Album sales surge for Morgan Wallen after racist comment
FILE - Morgan Wallen arrives at the 54th annual Academy of Country Music Awards on April 7, 2019, in Las Vegas. Wallen fans are buying up his latest album after he appeared on a video shouting a racial slur. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)NASHVILLLE, Tenn. โ Fans of Morgan Wallen are buying up the country starโs latest album after a video showed him shouting a racial slur last week. Billboard reports that his latest album sold 25,000 copies during the week ending Feb. 4, an increase of 102%, according to MRC Data. His album was already setting streaming records and is the first country album to spend four weeks atop the Billboard 200 chart since 2003, when Shania Twain's album โUp!"
Billboard: Interscope Geffen A&M named No. 1 label of 2020
Interscope Geffen A&M (IGA), the home to Eilish, Lady Gaga and Lamar, has been named the No. (AP Photo)NEW YORK โ Interscope Geffen A&M โ the home to Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar and Lady Gaga โ has been named the No. Billboard announced Thursday that the label, which is also known as IGA, tops its year-end chart for the first time since 2013. IGA is also the top Billboard 200 label with 68 albums released during the tracking period, 25 of which hit the Top 10. Warner Music Groupโs Atlantic Records was 2019โs top Billboard 200 label.
Cardi B, Dolly Parton, Dua Lipa to be honored by Billboard
NEW YORK โ Cardi B has only released one major single this year โ the hit โWAP" โ but it's enough for Billboard to name her Woman of the Year. Billboard announced the honor Wednesday and the Grammy-winning rapper will be celebrated at the music brand's 15th Annual Women in Music Event, which will stream live on Dec. 10 at billboardwomeninmusic.com at 8 p.m. EDT. Jennifer Lopez will receive the Icon Award at the event and Dolly Parton will earn the Powerhouse Award. Other honorees include pop star Dua Lipa (Powerhouse Award), R&B sister duo Chloe x Halle (Rising Star Award) and singer-songwriter Jessie Reyez (Impact Award). Outside of โWAP" โ which co-stars Megan Thee Stallion and spent four weeks at No.
Want to attend concerts again? Ticketmaster could have these COVID-19 conditions
HOUSTON โ Ticketmaster announced in order for fans to attend concerts in the future they may have to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test, Billboard reported Wednesday. How Ticketmaster plans to check your vaccine status for concerts. #BillboardNews pic.twitter.com/yIwy39GTfi โ billboard (@billboard) November 11, 2020The plan, which is still being mapped out, would involve the Ticketmaster app and medical information firms. To attend a concert, fans would be required to either verify through the app that theyโd been vaccinated or prove they tested negative for the virus within 72 hours prior to event, CNN reported. Anyone who failed to do so would not be allowed into the venueTicketmaster added that fans should not worry about their personal health information being permanently stored or shared, CNN reported.
Drake bests Aretha Franklin, Wonder to set Billboard record
1 hit on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop songs chart, Drake has bested a record previously held by icons Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder. Drake's โLaugh Now Cry Later," featuring rapper Lil Durk, reached the No. Wonder and Franklin, who died in 2018, each have had 20 songs top the chart. 1 hits on the R&B/Hip-Hop songs chart, 12 include him in the leading role, including โGodโs Plan,โ โIn My Feelings,โ โHotline Bling,โ โHold On, Weโre Going Homeโ and โBest I Ever Had,โ his first major hit released in 2009. Earlier this year, 34-year-old Drake made Billboard chart history when he set a new record for most songs on the Hot 100 chart โ Billboard's main songs chart that includes all music genres.
Gladys Knight vs. Patti Labelle: What social media is saying about Sunday nightโs โbeautifulโ night on โVerzuzโ
Sunday nightโs episode of โVerzuzโ brought back timeless memories and a bit of โBlack girl magicโ to the audience. The webcast quickly gathered a lot of talk on social media, especially to those โlongtimeโ fans who followed both legends since their prime. Hereโs what some social media users are saying about Sunday nightโs โVerzuzโ battle:Still on a high from last nightโs @verzuzonline celebration! -Patti LaBelle #verzuz โ Alexander Hardy (@chrisalexander_) September 14, 2020Also, the evolution of #Verzuz has been my favorite story arc of the 2020 season of Earth. โ Leticia (@leticia_creates) September 14, 2020I missed Gladys & Patti last night ๐Who won?
Lucky No.7: Taylor Swift nabs 7th No.1 album with 'folklore'
1 on Billboard's 200 albums chart this week, marking the best first-week sales of the year and giving the pop star her seventh No. (Republic Records via AP)NEW YORK To no one's surprise, Taylor Swift's surprise album folklore" is dominating the music charts. Swift's Lover" album, released last August. Swift dropped folklore" in a surprise form, announcing the album's release a day before it came out on July 24. A digital version of folklore" came with a purchase of one of the merchandise items, counting as an album sale for Swift.