Late Salsa Star Tito Rojas Scores 13th Top 10 on Tropical Albums Chart With ‘Éxitos y Más’

Tito Rojas is back on the Tropical Albums chart with Exitos y Más, a compilation album that arrives at No. 5 on the Jan. 9 survey. It’s the late salsa singer-songwriter’s first chart visit since El Viajero started at No. 4 in 2014.

Exitos y Más arrives in the top five following his death on Dec. 26. Rojas died of a heart attack in his hometown Humacao, Puerto Rico. He was 65.

The 14-track set was originally released in 2007.  In the tracking week ending Dec. 31, Exitos y Más earned 2,000 equivalent album units, according to Nielsen Music/ MRC Data. Out of that sum, 1,000 are from streaming activity.

With the compilation’s arrival, Rojas now has 13 top 10s on the Tropical Albums chart, dating back to 1991 when Tito Rojas (Sensual), his first chart entry, peaked at No. 6. The new gain places him in a tie with Marc Anthony, both with 13.

Here’s a rundown of the male solo acts with the most top 10s since the list launched in 1985:

Artist, Number of Top 10s:

Gilberto Santa Rosa, 33
Victor Manuelle, 22
Tito Nieves, 21
Juan Luis Guerra, 18
Jerry Rivera, 15
Elvis Crespo, 14
Marc Anthony, 13
Tito Rojas, 13
Eddie Santiago, 12
Ruben Blades, 11

The Puerto Rican also slots one song from the set on Latin Digital Song Sales: “Nadie Es Eterno,” which arrives at No. 10 on the current chart — his first and only top 10.

Meanwhile, a second album arrives on Tropical Albums: A Mi Estilo, Rojas’ 1993 effort, re-enters at No. 12 after reaching a No. 8 high in June 1994.

Herencia de Patrones’ Third Straight Top 10: Over on the Regional Mexican Albums chart, Herencia de Patrones collect their third top five as Para Los Que Conocen El Rollo bows at No. 2.

The seven-track effort arrives with 4,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending Dec. 31. Most of the set’s opening sum is accrued through streams for its songs.

Para Los Que Conocen follows the California-based band’s 2020 album Sorry for the Wait, which also launched at No. 2.

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Dan Wilson Sells Publishing — Including Hits by Adele, The Chicks — to Primary Wave

Primary Wave has acquired the full music publishing catalog of Grammy-winning songwriter, producer and artist Dan Wilson, it was announced Thursday (Jan. 7). Wilson’s valuable catalog includes songs performed by Adele, The Chicks and his recently-reunited band Semisonic, including the Grammy-nominated 1998 modern-rock smash “Closing Time.”

“The musical art that Dan has created as a songwriter is undeniable,” said Primary Wave president Justin Shukat in a release announcing the deal. “His work has been enjoyed by fans around the world through both the lens of his own band, Semisonic, as well as through the voices of the countless artists he’s collaborated with and written for. We are honored and thrilled to have him join Primary Wave.”

Wilson’s songwriting and producing credits include three tracks from Adele’s 21 — “One and Only,” “Don’t You Remember” and the No. 1 single “Someone Like You” — as well as six co-writes on The Chicks’ 2006 album Taking the Long Way, including “Not Ready to Make Nice,” which netted the band and Wilson a song of the year Grammy. He has additionally written and produced for such superstars as Taylor Swift (“Treacherous”), John Legend (“You & I (Nobody in the World)”), Chris Stapleton (“When the Stars Come Out”) and Weezer (“California Kids”). He has been nominated for a total of five Grammys and won two, including album of the year for his producer credit on 21.

“From ‘Closing Time’ to ‘Someone Like You,’ Dan Wilson’s honest and original songs have been the soundtrack for the highs and lows of so many lives around the world,” added Primary Wave associate director of creative Matt Herzfeld. “We could not be more honored to be working with a writer of such universal esteem as Dan and we look forward to sharing the beauty of his words and music with generations to come.”

Wilson got his start in the music business while attending Harvard University, where he began collaborating with his brother and played in the bands Animal Dance and the Love Monsters. Following graduation, he dabbled in the visual arts before joining the band Trip Shakespeare and, later, Semisonic, with which he released three full-length albums and two EPs, including this year’s You’re Not Alone. He has also released three solo albums: Free Life, Love Without Fear and Re-Covered, as well as a string of recent non-album singles.

Along with other music publishers, Primary Wave has been riding a hot publishing market as of late. In December, the company struck a wide-ranging partnership with Stevie Nicks that includes a joint venture deal and a majority stake in Nicks’ publishing copyrights. Other recent acquisitions include a 70% stake in Air Supply’s publishing catalog and artist master royalty stream and a stake in the catalog and master recordings of “You Make Me Feel Like Dancing” songwriter Leo Sayer.

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Lil Wayne & Kodak Black Reportedly on Donald Trump’s Potential List of Pardons

Lil Wayne and Kodak Black may be free men soon.

With less than two weeks left in his term, President Donald Trump is prioritizing making the most of his power to issue pardons and commutations, particularly to those closest to him. According to Bloomberg, Trump is putting together a list of those he will absolve on his last day as president — and that list includes the two rappers.

On Tuesday (Jan. 5), Lil Yachty put in a for Kodak’s prison sentence to be commuted. “Hey @realDonaldTrump my friend @KodakBlack1k deserves to be commuted. The system punished him way to hard for a paperwork crime #freekodak,” the “Flex Up” rapper tweeted.

In November 2019, Kodak was sentenced to more than three years in federal prison after pleading guilty to weapons charges stemming from his arrest just before a scheduled concert performance in May of that year.

The 23-year-old rapper admitted in August 2019 that on two separate occasions, he falsified information on federal forms to buy four firearms from a Miami-area gun shop. He also faces drug, weapons and sexual assault charges in other states.

Last month, Lil Wayne pleaded guilty to a charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Carter spent eight months in prison more than a decade ago, after a weapons conviction in New York.

He acknowledged owning the gold-plated handgun after his luggage was searched upon arriving in Miami on a private plane from Los Angeles in Dec. 2019, and told investigators it was a Father’s Day gift. Investigators also reported finding suspected illegal drugs in the luggage, but Lil Wayne was not charged with a drug offense.

The federal offense carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison.

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Florida’s elected officials react to confrontation with mob at U.S. Capitol

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Broward escaped fugitive captured after a day on the run, deputies say

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Twitter, Facebook muzzle Trump amid Capitol violence

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FIU wants to be a COVID-19 vaccination site in Miami-Dade. Will it be approved?

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Here Are the Lyrics to SZA’s ‘Good Days’

SZA has “Good Days” on her mind with her latest single, and the Billboard Hot 100 chart has “Good Days” on its radar with its No. 38 debut this week (dated Jan. 9).

She previewed the track, which she co-wrote with and features vocals from Grammy-winning musician Jacob Collier, as the outro of the music video for “Hit Different,” featuring Ty Dolla $ign. The biblical references to Jericho, Job and Jesus’ cross indicate that although the R&B crooner has felt broken, burdened by the weight of her emotional struggles and like she’s lost control at times, she still looks forward to good days ahead.

Check out the lyrics below.

Good day in my mind, safe to take a step out
Get some air now, let your edge out
Too soon, I spoke, you be heavy in my mind
Can you get the heck out?
I need rest now, got me bummed out
You so, you so, you, baby, baby, babe
I’ve been on my empty mind sh–

I try to keep from losin’ the rest of me
I worry that I wasted the best of me on you, baby
You don’t care
Said, not tryna be a nuisance, it’s just urgent
Tryna make sense of loose change
Got me a war in my mind
Gotta let go of weight, can’t keep what’s holding me
Choose to watch
While the world break up and fall on me

All the while, I’ll await my armored fate with a smile
Still wanna try, still believe in (good days)
Good days, always (good days)
Always inside (always in my mind, always in my mind, mind)
Good day living in my mind

Tell me I’m not my fears, my limitations
I disappear, if you let me
Feeling like (on your own)
Feeling like Jericho
Feeling like Job when he lost his sh–
Gotta hold my own, my cross to bear alone, I
Ooh, paid a deal, way to kill the mood
Know you like that sh–, yeah, groovy baby, baby
Heavy on my empty mind sh–

I gotta keep from losin’ the rest of me (losin’ the rest of me)
Still worry that I wasted the best of me on you, babe
You don’t care
Said, not tryna be a nuisance, it’s just urgent (it’s urgent)
Tryna make sense of loose change
Got me a war in my mind (my mind)
Gotta let go of weight, can’t keep what’s holding me
Choose to watch
While the world break up and fall on me

All the while, I’ll await my armored fate with a smile
Still wanna try, still believe in (good days, good days on my mind)
good days (good days on my mind)
Always sunny inside (always in my mind, always in my mind, mind)
Good day living in my mind

Gotta get right, tryna free my mind before the end of the world
I don’t miss no ex, I don’t miss no text
I just choose not to respond
I don’t regret, just pretend sh– never happened
Half of us layin’ waste to our youth, is in the present
Half of us chasin’ fountains of youth and it’s in the present now

Always in my mind, always in my mind, mind
You’ve been making me feel like I’m
Always in my mind, always in my mind, mind

Lyrics licensed & provided by LyricFind

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Written by: Solana Rowe, Carter Lang, Christopher Ruelas, Carlos Munoz, Jacob Collier

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Roblox Raises $520M From Warner Music Group and Others

Roblox, the massively popular gaming platform played by over half of U.S. kids under 16, has raised $520 million in a new Series H funding round that includes investors Warner Music Group, Altimeter Capital and others. (Warner’s investment was eight-figures, according to a source familiar with the situation.) The new round increases Roblox’s valuation to $29.5 billion, and the company plans to use the additional funds to “advance Roblox’s growth initiatives.”

This isn’t the first time Warner Music Group has partnered with Roblox, with Atlantic Records artist Ava Max hosting a launch party for her album Heaven & Hell on the platform in September. Roblox vice president and global head of music Jon Vlassopulos told VentureBeat at the time that the company had struck a partnership with Warner Music Group to launch more virtual concerts and “enable WMG’s artists to tap into the power of Roblox’s platform in the weeks and months ahead.”

Warner Music Group has been focused on growing its footprint in gaming for some time. “Ultimately, everything is going toward gaming, and we want to make sure we’re capturing value within it. It’s the future of entertainment,” Oana Ruxandra, Warner Music Group’s chief digital officer, told Billboard last September. The music industry has certainly been flocking toward gaming platforms over the past year, with Travis Scott pulling in 27.7 million participants during his Fortnite in-game performance last April, kicking off a wave of artists looking to set up virtual concerts on similar platforms. Roblox launched its first virtual concert in November, with a virtual concert by Lil Nas X that racked up 33 million views. 

“COVID has supercharged the demand for 2D and 3D live streaming events, and we’ve successfully facilitated virtual concerts on platforms like Wave XR, Roblox and Fortnite,” Warner CEO Steve Cooper said during the company’s fourth quarter earnings call in November. “On track to be a several hundred billion-dollar market by 2025, gaming is among the fastest-growing sectors of digital media, and we’ve positioned ourselves to forge meaningful partnerships within the gaming community.”

The move to raise another funding round hasn’t been a long-term plan for Roblox, which was supposed to go public in 2020 before delaying its IPO due to uncertain market conditions. Like many gaming companies, Roblox saw a huge surge in user engagement at the beginning of the pandemic, with a 40% increase in users in March 2020. Last April, Roblox reported that two-thirds of all kids between the ages 9 and 12 in the U.S. were using its platform. 

A pandemic isn’t necessarily a bad time to make a strategic investment. Warner’s income growth stalled in the quarter ending Sept. 30 but record labels and publishers have been somewhat protected from disruptions in live music and retail. Moreover, the time is good for an investment because debt is cheap. In October, Warner raised $250 million in a 3% note sale with the specific intent “to fund a portion of the aggregate cash consideration for certain acquisitions.”

Glenn Peoples contributed to this report.

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