March 17, 2017 Page 1 of 16

At least 12 artists hoping to perform at the 2017 edi-tion of the South by Southwest music conference in Austin have been denied entry to the United States, prompting confusion over whether musicians and performers, in general, will have trouble entering the country on a tourist visa or a visa waiver, as many had done in the past.

As President Trump and the White House tighten existing immigration laws, many wonder if border agents are interpreting the president’s recent executive orders as a call for greater scrutiny of visa holders.

Belgian rapper Coely is the latest to face visa problems after being blocked from boarding her Austin-bound plane at the Copenhagen airport Tuesday. She took to her Facebook page to announce she would not be releasing her new album at SXSW, writing, “Sadly enough it was all for nothing and I won’t be making it to the States.” Coely was also scheduled to perform at a number of promotional showcases — including the Oy Vey event organized by rapper Kosha Dillz, who tells Billboard that, in Coely’s absence, Libyan artist KayEm and Jewish accordion player Josh Kantor will join him onstage.

“I am happy to keep the art of music alive sans the politics in pure Oy Vey fashion,” says Dillz. “And I can’t wait to go see Coely live, so I’ll have to fly to Europe and catch a show there.”

Chilean band Trementina, Spanish rapper Yung Beef and Danish EDM artist Eloq were also denied entry into the country after attempting to enter the U.S. through ESTA as part of the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers informed the artists that the waiver program does not legally allow artists to perform at showcase events like SXSW and other non-paid gigs.

“There has been a bloom in ESTA revocations starting a few months ago. We assume that is not directly related to SXSW, because, if that were the case, we would have seen a lot more revocations, and, as it stands, only a handful have been revoked and the vast majority have not,” SXSW immigration counsel Jonathan Ginsburg tells Billboard. “The fact that there are more revocations is an indication that something is going on,” but Ginsburg said he doesn’t have enough data yet to draw any conclusions.

INSIDE Was a SXSW Travel Visa Crackdown Inevitable Under President Trump?BY DAVE BROOKS

Live Nation Takes Majority Stake in Isle of Wight Festival

Birdman on Rick Ross, Others’ Claims of Missing Cash Money Payments: ‘Numbers Don’t Lie’

Why Ed Sheeran’s ‘Shape of You’ Is One of the Most Dominant Hot 100 No. 1 Hits of the Last 25 Years

Drake’s ‘More Life’ Project Will Not Be an Apple Music Exclusive: Report

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[In Brief]The visa and waiver problems didn’t

come as a surprise to attorney Brian Goldstein, who warned about heightened scrutiny at the border in a widely read blog post earlier this month. Goldstein’s firm GG Art Law specializes in immigration issues for the entertainment industry and has seen a spike in visa issues for touring musicians.

“The CBP are enforcing laws that have always been on the books,” Goldstein tells Billboard. Many of the classical artists Goldstein represents have seen an increase in entry denials over B-1 visa issues, and Goldstein has been critical of SXSW officials for not notifying artists about the crackdown.

“I’m trying to tell these artists what the festival won’t tell them,” he said. If artists have problems entering the country, “The worst thing that happens to the festival is that they don’t have someone onstage, but for the artist, they face deportation and a possible ban on future travel into the country. The artists are not getting the message that they are being set up for a potential disaster.”

Korean rapper Don Malik attempted to enter the country Wednesday to play SXSW, traveling from Incheon Airport in South Korea with “staff members of his agency StoneShip and fellow artists,” when he and his team were detained during a

stopover in San Francisco, “denied entry and sent back to Incheon,” according to a translated statement from Jerry K., the CEO of Malik’s label Daze Alive. Malik claimed that immigration officials mocked him and called him racial slurs, with “one of the fellow artists” apparently “handcuffed for no reason.”

Members of Italian group Soviet Soviet and Canadian-Egyptian post-hardcore band Massive Scar Era, as well as London-based drummer Yussef Kamaal, have also been blocked or arrested for trying to enter the country on a B-1 visa.

Earlier this week, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials issued a statement to Billboard explaining that, “If an individual is a member of an internationally recognized entertainment group, they must apply for and be granted a P-1 visa.” The CBP didn’t direct the comment toward SXSW, but the visa problems have put conference officials on the defensive, with SXSW attorney Ginsburg issuing a statement arguing that the State Department “has long recognized that entertainment groups may enter the U.S. to ‘showcase,’ but not to perform under contract with U.S. venues or other employers.”

“SXSW is working in concert with other U.S. organizations in an effort to ensure that both the State Department and CBP

continue to treat showcasing as a valid activity in B or Visa Waiver status,” the statement continues. “In the meantime, SXSW remains confident that the vast majority of consular officers and CBP officials understand and respect the need for, and the principle of, showcasing at promotional events such as the official SXSW event.”

SXSW officials speaking on background tell Billboard the entry denials are likely the result of individual CBP officers acting independently to block artists from entering the country but don’t necessarily reflect a policy change by the U.S. State Department, which issues visas. Some officers could be interpreting the Trump administration’s own hard-line stance on immigration, including a new travel ban that was set to go into effect Thursday (March 16) before a federal judge issued a nationwide restraining order against enforcement of key parts of the order.

For years, SXSW has advised artists that a B-1 visitor visa generally allows — but doesn’t guarantee — artists entry into the country for the conference. But Goldstein tells Billboard that a crackdown wasn’t surprising and that current B-1, B-2 and visa waiver guidelines prohibit an artist from performing in front of an audience.

“It doesn’t matter if they’re getting paid or not,” said Goldstein. “The U.S. defines

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work as any performance in front of an audience, even if it’s for free and no tickets were sold.”

There is a showcase exemption, he said, but it was created for smaller international competitions and business meetings. Over time, the exemption has been interpreted to include auditions, both private and at industry events like the Association of Performing Arts Professionals’ annual conference in New York, which is closed to the public. Because South by Southwest is much more accessible to fans, an increasing number of CBP staff believe artists need a performance visa to play at the event.

That shift in policy could mean significant costs for artists. A B-1 visa runs $165 per person while a performance visa costs $325 per person and could take months to process. An expedited processing fee of $1,225 can speed up the application with a response time in less than two weeks, but many artists simply can’t afford it.

“So in the past, many artists come in and tell the border guard they’re doing an audition, and they get in,” Goldstein said. “A lot of these border guards see a few musicians and feel sorry for them and let them in without knowing a ton of details about what the band is up to. But now something has tipped the balance so that benefit is no longer there. The moment they utter the words ‘I am a musician,’ they’re getting pushed back out.”

Plenty of musicians are still being allowed to enter the country, but the number being denied at the border is growing, explained immigration attorney Daniel Hanlon, founder of Pasadena-based Hanlon Law Group in a February piece in Billboard. They’ll continue to rise, he predicted, following Trump’s proposed travel ban.

“[Border agents] are human beings, giving visas, stopping people at the airport,” Hanlon said. “They have a lot of discretion. It can affect anyone when the president wakes up in the morning and says, ‘Oh I don’t like these people,’ which is exactly what he did.”

Live Nation Takes Majority Stake in Isle of Wight FestivalBY RICHARD SMIRKE

Live Nation’s expansion drive shows no sign of slowing, with the entertainment giant’s latest deal seeing it become the majority shareholder in the Isle of Wight Festival.

The investment sees Live Nation partner with the festival’s modern day founder John Giddings and his Solo Music Agency to develop and lead the event, which was first held in 1968 and is commonly referred to as Europe’s equivalent of Woodstock.

Bob Dylan, The Band, Jefferson Airplane, T-Rex, Free, Joe Cocker and The Who all played the green field festival between 1968 and 1970, with over 600,000 people reported to have attended the final edition, when Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez and Leonard Cohen were on the bill.

After a 30 year hiatus, the festival returned in 2002 under the guidance of Giddings. Artists who have played there in the past 15 years include The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Muse, Foo Fighters, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Pearl Jam, Jay Z, Coldplay, The Sex Pistols and The Police.

This year’s event takes place at Seaclose Park, June 8-11 and is headlined by David Guetta, Run DMC, Arcade Fire and Rod Stewart. Capacity for the three-day event is 42,000.

“After 15 hugely successful and glorious years, we have been looking at how we can elevate and take the Isle of Wight Festival to the next level,” said Giddings in a statement confirming the deal. He went on to say that he partnership will “give us the ability to access the company’s scale and talent pool, bringing more acts and a better experience to the U.K.”

“John Giddings and the Solo team have

developed the Isle of Wight Festival to be one of the most iconic festival brands in the world and it’s fantastic to be able to add it to our growing and diverse portfolio of festivals,” added Denis Desmond, chairman of Live Nation UK.

The deal further expands Live Nation’s festival portfolio, which already spans more than 85 events across the globe, including Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits, Governor’s Ball, Lollapalooza, Rock Werchter, Splendour Festival Australia and the dual site Reading and Leeds festivals in the U.K.

It also follows a number of recent acquisition deals, including the purchase of Metropolis Music, one of the U.K.’s biggest independent concert and event promoters, and the acquisition of a majority stake in leading Israeli promoter, Bluestone Entertainment.

Birdman on Rick Ross, Others’ Claims of Missing Cash Money Payments: ‘Numbers Don’t Lie’BY DAN RYS

Rick Ross’ ninth studio album, Rather You Than Me, was released today (March 17) via Epic Records with high-profile collab-orations with Nas, Jeezy, Future, Gucci Mane and Young Thug, among others. But it’s a solo Ross track (albeit with a Chris Rock introduction) that has the internet abuzz: “Idols Become Rivals,” which leaked online yesterday, features Ross spending three full verses and an extended outro taking aim at Cash Money Records

[In Brief]

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CEO — and frequent Ross collaborator, at least in the past — Bryan “Birdman” Williams.

Among several claims, Ross hones in on one grievance that has cropped up repeatedly throughout Cash Money’s extensive history: that the label doesn’t pay artists and producers the full amount of royalties that they’re owed.

“Catholic record labels, n—-as gettin’ raped, boy /Birdman’s a priest, moans in his synagogue /Publishing is his sin, repent, forgive me, Lord,” he raps at one point; “You stole them boys’ pub and bought a foreclosure,” he raps at another, referring to the Hot Boys; “You would give us self-esteem and motivate our drive / But was in our pockets by the time we count to five,” he says still later.

His closing lines reference recent lawsuits with Lil Wayne and several Cash Money producers with, “I pray you find the kindness in your heart for Wayne/ His entire life, he gave you what there was to gain / I watched this whole debacle, so I’m part to blame/ Last request, can all producers please get paid?”

Since Cash Money was founded in the 1990s, several artists, producers and companies have either sued the label or publicly denounced its business practices, including Wayne, Juvenile, David Banner, Turk, producer DVLP, label EMI, Orange Factory Music and Drake’s first label Aspire Music Group. A few hours after the song leaked, Billboard spoke to Birdman in an unrelated interview and asked the Cash Money CEO about the allegations of missing payments over the years, and the Ross track that resurfaced them.

“I don’t get caught up in hoe sh-t, man. I just keep doing what I’m doing and keep pushing,” Birdman told Billboard. “I don’t get caught up in that, I don’t play like that. I’m a man and I stand my ground and I do my thing. Numbers don’t lie, and that’s all I give a f—k about: numbers, and puttin’ them up.”

Last month, Ross spoke about his then-forthcoming album in an exclusive interview with Billboard and referenced “Idols Become Rivals” specifically. “It’s basically me writing a letter to someone in

the game that I looked up to damn near the most and I hate what things have come to,” Rozay said at the time, not revealing the specific target. The song, however, erases any potential doubts.

Following the leak yesterday, Ross took to Instagram with a photo of Wayne and a caption explaining his reasoning for writing the song. “The Level of respect and Love that I have for WAYNE makes it hard to sit back and not speak on the situation,” he wrote. “Being a Boss means having the courage to say the things everybody thinking but scared to say.”

Wayne responded with a tweet of his own: “dam big bro that msg hit me in the heart and put the motivation on automatik start. I needed that. 1 boss 2 another.”

Ross and Birdman have collaborated several times in the past, even releasing a joint mixtape, The H: The Lost Album Vol. 1 together back in 2013. But things soured after Wayne and Birdman’s public falling out over the delay of Wayne’s Carter V album — which has still not been released, though Birdman is adamant it will arrive this year — and subsequent lawsuits against the label.

Listen to the track below.https://open.spotify.com/

track/5cQffjWJzgnmEtTzKW6dnh

Why Ed Sheeran’s ‘Shape of You’ Is One of the Most Dominant Hot 100 No. 1 Hits of the Last 25 YearsBY TREVOR ANDERSON

As Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” spends a seventh week atop the Billboard Hot 100 (dated March 25), the inescapable tune crosses a notable chart threshold, becom-ing a rare hit so big that it boasts more than

twice as many Hot 100 chart points as its nearest competitor, the current No. 2 being “Bad and Boujee” by Migos featuring Lil Uzi Vert. In essence: “Shape of You” is so huge right now that it is two times more popular than the No. 2 song of the week.

Yup, we’re getting deep into the numbers in this one.

Some fine print to further explain: The Hot 100 currently ranks the most popular songs of the week in the U.S. based on a blend of sales, airplay and streaming data. The chart, which launched in August 1958, began using Nielsen Music’s electronically measured point-of-sale and radio airplay information on the list dated Nov. 30, 1991, and that is when our research begins. Since that date more than 25 years ago, only 18 songs have run away with enough sales, airplay and streaming totals to rule with at least a two-to-one points lead over the No. 2 title. With 301 No. 1s in that span (beginning with P.M. Dawn’s “Set Adrift on Memory Bliss”), a mere 6 percent of all leaders have ballooned to such a wide lead.

Unsurprisingly, the list contains enduring megahits like Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You,” which logged the longest (and first) two-to-one points lead, with nine of its 14 total weeks atop the Hot 100 with such a margin of victory. Elton John’s “Candle in the Wind 1997”/”Something About the Way You Look Tonight,” meanwhile, claims the biggest-ever ratio lead over a No. 2 song: It debuted at No. 1 on Oct. 11, 1997, with a massive 17 times the amount of points of the No. 2 challenger (Boyz II Men’s “4 Seasons of Loneliness”). How did John score the most lopsided victory? “Candle,” his tribute to the then-recently deceased Diana, Princess of Wales, sold a Nielsen-record 3.4 million physical singles in its first week of tracking. (Remember, this was back in 1997, before YouTube and digital downloads; the only way fans were able to access a Hot 100 hit on-demand was to buy a commercially released single on CD, cassette tape or, although somewhat hard-to-find at that point, 7-inch vinyl.)

With Sheeran’s double-dominance on the March 25-dated Hot 100, he becomes the latest member of the all-star squad

[In Brief]

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to have outscored runners-up by at least a two-to-one points margin, and the first since Adele, who joined with her monster ballad “Hello” in 2015. Here’s the full list:

“I Will Always Love You,” Whitney Houston

Nine weeks with 2x points as No. 2: Dec. 12, 1992-Feb. 6, 1993

Six weeks above No. 2 “If I Ever Fall in Love” by Shai; three weeks above No. 2 “Rump Shaker” by Wreckx-n-Effect

“I’ll Make Love to You,” Boyz II MenThree weeks with 2x points as No. 2:

Sept. 10-24, 1994All above No. 2 “Stay (I Missed You)” by

Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories“Tha Crossroads,” Bone Thugs-n-

HarmonyThree weeks with 2x points as No. 2: June

8-22, 1996Two weeks above No. 2 “Always Be My

Baby” by Mariah Carey; one week above No. 2 “You’re Makin’ Me High”/”Let It Flow” by Toni Braxton

“I’ll Be Missing You,” Puff Daddy & Faith Evans featuring 112

Two weeks with 2x points as No. 2: July 5-12, 1997

One week above No. 2 “Mmmbop” by Hanson; one week above No. 2 “Bitch” by Meredith Brooks

“Candle in the Wind 1997”/”Something About the Way You Look Tonight,” Elton John

Five weeks with 2x points as No. 2: Oct. 11-Nov. 8, 1997

Two weeks above No. 2 “4 Seasons of Loneliness” by Boyz II Men; three weeks above No. 2 “You Make Me Wanna…” by Usher

“My Heart Will Go On,” Celine DionOne week with 2x points as No. 2: Feb.

28, 1998Above No. 2 “Nice and Slow” by Usher“All My Life,” K-Ci & JoJoOne week with 2x points as No. 2: April

4, 1998Above No. 2 “Frozen” by Madonna“The Boy Is Mine,” Brandy & MonicaTwo weeks with 2x points as No. 2: June

20-27, 1998Both above No. 2 “You’re Still the One”

by Shania Twain

“I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing,” Aerosmith

One week with 2x points as No. 2: Sept. 5, 1998

Above No. 2 “The First Night” by Monica“Heartbreaker,” Mariah Carey featuring

Jay-ZOne week with 2x points as No. 2: Oct. 9,

1999Above No. 2 “Smooth” by Santana

featuring Rob Thomas“All for You,” Janet JacksonOne week with 2x points as No. 2: April

14, 2001Above No. 2 “Survivor” by Destiny’s

Child“Hips Don’t Lie,” Shakira featuring

Wyclef JeanOne week with 2x points as No. 2: June

17, 2006Above No. 2 “Ridin” by Chamillionaire

featuring Krayzie Bone“SexyBack,” Justin TimberlakeTwo weeks with 2x points as No. 2: Sept.

9-16, 2006Both above No. 2 “London Bridge” by

Fergie“Right Round,” Flo RidaOne week with 2x points as No. 2: Feb.

28, 2009Above No. 2 “Dead and Gone” by T.I.

featuring Justin Timberlake“Harlem Shake,” BaauerFour weeks with 2x points as No. 2:

March 2-March 23, 2013All above No. 2 “Thrift Shop” by

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Wanz“Blurred Lines,” Robin Thicke featuring

T.I. + PharrellTwo weeks with 2x points as No. 2: Aug.

17-Aug. 24, 2013Both above No. 2 “We Can’t Stop” by

Miley Cyrus“Hello,” AdeleThree weeks with 2x points as No. 2: Nov.

14-Nov. 28, 2015All above No. 2 “Sorry” by Justin Bieber“Shape of You,” Ed SheeranOne week with 2x points as No. 2 (to

date): March 25, 2017Above No. 2 “Bad and Boujee” by Migos

featuring Lil Uzi Vert

Drake’s ‘More Life’ Project Will Not Be an Apple Music Exclusive: ReportBY COLIN STUTZ

Drake’s new More Life project is expected to drop Saturday and, it turns out, it won’t be exclusive to Apple Music.

The hip-hop superstar has been closely tied with the streaming service since its launch in 2015, with a deal manifesting in two exclusive album releases, exclusive music videos and a short film, TV ads, tour sponsorship and more. But now, it seems More Life will buck that trend.

Pitchfork reports a source at Amazon has confirmed that the “playlist” will be available on their streaming service at the same time as Apple Music. On Thursday (March 16) Spotify suggested the same when it tweeted the project’s trailer with the caption “coming soon.”

There are a few possible theories why Drake would go wide with his More Life release.

Drake’s record label OVO is distributed through Republic Records, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group, whose chairman/CEO Lucian Grainge decreed an end to streaming exclusives following Frank Ocean’s coup last year. This could have prohibited an Apple Music-only release. But reports at the time said that ban would not include previously negotiated deals, which Drake’s with Apple most likely would have been.

More probably, this could be a reflection of the industry’s general trend moving away from exclusives, as well as an indication of what More Life will hold. The project is being teased as a playlist, which likely means it will be somewhat of an OVO label compilation and not a straight-up Drake album. And while Drake on his own certainly has enough power to make people sign up for a service just to hear his album, the broader acts on his label do still

[In Brief]

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not — meaning he’d want it heard by as many people as possible, regardless of his streaming allegiances.

Here’s How Much Chance the Rapper Says He Was Paid for ‘Coloring Book’ Release on Apple MusicBY CARL LAMARRE

On Friday afternoon (March 17), Chance the Rapper went on Twitter to clarify his re-lationship with Apple Music and his status as an independent artist, after questions surfaced regarding his acclaimed 2016 project Coloring Book.

“I never felt the need to correct folks on my relationship with @apple but now that more people have tried to discredit my independence, I wanna clear things up,” he began in a series of tweets.

“@apple gave me half a mil and a commercial to post Coloring Book exclusively on applemusic for 2 weeks. That was the extent of my deal, after 2 weeks it was on SoundCloud for free. I needed the money and they’re all good people over there. I feel like if I didn’t clear it up people would keep trying to discredit all the work we did to make Coloring Book what it became. I think artist can gain a lot from the streaming wars as long as they remain in control of their own product.”

Later, the Chicago MC continued to advocate the power of being independent while also encouraging upcoming artists to fully take advantage of the opportunities being presented to them. “I just wanna remain transparent. Folks out there without a deal need to know they’re doing everything right just keep at it. If you

come across opportunities to work with good people, pick up cash and keep your integrity I say Do It.”

Chance broke barriers with Coloring Book. Following the 2016 mixtape’s release, the Grammys allowed streaming-only projects and free mixtapes to be considered for possible nominations. Earlier this year, the rapper secured three such awards, including best new artist.

In a new interview with Complex, Chance acknowledged that he would be open to selling the follow-up to Coloring Book, his proper debut album. “I might actually sell this album,” he said. “That’s, like, a big step in itself. I kind of hate the fact that I can’t chart, really. I can chart, but the way they have the streaming sh-t set up is weak as f—k. It’s unfair. 1,500 streams is the equivalent to one [album sale], and that’s just that’s unfair. Nobody listens to their songs [1,500] times when they buy it—f—k outta here! So, it makes it hard. I can’t really compete with other people. Not that the charts matter at all, but c’mon.”

Billboard has reached out to Apple for comment.

Composer Alan Menken Talks Creating New Music for ‘Beauty And The Beast’ and Coaching Stars Emma Watson and Dan StevensBY MELINDA NEWMAN

When composer Alan Menken watched a final cut of the live action version of

Beauty and the Beast, his first emotion was relief. “Hey, we didn’t screw it up!,” he says with a laugh.

Though there was little chance of that happening, reinventing the much beloved 1991 Disney animated classic — for which Menken and the late Howard Ashman contributed the songs — did have its risks. “There are so many variables when you do something like this: the script or casting or new songs. It’s a very sensitive and delicate thing to put together a successful musical,” Menken says. “I really credit [director] Bill Condon with being an amazing captain of the ship.”

From the start, the plan was to flesh out the story of some of the characters, but always to “follow the road map of the original,” says Walt Disney Studios president of music and soundtracks, Mitchell Leib. “This didn’t require reinvention, it was a live action re-adaptation. Reinvention is Snow White and the Huntsman. The animated version of Beast is the perfect movie. We knew we would just enhance the gravity of the situation and juxtapose it with the lightheartedness.”

As the script expanded to provide backstory for Belle’s father, Maurice, as well as for the Prince/Beast, Condon asked Menken to come up with more songs. “We knew we wanted to get more of a sense of time and place for 18th century France, and more texture to Belle and Maurice’s relationship, as well as for the Beast and how the Prince turned so mean,” Menken says.

He and Tim Rice, with whom he shares a best original song Oscar for Aladdin’s “A Whole New World,” wrote three new songs for the $155 million film, which opens today and is predicted to earn as much as $120 million this weekend. Menken — whose 8 Oscars are the most of anyone alive — and Rice had also worked together on the 1994 Broadway version of Beauty, following Ashman’s 1991 death. “How Does a Moment Last Forever” expands on Belle’s relationship with her father and what happened to her mother, while “Evermore” tenderly highlights the Beast’s sacrificial love for Belle and “Days

[In Brief]

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in the Sun” serves almost as a lullaby for the objects in the castle.

“‘Evermore’ happened late in the game,” Leib says. “There was a conversation about how the movie is called Beauty and the Beast and the Beast should have a song. Alan came back quite quickly with a phenomenal musical bed, and then Tim turned around a magnificent lyric about letting Belle go. It’s like a Phantom of the Opera moment.”

Despite the decades since Menken had written for the original, he says “It wasn’t hard to get back into the mindset because I never really got a chance to miss [the characters]. There’s a five-year anniversary, a 10-year anniversary. Disney doesn’t let you venture very far. But to write new songs was really gratifying.”

Menken, who also updated his score for the new version, and Rice penned the new tunes in Spring 2015 in London; two of the songs they started from scratch, while Menken had begun “Days in the Sun” nearly 10 years ago when Disney first floated, then abandoned, the idea of a live action version of Beast. “I prefer to write face to face in the room,” Menken says. “I want the feedback, where’s the title, the exposition, the architecture of the song.”

Even some of the beloved favorites, such as “Gaston” and “Beauty and the Beast,” got a little updating, allowing Menken to use lyrics from outtakes that he and Ashman had written for the original animated movie.

Menken, who produced their vocals, has nothing but praise for Emma Watson (Belle) and Dan Stevens (Prince/Beast), especially since neither actor had done a movie musical before and had to overcome some jitters. “Emma was quite nervous about singing, and insecure about it and very vulnerable. We wanted to give her all the space she needed to find her comfort level. I think for her having the composer there was a bit intimidating, so I hung back,” Menken says. “Dan was also quite insecure, but I was able to be more involved.”

In addition to the versions in the film, Ariana Grande and John Legend cut a new Ron Fair-produced rendition of “Beauty

and the Beast,” Celine Dion — who performed “Beauty and the Beast” for the 1991 film with Peabo Bryson— recorded “How Does A Moment Last Forever,” and Josh Groban tackled “Evermore.” All play over the end credits and are on the soundtrack.

“The Ariana and John duet began as a marketing conversation between me and marketing executives,” Leib says. “What I do with every picture is sit down with the marketing teams and say, ‘I know it’s a long way off [but] does it make sense to do some additional recordings with contemporary recording artists?’ I want to know what we need.” The marketing team felt it was important to have a new version of the title track. Leib says Grande and Legend were their first choices, and both quickly agreed.

Leib took a cut of the movie to Las Vegas to show to Dion. “We had this great philosophical conversation until 2:00 in the morning,” he says. “Celine has such a tie to the original, she was working out in her head right then and there, as to if she should do it or leave well enough alone.” Working with producer Humberto Gatica, Dion performed the song to an already existing music track, featuring a 100-piece orchestra that Menken had cut when the rest of the score was recorded.

Just as “Evermore” was a late addition to the movie, so was Groban’s contemporary take, after Condon asked if there was a way to get some of the new songs out in advance of the film. Ensemble piece “Days in the Sun” didn’t lend itself to the process and Leib already knew that Dion would not be available to promote her track. The grandeur of “Evermore” required someone with the vocal prowess of Groban or Andrea Bocelli.

“Alan was like, ‘I know Josh.’ He text him, Josh got right back to him,” Leib says. The deal was finalized with Groban’s manager on a Thursday, and he was in the studio recording it the following Monday. He performed the song on Good Morning America earlier this week, making it the only live performance of any song from the project.

The soundtrack, which came out March 10, was released in 17 languages

by Walt Disney Records. In the U.S., in additional to traditional retailers. the CD will be stocked in 40 theaters as well as at Disney stores within the theme parks. Additionally, 600 theaters are showing the “Beauty and the Beast” video during movie previews, says Ken Bunt, president, Disney Music Group.

While official first-week numbers aren’t out yet — Billboard has projected that the set may earn between 50,000 and 55,000 equivalent album units — Bunt was pleased that the deluxe version, which sells for $15.99 on iTunes, was outpacing the standard version. “When there’s an emotional connection, there’s a willingness to want everything. We saw that for Moana too,” he says. “Our deluxe version is pretty robust, [including] Alan Menken’s demos. It’s a good value.”

In a first, Disney switched up the streaming order for the album on Spotify, front-loading the new tracks from Grande/Legend, Dion and Groban at the top of the playlist. Their tracks come at the end of the physical and downloaded versions. “We wanted to make sure people realized they were there,” Bunt says. “Streaming is a different behavior. It’s a little bit of an experiment.”

Along with his other projects, Disney’s slate of live action versions of The Little Mermaid and Aladdin will keep Menken busy, as will a sequel to Enchanted. The Little Mermaid will pair him with Lin-Manuel Miranda, who will write the lyrics for the new songs written by Menken. The pair go away back: “I remember when he was a kid, literally signing posters for him. He went to school with my niece and my sister said, ‘There’s this kid… he’s such a big fan.’ I remember going backstage during In the Heights. I look forward to working with him.”

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Phone Recordings of Concerts Are More Than Just Annoying, They’re Potentially Illegal: Guest PostBY RACHEL STILWELL AND MAKENNA COX

In the year preceding his untimely death, Prince forbade audience members from videotaping his live performances. Since then, artists such as Childish Gambi-no, Guns ‘N Roses, Alicia Keys and The Lumineers each have required audience members to temporarily forfeit use of their mobile devices by placing them in locked pouches during their concerts.

Fans may have mixed reactions to an artist banning video camera use during concerts, but most concert goers don’t realize that recording a live musical performance without the consent of the artist is illegal. Although artists usually have no interest in suing their fans, musicians actually have a legal right to expressly forbid audiences from recording their live performances. Musicians and fans have generally been unaware of such laws because they are rarely enforced. The unlawful activity that concert goers engage in when recording footage is called “bootlegging.”

Artists increasingly want to encourage camera-free concert experiences, encouraging audience members to experience concert performances live rather than viewing shows through cell phone screens. Many artists prefer to control which of their performances are distributed to the public. Live recordings uploaded by audience members may compete with musicians’ own commercially available offerings.

In the case of The Lumineers, one of their tours was booked specifically to

afford the band the opportunity to publicly woodshed new material that had not yet been recorded. That tour’s cell phone ban was born out of the band’s concern that audience members might leak videos of their performances of new material before the band could itself release studio versions of those songs.

Many musicians agree that featured performers at concerts should be able to limit the recording and distribution of their performances. However, among concert goers, reactions to camera restrictions are mixed. On one hand, many concert goers find cell phone users at concerts to be a distracting nuisance. On the other hand, many audience members who oppose camera restrictions believe that recording and distributing concert footage is an appropriate way for them to memorialize and share their positive experiences with others.

However, this issue is not just a matter of opinion, it’s a matter of law.

Federal law, namely 17 U.S.C. § 1101 imposes civil penalties for the unauthorized recording of live performances or the transmission or distribution of such. This is true even if the bootlegging is not done for commercial gain. The statute provides that anyone who engages in these prohibited acts is potentially liable for money damages. A court may also impound applicable recordings.

Similarly, 18 U.S.C. Section 2319(a), which makes bootlegging a criminal offense if the perpetrator — without the consent of the applicable artist — knowingly records a live musical performance or distributes such a recording, and does so for commercial gain.

Anti-bootlegging laws have rarely been enforced, but since a federal law specifically prohibits people from recording musical performances without the performer’s consent, musicians performing in the U.S. have a legal right to prohibit them, even if the persons that want to record parts of the concert have no intention of distributing the applicable footage or audio recordings.

One of the most famous court cases invoking the civil anti-bootlegging statute

involved Kiss, who sued a concert promoter for commercially distributing a video taken of the band at a stadium concert. The band had consented to be filmed for the purpose of projecting the images at the concert; the promoter later released the video on DVD without Kiss’ consent. Kiss prevailed. While this case involved a commercial bootlegging enterprise, under the civil statute, those who record or distribute concert footage without the consent of the performer are breaking the law, even if the recorded materials are not distributed commercially. In this particular case, since the bootleg videos were distributed commercially, the defendants could potentially also have been held liable under the criminal anti-bootlegging statute.

Most musicians in the U.S. have some notion that their intellectual property may be protected by copyright law. But when it comes to live performances, there are times when copyright law is not applicable at all. For example, if an audience member takes a video of a concert without permission of the performers, the performers don’t own the copyright in the video or audio that has been captured. Rather, the person who records the video owns the copyright in that video. So what is a performer to do? Nobody wants to litigate. But if musicians want to ban cell phone cameras at their concerts, or try to remove bootleg recordings from sites like YouTube, they should be aware of the legal basis for doing so.

If live performers happen to own the copyright in the musical composition recorded in a video, then such performer(s), as owner of the musical composition, could say that the video is disallowed because the person using their phone failed to get a license to use their song. But if a performer is playing a cover tune, then that musician can’t claim copyright infringement. (Musicians who are recorded without their permission can always rely on the anti-bootlegging statute as a legal basis upon which to forbid recording.)

This distinction may sound trivial until musicians try to get unauthorized videos taken down from YouTube.

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YouTube has mechanisms — namely, its ContentID system — for copyright owners to demand that their work be removed from the site. But if a musician objects to YouTube’s distribution of a video on the basis that the concert footage was taken without his or her permission, that’s not a copyright claim. It’s a “bootlegging” claim. The procedure for getting the materials removed is entirely different than a copyright infringement claim. (At YouTube, a musician who wants to remove unauthorized concert footage of himself/herself can do so at this link.)

The fact that there is a federal anti-bootlegging law may come as a surprise to concert goers who have long watched concerts through their cell phone screens. But the law is on the side of the increasing number of musicians who want to limit fans’ ability to record concert footage.

In the last year, several artists have filed takedown requests with YouTube on the basis that, when users put up footage of live performances without the performers’ consent, those recordings are being distributed in violation of the civil anti-bootlegging statute applicable. One of these artists claimed that YouTube ignored multiple requests to take down concert footage that had been recorded without his consent. Other artists reported swift action by YouTube in response to such requests to take down bootleg videos.

Even where YouTube and similar sites do heed takedown requests, when those takedown requests are based on allegations of bootlegging rather than allegations of copyright infringement, then YouTube might be liable for “secondary liability” for such activity; in such cases, the DMCA Safe Harbor provisions don’t apply at all. There is little recent case law discussing the application of federal anti-bootlegging statutes, but it is possible that this may change in the future, given current trends among prominent artists to protect against videotaping live performances at concerts.

Performers may soon be able to utilize higher-tech means of limiting unauthorized videotaping: Apple recently patented a process that would temporarily disable audience members’ iPhone’s

cameras, but would allow audience members to bring their mobile devices into a concert venue. Whether via high tech or low tech means, musicians in the U.S. may increasingly enforce their right to make sure audiences don’t videotape their live performances without their permission.

Rachel Stilwell, Esq. is the owner of Law Offices of Rachel Stilwell, a boutique transactional entertainment law firm in Los Angeles that represents creators, including recording artists, songwriters, producers of music and film, visual artists and others. Her work involves legal and business issues relating to contracts, copyrights, trademarks, rights of publicity, privacy and employment.

Makenna Cox is a student at Loyola Law School, where she serves on the staff of the Loyola of Los Angeles Entertainment Law Review.

Twitter Joins NewFronts as Yahoo Drops OutBY NATALIE JARVEY

One of the NewFronts’ founding partners is dropping out of the annual event, where digital companies talk up their offerings to New York City ad buyers.

Yahoo, which is in the process of selling itself to Verizon, has decided to forego its usual NewFronts presentation in early May, replacing the once glitzy gathering with a series of local events in cities across the country. Lisa Utzschneider, Yahoo’s chief revenue officer, wrote in a blog post Thursday morning that the change would mean Yahoo could “discuss the massive and transformational growth of video and advertising in more intimate settings with our agency and brand partners.”

Under CEO Marissa Mayer, Yahoo’s NewFront event was a star-studded affair meant to woo advertisers still coming to terms with the value of large media buys around digital short-form video. In 2014,

the company unveiled its plan to take on television by picking up the sixth season of Community and ordering a comedy from Paul Feig. In 2015, Naomi Campbell and Michelle Rodriguez touted new digital series.

But in the years since, Yahoo pulled back on some of its video efforts, shutting down video player Yahoo Screen, taking a write-down on its long-form programming and consolidating its digital magazine business, where many of its short-form videos are distributed.

In her blog post, Utzscheider noted that Yahoo has focused in on short-form and live programming for its finance, sports, news and style sections.

Replacing Yahoo on the NewFronts schedule is Twitter, which will host its first presentation for ad buyers on May 1. The social network has placed an emphasis on live streaming video deals over the last year, and it plans to showcase those efforts, as well as some original content offerings, during the presentation.

“We have made major investments in video over the past few years, and being able to present the breadth, depth and quality of that content at the NewFronts is the ultimate culmination of those efforts,” said Twitter’s vp global revenue and operations, Matthew Derella. “In 2017 and beyond, we are investing further in the video viewing experience, content development and collaborations, and video solutions for advertisers. And we are excited to tell that story to the industry.”

Twitter’s first live streaming deal was for a piece of the NFL’s Thursday Night Football package, which during the 2016 season aired on CBS and NBC. Since then, Twitter has also live-streamed coverage of the presidential debates and election night. It has co-produced some of the live streams, including a Q&A with the cast of Rogue One and Golden Globes red carpet coverage.

Twitter says more than 600 hours of live video was streamed on its platform during the fourth quarter last year, attracting an audience of 31 million unique viewers.

The NewFronts will take place in New York from May 1 to May 12. Other

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presenters include BuzzFeed, AOL, Hulu, YouTube and Vice Media.

This story originally appeared on THR.com.

Coachella Festival Sues Urban Outfitters for Trademark InfringementBY COLIN STUTZ

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Fes-tival is suing Urban Outfitters for alleged trademark infringement and what it calls “trading on the goodwill and fame” of its brand.

At issue in the complaint filed Tuesday in California federal court are items marketed by the Urban Outfitters subsidiary Free People using “Coachella” in the product name or description. These include Free People’s “Coachella Boot,” “Coachella Mini Dress,” “Coachella Pocket Tank” and “Coachella Valley Tunic.”

As well, Coachella complains that Urban Outfitters uses “Coachella” as a keyword to trigger online advertising and in the meta-data on its own website, intentionally misdirecting customers searching for officially branded or licensed merchandise. This is “likely to cause confusion, or to cause mistake, or to deceive consumers” that Free People is affiliated with Coachella when that is not the case, the complaint alleges, saying this is “also likely to cause dilution by blurring or dilution by tarnishment.”

It also states that as a result of Urban Outfitters’ actions, “a Google search for ‘Coachella clothing’ results in an advertisement for Defendants’ infringing goods.”

The suit’s full list of alleged offenses include trademark infringement, false designation of origin and unfair

competition, dilution, common law tortious interference of contractual relationships, violation of California trademark law and violation of California unfair competition and law. According to Coachella and its parent company Goldenvoice, Urban Outfitters has ignored repeat previous demands to cease this allegedly unlawful conduct.

Coachella’s complaint states that “Coachella,” “Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival” and a stylized version of “Coachella” that appears on its posters and most other materials are all trademarked, noting they have been in use since the annual festival’s launch in 1999. As Coachella is also the name of a city and valley in Southern California, it is likely the defense will argue its use of the name does not relate to the festival.

The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified treble damages and an order demanding Urban Outfitters remove allegedly infringing items from sale, engage in “corrective advertising” and inform customers that the company is not a sponsor or licensee of the music festival.

Coachella is sold out and will run April 14–16 and 21–23 this year. The festival’s suit claims it brings 600,000 attendees to Southern California annually.

Representatives of Coachella and Urban Outfitters could not be reached for comment.

Feist’s ‘Pleasure’ Hits No. 1 on Billboard + Twitter Trending 140 ChartBY XANDER ZELLNER

Feist’s “Pleasure,” the singer-songwriter’s first new song release in six years, topped the real-time Billboard + Twitter Trending 140 chart on the morning of March 17, shortly after the tune’s release.

The Billboard + Twitter Trending 140

chart measures the real-time acceleration of conversation around artists and their music on Twitter.

The Canadian pop veteran released the song, which is also the title track of her upcoming fifth studio album of the same name, at 12 a.m. ET Friday (March 17), and the track reached the top of the chart around 8 a.m. The album is scheduled for release on April 28.

She announced the album on Tuesday, March 14 on Twitter, writing “I’ve been so inward facing during the making of this record that I hadn’t quite prepared myself to face it, and myself, outward again.” She added, “I made this record last winter with 2 of my closest friends, Mocky and Renaud LeTang.”

Feist’s last album, Metals, debuted and peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 chart dated Oct. 22, 2011.

ICM’s Zach Iser On Showcasing Hip-Hop and R&B at SXSW: ‘It’s a Great Opportunity’BY ANDY GENSLER

While the SXSW Music Festival is tradi-tionally seen as something of a Mecca for rising indie artists from across the globe, to many it goes far beyond any one genre. “It’s a great opportunity for us to showcase our newer and developing hip-hop and R&B clients,” says ICM Partners’ Zach Iser, a concert agent who helps put on the agen-cy’s yearly SXSW showcase and sees the confab as an essential part of his strategic planning.

This Saturday (March 18), ICM wll host its 6th Annual SXSW hip-hop and R&B showcase at The Mohawk featuring headliners Lil Yachty, Mike Will Made-It and DJ Esco atop a bill of more than 30 artists including Ari Lennox, Chaz

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French, Jay IDK, and Topaz Jones. For Iser, the event gives him a chance to put the agency’s artists in front of festival bookers, brands and others in the industry.

“We’ve been able to watch the artists grow from year one and they don’t necessarily have a record label or even a single out yet,” says Iser who represents Migos, Future and Rae Sremmurd. “We can put them on our show, give them 10-15 minutes, make sure they have a good set time, pay attention to who will be in the room and who else is playing around town, get some tastemakers and make sure there’s festival buyers out to see them.”

Iser mentions a number of bands on this year’s bill who he believes will have breakout years. “Two-9 just dropped their album, their part of Mike Wills Made-it’s Ear Drummers group. The Skins have been having a great time out here and this year are playing multiple festival events.”

But it’s not only developing artists who play the ICM SXSW showcase, there are often unannounced “special guests”—i.e. major artists who aren’t promoted in part due to the fest’s controversial restrictions on artists playing shows.

“Our first year in 2012 Kanye West was a surprise guest,” Iser says. “Last year we had Anderson .Paak perform and it was a really, really incredible show. In 2014 Future was a surprise guest with Mike Will and Dom Kennedy and he brought out Rae Sremmund. That year they filmed the music video for “No Flex Zone” outside of our showcase.”

At the other end of the spectrum, Iser says he notices a difference when lesser-known artists perform at SXSW for two consecutive years. “When no one seems to care and there’s little interest or money for them, we really spend time developing them and see that in year two there’s much more demand. They go from just playing one show or two shows to having two shows a night for five nights, we’ve seen that with a lot of our acts.”

Rounding out this year’s ICM SXSW bill are: Adrian Daniel, Andrea, Bobo Swae, Cyhi the Prynce, Chynna Rogers, DJ Noc, Don Q, Duckwrth, Eearz, Earthgang, Elhae, Impxct, Jay 305, J.I.D., Kent Jones,

Kyle Dion, Little Simz, Lute, Nef the Pharaoh, Ohana Bam, Omen, Quin, Raposdy, Rozes and Wifisfuneral — some of whom just may break out this year.

Good Charlotte Signs With UTA For Worldwide RepresentationBY ANDY GENSLER

Good Charlotte has signed with UTA for worldwide representation in all areas. The multi-platinum pop-punkers are managed by MDDN, the company owned by the band’s Benji and Joel Madden.

“We are very excited to be in business with such an energetic, creative and innovative agency,” Benji Madden said in a statement. “Our company MDDN has already had a great time working alongside UTA on several projects and we feel that this partnership with Good Charlotte will only bring more success for everyone involved.”

The twin Madden brothers’ MDDN management roster also includes several UTA artists, including Anti Flag, Architects, Big Jesus, Counting Days and Sleeping With Sirens. Other MDDN artists include The Madden Brothers, Hollywood Undead, Jessie J and more.

Good Charlotte has also just announced a Canadian tour slated for April with U.S. dates in May along with European and UK dates in June.

Good Charlotte is originally from Waldorf, Maryland and has had five top 40-charting albums on the Billboard 200, including three top 10s and sold 6.1 million albums in the U.S., according to Nielsen Music. The band’s self-titled debut dropped in 2000 and was followed by 2002’s The Young and the Hopeless which featured the single “Lifestyles of the Rich and the Famous” and sold nearly 5 million copies. The band released 2004’s platinum

The Chronicles of Life and Death, 2007’s Good Morning Revival and 2010’s Cardiology before going on an extended hiatus.

The Maddens reunited in 2015 with bassist Paul Thomas, guitarist/keyboardist Billy Martin and drummer Dean Butterworth and released the single “Makeshift Love” and performed their first show since 2010 at L.A.’s Troubadour. The band released its sixth studio album, Youth Authority last July through MDDN and Kobalt Music Group.

Chanel Really Likes Frank Ocean’s New Song ‘Chanel’BY DA’SHAN SMITH

It was only a matter of time before French luxury giant Chanel would acknowledge Frank Ocean’s lyrics.

On Ocean’s latest song “Chanel” — a track he dropped on his Blonded Apple Beats 1 Radio show last Friday (Mar. 10) — Frank sings, “I see both sides like Chanel”, referring to the company’s iconic mirror-image black-and-white logo. Chanel’s official Instagram uploaded an image of their logo reading, “We see both sides like Frank”.

They followed up that post with one that included the ocean (and the word “ocean”), and a hand holding their signature No. 5 fragrance (with the word “land”). The brand’s latest campaign slogan, “You Know Me and You Don’t,” was used as the accompanying hashtag for the posts along with #FrankOcean.

“This is simply our way of acknowledging his nod to Chanel in his latest single,” a spokesperson for Chanel told The FADER over email.

Billboard has reached out to Chanel for comment. A representative for Frank Ocean declined to comment.

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https://www.instagram.com/p/BRq4rEIAcOY/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BRq4xZAglo9/

2017 Billboard Latin Music Conference: Manuel Medrano & More Confirmed for ‘I Write the Songs’ PanelBY GRISELDA FLORES

Songwriters (and hitmakers) Manuel Medrano, Joss Favela, Servando, Horacio Palencia, Erika Ender and The Rude Boyz are confirmed to speak at the “I Write the Song, the New Generation” panel at the annual 2017 Billboard Latin Music Conference.

Medrano is a Latin Grammy-winning singer/songwriter known for his romantic ballads like “Una y otra vez”; regional Mexican singer Favela is ASCAP’s 2016 & 2017 songwriter of the year; while Palencia is a five-time BMI songwriter of the year.

Servando is the songwriter behind Enrique Iglesias’ Grammy-nominated hit “Duele el corazón”; Ender co-wrote Fonsi’s chart-topping hit “Despacito”; and to round out the panelists are The Rude Boyz, hitmakers behind “Chantaje” and “Borró cassette.”

The “I Write the Song” panel will take place April 26. Other confirmed panels and panelists include “Socializing Maluma” featuring the Colombian superstar; “The Latin Trap Panel” with artists like Farruko, Ozuna and Bad Bunny; and the memoirs and biopics panel titled “Me, Me, Me” with Ednita Nazario.

The 2017 Billboard Latin Music Conference will kick off April 24 with more panels and panelists set to be announced in the upcoming weeks

leading up the conference.The Billboard Latin Music Awards are the

culmination of the Billboard Latin Music Conference, taking place April 24-27 at the Ritz Carlton Miami Beach. To register, visit BillboardLatinConference.com.

Recording Academy, PBS Respond to Trump’s Arts-Slashing Budget: ‘Shortsighted and Alarming’BY MARISA GUTHRIE, KIMBERLY NORDYKE AND GREGG KILDAY

PBS on Thursday quickly responded to President Donald Trump’s newly unveiled $1.15 trillion budget, a far-reaching over-haul of federal government spending that slashes many domestic programs — includ-ing federal funding for public broadcasting — to finance a significant increase in the military and make a down payment on a U.S.-Mexico border wall.

Other arts organizations like The Sundance Institute and The Recording Academy also raised objections to the budget plan Trump proposed that — in addition to eliminating the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which provides funding for PBS and National Public Radio stations — also proposed doing away with funding for the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The Hollywood unions that represent actors, directors, writers and other crew and craftsmen also all joined together to issue a joint statement urging lawmakers to preserve funding for PBS, NEA and NEH. The Directors Guild of America, SAG-AFTRA, the Writers Guild of America West

and East and IATSE said that they “urge our nation’s leaders to preserve funding for the National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. As a source of inspiration, action and economic growth our country’s arts are integral to our culture, our American identity and our democracy. Access to the arts has fueled generations of great Americans, uplifted communities and helped heal our nation’s great divides. Cutting federal support of these programs will not only hurt artists and those who benefit from their work. It will also send a damaging message to future generations about the power of art and its place in our culture.”

In response to the proposed PBS cut, PBS president and CEO Paula Kerger argued that the cost of public broadcasting is small, especially compared with its benefits. The cost of public broadcasting amounts to $1.35 per citizen, per year, which is “less than a cup of coffee,” Kerger told The Hollywood Reporter.

PBS encompasses nearly 350 member stations and has strong support among Republican and Democratic voters. Kerger noted that the “benefits are tangible: increasing school readiness for kids 2-8, support for teachers and homeschoolers, lifelong learning, public safety communications and civil discourse.”

PBS also cited a Rasmussen Reports survey that found only 21 percent of Americans are in favor of ending taxpayer funding for public broadcasting. Another recent survey, the PBS Hart Research-American Viewpoint poll, found that 73 percent of voters are opposed to ending federal funding for public television.

The CPB was on the chopping block in the previous Republican administration of George W. Bush, and GOP aspirant Mitt Romney made headlines during a 2012 presidential debate (moderated by public broadcasting icon Jim Lehrer) when he said while he “love[s] Big Bird,” he would still eliminate funding for PBS.

Kerger expressed frustration that the CPB and PBS are once again being used as a political football. “It is a puzzle to find us in this mess again, and the only thing that

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is giving me some solace today is to know where we sit in the minds of the American public,” she said.

The American public, continued Kerger, “understand that these are tough times, that Congress has to make difficult decisions. But more than 70 percent of those who voted for President Trump said they wanted Congress to find the savings elsewhere. The fact that we’ve been zeroed out and that we’ve been called out so specifically is something that is hard to get my head around.”

Kerger predicted a long and difficult road ahead, and predicts that public support from constituents may be the only thing that saves critical funding for PBS. “My hope is — as has been the case in prior times when we’ve been under assault — that people will reach out to their legislatures,” she said.

Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, also issued a statement Thursday afternoon.

“Sesame Street was created to provide early access to education for all children,” the statement read. “Research shows that high-quality preschool educational experiences are a key determinant in an individual’s lifelong learning outcomes. PBS makes Sesame Street available to all Americans and thereby continues to play a major role in helping less privileged kids gain access to preschool education that has proven and enduring value. While Sesame Workshop currently receives no direct funding from CPB or PBS, we stand firmly and passionately in support of the vital public investment that allows them to continue this important work.”

Meanwhile, Robert Redford’s Sundance Institute on Thursday issued a statement, saying it “vigorously supports the National Endowment for the Arts and calls upon our country’s leadership to do the same. NEA support played a crucial role in launching Sundance Institute in 1981 and has helped thousands of museums, arts programs and organizations. The NEA plays a critical role in building a culture that values artists and understands the important economic benefits of investing in the arts. Defunding

the Endowment undermines our national artistic heritage, and handicaps our future potential.”

The Recording Academy president/CEO Neil Portnow also added his voice, releasing a statement Thursday in response to the proposal to eliminate the NEA.

“Love of music and the arts brings us together, and celebrates the richness of American culture and our spirit of curiosity and creativity,” said the exec. “Music and art serve as one of America’s greatest exports, and support jobs for creators in cities, towns and rural areas across the country. The White House proposal to eliminate funding for the National Endowment for the Arts is shortsighted and alarming. The modest support that we provide to music and the arts is returned many times over, whether measured in jobs and economic impact, or sheer cultural enrichment and introspection. The Recording Academy will ask Congress to maintain funding for the National Endowment for the Arts and renew our commitment to America’s creators.”

The NEA is the federal agency, created by Congress in 1965, that offers supports and funding to arts projects and organizations around the country. In 2016, it had a total budget of $148 million.

Often the target of conservatives, the NEA survived an earlier attempt to abolish it by the Reagan administration in 1981.

Meanwhile, the Actors’ Equity Association, the Content Creators Coalition, the Future of Music Coalition and the American Federation of Musicians also issued statements in support of keeping funding for the National Endowment for the Arts.

“The elimination of NEA seed money for theatre is a job killer,” said Actors’ Equity president Kate Shindle. “Not just for the actors and musicians onstage, or the writers and creative teams who create the material. Live theatre also provides jobs for people behind the scenes, like the stage managers and crew; and the people in front of the house, like ushers, box office and concession staff as well as those who have administrative jobs. Live theatre means work for those down the block: the wait

staff in the restaurant, the bartenders, the taxi drivers and the parking lot attendants, to name only a few.”

The Content Creators Coalition and the Future of Music Coalition said in a joint statement: “The arts play a vital role in our culture. They help define us as a people. They help unite us as a nation. They help inspire us to explore the unknown. They help drive our economy and create American jobs. For these reasons and more, President Trump’s proposed budget that guts the arts programs is indefensible. As artists, musicians, and music lovers, we stand united in asking Congress to reject these cuts, retaining support for the arts and culture, by fully funding the NEA, NEH and CPB.”

Said Creative Coalition president Tim Daly: “The time has come for all Americans to stand up and call for the Right to Bear Arts. We must stand up for the right to maintain an imaginative and expressive population. And we must prevent these draconian funding cuts for the NEA from becoming a devastating reality. We cannot afford to dismiss the arts as something expendable, an unnecessary luxury or treat it as something extra, like dessert. The arts must be part of the main course.”

Added Creative Coalition CEO Robin Bronk: “How does eliminating funding for the arts make America great? It is the arts that remind us what is great about America and inspire us to make our world a better place. Eliminating funding for the NEA will not hurt Broadway or Hollywood, but it hurts small town theaters, museums and community arts organizations. It hurts our wounded warriors who experience the healing power of the arts through their participation in NEA funded creative arts therapies. Without the NEA there will be less creativity, less imagination and less freedom of expression and that hurts all of us.”

American Federation of Musicians international president Ray Hair called the proposal to end NEA funding “outrageous and unacceptable.”

“There are orchestras, festivals and theaters in all 50 states that would be

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permanently damaged without NEA support,” he said. “It is time for Congress to step up and do the right thing — safeguard the NEA by fully funding this pricelesss institution.”

The Kinks’ Ray Davies Knighted by Prince CharlesBY LARS BRANDLE

Arise, Sir Ray Davies. The veteran Kinks frontman, who formed the legendary British rock band with his brother Dave in the early 1960s, has been knighted in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace.

Davies made the Queen’s 2017 New Year Honours list and on Thursday (March 16) received his knighthood for services to the arts, with the Prince of Wales doing the honors.

The 72-year-old rocker and songsmith made light of his special moment and shared a picture for posterity. “It lasted three minutes and it went very well,” he told the Daily Mail. “And I said goodbye and went home.”

Through a career spanning more than 50 years, Davies has accumulated a wealth of songwriting credits to his name, including Kinks classics “You Really Got Me,” “All Day and All of the Night,” “Waterloo Sunset,” “Sunny Afternoon” and “Lola.” His works have been covered by the likes of David Bowie, Smashing Pumpkins, Jackson Browne and Van Halen.

Davies’ knighthood is the latest in a long list of achievements which also include induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame (in 1990 with the Kinks), the Ivor Novello award for outstanding contribution to British music and the prestigious BMI Icon award. Davies was appointed Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire by the Queen back in 2004.

Last December, Ray and Dave Davies performed on stage together for the first

time in 20 years, sparking rumors that the Kinks might reunite. Never say never. In an interview with Billboard in 2015, Ray didn’t dismiss the idea. “It really depends,” he said on talk of a reunion. “This is always my answer: If we make it relevant to new music. Not saying we need a new album, but it’s got to relate to new music.”

Davies is hard at work readying the April release of Americana, his first album in nearly a decade. The LP is scheduled to arrive April 21 via Legacy Recordings and is the first of two volumes due out this year.

Common Will Team Up With The National Symphony For a Special Performance at The Kennedy CenterBY CARL LAMARRE

Okayplayer and The Kennedy Center will orchestrate a special performance between Common and The National Symphony on Wednesday (March 22). The show will also include orchestrated versions of songs from Common’s eclectic catalog.

The day prior, Common will team up with The National Symphony for a four-hour rehearsal from 1 to 5 p.m. Following his rehearsal, Common will participate in an intimate interview at the African Lounge at KC Opera house. Doors will open at 7:30 p.m., with the interview taking place at 8:30 p.m.

Earlier this week, Common defended Snoop Dogg during an interview with TMZ in regards to his video mocking President Donald Trump. “Hip-hop has been like a voice for so many people,” he said. “If you go think about the days of Public Enemy and you fast-forward to Kendrick Lamar,

hip-hop artists have always been speaking up and saying what they feel... if it’s a president they don’t like, if it’s a politician they don’t like... if you didn’t like what was going on you speak up and we’re entitled to do that as people.”

Last year, the Chicago rapper also released his politically charged effort Black America Again, which featured Stevie Wonder, John Legend, BJ The Chicago Kid and more.

James Cotton, Grammy-Winning Blues Harmonica Player, Dies At 81BY ASSOCIATED PRESS & BILLBOARD STAFF

James Cotton, a Grammy Award-winning blues harmonica master whose full-throat-ed sound backed such blues legends as Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson II and Howlin’ Wolf, has died at age 81.

A statement from Alligator Records, Cotton’s label, says he died Thursday (March 16) of pneumonia at St. David’s Medical Center in Austin.

Cotton, known as “Mr. Superharp,” was born on a cotton plantation in Tunica, Mississippi on July 1, 1935. He performed professionally since age 9 and went on to share stages with Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin, B.B. King, Santana, Steve Miller, Freddie King and many others. Cotton backed Muddy Waters in his landmark album At Newport on Chess Records. He would work with Waters many times through the years.

After going solo in the 1960s, Cotton released almost 30 albums, including his 1996 Grammy Award-winning Verve album, Deep In The Blues. His most recent album, Cotton Mouth Man for Alligator Records in 2013, was nominated for a Grammy.

Cotton was honored by New York’s

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Lincoln Center in 2010 where Hubert Sumlin, Pinetop Perkins, Taj Mahal, Shemekia Copeland and others saluted him in an all-star concert. And in 2015, the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal recognized Cotton and his decades-long contribution to the blues with their 2015 B.B. King Award.

Cotton is survived by his wife Jacklyn Hairston Cotton, daughters Teresa Hampton and Marshall Ann Cotton and son James Patrick Cotton, as well as numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

https://www.facebook.com/AlligatorRecords/posts/10155081999172829

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