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Kodi Lee Breaks Hearts With ‘AGT’ Performance as Five Advance to Semis: Watch
Every time he takes the stage, Kodi Lee breaks your heart. He did it again on Wednesday night (Aug. 12), as the season 14 winner of America’s Got Talent returned to the show that made him a star (and international heart-breaker). During the AGT live results show, Lee took his seat at a grand piano for a tender performance of “Break My Heart Again” by Finneas. {“nid”:”9432074″,”type”:”post”,”title”:”Kelly Clarkson to Temporarily Fill in for Simon Cowell on 'America's Got Talent' Following His Bike Accident”,”relative_path”:”\/articles\/columns\/pop\/9432074\/kelly-clarkson-fills-in-simon-cowell-americas-got-talent-following-his-bike-accident\/”,”media”...
Tom Morello Sets Autobiography ‘Whatever It Takes’
Tom Morello, the guitar hero and political activist who lit the fuse with Rage Against the Machine, Prophets of Rage and others, will tell it the way he sees it in a new autobiography, Whatever It Takes. In the blurb accompanying the book announcement, Morello says Whatever It Takes is “about a lifelong mission. A mission that more often can be felt rather than articulated. There are clues to the nature of the mission in the guitar riffs, the crazy solos, the lyrics, and in the shared sweat and solidarity of friends and comrades onstage and off.” {“nid”:”9420680″,”type”:”post”,”title”:”Tom Morello, Los Van Van, Ozomatli & 60 More to Perform at Concert for Cuba”,”relative_path”:”\/articles\/columns...
Strictly Discs in Wisconsin, in a Pandemic: ‘We’re Only About 10% Down for the Year’
In October 1988, Angie Roloff and her husband Ron opened Strictly Discs in Madison, Wisconsin, after Ron left a career in the biomedical research field to pursue his love of music full time. Nearly 31 years later, the couple made the difficult decision to shutter in-store operations due to COVID-19, roughly a week before Governor Tony Evers forced a mandatory shutdown of all non-essential businesses. Now that the Wisconsin Supreme Court has overturned Evers’ stay-at-home order — ruling it “unlawful” and “unenforceable” — the Roloffs and their employees have reopened Strictly Discs in a limited capacity. As part of Billboard’s efforts to best cover the coronavirus pandemic and its impacts on the music industry, we will be speaking with Roloff regula...
Flying Lotus, FKA Twigs, Vince Clarke & More Win at 2020 AIM Awards
Electronic artist Flying Lotus, singer and songwriter FKA twigs, Anglo-Indian jazz drummer Sarathy Korwar and synth-pop master Vince Clarke were among the big winners as the indie community assembled Wednesday night (Aug. 12) for the 10th annual AIM Independent Music Awards, held virtually for the first time. Flying Lotus snagged best independent track (for “More” featuring Anderson .Paak) and Korwar’s More Arriving took out best independent album. “It feels like a true blessing to be able to receive an award and to be acknowledged in these times, when they make us feel like our work isn’t essential and what we do is just, whatever,” enthused Flying Lotus (real name Steven Ellison). “So, thank you for the reminder that what we do is very important.” {“nid”:”9343769&...
Reelz v. Reels: Network Sues Instagram, Facebook for Trademark Infringement
Instagram last week launched a new short-video feature called Reels — capitalizing on demand in the market amid privacy concerns surrounding TikTok and a looming ban of the ByteDance-owned app — and it’s already facing troubles of its own. ReelzChannel says the feature’s name infringes on its longstanding trademark. The network, which launched in 2006, says it reaches more than 50 million homes in the U.S. The suit, which was filed Tuesday in Minnesota federal court, where the network’s parent company Hubbard Broadcasting is based, claims Reels usurps Reelz’ goodwill and is likely to confuse consumers. {“nid”:”9429589″,”type”:”post”,”title”:”Instagram Launches TikTok Competitor Reels”...
BTS Scores Record-Extending 22nd No. 1 on World Digital Song Sales Chart
BTS scores its record-extending 22nd career No. 1 on Billboard’s World Digital Song Sales chart, as “My Time” jumps from No. 15 to the top of the list dated Aug. 15. The single surged by 733% to 3,000 downloads sold in the tracking week ending Aug. 6, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data, as fans rallied around the song as an early present for BTS member Jungkook, whose birthday is Sept. 1. “My Time” appears on the group’s LP Map of the Soul: 7, which debuted at No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart in March and has spent total 19 weeks at No. 1 on World Albums. BTS extends its record for the most World Digital Song Sales leaders among all artists, dating to the chart’s 2010 inception. Blackpink follows with six. Here’s a chronological lo...
Sumner Redstone, Tenacious Entertainment Media Mogul, Dies at 97
Sumner Redstone, the hard-charging mogul who parlayed his father’s New England drive-in theater business into a media empire that now flows into virtually every avenue of entertainment, has died. He was 97. Redstone was the controlling shareholder of the recently merged ViacomCBS, and previously CBS Corp. and Viacom, who made famous the mantra “content is king.” His daughter and ViacomCBS chair Shari Redstone said: “My father led an extraordinary life that not only shaped entertainment as we know it today, but created an incredible family legacy. Through it all, we shared a great love for one another and he was a wonderful father, grandfather and great-grandfather. I am so proud to be his daughter and I will miss him always.” “It is with great sadness that we announce th...
Trini Lopez, ‘If I Had a Hammer’ and ‘Lemon Tree’ Singer, Dies of COVID-19 at 83
Trini López, the singer and guitarist who in the 1960s had hits with the songs “If I Had a Hammer” and “Lemon Tree” and appeared in the classic war movie The Dirty Dozen, has died. He was 83. López died Tuesday of complications from COVID-19 in a hospital in Palm Springs, songwriting and business partner Joe Chavira told The Hollywood Reporter. The good-natured Dallas native and son of Mexican immigrants was signed by Frank Sinatra to his Reprise Records label, and he worked with the Gibson Guitar Corp. to design a pair of signature guitars. He recorded more than 60 albums and was a popular headliner in Las Vegas. López’s version of “If I Had a Hammer,” written by Pete Seeger and Lee Hays, reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1963. It had been...
Danny Wimmer Presents Names Joe Litvag President Of Live Events
Leading independent live entertainment producer and promoter Danny Wimmer Presents has announced the addition of executive Joe Litvag as its president of live events. Litvag, an industry veteran, brings over 25 years of knowledge and experience in all aspects of the live events industry. In this newly created position, Litvag will oversee the operation of DWP festivals and concerts and will lead DWP’s growth into venue management, booking, national touring, event services and more. “Getting Joe on our team is a move we have wanted to make for a long, long time. Joe’s experience and leadership will be essential to our success as DWPcontinues to invest in new opportunities,” commented Danny Hayes, DWP’s chief executive officer. {“nid”:”9400321″,”type”...
Universal Music Group & Tencent Music Launch New Label in China
Universal Music Group and Tencent Music Entertainment Group (TME) are strengthening their ties with a new joint venture music label that will develop, produce and showcase Chinese artists, the companies announced Monday (Aug. 10). The news came with announcements UMG had reached a multi-year licensing extension with Tencent, as well as a new multi-year licensing deal with Chinese streaming platform NetEase Cloud Music. Under the renewed agreement between Tencent and UMG — first signed in May 2017 — Tencent will continue to distribute UMG content on its associated streaming platforms QQ Music, Kogou Music and Kuwo Music, as well as the karaoke platform WeSing. {“nid”:”9399541″,”type”:”post”,”title”:”Universal Musi...
Taylor Swift’s ‘Folklore’ Tops Midweek Chart In U.K.
Taylor Swift’s Folklore is in pole position for a third consecutive week at No. 1 in the U.K., though her challengers aren’t far behind. Folklore is the most streamed album week in the first half of the chart cycle to lead the Official Chart Update. Glass Animals’ Dreamland (Polydor) is just 600 chart sales behind in second place, and is the week’s best seller on physical formats, the OCC reports. Dreamland should give the English psychedelic pop outfit their first Top 10, besting the No. 23 peak of their sophomore 2016 album How To Be A Human Being. {“nid”:”9431667″,”type”:”post”,”title”:”Taylor Swift's 'Folklore' Outraces Fontaines D.C.'s 'A Hero\u2019s Death' For U.K. Chart Title”...
Benee Shares Her ‘Lockdown’ Song ‘Snail’: Stream It Now
Benee’s career is traveling at anything but a snail’s pace. Unless that snail has a rocket attached to its shell. The New Zealand newcomer drops “Snail,” a cute, upbeat pop number which she wrote after enduring weeks in lockdown (and spending a lot of time looking down). The track is produced and recorded by Josh Fountain. On it, she sings “I’m like a snail, you’re a guy/ Kinda mad I can’t fly.” {“nid”:”9337519″,”type”:”post”,”title”:”With 'Supalonely,' Benee's Pop Stardom Reaches New Heights: Emerging Artists Spotlight”,”relative_path”:”\/articles\/columns\/pop\/9337519\/benee-interview-supalonely-emerging-artists-spotlight\/”,”media”:{“width”:1548,”...
