Music
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After 10 (and a half years), Billy Joel has completed his one-show-a-month residency at New York’s Madison Square Garden (MSG). According to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore, Billy Joel at The Garden earned $266.7 million and sold 1.9 million tickets over 104 shows.
Joel’s residency was a steady performer since its launch in 2014. He played one show at MSG every month except for June 2017 and December 2022. The other exception was a year-and-a-half hiatus due to COVID-19, from March 2020 through October 2021, plus January 2022 in the height of the first Omicron wave. All 104 shows sold out, averaging 18,604 tickets per night. Playing in the round, he out-sold the average MSG act, typically scaled to 13,000-15,000 seats.
While attendance remained consistent, ticket prices and grosses grew over the course of his decade at the arena. Joel’s 2014 shows averaged $2 million per show, steadily creeping up to $2.5 million by 2019. Upon returning from the pandemic, dynamic pricing and new platinum ticketing sent earnings soaring, from an average of $2.7 million in 2022 to $3.2 million in 2023, and up 49% to $4.7 million this year.
Joel’s final MSG show topped the entire run, bringing in more than $5 million from 18,576 tickets on July 25. That’s more than double the sub-$2 million revenue from the opening show on Jan. 27, 2014.
Ultimately, Billy Joel at The Garden is the third-highest grossing concert residency in Billboard Boxscore history, passing U2’s brief-but-powerful opening run at Las Vegas’ Sphere. The only artist with bigger totals is Celine Dion. The Canadian diva’s A New Day… residency ran from 2003 to 2007 at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace and grossed $385.1 million, while her follow-up, simply titled Celine, brought in $296.2 million from 2011 to 2019.
Though Joel’s career pre-dates the mid-1980s launch of Boxscore reporting, there is record of his presence at MSG before his sprawling residency. He played 12 shows between January and April of 2006, earning $19.2 million from 226,000 tickets. More than 18,800 fans rang in Y2K with him, on a $4.5 million gross on Dec. 31, 1999. He moved more than 100,000 tickets during a six-show run in December 1998, and before that in October 1993.
Though Joel stayed loyal to MSG while in New York, he played various isolated stadium shows around the world, plus co-headline dates with Stevie Nicks and Sting.
In all, Joel has grossed $1.2 billion and sold 15.3 million tickets across 841 reported shows, dating back to 1986.
Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are making friendship bracelets, taking the moment and tasting it after earning Taylor Swift‘s endorsement.
Soon after the pop star finally broke her silence on the 2024 presidential election, throwing her support behind the Democratic ticket with an Instagram post signed “Childless Cat Lady” Tuesday night (Sept. 10), the VP and her running mate unveiled beaded bracelets spelling out “Harris-Walz” on their online store. The accessories have become a staple in Swiftie culture since the beginning of the Eras Tour, and now, American fans voting blue this year can show their support while adding a new token to their wrists.
“Are you ready for it? 🔥 Harris-Walz friendship bracelets have hit the store!” Team Kamala tweeted just after Swift gave her seal of approval.
At press time, the bracelets are already sold out. Listed at $20 for a pack of two, the accessories will help raise money for the Harris Victory Fund.
The new merchandise comes amid celebrations across the Democratic party over finally securing Swift’s public approval, with the “Karma” singer’s endorsement having arguably been the most highly anticipated of any celebrity. Swift ended up waiting to speak out until moments after Harris finished debating Republican opponent Donald Trump on ABC News, sharing an outtake from her 2023 TIME Person of the Year photoshoot — featuring her cat Benjamin Button — and writing that she was backing Harris “because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them.”
“I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos,” the 14-time Grammy winner continued in her message, racking up 8-million-plus “likes” in the span of 12 hours. “I was so heartened and impressed by her selection of running mate @timwalz, who has been standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman’s right to her own body for decades.”
Since then, Harris has used Swift’s Lover single “The Man” at a post-debate appearance, and Walz has said that he’s “incredibly grateful” to the star. “I say that as a fellow cat owner,” he added in a post-debate interview with MSNBC. “That was eloquent and that was clear and that’s the type of courage we need in America to stand up.”
Trump also weighed in. “She’s a very liberal person, she seems to always endorse a Democrat and she’ll probably pay a price for it in the marketplace,” the twice-impeached ex-POTUS told Fox & Friends of the musician. “I like Brittany [Mahomes], I think Brittany’s great. Brittany got a lot of news last week she’s a big MAGA fan, that’s the one I like much better than Taylor Swift.”
See the Swift-inspired Harris-Walz friendship bracelets below.
The Toronto Film Festival premiere of Pharrell Williams‘ LEGO-fied animated biopic Piece By Piece on Tuesday night (Sept. 10) was interrupted by an animal rights protester who stormed the stage during a Q&A session after the screening of the film.
The unnamed woman ran on stage at the Princess of Wales Theatre waving a sign that read: “Pharrell stop supporting killing animals for fashion” and decrying the singer’s use of wild animal skins and furs in his role as creative director of the Louis Vuitton men’s collection; Williams was named as Louis Vuitton’s men’s creative director in Feb. 2023. Shouting “Pharrell stop torturing animals!,” the activist scurried away from security guards chasing her and hopped onto the floor in front of the stage as Williams addressed her directly.
“You know what? You’re right,” he said in video of the moment as she continued her protest, repeatedly telling her “you’re right… God bless you” as the crowd erupted into applause. “It’s okay. Everybody give her a round of applause please,” Williams added as he encouraged the audience to repeat “God bless you” while security escorted the woman out of the auditorium.
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Once she was removed, Williams took a moment to address her protest, saying, “You know, Rome wasn’t made in a day and sometimes when you have plans to change things and situations you have to get in a position of power and influence where you can change people’s minds and help progression.”
He then seemed to offer that the protest was not the best way to affect change in the fashion industry, while suggesting that he’s already trying to turn the tide behind the scenes. “That’s not necessarily the way to do it and sitting in my position, when I have conversations on behalf of organizations like that, unbeknownst to them, they come out here and do themselves a disservice,” he said. “That’s okay, when that change comes everybody in this room will remember that I told you we’re actually working on that. And if she would have just asked me, I would have told her. But instead she wanted to repeat herself.”
In an Instagram post about the interruption, PETA wrote, “We CRASHED @pharrell’s @piecebypiecefilm premiere at @tiff_net to remind the @louisvuitton men’s creative director that animals suffer for fur & wildlife skins. Do the right thing and switch to faux & vegan alternatives NOW!”
Back in June 2023, PETA executive vice president Tracy Reiman issued a statement responding to Williams’ use of fur in his then-new collection for the fashion house. “Instead of being the creative innovator Louis Vuitton desperately needs to stay relevant, Pharrell Williams debuted a collection that belongs in a history museum. Tormenting and killing animals to wear bits of their body parts alienates today’s socially conscious consumers, who are driving the demand for luxurious vegan materials that leave animals in peace. If mutilating animals makes Williams happy, PETA hopes his stint at Louis Vuitton will be as short-lived as the animals who suffer for his awful fashion sense.”
The animal rights organization said at the time that it had sent a letter to Williams urging him to ban fur and reptile skins in his role at LV, sharing links to an investigation by PETA Asia that claimed “rampant animal abuse at facilities that supply Louis Vuitton’s parent company, LVMH,” including a graphic description of the way the company’s workers treat crocodiles.
In a statement after the TIFF interruption, Reiman said that the organization would like to stop disrupting Williams’ appearances, “but despite a lot of lip service, he’s yet to ditch fur and exotic skins. Pharrell can decide in a heartbeat, today, to use his power for good and stop being complicit in cruelty — it’s quite easy to be kind.”
The Hollywood Reporter reported that PETA activists also protested a press and industry screening for the Morgan Neville-directed film that also features the voices of many of the 13-time Grammy winner’s past collaborators, including Gwen Stefani, Kendrick Lamar, Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Busta Rhymes and Jay-Z.
The movie, which features two new songs by Pharrell, will hit theaters on Oct. 11.
Check out PETA’s footage of the incident below.
This one is for the veteran hip-hop heads. LL Cool J and Eminem take fans back in time as they recreate some memorable moments for their “Murdergram Deux” music video, which was released on Wednesday (Sept. 11). Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news LL and Em traveled to […]
From Chappell Roan to Sabrina Carpenter, Megan Thee Stallion and beyond, more than a dozen major performers are ready and hot to go for the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards. Hosted by the “Hiss” rapper, this year’s VMAs will celebrate the award show’s 40th birthday with a live ceremony at New York’s UBS Arena Wednesday […]
And then there were three. On Wednesday (Sept. 11), MTV announced the three finalists for best new artist: Chappell Roan, Gracie Abrams and Tyla.
That means the road ends here for the other three previously announced candidates for the award: Benson Boone, Shaboozey and Teddy Swims.
Abrams is the only one of these six artists who has not had a top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. Abrams’ highest charting hit, “Us” (featuring Taylor Swift), reached No. 36. Abrams was the opening act for numerous dates on Swift’s Eras Tour in the U.S. and Canada. She co-wrote “Us” with Swift and Aaron Dessner, and co-produced it with those two musicians and also Jack Antonoff.
Ironically, the three artists who did not advance to the final round had the highest charting Hot 100 hits of these six performers. Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” is currently in its ninth week at No. 1. Swims’ “Lose Control” hit No. 1 in March, while Boone’s “Beautiful Things” reached No. 2 in March.
Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!” climbed as high as No. 6 in August. Tyla’s “Water reached No. 7 in January.
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Looking for clues about the upcoming Grammy race for best new artist? Of the three VMA finalists for best new artist, Roan is the only one who will be eligible in the upcoming Grammy contest. Abrams was nominated for best new artist at the Grammys in February. Tyla won a Grammy in February in another category, best African music performance, which makes her ineligible.
The 2024 VMAs will air live on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET/PT across MTV’s global footprint, including BET, BET Her, CMT, Comedy Central, Logo, MTV, MTV2, Nick at Nite, Paramount Network, Pop, TV Land, VH1 and Univision.
Voting for best new artist will continue at vote.mtv.com into the show and, for the first time by an awards show, via WhatsApp through QR code or direct link found on the website.
Hosted by Nessa, Dometi Pongo and Kevan Kenney, the 90-minute live VMAs pre-show special airs from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on MTV, MTV2, CMT and Logo.
Bruce Gillmer and Den of Thieves co-founder Jesse Ignjatovic are executive producers. Barb Bialkowski is co-executive producer. Alicia Portugal and Jackie Barba are executives in charge of production. Wendy Plaut is executive in charge of celebrity talent. Lisa Lauricella is music talent executive.
Here are the VMA best new artist finalists.
Chappell Roan – Island
Gracie Abrams – Interscope Records
Tyla – Epic Records
Superstars Thalia, Eden Muñoz and Yandel have been added to the lineup of Billboard Latin Music 2024, taking place October 14-18 at the Fillmore in Miami Beach. The three stars join a group of more than 50 speakers and performers now confirmed for the five day event that kicks off Oct. 14 and runs through Friday, October 18, with the 35th anniversary celebration gala. Previously confirmed speakers include fellow superstars J Balvin, Peso Pluma, JOP, Alejandro Sanz, Gloria Estefan, Young Miko, Lele Pons, Eslabón Armado, Danny Ocean, Yahritza y su Esencia, Belinda, Bad Gyal, Mon Laferte, Fat Joe, , Keityn, Kunno, Luis Alfonso, Lupita Infante, Majo Aguilar, Marko, Mau y Ricky, Mon Laferte, N.O.R.E., Omar Courtz, Paola Jara, Peso Pluma, Pipe Bueno, Sophia Talamas, Yeison Jiménez, Yeri Mua, Zhamira Zambrano, and many more.
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The three new additions represent three distinctly different subgenres of Latin music.
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Global sensation Thalia returns to Billboard Latin Music Week for an open discussion about mental health and stardom with previously confirmed Argentine superstar Maria Becerra. Celebrated Regional Mexican artist Eden Muñoz will take part in the “Why Are There 50 Writers on My Song?” panel alongside songwriter Keityn, producer Sergio George, and moderator Pierre Hachar. The panel will provide an insider’s perspective on how much a hit song is worth and who gets songwriter credit. Urban music icon Yandel will participate in “ELYTE: The beginning and future of the genre,” with Yandel and friends panel presented by Warner Music.
“We are thrilled to welcome Latin icons Thalia, Eden Muñoz, and Yandel to Billboard Latin Music Week as we celebrate our 35th anniversary,” said Leila Cobo, Billboard’s Chief Content Officer for Latin/Español. “These artists and their trajectories embody the energy, diversity, and impact of Latin music today. We look forward to hosting meaningful conversations and unforgettable experiences that will resonate with fans and industry professionals alike.”
Celebrating its 35th anniversary, Billboard Latin Music Week is the longest-running and biggest Latin music industry gathering in the world—a must-attend event for new, established, and upcoming artists, executives, and industry leaders alike. The 2024 edition will feature exclusive panel conversations and performances by Latin music’s biggest stars, as well as workshops, showcases, networking opportunities, and more.
To register and access the full schedule of events, visit Billboardlatinmusicweek.com.
Billboard Latin Music Week sponsors include Azzaro Parfums, Cheetos, Chevron, DoorDash, Johnnie Walker Blended Scotch Whisky, Smirnoff, Smirnoff Ice, Ulta Beauty and Walmart. This year, for the first time, attendees can purchase weeklong and day passes to tailor their experience at Latin Music Week.
A year after Joe Jonas filed for divorce from former Game of Thrones actress Sophie Turner, a Florida judge declared the former couple divorced and single. According to a copy of the agreement obtained by Billboard, on Friday a Miami-Dade County judge approved a confidential, moderated agreement between the two that splits their assets and details spousal support and custody of the pair’s two daughters, four-year-old Willa and two-year-old Delphine.
The sign-off came a year after the 35-year-old Jonas Brothers singer filed for divorce from Turner, 28, ending their five-year marriage. Judge Gina Beovides declared the marriage “irretrievably broken” and said the couple entered into a voluntary, confidential parenting plan and separation agreement that was in the best interest of the family. “Specifically as relates to the parties’ Parenting Plan, [Jonas] previously voluntarily dismissed all relief and claims sought in relation to said Parenting Plan,” read Judge Beovides’ final judgement paperwork, dated Sept. 6.
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Before their split became acrimonious over a disagreement over custody of their children, the couple issued a joint statement last September in which they said they were parting on friendly terms. “After four wonderful years of marriage we have mutually decided to amicably end our marriage,” their announcement began. “There are many speculative narratives as to why but, truly this is a united decision and we sincerely hope that everyone can respect our wishes for privacy for us and our children.”
At the time Jonas filed for divorce he deemed the marriage “irretrievably broken” and filed paperwork seeking joint custody of the children. The former couple first met in 2016 before tying the knot in two ceremonies in 2019, a surprise Las Vegas wedding in May of that year, followed by a lavish wedding at the next month in the South of France.
Weeks after Jonas’ divorce filing, English actress Turner sued her ex for custody of their daughters, alleging that the singer had engaged in “wrongful retention of of two children… from their habitual residence of England,” in a bid to force Jonas to hand over the girls’ passports so they could join her in her native country.
At the time, the girls — who were born in the U.S. but have dual citizenship — were with Jonas in New York while he was on tour with the Jonas Brothers; Turner claimed that the couple had agreed to raise their children in England before the marriage fractured. She also claimed that she learned about the divorce filing through media reports, though he said they had discussed it several times.
In January, Turner dropped her “wrongful retention” suit when the pair reached a co-parenting agreement.
On Sept. 11, 1999, Chely Wright’s “Single White Female” hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. Carolyn Dawn Johnson and Shaye Smith wrote the song, the lead single and title track from Wright’s set that Tony Brown, Buddy Cannon and Norro Wilson produced. Wright was born on Oct. 25, 1970, in Kansas City, Mo. She followed her […]
Frankie Beverly, the honey-coated baritone frontman for the soul and funk group Maze, has died. He was 77. His family announced his Sept. 10 passing on Facebook Wednesday (Sept. 11). A cause of death has not been revealed. The post, signed by The Beverly Family, reads as follows: “Grieving the loss of a loved one […]