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Patrick Donovan, Founding CEO of Music Victoria, Announces Departure
Patrick Donovan is stepping down as chief executive of Music Victoria, the trade association that he played a central role in launching a decade ago. “It’s been an exciting journey over the last ten years being at the helm of Music Victoria,” Donovan tells Billboard. “I remember when I went to SXSW in 2011 and I struggled to get people to meet with me because they had hardly heard of Melbourne. And now we’re recognized globally as a leading music city with best practice live music laws.” Prior to joining MV as its founding CEO, Donovan was The Age newspaper’s chief music writer, and he’s an adjunct professor of RMIT’s Bachelor of Arts (Music Business) Course. Donovan will leave the organization later this year having ticked-off a long list of accomplishments. During his tenure, MV pl...
Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s ‘WAP’ Takes Early Lead In U.K. Chart Race
Its rise to the summit took the best part of a month. Now “WAP” looks set to hang around at the top for a little while longer. Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s hit climbed to No. 1 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart last Friday (Sept. 4), and it’s atop the leader board on the Official Chart: First Look, which crunches sales and streaming data from the first 48 hours of the chart week. The chart blast also sees Nathan Dawe and KSI’s “Lighter” gain one place to No. 2, while “Mood” by 24kGoldn featuring Iann Dior lifts 4-3. Joel Corry and MNEK “Head & Heart” enjoyed a six-week streak at No. 1, but that joyride appears to have come to its end. The summer dance track slips to No. 5 on the preliminary chart. The strongest performing new track so far this week is Sigala and James Arthur’s “L...
Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s ‘WAP’ Becomes First-Ever No. 1 Female Rap Collab In U.K.
It took four weeks to get there, but Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s “WAP” (Atlantic) is now the U.K.’s best-selling single. The U.S. hip-hop artists’ hit lifts 2-1 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart, to become the first-ever female rap collaboration to go to the summit in that territory. After two weeks at No. 2, the track snags 65,000 charts sales, including 8.5 million streams, to take the title, the Official Charts Company reports. It’s a person best for both artists. Cardi’s previous peak on the U.K. chart was No. 5 for 2018’s “Finesse,” her collab with Bruno Mars. Megan’s previous high point was a No. 3 for “Savage” in May of this year. “WAP” is just the second female-led single to hit the top this year, following Lady Gaga’s “Rain On Me” featuring Ariana Gr...
Taylor Swift Ties Whitney Houston for Most Weeks at No. 1 Among Women in Billboard 200’s History
‘Folklore’ leads for a sixth week. Plus, Metallica and Katy Perry debut in top 10. Taylor Swift’s Folklore collects its sixth week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, making it the album with the most weeks atop the list in nearly four years. The set earned 90,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending Sept. 3 (down 8 percent), according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data. Folklore now has the most weeks at No. 1 since Drake’s Views ruled for 13 nonconsecutive weeks on the charts dated May 21-Oct. 8, 2016. Plus, Swift ties Whitney Houston for the most cumulative weeks at No. 1 among women — more on that in just a moment. The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent alb...
R. Kelly Attacker Confesses, Singer Requests Release on Bail
An inmate claims he was “forced” to assault Kelly “in hopes of getting spotlight attention and world news notice to shed light on the government corruption.” R. Kelly is asking a judge to release him on bail after he was attacked last week by an inmate. In a motion filed Friday (Sept. 4), Kelly’s attorney Michael I. Leonard says not only did the Bureau of Prisons not protect his client, but also that personnel at the facility actually encouraged the inmate to attack the singer. As proof, Leonard presented to the judge a handwritten motion from inmate Jeremiah Farmer confessing to the attack. In the motion, titled “The Government Made Me Attack R-Kelly,” Farmer said after he told a mental health professional at the facility of his plan to attack Kelly, the person enc...
Brandy & Monica Combine for Over 20 Million U.S. Song Streams After Verzuz Battle
Brandy and Monica‘s record-setting Verzuz viewership translated into major gains for both singers’ streaming totals after the event. Combined, the pair registered 21.9 million U.S. on-demand streams for their song catalogs from Aug. 31 through Sept. 2, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data, a period comprising the day of the competition and two days after of residual fan activity. That total compares to 6.3 million U.S. on-demand streams in the three days leading up to the broadcast (Aug. 28-30), a surge of 248%. Of the 21.9 million streaming total, Monica’s catalog accounted for 11.2 million plays, while Brandy’s songs clocked 10.9 million streams. The two R&B hitmakers participated in the latest Verzuz showdown on Monday (Aug. 31). At its peak, the web broadcast...
‘Less Instruments, More Feelings’: Leonel Garcia’s ‘Amor Pasado’ Pays Homage to Ranchera Classics
Putting the spotlight on lyrics, vocals and emotions, Leonel García‘s stripped-down versions of ranchera classics such as “La Media Vuelta,” “En el Último Trago” and “Tu Recuerdo Y Yo” on his new album Amor Pasado inject new life to the songs of an older generation. Paying tribute to the melancholic songs made famous by musical icons like José Alfredo Jiménez and Chavela Vargas, García began recording this album nearly three years ago. “I wanted to do an homage to ranchera music, to Mexican music because it has been a part of my life since I was little,” García tells Billboard. “I don’t sing the genre but still it has influenced my way of singing.” For Amor Pasado, García recruite an array of artists such as Natal...
Big Sean’s Collab-Crammed ‘Detroit 2′ Is Here: Stream It Now
Everything is big about Big Sean’s new LP, Detroit 2. Stretching across 21 tracks, it’s one big album. And at 70-minute’s plus… that’s big, too. He’s also brought some big names along for the ride, including Post Malone, Dave Chappelle, Jhene Aiko, Erykah Badu, Lil Wayne and many more. Detroit 2 also features the previously-released “Deep Reverence”. Big Sean is on something of a streak. The Detroit rapper’s album Dark Sky Paradise hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 back in 2015. I Decided from 2017 also went to the top. Yep, Detroit 2 is something of a big deal. Stream it in full below. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving y...
Britney Spears Shows Love For #FreeBritney In Court Filing
Britney Spears is welcoming public scrutiny of the court conservatorship that has controlled her life and money for 12 years as she seeks to push her father out of power, according to a Thursday (Sept. 3) court filing. Spears filed an objection unprecedented in the 12 years of the conservatorship to a motion from her father, James Spears, to seal a recent filing in the case, forcefully arguing that the public ought to know what is happening to her and tacitly voicing her support for the #FreeBritney movement among fans that her father has shown scorn for. “Britney’s conservatorship has attracted an unprecedented level of scrutiny from mainstream media and social media alike,” the filing says. “Far from being a conspiracy theory or a ‘joke’ as James reportedly told the media, in large part ...
Kanye West Barred From Appearing on Arizona’s Ballot
A judge has barred Kanye West from appearing on the Nov. 3 ballot in Arizona, concluding that a voter who challenged his candidacy had shown he would probably prevail and had established the possibility of an irreparable harm if the rapper’s name were to appear on the ballot. The ruling Thursday by Judge Scott McCoy said that the voter who challenged West’s bid in Arizona “established that the relative hardships favor him.” Putting West on the ballot would create confusion for voters, his lawyers argued. The decision came a day after West’s campaign turned in nearly 58,000 nominating signatures, well over the 39,000 needed to appear on the Arizona ballot. Over the last 10 days, more than 120 people living in other states have registered in Arizona as paid signature gatherers for West, who ...
Justin Bieber Comes to the Rescue In DJ Khaled’s ‘Popstar’ Featuring Drake: Watch
Biebs is back! And this time, he’s rocking with some heavyweight pals. Justin Bieber is the feature artist on DJ Khaled and Drake‘s “Popstar,” the music video for which dropped at midnight. Helmed by Director X, the hilarious new clip opens with Khaled constantly hassling Drake to appear in his music video. “This guy is off his rocker,” says a frustrated Drizzy. “Every 5 seconds on my phone (he’s) asking me for something.” So he calls in a favor and hits up his compatriot, Bieber. The pop star is happy to help. Bieber’s living the high life in a mansion surrounded by party people. When he’s not wearing funky threads, Bieber is wearing very little — and revealing his impressive set of tattoos. Bieber’s wife&n...
UTA to Reinstate Staff Pay, Lay Off 50 Employees
United Talent Agency CEO Jeremy Zimmer told staff Wednesday of impending increases in pay for hourly employees. In a memo to staff on Wednesday, United Talent Agency CEO Jeremy Zimmer delivered both “positive” and “difficult” news, writing that the agency would be reinstating full pay to its employees in the next two weeks, but would also be laying off 50 staffers. UTA is the first of the major agencies that cut salaries at the beginning of the pandemic to offer to reinstate full pay. The layoffs will affect both current and some furloughed employees across several divisions, at both the assistant and agent level. (The agency will cover the COBRA health insurance payments of that laid off for an indeterminate period of time.) In May, UTA, which employs more than 1,1...
