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Day in Pop Report for 05/20/2016


Today's Top Stories


Minnesota Legislature Pull Prince Bill

(Radio.com) Following Prince's death, countless vendors sought to capitalize on the grief and commemorative spirit that captured the world. T-shirts and other tribute merchandise flooded the Internet and local establishments in the musician's home state of Minnesota, prompting Republican Rep. Joe Hoppe to introduce a bill that would set limits on how an artist's likeness can be used--while alive and posthumously.

Recently, Hoppe pulled from the State House floor because it was moving forward too quickly and had the potential to present "unintended consequences," reported Billboard.

The bill was informally titled the "Prince Bill" and proposed a yet-unexplored "right to publicity." It would have given estates more control over how the subject's image could be used. Executors for Prince's estate publicly supported the legislation.

'It's a stopgap measure that recognizes that claim continues to exist even upon death," said Joel Leviton, a Minneapolis attorney at the Bremer Trust, which was appointed to oversee Prince's estate. "Hopefully, we'll work together to come up with a more robust, comprehensive right of publicity statute." Read more here.

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Dr. Luke's Label Approves Kesha's Awards Performance

(Radio.com) Dr. Luke's record label Kemosabe has issued an official statement paving the way for Kesha to perform on the Billboard Awards this Sunday, May 22. Kesha had been slated to perform, but then news broke that Kemosabe had withdrawn their approval.

The statement explains that the label initially pulled permission over concerns Kesha would use the performance as a platform to discuss the ongoing litigation between the two parties.

"Kesha's performance on the Billboard Music Awards was always approved, in good faith. Approval was only suspended when Kemosabe learned Kesha was to use the performance as a platform to discuss the litigation." Read more here.

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DNCE Release Romantic 'Toothbrush' Video

(Radio.com) DNCE take a turn away from their literal video for "Cake by the Ocean" and get sentimental about a budding relationship on "Toothbrush," which finds Joe Jonas mixed up in the sheets with model Ashley Graham.

All about that moment when things go from casual to serious, the video follows Jonas and Graham's growing connection. "Baby you don't have to rush/ You can leave a toothbrush/ At my place/ At my place," he sings on the chorus.

Shot mostly in soft lights and in the romantic moment of the morning, the video shows Jonas and Graham cuddling in bed, dancing in his apartment and enjoying each other's company. But the video also flashes back to their steamy night out together at the club.

DNCE picks up on the morning theme by performing on a rooftop as the sun rises in between shots of Jonas and Graham looking absolutely adorable together. Watch it here.

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Britney Spears' Billboard Music Awards Setlist Leaked

(Radio.com) In addition to premiering her new single "Make Me (Oooh)," at the Billboard Music Awards, Britney Spears will also be performing a medley of hits.

Based on her Las Vegas residency performances, we already knew that Britney was gonna work, b--. This morning, we're finding out that she will be a slave for the audience for a seven-song medley featuring songs you love, and some that you may have forgotten about.

According to the photo, courtesy of Perez Hilton, Britney's set will consist of the following songs: "Work B--," "Womanizer," "I Love Rock N' Roll," "Breathe On Me," "Slave For You," "Touch of My Hand," and "Toxic." Check out the setlist here.

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Zac Brown Band Get Country Music Hall of Fame Exhibit

(Radio.com) The Country Music Hall of Fame continues to explore more contemporary artists with a new exhibition featuring a history of the Zac Brown Band. Titled "Homegrown: Zac Brown Band," the exhibit will open for one year beginning July 22nd.

The exhibit will track Zac Brown Band's "rise to fame" through a host of memorabilia, such as "stage wear, guitars, song manuscripts, photos and more from the band's personal collection."

The band started in 2002 but it took them six years before they earned their first hit. From there, they took off. Now featuring eight members, Zac Brown Band won a GRAMMY in 2009 for Best New Artist and another for Best Country Album in 2012. Read more here.

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Lady Gaga Stands Up For Kesha After Awards Controversy

(Radio.com) Lady Gaga has spoken up for Kesha once again. Following news that Kesha's Billboard Music Awards performance was yanked by record label management, Gaga responded with outrage; she retweeted a news link about the sudden change of plans and added a curt message.

Lady Gaga took to Twitter with the following: "Isn't it strange that it's legal to own a woman this way?" read the tweet. "Listen Ursula, we want her voice back. #freeKesha."

The Little Mermaid reference likens Kesha to Ariel, the titular mermaid and protagonist who trades her voice for a chance to live among humans above water. Ursula, the sea witch, sold Ariel a false bill of goods and exerted control over her body and choices. Read more here.

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Kanye West Wants Payless Shoes Collaboration

(Radio.com) Kanye West says he wants to collaborate on designs with discount shoe company Payless in addition to continuing to work with organizations that promote high-fashion, big-production apparel.

The rapper and entrepreneur told Ellen Degeneres he wants to be the "Michael Jackson of apparel," explaining that he seeks to break barriers and preconceptions about what makes a fashion designer. West also dubbed himself "Wacko Kanye" on the program, remaining two steps ahead of his haters.

In the past, West has earned tacit support from the fashion community for ventures like Yeezy Season 3, but many are still skeptical about his design aspirations. Kanye has also been criticized for posted egotistical, sometimes confrontational tweets. Read about that exchange and watch the clip here.

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Mumford & Sons, Major Lazer, The Lumineers Lead Life Is Beautiful

(Radio.com) Life Is Beautiful Music & Arts Festival will return to Downtown Las Vegas September 23-25 with headliners including Mumford & Sons, J. Cole, Major Lazer, and The Lumineers.

Now in its fourth year, the festival counts G-Eazy, The Shins, Flume, Jane's Addiction, Bassnector, Jimmy Eat World and Tegan and Sara among the long list of performers.

General on-sale tickets for the three-day festival will be released on Friday, May 20 at 10:00 a.m. PT on LifeisBeautiful.com. General admission 3-day tickets will priced $285, and VIP 3-day tickets will be available for $655. Early bird tickets are sold out. See the full lineup here.

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50 Cent Spoofs 'MTV Cribs' In New Commericial

(Radio.com) 50 Cent's latest foray into comedy is definitely a hit. The New York rapper stars in an ad for Hostelworld hostels. The commercial spoofs the extravagance of the million dollar homes on "MTV Cribs."

50 gives viewers a tour of a great hostel in Barcelona, Spain.The G-Unit leader leads viewers through the lounge, pool, and club area. He even shows off his chess skills and talent on the foosball table.

Each time he beats a hostel dweller in a game, he has the camera get a close up of their sour faces. He ends the commercial by showing off the private room "where all of the magic happens." Watch the commercial spoof/promotional video here.

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Harry Styles Cuts Off His Hair For Charity?

(Radio.com) Harry Styles recently cut his flowing locks. On May 6th Styles posted a photo of a long braid of brown hair with the caption 'Whoops" and the hashtag #LittlePrincessTrust.

From the hashtag, it seems as though Styles would be donating his hair to the UK organization Little Princess Trust, which provides boys and girls with real hair wigs.

Today we get our first look at Harry sporting his new short haircut. The blurry shot below purports to show the former One Direction singer post shearing. Check it here.

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Beyonce Poses With Father Matthew Knowles In Houston

(Radio.com) Beyonce's relationship with her father Matthew Knowles has been a source of speculation for years. He and her mother Tina divorced in 2009 after it was revealed that he fathered a child outside the marriage, and Beyonce departed his management in 2010 to take her music in a new creative direction.

On her latest visual album Lemonade, "Daddy Lessons" explores the fractured and complicated relationship--and his advice for her to avoid men like him.

Nevertheless, it's an album about putting water under the bridge and turning lemons into, well, lemonade. It should come as no surprise, then, that Tina Lawson (her new married name) posted a cute photo of Beyonce and Matthew hanging out during a Formation Tour stop in Houston. Read more here.

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Singled Out: The Phryg's Hello Miss

Brooklyn progressive funk band The Phryg are preparing to release their debut album next month and to celebrate we asked Collin Patierno (guitar and vocals) to tell us about the lead single "Hello Miss". Here is the story:

This song is inspired by beautiful but dangerous women. Living in New York City for 12 years, I can attest to that fact that meeting new people in a metropolis can be an exciting but daunting task. Living in a dense city, you are constantly crossing paths with new people and it can be tempting to strike up a conversation with every gorgeous woman you encounter. That being said, the chaotic nature of living and working here doesn't always lend itself to forming new relationships and often times the opportunity is missed or the connection lost. The lyrical content is not specific to a particular relationship but rather an ode to those "lust at first sight" connections that start hot and heavy then quickly fade away.

Compositionally this tune started out like most that I write, as a riff or melody that gets stuck in my head. Sometimes the entire song comes to me quickly, but this one like most formed over the course of a few months repeating and constantly revising itself in my brain. When we first started fleshing out sections of the tune as a band; it was very much a work in progress and there were no lyrics at all. This was also the first time writing for the group as a quartet as we had just acquired our insanely talented keyboard player. What unfolded in the rehearsals was an exploration in texture and timbre that eventually led to what you hear in the final song. I'm fortunate enough to make music alongside three very adept and accomplished musicians so scrutinizing and rehashing ideas is something we do until that moment of epiphany when everything clicks.

I struggled quite a bit writing the lyrics for this song. The style and sound I wanted were clear to me but it was a challenge finding the right word-play. I wanted to depict a story that could evoke all those feelings associated with a new romance while still complimenting the heavy/funky nature of the music. "Hello Miss" is now one of our favorite songs to play live and is the lead single off our debut album being released in July. Be on the lookout for the music video coming out next month!

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself here and learn more about the album right here!

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