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17 May 2023

Lea Michele Tests Positive For COVID, Sitting Out Broadway’s ‘Funny Girl’ For a Week

Lea Michele will have to take a week off from Broadway’s Funny Girl after testing positive for COVID again. The production announced on Instagram that the singer/actress will sit out the production through May 23, with Julie Benko playing the role of Fanny Brice until Michele is able to return; Ephie Aardema will step in for Friday’s (May 19) performance).

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“Unfortunately, Lea Michele has tested positive for COVID. She will be out of the show this week and will return on Tuesday, May 23,” read the Instagram post. This is the second time Michele has been forced to step aside after testing positive for COVID following a week of missed shows in September.

According to Deadline, despite veteran Benko’s solid reviews in the standby Brice role — first in April 2022 and then again in August following Beanie Feldstein’s leave-taking — the production typically experiences “steep declines” in box office when Michele is out for vacation or other reasons. It also reported that since Michele took over from Feldstein in the revival last fall, Funny Girl has been one of Broadway’s biggest earners, with the show grossing more than $1.6 million last week. The musical is slated to close on Broadway on Sept. 3.

Two days before the announcement, Michele pulled her son Ever out of the crowd during Sunday’s Mother’s Day performance during the curtain call and carried him around to greet some of her cast mates. In March, Michele revealed that the two-year-old was hospitalized due to an undisclosed health issue. At the time she took a one-night break from Funny Girl to be at the hospital due to Ever’s undisclosed “scary health issue.”

Check out the post announcing Michele’s absence.

17 May 2023

Slowthai Removed From Glastonbury, Reading & Leeds Festival Lineups Following Court Appearance on Rape Charges

Warning: the following story contains descriptions of an alleged sexual assault.

British rapper Slowthai‘s name appeared to be quietly scrubbed from the lineups of the Glastonbury, Reading & Leeds festivals on Tuesday (May 16) after the MC appeared in court on two charges of rape. The 28-year-old rapper (born Tyron Frampton) was charged with two counts of rape earlier in the day during a video link court appearance before Oxfordshire, England magistrates, where he was charged with oral and vaginal penetration of a woman without her consent in connection with an alleged 2021 incident in Oxford.

NME reported that Slowthai’s name was taken off the festival’s rosters after the court appearance and at press time neither the artists nor the festival organizers had made an official announcement about the change; Billboard confirmed that Slowthai is no longer listed on the lineups for the events on their official websites. A spokesperson for Slowthai had not returned Billboard‘s request for comment at press time.

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Slowthai posted a message on Instagram following his brief court appearance to deny the allegations. “Regarding the allegations being reported about me. I categorically deny the charges,” he wrote. “I am innocent and I am confident my name will be cleared. Until then I will apply my energy to ensure this is concluded swiftly and justly.” He asked his supporters not to “comment about this situation” and to “respect the process and privacy” of his family.

According to The Guardian, Frampton did not enter a plea during the appearance and only confirmed his real name, date of birth and Northampton address. Prosecuting lawyer Adam Yar Khan said the rape charge must be heard at crown court, due to it being an indictable-only offense. At the time of publication, there is no further information surrounding the charges and the accuser’s claims.

17 May 2023

Falls Festival Skips 2023 Edition to ‘Rest, Recover and Recalibrate’

Falls Festival, one of Australia’s top touring fests, will skip its 2023/24 edition.

Secret Sounds, the Live Nation-affiliated producers of Falls Festival, announced Wednesday (May 17) that the annual event would not go ahead this December and next January in either of its three locations – Melbourne, Byron Bay and Fremantle.

“After an impressive 28 years ringing in the New Year with some of the world’s biggest acts, the Falls team are today switching on their OOOs and taking this New Years’ season off to rest, recover and recalibrate,” read a statement posted to social media.

It’s the third time in the past four years the event has been nixed, after the 2020 and 2021 events were scrapped due to the pandemic.

Falls is one of the hottest tickets on the calendar, and, in a typical year, is held during the summer holiday with legs in Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia.

A long-running show at Marion Bay in Tasmania was officially discontinued during the health crisis, and organizers last year walked away from ambitions to host a Falls Birregurra in Murroon, country Victoria, citing a time-consuming and expensive application process. The pre-NYE event went ahead at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne, with Arctic Monkeys and Lil Nas X among the headliners.

“We send huge love and appreciation to all our patrons for their ongoing support and for the great vibes they brought to the 2022/23 events,” the Falls statement continues. “You really are the heart and soul of Falls Festival, and we look forward to updating you with our plans when the time is right.”

Spearheaded by Jess Ducrou and Paul Piticco, Falls Music & Arts Festival originated in 1993 as a one-day concert in Lorne, Tasmania under the banner Rock Above The Falls. In the years since, the likes of Iggy Pop, Jack Johnson, Billy Bragg, the Black Keys, Blondie and many more have graced its stages.

17 May 2023

Congratulations! Post Malone Helps Scottish Artist Pay House Deposit

Post Malone has made a 12 carat gesture by helping a Scottish singer in his quest to buy a home.

The “Rockstar” singer star immediately hit it off with Gregor Hunter Coleman, who he caught singing in Glasgow’s Wunderbar last Friday night (May 12).

According to the BBC, the pair sang and chatted through the evening. As the night progressed, Posty generously chipped in money towards a house deposit, for which the Scotsman has been saving his pennies.

After completing his set, Coleman was invited over to meet Posty. “He said, do you want a drink?,” Coleman tells BBC Scotland. “I was like, listen, I’m saving for a house so I’m not drinking just now. Which was daft, my mates were, like, why did you turn down a drink from Post Malone?”

Posty respected the singer’s decision and extended an invitation for him to perform at his official afterparty the following night. “He started saying, how much will you charge? I said nothing, it’s Post Malone, this is the chance of a lifetime.”

Malone “got talking to me and he offered to help me out with my house deposit,” in an encounter he described as “bizarre”.

The pair exchanged details and the Scot is keen to present music to his new pal. And how much money did the superstar donate to Coleman’s cause? The singer is keeping mum on that.

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Taking to social media, Coleman describes the catchup as “a life changing experience.”

The time “spent with this gent chatting and jamming was life changing in itself, not to mention what followed. This could be my time to hit the ground running.”

Malone was in the city performing at the Hydro on May 13, part of the U.K. and Europe leg of his Twelve Carat Tour, which kicked off last September for a North America run, and passed through Australia and New Zealand earlier in the year.

The action doesn’t end there. Posty set a swag of RIAA records last month and released a new greatest hits compilation The Diamond Collection, which includes his new pop-leaning number “Chemical.”

There’s more music on the way, with a fifth album, Austin, due out July 28, and the first single from it dropping this Friday (May 19), “Mourning.”

16 May 2023

Corey Taylor Talks Forthcoming LP ‘CMF2’: ‘The Best Rock Album of This Year’

Corey Taylor and Slipknot aren’t yet enshrined in the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame. And he’s ok with that. In fact, he “couldn’t care less” — in his own words.

“Oh Jesus. At this point, who gives a s*** really, to be honest,” the rocker told Audacy Check In. “It’s hard for me to say that they get it wrong because sometimes the people they induct 100% deserve it. But there are still so many groups that should go in before some of the ones that have. And it really upsets me. At this point it’s like, I don’t even know if I’ll be considered or something like that. And I couldn’t care less, to be honest.”

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The performer category for the Rock Hall is a stacked class, featuring Kate Bush, Sheryl Crow, Missy Elliott, the late George Michael, Willie Nelson, Rage Against the Machine, and The Spinners.

Slipknot cut its first record in 1996, and landed six titles in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 chart, including three No. 1s. They’ve been eligible since 2022, but the nu-metal act is waiting for its first nomination.

Speaking with Audacy’s Jason Bailey, Taylor likened Rock Hall induction to “a high-five at the end of your career.”

It’s not that he doesn’t want in, he has other things to do first. “I would rather have that later on. It’s just something I don’t really concern myself with.

“Would I be a stingy hog and want to be like the late, great David Crosby and be in there like four times? That would be great – if I could be in there for all three acts, that’d be killer. But, I don’t think I’m gonna even get in for one. So it’s fine. I’ve got better things to do,” he added.

Though talk of Rock Hall membership may be premature, Taylor reckons he’s in a purple patch with his own music.

The Slipknot and Stone Sour singer is readying the release of CMF2, the followup to his 2020 debut solo effort CMFT, which peaked at No. 6 on Billboard’s Top Rock Albums and No. 11 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart.

The forthcoming album, “it eats the first one and spits it out,” he claims, adding he was “really proud” of the debut, but it “felt like where we were coming from and this album feels like where we’re going.”

Expect something for everyone who likes heavy music. Taylor and Co. “decided to up the stakes, the music is more expansive, there’s heavier stuff, there’s darker stuff it paints with the whole palate like the first album, but there’s not there, man. To me, it’s the best rock album of this year and next year. It’s that good.”

CMFT is due out Sept. 15. Fan get a taste of things to come with new cut “Beyond,” the official music video for which is below.

16 May 2023

Michael Abels Wins Composers’ Choice Award at 2023 ASCAP Screen Music Awards

Michael Abels is having a banner month. Eight days after winning the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Music along with collaborator Rhiannon Giddens for their opera Omar, Abels won the Composers’ Choice award for film score of the year at the 2023 ASCAP Screen Music Awards. The awards were presented at an invitation-only party in West Hollywood, Calif., on Tuesday (May 16).

The Composers’ Choice award winners are chosen by the ASCAP composer and songwriter community. Abels won for his score to Jordan Peele’s film Nope. His score was shortlisted for an Oscar for best original score in December but failed to make the final five.

Abels, 60, has scored all three of Peele’s film to date as a director – Get Out (2017), Us (2019) and Nope (2022), plus other films. He received two Primetime Emmy nods two years ago for his work on the HBO film Allen v. Farrow.

Cristobal Tapia de Veer was a double Composers’ Choice winner for his work on the HBO series The White Lotus. He took television theme of the year and shared the award for television score of the year with Kim Neundorf. de Veer won two Primetime Emmys in September for his work on the show.

Bear McCreary took video game score of the year for God of War Ragnarök.

There was a tie for documentary score of the year. The winners were Amanda Jones for Super/Natural and Jeff Cardoni for Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off.

Those five Composers’ Choice awards were part of the full slate of 2023 ASCAP Screen Music Awards, which honored music written for films, TV series and video games.

Simon Franglen won top box office film of the year for his score to the James Cameron blockbuster Avatar: The Way of Water. Franglen’s score was shortlisted for an Oscar for best original score, but like Nope, failed to make the final five.

Among the top streaming films winners, John Debney was honored for his score to Hocus Pocus 2 while Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, Khiyon Hursey, Mark Sonnenblick and Sukari Jones were celebrated for their collaborative work on the hit musical comedy Spirited.

Top streaming series winners include Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein for the Netflix series Stranger Things, Natalie Holt for the live-action Star Wars project Obi-Wan Kenobi and Siddhartha Khosla for Hulu’s hit comedy-drama Only Murders in the Building. Khosla received two Primetime Emmy nods last year for his work on the show.

David Vanacore was named the most-performed themes and underscore winner for his work on shows including Survivor, The Kardashians and The Daily Show. Composers Matthew Hawkins, Maurice “m.0.” Jackson and Neil Martin won top network television series for their main theme for NCIS, while John Sereda received top cable television series for his music in the historical drama When Calls the Heart.

The complete list of winners is available on the ASCAP website.

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16 May 2023

There’s a BTS Biography Dropping This Summer: Here’s How You Can Pre-Order ‘Beyond the Story’

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The cat’s out of the bag. We finally know the identity of that mysterious book that hit No. 1 on Amazon without a title or a cover.

It turns out, the cryptic listing is a BTS biography that will be released this summer via Flatiron Books and Big Hit Music. Beyond the Story: 10-Year Record of BTS ($45) is described as an “oral history of the K-Pop group in South Korea and the United States,” according to The New York Times.

The book is written by BTS and journalist Kang Myeong-seok and translated into English by Anton Hur.

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Beyond the Story is on sale for $27 at Amazon and $29.99 for a Kindle version. Fans can pre-order the book online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble (it’s on sale for $39.99).

There’s not much else known about the release, beyond that it will include 544 pages and drops on July 9. The book was initially listed as “4C Untitled Flatiron Nonfiction Summer 2023” on Amazon.

The cryptic title was rumored to be a Taylor Swift memoir. Swifties took to social media to point out that 544 adds up to 13, which happens to be Swift’s favorite number and her birthdate. Swift’s fans also theorized that the July 9 release date might be a reference to her song “Last Kiss.”

But July 9 is also significant to BTS as this year’s ARMY Day will celebrate the fanbase’s 10th anniversary. As ARMY Day approaches, BTS fans can click here to pre-order a copy of Beyond the Storyor click the buy button featured above.

16 May 2023

Will Beyoncé & Taylor Swift’s 3-Hour Concerts Become the Norm for Pop Tours?

Three hours or bust!

On their ambitious new tours, Beyoncé and Taylor Swift are setting the bar impossibly high for treks to come, playing three-hour (or longer!) concerts that each cover more than 3 dozen songs from their respective catalogs. Rock fans have come to expect marathon concerts from the likes of Bruce Springsteen or Pearl Jam, but this is a rarity for a pop concert; by comparison, another currently touring pop superstar, Janet Jackson, is playing just under two-hour shows.

On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Katie & Keith — with a special assist from Billboard touring director Dave Brooks — are discussing whether this could become the norm for a pop show or if Bey and Swift are just supernova outliers.

Also on the show, we’ve got chart news on how Morgan Wallen charts a 10th straight week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with his album One Thing at a Time. How rare is that? How many albums have spent at least 10 weeks at No. 1 in the chart’s history? And how many more weeks do we think he’ll spend on top? Plus, Ed Sheeran’s – (Subtract) lands at No. 2 in its first week on the chart.

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

16 May 2023

Trading of Audacy Shares Halted as New York Stock Exchange Plans to Delist Company

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) has notified radio and podcast giant Audacy of its plan to delist the company’s Class A common stock from the exchange over its consistently low share price, Audacy announced Tuesday (May 16).

According to a press release, “the NYSE will consider commencing delisting procedures when a company’s listed securities experience an abnormally low selling price.” The NYSE abruptly halted trading of Audacy’s stock at 2 p.m. ET on Tuesday, when shares were trading for $.094 — down slightly from $.10 at the start of the day. The company’s share price is down nearly 63% since the beginning of the year.

NYSE rules require a minimum average closing price of $1 per share over 30 consecutive trading days, but Audacy’s share price hasn’t traded above that threshold since July 5, 2022.

The NYSE has applied to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to delist Audacy’s stock. While that process plays out, trading in the company’s common stock on the exchange will be suspended, though it can still be traded over the counter.

Audacy signaled its intent to appeal the delisting by filing a written request, which it is required to do within 10 days of receiving the delisting notice. If that appeal is successful, the stock may resume trading on the NYSE.

In a statement, Audacy president/CEO David J. Field said that while the company is “disappointed” in the NYSE’s decision, he is “hopeful” that Audacy stock will start trading on the exchange again later this year “as we execute our action plans which include a reverse stock split to satisfy NYSE rules, the continued execution of our liability management plans and working with our financial advisors to refinance our debt.”

Field also stated that the company is confident it “will benefit from a general market recovery and will be able to capitalize on our investments in strategic transformation that position Audacy well for the future.”

Radio companies have been slammed by an advertising slowdown since the second half of 2022, and Audacy has been particularly hard-hit. In its first-quarter earnings released Wednesday (May 10), the company’s net revenue of $259.6 million was down 5.7% year-over-year, while cash operating expenses were up 3%. Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) was $3.5 million, compared to $26 million in the first quarter of 2022.

On a May 10 earnings call, Audacy CFO Richard Schmaeling noted that the company’s network advertising revenue fell 6% year-over-year due to inflation and rising interest rates (though its podcast advertising revenue was up 14%). He warned that advertising demand has “further softened” since the start of 2023 and added that “it could get worse before it gets better,” noting that the company “is continuing to work to accelerate revenue growth, develop and execute added cost reduction actions and to sell other noncore assets.”

“However,” Schmaeling continued, “these actions may not be sufficient to fully mitigate the impact of potential further advertising weakness.”

16 May 2023

Willie Nelson’s 90th Birthday Concerts Getting a Theatrical Release

If you missed out on Willie Nelson’s 90th birthday concerts on April 30 and May 1 in Los Angeles, you can see all the special performances honoring the 12-time Grammy winner in a limited theatrical run.

Long Story Short: Willie Nelson 90 will be shown in theaters on June 11, with an encore presentation on June 13 and 14. Recorded at the Hollywood Bowl over two nights in April, the concert film will include performances by Nelson, Keith Richards, Neil Young, George Strait, Miranda Lambert, Snoop Dogg and many more.

Nelson, who was also inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year, is having a banner year as a nonagenarian. He was honored with an educational endowment at the University of Texas’ LBJ School of Public Affairs and will have a new book about his songwriting called “Energy Follows Thought: The Stories Behind My Songs,” coming out on Oct. 31 through William Morrow.

The Texas actor, activist and songwriter penned hits like “Crazy,” “Funny How Times Slips Away” and “On the Road Again” over his seven-decade career, as well as co-founded Farm Aid.

Tickets for the concert film, presented by Blackbird Presents, Joe Hand Promotions and Nelson’s manager Mark Rothbaum, go on sale today at willienelson90experience.com