The Greene County Jail has a new furry friend on their K-9 team, and he comes with a fierce name.
Batman, the 2-year-old German Shepherd mix, will be handled by Officer Dillard.
The K-9 is also featured on limited edition merchandise for the department.
The City of Springfield will begin work soon on a new wastewater system after receiving millions from the Department of Natural Resources.
Officials say the department granted the city $6.4 million to renovate the city sewer system, including a new type of pipe-lining.
The lining is expected to reduce the amount of groundwater and stormwater from getting into the systems pipes, as well as lower overflow and improve the peak performance of the system.
Some of the funding came from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund.
The project is expected to be completed by March of 2025.
Citizens Memorial Hospital in Bolivar celebrated its 41st anniversary by breaking ground on a new addition.
The new addition will be three stories and double the size of the hospital.
The total cost of the expansion will be $100 million dollars.
Construction will begin in 2024.
SYDNEY, Australia – As Jet flies through a particularly busy stretch, the reunited rock band strikes a catalog deal with BMG.
Terms were not disclosed in the arrangement, announced Thursday (Sept. 28), which sees BMG acquire Jet’s recordings.
BMG gets rights to the band’s first two albums for Australian and New Zealand, Get Born (2003) and Shine On (2006), the global royalty stream for these recordings in perpetuity, plus global rights to their third album Shaka Rock (2009).
Included in the pact are such Billboard Hot 100 hits as “Are You Gonna Be My Girl” (peaking at No. 29), “Look What You’ve Done” (No. 37), and “Cold Hard Bitch” (No. 55).
After years on the sidelines, the classic lineup of Nic Cester (vocals/guitar) his brother Chris Cester (vocals/drums), Cam Muncey (vocals/guitar) and Mark Wilson (bass) recently reformed ahead of their induction into the ARIA Hall of Fame, set for Nov. 15 during the annual ARIA Awards in Sydney.
They’re currently on the road for a national tour, a 20th anniversary celebration of Get Born, an album that won six ARIA Awards back in 2004, is nine-times platinum-certified, and recognized as one of the top 5 highest-selling Australian rock albums of all time.
BMG president, Australia, New Zealand and South-East Asia, Heath Johns negotiated what he describes as a landmark deal,” extending the global publishing pact between both parties, forged in 2017.
Jet, he continues, are a “generation-defining band who achieved global success of the rarest kind.”
All three studio albums impacted the top 40 on the Billboard 200 chart, and cracked the Official U.K. Albums Chart, with Get Born peaking at No. 14 and Shine On going one better, at No. 13. Career sales top 5 million, reps say.
Jet’s works have enjoyed a second life through syncs across international advertising campaigns, feature films, TV series and video game franchises, the most memorable an Apple iPod campaign in the 2000s featuring “Are You Gonna Be My Girl.”
BMG, explains Sydney-based Johns, “has become the fastest-growing music company in Australia via our organic recordings and publishing growth and now, as we expand our scope via acquisition, I can think of no bigger statement than the acquisition of the Jet catalog.”
Since opening for business in Australia in 2016, BMG has signed a roster of Australian and New Zealand acts including Chet Faker, Angus & Julia Stone (ANZ), Daniel Johns, Dope Lemon, Hockey Dad, Julia Stone, The Living End, Pacific Avenue, Ladyhawke, CHAII, Dune Rats and Winston Surfshirt.
“With big decisions like this it comes down to personal relationships. We’ve known the BMG team for years,” notes Chris Cester in a statement announcing the new agreement. “We’re already with BMG for our publishing and they do what they say they’re gonna do. That’s a rare thing in this business. Sooner or later you figure out that’s the only thing that matters, if you’re serious about what you do.”
A business owner has pleaded guilty in federal court to filing a false tax return.
A Department of Justice news release says 53-year-old Phillip Turner of Strafford admitted that he used funds from his company to renovate his house and some property in Colorado.
He told his accountant the money was to renovate his company’s office.
Under the plea agreement, Turner must pay the Internal Revenue Service over $500,000 in restitution plus interest.
Lisa is no stranger to breaking records — either with the members of her girl group BLACKPINK or solo. Now, the rapper adds yet another Guinness World Record to her list of achievements, thanks to her track “Money” hitting 1 billion streams on Spotify, the organization confirmed Wednesday (Sept. 27).
According to Guinness, “Money” earned Lisa the title of having the first K-pop track by a solo artist to reach 1 billion streams on Spotify. The song — released as the second track from her 2021 solo EP Lalisa — reached approximately 1,002,683,408 streams as of Sept. 21. The single additionally charted on the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 90.
With the new Guinness World Record, Lisa has a total of four solo achievements through the organization. Earlier this year, the “Lalisa” rapper earned solo placements after becoming the first solo K-pop winner at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2022. She also became the first solo K-pop winner at 2022’s MTV Europe Music Awards, after being nominated twice in the category due to a nod alongside BLACKPINK.
The third record Lisa earned in 2023 came from her social media following — she sits as having the most followers for a K-pop artist on Instagram, with a then total of 86.3 million Blinks eagerly waiting for her updates on the social media platform. (Since January, that total has skyrocketed to a total of 97.3 million followers on Instagram.)
With BLACKPINK, Lisa also holds world record titles for having the most subscribers for a band on YouTube (April 22, 2021) and for being the most streamed female group on Spotify (March 3, 2023), the first K-pop group to reach No. 1 on the Official U.K. Albums chart (female) (Sept. 29, 2022) and the first K-pop group to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200 (female) (Oct. 1, 2022), both with the group’s album, Born Pink.
Hitmaking vocal group Little Big Town will host the inaugural, fan-voted People’s Choice Country Awards when it premieres Thursday night on NBC and Peacock from Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry House.
“It’s going to feel like a really good party, but also a feeling of coming back home — connecting with the past and the present and all those things I think we are kind of missing and needing right now,” LBT member Phillip Sweet tells Billboard via Zoom.
“We are lucky enough to be Grand Ole Opry members, so we will be the gatekeepers of the Grand Ole Opry stage that night,” LBT member Kimberly Schlapman adds of the group’s 2014 induction into Grand Ole Opry membership. While this will mark the first People’s Choice Country Awards to be held on the Grand Ole Opry House stage, the Opry House has a venerable history of awards shows, previously serving as the home to the CMA Awards ceremony from 1974 (when Johnny Cash served as host of the show) through 2004.
Though the People’s Choice Awards began in 1975, and has regularly honored country artists in its all-genre ceremony, this marks the first time they have launched a specifically country music-centered awards show.
Little Big Town will guide a show whose slate of nominees includes Morgan Wallen (11 nominations), Luke Combs and HARDY (nine nominations each), Jelly Roll (eight nominations), Lainey Wilson (seven nominations), Zach Bryan and Kane Brown (six nominations each) and Megan Moroney (five nominations).
Blake Shelton, Kane Brown, Toby Keith, HARDY, Jelly Roll, Dan+Shay, Kelsea Ballerini, Carly Pearce and Little Big Town are among the evening’s performers. Shelton will honor Toby Keith with the Country Music Icon award, while Wynonna Judd will be honored with the Country Champion award, saluting her longtime commitment to social causes and philanthropy.
Little Big Town’s breakthrough 2005 single “Boondocks” first demonstrated the quartet’s show-stopping vocal power, as well as its enviable artistic range. Together, Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild, Schlapman, Sweet and Jimi Westbrook are capable of delivering Fleetwood Mac-inspired rock harmonies, light-hearted pop-country fare and sultry ballads such as “Girl Crush.” They’ve earned three Grammys and have been named the CMA Awards’ vocal group of the year six times. They also won a People’s Choice Award trophy for favorite country group in 2017.
The People’s Country Choice Awards’ inaugural moment comes as country music has experienced an elite year on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, with artists like Morgan Wallen, Luke Combs, Jason Aldean and Zach Bryan surging to the upper echelons of the chart.
“It’s a unique situation, the fact that we’re the ones that connect the dots with fans and bring all this history together with the modern age of where country music is at the top of the charts right now,” Sweet says. “To see the unbelievable level of superstars we have in our genre that are just ruling all of music and it’s a special night, we jumped at the opportunity to be a part of it. We love hosting. We always have so much fun.”
“You look at a song like ‘Fast Car’ that Tracy Chapman wrote,” Fairchild says. “I love the original and I love Luke [Combs]’s version, and seeing such a lyrically substantive song. I love that Luke didn’t change any of the lyrics, and I think it was something his father had played for him growing up. So to watch that be at the top of the Billboard charts along with a lot of other country people right now is pretty epic.
“I also think it speaks to how people listen to music today,” Fairchild continues. “They’ll go to a Lil Baby show or a SZA show, then see Morgan Wallen, or Kane Brown, or Kelsea Ballerini. It’s the way people are streaming, listening and spending their money on shows.”
Given the precedent in country music of longtime hosting gigs held by artists including Vince Gill (who hosted the CMA Awards from 1992 to 2003), Reba McEntire (who hosted the ACM Awards 16 times), and the duo of Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley (who co-hosted the CMA Awards for 11 years), Little Big Town’s members say they would be open to a similar long-running gig — and they’ve appreciated the work done by their fellow artists who have held hosting roles.
“The longest stretch we hosted was probably a four- or five year-run of CMA Fest. It’s fun to get into a rhythm with writers and a network that wants to do fun things,” Fairchild says. “Luke [Bryan], Dolly, Reba, they’ve all been great hosts; it’s a lot to live up to.”
“I think Vince [Gill] was incredible. He had such a relaxed feeling at the CMAs for so many years,” Fairchild says. “And I thought Brad and Carrie were always so funny with their delivery as hosts.”
Westbrook notes that as much fun as fans are having in the main Opry House, artists just might be having even more fun backstage: “It’s always so special seeing everyone and that’s where we have the most fun, great memories.”
Among the artists the group is looking forward to reconnecting with is Blake Shelton. “We haven’t seen him in a long time. And Wy [Wynonna],” Schlapman says.
“And Kelsea [Ballerini]’s performances lately have just been blowing my mind. It’s always exciting to see what she will come up with. And I kind of already know what she’s going to do,” Fairchild adds with a coy smile.
Sweet is excited to see Jelly Roll: “He’s such a sweet guy and I met him a few months back, and he’s having such a huge moment,” he says.
Following its hosting duties, coming up for Little Big Town is collaboration with “My Boy” hitmaker Elvie Shane, although they were scant on details. “We cut an incredible song, and hopefully fans will get to hear that soon,” Fairchild says.
After two years of marriage, Gwen Stefani is still in the honeymoon phase with husband Blake Shelton.
The Voice coach gushed about her country singer husband in a new cover story for People, saying that the love she’s experienced with Shelton is unlike any other she’s ever had.
“I didn’t see any of this coming with Blake. This was just a big old ‘What?’ It was an amazing gift to experience love like that for the first time,” Stefani recalled of falling in love with Shelton, whom she met in 2014 after her first appearance on The Voice. She sweetly added, “He’s changed my life … when I [started dating] Blake, that’s when I felt home, like, ‘Oh, this is where I’m supposed to be, with this guy.’”
The country singer has also changed up the type of environments Stefani likes to spend her time in. The No Doubt star — who currently resides in Shelton’s native Oklahoma, along with her three boys Kingston, Apollo and Zuma — has grown to appreciate nature now. “I am not really a dirt person, a bug person, I don’t like that much humidity,” Stefani explained. “But it’s so beautiful [in Oklahoma], and you kind of feel like you’re going into this vortex. Nature — and God — is all right there.”
Stefani is coaching for The Voice this season following her husband’s departure after 23 seasons. While it was initially bittersweet seeing him go, especially due to the role the show has played in their relationship, she is now taking the responsibility in stride.
“I was really weirded out like, ‘What’s it going to be like without Blake?’ But we are having so much fun,” she said. “At the end of the day, coaching these humans who are so gifted … I love it.”
Read the interview in full here.
Travis Kelce must have taken some notes from Taylor Swift’s Midnights track, “Mastermind,” because after just two months of shooting his shot with the multi-Grammy winning superstar, the “Anti-Hero” singer was spotted cheering on the Kansas City Chiefs tight end at his football game.
While the duo haven’t confirmed whether they’re dating or not, fans are loving the unexpected pairing, and Swifties have even started a hilarious trend on TikTok telling their male partners that Swift put Kelce “on the map.”
However, for the casual entertainment consumer, the potential coupling between Swift and Kelce seems random, but Billboard has got you covered. We’ve compiled a full timeline of the duo’s relationship, from the football player trying to get a friendship bracelet to Swift during her Eras tour, to the singer attending his football game with his mother and beyond.
See below.
Welcome to Billboard Pro’s Trending Up newsletter, where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, curiosities and trends that have caught the music industry’s attention. Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip.
This week: Fans rush to Usher’s back catalog following his Super Bowl announcement, Swifties find clues seemingly foreshadowing her high-profile new relationship, a late Afrobeats artist has a surge of posthumous streams and more.
Usher’s “Good Good” Showing in Streams and Sales Post-Super Bowl Announcement
To the surprise and/or delight of many, pop and R&B superstar Usher was announced on Sunday (Sept. 24) as the headline performer for the halftime show of Super Bowl LVIII in February. Though he might not have been the most obvious choice for a 2023 halftime headliner, the veteran hitmaker’s catalog speaks for itself – and fans were quick to remind each other and themselves of that fact following the announcement, heading to streaming services to refamiliarize themselves with Usher jams old and new.
For the days of Sunday and Monday (Sept. 24-25), Usher’s catalog was up to over 7.8 million in total official on-demand U.S. streams, from under 6.8 million the previous Sunday-Monday (Sept. 17-18), according to Luminate – a gain of 16%. The most-streamed song was his current Billboard Hot 100 hit alongside Summer Walker and 21 Savage, “Good Good” (1.1 million streams, up 5%), while classics like “Yeah!” (962,000 streams, up 13%), “My Boo” (527,000 streams, up 18%) and “DJ Got Us Fallin in Love” (525,000 streams, up 18%) were also up significantly. Usher’s digital song sales also more than doubled in the period, up 128% to over 1,500.
Does an even bigger bump await Usher following the February 11th gig? You’d have to think so – and a new album, Coming Home, scheduled for release the same day will certainly help with that. – ANDREW UNTERBERGER
When Taylor Swift showed up in Kansas City on Sunday afternoon to cheer on her apparent new romantic partner, Chiefs star Travis Kelce, fans responded by gobbling up Kelce’s merch, with a nearly 400% spike in jersey sales the following day. As for Swift, two songs in particular have enjoyed streaming increases in the wake of the new relationship, thanks to perceived lyrical links between Swift and her new beau.
On “Mary’s Song (Oh My My My),” a track from Swift’s 2006 self-titled debut, she sings, “I’ll be 87, you’ll be 89 / I’ll still look at you like the stars that shine / In the sky, oh my my my.” While Swift was born in 1989 – and is about to release the Taylor’s Version re-record of her blockbuster album 1989 next month – Kelce’s jersey number is, of course, 87. Thirteen (!) years later, Swift released the song “Cornelia Street” on Lover, with the line, “Filling in the blanks as we go / As if the streetlights pointed in an arrowhead / Leading us home.” Where do the Chiefs play? Arrowhead Stadium, of course.
As a result, “Mary’s Song” earned an 88% increase in daily U.S. on-demand streams to 53,000 streams from Saturday to Sunday, according to Luminate, while “Cornelia Street” bumped up 12.7% to 211,000 daily streams. Of course, both songs were written years (if not decades) before Swift and Kelce became an apparent item – but what if she told you that none of it was accidental? – JASON LIPSHUTZ
Last week (Sept. 22), Doja Cat unleashed her Scarlet album — and while she’s already topped the Billboard Hot 100 with “Paint the Town Red,” she could be gearing up for her next smash from the somewhat divisive new record.
“Agora Hills,” a sensual R&B-rap hybrid that features a verse rapped entirely in Valley Girl vocal fry, has emerged as one of Scarlet’s most promising future singles. According to Luminate, “Agora Hills” has collected over 8.4 million official on-demand U.S. streams since its Sept. 22 release. The song scored its biggest daily streams total (2.43 million) on release day, and it never dipped below 1.91 million daily streams during the period of Sept. 22-25.
The official Hannah Lux Davis-directed music video, which arrived alongside the LP’s full release, has already garnered over 5.7 million views on YouTube, and over on TikTok, the official “Agora Hills” sound has earned over 14,400 posts. Outside of “Paint the Town Red,” “Agora Hills” has consistently been the most streamed Scarlet track on both US Apple Music and US Spotify since the album’s release.
Although “Paint the Town Red” is still going strong, “Agora Hills” is already making a strong case to become the next hit from Scarlet. With endless meme potential, a true earworm of a hook and a sound that recalls her Grammy-nominated Hot 100 top 10 hit “Need to Know,” “Agora Hills” could very well become one of the main anthems for cuffing season ’23. – KYLE DENIS
Earlier this month (Sept. 12), the Afrobeats world lost of one of its brightest rising stars; MohBad, the rapper behind hits such as “Peace” and “Feel Good,” tragically passed at the age of 27. The investigation into his death remains ongoing, led by Lagos Police Command. MohBad and his wife welcomed a son just a few months before his untimely death. In the wake of his passing, MohBad’s catalog has seen a massive boom in streaming.
According to Luminate, streams for MohBad’s catalog exploded by over 1,755% over the past two weeks. From Sept. 15-21, the Headies Award nominee’s discography collected a whopping 6.89 million official on-demand U.S. streams, a 208% increase from the period prior (Sept. 8-14), during which his catalog earned over 2.2 million streams.
Less than three months before his death, Mohbad released Blessed, his sophomore EP. Two songs in particular from that project have posted sizable gains in recent weeks: “Sabi” and “Beast & Peace.” The former pulled over 680,000 official on-demand U.S. streams during the period of Sept. 15-21, a 2,164% increase from the 30,200 streams it earned during Sept. 1-7. Similarly, the latter garnered over 888,000 official on-demand U.S. streams during the tracking week ending Sept. 21, a 1,755% increase from the 48,000 streams it earned during two weeks earlier.
As the investigation continues to unfold, #Justice4MohBad keeps gaining steam across Africa and the rest of the world. A social movement that has already sparked critical conversations regarding the regulation of the Nigerian music industry, #Justice4MohBad is far from over – and MohBad’s music should continue to soundtrack its evolution. – KD
How has Lorem, Spotify’s flagship alt-pop playlist, evolved as a platform since its launch four years ago?
Oof. Where do I even begin? The list is never personalized with algorithms. Each track is intentionally chosen by a human, through a mix of data and instinct. We consider not only what we feel the audience would respond to, but also consider how the artist would like to be represented. In many ways, Lorem has evolved as the community around it has grown, but I think the overarching beauty of Lorem is that it has stayed the same in concept.
The sounds, artists, and culture around “indie music” are constantly evolving. Bedroom pop went from a bubbling subgenre to influencing the top charts, and this year we’ve seen a similar trend with “indie twang” (shoegaze, as a broader term). That’s a listening trend we love to see from the indie audience – they push new sounds and movements to the forefront where Spotify can step in and support momentum and context, like we aim to do with Lorem. The visual identity is meant to feel like a magazine – at this point, our design team has crafted 75 distinct L’O’rem ‘O’s, which makes every cover feel uniquely personal to the artist or project.
Considering that Lorem is primarily focused on emerging artists, why do you think the playlist has become so effective as an artist discovery tool compared to other platforms (within and/or outside of Spotify)?
Since 2019, we’ve featured over 2000 artists, 900 of which in 2023 alone. Upon realizing that Lorem had evolved into a prominent hub for artist discovery, particularly among young audiences seeking more opportunities for exploration, we made the strategic decision to refresh the playlist with more new artists on a more regular basis. In that sense, Lorem is consistent. We listen to artists, to fans, and just want to shine a light on good music – no matter who is making it or how it’s made. There’s a point of view, but we love to take risks.
I think four years ago I wouldn’t have believed you if you told me there would be country music in Lorem. But last summer, as Zach Bryan grew in popularity, I remember Max Motley and Dev Lemons talking on Lorem Life about how their friends couldn’t stop talking about this song. So not surprisingly, “Something in the Orange” crushed in the list. A year later, from day one, “I Remember Everything” shared a similar trajectory. Zach is also a huge indie fan (just look at what he posts on IG) so that creates a natural synergy that particularly resonates with an audience that reads into all those contextual cues. Helping the community and the industry piece together the puzzle – what works well together, who works together, a nice reminder of an iconic track, uncovering a new sound to a wider audience – makes the list more of a dialogue. An artist of any size could be added to the list – it’s attainable. In the past year, nearly 100 artists were added to the list with less than 10k monthly listeners. You’re always going to find something new, and because it’s hyper-curated, you’re probably going to find something you love.
What are some of the recent stylistic trends that you’ve noticed, as alt-pop and its subgenres continue to change?
We’ve loved seeing the ‘folkification’ and country twang influence this year. Everyone is making folk albums or adding a folk song to their project. I can’t tell you why, perhaps the artists and producers can demystify it, but I like to think it’s the return to a classic, stripped-back, heartfelt sound in a wild time of political/technological/environmental crisis.
We’ve also seen a huge rise in shoegaze – both in younger audiences discovering icons of the space (especially as bands like Slowdive have released new projects), and new artists like Wisp or flyingfish have emerged as artists to watch in the space. According to Google Trends, the term has never been searched more in history than it has this year!
Fill in the blank: my favorite artist that started on Lorem, and has since become a household name, is _______.
Remi Wolf. She’s on the cover this week and co-hosting our very first Lorem & Friends event with us tomorrow – couldn’t be more thrilled to do it together. – JL
It’s been two years now since Demi Adejuyigbe – the comedian whose elaborately staged and filmed yearly videos, set to Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September,” helped turn Sept. 21 into something of a pop national holiday – announced his retirement from the annual celebration. But it appears folks no longer need his viral reminders to commemorate the occasion: “September” racked up nearly 1.8 million official on-demand U.S. streams on its signature date last Thursday, up 280% from the day before (462,000). That’s also up from 1.4 million such streams two “September” Days earlier, meaning the ‘70s classic continues to inch ever closer to becoming the “All I Want for Christmas Is You” of the autumn equinox season. – ANDREW UNTERBERGER