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BRISBANE, Australia — With the 2022 ARIA Awards now done and dusted, organizers are looking ahead to next year’s edition — and a brand-new category.
The Australian recorded music industry’s 37th annual ceremony will debut an award that celebrates the best use of Australian music in the creative and advertising space.
The new trophy coincides with the launch of Our Soundtrack Our Ads, a call-out to the Australian advertising industry to invest their music budgets into homegrown artists to soundtrack their work.
Spearheaded by ARIA Award-nominated recording artist Holly Rankin, the singer, songwriter and entrepreneur otherwise known as Jack River, Our Soundtrack Our Ads is the platform through which brands and creatives can gain eligibility for the new award.
It’s “an exciting opportunity for brands, creatives and the music industry to unite with a common goal of championing local music and local storytelling,” comments Rankin, whose debut full-length album Sugar Mountain opened at No. 11 on the ARIA Album Chart in 2018, and earned three ARIA Award nominations.
“We have such amazing talent here in our backyard, so getting to hear new and upcoming voices across more commercials, social media campaigns and creative content is exciting for the next generation of artists, brands and music lovers alike.”
Rankin got the ball rolling when, during the Olympic Games in July 2021, she noticed so many of the Aussie triumphs in Tokyo were beamed back home to the soundtrack of popular tunes from abroad.
So she took a stand.
Local businesses and media should do more to champion Australian music through its outlets and on commercials, she wrote in a PSA. “We need you more than ever. We wanna be your soundtrack,” read a post on her socials.
The essay went viral, commitments were made, and Our Soundtrack Our Stories was launched, to promote the use of Australian music across local businesses and media.
“We’ve been workshopping for the last 12 months, just feeling out how this would work, and making sure it would be super-authentic to both industries. And a true partnership,” explains Saynaree Oudomvilay, PR & Communications Senior Account Director at M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment, a partner in the new initiative.
Our Soundtrack our Ads is “really an extension of the legacy Holly has created,” she continues.
The ARIA Award should create some healthy competition. “We wanted to make (the campaign) super-accessible, and not just put out a lofty claim but back it with something tangible. The award does that,” Oudomvilay tells Billboard. “It’s also good to hold everyone accountable and make sure everyone puts their money where their mouth is in making those campaigns and engaging artists and supporting local.”
Early next year, partners in the campaign expect to share more details on what the initiative looks like, how brands can get involved, and more. In the meantime, brands, creatives and agencies can view the “pledge” and sign up for more information at the official ARIA website.
“Advertising has such an important role in impacting change across society. It creates ideas and tells stories that leave an important mark on culture. Music is no different,” comments ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd.
“I’m thrilled to celebrate talent and creativity across the two industries with this first-of-its-kind award in 2023.”
With the support and influence of Australia’s ad industry, she continues, “we can continue to create opportunities for Australian music to be heard in all its forms, by all who create it.”
First, the album version, then the cut featuring Jack Antonoff’s Bleachers. Now, Taylor Swift’s acoustic cut of “Anti-Hero” is keeping the pop superstar’s Midnights hit on high rotation.
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Swift dropped “Anti-Hero (Acoustic Version)” last week, when Americans were tucking into their Thanksgiving turkey.
The impact can be felt across the Atlantic where, in the U.K., “Anti-Hero,” is on track for a sixth week at No. 1.
“Anti-Hero” completed a fifth week atop the Official Chart, published last Friday (Nov. 25), and it remains in pole position on the U.K.’s First Look chart, which ranks singles based on sales and streams from the first 48 hours.
“Anti-Hero” has led the chart every week since its release Oct. 21. A fresh version, featuring Bleachers, dropped on Nov. 7.
Meanwhile, Meghan Trainor’s “Made You Look” is showing strength and stamina in the U.K., where its challenging “Anti-Hero” for the chart crown.
Trainor’s doo-wop number is inching closer and lifts 3-2 on the chart blast, for what would be a chart peak.
If “Made You Look” unseats “Anti-Hero,” it would be Trainor’s third leader and first in seven years; her last was 2015’s Charlie Puth collaboration “Marvin Gaye.”
With England getting their World Cup campaign away to winning start, Baddiel, Skinner & The Lightning Seeds’ “Three Lions” looks set to kick another goal. The former chart leader is rolling towards the top 10, up 20-12 on the chart blast, and should enjoy a lift in the leadup to England’s final Group B fixture against Wales on Tuesday (Nov. 29).
A holiday-themed version of the track, “Three Lions (It’s Coming Home For Christmas),” could keep the song in the chart for the weeks ahead.
“Three Lions” would have company, with several Christmas classics making their annual march up the chart. Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” (up 18-8 on the chart blast) and Wham’s “Last Christmas” (23-10) are set to return to the top 10. Not far behind is Ed Sheeran & Elton John’s “Merry Christmas,” which hit No. 1 last December and lifts 40-16 on the chart blast.
All will be revealed when the Official U.K. Singles Chart is published Friday (Dec. 2).
Dermot Kennedy makes it two-from-two as Sonder (via Island) debuts at No. 1 on the U.K. albums survey.
The Irishman bows at the summit of the Official Albums Chart, published Nov. 25, and shifts a market-leading volume on vinyl.
Sonder equals the peak position of his 2019 debut, Without Fear, which saw the Dublin-born singer and songwriter became the first Irish act to top the U.K. chart with their debut album in over 20 years, the OCC reports.
The Christmas chimes are ringing in the top 5, as André Rieu and the Johann Strauss Orchestra enter at No. 4 with Silver Bells (Decca), a Christmas classics collection. It’s the Dutch classical crossover artist’s 13th U.K. top 10 album entry.
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Meanwhile, Queen enjoys a miracle return to the top 10. The legendary rock act’s 1989 LP The Miracle (Virgin) blasts to No. 6 on the latest list, thanks to an eight-disc reissue featuring previously-unreleased cuts, some with the late Freddie Mercury’s vocals. The Miracle led the U.K. chart following its original release in 1989.
Nickelback roll into the top 10 with Get Rollin’ (BMG), the Canadian rockers’ tenth studio album. It’s the band’s seventh top 10 appearance and first since 2017’s Feed The Machine went to No. 3.
Manchester rapper Meekz lands a career-best with his mixtape Respect The Come Up (Neighbourhood Recordings), new at No. 12, while U.S. heavy metal veterans Disturbed earn a fifth top 40 appearance with Divisive (Reprise), new at No. 17.
The late master David Bowie lands a 68th U.K. top 40 with the Moonage Dream OST, the companion to Brett Morgen’s feature length documentary film of the same name. The posthumous recording is new at No. 20.
Christmas is less that one month away, and that mean another burst of energy for Michael Bublé’s festive collection. The multi-platinum Christmas (Reprise) set soars 50-26, and will likely continue in that trajectory for the weeks ahead.
Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” (via EMI) continues to beat-up the opposition in the U.K., where it enters its fifth week at No. 1.
“Anti-Hero,” the first track from Swift’s chart-topping tenth studio album, Midnights, dominates the latest Official U.K. Singles Chart, published Nov. 25, with a market-leading 5.2 million streams, the OCC reports.
It becomes the longest-reigning song by a solo female artist since Olivia Rodrigo spent five weeks at No. 1 in 2021 with “Good 4 U,” and it’s among the biggest No. 1 hits of 2022.
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Just three songs have enjoyed longest stints at the U.K. summit this year: Encanto’s “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” (seven weeks), LF SYSTEM’s “Afraid To Feel” (eight weeks) and Harry Styles’ “As It Was” (10 weeks).
Meanwhile, Meghan Trainor continues to climb on the latest tally with “Made You Look” (Epic), which makes its peak position of No. 3, up one position.
The highest new entry this week belongs to London rapper Clavish with “Rocket Science” (Polydor) featuring D-Block Europe. “Rocket Science” lifts off for a No. 9 debut, Clavish’s first appearance on the U.K. top 40, and D-Block Europe’s 27th appearance (including two top 10s).
The Christmas tunes are coming. Just one week removed from its earliest-ever return to the top 40, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” (Columbia) is getting a move on, up 36-18. Good enough for the OCC’s “biggest gainer” honors.
Close behind are two holiday-themed chart-toppers in Wham’s “Last Christmas” (RCA), up 42-23, and Ed Sheeran and Elton John’s “Merry Christmas” (Atlantic), which reennters at No. 40.
Christmas isn’t the only major event on British minds right now.
The World Cup of soccer is in full swing, with England and Wales both active in the early rounds. Following England’s first-up demolition job on Iran, 6-2, David Baddiel, Frank Skinner and the Lightning Seeds’ “Three Lions” reenters the chart, at No. 20. The unofficial England football anthem and former leader gets a boost from a new cut, “Three Lions (It’s Coming Home For Christmas).”
Finally, British singer and songwriter Raye lands her 10th top 40 single with “Escapism” (Human Re Sources), a collaboration with U.S. electronic artist 070 Shake, new at No. 31; while another collaboration, Meekz and Dave’s “Fresh Out The Bank” (Neighbourhood Recordings), cracks the top 40 on debut, at No. 35.
Former rivals Nas and Jay-Z find themselves on equal footing in one regard on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart, as Nas’ King’s Disease III debuts at No. 10 on the chart dated Nov. 26. With the arrival, the Queens MC lands his 16th top 10, tying Jay-Z for the most among rappers in the chart’s history.
King’s Disease III opens with 29,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Nov. 17, according to Luminate; 20,000 units of the starting sum derive from streams, equaling 26.5 million official on-demand streams of the album’s songs. Of the remaining units, 8,500 are in traditional album sales, with the outstanding balance owed to track-equivalent album units. (One unit equals the following levels of consumption: one album sale, 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams for a song on the album.)
As the new album enters the list, here’s an updated leaderboard for the rappers with the most top 10 albums on the Billboard 200:
16, Jay-Z16, Nas15, Drake15, Future12, Eminem12, Lil Wayne12, YoungBoy Never Broke Again11, Jeezy11, Kanye West11, Snoop Dogg
Elsewhere, King’s Disease III begins at No. 4 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and at No. 3 on Top Rap Albums. On the former, it becomes Nas’ 18th top 10, the second-best sum among rappers there, behind Jay-Z’s 21.
King’s Disease III is the third installment of what has become an annual series from Nas. The first edition arrived in August 2020 and peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200. Its next iteration came 12 months later and improved on the original, starting at a No. 3 best on the Billboard 200. Between King’s Disease II and King’s Disease III, Nas released another album, Magic, which reached No. 27 this January.