business
Inside the Business of BTS — And the Challenges Ahead
When the seven members — Jin and Suga, 28; J-Hope, 27; RM, 26; V and Jimin, 25; and Jungkook, the mystery hallway singer, is 23 — sit down and begin answering questions, however, they look and sound like the veteran pop stars they are. Seated in foldaway chairs on a stage — where the white surfaces bear shoe prints and other marks from a recent livestreamed appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon — they speak politely, eloquently and with conviction, emanating the humble charisma that has charmed millions of fans into supporting them with an almost religious fervor. “We are not exceptional people — our plate is small,” says rapper Suga, the group’s bookworm, using the Korean expression for lack of ability or small-mindedness. “We’re these rice-bowl-size guys getting so much po...
Warner Music Nabs Kristin Burke From Universal to Run Canadian Label
Burke, who is currently executive vp and general manager at Universal Music Canada, where she has worked for more than 20 years, will report to Simon Robson, president, international, recorded music at Warner Music Group. She will succeed Steve Kane, who has served as president since 2004, and was inducted into the Canadian Music and Broadcast Industry Hall of Fame in 2015. (Kane did not respond to a request for comment.) “Kristen has a great reputation across the industry, combining great strategic insight with an instinctive empathy for artists,” Robson said in a statement. Kane, in his own statement, said he knows the company’s “future is in safe hands,” adding that he plans to focus more energy on social justice issues and music. (Kane notoriously has shopped for vinyl every weekend si...
As ACM Awards Move on to Fourth Broadcast Partner, How Do Other Music Awards Shows Compare?
The move will likely be closely watched by the entire industry. The Academy of Country Music announced last week that it is moving its ACM Awards to Amazon Prime Video next year. The show aired on one of the three legacy broadcast networks continuously for 50 years. The move will likely be closely watched by the entire industry. If the show holds its audience, and if top artists continue to support it, other awards shows may seriously consider streaming partners. If the show falters, other shows may be reticent about following suit. Amazon Prime Video will be the ACM Awards’ fourth broadcast partner, which is more than any other major music awards show. Let’s see how the other shows compare: You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a datin...
Spotify Expands Its Podcast Subscriptions to All U.S. Creators
Though the focus is on building exclusive content within Spotify, which has 165 million paid users and 365 million monthly users, Anchor will also provide creators with private RSS feeds that are compatible with other podcast distribution platforms. “Our model is built to maximize creator revenue and offer the widest possible reach so creators can grow their audiences and develop deep connections with listeners,” the company said. Spotify’s top competitor in the podcasting space, Apple, went global with its own podcast subscription options in June. Like Spotify/Anchor, Apple subscriptions provide support for ad-free listening for exclusive content, however, there are more fees involved. In line with other App Store purchases, Apple will keep 30% of sub fees for the first year a...
SiriusXM Wins Appeal in Turtles Lawsuit Over Pre-1972 Royalties
“We are gratified that this important issue has been finally and correctly resolved,” Sirius’ attorney, Daniel Petrocelli of O’Melveny & Myers, said over email. Billboard has reached out to Flo & Eddie’s attorney for comment. The ruling is the latest to come from a series of royalties disputes between the parties, stemming from a complex web of state and federal laws governing radio providers and recent changes to those laws. When an AM/FM radio station plays a song over the air, it does not have to pay public performance royalties to the owner of the original sound recording. On the other hand, digital and satellite radio providers including Sirius must pay public performance royalties whenever they broadcast post-1972 recordings — but unti...
Lorde Challenges Olivia Rodrigo For U.K. No. 1 Album
Sour leads on physical sales and streams, and is on track for a fifth non-consecutive week at No. 1. Lorde’s previous albums Pure Heroine (2013) and Melodrama (2017) reached No. 4 and 5, respectively, though the latter ruled the Billboard 200 chart following its release. In a midweek Top 10 stacked with new releases, Jake Bugg’s Saturday Night (RCA) bows at No. 3, and is poised to be his fifth straight Top 10 album; Brentford MCs Kurupt FM are on track for a Top 5 debut with their first LP, The Greatest Hits (Part 1) (via Polydor) at No. 4; while Irish indie-folk act Villagers complete the Top 5 with their sixth and latest studio album Fever Dreams (Domino Recordings), which is set to be their first Top 10 album. Elsewhere, new sets from Jane McDonald (Let The Light In at No. 6 via JM...
Ed Sheeran’s ‘Visiting Hours’ on Course For High Debut In U.K.
“Visiting Hours” is no ordinary record. Sheeran wrote while in quarantine en route to Gudinski’s state memorial in Melbourne on March 24, and he premiered the emotional number on the night. Also joining Sheeran on stage that evening was Gudinski’s good friends and signings Kylie Minogue and Jimmy Barnes. Both are credited as backing singers on the single. Following his passing March 2, aged 68, Gudinski, the founder and chairman of the indie powerhouse Mushroom Group, was crowned Billboard’s International Power Player. Sheeran has described the Aussie entrepreneur as a “father figure” and a “tornado of joy,” and those memories will pour out in the new album, due out Oct. 29. The forthcoming LP is “a really personal record and one that means a lot to me,” ...
The Killers Snag Seventh U.K. No. 1 With ‘Pressure Machine’
With that feat, every studio album from The Killers has topped the main chart, dating back to their 2005 debut Hot Fuss. Including his solo work, The Killers’ frontman Brandon Flowers has an unbroken run of nine chart-topping albums, a chart record in the U.K. Other acts on an unbeaten run include Coldplay (with eight), Oasis (seven), and Arctic Monkeys (six), the OCC reports. The week’s most-streamed album belongs to Olivia Rodrigo, whose Sour (Geffen) lifts 4- 2, while electronic production duo Jungle swing in for a career-best No. 3 with Loving In Stereo (Caiola), their third album. Following the announcement last week Ed Sheeran’s forthcoming studio LP = (equals), his 2017 and most recent album Divide (Asylum) powers back into the Top 10, up 14-10. Over on the Official U.K. Singl...
R. Kelly Believed Aaliyah Was Pregnant Before They Married, Tour Manager Testifies
The conversation occurred before a concert in a city that Smith could not recall, but said he was instructed to book a flight after the show. With bodyguard Tyree Jameson along, Smith said, “As soon as the show was over, we got in the car and went to the airport.” Kelly was quiet in the limo, Smith recalled, and once they were on the plane, Kelly paused for a really long time with his eyes closed before making the revelation. “R. Kelly said, ‘Aaliyah, man. She think’s she’s pregnant,'” Smith testified. “It was a shock.” Smith said Kelly told him that his business manager and accountant Daryl McDavid was already making arrangements for Kelly and Aaliyah to get married. The two were later married in Cook Coun...
5 Seconds of Summer’s Luke Hemmings Lands Debut Solo No. 1 In Australia
Written and recorded during the 2020 lockdown, When Facing The Things We Turn Away From opens at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart, and is the 12th domestic leader on the national survey this year. In a statement, ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd pays tribute to Hemmings and the “immense contribution” he’s made to “the Australian music landscape.” Also powering into the top tier this week is The Killers’ Pressure Machine (Island/Universal). It’s new at No. 6, for the Las Vegas alternative rock outfit’s ninth appearance in the Top Ten. Pressure Machine is the followup to Imploding The Mirage, which hit No. 1 in Australia just a year ago, in August 2020. Sydney indie rock outfit Polish Club cook up their first Top 10 appearance with their third studio album, Now We’re Cookin’ (Island/Universal). It...
R. Kelly Accuser Says in Tearful Testimony She Was ‘Trained’ to Please Singer as a Teen
“I went to Rob’s house and Rob called me ‘a silly bitch.’ Rob slapped me three times and said if I lied to him again it’s not going to be an open hand next time,” she read. “He spit in my face and in my mouth. He choked me during an argument. I had sex with him — oral sex with him. I became fed up with him and I went home and confessed.” Immediately after reading the the entry, Pace tearfully asked for a “bathroom break.” As the trial against Kelly entered its second day, at the prosecution’s request Pace detailed Kelly’s demands during their sexual encounters, at which time Pace was 16. “He wanted me to put my hair up in pigtails and dress like a Girl Scout,” she said. According to Pace, now 28, K...
The Judds Are Just the 4th Act to Go From Winning CMA Horizon Award to Country Music Hall of Fame
Garth Brooks: The superstar who took country to a whole new level won the horizon award in 1990 and was voted into the Hall in 2012—just 22 years later. It really can’t be done much faster than that. He beat Alan Jackson, Kentucky Headhunters, Lorrie Morgan and Travis Tritt for the horizon award. (Tritt nabbed the horizon award the following year. CMA rules allow artists two tries at the award.) Randy Travis: The country and gospel singer won the horizon award in 1986 and was voted into the Hall in 2016—30 years later. He beat the Forester Sisters, Kathy Mattea, Dan Seals and Dwight Yoakam for the horizon award. Ricky Skaggs: The country and bluegrass musician won the horizon award in 1982 and was voted into the Hall in 2018—36 years later. He beat John Anderson, Rosanne Cash, David Frizze...
