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Elton John tops first-ever ‘Pollstar’ Artist Power Index; Adele, Ed, Taylor not even in top 20

February 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Elton John‘s recently relaunched Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour has put him on top of a new weekly chart: Pollstar‘s Artist Power Index.

The ranking combines concert ticket sales data with streaming, radio airplay and social media of the top 1,000 artists to determine which ones are truly the most popular. The concert ticket sales data is more heavily weighted, since it usually generates the most revenue.

Elton tops the first chart, because not only is his tour doing well on the road, but he also is ranked fairly high when it comes to airplay and streaming. The rest of the top 10 includes Elton’s former tour mate Billy Joel, plus Bryan Adams, country stars Luke Bryan, Kane Brown and Blake Shelton, and rappers DaBaby and Jack Harlow.

As for why super-popular, chart-topping pop stars like Justin Bieber, The Weekend, Ed Sheeran, Adele, Dua Lipa and Taylor Swift aren’t in the top 10 — or even the top 20 — it’s because their tours either haven’t started yet or they don’t have any live shows scheduled. Pollstar takes into account headline performances over the last 30 days, and an average of ticket sales over the past 36 months.

Pollstar says the new ranking truly reflects “fan passion, audience consumption, and consumer engagement.”

‘Power’ returns Sunday with ‘Book IV: Force’ on Starz

February 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

On Sunday, Starz debuts Power Book IV: Force, the third spin-off from executive producer Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson‘s Power universe.

The new show tracks the series’ Tommy Egan, played by Joseph Sikora, who relocates from New York City to Chicago, only to grapple with a criminal kingpin.

50 tells ABC Audio that the franchise had humble beginnings. “When I first got to Starz, we pitched this show…and they passed on it.” He explained he got a second chance, and this time produced all new music for the show, which clinched the deal.

“I was comparing the music that you would hear to Super Fly, Curtis Mayfield, because to me, that’s the best soundtrack,” Fiddy says. “I’m like, I want to make those magical moments…where there’s a merger between the film, cinematography and the actual music.”

Even after they got the green light, the first Power season was rough, Jackson recalls. “I was getting paid $17,000 per episode to be a producer, act on the show, and to be the marketing… I would have got paid more to go to a nightclub and wave,” he laughed.

Instead, Fiddy saw the meager salary that first season “like it was like an investment…to build what I want to build.”

Sikora says of the franchise’s longevity, “I’m really grateful to the fans, I mean, this was a real grassroots success story. And you know who predicted it was 50 Cent…I mean, he just has his finger on the pulse…”

A proud native Chicagoan, Sikora adds, “I’ve lived in New York…longer than Chicago now at this point. So it was a wonderful rediscovery…just like I was rediscovering the city, Tommy’s discovering the city. So art really was able to imitate life in a lot of ways.”

Doja Cat teams with Roku Channel to release longform live performances

February 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Fans of Doja Cat have a new reason to flock to the Roku Channel — the service is now the only place you can watch her brand-new live performance series before anyone else.

According to a press release, Doja will perform several singles off her Planet Her soundtrack, which includes “Ain’t S**,” “Need to Know” and “Love to Dream.” Called Doja Cat’s Live Performance series, the longform videos will double as an exclusive sneak peek and will only be available on the Roku Channel starting Saturday, February 5, to Sunday, February 6.

The partnership comes from Vevo, who is the flagship operator of the “Official Live Performances” series. The network will then host Doja’s videos starting Monday, February 7.

Robbie Robertson sells music catalog to new company Iconoclast, will serve as its creative adviser

February 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Robbie Robertson, the founding lead guitarist and main songwriter of The Band, joins the list of rock greats who have recently sold the rights to their music catalogs for big bucks.

Music Business Worldwide reports that Robertson’s music publishing, the rights to his name, image and likeness, and his recorded music interests to date have been acquired by the Los Angeles-based Iconoclast, a company launched by Olivier Chastan. Chastan is the former CEO of Eagles manager Irving Azoff‘s Iconic Artists Group.

Sources tell Variety that the deal had a $25 million price tag. According to Music Business Worldwide, the agreement doesn’t include the underlying publishing rights to The Band’s 1968 debut album, Music from Big Pink, which were owned by Bob Dylan, and passed to Universal when that company bought out Dylan’s catalog in 2020.

Among the classic songs Robertson composed for The Band are “The Weight,” “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” and “Up on Cripple Creek.” Robbie also has had a significant career as a solo artist and as a film score composer.

Chastan tells Music Business Worldwide that as part of the agreement, Robertson has joined Iconoclast’s board and will serve as a creative adviser with the company.

Robbie says in a statement, “Olivier’s deep appreciation for art and creativity infused with his vision for the future of entertainment convinced me that Iconoclast was the right partner to entrust with the legacy of The Band and my catalog.”

Chastan, meanwhile, explains that he’s been a fan of Robertson since he first first heard Music from Big Pink when he was 13 years old, adding, “His sophisticated and cinematic songs changed my life and have never left my musical universe.”

Jon Stewart defends Joe Rogan, and sidesteps Swifties landmine, in new podcast

February 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

In a new installment of his podcast The Problem with Jon Stewart, Jon weighed in on the controversy surrounding The Joe Rogan Podcast on Spotify.

Recently, artists including Neil Young and Joni Mitchell boycotted the platform, accusing Rogan of “spreading misinformation” about COVID-19.

Stewart took a different tack. “Don’t leave, don’t abandon, don’t censor. Engage,” he declared.

He also said Rogan has been the target of “overblown rhetoric,” adding, “I don’t see Rogan as an ideologue in any way.”

As evidence, Stewart mentioned an episode in which a guest corrected Rogan on-air regarding COVID-19, and Rogan admitted his mistake — something Stewart said Fox News host Tucker Carlson would never do.

Rogan’s podcast attracts some 11 million listeners an episode, which is obviously worth a lot to Spotify. Stewart snarked, “First of all, I love…Neil Young’s music, but to think it was worth $4 billion in value to Spotify caught me off guard.”

Spotify subsequently agreed to add disclaimers to controversial episodes of Rogan’s shows — to which Stewart commented, “I’m a ‘Cinnamon Girl’ as much as the next guy…but when he pulled his music off of Spotify, and Spotify [blinked], that doesn’t seem right.”

Stewart writer Chelsea Devantez added that if Taylor Swift had boycotted the streaming service, there’d be hell to pay. In response, Stewart joked, “She’s spread disinformation as well. She’s out there saying Jake Gyllenhaal isn’t a stand-up individual. And I will say this: I don’t think he even has the scarf!”

Knowing he might incur the wrath of Swifties for the joke, Stewart admitted Taylor fans — like those of BTS and other groups — can be rabid.

“I got less blowback from Israel/Palestine than I got from a One Direction joke I did,” he admitted.

Watch ABC’s ‘Soul of a Nation’ specials: ‘Screen Queens Rising’ and ‘X/onerated’

February 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Two specials from ABC’s Soul of a Nation are available to watch on Hulu now: Screen Queens Rising and X/onerated — The Murder of Malcolm X and 55 Years to Justice.

Screen Queens Rising focuses on the journey of Black actresses and how they’ve gone from powerless to power brokers in recent years. ABC News’ T.J. Holmes, who sat down with Halle Berry for the special, says he was surprised to hear that the Oscar-winning actress still struggles to earn respect from Hollywood.

“She calls herself a ‘heartbroken fighter,’ heartbroken that she is still the only [Black woman] to win Best Actress,” says Holmes. “She is having to fight every single day, not just for next generation, but also still for validation, for respect..and to hear her tell some of the stories in such a painful way was really kind of eye-opening. It’s a Halle Berry that I certainly had not seen before.”

Holmes says Berry may be a movie star, but her struggle is still relatable to all.

“You are going to hear stories in her voice and her pain that’s going to come through in that voice,” notes Holmes. “And you’re going to be able to relate to something in your own life, your own world, your own struggle, [and] go, ‘Wow! Halle Berry’s dealing with that crap, too?'”

X/onerated, profiles the two men who were falsely accused of Malcolm X‘s 1965 assassination — Muhammed Aziz and the late Khalil Islam — until they were finally exonerated in November of 2021.

ABC News’ Byron Pitts says of the profile, “One of the things that surprises me most about this particular story is this isn’t an example of sloppy police work. This is a story about FBI corruption.”

“The New York City Police Department higher-ups, the FBI…they knew who killed Malcolm X,” notes Pitts. “They knew that these two men were innocent, but yet they still allowed…these two innocent, good and decent men [to be] convicted and sent to prison.”

Kane Brown adds another leg to his Blessed & Free Tour, with new openers Walker Hayes & RaeLynn

February 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Kane Brown’s not ready to call it quits on his Blessed & Free Tour quite yet. The run, which was originally scheduled to wrap this month, will return this spring for eight more shows.

Kicking off May 7 with a stop in Chattanooga, the tour will take Kane across a number of stadiums and arenas. Kane’s got a new batch of opening acts, too. Chase Rice is staying on from the last leg of the tour, but new supporting acts Walker Hayes and RaeLynn have signed on to join the Blessed & Free Tour.

During the first leg of the tour, Jordan Davis was direct support for Kane, and Restless Road also joined the trek.

To be the first to pick up tickets for the spring dates on the Blessed & Free Tour, head over to Kane’s website now to register for the pre-sale.

Navarro, Hawkins & Chaney release debut NHC EP, ‘Intakes & Outtakes’

February 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Dave Navarro, Taylor Hawkins and Chris Chaney have released their debut EP as NHC.

The four-track collection, titled Intakes & Outtakes, includes two new songs — “One and the Same” and “I Could Be Somebody Else” — as well as covers of Pink Floyd‘s “Fearless” and “Something About You” by English jazz-funk outfit Level 42.

“I’m really proud of this collection of songs as they really showcase the range that we like to explore collectively,” says Navarro. His Jane’s Addiction band mate Chaney adds, “This is a great batch of songs that covers an amalgamation of our combined styles and influences.”

Hawkins says, “We had tons of fun as usual creating these little gems.”

“If you can’t see the connection between what we do, what Pink Floyd does, and what Level 42 did well then you’re just not getting it,” the Foo Fighters drummer shares.

NHC made their debut last fall with the songs “Feed the Cruel” and “Better Move On.” They later followed those tracks with two more original tunes, “Devil That You Know” and “Lazy Eyes.”

Olivia Rodrigo opens up about her music process: “I don’t actually think that I’m a great songwriter”

February 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Olivia Rodrigo wants to keep the momentum going after her debut album, SOUR, scored her seven Grammy nods.

Speaking with her the opening act of her SOUR Tour, Gracie Abrams, for Interview magazine, the 18-year-old artist laid out her plans for her upcoming body of work. “I’m trying to prioritize production more. I listen to music as if it’s spoken-word poetry. I’m a lyric-driven songwriter, so it’s been a learning process to focus on other things,” she dished. “Collaborating really broadens my horizons to other important things about music.”

Olivia declined to say if such collaborations include other artists, but did candidly reveal, “I don’t actually think that I’m a great songwriter.” The Grammy nominee clarified, “I’m just a really prolific songwriter, and I write so much that some of them just have to be good. Like statistically, some of them have to work.”

She also revealed that listening to Lorde’s debut, Pure Heroine, is “when I first remember wanting to be a songwriter.”

With the SOUR Tour, Olivia confessed that she’s feeling antsy about several things, but it doesn’t appear to be about performing in front of sold-out crowds.

“I’m very nervous. I’ve never done anything like this before,” she admitted, noting she is more concerned about where she’ll sleep. Olivia added she intends to only sleep on her tour bus and nowhere else because, “I am the most paranoid person in the whole world. I get freaked out about staying at hotels. I’m not a germaphobe, but anytime I get in a hotel I worry that I’m gonna get some weird disease or something.”

Added Olivia, “I have the weirdest paranoias.”

Listen to Dave Grohl drum on new Liam Gallagher song, “Everything’s Electric”

February 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Introducing: FoOasis.

Dave Grohl guests on a new Liam Gallagher solo track, “Everything’s Electric.” The Foo Fighters frontman also co-wrote the song, which is set to appear on the ex-Oasis vocalist’s upcoming album, C’mon You Know.

It’s probably no surprise that Grohl is Team Liam, since Foo drummer Taylor Hawkins previously labeled Noel Gallagher a “jerk” after the High Flying Birds leader suggested starting a petition to “get the Foo Fighters to split up.

You can download “Everything’s Electric” now via digital outlets. Liam is set to give the song its live debut at the 2022 Brit Awards, taking place February 8.

C’mon You Know, Liam’s third solo effort, arrives May 27.

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