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05 May 2023

Ed Sheeran to Perform ‘Subtract’ in Full for the First Time to Launch Apple Music Live Season 2

Apple Music Live is returning for season two on Wednesday (May 10), and Ed Sheeran is kicking off the live performance series by performing his upcoming album – (pronounced Subtract) in full for the first time.

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Sheeran will be delivering the album alongside a 12-piece band that includes Aaron Dessner of The National, who worked with the 32-year-old superstar to produce and co-write the project. The performance will debut on Wednesday (May 10) at noon PT via Apple Music’s website here and Apple TV+.

“I’m delighted to share my Subtract album show with you,” Sheeran said in a press release. “I was really nervous on the day, as it was my first time performing the new album tracks. The show was brought to life by Aaron and the incredible band, and it was an honor to stand beside them. It was an emotional night, but I’m so pleased we got to document it.”

The 14-track new album arrived on Friday (May 5) via Atlantic Records, marking the final installment in Sheeran’s decade-long mathematical album era, following 2011’s +, 2014’s x, 2017’s ÷ and 2021’s =.

“I felt like I was drowning, head below the surface, looking up but not being able to break through for air,” Sheeran said of the inspiration behind the album when announcing it back in March. “As an artist I didn’t feel like I could credibly put a body of work into the world that didn’t accurately represent where I am and how I need to express myself at this point in my life. This album is purely that. It’s opening the trapdoor into my soul. For the first time I’m not trying to craft an album people will like, I’m merely putting something out that’s honest and true to where I am in my adult life. This is last February’s diary entry and my way of making sense of it. This is Subtract.”

05 May 2023

Agust D Sets New High for BTS Members on Global Charts

BTS has been a dominant act on Billboard’s global charts since the group’s launch in September 2020, with the most chart-toppers on both lists — six each on the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. — among all acts. Beyond the group’s many achievements, its members have notched an additional 26 entries on Global Excl. U.S., including debuts on May 6-dated lists.

Suga, performing under the alias Agust D, scores four debuts on Global Excl. U.S., including the chart’s highest new entry as “Haegeum” starts at No. 12. “Amygdala,” “Huh?!” with fellow BTS member J-Hope, and “D-Day” follow at Nos. 127, 182 and 200, respectively.

Add in “People Pt. 2,” Agust D’s duet with Iu, bouncing back from No. 108 to No. 64, and he tallies five songs on this week’s Global Excl. U.S. ranking. That’s more songs in one week than any BTS member has simultaneously charted as a soloist, passing Jimin’s recent haul of four songs on the April 8 chart.

The rush of activity for Agust D follows the release of his latest solo album, D-Day. The set debuts at No. 2 on the U.S.-based Billboard 200 with 140,000 equivalent album units, according to Luminate. Globally, the LP’s 10 songs drew 131 million streams and sold 98,000 downloads in the week ending April 27. Those totals fall in line with Jimin’s 133 million streams in the week ending March 30, the debut frame for his FACE EP.

The 10-song tracklist for D-Day averaged 15.6% of its streams from the U.S. and 84% from outside, a near dead-ringer for Jimin’s 16.1% U.S. share. With most of Agust D’s activity coming from outside the U.S., it makes sense that his songs perform better on the Global Excl. U.S. chart than the Global 200, where he lands three entries. “Haegeum” leads his titles there as well, but a few notches lower at No. 15 (outpaced by The Weeknd’s Hot Shot Debut, “Double Fantasy” featuring Future, at No. 12).

Beyond the No. 58 debut on the U.S.-based Billboard Hot 100 for “Haegeum,” the track cracks four of Billboard’s Hits of the World rankings. It debuts on Indonesia Songs (No. 19), Singapore Songs (No. 20), South Korea Songs (No. 24), and Philippines Songs (No. 25). “People Pt.2” spent one week on the April 22-dated Indonesia, Singapore and South Korea charts.

05 May 2023

First Listen: Hear Dierks Bentley & Miranda Lambert’s New Song Written for ‘Fire Country’ (Exclusive)

First, Kane Brown made his acting debut on Fire Country, CBS’ red-hot new drama series about an ex-convict who seeks redemption by becoming a firefighter. Now, Dierks Bentley and Miranda Lambert are joining the show.

Unlike Brown, who appeared on camera, Bentley and Lambert will be seen but not heard. The pair have collaborated on three new songs, two of which — the atmospheric, moody “Saved” and the  smoldering, romantic “Still Burning” — will appear in the May 12 episode; while the questioning, haunting “Something in the Water” will appear in the May 19 season finale. Additionally, Bentley co-wrote and sings the cautionary “Barbed Wire Heart” that will also air in the finale.

Hear an exclusive preview of “Saved” below. 

CBS executive vp Jack Sussman approached Bentley and Lambert separately, and after watching the pilot, Bentley was in. “I loved the vibe of it,” Bentley tells Billboard. “I have developed relationships with a lot of folks in the firefighter community after the [2013] Yarnell Fire in Prescott [Ariz.], and meeting those families shortly after that tragedy occurred, I’ve got a lot of respect for wilderness and structural firefighters and their families and what they go through. So any show or movie that really sheds light on that lifestyle and the sacrifices that community makes, I’m all about supporting.”

As fans will remember, Bentley also wrote and performed the song “Hold the Line” for the 2017 biographical firefighting drama film Only the Brave.

Max Thieriot, the show’s creator and executive producer, who also stars as Bode Donovan, says the initial idea came after he and Sussman were talking about how well country music syncs from artists including Chris Stapleton, Morgan Wade and Warren Zeiders played in the Fire Country pilot.

Sussman asked Thieriot to call him and told him he’d reached out to Lambert and Bentley and he hadn’t heard back, but that was because “Dierks and Miranda reached out to each other first and they wanted to work on this together!” Thieriot explains via email. “Being a huge fan of both, I was blown away and sooooo excited! We then met, talked about music, the show, but mostly just BS’d about life. And now, here we are!”

Bentley, whose song “Gold” stands at No. 2 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart this week, loved the chance to work again with Lambert, whom he’s been friends with for almost 20 years. “We did a FaceTime call with Max and we’re like, ‘Yeah, we know some people that could make this happen and make it happen pretty quickly.’”

Bentley and Lambert called in two of their longtime and favorite songwriting collaborators Luke Dick and Jon Randall, and the quartet collaborated in varying degrees on the four songs. “I’m not even sure who wrote what,” Bentley says. “It’s been a collaborative process from the very beginning for the four of us. The four of us have an intertwined relationship that’s so special.”

They saw no episode other than the pilot and talked to Thieriot about his direction for the songs, but Bentley says that was enough. “You could just see how this is like wilderness firefighting meets a little bit of Yellowstone with a redemption story tucked into it,” he says. “We weren’t writing for a specific scene; we were writing for an overall general theme that I think resonated with [Max] and the show.”

Thieriot says the pair didn’t need much direction. “Miranda and Dierks are incredible artists and knowing how excited they were, I just wanted them to make it their own,” he says. “Their songs are so special and they truly pour their hearts into them. We didn’t really have an exact number of songs planned. I think we were all just excited about what we were doing creatively, so we didn’t stop at one or two.”

On “Saved” and “Something in the Water,” Bentley sings lead while Lambert provides ethereal backing vocals. Lambert takes the lead on “Still Burning.”

“We were like, ‘If Fire Country doesn’t use these songs, I’m definitely holding them for our next album,’ because the songs turned out so cool and vibey and different,” Bentley says.

The songs will be exclusive to the episodes they air in with no plans to put them on streaming services or for either artist to put them on a future album. “It’s just a gift to the universe, I guess,” Bentley says. “We had fun making them and Luke and [Jon] will make a little money off of it, which is great. It wasn’t like Miranda and I [went], ‘Oh gosh, this is a chance to make a lot of money.’ It’s just like, no, this is a way to get together and hang out and call it work.”

However, the more he thinks about it, Bentley conjectures, “If Miranda and I were ever to make an album together, which should be a great thing to do, then these would definitely be included,” he says. “Maybe we should make a record and go tour together. That’d be a lot of fun.”

As far as writing more for TV or film, Bentley says he’s open to all possibilities: “I’d like to do more of anything that’s just collaborative and fun.”

Thieriot is also looking at ways to bring more country music to the show, given its natural fit. “Our show is set in the country, so it feels country. The show is grounded by nature and the outdoors but we tell a lot of stories that are relatable to a lot of people,” he says. “Being a blue-collar worker, living in a small town where community and family are everything. There is a lot of crossover in tone and storytelling so it always felt like the right fit.”

As for who else is on Thieriot’s wish list, he’s not giving anything away, but does hint, “We have been working on some really cool ideas and different ways of bringing country music and country artists into the show. We will see how that all shakes out, but I’m very excited about the possibilities.”

05 May 2023

CIL Signs to Warner Records, Releases New Single ‘Devil In Your Eyes’: Exclusive

CIL, the 20-year-old pop artist who recently opened for Stevie Nicks on a string of spot dates, has signed to Warner Records, Billboard can exclusively reveal. The singer-songwriter commemorated the label deal by releasing a new single, the blistering “Devil In Your Eyes,” on Friday (May 5).

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“’Devil In Your Eyes’ is about freedom,” CIL says in a statement. “It’s about realizing somebody wasn’t who you thought they were. You may break over them, but at least you’re breaking free.”

The Fort Collins, Colo. native moved to Los Angeles by herself as a teenager to pursue a music career after teaching herself piano as a child. Her debut single, the waltzing “One More Shot,” earned a following on TikTok upon its independent release last October, and has earned 12.6 million U.S. on-demand streams through Apr. 27, according to Luminate.

In March, CIL was tapped to open for Nicks for four dates on her U.S. arena tour, writing on social media that she was “beyond honored & grateful for the incredible opportunity.”

“CIL’s world-class vocals, combined with her genuine authenticity and moving personal story, are certain to make her one of the most important artist voices of this next generation,” says Aaron Bay-Schuck, Warner Records co-Chairman and CEO, in a statement. “She’s totally fearless, raw, vulnerable, real, and uncompromising in her mission to make emotional connections with people through her music. From the moment I met her, I knew she had to be a Warner Records artist. Tom [Corson] and I are grateful she felt the same way.” 

“Devil In Your Eyes” marks CIL’s second release of 2023, following the track “Girl I Used To Be,” which was released in March. CIL is currently working on her first proper project for Warner Records.

“I’m so honored and excited to be joining Warner Records,” CIL says. “Aaron and the whole team have been amazing from the start – immediately understanding what I stand for and where I’m headed. I’m very grateful for their support in bringing my dreams to life.”

05 May 2023

Ed Sheeran’s ‘- (Subtract)’: All 14 Tracks Ranked

“Writing songs is my therapy,” Ed Sheeran told his fans upon announcing his new album, –. “It helps me make sense of my feelings.” In early 2022, Sheeran required that outlet: although his latest album, =, had produced a new batch of smashes in “Bad Habits” and “Shivers,” he had been taken to court due to a copyright lawsuit over “Shape of You,” his best friend Jamal Edwards had passed away suddenly at the age of 31, and his pregnant wife was diagnosed with a tumor that couldn’t be treated until after the birth.

That all occurred within the span of a month, and Sheeran’s world was upended — so he decided to examine his feelings through his craft. As suggested by muted lead single “Eyes Closed” and a rollout focused squarely on the acoustic nature of the project, – is not your typical Sheeran album, and doesn’t contain the no-brainer radio hits that have colored his full-lengths over the past five years.

Yet if – marks a searing left turn in Sheeran’s recording career, his songwriting has long been working up towards an unfiltered, emotionally intelligent statement like this. A superstar who grew from busking on the street to playing stadiums — with just himself onstage, no less — over the course of a decade, Sheeran has been gradually improving his song construction without relying too much on pop machinery, and sounds ready to meet this moment.

Bringing in Aaron Dessner, The National polymath who helped Taylor Swift explore the indie-folk woods on Folklore and Evermore, to help produce this vision was a wise decision. Dessner helps Sheeran understand when to assemble a city of instruments around his pain, and when to leave it unadorned.

Some moments are more affecting than others, but ultimately, – succeeds due to its unabashed honesty: from unyielding grief to thoughts of ending it all, Sheeran never shies away from the most curdled pieces of his soul here. The album may not become a blockbuster, but commendably, Sheeran’s intent is catharsis, not commercial returns. More A-listers should take risks like this.

So which tracks represent the early standouts? Although all of Sheeran’s new album is worth exploring, here is a preliminary ranking of every song on the standard edition of –.

05 May 2023

Messy Messages: The Fit Mami Airs Out Freddie Gibbs, Calls Him Deadbeat Dad Without A Phone

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Freddie Gibbs would probably like to have a relaxing Cinco de Mayo but instead, he’s the subject of ridicule after his ex-girlfriend The Fit Mami aired out some personal business. In a Twitter thread, the budding porn star detailed how Freddie Gibbs bagged her and then left her stranded with a baby on the way.

The relationship between Freddie Gibbs and The Fit Mami seemed as solid as any high-profile relationship but it appears things aren’t what they seemed. We’ll share some of the excerpts of the Twitter thread below.

“[S]o freddie and i met in 2020 when he slid into my DMs on instagram. and for the record, he always knew i did porn and was very supportive,” The Fit Mami said in the thread, adding, “after we made it official blogs started posting about us, we didn’t care we were just having fun.”

It continued with, “shortly after that it was time to go to europe. we went, we enjoyed it, everything was great. we would always talk about having a baby. none of it was one sided.”

It appears things went left after Freddie Gibbs was jumped by a group of men allegedly connected to Benny The Butcher as the former collaborators engaged in a beef.

“after we got back from europe his stateside tour started. everything was good until we got jumped in buffalo, ny. here’s me fighting looking thicc in the orange. freddie is in the back in the green,” The Fit Mami tweeted, complete with an image of her throwing hands.

Sadly, the incident left The Fit Mami mentally scarred and seeking medical assistance to deal with her anxiety. Further, she shared that one of Gibbs’ baby mothers reached out t her and attempted to shame her for not being a good mother to her own child.

Fast forward, Gibbs tells The Fit Mami he wasn’t looking to have another child at the moment and she was close to terminating the pregnancy but couldn’t go through with it. She then adds that after deciding to keep the child, she stopped paying the rapper’s phone bill after they broke up.

Again, it’s all a lot and we skipped a lot of details, which you can see in the thread below. As of this writing, Freddie Gibbs has yet to respond to any of this and Twitter is having a field day with the mess. Check out the reactions below.

—

Photo: Source: Johnny Nunez / Getty

05 May 2023

Executive Turntable: Brooke Primont Named Global Sync EVP at Concord; Robert Kyncl Joins Paley Center Board

Brooke Primont was promoted to executive vp of global sync at Concord Music Publishing, where she will lead the company’s 17-person synch team worldwide, the company tells Billboard.

Based in New York City, Primont will lead all of Concord’s publishing synch operations, managing teams in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and Australia — along with the company’s global sub publisher network — while creating synergies across the Concord catalog. She will report to chief publishing officer Jim Selby.

Primont joined Concord more than five years ago as head of the North American publishing synch department. Recent achievements by her team include a Super Bowl ad for UberEats featuring Montell Jordan’s “This Is How We Do It”; Ericdoa’s “>one (greater than one)” for the Valorant video game series; Night Ranger’s “Sister Christian” in the trailer for Air; and The Polyphonic Spree‘s “Hold Me Now” in the trailer for Everything Everywhere All At Once.

“I am excited to expand my role by bringing together Concord’s sync teams around the world, allowing us to broaden the scope and diversify the opportunities that we can offer our songwriters and composers,” said Primont in a statement. “The global Concord Music Publishing sync team is truly something special, we have developed unparalleled relationships across the entertainment industry, and it doesn’t hurt that our catalog is full of some of the best songs ever written.”

Selby added, “Brooke has already taken our sync division to new heights. I know that this new role will further expand her capabilities, bringing more opportunities to more of our writers and enriching our catalogue.”

Over her 25 years in music publishing, Primont has served in roles at BMI, Cherry Lane Music Publishing and Razor & Tie. She currently serves on the executive boards for the AIMP New York chapter and Kid Pan Alley.

The Paley Center for Media announced that Combs Global and REVOLT chairman Sean “Diddy” Combs and Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl joined the entertainment industry nonprofit’s board of trustees alongside LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky and Alibaba Group co-founder/executive vice chairman Joseph C. Tsai. Additionally, FOX Entertainment CEO Rob Wade joined the Paley Los Angeles board of governors. According to a press release, the organization’s board of trustees “offers guidance in support of the organization’s mission to lead the conversation around today’s rapidly evolving media landscape and provides critical input on strategy and operations, including public programs and exhibits, educational classes, workshops, and industry events hosted by the Paley Media Council.”

Recently formed multimedia platform gamma., founded by Larry Jackson, is expanding operations into Africa and the Middle East and has named Sipho Dlamani as president of Africa & Middle East and Naomi Campbell as special advisor of Africa & Middle East. The Africa operation will be based in Lagos, Nigeria and the Middle East operation will be based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Dlamini most recently served as CEO of Universal Music South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa; Campbell, an internationally recognized supermodel and UN Commonwealth Ambassador, is the founder of Fashion For Relief and The Emerge Initiative, among other endeavors. In its debut in the region last Friday, gamma. exclusively distributed and marketed Rema‘s album, Rave & Roses (Ultra) in African territories.

AWAL announced the appointment of its U.K. executive leadership team, including Matt Riley as managing director; and Victoria Needs and Sam Potts as senior vps. Riley will expand his current oversight as the company’s head of A&R, working with AWAL president Paul Hitchman and CEO Lonny Olinick to sign new artists and develop the company’s roster. Needs will add the U.K. market to her existing international marketing duties for AWAL, while Potts will continue working with the executive leadership team to maximize audience development and growth strategies for AWAL artists across traditional and digital media.

Also at AWAL, Cami Operé was named vp/head of publicity. She joins the company from Sacks & Co., where she was vp of publicity and led public relations efforts for artists including Lizzy McAlpine, Jungle and Bruno Major. She can be reached at cami.opere@awal.com.

Sara Knabe was named senior vp of A&R at Big Loud, where she will work with both the Big Loud Records and Big Loud Publishing A&R teams. Knabe joins following a year spent founding and developing Cake Maker Music, her own music publishing, artist development and A&R consulting company; she previously served in roles at BBR Music Group and BMG, among others. Knabe can be reached at saraknabe@bigloud.com.

Steve Ziff was named chief business officer at Loud And Live, where he will oversee the company’s marketing services and enterprise-wide business development efforts, offering strategic guidance to grow the company’s portfolio. He joins the company from Thrill One Sports, where he served as chief marketing officer/chief communications officer. Ziff can be reached at sziff@loudlive.com.

Second Estate Records, a new label founded by A&R veteran and entrepreneur Mel Carter, appointed Katie Kay as general manager and Adise Bellille as president. Together, Kay and Bellille will oversee forthcoming releases from 2Rare and more acts in partnership with Warner Records, with which Second Estate has a joint venture. Kay most recently served as vp of marketing at Cinematic Music Group, while Bellille is an entertainment and hospitality entrepreneur who founded New York-based nightlife hub Carefree Nation, among other endeavors. Kay can be reached at Katie@secondestaterecords.com and Bellille can be reached at Adise@secondestaterecords.com.

Suzi Ibbotson was named director of communications at PPL; she joins from Unilever Global, where she held the same role. She will report to CEO Peter Leathem and join the company’s executive management team. Ibbotson can be reached at suzi.ibbotson@ppluk.com.

The board of Hipgnosis announced that Vania Schlogel stepped down as a director, effective April 30, to focus on her firm, Atwater Capital. “Vania is an exceptional executive and her experience in every aspect of investment and music has been invaluable in making Hipgnosis the market leader,” said Hipgnosis Songs Fund CEO/founder Merck Mercuriadis in a statement. “We appreciate her terrific contributions to Hipgnosis Songs Fund during her time on the Board and wish her every success in the future.”

Independent publishing company peermusic announced three promotions in its Canada office as well as its neighboring rights division, including Neville Quinlan to managing director of publishing & neighbouring rights, Canada; Cheryl Link to general manager of peermusic’s Toronto publishing operations; and Rachael Clark to head of administration at peermusic Canada. Quinlan can be reached at nquinlan@peermusic.com, Link can be reached at clink@peermusic.com and Clark can be reached at rclark@peermusic.com.

The U.K. office of independent record company Because Music and London Records has announced several senior appointments. They include Rhian Emanuel, promoted to managing director at Because Music UK; Laura Kelly, promoted to managing director at London Records; Ed Pearson, promoted to senior vp of marketing, dance & electronic at Because Music UK; and Junior Foster, hired as digital marketing & strategy manager at London Records, which he joins from Deezer.

Brian Celler was named senior vp of content and programming, Europe at ASM Global. He will be responsible for the company’s music, entertainment and sports content throughout its European and U.K. portfolio. The 25-year veteran has previously held roles at Q Prime, Sony Music, Universal Music Group and Principle Management. Celler can be reached at Brian.Celler@eu.asmglobal.com.

Ashley Gorley‘s publishing and artist development company, Tape Room Music, promoted all three members of its team. Blain Rhodes was named president, Kelly Bolton was named senior vp of A&R and Caroline Hodson was named manager of A&R.

Holly Schomann was promoted to senior director of program & project management at TuneCore, where she will now oversee a team of project managers to ensure proper execution of software development processes and internal reporting.

Todd Bonder joined Reitler Kailas & Rosenblatt‘s Los Angeles office as a partner in the firm’s litigation practice. Bonder focuses on intellectual property and general civil litigation, emphasizing entertainment, new media, trademark, copyright, rights of publicity and privacy and publishing matters, as well as unfair competition, trust, probate, contract, real estate and construction disputes. He can be reached at tbonder@reitlerlaw.com.

Veteran agent Stefanie Purificati joined The Feldman Agency in Canada, where she brings clients including Digging Roots, Aysanabee, iskwē and Tynomi Banks to the roster. She will be based out of the company’s Toronto office and can be reached at purificati@feldman-agency.com.

Found Objects, the music and sound collective founded by film/TV composers Jay Wadley and Trevor Gureckis, promoted Katt Matt to executive producer and Nick Chomowicz to senior producer. The collective specializes in sound design and music supervision for film, TV and brands.

Sue Ann Cordell joined Reliant Talent Agency, where she will be responsible for human resources, office administration and executive assistance. She has held roles at companies including WME and is also the owner of life coaching and event-speaking company Shineworthy Lifestyles, among other ventures. Cordell can be reached at sacordell@relianttalent.com.

Maria Eiliert was named account executive at Shore Fire Media out of its Nashville office, elevated from junior account executive. She joined the firm after graduating from Belmont University with a music business degree in November 2020.

Rachel Brittain joined The Neal Agency as a commercial and brand partnerships agent. She joins from FlyteVu, where she served as an account manager and was part of the talent team, connecting artists to brands. She can be reached at Rachel@TheNealAgency.net.

Labelcoin, a blockchain-based song exchange and investment marketplace “striving to end artist poverty with fan-supported investment in artists’ songs,” according to a press release, launched a business advisory council that so far includes Mark Dvornik, former head of U.S. distribution at Paramount Pictures; Hummingbird Productions founder/president Bob Farnsworth; G2G Enterprises founder/CEO Lee Guzofski; and MRSV Media CEO Loren Johnson.

05 May 2023

Watch Bruce Springsteen Share a Pint and a Round of ‘My Hometown’ With Locals in His Ancestral Irish Birthplace

Bruce Springsteen got to know the locals during his visit to The Burrow pub in Rathangan, Co. Kildare in Ireland this week ahead of his trio of sold-out shows this weekend at RDS Arena in Dublin. In video posted from a fan account, Springsteen is seen hanging with some townspeople and having a pint.

After saying he hadn’t sung it in a while and might be rusty on the lyrics, the Boss busted into the a cappella first verse of his 1985 Born in the U.S.A. single “My Hometown.” Tapping his hand on the table, he sang, “And running with a dime in my hand/ To the bus stop to pick/ Up a paper for my old man/ I’d sit on his lap in that big old Buick/ And steer as we drove through town/ He’d tousle my hair/ And say, ‘son, take a good look around’/ This is your hometown.”

He then looked at the fans gathered in his family’s ancestral home and led them in the chorus of, “this is your hometown,” telling them afterwards, “you guys, I’m firing the E Street Band and I’m hiring you.”

Springsteen made another stop as well, visiting former Pogues singer Shane MacGowan’s home in Dublin, captured in a sweet pic posted by the beloved singer’s wife, Victoria Mary Clarke.

“It was really really exciting and monumentally inspiring to spend time with @springsteen yesterday,” she wrote in the caption to the pic of Springsteen smiling at a seated MacGowan. “He radiates a very very beautiful energy, he is like an embodied angel! It’s great to see that someone can find work that they are lit up with and that they can spend their whole life lifting peoples spirits through their work and stay so enthusiastic and energetic and full of gratitude and grace and appreciation for the work and for everything and everyone in their life… It is also wonderful to see that a person can be extremely successful in his field and still massively generous in his administration for other musicians and writers. Extreme kudos and gratitude for the visit to me and @shanemacgowanofficial ! Really looking forward to the gig!”

Springsteen and the E Street Band are playing RDS Arena tonight (May 5), Sunday and Tuesday.

Check out the fan video and Clarke’s post below.

05 May 2023

Morgan Wallen Back on Stage After Giving Fans Health Update: ‘I’m Doing A Lot Better’

Morgan Wallen gave fans an update on his health status before Thursday night’s (May 4) show at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, FL one week after his last-minute concert cancellation angered fans when the singer canceled right before his headlining gig in Oxford, Mississippi.

“What’s up, everybody? I just wanted to let you know I am in Jacksonville, we are going to play a show tonight — and all weekend. I wouldn’t say I’m 100% but I’m doing a lot better,” Wallen said in an Instagram Story filmed at the venue according to People.

He then addressed the approximately 60,000 fans who’d gathered for his headlining show at Oxford, MS’s Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on April 23 who were left distraught after it was announced that Wallen would not be performing that night after openers HARDY, Ernest and Bailey Zimmerman had already played their sets.

“And to everyone in Oxford, I just wanted to reiterate how sorry I am for the way that went down,” he added. “I thought I was going to be good to go and I just wasn’t. We’re working on a rescheduled date — we are close to having a rescheduled date, I just don’t have the exact one yet. So as soon as I do, I’ll let you know. I appreciate you all and I can’t wait to get out onstage tonight. Love you all, thanks for all the support always. God bless you — see you soon.”

Wallen’s post came after fans at the Oxford show found out that the singer would not be performing just moments before his set was slated to begin. “Ladies and gentlemen, unfortunately Morgan has lost his voice and is unable to perform tonight,” read a message on screens flanking the each side of the stadium stage. “Therefore, tonight’s show has been canceled. Please make your way safely to the stadium exits.”

After rumors circulated about the cause of the cancelation, Big Loud CEO Seth England shared a statement from event security company Best Crowd Management on April 25 that read, “A hired employee of BEST Crowd Management made false claims as it related to last night’s Morgan Wallen concert and we do not stand behind the detail in his statement. Please refer to Morgan’s social media pages for details.”

The statement came in reaction to a TikTok video of a security guard at Vaught Hemingway Stadium suggesting the real reason for the last-minute cancellation was that Wallen had been too drunk to perform.

England added his own statement, writing, “Thank you @bestcrowdmanagement for correcting your employee, who made up an entire story that was nowhere close to true. Every detail was false. Laughable what some people will just say for a reaction.” He concluded, “Don’t Believe Everything You Read.”

Wallen later rescheduled additional shows in Michigan, Illinois and Nebraska and told fans on social media, “Y’all know how important my fans are to me, so I feel horrible about this news. There’s nothing more I want to do than be onstage playing for you guys. But as of today, I’m on doctor-ordered vocal rest and we have to reschedule this week’s shows. I appreciate and understand everything you do to get to my shows, so it would be unfair of me to put on a show that I know will not be 100%. I’m doing everything I can to speed up the process of getting to that mark 100%–MW.”

05 May 2023

Yeezy Shoes Still Stuck in Limbo After Adidas Split With Kanye West

It’s been nearly seven months since Adidas split with the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, and boxes of his popular Yeezy shoes are still piled up in warehouses.

The fate of 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion) worth of unsold Yeezy stock is weighing on the German sportswear company as it tries to engineer a turnaround from the loss of the lucrative sneaker line and the continued fallout over its former ties to Ye.

Adidas is “getting closer and closer to making a decision” on what do to with the sneakers and the “options are narrowing,” new CEO Bjorn Gulden said in a conference call Friday (May 5) after reporting 400 million euros ($441 million) in lost sales at the start of the year. But with “so many interested parties” involved in the discussions, no decision had yet been reached, he said.

Adidas is stuck with stacks of its flagship Yeezy brand shoes after ending its relationship with Ye in October over his antisemitic and other offensive comments on social media and in interviews.

Gulden, who became CEO in January after the Ye split, declined to say if destroying the shoes had been ruled out but that the company was “trying to avoid that.” He has previously said other options have drawbacks: selling the sneakers would mean paying royalties to Ye, restitching them to remove the brand identification would be dishonest, and giving them away to people in need could lead to resale because of their high market value.

Gulden would not say how many pairs of Yeezy shoes that Adidas is stuck holding “because then the consumer would know how many we have and that could have an impact on demand.”

Losing the Yeezy brand is “of course hurting us,” Gulden said in a statement. The breakup will reduce earnings by 500 million euros this year if Adidas decides not to sell the remaining Yeezy stock, the Herzogenaurach-based company said.

Net sales declined 1% in the first quarter, to 5.27 billion euros, and would have risen 9% with the Yeezy line, the company said. It reported a net loss of 24 million euros, a plunge from a profit of 310 million euros in the same period a year ago.

Operating profit, which excludes some items like taxes, was down to 60 million euros from 437 million euros a year earlier. Gulden said the results for the Adidas were “a little better than we had expected” as the company seeks to restart growth and move beyond the breakup with Ye. He called 2023 “a year of transition” on the way to “a better ’24 and a good ’25.”

The company faces other problems tied to the rapper. Investors sued Adidas a week ago in the U.S., alleging the company knew about Ye’s offensive remarks and harmful behavior years before the split and failed to take precautionary measures to limit financial losses.

The lawsuit — representing people who bought Adidas securities between May 3, 2018, and February 21, 2023 — pointed to 2018 comments where Ye suggested slavery was a “choice” and reports of Ye making antisemitic statements in front of Adidas staff.

The company said last week that it rejected “these unfounded claims and will take all necessary measures to vigorously defend ourselves against them.” Ending the Ye partnership also cost Adidas 600 million euros in lost sales in the last three months of 2022, helping drive the company to a net loss of 513 million euros.

An operating loss of 700 million euros is possible this year, Adidas said, mostly due to the 500 million-euro hit it would take if it doesn’t sell the existing Yeezy shoes.