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Super Bowl LVI is just around the corner, as the Los Angeles Rams face the Cincinnati Bengals at LA’s new SoFi Stadium this weekend — and every football fan knows that the Super Bowl commercials are just as good as the game.
Leading up to the Big Game, we’ve compiled all the Super Bowl commercials starring celebrities from Snoop Dogg, Megan Thee Stallion and Charlie Puth to Jason Sudeikis, Pete Davidson and Lindsay Lohan.
See below for our roundup of commercials that we’ll be updating throughout the week and during the Super Bowl. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 13.
Megan Thee Stallion & Charlie Puth for Flamin’ Hot
Snoop Dogg & Martha Stewart for BiC
Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige & Kendrick Lamar for the Pepsi Halftime Show
Zendaya for Squarespace
Lindsay Lohan for Planet Fitness
Anna Kendrick for Rocket Homes and Rocket Mortgage
Kenny G for Busch Light
Pete Davidson & Jerod Mayo for Hellmann’s
Scarlett Johansson & Colin Jost for Amazon Alexa
Kevin Hart for Sam’s Club
Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Danai Gurira, Dave Bautista & Brie Larson for Nissan
Seth Rogan & Paul Rudd for Lay’s
Demi Moore & Mila Kunis for AT&T
Jason Sudeikis for TurboTax
Idris Elba for Booking.com
Gwenyth Paltrow, Jennifer Coolidge & Trevor Noah for Uber Eats
Guy Fieri for Bud Light Seltzer Hard Soda
Arnold Schwarzenegger for BMW
Hannah Waddingham for Rakuten
Ken Jeong and Joel McHale for Planters
Andy Richter for Avocados from Mexico
Warner Chappell Music co-heads Guy Moot and Carianne Marshall addressed the Copyright Royalty Board’s (CRB) ongoing mechanical royalty rate proceedings in a letter that was sent to the publisher’s U.S. songwriters on Monday (Feb. 7).
The proceedings in question, presided over by three CRB judges, will determine the mechanical royalty rates music streaming services pay songwriters and publishers for the term known as Phonorecords IV, spanning the years 2023-2027.
In the letter, which was obtained by Billboard, Moot and Marshall say the forthcoming rate determination amounts to “a critical moment” for songwriters that will create a “ripple effect” which could carry over into other negotiations between the CRB and streaming services, as well as royalty rates paid in future terms. They encourage WCM songwriters to “raise awareness and help spread the word throughout the broader songwriting community” as the CRB proceedings forge ahead over the next several months.
As the WCM co-heads note, the National Music Publishers Association (NMPA), the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) and Songwriters of North America (SONA) are all advocating for a mechanical royalty rate increase to 20% of service revenue for songwriters for Phono IV.
In March 2019, Spotify, Amazon, Google and Pandora appealed the CRB’s rate determination for Phonorecords III (2018-2022), which saw the organization increase mechanical royalty rates for songwriters roughly a percentage point every year during the term, from 11.4% in 2018 to 15.1% in 2022. While the appeal is in process, those streaming services are still paying the 10.5% rate set by the CRB for the year 2017 and proposing a return to that rate for Phono IV.
“That’s an appallingly low rate,” write Moot and Marshall. “And now, some of the biggest and most valuable companies in the world are pushing to extend that 10.5% rate for the next five-year period.”
They continue, “Many of you rely on songwriting as your primary source of income, and we’re doing everything in our power to achieve a positive outcome. Without songwriters, we wouldn’t have songs or streaming services – there’d be no music business at all. You deserve this pay raise and more.”
You can read the full letter below.
To our Warner Chappell songwriting family,
As your partners and your champions, we wanted to let you know about a crucial fight that will determine what you make from streaming both now and in the years to come.
In the U.S., there’s a portion of your revenue from streaming services (such as Spotify, Apple and Amazon) – mechanical revenue – that’s determined every five years by three judges who make up the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) in Washington, D.C.
By early next year, in a proceeding known as Phono IV, the CRB will determine the mechanical royalty rates that streaming services will pay music publishers and songwriters between 2023 and 2027.
This is a critical moment. Not only will the CRB decide the future mechanical royalty rates for streaming, there’s also a “ripple effect,” where the CRB’s decision can influence other negotiations with streaming services, as well as future rates.
To break things down even more, these tech companies currently should be paying you 15.1% – the rate that was set by the CRB for 2022, in the last CRB proceeding called Phono III. But instead, Spotify, Amazon, Google and Pandora have spent more than four years appealing that ruling. While the appeal plays out, they’re still paying the rate set by the CRB for 2017 – just 10.5%. That’s an appallingly low rate. And now, some of the biggest and most valuable companies in the world are pushing to extend that 10.5% rate for the next five-year period.
On behalf of all songwriters, music publishers and other trade associations, the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA), the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) and Songwriters of North America (SONA) are advocating for an increase to 20% in Phono IV.
We’ve been actively involved in this rate proceeding with a seat on the NMPA Board and representation on various working groups, alongside our own writers and board members Liz Rose and Ross Golan. Several songwriter witnesses will also testify to the CRB about everything that goes into writing a song and how the streaming services’ efforts to devalue the works of songwriters is potentially devastating.
Many of you rely on songwriting as your primary source of income, and we’re doing everything in our power to achieve a positive outcome. Without songwriters, we wouldn’t have songs or streaming services – there’d be no music business at all. You deserve this pay raise and more.
Over the next few months, we encourage you all to raise awareness around this important issue and help spread the word throughout the broader songwriting community. Your voice matters most in this debate.
We’re hopeful the CRB will make the right determinations that support the best interests of music creators like you. No matter the outcome, we’ll continue to work tirelessly to support and defend your rights and create new opportunities for your songs.
In addition to your A&R team, we’re always available if you have thoughts or questions. You can also follow the NMPA, NSAI and SONA for important updates, and you’ll be hearing from us again soon as we get closer to the next steps in Phono III and Phono IV.
Guy & Carianne
Will Smith will embark on another adventure with National Geographic.
The actor and producer will star in and executive produce a series titled Pole to Pole, which will stream on Disney+ as part of the Nat Geo hub. As the title implies, the show will follow Smith and his film crew as they go on a 26,000-mile trek from the South Pole to the North Pole, crossing all of Earth’s biomes and spending time in communities along the way. The show will film over more than 100 days; a start date and premiere haven’t yet been announced.
Pole to Pole is one of several series orders Nat Geo announced during its time before the Television Critics Association on Monday. They include projects produced by James Cameron, Jon Favreau and the BBC Studios Natural History Unit and an adventure show starring magician David Blaine.
“At National Geographic, our strategy is to tell bold, best-in-class stories that ignite curiosity and inspire people to explore and care about our world,” said National Geographic Content president Courteney Monroe in a statement. “With premium, creatively ambitious shows from the very best storytellers in the world, we are bringing awe and wonder to the lives of global Disney+ subscribers with wildly entertaining National Geographic documentary series, feature documentary films, epic natural history and fact-based scripted drama.”
Pole to Pole will reunite Smith and the the team behind his Nat Geo series Welcome to Earth, including producers Nutopia and Protozoa Pictures. Smith executive produces via his Westbrook banner along with the company’s Miguel Melendez and Terence Carter; Nutopia’s Jane Root and Peter Lovering; and Protozoa’s Darren Aronofsky and Ari Handel.
The other shows Nat Geo announced for Disney+ Monday (Feb. 7) are:
– Great Migrations, which will use state of the art technology to track animal migrations across a variety of environments. From Plimsoll Productions; Tom Hugh-Jones and Martha Holmes exec produce, and Sarah Gibbs is the showrunner.
– Home, from the BBC Studios Natural History Unit. Described as “the most ambitious and definitive portrait of life on Earth ever attempted,” the multi-season series will chronicle life in all its forms on all seven continents and five oceans.
– Lion, from Jon Favreau, producer Mike Gunton and BBC Studios Natural History Unit. The series, currently in pre-production, will follow a single pride of lions for four years — an unprecedented amount of time for a natural history series.
– Secrets of the Elephants and Secrets of the Octopus, from James Cameron, Oxford Scientific Films and SeaLight Pictures. The two series will continue the Secrets of … Earth Day franchise inaugurated last year with Secrets of the Whales. Cameron and Maria Wilhelm exec produce both series. Oxford Scientific Films’ Lucinda Axelsson is also an EP on Elephants, while SeaLight Pictures’ Colette Beaudry and Adam Geiger are EPs on Octopus.
– Sentient, which explores levels of sentience in all forms of life, from plants to primates. Aronofsky and Handel exec produce for Protozoa Pictures along with Mark Linfield and Vanessa Berlowitz of Wildstar Films. Hannah Gibson is the showrunner.
– Super/Natural, from Cameron’s Earthship and Plimsoll Productions. Narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch, the series will uncover “the secret powers and super-senses of the world’s most extraordinary animals.” Cameron, Wilhelm, Martha Holmes and Tom Hugh-Jones exec produce; showrunners are Matt Brandon and Bill Markham.
– The Biggest Little Farm, a series based on the 2019 feature documentary of the same name (which also spawned an Earth Day special on Nat Geo last year) following John and Molly Chester’s efforts to revive a dormant Ventura County farm. Erica Messer, Sandra Keats and John Chester exec produce.
– Beyond Belief With David Blaine, following the magician as he explores cultures around the world and their unique and sometimes magical histories and practices. From Imagine Documentaries; exec produced by Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Blaine, Sara Bernstein, Justin Wilkes, Matthew Akers and showrunner Toby Oppenheimer.
– The Epic Adventures of Bertie Gregory, following the 27-year-old filmmaker to locations around the world in search of animals surviving under harsh conditions. It’s set to premiere later this year. Wildstar Films produces; Vanessa Berlowitz, Anwar Mamon and James Brickell are the EPs.
– Photographer, which will chronicle the stories of some of greatest photographers. E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin (Free Solo) exec produce.
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.
Kanye West just gave StockX loads of free publicity, without even realizing it.
On Sunday, Ye posted a supposed text message exchange between him and one of Kim Kardashian’s cousins on his Instagram account. In the since-deleted posts, West appeared to be frustrated over his pending divorce from Kardashian and custody issues, to which the cousin seemingly replied, “Is it safe to buy Yeezy’s on StockX?”
It’s a valid question — even though the timing was terrible. (West responded, “Don’t ask me about Yeezys right now.”) If you’re not familiar with StockX, we’re here to catch you up. Check below to find out everything you need to know about StockX.
What Is StockX?
StockX is an online marketplace that delivers access to the world’s most coveted items at transparent prices, and every item sold is verified by a team of expert authenticators.
Is It Safe to Buy Yeezys on StockX?
Yes, it’s safe to purchase Yeezys on StockX. The website carries a large selection of Yeezy sneakers like the Yeezy 350 V2 Beluga Reflective sneakers that Kardashian’s cousin apparently asked about, as well as the Yeezy 350 V2 in “Dazzling Blue,” and other designs.
Buy: Yeezy 350 V2 Beluga Reflective Sneakers ($267).
You’ll also find Yeezy Slides, Yeezy Desert Boots and the Yeezy Foam RNNR shoes, amid the mountain of Yeezy-branded footwear.
If you’re a fan of all things Yeezy, StockX is packed with clothing and sneakers from various Yeezy drops and collaborations. The site also sells the Yeezy x Gap hoodies in multiple colors, including red, brown, purple and black, and the Yeezy x Gap Round Jacket (in black, red and blue).
Buy: Yeezy x Gap Round Jacket ($150).
You’ll also find hoodies, jeans and hats specially designed to commemorate Ye’s Free Larry Hoover benefit concert with Drake. The gear was released on Amazon along with the livestream of the concert, but as you might have guessed, the clothes sold out fast. So if you’re looking for additional “Free Hoover” gear, you can cop it on StockX.
What Else Can You Buy on StockX?
It’s not just sneakers and streetwear; you can also buy or sell electronics, handbags, trading cards, accessories and collectibles on StockX, like the LEGO Titanic Set ($729), this HotWheels x Tesla Cybertruck ($73) and the Microsoft XBox Series Mini Fridge ($115).
For gamers looking to get their hands on the coveted PS5 console ($680), StockX is a good alternative to major retailers such as Walmart, Best Buy and Amazon, which tend to sell out of PS5 restocks pretty quickly.
And it’s not just PlayStation. You’ll find a large collection of Xbox consoles and Nintendo Switch OLED consoles for sale on StockX, alongside video games, laptops, Airpods and other earbuds, headphones and other must-haves from Samsung, Beats, Nvidia, Nintendo, Oculus, Razer, Logitech and other tech brands.
For lovers of luxury fashion, StockX sells Louis Vuitton, Balenciaga, Burberry, Gucci, Chanel, MCM, Versace, Coach, Dior and more. Plus, the site has numerous watches, including Casio G-Shock, Apple Watch, Rolex, Omega, Audemars Piguet, TAG Heuer, Cartier, and IWC.
Other hot items on StockX? The Louis Vuttion Spring/Summer ’22 collection, these retro Jordan 1s, plus gear from Nike, Supreme, Fear of God and Telfar.
Brandi Carlile is set to perform at the 30th annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards viewing party, taking place March 27.
The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter will join a lineup of performers, the rest of whom will be announced in the coming weeks. Last year’s event went virtual first the first time, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but 2022’s event will be returning in person, organizers said Monday.
The party, which coincides with the 30th anniversary of the Elton John AIDS Foundation, raises funds to support the foundation’s efforts to “challenge discrimination, prevent infections and provide treatment as well as influencing governments to end AIDS.”
“David (Furnish) and I are so grateful to celebrate 30 years of the foundation and especially grateful to Brandi Carlile and the many fabulous guests supporting us for another magnificent night in West Hollywood Park,” John said. “Our success reflects the passion, commitment and generosity of our supporters. Together, we are making a difference and bringing light and hope to people living with HIV around the world.”
Added Furnish, chairman of the foundation: “We want to remind people that while the coronavirus has consumed headlines for the past two years, HIV/AIDS is still a global epidemic. It remains paramount to continue raising funds and awareness towards issues affecting people living with and at risk of HIV, and there is no better platform than our annual Academy Awards viewing party to do just that.”
For her part, Carlile called it an “absolute honor” to be able to perform at the event, especially as it celebrates its 30th anniversary.
Carlile is nominated for five Grammys this year, including record of the year (for “Right on Time”) and two in the song of the year category (for “Right on Time” and “A Beautiful Noise,” with Alicia Keys). She has collaborated with John multiple times, including on the song “Simple Things.”
This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.
Congratulations are in order for Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott, who welcomed their second bundle of joy on Feb. 2, Jenner has revealed.
“2/2/22,” she posted Sunday evening (Feb. 6) on Instagram, where she shared a black-and-white photo featuring a sweet newborn baby’s hand. The caption also included a blue heart emoji.
Scott commented on the post with several hearts, while Kris Jenner wrote “Angel Pie” and Kourtney Kardashian wrote “Mommy of two life.”
In September 2021, Jenner announced in a video shared on Instagram that she was pregnant with baby No. 2. The sweet clip began with a closeup on a pregnancy test that says “pregnant,” before moving on to a shot of Scott hugging the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star around the belly.
The reality star simply captioned the video with a silver heart and pregnant woman emoji, and tagged the “Franchise” rapper.
The couple are already parents to four-year-old daughter Stormi, who was born on February 1, 2018 after Jenner kept her pregnancy entirely under wraps from the public.
See Jenner and Scott’s birth announcement on Instagram.
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek says he “strongly” condemns Joe Rogan’s use of the N-word and other derogatory comments toward Black people but remains firm in his decision to keep the podcaster on the platform in order to “[elevate] all types of creators.”
In a letter sent to staff, obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, Ek acknowledged that Rogan’s comments were “incredibly hurtful” and confirmed that Rogan decided to remove multiple past episodes from Spotify but said he did not believe in removing the podcast from Spotify.
“I want to make one point very clear — I do not believe that silencing Joe is the answer,” Ek wrote. “We should have clear lines around content and take action when they are crossed, but canceling voices is a slippery slope.”
Last Thursday, the musician India.Arie — who has said she will remove her music and podcast from Spotify in protest of Rogan’s comments about race — resurfaced a compilation of video clips showing Rogan using the racial slur and describing being with Black people as akin to “Planet of the Apes.” The podcaster apologized over the weekend, calling his comments “regretful and shameful.”
By Friday, around 70 episodes of The Joe Rogan Experience were removed from Spotify, according to the website JRE Missing which tracks when the podcast episodes are missing from the streaming platform.
In his letter to staff, Ek said he would be committing to an “incremental investment of $100 million for the licensing, development, and marketing of music (artists and songwriters) and audio content from historically marginalized groups” to boost “all types of creators,” including those from underrepresented backgrounds.
“While some might want us to pursue a different path, I believe that more speech on more issues can be highly effective in improving the status quo and enhancing the conversation altogether,” Ek said.
See the full letter below.
Spotify Team,
There are no words I can say to adequately convey how deeply sorry I am for the way The Joe Rogan Experience controversy continues to impact each of you. Not only are some of Joe Rogan’s comments incredibly hurtful – I want to make clear that they do not represent the values of this company. I know this situation leaves many of you feeling drained, frustrated and unheard.
I think it’s important you’re aware that we’ve had conversations with Joe and his team about some of the content in his show, including his history of using some racially insensitive language. Following these discussions and his own reflections, he chose to remove a number of episodes from Spotify. He also issued his own apology over the weekend.
While I strongly condemn what Joe has said and I agree with his decision to remove past episodes from our platform, I realize some will want more. And I want to make one point very clear – I do not believe that silencing Joe is the answer. We should have clear lines around content and take action when they are crossed, but canceling voices is a slippery slope. Looking at the issue more broadly, it’s critical thinking and open debate that powers real and necessary progress.
Another criticism that I continue to hear from many of you is that it’s not just about The Joe Rogan Experience on Spotify; it comes down to our direct relationship with him. In last week’s Town Hall, I outlined to you that we are not the publisher of JRE. But perception due to our exclusive license implies otherwise. So I’ve been wrestling with how this perception squares with our values.
If we believe in having an open platform as a core value of the company, then we must also believe in elevating all types of creators, including those from underrepresented communities and a diversity of backgrounds. We’ve been doing a great deal of work in this area already but I think we can do even more. So I am committing to an incremental investment of $100 million for the licensing, development, and marketing of music (artists and songwriters) and audio content from historically marginalized groups. This will dramatically increase our efforts in these areas. While some might want us to pursue a different path, I believe that more speech on more issues can be highly effective in improving the status quo and enhancing the conversation altogether.
I deeply regret that you are carrying so much of this burden. I also want to be transparent in setting the expectation that in order to achieve our goal of becoming the global audio platform, these kinds of disputes will be inevitable. For me, I come back to centering on our mission of unlocking the potential of human creativity and enabling more than a billion people to enjoy the work of what we think will be more than 50 million creators. That mission makes these clashes worth the effort.
I’ve told you several times over the last week, but I think it’s critical we listen carefully to one another and consider how we can and should do better. I’ve spent this time having lots of conversations with people inside and outside of Spotify – some have been supportive while others have been incredibly hard, but all of them have made me think.
One of the things I am thinking about is what additional steps we can take to further balance creator expression with user safety. I’ve asked our teams to expand the number of outside experts we consult with on these efforts and look forward to sharing more details.
Your passion for this company and our mission has made a difference in the lives of so many listeners and creators around the world. I hope you won’t lose sight of that. It’s that ability to focus and improve Spotify even on some of our toughest days that has helped us build the platform we have. We have a clear opportunity to learn and grow together from this challenge and I am ready to meet it head on.
I know it is difficult to have these conversations play out so publicly, and I continue to encourage you to reach out to your leaders, your HR partners or me directly if you need support or resources for yourself or your team.
Daniel
This article originally appeared on The Hollywood Reporter.
Nicki Minaj and Lil Baby‘s new collaboration “Do We Have a Problem?” has topped this week’s new music poll.
Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (Feb. 4) on Billboard, choosing the blazing new track as their favorite new music release of the past week.
“Do We Have a Problem?” brought in nearly 91% of the vote, beating out new music by Machine Gun Kelly and Willow (“Emo Girl”), Mitski (Laurel Hell), Jennifer Lopez and Maluma (Marry Me soundtrack), Red Hot Chili Peppers (“Black Summer”), and others.
“Do We Have a Problem?” marks the Trinidadian rapper’s first single since “Trollz” with 6ix9ine and “What That Speed Bout?!” featuring Mike Will Made-It and YoungBoy Never Broke Again. The sizzling new track references past elements in her music, while simultaneously showing what the new and improved Minaj is capable of — a possible hint at what fans can expect from the eventual follow up to 2018’s Queen.
Last year, Minaj re-released her 2009 mixtape, Beam Me Up Scotty, with three new bonus tracks and appeared on Jesy Nelson‘s debut solo single “Boyz.”
Placing second on the past week’s tally with 2.84% of the vote was Machine Gun Kelly’s delightful and angsty new single “Emo Girl,” featuring former tween pop star Willow Smith. Singer-songwriter Mitski arrived in a close third with her sixth album, Laurel Hell, which accounted for 2.25% of the vote.
See the final results of this week’s new music release poll below.
