music blog
Ozzy Osbourne to Perform at Halftime of Season-Opening NFL Rams-Bills Game
Ozzy Osbourne is slowly making his way back to the stage after a series of health setbacks forced him off the road for the past few years. The metal icon will perform Thursday, September 8th, during halftime of the NFL’s season-opening game between the Buffalo Bills and the defending Super Bowl champs the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The Prince of Darkness will be promoting his new album, Patient Number 9, which arrives the next day (September 9th). According to a press release, he’ll perform a multi-song medley, a portion of which will be televised during NBC’s broadcast of the game. Ozzy recently surprised fans in his hometown of Birmingham, England, when he performed “Paranoid” alongside Black Sabbath bandmate Tony Iommi at the closing ceremony of the Commo...
Prince Estate Wins Purple Rain Trademark Case Against Bang Energy Drink
On August 23, a tribunal at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office sided with the Prince Estate by formally rejecting a company that tried to trademark “Purple Rain,” reports Billboard. The company, Bang Energy, hoped to apply the phrase to their energy drinks, dietary supplements, and sports beverages. When announcing their ruling, the judges stated that phrase “uniquely and unmistakably” belongs to the late musician. “Consumers encountering applicant’s mark, when used in connection with applicant’s goods, will presume a connection between ‘Purple Rain’ and Prince,” said one judge during the ruling. As evidence, the ruling cited a survey that asked participants what “comes to mind” when they saw the phrase “Purple Rain.” Roughly 63% responded with “Prince,” his album of the same name,...
NOFX Announce 2023 Breakup: “It’s Been an Amazing Run”
NOFX—the Los Angeles skate punk band currently made up of Michael “Fat Mike” Burkett, Eric Melvin, Erik “Smelly” Sandin, and Aaron “El Hefe” Abeyta—are officially breaking up in 2023, Rolling Stone reports. Burkett indirectly announced the news on Instagram, where he replied to a fan asking why they don’t tour Canada very often. “Actually, we love Canada, it’s just that next year will be our last year,” he wrote. “We will be announcing our final shows soon. It’s been an amazing run…” A rep for the band later spoke with Rolling Stone and confirmed the accuracy of the statement. NOFX formed in 1983, when Burkett met Melvin and first adopted the band name. In 1984, they released their first demo recording, Thalidomide Child, which was reissued in 2012. They were later joined by Sandin on drum...
Rina Sawayama Says She Received ABBA’s Blessing for Interpolation on “This Hell”
Earlier this year, Rina Sawayama released the single “This Hell” from her upcoming album Hold the Girl. The pop-country track opens with a prominent guitar riff that sounds similar to the melody of ABBA’s 1979 song “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight).” In a new interview with the BBC, Sawayama said she noticed the similarity between the two songs while recording, and took action to change the melody before receiving “the blessing of ABBA,” allowing her to release the original version of the song. In the interview, Sawayama said that she “freaked out” when she realized how much her song sounded like “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight).” “Then I contacted my publishers, and they freaked out, too,” she told the BBC. “They were like, ‘ABBA are absolutely going to say no to th...
Cam’ron and A-Trak Announce Collaborative Album, Share New Song “All I Really Wanted”
Cam’ron and A-Trak have announced a new collaborative album. U Wasn’t There is due out September 23 via Empire. The new album features cover art by the New York street artist Kunle Martins. Ahead of the release, the musicians have shared a new singled called “All I Really Wanted.” The song was produced by A-Trak, Beautiful Lou, and G Koop, and is built around a prominent, pitched-up soul sample. U Wasn’t There follows an earlier Federal Reserve EP, which the duo announced in 2014. While they put out two songs together—“Humphrey” and “Dipshits” with Juelz Santana and Dame Dash—the EP was ultimately never released. The latter single is set to appear on U Wasn’t There as a bonus track. Content This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
NOFX Set to Break Up in 2023 After 40 Years
According to “Fat Mike” Burkett, NOFX is calling it quits next year after a 40-year run as a band. Rolling Stone reports that the frontman casually broke the news in an Instagram comment to a fan asking when the band planned to tour in Canada on Thursday. “Actually, we love Canada, it’s just that next year will be our last year. We will be announcing our final shows soon. It’s been an amazing run….,” he wrote, while adding in a separate comment, “Los Angeles will be the last place we play. It’s where we started, it’s where we’ll end.” As of press time, the band itself has made no official confirmation of any pending split. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news While the California-based punk rockers started their career together as NO-FX in 1...
The Ledger: Buying Into the K-Pop Craze Just Got Less Risky for US Investors
The Ledger is a weekly newsletter about the economics of the music business sent to Billboard Pro subscribers. An abbreviated version of the newsletter is published online. An exchange-traded fund, or ETF, focused on Korean music started trading on the NYSE Arca exchange on Thursday, giving American investors a means to buy shares of companies that trade on exchanges in South Korea. But the ETF stands out for another reason: a bundle of K-pop stocks will carry less risk than standalone companies that rely on dozens of labels, each with a handful of top artists as well as deep catalogs. Trading under the aptly named ticker KPOP, the ETF includes the stocks of 30 corporations, including several music companies: HYBE, the home of K-pop megastars BTS and up-and-coming acts Tomorrow X Together ...
From Brittany Aldean to Lauren Akins, Here Are Some of the Most-Followed Country Music Spouses
They might not be topping the Billboard charts like their country-superstar partners, but a handful of Nashville wives and husbands have become celebrities in their own right as social media influencers — sometimes even drawing millions of followers. Interspersed with adoring photos alongside their mates are often posts about product endorsements, beauty hints, cooking tips, business recommendations, childcare suggestions and — this is where it sometimes gets tricky — politics. On Thursday, Billboard reported that Jason Aldean’s longtime publicity firm, The GreenRoom PR, parted ways with their client of 17 years. Though the GreenRoom’s statement to Billboard did not give a reason — other than to say the company’s focus is on the music — the move came shortly after Aldean’s wife, Brittany, ...
Rina Sawayama Says She Got ABBA’s ‘Blessing’ for ‘This Hell’ Guitar Riff
Rina Sawayama is gearing up to release her sophomore album Hold the Girl on September 16, and single “This Hell” features a recognizable guitar riff from ABBA‘s “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight).” In a new interview with BBC, the singer revealed that she got ABBA’s stamp of approval for the track. When she realized the guitar riffs were similar, she said she “freaked out” and called her publishers. “They were like, ‘ABBA are absolutely going to say no to this, and you have to change it,’” she recalled. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news In a panic, Sawayama re-recorded the song with a different guitar hook. “But then I was like, ‘You know what? This is crazy. I’m sure I can figure this out,” she said. “So I called up ...
LYNY, Saka, VILLA, More Shine In New Sable Valley Compilation: Listen
If there’s one dogma defining RL Grime‘s Sable Valley, it’s the imprint’s commitment to ushering in the next era of bass music stars. That tenet remains as true as ever in Sable Valley Summer Vol. 3, the label’s brand new compilation. Spanning 14 tracks, the record is yet another stunning showcase of a post-dubstep landscape replete with young, hungry producers carving their own lane in bass music. Highlights include VILLA and juuku’s “void,” LYNY’s “Feint” and Control Freak’s “IDONTWANNAGO,” each of which run the gamut from trap to wave to drum & bass. The compilation also features a stunning collaboration between Grime and Sable Valley vet Hex Cougar, who tapped fknsyd for the riveting ...
FISHER Drops Sultry House Banger, “Yeah The Girls”
Australian tech house superstar FISHER has released his highly anticipated single, “Yeah The Girls.” Out today via his own Catch & Release label, “Yeah The Girls” has been generating quite a bit of buzz after being rinsed in the DJ’s sets throughout the summer. Following FISHER’s tracks “Palm Beach Banga” and “It’s A Killa,” his latest marks his third original single of the year. “Yeah The Girls” is a sultry, high-energy club cut with a pulsating, radiant bassline and heavy synth stabs. FISHER tapped singer-songwriter MERYLL to add soothing, hypnotic vocals for a bona fide dancefloor hit. Watch its accompanying scrapbook-style visualizer below, shot and directed by Corey Wilson. Scroll to Continue Recommended Articles Fresh off a performance at Cr...
Kelland Curates Irresistible Dance Energy On Debut EP, “THINGS CHANGED”
Bringing together a diverse set of collaborators, Kelland has released his debut EP, the dazzling THINGS CHANGED. Telling a striking story of a relationship’s ups and downs, THINGS CHANGED is a stunning showcase of Kelland’s potential as an artist and curator. The EP had started to pick up steam long before its official release on streaming platforms, thanks to Kelland’s singles that preceded it. “You Know” (with Avry and Beach Season) is a pensive and emotive dance record, while “Lovesick” (with Sara Diamond) is a catchy house-pop tune. Freshly released singles “Thank You” (with Elijah Blond) and “Divine Timing” (with Dallas) are fine additions to the tracklist as well, completing a debut project that positions Kelland as an exciting name to watch. Take a listen to THINGS CHANGE...
