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On the latest Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, we’ve got a Halloween treat for you! We find out the story behind one of modern film’s most iconic music sequences: Hocus Pocus’ “I Put a Spell on You,” as performed by Bette Midler. Marc Shaiman, who produced and arranged the song for the movie, joins the Pop Shop...

All Grammys look the same, but some categories are vastly more competitive than others. In the upcoming 64th annual Grammy Awards, three categories — best music video, record of the year and song of the year — each have more than 1,100 entries. At the other extreme, four categories have fewer than 50 entries each:...

Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road is due out next month in theaters and VOD Brian Wilson (Photo courtesy of Falco Ink.) A new trailer and poster has been shared for the forthcoming documentary Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road. Check them both out below. The film was directed by Brent Wilson (no relation) and is set...

When Elton John had to pause his “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” tour back in March 2020 because of the COVID pandemic, his original plan to retire and tour was diverted. What resulted, however, was a one-of-a-kind collection of collaborations titled The Lockdown Sessions (released Oct. 22) that allowed John the ability to work with legends like...

Arcade1Up, the company that releases replica arcade cabinets of classic games, has announced its latest release. Terminator 2: Judgment Day first hit arcades in 1991, shortly after the classic James Cameron film of the same name. As both the arcade cabinet and movie celebrate their 30-year anniversaries, Arcade1Up is giving fans a chance to bring the shooting...

Rep. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.) introduced new legislation Monday that would allow independent music artists, labels and creators to collectively negotiate for better royalty rates. Endorsed by the Assn. of Independent Music (A2IM) and the Artist Rights Alliance, the Protect Working Musicians Act would allow independent artists to band together to negotiate with streaming platforms and make antitrust...

Primary Wave Music has signed a new deal with the estate of R&B legend Luther Vandross. The terms of the deal provide the independent publisher with new income stakes in a selection of both his publishing and master recordings. It will also give Primary Wave a stake in Vandross’s name and likeness rights. The new...

Ruben Rodriquez, a veteran record promotion executive whose career included successful tenures with Motown, Columbia, Elektra and his own Pendulum Records, died Sunday in his sleep. He was 68. Known for his sophisticated sartorial style and affable personality, Rodriguez received the lifetime achievement award from the Living Legends Foundation in 2015. During that presentation, LLF noted of...

Over the past five years, bilingual (Spanish and English) songs such as “Despacito,” “Tusa,” “Hawái” and “RITMO (Bad Boys for Life),” among others, have topped Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart. Scoring non-Latin acts such as Justin Bieber and The Weekend their first entries on the tally, Spanglish duets have become a growing trend across Billboard‘s charts,...

In court documents obtained by Billboard on Tuesday (Oct. 26), Stephen Walter, the man responsible for supplying Mac Miller’s drug dealer with counterfeit oxycodone pills that killed the rapper in 2018, has pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of fentanyl. According to prosecutors, Walter, 48, faces up to 20 years in prison. Two other...

Dylan Fuentes is giving Latin music a global makeover. The Colombian singer-songwriter teamed up with Nigerian artist Daramola for his debut EP Arena, where they sonically blended their styles, influences, and cultures. On their hit “Wahala,” sleek Afro-beats meet the hard edge of Latin trap music. Fuentes is also making his mark as a protégé...

Blizzard canceled this year’s BlizzCon earlier this year due to COVID-related reasons. The plan was to reconvene in early 2022 as an online-only event, dubbed BlizzConline, but the company has also decided to postpone that event. It is important to keep in mind what is going on within Activision Blizzard at this time regarding ongoing...

Stephen Andrew Walter faces up to 20 years in federal prison Malcolm James McCormick aka Mac Miller, September 2016 (Dale Berman/Getty Images for MTV) One defendant has agreed to plead guilty in the federal case involving the 2018 death of Mac Miller, TMZ reports and Pitchfork can confirm via court documents. Stephen Andrew Walter was...

Halloween is almost here, and Billboard wants to know: Which Latin artist would you like to trick-or-treat with if you had the chance? The fan-focused poll includes 26 artists who are currently charting in Billboard’s top 25 on the Hot Latin Songs chart, such as Farruko, whose “Pepas” is at No. 1 for a 10th consecutive...

As nightlife comes back online amid the lingering pandemic, New York City is getting a massive new place to party. Opened this past weekend, Nebula is an 11,000-square-foot mega-club located at 135 W. 41st St. in Midtown Manhattan, just off of Times Square. With space for 700 patrons, Nebula features a 5,500-square-foot dance floor, a 2,500-square-foot...

Ubisoft has announced that the next season for The Division 2 has been delayed to 2022. This delay comes by way of a new Ubisoft blog post discussing the current state of The Division 2, the road ahead, and of course, the now-delayed Season 8. The post says that the next title update will be...