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25 Oct 2023

Cardi B, Niall Horan, Anitta & More to Perform at TikTok in the Mix Event

TikTok is continuing its foray into the music world by announcing TikTok in The Mix, its first-ever live global music event for fans.

Cardi B, Niall Horan, Anitta and Charlie Puth are all set to headline the event, which will take place on Dec. 10 at Sloan Park in Mesa, Ariz. Additionally, rising stars Isabel LaRosa, Kaliii, LU KALA and Sam Barber will perform as part of TikTok’s emerging artist program, TikTok Elevate. For those unable to attend the event in person, In the Mix will be streamed globally via TikTok Live.

“I really love my TikTok fans and I’m very excited to be able to bring The Show to the TikTok In The Mix event,” Horan said in a press statement. “I’m also very much looking forward to performing in such a special venue and putting on an amazing show for all the fans that will be present on the day and also all the fans that will be watching from all over the world live on TikTok.”

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Paul Hourican, global head of music operations at TikTok, added, “No other platform mixes music, culture and creativity like TikTok. Our vision is to bring the mix of the For You Page to life for fans at the venue and around the world. We’ve got the best artists, the best production team and the biggest music-loving community all in one place.”

In the Mix is an all-ages event, with tickets available to purchase exclusively on TikTok. Fans who follow the headlining artists on TikTok are able to receive a special code allowing them to purchase tickets presale tickets on from Friday (Oct. 27) at 9 a.m. PT. Tickets go on general sale starting Thursday (Nov. 2) at 9 a.m. PT. For more information, search for “In the Mix” on TikTok or visit the event’s website here.

25 Oct 2023

Roger Field Splits With Live Nation

MELBOURNE, Australia — Roger Field has resigned from Live Nation, Billboard can confirm.

Based in Melbourne, Field is regularly identified as one of Billboard’s international power players, a key figure in live entertainment who led LN’s presence across Australia and New Zealand, before taking the reins in a pan-Asia Pacific role.

It’s understood that Alex Klos will now step into the permanent role as COO of LN ANZ, alongside his position as CFO of the live music giant’s Asia Pacific business.

Field exits after more than 13 years with the company. In 2010, Field joined colleague Luke Hede in launching Live Nation Australia. Two years later, LN acquired Michael Coppel Presents, reuniting the concerts specialists (Field had worked with Coppel in 2003). The promotions would come, with Field elevated from vice president of promotions to chief operating officer, then CEO for Australia and NZ.

Another reward came in 2020, when Field was appointed LN president, Asia Pacific, a new position.

At the height of the pandemic, in mid-2020, Field was appointed to a leadership role for the Live Entertainment Industry Forum (LEIF), created to help safely reactivate concerts, sports and shows of all kinds as restrictions across the country were eased, and he was part of a music industry delegation that helped secure a A$250 million federal government lifeline for the music industry.

During his time at the helm, Field has overseen stadium tours for likes of Taylor Swift, Coldplay, U2 and Red Hot Chili Peppers, the business diversified with its VIP offering, brand partnerships with the likes of National Australia Bank, Telstra and American Express, formed strategic partnerships with government and private entities including Secret Sounds, and added a slew of venues to LN’s portfolio.

“Our venue development is a huge priority for us across both Australia and New Zealand,” Field told this reporter in June. “We’ve just celebrated the return of the iconic Festival Hall in Melbourne to a fulltime live music venue after signing a multi-lease and that’s only the beginning. Our interest in venues of all sizes is partly motivated by having the ability to engage with a variety of artist content, even if we’re not promoting it, but also open to new ticket buying markets.”

Field cut his teeth in ticketing, first with Stoll Moss Theatres in London in 1995, and then with Australian ticketing giant Ticketek, part of TEG, when its Victorian operation opened in 1996.

Live Nation has not commented on Field’s departure.

25 Oct 2023

Mac Royals and Rachele Nguyen’s Bee Gees Battle Ends With Steal on ‘The Voice’: Watch

One does not simply walk into a Bee Gees Battle. Clearly Mac Royals and Rachele Nguyen didn’t get the memo, as the Team Reba constants went toe-to-toe on NBC‘s The Voice, tackling one of the Bee Gees’ creamiest creations.

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The singers’ path to the Battles round couldn’t have been more contrasting. Royals landed a four-chair turn; Nguyen caught the attention of just one coach, the country star Reba McEntire.

On the latest episode Tuesday night (Oct. 24), Royals and Nguyen brought game to the arena, the former displaying his legit soulman skillset, Nguyen showcasing her range and soloist talents.

“Guys, that was so good,” coach Niall Horan remarked. “To take on a song of that stature is brave of itself. I thought the two of you were fantastic.” Horan admitted she was better than he remembered, and she made him remember his error by not turning during the Blind Audition. “To be your age, at 17 and to have that composure, and will to go ‘go give me the biggest song you’ve got,’” he’d go with Nguyen, if the choice was his.

Gwen Stefani remarked on the warmth of Royals’ voice. It’s “buttery,” she enthused. As for Nguyen, “the things you can do with your voice and your instincts,” at her age, it’s “pretty magical.” She won’t choose because, well, she doesn’t have to.

John Legend paid tribute to the sound of Mac’s voice, “it’s so gorgeous. It is soulful and it has richness and character.” And Nguyen, “you were doing so many exciting things, so many cool musical choices and runs and things of that nature.” If Legend had to choose, he’d go with Mac.

The battle would “come down to how they touch my heart when they’re performing,” McEntire said during rehearsals.

In the end, the choice belonged to her. And she sided with Nguyen.

But wait, there’s more. Before Mac could say some parting words to his coach, Legend came through with the steal. It’s on.

Watch the Season 24 Battle below.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=5DLcxp5QXDk&version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent

25 Oct 2023

Olivia Rodrigo Freaked out Jimmy Kimmel’s Kids on the School Run: Watch

The celebrity game is an easy one to play. Spot a celebrity, earn yourself a point. The brighter the star, the more points in your bag.

They might not know it yet, but Jimmy Kimmel’s kids won the celebrity game during a school drop-off one morning when they spotted Olivia Rodrigo on the side of the road, and the “Good 4 U” star got in the car.

The moment was, naturally, caught on camera for Kimmel’s late night show, airing Tuesday night, Oct. 24.

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Posing as a hitchhiker, thumb out, Rodrigo gave the kids the surprise of their young lives when she scored a ride.

“You know Olivia, we listen to your music on the way to school all the time,” Kimmel announces to his passengers, two of whom are totally star-struck in the back: nine-year-old Jane and six-year-old son Billy.

After some miles had passed, and some back-and-forth questions, the Rodrigo tunes crank up for some Kimmel family karaoke. And why was she hitching? Surely you saw it coming. Rodrigo doesn’t actually own a drivers license.

Kimmel kept the motor running, as Rodrigo made her way to his show for a proper Q&A.

The triple Grammy Award winner, three-time Billboard Hot 100 leader, and two-time Billboard 200 champ stopped by to talk house hunting, her fear of ghosts, and the contents of her bag of “President Biden goodies.”

Fame is tricky, even for Rodrigo’s folks. Her dad “brags to his co-workers” about Olivia’s success, her mom is “modest and shy” and she’s “very coy” when asked about her daughter.

Rodrigo, like many of us, is fluent in profanity. When writing songs and whether to insert four-letter words, “I think about it often,” she explains. “I love using a swear word when I think it’s tasteful and necessary.” When penning some Guts tracks, she was “swearing all over them” and had to “pare it back.”

None of those four-letter curses appear in “Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl,” which Rodrigo performed for Kimmel’s audience.

Watch below.

25 Oct 2023

5 Takeaways From SXSW Sydney: AI, Songtradr, Chance The Rapper and More

SYDNEY, Australia – After seven days, roughly 300 performances (nearly 40% of which were international) and upwards of 600 speakers, the inaugural SXSW Sydney is done and dusted.

The likes of Chance The Rapper, Nicole Kidman and Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker were among the guest speakers who donned a SXSW Sydney lanyard and brought star power to the show, as Sydney turned it on for the music, tech, film and entertainment extravaganza.

October in Australia is a place and time asking for action. In this music and sports-mad country, the weather is heating up, but there’s a lack of competition for eyeballs, attention and cash. The Bigsound music conference finished more than a month ago, the ARIA Awards is a month away. The AFL and NRL seasons are recently wrapped up, the quadrennial cricket and rugby World Cups are playing out abroad, the NBA season has yet to start.

With its brand splashed in the districts around Darling Harbour, and activations dotted around the city — Australia’s biggest metropolis — SXSW Sydney had the place all to itself.

Billboard was there to soak it up at the International Convention & Exhibition Centre, the Tumbalong Park outdoor events space, and the network of pubs, bars and venues that embraced SXSW for a full week, from Oct. 15-22, completing its first expansion out of Austin, TX.

Check out five highlights from the inaugural SXSW Sydney below.

Songtradr’s mission
Timing is everything in music and business. So it made perfect sense for Songtradr founder and CEO Paul Wiltshire to participate in a special interview at SXSW just days after his company completed the acquisition of Bandcamp. “Our mission is to stabilise and grow,” the U.S.-born and Australian raised, California-based executive said of the new asset. “There’ll be no adverse changes to the existing product. The team is amazing, and the Bandcamp community is extraordinary and we want to protect that. We’re very confident about the future and where we’re going to be able to go together.”

Wiltshire also confirmed that a flotation for Songtradr is something his team has “definitely looked at.” He continued, “we don’t have a definite timeline as to whether that will happen. The public markets have gone through pretty significant changes in the last two years in particular. But it’s something we continue to observe and we do love Australia.” The ASX, it’s “a very healthy market.”

Will ABBA Voyage set sail?
Thanks to the power of Netflix, the story of Per Sundin and his frontrow seat for the evolution of Spotify is known to millions. The veteran Swedish music industry executive has worked closely with the late Avicii, Tove Lo, Swedish House Mafia, and, of course, ABBA, and is the face of “The Industry” in The Playlist, Netflix’s dramatized account of Spotify and its founder Daniel Ek. After a decades-long career with major music companies, first with Sony Music then Universal, Sundin now serves as CEO of Pophouse Entertainment, the Stockholm-based entertainment company which, among its assets, owns the SHM catalog and a 75% stake in Avicii’s works. Pophouse is the lead investor and production partner for ABBA Voyage, the virtual live concert experience in London.

Sundin, on his first trip Down Under, regaled with tales of the music industry post-millennium SNAFU, working with Björn Ulvaeus (in short, the ABBA star won’t settle for second-best), and he told SXSW Sydney what everyone wanted to hear: that ABBA Voyage could set sail to these parts.

“We have a lot of interest from Singapore and from Australia, from (promoter) Paul (Dainty) and (TEG CEO) Geoff (Jones) and his team. We’ll partner up with them to see if we can find a place, because you need to build an arena. Because in the roof of the building is 600 tons of equipment,” Sundin said during the featured session, Unlocking the Power of Entertainment. “We can’t just go into an existing theater. That’s a challenge for everyone.”

There has been talk about doing another ABBA Voyage in Europe, and, Sundin added, “Las Vegas is really calling for it.”

Chance raps on hip-hop and capitalism
When Chance The Rapper was announced as a keynote speaker at SXSW Sydney, some delegates were quick to hose down the excitement. The Chicago hip-hop star wasn’t booked to perform on this trip, aside from his on-stage interview with The Brag Media editor-in-chief Poppy Reid. And, for those with a decent memory, he canceled his appearance at the 2019 Splendour In The Grass festival, just one day before he was due to deliver the closing headlining set.

There was no drama, just action, as Chancelor Johnathan Bennett made the journey and delivered a compelling SXSW Sydney Q&A which delved into capitalism, and hip-hop on the genre’s 50th anniversary.

“We all live in a capitalist society and no matter how close you are to your moral center, you’re still working and operating within a system that lives on the backs of the least empowered people. I do a lot of philanthropy work, I do a lot of advocacy, I do a lot of just trying to help people,” he told Reid. “But also just the way that the world is set up right now, I gotta sell merchandise, and even producing T shirts — it’s really hard not to be a capitalist.” To be able to operate “outside of that and to create more cooperative economic systems is something that I’m working towards but I haven’t fully figured out yet.”

Chance also stepped out to enjoy some of the showcase program, throwing his support behind 11-year-old Aussie rapper Inkabee.

GenAI, Web3, Metaverse. Jump in, cautiously
AI is “not on the horizon. It’s here now and it’s not the Wild West.” APRA AMCOS CEO Dean Ormton told guests at the PRO’s breakfast gathering at SXSW Sydney, during which the organization’s annual results were explored. Computer learning is both “a huge challenge and potential opportunity for music,” Ormston told guests. Those challenges and opportunities are something the PRO and every major content provider and partner is currently trying to figure out.

A separate daytime session on “Activating Music in Web3” brought together Con Raso (Tuned Global), Matty Soudagar (The Metakey) and Becky Yeung (Warner Music Group). “We’re coming into a space where some of these experiments are making some real impact,” explained Soudagar. Four years ago, the popular Roblox game has gone from 20 million users a month to 200 million users a month today, he continued. “It could be half a billion a month in a few years from now. If you zoom out of this metaverse conversation, we realize its primed for exponential growth. The next stage is, how to put together a solution that brings everything together in a frictionless manner for a specific industry. We’re at the stage where we have the technology and we can bring together some strong minds.”

K-pop isn’t slowing down
K-pop is roaring, and there’s a lot of fuel left in the tank. Over the course of the week, Spotify House at The Lansdowne Hotel proved a popular hideaway for thousands of SXSW Sydney guests, with its curated lineup of daytime panel discussions, and evening showcases, which included hip-hop star TKay Maidza, punk outfit Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers, Thai rapper Milli and more.

The House opened its doors on its fourth and final day for a special daytime session on Hallyu (Korean wave), featuring Jungjoo Park, Head of Music at Spotify Korea; Live Nation Australasia’s Wenona Lok; and Virgin Music’s Claire Tate.

Ten years ago when PSY’s “Gangnam Style” blew up, many observers figured Korea’s music scene was a one-hit wonder. Nope. Five years ago, folks were thinking, “this is it guys. It’ll never get bigger,” noted Lok. “This year, Live Nation, we’re bringing the first K-pop act to a stadium in Australia for the first time” with TWICE. “What’s more amazing is, it’s the first girl group of any genre to play a stadium in Australia.” In terms of streaming and ticket sales, there’s no sign of slowing for the Korean music explosion.

To drive home the point, South Korean rappers Lil Cherry and GOLDBUUDA performed at Billboard‘s one off night at The Stage.

Penske Media Corporation, Billboard‘s parent company, is an investor in SXSW.

24 Oct 2023

Richard Roundtree Passes Away, X Salutes The Legend

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The world has lost a true African-American icon. Richard Roundtree, star of the seminal Blaxploitation film Shaft, has passed away. He was 81.

Reportedly, Roundtree died on Tuesday afternoon (Oct. 24) from pancreatic cancer. The renowned actor’s longtime manager, Patrick McMinn, confirmed his death.

“Richard’s work and career served as a turning point for African American leading men in film,” said McMinn in a statement. “The impact he had on the industry cannot be overstated.”

To say that Roundtree was influential would be a massive understatement. In 1971 he starred as John Shaft, the titular lead character of Gordon Park’s landmark film which is credited with launching the Blaxploitation genre. Sporting an afro and undeniable swagger, Shaft became the prototype of urban, effortless cool that was otherwise previously unseen on the movie screen.

Richard Roundtree is survived by four daughters, Nicole, Tayler, Morgan and Kelli Roundtree, and a son, James. Fans, Hollywood stars, musicians, pro athletes and more quickly took to Twitter to salute the legend, which we have assembple below.

Rest in powerful peace Richard Roundtree, he was bad mother [shut your mouth].

24 Oct 2023

Spotify Is Changing How It Pays Artists

Spotify is planning to implement changes to its streaming royalty model in early 2024 that would affect the lowest-streaming acts, non-music noise tracks and distributors and labels committing fraud, sources tell Billboard.

Conversations have been going on for weeks with the major record labels, Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group, as well as independent labels and distributors, sources say. While the new royalty system will keep its existing pro-rata model, it introduces new floors that will grow the pool for more established artists and rights holders.

The changes to Spotify’s royalty model, which were first reported by Music Business Worldwide, include:

A new threshold of minimum annual streams that a track must meet before it starts to generate royalties. The threshold, according to MBW, will de-monetize tracks that had previously received 0.5% of Spotify’s royalty pool.
Financial penalties for music distributors and labels when fraudulent activity on tracks they have uploaded to Spotify has been detected.
A minimum play-time length that non-music noise tracks, such as bird sounds or white noise, must reach to generate royalties.

The specific benchmarks of these changes and how financial penalties will be calculated or implemented are currently unclear.

Spotify will need new agreements to the royalty structure changes with most record labels and distributors to implement the plan, but that doesn’t mean entirely new licensing renewals. Changes can be made specifically for these elements, sources say. And since the major labels — which all negotiate their deal renewals with Spotify on different timelines — are likely to benefit from the new terms, they are all likely to sign onto them.

When reached for comment, a Spotify spokesperson said in a statement, “We’re always evaluating how we can best serve artists, and regularly discuss with partners ways to further platform integrity. We do not have any news to share at this time.”

The standard, existing pro-rata streaming model has been a major topic of consideration this year, ever since Universal Music Group CEO Lucian Grainge called for an “updated model” for the business that will be “an innovative, ‘artist-centric’ model that values all subscribers and rewards the music they love” in his annual New Year’s letter to staff. Following, UMG announced partnerships with Tidal, Deezer and Soundcloud to explore alternative models, and reports surfaced that similar conversations were underway with the other leading streaming platforms.

In July, during UMG’s second quarter earnings call, Grainge announced a “newly expanded agreement” with Spotify, under which he said “they have committed to continue to work to address” what he outlined as key components to the “artist-centric” approach: Fairly rewarding “real artists with real fanbases” for “the platform engagement they drive”; applying “stricter fraud detection and enforcement systems” and “ensuring real artists don’t have their royalties diluted by noise”; and “better aligning the relationship between artists and fans by promoting greater discovery and promotion of real artists.” Two out of three of these priorities are now being pursued by Spotify.

In September, UMG and Deezer outlined a new model for what they called “artist-centric streaming.” That model was similar, albeit more severe, than what Spotify is planning. It included royalty “boosts” for “professional” artists whose music streamed above a threshold, while promising to crack down on fraud and replace “non-artist noise content” with its own functional music that would be excluded from the royalty pool.

Unlike Spotify — which relies heavily on industry-leading algorithm-recommended playlists and auto-play, lean-back listening — Deezer’s plan also demoted passive listening royalties by “boosting” artists who are actively searched for by users. Unlike Deezer, Spotify is planning to roll this out will all major labels and leading independent labels and distributors.

24 Oct 2023

Corsets Are in High Demand: Here’s Where You Can Buy the Trendy Top for Halloween & More

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.

From Billie Eilish to Bridgerton, corsets are having a major fashion moment!

Selena Gomez loves a corset. The same goes for stars like Cardi B, who rocked a corseted look at the 2023 Met Gala and Billie Eilish who made a sustainable fashion statement in an eco-friendly Gucci corset dress to the Gala last year. And she wasn’t the only star channeling the “gilded glamour” theme in a corseted look. Gigi Hadid wore a custom Versace corset ensemble to last year’s Met Gala and Euphoria’s Sydney Sweeney wore a corseted gown by Tory Burch.

If you happen to be a fan of the mid-19th-century look, we’re here to help make things easier. Below, find a list of corset tops in a variety of different patterns and designs that you can wear for Halloween and beyond. Whether you’re looking for long sleeve, short sleeve or strapless, you’re sure to find something suitable on our list.

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For more fashion recommendations, be sure to read our picks for the best platform heels, sweaters for fall on sale and if you’re looking for Halloween inspiration, read our list of most popular costumes for 2023.

Spooky Season is here and this lacey corset works as an outfit and a costume! It’s a bestseller at Amazon and available in 18 different colors including black, white, blue, green, pink, purple, gold and brown.

You can’t miss with a floral print — even in the fall. This sleeveless, polyester corset tank from Revolve is made from 100% polyester and features an exposed zipper in the back.

If sleeves are more you style, check out this off-the-shoulder mesh bustier at Amazon. The shirt features semi-sheer sleeves with a zipper back and is available in blue, black, pink or white, in sizes XS-XL.

This one-strap, faux leather corset from House of CB is available in beige or taupe (and it laces up in the back).

A figure-flattering, hook and eye corset top that’s almost sold out in select colors. This Windsor corset — available in seven colors including black, red, turquoise, green, brown, pink and rust — can be worn with cargo pants and other casual bottoms.

Pretty in pink! This baby pink corset top features bow detail straps on each shoulder. The top comes in 20 different colors including brown, green, black, blue, hot pink, navy, white and light blue.

Want a leathery look? This faux leather corset comes complete with buckles and zippers, elastic shoulder straps and a cross, lace-up back. It’s available in black or white in sizes small to 3X-Large.

Let’s not forget about sleeves! This satin and lace corset top from Princess Polly features puff sleeves and and a hook eye closure. The top comes in white or black in sizes ranging from 0-12.

24 Oct 2023

D4vd Talks Touring With SZA, Connecting With His Fan Through His Music & More | Billboard News

D4vd talks about his music journey through his two EPs, connecting with fans through his music, going on tour with SZA, how he feels about his rapidly growing music career and more!

D4vd:
It was, like, at a press conference, everybody had their phones up playing the same clip. And it was, like, SZA sitting down saying, “The D4 emo music guy.” Oh, like that’s me. They’re talking about me! You know it’s so fire.

Hey, everybody! I’m d4vd, and you’re watching Billboard News.

Lyndsey Havens:
Hey, I’m Lyndsey Havens for Billboard News. And we are here with genre agnostic, I’m gonna say singer-songwriter D4vd. It’s so good to have you here.

D4vd:
Thank you for having me.

Lyndsey Havens:
You’ve been on quite the run this year.

D4vd:
Quite the sprint.

Lyndsey Havens:
“Sprint,” that’s a better word. So if you think about it just a few years ago, I’m picturing you recording vocals in your sister’s walk-in closet. And this year alone, sold-out tour, two EPs. If you had to describe what 2023 has been like for you, how could you put into words?

D4vd:
Absolutely “blessed roller coaster.” Like, front-row seat on a roller coaster. Honestly, and it goes this way, it goes that way, it goes every which way. It’s honestly just been a wild ride.

Lyndsey Havens:
Has there been one moment that has surprised you the most?

D4vd:
SZA tour honestly. Honestly, it was like, months and months of seeing her to this moment. And I was just completely like, starstruck. It wasn’t even real to me when I heard the news.

Watch the full interview above!

24 Oct 2023

Cam’ron “Nas In ’94 Freestyle,” T-Pain & Hert “Baby Go Brap” & More | Daily Visuals 10.24.23

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It feels like eons ago Cam’ron and his Dip Set crew had some serious beef with Nas (we can’t even remember why) but luckily for everyone and the culture it never transpired past a few bars and subliminals on records.

Now a decade and change later, Cam and Nas are on good terms and Killa is taking the time to give the QB King his flowers by dressing like him for his clip to “Nas In ‘94” freestyle where he stands by an elevator bank and kicks his rhymes over J. Cole and Lil Yachty’s “The Secret Recipe” beat. We thought Cam said he was retired from rap?! He still got it though.

T-Pain meanwhile seems ready to venture into the next chapter of his career and in his Hert assisted visuals to “Baby Go Brap,” Teddy Pendergrass ditches the auto-tune for a minute to drop bars and show he can do his thing on the track any which way he wants. Some pretty impressive automobiles in this joint too.

Check out the rest of today’s drops including work from Joell Ortiz and Kxng Crooked, Snow Tha Product, and more.