Innholdsfortegnelse for April 13, 2019 i Billboard Magazine

RISING ATLANTA RAPPER LIL NAS X BLASTS FROM No. 15 to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (dated April 13) with his debut hit, “Old Town Road.” The country-themed, genre-bending viral smash (see page 18), originally boosted by TikTok videos, among other memes, roars to No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart, up 60% to 46.6 million U.S. streams, according to Nielsen Music. The track also wins the Hot 100’s top Streaming Gainer award for a third consecutive week. “Road” rises 11-3 on Digital Song Sales, surging by 83% to 22,000 downloads sold, as it claims top Sales Gainer honors for the second time in three weeks. The song additionally bounds by 190% to 11.9 million all-format audience impressions. It jumps 36-23 on the Rhythmic airplay chart and…

Lil Nas X has ridden his horse straight to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with the viral country trap hit “Old Town Road,” and onto the Country Airplay chart as well. His genre blending tune has left some country artists and executives delighted, others bedeviled and some downright confused about what qualifies as country in the Wild West of music streaming. “Old Town Road” jumps from No. 15 to No. 1 on the Hot 100 dated April 13 and debuts at No. 53 on Country Airplay. After placing the tune, which was released by Sony’s Columbia Records, on Hot Country Songs the week of March 16, Billboard removed it for several reasons, including its trap beat, a lack of country airplay, no involvement by Sony Music Nashville…

Sebastián Yatra started singing when he was 12 years old. He landed the lead role as Troy Bolton in a middle school production of High School Musical, and it immediately made him think, “This is what my life is going to be.” Raised in Miami, the Colombian native modeled himself after ballad singers like Luis Fonsi, Ed Sheeran and Michael Bublé. He released his breakout slow-tempo stunner, “No Hay Nadie Más,” in January 2018. On April 12, the 24-year-old artist will release his second album, Fantasía, through his recently renewed contract with Universal Music Latin Entertainment. And he’s already at work on his third — a reggaetón-inspired LP due in early 2020 that will feature, according to manager Roberto Andrade Dirak, “some of the most powerful collaborations within Latin…

Since the release of Robin Thicke’s 12-week Billboard Hot 100 No. 1, “Blurred Lines,” in 2013, the music industry has changed significantly: Gender politics and cultural appropriation have moved to the center of the conversation; streaming rules; and social media creates viral hits as much as eye-catching music videos do. To guide his return, Thicke is turning to his manager, Chris Knight, who recently moved with his client from Career Artist Management (CAM) to Roc Nation Management, and to the budding label and distribution team at his new label, EMPIRE. Known for artists like D.R.A.M., Kendrick Lamar, XXXTentacion and Anderson. Paak, EMPIRE signed Thicke as part of its new focus on the pop market along with Iggy Azalea and Adam Lambert. “We’re trying to show that we’re a multidimensional…

Platt Pops In, Richards Returns Tony Award-winning actor Ben Platt arrives on Billboard’s charts with his debut album, Sing to Me Instead. It starts on multiple tallies, including the Billboard 200 and Top Album Sales, entering the former at No. 18 with 24,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending April 4, according to Nielsen Music, and the latter at No. 3 with 19,000 in sales. Platt won the 2017 Tony Award for best performance by an actor in a leading role in a musical for Dear Evan Hansen. Platt played the title role in the show for a year (starting in November 2016) and also won a Grammy for best musical theater album for the Hansen cast recording. While Sing is Platt’s first album, his voice has…

Strait Fires Up Time Machine With Honky Tonk Time Machine launching as his 27th leader, George Strait (above) extends his record for the most No. 1s in the Top Country Albums chart’s five-decade history. Garth Brooks and Willie Nelson follow with 17 No. 1s each. The LP starts with 51,000 equivalent album units earned in the United States in the week ending April 4, according to Nielsen Music — the largest week of 2019 for any country album. With 44,000 in album sales, the set also scores the biggest sales week of the year for a country title. Time Machine is Strait’s first new studio effort since 2015’s Cold Beer Conversation. Kelsea Ballerini banks her sixth Country Airplay top 10 as “Miss Me More” ascends 11-10 (20.9 million in…

Casinos spend lavishly to attract “whales,” highs-takes gamblers whom they lure in with limousine rides, complimentary hotel suites and other VIP perks. Why? Because these consumers — who can individually bet between $1 million and $20 million over the course of a weekend, according to industry estimates — often have more impact on the bottom line than a floor full of slot machine-playing guppies. On the surface, that seems like an odd metaphor for the streaming music business, because all subscribers pay about the same amount of money per month. But since a relatively small percentage of those consumers spend far more time streaming, rights holders who collect royalties on streaming music would do well to treat them like whales, because they bring in most of the money. “Heavy…

BY TEEFLII I first met Nip through my big brother Kay Ess in probably 2011. Nipsey didn’t allow a lot of people to walk into the studio and touch the board. I was one of those guys blessed [that] he trusted me with engineering and mixing, making sure his vocals were sounding right. I don’t think he wanted to be a super-duper perfectionist; all the music that y’all received he wanted to be organic. He got his energy out of each individual he worked with, and let artists pull energy out of him. When you leave Nip, you feel more than just better — when you leave Nip, your consciousness is better. Whenever my family would go past his store, we would get so much love from Nip and…

IT’S A FEW DAYS BEFORE THE Dreamville Festival — the inaugural event hosted by J. Cole’s record label in the rapper’s native North Carolina — and Ari Lennox, Dreamville’s sole female artist, is having mixed emotions. She’s eager to perform songs off her forthcoming debut album, Shea Butter Baby, but weighty issues are clouding her mind. She recently learned at one of her shows that a teenage fan of hers was shot dead days earlier. “It’s hard to be happy in a moment like this,” says the 28-year-old Lennox from her Atlanta apartment while her dog, an Akita named Galactic, barks in the background. “My people are being attacked, and our lives are constantly threatened and being taken away. It’s just not fair.” “Everything happens for a reason, but…

Now that the U.S. music industry can better measure the value of reggaetón and K-pop, Africa’s music market has come into focus. On March 28, Warner Music Group announced a partnership with Chocolate City, a Nigeria-based independent label led by co-founder/CEO Audu Maikori, co-founder/COO Paul Okeugo, executive vp imprints Jude Abaga and executive vp recorded music Aibee Abidoye. “Africa has been a sleeping giant in the international music business,” says Okeugo. He predicts an “explosion of music from Africa across a range of genres” in the coming years. Through the partnership, Chocolate City, which formed in 2005, is hoping to expand its visibility, particularly in the United States. Along with financial support, the deal will provide the label with distribution and artist services through Alternative Distribution Alliance — WMG’s…

THIS PAST FEBRUARY, Fred Davis found himself in a familiar place: the annual pre-Grammy gala hosted by his father, storied record executive Clive Davis, at The Beverly Hilton hotel. Rake thin and nattily attired in a Paul Smith suit, Davis looks a lot like a senior record executive from the heyday of the industry when having taste in clothes was nearly as important as having taste in music. That’s not surprising, considering he literally grew up in the music business — he remembers visits to his home by such icons as Paul Simon, Bob Dylan and Janis Joplin, as well as tagging along as a 14-year-old with his dad to the Fillmore East. The pre-Grammy party is a tony homecoming for the former record executive and talent attorney: a…

Monét’s New Chart Mark Victoria Monét (above) debuts at No. 16 on Emerging Artists as her new single “Monopoly,” with Ariana Grande, enters at No. 70 on the Billboard Hot 100. It’s her first entry on the chart as a credited artist; she co-wrote Grande’s No. 1s “Thank U, Next” and “7 Rings.” Monét charted one prior entry as an artist: Machine Gun Kelly’s “A Little More,” featuring Monét, hit No. 35 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs in 2015. Simple Creatures make their Billboard chart debut, entering Emerging Artists at No. 31, as the duo’s first EP, Strange Love, opens at No. 1 on Heatseekers Albums (2,000 copies sold, according to Nielsen Music). The pair consists of blink-182 bassist-vocalist Mark Hoppus and All Time Low frontman Alex Gaskarth. Plus, NLE…

Miley’s Montana Flashback Miley Cyrus (below) leaps 24-4 on the Social 50 after taking the internet by storm with some photos that threw back to her days as Hannah Montana. On March 28, the singer posted pics of her new blond hair color, subsequently turning the change into an opportunity to sing along to the music from her Disney alter ego. The throwback continued in the ensuing days when she also sang along to Migos’ “Hannah Montana” and took a photo as Montana with her father, Billy Ray Cyrus. Her 24-4 rise was paced by 993,000 reactions to her tweets in the week ending April 4, according to Next Big Sound. Meanwhile, Blackpink shoots 13-7, the group’s highest position since reaching No. 6 on the list dated June 30,…

Rammstein Roars Back Rammstein — led by frontman Till Lindemann (above) — debuts at No. 14 on Hot Rock Songs with new single “Deutschland.” The first taste of the German band’s upcoming seventh LP bows thanks to 1.6 million U.S. streams and 6,000 sold in its first full tracking week, according to Nielsen Music. The latter total sparks the group’s best rank — No. 2 — on Hard Rock Digital Song Sales. The song’s video has drawn controversy for its depiction of events throughout German history, including World War II. Logic charts five tracks on Hot Rock Songs from Supermarket, the soundtrack to his novel of the same name, which finds him switching from his typical hip-hop stylings to rock and alternative. Released March 26, the set holds at…

Capo Crowns Latin Airplay Pedro Capo (above) scores his first No. 1 on any Latin airplay chart as “Calma” (with Farruko) ascends 4-1 on Latin Airplay in its 24th chart week. It’s the longest climb to the top since Becky G’s “Mayores” (featuring Bad Bunny) arrived at No. 1 (Feb. 17, 2018) also in its 24th frame. “It fills me with happiness and gratitude to see that six months after the release of the remix of ‘Calma,’ we reach No. 1 on the Latin Airplay chart,” says Capo. “This seems like a never ending dream.” The track, which also marks Farruko’s fifth No. 1, advances with 15.5 million in audience (up 41%), in the week ending April 7, according to Nielsen Music. On Hot Latin Songs, where “Calma” remains…

Ross Is ‘Boss’ Diana Ross (above) reigns supreme on Dance Club Songs with “The Boss 2019,” her seventh No. 1 on the survey. Ross first led with the original version of the song in August 1979; 40 years later, remixers including Eric Kupper, Dimitri From Paris and Dirty Werk return it to the top. Ross sends her third straight remixed classic to No. 1 following “I’m Coming Out”/“Upside Down 2018” and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough 2017.” Meanwhile, “The Boss” has now led Dance Club Songs in four incarnations; between Ross’ reigns, covers by The Braxtons (1997) and Kristine W (2008) dominated. Additionally on Dance Club Songs, German DJ Sean Finn and Italian act Corona arrive at No. 35 with “The Rhythm of the Night,” an update of Corona’s…

An important legal battle over songwriter royalties is going back to Cali, in a win for Irving Azoff and his boutique performing rights organization (PRO) in its ongoing fight with radio. On March 29, a federal court in Pennsylvania ruled that it did not have jurisdiction to hear the Radio Music Licensing Committee’s antitrust lawsuit against Azoff’s Global Music Rights. That decision sent the case back to the central district of California, where GMR filed an antitrust lawsuit of its own against the RMLC, in a fight that has lasted over two years. Both parties see the location of a trial as important to their chances for victory, presumably because the Pennsylvania court seemed sympathetic to the RMLC’s arguments in a similar case against SESAC that ended in a…

In an unprecedented gesture to honor and give more visibility to Nipsey Hussle’s death, a number of high-profile artists — from West Coast brethren like SOB X RBE to those outside the region that the Crenshaw, Los Angeles, MC faithfully repped — postponed releasing new music to create “a moment of silence.” Cleveland’s Machine Gun Kelly was the first artist to announce the informal campaign, on April 3; gearing up for an album rollout, he was supposed to release the first single from his latest project on April 5. On Twitter, he credited Spotify creative director and head of urban Carl Chery with inspiring his delay. “Nipsey was one of the leaders,” says MGK. “[His] music and his legacy are owed a lifetime of apprecation, and it [became] a…

Ibrahim Hamad PRESIDENT, DREAMVILLE RECORDS HIS ROLE As co-founder of Dreamville with J. Cole, Hamad signed Lennox to a record deal in late 2015 and serves as a liaison between her management and Interscope Records. EARLY ATTRACTION “When I first met her in 2015, Ari wasn’t going with the norm for what R&B sounded like at the time. It all felt like it was completely her — there was no acting or faking.” Anthony “Elite” Parrino IN-HOUSE PRODUCER, DREAMVILLE RECORDS HIS ROLE Cole’s key collaborator, he worked extensively with Ruff Ryders during their early-2000s heyday and executive produced Lennox’s forthcoming debut. PERFECT PAIR “I’ll be making a beat while she’s playing a video game. I’ll hear her start singing some melodies, and I’ll push her to try recording it.…

The week of March 16, roughly three months after its release, Columbia Records rapper Lil Nas X’s breakout hit debuted at No. 19 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. After a review 10 days later, the song, which has a trap beat, was removed in part because it was not yet being played on country stations that report to Billboard, nor was Sony Nashville promoting it. But the nearly 2-minute track, which samples Nine Inch Nails and references cowboy boots and horses, has since entered the April 13 Country Airplay list at No. 53, and Sony Nashville has started testing it in some markets. On April 1, Good Morning America joined the conversation around the song by bringing on iHeartRadio host Bobby Bones, who said that “the one constant…

• Streaming Has A Long Way To Grow “We have 10 to 15 years of streaming growth in front of us. It won’t start to plateau until around 2030. Variable pricing will be part of the growth: It won’t all be at $9.99, and price disaggregation will be part of that formula. No one can listen to 20 million tracks, so why would you pay for them all? I think we’re looking at 500 million customers just in the West, and it could be 1 billion in Asia.” • Watch Your Back, Spotify “Voice-activation is a fact for 6-year-olds, and the first way they interact with music at that age is through Echo. I’d say it’s impactful in eight to 10 years.” • As Goes Streaming, So Goes The…

On April 1, the Jazz Journalists Association announced its 2019 Jazz Heroes, described by the organization as “advocates, altruists, activists, aiders and abettors of jazz who have had significant impact in their local communities.” The 22 honorees include musicians, broadcasters, promoters, educators, publicists, nonprofit directors and more, chosen by the JJA from local nominations. A full list is available on the association’s website, jjajazzawards.org. “Award winners receive their engraved statuettes at celebratory events in their local communities, mostly in late April,” says JJA president Howard Mandel. Ceremonies are planned in cities and regions nationwide. The 200-member, nonprofit JJA promotes the use of media to tell the story of jazz and develop new audiences. On May 1, the JJA will announce its Jazz Awards — given to musicians and recordings…

Billie’s Big Week Billie Eilish scores her first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 as When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? storms in atop the tally with 313,000 equivalent album units earned in the United States in the week ending April 4, according to Nielsen Music. Album sales account for 170,000 of that sum. The set’s total unit haul is the second-biggest week for any album in 2019, trailing the launch of Ariana Grande’s Thank U, Next (360,000), while When We All’s sales start is the second-biggest sales week of the year, following Backstreet Boys’ bow with DNA (227,000). Notably, When We All sold 15,000 copies on vinyl — the biggest sales week of 2019 for a vinyl LP. Further, When We All logged 194…

AIRPLAY DATA COMPILED BY 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 © 2019,…

Hussle’s No. 1 Victory The late Nipsey Hussle (above) claims his first No. 1 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums as Victory Lap re-enters following the rapper’s murder on March 31. The set, released in February 2018, earned 66,000 equivalent album units in the week ending April 4, according to Nielsen Music. Strong streams for the album also help five of its tracks debut on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. Hussle’s highest debut is from the stand-alone track “Racks in the Middle” (featuring Roddy Ricch and Hit-Boy), entering at No. 17. The collaboration, released in February, is both Hussle’s top-selling (8,000 sold in the week ending April 4) and top-streaming (16.5 million U.S. clicks) song of the week. Elsewhere, Cardi B and Bruno Mars’ “Please Me” conquers another radio chart with a 4-1…

For King & Country ‘Knows’ No. 1 For King & Country (above), the duo of brothers Joel and Luke Smallbone, nets its fifth Christian Airplay No. 1 as “God Only Knows” rises 2-1 with 10.1 million audience impressions, according to Nielsen Music. As “God” hits the summit in its 13th chart week, the act ties its fourth leader, 2018’s “joy.,” for its fastest flight to No. 1. On the airplay-, streaming- and sales-based Hot Christian Songs chart, “God” places at No. 2 for a sixth week, the tandem’s best rank, which it first achieved by “joy.” On Gospel Airplay, Fred Jerkins’ “Victory” (featuring Last Call) ascends 2-1, marking each act’s first leader on the list. The song rises 5-3 on the multimetric Hot Gospel Songs chart, powered largely by…

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 on-demand streams where 100 streams equal 1 download (Gold). RIAA certification for 1…