Billboard Magazine

Written for music industry professionals and fans. Contents provide news, reviews and statistics for all genres of music, including radio play, music video, related internet activity and retail updates.

‘Mood’: Better With A View From The Top

BILLBOARD 200

BILLBOARD GLOBAL 200

SONGS FOR SALE • BILLBOARD PRO’S EXPERT GUIDE

Billboard

Club Culture • The exclusive new audio-chat app Clubhouse is a hit with music executives, especially in hip-hop. Will it be able to keep them tuning in once the velvet rope lifts?

MARKET WATCH

SALE AWAY • BIDEN’S PROPOSED TAX HIKE COULD SPARK MORE PUBLISHING DEALS THIS YEAR

WORKING FOR THE WEEKND • Sony/ATV tops the Hot 100 and radio charts, as “Blinding Lights” remains No. 1 in airplay

China And Taiwan Stage-Manage A Live-Music Resurrection • Strict virus-control measures have reopened touring in the region, allowing for shows with tens of thousands of fans

MITCH GLAZIER AND MICHELE BALLANTYNE • Chairman/CEO and COO, RIAA

ROLLING WITH THE PUNCHES • Independent acts are meeting uncertain times with fresh strategies — and hoping they pay off

SECOND ACTS • BROADWAY’S FREELANCE MUSICIANS ARE FACING THEIR OWN SET OF STRUGGLES

A 9-FIGURE STREAMING SMASH IN 10 SIMPLE STEPS • How does a song recorded by a teenager in his suburban Texas home become a top five alternative radio hit with over 100 million worldwide streams? These pivotal moments helped DAYGLOW turn “Can I Call You Tonight?” into one of the year’s biggest alternative rock hits

Same Stage, New Act • How one independent space revisited an old idea to stay afloat through the pandemic

D.I.Y. TIP • Ghostly director of special projects and A&R coordinator AMANDA COLBENSON launched Ghostly Knowledge Share in 2017 to connect the indie label’s team members and artists with aspiring young creatives. During the pandemic, they’ve livestreamed their networking and education panels on Twitch — and seen a spike in their reach.

LABEL LOOK • MIME RECORDS

D.I.Y. TIP • To promote the September release of Haunted Painting, her second album under the solo moniker Sad13, Speedy Ortiz leader SADIE DUPUIS partnered with local vendors to integrate food products into her online merchandise store.

‘YOU HAVE TO HUSTLE’ • How Nashville powerhouse independent publishers Beth Laird and Carla Wallace have found silver linings — and success — amid the ongoing pandemic

LADIES SING THE TRUTH • JHENÉ AIKO, KEHLANI, TEYANA TAYLOR AND SUMMER WALKER ARE POWERING AN R&B RENAISSANCE WITH THEIR HONEST-AS-HELL LYRICS AND POTENT NEW SOUNDS — BUT THEY’RE STILL HITTING THE SAME OLD INDUSTRY ROADBLOCKS

LET’S HEAR IT FOR THE BOYS • The women of R&B may be running the show, but the genre’s most exciting male vocalists are redefining what it means to be a classic crooner

KEVIN LILES • Whether supporting MEGAN THEE STALLION’s monster year, grooming artist entrepreneurs like YOUNG THUG or showing up for social justice, the independent king is “a pillar” for the culture

“A CHANGE IS GONNA COME” • Sam Cooke (1964)

RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW • Sweeping initiatives combating systemic racism are starting industrywide, but several focused efforts are already proving immediate impact is possible

WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS • How three college buddies who came up in the ’90s Atlanta scene turned decades of experience — and relationships — into the tastemaking label Generation Now

“MISSISSIPPI GODDAM” • Nina Simone (1964)

“WHAT’S GOING ON” • Marvin Gaye (1971)

APPLE MUSIC MEETS THE MOMENT

“FUCK THA POLICE” • N.W.A (1988)

“FIGHT THE POWER” • Public Enemy (1989)

DRAKE AGAINST KANYE? THE VERZUZ BATTLES WE’D...