Mr Experience is now Mr Independent.

Donny Benét, the Australian singer, songwriter and bass-player, preps the release of Infinite Desires, the first through his new indie label, Donnyland Records.

Benét’s sixth studio album, Infinite Desires is due out Feb. 29, 2024, with distribution through The Orchard. The first cab off the rank is “Multiply,” with two more singles slated for release in the months ahead.

A neo-disco banger, “Multiply” marks a new era for Benét, who, in addition to assuming label-chief duties, is once again self-managed. “I’m completely indie,” he tells Billboard.

With Donnyland Records, Benét can “control how I release music,” which will include some “really cool side projects.”

Benét, who earned a master’s degree in jazz performance and, in “a past life,” was “an accomplished jazz musician,” he admits, will support the LP release with tours of Australasia, North America, the U.K. and Europe.

Infinite Desires is the followup to Mr Experience (via Dot Dash/ Remote Control Record), which opened at No. 26 on the ARIA Albums Chart in May 2020. Due to the spread of COVID-19, however, the Don’s touring ambitions were curtailed. That’s history, and Benét is keen to make up for lost time.

“We’ve dragged out Mr Experience as long as we can. And yeah, it’s had some time to breathe, which is cool,” he explains. “I’m looking forward to (playing songs from the album). I’ve only done one run in Europe with it. So, we’re not going to hang it up just yet.”

Benét is a reigning champion at the AIR Awards, his instrumental Le Piano, winning for best independent jazz album or EP at the 2023 edition in Adelaide.

Based in Sydney, Benét’s inimitable style and sounds have pulled the artist a global cult following; it’s a blend of string of groovy tunes with ‘80s panache, time-machine pastel suits, and a look that’s been described as that of a badass who stepped out of Grand Theft Auto.

Classic Don cuts include “Girl of My Dreams,” “Second Dinner,” “Santorini” and “Konichiwa,” which featured on The Weeknd’s Handpicked playlist showcasing 24 songs that inspired After Hours.

Benét warms up for his world tour with a handful of dates early December in New Zealand, followed by a run of concerts across the U.K. and Europe through March and April 2024. The North America jaunt is due to start April 23 at Mohawk, Austin, TX, and is followed by a homecoming lap in mid-2024.

Visit donnybenet.com for more.

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Thursday Night Football is going on hiatus for Black Friday. The New York Jets and Miami Dolphins will take the field for the first-ever NFL Black Friday game, streaming exclusively on Prime Video on Friday (Nov. 24).

The fun begins at 1:30 p.m. ET with an extended Black Friday Football pregame show, which will feature “a celebration of football, family, food, music, and shopping” leading up to kickoff at 3 p.m. ET from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

Do you need a Prime membership to watch? No membership necessary! The Black Friday game will be available to anyone with an Amazon account (click here to open an account).

Additionally, football fans can tune in to score exciting holiday deals that will be announced during the Prime Video broadcast. Make sure to tune in to the game to catch Black Friday football deals throughout the livestream from brands such as TCL, Dyson, LEGO and Nintendo.

The flash deals will only be available while supplies last, so be sure to pay close attention to the screen for limited-deals before, during and after the game.

Amazon is helping Prime members secure exclusive holiday deals during the game. Plus, football fans will find plenty of game-day gear at Amazon and must-haves for tailgating parties. Amazon’s Black Friday event ends on Nov. 27.

Like other TNF games, the Black Friday pregame coverage will launch an hour before the Jets vs. Dolphins matchup. This week’s game is scheduled to start early than usual — 3 p.m. ET — and pregame coverage kicks off at 1:30 p.m. ET.

The TNF schedule will resume on Nov. 30. The season opener hit a streaming high with 15.05 million people tuning in to watch the Philadelphia Eagles win over the Minnesota Vikings (34-28). The ratings increased by 2 million from the previous season, per The Hollywood Reporter.

Prime Video scored another ratings high this season after Taylor Swift made a surprise appearance at the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Denver Broncos game on Oct 12.

Swift was in the building to support her new flame, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, and witnessed Kansas City triumph over the Broncos (19-8). Ratings for the game spiked to 13.83 million viewers — a 57 percent increase compared to a TNF football game around the same time last year, per Deadline.

The Grammy winner is no stranger to Prime Video and TNF. Swift premiered a teaser trailer for her Midnights album during a TNF game last year.

In other music news, Garth Brooks will headline the Amazon Music Live Concert on Black Friday. The Grammy winner will treat fans to a “Diver-Bar” concert event live streamed from the grand opening of Friends in Low Places Bar & Honky-Tonk, Brooks’ new bar in Nashville. The first-of-its-kind Black Friday concert will stream on Prime Video and Twitch at 7 p.m. ET.

“Amazon Music Live and Garth Brooks are coming together for Black Friday after the game to livestream a special ‘Dive Bar’ concert from the grand opening of the Friends In Low Places Bar and Honky-Tonk in Nashville,” said Brooks said in a statement. “We’ve already seen over 3 million entries to win a chance to attend, and thanks to our friends at Amazon, this episode will ensure that everybody who wants to see this show can. Not only will the people see the Friends bar for the first time, but they will also hear new music live for the first time…and if you know us, we will be playing the old stuff, as well.”

2 Chainz hosts the second season of Amazon Music Live, which began on Sept. 21. The weekly concert series airs after Thursday Night Football, with season two featuring performances from stars such as Ed Sheeran, Lil Durk, Feid and Metro Boomin.

Last year, Amazon secured exclusive rights to stream Thursday night NFL games on Prime Video, marking a new era for sports fans, including the Black Friday game.

Viewers can log in Prime Video on Friday to begin streaming the Black Friday game in addition to other football programs including previous games from last season that are available to stream right now.

Not familiar with Prime? Read on for the 2023 Thursday Night Football schedule and a step-by-step guide on how to join Amazon Prime for free.

What Is Prime Video?

Prime Video is Amazon’s streaming platform where you can watch Thursday Night Football, the Black Friday game and other sports, including NBA, MLB, WNBA, One Championship and soccer.

Additionally, Prime Video has a mega-library of movies and countless TV episodes, plus Prime Originals and a ton of sports documentaries and docuseries such as Kelce, a docuseries about Eagles center Jason Kelce featuring his brother, Travis. Also streaming on Prime: Coach Prime and All or Nothing featuring the Arizona Cardinals, Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Rams, Carolina Panthers and Philadelphia Eagles and other football, soccer and hockey teams.

How Much Does Prime Video Cost?

Prime Video is included with Amazon Prime memberships, but there’s also an option to join Prime Video by itself under a free, 30-day trial.

Not a Prime member? Subscribe now and get the first month free. The membership, which is $14.99 a month after the free trial, unlocks instant access to Prime Video and Amazon Music, along with free shipping on millions of products, members-only discounts and a year free membership to GrubHub+, so you can order food while you enjoy the Black Friday game or Thursday Night Football.

How to Save on Your Prime Membership

Amazon Prime’s annual membership ($139.99 a year) saves you around $40 a year. Prime also provides a 50% discount for eligible students and SNAP, Medicaid and other government assistance recipients.

How to Watch Thursday Night Football Games on Prime Video

Prime Video is the exclusive streaming destination for Thursday Night Football. All games will begin streaming live at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Pre-game coverage starts at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. 

How to Stream Prime Video on Your TV & Other Devices

To stream Thursday Night Football games and the Black Friday game, download the Prime Video app (or sign in online via Amazon.com) from a smart TV, laptop or another compatible streaming device to log into the platform. You can also save programs to your watchlist and view them later.

Thursday Night Football recordings are free on Prime Video, which means that you can pause, rewind and replay any TNF games or related programming this season.

See the full 2023 schedule of TNF games below.

Prime Video Thursday Night Football Schedule:

Jamie Foxx has been accused of sexual assault and battery by a young woman who claims the singer and actor groped her at a New York restaurant in 2015.

The complaint was filed in New York court on Wednesday (Nov. 22) by attorney Craig Phemister. In it, the Jane Doe plaintiff claims she met an allegedly intoxicated Foxx at the Catch NYC restaurant rooftop in August 2015 and, along with a friend, asked if he would take photos with them.

The woman claims that after taking photos with Foxx, he made several flirtatious comments before subsequently pulling her to a “secluded area.” There, she claims he rubbed her breasts before sliding his hands into her pants and placing “his fingers on and in” her vagina and anus despite her attempts to step away from him. She says he only stopped after her friend came looking for her, at which point she claims he walked away.

The woman, who says she was 18 at the time, claims that in the aftermath of the alleged assault, she “was injured; was rendered sick, sore, lame and disabled; was caused to undergo medical treatment and advice; was unable to pursue her usual and regular activities; was caused to undergo great conscious pain and suffering, continues to undergo such, and will permanently be affected by the injuries and emotional distress she incurred as a result of the sexual assault, abuse, assault and battery.”

Also named in the lawsuit are Catch Hospitality Group, which owns the New York restaurant, as well as its co-founder, Mark Birnbaum, whom the woman claims was drinking with Foxx at his table that night. She alleges that Birnbaum, the hospitality group and associated companies “were negligent in the hiring, training, lack of supervision, management, control and retention of their employees,” including several (listed as John/Jane Does 1-10) whom she says were working at the restaurant that night.

The lawsuit additionally claims that Foxx’s co-defendants “had knowledge of [his] propensities for aggressive behavior towards females, the potential for unwanted sexual touching and his bad disposition when consuming excessive alcohol.” The suit adds that restaurant staff were not properly trained “how to observe when a patron such as Foxx has consumed an excessive amount of alcohol and should not be served any more, and in otherwise ensuring the safety of their patrons from unwanted and abusive sexual touching.” It also claims the restaurant did not provide adequate security to protect its guests, thereby making the alleged assault possible.

All defendants are additionally accused of violating New York City’s Gender-Motivated Violence Act — Foxx for the alleged assault and Birnbaum and the companies for allegedly enabling it.

The woman is seeking damages for pain and suffering and economic loss as well as punitive damages.

Representatives for Foxx, Birnbaum and Catch Hospitality Group did not immediately respond to Billboard‘s requests for comment.

The case against Foxx is just the latest in a string of sexual misconduct lawsuits filed over the last month against men in the music industry, including industry executives like L.A. Reid and Jimmy Iovine and superstar artists including Axl Rose and Sean “Diddy” Combs (who settled the lawsuit brought by his accuser, former girlfriend and R&B singer Cassie, one day after it was filed). The spike in cases is due to the looming expiration at midnight Thursday (Nov. 23) of New York’s Adult Survivors Act, which created a one-year window for alleged survivors to take legal action over years-old accusations that would typically be barred under the statute of limitations.

2023 Billboard Music Awards content garnered more than 293 million cross-platform views in its first 48 hours, dick clark productions announced Wednesday (Nov. 22). The show, making its debut in a digital format, was the No. 1 social program across all of TV and streaming on Sunday and jumped 47% in year-over-year social engagements.

Billboard Music Awards content was distributed via BBMAs and Billboard social channels, as well as via Harmony, Penske Media’s proprietary livestreaming platform, which syndicated BBMAs programming across sites including Billboard, Variety, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, Rolling Stone, IndieWire and WWD.

The 2023 Billboard Music Awards was the No. 1 social program across all of TV and streaming on Nov. 19, according to Social Content Ratings. It also ranked No. 1 in total interactions (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube); No. 1 in earned interactions (Cross-platform Key Opinion Leader + Organic Twitter) and No. 1 in total video view counts (Facebook, Twitter and YouTube).

The BBMAs saw increased social engagement on show day (up 47% year over year) and throughout the duration of the campaign (up 43% year over year), according to ListenFirst.

A wide range of artists had top-performing on-demand clips.

KAROL G’s medley of “QLONA,” “Labios Mordidos” and “OJOS FERRARI” trended at No. 2 on YouTube on the day after the show and has more than 56 million views on her Instagram to date. The Colombian singer delivered a sexy, soaking-wet performance with her team of dancers on an immersive, water-filled stage, with choreography by Parris Goebel. She was surrounded by fans from Spotify’s Fans First program.

Morgan Wallen’s performance of “’98 Braves” has more than 43 million views on the BBMAs’ Instagram so far. The country superstar performed the song at the Atlanta Braves’ current MLB home field, Truist Park.

Performances by K-pop stars Stray Kids and NewJeans trended on YouTube on the day following the show at Nos. 8 and 9, respectively. Stray Kids performed “S-Class” and “LALALALA” from South Korea. Their performance on an elevated stage was augmented by pyrotechnics. NewJeans performed “Super Shy” and “OMG” as fans sang along.

Mariah Carey’s performance of “All I Want for Christmas Is You” also hit YouTube’s trending list (No. 11). After dropping into the stage via a ski lift, the Queen of Christmas transported fans into a winter wonderland that featured dancers on skates and backup singers including her children, Roc and Roe. The creative was overseen by legendary choreographer Debbie Allen. This marked the first time the holiday anthem was performed on an awards show.

According to data from Luminate, songs performed on the 2023 Billboard Music Awards saw an increase in total on-demand streams on the day following the BBMAs (when compared to BBMAs day, Nov. 19). “One in a Million” by David Guetta and Bebe Rexha increased by 47%. KAROL G’s “OJOS FERRARI” saw a 38% spike. Wallen’s “’98 Braves” increased by 20%.

Winners were determined by year-end performance metrics on the Billboard charts, the music industry’s ultimate data-driven measure of success. The eligibility dates for this year’s awards are aligned with Billboard’s year-end charts tracking period, which measures music consumption from the charts dated Nov. 19, 2022 through Oct. 21, 2023.

The 2023 Billboard Music Awards Presented by Marriott Bonvoy is produced by dick clark productions. Watch the 2023 Billboard Music Awards now at BBMAs.watch.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has rejected Madison Square Garden’s long-standing proposal to build a Sphere arena in London, less than two months after the company debuted its first Sphere project to critical acclaim in Las Vegas.

News of the rejection came by way of a letter from Khan to Anthony Hollingsworth, director of the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), which oversees London’s Olympic Park properties. On Nov. 6, Hollingsworth had written to Khan to inform him that “the local planning authority is minded to grant planning permission” for the Sphere project. In the letter dated Monday (Nov. 20), Khan explained to Hollingworth that after considering a 111-page report commissioned by the Greater London Authority (GLA) advising the mayor to reject the plan, he was now ordering the LLDC to “refuse planning permission” for the venue.

A statement from Madison Square Garden Entertainment officials said they were “disappointed in London’s decision” but added, “There are many forward-thinking cities that are eager to bring this technology to their communities. We will concentrate on those.”

A proposal for the venue was submitted in 2018, and Sphere London initially survived key votes by the city’s local planning authority. But with his letter, Khan has seemingly doomed the project.

The mayor said his main reason for rejecting the proposal was the impact he believed the venue would have on the surrounding area, writing that Sphere would “cause significant light intrusion resulting in significant harm to the outlook of neighbouring properties.”

He also said the size of the venue — 300 feet high and 400 feet wide — “would result in a bulky, unduly dominant” facility” that failed “to respect the character and appearance of this part of the town centre and the site’s wider setting.” Lastly, he criticized the venue’s high “energy intensive use,” which he says “does not achieve a high sustainability standard, and does not constitute good and sustainable design.”

“GLA officers have concluded that to grant permission would be contrary to the Development Plan,” adds Khan in the letter, citing a document that lays out the spatial development strategy in London for the next 20 to 25 years. “[It] would prejudice the implementation of the policies within the Development Plan relating to residential amenity, good design, and the conservation and enhancement of London’s heritage.”

The Sphere project had previously faced pushback from some local residents as well as AEG, which operates London’s O2 Arena, located just four miles from the proposed site of the venue. In January, after the London Legacy Development Corporation’s Planning Decisions Committee greenlit MSG Entertainment to initiate work on the project, AEG called on Khan to reject the project in a statement that read in part: “The advertising façade is at a wholly unprecedented scale for London and totally out of keeping with the surrounding area. The design was conceived for the heart of Las Vegas and has been transposed onto this east London site: it’s the wrong design, in the wrong location.”