Innholdsfortegnelse for June 30, 2018 i Billboard Magazine

A recent police raid of the offices of Greece’s biggest collection society — the Hellenic Society for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AEPI) — has revealed extensive, systemic corruption. AEPI, which charges bars, clubs and eateries to license music, failed to distribute 42.5 million euros ($49.5 million) in royalties, according to an Ernst & Young audit for 2011-2014 ordered by the government — more than it collected in a year. Still, the company was 19.9 million euros ($23.2 million) in debt, with expenses such as a 635,000 euro ($740,000) salary for its managing director, whose family controlled the company. Prosecutors are now preparing to charge its executives with fraud, embezzlement, money laundering and tax evasion while the Greek government readies to take over. But given the complexity of running…

VIDEO GAMES “It’s how I get out of this insane bubble we live in,” says guitarist-vocalist Michael Clifford, 5SOS’ biggest gamer. He has been playing first-person shooter Destiny 2, and he’s psyched that vocalist-guitarist Luke Hemmings has lately hopped on the Fortnite (above) bandwagon. Bassist-vocalist Calum Hood, meanwhile, is obsessed with Zelda on Nintendo Switch. PODCASTS The whole band loves The Joe Rogan Experience — so much so that it’s considering starting a 5SOS podcast. “He’s a sponge. He just learns,” says Hemmings, praising the fiery host. “I was talking about the same shit for five years,” jokes Clifford. “Doing podcasts, you grow so much intellectually.” JAZZ Hood co-wrote eight Youngblood tracks, but his playlist preferences transcend the LP’s polished guitar hooks: “I’ve been listening to a lot…

On Florence + The Machine’s recent fourth album, High As Hope, frontwoman Florence Welch earned her first-ever production credit with the English rock group. And she’s already turning her attention to a new project: her first book, Useless Magic: Lyrics and Poetry, out July 10. Filled with 288 pages of unreleased poems and illustrations plucked from the 31-year-old’s graph-paper journals, the collection offers rare insight into how a Florence + The Machine song comes to be. OPEN BOOK “I never thought that I would say these things to anybody,” said Welch of her new lyrics during a Brooklyn performance in May. Those lyrics are now detailed within four sections of Useless Magic — one for each of the band’s four albums. URBAN INSPIRATION Welch spent time in New York…

WHEN, AT AGE 16, ETHIOPIA HABTEMARIAM WROTE HER FIRST FAN LETTER, IT WASN’T TO ONE OF HER FAVORITE ARTISTS. She was trying to connect with Sylvia Rhone, then-Elektra Entertainment Group chairman/CEO (and today, president of Epic Records; see page 40). “I wanted to introduce myself because it was incredible to hear that the label’s chairman was a black woman. I’d never heard of anything like that before,” recalls Habtemariam. Back then, she was interning at Elektra’s Atlanta office. Today, she’s president of Motown Records, and she recently received a fan letter of her own. It was written by a female student attending Dominguez High School in Compton, Calif., and participating in the inaugural Bonus Tracks program this spring. Designed to introduce students to career opportunities in the music industry,…

Guy Alive And Well On Blues Chart Blues legend Buddy Guy notches his sixth No. 1 on the Blues Albums chart as his new album, The Blues Is Alive and Well, bows atop the list. The set sold 9,000 copies in the week ending June 12, according to Nielsen Music. It also starts at No. 12 on Top Album Sales and No. 69 on the Billboard 200 (with nearly 10,000 equivalent album units earned). The 81-year-old first led the 22-year-old Blues Albums chart in 2001 with Sweet Tea. The seven-time Grammy Award winner also collected leaders with Skin Deep (2008), Living Proof (2010), Rhythm & Blues (2013) and Born to Play Guitar (2015). Notably, Guy’s new set logs the largest sales week for a blues album in nearly a…

Wallen Helps FGL Double Up “Up Down” by Morgan Wallen (above) featuring Florida Georgia Line surges 6-1 on Country Airplay, increasing 17 percent to 39.7 million audience impressions in the tracking week ending June 24, according to Nielsen Music. Wallen earns his first Country Airplay leader, while FGL logs its 13th. Plus, FGL’s Bebe Rexha collaboration, “Meant to Be,” rolls to its 30th week atop Hot Country Songs, marking just the third time that an act has simultaneously led both Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay with different tracks (since the former chart transitioned to its triple-metric methodology on Oct. 20, 2012), and FGL was involved each time. Prior to the latest lists, such a double last occurred when Luke Bryan’s “Play It Again” ruled Country Airplay while FGL’s…

Zion & Lennox’s ‘La Player’ Leads Zion & Lennox (above) land their fifth No. 1 on Latin Airplay with “La Player (Bandolera)” as the song leaps 6-1 in its 17th week. The track grabbed 17.5 million in audience impressions in the week ending June 24 (up 50 percent), according to Nielsen Music. Notably, it’s Zion & Lennox’s fifth chart-topper, but the first time they’ve hit No. 1 without any additional acts billed on the song. Meanwhile, in its sixth week on the tally, Cardi B’s triple-billed title “I Like It,” with Bad Bunny and J Balvin, reaches the top 10 a month after its May 25 release, rising 12-7 thanks to a 12 percent increase in audience (to 10.2 million). The song debuted at No. 46 on the May…

Camila Cabello becomes the first artist to top the Mainstream Top 40 and Adult Top 40 charts with the first two singles from a debut LP. Alex Richanbach, director of the heavily criticized Netflix dance-music movie Ibiza, reveals he has never been to the island. Toby Keith’s 15th annual Golf Classic raises over $1 million to benefit children and families at Oklahoma City hospitals.…

Wanted: A music lover who can cut deals; manage budgets; unify trustees; interface with artists, labels and networks; oversee a large charitable organization; and keep his or her own ego in check. Though no one has announced interest in the seven-figure-salary job, top music insiders are chattering about contenders to replace Neil Portnow when he steps down as Recording Academy president/CEO in 2019. Julie Swidler Executive vp business affairs/general counsel, Sony Music Entertainment Among potential candidates from the labels, Swidler is a smart dealmaker, says a source, “not a pushover, and is thoughtful and receptive to different points of view.” Troy Carter Global head of creator services, Spotify The former manager to such artists as Lady Gaga and current adviser to the Prince estate is “intelligent, forward-thinking…

On June 18, just before 4 p.m., 20-year-old Jahseh Onfroy, better known as XXXTentacion, was sitting in his BMW in the parking lot of a motorcycle dealership in his native Broward County, Fla., when he was shot by two assailants. Onfroy was killed instantly; the attackers fled with a Louis Vuitton bag containing a few thousand dollars, while bystanders filmed Onfroy’s lifeless body and posted the footage to social media as emergency vehicle sirens wailed in the background. It was a senseless end to the life of XXXTentacion, the controversial rapper known as much for his emotive songs about depression and suicide as for the violent incidents he allegedly perpetuated in his own life. For the past year and a half, since his first appearance on the Billboard charts…

ONE YEAR AGO, JUICE WRLD GAVE HIS FIRSTever live performance, to a handful of friends and classmates at a Chicago rec center. The audience “didn’t even know the words to some of the stuff,” remembers the Chicago native, but he won over the room. “They loved it,” he says, recalling how the small crowd chanted along. He made out with $100. Then, in March, he signed a reported $3 million deal with Interscope. The momentum has kept up. Just over a month ago, the 19-year-old, born Jared Higgins, made his debut on the Billboard Hot 100 with not one but two songs — one of which, the moody “Lucid Dreams,” sits at No. 4. (The delightfully bratty “All Girls Are the Same” peaked at No. 41.) Not since Lil…

By the time Brooklyn-based indie act Wet set to work on its sophomore album, the group was down a founding member. With tension mounting over artistic direction, guitarist Marty Sulkow left the band before it started on the new project, clearing the way for frontwoman Kelly Zutrau, 30, to steer herself and multi-instrumentalist Joe Valle, 29, down a new path. “I had issues with the last album,” she says of their 2016 debut, Don’t You, that debuted at No. 76 on the Billboard 200 and earned them slots at Lollapalooza and Outside Lands. “There were a lot of voices, and it was unclear what we were making.” On Still Run, out July 13 on Columbia Records, their vision crystallized, opening their moody R&B sound to sunnier production with two…

In 2015, Kendrick Lamar solicited the technical genius of jazz master Kamasi Washington for To Pimp a Butterfly, and then again in 2017 for DAMN. In the months since, the Los Angeles-based saxophonist-composer, who has long been a fixture in the city’s experimental underground where he has shepherded a revival of psychedelic jazz fusion, was swept into the national spotlight. “It’s like now, no door is closed,” he says. “I can go to these small towns around the world, play whatever I want, and people are down to ride. That’s the dream.” So far this year, the 37-year-old has worked on Florence + The Machine’s new album and is celebrating the release of his own sophomore LP, an ambitious double set titled Heaven and Earth (June 22, Young Turks).…

If You Want To… EMPOWER ARTISTS DATA JOCKEY Nashville United Talent agent NICK BARNES uses “digitals” to help grow fan bases As a kid, Barnes loved coding and hacking for fun. In college at Belmont University, the sixth-generation Nashvillian studied vocal performance. Now 34, he has found a career that marries his two passions, working primarily for country and rock artists on the digital strategy team at UTA IQ, the talent agency’s data analysis-focused division. “Digital data is the tip of the spear of everything we do with a client’s life — brand sponsorship, touring, billing on a festival,” says Barnes. “We play the role of interpreter so [artists] can figure out how they’re really doing and what it all means.” Barnes joined UTA a year ago after working…

Blackpink Bows At No. 1 All-female K-pop quartet Blackpink (above) debuts at No. 1 on the Emerging Artists chart powered by its second EP, SQUARE UP, which launches at No. 40 on the Billboard 200 with 14,000 equivalent album units, according to Nielsen Music. The set is the act’s first entry on the Billboard 200 and the highest-charting album for an all-female K-pop group. Blackpink is the second K-pop act overall to lead Emerging Artists, following NCT in May. Plus, Blackpink’s “DDUDU DDU-DU” bows at No. 55 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking the highest-charting entry by a female K-pop act. It bests the lone prior such hit: Wonder Girls’ No. 76-peaking “Nobody” in 2009. Meanwhile, Jacquees re-enters Emerging Artists at No. 5, a new peak, as the MC’s…

Williams’ World Cup Surge Robbie Williams (below) makes his first Social 50 chart appearance, debuting at No. 49 after social media attention surrounding his performance at the opening ceremony of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia on June 14. Williams sparked controversy for displaying a middle finger during his performance, which caused U.S. TV broadcaster Fox to issue an apology. In the week ending June 21, the singer snagged a 414 percent boost in Wikipedia views (116,000) and was mentioned 26,000 times on Twitter (up 129 percent), according to Next Big Sound. Meanwhile, following the June 18 death of XXXTentacion (who debuts on the Social 50 at No. 2), multiple artists rise on the chart due to posts about the rapper-singer. They include Kanye West, who remains at…

Shinoda’s Solo Start Linkin Park guitarist-vocalist Mike Shinoda strikes out on his own as his first solo LP, Post Traumatic, debuts at No. 1 on Top Rock Albums and Alternative Albums with 27,000 equivalent album units, according to Nielsen Music. The set arrives less than a year after the death of Linkin Park bandmate Chester Bennington, and much of its lyrical content finds Shinoda processing the singer’s suicide on July 20, 2017. Concurrently, three of the album’s tracks chart on Hot Rock Songs, with lead single “Crossing a Line” re-entering at No. 27. Panic! at the Disco scores its first No. 1 on a Billboard songs chart as “Say Amen (Saturday Night)” steps 2-1 on Alternative. With 12 years, four months and two weeks between its first appearance and…

DVD Sparks MercyMe MercyMe rules Top Christian Albums for a 14th week with I Can Only Imagine: The Very Best of MercyMe, which increases by 40 percent, earning 11,000 equivalent album units in the week ending June 21, according to Nielsen Music. The set, which contains two versions of “I Can Only Imagine” — the 1999 original and 2018’s “I Can Only Imagine (The Movie Session)” — first topped the March 17 chart, becoming the group’s 11th leader. Its latest gains were ignited in part by the June 12 DVD release of the movie I Can Only Imagine, which stars J. Michael Finley as MercyMe frontman Bart Millard, with Dennis Quaid as his father. The film opened in theaters nationwide on March 16. Concurrently, MercyMe’s latest studio LP, Lifer,…

Kygo, Imagine Dragons Debut Kygo and Imagine Dragons debut at No. 3 on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs with “Born to Be Yours,” the Norwegian DJ’s seventh top 10 and the rock band’s first. The collaboration starts with 4.8 million U.S. streams and 32,000 downloads sold, according to Nielsen Music, and also launches at No. 1 on Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales. Martin Garrix also earns a top 10 debut on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs with “Ocean,” featuring Khalid (No. 5). Garrix’s fifth top 10 and Khalid’s third bows with 7.1 million domestic streams and 17,000 sold. Shifting to Top Dance/Electronic Albums, Chromeo commands a No. 1 debut with Head Over Heels. The set earned 8,000 equivalent album units in its first week (with 6,000 in traditional album sales, as it also enters…

LEGEND Bullets indicate titles with greatest weekly gains. Album Charts Recording Industry Assn. of America (RIAA) certification for physical shipments & digital downloads of 500,000 albums (Gold). RIAA certification for physical shipments & digital downloads of 1 million units (Platinum). Numeral noted with Platinum symbol indicates album’s multiplatinum level. RIAA certification for physical shipments & digital downloads of 10 million units (Diamond). Numeral noted with Diamond symbol indicates album’s multiplatinum level. Latin albums certification for physical shipments & digital downloads of 30,000 units (Oro). Latin albums certification for physical shipments & digital downloads of 60,000 units (Platino). Numeral noted with Platino symbol indicates album’s multiplatinum level. Digital Songs Charts RIAA certification for 500,000 paid downloads and ondemand streams where 100 streams equal 1 download (Gold). RIAA certification for 1…

Miami-based production duo Cool & Dre have crafted hits for artists like The Game and Lil Wayne, but recently Beyoncé and JAY-Z came calling — and put them on their most demanding project to date. Marcello “Cool” Valenzo and Andre “Dre” Lyon put the finishing touches on the pair’s new joint album, Everything Is Love, in London hours before it dropped. But while the LP’s release came down to the wire it was no rush job. They describe the work ethic of hip-hop’s perfectionist power couple as fastidious, and share what it was like behind the scenes of the project, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. Were you surprised that the album came out when it did? DRE Nah, we knew what was going on. [We…

They’ve gained admission to competitive colleges and universities in major capitals of the U.S. music business — New York, Miami, Nashville and Los Angeles — or lesser-known locales with vital musical pedigrees like Denton, Texas. They are taught and mentored by professors with extensive industry résumés and by visiting music executives from record labels, publishing companies, booking agencies and other sectors. Their lessons take place in classrooms but also at radio stations, concert venues and even on the fields of music festivals. They attend programs endowed by (and bearing the names of) superstar music-business executives. Some aspire to perform; others to work outside the spotlight. All understand that the industry is more complex than ever and deserving of four years of coursework. They are the students of the nation’s…

5SOS’ Third No. 1 5 Seconds of Summer debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with their third full-length studio album, Youngblood. The set arrives atop the tally with 142,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending June 21, according to Nielsen Music. Of that sum, 117,000 were traditional album sales. 5SOS finishes ahead of the surprise-release album from The Carters (the husband-and-wife team of JAY-Z and Beyoncé), Everything Is Love, which bows at No. 2 with 123,000 units (see page 75). A concert ticket/album sale redemption offer bolstered Youngblood’s album sales, as well as merchandise/album bundles sold via the act’s d2c site. The record is 5SOS’ third straight chart-topper following the Australian band’s first two full-length studio sets: 2015’s Sounds Good Feels Good (which debuted with…

RADIO SONGS: The week’s most popular songs, ranked by radio airplay audience impressions as measured by Nielsen Music. Stations are electronically monitored 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. DIGITAL SONG SALES: The week’s top-downloaded songs, ranked by sales data as compiled by Nielsen Music. POP/RHYTHMIC/ADULT: The week’s most popular current songs at mainstream top 40, rhythmic, adult contemporary and adult top 40 formats, respectively, ranked by radio airplay detections, as measured by Nielsen Music. Songs are defined as current if they are relatively recently-released titles, or songs receiving widespread airplay and/or sales activity for the first time. Stations are electronically monitored 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. See Charts Legend on billboard.com/biz for complete rules and explanations. All charts © 2018, Prometheus Global Media, LLC…

The Carters’ Love Rules The Carters debut at No. 1 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums with Everything Is Love, which earned 123,000 equivalent album units in the week ending June 21, according to Nielsen Music. Love, the first joint set from husband-and-wife duo JAY-Z and Beyoncé, was released exclusively via Tidal on June 16 before its expansion to digital retailers and other paid-streaming tiers two days later. Four Love tracks also debut on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, led by “Apes**t” (No. 9), whose entrance stems largely from its 24.1 million streams during the week. Nas opens at No. 4 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums with Nasir, which collected 77,000 equivalent album units. The set marks Nas’ 14th top 10 on the list, and brings him back to the region for the first…