Today, Meow Mix dropped a limited-edition “Meow Mix ReMix LP” collector’s item featuring the most purred about songs of the year. Meow Mix – the only food cats ask for by name – celebrates its iconic jingle with a tail-swaying vinyl collection that cat lovers everywhere can display proudly on their mantels.
Album pre-sales are now available exclusively on Amazon.com for $9.99. Tracks from artists like “Hearts & Paws” and “Endless Hiss” span genres from tail-vibrating pop to back-rolling metal; from cool-cat jazz to Latin dance. Records will ship in April and are available while supplies last. Each purchase also includes a coupon for a FREE bag of brand-new Meow Mix Tasty Layers cat food.
“The Meow Mix LP celebrates the brand’s iconic jingle while also bringing a modern energy to the party,” said Ryan Thomas, VP of Brand Marketing. “Our Tasty Layers does the same kind of thing for mealtime – with exciting new layers of flavor to surprise and delight cats everywhere.”
Visit meowmix.com/remix to sample the Meow Mix ReMix songs and to learn more about our full collection of Meow Mix products.
Get to know the woman behind the name. TINA is a revealing and intimate look at the life and career of musical icon Tina Turner, charting her improbable rise to early fame, her personal and professional struggles throughout her life and her even more improbable resurgence as a global phenomenon in the 1980s.
In addition to a stunning amount of archival footage spanning 60 years, the documentary includes interviews with Angela Bassett; Oprah Winfrey; journalist Kurt Loder who co-authored “I, Tina,” which inspired the feature film; playwright Katori Hall, who scribed “Tina – The Tina Turner Musical”; and husband and former record executive Erwin Bach, among many others.
The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame (CSHF) is pleased to announce the induction of Dan Hill, as one of Canada’s most successful songwriters. Hill catapulted to music fame in the 1970s with one of the biggest songs of the decade, Sometimes When We Touch, and continued to conquer the adult contemporary charts through the 1980s and 1990s with a devoted worldwide fan following. Behind the scenes, he penned hits for Celine Dion, Tina Turner, Britney Spears, 98 Degrees, and Alan Jackson to name a few; and recently stepped back into the spotlight in 2020 with his urgent and heartfelt single, What About Black Lives?, off his 15th studio album, “On The Other Side of Here.”
Hill will be inducted to the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame’s permanent home in the National Music Centre in Calgary, featuring interactive exhibits and memorabilia dedicated to Canada’s greatest songwriters and songs.
1977’s Sometimes When We Touch, and 1987’s Can’t We Try duet with American songstress Vonda Shepard, are among Hill’s most successful hits. Sometimes was co-written with New York songwriter Barry Mann, and reached No. 1 in Canada and No. 3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. It garnered several SOCAN Awards as well as five JUNO Awards including Songwriter of the Year in 1979. Can’t We Try was Billboard’s No. 1 Adult Contemporary Song of the Year for 1987, among many chart-topping singles and successful albums that Hill would produce.
Between 1986 and 1989, a Dan Hill hit could be found on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart (and usually the Canadian national chart) every week for an unparalleled four years. His hits included the romantic ballads In Your Eyes, Hold Me Now (with Rique Franks), All I See Is Your Face, Carmelia, Unborn Heart, I Fall All Over Again, and Never Thought That I Could Love, which also shot to No. 1 in Canada.
The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame is pleased to announce the song induction of It’s Raining Men, one of the most iconic dance tracks that defined the disco era and transcended boundaries. The song was co-penned in 1979 by Paul Shaffer and Paul Jabara, whose trademark disco musicality made him the go-to songwriter of 70s and 80s, and hitmaker for Donna Summer among others. The zany concept of a deluge of men raining down from the heavens, led to It’s Raining Men (despite being written from a woman’s point of view and sung by The Weather Girls) becoming a huge hit in the gay community, as Jabara had intended; and its tongue-in-cheek playfulness eventually unleashed a downpour of mainstream success for years to come.
“Of all the honours one can receive, recognition from one’s home country is the most meaningful. I know my late co-author, Paul Jabara, is proud of me as I thank the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame for auspiciously acknowledging our song, It’s Raining Men,” said Paul Shaffer.
Paul Jabara conceived the idea for It’s Raining Men in 1979 for disco queen Donna Summer, for whom he had written her other chart-topping hits, Last Dance and No More Tears. He called upon the affable keyboardist Paul Shaffer, who had done some arranging for him, and invited him to compose the music. As Shaffer told the CBC, Jabara said, “You worked so hard as an arranger; I want you to write this one with me.” Shaffer enthusiastically responded, “I’ll be right over!” — and the duo completed the song that afternoon.
Undeterred by the fact that true-believer Summer had turned down the song on the grounds of it being blasphemous, Jabara recorded it as an instrumental which he shopped to various high-profile singers until he found the perfect vocalists in Martha Wash and Izora Armstead, of the appropriately-named vocal duo Two Tons O’ Fun, who already had some disco hits under their belts. Wash’s voice was a tour de force, and her powerful bluesy-gospel delivery took the song to new heights beyond pop, dance, and disco, into the R&B genre.
Produced by Jabara and Bob Esty, the recording for It’s Raining Men was released in 1982 on the Columbia label, and was an instant dance hit. By December, the infectious song was No. 1 on Billboard’s Dance Club Songs chart, in addition to reaching No. 34 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hiphop chart and No. 46 on its Hot 100 chart.
It was the song’s campy music video that propelled its success to the mainstream. Wash and Armstead had renamed themselves The Weather Girls, and the music video featured men in raincoats and skimpy briefs as they rained down during a weather forecast. The light-hearted video was perfectly suited for the new platform called MTV, which had just launched the previous year, to gain a whole new audience for the song.
Artist, designer and multimedia pioneer Roger Dean has announced his first NFT drop. The drop will include limited editions of three exclusive digital art pieces, each a component of his new “Allurium” series, in collaboration with NFT studio THE MTAPHR. “Floating Islands,” originally painted in 1993 and served as the cover of Yes’s offshoot band ABWH Live at the Shoreline album, will be exclusively available on the digital asset marketplace NiftyGateway this coming Tuesday, March 16.
“There has been a growing volume of hearsay and rumor about this technology (NFT’s). It sounded strange and interesting, so after a number of approaches from friends and colleagues, I decided to try it out. The best way to learn about it seemed to be, to have a go,” says Dean. “Fortunately, at about this time I was introduced to a brilliant team of people. They all had the same idea of coming together to produce something new and wonderful. This new and wonderful ‘thing’ would be born from a magic combination of talent, experience and a sense of adventure. Whilst it may not be fair to say that we intend to go where no man has gone before, that is our direction of travel.”
Roger Dean is internationally renowned for his album cover designs, posters, books, video games, and visual identity systems, including his timeless and iconic album art for multi-platinum selling bands Yes, Asia, and dozens of others. He is also famous for his eco architectural, furniture and stage designs, his legendary designs for the computer games company Psygnosis, as well as his logo work for Virgin Records and Tetris. His recent apparel design collaboration with Valentino for The Men’s Spring/Summer 2020 show, is the latest example of how Dean continuously pushes the envelope with his creative expression.
With more than 100 million copies of Dean’s images having been sold around the world, his work has been exhibited in galleries and museums worldwide, including the Royal Academy of Arts, the Royal College of Art, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the New York Culture Center and the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in London. In 2002 Dean was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, and in 2009 Arts University Bournemouth made him an Honorary Fellow. He received a Gold Badge of Merit from BASCA (British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors) in 2013.
Imagine Dragons return with two new songs – “Follow You” and “Cutthroat” – and lyric videos to accompany each. Released today, the tracks mark the first new music from the GRAMMY-winning, multi-Platinum band since Origins, their 2018 album.
“Follow You,” which was produced by Joel Little, is a love song full of lysergic guitar and intricate arrangements. Vocalist Dan Reynolds wrote the track during a turning point in his marriage. He was on his way to sign divorce papers when he received a text from his wife so full of clarity that it shook him to his core. The couple postponed their split for the next week – and then forever.
“Cutthroat” is a propulsive, punk-leaning anthem about killing the critic inside of you. Imagine Dragons recorded the song with producer Rick Rubin at his Shangri-La studio in Malibu.
The last few years have been heavy for Imagine Dragons, and the world at large. As the band members grappled with the grief of losing close friends and family, alongside other deeply personal struggles, Reynolds announced in December 2019 that he was taking some time away to focus on family and personal growth. Then came the pandemic. Nonetheless, the break proved a source for creative renewal.
“It took walking away from everything to find a lot more clarity and happiness,” explains Dan Reynolds.
With 40 million albums and 50 million songs sold globally, as well as 60 billion combined streams, Imagine Dragons were the best-selling rock band of the 2010s, even as they were busy reinventing the genre. Billboard’s Top 3 rock songs of the decade belonged to the band – “Believer,” “Thunder” and “Radioactive.”
Formed in 2009, Imagine Dragons developed a grassroots following with a series of independently released EPs before making their major label debut on KIDinaKORNER/Interscope with the 2012 EP Continued Silence. Night Visions, their 2012 full-length debut, entered the Billboard 200 at No. 2 and the lead-off track “Radioactive” topped Billboard’s Hot Rock Songs chart, won a GRAMMY for Best Rock Performance, and achieved RIAA Diamond status. 2015’s Smoke + Mirrors debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. EVOLVE, which followed in 2017, earned a GRAMMY nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album and unleashed three No. 1 Alternative radio hits: “Believer,” the GRAMMY-nominated “Thunder” and “Whatever It Takes.” All three songs were also top 5 hits at Top 40 radio, with “Thunder” rising to the No. 1 spot. The band’s fourth album, ORIGINS, debuted atop Billboard’s Alternative Albums and Top Rock Albums charts and lead single “Natural” spent nine weeks at No. 1 at alternative radio and set the current record for all-time “most spins in a week” at the format.
While Imagine Dragons have become one the biggest acts in the world, they’ve kept intimacy and honesty at their core, maintaining a striking creative restlessness, as their newest songs – “Follow You” and “Cutthroat” – attest.
Hailed upon its release last year as “vital and comfortable taking new chances” by Rolling Stone and “cheery, resilient, forever looking forward” by The New Yorker, Paul McCartney’s McCartney III is now literally moving into the future in the form of McCartney III Imagined, to be released digitally April 16.
Personally curated by Paul, McCartney III Imagined features an A-List assortment of friends, fans and brand new acquaintances, each covering and/or reimagining their favorite McCartney III moments in their own signature styles. The result is a kaleidoscopic reinterpretation of an album Rolling Stone accurately tagged “an inspiration to us all”—one that serves as an extension of the instantly beloved McCartney III while standing on its own as brilliant and adventurous milestone in the McCartney discography.
The first offering from McCartney III Imagined comes from American singer/rapper/songwriter Dominic Fike, whose cover of “The Kiss of Venus” transmutes the tender acoustic ballad into a retro-futuristic R&B tour de force.
Further III-imaginations will be forthcoming from Damon Albarn, Beck, Blood Orange, Phoebe Bridgers, Josh Homme, Khraungbin, 3D RDN of Massive Attack, Ed O’Brien (EOB), Anderson .Paak, St. Vincent and more.
Originally released December 18, 2020, McCartney III is the third in a trilogy of home-made and self-titled albums that began with Paul’s 1970 solo debut McCartney, and continued in 1980 with McCartney II. All three albums were written, performed and produced by Paul in varying states of isolation, all showcasing his unique creativity and inspired spontaneity. Recorded in “Rockdown,” McCartney III topped album charts across the world, scoring Paul his first UK#1 album in 31 years – increasing his lead as the UK’s most successful chart act of all time.
McCartney III Imagined continues the tradition of the biggest and most diverse names in music covering Paul’s songs — an ever-expanding lineup that ranges from more recent versions by Billie Eilish, Harry Styles, Dave Grohl, Coldplay and The Cure, to interpretations over the years from the likes of U2, Guns N’ Roses, Earth Wind & Fire, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Marvin Gaye, Bill Withers, Joe Cocker, Stevie Wonder, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Ray Charles and so many more. McCartney III Imagined is a testament of Paul’s enduring and unmatched influence, a legacy that stretches from “Yesterday” being the most covered song in contemporary musical history to the inspiration his current work continues to hold for generations of artists and fans.
McCartney III Imagined physical formats are also available for pre-order, with their release following this summer, including exclusive color vinyl editions available at Target, Barnes & Noble, Indie record stores, Newbury Comics, and PaulMcCartney.com. Physical configurations will feature the exclusive bonus track “Long Tailed Winter Bird (Idris Elba Remix).”
Paul McCartney – McCartney III Imagined:
Find My Way (feat. Beck)
The Kiss of Venus (Dominic Fike)
Pretty Boys (feat. Khruangbin)
Women And Wives (St. Vincent Remix)
Deep Down (Blood Orange Remix)
Seize The Day (feat. Phoebe Bridgers)
Slidin’ (EOB Remix)
Long Tailed Winter Bird (Damon Albarn Remix)
Lavatory Lil (Josh Homme)
When Winter Comes (Anderson .Paak Remix)
Deep Deep Feeling (3D RDN Remix)
Long Tailed Winter Bird (Idris Elba Remix)*
* Physical release exclusive track
IFPI, the organisation that represents the recorded music industry worldwide, has announced that BTS’ MAP OF THE SOUL : 7 is the winner of 2020’s IFPI Global Album Sales Chart. The chart combines global sales of physical and digital album downloads to rank the top albums of the year.
VIDEOS BELOW
This marks the third Global Chart Award given to the band by IFPI, following their success as Global Recording Artists of 2020, and MAP OF THE SOUL : 7 topping the newly introduced IFPI Global Album All Format Chart.
The fourth studio album from global superstars BTS, MAP OF THE SOUL: 7 saw incredible sales all over the world and broke the all-time sales record in the band’s home country of Korea.
BTS also feature at #2 in the chart with BE (Deluxe Edition) and at #8 with MAP OF THE SOUL : 7 ~ THE JOURNEY ~, bringing their total number of appearances across IFPI’s Global Charts to six.
Elsewhere in the chart, the prominence of Asian acts continues. Japanese artist Kenshi Yonezu charts at #3 with STRAY SHEEP and BLACKPINK sits at #5 with THE ALBUM. Winners of last year’s award ARASHI sit at #9 with This is Arashi, and Japanese band, King Gnu, are at #10 with Ceremony.
Following up appearances in the Global Album All Format Chart are Taylor Swift with folklore (#4) and Justin Bieber’s Changes (#7). Australian rock group AC/DC also feature (#6) with their long-awaited album POWER UP.
Frances Moore, Chief Executive of IFPI, said: “BTS’ success across IFPI’s global charts – including the top two positions in this chart – is unprecedented and demonstrates the amazing global appeal of their music. We would like to congratulate the band once again on such a successful year.”
Top 10 Global Albums (Sales) 2020
Rank | Artist | Album Name | Total global units (millions)
BTS | MAP OF THE SOUL : 7 | 4.8
BTS | BE (Deluxe Edition) | 2.7
Kenshi Yonezu | STRAY SHEEP | 2.5
Taylor Swift | folklore| 2.0
BLACKPINK | THE ALBUM | 1.5
AC/DC | POWER UP | 1.4
Justin Bieber | Changes | 1.2
BTS | MAP OF THE SOUL : 7 ~ THE JOURNEY ~ | 1.2
ARASHI | This is Arashi | 1.0
King Gnu | CEREMONY | 1.0
AMC UK announced today that it will premiere “Before We Was We: Madness by Madness”, a three-part original docuseries which chronicles the rise of one of the biggest and most loved bands in British culture, Madness on 1 May at 9pm, exclusively on BT TV. All three episodes of the show, which was adapted from the critically acclaimed band biography of the same name, will simultaneously be available on demand through BT Player.
Each 60-minute episode is an enthralling slice of music history, featuring original footage and interviews with band members past and present including Chris Foreman, Mike “Barso” Barson, Lee “Thommo” Thompson, Graham “Suggs” McPherson, Daniel “Woody” Woodgate, Mark “Bedders” Bedford, Carl “Chas Smash” Smyth, regaling stories from their 40-year career together as Madness. Set during a time of cultural and political upheaval, the docuseries offers a captivating insight into a post-war Britain, which has changed beyond recognition alongside the band’s inevitable rise to the top of the charts, pop fame and fortune against the backdrop of the ska, punk and new wave revolution.
The docuseries traces the humble beginnings of the band that would go on to set the record for the biggest audience ever for the BBC’s Live New Year’s Eve Broadcast – the most watched TV music event of 2018, and perform on top of Buckingham Palace as part of the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations. Throughout their career, Madness have had 10 UK top ten albums, 15 top ten singles and have won a multitude of awards including a prestigious Ivor Novello. And the story isn’t over yet.
Looking back at his career, Suggs said, “I don’t remember ever thinking about whether it was going to last. You see this polished Madness that’s been going for years and people would think, ‘course you knew.’ But I didn’t have a clue. I wasn’t taking it the slightest bit serious. That’s why I got thrown out of the band at the start, because I just thought it was a laugh and just something to do – hanging out with pretty cool geezers. The idea that I was ever going to make a career out of it was totally beyond my comprehension.”
Series Co-Directors and Co-Producers for AMC UK are Ben Timlett and Bill Jones of Bill & Ben Productions. Executive Producers are Kevin Dickie, Harold Gronenthal, EVP, Programming & Marketing, AMC Networks International, Katy Ellis and Garry Blackburn from Anglo Management. “Before We Was We: Madness by Madness” is AMC UK’s second original production after their 2019 feature-length documentary, An Accidental Studio, which charted the creation of the ground-breaking British film studio, George Harrison’s HandMade Films.
AMC is available in the UK exclusively on BT TV, channel number 332, and is also available in HD on channel number 381.
IFPI, the organisation that represents the recorded music industry worldwide, has announced that Blinding Lights by The Weeknd is the winner of 2020’s IFPI Global Digital Single Award.
The IFPI Global Digital Single Award is presented to the world’s best-selling single of the year across all digital formats – including single track downloads, and streams on both paid subscription services and ad-supported platforms.
Blinding Lights was the second single from The Weeknd’s fourth studio album After Hours, which was released in March 2020. A critical and commercial triumph, Blinding Lights peaked at #1 in more than 30 countries across the globe, fuelled a viral TikTok dance challenge, and shattered records for the most weeks in both the top 10 and top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100 in the US. Overall, the track delivered 2.72 billion subscription stream equivalents globally.
The Weeknd has appeared in the top 10 of IFPI’s Global Artist Chart in four of the last five years, and landed at #4 in this year’s chart, his best performance to date.
Frances Moore, Chief Executive of IFPI, said: “Blinding Lights was undoubtedly one of the year’s biggest record breakers and most loved songs. It caught the attention of music lovers all over the world. We would like to congratulate The Weeknd on his success, and it is an honour to award him this title.”
Blinding Lights was joined in the top three by Tones and I’s Dance Monkey, which spent a second successive year in the top ten and improved its chart position versus last year, a feat only matched by Ed Sheeran’s Perfect in 2018. Roddy Ricch’s The Box, which spent 11 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped charts across the world as well as being the top streaming track of 2020 on Apple Music, took #3 in the chart. Roddy Ricch also featured on the #8 track, ROCKSTAR with fellow chart debutant DaBaby, making him the only artist to appear twice in the top 10.
Elsewhere in the top 10, Chinese superstar Xiao Zhan landed at #7, following the outstanding success of Made to Love in his home country, where it broke records for digital download sales. BTS landed their first appearance in the IFPI Global Digital Single chart with Dynamite. Last year’s #1, Billie Eilish’s bad guy, spent a second year in the top 10 landing at #9.
The IFPI Global Digital Single Award is the second award announced by IFPI for 2020, following the announcement that BTS were the winners of 2020’s IFPI Global Recording Artist of the Year Award.
Top 10 Global Digital Singles 2020
Rank | Artist | Track Name | Global Subscription Stream Equivalents (Billions)
