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Taylor Swift is No. 1 on our year-end Top Artists chart. The singer dominated the Billboard 200 albums and Billboard Hot 100 songs charts this year. Rania Aniftos:Taylor Swift is the No. 1 on our year-end Top Artists chart. Taylor Swift is the top artist in many hearts, and now, the singer claims the highest […]
Spotify’s new royalties model will be a subject of discussion when IMPALA’s board meets later this month.
In a brief statement, the Brussels-based independent music companies association announced it was canvassing its member views on the proposed changes, detailed for the first time in a blog post published on Tuesday (Nov. 21).
“Our focus is and will remain ensuring a fair, diverse and sustainable music ecosystem for all,” reads the trade body’s message, “as set out in our 10-point plan to make the most of streaming, which was released two years and a half ago and was updated earlier this year.”
The board of IMPALA is scheduled to meet next Thursday, Nov. 30.
With its post, Spotify confirmed the broader music industry’s worst-kept secret by sharing details of a three-pronged royalties model, which would funnel more money to popular artists, labels and distributors, lift the streaming threshold, while putting the clamps on streaming fraud.
Among the changes touted by Spotify: tracks must have reached at least 1,000 streams in the previous 12 months in order to generate recorded royalties; labels and distributors will fined per track when “flagrant artificial streaming is detected” on their content; and functional content — think rain noises, whale sounds, recordings of wind rustling the leaves— will be significantly devalued, and its minimum track length increased to two minute into order to be eligible to generate royalties.
By tackling these issues that account for just a “small percentage of total streams,” Spotify reckons, its new policing of content “now means that we can drive approximately an additional $1 billion in revenue toward emerging and professional artists over the next five years.”
IMPALA’s voice has been front and center in the debate for a “fairer, more dynamic” streaming market.
In April, IMPALA published an updated version of its 10-step plan to “make the most of streaming,” which proposed various changes to how digital royalties are allocated, including attaching a premium value to tracks that the listener has sought out, a so-called “Fan Participation Model” whereby artists and rights holders could generate incremental revenue within digital services through offering special features and extra tracks, higher share for master rights and more.
Later, in September, IMPALA raised concerns over the new “artist-centric” streaming model being rolled out by Deezer and Universal Music Group (UMG), warning of a potential “two-tier” music market that unfairly disadvantages indie artists and labels.
The European trade body represents nearly 6,000 independent companies, labels and national associations, including Beggars Group, Cooking Vinyl, Epitaph and PIAS Music Group.
The Voice has reached the Playoffs phase and Huntley is, well, very much in the hunt.
The Fredericksburg, Virginia-native impressed when he stepped onto The Voice last month for the Blind Auditions, showcasing a voice with depth and character, a rare blend that could power its way through country, blues, rock and grunge.
From the opening notes of that audition, when he sang “She Talks To Angels,” Huntley caught a four-chair turn. Niall Horan went on to secure his services.
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Heading into Tuesday night’s episode, Huntley had a lot to live up to. Pressure, no pressure.
Huntley put on his game voice, and hit a full-throated rendition of David Kushner’s “Daylight”.
The coaches loved it. “I just can’t believe how amazing you are, every single time,” was Gwen Stefani’s immediate response. “Your actual vocal ability, especially in the lane of music that you do, your style of singing, it is masterful.” If she had a label, she’d sign him up. “You’re so amazing.”
John Legend was also blown away. “What you’re giving us on stage is well beyond a competition,” he enthuses. “You’re already a star. You carry yourself that way with confidence, with that distinctive voice.” The execution, flawless. Huntley could go on to be a Grammy winner someday, he reckons.
The performance was “just insane,” Horan remarks. The rocker’s coach challenged him with the song, something he felt Huntley wouldn’t pick, and the result was “the best you’ve ever sung here.”
“You’re one of the people that’s got something to say to the world, and you’ve got a voice like that, it’ll be one hell of and album, and I’d buy it.” So would Reba McEntire. So would many others.
The Irishman had the challenge of cutting three of his six artists. Ultimately, he selected Huntley, Nini Iris and Mara Justine to progress in the competition.
The Voice airs Mondays and Tuesdays on NBC and streaming next day on Peacock.
Watch Huntley’s performance below.
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Too much Taylor Swift clearly isn’t enough as Dancing With The Stars paid tribute to the pop superstar with an all-TayTay special.
After remembering the late Whitney Houston on last week’s show, celebrity competitors this time strutted their stuff on the DWTS hardwood for “A Celebration of Taylor Swift.”
Leading the way once again was Jason Mraz who, along with his partner Daniella Karagach, enjoyed a bounce-back routine, an Argentine Tango to “Don’t Blame Me.”
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Mraz has impressed throughout the competition, now in its 10th season, though his performance last week didn’t hit his usual high marks. For a moment there, Mraz confesses he was concerned about an early exit. On Tuesday night (Nov. 21), the pair nailed it, earning a perfect score of 40 from the judging panel.
“Reputation restored,” remarked judge Bruno Tonioli, staying firmly in TayTay theme.
More points were up for grabs, as the teams entered the “Relay Dances.” Mraz and Karagach would face off against Bachelorette star Charity Lawson and Artem Chigvintsev, with a cha cha to Swift’s “Lavender Haze,” remixed by Felix Jaehn.
There could only be one winner, and that was two-time Grammy Award winner Mraz and Karagach, as the pair bagged the additional three points for a perfect night out — and a spot at the top of the leaderboard.
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Earlier, the DWTS professional dance squad got matters moving with a performance to “Love Story” choreographed by guest judge Mandy Moore (not to be confused with the singer and actor), lead choreographer on Swift’s The Eras Tour.
“I wish I could be there but I’m on tour in Brazil,” Swift said in a clip that aired at the top of episode. “I’m sending you guys all my love and best of luck to all the contestants.”
DWTS is simulcast live across both ABC and Disney+ in local time zones and the next day on Hulu.
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There wasn’t much luck for Too Hot to Handle’s Harry Jowsey and Rylee Arnold, who were eliminated from DWTS with the semifinals in sight.
DWTS is simulcast live across both ABC and Disney+ in local time zones and the next day on Hulu.
Like leaves falling in an autumnal park, Ed Sheeran has begun dropping the official music videos from his latest LP, Autumn Variations.
Over time, Sheeran will share 14 new music videos in total, all created by Sheerios, the culmination of a global content, for which more than 4,000 music videos were entered from 75 countries.
Sheeran handpicked the winners, representing 14 different countries: Ireland, United Kingdom, Australia, Italy, The Netherlands, United States, Brazil, Germany, Japan, France, New Zealand, Taiwan, Mexico, and India.
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The project, reads a statement from Warner Music, “continues the execution of Ed’s initial vision for ‘Autumn Variations’ as an album for the fans and by the fans as he spotlights their artistry.”
Today, the British pop superstar begins the drip feed with music videos for “Midnight” by Meg Igarashi from Japan; “That’s On Me” by Brazilian fan Beatriz Santamaria Pinha; and “American Town” by Michael Lamhang of the United Sates.
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“I made Autumn Variations for the fans and I really wanted to bring them into the fold on this album,” comments Sheeran in a statement. “I was keen to see how they interpreted the music, so I decided to ask my fans from across the world to make videos for each album track.”
The remaining music videos will roll out on YouTube over the coming weeks, reps say.
“There were so many wonderful submissions,” Sheeran adds, giving a shout out to “each and every fan who made these videos so special. I love them and hope you will too.”
Produced by the National’s Aaron Dessner, Autumn Variations extended Sheeran’s perfect albums chart records in the U.K. and Australia to seven, all consecutive (including two in 2023).
In the United States, the set gave Sheeran his sixth No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales Chart.
Sheeran has wrapped his The Mathematics Tour for 2023, a run that saw the Englishman smash attendance records on multiple continents, including East Rutherford’s MetLife Stadium and the Melbourne Cricket Ground (twice). The Asia leg of his trek will kick off in January 2024.
Sheeran kept the fans in the loop with the release of Autumn Variations (Fan Living Room Sessions), a compilation of recordings from 14 fan visits, which can be streamed in full below.
Check out the lineup of “Autumn Variation” fan-created official music videos below.“Magical” – Edel Temple (Ireland)“England” – Marlon Cang (U.K.)“Amazing” – Elder (Australia)“Plastic Bag” – Laura Days (Italy)“Blue” – Renee Schuurmans (The Netherlands)“American Town” – Michael Lamhang (U.S.)“That’s On Me” – Beatriz Santamaria Pinha (Brazil)“Page” – Gordian Schroedter (Germany)“Midnight” – Meg Igarashi (Japan)“Spring” – Ciara Griot (France)“Punchline” – Evan Heasman [Soju Shorts] (New Zealand)“When Will I Be Alright” – Karina Yang (Taiwan)“The Day I Was Born” – Mike Bautista (Mexico)“Head >Heels” – Anshul Mittal & Kanika Gupta [Digiscape Media] (India)
Landon Barker kicked off his music career two months ago with the release of “Friends With Your Ex.” In the latest episode of Billboard News, Barker details what the song is about, shares insight into its writing process and reveals the advice he got from from his rock star dad, Travis Barker. The 20-year-old musician […]
Billboard looks back on Tina Tuner’s hits, career and chart achievements. Evan Burke:She’s “Simply the Best.” Today we celebrate the birthday of Tina Turner, one of music history’s most electrifying performers. From her charting hits to her amazing accolades, we run through it all in today’s Pop Culture Rewind. Tina Turner was born on November […]
Spotify’s new royalty model should be a money-spinner worth an additional $1 billion for emerging and established artists over the next five years, according to the streaming giant, as content partners line-up to salute the initiative.
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As previously reported, Spotify is updating its royalty system, an overhaul the company anticipates will funnel more money to more popular artists, record labels and distributors, while clamping down on streaming fraud.
In a new blog post, published today (Nov. 21), Spotify reps say its three-pronged policy will apply better hygiene to its platform, better distribute small payments that aren’t reaching creators, and, while tackling these issues that account for just a “small percentage of total streams,” its new policing of content “now means that we can drive approximately an additional $1 billion in revenue toward emerging and professional artists over the next five years.”
As previously reported, Spotify’s controversial new royalty model will affect more than two-thirds of its song catalog but that’s due to the magnitude of music that’s uploaded to the platform, where the vast majority of songs don’t get listened to with any frequency. While tens of millions of songs will fall below the 1,000 streams threshold, a source tells Billboard that policy will only shift about 0.5% of Spotify’s royalty pool to more popular tracks. That was equal to about $46 million in royalties in 2022, out of $9.27 billion paid out in total.
The changes, confirmed today in Spotify’s blog, which features breakdowns and why they’ve been actioned, are welcomed by a string of music industry figures.
“Believe welcomes Spotify’s initiative to clean-up the market from artificial streaming and noise, driving more revenues to all legitimate artists,” comments Denis Ladegaillerie, founder & CEO of Believe. “We believe that creating more benefits to develop up-and-coming artists would be a great complement to the institution of a 1.000 stream threshold. We are encouraged by our current dialogue with them on this topic.”
Spotify’s changes are “going to help us deliver on that goal: these new policies acknowledge the simple truth that improving outcomes for artists goes beyond demanding bigger payouts from the DSPs,” adds Kristin Graziani, president of Stem. “All three of Spotify’s new mechanisms redirect funds that currently sit on the balance sheet of distributors or land with bad actors back to the artists we serve.”
Under the new model touted by Spotify:• Tracks that receive less than 1,000 streams within a 12-month period will not qualify for royalties. Those royalties, instead, will be redistributed into the greater royalty pool.• Labels and distributors will be charged 10 euros for any track that is found to have 90% or more of its streams deemed fraudulent.• Non-music noise tracks must now be at least two minutes long in order to qualify for royalties. As well, according to a source, there are conversations about implementing a rate reduction on these tracks that would value their streams below those for music.To date, Spotify boasts more than 574 million users, including 226 million subscribers in more than 180 markets, generating “over $40 billion and counting” in royalties to artists and copyright holders, the Sweden-based business reports.
Adding to the support for Spotify’s new model is Terry McBride, chairman & CEO, Nettwerk Music Group. “Fraud and artificial music are significant problems for streaming services, depriving legitimate artists from building a community of fans and earning a sustainable living,” McBride comments. “I applaud Spotify’s continual and evolving efforts to address these issues.”
Bob Valentine, CEO, Concord, and Andrew Bergman, CEO Downtown Music Holdings, also welcome Spotify’s new policies.
Led by founder and CEO Daniel Ek, Spotify is said to be planning a roll-out its new royalties model in “the new year,” although no firm date has yet been announced. The changes will not affect songwriters for the time being.
Read more here.
Madness is hoping 13 proves to be their lucky number as Theatre of the Absurd presents C’est La Vie (via BMG) moves into title contention in the U.K.
Theatre of the Absurd is the British ska and pop band’s 13th studio album, and, if it holds its course, would mark their 11th top 10 and first-ever U.K. No. 1 studio album, following chart-topping career retrospectives Complete Madness (from 1982) and Divine Madness (1992).
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Led by Graham “Suggs” McPherson, the north London band has got close to the U.K. chart’s holy grail on more than one occasion. Their 1979 debut album One Step Beyond peaked at No. 2 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart, as did their sophomore set from 1980, Absolutely.
Taylor Swift’s current chart champion 1989 (Taylor’s Version) (via EMI) is a clear-and-present contender, close behind at No. 2.
Meanwhile, Dolly Parton could snag her fourth U.K. top 10 with Rockstar (Big Machine), her features-stacked collection of covers. It’s new at No. 3 on the Official Chart Update, and is forecast to be be the country legend’s best performing studio effort since 2016’s Pure & Simple peaked at No. 2.
Also flying on the chart blast is the deluxe Scary Hours edition of Drake’s former leader For All the Dogs (OVO/Republic Records). It’s set to bounce 32-4.
U.S. alternative rock favorites the National could score their second top 5 album of 2023, with Laugh Track (4AD), set for a No. 5 start. It’s the followup to First Two Pages of Frankenstein, which entered the national chart at No. 4 in May of this year.
Finally, Dutch violinist and conductor André Rieu could bag his 14th top U.K. 10 LP with Jewels of Romance (Decca), recorded with the Johann Strauss Orchestra. It’s new at No. 8 on the Official Chart Update.
All will be revealed when the Official U.K. Albums Chart is published late Friday, Nov. 24.
Rap legend Snoop Dogg recently announced he had given up “smoke,” leaving fans and the general public in shock. However, on Monday, November 20th, he cleared the air and revealed that the “smoke” part of his statement was the key in unveiling his latest “smoke-free” endorsement deal. Snoop Dogg:I have an announcement. I’m giving up […]