The UK indie artist Michael Nelson aka Banners saw his song Someone To You come to life after 3 years. He released the track in 2017 and it did well garnering 60 million Spotify streams with help of Island Records and touring.
The track which was written by Grant Michaels (Sia, SZA) and Sam Hollander (Panic! At the Disco) now clocked over 250 million streams thanks to TikTok and a T-Mobile commercial. The song is shooting up Adult Top 40 Charts..
“I try not to look at my Spotify numbers too much…but every now and then I was just checking it and it was like, ‘This is getting more and more popular every week,'” said Michael. “So I went to the record label…and I was like, ‘Can we find out what’s going on, please?'”
He said “Obviously streams and YouTube and all that stuff is great…but just the idea that you’re making that many people’s days…better…It’s a real privileged position to be in, to be honest with you.”
Michael on TikTok “I’m kind of rubbish at it because everyone else is just more creative than me on that thing. So I feel like if I provided a soundtrack, that I’m kind of happy with that!”
Historically, The Super Bowl was the most watched television broadcast of the year.
The declines for the Super Bowl are in line with the year when games were down about 7 percent year to year.
Neilson delayed reporting the numbers and released an unusual statement.
“Super Bowl numbers are still being processed and verified. “We anticipate that final viewing figures, which will include out of home viewing, will be available to the media tomorrow. We will update the press and the industry accordingly when a final timeline is confirmed.”
The good news? The Weeknd performed during half time and did a helluva of a job.
They say what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Morgan Wallen is still topping the charts after using a racist slur that created a PR nightmare.
Most industry folks distanced themselves from Morgan and dropped him on radio stations, streaming services and playlists. His music label dropped him and he’s been whitewashed from CMT and its platforms.
Obviously, the backlash has helped Morgan sales. He apologized and his sister Ashlyne Wallen came to his defense. She blasted cancel culture calling it the worse thing that came out of the digital world, leaving no room for forgiveness and growth.
TikTok and Universal Music Group entered into a new partnership called “expanded global alliance.” The new deal is broader and will allow TikTok’s users to use songs from UMG artists.
In a nutshell, users are now able to pull songs from UMG’s entire catalog of music.
TikTok has become the go to place for artists and influencers as it’s the prime mover of breaking hits online.
The Weeknd is spending $7 million of his own money on the Super Bowl halftime show. The Super Bowl is footing the bill for the usual production costs, but The Weeknd says:
“we’ve been really focusing on dialing in on the fans at home and making performances a cinematic experience, and we want to do that with the Super Bowl.”
Production costs can run up to $10million. The production this year will be extra special if The Weekend is throwing in an extra $7 Million.
The Weeknd went on recording saying his favorite Super Bowl halftime show performance was by Diana Ross in 1996. He loved her exit in a helicopter, which rose up through the packed stadium with the singer waving to fans.
“I wish I could have done that,” he joked. “I don’t think I have enough money to do it, to be honest.”
The halftime show is produced by Jay-Z company Roc Nation.