music blog
The Answers to the Latest Billboard x VersusGame Matchups: Dua Lipa, Lil Nas X, Jack Harlow & More
Last week’s Billboard and VersusGame matchups challenging your chart-predicting prowess featured Dua Lipa, Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow. Billboard and VersusGame have joined forces to bring music fans a one-of-a-kind, user-generated experience with games that test knowledge of pop culture for a chance to win prizes. Billboard is hosting bi-weekly head-to-head challenges on entertainment and pop culture gaming app VersusGame, where fans can vote on their favorite artists and songs and wager on who will top the charts and more. VersusGame data shows that fans have predicted correct chart outcomes nearly three out of four times so far. Last week’s challenges featured the following questions: Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, cha...
Music Earnings Q4 2021: Taking Stock of Spotify, WMG, SiriusXM & More Companies
Most public music companies continued hot streaks by turning in good or excellent numbers for the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2021. For the majority of them, however, it would have been difficult not to impress in 2021 compared to 2020. COVID-19 shut down the touring business for three quarters of 2020, hampered brick-and-mortar retail for much of the year and hammered advertising spending, which affected radio broadcasters as well as streaming services. By the end of 2021, businesses’s main problems were rising costs and labor shortages, not unemployment and unpredictable consumer spending. Each component of the music ecosystem had encouraging results. The three majors — Universal Music Group, Sony’s music division and Warner Music Group — had combined revenues of about $25.4 billion, up 19.8%...
TRIUMPH Documentary ‘Rock & Roll Machine’: U.S. Distribution Announcement Coming Soon
In a new interview with The Metal Voice, drummer Gil Moore of Canadian rock legends TRIUMPH discussed the first-ever feature documentary about the band’s dramatic career, “Triumph: Rock & Roll Machine”, which was made available last month for streaming in Canada, only on Crave. Produced by Emmy and Peabody award-winning Banger Films, “Triumph: Rock & Roll Machine” is a Crave original documentary that has been described as “a celebratory, exhilarating thrill ride through the history of one of rock’s most unsung acts.” The film covers TRIUMPH‘s humble beginnings as staples of the GTA circuit in the mid-’70s to their heyday as touring juggernauts, selling out arenas and stadiums all across North America with their legendary s...
ALEX LIFESON’s ENVY OF NONE Project Releases Music Video For New Single ‘Look Inside’
ENVY OF NONE, the new band from Alex Lifeson (RUSH), Andy Curran (CONEY HATCH), Alfio Annibalini and singer Maiah Wynne, will release its self-titled debut album on April 8 via Kscope. The official Jaden D.-directed music video for the LP’s second single, “Look Inside”, can be seen below. Curran, having a “soft spot” for “Look Inside”, recalls the song’s creation: “I was in my studio late one night, headphones on… a few glasses of red wine deep and thought, wouldn’t it be fun to pull out my bass, blow up the tone, double it and play to a really messed up super slow drum groove. It’s got a real stoner vibe to it. That’s what happens when you mix wine and bass… Mission accomplished!” With the rough bed track and so...
HENRY ROLLINS Expresses Solidarity With People Of Ukraine
In a new interview with Joe Rock of Long Island, New York’s 102.3 WBAB radio station, punk rock icon Henry Rollins, who is a relentless world traveler, expressed his solidarity with the people of Ukraine over Russia’s invasion of the country. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “The thing is still, in a way, breaking news. What I have been thinking about is everybody at my [spoken-word] shows in Kyiv, no one’s life is what it was a month ago. And I think of all those people throughout the last several days, ’cause they’re either moving, they’re on their way somewhere or they’re panicked or they’re not having a great time today. And these are people — very friendly. I talked to a lot of them. They were waiting for me at the hot...
PHIL CAMPBELL To Perform MOTÖRHEAD Classics On May 2022 U.K. Tour
PHIL CAMPBELL AND THE BASTARD SONS, the band featuring MOTÖRHEAD guitarist Phil Campbell alongside his sons Todd, Dane and Tyla, will embark on a U.K. tour which will see them play a set of MOTÖRHEAD classics. The group, which is rounded out by vocalist Joel Peters, will play 11 U.K. shows starting on May 7 at Merthyr Tydfil Redhouse Cymru and ending on May 21 at Bradford Nightrain. Tickets go on sale on Friday, March 11 at 10 a.m. Phil Campbell says: “Looking forward to SLAMMING out some MOTÖRHEAD classics to make your ears bleed one more time.” Tour dates: May 07 – Merthyr, UK @ Tydfil Redhouse Cymru May 08 – Blackpool, UK @ Waterloo Music Bar May 10 – Newcastle, UK @ Cluny May 11 – Edinburgh, UK @ La Belle Angele May 12 – Leeds, UK @ Key Club Ma...
Victony – Apollo
Nigerian singer Victony drops a brand new single titled “Apollo”, out now. Victony serves his amicable audience with his brand new single titled “Apollo” as the official start of the year. The new record “Apollo” comes in as promised by him to help rock your mood and make you feel good. The groovy jam is an amazing piece of good music for your listening pleasure. It serves as a follow-up to a recently featured track released some time ago like Notice, Old School Love, etc. I hope this makes it to your playlist. Listen and share Victony – Apollo below. https://www.naijamusic.com.ng/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Victony_-_Apollo_NaijaMusic.com.ng.mp3 Download
Nic Cage Plays Himself in Red Band Trailer for The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent: Watch
If you’re a fan of Nic Cage and/or Nic Cage memes, you’re going to love The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, which is essentially a Nic Cage meme come to life. The upcoming film from Tom Gormican stars Cage as a fictionalized version of himself, who, after finding himself strapped for cash, agrees to take a $1 million dollar gig to attend the birthday party of his biggest fan, Javi (played by Pedro Pascal). As it turns out, Javi is a drug lord being investigated by a CIA agent (Tiffany Haddish), who ropes Cage into being an undercover operative. The actor is then “forced to live up to his own legend, channeling his most iconic and beloved on-screen characters in order to save himself and his loved ones.” The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent will hit theaters on April 22nd, 2022...
5 Burning Questions the Final Episodes of Ozark Need to Answer
[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for Ozark, Season 4, Episode 7, “Sanctified.”] The first half of Ozark’s final season ended with a bang — two in fact: a shot to the chest and another to the head. There is no lack of shocking deaths in the show’s previous years, but the demise of Darlene Snell (Lisa Emery) and Wyatt Langmore (Charlie Tahan) are being set up to be some of the most consequential. If nothing else, they represent just how quickly and violently the Byrdes schemes have gotten out of control. With Navarro in jail, Marty (Jason Bateman) and Wendy (Laura Linney) must learn how to navigate a new ruthless cartel leader, while Ruth (Julia Garner) is embarking on a grief-stricken revenge rampage that doesn’t bode well. The family money-laundering business is now involved...
Mountains Like Wax Share Origins of “A Lover’s Plea (Act II)” With Julien Baker: Exclusive
Our recurring feature series Origins provides artists with a platform to explore everything that went into their latest release. Today, Mountains Like Wax break down their newest track, “A Lover’s Plea (Act II)” featuring Julien Baker. If indie cred took the physical form of, say, gold coins, Mountains Like Wax would put even Scrooge McDuck to shame with their swimming pool of loot. Cutting their teeth playing house shows and taking seven years between their first EP and debut album to hone their songwriting, Mountains Like Wax have been carefully saving up their coins. With the latest single from their upcoming album Before There Was Plenty, they’re finally cashing in. “A Lover’s Plea (Act II),” steady and contemplative, acts both as a taste of what’s to come and as a reflection of the ba...
Deftones Part Ways with Bassist Sergio Vega
Deftones have parted ways with bassist Sergio Vega after an apparent contract dispute. Vega replaced Chi Cheng after the latter fell into a coma following a horrific car accident, and remained with the band following Cheng’s death in 2013. However, Vega claims he never became an “official member” of Deftones despite handling bass duties for roughly 12 years. Vega, who’s also the bassist for New York post-hardcore band Quicksand, took to Instagram TV to read a lengthy statement explaining the situation. As he tells it, an unreconciled contract negotiation related to Vega’s limited role in the band led to his exit last year. Related Video The statement read [as transcribed by Blabbermouth]: “To give a brief history about me and my friendship with Deftones. We met in 1995. I filled in for [la...
DAVID LEE ROTH’s Skin-Care Line INK THE ORIGINAL Closes Its Doors
Ink The Original, David Lee Roth‘s skin-care line specifically made to preserve, protect, and highlight tattoos and keep them from fading, has apparently closed its doors. Visitors to Ink The Original‘s official web site are now being redirected to a page titled “INK the original – Closing” and are greeted by a graphic containing the message: “First, our favorite restaurant, the corner bookstore, now us.. What a long great trip it’s been..” The phrase “What a long great trip it’s been..” is the same one Roth used when mourning the passing of VAN HALEN guitarist Eddie Van Halen in October 2020. The VAN HALEN singer first discussed his involvement in Ink The Original in a 2018 interview with Vogue. Regarding how he got involved in a...
