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Beloved jam band Goose hits the stage this weekend, June 14-15, at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland with Joe Russo’s Almost Dead and the String Cheese Incident for All Good Now, the 30th anniversary of Baltimore promoter Tim Walther’s 1995 outing with Gov’t Mule and John Scofield at Wilmers Park, Maryland.
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“Back then it was just me, some bands, a fax machine and a bunch of fliers,” Walthers tells Billboard of that first-year effort. Since then, he’s grown his small promotion company into one of the most influential indie promoters in the mid-Atlantic region with over 2 million tickets sold across 3,000 club shows and 68 festivals, staging events at venues across the region, from the famed 9:30 Club in Washington D.C. to the bustling mountaintops of West Virginia.
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“We’ve always stayed true to our roots while also having our eye on something bigger for fans of jam bands and improvisational music,” Walthers says. This weekend’s festival also includes sets from Lawrence, Molly Tuttle, the Disco Biscuits, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong and more. The festival is divided by two stages, a symphony woods section and a Shakedown Street where fans can shop and socialize.
Walther notes “there was no promoter playbook” when he first started the All Good Music Festival & Campout in 1997 with landowner Arthur Wilmer to launch “a new kind of music festival—one driven by spirit, spontaneity, and shared values. We were just trying to figure it out and make enough to make it to the next festival.”
Over time, the crowds swelled from 940 people to 23,000 fans, with 1,200 people hired annually to work on the event, which has become a rite of passage for jam band fans from around the world. The festival “never lost its soul,” Walther tells Billboard. “There’s no overlapping sets and whenever possible, fireworks.”
To view set times and buy tickets, visit allgoodpresentslivemusic.com.
Rodney Brown, drummer on 1967’s “Funky Broadway,” a Dyke & the Blazers classic and one of the first hit songs to use a variation on the word “funk” in its title, died May 17 of unknown causes in an unknown location. The lifelong Phoenix resident, who’d been the last surviving member of the band’s original lineup, was 78.
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Brown’s distinctive skipped-beat syncopation on “Funky Broadway,” a track covered by many artists, most notably Wilson Pickett with a Billboard Hot 100 No. 8 hit later that year, turned out to be influential. Clyde Stubblefield employed a similar technique on James Brown’s “Funky Drummer,” released in 1970, which became a widely sampled breakbeat on numerous hip-hop classics.
“‘Funky Broadway’ started the funk beat that was heard around the world,” says Lucius Parr, a veteran Phoenix guitarist whose ’70s band, the Soul Keepers, featured Brown on drums. “‘Funky Broadway’ had a break where they gave Rodney this drumbeat solo — ‘wiggle your waist, baby, shake, shake, shake,’ all that stuff. It was just Dyke and the drummer.”
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The original “Funky Broadway” single, split into two pieces, with “Part 1” on the A-side of the single and “Part 2” on the B-side, peaked at No. 65 on the Hot 100 in August 1967, as well as No. 17 on the R&B chart (now the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart). The band’s independent label, Artco, struggled to break the song on the radio because programmers responded, “You can’t say ‘funk’ on the radio,” according to John P. Dixon, an Arizona music historian who helped found the Arizona Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame. DJs at white stations, at the time, associated the word with Black culture and avoided it: “It was just one of those words, they felt, as a rock ‘n’ roll radio station, they would have a hard time,” Dixon says. “People would get turned off by it.”
(Jazz tracks had used the word several times before “Funky Broadway,” including Horace Silver’s “Opus de Funk” in 1953, but these songs were never chart hits. Also, country singer and comedian Ray Stevens, who is white, had a No. 91 Hot 100 hit in 1966 with “Freddie Feelgood (And His Funky Little Five Piece Band).”)
Pickett’s version had the effect of desegregating the word, but tragically, the Blazers were never able to fully capitalize on the song’s success: Frontman Arlester “Dyke” Christian was shot to death in Phoenix in 1971.
Influenced by James Brown and the Temptations, Rodney Brown first picked up drums after he was playing basketball in a park and happened to see a band playing nearby. His mother bought him a drum kit. Dyke & the Blazers’ saxophonist, Bernard Williams, invited him into the band, and his first gig with them was at a local Elks Club. “When we made the record, they gave me a drum solo,” Brown said in a 2004 interview for the Arizona Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame. “I’d only been playing six months when we made ‘Funky Broadway.’”
After performing before large crowds on a 1967 tour — including a run at New York’s Apollo Theatre, where James Brown was in attendance, according to interviews with band members — the original lineup broke up. Christian convened a new version of the Blazers, which at one point included James Gadson, a prolific session drummer who appeared on songs by the Jackson 5, Paul McCartney, Herbie Hancock, Bill Withers and many others.
This Blazers iteration, including musicians who would go on to play with the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band and Earth, Wind & Fire, hit No. 4 on the R&B chart with “Let a Woman Be a Woman – Let a Man Be a Man” and No. 7 with “We Got More Soul,” both in 1969.
Rodney Brown played in bands sporadically after his Dyke & the Blazers experience. At the time of his death, he was working in real estate. “Funk started right here in the desert,” he said in 2004, “and we were part of the group that started it.”
Father’s Day is this Sunday (June 15), and hopefully, folks have already gotten the dads in their lives a proper gift. But in case Dad is into cannabis, we’ve whipped together a new gift guide that might help inform your choices.
As I always like to share with readers, cannabis has transformed my life for the better by providing me with a variety of ways to consume products. Further, the innovation that some of the brands we’re featuring is astounding. I sometimes have trouble falling asleep, and there are brands out there addressing those who suffer from sleeplessness. As someone who struggles with ADHD, there are even products that bring life into focus.
I don’t want to come off too square here as I believe that we should also enjoy cannabis for relaxing and leisure, and do so responsibly. As much as I am a cannabis enthusiast, I do not encourage overindulgence. However, I believe in finding products that work best in one’s life, and I hope this gift guide will help you find the right path. You’ll see some familiar brands from past coverage, and we thank them for allowing us to highlight their wares.
In full transparency, I wanted to get this guide up earlier in the week, but life got in the way as it typically does. There will be opportunities for interviews, profiles, and even reviews in the coming months. The next roundup I’ll do will be Halloween, then onto the Thanksgiving holiday, then closing the year out with a holiday-themed guide.
Please check out our latest cannabis gift guide, and Happy Father’s Day to all the dope dads out there.
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Photo: Getty
1. BRĒZ
Source:BRĒZ
BRĒZ specializes in drinks featuring hemp-derived THC combined with mushroom blends to help with focus, balance, and relaxation. For those who want to play around with their infused spirits to create functional cocktails, the brand’s Spirit release is boosted with THC, CBD, and Lion’s Mane mushrooms with flavors of agave, lemon, and elderflower. Grab a good tonic, fill up a highball glass with good ice, and have a sensible pour.
Learn more here.
2. Betty’s Eddies
Source:Betty’s Eddies
Betty’s Eddies remains one of the best-tasting edibles around, and they’re consistently switching things up with new flavors and functionality. For the summer season, the brand is proud to highlight its Beachtime Betty’s Strawberry Lemonade chews. Packed with both THC, CBG, and vitamins C and D, this sounds like something you’ll want to take along for the next trip to the sands.
Learn more here.
3. Blazy Susan
Source:Blazy Susan
Blazy Susan has everything from their super fresh spinning rolling trays, dabbing essentials, rolling papers, and more. Now, they’re promoting their new Peach Tea Leaf Cones, similar to the previous Honey Lemon release. But whatever you cop from Blazy Susan, you can’t go wrong.
Learn more here.
4. Cake She Hits Different
Source:Cake She Hits Different
CAKE She Hits Different bills itself as the top AIO (all-in-one) THC vape cart in California, and it’s not hard to see why with its handy device pulling off big, flavorful clouds.
Learn more here.
5. Cornbread Hemp
Source:Cornbread Hemp
Kentucky is certainly known for its bourbon. Leave it up to Cornbread Hemp, and the Bluegrass State might have a claim to having some of the best hemp-derived cannabis products on the market. Their THC-infused seltzers are very crushable.
6. Fable
Source:Fable
Fable produces a line of hemp-derived THC-infused canned cocktails that come in three delicious varieties. Swap out the beer for one of these beauties and trust us when we say it’ll be a better time in the morning.
Learn more here.
7. ILGM
Source:ILGM
If Dad has a “green thumb” and is ready to grow his a harvest of his own, introduce him to ILGM’s Blue Dream autoflower seeds. ILGM bills itself as the largest cannabis seed bank in the United States.
8. Lumibloom
Source:LumiBloom
We’ve featured Black and woman-owned Lumibloom in past guides, and we’re excited to share that this is the real deal. With CBD growing as a means to treat rest and recovery efforts, inflammation, and more, Lumibloom would be a great place to shop for Dad.
Learn more here.
9. Nature’s Heritage
Source:Nature’s Heritage
Nature’s Heritage produces a wide range of cannabis products, including flowers, pre-rolls, and edibles. Their latest drop is the Myrcodose pills, which combine mushrooms with unique THC and CBD compounds for varying effects.
Learn more here.
10. Puffco
Source:Puffco
Puffco is for experienced users of concentrates and for those who both like to dab at home or on the go. The brand’s Pivot device is one of their portable options and a handsome conversation starter.
Learn more here.
11. STIIIZY
Source:STIIIZY
STIIIZY has achieved notoriety for its flowers, edibles, and pods among other items. The brand is pushing out its STIIIZY BAR, which works with the brand’s pods and achieves a dual flow effect that puts it above a lot of vape carts out there. Also, the brand has some amazing hemp-based drinks that shouldn’t be missed.
12. Treadwell Farms
Source:Treadwell Farms
We’ve featured Treadwell Farms in previous gift guide roundups, and the Florida-based brand focuses on a variety of hemp products, including its Citrus Spice CBD extract featuring turmeric and ginger to address health needs such as relaxation and inflammation.
13. Vessel
Source:Vessel
Vessel is, in my opinion, creating some of the sexiest looking devices on the market. The brand’s attention to detail, lavish style points, and general affordability make this a fantastic choice for the Dad in your life. Check out the new Sage drop for their Compass Rise device.
14. Weedgets
Source:Weedgets
Folks who smoke flower are well aware of how the heat, resin, and tar can accumulate not only in devices but also in our noses and lungs. Weedgets head off those harmful components with their patented filtration technology that cools the smoke and stops the gunk while delivering the benefits of smoked flower. We’ve been using the Maze-X pipe, and there is nothing on the market that we’ve seen quite like it.
Learn more here.
15. Wynk
Source:WYNK
Wynk is one of the leaders in the THC seltzers game, and they thankfully come in dosage options for those who want a social buzz or deeper relaxation vibes. We’re very fond of their lemonade line, especially as the weather continues to warm.
Learn more here.
16. Zen Cannabis
Source:Zen Cannabis
Zen Cannabis has the edibles game on lock with gummies, tinctures, and their infused chocolate bars. The brand is available in a handful of states, so tap in and grab Dad some tasty treats. Be sure to check out their effective Nite Nite gummies.
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This week, Billboard’s New Music Latin roundup and playlist — curated by Billboard Latin and Billboard Español editors — features fresh new music, including Grupo Frontera’s surprise EP Y Lo Que Viene and Buscabulla’s LP Se Amaba Así, to name a few. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news […]
Sony Music Group’s revenues are growing faster than the industry average, and it is the only major to grow its market share, CEO and chairman Rob Stringer said during an investor presentation on Friday.
For nine straight years, the major music company and subsidiary of the Japanese film, gaming and media conglomerate Sony, said it has achieved record-setting revenue, growing at an average compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.7% over the past four years compared to the industry’s 11.3% CAGR, while streaming revenue grew at a 15.1% CAGR. And according to MIDiA Research, Stringer said Sony was alone among the three majors to increase its market share from 2020 to 2024, due to it’s “higher independent market share than any other label or distributor” as a result of owning the indie distributor The Orchard.
In the wide-ranging investor presentation, Stringer said Sony is benefitting from the commercial success of albums by superstar artists, including Beyonce, Bad Bunny, Chappell Roan, Tyler the Creator and Charli XCX, and the more than 60 acquisitions and investments worth over $2.5 billion dollars that it has entered into over the past year alone across global frontline, catalog, creative and service businesses.
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Stringer said Sony Music’s dominance of the independent market stems from The Orchard, Sony’s independent distribution organization, which has more than 26,000 label partners; AWAL which works with 20,000 artists, and the Alamo Records umbrella group, which includes Foundation distribution and Santa Anna’s incubator, and now works with nearly 3,000 artists.
“In an environment where nearly half the marketplace is made up of the independent music sector, sales flowing through our independent distribution businesses more than doubled the last four years,” Stringer said in a pre-recorded video presenation. Addressing the skepticism of some investors around Sony Music’s $1.27 billion acquisition of Queen’s recorded music, publishing and name, image and likeness rights — the highest amount ever paid for an artist’s catalog — Stringer said, “these acquisitions… are in no way based on random financial speculative tactics.”
Investments like these are made back by exploiting listeners’ growing demand for older catalog music, Stringer through merchandise sales, sync placements in films and synergies with the gaming industry.
“We see more of our catalog in the charts as every year passes,” Stringer said. “In 2020, 24 percent of the Top 200 tracks were catalog songs. In 2024, that percentage grew to about 50 percent. This trend is extremely beneficial to Sony Music given our rich, deep working content.”
Since Sony’s investment in merch company Ceremony of Roses in 2022, the company has grown revenue by seven times, and its neighboring rights division collected more than $65 million for its artists last year.
Stringer reiterated calls for price increases and new tiers across the digital streaming platforms, and called for flexible pricing structures in high growth and developing markets.
Stringer said Sony Music has worked with 800 technology companies “on ethical product creation, content protection, detection, enhancing metadata and audio tuning and translation,” and that they are going to do “deals for new music AI products this year with those that want to construct the future with us the right way,” creating and adhereing to a clear remuneration system.
“New subscription ideas with fair revenue sharing arrangements will be further additive … [and] will start to slowly and rapidly scale,” Stringer said. “We will share all revenues with our artists and songwriters whether from training or related to outputs, so they are appropriately compensated from day one of this new frontier.”
Stringer said he hopes the industry’s proof of concept will give government regulators the evidence they need to pass laws reinforcing that system.
After three months, Alex Warren’s reign atop the U.K.’s Official Singles Chart has come to an end as Sabrina Carpenter ousts him from the No. 1 spot (June 13). His spell was broken by Carpenter’s “Manchild,” which achieved the feat with 6.8 million streams in its opening week. The song and its playful video were […]
Pulp has scored its first No. 1 on the U.K.’s Official Albums Chart in 27 years with eighth LP More (June 13). The Jarvis Cocker-led band previously had two chart-toppers to its name (1995’s Different Class and 1997’s This is Hardcore), and a number of top 10 placings throughout its career: 1994’s His ‘N’ Hers […]
Nicki Minaj has received a formal apology from Shannon Sharpe after the rapper dissed him on Lil Wayne‘s “Banned From NO (Remix).” In the latest episode of Sharpe’s Nightcap podcast, the NFL legend said he was sorry to Minaj, and explained how their misunderstanding led to him being name dropped on Weezy’s new track. “Bout […]
Jeff Hahne / 50 Cent
Despite having a very rocky relationship with Starz, 50 Cent continues to land original programming with the network.
Starz announced it has greenlit a new original show called Fightland, which the cable network describes as a “high-octane scripted drama set in the cutthroat, high-stakes, cash-rich world of British boxing.”
Fightland also marks another collaboration between Starz and Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson through his G-Unit Film & Television, who serves as an executive producer on the show.
Starz has ordered eight episodes of the show with production set to begin in London this fall.
“Fightland” follows a disgraced, formerly incarcerated boxing champion who returns to London to seek vengeance against the crime family he thinks betrayed him. With edge-of-seat action and populated by dangerous characters, this is a world of money and power never seen before.
50 Cent Anticipates Fightland Being More Popular Than Anything He’s Done Before
“Fightland marks my first internationally produced show through my G-Unit Film & Television. I am excited to bring that global energy to the screen,” said Executive Producer Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson. “I anticipate this to be more successful than anything I’ve done before—boxing’s raw stakes are gonna take it to another level.” “Set against the backdrop of the British boxing underground, this series promises to be the perfect combination of character and adrenaline,” said Kathryn Busby, President of Original Programming for STARZ. “‘ Fightland’ is the kind of unapologetically visceral, premium storytelling that STARZ is known for, and we believe that each dramatic round of this compelling drama will leave fans wanting more.”
50 Cent saying he expects Fightland to be more successful than anything he’s done before demonstrates the confidence he has in this show.
Power, the first Starz series he was a part of, created by Courtney A. Kemp, is currently one of Starz’s most popular original series ever.
He also has BMF, which is currently in its 4th season, and is also popular among television viewers.
However, there is also tension between the Queens rapper and the network, which often seems to reach a boiling point, with the “In Da Club” rapper threatening to pull his shows off the channel.
We shall see if that remains the case when Fightland arrives.
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Ye — the rapper formerly known as Kanye West — has shown up to Sean “Diddy” Combs’ federal trial in New York City, pulling up to the courthouse in an all-white outfit Friday (June 13).
In footage shared by TMZ, the Yeezy founder steps out of the backseat of a car and walks inside, shaking a couple hands and throwing up a small wave on his way. In addition to a matching white denim jacket-and-jeans set, he sports a pair of sunglasses.
According to Variety, Ye told one journalist that he had come to show support for the disgraced Bad Boy Records founder. The publication also reports that West’s name had been included in a questionnaire for potential jurors to test whether they were familiar with any of the “hundreds of celebrities and people in Combs’ orbit.”
Combs has been on trial since May on allegations of sex trafficking and racketeering, with federal prosecutors accusing him of running an elaborate criminal enterprise aimed at facilitating his so-called freak-offs — drug-fueled events wherein he allegedly forced people, including his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura, to have sex with male escorts while he allegedly watched and masturbated. His legal team has denied all of the charges, with Combs’ attorney Teny Geragos telling the jury in opening statements a few weeks ago: “Sean Combs is a complicated man, but this is not a complicated case. We take full responsibility that there was domestic violence. Domestic violence is not sex trafficking.”
If convicted, Combs faces life in prison.
A few days prior to Ye’s appearance at the trial, Combs’ legal team’s motion for a mistrial was denied. The defense had tried to claim that the prosecution had knowingly introduced false testimony by Bryana Bongolan – a witness who last week alleged that Combs had dangled her from a 17-story balcony in 2016 — but Judge Arun Subramanian ultimately ruled: “This is not fodder for a mistrial. This is the adversarial process at work.”
Ye has previously shown support for Combs amid the latter’s legal issues, with the former asking President Donald Trump to “please free my brother Puff” on X in February. Combs had already spent months in custody at that point following his September arrest.In March, Ye dropped a song titled “Lonely Roads Still Go to Sunshine” that appeared to feature Combs’ voice on a phone-call recording. “I just want to thank you so much for just taking care of my kids, man,” the voice seemingly belonging to Diddy said in the snippet. “Ain’t nobody reach out to them, ain’t nobody call them.”
Ye replies on the track: “Absolutely, I love you so much, man. You raised me. Even when I ain’t know you, know what I’m saying?”
The two hip-hop titans also worked together in the past, both appearing on Ty Dolla $ign’s “Guard Down” in 2015. In 2022, Ye presented Combs with the Lifetime Achievement honors at that year’s BET Awards.
