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Taylor Swift Becomes First Act to Spend 100 Weeks at No. 1 on Billboard Artist 100 Chart

Taylor Swift makes Billboard chart history by becoming the first artist to spend 100 total weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Artist 100.

The Artist 100 measures artists’ activity across key metrics of music consumption: album sales, track sales, radio airplay and streaming. Using a methodology comprising those metrics, the chart provides a weekly multi-dimensional ranking of artist popularity.

Billboard launched the Artist 100 in July 2014. Since then, Swift’s No. 1 run is more than twice as long as any other act’s. Here’s an updated look at the artists with the most weeks spent at the top spot (through the latest, March 2, 2024-dated survey).

Most Weeks at No. 1 on Billboard Artist 100:
100, Taylor Swift
38, Drake
28, The Weeknd
21, BTS
20, Adele
15, Ariana Grande
15, Ed Sheeran
14, Justin Bieber
14, Post Malone
13, Morgan Wallen
12, Billie Eilish

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Swift continues her tear atop the Artist 100 thanks to the continued success of her catalog. Her music generated the most streams among all artists in the Feb. 16-22 tracking week, according to Luminate, while she was also the most-heard artist on radio and the top-selling artist, in terms of both combined album and digital song sales.



That chart domination results in two currently-charting songs on the Billboard Hot 100 – “Cruel Summer” at No. 7 and “Is It Over Now? (Taylor’s Version) [From the Vault]” at No. 18 – and 10 albums on the Billboard 200: No. 6, 1989 (Taylor’s Version); No. 7, Lover; No. 9, Midnights; No. 15, Folklore; No. 21, reputation; No. 29, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version); No. 31, Red (Taylor’s Version); No. 34, Evermore; No. 58, Fearless (Taylor’s Version); and No. 65, 1989.

As Swift spends a milestone 100th week at No. 1 on the Artist 100, she also logs a landmark 500th total week on the chart. She’s the second-longest-charting act in the list’s history, after Drake, who reached the mark four weeks ago.

Here’s a breakdown of the metrics contributing to Swift’s historic week on the Artist 100.

Streaming

Swift continues her record run at No. 1 on the Artist 100 due, in large part, to her streaming consumption totals. Over Feb. 16-22, Swift’s catalog garnered a combined 319.4 million on-demand official U.S. streams, according to Luminate (encompassing songs on which she has lead artist billing). That makes her the most-streamed artist of the week.

Her songs that generated the most streams in that span: “Cruel Summer” (13.7 million), “Is It Over Now (Taylor’s Version) [From the Vault]” (7.6 million), “Anti-Hero” (7.5 million), “Lover” (6.7 million) and “Karma,” featuring Ice Spice (6 million).

Radio Airplay

Swift was also the most-heard artist on the radio Feb. 16-22. Songs by Swift earned a combined 177.3 million radio airplay audience impressions in that span.

The songs that earned the most impressions: “Is It Over Now” (49.8 million, making it the fifth most-heard song across all formats, as reflected on the Radio Songs chart), “Cruel Summer” (48.4 million; the sixth most-heard song overall), “Anti-Hero” (16.5 million), “Karma” (10.3 million) and “Blank Space” (28.3 million).

Swift is also currently charting on the following radio rankings:

Pop Airplay: “Is It Over Now?” (No. 4) and “Cruel Summer” (No. 12)
Adult Pop Airplay: “Cruel Summer” (No. 3) and “Is It Over Now?” (No. 4)
Adult Contemporary: “Cruel Summer” (No. 1 for a fifth week), “Anti-Hero” (No. 5), “Is It Over Now?” (No. 17) and “Bad Blood (Taylor’s Version)” (No. 29)
Dance/Mix Show Airplay: “Is It Over Now?” (No. 22)

Album Consumption

Swift is additionally the top artist of the week in terms of album consumption. Her albums earned a combined 297,000 equivalent album units in the latest tracking week, the biggest total among all acts.

Here’s a breakdown of her album sales Feb. 16-22:

Overall album sales: 60,000, the most among all artists
Vinyl sales: 33,000, the most among all artists
CD sales: 20,000, the most among all artists

Swift’s top-selling albums of the week: 1989 (Taylor’s Version) (11,000 copies sold; it’s No. 3 on the Top Album Sales chart), Lover (9,000; No. 4), Midnights (7,000; No. 7), Folklore (7,000; No. 8) and Evermore (5,000; No. 15).

As for her albums selling the most on vinyl: Folklore (6,000; No. 1 on the Vinyl Albums chart), 1989 (Taylor’s Version) (5,000; No. 2), Lover (5,000; No. 5), Midnights (4,000; No. 8) and Evermore (3,000; No. 11).

Digital Song Sales

Finally, Swift is also the top-selling artist of the week in terms of digital song sales. Swift’s songs sold a combined 36,000 downloads Feb. 16-22.

Her songs selling the most downloads in that tracking period: “Cruel Summer,” “Anti-Hero,” “You’re Losing Me (From the Vault)” (2,000 each), “Karma” (1,000), and “Love Story (Taylor’s Version)” (1,000 each).

‘The Perfect Spring Wardrobe’: Lainey Wilson Picks Her Favorite Looks from Wrangler – Here’s What’s Still in Stock

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

Lainey Wilson wants to get you wardrobe-ready, cowgirl-style. The country star teamed with Wrangler to curate her latest collection of favorite looks from the brand’s Spring/Summer ’24 collection.

The Lainey Wilson Edit is a collection of classic denim jeans and timeless western-wear staples, such as a denim cowboy snap shirt, denim vest, denim shirt and a Long Live Cowboys Rodeo Shirt (currently out of stock). Wilson’s latest Wrangler collaboration dropped Thursday (Feb. 22), and it’s flying off the shelves as many of the shirts have either sold out or are low in stock.

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“The Lainey Edit is here y’all! I have picked out my favorite Wrangler styles for the perfect spring wardrobe,” Wilson excitedly announced on Instagram. “From top to Bell Bottom, you better hustle before they’re all gone!”

Wilson announced a partnership with Wrangler last year, which was accompanied by a collection of her favorite pieces for winter 2023.

“I have been devoted to the western lifestyle all my life, and there’s nothing that feels more like home than a pair of Wrangler jeans,” she said at the time of the announcement. “Teaming up with this brand feels like the perfect fit and there are so many new, exciting and trendy styles for women in the upcoming collection, including my favorite bell bottom flare pieces.”

Besides women’s clothing, Wilson picked out a few cute looks for country girls — including bootcut jeans, shirts and cuffed denim shorts.

The singer, who won female country artist of the year at the 2024 People’s Choice Awards and appeared on Dolly Parton’s Pet Gala on Feb. 21, will be hitting the road for the Country’s Cool Again Tour launching in May.

Shop Wilson’s picks below.

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Atlantic Music Group Announces Layoffs, Additional Resources for ‘New Skill Sets’

Atlantic Music Group chairman/CEO Julie Greenwald announced layoffs of about two dozen people Monday (Feb. 26), primarily in the radio and video departments, in an internal memo to staff obtained by Billboard. As part of the announcement, Greenwald also said the company would be “bringing on new and additional skill sets in social media, content creation, community building and audience insights,” with the goal of “dial[ing] up our fan focus and help[ing] artists tell their stories in ways that resonate.”

Greenwald, who has been at Atlantic Records for 20 years, was named chairman/CEO of the newly-formed Atlantic Music Group in October of 2022, with oversight of Atlantic Records and its subsidiaries (Atco, Big Beat, Canvasback) as well as 300 Elektra Entertainment, which includes 300, Elektra, Fueled By Ramen, Roadrunner, Low Country Sound, DTA and Public Consumption. In that role, she is still co-chair/COO of Atlantic Records alongside co-chair/CEO Craig Kallman.

“Our artists today need more support from us than ever — in a world that’s getting noisier, faster, and more fiercely competitive,” Greenwald wrote. “We have to do more, but at the same time, our approach has to be authentic, bold, and bespoke to individual artists. We can’t impact culture if we don’t have the right mix of people who live that culture. That’s why we need dedicated teams of multi-talented, ambidextrous people — our ‘SWAT teams’ — who encircle the artist and do everything possible to help achieve their full potential.”

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The news comes three weeks after Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl announced that WMG would be cutting its staff by 10%, or some 600 employees, amid a broader reallocation of resources that will involve selling its owned and operated media properties, such as HipHopDX and Uproxx. That move came the same day that Warner announced it had had its best quarter ever, with revenue up 17% to $1.75 billion, and that the moves would be about freeing up some $200 million to reinvest in the company.

However, Greenwald made a point to write that this move was not about merging or shuttering labels, but about repositioning the label group for the future. “We’ve all heard the same industry rumors about labels being reduced or merged into one another. I can tell you: this is not that,” she wrote. “We’re deeply committed to the unique cultures across our labels, led by 300, Elektra and Atlantic. Craig, Kevin [Liles, CEO of 300 Elektra], and I passionately believe these identities are crucial to attracting great artists and building great careers. We want artists to be choiceful about the culture and team they belong with, just as we’re thoughtful about deciding which artists we’re signing.”

Read Greenwald’s full note to staff below.

Dear Atlantic, Elektra and 300,

Two weeks ago, during the all hands call you heard Robert and Max talk about the evolution of our music company. They tasked us last year to examine our staffing and ask the tough question, how do we achieve maximum impact for our artists in this ever changing landscape?

As hard as it is to say goodbye to our friends and valued colleagues, it is critical that we keep retooling the company and add new resources and skill sets to our business units. I have now been at Atlantic for 20 years. The company has grown and evolved tremendously, because we have not been afraid to implement change and add new marketers, new A & R, new data and research and even new labels. Always evolving but with a consistent North Star : sign the best musicians and commit to the hardest work of building real careers through true artist development.

Our artists today need more support from us than ever – in a world that’s getting noisier, faster, and more fiercely competitive. We have to do more, but at the same time, our approach has to be authentic, bold, and bespoke to individual artists. We can’t impact culture if we don’t have the right mix of people who live that culture. That’s why we need dedicated teams of multi-talented, ambidextrous people – our ‘SWAT teams’ – who encircle the artist and do everything possible to help achieve their full potential.  

The changes we’re making today are primarily happening in our radio and video teams. We’ll preserve our industry-leading position in those areas, while bringing on new and additional skill sets in social media, content creation, community building and audience insights. This will allow us to dial up our fan focus and help artists tell their stories in ways that resonate.

As part of this shift, I’m sorry to say about two dozen people will be leaving us from across our three labels and their imprints. We’ve already informed everyone who is impacted. I know we will all support each other, even more than usual, and I deeply appreciate your empathy and understanding. 

We’ve all heard the same industry rumors about labels being reduced or merged into one another. I can tell you: this is not that. We’re deeply committed to the unique cultures across our labels, led by 300, Elektra and Atlantic. Craig, Kevin, and I passionately believe these identities are crucial to attracting great artists and building great careers. We want artists to be choiceful about the culture and team they belong with, just as we’re thoughtful about deciding which artists we’re signing. 

Right now, there’s incredible music coming through from artists across the entire group. We have some of our biggest superstars returning, and some extraordinary new artists we’re building in a very real way. We’re taking the right step into the future, and I hope you’ll continue to share your ideas with senior management so we can continually improve. 

Thank you.

Julie

Travis Kelce’s Dad Calls Out Bethenny Frankel for Saying His Son Is Too Much of a ‘Peacock’ for Taylor Swift

Ed Kelce doesn’t mess around when it comes to his boys. Days after Bethenny Frenkel voiced her doubts about Travis Kelce‘s relationship with Taylor Swift in an Instagram video, the tight end’s father succinctly called her out.

Sharing a news article about Frenkel’s comments on Facebook, the Kelce patriarch simply wrote: “Who TF is this troll?”

Ed’s followers on the platform were quick to back him up, with one person commenting, “No one of importance Papa Kelce … Haters gonna hate.”

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In her Feb. 16 Instagram video, Frankel had said that Travis “loves to be the center of attention” and compared the Kansas City Chiefs tight end to someone she dated in the past. “It’s all fun and games now, but when you get into real life, and you get into kids and marriage and things like that, and you get into long distance, it’s not easy,” she warned. “Relationships take work.”

“It’s hard because Taylor Swift is certainly a peacock,” she added at the time. “There really usually can only be one peacock in a relationship.”

The Real Housewives of New York City alum also touched on Travis’ display of excitement after winning the 2024 Super Bowl earlier this month, particularly the moment he shouted out one of Las Vegas’ signature songs during his post-game speech as Swift watched proudly from the field.

“I could never be in a relationship with someone who needed to stand up and grab the microphone and sing and scream ‘Viva Las Vegas,’” Frankel said. “That’s really exciting and electric in the beginning, but it does wear on you. It physically wears on you, it emotionally wears on you.”

The “Anti-Hero” singer has hung out with Travis’ dad at a couple of the athlete’s games since Tayvis first went public in September. At the big game in Las Vegas on Feb. 11, she shared a box suite at Allegiant Stadium with Ed as well as her beau’s mom, Donna, and his brother, Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce.

“She’s very smart,” Ed said of Swift in an October interview, adding that the musician is a “very sweet, very charming, down-to-earth young woman.” “We’re sitting in the suite, she gets up and in the front room, she gets up to go get a drink or something and she starts picking up empty bottles, cans, plates that are scattered around.”

But if Frankel is correct, and both Taylor and Travis are “peacocks,” at least the couple is going to the right places together: Over the weekend, they went on a date to the Sydney Zoo during the pop star’s downtime on the Australian leg of her Eras Tour. Later, the football star caught one of his girlfriend’s shows at Accor Stadium, where he was spotted dancing along next to Katy Perry and Rita Ora and handing out guitar picks to fans.

Super Saiyan Racist Trump Claims Indictments Reason Black Voters “Embraced” Him

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Former President Donald Trump Speaks At The Black Conservative Federation's Honor Gala In South Carolina

Source: Sean Rayford / Getty

Donald Trump suggested that Black voters “embraced” him due to his numerous indictments in a campaign speech over the weekend among other claims.

The history between Donald Trump and the Black community is inherently bad due to the former president’s long history of racist words and deeds against them. But the most egregious example might have been his most recent speech last Friday (February 23) where he claimed that “the Black population” embraced his mugshot taken in Fulton County, Georgia more than others. “You see Black people walking around with my mug shot, you know, they do shirts, and they sell them for $19 apiece. It’s pretty amazing — millions by the way,” he said to the crowd at the Black Conservative Federation Gala held in Columbia, South Carolina.

Amid a smattering of faint applause, Trump decided to continue with a speech soaked with so much racism that many observers were shocked and appalled. He compared his current situation of being found guilty of fraud in New York and his pending cases for allegedly interfering with the 2020 presidential election) to the centuries of hardship that Black Americans have dealt with. “I got indicted a second time and a third time and a fourth time, and a lot of people said that that’s why the Black people like me, because they have been hurt so badly and discriminated against, and they actually viewed me as I’m being discriminated against,” he said.

Trump would also go on to claim that he was “being indicted for you, the Black population” and create another bizarre moment prompted by the room’s lighting: “The lights are so bright in my eyes that I can’t see too many people out there. But I can only see the Black ones. I can’t see any white ones, you see? That’s how far I’ve come. That’s how far I’ve come. That’s a long — that’s a long way, isn’t it? Ah, we’ve come a long way together.”

The backlash to Trump’s remarks was swift. “It goes past politics. The nerve to act like we relate to mug shots — we all know mug shots because the criminal justice system, in many cases, wasn’t fair to us,” said social justice activist Rev. Al Sharpton.

Nikki Haley, Trump’s opponent in the primary, also blasted him over the remarks, calling them a “huge warning sign.”

Tina Knowles’ Brother, Rowland Martin ‘Butch’ Buyincé, Dead at 77

Rowland Martin Buyincé, uncle to Beyoncé and Tina Knowles‘ older brother, died over the weekend. He was 77 years old.

Knowles took to Instagram on Monday (Feb. 26) to announce the news and pay tribute her brother, who was affectionately known as Butch. “My Beautiful big brother Butch went to be with God this weekend. I will miss him so much,” she wrote alongside a throwback military photo of Butch. “He was a career Air Force man. He loved riding Motorcycles, was a black Belt in Karate, and had the most beautiful green eyes and good looks. He was a great story teller,” Tina continued. “He had an incredible wife Jeanette and devoted daughter Dana two beautiful grandchildren Yvette and Roland. He was greatly loved. Sail on Butch. Rowland Martin (Butch) Buyincé June 1946 – Feb 2024 RIP.”

See her post here.

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Knowles remains the biggest supporter of her family. Last week, Knowles came to Beyoncé’s defense after the release of her country-tinged “Texas Hold ‘Em,” after haters questioned her claim to country music. “We have always celebrated cowboy culture growing up in Texas. We also always understood that it was not just about it belonging to white culture only. In Texas there is a huge Black cowboy culture. Why do you think that my kids have integrated it into their fashion and art since the beginning?” Knowles wrote in the caption of a video compilation of country-themed Beyoncé photo shoots. “When people ask why is Beyoncé wearing cowboy hats? It’s really funny, I actually laugh because it’s been there since she was a kid. We went to rodeos every year and my whole family dressed in western fashion… It definitely was a part of our culture growing up.”

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Kanye West Puts Adidas on Blast for Releasing ‘Fake Yeezys,’ Claims Company Is ‘Suing’ Him for $250M

Kanye West has called out Adidas once again after the apparel giant has moved forward with releasing what he calls “fake” Yeezy 350s, which the rapper claims are an unapproved design.

West — who now goes by Ye — got wind of Adidas’ plans to greenlight the “Steel Grey” 350 V2s featuring his designs and put his former business partner on blast on Instagram Monday (Feb. 26) while essentially calling for a boycott.

“Anybody who loves Ye would not buy these fake Yeezys I never made these color ways I’m not getting paid off of them and adidas is suing me,” he wrote in part in a lengthy caption alongside a screenshot of a photo of the footwear. “All the new non-approved 350’s are cooorny and everybody know the 350 been corny.”

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Shortly after, Ye posted a video to Instagram explaining his feud with Adidas, and claimed the company was suing him while trying to sell the Yeezy line.

“Not only are they putting out fake colorways that are non-approved, they’re suing me for $250 million and they’re also not paying me for these shoes that they’re putting out that have my name on it,” he claimed, speaking through his titanium dentures.

A spokesman for Adidas did not return a request for comment from Billboard.

Ye’s statements came after Adidas announced Monday that it would sell some of its remaining Yeezy inventory — a tricky problem for the company after splitting with Ye in 2022 following his string of hate speech and antisemitic comments. Since discontinuing the partnership, Adidas says it has donated some proceeds from such sales to groups that “combat discrimination and hate, including racism and antisemitism.” 

As of Monday afternoon, there’s no evidence that Adidas has filed any kind of new lawsuit against West or his companies. But last year, Adidas disclosed that it had filed a private arbitration case against West’s Yeezy LLC in December 2022 on the grounds that West’s “racist, antisemitic, and other offensive public statements and conduct” had violated their partnership agreement and had caused “considerable damage to its brand.”

In claiming on Monday that Adidas was “suing” him, West could be referring to that arbitration case. It’s unclear whether $250 million is at stake in that case, or even whether that case is still ongoing, since arbitration proceedings are — by design — litigated behind closed doors.

There had appeared to be a possible path toward reconciliation between Ye and Adidas after the rapper was photographed meeting with the company CEO Bjorn Gulden last week, but that doesn’t look to be the case any longer.

The company started to sell Yeezy products again in May 2023 after cutting ties with the Chicago-bred rap star, and attempted to freeze $75 million worth of Yeezy funds in his bank account. A judge overturned the order to freeze the money a week later.

6 Cute Cloud Slippers That’ll Swaddle Your Feet In Comfort

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

Cloud slippers (also known as pillow slippers or cloud slides) are just one of the many popular social media trends that TikTok has skyrocketed to fame. If you haven’t heard of the viral shoes, the slides have gained popularity not just for their pillow-like cushioning, but for being a comfortable sandal you can wear year-round, whether you’re lounging at home or traveling to your next concert or festival.

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Soft and fuzzy slippers may provide warmth and comfort, but once the weather warms up, it’s like the equivalent of wrapping your feet in a sherpa jacket. That’s why we prefer switching to cloud slippers instead. Putting on a pair of cloud slides won’t just help keep your feet cozy and breathable throughout the day, but they also provide other benefits like waterproofness and year-round wearability. The pillow slippers have a similar style to the classic slides, but come with some major differences that help them rank higher in our books.

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What Are Cloud Slippers?

Unlike typical slides and slippers, which can be made with rubber or teak, cloud slippers are usually designed with ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), which is a foam-like material known for its shock absorption and breathability. It’s also an easy to clean material that requires just water, soap and a rag to wipe clean once dirty. The foam material also offers a bit more support for your feet, so you can wear them throughout the day without worrying about you feet becoming achy.

What Are the Best Cloud Slippers?

To help you discover the right style for your shoe rotation, Billboard Shopping went through social media and user reviews to discover the best cloud slippers to buy online. Whether you’re shopping for yourself or need a thoughtful gender-neutral gift, we’ve got you and your feet covered below.

Amazon

editor’s pick

Bronax Unisex Pillow Slippers

$23.99

$35.99

33% off

Not only are these pillow slippers on sale for less than $25, but they come with more than 33,000 verified five-star reviews on Amazon. Shoppers are raving over how “they literally feel like I’m walking on a cloud” and can be worn “either with or without socks.” The brand also claims the EVA material can help with foot pain, according to the product description.

Amazon

tiktok pick

Posee Pillow Slippers

TikTokers can’t seem to stop praising the Posee Pillow Slippers for their comfort, flexibility and lightweight feel. The style comes in eight shades and is labeled an Amazon’s Choice for men’s slippers by Posee. TikToker @eile3_n even claims the cloud slippers are pregnant mom-approved, which you can see in her video, which has gained 1.2 million views.

Amazon

wide pick

Joomra Women’s Pillow Slippers

$23.74

$29.99

21% off

Consider these statement pillow slippers a big mooood if you’re looking to show off your bolder side. It comes in an adorable cow print as well as 19 other shades to stock up on. Verified reviewers like the wide foot vamp and deep heel cup that’ll help keep your feet more secure.

Nike

travel-friendly pick

Nike Calm

Nike’s cloud slippers are available in a black or white shade, perfect for those who prefer a minimalist look. Reviewers claim the slides are “lightweight” making them easier to pack and wear without feeling weighed down. Nike has always made some of the best slides for men and women, and these stylish and modern cloud slippers are no exception.

Lululemon

post-workout pick

Restfeel Women’s Slide

Lululemon’s soft cloud slippers look to envelop your feet in total comfort — especially post-workout. The footbed features a soft foam material layered over firmer foam for added support and coziness while the bottom is made with heel-to-toe rubber for more traction and stability.

Alo Yoga

splurge-worthy pick

Cloud It Slide

Alo’s puffer cloud slippers have been described by reviewers as “Literally like walking on a cloud!” and we agree. As one reviewer says, “These have become my fave thing to wear on my feet. The support they offer for arched feet is unmatched.” The upper features a quilted puffer design while the sole is a thick rubber material that’s also anti-slip. They’re great to help your feet recover post-workout and great for elite athletes too.

For more product recommendations, check out our roundups of the best platform boots, jelly shoes and platform heels.

BossMan Dlow Hopes the Success of ‘Get in With Me’ Helps Him Climb: ‘I Wanna Be at the Top’

Alamo Records continues to stockpile its talent after the fast rise of Florida native BossMan Dlow. His song “Get In With Me” debuted on the Hot 100 earlier this month at No. 68 and, as of last week, surged to No. 59, courtesy of the record’s newest visuals. BossMan gave fans more insight into his upcoming plans through a conversation with Billboard on Threads last Thursday (Feb. 22). 

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BossMan expressed gratitude over his Hot 100 feat, telling Billboard he’s still awestruck that he was able to land on the charts for the first time ever in his burgeoning career. “It don’t feel real. It make me wanna keep going and [it] motivates me to keep dropping. I wanna be at the top,” he wrote. BossMan’s viral hit first caught traction on TikTok after initially performing the song as a freestyle for Florida-based freestyle series Kreepin Through the Streetz

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BossMan hopes to continue shedding light on Florida like his Alamo cohort Rod Wave, who currently is hoisting three No. 1 albums to his name. Wave, the St. Petersburg staple, recently clinched a Billboard 200 chart-topper last year with Nostalgia. “Florida got a lot of unique talent and different sounds,” relayed BossMan. “It’s a community. It helped influence me to start new trends and push boundaries.”

With his inspirations ranging from Wiz Khalifa to Babyface Ray and Future, BossMan looks to keep his momentum high by remaining consistent and not being caught up in the moment. After releasing his first project 2 Slippery on Alamo last December, BossMan will be “droppin another mixtape, [doing] videos and more shows,” to double down on his plans of being an all-star caliber talent. 

“This that motivation music,” he said. “I want future releases to give y’all energy and make y’all get up and make 100 million.” 

HYBE Revenue Soared in 2023, Led by Strong Album Sales from Seventeen & NewJeans

Strong album sales by K-pop groups Seventeen, Tomorrow X Together and New Jeans helped Korean music company HYBE enjoy record revenue of 2.18 trillion won ($1.67 billion), up 22.6%, in 2023, according to the company’s latest earnings report.

HYBE’s album sales from its Korean artists nearly doubled to 43.6 million last year from 22.2 million in 2022, while album sales accounted for 44.6% of total revenue, up from 31.1% the prior year. In Korea, Seventeen led the way with 15.9 million album sales (HYBE’s earnings release cited numbers from Circle Chart, which tracks sales only in Korea). Tomorrow X Together sold 6.5 million albums and NewJeans sold 4.3 million albums. 

Streaming revenue got a boost from the company’s acquisition of Atlanta-based hip-hop label Quality Control in February 2023. Revenue from HYBE’s U.S. record labels — Quality Control as well as Big Machine Label Group — grew 70% to 150 billion won ($114.9 million) and accounted for nearly half of HYBE’s streaming revenue growth for the year. Streaming revenue from the company’s Korean labels outside Korea also performed well last year, increasing 102% to 107 billion won ($81.9 million). Within Korea, streaming revenue from those labels increased only 64%, however, to 41 billion won ($31.4 million). 

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Concert revenue increased 39.1% to 359.1 billion won ($275 million) and accounted for 16.5% of total revenue, up from 14.5% in 2022. Much of that was due to volume, as HYBE had 125 concerts from seven touring artists in 2023 compared to 78 concerts from four touring artists in 2022.

Most other revenue sources declined year-over-year. Ads and appearances fell 12.3% to 141.9 billion won ($109 million). Merchandise and licensing dropped 17.7% to 325.6 billion won ($249 million). Content sank 15.1% to 289.9 billion won ($222 million). One bright spot was fan clubs, which increased 35.9% to 91.2 billion won ($70 billion). 

Company-wide gross profit improved 19.7% to 1 trillion won ($773 million), lower than revenue’s 22.6% growth rate because cost of sales rose 25.2% (gross profit is sales minus cost of sales). Sales, general and administrative expenses increased only 17.7%, however, which helped operating profit improve 24.9% to 295.8 billion won ($227 million). Net profit soared 288% to 186.5 billion won ($143 million). 

Korea’s share of HYBE’s revenue increased from 33% in 2022 to 36% in 2023. Japan’s share of revenue also increased, from 28% to 31%. North America fell from 32% to 26% despite the addition of Quality Control. 

The Weverse social media platform ended the year with 10.1 million monthly active users (MAUs) in the fourth quarter, down from an all-time high of 10.6 million MAUs in the third quarter but well above the 8.5 million MAUs in the fourth quarter of 2022. Weverse finished the year with 122 artist communities, up from 71 at the end of 2022.