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GEMA’s revenue rose 8.4% in 2023, to €1.28 billion ($1.4 billion), the German collective management society (CMO) announced April 8, and for the second year in a row it will distribute more than a billion Euros to its members – €1.08 billion ($1.17 billion) to be exact. That income was offset by an expense ratio […]
Beyoncé rounds-up the U.K. charts this week, earning the second chart double of her career as Cowboy Carter and “Texas Hold ‘Em” simultaneously secure top spot. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The leader at the midweek stage, “Texas Hold ‘Em” (via Columbia/Parkwood Ent) lifts 3-1 for its […]
Beyoncé scores the U.K. chart double with Cowboy Carter and “Texas Hold ‘Em,” and, in doing so, carves out a slice of history.
According to the Official Charts Company, Bey becomes the first Black artist to snag a No. 1 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart with a country record, and the first artist to simultaneously top both the U.K.’s singles and albums charts with country repertoire.
The result was never in any doubt. Cowboy Carter (via Columbia/Parkwood Entertainment) debuts at No. 1 on the tally, published Friday, April 5, having dominated the midweek chart, when it outsold the rest of the top 5 combined.
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By week’s end, Cowboy Carter, Bey’s eight solo album, blew away the competition with 40,000 chart units, while “Texas Hold ‘Em” rebounds to the top of the Official U.K. Singles Chart for a fifth non-consecutive week.
That’s her second chart double, and first in over 20 years. The last was back in 2003 when she simultaneously led the national charts with Dangerously In Love and “Crazy In Love” featuring Jay-Z.
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Beyoncé isn’t the first female artist to land a country album at the top in the U.K., a territory not known to share a deep affection for the genre. Shania Twain was the trailblazer, when Come On Over topped the Official Albums Chart in September 1999.
Cowboy Carter is Bey’s fifth solo leader in the U.K., following Dangerously In Love (from 2003), 4 (2011), Lemonade (2016) and Renaissance (2022). As a member of Destiny’s Child, alongside Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, Beyoncé owns another No. 1 with 2001’s Survivor.
Meanwhile, Olivia Rodrigo’s former leader Guts (Geffen) lifts 3-2 following the release of deluxe “Spilled” edition, which features four tracks previously unavailable digitally, and a new number.
Oxford shoegaze favorites Ride cruise to a fourth career U.K. 10 with Interplay (Wichita Recordings), new at No. 8). Interplay joins 1992’s Going Blank Again (No. 5), 1994’s Carnival Of Light (No. 5) and 2019’s This Is Not A Safe Place (No. 7) in their tally of top tier efforts.
Also cracking the top 40 on debut is Sum 41’s eighth and final studio album, Heaven x Hell (Rise Records), at No. 26; and BTS bandmate j-hope‘s Hope On The Street Vol.1 (BigHit Entertainment) at No. 38.
Little Big Town will use their performance at the 2024 CMT Music Awards as a launch pad into a full-blown national tour.
The Grammy Award-winning country act kick-off their Take Me Home U.S. tour Oct. 24 at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, SC, in support of their new single, and as a celebration of the band’s 25-year milestone.
As it stands, the trek will wrap-up Dec. 13 with a special homecoming date at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN, their first in Music City since 2017’s sold-out 10-night stand at Ryman Auditorium.
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The four-piece — comprised of Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Phillip Sweet, and Jimi Westbrook — teamed up with longtime friends and collaborators Sugarland at Sunday night’s (April 7) CMT Music Awards at Moody Center in Austin, Texas, for the world premiere performance of “Take Me Home,” a cover of the Phil Collins song released back in 1985.
Sugarland is special guest on the forthcoming tour, with support from The Castellows. Live Nation and Sandbox Live are producing the trek.
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“Last night felt like a real homecoming for us and a full circle moment. When we toured with Sugarland last, we would all be backstage harmonizing different cover songs to try and surprise the audience every night,” reads a statement from Little Big Town. “There’s something about this song that feels so nostalgic of that time. It really is like coming home.”
Little Big Town and Sugarland last shared the CMT Music Awards stage 15 years ago, when they were joined by Jake Owen for a rendition of “Life in a Northern Town,” originally released by the Dream Academy in 1985.
On Sunday, Little Big Town chalked up their 13th CMT Music Awards performance.
The upcoming tour, says the band, “feels like a celebration of being a band for 25 years and we’re so excited to throw this party with our great friends Sugarland. We’ll both be playing all our biggest hits and then some. Can’t wait to see everyone.”
The general onsale begins Friday, April 12 at littlebigtown.com.
Little Big Town’s 2024 U.S. Take Me Home Tour:
Oct. 24 — Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, SC
Oct. 25 — PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC
Oct. 26 — Nationwide Arena, Columbus, OH
Oct. 31 — TD Garden, Boston, MA
Nov. 1 — PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, PA
Nov. 2 — KeyBank Center, Buffalo, NY
Nov. 7 — Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
Nov. 8 — Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, WI
Nov. 9 — Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, MI
Nov. 14 — T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, MO
Nov. 15 — Denny Sanford PREMIER Center, Sioux Falls, SD
Nov. 16 — Vibrant Arena at The MARK, Moline, IL
Nov. 21 — Moody Center, Austin, TX
Nov. 22 — Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, TX
Nov. 23 — BOK Center, Tulsa, OK
Dec. 11 — Mississippi Coast Coliseum, Biloxi, MS
Dec. 12 — Gas South Arena, Duluth, GA
Dec. 13 — Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN
Garry Van Egmond, the veteran impresario behind some of the biggest tours in the history of Australia’s touring business, died Saturday morning (April 6) following complications of recent surgery. He was 82.
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Based in Melbourne, Van Egmond was AC/DC’s promoter of choice for touring Australia and New Zealand, and, in 1986, he helmed Dire Straits’ record-smashing Brothers In Arms tour, a juggernaut that shifted more than 900,000 tickets when Australia’s population was just 14 million. More than 250,000 tickets for that Dire Straits tour were sold in Sydney alone.
Dire Straits’ national box-office bonanza was the all-time record holder for tickets sold on a single tour, holding the mark for more than 30 years, until Ed Sheeran’s 2018 Divide tour pushed past one million ticket sales in these parts.
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With over 50 years’ experience in live events, Van Egmond sold upwards of 35 million tickets across Australia, New Zealand, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Korea, Taiwan and Japan, according to a statement from TEG, which acquired the late entrepreneur’s company, Van Egmond Group, in 2020.
Van Egmond’s business also produced AC/DC’s 2010 Black Ice tour, which shifted more than 600,000 tickets across 11 Australian dates (and 760,000 tickets across Australia and New Zealand) and the rock legends’ Rock or Bust Australasia leg in 2015, which the company says sold 460,000 tickets across nine stadium dates in seven cities (five in Australia, two in New Zealand).
Across his career, Van Egmond produced the Jesus Christ Superstar arena tour, Riverdance’s The Show, plus tours by Billy Joel, Rod Stewart, INXS, Prince, Bette Midler, Dolly Parton and more.
“Today the entire TEG family expresses our sadness and mourns the loss of Garry Van Egmond,” comments TEG Group CEO Geoff Jones.
“Garry was not only a highly valued colleague but a thoroughly decent person, and a resounding talent with the highest integrity. His legacy will stand the test of time. Our thoughts are with Christo, Katie and his family through these difficult times.”
Garry is survived by his daughter Katie, son Christo and grandchildren Hugo and Saskia.
The TEG Van Egmond business will continue to be run by managing director Christo Van Egmond, who remembers his father as “a true gentleman in the business and was highly regarded and respected by artists, managers, agents, and everyone he worked with.” He says of his dad, “He was a superb mentor to me and I have enjoyed working with him for nearly 30 years. Over that time we have presented some amazing events in Australia, New Zealand and Asia. He was a fantastic father and friend to me and will be missed dearly by his family, friends, and colleagues.”
Foo Fighters score their 14th career No. 1 – and third in a row, a first for the band – on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart with “The Glass,” which jumps to the top of the April 13-dated tally.
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“The Glass” follows reigns for “Rescued” beginning last May and “Under You” last September.
Foo Fighters link three straight rulers after the Dave Grohl-led act previously packaged two in a row four times, with “Rope” and “Walk” (2011); “Something From Nothing” and “Congregation” (2014-15); “Run” and “The Sky Is a Neighborhood” (2017); and “Waiting on a War” and “Making a Fire” (2021).
In all, Foo Fighters now boast 14 No. 1s, tying the group with Five Finger Death Punch for the third-most in the chart’s history, which dates to 1981.
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Most No. 1s, Mainstream Rock Airplay:19, Shinedown17, Three Days Grace14, Five Finger Death Punch14, Foo Fighters13, Metallica13, Van Halen12, Disturbed12, Godsmack
Foo Fighters first reached Mainstream Rock Airplay in 1995 with “This Is a Call,” which peaked at No. 6. They first led with “Best of You” in 2005.
Concurrently, “The Glass” shatters the top 10 barrier on Alternative Airplay, rising 11-9. It’s the band’s chart-leading 31st top 10, dating to the list’s 1988 premiere.
Most Top 10s, Alternative Airplay:31, Foo Fighters28, Red Hot Chili Peppers26, Green Day23, U221, Weezer20, Pearl Jam19, Linkin Park18, The Offspring17, Muse17, The Smashing Pumpkins
The track ranks at No. 24 on Adult Alternative Airplay (after reaching No. 11 in early March). On the all-rock-format, audience-based Rock & Alternative Airplay chart, it remains at No. 6 (after hitting No. 5) with 5.7 million audience impressions March 29-April 4, up 1%, according to Luminate.
On the most recent multimetric Hot Hard Rock Songs list (dated April 6, reflecting data March 22-28), “The Glass” placed at No. 5. In addition to its radio airplay, the song earned 166,000 official U.S. streams in that span.
“The Glass” is the third single, following “Rescued” and “Under You,” from But Here We Are, Foo Fighters’ 11th studio album. The set debuted at No. 1 on the Top Alternative Albums chart in June 2023 and has earned 168,000 equivalent album units to date.
All Billboard charts dated April 13 will update on Billboard.com Tuesday, April 9.
A beautiful year continues for Benson Boone, as he fires off his debut full-length album, Fireworks & Rollerblades (via Night Street Records/Warner Records).
The Washington-raised singer and songwriter and TikTok standout dropped Fireworks & Rollerblades at the stroke of midnight, a collection that houses his hit single “Beautiful Things,” which has logged five week at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 chart and Australia’s ARIA Chart, two cycles at No. 1 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart, and has a peak of No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.
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The latest cut from the LP, “Slow It Down,” is on predicted to crack the U.K. top 40, for Boone’s third top tier effort there (2022’s “In The Stars” reached No. 21).
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Speaking with Billboard earlier in the year, Boone gave a heads-up on his new material.
“A lot of my stuff in the past has been very piano-based. Obviously, I still have a lot of piano in my songs, but there definitely have been more heavier guitar songs, which I’m very happy about,” he explained. “I love the guitar. But overall, since the last time I released music, my voice has been maturing a lot. My style has been changing just slightly. And I think the songs that I will be releasing in the next couple months are closer to what my future looks like for releasing music. I’m very excited.”
Boone is taking his music to the masses, with a world tour that kicked off this week in Chicago. Next week, he’s booked to appear on NBC’s Today and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
“Man,” he told Billboard, “all I’ve been thinking about is the tour, and I’ll be going some places that I’ve never been before. But after the tour, and after all the shows, I’m really looking forward to just being with my friends. I think we’re gonna go on a trip to Greece and have two weeks and just live my life.”
When he’s not collecting chart crowns, he’s been winning plaudits from broadcasters and DSPs. Earlier in 2024, iHeartRadio tapped him an “On The Verge Artist,” and last year, he was names an Amazon Music Breakthrough Artist and MTV’s Global PUSH Artist for October.
Stream Fireworks & Rollerblades below.
Beyoncé lassos the chart title in Australia as Cowboy Carter debuts at No. 1.
Cowboy Carter (via Columbia/Sony) gives Bey her fourth leader on the ARIA Chart, following Beyoncé in 2013, Lemonade in 2016 and Renaissance in 2022.
According to ARIA, it’s the first country album by a woman to land at No. 1 (excluding the new versions of Taylor Swift’s country LPs) since 2017, when homegrown artist Kasey Chambers logged one week at the summit top with Dragonfly (in January) and Shania Twain’s Now spent one week at the top (in October).
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Powered by Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé’s global hit “Texas Hold ‘Em” rebounds 7-2 on the ARIA Singles Chart, its equal peak position on 2. Album cut “II Most Wanted” with Miley Cyrus is the highest debut on the singles tally this week at No. 16, and Bey’s reinterpretation of the Dolly Parton standard “Jolene” arrives at No. 24. Parton’s original peaked at No. 99 in these parts back in 1974, ARIA reports, while Olivia Newton-John’s rendition reached No. 29 two years later, in 1976.
Beyoncé’s latest LP leads a top four on the ARIA Chart, published Friday, April 5, that’s dominated by U.S. solo female artists: Ariana Grande’s Eternal Sunshine and Taylor Swift’s 1989 (Taylor’s Version) and Lover, respectively (all through Universal).
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Further down the list, Australian duo the Pierce Brothers arrives No. 14 with their third studio album, Everything Is Bigger Than Me (Ditto Music). It’s the Melbourne act’s sixth appearance on the ARIA Chart, including top 10s with 2015’s Into The Dirt (No. 10) and 2017’s The Records Were Ours (No. 9). Everything Is Bigger Than Me is the only Australian recording in the ARIA Top 40; the next-up LP from the land Down Under is the soundtrack to Ego: The Michael Gudinski Story (at No. 46 via Bloodlines/UMA), the documentary on the life and career of the late Mushroom Group founder, which next week premieres on Australian network TV.
Meanwhile, BTS star J-Hope (real name: Jung Ho-seok) nudges the chart at No. 62 with the EP Hope On The Street Vol. 1. J-Hope hit No. 13 in 2018 with Hope World and No. 27 in 2022 with Jack In The Box.
Over on the ARIA Singles Chart, Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things” (Warner Records) logs a fifth week at No. 1, ahead of Bey’s “Texas Hold ‘Em” and Djo’s “End Of Beginning” (AWAL), respectively.
J. Cole shook up the rap world with the surprise release of his Might Delete Later project on Friday (April 5).
The mixtape arrived on streaming services without warning and fans quickly took note of the potent project closer “7 Minute Drill,” which appears to find Cole responding to Kendrick Lamar’s disses on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That.”
“I got a phone call, they say that somebody dissing/ You want some attention, it comes with extensions,” Cole initially teased.
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He then gets to taking shots at K. Dot’s discography by disparaging specific albums like calling 2022’s Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers “tragic” and claiming that the Grammy-winning To Pimp A Butterfly had listeners snoozing.
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“He still doin’ shows, but fell off like the Simpsons/ Your first s–t was classic, your last shit was tragic/ Your second shit put n—-s to sleep, but they gassed it/ Your third shit was massive and that was your prime/ I was trailing right behind and I just now hit mine/ Now I’m front of the line with a comfortable lead/ How ironic, soon as I got it, now he want somethin’ with me,” the Dreamville CEO spews.
J. Cole informs Kendrick that this is just a “warning shot” and the gloves could come off entirely for more if the West Coast legend wants to go there.
“He averagin’ one hard verse like every thirty months or somethin’/ If he wasn’t dissin’, then we wouldn’t be discussin’ ’em/ Lord, don’t make me have to smoke this n—a ’cause I f–k with him/ But push come to shove, on this mic, I will humble him,” Cole promises.
The North Carolina native continues to tap Lamar about his lack of output. “Four albums in 12 years, n—a, I can divide,” he quips in a lyric that appears to imitate Jay-Z’s bars on his Nas diss “Takeover.”
The second part of “7 Minute Drill” features a beat switch with Conductor Williams taking the reins from T-Minus behind the boards and fans are speculating that the ominous production samples Drake’s If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late standout “Energy.”
For those wondering about the inspiration for “7 Minute Drill” as a song title, J. Cole’s manager Ibrahim Hamad explained last year during an appearance on the Say Less podcast that Cole will rap for seven minutes straight over a few different beats as an exercise to break writer’s block.
“He does these seven-minute drills that he got Cozz be doing… He’ll just be like, ‘You got seven minutes.’ It’s basically his way of breaking out of overthinking,” the Dreamville co-founder said. “Like don’t even think about it. Start a verse — what we gon’ talk about? He’ll be like, ‘Cozz, write a verse about pizza.’ They got seven minutes and they put the timer on.”
Might Delete Later kicks off a busy weekend for J. Cole, who will be headlining his fourth annual Dreamville Fest in Raleigh, N.C. on Sunday (April 7).
Take a listen to “7 Minute Drill” below.
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It’s a new dawn for Empire of the Sun.
The alternative electronic duo of Emperor Steele (Luke Steele) and Lord Littlemore (Nick Littlemore) returns with “Changes,” their first new release in eight years.
Though it points to a new era, “Changes” is classic Empire of the Sun, underpinned by a slapping, dancey- beat and fueled by a joyful synth riff.
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On it, Steele sings: “This time we’re going through changes/ This time like not before/ This time we’re going places/ Letting go.”
“Changes” represents “the shifting sands of time, empires rise and fall but the sun shall shine on,” says Littlemore, also a founding member of the Australian electronic trio Pnau. “Come once more into the world we’ve created, delve deeper within and be rewarded with its ever expanding story, each and every one is invited to explore the new era.”
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The new cut is supported with an official music video, directed by acclaimed filmmaker Michael Maxxis, in which our otherworldly heroes arrive via spacecraft on an earth-like planet, fully kitted-up and ready for dancing.
A young lad glimpses the landing and is first on scene, where he is greeted by some spooky ETs and the magic begins. Ominously, the music video wraps with the assurance “to be continued…”
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The Empire of the Sun project first rose back in 2008 with the single “Walking on a Dream.” The recording cracked the top 10 on the ARIA Singles Chart (peaking at No. 10), and won single of the year at the 2009 ARIA Music Awards, one of their four victories on the night.
In the U.S., the song had a second life when it was synced to a Honda Civic commercial in 2016, driving it to No. 65 on the Billboard Hot 100 and powering it to No. 1 on Billboard’s Dance Club Songs, their second leader on the tally after 2013’s “Alive”.
Career streams top 7.6 billion, including more than 1 billion streams for “Walking on a Dream.”
Empire of the Sun has released three albums, the 2008 breakthrough debut Walking on a Dream, 2013’s Ice on the Dune and 2016’s Two Vines, all of which cracked the Top 10 in Australia.
A fourth might not be too far away. “There’s a lot of great music in the bag. I’m hoping that will see the light of day,” Littlemore told Billboard in 2021. “I have great faith. I don’t feel we have exhausted that well by any stretch. The name still has a lot of goodwill. I really hope we can come together and finish it.”