music blog
March Country Rookie of the Month: Carter Faith
Last year, Carter Faith hit three major life milestones: The North Carolina native not only graduated from Nashville’s Belmont University, but she made her debut performance at the Ryman Auditorium and released her six-song EP Let Love Be Love, via Pound It Out Loud Entertainment. Explore See latest videos, charts and news Now, Faith has inked a music publishing deal with Universal Music Publishing Group Nashville, Billboard can exclusively reveal. “After I released the EP, it was really cool to see people in town that I looked up to really respond to it,” Faith tells Billboard. “They were willing to write with me and I would just randomly get set up to write with people at UMPG. [A&R Directors] Roxy King and Zach Lund reached out and loved what I was writing.” Top row (L-R): Zach Lund...
How Atlantic Records Plans to Promote 56 Songs From ‘American Song Contest’
The 56 artists competing in the inaugural edition of NBC’s American Song Contest – which debuted Monday (March 21) evening — will have their songs released by Atlantic Records, the legendary American label that has been home to iconic artists such as Aretha Franklin, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and Ed Sheeran. Billboard spoke with Atlantic Records president, West Coast, Kevin Weaver about the label’s involvement with the competition and plans for the season. How did Atlantic Records become the label for the American Song Contest? Ben Silverman and Audrey Morrissey are both really good friends of mine. Ben propagated the deal to bring the format to the U.S. I talked to Ben very early on and then I saw the press announcements that NBC picked up the show and then they hired Audrey ...
The Legal Beat: Why Is Rap Music Still On Trial?
This is The Legal Beat, a weekly newsletter about music law from Billboard Pro, offering you a one-stop cheat sheet of big new cases, important rulings, and all the fun stuff in between. This week: A deep dive into how prosecutors are still using rap lyrics to convict the artists who wrote them; a bold new argument centered on “teetotaling” in the Prince estate’s fight against ‘Purple Rain’ wine; a big copyright settlement for Lizzo after years of litigation over her smash hit ‘Truth Hurts,’ and more. THE BIG STORY: Why Are Rap Lyrics Still Cited In Court? “It made absolutely no sense,” Ezra Rosenberg told me, speaking about the 2008 murder conviction of a New Jersey man named Vonte Skinner. Rosenberg, an attorney who worked with the ACLU on Skinner’s case, was specifically talking about t...
Miami Declares State of Emergency In Wake Of Spring Break Gun Violence
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Miami Herald / Getty Looks like Spring Breakers done turned South Beach into the Wild Wild West as officials in Miami is putting a damper on Spring Break due to the recent surge in gun violence that’s taken a hold of their streets. NPR is reporting that the City of Miami Beach has declared a state of emergency shortly after implementing a city-wide curfew for Spring Break due to shootings that took place over the weekend that left five people wounded. “During a news conference Monday with the Miami Beach Police Department and other city officials, Mayor Dan Gelber said that tourists had created an “unacceptable” atmosphere across the city, and that the city was “way past its endpoint.” Calling the recent surge in violence “unacceptable,” Gelber added that...
Mercy Chinwo – Rest ft Olaitan Odoko
The very famous and prolific gospel diva, songwriter, and songster, Mercy Chinwo, has just linked up with Olaitan Odoko in a new music project titled, Rest. This new record was extracted from her trending album which she dubbed The Cross: My Gaze. This new song is placed in the tenth position on the list of sixteen tracks that made up her album. Ever since she stepped into the gospel music world, Mercy Chinwo has been trending for some good reasons. Her sweet voice, her singing prowess, consistency, and so on. She has also starred alongside other big artists in the industry. This song is a great piece of work from Mercy Chinwo and Olaitan Odoko. They made sure that this particular record is not just worth downloading, but also worthy of our ears. Rest is a normal tempo symphony, spirit-fil...
Mercy Chinwo – I Am
Mercy Chinwo, the beautiful and Holy Spirit-inspired Gospel minister, vocalist, and songwriter has again released a new track which she dubbed “I Am“. This new record by Mercy Chinwo comes immediately after she just launched a powerful and amazing sound, “Trust”. Even though both songs were rather sung in an Afro-pop version, they still maintained their gospel precept. Mercy Chinwo’s versatility and music prowess, are not given due credit. She has been a great deal ever since she signed up to the Gospel music community. One can not deny the fact that she has been nothing less of an inspirational and mind-blowing songstress. This unique song, I am, is also a component of her famous album, The Cross: My Gaze. However, this record happens to be placed on the ninth spot of her studio project. ...
Mercy Chinwo – Omotalk Skit
Omotalk Skit is a single track by talented and renowned Nigerian gospel singer, vocalist, songwriter, comedian, and actress Mercy Chinwo. The track is one of Mercy Chinwo’s old tracks that was released 4 years ago. Omotalk Skit is one of the tracks on her debut album titled “THE CROSS: MY GAZE”. This album was released on the 20th of February 2018 by Eezee Conceptz under DIXTRIT media. The album “THE CROSS: MY GAZE” contains 16 tracks where Mercy Chinwo expresses God’s sovereignty, his love, goodness, kindness, and blessing. The album reveals how versatile the music diva is in different genres. It also features multiple guest artists like Olaitan Odoko, Fiokee, Chris Morgan, and Shady B. Omotalk Skit is a vocal, although it is not as popular as other Mercy Chinwo’s songs out there,, ...
Hillsong Worship – New Wine
Hillsong Worship dropped another amazing worship song titled “New wine”. The song “New wine” is a great and outstanding song that encourages one to aim at new dimensions of their life and all that has to do with them in God. Craving for more of God is indeed a safe way to experience some dimension in God. “New wine” by Hillsong Worship Was composed and written by harmonious Brooker Fraser, the song was released on the 6th of April 2018 and is an essential part of the Hillsong Worship album tagged “There is more “. It’s no more difficult to lose our affection, our amazement, our heart for anything these days due to so many distractions in the world today but nevertheless, we must always keep our cravings for God always afresh. Wine is such a meaningful symbol all through the scripture...
Listen to Fort Knox Five and Lazy Syrup Orchestra’s Trippy G-Funk Track, “Start the Ride”
Jumpstart the weekend with Fort Knox Five and Lazy Syrup Orchestra’s first-ever collab. Despite many years of friendship, the two groups have yet to collaborate on an original tune—until now. Out now by way of Fort Knox Recordings, “Start the Ride” encapsulates the seasoned production prowess of Fort Knox Five while incorporating the free-spirited instrumental soundscapes that the Lazy Syrup Orchestra are known for. With nearly two decades of experience under their belt, each release from Fort Knox Five offers an eclectic mix of funk, soul, jazz, hip-hop and electronic music. Ultimately, the goal has always been to take listeners on a journey, and their new single is no exception. “Pack your bags, the psychedelic funk ship is about to set sail with ...
Enter the Maze of Punishment On SVDDEN DEATH’s Debut Album, “VOYD II”
SVDDEN DEATH‘s debut album is the perfect companion for Elden Ring binging. Broken into five unique acts, VOYD II is the quintessential SVDDEN DEATH project. Combining experimental, heavy sounds with his signature dark fantasy aesthetic, his debut LP takes listeners deeper into a world of medieval horror with every track. As listeners turn the first page of the metaphorical book of VOYD, they are met with an ominous rumbling. Some say the sounds are reminiscent of fire and brimstone while others hear the stomping footsteps of a gargantuan beast. All that’s known for sure is that listeners will be subjected to their own worst nightmare, filtering out those not willing to face their fears. A treat to longtime fans of SVDDEN DEATH, the opening act features three tracks w...
GHOST’s ‘Impera’ Lands At No. 2 On BILLBOARD Album Chart
According to Billboard, GHOST‘s fifth album, “Impera”, sold 70,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first week of release to land at position No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart. It marks the third top 10 album — and fifth top 40-charting set — for the Swedish occult rock act. The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. Of “Impera”‘s 70,000 units ea...
Lord of Chaos – KILLING JOKE
RATING: 8/10 KILLING JOKE has been dropping jaws and turning heads since its inception over 40 years ago in England. The act has been forward thinking and continually adventurous, never simmering to a point of normalcy as it has aged. They’ve pushed the envelope of a broad array of styles: post-punk, goth rock, industrial, industrial metal, new wave, synth pop and more. Now, the English band returns with its first release in seven years, “Lord of Chaos”, an EP that features a couple of new tracks as well as the reworking of a pair of songs from its last album, 2015’s “Pylon”. While charismatic frontman Jaz Coleman and guitarist Geordie Walker have essentially been the only ever-present members, KILLING JOKE‘s current configuration features all four...
