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09 Aug 2023

SB19 Congratulate A’TIN on Winning Fan Army Face-Off 2023: ‘You Never Fail to Amaze Us’

It’s official! SB19’s beloved fanbase A’TIN have taken the crown for the 2023 Billboard Fan Army Face-Off, and the boys could not be more proud.

“You never fail to amaze us with your dedication,” Josh told A’TIN in a sweet congratulatory video SB19 shared with Billboard on Wednesday (Aug. 9). Pablo then added, “We look forward to conquering more heights with all of you.”

After a final battle between the CARATs and A’TIN, SB19 claimed the crown after a tight battle with SEVENTEEN’s fans. The Filipino boy band’s fans brought in 51.1% of the votes, versus the 48.9% SEVENTEEN’s CARATS generated.

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Billboard’s annual Fan Army showdown had 64 artists’ fan armies kicking off the battle to find out whose fan base was the strongest. It all began on July 5, and throughout multiple rounds, the Elite Eight — made up of the fan armies for Cardi B, EXO, Selena Gomez, Nicki Minaj, SB19, SEVENTEEN, Shakira and TWICE — emerged victorious to compete in the Quarterfinals.

This year’s Semifinals included the fan armies for Cardi B, SB19, SEVENTEEN and Shakira, before SB19 and SEVENTEEN took on the Finals. Last year, the winner of the Billboard Fan Army Face-Off was Stray Kids’ STAY with past Fan Army Face-Off winners including Super Junior’s E.L.F (victorious twice), T-ara’s Queens (victorious three times) and BIGBANG’s VIPs.

Watch SB19’s sweet message to A’TIN below.

09 Aug 2023

The Band’s Biggest Billboard Chart Hits With Robbie Robertson

Robbie Robertson, who died Aug. 9 at age 80, made an impression on Billboard‘s charts as the lead guitarist and principal songwriter of The Band. The group landed multiple songs on the Billboard Hot 100, beginning with “The Weight,” one of the quintessential rock releases of the 1960s, in 1968.

Between 1968-76, The Band (during this time comprising Robertson, Rick Danko, Levon Helm, Garth Hudson and Richard Manuel) reached the Hot 100 nine times — eight times on its own and once on the Bob Dylan collaboration “Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I’ll Go Mine).” Though Robertson penned many of the band’s lasting hits, he rarely contributed lead vocals, usually deferring to Helm, Danko or Manuel.

Though the band never rose higher than the chart’s top 25, its influence on its contemporaries in the rock scene — and enduring legacy — spurred lasting careers for its members after The Band’s eventual breakup, including Robertson.

In fact, though Robertson never appeared on the Hot 100 solo, he was a prolific presence on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart during the first decade-plus of its existence, paced by a pair of top 10s in “Showdown at Big Sky” (No. 2, 1987) and “Sweet Fire of Love” (No. 7, 1988).

Robertson also became a frequent collaborator of filmmaker Martin Scorsese, contributing to the soundtracks of The Last Waltz, Raging Bull, The Departed and many more.

His success continued into the 2010s, when Robertson earned his highest-charting entry on the Billboard 200, thanks to the No. 13 debut and peak of 2011’s How to Become Clairvoyant. Most recently, Sinematic — Robertson’s final studio album released before his death — appeared at No. 7 on the Americana/Folk Albums chart in 2019.

Below are the biggest Hot 100 chart hits from The Band during that eight-year span of 1968-76. The Band’s biggest Billboard hits chart is based on actual performance on Billboard’s weekly Billboard Hot 100 chart, through Aug. 12, 2023. Songs are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at lower ranks earning less. Due to changes in chart methodology over the years, eras are weighted to account for different chart turnover rates over various periods.

09 Aug 2023

Michelle Buteau Reveals Her Favorite New Jersey Slang | Billboard

Michelle Buteau reveals her favorite New Jersey slang to Billboard News.

Michelle Buteau:
Hey, everyone! I’m Michelle Buteau, and this is my hometown slang.

When I was growing up, every time you said something that was, like, sarcastic or not true, you just follow that sentence with “sike.” I mean, why did I do that? It was just, like, at a 10 at all times. I was giving a 10 — I should be serving a 6. Like, that’s not OK. Sike! It was fine. See what I did there? Nobody cares.

“Mad,” “mad” a lot like, “Oh, that food was mad good.” Or “Ooh, that line was mad long.” Like, people in Jersey was so mad, we actually have to, like, use it for good things at some point.

Oh my God. And when you really like somebody, you’d be like, “Oh, yeah, like ’em a lot. I was sweatin’ them.” What? “I was sweatin’ them”?! “Ooh, that movie. I was sweatin’ that movie so hard. I was waiting in that line mad long. SIKE! I bought my tickets in advance.”

Producer:
Perfect.

Michelle Buteau:
I know.

09 Aug 2023

Robbie Robertson, Co-Founder of The Band, Dies at 80

Robbie Robertson, beloved guitarist, songwriter and frontman of The Band, died after an unspecified long illness on Wednesday (Aug. 9). He was 80 years old.

Robertson’s longtime manager, Jared Levine, shared the devastating news in a statement: “Robbie was surrounded by his family at the time of his death, including his wife, Janet, his ex-wife, Dominique, her partner Nicholas, and his children Alexandra, Sebastian, Delphine, and Delphine’s partner Kenny. He is also survived by his grandchildren Angelica, Donovan, Dominic, Gabriel, and Seraphina. Robertson recently completed his fourteenth film music project with frequent collaborator Martin Scorsese, Killers of the Flower Moon. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations be made to the Six Nations of the Grand River to support a new Woodland Cultural Centre.”

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The Toronto, Ontario-born artist began playing guitar at age 10, and at just 16 years old he joined drummer Levon Helm in the Hawks, the backing band for Ronnie Hawkins. The Hawks went on to play with Bob Dylan on his legendary Going Electric tours in 1965 and 1966, and recorded the seminal “basement tapes” with the legend before changing their group’s name to The Band. They released their debut Music From Big Pink album in 1968, which featured the Robertson-penned classic, “The Weight,” and the group performed at Woodstock Festival a year later. 

Robertson was the sole writer of The Band’s first four hits on the Billboard Hot 100 — “The Weight” (peaked at No. 63), “Up on Cripple Creek” (No. 25), “Rag Mama Rag” (No. 57), and “Time to Kill” (No. 77). He was also the sole writer of the biggest hit Joan Baez ever had, “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” which reached No. 3 in 1971.

After eight years as a band, Robertson ended the group in 1976, culminating in The Band’s legendary farewell concert, The Last Waltz. Dylan, Eric Clapton, Muddy Waters, Van Morrison, Neil Young and Joni Mitchell all joined the group for the performance at San Francisco’s Winterland and a corresponding concert film was directed by Martin Scorsese. The Last Waltz soundtrack was released in 1978 and peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.

Robertson also delved into the film world, co-writing, producing, appearing in and composing the source music for Carny (1979), starring Gary Busey and Jodie Foster. He went on to create and produce music for Scorsese’s Raging Bull (1980), King Of Comedy (1983), and The Color Of Money (1986), which included “It’s In The Way That You Use It,” co-written with Clapton. Robertson scored, consulted for, produced or supervised music for numerous iconic films throughout the years, including American Beauty (1999), Any Given Sunday (1999) Gangs Of New York (2002), The Departed (2006), Shutter Island (2009), The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), and Silence (2016).

Robertson made his solo album debut in 1987 with his Grammy nominated self-titled album, featuring guests Peter Gabriel and U2 and the beloved track “Somewhere Down The Crazy River.” His sixth and final solo album, Sinematic, was released in 2019.

The Band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1989 and received a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy in 2008. Robertson never won a Grammy in competition, despite five nods over the years, but he won five Juno Awards in his native Canada, including three in 1989 — album of the year (for his eponymous solo debut album), male vocalist of the year and producer of the year (in tandem with Daniel Lanois).

Additional reporting by Paul Grein.

09 Aug 2023

‘Just Eat’: Jessie James Decker ‘Can’t Wait’ for Fans to Get Their Hands on Her New Cookbook

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Just eat! Jessie James Decker wants to help fans whip up “easy and delicious” home-cooked meals with her upcoming cookbook, Just Eat, which features more than 100 recipes inspired by the country star’s home life, travels and home garden.

Decker is inviting fans to join her on TalkShopLive on Wednesday (Aug. 9), where she’ll be dishing about her new cookbook and more. Fans can also pre-order a copy of cookbook directly from the live stream.

“I’ll be talking food, answering all kinds of questions and I’ll be signing copies [of the book] for you guys,” Decker says in a clip teasing the livestream, which will take place at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT on Wednesday. “I cannot wait for you to get your hands on this book!”

Eric Decker and Jessie James Decker

Jessie James Decker Announces Third Pregnancy With Adorable Video

The New York Times-bestselling author’s latest cookbook is available for pre-order and will be released on Oct. 10. Decker’s other books include Just Jessie: My Guide to Love, Life, Family and Food and Just Feed Me: Simply Delicious Recipes from My Heart to Your Plate.

Just Eat takes readers inside Decker’s kitchen while serving up a dose of comfort to your table with easy-to-follow recipes including appetizers, meals and desserts such as Louisiana beignets and Eric’s Chicken Chili to Fried Chicken Sandwiches, which are named after her husband, former NFL player Eric Decker.

And it’s not just Southern cooking. The mother of three incorporated Italian and Greek dishes inspired by her travels to the Mediterranean coast along with tips for healthy recipes and food prep. Also featured in the book: candid photos of Decker and her family at home, on vacation and in their garden.

Watch the video above to join Decker on TalkShopLive today at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT.

09 Aug 2023

Trueno, Vico C, Snow Tha Product & More: Who’s Your Favorite Latin Rapper? Vote!

Billboard Latin and Billboard Español are celebrating the 50th anniversary of hip-hop by curating The 50 Most Essential Spanish-Language Rappers of Yesterday and Today list out today (Aug. 9).

Ahead of the genre officially turning 50 on Friday (Aug. 11), the Latin and Español editors unveiled 50 of the most extraordinary, compelling and commanding Spanish-language hip-hop acts of our generation and beyond. The ranked list includes notable rappers from Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico and Venezuela, to name a few countries.

Highlighted in the list are a handful of female rappers who are spearheading the male-dominated genre with their unapologetic prowess, such as newcomers Young Miko and Villano Antillano, as well as veterans Ana Tijoux, Mala Rodriguez and Ivy Queen, who always showcased her exceptional talent and innovation as a rapper and artist since her emergence in the mid ‘90s.

The ranking’s top 10 are Argentine MC Trueno (10), Control Machete’s Pato Machete (9), Ivy Queen (8), Mexico’s Aczino (7), Daddy Yankee (6), Cuban group Orishas (5), Tego Calderón (4), Ana Tijoux (3), Vico C (2) and Residente (1), who between his solo career and his work with Calle 13, holds the record for most Latin Grammy wins.

Other rappers on the list include Eladio Carrión, Santa Fe Klan, Cosculluela, Lapiz Conciente and Akapellah, to name a few.

Note: In a similar approach to Billboard/Vibe’s 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time list, the Billboard Latin and Billboard Español teams took into account the following criteria in the selection process and ranking: body of work/achievements (charted releases, gold/platinum certifications), cultural impact/influence (how the artist’s work fostered the genre’s evolution), longevity (years at the mic), lyrics (storytelling skills) and flow (vocal prowess.)

Who is your favorite Latin rapper? Vote below!

09 Aug 2023

Taylor Swift Outfits: 14 Iconic Looks That Are Still in Stock — Shop Them Here

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Taylor Swift has been dominating everything from the Billboard Hot 100 chart to the fashion world with styles like her date-night floral dress and trendy skort quickly selling out. As Swifties clamor to snag last-minute Eras Tour tickets, fans lucky enough to go to the shows are also searching high and low for an Eras Tour outfit.

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While Swift’s tour looks have made headlines, her street style shouldn’t be overlooked, especially for those who want to infuse the 33-year-old artist’s style into their own. Not only has she made a case for skorts, but she’s even been seen wearing styles from brands such as Free People, combining wallet-friendly fashion with stylish outfits that fans can afford.

Most recently, a fan account on Twitter posted about the singer wearing Rag & Bone sneakers to a Los Angeles recording studio — and they’re surprisingly still in stock!

If you’ve been looking for clothing the “August” singer has been spotted wearing, then you’ve come to the right place. We did the digging and found everything that is still in stock so you can focus more on creating your next Swift-inspired ‘fit — don’t forget to top it off with a cardigan, of course.

Keep reading to shop the finds below.

white retro running sneakers

Amazon

Rag & Bone Retro Calfskin Runner Sneakers

$275.00

Act fast, as these casual Rag & Bone white sneakers are almost sold out! The running shoe comes with a ridged sole and calfskin upper designed with white and off-white shades you can pair with leggings, jeans, shorts and more.

orange and black tie dye tank top bodysuit

Net-A-Porter

Agolde Maria Tie-Dyed Ribbed Stretch Jersey Bodysuit

$120

Another everyday basic to sport is this tie-dye bodysuit featuring a soft ribbed jersey material and thick tank top straps. You can wear it with a pair of baggy jeans for the daytime, then throw a leather jacket over the look for a nighttime-ready going out look.

model wearing light wash wrap around denim skort

Revolve

Free People Emmy Denim Skort

$98

You can have the best of both worlds in this denim skort from Free People. The front features a distressed wrap-around skirt design while the back looks like a simple pair of shorts. It’s also topped off with a side tie so you can adjust it to your liking.

brown fisherman mary jane loafers

Madewell

G.H.BASS Mary Jane Weejuns Loafers

$185

If you’re in the market for a shoe that combines multiple trends, then hop on this Mary Jane loafer from Madewell while it’s still in stock. The design features a lugged chunky sole while the upper boasts a fisherman sandal pattern you can easily wear is the summer, spring and fall.

gold necklace with long diamond charm

Catbird

Catbird Diamond Spring Fairy Necklace

$448

Swift is known for wearing cottagecore or fairy-like styles, and this Catbird necklace is no exception. It comes with a gold chain and two lengths to choose from. You can also layer it or wear the piece alone.

yellow lemon styled beret hat

Amazon

FAICCIA Kawaii Handmade Cartoon Beret Hat

$19.99

You may recognize a similar beret hat from the singer’s “Karma” music video, as the hat comes with the same lemon-inspired design right down to the little leaves on top — and it’s only $20!

brown chunky adidas sneakers

StockX

Adidas Savage Park Beyonce Ivy Park Ivytopia

$109

You can still grab a pair of the Adidas x Beyonce sneakers the Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) singer has been seen sporting. Resalers such as StockX have sizes still available, which will allow you to show off Swift’s favorite chunky sneakers.

tortiste patterned sunglasses

Stella McCartney

Stella McCartney Rectangular Sunglasses

$310

You’ll be singing “like a Tennessee Stella McCartney” once you slip on these trendy rectangular sunglasses that come with black lenses and a classic tortoise pattern.

model wearing black crossover denim shorts with black ankle boots

Nordstrom

R13 Crossover Denim Shorts

$365

Denim shorts get a makeover in this R13 edition of crossover shorts. The black shade comes with an asymmetrical waistband, while the raw hem creates a more edgy, casual feel.

model wearing white eyelet tank top

Ralph Lauren Polo

Polo Ralph Lauren Eyelet Linen Bustier

$119.99 $248 52% off% OFF

Go for a delicate look using this eyelet bustier top that comes with a floral pattern and spaghetti straps. The material is also made from a lightweight and breathable linen material to help keep you cool on humid days.

model wearing white eyelet midi skirt

Ralph Lauren Polo

Polo Ralph Lauren Eyelet Linen Midi Skirt

$249.99 $498 50% off% OFF

Complete the look with the matching midi skirt that also has the eyelet pattern, providing a look of someone off to the Hamptons for the weekend.

stack of 3 gold bangle bracelets

Misho

Misho Pala Bangles

$121

Bracelets can help elevate your style by adding a touch of chicness — and these Misho Bangles prove it. The jewelry comes in a stack and you can choose between three or five as well as sizes XS-L.

black rectangular sunglasses

Revolve

Anine Bing Indio Sunglasses

$199

You can’t forget to accessorize, and these sunglasses will not only add an elegant touch to your outfit, but will help shade your eyes from the sun. The design comes with an oversized rectangular shape in a black shade that you can pair with almost any look.

gold chain necklace

Catbird

Catbird Swimming Pool Chain

$498

Add this Catbird Swimming Pool Chain to your accessory lineup as it features a basic look you can pair with practically any charms the jewelry brand has to offer. If you’re looking to incorporate Swift’s favorites into your look, consider a charm from the Catbird x Phoebe Bridgers collection, which the musician has been spotted sporting on numerous occasions.

For more product recommendations, check out our roundups of the best corset tops, sunglasses deals and Billie Eilish iconic outfits.

09 Aug 2023

Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour Is Heading for a $500M+ Finish

The first month of Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour situated her atop Billboard’s Top Tours chart in May. With reports for June, the entire European leg of the tour blew past the $150 million mark, making it the biggest non-U.S. leg of any Beyoncé tour. Now, with data for the trek’s first batch of North American shows, the bigger picture is coming more clearly into focus.

According to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore, Beyoncé earned $141.4 million on the first 12 Renaissance shows in U.S. and Canada, selling 553,000 tickets. That puts the tour’s overall figures at $295.8 million and 1.6 million tickets, current through her Aug. 1 concert at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.

Approaching the $300 million mark, the Renaissance World Tour is now Beyoncé’s highest grossing tour yet, passing 2016’s The Formation World Tour ($256.1 million) and 2018’s On the Run II Tour alongside Jay-Z ($253.5 million).

In exceeding the gross of her own two previous tours, the Renaissance World Tour resets the record for the highest grossing tour by an R&B artist, or any Black artist in Boxscore history. Beyoncé previously held the title with the Formation World Tour and before that, with The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour in 2013-14 ($211.9 million).

Beyoncé hasn’t yet eclipsed those runs in terms of tickets sold, though it’s only a matter of time. The Formation World Tour still holds strong with 2.2 million tickets, 600,000 ahead of her 2023 stint. With 23 shows left to report in North America, expect Queen Bey to add close to 1 million more for a total of 2.6 million.

Though it has the earnings record in the bag, the Renaissance World Tour still has room to grow. Its $295.8 million is already in the region of Billboard’s initial projections of $275 million to $300 million plus, based on expected per-show revenues of $6.8 million to $7.5 million. With extra shows added due to high demand, the tour’s routing shot to more than 50 shows, with the low end of our projection ballooning to $380 million.

But Beyoncé hasn’t been earning $7 million per show. The 12 reported North American dates paced $11.8 million and 46,100 tickets each night. Grosses have swung as high as $33.1 million over two shows in East Rutherford, N.J., and as low as $6.5 million in Louisville, Ky.

If the 23 remaining shows can maintain that average or simply stay above the eight-figure mark, the Renaissance World Tour will set a whole new standard for Beyoncé.

To reach $500 million, the Renaissance World Tour will have to gross $8.9 million per show. But that’d represent a 24% drop from the first batch of U.S. & Canada dates, and there’s no reason to expect such a decline considering the remaining dates include highly anticipated shows in Atlanta, Los Angeles and Beyoncé’s hometown of Houston.

At $10 million per show, Beyoncé will hit $525 million, which would inch her past Coldplay’s A Head Full of Dreams Tour ($523.3 million). That’d be enough to make the Renaissance World Tour one of Billboard Boxscore’s 10 highest grossing tours ever.

Here’s a graph to show you where the Renaissance World Tour could end up, depending on how the 23 remaining shows perform.

At the current breakneck speed of $11.8 million per show, Beyoncé would be looking at $560 million. On the all-time leaderboard, she’s targeting classic rock heavyweights such as Guns N’ Roses, The Rolling Stones and Roger Waters as peers on the stadium stage.

Even before she gets there, Beyoncé has already broken through some hallowed territory in the Boxscore archives. Across her career as a soloist (including her co-headline tours with Jay-Z, and with Alicia Keys and Missy Elliott), Beyoncé has become the 15th artist – and third woman after Celine Dion and Madonna – to gross more than $1 billion. Further, she’s just the second female act (after Madonna) to sell more than 10 million tickets. Over 408 reported shows, she has earned $1.063 billion and sold 10.473 million tickets. By the Oct. 1 close of the Renaissance World Tour, that gross will be about $250 million higher.

09 Aug 2023

Offset Drops Quality Control Music Lawsuit: Report

Offset has ended his legal battle with Quality Control Music, the label that helped launch his career as a member of Migos, according to a report by TMZ on Wednesday (Aug. 9).

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The publication notes that while Offset will not join QC moving forward as a solo artist, “all disputes and differences were smoothed over.” Billboard has reached out to Offset’s reps for confirmation and more information.

In August 2022, the rapper  — whose real name is Kiari Cephus — filed paperwork in Los Angeles seeking a declaratory judgement “that Quality Control has no rights, title, or interest in or to Offset’s recordings” since he bought out his deal with the company early last year. He alleged that despite buying the rights to his solo works, QC continued to claim ownership over his recordings.

Offset signed a production agreement with Quality Control in 2013, covering his work in Migos and as a solo artist. According to court documents, as of January 15, 2021, Offset “negotiated a deal in which he reclaimed the rights to his own solo recording and songwriting from Quality Control,” and the new arrangement made the star the “sole owner of all rights, title, and interest in and to his services as a solo recording artist, entertainer, and songwriter.” 

However, Offset claimed that Quality Control was still asserting an ownership interest over his 2022 single, “54321.” The track was credited to his current label Motown Records on streaming platforms.

The rapper’s most recent Motown single is his freshly released collaboration with wife Cardi B, “Jealousy.”

09 Aug 2023

How Cult Favorites The Zombies Won Back Their Masters After Decades

The Zombies, the British invasion rock band behind classics like “Time of the Season” and “She’s Not There,” announced this week they’ve obtained their master recordings after decades of outside control.

“It’s another stage of us not worrying about what’s going to happen in the future,” says keyboardist Rod Argent, one of the band’s founders and songwriters. “We’ve got more overseeing of everything that’s going on.” 

The baroque pop originators signed with Marquis Enterprises in 1964 when they were still teenagers and almost immediately scored a No. 2 hit on the Hot 100 with their Argent-penned debut single, “She’s Not There,” which Marquis had licensed to Decca. They followed that up with another Argent original, “Tell Her No,” which peaked at No. 6. Their signature and most enduring hit — Argent’s “Time of the Season” — didn’t gain traction until after they’d broken up prior to the 1968 release of their sophomore album Odessey and Oracle on CBS. The era-defining song, with its breathy call-and-response vocals from Colin Blunstone and psychedelic keyboard runs by Argent, eventually reached No. 3 on the Hot 100.

Carole Broughton, a Marquis employee at the time, wound up controlling the band’s masters and publishing over several decades, recently placing synchs including Odessey and Oracle album cut “This Will Be Our Year” in the Schitt’s Creek finale and “She’s Not There” in a Chanel ad campaign starring Keira Knightley.

“I’d always promised [the masters] to them,” says Broughton, owner of Marquis and Bocu Group, a publisher that oversees 700 song copyrights. “We’re all in our 70s now and it just felt right. I certainly didn’t want the masters to go back to anybody else other than The Zombies.”

the Zombies

Rod Argent, Hugh Grundy, Chris White and Colin Blunstone of The Zombies attend An Evening With The Zombies at The GRAMMY Museum on April 27, 2017 in Los Angeles.

Rebecca Sapp/WireImage for The Recording Academy

Deal terms were undisclosed, but discussions were “three years in the making,” according to Chris Tuthill, the band’s co-manager. “My partner Cindy [da Silva] and I have been working long and hard to have it controlled and under one roof,” he says. “Although Marquis always kept a sympathetic and active role in the catalog, they didn’t necessarily do things to actively promote the catalog, particularly on DSPs.” When Marquis placed The Zombies’ “A Rose for Emily” in the hit 2017 podcast S-Town, he adds, “It would have been brilliant, had we known this was coming out, having people pitch this for playlisting and promoting the story of this song.”

Still, Broughton and Marquis were unusually fair to The Zombies during a long period when classic-rock stars lost control of their publishing and master recordings to music executives they considered unscrupulous.

“When it was fairly unfashionable, she did the most wonderful job, because she was so dedicated to us,” Argent recalls. “She continually worked it in the early days. She never let it die. That did us a huge favor.” Tuthill adds: “The guys have told me it was always very straightforward, unlike the highway-robbery stories I’ve heard from people who came up in the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. Everything got paid through that was supposed to be paid through.”

After the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, Broughton sold The Zombies’ publishing, which includes tracks by songwriters Argent, Blunstone and Chris White, to Robert Wise‘s Wise Music Group. “I’d known Bobby since I was young — he used to put out our sheet music,” says Broughton, who began her music-business career in 1961, at 14, with U.K. publisher Mills Music. “It made sense at the time. I knew they were going to be very proactive with it.”

The Zombies, who are on tour this fall and recently released a new album, Different Game, are directing their managers to dig through boxes of files and scouring original four-track tapes for potential catalog reissues. “The gem in all of this is The Zombies don’t have to ask anyone for permission to do anything with respect to their masters,” says Monika Tashman, the band’s attorney. “This is about them claiming something that seemed impossible at the early stage of their career.”