Music

06 Dec 2022

Ed Sheeran Sold More Concert Tickets This Year Than Any Other Act

Back on the road after a three-year break following his record-breaking The Divide Tour, Ed Sheeran tops the year-end Top Ticket Sales chart after playing to more than 3 million fans in Europe in 2022.

This is not the first time that Ed Sheeran has won a year-end Boxscore trophy. The Divide Tour made him the first artist to repeat atop Billboard’s annual Top Tours ranking, winning the gold in 2018 and 2019. The first of those two victories was the biggest year-end total in Boxscore history, with $429.5 million. Further, that tour ended in 2019 with the highest gross and biggest attendance of any tour ever, at $776.4 million and 8.88 million tickets.

Now back with The Mathematics Tour, Sheeran winds up at No. 3 on the 2022 Top Tours chart with $246.3 million. But separated from gross revenue, his current tour is No. 1 on the Top Ticket Sales chart, ranking the top tours by total cumulative attendance. According to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore, Sheeran moved 3,047,696 tickets in the 2022 tracking period.

Sheeran played 63 shows between Dec. 13, 2021, and Sept. 25, 2022, averaging out to 48,376 tickets per night. But that is a misleading number, as the first 11 of those shows were “rehearsal” dates, setting the British singer-songwriter in small clubs and theaters in London and Dublin. Those shows ranged from 357 tickets at Dublin’s Whelans on April 19 to 5,230 tickets at London’s Royal Albert Hall on March 27. All 11 shows combined to 16,810; even at the top of that range, he was still selling less than 15% of the year’s average.

Removing those rehearsal shows from the equation, the picture of The Mathematics Tour comes into focus. Sheeran’s 52 “proper” tour dates in 2022 paced 58,287 tickets.

Almost every market – each one except for Helsinki, Finland – required multiple shows. Sheeran mostly played double-header weekends, moving from city to city and maximizing audiences with Friday and Saturday shows. He topped off with a five-show run at London’s Wembley Stadium, moving 420,269 tickets.

And while there is no attendance-based chart for Boxscores, the Wembley streak does have the highest attendance total of any engagement this year, beating Coldplay’s four shows at Paris’ Stade de France by more than 100,000 tickets.

Elsewhere, Sheeran broke the 200,000 threshold with four shows at Manchester’s Etihad Stadium and Munich’s Olympiastadion.

These numbers are huge, but even compared to his record-setting predecessor, The Mathematics Tour is ahead of schedule. The Divide Tour included three European legs in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Those runs averaged 14,321 tickets (the 2017 leg was in arenas), 54,485 and 51,898, respectively. Sheeran’s ’22 stadium pace is 7% in front of Divide’s strongest year, setting him up quite well as he prepares to leave his home base.

The Mathematics Tour is scheduled for 12 shows in Australia in February and March, followed by 24 shows in North America throughout the summer. Whether or not Sheeran can match (or even approach) The Divide Tour’s three-year total may be entirely up to him. Fans showed up in droves to his European shows, but the expanse of his pre-pandemic tour was so huge. And not only did the tour last, it went wide, including shows in Asia, South America and South Africa. If Mathematics routing remains modest, it will be difficult to triple the tour’s current totals.

Based on his scheduled 36 shows in 2023, The Mathematics Tour should pick up another 1.5 million to 1.75 million tickets as it approaches the 5 million mark. Should more dates be added, the sky’s the limit.

06 Dec 2022

Here’s the Date of the 2023 NAACP Image Awards

The 54th NAACP Image Awards will broadcast live on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023, at 8 p.m. (live ET/PT on delay) on BET from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, Calif. Nominees will be announced on Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023. Online voting opens on that date and extends through Friday, Feb. 10, 2023.

This will mark the first in-person Image Awards since the show was hosted in February 2020, also at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium.

The host has not been announced. Black-ish star Anthony Anderson hosted the last nine NAACP Image Awards, but several previous hosts or co-hosts came from the world of music, including Whitney Houston, Patti LaBelle, Vanessa Williams, Mariah Carey, Diana Ross and LL Cool J.

Jennifer Hudson was named entertainer of the year at last year’s show. Jazmine Sullivan and Anthony Hamilton won outstanding female and male artist, respectively. Sullivan’s Heaux Tales took outstanding album. Saweetie took outstanding new artist.

The 54th NAACP Image Awards will include three new categories within the motion picture, television + streaming categories — outstanding hairstyling, outstanding make-up and outstanding costume design.

“Throughout the past year, we’ve witnessed Black artists showcasing our history and uplifting values of progressive change, while redefining genres and bringing our stories to the forefront of entertainment in so many innovative ways,” Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP, said in a statement. “Black voices are necessary to continually inspire audiences around the world. We’re proud to once again provide a platform that both elevates and celebrates these voices through the 54th NAACP Image Awards.”

“BET is extremely proud to continue our long-standing partnership with the NAACP and magnify their endeavors to honor the incredible contributions made by the Black community,” added BET president and CEO Scott Mills. “We’re looking forward to celebrating Black excellence at next year’s Image Awards on all of our platforms, honoring those who help tell our diverse stories in powerful ways.”

06 Dec 2022

Beyoncé Features Fans in ‘Hive Certified’ ‘Break My Soul’ Video to Celebrate Going Platinum: Watch

The Beyhive has listened to “Break My Soul” enough for it to officially reach Platinum status, and now Beyoncé is returning the love. To celebrate the milestone of Renaissance‘s splash-making lead single, the 41-year-old superstar dropped a “Hive Certified” music video Tuesday (Dec. 6) featuring clips of fans strutting their stuff to the track.

The new video opens with a hilarious clip of one fan tricking his mom and sister by saying he doesn’t like “Beyonce’s new song.” “Get out of here before I break your soul,” the fan’s mom angrily replies, while his sister stares in disbelief.

Then, videos of Beyhive members of all ages and all corners of the internet dancing solo, in pairs and in groups to “Break My Soul” cut in and out. Some boogie in kitchens, some on top of beds, some outdoors on rooftops and some at their work desks.

“BREAK MY SOUL is Certified Platinum,” reads the video’s description. “Thank you so much for all the love and for releasing the wiggle.”

According to the RIAA, the single reached the one million units milestone mark on Nov. 30.

“Break My Soul” was first released back in June, heralding the impending arrival of Bey’s highly, highly anticipated Renaissance album, which dropped the following month. It peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100 and maintained its reign there for two weeks, marking the Houston native’s eighth career No. 1.

The house-inspired track receive almost instant critical acclaim upon its release, and in November, it snagged 2023 Grammy nominations for record of the year, song of the year and best dance/electronic recording.

Watch Beyoncé’s Hive Certified “Break My Soul” video below:

06 Dec 2022

The 50 Best Albums of 2022: Staff List

While every year of the streaming era — maybe every year of the post-Napster era — has brought with it concerns about the health of the full-album format, 2022 ended up making a pretty convincing argument that the LP could still be just as vital in the culture as it was during Tower Records’ heyday. Huge stars came through with enormous albums this past year, dominating discussion, drawing rave reviews, changing careers, and (in at least one or two cases) putting up numbers that previously seemed close to impossible at this point in pop history. (And thanks to a renewed interest in CD packaging and the continued growth of the vinyl market, fans were spending money on actual physical copies of many of these albums, a practice that seemed to be going nearly extinct not that long ago.)

But it wasn’t just the already-big going (and getting) bigger in 2022. Some new and still-rising artists found their voices in unexpected and thrilling ways, scoring breakout hits and connecting with new audiences. Some veteran artists continued to hone their trademark craft, making satisfying and well-received comebacks that made us wish they hadn’t left us for so long beforehand. And some of our preeminent hitmakers continued to evolve and challenge audiences with unexpected shifts in their sound and vision, resulting in returns that were less commercially explosive but even more artistically rewarding.

Here are our 50 favorite albums from this year — sets which both made us nostalgic for the format’s past, and excited about its future.

06 Dec 2022

RM Gets Stuck in Time in ‘Still Life’ Music Video: Watch

Fans wondering when a second video from RM‘s Indigo would be released did not have to wait long. On Tuesday (Dec. 6), the BTS rapper dropped a visual to accompany “Still Life (with Anderson .Paak),” which quite literally sees the K-pop idol suspended in time.

RM starts off the video sitting in a train, reading from a journal. But as soon as the song’s lyrics kicks in, the setting around him starts to freeze — first the outside landscape and people on the train, then an empty coffee cup, and then figures of himself as he moves through the train and raps the poppy track. The series of events appear to be a dream as a train attendant asks him if he requires assistance; the still landscape and people on the train begin moving again.

The Indigo album cycle has been a whirlwind so far for the BTS star. The video for the album’s lead single “Wild Flower” arrived with the 10-song set, and hours later, he appeared on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series to perform tracks from the album.

Speaking about Indigo on Suchwita, Suga of BTS’ sit-down talk show, RM said, “It’s been 15 years [since we started pursuing music] and yet in a sense, this is my first album. So after 15 long years I finally have a chance to prove to myself in the form of a solo album. That’s what I felt.”

RM also added that he was happy to have the chance to make a statement about who he is as an artist now on Indigo, because “to be honest, in my Mono album, I had doubts and concerns for about half the songs in there, but I don’t think that’s going to be the case for this album.”

Watch the video for “Still Life” above.

06 Dec 2022

Morgan Wallen Extends 2023 Tour With More Concerts

Morgan Wallen‘s stacked 2023 tour just got even busier, with the singer-songwriter adding 14 new shows across 13 cities to his massive 2023 One Night at a Time World Tour, making for back-to-back nights at 10 stadium shows.

The outing will visit 26 stadiums, plus arenas, amphitheaters and festivals over four countries and two continents. The tour launches overseas March 15 with concerts in New Zealand and Australia (featuring HARDY), before the trek returns to the United States starting April 14 with a show at Milwaukee’s American Family Field (also featuring HARDY).

The tour will also visit New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, Chicago’s Wrigley Field and Boston’s Fenway Park with Parker McCollum, before concluding Oct. 7 at Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Wash. ERNEST and Bailey Zimmerman will open shows across all tour dates, U.S. and internationally.

Wallen also recently released the three-song sampler One Thing at a Time, which includes the tracks “One Thing at a Time,” “Tennessee Fan,” and “Days That End in Why.” He also has a new single at country radio, with “Thought You Should Know” residing in the top 20 on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart.

New 2023 Tour Dates include:

  • April 14: American Family Field, Milwaukee, WI
  • May 19: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
  • June 1: Truist Park, Atlanta, GA
  • June 8: Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater, Virginia Beach, VA
  • June 14: PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA
  • June 22: Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL
  • June 29: Ford Field, Detroit, MI
  • July 6: Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO
  • July 14: Petco Park, San Diego, CA
  • July 19: Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ
  • Aug. 17: Fenway Park, Boston, MA
  • Sept. 14: Budweiser Stage, Toronto, ON
  • Sept. 15: Budweiser Stage, Toronto, ON
  • Oct. 3: Rogers Arena, Vancouver, BC

06 Dec 2022

BigHit Warns ARMY There Will Be No ‘Official Event’ Marking Start of BTS Member Jin’s Military Service

BTS‘ management company BigHit posted a friendly note to ARMY on Monday (Dec. 5) thanking the band’s hardcore fans for supporting the group while offering them an update on member Jin’s pending mandatory military service. The 30-year-old singer is slated to begin his stint on Dec. 13 as the first member of the seven-man group to enlist, and BigHit warned ARMY that there will be no “official event” to mark the day.

“Jin will fulfill his required time with the military by enlisting in the army. Please note that we will not be holding any kind of official event on the day of his recruitment,” read a note from BigHit posted on the fan community Weverse site about the upcoming big day for the group’s eldest member. “The entrance ceremony is a time to be observed by military personnel and their families only. In order to prevent any issues that might occur from crowding, we ask fans to please refrain from visiting the site. Instead, we ask you to keep your heartwarming words of support and farewell in your hearts.”

In addition, BigHit advised fans to not get “adversely affected” by buying unauthorized tour or product packages that illegally use BTS’ intellectual property in an attempt to capitalize on Jin’s military hitch. “Our company will take necessary action against any attempts at commercial activity making unauthorized use of such IP,” read the note, which ended with a kind thank you for ARMY’s unwavering devotion.

“We ask for your continued love and support for Jin until he finishes his military service and comes back,” it read. “Our company will also strive to provide every support he needs during this time.”

“Jin will initiate the process as soon as his schedule for his solo release is concluded at the end of October,” read a previous statement from BigHit that month, which noted the group will reconvene around 2025 after all their respective military enlistments are concluded. “He will then follow the enlistment procedure of the Korean government. Other members of the group plan to carry out their military service based on their own individual plans.”

All able-bodied male South Korean citizens must serve in the armed forces for at least 18 months, though the length of service may vary. Draft begins in the year they turn 18, but men may postpone it until age 28. In December 2020, the South Korean National Assembly passed the so-called “BTS law” to allow K-pop entertainers to postpone the service until the age of 30, with a recommendation from the culture minister.

In the midst of BTS’ hiatus, Jin scored his first solo entry on the Billboard Hot 100 in November when his single “The Astronaut” debuted at No. 51 in its first tracking week.

06 Dec 2022

TOMORROW X TOGETHER, Halle Bailey, Wiz Khalifa & More to Perform at ‘Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve’

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We’re officially in the final month of 2022 and, as usual, Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest is ready to ring in 2023 with a bang.

ABC and dick clark productions announced on Monday (Dec. 5) the jam-packed lineup of performers for this year’s event, which will take place at Disneyland, Los Angeles, New Orleans and, of course, in New York City’s Times Square.

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The pre-taped celebration at Disneyland Resort will include performances by Rockin’ Eve co-host Ciara, Fitz and the Tantrums, Maddie & Tae, Shaggy, Ben Platt, Aly & AJ, Halle Bailey, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, Bailey Zimmerman and Lauren Spencer Smith.

Over at the Los Angeles party, hosted by D-Nice, Wiz Khalifa, Finneas, Armani White, Betty Who, Dove Cameron and Nicky Youre will all take the stage. In New Orleans, co-host Billy Porter will perform a medley of his hits.

18-time host Seacrest will return to Times Square for the festivities, joined by Liza Koshy. Jessie James Decker will also join the duo in NYC as the Powerball co-host for her fourth consecutive year. 

Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2023 airs live on Saturday (Dec. 31) starting at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. ABC programming, which includes shows like Grey’s Anatomy, Abbott Elementary and more, can also be viewed on Hulu. If you’re not subscribed, Hulu is currently offering a free 30-day trial to test out the platform.

Monthly subscriptions start at $6.99 for the ad-supported plan, or $12.99 to stream ad-free, but there’s a price hike coming next month. Beginning Oct. 10, Hulu’s commercial tier will cost $14.99 a month and the commercial-free tier will increase to $7.99 a month.

06 Dec 2022

Bailey Zimmerman’s ‘Fall in Love’ Becomes First Debut Hit to Top Country Airplay Chart in 2022

Bailey Zimmerman‘s “Fall in Love” becomes the first rookie single to top Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart in 2022. The song, released on Elektra/Warner Music Nashville/WEA, jumps from No. 5 to No. 1 on the survey dated Dec. 10, up 16% to 26.5 million audience impressions in the week ending Dec. 4, according to Luminate.

The track – which Zimmerman co-authored with Gavin Lucas and Austin Shawn, who also solely produced it – marks the first Country Airplay leader for a freshman single since the chart dated Oct. 23, 2021, when Elvie Shane’s “My Boy” reached the summit.

“Two years ago, I quit my job to make music and now we have a No. 1 song,” says Zimmerman. “All I got to say is God is good and I’m very thankful for country radio and all the fans that support me and my music. Love y’all a lot!”

“Fall in Love” is the first single from Zimmerman’s debut collection Leave the Light On, which arrived on Top Country Albums at its No. 2 peak in October. The set has spent its first seven weeks in the top 10, ranking at No. 8 on the Dec. 10 tally with 17,000 equivalent album units earned Nov. 25-Dec. 1.

The 22-year-old from Louisville, Ill., worked at a meat processing plant and on a gas pipeline, among other jobs, before segueing to a career in music. He gained traction by posting videos on social media and now boasts 1.8 million followers on TikTok.

In September, Zimmerman made history when he became the first act to place three career-opening entries in the Hot Country Songs top 10 simultaneously, since the chart began as an all-encompassing genre ranking in October 1958, as “Fall in Love” accompanied “Rock and a Hard Place” and “Where It Ends.”

On the Dec. 10 Hot Country Songs chart, “Fall in Love” pushes 7-5 for a new best. It collected 7.2 million official U.S. streams and sold 2,000 downloads in the latest tracking week.

Meanwhile, “Rock” ranks at No. 9 on Hot Country Songs after it opened at its No. 2 best in June. It drew 10.8 million clicks and sold 1,000 in the latest frame. The song also rises to a new No. 44 high on Country Airplay (1.6 million, up 18%) and is now being promoted as the radio follow-up to “Fall in Love.”

‘Whiskey’ Straight Up

Nate Smith scores his first Country Airplay top 10 as his initial entry “Whiskey on You” pushes 12-10, up 8% to 18.2 million in audience.

The single, which Smith co-penned, ranks at No. 13 on Hot Country Songs after it reached No. 11 in October. It corralled 4.8 million streams and sold 1,000 downloads in the latest tracking week.

Like Zimmerman, the 23-year-old Smith, from Paradise, Calif., also scored early success on TikTok prior to signing to Sony Music Nashville’s Arista Nashville roster in November 2021.

Bryan Does ‘Good’

Zach Bryan scores his first No. 1 on Country Digital Song Sales as “The Good I’ll Do” blasts in atop the list. It sold 5,000 downloads Nov. 25-Dec. 1. The song is Bryan’s second top 10 in as many appearances, after “Something in the Orange” hit No. 4 in November.

06 Dec 2022

Judd Family Files Notice to Dismiss Lawsuit Over Naomi Judd Death Records

The family of country singer Naomi Judd on Monday filed a notice to voluntarily dismiss a lawsuit that sought to block journalists from accessing the police investigation records surrounding her death.

Judd died on April 30 at her home in Tennessee at the age of 76. Her daughter Ashley has previously said that her mother killed herself, and the family said she was lost to “the disease of mental illness.”

Judd’s family filed a petition in Williamson County Chancery Court in August seeking to seal the report of the death investigation. The petition said the records contained video and audio interviews with relatives in the immediate aftermath of Judd’s death. Releasing such details would inflict “significant trauma and irreparable harm” on the family, the petition said.

The notice filed on Monday said the family is now willing to have the lawsuit dismissed. In part that is because the journalists who requested the police records are not requesting photographs of the deceased or body cam footage taken inside the home. The notice also said a state lawmaker is introducing a bill that would make death investigation records private where the death is not the result of a crime.

The voluntary dismissal is subject to approval by a judge.

Judd, 76, killed herself with a gun on April 30 at her home in Tennessee. “We have always shared openly both the joys of being family as well its sorrows, too. One part of our story is that our matriarch was dogged by an unfair foe,” read a statement from the family in August. “She was treated for PTSD and bipolar disorder, to which millions of Americans can relate.”