From its megaphones in Tallahassee to pop-up appearances in Middle America, the DeSantis camp is dropping hints and silently screaming: “He’s running, he’s running!” Surely, Florida’s governor will take the … Click to Continue »
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The cat’s out of the bag. We finally know the identity of that mysterious book that hit No. 1 on Amazon without a title or a cover.
It turns out, the cryptic listing is a BTS biography that will be released this summer via Flatiron Books and Big Hit Music. Beyond the Story: 10-Year Record of BTS ($45) is described as an “oral history of the K-Pop group in South Korea and the United States,” according to The New York Times.
The book is written by BTS and journalist Kang Myeong-seok and translated into English by Anton Hur.
Buy: Beyond the Story: 10-Year Record of BTS $27.00
Beyond the Story is on sale for $27 at Amazon and $29.99 for a Kindle version. Fans can pre-order the book online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble (it’s on sale for $39.99).
There’s not much else known about the release, beyond that it will include 544 pages and drops on July 9. The book was initially listed as “4C Untitled Flatiron Nonfiction Summer 2023” on Amazon.
The cryptic title was rumored to be a Taylor Swift memoir. Swifties took to social media to point out that 544 adds up to 13, which happens to be Swift’s favorite number and her birthdate. Swift’s fans also theorized that the July 9 release date might be a reference to her song “Last Kiss.”
But July 9 is also significant to BTS as this year’s ARMY Day will celebrate the fanbase’s 10th anniversary. As ARMY Day approaches, BTS fans can click here to pre-order a copy of Beyond the Story or click the buy button featured above.
Sting and Shaggy’s bromance continues with the launch of One Fine Day, a new one-day festival the two friends have created and curated.
The festival, which also features Thundercat, Tank & the Bangas, Koffee and G. Love & Special Sauce, among others, will take place across two stages at Philadelphia’s The Mann in Fairmount Park on Sept. 9.
Sting and Shaggy, whose joint album 44/876 won the Grammy for best reggae album in 2019, have been fast friends and collaborators for the last several years. The duo will headline the main stage at the festival, performing their biggest hits, including “Every Breath You Take,” “Message in a Bottle,” “Boombastic” and “Angel,” both together and trading off on songs. The Sept. 9 appearance marks the only time the two will perform together in 2023.
“I love how Shaggy and I effortlessly push each other to the creative edges,” said Sting in a statement. “After having made the 44/876 album together and recording an album of Frank Sinatra covers in a reggae style [the Grammy-nominated Com Fly Wid Mi], a day of hits and musical adventures in one of our favorite cities seemed like the next illogical step!”
“Sting is a catalyst for musical curiosity,” added Shaggy. “When we collaborate, we combine our musical tastes, individual cultures and a sense of wonder. We wanted to invite some of our favorite musicians to gather in real time and share that very vibe at One Fine Day.”
The festival is presented by Live Nation and Cherrytree Music Company, which manages both artists. Other artists on the bill include Kes, Flor de Toloache and Giordana Angi.
An artist presale began today (May 16). Tickets go on sale to the general public on May 19 at Ticketmaster.
See the full lineup below:
The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) has notified radio and podcast giant Audacy of its plan to delist the company’s Class A common stock from the exchange over its consistently low share price, Audacy announced Tuesday (May 16).
According to a press release, “the NYSE will consider commencing delisting procedures when a company’s listed securities experience an abnormally low selling price.” The NYSE abruptly halted trading of Audacy’s stock at 2 p.m. ET on Tuesday, when shares were trading for $.094 — down slightly from $.10 at the start of the day. The company’s share price is down nearly 63% since the beginning of the year.
NYSE rules require a minimum average closing price of $1 per share over 30 consecutive trading days, but Audacy’s share price hasn’t traded above that threshold since July 5, 2022.
The NYSE has applied to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to delist Audacy’s stock. While that process plays out, trading in the company’s common stock on the exchange will be suspended, though it can still be traded over the counter.
Audacy signaled its intent to appeal the delisting by filing a written request, which it is required to do within 10 days of receiving the delisting notice. If that appeal is successful, the stock may resume trading on the NYSE.
In a statement, Audacy president/CEO David J. Field said that while the company is “disappointed” in the NYSE’s decision, he is “hopeful” that Audacy stock will start trading on the exchange again later this year “as we execute our action plans which include a reverse stock split to satisfy NYSE rules, the continued execution of our liability management plans and working with our financial advisors to refinance our debt.”
Field also stated that the company is confident it “will benefit from a general market recovery and will be able to capitalize on our investments in strategic transformation that position Audacy well for the future.”
Radio companies have been slammed by an advertising slowdown since the second half of 2022, and Audacy has been particularly hard-hit. In its first-quarter earnings released Wednesday (May 10), the company’s net revenue of $259.6 million was down 5.7% year-over-year, while cash operating expenses were up 3%. Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) was $3.5 million, compared to $26 million in the first quarter of 2022.
On a May 10 earnings call, Audacy CFO Richard Schmaeling noted that the company’s network advertising revenue fell 6% year-over-year due to inflation and rising interest rates (though its podcast advertising revenue was up 14%). He warned that advertising demand has “further softened” since the start of 2023 and added that “it could get worse before it gets better,” noting that the company “is continuing to work to accelerate revenue growth, develop and execute added cost reduction actions and to sell other noncore assets.”
“However,” Schmaeling continued, “these actions may not be sufficient to fully mitigate the impact of potential further advertising weakness.”
Three hours or bust!
On their ambitious new tours, Beyoncé and Taylor Swift are setting the bar impossibly high for treks to come, playing three-hour (or longer!) concerts that each cover more than 3 dozen songs from their respective catalogs. Rock fans have come to expect marathon concerts from the likes of Bruce Springsteen or Pearl Jam, but this is a rarity for a pop concert; by comparison, another currently touring pop superstar, Janet Jackson, is playing just under two-hour shows.
On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Katie & Keith — with a special assist from Billboard touring director Dave Brooks — are discussing whether this could become the norm for a pop show or if Bey and Swift are just supernova outliers.
Also on the show, we’ve got chart news on how Morgan Wallen charts a 10th straight week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with his album One Thing at a Time. How rare is that? How many albums have spent at least 10 weeks at No. 1 in the chart’s history? And how many more weeks do we think he’ll spend on top? Plus, Ed Sheeran’s – (Subtract) lands at No. 2 in its first week on the chart.
The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast is your one-stop shop for all things pop on Billboard‘s weekly charts. You can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music, and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop. Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard‘s executive digital director, West Coast, Katie Atkinson and Billboard’s managing director, charts and data operations, Keith Caulfield every week on the podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast provider. (Click here to listen to the previous edition of the show on Billboard.com.)
If you missed out on Willie Nelson’s 90th birthday concerts on April 30 and May 1 in Los Angeles, you can see all the special performances honoring the 12-time Grammy winner in a limited theatrical run.
Long Story Short: Willie Nelson 90 will be shown in theaters on June 11, with an encore presentation on June 13 and 14. Recorded at the Hollywood Bowl over two nights in April, the concert film will include performances by Nelson, Keith Richards, Neil Young, George Strait, Miranda Lambert, Snoop Dogg and many more.
Nelson, who will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame later this year, is having a banner year as a nonagenarian. He was honored with an educational endowment at the University of Texas’ LBJ School of Public Affairs and will have a new book about his songwriting called “Energy Follows Thought: The Stories Behind My Songs,” coming out on Oct. 31 through William Morrow.
The Texas actor, activist and songwriter penned hits like “Crazy,” “Funny How Times Slips Away” and “On the Road Again” over his seven-decade career, as well as co-founded Farm Aid.
Tickets for the concert film, presented by Blackbird Presents, Joe Hand Promotions and Nelson’s manager Mark Rothbaum, go on sale today at willienelson90experience.com
U.S. Border Patrol agents took four people into custody they say were among a group of migrants who came ashore in Sunny Isles Beach Monday morning. The people were caught … Click to Continue »
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