• 'Now 89' and 'Now 88' Top Sales Weeks in The UK for 2014; Does This Spell Trouble for British Artists?

    We at Music Times have been fairly grim when reporting album sales for 2014. As you know by now, only one album, released during this year has gone platinum (Taylor Swift's 1989) and only a few more titles threaten to crack one million before 2015 strikes. Frankly, things in the UK seem even worse. Last week featured the highest sales week for a debut thus far during 2014 as Now 89 sold 283,000 copies. The record-holder before Now 89? Now 88 sold 182,000 copies during its first week when it came out during June.
  • Taylor Swift Exchanged Numbers with 1975's Matt Healy

    Though her music may indicate otherwise, it appears that Taylor Swift is moving on from her past boyfriend and frequent source of inspiration — One Direction's Harry Styles — after reportedly exchanging numbers with The 1975 frontman Matt Healy, via "Billboard." This exchange took place when the "Blank Space" singer was out with Selena Gomez and Ellie Goulding earlier this month at the Hollywood Palladium and met Matt Healy after the show. Below is a video of the three women at the show. Healy shared the details and what he hopes may happen going forward in a radio interview with host Angus O'Loughlin on Shazam Top 20, via "E! News.""I met Taylor Swift, that was really nice," he shared with host Angus O'Loughlin. "We exchanged numbers. Let's see what happens."Backstage at another show with a bunch of screaming fans, Healy quickly added he was willing to "see what happens." He plays his final card saying that if asked he would not say no to a date with Taylor Swift. "I mean what am I going to do? Go out with Taylor Swift? She's a sensation. I wouldn't say no."
  • Spotify Posts $80 Million Loss in 2013 As Revenue Rises

    Things appear to be looking up for Spotify. The Swedish music streaming giant posted their earnings for 2013 and the numbers are heading in the right direction. In its latest financial statements, Spotify reported that its revenue grew to 747 million Euros in 2013, or about $1.03 billion. That was up about 74 percent from 2012, the company said in its filings according to the NY Times. On the flip side, Spotify also had $80 million in net losses during 2013, down from a $115 million loss in 2012.
  • Taylor Swift Films Lena Dunham Dancing To Her Eponymous Song By The Hand Job Academy [WATCH]

    Being famous means you're fair game for cultural references in music, especially in hip-hop songs. Lena Dunham is the latest victim of the name game with the all-girl Brooklyn rap trio Hand Job Academy titling a song after her. Instead of getting upset, the GIRLS creator took a page out of her good buddy Taylor Swift's book and decided to just "Shake It Off." Swift recorded Dunham dancing to the track and posted it to Instagram.
  • Taylor Swift and "Blank Space" Hold Off Hozier on Digital Downloads Charts; Still No "Do They Know It's Christmas?" to Be Seen

    For some reason we had the misguided impression that the new "Do They Know It's Christmas?," celebrating the 30th anniversary of the original Band Aid single with contributions from One Direction and Chris Martin (for charity), would easily take the top spot on this week's Digital Downloads chart. We were wrong. Taylor Swift's single "Blank Space," which is most certainly not for charity, took the no. 1 position again, moving 302,000 copies.
  • Justin Bieber Named Highest Earning Entertainer Under 30, Beating One Direction, Taylor Swift

    Even though the last year or so has been a PR nightmare for Justin Bieber, that does not mean his career is in the tubes. According to "Forbes," Bieber is the highest earning entertainer under 30 for 2014, bringing in $80 million "thanks mostly to cash from the tail end of his last world tour."At 20, Bieber is also the youngest person on the list.Coming in at second place is One Direction, who have collectively brought in $75 million, while the queen of New York City Taylor Swift comes in third with $64 million — it helps that she released the only platinum album of 2014.Of the 10 entries on the list, nine are musicians, with the sole exception being Academy Award-winner Jennifer Lawrence, who comes in at seventh place with $34 million.
  • Joni Mitchell Halts Biopic About Her Career Starring Taylor Swift

    If you were looking forward to that Joni Mitchell/Carole King/Carly Simon biopic "Girls Like Us," then today, Nov. 25, you are out of luck. In an interview with "The Sunday Times," via "NME," Joni Mitchell revealed that she has pulled the plug on the project, citing the casting of Taylor Swift as one of the primary reasons."I squelched that!" Mitchell admitted. "I said to the producer, 'All you've got is a girl with high cheekbones.' It's just a lot of gossip, you don't have the great scenes.""There's a lot of nonsense about me in books," Mitchell went on to say, "assumptions, assumptions, assumptions."The now-halted film was based on the book "Girls Like Us" by Sheila Weller, which followed the rise of Mitchell and her singer-songwriter contemporaries Carly Simon and Carole King during the 1970s. Swift was cast as Mitchell back in 2012, with "Mad Men's" Jessica Pare cast as Simon and "The Newsroom's" Alison Pill cast as King.
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