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Timothy Xu is the new chairman and CEO of Universal Music Greater China (UMGC).
With effect from Monday, Sept. 4, the veteran executive takes the reins of Universal Music Group’s Greater China division, which covers Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
As head of the biggest music company’s business in the world’s most populous market, Xu wields a resume stacked with major label and indie experience.
He joins UMGC from Taihe Music Group, the leading independent music company in China, where he served for the past five years as president and CEO.
Before that, he led Sony Music’ Greater China activities as chairman and CEO, from 2012-16. And earlier, he had roles with EMI Music, EMI Music Publishing China, and Warner Music China, having kicked off his career in 1992 with China National Publications Import & Export Corporation (CNPIEC).
Xu’s appointment follows the retirement of longstanding chairman Sunny Chang earlier in 2023.
“I am thrilled to welcome Timothy to lead our operations in Greater China,” comments Lucian Grainge, chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group in a statement.
“He’s a real music exec, given his deep experience generating creative and commercial success in the region. I’m confident Timothy be instrumental as we continue to drive growth in the exciting and vibrant Chinese music market.”
Adds Adam Granite, UMG’s executive VP, market development, “Having worked together in the past, Timothy’s unique and versatile experience across the sector will bring new opportunities to expand all areas of our business operations within Greater China, whilst also accelerating our focus on introducing Chinese music, culture, and artist talent to new markets and audiences around the world.”
In 2021, UMGC became the first major music company to establish multiple frontline label operations across China with the launch of Republic Records China, and re-launch of historical Chinese labels Polygram Records China and EMI China alongside Universal Music China.
Those moves would reinforce Universal Music’s “commitment to accelerating and introducing the next wave of Chinese music talent to the world across a variety of genres,” the company said in a press release at the time.
For her next project, Vanessa Amorosi will unleash some Hall of Fame vibes.
The Australian artist’s new full-length studio album Memphis Love is slated for release Nov. 17, her first through Bay Street Records, Dave Stewart’s independent music label.
With Memphis Love, the powerhouse singer goes eight albums deep into a recording career that exploded out the gates in the late 1990s with “Absolutely Everybody.” Amorosi was just a teen at the time. The world opened up all at once, as the song crashed the U.K. top 10, and she was invited to perform on the biggest stages of them all, including the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
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Amorosi has called Los Angeles home for the past 13 years. Now she calls Bay Street Records her label home, joining such artists as Joss Stone.
During her time Stateside, she has immersed herself in gospel music, soul, funk and blues, sounds that influence this forthcoming collection. “It’s very, very different to what people are used to hearing me do in Australia,” she tells Billboard. “I’m really excited for this chapter to begin.”
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Memphis Love is co-produced with Stewart, was recorded at Willie Mitchell’s Royal Studios in Memphis, TN, and features the gorgeous tones of Tennessee Mass Choir.
Lead single “Wolf,” which Amorosi co-wrote with Stewart one afternoon in downtown L.A., is a confident, blues number. It rolls with the punches and gives out a few of its own. At the top, Amorosi flexes with a howl, the kind of swagger that comes with having been there, done it. That animal instinct “kind of lightened the mood in the studio,” she recounts.
Stewart is a good guy to have your corner. As one half of the Eurythmics, the legendary British synth pop act elevated last year into Rock And Roll Hall of Fame, Stewart is a creative force. He’s a real-deal multi-hyphenate, whose resume includes production across TV, stage, feature films, operating venues, and a thirst for technology. The Brit also owns Dave Stewart Entertainment (DSE), a full-service production and management company, involved in music, commercials, film, music videos, documentaries, independent productions and more.
“He is fearless,” she explains. “He understands technology. He’s always looking for ways for artists to be able to generate income to make more art. And he’s always very proactive on trying to keep an artist making art. I learned so much from him, and he’s just the most incredible human being.”
Stewart feels the same way. “I’ve stood on stage next to Vanessa Amorosi on several occasions and I’m always immediately taken aback by the intensity and the power of her vocal delivery,” he says in a statement announcing the new LP. “In getting to know her as a friend and as a true artist, I’ve found that her vocal capabilities are just the tip of the iceberg.”
Memphis Love is the followup to Amorosi’s City Of Angels, which debuted at No. 7 on the ARIA Albums Chart in March 2022, for her fourth career top 10 appearance. Prior to that, her last top tier appearance on the national survey was with 2009’s Hazardous, also peaking at No. 7.
European dates are on the slate, and Amorosi is looking forward to a homecoming jaunt that includes the Grapevine Gathering festival tour, and a performance at the 2023 AWMA in Brisbane, on Sept. 27. Expect her to share some of that Memphis Love.
“It has all the soul and the feel and the groove,” she enthuses. “I’m really, really proud of this record. And I feel like it’s gonna make people feel good.”
Memphis Love tracklistWolfHow LongLift Us UpDon’t Judge MeOnly So MuchMemphis LoveShakeToo Much of a HeartacheSeriousWhat Do I Get
The Weeknd upscales his four-city tour of Australia and New Zealand following “unprecedented demand” for tickets.
Last month, the Canadian R&B star announced four shows in total, visiting each of Australia’s big three east coast cities — Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane — and including a single date in Auckland, NZ.
On Monday (Sept. 4), that itinerary ballooned to 10 shows across those four sites.
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Produced by Live Nation, the Weeknd’s After Hours Til Dawn Tour will now include three concerts at Sydney’s Accor Stadium (the first two are sellouts) and Melbourne’s Marvel Arena, with two for Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium. As previously reported, special guests on all dates are Mike Dean and Chxrry22.
On completion of the Australia run, he’ll head to New Zealand where he’ll now play two December dates at Auckland’s Eden Park.
Since the Aug. 22 tour announcement, appetite for the Weeknd’s music has doubled across streaming music platforms, sending a string of his recordings up the ARIA Charts. According to the charts compiler ARIA, The Highlights this week holds at No. 3; former leaders Starboy lifts 18-4, After Hours is up 27-17, Dawn FM climbs 65-25 and Beauty Behind The Madness bounces 93-38 (all via Universal).
Ticketing giants Ticketek and Ticketmaster have reported impressive traffic on their respective platforms. Ticketmaster queue for the Melbourne dates was at 122,000 when the first presale started, reps say. When the first allocation was exhausted, more than 100,000 Melbourne fans remained in the queue.On the other side of the ditch, Ticketmaster NZ reports the highest number of unique users and page views for any announce this year, including 165,000 users, 647,000 page views. Also, presale demand from both Vodafone Australia and One NZ customers was unprecedented in their history.Though impressive, the Weeknd’s 10-date stadium jaunt across both markets is dwarfed by Ed Sheeran’s Divide tour of 2018, during which he played 18 stadium concerts across Australia and New Zealand, selling more than a one million tickets, a new record, and beating AC/DC’s old mark for stadium dates on a single tour (14).
The Weeknd’s ‘After Hours Til Dawn Tour 2023’ Australia and New Zealand:Nov. 20 — Suncorp Stadium, BrisbaneNov. 21 — Suncorp Stadium, BrisbaneNov. 24 — Accor Stadium, Sydney (*sold out)Nov. 25 — Accor Stadium, Sydney (*sold out)Nov. 27 — Accor Stadium, SydneyDec. 1 — Marvel Stadium, MelbourneDec. 2 — Marvel Stadium, MelbourneDec. 4 — Marvel Stadium, MelbourneDec. 7 – Eden Park, AucklandDec. 8 — Eden Park, Auckland
Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire” (via Geffen) hasn’t lost any of its bite. The U.S. pop phenomenon’s GUTS-era hit finds new wings as it lifts 3-1 on the latest U.K. chart, published Friday, Sept. 1.
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That’s the first stint at the summit for “Vampire,” which previously peaked out at No. 2. And it gets there in its ninth week on the tally.
With its latest flight, “Vampire” gives Rodrigo a trio of U.K. No. 1s, following “drivers license” and “good 4 u,” which both summited in 2021.
Rodrigo is now the female solo artist with the most U.K. No. 1 singles this decade, the Official Charts Company reports.
Since bursting onto the scene with her debut album SOUR and its singles, Rodrigo has set a handful of U.K. chart records. When SOUR and “Good 4 U reached No. 1 in the same week in May 2021, she became the youngest solo artist in history to nab the chart double, at 18 years and 3 months.SOUR also set a U.K. benchmark for the most first-week streams for a debut album. The following month, in June 2021, Rodrigo became the first female solo artist to claim three simultaneous U.K. top 5 singles with “Good 4 U,” “Déjà vu” and “Traitor.”
“Vampire” bumps Doja Cat’s “Paint The Town Red” (Ministry of Sound), which had led at the midweek stage and finishes the chart cycle up 4-2, for a new peak position.
It’s another “Girl Powered” Official U.K. Singles Chart, as solo female artists dominate positions 1-5.
The top debut on the survey this week belongs to Miley Cyrus, whose ballad “Used To Be Young” (Columbia) bows at No. 12 for the U.S. pop star’s 23rd top 40.
Also making its mark for the first time is “Cheat On Me,” taken from Afrobeats star Burna Boy’s U.K. No. 1 album I Told Them… “Cheat On Me” (Atlantic) is new at No. 19, with another album cut, “City Boys” opening its account at No. 31. The Nigeria-born artist now boasts 12 U.K. top 40 singles.
Finally, Selena Gomez grabs her 20th U.K. top 40 appearance with “Single Soon” (Interscope), a new entry at No. 21.
Burna Boy bags his first U.K. chart crown – and a piece of history – with his latest album I Told Them…(via Atlantic).
The Nigeria-born artist (real name: Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu) blasts to the top of the latest Official U.K. Albums Chart, published Sept. 1, becoming the first international Afrobeats artist to secure the title.
The leader at the midweek stage, Burna Boy’s seventh and latest LP goes one better than 2022’s Love, Damini, which peaked at No. 2.
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“Burna Boy has transformed into a global superstar and this No. 1 album reflects his growth over the last few years,” comments Austin Daboh, vice president of Atlantic Records U.K. in a statement. “The success of this album is the combination of world class music, a coherent strategy based in culture, and unmatched passion, energy and commitment from his wider team and Atlantic Records.”
It’s not his first taste of the high life. Burna Boy scaled the U.K. singles chart summit with 2019’s “Own It,” a collaboration with Stormzy and Ed Sheeran. The records keep tumbling. Earlier this summer, he became the first African artist to headline a stadium concert in the U.K., when he played his Love, Damini tour date at a packed-out 60,000 capacity London Stadium, and he has a Grammy Award to his name, for 2020’s Twice as Tall (best global music album).
Meanwhile, Claire Richards steps on up to a solo career best with her second studio album Euphoria (Edsel), new at No. 2. The Steps star now has two solo top 10s, with 2019’s My Wildest Dreams peaking at No. 9. As a member of Steps, Richards has an addition 11 top 10 albums, including four leaders: 1999’s Steptacular, 2001’s Gold: The Greatest Hits, 2011’s The Ultimate Collection and 2022’s Platinum Collection.
London rapper Digga D (real name: Rhys Herbert) scores a third U.K. top 10 with Back to Square One (Black Money Records). Digga D snagged his first and only No. 1 in 2022 with the Noughty By Nature mixtape.
U.S. alternative-pop artist Ashnikko makes her debut U.K. top 10 appearance with Weedkiller (Parlophone), new at No. 7, ahead of Alice Cooper’s 22nd solo studio album Road (Ear Music), which starts at No. 8. That’s the sixth top 10 LP as a solo artist for the veteran shock-rock artist.
Finally, U.S. country artist Zach Bryan’s enjoys his first U.K. top 40 spot with his self-titled fourth studio album. Zach Bryan (via Warner Records) is new at No. 22.
Jimmy Buffett ably summed up his catalog with the title of his 1992 box set — Boats, Beaches, Bars & Ballads. But that cuts broader, and deeper, than many realize.Buffett’s prevailing image, of course, was of floral shirts and Hawaiian leis, summer concert parties and fans with parrots on their shoulders and sharks, or at least fins, on their heads. And cheeseburgers on a paradise of tailgate grills. He also pioneered lifestyle branding, turning his tunes into an inclusive universe that includes restaurants, casinos, beer, real estate, radio and even a form of social media well before Mark Zuckerberg took the SAT. (Sadly, Buffett died at age 76 this week, as announced on his website, “surrounded by his family, friends, music and dogs.” His cause of death has not yet been confirmed.)
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Buffett’s signature lifestyle (and associated business ventures) sometimes eclipsed his music, and particularly to his songwriting. Before Margaritaville became a utopian state-of-mind, Buffett was an active and accomplished troubadour, writing songs in Nashville and busking in New Orleans before Jerry Jeff Walker introduced him to Key West and lit a conceptual light bulb Buffett would ride to fame and fortune. But he’s applied the same craft and literary flair from his folk club days to everything he’s recorded during the past 53 years — and the vast majority of his songs sound just as good sober as they do if you’re, well, wasting away in a grass skirt and coconut bra.
So, we put down the margaritas for a moment to consider the 20 best Jimmy Buffett songs, from across his vast, 29-album catalog.
20. Jimmy Buffett, “Gypsies in the Palace”
The spoken-word introduction wears out its welcome quickly, but this lively country rocker about the mice playing — raising hell, actually — while the cat’s away is a welcome listen most any time.
19. Jimmy Buffett, “Livingston Saturday Night”
Buffett’s in fine country rockin’ form here, pumped up by a hot brass section and Greg “Fingers” Taylor’s fiery harmonica solo.
18. Jimmy Buffett, “Oldest Surfer On The Beach”
Mark Knopfler wrote this 2013 album track for Buffett, bringing something with poignant emotional weight to the Margaritaville man’s latter-day canon.
17. Jimmy Buffett, “The Great Filling Station Holdup”
Buffett’s contribution to country’s crime songs sub-genre is honky-tonk worthy 45 years later — and also has the distinction of being the A-side of “Why Don’t We Get Drunk,” which went on to even greater popularity.
16. Jimmy Buffett & Martina McBride, “Trip Around The Sun”
Country never seemed to trust Buffett enough (imagine that!) to make him one of the genre’s staples, but this 2004 duet with Martina McBride was worthy of its Top 20 status and doesn’t sound like it’s aged a minute.
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15. Jimmy Buffett, “Pencil Thin Mustache”
At the ripe age of 28 Buffett was in a nostalgic and jaunty mood, name-checking Disneyland, “American Bandstand,” “Sky King,” Ricky Ricardo and more with genuine joy.
14. Jimmy Buffett, “Boat Drinks”
A 1979 B-side (to “Survive”) that’s nothing less than a Buffett mission statement, Caribbean flavored but driven by some meaty guitars that give these “Drinks” a bit more punch.
13. Jimmy Buffett, “It’s Midnight and I’m Not Famous Yet”
A rocking co-write with Steve Goodman from 1992’s Somewhere Over China. Buffett was already famous, to a degree, but it’s something of a foreshadowing to the Margaritaville mania that would build momentum in just a few years.
12. Jimmy Buffett, “Volcano”
Buffett plays historian, as it were, on this good-humored, Caribbean-flavored ditty about the real-life — and at the time dormant — Soufriere Hills volcano on Montserrat, where he recorded during May of 1979. For the record, Soufriere woke up again during August of 1995.
11. Jimmy Buffett, “Nobody From Nowhere”
The existential opening track from 2009’s Buffett Hotel rides a cool, slightly country-flavored groove that slow burns into a gospel-tinged soul chorus. A gem that merits more attention and appreciation.
10. Jimmy Buffett, “Why Don’t We Get Drunk”
The songwriting debut by one Marvin Gardens (a Monopoly-inspired pseudonym for Buffett) is tongue-in-cheek country — not quite parody, but definitely acknowledging that he got the joke, too.
9. Jimmy Buffett, “Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes”
A pure Buffett travelogue that goes down as easy as a Mai Tai at sunset. Interesting fact: The “sons of b–ches” lyric has to be edited to “some bruises, some stiches” when the single came out during 1977.
8. Jimmy Buffett, “Come Monday”
The Buffett go-to ballad, cottony and gentle, was his first Hot 100 top 40 hit and top five on the old Easy Listening chart, a categorization it would take him a minute to climb away from.
7. Jimmy Buffett, “One Particular Harbor”
A buoyant, dynamic delight inspired by island travels, with an infectious chorus groove and recurring lyrics in Tahitian for authenticity. If the original 1983 production feels a bit tame, subsequent live arrangements gave the tune more lift-off.
6. Jimmy Buffett, “A Pirate Looks at Forty”
Buffett was only 28 when he released this gentle rumination for, and about, a real-life drug-smuggler, but he ably conveys a blend of world-weary resignation and still-simmering desire.
5. Jimmy Buffett, “Margaritaville”
As much a state of mind as a song, Buffett’s cinematically drawn nirvana is still an absorbing listen, even if it’s been turned into maybe the best branding device pop music has ever witnessed.
4. Jimmy Buffett, “Cheeseburger In Paradise”
A buoyant and sincere celebration of high-calorie, high-cholesterol and high-spirited goodness that even a vegan could get behind, even if they don’t consume. That’s OK — we’ll take theirs.
3. Jimmy Buffett, “He Went to Paris”
Buffett has periodically celebrated this one, about a Spanish Civil War veteran he met while he was performing in Chicago, as one of his favorite compositions. Bob Dylan apparently likes it, too — and so should any Parrothead worth his or her Margarita salt.
2. Jimmy Buffett, “Fins”
Fun, and funny, this was Buffett’s best rocker even before the Parrotheads started making the en masse dorsals above their heads at concerts.
1. Jimmy Buffett, “Son of a Son of a Sailor”
The best Jimmy Buffett song isn’t one for hoisting boat drinks; It’s more fit for sippin’ at sunset, watching the other crafts sail in after you’ve tied yours in the slip.
Jack Sonni, the ex-guitar player with Dire Straits, whose contributions can be heard on the band’s 1985 release Brothers In Arms, one of the U.K.’s all-time best-selling albums, died Wednesday (March 30). He was 68.
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Born Dec. 9, 1954 in Indiana, Pennsylvania, Sonni’s passion for music began at a young age, when he learned various instruments, including piano, trumpet and the six-string, which he mastered.
Sonni furthered his career with a relocation to New York, and he’d make his mark in the history books as the “other guitar player in Dire Straits,” a reference he was happy to share on his official biography.
Dire Straits’ lead guitarist is, of course, frontman Mark Knopfler, widely recognized by his peers as one of the finest to ever play the instrument. The two axemen reportedly met in a guitar shop, after which Sonni was invited to record parts for the band’s fifth studio album.
The result was Brothers In Arms, which led the Official U.K. Albums Chart for 14 weeks, and reigned over the Billboard 200 for nine weeks. The album smashed records around the world, shifting an estimated 30 million copies worldwide, and won two Grammys (best music video, short form for the title track, and best rock performance by a duo or group with vocal for the Billboard Hot 100 leader “Money For Nothing”).
When the rockers embarked on a major world tour in support, Sonni wore a distinctive red coat. That tour, too, was a record-setter. In Australia, fans bought more than 950,000 tickets, a record that stood for decades.
Sonni played guitar synthesizer on album cut “The Man’s Too Strong” and performed on stage with the band for the Wembley Stadium leg of the historic 1985 Live Aid concerts.
Following the birth of his daughters, Sonni calling time as on his career as a musician in 1988, instead pivoting to marketing. He went on serve as vice president of marketing for Guitar Center, a role that kept him connected with his beloved instrument.
Writing on his official site, Sonni described himself as “a writer, musician, nomadic raconteur, father and grandfather who has taken to heart the reality in the hard-learned lesson that life is short.” In life, he embraced the philosophy to “live well and live now” in pursuit of “creating memorable moments with friends and family”.
In recent years, he played alongside fellow alum on Dire Straits Legacy, ”born from our love and respect for the music of Dire Straits, and to bring the music to fans who have been starved of hearing it played live by the musicians who made it, for far too long,” DSL wrote in a 2018 statement.
Dire Straits leads tributes to the late artist. “Rest In Peace,” reads an official post. Another, from DSL, explains: “Our beloved Jack has left a void in our heart and soul… we will miss you so much, you are forever with us.”
Twenty years after its release, Powderfinger’s Vulture Street is perched at No. 1 on the national albums chart.
The Aussie rock favorites’ fifth studio album initially logged three weeks atop the ARIA Albums Chart in 2003, and went on to win album of the year at ARIA Awards, one of 18 total ARIAs collected in a glittering career.
Thanks to a reissue campaign, and a host of special fan events, including a Q&A and a screening of the long out-of-print These Days Live concert from 2004, the LP returns to the summit.
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With their latest feat, Powderfinger now holds the ARIA Chart record for the longest stretch of time for an Australian album to return to No. 1, according to Universal Music Australia.
The ‘Finger, as they’re affectionately known in these parts, has the distinction of ruling the national albums chart with five successive titles. The band went out on a high with 2009’s Golden Rule, the last of those leaders, and a major farewell tour which sold more than 200,000 tickets.
The five former bandmates remain good friends — and residents of their hometown, Brisbane — to this day. During the pandemic, Powderfinger briefly reunited for One Night Lonely, a special virtual concert which raised more than A$500,000 for music industry charity Support Act and mental wellbeing support service Beyond Blue. Unreleased, the band’s compilation of studio tracks unearthed from sessions recorded between 1998 and 2010, peaked at No. 2 on the ARIA Chart in 2020.
Zach Bryan continues the hot streak for U.S. country artists in Australia as his self-titled fourth studio album arrives No. 2, a new career high. That’s well advanced on its predecessor, American Heartbreak (Warner), which reached No. 65. Meanwhile, the U.S. country star’s track “I Remember Everything,” featuring Kacey Musgraves, is new at No. 19 on the singles survey. That’s Musgraves’ first appearance on the Australian chart. Also, Bryan’s “Something In The Orange” holds at No. 12 on the chart, published Sept. 1, in its 59th week.
As the Weeknd’s forthcoming tour of Australia expands to seven stadium shows, the Canadian R&B star’s catalog enjoys spikes on the national chart. Career retrospective The Highlights holds at No. 3; former leaders Starboy lifts 18-4, After Hours is up 27-17, Dawn FM climbs 65-25 and Beauty Behind The Madness bounces 93-38 (all via Universal).
Several of his hits power on up the singles survey, including “Popular,” featuring Playboi Carti and Madonna, lifting 11-9. “Popular” becomes Madonna’s 41st top 10 single in the land Down Under, dating back to “Holiday” in 1983, and her first in 15 years; the Queen of Pop’s last top 10 appearance on the ARIA Singles Chart was 2008’s “4 Minutes” with Justin Timberlake and Timbaland, which hit No. 1. Additionally, the Weeknd’s “Die For You” climbs 18-10.
At the top of the singles survey is Doja Cat’s “Paint The Town Red” (RCA/Sony) which extends its reign into a second week.
Miley Cyrus scores the top debut with “Used To Be Young” (Columbia/Sony), new at No. 13. It’s the fourth single from Endless Summer Vacation, which led the albums tally in March, and included the lead single, “Flowers,” a smash that logged 12 weeks at No. 1 earlier in the year.
Finally, Selena Gomez enjoys a top 40 debut with “Single Soon” (Interscope/Universal). It’s new at No. 26. The pop star has had six top 10 singles in Australia, with a best of No. 2 for 2019’s “Lose You To Love Me.”
The Queen is back! Nicki Minaj is giving fans the first taste of her Pink Friday sequel with her new single, “Last Time I Saw You,” released on Friday (Sept. 1). “Beggin me to stay and then you walk away/ There’s something that you wanted to say/ I was in a rush and you say […]
As she continues to ride “Paint the Town Red” to global chart success, Doja Cat is turning her “Attention” to “Demons” on her latest Scarlet single. On Friday (Sept. 1), the Grammy-winning star released the third pre-release single from her forthcoming Scarlet album. The D.A. Got That Dope-produced track finds Doja continuing the death-minded imagery […]