• Alabama Shakes and Yelawolf Top Albums Charts, Representing Home State

    Alabama Shakes started high up on the Billboard 200 and now they do the same on the Albums charts thanks to the high-volume of full records sold by the band. The band's Sound & Color becomes the first independent label record to top the chart during 2015, thanks to more than 87,000 units moved...making up more than 90 percent of its Billboard 200 total.
  • Alabama Shakes and 'Sound & Color' Becomes First Independent Release Atop Billboard 200 during 2015

    Alabama Shakes and 'Sound & Color' brought an air of independence to the Billboard 200 this week, as the album became the first independent label (ATO) release to top the charts during 2015. It was easily the band's bestselling week ever, moving 96,000 equivalent copies during its first week. Yet it seemed almost inevitable: The band got to no. 6 with its previous release, 'Boys & Girls', but nearly a year after it debuted. Listeners caught on to the band just a hair too late, and made up for it this time around.
  • Drake, The Strokes, Alt-J, Wale Headline Landmark Music Festival in Washington D.C.

    Washington D.C., despite being a fertile ground with its regional styles of music like Go-Go, while also influencing punk and hip-hop, has not had many major, multi-day music festivals in the city. This is about to change in September with the inaugural Landmark Music Festival set to take over the National Mall. Headlined by Drake, The Strokes, Wale and Alt-J, the two-day event will feature some of the biggest names in music, while also attempting to raise funds and awareness to restore the nation's most visited park, the National Mall.
  • Wale Trolls Drake On Twitter After Washington Wizards Sweep Toronto Raptors In NBA Playoffs

    Yesterday, the Washington Wizards completed a surprising 4-0 series sweep of the Toronto Raptors in the NBA Playoffs. The raptors seemingly rolled over and bowed out in Game 4, accepting defeat by a score of 125-94. Two of the team ambassadors, Wale for the Wizards and Drake famously for the Raptors have been trading jabs all season on social media and last night Wale was able to get revenge in the sweetest way possible after his team got out the brooms and sent home their opponent packing.
  • Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Drake and More: 7 Stars Attend Prom with Very Lucky High Schoolers

    Justin Bieber and his crew made a stir over the weekend when they appeared at a high school prom in California to surprise the students in attendance. The result was a student body gone mad, resulting in one of the more memorable proms of all time without the pop star actually delivering a single song, reportedly. At least one attendee can tell her future (and possibly current) boyfriend about how she danced with Bieber at prom. Some musical acts have gone far beyond just crashing a prom however, actually attending a dance as someone's date. Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Drake: All have made appearances at high school way after attending high school.
  • 'Handwritten' and Shawn Mendes Youngest Performer Since Justin Bieber to Top Billboard 200

    We may be witnessing the emergence of the next big young superstar as Shawn Mendes topped the Billboard 200 this week with his debut LP Handwritten. He becomes the youngest performer to top the chart since 2010, when Justin Bieber also did it at the age of 16 (albeit six months younger than Mendes). What makes Mendes' accomplishment more impressive is that he did so without a single on the Billboard charts, drawing almost entirely from hype built as a Vine star (and as an opener for Taylor Swift on tour). He moved 119,000 copies of his debut.
  • Coachella Tweets Drop 83 Percent During Weekend Two (Because of Nicki Minaj and DMX?)

    Coachella's second weekend featured a massive drop off in social media mentions, despite being an easy sell-out, like the first weekend. Billboard reports that while 3.5 million tweets mentioned Coachella directly during the event's first rendition the previous weekend (with Nicki Minaj and AC/DC driving traffic), only 600,000 mentions went out over the past weekend. What's the story?
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