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Taylor Swift, Post Malone & More Artists Who Could Make History at the 2020 BBMAs
Juice WRLD, Avicii and Whitney Houston were all nominated posthumously. Post Malone and Lil Nas X are this year’s leading nominees for the Billboard Music Awards, with 16 and 13 nods, respectively. They are followed by Billie Eilish and Khalid, with 12 nods each; and Lizzo, with 11. See the full list of nominees here. The awards, which were originally scheduled for April 29, will finally be handed out on Oct. 14. Kelly Clarkson will host the show for the third straight year. This year’s BBMAs are based on the chart period of March 23, 2019 through March 14, 2020. A statement from the Billboard Music Awards explains: “The original eligibility period will remain intact to recognize and honor the chart-topping artists and musical successes achieved and to maintain consistent tracking per...
Former Paradigm, WME Agents Launch Mint Talent Group
After the Coronavirus crisis devastated the music touring business and left creators with an uncertain future, former Paradigm agents Patrick McAuliff and Phil Egenthal and ex-William Morris Endeavor agent C. J. Strock have combined to launch Mint Talent Agency. Founding agents also include Mary Allen and Cassie Siegel, formerly of Madison House, Michael Morris and Ryan Owens, also from Paradigm, former WME agent Peter Wiederlight and Logan Handelsman, most recently with CAA. Mint as a booking agency and entertainment company says it aims at “career longevity” for artists by securing film, TV and brand endorsement deals in the near term. That comes as the live events business eyes a return to scale in 2021 at the earliest as public health officials continue to rule out la...
A Supreme Court Without RBG May Impact Hollywood’s Grip on Intellectual Property
When Ruth Bader Ginsburg died on Friday at the age of 87, the country lost a true champion of equality. The story of the “Notorious R.B.G.,” the Supreme Court’s second female justice, has been told repeatedly in media, books, and films including RBG and On the Basis of Sex. From being an architect of the women’s rights movement in the 1970s to spending her later years on the high court fighting for the rights of the less advantaged (see for example her concurring opinion just months ago in Comcast v. NAAAOM), her lifetime of service will deservedly be lionized. But there was a less noticed aspect of Ginsburg — and her untimely loss will influence the course of industry. On Oct. 7, the U.S. Supreme Court holds an oral argument in Google LLC v. Oracle America Inc., th...
Ava Max’s ‘Heaven & Hell’ Leads Action-Packed Midweek U.K. Chart
Ava Max’s debut album Heaven & Hell (Atlantic) blasts into an early lead in what’s shaping as a classic U.K. chart race. Heaven & Hell leads an action-packed midweek chart, ahead of Live At The Roundhouse (Sony Music CG), the 2019 live recording from Saucerful of Secrets, the prog-rock supergroup of Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason. The top five is bunched tight at the halfway point. According to the Official Charts Company, just 1,700 chart sales separate Heaven & Hell from the current fifth-ranked album, Potter Payper’s Training Day 3 (2020 Potter Payper). Also cracking the lead pack, at No. 3, is Yusuf / Cat Stevens’ Tea For The Tillerman 2 (UMC), a rerecording of the veteran singer-songwriter’s 1970 set which originally peaked at No. 20. Hip-hop outfit Run The Jewels reen...
Jimmy Kimmel Responds to Low Emmys Ratings
Jimmy Kimmel addressed the all-time-low ratings for the 72nd annual Emmys ceremony, which he hosted, at the top of his ABC show on Monday. “Well, I hosted the virtual Emmys last night. They’re saying it was the highest-rated Emmys ever. Oh, the lowest? Oh, all right,” he joked during his monologue on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in his first episode back from a summer-long vacation (Live! was hosted, in Kimmel’s absence, by several guest hosts including Anthony Anderson and Billy Porter). “Well, we set a record, let’s just say that.” The 2020 Emmys, which aired on ABC, pulled in 6.1 million viewers and a 1.2 rating for the 18-49 age demographic, per time-adjusted Nielsen numbers. It’s the second consecutive year the show has had record-low ratings: Fox’s 201...
Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion Make Australian Chart History With ‘WAP’
Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s “WAP” grabs a piece of chart history as it snags a fifth week at No. 1 in Australia, while Marilyn Manson bags his second leader on the national albums chart with We Are Chaos. The controversial “WAP” is just the third female-led hip-hop song to rule Australia’s singles chart. And with its streak now extending past a month, it stands tall as the longest-running leader in that category, eclipsing Salt-N-Pepa’s “Let’s Talk About Sex.” In its seventh week on the survey, Joel Corry & MNEK’s “Head & Heart” rises 4-3, a new peak. The club track recently logged six weeks at No. 1 in the U.K. Staying in Australia, hip-hop collective Internet Money vault 47-13 with “Lemonade,” featuring guest appearances with Gunna, Don Toliver and Canadian rappe...
Trump Backs Proposed Deal to Keep TikTok Operating In U.S.
President Donald Trump said Saturday he’s given his “blessing” to a proposed deal that would see the popular video-sharing app TikTok partner with Oracle and Walmart and form a U.S. company. Trump has targeted Chinese-owned TikTok for national security and data privacy concerns in the latest flashpoint in the rising tensions between Washington and Beijing. The president’s support for a deal comes just a day after the Commerce Department announced restrictions that if put in place could eventually make it nearly impossible for TikTok’s legions of younger fans to use the app. Trump said if completed the deal would create a new company likely to be based in Texas. “I have given the deal my blessing,” he said. “If they get it done, that’s great. If they don’t, that’s OK too.” Trump said the ne...
Following TikTok Deal, Judge Agrees to Delay U.S. Restrictions on WeChat
A judge has approved a request from a group of U.S. WeChat users to delay looming federal government restrictions that could effectively make the popular app nearly impossible to use. In a ruling dated Saturday, Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler in California said the government’s actions would affect users’ First Amendment rights, as an effective ban on the app would remove their platform for communication. WeChat is a messaging-focused app popular with many Chinese-speaking Americans that serves as a lifeline to friends, family, customers and business contacts in China. It’s owned by Chinese tech giant Tencent. The group of WeChat users requested an injunction after the U.S. Commerce Department said Friday it would bar WeChat from U.S. app stores and keep it from accessing essential interne...
Justin Bieber Aiming For U.K. Top 10 Berth With ‘Holy’ Featuring Chance The Rapper
Justin Bieber could extend his run of U.K. Top 10 singles to 21 with “Holy,” though another No. 1 appears out of his reach for now. The Canadian pop singer’s collaboration with Chance The Rapper is the highest new entry on the Official Chart: First Look, starting at No. 10. The First Look survey captures sales and streaming data from the first 48 hours in the weekly chart cycle. At the top of the leaderboard is 24kGoldn’s “Mood” featuring Iann Dior, the most streamed track over the weekend. “Mood” usurps the current champion, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s “WAP,” which has lorded over the Official U.K. Singles Chart for three weeks. Also eying new chart peaks are Paul Woolford & Diplo’s “Looking For Me” featuring Kareen Lomax (No. 4); Jason Derulo’s “Take You Dancing” (No. 7); and M...
Here Are All the Winners From the 2020 Emmy Awards
It’s time for the 2020 Emmy Awards. Dave Chappelle, Eddie Murphy, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross were among the early winners of the Creative Arts Emmys, announced earlier this week. Who will take home gold at tonight’s (Sept. 20) ceremony? See the full list below, updating live: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie — Mark Ruffalo, I Know This Much Is True (HBO) Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie — Regina King, Watchmen (HBO) Outstanding Variety Talk Series — Last Week Tonight With John Oliver (HBO) Outstanding Comedy Series — Schitt’s Creek (Pop TV) Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series — Annie Murphy, Schitt’s Creek (Pop TV) Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series — Daniel Lev...
First Country: New Music From Keith Urban, Luke Combs, Bon Jovi & Jennifer Nettles and More
Keith Urban, The Speed of Now, Part 1 Musical explorer Urban returns with his latest sonic alchemy that blends several music genres, all united by his singular guitar playing and vibrant vocals. From the funk/electronica of “Out The Cage,” featuring Breland and Nile Rodgers to a gorgeous duet with P!nk on “One Too Many” and his sizzling guitar work on “Forever” and the social justice call of “Say Something” (which turns into a much more personal statement as the song progress), Urban creates one of his sonically diverse albums yet. Luke Combs featuring Amanda Shires, “Without You” Combs pairs with the supremely talented Amanda Shires on violin this mid-tempo sweet ode to his parents and others who have sacrificed to make his success possible. “They never hear the crowd scream your name…I’d...
ACM Awards Spark Sales Gains for Old Dominion, Eric Church & More
The Academy of Country Music Awards (Sept. 16) sparked sizable sales gains for the songs performed on the show, according to initial reports to Nielsen Music/MRC Data. Collectively, the songs performed on the three-hour CBS-TV show sold 57,000 downloads in the U.S. on Sept. 16-17, up 544% compared to the 9,000 sold on Sept. 14-15. The sales numbers include the original versions of songs covered on the show (such as Patsy Cline’s “Crazy,” covered by Carrie Underwood) and those heard in part during medleys, but not the brand new Keith Urban and P!nk track “One Too Many,” which was released on the day of the awards. Of the performed songs, the biggest seller on Sept. 16-17 was Old Dominion’s “One Man Band,” which was performed as part of an eight-song medley during the show. The track also to...
