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25 Jul 2023

A2IM Appoints 2023 Board of Directors

Zena White, COO of Partisan Records; Beggars Group president Nabil Ayers; Hays Rudolph, general counsel and VP of business and legal affairs at Secretly; and Tony Alexander, president and managing director of Made in Memphis Entertainment (MIME), are among the fresh faces on the American Assn. of Independent Music (A2IM) board.

White, Ayers, Rudolph, Alexander are newly-elected to the board, which oversees the governance of A2IM, represents the not-for-profit organization’s membership at large, and assists in setting the priorities and direction for the organization.

Also announced today (July 25) is A2IM’s executive committee, led by Heather Johnson, director of label operations at FIXT, who is named as chair. Meanwhile, Victor Zaraya, COO of Concord, is appointed as treasurer, and MIME’s Alexander becomes secretary.

“We are so grateful to have such a talented and dedicated group of individuals willing to serve on the 2023/24 board of directors for A2IM,” comments Dr. Richard James Burgess, president and CEO of A2IM. “Their expertise and passion for independent music will play a vital role in shaping the future of our organization and the industry.”

A2IM represents over 600 independent record labels.

Additionally, the trade body welcomes a raft of advisory board members who will lend their expertise and counsel. They include Kristin Epstein (operations director of Screenwave Media), Steve Kline (president/COO of Better Noise Music), Jennifer Newman Sharpe (general counsel and head of business & legal affairs of Exceleration Music), Elliott Peters (senior VP, global business at Empire), Jason Peterson (CEO of Cinq Music/GoDigital Media Group) and Reed Watson (co-owner of Single Lock Records).

“With these new executive committee and advisory board members, we are confident in our ability to advocate for the needs and interests of independent record labels,” adds Burgess. “I am honored to work alongside this exceptional team to support and celebrate the power of independent music.”

Headquartered in New York City, A2IM exists to support and strengthen the independent recorded music sector, and celebrates the scene by organizing the annual A2IM Libera Awards.

A2IM’s current board of directors:

A2IM’s current board of directors:
Tony Alexander – MIME (Made In Memphis Entertainment)
Nabil Ayers – Beggars Group
Mariah Czap – Yep Roc Music Group
Dee Diaz – Reach Records
Wilson Fuller – Merge Records
Mary Jurey – Blue Élan
Heather Johnson – FiXT
Tony Kiewel – Sub Pop
Hays Rudolph – Secretly
Victor Zaraya – Concord
Zena White – Partisan

Advisory board members:
Kristin Epstein – Screenwave Media
Steve Kline – Better Noise Music
Jennifer Newman Sharpe – Exceleration Music
Elliott Peters – Empire
Jason Peterson – Cinq Music/GoDigital Media Group
Reed Watson – Single Lock Records.

25 Jul 2023

Beatport to Award $150,000 in Grants Supporting Diversity & Equality in Dance Music

Beatport on Tuesday (July 25) announced its second annual Diversity + Parity Fund, with which the company will award $150,000 to initiatives that expand diversity and equality in dance music.

The fund will award two kinds of grants: one that awards amounts between $3,000 to $15,000 to smaller organizations consisting of one to three staff members, and one awarding amounts between $15,001 and $30,000 to organizations with more than four staff members. The awards are intended to fund projects such as films, activations, events, record releases and anything else that expands diversity and equality in the electronic music community.

In addition to the financial award, Beatport will offer awardees exposure through editorial and marketing across the company’s social media platforms. Applications for the fund are now open, with the application period open until Aug. 22.

“We believe in the power of music to unite people from all backgrounds, and it is our responsibility to ensure that the music industry reflects the diversity of the world we live in,” Sofia Ilyas, The Beatport Group’s Chief Community Officer, says in a statement. “Through the Diversity + Parity Fund, we are committed to accelerating change and creating a more inclusive and equitable music industry for everyone. We invite other companies in our community to join us in our mission to increase parity and diversity in music.”

This is the second year of the company’s Diversity + Parity Fund, which last year awarded a total of $100,000 to Lady of the House, which offers education and creates community within dance music via books, panels and events, Future Female Sounds, a community platform that provides emerging and established DJs with production skills and networking opportunities and #FORTHEMUSIC, a campaign against sexual harassment and assault in the industry.

25 Jul 2023

Jamie Lee Curtis Helps Promote Offset’s New Music Video

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Jamie Lee Curtis x Offset

Source: Twitter / Twitter

After snatching away an Oscar from our beloved Angela Bassett, Jamie Lee Curtis knew she had to do something to get back in the good graces of the culture and as it turns out, Offset might have the answer.

On Monday night (July 24), Offset took to Twitter to promote his upcoming music video which features the Halloween star as the former Migos member recreates a classic James Brown interview from 1988. During an interview on Sonya Live, many viewers witnessed a possibly intoxicated James Brown give the show’s host, Sonya Friedman, a wild interview which Offset does his best to mimic.



After Jamie Lee Curtis asks Offset about his rocky relationship with his wife, Cardi B, Offset goes off the script and avoids answering the question as if he’s not in his right state of mind. He probably wasn’t. Now we all have to wait until July 28th to see the rest of the video and whether or not he addresses the latest controversy his marriage to Cardi B has churned out.

Check out the teaser below and let us know what you expect from Offset come July 28th in the comments section below.

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25 Jul 2023

Brooklyn Public Library Extends Jay-Z ‘The Book of Hov’ Exhibit Into Fall

If you haven’t had a chance to check out the Brooklyn Public Library’s 40,000-square-foot “The Book of Hov” exhibit yet you’re in luck. On Friday, the Library announced that the career-spanning Jay-Z retrospective is now scheduled to run through October. “Stop by any time this summer to see this free exhibit, or plan your visit for the fall,” read a tweet from the institution.

The exhibition opened on July 14 in a splashy premiere that included an A-list group of VIPs, including Questlove, Rakim, Babyface, DJ Khaled, Fat Joe, Yo Gotti and Lil Uzi Vert as well as the guest of honor, wife Beyoncé and their daughter, Blue Ivy.

The good news is that even if you can’t make it, the interactive “Book” website has a chapter-by-chapter recap of the items in the exhibit, with New York radio legend Angie Martinez providing the narration for the special collection whose name is inspired by a lyric from Khaled’s 2022 Grammy-nominated anthem “God Did.”

The exhibition features “archived objects, including original recording masters, never-before-seen photos, iconic stage wear, prestigious awards, and recognitions, as well as videos and artifacts from every facet of Jay-Z’s professional life.” Lyrics from Jigga’s “Sweet” and “Encore” are splashed across the building’s facade, which is made to look like the pages of an open book. In addition, a blue LED cube outside the library plays content from the rapper’s career as a greet to fans entering the building.

Spanning eight sections, rooms such as “Hov Did That” contain a huge collection of career curios, including his 2008 Glastonbury Festival guitar, a hand-written 2009 letter from Frank Sinatra’s daughter and Jay’s 2021 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Award. In addition, “Baseline Studios” is a re-imagination of the space where Hov recorded some of his most famous albums, such as 2000’s The Dynasty: Roc La Familia, 2001’s The Blueprint and 2003’s The Black Album.

No library card is needed to enter and the library has created 13 limited-edition library cards that fans can collect, with each one featuring the cover of one of Jay’s solo albums dating to 1986’s Reasonable Doubt.

See the Library’s tweet below.

25 Jul 2023

Apple Music Spotlights Songwriter Demos With ‘Lost & Found’ Program: Exclusive

Apple Music is launching the new series Lost & Found to spotlight country songwriters and a handful of never-before-released songs. The series features six demos (the “Lost” part) in addition to versions of these songs recorded by established and rising country artists (the “Found” part).

“Need a Favor” and “Son of a Sinner” hitmaker Jelly Roll is the first artist taking part in the program with his version of “Dragging These Roots,” a song written by songwriters Ben Hayslip, Josh Thompson and Jesse Frasure that Apple Music’s team first heard in 2019.

“When Apple Music shared the concept with me, I immediately called Frasure on FaceTime from their listening room to let him know I was definitely cutting the song,” Jelly Roll told Apple Music. “I’m so grateful to Apple Music for shining a light on all these creators and their great artistry.”

“I was so excited to hear this lost song got found by Jelly Roll,” Frasure told Apple Music. “It’s one of my favorites that I’ve co-written, and I was hoping it would eventually get to see the light of day. Having one of my favorite artists and friends, Jelly Roll, be the one to cut it was icing on the cake. We had a great time going into the studio on this one, he’s a truly soulful singer behind the scenes, and he put so much heart into it. I can’t wait!”

Additionally, Apple Music is launching Lost & Found Radio, a monthly companion radio show hosted by singer/songwriter Lori McKenna, who is known for penning hits including Tim McGraw’s “Humble and Kind” and Little Big Town’s “Girl Crush,” and who just released her latest album, 1988. Each of the six Lost & Found Radio episodes will include in-depth background on each song and deep dives into the creative process with each song’s original songwriter(s), studio musicians, producers and the artists recording the songs.

The Lost & Found program will be highlighted Tuesday (July 25) with a live radio episode, beginning at 2 p.m. CT, co-hosted by Apple Music Country host Kelleigh Bannen and featuring songwriters whose works are being featured as part of Lost & Found. A Lost & Found Live Broadcast Special will air Tuesday (July 25) at noon CT.

Lost & Found will also have its own dedicated space on Apple Music where listeners can find playlists for the lost demos, the newfound singles, the Lost & Found Radio show episodes, and playlists from more participating songwriters.

“I’m so thrilled to be a part of this initiative and host the companion radio show on Apple Music Country,” McKenna said in a statement. “Every songwriter has a catalog full of lost songs. It’s exciting that Apple is bringing these almost hits to life and giving some space to these writers, and the stories behind these songs.”

“At Apple Music, we are passionate about celebrating and championing artists and creators,” said Kelleigh Bannen, Apple Music Country’s host. “From advocating for the songwriters, to highlighting the enormous wealth of untapped music, Lost & Found is emblematic of what we do every day, not just here in Nashville, but worldwide. We’re so excited to continue marching towards that mission and look forward to inviting incredible artists to partner with us in unique ways like this.”

25 Jul 2023

Britney Spears Meets Lance Bass’ Children and Dubs Herself a ‘New Auntie’

Britney Spears finally met longtime pal Lance Bass‘ children and she couldn’t be more excited. In a sweet tweet on Monday (July 24), Spears posed with the former *NSYNC member and his 20-month-old twins, Alexander James and Violet Betty, gushing, “I’m a new auntie for Lance’s babies !!! They are absolutely gorgeous babies !!!”

In the side-by-side snaps Britney holds one of the children in her arms — with husband Sam Asghari helping to support the little one — while the other shows her closer up, with a wide smile as she cradles one of the twins while Bass holds the other. Bass and husband Michael Turchin announced the twins’ birth via surrogate in Oct. 2021.

While she’s an honorary auntie, you might recall that in 2021 Bass learned that he’s actually very distantly related to his pop pal. In an episode of Ancestry’s 2 Lies & a Leaf YouTube series the former boy bander was notified that he and Spears are sixth cousins once removed.

The tweet was the first from Spears in several weeks and it was immediately preceded by a playful video with Asghari in which the couple posed in cowboy hats with their dogs, dancing and goofing around to Cardi B’s verse on Latto’s “Put it on Da Floor,” which, of course, shouts out Brit.

The dual tweets are the first updates from Spears since she seemingly deleted her Instagram over the weekend with no explanation. It’s not the first time she’s done that. Spears’ Instagram disappeared in December, at a time when Asghari asked fans to back off on their scrutiny of his wife’s Insta activity. “Social media can be traumatizing,” he wrote at the time. “Sometimes it’s good to take a break. She has her voice and is a free woman.”

Spears went quiet on Instagram just after her new collaboration with Will.i.am, “Mind Your Business,” dropped on Friday (July 21). Surprisingly, the “Piece of Me” singer hasn’t posted about the song on her socials so far, except for a pre-save link on her Instagram Stories last week before her feed went dark.

“Mind Your Business” is the follow-up to Brit’s 2022 Elton John duet, “Hold Me Closer,” which was her’ first new music release since 2016’s Glory album.

See Britney’s baby bash and hat party below.

25 Jul 2023

Spotify Revenues Rise 11% on Larger Than Expected Subscriber Growth in Q2

Spotify reported its revenues rose 11% for the second quarter as surging monthly active users and growth in premium subscribers tamped down costs from staff cuts in the previous three months.

The company’s total revenue €3.2 billion ($3.53 billion) was up 11% from the year ago quarter, or up 14% in constant currency, a measure that strips out the effects of foreign exchange fluctuations. Monthly active users, or the total number of unique visitors to Spotify every month, rose 27% to 551 million in the quarter, while the number of premium subscribers grew 17% to 220 million, up a net of 10 million in the quarter.

The growth in premium subscribers modestly beat company guidance by 3 million and was enough to offset quarterly operating losses of €247 million ($272.7 million), as the company incurred numerous one-time costs related to staffing and cuts to its podcast programs meant to reduce long-term expenses.

Spotify’s executives will discuss the quarter’s earnings — and the impact of the recently announced premium subscription price increases — in greater detail on a call with investors at 8 a.m. EST.

The company reported gross margin of 24.1%, below its guidance of 25.5%. When adjusted to strip out one-time expenses related to cost cuts in the quarter, Spotify said its margin was in-line with guidance at 25.5%.

  • Spotify’s monthly active users were up 27% to 551 million, well above the company’s 530 million target. 
  • Premium subscribers rose 17% to 220 million, beating company expectations of 217 million premium subscribers for the quarter.
  • Total revenue rose 11% to €3.2 billion ($3.53 billion) and met the company’s internal targets. 
  • Adjusted Operating Loss of €112 million was better than guidance, excluding charges related to actions in the quarter to streamline operations and reduce costs.

24 Jul 2023

Blur Blazes to U.K. Chart Lead With ‘The Ballad of Darren’

Blur will be hard to catch in the U.K. chart race.

The legendary Britpop band sets a dizzying pace on the midweek chart with The Ballad of Darren (via Parlophone), which is currently outselling the rest of the top 10 combined, the Official Charts Company reports.

Dropping last Friday, July 21, The Ballad of Darren is likely to mark the group’s seventh U.K. No. 1, which includes their most recent effort, 2015’s The Magic Whip.

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The foursome, comprising Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James and Dave Rowntree, also hit No. 1 with Parklife (1994), The Great Escape (1995), Blur (1997), 13 (1999), and Think Tank (2003) (2015).

Of their eight previous studio LPs, only their first two efforts, 1991 debut Leisure (No. 7 peak) and 1993’s sophomore release Modern Life is Rubbish (No. 15), have failed to summit.

Frontman Albarn has already lifted the crown this year, with Gorillaz, whose Cracker Island started atop the Official U.K. Albums Chart in March, for the “virtual” act’s second leader.

Meanwhile, Michigan rockers Greta Van Fleet are soaring high on the latest chart blast with Starcatcher (EMI), their third album. It’s new at No. 2, and is set to earn Greta Van Fleet a new career high, eclipsing 2018’s Anthem of a Peaceful Army (No. 12 peak) and 2021’s The Battle at Garden’s Gate (No. 8).

Completing an all-new top three at the midweek point is by Nottingham, England alt-rock act As December Falls’ Join The Club (ADF). It’s new at No. 3 on the Official Chart Update, and should give the indie outfit their debut chart appearance.

Further down the midweek tally, K-pop girl group NewJeans could slip into the top 10 with their second EP, Get Up (Polydor). Featuring the viral single “Super Shy,” Get Up is on track for a No. 7 start.

All will be revealed when the Official U.K. Albums Chart is published late Friday, July 28.

24 Jul 2023

Michelle Buteau Talks ‘Survival of the Thickest,’ Sharing a Birthday With J.Lo & More | Billboard News

Comedian Michelle Buteau tells us about her new Netflix film ‘Survival of the Thickest,’ why she was inspired to make the show, sharing a birthday with Jennifer Lopez, and more!

Michelle Buteau:
Hey everyone, I’m Michelle Buteau. And you’re watching Billboard News. But you knew that already because you clicked.

Michelle Buteau:
My new show on Netflix ‘Survival of the Thickest’ is a show that has been inspired by my book ‘Survival of the Thickest: Plus-Size Essays in a Small-Minded World.’ And so the themes are so important to me. We explore body positivity, sex positivity, inclusion, black, brown, queerness, what it’s like to live in the city, New York City, the best city in the world. And follow your dreams and hustle and what it looks like to be in a toxic relationship and in your mid 30s. And you got to make a choice, girl, what’s it gonna be?

Michelle Buteau:
What is this show gonna be? You know what I mean? Like, I have stories, I have the book, but I have this platform in 190 countries with Netflix, you know, I could be funny all the time, obviously. And I’m a woman — how she do it? I’m like, I am going to use this platform for good. You know, I’m going to say something important. I’m gonna be authentic to my New York. And that is everybody, literally everybody, every shape, size and shade. And so I’m so proud of not only diversity in the cast, but also the crew. Listen, my cast was amazing. We had Peppermint, Michelle Visage, Garcelle Beauvais, Tone Bell, Nicole Byer. And let me tell you something, she nailed it. Nailed it.

Watch the full interview above!

24 Jul 2023

Jay Rock, Anderson .Paak & Latto “Too Fast (Pull Over),” Dave East “Still Here” & More | Daily Visuals 7.24.23

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Showtime PPV presents Heavyweight Championship of the World: 'WILDER vs. FURY' Pre-Event VIP Party, Inside, Los Angeles, USA - 01 Dec 2018

Source: Variety / Getty

It’s been a few years since TDE’s Jay Rock dropped his last LP, Redemption, and while we patiently await his next project which he says is on the way, the Jay is giving his day-ones’s a little something to rock to until that time comes.

Linking up with Anderson .Paak and Latto for the visuals to “Too Fast (Pull Over),” Jay Rock and company roll up to an exclusive resort where the palm trees stand tall and the pool side features bikini-clad women twerking like there’s money to be had. When did Mercedes begin to add stripping poles to their trucks?!

Back in the Big Apple, Dave East pulls out an exotic truck of his own and in his clip for “Still Here,” the Harlem representative rolls through the streets of NY in his Maybach truck before linking up with his peoples for a smoke break and some bottle service.

Check out the rest of today’s drops and some joints you might’ve missed over the weekend including work from Mac Young featuring That Mexican OT, Ann Marie, and more.

JAY ROCK, ANDERSON .PAAK & LATTO – “TOO FAST”



DAVE EAST – “STILL HERE”



MAC YOUNG FT. THAT MEXICAN OT – “FULLY AUTOMATIC”



ANN MARIE – “STAND ON THAT”



FRIDAYY – “WHEN IT COMES TO YOU”



BYRON MESSIA & BURNA BOY – “TALIBANS II”



BIG CRUZ – “GET LIT”



K CARBON – “BIG FLEX”



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