Entries by

iTunes R&B Sale Sends Otis Redding, Mariah Carey & Aretha Franklin Back Onto Charts

In the wake of Apple’s iTunes service offering a 69-cent sale price for many R&B songs, several tracks that span from 1960s classics to 2010s hits flood Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales chart dated July 31. The digital retailer has developed this sales campaign in recent months, rotating between musical genres or other designated song […]

Charles Connor, Drummer for Little Richard, Dies at 86

Charles Connor, known for being Little Richard’s drummer who performed with other music greats including James Brown and Sam Cooke, has died. He was 86. Connor’s daughter, Queenie Connor Sonnefeld, said her father died peacefully in his sleep early Saturday (July 31) while under hospice care at his home in Glendale, California. She said her […]

Roddy Ricch’s ‘Night’ Rises to No. 1 on Rhythmic Airplay Chart

Roddy Ricch banks a fifth No. 1 on Billboard’s Rhythmic Airplay chart as “Late at Night” surges from No. 5 to lead the list dated July 31. The single advances with a 17% burst in plays in the week ending July 25 to become the most-played song of the week on monitored U.S. rhythmic stations, […]

Ariana Grande Heads to ‘Fortnite’ for ‘Rift Tour’ Virtual Event

The Rift Tour, featuring Ariana Grande, is coming to Fortnite next weekend. On Sunday (Aug. 1), it was announced that Grande will be the latest superstar to perform within the Fortnite realm, headlining an in-game event — or a “musical journey into magical new realities” — that’s scheduled for Aug. 6-8. “Ariana & the Rift Tour” will […]

Willie Nelson Headlines Texas Protest Rally in Support of Voting Rights

Country music legend Willie Nelson led more than a thousand spectators in singing “vote them out” Saturday (July 31) from the steps of the Texas Capitol during a rally wrapping up a four-day march in support of Democratic state legislators who bolted for Washington two weeks ago to block GOP-backed voting restrictions. Families with lawn […]

Machine Gun Kelly Performs Surprise Set at Lollapalooza

Around 5 p.m. on day three of Lollapalooza (July 31), fans were alerted to a special last-minute addition to the schedule: an “intimate” set from chart-topper Machine Gun Kelly. An hour later, the artist took to the Bud Light Seltzer Sessions side stage to perform in front of a crowd 20 times what the space allowed […]