Music News

14 Jul 2023

Taylor, Beyoncé & Beyond: Who Could Challenge Elton John’s Boxscore Record?

Now that the Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour has ended, a slew of competitors is racing up the road to $940 million.

Chris Martin, Coldplay, Elton John, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, BTS

Clockwise from left: Chris Martin of Coldplay, Elton John, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift & BTS.

Ole Jensen/Getty Images; Leon Neal/Getty Images; Kevin Mazur/WireImage; John Shearer/TAS23/Getty Images; Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Elton John played the last of 330 shows on the Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour last Saturday night (July 8) in Stockholm. In doing so, he further extended his record for the highest grossing tour of all time, closing out at $939.1 million.

John secured the record earlier this year, bypassing Ed Sheeran’s The Divide Tour and U2’s U2 360 Tour. With one last leg of almost 50 arena shows in Europe, he’s now $150 million ahead of those two tours, with almost another $150 million separating them from the rest of the all-time leaderboard.

That sounds like a secure lead for Sir Elton, but even his old competitors can’t be counted out. Sheeran is on the road again with The Mathematics Tour. It launched last year and continues throughout the summer in stadiums.

In fact, there are a number of artists eyeing John’s record. The inner circle of stadium acts is constantly expanding as more contemporary artists seek to maximize their touring business. Tours are seemingly getting longer, with Sheeran himself releasing another new album mid-tour. In addition, ticket prices, particularly in arenas and stadiums in North America, are surging thanks to platinum and dynamic ticketing, plus primary market re-sale.

All of that is combining to create an era in the concert business that allows for eye-popping Boxscore reports across genres and generations. John proved patience is key, touring arenas and stadiums for almost five years (including during the COVID-19 blackout) to reach $900m-plus heights. On that note, we look to the second half of 2023, and further into 2024, and 2025 as we speculate on future contenders for the crown.

Scroll through some of the most likely challengers to see how the all-time Boxscore top 10 could shift in the months and years to come.

14 Jul 2023

Demi Lovato Prepping ‘Revamped’ Album With Rock Versions of Her Hits

Demi Lovato is ready to rock. On the heels of releasing a rocking version of her 2017 hit “Sorry Not Sorry” featuring Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash on Friday (July 14), the singer also announced that she’s prepping an entire album featuring amped-up versions of some of her biggest hits.

REVAMPED is slated for release on Sept. 15 and it will feature the reimagined guitar-heavy versions of “Sorry,” as well as the previously released “Heart Attack (Rock Version)” and “Cool For the Summer (Rock Version).” The news was accompanied by a grungy 40-second video cued to the new “Sorry,” as well as the near-metal “Summer” revamp and the relentless version of “Heart Attack.”

In a message accompanying the teaser, Lovato wrote, “Breathing new life into the songs that played such a huge role in my career has allowed me to feel so much closer to my music than ever before. I can’t wait for you to hear REVAMPED.” At press time Lovato had not revealed the full track listing for the 10-song album, which a release promised would feature all new vocals and production on tracks that find Demi reimagining her “career-defining songs with a fresh perspective that reflects her current artistic vision.”

She also weighed in on teaming up with legendary GNR guitarists Slash on “Sorry,” which was originally released six years ago as the lead single from Demi’s sixth studio album, Tell Me You Love Me. “Slash is an iconic artist who I’ve been a fan of for years, it’s an absolute honor to have such a legend like him on the rock version of ‘Sorry not Sorry,’” she said in a statement.

“With REVAMPED, I wanted to pay homage to the songs that resonated the most with fans and played a big role in my career by breathing an exciting new life into them. Creating this project has been incredibly fun and allowed me to express my passion for rock music in a new way, and I feel so much closer to my older music because of it. I can’t wait for everyone to hear more!”

The singer began performing the rocked-up versions of her songs featured on REVAMPED on her 2022 tour in support of the HOLY FVCK album. That collection marked a return to Demi’s rock and pop-punk beginnings thanks to assists from Yungblud, Royal & the Serpent and Dead Sara; the tour also featured an all-female band led by acclaimed rock guitarist Nita Strauss (Alice Cooper).

Watch the REVAMPED video teaser below.

14 Jul 2023

Selena Gomez Asks ‘Why Am I Single?’ In TikTok Video and Says the Answer Is Just ‘Rude’

Selena Gomez was just trying to have some fun with a silly TikTok dating challenge on Thursday (July 13) when the results turned out to be, well, kind of rude. The singer posted a video cued to Bonnie Tyler’s Footloose soundtrack classic “Holding Out For a Hero” in which she appeared with a red bubble over her head asking “Why Am I Single?”

The red circle then began to flash with a series of suggestions for the 30-year-old singer/actress, including: “You’re materialistic,” “You don’t believe in online dating,” “You’re relying on luck,” “You are holding on to the past,” “You have unhealed wounds,” “You need to rest your parts,” You’re relying on luck,” “You have trust issues” and “You are focused on your career,” among other messages.

But when the roulette of possibilities stopped spinning and landed on “You have bad taste,” well, Gomez was shocked. She gasped open-mouthed in mock horror at someone off-camera and made her feelings perfectly clear in the caption to the clip, which read, “Well that’s rude tik tok.”

The Only Murders in the Building star who has dated Justin Bieber and the Weeknd in the past shot down rumors that she was dating the Chainsmokers’ Drew Taggart earlier this year, saying “I like being alone too much.”

Back in March, the Rare Beauty founder shared some of her feelings on dating in a TikTok. “I hate it when girls are like ‘My crush doesn’t even know I exist,’” Gomez mouthed along to a popular sound. “I’m like ‘Girl, my crush doesn’t even exist.” She captioned the post: “Still out here lookin for him lol.”

She was at it again last month in another TikTok in which she poked fun at the ups and downs of dating while watching a soccer game with some friends. “I’m single. I’m just a little high-maintenance. But I’ll love you soooo much,” she said in the clip.

Watch Gomez’s video below.

14 Jul 2023

Latto Threatens to Put Unruly Fan on the Floor For Throwing Object At Her on Stage: ‘Want Your A– Beat?’

Latto threatened to put an unruly fan on the floor after they threw an object at her on stage during the rapper’s set at Rolling Loud Germany in Munich last weekend. It was the latest example of a disturbing trend in which concertgoers have been hurling things at performers during concerts, and Latto made it clear she is not interested in joining that list.

“Want your ass beat? Throw it again,” the Atlanta rapper said during a performance of her hit “Put It On Da Floor” in a fan video of the incident in which Latto barely broke her flow while making it clear that she was not playing around as she stared down the offender; it was unknown at press time what object was tossed or if it hit the performer. “Throw it again, I’mma beat your ass,” Latto added in a cadence so casual it seemed like part of the song.

While Latto treated the moment with some levity, the recent spate of similar episodes has caused some concern about performer safety after several singers have been injured by fan-launched projectiles. Though fellow MC  Lil Nas X reacted with a joke when he dodged an anatomical bedroom aid launched at him during his Lollapalooza Stockholm set earlier this month, other artists have not been as lucky.

Bebe Rexha was hit in the face by a phone during a New York show last month, while Kelsea Ballerini was struck in the face with a bracelet, with both acts leaving the stage briefly following the incidents; Rexha was taken to the hospital after her June 18 phone episode, which opened up a cut above her eye and required stitches. In addition, Harry Styles was hit in the eye by an unknown object during as show in Vienna last week and Drake was hit in the leg by a tossed cellphone at his tour kick-off in Chicago on July 5.

Latto has some company in issuing warnings about violating the air space around the stage. Adele also had a stern warning for anyone considering such an assault during one of her recent Las Vegas residency shows. “Have you noticed how people are, like, forgetting f–king show etiquette at the moment, people are throwing s–t on stage? Have you seen that?” she said. And then, while walking across the stage holding a t-shirt gun, she added, “F–king dare you. I dare you to throw something at me.”

14 Jul 2023

Federal Reserve Says Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour Is So Massive It’s Boosting the Economy

If you’ve seen Taylor Swift‘s Eras Tour, you know that when it rolls into town it absolutely takes over. The massive outing that is doubling (or tripling) down in cities across the nation every weekend has provided a shot in the arm to local economies thanks to Swifties freely spending their hard-earned cash.

But now the Philadelphia Federal Reserve has announced that Swift is, literally, hoisting the hotel industry on her back and boosting revenues in that sector for the first time since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.

The central bank released its Beige Book on Wednesday in which officials said hotel bookings had their strongest growth in years thanks to Swifties. “Despite the slowing recovery in tourism in the region overall, one contact highlighted that May was the strongest month for hotel revenue in Philadelphia since the onset of the pandemic, in large part due to an influx of guests for the Taylor Swift concerts in the city,” officials wrote.

The Book is released eight times a year and summarizes how the economy is holding up in cities throughout the country. The Philly bump isn’t the only example of the Swift tide lifting a local economy. NBC News reported that when Swift touched down in Cincinnati on June 30 and July 1, the surge of Swifties brought more than $2.6 million into downtown hotels, as well as $5.3 million to hotels in the surrounding area.

“Taylor Swift is a force to be reckoned with,” president/CEO of tourism agency Visit Cincinnati Julie Calvert said in a statement at the time. “The economic impact Swift creates is staggering, as fans travel from far and wide to attend her concerts, filling hotels, restaurants, and local attractions. Swift’s influence on tourism is a testament to her ability to captivate audiences and drive economic growth.”

The Swift Effect is doing the same in pretty much every town it visits, with Chicago tourism officials saying last month that the city broke hotel occupancy records during the first weekend of June thanks to Swift’s shows at Soldier Field, with more than 44,000 hotel rooms occupied each night and $39 million in total hotel revenue.

The Eras Tour touches down at Denver’s Empower Field on Friday (July 14) and Saturday (July 15).

14 Jul 2023

Disclosure Forge Fourth Album ‘Alchemy’: Stream It Now

From their creative laboratory, Disclosure issues Alchemy, their fourth album which had remained a secret until recent days.

Despite the title’s allure of precious metal, Alchemy is also something of a reset. There are no guest features, no samples, it’s independently released and Disclosure “don’t intend to tour it straight away,” reads a statement.

What is does have is energy and bangers, including the previously-released lead track “Looking For Love,” and the kind of no-nonsense floor-stomping house numbers that are big part of Disclosure’s armoury.

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But wait, there’s more. Album track “Higher Than Ever Before” is an atmosphere drum ‘n’ bass dynamo, “Sun Showers” a throwback trance gem, and “Talk On the Phone” is a perfectly-produced pop song.

Comprised of brothers Guy and Howard Lawrence, Disclosure is a heavyweight pair in the electronic music scene. In their homeland, two of their three albums have led the national survey — 2013’s Settle and 2015’s Caracal. Alchemy is the followup to 2020’s Energy, which peaked at No. 4 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart.

Released through the act’s own label Apollo Records, Alchemy is “a celebration of us feeling liberated right now,” explains Guy. “We’re no longer signed to a major record label. We’re not going to tour this record. We can do whatever we like and be super creative.”

The LP was reportedly written when the pair were at different stages in their lives, Guy, recently married and settling down in Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles, while Howard “was reeling from heartbreak and exhausted from a 150-date tour,” reads a statement accompanying the release.

Its creation was a type of alchemy. “There was this combination of deep heartbreak and sadness, but also deep admiration and appreciation,” Howard recounts. “Let’s turn this horrible feeling into something beautiful. The whole idea was to channel pain into beauty—which, in hindsight, is always the aim.”

Stream Alchemy below.

14 Jul 2023

Friends of Mine: Duran Duran Set Cancer Benefit Concert For Andy Taylor

Duran Duran’s forthcoming North America tour will include a one-off benefit concert for the Cancer Awareness Trust, a special fundraising tribute to guitarist Andy Taylor, who is battling stage-4 prostate cancer.

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The Rock And Roll Hall of Fame-inducted British band announces the event for Aug. 19 at The Guild Theatre in Menlo Park, CA.

Speaking about the intimate show, Duran Duran frontman Simon Le Bon says, “We are heading to Northern California, to play many of the songs that we wrote together with our dear friend, Andy Taylor, to help him and others in their fight against prostate cancer. It is the right thing to do.”

Those songs are a collection of gold-standard hits, from “A View to a Kill,” to “Planet Earth,” “Rio,” “Girls on Film,” The Reflex,” “Wild Boys,” “Hungry Like the Wolf,” “Is There Something I Should Know,” “Save a Prayer,” and others.

News of Taylor’s diagnosis reached the band just days before their induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last November. His ongoing treatment forced Taylor to miss the ceremony, though members of the band used the platform of the ceremony to read a letter from Taylor, addressing for the first time his illness.

Since then, the bandmates “been made aware of a revolutionary life-extending treatment that they will be funding for cancer patients such as Andy,” reads a statement from the band.

Adds drummer Roger Taylor: “We would like to thank our fans and the organizers of this benefit who have given us the chance to help our longtime friend and colleague Andy Taylor. We have always described ourselves as a ‘band of brothers,’ and that has never been more true than in this very moment.”

Taylor was lead guitarist for Duran Duran during their heyday in the early-to-mid 1980s, during which time the new wave stars became, without argument, one of the most popular bands on the planet. Now 62, the English rocker performed on DD’s first three studio albums, the self-titled debut from 1981, Rio from 1982, Seven and the Ragged Tiger from 1983, live album Arena from 1984, contributed to the band’s 1986 album Notorious, then split to pursue a solo career.

Taylor reunited with bandmates Le Bon, John Taylor, Nick Rhodes and Roger Taylor in the early 2000s. With the old band back together, Duran Duran released the 2004 album Astronaut, toured, and collected a slew of awards, including the Brit Award for outstanding contribution to British music, the BPI’s equivalent of the lifetime achievement award.

Andy Taylor has discussed his health battles, which he described as “a death sentence,” for a U.K. TV interview earlier in the year.

Playing guitar has had an unexpected benefit. “It’s really helped me to live with the pessimism of an incurable disease,” he notes, “but the optimism of creating music.”

Following the benefit concert, Duran Duran will embark on the second leg of their North American Future Past Tour, in support of their 15th studio LP Future Past, which peaked at No. 3 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart in 2021.

Another album is already in the works, and it’ll feature the talents of Andy Taylor. A statement issued by the band in March reads, “Duran Duran are thrilled to confirm a special new music project is in the works, set for release later this year on BMG. The new recordings will feature extended Duran Duran family and friends, old and new, including our former bandmate Andy Taylor who will join us on guitar on a few tracks.”

Ticket pre-sales for the benefit concert go on sale Monday, July 17 for members of the Duran Duran VIP Fan Community, with the general on-sale beginning Wednesday, July 19 at GuildTheatre.com.

In the meantime, Andy Taylor is in good hands. “I am delighted that we have been able to help turn Andy’s life around, and with the support of Duran Duran and their incredible fanbase, the revolutionary new treatment could well both improve Andy’s quality of life and extend it significantly,” comments professor Sir Chris Evans, founder of The U.K.’s Cancer Awareness Trust. “Andy will receive the latest precision medical treatment, emanating from some recently successful clinical trials, along with the ongoing support that the Cancer Awareness Trust is providing. The incredible support of Duran Duran will mean many more people will benefit just like Andy has”.

13 Jul 2023

Jung Kook & Latto Team Up for ‘Seven’: Stream It Now

Fortune is in Jung Kook and Latto‘s favor, as the superstar duo teamed up for a new collaboration, titled “Seven,” released on Friday (July 14).

The music video for the track finds BTS singer engulfed in a heated exchange with Han So-hee, who stars in the clip as his on-screen girlfriend, while the two are out at a high-end dinner. A chandelier then falls from the ceiling, disrupting the other patrons while Jung Kook and Han So-hee remained in their argument. “Weight of the world on your shoulders/ I catch your waist and ease your mind,” Jung Kook croons over sultry guitar licks.

The upbeat track marks the first collaboration between the rapper and the beloved BTS member. When the news of the team-up first broke, Latto tweeted “S/O to the Army,” alongside three “7” emojis, a reference to both the song’s title and her own jackpot imagery. The announcement adds to the “Big Energy” superstar’s big year, as she’s fresh off the release of her Cardi B-assisted “Put It On Da Floor Again” — which hit No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. Latto recently won best female hip-hop artist at the 2023 BET Awards.

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Listen to “Seven” in full below.

13 Jul 2023

Coco Jones & Justin Timberlake Unite for ‘ICU’ Remix: Stream It Now

Coco Jones’ “ICU” is the gift that keeps on giving. Nearly nine months after the Bel-Air actress first debuted her ballad, Justin Timberlake has now blessed the track with a brand new remix.

Rumors of a revamp started swirling on Monday (July 10) when Jones took to Twitter to post a photoset that included a collage of ’90s boy bands, a screengrab of a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse episode and a cartoon drawing of a river. Most fans immediately made the connection that the mystery artist would be none other than Grammy-winning pop superstar Justin Timberlake. Jones later confirmed his appearance on the track during a red carpet interview at the 2023 ESPY Awards on Wednesday night (July 12). “He’s such a legend and he really supports me, so I’m really really happy to have this collaboration,” she gushed.

“ICU” is the second single from What I Didn’t Tell You, Jones’ 2022 EP. The ballad, which was produced by DJ Camper, became Jones’ first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 (No. 63) and spent four weeks atop Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay. With both Jones and Timberlake hailing from Disney, the “ICU” remix is an unlikely, but welcome, crossover moment between the two talented multi-hyphenates.

This new version of “ICU” also marks Timberlake’s first musical release of 2023. Last year, he guested on three singles, including songs from Calvin Harris, Romeo Santos and Jack Harlow. His last studio album, the Billboard 200-topping Man of the Woods, landed back in 2018.

Stream the “ICU” remix here:

13 Jul 2023

aespa Achieves Second No. 1 on Album Sales Chart With ‘MY WORLD’

aespa achieves its second No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart (dated July 15) as the Korean group’s latest release MY WORLD: The 3rd Mini Album debuts atop the list with 39,000 copies sold in the U.S. in the week ending July 6, according to Luminate.

Also in the top 10 of the new Top Album Sales chart, Lil Uzi Vert’s Pink Tape bows at No. 4, Phish nets its highest-charting album ever as its 2000 studio album Farmhouse re-enters at No. 5 after a vinyl reissue, and Lucinda Williams earns her best sales week in over seven years as Stories From a Rock N Roll Heart debuts at No. 9.

Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales. The chart’s history dates back to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now Luminate. Pure album sales were the sole measurement utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album units and streaming equivalent album units. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Of MY WORLD’s 39,000 copies sold in its first week, physical sales comprise effectively all of that sum – and all on the CD format. Like many K-pop releases, the CD edition of MY WORLD was issued in collectible CD packages (more than 16, including exclusive editions for Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, Walmart and the act’s webstore), each containing a standard set of branded merchandise items and randomized branded elements (such as photo cards, posters and stickers).

Stray Kids’ chart-topping 5-STAR rises 3-2 on Top Album Sales with 16,000 sold (down 17%) while Taylor Swift’s former No. 1 Midnights climbs 5-3 with 12,000 (up 9%). Lil Uzi Vert’s latest studio set Pink Tape arrives at No. 4 with a little over 11,000 sold, marking their third top 10-charting effort.

Phish’s studio album Farmhouse, released in 2000, returns to Top Album Sales at a new peak, as the set re-enters at No. 5 with a little over 11,000 sold (up 26,731%) – basically on in vinyl LP sales – after a new vinyl reissue. The set was reissued on 180-gram colored (blue and nebulous green) double-vinyl on June 30. Farmhouse also debuts at No. 1 on the Vinyl Albums chart (a little over 11,000 copies sold) – marking the band’s third leader on the list and its best sales week on vinyl ever.

Farmhouse originally debuted and peaked at No. 12 on the Top Album Sales chart in 2000. With its re-entry at No. 5, it marks Phish’s eighth top 10 on the tally.

ATEEZ’s former leader The World EP.2: Outlaw falls 2-6 on Top Album Sales with 11,000 sold (down 65%), ENHYPEN’s Dark Blood dips 4-7 with 9,000 (down 19%) and Swift’s chart-topping Folklore is pushed down 7-8 with nearly 9,000 (despite an 11% gain).

Lucinda Williams’ Stories From a Rock N Roll Heart bows at No. 9 on Top Album Sales with the singer’s best sales week in over seven years – 8,500. She last sold more in a week when The Ghosts of Highway 20 launched at No. 16 on the Feb. 27, 2016-dated chart with 16,000 sold. Stories is Williams’ third top 10 on Top Album Sales.

Rounding out the top 10 on the new Top Album Sales chart is Swift’s former No. 1 Lover, which falls 8-10 with nearly 8,000 (though up 10%).

In the week ending July 6, there were 1.746 million albums sold in the U.S. (up 2.2% compared to the previous week). Of that sum, physical albums (CDs, vinyl LPs, cassettes, etc.) comprised 1.420 million (up 4.2%) and digital albums comprised 327,000 (down 5.5%).

There were 652,000 CD albums sold in the week ending July 6 (up 5.2 % week-over-week) and 756,000 vinyl albums sold (up 2.9%). Year-to-date CD album sales stand at 18.189 million (up 4% compared to the same time frame a year ago) and year-to-date vinyl album sales total 24.362 million (up 21.2%).

Overall year-to-date album sales total 52.387 million (up 7.7% compared to the same year-to-date time frame a year ago). Year-to-date physical album sales stand at 42.827 million (up 13.2%) and digital album sales total 9.560 million (down 11.3%).