International
Adele Sets U.K. TV Concert Special
With her fourth studio album set to drop two days prior, on Nov. 19, ITV’s execs anticipate big things from its Adele special.“As one of the world’s most in-demand stars, we are beyond thrilled to bring this one-off night to ITV,” comments Katie Rawcliffe, head of entertainment commissioning at ITV. “Adele is a remarkable artist and this will be a very special event.” International broadcast partners for the TV special have not been announced. As the release date for 30 draws closers, Adele is flexing on sales charts around the globe. The first single from it, “Easy On Me,” is currently No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, Global 200 and Global Excl. U.S. charts, and on the Official U.K. Singles Chart, where it broke streaming records in its first week. Adele wasted no time in claiming this mon...
Ticketek Unveils ‘World First’ Integrated Mobile Ticket and Vaccination Check-In
The check-in upgrade gets its first proper consumer trial from this Thursday, beginning with the Kennedy Oaks Day at Flemington Racecourse, through a partnership with the Victorian government. With that particular experience, guests at Ticketek venues can verify their check-in and vaccination status at bag check, by way of a deep-link into the Service Victoria app. The one-stop will be rolled out across Ticketek venues in other Australian states in the coming weeks, a spokesman confirms, and concerts will come on line in due course. Ticketek’s upgrade is a timely one. Restrictions are currently being eased across New South Wales and Victoria, Australia’s two biggest states, after their respective populations nudged past the 80 per cent double-dose vaccination milestone. By hitting those bi...
Ed Sheeran Sprints to Lead on Midweek U.K. Albums Chart
Sheeran should keep his streak alive. His debut + (from 2011), x (2014), and ÷ (2017), all went to No. 1 in the U.K., as did his 2019 LP No. 6 Collaborations Project (2019). With = leading the chart update, and his track “Overpass Graffiti” ruling the singles chart blast, Sheeran is in pursuit of a rare chart double. In a midweek Top 10 stacked with new releases, former Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft bows at No. 2 with Acoustic Hymns – Vol. 1 (BMG), the 25th anniversary edition of Spice Girls’ Spice (UMC/Virgin) is at No. 3, and The War on Drugs’ I Don’t Live Here Anymore (Atlantic) begins at No. 5. All will be revealed late Friday. 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 ba...
Rüfüs Du Sol Shines Atop Australia’s Albums Chart With ‘Surrender’
To nab the best-selling album in the land Down Under, “honestly, it’s mind-blowing,” comments the act’s drummer James Hunt. “To have been pipped at the post and debut at No. 2 with their last album, it makes this No. 1 debut even sweeter,” adds Dan Rosen, president of Warner Music Australasia. This leader “cements this incredible band as one of the great Aussie bands of the modern era,” Rosen continues. “We can’t wait to have the band back in the country soon for their amazing live show.” The Sydney outfit, currently based in the U.S., shaped Surrender during lockdown stints between Joshua Tree and Los Angeles. North American tour dates in support of the new album kicked off over the past weekend, and, in the weeks ahead, include a pair of headline shows at Banc of Califo...
Wednesday Campanella Drops New Songs ‘Alice’ & ‘Buckingham’ With New Singer Utaha
J-pop group Wednesday Campanella, featuring new vocalist Utaha, released two new songs called “Alice” and “Buckingham” on Wednesday, along with accompanying music videos. Both songs were produced by member Hidefumi Kenmochi. The lyrics of “Alice” draws from the narrative of Alice in Wonderland, expressing how ordinary daily life was greatly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The song suggests that maybe what made us happy was the little things in life, and that our days could become special by celebrating such details. The accompanying visuals were helmed by Yuichiro Fujishiro, who has directed many of the group’s videos in the past. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins ...
Elton John, Rüfüs Du Sol Aiming for Top Debuts on Australia’s Albums Chart
It’s all still to play for, as Rüfüs Du Sol’s latest effort Surrender aims high. The Sydney electronic act, now based in Los Angeles, is coming off a career-defining release in 2018’s Solace, which was nominated for two Grammy Awards (for best dance/electronic album and best dance recording) and three ARIA Awards (winning for best dance release) and was voted as the best electronic album of 2018 by Billboard’s Dance. None of the act’s three previous albums have charted lower than No. 2. Their debut Atlas (from 2013) and Bloom (2016) both hit No. 1 in Australia, while Solace peaked at No. 2. Keep an eye out for Lana Del Rey’s chart position with Blue Banisters, which could give the American alternative pop singer her seventh Top Ten title and second album for 2021. And finally, British...
CISAC 2020 Report: Global Publishing Collections Fell 10.7% Last Year
That 10.7% overall decline for music, however, was “considerably less disastrous than was foreseen one year ago,” as Oron observed, while TV and radio — still the largest sources of income for collection management organizations — declined less than expected due to a resilient economy. At the front-end of the COVID-19 pandemic, CISAC was anticipating a 25%-30% decline in collections for 2020, based on estimate reports then from member organizations, Oron tells Billboard. As well, “digital collections have managed to mitigate the fall in other income sources in many countries,” Oron said. “The surge of digital collections globally is a tribute to the efforts of CISAC societies to change strategy, shift resources and step up digital licensing activit...
Daniel O’Donnell Extends U.K. Chart Record With ‘60’
The latest, easy-listening effort is produced by Nigel Wright, who worked on the records of many Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals, including the film versions of Evita — starring Madonna and Antonio Banderas —The Phantom of the Opera, and other TV and film projects. On the LP, O’Donnell performs versions of such standards as “Let Your Love Flow”, “I’ll Never Find Another You”, “Happy To Be On An Island In The Sun” and “Somethin’ Stupid,” a duet with his wife Majella. For the record, O’Donnell is still 59. He doesn’t turn 60 until Dec. 12. 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 cha...
Confidence Man Signs With I OH YOU, Books a ‘Holiday’
The new deal comes ahead of “Holiday,” the first track lifted from Confidence Man’s forthcoming sophomore album. Expect this “Holiday” to blow your hair back. “We’ve been wanting to try a ‘hands in the air’ banger forever. Everybody does. It’s quite difficult,” Bones explains. “But for some reason, this song has dropped out of the heavens.” Self-produced, and mixed by Ewan Pearson, “Holiday” was “pretty much perfect from the get-go,” he notes. Speaking over the phone from Sydney, singer Janet Planet describes the new cut as “Underworld meets M.I.A.” True, that’s an unusual vibe, she admits, “but for some reason it works.” “Holiday” is due out Nov. 11. Confidence Man “embody everything an I OH YOU artist should,” comments label founder Johann Ponniah, “they make...
Elton John and Duran Duran Battle For U.K. Albums Chart Crown
Close behind is Duran Duran, whose 15th studio album Future Past (BMG) opens at No. 2. With Future Past, the alternative rock veterans could nab their highest-charting record in 38 years, since 1983’s Seven And The Ragged Tiger led the chart. Duran Duran’s most recent album, 2015’s Paper Gods, debuted and peaked at No. 5 in the U.K. Meanwhile, Lana Del Rey’s Blue Banisters (Polydor) starts at No. 3 on the chart blast. It’s the U.S. alt-pop artist’s eighth record and second release of 2021. Scottish rock favorites Biffy Clyro start at No. 4 on the midweek chart with The Myth Of The Happily Ever After (Warner Records). As the chart race enters its second stage, it’s all to play for. According to the Official Charts Company, just 4,500 chart sales currently separate the all-new Top 4. C...
Adele Sets Homecoming 2022 Concerts
Adele’s comeback track “Easy On Me” blasted to No. 1 on the Official U.K. Chart last Friday, setting records along the way. The song is roaring up the charts around the planet, as it starts at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Global Charts, Australia’s national survey and elsewhere. “Easy On Me” is the first track lifted from Adele’s 30, her forthcoming fourth album due out Nov. 19. It’s the followup to 2015’s 25, an album so popular, Adele was crowned IFPI Global Recording Artist of the Year for the year, an award which recognizes the top artist across physical sales, downloads and streaming. Her global tour in support of that album was pure box office dynamite. When it wrapped, Adele stepped away from the public glare for five-long years, until “Easy On Me” dropped in full earlier this...
Adele’s ‘Easy on Me’ Dominates Both Billboard Global Charts
Billboard‘s two global charts, which began in September 2020 and recently marked their first year, rank songs based on streaming and sales activity culled from more than 200 territories around the world, as compiled by MRC Data. The Billboard Global 200 is inclusive of worldwide data and the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart comprises data from territories excluding the U.S. Chart ranks are based on a weighted formula incorporating official-only streams on both subscription and ad-supported tiers of audio and video music services, as well as download sales, the latter of which reflect purchases from full-service digital music retailers from around the world, with sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites excluded from the charts’ calculations. ‘Easy on Me’ Vaults 19...
