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Fans from all around the world can tune in to a Mary J. Blige concert as part of the R&B singer’s For My Fans tour, slated for Thursday (April 10).
The concert event livestreams from Madison Square Garden in New York City at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on Veeps.
Read on for details on how to stream on Veeps.
How to Watch Mary J. Blige: Live From Madison Square Garden
Veeps subscribers can stream Mary J. Blige for $24.99. If you’re not subscribed, you can sign up for $5.99 per month, or $60 per year. Veeps has a free subscription tier, while you can still purchase access to the livestream feed for the concert with a free subscription.
Owned by Live Nation Entertainment, Veeps All Access features hundreds of livestream concerts, a catalog of past shows, exclusive bonus interviews, discounts and other benefits. Learn more about Veeps All Access here.
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Courtesy of Veeps
Mary J. Blige: Live From Madison Square Garden
April 10 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT
Want to attend the Mary J. Blige concert in person? There are still last-minute tickets available via Vivid Seats (get $20 off purchases of $200 and over with code BB30), StubHub and GameTime (score $20 off ticket orders of $150 and over with code SAVE20). Prices vary depending on the city and seats available.
Moreover, you can get $150 off when you spend $500 with promo code BILLBOARD150, or $300 off when you spend $1,000 with promo code BILLBOARD300 at TicketNetwork.com.
Meanwhile, those who want to watch internationally can access the streaming service with a VPN, such as ExpressVPN or NordVPN.
The Mary J. Blige: Live From Madison Square Garden livestreams from New York City with a start time of 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. You can watch the entire event live for $24.99 on Veeps All Access.
Want more? For more product recommendations, check out our roundups of the best Xbox deals, studio headphones and Nintendo Switch accessories.
Now in his fifth decade of making music, synth-pop pioneer Howard Jones is just as enamored with innovative technologies as he was in the early ‘80s.
For one of the two versions of his upcoming album, Piano Composed, Jones used a Steinway Spirio, a state-of-the-art player piano that captures mechanical data and allowed him to edit the performance on an iPad. Piano Composed will be released May 23 on Cherry Red Records, which owns Jones’ five albums that were originally released through Elektra Records. The limited-edition vinyl version, Piano Composed Ivory, contains the original compositions performed on his Steinway D piano during the COVID-19 lockdown. The CD version, Piano Composed Spirio, has the same tracks in an alternate sequence and reimagined using the Spirio. Both versions provide the buyer with playable notion for five of the pieces.
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“It’s the most incredible instrument,” Jones tells Billboard’s Behind the Setlist. The Spirio allowed him to combine his classical training — Piano Composed is his third piano-based album — with his proficiency with technology and computers.
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“For example, on a piano, you can do a glissando, where you will go down all the white keys, or maybe all the black keys,” he explains. “But to actually get a chromatic glissando, it’s almost impossible to do physically. But with programming [on the Spirio], I could achieve that.
“So I was thinking, ‘Oh, I can actually ask the piano to do things that you can’t actually physically play,’ which really excited me,” he continues. “And so I used it to do extra octaves, to double lines, to bring out central lines that were hidden within the chords.”
Jones’ affinity for innovative musical instruments goes back to his use of synthesizers and drum machines. Although a classically trained musician, Jones was part of a wave of artists who could create music in a bedroom without spending years learning how to play an instrument.
The then-radical synthesizer was the foundation his best-known songs. His 1983 album, Human Lib, reached No. 1 in the U.K. and No. 59 in the U.S., and spawned the hit songs “New Song” and “What Is Love.” His 1985 album Dream Into Action sent the song “Things Can Only Get Better” to No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. “No One Is to Blame,” featuring Phil Collins on drums, reached No. 4 on the Hot 100 in 1986.
After Piano Composed, Jones says he plans to record another album (titled Global Citizen), play dates in the U.K. and Europe, and add new visual elements to the live shows. “So it’s just more of the same for me, really, but with the idea that it always is moving forward and progressing,” Jones says. “That’s so important to me. Never stand still. Don’t become a museum piece.”
To listen to the entire interview with Jones and hear his thoughts on his Buddhist practices, young musicians’ mental health challenges and his concert setlist, use the embedded Spotify player below, or go to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeart, Podbean or Everand.
Young Buck (real name David Brown) has had his bond revoked in Tennessee due to what officials called “repeated violations of his bond supervision,” local ABC affiliate WKRN reported. The news outlet also said that Assistant District Attorney Daniel Daugherty noted the hearing was held Monday (April 7). Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and […]
The President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, wants to encourage young artists — especially those in the trending genre of corridos tumbados — to create songs that don’t glorify violence or drugs. That’s why this week she announced México Canta (or Mexico Sings), a binational contest aimed at shifting the focus of Mexican music to themes like “love, heartbreak and peace.”
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This is the first initiative launched by the Mexican government to use music as a way to counteract the glorification of violence and the fascination some young people have with joining criminal groups, drawn by the promise of a flashy, luxurious lifestyle — all happening amid the wave of violence affecting certain regions of the country.
“While the contest won’t solve this issue overnight, and we’re not neglecting the underlying causes — for that, there’s a whole national security program — we felt it was important to create creative spaces through culture for Mexican and Mexican-American youth who are passionate about music,” explains Claudia Curiel de Icaza, Mexico’s Secretary of Culture, to Billboard Español.
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In her opinion, many young Mexicans see their dreams of breaking into the music industry crushed, because they don’t have instruments or professional recording equipment. “Organized crime takes advantage of this situation and starts funding musicians,” says the official. “No one hires you if you don’t have a solid music production to stand out. This program aims to provide that professional support.”
The presidential initiative is backed by a segment of the country’s music industry, including major players like Virgin Music Group and Fonovisa/Universal, the Mexican Society of Authors and Composers (SACM), the Mexican Association of Producers of Phonograms and Videograms (AMPROFON), among others.
Registrations will be open at mexicocanta.gob.mx from April 28 to May 30. The grand finale will take place on Oct. 5 in the Mexican state of Durango.
A Billion-Dollar Industry
According to Curiel de Icaza, another goal of the México Canta contest is to attract a portion of the creative industry in the United States to promote Mexican creative industries. This effort is part of Plan México, a joint strategy between the Mexican government and the private sector to attract investments and boost national growth, especially amid the tariff policies of U.S. President Donald Trump.
The minister highlighted the importance of Mexican music, which generates “$2 billion in the United States, of which $500 million stays in Mexico,” she said, adding that Mexico currently ranks tenth in the global music industry market, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), and No. 8 in digital consumption.
“More than 70% of Latin music consists of corridos, and many of them glorify violence,” she stated.
In the past, Sheinbaum has clarified that her government is not looking to promote censorship but rather to preserve traditional Mexican music while emphasizing other values.
This initiative was announced just days after outrage erupted in Mexico over the projection of images of a criminal leader during a concert by the corridos group Los Alegres del Barranco at an auditorium at the University of Guadalajara, which led to the U.S. revoking the work and tourist visas of the band’s members.
Here’s everything you need to know about the binational México Canta contest.
Who can participate?
All young Mexican and Mexican-American performers between the ages of 18 and 34.
How can you participate?
With songs or performances in genres like mariachi, norteño, banda, corrido, tropical, duranguense, campirano, bolero, among others, as well as fusions with rap, rock, pop, and hip-hop. Participants can perform in indigenous languages, Spanish, or Spanglish, with original songs up to 3 minutes long.
In which cities will participants be selected?
In the U.S.: Chicago, Houston, and Los Angeles.
In Mexico: Tijuana, Mexico City, and Oaxaca.
Where can the contest be followed?
On the Mexican government’s public channels and official social media platforms.
What are the prizes?
Regional winners will receive mentorship from a group of specialists.
For Best Song, the prize is a contract with a national, international, or independent record label.
The Best Performer will be awarded a record deal and the opportunity to record an album.
The winner of the Jury Prize will receive a record deal and the opportunity to record an EP (6 songs).
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Source: Eric Charbonneau / Getty
KeKe Palmer had what normally would be a top media grab in the likes of a Jonathan Majors sit-down interview. However, considering the controversy surrounding Jonanatha Majors, Keke Palmer has elected not to air the episode after public backlash.
As spotted over at The Daily Beast, Palmer was set to have Majors on her Baby, This Is KeKe Palmer podcast with an air date of April 8. The episode was teased on the show’s website and a quick video clip of the recorded chat made its way around social media.
Titled “No Easy Answers: Accountability and Moving Forward with Jonathan Majors,” it appears that the accountability some might be seeking from Majors is sorely lacking. The observation of the clip is that Palmer didn’t dig deeper into Majors’ mindset and the incident that occurred between the actor and Grace Jabbari.
Fans online gathered to decry Palmer’s decision to interview Majors, who is back to starring in films after appearing in Magazine Dreams. Many of them also noted that Palmer was involved in a domestic violence incident and wondered why she would give Majors a platform.
Instead of Majors, Palmer is now promoting an interview with Kash Doll as the next episode of her podcast.
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Photo: Getty
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Eric Charbonneau / Getty
KeKe Palmer had what normally would be a top media grab in the likes of a Jonathan Majors sit-down interview. However, considering the controversy surrounding Jonanatha Majors, Keke Palmer has elected not to air the episode after public backlash.
As spotted over at The Daily Beast, Palmer was set to have Majors on her Baby, This Is KeKe Palmer podcast with an air date of April 8. The episode was teased on the show’s website and a quick video clip of the recorded chat made its way around social media.
Titled “No Easy Answers: Accountability and Moving Forward with Jonathan Majors,” it appears that the accountability some might be seeking from Majors is sorely lacking. The observation of the clip is that Palmer didn’t dig deeper into Majors’ mindset and the incident that occurred between the actor and Grace Jabbari.
Fans online gathered to decry Palmer’s decision to interview Majors, who is back to starring in films after appearing in Magazine Dreams. Many of them also noted that Palmer was involved in a domestic violence incident and wondered why she would give Majors a platform.
Instead of Majors, Palmer is now promoting an interview with Kash Doll as the next episode of her podcast.
—
Photo: Getty
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Eric Charbonneau / Getty
KeKe Palmer had what normally would be a top media grab in the likes of a Jonathan Majors sit-down interview. However, considering the controversy surrounding Jonanatha Majors, Keke Palmer has elected not to air the episode after public backlash.
As spotted over at The Daily Beast, Palmer was set to have Majors on her Baby, This Is KeKe Palmer podcast with an air date of April 8. The episode was teased on the show’s website and a quick video clip of the recorded chat made its way around social media.
Titled “No Easy Answers: Accountability and Moving Forward with Jonathan Majors,” it appears that the accountability some might be seeking from Majors is sorely lacking. The observation of the clip is that Palmer didn’t dig deeper into Majors’ mindset and the incident that occurred between the actor and Grace Jabbari.
Fans online gathered to decry Palmer’s decision to interview Majors, who is back to starring in films after appearing in Magazine Dreams. Many of them also noted that Palmer was involved in a domestic violence incident and wondered why she would give Majors a platform.
Instead of Majors, Palmer is now promoting an interview with Kash Doll as the next episode of her podcast.
—
Photo: Getty
Khalid is the latest person to not be able to get Sabrina Carpenter‘s ultra catchy hit “Please Please Please” out of his head, and to rectify that, he posted a buttery smooth cover of the track Wednesday (April 9). In the short clip shared to his TikTok, the R&B-pop star films himself while sitting at […]
Record executive Kevin Liles is asking a federal judge to throw out a lawsuit accusing him of sexual assault in the early 2000s, arguing there’s zero evidence for the “salacious” allegations because they are “entirely false.”
In a letter to the judge filed Tuesday, attorneys for the 300 Entertainment founder say they’re planning to file a motion to dismiss the case, which alleges that Liles harassed and sexually assaulted an unnamed female employee while serving as the president of Def Jam Records in 2002.
“During his storied career, Mr. Liles has never faced a single accusation of sexual impropriety,” his attorneys write. “That is, until plaintiff filed this patently false and untimely lawsuit some twenty-three years after the alleged conduct purportedly occurred.”
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Liles’ lawyers say the Jane Doe’s lawsuit contains only generic accusations and almost no specific details to support her allegations – an omission that they say is “not surprising as the claims are entirely false.”
“Beyond these threadbare assertions, spanning only three paragraphs, plaintiff offers zero factual bases for her salacious allegations,” his attorneys say “This court need not credit Plaintiff’s threadbare recitals and ‘defendant-unlawfully-harmed-me’ accusations.”
Liles served as president of Universal Music Group’s Def Jam Recordings and executive vice president of the Island Def Jam Music Group from 1999 to 2004. After a stint at Warner Music Group, he co-founded 300 Entertainment in 2012 with Lyor Cohen, Roger Gold and Todd Moscowitz. The label, which quickly gained recognition for developing hip-hop superstars like Megan Thee Stallion, Migos and Young Thug, was acquired by Warner in 2021 for $400 million. In September, Liles announced he would step down from his role as chairman and CEO.
The case against Liles was filed in February by a woman who says she was hired as an executive assistant at UMG in 1999. She claims that Liles began sexually harassing her shortly after she was hired, which then “escalated” into groping. In an alleged 2002 incident, Doe says he assaulted her after she rebuffed his advances.
“Kevin Liles proceeded to physically force himself on top of [Jane Doe] where he began to sexually assault and ultimately rape her despite her continued protests,” her attorneys wrote in their complaint.
But in Tuesday’s response, Lile’s attorneys say those allegations are woefully insufficient, arguing they lack the kind of basic facts required to bring legal allegations in court. They say Doe “does little more than simply assert in conclusory form that Mr. Liles assaulted her.”
“Plaintiff offers no detail whatsoever regarding the nature of the purported assault she suffered,” they write. “She fails … to explain when these purported acts occurred, where in UMG’s offices they occurred, identify a single person she reported this information to, or who was present.”
As for the rape allegation, Liles’ attorneys say the case is similarly lacking: “Like the other specific details she fails to provide, plaintiff does not offer a specific time, how she came to be in contact with Mr. Liles who she neither reported to nor worked for, or anything other than the conclusory assertion that she suffered an assault.”
Beyond the alleged deficiencies in the case, attorneys for Liles say the case should also be dismissed for a simpler reason: That it was filed well beyond the statute of limitations. Doe’s attorneys sued under a New York state law that created a one-year window to file such cases, but did so after the deadline to bring them: “Plaintiff failed to assert any claim against Mr. Liles whatsoever during that one-year window, and it has now closed.”
UMG, which was named as a co-defendant in the case, also filed a letter Tuesday saying it would seek to dismiss the case. The music giant’s attorneys have similar protests about time limits, but also argue more broadly that they cannot be sued over alleged actions by one of its executives.
“UMGR cannot be held liable for the alleged actions of Mr. Liles,” the company’s attorneys write, referring to UMG Recordings. “Assuming he had engaged in the conduct alleged, UMGR is a music company and the alleged conduct was indisputably not in furtherance of any business of UMGR.”
The full lineup for the Billboard U.K. Live takeover at The Great Escape (May 14-16) in Brighton, England, has been announced.
In March, it was announced that Mercury Prize winner English Teacher would headline the The Deep End venue as part of the Billboard U.K. Live experience on May 16. The takeover marks the inaugural Billboard U.K. Live event, and will precede the launch of the upcoming U.K. Power Players list and in-person event at SXSW London in June.
Now, additional names have been announced to join the headliners, including a variety of rising indie bands and artists including Daffo, RabbitFoot, Courting, My First Time, Westside Cowboy and RIP Magic.
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Daffo, the moniker of Brooklyn-based artist Gabi Gamberg, recently released single “Quick Fix” and will tour with rock artist Blondshell in the coming months. Liverpool-formed group Courting released its third album, Lust for Life, Or: ‘How to Thread the Needle and Come Out the Other Side to Tell the Story’ in March, while London collective RabbitFoot will play at The Great Escape for the first time.
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They’ll be joined by Parlophone-signed band My First Time and Westside Cowboy, whose debut single “I’ve Never Met Anyone I Thought I Could Really Love (Until I Met You)” was produced by English Teacher’s Lewis Whiting. RIP Magic, recently described by The Guardian as “London’s buzziest buzz band,” will open the stage.
The Deep End venue is part of The Great Escape’s beach site located on Madeira Drive. Fans can gain access to the show via a TGE wristband subject to the venue’s capacity. The full festival schedule will be released on April 15 via TGE’s free mobile app.
The Great Escape festival is held on an annual basis every May in the seaside city of Brighton, and spotlights emerging and rising talent from the U.K. and Ireland as well as international newcomers. Across four days, an array of artists perform live at the city’s vast network of independent venues. There are also industry panels, networking opportunities and more in its extensive program. Tickets are on sale now from the festival’s official website.
This year’s lineup will feature appearances by Pete Doherty, Rizzle Kicks, Jordan Adetunji, Chloe Slater and more. Previous performers at the festival include Adele, Charli XCX, Stormzy, Fontaines D.C., Sam Fender, Billie Eilish and more.
Billboard U.K. Live @ The Great Escape Lineup and Stage Times
English Teacher (22:15-23:00)
Daffo (21:15-21:45)
RabbitFoot (20:15-20:45)
Courting (19:15-19:45)
My First Time (18:15-18:45)
Westside Cowboy (17:15-17:45)
RIP Magic (16:15-16:45)