The Rolling Stones

Credit: Mark Seliger/AP

1. The Rolling Stones: The “50 & Counting” tour continues with 9 shows in the U.S. starting in May in Los Angeles. The top-tier ticket (with fees) is a staggering $655. You can’t always get what you want.

2. Blake Shelton: His new album tops the country charts, he rules on “The Voice,” he’s hosting this Sunday night’s Academy of Country Music Awards. Meet the new King OF All Media. 

3. Beyonce: She and Andre 3000 will remake “Back To Black” for “The Great Gatsby,” because when I think Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan, Amy Winehouse is the first thing that comes to mind...

4. Jonas Bros.: The sibling trio comes roaring back with “Pom Poms,” which has hit  No. 1 on iTunes’ charts in 16 countries. That means it’s not just cheerleaders listening.

5. The Beatles: “It was 49 years ago today/The Beatles showed the world they were here to stay/On the Billboard Hot 100 they came along/ the only act to ever hold down the Top 5 songs/ So let me introduce to you/still famous after all these years/The Beatles”

6. Justin Bieber: A small town in Norway is postponing school exams so students can go see The Biebs perform in Oslo. Now if he could only get his monkey back. 

7. Lollapalooza: The Chicago festival announces its line-up in April 1, but the ticket sales are no joke: By April 3, all single-day and 3-day passes had sold out.

8. Coachella: The desert festival’s promoters ink a deal to keep the event in Indio, Calif. through 2030. Won’t all the hipsters finally be gone by then? Please?

9. Music Streaming: A new NPD study shows that folks between 13-35 prefer streaming to downloading. Why buy when you can rent?

10. Phil Ramone: One of the greatest modern record producers ever. Thanks for all the beautiful music. RIP

 Justin Timberlake's "The 20/20 Experience" cover

Justin Timberlake’s “The 20/20 Experience” makes it three weeks in a row, as the title looks like a sure bet to stay at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 next week. If it does, the album will be the first title to spent a trio of weeks at No.1 since Taylor Swift's "Red" last year.

Timberlake, whose third solo album has already surpassed the million mark in its first two weeks will likely at another 150,000 to its tally next week.

That gives it a good lead over The Band Perry’s sophomore set, “Pioneer,” which will come it at No. 2 with sales of up to 120,000, making the two titles the only two to top the 100,000 mark next week, according to Hits Daily Double.

Joining The Band Perry with Top 10 debuts are Tyler, The Creator, whose “Wolf” comes in at No. 3 with sales of up to 95,000; New Kids on the Block’s “10,” which enters at No. 6 with up to 50,000 in sales and Killswitch Engage’s “Disarm The Descent” at No. 7.

Rounding out the top 10, last week’s No. 3, Blake Shelton’s “Based on a True Story...” will likely fall to No. 4, Lil Wayne’s “I Am Not A Human Being II” drops three places to No. 5, Imagine Dragons’ “Night Vision” is at No. 8, Pink’s “The Truth About Love”  is at No. 9 and Bruno Mars’ “Unorthodox Jukebox” is at No. 10.



 

Fleetwood Mac's Steve McVie and Stevie Nicks in 2009

Credit: AP Photo

Fleetwood Mac kicked off its tour last night in Columbus, Ohio. Along with the usual hits, the veteran band debuted a new song, “Sad Angel.”

[More after the jump...]

Cee-Lo rocks the crowd at Coachella 2011.

Credit: AP Photo

After threatening to pull out of Indio last year over raised fees, Coachella promoters Golden Voice have now agreed to a deal with the California city that could keep both Coachella and its sister festival Stagecoach on Indio’s Empire Polo Grounds through 2030.

As part of the deal, according to the Los Angeles Times, AEG subsidiary Golden Voice will more than double the city’s share of per-ticket revenue starting next year, when it will leap from $2.33 per ticket to $5.01 per ticket.

Goldenvoice’s proposal, which was unanimously accepted by Indio’s Planning Commission, includes the plan to expand the current three weekends of festivals (two Coachella and one for Stagecoach) to five if Goldenvoice wishes to. If they are added, the two additional festivals would happen in the fall.

Coachella has been held on the Empire Polo Grounds since it started in 1999. It expanded to two weekends last year. Stagecoach rolled into town in 2007.

The three festivals brought in $89.1 million in 2012 to the local economy according to the Direct Management Group,

Rihanna on her 777 Tour

Rihanna gives fans a very short (17 seconds’ worth) teaser of what to expect from her upcoming “Rihanna 777” tour TV special, which airs on Fox on May 6.

The show chronicles her November promotional tour for "Unapologetic,"  during which she performed seven shows in seven countries in seven days, and was, indeed, very unapologetic for keeping folks waiting for hours time and time again.

[More after the jump...]

Beyonce is confronted with the ghosts of Beyonce past in a new spot for Pepsi Max. The clip— which previews a new song, “Grown Woman”— could also be a hint at what’s to come on the Mrs. Carter Show world tour.

[More after the jump...]

The salvia-smoking, blunt-toking Miley Cyrus is leaving her teen queen image even further in the dust on “Ashtrays and Heartbreaks,” a new song on Snoop Lion’s (aka Snoop Dogg) new album, “Reincarnated.”

The hazy, reggae-influenced track opens with Snoop Lion declared “tonight there’s going to be a lot of smoke in the air,” as he lifts a blunt for those no longer with us. Shortly thereafter, Cyrus comes in with refrain, “Now my buzz is gone/I need to re-up on reality.” She also sings the majority of the chorus (with some vocal assistance from Angela Hunte, according to Billboard).

[More after the jump...]

The-Dream’s “Slow It Down” offers up the absolutely most ludicrous Winnie The Pooh reference we’ve ever heard in a song (courtesy of guest Fabolous), but that’s just one of the questions we have with the new clip.

[More after the jump...]

“Thrift Shop” continues its run at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 as the Macklemore & Ryan Lewis track, featuring Wanz, spends its sixth week at the top. Also making news in the top 10 are Imagine Dragons and Nickelodeon’s Ariana Grande.

“Thrift Shop” reclaimed the top spot last week after being pushed out of the pole position by Baauer’s “Harlem Shake,” which drops 2-4 this week.

“Shake” switches places with Bruno Mars’ “When I Was Your Man,” which rises 4-2. Justin Timberlake’s “Suit & Tie,” featuring Jay-Z holds at No. 3. Pink’s “Just Give Me A Reason” featuring fun’s Nate Ruess climbs 6-5, swapping places with Rihanna’s “Stay,” featuring Mikky Ekko, according to Billboard.

Imagine Dragons' alternative hit “Radioactive” finally becomes a pop hit as the song leaps 15-7, giving the rock group its first Top 10.  Drake’s “Started From The Bottom” slides 7-8, pushing Pitbull’s “Feel This Moment,” featuring Christina Aguilera down one to No. 9.

Grande, whose “The Way,” featuring Mac Miller, leapt  to the top of the iTunes singles chart last week, makes a similarly grand entrance onto the Billboard Hot 100, bowing at No. 10. That gives the “Victorious” actress the first Top 10 entrance for a female lead artist in five years. The last one was Yael Naim’s “New Soul” in February 2008. 






 

Beyonce

“The Great Gatsby” is turning into a family affair. Jay-Z, who is producing the soundtrack to the film, has recruited his wife, Beyonce, to record a cover of Amy Winehouse’s “Back to Black” for the film.

Beyonce will collaborate with Outkast’s Andre 3000 on the remake, according to E! News Daily.  The pair previously worked together on Beyonce tune, “Party.”

The Baz-Luhrmann-directed “The Great Gatsby” stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mullligan. It will open the Cannes Film Festival on May 15.

The soundtrack to “The Great Gatsby” will come out on Interscope. Jay-Z is also scoring the film, as we previously reported.

And because the mogul is clearly not busy enough, Jay-Z has now launched Roc Nation Sports with Creative Artists Agency. Their first client is New York Yankee Robinson Cano.