Music

31 Mar 2023

Billboard Explains: What Role Do Record Labels Play?

Record labels have been around for decades and, for a long time, being signed to one meant that an artist made it in the music industry. But what does a label actually do, how do they make a profit and how are they evolving? The latest episode of Billboard Explains answers all those questions.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

There are two types of labels: major labels, which are organized into umbrella companies called label groups, and independent labels. The three major labels in today’s industry are Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group — with each having their own subsidiaries. Independent labels differ from major labels, as they operate on their own funding. They can also outsource distribution and publishing, while majors do that themselves.

“When you think about a record label now, it’s really important to focus on the fact that they have massive marketing and publicity muscle,” says Dan Rys, Billboard‘s senior writer. “They are the ones who are able to put a billboard up in Los Angeles. They’re the ones who can get you placement on streaming services.”

Labels typically make money on songs’ master recordings one of three ways: through music sales, downloads and streaming of an artist; brand partnerships where an artist endorses a product; and master licensing, using the exact recording of a song for a commercial, movie or TV show. Labels can also make money on touring, merch and other opportunities based on deals signed with artists.

Thanks to social media, the way labels recruit artists has changed drastically. “There was a time when record labels were the only way that anyone could actually get their music out to the public,” says Keith Caulfield, Billboard‘s managing director of charts and data operations. “They controlled all the marketing and distribution of getting your music into stores. Today, that’s greatly different because you have the Internet.”

Watch the latest Billboard Explains above. After the video, catch up on more Billboard Explains videos and learn about the origins of hip-hop, how Beyoncé arrived at Renaissance, the evolution of girl groups, BBMAs, NFTs, SXSW, the magic of boy bands, American Music Awards, the Billboard Latin Music Awards, the Hot 100 chart, how R&B/hip-hop became the biggest genre in the U.S., how festivals book their lineups, Billie Eilish’s formula for success, the history of rap battles, nonbinary awareness in music, the Billboard Music Awards, the Free Britney movement, rise of K-pop in the U.S., why Taylor Swift is re-recording her first six albums, the boom of hit all-female collaborations, how Grammy nominees and winners are chosen, why songwriters are selling their publishing catalogs, how the Super Bowl halftime show is booked and why Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drivers License” was able to shoot to No. 1 on the Hot 100.

31 Mar 2023

Christina Aguilera Calls for a World ‘Free of Discrimination’ at 2023 GLAAD Media Awards

Christina Aguilera embraced her inner “Fighter” on Thursday night when she spoke out at the 2023 GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles.

The “Dirrty” singer was in attendance to receive the organization’s advocate for change award, awarded to “a person who, through their work, has changed the game for LGBTQ people around the world.” Madonna and Bill Clinton previously received the award.

Presented her award by Michael Anderson, one of the survivors of the Club Q shooting in Colorado, Aguilera quickly thanked GLAAD and Anderson for the honor. “You have no idea how much this truly means to me,” she said. “This is the stuff that really matters in life.”

Launching into her speech, Aguilera spoke at length about her “lifelong” relationship with the LGBTQ community. “So much of who I am and what I do is because of each of you, and the shared experience of having to fight for equality and freedom in some capacity,” she said.

The “Genie in a Bottle” singer applauded the community for their continued endurance against an onslaught of attacks, especially from Republican legislators around the U.S. “I am constantly impressed by your examples of the courage it takes to fight for acceptance, respect and safety that every human being deserves,” she said. “When you’ve been a victim of violence, abuse or trauma, it is incredibly hard and scary to find your voice and fight back. Having grown up in a home with domestic violence, it was seeing my mom in a powerless position that first ignited the fire in me to speak up for all of the people whose voices don’t get heard.”

After speaking about her mission to “creatively empower others through my music,” Aguilera closed her speech by calling for queer people to keep up their fight for equality. “We all need to raise our voices if we want to live in a world that is free of discrimination, hate and violence,” she said. “My greater purpose is to use the platform I have to change lives for the better, so thank you GLAAD for this and for all that you do to make every voice in the LGBTQ community heard. We can’t help each other if we can’t hear each other.”

The singer was just one of the celebrities awarded on Thursday evening — Bad Bunny received the annual vanguard award for his allyship towards the community, while out Broadway star Jeremy Pope received the Stephen F. Kolzak award for his work in raising visibility for queer people in media.

Check out Christina Aguilera’s full acceptance speech at the GLAAD Media Awards below.

31 Mar 2023

Natti Natasha, Yahritza Y Su Esencia & More: What’s Your Favorite New Latin Music Release? Vote!

This week, our New Music Latin roundup — a compilation of the best new Latin songs, albums and videos recommended by the Billboard Latin and Billboard Español editors each week — is powered by new music from Natti Natasha, Becky G and Peso Pluma, and Yahritza Y Su Esencia, to name a few.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

The list includes Natti Natasha’s “Algarete,” a risqué reggaeton track about the joy and thrill that comes from letting loose. “It’s a song that I dedicate to those who, although they no longer have the same opportunity to go out as before, when they do, they have the chance to relive their years of intense partying. With this track, the nights in Paris really inspired me and you can feel the same vibe I felt when I first got the idea for the song,” she said in a statement.

Also on the list are new collaborations such as Becky G and up-and-comer Peso Pluma, who team up for “Chanel.” In this track, Becky further testifies her genre versatility. With a voice well laid back, or bien tumbada, and an octave deeper than usual, the Inglewood star leaves the past behind her and pushes forward with lyrics that express better days ahead. The song is Becky G’s first single from an upcoming all-regional mexicano album she’s set to release later this year with more collaborations to be announced soon.

Additionally, Gaby Moreno reels in renowned actor Oscar Isaac into music to serenade fans with a touching interpretation of the Guatemalan classic “Luna de Xelajú”. The single is the lead track from Moreno’s upcoming acoustic album X MÍ (VOL. 1) to be released on May 5. The duet intertwines their voices to give a profound and soulful acoustic performance of the classic written in 1944 by Paco Perez that has become a second anthem of their country.

Vote for your new favorite release below, followed by our weekly New Music Latin playlist:

31 Mar 2023

Lauren London Marks 4th Anniversary of Nipsey Hussle’s Death: ‘Nothing Was Ever the Same’

Lauren London honored the late Nipsey Hussle on the fourth anniversary of his death on Friday (March 31) with a touching post on social media.

The You People actress, who was in a relationship with Hussle from 2013 until his murder in 2019, posted a pair of stark black-and-white portraits of the South Central Los Angeles native on her Instagram feed, writing, “I hold my breath all of March knowing I have to face the memory of the day you transitioned…. Holding on to ancient wisdom but the pain is the pain and nothing was ever the same… Eternal Being… Ermias Asghedom… I Love You.”

London then quoted a passage about death from the sacred writings of the Baha’i faith, adding, “‘To consider that after the death of the body the spirit perishes is like imagining that a bird in a cage will be destroyed if the cage is broken, though the bird has nothing to fear from the destruction of the cage. Our body is like the cage, and the spirit is like the bird. We see that without the cage this bird flies in the world of sleep; therefore, if the cage becomes broken, the bird will continue and exist. Its feelings will be even more powerful, its perceptions greater, and its happiness increased. In truth, from hell it reaches a paradise of delights because for the thankful birds there is no paradise greater than freedom.’”

In February, Nipsey’s killer received a sentence of 60 years to life in prison after being found guilty of first-degree murder for gunning down the “Grinding All My Life” rapper outside his Crenshaw neighborhood clothing store the Marathon. Since his death, Hussle has been honored with a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and is being memorialized in a new Hulu documentary.

Read London’s tribute to Hussle’s memory below.

31 Mar 2023

Eladio Carrión Shares How Lil Wayne Influenced His Rapping Style

Eladio Carrión has been keeping it lit. He is freshly off releasing a Billboard-charting album 3MEN2 KBRN (pronounced tremendo cabrón), preparing his first ever festival Sauce Boyz Fest and plotting a national tour, which includes a stop at Coachella.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

While in Austin for his Billboard Presents The Stage at SXSW performance earlier this month, the Puerto Rican rapper sat down with Leila Cobo, chief content officer of Billboard Latin/Español, to discuss his history and latest whereabouts.

“Tremendo cabrón because this album has all the cabrones,” says Cobo, congratulating the artist for his star-studded release, which includes guests such as Lil Wayne, 50 Cent, Future, Fivio Foreign, Bad Bunny and more.

“We really got to get my favorite artists on this album. This one is a very special album for me and my team,” says Carrión. “[Lil Wayne] is one of my favorite rappers,” says Carrión. “He’s the reason why I don’t wait every four bars for a punchline. Every bar can have a punchline. Wayne used to do it, so I do it.” (The “A Milli” rapper starred on Carrión’s remix for “Gladiador.”)

The Latin trap star mentions that there was never a Plan B for the album, “If Plan A does not happen, let’s wait until it does. Plan A until the end of the world.”

Born in Kansas City, the Puerto Rican, whose father was in the Army, moved around often during his youth, from Hawaii to Baltimore and Alaska. And before he became a rapper, he was a comedian as well as a songwriter to other artists. “There came a point when I just wasn’t satisfied [writing for others] when the music came out,” he reveals. “I was just giving them a piece of me, and it was some personal stuff, it was like, ‘D–n, he didn’t go through that, I went through that. I want to tell my story.’” 

Carrión discovered his love for the stage, saying that performing is a big part of what made him fall in love with being an artist and wanting to be an artist. He also tells Cobo to expect big surprises for his Coachella gig, which will take place the weekends of April 14 and April 21.

On May 18-20, the rapper will kick off his first-ever festival in Puerto Rico, and to expect performances from Argentine giants Bizarrap and Duki, as well as Dominican dembow performer Tokischa.

This week, his 3MEN2 KBRN album debuted at No. 3 on Top Latin Albums Chart, and reached No. 16 on Billboard 200.

Watch Billboard‘s full interview with Eladio Carrión above.

31 Mar 2023

Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen Signal Shift at Radio With Multiple Country Airplay Chart Hits at Once

Luke Combs, whose new LP, Gettin’ Old, was released March 24 on River House/Columbia Nashville, places six titles, all from the set, on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart (dated April 8).

Dating to the ranking’s 1990 inception, Combs ties the record for the most titles in the tally’s top 60 by a single artist at once, excluding holiday fare. The feat has been achieved just five times – and now twice within a month, as Morgan Wallen logged six on the March 18 survey, concurrent with the chart launch of his new album, One Thing at a Time (on Big Loud/Mercury Republic).

Before that, Blake Shelton last earned the honor in 2017, following Kenny Chesney in 2008 and Garth Brooks in 1997.

Combs’ 15th Country Airplay No. 1, “Going, Going, Gone,” which led the list for two frames in March, ranks at No. 4, with 23.6 million impressions March 24-30, according to Luminate. His others (all debuts) on the current chart: “Five Leaf Clover” (No. 48); “Love You Anyway” (No. 49); “Still” (No. 57); “Growin’ Up and Getting’ Old” (No. 58) and “Hannah Ford Road” (No. 59).

Also on the newest Country Airplay chart, Wallen boasts two tracks scaling the top 20: promoted country single “One Thing at a Time” (18-13; 13.8 million, up 18%) and pop/country hit, and former Billboard Hot 100 No. 1, “Last Night” (22-18; 10.2 million, up 28%). (The latter concurrently pushes 24-23 on Adult Pop Airplay and 26-24 on Pop Airplay.)

For a format accustomed to acts climbing Country Airplay with one single over months, Steve Hodges, Sony Music Nashville executive vice president says, “Radio seems to realize the value of exposing more than just one song at a time from a superstar artist.”

“I’m excited to see radio continuing to invest in our format’s core artists,” muses Big Loud vp of promotion Ali Matkosky. “In a time where listeners are pointing out daily what they want to hear [via streaming services], it makes more and more sense to lean into that data.”

‘Country’ Hit

Elsewhere, Tyler Hubbard notches his second Country Airplay top 10 as a soloist, as “Dancin’ in the Country” twirls 12-10 (17 million, up 23%).

The song follows “5 Foot 9,” which led for a week last November.

Florida Georgia Line, comprising Hubbard and Brian Kelley, has posted 19 Country Airplay top 10s, including 16 No. 1s.

31 Mar 2023

The Cure’s Robert Smith Warns Fans of Ticketmaster ‘Scalper Scam’

Robert Smith continued to blast Ticketmaster on Thursday night (March 30), taking to Twitter to warn fans of a scam in which scalpers offer to sell account login details.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

“BEWARE ANOTHER SCALPER SCAM: OFFERING TO SELL/SEND ACCOUNT LOGIN DETAILS TO GET AROUND TM TRANSFER LIMITATIONS… ANY/ALL TICKETS OBTAINED IN THIS WAY WILL BE CANCELED, AND ORIGINAL FEES PAID ON THOSE TICKETS WILL NOT BE REFUNDED,” he wrote, adding that the fees from those tickets will be donated to human rights organization Amnesty International. The Cure frontman, however, did not share plans to regulate and spot the scammers.

As the band gears up for its first trek in seven years, The Lost World North American Tour, The Cure had hoped to keep seat-buying fair and simple for their fans by opting out of dynamic pricing and shielding against scalpers with non-transferable tickets. But when the sale opened mid-March, customers were disappointed to find that the Ticketmaster had tacked on sky-high fees to tickets that totaled more than the price of the actual tickets themselves.

At the time, Smith went on a similarly all-caps Twitter rant, writing that he was “AS SICKENED AS YOU ALL ARE BY TODAY’S TICKETMASTER ‘FEES’ DEBACLE” before promising to investigate what went wrong. Soon after, he took to social media again to announce that Ticketmaster would be offering refunds and lower fees.

31 Mar 2023

Hear Exclusive SXM Festival 2023 Sets From Dubfire, Francesca Lombardo & Tony y Not

SXM Festival thumped back to life on the island of St. Martin on March 8-13. The lineup included Black Coffee, Marco Carola, DJ Tennis and Carlita performing together as Astra Club, Yokoo, Camelphat, Mochaak, Gordo and other house and techno producers from around the world.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Anyone who’s been will attest that dancing barefoot in the sand while the sun rises over the Caribbean is truly a special experience. But whether or not you were on the island for the fest, we’re bringing those sea breezes and beats to your earholes via three exclusive SXM 2023 sets from Iranian legend Dubfire, Italian star Francesca Lombardo and rising German artist Tony y Not.

Dubfire delivers a pristine and wide-ranging three-hour performance spanning house, deep house, electro, progressive and more. Lombardo’s two-hour set bumps to life from the jump with Mr. Flip’s bouncy 2022 track “Da Boogie,” which she follows with all variations of house music, from deep to tribal to piano. Tony y Not offers two hours of music that digs deep into the experimental, hypnotic realms of electronic music. Listen to the trifecta of sets below.

Together, all three artists capture the festival’s steamy atmosphere complemented by both its tunes and its tropical locations, which this year included a private jungle, the beach, a villa and a beach club. Since launching in 2016 on St. Martin — a territory of both France and The Netherlands — SXM has drawn fans from more than 35 countries.

Check out their sets below:

Dubfire

Francesca Lombardo

Tony y Not

31 Mar 2023

Inside Latin Music’s Nostalgia Touring Boom — And Who Will Capitalize Next

Mexican pop band RBD, which scored five top 10 hits on the Hot Latin Songs chart in the early 2000s, performed its last show in 2008, during which the act announced it was disbanding. Its members — Anahí, Dulce María, Christian Chávez, Maite Perroni and Christopher von Uckermann — haven’t stepped onstage together since. And yet, when RBD recently announced it was reuniting for 40-plus shows in arenas and stadiums around the world, dubbed the Soy Rebelde Tour, over 1.5 million tickets were sold in just 24 hours, according to RBD’s manager, Guillermo Rosas.

RBD is the latest in a string of Latin reunion tours that are raking in millions of dollars. The trend started in 2020 when bachata supergroup Aventura reunited after 10 years for its Inmortal Tour. Its first leg posted $24 million after 14 shows, according to Billboard Boxscore. And in 2021, iconic ’80s Mexican grupero band Los Bukis reunited after 25 years for its own stadium trek; the nine-date stint entered at No. 6 on Billboard’s Top Tours of 2021 with nearly $50 million in grosses.

“What makes these nostalgic touring concepts powerful is that it’s multigenerational,” says Hans Schafer, senior vp of global touring at Live Nation, the promoter behind RBD’s upcoming trek. In 2006, RBD — conceptualized from the Mexican telenovela Rebelde — had the No. 1 Latin tour, with a gross of nearly $31 million across 51 shows. “The music has been passed down generations and continues to live on. Now we are seeing more artists interested and excited to tap into the nostalgia of fans.”

But, as Rosas notes, it’s also risky, considering the uncertainty in booking acts that haven’t toured in decades and don’t have massive streaming numbers. “Just because you have 50 million listeners doesn’t mean you’re going to sell 1.5 million tickets at the box office,” he says. “It takes a lot more than streams to become part of culture. As managers and promoters, you learn how to cross those bridges and not go blindly based on numbers.”

When Adolfo Romero, vp of programming for SoFi Stadium, Hollywood Park and YouTube Theater, booked Los Bukis for their back-to-back shows at the SoFi, it never crossed his mind that a nostalgia act wouldn’t be able to sell over 70,000 tickets. “I come from [major league] soccer. If we can sell 70,000 plus for soccer here, what’s the difference?” he previously told Billboard. “It’s the same demographic. We have disposable income. A lot of our community was working in the service industry. Now, many of their kids are college grads.”

L.A.’s Bésame Mucho (like the nostalgia-fueled When We Were Young festival) inaugural event last year sold out in 12 minutes when the 2000s-inspired lineup — which included Juanes, Hombres G and Los Tigres Del Norte — was announced. Come December, Los Bukis will headline the fest’s second edition.

“We focused only on what the fans wanted to see and not what was playing on radio,” says John Frias, producer of Bésame Mucho and president of Frias Entertainment. “A ton of people brought their parents to the festival. It was a smash.”

Frías is hesitant to label these shows as simply “nostalgia” tours since they’re not only appealing to an older generation of fans. There’s a new generation that’s discovering and embracing these bands, too. “In this day and age, fans won’t be subjected to only today’s music. They liked yesterday’s music and they like today’s music,” he says categorically.

Music discovery could be a significant contributing factor to RBD’s massive success on the touring front. In September 2020, RBD’s catalog became available for the first time ever across digital streaming platforms, including Spotify. “Context is so important for data,” says Schafer. “You have to understand where things come from. And tours like these, they’re an emotional response to something that was lived years ago and you’re now able to inspire and remind people of those moments.”

A version of this story will appear in the April 1, 2023, issue of Billboard.

31 Mar 2023

Taylor Swift Given Key to City & Street Name in Her Honor Ahead of Arlington Concerts

Arlington, Texas, is pulling out all the stops for Taylor Swift‘s upcoming concerts this weekend. In celebration of the the trio of Eras Tour shows coming to AT&T Stadium March 31-April 2, the city is welcoming Swifties with a number of fun attractions and events, from a new street called “Taylor Swift Way” to a Tay-themed pet adoption spree.

A sneak peek at the Eras Tour preparations was posted to Arlington’s official Twitter account, showing off photos of the “Taylor Swift Way” street sign, light-up star posts lit red in celebration of Swift’s signature color, and a key to the city dedicated to the “Anti-Hero” singer.

“Arlington is ‘Enchanted’ to welcome Taylor Swift to @ATTStadium for The Eras Tour and has put together some fun ways for our Swifties to celebrate the singer’s 5th visit to The #AmericanDreamCity,” the city’s tweet read.

In a press release, Arlington officially put its cowboy hat in the ring to compete for the title of Swift’s biggest fan city, a “friendly competition” between Glendale, Ariz., which temporarily renamed itself to Swift City ahead of the pop star’s kickoff concerts in State Farm Stadium, and Las Vegas, which lit its Gateway Arches with colors corresponding to each of the Grammy winner’s 10 albums before her shows at Allegiant Stadium.

“Didn’t snag tickets to one of the shows?” added the release. “Arlington Animal Services hopes to help mourning Swifties ‘Shake It Off’ with an adoption special honoring the famous cat-mom. Residents can adopt a new best friend for $40, in honor of Swift’s 40 Top 10 Hits, during The Eras Adoption Special. VIP pets have a $9 adoption fee in honor of Swift’s 9 No. 1 Hits.”

See Arlington’s Eras Tour events below: