This Press Release had me laughing...

February 8, 2019 - Los Angeles, CA) -- Valentine's Day is around the corner, and whether you're planning on smashing bae's junk to smithereens or making out with a pint of Phish Food, you need some fresh Valentine's Day bops to get you in the mood for L♡VE. And MEGHAN TRAINOR has got you covered with her new EP, THE LOVE TRAIN [Epic Records.]
 
You know you want it. And you can freakin' get it b*tch. On all digital platforms right HERE.
 

Meghan's seducing your ears this V-Day, and you know she knows a thing or two about romance. Unless your phone's been broken for a hot minute, you know that Meghan just got married to the ginger from Spy Kids, and trust when we say, girl is feeling the love. She took a break from her busy schedule to record some fire tracks in Los Angeles alongside frequent collaborators and producers Andrew Wells [5SOS, Fall Out Boy, Jason Mraz], J KASH (Maroon 5, Charlie Puth, Kesha) and Tyler Johnson [Harry Styles, CAM].

 

We know you want to hear songs about all the hot newlywed sex Meghan and Daryl Sa-BAE-ra are having (did you see what we did there?). Which is why you'll love the banging' single "All The Ways." Billboard was wet for "All The Ways," calling it "another fun, danceable track to fall in love with." And would Billboard lie to you, girl?
 

But perhaps the piece de resistance (that's French for "Wig Snatch") is "Marry Me," a romantic acoustic guitar and ukulele-tinged Awww Fest which delivers all the feels (and then more feels). Meghan wrote the song thirty days after meeting Daryl, and it was so good that she walked down the aisle to it. We know, it's a little bit #Vomworthy, but also, am I chopping onions right now or are those tears rolling down my face? I'm not crying, you're crying.
 

And as always, our Grammy-Winning, Diamond Single-having QUEEN didn't just come to play -- she came to slay. She's serving vocals on the passionate, Celine Dion-esque power ballad "After You." Plus, Meghan's serving your insatiable thirst for dance-ready bops with the upbeat banger that is "Foolish." It slaps so hard you'll be stanning for days. "As if all the PDA, including foot massages, butterfly kisses and piggy back rides aren't cringe worthy enough," says her brother and videographer Ryan... "I've got to film it all!"
 
Choo choo betch! The Love Train is leaving the station and you better get on board.
https://www.epicrecords.com/global-superstar-meghan-trainor-unveils-new-ep-the-love-train-today/

Camila to open the Grammy's.

Rumors are flying around the biz that Camila Cabello will open the Grammy telecast. If this is true, how does it affect the chances of Lady Gaga performing on the show, since talks with her camp had centered around Gaga being the opener?

 

Meanwhile, what’s the likelihood of a performance from Ariana Grande, the hottest act in the business right now? Word is the show’s producers want her to sing what they want, not what she wants. How will this one shake out? In any event, expect to see lots of Miley and lots of Dolly in this, the Year of the Woman.

http://hitsdailydouble.com/news&id=315009&title=OPENING-SALVOS

BSB DNA Pacing For #1 With 180-205K US Sales, 185-210K US Units

https://headlineplanet.com/home/2019/01/26/backstreet-boys-dna-pacing-1-180-205k-us-sales-185-210k-us-units/

Barring a surprise release, Backstreet Boys’ “DNA” will debut as a comfortable #1 on this week’s Billboard Top Album Sales and Billboard 200 charts.
According to Hits Daily Double, the new album is expected to sell 180-205K pure US copies this week. The inclusion of units from track sales and streams should yield a consumption figure in the 185-210K range.
The pure sales figure should net “DNA” a #1 bow on the Top Album Sales chart, while the consumption tally should produce a victory on the Billboard 200.
In addition to the enthusiasm one would expect for a new BSB album, “DNA” is benefiting from a concert ticket-album bundle promotion. Albums redeemed as part of the bundle count as pure sales.

http://hitsdailydouble.com/news&id=314970

Backstreet Boys will debut at #1 next Friday on the strength of a ticket bundle that could make up over 80% of the first week number, confirming that more than two decades into their career, the band’s fanbase remains devoted. Here’s what we have today.
Backstreet Boys (K-Bahn/RCA) 185-210k total activity, 180-205k album
Bring Me The Horizon (Columbia) 15-20k, 11-14k

Guy Sigsworth talks Everytime with Britney

I did a couple of songs with Robyn, and she was mates with the whole Swedish crowd around Max Martin. She played them the tracks that we'd done, and they really liked them, and said, "Hey, we should bring Britney around." She just came around to the place where I'd worked on the Frou Frou material, and initially I wasn't quite sure what to do because she's famous for her more dance-y songs, and I'm not. But it all turned out great. She had the root idea for "Everytime" (on her album In the Zone), and I could really tell that her heart was in it. I knew what my mission was. I could see the picture. She believed in the song, and I had to find a way to present it that was true to the simple emotion of it. It was a joy to do.   At the time, Britney had started to play the piano a bit, and she could certainly play well enough to spell out the root chords. She'd show me what she had, and I would say, "Well, here's how we could fill this out." We both knew where it needed to go, so I could color it in after she'd sung the main vocal. I love it when I get the vocal very early on, and I'm free to experiment with arrangement ideas while always hearing that final vocal. I love it when it can happen that way, though not every time is like that. We both knew we had to avoid all the cheesy power ballad cliches. No windchimes into the chorus. No giant snare drums. I loved it.

https://consequenceofsound.net/2017/09/from-bjork-to-britney-songwriter-and-producer-guy-sigsworth-on-being-a-kindred-spirit-in-the-studio/5/

U.S. Cassette Album Sales Grew 23% in 2018, Aided by Britney Spears, 'Guardians,' Twenty One Pilots & More

Thanks to such acts as Britney Spears, Twenty One Pilots and Guns N’ Roses, along with soundtracks from the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise -- which boasts the year’s top two sellers -- and Netflix’s Stranger Things series, cassette tape album sales in the U.S. grew by 23 percent in 2018.

According to Nielsen Music, cassette album sales climbed from 178,000 in 2017 to 219,000 copies in 2018. While that’s a small number compared to the overall album market (141 million copies sold in 2018), that’s a sizable number for a once-dead format. In 2014, for example, cassette album sales numbered just 50,000. But, 20 years before that, back in 1994, when cassettes were still very much a hot-selling format, there were 246 million cassette albums sold that year, of an overall 615 million albums.

Cassette album releases in 2018 are still a very niche offering, with most significant titles limited to specialty reissues and unique projects. Among the top 10 selling cassette albums (see list, below) were Twenty One Pilots’ new studio album, Trench, and a reissue of Britney Spears’ debut album, …Baby One More Time. 

 

Trench was issued on a yellow-colored cassette and sold 7,000 copies in 2018, finishing as the year’s No. 3 seller. The Trench cassette was released concurrently with the album on Oct. 5 on CD, vinyl LP and digital download formats.

Spears’ …Baby One More Time sold 4,000 cassette copies and was the No. 5 biggest seller. It was reissued on cassette for its 20th anniversary, exclusive to Target stores, as a pink-colored cassette. Spears’ …Baby One More Time was originally released in January of 1999 on CD and cassette. Of the album’s 10.6 million copies sold to date, 1.49 million are on cassette. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, and the set's title track became Spears' first No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100.

 

 

For the fourth year in a row, the year’s top-selling cassette album came from the Guardians of the Galaxy film series. The best-selling title in 2018 was the Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1soundtrack (24,000 sold). It was released in 2014 and served as the companion album to the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie. It was also the top seller in 2015 and 2016. The cassette continues to do robust business, thanks to its strong link to the first film. The cassette is a replica of the oft-played mixtape seen in the movie, and the set’s music is heard throughout the film.

 

In 2017, the movie’s sequel soundtrack took over as the year’s best-selling cassette album, as Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2: Awesome Mix Vol. 2 was tops.

In 2018, Vol. 2 finished as the No. 2 seller (19,000). Another Guardians-related cassette, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Mix, Vol. 1, is the No. 6 seller of the year (3,000). Cosmic is the soundtrack to the first season of the animated Guardians of the Galaxy TV series.

Other titles among the top 10 selling cassette albums of 2018: Guns N’ Roses' 30th reissue of their debut album, Appetite for Destruction (No. 7 with 3,000); Metallica’s reissue of The $5.98 EP: Garage Days Re-Revisited (No. 8; 3,000); Elvis Presley’s new inspirational compilation Where No One Stands Alone(No. 9; 2,000); and Wu-Tang Clan’s 25th-anniversary reissue of their debut set, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (No. 10; 2,000).

In total for 2018, there were 28 albums that sold at least 1,000 copies on cassette -- up from just 17 in 2017. (Though, there were 25 titles that sold at least 1,000 in 2016.)

TOP 10 SELLING CASSETTE ALBUMS OF 2018 IN U.S.
Rank	Artist, Title	Sales
1	Soundtrack, Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1	24,000
2	Soundtrack, Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2: Awesome Mix Vol. 2	19,000
3	Twenty One Pilots, Trench	7,000
4	Soundtrack, Stranger Things: Music From the Netflix Original Series	5,000
5	Britney Spears, …Baby One More Time	4,000
6	Soundtrack, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Mix, Vol. 1	3,000
7	Guns N' Roses, Appetite for Destruction	3,000
8	Metallica, The $5.98 EP: Garage Days Re-Revisited	3,000
9	Elvis Presley, Where No One Stands Alone	2,000
10	Wu-Tang Clan, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)	2,000
Source: Nielsen Music, for the tracking period Dec. 29, 2017 through Jan. 3, 2019. (Titles listed with the same sales total are not tied, as their exact sales are rounded to the nearest thousand.)

Mariah Sues Former Assistant Claiming Ex-Employee Blackmailed Her over 'Intimate' Videos

From People:

Mariah Carey is suing her former assistant, alleging that the woman secretly recorded her and attempted to blackmail her with the private videos.

Court documents obtained by PEOPLE state that the singer is suing Lianna Shakhnazarian, Carey’s executive assistant from March 2015 to November 2017, for breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, extortion and invasion of privacy. Carey is seeking damages upwards of $3,000,000.

The lawsuit alleges that Shakhnazarian, also known as Lianna Azarian, “turned out to be a grifter, a Peeping Tom(asina) and an extortionist,” alleging that Shakhnazarian secretly filmed Carey without her knowledge.

“Azarian, without Mariah’s knowledge or permission, secretly filmed Mariah engaged in personal activities which, if revealed, Azarian knew would be personally embarrassing and professionally damaging to Mariah,” the lawsuit said.

Shakhnazarian also “displayed the intimate videos to her friends and co-workers,” according to the lawsuit, which adds that Shakhnazarian’s salary was originally $250,000 before being raised to $327,000 prior to her dismissal.

The lawsuit continued, alleging that Shakhnazarian — whom PEOPLE has learned was hired by a previous member of Carey’s team — threatened to release the private videos she had filmed if the singer ever fired her.

“But Azarian’s criminal conduct did not end there,” the lawsuit said. “Azarian expressly told a co-worker that were she ever terminated by Mariah (which occurred in November of 2017), Azarian would sell the video for a profit and buy herself a home.”

In addition to the videos, the lawsuit also alleges that Shakhnazarian used credit cards meant for business purposes “for her personal benefit.”

“This new year welcomes Mariah’s continued efforts to clean the trash from her life,” a rep for Carey tells PEOPLE in a statement. “According to a complaint filed today in California, an executive assistant employed in 2015 to help with business and personal matters, turned out to be a grifter and extortionist.”

“Because her threats and bad acts are too great to be ignored,” the statement continued, “Mariah has been compelled to file a lawsuit against her. Given that the evidence against this former assistant is vast and deplorable, we anticipate a victorious resolution. Mariah continues her streak of success this year with an upcoming North American tour and return to Vegas.”

Shakhnazarian did not immediately return PEOPLE’s request for comment. TMZ and The Blast were first to report news of the lawsuit.

Weeks before the latest filing, Carey settled a sexual harassment lawsuit with her former manager Stella Bulochnikov. The two “reached a mutually agreed to resolution of this matter,” though the terms were not disclosed.

Rihanna Sues Her Father for Allegedly Misusing Her Name

Rihanna claims that Ronald Fenty and his business partner have misrepresented their ties to the artist “to solicit millions of dollars from unsuspecting third parties”

 

Rihanna is suing her father for allegedly using her name without her permission, TMZ and The Blast report and Pitchfork can confirm. The lawsuit—filed today (January 15) in a California federal court and viewed by Pitchfork—alleges that Rihanna’s father Ronald Fenty and his business partner Moses Joktan Perkins “have egregiously and fraudulently misrepresented to third parties and the public that their company, Fenty Entertainment, LLC, is affiliated with Rihanna, and has the authority to act on her behalf.”

 

In the suit, Rihanna’s attorneys allege that Fenty and Perkins “have used these lies in a fraudulent effort to solicit millions of dollars from unsuspecting third parties in exchange for the false promise that they were authorized to act on Rihanna’s behalf, and/or that Rihanna would perform at various locations throughout the world.” The suit also points to instances where Fenty and Perkins allegedly “accepted” concert deals: One of the “exclusive deals,” according to the suit, was for Rihanna to play 15 shows in Latin America for $15 million.

Fenty and Perkins have also ignored several cease and desist requests, Rihanna’s lawyers write.

 

Rihanna (along with her LLCs Roraj Trade and Combermere Entertainment Properties) is suing Fenty Entertainment, LLC, Ronald Fenty, and Moses Joktan Perkins for False Designation of Origin, False Advertising, Invasion of Privacy—False Light Publicity, and more.

Pitchfork has contacted representatives for Rihanna.

 

https://pitchfork.com/news/rihanna-sues-her-father-for-allegedly-misusing-her-name/

How Britney Spears Changed Pop With ‘Baby One More Time’

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/britney-spears-baby-one-more-time-anniversary-rob-sheffield-777564/

Happy 20th birthday to Britney Spears’ debut album …Baby One More Time, released on January 12th, 1999 — a truly avant-garde full-length that permanently changed how music sounded. The Backstreet Boys and ‘NSync were having hits already, but they were doing straight-up mainstream pop compared to the alien apocalyptic robot-disco stomp of Britney. You could argue the BSBs’ “I Want It That Way” was the last gasp of 20th-century pop, just as “…Baby One More Time” was the first gasp of the 21st. She’s been predicting the future ever since. 

Not bad for a small-town Louisiana teen making her first record. Max Martin wrote and produced the title hit, but it wouldn’t have meant a thing without the menacing way she growls “ooh, baby, baby.” As Britney told me in 2000, she spent the night before the session listening to Soft Cell’s “Tainted Love” (“what a sexy song”), her model for the vibe she was going for. “I wanted my voice to be kind of rusty,” Britney told me. “I wanted my voice to just be able to groove with the track. So the night before, I stayed up really, really late, so when I went into the studio, I wasn’t rested. When I sang it, I was just laid back and mellow — it sounds cool, though. You know, how it sounds really low in the lower register — it sounds really sexy. So I kept telling myself, ‘Britney, don’t get any rest.’”

 

 

It makes all the sense in the world Britney was aiming to sound like “Tainted Love” — the breathy New Wave decadence of a U.K. art poseur flouncing like a Motown diva. But she took that erotic-cabaret sound somewhere new, with her own down-home growl. “I was praying every night,” she said. “‘God, please, help them play it on just my radio station at home.’ And then they did. Then all of a sudden, it’s playing on all the big radio stations in New York. And everything just started happening for me, and I was just like, wow, you know?”

 

 
The title hit is such a classic, it’s easy to overlook how weird and disturbing it sounded when it first hit MTV in time for Christmas 1998 — so flamboyantly artificial, so post-Mentos inhuman. Who was this? Was she Swedish or Swiss or Icelandic? Was she just Not of This Earth? You could tell the lyrics were written by somebody who’d barely met the English language — oh, that irritating ellipsis in the title. (I ignore the ellipsis whenever possible, because as Brit would say, it’s my prerogative.) But there was something otherworldly about it. TLC later claimed they turned down the song, but it would have been all wrong for TLC or any other certified grown-ups. Can you imagine a worldly-wise adult like T-Boz selling a teen-psycho line like “When I’m not with you, I lose my mind”? No way. Only Britney.
 

The whole album was packed with hits.

“Bops” and “bangers” were not invented yet, but I move that “Soda Pop” get grandfathered in as a bop — a bizarro reggae move as irie as Sugar Ray. “E-Mail My Heart” is the most-mocked track (justifiably, I admit), but it stands as the last great dial-up love song, a ballad of desktop-computer romance from the age of Angelfire and Geocities. Britney spends the song hitting refresh, looking for some sign of validation from her crush — is that so different from how we all spend our time now? Yet another future she predicted.

 

“(You Drive Me) Crazy” blatantly used the exact same backing track as the Backstreet Boys’ “Larger Than Life” — Max Martin, have you no shame? — but somehow that just made us all love both songs even more. (“Larger Than Life,” the boy band’s girl-almighty salute to their fans, was the perfect feminist turf for them to share with their Brit-muse.) “Crazy” became the theme for the Melissa Joan Hart/Adrian Grenier rom-com and its MTV video, where she and Melissa immortalized their all-too-brief BFF status. (The world deserved more “Brit pretends to be a waitress” videos.) The ladies bonded in her iconic guest turn on Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Sabrina: “You’re always surrounded by people!” Britney: “Sometimes that’s the loneliest place to be.” Too real.

 

 

But the lost classic is “Sometimes,” which became her all-important second hit. (In 1999, a year full of one-hit wonders, the jump from one-hit to two-hit status was tougher than the jump from zero to one.) “Sometimes” is weirdly forgotten today, but much more than “…Baby One More Time,” it defined the Britney persona the world would come to know and love over the years. She sings in the voice of an ordinary American girl with too many feelings — everything she spent her first hit pretending not to be. In the video, she mopes around the beach sighing over the cute guy (she creep-peeps him via tourist binoculars). Nobody understands except her squad of elfin dancers, who frolic around her in a heart-shape on the pier. “Sometimes” made her a mainstream star and pushed what could have been a one-shot into a franchise wearing Vegas plates. Blink-182 got famous parodying it in their career-making “All the Small Things.” This was also the hit where Brit debuted her signature video move, rolling up her eyes at the camera. The Sensitive Upblink became her trademark, and she owned it until Ariana Grande came along — in Ari’s “Problem” video, she finally shattered Britney’s record for upblinks-per-minute.

 

Britney ends the album perfectly by making her explicit claim on the grand pop tradition, covering Sonny & Cher’s “The Beat Goes On.” Brit and Cher had a deep connection — she was just a little kid when she started belting “If I Could Turn Back Time” on the state-fair circuit. It began the tradition of Brit’s awesomely sacreligious cover versions, from the Stones’ “Satisfaction” (on her next album, changing “how white my shirts could be” to “how tight my skirt should be”) to Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock & Roll.” “The Beat Goes On” sums up everything Britney does on this album — inserting herself (and her audience) into the story of pop music. Like the song says, “History has turned the page.” La-di-da-di-di. La-di-da-di-da. The beat goes on.

 

After “The Beat Goes On” fades out at the end of the CD, there’s a spoken-word thank-you from Brit. “It means so much to me that you enjoy listening to my songs as much as I love singing them!” Then she gives a preview of the upcoming release by her labelmates the Backstreet Boys: “Hit it, guys!” In other words, her debut album ends with an ad, which is perfect in itself. The CD single “From the Bottom of My Broken Heart” had another message, one to put on your answering machine: “Hi, this is Britney Spears and sometimes my friend can’t come to the phone, and this is one of those times. So leave your message at the beep and baby, they’ll call you back one more time!”
 

“So much attitude in that song,” Britney told me in 2000, recalling the moment she first heard the demo of her first hit. “I was so happy because there’s a lot of good songs out there, but it’s rare when you can take a song and really put your name all over it and put your personality into it.” That’s what she achieved on her debut. She’d go on to make more albums, score more hits, inspire more scandalous headlines. But on …Baby One More Time, she proved she was here to stay.

Britney’s Vegas hiatus delays new album release

Britney Spears’ recent announcement that she was undertaking an “indefinite work hiatus” following her father Jamie Spears’ recent life-threatening health crisis (he suffered a ruptured colon late last year and spent much of December hospitalized) has resulted in the postponement of her Las Vegas residency, “Britney: Domination.” Slated to run for 32 performances at the Park Theatre at Park MGM, the show is on hold for the foreseeable future and so, it appears, is a new album that was pegged to the launch.
 
Variety has learned that hitmaker Justin Tranter (Imagine Dragons, Selena Gomez) serves as executive producer on Spears’ next full-length release for RCA Records, her tenth studio effort over a career that spans two decades (her last album was “Glory” in 2016, on which Tranter had four writing credits). Tranter acknowledges that he is working on the album, telling Variety, “I’m beyond excited to be involved,” but declines to speculate on a possible release date or whether it will come out in 2019.
 
Spears’ manager, Larry Rudolph, says, “Everything is on hold right now until Jamie is better. But once he is, she will resume working on the album with Justin. Right now, she’s taking some time off to deal with these family issues.”
 
 
Spears herself described the decision to put off Domination as heartbreaking. “However, it’s important to always put your family first,” she wrote on Jan. 4. Of her father, she added in a statement, “We have a very special relationship and I want to be with my family at this time just like they have always been there for me.”
 
As for how long this time-out could take? Spears’ creative directors for Domination, Napoleon and Tabitha (known as Nappy Tabs) anticipate a delay of six months to a year, they revealed on social media. The two also answered a fan’s question about the show’s return with an appropriate quip: “If we come back, STRONGER would be a fitting name right?”
 
Domination was due to kick off on February 17. In December 2017, Spears wrapped a four-year run at Planet Hollywood’s Axis Theater, a show that helped rebrand Las Vegas as a music destination and opened the door to successful residencies by such artists as Jennifer Lopez and Lady Gaga.
 
https://variety.com/2019/music/news/britney-spears-hiatus-new-album-release-delay-1203104215/

Britney Domination Residency CANCELLED

Official press release:

Multi-platinum, GRAMMY Award-winner Britney Spears has announced an indefinite work hiatus putting her “Britney: Domination” launch run at Park Theater at the new Park MGM resort on hold until further notice. She has made this decision to devote all of her time to her family and their efforts to care for her father during his recovery from a recent life-threatening illness.

Two months ago, Mr. Jamie Spears became seriously ill and was rushed to Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas.  His colon spontaneously ruptured and he was immediately admitted into surgery. Mr. Spears spent the next 28 days in the hospital under the care of the amazing doctors, nurses and staff at the hospital, who the Spears family credits with saving his life. After a long, complicated post-operative period, he is recuperating at home and gaining strength, and is expected to make a full recovery.

Ms. Spears has been tremendously involved with caring for her family, and as a result of his health issues and ongoing recovery, she is going to take time off.  “I am dedicating my focus and energy to care for my family.  We have a very special relationship and I want to be with my family at this time just like they have always been there for me,” said Ms. Spears.  “Thank you to all my fans for your continued love and support during this time.  I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused and I look forward to the time when I can be back on stage performing for all of you,” she added.

Refunds are available at original point of purchase. For more information please contact Ticketmaster customer service at 800-745-3000.

Mariah Carey's 'Christmas' Climbs to No. 3 on Billboard Hot 100

Mariah Carey's 'Christmas' Climbs to No. 3 on Billboard Hot 100, Ariana Grande's 'Next' Leads for Seventh Week

Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You," which two weeks earlier became the highest-charting holiday season-themed hit on the Hot 100 in almost 60 years, now becomes the first such song to reach the top five in that span, jingling 7-3, passing its prior No. 6 peak. The carol joins "The Chipmunk Song," by David Seville & The Chipmunks, which spent four weeks at No. 1 beginning Dec. 22, 1958, as the only two top-five holiday hits in the Hot 100's 60-year history.

"Christmas" rules the Holiday 100 (for a 35th week of the chart's 40 weeks of existence, since its 2011 launch) and becomes the first holiday hit ever to reach No. 1 on Streaming Songs (which began in January 2013). Winning the Hot 100's top Streaming Gainer award, it pushes 3-1 on Streaming Songs, up 49 percent to 51.9 million U.S. streams in the week ending Dec. 27, a new record weekly total for a seasonal song.

"Christmas" also gains on Digital Song Sales (16,000, up 13 percent, although it falls 11-17), while plunging 18-43 on Radio Songs (24.2 million, down 41 percent), as the latter chart's tracking week covered five full days after Christmas (Dec. 24-30); conversely, all holiday titles sport gains on Streaming Songs and Digital Song Sales, both of which reflect the Dec. 21-27 tracking week.

https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/8491783/mariah-carey-ariana-grande-billboard-hot-100-top-10

Britney To Start Making New Music Soon..

Larry talking to Billboard magazine: “We were supposed to do 96 shows over two years at Planet Hollywood and ended up doing 250 shows over four years and it was incredibly successful, but it got to the point where Britney wanted a change of scenery,” says Rudolph, who also signed Aerosmith at Park Theater for their upcoming stint, which he describes as an “elevated” Aerosmith concert experience. “She wanted to come out with a new show at a new place and do it differently. When Park Theater was opening, we took a look and it felt like the perfect next step in the evolution of Britney in Vegas,” continues Rudolph, who confirms Spears will continue working on new music once the show launches. “It’s brand new, it’s bigger and the hotel was being renovated, so the idea of being in a newly-branded, newly-renovated property in a new theater with higher capacity made it very appealing.”
 
Full article: https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/8491654/lady-gaga-las-vegas-residency-game-changer

Miley on the Sound of her New Album VIA Beats1

"I think this ["Nothing Breaks Like A Heart"] is a nice introduction to the sound that we've got going on with the next record," Cyrus said in the interview. "Mine is a little heavier than ["Nothing Breaks Like A Heart"]. A song that he and I have done together is more rock driven, modern Debbie Harry or Joan Jett. Then we've got songs with Mike Will that lean more hip-hop and songs with Andrew Wyatt that lean more pop/alternative. I just have kind of everything

Spotify Year In Review 2018

https://newsroom.spotify.com/2018-12-04/the-top-songs-artists-playlists-and-podcasts-of-2018/





2018 is winding down, but on Spotify, the music is playing as loudly as ever. All throughout the year, our users have streamed countless hours of their favorite songs, artists, playlists, and podcasts. Now, we’re looking back to determine the music and audio trends that defined the year.

So, what did the world listen to in 2018?

Music lovers continued with some existing favorites, such as 2015 and 2016’s most-streamed artist, Drake, who took home the crown once again this year. With 8.2 billion streams in 2018 alone, the Canadian rapper is now our most-streamed artist of all time. His album “Scorpion” and song “God’s Plan” took the top slots in their categories—with “God’s Plan” bringing in more than 1 billion streams.

Outside of the reigning favorites, some chart-breaking stars also reached the top. Ariana Grande’s 48 million plus monthly listeners raised her to the position of Spotify’s most-streamed female artist, following in the footsteps of three-time winner Rihanna. She dropped major hits throughout the year, including her fourth album, “Sweetener” and her latest single “thank u, next” (over 220 million streams).

Hip-hop dominated Spotify’s charts in 2018, but Latin music continued its rapid growth. This year, three Latin artists—J Balvin, Ozuna and Bad Bunny—landed on the top-10 most-streamed artists list, while last year, Daddy Yankee was the only Spanish-speaking artist to reach the top 10. Dominican-American singer Cardi B, the third-most-streamed female artist of 2018, and  Cuban-American singer Camila Cabello, the fifth-most-streamed, are also representing their Latin heritage through music. The genre is making its mark in playlists, with both ¡Viva Latino! and Baila Reggaeton finishing the year as Spotify’s third-and fourth-most-followed playlists.

In 2018, we also added more podcasts to our growing selection, bringing the total episodes available to almost 7 million. Listeners have enjoyed top podcasts like “The Joe Budden Podcast,” as well as “Amy Schumer Presents: 3 Girls, 1 Keith” and Spotify’s “Dissect,” which offers a deep-dive analysis of popular music albums. The most popular topics are crime-and-mystery podcasts, such as “My Favorite Murder,” “Crime Junkie,” and “Crimetown.”

Can’t get enough of the chart toppers? Check out our lists of the top artists, songs, albums, groups, podcasts, and more below—and don’t forget to tune in on December 6 to theWrapped microsite to see your personal favorites and top-streamed tracks, and receive a playlist based on your tastes.

So without further ado …

Most-Streamed Artists
Drake is the world’s most-streamed artist, with more than 8.2 billion streams this year. J Balvin, who made his top-five debut, had multiple hits on our global chart, such as “X” (with Nicky Jam) and “I Like It” (with Cardi B).

1. Drake
2. Post Malone
3. XXXTENTACION
4. J Balvin
5. Ed Sheeran*

*Ed Sheeran was the top-streamed artist in 2017

Most-Streamed Female Artists
Spotify’s top-streamed female artist, Ariana Grande, released her hotly-anticipated fourth album, “Sweetener,” in August. She had a momentous year with numerous charting singles, including her latest smash “thank u, next.” Grande’s music streamed more than 3 billion times in 2018.

1. Ariana Grande
2. Dua Lipa
3. Cardi B
4. Taylor Swift
5. Camila Cabello

Most-Streamed Tracks
While it was the summer of “In My Feelings,” Drake’s track “God’s Plan” was actually the most-streamed song of 2018. Post Malone also scored two songs on this list with both “rockstar (feat. 21 Savage)” and “Psycho (feat. Ty Dolla $ign).”

1. God’s Plan – Drake
2. SAD! – XXXTENTACION
3. rockstar (feat. 21 Savage) – Post Malone
4. Psycho (feat. Ty Dolla $ign) – Post Malone
5. In My Feelings – Drake

Most-Streamed Artist Albums
Drake’s “Scorpion” was released on June 29, and before long was racking up 10 million streams an hour. Dua Lipa’s self-titled debut album also had a stellar year, and Ed Sheeran’s 2017 album “÷” made the top five as well.

1. Scorpion – Drake
2. beerbongs & bentleys – Post Malone
3. ? – XXXTENTACION
4. Dua Lipa – Dua Lipa
5. ÷ – Ed Sheeran*

*Ed Sheeran’s ÷ was the top album in 2017

Most-Streamed Groups*
Imagine Dragons is Spotify’s most-streamed group for 2018, but K-pop sensation BTS also enjoyed plenty of global listening. Maroon 5 and Migos come in third and fourth, and Coldplay took fifth.

1. Imagine Dragons
2. BTS
3. Maroon 5
4. Migos
5. Coldplay**

*Must have three or more members
** Coldplay was 2017’s most-streamed group

Most-Followed Playlists
Today’s Top Hits is 2018’s most popular playlist. It’s the best place to go to find out what’s trending in popular music—and about 22 million followers agree. Rounding out the top five is Songs to Sing in the Car, with Beyoncé’s “Halo,” and Camila Cabello’s “Havana” as the top two songs people are belting on their road trips.

1. Today’s Top Hits
2. RapCaviar
3. ¡Viva Latino!
4. Baila Reggaeton
5. Songs to Sing in the Car

Most-Streamed Exclusive Spotify Podcasts
As we continue to expand our repertoire of exclusive and original podcasts, these are the podcasts resonating the most with Spotify listeners.

1. Fest & Flauschig
2. The Joe Budden Podcast with Rory & Mal
3. Dissect
4. Amy Schumer Presents: 3 Girls, 1 Keith
5. TALK-O-MAT

Most-Streamed Podcast Genres

1. Crime and Mystery
2. Comedy
3. News & Politics
4. Health
5. Arts 

2019 Golden Globe Nominations

Best Motion Picture – Drama
“Black Panther”
“BlacKkKlansman”
“Bohemian Rhapsody”
“If Beale Street Could Talk”
“A Star Is Born”

 

Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama
Glenn Close (“The Wife”)
Lady Gaga (“A Star Is Born”)
Nicole Kidman (“Destroyer”)
Melissa McCarthy (“Can You Ever Forgive Me?”)
Rosamund Pike (“A Private War”)

 

Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
Bradley Cooper (“A Star Is Born”)
Willem Dafoe (“At Eternity’s Gate”)
Lucas Hedges (“Boy Erased”)
Rami Malek (“Bohemian Rhapsody”)
John David Washington (“BlacKkKlansman”)

 

Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
“Crazy Rich Asians”
“The Favourite”
“Green Book”
“Mary Poppins Returns”
“Vice”

 

Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Emily Blunt (“Mary Poppins Returns”)
Olivia Colman (“The Favourite”)
Elsie Fisher (“Eighth Grade”)
Charlize Theron (“Tully”)
Constance Wu (“Crazy Rich Asians”)

 

Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Christian Bale (“Vice”)
Lin-Manuel Miranda (“Mary Poppins Returns”)
Viggo Mortensen (“Green Book”)
Robert Redford (“The Old Man & the Gun”)
John C. Reilly (“Stan & Ollie”)

 

Best Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture
Amy Adams (“Vice”)
Claire Foy (“First Man”)
Regina King (“If Beale Street Could Talk”)
Emma Stone (“The Favourite”)
Rachel Weisz (“The Favourite”)

 

Best Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture
Mahershala Ali (“Green Book”)
Timothee Chalamet (“Beautiful Boy”)
Adam Driver (“BlacKkKlansman”)
Richard E. Grant (“Can You Ever Forgive Me?”)
Sam Rockwell (“Vice”)

 

Best Motion Picture – Animated
“Incredibles 2”
“Isle of Dogs”
“Mirai”
“Ralph Breaks the Internet”
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”

 

Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language
“Capernaum”
“Girl”
“Never Look Away”
“Roma”
“Shoplifters”

 

Best Director – Motion Picture
Bradley Cooper (“A Star Is Born”)
Alfonso Cuaron (“Roma”)
Peter Farrelly (“Green Book”)
Spike Lee (“BlacKkKlansman”)
Adam McKay (“Vice”)

 

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
Alfonso Cuaron (“Roma”)
Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara (“The Favourite”)
Barry Jenkins (“If Beale Street Could Talk”)
Adam McKay (“Vice”)
Peter Farrelly, Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie (“Green Book”)

 

Best Original Score – Motion Picture
Marco Beltrami (“A Quiet Place”)
Alexandre Desplat (“Isle of Dogs”)
Ludwig Göransson (“Black Panther”)
Justin Hurwitz (“First Man”)
Marc Shaiman (“Mary Poppins Returns”)

 

Best Original Song – Motion Picture
“All the Stars” (“Black Panther”)
“Girl in the Movies” (“Dumplin’”)
“Requiem For a Private War” (“A Private War”)
“Revelation’ (“Boy Erased”)
“Shallow” (“A Star Is Born”)

 

Best Television Series – Drama
“The Americans”
“Bodyguard”
“Homecoming”
“Killing Eve”
“Pose”

 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama
Caitriona Balfe (“Outlander”)
Elisabeth Moss (“The Handmaid’s Tale”)
Sandra Oh (“Killing Eve”)
Julia Roberts (“Homecoming”)
Keri Russell (“The Americans”)

 

 Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama
Jason Bateman (“Ozark”)
Stephan James (“Homecoming”)
Richard Madden (“Bodyguard”)
Billy Porter (“Pose”)
Matthew Rhys (“The Americans”)

 

Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy
“Barry” (HBO)
“The Good Place” (NBC)
“Kidding” (Showtime)
“The Kominsky Method” (Netflix)
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (Amazon)

 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy
Kristen Bell (“The Good Place”)
Candice Bergen (“Murphy Brown”)
Alison Brie (“Glow”)
Rachel Brosnahan (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”)
Debra Messing (“Will & Grace”)

 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy
Sacha Baron Cohen (“Who Is America?”)
Jim Carrey (“Kidding”)
Michael Douglas (“The Kominsky Method”)
Donald Glover (“Atlanta”)
Bill Hader (“Barry”)

 

Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
“The Alienist” (TNT)
“The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story” (FX)
“Escape at Dannemora” (Showtime)
“Sharp Objects” (HBO)
“A Very English Scandal” (Amazon)

 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Amy Adams (“Sharp Objects”)
Patricia Arquette (“Escape at Dannemora”)
Connie Britton (“Dirty John”)
Laura Dern (“The Tale”)
Regina King (“Seven Seconds”)

 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Antonio Banderas (“Genius: Picasso”)
Daniel Bruhl (“The Alienist”)
Darren Criss (“The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story”)
Benedict Cumberbatch (“Patrick Melrose”)
Hugh Grant (“A Very English Scandal”)

 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Alex Borstein (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”)
Patricia Clarkson (“Sharp Objects”)
Penelope Cruz (“The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story”)
Thandie Newton (“Westworld”)
Yvonne Strahovski (“The Handmaid’s Tale”)

 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Alan Arkin (“The Kominsky Method”)
Kieran Culkin (“Succession”)
Edgar Ramirez (“The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story”)
Ben Whishaw (“A Very English Scandal”)
Henry Winkler (“Barry”)

 

https://variety.com/2018/film/news/golden-globe-nominations-2019-1203082075/

Highest Paid Women In Music (By Forbes)

1. Katy Perry ($83 million)

2. Taylor Swift ($80 million)

3. Beyoncé ($60 million)

4. Pink ($52 million)

5. Lady Gaga ($50 million)

6. Jennifer Lopez ($47 million)

7. Rihanna ($37.5 million)

8. Helene Fischer ($32 million)

9. Celine Dion ($31 million)

10. Britney Spears ($30 million)

 
 
https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackomalleygreenburg/2018/11/19/highest-paid-women-in-music-2018-katy-perry-taylor-swift-beyonce/?utm_source=TWITTER&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Valerie%2F#2d5c59d46a24

Taylor Swift signs worldwide deal with Republic Records/UMG

I’m ecstatic to announce that my musical home will be Republic Records and Universal Music Group. Over the years, Sir Lucian Grainge and Monte Lipman have been such incredible partners. It’s so thrilling to me that they, and the UMG team, will be my label family going forward. It’s also incredibly exciting to know that I’ll own all of my master recordings that I make from now on. It’s really important to me to see eye to eye with a label regarding the future of our industry. I feel so motivated by new opportunities created by the streaming world and the ever changing landscape of our industry.. I also feel strong that streaming was founded on and continues to thrive based on the magic created by artists, writers, and producers. 
There was one condition that meant more to me than any other deal point. As part of my new contract with Universal Music Group, I asked that any sale of their Spotify shares result in a distribution of money to their artists, non-recoupable. They have generously agreed to this, at what they believe will be much better terms than paid out previously by other major labels. I see this as a sign that we are headed towards positive change for creators – a goal I’m never going to stop trying to help achieve, in whatever ways I can. I’m so happy to have Sir Lucian Grainge as a partner in these efforts. 
I want to express by heartfelt thanks to Scott Borchetta for believing in me as a 14-year-old and for guiding me through over a decade of work that I will always be so proud of. I’m extremely grateful to get to do what I love, especially with the people I’ve been fortunate enough to work with. The best thing I’ve been lucky enough to receive is the dedication, trust, and loyalty of the fans who have cared about the words and melodies I’ve written. My biggest goal moving forward is to make you proud. I’m so excited. I can’t wait to show you what I’m making next. 
Love,
Taylor
 
 
https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/8485629/taylor-swift-leaves-big-machine-signs-new-label-deal-universal-music

'In The Zone' turns 15, Billboard ranks the songs

Britney Spears' 'In The Zone' Turns 15: Ranking All the Songs

11/12/2018 by Bianca Gracie

On 2001's Britney, Britney Spears sang about the struggles of growing up -- she wasn't a girl, not yet a woman. But by 2003's In the Zone, she had clearly arrived as the latter.

 

That album -- released 15 years ago on Nov. 12 -- marked the singer coming into her own, both as an artist (Spears took on more writing responsibilities than ever before) and as a woman (the LP's erotic content made "I'm a Slave 4 U" look relatively chaste). From the ice-blue album cover to its chilling production, In The Zone signaled a more mature direction for Spears as she explored electronic music and hip-hop like never before. And the record's lyrics -- which referenced her breakup with Justin Timberlake and pushed back at her critics in the media -- celebrated new levels of independence and candor for the singer.

Spears' hands-on artistry was rewarded by the public: In the Zone debuted atop the Billboard 200, went double-platinum and introduced some of the most iconic singles of her career. To celebrate the album and the turning point it provided for Spears' career, Billboard ranked every song on the album's standard edition.

 

12.  “Shadow”

The first of the two slow tunes on the album, “Shadow” is Spears’s version of an ‘80s power ballad. But even her tender, emotive vocals aren't enough to get out of the, well, shadow of “Everytime.” 

 

11. “Brave New Girl” 

“Brave New Girl” might as well have been a mission statement for the In the Zoneera: Here, Spears sings about letting go of all the constraints that have held her back and vows do things on her own terms. Still, the overuse of Auto-Tune and vocal effects makes “Brave New Girl” more cheesy than captivating.

 

10. “Outrageous” 

Let’s face it: “Outrageous” is a cursed track. From the controversial team-up with R. Kelly to the music video shoot where Spears injured her knee (which led to a cancelation of The Onyx Hotel Tour), the song is essentially the moment the singer’s career changed. But there is a silver lining: “B-girl ain’t lost the beat/ Jumped over drama and I landed on my feet” is as good a mantra for Spears' career as any.  

 

9. “Showdown”

Swedish production duo Bloodshy & Avant are the masters behind this unsubtle bedroom anthem, which finds Spears instructing her lover to undo her zipper and likening their adults-only fun to an arena sporting event. But when it comes to overall sexiness, “Showdown” doesn’t, erm, rise, to the occasion of the album's more seductive tracks. 

 

8. “The Hook Up”  

Spears has experimented with reggae and dancehall in the past (see: ...Baby One More Time’s reggae-funk “Soda Pop”), but on “The Hook Up,” she sounds like she stumbled into the sweaty basement where Sean Paul shot his "Get Busy" video. The dance-instruction lyrics and hard-hitting bass make for a flirty vibe, though the occasional, slight patois in her vocal delivery didn't age well.

 

7. “(I Got That) Boom Boom” feat. Ying Yang Twins 

“SHAWTYYY! WE FINNA GO TO THE CLUB AND GET CRUNK WITH BRITNEY...HAANNN!” still remains one of the best song introductions of the new millennium. “Boom Boom” saw Spears embrace her really cool and urban side as she drew from her Southern roots. Then throw in a naughty verse from Atlanta’s Ying Yang Twins, and you have a weirdly perfect ass-shaking theme song for the clubs -- and one of the most unpredictable pop-rap collaborations of the era. 

 

6. “Me Against The Music” feat. Madonna

Compared to other lead singles from her previous albums, “Me Against The Music” isn’t as iconic. But it offers a solid taste of Spears' newfound experimental side -- from the funky guitar riffs to her rapid-fire singing, it's Weirdney through and through. And, of course, the inclusion of Madonna served as the ultimate “passing the pop torch” moment that many fans were waiting for.

 

5. “Toxic”

 

One of Spears' signature singles, “Toxic” arrives in the middle of In The Zone like a lightning bolt straight from outer space thanks to those near-ear-splitting Bollywood strings (courtesy of Bloodshy & Avant) that could easily soundtrack a horror movie. While other tracks on the album are meant to soundtrack what happens after the club, “Toxic” leads you straight to the dance floor with its frenetic bassline and glitchy breakdown. And the world was eager to get down with her: The single earned Spears her first and only Grammy win for Best Dance Recording and peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100.

 

4. “Early Mornin’”

Who knew Moby could be so risqué? He co-wrote and co-produced this after-hours jam, in which Spears details some presumed one-night stands with a dude with "dark hair" and another guy named Joe. And it's a stand-out on In the Zone thanks to Spears' commitment to capturing the vibe -- the singer literally yawns, whispers and giggles throughout the track as she recounts her nights out, making it feel like an authentic snapshot of her life at the time.

 

3. “Everytime” 

While Timberlake went the scorched-earth route on 2002’s post-breakup single “Cry Me A River,” Spears' purported response, “Everytime,” opted for something more nuanced and tender -- and totally heartbreaking. Her vocals are so soft and fragile, it sounds as if she just finished wiping away tears before getting in the recording booth. And the song’s lyrical message becomes even more haunting when you watch the David LaChapelle-directed video for the track, which appears to depict Spears' death and reincarnation following a paparazzi-induced head injury.

 

2. “Touch of My Hand”

“Touch of My Hand” was the first song Spears recorded for In The Zone, and it clearly shaped the album’s unbridled sensuality. Here, she takes part in a tradition of unapologetic, taboo-busting self-love anthems -- “I love myself, it's not a sin/ I can't control what's happening," she purrs just before the chorus -- and it deserves to be as much of a classic in that category as the Divinyls’ “I Touch Myself.” It's also a song Spears clearly loves: Despite being a deep cut album track, she's regularly included it many of her tour and residency setlists.

 

1. “Breathe on Me” 

Taking a few notes from Madonna’s passion-filled Bedtime Stories, Spears delivers one of the most provocative songs in her catalog with the trip-hop inspired "Breathe on Me." Set to a woozy, tingling beat, the track finds Spears toying with the listener via come-hither whispers and references to climaxes -- a less-explicit approach than "Showdown," sure, but one that's somehow even more intense. (She drove the point home during the Onyx Hotel Tour, during which she writhed around a bed with a male dancer to this track.) It takes a superstar of Spears' caliber to make an ad for monogamy sound this freaky.  

It was yesterday. i meant to post it but forgot. Oops!
MH

Simon Cowell Explains What Really Happened Between Him And Little Mix

Simon Cowell tells how Sir Philip Green and Little Mix had to leave his business because relations between them became so toxic

Speaking with emotion, ­Cowell, 59, said he had been “embarrassed” by the claims.
But he told The Sun he has now decided to put principles before profits as he attempts to create a business for his four-year-old son Eric to inherit.

 

He said: “The only reason I got annoyed was that it’s easy to paint this picture of Syco as this dark, awful place where all we’re trying to do is rip artists off and make them unhappy. “I suppose why I am glad I’m talking to you guys today — at least I can tell you what really happened.” 
 
Cowell and Green were once so close that they spoke on the phone for hours and went on holidays together. The tycoon even holds a five per cent stake — valued at £12.5million — in the music business.
But last week it emerged the under-fire billionaire has finally agreed to walk away after Simon tabled a fresh bid.

 

It came after recent revelations Green used a High Court injunction to protect NDAs that apparently involve allegations of racism and sexual harassment.
Cowell said: “He was part of the company but three years ago we just stopped talking.
 
“When it came to severing the ties, I wasn’t arguing about the money. You simply make a decision of who you want in your life and your business and it was my decision.”
Cowell insisted he cut contact before Green was criticised for his controversial sale of BHS.
He added: “It was six months before that. Then, roughly a year and a half ago, there was a meeting to see whether he would be interested in selling his shares. It didn’t appear that way. Then, your article came about and then shortly after it was done.”
Green is not a comfortable topic of discussion for Cowell, who is restricted by what he can say with the sale of the Syco shares unconfirmed.
 
But does he regret him being involved in the company? Cowell said: “This is tricky for me. Well, I could say that about hundreds of people I’ve worked with. The point is, I would have regretted it if I hadn’t acted now.”
And should Green have been named in Parliament over his use of NDAs at TopShop following claims of harassment? He replied: “I don’t know what this is leading to — not with me but with him.
“But like I said, my only regret would have been if I had put money over principle, and I didn’t. So when I had the opportunity, I did what I did.”
Cowell invited The Sun to a central London hotel — where he is meeting his staff from around the world to plot future strategy — following our exclusive on Saturday about his shock split from Little Mix
 
Simon said the decision came after a falling out with their reps Modest Management amid a row over a songwriting credit on their single Woman Like Me.
Cowell admitted: “It was just embarrassing but, funnily enough, I was more annoyed, again, not about me, but about the fact people who had worked so hard in my company were being misrepresented. Why do artists think they’re more important than staff members? They’re not. They’re the same.
 
“The irony was the record they were arguing about, which is Woman Like Me, they didn’t want to record. This was one of those ironic times that we were having a hit and nobody was happy.”
Again, Simon’s decision to walk away from his most successful act wasn’t financial. He said: “It wasn’t down to money. Basically, they said we’d done a terrible job. I had agreed not to talk about this publicly because I thought it was a private matter. I said, ‘We can’t work with the management, it’s as simple as that’.”
 
Cowell said he is going to meet the band this week “just so they can hear it from me and I can hear it from them”.
He added: “Everyone’s like, ‘There must have been something massive and that’s why it collapsed’. Well, I can show you all the correspondence between me and the girls over the years, there’s never been an instance when we’ve fallen out. As I said in my email to them, I stand by the fact they are the hardest working bunch of girls I’ve ever worked with. They deserve everything they’ve got.”
Over the past year, Cowell has removed himself from the internet and social media so he cannot be damaged by near-constant claims and conspiracy theories thrown about.
Addressing the subject, he said: “Look, no one’s more in the spotlight than me. And when the whole [#MeToo] thing happened, I have always had a clear conscience about that. I understand the moral code here.
 
“I suppose I get frustrated. People can read whatever they like. I do let myself be a bit of a sponge where you get beaten up. With this story, if you hadn’t called, I wouldn’t have said a word.
“All you can do is be transparent. I’ve never hidden anything from you guys, ever.”
Simon was livid when we told him there are internet conspiracy theories about why he teamed up with controversial journalist Mark ­Williams-Thomas — who exposed Jimmy Savile as a paedophile — to work on a TV series.
He replied angrily: “What you just said about a conspiracy about why I hired him, well let’s be clear here — I have a four-year-old son. He is all I care about.
 
Full story
https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/7724655/simon-cowell-philip-green-little-mix-toxic/

Little Mix signed with RCA and Leaves Syco

POP superstars LITTLE MIX have split with mentor and X Factor boss SIMON COWELL after an extraordinary row that is rocking the music industry.

The hit girl group — JESY NELSON, LEIGH-ANNE PINNOCK, JADE THIRLWALL and PERRIE EDWARDS — had grown increasingly frustrated with life at his record label Syco over the past 12 months, culminating in fallouts during the making of new album LM5.

The girls confronted Cowell direct in a strongly worded email, raising issues they had with his label.

Then a bigger row erupted between the group’s management company Modest and Cowell — who decided to cut all ties with the company’s artists, including Little Mix and last year’s X Factor winners RAK-SU.

 

The two bands will move to the label RCA, which is also part of the wider Sony group like Syco. A spokesman for Cowell confirmed to me: “Syco Music will no longer work with Modest Management and therefore any artists signed to that management company.

“We do, of course, wish all artists affected by this decision every future success. Consequently, LM5, the forthcoming Little Mix album A&R’d and released on Syco Music, is to be serviced by RCA at the request of Syco and Simon Cowell.”

And band member Jesy summed up the discontent within the band by liking an Instagram post written by @littleshadymix which said of the act: “They’re gonna leave Syco and then tell us what s*** Syco put them through.” The unprecedented fallout started over Little Mix voicing upset over their lack of recognition on new hit single Woman Like Me. They wanted an additional writing credit alongside Ed Sheeran, Jess Glynne and songwriter STEVE MAC.

The girls had added lyrics but were not asking for any publishing money.

Cowell got the band the writing credit they wanted, but by that point his relationship with Modest — who also manage the Spice Girls, Olly Murs and Niall Horan — had broken down. Simon’s decision to cut all ties with Little Mix — the band he created on his ITV show in 2011 and the label’s most successful act — is a massive shock on face value. But he insisted that he decided to back the loyal staff members who have worked for his Syco label for a number of years and will support Little Mix by inviting them to perform on the X Factor final.

Meanwhile, sources close to Little Mix say the band had clashed with Syco multiple times during the making of the new Album.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/7705828/little-mix-simon-cowell-split/?utm_source=FBPAGE&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=SprnklrSUNOrganic&UTMX=Editorial%3ADanWootton%3AFBLink%3AStatement%3AShowbizandTV