On Wednesday, Tony Montalto stood in front of Florida lawmakers and urged them to pass a bill that would make it easier for juries to hand out death sentences. Montalto … Click to Continue »
NCT 127 notch their fifth top 10-charting set on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart (dated March 18) as Ay-Yo: The 4th Album Repackage debuts at No. 2. It’s the fifth total, and consecutive, top 10-charting effort for the pop ensemble. All five have peaked within the top two positions of the chart.
NCT 127 last debuted on Top Album Sales with their fourth album, 2 Baddies, last year. That set was later repackaged, had three new bonus tracks added, and retitled as Ay-Yo. It initially reached streamers and digital retailers in January, but its CD release didn’t happen until March 3.
Ay-Yo sold 29,000 copies in the U.S. in the week ending March 9, according to Luminate. CDs comprise effectively all of Ay-Yo’s sales for the week. Like many K-pop releases, the CD configuration of Ay-Yo was issued in collectible deluxe packages, each with a standard set of items and randomized elements (covers, photocards, posters, stickers). The album was not available in any other physical format.
Also in the top 10 of the new Top Album Sales chart, Morgan Wallen, Kali Uchis, De La Soul, Macklemore and Daisy Jones & The Six all debut albums in the region.
Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales. The chart’s history dates back to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now Luminate. Pure album sales were the sole measurement utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album units and streaming equivalent album units. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.
At No. 1 on Top Album Sales, Morgan Wallen lands his second leader, and best sales week yet, as One Thing at a Time bows with 111,500 copies sold. That sum easily outpaces his previous highest sales frame when his last album, the chart-topping Dangerous: The Double Album, launched with 74,000 copies sold in January of 2021.
Kali Uchis logs her first top 10 and biggest sales week as her new studio set Red Moon in Venus enters at No. 3 with 28,000 sold. Of that sum, nearly 14,000 comprise vinyl sales – enabling the set to debut at No. 1 on the Vinyl Albums chart.
De La Soul’s debut album 3 Feet High and Rising, released in 1989, enters Top Album Sales at No. 4 after the long-out-of-print set was reissued on physical formats and made its digital retail debut on March 3. The album sold 21,000 copies in the week ending March 9, with almost 14,000 of that sum from vinyl LP sales (it bows at No. 2 on the Vinyl Albums chart). On the Billboard 200, 3 Feet High and Rising originally peaked at No. 24 in 1989 but hits a new high on the March 18-dated chart, where the set re-enters at No. 15, its first week in the top 20.
Macklemore’s new album Ben bows at No. 5 on Top Album Sales, selling 14,000 copies in its first week. It’s his second solo top 10-charting set, following Gemini in 2017, which peaked at No. 2. As one-half of Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, the duo visited the top 10 twice, with This Unruly Mess I’ve Made (No. 3 in 2016) and The Heist (No. 2 in 2012).
Four former No. 1s are next on Top Album Sales, as TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s The Name Chapter: Temptation falls 4-6 (11,000; down 23%), Taylor Swift’s Midnights dips 5-7 (10,000; down 8%), Gorillaz’s Cracker Island drops 1-8 in its second week (nearly 10,000; down 80%), and P!nk’s Trustfall slips 3-9 (9,000; down 47%).
Rounding out the top 10 is Daisy Jones & The Six’s Aurora, debuting at No. 10 with 8,000 sold. The album doubles as the soundtrack to the Amazon Prime Video series Daisy Jones & the Six, about the fictional rock band of the same name. The series stars Riley Keough (as the character Daisy Jones) and Sam Claflin (The Six member Billy Dunne), who sing lead vocals on the Aurora album.
In the week ending March 9, there were 1.979 million albums sold in the U.S. (up 6.9% compared to the previous week). Of that sum, physical albums (CDs, vinyl LPs, cassettes, etc.) comprised 1.524 million (up 3.4%) and digital albums comprised 455,000 (up 20.4%).
There were 667,000 CD albums sold in the week ending March 9 (up 9.9% week-over-week) and 847,000 vinyl albums sold (down 1%). Year-to-date CD album sales stand at 6.192 million (up 1.3% compared to the same time frame a year ago) and year-to-date vinyl album sales total 8.815 million (up 25.6%).
Overall year-to-date album sales total 18.65 million (up 7.8% compared to the same year-to-date time frame a year ago). Year-to-date physical album sales stand at 15.1 million (up 14.3%) and digital album sales total 3.549 million (down 13.1%).
The War and Treaty’s Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter just released their new album, Lover’s Game (which released March 10). Billboard‘s Tetris Kelly caught up with them in Austin, Texas, to discuss the new album, touring and more.
This year, alongside performing on their own Lover’s Game Tour dates, they will be opening shows for Chris Stapleton — something Michael says happened after The War and Treaty’s performance of The Rolling Stones’ “It’s Only Rock & Roll (But I Like It)” with Brothers Osborne at the 2022 CMA Awards.
“When we got off the stage and went back to our seats, Chris was standing there with Morgane, his wife, and they were like, ‘We have to do something together.’ And it’s so cool because Morgane was like, ‘We should go on tour, right?’ And Chris goes, ‘Yep, we should.’ And Patty Loveless goes, ‘Make sure they take you on tour.’ So they are taking us on tour.”
They also talked about being nominated for a CMT Music Award in the group/duo video of the year category, alongside fellow artists Dan + Shay, Lady A, Little Big Town and more. Michael Trotter Jr. said he hasn’t felt a super-competitive environment in country music, but rather one of love and support.
“I think that’s what’s so special about country music — you don’t feel it and it really isn’t. Everybody gets so amped up when you’re nominated, so I feel like a big ol’ family and just honored to be nominated.”
Of course, both Michael and Tanya have been performing for years — and Tanya spoke of her notable role in the 1993 film Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, including an iconic scene where she performs “His Eye Is on the Sparrow” alongside Lauryn Hill.
“I’m really grateful that people still remember and it’s surprising that it’s still a big deal in pop culture” she said. With a Sister Act 3 film seemingly in the works, she says she still keeps in touch with some of her fellow actors from the film.
“Everybody’s just kind of up in the air — where it goes, we don’t know,” she says.
See the full interview below:
Iconoclast, an artist and brand development company, has purchased the catalog of Lady Gaga co-writer and producer Nick Monson. His catalog includes hits like “Human” by Rag n Bone Man, which is currently peaking on TikTok, as well as songs like “Applause” by Gaga, “Good For You” and “Nobody” by Selena Gomez, “Home” by Nick Jonas, “Invitation” and “Just Like Me” by Britney Spears.
Netherlands-based music fund Pythagoras Music Fund (PMF) has purchased the worldwide publishing rights to Barton Music and its catalogs, which includes American standards like the Frank Sinatra-recorded “Come Fly With Me,” “Love & Marriage” and more. The acquired catalogs also include compositions recorded by Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, Doris Day, Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Etta James, Sarah Vaughan, Plácido Domingo, Linda Ronstadt, Michael Bublé, Westlife and Robbie Williams.
Hannah Babbitt has launched BABZ Nashville, a second home for her boutique management company BABZ which represents some of the industry’s top songwriters and producers, including Alex Hope, Jesse Fink, Nick Monson and more.
Sentric Music Group has partnered with Rough Trade Publishing to handle the independent publisher’s global administration. The deal covers all of Rough Trade’s signees, including Alvvays, Chelsea Wolfe, The Tallest Man On Earth, Built To Spill, Black Lips and more.
Platinum-selling producer-songwriter Krupa has signed with independent publishing house Position Music. News of the worldwide deal arrives on the heels of Krupa receiving an RIAA Double Platinum certification for co-writing the song “Blood // Water” by Grandson. He’s also worked with Jessie Reyez, Dillon Francis, Kesha, Travis Barker and more.
EVGLE Publishing has announced the signing of artist, producer, songwriter and violinist GrandMaster Vic, who is best known for his work on Kendrick Lamar‘s Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. The young publishing joint venture — founded by Blxst, Victor Burnett and Karl Fowlkes — was created in conjunction with Warner Chappell Music and also boasts Jay Millian, J Pilot and Blxst on its roster.
Various Artists Management and Stellar Songs has launched a new joint venture called Alternative Songs. The new company will be administered and funded by Downtown Music Services.
Concord Music Publishing ANZ (formerly Native Tongue) has announced the signing of COTERIE, a five-piece band based in West Australia. The new deal encompasses the band’s back catalog and future works.
Ellen Reid has signed a publishing deal with Wise Music Group and Chester Music Limited. Reid’s work spans opera, sound design, film scoring and ensemble choral writing. In 2019, she won the Pulitzer Prize in music for her opera p r i s m.
Wise Music Group and Chester Music Limited have signed Anoushka Shankar to an exclusive publishing agreement. A film composer, activist, and seven-time Grammy nominee, Shankar said in a statement that it’s a “pleasure” to work with the companies on her future works. “I look forward to expanding my compositional horizons and working with them to bring my creative voice and the sound of my instrument- the sitar- into new spaces.”
It’s been just three days since Drake announced his It’s All a Blur tour with 21 Savage, but the demand is so high that he has already added 14 additional dates to the upcoming North American trek.
On Thursday (March 16), Drizzy added second shows in Houston, Dallas, Miami, Detroit, Montreal, Washington, DC, Seattle, Vancouver, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Las Vegas — as well as third shows in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Inglewood, Calif., bringing the tour to a massive 42 shows this summer. The tour will kick off on June 16 in New Orleans, and will wrap on Sept. 5 in Glendale, Ariz.
The shows in Drake’s hometown of Toronto, Canada, will be announced at a later date.
The tour is the “Jimmy Cooks” artist’s first since his 2018 trek, Aubrey & the Three Amigos. According to the press release, as the title suggests, the It’s All a Blur Tour is “a celebration of the last decade.”
Tickets for the new dates will be available at the general onsale, which kicks off Friday (March 17) at noon local time on DrakeRelated.com.
See the new list of dates below.
- Fri Jun 16 – New Orleans, LA – Smoothie King Center
- Mon Jun 19 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
- Wed Jun 21 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center
- Thu Jun 22 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center
- Sat Jun 24 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center
- Sun Jun 25 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center
- Wed Jun 28 – Miami, FL – Miami-Dade Arena
- Thu Jun 29 – Miami, FL – Miami-Dade Arena
- Sat Jul 01 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena
- Sun Jul 02 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena
- Wed Jul 05 – Chicago, IL – United Center
- Thu Jul 06 – Chicago, IL – United Center
- Sat Jul 08 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
- Sun Jul 09 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
- Tue Jul 11 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
- Wed Jul 12 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
- Fri Jul 14 – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
- Mon Jul 17 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center
- Tue Jul 18 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center
- Thu Jul 20 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center
- Sun Jul 23 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
- Tue Jul 25 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
- Wed Jul 26 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
- Fri Jul 28 – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena
- Sat Jul 29 – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena
- Mon Jul 31 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
- Tue Aug 1 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
- Sat Aug 12 – Inglewood, CA – Kia Forum
- Sun Aug 13 – Inglewood, CA – Kia Forum
- Tue Aug 15 – Inglewood, CA – Kia Forum
- Fri Aug 18 – San Francisco, CA – Chase Center
- Sat Aug 19 – San Francisco, CA – Chase Center
- Mon Aug 21 – Los Angeles, CA – Crypto.com Arena
- Tue Aug 22 – Los Angeles, CA – Crypto.com Arena
- Fri Aug 25 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
- Sat Aug 26 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
- Mon Aug 28 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
- Tue Aug 29 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
- Fri Sep 01 – Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena
- Sat Sep 02 – Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena
- Tue Sep 05 – Glendale, AZ – Desert Diamond Arena
Following Bandcamp’s sale to Epic Games last year, employees at the popular independent music streaming and sales platform are making efforts to unionize.
On Thursday (March 16), Bandcamp workers filed with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to authorize a union election, marking the latest push by music company employees to unionize. If approved, the workers will hold an election to officially form the union. The effort follows similar initiatives from employees at indie label Secretly Group and YouTube Music, as well as workers at broader tech and media companies like Amazon, Disney and Tesla.
Bandcamp United is a group of “designers, journalists, support staff, engineers and more,” according to a statement, that is “committed to protecting the benefits we have, fixing historical disparities within and across departments, and promoting equitable conditions and economic stability for all of our colleagues.”
“If you think about Bandcamp, it’s about paying artists fairly for the music that we love so much,” says Eli Rider, a Philadelphia-based data analyst for the music streaming and sales platform, and one of the union organizers, in a phone interview. “So, the workers that build the site and support it also would like to have fair and transparent wages.”
Rider wouldn’t elaborate on specific issues around wages or workplace conditions that prompted the employees’ move to unionize. She also wouldn’t specify how many workers were involved in the union effort, but said, “We have a broad base of support,” including from U.S. and international Bandcamp employees.
Discussions around unionizing began during online meetings last July, according to Rider. “Folks just started talking more about what they were experiencing at work,” she says. “It was mostly talk, but then someone had the idea of getting organized.” At that point, they reached out to existing unions, before deciding to affiliate with the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) Local 1010.
Bandcamp was sold to Epic Games, the company that owns Fortnite, for an undisclosed amount in March 2022. After the sale, Rider says there was “a shift in our workplace conditions” that he describes as “unexpected.”
In a statement Thursday, Bandcamp’s CEO Ethan Diamond responded: “We are aware that some Bandcamp employees are seeking to organize a union and [we] are reviewing the petition to understand their concerns.”
Formed in 2007, Bandcamp was a crucial outlet for indie musicians after touring revenue disappeared during the COVID-19 quarantine period. Artists relied on the Bandcamp Fridays promotion to sell merch and music; on those days, they received 93% of the revenue compared to 82% on a typical day. On the first Bandcamp Friday after concerts shut down in 2020, fans bought 800,000 items from artists on Bandcamp totaling $4.3 million.
“It is important to us that Bandcamp’s artist-first mission continues with clarity and accountability, with all resources afforded to us distributed in the fairest and most transparent way possible,” the workers said on their website. “We feel a responsibility to support those who are most marginalized, to use our platform with integrity, and to provide reasonable protections and accommodations for those at-risk.”
When Juan Rondeau arrives at home with his first-place trophy Wednesday, he will position it beside two others. For the third year in a row, the 14-year-old Argentinian native who … Click to Continue »
Story nightclub will be open with liquor flowing until 5 a.m. for at least another month, despite a judge’s ruling Tuesday that the city of Miami Beach can impose a … Click to Continue »
BALTIMORE — With less than a month left to reshape Maryland’s gun regulations, state lawmakers have advanced bills with differing approaches as they grapple with a U.S. Supreme Court decision … Click to Continue »
In a signal that a top-priority bill of the National Rifle Association faces long odds this year, Senate President Kathleen Passidomo said Wednesday there is little support in the Senate … Click to Continue »
