business
Wave and Riot Games Bring Virtual Metal Band Pentakill to Online Stage
“Riot Games is an ideal Wave collaborator as they have been an innovator in using music and emerging technologies to build and extend their worlds beyond games,” Wave COO Jarred Kennedy said. “Wave has sat at the intersection of music and gaming since its inception, and we’re excited to work with Riot to help shape the future of virtual performance.” The Los Angeles-based Wave has hosted more than 50 virtual concerts, called “Waves,” with artists like Dillon Francis, Alison Wonderland and Tinashe, where artists perform as avatars in imaginative virtual settings. The company names Warner Music Group an investor and China’s Tencent Music Entertainment a strategic partner. Meanwhile, Riot Games has been steadily making inroads in the music indust...
Chvrches Leads Maisie Peters, Kanye West In U.K. Albums Chart Race
Close behind on the chart blast is Maisie Peters’ debut studio album You Signed Up For This (Gingerbread Man), new at No. 2. Meanwhile, Kanye West’s long-delayed Donda (Def Jam) album comes in at No. 3, a solid start despite its late release on Sunday (instead of the typical Friday drop), and the fact it’s not available in physical formats. According to the OCC, Donda is leading on both downloads and streaming, and if it can lift to the top spot when the chart is published this Friday (Sept. 3), it’ll mark West’s third U.K. No. 1 album. Closing out an all-new midweek Top 5 is Halsey’s fourth studio effort, If I Can’t Have Love I Want Power (EMI), and Becky Hill’s debut Only Honest On The Weekend (Polydor), respectively. Just 2,000 chart sales currently separate the Top 5, the OCC rep...
Why This Is the Right Time to Sell Your Catalog (Guest Column)
For recording artists earning meaningful royalties from catalogs in which they have full or part ownership — who are considering selling before changes to the tax law — the question of whether to proceed might feel like a double-edged sword. Yet, we crunched the numbers and the answers are both straightforward and convincing. Of course, recording artists like Bob Dylan, Stevie Nicks and Paul Simon are selling their catalogs now for many reasons: Some are making unique deals that guarantee their music will remain in print with their longtime labels or will be managed by knowledgeable industry insiders. Others are working to simplify their estate. But regardless of motivation, the artists who have already sold their works have been well advised that the combination of low interes...
Kanye West’s Chicago ‘Donda’ Event Coming On-Demand to Apple Music
An edited version of Kanye West’s final livestreamed listening session for his 10th album Donda is expected to go live exclusively on Apple Music Tuesday, multiple sources tell Billboard. West partnered with Apple Music to host two listening sessions at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and another at Soldier Field in Chicago, collectively bringing out well over 100,000 people to hear him complete his latest work. West’s Chicago show set a livestreaming record on Apple Music, with 5.9 million people tuning in to watch the spectacle. 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 you back power. Get to meet Beautiful people, chat and make money in the process. Earn rewards by chatting, sharing photos,...
D-Nice Brings Club Quarantine to the Hollywood Bowl with Common, Isley Brothers and More
In-concert version of the popular Instagram Live series coming next to Brooklyn and Atlanta One of the most uplifting events to take root during COVID-19’s stay-at-home mandates was D-Nice’s Club Quarantine. The DJ’s game-changing live sets became a culture-raising fixture on Instagram for celebs and music fans alike over the last year, attracting millions thanks to his masterful curation of R&B, soul and hip-hop classics. Last night (Aug. 29), D-Nice brought his online party to the Hollywood Bowl — and kept the house rocking for three hours. The first stop in a road show series staged in partnership with Live Nation Urban (next up: Brooklyn, Sept. 2; Atlanta, Sept. 3), Club Quarantine Live at the Bowl co-starred Common, the Isley Brothers, Deborah Cox and Trey Songz, among others. Don...
Watch Offset Ring New York Stock Exchange Opening Bell to Celebrate Reservoir Media IPO
“This morning, Reservoir rang the @Nasdaq Opening Bell in celebration of our recent IPO. It is both exciting and humbling to take this next step in Reservoir’s journey,” the company wrote on Twitter while sharing photos from the ceremony. “We look forward to all the opportunities this creates, as we deepen our commitment to #investinginentertainment. Reservoir Media signed Offset and Takeoff to global publishing deals back in 2017, which represent their individual and collective catalogs. Reservoir Media’s EVP of A&R and Catalog Development Faith Newman was responsible for bringing the rappers to the roster. The company experienced its first day of trading on the Nasdaq stock exchange on July 29, when its shares took a 4.9% dip after opening...
Ed Sheeran’s ‘Bad Habits’ Racing to 10th Week Atop U.K. Chart
“Bad Habits,” lifted from Sheeran’s forthcoming LP = (equals), is his second-longest reigning single in the U.K. behind only “Shape of You,” which ruled the U.K. chart for 14 weeks back in 2017. Meanwhile, Joel Corry and Jax Jones’ club tune “Out Out,” with assists from Charli XCX and Saweetie, lifts 10-5 on the Official Chart: First Look, which ranks singles based on streaming and sales activity in the first 48 hours of the chart week. Also, Tones And I’s “Fly Away” looks set for its first stint in the Top 10, lifting 13-9 on the chart blast, while “Butter” by BTS could return to the weekly survey following the release of a version featuring Megan Thee Stallion. It’s at No. 14 on the early tally. The Official U.K. Singles Chart is published late Friday, local time. You Deserve to Make Mon...
Kanye West Claims Universal Music Group Released ‘Donda’ Without His Approval
Billboard has reached out to Def Jam for comment. The Donda track “Jail pt 2,” featuring DaBaby, was originally unavailable when the album first appeared on streaming services Sunday morning, but became available later in the afternoon. In a now-deleted Instagram post from early Sunday, West shared screenshots of text messages saying the track was being held up because of clearance issues from DaBaby. During Ye’s third large-scale listening event for Donda at Chicago’s Soldier Field on Aug. 26, it was revealed that Jay-Z’s verse on “Jail” had been replaced by a new one from DaBaby, who has been under fire for making homophobic and misogynistic comments at Rolling Loud Miami in July. Fans were pleased to learn Sunday that Jay’s verse had been ...
Lorde Powers Australia’s Albums Chart
The Aucklander will support the new LP in these parts with a tour of Australia, set for March 2022. Also new to the survey this week is Hello My Beautiful World (Wonderlick/Sony), the fourth album from Sydney alternative rock outfit Holy Holy. It’s new at No. 4, for the duo’s career chart peak. Hello My Beautiful World is the act’s fourth album and the followup to the ARIA Award-nominated effort My Own Pool Of Light, which reached No. 14 following its release in August 2019. Melbourne blues rock outfit Tropical F**k Storm sweeps into the Top 10 with Deep States (TFS/Universal), new at No. 7, for a new chart best. It’s the third album from the “supergroup,” comprised of members from The Drones, High Tension, MOD CON, Harmony, and Palm Springs. U.S. rapper Trippie Redd makes his first appear...
Supplemental Shuttered Venue Grant Program Now Underway
“The SBA has awarded approximately $9 billion in crucial relief to approximately 11,500 performing arts venues and other related businesses so they can continue to anchor our neighborhoods and define our communities. We know many of these businesses still need assistance to fully recover from the unanticipated expenses and debt caused by the pandemic,” SBA Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program director Matthew Stevens said in a release. “These supplemental grants will go to the hardest-hit Shuttered Venue Operators Grant awardees to ensure they can get back on their feet and get back to the business of driving our nation’s economy.” The supplemental awards also allow SVOG recipients to extend the time to use their grant funds for expenses accrued through June 30, 2022 and lengthen their ...
Want Guitar Lessons From Metallica? Yousician Launches New Artist Series
“I’ve partnered with Yousician because I hope that anyone at any age feels that now is the right time to learn,” said Mraz in a statement. “Yousician makes it so easy to learn and play. It’s like having a friend to personally guide you on your musical journey.” Hadley Spanier, head of brand marketing and artist relations at Yousician who joined the company in January 2020 after a stint as senior vp and head of marketing at UMG’s Verve Label Group, calls the Spotlight series a “natural progression” for the growing platform, which currently boasts a combined 20 million users across Yousician and its associated guitar-tuning app GuitarTuna. Spanier tells Billboard the initiative grew out of a series of live virtual sessions the platform hosted last year, which saw artists includin...
Tomorrowland Forms Dance Label With Universal Music Germany
Through the partnership, Tomorrowland will enjoy direct access to a collective pool of UMG’s international label divisions, including Virgin Records and Astralwerks in the U.S. Leading the partnership will be Berlin-based Virgin Records executives Alexander Neipp, Daniel Schmidt and Magnus Textor, and Tina Adams at Virgin Music Label & Artist Services. Over the past 15 years Tomorrowland has built a reputation as one of the world’s leading festivals and electronic music brands by consistently expanding and evolving their relationship with music fans,” Frank Briegmann, chairman and CEO, Universal Music Central Europe and Deutsche Grammophon, said in a press release. He added that the partners had created a “uniquely flexible model” that will “help drive success and create global hits fo...
