business
The Vamps Snag U.K. No. 1 With ‘Cherry Blossom’
Veteran Irish crooner Daniel O’Donnell extends his national chart record as his new album Daniel (DMG TV) starts at No. 3, and becomes his 40th U.K. Top 40 album. The veteran country artist has landed a Top 10 album in each of the last 29 years, and is the first artist to have an LP on the national sales chart each year for the last 32 years. Daniel’s No. 3 bow is an equal career best, jointly held with O’Donnell’s 2003 album Daniel In Blue Jeans. Following the announcement of her new, global publishing deal with Reservoir, Georgia-born singer Katie Melua’s Album No. 8 (BMG) enters at No. 7. It’s her eighth Top 10 record. Philippines-born, British indie rock artist Beabadoobee is new at No. 8 with her debut album Fake It Flowers (Dirty Hit). Beabadoobee was shortlisted for the 2020 BRITs’ ...
iHeartMedia to Acquire Voxnest, Its Latest Bet on Podcasting
Like Spotify’s two-pronged approach to podcasting, a mix of acquisitions and original content, iHeartMedia has actively improved its stature in the format. Among the U.S. audience, as of September, iHeartMedia narrowly ranked second behind NPR, 26.05 million to 25.98 million, according to podcast analytics company Podtrac. iHeartMedia produces such popular podcasts as Stuff You Should Know, Crime Stories With Nancy Grace, Paper Ghosts and Dead Ass With Khadeen and Devale Ellis. iHeartMedia certainly needs a boost in 2020. Digital advertising accounted for about one-fifth of iHeartMedia’s second quarter revenue, from April to June. Broadcast radio sales, half of total revenues, fell 56.5% compared to the same period last year from $561.1 million to $244 million. But podcasting revenue grew ...
Travis Scott Announces Creative Partnership With PlayStation to Promote PS5
Another day, another franchise Travis Scott teams up with. This time, the “Franchise” rapper is leveling up with PlayStation to promote their upcoming console. Scott’s expertise between the rapping and gaming worlds proves paramount in his latest business collaboration, where he serves as a strategic creative partner. He boasted on Sept. 25 that he already had his hands on the PS5, which isn’t set to be released until Nov. 12. And on Friday (Oct. 23), he posted a black-and-white promo video introducing the key team members who designed the next-gen console and himself being blown away by the final product. “TS5,” he captioned the clip on Twitter, which might also be teasing Sony PlayStation-branded Nike sneakers. “I’m super thankful and ...
Yandel & Rapeton Founder El Guru Launch New Artist Development Venture
“I’ve been following Angel’s growth for several years,” says Yandel, whose real name is Llandel Veguilla. “I think he’s a natural A&R who truly wants to help new artists. I’m 100% convinced that with my record label, I can contribute to grow this Rapeton Approved, an idea Angel has been working on since 2016.” Y Entertainment already has producers and artists signed to its roster, including Catalyna, Nesty and Izzy Guerra. However, the new Rapetón Approved will start from scratch in its search for talent, says Yandel’s manager, Andy Martínez, who helped piece the deal together. Likewise, Rapetón will continue to function as it normally does, focused on covering the world of Latin urban music in general and the reggaeton in particular, where Guru is a widely respected fixture with a You...
Metallica, My Chemical Romance to Headline Expanded 2021 Aftershock Festival
Aftershock 2021 will be headlined by Metallica (performing two different sets, one on Friday and one on Sunday) and My Chemical Romance (Saturday), who were both confirmed for the sold-out 2020 event. The 2021 lineup will also include Limp Bizkit, Rancid, The Offspring, Social Distortion, Rise Against, Volbeat, Machine Gun Kelly, Mastodon, Gojira, SEETHER, Parkway Drive and many more. “We can’t wait to play at Aftershock 2021 with our Bay Area brothers Metallica,” Rancid said in a statement. “We first played with them on the Lollapalooza tour in 1996 along with the Ramones and later down the road we toured across South America together. It’s gonna be wild, see ya in the pit!” In 2019, Aftershock celebrated its biggest-ever year with 97,500 in attendance during the sold-out...
Alicia Keys, Shawn Mendes, Offset & More to Perform at ‘Every Vote Counts: A Celebration of Democracy’
Alicia Keys, Kerry Washington and America Ferrera are set to host the event, with Keys also scheduled to perform. Additional performers include Shawn Mendes, Dan + Shay and Offset. “The purpose for this special is to remind and inspire all Americans of the power of their voice and their vote. It’s a challenging time but we have the opportunity to continue to show up and shape the world we want to live in. In a democracy, every vote counts, so we want to encourage and uplift each other and remember we all have a say in the direction of our country because everyone’s participation matters,” host Alicia Keys said in a statement. “Also, for many young people across the country, this is their first time voting so we want to make sure they understand the magnitude of this time and lear...
SiriusXM Revenue Up Slightly to $2 Billion, Pandora Recovers in Virus-Impacted Q3
SiriusXM’s satellite service had steady improvements from the third quarter in 2019.• Satellite subscriber revenue improved 1% to $1.6 billion.• Satellite gross profit grew 7% to $596 billion Pandora had mixed results that showed the business has recovered from a pandemic-related crash in the second quarter. The following are the third-quarter year-over-year results: • Pandora’s advertising revenue dropped 3% to $306 million, a big turnaround from the 31 percent decline in the second quarter.• Pandora’s self-pay net subscribers grew by 105,000. Pandora has two subscription services: a $9.99 premium service and a $4.99 radio tier with limited interactive features.• Pandora’s September advertising increased year-over-year, said Meyer — but didn’t give the number. Three full-year guidan...
The Kid LAROI Tunes up For Spotify’s RADAR Program
Also, Spotify will get behind a mini-documentary on the youngster, set to premiere next month. In recent months, the Kid (real name Charlton Howard) has matured into a fully-grown international chart star. In the U.S., his debut F*ck Love opened at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, with 40,000 combined units (including 33,000 in SEA units and 7,000 sales). F*ck Love bowed at No. 12 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart, just one place behind the debut of two-time Grammy-winning U.S. hip-hop star Logic’s final album, No Pressure. In his homeland, LAROI impacted both main ARIA charts as his debut mixtape started at No. 3 on the albums survey, behind recordings by Taylor Swift and Cub Sport. A protégé of the late Juice WRLD, the 17-year-old bagged three nominations heading into the 20...
Country’s New Kids Are Back On the Block, and Headed to Radio
Meanwhile, Warner Music Nashville artist Shy Carter has launched a socially distanced radio promotion tour, a marketing step that frequently precedes an artist’s debut on the airwaves. It is, perhaps, a sign that record labels and their radio partners are finally feeling a sense of adjusted normalcy after a lengthy period of professional turmoil and national instability. With fewer people commuting to work, in-car listening declined and radio stations adopted a safer posture. Labels, in turn, held back the release of numerous debut singles until conditions became more favorable. “Most stations seemed to tighten up, play big hit records from the recent past and also uptempo, fun records that were current singles by superstars,” says Universal Music Group Nashville executiv...
IMPALA Publishes 12-Point Diversity and Inclusion Charter for Indie Members
“Not discriminating isn’t enough. We must be anti-discriminatory and consciously inclusive,” reads a statement issued Wednesday morning. Following today’s big reveal, guidance and training for members, surveys to gauge diversity and other measures will be put in place, all of which is intended to promote inclusion and diversity across the European independent sector. Those commitments include the mapping and sharing of examples of best practices across Europe; the appointment of a diversity advocate for the lobby body’s board and each of its committees; and the launch of a new program of European and national awards to cast the spotlight on those in the music space working on diversity and inclusion. IMPALA’s charter was prepared by a diversity task force, with veteran British artist...
Miami Club LIV Caught In Power Struggle over COVID-19
The puppeteer behind the parties and arguably the king of South Beach’s nightlife scene, LIV owner David Grutman, stopped by a few months ago to look at new upholstery, but he mostly stays away from the club at the center of his hospitality empire. “I cried real tears,” the 46-year-old Grutman said of his last visit to the shuttered club and nightlife’s seemingly bygone era. “It’s really been my lifeblood.” Technically, LIV and Miami’s other nightclubs could reopen at 50% capacity under an ordered issued Sept. 25 by Gov. Ron DeSantis. But Miami leaders have imposed a midnight curfew — a real buzzkill for a scene that doesn’t even get started until the a.m. hours — and are restricting loud music so that people don’t have to shout and risk spreading the virus through their spittle. Also, a l...
José Padilla, DJ Who Pioneered the Balearic Sound, Dies at 65
The celebrated Spanish DJ and producer traveled from his hometown Barcelona to Ibiza in 1975, where he would later settle in for his legendary Café Del Mar residency and forge a reputation as the godfather of chill-out music. Padilla’s sunset mixes spawned the popular Café del Mar compilation albums, which have sold more than six million copies around the globe, according to his reps. As a producer, Padilla cut remixes for Norah Jones, Chris Rea and others, he would take his tunes to clubs and parties around the globe, and he counted Madonna among his fans. His first artist album, 1998’s Souvenir, went on to earn a Latin Grammy nomination for best instrumental work. As his health deteriorated in recent months and the pandemic saw his income dry up, Padilla launched a GoFundMe. “My situatio...
