business
Coldplay Blasts to No. 1 In U.K. With ‘Music Of The Spheres’
The last figure to chalk-up six-figures in a week was Ed Sheeran’s No. 6 Collaborations Project, which started with 125,000 in July 2019. Pure sales accounted for 85% of Coldplay’s first week tally, a sum that included 12,400 on wax, enough to lead this week’s Official Vinyl Albums Chart. With the strong opening, Coldplay’s collaboration with BTS, “My Universe,” races 15-5 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart, while “Let Somebody Go” featuring Selena Gomez, opens at No. 24, and “Higher Power” reenters at 26. Coldplay performed all three tracks live last week on CBS’ The Late Late Show With James Corden. With the unbroken, career-spanning run of No. 1s, Coldplay tie with Brandon Flowers, who also has a streak of nine consecutive chart-toppers across The Killers and his solo efforts. Noel Gall...
Here’s Where Genre-Bending Albums From Lil Nas X, Halsey, Miley Cyrus & More Landed for 2022 Grammys
Grammy voters have until Nov. 5 to make their choices. Even before first-round voting for the 64th annual Grammy Awards opened on Friday (Oct. 22), we knew that some albums wouldn’t be in the expected genre categories. Kacey Musgraves’ star-crossed was moved from best country album to best pop vocal album, while Bo Burnham’s Inside (The Songs) was slotted in best compilation soundtrack for visual media, not best comedy album, as had been expected. These were hardly the only albums that wound up on the Grammy ballot in places you might not expect. That’s bound to happen as artists increasingly cross genres. Albums often wind up right on the border between two or more genres. In those cases, the Recording Academy’s screening committee endeavors to put it in the most suitable category. Here a...
Adele Blasts to No. 1 In Australia With ‘Easy On Me’
As excitement builds ahead of the Nov. 19 release of 30, Adele’s “Someone Like You” and “Rolling In The Deep” re-enter the chart at No. 40 and 43, respectively, while her three previous albums all enjoy sales spikes. Adele’s latest leads a Top 5 that’s rounded out by Elton John and Dua Lipa’s “Cold Heart (Pnau Remix” (holding at No. 2 via Warner/Universal), The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber’s “Stay” (down 1-3 via Columbia/Sony), and a pair of Ed Sheeran tracks, “Bad Habits” (down 3-4 via Atlantic/Warner) and “Shivers” (down 4-5 via Warner), respectively. Meanwhile, Coldplay secure a seventh ARIA albums chart crown with Music Of The Spheres (Parlophone/Warner), as it rolls to No. 1 on debut. Coldplay hold off The Beatles’ classic final album Let It Be (USM/Universal), which roars to No....
All Eyes on Him: Why Bo Burnham’s ‘Inside’ Could Be a Big Four Grammys Contender
Bo Burnham’s ‘Inside (The Songs)’ aims for where few comedians have gone before: the Big Four. This story is part of Billboard’s 2022 Grammy Preview issue, highlighting the artists, issues and trends that will define awards season. Read our cover story on Halsey, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross here. Tyler Arnold was only 20 minutes into Bo Burnham’s latest musical comedy special, Bo Burnham: Inside, released on Netflix in May, when he started searching for the songs online. When he couldn’t find them, the Republic Records A&R executive immediately reached out to the comedian’s team to change that. The album Inside (The Songs) arrived on streaming platforms on June 10, and it has remained on the Billboard 200 for 19 weeks, including five in the top 10...
IMPALA Unveils First Annual Diversity & Inclusion Report
Highlights outlined in the first annual report include a pair of diversity and inclusion training sessions for members, the release of the first D&I survey for independent music businesses during European Diversity Month in May and the appointment of diversity advocates on all IMPALA committees. The organization also launched a D&I task force advised by music manager and consultant Keith Harris OBE and co-chaired by Eva Karman Reinhold of Swedish indie label association SOM and Paul Pacifico of the U.K.’s Association of Independent Music (AIM). Below is a more detailed look at the report. Surveys: The ongoing D&I survey process is being conducted with two classes: IMPALA member businesses and associations. The separate surveys were designed to incorporate the protect...
APRA AMCOS Powers to Record Revenue, Despite Impact of COVID-19
The results are published in the APRA AMCOS’s Year In Review. On closer look, the APRA AMCOS financial year is a reflection of the two-speed music economy, one where digital is thriving, and those portfolios engaged with live entertainment — including public performance income and background music royalties — are in the doldrums. Those banner results, say the organization, belies “the financial hardship affecting local music creators” whose livelihoods have been crushed by the pandemic. With millions of music fans stuck at home, the brightest spot was streaming. Thanks to audio streaming services and on-demand services, digital revenue was essentially “pandemic proof,” according to a statement accompanying the PRO’s full-year financial results. Digital income grew during the pe...
Triller & Veteran Exec Steve Rifkind Launch Spring Singles Artist Discovery Platform
“We’re creating a new pathway to finding and launching the kind of raw talent that makes people stop and say, ‘Whoa, there’s a new star,’” said Rifkind in a statement. “Triller’s ability to amplify these new voices to the right audiences using their AI tools and sophisticated marketing is the way we hope to empower new voices so they can have a very real opportunity to potentially break through. We want to create a rhythm to our song releases. By scheduling them every two weeks, we will hopefully have created something that people pay attention to and look forward to. We have already found some amazing talent that we can’t wait to introduce.” Added Mahi de Silva, CEO of TrillerNet, parent company of Triller, Verzuz, FITE, Triller Fight Club, TrillerVerz and Amplify.ai, “Steve Rifkind is sy...
Chris Stapleton Postpones Shows to Rest Injured Vocals
On medical advice, Stapleton will “continue my vocal rest through the weekend in order to fully heal. I am sorry that so many of you have been inconvenienced and I’m truly thankful for your patience and understanding.” He continues, “Nothing is more personal to me than the experience of music. I’m eternally grateful for the privilege of sharing in that journey with all of you night after night. Thank you for your continued support and I hope to see you all very soon.” The Nashville, TN shows have been rescheduled for Dec. 10 and 11, and a replacement date for Ohio’s Riverbend will be locked in for 2022 and announced “as soon as possible.” The Lexington, Kentucky native is touring in support of his fourth full-length album Starting Over, which blasted to No. 1 on Billboard’s Top ...
Spotify Partners With Shopify for Artist Merch Sales
In an interview with Billboard, Camille Hearst, the head of Spotify for Artists, said the goal for that program is to provide “the information and resources that artists need to grow their fan bases and ultimately get paid for them,” and the Shopify partnership is the latest example of that. “As we think about what are all the ways we can help artists get paid, what are the ways we can help artists maximize additional revenue streams, merch is one of the things that comes top of mind,” Hearst says. “That’s why we are announcing this partnership with Shopify because we think it really is the next step in creating a holistic audience development platform.” “It’s just a natural fit for Spotify in many ways,” Hearst continues. “...
Mariah Carey Teams Up With Winklevoss Twins’ Cryptocurrency Platform for Education Campaign
Tyler Winklevoss shared his enthusiasm and strategy behind the collaboration with the pop superstar, saying, “It’s great to see Mariah and other celebrities discover bitcoin as an investment and hedge against inflation. Cryptos like bitcoin and ether were two of the best performing assets of the last decade. Our goal at Gemini is to help educate you on the promise of crypto and make it simple, easy, and safe for you to engage in this new asset class.” Carey credited Gemini’s free resources for her education in better investment skills using cryptocurrency in a video on Instagram. You might remember the Winklevoss twins from the 2010 film The Social Network, where they were both portrayed by Armie Hammer as Mark Zuckerberg’s classmates who accuse him of stealing the i...
UK Music Streaming Sector Faces Probe From Competition Watchdog
The Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Committee raised concerns about how the dominance of Universal Music, Sony Music and Warner Music was “distorting the market” and that the benefits of the music streaming boom were not being passed on to musicians. In the U.K., the three majors make up 75% of the recorded music market, with independents accounting for the remaining 25%, according to the Association of Independent Music (AIM). Streaming now accounts for four-fifths (80.6%) of all music consumption in the U.K., according to labels trade body BPI. “The U.K. has a love affair with music and is home to many of the world’s most popular artists. We want to do everything we can to ensure that this sector is competitive, thriving and works in the interests of musi...
APRA AMCOS Revokes Denis Handlin’s Ted Albert Award
The PRO’s decision comes exactly a week after the Australian Broadcasting Corporation aired Facing The Music, a 46-minute report which explored allegations of systemic bullying, discrimination and misconduct at the label under Handlin’s leadership. More than 100 current and former Sony Music employees were interviewed for the report. The Ted Albert Award is one of the most prestigious honors in the Australia music industry, and is typically presented during the annual APRA Awards. Past recipients have included the late Michael Gudinski, Michael Chugg, Fifa Riccobono and Archie Roach. In revoking the accolade, APRA AMCOS said it is “committed to fostering a music industry that upholds a high level of professional respect and conduct, and does not condone any form of bullying...
