• Billboard's 50 Acts for 50 States: Taylor Swift, Eminem, More Rep Hometowns

    Billboard came up with a fun project for the July 4th holiday, assigning a music performer that best represents each of the 50 states. According to the site, final decisions were largely based on sales results from its charts, but a performer's deception to their home state via its lyrics also made a difference. Check out what performer made it for your state and let us know if Billboard chose well.
  • Breaking Benjamin Breaks Sales Mark with New Album; Tori Kelly + Kacey Musgraves Follow

    Apparently the waiting only makes desire stronger, or at least that's what Breaking Benjamin learned with its most recent release, 'Dark Before Dawn.' The band had gone more than six years without a new album but the new release debuted with 141,000 equivalent copies sold (and 135,000 actual copies, marking the group's highest sales week ever). It's also the band's first no. 1 album on the Billboard 200. Kacey Musgraves and Tori Kelly also dropped new albums.
  • Thom Yorke Albums on Apple Music...Despite Unadulterated Hatred for Streaming

    Taylor Swift has become the figurehead of the anti-streaming movement in the last year thanks to pulling '1989' and the rest of her discography from Spotify during 2014, but Radiohead's Thom Yorke has hated the concept longer and more deeply than anyone. Yet Stereogum (as well as the rest of the world) was shocked to find that the frontman's solo discography was ready for streaming on Apple Music.
  • Dr. Dre's 'The Chronic' Finally Available for Streaming via Apple Music

    The clouds have parted and hip-hop fans are celebrating to know that Dr. Dre's classic solo album 'The Chronic' will be available digitally for the first time via Apple Music. Never before has the album been available through other streaming platforms. The album is a favorite among hip-hop fans for its defining "g-funk" style and hits such as "Nuthin But A 'G' Thang" and "F*ck Wit Dre Day (and Everybody's Celebratin')."
  • Katy Perry Earns $135 Million in 2015, More Than Any Non-Boxer Celebrity

    The Forbes Celebrity 100 list, ranking the highest earning stars in the world on a yearly basis, was published this week and one musician came in ahead of all entertainers (who weren't boxers): Katy Perry was the third highest-paid celebrity of the last 12 months, coming in behind only Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, respectively, with a net income of $135 million.
  • Taylor Swift and Calvin Harris top Jay Z and Beyoncé for Highest-Paid Couples

    Forbes is shaking up its annual Celebrity 100 list, which lists the wealthiest members of the entertainment industry, shifting it so that participants are ranked by their annual income only, and not their net worths. Three couples managed to land both members in the Top 100, and all three were musical beaus: Taylor Swift and Calvin Harris, Jay Z and Beyoncé, as well as Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert.
  • Wiz Khalifa 'See You Again' Tops Hot 100; OMI 'Cheerleader' Makes Big Gains

    It's another big summer week for Wiz Khalifa's Furious 7 single "See You Again." For the 10th week this year, the Charlie Puth featuring track crowns the Billboard Hot 100, but one song continues its charge up the charts and looks to be a solid contender for the coveted No. 1 spot: OMI's surprise sunny hit "Cheerleader."
  • James Taylor Finally Hits No. 1, Beating Namesake Taylor Swift

    It's been a long-time-coming for James Taylor as his newest album, Before The World, took the no. 1 spot on the Billboard 200, making it the first record in the songwriter's 45-year career to do so (that span, measuring from the release of Taylor's first album to this one, is the second longest span in chart history, behind only Tony Bennett, who went 54 years without a no. 1). Before The World sold 97,000 copies...far from Taylor's best but plenty enough to take the top spot.
  • Taylor Swift Can Destroy Your Photo Equipment? Odd Contract Emerges

    Fans of both Taylor Swift and the music industry have praised the pop star over the last year, for actions such as pulling her catalogue from streaming services and for the open letter she recently sent to Apple Music regarding the company's royalty policy. Considering her appreciation of musicians' rights, some were surprised to hear about the contractual stipulations forced upon photographers working her concerts.
  • Apple Music Cedes to Taylor Swift, Will Pay Artists During Free Trial

    Ever since it was announced at WWDC In San Francisco on June 8, there has been a new headline about Apple Music seemingly every single day. Some have been good and some have been bad thus far and one of the bits of information that has caused the most outrage from the music industry has been Apple's move to insist that the service pay no royalties, while it runs three-month free trials with new consumers.
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