A BTS pop-up shop is headed to a number of cities in Asia and to Los Angeles beginning later this month. The K-pop supergroup’s label Big Hit Music announced on Wednesday (April 17) that “Monochrome” will debut in the on-hiatus group’s hometown of Seoul, South Korea beginning on April 26 through May 12. The event […]

After a disastrous couple months, Hipgnosis Songs Fund (HSF) has agreed to a $1.402 billion takeover from rival Concord Chorus. In a statement issued early Thursday (April 18) to the London Stock Exchange, the deal values each Hipgnosis share at £0.93, a premium of roughly one third the royalty fund’s shareprice at the close of trading on Wednesday. “The board is pleased to announce and unanimously recommend this US$1.4 billion offer for Hipgnosis from Concord,” comments Robert Naylor, chairman of Hipgnosis. The acquisition, he continues, “represents an attractive opportunity for our shareholders to immediately realize their holding at a premium, mitigating the risks we see ahead to achieving a material improvement in the share price.” Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news HSF has been in the doghouse since a failed investors continuation resolution in October 2023, and a partial catalog sale — effectively a vote of no confidence in both the previous board and the investment advisor, Hipgnosis Song Management. Matters took another turn last month when HSF, which has amassed a catalog that includes stakes in songs by Neil Young, Justin Bieber, Journey, Lindsey Buckingham, Blondie, Justin Timberlake and many other artists and writers, cut the value of its portfolio by more than a quarter and told investors that it does not intend to recommence paying dividends “for the foreseeable future” as it focuses on paying down debts. Trending on Billboard Compiled by the board’s lead independent adviser, Shot Tower Capital, the report found that Hipgnosis Song Management, run by Hipgnosis founder and music manager Merck Mercuriadis, materially overstated the fund’s revenue and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) and supported catalog acquisitions with financial analysis that failed to meet “music industry standards.” HSF itself overstated the scope of its music assets, the report noted, in disclosures to investors and regulators. And in a pitch last September to investors to sell some 29 catalogs to a sister Hipgnosis company, the fund included a better-than-could-be-expected post-deal valuation, the report found. Following completion of the acquisition and a short transition period, reads a statement to the London Stock Exchange, it is expected that Concord will take over the management of Hipgnosis’ assets, adding to a business that, since 2015, has completed more than 100 transactions across recorded music, music publishing and theatricals, US$2.8 billion spending spree. The Hipgnosis board, Naylor continues, is confident that Concord is the “right owner” to take on the Hipgnosis catalogue and manage it in the interests of composers and performers. The offer has been unanimously recommended by its board and has the support of 29.38 per cent of their shareholders, comments Bob Valentine, CEO of Concord, controlled by investor Alchemy Copyrights. “We believe we are offering a fair price for Hipgnosis’ catalogues and music assets, giving its shareholders the opportunity to realize their investment at a significant premium to the prevailing share price in cash.” Concord’s leadership identifies Hipgnosis’ assets as further means to grow its business and scale and leverage its operations.

Raye, Sting, Massive Attack, Kraftwerk, Janelle Monáe, and Duran Duran lead the lineup for the 2024 Montreux Jazz Festival, set for July 5 – 20 on the Lake Geneva shoreline. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Organizers roll out the changes for this year’s 58th edition, including a fresh layout with a new main stage erected on top of the famous Swiss lake, and a return to the historic Casino, the setting of the classic Pink Floyd concert from 1970, and which was later razed and inspired Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water”. Deep Purple will return to perform on the lake this year, joining a lineup that includes PJ Harvey, Smashing Pumpkins, Jungle, André 3000, Air, Tems, Tyla and many others. Trending on Billboard After a triumphant night at the 2024 Brit Awards, where she scooped a record six trophies, Raye will perform on the Lake Stage, doing so the same night as Janelle Monáe. More than 40 years after forming in Birmingham, England, Rock Hall-inducted pop-rock legends Duran Duran will make their Montreux Jazz Festival debut this year, off the back of the Halloween-influenced 16th studio album Danse Macabre, which opened at No. 4 on the Official U.K. Chart in November 2023, for their 12th top 10 appearance. Established in 1967 by late jazz connoisseur Claude Nobs, the festival has hosted many of the greats of contemporary music, from Prince to David Bowie, Nina Simone, Quincy Jones, Marvin Gaye, Elton John and others. Mathieu Jaton has directed the fest since 2013, the year Nobs passed away. Nearly 250,000 spectators attend the event in a regular year, which continues to evolve and introduce audiences to styles and tunes well outside the broad world that is jazz, with a bill that also takes in pop, hip-hop, Afrobeats, trip-hop, classic rock, soul and funk. The event paused in 2020 due to pandemic, returned in 2021 with a downsized format, and was back to its regular programming in 2022. The general ticket onsale starts Friday, April 19 at montreuxjazzfestival.com.

With two wins each, Cub Sport, Jem Cassar-Daley and Bluey composer Joff Bush were the standouts at the 2024 Queensland Music Awards, presented Wednesday, April 17 at Fortitude Music Hall in Brisbane. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Homegrown electro-pop act Cub Sport nabbed album of the year for their ARIA No. 1 collection Jesus At The Gay Bar, and the electronic award for “Songs About It.” “This is very unexpected,” drummer Dan Puusaari said from the dais as Cub Sport collected best album honors. “We’ve been a band for 13 years, won our first QMA 12 years ago, it’s very cool to still be up here, still making music. It’s a massive privilege. This is the fifth record we’ve made. To be acknowledged like this is really cool.” Trending on Billboard Jem Cassar-Daley snagged the pop award and song of the year, the QMAs’ top honor, both for “King of Disappointment.” With the song of the year award, Cassar-Daley, daughter of homegrown country great Troy Cassar-Daley, scores a prime piece of real estate – a plaque on the Walk of Fame in the city’s Brunswick Street Mall. As she accepted her trophy, Cassar-Daley thanked “every single one of you in this room for inspiring me to pursue music, even during COVID when everything had locked down and we’d all lost gigs.” Composer Joff Bush won the children’s music award for “Dance Mode” and music for screen award for “Cricket,” both written for the popular animated series Bluey. Also, country veteran James Blundell was honored with the lifetime achievement award, recognition of a decades-long career during which he has recorded 14 studio albums, won nine CMAA Golden Guitars, and earned induction into the CMAA Role of Renown and the CMC Hall of Fame. “It is an acknowledgement of survival,” he said of his latest award, which he celebrated with members of his family. “I say to all the young artists I work with that longevity is a major part of the equation. You can be fabulous for a nanosecond but to sustain a career, well you’ve got to be a bit more interesting (laughs). Now I have never claimed or intended to be an interesting artist, but I have lived very honestly and very much in the public eye. So, I am very grateful to receive this award.” Other winners included Busby Marou (blues/roots award), DZ Deathrays (heavy award), Tia Gostelow (Indigenous award), and Sahara Beck (soul/funk/RnB category). “We are massively proud Queenslanders, and we’re inspired by the young fellas coming through. And of course, all the old fellas too,” remarked Thomas Busby, one-half of Rockhampton roots act Busby Marou. The “beauty of making music,” he added, is that you “make friends all along the way, then you keep them.” The 2024 Queensland Music Awards are produced by QMusic, which is supported by the Queensland government. Guests in the room included Queensland premier Steven Miles. 2024 Queensland Music Awards winners: Major Awards Song Of The Year Jem Cassar-Daley – ‘King Of Disappointment’ Album Of The Year Cub Sport – Jesus At The Gay Bar Lifetime Achievement Award James Blundell Scholarships 2023 Billy Thorpe Scholarship Lottie Mcleod 2023 Carol Lloyd Award Jo Davie Dennis “Mop” Conlon Scholarship Kristal West 2023 Grant Mclennan Fellowship Georgia Potter Dalwood-Wylie Foundation Scholarship Ethan Roberts Category Awards Blues | Roots Award Busby Marou – ‘Conversation’ Children’s Music Award Joff Bush – ‘Dance Mode’ (Bluey) Contemporary Classical & Music For Stage Karin Schaupp – ‘Cybernylon’ Country Award Tori Forsyth – ‘Sometimes’ Electronic Award Cub Sport – ‘Songs About It’ Folk Award Minor Gold – ‘Cannonball’ Heavy Award Dz Deathrays – ‘My Mind Is Eating Me Alive’ Hip Hop Award Ozi Jarel – ‘Uptown’ Indigenous Award Tia Gostelow – ‘Spring To Life’ Jazz Award Andrew Butt Trio – ‘Le Baiser Salé’ Music For Screen Joff Bush – ‘Cricket’ (Bluey) Pop Award Jem Cassar-Daley – ‘King Of Disappointment’ Rock Award Felony. – ‘Everyone I Like Wants To Kill Themselves’ Soul | Funk | Rnb Award Sahara Beck – ‘Compromise’ World Award Taitu’uga – ‘Falealili Manusamoa’ Youth (Ages 10 – 17) Award Parker – ‘Sofa Bed’ Regional | Regional Award Lt – ‘Act Your Age’ Video Award Luis Campbell, Adam Hasa & Julian Panetta – ‘Make It So Easy’ By Jordan Briton Feat. Juno Export Award Skin On Skin Highest Selling Single Fisher & Kita Alexander – ‘Atmosphere’ Highest Selling Album Brad Cox – Acres Venues + Festival Of The Year Awards People’s Choice Award Metro Venue Of The Year The Fortitude Music Hall People’s Choice Award Regional Venue Of The Year Kings Beach Tavern People’s Choice Award Festival Of The Year Nominees Gympie Music Muster Accessible Venue Of The Year Kingston Butter Factory Cultural Precinct

Trailblazing Indigenous artist Bart Willoughby is the recipient of the 2024 Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music. The prestigious honor will be presented at the 2024 APRA Music Awards, to be held May 1 at ICC Sydney, on Gadigal land. Willoughby was a founding member and the driving force behind No Fixed Address, Australia’s first and arguably most influential First Nations reggae-rock band, and the first Aboriginal band to sign a major label deal. The group’s 1981 protest song “We Have Survived” continues to resonate and is preserved in the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Willoughby’s “fusion of reggae with traditional Indigenous influences is a testament to the richness and diversity of Australia’s original cultural identity,” reads a statement from the PRO. “His illustrious career has garnered numerous accolades, yet his influence transcends music, encompassing roles as a cultural ambassador, a master storyteller, a nurturing mentor, and a steadfast advocate for truth within Indigenous communities nationwide.” The Ted Albert Award is one of the Australian music industry’s highest decorations, and is decided by the APRA board of writer and publisher directors. Trending on Billboard Previous recipients include the late Mushroom Group chairman Michael Gudinski, Paul Kelly, The Seekers, Cold Chisel, former Alberts CEO Fifa Riccobono and last year’s honoree, Colin Hay of Men at Work. “I am very proud to receive the Ted Albert Award for my services to Australian music,” comments Willoughby, a Kokatha and Mirning man. “The best advice I received as a young musician was from Aunty Leila Rankin at CASM whilst I was preoccupied practising; she kindly opened the door and forced me out telling me ‘I’ll learn my craft on the road, it’s been a Long Road.’” Ahead of this year’s APRAs, Taylor Swift and co-writer Jack Antonoff win most performed international work for “Anti-Hero,” her hit lead single from her chart-topping 10th studio album Midnights. “Anti-Hero” wins from a shortlist that included songs by Ed Sheeran, Miley Cyrus, Sam Smith, and David Guetta.As previously reported, Sarah Aarons leads the pack heading into 2024 APRAs, with Troye Sivan, Budjerah, Ainslie Wills, Styalz Fuego, Amy Shark, The Kid LAROI, James Johnston and MAY-A close behind. Established in 1982, the Australasian Performing Right Association’s annual songwriters’ ceremony is one of the Australian music industry’s most treasured events, a worthy counterpart to Britain’s Ivor Novello Awards.