bbfree
How We Work Now: Concord Senior VP Synch Licensing Brooke Primont
In a series amid the coronavirus pandemic, Billboard is asking individuals from all sectors of the music business to share stories of how they work now, with much of the world quarantined at home and unable to take in-person meetings, attend conferences or even go into the office. Submissions for the series can be sent to HowWeWorkNow@Billboard.com. Read the full series here. This installment is with Brooke Primont, Concord’s senior vp of synch licensing. Brooke Primont: I commute into [Manhattan] every single day. I live in a small town about 40 minutes outside of New York, so when this came down, it wasn’t as painful for me because it’s an hour and 15, sometimes two hours, door to door, depending on the day. So the idea of working from home was welcomed, in a sense. But there...
Lady Gaga’s ‘Chromatica’ Debuts at No. 1 in Australia
Lady Gaga scores her fourth No. 1 in Australia as Chromatica (Interscope/Universal) debuts at the summit of the ARIA Albums Chart. Gaga’s sixth studio set eclipses the No. 2 best of Joanne, from Oct 2016, though it’ll need some real staying power to match her soundtrack to A Star Is Born, which spent eleven weeks at No. 1 in 2018/2019. Previously, the U.S. pop superstar snagged top spot in Australia with The Fame Monster (April 2010) and Born This Way (May 2011). Also making a splash this week is Kip Moore’s Wild World (MER/Universal), which bows at a career-high No. 4. It’s the followup to Slowheart, which peaked at No. 6 in September 2017, and the November 2018 EP Room To Spare: The Acoustic Sessions, which hit No. 18. Rounding out the top five is Cold Chisel’s classic third album East (...
Lady Gaga and DaBaby Battle It Out For U.K. Chart Supremacy
Lady Gaga has a chance of securing the U.K. chart double. Though a rockstar stands in her way. DaBaby’s “Rockstar” (Interscope) featuring Roddy Ricch takes a narrow early lead in the sprint to the U.K. singles chart crown. “Rockstar” is the most streamed song in the week so far to lead the First Look survey, while “Rain On Me” (Interscope) by Gaga and Ariana Grande is close behind. “Rain On Me” has the advantage on downloads in the first two days of the chart cycle and is firmly in the race, according to the Official Charts Company. Don’t count out Gaga just yet. Her sixth and latest album Chromatica on Friday landed the biggest opening week for any artist on the U.K. albums chart this year. Making moves on the sales blast are dance tracks “Flowers” (No. 11 via A...
Ennio Morricone and John Williams Honored For Film Scores
A Spanish foundation on Friday (May 5) awarded one of the country’s most prestigious awards to composers Ennio Morricone and John Williams for their film work. The jury that decides the Princess of Asturias Awards said the Italian and American composers “have enriched hundreds of films with their talent.” The pair “demonstrate complete mastery of composition as well as narrative, building emotion, tension and lyricism at the service of cinematographic images.” Williams, 88, has scored movies such as “Star Wars,” “Jaws,” the “Indiana Jones” series and the first three “Harry Potter” films. Morricone, 91, has over the past seven decades created more than 400 scores for cinema and television. The €50,000 award ($56,700) is the first of eight prizes, including in the arts, social sciences and s...
Sony Music Launches $100M Fund to Support Social Justice & Anti-Racist Initiatives
The company has also pledged to expand mental health resources for employees and work with outside experts to advise the company on its inclusion and diversity commitments. Sony Music Group has launched a $100 million fund “to support social justice and anti-racist initiatives around the world,” the company announced Friday (June 5), noting it will immediately begin donating to “organizations that foster equal rights.” “Racial injustice is a global issue that affects our artists, songwriters, our people and of course society at large,” said Sony Music Group chairman Rob Stringer in a statement. “We stand against discrimination everywhere and we will take action accordingly with our community fully involved in effectively using these funds.” Sony Music earlier revealed it would be mat...
Imagine No More Pandering: Why John Lennon’s Protest Perennial Became an Anthem For the Clueless
On Wednesday, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio became the latest public figure to reference John Lennon’s “Imagine” during turbulent times. When countering calls for police reform, de Blasio mentioned the enduring rock standard; the latest example of how notables have co-opted its lyrics for their own agendas. Journalist Jack Mirkinson tweeted de Blasio’s full comments, in which the mayor compared calls to defund the police to the lyrics of the popular song. “I’m reminded of the song ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon,” de Blasio began during the Wednesday press conference. “I think everyone who hears that song in its fullness thinks about, ‘What about a world where people got along differently? What about a world where we didn’t live with a lot of the restrictions that we live with now?’ But we’r...
Movement For Black Lives Is Seeking Policing Reforms on Black Out Tuesday
The music industry is taking a day to reflect on Tuesday (June 2) as part of Black Out Tuesday/#TheShowMustBePaused, an industry-wide effort to “disconnect from work and reconnect with our community.” In conjunction with the day of reflection — which was coordinated by Atlantic Records executives Jamila Thomas and Brianna Agyemang in reaction to the police-involved killings of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and others — the Movement 4 Black Lives, a coalition of 100 black-led organizations, is calling for five days of action, each focused on a specific set of demands. “It feels important to really move the needle on how we’re relating right now and call for very specific national asks that people can drill down at a local level in response to persisten...
A Letter From Billboard: Why the Show Must Be Paused
The racism and police brutality we’ve seen across the country in recent weeks has been devastating — and even more punishing in what was already a terrifying time of health and economic crisis. Yet the violence has been all too familiar for the Black community, to whom we owe so much of our greatest music. Two young music executives, Jamila Thomas and Brianna Agyemang, decided that business couldn’t go on as usual without both music companies and consumers placing as high a value on the lives of Black creators as they do on their art, sagely declaring that “the show must be paused.” On the website for what’s been dubbed “Black Out Tuesday,” they’ve encouraged the music sector to use June 2 “for an honest, reflective, and productive...
Lady Gaga’s ‘Chromatica’ Sets Impressive Pace For Midweek U.K. Chart Lead
Lady Gaga’s Chromatica (Interscope) is sprinting to the U.K. chart title. At the midweek stage, Gaga’s sixth studio album is outperforming the rest of the top 20 combined, the Official Charts Company reports. The new LP, which dropped last Friday (May 29), leads across all formats — physical, download and streaming — and is the fastest-selling vinyl album on the year, based on three days of sales. Across all formats, Chromatica has shifted more than 40,000 chart sales to take top spot on the Official U.K. Albums Chart Update. Gaga has tasted life at the U.K. Albums Chart summit on three occasions, with 2009’s The Fame/The Fame Monster, which was packaged as one album in the U.K.; 2011’s Born This Way and 2013’s Artpop. Elsewhere on the midweek albums chart, Norwegian prod...
Lady Gaga & Ariana Grande’s ‘Rain on Me’ Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100
The song sparks Hot 100 history for both superstars. Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande‘s new duet “Rain on Me” storms onto the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart at No. 1. Gaga achieves her fifth Hot 100 leader and Grande earns her fourth, among other honors for each star. The duet was released to digital service providers for streaming and purchase at midnight EST Friday, May 22, while its official video premiered that afternoon. The song is the second single from Gaga’s album Chromatica, which arrived Friday, May 29; first single “Stupid Love” debuted and peaked at No. 5 on the Hot 100 in March. Here is a rundown of the top 10 of the newest Hot 100, which blends all-genre U.S. streaming, radio airplay and sales data. [embedded content] “Rain” is the 1...
Here Are All the Major Music Events Canceled Due to Coronavirus (Updating)
Billboard has compiled an ongoing list of major concerts and events that have been postponed or canceled due to the outbreak. As the coronavirus disease continues to spread, live event organizers have been canceling or postponing large gatherings from technology conferences to major concerts. Billboard has compiled an ongoing list of major concerts and events that have been postponed or canceled due to the outbreak. Cancellations Announced In June June 1: Motley Crue, Def Leppard, Poison and Joan Jett announced that their summer stadium tour of North America is postponed until next summer, with rescheduled dates to come. Tickets will be honored at rescheduled shows; refund information is not yet available. Cancellations Announced In May May 29: The Faith No More and Korn joint tour, w...
Ranking All 16 Songs From Lady Gaga’s ‘Chromatica’: Critic’s Picks
After teases, delays, leaks, and surprise drops, the wait is finally over; Lady Gaga‘s sixth studio album Chromatica has finally arrived. From front to back, Chromatica plays as a return to form for Gaga, as she not only embraces the dance pop that once made her a global superstar overnight, but twists it, splits it in half, sews it back together and reforms it as something else entirely. With thrilling production throughout (courtesy of her executive producer BloodPop) and some exceedingly personal songwriting, Chromatica is just about everything that fans could have hoped for. But which of the album’s songs stand head and shoulder’s above the rest? Take a look at our definitive ranking of all 16 songs off of Lady Gaga’s Chro...
