Big Sean has the number one album in the country this week:
The set, which was released on Sept. 4 via G.O.O.D./Def Jam, launches with 103,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Sept. 10, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data.
The RIAA have released their 2020 mid-year report. One interesting tidbit:
Vinyl album revenues of $232 million were 62% of total physical revenues, marking the first time vinyl exceeded CDs for such a period since the 1980’s, though it still only accounted for 4% of total music recorded music revenues.
Alex Williams, writing at The New York Times:
“We’ve broken so many records,” Mr. Mooney said. “It will be the biggest year of sales volume in Fender history, record days of double-digit growth, e-commerce sales and beginner gear sales. I never would have thought we would be where we are today if you asked me back in March.”
Jack Antonoff interviewed Lana Del Rey for Interview Magazine:
The one thing that makes me upset is that if I hadn’t been so distracted with my personal life and my poetry, I could’ve broken it down in a more delicate, precise way. I guess the way I could’ve done that is just by adding one more defining song to it. Right now it’s really, really good, but I don’t know if it’s perfect, and that really bothers me. I think I need to add that song, “Dealer,” where I’m just screaming my head off. People don’t know what it sounds like when I yell. And I do yell.
NME:
Filing fees for an O visa, which applies to “Individuals with Extraordinary Ability or Achievement,” will increase from $460 to $705, a rise of 53%. The P visa, which can also be used by family members of the individuals, will increase by to a total cost of $695.
Visa application waiting times are set to increase to 15 business days, but a fast track service that costs over $1000 will be available for those needing their application to be dealt with more quickly.
Lynn Gunn of PVRIS talked with Alt Press about her latest album:
My ultimate intention with everything, not just music and career, but life right now, is to feel [as] free as possible, and just be, and be what I know I am and what I’m comfortable being. That’s very different from what I felt like I needed to be when we first started playing music.
Especially with making this album, I was flying around constantly and traveling around and going in different sessions alone and tracking alone and doing everything really singularly, just due to circumstances and how things are playing out within our scheduling. This album has been the most…I’m putting air quotes around “solo venture.” And so it felt the most appropriate to finally have everything align with that and to be real and open about it.
The Ska Against Racism compilation features Tim Armstrong, Less Than Jake, The Suicide Machines, The Interrupters, and many more. Grab it on Bandcamp and 100% of the proceeds go toward various charities.
The Good Music to Avert the Collapse of American Democracy compilation, featuring music from Hayley Williams, Phoebe Bridgers, and so many more, is now available for purchase on Bandcamp.
Adam Lazzara of Taking Back Sunday talks with Kerrang:
One of the things that I realised when listening through everything on Twenty is that with each record it’s been this perfect snapshot of the people we were at that time. It’s like going through an old yearbook. And sometimes you don’t want to remember the person you were at a certain time, or maybe you don’t want to be that person again, or you don’t want to recognise that side of yourself, but I feel like it helps, for me, to come to terms with and make peace with myself. Like, there were dark times and there were bright times – it’s a full package deal. That’s very therapeutic.
Taylor Swift, once again, has the number one album in the country:
Taylor Swift’s Folklore spends a fifth straight week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, tying Lil Baby’s My Turn for the most weeks atop the list in 2020. Folklore further becomes the first album to rule for five weeks in a row at No. 1 since Drake’s Scorpion also logged its first frames at No. 1 (July 14-Aug. 11, 2018-dated charts).
Lynn Gunn of PVRIS talks with NME:
When she announced the album back in March, Gunn revealed that, from day one, she’s consistently downplayed her true role as PVRIS’ sole creative force. She’s been responsible for everything from the band’s sound to songwriting, visuals and driving production, but has preferred to share the spotlight with her bandmates, bassist Brian Macdonald and lead guitarist and keyboardist Alex Babinski. With ‘Use Me’, though, she says she’s finally allowing herself “to take credit” for PVRIS’ ever-growing list of achievements.
“It feels so good,” she says on the phone line from her home in LA, referring to her unmasking as a “lifting of the veil”. She adds: “This had to happen for me to continue wanting to do this. With all the work I was putting into this next record, it felt really weird and uncomfortable to be giving equal credit to everyone. Brian and Alex have always been incredibly supportive of my vision over the years, but I never felt comfortable opening up and owning that role. It made me feel apathetic towards the project.”
CBS All Access’ limited series adaptation of Stephen King’s “The Stand” will premiere Dec. 17, the streamer announced Tuesday.
The series will be a weekly one, with each of the subsequent eight episodes streaming one at a time every Thursday following that premiere. As previously announced, King penned the finale and also wrote a new coda that will take the story beyond where is 800-plus page 1978 tome left things.
Taylor Swift still has the number one album in the country:
Folklore earned 101,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending Aug. 20 (down 26%), according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data. It’s the fourth straight week the set has tallied at least 100,000 units — a rarity for a non-R&B or hip-hop album
The Killers talked with NME about their latest album and what’s next:
“You know when someone makes a record and they say that they have 50 songs and they’re going to release another record? Well, we really are!” laughs Flowers. “We’re going to release another one in about 10 months. We’ve already gone back into the studio with Rado and Shawn. I’m excited. It might be better than this one.”
The Killers talked with USA Today, and guitarist Dave Keuning will be returning to the band.
”Mirage” marks the first Killers album without guitarist/co-founder Dave Keuning, who left the band in 2017 to pursue a solo career. But drummer Ronnie Vannucci Jr. insists there is no ill will, and says they’ll be reuniting with Keuning in the studio this month.
”The tides might be changing a little bit for the better. The four horsemen ride again,” Vannucci says. “We’ll see what happens. As we get older, priorities change and people need to do life things that don’t include playing in a rock band. I totally get that. I think we’ll look back and say that was a much-needed respite for everybody.”