes sex and soul. Overall, a top-shelf offering for those who prefer smooth R&B Southern style, and shot through with tantalizing harmonies.

Ingrid Andress with Switchfoot, “On Fire”

Twenty years after the release of Switchfoot’s breakthrough album The Beautiful Letdown, they give the project a refresh, welcoming artists to reimagine many of the album’s tracks — including this vibey take on “On Fire.” “Hearts Like Mine” hitmaker Andress supplies her smooth, serene voice to this track, working with her longtime co-producer Sam Ellis to bring a more polished, cleaner rendering than the original, but one that still evokes a crush-struck yearning.

14 Aug 2023

The Black Godfather: Clarence Avant, Famed Entertainment Executive, Dies At 92

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Clarence Avant

Clarence Avant, a famed executive who dedicated his working life to a wide range of entertainment interests, has died according to reports. Dubbed “The Black Godfather,” Clarence Avant stood both as a powerful and influential figure in the world of entertainment and also a mentor to those who went on to forge their own formidable paths.

Clarence Avant was born on Feb. 25, 1931, in Greensboro, N.C. In the late 1940s, Avant moved to New Jersey and began working at a music lounge in Newark. Mentored by Joe Glaser, Louis Armstrong’s manager, Avant learned the ropes of the music business under his tutelage in the 1950s ahead of managing the careers of Lalo Schifrin and Jimmy Smith in the 1960s. Avant also managed the careers of Sarah Vaughan, and jazz producer Creed Taylor among others.

Avant oversaw the sale of the soul label Stax Records, adding to a number of other deals he helped broker at the time. Avant was also once the chairman of the board at Motown Records and went on to become the first Black board member at PolyGram. Avant’s interests also moved into the world of politics, and he advised Presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George Bush and Barack Obama.

As a mentor to future greats, Avant lent his time to assist Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, L.A. Reid, Sylvia Rhone, Jimmy Iovine, Babyface, Jheryl Busby and more. Avant’s imprint on the entertainment world that powerful figures such as Quincy Jones lauded him for his efforts and lasting influence.

In a statement from his children, Nicole Avant and Alex Avant, and his son-in-law Ted Sarandos, the family made note of Avant’s significant contributions to the culture at large.

“It is with a heavy heart that the Avant/Sarandos family announce the passing of Clarence Alexander Avant. Through his revolutionary business leadership, Clarence became affectionately known as ‘The Black Godfather’ in the worlds of music, entertainment, politics, and sports. Clarence leaves behind a loving family and a sea of friends and associates that have changed the world and will continue to change the world for generations to come. The joy of his legacy eases the sorrow of our loss. Clarence passed away gently at home in Los Angeles on Sunday, August 13, 2023. He was 92,” the statement reads.

2020 Roc Nation THE BRUNCH - Inside

Avant was the subject of a documentary titled The Black Godfather, highlighting his rich career behind the scenes as one of the most powerful executives of his era. We feature the trailer for the 2019 documentary below.

On X, formerly known as Twitter, tributes to Clarence Avant have been posted. We’ll share a handful below.



—

Photo: The Avant Family

14 Aug 2023

‘Wholesale Theft’: Labels Sue Internet Group for Copyright Infringement Over Digitized Vinyl Records

Universal Music, Sony Music and Concord are suing the Internet Archive over a project to digitize old vinyl records from Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby and other iconic artists, calling it “blatant” copyright infringement under a “smokescreen” of preservation.

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In a complaint filed Friday in Manhattan federal court, the labels took aim at the Internet Archive’s “Great 78 Project,” in which thousands of physical records have been digitized and made available to users for free. They called the project “wholesale theft of generations of music.”

“The Great 78 website is a massive, unauthorized, digital record store of recordings,” lawyers for the music companies wrote. “Although Internet Archive describes the Great 78 Project’s goal as ‘the preservation, research and discovery of 78 rpm records,’ the Great 78 Project is actually an illegal effort to willfully defy copyright law on an astonishing scale.”

Though they claim “hundreds of thousands” of songs have been illegally copied, the labels are specifically suing over 2,749 songs – every single one of which, they say, is already available on legal digital services. They include iconic tracks like Crosby’s “White Christmas” and Sinatra’s “I’ve Got the World on a String.”

“Defendants [cannot] justify their activities as necessary to preserve historical recordings,” the music companies wrote. “These recordings face no danger of being lost, forgotten, or destroyed.”

The lawsuit is hardly the Internet Archive’s first dust-up with copyright law. The group fought to invalidate legislation passed by Congress in the 1990s that added years onto the length of a copyright’s term of protection, and is currently embroiled in a lawsuit filed by the major book publishers over a COVID-era library project that scanned physical books and lent them to users for free. Earlier this year, a federal judge ruled that Internet Archive’s project was not a legal fair use of the publishers’ books.

In Friday’s complaint, the music companies cited the Internet Archive’s “long history of opposing copyright laws” and previous efforts to “improperly … wrap its infringing conduct in the ill-fitting mantle of fair use.”

“Having failed repeatedly in Congress and the courts, Internet Archive now chooses to simply willfully disobey the copyright laws of which it is acutely aware,” lawyers for the music companies wrote.

At issue in Friday’s complaint are so-called pre-1972 songs – a category of music that was previously not covered by federal sound recording copyrights. But in 2018, federal lawmakers extended such protection to the old songs as part of the Music Modernization Act. In their complaint, the music companies said they were suing to “vindicate the rights Congress has granted creators in pre-1972 sound recordings.”

“When Defendants exploit Plaintiffs’ sound recordings without authorization, neither Plaintiffs nor their artists see a dime,” the companies wrote. “Not only does this harm Plaintiffs and the artists or their heirs by depriving them of compensation, but it undermines the value of music.”

The lawsuit is seeking so-called statutory damages for each copyrighted song allegedly infringed, which could total $412 million if fully granted. But such damages totals are heavily litigated and could be substantially lower if the case ever reaches a final judgment.

In addition to naming the Internet Archive itself as a defendant, the lawsuit also individually names the group’s founder, Brewster Kahle, as well as George Blood, an audio engineer who allegedly worked on the Great 78 project.

The Internet Archive did not immediately return a request for comment.

Read the entire complaint filed against the Internet Archive here: