1. Chart Moves: Florida Georgia Line Leads Hot Country Songs Again; Phillip Phillips Nets 'Idol' Honor; John Mayer Returns

    June 28, 2013 11:10 AM EDT As previously reported , Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines," featuring T.I. + Pharrell, spends a third week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, while Miley Cyrus and Bruno Mars land in the top 10. Who else makes notable moves on the Ho ...

  2. Trey Songz, Melissa Etheridge, Valerie Simpson, 'Les Miserables' Honored at Recording Academy's New York Gala

    June 28, 2013 11:03 AM EDT The importance of music education was celebrated as Trey Songz, Melissa Etheridge, Joshua Bell, "Les Miserables"' composers Alain Boublil, Herbert Kretzmer, Claude-Michel Schönberg, and Ashford & Simpson were honored at the Ne ...

  3. Bubbling Under: Avila Shakes Up Elvis Presley Classic

    June 28, 2013 10:52 AM EDT Each Friday, Billboard presents "Bubbling Under," a weekly look at new and noteworthy acts making their way toward Billboard chart success. Up this week: Avila, Kopecky Family Band, Gwen Sebastian and Rittz. Avila A dreamy new renditio ...

  4. Chart Moves: Justin Timberlake's '20/20' First Album to Sell 2 Million in 2013

    June 28, 2013 9:00 AM EDT This week on the Billboard 200 albums chart, it was a hip-hop affair in the top three . Kanye West, J. Cole and Mac Miller debuted new albums, respectively at Nos. 1-3 on the list. West's "Yeezus" led the rap parade, selling 327,0 ...

  5. Wale Heading for First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart

    June 26, 2013 7:21 PM EDT Rapper Wale should earn his first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart next week with his new release, "The Gifted." Industry sources forecast the album to sell perhaps 150,000 copies by the end of the tracking week on Sunday, June 3 ...

  6. U.K. Ad Watchdog Cautions AEG Live Over Ad for 'One-off' Kanye West London Show

    June 26, 2013 5:00 PM EDT Britain's advertising watchdog on Wednesday issued a caution to concert and live event powerhouse AEG Live for promoting a "one-off" Kanye West show in London, to which it later added two more gigs. AEG had in an email promoted th ...

  7. Backbeat Byte: Theophilus London on His SpongeBob Apparel Line: 'It’s a Dream Come True Collaborating With Him'

    June 26, 2013 2:05 PM EDT Hip-hop, cartoons and the Hamptons make for strange bedfellows, but they combined for a great day last Saturday (June 22), when Nickelodeon hosted a private party with rapper Theophilus London celebrating the launch of the SpongeBob x LVRS appa ...

  8. It’s Official: Kanye West's 'Yeezus' Sells 327,000, Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200

    June 25, 2013 9:00 PM EDT Kanye West's new album, "Yeezus," debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 327,000 copies in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It's the biggest week for a rap album since Drake's "Take Car ...

  9. Guest Post: Pink Floyd Pushes Back on Pandora's Royalty Rate Agenda

    June 25, 2013 6:06 PM EDT The following Op-Ed originally appeared this past Sunday (June 23) on the opinion pages of USA Today. Billboard.biz received permission to repost it here in its entirety, Billboard.biz welcomes comments below. Send all .Biz guest post submissio ...

  10. Inspired By Tupac, Musical Set in Midwest Looks to Bring Gangsta Rap to Broadway

    June 24, 2013 1:15 PM EDT A musical inspired by the music of Tupac Shakur hopes to bring gangsta rap to a Broadway stage. A workshop of "Holler If Ya Hear Me" is currently under way in New York under the direction of Kenny Leon, who helmed the Broadway hits &qu ...

  11. Billboard 200 Chart Preview: Kanye West's Lead Over J. Cole Shrinks

    June 21, 2013 8:10 PM EDT After three full days on sale, Kanye West's "Yeezus" is still forecast to be No. 1 on next week's Billboard 200 chart. However, its lead over J. Cole's "Born Sinner" has shrunk to about 50,000 copies. Industr ...

  12. Sean "Diddy" Combs Announces Revolt TV Deal with Time Warner Cable, Enlists MTV Vet Andy Schuon

    June 21, 2013 12:59 PM EDT On Wednesday (June 19), Revolt TV, the upcoming music cable network spearheaded by Sean "Diddy" Combs, took a major step forward by announcing a national distribution deal with Time Warner Cable. Combs, Revolt's majority sharehold ...

  13. Chart Moves: 'The Voice' Carries Weight on Hot 100, Hot Country Songs; Avril Lavigne Soars; Jack Johnson Returns

    June 21, 2013 12:36 PM EDT As previously reported , Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines," featuring T.I. + Pharrell, spends a second week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Who else makes head-"Lines" on the Hot 100 and other song charts this week? Nota ...

  14. John Legend Talks New Chevy Impala Campaign, Kanye-Produced 'Love In The Future' LP

    June 21, 2013 11:08 AM EDT Over the past 18 months alone, Chevrolet has featured new music from fun., Theophilus London, Frank Sinatra, Patty Griffin and OK Go in its national TV commercials -- sometimes even featuring the artists on-camera. John Legend became the latest ...

  15. Chart Moves: Hezekiah Walker's Best Week Ever, Harry Connick, Jr.'s 21st Top 10 Jazz Album

    June 21, 2013 11:00 AM EDT This week on the Billboard 200 albums chart , Black Sabbath scored its first No. 1 as 13 bowed in the top slot with 155,000 copies sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Elsewhere in the top 10, Big Time Rush, Goo Goo Dolls, the "Man of Stee ...

  16. Backbeat: Sony, iTunes Execs Hit the Scene, the Stranglers Rock the Spoke Club, DJs Spin Atop a Crane at Toronto's NXNE, MuchMusic Events

    June 21, 2013 10:15 AM EDT Toronto has been crazy busy the past two weeks with North By Northeast, Luminato (still going), the MuchMusic Video Awards and piggybacking parties and events. Billboard.biz squeezed in a few, starting with the NXNE kick-off at Toronto’s Drake ...

  17. Letter From The Editor: What Jay-Z's 'Magna Carta' Means For The Billboard 200 Chart

    June 21, 2013 9:28 AM EDT "I don't follow any guidelines," Jay-Z says in "22 Twos," one of the standout tracks on his 1996 debut, "Reasonable Doubt." And there's no reasonable doubt that Jay's instincts to blaze trails hav ...

  18. Chart Moves: Hezekiah Walker's Best Week Ever, Harry Connick Jr.'s 21st Top 10 Jazz Album

    June 21, 2013 9:00 AM EDT This week on the Billboard 200 albums chart, Black Sabbath scored its first No. 1 as "13" bowed in the top slot with 155,000 copies sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Elsewhere in the top 10, Big Time Rush, Goo Goo Dolls, the " ...

  19. Austin Mahone Makes Social 50 Chart Return

    June 20, 2013 8:41 PM EDT Rising pop star Austin Mahone re-enters the Social 50 chart at No. 34 following the June 10 debut of a new single, “What About Love” (Chase Records/Republic). The track’s official Vevo music video debuted shortly afterwards last week, which help ...

  20. Hip-Hop Super Tuesday Update: Kanye West Leads, J. Cole Gets Bigger

    June 19, 2013 6:36 PM EDT June 18 was a Super Tuesday for hip-hop, with new albums from Kanye West, J. Cole and Mac Miller all going on sale that day. At the present, West's new "Yeezus" album is selling strongly -- though not quite as strongly as anticip ...

  21. Will.i.am Becomes Partner in Beverly Hills Brand Licensing Agency

    June 18, 2013 12:30 PM EDT Music star and entrepreneur will.i.am has been named a partner in Beverly Hills-based licensing and strategic marketing firm memBrain Licensing , the company said Tuesday. The firm said it will look to tap into the Grammy Award-wining musician’s ...

  22. Beyonce Settles $100M Lawsuit With Video Game Company

    June 18, 2013 11:49 AM EDT Beyonce has wiggled out of a lawsuit brought by a video game company that sued the musician for allegedly backing away from a deal to create a motion-sensing dance game. Gate Five filed the lawsuit in New York court in April 2011, claiming that ...

  23. Business Matters: Why An Artist Like Jay-Z Would Partner with Samsung

    June 17, 2013 8:26 PM EDT It's no wonder that Jay-Z signed a partnership deal with the electronics giant Samsung that's rumored to be worth $20 million. The Korean company spends an incredible amount on advertising every year.   Samsung Electronics' ad ...

  24. MuchMusic Video Awards: Drake Surprises and Wins Big, PSY Retires 'Gentleman'

    June 17, 2013 11:22 AM EDT Drake made a surprise appearance, Avril Lavigne thanked her dad, and PSY said farewell thee "Gentleman" at the 2013 MuchMusic Video Awards in Toronto last night, a massive outdoor celebration that shut down the streets around the Bell ...

  25. Black Sabbath Snare First No. 1 UK Album in 42 Years

    June 17, 2013 11:14 AM EDT The reunited Black Sabbath have established a new U.K. chart record for the longest gap between No. 1 albums. Their new set  13 (Vertigo/Universal) debuted at the summit yesterday (Sunday), 42 years and eight months after their second album  Par ...

  26. Jay-Z, Samsung Announce Deal to Give Away 1 Million Copies of New LP

    June 16, 2013 10:31 PM EDT Jay-Z announced his new LP,  "Magna Carta Holy Grail," via a  Samsung commercial that aired during Sunday night's NBA Finals, the fifth game in the Miami Heat vs. San Antonio Spurs series. And in a powerful introduction to the ru ...

  27. Big Time Rush, 'Man of Steel' Soundtrack Heading for Top 10 on Billboard 200

    June 14, 2013 8:07 PM EDT Big Time Rush and the "Man of Steel" soundtrack are heading for top 10 debuts on the Billboard 200 albums chart next week. Industry sources suggest Big Time Rush's new "24/Seven" album could sell around 45,000 copies by ...

  28. Berry Gordy, Elton John, Bernie Taupin, Aerosmith, More Honored at Songwriters Hall of Fame Event

    June 14, 2013 6:12 PM EDT NEW YORK -- The Songwriters Hall of Fame dinner is pretty much the do of the year for the music publishing industry, and in addition to virtually everyone who’s anyone in the executive side of that world, there’s always a jaw-dropping array of l ...

  29. P!nk Takes No. 1 Spot on Hot Tours Chart, Grosses $23.6 Million

    June 14, 2013 2:53 PM EDT P!nk takes the No. 1 ranking on the weekly Hot Tours tally with gross and attendance counts reported from the first leg of her Truth About Love Tour that launched earlier this year. The totals represented in this week’s recap come from the tour’ ...

  30. Backbeat: Miley Cyrus, Pharrell, Robin Thicke, Rock L.A. Myspace Relaunch Party; Tim Vanderhook ‘Blown Away’ By Support

    June 14, 2013 2:34 PM EDT If the caliber of performers and attendees at Wednesday night's star-studded Myspace relaunch celebration at L.A.'s El Rey Theater was any indication of the future social-music platform's success, it should have no problem. Here, ...

  31. Nick Cannon Joins The RED Team

    June 14, 2013 2:00 PM EDT Nick Cannon’s NCredible Entertainment has partnered with Sony Music Entertainment’s RED Distribution, Billboard has learned exclusively. In addition to Cannon’s own music and comedy projects, the pair’s slate of upcoming releases includes film/T ...

  32. Selena Gomez and Mariah Carey Jump Up Social 50 Chart

    June 14, 2013 10:12 AM EDT After Selena Gomez's position on Billboard's Social 50 took a dip due to a brief week of inactivity, she once again ascends the tally (up 34-24) on the back of the newly-released track, "Slow Down," from her forthcoming debut ...

  33. Songs of the Summer Chart Returns to Billboard.com

    June 13, 2013 4:40 PM EDT July Fourth celebrations and trips to the beach (followed by applying aloe to sunburns …) are right around the corner. And, in another sign of the impending season of sun and fun, Billboard's annual Songs of the Summer chart returns to Bill ...

  34. Kanye West's 'Yeezus' Album Could Sell a Half-Million in First Week

    June 13, 2013 10:24 AM EDT While Kanye West's new album "Yeezus" hasn't been released yet, sales forecasters in the music industry are buzzing about how much the set could sell in its first week.   Those in the know suggest the album, due out June 18 ...

  35. Big Freedia Gets Own Reality TV Show

    June 12, 2013 3:06 PM EDT The singer and dancer known as Big Freedia is taking his hypersexual, booty-shaking moves from the streets of New Orleans to cable television with a reality show in the Fuse network. The performer's real name is Freddie Ross but his Big Fre ...

  36. Robin Thicke's 'Blurred Lines' Hits No. 1 On Hot 100 Chart

    June 12, 2013 1:45 PM EDT Robin Thicke scores his first Billboard Hot 100 No. 1, as "Blurred Lines," featuring T.I. and Pharrell, vaults 6-1. Ariana Grande and Mac Miller, meanwhile, return to the top 10 with "The Way" and Miley Cyrus enters at No. ...

  37. Queens Of The Stone Age Get First No. 1 Album On Billboard 200

    June 12, 2013 11:00 AM EDT As forecast last week, rock band Queens of the Stone Age earns its first No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The group's new album, . . . Like Clockwork, opens atop the list with 91,000 sold in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The ne ...

  38. Exclusive: Roc Nation Names Jason Iley Label President

    June 12, 2013 9:00 AM EDT Roc Nation Records, home to J. Cole, Rita Ora, Jay Electronica and Bridget Kelly, has named Jason Iley as its president. He comes to the newly minted position from his most recent post as president of Mercury Records in the U.K. Iley will be b ...

  39. Prime Social Launches Breakaway Fests With Bassnectar, Wu-Tang, Kendrick Lamar, Others (Exclusive)

    June 11, 2013 11:00 AM EDT Bassnectar, Empire of the Sun, Kendrick Lamar, Wu-Tang Clan, Matt & Kim among those playing stadiums in Columbus, Dallas The inaugural Breakaway Music Festival concept, produced by rising young promoters Prime Social, will launch with two ne ...

  40. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Make History On Mainstream Top 40 Chart

    June 10, 2013 2:11 PM EDT Just as on the Hot 100, the pair is the first duo to send its first two entries to the top of the radio airplay tally. Plus, Daft Punk, Rihanna and Miley Cyrus make news Macklemore & Ryan Lewis rise 2-1 on Billboard's Nielsen BDS-based ...

  41. Christopher Roberts on Directing 2013's NXNE Fest (Q&A)

    June 07, 2013 4:52 PM EDT The sister festival of Austin, TX's South By Southwest, Toronto, Ontario's North By Northeast (NXNE) blends the concert experience with a hub of connectivity for Canada's music, media, and entertainment professionals.  Entering i ...

  42. Rolling Stones Top Hot Tours, Three Chicago Dates Gross $16.5 Million

    June 07, 2013 2:15 PM EDT Yet again , The Rolling Stones are No. 1 in the weekly ranking of Hot Tours with ticket sales revenue reported from the sole Chicago engagement on the band's 50 & Counting Tour, currently on the road in North America. The Stones played ...

  43. Bubbling Under: Smallpools Make Big Splash; Also, Amba Shepherd, K. Roosevelt, Citizens

    June 07, 2013 1:19 PM EDT Each Friday, Billboard presents "Bubbling Under," a weekly look at new and noteworthy acts making their way toward Billboard chart success. Up this week: Smallpools, Amba Shepherd, K. Roosevelt and Citizens. Smallpools Following in the ...

  44. Chart Moves: Paul McCartney & Wings Return, British Band Bastille Makes Chart Debut

    June 07, 2013 11:39 AM EDT This week on the Billboard 200 albums chart , Daft Punk's "Random Access Memories" held on at No. 1 for a second week, shifting 93,000 copies (down 73%), according to Nielsen SoundScan. It marked only the third album in this year ...

  45. Tyga, Bruno Mars Make Strides on Social 50 Chart

    June 06, 2013 7:50 PM EDT Tyga makes a six-position jump on Billboard's Social 50 chart, moving to No. 27 after re-entering the chart at No. 33 last week following the release of a new video for his single “For the Road” (featuring Chris Brown) on May 24. The Social ...

  46. Legends Gamble & Huff, Thom Bell Reteam For Book, Other Projects

    June 06, 2013 6:22 PM EDT Legendary production duo and Philadelphia International Records founders Gamble & Huff have begun writing their autobiography, Billboard has learned exclusively. The definitive look back at the pair's pioneering legacy is the latest pro ...

  47. Adele, One Direction Help Britain to Record Global Album Market Share

    June 06, 2013 2:17 PM EDT The global success of acts One Direction and Adele helped nudge British artists to a record worldwide album sale share of 13.3 percent in 2012, the highest on record. In the U.S. -- described by the music industry trade body the BPI as the world ...

  48. UMe, Muve Music Launch Motown Campaign

    June 06, 2013 8:53 AM EDT Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) and digital music service Muve Music are teaming up to celebrate the Motown legacy. Each week in June, Black Music Month, classic music as well as special commentary by founding artists of the iconic label will ...

  49. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Juggernaut Rolls On: No. 1 on Hot 100 For Fifth Week, 24th Week In Top 10

    June 05, 2013 3:11 PM EDT Macklemore & Ryan Lewis notch a fifth week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Can't Hold Us," featuring Ray Dalton. Robin Thicke, meanwhile, lands his first Hot 100 top 10, as "Blurred Lines," featuring T.I. and ...

  50. Daft Punk Scores Second Week At No. 1 On Billboard 200

    June 05, 2013 11:04 AM EDT Daft Punk's Random Access Memories holds at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for a second week, as the set shifts another 93,000, copies according to Nielsen SoundScan. It's down 73% in its second week, a not alarming sophomore frame decline ...

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