LITTLE BIG TOWN: GOIN' TO THE CONCERT August 07, 2010
- Features Wedding proposals at concerts are nothing new, but country act Little Big Town took things a step further on its recent tour, setting up a space for lucky fans to tie the knot at one of its shows. » Full Story
ESPERANZA SPALDING: CLASSICAL JAZZ August 07, 2010
- Features Most people wouldn't associate the term "modern" with classical chamber music. But if anyone can pull off the pairing, it's Esperanza Spalding. » Full Story
ONE RING ZERO: ALL THE RINGS OF SATURN August 07, 2010
- Features When a rock band talks about "reinventing itself," it usually means one of two things: Either the guitars are going to be a shade louder, or the next album will herald an ill-conceived addition of, say, a zither solo on every track. But Brooklyn indie duo One Ring Zero has managed to avoid reinventing itself straight into the ground, largely due to the members' ability to build albums upon seemingly simple concepts. » Full Story
6 QUESTIONS: Bun B August 07, 2010
- Features Rappers have a propensity for christening themselves with royal titles to promote their standing in hip-hop (e.g., King of the South, Prince of Rap). But for rapper Bun B, "Trill OG," while less regal than most, was the most fitting. » Full Story
'CAMP ROCK 2' LETS IT ROCK August 07, 2010
- Features Before Demi Lovato and the Jonas Brothers once again invade tween TVs with "Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam," fans of the Disney franchise can sing along with the "Camp Rock 2" soundtrack, due Aug. 10 on Walt Disney Records. » Full Story
CARRIE UNDERWOOD OVERWHELMS ON CHARTS August 07, 2010
- Features Carrie Underwood collects her 10th No. 1 on Hot Country Songs (see page 41), as "Undo It" lifts 2-1. The song is the third leader from the singer's "Play On" album, following "Cowboy Casanova" and "Temporary Home." ¶ Underwood tallied three Hot Country Songs No. 1s from her debut set, "Some Hearts," in 2006-07 and four from "Carnival Ride" in 2007-08. In addition to her 10 toppers, Underwood's two other singles promoted to country radio—"Don't Forget to Remember Me" and "I Told You So," the latter featuring Randy Travis—each peaked at No. 2. ¶With 10 No. 1s, Underwood matches Reba McEntire for most leaders among women since the survey converted to Nielsen BDS-monitored airplay data as of Jan. 20, 1990. Among all artists in that span, the pair trails nine solo males and one duo for most No. 1s; George Strait leads with 26 chart champions in that stretch. ¶Underwood additionally becomes just the ninth female soloist to total at least 10 No. 1 titles since Hot Country Songs premiered in the Jan. 8, 1944, issue. —Gary Trust Ladies First » Full Story
CIARA: RIDIN' SOLO August 07, 2010
- Features After Ciara's 2009 album "Fantasy Ride" failed to meet expectations—selling a meager 195,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan—following the success of 2006's "Ciara: The Evolution," which sold 1.3 million copies, and her "Goodies" debut, which sold 2.7 million—many counted her out. » Full Story
"JERSEY SHORE SOUNDTRACK": A SHORE THING August 07, 2010
- Features Our national obsession with the tanned, gelled, fist-pumping cast of MTV's "Jersey Shore" doesn't look like it will end anytime soon—and Universal Republic plans on taking full advantage of that trend as it continues to market the "Jersey Shore Soundtrack." Released last week, the album sold 8,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and is No. 55 on the Billboard 200. » Full Story
FREDDIE GIBBS: 'STR8' UP August 07, 2010
- Features Freddie Gibbs has nothing against rap artists who embrace catchy hooks to land on pop radio, but that's not his style. He didn't need a hit single to draw attention to both of his 2009 mixtapes, and he's about to delve deeper into hardcore street rap on his new EP, "Str8 Killa," due Aug. 3 on Decon Records. » Full Story
AVENGED SEVENFOLD: THE MOURNING AFTER July 31, 2010
- Features Everything changed for Avenged Sevenfold on Dec. 9, 2009, when drummer James "the Rev" Sullivan was found dead of an accidental drug overdose. Once the shock had passed, the band's surviving members faced daunting tasks. » Full Story
DEAN & BRITTA: ART ROCKERS July 31, 2010
- Features Between 1964 and 1966, Andy Warhol created nearly 500 "screen tests"—short, silent, filmed portraits of the famous and unknown personalities who made their way through the Factory. » Full Story
MICHAEL FRANTI: WELCOME BACK July 31, 2010
- Features Thirteen years later, Michael Franti is right back where he started. After releasing several independent albums, the barefoot troubadour and band Spearhead are now signed to Capitol—the major the act left in 1997 after releasing two albums. » Full Story
6 QUESTIONS WITH JOHN RZEZNIK July 31, 2010
- Features It's been almost 25 years since John Rzeznik and Robby Takac formed the Goo Goo Dolls. In that time, they've sold 7.4 million records, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and ruled adult top 40 radio with tracks like "Iris"—which spent 17 weeks at No. 1—"Slide" and a cover of Supertramp's "Give a Little Bit." » Full Story
IVY QUEEN: QUEEN MOTHER July 31, 2010
- Features "The guy you're dating is mine, and you know it, but here's the detail: He's worthless in bed," Ivy Queen declares to a rival on her latest single, "La Vida Es Asi" (That's How Life Is). » Full Story
KENNY CHESNEY: COUNTRY'S HOT SHOTS July 31, 2010
- Features Two of the four highest Nielsen BDS-era starts (since January 1990) on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart now belong to Kenny Chesney, as "The Boys of Fall" (BNA) debuts at No. 17 with Hot Shot Debut and Greatest Gainer honors. » Full Story
BRIAN CULBERTSON: 12 DAYS OF BRIAN July 31, 2010
- Features In a genre generally not associated with online initiatives, smooth jazz multi-instrumentalist Brian Culbertson is wading deep into the social networking waters as he promotes his 12th album, the contemporary R&B-oriented "XII" (GRP, July 20). » Full Story
DAN WILSON: JACK OF ALL TRADES July 31, 2010
- Features Nearly a decade has passed since alternative trio Semisonic's last full-length was released. But in the time since, frontman Dan Wilson has reinvented his career as a genre-crossing jack of all trades. » Full Story
JUSTIN BIEBER: LEAVE IT TO BIEBER July 31, 2010
- Features Justin Bieber is the latest artist to become immortalized in comic book form as part of Bluewater Productions' Fame series. The 32-page issue, which hits comic book stores and online retailers in October for $3.99, will chronicle the teen idol's meteoric rise. » Full Story
RICK ROSS: EXTRA LARGE July 24, 2010
- Features With such an impressive list of guests on Rick Ross' "Teflon Don" and an outsize reputation to match his outsize size, it would've been easy for Island/Def Jam to sit back and let the album sell itself. Instead, the label is rolling out an aggressive marketing effort. » Full Story
ELI REED: SOUL MAN July 24, 2010
- Features Shows attended by both parents and children are usually confined to the teen-pop category, but suit-wearing, pompadoured Brooklyn soul singer Eli "Paperboy" Reed says he's begun to see family affairs at his shows, too. » Full Story
AUTOLUX: IN TRANSIT July 24, 2010
- Features While steady touring has helped keep Autolux in the public eye during the past six years, there will be challenges with educating music audiences about the group's second album, "Transit Transit." » Full Story
GLOBAL PULSE July 24, 2010
- Features There's more to singer Eliza Doolittle than jaunty pop and a pretty face...Re-formed band Litfiba's April shows produced a live album...Karen Elson added another string to her bow with the May release of her debut studio album. » Full Story
6 QUESTIONS WITH DIPLO July 24, 2010
- Features Diplo spoke to Billboard about his busy schedule, M.I.A.'s ideal sound and Major Lazer's new six-track EP "Lazers Never Die," out July 20 on Mad Decent. » Full Story
HANS ZIMMER: DREAM MERCHANT July 24, 2010
- Features "Inception," the "Matrix"-meets-"Casablanca" Warner Bros. film starring Leonardo DiCaprio that opened July 16, marks the third collaboration between writer/director Christopher Nolan and composer Hans Zimmer. » Full Story
LEE BRICE: SLOW AND STEADY July 24, 2010
- Features Brice's current single, "Love Like Crazy," claims the distinction of making the slowest climb into the top 10 of the Country Songs chart, taking 46 weeks. » Full Story
CARNEY: FLYING HIGH July 24, 2010
- Features Instead of taking time off after a lengthy tour, Carney guitarist/vocalist Reeve Carney began flight-training lessons in Las Vegas with Cirque du Soleil and working on music with members of U2. » Full Story
EMINEM'S 'RECOVERY' CONTINUES; KYLIE CONNECTS July 24, 2010
- Features Armed with his biggest Hot 100 Airplay hit in nearly six years, Eminem's "Recovery" continues to reign at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for a third week, shifting 229,000 (down 27%), according to Nielsen SoundScan. » Full Story
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DEADLINE EXTENDED: Music applications are among the most popular types of apps downloaded to today's smartphones. But which are the best of
the best? Which new music apps created in the last year are setting the stage for tomorrow's successes? Billboard's Music App Awards is the
first awards program answering these questions by showcasing and celebrating the best and most innovative new music apps defining the space today. The
deadline to submit your app for consideration is Aug 6. Click here to apply.
