1. Nashville Notes: Old Crow Medicine Show Going 'Blonde'; New Host for Westwood One's 'Country Gold'

    March 23, 2016 12:44 PM EDT NEWS + NOTES As one expects at awards shows, the Academy of Country Music's 51st annual soiree on April 3 will include a number of special performances. Among the latest announcements: Dolly Parton will duet with pop star Katy Perry during th ...

  2. Nashville Execs Say Tide Is Slowly Turning for Female Country Artists

    March 22, 2016 2:51 PM EDT It has been nearly 10 months since radio consultant Keith Hill created national headlines and brought new attention to a perennial issue — the disparity in the numbers of successful male and female artists in country music — when he referred to wo ...

  3. U.S. Recording Industry Sees Slight Uptick in Revenue Last Year, Streaming Dominates Digital

    March 22, 2016 2:35 PM EDT The Recording Industry Association of America ( RIAA ) has released its 2015 full-year numbers, which  arrive bearing both good and bad news.  The good: The U.S. recorded music business brought in more money last year than the year prior -- by a ...

  4. Blue Raincoat Music Launches Publishing Division with Mike Chapman as Inaugural Signing

    March 15, 2016 5:08 PM EDT London-based management company Blue Raincoat Music has signed Mike Chapman, part of the songwriting team behind many of the biggest hits of the '70s, to its newly launched publishing division. Australian-born Chapman, who alongside songwriti ...

  5. Nashville Notes: Miranda Lambert Launching Animal Product Line; New Signings at Rounder, Curb

    March 15, 2016 12:18 PM EDT NEWS + NOTES Country went global in a major way this past weekend with Jason Aldean , Florida Georgia Line and Kelsea Ballerini among the attractions at the CMC Rocks festival in Queensland, Australia, March 11-13, while C2C: Country to Country br ...

  6. Melissa Etheridge Salutes Legendary Stax Records On New Concord Album: Exclusive

    March 15, 2016 9:00 AM EDT Melissa Etheridge  will honor pioneering label Stax Records on a new album for Concord Music Group. The as-yet-untitled project -- the singer/songwriter and activist’s first musical concept album -- is slated for release in late summer/early fall ...

  7. U.K. Indie Cooking Vinyl Grows U.S. Operations

    March 11, 2016 4:30 PM EST Cooking Vinyl, the London-based indie which counts The Prodigy , Marilyn Manson and Billy Bragg among its varied roster, is expanding its U.S. operations with the opening of a full service label division. Based in New York City,  Cooking Vinyl Ame ...

  8. Johnny Mathis Plots New Concept Album With Clive Davis & Kenneth 'Babyface' Edmonds: Exclusive

    March 10, 2016 4:50 PM EST Over the decades, Clive Davis has breathed new life into the careers of such superstars as Rod Stewart , Aretha Franklin , Barry Manilow and Dionne Warwick by pairing them with new material or themed concept projects. Next on the Sony Music chief ...

  9. Billboard Poll: 21 Millennial Artists, Influencers and Industry Execs Weigh In on the Music Biz

    March 10, 2016 1:10 PM EST In a Billboard survey, 21 artists, influencers and industry professionals born between 1980 and 1995 -- members of the largest, most diverse generation in the U.S. -- share their musical discovery habits, which artist best represents them (Drake! ...

  10. Puerto Rican Rapper Cosculluela Signs With Warner: Exclusive

    March 10, 2016 1:00 PM EST Puerto Rican rapper Cosculluela has signed an exclusive recording contract with Warner Music Latin, Billboard has learned. Cosculluela arrives at Warner after scoring his first top 10 single on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart -- “Te Busco,” with ...

  11. Inaugural Record Store Day Crawl to Hit the Road on April 16

    March 10, 2016 11:08 AM EST All aboard the Record Store Day Crawl! Music fans are being urged to get on the bus and support their favorite recording artists when the inaugural Record Store Day Crawl hits the road in New York on April 16.  Metallica Named 2016 Record Store Da ...

  12. Chris Taylor Appointed President Of Entertainment One Music

    March 09, 2016 5:55 PM EST Music industry attorney and entrepreneur Chris Taylor has been named president of Entertainment One Music (eOne). Taylor’s Canadian recording, publishing and artist management firm Last Gang will also join the eOne fold.   At eOne Taylor will over ...

  13. Nashville Notes: Dolly Parton's First Big Tour in 25 Years, New CMT Shows & More

    March 09, 2016 1:18 PM EST NEWS + NOTES Two Country Music Hall of Fame members in their 70s are headed in opposite directions. Don Williams announced his retirement in favor of "quiet time at home" on March 1, leaving a catalog that includes "I Believe in You ...

  14. Connor Franta's Music Label Inks Deal With Sony's Red Distribution

    March 08, 2016 2:33 PM EST Heard Well, the music label powered by social media influencers including co-founder Connor Franta , has signed a deal with Red Distribution, a division of Sony Music Entertainment.  Since launching in July 2015, Heard Well has built a network of ...

  15. How Did Kevin Gates Go From Regional Hip-Hop Star to Outselling Adele?

    March 08, 2016 11:49 AM EST As the stars of CBS’ The Talk were accepting the honor for Favorite Daytime Hosting Team at the 2016 People’s Choice Awards in January, 20-year-old Zacari Nicasio seized his chance. Jumping on stage and grabbing the microphone, the unexpected gues ...

  16. Producer Ricky Reed Launches Nice Life Recording Co: Exclusive

    March 07, 2016 12:45 PM EST Ricky Reed has manned the boards for pop's biggest names across different genres, like Meghan Trainor 's recently released single "NO" and even electronic Colombian fusion band  Bomba Estereo 's funky hit "Fiesta,&quo; ...

  17. ATO Records GM Jon Salter on Alabama Shakes' Big Grammy Wins, His White House Visit and Why He's Still Bullish on Rock Music

    March 04, 2016 10:03 AM EST When Jon Salter said he would be arriving from Washington, D.C., shortly before his meeting with Billboard at ATO's New York offices, he didn't mention the reason for his trip there. It turns out he had an engagement at the White House: ...

  18. Curb Records Acquires Majority Stake in Christian Market Leader Word Entertainment

    March 03, 2016 4:05 PM EST Curb Records has bought out Warner Music Group’s majority stake in Word Entertainment, making it the sole owner of the heritage Christian music and entertainment company. Word’s printed music division was not a part of the deal and remains jointly ...

  19. Jeff Buckley Collaborators Talk New LP, Which Captures Late Singer 'At The Precise Start of His Career'

    March 03, 2016 1:30 PM EST On Feb. 3, 1993, a soft-spoken Jeff Buckley walked into Shelter Island Sound studios in New York’s Flatiron district. Recently signed to Columbia Records, the singer­-songwriter and son of folk musician Tim Buckley was woodshopping material for hi ...

  20. Jennifer Lopez Signs New Deal With Epic Records

    March 02, 2016 5:30 PM EST Jennifer Lopez has returned to Epic Records, Billboard has confirmed, signing a new long-term contract with the Sony Music-owned label and reuniting with longtime mentor, Epic chairman and CEO L.A. Reid  Says Reid: "I'm thrilled to welco ...

  21. The Band Perry Part Ways With Big Machine

    March 01, 2016 2:33 PM EST Confirming speculation that began last month, Grammy-winning country group The Band Perry has parted ways with Big Machine Label Group (BMLG) after seven years, two albums and an EP. The band, comprising siblings Kimberly, Reid and Neil Perry, had ...

  22. Sony Completes Move of Its NYC Headquarters

    March 01, 2016 2:18 PM EST Sony Corporation of America has migrated south. Music Week is reporting -- and Billboard confirms -- that the multi-faceted company recently completed its 30-block move from former headquarters 550 Madison Ave. to 11 Madison Ave., where it will oc ...

  23. Nashville Notes: Trisha Yearwood's 'Passion' Project; Sony Music Nashville Revamps Promo, Marketing Teams

    March 01, 2016 12:25 PM EST NEWS + NOTES Zac Brown Band 's upcoming Black Out the Sun Tour includes five shows at four major-league stadiums. Drake White & The Big Fire serve as openers during the summer schedule, which launches May 19 in Hartford, Conn. The stadium ...

  24. Keith Urban's Lucky No. 1 'Break'; Sister Hazel Goes Country

    March 01, 2016 11:34 AM EST Keith Urban 's "Break on Me" vaults 6-1 to become his 19th No. 1 on Billboard 's Country Airplay chart (dated March 12). The song surges by 12 percent to 44.6 million audience impressions in the tracking week, according to Niel ...

  25. New Kendrick Already? Top Dawg's Boss Reveals 2016 Rollout Plan

    March 01, 2016 10:37 AM EST Top Dawg Entertainment is ready to take over 2016. TDE CEO Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith revealed the roster's rollout plans in a new Instagram post (Feb. 29), writing, "Shit about to get nasty real soon... I told y'all I got ...

  26. Sony Music's New Office in Africa Signals a Promising Near-Future for the Continent

    February 29, 2016 12:54 PM EST Sony Music announced last week that it is opening an office in Lagos, Nigeria, the first step towards establishing a footprint in a West African market that Adam Granite , Sony's president of Northern/Eastern Europe & Africa, claims has h ...

  27. Laura Marling, Not (Just) Bob Dylan: Critic Jim Fusilli on the 'Neglected' Adult Music Market

    February 26, 2016 12:26 PM EST In the introductory chapters to his book Catching Up: Connecting with Great 21st Century Musi c, longtime  Wall Street Journal music critic Jim Fusilli argues that the music business neglects older music fans by peddling youth market flash that of ...

  28. Will Dr. Luke & Sony Marriage Last After Kesha?

    February 25, 2016 6:27 PM EST Come the fall, will the Dr. be in -- or out -- of his deal with Sony? That’s one of the lesser examined, and certainly less lurid, questions arising as Kesha ’s battle with her former mentor, Dr. Luke (nee Lukasz Gottwald), and Sony Music makes it ...

  29. Kesha Supporters Planning Protest Outside Sony Headquarters

    February 24, 2016 6:50 PM EST The outpouring of support for Kesha continues with the announcement of a rally on Friday outside Sony's New York City headquarters, demanding she be released from her contract with Dr. Luke's subsidiary Kemosabe Records imprint via RCA.  ...

  30. New Sony Nashville Chief Randy Goodman Engages Staff For Urgent Roster Retooling

    February 24, 2016 11:06 AM EST Before Randy Goodman officially took over as the chairman/CEO of Sony Music Nashville on July 13, 2015, he sat in on one of the company’s meetings. The executives at the table didn’t know it, but they were helping him sort out some of the 
decisio ...

  31. Nashville Notes: Willie Nelson & Cyndi Lauper Trade Duets; Nash FM Host Preps First Album in 8 Years

    February 23, 2016 12:48 PM EST NEWS + NOTES When the Academy of Country Music announced its song of the year and songwriter nominees on Feb. 18, some 17 days after the bulk of the finalists were revealed, it changed the horse race ever so slightly. Chris Stapleton got two nomin ...

  32. T.I. Signs Distribution Deal With Roc Nation, Becomes Latest Co-Owner of Tidal

    February 22, 2016 10:05 PM EST After leaving the major-label system following the release of his ninth studio album  Paperwork  in October 2014 via Columbia, T.I. has finally found a new home under Jay Z 's wing. Ahead of his pop-up performance at Greenbriar Mall in his ho ...

  33. The Future of Pablo: What's Next for Kanye West's Not-Really-Released Album?

    February 19, 2016 10:01 AM EST On the night of Feb. 10, less than 24 hours before Kanye West was set to premiere his seventh solo album, The Life of Pablo , during his Yeezy Season 3 fashion show at Madison Square Garden in New York, the rapper invited close friends, industry ...

  34. Island Records President David Massey Explains Dealing With Oasis' Gallagher Brothers, Bringing Up Young Artists

    February 18, 2016 5:49 PM EST The  separation  of Island and Def  Jam  in April of 2014 seems to have energized both companies, but particularly David Massey’s  Island. “Island is a smaller label [of around 50 acts] and we are exceptionally involved with our artists,” he says. ...

  35. Luke Burland Exits Warner Bros. Records Publicity Post After 15 Years

    February 18, 2016 3:24 PM EST Luke Burland, senior vp of publicity at Warner Bros. Records, is leaving the company. During her 15-year tenure, Burland helmed projects by Josh Groban, Seal, Duran Duran, Nile Rodgers, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Green Day, Jason Derulo and Brandy Cla ...

  36. Universal Music 2015 Earnings: Streaming Drove Revenue Growth, Predicts 'Enhanced Results'

    February 18, 2016 3:14 PM EST Streaming and subscription services led Universal Music Group to a modest gain in 2015, accounting for 52 percent of the company's digital recorded music revenues in the second half of the year. The revenue figure and digital milestone were r ...

  37. Olivier Nusse Named CEO of Universal Music France

    February 18, 2016 1:31 PM EST Olivier Nusse, the current managing director of Mercury Music Group and Universal Classic & Jazz France, has been named the new CEO of Universal Music France, the company announced today. Nusse will take the reins from Pascal Nègre, who has le ...

  38. RIAA-Nah? After 'Anti' Goes Platinum, Execs Explain the New Rules for Going Gold (and Platinum and Diamond)

    February 17, 2016 6:10 PM EST When Rihanna’s Anti went Platinum two days after its exclusive release via Tidal and Samsung, some RIAA (Recording Industry Assn. of America) critics smelt a rat, questioning if Samsung’s giveaway cheapens the RIAA’s the million unit milestone de ...

  39. Nashville Notes: Acme Feed & Seed Launches Radio Station; Moves at iHeartMedia, Warner/Chappell

    February 17, 2016 1:58 PM EST Beyond the obvious country winners at the Feb. 15 Grammy Awards , the genre left some other footprints in the glitter-bombed dust of the weekend's activities. Luke Bryan , Little Big Town , Chris Stapleton and The Band Perry participated in t ...

  40. Granger Smith Takes 'Backroad' to No. 1; Charles Kelley Makes Solo Bow

    February 17, 2016 12:15 PM EST In its 32nd week, Granger Smith 's debut chart entry, "Backroad Song," rises 2-1 to crown Billboard 's Country Airplay chart (dated Feb. 27). The song increases by 6 percent to 49.6 million audience impressions in the week endi ...

  41. Grammy Scoreboard: Tallying the Major & Indie Label Wins

    February 16, 2016 7:59 PM EST The Grammy scorecard for artists places Kendrick Lamar , Taylor Swift , Alabama Shakes and The Weeknd among the big winners last night (Feb. 15) -- but a look at labels and groups shows a tighter race. Executives at the Universal Music Group and t ...

  42. Warner Music's New Creative Officer Mike Caren on Making Beyonce Beats and Amping Up His Artist Partners Group

    February 12, 2016 1:00 PM EST It's no accident that Mike Caren 's job titles at Warner Music Group -- "president of global A&R" and now "creative officer" -- are so vague. The executive takes a holistic approach to A&R, whether collaborati ...

  43. Latin

    Grammys 2016 Predictions: Who Will Win Latin Awards?

    February 11, 2016 5:31 PM EST In a year where Latin has intermingled more than ever with mainstream, predicting Grammy winners in the Latin field has become a challenge. That’s because Grammy voters tend to go for familiar names (to them). So an act that’s huge in the Latin wo ...

  44. Grammys: This Is the Man Behind All Five Album of the Year Nominees

    February 11, 2016 4:09 PM EST This story first appeared in the Feb. 19 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine,  click here to subscribe . Lucian Grainge won't be nervous when  the coveted album of the year award is revealed Feb. 15 at the 58th a ...

  45. IMMF Raises Concerns Over Labels' Promise to Share Potential Stock Payout from Spotify

    February 11, 2016 2:51 PM EST Last week, both Warner Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment announced plans to share any proceeds from a potential sale of equity the majors have in streaming services. WMG owns a stake in Deezer -- which abandoned a planned IPO last year -- a ...

  46. Nashville Notes: Kristian Bush Says Yes to 'Dress' Theme Song; LoCash's Label Expands

    February 11, 2016 12:06 PM EST Here is your weekly roundup of goings on -- artist signings, staffing moves, good news and more -- in the wide world of country music. NEWS & NOTES Kristian Bush is set for an appearance on the new season of TLC's Say Yes to the Dress , a ...

  47. Kobalt Promotes Ryan Wright to Chief Marketing Officer

    February 11, 2016 11:53 AM EST Kobalt Music Group has created a new Chief Marketing Officer position and has promoted Ryan Wright to fill it. In his new role, Wright will oversee marketing, communications and client experience across the company, with a major focus on brand mes ...

  48. Charlie Walk Elevated to President of Republic's New Label Group

    February 11, 2016 10:33 AM EST Three years after taking the job  overseeing Republic Records' marketing and promotion departments and artist development initiatives, executive vice president Charlie Walk has been named president of the Republic Group, a new formation under ...

  49. Tori Kelly, Gregory Porter, Corinne Bailey Rae Draw a Powerful Crowd to Capitol's Grammy Showcase

    February 11, 2016 8:14 AM EST Perhaps no moment at tonight's Capitol Music Group Grammy party encapsulated the raison d'être behind the wall-to-wall industry festivities this week more than Tori Kelly 's exquisite 3-song solo set. Here, holding court in the midd ...

  50. Chris Stapleton, Lauren Alaina, Little Big Town Try Out New Songs at Universal Nashville's Country Showcase

    February 10, 2016 1:51 PM EST “Snow day at the Ryman -- what could be better?” said Little Big Town’s Philip Sweet, kicking off an afternoon of music for attendees at Nashville’s annual Country Radio Seminar, as flurries accumulated on the storied Ryman Auditorium’s stained gl ...

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