1. Justin Timberlake Heading for Third Week at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart

    April 03, 2013 8:52 PM EDT It looks like Justin Timberlake's "The 20/20 Experience" will spend a third consecutive week atop the Billboard 200 chart next week. The set could sell in the range of 150,000 to 170,000, Billboard estimates, based on the sales pa ...

  2. SoundScan Q1: Track and Album Sales Down, Digital Album Sales Jump

    April 03, 2013 8:41 PM EDT For the second time since SoundScan started counting downloads in 2003, track sales suffered a sales decline, something that occurred in the first three quarters of 2010. So far this year, track sales are down 1.3% as of March 31, according to N ...

  3. Justin Timberlake's '20/20' Spends Second Week At No. 1 on Billboard 200, Lil Wayne Enters at No. 2

    April 03, 2013 10:44 AM EDT Justin Timberlake's The 20/20 Experience easily spends a second week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, selling 318,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It's more than 100,000 ahead of the No. 2 album, the debuting I Am Not a Human ...

  4. Gloria Estefan Returns to Sony

    April 03, 2013 9:23 AM EDT Global star Gloria Estefan has returned to her longtime label, Sony Music Entertainment, for a multi-album agreement that begins with the release of her upcoming English-language album, “The Standards,” due out this Fall. Register today for the ...

  5. Kid Cudi Is 'No Longer On G.O.O.D. Music'

    April 02, 2013 6:46 PM EDT Kid Cudi took advantage of his interview with L.A.'s Power 106 to announce that he's no longer on Kanye West's imprint, G.O.O.D. Music. "I'm announcing that I'm no longer on G.O.O.D. Music. And this is something tha ...

  6. ADA Adds New West, Sumerian Records to Distribution Roster (Exclusive)

    April 02, 2013 8:00 AM EDT 4 31 18 0 0 Alternative Distribution Alliance (ADA), the music distribution arm of Warner Music Group, has lured two new independent labels to its growing stable of distribution clients. Alt-country/Americana label New West Records and hard rock purveyor ...

  7. Court Rules Against ReDigi Efforts to Resell Digital Music

    April 01, 2013 6:30 PM EDT Capitol Records has won a victory in U.S. District Court against ReDigi Inc., a company that sought to build a marketplace for consumers to sell their “used” digital songs. Many in the music and movie business have watched the case closely, as t ...

  8. Business Matters: Reports of the CD's Death Were Greatly Exaggerated

    April 01, 2013 3:18 PM EDT 5 24 28 7 0 Even though CD revenues have fallen sharply over the last ten years, most predictions about the format have been wrong. The CD's decline, while painful to companies, has been far more gradual than precipitous. Over the last four years, CD ...

  9. Phil Ramone's Top 50 Billboard Albums: From '52nd Street' to 'Album 1700'

    April 01, 2013 10:40 AM EDT In a career that spanned 50 years, Phil Ramone’s credit graced some of the rock era’s most celebrated albums, from Glass Houses to Graceland and from A Star Is Born to Flashdance . Ramone, who died Saturday at age 79, was an engineer in the 1960 ...

  10. Prince Royce Signs With Sony Music Entertainment

    April 01, 2013 9:23 AM EDT Bachata crossover act Prince Royce has signed a recording deal with Sony Music Entertainment to release albums in Spanish through Sony Music Latin and in English through RCA Records. Royce’s first Spanish-language album is due this fall and his ...

  11. Will Tanous Named EVP/Head of Global Communications for Universal Music Group

    April 01, 2013 8:52 AM EDT Universal Music Group announced today the appointment of Will Tanous as executive vice president and head of global communications, effective April 15.  In this newly created position, Tanous will be “responsible for managing the company’s world ...

  12. Justin Timberlake, PJ & Duncan, ‘Now… 84’ Top UK Charts

    April 01, 2013 7:43 AM EDT As Justin Timberlake’s “The 20/20 Experience” (RCA/Sony Music Entertainment) held off Depeche Mode’s “Delta Machine” (Columbia/Sony) for a second week atop the U.K. album chart, TV presenters Ant & Dec re-entered the singles chart at No. 1 i ...

  13. Phil Ramone: A Selected Discography

    March 31, 2013 7:23 PM EDT 2 28 54 0 0 Phil Ramone was deferential to a fault. He liked to say it was the artist, not the producer, whose name appeared on the front of the album. That’s why you won’t find mention of Ramone on the covers of CDs by Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Frank Sinat ...

  14. Phil Ramone Remembered by Studio Colleagues Bob Ludwig, Al Schmitt, Frank Filipetti (Updated)

    March 31, 2013 12:21 AM EDT 10 0 0 Producers, engineers, and other audio professionals who worked with Phil Ramone, who passed away Saturday morning , remember his love of music, his pursuit of excellence, his sense of humor, his soothing presence, and his uncanny ability to sta ...

  15. Phil Ramone Remembered by John Burk, Co-Producer of Ray Charles’ ‘Genius Loves Company’

    March 30, 2013 7:05 PM EDT 1 29 0 0 John Burk and Phil Ramone produced Ray Charles' “Genius Love Company,” an album that scored five Grammys in 2005, including Album of the Year. By the time Charles signed with Concord Records, Ramone already had a history with the label as ...

  16. Phil Ramone Remembered by McCartney, Joel, Streisand, Wonder, More As ‘The Star of Stars Behind the Stars’ (Updated)

    March 30, 2013 4:22 PM EDT 1 167 68 0 0 Response to the news of the death of Phil Ramone was instantaneous on Saturday, as the Internet was filled with tributes and remembrances from his colleagues, collaborators and admirers, including Billy Joel, Barbra Streisand, Tony Bennett, S ...

  17. Phil Ramone Looks Back at His Legendary Career in Expansive 1996 Billboard Interview

    March 30, 2013 2:20 PM EDT 1 82 206 0 0 Legendary producer Phil Ramone -- who helmed classic albums by Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Paul McCartney, Barbra Streisand, Bob Dylan, Frank Sinatra, Carly Simon and many others over a career that reached back to the early 1960s -- died this mor ...

  18. Producer Phil Ramone Dead at 79

    March 30, 2013 12:36 PM EDT 8 1.564 k 115 20 0 Phil Ramone -- an oft-honored visionary in the field of audio recording and the presentation of music; who helmed classic albums by Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, Paul Simon, Billy Joel and many others over a c ...

  19. Blake Shelton Set for Best Sales Week Ever on Billboard 200 Chart

    March 29, 2013 7:47 PM EDT Led by Lil Wayne's "I Am Not a Human Being II," the Billboard 200 chart's top 10 should welcome six new entries next week. The rap star's latest release is on course to sell around 200,000 copies by the end of the tracki ...

  20. Smokey Robinson Signs with Universal's Verve Label

    March 29, 2013 7:12 PM EDT Motown icon Smokey Robinson has signed with Verve Music Group, the Universal label chaired by veteran producer David Foster. The legendary singer will release his 29th career album, a collection of duets, this coming fall. Jay Landers will A& ...

  21. Petition Demands Reebok Drop Rick Ross Over Date-Rape Lyrics

    March 29, 2013 11:56 AM EDT Rick Ross’ date-rape-referencing lyrics on rapper Rocko’s song “U.O.E.N.O.” have already sparked online outrage among women’s groups . Now a second wave of petitions is calling for Ross’ endorsement deal with Reebok to be discontinued, in part b ...

  22. Morning Fix: Joie Manda Leaves Def Jam for Interscope, Rick Ross Under Fire for 'Date Rape' Lyrics, iHeartRadio Returns to Vegas, More

    March 29, 2013 9:43 AM EDT Subscribe to Billboard.biz's free Morning Fix email and other newsletters HERE Joie Manda Resigns as Def Jam President, Moving to Interscope In a surprise announcement, Joie Manda has resigned as President of Def Jam Records to relocate bac ...

  23. Rick Ross Under Fire for Lyrics That Critics Say Condone Date Rape

    March 28, 2013 5:15 PM EDT Rick Ross is facing a growing online firestorm over lyrics that critics say condone date rape. The song in question, “U.O.E.N.O.,” by Atlanta rapper Rocko, features verses from Ross and Future and was released on a mixtape, Gift of Gab 2 , back ...

  24. Paul Williams, Crawdaddy Founder, 'Godfather of Rock Criticism' Dead at 64

    March 28, 2013 3:58 PM EDT 1 596 81 0 0 Paul Williams, the writer and editor who helped create what we now know as rock journalism with Crawdaddy!, a magazine he founded in 1966, died last night at the age of 64 from complications related to a 1995 bike accident. Williams began pub ...

  25. Mom+Pop Names Robbie Mackey New Head of Marketing, Announces Sub Service, New Imprint

    March 28, 2013 1:51 PM EDT Robbie Mackey, former head of The Orchard's interactive marketing department and alum of Mom+Pop's digital department, has been named as Mom+Pop's new head of marketing, it was announced today. The New York-based label is home to ...

  26. Downtown Music Taking 2013 Music Fest National With Earl Sweatshirt, Black Hippy, Purity Ring

    March 28, 2013 1:34 PM EDT Downtown Events, the live arm of the Downtown Music family of companies -- which include Downtown Records, RCRDLBL.com, Downtown Music Services and Downtown Music Publishing (which recently acquired the catalogs of Yoko Ono and John Lennon) -- t ...

  27. International Music Summit Announces Inaugural U.S Event With Russell Simmons, Troy Carter, Skrillex, More

    March 28, 2013 12:00 PM EDT After six years spent in Ibiza -- hosting wide-ranging conversations with the likes of David Lynch, Giorgio Morode and others --  the International Music Summit is set to debut to America. IMS Engage, to be held April 17 at the W Hotel in Los An ...

  28. Updated: Joie Manda Resigns as Def Jam President, Moving to Interscope

    March 28, 2013 11:12 AM EDT 11 23 66 1 0 In a surprise announcement, Joie Manda has resigned as President of Def Jam Records to relocate back to Los Angeles.  As part of his relocation, he will remain within the Universal Music Group family by joining Interscope Records as President ...

  29. Backbeat: Prince Royce, Horacio Palencia, UMPG Celebrate Wins at BMI's Latin Awards in Vegas

    March 28, 2013 10:38 AM EDT Talk of new albums and new deals swirled during the BMI 20th annual Latin music Awards, held March 21 at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. From left: Phil Graham, BMI SVP, writer/publisher relations; songwriter of the year winner Horacio Palencia; Mich ...

  30. Gordon Stoker, Member of the Jordanaires, Dies at 88

    March 27, 2013 8:50 PM EDT 5 24 0 0 You might not have known the name Gordon Stoker, but odds are you probably have an album in your collection with his vocals represented on it. Stoker, who passed away Wednesday at the age of 88, was a member of Country Music Hall of Fame vocali ...

  31. Lil Wayne Set for Top Debut Next Week on Billboard 200 Chart

    March 27, 2013 7:39 PM EDT Lil Wayne should earn the highest debut on next week's Billboard 200 chart, as the rapper's new album, "I Am Not a Human Being II," is on course to arrive at No. 2. Industry sources suggest the set could sell between 190,000 ...

  32. Justin Timberlake Debuts At No. 1 On Billboard 200, Earns Third-Largest Digital Week Ever

    March 27, 2013 10:57 AM EDT As reported yesterday (March 26), Justin Timberlake comes roaring in at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, selling 968,000 copies of The 20/20 Experience , according to Nielsen SoundScan. It's the singer's best sales week ever and the 19th-la ...

  33. It's Official: Justin Timberlake's '20/20' Sells 968,000, Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart

    March 26, 2013 7:01 PM EDT 4 133 66 0 0 It's official: Justin Timberlake's new album, "The 20/20 Experience," debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 968,000 copies in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. "20/20," released on Mar ...

  34. Business Matters: Streaming, Subscriptions Rising, But Total Recorded-Music Revenues Down 1% in 2012: RIAA Report

    March 26, 2013 6:05 PM EDT 12 0 0 Subscription and streaming services experienced tremendous growth and accounted for 15% of record business revenue in 2012, according to RIAA statistics released Tuesday. That expansion helped digital revenue surge to 59% of total recorded musi ...

  35. Artists Carla Morrison, Olga Tañon, America Sierra and Kany Garcia Set for 'Latin’s Leading Ladies' Panel at 2013 Billboard Latin Music Conference

    March 26, 2013 5:35 PM EDT 1 31 47 0 0 2012 Latin Grammy revelation Carla Morrison, tropical superstar Olga Tañon, Regional Mexican composer and 3Ball MTY vocalist America Sierra, and Puerto Rican pop singer/songwriter Kany Garcia will represent the current strength of Latin music’ ...

  36. Backbeat: Country Music Association, BMI, More Make a Splash Across the Pond With Europe Events

    March 26, 2013 3:23 PM EDT Over the past few weeks, across three events, country music has made its presence felt across the pond. On February 25th, the Songwriters Series, an event presented by BMI, Gibson Guitars and the Country Music Association, took place over four d ...

  37. Motown Songwriter Deke Richards Dies

    March 25, 2013 7:57 PM EDT Deke Richards (center) flanked by the late Alphonzo Mizell (left) and Freddie Perren. (Photo: Universal Music Enterprises) Deke Richards, leader of Motown’s famed songwriting/production team the Corporation (Jackson 5, Diana Ross), died on March ...

  38. Business Matters: Why Would Spotify Get Into The Video Business?

    March 25, 2013 6:13 PM EDT Spotify wants to create a video streaming service and is seeking a partner to help fund and create original programming, according to a report Monday. A lot of things are printed about Spotify. Some of them are pretty odd, frankly. This one isn& ...

  39. NARM Announces First-Ever Music Industry Metadata Summit

    March 25, 2013 12:00 PM EDT The National Association of Recording Merchandisers and digitalmusic.org have announced its first-ever Music Industry Metadata Summit, which will be held in Los Angeles, May 6th and 7th, and is part of NARM's Music Biz 2013 conference. The ...

  40. SiriusXM Indie Awards: Japandroids, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Metric Win Big During Canadian Music Week

    March 25, 2013 10:32 AM EDT Canada’s SirusXM Indie Awards, held each year in Toronto as part of Canadian Music Week, honoured some rather big names Friday night (March 22) -- for an awards ceremony that strictly honors independent artists -- including Taylor Swift, Carly R ...

  41. K-Pop Fans Raise Hell After Popular Videos Get Blocked on YouTube

    March 24, 2013 6:10 PM EDT 1 0 23 0 0 What do K-pop fans and the state of Texas have in common? Answer: It's never a good idea to mess with either. Early Sunday morning (March 24), it appeared videos by K-pop entertainment agency, Cube Entertainment, were being blocked for int ...

  42. Five Questions at Ultra: Carl Craig on Trap Music, Planet E Records

    March 24, 2013 5:02 PM EDT 9 0 0 We caught up with Detroit legend Carl Craig, just before he played The Boiler Room’s party at the Red Bull Guest House during Miami Music Week. The dance veteran, who has never been constricted by genre, is preparing an edition of Ministry Of So ...

  43. Justin Timberlake's '20/20' Heading to 950,000-Plus

    March 24, 2013 12:30 PM EDT 2 36 61 0 0 If another day has gone by, that must mean the sales forecast for Justin Timberlake's blockbuster The 20/20 Experience album have grown by at least another 50,000-100,000. Today (March 24), industry sources forecast that the pop star' ...

  44. Daft Punk Announce New Album ‘Random Access Memories,’ Release Date, Pre-Sale

    March 24, 2013 3:29 AM EDT After several weeks of teasing their new album, French electronic duo Daft Punk have announced the name of their fourth studio album Random Access Memories , as well as a pre-sale and an approximate release date.  The band's rep sent out a ...

  45. Vinny Cha$e Talks Epic Records Deal, Major Label Debut & Street Wear Fashion Line

    March 23, 2013 12:28 PM EDT 7 17 0 0 For Harlem rapper Vinny Cha$e, loyalty played a big role in his decision to turn down a deal with Sean "Diddy" Combs' Bad Boy Records and instead go with Epic and A&R Aaron Reid, son of chairman/CEO Antonio "L.A." R ...

  46. Chart Moves: Ed Sheeran Hits Half-Million Sales Mark

    March 22, 2013 9:00 PM EDT This past week on the Billboard 200, it was all about the not-quite showdown between Bon Jovi and David Bowie. Bon Jovi logged its fifth No. 1 with the debut of "What About Now," while Bowie notched his highest charting album ever as & ...

  47. Backbeat: Capitol Music Group Executives Unveil 2013 Release Schedule With Aloe Blacc, Jhene Aiko, More

    March 22, 2013 6:06 PM EDT So the Universal Music Group held a showcase, and to insure that Retail Track attended, they held it practically across the street from Billboard's office at Joe's Pub . Oh yeah, they threw in a sweetener too -- an open bar -- and they ...

  48. Justin Timberlake's '20/20' First-Week Sales Getting Even Bigger: 850-900,000 Debut Projected

    March 22, 2013 4:37 PM EDT  "20/20 Experience?" More like "850/900 Experience." Industry sources now forecast that Justin Timberlake's "The 20/20 Experience" could sell between 850,000 and 900,000 by the end of the tracking week on Sunda ...

  49. Simple Plan, Ralph James, Graham Henderson Among Canadian Music & Broadcast Industry Award Honorees

    March 22, 2013 12:35 PM EDT The Canadian music industry was out full force last night (March 22), jammed into a room at Toronto’s Kool Haus to honor three Hall of Fame inductees, a humanitarian and an assortment of companies and individuals from labels, managers, agents, r ...

  50. Justin Timberlake's '20/20' Now Heading for 800,000-Plus Debut

    March 21, 2013 7:17 PM EDT As the days go by, the sales forecast for Justin Timberlake's "The 20/20 Experience" continues to grow at an alarming rate. Industry sources are now projecting that the pop star's album will sell over 800,000 copies by the en ...

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