News

12 Jul 2023

Kylie Minogue Could ‘Very Possibly’ Be Planning a Vegas Residency or Tour

The Las Vegas residency is the new staple in the careers of pop icons — superstars such as Adele, Katy Perry and Kelly Clarkson are currently lighting up the Strip with their shows. Now, Kylie Minogue is teasing that she might be joining their ranks soon.

On the Tuesday (July 11) episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, Minogue appeared with fellow guest Adam Lambert, and was grilled by Cohen about her plans for the future. At one point, Cohen specifically asked if she had any plans when it came to a “tour or Vegas residency.” Squinting her eyes mischievously, Minogue answered, “Very possibly.”

The tease comes on the heels of the viral success of Minogue’s latest single “Padam Padam,” which currently sits at No. 7 on Billboard‘s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart — a career first for the pop legend.

Elsewhere in the episode, Minogue opened up about the pressures of performing pop music live, especially when it comes to translating the breakout success of “Padam Padam” into a live performance. “It takes some consideration, but I think ‘Padam’ is kind of living its best life on stage, as well,” she said. “I can’t imagine how Cher did it with ‘Believe.’ But I think people understand, with the way a song is produced, there’s production. I don’t press a button and sound like that — I sing live on stage.”

Check out a clip from Watch What Happens Live, in which Minogue and Lambert break down their favorite live performances, below:

12 Jul 2023

Britney Spears Slams Comment That She ‘Deserved to Be Smacked’ In Alleged Vegas Incident With Victor Wembanyama

Britney Spears has promised to be super-candid in her upcoming memoir, The Woman in Me. That radical honesty has also seemingly extended to her feelings about the recent incident in which she alleged that she was struck by highly touted NBA rookie Victor Wembanyama’s security detail in Las Vegas.

The Las Vegas Police Department concluded its probe last week into the incident and said in a statement that no charges would be filed “against the person involved.”

In an Instagram video posted on Tuesday night (July 11), the singer addressed what she said was a recent comment about the run-in in Vegas “that a lot of people are talking about.” Without naming names, Spears said she heard a news report about a radio station “talking smack… and talking s–t” saying that “I deserved to be smacked” because Wembanyama’s security detail were just doing their job and protecting their client.

“I’ve been with the most famous people in the world… *NSYNC at one time, girls would like literally throw themselves at them on my way into the place actually I was knocked down by three 12-year-olds trying to get my picture,” the singer said about her 1998 Second II None Tour, on which she opened for future boyfriend Justin Timberlake’s boy band.

“My security, not one time, touched them or even came near them,” she explained. The point or relaying that story, she said, was that, “I didn’t appreciate the people saying that I deserved to be hit. Because no woman ever deserves to be hit.” Spears explained that she tapped the 7′ 5″ tall San Antonio Spurs center on the back and then was “backhanded.. hit my face,” causing her to fall to the floor, where her best friend scooped her up and held her.

She said she got an apology at her table 30 minutes later, but noted that she has yet to receive a public apology. Before the LVPD investigation, Spears filed a police report alleging battery after she claimed that she was stuck in the face by a member of Wembanyama’s security team while trying to greet him in a Vegas hotel.

According to TMZ, which first reported the news, Spears was dining with husband Sam Asghari and two friends at Catch at the Aria Hotel when she saw the Spurs No. 1 pick and wanted to take a photo with him. When she tapped Wembanyama on the shoulder, Director of Team Security for the Spurs Damian Smith reportedly pushed her, hitting her in the face and causing the singer to fall to the ground.

As Britney noted, Smith then reportedly apologized to her, saying he didn’t recognize the pop star at the time of the incident, with Spears reportedly accepted the apology. TMZ reported that law enforcement checked the Aria Hotel’s security footage, which reportedly showed Smith pushing Spears’ hand away from Wembanyama, causing her own hand to strike her in the face before she fell.

In a statement shared by Associated Press, Wembanyama said that Spears “grabbed me from behind,” and that he didn’t know it was the “Womanizer” singer until several hours later. “I just know the security pushed her away. I don’t know with how much force but security pushed her away. I didn’t stop to look so I could walk in and enjoy a nice dinner,” he said.

In an Instagram post last week, Spears first recounted her Beatlemania-style experiences while touring with *NSYNC and praised herself for resisting the instinct to hit the security guard back, even as she said she was still a “huge fan” of the preternaturally gifted Wembanyama. “It’s not his fault his security hit me … s— happens !!!,” she said.

Billboard has reached out to Spears’ team and the Spurs for additional information and comment on the incident, with neither responding at press time.

Watch Spears discuss the Wembanyama run-in below.

12 Jul 2023

The Cure Doubles Its Previous Best With $37.5 Million North American Tour

The Cure is more than 40 years deep into its career, but that doesn’t mean it’s too late for new peaks. The British band embarked on the Shows of a Lost World Tour and generated its biggest grosses and attendance ever. After playing its final show earlier this month, the tour grossed $37.5 million and sold 547,000 tickets over 35 shows in the U.S. and Canada, according to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore.

While those figures are personal highs among the band’s global touring career (dating back to The Cure’s first Boxscore reports in 1985; the band has been touring since the late ‘70s), apples-to-apples comparisons against its North American treks spotlight the tour’s success even better. The $37.5 million revenue total is more than double the band’s previous North American high of $18 million in 2016. And the 547,000 tickets surpass 1992’s 402,000.

Routing for the Shows of a Lost World Tour mixed arenas and amphitheaters in the U.S., yielding its biggest returns in the expected markets. Three shows at Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl grossed $4.9 million and sold 50,800 tickets, while a three-peat at New York’s Madison Square Garden brought in $4.1 million from 44,300 tickets. Atlanta, Montreal and San Francisco follow.

Nightly attendance never dipped below 12,000, and averaged 15,629. That marks a 43% improvement over 2016’s 10,952, which itself was a 48% bump from The Cure’s 2008 tour. The band hadn’t averaged such a high attendance since 1989, when it paced 19,539 tickets in support of Disintegration. (That album was, at the time, the band’s highest charting album on the Billboard 200 [No. 12], containing its highest ranking hit on the Billboard Hot 100: “Love Song” [No. 2].)

This bar graph mirrors the peak-valley-peak trajectory that Billboard reported on Janet Jackson’s comeback spring tour. Both acts have sprawling discographies with close to a half century’s worth of beloved songs. That’s the kind of pitch that, after an extended break, can elevate an artist into their highly profitable legacy era, so-to-speak, soaking one’s deep roster of hits in a bath of nostalgia and extra disposable income.

Janet Jackson and The Cure may not make for the most obvious apples-to-apples comparison. But like Jackson, The Cure established a Boxscore peak around the turn of the ‘90s, before letting its legacy build to a new peak in the 2020s. Like Jackson, The Cure is touring without new material, many years away from its last album. (The band last released a new studio set in 2008.) Their 2023 shows marked the first North American tour for either act since the mid-2010s.

And while the effects of Jackson’s highly publicized mid-’00s controversy don’t quite apply here, the Shows of a Lost World Tour generated its own batch of headlines earlier this year. Frontman Robert Smith spoke out about various “scams” and fees, courtesy Ticketmaster and the larger secondary market, resisting dynamic pricing, platinum ticketing and scaled re-sale. The band went as far as to ensure that every show had a price option of $30 or less. Further, after fans made Smith aware of exorbitant fees, he negotiated with Ticketmaster to issue refunds.

As lines between primary and secondary ticket sellers blur and pricing strategies become more creative, concert revenues for arena acts have surged. And though it may seem like perfect timing to pair those ticketing practices with The Cure’s much-anticipated return to the stage, the band’s defiant public stand against gouging fans worked out in the end.

The Shows of a Lost World Tour averaged a $68.54 price, 37% less than the triple-digit average ticket among the top 50 tours on Billboard’s midyear 2023 recap. Only one artist in that top 50 – The 1975 – averaged less ($63.01), and that was with mostly European shows, where tickets haven’t exploded in the same way as the U.S., where The Cure played.

Still, the tour made enough money to have ranked among the top 20, had its shows been eligible (The midyear charts are based on shows between Nov. 1, 2022 – April 30, 2023. The Cure’s tour began on May 10.). The Cure’s bulked-up, career-high grosses are owed to consistently sold-out crowds, perhaps nudged along by the band’s steadfast dedication to affordable tickets.

Though the Shows of a Lost World Tour has wrapped, The Cure will play a slew of festivals plus a few standalone shows in Latin America between September and December.

Stretching back to 1985, The Cure has grossed a reported $146.1 million and sold 3 million tickets.

12 Jul 2023

Miley Cyrus’ ‘Party in the U.S.A.’ Returns to Hot 100 After July 4 Gains

Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the U.S.A.” is back on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (dated July 15) for the first time since its initial chart run in 2009-10, thanks to annual Fourth of July gains.

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The song (released on her former label Hollywood Records; she’s now signed to Columbia Records) re-enters the Hot 100 at No. 50 with 8 million U.S. streams (up 64%), 5.2 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 34%) and 6,000 downloads sold (up 560%) in the June 30-July 6 tracking week, according to Luminate. The sales sum helps it also re-enter the Digital Song Sales chart at No. 7.

“Party in the U.S.A.” was a smash hit during its original chart run. It debuted and peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100 in August 2009, becoming Cyrus’ highest charting song at the time. She had previously reached the top 10 with “See You Again” (No. 10 peak in 2008), “7 Things” (No. 9; 2008), “The Climb” (No. 4; 2009) and “He Could Be The One” (No. 10; 2009).

The re-entry is an added bonus to an already huge year for Cyrus. In March, she dropped her eighth studio album, Endless Summer Vacation, which hit No. 3 on the Billboard 200 after its debut, becoming her 14th top 10. Ahead of the LP’s release, lead single “Flowers” debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100 in January and spent eight weeks on top. It ranks at No. 5 this week in its 25th consecutive week on the chart — all of which has been spent in the top five. The song became her second No. 1, after the three-week reign of “Wrecking Ball” in 2013.

“Flowers” also hit No. 1 on four individual radio formats: Adult Pop Airplay (for 17 weeks), Adult Contemporary (14 and counting), Pop Airplay (10) and Dance/Mix Show Airplay (four). It ruled the all-format Radio Songs chart for 18 weeks, setting a new record for a title by a woman. In the chart’s history, only The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” has spent more time at No. 1, with 26 weeks.

In total, five songs from Endless Summer Vacation have charted on the Hot 100: “Flowers,” “River” (No. 32 peak), “Jaded” (No. 56), “Thousand Miles” featuring Brandi Carlile (No. 68) and “Rose Colored Lenses” (No. 91).

Older songs such as “Party in the U.S.A.” are eligible for the Hot 100 if they rank within the top 50 and have a meaningful reason for their resurgences. We occasionally see this phenomenon during the year if catalog songs go viral and/or are newly promoted, as with Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” (from 2019 and now in the Hot 100’s top 10) or have notable TV/film synchs that generate newfound interest, as was the case with Kate Bush’s 1985 classic “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” last year. And we see it during every holiday season, when festive songs storm the higher ranks of the Hot 100.

12 Jul 2023

Sony Masterwork’s Terrapin Station Invests in Black Ink Presents

Jonathan Shank‘s Terrapin Station Entertainment has announced a majority investment in Los Angeles-based production services company, Black Ink Presents. The agreement connects the Sony Music Masterworks-owned Terrapin with Blank Ink CEO John Kinsner‘s production management and design firm known for its work in concerts, immersive events and “live-to-film” shows in which a full orchestra performs a film score live, synced with a screening of the film or other media.

Kinsner will join Black Ink as part of the agreement, along with Black Ink CFO Alek Deva and COO Mike Kasper. The two companies previously collaborated on Deal or No Deal Live and The Bob Marley One Love Experience, which opened earlier this year at Ovation Hollywood. Black Ink Presents’ credits include Danny Elfman’s 2022 performances at Coachella and Hollywood Bowl; Get Happy: A Judy Garland Centennial Celebration and Disney’s Encanto in Concert.

“I’ve collaborated with Black Ink on a wide range of projects, and they are tremendously creative and future focused,” Shank tells Billboard. “They have strong knowledge of the intellectual property space, they’ve worked on a range of innovative projects, and they have a passion for finding new pathways. Their skill set, combined with Terrapin’s growing IP roster, will give us a solid foundation, and further expand our presence in non-traditional entertainment.”

Kirsner said working with Shank and Sony Music Masterworks group “represents an unparalleled opportunity for Black Ink to continue to grow, and to build new live entertainment experiences on the cutting edge of music, media, and technology.”

12 Jul 2023

UMPG Chief Jody Gerson Honored at ICMP Annual Meeting

LONDON — “I still feel like that little girl who started out in music publishing,” said Universal Music Publishing Group chairman and CEO Jody Gerson as she accepted the Ralph Peer II Award for Outstanding Contribution to Global Music Publishing. It was presented by the award’s namesake at the July 10 annual meeting of the International Confederation of Music Publishers, or ICMP, held at Abbey Road Studios in London.  

Gerson was, of course, being modest: She’s one of the most accomplished publishing executives in the world. But in front of dozens of European publishing and collective management executives, she shared the story of how she got started in the business.  

The Pennsylvania native grew up in a music family that owned nightclubs in Philadelphia, and she had always been interested in getting into the music business. But when she first applied for label jobs, she didn’t have much luck. Eventually, she scored an interview with Chappell Music (later Warner Chappell) and her first job there was as the archivist, where she ran the tape library and became interested in the demos submitted by songwriters.  

“I started thinking about marching songs with artists,” she remembered. 

At the time, she pointed out, the music publishing business was much smaller, both in absolute terms and in comparison with recorded music, which dwarfed it in terms of both revenue and, it seemed to many at the time, wow factor. Now publishing is thriving, and a series of big song catalog purchases are generating plenty of excitement and attention. 

The award was presented by Ralph Peer II, executive chair of peermusic and the initial recipient of the ICMP award that’s now named after him. “This wasn’t my idea,” he joked about the name of the prize. “It was foisted on me.” But he praised Gerson’s dedication to the publishing business. “On an everyday level she helps make the industry better,” he said. “She has acumen in business and music that’s very deep.” 

Gerson was introduced by Mumford & Sons singer-songwriter Marcus Mumford, who praised her as well as the publishing business at large. “I don’t think artists are the best at protecting their songs, and managers aren’t always much better,” he joked. “We need publishers!” 

The ICMP meeting itself, held at Abbey Road before the awards dinner, was more about business — royalties, metadata and the other details that make sure publishers and songwriters get paid as fast and accurately as possible. Trombonist Eric Crees, who plays at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden spoke about making film soundtracks, as did composer Stephen Warbeck. 

12 Jul 2023

Morgan Wallen’s ‘One Thing at a Time’ & Miley Cyrus’ ‘Flowers’ Lead Luminate’s 2023 Midyear Charts

In the first six months of 2023, Morgan Wallen’s monster album One Thing at a Time was the most popular album, while Miley Cyrus’ smash single “Flowers” was the most-streamed song (by on-demand streams, audio and video combined), respectively, at the midyear point in the U.S., according to Luminate. “Flowers” was also the most-heard song on radio airwaves, with over 2.4 billion in radio audience impressions.

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Read more about midyear metrics in the 2023 Luminate Midyear Music Report.

‘One Thing’ is Tops: For the tracking period of Dec. 30, 2022, through June 29, 2023, Wallen’s One Thing at a Time was the most popular album in the U.S. The country star’s latest studio effort was released on March 3, 2023 via Big Loud/Mercury/Republic Records and earned 3.312 million equivalent album units in the first half of 2023. (See full top 10 chart, below.) One Thing at a Time spent 15 nonconsecutive weeks atop the weekly Billboard 200 chart in March-July – the most weeks at No. 1 for any album since Adele’s 21 racked up 24 nonconsecutive weeks in 2011-12.

Concurrently, the One Thing at a Time single “Last Night” was the most-streamed song by on-demand audio streams in the first half of 2023 in the U.S., with 588.7 million on-demand audio streams (inclusive of user-generated content streams). “Last Night” spent 13 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 on the weekly all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart from March through July – the singer-songwriter’s first leader on the tally.

The most-streamed song by total on-demand streams (audio and video combined, inclusive of user-generated content streams) was Cyrus’ “Flowers,” with 750.7 million clicks in the first six months of the year. “Flowers” led the Hot 100 eight nonconsecutive weeks from January through early April. It marked Cyrus’ second chart-topper, following 2013’s “Wrecking Ball.”

Equivalent album units – for album titles and chart rankings cited below (but not industry volume numbers) – comprise traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sales, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album, or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official and audio streams generated by songs from an album.

Equivalent album units cited for album titles below, and in the “Midyear Top 10 Albums in U.S.” chart do not include user-generated content (UGC) streams. UGC streams are included in Luminate’s industry volume numbers and its midyear song streaming rankings. (UGC streams are not factored into any of Billboard’s weekly charts.)

For the sake of clarity, equivalent album units do not include listening to music on broadcast radio or digital radio broadcasts. All numbers cited in this story are rounded, and for the U.S. only. Programmed streams are not included in any of the data in this story.

Luminate (formerly MRC Data, Nielsen Music and SoundScan) began tracking music consumption in 1991. Luminate’s sales, streaming and airplay data is used to compile Billboard’s weekly charts.

Of One Thing at a Time’s 3.312 million equivalent album units earned at midyear, SEA units comprise 3.024 million (equaling 4.023 billion on-demand official streams of the set’s 36 songs), album sales comprise 242,000 and TEA units comprise 46,000.

The top five most popular albums at the midyear point in the U.S. are One Thing at a Time, SZA’s December 2022 release SOS (1.982 million equivalent album units), Taylor Swift’s October 2022 release Midnights (1.876 million), Wallen’s January 2021 release Dangerous: The Double Album (1.172 million) and Metro Boomin’s December 2022 release Heroes & Villains (1.038 million). In 2022, Midnights and Dangerous were the Nos. 2 and 3 most popular albums of the year in Luminate’s year-end report.

2023’s Midyear Top 10 Albums in U.S. (by Equivalent Album Units)
1. Morgan Wallen, One Thing at a Time (3.312 million)
2. SZA, SOS (1.982 million)
3. Taylor Swift, Midnights (1.876 million)
4. Morgan Wallen, Dangerous: The Double Album (1.173 million)
5. Metro Boomin’, Heroes & Villains (1.038 million)
6. Bad Bunny, Un Verano Sin Ti (967,000)
7. Drake & 21 Savage, Her Loss (898,000)
8. Zach Bryan, American Heartbreak (769,000)
9. Karol G, Mañana Séra Bonito (716,000)
10. Taylor Swift, Lover (711,000)
Source: Luminate, for the tracking period Dec. 30, 2022, through June 29, 2023. UGC (user-generated content) streams are not included in this chart, but are included in Luminate’s on-demand streaming charts (below). Luminate’s equivalent album unit totals include SEA and TEA for an album’s songs registered before an album’s release, but only during the tracking period.

Total Album Consumption Increases 13.4% at Midyear: Year-to-date, total equivalent album units stand at 538.9 million – up 13.4% compared to the first half of 2022 (475.4 million in the tracking period of Dec. 31, 2021, through June 30, 2022).

Album Sales Up! Total album sales across all formats (physical CDs, vinyl, cassettes, etc., along with digital album downloads) increased by 7.9% in the first half of 2023 as compared to the same point in 2022. At the 2023 midyear point, 50.6 million albums were sold – up from the 49.6 million sold in the first half of 2022. The top-selling album of 2023 so far is Swift’s Midnights, with 607,000 copies sold

In total, there were 41.6 million physical albums sold (up 13.3% compared to 36.7 million at midyear 2022) and 9.234 million digital albums sold (down 11.2 percent compared to 10.4 million at midyear 2022).

CD album sales grew by 3.8% in the first half of 2023 (17.5 million vs. 16.9 million at midyear 2022), while vinyl album sales jumped by 21.7% (23.6 million vs. 19.4 million at midyear 2022). Even cassette tape album sales perked up. The mostly dormant format sold 212,000 in the first half of 2023 – up 5.8% compared to the 200,500 sold in the first half of 2022.

The top-selling album across all physical formats (CD, vinyl, cassette, etc.) at the midyear point is Swift’s Midnights, with 430,000 sold. It’s also the top-selling digital album (177,000) and vinyl LP (251,000). The biggest-selling CD album in the first half of 2023 was TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION with 395,000 copies sold.

Taylor Swift was the top-selling artist by total album sales in the first half of 2023, with 1.45 million albums sold across her entire catalog across all formats. Swift was also the top-selling in total physical album sales (1.19 million), vinyl album sales (808,000) and digital album sales (256,000). Stray Kids was the top-selling act in CD album sales (509,000).

2023’s Midyear Top 10 Selling Albums in U.S. (Physical & Digital Album Sales Combined)
1. Taylor Swift, Midnights (607,000)
2. TOMORROW X TOGETHER, The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION (399,000)
3. Stray Kids, 5-STAR (327,000)
4. TWICE, Ready to Be (286,000)
5. Morgan Wallen, One Thing at a Time (242,000)
6. SEVENTEEN, SEVENTEEN 10th Mini Album: FML (236,000)
7. Metallica, 72 Seasons (215,000)
8. Agust D, D-Day (200,000)
9. Jimin, FACE (152,000)
10. Melanie Martinez, Portals (194,000)
Source: Luminate, for the tracking period Dec. 30, 2022, through June 29, 2023.

  1. Taylor Swift, Midnights (251,000)
  2. Lana Del Rey, Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd. (132,000)
  3. Taylor Swift, Folklore (107,000)
  4. Tyler, The Creator, Igor (104,000)
  5. Fleetwood Mac, Rumours (103,000)
  6. Boygenius, The Record (100,000)
  7. Melanie Martinez, Portals (93,000)
  8. Michael Jackson, Thriller (85,000)
  9. Pink Floyd, The Dark Side of the Moon (85,000)
  10. Lana Del Rey, Born to Die (84,000)

On-Demand Streaming Up 15%, ‘Flowers’ Most-Streamed Song: “Flowers,” Cyrus’ Hot 100-topping single, was the most-streamed song in the first half of 2023 in the U.S., with 750.7 million on-demand streams (inclusive of UGC). SZA’s “Kill Bill” (701.2 million) and Wallen’s “Last Night” (642.8 million) round out the top three.

Total on-demand streams (audio and video combined) at midyear grew 15% in the U.S. as compared to the same point a year ago (713.5 billion vs. 620.2 billion). On-demand audio streams rose 13.5% (616.5 billion vs. 543.2 billion) while on-demand video streams grew 26% (97 billion vs. 77 billion).

UGC streams are included in Luminate’s industry streaming on-demand volume numbers (above) and its midyear streaming song charts (below). UGC streams are not factored into any of Billboard’s weekly charts.

In general, all songs in the below charts combine the assorted remixes of a song into one overall total. Thus, PinkPantheress’ “Boy’s a Liar” includes activity for its remix with Ice Spice, “Boy’s a Liar, Pt. 2,” The Weeknd’s “Die for You” includes activity for its remix with Ariana Grande,” and so forth.

2023’s Midyear Top 10 Most Streamed Songs in U.S. (On-Demand Audio & Video Combined)
1. Miley Cyrus, “Flowers” (750.7 million)
2. SZA, “Kill Bill” (701.2 million)
3. Morgan Wallen, “Last Night” (642.8 million)
4. PinkPantheress, “Boy’s a Liar” (580.7 million)
5. Lady Gaga, “Bloody Mary” (531.7 million)
6. Rema & Selena Gomez, “Calm Down” (486.3 million)
7. Twisted featuring Oliver Tree, “Worth Nothing” (462.7 million)
8. J. Cole featuring Amber Coffman & The Cults, “She Knows” (455.6 million)
9. Fifty Fifty, “Cupid” (427.7 million)
10. Lil Uzi Vert, “Just Wanna Rock” (416.1 million)
Source: Luminate, for the tracking period Dec. 30, 2022, through June 29, 2023. Includes UGC streams.

2023’s Midyear Top 10 Most Streamed Songs in U.S. (On-Demand Audio)
1. Morgan Wallen, “Last Night” (588.7 million)
2. SZA, “Kill Bill” (567.6 million)
3. Miley Cyrus, “Flowers” (464.6 million)
4. PinkPantheress, “Boy’s a Liar” (370.4 million)
5. The Weeknd, “Die for You” (349.8 million)
6. Zach Bryan, “Something in the Orange” (331.2 million)
7. Metro Boomin, The Weeknd & 21 Savage, “Creepin’” (308.3 million)
8. Eslabon Armado x Peso Pluma, “Ella Baila Sola” (307.4 million)
9. Morgan Wallen, “You Proof” (303.3 million)
10. Taylor Swift, “Anti-Hero” (302.8 million)
Source: Luminate, for the tracking period Dec. 30, 2022, through June 29, 2023. Includes UGC streams.

Digital Song Sales Drop 13%: Digital song sales fell 13% in the first six months of 2023, dipping to 69.57 million, as compared to 79.98 million sold in the first half of 2022. The top-selling digital song at the midyear point is Cyrus’ “Flowers” with 380,000 sold. Six songs sold more than 100,000 downloads in the first half of 2023. At midyear 2022, there were eight songs that sold in excess of 100,000.

2023’s Midyear Top 10 Selling Digital Songs in U.S.
1. Miley Cyrus, “Flowers” (380,000)
2. Jimin, “Like Crazy” (289,000)
3. Morgan Wallen, “Last Night” (217,000)
4. Luke Combs, “Fast Car” (126,000)
5. Beyoncé, “Cuff It” (119,000)
6. Rema & Selena Gomez, “Calm Down” (110,000)
7. Taylor Swift, “Anti-Hero” (97,000)
8. Lainey Wilson, “Heart Like a Truck” (89,000)
9. Ice Spice, “Princess Diana” (87,000)
10. Jelly Roll, “Need a Favor” (86,000)
Source: Luminate, for the tracking period Dec. 30, 2022, through June 29, 2023.

‘Heat Waves’ Hottest on Radio: The most-heard song on U.S. radio in the first half of 2023 was Cyrus’ “Flowers,” with a cumulative 2.409 billion audience impressions across all formats monitored by Luminate. The single was released in early January and became one of the biggest radio hits in the modern era. It spent 18 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s all-format Radio Songs chart, tying Goo Goo Dolls’ “Iris” for the second-most weeks at No. 1 since the chart began in 1990. The song with the most weeks at No. 1 on Radio Songs is The Weeknd’s enduring “Blinding Lights,” which ruled for 26 weeks in 2020.

2023’s Midyear Top 10 Radio Songs in U.S. (Based on Audience Impressions)
1. Miley Cyrus, “Flowers” (2.409 billion)
2. Metro Boomin, The Weeknd & 21 Savage, “Creepin’” (2.359 billion)
3. SZA, “Kill Bill” (1.909 billion)
4. The Weeknd, “Die for You” (1.877 billion)
5. Taylor Swift, “Anti-Hero” (1.730 billion)
6. David Guetta & Bebe Rexha, “I’m Good (Blue)” (1.691 billion)
7. Rema & Selena Gomez, “Calm Down” (1.580 billion)
8. Harry Styles, “As It Was” (1.362 billion)
9. Sam Smith & Kim Petras, “Unholy” (1.275 billion)
10. Chris Brown, “Under the Influence” (1.142 billion)
Source: Luminate, for the tracking period Dec. 30, 2022, through June 29, 2023.

12 Jul 2023

LL Cool J Announces Rescheduled Dates For All-Star F.O.R.C.E. Tour

After announcing last month that he was rescheduling some dates on the first leg of his all-star F.O.R.C.E. North American tour to ensure that he gives fans a truly “unforgettable” experience, LL Cool J revealed the revamped routing for the trek on Tuesday (July 11).

LL’s first headlining tour in 30 years is now slated to kick off on August 11 in Baltimore and keep him on the road through a November 19 date in Boston. The tour, whose acronym means “Frequencies of Real Creative Energy,” will feature LL joined by The Roots, DJ Z-Trip and DJ Jazzy Jeff, along with a long roster of special guests in select cities, including: Queen Latifah, Salt-N-Pepa, Big Boi, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Common, De La Soul, Doug E. Fresh & Slick Rick, Goodie Mob, Ice-T, Jadakiss, Juvenile, MC Lyte, Method Man & Redman, Rakim, Rick Ross and more.

In the since-removed video from last month (via Hip Hop DX), LL explained the reason for the tour launch pushback, writing, “I have to give my fans an experience that is unforgettable. I want to make sure everything is done right, and in order to do that, I had to change some things up. The updated tour dates are now live.” The tour was originally slated to launch on June 25 at Boston’s TD Garden and wrap up in Los Angeles on Sept. 3.

At press time the venues for the tour had not yet been revealed.

Check out the routing for the F.O.R.C.E. tour below.

August 11 – Baltimore, MD

August 12 – Cleveland, OH

August 13 – Chicago, IL

August 18 – Detroit, MI

August 19 – Toronto, ON

August 21 – Atlanta, GA

August 22 – Memphis, TN

August 24 – Forth Worth, TX

August 25 – Houston, TX

August 27 – Albuquerque, NM

August 29 – Denver, CO

Sept. 1 – San Francisco, CA

Sept. 2 – Las Vegas, NV

Sept. 3 – Los Angeles, CA

Sept. 9 – Charlotte, NC

Sept. 10 – Raleigh, NC

Oct. 15 – Washington, D.C.

Nov. 19 – Boston, MA

Check out the tour poster below:

12 Jul 2023

‘Rap Sh!t’ Gets Season 2 Premiere Date

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Rap Sh!t assets

Source: Alicia Vera/HBO Max / Alicia Vera/HBO Max

Issa Rae’s hit series Rap Sh!t is returning to MAX.

The Hip-Hop show inspired by the lives of City Girls rappers Yung Miami and JT is coming back for a second season, according to Deadline. 

The eight-episode second season will debut with two episodes on August 10, followed by one episode weekly, leading up to the season finale on Thursday, September 21.

The series which made a big splash last year, tells the story of two friends, Shawna (Aida Osman) and Mia (KaMillion), who were estranged after high school but reconnect to form a rap group. 

Throughout the series, the girls have been forced to decide if they will stay true to themselves or conform to the demands of the music industry.

Yung Miami and JT are co-executive producers of the series, along with Kevin “Coach K” Lee and Pierre “P” Thomas for Quality Control Films, and Sara Rastogi and Jax Clark for Hoorae Rae’s Audio Everywhere Company, Raedio, handles music supervision for the series.

“We’re so excited to be back this summer!” showrunner Syreeta Singleton told Complex about the second season. “Everything is heightened. The girls are on tour, tensions are high, and they’re quickly finding out how much they’re willing to compromise for success.”

Sarah Aubrey, Max’s Head of Original Content added, “We are so excited to continue this journey with Shawna and Mia and the incredibly fun world of Rap Sh!t.” 

Check out the teaser trailer: 


https://youtube.com/watch?v=tqR76mqILkU&version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent

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12 Jul 2023

UPS IS Striking: Takeaways From The Potential UPS Strike

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TOPSHOT-US-ECONOMY-LABOR-LOGISTICS-STRIKE-TEAMSTERS

Source: TIMOTHY A. CLARY / Getty

A strike by UPS workers could be happening as negotiations have collapsed, and there are five things for the public to be aware of as the deadline approaches.

Last week, negotiations between the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and United Parcel Service (UPS) broke down. The situation means that when the workers’ current contract winds up at the end of this month, chances are high that the 340,000 represented workers could walk out and strike. Their union authorized the move in a vote last month. 

For many who rely on the global company for shipping needs in today’s enlarged market including e-commerce giants like Amazon, a strike could be highly damaging. The last time UPS workers went on strike was in 1997, lasting 15 days and costing the brand $850 million at the time. But there are five things to understand as the situation develops.

First, the divide between the union and UPS lies in wages and benefits. The two sides had agreed on ending the dual-wage system and “forced overtime on drivers’ days off,” as well as giving employees Martin Luther King Jr. Day off permanently as a holiday. Another major victory for workers came when the shipping company agreed to equip all its delivery vehicles with cooling gear and training for heat safety.

Second, representatives for the workers said that they will keep working until the 31st. “Our administration has made it clear. We will not be working beyond the expiration date without the contract our members have demanded” Teamsters president Sean O’Brien said in a statement. If no deal is fully agreed upon, August 1st would be the beginning of the strike.

UPS has publicly said they’ve begun putting “contingency plans” and schedules in place for products to be delivered and to account for those on strike, noting that they’re responsible for six percent of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP). They have also made repeated requests to the union to return to the negotiating table since the talks collapsed.

Lastly, competitors are lining up to take advantage. The United States Postal Service on Monday (July 10th) said it was “ready to compete for an increased share of the growing package business,” offering a new coast-to-coast shipping option called Ground Advantage. FedEx released a statement as well touting their services after news of the breakdown in talks. “In the spirit of business and service continuity, we encourage them to take action now,” it said.

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