Nas and Lil Nas X perform at the 2020 GRAMMYs

Nas and Lil Nas X perform at the 2020 GRAMMYs

Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

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Watch: Lil Nas X Releases New Music Video For "Rodeo" Featuring Nas

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The GRAMMY-winning artist is an indestructible, dancing vampire in new neon-lit visual
John Ochoa
GRAMMYs
Feb 6, 2020 - 10:06 am

Following a massive night at the 62nd GRAMMY Awards last month, two-time GRAMMY winner Lil Nas X today (Feb. 6) released a brand-new music video for his track "Rodeo," featuring rap legend Nas. Watch the neon-lit visual below. 

In the clip, co-written by Lil Nas X himself and directed by Bradley & Pablo, the "Old Town Road" singer morphs into a night-crawling, dancing vampire after he's bitten by a blood-sucking creature. After joining a crew of stylish vampires, he meets up with Nas, who's decked out in full Morpheus garb from The Matrix franchise. (Will Lil Nas X take the red pill or the blue pill?)

Read: Meet Rosalía, Lil Nas X, Billie Eilish & More GRAMMY 2020 Winners Backstage 

"Rodeo" is a featured track off Lil Nas X's 2019 debut EP, 7. The original version of the track featured GRAMMY winner Cardi B. Lil Nas X then released a remix version of the song with Nas one day after the two of them debuted the track together at the 2020 GRAMMYs in what became one of the most unforgettable moments of the night. 

In his groundbreaking GRAMMYs performance, Lil Nas X enlisted an all-star crew of collaborators, including BTS, Billy Ray Cyrus, Diplo, Mason Ramsey and, of course, Nas. The stage, a revolving multiverse of sets, props and dynamic design, was as much of a spectacle as the performance itself. 

Watch: Lil Nas X One-On-One Interview | 2020 GRAMMYs

"I presented a few performance ideas to Lil Nas, and he liked the diorama room concept, which was the most theatrical and unique," Jed Skrzypczak, a stage designer who co-created Lil Nas X's GRAMMY stage, told the Recording Academy last month. "The challenge was creating multiple distinct spaces onstage, while taking both live and broadcast audiences on a journey through them. We then came up with the idea of using a rotating set, which ended up working perfectly."   

In addition to his breakout performance, Lil Nas X took home two golden gramophones at the 2020 GRAMMYs including Best Music Video and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for his 2018 viral hit, "Old Town Road." 

2020 GRAMMY Awards: Complete Winners List

Meek Mill - 2020 GRAMMYs

Meek Mill performs at the 62nd GRAMMY Awards in 2020

Photo: John Shearer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

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Meek Mill And Justin Timberlake Deliver Uplifting Message, Honor Nipsey Hussle In Powerful "Believe" Music Video

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The bittersweet video follows the Philadelphia rapper's tribute to Nipsey Hussle at the 2020 GRAMMYs
John Ochoa
GRAMMYs
Feb 8, 2020 - 8:51 am

Following his touching tribute to late rapper Nipsey Hussle at the 62nd GRAMMY Awards last month, GRAMMY-nominated rapper Meek Mill has released a music video for his new track "Believe," featuring 10-time GRAMMY winner Justin Timberlake. Watch the inspiring visual below.

The bittersweet video, which follows a family experiencing separation due to the imprisonment of the father character, unfolds like a cinematic drama, juxtaposing powerful images of substance abuse and prison life with shots of recovery and redemption. 

The track itself is an uplifting anthem featuring moving lyrics from Meek Mill, who offers sharp cultural criticism on heavy topics like drug addiction and prison reform. In his opening verse, he spits, "Follow your dreams, not your addictions / How we gon' follow our dreams locked in a prison? /They tried to swallow me whole, God be my witness / Deprive me out of my dreams, but I'm relentless." 

Read: Jay-Z & Meek Mill Team Up For New Dream Chasers Records

The track and video allude to Meek Mill's own experience in prison, following a two-year prison sentence he served after violating his parole in 2017, an episode he chronicled in his 2018 album, Championships, which was recently nominated for Best Rap Album, marking the rapper's first-ever GRAMMY nomination. 

The video also pays tribute to Nipsey Hussle, who was fatally shot outside of his clothing store in Los Angeles last March. In the clip, Meek Mill flashes a necklace carrying a photo of the slain rapper. 

Remembering Nipsey Hussle

The new "Believe" music video follows Meek Mill's participation in an affecting tribute to Nipsey Hussle at the 2020 GRAMMYs this past January, in which he performed onstage alongside DJ Khaled, John Legend, Kirk Franklin, Roddy Ricch and YG. Nipsey Hussle won two posthumous GRAMMYs that same night, including Best Rap Performance for "Racks In The Middle," featuring Roddy Ricch and Hit-Boy, and Best Rap/Sung Performance for his performance on "Higher," from DJ Khaled featuring John Legend.

Universal Hip Hop Museum Gets $3.75 Million Grant From New York State

The Wiltern in Los Angeles

The Wiltern in Los Angeles

Photo Courtesy of Live Nation

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Live Nation Looking To Convert More Than 100 Venues Into Polling Places

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The plan is part of Live Nation's newly announced, wide-spanning initiative aimed at increasing civic engagement and supporting voting access in the upcoming 2020 elections
John Ochoa
GRAMMYs
Sep 16, 2020 - 10:38 am

Live Nation, the world's largest concert promoter, has announced a voting and civic engagement initiative that's aiming to convert more than 100 of the entertainment company's nationwide venues into polling places, a company representative unveiled Wednesday (Sept. 16). 

The global entertainment company is currently working with local officials across the U.S. "to examine the feasibility" of using the Live-Nation-owned venues as polling places, a press release notes. 

Currently, the company has confirmed four of its properties as polling sites in their respective jurisdictions: The Wiltern and Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, Emo's in Austin and The Buckhead Theatre in Atlanta. Philadelphia's The Fillmore is in the "final stages of the vetting process," according to the press release. 

Read: Capturing Los Angeles' COVID-Closed Venues

The plan is part of Live Nation's newly announced, wide-spanning initiative aimed at increasing civic engagement and supporting voting access in the upcoming 2020 elections. The initiative also includes benefits for Live Nation employees, including paid time off to vote on Election Day. 

The company, in partnership with poll worker recruitment initiative Power The Polls, is also providing active employees with a full day of paid time off to serve at the polls in an effort to address the national shortage of poll workers caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

To support the wider initiative, Live Nation is partnering with multiple organizations, including: More Than A Vote, a coalition of Black athletes and artists "combating systemic, racist voter suppression," according to the nonprofit's Facebook page; Civic Alliance, "a non-partisan group of businesses working together to build a future where everyone participates in shaping our country," according to the organization's website; and HeadCount, a "non-partisan organization that uses the power of music to register voters and promote participation in democracy," according to its website. 

"Core to what we do at Live Nation is helping amplify voices on stage around the world, and supporting voting is another important way we want to continue making voices heard," Live Nation President and CEO Michael Rapino said in a statement. "We're honored to work with such incredible partners and will do everything in our power to support and empower voter engagement among our employees and the public."

Soul Clap Wants You To Rave The Vote This 2020 Election

Nick Demangone of Exeter Township sanitizes his hands before browsing records for sale at Vertigo Music in West Reading

Photo: MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images / Contributor

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RIAA 2020 Mid-Year Report: Recorded-Music Revenues In The U.S. Grew More Than 5 Percent During The First Half Of 2020 Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

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A new study from the RIAA shows that revenues from recorded music in the U.S. grew to $5.7 billion in the first half of the year, a boost largely driven by strong streaming numbers.
John Ochoa
GRAMMYs
Sep 10, 2020 - 11:55 am

A new mid-year report from The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) shows that revenues from recorded music in the U.S. grew to $5.7 billion, up from $5.4 billion as Billboard reports, in the first half of 2020; the change marks an increase of 5.6 percent.

Paid streaming subscriptions, which increased by 24 percent to more than 72 million on average, a growth of 14 percent in the first half of 2020 when compared to the first half of 2019, largely drove the aforementioned revenue growth.

Streaming music revenues—returns from subscription services like paid versions of Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon and others; digital and customized radio services, including revenues distributed by SoundExchange like Pandora, SiriusXM and other internet radio; and ad-supported on-demand streaming services like YouTube, Vevo, and ad-supported Spotify—grew 12 percent to $4.8 billion in the first half of 2020. 

Paid subscription revenues grew 14 percent to $3.8 billion, and further increased their share as the largest contributor, accounting for 67 percent of total revenues in the first half of 2020, according to the RIAA report. 

Digital downloads, a market that continues to shrink in the streaming age, fell from 8 percent to 6 percent for the category's share of total revenues in the first half of 2020. 

As the COVID-19 pandemic continued to wreak havoc on the U.S. and international music business as well as the global advertising markets, "growth in ad-supported streaming revenues slowed dramatically," the RIAA writes.

As well, revenues from physical products decreased by 23 percent year-over-year to $376 million in the first half 2020, Variety reports. The RIAA report indicates a "significant impact from music retail and venue shutdown measures around COVID-19, as Q1 2020 declines were significantly less than Q2 compared with their respective periods the year prior." 

Revenues from vinyl albums increased in this year's first quarter, but later decreased in the second quarter, resulting in a net overall increase of 4 percent for the first half of 2020, the report reports. Vinyl album revenues, which reached $232 million, accounted for 62 percent of total physical revenues, marking the first time vinyl exceeded physical CDs for such a period since the '80s, as well as 4 percent of total recorded-music revenues.

Read the RIAA's 2020 mid-year report in full.

RIAA Report: Latin Music Is Growing Faster Than The Overall U.S. Music Market

GRAMMYs

Photo: Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images

 
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The Recording Academy Establishes Black Music Collective

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The newly launched collective comprises a group of prominent Black music creators and professionals who share the common goal of amplifying Black voices within the Recording Academy and the wider music community
Recording Academy
Sep 3, 2020 - 6:30 am

The Recording Academy has today (Sept. 3) announced the creation of its Black Music Collective (BMC), a group of prominent Black music creators and professionals who share the common goal of amplifying Black voices within the Academy and the wider music community.

As part of the Recording Academy's commitment to evolving hand-in-hand with its membership, BMC will serve as a space for members to speak openly about new and emerging opportunities in Black music across all genres and identify ways to drive more representation.

The launch of BMC follows the Recording Academy's recent partnership with Color Of Change, the nation's largest online racial justice organization, in July, which set forth to create a Black music advisory group. The BMC fulfills this promise and is bringing together creators and business leaders to create a pipeline of future industry trailblazers. Leaders will meet regularly and initiate programs that will encourage participation and accelerate Black membership in the Recording Academy.

Jeffrey Harleston, Jimmy Jam, Quincy Jones, Debra Lee, John Legend, and Sylvia Rhone will serve as honorary chairs of the BMC. A distinguished leadership committee will be confirmed in the coming weeks and will work in sync with the honorary chairs to propel the collective's mission. Recording Academy Trustee Riggs Morales and Washington, D.C., Chapter Executive Director Jeriel Johnson will lead the initiative internally. 

"The Black Music Collective is necessary to help drive the Recording Academy into a new era. Creating an open space for Black music creators can only benefit our membership as a whole," Harvey Mason jr., Chair and Interim President/CEO of the Recording Academy, said. "Through the past few months, I've been personally invested in propelling this collective along with Chapter leadership within the Academy. Together, we will elevate Black music creators within our organization and the industry at large." 

"As Black music continues to drive culture, it is essential we grow and maintain representation within the Academy and the music industry," Valeisha Butterfield Jones, Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer of the Recording Academy, said. "We're thrilled to help develop the leaders of tomorrow with impactful educational and experiential programs that we will announce in coming weeks."

In March 2018, the Recording Academy established a third-party task force to examine issues of diversity and inclusion within the Academy and the broader music community. The Academy has since taken action on the Task Force's initial assessment and recommendations and has made additional strides to facilitate a culture of belonging while recognizing the need to focus on underrepresented communities. Recent initiatives include the hiring of a Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, a $1 million donation to Color Of Change, alignment with #TheShowMustBePaused movement created by Jamila Thomas (Atlantic Records) and Brianna Agyemang (Platoon), and the development of an industry Inclusion Rider and Toolkit to be released later this year.

Stay up to date on the Recording Academy's progress, future announcements and recent initiatives on diversity and inclusion.

Recording Academy Invites & Celebrates Its 2020 New Member Class

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