Radio and television personality Bobby Bones — host of the Premiere/iHeartMedia nationally syndicated radio program The Bobby Bones Show – took to social media on Sunday to allege that voting for the Academy of Country Music and Country Music Association Awards are “manipulated” by labels and that behind-the-scenes dealings at country labels affect which songs reach No. 1 and for how long, claiming that half of chart-topping country hits are illegitimate No. 1 hits. His comments have drawn considerable feedback in the country community and refutation from the awards shows.

In one TikTok post concerning country radio chart-toppers, Bones takes country record labels to task, saying, “Here’s the truth about No. 1 songs: It’s politics. They trade them out like baseball cards. A record label will talk to another record label and go, ‘OK, I’ll give you this No. 1 on this date; you give me that No. 1 on that date.’ Which really, it just should be the song that’s the most wanted, the most listened to, the song that people demand … and so when you hear someone talk about a No. 1 song, I would say half of them aren’t legitimate No. 1 songs. They have to be good to get to the top 10. There’s a lot of research done into these songs. But when it gets to being a No. 1 song, it’s people going, ‘OK, I’ll give you this; you give me that.’ And it’s everybody trying to create as many No. 1s as possible, because everything’s the same. Everybody gets a participation trophy at No. 1.”

Though Bones did not say which specific songs he felt were undeserved chart-toppers, he did mention Luke Combs and Maren Morris as artists whose songs he felt should have had longer stints at No. 1.

“For example, a Luke Combs song could be No. 1 for 10 weeks, but because of politics, the label will go, ‘Ah, let’s let somebody else get in that spot,’ and they’ll move Luke Combs to No. 2 and he’ll sit there for a few weeks. The same thing with like a Maren Morris.”

Billboard reached out to several label representatives regarding Bones’ statements, though no labels would comment on Bones’ statements as of press time.

On Tuesday (Aug. 31), Bones returned to TikTok to say he was “surprised at all the controversy” his comments were causing and to highlight a story from today’s Country Insider that featured some anonymous radio sources agreeing with Bones’ assessment, while others disagreed or said the issue was far more complicated.

In a separate TikTok post, Bones also alleged that bigger labels have an advantage when it comes to voting for winners for the CMA Awards and ACM Awards because of bloc voting and the ability to “manipulate” votes.

“Let’s say you work for Record Label A, which has 3,000 people that works there and they have an artist up for entertainer of the year, and Record Label B has 250 people that work there and they have an artist up for entertainer of the year,” Bones alleges. “Well, what Record Label A does is they organize everyone to bloc vote, so those thousands of votes go to their artists, and then Record Label B, that doesn’t have near the number of workers or voters, are kind of screwed unless somehow they get votes from everybody else. But bloc voting is done in the awards shows, but not illegal actually.”

He then goes on to praise the CMA and ACM organizations for trying to keep it “as legit as possible.”

Despite Bones’ assertions, both the CMA and ACM tell Billboard they have rigorous restrictions in place that prohibit bloc voting. The CMA caps all companies in terms of the number of voting members they can have so larger companies cannot manipulate the vote. The organization also works with its accounting firm, Deloitte, to review voting patterns to determine if bloc voting has occurred, even within the limited voting members. If it has, those votes are eliminated. Furthermore, the majority of CMA members are individuals without company affiliations.

The ACM caps corporate accounts at 100 total members, regardless of the number of employees and inclusive of all imprints. Similarly to the CMA, a third party auditor monitors the voting process and any unusual voting patterns are flagged and investigated.

When contacted by Billboard, a representative for Bones said he had no other comments to add to his previous TikTok statements. An iHeartRadio representative did not reply to a request for comment.

–Assistance on this story provided by Melinda Newman

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An edited version of Kanye West’s final livestreamed listening session for his 10th album Donda is expected to go live exclusively on Apple Music Tuesday, multiple sources tell Billboard.

West partnered with Apple Music to host two listening sessions at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and another at Soldier Field in Chicago, collectively bringing out well over 100,000 people to hear him complete his latest work. West’s Chicago show set a livestreaming record on Apple Music, with 5.9 million people tuning in to watch the spectacle.

Since the album was released on Sunday, Donda has continued to set records, becoming the first album in Apple Music history to top the charts in over 150 countries.

Donda also became the most streamed album in the U.S. in 2021 on Apple Music in its first 24 hours with over 60 million streams, which helped West land the title for most streamed artist on the service in a day this year. The 27-track album is named after West’s late mother who passed in 2007 at age 58.

The project has also put up significant numbers on Spotify, with Donda pulling in over 94 million streams globally in 24 hours on the service, which is home to 365 million monthly users. (Apple Music last reported having over 60 million users in 2019.)

One of the most uplifting events to take root during COVID-19’s stay-at-home mandates was D-Nice’s Club Quarantine. The DJ’s game-changing live sets became a culture-raising fixture on Instagram for celebs and music fans alike over the last year, attracting millions thanks to his masterful curation of R&B, soul and hip-hop classics. Last night (Aug. 29), D-Nice brought his online party to the Hollywood Bowl — and kept the house rocking for three hours.

The first stop in a road show series staged in partnership with Live Nation Urban (next up: Brooklyn, Sept. 2; Atlanta, Sept. 3), Club Quarantine Live at the Bowl co-starred Common, the Isley Brothers, Deborah Cox and Trey Songz, among others. Donnie Wahlberg and Chris Spencer co-hosted the sold-out affair during which D-Nice’s deft spinning coupled with the artists’ lively and passionate performances kept the exuberant crowd on its feet the entire time.

A pre-show video montage featuring comments from Club Quarantine fans not only set the evening’s tone but also paid homage to D-Nice for the relief, hope and fun his trips down memory lane provided as the pandemic and social unrest took their toll. Noted one fan, “I don’t know how I would have made it; [Club Quarantine] was a sanctuary.” Added another, “Club Q gave me a new ideology of what life is … If you stay authentic, humble and true to yourself, good guys will always win.”

Holding court atop a tall platform wearing a white suit and ever-present hat (starting with gray and changing later to red), good guy D-Nice kicked off the show with Sister Sledge’s fitting “Lost in Music.” From there he segued into a medley that had the Bowl audience singing along at the top of their lungs: Stevie Wonder’s “Do I Do,” Prince’s “I Wanna Be Your Lover,” Mary J. Blige’s “Just Fine,” Patrice Rushen’s “Haven’t You Heard” and Michael Jackson’s “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’.” Between his solo spins, D-Nice welcomed special guests into his VIP section: two white couches located on each side of the stage.

Deborah Cox had fans cheering ecstatically during her powerful performance of her hits “Sentimental” and “Nobody’s Supposed to Be Here”; surprise performer Tank (previously announced artists Amerie and Carl Thomas didn’t appear) winningly crooned his way through a sexy and grown set featuring “Maybe I Deserve,” “Please Don’t Go” and “When We.” Trey Songz raised that bar to the next level with the sensual and searing “Can’t Help But Wait,” “Can’t Be Friends” and “Neighbors Know My Name.”

Earlier in the show, emerging star Kiana Ledé sang her platinum-certified “Ex” and the vibey “Rather Be.” She’s the featured guest on the latter, D-Nice’s latest singe from his forthcoming album. Giving thanks for surviving a tumultuous year, gospel singers Karima Kibble and Erica Campbell propelled a spirited praise and worship session that included Mary Mary’s 1999 classic “Shackles” (Praise You).”

Letting his spinning and the fervent audience sing-alongs do most of the talking, D-Nice further revved up the crowd with an homage to his New York City stomping grounds (Puff Daddy’s “All About the Benjamins,” JAY-Z’s “I Just Wanna Love You [Give It 2 Me]”) and HBCU’s (E.U’s “Da Butt”). He closed the inaugural Club Quarantine Live with another Sister Sledge track, “Thinking of You (Dimitri From Paris Remix).” Explained D-Nice, “This is the song that got us — the Club Quarantine family — through the last year.”

Among other choice Club Q moments:

Double Icons: Not one but two mighty legends hit the Club Q stage — the Isley Brothers and George Clinton. Garbed in a glittery cape, No. 34 Lakers jersey and silver helmet-type hat, chief of funk Clinton engaged the delighted audience with riffs on verses and choruses from three of Parliament-Funkadelic’s best-known hits: “(Not Just) Knee Deep,” “Flash Light” and “Atomic Dog.” Helping to close out the show’s last hour, brothers Ronnie and Ernie commanded the stage during a too brief, two-song performance: the sultry “Footsteps in the Dark” and seductive “Between the Sheets.” Resplendent in white — Ronnie dressed in a suit accessorized by a matching chapeau and gold-topped black cane in hand; Ernie in a white head scarf, white pants and silver vest — the siblings adeptly showed that age ain’t nothing but a number.

The Audience: It was difficult to discern who was having the most fun — the artists or the audience. But the audience perhaps had the edge. After 18 months of a forced hiatus, the party-starved crowd was ready to let loose, especially after co-hosts Wahlberg and Spencer hit the stage tot he opening beats of Dr. Dre’s “The Next Episode.” From there it was all systems go as candid shots of fans going to town dancing and singing flashed across the giant video screens flanking the stage. One such fan: This Is Us star Sterling K. Brown during D-Nice’s homage to his New York City stomping grounds with Puff Daddy’s “It’s All About the Benjamins” and JAY-Z’s “I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me).”

Star Trio: “This is the party of all parties, right?” declared Common who took the stage after Clinton for a strong set that included him breakdancing and performing his timeless mantra “The Light.” Then the rapper and the funk guru returned to sing along with the ever-fierce Sheila E. during her riveting take on “The Glamorous Life,” which she wrapped with a compelling, standing ovation-earning drum solo.

Salute to Biz Markie: One of the night’s most touching and ethereal moments occurred during D-Nice’s tribute to hip-hop pioneer Biz Markie. Requesting a minute of silence, the DJ/rapper proclaimed that “without Biz, I wouldn’t be on this stage right now. He inspired me to come back. So shine a light right now for Biz Markie.” The sea of camera phone lights shining across the entire venue as the crowd chanted the hook to Markie’s “Just a Friend” spoke volumes.