Innholdsfortegnelse for 11/5/2016 i Billboard Magazine

Westworld watchers were gifted another stripped-down rock classic during the Oct. 23 episode of the sci-fi western, as The Cure’s “A Forest” became the latest iconic tune to receive a “saloon” version on the HBO show. The piano reworkings have become a staple of Ramin Djawadi’s score, which has so far featured The Rolling Stones’ “Paint It Black,” Radiohead’s “No Surprises” and Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun” — all handpicked by showrunner Jonathan Nolan. The cost for each song varies see graph), but a $55,000 synch is little concern for a show with a reported $100 million first-season price tag. “It’s a huge production,” says Djawadi, “so I’m glad we’re given the budget to license these kinds of songs.” More saloon covers are coming, and even the musicians are fans. Soundgarden’s…

IN THE KITCHEN OF HIS WEST Hollywood home one recent Wednesday afternoon, Bob Mackie was flipping through an issue of People in search of the “Best Dressed” section. “They’ve made this young girl look like her torso is so short,” he said, shaking his head at the proportions of a sheer black Valentino lace dress and the “granny panties” the stylist had paired beneath it. “There are tricks for that,” he explained with a tone more confused than patronizing. As one of the most influential designers of the 20th century, the man who transformed chanteuses like Tina Turner and Cher into goddesses through perfectly cut beaddrenched gowns, he would know. At 77, Mackie is witty, thoughtful and humble. If his own uniform — a classic black sweater, oxford shirt and…

Other stars may catch fire and flame out, but Sting, 65, prefers to keep his life permanently on simmer. That goes for his nearly 40 years as a recording artist and performer, and also for his work as an activist and a philanthropist. In 1989, he and his wife, Trudie Styler, met Chief Raoni, leader of the Kayapo people of Brazil, who inspired them to focus much of their lives and resources on preserving the rain forests. Their Rainforest Foundation has come to dominate international conservation efforts in jungles throughout the world. The 17th annual benefit concert at New York’s Carnegie Hall — which in past years has featured performances by Bruce Springsteen, Lady Gaga and Elton John — is scheduled for Dec. 14. Sting’s new album, 57th & 8th,…

On the heels of his Oscar win for the civil rights anthem “Glory,” John Legend started researching America’s prisons, which “helped me understand just how egregious we are as a nation on this issue.” Then the singer, 38, went to actual prisons, all as part of #FreeAmerica, his campaign for criminal justice reform and the nearly 7 million Americans currently under correctional control. The campaign’s mission dovetailed with the work of JustLeadershipUSA, a nonprofit that aims to cut the country’s prison population in half by 2030. “John understands that if we’re going to end mass incarceration, you have to humanize the people it’s affecting,” says JustLeadershipUSA founder Glenn Martin, who spent six years as a prisoner in New York state, and works alongside #FreeAmerica in his efforts to shut Rikers…

IN EARLY OCTOBER, SONGWRITER-GUITARIST IVAN JULIAN DID SOMETHING THAT HE HADN’T DONE in quite awhile: He stepped onstage and played some music. The crowd at the Bell House in Brooklyn was a little grayer, a little less hard-living than the ones he had played for in the past, back when he was an East Village punk, playing with Richard Hell & The Voidoids. But they didn’t look much worse for wear. The same could be said for Julian, who is 61 years old. His hair is the same thick shock of black curls as it was in the 1970s, his stage presence still an alluring blend of confident and aloof. These days, both count as near miracles: In the fall of 2015, Julian was diagnosed with Stage IV cancer (a…

The week’s most popular artists across all genres, ranked by album and track sales as measured by Nielsen Music, radio airplay audience impressions as measured by Nielsen Music, streaming activity data from online music sources tracked by Nielsen Music and fan interaction on social networking sites as compiled by Next Big Sound. See Charts Legend on billboard.com/biz for complete rules and explanations. © 2016, Prometheus Global Media, LLC and Nielsen Music, Inc. All rights reserved. JoJo, Bellion Bound JoJo debuts on the Billboard Artist 100 at No. 32 as she returns to the Billboard 200 after 10 years. Her new album, Mad Love., bows at No. 6 with 25,000 units earned in the week ending Oct. 20, according to Nielsen Music. On Top Album Sales, the set starts at No.…

THERE’S ONE THING NO ONE could accuse Lady Gaga of, at least in 2016, and that’s being sneaky. During a year when surprise releases have seemingly become the new normal — not just for superstars like Beyoncé and Frank Ocean, but even Solange, whose latest album, A Seat at the Table, topped the Billboard 200 with only three days’ notice — the promotional blitz for Joanne, released Oct. 21, felt like something from a bygone era. Was it the last of the oldfashioned blitzkrieg launches, or do stars really still benefit from a traditional run-up? In an interview on The Howard Stern Show, Gaga, 30, promised to personally “sell it old-school-style.” Certainly, there was no newfangled stealthiness about a cover-allbases approach that included a Saturday Night Live appearance, an Apple…

The concept of a top-pop-hits compilation album may seem antiquated in the playlist era, but the continued success of the Now That’s What I Call Music! series, which will release its 60th volume on Nov. 4, flies in the face of convention. Inching toward 100 million units sold during its 18-year lifetime, according to Nielsen Music, Universal Music Group’s Now Music division (the series has been a joint release with Sony since Now 4) has the Now buyer figured out. “The average American car is 10 or 11 years old, so it has a CD player,” says Now Music head of A&R Jeff Moskow (a rep says physical sales make up 80 to 85 percent of the series’ total tally through the years). Adds UMG senior vp Jerry Cohen: “[Now…

JJOSH GROBAN’S BROADWAY DRESSING ROOM IS a cozy space with an explorer-chic vibe: There’s a brass globe on a shelf, a framed map above the couch, a fake rhino’s head on the wall and a dog bed for his wheaten terrier, Sweeney, stuffed in a corner. And then there’s Groban, who’s holding up a fat suit in the doorway. “It’s just a little extra!” he says, grinning. “I need to add some largeness, especially when I have to look menacing. It looks like muscle, too — another thing I don’t have!” At 35, Groban will make his Broadway debut in a role that should surprise anyone who assumed he would spend the rest of his life recording inspirational anthems. During the course of a 20-year career with nearly 25 million…

Ray J Responds To “Famous” After Kanye West put a naked lookalike of his wife Kim Kardashian West’s ex-boyfriend Ray J in his controversial video for the song “Famous,” the R&B singer considered legal action, but he’s about to respond in a more creative way — through his own single and video called “Famous.” Ray J, 35, told Overheard Ray J Responds To “Famous” After Kanye West put a naked lookalike of his wife Kim Kardashian West’s ex-boyfriend Ray J in his controversial video for the song “Famous,” the R&B singer considered legal action, but he’s about to respond in a more creative way — through his own single and video called “Famous.” Ray J, 35, told Overheard that he’s about to release Raydemption, which, like Beyoncé’s Lemonade, will be…

“I’ll tell you this right now: If his album is not nominated, I’m not showing up to the Grammys.” —KANYE WEST The star talking about Frank Ocean’s Blonde during a concert in Oakland, Calif. “It is impolite and arrogant ... He is who he is.” —PER WASTBERG The Nobel Academy member discussing Bob Dylan’s non-acknowledgment of his Nobel Prize in Literature in an interview with Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter. “We’re out here campaigning for Hillary Clinton. Ever heard of her?” —KATY PERRY The pop star during a surprise appearance on behalf of the Clinton campaign at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. “I remember being frantic, distressed — feeling violated in a way I had never experienced before.” —TAYLOR SWIFT The singer alleging she was groped by Denver radio DJ…

Hunger and poverty are not acts of God,” says Tom Morello. “They’re a crime in a world where there is so much wealth.” Last summer, while on tour with his supergroup Prophets of Rage, the one-time Rage Against the Machine guitarist worked with the World Relief Hunger Organization (aka WhyHunger) to donate funds from the band’s shows to local charities, like People Assisting the Homeless and the Food Chain Worker’s Alliance. “We see the system in place is creating poverty and hunger and sick people and homelessness,” says Joann Lo, executive director of FCWA, which helps workers along the food chain. “My ultimate goal is to not just change policies but to change society,” says Morello, 52, who continues to see music as a primary tool in changing lives. “It…

On December 2nd, Billboard will publish its annual Women in Music special issue. We’ll feature the top 50 women in the music industry who have broken new ground and changed the game across labels, publishing and touring. This year, music Iegend Madonna has been named Billboard’s Woman of the Year. A seven time Grammy winner and best-selling female recording artist of all time, entrepreneur and philanthropist, her most recent Rebel Heart Tour has extended her record as the highest-ever grossing female touring artist. The 11th annual Women in Music event will be held December 9th in New York City and will air December 12th on Lifetime Take this opportunity to congratulate the female executives and top talent on this year’s list. Reach an influential audience with unparalleled decision-making power within…

REWINDING THE CHARTS BY 1983, COUNTRY ARTISTS KENNY ROGERS AND Dolly Parton were well acquainted with the pop charts. He had landed 10 top 10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 (solo and with The First Edition), including the No. 1 “Lady,” and Parton had scored two, including the charttopping theme to 1981 film 9 to 5 (in which she co-starred). They would share their next No. 1 — as a duo with a song not initially meant to be a duet. “Islands in the Stream” was written for Marvin Gaye by the Bee Gees (brothers Barry, Maurice and Robin Gibb), but Rogers chose to record it — solo — for his 15th studio album, Eyes That See in the Dark, which Barry Gibb produced. Rogers struggled with the song,…

EXECUTIVE VP/GM, COLUMB IA RECORDS ON AN UNSEASONABLY WARM October afternoon in New York, the mood in the offices of Columbia Records is more jovial than usual. Thanks to landmark best-seller Adele (10.1 million album equivalent units of 25 moved in the United States, according to Nielsen Music); Beyoncé’s latest, Lemonade (2.1 million); and, more recently, out-of-the-gate successes by Solange and The Chainsmokers, the 128-year-old company is having a market-share-leading 2016. But just as vital to its future is the promotion of one of its own, chairman/CEO Rob Stringer, to Sony Music CEO, announced minutes before executive vp/GM Joel Klaiman posed for his first Billboard photo, with “massive applause” still ringing from the midday staff meeting where the news was revealed. “It was a wonderful moment for Rob and our…

This will be your ninth time co-hosting the Country Music Association Awards. Has the preparation gotten any easier? PAISLEY We’ve actually gotten progressively more involved over the years. Now we are part of everything we say and do onstage — either coming up with the idea or fine-tuning someone else’s. UNDERWOOD It takes so many hours of talking and reading through things to get it right. We work so well together, though, that meetings are pretty fun! How are you incorporating the fact that it’s the show’s 50th anniversary? UNDERWOOD It has felt different from the get-go because it’s so big. Brad and I just have to keep the show running smoothly so the viewers can focus on the legends, like Garth Brooks and Dolly Parton, who will be there.…

As 20 Feet From Stardom star Merry Clayton sang “Way Over Yonder” at the 2014 MusiCares Person of the Year tribute honoring Carole King, little did the famed soul singer know that four months later she would need MusiCares’ help. That July, Clayton was in a near-fatal car accident that left her wheelchair-bound. “My wonderful manager gave them a call, and it was a done deal,” says Clayton of The Recording Academy’s organization that helped her rehabilitation and sent a repairman to her house to fix her stair lift. “I hear these stories regularly and am moved beyond words,” says Neil Portnow, president/CEO of MusiCares and The Recording Academy. “It’s unbelievably gratifying.” Indeed, in 2015 MusiCares dispersed a recordsetting $4.7 million to nearly 7,000 members of the music industry, ranging…

IN THE MIDTOWN MANHATTAN BROWNSTONE offices of Carlin America, Caroline Bienstock is talking about her father. “I remember attending an industry event with him where somebody approached and said, ‘Oh, Freddy Bienstock. Are you Caroline Bienstock’s father?’ To him, that was just amazing because, of course, he was the music publishing legend and I was just his daughter.” As Carlin president/CEO, Caroline Bienstock, 58, runs the independent music publisher of classic hits for Frank Sinatra, Stephen Sondheim, Billie Holiday, AC/DC, James Brown and countless others. She also carries on a rare music industry double legacy from her parents, the late Freddy and Miriam Bienstock. Freddy, who fled to New York from Austria in 1939 as the Nazis were coming to power, had a remarkable career in music publishing, from his…