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11 Jan 2023

Rihanna & A$AP Rocky Bring New Meaning to ‘Fashionably Late’ for Golden Globes Date Night: Photos

Only Rihanna and A$AP Rocky could skip the Golden Globes red carpet, arrive partway through the ceremony and still be the most talked-about couple at the event.

All eyes were on the couple Tuesday (Jan. 10) as they arrived fashionably late to the awards show, where Ri’s Wakanda Forever song “Lift Me Up” was nominated for best original song, motion picture. Though she lost out to Kala Bhairava, M. M. Keeravani and Rahul Sipligunj’s “Naatu Naatu” from the action film RRR, she and Rocky unofficially won the title of best dressed couple, the two showing up in complementary all-black evening attire.

The Fenty Beauty founder shined bright like a diamond in Cartier jewelry and a custom Schiaparelli gown and cape combo designed by Daniel Roseberry. Rocky — with whom Ri welcomed a baby boy in May — kept it simple in a sleek tuxedo. Their combined elegance was enough to turn heads as the power couple was guided to their seats as White Lotus star Jennifer Coolidge was presenting an award, a moment captured by a video posted to social media.

It wasn’t just Golden Globe attendees who were hyperaware of Rihanna’s presence, though. A handful of stars called out the nine-time Grammy winner from onstage, with Niecy Nash pausing her presentation of the best actress in a musical or comedy TV series award to say, “Rihanna, I love you, and I dressed up as you for Halloween.”

Later, the show’s host Jerrod Carmichael spotted Ri in the audience and took a moment to address her. “Only because I see Rihanna is here, I’m going to say something very controversial I will actually get in trouble for,” he began. “You take all the time you want on that album, girl. Don’t let these fools on the internet pressure you into nothing.”

The soon-to-be Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show headliner took all the shout-outs in stride, smiling graciously with Rocky seated at her side.

See photos of Rihanna and A$AP Rocky’s glam night out at the Golden Globes below:

A$AP Rocky Rihanna

A$AP Rocky and Rihanna attend the 80th Annual Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 10, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California.

Christopher Polk/NBC via GI

A$AP Rocky Rihanna

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky attend the 80th Annual Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 10, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California.

Christopher Polk/NBC via GI

11 Jan 2023

Grounded: Unprecedented FAA System Outage Causes Nightmarish Delays For Travelers Across US

HipHopWired Featured Video
FAA Forced To Ground Flights Due To Massive System Outage

Source: SAUL LOEB / Getty / FAA

Traveling by air is a convenient way to travel, but lately, it has become a headache. Due to a massive system outage, flights across the United States went nowhere.

Travelers woke up to the news or found out that their flights to their final destinations were going nowhere minutes before boarding was not going anywhere on Wednesday morning.

The FAA scrambled to get systems back up when its Notice to Air Missions System, the tool it uses to share safety information with pilots and other airline personnel, “failed,” affecting flights across the country.

According to FlightAware, more than 1,800 flights have been delayed, and over 300 have been canceled.

The outage caused the FAA to instruct all airlines to pause domestic flights until 9 AM as it worked feverishly to get the system back up.

By 8:50 AM, the agency lifted the ground stop, and flights would begin “resuming gradually.” That continues to be the case.

Was This A Cyberattack On The FAA?

In a statement, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre nixed the notion that the outage directly resulted from a cyberattack.

“The President has been briefed by the Secretary of Transportation this morning on the FAA system outage. There is no evidence of a cyberattack at this point, but the President directed DOT to conduct a full investigation into the causes. The FAA will provide regular updates, ” she tweeted.

Current Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg announced the FAA is “working to resolve this issue swiftly while noting he is calling for an “after-action process” to determine the cause of the outage.

This latest air travel nightmare comes after the mess caused by Southwest Airlines over the holiday travel season that left many of its customers stranded in airports across the US looking for answers.

If you were thinking about traveling today, don’t or mentally prepare yourself for the headache you will endure at your local airport.

—

Photo: SAUL LOEB / Getty

11 Jan 2023

Lucian Grainge Calls For ‘Updated Model’ For Music Industry: Read His Memo to UMG Staff

Universal Music Group chairman/CEO Lucian Grainge has sent out his annual New Year’s memo to staff at UMG, within which he touted several of the wins — both artistically, but also culturally and socially — that the world’s largest music company achieved in the past year. But he also laid out several issues that he feels have arisen in the decade-plus since streaming was introduced and began to take over the music industry, and called for an “updated model” for the business that will be “an innovative, ‘artist-centric’ model that values all subscribers and rewards the music they love.”

Grainge, who just guided UMG through its first full year as a public company, touted the advances that UMG’s Task Force for Meaningful Change and other community efforts made around the world, including helping artists with health insurance through a partnership with Music Health Alliance and, through various initiatives, contributing to 500 organizations around the world. He also highlighted chart successes on all platforms, including the Billboard charts in the U.S. and in countries like Japan, China and the U.K., and UMG’s role in ushering in immersive and spatial audio, which has grown significantly in the past year.

But he also sought to position UMG as the lead innovator in the music business globally, particularly in a time of growth for the business in which “bad actors” have come in to take advantage of that growth.

“Unlike so many other players in the music world, especially the newer ones, UMG can never be regarded as merely a ‘checkbook and distribution’ company,” Grainge wrote. “Nor are we some convoluted financial instrument that seeks to exploit the recent growth in our industry. No, we are different. Very different. Because for all of us at UMG, music and the artists who create that music comprise our very raison d’être. It’s what gets us up in the morning.”

While championing the company for helping usher in the streaming era, he also attacked the ecosystem that streaming has created. “Today, some platforms are adding 100,000 tracks per day,” he added. “And with such a vast and unnavigable number of tracks flooding the platforms, consumers are increasingly being guided by algorithms to lower-quality functional content that in some cases can barely pass for ‘music.’ … For example, just witness the thousands and thousands of 31-second track uploads of sound files whose sole purpose is to game the system and divert royalties. The result? A less fulfilling experience for the consumer, diminished compensation flowing to artists that are driving the business models of the platforms, and fewer cultural moments that fans can collectively share, all of which undermines the creativity and development of artists and their music that the platforms were, in part, designed to foster.”

After pointing out those issues, Grainge then called for change — change that he didn’t specify, but that he says will be “absolutely essential to promote a healthier, more competitive music ecosystem, one in which great music, no matter where it’s from, is easily and clearly accessible for fans to discover and enjoy. An environment where great music is not drowned in an ocean of noise. And one where the creators of all music content, whether in the form of audio or short-form video are fairly compensated.”

That, he says, will be one of the main goals for UMG in this coming year.

“[W]e need an updated model,” Grainge wrote. “Not one that pits artists of one genre against artists of another or major label artists against indie or DIY artists. We need a model that supports all artists — DIY, indie and major. An innovative, ‘artist-centric’ model that values all subscribers and rewards the music they love. A model that will be a win for artists, fans, and labels alike, and, at the same time, also enhances the value proposition of the platforms themselves, accelerating subscriber growth, and better monetizing fandom.”

Read Grainge’s entire memo below:

Dear Colleagues,

Happy New Year! I wanted to write to you to welcome you back and as promised, give you my thoughts about the year ahead. It’s hard to believe that just a little more than a year ago, UMG became a freestanding public company. It was a watershed moment in our history. And yet, in some ways, when it comes to what we do every day, we just kept doing what we’ve always done: bring great artists and their music to the world; break performance records of all kinds everywhere; and drive the industry forward though creativity, strategic investments and innovation.

And that’s exactly what we plan to do this year.

Now, with 2022 in the rearview mirror, I’d like to share with you a few thoughts about what was an extraordinary year for UMG and also express my gratitude to all of you for making the year so remarkable. I’ll have something to say as well about the very real challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for us in 2023, but first let’s take a brief victory lap to reflect on what we achieved last year.

Beginning with some accomplishments I’m particularly proud of, here are just a few examples of how, once again, you and our artists showed up big time to make our communities stronger and help those in need:

— Serving more than 20,000 meals around the world;
— Building community gardens throughout the US, Europe and Australasia;
— Working on vital education campaigns with organizations such as Mental Health Coalition; and
— Extending our programs to benefit our artists past and present including assisting hundreds of artists in saving millions of dollars in healthcare costs through our partnership with Music Health Alliance in the U.S.

And our company’s Task Force for Meaningful Change continued its groundbreaking work in a variety of ways: funding programs to mentor the next generation of Black artists and Black music industry executives; fighting for criminal justice reforms; investing in community violence intervention programs and policy organizations; partnering with HBCU medical schools to widen the Black practitioner pipeline; and helping turn out the vote in the U.S. elections by providing more than 13,000 rides to and from the polls. Between the TFMC, our All Together Now Foundation, and our Employee Matching Program, we have contributed to more than 500 organizations in 2022 alone.

On the charts, the performance of our artists and songwriters remained stellar. So many artists from around the world contributed to 2022’s success, with standout performances from: Taylor Swift; Olivia Rodrigo; The Weeknd; The Beatles, Kendrick Lamar; Drake; BTS; Karol G; Luciano; Angèle; Glass Animals; Imagine Dragons; Rammstein; Helene Fischer; ABBA; Ado; Elton John; Eminem; Justin Bieber; King & Prince; Lil Baby; Billie Eilish; among many many others. Here are some examples:

— On Spotify: UMG had four of the Top 5 Artists globally; four of the Top 5 in the U.S.; 7 of the Top 10 in Germany and Italy, including No. 1s in both countries; and the top female artist in France;
— On Apple Music: Universal Music Publishing Group had writer-interests in 9 of the Top 10 most-streamed songs globally;
— On YouTube: UMG had 7 of the Top 10 Songs in the U.S.;
— On Billboard: We had the No. 1 Song on the Hot 100 year-end chart and 7 of the Top 10 Albums;
— On Deezer: UMG had the Top 2 Artists globally, and 5 of the Top 10;
— In Germany: The Top 4 Albums and the Top 3 Singles;
— In the U.K.: 6 of the Top 10 artists including No. 1;
— In Japan: The No. 1 Artist on Billboard’s Year-end Chart;
— On Vevo: The No. 1 Global Artist
— And finally, in China: Eason Chan’s “Gu Yong Zhe” (“The Lone Warrior”), became the most-streamed song in UMG China’s history after topping the charts on all major streaming platforms.

All that — and so much more — didn’t just “happen.” To achieve such astonishing success for both developing and established artists, and to do so year after year, in every conceivable genre, often in regions beyond their home countries, is no accident. UMG’s unique artist-centric culture accounts for that repeated success and is at the heart of our company’s two-fold mission.

Our first, simplest, and yet most difficult imperative is to discover and break new artists and then sustain their careers over the long run. Unlike so many other players in the music world, especially the newer ones, UMG can never be regarded as merely a “checkbook and distribution” company. Nor are we some convoluted financial instrument that seeks to exploit the recent growth in our industry. No, we are different. Very different. Because for all of us at UMG, music and the artists who create that music comprise our very raison d’être. It’s what gets us up in the morning.

The second part of our mission is to promote a healthy, sustainable and exciting music ecosystem in which our artists can thrive for years and decades to come. We fulfill that goal by using our ingenuity to drive the music industry forward as technology and the world around us keep changing. That is why, even as we diligently work, day-in and day-out, to break our artists and songwriters, we’re also pursuing unexplored avenues of creative and commercial possibilities and, whenever appropriate, taking the necessary steps to turn those possibilities into reality.

One powerful example of one of those possibilities becoming reality: immersive or ‘spatial’ audio. Seven years ago, we embarked on a journey to evolve the music listening experience. We approached Dolby with a proposal: if our two companies worked together, we could develop a new format that envelops the listener into a 360-degree immersive environment that provides artists with a broader creative palette on which to express themselves. We believed that this could be one of the most important developments in the recorded music listening experience in decades.

An advance as significant as immersive audio was no easy feat. It required years of investment and innovation. Much more. We built state-of-the-art recording suites within our network of iconic studios — Capitol Studios in L.A. and Abbey Road Studios in London, to name just two. We trained some of the world’s top engineers in how to make the best use of the format. And we conducted an extensive campaign to educate artists and artist estates about the limitless creative opportunities that immersive audio provides.

We’re already seeing the results. Nearly half of UMG’s streaming consumption and 80% of our top-50 streaming artists’ music are available in immersive (or Atmos) versions.

Who benefits from this landmark innovation? For starters, artists, of course. And by “artists,” I mean all artists, not just UMG’s. Thanks to our efforts, the entire industry has been releasing more and more music in immersive audio. And many platforms — including Apple Music, Tidal and Amazon Music — are offering this far superior experience to the other beneficiaries of immersive audio: music fans. Millions and millions of them around the world. And they simply can’t get enough.

This year fans will get even more. I am confident that we will see significant global growth in the availability of immersive audio as more and more automobile and device manufacturers introduce new products designed to deliver this greatly enhanced musical experience.

Looking beyond the expansion of immersive audio, our determination to drive change will only accelerate this year. Just as we’ve done so successfully in the past, we’re putting in place the strategies and resources to lead through every significant technological advance on the horizon. And each such advance — from web3 and the metaverse, to new applications for health and wellness and medical music delivery — will enable us to connect directly to consumers in ways that were unimaginable just a few years ago and deliver significant long-term value to those fans, as well as to our artists, our employees and our shareholders.

That’s exactly the pioneering approach we took at the advent of streaming. Early on, we saw the potential inherent in streaming and subscription and jumped right in. Though it seems like only yesterday that we were working with Spotify to enable their U.S. launch, that “yesterday” was way back in 2011. While other companies were trying to hold their ground even as that ground was shifting beneath their feet, UMG leaned into what was the most profound business model shift the industry had ever seen, redesigning our global organization, becoming the first to adapt to and then thrive in the streaming era.

But if history teaches us anything, it is this: every blazingly transformative technological development inevitably creates new challenges for us to confront. So, it’s no surprise that after almost a dozen years of fundamentally transforming the music business, the manner in which music is presented and consumed on streaming platforms has itself evolved. And while that evolution has created enormous opportunities and benefits for artists and consumers — reflected in increased listening diversity that initially comes with adoption of subscription — it has also created byproducts that are increasingly confusing and unfulfilling for them as the volume of noise in the marketplace has increased. Today, some platforms are adding 100,000 tracks per day. And with such a vast and unnavigable number of tracks flooding the platforms, consumers are increasingly being guided by algorithms to lower-quality functional content that in some cases can barely pass for “music.”

Let me explain. In order to entice consumers to subscribe, platforms naturally exploit the music of those artists who have large and passionate fan bases. But then, once those fans have subscribed, consumers are often guided by algorithms to generic music that lacks a meaningful artistic context, is less expensive for the platform to license or, in some cases, has been commissioned directly by the platform. For example, just witness the thousands and thousands of 31-second track uploads of sound files whose sole purpose is to game the system and divert royalties. The result? A less fulfilling experience for the consumer, diminished compensation flowing to artists that are driving the business models of the platforms, and fewer cultural moments that fans can collectively share, all of which undermines the creativity and development of artists and their music that the platforms were, in part, designed to foster.

While this unsatisfying situation is discouraging, it’s not surprising. Now that the industry is growing again — in large part as a result of UMG’s strategy, investments and innovation — new players as well as some bad actors who do not share our commitment to artists and artistry have been swooping into the reinvigorated industry.

In the past, music industry conflict was often focused on ‘the majors versus the indies.’ Today, however, the real divide is between those committed to investing in artists and artist development versus those committed to gaming the system through quantity over quality. The current environment has attracted players who see an economic opportunity in flooding platforms with all sorts of irrelevant content that deprives both artists and labels from the compensation they deserve.

What’s become clear to us and to so many artists and songwriters — developing and established ones alike — is that the economic model for streaming needs to evolve. As technology advances and platforms evolve, it’s not surprising that there’s also a need for business model innovation to keep pace with change. There is a growing disconnect between, on the one hand, the devotion to those artists whom fans value and seek to support and, on the other, the way subscription fees are paid by the platforms. Under the current model, the critical contributions of too many artists, as well as the engagement of too many fans, are undervalued.

Therefore, to correct this imbalance, we need an updated model. Not one that pits artists of one genre against artists of another or major label artists against indie or DIY artists. We need a model that supports all artists — DIY, indie and major. An innovative, “artist-centric” model that values all subscribers and rewards the music they love. A model that will be a win for artists, fans and labels alike, and, at the same time, also enhances the value proposition of the platforms themselves, accelerating subscriber growth, and better monetizing fandom.

Along with many others in the music world, we share deeply held principles about the value of artistry and the artist-fan relationship. This year, we will be working on the innovation that is absolutely essential to promote a healthier, more competitive music ecosystem, one in which great music, no matter where it’s from, is easily and clearly accessible for fans to discover and enjoy. An environment where great music is not drowned in an ocean of noise. And one where the creators of all music content, whether in the form of audio or short-form video are fairly compensated.

Achieving such a profound change will present challenges as well as opportunities. I’m confident, however, that our long and deep involvement with music and artists will enable us to safely and profitably navigate our way forward through the industry’s next big shift.

I’m looking forward to being on this journey with all of you!

Our past is prologue to a future where the solutions we find and the steps we take to implement them will contribute to another era of growth for UMG and the industry at large. I believe there is no better team anywhere than the one we have right here at UMG.

Thank you once again for incredible 2022 in which our artists and our company achieved remarkable things.

I am immensely proud of all of you.

I’m excited for what will be an eventful and prosperous 2023.

Lucian

11 Jan 2023

‘The Jennifer Hudson Show’ Renewed for Season 2

Jennifer Hudson is staying put.

Warner Bros. Discovery announced Wednesday that its freshman entry, The Jennifer Hudson Show, would be back on Fox TV Stations for a season two next fall. Hearst Television, along with other station partners, also renewed the Telepictures-produced series. With the freshly-minted EGOT as host, the syndicated show is said to be reaching, on average, 5.2 million weekly viewers — hardly Oprah ratings, but “absolutely deserving,” as Fox TV Stations exec Frank Cicha noted, of a second year.

“Working on this show alongside my incredible team and our amazing partners has been one of the greatest joys of my career. We have been on this journey together from day one and I am so thrilled to take it to the next level,” Hudson said in a statement. “I could not be more grateful to audiences across America for letting me into their homes everyday as we empower and inspire one another. I can’t wait to show you what we have up our sleeves in season two.”

Hudson and her eponymous show have attempted to fill a void left by the departures of daytime staples Ellen and The Wendy Williams Show. To do so, the American Idol alum was paired with Ellen DeGeneres’ longtime producers, Mary Connelly, Andy Lassner and Corey Palent, along with Lisa Kasteler Calio, Graehme Morphy and Walter Williams III as executive producers. But, as DeGeneres acknowledged in her exit interview with THR, daytime is an increasingly “fractured environment”; in fact, asked if she’d launch her show in today’s market, DeGeneres said she probably wouldn’t.

Still, the executives involved with Hudson’s effort used Wednesday’s renewal news as an opportunity to praise the series and its host. “This show is second to none because of her and all of the talented producers and crew who work daily to make every single episode special,” added Warner Bros.’ president of unscripted TV Mike Darnell, who first met Hudson when he was overseeing Idol for Fox. “A season two pick-up this early on proves that this show is here to stay.”

The announcement comes as the same Fox station group revealed it would be re-upping the season’s other new entry as well. Sherri Shepherd’s Sherri is set to return for two more years.

This story was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.

11 Jan 2023

Zendaya Reacts to Winning Golden Globe After Missing Ceremony: It’s a ‘Gift’ That Fans Love Rue

Zendaya won her third major award for her portrayal of drug-addicted teen Rue in the gritty drama Euphoria at Tuesday night’s (Jan. 10) 2023 Golden Globe Awards. But, after previously taking home two primetime Emmys for the role, the 26-year-old star was not in the house in Los Angeles to accept her best performance by an actress in a drama television series at last night’s rebooted event, but she did send her fans a heartfelt acceptance note.

“I’m so sorry I wasn’t able to be there tonight, but I just wanted to say thank you to @goldenglobes for this incredible honor. To my fellow nominees, it is a privilege to be named beside you, I admire you all deeply,” she wrote in an Instagram post alongside a moody black and white pic in which she appeared to be dancing in her room.

She thanked her whole Euphoria family, saying without them “none of this is possible. Lastly, thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who has allowed Rue into theirs. I think everyone knows how much she means to me, but the fact that she can mean something to someone else is a gift. I’m honestly at a loss for words as I type this, all I can say is thank you thank you thank you.”

Z’s first Golden Globe for the show she stars in and executive produces came in a very tight race in which she was up against a number of veteran stars, including Laura Linney (Ozark), Hilary Swank (Alaska Daily) and Imelda Staunton (The Crown); Emma D’Arcy (House of the Dragon) was also nominated in that category.

Check out Zendaya’s post below.

11 Jan 2023

NIVA Names Stephen Parker New Executive Director

The National Independent Venue Association has announced music policy advocate Stephen Parker as its new executive director. Parker will take over the position from Rev. Moose, who previously served as NIVA and National Independent Venue Foundation founding executive director. NIVA announced in August that they would begin the search to fill both of Rev. Moose’s positions, so he could focus on his creative marketing firm, Marauder.

Parker has served as an advisor and consultant at the Country Music Association, senior special assistant to Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, senior policy advisor at the National Guard, and, most recently, as vp of public affairs and communications at gener8tor, an organization focused on entrepreneurship and the creative economy. Parker serves on several non-profit boards, including the Country Music Association Foundation board of directors.

Parker tells Billboard that he greatly admired NIVA for their work since they were founded in 2020 to help independent music venues survive through the pandemic, calling the association the most successful lobbyists in the country in 2020. That year, NIVA successfully advocated for $16 billion in federal funds through the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant.

“I ultimately came upon this job by talking to different members at the conference that they had in July of last year (NIVA ‘22), but also just from knowing independent venue owners, board members, different staff members of NIVA,” says Parker. “This [association] is the crown jewel of anybody who cares about public policy, and in music, and art and live entertainment and comedy. There is no place like it. This organization is built on advocacy. And for me with my political background, it was an incredible fit. I feel honored and humbled every day that they chose me.”

Stephen Parker

Stephen Parker

Courtesy Photo

In his new role, Parker will be tasked with continuing to grow the association’s numbers and advocate for NIVA members at the federal and state level. One of Parker’s first missions is to advocate for fans who are being impacted by deceptive ticketing practices, including speculative ticketing — where ticket resellers post tickets on secondary sites like StubHub or Viagogo before those tickets even go on sale. Additionally, Parker says some state and local governments still have remaining pandemic relief funds from the federal government that can continue helping independent venues that have not fully recovered from the mass gathering shutdowns and customers hesitancy to return to live events.

Advocacy, he adds, could also come in the form of getting NIVA members elected to local government positions. “We have so many members that want to do something and want to continue to push things forward when it comes to advocacy,” says Parker. “Making sure that they have toolkits and resources to make their voices heard for the communities that they live in is a huge priority for me.”

“We look forward with immense optimism to NIVA’s next crucial chapter of growth and development to best serve members who fight tirelessly to improve their communities, workplaces and entertainment experiences,” said NIVA board president Dayna Frank in a statement. “With Stephen’s leadership, energy, and enthusiasm we are in the best possible hands. His experience with advocacy and relationship development in a longtime-successful association will ensure we flourish together today, tomorrow and in the future. We’re so lucky to have his determination and expertise.”

In addition to advocacy, Parker’s role will be to strengthen the association itself. NIVA intends to expand their healthcare coverage for members and their local venue workers, organize venues for purchasing power on common goods and continue to develop educational programs for members on sustainability, DEI practices and more. In recent months, NIVA has announced partnerships with voter registration non-profit Headcount and r.Cup, a sustainable platform providing reusable cups to eliminate single-use plastic.

“Growth for growth’s sake, is never good, but growth to make sure that we can continue to serve our members better, that we can continue to make a case to new members to join our organization and so we can continue to do the work and the services to make sure our venues can survive and thrive, that’s the reason for growth. And that’s what we’re looking at,” says Parker.

11 Jan 2023

Hot 100 First-Timers: Hotel Ugly Checks In With ‘Shut Up My Moms Calling’

Houston-based duo Hotel Ugly scores its first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (dated Jan. 14), as the act’s breakthrough hit “Shut Up My Moms Calling” debuts at No. 96.

The duo comprises brothers Chris and Mike Fiscella.

The song, which the pair released independently, debuts on the strength of 5.7 million official U.S. streams (up 11%) in the Dec. 30-Jan. 5 tracking week, according to Luminate. It also re-enters the Hot R&B Songs chart at No. 23 (after reaching No. 11 in November) and rises 44-40 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (after climbing to No. 39 in December).

“Shut Up My Moms Calling” is also scoring success around the world, as it jumps 167-93 on the Billboard Global 200 and re-enters the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart at No. 136, with both placements marking new peaks. The track drew 14.9 million streams worldwide in the tracking week, a boost of 8%.

TikTok has been a big factor in the song’s growing popularity, as the cut has been used in more than 66,000 videos on the platform to date. (TikTok does not presently contribute directly to Billboard‘s charts.)

Hotel Ugly is a newcomer to Billboard’s listings, as the song marks the duo’s first chart appearance.

The act currently reaches the top 20 of the Emerging Artists chart for the first time, jumping 27-19 in its 14th week on the survey.

The song is slated to appear on the group’s upcoming LP, due later this year.

11 Jan 2023

Bad Bunny’s ‘Un Verano Sin Ti’ Is Luminate’s Top Album of 2022 in U.S.

Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti wrapped 2022 as the most popular album of the year in the U.S., according to music data tracking firm Luminate. Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow’s “Industry Baby” was the year’s top song by on-demand streams, while Harry Styles’ “As It Was” ruled as both the top-streamed song by on-demand audio streams and the most-heard song on the radio. Meanwhile, total music consumption in the U.S. — as measured in equivalent album units — grew by 9.2% in 2022. (View the U.S. 2022 Luminate Year-End Music Report.)

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See the year’s top 10 albums chart, along with other year-end rankings and overall volume numbers, below.

But first, the fine print:

Equivalent album units – for album titles and chart rankings cited below (but not industry volume numbers) – comprise traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album, or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. Album titles and album chart rankings by equivalent album units do not include user-generated content (UGC) streams, but UGC streams are included in Luminate’s industry volume numbers. (UGC streams are not factored into any of Billboard’s weekly charts.)

For the sake of clarity, equivalent album units do not include listening to music on broadcast radio or digital radio broadcasts. All numbers cited in this story are rounded, and for the U.S. only.

Luminate’s equivalent album unit totals include SEA and TEA for an album’s songs registered before an album’s release, but during the tracking period. For example, Harry Styles’ Harry’s House album unit total includes SEA and TEA for its song “As It Was” from April 1, 2022 (its release day) through May 19, 2022, before the album was released on May 20, 2022.

Luminate began tracking music sales in 1991 when the company was known as SoundScan. Luminate’s sales, streaming and airplay data is used to compile Billboard’s weekly charts. Luminate’s 2022 tracking year ran from Dec. 31, 2021, through Dec. 29, 2022.

Luminate is an independently operated company owned by PME TopCo, a PMC subsidiary and joint venture between Penske Media Corporation and Eldridge.  Billboard is an independently operated company owned by PME Holdings, a subsidiary of PME TopCo.

Highlights from Luminate’s 2022 year-end data:

  • Music consumption in the U.S., as measured by equivalent album units, grew by 9.2%
  • Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti is the first Latin album, all-Spanish-language title, and non-English-language effort to be Luminate’s year-end No. 1 album, since the firm began tracking data in 1991.
  • Children’s music and Latin music had the largest growth among Luminate’s core genres in the U.S., rising 30% and 28.2%, respectively.
  • Overall U.S. on-demand song streams (audio and video combined) increased 12.2% to 1.268 trillion.
  • Yearly U.S. on-demand audio streams surpassed 1 trillion for the first time.
  • 29% of all on-demand audio streams in the U.S. in 2022 were R&B/hip-hop songs.
  • U.S. vinyl album sales outsold CDs for the second year in a row & vinyl sales grew for a 17th consecutive year.
  • 43% of all albums sold in 2022 in the U.S. – across all formats, physical & digital combined – were vinyl LPs.
  • Taylor Swift sold more vinyl albums than any act in 2022 in the U.S., accounting for 1 of every 25 vinyl LPs sold nationwide.
  • Total U.S. album sales for the year (physical and digital download purchases combined) fell by 8.2%
  • Swift’s latest album Midnights sold 1.8 million in traditional album sales in the U.S. in 2022 – the biggest-selling album of any year since 2017, when Swift’s Reputation sold 1.9 million. Further, an album by Swift has been the year’s top seller in three of the last four years: Midnights in 2022, Folklore in 2020 and Lover in 2019.
  • U.S. digital track sales declined for the 10th consecutive year, falling 25% in 2022. And for the first time since 2004, no song sold more than 500,000 downloads in a calendar year. From 2005-21, there was at least one song that sold a million downloads in each year, and from 2006-21, at least one song sold 1 million each year.

Un Verano Sin Ti debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart dated May 21, 2022, and spent 13 nonconsecutive weeks atop the list. That marked the most weeks at No. 1 for any album since Drake’s Views also logged 13 frames at No. 1 in 2016. All 22 new songs on Bad Bunny’s album charted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart simultaneously, with the set launching four top 10-charting hits.

Un Verano Sin Ti was a streaming powerhouse, with 97% of its total activity in 2022 coming from on-demand streams of its 23 songs. Its tracks generated 4.649 billion on-demand streams in the U.S. in 2022 – easily making it the most-streamed album of the year (equaling 3.314 million in SEA units). The album sold just 70,000 in traditional album sales (CD and digital album download purchases – it was not available in any other format at retail). In terms of straight album sales – Un Verano Sin Ti was the No. 121st biggest-selling album of the year. And, Un Verano Sin Ti’s tracks sold just 148,000 downloads in 2022 – equaling 15,000 in TEA units.

Un Verano Sin Ti is the first Latin album, all-Spanish-language title, and non-English-language effort to be Luminate’s year-end No. 1 album, since the firm began tracking data in 1991.

2022 is the seventh consecutive year a solo male artist has Luminate’s top album by equivalent album units, following Morgan Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album (2021), Lil Baby’s My Turn (2020), Post Malone’s Hollywood’s Bleeding (2019), Drake’s Scorpion (2018), Ed Sheeran’s ÷ (Divide) (2017) and Drake’s Views (2016). The last time an album not by a solo male was tops for the year was in 2015, when Adele’s 25 ruled.

TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2022 IN U.S., BY TOTAL EQUIVALENT ALBUM UNITS
1. Bad Bunny, Un Verano Sin Ti (3.400 million)
2. Taylor Swift, Midnights (3.294 million)
3. Morgan Wallen, Dangerous: The Double Album (2.405 million)
4. Harry Styles, Harry’s House (2.204 million)
5. The Weeknd, The Highlights (1.879 million)
6. Soundtrack, Encanto (1.839 million)
7. Future, I Never Liked You (1.460 million)
8. Olivia Rodrigo, Sour (1.438 million)
9. Lil Durk, 7220 (1.357 million)
10. Drake, Certified Lover Boy (1.317 million)

Source: Luminate, for the tracking period Dec. 31, 2021, through Dec. 29, 2022. UGC streams are not included in this chart, but are included in Luminate’s on-demand streaming charts (below).

The second-biggest album of 2022 by equivalent album units is Taylor Swift’s Midnights, with 3.294 million units earned in just 10 weeks (the album was released on Oct. 21, 2022). Unlike the streaming-powered Un Verano Sin Ti, the Midnights album saw its success distributed more evenly across streaming, album purchases and track sales.

Midnights was by far the top-selling album of 2022, with 1.818 million copies sold – the biggest-selling album of a calendar year since 2017, when Swift’s own Reputation was tops (1.903 million). Midnights’ songs generated 1.854 million on-demand official streams last year, equating to 1.407 million SEA units. And, in terms of tracks sold from the album, Midnights’ collected songs sold 680,000 – resulting in 68,000 TEA units for the set. The album’s “Anti-Hero” is also 2022’s top-selling digital song, with 436,000 sold.

Morgan Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album is 2022’s No. 3-biggest album by units (2.405 million). It was 2021’s top album. Harry Styles’ Harry’s House (2.203 million) and The Weeknd’s hits compilation The Highlights (1.879 million) round out Luminate’s top five albums of 2022.

TOTAL ALBUM CONSUMPTION INCREASES 9.2%: Equivalent album units increased by 9.2% in 2022, to 974.9 million (up from 893.1 million in 2021). There were 19 albums that earned at least 1 million equivalent album units in 2022 – down from 26 in 2021.

R&B/HIP-HOP LEADS, LATIN & CHILDRENS MUSIC GAINS: R&B/hip-hop music continues to have the largest share of total album consumption, with 261.7 million units earned in 2022 – accounting for 26.8% of total volume (973.9) last year across all of Luminate’s core genres measured. R&B/hip-hop consumption increased 5.7% in 2022 over its volume in 2021 (247.5 million). (R&B/hip-hop is an umbrella genre for Luminate that contains most titles categorized as either R&B and/or rap.)

2022’s second-largest genre, by total album consumption, was rock with 194.7 million units (up 9% from 178.7 million in 2021). Pop music was third, with 123.7 million (up 6.2% from 116.5 million) and country music was fourth, with 75.7 million (up 4.8% from 72.2 million). The Latin genre rounded out the top five with 61.7 million units (up 28.2%) from 48.2 million in 2021.

Latin music had the second-largest percentage gain among Luminate’s core genres, in terms of total album consumption in 2022, rising 28.2%. Notably, Bad Bunny holds the top four Latin albums of 2022 by units earned: Un Verano Sin Ti (3.398 million units), YHLQMDLG (802,000), El Ultimo Tour del Mundo (577,000) and X 100PRE (386,000). Rauw Alejandro’s Vice Versa is 2022’s No. 5 biggest Latin album, with 375,000 units. (Those five albums, in order, are also the five total Latin albums among the year-end all-genre top 200 albums, ranking at Nos. 1, 40, 83, 179 and 186, respectively.)

2022’s second-largest gain among Luminate’s core genres was children’s music, which increased 30% to 13.4 million units in 2022 (up from 10.3 million in 2021). The genre was got a big boost from the massive success of the soundtrack to the Disney animated film Encanto, which finished the year as the No. 6 album overall with 1.839 million units. The set topped the weekly Billboard 200 chart for nine nonconsecutive weeks – the most weeks at No. 1 for any soundtrack since Disney’s own Frozen ruled for 13 nonconsecutive frames in 2014. The Encanto album – which boasts the No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hit “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” – also racked up 24 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Kid Albums chart (which ranks the most popular children’s albums of the week).

TAYLOR SWIFT’S ‘MIDNIGHTS’ IS 2022’s TOP-SELLING ALBUM: Taylor Swift’s latest studio album Midnights was a monster sales success in the U.S., closing 2022 as the top-selling album of the year with 1.818 million copies sold across all formats (physical and digital combined: CD, vinyl LP, cassette, digital download album). (See the top 10-selling albums of 2022, below.)

With 1.818 million sold in 2022, Midnights is the biggest-selling album of any year since 2017, when Swift’s Reputation sold 1.903 million. Further, an album by Swift has been the year’s top-seller in three of the last four years: Midnights in 2022, Folklore in 2020 and Lover in 2019. (The top-selling album in 2021 was Adele’s 30, with 1.464 million sold.)

Midnights’ sales were bolstered by an array of available versions and variants of the album, including four standard CD editions (each with different cover art, both clean and explicit), four vinyl LP editions (each with a different cover and colored vinyl), a cassette tape and multiple digital iterations (including a “3am Edition” of the set with seven bonus tracks). Target stores also carried an exclusive “Lavender” edition of the album on CD and colored-vinyl, with the CD boasting three bonus tracks.

To further enhance sales, Swift’s official webstore sold signed copies of the four standard CD albums and vinyl LPs during a pre-order window before the album launched. As previously reported when the album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, some superfans may have been motivated to purchase all four variants of the album on either CD or vinyl, as the back covers of the albums fit together like a puzzle to display a clock face (a literal reference to Midnights). Swift shared the news through her social media in mid-September, saying: “If you put all the back covers together, she’s a clock. It’s a clock… It makes a clock.” (Swift’s official webstore previously sold hardware to hold the four CDs or the four vinyl LPs together as a wall clock.)

The idea of assembling multiple versions of an album’s back cover (or cover) together to reveal a larger complete image isn’t unique to Swift, as other acts (frequently in the K-pop world) have employed a similar marketing idea.

And, It’s not unusual for many artists to offer collectible variants of a physical album package – from multiple color vinyl editions to collectible CD editions and beyond. (Swift herself has done it for previous releases.) In 2022, acts ranging from Ghost, Ozzy Osbourne and Red Hot Chili Peppers to BLACKPINK, Madonna and Harry Styles all leaned in to the practice of offering multiple iterations of a physical album where usually the only difference is in packaging or the color of a vinyl LP.

Midnights was the only album to sell a million copies in the U.S. in 2022. It’s the fifth year in a row where just one album surpassed 1 million in U.S. sales. In 2021, Adele’s 30 was the only million-seller (1.464 million); in 2020, Swift’s Folklore was tops (1.276 million); in 2019, Swift’s Lover was the lone million-seller (1.085 million), and in 2018 the soundtrack to The Greatest Showman ruled with 1.489 million.

Swift is the only act to have the top-selling album of the year at least six times since Luminate began tracking sales in 1991. (Swift also had the top-seller in 2020, 2019, 2017, 2014 and 2009.)

All but two of the year’s top 10-selling albums were aided by their availability on vinyl LP. Of the top 10, BTS’ Proof and TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s Minisode 2: Thursday’s Child were the only titles not available on vinyl (the two K-pop projects were only available as digital download albums and on CD). It’s typical for many K-pop albums to bypass a release on vinyl LP in the U.S.

TOP 10 SELLING ALBUMS OF 2022 IN U.S. (PHYSICAL & DIGITAL SALES COMBINED)
1. Taylor Swift, Midnights (1.818 million)
2. Harry Styles, Harry’s House (757,000)
3. BTS, Proof (422,000)
4. Olivia Rodrigo, Sour (354,000)
5. Beyoncé, Renaissance (335,000)
6. Fleetwood Mac, Rumours (310,000)
7. Adele, 30 (296,000)
8. Kendrick Lamar, good kid, m.A.A.d city (278,000)
9. Michael Jackson, Thriller (236,000)
10. TOMORROW X TOGETHER, Minisode 2: Thursday’s Child (229,000)
Source: Luminate, for the tracking period Dec. 31, 2021, through Dec. 29, 2022.

Taylor Swift sold the most albums in total among all artists in 2022, with 2.928 million sold across her entire catalog and via all formats (physical and digital combined). Harry Styles was the No. 2 biggest-seller with albums, as he sold 1.068 million in 2022.

U.S. ALBUM SALES DECLINE BY 8.2%: Total U.S. album sales fell by 8.2% in 2022 to 100.09 million (down from 108.98 million in 2021). In 2021, album sales posted their first yearly gain in a decade, when sales increased by 6.3%, thanks partly to the release of her hot-selling 30 in that year (2021’s top-selling album). Album sales have declined in every year from 2012-20, and again in 2022, as fans increasingly adopt streaming services as a means to consume music.

Physical album sales (CD, vinyl LP, cassette, etc.) declined by 3.5% to 79.89 million (down from 82.79 million in 2021).

VINYL CONTINUES TO OUTSELL CDS: For the second year in a row, and only the second year since Luminate began tracking music sales in 1991, vinyl albums outsold CD albums. Vinyl continues to be the leading format for album purchases for the second straight year.

Vinyl was the dominant format for album purchases in the U.S. up until the early 1980s. After that, cassettes took hold until the early 1990s, when the CD format blossomed and remained king until 2021.

43.46 million vinyl albums were sold in 2022 (up 4.2% from 41.72 million in 2021). 2022 was the 17th consecutive year vinyl album sales grew in the U.S., and the largest year for vinyl album sales since Luminate began tracking data in 1991. Plus, vinyl LP sales posted their single-largest sales week of the Luminate era when 2.232 million vinyl albums were sold in the week ending Dec. 22.

The top-selling vinyl album of 2022 is Swift’s Midnights, with 945,000 copies sold across all of its vinyl variants and editions (see top 10 list, below). Midnights has the largest yearly sales total for a vinyl album since Luminate began tracking sales in 1991. The set also posted the single-largest sales week for a vinyl LP in Luminate history, when it launched with 575,000 copies in its first week.

Eight of the year-end top 10-selling vinyl albums saw their sales enhanced by their availability across multiple variants (including assorted color-vinyl editions). Among the top 10 vinyl sellers, just Tyler, the Creator’s Call Me If You Get Lost (No. 6) and Igor (No. 8) were only available in one iteration each.

TOP 10 SELLING VINYL ALBUMS OF 2022 IN U.S.
1. Taylor Swift, Midnights (945,000)
2. Harry Styles, Harry’s House (480,000)
3. Olivia Rodrigo, Sour (263,000)
4. Kendrick Lamar, good kid, m.A.A.d city (254,000)
5. Fleetwood Mac, Rumours (243,000)
6. Tyler, the Creator, Call Me If You Get Lost (211,000)
7. Taylor Swift, Folklore (174,000)
8. Tyler, the Creator, Igor (172,000)
9. Michael Jackson, Thriller (168,000)
10. The Beatles, Abbey Road (160,000)
Source: Luminate, for the tracking period Dec. 31, 2021, through Dec. 29, 2022.

Swift sold the most vinyl albums among all acts in 2022 in the U.S., with 1.695 million sold across her entire catalog. (She sold more vinyl LPs last year than the next two biggest-sellers on vinyl combined: Styles with 719,000 and The Beatles with 553,000.) Swift loomed so large on vinyl in 2022, one out of every 25 vinyl LPs sold last year in the U.S. was a Swift album (1.695 million of 43.46 million).

Vinyl album sales comprised 43.4% of all album sales in the U.S. in 2022 (43.46 million of 100.09 million). Vinyl LPs accounted for 54.4% of all physical album sold last year (43.46 million of 79.89 million). Both sums are Luminate-era records for vinyl’s share of the album sales market in the U.S.

In 2022 there were a total of 88 albums that sold at least 50,000 copies on vinyl – up from 87 in 2021. To compare, only 56 albums on the CD format sold at least 50,000 copies in 2022 (down from 67 in 2021).

CD SALES FALL, K-POP & COLLECTIBLE SETS BOLSTER TOP-SELLERS: 35.87 million CD albums were sold in 2022 (down 11.6% from 40.59 million in 2021), making it the second-most popular format among consumers who bought albums.

The top-selling album on the CD format in 2022 was Midnights with 640,000 copies sold. Swift sold the most CD albums last year, with 923,000 copies sold across her entire catalog of titles. BTS was the No. 2-seller on CD, with 917,000 copies sold.

Notably, of the year’s top 10-selling CD albums (see list, below), seven are K-pop titles (Nos. 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 10). K-pop titles sell particularly well on the CD format, as many releases in the genre are issued in collectible CD editions, each usually housed in elaborate packaging with branded paper goods contained inside (sometimes with randomized elements).

There are three non-K-pop titles in the year-end top 10 CD albums ranking: Midnights (No. 1), Harry’s House (No. 4) and Beyoncé’s Renaissance (No. 9). Midnights’ CD sales were bolstered by its availability in multiple collectible editions with different cover art, while Harry’s House was issued in zine-CD and casebook CD editions. All three titles were also available in deluxe boxed sets containing branded T-shirts.

TOP 10 SELLING CD ALBUMS OF 2022 IN U.S.
1. Taylor Swift, Midnights (640,000)
2. BTS, Proof (413,000)
3. TOMORROW X TOGETHER, Minisode 2: Thursday’s Child (227,000)
4. Harry Styles, Harry’s House (219,000)
5. Stray Kids, ODDINARY (204,000)
6. TWICE, Between 1&2 (199,000)
7. Stray Kids, MAXIDENT (177,000)
8. ENHYPEN, Manifesto: Day 1 (173,000)
9. Beyoncé, Renaissance (163,000)
10. NCT 127, 2 Baddies (148,000)
Source: Luminate, for the tracking period Dec. 31, 2021, through Dec. 29, 2022.

Digital album sales were the third-most popular format in 2022 for album purchases, and the category declined by 22.9% in 2022 to 20.2 million (down from 26.17 million in 2021). The top-selling digital album of 2022 was Midnights, with 219,000 sold. Swift was also the top-selling act across digital albums in 2022, with 292,000 download albums sold across her catalog in total. Beyoncé was the second-best selling act in digital album sales in 2022, with 69,000 copies sold.

CASSETTE TAPES SPIN BIG GAIN: In 2022, sales of albums on cassette tape in the U.S. increased by 28% to 440,000 (up from 343,000 in 2021). That’s a robust figure for a format that was mostly non-existent a few years ago, when yearly cassette sales numbered just 74,000 in 2015. Now a niche offering marketed to superfans, cassettes were once the leading format for album purchases in the U.S., from the early 1980s until the early 1990s.

The top-selling album on cassette in 2022 was the soundtrack to Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2, with 17,000 copies sold. Two more Guardians-related titles dot the top 10 (at Nos. 3 and 6). As actual cassette mixtapes feature prominently in the Guardians’ storyline, it makes sense that a real-world cassette album offering, mirroring those seen in the films and series, could be a solid seller. (The three Guardians tapes that rank in the year-end top 10 have sold, combined, more than 238,000 since their release a number of years ago.)

TOP 10 SELLING CASSETTE ALBUMS OF 2022 IN U.S.
1. Soundtrack, Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2: Awesome Mix Vol. 2 (17,000)
2. Taylor Swift, Midnights (14,000)
3. Soundtrack, Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1 (13,000)
4. Harry Styles, Harry’s House (11,000)
5. Billie Eilish, Happier Than Ever (8,000)
6. Soundtrack, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Mix, Vol. 1 (8,000)
7. Nirvana, Bleach (7,000)
8. Bo Burnham, Inside (The Songs) (5,000)
9. Bad Bunny, YHLQMDLG (5,000)
10. Ghost, Impera (5,000)
Source: Luminate, for the tracking period Dec. 31, 2021, through Dec. 29, 2022.

TOTAL STREAMING INCREASES BY 12.2%: Total U.S. on-demand song streams (audio and video combined, inclusive of UGC streams) grew 12.2% to 1.268 trillion in 2022 (up from 1.130 trillion in 2021). Yearly on-demand audio streams (inclusive of UGC) bolted past the 1 trillion mark for the first time, rising 12.2% to 1.108 trillion in 2022 (up from 988.15 billion in 2021).

The R&B/hip-hop genre accounted for the most on-demand streams (audio and video combined, inclusive of UGC) in 2022, among Luminate’s core genres, with 28.6% of the year’s volume (362.77 billion of 1.268 trillion). In 2021, R&B/hip-hop represented a leading 30.1% of volume.

The rock genre had the second-largest share of on-demand song streams (audio and video combined, inclusive of UGC) in 2022, with 16.7% of the volume (210.71 billion of 1.268 trillion). Pop was third with 13.1% (166.65 billion of 1.268 trillion). Latin overtook country as the fourth-largest genre in on-demand streams, with 7.8% of the volume (99.08 billion of 1.268 trillion), while country was in fifth place with 7.3% (92.52 billion of 1.268 trillion). In 2021, Latin had 77.37 billion streams versus country’s 84.26 billion, when they were in fifth and fourth place, respectively.

In terms of year-over-year growth in total on-demand streams (audio and video combined, inclusive of UGC) among Luminate’s core genres, children’s music had the largest percentage increase in 2022, rising 35.5% (to 17.02 billion, up from 12.56 billion in 2021). World music (an umbrella genre which includes, among its many sounds and styles, most K-pop music), had the second-biggest percentage increase, climbing 28.5% (to 26.98 billion, up from 21.01 billion in 2021). Latin had the third-largest gain, spiking 28.1% (to 99.08 billion, up from 77.37 billion in 2021).

Looking just at on-demand audio streams for 2022 (inclusive of UGC), R&B/hip-hop led the way with 28.7% of volume (318.02 billion of 1.108 trillion). Rock (17.1%; 190.82 billion of 1.108 trillion), pop (12.5%; 138.97 billion of 1.108 trillion), country (7.8%; 85.91 billion of 1.108 trillion) and Latin (7.3%; 80.35 billion of 1.108 trillion) were Nos. 2-5 for the year, as they were in 2021.

The genres that saw the largest percentage growth in year-over-year on-demand audio streams (inclusive of UGC) were Latin music (up 31.5% to 80.35 billion; up from 61.12 billion in 2021), children’s music (up 30.6% to 14.43 billion; up from 11.05 billion in 2021) and world music (up 27.5% to 21.8 billion; up from 17.09 billion in 2021).

Note: UGC streams are included in Luminate’s industry streaming on-demand volume numbers and its year-end streaming song charts. UGC streams are not factored into any of Billboard’s weekly charts.

‘BABY’ & STYLES LEAD STREAMS: Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow’s co-billed smash “Industry Baby” was the most-streamed song of 2022 in the U.S., with 877.25 million on-demand audio and video streams combined (inclusive of UGC). “Industry Baby” garnered a sizable number of streams via user-generated video content. The most-streamed song by on-demand audio streams (inclusive of UGC) was Harry Styles’ “As It Was,” with 609.67 million clicks.

The most-streamed song of 2021 was Dua Lipa’s “Levitating,” with 804.71 million on-demand audio and video streams (inclusive of UGC), and it was also the top song by on-demand audio streams (inclusive of UGC) with 626.56 million.

See the top 10 most-streamed songs, below.

TOP 10 MOST STREAMED SONGS OF 2022 IN U.S., ON-DEMAND (AUDIO & VIDEO COMBINED)
1. Lil Nas X & Jack Harlow, “Industry Baby” (877.25 million)
2. Harry Styles, “As It Was” (763.45 million)
3. Glass Animals, “Heat Waves” (758.07 million)
4. Carolina Gaitán, Mauro Castillo, Adassa, Rhenzy Feliz, Diane Guerrero, Stephanie Beatriz & Encanto Cast, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” (684.90 million)
5. Imagine Dragons X JID, “Enemy” (627.61 million)
6. The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber, “Stay” (622.39 million)
7. Kodak Black, “Super Gremlin” (609.88 million)
8. Future featuring Drake & Tems, “Wait for U” (602.69 million)
9. Bad Bunny & Chencho Corleone, “Me Porto Bonito” (565.38 million)
10. Bad Bunny, “Titi Me Pregunto” (551.57 million)
Source: Luminate, for the tracking period Dec. 31, 2021, through Dec. 29, 2022. Includes UGC streams.

TOP 10 MOST STREAMED SONGS OF 2022 IN U.S., ON DEMAND AUDIO
1. Harry Styles, “As It Was” (609.67 million)
2. Glass Animals, “Heat Waves” (528.73 million)
3. Future featuring Drake & Tems, “Wait for U” (507.89 million)
4. Bad Bunny & Chencho Corleone, “Me Porto Bonito” (471.36 million)
5. Kodak Black, “Super Gremlin” (471.15 million)
6. Bad Bunny, “Titi Me Pregunto” (451.12 million)
7. Jack Harlow, “First Class” (433.93 million)
8. Carolina Gaitán, Mauro Castillo, Adassa, Rhenzy Feliz, Diane Guerrero, Stephanie Beatriz & Encanto Cast, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” (421.80 million)
9. Steve Lacy, “Bad Habit” (421.09 million)
10. Zach Bryan, “Something In the Orange” (406.79 million)
Source: Luminate, for the tracking period Dec. 31, 2021, through Dec. 29, 2022. Includes UGC streams.

DIGITAL TRACK SALES FALL 25%: For the first time since 2004, no song sold more than 500,000 downloads in a calendar year in the U.S. And, 2022 marked the first year since 2005 that no song sold 1 million.

Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” was the year’s top-selling digital song in 2022, with 436,000 paid downloads. And, total digital track sales declined for a 10th consecutive year, falling 25% in 2022 to 151.90 million sold (down from 202.92 million in 2021).

In 2021, the top-selling digital song was BTS’ “Butter,” with 1.89 million sold.

The last time a year closed without a million-selling digital song was 2005, when Weezer’s “Beverly Hills” was the top-seller with 962,000. The last year without a song surpassing 500,000 was 2004, when Hoobastank’s “The Reason” was the top-selling digital song, with 380,000 sold. (2004 was also the first full year of the iTunes Store, which launched mid-2003.)

TOP 10 SELLING DIGITAL SONGS OF 2022 IN U.S.
1. Taylor Swift, “Anti-Hero” (436,000)
2. Lizzo, “About Damn Time” (217,000)
3. Latto, “Big Energy” (206,000)
4. Elton John & Dua Lipa, “Cold Heart” (202,000)
5. Kate Bush, “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” (188,000)
6. Harry Styles, “As It Was” (183,000)
7. Nicki Minaj, “Super Freaky Girl” (172,000)
8. Cody Johnson, “Til You Can’t” (145,000)
9. Walker Hayes, “AA” (144,000)
10. Sia, “Unstoppable” (143,000)
Source: Luminate, for the tracking period Dec. 31, 2021 through Dec. 29, 2022.

‘IT WAS’ BIG ON THE RADIO: Harry Styles’ “As It Was” rules 2022 as the biggest song on the radio, as it collected 3.001 billion audience impressions across all monitored radio stations. Audience impressions are measured by cross-referencing plays with Nielsen Audio audience data – i.e., a play of a song on a top-rated New York station at 8 a.m. on a Monday has more listeners (audience) than an overnight weekend play in a smaller city.

TOP 10 RADIO SONGS OF 2022 IN U.S. (BASED ON AUDIENCE IMPRESSIONS)
1. Harry Styles, “As It Was” (3.001 billion)
2. Glass Animals, “Heat Waves” (2.789 billion)
3. The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber, “Stay” (2.779 billion)
4. Lizzo, “About Damn Time” (2.344 billion)
5. Justin Bieber, “Ghost” (2.325 billion)
6. Latto, “Big Energy” (2.205 billion)
7. Lil Nas X, “Thats What I Want” (2.064 billion)
8. Ed Sheeran, “Bad Habits” (2.060 billion)
9. Adele, “Easy On Me” (1.963 billion)
10. Jack Harlow, “First Class” (1.859 billion)
Source: Luminate, for the tracking period Dec. 31, 2021, through Dec. 29, 2022.

11 Jan 2023

TikTok CEO Meets European Officials as Scrutiny Over Data Privacy, Misinformation Intensifies

TikTok’s CEO met Tuesday with European Union officials about strict new digital regulations in the 27-nation bloc as the Chinese-owned social media app faces growing scrutiny from Western authorities over data privacy, cybersecurity and misinformation.

In meetings in Brussels, Shou Zi Chew and four officials from the EU’s executive Commission discussed concerns ranging from child safety to investigations into user data flowing to China, according to European readouts from two of the meetings and tweets from a third.

TikTok is wildly popular with young people but its Chinese ownership has raised fears that Beijing could use it to scoop up user data or push pro-China narratives or misinformation. TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company that moved its headquarters to Singapore in 2020.

U.S. states including Kansas, Wisconsin, Louisiana and Virginia have moved to ban the video-sharing app from state-issued devices for government workers, and it also would be prohibited from most U.S. government devices under a congressional spending bill.

Fears were stoked by news reports last year that a China-based team improperly accessed data of U.S. TikTok users, including two journalists, as part of a covert surveillance program to ferret out the source of leaks to the press.

There are also concerns that the company is sending masses of user data to China, in breach of stringent European privacy rules. EU data protection watchdogs in Ireland have opened two investigations into TikTok, including one on its transfer of personal data to China.

“I count on TikTok to fully execute its commitments to go the extra mile in respecting EU law and regaining trust of European regulators,” Vera Jourova, the commissioner for values and transparency, said after her meeting with Chew. “There cannot be any doubt that data of users in Europe are safe and not exposed to illegal access from third-country authorities.”

Caroline Greer, TikTok’s director of public policy and government relations, said on Twitter that it was a “constructive and helpful meeting.”

“Online safety & building trust is our number one priority,” Greer tweeted.

The company has said it takes data security “incredibly seriously” and fired the ByteDance employees involved in improperly accessing user data.

Jourova said she also grilled Chew about child safety, the spread of Russian disinformation on the platform and transparency of paid political content.

Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager, who’s in charge of competition and antitrust matters, met with Chew to “review how the company is preparing for complying with its obligations under the European Commission’s regulation, namely the Digital Services Act and possibly under the Digital Markets Act.”

The Digital Services Act is aimed at cleaning up toxic content from online platforms and the Digital Markets Act is designed to rein in the power of big digital companies.

They also discussed privacy and data transfer obligations in reference to recent news reports on “aggressive data harvesting and surveillance in the U.S.,” the readout said.

Chew also met with Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders and Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson.

Reynders tweeted that he “insisted on the importance” of TikTok fully complying with EU privacy rules and cooperating with the Irish watchdog.

“We also took stock of the company’s commitments to fight hate speech online and guarantee the protection of all consumers, including children,” he said.

Chew is scheduled to hold a video chat with Thierry Breton, the commissioner for digital policy, on Jan. 19.

11 Jan 2023

Dr. Dre, Missy Elliott, Lil Wayne & Sylvia Rhone to Be Honored at 2023 Recording Academy Black Music Collective Event

Grammy-winning artists Dr. Dre, Missy Elliott and Lil Wayne, and music executive Sylvia Rhone, will be honored during the second annual Recording Academy Honors Presented by The Black Music Collective event at the Hollywood Palladium on Thursday, Feb. 2. The event will take place three days before the 65th Annual Grammy Awards.

All four honorees will receive the Recording Academy Global Impact Award for their personal and professional achievements in the music industry.

“I am so thrilled to honor and celebrate these four giants in the music industry,” Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. said in a statement. “Last year’s inaugural event was such a highlight during Grammy Week and now with Dre, Missy, Wayne and Sylvia there to pay tribute to this year, it’s definitely going to be another night to remember. I continue to be proud of the work of our Black Music Collective as it’s a vital part of what we do here at the Academy.”

Rico Love, vice chair of the Recording Academy’s board of trustees, will return to chair the event. Adam Blackstone will also return as musical director. Blackstone won his first Primetime Emmy last year — outstanding music direction for The Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show Starring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent. Blackstone is nominated for a Grammy this year for best traditional R&B performance for his recording of the jazz standard “‘Round Midnight” featuring Jazmine Sullivan.

MVD Inc will produce the event for the second year.

Here’s a closer look at this year’s four honorees: