LONDON, Feb 11 (Reuters) – Harry Styles was the big winner at the BRIT awards, Britain’s pop music honours, on Saturday, winning all four categories he had been nominated in, a week after his triumph at the Grammys.
Styles took home the coveted album of the year for “Harry’s House”, song of the year for his synth pop hit “As It Was”, best pop/R&B act and artist of the year, one of two gender-neutral categories introduced last year after BRIT awards organisers got rid of female and male distinctions.
The contenders for that prize were all men, which had irked many in the industry and on social media.
“I’m really, really grateful for this and I’m very aware of my privilege up here tonight,” Styles said in his acceptance speech, dedicating the artist of the year award to a list of female singers.
Styles, who rose to fame on talent show “The X Factor” as a member of boy band One Direction, last week won two Grammy awards, including album of the year.
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“This night has been really special to me … Thank you so much for the welcome home,” Styles said on Saturday after his final win, for best album.
“I’m so, so proud to be a British artist out there in the world. I’m so proud to be here tonight celebrating British artists and British music.”
A statement on the BRIT Awards’ website said the gender-neutral categories had been introduced so artists were judged “solely on the quality and popularity of their work, rather than on who they are, or how they choose to identify.”
But it added that organisers “acknowledge and share in the disappointment” of no women making the list. “A key factor is that, unfortunately, there were relatively few commercially successful releases by women in 2022 compared to those by men.”
“Of the 71 eligible artists on the longlist, only 12 (17%) are women. We recognise this points to wider issues around the representation of women in music that must also be addressed.”
Singer Rina Sawayama welcomed the change to gender-neutral categories but said the list of nominees should be longer.
“If you have more nominees then you’re going to see a cross section of what has happened throughout the year and who has made an impact,” she told Reuters on the red carpet.
Indie rockers Wet Leg won group of the year and best new artist. Music star Beyonce was named international artist of the year and her hit “Break My Soul” won international song of the year.
For a factbox of winners, click read more
Reporting by Marie-Louise Gumuchian in London; Additional reporting by Hanna Rantala in London; Editing by Ben Dangerfield, Matthew Lewis and Daniel Wallis
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A detail view of a giant Grammy trophy during the HBCU Love Tour Atlanta: Grammy U Masterclass at Ray Charles Performing Arts Center on October 10, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Terence Rushin/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
Bad Bunny opened the Grammy Awards on Sunday in Los Angeles with a festive, high-energy performance that brought many of the audience including Taylor Swift who rose to her feet and danced near her table.
Host Trevor Noah introduced Bunny calling him a “global force” who is the most streamed and listened to artist in the world.
By the time the show started on CBS, Beyoncé had already won two Grammys, bringing her a step closer in her pursuit of being the most decorated artist in the show’s history.
What is an EGOT?
To win an EGOT is to have a versatile career decorated with an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award.
During the Grammys pre-telecast ceremony, Beyoncé won for the first time ever in the best dance-electronic music recording category for “Break My Soul.” She also won for best traditional R&B performance for “Plastic Off the Sofa.”
Beyoncé, who now has 30 awards, only needs two more wins to eclipse the record held by the late Hungarian-British conductor Georg Solti, who has 31 Grammys. Solti has held on to the record since 1997.
It’s the first time Beyoncé has been nominated in the dance category. Her seventh studio project is up for best dance-electronic music album.
Beyoncé entered Sunday’s ceremony as the leading nominee including album, song and record of the year. If she wins in any of those major categories, it’ll be her first since since she received the song of the year honor for “Single Ladies” in 2010.
Trevor Noah is set to host the Grammy Awards this year for the third time in a row. (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
Muni Long — a best new artist candidate — beat out Beyoncé in the best R&B performance category for her song, “Hrs. and Hrs.”
Beyonce’s other nominations include best R&B song for “Cuff It” and song written for visual media for “Be Alive,” the Oscar-nominated song from the “King Richard” soundtrack.
That’s one of the main storylines heading into Sunday’s ceremony with several of music’s biggest names who are in the running for the night’s top honors — Harry Styles, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar, ABBA and Lizzo are all among the nominees in for album of the year. Adele joins them in the record of the year competition.
Viola Davis is now an EGOT — a term for those who have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony — after she wins for best audio book, narration and storytelling recording. The actor gave an emotional speech and emphatically said “I just EGOT” after she marched on stage to collect her award.
Performers include, from left, Bad Bunny, Luke Combs and Sam Smith, who are all nominated for Grammys this year. (Getty Images)
“Oh, my God,” she said. “I wrote this book to honor the 6-year-old Viola, to honor her, her life, her joy, her trauma, everything,” Davis said. “It has just been such a journey.”
Tattered streetwear, T-shirts and denim mixed with blinged-out couture, wild patterns and plenty of skin on the Grammys carpet. Lizzo wowed in a bright orange Dolce & Gabbana robe adorned with flowers and a huge hood while Taylor Swift wore a long two-piece sparkly skirt with a high-neck and long-sleeve crop top in midnight blue.
Brandi Carlile made a rare appearance during the pre-telecast for a major artist. The singer showed up after her song “Broke Horses” won for best rock performance and best rock song, a songwriter’s award, and best Americana album.
“It’s rock ‘n’ roll, man,” said a smiling Carlile, who jogged on stage with a couple of her band members. “I cannot tell you how much this means to us. We’re born and raised in Seattle. When I met these guys 22 years ago we decided to get into a band.”
Carlile co-wrote “Broken Horses” with twin brothers Phil and Tim Hanseroth.
“Oh my God, this is amazing,” she said. “Oh, I’ll never be the same.”
Kendrick Lamar extended his record in the best rap performance category with his sixth career trophy for “The Heart Part 5,” which also recognized his songwriting as a victor for best rap song.
The Tennessee State University Marching Band beat out the likes of Willie Nelson to win best roots gospel album for “The Urban Hymnal.” The band’s nomination marked the first time a college marching band had been nominated in the category.
Sir the Baptist accepted the award for the band, using his acceptance speech to highlight how underfunded historically Black colleges and universities like Tennessee State are, saying he had to “put my last dime in order to get us across the line.”
Trevor Noah returned for a third time to host the telecast live from downtown Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena. The show will include other performances by Mary J. Blige, Sam Smith, Lizzo as well as special musical tributes to the late musicians Takeoff, Loretta Lynn and Christine McVie.
But with 91 Grammy categories, most of the awards were given out during the Recording Academy’s livestreamed Premiere Ceremony.
There could be many other firsts: If Bad Bunny wins album of the year for “Un Verano Sin Ti,” it would be the first time a Spanish-language album has taken home the top honor. Taylor Swift, whose latest album “Midnights” wasn’t eligible for this year’s Grammys, could win her first song of the year trophy for “All Too Well.” An Adele win for song of the year for her track “Easy on Me” would make her the most decorated artist in the category with three wins, the others coming for her megahits “Hello” and “Rolling in the Deep.”
This year’s Grammys have also introduced several new categories, including one for video game music composition, which went to the soundtrack for “Assassins Creed: Valhalla.”
Ozzy Osbourne won two Grammys, cementing the metal god’s late-career rejuvenation.
“Degradation Rules” by Ozzy Osbourne featuring Tony Iommi won the best metal performance and his album “Patient Number 9” won best rock album.
Earlier this year, Osbourne announced the cancellation of his 2023 tour dates in the U.K. and continental Europe and that his health would likely prevent him from touring again.
This year’s show marks a return to Los Angeles after the pandemic first delayed, then forced the Grammys to move to Las Vegas last year. Noah hosted the ceremony as well, which saw Jon Batiste take home album of the year.
AP Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy contributed to this report.
7/11 owner plays loud classical music to deter homeless people from hanging out
If you’ve been to the 7/11 at Oltorf and Parker, lately you may have noticed classical music playing. The owner said the goal is to deter homeless people from hanging out and harassing customers.
AUSTIN, Texas – If you’ve been at the 7-Eleven at Oltorf and Parker lately, you may have noticed classical music and opera playing.
The owner says the goal is to deter homeless individuals from being there and harassing customers. Some customers say they’re all for the music, while others are annoyed by it.
The city says they’ve gotten eight noise complaints at that location Jan. 1. The Austin Police Department says they do respond to noise complaints if it’s ongoing. If there is a complainant, and they are able to verify the offense, they will issue a verbal warning. If they have to return within a certain number of hours, they may issue a citation.
The store owner, Jagat Patel, says no one from the city has shown up. He doesn’t know whether the actual decibel level falls within city ordinance, but is planning on lowering the sound.
Patel says the homeless population has been a big problem.
“Especially a lot of my female customers and my young customers are scared to come here, because there are people constantly hanging out in the parking lot soliciting for money,” he said.
He says he’s had to pay a professional to clean up needles. Others who work nearby say they’ve been attacked.
“I have to carry this big old knife with me just to defend myself, it’s sad that you have to do that,” Joe Miranda, who works nearby, said.
Patel says he started playing the music about 10 days ago and got the idea because other store owners have it.
“Studies have shown that the classical music is annoying. Opera is annoying, and I’m assuming they are correct because it’s working,” he said.
“Now since they’ve had this music going on, we have less traffic down with the homeless out here,” Miranda said.
Miranda says he thinks it’s the right solution.
“It’s helping out, it’s not annoying to us because it doesn’t bother us, but it bothers probably them because they’re doing drugs,” he said.
Others think the opposite.
“I believe, just talk to them, and ask them not to hang around, or not to live around, whatever, I think that’s the best solution,” Frederick Carter, who lives nearby, said.
He says he’s started going to a different 7-Eleven that doesn’t have music.
“This music is not very good, it’s loud, it’s obnoxious to me, I don’t like it, you can hear it a long ways off, it’s very disturbing,” he said.
For now, the music will continue.
“We are in the process of turning it down, because people who live across the parking lot are also my customers, and we don’t want to make their life difficult,” Patel said.
He says something needs to be done about an encampment at an abandoned building next door.
“It’s becoming a huge headache to conduct business, and a lot of my customers are scared,” Patel said.
APD said they weren’t able to answer our questions about the nearby homeless population today. In the past, they’ve mentioned taking part in city outreach programs to get people connected to housing and services.
Northwest Indiana man receives one of the most prestigious recognitions in country music
One of the most prestigious recognitions in country music was awarded to a northwest Indiana man.
DeMOTTE, Ind. – One of the most prestigious recognitions in country music was awarded to a northwest Indiana man.
Nate Venturelli brings a sizzle and unique story to the country music stage.
“I don’t know really of any musicians preaching about unions or blue collar…I’m proud to be a union worker and write music about it,” said Venturelli, who is a union steelworker.
He rose to fame locally, in his hometown of DeMotte with his song, “Union Man”, written about his grandfather who was also a union steelworker.
“I wanted to get the union image out more than it is because it’s a great living and college really isn’t for everybody,” said Venturelli.
Last month, on the Grand Ole Opry stage, Venturelli received the Josie Music “Male Rising Star” award. The competition is the largest music awards show for independent artists in the country.
Venturelli beat out 50,000 other applicants.
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“My heart sank into my stomach. I just didn’t think it was real, you know,” he said.
Even more shocking considering the 31-year-old didn’t start singing in public until four years ago or pick up the guitar until he was 25. He’s hoping more people can relate to his music, that’s not the norm in the glitz and glamour of the Nashville music scene.
“Northwest Indiana is a big union region, all the steel mills, you have BP Refinery, all the factories up north, it’s heavily influenced my blue collar writing.”
Venturelli and his band hope to release eight more songs in the next couple years. The award has already helped them book gigs around the country.
Astound’s Grande Communications held responsible for user infringement
Record label plaintiffs previously won $1 billion from Cox in similar case
(Reuters) – Internet service provider Astound Broadband’s Grande Communications Networks LLC must pay a group of music labels $46.7 million after its user pirated over 1,400 copyrighted works, a federal jury in Austin, Texas, decided Thursday.
Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Records and other labels convinced the jury that San Marcos, Texas-based Grande committed willful contributory copyright infringement by failing to act against subscribers who were repeat infringers.
An attorney for Grande did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The labels’ attorney Andy Bart of Jenner & Block said in an email that they were “grateful that the jury recognized the critical role that ISPs play in addressing piracy.”
Labels including Universal, Sony and Warner won a $1 billion verdict in a similar lawsuit against Cox Communications in Virginia in 2019. Cox’s appeal of that verdict is still pending.
The labels have also sued several other ISPs for allegedly turning a blind eye to user piracy, including Frontier Communications, Charter Communications and RCN Corp.
Grande, which is now part of Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners’ Princeton, New Jersey-based Astound, was sued by the labels in 2017. The lawsuit said the labels own rights to “the great majority” of recordings sold in the U.S. from some of the most popular musicians of all time, ranging from Michael Jackson to Pink Floyd to Tony Bennett.
According to the complaint, the labels sent Grande notices of “more than one million infringements” by thousands of subscriber accounts that pirated music through BitTorrent software. They accused Grande of failing to act in order to avoid losing revenue from infringing subscribers.
Grande told the court that it was “merely an internet service provider and never induced or encouraged anyone to infringe.” It also argued the labels’ notices were flawed and that their alleged damages were excessive.
The case is UMG Recordings Inc v. Grande Communications Networks LLC, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, No. 1:17-cv-00365.
For Grande: Richard Brophy of Armstrong Teasdale
For the labels: Andrew Bart of Jenner & Block
Read more:
Cox to pay $1 billion to music labels, publishers over piracy infringement
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Blake Brittain
Thomson Reuters
Blake Brittain reports on intellectual property law, including patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets. Reach him at blake.brittain@thomsonreuters.com
Taylor Swift 2023 ‘Eras Tour:’ Pop star announces stadium tour with stop in Seattle
Taylor Swift has officially announced new concert dates for 2023, including a stop at Lumen Field in Seattle. The pop star released her album ‘Midnights’ last month to critical acclaim.
SEATTLE – Taylor Swift has officially announced new concert dates for 2023, including a stop at Lumen Field in Seattle.
The pop star’s highly anticipated stadium tour, entitled “Eras Tour,” will kick off next March in Glendale, Arizona and run through August, concluding in Los Angeles.
“I’m enchanted to announce my next tour: Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour, a journey through the musical eras of my career (past & present!) The first leg of the tour will be in stadiums across the US, with international dates to be announced as soon as we can!” the musician wrote on her Twitter on Tuesday.
The Seattle concert will be at Lumen Field on July 22 with Haim and Gracie Abrams.
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – SEPTEMBER 20: NSAI Songwriter-Artist of the Decade honoree, Taylor Swift performs onstage during NSAI 2022 Nashville Songwriter Awards at Ryman Auditorium on September 20, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Terry Wyatt/Get
Other West Coast stops include Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. on July 29 and SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Aug. 4 and 5.
The “Feeling like the luckiest person alive. I can’t WAIT to see you. It’s been a long time coming.”
Swift also announced a slew of opening artists that she will be taking on the road with her, including Paramore, Haim and Phoebe Bridgers.
Tickets go on sale to the public on Nov. 18. There will also be a Ticketmaster Verified Fan program “to ensure tickets get into the hands of fans.”
Swift’s announcement also promised that international dates will follow.
RELATED: Taylor Swift becomes first artist to claim Billboard Hot 100’s top 10 songs in single week
Recently, Swift made music history when 10 songs from her new album, “Midnights,” charted in the top 10 songs of Billboard’s Hot 100 in a single week. Swift is the first musician to achieve this feat, according to Billboard.
The “Blank Space” singer took to Twitter to record her reaction to the news.
“10 out of 10 of the Hot 100??? On my 10th album??? I AM IN SHAMBLES,” the singer-songwriter wrote.
RELATED: Spotify crowns Taylor Swift’s ‘Midnights’ as most-streamed artist, most-streamed album
“Midnights” broke Spotify’s record for the most-streamed album in a single day when it debuted on Oct. 21.
“How did I get this lucky, having you guys out here doing something this mind blowing?!” Swift tweeted at the time. “Like what even just happened??!?!”
RELATED: Taylor Swift course to be offered at University of Texas
FOX News contributed to this report. Get more from FOX News entertainment.
Concordia College student from Chaska commissioned by Wisconsin orchestra for original composition
As a music composition major at Concordia College in Moorhead, Jacob Shay knows how to both write and play a good tune. But one of the Chaska native’s latest creations will soon be featured on a larger stage.
(FOX 9) – As a music composition major at Concordia College in Moorhead, Jacob Shay knows how to both write and play a good tune. But one of the Chaska native’s latest creations will soon be featured on a larger stage.
“That’s crazy. I really wanted to write for an orchestra before, so getting this chance to have that opportunity is wild,” said Shay.
Last January, Shay sent some original pieces to one of his professors, Dr. Kevin Sutterlin, who also conducts the Concordia Orchestra, where Shay plays the violin, to get some critiques.
But Sutterlin was so impressed by the 22-year-old’s work, he commissioned an original composition for the Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra, which he also directs. Shay’s arrangement will premiere this weekend.
“It feels really weird to have something of mine go beyond just our college or even outside of my state to be honest,” said Shay.
Shay says the four-minute-long overture called Spark draws on his influences like music from movies and video games, which he believes will appeal to a younger audience.
Sutterlin says commissioning the work is part of his effort to include more music written by living, female and underrepresented composers for the Fox Valley Orchestra to perform.
“The hope is that more and more people who live in our communities will find themselves represented in the music we are presenting,” said Sutterlin. Shay and his family will be in the audience when the orchestra plays his piece for the first time in Appleton Wisconsin on Saturday.
He hopes it will be the spark for a long and lengthy career.
“I definitely want to pursue this after college. Wherever or however that might happen,” said Shay.
