1. Robin Thicke Tops Hot 100 For Sixth Week; Jay Z, Justin Timberlake Debut In Top 10

    July 17, 2013 1:08 PM EDT Robin Thicke racks a sixth week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Blurred Lines," featuring T.I. and Pharrell, equaling the longest command for a leader this year. Plus, as Jay Z's album Magna Carta... Holy Grail rockets on ...

  2. Jay-Z Scores 13th No. 1 Album On Billboard 200; Ciara Bows At No. 2

    July 17, 2013 11:31 AM EDT Update: July 17, 1 PM PST, Nielsen SoundScan has updated its sales figures. The new numbers have been adjusted in the story below. As reported last night (July 16), Jay-Z's Magna Carta Holy Grail album bounds in at No. 1 on the Billboard 2 ...

  3. Jay-Z's 'Magna Carta' Sets Spotify Streaming Record -- Despite Samsung Giveaway, Topping Album Chart

    July 17, 2013 10:25 AM EDT Jay-Z's "Magna Carta...Holy Grail" set a record for most streaming activity on Spotify in the United States. The album's songs were streamed over 14 million times in the United States during its first week of release. It al ...

  4. Jay-Z's 'Magna Carta' Debuts at No. 1, Has Year's Second-Biggest Sales Week

    July 16, 2013 10:15 PM EDT Jay-Z's "Magna Carta Holy Grail" album storms in at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 528,000 copies in its first week, according to preliminary data from Nielsen SoundScan. Update, July 17, 1PM PST: Nielsen SoundScan ha ...

  5. Cash Money’s Bryan 'Birdman' Williams, Ronald 'Slim' Williams Named BMI Icons

    July 16, 2013 5:48 PM EDT Cash Money co-CEOs Bryan “Birdman” Williams and Ronald “Slim” Williams will be the 2013 recipients of the BMI Icon Award. The presentation will take place during BMI’s annual R&B/Hip-Hop Awards (formerly known as the BMI Urban Awards) on Au ...

  6. Sub Pop Looks Back, Celebrates 25 Years with 40,000-Strong Silver Jubilee Celebration

    July 16, 2013 9:21 AM EDT Sub Pop Records, the label noted for signing such bands as Nirvana, Soundgarden, The Shins and The Postal Service, celebrated its 25th anniversary with a Silver Jubilee concert in Seattle's bohemian Georgetown neighborhood on July 13. To h ...

  7. Ciara Aiming for No. 2 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart Next Week

    July 12, 2013 7:31 PM EDT After Ciara's last album missed the top 40 on the Billboard 200 chart, the R&B/pop singer is making a comeback with her new self-titled set. Industry sources forecast that her new album (released on July 9) should debut at No. 2 on nex ...

  8. Chart Moves: Neil Diamond's New Song Debuts; Maroon 5 Returns To Hot 100 Airplay Top 10; Video Premiere Spikes Taylor Swift's 'Red' Single

    July 12, 2013 11:35 AM EDT As previously reported, Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines," featuring T.I. + Pharrell, spends a fifth week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Anna Kendrick's "Cups (Pitch Perfect's When I'm Gone)" reaches t ...

  9. Chart Moves: Adele's '21' Nears Longevity Record, BET Awards Push 82% Sales Gain for Charlie Wilson

    July 12, 2013 9:00 AM EDT This week on the Billboard 200 albums chart, a rap album crowned the list for the third time in as many weeks. J. Cole's "Born Sinner" jumped from No. 2 to No. 1 in its third week, selling 58,000 copies, according to Nielsen Sound ...

  10. PSY Reaches 3 Billion YouTube Views

    July 11, 2013 7:28 PM EDT PSY jumps up Billboard's Social 50 chart this week, flying 29-6 on the tally, as his YouTube channel hits a major milestone. During the charting week ending July 14, PSY's channel broke the 3 billion views mark and became the fifth ch ...

  11. Rap's History-Making Week on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart

    July 11, 2013 5:37 PM EDT For the first time in the Billboard 200 chart's history, rap albums hold down the top three spots in three successive weeks. J. Cole's Born Sinner is No. 1 this week, followed by Wale's The Gifted and Kanye West's Yeezus at ...

  12. Third Man Records Production Head Says Limited Edition Vinyl For Jay-Z's 'Magna Carta' Is His Year's 'Good Idea'

    July 11, 2013 3:09 PM EDT With the pre-release of Jay Z’s Samsung-promoted twelfth studio album Magna Carta: Holy Grail on July  4 (and subsequent standard format release July 9), HOVA is being hailed by some as a pioneer for new platforms of distribution. Dubbing his ca ...

  13. Pharrell Williams' Résumé: The History of a Hardworking N.E.R.D.

    July 11, 2013 2:49 PM EDT It's incredible to think that Pharrell Williams, the artist and entrepreneur who recently turned 40, was once fired from three different McDonald's in Virginia Beach. It all in began in 1992. That year, Pharrell helped Teddy Riley writ ...

  14. Budweiser Doubles Down with Jay-Z and Rihanna on International 'Made for Music' Campaign

    July 11, 2013 1:53 PM EDT In 2012, Budweiser took a big chance on its inaugural Made In America festival, a two-day event in Philadelphia that eventually grossed $5 million and attracted nearly 80,000 ticketholders, according to Billboard BoxScore. Now, the beer behemot ...

  15. Backbeat: Blood Orange Plays New Album For Anyone in NYC Who Tweets at Him (And Billboard Interns Take Him Up On It)

    July 10, 2013 3:20 PM EDT Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99" LatentStyleCount="267"> UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Nor ...

  16. Robin Thicke's 'Blurred Lines' Leads Hot 100 For Fifth Week

    July 10, 2013 3:04 PM EDT Robin Thicke racks a fifth week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Blurred Lines," featuring T.I. and Pharrell. The sultry song concurrently climbs to No. 1 on the Hot 100 Airplay and On-Demand Songs charts and logs a noteworthy ...

  17. Jay-Z's 'Magna Carta' Album Sales Forecast Grows to 450-500,000

    July 10, 2013 1:59 PM EDT The debut week sales forecast for Jay-Z's "Magna Carta Holy Grail" has grown. After its first day at retail on July 9, industry sources now suggest the album could sell between 450,000 to 500,000 copies by the end of the trackin ...

  18. Evan Peters Named Virgin Records Director of A&R

    July 10, 2013 11:09 AM EDT Evan Peters has been appointed as the Director of A&R for Virgin Records, according to an announcement made today by Ron Fair, the company's chief creative officer and EVP. “I told Evan to take the ball and run with it," Fair said ...

  19. J. Cole's 'Born Sinner' Album Jumps To No. 1 On Billboard 200, Surpasses Sales of Kanye West's 'Yeezus'

    July 10, 2013 11:00 AM EDT While J. Cole's Born Sinner was initially blocked from No. 1 on the Billboard 200, he celebrates his second No. 1 this week. In its third week on the chart, Born Sinner rises 2-1 with 58,000 sold (down 32%, according to Nielsen SoundScan ...

  20. Ross On Radio: Streams, Extremes, And More Mainstream Stories

    July 10, 2013 7:00 AM EDT Streaming Data Goes Beyond Goofy Outliers During the last year, the streaming stories that dotted the pop music landscape have been extreme ones. Radio has acknowledged some of those titles (PSY’s “Gangnam Style”) and grappled with others (Baaue ...

  21. Australia's Hype Hip Hop Fest On Ice

    July 10, 2013 4:38 AM EDT Another Australian hip hop fest has dropped out of the game.  Organizers of Hype festival have shelved plans for its inaugural run, without having announced its line-up or itinerary. Hype had quietly positioned itself in Australia’s summer festi ...

  22. Jay-Z's Surprise Twitter Q&A Elicits 1.5 Million Mentions, Unreleased Single via Young Guru

    July 09, 2013 11:17 AM EDT = Jay-Z is hardly the artist known for his stunts on Twitter (he only tweeted four times in 2012), but on July 8 took the Internet for a ride with a surprise Q&A, answering questions from fans and driving overall awareness for his then soon ...

  23. Jay-Z's 'Magna Carta' May Sell 350-400,000 First Week

    July 08, 2013 4:12 PM EDT Even though Jay-Z began giving away a million copies of his new album Magna Carta Holy Grail on July 4, the set is still bound for a big week once it goes on sale July 9. Industry sources suggest it might sell 350,000 - 400,000 by the end of ...

  24. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' Gay Equality Anthem 'Same Love' Hits Top 20 on Billboard Hot 100

    July 08, 2013 3:24 PM EDT Following the United States Supreme Court rulings on two separate gay marriage issues (June 26), Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' gay equality anthem "Same Love" jumps into the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart this week. ...

  25. Lauryn Hill Begins Prison Sentence

    July 08, 2013 2:34 PM EDT Lauryn Hill began serving a three-month prison sentence in Connecticut on Monday for failing to pay about $1 million in taxes over the past decade. Hill reported to federal prison in Danbury, said Ed Ross, a spokesman for the federal Bureau of P ...

  26. Backbeat: Essence Festival Draws Blue Chip Sponsors for Record-Setting 19th Year

    July 08, 2013 11:33 AM EDT Now in its 19th year, the Essence Festival has often described as an event “you just need to see to believe.” The three-day conference and concert festival is massive in scale — it’s attracted more than 400,000 people over three days for years ...

  27. Don Cannon Named Def Jam VP of A&R

    July 08, 2013 11:10 AM EDT Def Jam Recordings has named Don Cannon VP, A&R, according to a statement by Karen Kwak, EVP, head of A&R, Island Def Jam Music Group. Mr. Cannon will oversee current and new artist projects, and will actively seek out, discover and si ...

  28. Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak on Kanye West's 'Grandiose Business Ideas'

    July 05, 2013 5:33 PM EDT Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has opened up about what happened during his visit with Kanye West, Kim Kardashian and their baby, North, shortly after the reality star gave birth to her daughter. According to ABC News, Kardashian set up a meetin ...

  29. Joe and Relient K Heading for Top 10 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart

    July 05, 2013 5:04 PM EDT R&B singer Joe and rock band Relient K could both earn new top 10 albums next week on the Billboard 200 chart. Industry sources forecast Joe's new "Double Back: Evolution of R&B" may sell 25,000 or so by the end of the t ...

  30. Chart Moves: 'Pitch Perfect' Soundtrack Climbs, Bob Marley's 'Legend: Remixed' Debuts, Lorde's 'Love' Leaps

    July 05, 2013 4:05 PM EDT This week on the Billboard 200 albums chart, Wale celebrated his first No. 1 , as "The Gifted" opened atop the list. The set sold 158,000 copies in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It was one of four debuts in the top 10 ...

  31. Chart Moves: AWOLNATION 'Sail's Onto Mainstream Top 40; Avicii Evolves; Lorde Keeps Leaping With 'Royals'

    July 05, 2013 10:00 AM EDT As previously reported, Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines," featuring T.I. + Pharrell, spends a fourth week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, while Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' "Same Love," featuring Mary Lambert, roar ...

  32. Justin Bieber Bumps One Direction From No. 1 on Social 50 Chart

    July 03, 2013 8:32 PM EDT Despite One Direction's full week full of activity, the act is unable to stay atop the Social 50 for a second week in a row. They slide in the rankings (1-6), allowing Justin Bieber to rise (2-1) to reclaim the Social 50 throne. The Socia ...

  33. J. Cole Album Could Move to No. 1 on Billboard 200 Next Week

    July 03, 2013 8:23 PM EDT It's not often that an album climbs to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, but that's just what might happen next week. J. Cole's "Born Sinner," which debuted at No. 2 a week ago, looks like it should take the throne next ...

  34. Nielsen SoundScan Mid-Year Report: Digital Album and Single Sales Slow

    July 03, 2013 7:50 PM EDT Digital tracks sales are on the decline and the trend is accelerating. For the year to date as of June 30, digital track sales have declined 2.3% to 682.2 million units from the 698 million units that tracks scanned in the first half of 2012, ...

  35. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' Gay Equality Anthem 'Same Love' Hits Top 20 on Billboard Hot 100

    July 03, 2013 6:04 PM EDT Song gains in sales, airplay and streams following U.S. Supreme Court rulings on gay marriage issues Following the United States Supreme Court rulings on two separate gay marriage issues (June 26), Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' gay equality ...

  36. Kanye West's 'Yeezus' Has Largest Second Week Drop For No. 1 Album In More Than A Year

    July 03, 2013 11:07 AM EDT Last week's No. 1, Kanye West's Yeezus , fell by 80%, dropping to No. 3 on the Billboard 200—the largest second-week percentage drop for a No. 1-debuting album in more than a year. It sold 65,000 in its sophomore frame, compared wi ...

  37. Justin Timberlake, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Lead 2013 Mid-Year SoundScan Charts

    July 03, 2013 11:00 AM EDT At the midway point in 2013, Justin Timberlake's "The 20/20 Experience" and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' "Thrift Shop" (featuring Wanz), lead as the year's biggest-selling album and digital song in the Uni ...

  38. Wale Scores First No. 1 Album On Billboard 200; Kanye West Drops

    July 03, 2013 11:00 AM EDT Rapper Wale claims his first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 this week, as his new release The Gifted debuts in the top position. The set sold 158,000 copies in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It's Wale's ...

  39. Jay-Z's 'Magna Carta' App Raises Privacy Issues, Turns Off Some Users (Including Killer Mike)

    July 02, 2013 4:16 PM EDT Jay-Z and Samsung's "Magna Carta" app may have been downloaded by more than half a million people since it launched on June 24, but rapper Killer Mike, a.k.a. Michael Render, isn't one of them. Why not? Render on Tuesd ...

  40. Chris Kelly, Half of '90s Rap Duo Kris Kross, Died from Drug Overdose Says Medical Examiner

    July 02, 2013 9:50 AM EDT Chris Kelly of the `90s rap duo Kris Kross died of a drug overdose, a medical office investigator said Monday. Kris Kross: A Billboard Chart History A toxicology screening revealed that Kelly, 34, had a mixture of drugs in his system when he was ...

  41. RIAA Updates Rules Before Jay-Z's 'Magna Carta'

    July 01, 2013 8:35 PM EDT The RIAA has heard Jay-Z's #newrules loud and clear. The music industry's trade organization will update its policies to allow its digital album certifications to be handed out upon release date, rather than after the 30-day waiting pe ...

  42. From the Magazine: The New DIY -- Your Music Career in Your Hands

    July 01, 2013 2:00 PM EDT The following excerpts are from the "The New DIY: Your Career In Your Hands" cover package featured in the new issue of Billboard (July 7)  and inlcude Ed Chrstman's look at the changing marketplace for independent distributors; ...

  43. Will.i.am Lawyer Sounds Off on Pharrell Trademark Dispute

    July 01, 2013 10:47 AM EDT Attorneys for Will.i.am Pharrell Williams are in a heated exchange over trademarks will.i.am owns and trademark applications by Williams. At issue is who has the right to use the words "I Am" and how they can use it.   The events leadi ...

  44. DJ Skee to Host Weekly AXS TV Show in July

    July 01, 2013 8:00 AM EDT DJ, composer and Internet sensation Skee will host a live, weekly show on AXS TV beginning July 30. Its initial run is for 12 weeks.   “SKEE Live” will feature Skee interacting with the musicians he works with -- Snoop Dogg, T.I., Lil Wayne and ...

  45. Charlie Wilson's Career Celebrated At BET Awards As Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Rihanna Take Trophies

    July 01, 2013 12:02 AM EDT “The best of the best in Black entertainment. All Day. All Night. All In.” That’s what BET promised to deliver with its inaugural three-day music and lifestyle festival, the BET Experience. Staged in association with AEG at the latter’s L.A. Li ...

  46. Christopher 'Tricky' Stewart Exits Epic A&R Helm

    June 28, 2013 9:14 PM EDT In an unexpected move, Christopher “Tricky” Stewart has exited his post as Epic Records’ president of A&R to concentrate on producing. The Grammy Award-winning songwriter/producer joined the label in that role in October 2011. There was no ...

  47. One Direction Film Teaser Spurs No. 1 Return on Social 50 Chart

    June 28, 2013 7:40 PM EDT One Direction returns to No. 1 on the Social 50 for the first time since December, thanks to the release of a teaser for its upcoming documentary film "This Is Us." The Social 50 ranks the most popular artists on YouTube, Vevo, Faceboo ...

  48. U2 Manager Paul McGuinness on Mark Fisher: 'He Turned Everyone’s Wild Ideas Into Steel, Lumber and Canvas Reality'

    June 28, 2013 12:55 PM EDT U2 manager Paul McGuinness had a long and fruitful relationship with late, great architect/set designer Mark Fisher, who passed away on Tuesday (June 25) and was invovled with every U2 tour since 1991. Here’s his thoughts on Fisher's &quo ...

  49. Chuck Inglish's Sounds Like Fun Imprint Signs to Dave Sitek's Federal Prism Label

    June 28, 2013 12:05 PM EDT Rapper Evan "Chuck Inglish" Ingersoll, one-half of Chicago duo the Cool Kids, announced a new partnership between his imprint, Sounds Like Fun, and Dave Sitek's label Federal Prism, distributed by ADA and home to Sitek's main ...

  50. Backbeat: Kendrick Lamar, Usher, 2 Chainz, Noah "40" Shebib, Sony/ATV Top Winners At ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Awards

    June 28, 2013 11:31 AM EDT 2 Chainz and producer Noah "40" Shebib shared songwriter of the year honors and Sony/ATV was named publisher of the year at ASCAP¹s 26th annual Rhythm & Soul Music Awards. The ceremony, held last evening (June 27) at the Beverly Hi ...

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