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13 Dec 2022

Hot 100 First-Timers: BTS’ RM & Youjeen Land Solo Entries With Collab Single ‘Wild Flower’

South Korean rapper and BTS member RM and rock singer Youjeen each score their first solo entries on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (dated Dec. 17), thanks to their new collaboration, “Wild Flower.”

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The song debuts at No. 83 with 4.1 million official streams and 29,000 downloads sold in the U.S. in its first tracking week (Dec. 2-8), according to Luminate. It opens as the top-selling song of the week, at No. 1 on the Digital Song Sales chart.

BTS has logged 26 entries on the Hot 100 with RM (real name Kim Nam-joon) as a member, including six No. 1s among 10 top 10s.

“Wild Flower” is from RM’s debut solo studio album Indigo, which launches at No. 15 on the Billboard 200 with 31,000 equivalent album units earned in its opening week. Prior to Indigo, RM released two mixtapes: RM in 2015 and Mono in 2018; the latter reached No. 2 on the World Albums chart and No. 26 on the Billboard 200.

Before this week, RM charted 13 solo tracks on World Digital Song Sales, including three No. 1s: “Winter Flower” (by Younha featuring RM, in 2020), “Don’t” (Eaeon featuring RM; 2021) and “Sexy Nukim” (Balming Tiger, Omega Sapien, BJ WNJN and Mudd the Student featuring RM; 2022). This week, he ups his career total to 21 entries, as eight songs from Indigo blanket the entire top eight positions on the chart.

RM Songs on the Dec. 17-dated World Digital Song Sales chart:

  • No. 1, “Wild Flower,” feat. Youjeen
  • No. 2, “Still Life,” with Anderson .Paak
  • No. 3, “Yun,” with Erykah Badu
  • No. 4, “Lonely”
  • No. 5, “All Day,” with TABLO
  • No. 6, “Hectic,” with Colde
  • No. 7, “No.2,” with Park Ji Yoon
  • No. 8, “Forg_tful,” with Kim Sawol
  • No. 13, “Bicycle” (down from its No. 3 peak)

The only other acts to command the entire top eight positions of the World Digital Song Sales chart are BTS (on five occasions) and members J-Hope (this July 30) and Agust D, aka, Suga (June 6, 2020).

BTS made its first Billboard chart appearance in 2013, when “No More Dreams” debuted at No. 14 on World Digital Song Sales (before climbing to No. 2 seven years later). Since then, the group has broken numerous records, including the most Hot 100 No. 1 debuts among groups (five) and the most top 10 debuts among groups (nine). BTS notched its six Hot 100 leaders to-date over just a year and a month in 2020-21, the quickest accumulation of six since The Beatles earned six over a year and two weeks in 1964-66.

Meanwhile, RM is the sixth member of BTS to score a solo entry on the Hot 100. J-Hope first earned the honor in October 2019 with “Chicken Noodle Soup,” featuring Becky G (No. 81 peak). Suga followed with “Daechwita” (billed as Agust D; No. 76 peak, June 2020) and “Girl of My Dreams,” with Juice WRLD (No. 29, December 2021). V was next with “Christmas Tree” (No. 79, this January). Jung Kook followed with “Stay Alive” (No. 95, February) and as featured on Charlie Puth’s “Left and Right” (No. 22, July). Jin then debuted with “The Astronaut” in November (No. 51 peak).

As for Youjeen, “Wild Flower” is her first song to appear on a Billboard chart. Similar to RM, much of her career has been as a member of a group: She’s served as the lead singer of South Korean alternative rock band Cherry Filter since its formation in 1997, save for a brief departure in 2001 to begin her solo career.

Youjeen has released two solo albums outside of Cherry Filter: 2001’s The Doll and 2002’s Bewitch.

13 Dec 2022

Vanessa Hudgens Is Unrecognizable After Transforming Into a Pop Superstar: See the Photo

Is this the start of something new? Vanessa Hudgens just stunned Instagram followers with the ultimate Transformation Tuesday selfie, in which she looks just like Mother Monster herself, Lady Gaga.

The 33-year-old actress snapped the photo of herself outside wearing a shiny black pleather jacket, stacked, chunky gold choker necklaces and muted red lipstick. With teased platinum hair, light brows, and makeup accentuating her cheekbones, Hudgens bares more than just a passing resemblance to Miss Stefani Germanotta.

“Who even is she,” the High School Musical star captioned the photo — not that it was even a question for the fans in her comments.

“She’s giving Lady Gaga for sure!” wrote one.

“Haus of Hudgens,” commented another.

Hudgens didn’t indicate whether the Gaga glam was a purposeful tribute to the pop star or just a coincidence, nor did she say if she was all dressed up for a specific project. It’s not the first time this year the Princess Switch actress has teased followers on Instagram. In June, she posted a photo from the grounds of Salt Lake High School East — aka the instantly recognizable filming site of the High School Musical movies — without giving away any details as to why she was there.

Gaga, on the other hand, also recently tried out a new persona. Following the TikTok-generated resurgence of her 2011 Born This Way track “Bloody Mary,” which creators have been using to make videos inspired by Netflix’s hit new show Wednesday, the “Rain On Me” singer posted a video of herself getting dressed up like the show’s titular character (played by Jenna Ortega) and recreating some of the kooky character’s dance moves.

See Vanessa Hudgens’ Lady Gaga transformation selfie below:

13 Dec 2022

SZA Announces Dates For First Arena Tour

SZA announced the dates for her first-ever arena tour on Tuesday (Dec. 13). The 2023 S.O.S North American Tour — named after the singer’s just-released sophomore album — is slated to kick off on Feb. 21 in Columbus, OH at the Schottenstein Center and swing through Chicago, Detroit, Toronto, Boston, New York, Atlanta, Dallas, Okland, Seattle, and Vancouver before wrapping up on March 22 with a gig at Los Angeles’ Kia Forum.

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She will be joined on the 17-date Live Nation-promoted tour by Grammy-nominated singer Omar Apollo. Tickets for the outing will go on sale beginning Friday (Dec. 16) at 12 p.m. local time here.

On Friday (Dec. 9), SZA‘s hotly anticipated 23-track sophomore album SOS finally arrived after a five-and-a-half year wait. Preceded by lead single “Shirt” and a tease of “Nobody Gets Me,” the studio set follows the recent Billboard cover star‘s smash 2017 debut album Ctrl, which spawned hits like “Drew Barrymore,” “Love Galore” and “The Weekend.”

Check out the dates for the SZA 2023 S.O.S. North American tour below:

Feb. 21 – Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center

Feb. 22 – Chicago, IL @ United Center

Feb. 24 – Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena

Feb. 25 – Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena

Feb. 27 – Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena

Feb. 28 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden

March 2 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center*

March 4 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden

March 7 – Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena

March 9 – Austin, TX @ Moody Center

March 10 – Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center

March 13 – San Diego, CA @ Viejas Arena

March 14 – Oakland, CA @ Oakland Arena

March 16 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena

March 18 – Portland, OR @ Moda Center

March 19 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena

March 22 – Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum

13 Dec 2022

Austrian Collection Society AKM Joins ICE Core for Online Licensing

BERLIN — Austrian collecting society AKM, which manages and licenses rights for songwriters and publishers, has joined ICE Core for online licensing. That means ICE, the online licensing hub created by collecting societies in Germany (GEMA), the U.K. (PRS for Music) and Sweden (STIM), will now represent and collect for AKM compositions for online services in much of the world, excluding the U.S. and some Asian markets. The deal includes AKM mechanical rights subsidiary, Austro Mechana.

“The ICE Core reflects the best licensing solution for online music services, with the best value, for our members,” said AKM CEO Gernot Graninger in a statement. “In these times more than ever, societies need to find the right services at the right value.”

ICE was created in response to a change in European Union regulation that allows the societies that take in money for public performing rights in their local territories to compete in the online world. Inevitably, the larger societies, including France’s SACEM and the partnership behind ICE have emerged to dominate that business, since they can make the investments needed to manage the vast amounts of data generated by streaming services. Gradually, this model is spreading to other territories. 

AKM had been managing its rights under a partnership with GEMA.  

ICE provides several services, including licensing and online processing, and it operates a copyright database. But the core of its operation is licensing – which is why it goes by the name ICE Core. In addition to its founding partner societies, ICE also represents IMRO, the Irish collecting society; SABAM, the Belgian society, and BMI. Concord Music Publishing, Songtrust and peermusic, all based in the U.S., are also direct members. 

In November, ICE Core distributed €102 million, breaking its own record for monthly distribution.  

“We’re very happy to welcome AKM into the Core,” said ICE chief commercial officer Ben McEwen in a statement. “The collaboration to make this happen reflects all parties working together in the interests of rightsholders, the very DNA of everyone who is part of the ICE hub.”

13 Dec 2022

Morgan Wallen Makes History at Nos. 1, 2 & 3 on Hot Country Songs Chart

Morgan Wallen becomes the first artist to rank at Nos. 1, 2 and 3 simultaneously on Billboard‘s streaming-, airplay- and sales-based Hot Country Songs chart (dated Dec. 17), since the survey began as an all-encompassing genre ranking in 1958.

“You Proof” hits 17 weeks atop the tally, tying Thomas Rhett’s “Die a Happy Man” (2015-16) for the 10th-longest reign. Just ahead is Florida Georgia Line’s “H.O.L.Y.” (18 weeks, 2016), while FGL and Bebe Rexha’s crossover smash “Meant To Be” dominated for a record 50 weeks in 2017-18.

“You Proof” corralled 28.3 million all-format airplay audience impressions and 12.6 million official U.S. streams and sold 2,000 downloads Dec. 2-8, according to Luminate.

Plus, Wallen debuts three songs on Hot Country Songs in the top 10: “One Thing at a Time” (No. 2), “Tennessee Fan” (No. 5) and “Days That End in Why” (No. 7) – while his former 11-week No. 1 “Wasted on You” holds at No. 3, granting him his unprecedented triumph in the top three.

On Country Digital Song Sales, “Thing,” “Tennessee” and “Days” – all released Dec. 2 – arrive at Nos. 1, 2 and 3 with 13,000, 12,000 and 10,000 sold through Dec. 8, respectively. Wallen ups his career count to 17 top 10s on Hot Country Songs, and eight No. 1s among 19 top 10s on Country Digital Song Sales.

All three new Wallen songs are slated to appear on his next album. Wallen is the second act to infuse the Country Digital Song Sales top three with debuts, after Taylor Swift did so twice, in November 2010 and November 2011.

Wallen, thus, owns five of the Hot Country Songs top 10 – a feat that only he has achieved. The record is six songs in the tier, set on the Jan. 23, 2021, chart as Dangerous: The Double Album began its 81-week-and-counting command on Top Country Albums. He also claimed half the Hot Country Songs top 10 the following two weeks.

Meanwhile, “You Proof” rebounds from No. 2 to top Country Airplay for a seventh week (23.9 million, down 7%). It joins five other titles for the second-longest reign since the chart started in 1990. The record is eight, shared by Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett’s “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” (2003) and Lonestar’s crossover ballad “Amazed” (1999). “You Proof” now solely boasts the longest No. 1 stay of the 2020s, surpassing Dustin Lynch’s “Thinking ‘Bout You,” featuring MacKenzie Porter (starting last December), and Luke Combs’ “Forever After All” (starting in June 2021).

“You Proof” is additionally the first Country Airplay No. 1 with multiple other leaders amid its command. After it ruled for five weeks (Oct. 15-Nov. 12), Tyler Hubbard’s “5 Foot 9” topped the Nov. 19 chart, followed by Thomas Rhett’s “Half of Me,” featuring Riley Green (Nov. 26), and – after “You Proof” led again on the Dec. 3 tally – Bailey Zimmerman’s “Fall in Love” (Dec. 10).

“We are finding that the smash hits are hanging on much longer than the labels anticipate or want,” muses Charlie Cook, Cumulus Media vp of programming. “Research indicates that big songs are rarely finished when they peak on the chart.”

Among songs enduring past their Country Airplay peaks, Cole Swindell’s “She Had Me at Heads Carolina,” up 3-2, spends a 10th week in the top five following its four-week reign, rewriting two longevity records: the most weeks totaled in both the top three (14) and the top five (17).

Kane & Katelyn Climb

Elsewhere, Kane Brown and Katelyn Brown’s “Thank God” hits the Country Airplay top 10 (12-10, 18.1 million, up 6%). The former adds his 10th top 10, with eight of his nine prior top 10s having hit No. 1. Wife Katelyn claims her first top 10 in her initial chart appearance.

13 Dec 2022

Elon Musk’s Twitter Disbands Trust and Safety Council By Email

Elon Musk’s Twitter has dissolved its Trust and Safety Council, the advisory group of around 100 independent civil, human rights and other organizations that the company formed in 2016 to address hate speech, child exploitation, suicide, self-harm and other problems on the platform.

The council had been scheduled to meet with Twitter representatives Monday night. But Twitter informed the group via email that it was disbanding it shortly before the meeting was to take place, according to multiple members.

The council members, who provided images of the email from Twitter to The Associated Press, spoke on the condition of anonymity due to fears of retaliation. The email said Twitter was “reevaluating how best to bring external insights” and the council is “not the best structure to do this.”

“Our work to make Twitter a safe, informative place will be moving faster and more aggressively than ever before and we will continue to welcome your ideas going forward about how to achieve this goal,” said the email, which was signed “Twitter.”

The volunteer group provided expertise and guidance on how Twitter could better combat hate, harassment and other harms but didn’t have any decision-making authority and didn’t review specific content disputes. Shortly after buying Twitter for $44 billion in late October, Musk said he would form a new “content moderation council” to help make major decisions but later changed his mind.

“Twitter’s Trust and Safety Council was a group of volunteers who over many years gave up their time when consulted by Twitter staff to offer advice on a wide range of online harms and safety issues,” tweeted council member Alex Holmes. “At no point was it a governing body or decision making.”

Twitter, which is based in San Francisco, had confirmed the meeting with the council Thursday in an email in which it promised an “open conversation and Q&A” with Twitter staff, including the new head of trust and safety, Ella Irwin.

That came on the same day that three council members announced they were resigning in a public statement posted on Twitter that said that “contrary to claims by Elon Musk, the safety and wellbeing of Twitter’s users are on the decline.”

Those former council members soon became the target of online attacks after Musk amplified criticism of them and Twitter’s past leadership for allegedly not doing enough to stop child sexual exploitation on the platform.

“It is a crime that they refused to take action on child exploitation for years!” Musk tweeted.

A growing number of attacks on the council led to concerns from some remaining members who sent an email to Twitter earlier on Monday demanding the company stop misrepresenting the council’s role.
Those false accusations by Twitter leaders were “endangering current and former Council members,” the email said.

The Trust and Safety Council, in fact, had as one of its advisory groups one that focused on child exploitation. This included the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, the Rati Foundation and YAKIN, or Youth Adult Survivors & Kin in Need.

Former Twitter employee Patricia Cartes, whose job it was to form the council in 2016, said Monday its dissolution “means there’s no more checks and balances.” Cartes said the company sought to bring a global outlook to the council, with experts from around the world who could relay concerns about how new Twitter policies or products might affect their communities.

She contrasted that with Musk’s current practice of surveying his Twitter followers before making a policy change affecting how content gets moderated.

“He doesn’t really care as much about what experts think,” she said.

13 Dec 2022

Cardi B Drops New Song Snippet As Early Christmas Present For ‘Starving’ Fans

Cardi B offered fans an early Christmas present on Monday night (Dec. 12) when she dropped a seven-second snippet of a new song to slake the Bardi Gang’s thirst for her music as they await the follow-up to her Grammy-winning debut studio album, 2018’s Invasion of Privacy.

“HERE some scraps since yall STARVING,” Cardi wrote in a tweet featuring the scant bars from an unnamed song she never finished. “They be watchin’ every time that I post (that I post)/ Posted nothin’, always gotta do the most/ B—-es sound like you broke,” she raps over a hard-hitting beat. When a fan asked why the song was scrapped, Cardi responded, “I just don’t love it.”

“I have no choice, I have to put it out,” Cardi told The Breakfast Club earlier this month when asked about when fans can expect new music. “I have like a couple of songs that are like definite, I don’t know. I don’t know what’s going on with me. I need to just make up my mind and put it out.” She also revealed that even though it’s time for her to return to the radio, Cardi thinks the project is still “missing something,” even as she confirmed that the fresh tunes are coming in 2023.

As the wait continues, Cardi and her family are gearing up for Christmas, as evidenced by another post on the rapper’s socials in which she revealed the multiple glittery trees in her home. In a video featuring a cameo from one-year-old son Wave Set, Cardi showed off her children’s towering Disney-themed tree — as she yelled at the little ones to “stop running around the Christmas tree!! — as well as the impressive light array outside her house.

Check out the new song snippet and the Christmas display below.

13 Dec 2022

Pantera’s Rex Brown Drops Off South American Reunion Tour Gigs Due to ‘Very Mild’ COVID Case

Pantera‘s first major tour in more than two decades is getting off to a rough start after bassist Rex Brown has been forced to sit a string of South American dates due to a positive COVID-19 diagnosis. “I caught a very mild strain of Covid, but because of our own protocols, I simply do not wanna risk getting my brothers or the crew sick!!” Brown wrote on Instagram on Monday (Dec. 12).

“I’m feeling better & am on my way to a speedy recovery. Merry Fckn Christmas & see you all next Year!” Brown thanked Cattle Decapitation bassist Derek Engemann — who also plays with Pantera singer Phil Anselmo in his Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals side project — for filling in for him after the bassist missed the band’s gig at Knotfest in Bogotá, Colombia on Dec. 9.

The group’s South American tour kicked off with a gig at the Hell & Heaven Metal Fest in Toluca, Mexico on Dec. 2, followed by the Dec. 6 Monterrey Metal Fest, the Bogotá Knotfest show, a Knotfest Chile appearance on Sunday (Dec. 11) and a headlining show at Movistar Arena in Santiago, Chile on Monday night (Dec. 12). The final shows on the swing are slated for Thursday (Dec. 15) at the Vibra São Paulo in São Paulo, Brazil and a Dec. 18 Knotfest in Sao Paulo.

Pantera will get back out there again in late May in Europe, then return to the U.S. in August before opening some North American dates on Metallica’s 2023-2024 72 Seasons global tour. In addition to Brown and singer Anselmo, the reunion tour also features drummer Charlie Benante — filling in for late original Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul — and longtime Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde, who is playing late guitarist “Dimebag” Darrell’s parts.

Check out Brown’s post below.

13 Dec 2022

Mariah Carey Celebrates Returning to No. 1 For Holidays: ‘Such an Amazing Surprise’

What better way to celebrate being No. 1 by setting an enormous table for one? Mariah Carey had a lot to be excited about this week thanks to her perennial holiday classic, “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” climbing back to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart. The song logged its ninth total week atop the Hot 100, becoming the first song to lead in four distinct runs on the tally.

“YAYYYYYYY!!!!,” the singer wrote followed by 12 party hat emoji in a post in which she sat at the end of a very long dining room table with her hands in the air in triumph. “Such an amazing surprise and an early Christmas gift!!!,” she added along with a string of more celebratory emoji (heart, Christmas tree, snowflake, present, purple heart, and, of course, butterfly). “Thank you so much!!!”

Carey said she could not wait to see her Lambily for the first of two shows at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night (Dec. 13).

“All I Want” was first released on Carey’s 1994 Merry Christmas album and as streaming has grown and holiday music has become more prominent on streaming services’ playlists, it hit the Hot 100’s top 10 for the first time in December 2017 and the top five for the first time in the 2018 holiday season. It went on to rule the holiday charts in 2019 (for three weeks), 2020 (two) and 2021 (three).

The song is not just a single chart smash, it’s all over the top spots. It also hit No. 1 on the official U.K. Singles Chart this week, and it is ruling both the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Exlu. U.S. charts.

See Carey’s tweet below.

13 Dec 2022

Keith Urban Sells Master Recordings to Litmus Music

Keith Urban has sold his master recordings to Litmus Music. 

The acquisition marks the first deal for the Carlyle Global Credit-backed Litmus since the company’s founding earlier this year. The purchase, for an undisclosed sum, includes 10 studio albums and a greatest hits compilation from the multiple-Grammy winner, as well as a collaboration agreement on future recordings. 

Urban’s most recent full-length set, 2020’s The Speed of Now, Part 1, was his seventh No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart, where he’s notched 10 top 10s. He’s also landed 21 No. 1s on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart, including “Somebody Like You,” “Days Go By” and “Long Hot Summer,” as well as 16 No. 1s on the Hot Country Songs chart. On the all-genre Billboard 200 albums chart, Urban has logged eight top 10-charting sets, including two No. 1s.

Urban has earned 20.7 million equivalent album units for his catalog of albums in the U.S., according to Luminate. Of that sum, 14.9 million are in traditional album sales. His songs — those billed to him as the primary artist in Luminate’s database — have sold 26.1 million downloads in the U.S. and have generated 4.76 billion on-demand official streams in the U.S.

“I have the deepest respect for Keith, his incredible talent and his passion for making great music. He’s a musically insatiable musician, record maker, performer and songwriter,” Dan McCarroll, co-founder and chief creative officer of Litmus Music, said in a statement.

“It is an honor to partner with Keith and represent songs that reflect his integrity, character and musicianship,” added Litmus’ co-founder/CEO Hank Forsyth. “Dan and I and the entire Litmus team are so grateful Keith has trusted us to care for what he has given so much to create.”

Urban, who is managed by Borman Entertainment, said, “What makes this such a great fit for me is the genuine passion and respect Dan, Hank and the team at Litmus have for this music. In working with them, I feel that same collaborative spirit that’s always inspired me as an artist.” 

Litmus launched in August with a $500 million backing from Carlyle Global Credit, with plans to rely on Forsyth and McCarroll’s deep industry ties after decades in the music business. Forsyth previously held positions as executive vp at Warner Chappell and GM of Blue Note, while McCarroll served as president of both Warner Brothers Records and Capitol Records.

Urban is the latest country superstar to sell his master recordings this year. In January, Hipgnosis Song Management acquired 80% of Kenny Chesney’s recorded music catalog spanning from 1994-2017. In October, Blake Shelton sold ownership of his master recordings released from 2001-2019 to Influence Media Partners, though that deal includes a joint venture whereby the singer will earn a share of the profit generated by his catalog going forward.

Set to kick off a residency at Las Vegas’ Planet Hollywood next year, Urban told Billboard in November that he and producer Dann Huff were “feverishly working away to try and finish [the new album], which I hope will come out early mid next year.”