1. Lady Antebellum’s 'Golden' Album Release Party and Performance, Presented by Citi

    May 09, 2013 10:12 AM EDT “I feel like I can touch everybody,” Lady Antebellum’s Charles Kelley said with a smile last night, while standing on the small stage at the McKittrick Hotel in New York. And actually, he could. The tiny crowd of about 200 Citi card holders and ...

  2. Lady Antebellum Set for Third No. 1 Album on Billboard 200

    May 08, 2013 6:20 PM EDT Country trio Lady Antebellum should nab its third No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart next week with Golden . Industry sources project the new release will sell around 150,000 copies by the end of the tracking week on Sunday, May 12. The new ...

  3. Kenny Chesney Logs Lucky Seventh No. 1 Album On Billboard 200

    May 08, 2013 11:02 AM EDT Country king Kenny Chesney grabs his seventh No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart as Life on a Rock debuts atop the list. The set sold 153,000 copies in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Among country acts with the most No. 1s on ...

  4. Universal Music Publishing Acquires Criterion Music Corp

    May 07, 2013 2:48 PM EDT Universal Music Publishing Group has acquired Criterion Music Corporation and its affiliated entities, it was announced today by Zach Horowitz, Chairman & CEO, UMPG, and Bo Goldsen, President of Criterion The company will relocate to UMPG’s ...

  5. George Jones' Final Concert Reimagined As Tribute: Garth Brooks, Kid Rock, More to Perform

    May 07, 2013 2:14 PM EDT Perhaps it’s only fitting that George Jones, once nicknamed “No Show Jones,” won’t be physically present at what was to be his final concert.   But thanks to a few of his friends and fellow artists, the show will go on. George Jones Funeral: Bra ...

  6. Shania Twain Extends Las Vegas Run with Fall Dates

    May 06, 2013 9:03 PM EDT After nearly a decade-long hiatus marred by burnout, a painful divorce and physical problems that affected her ability to sing, country superstar Shania Twain said she's finding her groove as a Las Vegas headliner. On Monday, Twain announce ...

  7. Miranda Lambert, Eric Church, Luke Bryan Lead CMT Music Awards Nominations

    May 06, 2013 1:38 PM EDT Eric Church, Miranda Lambert and Luke Bryan lead with four nominations apiece at this year's CMT Music Awards. The three artists are nominated in Video of the Year and CMT Performance of the Year. Church and Bryan are also up for Male Video of the Ye ...

  8. Greg Quill, Australian-Born Musician and Toronto-Based Music Journalist, Dies Aged 66

    May 06, 2013 11:54 AM EDT Esteemed journalist and musician Greg Quill, one-time Toronto Star music critic and a '70s music icon in Australia, died Sunday afternoon in his sleep due to pneumonia and a recently diagnosed case of sleep apnea, his family said in a messa ...

  9. 'Boston Strong' Concert Organizer: 'This Town Can't Be Brought Down'

    May 03, 2013 8:52 PM EDT With the Boston Marathon bombings now firmly in the rear-view mirror, it’s time to look ahead to the future of the victims and the city itself -- reason enough for New Kids on the Block to organize and recruit acts for an all-star benefit concer ...

  10. Billboard Taps SonicBids for Music Awards Post-Party Talent Search

    May 02, 2013 9:28 PM EDT After a night including performances from Prince, Taylor Swift and Lil Wayne, Billboard is looking for one act to take the Billboard Music Awards from the party to the after-party. One group will get to follow the evening of superstar acts with ...

  11. Chart Moves: The Neighbourhood Debuts, Van Halen's '1984' Returns After 20-Plus Years

    May 02, 2013 8:22 PM EDT This week on the Billboard 200 albums chart, Michael Buble achieved his fourth No. 1 album with "To Be Loved," as the pop singer's latest started with 195,000 copies sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Meanwhile, Fantasia scored ...

  12. George Jones Memorial Evokes Tears, Tributes From Fans and Friends

    May 02, 2013 5:38 PM EDT In the lyrics of George Jones' signature song, "He Stopped Loving Her Today," a wreath is placed upon the door of a heartbroken man at a funeral. And when Jones' time came, they placed not just a wreath but a gargantuan spray ...

  13. George Jones Returns to Billboard Country Charts

    May 02, 2013 3:17 PM EDT 1 6 17 0 0 Legendary producer Billy Sherrill gets the last laugh on his dear friend and fellow Country Music Hall of Fame honoree George Jones, as "He Stopped Loving Her Today" soars back onto Hot Country Songs, some 33 years after Jones bet She ...

  14. George Jones Funeral: Brad Paisely, Wynonna Judd, Kid Rock, Laura Bush, More Say Goodbye at Opry Memorial

    May 02, 2013 12:17 PM EDT George Jones   performed hundreds of times at Nashville's Grand Ole Opry House – whether on the WSM Radio show, or appearing on such shows from the auditorium like the CMA Awards, so it's only appropriate that this morning's funer ...

  15. Music City Mourns Country Legend George Jones

    May 02, 2013 11:30 AM EDT Thousands of fans who had been waiting in line since the wee hours joined some of country's biggest stars Thursday to pay their respects to George Jones at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville. An overflow crowd began lining up at 3 a.m. t ...

  16. George Jones' Album Sales Increase 1,002% Following Death

    May 01, 2013 5:30 PM EDT 1 3 27 0 0 The late country icon George Jones is remembered on the Billboard charts this week, following his his death on April 26. As Nielsen SoundScan's sales tracking week ended on April 28, Billboard's new sales charts reflect only three day ...

  17. Kenny Chesney on Course for Seventh No. 1 Album on Billboard 200

    May 01, 2013 4:34 PM EDT On next week's Billboard 200 chart, watch for country superstar Kenny Chesney to claim his seventh No. 1 as his new Life On a Rock should debut atop the list. Industry sources suggest the set could move around 140,000 or so by the end of th ...

  18. Chart Alert: Michael Bublé Tops Billboard 200; Fantasia Arrives At No. 2

    May 01, 2013 11:00 AM EDT As reported yesterday (April 30), pop singer Michael Bublé earns his fourth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 this week with the arrival of To Be Loved . The set sold 195,000 copies in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Bublé's ...

  19. Curb Records Sues Tim McGraw in Federal Court

    April 30, 2013 1:19 PM EDT Curb Records is suing Tim McGraw. Again. Court of Appeals Sides with Tim McGraw in Curb Records Case The Nashville, Tenn.-based label has filed a lawsuit against the country music star and Big Machine Records in federal court, alleging copyright ...

  20. Backbeat: Kenny Chesney Previews New Album 'Life on a Rock' in New York City for His Biggest Fans

    April 30, 2013 10:45 AM EDT In a production orchestrated much like a major live television show, a studio audience of about 90 fans sat within feet of country superstar Kenny Chesney to hear songs from his new album, ( Life On A Rock , out Tuesday, April 30th) and the stor ...

  21. Country Music Marathon, First Big U.S. Race Since Boston, Brings Tens of Thousands (and Millions) to Nashville

    April 29, 2013 10:54 AM EDT While “Boston Strong” was everywhere for Saturday’s St. Jude Country Music Marathon in Nashville -- the first major race in the U.S. since the Boston Marathon was curtailed following the bombing -- there’s nothing like American flags and lots of ...

  22. Grand Ole Opry To Hold Public Funeral For George Jones

    April 29, 2013 6:38 AM EDT 3 4 0 0 A public funeral will be held at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville for country music superstar George Jones, who died Friday at the age of 81. Brad Paisley, Mel Tillis and Other Grand Ole Opry Stars Honor George Jones Publicist Kirt Webster ...

  23. George Jones Survived ‘No Show’ Period Because Fans Identified With Him

    April 29, 2013 12:11 AM EDT 3 7 25 1 0 George Jones, who died April 26 in Nashville at the age of 81, worked hard—or rather, played hard—to earn the nickname “No Show Jones.” The moniker came from Jones’ propensity to miss concerts due to his well-chronicled affinity for alcohol and ...

  24. Brad Paisley, Mel Tillis and Other Grand Ole Opry Stars Honor George Jones

    April 28, 2013 1:47 AM EDT 1 20 21 3 0 Grand Ole Opry member and Country Music Hall of Famer George Jones, who died April 26 at the age of 81, last played the Grand Ole Opry in 2011, but he was fondly remembered by stars of the venerable institution on the night of his death. Opry ...

  25. George Jones Radio Airplay Soars in the Hours After His Death

    April 27, 2013 7:02 PM EDT 4 141 47 2 0 Although written as a chilling tragedy ballad with a surprise ending, the chorus of George Jones’ 1989 hit “Radio Lover” could conversely be interpreted as posthumous consolation for the legions of fans he left grieving in the wake of his dea ...

  26. Chart Moves: Sarah Brightman, Olly Murs Make Top 20 Debuts on Billboard 200

    April 26, 2013 9:28 PM EDT This week on the Billboard 200 albums chart, Fall Out Boy replaced Paramore at No. 1, as the former's new "Save Rock and Roll" debuted with 154,000 sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan. In the runner-up position, Kid Cudi bowed wi ...

  27. George Jones Remembered by Trisha Yearwood

    April 26, 2013 8:40 PM EDT 7.057 k 48 0 0 George Jones, considered by many to be the greatest country singer of all time, died Friday morning at the age of 81. Fellow country singer and friend Trisha Yearwood shared her memories of the singer with Billboard this afternoon. George ...

  28. George Jones: Connie Smith, Marty Stuart, Shelia Shipley, Evelyn Shriver, Many More Share Memories

    April 26, 2013 5:57 PM EDT 2 18 0 0 George Jones, considered by many to be the greatest country singer in history, died Friday morning (April 26) in Nashville after a brief hospitalization. He was 81. In the hours after his death, Billboard.biz spoke with some of his friends, fel ...

  29. Chart Moves: Daft Punk Scores Biggest Hot 100 Hit, Black Sabbath Returns and More

    April 26, 2013 4:54 PM EDT As previously reported, P!nk's "Just Give Me a Reason" (featuring fun.'s Nate Ruess) spends a second week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Who else makes noteworthy moves on the Hot 100 and other song charts this week?   -- ...

  30. Exclusive: George Jones Remembered by Garth Brooks

    April 26, 2013 4:11 PM EDT 1 38 25 1 0 George Jones, considered by many to be the greatest country singer of all time, died Friday morning at the age of 81. Longtime fan and friend Garth Brooks, who recorded a duet with Jones in 2001 called “Beer Run (B Double E Double Are You In?) ...

  31. George Jones Was King of the Country Charts

    April 26, 2013 11:16 AM EDT 3 28 8 0 0 He may have been known as the Possum, but on Billboard's country charts, George Jones was a king. Jones passed away this morning at 81. Jones holds the record for the most entries on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart - 166 - from 19 ...

  32. George Jones Dead at 81

    April 26, 2013 10:23 AM EDT 5 186 50 1 0 George Jones – the singer who defined an era of country music and along the way, influenced almost every artist that followed into the format – died this morning at Nashville's Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He was 81. Jones enter ...

  33. Lady Antebellum Teams With Citi For 'Golden' Release In NYC

    April 24, 2013 2:31 PM EDT Lady Antebellum will partner with Citi in a record release show for the group’s new album “Golden” at the McKittrick Hotel in New York City on May 7. The McKittrick Hotel is the home of Punchdrunk’s immersive play “Sleep No More.” In a deal brok ...

  34. ASCAP Expo: Ralph Murphy’s Laws of Songwriting

    April 22, 2013 1:29 PM EDT 2 11 26 0 0 A room full of eager songwriters piled into the Mt. Olympus Ballroom of Hollywood's Lowes Hotel on Friday, all hoping to pick up a few tips and tricks from ASCAP's VP of Membership/International and songwriting veteran, Ralph Murphy ...

  35. Taylor Swift, fun., Maroon 5 Lead 2013 Billboard Music Awards Finalists

    April 22, 2013 11:00 AM EDT 3 252 32 0 0 Taylor Swift, fun. and Maroon 5 lead the finalists for the 2013 Billboard Music Awards, which will air live on Sunday, May 19 beginning at 8/7c on ABC from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. CLICK FOR COMPLETE LIST OF BBMA FINALISTS • M ...

  36. Carly Rae Jepsen, Rush, Leonard Cohen, Weeknd, Grimes Among 2013 Juno Award Winners

    April 21, 2013 10:20 AM EDT 5 9 0 0 Rush, Leonard Cohen, Carly Rae Jepsen, Metric and The Weeknd were among the winners at the 2013 Juno Gala Dinner & Awards in Regina, Sask., last night (April 20), during a private, untelevised, non-webcast evening attended by 1,150 members o ...

  37. Willie Nelson Turns 80th B'day Concert Into Texas Blast Benefit

    April 19, 2013 3:50 AM EDT 2 15 38 0 0 Willie Nelson said Thursday that he will turn an upcoming Texas concert into a benefit for victims of the explosion at a fertilizer plant not far from where he grew up. The country music icon still has a home in Abbott, Texas, about five miles ...

  38. Country Icon George Jones Hospitalized, His 'Grand Tour' Halted

    April 19, 2013 2:23 AM EDT 1 4 20 0 0 Country star George Jones has been hospitalized. Jones postponed weekend concerts in Atlanta and Salem, Va., after doctors admitted him to a Nashville hospital on Thursday. A news release says Jones had a fever and irregular blood pressure duri ...

  39. Canada's 'First Lady of Song' Rita MacNeil Dies

    April 18, 2013 6:22 AM EDT 11 0 0 Award-winning country and folk singer Rita MacNeil, a beloved Canadian icon who hosted her own variety show in the 90s, was a member of the Order of Canada, and had 10 albums certified gold, platinum to triple platinum,died last evening (April ...

  40. Paramore Earn First No. 1 Album On Billboard 200

    April 17, 2013 10:57 AM EDT 2 364 966 17 0 Rock band Paramore nabs its first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 this week, beating out Brad Paisley, who debuts at No. 2. The former's self-titled set starts with 106,000, according to Nielsen SoundScan, while Paisley's Wheelho ...

  41. Garth Brooks Sued by Ex-Partner, Claims Singer Ruined Opportunities in TV, Film

    April 16, 2013 3:49 AM EDT 1 16 27 0 0 Garth Brooks is being sued by his former partner, who alleges that she was induced to work on his behalf with the promise of great rewards. The lawsuit comes from Lisa Sanderson, who has worked with Merv Griffin and Richard Mulligan and has a ...

  42. Faith Hill Leaves 'Sunday Night Football'

    April 15, 2013 9:16 PM EDT 2 8 20 0 0 When Sunday Night Football returns this fall, it will be without Faith Hill, The Hollywood Reporter confirms. Since 2007, the country singer has sung the opening theme for NBC's primetime football program, a reworked version of Joan Jett&# ...

  43. Brad Paisley Headed For Eighth Top 10 Album On Billboard 200 Chart

    April 12, 2013 6:58 PM EDT Country super star Brad Paisley is aiming for his eighth top 10 album on the Billboard 200 chart next week. The singer's new Wheelhouse could bow at either No. 2 or No. 3, depending on how the rest of the week shakes out. Industry sources s ...

  44. Taylor Swift's Fan Date to ACMs Aids Social Chart Climb

    April 11, 2013 6:44 PM EDT Taylor Swift ascends 5-1 on the Social 50 to helm the chart (her second time a No. 1) concurrent with buzz generated by the Academy of Country Music Awards (April 7). Despite not taking home any trophies, including the fan-voted Entertainer of t ...

  45. Brad Paisley 'Accidental Racist' Controversy Sends Streams Into High Gear

    April 11, 2013 3:08 PM EDT The controversy around the Brad Paisley-LL Cool J collaboration on Paisley new album has helped drive online streams of the track as it generates a massive amount of attention from writers and critics. The much-derided "Accidental Racist,&q ...

  46. Billboard Expands Streaming Charts With Seven Genre-Specific Rankings

    April 11, 2013 9:00 AM EDT Less than two months after launching the Streaming Songs chart, which blends data from a variety of streaming services into one ranking, Billboard today unveils seven genre-specific charts utilizing the same methodology.   Rankings for country, ...

  47. Paramore Aiming for First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart

    April 10, 2013 7:36 PM EDT Rock band Paramore is aiming for its first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart, as its new self-titled set should bow atop the list next week. Industry sources project that the album, the group's first since 2009, may sell around 110,000 ...

  48. ACM Awards Give Band Perry, Florida Georgia Line, Blake Shelton and More Big Chart Boosts

    April 10, 2013 11:15 AM EDT While the Academy of Country Music Awards were staged on the final day of the most recent Nielsen SoundScan tracking week (April 7), the show's impact can still be felt all over the latest Billboard charts. The most visible beneficiary of t ...

  49. Justin Timberlake Earns Third Week At No. 1; Band Perry Debuts At No. 2; Tyler, the Creator at No. 3

    April 10, 2013 11:00 AM EDT Justin Timberlake's The 20/20 Experience holds at No. 1 for a third straight week on the Billboard 200, selling another 139,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan (down 56%). It's the first set to spend it first three weeks at No. ...

  50. 'Alabama & Friends' Tribute to Feature Luke Bryan, Toby Keith & More (Exclusive)

    April 08, 2013 9:15 PM EDT 1 12 14 0 0 Luke Bryan, Toby Keith, Jason Aldean and Kenny Chesney are among the artists paying tribute to Alabama on the legendary country group’s “Alabama & Friends.” The album, which will feature members of Alabama duetting with the acts on some of ...

Pages