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Home , 20th Century Studios, Almost Maybes, Andy Grammer, A Seat at the Table, Baha Men, Blackout Tuesday

Bulletin YOUR DAILY ENTERTAINMENT NEWS UPDATE JUNE 2, 2021 Page 1 of 27

INSIDE Venues Are Finally

• Venues Are Receiving Funds, But Crew Members Receiving Government Grant Are Still Struggling Approvals... Slowly BY TAYLOR MIMS • The German Is Tackling Piracy Through Self- Last week, the Small Business Administration fi- additional $600 or $300 a month on top of unemploy- Regulation nally began awarding grants to independent venues, ment. promoters and talent agencies as part of the $16.25 When the second stimulus package on Dec. 27, • Assessing the billion Shuttered Venue Operators Grant. The grant mixed earners who received at least $5,000 in self- Music Industry’s Progress 1 Year After can award up to $10 million per venue and is much- employment income in 2019 are eligible for a $100 : needed support for entities that have been closed for weekly benefit on top of the $300 federal pandemic ‘We Need to Build a 14 months since the pandemic halted mass gatherings. unemployment supplement provided under the new Bigger Table’ The grants will help venues pay back-rent and help legislation. States were also allowed to opt out of the • S-Curve Records them on their way to welcoming fans back as additional benefit. Inks Worldwide Pact reopen around the country. As the industry braces “There really aren’t any government programs for With Disney Music for a return to live this summer, many live music people like me,” says technician Tom We- Group crew members are still struggling after a brutal year ber who has worked for Billy Corgan, Matchbox 20, • Tammy Hurt without work. , Reba McEntire, Van Halen, The Cult Elected Chair of Despite being an integral part of an industry that and more since the 1970s. According to Weber, he was Recording Academy’s was decimated by the pandemic, live music crew expecting to earn $200,000 in 2020 with a Reba tour Board of Trustees members have mostly been left out of the relief followed by Poison dates that would have taken him • process. When additional unemployment benefits until three days before Christmas. Instead, Weber says Exec VP Juliette rolled out at the beginning of the pandemic “mixed he was one of millions attempting to apply for un- Jones Leaving Label earners” or those who freelanced and received W-2s, employment benefits. “I’ve been in queue to talk to were excluded from Pandemic Unemployment Assis- somebody from the Kentucky unemployment office • tance. Crew members, who often work for more than for about eight and a half months.” CLICK HERE one tour a year, were largely barred from receiving the (continued)

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Billboard’s eighth annual Country Power Players CONTACTS issue will profile the people who have driven Joe Maimone another solid year for the industry, 201.301.5933 | [email protected] generating billions in sales, streaming and Lee Ann Photoglo publishing. This special feature will highlight the top 615.376.7931 | [email protected] executives, artists and changemakers who kept the music playing during an incredibly challenging Cynthia Mellow 615.352,0265 | [email protected] year, as well as coverage of the changing face of country music. Marcia Olival 786.586.4901 | [email protected]

Advertise in Billboard’s Country Power Players Ryan O’Donnell issue to congratulate this year’s honorees while +447843437176 | [email protected] reaching key decision-makers who are driving the music business.

ISSUE DATE 6/26 | AD CLOSE 6/16 | MATERIALS DUE 6/17 Page 3 of 27

IN BRIEF

Touring veteran Dan O’Neil, who got his Instacart had waiting lines. “We’re a community that the world calls start in the 1980s with Modern English and “It was frustrating,” Bruce says, adding on regularly in times of tragedy,” Weber has since worked for Cyndi Lauper and Joan that even those minor gigs would bump him adds. “Now we’re the ones that have been Jett, says unemployment only delivered him from unemployment and he would have to shut completely off and everybody’s so busy $175 a week and the additional aid of $600 start the process all over again. trying to get their own lives back in order to or $300 weekly was a “ aid.” In addi- For live music veterans like Weber and some state of normalcy that nobody calling tion, many roadies were excluded from re- O’Neil, who both started in the indus- attention to what’s going on with us.” ceiving the $1,200 or $1,400 stimulus checks try without a need for higher education, The pandemic has not been completely because they made more than $75,000 in finding side jobs could be even more trying. devoid of assistance for crew members. 2019. “I started filling out an application to Live Nation established Crew Nation for “I know every one of my touring drive an Oscar Meyer Wiener car, but you its out of work touring staff. The Record- makes over $75,000 to $80,000 a year,” have to have a bachelor’s degree to do that,” ing Academy’s MusiCares has raised and O’Neil tells Billboard. “I wish I could have says Weber. “I can build the car, but you donated millions for COVID-relief. Weber, made $80,000 in 2020.” won’t let me drive it. I feel like I’m chasing Bruce and O’Neil have all benefited directly Despite living in Tennessee where music my tail and it’s the most helpless feeling.” from non-profit Roadiecare’s Adopt a is a major economic driver, O’Neil explains The obstacles of the past year have left Roadie program launched by live produc- that few elected officials understand what many roadies with similar feelings of help- tion veteran Sandy Espinoza. roadies do. O’Neil says one official he spoke lessness. Even as touring begins to return in “We wear black for a reason. We wear on the phone with believed stages stayed the U.S. this summer and fall, crew members black on the stages so nobody sees us,” Es- fully equipped night after night. still have to grapple with a year or more of pinoza tells Billboard. “That’s great during “You don’t see us because we’re not the being left behind. a show that we’re invisible. It’s not so great people you’re paying a ticket for,” says “I’ve talked more people off the ledge during a pandemic.” O’Neil. “We’ve gotten the shaft.” and more people have talked to me off the Pivoting to another job during the pan- ledge because I’ve dealt with and I’ll admit demic also proved difficult in 2020. Geoff it, anxiety and depression, the last eight of Bruce, who has worked sound at Whisky these 12 months,” says O’Neil, who adds a Go Go in LA and toured with Aeros- that he and many of his fellow roadies have mith and Gene Hoglan since he was a never been ones to ask for anything. teenager, attempted to find side gigs during In fact, when the country falls on hard the pandemic and found himself worse off times, it’s often roadies who get called on than not working. Bruce says he looked to help out with benefit concerts. O’Neil into building Ikea furniture for people and says he has lost count of how many benefit delivering appliances but it was all “piece- concerts he’s worked on – several of which ” and “gig” jobs for businesses like he has donated his time for.

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DIGITAL NEWSLETTERS 2021 25TH ANNIVERSARY

Over the past 25 years, the trio—will.i.am, The single from December 2020, “GIRL LIKE ME” apl.de.ap, and Taboo—earned six GRAMMY® Awards and [feat. ] achieved success on Latin and Top 40 achieved sales of 35 million and 120 million singles radio, and was the subject of a viral TikTok challenge in across seminal releases such as Elephunk, The E..D., and late 2020. The success of TRANSLATION continues to more demonstrate Black Eyed Peas’ ability to reinvent themselves along with the ceaseless changing of . One of the era’s biggest acts, they emerged as “the second best-selling artist/group of all-time for Please join Billboard as we celebrate the 25 years of downloaded tracks,” (Nielsen) and landed on Billboard’s Black Eyed Pea success as one of the most compelling “Hot 100 Artists of the Decade.” In 2011, they dazzled the acts in the music scene world with a landmark performance at the Super Bowl XLV Halftime Show. CONTACTS

Joe Maimone Their eighth studio album, TRANSLATION, achieved 201.301.5933 | [email protected] staggering international success after its release in 2020, and features major collaborations with artists such as J Lee Ann Photoglo 615.376.7931 | [email protected] Balvin, Ozuna, Maluma, Shakira, Nicky Jam, and Tyga. The album resulted in a series of chart-topping singles, Cynthia Mellow including the massively successful “RITMO (Bad Boys For 615.352,0265 | [email protected] Life)” [feat. J Balvin] and “MAMACITA” [feat. Ozuna and Marcia Olival J.Rey Soul], both of which achieved #1 status on three 786.586.4901 | [email protected] Billboard Charts each, numerous award nominations, and Ryan O’Donnell gold, platinum, and diamond certifications globally. +447843437176 | [email protected]

ISSUE DATE 6/26 | AD CLOSE 6/16 | MATERIALS DUE 6/17 BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE APRIL 13, 2020 | PAGE Page 4 5OF of 1927

ON THE CHARTS JIM ASKER [email protected] IN BRIEF SamHunt’s Southside Rules Top Country

Albums; Brett Youngfied before ‘Catc Congress hthat’-es awards wereFifth members have confirmed receipt of one at Venues Are rolling out. The 2,800-capacity venue is lo- the time of publication. Leader; Travis catedDenning across the street fromMakes Senate Majority History “One can imagine the relief we felt to hear Receiving Leader and SVOG advocate Chuck Schum- Administrator Guzman testify last week in er’s office in the state capital. the House and Senate Small Business hear- SamGovernment Hunt’s second studio full-length, and first in over Palacefive years, Southside director sales of (up finance 21%) inJulia the tracking ings week. that On funds Country were Airplay, going it hopsout to 18-15 eligible (11.9 mil- (MCA Nashville/ Nashville), debutsElbaum at No. 1 tellson Billboard Billboard’s thatlion audiencethe venue impressions, was recipients,”up 16%). says NITO vp Nadia Prescher. Top Country Albums chart dated April 18. In its first inweek the (ending Priority April 1 group9), it of venues that lost “We recognize the laborious task that the earnedGrant 46,000 equivalentApprovals... album units, including 16,000 in album sales, ac- TRY TO ‘CATCH’ UP WITH YOUNG Brett Youngachieves his fifth consecutive cording to Nielsen Music/MRC Data. 90% or more of their revenueand total between Country April Airplay No.SBA 1 as has “Catch” taken (Big on Machine this year. Label We Group) are incred ascends- SlowlySouthside marks Hunt’s second No. 1 on the and December 2020 and was awarded the ibly2-1, appreciative increasing 13% and to 36.6 look million forward impressions. to any chart and fourth top 10. It follows freshman LP full amount it requested. Elbaum says she communicationYoung’s first thisof six weekchart thatentries, backs “Sleep the With- Montevallo, which arrived at the summit in No - out You,” reached No. 2 in December 2016. He BY TAYLOR MIMS signed the award letter and a disclosure SBA’s timeline commitment. However, as vember 2014 and reigned for nine weeks. To date, form Thursday evening. Roughly 24 hours offollowed the afternoon with the of multiweek Tuesday, No. June 1s “In 1, no Case one You Montevallo has earned 3.9 million units, with 1.4 Didn’t Know” (two weeks, June 2017), “Like I Loved millionndependent in album sales. venues and talent agen- later, she was sent a tutorial video that all inYou” our (three,particular January membership, 2018), “Mercy” that (two, we Augustare Montevallocies are has breathing spent 267 weeksa sigh on of the relief list, tyingthis recipients are required to watch. aware2018) of,and has “Here received Tonight” any (two, funds April or 2019). even a Luke Bryanweek’s asCrash Shuttered My Party Venue as the sixth-longest- Operator “I watched [the tutorial video] yes- notice“Catch” of award completes confirmation his longest journeyyet.” to No. 1, runningGrant titles inapproval the chart’s notices 56-year begin history. rolling in terday because I knew I wasn’t going to havingGuzman taken stated 46 weeks at the to Small reach theBusiness apex. It out- IfromOn the all-genreSmall Business Billboard Association. 200, Southside ar- get funded on Memorial Day,” Elbaum Committeepaces the 30-week hearing climb on May of “Here 26 that Tonight.” the rives at No. 5, awarding Hunt his second top 10 On Hot Country , “Catch” pushes 7-5 for HUNT YOUNG after“The the No.collective 3-peaking cheering Montevallo from. fellow says. “I could see that there had only been SBAa new had high. begun sending out awards and an- independentHunt first released venues the and EP X2C promoters, which debuted has 53 views. That was very telling, because ticipated ramping up award notifications in andbeen peaked reverberating at No. 5 on throughout Top Country our Albums member in- Augustassuming 2014. Followingthat none of thoseCOMBS were ‘DOES’ the SBAIT AGAIN Lukethe Combscoming’ “Does days. toThe Me” first (River priority House/Columbia group is Montevalloship, as the, Betweenanticipation the Pines: of emergency Acoustic relief startedpeople, at its that’s No. 7 howhigh inmany Nashville), other venues featuring had Eric Churchscheduled, ascends to receive 11-8 on Countrynotifications Airplay, upwithin 10% to Novembercoming for 2015. all eligible entities appears closer clicked on the link.” 24.7 million in audience. The14 songdays, is which Combs’ means eighth entities straight thatcareer-opening lost 90% Montevallo produced five singles, four of which hit the pinnacle of Country top 10, following a record run of seven consecutive out-of-the-gate, properly Airplay:each day,” “Leave NIVA the said Night in On,” a statement. “Take Your Time,” “HouseAccording Party” and to “Make Elbaum, promoted once she No. completed 1 singles. or more of their revenue in 2020 would be YouThe Miss Shuttered Me.” “Break Venue Up in Operators a Small Town” Grant peaked at No.the 2. tutorial, she was informedChurch that adds the his 15th Countrynotified Airplay by topJune 10. 9, the SBA confirms. The wasHunt signed co-penned into law all on 12 songsDec. 27 on in Southside the second, including venue “Body would Like receive a Back the first of their funds second priority group — those who lost 70% Road,”pandemic which stimulus was released package, in 2017. but The indepen smash- hit ruledthe Country next business Airplay forday. THAT TOOK QUITE ‘A FEW’or MONTHSmore of Travistheir revenue Denning inshatters 2020 the — wouldrecord for threedent weekscultural and centers the airplay-, have streaming- been waiting and sales-based“Today, Hot Country it still Songs says thethe award most isweeks sched it has- takenbe to notifiedpenetrate thebetween Country June Airplay 10 and top 10June as “After24. chart for a then-record 34 frames. It now ranks second only to Bebe Rexha and a Few” (Mercury Nashville) climbs 12-10 in its 57th week, up 4% to 21.4 mil - Floridamore than Georgia five Line months’s “Meant to receive to Be” a(50 portion weeks atop theuled. latter We list haven’t in 2017-18). receivedlion the in radiopayment reach. Applications are scheduled to close on June of “Downtown’sthe $16 billion Dead,” in federal which funding. is also on the new set, reachedyet,” says Nos. Elbaum. 14 and 15“I’m hopefulThe song it will surpasses come two tracks25, the that same took day 50 weeksbusinesses each to in enter group the three top 10: on TheHot Country Palace Theatre Songs and in Country Albany, Airplay, New York, respectively, tomorrow in June 2018. or Thursday.” “Kin- Easton Corbin’s “A Girl Like(those You,” who which lost reached 25% or No. more 10 in of January their 2018rev- be- folks”was one led ofCountry the first Airplay venues on Feb. to receive 29, becoming an ap- Hunt’s NIVAseventh stated No. 1. that It hit several fore memberspeaking at No.have 6 that February,enue in and 2020) Aaron are Watson slated to’s “Outta begin Style,”receiving which No.proval 3 on notice Hot Country on May Songs. 27, only one day after received award notices, achievedthough no its No.National 10 high in Decembernotifications. 2017. Latest single “Hard to Forget” jumps 17-9 on Hot Country Songs. It’s his “After” is Denning’s second Country Airplay entry. “David Ashley Parker SBA Administrator Isabell Guzman testi- Independent Talent Organization (NITO) As of last week, the SBA has received eighth top 10, having corralled 8.2 million U.S. streams (up 96%) and 5,000 in From Powder Springs” traveled to No. 32 in September 2018. ETHAN MICHAEL YOUNG: VIA MARTIN/NHLI GETTY HUNT: IMAGES. IMAGES MILLER/GETTY Page 6 of 27

IN BRIEF

more than 13,000 applications for the proceedings undermines citizens’ rights, re- And music consumers continue to seek gran, totaling approximately $11 billion in stricts internet freedom and is potentially them out. requested funds. That leaves roughly $4 setting a negative precedent. “You could say it’s only stupid people left billion for supplemental grants for inde- The global rise of streaming services like pirating songs, but this underestimates the pendent venues, promoters, talent agencies , , and Deezer — problem, because some users are stick- and other cultural institutions. The process which collectively accounted for 55% of ing to what they learned a decade ago,” to apply for supplemental grants will begin music sales in Germany last year — has says Drücke. “They also know these services after all initial grants from priority groups reduced piracy to a much-less significant are not hunted down. So they are not going 1–3 are processed. part of the market than it used to be. Even to Spotify Free or a premium service.” during lockdown, when music-related visits The music industry’s strategy has been to torrenting platforms have been increas- to attack the services themselves rather The German ing in many markets, Germany has seen than the uploaders, which Drücke describes a sharp fall in visits, reckons the - as a “whack-a-mole” game. And while the Music Industry Is based Muso consultancy. Germans con- music industry’s piracy issues have been sumed 139 billion audio streams in 2020, up significantly reduced, Drücke says the new Tackling Piracy one third from 2019, according to data from anti-piracy platform is also about showing GfK Entertainment and the Germany Music solidarity with other types of intellectual Through Self- Industry Association (BVMI). property, such as books, and soccer But amid the shift to legal operators — screening rights. Regulation who pay out slim per-stream royalties to Circumventing The Need For Court labels, artists and other rights holders — Action BY CLIFFORD COONAN illegal music streamers in the tradition of The CUII circumvents the need for court Napster still exist and are carrying out peer- action, but each complaint by a copyright ERLIN — Germany’s music in- to-peer piracy. owner is reviewed by a committee that dustry is taking a novel approach “It remains important to acknowledge includes retired judges with knowledge of to fend off piracy that sidesteps that piracy is still a big problem,” says Flo- German copyright law. Germany’s tele- arduous lawsuits with internet rian Drücke, head of the BVMI. “We still communications regulator, BNetzA, re- Bservice providers. They’re actually working have hundreds of structurally copyright views each complaint to confirm that any together to crack down on pirated songs, infringing websites which are not easy one web-block does not breach the Euro- and so far the results are promising. to sue in Germany.” The BVMI’s concern pean Union’s net neutrality rules. The country’s music industry, along with led them to help establish the CUII with Jan Bernd Nordemann, a copyright law- other entertainment sectors and copyright organizations including the Motion Picture yer who helped establish the CUII, says the holders, has teamed up with the biggest Association, the German soccer league and pace of blocks is picking up. He expects the local internet service providers on a new Sky Deutschland. new service to block close to 100 sites by the platform that allows them to block sites The first website the plat- end of the year. The new platform, he says, peddling pirated content — without needing form blocked, called serienstreams, is a is a more efficient way to handle copyright to get court approval. German-speaking site that streams TV infringements than court challenges. The platform, called the Clearingstelle shows from , Disney+, Sky and others “One hundred proceedings at court would Urheberrecht im Internet (Clearing House with 8 million unique visits a month. The be costly and very time consuming,” Nor- for Copyright on the Internet), or CUII, has second blocked website, called canna.to, of- demann tells Billboard. “So that’s why we formed a committee with the power fers pirated music. thought it’s better to establish a self-regulat- to block websites that are mass infringing on In Germany, calling up one of the ed body with state control as a second step.” copyright material and causing significant blocked websites via a connection from BNetzA president Jo- economic harm to the creative sectors. Telekom, Vodafone, O2, 1&1 or other inter- chen Homann says the clearance sys- The initiative began at the start of net service provider, redirects users to a tem is “a fast and efficient way to block the year and started to take actions in CUII information page with the message: websites that are systematically infringing March. So far, the CUII has blocked two “This website is not available for copyright copyright.” The new project “will help to sites illegally streaming music and TV reasons.” avoid the long, expensive legal proceedings shows, each with millions of unique visitors Criminal proceedings against illegal op- that rights holders have had to rely on up to a month, and it expects to block doz- erators could take years, and even years- now,” he says in a statement. ens more by the end of the year. long international investigations have In Germany, the legislative environment But web-freedom activists have attacked been unable to remove some of them from is heavily weighted against censorship the CUII, saying the absence of court the Internet. and attacks on internet freedom. Having Page 7 of 27

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lived under the Nazi Third Reich and com- global protests it spurred, the pair called for munist East Germany, Germany considers a day of racial reckoning — dubbed Blackout S-Curve Records privacy a hard-won freedom. has Tuesday by supporters — and simultane- tried to launch its Street View app twice in ously launched #TheShowMustBePaused Inks Worldwide Germany and failed both times because of to hold the industry accountable for its own public opposition. systemic bias. Pact With Disney So it’s no surprise there is push-back “Our mission,” stated Agyemang and against the new platform’s self-regulation. Thomas at the time, “is to hold the industry Music Group The Freedom Society, a German NGO, is at large, including major corporations + gearing up to take action against the CUII, their partners who benefit from the efforts, BY MELINDA NEWMAN says Julia Reda, a former European Union struggles and successes of Black people, parliamentarian who currently heads up accountable … it is the obligation of these hree months after S-Curve the “control c” project dealing with copy- entities to protect and empower the Black Records founder/CEO Steve right law and civil rights at the NGO. The communities that have made them dis- Greenberg departed BMG, he is Freedom Society is is examining the rules, proportionately wealthy in ways that are relaunching his label in a world- talking to the authorities and lobbying Ger- measurable and transparent.” Twide partnership with . many’s political parties to respond, she says. Measuring the change and transparency S-Curve and Disney already have a “The CUII undermines the fundamental that has or hasn’t occurred since then is the shared history. Since 2015, DMG’s Holly- right to freedom of information and net focal point of a virtual roundtable discussion wood Records has partnered with S-Curve neutrality,” Reda tells Billboard. “The project that Billboard hosted on May 26 to mark the Records to work Andy Grammer, We also paves the way for further extrajudicial first anniversary of Blackout Tuesday. In the Kings and AJR to pop radio formats. restrictions on freedom of communication.” addition to #TheShowMustBePaused co- (It has worked in tandem with S-Curve’s The internet streaming platforms, she founders Aygemang, senior artist campaign promo staff since 2018.) The partnership has says, buckled to industry pressure, foregoing manager at Apple’s Platoon division, and yielded nine platinum singles since starting their own basic rights and also those of their Thomas, vp of artist marketing at , with Grammer’s multi-, “Honey, users who have not consented to the proce- the roundtable features Willie “Prophet” I’m Good.” dure. “The companies in CUII are basically Stiggers, co-chair/co-founder of the Black Under the new joint venture, S-Curve will competing with the websites,” she says. “It Music Action Coalition and CEO of 50/50 continue to lead on A&R and marketing for can’t be for a competitor to decide — that’s Music Group Management; Valeisha But- its acts, while also relying on Disney for pro- a cartel.” terfield Jones, chief diversity, equity & motion, synchronization and distribution. inclusion officer at ; Fittingly, the first artist signed to S-Curve and David Linton, chairman of the Living is Grammer. On June 28, Grammer will re- Assessing the Legends Foundation and program director lease “Lease On Life,” his first single for the of WCLK in . new entity Grammer and long-time manager Music Industry’s From their frontline vantage points, the Ben Singer’s Giant Soul Records. quintet describes the past year as being one “We’ve had so many wins through the Progress 1 Year of assessment: determining all the gaps and years with Steve Greenberg and [DMG opportunities that need to be addressed. president] Ken Bunt that we knew this was After Blackout In turn, that assessment is now setting the the best home for the forthcoming body of for unified collaboration and sustain- work,” Singer said in a statement. “Lease On Tuesday: ‘We able action over the coming year. In fact, Life” is being used this summer for a global Prophet reveals that BMAC will be issuing International Hotel Group ad campaign. Need to Build a its first industry report card during the State “We’re absolutely thrilled to launch of Black Music Summit being presented this new chapter of the S-Curve story in Bigger Table’ during the Juneteenth grand opening of partnership with the Disney Music Group, Nashville’s National Museum of African Greenberg said. “Our new, deeper partner- BY GAIL MITCHELL American Music (June 17-19). ship with DMG is going to lead to very ex- “We not only need a seat at the table,” citing things. Nothing could be more perfect year ago Wednesday (June 2), notes Butterfield Jones. “We need to build a than starting things off with new music from Brianna Agyemang and Jamila bigger table. There’s enough room for all of Andy Grammer, who has had more hits for Thomas brought the music us to eat, thrive and have power.” S-Curve than any artist in the label’s 21-year industry to a standstill. In the history. Andy’s a truly inspiring artist and wakeA of ’s murder and the I’m certain the best is yet to come for him.” Page 8 of 27

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Added Bunt, “Steve’s musical acumen and Hurt is the third woman to be elected to boutique entertainment firm specializing in attention to detail are truly remarkable, and the academy’s char post, following Leslie custom music, scoring and licensing. FOX we are thrilled to be partnering with him Ann Jones, who served from 1999-2001, Sports commissioned the company for two and his S-Curve label, as well as officially and Christine Albert, who served from consecutive Super Bowl broadcasts to create welcoming Andy Grammer to the DMG 2013-2015. She also identifies as LGBTQ+. an original full orchestral score. Additional family. We have been working with Andy for For the first time in academy history, credits include , CBS, many years now, supporting his incredible no white men were elected to any of the MTV, HBO, BET, , Lifetime, Hallmark, music at radio, and we are honored to be four key positions. Two Black men, Rico NFL, NASCAR, True Blood, Dexter, Drop able to extend that relationship across the Love and Om’Mas Keith, were elected vice Dead Diva, Mean Girls 2, and multiple rest of the company.” chair and secretary/treasurer, respectively. custom placements in the indie HITS, Greenberg launched the New York- Albert continues as chair emeritus. All four which debuted at the Sundance Film Festi- based label in 2000 with the ’s appointments are effective immediately. val. “” and scored Love is the third Black executive to be Hurt’s most recent project, Sonic Rebel - subsequent hits withJoss Stone, Grammer named vice chair. He follows Stix Hooper, We Made This With Our Hands, is a five- and Fountains of Wayne. Most recently who served in that role from 1993-95, song EP that is a mashup AJR’s “Bang” reached No. 8 on the Billboard and Jimmy Jam, who served in that role of electronic, rock, glitch, dub trap, and Hot 100 in February. from 2005-07. Jam later went onto be the hip-hop elements, releasing this summer. In 2015, BMG bought S-Curve for a academy’s first Black chair. (Mason was the Recorded at Big Trouble Recording in L5P reported $10 million with Greenberg join- second.) Atlanta, the project features Dan Gleason ing BMG. While he left earlier this year, Hurt was elected to the board of trustees and Ben Homola from Grouplove, engineer S-Curve’s catalog stayed with BMG, which by the board of governors of the academy’s TJ Elias, multi-instrumentalist Kevin Spen- phased out the S-Curve name. Atlanta chapter. Love was elected by the cer on guitar, and Hurt on the drums. Greenberg has resurrected S-Curve be- Florida chapter, Keith by the Los Angeles A co-founder of the nonprofit orga- fore. In 2007, he relaunched the label after it chapter and Alpert by the Texas chapter. nization Georgia Music Partners, Hurt had lay dormant for two years while he was Love is a two-time Grammy nominee. spearheaded the campaign to create and president of . Keith is a Grammy winner. Love was nomi- pass Georgia’s first standalone music tax nated for album of the year as a producer incentive, the Georgia Music Investment on Beyoncé’s I Am…Sasha Fierce (2009) and Act. She is a recipient of Catalyst Magazine’s Tammy Hurt best R&B song for co-writing ’ Top 25 Entrepreneurs and Ones to Watch “Heart Attack (2012). Keith won best urban Award and is an openly LGBTQ+ officer of Elected Chair contemporary album as a producer and the Recording Academy. engineer/mixer of ’s Channel Rico Love of Recording Orange (2012). The latter album was also Rico Love is a three-time SESAC nominated for album of the year. of the year. He has written and produced Academy’s Board “I’m in awe of the amazingly talented hit records for artists such as / group that’s been elected to lead this new (“Without You”), Romeo Santos of Trustees era of the Academy and really excited at (“Promise”), Usher (“There Goes My the possibilities as I start this journey with Baby”), (“Just a Dream”), Trey Songz BY PAUL GREIN Tammy, Rico, Om’Mas, and Christine,” said (“Heart Attack”), and (“Moti- Mason in a statement. “I know this group vation”), and has contributed to Grammy ammy Hurt was elected chair of is going to do great work as we continue Award-winning works such as Beyoncé’s the Recording Academy’s board to transform the Academy and support the 2009 best contemporary R&B album I Am... of trustees at a board meeting music community.” Sasha Fierce, Usher’s 2010 Best contempo- during the week of May 17, it was Here are bios of newly-elected rary R&B album Raymond v. Raymond and Tannounced on Wednesday (June 2). officers supplied by the Academy. They have Usher’s 2010 best male R&B vocal perfor- Hurt was vice chairman for the past two been lightly edited. mance for “There Goes My Baby.” years under chairman Mason Jr. Tammy Hurt Love continues to enjoy success as a Mason, who did not seek a second term As an independent music industry veteran, songwriter and producer but is equally when he was named the academy’s presi- Tammy Hurt has been a driving force in At- dedicated and passionate about his new dent/CEO last month. He had been interim lanta’s music scene for . An Emmy- music conference venture (We Love Music president/CEO since Deborah Dugan was nominated producer for her work with the Conference) which is designed to educate, put on leave, and later terminated, in early Atlanta Symphony , Hurt is the inspire and cultivate up-and-coming talent. 2020. managing partner of Placement Music, a His label, D1MG, has partnerships at Epic, Page 9 of 27

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Hitco and Sony. rently serves on the board of trustees of the You can read Jones’ full memo below. Om’Mas Keith Latin Recording Academy and the board of In alignment with my personal goals, I’ve Grammy Award-winning/multi-platinum- directors of MusiCares. decided that now is the time for me to move selling producer, engineer, , musi- forward into the next exciting chapter of my cian, performer, executive, and TV personal- professional career. ity, Om’Mas Keith, is a Hollis, , N.Y. Atlantic Records I’m tremendously proud of Atlantic’s native with a rich musical pedigree. He is promo team and all that we’ve accomplished one of the founding members of the avant- Exec VP Juliette together. It has been a real privilege to be part garde hip-hop/ trio Sa-Ra Creative of building a competitive department that has Partners, and has worked as a producer Jones Leaving consistently taken our records to the top of and songwriter with such artists as Erykah the charts, contributed to breaking count- Badu, Jay-Z, , , Label less new artists, and given fresh energy to Anderson .Paak, Vic Mensa, Kali Uchis, and established talent on the roster. Even in these Frank Ocean. BY CHRIS EGGERTSEN most recent challenging times, our team has Om’Mas began his service to the Record- demonstrated commitment and heart beyond ing Academy as a Los Angeles chapter board tlantic Records executive vp ur- measure. advisor in 2015-16. He has since served as a ban promotion Juliette Jones is I deeply appreciate Julie and Craig for their Los Angeles chapter board governor and na- exiting her post at the label, leadership and guidance, and I’m thankful tional trustee. As co-chair of the awards and announcing the news Tuesday they presented me with the opportunity to nominations committee, he oversaw historic (JuneA 1) in an internal memo that was circu- lead such an amazing team. It has been a positive and cultural change to the awards lated to staff and was shared with Billboard. rewarding 10-year tenure here, working with process. His participation as a team leader “In alignment with my personal goals, I’ve the incredible artists and world-class execu- during the Grammys on campaign decided that now is the time for me to move tives who make up family. for the passage of the Music Modernization forward into the next exciting chapter of my Act was “a life changing experience.” As a professional career,” said Jones, who has yet founding member of the Recording Acad- to announce her next move. “I’m tremen- Indie Venue emy’s Black Music Collective, he is passion- dously proud of Atlantic’s promo team and ate about its goals of increasing diversity all that we’ve accomplished together. It has Advocate Tobi and advocating for racial justice. been a real privilege to be part of building Christine Albert a competitive department that has consis- Parks Wants to Albert is an independent recording artist tently taken our records to the top of the and founder/CEO of Swan Songs, an Austin, charts, contributed to breaking countless ‘Usher in the Tex.-based nonprofit that fulfills musical new artists, and given fresh energy to es- last wishes. She has released 12 independent tablished talent on the roster. Even in these Next Generation’ albums as a solo artist and as part of the most recent challenging times, our team folk/Americana duo Albert and Gage. Albert has demonstrated commitment and heart of Live Music and her husband and musical partner Chris beyond measure.” Gage also own and operate MoonHouse Jones joined the label in 2012 after mov- Professionals Studio and MoonHouse Records in Austin. ing from Warner Bros. Records to Atlantic as She is known for her “Texafrance” series of senior vp urban promotion; she was upped BY TAYLOR MIMS French/English recordings that combine to executive vp the following year. During her European heritage and Texas musical her tenure, she was the dynamo behind his story is part of Billboard’s 2021 roots. radio hits for , , Gu- Pride List, which spotlights LG- She has appeared on Austin City Limits, cci Mane, Black and Lil Uzi Vert, BTQ professionals who are shaping was honored as female vocalist of the year among others, making a name herself as one the music industry. by the Kerrville Folk Festival Music Awards, of the rare upper-level female promotion TTobi Parks and was awarded superstar of Austin music executives — let alone a woman of color — to VP, National Independent Venue Association by the Austin Chamber of Commerce for her work at a major label. (NIVA) Foundation; owner/artistic direc- community service work. She was inducted Prior to joining Warner, Jones served in tor, xBk; founder/board president, Station 1 into the Texas Songwriter’s Association roles at Virgin, J/RCA and , Records; attorney, business affairs adminis- Texas Music Legends Hall of Fame in 2018. where she was hired as the label’s first mid- tration, Entertainment In addition to her role as chair emeritus Atlantic regional promotion director for At this point in the pandemic, Tobi Parks’ for the Recording Academy, she also cur- urban music in 1994. xBk in Des Moines, Iowa, Page 10 of 27

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has been open for almost half the time own.” revenue — to Black artists, especially in the that it was closed. The 250-capacity artist The work is far from over. Since March electronic scene, which is dominated by space, which she envisioned as a home for 2020, over 100 independent venues have white acts who benefit from the work of the LGBTQ+ music fans and others from mar- permanently closed. And because many genre’s Black pioneers. ginalized communities, had been operating indie-venue operators often do not own the “The whole music industry has relied on for only six months when the coronavirus buildings in which they work, such spaces the erasure and commodification of Black halted concerts. (It has since resumed are often at the mercy of landlords and spik- culture,” says Delanancy. “It has become so limited-capacity shows.) Soon after the ing rents. That’s why Parks believes one of normalized that unless it’s called out ... then shutdown, a fellow venue owner sent Parks, the most effective ways to create equity is there’s no change.” 44, an email to join a Zoom call with other for more venue operators, especially people What started as a simple online spread- panicking live-music professionals from of color, to own their businesses. In addition sheet rapidly grew into a community-run across the country. to youth and internship programs that will platform, and on May 5, Black Bandcamp “That one email changed the trajec- showcase the variety of career paths in the relaunched as the Black Artist Data- tory of my life,” says Parks, whose previ- live industry, Parks and the NIVA Founda- base (B.A.D.). It now has over 3,500 ous music industry experience focused tion want to create mentorship resources user-submitted profiles representing Black on copyright and licensing work for Sony that will expand pathways to the top. creators from across international markets, and a nonprofit label/artist-development “I’m one small speck in the large spec- genres and industries, from visual artists to company she launched in 2015 — the same trum of things, but it’s important for queer publishers and labels, directing visitors to year she moved with her wife and kids from women of color to see me having this venue Bandcamp pages or personal websites. The to Des Moines. Her peers on that and doing things differently than the other B.A.D. website also publishes artist inter- Zoom call eventually became the National folks in my community,” says Parks. “I want views and DJ mixes, as well as mixed-media Independent Venue Association, and today to be there to help usher in the next gen- features through its new editorial divi- Parks is vp of the association’s nonprofit, the eration of folks who are interested in live sion, Voices. “With the conversation on race NIVA Foundation, and co-chair of its diver- music.” in wider society being so prevalent,” says sity, equity and inclusion task force. Without This story originally appeared in Bill- Ferdinand, “it seems the industry is more NIVA’s support, she says it would have been board’s 2021 Pride Issue, dated June 5, 2021. inclined to listen.” “so easy to be sitting in despair, wondering, That exposure has already benefited acts ‘What am I going to do with my business?’ ” like Nairobi, Kenya-based ambient musician Instead, Parks spent the last year success- KMRU, who has scored new fans and oppor- fully lobbying Congress for federal funding How a tunities since listing himself on B.A.D. last for independent venues: The late-December June. “I got so many requests for compila- relief package included $15 billion in Shut- Spreadsheet of tions, and commissions from festi- tered Venue Operators Grants. (President vals,” he says, noting he has also used B.A.D. Biden’s March relief package has since allo- Black Artists on to connect with fellow African artists. cated another $1.25 billion.) She’s also work- B.A.D.’s founders also aim to influence the ing with NIVA to share best practices for Bandcamp Grew music industry workforce, where just one diversifying the industry’s workforce, from in five senior-level roles are filled by people how and where venue staff post job listings Into an Online of color, according to UK Music’s 2020 to how they can communicate a welcoming Diversity Report. Through a new initia- work environment to those candidates. Database tive called [pause], B.A.D. will help music Parks is sensitive to the barriers women businesses develop plans to diversify their and people of color face in this field. Even BY CYDNEY LEE workforces in exchange for a donation to though she had a full-time position with help B.A.D. cover expenses, which include Sony and owned the xBk building with her ast June, amid the growth of the paying administrators and maintaining the wife, every local bank turned her down for a movement and website. “not terribly significant” construction loan an ongoing conversation about Next, Delanancy and Ferdinand hope to to build out the venue until a white male diversifying the music industry, launch in-person B.A.D. events like work- business partner joined the venture. She has LDJs Niks Delanancy and Kay Ferdi- shops and panels, and they have already no way of knowing, of course, if systemic nand created Black Bandcamp — a public been invited to curate festival stages. They bias was at — bringing a partner on Google spreadsheet of Black artists with also wish to recruit more profiles from board certainly lowered the risk for banks. links to their pages on the online music lesser-represented regions like Australasia, Still, she says, “It was pretty eye-opening marketplace. The London-based duo hoped Africa and . that it took that and we couldn’t do it on our the resource would bring recognition — and “There are millions of Black artists on this Page 11 of 27

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planet,” says Delanancy. “We’re still in the Now that streaming has neutralized much premature stages.” of the peer-to-peer and file-sharing piracy, YouTube Says It This article originally appeared in the June what content-protection issues are you 5, 2021 issue of Billboard. working on today? Has Paid $4 Billion Prerelease piracy has moved to a much more sophisticated and insidious approach. to Music Industry Here’s What Instead of trying to find a CD from some friend of a friend who works for a maga- In Last 12 Months Anti-Piracy Work zine or record store, it’s trying to hack into an artist’s email account, social network BY ALEX WEPRIN Looks Like in the systems, cloud storage, home computers, recording studios, lawyers, managers, - ouTube has paid more than $4 Streaming Age licists, even family members. In the Napster billion to the music industry in era, people would leak things for bragging the past 12 months, according BY STEVE KNOPPER rights. Now these folks are doing it for to a letter sent by , money — or cryptocurrency, actually. theY streaming video service’s top music his story is part of Billboard’s 2021 How do you defend against it? executive. Pride List, which spotlights LG- Trying to help labels and artists under- That $4 billion payout includes payments BTQ professionals who are shaping stand it doesn’t benefit anyone to be sending to artists, writers, labels and others. Cohen the music industry. an unmastered release to another person via said that 30 percent of that $4 billion figure TMark McDevitt a Gmail account or storing it on an unpro- went to creators of user-generated content, Senior vp/deputy chief content protection and tected Dropbox account and passing on a underscoring the economic investment the enforcement, RIAA link. company is making in the creator Months after Mark McDevitt started his How big of a problem is stream-rip- economy. RIAA career as an office clerk in October ping? “Fan-powered videos have always flour- 1997, he heard the word “Napster” — and his I’m optimistic that it’s slowly going down. ished on YouTube, helping artists grow whole life changed. He graduated to online We’ve sued, and those lawsuits have been their audiences and break songs around the copyright protection and spent years fight- very highly publicized, but the stream- world,” he wrote. “We’re thrilled it’s now ing file-sharing and peer-to-peer networks. ripper sites are trying to evade our protec- also become a meaningful and incremental Today, he battles stream-ripping, or the use tion efforts, changing their domain names source of revenue alongside premium music of apps and websites to create unauthorized in some minor way so they can bubble up to content.” copies of content on streaming platforms, as the top of the search results. It’s a constant He also added that YouTube Music added well as prerelease piracy. cat-and-mouse. more new subscribers in Q1 2021 than in any When Napster cropped up, I imagine your Since 1997, how has the record indus- other quarter since it launched, although he life got very busy. try’s attitude toward LGBTQ+ issues did not provide an overall subscriber figure. It changed considerably. A good part of changed? “I’ve seen this industry evolve from an my time back then was spent understand- Very progressive and becoming more so. audio business, to an audio-visual business, ing how Napster worked. And doing demos To be able to protect content for artists like and now – as my friend Chuck D puts it – to and trying to lay it out in easily understood Lil X who have been very open, very a visual-audio business,” the former Def Jam terms so other people could understand. out, I’ve found it personally gratifying. and Warner added in his Back then, how much of your job was This story originally appeared in Bill- letter. “As a visual-audio platform, our goal teaching non-tech-savvy record executives board’s 2021 Pride Issue, dated June 5, 2021. is to become the leading revenue generator what Napster, MP3s and even the Internet for the music industry and to help artists were? around the world build a career making mu- I did a demo for an executive in the sic. We are uniquely positioned to achieve entertainment industry: “Here’s how you this goal because YouTube monetizes the install Napster, here’s where all the songs end-to-end music experience globally.” are listed, here’s what the categories mean.” Earlier this year Spotify revealed that it This individual stopped me and said, “I need had paid out more than $5 billion in royal- you to step back, because what I’m trying to ties in 2020, underscoring its lead in the understand is what that little thing is that’s streaming music space. moving across the screen.” That little thing That being said, as Cohen noted in his let- was the mouse pointer. ter, YouTube also monetizes music through Page 12 of 27

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its massive ad-supported video platform, in her boundary-pushing approach to pop. So addition to its subscription music and music How Rina by the time she started pursuing a record video service. He added that the company is deal, she knew she was on to something: expanding its offerings for artists and labels, Turned “I think that’s the benefit of me waiting so including direct ticket and merch sales, and long. Had I been younger, I might have been virtual concerts. Pop Inside Out like, ‘Oh, no. I need to change my sound.’ ” This article was originally published Then she took a meeting with British by The Reporter. — And Built One independent label Dirty Hit. Founder Jamie Oborne had a different reaction to “STFU!”: of Its Fastest He couldn’t stop laughing. “It was bonkers,” Pushes says Oborne. “It was such a collision of Growing Fanbases different cultural elements, of genres.” He World also knew a thing or two about developing BY MITCHELL KUGA misunderstood acts. When he launched Tour to 2022 Dirty Hit in 2009, his first band was pop- few years ago, rock powerhouse , which “every BY GIL KAUFMAN was starting to wonder if she was label in the f—king world seemed to pass unsignable. There was the casual on twice,” he says. Sawayama signed to the ady Gaga’s Chromatica Ball racism, like the time she found company in 2019 — and became the pop- Tour got pushed back again on outA that a senior record executive jokingly outlier among a rock-leaning roster that Wednesday (June 2). In a state- referred to her as “Rina Wagamama” behind now includes Pale Waves, and ment emailed to ticket holders and her back. Or that time a major-label A&R Beabadoobee. Lconfirmed by a rep for the singer, Gaga told executive backed out of a deal at the last “I often say there are two types of artists: Monsters, “While some parts of the world minute, leaving her scrambling to cover artists that have to do it and artists that are moving quickly to open up, others are lawyer’s fees she had planned to pay for want to do it, and Rina is the former,” adds not yet ready. So until we can confirm all with her advance. Oborne. “She can’t be anything else other global dates, we have to postpone the Chro- Her infraction? The demo for “STFU!,” a than Rina Sawayama.” matica Ball shows to the summer of 2022.” thrashing, romp that sounds like “STFU!” became the lead single from At press time the rescheduled routing and the reincarnation of if Fred 2020’s Sawayama, her debut album and dates had not yet been released for the tour, Durst were JoJo. The song’s chorus — “Shut one of the most critically lauded releases of which was pushed back to this summer the f—k up,” intoned over and over again in the year. (It appeared prominently on over last June in the midst of the pandemic. At a feathery singsong — was both absurd and two dozen best-of lists last year.) It felt like the time, the outing was slated to kick off intimate, aimed at the very sort of person in the foundation for a new kind of pop star: on July 25, 2021 at the Stade de France in the industry who thought replacing Sawaya- unabashedly queer, unapologetically Asian , followed by shows in London, ma’s name with that of a Japanese-inspired and completely unconcerned with genre Boston, Toronto and East Rutherford (New British chain was funny. From conventions. Sawayama’s identities don’t Jersey) before winding down with an Aug. the label’s perspective, though, “STFU!” just inspire her music — they permeate its 27 show at Chicago’s iconic Wrigley Field. was too stark a departure from the R&B- DNA. On “Chosen Family,” a shimmering, Gaga released her Chromatica album inflected minimalism of RINA, her 2017 EP. gospel-tinged ballad, she sings about finding last May after delaying it a month in the She remembers feeling “devastated” when solace in queer friendships, especially in midst of the COVID-19 lockdown. She spent the deal fell through, looking around the the face of rejection from loved ones. On the past month celebrating the upcom- Los Angeles studio she was renting for the futuristic tracks like “Tokyo Love Ho- ing (June 18) release of the expanded 10th month and wondering how she was going to tel” and “Akasaka Sad,” she explores her anniversary edition of landmark Born This afford it. But at no point did she ever ques- relationship with as a U.K. transplant Way album and popping into last week’s tion her vision. — her family emigrated from Niigata when hyped Friends reunion special on HBO “I was like, ‘F—k off,’ ” Sawayama, dressed she was 5 years old — who feels both protec- Max to play a spirited duet of “Smelly Cat” casually in a gray hoodie, says over Zoom tive of and disconnected from her culture. with ’s Phoebe. from her London flat on a recent afternoon, Her material is often dark and deeply per- her laughter revealing a sliver of blue braces. sonal, but she wraps each song on Sawaya- The Japanese-British singer, 30, had spent ma in the pageantry of . “Rina is a her 20s toiling independently in London’s pop-art chameleon,” says friend , underground music scene, playing small a longtime fan who duetted with her on a clubs and fine-tuning what would become new version of “Chosen Family” in April. Page 13 of 27

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“Her debut album is a clever and confident was hardly picky. “If they said, ‘You need before from real-life dates, strangers or, yes, kaleidoscopic odyssey that zips and zooms to cover ‘Chromatica I,’ ” — the first of the label executives. through a compendium of pop music genres. album’s instrumental interludes — “I’d be The freedom to make such artistic deci- She exuberantly changes gears from track to like, ‘Yeah, I’ll do it!’ I’ll just sing the whole sions, says Sawayama, makes her feel “really track and keeps the listener guessing where orchestra: dum-dum-dum, dum-dum-dum!” lucky that [I’ve been] able to do me, 100%. she’s going to go next.” Like Gaga and her Little Monsters, Because if I wasn’t, I don’t think I’d be Genre fluidity is essentially the norm to- Sawayama has been intentional about proud of where I am now.” Which is a fairly day, but Sawayama takes the concept to diz- cultivating her passionate fan base, the unique position: She’s a kind of cultural zying new heights: She’s less interested in Pixels. On her 2018 tour, she offered special critic embedded in the front lines, a pop blending sounds than in pushing each to its wristbands to audience members who had scholar using the diva playbook to punch up extreme. Throughout Sawayama, she pivots come alone so they could find one another at the industry that has tried to pigeonhole with ease from New Jack Swing to stadium and build community. She’s also a savvy her. rock to slinky club beats. Time-stamping it creator on YouTube, where she posts not It’s a role that’s unlikely to change, even all are influences from the Y2K days, back just behind-the-scenes footage and perfor- as she enters the next phase of her career when and vied for the mances but also guitar lessons and makeup and advances toward pop’s molten center. top spot on MTV’s Total Request Live. “I tutorials, all branded as “RINA TV” with Sawayama is working on her second album, love the chaos of that era,” says Sawayama, algorithm-friendly, vlogger-style titles which she promises will mine even more who in conversation is enthusiastic and like “How to make a in 5 left-field references from decades past. In quick to laugh, usually at herself. She STEPS.” the fall, she’ll finally embark on a resched- stresses that her affection for these sounds “Showing the creative process can be re- uled tour of the and Ire- is in no way ironic. “I always get asked: ally exciting for people who, like me, had no land, playing some venues that are double ‘Who are you listening to at the moment?’ idea how to do this,” she says. “I learned so or triple the size of those she planned to I’m like, ‘? I don’t know if much from being independent, but I really hit pre-pandemic. (A North American tour, you’ve heard of her? Um, ’s first wished I knew so much before. It would originally scheduled for later this year, is album?’ ” have saved me a lot of time.” now booked for next spring alongside other There’s an exhilarating whiplash in hear- The conversations she fosters in her European dates.) ing her go from “Dynasty,” an - music — what it means to be queer, what it “I feel like Rina is going to explode once inspired rock about intergenera- means to feel torn between homelands — are people start going to shows and seeing her,” tional trauma, to “XS,” a snappy critique ones she continues outside of the studio, too. says Oborne, adding that her success has of consumerism that evokes Spears’ frothy Last summer, she signed an open letter ask- played a big role in the label’s recent expan- collaborations with The Neptunes. In less ing the U.K. government to ban conversion sion, with new offices in Los Angeles and skillful hands, the transition would crumble therapy for LGBTQ+ youth. More notably, Sydney. She’ll also make her feature-film into mere pastiche. Sawayama’s approach, her criticism of the citizenship require- debut in 2022, starring alongside Keanu however, feels reminiscent of code switch- ments for some U.K. honors, including the Reeves in John Wick: Chapter 4. ing, something many queer people — and BRIT Awards, has inspired new eligibility Sawayama’s rise has even inspired those more specifically, queer people of color — rules that recently opened up nominations who didn’t get it to reach out to congratu- know intimately: the ability to flit between to musicians like her — immigrants who late her — including the A&R executive presenting queer and straight, constantly have spent much of their lives in the United who pulled the plug on a deal after hearing modulating identities depending on circum- Kingdom. “STFU!” It felt good, says Sawayama, but it stances. “That’s part of the magic of Rina, Sawayama makes music about feeling like wasn’t quite good enough. “I was like, ‘Next the fact that she was able to stitch it all to- an outsider and fighting for agency; that she time I see him, I’m still going to demand gether,” says Dirty Hit A&R manager Chris wields it back at the music industry, making that money,’ ” she says with a laugh. Fraser. “Her identity brings it together. She room for other outsiders in the process, cuts Rina Sawayama had two goals for her wants to exist in the mainstream world, but to the heart of what makes her so exciting. U.S. TV debut, on The Tonight Show Starring on her own terms.” It shows in the video for “STFU!,” which , in October. She wanted to Sawayama has yet to produce any major begins with Sawayama out to dinner with convey a sense of stakes: At that stage of the hits, but her music has turned her into the a white guy. As he stabs at his sushi, he pandemic, remote performances often felt rare artist equally adored by underground unleashes a string of microaggressions, from as slickly produced as music videos — so auteurs and A-listers like Elton John and comparing her to Asian actresses to express- instead, she designed a performance that Lady Gaga, who will feature Sawayama on ing surprise that she sings in English. At relied on a few camera cuts to capture the her upcoming Chromatica album. one point, he asks, “Have you been to that feeling that anything could happen if the Sawayama won’t spoil what song she’s on, Japanese place... Wagamama’s?” Every viewer stuck around. “Rina was like, ‘It has though as a longtime Gaga disciple, she remark is something Sawayama has heard to be live, but it has to be capital-L live,’ ” Page 14 of 27

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says Tom Connick, product manager at an Apple Store before she got fired for mod- Plenty of pandemic albums sound- Dirty Hit. “ ‘You have to really hear my vo- eling in a Samsung ad. Pursuing music full ed like queer parties incarnate, from cals — I don’t want it to be super polished.’ ” time often felt like a distant dream. “When I ’s trip to Her second mission: “I’m going to try to started out, I was like, ‘What do you do as an Gaga’s ebullient Chromatica. But Sawaya- get the straights and the locals,” she recalls artist?’ I had no idea how to release things ma felt the most purely communal: a thinking — in other words, win over the or why it’s important to release songs or celebration of all the ways queer bodies can masses. “And then I came out with that albums,” she says. “I didn’t grow up around come together in their own hallowed spaces, f—king outfit.” She’s referring to her Marie the music industry. I have no connections.” whether that’s moshing to “Dynasty,” strut- Antoinette-goes-to-the-fetish-shop number: A photographer friend introduced ting down imaginary runways to “Comme a leather bodice and garter-style harness Sawayama to Will Frost, who had worked in Des Garçons (Like the Boys)” or swaying with gloves and opulent music publicity and now manages her along sweatily side to side, with interlocked arms, jewelry. “My entire team was like, ‘Babes, with day-to-day manager Caspar Harvey. to “Chosen Family.” I don’t think you’ve nailed the brief,’ ” she At the time, Sawayama was content to just That has made the lack of live shows as says. “It was so high drag.” Vogue called the put out singles. Frost, she says, stressed the tough for the artist herself as it has been for look “a performance in itself.” importance of planning for a larger body of her community. “I think a song is complete Sawayama traces her sense of theatricality work and thinking long term. in terms of its writing when it’s performed to her days at Cambridge’s Magdalene Col- “Even when the money was running out, I and fed back to you through the audience, lege, where she studied politics, psychology had such belief in how successful Rina could when you hear them singing it. It’s almost and sociology while singing in a hip-hop be that we had to just keep going indepen- like a comedian testing their material,” she group called Lazy Lion. “I thought we were dently and not make any decisions that says. “For me, it’s important how people’s the second coming of Black Eyed Peas,” she didn’t feel right,” says Frost. “It shows now bodies move to the songs because as a pop says. “I wasn’t nearly as iconic as Fergie, in everything she does, whether it’s the fear- writer, you’re essentially carrying people on but I was trying.” At times, however, she lessness in the music or being outspoken on this journey.” struggled. She has called the university any topic she is passionate about — they’re Still, Sawayama never considered pushing culture of Cambridge “horribly patriarchal” all possible because of those formative years her album back. So during lockdown, she and felt isolated and stereotyped as an in- and the resilience she developed.” focused her promotional efforts on social ternational student during much of her time Frost connected her to Adam Crisp, the media, pivoting her album-launch event to there. But in her senior year, she fell in with singer-songwriter and producer who works a last-minute YouTube party and releasing a group of queer creatives, including the under the name . Though it new episodes of RINA TV. “We had to be drag band Denim, which gave her a much- took a while for them to click — “The first super adaptive with the album coming when needed sense of belonging. Sawayama, who song he did was ‘Alterlife,’ and I remember it did,” says Connick. “Especially when we has been open about her experiences with being like, ‘Ugh! That’s too much!’ ” — his went into lockdown, a lot of our marketing depression, credits that scene with saving maximalist tendencies turned out to be a ideas were shelved and canned pretty much her life. perfect match for Sawayama’s instinct to, overnight. So we had to very, very quickly Their sensibility — proudly camp with says Crisp, “blow the lid off everything” as figure out what it was we wanted to do.” an academic twist — has become a defining a performer. He ultimately co-produced all Sawayama has learned what many pop feature of her music. “I’m inspired by drag but two of Sawayama’s 13 tracks. “He always stars have in the streaming age: The albums because people wear their trauma and inse- brings a slightly cooler reference,” says that make the biggest impact are the ones curity and celebrate it or make a character Sawayama, “which is helpful, because I’ll you can keep breathing new life into. In out of it, and that’s really what I wanted to be like, ‘Remember ’s fourth December, she released a deluxe edi- do with the album,” she says. “I wanted to track when she did this?’ And he’ll be like, tion of Sawayama featuring live versions, talk about these things that have caused me ‘Yeah, but did you know that’s a rip-off of remixes (including one with Brazilian drag so much pain — so much expensive therapy ?’ ” superstar ) and the dopamine- bills — and make it into something that just Instead of sanding down her influences spiking dance-pop single “LUCID.” For sounded like a pop song, to make people into one neat package, Crisp helped her em- the one-year anniversary of the album want to really listen over and over to what brace their contrasts. “We’ve got a running in April, she put out the new version of was being said.” theme of face-melting guitar solos that pop “Chosen Family” with John. (“Will was like, After graduating, she worked a series of up all over the place and really audacious, ‘We should get Elton on a song,’ ” recalls odd jobs in London, sometimes two or three ridiculous key changes,” he says. “That’s the Sawayama, “and I was like, ‘You’re f—king at a time, to independently fund her music: kind of stuff we both like, particularly Rina: insane.’ ”) The same month, she also filmed selling ice cream sandwiches out of her putting things in places that have no right a Tiny Desk for NPR, which felt like friend’s truck, working as a nail technician to be there.” In the end, he notes, “the most a counterpoint to the bombastic Fallon per- at a high-end salon, logging a few months at ridiculous idea wins.” formance: a stripped-back showcase for her Page 15 of 27

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operatic voice. were, she recalls. (“Rina is an incredible shows — we’re obsessed with iconic shows Not everything on her wish list went artist, and we are grateful to her for raising of the .” according to plan. In her first meeting with her concerns,” Doherty wrote in a state- In the meantime, Sawayama has been Dirty Hit, Sawayama said it would be her ment to Billboard.) A few months later, in back in the studio with Crisp recording dream to receive the prestigious Mercury February, the organization announced some her second album, which she says will Prize, which is awarded to a single album changes: Any musician who has been a resi- explore other influences from the Y2K era each year. But last summer, she realized dent in the United Kingdom for at least five and beyond, including ’90s rave music, The she was ineligible for both that honor and years is now eligible. Soon after, Sawayama Cardigans, No Doubt and . “That’s the BRIT Awards, the U.K. equivalent to was shortlisted for the BRITs’ 2021 Rising what’s so fun about music from the ’90s and the Grammys. Both are run by the British Star Award. “Telling my mum was amazing,” 2000s — it’s so broad,” she says. Phonographic Industry (BPI) trade group, she said in a teary-eyed video responding to At first, writing new music felt terrifying: which at the time required solo artists to the nomination. “She was so proud.” “I was like, ‘I have f—king nothing to say, I have British or Irish nationality. Sawayama She ultimately didn’t win, but getting haven’t lived life, I haven’t met people.’ ” Not has spent most of her life in the United a seat at the table was its own kind of being able to tour the first album also made Kingdom but is not a citizen — she’s on an victory. In April, Sawayama attended the it hard to start thinking about the next. Indefinite Leave to Remain visa. There are 2021 BRITs ceremony in a purple Balmain “Mentally, as a songwriter, that’s hard,” she pathways to citizenship for those with such couture gown with an impossibly long tulle says, “because I haven’t gotten [Sawayama] visas, but she would have to give up citizen- train, looking every bit the belle of the ball. out of my system.” But after getting into the ship in Japan, where her parents now live On , she posted a photo of herself studio with Crisp earlier this year, Sawaya- and which does not allow for dual citizen- on the red carpet with the caption: “sawaya- ma slowly found her voice again. In two ship. ma looking v british tbh !!!!” weeks, they cranked out 14 songs. A writing Realizing she was locked out was heart- “Ri-na! Ri-na! Ri-na!” trip to L.A. is also in the works. breaking. “When you’re an immigrant, you “Who’s Gonna Save U Now?,” a crunchy, The staff at Dirty Hit believes that, kind of move through life being masked and ’80s-style rock jam on Sawayama, opens with the right timing and positioning, this shielded to the fact that not everyone is wel- with the sounds of an imaginary crowd next album could finally push her into the coming of you,” says Sawayama. “And that chanting her name. Even before she released mainstream. But they’re not in a rush. “We was a moment when that veil came off.” an album, Sawayama always had grand haven’t taken anything to radio in America One phrase in particular kept running visions for her live show. Her first official yet for a reason: I want to build an undeni- through her mind: Am I not enough? “I’ve concert, celebrating the arrival of her 2017 able foundation first,” says Oborne. “I feel lived here for this many years, I went to EP, was at the 150-capacity East London like we’re almost there.” Cambridge, I pay taxes here, and I’m still venue The Pickle Factory. As she listened For now, they’re letting Sawayama lead not good enough,” says Sawayama before to fans singing along to her music, she the way. “We’d love for her to become a backpedaling — as if realizing she has boxed recalls, “I literally thought I was selling out Main Pop Girl,” says Connick. “But I’m try- herself into the model-minority myth. “You a stadium.” ing not to focus too much on any particular can still be an amazing person and belong to “She only ever thinks in mega pop-star model or existing success story and just this country without those things, too. But terms because that’s the world she grew up continue what we did from 18 months ago, I think I’ve conditioned myself to believe loving,” says Frost. “When she was playing which was to facilitate Rina being Rina.” It’s that I’m not deserving if I don’t have those to 300 people, it was always outfit changes, a refrain among her team — “Let things, which is the reason I work so hard.” choreo, drama — how can we make this Rina be Rina” — that speaks to both her After waiting a bit to gauge whether she tiny venue with this small fan base feel like singular artistry and the general strategy at had been truly snubbed — “Can you imagine they’re at an arena?” Dirty Hit. “We’re not really selling music,” if my album was s—t and no one was talking On her tour this fall, Sawayama won’t be says Oborne, “we’re selling identity.” about me, and then I was like, ‘Excuse me, playing arenas, but she will perform at her A few years ago, Sawayama contemplated I should have been nominated’?” — she did biggest venues to date. She’s relishing the going simply by the name Rina. “I’ve always an interview with VICE calling attention creative opportunities that come with a larg- been conscious that my surname is an to the eligibility requirements, which she er stage and hopes her show will offer a safe inconvenience,” she says, recalling her earli- labeled a form of artistic “border control.” space for a fan base that spans a diversity of est days in British school, when staff would A day after the article was published, the backgrounds. “I feel like my entire live team regularly butcher her name. “I would be in hashtag #sawayamaisbritish started trend- is queer. It’s like a lovely queer family,” says floods of tears. That anxiety of someone try- ing on Twitter in the United Kingdom. Sawayama. Directing the tour is her friend ing to say my last name as a 5-year-old was Eventually, BPI chairman Ged Doherty Chester Lockhart, the musician-actor who the most excruciating thing.” reached out to Sawayama to explain that also directed her Tiny Desk performance. In the end, after talking it through with he didn’t realize how restrictive the rules “Me and Chester always talk about live her team, she decided to keep it. “I think it’s Page 16 of 27

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important for people to instantly recog- how can it keep growing? Trade NYC nize that it’s a Japanese or Asian-sounding Marcus Cohen, senior vp counterfeit Jocelynn Pryor, vp marketing, AMPED name,” she says. “But in the future, I’m investigations, RIAA Distribution definitely not counting off dropping the Joshua P. Friedlander, senior vp research Moderated by Robert Levine, deputy edito- surname — if I become iconic enough.” For and economics, RIAA rial director, Billboard Sawayama, maybe the question is not if, Moderated by Robert Levine, deputy edito- but when. rial director, Billboard This story originally appeared in Bill- Sonic Youth — How A New Generation Chartbreaker: board’s 2021 Pride Issue, dated June 5, 2021. Is Moving The Needle On Vinyl Sales This isn’t your father’s vinyl boom. Sure, JESSIA Turned Beatles and are selling Billboard Pro briskly, but the No. 1 and No. 2 best-selling Her Insecurities physical records of 2020 are by Spotlight Virtual and Billie Eilish, the latter of whom has two Into a Hit (And a releases in the top 10. Are these new buyers Event: How Vinyl here to stay — and, if so, how do labels and Record Deal) stores need to adjust? Got Its Groove Maxwell Dartey, A&R urban catalog, BY KATIE ATKINSON Universal Music Enterprises Back Carl Mello, brand engagement director, n Jan. 1, JESSIA took to Tik- Newbury Comics Tok — as she had over 100 times BY BILLBOARD STAFF Becky Wilson, director of talent partner- since joining the platform in ships, NTWRK April 2020 — to sing the chorus funny thing happened on the way Moderated by Lyndsey Havens, senior edi- Oof what would become her breakout hit, to the streaming-led future of the tor, Billboard “I’m not Pretty.” Filming from the driver’s music business: Vinyl is booming, Keynote Interview: Atlantic Records seat of her car, she says with a laugh in the with annual U.S. sales up 28.7% to Group Chairman/CEO New Year’s Day clip, “I don’t know if this is $626A million. It still only accounts for 5.2% Kallman began collecting records as a total trash or actually a bop, but here we go!” of U.S. music business revenue, but that’s young DJ, and he has now amassed one of The answer was a resounding “bop.” Of enough to make it the No. 1-selling format the largest collections of vinyl in the world. the 11 million-plus views on that initial clip, for album sales. Right now, one of the big- He’ll share his uniquely expert perspective one was from songwriter-producer Elijah gest problems needling the vinyl business is on the format’s past and future, as well as Woods, who took the seed of the song and finding enough manufacturing capacity. Is some of the records in his collection. helped the Canadian singer-songwriter this too good to last? The RIAA will provide Craig Kallman, chairman & CEO, Atlantic (born Jessika Harling) flesh it out, show- some perspective on this growth, and panels Records Group ing the process on TikTok for followers to will explain how the next generation is Moderated by Robert Levine, deputy edito- watch in real time. They wrote the song in putting a new spin on an old format, and rial director, Billboard two days and released it three days later. A what physical stores are doing to reinvent What’s In Store: The Post-Pandemic sassy dance challenge choreographed by themselves for a world where vinyl is more Future Of Physical Retail TikTok user @jambledore soon followed. mainstream. Atlantic Records Group chair- boomed during the pandem- “I was making fun of people, like, ‘Oh, man & CEO Craig Kallman — who owns a ic — but what about record stores? Many January 1st, you think it’s just a reset button million-plus collection of records himself — entered the online mail-order business, with and everything changes,’” says JESSIA. “And will also discuss the past and possible future encouraging success. And there are some then, literally, everything changed.” of vinyl in a keynote interview. signs that consumers are lining up to return Even though she was personally hav- This event is for Billboard Pro subscrib- to brick-and-mortar shops — although figur- ing a “real bitter day” when she wrote the ers. If you aren’t a subscriber, go to bill- ing out when and how many presents its chorus — “You know, after Christmas, when board.com/offer today to start your new own challenges. you’ve eaten your weight in, like, every- membership! Carrie Colliton, director of marketing, thing?” — JESSIA discovered that listeners Sponsor Interview: Call It A Comeback Dept. of Record Stores; co-founder, Record were connecting to the song’s “it’s OK to — Vinyl’s Remarkable Resurgence Store Day not feel OK” message for a range of reasons, Just 15 years ago, vinyl was a $36 million Billy Fields, vp account management/vinyl whether it was postpartum moms struggling business headed nowhere fast. How did it strategist, WEA with baby weight or teenage boys with body become the top album sales format — and George Flanagan, store manager, Rough dysmorphia. Page 17 of 27

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“The song is talking about not being friends.” She feels like the success of “I’m Mexico-Based pretty and not feeling your best — that sucks not Pretty” has given her license to address that people feel this way,” she says. “But it’s any and every topic in her music moving Music Companies also really beautiful that we’ve created this forward, saying, “I remember writing these amazing community where everyone’s like, lyrics and being like, ‘Is this too much? Can Team Up for New ‘Yeah, I got a and I got a bum, let’s just I actually say this?’ And now that it’s gotten keep on moving on with our lives.’” such a good audience and a great response, I Booking Agency The buzz around the song caught the at- kind of broke all the barriers.” tention of singer-songwriter , Tedder, who’s had both Zoom and in- BY GRISELDA FLORES who DM’d the aspiring pop star asking her person songwriting sessions with JESSIA, to send more material. “I won’t sign a writer has high hopes, saying he “fundamentally trio of Mexico-based entertain- that’s not an artist, and I won’t sign an artist believes that what’s coming next is bigger ment companies — Apodaca that’s not a writer,” says Tedder. “She was than ‘I’m not Pretty.’” Silverstein (who man- Group, TSM and Mano Booking both in full spades — and I’m convinced had ages Normani and Anitta) adds, “We signed — have teamed up to launch the she not been living on an island off the coast her off of the other music. There’s so many brandA new booking agency, MATS. of , there’s no shot I would have artists that are coming off of TikTok to have With more than 40 years of combined had a chance of getting her. It would have these one-hit-wonder type moments, and experience in the live music industry as key been a feeding frenzy.” Adds JESSIA: “He we wanted to make sure that she had a real players behind major Mexican festivals such gave a s—t. They say don’t meet your , career as a songwriter and artist.” as Pal’ Norte, Ceremonia and Trópico, and but I’m very happy that I met him.” With her career transpiring almost exclu- with clients such as Gera MX, Siddhartha He did face some competition, but by sively in a pandemic, JESSIA is especially and Caloncho, MATS will focus on the Jan. 31, Tedder’s Artist Driven Records looking forward to getting her songs in front production and booking of concerts and fes- and Brandon Silverstein’s S10 Entertain- of a crowd for the first time. “The music side tivals in the . It will also seek ment record-label division signed JESSIA of everything is all ready and it’s perfect, but to “serve as a bridge so that foreign talent in partnership with . Her I haven’t performed in like a year, so I’m try- can access the U.S. market and artists in the manager, Studio 44’s JR Antoine, had come ing to brush it all up in my bedroom mirror U.S. can explore their possibilities in Latin on just over a year ago. Ben Facey, Republic into a hairbrush,” she laughs. “I can’t wait America,” according to a press release. Records EVP, global marketing & digital to play for fans and feel the energy, because “The idea of starting something to- strategy, says JESSIA’s music “popped” the I’m going live on TikTok and , and gether has been with us for quite some time first time he heard her, adding “her sound, your screen just fills with hearts … but hav- now,” Diego Jiménez Labora, co-founder of her songwriting, her tenacity, her voice, her ing ? I’m super stoked.” MATS and TSM, tells Billboard. “It inten- individuality stood out to such an incredible She had a pretty big virtual audience back sified at the beginning of the year as we degree.” in February during her Zoom signing party, started to see how the U.S. population was Since then, things have only grown for the when more than 100 people from Republic, getting vaccinated and how the entertain- “I’m not Pretty” singer, including a Bebe Artist Driven Records and S10 all gathered ment world was starting to come back to Rexha remix released in April, while the to welcome her to the family. “I was in my life. We then realized that all those con- original now a body-positive high school bedroom where I used to dream versations needed to become real, and we Dove Self-Esteem Project campaign on about this moment,” she says, “and I’m just fastened the process.” TikTok. “I’m not Pretty” has racked up sitting there and having champagne at 10 in The launch MATS comes at a strategic 49.4 million on-demand U.S. streams the morning and like, ‘What is my life right time when live events are slowly resuming through May 27, according to MRC Data, now?’” again after the shut down caused by the still and JESSIA topped the Emerging A version of this story will appear in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The biggest Artists chart on May 8. Perhaps most affirm- June 5, 2021, issue of Billboard. lesson learned this past year, says Jiménez ing, though, are the steady stream of texts Labora, is that “you need to be ready for she now receives: “I constantly get messages anything. I think this is something most like, ‘You were playing in Home Hardware!’ people in the entertainment industry knew or ‘We haven’t talked in five years, but way before the pandemic but this was something to go, girl!’” that was not as easy to react to. I think as an On June 4, she’ll release her first follow- industry, we are used to making these quick up single, the bubbly IDGAF anthem “I decisions and adapting in a quick manner, Should Quit,” which she teased on social and these harsh situations help push cre- media this week, previewing the punchy lyr- ativity to new places so there’s a great deal ic: “I’m a woman who doesn’t listen to her of excitement ahead of us.” Page 18 of 27

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MATS has already booked tours for the themselves out of because of the risks. The board. “The last year has been rough, but fall in the U.S. including a solo trek for thought of expanding a major jam festival maybe some positive things really can come chart-topping artist Gera MX, who re- from three days to nine days — with camp- out of it.” cently made Billboard chart history along- ing — just a few months after a pandemic, That includes boosting the profile of side Christian Nodal with “Botella Tras without either the or Phish’s festival site, which is spread across two Botella.” The track was the first regional involvement (both bands are touring this farms — the Infinity Downs Farm and Oak Mexican title to enter the Hot 100 chart summer), is enough to cause crippling heart Ridge Farm — at the foot of the Blue Ridge (dated May 8) in its almost 63-year history. burn for most indie promoters. Mountains, about 40 miles southwest of “We have a strong presence in Mexico al- But Shapiro has a few things going for Charlottesville. Shapiro says the beauty of ready consisting of big festivals and events,” him that make the expansion of LOCKN’ the site is unparalleled and hopefully be- adds Jiménez Labora. “Our roster is very Fest, on 387 acres of farmland he owns in comes a year-rond festival site. Fans wont be powerful and we have developed different Arrington, Va., seem pretty smart. Besides able to camp at the site during the week, but platforms that can help push artists on both being the best known in a music he said he’s hopeful some fans will accept sides of the border.” community known for its spending power the challenge of attending nine days of live The agency will be led by Oscar Flores and strong demand for live music, the bands music over a 16-day stretch. Elizondo Jr. and Jesús Raymundo headlining each weekend of LOCKN’ — the If they do they’ll see Joe Russo’s Almost Flores Elizondo (co-founders of Apodaca Grateful Dead influenced Joe Russo’s Al- Dead perform six sets over three days with Group); Diego Jiménez Labora, Hugo Díaz most Dead (Aug. 13-15), fast-growing indie The Slip each night of the opening week- Barreiro Olvera and Julián Velázquez groove road warriors Goose (Aug. 20-22) end, followed by Goose presenting FRED “Morgan” (co-founders and A&R for Eco and legendary Southern rock and stan- the Festival with Dawes performing Black Live-TSM, respectively); José Luis Domín- dard bearers Susan Tedeschi and Derek Sabbath’s Paranoid plus a performance guez “Chelis,” Abraham López and Santi- Trucks who perform as Tedeschi Trucks by Vasudo, bringing back their feel-good, ago Álvarez (co-founders of Mano Book- Band (Aug 27-29) — sold thousands of Jamaica meets Nashville sound after an ing), and Niria León as booking director for tickets per concert prior to the pandemic eight year lull. The first weekend will also the United States. and moved a ton of pay-per-view streaming include night late-night jam sessions in an tickets after COVID-19 hit, often on Shap- area of the farm called [Jerry] Garcia’s For- iro’s Fans.Live platform. est with improv jam sessions hosted by John Why Peter “Now feels like the right moment to do Medeski and Billy Martin. Joining Goose on something new and a bit more intimate, the second weekend will be Dr. Dog, Golden Shapiro Wants while keeping the best parts of what the Messenger, Cory Wong, Grateful Shred, and one-weekend festival has offered since Sammy Rae & The Friends. to Expand the 2013,” Shapiro tells Billboard. Closing out LOCKN’ with Tedeschi of the pandemic, demand for live music is Trucks is Academy Award-winning musi- LOCKN’ Fest to 3 bigger than its ever been, Shapiro notes. And cian Jon Batiste, The Marcus King Band, because he owns the Brooklyn Bowl venues, Lettuce and Gabe Dixon Band. Weekends (And the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY, Re- Admission tickets are available now via lix Magazine, plus his work on projects like Front Gate Tickets here while camping Why It Could the Fare Thee Well, Grateful Dead shows passes are available here. in 2015, Shapiro has marketing reach and Work) a database allowing him to communicate directly to jam band fans across the country. BY DAVE BROOKS In terms of expansion, Shapiro said the best analogy is to take a three-day festival, eter Shapiro is one of the few and then expand each day of the festival promoters in the live music space into its own festival, branded around the that doesn’t get freaked out by his headlining band who will perform multiple own big ideas, especially when times over the weekend. Pthose big ideas also happen to be potentially “From day one, we have been developing awesome. the site to host more events. Given the reali- His plan to expand the LOCKN’ Farm ties caused by COVID-19, now feels like the festival from three days to three weekends is right time for us to convert LOCKN’ from a both big and awesome and the kind of idea single, large-scale festival to a venue for in- most promoters would immediately talk timate, band-centric festivals,” he tells Bill- Page 19 of 27

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Ruben Blades and timely honoree of the Latin Academy hiatus due to the health crisis. Person of the Year distinction.” “We have enormous respect for Laneway,” Named 2021 Blades will be honored during the Person comments TEG CEO Geoff Jones, “which of the Year gala featuring a tribute con- has grown from a Melbourne street party Latin Recording cert that will include renditions of Blades’ into a world-class festival and with a strong repertoire performed by artists and friends. touring arm, consistently breaking new local Academy Person Details of the event will be announced at a and international artists to the youth market later date. in the region.” of the Year Proceeds from the gala will go toward Laneway Festival founders Danny Rog- the charitable work of the Latin Grammy ers and Jerome Borazio will remain as sub- BY GRISELDA FLORES Cultural Foundation which, among other stantial owners, according to TEG, and will things, funds scholarships for continue to run the festival and the business ubén Blades will be the Latin students around the world. as co-managing directors, in partnership Recording Academy’s 2021 with TEG. Person of the Year as part of the In a joint statement, the Laneway pair organization’s 22nd anniversary. TEG Joins Forces shared an update on their popular indie RThe renowned and prolific Panama- and left-leaning music event: “We are super nian singer-songwriter, who has won nine With ’s determined to get Laneway Festival back on Grammys and eight Latin Grammys, will be the circuit ASAP, delivering you the amazing honored for his commitment to fighting for Laneway Festival line-ups and experiences that you’ve grown social justice and supporting initiatives that accustomed to.” raise awareness about political oppression, BY LARS BRANDLE Financial terms of the hunger, poverty and more. With songs such weren’t disclosed. as “Prohibido Olvidar,” “Buscando América” EG, the Australian live entertain- Rogers and Borazio also paid tribute and “Desapariciones,” Blades, 72, has also ment, ticketing and tech giant, to promoter and former partner Michael been a champion for change in Latin com- expands its portfolio of music Chugg “and his incredible teams, past and munities and beyond. events through a partnership with present. The festival would not exist today “I am grateful to the Latin Academy for TLaneway, the much-loved, multi-city festival without his, and their vision, passion and this recognition, and I share it with every- brand. support.” one who has helped me throughout my Established in 2005 as a one-off street Based in Sydney, TEG’s empire includes artistic life,” said Blades. “Success is never party in Melbourne, St Jerome’s Laneway TEG Live, TEG Dainty, TEG MJR, TEG Van the product of a sole individual’s effort, it’s Festival has evolved into a trans-Tasman Egmond, Handsome Tours, Qudos Bank the consequence of many contributions and roadshow selling over 100,000 tickets each Arena and other interests, and the group the will and talent of other people. Today, I year while showcasing breakthrough artists. boasts seven country offices around the thank all those who made my successful ca- Over time, the likes of Billie Eilish, , globe. TEG was acquired in late 2019 by reer as a musician and composer possible.” Haim, , Run The Jewels, Tame investment company Silver Lake. Blades, also a two-time Emmy-nominated Impala and Flume have graced its stages, actor having starred in more than 50 films and the fest has collected a hattrick of Na- and television series, including Fear the tional Live Music Awards. Walking Dead, joins a roster of past Person The boutique show briefly routed into of the Year honorees that includes Juanes, through a Singapore leg and, in a first Vicente Fernandez, Juan Gabriel, Alejan- for an Australian festival brand, Laneway dro Sanz, Gloria Estefan and Maná, among expanded into the United States in 2013 others. with show at the Meadow Brook Music Fes- “Rubén Blades is a truly iconic artist who tival in suburban (the U.S. event, has inspired generations with his power- however, has yet to return for a second ful and intelligent lyrics, and whose outing). has stood for justice at all levels of society,” For its most recent run in January 2020, said Gabriel Abaroa Jr., president/CEO Laneway Festival visited sites in five Austra- of the Latin Recording Academy. “With lian cities, with a lineup featuring The 1975, activism and social justice movements at the Charli XCX, Ruel, , Tones forefront of our collective conversation this And I, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard past year, we can’t think of a more deserving and many more. The 2021 edition went on Page 20 of 27

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Spotify’s New a friend to invite. Blend is mobile-only and That Space Zebra Show, hosted by Bobby available globally on both iOS and Android. Schubenski, Wes Borland and Josh Balz. Data Marketing Only You is Spotify’s latest data-driven That Space Zebra Show will continue to campaign, following not just Wrapped but broadcast four times weekly and incorporate Campaign also its Fan Study of insights for artists and new musical features including Riff Wars, their teams released last month, and a Loud Starving Artists and the Battle For The Big Embrace Users’ & Clear mini-site launched in March to in- Stage: Road to Rockville Edition, where a crease transparency around how the service band can win a slot at Florida’s biggest rock Oddest Listening pays rightsholders. experience, held at Daytona International Learn more about Only You in Spotify’s Speedway. Headliners for 2021 include Me- Habits blog post announcement here. tallica, Nine Inch Nails, Disturbed, Def- tones and more. BY TATIANA CIRISANO “Through our partnership with Danny Danny Wimmer Wimmer Presents, incredible artists and veryone’s music listening habits bands have the opportunity to continue to are different. Sometimes, they’re Presents Launches build their own brands, connect with fans even a little weird. Spotify is cel- live and form communities on a global scale ebrating its 350 million users’ in- Rock-Driven in a way that has never been so accessible,” Edividual tastes with a new global campaign says Will Farrell-Green, head of music at and in-app experience, Only You, rolling out Twitch Channel Twitch. Wednesday (June 2). DWPresents will kick off its channel with Similar to Spotify’s annual Wrapped cam- BY BILLBOARD STAFF a six-hour live broadcast from Musicians paign summarizing users’ listening habits Institute’s LiveHouse Hollywood, hosted over the year, Only You includes shareable ndependent festival promoter and by That Space Zebra Show, and will include cards for , personalized playlists producer Danny Wimmer Presents the conclusion of the “Road to LA” competi- and out-of-home advertising. has partnered with streaming service tion, with two fan-chosen bands battling In the app’s new Only You hub, users Twitch to launch the DWPresents live for the chance to win a demo deal with will receive information about their recent Ichannel featuring original live content DWP’s Recordings. The broadcast personalized audio pairings (such as play- around the company’s events and marquee will close with a headlining performance ing Olivia Rodrigo followed by Greta Van artists. by Atreyu. Fleet), how their listening varies by time of “We have been looking for the right In addition, DWPresents on Twitch will day, and even an “Audio Birth Chart” show- partner to livestream our events and create feature four days of select performances and casing artists that connect with the user’s original content. Twitch’s focus on fan in- content from Welcome To Rockville includ- personality in different ways. There’s also teraction and engagement allows us to bring ing backstage interviews, commentary with a “Dream Dinner Party” in-app experience, our core mission of providing unparalleled artists, games and trivia with bands. Fans where users select three artists they’d invite experiences to the streaming space. I am should expect content from other DWP to a dinner party, then receive a personal- excited about what we have planned and festivals and events as well. ized Spotify Mix for each artist. thrilled about this next step in DWP’s evolu- To watch the DWPresents channel live, Only You also points out the listening hab- tion,” says Danny Hayes, chief executive of tune in weekdays to www.Twitch.tv/DW- its of entire fandoms. For example, Spotify Danny Wimmer Presents. Presents. found that ’s Spotify fanbase has The DWPresents Twitch channel begins cumulatively listened to more than 4 million streaming on June 3 at 4:30pm PT and will hours of — yes — whale sounds, while Ro- offer original content six days a week. DW- salía fans have created 36,000 playlists with Presents Twitch will feature new shows the nails emoji in the title. like The Writer’s Circle hosted by Fever Finally, Spotify is adding a new personal- 333’s Jason Aalon Butler and feature ized feature currently in beta called “Blend,” Crown The Empire, Escape The Fate, Noth- allowing two friends to merge their musical ing More and Spiritbox. Another program, tastes into one playlist, which is updated The Lab, will be hosted by TikTok sensation daily with picks curated just for them. To try and musician Jeris Johnson and Siri- the feature, which is available for both Free usXM’s Caity Babs. and Premium accounts, users tap “Create The DWPresents channel will also be- Blend” in the Made For You hub and select come the home for Twitch’s already popular Page 21 of 27

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Will Pop Smoke Aldis Hodge (One Night in Miami), Damson though attendees will need to provide proof Idris (Outside the Wire), Eddie Murphy of COVID-19 vaccination or, for those not & Chadwick (Coming 2 America) and Lakeith Stanfield vaccinated, a negative test result within 24 (Kaluuya’s co-star in Judas and the Black hours of attendance. Boseman Win Messiah). Check out the Music Midtown lineup Pop Smoke was shot to death in Febru- below. Posthumous BET ary 2020 at age 20. Boseman died in August Awards? 2020 of colon cancer. DaBaby Detained

BY PAUL GREIN , & Released in

he BET Awards on June 27 may , Jonas Miami Shooting, 2 have a poignant undertone: Actor Chadwick Boseman and rap- Brothers, 21 Suspects Charged per Pop Smoke could each win Tkey awards posthumously. Boseman is nomi- Savage Headlining BY ASSOCIATED PRESS nated for best actor for his performance in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Pop Smoke is 2021 Music rammy-nominated rapper Da- nominated for two awards — best male hip- Baby was detained for question- hop artist and best collaboration for “For the Midtown Festival ing in a shooting that wounded Night” (featuring Lil Baby and DaBaby). two people in Miami and later Pop Smoke would be the second win- BY GIL KAUFMAN Greleased, officials said Tuesday. Police said ner of best male hip-hop artist in the past two suspects are now charged in the case. three years to win posthumously. Nipsey tlanta’s Music Midtown Festival Jonathan Kirk, DaBaby’s legal name, was Hussle won in that category two years ago, is ready for a reboot. The popular one of many people being questioned by less than three months after he was shot to downtown gathering that took a officials on Tuesday, Miami Beach police death. year off in 2020 due to the pan- spokesman Ernesto Rodriguez said in a This year’s competition for best male demicA is ready to roar back this fall with a news release. Rodriguez had said ear- hip-hop artist is especially strong. DaBaby, lineup packed with superstar voices. Among lier that “several possible suspects” were last year’s winner, is back to defend his the headliners for the Sept. 18-19 event at detained. He later noted that Kirk had been title. , a four-time category champ, is Piedmont Park are Miley Cyrus, the Jonas let go. also nominated again. The other contenders Brothers, Maroon 5, 21 Savage and Da- According to arrest reports, Wisdom are J. Cole, Jack Harlow and Lil Baby. Baby. Awute, 21, and Christopher Urena, 29, both Boseman was nominated for an Oscar for Other acts slated to appear include: face charges of attempted first-degree mur- his performance in Ma Rainey’s Black Bot- Megan Thee Stallion, Machine Gun Kelly, der with a deadly weapon and aggravated tom. Many, including the producers of this Black Pumas, Jack Harlow, AJR, , assault. Urena also faces charges of grand year’s Oscar telecast, thought he would win. Bleachers, Dashboard Confessional, Sur- theft and possessing a firearm as a convicted In a break from tradition, they positioned faces, Lauv, 24KGoldn, , , felon. his category, best actor, last in the show, Tierra Whack and Omar Apollo. Tickets DaBaby, 29, was arrested earlier this year following best picture, so sure were they purchased for the 2020 edition will be in Los Angeles. Beverly Hills police said he that they would be ending the show with honored and organizers said that a limited took a loaded gun into an upscale store on a heartfelt speech by Boseman’s widow, number of general admission passes are on Rodeo Drive. Taylor Simone Ledward. Instead, an absent sale now before the prices go up on Friday The North Carolina rapper’s song Anthony Hopkins won his second award in (June 4) at 10 a.m ET. “Rockstar” was one of the biggest hits of that category for The Father. The summer’s festival scene is beginning 2020, and was nominated for three Grammy This would be Boseman’s second win in to heat up following last year’s total shut- Awards, including record of the year. No one this BET category. He took the award three down, though at press time Music Midtown responded immediately to an email sent to years ago for Black Panther. He is competing had not announced whether this summer’s DaBaby’s representatives seeking com- this year with Daniel Kaluuya, who won an gathering will be at Piedmont’s full, pre- ment. A man who answered the phone at Oscar for best supporting actor for Judas pandemic 70,000-person capacity. Other the representing him said, “No and the Black Messiah. events, such as Chicago’s , comment.” The other nominees in the category are have said they will return at full capacity, Page 22 of 27

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Brooklyn Bowl The Players Engineer - Chris Gehringer Mixer - Serban Ghenea Nashville Finally Behind BTS’ Labels: Distributor - The Orchard Enterprises Set to Open, ‘Butter’: See the Label - BIGHIT MUSIC/HYBE Explore the full “Butter” credits on Jax- One Year After Full Credits sta here. Pandemic Pause BY CHRIS EGGERTSEN Splendour in the BY DAVE BROOKS TS’ “Butter” debuted at the top of the this Grass 2021 Sets rooklyn Bowl Nashville is finally week, marking the K-pop group’s celebrating its grand-opening fourth No. 1 on the tally in just Virtual Event weekend, about a year after its Bnine months. That represents the fastest scheduled opening was delayed accrual of four No. 1 hits for any artist on the Featuring Khalid, Bby COVID-19. chart since in 2007, and Owned by Peter Shapiro — founder of the quickest for a group since the Jackson CHVRCHES, The the Brooklyn Bowl venues in New York 5 in 1970. They are also the first group to and Las Vegas — in partnership with Live score three Hot 100 No. 1 debuts; no other Killers & More Nation, Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl will group has more than one. open for in-person audiences with back-to- “Butter” racked up 32.2 million U.S. BY LARS BRANDLE back nights from Grammy Award-winning streams and sold 242,800 downloads in Old Crow Medicine Show on June 25 week ending May 27 and drew 18.1 million ustralia’s popular mid-winter and 26. radio airplay audience impressions in the festival Splendour in the Grass Additional artist performances will be week ending May 30, according to MRC will go digital next month, with announced in coming weeks. During the Data. The track also posted a record-break- a two-day virtual event featuring pandemic, the venue became a pioneering ing debut on both the Billboard Global performancesA from Khalid, CHVRCHES, livestream originator with shows from Ja- 200 and the Billboard Global Exc. U.S. tal- , Charlie XCX and many more. son Isbell, Margo Price, Billy Strings and lies. Also confirmed to the Splendour XR more. Explore the team of musicians, producers lineup are Denzel Curry, , “We’re excited to welcome live audiences and more behind the track with recording Vance Joy, Little Simz, The Avalanches, into our venue, fully uniting the of credits provided by Jaxsta below. Duke Dumont, Of Monsters and Men, this legendary music town with the eclectic Artists: Masked Wolf, Tash Sultana and Russ Mil- energy of Brooklyn Bowl,” Shapiro says. “It’s Main Artist - BTS lions, while Grimes will unleash her new an honor to add our unique Brooklyn Bowl : project, Meteverse (Super Beta). mix to the Nashville community.” Composer Lyricist - Alex Bilowitz “We could not be more excited about Learn more at brooklynbowl.com/nash- Composer Lyricist - Jenna Andrews Splendour XR and the opportunity to take ville. Composer Lyricist - RM the Splendour goodness online to our exist- Composer Lyricist - Rob Grimaldi ing community and also to new audiences Composer Lyricist - Ron Perry around the globe,” comments SITG co-pro- Composer Lyricist - Sebastian Garcia ducers Jessica Ducrou and Paul Piticco. Composer Lyricist - Stephen Kirk Access is priced from $19.99 for a single Vocal Arranger - Jenna Andrews day, and $34.99 for both days. Vocal Arranger - Rob Grimaldi Splendour XR will take place July 24 and Vocal Arranger - Stephen Kirk 25 and should be “amongst the most innova- Producers: tive virtual live events that the consumer Producer - Rob Grimaldi market has seen,” explains Kristy Rosser, Producer - Ron Perry Managing Director of Brand Partnerships at Producer - Stephen Kirk SITG organizer Secret Sounds. Engineers: The virtual edition of SITG will be avail- Engineer - Juan “Saucy” Pena able on mobile, tablet, browser, desktop and Engineer - Keith Parry VR and will switch on with an exclusive Page 23 of 27

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music streaming partnership via Mooda- tion in Los Angeles. three tracks in the top 10: “Good 4 U,” at No. gent, the digital music service that launched will release the project, but has yet to set a 2 after debuting at No. 1 last week; “Deja here in recent days. date. Vu,” at No. 3, a new peak; and “Traitor,” a SITG is unique in the Australian festival The film marks Swift’s first onscreen debut at No. 9. calendar. Pre-pandemic, the camping festi- role since the movie musical Cats, playing Rodrigo is the third solo woman to rule val would stretch across three days during Bombalurina in the Universal adaption of the Artist 100 in 2021, after the coldest time of year, nestled in pictur- the stage show. Her (five weeks this year, among her record- esque Byron Bay with a bill featuring some other acting credits include Garry Mar- holding 47 total) and Dua Lipa (one week, of the hottest international and local acts, shall’s Valentine’s Day and the adaptation of May 22). many testing-out new material on audiences the young adult classic The Giver, starring Below Rodrigo on the Artist 100, BTS for the first time. Meryl Streep. She also was the subject of vaults from No. 14 to No. 2 thanks to its new The health crisis ruined the 20th an- the Netflix documentary Miss Americana, single “Butter,” which rolls in at No. 1 on the niversary edition of SITG, which was due which premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Hot 100. The track is the septet’s fourth Hot to take place in July 2020 with headliners Festival. 100 No. 1, all earned in the past , Flume, The Strokes and Tyler, The Creator, Most recently, Swift won album of the as BTS achieves the quickest accumula- and many more, but was ultimately pushed year at the Grammys for Folklore, which was tion of a group’s first four No. 1s since the back, more than once. the highest-selling album in 2020. Disney+ Jackson 5 in 1970. Organizers initially postponed the show later released an accompanying doc concert BTS has spent 16 total weeks at No. 1 on until October 2022, then rescheduled for film Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions. the Artist 100, the fourth-most after Swift, July 2021 with a planned bill featuring Ty- This article was originally published Drake (32) and (22). ler, The Creator and The Strokes. With by . The Artist 100 measures artist activity Australia’s vaccine rollout running well across key metrics of music consumption, behind schedule, and following the last blending album and track sales, radio air- minute cancelation of Byron Bay Bluesfest Olivia Rodrigo play, streaming and social media fan interac- in April, a virtual event was the smart — and tion to provide a weekly multi-dimensional safe — option. Spends First Week ranking of artist popularity. Visit splendourxr.com for tickets. For all chart news, you can follow @bill- at No. 1 on Artist board and @billboardcharts on both Twitter Taylor Swift Set 100 Chart, Thanks and Instagram. for David O. to ‘Sour’ Debut Independent

Russell Movie BY BILLBOARD STAFF Venue Week

BY MIA GALUPPO livia Rodrigo soars to No. 1 on Launches New the Billboard Artist 100 chart aylor Swift will be seen back on (dated June 5) to become the Podcast the big screen, appearing in David top musical act in the U.S. for O. Russell’s latest feature film. Othe first time, thanks to the opening week of BY TAYLOR MIMS The movie stars Margot Robbie, her debut album Sour. TChristian Bale and John David Washington, The set arrives at No. 1 on the Billboard ndependent Venue Week is showcas- with a massive cast that also includes Rami 200 with 295,000 equivalent album units, ing the power of small venues on Malek, Zoe Saldana, Taylor-Joy, Chris according to MRC Data, surpassing Taylor emerging artists. Today, the organi- Rock, Mike Myers, Robert De Niro, Michael Swift’s Fearless (Taylor’s Version) for the zation is launching Shannon and Timothy Olyphant. biggest week of 2021 so far. It also sets a new IVenue Speak podcast which will focus on The New Regency project will see Russell mark for the largest week, in terms of units, stories about the some of the most beloved direct from his own script, his first time in for an act’s debut since the Billboard 200 music venues. the director’s seat since 2015’s Joy, starring transitioned from an album-sales only rank- Independent Venue Speak will be hosted Jennifer Lawrence. Russell is producing ing to an equivalent album units-based chart by a different guest artist each episode with Matthew Budman. in December 2014. and focus on how a specific independent Plot details are being kept under wraps, All 11 songs from Sour concurrently place venue has shaped the narrative in their with the movie already completing produc- in the Billboard Hot 100’s top 30, led by music community. For its inaugural episode, Page 24 of 27

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the podcast invited the Grammy-winning New Around the U.S. data. It starts at No. 7 on World Digital artist and songwriter J. Hoard to tell the tale Song Sales and No. 23 on the airplay-, sales- of the iconic Lower East Side room Arlene’s World: Eurovision and streaming-based Hot Hard Rock Songs Grocery and its ties to The Lesson, a world- chart. renowned hip-hop jam ensemble that forged Infuses Global The 2021 Eurovision runner-up, France’s an entire music culture. “Voila” by Barbara Pravi, enters at Nos. “What’s dope about The Lesson is that Charts, Led 70 and 148 on the Global Excl. U.S. chart a lot of us were the people that nobody and Global 200, respectively. Gjon’s Tears, wanted to give a chance,” said J. Hoard in by Maneskin’s representing Switzerland, adds another a release. “So, we all took a chance on each French-language title to this week’s charts, other. Arlene’s took a chance on us...Arlene’s Champ ‘Zitti E as “Tout L’Univers” debuts at No. 119 on the gave all of us the nutrients and the platform former tally. to do amazing things. What The Lesson did Buoni’ ’s Sanremo-fueled debuts in March was literally ahead of its time.” were the first Italian-language songs to The podcast launches just over a month BY ERIC FRANKENBERG appear on either global chart (since the lists before the 2021 edition of Independent launched in September). And this week, the Venue Week, which is scheduled to run n March, Billboard reported on four full Eurovision spread spurs some firsts. from July 12-18. More than 200 venues debuts on the Billboard Global Excl. Go_A’s “Shum,” new at Nos. 80 and 158 on across 41 states and territories have already U.S. chart, spurred by Italy’s Sanremo the Global Excl. U.S. chart and Global 200, signed up to participate. . The event, held March respectively, is the first song by an artist “To truly make Independent Venue I2-6, acts as Italy’s qualifying competition for from Ukraine, and the first Ukrainian-lan- Speak as incredible in execution as it was in the 2021 . And as guage song, to hit the global charts. concept, we enlisted the artists and venue the Sanremo festival unveiled the country’s Additionally, three English-language operators to tell these stories themselves,” first taste of this year’s international compe- Eurovision contenders debut on the Global said Cecilie Nielsen, director of special tition, those four Italian debuts were simply Excl. U.S. chart, each being the first to repre- projects at Marauder that produces the an appetizer before the entrée. On the June sent their respective countries on the sur- annual Independent Venue Week event as 5-dated lists, seven Eurovision finalists vey. ’s Channel debuts at No. well as the podcast. “These stories are about debut across the Billboard Global 200 and 105 with “Dark Side,” Iceland’s Dadi Freyr extraordinary people who helped inspire Global Excl. U.S. chart. arrives at No. 128 with “10 Years,” and Elena prolific music movements and about the Thirty-nine countries participated in this Tsagrinou starts at No. 170 with “El Diablo.” venues that offered these movements not year’s Eurovision tournament, held May Tsagrinou represented Cyprus in Eurovi- just a stage, but a home.” 18-22 in Rotterdam, Netherlands, after the sion, although she is Greek. Either way you The podcast will be in partnership with 2020 edition was canceled due to COVID-19. slice it, she’s breaking down barriers as ticketing company See Tickets. After a slew of regional qualifiers and neither nation had previously charted. international semifinal rounds, Italy was The Eurovision songs on this week’s declared the winner, represented by Måne- charts skewed overwhelmingly non-U.S. skin’s “.” in their sales and streams. Together, they The Italian ’s track makes its sec- averaged 97% of their streams and 94% of ond appearance on the global rankings, after their sales from outside the States, reflecting first reaching No. 106 on the Global Excl. a massive shift from this week’s overall aver- U.S. chart following Sanremo in March. This ages of 74% and 46%, respectively. week, it re-enters at No. 11, while debut- ing on the Global 200 at No. 26. It tops all Eurovision finalists in both streams (30.1 million, up 869%) and sales (10,600, up 2,942) worldwide in the week ending May 27, according to MRC Data. Måneskin brought home Italy’s first Euro- vision win since 1990, and the first win for a group in any country since 2006. Meanwhile, “Zitti E Buoni” debuts on two U.S.-based charts, marking Måneskin’s first ink on surveys based exclusively on Page 25 of 27

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Twenty One Pilots Olivia Rodrigo The Official U.K. Singles and Albums Scale to No. 1 on Eyes Another U.K. Charts are published late Friday, local time. Top Rock Albums Chart Double Blake Shelton’s

Chart With BY LARS BRANDLE ‘Body Language’

‘Scaled and Icy’ livia Rodrigo looks set to retain Has a Top 5 the U.K. albums chart crown BY BILLBOARD STAFF with Sour (Geffen), and hold Debut on the Top on for another chart double. wenty one pilots notch their OThough she does have competition. Country Albums third No. 1 on Billboard’s Top The 18-year-old U.S. artist claimed the Rock Albums and Alternative double last week as Sour opened at No. 1 on Chart Albums charts, as Scaled and the Official U.K. Albums Chart and “Good TIcy starts atop both lists dated June 5. 4 U” climbed to the summit of the national BY JIM ASKER Scaled and Icy arrives with 75,000 equiva- singles survey. lent album units earned in the May 21-27 At the halfway point in the chart cycle, lake Shelton earns his 17th top tracking week, according to MRC Data. Rodrigo has bragging rights. Sour is No. 1 10 on Billboard’s Top Country Of that sum, album sales comprise 51,000, on the Official Albums Chart Update with a Albums chart, all of which have while 24,000 are via streaming-equivalent market-leading stream count, while “Good started in the tier, as his 12th full- albums (SEA), with a nominal amount from 4 U” holds its lead on the midweek singles Blength, Body Language, debuts at No. 3. The track-equivalent albums (TEA). chart. set starts on the June 5-dated survey with The streaming count grants Scaled and The next-best-placed album belongs to 24,000 equivalent album units (15,000 in Icy the second-biggest-streaming week for a Leicester indie-pop outfit Easy Life, whose album sales), according to MRC Data. rock album on a chart dated in 2021, follow- debut Life’s A Beach (Island) is at No. 2 on The album follows Fully Loaded: God’s ing Elvis Presley’s The Classic Christmas the chart blast, and has notched the most Country, which became Shelton’s seventh Album (26,000 TEA, Jan. 2). It’s the best combined physical sales so far this week. Top Country Albums No. 1 upon its debut in week for a rock album in its debut frame Meanwhile, veteran Scottish rockers December 2019 (96,000 units). since Miley Cyrus’ Plastic Hearts (39,000, Texas are new at No. 3 with their 10th studio The new LP’s sophomore single, “Mini- Dec. 12). album Hi (BMG). The compilation was the mum Wage,” pushes 13-11 on the Country Scaled and Icy follows the No. 1 debuts most downloaded over the Bank Holiday Airplay chart (15 million airplay audience on Top Rock Albums and Alternative weekend, according to the Official Charts impressions, up less than 1%) and jumps 19- Albums for ’ Trench (2018) Company, and it’s on track to become Texas’ 12 on Hot Country Songs, logging 4.7 million and (2015). On the all-for- highest-charting release since The Greatest U.S. streams and 4,000 in sales. mat Billboard 200, Scaled and Icy opens at Hits reached No. 1 in 2000. Body Language lead single “Happy Any- No. 3, marking the duo’s third top three ti- Taylor Swift sweeps back into the mid- where,” featuring Gwen Stefani, led Country tle. Blurryface opened at No. 1 and Trench at week Top 10 with Evermore (EMI), which Airplay and hit No. 3 on Hot Country Songs its No. 2 peak. enjoys a spike following its release on vinyl. in December. Concurrently, all tracks on the new The former chart-leader returns at No. 4, DEFINITELY TOP 10: Jordan Davis album reach the Hot Rock & Alternative ahead of Scottish band Del Amitri’s Fatal nets his fourth career-opening Country Songs chart, led by first single “” Mistakes (Cooking Vinyl), their first album Airplay top 10 as “Almost Maybes” lifts 11-7 at No. 14 (after hitting No. 7). “Saturday,” in 19 years. Fatal Mistakes is at No. 5 on the (20.3 million, up 8%). His previous top 10, which was released in the week leading up midweek chart. “Slow Dance in a Parking Lot,” led last April, to the album’s May 21 arrival, follows at No. Further down the list, David Bow- becoming his first No. 1. 21. ie’s posthumous rarities release The Width SPECIAL ‘SATURDAY NIGHT’: Cole “Shy Away” spends its sixth week at No. of a Circle (No. 7 via ), Black Swindell nets his 10th Country Airplay top 1 on Alternative Airplay and the all-rock- Midi’s Cavalcade (No. 8 via Rough Trade), 10 as “” rises 12-10 (19 format, audience-based Rock & Alternative Bugzy Malone’s The Resurrection (No. 9 via million, up 12%). It’s his first top 10 since Airplay chart, while reaching a new No. 23 B Somebody), and Blackberry Smoke’s You “Love You Too Late,” which reigned in No- high on Adult Alternative Airplay. Hear Georgia (No. 10 via 3 Legged) are vember 2019, becoming his fifth leader. shooting for the top tier. Page 26 of 27

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Demi Lovato & Awards last month to perform a cover of the Kedrowski and Dawa Dorje Sherpa reached ’ “It’s a Sin,” a collaboration the top of the world, posing for snaps and Olly Alexander the pair released after to benefit the Elton remarking, “That’s what I call a sunrise.” John AIDS Foundation. Alexander an- Posner kept his followers updated on Join YouTube nounced in March that he would keep Years social media. “We are now back at camp 2 and Years going as a solo project after the but not out of the woods until we descend to Pride 2021 synthpop group started as a trio, releas- base camp tomorrow am. Please keep us in ing “Starstruck,” his first single as a one-man your prayers,” reads his most recent tweet. Livestream as band, in April. The trek was years in the planning, and YouTube Pride 2021 will be held on Fri- saw the Grammy-nominated singer devote Hosts day, June 25. JA Films producers created a much of 2020 to intensive high altitude Pride 2021 microsite asking content creators training in Colorado. BY HERAN MAMO to submit videos of themselves sharing their Posner is raising money via corporate stories and questions for the hosts with a sponsors and a GoFundMe page for The Lovato and Olly Alexan- chance to have their videos featured on the Detroit Justice Center (DJC), a non-profit der with Mawaan Rizwan will YouTube livestream. law firm working alongside communities to join previously announced YouTube is also launching a #GiveWith- create economic opportunities, transform hosts Trixie Mattel and Pride donation campaign with hopes to the justice system, and promote equitable DDaniel Howell for the YouTube Pride 2021 raise $500,000 for The Trevor Project. and just cities. livestream on June 25, Billboard can exclu- YouTube is matching donations made to the At the time of writing, Posner’s fundraiser sively reveal. campaign up to $250,000. If the campaign’s had raked in $223,619 of the $250,000 goal. The emcees will host the YouTube Origi- fundraising goal is met, YouTube creators Speaking ahead of his peak feat, Posner nals multi-hour livestream event celebrating will each release a zany challenge video, explained, “While my walk across America the LGBTQ+ community, including Pride including Patrick Starrr, Gigi Gorgeous, Elle was about me finding myself, I want my parties from their respective YouTube chan- of the Mills, The Fitness Marshall, Jackson climb to be about others.” He continued, nels. The festivities will include musical Bird, Alannized, Jessie Paege, KingOfReads, “Before my dad died (in 2017), he was a performances, challenges and more, during and Jade Fox. The video, which teases criminal defense attorney in Detroit for 40 which viewers will be encouraged to donate creators bleaching their hair, getting tattoos years. I’ve decided to dedicate my climb to to The Trevor Project, which provides crisis and re-creating viral dance challenges, will the Detroit Justice Center because they’re intervention and suicide prevention services air during YouTube Pride 2021. doing criminal justice reform work in my to LGBTQ+ youth, as well as the UK-based city that would make my dad beam with LGBTQ+ youth homelessness charity akt. joy.” The livestream’s special guests will It’s not the first time Posner has reached a include YouTube star Tyler Oakley, RuPaul’s summit. His 2016 hit “I Took a Pill In ” Drag Race season 8 runner-up Kim , All Scales Mount reached No. 1 on the Official U.K. Singles Stars winner Monét X Change, season 9 Chart, and stayed there four weeks. runner-up Peppermint and season 13 con- Everest for Last month, Posner released the new song testant Denali Foxx. “Jealousy” () a collabora- announced last month that Fundraising tion with , written alongside Mat they are non-binary and their pronouns are Musto and and produced by they/them. The “very personal” news came Mission RetroFuture. as part of Lovato’s new “4D With Demi Posner isn’t the only musician with a han- Lovato” podcast, in which the 28-year-old BY LARS BRANDLE kering for the Himalayas. In 2017, veteran singer explained, “Over the past year and British DJ Paul Oakenfold performed a a half I’ve been doing some healing and irst he took a pill in Ibiza. set at Everest’s Base Camp, about 17,600 self-reflective work. And through this work, Now Mike Posner has climbed feet above sea level. Oakenfold described his I’ve had the revelation that I identify as Mount Everest, for a good cause. one-off session as the “highest party in the nonbinary.” Alongside H.E.R. and Brandi The Detroit artist flexed his ad- world.” Carlile, Lovato paid tribute to Elton John by Fventurer skills by scaling the summit of the At its highest point, Mount Everest rises performing a medley of his biggest hits at world’s highest mountain, and, importantly, to an elevation of more than 29,000 feet. last week’s iHeartRadio Awards. making the return journey. Speaking of John, Olly Alexander teamed Early Tuesday (June 1), Posner and his up with the living legend at the 2021 Brit team mates Dawa Chirring Sherpa, Jon Page 27 of 27 LAST THIS ARTIST CERTIFICATION Title PEAK WKS. ON LAST THIS ARTIST CERTIFICATION Title PEAK WKS. ON WEEK WEEK IMPRINT/DISTRIBUTING LABEL POS. CHART WEEK WEEK IMPRINT/DISTRIBUTING LABEL POS. CHART HOT SHOT 1 #1 OLIVIA RODRIGO Sour DRAKE 5 Scorpion DEBUT 1 1 WK GEFFEN/IGA 1 1 49 51 YOUNG MONEY/CASH MONEY/REPUBLIC 1 152 1 J. COLE The Off-Season TRAVIS SCOTT 3 ASTROWORLD IN BRIEF 1 2 DREAMVILLE//INTERSCOPE/IGA 1 2 48 52 CACTUS JACK/GRAND HUSTLE/EPIC 1 147 3 TWENTY ONE PILOTS Scaled And Icy POST MALONE 3 beerbongs & bentleys NEW 3 /EMG 3 1 50 53 REPUBLIC 1 161

MORGAN WALLEN Dangerous: The ALAN JACKSON Where Have You Gone 4 4 BIG LOUD/REPUBLIC 1 20 9 54 ACR/EMI NASHVILLE/UMGN 9 2

MONEYBAGG YO A Gangsta’s Pain KENDRICK LAMAR 3 good kid, m.A.A.d city 3 5 CMG/N-LESS/INTERSCOPE/IGA 1 5 47 55 TOP DAWG/AFTERMATH/INTERSCOPE/IGA 2 448 32 6 GREATEST POOH SHIESTY Shiesty Season 3 16 51 56 JUICE WRLD Death Race For Love 1 116 GAINER 1017 GLOBAL/ATLANTIC/AG GRADE A/INTERSCOPE/IGA

15 5 DUA LIPA Future Nostalgia 53 BOB MARLEY AND THE WAILERS Legend: The Best Of... 7 WARNER 3 60 57 /ISLAND/UME 5 680

42 DUGG Free Dem Boyz THE WEEKND The Highlights NEW 8 4PF/CMG 8 1 55 58 XO/REPUBLIC 2 16 Sour’s 7 9 JUSTIN BIEBER Justice 1 10 58 59 TAYLOR SWIFT 2 Lover 1 92 RAYMOND BRAUN/DEF JAM REPUBLIC Sweet 10 10 POP SMOKE Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon 1 47 56 60 CHRIS STAPLETON 4 Traveller 1 298 VICTOR VICTOR WORLDWIDE/REPUBLIC MERCURY NASHVILLE/UMGN Start 11 11 LUKE COMBS 2 What You See Is What You Get 1 81 59 61 LIL UZI VERT Eternal Atake 1 64 RIVER HOUSE/COLUMBIA NASHVILLE/SMN GENERATION NOW/ATLANTIC/AG Olivia Rodrigo’s debut THE WEEKND 2 After Hours CHRIS STAPLETON Starting Over album, Sour, captures 12 12 XO/REPUBLIC 1 58 54 62 MERCURY NASHVILLE/UMGN 3 28 the biggest week of NEW 13 P!NK All I Know So Far: Setlist 13 1 63 63 POST MALONE 3 Stoney 4 233 RCA REPUBLIC 2021. It arrives at No. 1 DJ KHALED Khaled Khaled JACK HARLOW Thats What They All Say 8 14 WE THE BEST/EPIC 1 4 60 64 GENERATION NOW/ATLANTIC/AG 5 24 on the Billboard 200

15 with 295,000 equivalent 13 15 ROD WAVE SoulFly 1 9 57 65 JOURNEY Journey’s Greatest Hits 10 670 ALAMO/GEFFEN/IGA COLUMBIA/LEGACY album units earned in 2 NICKI MINAJ Beam Me Up Scotty ROD WAVE Pray 4 Love 2 16 YOUNG MONEY/CASH MONEY/REPUBLIC 2 2 62 66 ALAMO/IGA 2 60 the United States in the BILLBOARD 200 BILLBOARD 25 week ending May 27, 15 17 LIL BABY 3 My Turn 1 65 64 67 AC/DC 4 465 QUALITY CONTROL/MOTOWN/CAPITOL COLUMBIA/LEGACY according to MRC Data. BLAKE SHELTON Body Language Dreamland NEW 18 WARNER MUSIC NASHVILLE/WMN 18 1 76 68 WOLF TONE/POLYDOR/REPUBLIC 7 29 It surpasses the year’s previous high, when Tay- 14 19 & VARIOUS ARTISTS Young Stoner Life: Slime Language 2 1 6 66 69 DABABY BLAME IT ON BABY 1 58 YOUNG STONER LIFE/300/AG SOUTHCOAST/INTERSCOPE/IGA lor Swift’s Fearless (Tay- 17 20 JUICE WRLD Legends Never Die 1 46 161 70 PACE BTS BE 1 27 GRADE A/INTERSCOPE/IGA SETTER BIGHIT ENTERTAINMENT lor’s Version) debuted at 33 No. 1 with 291,000 units 19 21 POST MALONE Hollywood’s Bleeding 1 90 85 71 Thriller 1 472 REPUBLIC EPIC/LEGACY on the April 24 chart. 21 22 QUEEN 5 Greatest Hits 67 SAM HUNT SOUTHSIDE 21 22 HOLLYWOOD 8 440 67 72 MCA NASHVILLE/UMGN 5 56 Sour nabs the largest week for an act’s debut NEW 23 Long Lost 23 1 65 73 GUNS N’ ROSES 5 Greatest Hits 3 531 WHISPERING PINES/REPUBLIC GEFFEN/UME charting album since 20 24 THE KID LAROI F*ck Love 3 44 61 74 TAYLOR SWIFT Evermore 1 24 JUN. COLUMBIA REPUBLIC the Billboard 200 2 switched from an album 26 25 HARRY STYLES Fine Line 1 76 74 75 SUMMER WALKER Over It 2 86 5 ERSKINE/COLUMBIA LVRN/INTERSCOPE/IGA sales-only ranking to a 2021 POLO G The GOAT 76 BTS MAP OF THE SOUL : 7 24 26 COLUMBIA 2 54 123 76 BIGHIT ENTERTAINMENT 1 66 units-based list (with the chart dated Dec. 13, 22 27 LIL TJAY Destined 2 Win 5 8 70 77 LEWIS CAPALDI Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent 20 106 COLUMBIA VERTIGO/CAPITOL 2014). It beats Cardi B’s MACHINE GUN KELLY BRUNO MARS 6 Doo-Wops & Hooligans 27 28 EST19XX/BAD BOY/INTERSCOPE/IGA 1 35 68 78 /EMG 3 521 debut studio set (and

ARIANA GRANDE Positions YOUNGBOY NEVER BROKE AGAIN Top first entry), Invasion of 23 29 1 30 79 79 NEVER BROKE AGAIN/ARTIST PARTNER GROUP/ATLANTIC/AG 1 37 REPUBLIC Privacy, which opened 10 29 30 JUICE WRLD Goodbye & Good Riddance 72 2PAC Greatest Hits 30 GRADE A/INTERSCOPE/IGA 4 158 80 AMARU/DEATH ROW/INTERSCOPE/UME 3 372 at No. 1 on April 21, 2018, 31 LUKE COMBS 3 This One’s For You SZA 2 Ctrl with 255,000 units. 31 31 RIVER HOUSE/COLUMBIA NASHVILLE/SMN 4 208 69 81 TOP DAWG/RCA 3 207 Of Sour’s 295,000 33 32 MEGAN THEE STALLION Good News 82 RODDY RICCH 2 Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial 33 32 1501 CERTIFIED/300/AG 2 27 83 82 BIRD VISION/ATLANTIC/AG 1 77 units, 218,000 are

LIL DURK SELENA Ones streaming-equivalent 30 33 ALAMO/GEFFEN/IGA 2 23 52 83 CAPITOL LATIN/UMLE 42 18 units — equaling 28 34 GIVEON When It’s All Said And Done... Take Time 5 11 75 84 4 ÷ (Divide) 1 221 NOT SO FAST/EPIC ATLANTIC/AG 300.73 million on-

12 36 BAD BUNNY El Ultimo Tour del Mundo 81 TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS Greatest Hits demand streams of the 35 RIMAS 1 26 85 MCA/GEFFEN/UME 2 411 album’s tracks. That’s 20 34 36 FLEETWOOD MAC Rumours 1 426 NEW 86 JORDAN DAVIS Buy Dirt (EP) 86 1 WARNER/RHINO MCA NASHVILLE/UMGN the second-largest BILLIE EILISH 3 When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? 80 FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE Life Rolls On streaming week for a 37 37 DARKROOM/INTERSCOPE/IGA 1 113 80 87 BMLG 21 15 non-R&B/hip-hop title 40 38 BAD BUNNY YHLQMDLG 2 65 NEW 88 YG & MOZZY Kommunity Service 88 1 RIMAS MOZZY/4HUNNID/EMPIRE and second-biggest for 42 39 MORGAN WALLEN If I Know Me BILLIE EILISH Dont Smile At Me an album by a woman 42 39 BIG LOUD 10 139 77 89 DARKROOM/INTERSCOPE/IGA 14 179 in any genre (trailing 38 40 ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST 7 : An American Musical 2 296 71 90 GABBY BARRETT Goldmine 27 49 HAMILTON UPTOWN/ATLANTIC/AG WARNER MUSIC NASHVILLE/WMN ’s thank u, 73 41 Music To Be Murdered By 91 DRAKE 6 Take Care next in both categories, 73 41 SHADY/AFTERMATH/INTERSCOPE/IGA 1 70 86 91 YOUNG MONEY/CASH MONEY/REPUBLIC 1 430 with 307.07 million, on NEW 42 WATERPARKS Greatest Hits 42 1 87 92 FUTURE & LIL UZI VERT Pluto x Baby Pluto 2 28 300/AG FREEBANDZ/EPIC/GENERATION NOW/ATLANTIC/AG the chart dated Feb. 23, DOJA CAT Hot Pink 90 93 THE WEEKND 3 Starboy 2019). —KEITH CAULFIELD 41 43 KEMOSABE/RCA 9 82 90 93 XO/REPUBLIC 1 224

10 45 44 CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL Chronicle The 20 Greatest Hits 91 94 LIL UZI VERT Luv Is Rage 2 44 FANTASY/CONCORD 18 525 94 GENERATION NOW/ATLANTIC/AG 1 196

TAYLOR SWIFT Fearless (Taylor’s Version) KENDRICK LAMAR 3 DAMN. 35 45 REPUBLIC 1 7 84 95 TOP DAWG/AFTERMATH/INTERSCOPE/IGA 1 215

EMINEM 7 Curtain Call: The Hits 89 Greatest Hits So Far... 44 46 SHADY/AFTERMATH/INTERSCOPE/IGA 1 530 89 96 HOME GROWN/BMG 20 306

NIPSEY HUSSLE Victory Lap Born Here Live Here Die Here RE 47 ALL MONEY IN NO MONEY OUT/ATLANTIC/AG 2 99 82 97 CAPITOL NASHVILLE/UMGN 5 31 THE BILLBOARD 200 CHART RANKS THE MOST POPULAR ALBUMS OF THE WEEK, AS COMPILED BY MRC DATA, BASED ON MULTIMETRIC CONSUMPTION (BLENDING TRADITIONAL ALBUM SALES, TRACK EQUIVALENT ALBUMS AND STREAMING EQUIVALENT ALBUMS).

39 J. COLE 3 2014 Forest Hills Drive 97 98 GEORGE STRAIT 7 50 Number Ones 39 48 DREAMVILLE/ROC NATION/COLUMBIA/LEGACY 1 338 97 98 MCA NASHVILLE/UMGN 1 179

46 ELTON JOHN Diamonds 99 THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G. Greatest Hits 46 49 ROCKET/ISLAND/UME 7 185 96 99 BAD BOY/RHINO 1 276

43 TAYLOR SWIFT Folklore 100 DRAKE 6 Views 43 50 REPUBLIC 1 44 103 100 YOUNG MONEY/CASH MONEY/REPUBLIC 1 263 SALES DATA COMPILEDBY

CLICK HERE FOR THE ENTIRE BILLBOARD 200 10 GO TO BILLBOARD.COM FOR COMPLETECHART. CHART DATA DATA FOR WEEK OF 06.05.2021

8chart_bb200 [P]_29051079.indd 10 CHART CONFIRMER 6/1/21 3:13 PM