News

21 Nov 2023

Post Malone Hops on Stage at New Zealand Bar For Impromptu Proclaimers, Sublime Covers Set

Post Malone is spending his Thanksgiving down under. The rap crooner is in the midst of a swing through New Zealand and Australia through early next week, but on a recent night off he did what any global superstar would do: pop into a local Irish pub and sing some favorite tunes while hanging with friends and fans for four hours.

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According to TMZ, Posty showed up unexpectedly at tiny Danny Doolan’s Irish Pub in Auckland, New Zealand on Sunday night and sat in with the house band to play a couple covers, including a country-fied ramble through Sublime’s “What I Got.” Dressed in a trucker hat and plaid shirt, the site noted that Malone showed up with a couple friends and stayed all night, hanging and partying with fans who encouraged him to get on the mic and sing with the house band.

He eventually did and in addition to the Sublime nugget, in video posted by TMZ he also tackled beloved Scottish rock duo The Proclaimers’ 1988 single, “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles),” rocking the song up as the crowd shouted along to the “da-da-da-da” chorus.

Posty — who just snagged his first hit on Billboard’s Country Airplay Chart thanks to his duet with the late Joe Diffie on the latter’s 1990s classic “Pickup Man” — will join Alanis Morissette, John Legend, Kacey Musgraves, Kane Brown, Lainey Wilson, Lana Del Rey and The War And Treaty in NBC’s celebration of Elvis Presley on the live music special Christmas at Graceland.

All the artists will pay tribute to the late King of Rock and Roll with performances at the Graceland estate on the special executive produced by Elvis’ granddaughter, Riley Keough.

21 Nov 2023

Ludacris Teases Return to Music After Eight-Year Hiatus: ‘Sometimes You Gotta Step Back and Live Some Life’

Ludacris has done a lot of living in the past eight years. But the one thing he hasn’t done during that time is release any new music. But in a new interview with BET, Luda said it’s time to get back into the game.

“Yeah, some music projects will be coming out next year. I don’t wanna fake, I don’t wanna stutter-step,” Ludacris said. “It’s definitely some music coming next year, but I don’t know if it’s like an EP or an LP. We’re going to figure it out.”

Asked why he’s been off the radar since his ninth LP, 2015’s Ludaversal — which debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and included features from Usher, Miguel and Monica — the rapper said his acting has definitely kept him out of the studio. Since his last album, he’s appeared in four Fast & Furious movies, as well as The Ride, End of the Road and the new holiday movie, Dashing Through the Snow.

“These movie projects like Fast & Furious and doing a lot of things like the Karma’s World project that’s on Netflix. You know, doing other art forms where I’m creative, where I’m putting my heart into that, I want to make sure that I leave a legacy on this earth,” said the MC who also got a honorary bachelor’s degree in music from Georgia State last summer. “So it was just taking a step back and getting hungry again, living some life. ‘Cause when you put out music, in order for it to be organic and real, you gotta talk about what goes on in your life. So if I had like nine consistent albums, sometimes you gotta take a step back and live some life so that you have a lot more to talk about and that’s what I was doing.”

As for what the new tunes will sound like, Luda said it’s a “little premature” to talk about it because he’s working on “a lot of stuff.” In the meantime, he’s been dropping freestyles on his social feeds, including a killer one on 4/20 and one last November in which he caught fans up on his prodigious career achievements.

Given his impressive movie resume, Ludacris said he still has some boxes he’d like to check on that side, including playing a villain on the big screen. “I definitely would love to be a part of the Marvel universe or DC universe, but I wouldn’t mind playing the villain that doesn’t die,” he said. “That’s what I’m looking for — one of those roles or like a Training Day villain-type role.”

20 Nov 2023

Madness on Target For U.K. No. 1 With ‘Theatre of the Absurd’

Madness is hoping 13 proves to be their lucky number as Theatre of the Absurd presents C’est La Vie (via BMG) moves into title contention in the U.K.

Theatre of the Absurd is the British ska and pop band’s 13th studio album, and, if it holds its course, would mark their 11th top 10 and first-ever U.K. No. 1 studio album, following chart-topping career retrospectives Complete Madness (from 1982) and Divine Madness (1992).

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Led by Graham “Suggs” McPherson, the north London band has got close to the U.K. chart’s holy grail on more than one occasion. Their 1979 debut album One Step Beyond peaked at No. 2 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart, as did their sophomore set from 1980, Absolutely.

Taylor Swift’s current chart champion 1989 (Taylor’s Version) (via EMI) is a clear-and-present contender, close behind at No. 2.

Meanwhile, Dolly Parton could snag her fourth U.K. top 10 with Rockstar (Big Machine), her features-stacked collection of covers. It’s new at No. 3 on the Official Chart Update, and is forecast to be be the country legend’s best performing studio effort since 2016’s Pure & Simple peaked at No. 2.

Also flying on the chart blast is the deluxe Scary Hours edition of Drake’s former leader For All the Dogs (OVO/Republic Records). It’s set to bounce 32-4.

U.S. alternative rock favorites the National could score their second top 5 album of 2023, with Laugh Track (4AD), set for a No. 5 start. It’s the followup to First Two Pages of Frankenstein, which entered the national chart at No. 4 in May of this year.

Finally, Dutch violinist and conductor André Rieu could bag his 14th top U.K. 10 LP with Jewels of Romance (Decca), recorded with the Johann Strauss Orchestra. It’s new at No. 8 on the Official Chart Update.

All will be revealed when the Official U.K. Albums Chart is published late Friday, Nov. 24.

20 Nov 2023

London Mayor Rejects Plan To Build New MSG Sphere in the City

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has rejected Madison Square Garden’s long-standing proposal to build a Sphere arena in London, less than two months after the company debuted its first Sphere project to critical acclaim in Las Vegas.

News of the rejection came by way of a letter from Khan to Anthony Hollingsworth, director of the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), which oversees London’s Olympic Park properties. On Nov. 6, Hollingsworth had written to Khan to inform him that “the local planning authority is minded to grant planning permission” for the Sphere project. In the letter dated Monday (Nov. 20), Khan explained to Hollingworth that after considering a 111-page report commissioned by the Greater London Authority (GLA) advising the mayor to reject the plan, he was now ordering the LLDC to “refuse planning permission” for the venue.

A statement from Madison Square Garden Entertainment officials said they were “disappointed in London’s decision” but added, “There are many forward-thinking cities that are eager to bring this technology to their communities. We will concentrate on those.”

A proposal for the venue was submitted in 2018, and Sphere London initially survived key votes by the city’s local planning authority. But with his letter, Khan has seemingly doomed the project.

The mayor said his main reason for rejecting the proposal was the impact he believed the venue would have on the surrounding area, writing that Sphere would “cause significant light intrusion resulting in significant harm to the outlook of neighbouring properties.”

He also said the size of the venue — 300 feet high and 400 feet wide — “would result in a bulky, unduly dominant” facility” that failed “to respect the character and appearance of this part of the town centre and the site’s wider setting.” Lastly, he criticized the venue’s high “energy intensive use,” which he says “does not achieve a high sustainability standard, and does not constitute good and sustainable design.”

“GLA officers have concluded that to grant permission would be contrary to the Development Plan,” adds Khan in the letter, citing a document that lays out the spatial development strategy in London for the next 20 to 25 years. “[It] would prejudice the implementation of the policies within the Development Plan relating to residential amenity, good design, and the conservation and enhancement of London’s heritage.”

The Sphere project had previously faced pushback from some local residents as well as AEG, which operates London’s O2 Arena, located just four miles from the proposed site of the venue. In January, after the London Legacy Development Corporation’s Planning Decisions Committee greenlit MSG Entertainment to initiate work on the project, AEG called on Khan to reject the project in a statement that read in part: “The advertising façade is at a wholly unprecedented scale for London and totally out of keeping with the surrounding area. The design was conceived for the heart of Las Vegas and has been transposed onto this east London site: it’s the wrong design, in the wrong location.”

20 Nov 2023

Dua Lipa’s ‘Houdini’ Unlocks No. 1 Debut on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs Chart

Dua Lipa works her magic on multiple Billboard charts dated Nov. 25 with her new single, “Houdini.” Among other entrances, it begins as her first No. 1 on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart.

The song drew 23.8 million airplay audience impressions and 12.4 million official streams and sold 7,000 sold downloads in the U.S. Nov. 10-16, according to Luminate, following its release at 6 p.m. ET Nov. 9.

Lipa earns her second No. 1 on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs with the track, which previews her third studio album, expected in 2024. She spent 36 weeks at the summit with “Cold Heart (Pnau Remix),” with Elton John, beginning in October 2021.

The new song, whose title is an ode to famous late illusionist and escape artist Harry Houdini, also launches at No. 11 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, where it’s Lipa’s highest debut to date.

On the Radio Songs chart, “Houdini” starts at No. 25, likewise Lipa’s best beginning. It debuts at No. 16 on Pop Airplay, also a new personal first-week high, and No. 20 on Adult Pop Airplay.

As previously reported, “Houdini” enters at No. 3 on the Billboard Global 200, with 51 million streams and 13,000 sold worldwide. Lipa notches her fourth top 10 on the survey. The song also opens at No. 5 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart, where it’s her fifth top 10.

Lipa celebrated the song’s arrival with fans at the Houdini Estate in Los Angeles on Nov. 14, inviting them to navigate an escape room and, once safely free (if?), to dance.

Following his death nearly a century ago, Houdini has reappeared as the subject of other chart hits. Walter Brennan spent a week at No. 100 on the Hot 100 in 1962 with “Houdini”; Kon Kan hit No. 33 on Dance Singles Sales in 1989 with “Harry Houdini”; and Foster the People’s “Houdini” hit No. 37 on Alternative Airplay in 2012.

20 Nov 2023

Kelly Clarkson Delivers a Frank Sinatra Classic on ‘Kellyoke’

Kelly Clarkson kicked off the week with a classic on Monday (Nov. 20), when she performed Frank Sinatra’s rendition of “I Get a Kick Out of You.”

“I get no kick from champagne / Mere alcohol doesn’t thrill me at all / So tell me why should it be true / That I get a kick out of you,” Clarkson muses in the chorus, dressed in a black off-the-shoulder top and leopard print maxi skirt.

“I Get a Kick Out of You” was originally written by Cole Porter and first performed in 1934 for the Broadway musical Anything Goes, before it was featured in the 1936 film. Over the years, the track has been covered by legends beyond Sinatra, including Dolly Parton, Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga. The Bennett/Gaga rendition was nominated for three awards at the 2022 Grammy Awards, including record of the year.

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Clarkson, meanwhile, is fresh off the release of the deluxe issue of her 10th album, Chemistry, which contains five brand new tracks — “I Won’t Give Up,” “Did You Know,” “You Don’t Make Me Cry” featuring her daughter River Rose, “Goodbye” and “Roses” — in addition remixes of the album singles “Mine” and “Favorite Kind of High” by David Guetta and Ty Sunderland respectively. There’s also a live version of “Mine” live from The Belasco.

Chemistry was initially released on June 23 via Atlantic Records and debuted at No. 6 on the July 8-dated Billboard 200, spending a total of three weeks on the chart following its release.

Watch Clarkson cover Frank Sinatra’s “I Get a Kick Out of You” below.


https://youtube.com/watch?v=1hu_11iS5uM&version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent

20 Nov 2023

Downtown Music Holdings Chief Commercial Officer Tracy Maddux Steps Down

Tracy Maddux, chief commercial officer at Downtown Music Holdings, is stepping down from his role effective immediately, the company announced Sunday (Nov. 19).

Maddux was previously CEO at CD Baby, whose parent company, AVL Digital Group, was acquired by Downtown in 2019. According to a press release announcing his exit, Maddux most recently contributed to Downtown’s acquisitions of FUGA in 2020 and Curve Royalty Systems in 2022.

Maddux will “continue providing his insights and expertise” to Downtown as a consultant and advisor for the company throughout 2024, the release adds.

“It has been a remarkable journey at Downtown, and I am proud of everything we have achieved together,” said Maddux in a statement. “From the strategic sale of CD Baby, AdRev, and DashGo, to leading our M&A practice and working towards the integration of FUGA and Curve, we have set new industry standards. I am now eager to embrace new challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. I want to thank Andrew Bergman and Justin Kalifowitz for their unwavering support and partnership during our work together over the past 13 years.”

“Tracy has made material contributions to our culture and to the growth of the business,” added Andrew Bergman, Downtown Music Holdings CEO. “He’s universally respected by his peers and I personally consider myself fortunate to have worked alongside him. We look forward to our continued association with Tracy.”

This past March, Downtown suffered layoffs across its CD Baby, Downtown Music Publishing, Songtrust, and Downtown Music Holdings divisions. In an email obtained by Billboard that Bergman sent to Downtown staff, he couched the layoffs as part of a “reorganization” that “harmonizes the past several years of strategic investments and divestitures.” As described in a previous Billboard profile of the company, Downtown completed the process of reimagining itself as a service-focused firm in 2021 after selling its 145,000 owned copyrights to Concord in a deal worth an estimated $350 million.

20 Nov 2023

Everything to Know About Spotify’s New Royalties Model: How Does It Work & Who Will It Impact?

In the new year, Spotify plans to roll out a new royalties model that will drive more money to more popular artists, record labels and distributors, while clamping down on streaming fraud.

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The scheme is three-pronged, based on Billboard’s reporting, creating a new streaming threshold that tracks must reach in order to qualify for royalties, penalizing fraudulent activity and setting a minimum play-time length for non-music noise tracks to earn revenue on the platform. The details on each of these elements have trickled out in the press without a formal announcement, but Billboard can now report specifics on each, according to sources in streaming and distribution.

Here’s a full rundown of Spotify’s new royalties model:

  • Tracks that receive less than 1,000 streams within a 12-month period will not qualify for royalties. Those royalties, instead, will be redistributed into the greater royalty pool.
  • Labels and distributors will be charged 10 euros for any track that is found to have 90% or more of its streams deemed fraudulent.
  • Non-music noise tracks must now be at least two minutes long in order to qualify for royalties. As well, according to a source, there are conversations about implementing a rate reduction on these tracks that would value their streams below those for music.

As previously reported, Spotify’s new royalty model will affect more than two-thirds of its song catalog but that’s due to the magnitude of music that’s uploaded to the platform, where the vast majority of songs don’t get listened to with any frequency. While tens of millions of songs will fall below the 1,000 streams threshold, a source tells Billboard that policy will only shift about 0.5% of Spotify’s royalty pool to more popular tracks. That was equal to about $46 million in royalties in 2022, out of $9.27 billion paid out in total.

The changes have been largely applauded by the music industry, although some in the independent distribution sector are concerned that the anti-fraud measures could disproportionately affect DIY distributors, even though major label acts sometimes engage in this activity too. These companies that have built hands-off, high-volume distribution businesses with small margins, charging a small fee per upload have huge batches of new music uploading daily, which means it’s hard to know who is doing the uploading.

DistroKid founder Philip Kaplan voiced his objection to the penalty system on a recent call with the Music Fraud Alliance, according to two sources who were also on the line.

One of those executives described the gist of Kaplan’s comments: “We can’t determine if a new client is going to hire a marketing service that’s going to bot streams until they’ve done it. It’s like you can’t determine if your neighbor is going to commit a crime.”

Spotify is planning to roll out its new royalties model in early 2024, although no firm date has yet been announced. The changes will not affect songwriters for the time being.

20 Nov 2023

Jay Rock & Bongo ByTheWay “Still That Way,” The Alchemist ft. Curren$y “Paint Different” & More | Daily Visuals 11.20.23

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Now that Kendrick Lamar and SZA held down the past year with their projects and talent, it’s Jay Rock’s turn to take that baton for TDE and run with it right into 2024.

Linking up with Bongo ByTheWay for the visuals to “Still That Way,” Jay Rock takes his team on a trip to the middle of the desert where they set up shop with a small trap house complete with a clothesline outside and a pay phone for the heck of it. Gotta love the creativeness.

Elsewhere The Alchemist seems to be living a peaceful life of luxury and in his Curren$y assisted clip to “Paint Different,” the two men take a laid back approach to life and smoke some bud while politicking through the night.

Check out the rest of today’s drops and some joints you might’ve missed over the weekend including work from E-40, Huey V featuring Memphis Bleek, and more.

JAY ROCK, BONGO BYTHEWAY – “STILL THAT WAY”



THE ALCHEMIST FT. CURREN$Y – “PAINT DIFFERENT”



E-40 – “OFF DAT MOB”



HUEY V FT. MEMPHIS BLEEK – “MO MONEY MO PROBLEMS”



B-LEGIT FT. YOUNG DOLPH & BOOSIE BADAZZ – “POCKET FULL OF MONEY”



FREDO BANG – “TAG ME IN”



RJAE FT. YOUNGBOY NEVER BROKE AGAIN – “TOO GONE”



HONEYKOMB BRAZY – “RESPECT”


https://youtube.com/watch?v=rOVMSEMJa5g&version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent

20 Nov 2023

BTS Announce ‘Monuments: Beyond the Star’ Disney+ Docuseries

ARMY, get ready. BTS unveiled a launch teaser and poster on Monday (Nov. 20) for an upcoming documentary series titled BTS Monuments: Beyond the Star.

The eight-part Disney+ docuseries will take fans into the superstar group’s 10-year career, including the obstacles they’ve overcome in the journey to reach their record-breaking milestones. The docuseries will also feature an in-depth interview with Jung Kook, V, Jimin, Suga, J-Hope, Jin and RM — as seen in the brief 15-second teaser that came along with the docuseries announcement.

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BTS launched their decade of success back in 2013 when they debuted with 2 Cool 4 Skool, featuring their first single, “No More Dream.” Since then, they’ve done it all, from releasing solo projects and smashing records (both as a group and in personal endeavors) to going on tour and fulfilling their civic duties.

The group is planning a reunion in 2025, and Jung Kook recently told Apple Music’s Zane Lowe that he’s deeply looking forward to it. “Preparing as a solo artist and also working as a solo musician… there were times where I really missed [being in the group],” he admitted. “When I was in the waiting room or standing by  myself on stage or eating with the staff. We were always together for so many years that I felt the void of them not being next to me. You know, I miss them. And I was thinking about them. So I suppose that year could seem far away, but I don’t want to think that way. I think the synergy of BTS in 2025 will be incredible. I am so looking forward to it.”

BTS Monuments: Beyond The Star will be available exclusively on Disney+ starting on Dec. 20, with two new episodes released every Wednesday. 

Watch the BTS Monuments: Beyond the Star teaser below.