music blog
Justice Department to Investigate Live Nation Entertainment for Potential Abuse of Power
The United States Department of Justice is opening an antitrust investigation into Live Nation Entertainment, The New York Times reports. The company, which owns Ticketmaster, has faced increased scrutiny after fans struggled to buy tickets to Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. The investigation, according to The Times, “is focused on whether Live Nation Entertainment has abused its power over the multibillion-dollar live music industry.” The decision to open the investigation, however, was reportedly made before the issues with the Eras Tour tickets. Live Nation and Ticketmaster merged back in 2010, leading to the creation of Live Nation Entertainment. The Justice Department accepted the merger on the condition that Ticketmaster sold another ticketing company it owned to a rival firm. In addition,...
Bruce Springsteen Defends High Ticket Prices for Upcoming Tour
For the first time, Bruce Springsteen has addressed the controversy surrounding the price of tickets for his upcoming tour with the E Street Band. Springsteen’s working class image took a hit when tickets to the tour soared as high as $5,000, pricing out many longtime fans. Springsteen’s manager Jon Landau previously defended the decision to employ Ticketmaster’s dynamic pricing model, which alters the cost of tickets based on demand. Claiming that the vast of majority of ticket sold were in the mid-$200 range, Landau argued, “I believe that in today’s environment, that is a fair price to see someone universally regarded as among the very greatest artists of his generation.” Springsteen made a similar argument in a new interview with Rolling Stone. “What I do is a very simple thing. I tell...
Noah Cyrus on Writing with Ben Gibbard and Living Out Her Legend of Zelda Fantasies
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Amazon Podcasts | Stitcher | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | RSS Noah Cyrus talks her debut album, The Hardest Part, on the latest episode of Kyle Meredith With. Advertisement Related Video The singer-songwriter discusses making an album of goodbyes; telling her story of addiction, mental health, and recovery; and duetting with her dad, Billy Ray Cyrus. Speaking of guests, Noah also digs into what it was like to write and sing with her musical hero, Death Cab for Cutie’s Ben Gibbard, on “Every Beginning Ends,” as well as having singer LP on the LP. Cyrus also talks about how she was able to live out her The Legend of Zelda dreams with the album’s visual...
††† (Crosses) Release New Song “Sensation”: Stream
††† (Crosses), the duo featuring Deftones singer Chino Moreno and producer / multi-instrumentalist Shaun Lopez, have released a new song, “Sensation.” The track is the latest piece of music to be unveiled off the group’s upcoming EP, PERMANENT.RADIANT, out December 9th via Warner Records. “Sensation” arrives with a brooding music video, which features a recurring protagonist, actress Thais Molon, waking up following a car crash and trying to get a ride in the middle of a massive desert. Molon’s pursuits are paired with grainy live footage of the band in a narrow, dark alley. “Sensation” follows the previously released “Vivien,” which will also appear on the EP. Earlier this year, Crosses also released the stand-alone singles “Initiation” and “Protection.” Advertisement Related Video C...
Sonic the Hedgehog Creator Yuji Naka Arrested for Insider Trading
Yuji Naka, the legendary Sega designer who co-created Sonic the Hedgehog, has been arrested in Japan and charged with insider trading, FNN reports (via Kotaku). Naka, 57, was one of three video game creatives caught in a Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office sweep. Law enforcement officials allege that in 2020, while Naka worked at Dragon Quest developer Square Enix, he bought stock in a studio called Aiming right before it was announced as the home of a new Dragon Quest game, Tact. Naka is accused of buying 10,000 Aiming shares for ¥2.8 million, or about $20,000. Taisuke Sazaki, a veteran of Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts games, is accused of buying shares worth around $188,000, and another employee, Fumiaki Suzuki, allegedly purchase...
P!nk Promises That Upcoming ‘TRUSTFALL’ Album Is Her Most Fun to Date: ‘It’s Very, Very True To What I Believe’
P!nk has always been about having fun. But on her upcoming 9th studio album, TRUSTFALL, the singer says she’s having the most fun she’s ever had. “It’s very, very true to what I believe and where I am and what I’m feeling and what I think a lot of people are feeling,” she told Good Morning America on Friday morning (Nov. 18) about the vibe of the collection. The follow-up to 2019’s Hurts 2B Human is due out on Feb. 17 and it will feature her bouncy new double-negative-into-a-positive single, “Never Gonna Not Dance Again,” produced by Max Martin and Shellback. In describing the inspiration for the collection, the singer told GMA that in addition to bringing the party, TRUSTFALL is her favorite album to date because of the leisurely time she had to make it during a difficult stretch in her p...
Sony Music Africa to Offer Record Deals to Afrochella Contest Winners
Unsigned and emerging artists in Africa will soon be able to compete for global distribution deals and record contracts with Sony Music Africa through a new collaboration between the major label and the companies behind the Afrochella Festival in Ghana. Afrochella’s parent company, Culture Management Group, and media streaming service Audiomack, are teaming up with Sony Music Africa to expand the “Rising Star Stage” competition, which previously entitled winners to a chance to perform onstage at the festival. With Sony’s involvement, up to 10 prize winners chosen from a short list of 25 will be signed to distribution deals with Sony Music Africa, which will take their music out to the world, Sony says in a press release. The Grand Prize winner will secure an exclusive recording ...
First Stream: New Music From Pharrell Williams & Travis Scott, Nicki Minaj, Maluma and More
Billboard’s First Stream serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news This week, Pharrell Williams tosses out another major collaboration, Nicki Minaj and Maluma headline a World Cup anthem, and Saweetie toasts to the single life. Check out all of this week’s First Stream picks below: Pharrell Williams & Travis Scott, “Down In Atlanta” In addition to producing tracks for artists ranging from Rosalía to Kendrick Lamar to Omar Apollo this year, Pharrell Williams also dropped “Cash In Cash Out,” a masterclass from 21 Savage and Tyler, The Creator with o...
Judge Says Slacker Must Pay $10M Unpaid Royalties, Despite Warning Of ‘Devastating’ Impact
A federal judge says he won’t undo his ruling that Slacker owes nearly $10 million in unpaid music royalties to SoundExchange, seemingly unmoved by the streamer’s warning that the ruling will have a “devastating” impact on the company’s finances. SoundExchange claims Slacker’s parent LiveOne has failed to pay royalties for years, and last month won a ruling requiring the streamer to hand over $9,765,396. Slacker said last month that the huge judgment could trigger financial ruin for the company – a warning SoundExchange urged the court to disregard. In a decision issued Wednesday, Judge André Birotte Jr. did exactly that. He ruled that the seven-figure judgment was simply the result of an agreement that Slacker itself had signed – and noted that the streamer was not actually legally disput...
Lil Uzi Vert Goes Intergalactic for “Just Wanna Rock” Music Video
Lil Uzi Vert on Friday delivered the official video for their recently-released single “Just Wanna Rock.” The visual, directed by Gibson Hazard (Eternal Atake), sees the rapper travel from space inside an intergalactic car to a bustling dance floor. Clocking in just over two minutes, the single, which was first teased on TikTok, offers ’70s synths and bass drums to back up Uzi’s bars. “How the f*** you gon’ kill my vibe?/Stand on my money, don’t know my size,” they rap. “Pick them sides, and you better choose wisely/That’s my high, one, two, three, four, throw up the five.” Aside from Hazard, the video enlisted executive creative director Oliver Cannon, video commissioner Joseph Boyd, producer Jagger Corcione and production companies House of Hazard and ShotClock. “Just Wanna Rock” follows...
Ari Lennox Announces ‘age/sex/location’ Tour
Washington D.C.-native Ari Lennox has announced an upcoming tour in support of her new album, age/sex/location. The R&B songstress’ sophomore album was released this past summer on Friday, September 9. Now, the album is set to hit the road starting on January 26, 2023. When the tour was originally announced, it included 26 shows across North America. However, the list has already grown with Lennox adding new dates in Washington D.C. and Maryland due to high ticket sales. Thus far, the D.C. and Chicago shows are already sold out. After Lennox hits the road at the top of next year, the tour is set to run from the West to the East Coast and is set to wrap at the end of March. Take a look at the post above for a look at all the tour stops and venues. In related news, Metro Boomin teases a ...
Solange To Curate Brooklyn Academy Of Music 2023 Spring Music Series
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Gilbert Carrasquillo / Getty Fresh off the heels of her historic collaboration with the New York City ballet, Solange is set to curate the lineup for this year’s Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Spring Music Series. Per Billboard, Solange will curate a lineup of concerts, films, performance art, dance and other theater pieces for the stages of BAM’s multi-theater campus “honoring the intergenerational and genre-spanning impact” of innovative musicians and artists through her multidisciplinary creative collective—Saint Heron. “We’re excited to work with Solange and her Saint Heron collective for this incredible music series of genre-crossing artists presented in unprecedented ways,” said David Binder, BAM’s artistic director, in a statement. “Her ex...
