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Sean Warner to Lead Universal Music Australia
BRISBANE, Australia — Universal Music Australia taps Sean Warner for the top job, which will vacated by the incumbent George Ash at year’s end. Announced Tuesday (Dec. 13), Warner is promoted to president, Universal Music Australia & New Zealand, with effect from Jan. 1, 2023. The incoming chief is a UMA stalwart with 15 years’ experience leading the company’s commercial business, both physical and digital. Warner joined UMA in 2007 as national sales manager and has served on its senior management team in recent years, most recently as senior vice president of commercial, with duties for the commercial growth, innovation and digital development for UMA & New Zealand. During his time with Universal, Warner has overseen the commercial strategy in Southeast Asia (SEA), launched...
Mariah Carey Leads Christmas Trifecta on Midweek U.K. Chart
The Christmas takeover is about to begin on the U.K. chart, with three holiday classics jostling for the crown. Based on sales and streaming data published by the Official Charts Company, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” (Columbia) holds the edge at the halfway point, ahead of Wham’s “Last Christmas” (RCA) and Ed Sheeran & Elton John’s “Merry Christmas” (Atlantic), respectively. Just 1,000 chart sales separate the three tracks at the midweek point, the OCC reports. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news All three tracks have led the Official U.K. Singles Chart, with Carey’s 1994 classic the current No. 1. They’ll face some stiff competition for the coveted Christmas No. 1 in the form of LadBaby. The husband and wife duo of Mark and...
Taylor Swift “Shake It Off” Copyright Lawsuit Dropped One Month Ahead of Trial
Taylor Swift has reached an agreement with two songwriters who allege some of the lyrics to her 2014 hit “Shake It Off” were lifted from 3LW’s “Playas Gon’ Play” to drop their copyright lawsuit, which had been going on for five years. Attorneys for both Swift and songwriters Sean Hall and Nathan Butler participated in a joint filing asking a judge to “[dimiss] this action in its entirety” (via Billboard) ahead of the scheduled trial, which was set to begin in January 2023. The public filings didn’t disclose any terms of the presumed settlement, like a change in songwriting credits or an exchange of money. Hall and Butler filed the lawsuit back in September 2017, claiming “Shake It Off” stole the lyrics “players gonna play” and “haters gonna hate” from “Playas Gon’ Play.” US District Judge ...
Mexican Government to Fine Ticketmaster for Overselling Bad Bunny Tickets
Taylor Swift isn’t the only artist with greater demand than Ticketmaster can handle. The government of Mexico said it would fine Ticketmaster for its alleged mismanagement of ticket sales to Bad Bunny’s recent concerts in Mexico City, where hundreds of people were denied entry due to having “counterfeit” tickets. Bad Bunny’s Mexico City concerts on December 9th and 10th were the last two dates in his “El Ultimo Tour Del Mundo” tour, and around 80,000 people were in attendance. Many more people found themselves stuck outside the venue after being sold an “unprecedented number” of fake tickets to the shows. “This caused an unusual overcrowding and the intermittent operation of our system, which generated confusion and complicated entrance to the stadium, with the unfortunate consequence that...
How to Get Tickets to Walker Hayes’ 2023 Tour
Walker Hayes has unleashed dates for his 2023 “Duck Buck Tour,” and fans won’t want to risk hunting down tickets to the country star’s upcoming trek before it’s too late. “I can’t wait to get back out on tour,” Hayes shared in a statement. “All the fans that have come out or will come out are making this dream a reality. I owe it all to them, and this next tour will be the biggest and best. I don’t take for granted that they spent their hard-earned money on my shows, and I plan to make it well worth it!” Get tickets here, and read on for more details including pre-sale dates. What Is Walker Hayes’ Next Tour? Advertisement Related Video The 23-date “Duck Buck Tour” kicks off in Rosemont, Illinois on April 13th, followed by stops in Peoria, Illinois; Evansville, Indiana; and Rogers, Ark...
How to Get Tickets to Janet Jackson’s 2023 Tour
Janet Jackson has set the dates for her 2023 “Together Again” tour, and tickets will lift The Velvet Rope for fans to her first tour in four years. Get tickets here, and read on for more details including pre-sale dates. What Is Janet Jackson’s Next Tour? The “Together Again” tour will launch in Hollywood, Florida on April 14th. Jackson will hit Orlando; Savannah, Georgia; and Birmingham, Alabama in the first week, then performs in Columbia, South Carolina; Atlanta; and Memphis in the second. She closes April in St. Louis, then opens the next month in Kansas City, Missouri. Advertisement Related Video Jackson will play Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on May 4th and Bristow, Virginia’s Jiffy Lube Live on May 6th before headlining New York City’s Madison Square Garden on May 9th. She’ll c...
Clockenflap Returns To Hong Kong in 2023 With Arctic Monkeys, Phoenix and More
Clockenflap, Hong Kong’s biggest international outdoor music and arts festival, is finally set to make its exciting return in 2023. Set to take place from March 3 to March 5, 2023, the first wave of next year’s lineup will be led by Arctic Monkeys, who will be playing in the city for the very first time on March 3, alongside the likes of Phoenix, FKJ, Ezra Collective, MONO, Kings of Convenience and Men I Trust. Also making an appearance across the three-day festival are Milet, Three Man Down, HYBS, Hitsujibungaku, Tyson Yoshi, Ginger Root and LÜCY. The headliners for the other two days and other acts will be unveiled soon. Clockenflap 2023 will mark the first festival in the city since November 2018 and will also see the return of multiple stages and various food and beverage choices. Earl...
SZA Hints at Taking an Extended Break From Music Following Release of ‘SOS’
Following the release of her second studio album SOS just last week, SZA is already hinting at taking an extended break from music. In a recent cover story from Consequence, the singer-songwriter suggests that fans might have to wait just as long for a follow-up to SOS like they i after CTRL released in 2017. In the interview, SZA says, “I’m gonna disappear, definitely, for as long as I can. We kinda knocked it out. I need to shoot as many videos as I can, so I can disappear for longer.” After SOS released, an old quote from 2020 of SZA saying that the follow-up album to CTRL will be her final album, has resurfaced and gone viral once again. While SZA has not provided a timeline has to how long she will “disappear,” she has given fans plenty to enjoy with SOS, a 68 minute long album featur...
Brittney Griner Cut Off Locs Due to Frigid Russian Temperatures
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Russian State Media / Russia State Media WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold-medalist Brittney Griner returned home to the United States last week after a high stakes trade with Russia. The world champion basketball player had been incarcerated in Russia for 10 months. Photos of Griner as she arrived showed her missing her long signature locs and according to her attorney, she cut her hair off to deal with the frigid Russian winters because her locs would freeze every time she washed her hair. Related Stories Griner’s attorney, Maria Blagovolina told ESPN that Griner made the decision in preparation for life in a prison camp. “It’s very cold in there and every time she washed her hair she got cold and would get a chill,” she said. “She should ...
Twitter Blasts Dave Chappelle For Bringing Out Elon Musk In San Francisco
HipHopWired Featured Video CLOSE Dave Chappelle, already contending with criticism from his usual adoring audiences for some of his biting humor, finds himself in the crosshairs of fans once more. During a recent concert, the veteran comedian brought out Twitter chief Elon Musk, who was met with a minutes-long chorus of boos in the process, prompting Chappelle to hurl insults at the crowd. Dave Chappelle, 49, performed over the weekend at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif. where he surprised concertgoers with the appearance from Musk. As of late, Musk has become persona non grata for certain segments of the world due to his handling of the purchase of Twitter, and some of the Tesla chief’s own controversial stances. Someone attending the concert managed to capture video footage of t...
8 Things We Learned From Pan-African Avenger Dr. Umar On ‘The Breakfast Club’
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Power 105 / The Breakfast Club It’s been a hot minute since Dr. Umar Johnson swung by your favorite early morning Hip-Hop show. Last week the Pan-African Avenger graced Charlamagne Tha God and DJ Envy with his presence and gave The Breakfast Club listeners all the knowledge they could handle. From explaining why the school he’s been working on hasn’t opened its doors yet, to the story behind that now famous picture of him chopping it up with a white girl, Dr. Umar Johnson gets into all the details about his personal life, his opinions on politics and the death of Johnny Cochrane (seriously). Here are the eight things we learned, although were plenty more, from Dr. Umar Johnson on The Breakfast Club. He’s Opening A School In Delaware Speaking about the sch...
Uncle Luke & Fat Joe Chat Regarding Trick Daddy & Pitbull
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Johnny Louis / Getty There is no doubt that Fat Joe tells captivating stories. Uncle Luke is now weighing in on his claim that he put on Trick Daddy and Pitbull. As spotted on Complex the Rap icon threw a flag on the play regarding an interview Joe conducted. Back in May the “Lean Back” appeared on Math Hoffa’s My Expert Opinion podcast. The Q&A ran for almost three hours and resulted in some several memorable responses and a few hot takes. Fast forward to December and a clip where Fat Joe claimed responsibility for getting Trick Daddy and Pitbull their first deals landed on Luke’s radar. “Pitbull, I took his demo and got him signed,” Joe explained. “Trick Daddy, I took his shit and got him signed”. Related Stories The 2 Live Crew founder to...
