Innholdsfortegnelse for Nov-22-14 i Billboard Magazine

ARIANA GRANDE AND The Weeknd rocket into the Billboard Hot 100 top 10 as “Love Me Harder” leaps from No. 24 to No. 7. The catalyst for the climb? The song’s official video debuted Nov. 3. With streams accounting for 55 percent of its Hot 100 points, the duet jumps 25-4 on Streaming Songs (7.6 million U.S. streams, up 109 percent, according to Nielsen BDS). It also soars 36-18 on Digital Songs (56,000 downloads sold, up 65 percent, according to Nielsen SoundScan) and 28-19 on Radio Songs (51 million in audience, up 19 percent). While “Harder” marks The Weeknd’s first Hot 100 top 10, it’s Grande’s fifth — and her fourth of 2014, the most of any act this year (she passes Iggy Azalea, who has tallied three). “Harder” follows…

Was it a long-term assessment of its workforce, a cost-cutting move or the act of one new hire that called for a round of layoffs at Capitol Music Group on Nov. 6? Those were the questions buzzing through the halls of CMG’s Hollywood tower as a dozen staffers received their walking papers. Among those let go were six publicists including Blue Note’s J.R. Rich, a 28-year company veteran, and Capitol’s Heidi Anne-Noel, who represented Katy Perry. Imprints Harvest and Astralwerks were also affected, along with finance, sales and international. The Universal Music Group company declined to speak about the departures, only saying it was part of a larger “restructuring.” One source backs up the assertion, pointing to chairman Steve Barnett’s constant evaluation of lesser-performing units employing costly executive talent. Chief…

‘It’s About Wowing The Fans’ 5 industry rainmakers, all attending Billboard’s Touring Conference Nov. 19-20, talk shop “The biggest challenge is saturation. Ticket prices are climbing, and I’m not sure the fan base for live music will continue to grow at the same pace. The Internet made it a lot easier to hear about music, so a lot more people were interested in going to shows. We’re not going to have another technological shift that does that.”—Tom Windish, president, The Windish Agency “We are continually working against scalpers. We spend a lot of time purging lists of the same names and the same credit card numbers. It’s a constant battle of man against bots. Do we win every time? No, but we are making it hard on the scalper.”—Clarence Spalding,…

FOR MARTIN KIERSZENBAUM — Cherrytree Records founder, Interscope senior A&R executive, songwriter-musician-producer and father of four — there is little separation between work and home life. “My wife [Heather, whom he met at a Monster Magnet/Danzig show when they both worked at A&M Records in the early 1990s] and kids are all piano players, and my son’s a producer, my daughter’s a singer-songwriter,” he says. “I bring them to shows. At the dinner table, we’ll be discussing a tour or a remix.” That passion for music has been a constant for the 47-year-old multi-instrumentalist throughout his career, which started in the mailroom at PolyGram Music Group in 1989. In the 25 years that followed, he has played a key role in such mega-selling acts as Lady Gaga (Cherrytree released her…

Mark Mothersbaugh, the veteran film/TV composer and Devo co-founder, is onboard to score directing team Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s new Fox TV venture, the Will Forte-starrer Last Man on Earth. The comedy is slated to debut in spring 2015. Lord and Miller are the directing team behind such films as The Lego Movie, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, 21 Jump Street and its sequel, 22 Jump Street, all of which Mothersbaugh scored. This, however, is the collaborators’ first foray into TV together, Mothersbaugh announced Nov. 5 at the Billboard/Hollywood Reporter Film & TV Music Conference in Universal City. The 64-year-old Mothersbaugh said he has built several new musical instruments with the project in mind, including one that incorporates around 55 different bird calls and another called The General,…

The Battle Creek, Mich., native, 31, brought a “Detroit country” vibe to the rising-hit title track from his Warner Music Nashville LP Sunshine & Whiskey (No. 2 on the Nov. 22 Country Airplay chart), so it’s no surprise that the music of his early years was his biggest inspiration. John Mellencamp, “Jack & Diane” “Battle Creek had a balloon festival on the 4th of July and they would always play ‘Jack & Diane.’ When I hear it, I get snapped back to 12 years old, feeling like I could take over the world.” Kid Rock, “Cowboy” “Even though it’s a lot more rock’n’roll, it has that same groove as ‘Sunshine & Whiskey.’ The first time I heard it I was like, ‘This is going to be a huge hit. ‘I…

The rise to pop stardom can be a rough business — just ask Justin Bieber or Britney Spears. English actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw captures that fraught journey convincingly in buzzed-about film Beyond the Lights (in theaters Nov. 14 through Relativity Media). The 31-yearold portrays Noni, a singer (based loosely on Rihanna and other stars) who attempts suicide after being forced into a highly sexual persona by a domineering mom-ager (Minnie Driver) and record executives. With guidance from director Gina Prince-Bythewood, Mbatha-Raw immersed herself in music, recording songs written by The Dream for the film, acting alongside rapper Machine Gun Kelly and soaking up intense dance training from choreographer Laurieann Gibson (Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj). Who inspired you in building your character? I developed Noni with Gina for two years — she…

FROM “YOU GIVE GOOD LOVE” TO “I WILL Always Love You,” Whitney Houston’s studio recordings are legendary. But her first-ever live album, Whitney Houston Live: Her Greatest Performances (released as a CD and CD/DVD on Nov. 10 via Legacy) proves that the late pop superstar — who died in 2012 at age 48 in a bathtub drowning as a result of cocaine use and heart disease — was an equally transcendent live performer. Her mentor, Sony chief creative officer Clive Davis, who produced the LP; her longtime musical director, Rickey Minor; and her sister-in-law Pat Houston (president of the Whitney Houston Estate) give exclusive details regarding the album’s highlights. “HOME,”THE MERV GRIFFIN SHOW, JUNE 23, 1983 “It was two weeks after I signed her,” recalls Davis, 82, of the singer’s…

WHEN HE ISN’T ONSTAGE rocking out in spandex bodysuits with band Hunx & His Punx, Seth Bogart is dreaming up the colorfully eccentric, pop artmeets-pop culture designs that fill Wacky Wacko, his newly opened Los Angeles boutique. Like something out of a John Waters movie, the space and the apparel are covered with kitschy motifs (like tampon collages and caricatures of such artists as Madonna, Joe Jonas, Courtney Love and Freddie Mercury) and cheeky slogans (see: “PMS: Putting Up With Men’s Shit”) that stars including Miley Cyrus and indie it” girls like Tavi Gevinson wear. “People in bands like wearing [the shirts with Seth’s favorite musicians on them] because it reminds us of our community. It’s a way of paying homage to those who paved the way,” says Le Tigre’s…

$750M in concert revenue since 1995, making Chesney the top country-music touring artist and the eighth-biggest of all acts. 13M tickets sold since 1995. Chesney maintains an 11-year streak of drawing at least 1 million concertgoers per tour. $96.5M in box office for Chesney’s highest-grossing tour, 2012’s Brothers of the Sun, with co-headliner Tim McGraw. $5.5M is his highest single-show gross, at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on June 16, 2012 during the Brothers of the Sun Tour. 110K tickets sold in 12 minutes for two shows on The Big Revival Tour at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., in August 2015.…

LIONEL RICHIE SPLAYS HIS BODY OVER AN ARMCHAIR in his palatial Beverly Hills mansion, with a scarf wrapped around his neck and The Police playing on the sound system.“I don’t need five or six homes,” he says. “I just need one good one.” In fact, Richie, 65, owns two — the other is in his hometown of Tuskegee, Ala. He grew up with his father, who served in the military, and mother, an English teacher, in a house on the campus of Tuskegee University. Tuskegee was also where he majored in economics and joined The Commodores, who debuted at a college talent show in 1968 and went on to be a leading funk band of the ’70s with hits including “Brick House.” The group also showcased Richie’s gift for ballads…

HEY WERE JUST SONGS WE HAD DONE for the publishing company,” Bob Dylan once said of the music he recorded with The Band (some of it in his living room, some of it in their basement) over six months in 1967. Whatever else those sessions might have been — an exploration of the bent history of American song; a way of recovering from injuries both psychic and physical sustained while speeding his way through the first seven years of the 1960s; a way to kill time as the grass grew in the Catskills —The Basement Tapes were just that. Dylan was off the road for nearly eight years from May 1966 to January 1974; songs would have been his main source of income. During much of that time, he struggled…

Nice guys finish last, as they say, and Big K.R.I.T. wants to win. The Mississippi rapper-producer, 28, has released several excellent mixtapes and a solid debut LP, 2012’s Live From the Underground, but has yet to garner commercial success to match his critical raves. For his second album, Cadillactica (released Nov. 10 on Def Jam), he not only stepped up his production with such A-listers as Alex Da Kid and Rico Love, but he got a confidence boost: One of the standout tracks is brashly titled “King of the South.” Unlike your past work, Cadillactica has very few samples. Was that a creative decision or a business-driven one? Both. But it was more about being able to finish the album and not having to take anything away. Some of the…

Avoiding the behind-thescenes conventions of a concert film, Florian Habicht’s Pulp examines Jarvis Cocker’s beloved alt-rock band through the lens of its fans and the milieu of the city that spawned it, Sheffield, England. Habicht doesn’t forgo clean composition or striking visuals — and Cocker peppers the documentary with the shy witticisms fans have come to expect — but the real stars here are the people of Sheffield. Habicht’s camera takes a warm look at the working-class city’s grounded inhabitants, who universally welcome their native sons (and daughter, keyboardist Candida Doyle) back for a redo farewell concert. In doing so, it sneaks subtle insights into the inspirations behind Pulp’s kitchen-sink ethos, which inspired such hits as “Common People” and “Help the Aged.” Although Pulp’s appeal never translated across the Atlantic…

AFTER FIVE DECADES OF DELIVERING FUNK, POP AND SOUL, KOOL & THE GANG ARE AS HOT AS EVER AS A CONCERT DRAW THE CAPACITY CROWD AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL just rose to its feet for the umpteenth time — this go-round to the siren rhythms of “Celebration.” Kool & The Gang, well into an opening set for Gladys Knight, show no sign of slowing down as the band’s namesake, bassist Robert “Kool” Bell, continues to amp up the fervor. “The party is just getting started!” If you didn’t know better, you’d swear it was 1980, the year “Celebration” reigned at No. 1 on the Billboard R&B and pop charts for six weeks and two weeks, respectively. Remarkably, it’s 34 years later — and Kool & The Gang are celebrating their…

NUMBERS: MAROON 5’S ‘ANIMALS’ ROARS The band’s bloody music video for “Animals” may have given the song its initial buzz, but the track is now becoming a hit on its own, scaling to a new peak (No. 3) on the Billboard Hot 100. It’s the second top 10 from the band’s August release V, following “Maps” (No. 6). 921 k “Animals” has sold 921,000 downloads through Nov. 9, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It should cross the million mark in the week ending Nov. 16, making it the second song from V to sell a million copies (following “Maps,” which has 1.6 million). 48M The music video for “Animals,” which features frontman Adam Levine and his wife Behati Prinsloo showering naked in what appears to be blood, has earned 48.3 million…

Mr. Probz Rides ‘Waves’ Dennis Princewell Stehr — aka Mr. Probz (above) — crashes the Billboard Artist 100’s top 40 (moving 43-37) with his breakout hit, Waves.” The Dutch pop/dance singer-songwriter gains by 8 percent in overall chart points, with airplay and digital sales for “Waves” roughly even in driving the song’s success. The track reaches the Radio Songs top 10 (15-10) with a 16 percent increase to 65 million in all-format listenership, according to Nielsen BDS. On Digital Songs, “Waves” swells 26-25 with a 15 percent gain to 51,000 downloads sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The track should maintain momentum: a new remix by Robin Schulz, featuring Chris Brown and T.I., was released for digital purchase on Nov. 11. Meanwhile, Taylor Swift becomes the first act to lead the…

Triumphant Return For Rihanna Badgalriri, the handle that Rihanna (above) uses on Instagram, has been absent from the Facebook-owned photo-sharing platform all summer, since it was deactivated in May. While no official explanation was offered, some say it was because of posts containing risque images from her Lui magazine cover shoot. Either way, Badgalriri reappeared on Instagram on Nov. 2, spurring a No. 2 re-entry on the Social 50 after a five-month absence from the chart’s top 10. The return to the chart also elevates her on the Billboard Artist 100 (see page 98), where she flies 100-44. Rihanna’s Instagram is one of her primary drivers of activity on the Social 50, where she has spent 21 weeks at No. 1 since the chart’s launch in 2012. This explains why…

New Drive Music Debuts Bring Me the Horizon notches its highest debut on Hot Rock Songs (No. 11) with “Drown,” a track recorded specifically for a new, re-imagined soundtrack for the 2011 .lm Drive (starring Ryan Gosling). The project was curated by BBC Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe, who assembled a variety of acts including The 1975, Banks and The Neighbourhood to contribute original songs to the new soundtrack. “Drown” premiered on BBC Radio 1 on Oct. 21 and the movie was broadcast in full with the new soundtrack on BBC 3 on Oct. 30. The British heavy metal band released the pop-punk-leaning song for sale on Nov. 3. More than 20,000 U.S. downloads sold in the week ending Nov. 9 (according to Nielsen SoundScan) account for 59 percent of…

Rosa Returns As the 15th annual Latin Grammy Awards, broadcast on Univision, approach (Nov. 22), 2013’s album of the year winner (for Vida) Draco Rosa (above) returns to Latin Airplay with a track from that award-winning set. “Amantes Hasta el Fin” (featuring Ednita Nazario) is Rosa’s first charting song at No. 44 (see Billboard.com/biz) since fellow album track “Mas y Mas” (featuring Ricky Martin) peaked at No. 28 in May 2013. “Amantes” is powered solely by plays at two stations in Puerto Rico: WKAQ and WRXD, both in San Juan. “Amantes” rises to 3.2 million audience impressions (a 7 percent jump, according to Nielsen BDS). Meanwhile, on Latin Pop Airplay, Juan Luis Guerra steps 2-1 with “Tus Besos,” logging his fourth chart-topping track (up 8 percent in plays). On the…

Stones Throw To Oz The Rolling Stones (above) are back on the road with their first 14 on Fire tour dates since July, kicking off the trek’s final leg in Australia and New Zealand with sold-out performances in three cities. The Oceania run was originally planned for March and April, but dates were postponed until October and November following the death of Mick Jagger’s partner, L’Wren Scott, on March 17. The first Aussie concert was a stadium show in Adelaide on Oct. 25 with 52,910 fans in attendance at football venue the Adelaide Oval. With ticket sales topping $8.9 million, the concert is No. 2 on the chart, second only to the band’s top grosser, a two-night engagement in Perth. Ticket sales at the Perth Arena totaled $9.8 million from…

AFTER A YEAR OF RUMORS, FALSE starts and belabored label negotiations, YouTube’s streaming subscription service, Music Key, will arrive Nov. 17 through invite-only beta in the United States and select European territories. With agreements from all three major labels and the bulk of the indies, a $9.99 monthly price tag ($7.99 for initial invites) for an ad-free subscription and offline functionality , Music Key is Google’s bid to put a video spin — with the mood-based playlists of Songza, which it acquired in July — on a streaming-music market dominated by audio-only players like Spotify and SoundCloud. “The goal is more ways to play music on YouTube, giving artists more ways to reach fans and make money,” YouTube spokesman Matt McLernon tells Billboard. But with music videos estimated by IFPI…

DID COMBATIVE NEW York rapper Azealia Banks “pull a Beyoncé” when she released her long-delayed debut album, Broke With Expensive Taste, on Nov. 6 with no prior setup? Not exactly. Where Beyoncé’s midnight surprise in the iTunes Store was the result of a meticulously secretive and well-plotted campaign, Banks’ was just the opposite: It was the culmination of two-plus years of nasty Twitter battles, public spats with former label Interscope and multiple management changes. In July, the 23-year-old walked away from a lucrative deal with the house that Jimmy Iovine built, retaining the rights to her music. Two months later, she found a partnership with Jeff Kwatinetz’s Prospect Park, whose management company and label are handling the release, with distribution through Caroline and Capitol Music Group. “We thought the best…

THE WINNERS OF THE 11TH ANNUAL Billboard Touring Awards will be announced Nov. 20 at the Edison Ballroom in New York. These are the finalists vying in some of the marquee categories. TOP PACKAGE AWARD The package category awards the highest-grossing tour with three or more acts on the bill. This year, Katy Perry’s Prismatic World Tour — which included support from Capital Cities, Kacey Musgraves and Tegan & Sara — is up against two popular country packages: Luke Bryan featuring Lee Brice and Cole Swindell, and Jason Aldean featuring Florida Georgia Line and Tyler Farr. Perry’s tour sold nearly 850,000 tickets while each of the country outings moved more than 1 million. TOP BOXSCORE AWARD Billboard’s revenue index recognizes the highest-grossing single live engagement for the year, and Japan’s…

RECORD OF THE YEAR Who Should Win? Enrique Iglesias’ “Bailando.” The Spanglish earworm was the (rare) crossover success. Who Will Win Iglesias, whose collaborators Descemer Bueno and Gente D’Zona broaden his appeal. ALBUM OF THE YEAR Who Should Win? Carlos Vives. He lost in 2013 with comeback album Corazon Profundo. Its follow-up deserves better. Who Will Win Rap duo Calle 13, whose nine nominations should clinch this key win. SONG OF THE YEAR Who Should Win? “Decidiste Dejarme” by Camila, a power ballad that went to No. 1. Who Will Win Prince Royce’s “Darte un Beso” boasts songwriters with clout.…

“TONIGHT, I AM YOUR ROYAL MAJESTY, THE QUEEN OF SCOTS,” said Nicki Minaj, host of MTV’s 20th annual Europe Music Awards, at Glasgow’s SSE Hydro Arena. True to her word, Minaj lived up to her royal billing. In addition to a succession of 10 asset-hugging costumes designed by the likes of Saint Laurent, Roberto Cavalli and Gareth Pugh, the rapper won best hip-hop artist and delivered one of the night’s best live performances, which included the debut of her new Skylar Grey collaboration, “Bed of Lies.” Artists U2, Alicia Keys and Ed Sheeran dazzled with stripped-down sets while Ariana Grande and Charli XCX aimed for the ceiling (literally) in a safety-belt-rigged, glass-encased bubble chair that lifted them over the audience. Before joining Myles Kennedy and Simon Neil for the evening’s…

CARLOS SANTANA’S JUSTpublished memoir The Universal Tone (Nov. 4; Little, Brown and Company) may be subtitled Bringing My Story to Light, but it’s hardly light reading. Besides detailed memories of his upbringing and musical achievements, the 544-page book also dives unapologetically deep into the guitar legend’s philosophies and spirituality. Santana, 67, has learned countless life lessons, he says — including these five, in his words. 1 There’s Santana, and there’s Carlos. “I don’t want to be attached to this figure thing called Santana. I like Carlos. Sometimes it’s hard to distinguish between the performer and the person. I want to be like Harry Belafonte or Wayne Shorter or [John] Coltrane and be a person who is nice to be around.” 2 Negativity? No thanks. “I take special joy in dismantling…

WHAT WOULD A HIP-HOP PIZZERIA look like? From the outside, Williamsburg’s Best Pizza is indistinguishable from any other Brooklyn dollar-slice joint, but chef-owner Frank Pinello’s acclaimed pies and an earsplitting hip-hop playlist that includes The Notorious B.I.G., Nas and Wu-Tang Clan are making it a must-go for rap luminaries from Odd Future to Action Bronson. When Best opened in 2009, its foodie cred is what garnered notice: Pinello, 32, is an alum of Bushwick pizza mecca Roberta’s (where the Clintons have been seen dining) and the nowshuttered Pulino’s Bar & Pizzeria; his partners at Best are the owners of the former. Raves from food blogs, Bon Appetit and The New York Times followed. But Best hasn’t only drawn the expected foodies and area hipsters. Music-biz notables including Epic chairman/CEO Antonio…

“I’d never condone Nazism in my art.” —NICKI MINAJ The rapper, apologizing on Twitter after the Anti-Defamation League said that the new lyric video for “Only” “disturbingly evokes Third Reich propaganda.” “Sometimes a frustrated jazz musician winds up in another field and it works out well.” —BILL CLINTON The former president (and sax player), at a Los Angeles concert honoring his love of jazz that featured Pharrell Williams, John Mayer, Herbie Hancock and others. “The only thing that guns do is make the gun manufacturers rich and the mortuaries richer.” —STEVIE WONDER The music legend, during his Madison Square Garden concert, after announcing that the family of a child killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting was in the audience. “We got people who were uninterested in U2 to…

People see Instagram and think, ‘Oh, that’s what he’s doing: He’s into white models and fashion shows, and he’s getting so much pussy.’ But that’s not my life,” says Theophilus London, 27. Well, it is a little bit. Since the Trinidadian-born, Brooklyn-raised rapper bounded onto the scene in 2010, his urban-meets-couture style has been embraced by the fashion world. He sits front row at Chanel shows, appears in the pages of Vogue and has collaborated with Cole Haan, Del Toro, Surface to Air and, as of this month, streetwear brand Stussy. But the noise of New York’s scene (“I got into women, drugs, too much partying”) inspired a cross-country move to a four-bedroom Beachwood Canyon rental home in Hollywood (it was built in 1923 and previously owned by Humphrey Bogart)…

None of the country newcomers on the scene when Chesney released his ’94 debut, In My Wildest Dreams, have matched the 28.8 million albums he has sold since 1991 (according to Nielsen SoundScan) or the $750 million in touring revenue he has earned since 1995. But they haven’t done badly for themselves. TIM McGRAW No other artist has been as closely associated with Chesney, who supported McGraw on a 2001 tour and reteamed with him in 2012 on the Brothers of the Sun double bill. While Chesney overtook him at the box office, McGraw, 47, remains one of country’s top acts. He has grossed $527 million as a headliner since 1994; released 13 albums, including this year’s Sundown Heaven Town; and sold 42 million total album units. FAITH HILL Hill,…

BONNAROO X 2014 After a cameo during Kenny Rogers’ Bonnaroo set in 2012, Richie returned with his own headlining spot at the Manchester, Tenn., festival on June 14. After running through a career-spanning show, he told the crowd: “Some of you were here from the beginning. The other group, they say these words: ‘My mama, my daddy, my brother, my sister played your records.’ ” LONDON X 2013 Richie was paid $250,000 to sing for Prince Azim, the Sultan of Brunei’s son, at his annual New Year’s Eve bash, held at the Dorchester in Mayfair. Azim also secured appearances by Lindsay Lohan and Pamela Anderson at the lavish event. LIBYA X 2006 Marking the 20th anniversary of the U.S. bombing raids on Tripoli and Benghazi ordered by President Ronald Reagan…

SINCE HIS 2011 DEBUT, PABLO ALBORAN has been Spain’s top-selling act and hailed as the new voice of Spanish pop: a singersongwriter with soul, well-crafted lyrics and often sophisticated arrangements. On Terral, the 25-year-old’s first album for Warner since the EMI buyout, it’s clear his three-year run is no fluke. Alboran still has a knack for rattling off memorable melodies set to acoustic arrangements with influences spanning classical to jazz. But, as with Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith, it’s really all about the voice: sultry and cajoling without ever feeling saccharine, and imbued with just the right amount of fl amenco infl ection to impart a classic “Made in Spain” feel. Underneath those tender vocals, however, Alboran excels in smart song structure. Like Alejandro Sanz, he likes to meander and…

SINCE THEY BOUNDED ONTO THE POP scene with their double-platinum debut, Up All Night, in 2012 (2011 in the United Kingdom), the members of One Direction have barely stopped to catch their breath, as if they have been watching the clock ticking on their boy-band shelf life the entire time. Capitalizing on its window of opportunity, 1D has cranked out its fourth album in three years. The not-so-creatively titled Four finds the British quintet experiencing some growing pains as they attempt to evolve from boys to men — and wind up caught in limbo. It’s a tricky transition that New Kids on the Block, Backstreet Boys and others never successfully navigated. Welcome to 1D’s awkward phase. Four tempers bursts of youthful exuberance in the vein of “Live While We’re Young”…

ARIA NOMINEES SEEK TO FOLLOW STARDOM PATH OF 5 SECONDS OF SUMMER AND IGGY AZALEA AUSTRALIA IS ENJOYING A GOLDEN year for music, thanks to the global success of native acts like Iggy Azalea, 5 Seconds of Summer, Sia, Flume and Vance Joy, each of whom has scored on the Billboard charts. On the Australian Recording Industry Association’s charts, 11 albums and four singles by Aussie artists have hit No. 1. Justice Crew’s “Que Sera” held the top of the singles chart for a record nine weeks. Who will be Australia’s next breakthrough international star? At the ARIA Awards taking place Nov. 26 in Sydney, five CDs have been nominated for album for the year: Sia’s latest, and four others by Australian acts worth watching. Chet Faker, Built On Glass…

DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. had been assassinated a year earlier, Cleveland Brown remembers, and in the African-American community of Rochester, N.Y., where he grew up, “it was a difficult time.” Brown, like many, turned to music for solace. He loved an instrumental track played by a local DJ at WHAM-AM Rochester and learned that it came from a new group out of New Jersey named Kool & The Gang. In the winter of 1969, the year the band released its debut album, Brown heard that Kool & The Gang would open for Nina Simone in concert at the University of Rochester. He knew he had to be there. He was 12 years old. The band members themselves were barely out of their teens. “They were kids,” recalls Brown, now…

RASKINS HIT ‘RADIO’ The Raskins (twin brothers Logan and Roger Raskin) were raised in New York by musical parents: father Tommy, a lead in numerous Broadway shows, and mother Judith, a jazz singer. Finding their own way with melodic rock, the brothers are bubbling under Adult Top 40 with the aptly titled “On the Radio” (Miral/Brody). The duo has been opening for Alice Cooper and Motley Crue since July. MISTERWIVES MAKE WAVES New York pop-rock trio MisterWives cracks Alternative with its first airplay chart hit, “Reflections.” The song, first released in January on an EP of the same name, bows at No. 40 (up 53 percent in plays, according to Nielsen BDS), after peaking at No. 1 on the Billboard + Twitter Emerging Artists chart (Oct. 18). The group is…

Swift Sizzles In Second Week The blockbuster 1989 from Taylor Swift (above) spends a second week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The set sold 402,000 copies in the week ending Nov. 9, according to Nielsen SoundScan — down 69 percent compared with its bow of 1.28 million. Swift crowns Billboard’s three biggest charts for a second week: the Billboard 200, the Hot 100 and the Artist 100. She’s the first act to lead all three charts concurrently. (The Artist 100 launched in July.) The album’s second-week haul is the second-biggest week for an album in 2014, following 1989’s debut a week earlier. The set has sold 1.7 million copies in its first two chart weeks. Swift’s last album, 2012’s Red, fell by 72 percent in its sophomore frame…

U2, ‘Joey’ Make History U2 (above) breaks the record for the most No. 1s on the Triple A chart as “The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone)” becomes the band’s 12th leader (3-1). Dating to the survey’s launch on Jan. 20, 1996, U2 passes Coldplay, which has collected 11 No. 1s. Jack Johnson and Dave Matthews Band share third place (nine each), followed by Counting Crows, Sheryl Crow and R.E.M. (seven each). Meanwhile, on Alternative (where “Miracle” moves 27-26), U2 extends its record for the most entries in the chart’s archives as “Every Breaking Wave” crashes in at No. 32. It’s the band’s 41st visit, moving the group further ahead of runner-up Pearl Jam (38). Taylor Swift tallies her fourth No. 1 on Adult Contemporary, where “Shake It Off” shoots 4-1 as…

Shmurda Shoots To No. 1 Fourteen weeks after first landing on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs with his debut single “Hot Boy,”Bobby Shmurda (above) reaches No. 1 (3-1). The track also takes Streaming Gainer honors with a 45 percent rise to 11.5 million domestic streams in the week ending Nov. 9, according to Nielsen BDS. It vaults from 4 million to 7.5 million in YouTube (non-Vevo) clicks. “Hot Boy” spends a fifth consecutive week atop Rap Streaming Songs. On Rap Airplay, the track reaches a new peak (3-2) in its 14th week, increasing 1 percent to 31 million audience impressions. Also on Rap Airplay, Rich Gang’s “Lifestyle” (featuring Young Thug and Rich Homie Quan) steps 2-1. Both featured rappers score their first chart-topper on the list as it climbs to 34.9 million…

Hairston & Youthful Praise Hit No. 1 J.J. Hairston & Youthful Praise collect their second straight No. 1 on Gospel Albums as I See Victory, the choir’s fifth studio set, steps 2-1 and sells 6,000 copies in the week ending Nov. 9, according to Nielsen SoundScan. They scored their first leader in 2012 when After This bowed atop the chart on April 14. The lead single from the new album, “It Pushed Me,” debuted and peaked at No. 17 on the sales/airplay/streaming hybrid Hot Gospel Songs chart (May 24), while second single “Bless Me” (featuring Donnie McClurkin) reaches a new peak (17-14). The latter also sets a new peak on the Nielsen BDSfueled Gospel Airplay tally (see Billboard.com/biz), where it jumps 10-7. On Hot Gospel Songs, Michelle Williams (featuring Beyoncé…

REWINDING THE CHARTS 40 Years Ago A SOLO JOHN LENNON HIT NO. 1 The ex-Beatle topped the Hot 100 with “Whatever Gets You Thru the Night” and, after losing a bet with Elton John, made his last live concert appearance ELTON JOHN KNEW A NO. 1 HIT WHEN he heard one. In the summer of 1974, the 27-year-old piano man had recorded “Whatever Gets You Thru the Night” with his friend John Lennon, 33, for the former Beatle’s solo album Walls and Bridges. John, who provided piano, organ and backing vocals on the saxophone-powered cut, was convinced the song had chart-topping potential. Lennon wasn’t as confident, so “we made a deal,” the “Rocket Man” singer told the United Kingdom’s Channel 4 in 2005. “If it got to No. 1, he’d…

ROUND 1 Taylor Swift’s label Big Machine pulled her catalog from Spotify on Nov. 3. “I’m not willing to contribute my life’s work to an experiment I don’t feel fairly compensates [creators],” the singer explained . ROUND 2 The streaming service didn’t duck the defection. “We love Taylor Swift,” the company wrote in a blog post, reminding readers it pays out “nearly 70 percent“ of its revenue to rights holders. ROUND 3 U2’s Bono defended Spotify at a Nov. 6 tech conference, but said transparency is a problem. If artists can monitor their activity and “get paid [by] direct debit,” the music business can thrive. ROUND 4 “If a fan purchased the record, and their friends go, ‘Why did you pay? It’s free on Spotify,’ we’re being completely disrespectful to…

7UP TIESTO $30M In 2014, 7UP doubled down on its lucky number by linking with Tiesto, Ultra, Insomniac and others for its 7x7Up initiative: seven top festivals, seven rising DJs (Danny Avila, Disco Fries, Dzeko & Torres), a few Tiesto TV spots and a release party for his new album. DIET COKE TAYLOR SWIFT SWIFT$26M For a media campaign surrounding its 2013 spokeswoman’s new 1989, Diet Coke sponsored a takeover of iHeartMedia’s top 40 stations and On-Air With Ryan Seacrest, as well as a TV blitz for a 30-second cat-covered spot featuring Swift’s “How You Get the Girl.” COCA-COLA AVICII/WYCLEF JEAN $20M For World AIDS Day (Dec. 1), the soda giant is partnering with nonprofit Red and others to premiere exclusive new tracks from Queen (with unreleased Freddie Mercury vocals)…

What are some of the memorable shows you’ve booked? There are thousands of them: the Halloween celebrations that Frank Zappa did at the Palladium; David Bowie’s debut concert at Carnegie Hall on the Ziggy Stardust Tour in 1972. I had a hard job getting him in there because they said, “You can’t put a transvestite on the stage.” Bob Dylan when he went electric at Forest Hills Stadium; The Beatles at Forest Hills before Shea Stadium. What’s the act that got away? Ella Fitzgerald, because her manager Norman Granz was a pain in the ass. He wanted $75,000 for her to play Central Park. I was paying $2,500 to $5,000 an act because I was only charging $1 for tickets. What’s the hardest part about promoting today? Working for a…

BUZZ AROUND THE film Interstellar, the Christopher Nolanhelmed space saga starring Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway, hasn’t been particularly positive when it comes to the sound mix. Specifically, complaints that the dialogue can’t be understood or sometimes even heard in parts of the film — particularly over Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer’s orchestral score — are getting louder. The topic is being debated around Hollywood, both after its Nov. 7 release (the film came in behind Big Hero 6 with $47.5 million in its opening weekend) and in informal conversations at screenings and at industry events . But so far, neither the studio (Paramount) nor Zimmer’s reps will acknowledge that an issue exists. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, one sound professional who saw Interstellar at the Academy of Motion Picture…

MARK RONSON MAY BE ONE OF MUSIC’S HARDEST-WORKING — or at least hardest-traveling — producers, but right now he’s the picture of understated cool. Rocking Saint Laurent pineappleskull-print sneakers and Mad Men slicked-back hair, Ronson, 39, is sitting at a mixing board at the Jimi Hendrix-built Electric Lady Studios in New York’s Greenwich Village, giving Billboard an exclusive preview of his new RCA album, Uptown Special (due Jan. 27). Ronson jammed the LP with unlikely collaborators (including Aussie alt-rock act Tame Impala, rapper Mystikal, Lana Del Rey producer Emile Haynie, novelist Michael Chabon), and on this sunny October day, he’s bobbing his head and chewing on a toothpick in quiet satisfaction as the blaring horns of first single “Uptown Funk” (released Nov. 10) give way to the vocals of the…

Any rock star can play his or her guitar. As a founding member and lead guitarist for 2014 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Kiss, Ace Frehley would make his instrument smoke, shoot and fly through the air. But Frehley, 63, who’s currently on tour promoting Space Invader, his first solo album in five years, says tricking out your guitar has a downside — and offers some firsthand cautionary tales as proof. GENE’S CLOSE CALL “Our pyro guy made this sophisticated bottle rocket that I could shoot out of my guitar. A couple times I hit the button by accident and I’d shoot one right across stage. One night I almost hit Gene [Simmons]! It caught him by surprise. We built in a safety feature so you wouldn’t have…

What’s Cooking With Hozier And Taylor Swift? Andrew Hozier-Byrne, better known as Hozier, has formed quite a mutual admiration society with Taylor Swift. In early October, 24-yearold Swift shared an Instagram of herself enthusiastically airdrumming along to Hozier’s performance of “Sedated” at a live gig, and the Irish singer, also 24, tells Overheard that he spent time with the “Shake It Off” star in Nashville. “Hanging out with Taylor as she was baking cookies for her fans was as surreal and wonderful as you’d imagine,” he says. “She’s a very impressive human being.” Despite Hozier’s own newfound fame, he says he still finds himself dumbstruck when he encounters other celebrities he admires. After his Oct. 11 performance on Saturday Night Live, he admits he couldn’t muster the courage to say…

Subwoofers have gone out of vogue in the era of ear buds. If you want to literally feel your music booming, you’re out of luck — or rather, you were. Woojer, a Kickstarter project that raised more than $143,000 in December 2013, looks to change that with a beepersize “polyphonic transducer that imparts a tactile sensation,” says co-founder/CEO Kfir Bar-Levav. Users connect their music player and headphones to the device, clip it to their clothing and press play. The Woojer ($99 at woojer.com) vibrates silently in time with the music, theoretically re-creating the experience of the rumbling bass heard in a club or car sound system. But does the Woojer work? Three Billboard staffers tried it out. STAFFERS SAY “I hoped I’d be transported into a car with a bassheavy…

“I can’t play guitar like Keith Urban, but I know I can get in front of 60,000 people and move them,” says Chesney, photographed Aug. 25 in Nashville. For an exclusive interview and behind-the-scenes video, go to Billboard.com or Billboard.com/iPad. HATLESS, SHOELESS AND DRESSED IN loose-fitting shorts and a faded Florida State University T-shirt, Kenny Chesney hardly looks like a poster boy for the reformation of so-called bro country. But on this sweltering Tennessee afternoon, Chesney, 46, has decided to take aim at his fellow men in country music. “Over the last several years, it seems like anytime anybody sings about a woman, she’s in cutoff jeans, drinking and on a tailgate — they objectify the hell out of them,” he says. “Twenty years ago, I might have written a…

PHOTOS FROM HELMUT NEWTON TO ANNIE LEIBOVITZ ARE PART OF A $10,000 (YES, $10,000!) BOOK FROM TASCHEN THAT GIVES A REMARKABLE GLIMPSE INTO DECADES OF THE BAND’S GREATNESS THE ROLLING STONES ARE NOT JUST THE world’s greatest rock’n’roll band, they also are its most well-documented. That’s not just a matter of longevity (52 years and counting). The Stones recognized the power of the camera right from the start: The U.K. cover of their first album, 1964’s England’s Newest Hitmakers, was a shadow-filled portrait of the band without a word on it. No album title or band name — the Stones counted on the picture to tell the story, and it did: long hair (that would get longer), Mick Jagger’s pout (that would get poutier) and a hint of a snarl…

1. Two-time Golden Globe nominee Aileen Quinn (the original Annie) performed for attendees. 2.Billboard senior correspondent, .lm and TV Phil Gallo (right) interviewed Gregg Alexander, composer for the movie Begin Again. 3. Iron Mountain’s Jeff Anthony gave opening remarks to kick off the conference. 4. From left: Fox Music executive vp Danielle Diego, Walt Disney Pictures & Television president music and soundtracks Mitchell Leib, Paramount Pictures president motion picture music Randy Spendlove, Sony Pictures president worldwide music/executive vp theatrical Lia Vollack and Gallo. 5. Attendees posed outside of the Film & TV Music Conference. 6. Howard Shore (Lord of the Rings, Silence of the Lambs) was the 2014 recipient of the Maestro Award. 7.Billboard correspondent Megan Buerger interviewed the masterminds behind the new iteration of Annie, director/producer/screenwriter Will Gluck (center)…

WHEN GARTH BROOKS WAS ASKED AT a July press conference what his fi rst studio album in 13 years would sound like, he replied, “Garth music” — and damned if he wasn’t on the money. Man Against Machine is no reinvention, but rather a continuation. As the top-selling artist of the Nielsen SoundScan era, Brooks, who launched a world tour on Nov. 7, is savvy enough to know that if he tries to match today’s bro country of Luke Bryan and Florida Georgia Line, he will be accused of chasing trends. Duplicate past glories and it would feel dated. So Brooks does the only thing he can: writing and finding songs that reflect where he is now, but staying true to the quality and tone of his past work. The…

B E S T BLEACHERS ON CONAN Rollicking through “Rollercoaster” alongside mini doppelgangers, the side project of Fun’s Jack Antonoff reached delirious heights of amusement — a rush of a ride worth taking again. FKA TWIGS ON THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JIMMY FALLON Making her U.S. TV debut, the English singer dazzled with her mysterious allure. Her sultry dance also captivated Fallon, who exclaimed, “I’ve never seen anything like that before!” HOZIER ON LATE NIGHT WITH SETH MEYERS After performing as the Oct. 11 musical guest on Saturday Night Live, the Irish singer-songwriter turned the Late Night stage into a tabernacle of gospel-inspired soul with a righteous rendition of “Take Me to Church.” WORST THE FLAMING LIPS WITH MILEY CYRUS ON CONAN Clad in a foil trash bag, the Lips’…

The Rolling Stones, Lady Gaga, Kanye West and other top acts have toured Australia this year. For stars eyeing a swing through the market, 5 things they need to know now 1THE LIVE BUSINESS IS A BILLION-DOLLAR BABY And a healthy one, says the trade group Live Performance Australia, which estimates the value of the concert industry. But the business is in a state of flux. “Some of these acts are still getting far too much money. And the ticket prices are out of control,” laments promoter Michael Chugg. And changes are shaking up the industry, from the festival scene (see Big Day Out, No. 2) to venue development. The fate of the historic Palace Theatre in Melbourne is unclear after sale of the 1912 building two years ago, while…

KOOL & THE GANG CO-FOUNDER ROBERT “KHALIS” Bell proudly declares the 50-year-old group is “the most sampled band in hip-hop.” Although that is a tough claim to definitely confirm, consider that WhoSampled.com has identified no fewer than 955 examples of artists who have legally lifted riffs and rhythms from the group’s infectious songs to create their own hits. “Their catalog is rich in the pop sense and rich in the sound they captured,” says Dave Georgeff, director of sample clearance for Warner/Chappell Music, which represents the copyrights of Kool & The Gang. (EMI is a subpublisher in some international territories.) Among the most memorable examples is “Summertime,” the top five 1991 hit from DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince that sampled the band’s “Summer Madness.” Warner/Chappell also generates income…

THE ANNUAL COUNTRY MUSIC ASSOCIATION Awards shake up the charts, with the show’s co-host Carrie Underwood jumping to No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart and country album sales rising by 11 percent overall. Underwood’s performance of “Something in the Water” on ABC’s broadcast of the Nov. 5 show lifts the track 5-1 on the sales/airplay/streaming hybrid Hot Country Songs, marking the artist’s 14th leader — her second this year, following “Somethin’ Bad,” a duet with Miranda Lambert, which dominated the July 12 list. Underwood’s religious conversion-themed tune (which also tops the similarly multimetric Hot Christian Songs chart for a sixth straight week) adds Digital and Streaming Gainer honors on Hot Country Songs (84,000 downloads sold in the week ending Nov. 9, up 144 percent, according to Nielsen SoundScan).…

Swift’s Spotify Shake-Up The well-publicized removal of Taylor Swift’s catalog from Spotify (by her distribution label, Universal Music Group) causes “Shake It Off” to drop off the subscription services-based On-Demand Songs chart after holding the No. spot for the previous six weeks. Her departure helps Hozier (below) move up, as his breakthrough hit, “Take Me to Church,” charges 5-1 (up by 19 percent to 3.1 million U.S. on-demand clicks, according to Nielsen BDS). Still, on the Streaming Songs chart (where “Church” holds at No. 15 with 4.9 million overall streams), “Shake” steps 2-1 due to the popularity of numerous user-generated videos (many of which have since been removed) featuring the song’s official audio. One such clip, set to an 1980s-style aerobic workout, made the rounds on BuzzFeed, The Huffington Post…

Shelton Extends No. 1 Streak Already boasting the longest active No. 1 streak on the Nielsen BDS-based Country Airplay chart (see page 107), Blake Shelton adds another leader as “Neon Light” rises 2-1 to become his 13th straight No. 1 (counting only non-seasonal, promoted singles). It’s his 18th chart-topper overall. Shelton’s streak started nearly five years ago with “Hillbilly Bone” (featuring Trace Adkins), which topped the list on March 27, 2010. He last topped the tally with “My Eyes” (featuring Gwen Sebastian) on July 12. Among all acts with active No. 1 streaks, Shelton’s lead is substantial: Jason Aldean follows with three, while five others have linked their last two apiece: Luke Bryan, Billy Currington, Brett Eldredge, Lady Antebellum and Joe Nichols. Shelton and Bryan are the only artists to…

Taylor, Banks Take A Bow Newcomer Teyana Taylor travels directly to No. 1 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums with her debut studio release, VII. The set enters with 16,000 firstweek copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The 23-year-old singer climbs 13-11 on Hot R&B Songs with “Maybe” (featuring Pusha T and Yo Gotti), reaching a new peak in its seventh week. Streaming of the track jumps 42 percent to 588,000 U.S. plays, according to Nielsen BDS, with nearly half of those stemming from YouTube views. Azealia Banks (below) nabs the second-best debut on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums as her first full-length set, Broke With Expensive Taste, comes in at No. 3 (and No. 2 on Rap Albums). The long-delayed album from the rapper, which arrived without a prior confirmed release date, shifted 11,000…

Calvin Harris In 'Motion’ Calvin Harris careens onto Dance/Electronic Albums at No. 1 with Motion (35,000 copies sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan). The album also debuts on the Billboard 200 at No. 5, marking the highest chart position and best sales week for a DJ since Skrillex’s Recess debuted on April 5 (No. 4, 47,000). Motion is Harris’ second Dance/Electronic Albums No. 1 following 2012’s 18 Months. Harris also hits No. 1 on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs with “Blame” (featuring John Newman), tying Avicii as the only acts with two chart-toppers each since the list’s launch on Jan. 26, 2013. Harris first led for four weeks earlier this year with “Summer.” Harris additionally becomes the first DJ to crack the Billboard Artist 100’s top 10, hurtling 21-9. Knife Party takes a…