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In Canada: Justin Bieber Beats Out Travis Scott for No. 1 on Billboard Canadian Albums Chart

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Justin Bieber‘s new album, Swag, is dominating the Billboard charts in Canada.

On the Billboard Canadian Albums chart, Swag debuts at No. 1 — knocking Morgan Wallen’s I’m The Problem down to No. 2, after it spent eight weeks at the top. Swag marks Bieber’s first full-length project since Justice in 2021, which also peaked at No. 1 on the Canadian Albums chart and notched five weeks in the top spot.

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The second project from rapper Travis Scott‘s label showcase Jackboys, dubbed Jackboys 2, is at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart, but debuts at No. 2 in Canada behind Bieber.

Bieber’s surprise album, released July 11, also grabs 17 spots on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100, dated July 26, in its first week. Of the 21-song album, two tracks cracked the top 10 on the Canadian Hot 100: “Daisies” at No. 2 and “Yukon” at No. 8. In his home country, Bieber boasts 38 top 10 career hits — most recently “Stay” with The Kid LAROI, which spent 12 weeks at the top in 2021.

While Swag leans into Bieber’s pop and R&B roots, the project prioritizes experimental production and instrumentation. While he worked with longtime collaborator Harv, Swag includes influences from songwriters and producers Carter Lang, Dijon, mk.gee and Eddie Benjamin — to name a few. Canadian R&B star Daniel Caesar, who was featured on Bieber’s 2021 No. 1 hit “Peaches,” is credited as a writer and producer on “Devotion,” which debuts at No. 50 on the chart.

Though he said he was coming for No. 1, Drake‘s “What Did I Miss?” moves down from No. 2 to No. 7, while “Nokia” sits at No. 39. Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” remains at No. 1 for its 15th week.

Read more on the Canadian charts here.

SOCAN Sues Festival d’été de Québec (FEQ) Over Licensing Fees: Report

Festival d’été de Québec (FEQ) is being sued by the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) for copyright infringement and failure to pay royalties for approximately three years.

SOCAN, which is responsible for granting licences and collecting royalties on licensed music in Canada, claims in the lawsuit filed in federal court that since at least July 2022, the festival’s organizers “have failed to obtain a license from SOCAN and have not paid any royalties or submitted any report forms to SOCAN.”

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The court claim for copyright infringement, which was filed July 3 (the same day the festival began), cites The Festival international d’été de Québec Inc. and BLEUFEU as defendants in the case.

“Bleufeu and Festival d’été de Québec operate FEQ, one of Canada’s largest music festivals, drawing a total attendance of 1.4 million over 11 days and generating tens of millions in revenue each year,” SOCAN writes in a statement on their website. “While Festival d’été de Québec is a registered charity, the performances it presents are virtually indistinguishable from those of its for-profit competitors, and Canadian law still requires it to pay licensing fees for those performances.”

On Saturday (July 12), FEQ released a statement to Canadian Press that “fair remuneration, in accordance with the highest industry standards,” is one of the festival’s core values.

The organizers questioned SOCAN’s motives for “filing legal proceedings in the middle of the festival, despite discussions that had been ongoing until very recently” and that “proceeding in English, in the context of a Quebec cultural event, seems inappropriate and disconnected from the reality of the community.” FEQ said it had a different interpretation of the law from SOCAN and that other comparable organizations shared the same interpretation.

On Tuesday (July 22), SOCAN released another statement on its website, “On Fair Compensation for Music Creators from Canadian Festivals.” In it, the organization said the timing was driven by legal constraints, and that the claim had to be filed by July 6 in order to include all performances from the 2022 festival.

The page includes a Q&A about SOCAN license fees, along with how and to whom they are distributed. Festivals are required by the Copyright Board of Canada to pay license fees to SOCAN in the amount of 3% of ticket sales and the equivalent of 3% of the amount paid to performers for free concerts, the organization wrote.

“All entities, regardless of tax status, must pay license fees for commercial live performances in public of musical works. The Copyright Act provides a limited exception in some cases for charitable organizations — but this doesn’t apply when admission is charged or when the performers, technicians, producers, vendors, or others working at the concert are paid.”

Aside from FEQ, SOCAN confirms in the statement that they are also pursuing other proceedings “infringing festival performances.”

One of Canada’s biggest music festivals, FEQ, concluded on Sunday, July 13, after 11 days of programming. This year’s iteration boasted popular artists from across the genre spectrum, including Avril Lavigne, Simple Plan, Shania Twain, Def Leppard, Slayer and Benson Boone. 

Canadian Woman Dies at Weekend 1 of Belgium’s Tomorrowland Music Festival

A Canadian woman has reportedly died after attending the Tomorrowland music festival on Friday (July 18).

The unnamed 35-year-old “became unwell on the festival grounds” at the event’s opening night in Boom, Belgium, a small city outside of Antwerp, according to a statement from Tomorrowland spokeswoman Debby Wilmsen to the Canadian Press.

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She “received first aid on site,” and was taken to the University Hospital of Antwerp, where she later died on Saturday morning (July 19).

“This morning, we were saddened to learn of her death. Our thoughts are with her family, friends, and loved ones,” said Wilmsen.

Currently, Belgian authorities are investigating the woman’s death at one of the world’s largest electronic music festivals.

Global Affairs Canada said it is aware of reports that a Canadian woman had died in Belgium, but would not release information due to privacy considerations.

The news comes after Tomorrowland’s main stage was destroyed by fire on July 16, casting doubt on whether the festival would go on. The following day, the festival opened as scheduled with an alternative stage still under construction.

Tomorrowland draws electronic music enthusiasts from all over the world. This year’s event features DJs including David Guetta, Martin Garrix, Eric Prydz, Sofi Tukker, Lost Frequencies and Charlotte de Witte.

Tomorrowland runs across two weekends, July 18-20 and July 25-27, and is expecting about 400,000 attendees this year.

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No ‘Good’ Deed Goes Unpunished for Ariana Grande’s Glinda in Final ‘Wicked: For Good’ Trailer

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In the final trailer for Wicked: For Good, Ariana Grande‘s character learns that a big price comes with being Glinda the Good.

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‘Wicked: For Good’ Director Jon M. Chu Previews Two New Songs From Anticipated Sequel: ‘They’re Questioning, ‘What Is Home?’

Released on Wednesday (Sept. 24) — about two months before the Wicked sequel finally premieres in theaters on Nov. 21 — the preview shows how the blonde leading lady wrestles with her new role as Oz’s spokeswoman, as Cynthia Erivo‘s Elphaba attempts to expose the Wizard’s evil agenda while living in hiding. At first, Glinda is “obsess-ulated” with the gorgeous gown, tiara and mechanical flying bubble her public-facing life affords her — but everything quickly comes crashing down when she realizes that she’s on the wrong side of history, and that she just might be too late to save her former schoolmate from the wrath of Oz’s brainwashed citizens.

“I’m a public figure now, people expect me to …,” Glinda tells Elphaba at one point, with Dorothy’s fallen house and the Yellow Brick Road visible in the background.

“Lie?” the green-skinned witch cuts in, to which Glinda says defensively, “Be encouraging.”

Grande’s character is less sure of herself when she is confronted by Jonathan Bailey’s Fiyero, who accuses, “You can’t resist this.”

“Who could?” Glinda asks, to which the Winkie prince replies, “You know who could.”

Arriving one year after the first Wicked hit theaters and shattered movie-musical box-office records, For Good will serve as the film adaptation of the second act of the Broadway musical on which the live-actions are based. The soundtrack will also drop on Nov. 21, complete with two brand new songs sung by Grande and Erivo.

As revealed when the tracklist dropped a week prior to the new trailer, the title of Glinda’s bonus song is “The Girl in the Bubble,” while Elphaba’s added balled is called “No Place Like Home.”

Watch the final trailer for Wicked: For Good above.


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Priscilla Presley Says That Leaving Elvis Presley Was ‘The Only Way to Survive’ in New Memoir ‘Softly, As I Leave You: Life After Elvis’

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Priscilla Presley was with Elvis Presley for around 14 years before they split; however, the pair had known each other for years before they wed in 1967.

The time in between and following Priscilla and Elvis’ divorce was a tough spot for Priscilla, and one she wasn’t super open about — that is, until now. In her new memoir Softly, As I Leave You: Life After Elvis, the actress shares the difficult but inspiring journey beyond the walls of Graceland post-split with the King, choosing to put herself and her daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, first.

A hardcover version of the book is now on sale and can be purchased now on Amazon for $22.38, while paperback will run you $32. A Kindle version retails for $15.99. If you’re a superfan of Priscilla and the Presley family, you can also snag a signed version of the memoir via Barnes & Noble for $32. The piece makes a great gift for the avid Elvis collector in your life. If you’d rather listen to the memoir, we won’t judge, you can do so with Audible via a subscription which costs $7.95 a month, a price tag less than a physical copy.

Softly, As I Leave You: Life After Elvis

Buy Now on amazon $22.38 $22.38
Buy Now at Barnes & noble $32 $32
Buy Now on audible $7.95 a month $7.95 a month

A new memoir by Priscilla Presley.


If you didn’t know, Priscilla met Elvis when she was just 14 and he was 24. The singer was serving in the U.S. Army in 1959 in Germany. The pair remained romantically connected for years, even with distance between them and in 1967, they were wed in a simple and very secret ceremony in Las Vegas. While their separation in 1973 was painful for Priscilla, this novel highlights why it was so important for the Naked Gun star to leave.

It seems that Priscilla lost touch with herself throughout her relationship with Elvis. Leaving allowed her to find herself again. Through the book, we are treated to snippets of Priscilla’s life pre- and post-Elvis and how she had to reinvent herself a second time as the single mother after the performer’s death in 1977.

Today, we are taken through how Priscilla was able to transform Graceland into an international destination and helped guide the development of Elvis Presley Enterprises, turning the King’s legacy into a full-on business. If you are an Elvis fan, this gives readers a unique perspective on his life, as told by his ex-wife. It also gives Priscilla’s story more context for those who aren’t too familiar with her life and career.

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Calvin Harris’ Ex-Business Manager Denies $22M Fraud Claims: ‘Categorically False’

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Calvin Harris‘ former longtime business manager is firing back against bombshell fraud claims, saying he never stole from anybody and that the Scottish DJ willingly agreed to invest in his Los Angeles real estate development project.

Thomas St. John, an entertainment industry-focused accountant who runs the eponymous firm Thomas St. John Group, is currently wrapped up in thorny arbitration proceedings with his former client Harris (Adam Wiles). He’s accused of abusing his access to Harris’ accounts in order to fund his side venture: the construction of a recording studio and office space complex in Hollywood.

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Harris claims that St. John tricked him into investing $22.5 million in the project, known as CMNTY Culture Campus, which he says turned out to be a “complete boondoggle” that he “has not received a single penny in return for” — while suggesting that St. John pocketed much of the money for himself.

However, a representative for St. John says in a new statement that the allegations are “categorically false.” The rep denies that St. John engaged in any self-dealing, adding that Harris is one of nine above-board investors who “knowingly signed investment agreements” to get involved in CMNTY Culture.

“Not a single dollar has been misappropriated, all investor entitlements remain intact, and the project continues to advance within the normal entitlement timeline,” says St. John’s rep in the Tuesday (Sept. 23) statement. “We will continue to take every necessary step to set the record straight and to ensure that these malicious, bad-faith attacks are recognized for what they are: entirely without merit.”

While CMNTY Culture was initially designed to house a recording studio and office space, St. John has since shifted the plans and is now developing a residential apartment complex on the same tract of land in Hollywood. According to his rep, the project is proceeding apace and “is expected to approach a $1 billion valuation” upon completion.

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“While the entitlement process has naturally taken longer than initially projected due to unprecedented interest, macroeconomic conditions and significant city red tape, it remains firmly within its promised schedule and is now on the verge of securing final entitlements, an important milestone that will unlock substantial value,” adds St. John’s rep.

Thomas St. John Group has offices in Los Angeles, London, Amsterdam and Stockholm. The management firm’s U.S. arm recently filed for bankruptcy, citing hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid rent in L.A. and multiple pending legal actions.

One creditor listed in the firm’s bankruptcy papers is Philip Lawrence, a songwriter and producer who made his name collaborating with Bruno Mars. Lawrence used to be a client of St. John’s and at one point invested $10 million from the sale of his catalog into CMNTY Culture Campus, according to court filings in Lawrence’s own personal bankruptcy case.

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