Rimas’ Bad Bunny spends another week atop the HITS Top 50 chart with the crazily capitalized DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS, which adds 120k+ to its tally. SZA’s newly renovated SOS (TDE/RCA) retains the #2 spot with nearly 89k, while GNX by pgLang/Interscope’s Kendrick Lamar (who is up for some big Grammys Sunday and will provide halftime entertainment at some sort of sporting event a week later) remains parked at #3. Warner BNA nominee Teddy Swims bows at #4 with I’ve Tried Everything but Therapy (Part 2), which notches about 50k in its opening frame. Big Loud/Mercury/Republic mainstay Morgan Wallen rounds out the Top 5 with just north of 40k. The Top 10 hosts two other debuts: RCA Nashville’s Kane Brown at #7 (with about 40k) and Columbia’s U.K. rap phenom Central Cee, whose Can’t Rush Greatness racks up nearly 37k. The Top 25’s only other bow comes from FKA twigs, whose EUSEXUA (Atlantic) lands at #23 with about 22k. Look for a boffo number on next week’s chart by The Weeknd, whose Hurry Up Tomorrow (XO/Republic) arrived on 1/31. Dig into the rest of the chart here, if that’s your idea of a good time. Now, if you’ll excuse us, our pet hamster is vying for Secretary of the Treasury and we promised to attend the confirmation hearing.

A bipartisan Congressional group is putting a new spin on “pay-for-play” by reintroducing the American Music Fairness Act, which would force broadcasters to pay artists for playing their music, in addition to songwriters, who are already compensated. The act would bring rules for broadcast in line with those already in place for digital broadcasters and streamers. Sound Exchange estimates that musicians lose an average of $200m per year in royalties as a result of the current setup. Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. threw his support behind the proposal, issuing a statement that reads, “For more than a century, American artists and producers have been denied the basic right to earn compensation for their own creation broadcast on AM/FM radio. We urge Congress to finally pay creators for their work.” Bill co-sponsor Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) told the New York Post, “The United States is the only democratic country in the world in which artists are not paid for the use of their music on AM and FM radio. This legislation would close an outdated loophole that has allowed corporate broadcasters to take advantage of artists and their songs for decades.” For its part, the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters opposes the proposal, stating, “This legislation would impose a new, performance royalty on local radio stations on top of the huge [songwriter] royalties that our local radio stations already pay. Such additional royalties could potentially financially cripple many local radio stations and harm the millions of listeners who rely on local radio for news, emergency information, weather updates and entertainment.” Blackburn has been joined by Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) in sponsoring the Senate version of the bill, which has been considered in Congress twice before.

Lady Gaga. Dr. Dre. Stevie Nicks. A Nirvana reunion of sorts. A reunited Steven Stills and Graham Nash. Billie Eilish with Green Day. Jelly Roll and Travis Barker covering Bob Seger. John Mayer covering Tom Petty. Stevie Wonder and Sting. Flea in a Speedo. Those stars, and so many more, came together in a stirring display of compassion and musical excellence Thursday night at the FireAid benefit concert, held in Inglewood at both the Forum and the Intuit Dome. Produced by the Azoff family, Live Nation and AEG in response to the horrific L.A. wildfires that killed 26, destroyed more than 10,000 homes and caused an estimated $200 billion in damage, the six-plus-hour concert, streamed on every platform known to man, has thus far raised $80m+ and counting (look for a total in a couple of days), taking its place alongside such landmark fundraisers as LiveAid and The Concert for New York as a showcase for the power of music to inspire, heal and provide help to those in need. Executive produced by Joel Gallen, with Rick Krim serving as talent producer, the concert began a few ticks after 7pm at the Forum as Green Day delivered the ballad “Last Night on Earth,” the chorus of which includes the poignant line “If I lose everything in the fire/ I’m sending all my love to you.” Eilish, who grew up in Highland Park, about 10 miles from the Eaton fire, made a surprise appearance to sing the song’s second verse. Actor Billy Crystal, who lost his home of 46 years in the Palisades fire, followed Green Day. Wearing a hoodie and a sock hat—the clothes he fled his house in, he said—Crystal announced that U2 had just contributed $1 million, a donation, like all those made during the show, matched by venue owners Steve and Connie Ballmer. After performing his songs “Put Me Thru” and “Come Down,” Anderson .Paak, accompanied by Sheila E., was joined by Dr. Dre, who hasn’t stepped onstage since the Super Bowl in 2022, for an abbreviated version of “Still D.R.E.” and “California Love.” Afterward, adding to the palpable SoCal-ness of the scene, Joni Mitchell materialized upon a gilded throne for a moving performance of “Both Sides Now” to teary-eyed onlookers. The only time Stills and Nash have played since CSN disbanded in 2015 was in 2016 during a funeral for their longtime engineer Stanley Johnston. But they reunited for FireAid, backed by L.A. rock band Dawes, whose singer and drummer lost their homes in the Eaton fire. The collective performed “Teach Your Children,” a song Nash wrote in 1968 as he was becoming a Laurel Canyon fixture alongside Stills and Mitchell. Next, P!nk used her big voice for intimate performances of her hit “What About Us,” Kris Kristofferson’s “Me and Bobby McGee” and Led Zeppelin’s “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You.” Samuel L. Jackson opened the Intuit Dome show at 8:30, pointing out that hundreds of first responders were filling its seats. One of them, a Pasadena firefighter who lost his home in Altadena while he was battling the Eaton fire, told his story alongside his family before Jackson introduced his “ex-neighbor,” Rod Stewart, who has lived in Los Angeles for 50 years and was the first musician to sign on for the FireAid benefit. Decked out in a zebra-print shirt and blazer, Stewart sang youthful versions of “Forever Young,” “Maggie May” and Curtis Mayfield’s “People Get Ready.” John Mayer’s solo acoustic cover of Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’” brought the crowd to its feet. As a reminder of L.A.’s deep bench of rock icons, The Black Crowes performed its hit “Remedy,” then backed John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival on “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?” and covered Zeppelin’s “Going to California” with Slash of Guns N’ Roses on acoustic guitar. Gracie Abrams, who grew up in the Palisades, earned some of the loudest roars of the evening, performing plaintive versions of “I Love You, I’m Sorry” and Counting Crows’ “Long December” with Aaron Dessner of The National before SoCal natives No Doubt tore through “I’m Just a Girl,” “Don’t Speak” and “Spiderwebs.” Introduced by 10-year-old Altadena fire survivor Grayson Roberts, Tate McRae, who said she moved to Los Angeles four years ago with dreams of becoming a musician, mellowed the room with a smooth take on Crowded House’s “Don’t Dream It’s Over” ahead of Jelly Roll’s country-rock outpouring. With “I Am Not Okay” and a ripper of a collaboration with Travis Barker on Bob Seger’s “Hollywood Nights,” the Nashvilian instantly became an honorary Angeleno. Gwen Stefani then introduced “one of her favorite artists of all time,” Stevie Nicks, who twirled onto the stage in a gauzy black frock and performed her solo hit “Stand Back” before an off-script moment of vulnerability; Nicks praised a group of firefighters from Santa Rosa who saved her Palisades home. She described the horror of watching flames tear toward it before dedicating “Landslide” to those first responders. Katy Perry offered one of the more uplifting tributes of the evening. “Can we keep this energy going forever?” she said before performing ”California Gurls.” “This is what makes us human. This is what separates us from the robots. This is humanity, this is love, this is kindness. I have been so inspired by how quickly our community organized to help our neighbors in need. It really reminds me that the people have the power.” l With Dave Grohl on drums, Krist Novoselic on bass and Pat Smear on guitar, indie rocker St. Vincent stood in on vocals and guitar for the late Kurt Cobain on Nirvana’s “Breed” in a surprise appearance for the ’90s rock icons. Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth joined them for a ferocious version of “School,” from the band’s Bleach album. Joan Jett growled through “Territorial Pissings” before Grohl’s daughter Violet rounded out the Nirvana tribute on “All Apologies,” taking center stage in front of her dad. After a touching segment highlighting the pets and other animals affected by the fires, Lil Baby offered a shout-out to “first responders around the world” during his performance of “So Sorry” and “Emotionally Scarred.” Sixty-two-year-old Flea stormed onstage in his banana hammock for the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ energetic four-song set. Lifelong Angeleno Olivia Rodrigo explained that she’s written many songs about her city, including “Deja Vu,” which she performed to a rave response. Sting, leading a Police-like trio, powered through “Message in a Bottle” and, aptly, “Driven to Tears.” After Peso Pluma performed “La Bebe,” Eilish, accompanied by her brother, FINNEAS, returned to the stage for a beautifully austere acoustic mini-set, culminating in the Grammy-nominated smash “BIRDS OF A FEATHER.” The legendary Stevie Wonder summoned Sting for “Superstition” and then Flea for “Higher Ground.” Finally, after Jimmy Kimmel offered a special thank-you to the incarcerated firefighters who worked around the clock to help contain the blazes, Lady Gaga brought the show to a close, seated at a piano for “Shallow” and “Always Remember Us This Way” and performing a new, apparently untitled song written with her fiancé. “It’s just for tonight—just for you,” she said to the crowd, a sentiment that rang true for the entirety of the remarkable evening. preview photo of Billie Eilish and Sting courtesy Martin Kierszenbaum

London rapper Central Cee has outsold the rest of the Top 5 combined to debut at #1 on the Official U.K. Album Chart with Can't Rush Greatness (Columbia), while Lola Young enjoys a second week atop Singles with "Messy" (Island). Can't Rush Greatness, which follows 2022's chart-topping 23, has earned Cee three BRIT Award nominations. He will embark on a world tour 4/1 in Oslo. Teddy Swims' I’ve Tried Everything but Therapy (Part 2) (Warner) debuts at #2, also a career-best showing. FKA twigs scores her first Top 5 entry, at #3, with EUSEXUA (Young). Veteran instrumental rock combo Mogwai begins at #5 with its 11th album, The Bad Fire (Rock Action), and Toast of London/What We Do in the Shadows actor-musician Matt Berry opens at #22 with Heard Noises (Acid Jazz), his 13th full-length. On Singles, Young's "Messy" was the most-streamed track in the U.K. this week, with 6.2m plays. She remains #1 amid a static Top 5, with ROSÉ and Bruno Mars' "APT." (Atlantic) at #2, Gracie Abrams' "That's So True" (Interscope) at #3, Chrystal's "The Days" (Chaos) at #4 and Gigi Perez's "Sailor Song" (Island) at #5. Cee and Dave's "CRG" is the top debut, at #6. The former boasts additional Top 15 entries in the form of "GBP," featuring 21 Savage (#7), and "Truth in the Lies," featuring Lil Durk (#13). Tate McRae's "Sports Car" (RCA) and Sam Fender's "Arm's Length" (Polydor) debut at #8 and 14, respectively.

MusiCares Fire Relief, the fund formed by MusiCares and the Recording Academy, will expand its fundraising efforts through direct viewer outreach on the 2/2 Grammy Awards telecast. The fund has partnered with Direct Relief, the California Community Foundation and the Pasadena Community Foundation for this latest effort, which will go beyond serving Los Angeles-area music professionals to address the broader needs of others impacted in L.A. Throughout the show, viewers will be encouraged to donate, with corporate sponsors also providing financial support. Recording Academy and MusiCares CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said, “In addition to raising money for music people, we are proud to add these three incredible partners who are supporting the Los Angeles region in other ways to maximize our efforts of aiding those impacted by this crisis. We are so grateful to these organizations for their collaboration and look forward to bringing music professionals and fans together on Sunday, Feb. 2, to help rebuild and uplift Los Angeles and its people.” To contribute to support music people impacted by the Greater Los Angeles fires, visit the MusiCares fire-relief site. To contribute to support music people and others impacted by the Greater Los Angeles fires, visit the Recording Academy's fire-relief site. Music pros affected by the fires can seek support from MusiCares here. The 67th Grammy Awards will be broadcast live on CBS and Paramount+.

We are devastated to report that Ben Vaughn, head of Warner Chappell Nashville, died suddenly on 1/30. He was 49. It was a true privilege to work with him, and, in covering his exceptional career, we got to know an even more exceptional person. We send our deepest condolences to the WMG community and Ben's loved ones. “Ben has led our Nashville team since 2012, and we know that many of you around the world got to know him over the years,” a statement from WCM co-chiefs Guy Moot and Carianne Marshall reads in part. “Anyone who had the pleasure of working with him will be as shocked and saddened as we are. “First and foremost, Ben was an extraordinary human being. He met everyone with enthusiasm, warmth and generosity. His smile was huge, and his sense of humor was infectious. “He was always a passionate advocate for songwriters and a topflight music publisher. The Nashville community has lost one of its greatest champions, and he will be profoundly missed by so many across our company and the entire industry.” “I feel like I grew up on Music Row,” Vaughn said during a 2019 interview with HITS. A native of small-town Sullivan, Kentucky, he landed an on-air job at a local Country radio station at 16 before talking his way into an internship at Warner Chappell two weeks after arriving in Nashville, tackling the tape room and then splitting after a few years to work at Scott Hendricks’ JV pubco Big Tractor, which he was running before he turned 21. Vaughn then took a gig at EMI Music Publishing, where he worked for 10 years—he credited the mentoring of Gary Overton, Roger Faxon, Dan McCarroll and Hall of Fame songwriters like John Bettis and Tom Shapiro in shaping his understanding of publishing—and ended up running the Nashville division. When the company was absorbed by Sony/ATV in 2012, he exited and made the move to WCM, first under the joint stewardship of Cameron Strang and Jon Platt and then under Platt solo. “Of all the people I worked with, I probably worked most closely with Jon,” he said. “I’m really proud to have been part of his story; we’ll always be brothers.” Vaughn’s superb song instincts and considerable people skills enabled him to work closely and productively with such diverse talents as Chris Stapleton, Morgan Wallen, Rhett Akins, Thomas Rhett, Nicolle Galyon, Little Big Town, Jesse Frasure, Dan + Shay, Midland, Lady Antebellum, the late busbee, Matt Ramsey, Brothers Osborne, Dave Cobb and Guy Clark. His writers won an impressive number of Grammys, CMAs, ACMs and more, while his own team scooped up a bushel of ASCAP, BMI, SESAC and other trophies. During his remarkable career, what Vaughn relished most was watching the creators in his purview flourish. “I love what I see playing out on the charts over the last few years, where you have Nashville talent becoming consumption monsters,” he told HITS. “Publishing is a crockpot business. It’s slow and builds over time. Now you’re seeing it all coming to fruition.” “Ben was a champion of the country music genre and strong advocate for songwriters and good songs,” ACM boss Damon Whiteside noted in his tribute. “We send our condolences to Ben’s family, friends, coworkers, and all of those who crossed his path and were lifted up by his passion. His memory will live on forever through the great music he made happen.”

Taylor Swift, Red Hot Chili Peppers Anthony Kiedis and Chad Smith, Cardi B, Gloria Estefan, Olivia Rodrigo, Queen Latifah, SZA, Victoria Monét and Will Smith will present awards at the Grammys Sunday (2/2). Smith will introduce a salute to Quincy Jones, who died last year at the age of 91. As for Tay, she hasn’t presented at the big show since 2008, when she handed Rihanna and Jay-Z the trophy for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Umbrella." This year’s ceremony will also present a tribute to the resilience of Los Angeles in the wake of this month’s wildfires. Since teaming with the Los Angeles Fire Relief Effort to Support Music Professionals last week, the Recording Academy and MusiCares have raised and pledged more than $4m in emergency aid to industry personnel affected by the fires. CBS will broadcast the Trevor Noah-hosted show, which will be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+, live at 5pm PT. We're told the Recording Academy will have extra help on hand to keep HITS' mitts from getting anywhere near the craft services table.

Multihyphenate Japanese American star YOSHIKI has donated $500k to organizations representing those who’ve been affected by the Los Angeles wildfires. His donations will go to MusiCares, World Central Kitchen, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the American Red Cross, the Motion Picture & Television Fund, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Foundation and the Entertainment Community Fund. YOSHIKI, who came to worldwide prominence as leader of the groundbreaking band X Japan, has more recently worked in fashion, heading up the Yoshikimono and Maison Yoshiki Paris lines, and in film, directing and starring in the 2023 documentary YOSHIKI: Under the Sky. “I have lived in Los Angeles for almost 30 years," YOSHIKI said, "and it breaks my heart and gives me severe depression to have seen the city burning like this. I was also forced to evacuate, but thankfully my place did not burn, although many friends have lost everything. As I’ve been saying over the years, ‘Helping people helps yourself as well.’ I will keep supporting.” Laura Segura, executive director of MusiCares said, "YOSHIKI’s generosity knows no bounds. Time and again, he has stepped up to support music professionals in crisis, and his donation to MusiCares in the wake of the Los Angeles wildfires is yet another testament to his deep compassion and commitment to our community.”

Marianne Faithfull, who gained fame as a teenage Rolling Stones muse and sometime collaborator before reinventing herself as a cutting-edge solo artist in the late ’70s and ’80s, died Thursday (1/30) in London. The 78-year-old artist had been struggling with the lingering effects of a nearly fatal COVID infection in 2020. “It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of the singer, songwriter and actress Marianne Faithfull,” reads a statement from her representative. “Marianne passed away peacefully in London today, in the company of her loving family.” Faithfull, who was descended from Austro-Hungarian aristocrats, became known as an “it girl” of swinging London in 1964, at age 17, when “As Tears Go By,” her debut recording and the first song written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, became a hit in the U.K. and U.S. After she scored several more mid-'60s hits, Faithfull’s career was derailed by heroin addiction. She bravely chronicled her experience in the lyrics to “Sister Morphine,” which she co-wrote with Jagger and Richards. Her version of the song was released in 1969, two years before The Stones included their rendition on Sticky Fingers without crediting her. After a drawn-out legal battle, Faithfull received her credit on the 1994 reissue of the LP. Faithfull made an audacious reemergence with the landmark 1979 album Broken English, whose dark but electrifying songs—including a harrowing cover of John Lennon’s “Working Class Hero”—were further intensified by her coarsened voice, which seemed to embody the hard life she’d lived. The LP received a Grammy nomination for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. She continued her solo career in single-minded fashion for the ensuing four decades with albums including 1987’s Hal Willner-produced covers album Strange Weather and 2008’s Easy Come, Easy Go, which included her edgy renditions of songs by Randy Newman, Judee Sill, Traffic, Smokey Robinson, Brian Eno and Merle Haggard. Negative Capability, released in 2018, would be her final album. Faithfull also wrote three memoirs: Faithfull: An Autobiography (1994), Memories, Dreams & Reflections (2007) and Marianne Faithfull: A Life on Record (2014).

The Recording Academy has chosen the 2025 recipients of its Harry Belafonte Best Song for Social Change Award, Music Educator Award, presented with the Grammy Museum, and Entertainment Law Initiative Writing Contest scholarships. "Deliver”—written by Iman Jordan (performer), Roy Gartrell, Tam Jones and Ariel Loh—will receive the Harry Belafonte Best Song for Social Change Award. Cordova High School student Adrian L. Maclin scores the Music Educator Award. And Georgia State University College of Law student Melanie Sallis was named winner of the ELI Writing Contest for her essay "Beyond Takedowns: Expanding Music Monetization Tools to Support All Artists." The announcement precedes the 67th Grammy Awards, taking place Sunday (2/2) at Crypto.Com Arena.