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CHRIS FLOYD 10 Weeks At No. 1:
‘Uptown Funk!’
Stays ‘Too Hot’
M ARK RONSON’S BRUNO MARS-FEATURING
smash “Uptown Funk!” hits hallowed ground on
the Billboard Hot 100: The retro-R&B collaboration
tops the chart for a 10th week, joining an exclusive
The week’s most popular current songs across all genres, ranked by radio airplay audience impressions as measured by Nielsen Music, sales data as compiled by Nielsen Music and streaming activity data by online music sources tracked by Nielsen Music. club of historic hits. “Uptown Funk!” is just the 29th Hot
Songs are defined as current if they are newly-released titles, or songs receiving widespread airplay and/or sales activity for the first time. See Charts Legend on billboard.com/biz for complete rules and explanations. © 2015, Prometheus Global Media, LLC and Nielsen Music, Inc. All rights reserved.
100 No. 1 to rule for at least 10 weeks. If 29 seems like a high
number, remember: that’s out of 1,041 leaders dating to the
chart’s 1958 debut. In other words, only 3 percent of all Hot 100
No. 1s, now including “Funk!,” have logged such reigns. The
record? Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men’s “One Sweet Day” led
for 16 frames in 1995 and 1996. “Funk!” once again blocks Ed
Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud,” which has been stuck at No.
2 behind Ronson and Mars for eight weeks. But “Loud” earns
an impressive consolation: crowning both the Mainstream Top
40 and Adult Contemporary airplay charts and returning for a
fourth week at No. 1 on Adult Top 40. It’s only the fourth song
in the nearly 20 years that the three radio-based charts have co-
existed to have led all three simultaneously. The others: Celine
Dion’s “Because You Loved Me,” for five weeks in 1996; Adele’s
“Rolling in the Deep” (for two in 2011); and Sam Smith’s “Stay
With Me” (Sept. 6, 2014). —GARY TRUST
2
Weeks
Ago
Last
Week
This
Week
Peak
Position
Weeks
On Chart
Title CERTIFICATION Artist
PRODUCER (SONGWRITER) IMPRINT/PROMOTION LABEL
#1 Uptown Funk! Mark Ronson Feat. Bruno Mars 1 17
10 WKS M.RONSON,J.BHASKER,BRUNO MARS (BRUNO MARS,
P.LAWRENCE II,M.RONSON,J.BHASKER,D.GALLASPY,N.WILLIAMS) RCA
Thinking Out Loud Ed Sheeran 2 22
8
J.GOSLING (E.C.SHEERAN,A.WADGE) ATLANTIC 9
7
Sugar Maroon 5 3 13
3 11
AMMO,CIRKUT (A.LEVINE,J.COLEMAN,L.GOTTWALD, 222/INTERSCOPE 30
JAHMAL HOUSE,M.POSNER,H.R.WALTER) 13
Ellie Goulding 19
AG Love Me Like You Do UNIVERSAL STUDIOS/
MAX MARTIN,A.PAYAMI (MAX MARTIN, REPUBLIC/INTERSCOPE
S.KOTECHA,I.SALMANZADEH,A.PAYAMI,T.LO)
FourFiveSeconds Rihanna & Kanye West & Paul McCartney 4
K.WEST,P.MCCARTNEY,M.DEAN (K.O.WEST,P.MCCARTNEY,K.DOCKERY, WESTBURY ROAD/
M.G.DEAN,T.GRIFFIN JR,D.LONGSTRETH,D.L.AUSTIN,E.RUTBERG,N.GOLDSTEIN) ROC NATION
Style 0 Taylor Swift 6
MAX MARTIN,SHELLBACK (T.SWIFT,MAX MARTIN,SHELLBACK,A.PAYAMI) BIG MACHINE/REPUBLIC
Earned It (Fifty Shades Of Grey) The Weeknd 7
S.MOCCIO,J.QUENNEVILLE (A.TESFAYE,
S.MOCCIO,J.QUENNEVILLE,A.BALSHE) UNIVERSAL STUDIOS/REPUBLIC
Take Me To Church 3 Hozier 2
A.HOZIER-BYRNE (A.HOZIER-BYRNE) RUBYWORKS/COLUMBIA
SALES, AIRPLAY & STREAMING Ronson Time Of Our Lives Pitbull & Ne-Yo 9
DATA COMPILED BY joins an
elite club DR. LUKE,CIRKUT (A.C.PEREZ,L.GOTTWALD, MR. 305/POLO GROUNDS/RCA
on the S.TAFT,H.R.WALTER,A.BURNA,S.C.SMITH)
Hot 100.
Blank Space 5 Taylor Swift 1
MAX MARTIN,SHELLBACK (T.SWIFT,MAX MARTIN,SHELLBACK) BIG MACHINE/REPUBLIC
MARCH 21, 2015 | WWW.BILLBOARD.COM 1
Billboard Hot 100 2 Title CERTIFICATION Artist Peak
Weeks Position
From left: Sean Ago PRODUCER (SONGWRITER) IMPRINT/PROMOTION LABEL Weeks
Waugaman, Petricca, Last On
Kevin Ray and Eli Maiman Week Chart
of Walk the Moon. This WALK THE MOON: RCA RECORDS. JEPSEN: RANDY HOLMES/ABC. FLO RIDA:
Week ALEX KIRZHNER. SWIFT: MIKE COPPOLA/NBCU PHOTO BANK/GETTY IMAGES.
MINAJ: STEPHEN LOVEKIN/BUD LIGHT/GETTY IMAGES.
Heartbeat Song Kelly Clarkson 21 8
G.KURSTIN (K.DIOGUARDI,J.EVIGAN,A.MAE,M.ALLAN) 19/RCA
One Last Time Ariana Grande 22 4
12 19
NOT LISTED (NOT LISTED) REPUBLIC 1 29
25 6
Only ¡ Nicki Minaj Feat. Drake, Lil 1 35
Wayne & Chris Brown 25 9
7 26
DR. LUKE,CIRKUT,JMIKE (O.T.MARAJ,A.GRAHAM,D.CARTER, YOUNG MONEY/CASH 11 24
J.M.COLEMAN,L.GOTTWALD,T.THOMAS,T.THOMAS,H.R.WALTER) MONEY/REPUBLIC 30 5
31 10
Shake It Off 6 Taylor Swift 23 14
2 48
MAX MARTIN,SHELLBACK BIG MACHINE/REPUBLIC 21 19
(T.SWIFT,MAX MARTIN,SHELLBACK) 13 15
36 17
Chains Nick Jonas 30 37
J.EVIGAN (J.EVIGAN,A.MALIK, SAFEHOUSE/ISLAND/REPUBLIC
D.PARKER,D.FERGUSON, JR)
All About That Bass 6 Meghan Trainor
K.KADISH (M.TRAINOR,K.KADISH) EPIC
Ayo Chris Brown & Tyga
NIC NAC,M.L.KRAGEN (C.M.BROWN,M.R.NGUYEN-
STEVENSON,N.BALDING,M.L.KRAGEN,J.JACKSON) RCA
WALK THE Jealous 2 Nick Jonas The week’s most popular current songs across all genres, ranked by radio airplay audience impressions as measured by Nielsen Music, sales data as compiled by Nielsen Music and streaming activity data by online music sources tracked by Nielsen Music.
SAFEHOUSE/ Songs are defined as current if they are newly-released titles, or songs receiving widespread airplay and/or sales activity for the first time. See Charts Legend on billboard.com/biz for complete rules and explanations. © 2015, Prometheus Global Media, LLC and Nielsen Music, Inc. All rights reserved.
MOON SIR NOLAN (N.JONAS, ISLAND/REPUBLIC
Shut Up N.LAMBROZA,S.WILCOX)
and Dance
36 I Don’t F**k With You ¡ Big Sean Feat. E-40
DJ MUSTARD,K.WEST,M.ADAM,DJ DAHI (S.M.ANDERSON,D.MCFARLANE,K.O.WEST,
M.ADAM,D.NATCHE,D.M.WEIR II,W.HANSBRO,E.T.STEVENS,D.J.ROGERS SR.) G.O.O.D./DEF JAM
SG Blessings Big Sean Feat. Drake
VINYLZ,A.RITTER (S.M.ANDERSON,
A.HERNANDEZ,A.RITTER,A.GRAHAM) G.O.O.D./DEF JAM
The lyrical references in “Shut Up and People of our generation are scared to Take Your Time Sam Hunt
Dance” are very specific. Were they express ourselves. We’re stuck on our
inspired by a particular person or memory? phones communicating with people on the Z.CROWELL,S.MCANALLY (S.HUNT, MCA NASHVILLE
NICHOLAS PETRICCA We were in Los Angeles, other side of the world, but find it hard to J.OSBORNE,S.MCANALLY)
trying to write songs, and I was stuck. For a hold a conversation with people across the
breather I went out with my girlfriend to the table. It’s about getting out of your head. Prayer In C Lillywood & Robin Schulz
Echo; they have this awesome party where R.SCHULZ,P.GUIMARD CHOKE INDUSTRY/TONSPIEL/
they play Motown and funk. We were at the You guys are based in Cincinnati. How’s (N.HADIDA,B.COTTO) CINQ 7/WARGRAM/ATLANTIC/RRP
bar, and it was taking forever to get a drink. the music scene there?
I was frustrated because there was great It’s great — a lot of weird music. We rehearse Stay With Me 4 Sam Smith
music playing and I wanted to be out there. in a Masonic lodge in Kentucky across the
She was like, “Shut up and dance with me!” river. Occasionally, somebody in Chipotle will J.NAPES,S.FITZMAURICE,R.JERKINS (S.SMITH,J.NAPIER,W.PHILLIPS) CAPITOL
be like, “Oh, my God, Walk the Moon?” But
The song is from your 2014 album, Talking Is other than that we aren’t really recognized. Ghost ¡ Ella Henderson
Hard. What does that title mean? We’re not The Beatles yet. —HARLEY BROWN R.B.TEDDER,N.ZANCANELLA
(E.HENDERSON,R.B.TEDDER,N.ZANCANELLA) SYCO/COLUMBIA
7/11 0 Beyonce
B.KNOWLES,B.JOHNSON,DETAIL,S.SWIFT PARKWOOD/COLUMBIA
(B.JOHNSON,N.C.FISHER,B.KNOWLES)
Shut Up And Dance WALK THE MOON
T.PAGNOTTA (N.PETRICCA,E.MAIMAN,K.RAY,
S.WAUGAMAN,B.BERGER,R.MCMAHON) RCA
Riptide ¡ Vance Joy
J.CASTLE,J.KEOGH,E.WHITE (VANCE JOY) F-STOP/ATLANTIC
I Want You To Know Zedd Feat. Selena Gomez 17 2
ZEDD (A.ZASLAVSKI,R.B.TEDDER,K.N.DREW) INTERSCOPE
Outside 0 Calvin Harris Feat. Ellie Goulding 39 13
CALVIN HARRIS (CALVIN HARRIS,E.GOULDING) FLY EYE/COLUMBIA
2 Title CERTIFICATION Artist Peak Animals Maroon 5 3 29
Weeks Position
Ago PRODUCER (SONGWRITER) IMPRINT/PROMOTION LABEL Weeks SHELLBACK (A.N.LEVINE,SHELLBACK,B.LEVIN) 222/INTERSCOPE
Last On Chart
Week
This
Week
I Don’t Mind Usher13 12 11 DR. LUKE,CIRKUT (J.HOUSTON,L.GOTTWALD, Feat. Juicy J 11 16 Chandelier ¡ Sia 8 44
7
JAHMAL HOUSE,T.THOMAS,T.THOMAS,H.R.WALTER) RCA 20 J.SHATKIN,G.KURSTIN (S.K.I.FURLER,J.SHATKIN) MONKEY PUZZLE/RCA
7
Trap Queen35 16 122 T.FADD (W.J.MAXWELL,T.FADD) Fetty Wap 12 1 Conqueror Empire Cast Feat. Estelle & Jussie Smollett 42 1
RGF/300 17 16 24
27 NOT LISTED (NOT LISTED) 20TH CENTURY FOX TV/COLUMBIA 44 9
26 17 9
10 11 13 Lips Are Movin 2 Meghan Trainor 4 7 No Type ¡ Rae Sremmurd 46 8
14 16 EARDRUMA/ 47 2
K.KADISH (M.TRAINOR,K.KADISH) EPIC 15 MIKE WILL MADE-IT,S.LEE INTERSCOPE 48 1
16 (M.L.WILLIAMS,A.BROWN,K.U.BROWN) 7 22
5 47 14
14 N I C K I M I N A J 17 14 144 Truffle Butter Nicki Minaj Feat. Drake & Lil Wayne 10 Post To Be Omarion Brown & Feat. Chris
Truffle Butter 19 Jhene Aiko
19
The rapper lands her third No. 1 NINETEEN85,M.J.COLES (O.T.MARAJ, YOUNG MONEY/CASH DJ MUSTARD,M.ADAM (O.GRANDBERRY,D.MCFARLANE,M.ADAM,M.POWELL, MAYBACH/
on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay. A.GRAHAM,D.CARTER,P.JEFFERIES,M.J.COLES) /MONEY/REPUBLIC
In 2011, Minaj led the chart with S.JEAN,C.M.BROWN,J.A.E. CHILOMBO,E.BONNER,L.DUNBAR,J.TAYLOR,L.WILLIS) ATLANTIC
the Drake-assisted “Moment 4
Life.” In 2012, they reversed lead HOT SHOT 1155 All Day Kanye West Allan Feat. Theophilus London, Elastic Heart Sia
billings and reigned again with DEBUT Kingdom & Paul McCartney
DIPLO,G.KURSTIN (S.K.I.FURLER,
“Make Me Proud.” NOT LISTED (NOT LISTED) G.O.O.D./ROC-A-FELLA/DEF JAM T.W.PENTZ,A.SWANSON) MONKEY PUZZLE/RCA
2 BILLBOARD | MARCH 21, 2015 29 23 166 G.D.F.R. 0 Flo Rida Feat. Sage The Homegrown Zac Brown Band
Gemini & Lookas VARVATOS/REPUBLIC/
J.JOYCE,Z.BROWN (Z.BROWN, BMLG/SOUTHERN GROUND
DJ FRANK E,A.CEDAR,M.BEARD (T.DILLARD,J.FRANKS,A.CEDAR,D.W.WOODS,P.RODRIGUEZ, POE BOY/ W.DURRETTE,N.MOON)
M.CAREN,C.W.MILLER,G.GOLDSTEIN,H.BROWN,H.E.SCOTT,L.OSKAR,L.L.JORDAN,M.DICKERSON,S.ALLEN) ATLANTIC
DG You’re So Beautiful
12 13 17 I’m Not The Only One ¡ Sam Smith J.BEANZ (J.D.WASHINGTON, Empire Cast Feat. Jussie
J.SMOLLETT,J.BOSTWICK) Smollett & Yazz
J.NAPES,S.FITZMAURICE (J.NAPIER,S.SMITH) CAPITOL 20TH CENTURY
FOX TV/COLUMBIA
14 15 18 Centuries ¡ Fall Out Boy I Really Like You Carly Rae Jepsen
J.R.ROTEM,OMEGA (J.R.ROTEM,P.V.STUMP,P.WENTZ,J.TROHMAN, DCD2/
A.HURLEY,M.J.FONSECA,R.KUMARI,J.TRANTNER,S.VEGA) ISLAND/REPUBLIC NOT LISTED (NOT LISTED) 604/SCHOOLBOY/INTERSCOPE SALES, AIRPLAY & STREAMING
DATA COMPILED BY
27 24 199 Somebody Natalie La Rose Feat. Jeremih Love Me Harder ¡ Ariana Grande & The Weeknd
A.PAYAMI,P.SVENSSON (MAX MARTIN,S.KOTECHA,
COOK CLASSICS,THE FUTURISTICS (W.LOBBAN-BEAN, P.SVENSSON,A.PAYAMI,A.TESFAYE,A.BALSHE) REPUBLIC
A.SCHWARTZ,J.KHAJADOURIAN,G.MERRILL,S.RUBICAM) I.M.G./REPUBLIC
22 19 20 She Knows Ne-Yo Feat. Juicy J Lonely Tonight Blake Shelton Feat. Ashley Monroe
DR. LUKE,CIRKUT (S.C.SMITH, COMPOUND ENTERTAINMENT/ S.HENDRICKS (B.ANDERSON,R.HURD) WARNER BROS. NASHVILLE/WMN
J.HOUSTON,L.GOTTWALD,H.R.WALTER) MOTOWN/CAPITOL
DATA FOR WEEK OF 03.21.2015
2
Weeks
Ago
Last
Week
This
Week
Peak
Position
Weeks
On
Chart
Title CERTIFICATION Artist Aided by an adorable video starring
PRODUCER (SONGWRITER) IMPRINT/PROMOTION LABEL
Energy Drake Tom Hanks and Justin Bieber, the
BOI-1DA (A.GRAHAM,M.SAMUELS) YOUNG MONEY/CASH MONEY/REPUBLIC 26 4 lead single from the Canadian
52 10
Ain’t Worth The Whiskey Cole Swindell 53 6 singer’s forthcoming album
31 16
M.CARTER (C.SWINDELL, WARNER BROS. NASHVILLE/WMN 20 16 leaps onto the Hot 100 at No. 48,
A.SANDERS,J.MARTIN) 18
15 starting with 38,000 downloads
Talking Body Tove Lo 5
18 sold and 3.9 million streams in its
THE STRUTS,SHELLBACK (T.LO,J.JERLSTROM,L.SODERBERG) ISLAND/REPUBLIC 4
12
Night Changes 0 One Direction 12 first week, according to Nielsen
17
J.BUNETTA,J.RYAN (J.RYAN,J.BUNETTA,J.SCOTT, 10 48 Music. Following Jepsen’s pop
L.TOMLINSON,N.HORAN,Z.MALIK,H.STYLES) 3
SYCO/COLUMBIA 12 CARLY culture-conquering nine-week
15 RAE
CoCo O.T. Genasis 4 No. 1 “Call Me Maybe” in 2012, her
18 JEPSEN
O.FLORES (O.FLORES,S.THOMAS) CONGLOMERATE/ATLANTIC 15 I Really manager Scooter Braun “told her
1 Like You
Mean To Me Brett Eldredge 55 3 that she couldn’t come out with
8
L.LAIRD (B.ELDREDGE,SCOOTER CARUSOE) ATLANTIC/WMN 11 anything unless it was on the level
4
Just Gettin’ Started Jason Aldean 54 15 of [‘Maybe’],” he recalled in January.
10
M.KNOX (C. DESTEFANO,R.AKINS,A.GORLEY) BROKEN BOW 6 “Now, we have a new one that is on
2
Lay Me Down Sam Smith 58 15 that level.” —G.T.
The week’s most popular current songs across all genres, ranked by radio airplay audience impressions as measured by Nielsen Music, sales data as compiled by Nielsen Music and streaming activity data by online music sources tracked by Nielsen Music. J.NAPES,S.FITZMAURICE (S.SMITH,J.NAPIER,E.SMITH) CAPITOL
Songs are defined as current if they are newly-released titles, or songs receiving widespread airplay and/or sales activity for the first time. See Charts Legend on billboard.com/biz for complete rules and explanations. © 2015, Prometheus Global Media, LLC and Nielsen Music, Inc. All rights reserved.
I Bet My Life Imagine Dragons 28
52
IMAGINE DRAGONS (IMAGINE DRAGONS) KIDINAKORNER/INTERSCOPE 61
Legend Drake 2
Weeks
PARTYNEXTDOOR (A.GRAHAM, YOUNG MONEY/CASH Ago
J.A.BRATHWAITE,Q.MILLER,B.BUSH,T.V.MOSLEY) MONEY/REPUBLIC Last
Week
This
Week
Peak
Position
Weeks
On
Chart
Title CERTIFICATION Artist
PRODUCER (SONGWRITER) IMPRINT/PROMOTION LABEL
Lonely Eyes Chris Young Sun Daze 0 Florida Georgia Line 44 20
J.STROUD (J.BULFORD,J.MATTHEWS,L.VELTZ) RCA NASHVILLE J.MOI (C.R.BARLOWE,J.FRASURE,S.BUXTON,T.HUBBARD,B.KELLEY) REPUBLIC NASHVILLE
Apparently J. Cole 58 Like A Cowboy Randy Houser 62 14
STONEY CREEK
J.L.COLE (J.COLE,F.TRECCA) DREAMVILLE/ROC NATION/COLUMBIA D.GEORGE (R.HOUSER,B.LONG)
Make Me Wanna 0 Thomas Rhett 43 Smoke A Thousand Horses 83 2
64 2
J.JOYCE (THOMAS RHETT,B.BUTLER,L.MCCOY) VALORY 65 D.COBB (M.HOBBY,J.M.NITE,R.COPPERMAN) REPUBLIC NASHVILLE 4
43 2
Throw Sum Mo Rae SremmurdFe&atY. oNuicnkgi Minaj Raise ‘Em Up Keith Urban Feat. Eric Church 84 2
Thug 3
S O U N D Z (A.BROWN,K.U.BROWN,K.COBY, N.CHAPMAN,K.URBAN HIT RED/CAPITOL NASHVILLE 16 F LO R I DA
(J.JOHNSTON,J.STEELE,T.DOUGLAS) G.D.F.R.
M.L.WILLIAMS,J.P.FELTON,O.T.MARAJ,J.WILLIAMS) EARDRUMA/INTERSCOPE
The rapper notches his first
Know Yourself Drake Little Red Wagon Miranda Lambert 76 top 20 Hot 100 hit since “I Cry,”
F.LIDDELL,C.AINLAY,G.WORF (A.MAE,GINSBERG J.) RCA NASHVILLE which rose to No. 6 in December
BOI-1DA,VINYLZ,SKY SENSE (A.GRAHAM,Q.MILLER, YOUNG MONEY/CASH
M.SAMUELS,A.HERNANDEZ,J.SCRUGGS) MONEY/REPUBLIC 2012. “G.D.F.R.” also enters
the top 10 of the Digital Songs
Feeling Myself Nicki Minaj Feat. Beyonce Watch Me Silento 86 chart (11-10), up by 21 percent
HIT-BOY,B.KNOWLES (O.T.MARAJ, YOUNG MONEY/CASH BOLO
B.KNOWLES,S.ROWE,C.HOLLIS) MONEY/REPUBLIC BOLO DA PRODUCER (T.B.MINGO,R.L.HAWK) to 86,000 copies sold.
Homegrown Honey Darius Rucker 67 Honey, I’m Good. Andy Grammer 87
F.ROGERS (D.RUCKER,C.KELLEY,N.CHAPMAN) CAPITOL NASHVILLE
B.WEST,N.W.SIPE,S.GREENBERG S-CURVE/HOLLYWOOD
(A.GRAMMER,N.W.SIPE)
Slow Motion Trey Songz 68 Girl Crush Little Big Town 84
CAPITOL NASHVILLE
C.PUTH,GEOFFRO CAUSE (T.NEVERSON, SONGBOOK/ATLANTIC J.JOYCE (L.ROSE,L.MCKENNA,H.LINDSEY)
C.PUTH,G.EARLEY,JAHMAL HOUSE)
The Heart Wants What It Wants ¡ SelenaGomez 6 What We Ain’t Got Jake Owen 89 10
12 RCA NASHVILLE
ROCKMAFIA (S.GOMEZ,A.ARMATO,D.JOST,T.JAMES) HOLLYWOOD 71 J.MOI (T.J.GOFF,T.MEADOWS)
72
The Hanging Tree ¡ James Newton HowarFdeaLt.aJwernennifceer Talladega Eric Church 43 20
J.NEWTON-HOWARD,S.FAULCONER,J.WEIDMAN EMI NASHVILLE
(S.COLLINS,J.C.FRAITES,W.SCHULTZ) LIONS GATE/REPUBLIC J.JOYCE (E.CHURCH,L.LAIRD)
New Romantics Taylor Swift Don’t It Billy Currington 91 1
3
MAX MARTIN,SHELLBACK BIG MACHINE/REPUBLIC D.HUFF (J.JOHNSTON,A.GORLEY,R.COPPERMAN) MERCURY NASHVILLE 1
(T.SWIFT,MAX MARTIN,SHELLBACK) 1
2
Immortals Fall Out Boy Worth It Fifth Harmony Feat. Kid Ink 82 1
STARGATE,O.KAPLAN (PRISCILLA RENEA, 93 1
B.WALKER (A.HURLEY, WALT DISNEY/DCD2/ISLAND M.S.ERIKSEN,T.E.HERMANSEN,O.KAPLAN) SYCO/EPIC
J.TROHMAN,P.V.STUMP,P.WENTZ)
Say You Do Dierks Bentley 73 Adore Cashmere Cat Feat. Ariana Grande 71 TAY LO R
(M.A.HOIBERG,B.LEVIN,A.MALIK, J.P.FELTON, FRIENDS KEEP SWIFT
R. COPPERMAN (M.RAMSEY,S.MCANALLY,T. ROSEN) CAPITOL NASHVILLE BABYFACE,D.SIMMONS,P.LOSNEGARD) SECRETS/INTERSCOPE New Romantics
Geronimo Sheppard 74 She Don’t Love You Eric Paslay 94 Swift charts her third bonus cut
58 EMI NASHVILLE from the deluxe version of 1989,
S.STUART (G.SHEPPARD, EMPIRE OF SONG/ M.ALTMAN (E.PASLAY,J.WAYNE) previously available exclusively
A.SHEPPARD,J.BOVINO) SCHOOLBOY/REPUBLIC at Target. “Wonderland” bowed
I Bet Ciara 95 at No. 51 (March 7) and “You Are
10 Bands Drake EPIC
H-MONEY (H.D.SAMUELS,T.THOMAS,T.THOMAS,C.P.HARRIS) in Love” at No. 83 (March 14).
BOI-1DA,FRANK DUKES (A.GRAHAM, YOUNG MONEY/
Q.MILLER,M.SAMUELS,A.FEENY,R.THOMAS III) CASH MONEY/REPUBLIC
I See You Luke Bryan 41 Monster Meek Mill 96
J.STEVENS (L.BRYAN,L.LAIRD,A.GORLEY) CAPITOL NASHVILLE NOT LISTED (NOT LISTED) MAYBACH/ATLANTIC
A Guy Walks Into A Bar Tyler Farr 77 Where Are U Now Skrillex & Diplo Feat. J.Bieber 97
NOT LISTED (NOT LISTED) MAD DECENT/OWSLA/ATLANTIC
J.CATINO,J.KING (M.PEIRCE,J.SINGLETON,B.TURSI) COLUMBIA NASHVILLE
Budapest 0 George Ezra 78 Sledgehammer 0 Fifth Harmony 40 15
SALES, AIRPLAY & STREAMING 79 J.JEBERG (J.JEBERG,M.TRAINOR,S.DOUGLAS) SYCO/EPIC
DATA COMPILED BY BLACKWOOD C. (G. EZRA,J.POTT) COLUMBIA 32
Nobody Love Tori Kelly Try Me DeJ Loaf 45 20
9
MAX MARTIN,R.B.GORANSSON (T.KELLY, CAPITOL DDS (D.M.TRIMBLE,D.D.SMITH) IBGM/COLUMBIA
MAX MARTIN,S.KOTECHA,R.B. GORANSSON)
I Lived OneRepublic Not For Long B.o.B Feat. Trey Songz 80
P LO,M.NILAN, JR. (B.R.SIMMONS, JR.,P.RODRIGUEZ, REBELROCK/GRAND
R.B.TEDDER,B.KUTZLE (R.B.TEDDER,N.ZANCANELLA) MOSLEY/INTERSCOPE M.NILAN, JR.,P.A.JONES,A.IZQUIERDO,T.NEVERSON) HUSTLE/ATLANTIC
MARCH 21, 2015 | WWW.BILLBOARD.COM 3
Brandon Flowers (left) Contents
and Wayne Newton
photographed Feb. 24
at Casa de Shenandoah
in Las Vegas. For an
exclusive interview and
behind-the-scenes video
of Newton discussing
Vegas’ evolution, go
to Billboard.com or
Billboard.com/ipad.
THIS WEEK
Volume 127 / No. 8
ON THE COVER
Britney Spears
photographed by
Joe Pugliese on Feb. 13
at Planet Hollywood
in Las Vegas.
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Billboard.com for
24-7 music coverage.
FEATURES TOPLINE STYLE ON THE COVER: SPEARS WEARS A GIVENCHY JACKET, SAINT LAURENT SHOES AND EFFY JEWELRY RINGS. STYLING BY CAROL MCCOLGIN
28 Betting On Vegas, Starring Britney 7 For every “Blurred Lines” payday, 25 Crawl before you rock with band-
Spears For a handful of lucky artists, there are hundreds of unsuccessful tee onesies! Plus: Santigold talks
Las Vegas residencies have replaced lawsuits. Plus: Apple and the labels motherhood and styling her little boy.
touring as the new jackpot paycheck. close in on a pricing model for
And for Spears, her $15 million salary forthcoming streaming service. REVIEWS
buys peace of mind, too. Plus: Native
son Brandon Flowers talks to Mr. Las 7 DAYS ON THE SCENE 41 Awolnation’s Run, Rixton, Twin
Vegas Wayne Newton, a look at Shadow and a Q&A with Modest
the booming beats business (hey, 14 Parties Paris Fashion Week, Mouse’s Isaac Brock.
A-Trak!) and how Elvis Presley Cherrytree Records’ 10th anniversary
changed Sin City forever. CHARTS
THE BEAT
THE BILLBOARD HOT 100 44 Kelly Clarkson clocks her third No. 1
19 Late-night TV’s new weirdo: album on the Billboard 200.
2 Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars’ Reggie Watts.
“Uptown Funk!” rules for a 10th week. 46 Charts
21 Cut through Austin like a pro with 64 Coda In 1997, Howard Stern’s Private
Billboard’s SXSW cheat sheet.
Parts topped the Billboard 200.
4 BILLBOARD | MARCH 21, 2015
PHOTOGRAPHED BY AUSTIN HARGRAVE
CAESARS ENTERTAINMENT PROUDLY CONGRATULATES BRITNEY SPEARS
ON AN AMAZING FIRST YEAR OF HER LAS VEGAS RESIDENCY!
MORE THAN 300,000 TICKETS SOLD
AND OVER $45 MILLION GROSS TO DATE
BritneyPieceOfMe.com
ASCAP CONGRATULATES ALL OF OUR WINNING COMPOSERS AND SONGWRITERS
PUBLISHER OF THE YEAR
MARIO DOMM DAVID BISBAL SONY/ATV DISCOS MUSIC PUBLISHING
ASCAP GOLDEN NOTE AWARD ASCAP VOICE OF MUSIC AWARD WB MUSIC CORP.
INDEPENDENT PUBLISHER OF THE YEAR
CLAUDIA BRANT ROMEO SANTOS LA ORIGINAL BANDA EL LIMÓN MAYIMBA MUSIC
DE SALVADOR LIZÁRRAGA
SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR
ASCAP LATIN HERITAGE AWARD
REGIONAL URBANO “PASSION WHINE” “CHICA IDEAL” “LLEGASTE TÚ” “LA FOTO DE LOS DOS”
MEXICANO Claudia Brant
“6AM” Farruko Pedro Ortiz Songs Of Saraswati Andrés Castro
“ASÍ YA NO” Sean Paul Universal Música
Moisés Arellanes Farruko Carbon Fiber Music Publishing Xuanlu Music Baluarte Music Publishing
Ser-Zeri Music Dutty Rock Music “LO POCO QUE TENGO” Sony/ATV Discos Music
Carbon Fiber Music Publishing EMI April Music “ C O N T R O L” Ricardo Arjona Publishing
“LA HISTORIA DE MIS Arjona Musical
MANOS” “A QUE NO TE ATREVES” “TÚ ME QUEMAS” Chris Jeday Sony/ATV Discos Music Publishing “ODIO”
Gumaro Cabrera Inunza Luis Ortiz
De Calibre Music Tito ‘El Bambino’ Julio Galindez Jedy Squat Music “MI PEOR ERROR Drake
Carlos ‘Maffio’ Peralta WB Music Corp. (PRIMERA FILA)” Karen Rodríguez
“LA NIÑA MÁS LINDA” Sony/ATV Discos Music Publishing Alkatraks Entertainment Pablo Preciado (SACM) Romeo Santos
José Alberto Inzunza (Joss Favela) Tito El Patrón Publishing Spanglish Global Publishing “CORAZÓN EN LA MALETA” Universal Music - MGB Songs Noah ‘40’ Shebib
House Of Badsin Publishing
“A L Ó C AT E ” TELEVISIÓN Claudia Brant “MI TESORO” EMI April Music
“MI SEGUNDA VIDA” Jesse Huerta (SACM) Is Love And Above
Claudia Brant Alexis Fido “EL PERDEDOR” Brantunes Joy Huerta (SACM) Kobalt Songs Music Publishing
Brantunes Giencarlos Rivera Sony/ATV Discos Music Publishing WB Music Corp. Mayimba Music
Sony/ATV Discos Music Jonathan C. Rivera Descemer Bueno (SGAE) Palabras De Romeo
Publishing Enrique Iglesias “CREO EN MÍ” TROPICAL Roncesvalles Music Publishing
Alexis & Fido Music Publishing EIP Music
“MUJER DE PIEDRA” KOB Publishing EMI April Music Claudia Brant “CAMBIO DE PIEL” “PROMETO OLVIDARTE”
Gerardo Ortiz Sony/ATV Discos Music Publishing Sony/ATV Tunes Jayson M. DeZuzio Yoel Henríquez
Del World Song WB Music Corp. Natalia Jiménez (SGAE) Julio Reyes Yoel Damas
House Of Badsin Publishing programa: Cosas Mías Music Publishing Eliot José Feliciano
“EL DUELO” Lo Que La Vida Me Robó Brantunes Eareye Songs Raphy Pina
“QUIÉN SE ANIMA” EMI April Music Universal Música
Gerardo Ortiz J Álvarez “MI TESORO” Have A Nice Jay Music Damas Music Global
Del World Song Montana Kidinakorner Music “CUANDO NOS Los Magnifikos Music
House Of Badsin Publishing Jesse Huerta (SACM) Sony/ATV Discos Music Publishing VOLVAMOS AENCONTRAR” Sony/ATV Discos Music
Montana The Producer Publishing Joy Huerta (SACM) Universal Music Corporation Andrés Castro Publishing
“SE QUE LLORARÉ” On Top Of The World Music WB Music Corp. Baluarte Music Publishing WB Music Corp.
Moisés Arellanes Sony/ATV Discos MusicPublishing programa: “DECIDISTE DEJARME” Sony/ATV Discos Music Publishing
Ser-Zeri Music Qué Pobres Tan Ricos “SE FUE”
“LA NUEVA Y LA EX” Mario Domm (SACM) “DESDE EL PRIMER BESO”
“TE HUBIERAS IDO ANTES” “TEMA PRINCIPAL Y MÚSICA Lauren K. Evans Santana Ignacio Ballesteros (SGAE)
José Alberto Inzunza (Joss Favela) Jesús Benítez INCIDENTAL ” Mónica Vélez (SACM) Ramírez López Music Publishing Federico Cavalli (SIAE)
Norban Publishing Daddy Yankee WB Music Corp. Pietro Cremonesi (SIAE)
Agustín Barreto Almo Music Corporation Arcangelo Valsiglio (SIAE)
“TENERTE” Cangris Publishing Carlos Marmo Laurel Krown Music
Luna Díaz Nuestro Music Sony/ATV Discos Music Publishing Universal Polygram
Del World Song “LA TEMPERATURA” programa: International Publishing
Premios Latin Grammy “EL PERDEDOR”
“TUS LATIDOS” Kevin Jiménez Londono (SAYCO) 2014 “SOY EL MISMO”
Luna Díaz Eliezer Palacios Rivera Descemer Bueno (SGAE)
De Calibre Music Giencarlos Rivera POP Enrique Iglesias Daniel Santacruz
Jonathan C. Rivera
“Y ASÍ FUE” Gabriel J. Rodríguez “A D R E N A L I N A” EIP Music Mayimba Music
Alfonso De La Cruz Bryan Snaider Lezcano (SAYCO) EMI April Music Penluis Music Publishing
Guadalupe De La Cruz Norban Chris Jeday Sony/ATV Discos Music Publishing
Publishing KOB Publishing Luis Ortiz “ERES MÍA”
Secret Code Music Publishing Jedy Squat Music “HUMANOS A MARTE” Romeo Santos
WB Music Corp. WB Music Corp. Mayimba Music
Fernando José Montesinos Palabras De Romeo
“MOVIENDO CADERAS” “A P N E A” Guerrero (SGAE)
Ricardo Arjona “FLOR PÁLIDA”
Eliezer Palacios Rivera Arjona Musical Sony/ATV Discos Music Publishing Fernando Borrego Linares (SGAE)
Giencarlos Rivera Sony/ATV Discos Music Publishing Sony/ATV Music Publishing Spain (SGAE) Ruminating Music
Jonathan C. Rivera
Gabriel J. Rodríguez “LA NOCHE ES TUYA”
Daddy Yankee
Sergio Zavala
Cangris Publishing Del World Song
KOB Publishing Latin Power Music
Secret Code Music Publishing
WB Music Corp.
WE CREATE MUSIC
Thicke (left) and Topline
Williams outside
the Roybal
Federal Building
in Los Angeles on
March 4 and 5.
THE OVER UNDER
THICKE: DAVID BUCHAN/GETTY IMAGES. WILLIAMS: SPLASH NEWS/CORBIS. AZALEA: LESTER COHEN/WIREIMAGE. COHEN: PATRICK MCMULLAN/AP IMAGES. MILLER: ROBIN MARCHANT/GETTY IMAGES AGGRIEVED SONGWRITERS SEEKING A PAYDAY LIKE THE MARVIN GAYE It’s a rough start to 2015 for
FAMILY’S $7.4 MILLION VERDICT AGAINST ROBIN THICKE AND Iggy Azalea as a rescheduled arena
PHARRELL WILLIAMS STILL FACE AN UPHILL BATTLE
tour follows a Grammys shutout.
BY ERIQ GARDNER
Lyor Cohen’s 300 Entertainment
I from “ridiculously problematic” an effort to demonstrate how one scores its first hit song with
to cheers of “no more plagiarism.” song can influence another — the
IN THE MUSIC BUSINESS, FEW The attitudes are perhaps reflective five women and three men on the Fetty Wap’s “Trap Queen,” which
things are as sacrosanct as credit of larger ones — confirmation that “Blurred Lines” jury hardly are jumps 16-12 on the Hot 100.
and compensation. Inevitably, the expansive scope of copyright is Supreme Court justices. There’s
many aggrieved songwriters will eating the young, comeuppance for not much legal precedent from the Randall Miller, director of Gregg
hear news of the nearly $7.4 million artist exploitation, a sign that the jury’s decision, and every reason Allman biopic Midnight Rider,
verdict against Robin Thicke and law trails modernity. to believe it will be a rare one. pleads guilty to involuntary
Pharrell Williams for lifting from manslaughter and faces jail.
Marvin Gaye’s “Got to Give It Yet for all the controversy that Some things do figure to change
Up” to create “Blurred Lines” and the “Blurred Lines” case has thanks to the highly publicized MARCH 21, 2015 | WWW.BILLBOARD.COM 7
consider it to be a sign that filing a generated, the verdict is itself victory for Gaye’s family. But first,
copyright lawsuit makes sense. hollow. Make no mistake: It will be and perhaps more significantly,
talked about decades from now, as several things won’t. For every
In the days since the jury read the industry does about the 1976 “Blurred Lines” verdict, there are
the verdict — which Howard ruling determining that George hundreds of unsuccessful lawsuits
King, Thicke and Williams’ Harrison made a “subconscious” alleging song theft. Ask Kanye
attorney, says he will appeal — infringement on “He’s So Fine” to West, Coldplay and Elton John,
opinions of the outcome range create “My Sweet Lord.” But even all of whom have killed lawsuits in
after hearing musicologists break recent years without ever having
down the songs in question — not to take a witness stand. Federal
to mention Thicke playing a piano judges won’t tolerate allegations
medley on the witness stand in concerning the infringement of
TOPLINE
unprotected, generic ideas — and HOW I WON THE believed the Gayes didn’t We were handicapped: The “Yes, we may have copied,
any attorney not warning clients ‘BLURRED LINES’ have resources and the judge decided not to allow but don’t find us liable
of the long odds is committing TRIAL wherewithal to fight. the full Gaye recording because it’s not a perfect
borderline malpractice. to be played to the match.”
By Richard Busch, Gaye It was our opinion that jury. But that may have
Anyone seeking a reason why the family attorney (as told Williams and his lawyer, contributed to the other The key to victory for
“Blurred Lines” verdict was different to Eriq Gardner) Howard King, wanted to side’s biggest mistake, us was the music. We had
should start with Gaye’s popularity: litigate this in the press in my view. They focused two great musicologists
There was never any doubt that When Robin Thicke and by continually saying heavily on allegedly who broke down the songs
Williams had access to “Got to Give Pharrell Williams decided that all they did was take specific note-for-note and showed that there was
It Up” — indeed, he and Thicke to launch a lawsuit a “feeling.” And if they differences between copying. Also, Thicke and
admitted they were influenced by claiming that “Blurred did any copying, it was the lead sheets and the Williams were not able
the song. Under what’s known as the Lines” wasn’t a copyright only a genre. We believed recording, arguing there to keep their stories
“inverse ratio rule,” plaintiffs have a infringement of Marvin this was a straight-up was no identicality. I straight.
lower standard of proof of similarity Gaye’s “Got to Give It copyright claim over don’t think it’s a good
when a high degree of access is Up,” I thought they compositional elements idea to tell the jury, We didn’t start this
shown, and while the “Blurred that had been taken. case, but we made sure to
Lines” judge didn’t cite the rule in finish it.
allowing a trial, it’s easy to imagine
that he respected Gaye’s name artistic freedom. for an equal share — with a nod to experts now feel was a mistake. It’s
enough to let a jury decide the issue Time will tell. If anything does “Blurred Lines” — may become the one thing to shrug off an alleged
of copyright infringement. Once the new standard. infringement as nothing more than
case got into the hands of laymen, all shift as a result of the “Blurred the lifting of feeling. It’s quite some-
bets were off. Lines” verdict, it could be tactics. Songwriters, publishers and thing else to invite a long and nasty
record companies on the defensive legal battle — with the possibility of
Now, dozens in the music industry Major artists from years past may still have wind at their backs. As a jury’s unpredictability.
are expressing concern. Veteran feel encouraged by the verdict to mentioned, most plaintiffs won’t
publisher Richard Stumpf, chief attempt to wrangle a piece of profits have Gaye’s stature and will still be Gaye’s daughter Nona (with attorney Busch,
executive of Atlas Music Group, through settlement, as Tom Petty burdened by a trail of unsuccessful right) after the verdict on March 10.
says that a musician’s subconscious did against Sam Smith over “Stay suits demonstrating that proof of
influences now present a “scary With Me.” Some might even try similarity doesn’t come easy.
situation.” Attorney Larry Iser lawsuits. When they do angle for a
believes it might “inspire other percentage, they’ll have a nice round And once legal letters come,
lawyers to sue on genre and feel number to shoot for: 50 percent. In they’ll be dealt with accordingly. Just
instead of the song itself.” Glen awarding damages, the “Blurred don’t expect those on the receiving
Rothstein, another lawyer, says Lines” jury came to $4 million, end to make a rush to the court-
it could be a “game-changer” for which was half of the publishing house like the one that Thicke and
income, according to testimony at Williams made by pre-emptively
the trial. (An additional $3.4 million suing the Gaye family in the sum-
was awarded in profits.) Asking mer of 2013, which some legal
Apple’s forthcoming streaming service may not be revenue and reduce piracy. Now, with dozens of
ready for primetime, but conversations about pricing streaming services with licensed content, different
for what is looking like a June launch seem to have attitudes are forming.
landed on the industry standard: $9.99 per month. Indeed, Apple’s pay-only service could be a
According to sources, Apple will forgo the turning point. If the mega-company is successful
“freemium” model entirely for a paid-only in attracting large numbers of subscribers without
subscription — an approach that Beats Music co- having to provide unlimited free listening, Spotify’s
founder Jimmy Iovine, a still title-less executive business model could fall under further scrutiny. As it
at Apple since the May 2014 acquisition of Beats is, some labels feel Spotify should have more than 15
Electronics, has consistently favored. million subscribers. “Spotify is good at giving away
Two industry insiders tell Billboard that in the [music] but bad at getting people to pay,” says a label
wake of negotiations with the majors, Apple has source. (The Stockholm-based company claims a 25
backed down from its effort to APPLE’S STREAMING RUN-UP percent conversion rate.)
lower monthly pricing to $7.99, Factor in loud complaints
Apple, Labels as such a price point would $3b 800m from artists and the enticement
Close In On Pricing require the company to absorb of exclusive releases, which
the loss if it sets a price lower Iovine is said to be pushing, and
Signs point to $9.99 as the
magic number for a monthly than the standard $9.99. Amount Apple Number of a weakened Spotify could help
music subscription service Industry sentiment about free paid for Beats in credit cards Apple create an even more powerful
Apple subscription service.
BY GLENN PEOPLES music is years in the making. May 2014 has on file
Global revenue fell by a third between 2004 and Still, few specifics about Apple’s plans are known,
2014, reshaping the entire structure of the music and at a March 9 event to announce new products
business. ITunes provided a helpful transition like the Apple Watch and latest MacBook, Apple
to digital formats. Five years later, services like senior vp Internet software and services Eddy Cue
Spotify won over labels with a pitch to generate declined to discuss the company’s music plans.
8 BILLBOARD | MARCH 21, 2015
The 2015 Post-Doritos SXSW TV’s Music
Bookers Make
Tragedy and branding excess in 2014 put music’s biggest conference at a crossroads The Rounds
— it returns March 13, slightly quieter and with fewer events, but still booming
Julie Gurovitsch jumps from
BY ANDREW HAMPP Today to Tonight as Colbert
and Corden look to staff up
GAYE: LUCY NICHOLSON/REUTERS. HEADPHONES: COURTESY OF BEATS BY DR. DRE. GUROVITSCH: MATT FURMAN SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST’S 2014 EDITION marketing dollars,” says Alan Sartirana, founder-
marked a turning point for the Austin publisher of Flood magazine, which will host its Music booker Jonathan Cohen’s
conference — and indeed, for large-scale inaugural FloodFest at SXSW featuring Spoon, Run Feb. 20 exit from NBC’s The Tonight
music confabs as a whole. Safety concerns the Jewels and Twin Shadow — hardly newcom- Show Starring Jimmy Fallon has
(a March 13 car accident caused four fatalities and ers but not Jay and Kanye-level either. sparked a round of musical chairs
more than 20 injuries) coupled with criticism of at the top daytime and late-night
its shamelessly corporate stages (iTunes, Doritos As SXSW reopens its many hotels to an esti- talk shows. Julie Gurovitsch, former
and Subway were just three of the many sponsored mated 72,000 registrants — the festival does not music talent coordinator at Today,
showcases) could have foretold a mass exodus release attendance figures until after the event will step into the music-booking role
— and, based on the departure of several major — there are few signs beyond the slashed permits at The Tonight Show starting March
sponsors, there almost was. But on the eve of the that would indicate a major dent in its economic 30, which means a search for her
29th annual conference, which runs March 13-22, impact on the city of Austin, which in 2014 was replacement at Today is on.
it’s looking like big business as usual — albeit with $315 million (up a whopping $97 million from
a slightly quieter tone. 2013). Scott McNearney, SXSW’s sponsorships Free agent Cohen would appear to
chief, anticipates more than 5,000 official show- be a logical fit for the inaugural music
For starters, SXSW is scaling back. In January, cases during the 10-day conference, and attributes booker slot at CBS’ Late Show With
the Austin Center for Events announced a 25 this year’s brand departures to typical promotion- Stephen Colbert when it debuts in
percent reduction in permits for the 2015 festival, cycle turnover (Subway and Pennzoil signed on as September, but a representative for
estimated by sources to be roughly 100 fewer one-year partners tied to product launches, while Colbert says no hires have been made
official events, with earlier submission deadlines Doritos was at the end of a three-year contract). (and Cohen declined to comment).
to allow for more streamlined safety, sound and Sheryl Zelikson, current music booker
traffic requirements. By February, the list of Perhaps most significantly, even though there for Late Show With David Letterman,
returning sponsors had dwindled: 2014 partners are fewer sponsors overall, the revenue is higher. however, is expected to be involved
Chevrolet, Subway, Apple, Pennzoil and Doritos all SXSW 2015 has a record nine Super Sponsors in some capacity with Colbert after
declined to renew their activations — and indeed, (Miller Lite, Esurance, AT&T, IFC, Mazda, Letterman goes off the air on May 20.
some felt the activations had reached a comical Monster Energy, McDonald’s, Capital One and Elsewhere at CBS, The Late Late Show
peak with Doritos’ six-story vending machine PepsiCo), paying upwards of $1 million each, With James Corden, premiering March
stage, which towered over Sixth Street and made that will support the entirety of the conference’s 23, has hired Diana Miller (herself
some artists (including indie-rock act Diiv) feel like Interactive, Film and Music portions — compared a veteran of Late Night With Jimmy
unwitting spokespeople for the snack food. with seven in 2014 — with nary an oversized Fallon) as its main talent booker.
vending machine in sight.
Even longtime SXSW party planners started to feel The intra-NBC Today-Tonight
the effect when up-and-coming bands looking for a Still, this year’s festival already has had a brush switch is notable in a field that often
big break were dwarfed by showcasing A-listers like with controversy after McDonald’s was called out looks outside — Cohen was an editor
Lady Gaga, Coldplay, Jay Z and Kanye West in in a March 5 Facebook post by indie-pop duo Ex at Billboard prior to his TV gig, while
2014. “We were approached by brands [who wanted] Cops for inviting bands to play an unpaid showcase. Jimmy Kimmel Live!’s Scott Igoe was
Blake Shelton to play. Why have him play SXSW? If But the company revised its approach on March an assistant to Jimmy Iovine — and
you’re bringing the wrong thing, you’re wasting your 10, saying through a representative, “All bands with MTV and VH1 moving away
performing at our showcase will be compensated.” from music, signals a shrinking
pool for bookers. Cautions a TV
ILLUSTRATION BY JAMES YAMASAKI executive: “Networks are looking for
programmers, not music people.”
Gurovitsch
MARCH 21, 2015 | WWW.BILLBOARD.COM 9
TT OO PP LL II NN EE
“When we were young, Rob and I
were very outspoken and passionate
about music,” says Cohen (right),
photographed with Stone at
Cornerstone’s New York headquarters
on Feb. 6. “I was willing to put it all on
the line for Blur when [the label] was all
about Vanilla Ice, and later Rob did the
same thing with [The Notorious] B.I.G.”
CORNER OFFICE
CO-CEOs, CORNERSTONE; CO-FOUNDERS, THE FADER Cornerstone/The Fader, now a COHEN’S
105-plus-person mini-empire that has CV
Jon Cohen & Rob Stone projected revenue of $100 million
in 2015, comprises a label, a music 1990-1994
The music-and-branding pioneers on riding with The Notorious B.I.G., publisher and a film division; there DIRECTOR OF
what brands get wrong about millennials and how much bigger also is an ongoing expansion for the ALTERNATIVE
their companies’ SXSW presence can get bimonthly magazine, which will pub- PROMOTION
lish its 100th issue in the fall. Recently SBK RECORDS
8O @;C 7IM7: F>EJE=H7F>;: 8O :KIJ?D 9E>;D Cornerstone planted a flag on its third
continent by adding a Sao Paulo office —
I F ONE THING REFLECTS THE positioning as a bridge between brands to its bases in New York, Los Angeles 1995-1997
exponential growth of the and music, and between the hip-hop and and London. Plans for a music festival VP ALTERNATIVE
Cornerstone agency and its sibling alternative-rock genres. Founders Jon and a traveling version of the Fader Fort PROMOTION
company, magazine The Fader, it’s Cohen and Rob Stone, both 46, got their are ongoing — as are rumors of outside COLUMBIA RECORDS
their presence at South by Southwest. start in major-label promotion before tak- investment. The pair acknowledge
The first Fader Fort, in 2002, was a party ing the plunge with Cornerstone in 1996 “interest” but say, “It would have to be STONE’S
in a room at Austin’s Hilton Hotel, with and 1997, respectively. In short order, under the right terms — and if not, we’ll CV
free beer provided by Levi’s. Since then, the company grew into a brand-strategy just keep growing the company.”
it has grown into a two-plus-acre custom- agency and then launched music and 1990-1994
built outdoor venue with state-of-the-art fashion magazine The Fader in 1999. The The Fader Fort at SXSW is like a small DIRECTOR/VP
lighting and sound, multiple activations, companies have leveraged the magazine- PROMOTION
bountiful swag and all-day performances as-agency model to ease many brands into city. How much bigger can your SBK RECORDS
by artists that include Kanye West, The the music space — the aforementioned
Black Keys, Amy Winehouse, Sam as well as Sprite, Bushmills, Converse, presence there get? —
Smith and FKA Twigs. Key sponsors for Coca-Cola, Diageo, Reebok and oth- Jon Cohen Honestly, it’s really about 1994-1996
2015 include Converse (for the fourth year) ers — fostering a template that has been getting better. We’ve always had unique VP PROMOTION
and Mazda (for the second), along with followed, and rivaled, by Vice, Complex events, whether it’s Kanye bringing out ARISTA RECORDS
Jack Daniel’s, Vitaminwater and more, with and Conde Nast, among others. It also his whole [label] family in one show,
Dell providing a live stream. recently branched out into a different kind or getting Damon Albarn to perform —
of big league by signing on as the creative with the original Gorillaz lineup for 1996-1997
The Fader Fort is the most vivid agency for the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks. the first time ever, or The Black Keys or
example of the companies’ prescient M.I.A. or Macklemore before anybody VP
knew who they were. LOUD RECORDS/SRC
MARKETING
10 BILLBOARD | MARCH 21, 2015
How did you first meet? caution and question the integrity of it, despite the
Cohen We’ve been best friends since seventh fact that a messed-up music industry has almost
grade — we were born nine days apart. required a lot of artists to do brand deals in order
Rob Stone Jon’s house was where everybody to have income. There is a negativity to it: Plenty
would hang out. of brands, and I’m not going to name names but
Cohen We discovered hip-hop together — I’ll you probably read about one this week, still bas-
never forget listening to Run-D.M.C. for the tardize the concept of artistry and marketing — I
first time in Rob’s car. We grew up on Long think some feel the need to check off the “music”
Island right near Hollis, Queens, where a lot of box in their marketing checklist, and they don’t
that music was coming from. I started at [EMI find the right partners or advisers when they’re
subsidiary SBK Records] as soon as I got out engineering that strategy. Every time one of those
of school, and then shortly after, Rob came negative situations occurs, it makes it harder.
onboard as well. It was a great time at that label:
We were working for Charles Koppelman, Jon, you’re the father of two teenagers.
Marty Bandier, Daniel Glass, Monte Lipman. I What do most marketers get wrong about
even met my wife there. millennials?
Stone [Cornerstone] really started in that first Cohen I think there’s a real blanket assumption
year at SBK, because we would talk about our that millennials live and die by social media
frustrations with major labels, like, “Why don’t and that they think collectively a certain way,
we have our own company? We could do this.” and I would say they’re more individual than 1
any generation in the past. The Internet and 2
34
Rob, how did you develop such a strong social media are the tools they use to commu-
1 Cohen, an avid runner, has participated in 14 marathons.
relationship with The Notorious B.I.G.? nicate, but they don’t define them — they’ve 2 For Gorillaz’ 10-year anniversary, Cornerstone client
Converse created limited-edition Chuck Taylor All Stars
Stone When I was at Arista, we spent a lot of enabled them to be individuals. designed by bandmember Jamie Hewlett. 3 Autographed
poster from The Notorious B.I.G.: “To Rob Stone:
time in cars going to hip-hop mix shows at two in No. 1 cool white man!” 4 Memento given to Stone,
a cancer survivor, by MyMusicRx, which
the morning, just me and him. Actually, the first You were heavily involved in teaming delivers music to critically ill young
people. “Cornerstone and Fader are
day I was with him, it was him, [B.I.G. associate] Pharrell Williams with Diageo for the high- proud partners with MyMusicRx,” he
says. 5 Cohen (left) and Stone at their
Lil Cease, the road end liquor Qream in graduation from Lawrence High School
in Cedarhurst, N.Y., in 1986. 6 MTV Video
manager and me — 2011, which ended with Music Award for Fader label act Matt &
him suing the company Kim’s 2009 “Lessons Learned” video.
“Plenty of brandsthe label guy — and
it’s awkward, right? still bastardize the 5
There’s nothing to concept of artistry for $5 million for failing
really talk about, and marketing.”—COHEN to distribute the drink
so I said to him, “I according to their
saw you perform at contract. What did you
the Muse on 12th take away from that
experience?
Street; I’ll never Stone Well, for one
forget it.” He looked at me like, “What were you thing, timing is very important: Pharrell hit his
doing there?” — it was a raw scene and there inflection point about eight months after the
was a gunfight in the club that night. I was there deal went away. But it’s hard bringing creative
because I was a fan, and right there it was a dif- together with businesspeople, even when the
ferent level of respect. businesspeople understand the creative process.
We did a lot to make it work, but there was
When did Cornerstone start officially? probably more we could have done on the com-
Stone I left Arista in June of ’96 and started it munication side.
with Steve Rifkind, [founder] of Loud Records.
I was a vp at Loud and also a vp for SRC, his mar- Vice has been valued at more than $2.5 bil-
keting company; he was a partner in Cornerstone lion, while you’ve remained independent.
for a year-and-a-half. I left Loud when Jon said, Do you feel like that company took a lot from
“Let’s do Cornerstone together.” your playbook?
Cohen We’re really impressed with what those
How did you go from being a promotion guys have built — they’ve done a really good job
company to an agency? of not compromising, and they’ve helped open
Stone We were working [several labels’] projects up the market to make people realize that there’s
to radio, so we had all these indie and alternative a new media world out there. But we’re focused 6
acts and this hip-hop roster. We started talking: on being the best we can be in music. We don’t
GROOMING BY MEGAN LANOUX AT EXCLUSIVE ARTISTS “How do we grow the business?” And we stum- really think about where they are.
bled upon music and brands with Sprite. The
lightbulb went off: There was a lot of marketing A lot of friends in business partnerships end
that could be done around music and brands. up losing both. How do you keep it together?
Cohen We have a really good partnership — we
Are most acts anxious to get into bed with don’t agree on everything, but we have so much
brands these days? respect and hear each other out — and we have
Cohen Actually, no. A lot of artists proceed with an amazing executive team. Plus, it’s fun.
TOPLINE
SOUNDS of HOLLYWOOD
The Business of Music in TV & Film
Songs from BOW WOW GOES CYBER
Fox’s hit show
The former host of BET’s 106 & Park segues to
are gaining CBS’ CSI and readies a new single for Cash Money
traction on
the charts. Bow Wow has graduated from Is new music in the
cable to network, joining
Empire’s Secret Weapon CBS’ latest CSI spinoff: pipeline, and will Cash
Cyber, alongside Oscar
winner Patricia Arquette. Money release it? I’m
The 28-year-old rapper
born Shad Moss also has new focusing on music while on
music on the way.
hiatus from Cyber and have
Does your character Brody
“Baby Face” Nelson embody been in the studio with
any personal traits?
Swagger and colorfulness. Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa,
Nelson actually did a
little rap in the first Big Krit, Migos and Musiq
episode when he cracked a
code, saying it in rhyme. Soulchild. Contractually,
I’m still on Cash Money.
I’ve spoken to [label
co-founder] Birdman and
we’ve worked things out.
Everything is good on that
side. —GAIL MITCHELL
Asked to make Fox’s hit series “sound like a movie,” composer What do you think the show
Fil Eisler (and a 50-piece orchestra) takes cues from The Godfather accomplishes for racial
diversity? There are
BY PHIL GALLO plenty of young African- James Van Der
Americans intelligent Beek (left) and
V anessa Freebairn-Smith is dream sequences that “allowed me to get enough to work at the FBI. Moss in Cyber.
arguably as integral to the into some weird dissonant stuff.” Hopefully, I can help start
sound of Empire as executive a new wave of young black
music producer Timbaland. Empire has been the surprise hit of the actors who don’t want to
season, growing its audience weekly until stereotype themselves.
The first-chair cellist is the primary March 4 when it hit a high of 14.3 million
soloist on the 15 or so orchestral cues that viewers, 7.4 million of whom are in the 18-49 Blues Bros. Label To Launch
composer Fil Eisler writes for each episode, demo, according to Nielsen. It also is finally
some as long as five minutes and others as seeing some of its songs gain chart traction. Dan Akyroyd and John Belushi’s widow partner
with Blue Note in search for new talent
short as a five-note motif. And while each “Conqueror,” featuring Estelle and Jussie
episode of Fox’s hit hip-hop soap Smollett, and “You’re So Beautiful,”
opera unveils three or four new with Smollett and Yazz, have Thirty-five years after The Blues Brothers hit screens,
R&B or rap songs, the show has sold 94,000 and 127,000 copies Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi’s widow Judy are looking
found its other musical side in an (according to Nielsen Music) to develop the kind of artists that would have made
orchestra that is at times as large and reach Nos. 42 and 47 on the dancing duo proud. Blues Brothers
as 50 pieces, a rarity in series TV. the March 21 Billboard Hot 100, Records, distributed through Capitol
When Eisler was hired, execu- Eisler respectively. (A soundtrack album Music Group’s Blue Note label, will serve
tive producer Lee Daniels gave him arrived March 10.) as “a refuge for blues musicians,” says
instructions to push the score toward the In its final three episodes, the show Eric Gardner, who will run the label’s
1980s drama Dynasty. They also discussed features a litany of music stars — Snoop administrative side. Aykroyd, 62, a
mobster movies like The Godfather. Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Rita Ora, Jennifer lifelong devotee of the genre who has
“Lee said, ‘I want the score to be bold Hudson, Juicy J and Patti LaBelle — hosted a syndicated blues radio show
and operatic — I want it to be antithesis of along with another dozen or so new songs for 22 years, and Blue Note
the hip-hop stuff: People will expect wall- produced by Timbaland. president Don Was will
to-wall beats and I don’t want that. I want “We wanted to populate the world of handle A&R duties; Judy
this to feel like a movie,’ ” recalls Eisler, 41, Empire with real artists,” says Geoff Belushi will be creative
a former keyboardist for Robbie Williams Bywater, Fox Television’s head of director. The label plans
whose scoring career took off five years ago music. And while star power was part to book revue-style
with ABC’s Revenge. “All of the episodes of the plan, Eisler “really brings the shows at Live Nation’s
have their own flavor,” he continues. “[The music to a different place,” adds House of Blues venues.
March 11 installment] is basically ‘Empire Bywater. “There are a lot of different (Aykroyd was a founder
goes to war,’ and they wanted it to sound masters to serve on this one — the Aykroyd in of the restaurant/live
The Blues music chain). A launch
like a war movie,” whereas the first half showrunners, the creators, Fox — Brothers. date hasn’t been set. —P.G.
of the two-hour March 18 finale involves and I love his instincts.”
12 BILLBOARD | MARCH 21, 2015
Mick Jagger in
Maysles’ Stones
documentary
Gimme Shelter.
03-10 Gospel artist and Fix My
Choir star Deitrick Haddon
partnered with eOne Music Haddon
to launch a record label,
DHVisions. Haddon also will
develop and produce projects
for TV and film.
Interlude appointed Brian
Harris Frank to the newly
created position of president
of Interlude Music. Frank
previously held roles at
Warner Bros., Beats Music
and Interscope.
03-11 MTV and VH1 underwent
layoffs as part of a
NOTED restructuring that Philippe
Dauman, CEO of parent
03-04 Verve Music Group promoted 03-09 Kraftwerk co-founder/ company Viacom, says will
Mike Rittberg to GM. frontman Ralf Hutter filed save $250 million. Confirmed
a trademark infringement departures include senior
Maysles lawsuit against the German vp production Jonathan
company eZelleron, Mussman, senior vp MTV
whose product, an News & Docs Marshall Eisen,
energy-supply unit for senior vp series development
mobile electronic devices, Tony DiBari, vp MTV music
uses the name “Kraftwerk.” and talent Frank Ho and
longtime executive vp
The Orchard acquired the news and documentaries
master recording catalog of Dave Sirulnick.
indie blues label Blind Pig
EMPIRE: CHUCK HODES/FOX. EISLER: ARNOLD TURNER/INVISION/AP IMAGES. CSI CYBER: MICHAEL YARISH/CBS. AYKROYD: UNIVERSAL PICTURES/PHOTOFEST. JAGGER: EVERETT COLLECTION. HADDON: SPLASH NEWS/CORBIS. Records, which includes Island Records appointed Chang
KRAFTWERK: COURTESY OF EZELLERON INC. CHANG: COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP. MIGOS: MIKE PONT/FILMMAGIC. MAYSLES: FRED W. MCDARRAH/GETTY IMAGES. STONE: COURTESY OF DEKALB SHERIFF’S OFFICE albums by Muddy Waters Sophia Chang senior vp A&R
03-05 Director-cinematographer and Magic Slim. operations.
03-06 and Oscar nominee Albert
Maysles, whose documentary Tanya Tucker signed with APA BMI promoted Tracie
Gimme Shelter famously Nashville. Verlinde to assistant vp
chronicled The Rolling Stones’ writer/publisher relations,
U.S. tour in 1969, died of Los Angeles.
natural causes at his home in
Manhattan. He was 88. Andre Guerette joined The
Agency Group in Toronto.
Grammy-winning songwriter-
producer Luke Laird extended Stone Smirnoff inked a deal with
his exclusive worldwide Live Nation/Insomniac to
deal with Universal Music 03-12 be the official liquor sponsor
Publishing Group. for more than 25 festivals
worldwide this year, beginning
Six people were stabbed with the three Electric Daisy
during a Migos concert at Carnival events.
the Washington Avenue
Armory in Albany, N.Y. The Police confirmed that BIRTHDAYS March 17
victims’ injuries were not Grammy Award-nominated Billy Corgan (48)
life-threatening. A police R&B singer Angie Stone March 15 March 18
investigation is ongoing. was arrested in Dekalb Young Buck (34) Adam Levine (36)
County, Ga. and accused Will.i.am (40) Queen Latifah (45)
Migos of aggravated assault after Mark Hoppus (43) Vanessa Williams (52)
punching her 30-year-old Mark McGrath (47) March 19
daughter, Diamond. The Sly Stone (72) Gary Jules (46)
blow knocked out several of Phil Lesh (75) March 20
Diamond’s front teeth. March 16 Spike Lee (58)
Patty Griffin (51)
Flavor Flav (56)
MARCH 21, 2015 | WWW.BILLBOARD.COM 13
DAYS
on the
SCENE
14 BILLBOARD | MARCH 21, 2015 Kid Rock (in white T-shirt)
onstage during his sixth
annual Chillin’ the Most Cruise
(March 2-6), where 2,356 fans
sailed from Miami to Cozumel,
Mexico, along with Uncle
Kracker, Doug E. Fresh
and comedian Chris Porter.
ROCK: WILL BYINGTON. 1: DIMITRIOS KAMBOURIS/GETTY IMAGES FOR TIBET HOUSE. 2: CHAD BATKA/THE NEW YORK TIMES. 3: SAM DEITCH/BFANYC.COM.
4: TY JOHNSON. 5: A. TURNER ARCHIVES. 6: ANGELA WEISS/GETTY IMAGES. POLAROID: COURTESY OF @TAYLORSWIFT/INSTAGRAM
41
12 4
3
1 From left: Deborah Harry, The Flaming Lips’ Wayne
Coyne and Miley Cyrus at the 25th annual Tibet House
Benefit Concert held March 5 at Carnegie Hall in New
York. 2 Bjork performed the first of seven New York
concerts on March 7 at Carnegie Hall. 3 Artist Kehinde
Wiley (left) and Swizz Beatz at the 17th Armory Show
held at Pier 92 and 94 in New York on March 4. 4 First
Aid Kit’s Johanna (left) and Klara Soderberg backstage
at the Golden Plains Festival in Victoria, Australia, on
March 7. 5 ASCAP Golden Note Award honoree Mario
Domm (left) and Voice of Music Award recipient David
Bisbal at the 23rd annual ASCAP Latin Music Awards
held March 11 at The Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los
Angeles. 6 ASCAP president/chairman Paul Williams
(left) and film director Michael Mann (right) honored
composer Elliot Goldenthal with the Founders Award
during the 30th annual ASCAP Film & Television Music
Awards held March 9 at The Beverly Hilton Hotel.
6
“WeweparaorocesthteaStotThoetahaulyeterlniorbnaruecSpGsluw.toHdwmiefahtdep(ezspfnr,eyiAwceIlonneantdncedsahrfn(eHfrareoaotrmiimmoenalelacaefnhlfttWd)o)inEEtohlsamletineereIoGHnnn’soastauiDmanlgdad.ryinab,”gmu,ild 5
MARCH 21, 2015 | WWW.BILLBOARD.COM 15
7 DAYS on the S C E N E
Paris Fashion Week 1
PARIS, MARCH 4-11
KIM KARDASHIAN AND JARED LETO SHOCKED WITH PLATINUM
locks, but it was Solange Knowles who owned the scene at the
fall/winter 2015 ready-to-wear shows this season. From Carven to
Vivienne Westwood, an Estee Lauder dinner party and the ad cam-
paign she launched with ElevenParis — the Saint Records maven was
indisputably the most about-town musician in Paris. “I’m moving
here!” she told U.S. Ambassador to France Jane Hartley backstage
at Andrew Gn. Like Knowles, Kanye West hit the fashion circuit in
full force — Dior, Givenchy, Balmain and Lanvin shows — all while
performing a four-night residency at the recently opened Fondation
Louis Vuitton. Aside from platinum, the major trend to permeate the
runways was commissioned soundtracks; Hedi Slimane selected
Copenhagen trio The Felines to make music for Saint Laurent while
London-based band Saint Etienne set the backdrop for the Kenzo
show. Musician-heavy turnouts also highlighted the Chloe show,
where Kelly Rowland, Lorde and Heloise Letissier of Atlantic/
Neon Gold’s Christine & The Queens mingled with creative direc-
tor Claire Waight Keller backstage, and Jeremy
Scott’s Moschino party at The VIP Room, where
he danced with pals Rihanna and Katy Perry
into the early hours. —ERIN WEINGER
2 3
1 56
16 BILLBOARD | MARCH 21, 2015
4
1 From left: Leto, Knowles, Rowland, West and Kardashian
at Lanvin on March 5. 2 Before Chanel served up breakfast
and tweed silhouettes, Florence & The Machine’s Florence
Welch posed in a powder pink pantsuit at the Grand Palais
on March 10. 3 “Privacy please, I’m tryin to dance with my
baaaaaby,” posted Scott in an Instagram of him and Rihanna
at his afterparty on March 7. 4 Lorde (left) and Hailee Steinfeld
(right) posed with Dior creative director Raf Simons on March
6 and later feted his collection at a party held at Les Bains
Douches. 5 Stromae (left) and Louis Vuitton creative director
Nicolas Ghesquiere following the Vuitton show, held March
11 in a pod-shaped tent outside the Fondation Louis Vuitton
in Bois de Boulogne. 6 Perry embodied gothic glamour at the
Givenchy show held March 8 at Lycee Carnot. 7 Paul McCartney
backstage with daughter Stella at her namesake collection
show at the historic Opera Garnier on March 9. 8 Sunflower
Bean frontwoman Julia Cumming walked the Saint Laurent
runway at Le Carreau du Temple on March 9.
Cherrytree Records
10th Anniversary
NEW YORK, MARCH 9
1
2 EBXIPLCHLLBOUOTSAOIVRSDE
1 Feist. 2 Kierszenbaum 3
(far left) talked to members 4
of The Last Bandoleros.
3 Cherrytree artist Ivy
Levan. 4 Backstage
Hannah Winkler of Secret
Someones signed guitars
branded with the label’s
ensignia. 5 From left:
Jukebox the Ghost’s
Jesse Kristin, Ben
Thornewill and Tommy
Siegel. “It’s so exciting
to be a part of this
extraordinary community
of artists, all performing
in honor of their label,”
said Thornewill.
NOT EVEN STING’S LAST-MINUTE CANCELLATION DUE TO
illness could dampen alternative pop label Cherrytree’s 10th-
anniversary celebration at Webster Hall. Founder/chairman
Martin Kierszenbaum has said that he treats Cherrytree as
“family,” and that’s how the night played out. Endless boxes of Lil
Frankie’s pizza lined the walls backstage, and little kids danced
with parents while the label’s fresh-faced class of 2015 — Secret
Someones, Matthew Koma, Jukebox the Ghost and brand-
new signing The Last Bandoleros — performed. Highlights
included the intimate solo set by headliner Feist (the first artist
Kierszenbaum signed) and pop-rap group Far East Movement,
7 which shook the balcony with the deep bass of “Like a G6” and a
remix of M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes” while encouraging the audience
5
to shout, “Cherrytree! Cherrytree!” —HARLEY BROWN
PHOTOGRAPHED BY ERIC RYAN ANDERSON MARCH 21, 2015 | WWW.BILLBOARD.COM 17
PROMOTION
April 27
Ritz-Carlton
South Beach
PRESENTED BY
The 2015 Billboard Latin Music Conference & CLIO Awards will honor groundbreaking
work that exemplifies the collaboration between music, artists and brands in the Latin marketplace.
CATEGORY TYPES: Submission
+ Digital/Social Deadline
+ Events/Engagement
+ Innovative March 20, 2015
+ Integrated Campaign
+ Partnership/Collaboration ENTRY FEE: $175
+ TV/Film
Eligibility: Entries first appearing in public
between Jan. 1, 2014 and Feb. 28, 2015
are eligible for this year’s Billboard
Latin Music Marketing Awards.
Submit Now: enterlatin.billboardevents.com
LATE the beat
NIGHT’S
GROOMING BY MEGAN LANOUX AT EXCLUSIVE ARTISTS MANAGEMENT USING BAXTER OF CA NEW THE PULSE
WEIRDO OF MUSIC
RIGHT NOW
Is network TV ready for Reggie Watts,
the “abstract, nonsensical” bandleader “I don’t do weird stuff
of James Corden’s The Late Late Show? to turn people off
BY BEN DETRICK — I want the audience to
be excited,” says Watts,
PHOTOGRAPHED BY ERIC RYAN ANDERSON photographed Feb. 9 at
Baby’s All Right in Brooklyn.
AREGGIE WATTS SET — PART MUSIC, MARCH 21, 2015 | WWW.BILLBOARD.COM 19
part comedy, part performance art
— can be a confounding experience.
His hair and beard create a dandelion-
puff halo effect around his head. He randomly
jumps between voices and vernaculars, from a
British accent to American street-corner slang to
unintelligible garbles. Using a guitar pedal and
a four-track looper, he creates tunes with beat-
boxed drums and guttural humming, then croons
over them. Sometimes he taps quizzically at the
microphone, as if he were an oversize Pomeranian
pawing at an iPad. “This is the dumbest thing I’ve
ever seen in my life,” was one typical comment on
a YouTube video of Watts’ 2012 TED Talk. “Does
anybody know wtf this dude is talking about?” was
another response to a performance video.
“I love those kinds of reactions,” says Watts,
42, sitting in a booth at Baby’s All Right, a music
venue in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg section.
“Confusion is the highest compliment. Then you
have the other side, where people ascribe a lot of
meaning to it. They’re both valid.”
the beat
After decades bouncing around the music and (“Really amazing, consistent dosage, nice groove”), electronica en route to modest regional success.
But Watts gravitated toward less serious music, and
comedy circuits, Watts is seeing his own pop-culture tinctures (“No calories, you can add it to coffee”). soon discovered Seattle’s sketch-comedy scene.
He moved to New York’s Lower East Side in 2004,
validity hit a new peak. In the past few years, he “He is funny in ways that are seldom explored,” became a regular at now-shuttered Rififi and other
haunts on the aspirational-comedian’s circuit and
went viral with videos like “What About Blowjobs” says Sarah Silverman, who partnered with Watts, watched his notoriety grow. Parody music videos
like “F— Shit Stack,” in which he bounces across
(1.4 million YouTube views to date), toured with duo Tim & Eric and Michael Cera on comedy the Williamsburg Bridge like a human bobblehead,
racked up millions of views. He performed at LCD
Conan O’Brien and co-hosted IFC’s comedy- YouTube channel Jash, which started in 2013. “The Soundsystem’s final concert, at Madison Square
Garden; recorded with Australian electronic duo
variety show Comedy Bang Bang. In December, he speed and freedom of his mind is unparalleled in Flight Facilities; and made several albums, most
recently A Live at Central Park, released shortly
was named bandleader for CBS’ The Late Late Show, entertainment — maybe if you pulled, like, an Elon before he joined Comedy Bang Bang in 2012.
which will relaunch March 23 with Tony-winning Musk into it.” When approached by Corden about The Late
Late Show, Watts initially was hesitant. The time
Into the Woods actor James Corden replacing long- “Confusion is the commitment is significant, and the job meant
time host Craig Ferguson. It’s a decided step into highest compliment.” relocating from New York to Los Angeles. “I wasn’t
the mainstream spotlight for Watts’ self-described super stoked to do it,” he admits. Even joining the
“abstract, nonsensical, weirdo” act, and it might tradition of respected late-night bandleaders like
prove a tricky match for network TV (whose conven- Questlove and Branford Marsalis, he says, wasn’t
particularly inspiring to him. “This isn’t a diss to any
tions, ironically, were satirized regularly on Comedy —WATTS of these people, but the music could really be any
band. The music that you hear playing or out from a
Bang Bang). “I don’t like to do writing,” he says. break is four seconds. It’s incredibly easy to do.”
“There’s no preparation. I like going on cold.” Watts was born in Stuttgart, Germany, the son Whatever the degree of difficulty, Watts’ free-
wheeling approach will continue on The Late Late
He plucks ideas from the air (topics have included of a French mother and an American serviceman Show, where he helms a quintet featuring guitarist
Tim Young (Beck, Fiona Apple, Stan Getz),
masturbating at a computer and his love of pie) father, and moved to Great Falls, Mont., at age 4. He drummer Guillermo Brown (George Lewis),
longtime Watts collaborator Steve Scalfati on keys
and unspools them on the fly. His loopy musings enjoyed a bucolic childhood of camping and chop- and a yet-to-be-named bassist. “The idea was to
hire a band of geniuses, so anything asked of us will
are very much stoner humor, and he speaks with ping firewood, and later helped his mother clean be easy,” says Watts. “I don’t do weird stuff to turn
people off — I want the audience to be excited.”
reverent familiarity about marijuana ingestibles: houses at Malmstrom Air Force base. A mouthy
But Watts’ role on the show won’t be confined
Cheeba Chews (“A little bit too strong”), Bhang Bars but unmalicious teen, he experimented with weed, to just music when guests strut onstage — a key
difference that won him over. He’ll be involved in
mushrooms and Robitussin. sketches and asked to integrate his goofy absurd-
ism wherever possible. “If you book Reggie,
“On rare occasions we’d get you’ve got to know you’re booking Reggie,” says
Corden. “You can’t mold that into anything else.
acid,” says Watts. “It was good, You’ve got to let him be.”
but it wasn’t, like, Interstellar.”
He enrolled at the Art
Institute of Seattle in 1990, but
dropped out after four months.
“It was weirdly melancholic
and desolate,” says Watts of
the city — as a compliment, not
criticism. “I’m an only child. I
was used to the loneliness.”
So he stuck around,
entrenching himself in a
music scene that was rising to
prominence as the epicenter
Corden (left) and Watts of grunge. Watts estimates
in an online ad for he was in 30 bands, ranging
The Late Late Show, from Fishbone-esque punk
captioned: “#TheDress
certainly made for one acts to Maktub, a band that
awkward encounter.” swirled together R&B and
OVERHEARD
BY THE BILLBOARD STAFF
Mahone & Becky G: On The Record executives, he ran into Justin Bieber, mustered the courage to give it to him. Fabi
in town celebrating his 21st birthday says she recently found the letter when
Austin Mahone looks to be — a noteworthy encounter, given she returned to her native Germany. In
Mahone’s “Baby Bieber” media tag. February, Taylor Swift recommended
mixing work and play during the band’s “Wings” to a fan on Tumblr
Haerts Singer’s Heartbreak who had endured a bad breakup.
the recording sessions for his Haerts lead singer Nini Fabi knows
how to soothe a broken heart Shhh!
forthcoming album. According to Mahone because she experienced one at an What diva-licious singer is demanding
a source, the YouTube star and his early age. Fabi, 30, tells Overheard three bodyguards be provided for
that back in elementary school she appearances — one just to watch over
long-rumored girlfriend, Becky G, wrote a love letter to an unrequited Fabi her purse?
crush using “many differently colored
both 18, were spotted working on pens” and “stickers,” but never Additional reporting by Megan Friend.
vocals together at a Los Angeles Got gossip? Send to [email protected].
studio in late February. Billing for
the secret collaboration has yet
to be determined. Two weeks later, Becky G
Mahone was spotted in Miami where, in
between meetings with management and label
20 BILLBOARD | MARCH 21, 2015
Eat Grasshoppers Beat SXSW’s
At SXSW (And More) infamous
crowds with a
local’s top picks.
Navigate the thousands of panels, films, bands and parties like cheese and avocado.” (1704 E. Cesar equivalent in the culinary world
a know-it-all at the music/film/tech festival (March 13-22) Chavez St., veracruztacos.com) carefully balancing tradition and
with this insider’s take on Austin the future, it’s Momofuku founder
Best Spoon-Endorsed Locals David Chang. He’ll speak at “The
BY ANDY LANGER Sweet Spirit Future Role of Tech in Dining and
Spoon, which will play a free SXSW Food,” part of a food-focused series
CORDEN: COURTESY OF CBS. MAHONE: D DIPASUPIL/GETTY IMAGES. BECKY G: JOHN PARRA/GETTY IMAGES. FABI: TAYLOR HILL/GETTY IMAGES. CROWD: JACK PLUNKETT/INVISION/AP. Best Bar For Clandestine La Condesa show at Auditorium Shores, is one of SXSW Interactive panels dubbed
LA CONDESA: JODY HORTON. BRIDGES: FRED HAYES/GETTY IMAGES FOR SUNDANCE. TRUCK: COURTESY OF VERACRUZ ALL NATURAL. TACO: MENGWEN CAO. BICYCLE: BCYCLE. Networking The Cloak Room of Austin’s highest-profile exports. SouthBites. Austin’s Paul Qui, who
If the bars at the W Austin or Four — it’s healthy, a rarity in Mexican Now, there’s a young band that locals has won both Top Chef and a James
Seasons are too highfalutin for food,” says Ashley White, Atlantic are crowning next up. Spoon front- Beard Award, will be in the crowd.
you, make like generations of Records senior director of publicity. man Britt Daniel has been bigging “David’s smart, an amazing chef and
Austin legislators and head toward (400 W. Second St., lacondesa.com) up power-pop act Sweet Spirit, a genuine entrepreneur,” says Qui.
the capitol for this hard-to-find inviting the group on tour and sharing “There’s so much all of us can learn
basement bar. No-nonsense bar- Best Film Screening To Spot A Spoon’s producer Mike McCarthy from him.” (3:30 p.m., March 14, Austin
tender Beverly Pruitt — who doesn’t Bad-Ass Bassist Jaco for its self-titled debut EP, released Convention Center)
believe in frozen drinks or craft cock- This documentary, produced by in February. The band will play three
tails — is something of a rock star Metallica’s Robert Trujillo, details shows at SXSW. (facebook.com/ Bridges
herself, so gruffly quotable that she the life and times of the late bass sweetspirittheband)
has earned a Twitter parody account legend Jaco Pastorius through 8mm And Finally, SXSW Music’s Most-
(@bevscloakroom). (1300 Colorado film and interviews with Bootsy Best Party Concierge RSVPster.com Likely-To-Succeed Leon Bridges
St., baraustintx.com) Collins, Sting and Flea. “Takes For a $30 to $40 fee, this online After a pair of soulful, 1960s-sounding
you on an emotional and musical service automatically RSVPs for you demos produced by White Denim’s
Best Ride Without journey,” says Trujillo, who will be to hundreds of open-invite, unofficial Austin Jenkins and Josh Block blew
at its March 17 premiere. “You’ll be events, saving you the time of hand- up online, Bridges heads into SXSW
Surge Pricing inspired.” (9:15 p.m., Alamo Ritz) entering your credentials at each as a priority for Columbia, releasing
B-Cycle party’s homepage. While the site can’t his debut this summer. On the heels of
Boasting more Best Taco Truck Veracruz All Natural guarantee entrance any more than if sold-out sets in Nashville, New York
than 40 stations Mando Rayo, co-author of Austin you had RSVP’d yourself, it’s a time- and London, he’s scheduled to play
downtown, B-Cycle, Breakfast Tacos: The Story of the saver. Even if you don’t join, it’s free to five SXSW shows. Gorilla Vs. Bear blog
the city’s official bike-share, is Most Important Taco of the Day, peruse the exhaustive party calendar, founder-editor Chris Cantalini —
partnering with SXSW and renaming recommends knocking out two Austin which includes the who/where/when whose site posted Bridges’ demos last
itself SXcycles for the week. Sure, essentials — food truck and break- and how to RSVP yourself. fall, before he was signed — says you’ll
you’ll be riding around with tacky ads fast taco — in one stop. “Veracruz’s believe the hype: “If anyone thinks the
on your basket, but the $8 activa- tortillas are made in-house, what we Veracruz Sam Cooke comparisons are prema-
tion fee gets you unlimited rides call hechas a mano,” he says. “My go-to All Natural ture, they should wait until they see
of 30 minutes or less for 24 hours. is their corn tortilla wrapped around a him do it live.” (leonbridges.com)
(austinbcycle.com) migas taco, which features eggs, jala- Tastiest Interactive Panelist
penos, onions, tomatoes, topped with David Chang
Best Secret Snack That chefs are the new rock stars is
Chapulines At La Condesa old news, but if there’s a Jack White
It’s an off-menu item you have to ask
for, but one of the city’s best dishes is
this upscale favorite’s chapulines —
sauteed grasshoppers served under a
bed of kale. “The bugs are all protein
MARCH 21, 2015 | WWW.BILLBOARD.COM 21
Banks “Kanye is the black
Madonna. We’re
A LOOK AT WHO’S Moby comrades in the
SAYING WHAT IN MUSIC envelope-pushing
genre.”
COMPILED BY STEVEN J. HOROWITZ
—MADONNA
The singer, on her Rebel Heart
collaborator, in an interview with
New York’s Daily News.
“He beat me up... Mayer “I feel kind of short
That is really why and homeless
I am f—ing crazy —
because that man standing next to you.”
has driven me crazy.”
—MOBY
—AZEALIA BANKS The musician to RuPaul, appearing as
The rapper, on an abusive former
a guest on the Logo TV reality show
boyfriend, in an interview with RuPaul’s Drag Race.
ES magazine.
“I will be canceling my
“I’m a recovered performance for them
ego addict.” next month. Racism
—JOHN MAYER is something I
The singer-songwriter-guitarist, will not tolerate.”
to MSNBC. —WAKA FLOCKA FLAME
The rapper, tweeting in response to a
video that showed fraternity brothers
at the University of Oklahoma singing
a racist chant.
“I’m going to Waka “I don’t talk about my
say something Flocka personal life — but
controversial: Flame it is in no way to
Eventually 3-D
printing will print hide or deny who God BANKS: ASTRID STAWIARZ/GETTY IMAGES. MOBY: CHARLEY GALLAY/GETTY IMAGES. FLOCKA: ROB KIM/GETTY IMAGES. MAYER: JEFF SCHEAR/GETTY IMAGES.
people. That’s scary.” made me.” ROMEO: PARAMOUNT/PHOTOFEST. EINSTEINS: THE BABY EINSTEIN COMPANY, LLC/DISNEY CHANNEL. EINSTEIN REMIX: @KINALAWI<3. SILENTO: MR HQ FILMZ. WATCH ME: @PANDERZ_
—WILL.I.AM —JUSSIE SMOLLETT
The rapper-producer, The Empire actor, coming out as gay,
to Dezeen magazine. in an interview with Ellen DeGeneres.
MEME WATCH
ARE LITTLE “Flicka Da Wrist” “Little Einsteins Remix” “Watch Me”
EINSTEINS Houston rapper Chedda Da A year after YouTube user 886Beatz Vine and YouTube dancers
THE NEW Connect released this track last uploaded a homemade trap remix of the (including the costumed panda
BOBBY summer, but Vine users have Disney TV series’ cheery theme, it went pictured above) are turning up for
SHMURDA? only just latched onto its self- viral in February, inspiring vines of ironic Atlanta rapper Silento’s single,
explanatory titular move, seemingly made mismatches (Soulja Boy, Beyoncé) and featuring a hook that tells listeners to
3 new songs inspire for showing off a blingy watch or necklace. switch back and forth between two already
hilarious dance- 12.7 million Number of times a vine lots of dancing pajama-clad kids. popular dances, the whip and the NaeNae.
focused vines and matching the song with a wrist-twisting 14 million Number of times a vine pairing No. 86 The song’s Hot 100 rank, fueled
YouTube clips dance scene from the 1968 film Romeo by 3 million domestic weekly streams —
and Juliet (above) has been looped. the remix with the video for 95 percent through YouTube. —ALEX GALE
Chief Keef’s “I Don’t Like”
has been looped.
22 BILLBOARD | MARCH 21, 2015
12 3
45 The Gear,
The Looks,
The Trends
6
PROP STYLING BY ELIZABETH PRESS 78 9
1 HATCH FOR KIDS Straight Outta Portland one-piece, $24; Crawl Before You Rock
hatchforkids.com. COTTON CABOODLE dot long-sleeve
tee, $14; cottoncaboodle.com. 2 WHAT THE ROCK?! Rolling These artist T-shirts in miniature prove that it’s never too early
Stones Tongue onesie, $18.95; whattherock.com. 3 HATCH to try to influence your infant’s musical tastes
FOR KIDS Haulin’ Oats one-piece, $24; hatchforkids.com.
COTTON CABOODLE kids rib tee, $19; chasing-fireflies. BY TASHA GREEN
com. 4 RETRO BABY WEAR Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts PHOTOGRAPHED BY JONATHON KAMBOURIS
Club Band onesie, $15.99; retrobabywear.com. COTTON
CABOODLE long-sleeve stripe tee, $14; cottoncaboodle.com. MARCH 21, 2015 | WWW.BILLBOARD.COM 25
5 PICCOLINY It Was All a Dream onesie, $35; piccolininyc.com.
6 ROWDY SPROUT Bob Dylan onesie, $38; rowdysprout.com.
7 WHAT THE ROCK?! Bob Marley One Love onesie, $19.95;
whattherock.com. 8 ROWDY SPROUT Pink Floyd onesie, $38;
rowdysprout.com. COTTON CABOODLE Kids rib tee, $19;
chasing-fireflies.com. 9 PICCOLINY Wu-Tang onesie, $30;
piccolininyc.com.
www.VSquared.rocks
4UZMF s WHAT WE’RE WEARINGStyle
“He’s just a really
good baby. Even
with teething
he’s like, ‘Eh,
whatever!’ ”
says White,
photographed
with son Radek
in Brooklyn on
Feb. 18.
The Gear,
The Looks,
The Insiders
Meet The New (Little) GET SANTI &
Guy In Santigold’s Life RADEK’S MOMMY
AND ME LOOK
Known for her colorful and bold stage ensembles, Roc Nation artist and first-time mom
Santi White talks to Billboard about her anti-”cutesy” approach to dressing her baby boy
BY ADRIENNE GAFFNEY
HAIR BY RON BELLAIR. MAKEUP BY DEVRA KINERY. SHIRT: COURTESY OF DEERDANA. HAT: COURTESY OF HOTEL PIGALLE. SWEATSHIRT: COURTESY OF RODINI T HE ARRIVAL OF HER SON RADEK 11 MONTHS walls hangs a massive portrait of White painted by Cool Hats “This is my husband’s
ago has made style infinitely more fun for Santi Kehinde Wiley for the cover of her 2012 album, Master of
“Santigold” White, 38, who has collaborated My Make-Believe, which hit No. 21 on the Billboard 200. Hotel Pigalle hat. I think he got
with everyone from Jay Z to Karen O. Though the it in Paris. He’s probably going to
The eclectic aesthetic that White strives for in both her be mad that I wore it in a shoot!”
$79; polyvore.com
songwriter-producer (who cites Alexander Wang and look and surroundings also reflects her “collage” sound. “I
Graphic Tees “It’s one of my
Opening Ceremony as favorite designers) first became a grab all of the things that stimulate me and then throw
favorites,” White says of the
fashion plate after her 2008 debut album, Santogold, she them together,” she says. DeerDana hand-printed Grace
Jones tee that the singer Miguel
now lives to shop for tot togs. The Philadelphia native is at work on her new album, set collaborated on. Bruce Springsteen
shirt, $60; deerdana.com
“It’s my favorite,” she says, holding up a pint-size parka by for a summer release, which will mark a return to music
Fun Prints “I like to shop at
Mini Rodini that features a playful mice and cheese print. after three years away. It’s a spell that she says has served
Babesta.com, where I got his
“There’s so much good stuff, you go crazy! I have to say, ‘OK, her well, noting, “It’s great to step outside of your comfort sweatpants, and MiniRodini.com,
where his shirt [above] is from.
he’s got enough.’ ” Her biggest weakness? Miniature cotton zone and exercise a different part of your brain.” They have clothes that are creative
and cool.” Mini Rodini crocodile
shirts with quirky patterns that are “fun, functional and When White hits the road with this album, one thing’s sweatshirt, $61; thumbeline.com
something I’d wear myself.” for sure: An eager new member of the crew will Skater Kicks “I don’t like
Motherhood has done little, though, to alter be onboard. Radek has already accompanied dressing him in little cutesy baby
clothes that are pink or blue with
White’s own wardrobe. Despite the wild her to Brazil (her first concert since his birth) baseballs and cars for boys,” White
says of the Vans Half Cab sneakers
stage get-ups, “I’ve always been a comfort and to Los Angeles, where he crawled for that Radek wears (left). Similar
styles, $40; vans.com
dresser,” she says of the Grace Jones the first time and single-handedly trans-
T-shirt and Frame denim jeans she wears formed the recording studio atmosphere.
while reclining on the floor of the historic “Oh, my God, it’s like having a ‘happy’
Bedford-Stuyvesant townhouse she and drug with you at all times that you can
husband Trevor Andrew, 35, a musician just look at to feel its effects,” White
and snowboarder, purchased five years ago in Radek in his gushes. “It’s like being in the presence of
Brooklyn. On the antique floral-paper-covered playroom. pure joy... at least so far!”
PHOTOGRAPHED BY PETER ASH LEE MARCH 21, 2015 | WWW.BILLBOARD.COM 27
“I want people to feel like they’re
a part of the show, like, ‘Wow,
we feel like we know her. We know
all these songs,’ ” says Spears,
photographed Feb. 13 at Planet
Hollywood Resort & Casino in
Las Vegas. Styling by Carol McColgin.
Spears wears a Victoria Beckham
dress and Saint Laurent heels.
BRITNEY
SPEARS
FOR A HANDFUL OF LUCKY A-LIST ARTISTS, LAS VEGAS RESIDENCIES
HAVE REPLACED ENDLESS TOURING AS THE NEW JACKPOT PAYCHECK. AND FOR
A FINALLY SETTLED-DOWN BRITNEY, HER $15 MILLION SALARY BUYS PEACE
OF MIND, TOO: “IT JUST MAKES SENSE TO HAVE EVERYTHING IN ONE PLACE”
8O 7D:H;M >7CFF PHOTOGR APHED BY JOE PUGLIESE
BRITNEY SPEARS WAS BARELY 21 WHEN $1 billion in revenue, according to AEG Live. — that becomes the majority of the people
the idea of a Las Vegas residency first Las Vegas was transformed by the time who come to our show,” says Larry Rudolph,
crossed her mind. It was 2003, shortly after Spears’ longtime manager, who relocated to
wrapping Dream Within a Dream, her first Spears launched Piece of Me on New Year’s Vegas to work as a producer on Piece of Me.
full-blown U.S. arena run, when she and a Eve 2013 at Planet Hollywood Las Vegas. That target audience would be someone in
friend stayed at Celine Dion’s palatial estate (Caesars Entertainment Corp. owns Planet
off the Strip to see how the French-Canadian Hollywood.) In 2003, Vegas’ economy was “PEOPLE YOU WOULDN’T
star lived away from the touring circuit. just beginning to wean itself off gaming BELIEVE, AT THE TOP
revenue, which accounted for 43 percent of OF THE CHARTS, ARE
“I remember how beautiful it was — really total revenue on the Las Vegas Strip in that
cool, low-key — and her dressing room was fiscal year ($4.5 billion from July 2002 to POKING AROUND VEGAS.”
great,” Spears, now a 33-year-old mother of June 2003); hotels and entertainment made
two, tells Billboard from her family’s resi- up the remaining 57 percent ($5.9 billion), —SPEARS’ MANAGER LARRY RUDOLPH
dential suite in Vegas, not far from her own according to the Nevada Gaming Control
dressing room at Planet Hollywood. “I was Board. Today, entertainment has hit an all- the demo of Miley Cyrus, 22, who attended
actually jealous, like, ‘Oh, my gosh, she gets time high ($2.3 billion in fiscal year 2014), opening night with Rudolph and returned in
to be in one place all the time.’ Everything with non-gaming revenue accounting for late 2014. “Afterward she said, ‘It’s not over,
clicked: To have your children and your fam- 63 percent of the Strip’s earnings. is it? I loved every minute. I know every
ily and that way of life, it just makes sense to word to every song,’ ” Rudolph recalls.
have everything in one place.” The electronic-dance boom of the
late 2000s hastened the shift. A-list DJs Spears reportedly earns $15 million per
Dion’s Caesars Palace residency was attracted a younger, livelier demo than the year (an average of $310,000 per show)
a pioneering one. It was the first time an middle-aged couples who might see a Dion as part of the initial two-year deal, a figure
in-her-prime superstar (Dion, like Spears, or Cher show, hit the tables for an hour and neither Caesars nor Rudolph would con-
was 33 when she first embarked) had set up call it a night. Spears, who has amassed 17 firm. The total run of shows through Feb. 21
shop in the desert at the peak of her touring top 20 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 (includ- has grossed more than $42 million in ticket
powers, debunking the notion that Vegas ing four No. 1s), was already on her fourth sales, according to Caesars Entertainment,
was a pop-star retirement community. Her album when many of Vegas’ fun-seekers with four nights of near-sellouts around
4,100-capacity shows at The Colosseum were in middle school. New Year’s pulling in almost twice the
pulled in $493.7 million in Billboard amount that Spears grossed from one sold-
Boxscore receipts in the first 10 years, and “My thought was, if you bring Britney out arena show on her Femme Fatale Tour
helped lure Elton John, Cher, Bette Midler Spears to this town and create what is in in 2011 ($2.8 million vs. $1.5 million at the
and Shania Twain to the same venue for a essence a pre-game show for that audience Staples Center in Los Angeles). Discussions
rotation of residencies totaling more than — where they go to the pool, take a nap, pre- are already underway to renew through
game with Britney, then hit the nightclub 2017 with a substantial raise for Spears.
(This despite financial setbacks at Caesars
From left:
Rehearsing at
Planet Hollywood
in 2013; with
boyfriend Ebersol
and sons Sean (left)
and Jayden
in February.
CELINE DION ELTON JOHN BETTE MIDLER
A New Day... The Red Piano The Showgirl Must
Go On
SHOWS 717 (2003-07) SHOWS 242 (2004-09)
HIGHLIGHTS Nearly HIGHLIGHTS SHOWS 170 (2008-10)
3 million people saw this Conceived with David HIGHLIGHTS The
game-changing show, LaChapelle, John’s Divine Miss M brought
a spectacle of Cirque five-year spectacular dirty jokes and her
du Soleil theatrics and led to an international backup singers to
dramatic rendition that led tour, an NBC special this revue (which
and a second cost $10 million to
to a 210-show sequel residency, The Million produce). “I survived!”
(Celine) and a new Dollar Piano, which cheered Midler on
paradigm for pop closes April 15. closing night.
career arcs.
“The whole environment
here, it just oozes
family and fun,” says
Spears. From far left:
Spears wears a Givenchy
jacket and Effy Jewelry
rings; with Steven Tyler
on the set of Britney:
Piece of Me on Feb. 27.
HAIR AND MAKEUP BY GLENN NUTLEY AT CLOUTIER REMIX. LIVE: DAVID BECKER/CAESARS ENTERTAINMENT/AP PHOTO. FAMILY, TYLER: COURTESY OF @BRITNEYSPEARS/INSTAGRAM. DION, CHER, TWAIN: DENISE TRUSCELLO/COURTESY OF AEG LIVE LAS Entertainment Operating Company, which to be associated with creating this next- MEANWHILE, VEGAS HAS ENABLED STATS
VEGAS. MIDLER: ETHAN MILLER/GETTY IMAGES/COURTESY OF AEG LIVE. JOHN: M. CAULFIELD/WIREIMAGE. STEWART: ETHAN MILLER/GETTY IMAGES. CAREY: DIMITRIOS KAMBOURIS/GETTY IMAGES voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy generation type of show.” another kind of comeback for Spears in
protection on Jan. 15.) her personal life. Having weathered a $42M
Indeed, Mariah Carey has announced much-publicized meltdown and a string of
Rascal Flatts manager Clarence Spalding plans for her own residency, Mariah Carey breakups since her tumultuous divorce from Total ticket revenue
says Spears’ residency helped inspire his #1’s, to start May 6 at The Colosseum, and ex-husband Kevin Federline in 2006, Spears for Britney: Piece of Me
act’s mini-residency at Hard Rock Hotel Jennifer Lopez is rumored to be next. “I’ve has regained primary custody of sons Jayden
& Casino’s Joint venue this spring. “When probably gotten calls from 10 major manag- James, 8, and Sean Preston, 9, and recently through Feb. 21
Larry first told me about Britney playing her ers asking me advice on their artists,” says found new romance with boyfriend Charlie
room, I couldn’t even sleep that night. The Rudolph. “People you wouldn’t believe, who Ebersol, 32, son of Olympics producer Dick 17
next day I called him and said, ‘Is this some- right now are at the top of the charts, are Ebersol. “Our passion for life is on the same
thing for any of my acts to do?’ She really poking around Las Vegas. But unless you page,” says Spears of Ebersol. Number of Spears’ top 20
stepped up everyone’s game.” have a deep catalog, where that 65-year-old hits on the Hot 100
couple can enjoy it as well as the millennial It has been 16 years since “...Baby One
“The show is something everyone has nightclub-goer, you can’t make it work. More Time” hit No. 1 on the Hot 100. $310K
embraced and considers one of the great You’re playing to those people and super- (Spears’ advice for her 17-year-old self? “Stay
milestones in Las Vegas,” says Jason fans at the same time. There are very few strong.”) The Vegas routine seems to suit her Spears’ estimated
Gastwirth, senior vp marketing and artists who have that ability to please both.” well. On show nights, she’ll spend an hour average per-show
entertainment for Caesars. “She’s going getting her hair and makeup done while rock-
ing out to Taylor Swift’s 1989 (“It’s so much paycheck
fun — ‘Out of the Woods’ is a good one”)
before heading downstairs for a prayer with
her team. Afterward, she’ll do a meet-and-
greet for 30 to 40 fans and any celebrities
who might be in town; Lady Gaga dropped
in last March, and Arnold Schwarzenegger
visited during New Year’s. “That was kind of
weird,” says Spears with a giggle.
During the weeks she’s performing,
Spears splits her time between Los Angeles
and Vegas. Jayden and Sean come every
other weekend, and Ebersol flies in
regularly. Beyond Vegas, Spears is still work-
ing: on a lingerie line and “slowly but surely”
recording her ninth album. But “there’s a lot
going on with my kids and schools and add-
ing new sports,” she says. “I’m going to try to
do my best to do an amazing album. But it’s
not my full priority right now.” With the resi-
dency powering her career, Spears can more
easily afford to realign those priorities.
CHER ROD STEWART SHANIA TWAIN MARIAH CAREY
Cher at the Colosseum Rod Stewart: The Hits Shania: Still the One Mariah Carey #1’s
SHOWS 192 (2008-11) SHOWS 100-plus SHOWS 105 (2012-14) BEGINS May 6
HIGHLIGHTS (2010-present) HIGHLIGHTS In two HIGHLIGHTS Mimi
Her three-year HIGHLIGHTS Feb. 6 years, 337,500 guests has 18 No. 1 Hot 100
extravaganza marked the 100th witnessed the country singles and promises
featured 17 costume performance of superstar serenade a to sing them all at her
changes (courtesy of Stewart’s best-of white horse with her inaugural residency,
legendary designer showcase, which mega-ballad, “You’re starting this spring.
Bob Mackie), four features lots of pink Still the One.” There “It’s going to be really
aerialists, a golden and occasional also was a campfire cool having her here
chariot and its star’s cameos from his singalong and a flying — like real girl power,”
bare bottom. daughter Ruby. motorcycle. Spears tells Billboard.
MARCH 21, 2015 | WWW.BILLBOARD.COM 31
When he was a kid, Flowers’ brother scaled
one of Newton’s exterior walls and snuck
a peek at his helicopter. “We talked about it
for weeks at school,” recalls Flowers (left).
Newton, who has performed in Vegas since
1959, and Flowers were photographed
Feb. 24 standing on Newton’s Fokker
F-28 airplane at Casa de Shenandoah. For
an exclusive interview and behind-the-
scenes video of Newton happily recalling
his most amorous female fans, go to
Billboard.com or Billboard.com/ipad.
PHOTOGRAPHED BY AUSTIN HARGRAVE
BRANDON
FLOWERS
&
WAYNE
NEWTON
MR. LAS VEGAS, 72, AND THE KILLERS’
HOMETOWN-BOY-MADE-GOOD
FRONTMAN, 33, MET UP AT NEWTON’S
LEGENDARY ESTATE, CASA DE SHENANDOAH,
TO TALK ABOUT LIFE ON AND OFF THE STRIP
BRANDON FLOWERS Wayne and I met when The Killers
asked him to appear in our video for “Battle Born” [in
2012]. We wanted to get in all the quintessential Las
Vegas. We had a white tiger and Andre Agassi. Wayne was
pretending to direct the band in the control room. The
couches in the studio are still ripped up from the tiger.
WAYNE NEWTON I had a ball. Brandon said, “I want you
to take my band, don’t be nice to them, give them hell like
you would onstage if they’d screwed up your show.”
FLOWERS We always talk about how we bring a little bit of
Vegas wherever we go. I grew up with people like Wayne
on billboards. You go to the 7-Eleven and there’s a line of
slot machines with a Rat Pack picture. I didn’t realize how
much it was ingrained in me. When I was a kid, I listened
to Depeche Mode and New Order, but when I went home I
would put on Frank Sinatra’s Main Event. And I played golf.
I secretly had this older persona for myself of, like, driving
an El Dorado, smoking cigars and listening to Sinatra.
NEWTON The guy who first brought me here to do six
shows a night was an agent from L.A., Lucky Levin. I had
no idea what you were supposed to wear. And Lucky said,
“A tux, of course.” I’ve worn tuxes ever since.
FLOWERS I like wearing tuxedos. My aunt cleaned Dean
Martin’s room at the MGM. She snuck around and said he
only had tuxedos, pajamas and a lot of pills.
NEWTON What mood were you in when you wrote
“Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” [from 2010’s Flamingo,
Flowers’ first solo album]?
FLOWERS I have a love-hate relationship with this town.
And it came out. Usually I’m the ambassador for this
place, but in this song I showed another side. I was sick
of people handing out cards for hookers on the Strip,
and had the idea to use that iconic sign and slogan and
turn it on its head a little bit.
NEWTON All of us here — regardless of what genre you
might be recognized in — push the envelope a little bit to see
where it will take us, because if there is one city that would
allow that, it’s this one. (Strolls among his fleet of vintage
Rolls-Royces.) I really love Rolls. That has been my favorite
car since I was this high to a grasshopper. This one was
Liberace’s; this was Johnny Cash’s. What are you driving?
FLOWERS (Gestures out window.) That brown truck — I’ve
got three boys.
NEWTON Trust me, I understand. —MICHAEL WALKER
MARCH 21, 2015 | WWW.BILLBOARD.COM 33
CARLOS SANTANA
FOR THIS ROCKER, THE VATICAN HAS NOTHING ON
THE ENTERTAINMENT CAPITAL OF THE WORLD
During the past seven years, the legendary bandleader, 67, has
become a Las Vegas staple, most recently with multiple strings of
dates at Mandalay Bay’s House of Blues (next up: May 22-31).
He has been able to capitalize on the city’s skyrocketing appetite
for entertainment — tickets at the 1,800-capacity venue include
$375 table seats and $750 VIP packages — while still leaving time
to finish recording Santana IV, which he will do in April. Santana
has a few words of advice for entertainers (and others) heading
into the desert.
1. AVOID GAMBLING “I don’t have any desire for that sensation,
temptation or stimulation. I don’t believe in luck, chance or
fortune; I believe in grace. I’d rather invest my emotions
into something that is a sure shot, which is music.”
2 . GET OFF THE STRIP “My wife, Cindy, just got me
a bicycle. I’m leery about trying that after what
happened to brother Bono, but she said that was
different because it happened in Central Park. In
the desert you might hit a coyote, but that’s it.”
3. SEE CIRQUE “I don’t see many shows, but
the one I’d like to go to over and over again is
Cirque du Soleil’s Michael Jackson: One. I’ve
seen it three times because every person in
there excels with it.”
4. HIT THE HOUSE OF BLUES “The first
time I came here, I said, ‘Oh, they love
Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters’
— everything that I love; the first
music that I loved from America. So
when I come to a place and the first
thing I see is the pictures of these
beloved people, I’m like, ‘I want to
be here.’ I’d rather be here than the
Vatican.” —STEVEN J. HOROWITZ
“It’s a good time to be in
Las Vegas, because it’s
extremely productive
financially and even
spiritually,” says Santana,
photographed Feb. 12 at
Foundation Room.
PHOTOGRAPHED BY CHRISTOPHER PATEY
“Vegas is the most
competitive nightlife
market out there,”
says Waits. From
left: Waits, Strauss,
Zandi and Cordova
photographed Feb. 28
at the Neon Museum.
OPENING SPREAD: GROOMING BY SARAH BARKER. FLOWERS WEARS A SAINT LAURENT BY HEDI SLIMANE TUXEDO. STYLING BY MARJAN MALAKPOUR AT THEONLY.AGNECY. POWER PLAYERS: GROOMING BY SARA AJDAHIM. JESSE JASON ZEE ALEX
GROOMING ASSISTANT: LINDSEY DIMICK. FOLLOWING SPREAD: GUETTA’S GROOMING BY NIL MUIR. A-TRAK’S GROOMING BY SARAH BARKER WAITS STRAUSS ZANDI CORDOVA
MANAGING PARTNER, XS, CO-FOUNDER, STRATEGIC VP BRAND DEVELOPMENT AND EXECUTIVE VP MARKETING,
TRYST AT THE WYNN HOTELS HOSPITALITY GROUP ENTERTAINMENT, THE LIGHT GROUP HAKKASAN GROUP
When Jesse Waits, now 39, moved to Vegas is full of nightlife impresarios After holding top positions at some As Hakkasan Group lunges toward a
Las Vegas in 1996, he arrived with a who claim they brought EDM to the of Las Vegas’ most powerful night-
few thousand dollars and promptly city, but Jason Strauss, 40, may actu- life companies — The Wynn and takeover of the Strip, acquiring Angel
spent it on a 1965 Ford Thunderbird. ally be the first: In 2006, his Strategic Angel Management Group (now
Thirteen years later, he opened the Hospitality Group threw a Memorial under Hakkasan Group) — Zandi, Management Group and The Light
$100 million mega-club XS, dedicat- Day weekend party featuring Erick 40, was tapped by Vegas power-
ing one weeknight to house music. Morillo at Marquee. “After that, we house (and Swedish House Mafia Group and adding clubs like 1 OAK
“Everyone was skeptical, but it was became the strip’s first nightclub manager) Amy Thomson to oversee
gigantic,” he recalls. Today, XS is strictly dedicated to EDM,” says electronic music programming for and Light to its roster, Alex Cordova
the highest-grossing club in the the executive, who in addition to the Mandalay Bay’s Light nightclub
country and maintains a roster of Marquee is behind Lavo and Tao. and Daylight day club in 2013. The is behind the scenes steering the
EDM superstars, including Skrillex, Back then, most clubs hid their DJ clubs, which are operated by The
David Guetta and Kaskade, many of booths in the corner because “it Light Group (also under Hakkasan), message. The 36-year-old over-
whom Waits pals around with off- was all about the scene.” Today, the pair in-demand DJs like Disclosure
duty. Plus, his prized Thunderbird booth is often the priciest part of the and Fatboy Slim with Cirque du sees Hakkasan Group’s PR and
now belongs to Avicii, a gift for the decor. To ensure the good vibes go Soleil visuals. Now, Zandi is tasked
Swedish DJ’s 21st birthday — a purely until morning, Strauss partnered with with maintaining momentum. marketing and is heavily involved
sentimental token, considering his the Cosmopolitan and Austin-based She spends a few weeks each year
rumored rate of $400,000 per gig. C3 Presents to schedule afterparties attending industry conferences and with the much-anticipated new club
Waits won’t discuss figures, but he for shows held at the hotel’s Chelsea such festivals as Amsterdam Dance
will confirm the value of a star DJ. Ballroom and Boulevard Pool. Also Event and the BPM Festival to find Omnia, which opens its doors this
“They’re the new pop stars — and keeping things fresh? “We sprinkle out what’s next. “We’re known as
unlike singers and rappers, they can in other styles, like Snoop [Dogg]’s tastemakers,” she says, “which is month with Justin Bieber’s 21st-
perform all night.” residency [at Tao],” he says. unusual for Vegas.”
birthday party and a performance
from Calvin Harris. “It’s going to
make a splash,” Cordova says. After
revamping clubs at the Paris Hotel
and Caesars Palace, he joined Angel
Management Group in 2008 to work
on Wet Republic, one of the first day
clubs to feature such EDM heavy-
weights as Kaskade and Deadmau5.
“For some of them,” he says, “it was
the first time they were coming to
play Vegas.” —MEGAN BUERGER
PHOTOGRAPHED BY RAMONA ROSALES MARCH 21, 2015 | WWW.BILLBOARD.COM 35
DAVID
GUETTA
&
A-TRAK
BOOMING BEATS MEAN BOOMING
BUSINESS IN VEGAS, AS BIG-TICKET DJs HAVE
BECOME THE CITY’S REAL HIGH ROLLERS
When pioneering French DJ David Guetta first
performed on the Vegas Strip in 2009, the crowds
didn’t get it. “It felt like they’d seen the world’s best
magician the day before, and now they were seeing the
fancy, fun DJ,” says Guetta, 47. “There was no scene.”
Flash forward six years, and the scene has exploded.
DJ-centric venues have opened all over the city, each
bigger and more lavish than the last, culminating
most recently in the 2013 opening of Hakkasan at the
MGM Grand, an 80,000-square-foot nightclub and
restaurant that cost a rumored $200 million. By 2014,
seven of the country’s 10 highest-grossing properties
were in Vegas, according to Nightclub and Bar maga-
zine. The publication estimates that XS, the ultra-luxe
nightclub owned by The Wynn (and where Guetta has
a residency), earned more than $100 million in 2014.
To maintain momentum, it underwent a $10 million
technology revamp in December.
It’s the DJs, though, and not the high-end light shows
that attract the big spenders willing to drop thousands
of dollars on VIP bottle service. Afrojack was the first
DJ to sign an exclusivity agreement with a hotel, when
he paired with The Wynn in 2010. Now, residency con-
tracts are common, as are the high fees that accompany
them. Insiders say it’s not unusual for a DJ to earn up
to $300,000 per gig. (In his new three-year residency
with Hakkasan, Calvin Harris is rumored to be making
$400,000 per gig.)
For these artists, the benefits of playing Las Vegas
extend beyond the paycheck. “If we spin in Vegas,
we get billboards in L.A.,” says Alain Macklovitch, 32,
better-known as A-Trak, who is a regular at the club
Light. “It’s insane marketing. I can’t think of anywhere
else that has that kind of trickle-down effect. You want
to see how big Vegas EDM has become? Drive down
Sunset Boulevard.” —M.B.
PHOTOGRAPHED BY RAMONA ROSALES Initially wary about playing the Strip,
Guetta now commends the intensity of
Vegas crowds. “When American audiences
go, they go hard,” he says. Guetta (left)
and A-Trak photographed March 1 at XS
Nightclub. For an exclusive interview
and behind-the-scenes video of the two
DJs putting to rest Vegas rumors, go to
Billboard.com or Billboard.com/ipad.
MARCH 21, 2015 | WWW.BILLBOARD.COM 37
7
PresleInytbeoarncnkaAstuitoagng. a1el,aH1t9ot6hte9el. ‘ELVIS AIN’T NEVER
LEFT THE BUILDING’
WEDDINGS, A RESIDENCY, DEBAUCHERY: HOW VEGAS
CHANGED PRESLEY AND VICE VERSA
BY MIKE SAGER
TTHE FIRST TIME ELVIS PRESLEY PLAYED guitar, he shakes and shivers like he is suf- big shows, big packed houses. More than
Las Vegas, the critics hated him. fering from itchy underwear and hot shoes,” any other performer, Elvis set the tone.”
Appearing in the Venus Room at the wrote Ralph Pearl in the Las Vegas Sun.
New Frontier Hotel in the spring of 1956, Inspired in part by Elvis’ quickie mar-
the 21-year-old hillbilly crooner with the “For the average Vegas spender or show- riage to Ann-Margret in the 1964 schmaltz
dreamy eyes and well-lubricated hips was goer, [Elvis is] a bore,” wrote another of the classic Viva Las Vegas, there are at least a
billed as “America’s only atomic-powered Sun’s critics, Bill Willard. half dozen chapels offering Elvis weddings.
singer.” Two years earlier, he had been (The title song from the movie is the city’s
driving a truck in Memphis for $45 a TODAY, A TRIP TO VEGAS CONFIRMS unofficial theme.) At Planet Hollywood,
week. Now he had a contract with RCA Elvis’ enduring influence. Elvis imper- an Elvis will officiate and sing up to three
Victor Recordings and a movie deal with sonators perform at the Flamingo Hotel, songs. (The property that Planet Hollywood
Paramount Studios. Harrah’s Hotel and Planet Hollywood. occupies today was once the Aladdin Hotel,
At the time, Vegas was known for its Costumed Elvises distribute broadsheets where Presley, then 32, married the 21-year-
mobbed-up glamour — bent-nose guys in for escort services. There’s an Elvis Suite old Priscilla Ann Beaulieu, in 1967, the first
fedoras, ladies in white gloves. It was the at the Las Vegas Hotel, and an annual Elvis marriage for both.)
era of The Rat Pack. The furniture was festival and parade — former Mayor Oscar
mid-century modern, the patrons were well- Goodman and his wife, the current mayor, Recently, the Westgate Las Vegas
dressed, the food and drink were expensive, Carolyn Goodman, traditionally ride in a Resort — formerly the International Hotel,
and the nightclubs were ruled by hepcats pink Cadillac with an Elvis impersonator. where Elvis posted a record 837 consecu-
like Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. At the Hard Rock Cafe are gold records, tive sold-out performances over seven
The audiences packing the venues, belts, a smashed guitar and a telegram from years, in front of 2.5 million total people —
however, were somewhat old by today’s Elvis and his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, announced plans to cooperate with Elvis’
standards, mostly in their 50s and 60s. to The Beatles. Graceland estate to bring a permanent
After World War II, veterans had gotten a exhibit to the hotel.
late start on life. The youth culture pio- “Elvis signaled an important change in
neered by their children, the baby boomers, Las Vegas,” says Oscar Goodman. During “Basically, Elvis never died,” says Travis
was still in its embryonic stage. And still his 12-year administration, the city became Allen, a former electrician who appears
misunderstood. known for its risque slogan: “What happens nightly at Planet Hollywood as Elvis. Allen
“As he stands up there clutching his in Vegas stays in Vegas.” “Elvis bridged the points out that he is the only solo Elvis
gap between the Frank Sinatra/Rat Pack with a live band playing a major hotel
years and what you see today — big names, venue. His material spans all of the Elvis
periods, from young and handsome to the
38 BILLBOARD | MARCH 21, 2015
4
3 5
8 9
PRESLEY: TERRY O’NEILL/GETTY IMAGES. 1: CURT TEICH ARCHIVES/GETTY IMAGES. 2: BOB FLORA/BETTMANN/CORBIS. 3: FOTOS INTERNATIONAL/GETTY IMAGES. 4, 9: MICHAEL OCHS ARCHIVES/GETTY IMAGES. 5: MANUEL LITRAN/PARIS MATCH/GETTY IMAGES. 6: © BETTMANN/CORBIS. bloated version in the spangled jumpsuit. As the years passed, and Elvis morphed set a whole new standard of debauchery. 1 Fremont Street in
7: EVERETT COLLECTION. 8: ARCHIVE PHOTOS/GETTY IMAGES. BOTTOM ROW: CHAPEL: EDDIE SANDERSON/REX USA. VIVA ELVIS: ETHAN MILLER/CIRQUE DU SOLEIL/GETTY IMAGES. BASKETBALL: LARRY W. SMITH/EPA/CORBIS. “People come up to me every night and — from hunky to husky to grossly obese Toward the end of his career, Elvis was 1956. 2 With Priscilla
— so too evolved the culture of Vegas and Presley, following the
say, ‘Thank you for keeping the memory the nation, though not entirely in the same said to be addicted to a variety of prescrip- couple’s wedding at
alive,’ ” says Allen. “No other entertainer direction. In a sense, Elvis represented an tion drugs from five different doctors. the Aladdin Resort and
ever had his hold on an audience.” innocent era, when the nation’s youth were His frequent crash diets also took a toll, Casino on May 1, 1967.
first beginning to separate from the culture as did his endless schedule, the death of 3 The International
ON JULY 31, 1969 — A YEAR AFTER HIS BIG of their elders — what would come to be his beloved mother and the breakup of Hotel advertises Elvis’
comeback special on TV re-energized his known as the generation gap. When the his marriage to Priscilla in 1972. Oscar residency in the summer
career — Elvis performed his first sold-out war in Vietnam upped the ante, with the Goodman came to know Elvis during of 1969. 4 With Sammy
show at the International. mandatory draft and 58,220 dead, Elvis’ visits to the town’s leading physician, Dr. Davis Jr. (left) backstage
innocent love ballads and catchy dance Elias Ghanem (“I had a severe case of at the Showroom at the
This time the reviews were breathless: tunes would give way to the anger and pas- gout and Elvis was always being treated International in 1970.
“Elvis got a constant, roaring approval sion of the Woodstock generation’s rockers, for various maladies”). 5 The Strip in 1971.
from his fans who all but threw themselves who took their form from R&B but added 6 Presley (left) with
into the aisles and out of the balcony as the new and more powerful content. According to Jody Ghanem, the doctor’s Bobby Darin at the Hotel
Pelvis sang his many rock’n’roll hits while widow, Elvis stayed for weeks at a time Sahara in 1960. 7 Movie
fiercely, almost savagely turning himself But Vegas was not Altamont or even the at the Ghanem home, as the doctor poster for 1964’s Viva
outside in,” wrote Pearl at the Sun. Fillmore; the city of sin that the mob had attempted to wean him from his medica- Las Vegas. 8 Onstage
“His aura was incredible. It made you built in the desert was isolated, well-policed tions. Elvis gifted the doctor a 1971 Stutz at the International in
kind of goose-pimply,” says Carolyn and pricey. Although Elvis brought in Bearcat and several rings, one a big horse- 1969. 9 Performing in
Goodman, who attended his shows and met younger audiences with money to spend, shoe with diamonds. “One time, Elias 1975 at age 40.
The King several times. he didn’t bring hippies or rock bands. More took Elvis’ medicines and emptied them
The next day, Parker negotiated a than anything, what he did was make it cool out and replaced them with sugar cap-
five-year contract for Elvis to play each for fading superstar performers to find a sules,” says Ghanem, a former Radio City
February and August, at an annual salary second (or even third) act of their career in Rockette. “Elvis was superstitious. He had
of $1 million. Vegas. In that way, Elvis paved the way for this premonition that he was going to pass
During the next seven years, Elvis ruled the likes of Britney Spears. away in his 40s, the same age as his mom.”
the Strip. Tickets to his dinner show were
$17.50 and included lobster or steak. The THE KING’S WELL-DOCUMENTED TASTE Elvis’ last performances in Vegas were
midnight show included drinks and cost a for the good life also helped set another Dec. 2 through 12 in 1976. After returning to
bit less. In one 29-day period, Elvis played kind of tone in Vegas: as an oasis of over- Graceland in Memphis, he died on Aug. 16,
for 101,509 guests. Over seven years, he is indulgence. Dean Martin and the Rat 1977, at the age of 42.
said to have sold $43.7 million in tickets, an Packers were playful drunks; sweaty Elvis
estimated $171 million in 2015 dollars. “Elvis might be gone, but he ain’t never
left the building,” says Elvis impersonator
Allen, putting on his best Memphis drawl.
LIVES ON An Elvis Cirque du Soleil A stilted “Elvis” “Elvis” dunks at
impersonator with cast members from Cirque du the 2007 NBA
FROM WEDDINGS newlyweds at onstage during Soleil’s Viva Elvis, All-Star Game
TO NBA GAMES, Vegas’ Graceland Viva Elvis at the which closed after at the Thomas &
PRESLEY’S STILL WITH US Wedding Chapel Aria Resort & a two-year run. Mack Center.
in 1992. Casino in 2009.
MARCH 21, 2015 | WWW.BILLBOARD.COM 39
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40 BILLBOARD | MARCH 21, 2015
How does
Awolnation’s
Aaron Bruno
follow up
a history-
making hit
like “Sail”?
ALBUM OUT NOW
Awolnation, Run Madonna
Rebel Heart
ANDWICHED BETWEEN HITS ON THE ROCK too. “Hollow Moon (Bad Wolf )” welds ’80s dance pop to throb- (Interscope)
radio stations it dominated from 2011 to 2013, Awol- bing industrial skronk, like OMD getting a piggyback ride from Sheppard
Bombs Away
nation’s blockbuster “Sail” sounds like Nine Inch Skinny Puppy. “Fat Face,” with its soft-shoe beat and winsome (School Boy/Republic)
Nails covering Nickelback. It’s dark, with crashing pianos, could be mistaken for Electric Light Orchestra if Bruno Fences
Lesser Oceans
synths, scary violins and lyrics about ADD. If you weren’t screaming its chorus. And the charming acoustic ballad (Atlantic)
never listened to its parent LP, 2011’s Megalithic “Headrest for My Soul” is as unassuming as its title. Empire Cast
Empire: Season 1
Symphony, it’s easy to imagine Awolnation as the If there’s another “Sail” here, it’s grinding rocker “Windows,” Soundtrack
(Columbia)
latest active rock project out of Manitoba or Oklahoma City. But but even that features Pet Sounds-esque arrangements and cascad-
Luke Bryan
nothing could be further from the truth: The act ing pop vocals. Like the rest of the LP, the song Spring Break… Checkin’ Out
(Capitol Nashville)
is, in fact, the one-man band of 36-year-old Los LINER NOTES brims with textures and moods that go in multiple
Olly Murs
Angeles-based singer-songwriter-producer Aaron directions at once. Listening to Bruno try to pull it Never Been Better
(Columbia)
Bruno, and Megalithic is an ebullient orchestral pop off is fascinating, though not particularly moving.
Kevin “K.O.” Olusola
record. “Sail,” which briefly held the record as the It’s like watching someone juggle chain saws. The Renegade EP
(RCA)
longest-charting song on the Billboard Hot 100 As evidenced by Bruno’s forebears — those
(79 weeks) until Imagine Dragons’ “Radioactive” aforementioned pop visionaries — there’s a
surpassed it, sounds like nothing else on it. long and storied line of geniuses/nutjobs who
Bruno, then, faced a quandary with follow- can anchor their orchestral ambitions with real
up Run: Deliver 12 new versions of “Sail,” or emotion. Bruno’s not there yet, and it’s possible
keep Awolnation weird. He does the latter, and he never will be; his rightful place may just be
that’s a good thing. On Run, Bruno acts like a behind the boards rather than in the spotlight.
short-order cook serving up a menu of diverse Emo lyrics aside — “Last night I fell apart/Broke
sounds as fast as possible: the Ryan Tedder hook- from my swollen heart,” he sings over the
slinger special, the Jeff Lynne and Brian Wilson delicious synth pop of “Woman Woman” — Run
instrument-drenched combo, the Trent Reznor PRODUCER Aaron Bruno is more of a technical accomplishment than an
KARI ROWE with a side of schmaltz. His stamina alone is LABEL Red Bull Records artistic one. Bruno the pop star is not nearly as
worth applauding; a number of his songs are RELEASE DATE March 17 appealing as Bruno the juggler. —GARRETT KAMPS
MARCH 21, 2015 | WWW.BILLBOARD.COM 41
Reviews Bass Parts And Beekeeping With...
From left: MODEST MOUSE
Wilkin, Roche,
Eight years since its last studio LP and 11 since its breakout hit
Morgan and “Float On,” Modest Mouse finally returns with Strangers to Ourselves
Bagnall (March 17, Epic), a rollicking alt-rock power trip filled with saloon
pianos and existential doubt. Frontman Isaac Brock, 39, explains the
ALBUM long wait and his issues with Portlandia.
Rixton, Let Strangers to Ourselves has been in the works I don’t think they’ve ever known what to do with
the Road for almost five years. What took so long? us. I don’t think they know why the f— it works.
I had all sorts of f—ing schemes — I canned a lot We’re not a pop band. I’m not sure what kind of
PRODUCERS Benny Blanco, of ideas. I was going to make a record that was band we are, and I like it that way.
Stargate, others really boring, like a rock’n’roll version of [1938
LABEL School Boy/ Thornton Wilder play] Our Town where songs But in the end, do you have a good
Interscope just plodded along with mundane daily stories.
RELEASE DATE March 3 I got like five songs into that and said, “All right, relationship with the label?
enough.” Then I just wanted to play a hard f—ing I actually really like being on Epic. I would bad-
E NGLISH FOURSOME RIXTON rock record with no overdubs. mouth them if I wanted to. That’s just the kind of
was toiling in relative obscurity on guy I am — a little bit of a dick. It has been good
YouTube when impresario Scooter You initially set out to produce the LP yourself, most of the time, more than I can say with most
Braun (Justin Bieber’s manager) but you eventually recruited Andrew Weiss, independent labels.
caught wind of the group’s jokey cover vid- Tucker Martine and others for help. Why?
eos and signed the act in 2012. Shortly after, I fired myself. Then we kept having people Epic’s website still has a band picture with
he connected Rixton with super-producer come in to work on the record, but everyone had
Benny Blanco (Katy Perry, Rihanna) to other shit scheduled after x amount of days, so guitarist Johnny Marr, who left in 2009.
helm its breakout hit, “Me and My Broken no one wanted to hang out while we took three Yeah, that picture has three to four people who
Heart,” mining the same harmless reggae- years rerecording bass parts and putting mics aren’t in the band anymore. Every time we show
pop terrain that vaulted Magic’s “Rude” to in jugs of water to see how it sounds. It doesn’t up to a town to play a show the picture still has
the top of the charts. sound great. There’s a reason they’re not selling Johnny. All my ideas for photo shoots for this
the jug-of-water mic. album didn’t involve really seeing us. I mean, Daft
The group’s debut album, Let the Road, Punk found a way around it.
seeks to duplicate the success of “Heart” by Did Epic Records pressure you to finish
banking on a similar sound, but the brand- recording the album sooner? You cameoed on Portlandia in 2012. You’re from
name connections do little to distinguish To be frank, one of the things that we’ve done
Rixton. Executive-produced by Blanco and pretty much the entire time on Epic is not let Portland, Ore. What do you think of the show?
featuring contributions from Ed Sheeran, the them know when we’re recording a record. We
LP has roots in funk, R&B and soul as well largely just pay for it out of pocket. Like this one Sometimes it makes fun of things that are,
as reggae but codes as pop due to its vocals — I was nearly homeless by the end of the record.
and texture; when given the choice between like, that’s just what we do. Like, I keep bees.
polish and grit, the band almost always opts
for the former. On the tropical “Wait on Portland hardly got to have an identity before
Me” and elsewhere, lead singer Jake Roche
sounds uncannily like Maroon 5’s Adam that identity became a joke — I live in a joke.
Levine. When that familiar timbre shimmies
up to Blanco’s bouncy production, the results Seattle at least got to wear out its identity
are catchy, but fail to leave a deeper impres-
sion; boilerplate lyrics about relationship before it became a joke. —CHRIS PAYNE
pablum don’t help, either.
“I’m not sure what
It’s when the members of Rixton (Roche, kind of band we
Charley Bagnall, Danny Wilkin and Lewi
Morgan) handle the songwriting that they are, and I like it that
hint at a unique identity. The tracks are still way,” says Brock.
derivative of the group’s pop-soul forbears
(“Speakerphone” plays like a store-brand
version of M5’s “Payphone”), but they
smartly push the act’s bright harmonies
to the forefront. Focusing on that strength
may help to separate Rixton from peers, like
5 Seconds of Summer, with similar influ-
ences but bigger successes. —JAMIESON COX
42 BILLBOARD | MARCH 21, 2015
Twin Shadow LATE-NIGHT TUNES:
clears the THE HITS AND MISSES
electronic fog
on his major- Billboard picks the best and worst live TV
label debut. performances from March 2 through 7
HITS
GZA AND TOM MORELLO, THE TONIGHT SHOW
STARRING JIMMY FALLON (MARCH 3)
To paraphrase Bill Hader’s
Saturday Night Live character
Stefon, this performance of
GZA’s recent cover of “The
Mexican,” an Ennio Morricone-
inspired 1972 song by Babe
Ruth, had everything: the Wu-
Tang rapper’s rhymes, newcomer Kara Lane’s fiery vocals, The
Roots, break dancers and Tom Morello’s guitar virtuosity.
RIXTON: LINDSEY BYRNES. MODEST MOUSE: JENNIFER BANISZEWSKI. TWIN SHADOW: MILAN ZRNIC. GZA: DOUGLAS GORENSTEIN/NBC. JOYWAVE: COURTESY OF ABC. CARLILE: COURTESY OF TBS. PURITY RING: LLOYD BISHOP/NBC. MUMFORD: DAVID M. BENETT/GETTY IMAGES FOR HARPER’S BAZAAR. RAELYNN: TERRY WYATT/FILMMAGIC ALBUM JOYWAVE, JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE! (MARCH 2)
This geeky Rochester, N.Y.,
Twin Shadow, Eclipse quintet dressed like a wedding
band in a “Weird Al” Yankovic
O N HIS THIRD ALBUM, TWIN SHADOW PRODUCER Twin Shadow video: pink pants, white shirts
pivots away from the past — both pop LABEL Warner Bros. and matching necklaces. Lead
music’s and his own. But what has been RELEASE DATE March 17 singer Daniel Armbruster’s
sacrificed in the name of progress? mustache and oversize glasses
In recent interviews, George Lewis Jr., the recalled Napoleon Dynamite’s
31-year-old singer/producer/multi-instrumentalist
behind Twin Shadow, has criticized his earlier brother Kip, but he sounded like a powered-up Bono-Rivers
work — filled with foggy layers of synths and drum Cuomo hybrid, taking the electro-rock band’s already kinetic
machines that drew comparisons to Depeche performance of “Somebody New” up several notches.
Mode and Simple Minds — for speaking in “code,”
a “specific language” that tends to exclude. an impression, which yields movie-anthem-scale BRANDI CARLILE, CONAN (MARCH 3)
Eclipse is his first full-length since shifting from Carlile’s take on “Wherever Is Your
the boutique-label ambience of 4AD to the dogged pleading that can recall Imagine Dragons, Heart” was as straightforward
fluorescent exposure of Warner Music. And now, as they come: Flanked by her
he says, coincidentally or not, that his music is particularly on the irksome single “To the Top.” longtime guitarist and bassist,
no longer “elitist.” Yet the “specific language” an the Hanseroth twins, she looked
artist uses is not only a strategic defense system A few tracks, such as “Turn Me Up” or “Watch appropriately folksy in her fringe
— it’s an aesthetic, not to be discarded blithely. jacket and Amish hat. But her
It’s true that Eclipse unveils itself less coyly than Me Go,” are nearer to his past practice of leaning voice — a high, sweet instrument
previous Twin Shadow albums, and sounds more that she embellishes with a sexy
brashly contemporary. But it hazards turning emotionally intense vocals against tangle-footed trill — is seriously special, and it
generic in the process. was in full force here.
beats, like a more gregarious version of many bed-
In some places, Lewis’ conscious uncluttering of
his production style reinforces his knack for piling room-laptop artists late last decade. Other tunes
up sentiments and hooks, as on the clubby single
“Old Love/New Love” or the ballad “Alone,” a (“I’m Ready,” “Flatliners”) fall in between, like MISS
duet with The Voice alumna Lily Elise. But subtlety
often seems secondary to Lewis’ craving to make optical puzzles that flip between two dimensions PURITY RING, LATE NIGHT WITH SETH MEYERS
and three depending on how one squints. (MARCH 4)
It’s not a matter of so-called indie versus main- Vocalist Megan James’
stream, distinctions Lewis is likely well-aware have mushroom-cloud coif was
fascinating, and Corin
become petty. It’s a question of what a polished-up Roddick’s synthesizer kit,
Twin Shadow has to add to a world already bursting which was connected to a
series of geometric lights,
with compelling egomaniacs and inspired auteurs, looked kind of cool. But the
from Kanye West to Perfume Genius or FKA Twigs. Canadian duo’s performance of
“Begin Again” gave off little of
Lewis may have cracked his own code, but if the the heat that its parent album, Another Eternity, is showing
decryption yielded any message of urgency, Eclipse
doesn’t quite illuminate it. —CARL WILSON on the Billboard 200. —FRANK DIGIACOMO
SINGLES JENNY HVAL WALE FEATURING R A E LY N N
USHER
MUMFORD & SONS “THAT BATTLE IS OVER” “FOR A BOY”
“THE MATRIMONY”
“BELIEVE” SACRED BONES MAYBACH MUSIC GROUP/ BIG MACHINE
GLASSNOTE ATLANTIC
Her voice veering from sweet Channeling the lovesick lyrics,
Following the busy acoustic “I’ll admit it, all being pathetic/
stomp of past singles like murmuring to all-out wailing, I’m in my late 20s/Still never sticky-sweet pop melodies and
“Little Lion Man,” Mumford & been to a wedding,” admits
Sons’ “Believe” does away with experimental pop provocateur Wale on this surprisingly raw RaeLynn finger-picked acoustics of early
the band’s beloved banjos in ballad. With Usher providing
favor of Coldplay-ish stadium- Jenny Hval’s dreamy new track is an emotional hook, “The Taylor Swift, RaeLynn follows the
rock. The song starts with Mar- Matrimony” is Wale at his most
cus Mumford’s vocals stripped driven by musings about biology, vulnerable — a refreshing rarity polarizing “God Made Girls” with
bare over synths — yes, synths for a rapper more known for
Mumford — before crescendoing to a divine punishment and feminism. showing off. —DAN HYMAN “For a Boy,” an all-inclusive bid
big hook that hits its singalong
mark. —JASON LIPSHUTZ The oddball lyricism goes down for proper stardom. The tune, co-
smoother with the addition of live written by Laura Veltz (Eli Young
instruments — far-away drums, Band, Chris Young), inoffensively
toasty organs — a welcoming hums along, but doesn’t do much
shift from her computer-loop to distinguish RaeLynn from her
sound. —HARLEY BROWN country peers. —J.L.
Smollett Clarkson ties
fellow Idol Carrie
NUMBERS: Underwood as
EMPIRE’S EVER- the show’s winner
GROWING SALES with the most
No. 1 albums.
All things Empire are red-
hot. The Lee Daniels-helmed TOMORROW’S HITS A still from the video MILLER TIME
Fox TV show continues to make for Who Is Fancy’s Tor Miller’s piano-painted picture
an impact on the charts and HELLO ‘GOODBYE’ “Goodbye.” of New York, “Midnight” (Glassnote),
has its sights set on No. 1 on Who is Who Is Fancy? The act’s rises 26-25 on Triple A. The
the March 28 Billboard 200. identity is intentionally shrouded 20-year-old Brooklyn singer-
Meanwhile, the show’s latest in mystery, but debut hit “Goodbye,” songwriter dropped out of New York
single, “Conqueror,” prevails a joint Big Machine/Scooter Braun University’s Clive Davis School of
Projects/Republic Records release, Music to release debut EP Headlights
on the March 21 lists. rises 37-31 in its second week on in early February. In January, a
Mainstream Top 40. Braun unveiled month before Zane Lowe left BBC
K the catchy pop track at the Radio, the DJ honored “Midnight”
iHeartMedia Music Summit in Burbank, in his “Hottest Record in the World
The Empire soundtrack, which Calif., in January, while Meghan Right Now” feature.
arrived March 10, is battling Trainor and Kacey Musgraves have
Madonna’s Rebel Heart for No. 1 tweeted endorsements of the tune.
on the next Billboard 200.
Industry sources forecast both
sets will bow with roughly
125,000 equivalent album units
in the week ending March 15.
K
Empire’s songs have sold
944,000 downloads through the
week ending March 1 (according
to Nielsen Music). Its single-
biggest sales frame is logged
by “Conqueror” (featuring
Estelle and Jussie Smollett)
with 94,000 (through March 8).
“Conqueror” is the second-highest
debut on the March 21 Billboard
Hot 100 (No. 42) and Hot R&B/Hip-
Hop Songs (No. 15), becoming
the highest-charting Empire
track on both lists. The show has
racked six entries on Hot R&B/
Hip-Hop Songs. —KEITH CAULFIELD
44 BILLBOARD | MARCH 21, 2015
CHART BEAT 19% 15% 22%
THIS WEEK
Gone Rock Country act Zac Brown Band makes its first appearance THIS WEEK THIS WEEK
NICK JONAS’
on the Mainstream Rock airplay chart as “Heavy Is the Head” FETTY WAP’S “TRAP ARIANA GRANDE’S “ONE LAST “CHAINS” SALES
QUEEN” STREAMS TIME” AUDIENCE
(featuring Chris Cornell) debuts at No. 37. The track previews 71,000
8.2 MILLION 37. 5 M I L L I O N
the group’s Jeckyll + Hide (April 28). “In looking for new music, I
look for what stands out, and this does,” says Vinny Usuriello,
program director of SiriusXM’s hard rock channel Octane,
which played “Heavy” 12 times in the week ending March 8,
according to Nielsen Music. “It’s got a little country in it, but rock
overpowers it. It definitely fits our format.” —GARY TRUST Brown
Kelly Clarkson Evens The MARKET WATCH
Score With Carrie Underwood
A WEEKLY NATIONAL MUSIC SALES REPORT
Weekly Unit Sales
ALBUMS DIGITAL DIGITAL
ALBUMS* TRACKS
This Week 4,641,000 2,134,000 20,607,000
20,868,000
Last Week 4,884,000 2,289,000
-1.3%
The two divas are now tied for the most No. 1 albums out of Change -5.0% -6.8% 23,035,000
American Idol as the show otherwise falters in ratings and hit records
SMOLLETT: KRIS CONNOR/GETTY IMAGES. CLARKSON: CINDY ORD/GETTY IMAGES FOR IHEARTRADIO. FANCY: REPUBLIC RECORDS. MILLER: TOM GRIFFITHS. RIOTS: JON WEINER. BROWN: KEVIN MAZUR/GETTY IMAGES FOR HBO. WAP: CLIVE SRAIL. GRANDE: This Week Last Year 5,001,000 2,192,000 -10.5%
JON KOPALOFF/FILMMAGIC. JONAS: MIKE MARSLAND/WIREIMAGE BY KEITH CAULFIELD
Change -7.2% -2.6%
*Digital album sales are also counted within album sales.
T winner, Phillip Phillips, bowed at No. 4 with Weekly Album Sales (Million Units) 2015
his debut effort, The World From the Side of the 2014
THE FORTUNES OF AMERICAN IDOL’S RECENT Moon. Since then, the show has failed to launch 15
winners have dwindled, but one can still count a top 10 album from its last two seasons: 2013
on Kelly Clarkson, the show’s original champ, champ Candice Glover saw her delayed 10
to rack up hit albums. The pop star, who took debut, Music Speaks, peak at No. 14, while 2014
home the first American Idol crown in 2002 and winner Caleb Johnson hit a series low with 5 4.6M
released her first album, Thankful, the follow- his first album, Testify, logging both the weakest
ing year, debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 sales debut (11,000) and chart bow (No. 24) for 0
with her latest studio set, Piece by an Idol winner’s first album. JFMAMJJASONDJ
Piece. It launches with 97,000 equiv-
alent album units in the week ending To be fair, NBC’s competing show The Voice, YEAR-TO-DATE
March 8, according to Nielsen Music. which debuted in 2011 and is now in its eighth
The album is her third visit to the season, has launched just one top 10 album: Overall Unit Sales
penthouse, following Thankful and Cassadee Pope’s Frame by Frame (No. 9 in
2009’s All I Ever Wanted. 2014 2015 CHANGE
2013). (Remarkably, The Voice’s
Clarkson now ties Carrie second-season winner, Jermaine Albums 47,749,000 47,112,000 -1.3%
Underwood as the American Idol contestants Paul, hasn’t even released an LP. 219,107,000 -11.3%
with the most No. 1 LPs. The pair is followed Paul won his season in May 2012.) Digital Tracks 247,134,000 86.9%
by rocker Chris Daughtry, who logged two 740,000 -9.6%
leaders with his band Daughtry. Four more But, while The Voice continues Store Singles 396,000 266,959,000
Idol finalists each have one No. 1: Clay Aiken, to have trouble generating hits,
Adam Lambert, Scotty McCreery and and Idol has misfired the last few Total 295,279,000
Ruben Studdard. years, another competitor that has
been off the air since 2013 has logged four top Album w/TEA* 72,462,400 69,022,700 -4.7%
The last Idol finalist to earn his or her first 10s: The X Factor. The Fox show, which ran for
top 10 album came in 2012, when that year’s three seasons through December 2013 and was *Includes track-equivalent album sales (TEA) with 10 track downloads equivalent to
created by former Idol judge Simon Cowell, one album sale.
earned top 10s from Emblem3, Alex & Sierra
and two from Fifth Harmony. The lattermost Album Sales 47.7 Million
claimed its first top 10 with its debut EP, Better 47.1 Million
Together, in 2013, and logged a second with its 2014
first full-length, Reflection, this year. 2015
Sales by Album Format
2014 2015 CHANGE
CD 24,456,000 22,440,000 -8.2%
22,433,000 2.9%
Digital 21,801,000 54.5%
2,133,000 -5.4%
Vinyl 1,381,000 105,000
Other 111,000
Sales by Album Category
2014 2015 CHANGE
Current 23,388,000 23,047,000 -1.5%
24,065,000 -1.2%
Catalog 24,361,000 19,991,000 0.4%
Deep Catalog 19,914,000
‘CONTAGIOUS’ SPREADS Cuurrreentt AAllbum Saallees 23.4 Million
Southern California rock band Night 23.0 Million
Riots makes its Alternative chart 2014
debut at No. 40 with “Contagious.” 2015
In January, the group, which cites
The Killers and Depeche Mode as Catalog Album Sales
influences, released its debut EP,
Howl (Sumerian Records), which hit 2014 24.4 Million
the top 20 on the Heatseekers Albums 2015 24.1 Million
tally. The band will join the Vans
Miller Warped Tour starting in June. Night Riots Nielsen Music counts as current only sales within the first 18 months of an album’s release
(12 months for classical and jazz albums). Titles that stay in the top half of the Billboard 200,
—GARY TRUST, EMILY WHITE however, remain as current. Titles older than 18 months are catalog. Deep catalog is a subset of
and KEITH CAULFIELD catalog for titles out more than 36 months.
For week ending March 8, 2015. Figures are rounded. Compiled from a national
sample of retail store and rack sales reports collected by Nielsen Music.
MARCH 21, 2015 | WWW.BILLBOARD.COM 45
Billboard Artist 100 NO. 13
Ariana Grande
Grande climbs three spots up
on the Artist 100 (up 3 percent),
led by a fairly even mix of digital
song sales and social reaction.
She has ranked in the top 20
each week since the chart’s
launch in July 2014, leading the
list for two weeks last summer.
2 WKS. LAST THIS PEAK WKS.ON 2 WKS. LAST THIS PEAK WKS.ON 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
IMPRINT/DISTRIBUTING LABEL POS. CHART IMPRINT/DISTRIBUTING LABEL POS. CHART fan interaction on social networking sites as compiled by Next Big Sound. See Charts Legend on billboard.com/biz for complete rules and explanations. © 2015, Prometheus Global Media, LLC and Nielsen Music, Inc. All rights reserved.
AGO WEEK WEEK ARTIST AGO WEEK WEEK ARTIST
1BIG MACHINE/BMLG 32
#1 TAYLOR SWIFT 1 36YOUNG MONEY/CASH MONEY/REPUBLIC NICK JONAS SAFEHOUSE/ISLAND 11 24
18 WKS ATLANTIC/AG 2 36
DRAKE 222/INTERSCOPE/IGA 1 36 BEYONCE PARKWOOD/COLUMBIA 6 36
ED SHEERAN SAM HUNT MCA NASHVILLE/UMGN 5 34
MAROON 5 KATY PERRY CAPITOL 6 36
KID ROCK 5TOP DOG/WARNER BROS. 2
NE-YO 9COMPOUND ENTERTAINMENT/MOTOWN/CAPITOL 11
LUKE BRYAN CAPITOL NASHVILLE/UMGN 4 36
CHRIS BROWN RCA 1 36
BRANDI CARLILE ATO 27 1
RIHANNA WESTBURY ROAD/ROC NATION 20 32
KELLY CLARKSON 19/RCA 5 8 ONE DIRECTION SYCO/COLUMBIA 2 36
SAM SMITH CAPITOL 1 36
March 21 ELLIE GOULDING 7 20CHERRYTREE/INTERSCOPE/IGA
2015
BIG SEAN G.O.O.D./DEF JAM 2 20
MARK RONSON RCA 5 16
NICKI MINAJ 2 36YOUNG MONEY/CASH MONEY/REPUBLIC
MEGHAN TRAINOR EPIC 1 34
KANYE WEST 12G.O.O.D./ROC-A-FELLA/DEF JAM 10 J. COLE 2 13DREAMVILLE/ROC NATION/COLUMBIA
ARIANA GRANDE REPUBLIC 1 36 PITBULL 18 36MR. 305/FAMOUS ARTIST/POLO GROUNDS/SONY MUSIC LATIN/RCA
FALL OUT BOY DCD2/ISLAND 2 26 EMINEM 11 36WEB/SHADY/AFTERMATH/INTERSCOPE/IGA
HOZIER 5RUBYWORKS/COLUMBIA 27 FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE REPUBLIC NASHVILLE/BMLG 1 36 SOCIAL DATA
COMPILED BY
IMAGINE DRAGONS SIA MONKEY PUZZLE/RCA 5 36
2 36KIDINAKORNER/INTERSCOPE/IGA
BRUNO MARS ATLANTIC/AG 10 36 RAE SREMMURD EARDRUMA/INTERSCOPE/IGA 7 27 AIRPLAY/STREAMING &
SALES DATA COMPILED BY
THE WEEKND XO/REPUBLIC 12 21 BLAKE SHELTON WARNER BROS. NASHVILLE/WMN 1 36
46 Go to BILLBOARD.COM/BIZ for complete chart data Data for week of 03.21.2015
GRANDE: ANDREW FRANCIS WALLACE/TORONTO STAR VIA GETTY IMAGES. MAROON 5: KEVIN KANE/GETTY IMAGES FOR 2 WKS. LAST THIS PEAK WKS.ON 2 WKS. LAST THIS PEAK WKS.ON
IHEARTMEDIA. ONE DIRECTION: RJ SHAUGHNESSY. CHURCH: JOHN PEETS. G UNIT: SHAREIF ZIYADAT/GETTY IMAGES. IMPRINT/DISTRIBUTING LABEL POS. CHART IMPRINT/DISTRIBUTING LABEL POS. CHART
GALLAGHER: TRACEY WELCH/REX USA. GOULDING: NEIL MOCKFORD/ALEX HUCKLE/GC IMAGES AGO WEEK WEEK ARTIST AGO WEEK WEEK ARTIST
AC/DC COLUMBIA 6 15
JASON ALDEAN BROKEN BOW/BBMG 1 36 G UNIT
G UNIT 73 2
ZAC BROWN BAND SOUTHERN GROUND/VARVATOS/REPUBLIC 36 22
CALVIN HARRIS FLY EYE/COLUMBIA 9 36
TOVE LO ISLAND 10 34
SELENA GOMEZ HOLLYWOOD 10 23 Goulding
Keeps
JUSSIE SMOLLETT 4220TH CENTURY FOX TV/COLUMBIA 3 Going
LED ZEPPELIN SWAN SONG/ATLANTIC/RHINO 19 16 Powered by two hit singles,
Ellie Goulding (above)
FETTY WAP RGF/300 44 4 continues her rise up the
Billboard Artist 100, again
USHER RCA 35 34 lifting to a new peak (10-7).
Nearly half of her overall
ONEREPUBLIC MOSLEY/INTERSCOPE/IGA 6 36 BRETT ELDREDGE ATLANTIC/WMN 66 9 activity is from digital song
sales, as “Love Me Like You
IGGY AZALEA 2 36TURN FIRST/HUSTLE GANG/DEF JAM WIZ KHALIFA ROSTRUM/ATLANTIC/AG 2 36 Do,” from the Fifty Shades
of Grey soundtrack, holds
VANCE JOY F-STOP/ATLANTIC/AG 34 27 CHILDISH GAMBINO MC DJ/GLASSNOTE 23 16 at No. 4 on Digital Songs
(155,000 downloads sold,
PAUL MCCARTNEY MPL/HEAR/CONCORD 37 6 PURITY RING 4AD 77 1 down 8 percent, according
to Nielsen Music) and
THIRD DAY ESSENTIAL/PLG 50 1 CASTING CROWNS 78BEACH STREET/REUNION/PLG 1 Calvin Harris’ “Outside,”
on which she’s featured,
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 BECK 17FONOGRAF RECORDS/CAPITOL 3 JUSTIN BIEBER SCHOOLBOY/RAYMOND BRAUN/DEF JAM 34 35 lifts 41-37 (35,000; up
fan interaction on social networking sites as compiled by Next Big Sound. See Charts Legend on billboard.com/biz for complete rules and explanations. © 2015, Prometheus Global Media, LLC and Nielsen Music, Inc. All rights reserved. 10 percent). Radio airplay
WALK THE MOON RCA 52 9 THOMAS RHETT VALORY/BMLG 47 11 marks the next greatest
slice of Goulding’s Artist
ERIC CHURCH EMI NASHVILLE/UMGN 39 35 DIERKS BENTLEY CAPITOL NASHVILLE/UMGN 35 24 100 points (24 percent) as
“Love” jumps 12-7 on Radio
ROMEO SANTOS SONY MUSIC LATIN 63 9 Songs (77 million all-format
audience impressions, up
ECHOSMITH WARNER BROS. 26 24 22 percent) and “Outside”
climbs 22-17 (49 million,
ADELE XL/COLUMBIA 60 29 up 6 percent). The tracks
also concurrently reach
LITTLE BIG TOWN CAPITOL NASHVILLE/UMGN 17 12 the top 10 on Mainstream
Top 40 (see page 55).
TIM MCGRAW BIG MACHINE/BMLG 10 35
Kelly Clarkson rides the
RIXTON 77SCHOOLBOY/GIANT LITTLE MAN/MAD LOVE/INTERSCOPE/IGA 5 debut of new album Piece
by Piece to a 48-5 blast
MEEK MILL 88MAYBACH/ATLANTIC/AG 1 on the Artist 100 (where
she previously ranked as
ELLA HENDERSON SYCO/COLUMBIA 18 16 KID INK THA ALUMNI GROUP/88 CLASSIC/RCA 27 16 high as No. 45). As the set
starts atop the Billboard
TREY SONGZ SONGBOOK/ATLANTIC/AG 1 36 SHANIA TWAIN 90MERCURY NASHVILLE/UMGN 1 200 (97,000 units) and
Top Album Sales (83,000),
DAFT PUNK 56DAFT LIFE/COLUMBIA 1 LORDE LAVA/REPUBLIC 21 35 traditional album sales
account for 72 percent of
FLO RIDA 57POE BOY/ATLANTIC/AG 7 KENDRICK LAMAR TOP DAWG/AFTERMATH/INTERSCOPE/IGA 30 12 her Artist 100 standing.
MIRANDA LAMBERT RCA NASHVILLE/SMN 18 26 LANA DEL REY POLYDOR/INTERSCOPE/IGA 16 30 Another pop diva, Carly
Rae Jepsen, makes her
CARRIE UNDERWOOD 19/ARISTA NASHVILLE/SMN 9 27 DARIUS RUCKER CAPITOL NASHVILLE/UMGN 51 13 Artist 100 debut at No. 69.
Digital song sales (38,000)
WARNER BROS. NASHVILLE/WMN 54 28 2 36BLUE CHAIR/COLUMBIA NASHVILLE/SMN and streaming (3.9 million
U.S. streams) for new single
“I Really Like You” lead the
way. The song also enters
the Billboard Hot 100 at
No. 48 (see page 1).
—Gary Trust
COLE SWINDELL KENNY CHESNEY
JOHN LEGEND G.O.O.D./COLUMBIA 15 36 CHRIS YOUNG RCA NASHVILLE/SMN 75 7
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE RCA 20 34 LIL WAYNE YOUNG MONEY/CASH MONEY/REPUBLIC 55 16
TYGA 27YOUNG MONEY/CASH MONEY/REPUBLIC 6 NOEL GALLAGHER’S HIGH FLYING BIRDS SOUR MASH/KOBALT 98 1
ZEDD INTERSCOPE/IGA 42 14
JUICY J KEMOSABE/COLUMBIA 46 11
PHARRELL WILLIAMS I AM OTHER/COLUMBIA 9 36
LEE BRICE CURB 15 36
SOCIAL DATA NATALIE LA ROSE I.M.G./REPUBLIC 66 4
COMPILED BY
69604/SCHOOLBOY/INTERSCOPE/IGA 1
CARLY RAE JEPSEN
AIRPLAY/STREAMING &
SALES DATA COMPILED BY FIFTH HARMONY SYCO/EPIC 12 15 AVICII PRMD/ISLAND 50 32
ESTELLE ESTABLISHED 1980/BMG 100 1
JEREMIH MICK SCHULTZ/DEF JAM 30 32
Data for week of 03.21.2015 Go to BILLBOARD.COM/BIZ for complete chart data 47
March21 Billboard 200 ARTIST2 WKS. LAST THIS CERTIFICATION TITLE PEAK WKS.ON ARTIST2 WKS. LAST THIS CERTIFICATION TITLE PEAK WKS.ON
2015 POS. CHART POS. CHART
AGO WEEK WEEK IMPRINT/DISTRIBUTING LABEL AGO WEEK WEEK IMPRINT/DISTRIBUTING LABEL
Piece By Piece 1 1
#1 KELLY CLARKSON CHRIS BROWN & TYGA Fan Of A Fan: The Album 7 2
1 WK 19/RCA RCA
SOUNDTRACK Fifty Shades Of Grey 2 4 J. COLE 0 2014 Forest Hills Drive 1 13
UNIVERSAL STUDIOS/REPUBLIC DREAMVILLE/ROC NATION/COLUMBIA
TAYLOR SWIFT 4 1989 1 19 PURITY RING Another Eternity 26 1
BIG MACHINE/BMLG 4AD
DRAKE If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late 1 4 G UNIT The Beast (EP) 27 1
YOUNG MONEY/CASH MONEY/REPUBLIC G UNIT
ED SHEERAN ¡ x 1 37 NICK JONAS Nick Jonas 6 17
ATLANTIC/AG SAFEHOUSE/ISLAND
BIG SEAN Dark Sky Paradise 1 2 DRAKE ¡ Thank Me Later 1 91
G.O.O.D./DEF JAM YOUNG MONEY/CASH MONEY/REPUBLIC
MAROON 5 V 1 27 RAE SREMMURD SremmLife 5 9
222/INTERSCOPE/IGA EARDRUMA/INTERSCOPE/IGA
SAM SMITH ¡ In The Lonely Hour 2 38 LED ZEPPELIN g Physical Graffiti 1 44
CAPITOL SWAN SONG/ATLANTIC/RHINO
BRANDI CARLILE The Firewatcher’s Daughter 9 1 RIXTON Let The Road 32 1
ATO SCHOOLBOY/GIANT LITTLE MAN/MAD LOVE/INTERSCOPE/IGA
MEGHAN TRAINOR Title 1 8 NE-YO Non-Fiction 5 6
EPIC COMPOUND ENTERTAINMENT/MOTOWN/CAPITOL
KID ROCK First Kiss 2 2 PITBULL Globalization 18 15
TOP DOG/WARNER BROS. MR. 305/POLO GROUNDS/RCA
HOZIER 0 Hozier 2 22 NOEL GALLAGHER’S HIGH FLYING BIRDS Chasing Yesterday 35 1
RUBYWORKS/COLUMBIA The album hits a half-million in SOUR MASH/KOBALT
sales (509,000 total; 19,000 in the
week ending March 8), marking SIA 1000 Forms Of Fear 1 32 The week’s most popular albums across all genres, ranked by album sales, audio on-demand streaming activity and digital sales of tracks from albums, according to Nielsen Music. See Charts Legend on billboard.com/biz for complete rules and explanations.
the first debut set to cross the © 2015, Prometheus Global Media, LLC and Nielsen SoundScan, Inc. All rights reserved.
threshold since the week ending MONKEY PUZZLE/RCA
Oct. 19, 2014, when 5 Seconds of
Summer reached the milestone. SKRILLEX & DIPLO Skrillex & Diplo Present Jack U 26 2
MAD DECENT/OWSLA/AG
SOUNDTRACK ¡ Guardians Of The Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1 1 32
MARVEL/HOLLYWOOD
NICKI MINAJ 0 The Pinkprint 2 12 STEVEN WILSON Hand Cannot Erase 39 1
YOUNG MONEY/CASH MONEY/REPUBLIC KSCOPE
IMAGINE DRAGONS Smoke + Mirrors 1 3 Wilson debuts with his highest-
charting album, bowing with
KIDINAKORNER/INTERSCOPE/IGA 12,000 units. It trumps the No. 57
debut and peak of his last release,
FALL OUT BOY American Beauty / American Psycho 1 7 2013’s The Raven That Refused to
Sing and Other Stories.
DCD2/ISLAND
MARK RONSON Uptown Special 5 8
RCA
SAM HUNT Montevallo 3 19 CARRIE UNDERWOOD 0 Greatest Hits: Decade #1 4 13
MCA NASHVILLE/UMGN 19/ARISTA NASHVILLE/SMN
VARIOUS ARTISTS NOW 53 2 5 ONE DIRECTION ¡ FOUR 1 16
Morning Phase 3 32
UNIVERSAL/SONY MUSIC/LEGACY SYCO/COLUMBIA
GG BECK FIFTH HARMONY Reflection 5 5
FONOGRAF RECORDS/CAPITOL SYCO/EPIC
THIRD DAY Lead Us Back: Songs Of Worship 20 1 PS CHILDISH GAMBINO Because The Internet 7 62
ESSENTIAL/PLG GLASSNOTE
ARIANA GRANDE ¡ My Everything 1 28 An iTunes hip-hop music sale aids
the album’s 243 percent sales gain,
REPUBLIC while 99-cent pricing at Google
Play lifts Beck (No. 19, up 243
SOUNDTRACK Empire: Music From Unto The Breach (EP) 22 1 percent) and Drake (No. 29, up
1,366 percent).
20TH CENTURY FOX TV/COLUMBIA
DAFT PUNK 0 Discovery 23 27
VIRGIN/CAPITOL The 2001 release hits its highest
chart position thanks to a 99-cent
deal at Google Play, surpassing JASON ALDEAN ¡ Old Boots, New Dirt 1 22
its initial peak of No. 44 upon its
release. It re-enters the chart with BROKEN BOW/BBMG
nearly 22,000 copies sold (up
2,795 percent). KIDZ BOP KIDS Kidz Bop 27 3 8 SALES DATA COMPILED BY
RAZOR & TIE
IMAGINE DRAGONS 2 Night Visions 2 131
KIDINAKORNER/INTERSCOPE/IGA
48 Go to BILLBOARD.COM/BIZ for complete chart data Data for week of 03.21.2015
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