International
Taylor Swift Leads Race to U.K. Albums Chart Crown
If Swift snags the glory, Red (Taylor’s Version) would be her second U.K. leader of 2021 and her fourth in less than two years. The U.S. pop superstar would also equal Kylie Minogue as the female solo artist with the second-most U.K. No. 1 albums in U.K. chart history, and behind just Madonna, with 12, according to the OCC. Based on midweek data, the new, 10-minute cut of Swift’s fan-favorite “All Too Well” is set to be the week’s highest-charting debut single, currently at No. 7. Meanwhile, last week’s albums chart champion, ABBA’s Voyage (Polar), which shifted more than 200,000 in its first seven-days, dips 1-3 on the Official Chart update, while Rod Stewart is on track for his 37th U.K. Top 10 album with The Tears of Hercules (EastWest/Rhino). It bows at No. 5 on...
BTS & Ed Sheeran Are Top Winners at 2021 MTV EMAs: Full Winners List
Justin Bieber, who led the field with eight nominations, didn’t win in any categories. Nor did The Kid LAROI, who had five nominations. Saweetie, who hosted the show, won best new (beating Olivia Rodrigo, who at least managed to win best push). This is the sixth consecutive year that a female solo artist has won best new. Saweetie follows Zara Larsson, Dua Lipa, Cardi B, Eilish and Doja Cat. Saweetie also performed a medley of her hits “Best Friend,” “Tap In” and “OUT OUT.” Three other artists both won awards and performed on the show. Colombian heartthrob Maluma won best Latin and also performed his new single “Mama Tetema,” joined by Tanzanian singer Rayvanny. The Italian rock band Måneskin, whose “Beggin’” is in the top 15 on the Billboard Hot 100, won best rock and also performed “Mamm...
Venezuelan Musicians Pursue World’s Largest Orchestra Record
“So many people around you,” she added. “It’s an incredible feeling to be part of something historic. We hope to break the record.” The Guinness World Records will determine within 10 days whether a record was set. More than 250 supervisors were each assigned a group of musicians to observe during the record attempt. For the musicians to set a record, more than 8,097 had to be tallied playing at the same time during a five-minute period of Tchaikovsky’s “Slavonic March.” The Venezuelan arm of the accounting firm KPMG will audit the results. Managing partner Ramon Ostos said the existing record belongs to a Russian group that played that country’s national anthem. The musicians, ranging in age between 12 and 77 and wearing black pants, white shirts and pandemic-mandated face masks, attempte...
ABBA’s ‘Voyage’ Sails to No. 1 In Australia
Prior to the launch of the ARIA Charts in 1983, ABBA had leaders here with ABBA (11 weeks, December 1975 to February 1976), The Best of ABBA (16 weeks, March 1976 to July 1976) and Arrival (8 weeks, November 1976 to January 1977), the charts compiler reports. Also, in 2018, the Mamma Mia! soundtrack, a collection of ABBA covers, hit No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart. Australia has a deep connection with ABBA which dates back to the ‘70s, when Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Anni-Frid toured these parts at the height of their popularity. The Melbourne-originated tribute brand Bjorn Again has been giving ABBA fans their fix since the late ‘80s and, in the ‘90s, the Aussie indie film Muriel’s Wedding introduced a new generation to the supergroup’s catalog. Voyage is also expected to bla...
J-Pop Singer LiSA Shares New ‘Akeboshi’ Music Video
In keeping with the train theme of the anime’s storyline, the video sees LiSA performing the song in a mysteriously illuminated railroad tunnel. The visuals are superimposed with so-called “Alive Paintings” by artist Akiko Nakayama, a mixture of liquid images that represent the world being depicted in the track. The strength and magnitude of the song’s lyrics are also enhanced by the scene that features the veteran anime songstress singing surrounded by flames in the wilderness at night. LiSA’s “Akeboshi” was released digitally on Oct. 18, and the CD version coupled with “Shirogane” — the ending theme of the same anime — as a double-A-side track is set to drop Nov. 17. Watch the clip below. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a ...
Vance Joy’s Travels Are Just Getting Started With New Music, Tour
“It’s funny how that song came along at the last moment of my studies. It came along at that important moment when I was deciding how I was going to spend the next year. That was fortunate. For whatever reason it opened-up at exactly the right time.” In music, timing is everything. “Riptide” was the zeitgeist. It topped triple j’s Hottest 100 poll, won APRA’s song of the year in 2014, caught the attention of TayTay, and it changed the artist’s life. To date, Joy’s singles, which include “Mess is Mine,” “Georgia,” “Fire and the Flood,” “Lay It On Me,” “I’m With You,” “Saturday Sun” and “We’re Going Home,” have been streamed more than 3.2 billion times. The legal community’s loss is the music industry’s gain. With the prospect of a career behind a desk in the rearview, Joy has re...
Justin Bieber’s Saudi Arabia Performance Slammed by Human Rights Foundation
The Formula One event will also feature performances from A$AP Rocky, Jason Derulo, Tiesto and David Guetta, and HRF says that it also sent letters to these performers as well as Egyptian singer Mohamed Hamaki about performing in the event. (The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to HRF for additional comment.) “We are writing to urgently inform you of the human rights crisis in Saudi Arabia; to explain the role that the regime of MBS [Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman] has played in violating the rights of tens of millions of Saudis; to ask that you consider the unfortunate implications of your engagement with the brutal dictatorship of MBS; and to respectfully request that, in light of your status as a global personality, you take this opportunity to positively influence human rights poli...
Tencent Music Ekes Out 3% Revenue Gain After Tough Quarter
At the end of the quarter, QQ Music’s daily video views and viewers reached 100mm and 18mm respectively, representing triple-digit annual growth. Music streaming services may bear the name “music” but are increasingly “pan-entertainment,” a term TME used to describe competitors that lured away its “casual users” and caused monthly average users to drop from the second quarter. (Music users’ average revenue per user slid to 8.9 RMB ($1.39) from 9.4 RMB ($1.47) in the prior-year period.) In addition to focusing on videos, TME is building its live-streaming business, used by 10,000 musicians by the end of the third quarter, and long-form audio — audiobooks, podcasts — that reach 140 million users monthly, up 89% increase year over year...
Ed Sheeran’s ‘=’ Blasts to No. 1 In U.K.
Of that lofty sum, 68% was physical sales, including 11,600 copies on vinyl, the week’s best-seller on wax. Meanwhile, streaming generated 18% of combined sales, and the remainder (14%) was downloads. Meanwhile, former Verve frontman Ashcroft bows at No. 2 with his retrospective Acoustic Hymns Vol. 1 (BMG), for his sixth U.K. Top 10 album, while the 25th anniversary reissue of Spice Girls’ debut Spice (UMC/Virgin) heats at up No. 5. Philadelphia rock outfit The War On Drugs start at No. 6 with I Don’t Live Here Anymore (Atlantic). It’s their second appearance in the Top 10, following 2017’s A Deeper Understanding, which peaked at No. 3. Over on the Official U.K. Singles Chart, Adele holds top spot for a third week with her hit comeback track “Easy On Me.” It was anything but an easy victor...
Ed Sheeran, Adele Battle For U.K. Singles Chart Crown
Adele’s “Easy On Me,” the U.K.’s best-seller of the past three weeks, is close behind at No. 2, with just 500 chart sales separating them. Based on OCC data from the first 48 hours in the chart cycle, Brighton rapper ArrDee has the hottest start with Flowers “(Say My Name)” at No. 6. The track, which puts a drill spin on Sweet Female Attitude’s “Flowers” and Destiny’s Child’s “Say My Name,” is set to become the artist’s third U.K. Top 10 single. Also aiming for a Top 20 debut is Travis Scott’s new release “Escape Plan” while Summer Walker and SZA’s joint “No Love,” from Walker’s Still Over It LP, is new at No. 20. If it keeps its momentum, it’ll give Walker her highest charting U.K. single to date, and SZA’s fifth Top 20. The Official U.K. Singles Chart is published late Friday, local time...
Brazilian Sertanejo Star Marília Mendonça Dies in Plane Crash at 26
Brazilian sertanejo star Marília Mendonça has died in a plane crash in the state of Minas Gerais, according to an official statement posted to the singer’s Instagram page. The 26-year-old artist was on her way to perform in the city of Caratinga. All five passengers, including the plane’s crew, lost their lives in the accident. “With immense regret, we confirm the death of singer-songwriter Marília Mendonça, her producer Henrique Ribeiro, her uncle and advisor Abicieli Silveira Dias Filho, and the pilot and co-pilot, of which we won’t reveal their names at this time. The plane took off from Goiania to Caratinga where Marília would perform tonight. At the moment, this is all the information we have.” With more than 8 million listeners on Spotify and more t...
HYBE’s Quarterly Earnings Get Boost From Ithaca Holdings as BTS Concerts Await
Content featuring BTS and management fees from Ithaca’s clients helped generate record revenue in the third quarter. It took a coalition of songs, artists and merchandise — plus a big acquisition — to help Korean music company HYBE, the home of BTS, recover from a fourth straight quarter without touring revenue. BTS’ hit “Butter” and revenue from Ithaca Holdings, which HYBE acquired in April, helped the company post record quarterly revenue of 341 billion KRW ($288 million) in Q3, up 79.5% from the prior-year period, the company announced on Thursday (Nov. 4). HYBE held up remarkably well while the pandemic has brought its concert business, historically a major money-maker, to a complete standstill. Concerts accounted for 29% and 33% of HYBE...
