Innholdsfortegnelse for Mar-22-14 i Billboard Magazine

The fatal crash that took the lives of two and injured 23 others at South by Southwest early on March 13 upended the festival and raised questions about the impact the accident might have on the future of SXSW, a once exclusive indie event that has mushroomed into a sprawling convention noted for business opportunities and shows by major artists like Coldplay and Jay Z. ¶ “Everything was in place that was supposed to be,” says Don Pitts, manager of the City of Austin Music & Entertainment Division. “It was an unforeseen tragedy, and I’m sure the city will evaluate everything we do that relates to special events and how we can improve things.” SXSW organizers announced they would be making schedule and venue changes for programming in the area…

“I’d let both those motherf—ers drown!” JENNIFER LOPEZ The singer, replying in jest to a radio DJ asking whether she’d rescue Ben Affleck or Sean “Diddy” Combs if she were at sea and could only save one. Both men are her exes. “Why would you get the guy who created the Zune to make your website?” ZACH GALIFIANAKIS The actor and host of Funny or Die’s Between Two Ferns, referencing Microsoft’s failed music player to President Obama in a joke about the shaky launch of Healthcare.gov. “I was found on YouTube. I think that I was detrimental to my own career.” JUSTIN BIEBER The pop star, misspeaking in a deposition, in response to a question about mentor Usher’s role in his success. He quickly clarified that he meant “instrumental.” “Dontchyouuuu…

DEATHS Marion Massey, mother of Island Records president David Massey and widely known as one of the f rst female artist managers , steering the careers of British pop star Lulu and songwriter Mark London, died March 1 in London. She was 81. Radio executive-personality Jack Roberts, who was executive producer for CRN Digital Talk Radio and worked with Tony Bennett and Chubby Checker , died March 7 in Los Angeles following a long illness. He was 62. Film/music video director Scott Kalvert, whose work included The Basketball Diaries with Leonardo DiCaprio and videos by Salt-N-Pepa and DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, died March 5 at his home in Woodland Hills, Calif. He was 49. Songwriters Hall of Fame board member Frank Military, who held VP positions at…

At a listener event at KJUG Visalia, Calif., on March 3, a woman asked Brantley Gilbert to sign her arm. She then proceeded straight to the local tattoo parlor to turn his autograph into a permanent testament of her devotion. The scruffy country singer’s fans (collectively known as The BG Nation) are rabidly loyal, and thanks to a new chart-topping hit, their numbers seem to be growing. “Bottoms Up” spent its second week atop Billboard’ Hot Country Songs chart in the week ending March 9. Fan fervor has been outpacing radio play as the slinky, guitarheavy song’s primary driver so far, a rarity in country: “Bottoms Up” is topping the Country Streaming Songs and sales-based Country Digital Songs charts for the fifth and third straight week, respectively. But radio is…

Kongos, an Arizona-based quartet made up of the sons of South African singer-songwriter John Kongos, is racing up the charts with “Come With Me Now” — three years after its initial release. The accordion-tinged rock song reached a new peak on Billboard’s Alternative chart at No. 7 for the week ending March 9, in its seventh week on the tally. It’s the fastest-rising debut top 10 on the chart since Lorde’s “Royals” last July, and the fastest by a group since Flobots’ “Handlebars” in 2008. Drummer Jesse Kongos says “Come With Me Now” was an early fan favorite two years ago, when the band was opening for Linkin Park in South Africa, where debut album Lunatic was released in 2011. The United States, however, took more time to crack. “There…

Recordings, founder-CEO of KWL Enterprises and a partner in Lyor Cohen’ new label, 300. Members of Magnises, which McFarland started in August and of icially launched earlier in March, receive perks for using their dressed-up debit and credit cards that are made of heavyweight metal: guaranteed reservations at restaurants like La Esquina, special fitness classes at gyms like David Barton and access to Magnises’ New York townhouse, a type of Soho House-like hangout used for meetings and parties, located in the West Village. This perks-and-privileges community — Magnises’ website promises “24/7 concierge, special treatment and discounts at numerous high-end brands and restaurants” to its 600 cardcarrying members — has caught the eye of a number of notable investors and members since McFarland first plotted how to get his hands on…

TAYLOR SWIFT Tedder joined her for a songwriting session in Los Angeles during Grammy week in January. ADELE One of the first calls she made for her upcoming third album was to Tedder, who co-wrote and produced the top 20 hit “Rumour Has It.” ADAM LEVINE “We’re running and gunning,” says songwriter/producer Benny Blanco of his collaboration with Tedder on Levine and Maroon 5’s latest. BEYONCE When Tedder was in the Hamptons working on her top-secret album, he also wrote OneRepublic’s biggest hit, “Counting Stars.” U2 OneRepublic toured with U2 in 2010, leading to Tedder’s involvement in the band’s long-delayed 13th album.…

“We like to have an element of class in our music,” says Howard Lawrence of Disclosure. “That’s what’s lacking in today’s chart music, I think.” The brothers Lawrence — Howard, 19, and Guy, 22 — have indeed classed up the joint since the release of their Grammy-nominated debut, Settle, in May 2013, a collection of new music that sounded like it was hurtled from the dancefloors of the 1990s, belying their young ages. It landed on year-end top 10 lists in everything from finicky indie-music blogs to glossy fashion magazines, extending the dance music conversation beyond the frat boy neon of EDM. And while it didn’t set the charts on fire, peaking at No. 38 on the Billboard 200, it established the Brit-born Lawrences as tastemakers and fantastic A&R guys:…

Fresh of a photo shoot, Kat Dahlia is being rushed through the streets of Manhattan in a black car. It’s early March, two weeks after she released her contagiously funky new single “Crazy” and three months away from the arrival of her debut album, My Garden, a pivotal time for the Miami-based hip-hop/soul singer. Most new artists in her position would be relentlessly doing press, touring and making the radio promo circuit. But Dahlia hasn’t been able to say a word — let alone sing — in 10 days. Dahlia, 23, has been on strict vocal rest in anticipation of a visit with Dr. Scott Kessler, the go-to voice doctor for everyone from Jon Bon Jovi to One Direction’s Harry Styles to the Justins (Timberlake and Bieber). The last time…

YG, My Krazy Life It’s only March, but Compton, Calif.-bred rapper YG, along with his hitmaking collaborator DJ Mustard, are releasing what could be the rap album of the summer. YG signed to Def Jam in 2009, just a week after leaving jail for a residential burglary. His 2010 single “Toot It and Boot It” reached No. 67 on the Billboard Hot 100. My Krazy Life, his debut, was five years in the making, but in the interim, YG and go-to producer DJ Mustard released several acclaimed mixtapes, producing songs that became a ubiquitous presence in Los Angeles clubs and car stereos and effectively reshaped the sound of rap on the West Coast and beyond. (Their infuence is readily apparent on such hits as Sage the Gemini’s “Gas Pedal” and…

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 50,000 units (Oro). Latin albums certification for physical shipments & digital downloads of 100,000 units (Platino). Numeral noted with Platinum symbol indicates album’s multi-platinum level. Digital Songs Charts RIAA certification for 500,000 paid downloads (Gold). RIAA certification for 1 million paid downloads (Platinum). Numeral noted with platinum symbol indicates…

Lori Feldman, a 20-year veteran of Warner Bros. Records, has been promoted to executive vp brand partnerships and creative synch licensing and will continue working with key clients including Chrysler, Nokia, American Airlines and Citibank. She reports directly to chairman/CEO Cameron Strang. Neil Young will introduce a new MP3 player and online store to the market called PonoMusic, having nearly doubled his funding goal on Kickstarter in less than a week. Young had asked for $800,000 to fund the project, but at press time had raised more than $1.4 million, with 34 days left in the campaign. PonoMusic, which will retail for $399, focuses on highfidelity audio as a differentiator and boasts 128 gigabytes of memory. Fast food chain Chipotle sued Frank Ocean on March 7 to recoup an advance…

DELL TAKES KOBALT STAKE Kobalt Music Group picks up a big-name investor with a $25 million buy-in by MSD Capital, the private investment firm of Michael Dell, who founded computer-maker Dell. MSD will own 9.9% of the music publishing and label services group, valuing the business at around $250 million. Kobalt, whose roster includes OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder, Beck and Dr. Luke, will use the equity infusion to fund growth through investment in technology and territorial expansion, according to Kobalt founder-CEO Willard Ahdritz. —Ed Christman NEW JOINT VENTURE SIGNS EX-VILLAGE PERSON Reach Music Publishing and Boardwalk Publishing Group have started a joint venture publishing partnership. In its first move, the new initiative signed former Village People lead singer Victor Willis to an administration agreement, and will handle his share of such…

LABELS After a 10-year stint at Music Sales Corp., where she placed music in commercials for major brands, Karen Kloack has moved to Concord Music Group as vp f lm, TV and commercial licensing. Kloack will oversee licensing of master recordings and publishing copyrights for the group’s vast artist roster and family of labels, which includes Concord Records, Rounder, Stax, Fantasy, Concord Jazz and Prestige. Kloack says she’s particularly eager to seek new opportunities for Concord’s artist roster, which boasts Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, James Taylor, Steve Martin and Esperanza Spalding. Since joining, Kloack has placed the Valerie June song “You Can’t Be Told” in a JCPenney ad that aired during this year’s Academy Awards. She also invited music supervisors to Elbow concerts in New York and Los Angeles to…

Coldplay’s “Magic” Anticipation for Coldplay’ sixth studio album, Ghost Stories, due May 19, is sky-high, as first single “Magic” soars onto a host of Billboard charts. The set is the band’s first since 2011’s Mylo Xyloto. Also helping build buzz: The group’s March 11 headlining slot at the inaugural U.S. edition of the iTunes Festival at South by Southwest, where it performed “Magic” live for the first time. 114K “Magic” debuts on Digital Songs at No. 7 with 114,000 downloads, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It’s the band’s secondbest debut sum behind “Paradise,” which sold 139,000 in its first week in the issue dated Oct. 1, 2011. Sales of “Magic” account for 78 percent of its points on Hot Rock Songs and the Billboard Hot 100, where it enters at Nos.…

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5 9:02 p.m., New York The VIP hour ends at the Armory Party at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and ticket guests start f owing in to see Jamie xx of The xx DJ before Dev Hynes and Blood Orange hit the stage. But those looking for last year’s bold-faced names — like Beyonce, Jay Z, Jessica Biel and Hynes’ pal Solange, who hit the stage in 2013 — are in for a letdown: It’s all artists and art collectors at this year’s bash. THURSDAY, MARCH 6 11:30 a.m., Washington, D.C. At Michelle Obama’ interactive student workshop “I’m Every Woman: The History of Women in Soul,” the f rst lady connects the genre of music to her “Let’s Move” campaign, saying that soul is “the…

Julie Anne Quay, founder of Soho store and social media site VFiles, hasn’t just created a successful business platform: She’s created a lifestyle. “People are tribal,” says Australia native Quay, in her store on Mercer and Grand Streets in Manhattan. She picks up a pair of long black shorts with the letters “HBA” stamped across the crotch, advertising the brand Hood by Air, a favorite of Kanye West, A$AP Rocky and Rihanna. “The person who wears this is part of our tribe.” The former executive editor of V Magazine (the publication is a minority partner in VFiles) and former studio manager for photographer Steven Meisel is referring to both fans of the brands — like Meat, Jeremy Scott, Madame Slutz and Moschino — carried in the store and those who…

“Counting Stars,” OneRepublic I finished it in Greece in Santorini, but I started it in New York. If I think I have something that I love that feels huge, that feels like it’s inevitable — which isn’t all the time — I will intentionally get it to where I know, “This is nuclear, I know this is gonna connect, but I want to finish this in a place that’s special, that inspires me.” We’ve been trying to go to Santorini for three years and I thought, “This is the perfect place to finish this song.” “Burn,” Ellie Goulding I wrote it on a tour bus in Chicago, me and Brent [Kutzle, of OneRepublic]. I was so ecstatic about the song that our show was probably delayed five minutes because I…

Just 21, Porter Robinson is rounding the corner on his first decade of dancefloor domination. He’s been producing tracks since he was 13 and been a touring DJ almost as long, at first accompanied by his father and playing clubs he wouldn’t have been permitted to enter were he not the talent. But despite his success behind the decks — tours with Tiesto and Skrillex, tag-team DJ’ing with Zedd, main-stage appearances at Ultra Music Festival, Electric Zoo and Electric Daisy Carnival — he’s tired of the superstar DJ scene. And though you’d never call anyone with this much enthusiasm jaded, he’s ready for a change. “I genuinely don’t want to be playing electro bangers anymore,” says Robinson from Tokyo in the midst of his latest and last tour, where he’s…

COURTNEY BARNETT Australian anti-folk singer Courtney Barnett, 26, had the creative breakthrough of her career in her garden last year, gasping for breath during an asthma attack, as a chatty paramedic loaded her into the back of an ambulance. “Avant Gardener,” the witty, detail-rich song Barnett wrote about the experience, earned the former rock-club bartender fawning write-ups online, her first taste of overseas fame and a new deal with Mom + Pop Music. After a slate of performances at CMJ Music Marathon last October, Barnett, who has self- released music in Melbourne since 2011, became the subject of intense label interest. Mom + Pop won the rights to rerelease her 2013 double-EP, The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas, in North America, licensing it from the United Kingdom’s Marathon…

Sharon Van Etten’s last album cover featured a black-and-white extreme close-up of her heavy gaze. But her new single, “Taking Chances,” is her technicolor moment. The indie-folk songwriter has never operated over such a profuse arrangement: The percussion is crisp and attentive in the verses, the organ hums through the bridge, and when the chorus arrives, the electric guitar breaks free of its leash and barks tenaciously. Van Etten’s voice, however, remains as entrancing as it sounded on 2012’s Tramp, drawling out the word “emotions” for four seconds and carefully gliding in tone from unaffected to unsettled. Lyrically, “Taking Chances” finds Van Etten “looking for a way out” and “about to leave,” hinting at a spoiled romance that never quite materializes in the song. Yet the unmistakable regret in the…

In 1956, Belafonte Ruled The First Weekly Albums Chart On March 24, 1956, the legendary Harry Belafonte crowned Billboard’ first weekly albums chart — now known as the Billboard 200 — with his smash set Belafonte. The year was a busy one for the so-called King of Calypso, who was already a Tony Award winner for his work in the 1953 musical revue John Murray Anderson’s Almanac. After topping the chart with Belafonte, he notched a second No. 1 with Calypso. Fueled by its hit single “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song),” the album spent a staggering 31 weeks atop the Billboard 200 — tying with the soundtrack to South Pacific and Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours for the third-longest run at No. 1 in history. The all-time champ is the soundtrack to…

Proposed legislation that would ban the use of orcas as amusement-park acts in California could turn up the heat on musical groups that can earn a 25 percent to 50 percent premium playing such venues. On March 7, California assemblyman Richard Bloom, a Democrat whose district includes Malibu, Pacific Palisades, Bel Air, Brentwood and Santa Monica, introduced legislation that would ban amusement parks from using orcas for performances in theme shows. The bill, spurred by the controversial documentary Blackfish, about captured orcas, also would illegalize captive breeding and prohibit the import and export of the so-called killer whales. “I hope a movie like Blackfish stamps these places out of existence,” says Grammywinning songwriter Diane Warren. “It should impact musicians to not ever play at these horrible places. Animals are not…

In the ever-more-crowded streaming music world, Spotify’s acquisition of music data supplier The Echo Nest on March 6 — in a deal thought to be worth as much as $100 million — could have real ramifications. It gives the Swedish company a way to keep a valuable tool out of the hands of competitors like Rdio and iHeartRadio, both of which rely on The Echo Nest to help power their programming. And doing so could help boost Spotify’s valuation, which has already vaulted to estimates as high as $7 billion in anticipation of a possible initial public offering. Neither company would comment on the terms of the deal. The Echo Nest has raised $26.5 million since its launch in 2005, while Spotify has rallied $538 million in venture financing since…

Bleachers Get ”Better” Fun.’s Jack Antonoff flies onto the Alternative chart with secretive side project Bleachers, as the anthemic “I Wanna Get Better” bows at No. 33. Antonoff wrote the song while on the road with fun. and recorded it in Sweden, Malaysia, New Zealand and New York. A full-length album is due on RCA this spring. Antonoff (the boyfriend of Girls star Lena Dunham) told Billboard he didn’t mean for his new act to be a secret, but he “wanted there to be music before anything. I hate the idea of things being hyped.” Clean Bandit Breaks In One of Europe’s biggest recent hits is on the prowl stateside, as Clean Bandit’ “Rather Be” (featuring Jess Glynne) jumps 23-18 on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs. The song, which recalls early-’90s dance-pop…

1 YEAR AGO When signing to Island Def Jam/Mercury Records in January 2013, American Authors arrived with single “Best Day of My Life” in tow. After the four-piece played South by Southwest (SXSW), the song was serviced to SiriusXM’s Alt Nation, before hitting iTunes on March 19. Island Records president David Massey says the song was “incredibly reactive” in the synch world, landing TV spots for Lowes and Hyundai U.K. in early 2013. “I couldn’t tell you how many Facebook messages we get: ‘We heard you in a Hyundai commercial in England,’ ” says singer Zac Barnett. “It really helped lay the foundation in a bunch of different places.” 7 MONTHS AGO The band wrapped recording sessions last May with enough material for a full-length, but it opted to release…

TUESDAY, MARCH 11 6:50 p.m., Austin Hours before 50 Cent takes the stage for the Hang w/South by Southwest live-streamed performance, the rapper sits backstage in a calm state, smiling widely. “It’s liberating,” he says of his decision to leave Shady/Aftermath/Interscope, the label that helped make him a star more than a decade ago. “I choose everything. The fun part is that there doesn’t have to be a schedule. There’s no timeline. If I write a record and I want to put out, I’ll put it out.” 7:00 p.m., Las Vegas Carlos Vives arrives and takes photos with BMI’s Delia Orjuela. As he holds the silver platter that honors him with the President’s Award, he tells Orjuela: “Is this real? It’s like winning Wimbledon.” 9:00 p.m., Las Vegas BMI president…

Ryan Tedder is well over an hour into a high-voltage OneRepublic set at Paris’ Le Trianon — the third of three sold-out nights at the venue — and he’s just been told something most bands rarely get to hear: “You have 30 more minutes left.” The band jumps at the opportunity to improvise in a set that includes many custom video installations, laser projections and one momentous confetti drop. Tedder takes to a piano illuminated in neon pink and begins to vamp on Ray Charles’ “I Got a Woman,” having the young French crowd repeat each line (“She gives me money! When I’m in neeeeed!”). But when the time comes for a mashup with Kanye West’s “Gold Digger,” guitarist Zach Filkins audibly fumbles with the loop pedal, replaying Tedder’s vocal…

WASHINGTON HAS ELECTION SEASON, HOLLYWOOD HAS awards season, and dance music has festival season, which unofficially begins with Ultra Music Festival in Miami (March 28-30). From Ultra to TomorrowWorld in Atlanta (Sept. 26-28), stars will be born, hits will be made, and more than 2 million fans will attend dance-dedicated festivals across the country . Thanks to pesky noncompetes and basic physics, every dance act just can’t play every festival. And while some select their bookings carefully, others forgo them entirely. Porter Robinson won’t play a big fest this season: With a new album about to arrive — in a decidedly different style of music — he’s following his artistic bliss down a different path. Disclosure is flying in for Coachella, but the duo is otherwise overseas for the summer,…

Krewella’s Jahan Yousaf, 24, is part of a generation that tweets almost as a reflex. She and her sister Yasmine, 22, have spent the last two years sharing constant updates on the music they make with Kris “Rain Man” Trindl, and along the way have built a dedicated fan base that helped their first album, Get Wet, debut at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 last September. When something crosses Jahan’s mind, you know about it. In February, she tweeted about tour stops in Belgium, her concern about the unrest in Venezuela, and this: “i get drunk to remind myself that i don’t need to be drunk.” But that was February. In early March Jahan announced that she was pulling the plug on her social media profiles. Tweeting was competing…

The phone rings at 11 p.m. on a Sunday. “Is it too late to call?” asks the voice on the other end. Not too late for you, Enrique Iglesias. You have to cut the guy some slack: What should have been a one-day video shoot in the Dominican Republic for new single “Bailando” turned into one of those improvisatory, ”guerrilla style” videos, says Iglesias, that evolved into two days, then three. That, in turn, made him late in flying to the Bahamas for a private concert. Post-show, he can finally relax in his hotel room and talk, late into the night, about Sex and Love, the bilingual album that will be released worldwide March 18 jointly by Republic and Universal Music Latin Entertainment. The set features both dance-friendly and romantic…

OVER THE COUNTER KEITH CAULFIELD Rapper Rick Ross collects his fifth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 as Mastermind arrives atop the list. The set sold 179,000 copies in the week ending March 9, according to Nielsen SoundScan. While it starts with slightly fewer sales than his last album — 2012’s God Forgives, I Don’ launched at No. 1 with 218,000 — the first-week sales for Mastermind are about on par with Ross’ usual debut frames. God Forgives, I Don’ is Ross’ best sales week ever, while his five other major-label releases have bowed with starts between 158,000 and 198,000. Notably, Ross achieves his fifth No. 1 album without ever having earned a top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 as a lead artist (see story, page 52).…