Florida lawmakers will soon have to consider whether to ban abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. A new bill proposing the tighter restriction was filed Tuesday on the first day … Click to Continue »
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Concerts are back! The return of live shows means that music lovers can prepare to see their favorite artists onstage after years of canceled and delayed shows.
While every venue has different regulations for bags that you’re allowed to bring inside, the general rule of thumb seems to be a clear plastic, vinyl or PVC bag that does not exceed 12″ x 6″ x 12″.
To help you get your gear in order for SXSW, Coachella, Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Governors Ball, and other music festivals and concerts, we’ve compiled some great options on Amazon for venue-approved bags to carry your belongings in at your next concert, all under $20.
While you only need an Amazon account to purchase from Amazon, having a Prime account comes with so many more benefits — including discounts, fast and free delivery, and access to movies and TV shows via Prime Video. Check out the 30-day free trial here.
See more below.
Can’t go wrong with a classic fanny pack! The waist bag allows you to enjoy the show hands free, and comes in four different linings with a venue-approved clear body. The zippered compartment comes with two pockets with space to carry your phone, wallet, hand sanitizer and more essentials. You can get this fanny pack in several colors including black, pink, yellow, silver and holographic blue.
Buy: USPECLARE Clear Small Backpack Stadium Approved, Water proof Transparent Backpack $15.99
Looking for a backpack to bring with you to shows and festivals? Look no further. This mini backpack fits under size regulations and boasts “extra durable cold-resistant PVC plastic with no harmful chemicals.” The black straps are adjustable and have padding for comfortable, all-day wear.
Buy: Clear Crossbody Purse Bag, Stadium Approved for Concerts, Festivals $11.99
This clear purse is meant to be worn over the shoulder or across the body. The length of the black strap can be adjusted from 29.5 inches to 56 inches.
For those looking to still rock a stylish accessory without the risk of having to leave it in the car, try this clear purse made of waterproof material and outlined with gold studs. It also comes with a detachable chain so you can choose to wear it as a crossbody or as a clutch.
Buy: COROMAY Clear Purse for Women, Clear Bag Stadium Approved, Clear Purse Handbag $16.99
Another cute style is this purse from Coromay. Designed with a top handle and a shoulder strap that adjusts from 26 inches to 52 inches, the bag can be worn as a handbag, tote bag, shoulder bag, clutch or crossbody bag. It also comes in four colors.
If the price of an individual streaming subscription plan were adjusted for inflation in 2023, it would cost $13.25 instead of roughly $10 a month, Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl said on Wednesday (March 8) — a statistic that doubled as a plea for streaming companies that have yet to raise fees to get in line.
While several of the big music streaming companies — including Apple, Amazon and Deezer — have raised their baseline prices recently, the biggest one of all, Spotify, has so far held off on raising the $9.99 pricetag on its U.S. premium subscription plan. Though Kyncl didn’t specifically address Spotify on Wednesday, when he spoke at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference, he said companies that haven’t raised their prices are playing a role in the undervaluing of music.
“We are the lowest (cost) form of entertainment,” he said. “We have the highest …engagement, highest form of affinity and lowest per hour price. That doesn’t seem right. It should change in an orderly fashion.”
While Kyncl is far from an unbiased commenter on price hikes — music labels stand to gain significant revenues from DSPs raising their subscription prices — Kyncl says the 12 years he spent at YouTube has shown him companies can raise prices if they have a product consumers cherish.
“YouTube TV has grown its subscription from $35 to $70 while growing … because they have a superior product,” Kyncl said.
During the wide-ranging presentation, Kyncl also expressed empathy for executives at TikTok who are at “a company that’s kind of embattled today with lots of different institutions around the world.”
“As someone who’s kind of gone through that, it is much better to have friends and not fight a war on every flank,” he added, recalling the contentious relationship YouTube once had with the music industry.
TikTok is engaged in ongoing negotiations over remuneration to rights holders, a group that includes Warner Music Group (WMG). On Wednesday, Kyncl noted WMG is open to a friendlier dynamic with the popular music discovery tool so long as it works for “both sides.”
“That’s all I look for, fair setup on both sides and to grow a business together,” Kyncl added.
UPDATED (March 8): After five days of release (March 3-7), Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time has earned more than 400,000 equivalent album units in the U.S., according to initial reports to data tracking firm Luminate (whose information powers Billboard’s weekly charts). The set’s 36 songs have collectively generated in excess of 375 million on-demand official streams, while the album has now sold over 100,000 in traditional album sales (combining its digital album download purchases and CD sales).
As earlier reported (March 7), One Thing at a Time already has the largest week of the year, by units, of any album; the largest streaming week of 2023 for any album and the biggest streaming week ever for a country album.
One Thing at a Time was released on March 3 via Big Loud/Mercury/Republic Records and is the follow-up to Wallen’s blockbuster effort Dangerous: The Double Album, released in 2021. It spent 10 weeks atop the Billboard 200 chart.
In the last 12 months, only three other albums have cleared at least 400,000 units in a single week, and all were in their debut weeks: Drake and 21 Savage’s Her Loss (404,000; week ending Nov. 10, 2022), Taylor Swift’s Midnights (1.578 million; week ending Oct. 27, 2022) and Harry Styles’ Harry’s House (521,000; week ending May 26, 2022)
Luminate’s current tracking week ends at the close of business on Thursday, March 9. One Thing at a Time’s final first-week numbers are expected to be announced on Sunday, March 12, along with its debut position on the multimetric Billboard 200 albums chart (dated March 18). If One Thing at a Time debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, it will mark Wallen’s second chart-topping set, following Dangerous.
Assuming One Thing at a Time debuts at No. 1, Wallen will become the first male artist with back-to-back country No. 1s on the Billboard 200 since 2019, when Thomas Rhett notched his second No. 1 in a row with Center Point Road, following Life Changes in 2017.
The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.
PREVIOUSLY (March 7): After only four days in release, Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time has broke the record for the largest streaming week ever by a country album. The set’s 36 songs have collectively earned more than 315 million on-demand official streams in the U.S. between March 3-6, according to initial reports to data tracking firm Luminate (whose information powers Billboard’s weekly charts).
One Thing at a Time was released on March 3 via Big Loud/Mercury/Republic Records and is the follow-up to Wallen’s blockbuster effort Dangerous: The Double Album, released in 2021.
One Thing at a Time surpasses the previous biggest streaming week for a country set, logged by the first week of Swift’s Red (Taylor’s Version), which collected 303.23 million on-demand official streams for its 30 tracks (in its first week, ending Nov. 18, 2021). The third-largest streaming week for a country set is now the debut frame of Wallen’s last album, Dangerous: The Double Album, which logged 240.18 million clicks for its 30 songs in its debut week, ending Jan. 14, 2021.
The largest streaming week ever for any album of any genre is the opening week of Drake’s Scorpion, which collected 745.92 million clicks for its 25 tracks in the week ending July 5, 2018.
It was previously reported (on March 6) that One Thing at a Time already has the largest streaming week for any album of any genre in 2023.
Total Equivalent Album Units in First Three Days: In One Thing at a Time’s first four days, the set earned over 350,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. It was earlier reported (March 6) that One Thing at a Time has the biggest week for any album in 2023 by units earned. The last set to post a bigger week was Drake and 21 Savage’s Her Loss, when it debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 404,000 units in the week ending Nov. 10, 2022.
The last country album with more than 350,000 units earned in a week was Taylor Swift’s Red (Taylor’s Version), when it launched at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 605,000 in the week ending Nov. 18, 2021.
News of further initial sales and streaming-and-track-equivalent activity for One Thing at a Time, as provided by Luminate, will be reported in the coming days.
Luminate’s current tracking week ends at the close of business on Thursday, March 9. One Thing at a Time’s final first-week numbers are expected to be announced on Sunday, March 12, along with its debut position on the multimetric Billboard 200 albums chart (dated March 18). If One Thing at a Time debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, it will mark Wallen’s second chart-topping set, following Dangerous.
PREVIOUSLY (March 6): Morgan Wallen’s new album One Thing at a Time is doing brisk business after only three days of release.
According to initial reports to data tracking firm Luminate for March 3-5, One Thing at a Time has already logged: the biggest week for any album in 2023 by total equivalent album units earned, the year’s largest streaming week for any album, and the second-largest streaming week ever for a country album. (Luminate’s information powers Billboard’s weekly charts.)
The 36-song One Thing at a Time was released on March 3 via Big Loud/Mercury/Republic Records and is the follow-up to Wallen’s blockbuster set Dangerous: The Double Album, which spent 10 weeks atop the Billboard 200 chart and closed 2021 as the year-end No. 1 album on the Billboard 200, and the most popular album of the year in the U.S., as measured by equivalent album units by Luminate. The set has spent 109 nonconsecutive weeks in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 (through the most recently published chart, dated March 11) – the most weeks in the region among any album by a single artist in the chart’s history.
Total Equivalent Album Units in First Three Days: In One Thing at a Time’s first three days, the set earned over 280,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. That number already surpasses the biggest week for any album in 2023, by units, after only three days. The last set to post a bigger week was SZA’s SOS, when it debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 318,000 units in the week ending Dec. 15, 2022.
The last country album with more than 280,000 units earned in a week was Taylor Swift’s Red (Taylor’s Version), when it launched at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 605,000 in the week ending Nov. 18, 2021.
Streaming Story: The 36 songs on One Thing at a Time collectively earned 250 million on-demand official streams on March 3-5 in the U.S. Thus, in just three days, the set already has the largest streaming week for any album of any genre in 2023, and the second-largest streaming week ever for a country album.
The largest U.S. streaming week ever for a country album is the first week of Swift’s Red (Taylor’s Version), which collected 303.23 million on-demand official streams for its 30 tracks (in its first week, ending Nov. 18, 2021). The second-largest streaming week for a country set was previously the debut frame of Wallen’s last album, Dangerous: The Double Album, which logged 240.18 million clicks for its 30 songs in its debut week, ending Jan. 14, 2021.
The largest streaming week ever for any album of any genre is the opening week of Drake’s Scorpion, which collected 745.92 million clicks for its 25 tracks in the week ending July 5, 2018.
Sturdy Sales: One Thing at a Time sold 90,000 copies in the U.S. on March 3-5 – largely from digital download purchases of the set. Currently, with three days of sales, One Thing at a Time has the second-largest sales week for any album in 2023, trailing the debut of TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s The Name Chapter: Temptation, which sold 152,000 copies in the week ending Feb. 2. The last country album to sell more than 90,000 in a single week was Red (Taylor’s Version), which moved 369,000 copies in its opening week (ending Nov. 18, 2021).
One Thing at a Time was issued only in three retail-available editions: a digital album (both clean and explicit) and a double-CD (explicit only). One Thing at a Time has yet to be released on vinyl, unlike Dangerous in its first week, when it sold 6,000 copies.
News of further initial sales and streaming-and-track-equivalent activity for One Thing at a Time, as provided by Luminate, will be reported in the coming days.
Day 1 Streaming & Sales: The country set’s 36 songs generated 101 million on-demand official audio streams in the U.S. on the album’s release day of March 3, according to initial reports to data tracking firm Luminate.
For context, the largest U.S. streaming week for a country album is the first week of Taylor Swift’s Red (Taylor’s Version), which collected 303.23 million on-demand audio and video official streams for its 30 tracks (in its first week, ending Nov. 18, 2021). The second-largest streaming week for a country set is the debut frame of Wallen’s last album, Dangerous: The Double Album, which logged 240.18 million clicks for its 30 songs in its debut week, ending Jan. 14, 2021.
In addition, One Thing at a Time sold over 60,000 copies on its first day, mostly through digital album purchases. The set was issued only in three retail-available editions: a digital album (both clean and explicit) and a double-CD (explicit only). One Thing at a Time has yet to be released on vinyl, unlike Dangerous in its first week, when it sold 6,000 copies.
One Thing at a Time was preceded by the release of nine songs from the album going back as far as April of 2022. Four of those tunes topped Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart: “Don’t Think Jesus,” “Thought You Should Know,” “You Proof” and “Last Night,” the lattermost of which has reigned for three weeks running (through the most recently published March 4-dated ranking).
Abu Dhabi-based music streaming company Anghami says its revenues grew by more than 35% to $48 million in 2022, driven by strong growth in paid subscribers, according to a statement the company released sharing its preliminary unaudited results for last year.
The company says its total number of paying subscribers grew 21% year-over-year to 1.52 million, while the overall number of music streams rose by 20% amid growing demand for Anghami’s music content, roughly 60% of which was Arabic-language in 2022.
“Our ability to provide an exceptional user experience and to deliver the best music and entertainment content in the (Middle East and North Africa) region and beyond is reflected in our strong financial performance in 2022,” Anghami CEO Eddy Maroun said in a statement.
As the most popular streaming platform in one of the fastest-growing streaming markets in the world, Anghami says it will achieve profitability later this year. But the company has faced its first public growing pains in recent months in the form of a lawsuit and regulatory reprimand.
In December, U.S.-based publishing company Reservoir Media and its Middle East partner PopArabia sued Anghami for alleged copyright infringement related to a dozen Western and Arabic songs by artists including Lil Jon and 50 Cent. Anghami has defended its payments to rights holders and called the lawsuit baseless and defamatory.
In January, the Nasdaq market exchange, where Anghami is publicly traded, notified the company that it was in violation of a filing rule requiring Anghami to submit a balance sheet and income statement to support its interim results for the second quarter ending June 30, 2022. The company had only submitted a press release with financial results for the period.
The regulatory flag did not affect Anghami’s listing or ability to trade on the exchange, and Anghami apparently remedied the issue this month by filing unaudited condensed financial statements for the first half of 2022 and 2021.
However, in a Feb. 27 filing, Anghami noted that its independent auditor, Ernst & Young Middle East, resigned this year and has been replaced by Grant Thornton. Ernst & Young audited Anghami’s financials for 2021 and 2022 without issue, but did include paragraphs in each of the year’s reports “regarding substantial doubt about Anghami’s ability to continue as a going concern,” Anghami said in the filing.
Grant Thornton is expected to release an audited version of the company’s full-year 2022 results by mid-April.
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.
Missed the chance to shop sales for Presidents’ Day and Valentine’s Day? That doesn’t mean you can’t find discounts on must-have products including Apple AirPods, which are currently on sale at Walmart, Target, Best Buy and Amazon.
Whether you’re shopping for a gift or picking up something new for yourself, get Apple’s best-selling AirPods on sale for just $99 — one of their lowest prices ever.
When it comes to earbuds for music, there’s no denying the popularity of AirPods. Apple’s famous all-white earbuds are as much a status symbol as they are an essential go-to for recording artists, podcasters and music producers alike. But we recommend them for everyday use as well, whether you’re listening to music on your daily commute or need a pair of wireless earbuds for your next FaceTime call or Zoom.
While AirPods used to cost a pretty penny, they’re now available for under $200. Apple products never go on sale on the company’s own site, but Amazon and Walmart have marked down AirPods to as low as $99.99, but these deals like this won’t last, so you’ll have to move fast to get AirPods at a deep discount (click here to shop Apple iPad, Macbook Air, MacBook Pro and more).
The AirPods Pro are currently $234 at Amazon and Walmart. Regularly $249, the AirPods deal gets you a slight discount on the beloved Apple earbuds. Apple’s 2nd Generation AirPods are marked down to $99 at Amazon and Walmart while, 3rd generation AirPods are $175-$200 at Amazon (new and used) and $169.99 at Best Buy.
Apple AirPods Max, which are usually $549 for a new pair, but you can find them discounted to at Amazon in select colors. You can also purchase AirPods Max at Walmart and Best Buy, although prices and availability may vary depending on the retailer.
Buy: Apple AirPods (2nd Generation) Wireless Earbuds with Lightning Charging Case Included $99.00
The AirPods Pro are one of the newer wireless earbuds in the AirPods family, and musicians are snapping them up thanks to the superb audio quality (think: clear, crisp sound), and the buds’ Active Noise Cancellation feature, which blocks out exterior noise for a quieter, more focused listening session.
Traveling soon? AirPods Pro are also great for travel, running and working out, with a sweat-resistant coating worth considering. (They’re not entirely waterproof like some earbuds, so you wouldn’t want to go swimming in them). Interchangeable silicone tips allow you to find the perfect seal for your ears, and everything fits into a tiny charging case, which gets you up to 24 hours of battery life before you need to plug in.
Apple is known for their high-tech and high-design products, and the AirPods Pro are not only a fan favorite, but an industry fave as well. Need further proof? According to a recent report, AirPods Pro sales exceeded 90 million units during the 2021 holiday season.
Get the Apple AirPods Pro deal for $234.95. Another deal: The second generation AirPods are even cheaper, discounted right now to just $99 at Amazon and Walmart and $129.99 at Target. You can also find them at Best Buy for $99.99. Note that the regular AirPods won’t have the Active Noise Cancellation technology, but all the other features are there. See full sale details here.
A Florida Keys man was booked into county jail Tuesday after deputies say he told a local attorney he planned to kill a judge. Alexander Michael Sardinas, who lives in … Click to Continue »
A plan to rehire Miami-Dade County’s ousted housing chief failed on Tuesday as Mayor Daniella Levine Cava pushed back the effort to dilute her authority over county development deals. There … Click to Continue »
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.
A new era of sound.
Sonos unveiled two new speakers, the compact Era 100 speaker and the more robust Era 300, on Tuesday (March 7). Both speakers are available for pre-order and will begin shipping on March 28.
The Era 100 ($249) features “next-gen acoustics” with intuitive touch and voice controls and Trueplay tuning technology that analyzes the acoustics in the room to optimize the speaker’s EQ and deliver an immersive sound experience. The speaker is equipped with two angled tweeters, three class-D digital amplifiers and a single midwoofer to deliver powerful and clear sound while you’re jamming away to Amazon Music, Apple Music and Spotify and other platforms, listening to podcast and more.
Available in black or white, Era 100 has built-in Sonos Voice Control, Alexa and Apple Airplay 2 and hardwire options. And you control it manually or digitally through the Sonos App.
Perfect for smaller spaces, Era 100 is 7.18 inches tall, 4.72 inches wide (5.14 inches in depth) and weighs 4.44 pounds.
Sonos Era 100
The heftier Era 300 ($449) “bridges the gap” by allowing “consumers to hear what creators make in the way they intended,” noted multi-Grammy winning producer and senior vice president of sound experience at Sonos Giles Martin.
Sonos worked with multiple producers and mixing engineers, including Giles, to develop and fine-tune the speakers. Members of the press got a first-hand look (and listen) at Era 100 and Era 300 during a visit to the brand’s headquarters in Santa Barbara, Calif., last month.
Giles was featured in a demo and panel discussion on special audio with fellow producers, engineers and mixers including Grammy-nominated producer and musician, Terrace Martin — whose list of credits include Kendrick Lamar, SZA, Snoop Dogg, Stevie Wonder and Herbie Hancock — and mixing engineer Manny Marroquin, a 10-time Grammy winner who has worked with Rihanna, Shakira, P!nk, Ludacris, Tupac Shakur, Whitney Houston and more.
“We’re not bringing the studio to the consumer but to be able to bring something that resembles what we’re listening [to] that’s why it’s an exciting product,” Marroquin told Billboard.
Marroquin also recalled Hancock visiting his studio and experiencing spatial audio. “If an 82-year-old legend can get excited about it imagine the third grader in the room? It could be life altering.”
Sonos Era 300
Unlike the more traditionally cylinder shape of Era 100, Era 300 boasts a cinched hourglass design. The speaker offers a “true representation of what the future is about,” Giles said during the demo.
Era 300 is Sonos’ first speaker with multi-channel surround sound (when paired to use as home theater rears). Although Era 300 is designed to offer massive sound on its own, pairing it with Sonos Arc or Sonos Beam (Gen. 2) broadens the soundscape. Weighing just under 10 pounds, Era 300 is just 6.30 inches tall, 10.24 inches wide and 7.28 inches in depth.
When it comes to music, spacial audio might be the future, but stereo isn’t going anywhere. “We’re not having these talks to disregard stereo. It’s like another tool,” Terrace explained.
“When you go to the studio you have different equipment, different instruments. It may look like all the same keyboards, all the same knobs, but everything does something. Some things are new, some things are older, some things can replace others and some things work better together. [Spacial audio is] like another option, another tool. It’s like a big house and now we’re using all the rooms.”
For fans of the Sonos One, Era 100 is an evolution of the brand’s flagship speaker. “To me, [One] is probably the best speaker that Sonos has because it’s small,” said Marroquin. “You can put it in a corner, you can hide it or display it [and] link it [to other speakers]. In my opinion, [Era 100] is a better version of the One. Now that you can actually play immersive [sound] through it.”
Era 100 and Era 300 speakers are made from 48-percent recycled plastics and feature energy efficient software with eco-friendly packaging.
Of Ariana Grande’s 72 Billboard Hot 100 hits, nearly half (32) are collaborations. In fact, more than half of her top 10-charting hits — 10 of 19 — are collabs.
Her latest hit team-up is The Weeknd‘s “Die for You” remix, which debuts at No. 1 on the Hot 100 this week — Grande’s fourth collab to top the chart.
All this to say, Grande is clearly a collaborative queen. On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Katie & Keith are talking about why Ari and The Weeknd are a potent combination, why she came out of musical retirement for this remix, and what dream duets we’d love to see her tackle next.
Also on the show, we’ve got chart news on how Karol G makes history atop the Billboard 200, scoring not only her first No. 1 album, but the first No. 1 all-Spanish-language album by a woman.
Plus, the Oscars are this Sunday! Will Rihanna become a first-time winner? Could Lady Gaga take home her second win? Will Austin Butler win best actor for playing Elvis Presley? And what are we going to be watching out for during the show?
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 senior director of charts 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.)
