In This Issue:
Falling In Reverse returns with a new single, album, tour, and interview.
Motley Crue, Knocked Loose ft. Poppy, Five Finger Death Punch, Rain City Drive & Dayseeker, and this week’s Billboard Hot Hard Rock Songs.
Linkin Park, HARDY, Pearl Jam, Sleep Token, Bad Omens, and the Top Hard Rock Albums (catalog and current, sales and streaming) in the US.
Bon Jovi and this week’s Top Hard Rock Digital Song Sales.
News you can use on the economics of streaming.
Accept, Darkthrone, Deicide, and The Darkness first week album sales and streaming in Germany.1
Agency Signings ✍🏻
Autumn Kings w/ Sound Talent Group
Downswing w/ Dynamic Talent International
Frog w/ Ground Control Touring
House & Home w/ Sound Talent Group
Jules Is Dead w/ Sound Talent Group
Really Good Time w/ Mother Artists
Sunami w/ Pinnacle Entertainment
Thunderpussy w/ Paladin Artists
Unwell w/ Sound Talent Group
Record Label Signings ✍🏻
Fulci w/ 20 Buck Spin
Great American Ghost w/ SharpTone Records
Jive Talk w/ Warner Records
Falling In Reverse (ft. Tech N9ne and Alex Terrible), Black Veil Brides, Coheed and Cambria, Kittie, Thou, Lee McKinney, Vended, Bleeding Through, The Ghost Inside, and more new music in the Stream N’ Destroy playlist.
Steve Albini, RIP.
Steve Albini recorded (he hated the term “produced”) essential albums from Nirvana, Pixies, and PJ Harvey, among others, in addition to his work as a musician with Shellac and Big Black.
I spent some time with Steve at his Electrical Audio recording complex in Chicago in 2006, where he recorded Zao’s The Fear is What Keeps Us Here. We documented the sessions with a DVD included in deluxe editions of the album (see it here on YouTube).
As he worked away in his signature boilersuit-style uniform, I found Albini as clever, diligent, and driven as his reputation promised. But he was also gentle and a great storyteller who didn’t hold back on rich details and insights.
Steve was 61. He is survived by his wife, documentary filmmaker Heather Whinna. (Her charity work with Letters to Santa is incredible.)
The music video for “Ronald” from Falling In Reverse is already at 1.2M views in just over 24 hours and is currently trending at No. 8 on YouTube for all music. (Yes, every genre.)
“Ronald” was directed by Jensen Noen, who collaborated with Ronnie Radke on the videos for the double-platinum “Popular Monster” and gold-certified singles “ZOMBIFIED,” “Voices in My Head” and “Watch the World Burn,” among others.
Each of those singles, “Last Resort (Reimagined),” “Ronald,” and more new songs are set for the forthcoming Popular Monster, the band’s first album since 2017.
“Ronald” has been streamed 334k times on Spotify worldwide.
Falling In Reverse just announced the first leg of the Popular Monstour II: World Domination headline run, with main support from Black Veil Brides and Dance Gavin Dance, and Nathan James and Jeris Johnson opening select dates.
Jensen Noen recently collaborated with Andy Biersack on the video for BVB’s “Bleeders,” which has over 2M views in 12 days and 1.17M streams on Spotify.
“Bleeders” debuts at No. 19 on Billboard’s Hot Hard Rock Songs chart.
Billboard Hot Hard Rock Songs 🇺🇸
Bad Omens “Just Pretend”
Bad Omens “The Death Of Peace Of Mind”
Motley Crue “Dogs Of War” NEW
Pearl Jam “Wreckage”
Knocked Loose ft. Poppy “Suffocate”
Five Finger Death Punch ft. DMX “This Is The Way”
Superheaven “Youngest Daughter”
HARDY “Rockstar”
Pearl Jam “Dark Matter”
Sleep Theory “Fallout”
Foo Fighters “The Glass”
Bad Omens & Poppy “V.A.N”
whatsaheart “Snakelike (The Stars Collide)” NEW
NOTHING MORE “If It Doesn’t Hurt”
Bad Omens, HEALTH & SWARM “The Drain”
Linkin Park “Qwerty” RE-ENTRY
Rain City Drive & Dayseeker “Medicate Me” NEW
Beartooth “I Was Alive”
Black Veil Brides “Bleeders” NEW
Godsmack “Truth” RE-ENTRY
From Ashes To New ft. Against The Current “Barely Breathing” RE-ENTRY
Bring Me The Horizon “Kool-Aid” RE-ENTRY
Spiritbox “Circle With Me” RE-ENTRY
Metallica “Screaming Suicide” RE-ENTRY
Sleep Theory “Numb” RE-ENTRY
The Lefsetz Letter (hi Bob!) made me aware of this Q&A with The Orchard COO Colleen Theis, in which she emphasizes that contrary to conventional wisdom, several bands actually are earning some money from streaming. Worth the read.
Top Hard Rock Albums 🇺🇸
Linkin Park Papercuts
Queen Greatest Hits
Nickelback The Best Of Nickelback: Volume 1
Bon Jovi Greatest Hits: The Ultimate Collection
HARDY The Mockingbird & The Crow
Foo Fighters Greatest Hits
Guns N’ Roses Greatest Hits
Aerosmith Greatest Hits
AC/DC Black in Black
Pearl Jam Dark Matter
Def Leppard Pyromania RE-ENTRY
System Of A Down Toxicity
Korn Greatest Hits Vol. 1
Metallica Metallica
Creed Greatest Hits
Led Zeppelin Mothership
3 Doors Down The Greatest Hits
Sleep Token Take Me Back To Eden
Seether Vicennial: 2 Decades Of Seether
Evanescence Fallen
Bad Omens The Death Of Peace Of Mind
Five Finger Death Punch A Decade of Destruction
Three Days Grace One-X
Rage Against The Machine Rage Against The Machine
ZZ Top Goin’ 50 RE-ENTRY
Hard Rock Digital Song Sales 🇺🇸
Bon Jovi “Livin’ On A Prayer”
Motley Crue “Dogs Of War” NEW
Bon Jovi “It’s My Life” RE-ENTRY
Bon Jovi “You Give Love A Bad Name” RE-ENTRY
Evanescence “Bring Me To Life” ft. Paul McCoy RE-ENTRY
Bon Jovi “Wanted Dead Or Alive” RE-ENTRY
AC/DC “Thunderstruck”
Bon Jovi “Runaway” NEW
Disturbed “The Sound Of Silence”
Five Finger Death Punch “This Is The Way” ft. DMX
First-Week Sales + Streams 🇩🇪
ACCEPT 4400
DARKTHRONE 790
DEICIDE 730
THE DARKNESS 490
Sources: Billboard, Pitchfork, ROSTR, Spotify, YouTube, Misc.