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Cast recordings are a crucial part of supporting a musical’s life, during its initial run on or off-Broadway, as well as far beyond that. While a show is running, a recording available on streaming platforms can reach a wide ticket-buying audience and thus potentially help increase its performing lifespan; the recording is also often the way that regional theaters first discover shows they might produce — which proves especially important to shows that have shorter lives on Broadway.
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But while shows have ample platforms for releasing their original cast recordings — from boutique labels specializing in theater to major labels getting in on the next big hit — a trio of journeyman theater musicians noticed a gaping hole in the market for a new kind of label: one that would support a show from its earliest writing stages all the way through is fully realized production.
That new label — aimed at amplifying new voices in musical theater as well as individual solo performers — is Joy Machine Records, co-founded and run by Ian Kagey, Sonny Paladino, Brian Usifer and Will Van Dyke.
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The quartet have musical theater bonafides in spades. Kagey is a Grammy-winning engineer and mixer who has engineered numerous Broadway cast recordings in addition to working in TV, film, and with artists including Bruce Springsteen and Paul McCartney; Paladino is a seasoned arranger and producer who most recently was music supervisor, arranger, orchestrator and conductor for Neil Diamond bio-musical A Beautiful Noise; Usifer is an orchestrator, arranger, music director, pianist, producer and composer who recently worked on the acclaimed (but short-lived) Swept Away and Huey Lewis’ The Heart of Rock and Roll musical; and Van Dyke is a Grammy-nominated producer, songwriter, music supervisor, orchestrator and arranger who was music director of Swept Away and is music supervisor/orchestrator/arranger for the long-running off-Broadway hit Little Shop of Horrors.
“Our approach comes from our experience being on many sides of the table in that process, and understanding what it takes to see a show from inception through opening night and beyond,” says Usifer. “We approach every project with not only a high bar musically but an emphasis on kindness and transparency throughout the process.”
Joy Machine, which will be distributed by The Orchard, is launched as a full-service record label which will offer what it calls “three tiers of support for musical development.” As Van Dyke explains, “from the first piano/vocal demos through fully produced tracks,” Joy Machine’s team will “help producers think about budgeting for these recordings from the jump. That kind of awareness will also help teams build a cast recording into their budget to be able to fully preserve their final product.”
The label’s current and upcoming client roster includes The Avett Brothers’ original Broadway cast recording of Swept Away; Huey Lewis’ OBCR of The Heart of Rock and Roll; and solo projects with Joy Woods (currently starring as Louise in Gypsy on Broadway), composer Joe Iconis (Be More Chill), Corey Cott (a star of The Heart of Rock and Roll) and more.
Thus far, the team has recorded at Kagey’s own Renaissance Recording in New York for demos and smaller concept albums, and at the storied Power Station studios for original Broadway cast albums. (“They really know how to make a cast album and make it a seamless and un-chaotic experience,” says Usifer of the latter). Joy Machine is currently working on a concept album for the new musical Joy, meant to give audiences an insight into the show’s music before it ventures to Broadway.
01/10/2025
From international superstars to that Oasis reunion, it’s set to be a busy year for music lovers.
01/10/2025
Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond.
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This week, Teddy Swims is still delivering the soul, Lil Baby has even more WHAM and Wallows drop a new favorite. Check out all of this week’s picks below:
Teddy Swims feat. Giveon, “Are You Even Real”
Following the smash success of “Lose Control,” which topped the Hot 100 chart last year and helped yield a best new artist Grammy nod, Teddy Swims is kicking off 2025 with some more snappy soul-pop: “Are You Even Real,” which previews the upcoming I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy, Part 2, sways delicately between the singer-songwriter’s earnest croon and guest star Giveon’s booming flourishes, with some pinpoint harmonies in the back half.
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Lil Baby, WHAM (Extended Edition)
A week after making his return with the concise, rock-hard WHAM, Lil Baby has added four new tracks to the album by way of a deluxe edition, with the sizzling Future team-up “99” serving as both the highlight of the new collection and an instant follow-up to “Dum, Dumb, and Dumber,” the Baby-Future-Young Thug summit challenging for a strong Hot 100 debut next week.
Wallows, “Your New Favorite Song”
Wallows’ upward trajectory continues with “Your New Favorite Song,” a dreamy slice of pop-rock that could serve as a crossover hit for a Los Angeles trio that’s become a sizable touring act over the past few years. Following 2024’s Model, “Your New Favorite Song” nudges Wallows forward with subtle details in the arrangement, including horns that accentuate instead of trying to dominate the mix.
JADE, “IT Girl”
“Angel of My Dreams,” JADE’s 2024 debut solo single, established the Little Mix star as a bold, forward-looking pop auteur; that reputation remains intact with new single “IT Girl,” which immediately showcases the pop star’s expansive voice before slamming into thick drums and wobbly harmonies — creating a sonic juxtaposition that worked so well with her breakthrough track, and once again succeeds here.
Warren Zeiders, “Can a Heart Take”
With new album Relapse, Lies, & Betrayal due out in March, rising country star Warren Zeiders prepares for a potentially major year with “Can a Heart Take,” a wistful rumination on loss that demonstrates the singer-songwriter’s range in the span of its chorus — he starts off speak-singing the line “How much pain can a heart take?,” then brings the sentiment to life with a wounded roar.
Editor’s Pick: Blondshell, “T&A”
Sabrina Teitelbaum’s next album as Blondshell promises to be a major leap forward from a songwriting and production standpoint, and lead single “T&A” hints at the evolution to come: with glum recollections of a regretful hook-up, an anthemic chorus that asks unanswerable questions and electric guitar work that charges up the song’s energy, “T&A” is a home run of an opening statement, and the sound of Blondshell becoming an indie star.
What sonic characteristics led to The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” claiming the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Top Hot 100 Songs of the 21st Century chart?
In 2021, Hit Songs Deconstructed, which provides in-depth analysis of Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hits, held its Max Martin Deconstructed Masterclass, led by Hit Songs Deconstructed co-founder Dave Penn. Martin co-wrote and co-produced “Blinding Lights” (with The Weeknd, among others), which contributed to his 27 No. 1s as a writer and record 25 leaders as a producer.
“Blinding Lights” led (LED?) the Hot 100 for four weeks in 2020, logged a record 57-week in the top 10 and charted for a dazzling 90 weeks total.
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Class is in session again (spit out your gum): Here’s a reprinted rundown, according to Penn’s insights as presented in 2021, of the songwriting and production elements and more that helped “Blinding Lights” beam brighter than any other song on the Hot 100 over the first 25 years of the century.
David Penn of Hit Songs Deconstructed: “Like most hits, ‘Blinding Lights’ features a meticulous combination of the typical and the atypical, which helps the song sound familiar to people while still standing out from the pack. But when it comes to this song, it’s really the writing and production team’s stellar arrangement techniques, along with Max Martin’s melodic genius, that make it such an interesting and captivating hit.
“For instance, its 28-second intro is almost unheard of currently; the average [intro on a] Hot 100 top 10 in 2020 was just 13 seconds. So, it really comes down to the way that the ‘Blinding Lights’ team arranged the intro to keep the listener engaged, all while establishing many key aspects of the song, including its atypical instrumental hook; most hooks in today’s hits are vocal.
“Another atypical quality is its, what I call, disappearing chorus. While many top 10 hits give the listener more chorus as a song progresses, the ‘Blinding Lights’ creators actually shorten the chorus as the song progresses. Like with everything else, there is purpose behind this. In this case, it makes the listener long to hear that full chorus again and return for another listen.
“Also, the song’s 1980s-influenced production qualities, a la ‘Take On Me’ by a-ha, come across as new and fresh to younger audiences while creating a sense of nostalgia for older audiences, which ultimately broadens the song’s reach across demographics.
“But perhaps the song’s most notable quality is the expert use of motifs and hook foreshadowing techniques that take its catchiness and memorability to the next level, whether the listener realizes it or not. This is a hallmark of Max Martin’s melody writing throughout his career. For example, the synth hook in the intro melodically foreshadows lines two and four of the chorus vocal melody. And the verse that follows rhythmically foreshadows lines one and three of the chorus.
“So, by the time listeners arrive at the first chorus, they’re already familiar with the entire melody, which makes it that much easier for them to sing along and remember it. And this goes on throughout the entire song; almost every line relates to some other line in the song, which gets it ingrained in the listener’s head without ever becoming monotonous.
“Along with promotional factors, these are just of a few of the many qualities that helped ‘Blinding Lights’ achieve its mass success.”
Browse Billboard’s Top Hot 100 Songs of the 21st Century chart, Top Artists of the 21st Century chart and Top Billboard 200 Albums of the 21st Century chart, as well as all coverage of Billboard’s 21st Century charts here.
Billboard’s Top Artists, Top Billboard 200 Albums and Top Hot 100 Songs of the 21st Century recaps reflect performance on weekly charts dated Jan. 1, 2000, through Dec. 28, 2024. The Top Artists category ranks the best-performing acts in that span based on activity on the Billboard 200 and Hot 100. (Titles released prior to mid-1999 are excluded, although such entries that appeared on the Billboard 200 or Hot 100 in that span contribute to the calculation of the Top Artists chart.)
Billy Joel announced a one-off summer 2025 gig with fellow Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Rod Stewart at New York’s Yankee Stadium. The one-night-only event will take place on July 18 at the iconic ballpark as part of the Piano Man’s ongoing string of stadium shows with A-list guests. Citi cardmembers will have access […]
Just three months after his discharge from mandatory South Korean military duty, BTS‘ J-Hope is gearing up to hit the road and drop new solo music. In a pair of posts on Thursday night (Jan. 9) the K-pop superstar announced the dates for his Hope On the Stage 2025 world tour, while teasing “new music […]
After dropping to No. 2 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 for a week amid holiday-related gains (punctuated by the reign of Wham!’s “Last Christmas”), M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes” returns to No. 1 on the chart dated Jan. 11.
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The TikTok Billboard Top 50 is a weekly ranking of the most popular songs on TikTok in the United States based on creations, video views and user engagement. The latest chart reflects activity Dec. 30-Jan. 5. Activity on TikTok is not included in Billboard charts except for the TikTok Billboard Top 50.
“Paper Planes” nabs its second week at No. 1 after initially rising to the top of the Dec. 28, 2024-dated list. Its ascension is tied to a dance trend featuring the tune, which reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2008. It earned 4.2 million official U.S. streams toward the Billboard charts in the week ending Jan. 2, according to Luminate, good for No. 9 on the Hot Alternative Songs chart.
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The song reigns over a previous TikTok Billboard Top 50 No. 1 in Djo’s “End of Beginning,” which roars back onto the tally at No. 2. Djo’s 2022 track exploded on TikTok in early 2024, eventually rising to No. 1 for two weeks in March of that year, though the tune hadn’t appeared on the ranking since July — until now.
Why is “End of Beginning” back? At the end of the song’s first verse, Djo’s Joe Keery asks, “Remember 24?” Though the lyrics in question reference being 24 years old, TikTok users flipped the script to refer to the year 2024, with some instructing viewers to start playing the song at a certain time on Dec. 31, 2024, so that they’d hear “Remember 24?” right as 2025 began.
“End of Beginning,” which peaked at No. 11 on the Hot 100 in March 2024, scored a 25% bump in chart-eligible streams in the week ending Jan. 2, earning 4.9 million listens.
Naughty Boy’s “La La La,” featuring Sam Smith, reaches a new peak of No. 3 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 after leaping into the top 10 for the first time on the Jan. 4 ranking. The song remains driven by a trend featuring two or more people, with one creator lip-synching in the foreground and others dancing or acting out a scene in the background.
“La La La” concurrently debuts at No. 101 on the Billboard Global 200, and it sports a 12% jump in U.S. official streams to 3.7 million in the week ending Jan. 2. The tune peaked at No. 19 on the Hot 100 in 2014.
Three other songs round out the TikTok Billboard Top 50’s top 10, including one chart debut. Sam Austins’ “Seasons” leads the pack, leaping 16-7 after benefitting from an influx of year-end videos in which users recap their styles and looks throughout 2024, among other viral usages.
Tyler, the Creator’s “Sticky” — which features GloRilla, Sexyy Red and Lil Wayne — also makes it into the top 10 for the first time at No. 9, becoming the second song from the rapper’s St. Chroma to reach that region, after “Like Him” peaked at No. 3 in December (it ranks at No. 6 on the latest tally). Its rise comes in its ninth week on the survey, driven by a variety of uses that highlight the song’s different verses from its four rappers, with a more recent one including a dance involving twirling one’s hair to the “grab that mop” lyric.
And at No. 10, “I Always Wanted a Brother” from the new film Mufasa: The Lion King bows as the week’s top debut. The song went viral on TikTok at the tail end of 2024 (the movie was released on Dec. 20, 2024) as users highlighted the way that Scar (voiced by Theo Somolu as a cub) sings the word “brother” (as well as the animation of said singing). It’s since been utilized in lip-synching content as well.
See the full TikTok Billboard Top 50 here. You can also tune in each Friday to SiriusXM’s TikTok Radio (channel 4) to hear the premiere of the chart’s top 10 countdown at 3 p.m. ET, with reruns heard throughout the week.
Stray Kids’ HOP spends a third week in a row at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart (dated Jan. 11), as the set sold 27,000 copies in the U.S. in the week ending Jan. 2 (down 46%), according to Luminate. The effort debuted atop the chart dated Dec. 28 and has yet to […]
The state funeral for former President Jimmy Carter featured a number of reverent tributes to the nation’s 39th commander-in-chief. But one of the most touching moments during Thursday morning’s (Jan. 9) event came when country couple Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood performed a moving cover of John Lennon’s 1971 homage to peace, “Imagine.”
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Brooks played the song’s iconic melody on an acoustic guitar, singing, “Imagine there’s no heaven/ It’s easy if you try/ No hell below us/ Above us, only sky,” his voice echoing through the majestic 188-year-old Washington National Cathedral, which has hosted the funeral and memorial services for almost all of the 21 Presidents who’ve died since Congress approved its charter in 1893.
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The deliberate pace of the performance — and the addition of a piano accompaniment — appeared to move many of the dignitaries on hand, which included all the former living Presidents. Soon-to-be-ex-President Joe Biden bowed his head at one point as his successor, former President Donald Trump seemed to close his eyes briefly during the performance.
“You may say I’m a dreamer/ But I’m not the only one,” Brooks sang as wife Yearwood joined in, matching his vocals on the lines, “I hope someday you’ll join us/ And the world will live as one.” That final line was delivered as the couple looked into each other’s eyes and held the moment for a beat, with Brooks leaning in to give Yearwood a kiss on the cheek.
The choice of the song — which was one of three-time Grammy winner Carter’s favorites — was an interesting one, given the late 39th President’s deep faith. Carter taught Sunday school in his native Plains, GA nearly every weekend after leaving the White House in 1981 and often spoke of the importance of religion in his life. In contrast, Lennon’s song features the lines “Imagine there’s no countries/ It isn’t hard to do/ Nothing to kill or die for/ And no religion, too.”
The song’s messages of peace, unity and “no need for greed or hunger,” and the dream of a “brotherhood of man,” however, more closely mirror Carter’s humanitarian post-White House efforts, which included building houses with Habitat for Humanity, and a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his efforts to promote human rights around the world.
The performance was one of the first public appearances by Brooks and Yearwood — who often joined Carter on his Habitat For Humanity efforts — since an anonymous woman filed sexual assault charges against Brooks in October, accusing him of sexual battery, assault and battery; Brooks has adamantly denied the claims.
Carter, who died on Dec. 29 at age 100, was the longest-lived President in U.S. history and the first to live to the century mark. In addition to Biden and Trump — as well as their wives, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden and Melania Trump — the funeral was attended by former Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and George W. and Laura Bush, as well as Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff; CNN reported that former First Lady Michelle Obama was unable to attend due to a scheduling conflict.
In addition to the Brooks/Yearwood performance and a number of other moving tributes from Carter’s family, the funeral included a eulogy by Biden, who is less than two weeks away from the end of his term, after which he will be replaced by twice-impeached former President Trump.
The President repeatedly hailed Carter’s deep faith and strong moral outlook, noting that he was likely the first Senator to endorse Carter’s long-shot 1976 candidacy, “based on what I believe is Jimmy Carter’s enduring attribute: character, character, character.” Biden added, “Jimmy Carter’s friendship taught me, and through his life, taught me, that strength of character is more than title or the power we hold. It’s the strength to understand that everyone should be treated with dignity, respect, that everyone, and I mean everyone, deserves an even shot.”
After the funeral, Carter’s body will be flown back to Georgia for a private family funeral before he is buried on the grounds of his home in Plains next to his late wife of 77 years, Rosalynn Carter.
Watch footage of the “Imagine” performance below.
The U.K. inquest into the cause of death for Liam Payne has concluded that the former One Direction singer and solo star died of “polytrauma” after his fall from a third-story hotel balcony in Argentina on Oct. 16. According to BBC News, the Buckinghamshire Coroner’s Court was told at the hearing held on Dec. 17 that it could take “some time” to establish the cause of death for the 31-year-old star.
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Polytrauma refers to multiple traumatic injuries to a person’s body and organs. The U.K. inquest’s findings mirror those of Argentinian officials, who said in November that Payne’s death was caused by “multiple trauma” and “internal and external hemorrhage,” as a result of the fall.
The U.K. inquest also heard that after being flown back to England for his funeral, Payne’s body was identified with the “assistance of the funeral director in Buckinghamshire.” During the hearing, the BBC reported that Senior Coroner Crispin Butler, said, “Whilst there are ongoing investigations in Argentina into the circumstances of Liam’s death, over which I have no legal jurisdiction, it is anticipated that procuring the relevant information to address particularly how Liam came by his death may take some time through the formal channel of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.”
To date, five people have been charged in Payne’s death, including the arrest last week of Braian Piaz, one of two men accused of supplying drugs to the singer. The others charged to date include CasaSur Palermo Hotel manager Gilda Martin, receptionist Esteban Grassi and Payne’s friend Roger Nores, all of whom are facing manslaughter charges; hotel employee Ezequiel Pereyra has also been charged with supplying drugs to the singer.
The final autopsy report from Argentinian’s authorities attributed Payne’s death to multiple traumas and hemorrhages he suffered from the fall, with a toxicology report noting the presence of alcohol, cocaine and prescription antidepressants in his system at the time of death. Before the fall, the head receptionist at the hotel made two emergency calls requesting medical services — the first of which reported that a guest was “trashing the entire room,” with the second expressing a concern that the guest “may be in danger.”
Payne was laid to rest in November in his native U.K. at a funeral attended by his former 1D bandmates, his girlfriend Katie Cassidy and ex-partner Cheryl Cole, with whom he shared a son, Bear.