News

06 Sep 2023

Elliot Goldman, Arista Co-Founder and Former BMG Music President, Dies at 88

Elliot Goldman, the veteran record executive who co-founded Arista Records, led BMG Music as president and CEO, and served in senior roles with Warner and CBS Records across a decorated career in music, has died at the age of 88.

Goldman joined CBS Records in the 1960s, rising to administrative vice president. Later, with Clive Davis, he established Arista Records, serving as executive VP and general manager at the very inception of the storied label.

“Clive and I formed Arista Records in 1973,” he recounted in an interview with Billboard published in 2015. “One of our first releases was from a gentleman you’ve probably heard of: Barry Manilow.”

Later, Goldman took on duties as senior VP at Warner Communications, and, in 1985, was named president and chief executive of RCA/Ariola International. When BMG parent Bertelsmann acquired RCA outright from the General Electric Company, the German media giant restructured the asset into three operating units; BMG Music, BMG Music International and Arista, all part of BMG. Goldman would guide BMG Music as president and CEO, departing in 1987.

”Elliot expertly managed RCA/ Ariola through very difficult corporate transitions and company restructuring,” Michael Dornemann, co-chairman of the Bertelsmann Music Group, remarked on his departure, The New York Times reported.

A graduate of Cornell, where he majored in political science, and of Columbia Law School, Goldman served on the board of directors of the RIAA, and on the board of directors and executive committee of the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame Foundation at its inception.

During his lifetime, he also served on the executive council of the T.J. Martell Foundation; was co-chairman of the Home Entertainment Division of UJA/Federation; founding member and president emeritus of the Music for Youth foundation; and a recipient of the AMC Cancer Research Center’s Humanitarian of the Year Award.

Goldman leveraged his considerable major label experience into consultancy work with a string independent and major record company clients throughout the 1990s.

Before entering the music industry, Goldman enjoyed various roles in government, including the position as head of the New York office for the 1964 election campaign of Senator Robert F. Kennedy.

Arista and J Records founder Clive Davis leads tributes to the late executive.

“Elliot Goldman played a substantial role in the history of Arista Records and strongly contributed to its success,” comments Davis in a statement. “He was also a great family man and Jill, Ben and the Goldman children have my deepest sympathy for this irreplaceable loss.”

He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Jill, his son Ben (Allysa Lawson Goldman), daughters Elizabeth and Cathy and his four grandchildren, Justin Goldman, Dylan Goldman, Sophie Gibbons and Olivia Gibbons.
Ben and Justin have both carved out successful careers in music.

05 Sep 2023

Doja Cat Eyes First U.K. No. 1 With ‘Paint The Town Red’

Doja Cat has another fine chance to capture her first U.K. chart crown with “Paint The Town Red.”

Based on midweek sales and streaming data published by the Official Charts Company, “Paint The Town Red” (via Kemosabe Records/RCA Records) is in pole position.

The U.S. pop singer and rapper will hope for a different result from last week, when “Paint The Town Red” led at the midweek stage, before being outraced in the final straight by Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire” (Geffen). Doja Cat’s Scarlet single finished the last chart cycle at No. 2, an equal career high (“Say So” also finished in the runner-up position).

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As it stands, Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” (EMI) lifts 4-2, as “Vampire” dips 1-3.

Meanwhile, Calvin Harris and Sam Smith’s latest collaboration, “Desire” (Columbia), could climb into the top 5 for the first time. It’s up 7-5 on the Official Chart Update.

Fred Again’s “Adore U” (Atlantic) could become the red hot producer’s first Top 10 single as a solo artist. “Adore U” rises 16-10 on the chart blast.

Australia’s pop princess Kylie Minogue is readying the release of her 16th studio album, Tension (due out Sept. 22 via BMG). The title track is set to arrive at No. 19 on the national chart, for what should be Kylie’s 53rd top 40 hit in the U.K. “Tension” is the followup to “Padam Padam,” which crashed the top 10 earlier this year, reaching No. 8.

English singer and songwriter Kenya Grace has never impacted the Official Singles Chart. That could be about to change, as “Strangers” (Major Recordings) blasts to No. 22 on the midweek tally.

Finally, Nicki Minaj’s “Last Time I Saw You” (Republic Records). The Pink Friday 2 cut could bow at No. 25, for what would be the rap star’s 44th U.K. top 40 single. Minaj’s Pink Friday sequel is due out Nov. 17.

The Official U.K. Singles Chart will be presented late Friday, Sept. 8.

05 Sep 2023

CMA Awards 2023 Predictions: Who Could Score Nominations in the Main Categories?

Final nominees for the 57th CMA Awards will be announced Thursday at 8 a.m. ET. It’s been an exceptional year for country music, with artists like Morgan Wallen and Luke Combs dominating the pop and country charts. Newer acts like Zach Bryan and Oliver Anthony Music have seemingly come out of nowhere to top the charts and, in some cases, the national conversation. 

Many of the acts who have broken through this year, like Jelly Roll and Lainey Wilson, who swept the Academy of Country Music Awards, don’t sound like anyone who has come before them. 

While it’s easy to predict a handful of the nominees, several of the categories are harder to figure out because in some cases, like new artist of the year, there is such a wealth of talent to be considered. 

The CMA Awards, which are voted on by eligible CMA members, will be handed out Nov. 8. Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning return as co-hosts on the program, which will air live on ABC. The eligibility period for the 2023 show is July 1, 2022-June 30, 2023. According to CMA rules, “singles, albums, music videos and qualified music products for the annual show must have been released or reached peak national prominence during the eligibility period.” 

Below are my predictions for the artist categories. I decided to go young this year, given the strength of some of the artists coming up. 

05 Sep 2023

Beyoncé Gifts LA With 3 Shows for Her Birthday: A Roundtable Appreciation

Beyoncé played three sold-out nights at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., over the holiday weekend — and Billboard was there for all three shows.

On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, we’ve put together a roundtable discussion about the trio of concerts with Gail Mitchell, Billboard‘s executive director, R&B/hip-hop; Cat Johnson, Billboard‘s business development and talent relations manager; along with your two regular Pop Shop hosts Katie & Keith. Katie attended Friday night, Gail and Keith attended Monday night, and Cat attended all three nights and covered the shows (read her Friday/Saturday recap and birthday concert recap now).

Listen to our full discussion below to hear about all the surprises, all the standout moments, and all the silver, sparkly fashion.

Also on the show, we’ve got chart news on how Zach Bryan takes over the top of both the Billboard 200 albums chart and Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, thanks to his new self-titled album and its breakout track “I Remember Everything,” featuring Kacey Musgraves. It’s Bryan’s first No. 1 on both charts and Musgraves’ first Hot 100 No. 1 (and top 10!) too. Plus, Miley Cyrus’ “Used to Be Young” debuts straight into the top 10 on the Hot 100, marking her 12th top 10 hit.

The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast is your one-stop shop for all things pop on Billboard‘s weekly charts. You can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music, and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop. Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard‘s executive digital director, West Coast, Katie Atkinson and Billboard’s managing director, charts and data operations, Keith Caulfield every week on the podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast provider. (Click here to listen to the previous edition of the show on Billboard.com.)

05 Sep 2023

Spotify Tests Lyrics Paywall for Free Users

Spotify is currently testing a feature that would put song lyrics on the app behind a paywall for free users, the company has confirmed to Billboard.

“At Spotify, we routinely conduct a number of tests, some of those tests end up paving the way for our broader user experience and others serve only as an important learning,” said a Spotify spokesperson in a statement sent to Billboard. “In keeping with our standard practices, we’re currently testing this with a limited number of users in a pair of markets. We don’t have any further news to share at this time.”

The Verge was first to report on the test.

The paywall test has been noted by Spotify users in the free (ad-supported) tier for more than a week on platforms including Reddit and X (formerly known as Twitter), with some decrying the move as “ableist” against the deaf community. Spotify did not immediately respond to Billboard‘s request for comment on that criticism.

Spotify developers are beginning to test lyrics restrictions for free users (1.2.19)
by u/Hidden_pool_ in truespotify

With the test, Spotify seems to be looking at ways to potentially convert more free users into premium subscribers on the service, which in the most recent quarter reported an 11% increase in revenue from premium subscriptions and 10 million net new accounts — amounting to a total of 220 million premium subscribers. During the same period, the company also reported a 12% increase in ad-supported revenue. Critically, average revenue per user fell 3% in the quarter while operating losses were €247 million ($272.7 million), leading to some disappointment from investors (its stock has since regained nearly all of those losses).

In July, Spotify announced it would institute a $1 price hike for its premium individual plan in North and South America, Europe and Asia following repeated calls from investors and the music industry to do so following price increases by competitors including Apple, Amazon and Tidal. On its July earnings call, Spotify executives said the move would improve the company’s quarterly operating losses through the remainder of 2023.

05 Sep 2023

Asake Talks Billboard Chart Success, Crazy Live Shows, Growth of Afrobeats & More | Billboard News

Asake shares how he feels about his success on the Billboard charts with his first album, Mr. Money With the Vibe, how his second album (Work of Art) is different, his crazy live shows, how the Afrobeats genre has grown across the globe, his mindset on collaborations, his dream collab and more!

Asake:
The only thing I could remember is I tried to do, you know, the dance they do in Nigeria where everybody do like this.

Hi! What’s up, everybody? It’s your boy, Asake — aka Mr. Money With the Vibe — right now, and you’re watching Billboard News.

Tetris Kelly:
It’s Tetris with Billboard News. Today, we got Mr. Afrobeats himself, Asake.

Thanks for coming to hanging out with us. Let’s talk about the genre itself. OK, so Afrobeats is obviously having this huge explosion globally. So how’s it feel from the artists standpoint, seeing your genre blow up like that?

Asake:
I think it’s a good thing. You know, it’s like you having a baby, and your baby’s growing. You know, you feel good when you have something around you and the thing is growing, and I feel like in a couple of years or in years to come, it will be bigger.

Tetris Kelly:
Well, speaking of getting bigger, I mean, next year will be the first year the Grammys ever have a category — best African musical performance — so that’s huge. Do you think that’s going to affect the genre? Like, are you even thinking like, “I want to be Grammy nominated?”

Asake:
No, it’s never going to affect anything. Like, everybody wants to be big. So if the whole genre is bigger, that means there is the happiness of the whole country, you know, it’s the happiness of everybody.

05 Sep 2023

Dave East “Thru the Mud,” DaBaby “Peaches & Eggplants” & More | Daily Visuals 9.5.23

HipHopWired Featured Video

Dave East

Source: Bernard Smalls / @PhotosByBeanz

Dave East is a proud Harlem representative and while the man uses every opportunity to show love to his old neighborhood, this time around the city boy heads to the country for his latest music video.

In his latest visuals to “Thru The Mud,” Dave East finds himself living the simple life on a farm where he cares for the livestock which consists of lamas and horses before writing his rhymes under some candle lights and dimly lit lamps. Still iced out on the farm though. That was lowkey weird too.

DaBaby meanwhile hits the streets with some ice of his own and in his clip to “Peaches & Eggplants” pulls up to a gas station to get turnt up with his seed who flaunts stacks of cash that and iced out baby chains of his own. Son probably got his pre-school on smash.

Check out the rest of today’s drops and some joints you might’ve missed over the weekend including work from Knucks featuring Larry June, Chinese Kitty, and more.

DAVE EAST – “THRU THE MUD”



DABABY – “PEACHES & EGGPLANTS”



KNUCKS FT. LARRY JUNE – “I SUPPOSE”



CHINESE KITTY – “BOY OH BOY”



COYOTE & SHAQUILLE O’NEAL – “3 LOKOS”



RUGER – “TOUR”



FLO MILLI – “HOT BOX”



BLXST & BINO RIDEAUX – “DOIN YO STUFF”



OHGEESY – “BLAME ME”



HipHopWired Radio

Our staff has picked their favorite stations, take a listen…

05 Sep 2023

A Timeline of Joe Jonas & Sophie Turner’s Relationship

From two weddings & two children to a divorce filing, here’s a look at the former couple’s relationship.

Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas

Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas attend the 2019 Billboard Music Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 1, 2019 in Las Vegas. 

Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for dcp

Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner are divorcing after four years of marriage and two children together. The Jonas Brothers singer filed for divorce on Sept. 5, Billboard confirmed.

In his petition, the musician said that his union with the Game of Thrones actress “is irretrievably broken,” according to the Today show, which obtained the filing.

News of their split came as a surprise, as the pair displayed no signs that their marriage was on the rocks, with the actress sharing photos with the musician backstage at Jonas Brothers concerts and playfully teasing him on social media. In the days after rumors of a split began to surface, the singer wore his ring onstage and even shared a photo of himself wearing his wedding band hours before news broke that he had filed for divorce.

Though their romance has come to an end, it wasn’t always tough times for Jonas and Turner. After getting engaged to Jonas — who first reached out to the actress via an Instagram DM in 2016 — Turner even admitted that she didn’t think she’d ever marry. “I was fully preparing myself to be single for the rest of my life,” she told Rolling Stone in March 2019. “I think once you’ve found the right person, you just know.”

From sliding into DMs to their two 2019 weddings (a surprise Vegas ceremony first, then an elegant affair in France) and welcoming two children, the former couple have shared many sweet moments together during their romance. Here’s a look back at the love story of Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner.

05 Sep 2023

Coldplay’s Former Manager Dave Holmes Sues Band For $12M

Coldplay’s former manager, Dave Holmes, is suing the band for more than £10 million ($12 million) in damages and outstanding payments, according to documents filed in the London High Court.  

Holmes managed Coldplay for more than two decades, helping the British group become one of the world’s biggest rock acts prior to being dismissed by them in late 2022.  

In legal papers filed in the U.K. courts, which have been viewed by Billboard, attorneys for Holmes say he is suing the four members of Coldplay — Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion and Chris Martin — for more than £10 million ($12 million) over the defendants’ “failure and refusal to comply” with the terms of their management contract. News of the lawsuit was first reported by Variety last month.

The dispute centers around a proposed contract agreement that Holmes says the band entered into with his California-based management company, DHMC, relating to Coldplay’s yet-to-be-released tenth and eleventh studio albums and related tours, which the former manager claims he is due unpaid commission on.

According to the lawsuit, filed Aug. 11 in the U.K. Business and Property Courts, Coldplay received an advance of £35 million ($44 million) for its tenth album from Warner Music Group-owned Parlophone Records. Holmes says he also negotiated advances of £15 million ($19 million) each for the group’s subsequent two studio albums as part of the extension of Coldplay’s recording contract with Parlophone, signed in June 2021. 

One month later, Holmes was paid £1.5 million ($1.9 million) by the band, representing his 10% commission fee from the initial £15 million advance payment Coldplay received from the label for its tenth album. Holmes was paid a further £1.5 million ($1.9 million) in October 2021 but says the band still owes him outstanding commission from the record company advances.

In addition, Holmes claims he is due payment for “extensive services” his company carried out relating to the prospective albums and touring schedules prior to his termination as manager.  

These services allegedly include scheduling, marketing, budgeting, sponsorship and ticket pricing for the U.S., Asia and Australia legs of the 2022/23 “Music of the Spheres” world tour, as well as work on the band’s next two releases, such as arranging writing and recording sessions in Jamaica and London and preparing promotional campaigns.  

Listed among the services Holmes says he and his team carried out for Coldplay’s as-yet-unscheduled tenth album are budgeting and marketing activities, clearing an instrumental sample from musician Hal Walker, arranging a recording session on a film set in Boston, and liaising with producer Max Martin’s manager to arrange recording and production sessions.   

Holmes also claims that preparatory work was carried out around possible touring scenarios in 2024/25, including meeting with promoters.

According to legal papers filed by Holmes’ attorneys, Coldplay argues that a contract agreement for the band’s tenth and eleventh albums was never concluded and that commission deals between Holmes and the group for any of its previous nine albums, including the group’s first two releases, expired at the end of last year.

Although the cause of the fallout between Holmes and Coldplay is not detailed in the lawsuit, court documents do reveal that Coldplay asked Holmes to step down from managing the band in June last year and instead become head of touring, whereby he would receive commission on touring and live performance revenue but forgo payment on recording or publishing revenue.  

According to the lawsuit, in September, Coldplay’s solicitors wrote to Holmes to inform him that the head of touring proposal was no longer on offer and his involvement with the band was to officially end Dec. 31, 2022. Since then, the band has been managed by long-term associates Phil Harvey, Mandi Frost and Arlene Moon.      

Holmes is now asking the U.K. courts to determine if the so-called “Albums 10/11 Agreement” stands and for Coldplay to pay him any outstanding commission, as per its terms. Alternatively, his attorneys are asking that Holmes receive “reasonable remuneration in respect” of the services he carried out for the multi-million-selling British band. 

“Dave Holmes successfully managed Coldplay for more than 22 years, steering them to be one of the most successful bands in music history. Now, as the legal case shows, Coldplay is refusing to honor Dave’s management contract and pay him what he is owed,” says Holmes’ lawyer, Phil Sherrell, in a statement provided to Billboard.

Representatives for Coldplay confirmed with Billboard that Holmes’ management contract with the four-piece expired at the end of 2022 “at which point they decided not to start a new one. The matter is now in the hands of Coldplay’s lawyers and the claims are being vigorously disputed.” 

05 Sep 2023

Chloe Sings ‘Surprise,’ ‘Body Do’ & More ‘In Pieces’ Standouts for Tiny Desk Concert: Watch

Chloe Bailey is the latest star to stop by NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series, appearing on the Monday installment to sing tracks from her debut studio album In Pieces.

The Praise This star mostly matched her band, who wore all black, though she opted for an army-green skirt to stand out. The singer kicked off the set with a soulful live rendition of her 2022 single “Surprise,” hitting several soaring high notes with ease, much to the delight of the listeners in attendance.

By the time “Body Do” rolled around in the setlist, Chloe — one-half of the duo Chloe x Halle, with her sister Halle Bailey — instructed the attendees to move their bodies to the beat of the track, which was infused with salsa and mambo instrumentation for its live version. Before launching into the lyrics, the singer finally introduced herself: “I’m Chloe — Miss Bailey if you nasty. I’m so happy to be here with you all. I have a question for you guys: Do you ever wonder who else is f—ing our man?”

Fleshing out the rest of the set were more tracks from In Pieces, including its title track, “I Don’t Mind,” “Worried” and “Cheatback.”

Chloe’s sister Halle could be slated for her own Tiny Desk concert in the coming months: In a recent feature with Cosmopolitan, The Little Mermaid star revealed that her debut solo LP will “definitely” be released “before the end of the year.”

Watch Chloe’s Tiny Desk concert in full in the video above.