djfrosty

15 Feb 2023

Madison Beer Announces Debut Memoir ‘The Half of It’: ‘Can’t Wait to Reintroduce Myself’

Madison Beer shared the news on Wednesday (Feb. 15) that she’s coming out with her first-ever memoir, The Half of It.

“It feels truly surreal to be announcing this book and i am so excited to share my story with you in a way i never have before,” she posted on Instagram of the memoir, which hits bookshelves April 25 via HarperCollins. “From the reality of being signed at twelve, to everything that followed, where i am now, and my journey of reconciling with everything that came before. it has taken me a lot of extremely dark times to get here but i feel incredibly ready to tell you these chapters of my story. i hope you love it. i can’t wait to reintroduce myself to you.”

Showing a glimpse of The Half of It‘s title page, Beer shared the book’s dedications, which read: “For my mother, my brother, and my father—thank you. I know it hasn’t been easy. For the younger Madison I’m writing this about—thank you for getting me here. I hope I’ve made you proud.”

The pop singer’s mom, Tracie Beer, gave a sweetly emotional show of support for her daughter’s venture into autobiography in the comments section of the post, writing, “Me bawling like a baby… So incredibly proud of you & to be part of this journey alongside of you through it all!!!” and adding the hashtag, “#proudmom.”

Beer dropped her debut studio album, Life Support, back in Feb. 2021. When discussing the book reveal in an interview with People, she opened up about working on her soon-to-be-released sophomore follow-up.

“I am so excited for this next album which will be coming soon,” she teased. “Music has always been my first love; it’s what lead me to this memoir and what drives me daily. I am really excited for what is next with my music this year.”

Check out Beer’s memoir announcement — and get a first look at its vulnerable cover — below.

15 Feb 2023

Tony Yayo “Banksy Painting,” Mario ft. Ty Dolla $ign “Used To Me” & More | Daily Visuals 2.15.23

HipHopWired Featured Video
Tony Yayo Birthday Party

Source: Johnny Nunez / Getty

While 50 Cent continues to make his mark in Hollywood and get that cinematic bag, his G-Unit brethren, Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo keep on dropping heat for the streets even if they’re doing it on the solo tip.

Today the Talk Of New York, Tony Yayo comes through with a new clip for “Banksy Painting” in which Yayo ditches the exotic cars in his garage to push a hearse on the way to a murder scene where a thick young woman done caught a few bodies.

On a much softer side, Mario was in his Valentine’s Day bag and for his visuals to the Ty Dolla $ign assisted “Used To Me,” the R&B crooner showers his boo with affection when he’s not turning up with Ty in the club.

Check out the rest of today’s drops including work from Plies, Jaden (Smith), and more.

TONY YAYO – “BANKSY PAINTING”



MARIO FT TY DOLLA $IGN – “USED TO ME”



PLIES – “DID IT OUTTA LUV”



JADEN – “STILL IN LOVE”



SHY GLIZZY FT. NBA YOUNGBOY – “FOOLS FALL N LOVE”



RAZ SIMONE FT. JAY PARK – “MAKE LOVE”



IAMDDB – “WHERE DID THE LOVE GO?”



DUKE DEUCE – “NOBODY NEEDS NOBODY”



15 Feb 2023

Utopia Music Hit With $37M Lawsuit Claiming It Bailed on Deal To Buy U.S. Tech Firm

Utopia Music is facing a lawsuit that claims the Swiss company has bailed on a $26.5 million deal to buy a U.S. music technology company called SourceAudio — and now owes more than $37 million.

In a complaint filed Monday (Feb. 13) in Delaware court, lawyers for California-based SourceAudio — a tech platform for digital asset management and monetization — claimed that the company had struck a deal in March 2022 to sell itself to Utopia, a buzzy music fintech firm that has reached a number of such deals over the past two years.

But SourceAudio’s lawsuit says that since striking the deal on March 14 — which could have closed as soon as May 9 — the bigger company has continually balked at actually completing the deal, informing them it was “not prepared to close the transaction.”

“Despite repeated assurances that Utopia would be able to close…, Utopia engaged in a pattern of discontinuing discussions for an extended period of time, only to resurface immediately before the next intended closing date to indicate that it was unable to close by such date,” the complaint reads.

To account for the delays, SourceAudio claims that Utopia agreed to increase the sale price by $334,000 for every calendar week after Nov. 1 that the deal didn’t close. More than three months later, the lawsuit claims those escalators mean that Utopia now owes $37.265 million.

SourceAudio says it’s “ready, willing, and able” to finalize the deal, and that Utopia is legally bound to do so. “SourceAudio requests that Utopia be ordered to specifically perform its obligations,” the smaller company wrote. “In the alternative, SourceAudio has been damaged by Utopia’s breach in an amount to be determined at trial, but no less than $37.265 million.”

In a statement to Billboard, a spokesperson for Utopia refuted the lawsuit’s allegations but provided little additional detail: “Utopia Music rejects the claims made by the plaintiff. As the legal proceedings are ongoing, we will not comment further.”

Utopia, a Swiss-based tech company that delivers financial services for labels, publishers and distributors, has been on a buying spree over the past two years. The company has acquired at least 15 companies, including music tech company Musimap, U.K. physical distributor Cinram Novum and Lyric Financial, a provider of royalty-backed cash advances.

But in November, news broke that Utopia would restructure operations and lay off 20% of its workforce. As first reported by Music Week, CEO Markku Mäkeläinen told staffers in an internal email that the company had “grown via acquisitions tremendously quickly” and would now need to “realise synergies” and “remove overlaps.”

15 Feb 2023

Rihanna’s Super Bowl Halftime Show Spurs 140% Streaming Gain for Her Catalog

Rihanna’s catalog of songs surged 140% in official U.S. on-demand streams after her Super Bowl LVII halftime performance (Feb. 12), according to initial reports to data tracking firm Luminate (which provides data for Billboard’s charts). On Sunday and Monday (Feb. 12-13), her collected songs (on which she is the primary artist, according to Luminate) tallied 62.2 million on-demand official streams – up 140% from 25.8 million on the two days prior (Feb. 10-11).

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Plus, Rihanna’s on-demand official streams have increased weekly since the top of the year, as anticipation built towards the big game.

In the week ending Dec. 29, 2022, her songs generated 42.3 million on-demand official streams, and in the six subsequent weeks they grew each frame, to: 48.9 million (week ending Jan. 5), 51.5 million (week ending Jan. 12), 53.4 million (week ending Jan. 19), 55.1 million (week ending Jan. 26), 57.1 million (week ending Feb. 2) and 65 million (week ending Feb. 9).

In the first four days of the current tracking week (ending Feb. 16), Rihanna’s songs have generated 88 million clicks, so the full seven days is bound to be robust once the final numbers are available on Feb. 20.

Sales Story: Rihanna’s catalog of songs (again, those where she’s the primary artist, per Luminate) also gained. They sold 42,000 downloads in the U.S. on Sunday and Monday (Feb. 12-13) – up 473% compared to what they sold on Friday and Saturday (Feb. 10-11): 7,500.

Halftime Tunes: The dozen songs (see below) that Rihanna performed during the halftime show (excluding snippets heard briefly) collectively garnered 27.7 million on-demand official streams in the U.S. on Sunday and Monday – up 219.6% compared to the two days prior, when they collected 8.7 million.

The most-streamed halftime-performed song following the Super Bowl was “Umbrella,” with 3.8 million official on-demand streams on Sunday and Monday (up 177% compared to the 1.4 million it snared on Friday and Saturday). “Diamonds” was the second-most streamed halftime tune after the show, with 3.2 million on Sunday and Monday (up 231% compared to 954,000 on Friday and Saturday). “Umbrella” (from 2007) and “Diamonds” (2012) were the final two songs, respectively, that Rihanna performed during the halftime show.

The 12 halftime-performed songs sold 27,000 downloads on Sunday and Monday – up 976% compared to the 2,500 they sold on Friday and Saturday.

Rihanna’s catalog of songs and albums could post sizable gains on Billboard’s weekly charts dated Feb. 25, reflecting the sales and streaming tracking week ending Feb. 16. News of such impact will be reported on Billboard.com in the coming days.

Here are the songs that Rihanna performed (excluding snippets) during the Super Bowl halftime show (with original artist chart credits noted if other than Rihanna): “Bitch Better Have My Money;” “Where Have You Been;” “Only Girl in the World;” “We Found Love,” featuring Calvin Harris; “Rude Boy;” “Work,” featuring Drake; DJ Khaled’s “Wild Thoughts,” featuring Rihanna and Bryson Tiller; “Pour It Up;” Kanye West’s “All of the Lights,” featuring Rihanna and Kid Cudi; Jay-Z, Rihanna and West’s “Run This Town;” “Umbrella,” featuring Jay-Z; and “Diamonds.”

15 Feb 2023

Even Rihanna’s Super Bowl Dancers Didn’t Know She Was Pregnant

Rihanna shocked the world when she appeared onstage for the 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show on Sunday (Feb. 12), appearing in a stunning red outfit that highlighted her stomach curving with maternity. But as it turns out, none of the “Work” singer’s dancers for the Halftime Show were knowledgeable about her pregnancy either.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Back-up dancers Laila Hayes and Luhnyae Campbell revealed to Entertainment Tonight on Wednesday (Feb. 15) that Rihanna’s pregnancy was kept under wraps during rehearsals, due to her bundling up because of cold weather. The pair noted that all of the dancers did not find out about the pop star’s pregnancy until watching footage from the televised event.

“We were all confused watching it during the real thing when she went up there and was showing her stomach,” Hayes said. “She wore the same outfit for one of the dress rehearsals but it was zippered up.”

“I never saw a bump,” Campbell added. “Not even the day of. I had to rewatch the performance on YouTube to realize.” In a Feb. 13 TikTok video, Campbell further elaborated on the matter, and said Eih “came into rehearsals with big fur coats, or Fenty sets all the time — like the big sweatshirt ones … I was surprised too.”

Shortly after Rihanna’s Super Bowl spectacle, a representative of the pop star confirmed she and boyfriend A$AP Rocky were expecting their second child together. The Fenty Beauty founder welcomed her first child — a boy — with A$AP Rocky in May.

Watch Campbell discuss Rihanna and the pop star’s Super Bowl pregnancy reveal below.

15 Feb 2023

BSS (SEVENTEEN) Debuts at No. 1 on Japan Hot 100

BSS’ “Fighting,” feat. Lee Young Ji, blasts in at No. 1 on this week’s Billboard Japan Hot 100, dated Feb. 15. BSS consists of three members — SEUNGKWAN, DK, and HOSHI — from the 13-member South Korean boy band SEVENTEEN.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

The lead single off the trio’s project SECOND WIND performed well in a balanced way on this week’s charts, coming in at No. 3 for sales, No. 7 for video views, No. 9 for downloads and No. 13 for streaming. The track is the group’s first new song in five years.

NCT DREAM’s “Best Friend Ever” launched at No. 1 for sales this week with 348,133 copies sold, and HKT48’s “Kimi wa motto dekiru” followed at No. 2 for the metric with 178,889 copies. But these two tracks couldn’t support that lead with other metrics — for example, “Best Friend Ever” came in at No. 54 for downloads and No. 90 for video — and were unable to overtake “Fighting” at No. 1 and the long-running hit “Subtitle” by Official HIGE DANdism at No. 2 on the Japan Hot 100. “Best Friend Ever” bows at No. 3 while “Kimi wa motto dekiru” debuts at No. 4 this week.

Rising singer-songwriter YU-KA’s “Hoshizukiyo,” the theme of the ongoing TV drama series Hoshifuruyoruni starring Yuriko Yoshitaka and Takumi Kitamura, debuts at No. 9 on the Japan Hot 100. The track is off to a good start, ruling downloads this week with 14,816 units, and also coming in at No. 4 for radio, No. 45 for streaming and No. 72 for video.

The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, YouTube and GYAO! video views and karaoke data.

For the full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, tallying the week from Feb. 6 to Feb. 12, head here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account. 

15 Feb 2023

Rosalía Is Producer of The Year, BTS’ SUGA Tour Updates, Jimin Album Update & More | Billboard News

Rosalía will be with the inaugural producer of the year award at our Billboard Women In Music in March. We update you on BTS’ Sugar solo tour dates, Jimin’s solo album and more! We also get a first look at Lady Gaga in the ‘Joker’ sequel ‘Joker: Folie á Deux’. We interviewed Dillon Francis aka DJ Hanzel’s thoughts on the current state of EDM music. We see how well people know the lyrics to some of the biggest hits on our charts right now and more!

15 Feb 2023

Rihanna Reveals First Photo of ‘Perfect’ Son With A$AP Rocky

He’s finally here! Rihanna unveiled the long-awaited first look at her baby son with partner A$AP Rocky in a new cover story for British Vogue published Wednesday (Feb. 15).

“My perfect baby!!!” the superstar captioned the photo on her Instagram, which features the tot — whose name she and the rapper still have yet to share publicly — smiling the camera as he lays on his back with his teeny tiny feet in his hands.

In the associated profile, Rih dished on how motherhood has changed her entire perspective, telling the magazine, “It’s everything. You really don’t remember life before, that’s the craziest thing ever. You literally try to remember it – and there are photos of my life before – but the feeling, the desires, the things that you enjoy, everything, you just don’t identify with it because you don’t even allow yourself mentally to get that far, because…Because it doesn’t matter.”

Of course, the “Diamonds” songstress is currently readying her world for baby number two following that epic baby bump reveal during her Super Bowl LVII halftime show performance. The 13-minute set featured the Savage x Fenty mogul running through her massive back catalog of hits including the likes of “Where Have You Been,” “We Found Love,” “Rude Boy,” “Work,” “Umbrella” and more.

Rihanna also teased the likelihood of finally releasing her long-awaited ninth album in the British Vogue interview, saying, “I want it to be this year. Like, honestly, it’d be ridiculous if it’s not this year. But I just want to have fun. I just want to make music and make videos.”

See the first look at Rihanna and A$AP Rocky’s baby boy below.

15 Feb 2023

Organizing Your Music Collection? Here Are 12 Storage Options for Vinyl Records & CDs

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.

Let’s get organized! Vinyl record sales spiked after the pandemic started and managed to top CD sales for the first time in decades. Three years later, and despite slowing sales, vinyl records are still popular among music fans (Taylor Swift’s Midnights was the best-selling vinyl of 2022). With that in mind, we curated a list of storage options that will keep your favorite vinyls, CDs and even cassette tapes in one place.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Whether you’re a casual collector or have simply accumulated too many records and CDs over the years, we’re here to help! Below, find a list of media storage options that are perfectly designed for your music collection. For more shopping recommendations, be sure to read our roundups of the best vinyl record players and turntables, and tips on how to clean your vinyl records.

Amazon

Snap-N-Store Vinyl Record Storage Box – Pack of 1 – 13.2 x 12.625 x 12.5 Inch LP Holder with Lid for 12-inch Records

$29.71

Provided that you don’t have a huge collection, the Snap-N-Store Vinyl Record Storage Box is a simple but stylish way to store your vinyl records. This 12-inch box comes in multiple colors and holds up to 75 vinyls. You can also use it to store CDs and music memorabilia, but for something sturdier, try out a crate like this bamboo vinyl crate from Sound Stash($44.99), or Victrola’s Woden Record Crate ($59.99).

Victrola

Victrola Wooden Record Stand

$69.99

An eye-catching edition to any collector’s home, this vintage record stand offers a convenient and cool way to store over 40 of your favorite records.

Wayfair

Rolling Vinyl Multimedia Shelves

$79.99

Need something that moves around? The rolling vinyl record shelf is scratch-resistant and water resistant and can be used as a record table or a side table.

Walmart

Evelot LP Vinyl Records Storage Bag, 6-Pack

$29.99

Keep your records dust free with these vinyl records storage bags. This set of six carrying cases can hold up to 216 records at a time (each bag holds up to 36 records).

Amazon

STORi Stackable Clear Plastic CD Organizer

$16.99 $19.99 15% OFF

Got CDs? Try out this stackable plastic organizer. It holds up to 30 CDs and there’s rubber feet at the bottom to keep it sturdy. If you need something larger, this adjustable cabinet holds up to 261 CDs, 114 DVD and other media. Another space-saver: Odyssey’s KDC300 DIA Diamond KROM 300 CD Case ($119.95), or these mountable storage shelves ($109.14).

Best Buy

Victrola Bridge Record Stand

$39.99

If you’re looking for a tabletop option, Victrola’s bridge record stand is designed to hold up to 40 records at a time. Plus, it features a sleek, V-shaped design that’s available in espresso finish or white.

Urban Outfitters

Celestial Vinyl Record Storage Shelf

$109 $129 16% off% OFF

Feeling celestial? This metal storage shelf from Urban Outfitters is perfect for your turntable, records and other items. It features a sun and moon design motif and three shelves with metal separators at the base shelf. The metal shelf (20-inches x 11.5-inches x 26-inches) comes fully assembled and it weighs five pounds.

Wayfair

Asine Vinyl Record Stand

$217.99 $412 47% off% OFF

This shelf stand is a cool décor piece that conceals your vinyl records behind a hinged door with metal drivers to keep them upright. Available in charcoal and oak, the display stand is made from particleboard frame with walnut grain laminate and has four tapered wood legs and non-marking foam foot pads.

Since you’re already organizing your music collection, you might as well do the same for your headphones and get a stand, like the Yamazaki Round Headphone Stand ($19.95), the Suguder 4-in-1 Charging Station ($39.99), or this customizable headphone stand with charging dock ($59.95).

Wayfair

Crosley Liam Record Storage Stand

$329.99

A smaller version of a stand that you might find in a record store, this two-tier, Liam Record Storage Stand makes it easy to flip through your records while keeping the cover art center stage.

Amazon

LELELINKY Record Player Stand,Vinyl Record Storage Table with 4 Cabinet

$71.99 $86.99 17% OFF

Affordable and sturdy, the Lelelinky record player stand can hold up to 100 vinyl records and record player. It measures 13.38-inches wide x 25.98-inches tall (16.92-inches in depth) and is available in two shades of white as well as black and brown.

Home Depot

Oskar Adjustable Media Wall Unit

$84.01

This multimedia wall unit is designed to hold 756 CDs, 414 Blu-rays and 360 DVDs. The wall unit has adjustable shelves for optimal media storage capacity and an extended bases for stability. It measures 60.5-inches x 37.25-inches and it’s only 7.25-inches wide. If you have a tape collection, you might want to snag this 100 Capacity Tape Deck on Etsy.

Target

Modern Vinyl Record Player Storage TV Stand

$343.99 $429.99 20% off% OFF

Need to storage option for your TV? This storage cabinet/TV stand is made from MDF and durable laminate and features four shelves (one adjustable), a cupboard to hold all your electronics and three open storage cubbyholes (two of the cubbyholes are tall and thin making them perfect for keeping your records in place) and cord management ports to keep your cords from tangling up.  

15 Feb 2023

Camila Cabello & Lox Club CEO Austin Kevitch Break Up Months After Sparking Dating Rumors

In Camila Cabello‘s own words, “That’s just life, baby.” After first sparking dating rumors in June, the “Bam Bam” singer and Lox Club founder/CEO Austin Kevitch have ended their relationship after eight months together.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Though Cabello and Kevitch did not speak on the allegations themselves, the news was confirmed in a recent newsletter sent to Lox Club (a membership-based dating app primarily for Jewish people) members. “Austin is single again,” the newsletter read.

The former Fifth Harmony member was first linked to Kevitch in June, when the pair were spotted on an outing together in Los Angeles. By August, things starting heating up between the two when paparazzi caught the singer and dating app founder kissing and holding hands during a coffee run. Cabello previously dated Shawn Mendes; the “Señorita” collaborators dated for two and a half years before ending their relationship in November of 2021, stating they “will continue to be best friends.”

Cabello previously spoke about her experiences with dating apps during an October appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show. (She did not clarify if the dating app was Lox Club.)

“I was on a dating app for like 24 hours then I left,” she told the host. “Because the first guy that DM’ed me was like an aspiring singer-songwriter from Nashville and I was just like, I feel weird because somebody could be using me. Does that make sense?….You don’t know their intentions. But even that, I’m like, I don’t even know. When you are just trying to make friends, you’re going to meet guys that are vetted by your friends, which is amazing.”