Written for music industry professionals and fans. Contents provide news, reviews and statistics for all genres of music, including radio play, music video, related internet activity and retail updates.
Billboard
Coldplay And BTS’ ‘My Universe’ Blasts Off At No. 1
Wise Music Group: independent music publishing for the 21st century
Raising The Stakes • Universal Music’s spinoff will trigger a new flood of funding — as well as new conflict and competition
MEET THE BOARD • UMG’s new global 10-person board of directors is 40% female and includes executives across a range of industries
Who’s Next? • UMG’s stock spinoff shows that equity markets like the sound of music companies — and its stock’s performance so far raises the odds that more companies will join the growing gang of public firms that now includes WMG and three publishing companies. Here’s an informed but speculative guide to which companies are likely candidates, how the market might receive them and what issues they would face.
TAKE CARE
Signed, Sealed, Downloaded • Taylor Swift proved “digitally autographed” albums can drive sales, but other artists are seeing mixed results
China’s Celeb-Culture Crackdown • The country’s internet watchdog is looking at online fandom — and that’s bad for K-pop
STACIA MAC • Founder/CEO Only Dreamers Achieve
Here’s Looking At You, Kid • After steadily growing his fan base with streaming hits, The Kid LAROI has the biggest song on the planet with “Stay.” Now, as he prepares his debut album amid big behind-the-scenes changes, he’s finding out what being a superstar actually takes
The (New) School Of Rock • Guitars are back in popular music thanks in large part to a new class of artists eager to let riffs fly
21 UNDER 21
Willow
Eslabon Armado
Baby Keem
Youth Movement • How exactly do young talent who broke out amid a pandemic prepare to tour?
Tate McRae
EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR NOAH ASSAD CEO, RIMAS ENTERTAINMENT • BAD BUNNY’s longtime manager has helped the Puerto Rican superstar conquer the world without compromising — or losing his independent streak
LÓPEZ LEADS UNIVERSAL LATIN’S BORDER-CROSSING SUCCESS
VERDE GUIDES SONY’S STARS — AND DEVELOPS NEW ONES
KOLM’S MID-PANDEMIC LABEL LAUNCH
HUMILDE TAKES REGIONAL MEXICAN GLOBAL
BILLBOARD LATIN MUSIC WEEK 2021 • Superstar Q&As and social justice discussions, panels and live performances converged at the annual Latin conference — a unique experience in Miami with 150-plus artists and executives, as well as 15,000 attendees
Kobalt’s ‘Silver Bullet’ Of Transparency • CELEBRATING TWO DECADES OF DISRUPTION, FOUNDER/CHAIRMAN WILLARD AHDRITZ AND CEO LAURENT HUBERT TALK THE MUSIC PUBLISHER’S INFLUENCE ON THE MAJORS, ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH SILICON VALLEY AND WHY PAYING CREATORS IS STILL A REVOLUTIONARY CONCEPT
Something To Talk About • KOBALT’S MUSIC CREATOR CLIENTS SHARE WHAT MAKES THE PUBLISHER STAND OUT MOST
A Timeline Of Industry Firsts • BEHIND THE GROUNDBREAKING MOVES THAT HELPED PUSH THE INDUSTRY TOWARD THE FUTURE
Anne Wilson • A chart-topping single has helped the newcomer turn family tragedy into “something beautiful”