Music News

27 Jun 2024

Bad Bunny Rules Third Consecutive Monthly Boxscore Report With $60 Million Earned in May

One more time, Bad Bunny’s Most Wanted Tour secures the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s monthly Top Tours chart. According to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore, the Puerto Rican superstar earned $60.4 million and sold 212,000 tickets from 14 concerts in May.

Bad Bunny is no stranger to the pole position, having reigned over the March and April reports, plus four wins in 2022. That matches him with Elton John for the most months at No. 1 since the charts launched in 2019. And while Bad Bunny played three more shows in June, his tie with John is secure for now, as that weekend of shows won’t be enough to score an eighth No. 1.

The Most Wanted Tour started on Feb. 21, with five shows earning $19.5 million before the end of the month. Then, Bad Bunny kicked off his undefeated streak, ruling the March list with $64.6 million (13 shows) and April with $63 million (14). Including his run of shows in May, he is the second artist to string together three consecutive months at No. 1, following Beyoncé last summer.

During May, Bad Bunny focused on the Southeast. He started in Houston on May 1, before maneuvering through New Orleans, Nashville, Atlanta, Orlando and other surrounding markets.

As is the case for many Spanish-speaking artists, Miami proved to be the month’s highlight, with $18.8 million and 49,300 tickets over three shows at the Kaseya Center from May 24-26. That nets Bad Bunny another No. 1 on the Top Boxscores chart. Among the 31 North American cities on the entire tour, only Los Angeles yielded a bigger gross, with $20.2 million. Brooklyn, Chicago and San Francisco also broke the $10 million threshold.

Bad Bunny makes two more appearances on Top Boxscores, at Nos. 13 and 15 with double-headers at Orlando’s Kia Center and Dallas’ American Airlines Center, respectively.

Including Bad Bunny’s three shows at San Juan’s Coliseo de Puerto Rico (June 7-9), the Most Wanted Tour grossed $211.4 million and sold 753,000 tickets across 49 shows.

Those totals are smaller than those of 2022’s World’s Hottest Tour, which raked in $314.1 million and sold 1.9 million tickets in North and South American stadiums. It remains the highest grossing tour by a Latin artist in Boxscore history.

But on a more even comparison, they’re larger than the finals for his most recent arena tour, El Ultimo Tour del Mundo, which earned $116.8 million and sold 576,000 tickets earlier that year. The Most Wanted Tour averaged $4.3 million per night, which marks a 29% increase from his same-sized 2022 shows.

The Most Wanted Tour is the fifth trek by a Latin artist to gross more than $200 million, following Bad Bunny’s own 2022 tour, RBD’s Soy Rebelde Tour, and ongoing stints by Karol G and Luis Miguel.

The upper region of the Top Tours chart is dominated by Latin and country acts. Right behind Bad Bunny, Aventura is No. 2 with $43.1 million and 261,000 tickets sold from a busy month of 20 shows. Luis Miguel is No. 9 with $25.7 million over 16 shows, as he becomes the first artist in the history of the monthly Boxscore charts to string together 10 consecutive months in the top 10 of Top Tours.

Among country acts, Luke Combs, Zach Bryan and George Strait line up at Nos. 3-5 with monthly earnings of $43.1 million, $40.5 million and $38.1 million, respectively. Kenny Chesney rounds out the upper tier at No. 10 with a combination of stadium and amphitheater shows on the Sun Goes Down Tour.

The rest of the top 10 is split between pop and rock, with nostalgia driving sales for both. Veteran British boy band Take That is No. 6, followed by Dead & Company at No. 7, earning $36.4 million from eight shows at Las Vegas’ Sphere. Justin Timberlake is No. 8. All three score multiple appearances on Top Boxscores.

After being unveiled as part of Billboard’s midyear touring report, May marks the monthly debut of two new venue charts. Historically, Boxscore’s capacity-specific venue charts have gone as far down to rooms that hold 5,000 people or less. In an effort to spotlight more clubs and small theaters, there are now separate charts for venues with capacities of 2,501-5,000, and 2,500 or less.

Morsani Hall, part of the David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa, is No. 1 on the 2,501-5,000 chart, bringing in $3.1 million from 34,600 tickets over 16 shows. As such with the runner-up, Atlanta’s Fox Theatre, Morsani Hall scores its victory in large part thanks to touring stage productions. Still, the former featured Kevin Hart and the latter hosted Casting Crowns and Hasan Minhaj.

The rest of the top 10 is filled out by venues in the U.S., Canada and the U.K., with Las Vegas’ The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan at No. 3, Niagara Falls’ Fallsview Casino Resort at No. 6, and London’s O2 Academy Brixton at No. 9.

On the 2,500-and-under ranking, the DeVos Performance Hall in Grand Rapids, Mich., reigns with $5.2 million and 61,100 tickets. Las Vegas shines again, with Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas at No. 2. Brooklyn Steel represents for New York at No. 6, and San Francisco’s Warfield Theater lifts the Bay Area at No. 8.

27 Jun 2024

ADE 2024 Adds Empire, Spotify & SoundCloud Execs to Conference

Four months out from its October conference in Amsterdam, ADE is adding a new batch of names to the program.

Today (June 27), ADE announced the addition of Empire president Tina Davis, who will give a keynote question and answer session about her role in expanding the influence of Empire, with a focus on the independent label’s expansion into Afrobeats and Latin.

Amid the explosion of music from the region, Spotify’s head of music for Sub-Saharan Africa Phiona Okumu will talk about elevating African artists and Spotify’s initiatives to support emerging and female artists. Grimes’ manager Daouda Leonard will give a talk looking at the intersection of music, AI and technology, along with artist management and ways to give artists control over their careers and businesses.

Believe’s global head of music Romain Vivien and TuneCore CEO Andreea Gleeson will give a joint keynote address as part of ADE’s Insider Knowledge series that will focus on how artists can navigate the evolving music landscape. Additionally, as part of a new partnership between SoundCloud and ADE, leaders from the platform will present a session on how independent artists can make the most of it.

Along with these execs, electronic artists including Palestinian techno producer Sama’ Abdulhadi, Ukrainian artist Miss Monique and Dutch producer Chris Stussy all join the program. Previously announced speakers include Timbaland, Martin Garrix, Laurent Garnier, music executive Grace Ladoja and representatives from fabric London, Armada Music, WME and UTA, with more names to be announced in the coming months.

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ADE 2024 is taking place Oct. 16-20 at locations throughout Amsterdam. The conference will again be divided into Lab and Pro programming, with Lab content tailored for people trying to get into or just starting out in the industry and Pro programming designed for established managers, label execs, artists, streamers, marketers, promoters and more.

The conference also offers consumer-facing events, with last year’s musical offerings happening in more than 200 venues around the city.

27 Jun 2024

Devonté Hynes to Make Broadway Debut as ‘JOB’ Composer

Devonté Hynes is well-known as a musical collaborator, songwriter and producer who’s worked with a diverse and ever-expanding group of artists (Solange, Mariah Carey, Harry Styles and Carly Rae Jepsen, to name a few) and a composer for film, television, dance and classical ensembles. Now, Billboard can exclusively reveal that the artist also known as Blood Orange will soon add another creative milestone to his resumé: his Broadway composing debut.

Hynes will compose original music for the play JOB, which begins performances at the Hayes Theatre on July 15 in advance of an official July 30 opening. JOB arrives following an acclaimed, hit off-Broadway run that began in fall 2023 at SoHo Playhouse and transferred to the Connelly Theatre for a second, standing-room-only run.

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JOB

Sydney Lemmon and Peter Friedman star in JOB.

Courtesy Photo

“Anyone familiar with Dev’s work already knows what a naturally brilliant storyteller he is,” producer Hannah Getts said in a statement, “so it’s no surprise that his work on JOB not only enriches the thematic and narrative threads but also deepens the emotional resonance of the play.”

A psychological thriller written by Max Wolf Friedlich and directed by Michael Herwitz, JOB centers on an employee of a big tech company (played by Sydney Lemmon) who’s placed on leave after she becomes the subject of a viral video and, determined to regain the job that gives her life meaning, seeks the help of a crisis therapist (played by Peter Friedman).

Hynes is friendly with Lemmon, who relayed to JOB‘s producers that he’d seen and loved the show during its Connelly run; when it became clear that the show would transfer to Broadway, the producers along with playwright Wolf Friedlich — who’d always wanted to incorporate outside artists into the show’s creative team — approached Hynes about composing music for it.

A 2021 Grammy nominee in the best chamber music or small ensemble performance category for his work with Third Coast Percussion on their album Fields, Hynes has released four solo albums as Blood Orange. His scoring work includes the films Queen and Slim, Passing and Master Gardener, as well as the HBO series We Are Who We Are. A multi-instrumentalist, Hynes was one of just four pianists invited to play alongside composer Philip Glass at the Kennedy Center in 2018, and his own debut concerto for piano and strings premiered at New York’s Little Island Festival in 2021; he’s also collaborated with various major symphony orchestras.

27 Jun 2024

Beck Performs ‘Paper Tiger,’ Talks Late-Night Party Antics With Paul McCartney: Watch

Winning album of the year at the Grammy Awards, and recording some of the greatest songs to emerge from the ‘90s, will surely open doors. Not all of them, apparently.

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Beck, an eight-time Grammy winner, whose deadbeat classic “Loser” has become near and dear to Gen Z, stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live to recount his very own loser story.

Chatting with guest host Martin Short during Wednesday night’s episode, Beck told of a Grammy night mission in Hollywood as Paul McCartney’s wingman. The pair went is search of a party, with Mark Ronson working the decks. Beck and McCartney, a household name everywhere since the Beatles got their break in the early ‘60s, were bounced. “How V.I.P. do we gotta get,” McCartney, the two-time Rock And Roll Hall of Fame inducted can be heard saying to the door staff.

To add insult to the injury to Beck’s ego, the late night show aired a clip of the mid-adventure. At least with McCartney, he was in good company.

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Beck will hit the road next month for his orchestral tour. But first, the singer and songwriter warmed up with a performance of Sea Change cut “Paper Tiger,” fleshed out with a full band and strings ensemble. The tour stars July 3 at Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery in Woodinville, WA.

The U.S. artist hasn’t released a full-length solo LP since 2019’s Hyperspace, though he has cut several collaborative singles in recent years, including tracks with Gorillaz, Chemical Brothers and with Phoenix on “Odyssey,” which hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult Alternative Airplay chart last year.

Watch the late-night performance below.


https://youtube.com/watch?v=ce4SxPr1tKc&version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent

27 Jun 2024

Neil Young and Crazy Horse Tour Makes ‘Big Unplanned Break’

Neil Young and Crazy Horse press pause on their Love Earth trek, following illness among the touring party.

The show will stop for the foreseeable future to allow bandmates to recover from illness, explains a post on Young’s official website, the Neil Young Archives

The Love Earth Tour, their first trek together in a decade, “has been a great experience for us so far,” the message reads. “Great audiences and music. we have had a blast. Though, when a “couple of us got sick after Detroit’s Pine Knob, we had to stop,” the message continues. “We are still not fully recovered, so sadly our great tour will have a big unplanned break.”

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All dates across this U.S. and Canada this July are now listed by Ticketmaster as canceled.

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“We will try to play some of the dates we miss as time passes when we are ready to rock again,” the rockers’ statement continues. “We know many of you made travel plans and we apologize for the inconvenience. Thanks for your understanding and patience. Health is # 1. We want to stay and do more shows and more albums for you…. and for for us.”

The message is signed by Young, Micah Nelson, Ralph Molina and Billy Talbot.

Billboard’s Joe Lynch caught a recent show at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, the first of two dates. “Musically,” writes Lynch, “Young and Horse were as simpatico and incendiary as ever, stretching out on auditory odysseys like ‘Cortez the Killer’ and ‘Powderfinger,’ chugging through the blunt thump of ‘Cinnamon Girl’ and feeding off each other during the oil industry takedown ‘Vampire Blues.’” 

The Canadian rock icon, 78, and his longtime band gave fans a reminder of their live prowess with Fu##in’ Up, a live album which dropped in April, and captured recordings made in 1990.

27 Jun 2024

Manuel Turizo, Yahritza y Su Esencia & More Win Big at 2024 SESAC Latina Music Awards: See Main Winners List

SESAC Latina celebrated its 30th anniversary with the annual SESAC Latina Music Awards, which took place on Wednesday (June 26) at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles.

The ceremony — which included heartfelt speeches and a special performance by tejano/norteño group Intocable — awarded siblings Julián and Manuel Turizo songwriter of the year, pop/Latin rhythm. Meanwhile, for the first time ever, Salvador Aponte received the songwriter of the year, regional Mexican award.

Julián and Manuel were recognized for their smash hit “El Merengue,” which won song of the year, pop/Latin rhythm. On the Billboard Latin Airplay chart, the song peaked at No. 1 last year. As for Aponte, he was honored for música mexicana songs he wrote like “La Patrona,” “Se Buscan Borrachos” and “1500 Pedas” — all of which were recognized with performance awards.

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The SESAC Latina Award for song of the year, regional Mexican went to “Frágil”, written by Yahritza Martínez and recorded by Yahritza y Su Esencia and Grupo Frontera. On the Latin Airplay chart, the song peaked at No. 2 last summer.

Mexican singer-songwriter Luciano Luna was honored with the Legacy Award. He has been previously recognized four times as SESAC Latina Songwriter of the Year for his many hits performed by a variety of acts, such as Banda El Recodo (“La Mejor de Todas”), Calibre 50 (“Tus Latidos”), Julión Álvarez (“Te Hubieras Ido Antes”), Grupo Firme (“El Reemplazo”) and Banda Los Recoditos (“Me Sobrabas Tú”).

See the main winners list below:

Songwriter of the Year – Pop/Latin Rhythm

Manuel Turizo

Julián Turizo

Publisher of the Year – Pop/Latin Rhythm

Sony Music Publishing

Song of the Year Pop/Latin Rhythm, “El Merengue“

Written by: Manuel Turizo, Julián Turizo

Published by: MTZ Publishing, Jutuza Publishing, La Industria Music Publishing, Sony Sounds

Recorded by: Marshmello & Manuel Turizo

Songwriter of the Year – Regional Mexican

Salvador Aponte

Publisher of the Year – Regional Mexican

Universal Music Publishing

Song of the Year – Regional Mexican, “Frágil“

Written by: Yahritza Martínez

Published by: Yahritza Martínez Publishing, Universal Musica Latina

Recorded by: Yahritza y Su Esencia & Grupo Frontera

Legacy Award

Luciano Luna

26 Jun 2024

Banda Los Sebastianes de Saúl Plata & Edgardo Nuñez Unite at No. 1 on Regional Mexican Airplay Chart

Banda Los Sebastianes de Saúl Plata and Edgardo Nuñez celebrate the success of “El Humo De Mi Gallo,” their first collaboration, which rises from No. 3 to lead Billboard’s Regional Mexican Airplay chart dated June 29.

“I’m extremely happy that we are in first place with ‘El Humo De Mi Gallo’,” Armando Celis, better known as Choco and vocalist for Los Sebastianes, tells Billboard. “Thank you to all who are listening to our music.”

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The new No. 1 gives Nuñez a second leader, after the 23-year-old scored his first No. 1 on any Billboard chart just two months ago, when “First Love,” with Oscar Ortiz, ruled for one week in April.

“I feel very happy and grateful that in such a short time we have achieved two No. 1s on Billboard,” Nuñez adds. “For me it is a great honor to be in this prestigious magazine thanks to our work. I am always grateful to my friends Los Sebastianes and Oscar Ortiz for these achievements.”

“El Humo De Mi Gallo” leads with 6.1 million audience impressions earned during the June 14-20 tracking week, according to Luminate. That’s a 13% increase from the week prior. That gain dethrones El Fantasma’s “Sabor a Michelada” which falls to No. 2 with 5.4 million impressions, down 36%.

With “Humo” Banda Los Sebastianes de Saúl Plata capture their sixth leader. They last led two years ago through “Modo Incógnito” in April 2022. Since then, the Sinaloans placed three entries, including the No. 10 peaking “Promteo,” with Kurt.

“Grateful for our audience, both at radio and shows, who request our songs,” Javier Larrañaga, the latest vocalist for Los Sebastianes, shares. “We are happy with all of you and look forward to more music, great things coming ahead.”

Beyond its Regional Mexican Airplay coronation, “Humo” rises 10-6 on the overall Latin Airplay ranking, for its new peak, the highest entry for Los Sebastianes since the equal No. 6 high “Sin Miedo al Éxito” in 2021.

Thalia Returns To The Top 10: Elsewhere on the Latin charts, Thalia makes a strong comeback to the upper region on Latin Airplay with “Te Va a Doler,” her first Grupo Firme collab, which flies 12-3 with 6.6 million audience impressions, up 23%.

The surge marks Thalia’s first top 10 on Latin Airplay since 2013, when “Te Perdiste Mi Amor,” featuring Prince Royce, reached No. 1 in 2013. Plus, the song, which ascends 4-2 on Latin Pop Airplay, marks the pop star’s best showing in over a decade and a half, following an equal No. 2 peak though “Equivicada” in Feb. 2010.

Further, Grupo Firme, who also scored their first entry on a pop radio ranking when “Te Va a Doler” debuted in the top 15 on Latin Pop Airplay in May, capture its 10th top 10 on the overall Latin Airplay tally.

26 Jun 2024

Post Malone Teases New Song With Chris Stapleton

Post Malone had some help on his upcoming country album, and the superstar teased yet another collaboration via Instagram on Wednesday (June 26).

In the clip, the singer shared a brief snippet of an upcoming collaboration with Chris Stapleton. “She whispered pull it over, I said you’re the boss / In a southern drawl said here’s where I get off / I’ve enjoyed the time / She said baby give me one more kiss before I kiss your a– goodbye.”

See the post here. As of press time, there’s no information on the song title or its release date. The track is set to appear on Post’s upcoming debut country album F-1 Trillion on Aug. 16.

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Post Malone just revealed the official music video to his new collaboration with Blake Shelton, “Pour Me a Drink,” and has spent five weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart with his Morgan Wallen collaboration “I Had Some Help.” The song also spent five weeks atop the Hot 100, marking Post Malone’s sixth Hot 100 chart-topping hit.

Post Malone also recently made his debut performance at revered Nashville venue The Bluebird Cafe, where he performed in the round alongside reigning CMA and ACM entertainer of the year Lainey Wilson and hit songwriter Ashley Gorley, as well as with guest Ernest.

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26 Jun 2024

Shaq’s Album ‘You Can’t Stop the Reign’ Featuring Jay-Z & Nas’ First Collab to Hit Streaming

This is not a drill.

For those of us old enough to remember the golden days of file sharing, there was a song named “Analyze This” featuring Lord Tariq, Jay-Z, and Nas. File sharing applications like Limewire were hugely popular during the early 2000s, which also happened to be around the same time Jay and Nas were in the throws of their legendary beef, so some weren’t sure whether or not the song was real. It sounded stitched together, and there was also a version of the song with Shaq floating around.

Well, that’s because the original song “No Love Lost” was on O’Neal’s third album You Can’t Stop the Reign and it will finally be available on streaming services Friday, June 28. Andrew Barber of FakeShoreDrive broke the news on his X account earlier today.

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Earlier this month, Barber also broke the news that Shaq’s collab with Biggie — the album’s title track — was set to hit DSPs, as well. That’s how on fire the Diesel was in 1996. Not only did he sign a seven-year, $120 million deal with the Lakers, he dropped a platinum rap album featuring the likes of the Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, Nas, and introduced rap group Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz to the world. The latter of which would have a massive hit with “Déjà Vu (Uptown Baby)” in 1997.

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While Shaq and Lord Tariq do their thing, the real draw here are the former rivals.

Nas spits one of his best verses with the help of bars like, “I flip my loot twice a week on the most trifling streets/You got no right to eat, by the laws of life you keep.”

Jay finishes things off with a smooth 16 packed with memorable lines like, “Get wetted up by the sleeve that leaves the bezel out/You don’t like it? Sue me, I’ll settle out.”

During an appearance on Drink Champs, the legendary basketball player and entertainer addressed why the original version of the song never came out, saying, “People didn’t clear it, but I didn’t take it personal.”

Check out a version of the song that made onto a DJ Clue mixtape back in the day.



That’s history right there, you understand?

You can find the album’s presave link here.

26 Jun 2024

Killer Mike Won’t Face Charges From 2024 Grammys Arrest

Killer Mike will not be charged following his arrest in February at the 2024 Grammy Awards.

After coming out of the Grammys pre-telecast victorious with three awards — best rap album for MICHAEL and best rap song and best rap performance for “SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS” with André 3000, Future and Eryn Allen Kane — Killer Mike was arrested outside of Peacock Theater (where the pre-telecast was held before the main ceremony at Crypto.com Arena) due to an altercation between him and a security guard over his credentials. The rapper was initially booked for misdemeanor battery and was released without bail.

“There was a lot going and there was some confusion around which door my team and I should enter. We experienced an over-zealous security guard but my team and I have the upmost confidence that I will ultimately be cleared of all wrongdoing,” read part of a statement he issued shortly after his arrest.

TMZ reported on Wednesday (June 26) that the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office said it would not be filing charges against the rapper (real name Michael Render). After completing his city attorney hearing, he agreed to do community service with a non-profit organization of his choice, according to TMZ.

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“All of my heroes have been in handcuffs – Malcolm, Martin, Mandela, Medgar,” he said during a Feb. 12 appearance on The View, eight days following his arrest on Music’s Biggest Night. “I walked out with the same dignity and respect that I walked in with, and I would implore people to just take that from it.”