TAYLOR SWIFT

Here Are All The Music Fan Bases That Hate Ticketmaster Right Now

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Ticketmaster is not having the most pleasant run this holiday season. While they’ve very publically endured the wrath of the Swifties, who have filed two lawsuits since the disastrous pre-sale for Taylor Swift’s Eras tour, several other fanbases have jumped on the “Ticketmaster is cancelled” train.

Earlier this month, Bad Bunny fans in Mexico were distraught to find that Ticketmaster had allegedly sold them fake tickets through their official sales outlets, resulting in them being turned away at the entry point.

The sales for Death Grips’ upcoming tour, their first in four years, were also handled by Ticketmaster. But like the presale for Swift’s upcoming tour, several fans alleged that many of the Death Grips presale tickets went to bots and resalers.

Tickets for Bruce Springsteen And The E-Street Band’s were going for over $5,000 in some cities. While Springsteen defended the prices, he promised fans who weren’t satisfied on the way out of the tour that they could have their money back.

Some of the issues fans have been having with Ticketmaster date back to last year, when Olivia Rodrigo fans were unable to purchase tickets for her Sour tour due to technical difficulties.

But these recurring issues have fans nervous going forward. Recently, tickets for SZA’s SOS tour with Omar Apollo proved to be rather pricey. And although Beyoncé has yet to formally announce her Renaissance tour, the prices for SZA tickets prompted fans to start saving, so they can be ready for when Bey finally does make the announcement.

As a late Christmas gift, country singer Zach Bryan decided to give the gift of live music to his fans, so they wouldn’t have to pay Ticketmaster prices. The album is appropriately titled, All My Homies Hate Ticketmaster.

Some of the artists mentioned are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

It’s Out With The New And In With The Old As Vinyl Just Had One Of Its Best-Selling Weeks Since 1991

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After nearly two years in a gridlocked pandemic, this year in music was all about paying homage to nostalgic acts. Pop icon Britney Spears made her triumphant return to music, as did Backstreet Boys. While rock band Blink-182 plans to make their return next year, No Doubt plans to do the same. Musicians weren’t the only ones feeling the throwback energy in the air. According to Billboard, consumers of music felt the same opting for vinyl album purchases in mass this year.

Data and insight company, Luminate, revealed that last week (ending on December 15) was the third-largest week for vinyl sales since 1991 — well that’s when the company began tracking the metrics. Of the albums released on vinyl this year, the company reported, A Charlie Brown Christmas, sold a total of 469,000 pieces of vinyl. Overall, this year’s official vinyl album sales total $39.659 million dollars (or 1.521 million units), a 3.5% increase since last year.

This is quite normal for the 1965 animated TV special, as the document outlines, A Charlie Brown Christmas is consistently among the top-selling holiday album on vinyl annually domestically. Other albums at the top album sales chart include Taylor Swift’s Midnights which currently sits at No. 1 for the eighth consecutive week (a record previously held by Adele’s 30) and Zach Bryan’s American Heartbreak at No. 4.

But not all old music technology is being embraced. CD albums sale fell for the second consecutive year. The data should CD album sales only accounted for $33.822 million, which is down 11.3% compared to a year ago.

Rihanna, The Weeknd, And Taylor Swift Were All Included In The Oscars’ Shortlist For Best Original Song

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The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has released its shortlists for a bunch of categories — an annual tradition — and the category for Best Original Song features some familiar names including Drake, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, and The Weeknd. Remember, these aren’t the official nominees, just the field that Academy voters will narrow down to make up the five-option field ahead of the actual awards voting.

Among the shortlisted songs are a number of the signature singles from some of the year’s biggest franchise sequels, including Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Avatar 2: The Way Of Water, and Top Gun: Maverick. According to Billboard, 81 songs were eligible in this category, with 15 making the shortlist. That number will be whittled own to five official nominees. The 15 shortlisted songs are:

“Time” — By Drake, Giveon Evans, Jahaan Akil Sweet, Daniel Pemberton

From Amsterdam, 20th Century Studios

“Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength)” — By The Weeknd, Steve Angello Josefsson, Sebastian Ingrosso, Axel Hedfords, Simon Franglen

From Avatar: The Way of Water, 20th Century Studios

“Lift Me Up” — By Ryan Coogler, Ludwig Göransson, Rhianna, Tems

From Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Marvel Studios

“This Is a Life” — By David Byrne, Ryan Lott, Mitski

From Everything Everywhere All at Once, A24

“Ciao Papa” — By Alexandre Desplat, Roeban Katz, Guillermo del Toro

From Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, Netflix

“Til You’re Home” — By Rita Wilson

From A Man Called Otto, Sony Pictures

“Naatu Naatu” — By Kala Bhairava, M. M. Keeravani, Rahul Sipligunj

From RRR, Variance Films

“My Mind & Me” — By Amy Allen, Jonathan Bellion, Selena Gomez, Jordan K Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Michael Pollack

From Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me, Apple Original Films

“Good Afternoon” — By Benj Pasek, Justin Paul

From Spirited, Apple Originals

“Applause” — By Diane Warren

From Tell It Like a Woman, Samuel Goldwyn Films

“Stand Up” — By Dernst “D’Mile” Emile II, Jazmine Sullivan

From Till, Orion/United Artists Releasing

“Hold My Hand” — By BloodPop (Michael Tucker), Lady Gaga

From Top Gun: Maverick, Paramount Pictures

“Dust & Ash” — By J. Ralph

From The Voice of Dust and Ash, Matilda Productions

“Carolina” — By Taylor Swift

From Where the Crawdads Sing, Sony Pictures

“New Body Rhumba” — By Pat Mahoney, James Murphy, Nancy Whang

From White Noise, Netflix

Scorned Swifties Sue Ticketmaster After Taylor Swift Ticket Purchase Fiasco

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Taylor Swift's 'Reputation' Tour Sales Are Reportedly Sinking

Following the disastrous ticket sale for Taylor Swift’s Eras tour last month, a group of the singer’s fans has now sued Live Nation, the parent company of Ticketmaster, accusing the company of fraud, anti-competitive conduct, and other transgressions.

The complaint, filed in a Los Angeles county court, accuses Ticketmaster of running an illegal monopoly that dominates the ticket sale market, squashes competitors, and has no motivation to charge reasonable fees or provide competent ticketing services because it has a stranglehold on the market. 

The complaint further charges Ticketmaster with intentionally misleading customers by claiming that only those fans with presale codes would be permitted to purchase tickets, but then allowing bots and scalpers to overwhelm its platform and squeeze legitimate presale purchasers out, with the result that millions of purchasers without presale codes were allowed to purchase tickets.  Specifically, the complaint accuses Ticketmaster of encouraging this result because it also controls the resale market, so it receives additional fees every time a scalper sells a ticket on the resale market.

Ticketmaster has blamed “bot attacks” and “unprecedented traffic” on its sales platform, but has not acknowledged the central role that its actions have played in this debacle and similar situations that seem to occur frequently when tickets go on sale for a popular artist. 

Regardless of how this lawsuit turns out, this incident will likely continue to stir consumer outrage and anger over Ticketmaster’s business practices.  As Lina Khan, the chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, was quoted as saying, the Taylor Swift ticketing fiasco has “ended up converting more Gen Zers into anti-monopolists overnight than anything I could have done.”

The post Scorned Swifties Sue Ticketmaster After Taylor Swift Ticket Purchase Fiasco appeared first on The Source.

Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, And Others Represent The Music World With Their 2023 Golden Globes Nominations

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Rihanna ended her six-year music hiatus in late October with the powerful ballad “Lift Me Up” for the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack — and tacked on “Born Again” for good measure. Taylor Swift clocked the biggest first-week tallies since 2015 and monopolized the top 10 of Billboard‘s Hot 100 with Midnights. Lady Gaga won another Grammy with Tony Bennett and set out on her Chromatica Ball tour. And now, the powers that be at the 2023 Golden Globes are supposed to choose between them.

The Best Original Song, Motion Picture category is stacked: “Carolina” by Taylor Swift for Where The Crawdads Sing; “Ciao Papa” by Roeben Katz and Guillermo del Toro for Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio; “Hold My Hand” by Lady Gaga and BloodPop for Top Gun: Maverick; “Lift Me Up” by Rihanna, Ryan Coogler, Ludwig Göransson, and Tems for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever; and “Naatu Naatu” by Kala Bhairava, M. M. Keeravani, and Rahul Sipligunj for RRR.

Elsewhere in the nomination field, Selena Gomez is up for Best Actress In A TV Series, Musical Or Comedy for her role in Hulu’s Only Murders In The Building, co-starring alongside Martin Short and Steve Martin for two seasons with a third on the way. The category is rounded out by Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary), Kaley Cuoco (The Flight Attendant), Jenna Ortega (Wednesday), and Jean Smart (Hacks).

The films that make up the Best Original Score category are Babylon, The Banshees Of Inisherin, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, The Fabelmans, and Women Talking.

Other loosely music-related nominations of note are Donald Glover’s (sometimes known as Childish Gambino) for Best Actor In A Television Series, Musical Or Comedy; Austin Butler for Best Performance By An Actor In A Motion Picture, Drama for his portrayal in Elvis; and four nods for Pam & Tommy, Hulu’s limited series revisiting everything surrounding the 1995 sex tape made by Pamela Anderson and Mötley Crüe’s Tommy Lee.

The 2023 Golden Globes are scheduled for January 10, 2023 and will broadcast live on NBC with Jerrod Carmichael hosting.

‘Forbes’ Names Rihanna, Taylor Swift, And Beyoncé The Most Powerful Women In Music For 2022

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From the hijab protest in Iran to the overturning of Roe v. Wade here in the United States, this year has been a challenging year for so many minority groups around the world but especially women. Serving as a beacon of hope, Forbes‘ annual The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women list could not have come at a better time.

In the number-one slot is European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen. As this year was a widely political year, that comes as no surprise, however, the list starts to get interesting once musicians are introduced. This year’s highest-ranked musician is “Lift Me Up” singer Rihanna at number 73.

Before making her musical return by way of the Wakanda Forever Soundtrack, the entrepreneur kept herself busy with her company Savage X Fenty’s line expansion and annual fashion show. This year also marked a few firsts for her. Rihanna celebrated her first National Heroes Day as an honoree in her home country of Barbados, in addition to becoming a first-time mother. Now, Rihanna is planning her true return to music space in the biggest way possible, with a performance at the Superbowl Halftime show.

The second highest-ranked musician was Taylor Swift in the number 79 spot. The “Anti-Hero” singer flexed her impact with an impressive run on Billboard‘s Hot 100 charts and a site-crashing tour general ticket sale.

“Break My Soul” singer Beyoncé is the last musician to make the cut coming in at number 80. With a monumental return to music, Beyoncé’s seventh studio album, Renaissance, broke a plethora of records at the upcoming Grammy Awards. Although Beyoncé is currently tied with her husband, Jay-Z, as the most-nominated artist of all time, she only needs four wins to become the highest-awarded artist by the Recording Academy of all time.

Other media and entertainment professionals that made the list include Oprah Winfrey, at number 24, the chairwoman of Disney General Entertainment Content, Dana Walden, at number 41, the Head of Amazon Studios, Jennifer Salke, at number 58, chairwoman of Universal Pictures Donna Langley at number 61, FOX News CEO Suzanne Scott at number 65, actress Reese Witherspoon at number 86, television producer Shonda Rhimes at number 93, and Nigerian media mogul Mo Abudu at number 99.

To view the complete list, click here.

Music’s Biggest 2022 People’s Choice Awards Winners Include Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, Lizzo, And BTS

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The People’s Choice Awards went down yesterday (December 6) at the Barker Hanger in Santa Monica, and the evening’s winner should come as no surprise. Hosted by comedian Kenan Thompson, the biggest winner at this year’s annual fan-voted ceremony was singer Taylor Swift.

Despite being notably absent, the “Anti-Hero” singer claimed a whooping three awards, including the Female Artist Of 2022, the Music Video OF 2022, and the Album Of 2022, thanks to her devoted Swifties.

“About Damn Time” singer Lizzo won for Song Of The Year and was honored with the People’s Champion award. K-pop icons BTS won both the Group Of 2022 and the Concert Tour Of 2022. “Big Energy” rapper Latto won Best New Artist of 2022. Shockingly, Becky G beat out Bad Bunny for Latin Artist Of 2022. In contrast, Selena Gomez won the Comedy TV Star Of 2022 award (for her role in Hulu’s Only Murders In The Building) and the Social Celebrity Of 2022.

The evening also featured an exceptional performance by country legend Shania Twain, who was honored with the Music Icon Award. Twain, sporting a fierce hot pink bodysuit with contrasting bubblegum pink hair, sang a medley of her greatest hits. During the set, Twain gave a nod to actor Ryan Reynolds (honored with The People’s Icon Award) as she swapped out Brad Pitt’s name for his as she sang “That Don’t Impress Me Much.”

To re-watch the 2022 People’s Choice Awards, click here.

View the complete list of music category winners below.

The Male Artist Of 2022
Harry Styles (winner)
Bad Bunny
Charlie Puth
Drake
Jack Harlow
Kendrick Lamar
Luke Combs
The Weeknd

The Female Artist of 2022
Taylor Swift (winner)
Beyoncé
Camila Cabello
Doja Cat
Lady Gaga
Lizzo
Megan Thee Stallion
Nicki Minaj

The Group Of 2022
BTS (winner)
5 Seconds of Summer
Blackpink
Coldplay
Imagine Dragons
Måneskin
OneRepublic
Panic! At The Disco

The Song Of 2022
“About Damn Time” – Lizzo (winner)
“As It Was” – Harry Styles
“Break My Soul” – Beyoncé
“First Class” – Jack Harlow
“Hold My Hand” – Lady Gaga
“Me Porto Bonito” – Bad Bunny and Chencho Corleone
“Super Freaky Girl” – Nicki Minaj
“Wait For U” – Future Featuring Drake and Tems

The Album Of 2022
Midnights – Taylor Swift (winner)
Dawn FM – The Weeknd
Growin’ Up – Luke Combs
Harry’s House – Harry Styles
Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers – Kendrick Lamar
Renaissance – Beyoncé
Special – Lizzo
Un Verano Sin Ti – Bad Bunny

The Country Artist Of 2022
Carrie Underwood (winner)
Kane Brown
Kelsea Ballerini
Luke Combs
Maren Morris
Miranda Lambert
Morgan Wallen
Thomas Rhett

The Latin Artist Of 2022
Becky G (winner)
Anitta
Bad Bunny
Shakira
Karol G
Rauw Alejandro
Rosalía
Sebastián Yatra

The New Artist Of 2022
Latto (winner)
Chlöe
Dove Cameron
Gayle
Lauren Spencer-Smith
Muni Long
Saucy Santana
Steve Lacy

The Music Video Of 2022
“Anti-Hero” – Taylor Swift (winner)
“As It Was” – Harry Styles
“Left And Right” Feat. Jung Kook of BTS – Charlie Puth
“Let Somebody Go” – Coldplay and Selena Gomez
“Oh My God” – Adele
“Pink Venom” – Blackpink
“Provenza” – Karol G
“Yet to Come (The Most Beautiful Moment) Official” – BTS

The Collaboration Song of 2022
“Left And Right” Feat. Jung Kook of BTS – Charlie Puth (winner)
“Bam Bam” – Camila Cabello Featuring Ed Sheeran
“Do We Have a Problem?” – Nicki Minaj X Lil Baby
“Freaky Deaky” – Tyga X Doja Cat
“Hold Me Closer” – Elton John & Britney Spears
“Jimmy Cooks” – Drake Featuring 21 Savage
“Party” – Bad Bunny & Rauw Alejandro
“Sweetest Pie” – Megan Thee Stallion & Dua Lipa

The Concert Tour of 2022
BTS — Permission To Dance On Stage (winner)
Bad Bunny — World’s Hottest Tour
Billie Eilish — Happier Than Ever, The World Tour
Dua Lipa — Future Nostalgia Tour
Ed Sheeran — Mathematics Tour
Harry Styles — Love on Tour
Lady Gaga — The Chromatica Ball
Luke Combs — The Middle of Somewhere Tour

The Social Celebrity Of 2022
Selena Gomez (winner)
Bad Bunny
Charlie Puth
Doja Cat
Lil Nas X
Lizzo
Reese Witherspoon
Snoop Dogg

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

Do Taylor Swift And Drake Have A Song On The Way?

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In a move that can only now be described as “Swift-ian,” Taylor Swift has been re-recording her first six albums. Her shrewd attempt to maneuver around the fact that Justin Bieber’s manager, Scooter Braun, bought all of her masters (without Swift’s knowledge) and then sold them to the highest bidders, has yielded two (Taylor’s Version) editions of albums in Red and Fearless. Now as Swift is getting to work on the Reputation (Taylor’s Version) recording, she has allegedly released a collaboration track with Drake and it’s especially juicy.

Do Taylor Swift And Drake Have A Song On The Way?

But Drake and Taylor Swift recording a song together? Could this be true? According to The Sun, Swift has dug into her vault of recordings as she prepares to release Reputation (Taylor’s Version) next year, following the release of Midnight this October 21st. One of the track’s from the vault, is reportedly a collaboration with Drake that was left off of Reputation, as Swift didn’t want to fuel the fire of her beef at the time with Kanye West and Kim Kardashian — following Kanye’s “I made that b*tch fmous” lyric. Drake and Kanye had a notoriously tepid relationship as well and this factored into the decision to hold off back then. But this new song could be on the way as The Sun quotes a “music insider” with direct knowledge of the situation:

“Taylor has pivoted her focus to re-recording Reputation and she has come across this song she made with Drake, which never saw the light of day. She knows that everyone is going to think it is about Kimye because it was her row with them which inspired a lot of Reputation. But this one is far more direct than the other songs, which was why they didn’t decide to release it in the first place. It’s no secret that both Taylor and Drake have had tumultuous relationships with Kanye, so they didn’t hold back when it came to recording. Obviously she is totally over the whole thing now but this is one which fans will want to hear.”

Time will tell if a collaboration song from Drake and Taylor Swift ever comes to fruition, but this seems like a pretty juicy one if it does drop.