taylor swift
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It’s a Taylor Swift takeover! Swifties have been on cloud nine since The Eras Tour officially kicked off last week and will resume in Las Vegas on Friday (March 24).
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Several photos from the tour went viral, including a cup of “Lavender Haze” lemonade sold during Swift’s Eras Tour kickoff at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. The “Bad Blood” Sangria made its rounds on social media as well, but the Swift-inspired specialty lemonade seems to be a fan favorite — and it also happens to be a great beverage for spring.
How do you make lavender lemonade? It’s easier than you might think. To start, you’ll need around 3/4 ounce to one ounce of lavender syrup, a cup or more of lemonade (fresh or store-bought) and roughly half a cup to a cup of sugar. You can also substitute sugar with honey.
A Swiftie apparently shared the “official” Purple Haze Lemonade recipe from The Eras Tour on TikTok earlier in the week. The ingredients include, Empress gin, lemon juice, Falernum liqueur, rhubarb bitters and Elderflower tonic water.
We searched TikTok and Reddit to find other lavender lemonade recipes such as the “Lavender Haze” lemonade cocktail that was posted last October after Swift dropped her Midnights album.
The cocktail is made with dried lavender, fresh lemon juice, lemonade, lavender syrup, club soda and Empress 1908 Gin.
Liudmyla Yaremenko/GI
To make a non-alcoholic lavender lemonade, simply mix lavender simple syrup with lemonade, water and sugar (you can also add a non-alcoholic gin or vodka to make into a mocktail).
While there are plenty of lavender syrups in stores and online, such as Torani Lavender Syrup and Monin Lavender Syrup, you can also make your own at home. To do so, boil 1-2 cups of dried lavender flowers in a pot of with sugar and water (1:1 ratio). Once the lavender steeps, use a strainer to pour it in a cup, so the lavender buds don’t get into the liquid. Next, mix the lavender simple syrup with 1-2 cups of lemonade or more, depending on how much you’re making, add 1-2 cups of cold water, stir and refrigerate or serve over ice (you can also add a lavender flower as garnish).
Want more Swift-inspired recommendations? Read our roundup of outfits inspired by The Eras tour.
Ready for the big show? The 2023 iHeartRadio Music Awards, hosted by Lenny Kravitz, will air live from the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles on Monday (March 27) at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Fox.
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The awards show will feature appearances from Taylor Swift, Kelly Clarkson, Keith Urban, Latto, Coldplay, Pat Benatar, Neil Giraldo and more.
Harry Styles, Lizzo and Swift lead this year’s nominations race with eight nods each. Other nominees include SZA, Drake, Bad Bunny, Bebe Rexha, Doja Cat, Jack Harlow, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rihanna, Luke Bryan, The Weeknd, Anitta, Dua Lipa, Tiësto, Elle King, Elton John, Lil Nas X, Karol G, Kelsea Ballerini, Kenny Chesney, Kim Petras, Kodak Black, Bailey Zimmerman, Shania Twain, Swedish Mafia House, Post Malone and Morgan Wallen.
Performers include Clarkson, Kravitz, Keith Urban, Latto, Benatar and Giraldo, Muni Long, Cody Johnson, Coldplay and P!nk, who will receive the 2023 iHeartRadio Icon Award.
Swift will be on hand to receive the 2023 iHeart Innovate Award. The special honor is given out “only on occasion” and celebrates an artist that has “proven themselves to have impacted global pop culture throughout their career.”
“This is the one awards show that shares the hard-earned journeys to the top of the biggest artists and songs of the year with fans,” John Sykes, iHeartMedia’s president of entertainment enterprises, said in a statement. “It’s not a competition, rather a celebration of ‘best in class’ and viewers across America can watch it live on Fox.”
Keep reading for ways to watch and stream the 2023 iHeartRadio Music Awards.
How to Watch & Stream the 2023 iHeartRadio Music Awards
The 2023 iHeartRadio Music Awards will premiere live at 8 p.m. ET on Fox while a taped-delayed edition will air for the West Coast at 8 p.m. PT.
Viewers who have access to Fox through cable, satellite, streaming or a good-old fashioned TV antenna, shouldn’t have much trouble watching the show on TV or streaming it online at Fox.com.
Those who don’t have live television can stream the 2023 iHeart Music Awards on platforms such as Sling, DirectTV Stream, Hulu+ Live TV, Fubo, and Vidgo (use ExpressVPN to stream internationally).
Sling is cheapest among the bunch at $20 (regular $40) for the first month while Direct TV Stream, Fubo and Vidgo offer free trials and affordable streaming plans starting at around $65-$75.
Hulu+ Live TV ($74.99) lets you stream over 75 live channels including Fox, NBC, ABC, MTV, CMT, BET, OWN, TLC, Food Network, ID, Vice, TNT and TruTV in addition to everything on Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+.
Want to watch the show on the go? All of the aforementioned streamers are accessible from your smartphone, computer and other streaming devices.
The 2023 iHeartRadio Awards will also broadcast across iHeart Media radio stations and on the iHeart Radio app.
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.
Welcome to Swift City! Taylor Knight kicked off her highly anticipated Eras Tour on Friday night (March 17) at the State Farm Arena in Glendale, Ariz.
Swift played to a sold-out crowd, pulling out all the stops while running through a whopping 44 songs with 16 costume changes, and she returned for night 2 with a fleet of new costumes.
03/20/2023
Representing different eras in her career, Swift’s wardrobe consisted of custom pieces from Roberto Cavalli, Oscar De La Renta, Christian Louboutin, Alberta Ferretti, Versace and Zuhair Murad.
For the fashionable Swifties who want to re-create Swift’s stage looks for less, we’ve got your covered.
Below, find a roundup of outfits inspired by The Eras Tour.
Mauve Maxi Dress
Taylor Swift performs onstage for the opening night of “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour” at State Farm Stadium on March 17, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona.
John Shearer/GI for TAS Rights Management
The tour is just getting started, and Swift has already worn a number of colorful maxi dresses onstage. The 33-year-old singer looked positively etherial in a mauve Alberta Ferretti dress during her Folklore set. The custom, chiffon, crystal-embellished gown features flutter sleeves with a plunging neckline and lace insert.
Shop the Look:
Channel Swift’s boho style in this textured tiered midi dress from ASOS. The dress has a plunging neckline with lace insert, a tiered skirt and an open back. The dress is available in sizes O-14.
ASOS
ASOS Textured Tiered Midi Dress
$85
In case the dress pictured above is out of stock, another option is this boho square neck long sleeve maxi ($44.99 at Amazon).
Free People has a selection of boho maxi dress as well like the Beach Bliss Maxi ($118) and Jewel Maxi ($128). And if you want to show a little more skin, try this purple floral wrap dress $78 from Lulu’s.
Oversized Sparkly Blazer
Taylor Swift performs onstage for the opening night of “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour” at State Farm Stadium on March 17, 2023 in Swift City, ERAzona (Glendale, Arizona).
Kevin Mazur/GI for TAS Rights Management
Swift performed “The Man” in an oversized sparkly Versace blazer and sequin body suit with custom Louboutin boots.
Donatella Versace posted photos of Swift’s “breathtaking” outfit on Instagram over the weekend. “You are breathtaking in Versace,” she wrote. “I’m so proud of you. Best of luck on The Eras Tour.”
Shop the Look:
Oversized blazers are trendy right now and therefore not very hard to find, however a silver, sequin or bedazzled blazer might be harder to get your hands on.
ASOS
4th & Reckless Silver Faux Leather Oversized Blazer
$58.50 $78 25% off% OFF
We found a couple of cool (and affordable) alternatives to Swift’s blazer, such as this oversized faux leather blazer from ASOS ($58). For more sparkle, check out this Extro & Vert oversized sequin blazer ($108).
Swift’s boots were also custom made, so while you won’t find them in stores, you can find a variety of similar styles such as the rhinestone boots pictured below.
Zappos
Blue by Betsey Johnson Rhinestone Boots
$171.81 $249 31% off% OFF
These Blue by Betsey Johnson boots feature a 3.5-inch heel and full zipper closure. If you prefer cowboy boots to pointed toe boots, try the Steve Madden Tyrus Boots ($81.57). Click here for more silver boot options.
Lavender Haze
Taylor Swift performs onstage for the opening night of “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour” at State Farm Stadium on March 17, 2023 in Swift City, ERAzona (Glendale, Arizona). The city of Glendale, Arizona was ceremonially renamed to Swift City for March 17-18 in honor of The Eras Tour.
John Shearer/G for TAS Rights Management
Speaking of coats, Swift also rocked a custom lavender number by Oscar De La Renta and purple Louboutin boots.
Shop the Look:
Shaggy coats are also trendy right now, which means they’re easy to find online, although lavender might be a little tricky. We found a few cool coats like the purple shaggy coat pictured below.
Amazon
Womens Fall Open Front Cardigan Faux Fur Coat Vintage Parka Shaggy Jacket Warm Coat Tops Purple
$45.99
This faux fur shaggy coat is available in sizes S-XXL and you can buy it in over a dozen different colors including purple, red, blue, khaki, black and wine. Another option is this oversized teddy fur from ASOS ($107). Find more purple coats here.
Pretty in Pink
Taylor Swift performs onstage for the opening night of “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour” at State Farm Stadium on March 17, 2023 in Swift City, ERAzona (Glendale, Arizona).
John Shearer/GI for TAS Rights Management
Roberto Cavalli created a capsule collection for The Eras Tour, which includes a gold fringe dress and asymmetrical sequin bodysuit.
For her opening night performance of “1989,” Swift dazzled in a Cavalli two-piece “diamond-shaped skirt and a matching top drenched in Swarovski crystals in tones of fuchsia.”
“The design, the finishing, the hand application of each crystal and fringe has been hand crafted to match the extraordinary talent that is Taylor Swift,” the fashion brand shared on Instagram on Monday (March 20).
Shop the Look:
Take a page from Swift’s fashion book in this one shoulder sequin crop top and matching skirt from Nasty Gal.
Nasty Gal
One Shoulder Sequin Crop Top
$37.60 $94 60% off% OFF
The top and skirt are sold separately, so you can mix and match or swap out the wrap skirt for this pink sequin mini ($42) or the top for this tassel sequin crop top ($60). You can also mix and match with this fringe tassel skirt, which is on sale for $15.77 at Amazon and a metal mesh top ($24.99) or this Hurley sequined mini skirt ($90) with a satin top from Revolve ($96).
Swift wore a similar outfit in green for night 2 of the tour. Find alternatives to her custom look here.
What to Wear to a Taylor Swift Concert
Looking for something to wear to The Eras Tour? Any of the outfits on our list will work fine, but if you’re craving variety, outside of the merch available on Swift’s official website, we rounded up some must-haves that fans were spotted wearing during the first two nights of the tour.
Swift City T-Shirt — The city of Glendale temporarily changed its name for the tour, but “Swift City” is technically wherever The Eras Tour lands next! Swifties can find Swift City T-shirts on Etsy for around $20-$30.
Heart-Shaped Sunglasses — Don’t forget your shades! If you’re not sure which style to rock, heart-shaped shades are an easy choice. You can find a bunch of different styles and colors at Amazon.
Comfortable Shoes — Comfortable shoes are important for any concert, especially if you plan to see your favorite artists in a large venue like Swift’s stadium tour. The best shoe options largely depend on your style preferences, but a few shoes that tend to work well for concerts include platform boots and heels in addition to comfortable sneakers such as Converse, Vans, Adidas and cowboy boots. Fans have also been wearing knee-high boots and ankle boots to the tour.
Skirts, Skirts and More Skirts — If you search social media for what to wear to a Taylor Swift concert, you’ll find that Swifties love skirts! Short skirts, long skirts, flared skirts, mini skirts, maxi skirts, denim skirts, satin skirts, pleated skirts, bodycon skirts — you name it. And of course, shorts and jeans are safe choice.
Costumes — Dressing up for concerts can also mean wearing a costume. One devoted Swfitie wore a cape showcasing Swift’s Billboard Hot 100 chart achievements. If you’re thinking of wearing a costume, you should choose something clever but also comfortable.
Venue-Approved bags — Concert venues usually list the kinds of bags that are allowed inside. If you’re not sure what to bring, choose something safe like a clear purse, mini backpack or crossbody bags such as the Adidas Amplifier Crossbody Bag ($32), Lululemon’s Everywhere Belt Bag ($38), Athleta’s Excursion Waist Bag ($88) or the North Face Berkeley Field Bag ($45).
Taylor Swift kicked off her much-awaited The Eras tour at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. on Friday night (March 17) and she did not disappoint. The pop superstar performed for a whopping 3 hours and 15 minutes, playing songs from all 10 of her studio albums for an incredible career retrospective.
“Tonight, we’re going to be going on an adventure, one era at a time!” Swift announced a few songs into the show, before showcasing a staggering 44-song setlist of major hits and deep cuts.
Of course, looking back on Swift’s nearly two decade-long career would not be possible without capturing her evolving looks throughout the years. The 32-year-old star channeled Fearless with a sequined, fringe-lined dress and Speak Now with long flowing gowns. She later opted for colorful crop tops for 1989 and a sexy black cut-out catsuit for Reputation. She brought her cottagecore fantasies to life for Evermore and Folklore, before celebrating her most recent release, Midnights, with blue sparkling dresses.
We’ve compiled all of Swift’s looks from night one of The Eras tour, which you can check out below.
LOVER
Image Credit: Kevin Winter/GI for TAS Rights Management
Swift’s pink-toned Lover era was complete with a Versace bodysuit and knee-high Christian Louboutin boots.
LOVER
Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/GI for TAS Rights Management
She kept the Louboutin boots going, this time in a sleek silver color, paired with a Versace blazer.
FEARLESS
Image Credit: Kevin Winter/GI for TAS Rights Management
To celebrate Fearless, Swift brought back her sparkling gold fringe mini-dress courtesy of Roberto Cavalli, paired with the knee-high Christian Louboutin boots.
EVERMORE
Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/GI for TAS Rights Management
For Evermore, Swift opted for a mustard orange Etro dress with delicate embroidery, along with a matching cape and Christian Louboutin boots.
REPUTATION
Image Credit: Kevin Winter/GI for TAS Rights Management
Swift made a statement with her Reputation album, and channeled that with a Roberto Cavalli catsuit featuring a leg and arm cut-out, complete with Roberto Cavalli boots.
RED
Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/GI for TAS Rights Management
If you’ve seen the “22” music video, you’ll recognize this iconic outfit, made by Ashish.
SPEAK NOW
Image Credit: John Shearer/GI for TAS Rights Management
We were enchanted to see Swift in this Nicole + Felicia princess gown.
FOLKLORE
Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/GI for TAS Rights Management
To capture the woodsy feel of Folklore, Swift opted for a flowing purple Alberta Ferretti dress.
1989
Image Credit: John Shearer/GI for TAS Rights Management
For the 1989 era, Swift’s Roberto Cavalli two-piece set and Christian Louboutin boots were the perfect look to shake, shake, shake, shake it off in.
ACOUSTIC
Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management
For the acoustic portion of the night, Swift stunned in a magenta Jessica Jones dress.
MIDNIGHTS
Image Credit: John Shearer/G for TAS Rights Management
Swift had fans meeting her at midnight with an Oscar de la Renta faux fur coat and crystal t-shirt.
MIDNIGHTS
Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/GI for TAS Rights Management
When she took off her faux fur coast, Swift’s Oscar de la Renta t-shirt shined along with her Christian Louboutin boots.
MIDNIGHTS
Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/GI for TAS Rights Management
Oscar de la Renta completed his Midnights looks with a stunning navy blue bodysuit, which Swift paired with Christian Louboutin boots.
Taylor Swift fans are celebrating the opening night of the pop superstar’s highly-anticipated Eras tour.
During the career-spanning concert at Glendale, Ariz.’s State Farm Stadium on Friday (March 17), Swift performed a whopping 44 songs from her 10 studio albums. The stadium trek marks Swift’s first proper tour in five years, thanks primarily to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Now THAT is how you put on a show, taylor swift you are insane,” one fan tweeted alongside a photo collage of Swift’s numerous outfit changes during the show.
The 3-hour-and-15-minute show found Swift traveling through each of her eras one by one, showcasing the four original studio albums — Lover, Folklore, Evermore and Midnights — she’s recorded since her 2018 Reputation tour. The singer also performed her beloved hits, including “You Belong With Me” and “Shake It Off.” Read Billboard‘s “13 Best Moments” from the tour’s opening night here.
Swifties took to social media before, during and after the Eras tour launch on Friday, sharing dazzling photos and majestic videos of the concert’s impressive production. “The aesthetics of #TSTheErasTour are INSANE,” a fan wrote on Twitter alongside snapshots of the spectacular set-pieces. Another Swiftie added, “That was the show that just kept giving oh my GOD.”
Some attendees even wondered if the experience was real or a figment of their imagination. “Good morning i think last night i was at a taylor swift concert, was i? #TSTheErasTour,” they tweeted.
The Eras tour continues on Saturday (March 18) with a second show in Glendale, Ariz., which has temporarily been renamed Swift City in honor of the artist’s arrival. Support on the trek features a rotating cast of opening acts, including Paramore, beabadoobee, Phoebe Bridgers, girl in red, Muna, Haim, Gayle, Gracie Abrams and Owenn.
See some of the best fan reactions to the opening night of Swift’s Eras tour below.
TAYLOR SINGING FEARLESS WITH HER FULL BAND. THE SAME BAND WHO PERFORMED IT WITH HER SINCE 2008. AND THE FIRST TIME IT’S BEEN ON A TOUR SETLIST IN 12 YEARS. I AM UNWELL pic.twitter.com/o7AQqtPYag— 𝒻𝑜𝓁𝓀𝓁𝑜𝓇𝑒 | fan account (@cardigan_swift) March 18, 2023
That was the show that just kept giving oh my GOD— sonya 3/18 SEC P ROW 1 SEAT 12 (@TisTheDamnPhD) March 18, 2023
Anyone else’s teenage daughter wake up this morning reciting a full recap of Taylor Swift’s opening tour show in Arizona, complete with wardrobe and set design details? Anyone….— Kevin Maher (@KMaherNews12) March 18, 2023
good morning i think last night i was at a taylor swift concert, was i? #TSTheErasTour— laura.🪩 🌌tampa n1 seattle n2 (@redintodaylight) March 18, 2023
TAYLOR SWIFT IS INSANE BRO SHE LITERALLY SANG 44 SONGS ON ERAS TOUR— b (@balk1ss) March 18, 2023
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As if Taylor Swift beginning her long-awaited The Eras Tour wasn’t exciting enough, the superstar added to the hype on Friday (March 17) by releasing four new tracks.
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“In celebration of The Eras Tour I’m releasing 4 previously unreleased songs tonight at midnight,” she revealed on her Instagram Stories a day prior. The four tracks include re-recordings of Swift’s dual contributions to the 2012 soundtrack to The Hunger Games — “Eyes Open” and “Safe & Sound” featuring Joy Williams and John Paul White — as well as “If This Was a Movie (Taylor’s Version)” and never-before-heard song “All of the Girls You Loved Before.”
The Eras Tour is set to begin on Friday (March 17) with back-to-back shows in Glendale, Ariz., which has temporarily been renamed Swift City in honor of Swift’s imminent arrival. Support on the tour will come via a rotating cast of opening acts including Paramore, beabadoobee, Phoebe Bridgers, girl in red, Muna, Haim, Gayle, Gracie Abrams and Owenn.
Since the Reputation tour wrapped in 2018, Swift has released four original studio albums — Lover, 2020’s Folklore and Evermore, and Midnights — as well as two re-recorded albums, Fearless (Taylor’s Version) and Red (Taylor’s Version), both in 2021.
Listen to the four new songs below.
Taylor Swift‘s much-buzzed-about The Eras Tour is set to begin on Friday (March 17) with back-to-back shows in Glendale, Ariz., and the superstar gave fans a little peek into her rehearsals.
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The “Anti-Hero” singer took to social media to share a series of photos of herself rehearsing her set onstage, dressed in olive-colored cargos, a black crop top and, of course, a red lip. “In my Eras era,” she captioned the post, which also included a photo of her multi-colored nails, which seems like each fingernail represents one of her 10 studio albums.
Swift also shared a sweet picture to her Instagram Stories of a hand-made “All Access” credential she made for her father. “D.O.H. Pass (Dad of Headliner),” the pass reads, as Swift jokingly wrote underneath, “We are a small family business.”
Her dad, wearing his new pass, then teamed up with Swift’s mom to put crystals on their famous daughter’s Fearless-inspired guitar “with super glue and a free afternoon.” Check out the multi-Grammy winner’s recap of her last rehearsal day on her Instagram Stories before they disappear here.
Earlier in the day, the “Blank Space” superstar surprised Swifties by announcing that she would be dropping four new songs ahead of her tour kickoff. “In celebration of The Eras Tour I’m releasing 4 previously unreleased songs tonight at midnight,” she revealed on her Instagram Stories. The four tracks include re-recordings of Swift’s dual contributions to the 2012 soundtrack to The Hunger Games — “Eyes Open” and “Safe & Sound” featuring Joy Williams and John Paul White — as well as “If This Was a Movie (Taylor’s Version)” and never-before-heard song “All of the Girls You Loved Before.”
Austin Butler has made his case to appear on Taylor Swift‘s next rerecording.
Butler took part in W Magazine‘s Lyrical Improv segment, in which actors do a dramatic reading of a popular song. The Elvis star was given Swift’s 2012 hit, “Red,” and he turned the song into a devastating tale of heartbreak, adding to the already emotional lyrics with his low-toned voice and perfectly timed pauses.
“Losing him was blue, like I’d never known / Missing him was dark gray, all alone / Forgetting him was like trying to know somebody you never met / But loving him was red,” he read in the chorus.
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“Was that alright?” he asked with a laugh when he completed the task.
Swift unveiled the Taylor’s Version of her Red album in 2021, and immediately debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart with 605,000 equivalent album units, and the 10-minute version of “All Too Well” shot to the top of the Hot 100 chart. “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (The Short Film)” was up for song of the year and won best music video at the 2023 Grammys.
Watch Butler’s rendition of “Red” below.
Taylor Swift‘s The Eras Tour is kicking off in less than two weeks, and the pop star’s close friend, model Gigi Hadid, is already preparing to have a major lack of composure when Swift performs live and in person.
“I’m a psychopath at a Taylor show,” Hadid said on the Tuesday (March 7) episode of E! News, while promoting the new season of her Next in Fashion reality competition. “I go nuts. I’m not cool at all. I’m like the most embarrassing friend.”
As a close friend of the “Lavender Haze” singer, Hadid was likely not one of the many fans trying to score tickets to the pop star’s The Eras Tour, the demand of which crashed Ticketmaster servers and resulted in an investigation of the ticket company by the United States Senate to see if it has abused its power over the live music industry. But Swift will surely hook Hadid up. “I’ll make it to a few,” the model said of the upcoming concerts. “I try to make it to as many as I can.”
And as for attire, Hadid likes to stay comfy to have room to dance the night away. “I like to boogie, so I’m usually in jeans and T-shirt. I’ll rep some Taylor merch if I get some,” she added.
Swift’s Eras Tour is scheduled to kick off March 18, starting with a pair of dates at Glendale, Ariz.’s State Farm Stadium. HAIM, Paramore, Beabadoobee, GAYLE, Muna, Gracie Abrams, Phoebe Bridgers, Girl in Red and Owenn are among the acts Swift has asked to join her on the trek, which marks the pop star’s biggest tour to date.
For the third consecutive quarter, Sony Music Publishing and Universal Music Publishing Group took their usual No. 1 spots on Billboard’s Publishers Quarterly ranking for the last quarter of 2022.
Sony topped the Top Radio Airplay ranking, while UMPG had the biggest share of Hot 100 songs.
Harry Styles and Kid Harpoon (birth name: Thomas Edward Percy Hull) were the top Radio Airplay songwriters, thanks to their collaboration on “As It Was” and two other hits from Styles’ 2022 album, Harry’s House — which Kid Harpoon also produced — that ranked in the quarter. Both songwriters are published by UMG.
Despite that duo’s strong showing, the No. 1 Radio Airplay song for the quarter was Steve Lacy’s “Bad Habit.” Five writers are credited, including Lacy as Steve Thomas Lacy Moya, Brittany Foushee, Diana “Wynter” Gordon, Matthew Castellanos, and John Carroll Kirby. The top 10 publishers that have a share in that song are: Sony, UMPG, Warner Chappell and Kobalt.
On the Hot 100 ranking, Taylor Swift, also published by UMG, was the top songwriter and scored the No. 1 song for the quarter, “Anti-Hero.” Thirteen songs from her album midnights, placed in the ranking; Swift co-wrote 12 of them and is the sole author of “Vigilante Shit.” Both Sony and UMPG have stakes in “Anti-Hero.”
Sony’s No. 1 showing on the Top Radio Airplay publishers ranking actually represents its seventh consecutive quarter and 40th time overall at the top of that chart. Its market share slipped to 28.89% from 31.60% in the third quarter of 2022, but its song count was up one, with the publisher placing 64 tunes on the ranking.
On the Hot 100 publishers ranking, Sony’s market share fell more than 7 percentage points, from 29.79% in the third quarter to 22.71% in the fourth, and its song count followed suit, dropping from 64 to 58. That said, the publisher is on a bit of a hot streak when it comes to the Country Radio Airplay publisher ranking: it took the No. 1 spot for the second consecutive quarter, improving its 27.60% third-quarter market share to 28.93%.
UMPG has emerged as a powerhouse in the Hot 100 publisher rankings. For the three consecutive quarters that it finished No.1, its market share has remained above 30% — a feat last achieved by Sony on the Top Radio Airplay chart in 2014.
UMPG’s quarter-to-quarter market share grew from 30.75% to 31.63%, and its song count rose from 60 to 63. The publisher also grew its market share in the Radio Airplay ranking from 23.98% in the third quarter to 25.66% — almost 10 percentage points over No. 3 publisher, Warner Chappell Music, despite a song count that fell from 56 to 52 in the fourth quarter.
On the Radio Airplay ranking, Warner Chappell, Kobalt, and BMG once again held the No. 3 through No. 5 spots, respectively, although Warner Chappell’s quarter-to-quarter market share grew 13.60% to 15.73%. Its song count fell, however, from 48 to 46 tunes.
Kobalt held on to its No. 4 berth despite a significant drop in song placements from the third quarter, from 43 to 34, and a market-share decline from 13.21% to 10.38%. Fifth-ranked BMG eked out a .05 percentage point gain from 3.12% to 3.17%, as a result of boosting its song count from nine to 11.
The success of David Guetta & Bebe Rexha’s “I’m Good (Blue),” the No. 6 song on the quarter’s top radio chart, resulted in a newcomer making the top 10: the Italian collection society S.I.A.E. Direzione Generale, which is credited as one of the song’s publishers by the Harry Fox Agency. As a result, S.I.A.E. ranked No. 7 on Radio Airplay, with a 1.38% market share, and No. 9 on the Hot 100 publisher ranking with a 1.24% share.
The remainder of the Top Radio Airplay top 10 consists of Concord at No. 6 with 2.19% share, up from the prior quarter’s 1.48% share when it ranked No. 8; at No. 8 for the fourth quarter was Higpnosis, with a 1.29% share, down from the prior quarter’s 1.77% when it ranked No. 6; Downtown held steady at No. 9 with 1.28%, down from 1.59% in the third quarter, and Big Machine at No. 10 with 1.25%.
Christmas music made its usual strong showing in the fourth quarter Hot 100 publisher ranking, vaulting St. Nicholas Music to No. 5 in the ranking with a 6.17% market share, thanks to “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree,” “Holly Jolly Christmas” and “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer,” all of which were written by Johnny Marks. Brenda Lee’s recording of “Rockin’” was the quarter’s No. 6 Hot 100 song.
The holiday season also boosted Dean Kay’s Demi Music to the No. 7 slot on the Hot 100 publisher ranking, solely on the strength of Andy Williams’ “It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year,” which gave Desi a 1.91% market share for the quarter. A single song — OneRepublic’s “I Ain’t Worried” — also put Downtown in the No. 8 spot.