Goodbye Taylor Swift, Drake, Billie Eilish, And So On: UMG Has Officially Removed Its Artists’ Music From TikTok

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It happened: Universal Music Group has removed its artists’ songs from TikTok. As of today (February 1), official songs from artists signed to UMG labels no longer appear under the “Sounds” tab on the TikTok app, and previously published videos that featured those songs now have muted audio.

Impacted artists include Taylor Swift, Drake, The Weeknd, Bad Bunny, SZA, Olivia Rodrigo, Steve Lacy, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar, Harry Styles, Rosalía, Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, Adele, U2, Elton John, J Balvin, Pearl Jam, Bob Dylan, Post Malone, and many others.

TikTok and UMG had a licensing agreement that expired yesterday (January 31), and the day before it did, there were clear indications that negotiations on a new contract were not going well.

UMG shared an open letter about the situation, which read in part:

“As our negotiations continued, TikTok attempted to bully us into accepting a deal worth less than the previous deal, far less than fair market value and not reflective of their exponential growth. How did it try to intimidate us? By selectively removing the music of certain of our developing artists, while keeping on the platform our audience-driving global stars.

TikTok’s tactics are obvious: use its platform power to hurt vulnerable artists and try to intimidate us into conceding to a bad deal that undervalues music and shortchanges artists and songwriters as well as their fans.

We will never do that.”

TikTok then shared a response that reads in full:

“It is sad and disappointing that Universal Music Group has put their own greed above the interests of their artists and songwriters.

Despite Universal’s false narrative and rhetoric, the fact is they have chosen to walk away from the powerful support of a platform with well over a billion users that serves as a free promotional and discovery vehicle for their talent.

TikTok has been able to reach ‘artist-first’ agreements with every other label and publisher. Clearly, Universal’s self-serving actions are not in the best interests of artists, songwriters and fans.”

At the moment, it’s not clear when or if a new licensing agreement between TikTok and UMG will be reached, and when/if the artists’ music will return to TikTok.

Who Is Performing At The 2024 Grammy Awards?

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The 66th Annual Grammy Awards are coming right up, as the 2024 ceremony is set to go down on February 4 at 8 p.m. ET. Aside from seeing who ends up winning what awards (find the list of nominees here), the other main appeal of the broadcast is checking out the live performances.

Who is performing at the 2024 Grammy Awards?

The first wave of performers was announced yesterday (January 15), and it’s short and sweet, featuring Olivia Rodrigo, Dua Lipa, and Billie Eilish (all of whom previously won the Grammy for Best New Artist, coincidentally). More artists are set to be announced as the ceremony approaches.

Eilish and Rodrigo have a lot on the line this year, as they’re both nominated for six Grammys. Eilish’s Barbie hit “What Was I Made For?” is up for Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year, Best Pop Solo Performance, Best Song Written For Visual Media, and Best Music Video, while her and Labrinth’s “Never Felt So Alone” is up for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.

Rodrigo, meanwhile, is nominated for Album Of The Year, Best Pop Vocal Album (both for Guts), Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year, Best Pop Solo Performance (all for “Vampire”), and Best Rock Song (for “Ballad Of A Homeschooled Girl.”

Lipa’s Barbie song “Dance The Night” has a couple nods as well, for Song Of The Year and Best Song Written For Visual Media.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

How To Watch The iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2023 Concert Special

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The 2023 iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour staged 11 concerts across the country between November 26 and December 16, hitting up the Kia Forum in Los Angeles and Madison Square Garden in New York City along the way. The oscillating lineup was headlined by the likes of Olivia Rodrigo, Nicki Minaj, SZA, Jelly Roll, Usher, Niall Horan, Sabrina Carpenter, OneRepublic and more.

Pop Crave posted on X (formerly Twitter) that the show “opens with an Olivia Rodrigo performance” alongside a 26-second video snippet of Rodrigo backstage before “her first time performing at the Jingle Ball,” which would have been on December 1 in Los Angeles. Rodrigo also performed at the iHeartRadio Z100’s Jingle Ball 2023 at Madison Square Garden in New York City on December 8 — one day before serving as the musical guest on SNL. (It’s unclear where the video originated from.)

Catch up on who performed where during the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour here, and learn how to watch the subsequent television special below.

How To Watch The iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2023 Concert Special

The iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2023 will air tonight, December 21, beginning at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. According to iHeartRadio, the TV concert special will feature performances from Cher, Olivia Rodrigo, SZA, Niall Horan, Sabrina Carpenter, OneRepublic, AJR, Doechii, Jelly Roll, Big Time Rush, Melanie Martinez, Paul Russell, and Pentatonix.

Beginning on Friday, December 22, the full special will be available to stream on Hulu or on demand.

Additionally, according to The Hollywood Reporter, there are also options to stream it via services like DirecTV Stream or Fubo. THR also relayed that “the show will include celebrity appearances, however, from Jimmy Fallon, Kendall Jenner, Hailey Bieber, Tate McRae, Dixie D’Amelio and others.”

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Who Is Headlining Coachella 2024?

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The Empire Polo Club Grounds in Indio, California, has become one of the most popular locations for live music. This year alone, the inaugural rock festival Power Trip called it home. Next year, Stagecoach Festival will set up shop for its multi-day programming. But the most popular outdoor event held on the grounds is Coachella. With the extravagant two-weekend scheduled to take place in April, curious minds want to know who is headlining.

As of Monday, December 18, the headliners for both weekends, April 14 to 16 and 21 to 23, have not been announced. However, organizers are feeling the pressure based on this year’s atrocity of a set by Frank Ocean (who later dropped out of weekend two). Although Frank did not live up to the hype surrounding his festival return, fans are open to Justin Bieber filling the top slot.

Last year, Bieber postponed his Justice World Tour due to his battle with health complications brought on by Ramsay Hunt syndrome. Now, it appears that he could be up to the big feat. Some are also theorizing that given the success of Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour, it would make sense for her to headline next year’s Coachella. Another name that has been bandied about is Olivia Rodrigo.

It appears ticketholders will have to hold out for just a few more weeks until the confirmed lineup is revealed.

Olivia Rodrigo Said Her Breakthrough Single ‘Drivers License’ Is ‘100% About’ Adam Driver In A Hilarious ‘SNL’ Promo

This week’s Saturday Night Live episode boasts an exciting line-up. On Saturday (December 9), Adam Driver will host the show ahead of the premiere of his upcoming movie Ferrari. Olivia Rodrigo, who, earlier this year, released her critically acclaimed sophomore album Guts, will serve as this week’s musical guest.

Ahead of the broadcast, NBC has shared the official promo for this show, featuring Driver, Rodrigo, and Heidi Gardner. In the clip, the trio calls back to Rodrigo’s breakthrough single, “Drivers License.”

“Okay, this is awkward,” said Gardner in the clip. “Olivia Rodrigo and the guy she wrote a song about.”

Driver then asked “which song?” to which Gardner replied, “Drivers License.” She continued, saying “Adam Driver,” emphasizing the actors last name.

Playing defense, Driver replied, saying “that song’s not about me.”

Rodrigo then replied, saying, “It’s 100% about you.”

While we all appreciate a good pun, it’s safe to assume this is a joke. Rodrigo explained in an interview on Today that she will likely never reveal who each of her songs are about.

“I think explanation is never good for art,” says Rodrigo. “Why would I pigeonhole a song into being about this one thing in my life, when everyone has their own interpretation?”

You can see the promo above.

Saturday Night Live airs at 11 p.m. EST on NBC and streams live simultaneously on Peacock.

What Time Does iHeartRadio Jingle Ball LA Start?

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It’s not the holiday season until Mariah Carey resuscitates “All I Want For Christmas Is You” and the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball festivities begin. We’ve officially crossed both thresholds, as the 2023 iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour kicked off on Sunday, November 26, in Tampa, Florida, continued on Tuesday, November 28, in the Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas area, and will next hit Kia Forum in Los Angeles, California on Friday night, December 1.

Each city will have a slightly different variation of the headlining lineup, with iHeartRadio 102.7 KIIS FM’s Jingle Ball 2023’s bringing Olivia Rodrigo, Niall Horan, AJR, Sabrina Carpenter, Miguel, Doechii, Flo Rida, (G)I-DLE, and P1Harmony to LA.

What Time Does iHeartRadio Jingle Ball LA Start?

According to iHeart’s official announcement on September 29, iHeartRadio 102.7 KIIS FM’s Jingle Ball 2023 Presented By Capitol One is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. PST. Actually, every iHeartRadio Jingle Ball show will begin at 7:30 p.m. local time.

What Other Cities Will The 2023 iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour Visit?

The next show is scheduled for Monday, December 4, at Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois. That show will stage Nicki Minaj, Jelly Roll, Big Time Rush, Doechii, (G)I-DLE, and former Uproxx cover star Kaliii.

See the rest of the remaining schedule below, as relayed by iHeart.

Friday, December 8: iHeartRadio Z100’s Jingle Ball 2023 Presented by Capital One at Madison Square Garden in New York City featuring Olivia Rodrigo, SZA, OneRepublic, Sabrina Carpenter, Jelly Roll, Big Time Rush, Doechii, Pentatonix, David Kushner, and Melanie Martinez.

Sunday, December 10: iHeartRadio KISS 108’s Jingle Ball 2023 Presented by Capital One at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts featuring SZA, Sabrina Carpenter, OneRepublic, Flo Rida, David Kushner, Melanie Martinez, NCT DREAM, and (G)I-DLE.

Monday, December 11: iHeartRadio Hot 99.5’s Jingle Ball 2023 Presented by Capital One at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC featuring OneRepublic, Jelly Roll, Big Time Rush, Doechii, Flo Rida, Melanie Martinez, David Kushner, NCT DREAM, and (G)I-DLE.

Tuesday, December 12: iHeartRadio Q102’s Jingle Ball 2023 Presented by Capital One at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania featuring Usher, OneRepublic, Jelly Roll, Big Time Rush, Doechii, David Kushner, and (G)I-DLE.

Thursday, December 14: iHeartRadio Power 96.1’s Jingle Ball 2023 Presented by Capital One at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia featuring Nicki Minaj, Ice Spice, Sabrina Carpenter, Flo Rida, David Kushner, Kaliii, and NCT DREAM.

Saturday, December 16: iHeartRadio Y100’s Jingle Ball 2023 Presented by Capital One at Amerant Bank Arena, Ft. Lauderdale in Fort Lauderdale/Miami, Florida featuring Marshmello, AJR, Flo Rida, Ludacris, LANY, David Kushner, Kaliii, and Paul Russell.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

What Time Is The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony?

It’s music lovers’ favorite time of the year. I’m not referring to when the unofficial Queen of Christmas, Mariah Carey’s classic holiday tune, glares on the speakers of all public shopping centers around the country. Although that’s equally as exciting, I’m talking about the annual Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame ceremony. This year’s class includes heavy hitters Willie Nelson, Missy Elliott, Kate Bush, Rage Against The Machine, Sheryl Crow, the late George Michael, The Spinners, and more.

Today (November 3), the induction ceremony and star-studded performances are set to take place. So, what time is the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony? According to the organization’s official website, show time is 8 p.m. Eastern. For those who weren’t able to secure tickets for the historic celebration going down in person at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, they’re in luck.

The ceremony will be broadcast live on Disney+. Find more information here. If you can’t catch it in real-time, according to Billboard, a three-hour “edited broadcast of highlights will air on ABC” will play on January 1, 2024, beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern. But with Grammy Award-winning recording artist and producer Missy Elliott set to make history as the first woman rapper to be inducted (especially on the heels of the culture’s 50th anniversary), you might want to watch it live.

‘Billboard’ 200 This Week: Morgan Wallen, Rod Wave, And Olivia Rodrigo

The latest Billboard 200 albums chart (dated October 14) has arrived, so let’s run down what projects find themselves in the top 10 this week.

10. Peso Pluma — Génesis

Génesis peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 this summer, and as proof of the project’s staying power, it remains in the top 10 here in October.

9. Doja Cat — Scarlet

Scarlet has a major debut week, entering the chart at No. 2. It took a significant fall in its second frame, though, tumbling to No. 9.

8. Taylor Swift — Midnights

There’s no end to the frenzy surrounding Swift. It’s been just about a year since Midnights was released, and yet here it is, still solidly in the top 10 in 2023.

7. Travis Scott — Utopia

Utopia is still faring well on the charts, which should be a good indicator that Scott’s Circus Maximus tour will get off to a hot start with its first concert in just a couple days.

6. SZA — SOS

While a special deluxe edition of SOS appears to be on the way, the base project is doing just fine without an addendum as it maintains the No. 6 spot it also held last week.

5. Zach Bryan — Zach Bryan

Bryan came through with a surprise EP recently, but it’s his recently released self-titled album that’s dominating the charts, with the former No. 1 living at No. 5 this week.

4. Ed Sheeran — Autumn Variations

Sheeran has this week’s highest chart debut with his new album. It’s his seventh top-10 album on the Billboard 200, and in fact, all of his albums have debuted in the top 5.

3. Olivia Rodrigo — Guts

Guts had the silver medal last week, but when you’re talking about the Billboard 200 chart, bronze is still pretty great, which is where Rodrigo sits this week.

2. Rod Wave — Nostalgia

For its third week on the chart, Wave ceded the No. 1 spot but still managed to hang onto No. 1 with Nostalgia.

1. Morgan Wallen — One Thing At A Time

Wallen has been perhaps the single biggest artist of 2023 in terms of chart performance: One Thing At A Time is No. 1 this week (after placing at No. 3 last week) for a 16th total week on top.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Olivia Rodrigo And SZA Will Supply Holiday Cheer As Headliners Of iHeartRadio’s Jingle Ball 2023 Festival

The iHeart Radio Jingle Ball is known for good lineups, after having artists like Billie Eilish, Doja Cat, and BTS in the past. The touring festival makes stops through cities in Florida, Michigan, California, Texas, Georgia, and more states, but the most major event is the one in New York City, which is taking place on December 8 this year.

The lineup for the New York City event is nothing short of exciting. On the roster is Olivia Rodrigo, SZA, OneRepublic, Sabrina Carpenter, Jelly Roll, Big Time Rush, Doechii, Pentatonix, David Kushner, and Melanie Martinez.

Other dates have Ice Spice, Usher, Flo Rida, Lil Durk, Nicki Minaj, Marshmello, Niall Horan, Zara Larsson, and more. Find more information here.

Olivia Rodrigo and Sabrina Carpenter on the same lineup is sure to cause a stir in the fan base. Upon the 2021 release of Rodrigo’s famous hit “Drivers License,” rumors spread that the “blonde girl” mentioned in the song was actually Carpenter, who shared the same ex as her: Joshua Bassett. However, Rodrigo debunked the gossip: “I don’t really subscribe to hating other women because of boys. I think that’s so stupid, and I really resent that narrative that was being tossed around,” she said when asked about it.

Who Are The Presenters At The 2023 Grammys?

The 2023 Grammy Awards will take place this Sunday, February 5, in Los Angeles, California. Comedian Trevoh Noah will return as the ceremony’s host, many music lovers are curious about this year’s attendees. While superstar Adele ensures she will indeed be attending the event, other stars have kept their RSVP status a secret.

Well, given people that are on the fence about tuning into this year’s broadcast, the Recording Academy has released the first wave of featured presenters. The list includes multiple Grammy Award winners, Olivia Rodrigo, and Shania Twain. Despite being after to submit her smash single “WAP” for this year’s ceremony, Cardi B will also present at this year’s ceremony. Also, current Best Musical Theater Album nominee actor Billy Crystal will present.

Non-musical figures set to present during this year’s ceremony include First Lady Jill Biden, actor Dwayne Johnson, The Late Late Show host James Corden, and actress Viola Davis, who is nominated for Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording for her memoir, Finding Me.

If that isn’t enough, they’ve also shared a list of confirmed performers for the evening. Musicians Bad Bunny, Mary J. Blige, Brandi Carlile, Luke Combs, Steve Lacy, Lizzo, Kim Petras, and Sam Smith will take over the stage for a performance of one of their songs.

The 65th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony will be held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on February 5, 2023. The ceremony will be broadcasted live on the CBS Television Network and streamed live and on-demand on Paramount+.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.