The track launches at No. 1 on World Digital Song Sales. K-pop singer-songwriter IU (real name: Lee Ji-eun) debuts at No. 36 on Billboard‘s Emerging Artists chart (dated May 16), thanks to her new single “Eight,” featuring BTS member SUGA. The track debuts at No. 1 on the World Digital Song Sales chart and No. 13 on the all-genre Digital Song Sales survey with 7,000 downloads sold, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data. The song marks IU’s first No. 1 on the former tally and her seventh top 10. The single also earns SUGA his first solo No. 1 on World Digital Song Sales. BTS boasts a record 19 No. 1s on the chart. [embedded content] Notably, “Eight” is the sixth song to debut at No. 1 on World Digital Songs this year, after Red Velvet’s “Psycho&...
From Dua Lipa to Blue Oyster Cult to Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, bands have been figuring out how to perform remotely during the pandemic. Blue Öyster Cult has played its rampaging-beast classic “Godzilla” 2,270 times, in theaters and casinos, at state fairs and festivals — the first time at the Maple Leaf Gardens, in Toronto, on June 21, 1977, and the last time at Robins Theatre, in Warren, Ohio, on March 8. But until late April, the pioneering hard-rock band’s five members had never done it remotely from their homes, during quarantine, mixed together into a YouTube grid of separate rectangular boxes. “We basically treated it like a gig,” says Richie Castellano, the band’s guitarist and keyboardist, who produced the “lock-down” ve...
NBC’s Broadway-centered series Smash regained buzz on the Internet this week, seven years after its final episode, when it was announced that a special livestream of the 2015 live concert of Bombshell will air on May 20 at People.com along with a cast reunion. As with the original 2015 Bombshell concert, the livestream will be benefiting The Actors Fund, the national human services organization helping support actors through health care, affordable housing, financial assistance and more. Given that we’re in an age of social distancing and Zoom meetings, it’s easier now more than ever for some of our other favorite musical TV shows to reunite (virtually). Maybe the Glee cast can come together for an iconic re...
The following letter was submitted to Billboard by Ticketmaster President Jared Smith in response to a letter posted on Billboard earlier today by U.S. Reps. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) and Katie Porter (D-CA). Last month Ticketmaster revealed its plan to offer refunds for all canceled and postponed Live Nation and AEG shows. Respectfully, Mr. Pascrell and Ms. Porter either misunderstand or elect to misrepresent the realities of our business and refund policies, as we outlined in our April 17 response letter to them. It is entirely disingenuous and flatly wrong to claim that we have “pointed the finger at others.” To reiterate, Ticketmaster is a platform that allows event organizers to sell tickets directly to consumers. The fact is, the money we need to refund fans is held by our clien...
Source: @JustInMyView / R1 Digital Tekashi 6ix9ine is an unrepentant troll. On Tuesday, May 12, the master-level snitch continued to gaslight rap fans with his shenanigans, which included beefing with a charity after it rejected his $200,000 donation. Do you know how toxic you have to be for a charity to say “we’re good” to that size of a donation? But that’s exactly what a non-profit called No Kid Hungry did when the “Gummo” rapper offered up a portion of the proceeds of the merch he’s been selling. “We are grateful for Mr. Hernandez’s generous offer to donate to No Kid Hungry but we have informed his representatives that we have declined this donation. As a child-focused campaign, it is our policy to decline funding from donors whose activities do not align with our mission and values,” ...
The 40th anniversary of Joy Division singer Ian Curtis’ death is on May 18. To honor his legacy, his former bandmates (and current New Order members) Bernard Sumner and Stephen Morris will take part in a livestream on the anniversary. The duo will be joined by the Killers singer Brandon Flowers, Elbow, Kodaline and more to be revealed. Titled Moving Through the Silence: Celebrating the Life & Legacy of Ian Curtis, the stream will feature two hours of live and exclusive conversation, music and poetry. Other interviewees include Ian Curtis’s friend Mark Reeder, and there will be a special appearance from Maxine Peake. Donated funds will to Manchester mental health charity Manchester Mind. Click here for more info.
Do you ever find yourself subconsciously toggling between volume levels on Spotify because the music just isn’t loud enough? Paranoia be damned, contrary to what you might think, you do not have inner ear issues and you’re not losing your hearing. Thanks to Beat Spot, an educational platform dedicated to demystifying music production, mixing, and engineering, we now have a more firm grasp on how Spotify manages loudness within its preeminent streaming application. In a recent Instagram post, Beat Spot shrewdly explained that since Spotify is the world’s most popular music streaming platform, it has implemented core functionality specifically designed to retain users while cultivating a safe listening environment. When distribution services like Stem, AWAL, and TuneCo...
In response to the ongoing health crisis, New Order and Pet Shop Boys have decided to postpone their co-headlining tour. Originally, the “Unity Tour” was supposed to see the two new wave groups trek across North America this September and October. Dates included stops in Toronto, New York, and Chicago, as well as Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Both acts were expected to play full sets, with the headliner alternating each evening. According to a press statement, New Order and Pet Shop Boys are currently rescheduling the tour for September 2021 and the new itinerary will be unveiled “shortly.” Purchased tickets will “remain valid for the new dates but refunds will be available in due course.” Editors’ Picks “Thank you for your understanding. Stay safe, and...
The world’s last Blockbuster store has already survived Netflix and the streaming wars, so what’s the worst pandemic in decades? As Vice reports, the Bend, Oregon franchise is still open even in the time of coronavirus, although it hasn’t been easy. Led by general manager Sandi Harding, the store became the last link in the global video rental chain about two years ago. It’s kept going this long through a mix of nostalgia, novelty, and what seems to be genuinely good leadership — but then, that’s true of many local institutions that have permanently closed during the COVID-19 crisis. The last Blockbuster is holding strong. It isn’t just relying on rentals — the store sells made-in-Oregon merch, such as a bumper sticker that reads “I SURVIVED ALONG WITH THE LAST BLOCKBUSTER”. Hard...
The Pitch: In 18th century Russia, a penniless Prussian noble named Catherine (executive producer Elle Fanning) is betrothed to Emperor Peter (Nicholas Hoult). Catherine, who makes up for what her family lacks in finance with the kind of sick optimism preserved for golden-haired, porcelain-perfect teenage girls in these types of fairy tales, travels across Europe and Asia with wide-eyed hopes of marital bliss, a progressive Russia, and maybe even some pull in court. Of course, as these things go, Catherine’s husband is loutish, childish, and more concerned with drinking himself into a stupor than just about anything else. Catherine is forced to grow up, fast. Their marriage quickly devolves into a battleground. A mere six months in and with all of her dreams shattered in pieces at her feet...