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The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber’s ‘Stay’ Bows at No. 1 In Australia
It’s the fifth leader for Bieber, after “What Do You Mean?” and “Love Yourself” (both in 2015), “I Don’t Care” with Ed Sheeran (2019) and “Peaches” (2021). “Stay” will appear on Laroi’s forthcoming mixtape F**k Love 3 EP, due out next Friday (July 23). Further down the list, BTS bag a fourth Top 10 singles in Australia as “Permission to Dance” (Big Hit/Orchard) bows at No. 6, while the K-pop phenom’s previous release “Butter” lifts 37-26. Billie Eilish has another Top 20 to her name as “NDA” (Interscope/Universal) opens at No. 16. The California star’s latest release is lifted from her forthcoming sophomore album Happier Than Ever, due out July 30. “NDA” is the fifth track from the album to impact the ARIA Singles Chart, including Top 10s “My Future,” “Therefore I Am” and “Your Power.” Mea...
Carly Pearce Set to Host 2021 ACM Honors
As previously reported, Hillary Lindsey — known for penning “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” among many other major country hits — will be honored with the songwriter of the year award, whileJay Joyce will receive the award for producer of the year for the fifth time. “We look forward to having industry and fans join us as we recognize the significant accomplishments of our 55th and 56th studio recording awards, industry awards, songwriter of the year and special awards winners with a night of unforgettable performances,” said Damon Whiteside, CEO of the ACM. The 14th annual ACM Honors will be livestreamed for viewers on Circle network’s channels. Alternatively, tickets to the live show are available for purchase on&...
Biden wanted a climate alliance with Europe. He’s getting a fight.
“You could bring back the kind of trade frictions that have been characteristics of the U.S.-EU relationship with tit-for-tat solutions, and I think that’s a problem,” said John Podesta, who was President Barack Obama’s top climate adviser and is in frequent contact with Biden officials. “The bilateral relationship between the U.S. and EU democracy is perhaps the most important relationship now to create a structure for solving these global problems, and that’s why this is sort of a test case for that. Can we get our act together now?” Biden has made addressing climate change one of his administration’s top priorities, but the U.S. is miles behind the European Union, which has created a bloc-wide carbon trading system to wean itself off the greenhouse gas that plays the biggest...
The Weeknd Invests in Company That Sells Personalized Songs From Artists
The Weeknd has invested in a company that allows people to buy personalized songs from artists called Songfinch, according to Music Business Worldwide. The Chicago-based company promises to provide customers with an original recorded song within three to seven days. Songfinch’s website advertises that for $199 USD, it gives customers the opportunity to transform “their favorite stories, memories and shared details into one-of-a-kind songs that make for unforgettable gifts.” The custom song service offers people the option to select the style and mood of a song and share stories and memories to inspire lyrics, as well as to specify the occasion and preferred gender of the vocalist. From there, the company chooses an artist from their own community to write and record the song and delivers i...
Biden’s BLM pick hit with new allegations from former investigator in tree-spiking case
“She was aware that she was being investigated in 1989 and again in 1993 when she agreed to the immunity deal with the government to avoid criminal felony prosecution,” Merkley wrote in a letter obtained by the committee and shared with POLITICO. When asked if she had ever been the target of an investigation, arrested or charged with a crime in her official Senate committee questionnaire from earlier this year, Stone-Manning had answered “no.” The designation of target is generally reserved for individuals for whom an investigation finds substantive evidence of their committing a crime. Stone-Manning’s awareness that investigators suspected she had knowledge of the tree-spiking, a practice advocated by some fringe environmental groups in which metal or other material is inserted into...
Swedish House Mafia Returns: In Stockholm With the Dance Music Legends
And the group was still hard at work on more new music: In June 2019, the members were in the studio with A$AP Rocky the day before he turned himself in to Swedish police following an alleged street brawl (and was subsequently held in detention for two months). Still, the group dragged its feet on releasing singles — it still felt the album was unfinished. Then, everything stopped. The COVID-19 pandemic struck — and the Swedes, in a way, got what they wanted: much more time to work on the music. “Now we laugh about the early ideas,” says Angello. “We’re like, ‘Holy s–t — we were supposed to put that out?’ ” The pandemic may have had some silver linings for artists, but the Swedes weren’t immune to its many downsides. Sweden never fully locked down and only recommended wearing ma...
LeBron James’ SpringHill Co. Rumored to Hit $750 Million USD in Valuation
Founded by NBA All-Star LeBron James and longtime business partner Maverick Carter, video production company SpringHill Co. is in talks with potential investors for the sale of a piece of the firm which would amount to $750 million USD in valuation. Rumor has it that the media firm and Nike were in discussion about a potential complete company sale, but SpringHill cleared the air as it’s not looking to sell itself outright. The company has garnered a lot of interest across various industries with the likes of Nike as well as streaming-video providers and tech companies due to its incline in major projects. Its portfolio includes the recent Warner Bros. film Space Jam: A New Legacy staring James, a remake of the 1990 classic comedy House Party for New Line and Adam Sandler’s upcoming film H...
A24 Reportedly Explored a Possible Sale With a $3 Billion USD Asking Price
Indie film and television studio, A24 has reportedly explored a potential sale, with the asking price that was set between $2.5 billion USD to $3 billion USD. The studio, which is behind the Oscar-winning film Moonlight and Adam Sandler’s Uncut Gem has apparently been in multiple discussions regarding a sale of the production house for more than a year and a half. Sources have told Variety that as of now, the company is looking to prioritize its expansion as opposed to a sale. In recent years, A24 has made a name for itself in the industry, with critically acclaimed films, making a mark by tackling different storylines and genres. Its 2016 success with Moonlight placed the studio on the map, reportedly a large part of the going price for A24. The studio has expanded into producing shows wh...
UK Parliament Inquiry Recommends ‘Complete Reset’ of Streaming Business
But the committee’s report goes further, concluding in sweeping fashion that the global streaming model pioneered and dominated by Spotify, Apple, YouTube and Amazon Music, is unsustainable in its current form. “Streaming has undoubtedly helped save the music industry following two decades of digital piracy, but it is clear that what has been saved does not work for everyone,” the committee writes in its 200-page report. “The issues ostensibly created by streaming simply reflect more fundamental, structural problems within the recorded music industry. Streaming needs a complete reset.” In 2020, roughly two-thirds of Spotify’s global streams came from music distributed by the major record labels, Spotify said in a March 19 written submission to the DCMS committee, although that total ...
Fed’s Powell feels heat from all sides as inflation spikes
Lawmakers from both parties grilled Powell on the topic, highlighting the high-wire act he faces — both in policy and politics — in balancing the risks of higher inflation before President Joe Biden’s decision later this year on whether to reappoint him for another four-year term. Republicans repeatedly cautioned that the price spikes could accelerate, while Democrats argued that the Fed should not do anything to slow the recovery until it reaches more working-class people. “My concern, to be frank, is that a misplaced diagnosis playing out with inflation could cause the Federal Reserve to prematurely raise rates and constrain wage and employment gains that have been beneficial to millions of Americans,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said. The take from Republicans, who have hamme...
Warner Music Group Elects Nancy Dubuc to Board of Directors; Thomas Lee Stepping Down
“Nancy is an exceptional addition to the board,” said Len Blavatnik, vice chairman of the WMG board and founder and chairman of Access Industries. “Her experience in visual and digital media, combined with her knowledge of youth culture and the entertainment market, make her well suited to help guide WMG’s growth. I would also like to thank Tom for his many years of valuable service on the board, and I’m pleased that we’ll be able to call on his expertise in the future.” Added Dubuc, “Music now lives in many different forms, across cultures, technologies, and media. Warner’s dynamic, global approach to creativity and commerce, along with the powerful value proposition it offers artists and songwriters, make it a truly progressive and exciting company. I’m looking forward to working with ev...
AGF: Ohanaeze legal monitoring group on Nnamdi Kanu not necessary
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, has said the legal team formed by the umbrella group for Igbo people, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, to monitor proceedings of the trial of leader of the prescribed Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, was not necessary. He, however, welcomed the Ohanaeze team, saying it was in line with the doctrine of the right of fair hearing rooted in Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution. Recall that the separatist leader was arrested in June 2021 outside the country. Kanu is facing charges bordering on treasonable felony instituted against him at the court in response to years of campaign for the independent Republic of Biafra through IPOB. He had been granted bail in April 2017 but jumped bail. After his re-arrest in June 202...
