Ariana Grande has the number one album in the country this week:
Ariana Grande achieves her fifth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart, as her latest studio effort, Positions, debuts atop the tally. The set was released on Oct. 30 by Republic Records and launches with 174,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Nov. 5, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data.
Joe Biden will be the 46th President of the United States.
Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. was elected the 46th president of the United States on Saturday, promising to restore political normalcy and a spirit of national unity to confront raging health and economic crises, and making Donald J. Trump a one-term president after four years of tumult in the White House.
Mr. Biden’s victory amounted to a repudiation of Mr. Trump by millions of voters exhausted with his divisive conduct and chaotic administration, and was delivered by an unlikely alliance of women, people of color, old and young voters and a sliver of disaffected Republicans. Mr. Trump is only the third elected president since World War II to lose re-election, and the first in more than a quarter-century.
The result also provided a history-making moment for Mr. Biden’s running mate, Senator Kamala Harris of California, who will become the first woman to serve as vice president.
If you have not yet voted, today is the day. Here’s a polling place locator.
Meet Me @ the Altar did a recent interview with Alt. Press:
We know how important it is for young people especially, to see people like them doing something that they might want to do. We like being there for all the little girls that don’t really have anyone to look up to in the rock scene. We had Paramore [and] Halsey. That’s about it. We wish we had someone of color to look up to in the scene and we’re that for a lot of other people, which is so important to us. That’s one of the main reasons why we have tried hard to be successful. With Fueled, we are getting a platform to spread these messages that we feel like a lot of people would like to hear.
Sarah Perez, writing at TechCrunch:
Spotify announced today it will begin to test a new service that gives artists more of a say in how their music is discovered on the Spotify platform. At launch, the service will allow artists and labels to identify music that’s a priority to them, and Spotify will then add a signal to help the music get surfaced by its personalization algorithms.
While the new service is not a paid promotion and requires no upfront budget on artists’ or labels’ part, Spotify says that the artists, labels and rights holders will agree to be paid a “promotional recording royalty rate” for streams where the company provides the service.
Luke Combs has the number one album in the country this week:
The set, which debuted atop the list dated Nov. 23, 2019, zooms from No. 21 to No. 1 with 109,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Oct. 29 (up 399 percent), according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data. The album was reissued on Oct. 23 with a handful of additional songs, bringing its total song count to 23.
Bruce Springsteen comes in at number two, making him the first act to have top five-charting albums in each fo the last six decades:
As Bruce Springsteen’s new album Letter to You debuts at No. 2 on the new Billboard 200 chart, he becomes the first act with new top five-charting albums in each of the last six decades (1970s, ‘80s, ‘90s, ‘00s, ‘10s and the ‘20s). Letter to You is Springsteen’s 20th studio effort.
Sean Connery has passed away. He was 90.
For small music venues, the situation is dire. Starved for revenue since March, and with no lifeline from Congress, independent clubs across the country are shuttering by the dozen — devastating fans and artists alike and delivering a brutal blow to the ecosystem that develops tomorrow’s Grammy winners and underground heroes.
One music executive, however, thinks he can save them, through a plan to invest in small clubs and build an indie touring network.
Butch Vig talked with NME about music today and if Nirvana’s Nevermind could be replicated:
Oh boy. I think it would be tough to repeat that zeitgeist moment. If ‘Nevermind’ came out this week, despite being a great record, it would not have the same cultural impact. It was perfect timing coming out when there was a shift in music and it felt like a revolution. I can see that happening again, but not in the same way.
Guitar Center has begun to prepare for a potential bankruptcy filing that could come as soon as next month, people with knowledge of the situation said. The retailer missed an interest payment of roughly $45 million earlier this month, setting off a 30-day grace period that could end in default, the people said.
The country’s largest retailer of musical instruments has reached out to creditors to discuss a plan that would involve the company filing for bankruptcy this year and emerging from it in early 2021, said the people, who requested anonymity because the talks are confidential. A spokesperson for Guitar Center did not respond to a request for comment.
Taylor Swift once again is at the top of the charts this week:
Taylor Swift’s Folklore surges back to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart for an eighth nonconsecutive week on top, as the set jumps from No. 10 with 77,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Oct. 22 (up 170%), according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data.
The album’s huge increase is owed to an explosion of sales generated from Swift’s official webstore, where the superstar sold autographed CDs of the set for $25 each for a limited time. Of Folklore’s units earned for the week, album sales comprised 57,000 of that figure – a gain of 709%.
Written by DuVall, who also will direct the pilot, High School is a transcendent story of first loves and first songs. Through a backdrop of ’90s grunge and rave culture, the series tangles itself in the parallel and discordant memories of two sisters growing up down the hall from one another. This is a story about finding your own identity — a journey made even more complicated when you have a twin whose own struggle and self-discovery so closely mimics your own.
DuVall executive produces with Tegan & Sara Quin alongside Plan B Entertainment. Amazon Studios produces in association with Plan B.
Pop Smoke has the number one album in the country this week:
After a three-month wait, Pop Smoke’s Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon returns to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for a second week. The set rises 3-1 and earned 67,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending Oct. 15 (down 1 percent), according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data.
The New York Philharmonic has cancelled their entire 2020/2021 season:
Today we share news that we did our best to avert, but reality has intervened. Due to mandatory state and city government health regulations, the Philharmonic will not be able to resume live, indoor concerts in January as originally hoped. With deep regret, all previously scheduled concerts from January 6 to June 13, 2021, must now be cancelled. In the 178-year history of our institution, the cancellation of an entire season marks a historic first, and a dreadful one at that. If you are disappointed, please know how devastated we all are by this turn of events. The health and financial challenges, indeed the experiential challenges we all face, are profound.
Bert McCracken talks with Alt. Press about what The Used are up to and when we may see new music:
We had so many tracks from the recording sessions we did last year, almost a full record worth of songs. So, I think the Used fans can maybe expect to hear a few new tracks this year. We’re just trying to stay as busy as we can, and hopefully we’ll be back playing shows before 2025. Jeez, get us back on the road… But hopefully in the next little while, we’ll hear some new tracks from the Used. There [are] also some more features coming up. I’ve been lending my voice out as much as I can while I’m at home. Actually, [there’s] something coming up in the next couple of weeks, so it should be really exciting.