1. Brandy Signs With CAA

    June 04, 2013 5:22 PM EDT Brandy has signed with CAA. After recurring on BET’s "The Game" last season, the former "Moesha" star joined the cast full time in season six as Chardonnay, the wife of Coby Bell’s ex-athlete Jason Pitts. The network announce ...

  2. Jay-Z and Samsung Rumored Close to Signing $20 Million Partnership Deal

    June 04, 2013 3:20 PM EDT While details are still scarce about Jay-Z and Samsung's rumored partnership, first reported by the New York Post this morning and rumored to be worth $20 million, it appears that the deal may include a streaming music offering from Samsung ...

  3. Backbeat: Matador’s Patrick Amory on Chaos in Tejas: ‘Much More Fun Than SXSW'

    June 04, 2013 2:20 PM EDT On Sunday, Enabler PR closed out its Chaos in Tejas , the annual Austin, TX music festival, with a showcase at the Holy Mountain bar . Currently in it’s ninth year, Chaos was founded by Ground Control Booking agent Timmy Hefner who in that time ...

  4. Clear Channel and Fearless Records Strike Broadcast and Digital Performance Royalty Deal

    June 03, 2013 9:00 AM EDT With a pact now with Fearless Records, Clear Channel Media and Entertainment continues its slow but steady signing of independent label deals in which the broadcaster agrees to pay artist performance royalties from terrestrial radio in exchange ...

  5. The Doors and Ray Manzarek Debut on Social 50 Chart

    May 31, 2013 9:54 PM EDT The Doors and its founding member Ray Manzarek enter the Social 50 chart this week following the keyboardist’s death on May 20. The Social 50 ranks the most popular artists on YouTube, Vevo, Facebook, Twitter, SoundCloud, Wikipedia, Myspace and ...

  6. Alice in Chains, Little Mix and John Fogerty Bound For Top Five on Billboard 200 Chart

    May 31, 2013 8:22 PM EDT Rock band Alice in Chains is set for its highest charting album since 1995 as "The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here" might start in the No. 2 slot on next week's Billboard 200 chart. Industry sources forecast the album might sell around 6 ...

  7. SunTrust Files $1.9 Million Suit Against Jermaine Dupri, So So Def

    May 31, 2013 6:32 PM EDT Jermaine Dupri and his So So Def Productions are being sued for $1.9 million by SunTrust Banks for defaulting on a loan. Should the Grammy Award-winning producer be found at fault, he stands to lose the copyrights and royalties to many So So Def ...

  8. Chart Moves: The Doors' Sales Surge, 'Fast 6' Soundtrack Drives In, David Crowder Band's Latest Top 10

    May 31, 2013 9:30 AM EDT This week on the Billboard 200 albums chart, Daft Punk barged in at No. 1 with "Random Access Memories," selling 339,000 copies in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It led a debut-filled top four, where Darius Rucker, the ...

  9. Nicki Minaj Confirms 'American Idol' Departure

    May 30, 2013 8:31 PM EDT Rapper Nicki Minaj followed Mariah Carey's lead on Thursday afternoon, announcing via Twitter, "Thank you American Idol for a life changing experience! Wouldn't trade it for the world! Time to focus on the Music!!! Mmmuuuaahhh!!!& ...

  10. Timberlake to Headline iTunes Festival in September, Joins Jessie J, Thirty Seconds to Mars

    May 30, 2013 10:29 AM EDT Justin Timberlake will be the headliner when the iTunes festival kicks off in September in London. The superstar is among the acts slated for the annual music series, which will be held each night that month and streamed on Apple devices like th ...

  11. Blake Shelton, Reba McEntire, More Support Oklahoma at Tornado Benefit Concert

    May 29, 2013 10:40 PM EDT "Everyday people are the ones who are making miracles / And it's beautiful," Reba McEntire sings on the chorus of "Everyday People," her 2007 duet with Carole King. On Wednesday night (May 29), as McEntire performed th ...

  12. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Still Atop Hot 100, Zach Sobiech Debuts

    May 29, 2013 3:26 PM EDT Macklemore & Ryan Lewis spend a fourth week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Can't Hold Us," featuring Ray Dalton. Justin Timberlake and Florida Georgia Line set notable milestones and, outside the top 10, "Clouds& ...

  13. A2IM Announces Tom Silverman as Recipient of Libera Lifetime Achievement Award

    May 29, 2013 11:37 AM EDT The American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) has announced that Tom Silverman, founder of TommY BoY Records, the New Music Seminar and founding board member of A2IM, will receive the Lifetime Achievement statue at A2IM's upcoming Li ...

  14. Daft Punk Leads Debut-Filled Top Four On Billboard 200

    May 29, 2013 11:01 AM EDT Led by Daft Punk at No. 1, the entire top four on the Billboard 200 are debuts this week. The dance/electronic duo’s new Random Access Memories launches at atop the tally with 339,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. As reported last nigh ...

  15. Nokia Music Expands Artist Partnerships With Cher Lloyd, Ed Sheeran Promotions

    May 28, 2013 12:32 PM EDT Nokia Music has teamed with Cher Lloyd for an extensive social media promotion, dubbed #CherLLoyalty, through which fans can win tickets and meet-and-greets to the singer’s concerts from May 30 to June 2. The daily tweet-to-reveal program will l ...

  16. Blake Shelton Sets Oklahoma Relief Concert, Carrie Underwood Donates to Red Cross

    May 24, 2013 7:22 PM EDT In the wake of tragedy in Moore, Okla., Blake Shelton and Carrie Underwood are raising funds to help with tornado relief. Shelton, a native of Ada, Okla., has set a date for his “Healing the Heartland” benefit concert, which will be held at th ...

  17. Chart Moves: 'Great Gatsby' Soundtrack's Sturdy Sales, David Bowie's 'Day' Lengthens, ABBA's Agnetha Fältskog Returns

    May 24, 2013 9:30 AM EDT This week on the Billboard 200 albums chart, the top three were all debuts for a second week in a row, as Vampire Weekend, George Strait and Demi Lovato started in the Nos. 1-3 slots, respectively. Elsewhere on the Billboard 200 there were a num ...

  18. Kid Rock, Rolling Stones, Ticketmaster's Jared Smith on Scalping, Summer Tours

    May 24, 2013 7:33 AM EDT Kid Rock is a scalper. The 42-year-old Grammy winner, who is launching a summer tour where most tickets are priced at $20, said he's scalping about 1,000 tickets from each show to make up for the cheaper regular price. Kid Rock Takes ' ...

  19. Mary J. Blige Faces $3.4M Tax Lien

    May 24, 2013 4:15 AM EDT Mary J. Blige and her husband have been hit with a $3.4 million tax lien in New Jersey. Court documents show the Internal Revenue Service filed a notice of a lien on the nine-time Grammy Award winner Feb. 7. That was two days before the Queen of ...

  20. 2013 MuchMusic Video Awards Nominations Announced

    May 23, 2013 12:44 PM EDT Vancouver's pop-rock band Marianas Trench -- now a headlining arena act in Canada after a dozen years of hard work, and whose frontman Josh Ramsay co-wrote Carly Rae Jepsen's ubiquitous "Call Me Maybe" -- leads the 2013 MuchM ...

  21. Bubbling Under: Classified's 'Ninja' Kicks Up Support; Also, The Villains, Shaliek & Ebony Baskin

    May 23, 2013 11:45 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: Classified, the Villains, Shaliek, Ebony Baskin Classified After notching six hits on the B ...

  22. Daft Punk's 'Random Access Memories' Set for No. 1, 300,000-plus Debut

    May 22, 2013 7:51 PM EDT As previously reported , Daft Punk is heading for its first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart with its latest album, "Random Access Memories." The Columbia Records set, released on May 21, could sell upwards of 300,000 copies by w ...

  23. Hashtag Music: Do Twitter-Friendly Song Titles Make a #Difference?

    May 22, 2013 2:34 PM EDT Hashtag songs are here. Just in the past month, we've seen three major artists -- Busta Rhymes, Mariah Carey and Jennifer Lopez -- tack the number symbol all too familiar to Twitter and social media users to the beginnings of their songs. ...

  24. 'Can't' Stop Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Atop Hot 100

    May 22, 2013 2:16 PM EDT After performing their breakthrough Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 "Thrift Shop" on the Billboard Music Awards Sunday night (May 19), Macklemore & Ryan Lewis spend a third week atop the survey with "Can't Hold Us," featuri ...

  25. Vampire Weekend Debuts At No. 1 On Billboard 200

    May 22, 2013 10:29 AM EDT As predicted, Vampire Weekend notches its second No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 as Modern Vampires of the City debuts atop the list this week. The set sold 134,000 copies in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan, which is a record-hig ...

  26. Kelly Rowland, Paulina Rubio Joining 'X Factor'

    May 20, 2013 9:21 PM EDT It's official. Joining Simon Cowell and Demi Lovato as judges on season three of The X Factor U.S. will be singers Kelly Rowland and Paulina Rubio, Fox has announced. Said Cowell in a statement: “It’s taken more than a decade but I’m delig ...

  27. Eminem's Music Publisher Suing Facebook

    May 20, 2013 7:56 PM EDT On Monday, Eight Mile Style, LLC, the company that administers the rights to Eminem's music filed a lawsuit against Facebook. The complaint filed in Michigan federal court not only accuses the popular social network of lifting one of Eminem ...

  28. Business Matters: How the Billboard Music Awards Drives Artists' Amazon Rankings

    May 20, 2013 4:39 PM EDT The 9.47 million viewers who tuned in for Sunday evening's Billboard Music Awards did a good bit of music shopping. MP3 albums of participating and nominated artists rose sharply in the rankings at the Amazon store while individual tracks b ...

  29. Billboard Music Awards on ABC Wins Sunday Night's TV Ratings, Viewing Audience Up 28%

    May 20, 2013 12:42 PM EDT The Billboard Music Awards had a viewing audience of 9.47 million, a 28 percent spike over 2012's audience of 7.4 million viewers, Nielsen reported. The show was No. 1 Sunday night in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic, pulling in 4 ...

  30. Miguel Lands on Fans in Dramatic Jump at Billboard Music Awards

    May 20, 2013 1:24 AM EDT Miguel made a new friend at the Billboard Music Awards on Sunday night during his performance of "Adorn" after he miscalculated a dramatic leap from the stage and landed on two fans, leaving at least one of them bruised. The dramatic c ...

  31. Billboard Music Awards 2013: 13 Things Seen and Heard

    May 20, 2013 1:09 AM EDT Backstage at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, 2013 Billboard Music Awards performers, presenters and winners made their way to talk to the media, pose for photos and, in one case, find a bathroom. Here are a few things that did not make it onto TV du ...

  32. Taylor Swift, Gotye and Rihanna Win Big at Billboard Music Awards

    May 19, 2013 11:19 PM EDT Taylor Swift and her 3.7 million-selling "Red" dominated the 2013 Billboard Music Awards on Sunday night (May 19), taking home eight trophies as Gotye's "Somebody That I Used To Know" swept four major song categories and ...

  33. Taylor Swift Takes Early Lead at Billboard Music Awards

    May 19, 2013 7:30 PM EDT There may be a blue carpet out front, but the Billboard Music Awards already has "Red" all over it. Taylor Swift has jumped out with six awards, including Top Female Artist and Top Billboard 200 Artist, in a pre-telecast announcement f ...

  34. Billboard Music Awards 2013: Watch The Live Backstage Video Stream

    May 19, 2013 6:30 PM EDT While the awards are being given out on stage, our live cameras will be rolling backstage at the MGM Grand, bringing you all of the behind-the-scenes action of the 2013 Billboard Music Awards and you can watch it all HERE . Come back at 8PM ET ...

  35. Billboard Music Awards Executive Producer Don Mischer Talks Sunday’s Show: ‘This Show Is Big’ (Q&A and Video)

    May 18, 2013 10:30 AM EDT LAS VEGAS — It’s Friday afternoon, around 50 hours from the beginning of the months-in-the-making Billboard Music Awards, and in the darkened MGM Grand Garden Arena rehearsals for Justin Bieber and Will.I.Am’s tag-team performance of “#ThatPow ...

  36. George Strait, Demi Lovato's New Albums Bound for Top Three on Billboard 200

    May 17, 2013 9:12 PM EDT Country icon George Strait is heading for a No. 2 debut on the Billboard 200 chart next week with his new album, "Love Is Everything." Meanwhile, Demi Lovato's fourth studio effort, "Demi," is aiming for a No. 3 bow. Acc ...

  37. Bubbling Under: Passenger's Worldwide Ride Continues

    May 17, 2013 12:57 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: Passenger, A Great Big World, Dakota Bradley and Chrystian   Passenger All the Li ...

  38. Chart Moves: Mariah Carey Moves Up In R&B/Hip-Hop Songs History; Florida Georgia Line Sets Record; Jennifer Lopez Returns

    May 17, 2013 10:47 AM EDT As previously reported, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis tally a second week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Can't Hold Us," featuring Ray Dalton. Who else can hold their head high with noteworthy moves on the Hot 100 and other ...

  39. Chart Moves: Dixie Chicks' Natalie Maines Makes Solo Debut, She & Him Bows on Cassette

    May 17, 2013 9:30 AM EDT This week on the Billboard 200 albums chart, the top three were all debuts , as Lady Antebellum, "The Great Gatsby" soundtrack and the "Now 46" compilation moved in. Lady A's latest, "Golden," gave the country ...

  40. Superfly’s Plans To Improve This Weekend’s GoogaMooga Festival

    May 17, 2013 6:29 AM EDT The Great GoogaMooga is back for seconds. Superfly Present’s food-and-music festival is returning to Brooklyn’s Prospect Park tonight after an inaugural year that made more headlines for its problems than its successes—namely, bringing together ...

  41. Kanye West 'Aint No Muthaf---in Celebrity' at Adult Swim Upfront

    May 16, 2013 11:30 AM EDT "I ain't no muthafuckin celebrity," Kanye West said halfway through his nearly 90-minute set at the Adult Swim Upfront at New York's Roseland Ballroom Wednesday night. "There's one thing about me, I'm a terribl ...

  42. Billboard Music Awards Playlist and Collaborations Revealed

    May 16, 2013 9:00 AM EDT When superstars come together on a collaboration, the results can be electrifying. The 2013 Billboard Music Awards promise to be a highly-charged night, with confirmation that some of the biggest names in music will team-up to perform their bigg ...

  43. Lady Antebellum Scores Third No. 1 Album, 'Gatsby' Debuts Strong at No. 2

    May 15, 2013 1:54 PM EDT Country trio Lady Antebellum earns its third No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart as its new Golden debuts with 167,000 sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The album sold slightly better than initially forecast: A week ago, industry sources ...

  44. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis 'Hold' Atop Hot 100, Selena Gomez 'Get's First Top 10

    May 15, 2013 1:39 PM EDT Macklemore & Ryan Lewis'  "Can't Hold Us," featuring Ray Dalton, logs a second week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, Selena Gomez scores her first top 10 with "Come & Get It" and Mariah Carey debuts at No. ...

  45. Rock The Bells 2013: Ol' Dirty Bastard, Eazy-E Holograms Top Lineup

    May 15, 2013 11:56 AM EDT A little over a year after a projection of Tupac Shakur walked onstage (so to speak) next to Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg and the 2012 Coachella festival, two more hip-hop  holograms will be unveiled at the Rock The Bells 2013 festival. The annual rap ...

  46. Backbeat: SESAC Pop Music Awards Pop Off With Michelle Williams, Swizz Beatz, Mumford's Ben Lovett; Honor Daniel Glass, Rico Love

    May 14, 2013 6:12 PM EDT SESAC hosted its 17th Annual Pop Awards last night at the New York Public Library. Rico Love captured top honors at the event taking home both Songwriter of the Year and Song of the Year awards for his hit, "Heart Attack" as recorded b ...

  47. Shawn 'Pecas' Costner Named EVP of Def Jam Recordings

    May 14, 2013 12:00 PM EDT Shawn "Pecas" Costner has been promoted to EVP of Def Jam Recordings, it was announced today by Island Def Jam Music Group president and COO, Steve Bartels, in a statement. Costner will be responsible for coordinating release schedules ...

  48. Solange Signs With Sony For New Label, Phoenix Talk R. Kelly, ‘Very Special’ Fall Tour; More News From DC’s Sweetlife Festival

    May 14, 2013 10:53 AM EDT It’s Saturday, May 11, and Jonathan Neman is gazing out across the lawn of Maryland’s Merriweather Post Pavilion as Solange slinks through a funky early-afternoon set.   It’s a venue he attended countless times as a music fan during his years in ...

  49. Aretha Franklin Unwell, Cancels Concerts

    May 14, 2013 12:12 AM EDT Aretha Franklin has canceled appearances in Chicago and Connecticut later this month under a doctor's recommendation. A Monday news release says Franklin will need treatment during the time period shows were scheduled with the Chicago Symph ...

  50. Christina Aguilera Could Snag $12 Million for 'Voice' Return

    May 13, 2013 10:01 PM EDT Christina Aguilera is in talks to return to "The Voice," a source close to the singer tells The Hollywood Reporter . A source says Aguilera's payday is likely to be in the vicinity of $12 million. The Mark Burnett-produced NBC si ...

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