business
NYC Is Reopening, But Concerts Are Still Restricted
In New York and New Jersey, capacity limits for most businesses will be replaced with a new distance-based maximum capacity. Retail, food services, gyms and fitness centers, amusement and family entertainment, hair salons, barber shops and other personal care services will be limited by the space available for patrons or parties of patrons to maintain the required social distance of six feet. The entertainment industry, however, will still be limited. As of May 10 in New York, the outdoor social gathering limit will increase from 200 to 500 people. Beginning May 19, the indoor social gathering limit will increase from 100 to 250 people. Music venues can exceed the social gathering limits of 500 people outdoors or 250 people indoors if all att...
BTS Label HYBE Turns a Modest First-Quarter Profit
These positive first-quarter results don’t, however, come close to the company’s impressive previous quarter, Q4 2020. Then, still without touring income, HYBE produced livestreamed concerts and had strong music sales — 159% greater than 2021’s first quarter — and closed 2020 with quarterly revenue of $278 million and a $23.7 million profit. HYBE didn’t provide guidance on concert revenue in 2021, saying “with pandemic conditions still in place, forecasts are still unclear on the possibility of in-person concerts in the second half of this year.” In the meantime, HYBE said it will offer more livestream concerts and “other diverse content.” Much of the earnings release focused on HYBE’s acquisition of Scooter Braun’s Ithaca Holdings, which was announced April 2, noting it was th...
Spotify & Fellow Streamers Soared in 2020, But Expect Growth to Slow
Don’t put too much stock in how companies’ quarterly earnings compare year-over-year to 2020. The pandemic caused some services’ subscriptions to spike early in the year (Netflix) or build throughout the year (Spotify). Long-term trends have not changed. On-demand streaming will continue to erode linear programming like cable television and broadcast radio. An odd quarter here or there won’t change the course of technology in entertainment. Streaming video on demand (SVOD) is a battle of titans — AT&T, Comcast, Disney, Apple, Amazon, ViacomCBS — that requires big pockets to survive the war of attrition. Music streaming companies get to focus less on original content and more on technologies to create better user experiences. Un...
Warner Music Invests in Wave to Create Virtual Music Experiences
Founded in Los Angeles in 2016, Wave originally set its sights on virtual reality (VR) concerts, but announced plans to shutter its VR app in January to focus on wider distribution of its shows on platforms like TikTok, Roblox and Twitch. Wave specializes in interactive experiences for viewers, including the abilities to engage in live chat, vote on set lists and pay to “gift” new items and effects to the virtual show. The company has hosted more than 50 Wave events for artists like John Legend, Dillon Francis, Alison Wonderland and Tinashe, including The Weeknd‘s TikTok LIVE concert in August that reached over 2 million live viewers and raised $350,000 for the Equal Justice Initiative. WMG joins a list of Wave investors that includes Justin Bieber, The Weeknd, ...
Tom Jones Lands Record-Setting U.K. No. 1 With ‘Surrounded By Time’
Surrounded By Time is Jones’ fourth leader in the U.K. and his first since 1999’s Reload. He also becomes the first Welsh soloist to top the national chart in nearly a decade, since Marina and The Diamonds’ Electra Heart, in 2012. In a slow week for new releases, the next highest debut is an album familiar to many, John Lennon’s 1971 solo debut LP, Plastic Ono Band (Apple Corps). The classic set enjoys a reissue rollout in various computations, blasting it to No. 11 on the weekly chart. Further down the list, a campaign for The Who’s third studio album The Who Sell Out sends the recording to No. 15, and a reissue of ska band The Selecter’s 1980 album Too Much Pressure (Chyrsalis) arrives at No. 24. Veteran alt-rock outfit Dinosaur Jr. snag their fifth Top 40 album with Sweep It Into Space ...
Billie Eilish Set to ‘Power’ Into U.K. Top 10
Eilish’s latest single is the third lifted from her upcoming sophomore album, Happier Than Ever, due out July 30 via Darkroom and Interscope Records. Previously released singles “Therefore I Am” and “My Future,” which respectively peaked at No. 2 and No. 7 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart. Both tracks cracked the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. There’s movement at the top of the chart blast for the first time in more than a month, as Tion Wayne and Russ Millions’ “Body” leapfrogs Lil Nas X’s “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” the leader for the past five weeks. Don’t bet the house on “Body” taking the crown. After just 48 hours, just 100 chart sales separate the two singles. “Confetti” by Little Mix is all set for a return to the upper deck of the ...
Grammy Museum Marks Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month With Programs & Exhibits
Programs: Daniel Ho & Tak Matsumoto Henry Kapono Anoushka Shankar Yoshiki Mele Mei in L.A.: Honoring The Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Tradition – featuring Hawaiian artists Charles Brotman, Amy Hanaiali’i, Raiatea Helm, Jeff Peterson, Makana, and more Music of Waikiki – featuring Hawaiian artists Melveen Leed, Kawaikapuokalani Hewett, Danny Couch (of the Alii’s), Jay Larrin, Nathan Aweau (from the Don Ho Show), Bobby Moderow (of Maunalua), Kawika Kahiapo, Streetlight Cadence, Kimie Miner, and Na Hoa Mele Mei in L.A.: A Salute to Hawaii’s Grammy Nominees – featuring Kimie Miner, Kathryn Schulmeister, and Amy Hanaiali’I, plus Kalani Pe’a, Bobby Moderow Jr., Streetlight Cadence, Jeff Peterson, and more. Exhibits: Kī Hō’alu – Honoring the Hawaiian Slack Key Guita...
Angie Stone, Ramsey Lewis & More to Receive 2021 Black Music Honors
Stone will receive the soul music icon award; Ginuwine, the urban music icon award; Sapp, the gospel music icon award; and Lewis, the legends award. The National Museum of African American Music in Nashville will be honored with the Legacy Award. The museum, established in 2019, showcases the musical genres inspired, created or influenced by African Americans. Chicago-based television production company Central City Productions will present the show. This year marks the first time that the program, now in its sixth year, will air in June. Don Jackson, the show’s founder and executive producer, said in a statement: “In addition to the amazing honorees and exciting performances this year, we are also announcing that the Black Music Honors will now be held in the month of June. This is an imp...
Recording Academy Votes to End Grammy Nomination Review Committees
“It’s been a year of unprecedented, transformational change for the Recording Academy, and I’m immensely proud to be able to continue our journey of growth with these latest updates to our Awards process,” said Harvey Mason Jr., chair & interim president/CEO of the Recording Academy. “This is a new Academy, one that is driven to action and that has doubled down on the commitment to meeting the needs of the music community.” Ruby Marchand, the Academy’s chief industry officer, added: “As we continue to build a more active and vibrant membership community, we are confident in the expertise of our voting members to recognize excellence in music each year.” The biggest change is the elimination of nominations review committees in general and genre fields. (The gener...
WMG Partners With Genies to Turn Artists Into Avatars & Sell NFT Gear
“We think about engagement as being live, synchronous, video-based and moving away from [social media] handles into avatar creation, where people can reimagine themselves and engage in more personalized ways,” WMG chief digital officer & executive vp of business development Oana Ruxandra tells Billboard. “Avatars are a key part of that interaction, so we’re really excited about the Genies opportunity.” Ruxandra adds that as with many emerging technologies — from livestreaming to NFTs — the pandemic has accelerated both fans’ and artists’ interest in the avatar market, transforming what was once a futuristic niche into a viable and exciting offering for the masses. “It’s really gratifying to see fans digging in, artists digging in, a...
Nick Jonas Set to Host 2021 Billboard Music Awards
Jonas Brothers won three Billboard Music Awards last year: top duo/group, top radio songs artist and top radio song for “Sucker,” their first No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. They were also nominated for top artist. Jonas Brothers had great success as a teen pop act from 2007-10, landing a pair of No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 and a Grammy nomination for best new artist. Remarkably, they have come back even stronger in the past two years with a third No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 and another Grammy nomination, best pop duo/group performance for “Sucker.” Jonas has also had success as a solo artist, notably with “Jealous,” a top 10 hit on the Hot 100. Jonas teamed with Nick Monson and Justin Tranter to co-write the Golden Globe-nominated song “Home” for the 2017 movie Ferdinand. A...
Will Harry Styles & Dua Lipa Win Brit Awards to Go Along With Their Recent Grammys?
Three other 2021 Grammy winners are nominated for Brits this year. Taylor Swift, who won album of the year for Folklore, and Billie Eilish, who won two awards, including record of the year for “Everything I Wanted,” are competing for the Brit for international female solo artist. Swift won in that category six years ago. Eilish won last year. (Eilish is vying to become the first artist to win in that category two years running since Rihanna in 2011-12.) Burna Boy, who won a Grammy for best global music album for Twice as Tall, is nominated for a Brit for international male solo artist. If any of these artists win at the Brits, they’ll receive a uniquely designed award that is meant for sharing. The award was redesigned by Es Devlin and Yinka Ilori in what the Brits call a “collaborative do...
