News

08 Aug 2023

Rylo Rodriguez Signs to Lil Baby’s Glass Window Entertainment, Partners With Motown/Capitol

Shortly after notching his first Billboard 200 top ten album with Been One, Rylo Rodriguez became the first artist signed to Lil Baby’s Glass Window Entertainment through a partnership deal with Motown Records and Capitol Music Group. According to sources, the signing of Rodriguez is believed to be a multi-million deal.

“I’m overly excited for Rylo and his fans and the world to really get to see him on a larger platform,” Baby tells Billboard. “It’s been a long time coming with Rylo, and even longer to go! We got work to do and money to get! Thank you to Motown/Capitol Music Group and Universal Music Group for trusting my process, and I’m looking forward to a wonderful partnership.”

“We are excited to welcome Dominique, Rylo, and the Glass Window Entertainment team to Capitol Music Group/Motown Records,” says Michelle Jubelirer, chair & CEO, of Capitol Music Group, in a press release. “Glass Window and Virgin Records have done a phenomenal job introducing Rylo. We’re thrilled to support this remarkable artist and upcoming Glass Window releases.”

Over the last few years, Baby and Rodriguez have proven to be a formidable team, showcased on records such as “Forget That,” “Cost to Be Alive,” and their recent collaboration “Real Type.” As for Rodriguez, his album Been One dropped last month and includes features from Lil Baby, Lil Yachty, Est Gee, Fridayy, and more. Anchored by “Taylor Port Junkie,” and his Hot 100 entry “Equal Dirt,” Rodriguez’s penchant for love-drunk ballads and seamless R&B flips are resonating with fans, as his album peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard rap charts. 

“Most of the people that I sign come from my walk of life,” Baby told Billboard in his 2021 cover story. “I got to feel your vibe because I ain’t on no ‘studio rapper’ s–t.”

08 Aug 2023

Taylor Swift Is Top Nominee for 2023 MTV Video Music Awards (Complete List)

Taylor Swift is the top nominee for the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards with eight nods, followed by SZA (six); Doja Cat, Kim Petras, Miley Cyrus, Nicki Minaj, Olivia Rodrigo and Sam Smith (five each); and BLACKPINK, Diddy and Shakira (four each).

Women account for six of the seven nominees for video of the year – Doja’s “Attention,” Cyrus’ “Flowers,” Minaj’s “Super Freaky Girl,” Rodrigo’s “vampire,” SZA’s “Kill Bill” and Swift’s “Anti-Hero.” The seventh nod is for a history-making collab – Smith & Petras’ “Unholy,” which made Smith and Petras the first openly non-binary and openly transgender solo artists, respectively, to have a No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100.

For the first time since the VMAs introduced the artist of the year category in 2017, all of the nominees are women – Beyoncé, Doja, Karol G, Minaj, Shakira and Swift. This is also the first time that two of the nominees have come from the world of Latin music. The first Latin artist to be nominated in this category was Bad Bunny, who won last year.

In addition to her nod for artist of the year, Swift is up for seven awards for her megahit “Anti-Hero”– video of the year, song of the year, best pop, best direction, best cinematography, best visual effects and best editing.

Swift and Kendrick Lamar are both nominated for best direction. Lamar is nominated for “Count Me Out,” which he co-directed with Dave Free. Both Swift and Lamar have won twice in this category for videos they directed or co-directed. Swift won for directing “The Man” (2020) and “All Too Well (The Short Film)” (2022). Lamar won for co-directing “Alright” (2015) and “Humble.” (2017).

Despite tallying six nods, SZA was not nominated for artist of the year. Her smash “Kill Bill” is up for five awards – video of the year, song of the year, best direction, best art direction and best editing. “Kill Bill” was not nominated in a genre category; SZA’s “Shirt” is up for best R&B instead.

This year boasts a record 35 first-time VMAs nominees, including Petras (five); Metro Boomin and Rema (three each); and Ayra Starr, GloRilla, Ice Spice, Peso Pluma, Reneé Rapp and Yung Miami (two each).

Other artists receiving first-time nods include Aespa, boygenius, Burna Boy, Davido, Eslabon Armado, Fletcher, Fifty Fifty, JVKE, Lauren Spencer Smith, Musa Keys, PinkPantheress, Saucy Santana, Stephen Sanchez and Toosii.

Double nominees GloRilla, Ice Spice, Peso Pluma and Reneé Rapp are nominated for best new artist, along with Kaliii and PinkPantheress.

The VMAs added a category this year – best Afrobeats. This is the third genre-specific category that the VMAs have added in this century, following Latin (2006) and K-pop (2019). The VMAs’ five other genre-specific categories were all introduced in the last century — rock (1989), alternative (1991), R&B (1993), and pop and hip-hop (both 1999).

The 2023 VMAs will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 12 at 8 p.m. ET/PT live from the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.. The host has not yet been announced.  Jack Harlow, LL Cool J and Nicki Minaj hosted last year’s show, which was held in the same venue.

Beginning Tuesday (Aug. 8), fans can vote for their favorites across 15 gender-neutral categories by visiting vote.mtv.com through Friday, Sept. 1. Voting for best new artist will remain active into the live show. Nominations for social categories including group of the year and song of summer will be announced at a later date.

Bruce Gillmer and Den of Thieves co-founder Jesse Ignjatovic are executive producers of the 2023 VMAs. Barb Bialkowski is co-executive producer. Alicia Portugal and Jackie Barba serve as executives in charge of production. Wendy Plaut is executive in charge of celebrity talent. Lisa Lauricella is music talent executive.

Here’s the complete list of nominations for the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards:

Video of the year

Doja Cat – “Attention” – Kemosabe Records / RCA Records

Miley Cyrus – “Flowers” – Columbia Records

Nicki Minaj – “Super Freaky Girl” – Republic Records

Olivia Rodrigo – “vampire” – Geffen Records

Sam Smith, Kim Petras – “Unholy” – Capitol Records

SZA – “Kill Bill” – Top Dawg Entertainment / RCA Records

Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero” – Republic Records

Artist of the year

Beyoncé – Parkwood Entertainment / Columbia Records

Doja Cat – Kemosabe Records / RCA Records

Karol G – Interscope Records

Nicki Minaj – Republic Records

Shakira – Sony Music US Latin

Taylor Swift – Republic Records

Song of the year

Miley Cyrus – “Flowers” – Columbia Records

Olivia Rodrigo – “vampire” – Geffen Records

Rema & Selena Gomez – “Calm Down” – Mavin Global Holdings Ltd / Jonzing World Entertainment / SMG Music / Interscope Records

Sam Smith, Kim Petras – “Unholy” – Capitol Records

Steve Lacy – “Bad Habit” – L-M Records / RCA Records

SZA – “Kill Bill” – Top Dawg Entertainment / RCA Records Records

Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero” – Republic Records

Best new artist

GloRilla – CMG / Interscope Records

Ice Spice – 10K Projects / Capitol Records

Kaliii – Atlantic Records

Peso Pluma – Double P Records

PinkPantheress – 300 Entertainment

Reneé Rapp – Interscope Records

Best collaboration

David Guetta & Bebe Rexha – “I’m Good (Blue)” – Warner Records

Post Malone, Doja Cat – “I Like You (aHappier Song)” – Mercury Records / Republic Records

Diddy ft. Bryson Tiller, Ashanti, Yung Miami – “Gotta Move On” – Motown Records

Karol G, Shakira – “TQG” – Universal Music Latino

Metro Boomin with The Weeknd, 21 Savage, and Diddy – “Creepin’ (Remix)” – Boominati / Republic Records

Rema & Selena Gomez – “Calm Down” – Mavin Global Holdings Ltd / Jonzing World Entertainment / SMG Music / Interscope Records

Best pop

Demi Lovato – “Swine” – Island Records

Dua Lipa – “Dance the Night (From Barbie the Album)” – Atlantic Records

Ed Sheeran – “Eyes Closed” – Atlantic Records

Miley Cyrus – “Flowers” – Columbia Records

Olivia Rodrigo – “vampire” – Geffen Records

P!nk – “Trustfall” – RCA Records

Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero” – Republic Records

Best hip-hop

Diddy ft. Bryson Tiller, Ashanti, Yung Miami – “Gotta Move On” – Motown Records

DJ Khaled ft. Drake & Lil Baby – “Staying Alive” – We the Best / Epic Records

GloRilla & Cardi B – “Tomorrow 2” – CMG / Interscope Records

Lil Uzi Vert – “Just Wanna Rock” – Atlantic Records / Generation Now

Lil Wayne ft. Swizz Beatz & DMX – “Kant Nobody” – Young Money Records

Metro Boomin ft Future – “Superhero (Heroes and Villains)” – Boominati / Republic Records

Nicki Minaj – “Super Freaky Girl” – Republic Records

Best R&B

Alicia Keys ft. Lucky Daye – “Stay” – RCA Records

Chlöe ft. Chris Brown – “How Does It Feel” – Parkwood Entertainment / Columbia

Metro Boomin with The Weeknd, 21 Savage, and Diddy – “Creepin’ (Remix)” – Boominati / Republic Records

SZA – “Shirt” – Top Dawg Entertainment / RCA Records

Toosii – “Favorite Song” – South Coast Music Group / Capitol Records

Yung Bleu & Nicki Minaj – “Love in the Way” – Empire Distribution

Best alternative

blink-182 – “Edging” – Columbia Records

boygenius – “the film” – Interscope Records

Fall Out Boy – “Hold Me Like a Grudge” – Fueled By Ramen                                                                        

Lana Del Rey ft. Jon Batiste – “Candy Necklace” – Interscope Records

Paramore – “This Is Why” – Atlantic Records

Thirty Seconds to Mars – “Stuck” – Concord Records

Best rock

Foo Fighters – “The Teacher” – RCA Records

Linkin Park – “Lost (Original Version)” – Warner Records

Red Hot Chili Peppers – “Tippa My Tongue” – Warner Records

Måneskin – “The Loneliest” – Arista Records

Metallica – “Lux Æterna” – Blackened Recordings

Muse – “You Make Me Feel Like It’s Halloween” – Warner Records

Best Latin

Anitta – “Funk Rave” – Republic Records

Bad Bunny – “Where She Goes” – Rimas Entertainment

Eslabon Armado, Peso Pluma – “Ella Baila Sola” – DEL Records, Inc. / Prajin Parlay, Inc. Grupo Frontera Bad Bunny – “un x100to” – Rimas Entertainment

Karol G, Shakira – “TQG” – Universal Music Latino

Rosalia – “Despecha,” – Columbia Records

Shakira – “Acróstico” – Sony Music US Latin

Best K-pop

aespa – “Girls” – SM ENTERTAINMENT Co., Ltd.

BLACKPINK – “Pink Venom” – YG Entertainment / Interscope Records

Fifty Fifty – “Cupid” – ATTRAKT / Warner Records

Seventeen – “Super” – HYBE / Geffen Records

Stray Kids – “S-Class” – JYP / Republic

TOMORROW X TOGETHER – “Sugar Rush Ride” – BIGHIT MUSIC / Republic Records

Best Afrobeats

Ayra Starr – “Rush” – Mavin Global Holdings

Burna Boy – “It’s Plenty” – Atlantic Records / Spaceship Entertainment Ltd

Davido ft. Musa Keys – “Unavailable” – Sony Music U.K. / RCA Records

Fireboy DML & Asake – ”Bandana” – Empire Distribution

Libianca – “People” – Sony Music U.K. / RCA Records

Rema & Selena Gomez – “Calm Down” – Mavin Global Holdings Ltd / Jonzing World Entertainment / SMG Music / Interscope Records

Wizkid ft Ayra Starr– “2 Sugar” – Starboy / RCA Records

Video for good

Alicia Keys – “If I Ain’t Got You (Orchestral)” – Netflix

Bad Bunny – “El Apagón – Aquí Vive Gente” – Rimas Entertainment

Demi Lovato – “Swine” – Island Records

Dove Cameron – “Breakfast” – Columbia Records

Imagine Dragons – “Crushed” – KIDinaKORNER / Interscope Records

Maluma – “La Reina” – Sony Music US Latin

Push performance of the year

August 2022: Saucy Santana – “Booty” – Arena Records / RCA Records

September 2022: Stephen Sanchez – “Until I Found You” – Mercury Records / Republic Records

October 2022: JVKE – “golden hour” – AWAL

November 2022: Flo Milli – “Conceited” – ’94 Sounds / RCA Records

December 2022: Reneé Rapp – “Colorado” – Interscope Records

January 2023: Sam Ryder – “All the Way Over” – Elektra Entertainment

February 2023: Armani White – “Goated” – Def Jam

March 2023: Fletcher – “Becky’s So Hot” – Capitol Records

April 2023: TOMORROW X TOGETHER – “Sugar Rush Ride” – BIGHIT MUSIC / Republic Records

May 2023: Ice Spice – “Princess Diana” – Heavy on It / 10K Projects / Capitol Records

June 2023: FLO – “Losing You” – Uptown/Republic Records

July 2023: Lauren Spencer Smith – “That Part” – Island Records

Best direction

Doja Cat – “Attention” – Kemosabe Records / RCA Records – Directed by Tanu Muiño

Drake – “Falling Back” – OVO/Republic Records – Director X (Julien Christian Lutz)

Kendrick Lamar – “Count Me Out” – pgLang / Top Dawg Entertainment / Aftermath / Interscope Records – Directed by Dave Free & Kendrick Lamar

Megan Thee Stallion – “Her” – 300 Entertainment – Directed by Colin Tilley

Sam Smith, Kim Petras – “Unholy” – Capitol Records – Directed by Floria Sigismondi

SZA – “Kill Bill” – Top Dawg Entertainment / RCA Records – Directed by Christian Breslauer

Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero” – Republic Records – Directed by Taylor Swift

Best cinematography

Adele – “I Drink Wine” – Columbia Records – Cinematography by Adam Newport-Berra

Ed Sheeran – “Eyes Closed” – Atlantic Records – Cinematography by Natasha Baier

Janelle Monae – “Lipstick Lover” – Atlantic Records – Cinematography by Allison Anderson

Kendrick Lamar – “Count Me Out” – pgLang / Top Dawg Entertainment / Aftermath / Interscope Records 0 Cinematography by Adam Newport-Berra

Miley Cyrus – “Flowers” – Columbia Records – Cinematography by Marcell Rev

Olivia Rodrigo – “vampire” – Geffen Records – Cinematography by Russ Fraser

Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero” – Republic Records – Cinematography by Rina Yang

Best visual effects

Fall Out Boy – “Love From the Other Side” – Fueled By Ramen – Visual Effects by Thomas Bailey and Josh Shaffner

Harry Styles – “Music for a Sushi Restaurant” – Columbia Records – Visual Effects by Chelsea Delfino and Black Kite Studios

Melanie Martinez – “VOID” – Atlantic Records – Visual Effects by Carbon

Nicki Minaj – “Super Freaky Girl” – Republic Records – Visual Effects by Max Colt and Sergio Mashevskyi

Sam Smith, Kim Petras – “Unholy” – Capitol Records – Visual Effects by Max Colt / FRENDER

Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero” – Republic Records – Visual Effects by Parliament

Best choreography

BLACKPINK – “Pink Venom” – YG Entertainment / Interscope Records – Choreography by Kiel Tutin, Sienna Lalau, Lee Jung (YGX), Taryn Cheng (YGX)

Dua Lipa – “Dance the Night (From Barbie the Album)” – Atlantic Records – Choreography by Charm LaDonna

Jonas Brothers – “Waffle House” – Republic Records – Choreography by Jerry Reece

Megan Thee Stallion – “Her” – 300 Entertainment – Choreography by Sean Bankhead

Panic! At The Disco – “Middle of a Breakup” – Fueled By Ramen – Choreography by Monika Felice Smith

Sam Smith, Kim Petras – “Unholy” – Capitol Records – Choreography by (LA)HORDE – Marine Brutti, Jonathan Debrouwer, Arthur Harel

Best art direction

boygenius – “the film” – Interscope Records – Art Direction by Jen Dunlap

BLACKPINK – “Pink Venom” – YG Entertainment / Interscope Records – Art Direction by Seo Hyun Seung (GIGANT)

Doja Cat – “Attention” – Kemosabe Records / RCA Records – Art Direction by Spencer Graves

Lana Del Rey ft. Jon Batiste – “Candy Necklace” – Interscope Records – Art Direction by Brandon Mendez

Megan Thee Stallion – “Her” – 300 Entertainment – Art Direction by Niko Philipides

SZA – “Shirt” – Top Dawg Entertainment / RCA Records – Art Direction by Kate Bunch

Best editing

BLACKPINK – “Pink Venom” – YG Entertainment / Interscope Records – Editing by Seo Hyun Seung (GIGANT)

Kendrick Lamar – “Rich Spirit” – pgLang / Top Dawg Entertainment / Aftermath / Interscope Records – Edited by Grason Caldwell

Miley Cyrus – “River” – Columbia Records – Edited by Brandan Walter

Olivia Rodrigo – “vampire” – Geffen Records – Edited by Sofia Kerpan and David Checel

SZA – “Kill Bill” – Top Dawg Entertainment / RCA Records – Edited by Luis Caraza Peimbert

Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero” – Republic Records – Edited by Chancler Haynes

08 Aug 2023

Deadmau5 Announces the Final Days of His Beloved Cat Meowingtons: ‘He Touched So Many Lives’

Anyone familiar with the world of deadmau5 is well-aware of the producer’s cat, Meowingtons.

The artist has announced he’s saying goodbye to the 16-year-old feline, due to, he wrote, “some cat medical bulls–t.” In a statement posted to Instagram Monday (Aug. 7), deadmau5 shared that “yeah meowingtons is just a f—en cat, but I’ll just say to me, he’s one of my best friends.”

“i don’t say that casually,” the statement continues. “16 years. he was my peace and quiet from the beginning of this bats— crazy rollercoaster career… the entire ride. no matter how frustrated, exhausted, depressed, stressed the f— out ive been, there he is. being the first person i see when i get home from some crazy flight and lugging my bags to the front door… watching his little floor duster wobble while he comes to welcome me home… the first person i see in the morning, and the last one i see at night when i’m ready to f—en clock out on the bed.”

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“well due to some cat medical bulls–t, tomorrow I have to help him cross the rainbow bridge. my heart is broken… it’s really a personal issue and normally i keep things to myself and I can kinda work through it on my own, but professor meowingtons phd is so special to all of us, i felt like i should let you know because he’s touched so many lives in stupid ways.”

The statement goes on to note that the producer, born Joel Zimmerman, will be taking “a small break” while he navigates the loss. The next scheduled deadmau5 show is Aug. 13 at Montreal’s ÎleSoniq Music Festival.

The artist provided a brief update on Tuesday (Aug. 8). In an Instagram post showing socked feet with chips crumbled around, deadmau5 wrote that he was spending some quality time at home with his beloved cat before saying goodbye. “he is very happy and lucid and isn’t suffering at all… we’re having a good time,” Zimmerman captioned the post. “He destroyed half a bag of doritos, so he’s in a good spot.”

Meowingtons is indeed well known to deadmau5 fans. In 2011, the Canadian artist launched the Meowingtons Hax Tour, naming the compilation LP made for this tour the Meowingtons Hax Tour Trax. Meowingtons’ image also graced the cover of the 2012 deadmau5 classic >album title goes here<.

The name Meowingtons was also involved in a trademark dispute in 2017, when Deadmau5 filed a petition with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office seeking to cancel a Florida woman’s “Meowingtons” trademark after his own application was rejected. This woman was running an online cat-centric retail story called meowingtons.com, which Zimmerman stated in the petition that he suspected was capitalizing off the popularity of his own Meowingtons content.

The woman then sued Zimmerman in a trademark fight over “Meowingtons” and “Prof. Meowingtons.” Zimmerman countersued for trademark infringement, cybersquatting and unfair competition over her site’s name. 

In 2021, Meowingtons became the first animal with an OnlyFans account, with the channel offering “a closer look into the personal life of his famous owner and promises a highly-interactive experience with exclusive tracks, behind the scenes footage of deadmau5 in his studio, around his house,” along with “ongoing engagement with Meowingtons, who plans to regularly DM and will create exclusive content for fans upon request.”

Zimmerman adopted Meowingtons from the Toronto Humane Society in 2009.

See his posts below:

08 Aug 2023

Ne-Yo Rescinds His Apology for Anti-Trans Comments: ‘I Will Not Be Bullied’

Ne-Yo may have issued a public apology on Sunday (Aug. 6) for making “insensitive and offensive” comments about the trans community, but the singer is taking that apology back.

In a video shared to his Instagram on Monday (Aug. 7), the “So Sick” singer said that he won’t “apologize for having an opinion.” Claiming that the original apology came from his “publicist’s computer” instead of from himself, Ne-Yo said that he wanted his fans to know how he actually felt.

“My intention is never to offend anybody,” he said. “However, I’m entitled to feel how I feel, the same way you are entitled to feel how you feel. I ain’t ask nobody to follow me, I ain’t ask nobody to agree with me; I was asked a question and I answered the d–n question.”

Ne-Yo went on to further dig his heels in on the topic of gender-affirming care for minors. While he said he has “no beef” with queer and trans folks, he will “never be OK with allowing a child to make a decision that detrimental to their life,” referring to medical treatment for trans youth. “I will definitely be educating myself a little bit more on this matter,” he said. “However, I doubt that there is any book anywhere or any opinion that somebody’s gonna tell me that’s gonna make me OK with letting a child make a decision like that.”

Closing out his video, the singer said that he’s not concerned about backlash to his comments anymore. “If I get canceled for this, then you know what, maybe this is a world where they don’t need a Ne-Yo no more,” he said. “Live how you wanna live, love how you wanna love, but your opinion is yours.”

Billboard has reached out to Ne-Yo’s representatives for further comment.

In the caption for the clip, Ne-Yo wrote that he “WILL NOT BE BULLIED INTO APOLOGIZING FOR HAVING AN OPINION,” and offered up a hypothetical scenario to demonstrate his point. “If one of my 7 kids were to decide that he or she wanted to be something other than what they were born as, once they’re old enough and mature enough to make that decision…so be it,” he wrote. “Not gonna love em’ any less. Daddy is still Daddy and he loves you regardless. But this isn’t even a discussion until they are MENTALLY MATURE ENOUGH to have such a discussion.”

The controversy started on Saturday (Aug. 5), when Ne-Yo sat for an interview with Gloria Velez of VladTV and spoke at length about gender-affirming care for kids. “If your little boy comes to you and says, ‘Daddy, I want to be a girl.’ And you just let him rock with that? He’s 5 … If you let this 5-year-old boy decide to eat candy all day, he’s gonna do that,” he said. “When did it become a good idea to let a 5-year-old, let a 6-year-old, let a 12-year-old make a life-changing decision for themself? When did that happen?”

The rapper’s statements mirror claims made by anti-trans legislators, claiming that children shouldn’t have access to the “irreversible” treatments of gender-affirming care by outlawing it across multiple states. However, experts say that most medical interventions for trans minors — including puberty blockers, speech therapy, gender-affirming hormone treatment and more — are not permanent.

Additionally, medical research groups including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pedatrics and the American Psychological Association have all developed guidelines for practitioners on how to best administer gender-affirming care. Each organization agrees that gender-affirming care is not only safe for minors, but in many cases it is vital for their health and well-being.

A day after his interview, an apology was published on Ne-Yo’s X account (formerly known as Twitter), stating that he has “always been an advocate for love and inclusivity in the LGBTQI+ community,” and underscoring that “my comments could’ve been interpreted as insensitive and offensive.” The post ended by saying that the “Miss Independent” singer would “better educate myself on the topic, so I can approach future conversations with more empathy.”

Check out Ne-Yo’s full Instagram video below:

08 Aug 2023

Watch Steph Curry Join Paramore Onstage for Slam Dunk Performance of ‘Misery Business’

Even though San Francisco’s Chase Center is Steph Curry’s home turf, he was the guest of honor at Paramore‘s Monday (Aug. 7) show.

Staying true to the band’s on-tour tradition of bringing out one fan every night to assist frontwoman Hayley Williams in singing “Misery Business,” Paramore this time invited none other than the Golden State Warriors point guard to join them. But it wasn’t just any routine public appearance for Curry, as evidenced by numerous videos from the moment. Just like every other fan in the audience, this was clearly, as the song goes, one of his “wildest dreams come true.”

Curry nailed every single lyric to the “Misery Business” bridge, his unabashed passion recovering any points he may have lost for his technical singing abilities. “I watched his wildest dreams come true/ Not one of them involving you,” he yelled into the microphone after a count-in from Williams, joining the thousands of fans in the crowd in jumping up in down once the final chorus hit.

The band’s stop at the Chase Center kicks off the final week of shows in Paramore’s This Is Why Tour, which began in October in support of the trio’s sixth studio album, This Is Why. Next year, Williams and bandmates Taylor York and Zac Farro will once again join Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, serving as support for the trek’s 2024 European leg more than a year after opening for Swift’s kickoff shows in Glendale, Ariz.

The This Is Why Tour hasn’t quite gone without a hitch. Paramore postponed a handful of July dates after Williams suffered a lung infection, a decision she had to defend online after swarms of haters — or “weird incels,” as she called them — pointed out that older rock heroes such as Dave Grohl have persevered through shows with broken legs.

“internet bros have been pressed by my proximity to rock music and all its subgenres since 2005,” she wrote in an Instagram Story last week. “I have a lung infection you soft s—! Not a broken limb… One you can sing with for 2 hours, another you cant. But worry not! The shows weren’t canceled, merely postponed a week. Maybe you should come out to one of them… like Dave did.”

Watch Steph Curry sing “Misery Business” with Paramore below:

08 Aug 2023

Technology Is the Key to a More Transparent Revenue Model for Artists (Guest Column)

The music industry has progressed rapidly over the last decade. TikTok is launching music careers, sites like YouTube are creating new distribution channels and artists like Grimes are open-sourcing their vocals for generative AI creation. But for all of that progress, the opaque systems that control the industry are not in favor of artists driving culture. As listeners, we’ve seen the tip of the iceberg with Taylor Swift’s highly publicized re-recording of her masters and Megan Thee Stallion’s legal dispute with her record label over unpaid royalties.

Music is the most consumed category of art on the planet, and it’s time to evolve the system so that all artists — from top recording stars to indie creators to those who are just getting their careers started — are set up to succeed. But to really grasp what’s needed to shift the power dynamic in the direction of artists, it’s important to peel back the complexities of music revenue.

Changing the narrative on music revenue

There’s a false narrative that is pervasive in the media that says music doesn’t generate any money, driven in large part by the litany of really bad record deals that draw public attention (like the aforementioned Megan Thee Stallion example). But in reality, music makes money — it’s the artists who don’t get paid what they deserve.

The streaming revolution of the 21st century has transformed the way people consume music. But despite streams making up 80-90% of the industry’s revenue, artists see few of those dollars after industry players take their inevitable cuts. Though record labels serve a valuable role in the music ecosystem (from marketing and developing an artist to licensing and distribution), artists can be haunted for decades by bad deals signed early in their careers that unknowingly give away creative control and a significant portion of their future earnings. Artists who have signed contracts with unfavorable terms typically don’t earn negotiating power until they’ve amassed a large following and a fruitful career.

Why the bad deals?

Most artists simply don’t know what they’re signing — it’s not necessarily that they’re making a bad decision. As an artist myself, I experienced this firsthand early in my career. It would take years for me to get paid for my songs — and as someone who’s proficient in accounting from my time studying business in college, my inability to see how much I made from my music was mind-boggling.

The reason that deals are so opaque is that music revenue is growing and coming from more sources than ever before, which creates a complex web of intermediaries within the ecosystem. Every different distributor has a different deal with every different streaming service, and every label has a different deal with every streaming service. And the streaming services are not transparent about how their rates differ across these various deals. Beyond that, there are numerous types of royalties — from performance royalties to mechanical royalties to in-app streaming royalties. Therefore, when it comes to signing on the dotted line, artists must blindly place their trust in a network of counterparties, lacking any real visibility into their actual earnings once every entity has taken their cut. All of this is perpetuated because record labels are incentivized to control information so they can make more competitive deals with artists.

As a result, artists gravitate to what comes naturally — the music. They don’t want to worry about the business side of things because the system isn’t set up in a way that empowers them to ask questions or negotiate favorable deals, and it distracts them from doing what they love.

Finding the opportunity in technology

To rewrite the way music institutions approach music revenue and income, we need to make it as transparent as possible. It seems like a lofty goal for an industry that has long been set in its ways, but technology is making it possible. My company Royal recently launched a free tool that allows any artist to estimate the streaming revenue for their songs. The hope is that artists become more empowered to make deals that uplift their careers.

I’ve also been bullish on crypto since its earliest days, for a variety of reasons, including its ability to transform the music industry with transparency. Blockchain is inherently transparent — in fact, the one thing you can’t do on a blockchain is hide information. It’s all there, at all times. It’s also time-stamped which establishes a clear provenance (traceability of ownership over time). This is especially useful in the music business, where copyright infringement plagues artists and record labels alike. Perhaps most importantly, leveraging tokens that represent rights enables artists to see the value of their songs and create tangible benchmarks upon which to negotiate better deals. With more information always comes more power.

Artists don’t know how much money they’re missing out on, but they could. And it doesn’t have to be a public battle when they do find out. If we embrace technological progress to improve outdated systems, we can create an open data ecosystem that gives artists not only more transparency into their earnings and fan bases but more control over their artistic careers. Better deals alongside more creative freedoms is a winning combination that can define the next 30 years of music — we just have to be willing to change.

Why should artists even care?

As much as streaming has changed the music industry for the better, there are still unanswered questions about how value accrues in this system. Do we equate the value of passively listening to a sleep playlist in the background to actively listening to your favorite album with friends?

This talk of numbers and questions of value may seem like a distraction for artists who just want to spend their time making music — but ignoring this topic completely opens the door to predatory industry practices that threaten musicians’ longevity and entire legacies.

More industry transparency should improve all the variables that play into an artist’s career and result in musicians keeping more ownership of the art they create. Having the humility to acknowledge what music is actually worth is the first step in unlocking more value in this new era of the industry.

Justin Blau is CEO of Royal and a world-renowned musician and producer, known as 3LAU. An early crypto adopter, Justin has been advocating for building the investable layer of music on blockchains since 2017. In 2021, he founded Royal to empower artists to share their music with fans and give people the opportunity to invest in music.

08 Aug 2023

Yahritza y Su Esencia Earns Its First No. 1 on a Billboard Airplay Chart With ‘Frágil’: ‘Thank You with All Our Heart’

Yahritza y Su Esencia crosses off its first Billboard airplay No. 1 as “Frágil” with Grupo Frontera lifts 3-1 to crown the Regional Mexican Airplay chart (dated Aug. 12). The song becomes the Martinez siblings’ maiden No. 1 on any airplay ranking.

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“Thank you very much with all our heart,” Yahritza tells Billboard. “The truth is that it is a blessing and it’s all thanks to our audience. We knew the song would be very special from the moment we started working on it with the Frontera guys, and we’re very pleased that everybody has connected so much with it. We are excited to sing it on our tour that launches Aug. 15.”

“Frágil” ejects Alejandro Fernández’s “No Es Que Me Quiera Ir” from the lead thanks to a 28% increase in audience impressions, to 8.4 million, earned in the U.S. during the tracking week ending Aug. 3, according to Luminate. (“Que Me Quiera” dips to No. 3 with a 16% cut, to 7.41 million.)

Yahritza y Su Esencia feted its first radio entry when “Frágil” debuted at No. 38 on Regional Mexican Airplay on July 1. The song made its way across multiple Billboard charts prior to its radio debut, including cracking the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 82 (May 6) for a later No. 69 peak. Let’s look at its rankings:

Peak Position, Chart, Peak Date

  • No. 2, Latin Airplay, Aug. 12
  • No. 3, Latin Digital Song Sales, April 22
  • No. 10, Hot Latin Songs, April Aug. 5
  • No. 11, Latin Streaming Songs, May 27
  • No. 35, Billboard Global Excl. U.S., June 3
  • No. 37, Billboard Global 200, June 3
  • No. 69, Billboard Hot 100, May 27

“Frágil” is the first chart entry in 2023 by the Martinez sibling trio, who scored a No. 17 high on Hot Latin Songs through “Inseparables” with Iván Cornejo last October. Since then, the group — comprised of Yahritza (lead vocals and acoustic guitar), Armando (Mando; 12-string guitar) and Jairo (acoustic bass) — released four other tracks, none of which scored a Billboard entry. Those tunes faced a different recording process, attributable to a seven-month stay in Mexico City by big brother Mando, who had to relocate to his native country while his O-1 visa was being processed. During that time, the siblings connected via FaceTime to record and compose, notwithstanding a few trips by Yahritza and Jairo to ease the process.

“Frágil” is the first collaboration between the trio and Frontera, who secure its fourth No. 1, among seven straight top 10s on Regional Mexican Airplay, including the six-week champ “Que Vuelvas” with Carin León (Jan.-March)

“Working with our friends from Grupo Frontera was a lot of fun and an unforgettable experience,” Y Su Esencia adds. “We have a great relationship and thank God we can say that they are one of our best friends in the industry.”

Beyond its Regional Mexican Airplay No. 1, “Frágil” barely misses the top slot on the overall Latin Airplay chart, where the song climbs 8-2.

“Frágil” was composed by Yahritza Martinez, Edgar Barrera, Kevyn Cruz, and Luis Angel O’Neill Laureano.

08 Aug 2023

Shakira Set for 2023 Latin Music Week in Miami

Colombian superstar Shakira is confirmed for the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Week, set to take place Oct. 2-6 at the Faena Forum in Miami. The global artist — who in May was named Billboard’s first-ever Latin Woman of the Year — will participate in an exclusive superstar Q&A moderated by Leila Cobo, Billboard’s Chief Content Officer for Latin/Español.

One of the best-selling music artists of all time, Shakira has sold more than 95 million records worldwide since launching her career. This year has been extraordinary for the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter thanks to her Bizarrap-produced “Shakira: BZRP Music Sessions #53,” which debuted at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100, making her the first woman to reach the top 10 on the chart with a song in Spanish. It also made history as the most-streamed Latin track in 24 hours in Spotify history, and the most-viewed Latin track on YouTube in 24 hours with over 63 million views; it also broke 14 Guinness World Records.

Shakira joins a star-studded roster for the five-day legacy event that will feature exclusive panels and conversations with hitmakers throughout the week. Maria Becerra, GALE, Nicki Nicole, Nathy Peluso and Young Miko will be part of the Boys Club No More! panel focused on the women making noise in the Latin music landscape.

Additional panels include The New Mexican Revolution with Natanael Cano, Peso Pluma, Santa Fe Klan, and Yng Lvcas, plus the Making the Hit LIVE panel featuring Edgar Barrera and Grupo Frontera, who will create a song onstage from scratch. Other artists confirmed to be part of 2023 Latin Music Week include Arcángel, Vico C, Eladio Carrión and Fonseca.

With 30 years of events, Billboard Latin Music Week is the longest running and biggest Latin music industry gathering in the world. After a sold-out 2022 edition that featured star Q&As with Maluma, Ivy Queen, Chayanne, Romeo Santos and Christina Aguilera, to name a few, the event returns, coinciding with Hispanic Heritage Month.

Billboard Latin Music Week will also coincide with the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Awards on Thursday, Oct. 5, at the Watsco Center in Miami, and will broadcast live on Telemundo. The awards show will broadcast simultaneously on Spanish entertainment cable network Universo, and throughout Latin America and the Caribbean on Telemundo Internacional.

Registration for the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Week is now open at BillboardLatinMusicWeek.com.

08 Aug 2023

In 1998, The Chicks Had No ‘Trouble’ Hitting No. 1: Chart Rewind

On Aug. 8, 1998, The Chicks’ “There’s Your Trouble” began a two-week reign on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, marking the trio’s first of six No. 1 hits.

The song, penned by Mark Selby and Tia Sillers, was released as the second single from The Chicks’ breakthrough album Wide Open Spaces, their first to feature lead vocalist Natalie Maines. Group founders and sisters Martie McGuire and Emily Strayer round out the threesome.

Wide Open Spaces became The Chicks’ first of five No. 1s on Top Country Albums, ruling for seven frames. It included five Hot Country Songs top 10s, with three reaching No. 1: “There’s Your Trouble,” “Wide Open Spaces” (four weeks) and “You Were Mine” (two). Lead single “I Can Love You Better” hit No. 7, marking the band’s first of 15 top 10s, and fifth single “Tonight the Heartache’s on Me” reached No. 6.

Their chart domination was halted in March 2003 when on stage in London, on the eve of the Iraq War, Maines said, “We’re ashamed that the president of the United States is from Texas.” Almost immediately, and unanimously, country radio bailed, removing them from playlists.

The Chicks didn’t reach the Hot Country Songs top 10 again until September 2019, as featured on Taylor Swift’s No. 10 hit “Soon You’ll Get Better” (a peak driven predominantly by streaming).

In August 2020, The Chicks ruled Top Country Albums for two weeks with their most recent LP, Gaslighter, their first since Taking the Long Way, which reigned for nine weeks in 2006-07.

After postponing several dates because of illness, The Chicks have resumed touring, with their next stop set for Tuesday (Aug. 8) in Greensboro, N.C.

08 Aug 2023

Iggy Azalea ‘Never Intended to Publicly Comment’ on Tory Lanez Sentencing: ‘I Support Prison Reform. Period’

Iggy Azalea is clarifying reports that she has spoken out in support of rapper Tory Lanez (born Daystar Peterson) as the “Say It’ MC is awaiting sentencing in his felony assault and weapons case in connection with his attack on Megan Thee Stallion in July 2020. The Associated Press reported on Monday that Azalea was among the dozens of people who wrote the judge in the case, with her note asking that the sentence be “transformative, not life-destroying.”

In a series of tweets, however, Azalea wrote, “I have not been in touch with tory for months, I have no reason to be, but I do wish him well,” adding, “I don’t ‘support’ anyone. the whole thing is full of oddities. My letter never mentioned anything in regard to what happened that night.”

Lanez’s sentencing will stretch into Tuesday (Aug. 8) and in a written statement, Megan described the ongoing trauma she has suffered since Lanez shot her in the feet after they left a Hollywood party together three years ago. “Since I was viciously shot by the defendant, I have not experienced a single day of peace,” Megan said in a statement read by Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Kathy Ta. “Slowly but surely, I’m healing and coming back, but I will never be the same.”

Megan, who testified during the trial, said she struggled with appearing in person to read the statement, but said she, “simply could not bring myself to be in a room with Tory again.”

In a further clarification, Azalea noted that she was told her statement would be for the judge’s eyes only. “Yet it’s being discussed in public? I never intended to publicly comment,” she wrote. “Iam not in support of throwing away ANY ones life if we can give reasonable punishments that are rehabilitative instead. I support prison reform. Period.”

Further explaining why she wrote a statement, Azalea said she was asked to share her “genuine experience and the type of punishment I think he deserves: I did.” In another tweet Azalea lamented that the statement became a topic of conversation on Monday because, in her words, “it’s not really an explosive revelation. Yes: he should be held accountable. No: the charges don’t warrant 5plus in prison.”

She argued that “most agree” with her position because “it’s a reasonable take.”

Though Megan did not come to court to make her statement in person, she asked Judge David Herriford not to take that as a sign of indifference and urged him to issue a stiff sentence to Lanez. Sentencing hearings typically take only a few hours, but Herriford allowed attorneys for each side to argue factors for Lanez’s potential sentence, allowing seven witnesses to give statement’s about the rapper’s charitable works, his childhood trauma and his status as a father to a six-year-old son.

Prosecutors have asked the judge to hand down a 13-year sentence to Lanez, 31, who was convicted of three felonies: assault with a semiautomatic firearm, having a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle and discharging a firearm with gross negligence. Lanez’s lawyers have argued in a sentencing memo that he should get only probation and be released from jail to enter a residential substance abuse program.

See Azalea’s tweets below.