Photo Credit: Pitchfork Fest’s Instagram

Chicago’s long-running Pitchfork Music Festival is calling it quits after nearly two decades.

The Pitchfork Music Festival announced it will not return to Chicago’s Union Park next year, ending its 19-year run. The festival’s final lineup in summer 2024 included artists like Alanis Morissette, Carly Rae Jepsen, 100 Gecs, Black Pumas, and Jai Paul.

“As the music festival landscape continues to evolve rapidly, we have made the difficult decision not to host Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago in 2025,” begins a statement from Pitchfork.

“This decision was not made lightly. For 19 years, Pitchfork Music Festival has been a celebration of music, art, and community — a space where memories were made, voices were amplified, and the shared love of music brought us all together.”

“The festival, while aligned with the taste of the Pitchfork editorial team, has always been a collaborative effort, taking on a life of its own as a vital pillar of the Chicago arts scene,” their statement continues.

“We are deeply grateful to the City of Chicago for being our festival’s home for nearly two decades, to the artists who graced our stages with unforgettable performances, and to the fans who brought unmatched energy year after year.”

“Pitchfork will continue to produce events in 2025 and beyond,” the statement concludes, after thanking festival founder Mike Reed and the rest of the hardworking festival team. “We look forward to continuing to create spaces where music, culture, and community intersect in uplifting ways.”

Chicago alderman Walter Burnett spoke with festival organizers who said the shutdown stems from “lack of sponsorship, insurance costs” and struggles to compete with other summer music festivals.

It’s unclear whether festival organizers will try to move forward with the event after next year. But Burnett said he is working with the city to make sure the event doesn’t leave altogether.

Notably, the decision to cancel the event next year comes as the festival’s parent company, Condé Nast, which owns Pitchfork, GQ, Vogue, and many other media brands, announced layoffs earlier in the year.

Photo Credit: Karol G, Feid, DFZM ft. Ovy On The Drums, J Balvin, Maluma, Ryan Castro, Blessd – +57 (Official Music Video)

Karol G has released an apology following the backlash to the lyrics in her new single, ‘+57,’ taking full responsibility. ‘I realize that I have so much to learn.’

Karol G quickly issued an apology, taking responsibility for the negative criticism of the lyrics in her newest single, “+57.” The song, which features fellow Colombian artists Feid, Maluma, J Balvin, Ryan Castro, and Blessd, has been criticized since shortly after its November 7 debut for its lyrics that allegedly perpetuate the sexualization of minors.

On Monday, November 11, Karol G took to Instagram to apologize, adding that she felt “very affected” and that she still has “so much to learn.”

The backlash stemmed from the lyrics in a verse shared by Karol’s boyfriend Feid, along with Maluma and Castro: “A mamacita since she was 14 / When she walks into the club, you can feel her energy.”

Karol said in her response that she is “constantly searching” for ways to “positively impact the lives of many people,” and that she assumes full responsibility for the negative reaction to her song.

“As artists, we are exposed to public opinion, and to the individual interpretations of people who like us and people who differ with what we do,” she wrote in Spanish. “I feel a lot of frustration about the misinformation that has been given.”

“The lyrics in the song, with which I sought to celebrate the union between artists and put a shine to my people, were taken out of context,” Karol explained.

“None of the things said in the song are written in the way people have claimed, nor were sung with that perspective — but I hear you, and I take responsibility, and I realize that I have so much to learn,” she added. “I feel very affected and I’m sorry from the heart.”

The singer then thanked her fans for their unconditional love and support, and said she appreciated the other artists on the song. “I want to keep in my heart the beautiful energy we worked with that day.”

Feid and J Balvin have shared Karol’s response on their social channels, voicing their support for her. “You have given us so much glory, so this doesn’t reduce your greatness,” wrote Balvin. “That song is ours, so we’re going to support you unconditionally.”

Photo Credit: Beyoncé’s YouTube

Beyoncé gets snubbed at the MTV EMAs as Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, Lisa, and Tyla clean up with massive wins.

Beyoncé may have a record-breaking amount of Grammy Award nominations, but the star was seemingly snubbed at the MTV European Music Awards over the weekend. Taylor Swift came out with the most wins—Best Artist, Best US Act, Best Live Act, and Best Video for “Fortnight” featuring Post Malone.

Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish, Charli XCX, and Sabrina Carpenter each had five nominations in categories such as Best Song, Best Video, and Best Artist. Other artists with four nominations included Ayra Starr, Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, Lisa, Chappell Roan, and Tyla.

Shawn Mendes received the award for Best Canadian Act, while Sabrina Carpenter took the award for Best Song for her hit “Espresso.” Ariana Grande won Best Pop Act, while Eminem won Best Hip-Hop Act.

British singer Rita Ora hosted the show for a record third time, and paid tribute to former One Direction star Liam Payne, who died suddenly last month after falling from his hotel balcony in Buenos Aires. Ora recorded a song with Payne in 2018, “For You (Fifty Shades Freed).”

“Liam Payne was one of the kindest people I knew,” said Ora, whose voice broke as she addressed the crowd. “He had the biggest heart, and he left such a mark on this world.”

Hip-hop legend Busta Rhymes was honored with the EMA Global Icon Award from British rapper Little Simz. The 12-time Grammy Award nominee performed a medley of his greatest hits, and told the crowd that in 34 years of recording music, this was his first award from MTV.

Legendary New Wave duo Pet Shop Boys were honored with the inaugural Pop Pioneers Award for their contributions to pop music. They closed out the show with accompaniment by the Manchester Camerata orchestra, playing a cover of David Bowie’s “All the Young Dudes,” followed by their classic “West End Girls” for the song’s 40th anniversary.

Other performers included Shawn Mendes, Le Sserafim, Peso Pluma, Raye, Teddy Swims, and Mexican rock sisters The Warning.

Photo Credit: Jack White’s YouTube

The White Stripes have dropped their federal lawsuit against Donald Trump and his campaign, as well as his aide Margo Martin.

The White Stripes, Meg and Jack White, have dropped their federal lawsuit against Donald Trump, his campaign, and his aide Margo Martin. The case was dismissed without prejudice, meaning they could choose to refile.

Jack White had openly threatened to sue Trump over his campaign’s use of the White Stripes’ hit “Seven Nation Army” in videos posted on social media. In September, he and his ex-wife and former bandmate Meg White made good on that threat, filing their lawsuit in New York federal court.

The lawsuit stated the pair “vehemently oppose the policies adopted and actions taken by Defendant Trump when he was President and those he has proposed for the second term he seeks.” Jack White threatened to sue on Instagram, alongside a copy of Trump aide Margo Martin’s post of a video including the White Stripes’ track, writing “Oh, don’t even think about using my music, you fascists.”

Many musicians have publicly expressed their disdain for the Trump campaign’s use of their music in rallies and videos posted to social media. These include ABBA, Celine Dion, and Foo Fighters.

Meanwhile, a long list of musicians have put their names to an open letter by the Artist Rights Alliance calling on US political parties to establish “clear policies requiring campaigns to seek consent” for the music they want to use in their events. Musicians who have signed so far include Aerosmith, Elton John, The Rolling Stones, R.E.M., Pearl Jam, Green Day, Blondie, Elvis Costello, Sheryl Crow, Alanis Morissette, Courtney Love, Lionel Richie, and many more.

Jack White has long been an outspoken critic of Trump, and released a lengthy statement on Instagram following the outcome of the US presidential election. But whether he and Meg White will opt to refile their lawsuit against the Trump campaign remains to be seen.

Other musicians who have released statements expressing disdain for the results of the presidential election include Ariana Grande, Bruce Springsteen, Ethel Cain, Cardi B, Jack Antonoff, and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard.

Photo Credit: Ubisoft (Far Cry 6)

Ubisoft Entertainment has announced it has re-inked its long-standing global publishing administration partnership with BMG. Ubisoft is the game developer behind the Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, Just Dance, and Tom Clancy game series.

Earlier this year, Ubisoft made history when composer Stephanie Economou won the first-ever Grammy Award in the new category Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games & Other Interactive Media for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarok.

Throughout their partnership, BMG and Ubisoft have teamed together on a number of successful creative collaborations with BMG songwriters contributing to musical works including Einar Selvik (Assassin’s Creed Valhalla), Mothica (Rocksmith), Profi Baloa (Far Cry 6), and Domino Saints and Ayo & Teyo (Just Dance).

“Ubisoft Music is super happy to continue this journey with BMG, whose shown tremendous support over the last few years for partnerships with our major brands and unique creative collaborations,” says Alkis Argyriadis, Ubisoft’s Head of Music.

“BMG takes great pride in representing Ubisoft, one of the world’s most successful and innovative game developers, as our long-time partner,” adds Maite Bursic, BMG’s VP, Music Publishing Creative. “Their versatility as a creative leader, expanding influence in music, alongside a growing presence in film and television, closely aligns with our strategic focus and shared commitment to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in entertainment.”

Ubisoft was founded in 1986 and has evolved into a leading game developer and publisher. With a 38-year legacy of creating blockbuster franchises and groundbreaking new IPs, Ubisoft offers one of the industry’s most diverse portfolios. The company’s global network of studios and offices across 30 countries has been instrumental in driving their role at the forefront of the gaming industry’s explosive growth.

Ubisoft’s slate of recent releases include Skull and Bones, Star Wars Outlaws, and Just Dance 2025 Edition. Other highly anticipated releases include NFL Primetime Fantasy, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, and upcoming Netflix animated series Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Deathwatch.

Live Nation president and CEO Michael Rapino. Photo Credit: Live Nation

Live Nation (NYSE: LYV) has posted a slight YoY revenue decrease for Q3 2024 – including due to a 17% falloff in ticketing. However, execs appear optimistic that the DOJ’s antitrust suit could soon be in the rearview, and LYV jumped during after-hours trading.

The Ticketmaster parent posted its third-quarter financials this afternoon, amid, among other things, a high-stakes DOJ antitrust lawsuit. Predictably, given the forthcoming administration change, the topic quickly came up during Live Nation’s Q3 earnings call.

“It’s still very early in the transition process, so we’re hesitant to say too much,” relayed Live Nation CFO Joe Berchtold. “But absolutely, we are hopeful that we’ll see a return to the more traditional antitrust approach. Where the agencies have generally tried to find ways to solve problems they see with targeted remedies, that minimize government intervention in the marketplace.

“And without getting into specifics, at least some parts of the case, we think – believe reflect a much more interventionist philosophy today than you’d expect of a Republican administration. Obviously, the request to break up Live Nation and Ticketmaster would be an example of that highly interventionist approach. So we’ll obviously be ready to engage as soon as they are,” proceeded Berchtold.

Back to the business’s core Q3 financials – Live Nation, which has teed up an investor presentation for Wednesday, kept the conference call relatively short – overall revenue came in at $7.65 billion on the quarter (down 6% YoY), per the report.

As a pertinent aside, Live Nation revised the Q3 2023 figures as well. “For context, what we had is a non-cash, non-operating-tax adjustment that we had to make,” elaborated Berchtold. “This has to do with when we purchased Ocesa and the difference between statutory and U.S. GAAP accounting on some non-consolidated investments.

“So it was just on the U.S. side – we paid the taxes in Mexico, we missed it in the U.S. … Working through with the auditors, we made the decision, it made sense to restate those numbers,” the CFO continued.

Within Q3 2024’s revenue, concerts, as usual, led the pack with a $6.58 billion contribution (down 6% YoY); ticketing’s aforementioned 17% YoY decline resulted in a sum of $693.7 million for the quarter.

Rounding out total revenue, sponsorship and advertising reached $390.3 million in Q3 (up 6% YoY), with a loss of $13.5 million attributed to other and eliminations. On the volume front, Live Nation pointed to a 13% YoY hike to approximately 40,000 Q3 events, “fueled by arenas and amphitheaters and double-digit growth in theater and club shows.”

Notwithstanding the revenue dips, though, Live Nation adjusted operating income neared $910 million during Q3 2024 – up 4% YoY, including a 39% YoY spike for concerts to a “record” $474.1 million, the breakdown shows. Nevertheless, ticketing’s operating income slipped roughly 33% YoY to $235.7 million, the resource relays.

Shifting to Live Nation’s performance across 2024’s initial nine months, total revenue grew 3% YoY to $17.47 billion, $14.45 billion of which stemmed from concerts (up 4% YoY), the document indicates.

Lastly, CEO Michael Rapino took the opportunity to predict “an even bigger 2025” for Live Nation, shares in which were up 6.1%, at about $130 a pop, during after-hours trading at the time of writing.

The Euronext Amsterdam building. Photo Credit: Bootuitjes

Billionaire businessman Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square has a long history of investor activism – but can it compel Universal Music Group to exit the Euronext Amsterdam?

As things stand, the major label appears to maintain that the answer is “no.” We previously explored the multifaceted situation at length, including details pertaining to Pershing Square’s UMG ownership (which currently sits at 10.25% and, for a time years back, was expected to involve a SPAC play), the push for a pivot from the Euronext Amsterdam, and UMG’s response.

“Pershing has the right to request a listing in the US subject to a Pershing entity selling at least $500 million in UMG shares as part of the listing,” Universal Music spelled out in a formal release. “Pershing does not have any right to require UMG to become a US domiciled company or delist from Euronext Amsterdam.”

(In his initial tweet on the subject, Ackman, who’s also pursuing Pershing Square Holdings’ departure from the Euronext Amsterdam, confirmed plans to spearhead Universal Music’s U.S. listing “no later than some time next year” in any event.)

The leading label intends to “endeavor in good faith to comply with its contractual obligations with respect to undertaking the process of a US listing at the request of Pershing,” per the straightforward remarks.

However, any non-contractually-obligated decisions regarding UMG’s country of domicile and more “will be based on an analysis taking into account what is value maximizing and in the best interests of all the shareholders of the company.”

In other words, Universal Music isn’t quite on board at present – though it’s worth reiterating a couple key points on this front.

First, the UMG board member Ackman emphasized the “highly material benefits” of shifting the music company to the States and attributed the business’s stock-price woes in part to its listing status.

“UMG trades at a large discount to its intrinsic value with limited liquidity in significant part due to it not having its primary listing on the @NYSE or @NasdaqExchange and not being eligible for S&P 500 and other index inclusion,” Ackman relayed on X.

We’ve already covered those stock-price woes extensively – referring to a roughly 20% falloff between UMG’s peak over the summer and its present value. Particularly into the new year, it’ll be interesting to see if a possible resolution lies at the intersection of Ackman’s goal and the business’s inherent objective of maximizing shareholder value.

Next, the prior activist-investor maneuvers of Ackman and Pershing Square are insightful.

There’s ample ground to cover here, with a whole lot having changed since the 2000s. But perhaps the most pertinent example can be found in the decades-old spinoff of Tim Hortons from Wendy’s.

“Back then – because we couldn’t get a return phone call,” Ackman explained in a Bloomberg interview. “We were a tiny little fund circa 2004, we hired Blackstone, which had an investment bank at the time. And we hired them to put together a fairness opinion, if you will, of what Wendy’s would be worth if they spun off Tim Hortons.

“And then we wrote a letter to the board, we attached the Blackstone valuation (which was nearly double where the stock was trading). And then six weeks later, magically they spun off Tim Hortons,” he proceeded.

As highlighted, there’s a lot more to chart in this area – with the bigger takeaway being that Ackman and Pershing Square have a track record of successful activist-investor moves. Time will tell whether that track record translates into a big shift (geographical and otherwise) for UMG.

Photo Credit: King Records

Japan’s ‘Hypnosis Mic: Divisional Rap Battle’ is getting an interactive feature film to release in February next year. The franchise was developed by King Records in 2017.

The multimedia franchise “Hypnosismic,” developed in Japan by King Records in 2017, is set to expand and release an interactive feature film, “Hypnosis Mic: Division Rap Battle,” due out in February next year.

Developed by King Records in 2017, the franchise revolves around a world where weapons have been banned and men fight for supremacy through rap battles. Currently, the franchise includes music, radio dramas, manga, stage productions, games, and an animated TV series (anime).

The new film will be directed by Tsujimoto Takanori through Polygon Pictures, with a screenplay by Momose Yuichiro, who previously developed the franchise’s story, characters, and games.

Pitched as Japan’s first interactive movie, the film involves a new rap battle, the story and winner of which can vary at each screening. The outcomes are driven by real-time polling of the audience members through their smartphones.

“Since its inception in 2017, ‘Hypnosismic’ has captivated a vast global fanbase,” said the film’s producers. “As Japan’s first interactive film, ‘Hypnosis Mic: Division Rap Battle’ not only elevates the commercial value of the IP but also enhances the viewer experience by engaging audiences in its unique interactive format.”

“Interactive movies are more than an entertainment novelty. They embody a profound integration of technology and film,” they continue. “This format introduces new business and revenue models for the film industry, moving beyond traditional cinema big screen into a multi-platform approach that includes gaming, streaming services, and location-based entertainment.”

Details of the new film were unveiled at the AGF2024 event in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro district over the weekend. Ticket pre-booking began immediately ahead of a theatrical release through Toho Next, beginning on February 21, 2025.

The first anime series premiered in October 2020, with a second season airing in 2023. These were animated by a different production house, A-1 Pictures, and featured different staff. The series ran with a simulcast on Funimation, Sony’s specialty streamer that has since merged with anime streaming platform Crunchyroll.

Photo Credit: Braxton Keith

Warner Music Nashville has signed rising honky-tonk vocalist Braxton Keith. His first major-label debut track, “Fall This Way” will feature on his upcoming EP, Blue, which is dropping on December 6.

Keith’s 80s country sound and aesthetic attracted attention to his live shows in San Antonio. He learned to play piano from his grandmother and grew up singing family-friendly tunes like “The Carroll County Accident.”

“There’s something romantic about the country music scene in Texas—it’s that connection with that crowd,” Keith said about the signing. “It doesn’t matter what day of the week it is, whether it’s an old raggedy bar or wherever the hell you are, they’re going to show up, and I fell in love with creating moments with those fans. I just try to imagine it’s a 90-minute show for me, but it’s a lifetime experience for them.”

Braxton Keith is managed by Alex Torrez and Emily Vincent at Torrez Music Group. He is represented by Andrew McWilliams at Evergreen Artist group. Keith will next take to the stage as a headliner at The Bluestone in Columbus, Ohio on November 14.

The Bluestone is a unique venue with cathedral ceilings thanks to its origins as a 115-year-old church. He’ll also open a run of dates for Cody Johnson’s Leather Tour, which kicks off on November 15 at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center.

Keith says he’s planning on releasing more music in 2025. He’s been touring nationwide non-stop since 2020. His self-released singles and EPs have earned the honky-tonker a solid social media following. Keith first arrived in Nashville in 2021 and currently splits his time between Nashville and San Antonio—honing his songwriting talent. Braxton is a 23-year-old singer and is originally from Midland, Texas. He shares that his two younger brothers were extremely smart and athletic, while God gifted him with a love of music and playing instruments.

Keith says his musical heroes consist of country western legends including Marty Robbins, Merle Haggard, Brooks and Dunn, Hank Williams, Bob Wills, George Strait, and others.

Photo Credit: Beyoncé by Raph PH / CC by 2.0

Yale University is introducing a course dedicated to studying the cultural impact of Beyoncé, to kick off next spring.

A course dedicated to studying Beyoncé’s cultural impact is coming to Yale University, set to kick off next spring. Titled “Beyoncé Makes History: Back Radical Tradition History, Culture, Theory & Politics Through Music,” the course will be offered through the humanities and arts department and focus on her body of work, from her self-titled debut album to her most recent album, Cowboy Carter.

Yale’s course will also delve into Beyoncé’s performance politics and her concert films, as a lens through which students will examine black intellectualism and activism. The course will also explore scholarly works and cultural texts across black feminist theory and philosophy, performance studies, musicology, and more.

Taught by writer and black studies scholar Daphne Brooks, who co-founded Yale’s Black Sound & the Archive Working Group — faculty and students working to “explore the untapped variety of black sound archives” — the course has been in the planning stages for years.

“I’m looking forward to exploring her body of work and considering how, among other things, historical memory, black feminist politics, black liberation politics, and philosophies course through the last decade of her performance repertoire as well as the ways that her unprecedented experimentations with the album form itself, have provided her with the platform to mobilize these themes,” said Brooks in an email to NBC.

Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter recently received 11 Grammy nominations, after being thoroughly snubbed at this year’s Country Music Association Awards. In total, this makes her the most Grammy-nominated artist in history, with 99 altogether.

Other universities have offered similar courses about Beyoncé and her cultural impact, including Rutgers University, the University of Illinois at Chicago, Cornell University, the University of Texas at San Antonio, California Polytechnic State University, and Arizona State University.

Notably, Beyoncé isn’t the first pop star to be embraced by university courses. Lady Gaga has been the subject of a 2010 University of South Carolina module, and Taylor Swift became the focus of courses at multiple colleges, including the University of Ghent in Belgium, Harvard University, UC Berkeley, and the University of Florida. Meanwhile, New York University offered a course on Lana Del Rey.

Photo Credit: YouTube (Tyler, The Creator)

Tyler, the Creator has taken to social media to reassure fans he is working to get copyright strikes against reactions to his new album ‘Chromakopia’ lifted. Here’s the latest.

‘Chromakopia’ dropped at the end of October, with fans sharing their reactions on social media like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. However, many of these fans said their reactions were copyright stricken and blocked—either with the sound being removed or the video removed completely.

After a fan posted their frustration about having the video removed, Tyler commented personally, “Gonna make sure the block gets lifted man, hit my squad up early this am.” The fan Tyler originally responded to replied to his comment stating, “Video is up and all blocks lifted. Appreciate you helping.”

The Instagram account SleepingonGems reported the news, “Many fans were experiencing issues when uploading videos of them listening to ‘Chromakopia,’ so Tyler decided to step in and remove the copyright strikes,” the report reads. “More artists need to do this. Kendrick did the same with ‘Not Like Us.’ Love to see it.”

Both Kendrick Lamar and Drake removed copyright strikes on their respective diss tracks, helping the rap beef explode to national attention earlier this year. The back-and-forth dropping of new diss tracks created a situation in which fans of either artist were waiting online with bated breath for the next diss track to drop. Those with a YouTube or TikTok presence covering the hidden meanings behind the lyrics made a killing—notably because artists released their copyright claims so social media posts could proliferate.

Tyler, the Creator wants to create hype online about his new album and one of the best ways to do that is to allow fans to create reaction videos discussing the lyrics. It involves snippets of the songs behind made available in YouTube videos and on TikTok—but most works discussing an album are purely reactions to a specific lyric rather than a wholesale streaming of the song or album. The distinction here is allowing people to discuss the music while sharing bits of it creates more conversation around the track and album, rather than silencing it completely with copyright strikes.

Hipgnosis has revealed a nearly $1.5 billion asset-backed securitization (ABS). Photo Credit: Hipgnosis

Another day, yet another asset-backed securitization – this time from Blackstone’s Hipgnosis, which has formally announced a $1.47 billion deal.

The appropriate catalog investor reached out with word of the securitization, which arrives on the heels of similar moves from Concord as well as Duetti. However, as many know, the newest ABS also follows a hard-fought battle for Hipgnosis Songs Fund, or the Merck Mercuriadis-founded fund that scooped up all manner of prominent song rights during a much-publicized landgrab.

Multiple twists and turns later, the Hipgnosis Songs Fund saga concluded earlier this year, when Blackstone topped the aforementioned Concord with a roughly $1.6 billion bid to take the company private.

Royalties from the over 45,000-track catalog in question, featuring works from Neil Young, Christine McVie, Rodney Jerkins, Dierks Bentley, and more, are backing the $1.47 billion ABS, per Blackstone and Hipgnosis.

(Technically, several other high-profile catalog deals, including with the likes of Justin Bieber, were spearheaded by Hipgnosis Song Management, which had been under Blackstone’s control long before the HSF privatization. Those distinct song rights don’t appear to have factored into today’s asset-backed securitization, though HSM itself rolled out a smaller ABS back in August 2022.)

As we’ve charted in detail, a surprising number of Hipgnosis entities, including but definitely not limited to the main Hipgnosis Songs Fund as well as its Hipgnosis Song Management “investment advisor,” were making moves at the brand’s peak.

But with the take-private dust having largely settled, and with Blackstone now fully behind each of the involved companies, the release pertaining to the securitization refers to the overarching operation simply as “Hipgnosis.”

Returning to the actual MUFG Securities-structured ABS, the notes at hand, having received an A- rating from KBRA, attracted 25 investors, per Hipgnosis and Blackstone.

Therefore representing “one of the most diversified ABS issuance for music rights to date,” the securitization will enable Hipgnosis to pay down “existing debt in full and support future acquisitions,” higher-ups indicated.

“With this ABS refinancing completed,” Hipgnosis CEO Ben Katovsky and CFO Dan Pounder elaborated in a joint statement, “we will continue to work on expanding the investor base with further institutionalisation of the asset class leveraging Hipgnosis’ proprietary technology and data analytics platform across underwriting, monitoring and reporting.”

On the debt front, the previously highlighted Hipgnosis Songs Fund buyout also saw Blackstone assume the company’s sizable pile of debt, which had prevented the business from exploring additional IP purchases (and complicated operations in different ways) for some time before it was taken private.

And when it comes to future acquisitions, it will, of course, be interesting to see which bodies of work Hipgnosis buys down the line. As things stand, the sub-sector is populated by more deep-pocketed potential purchasers than ever, and Hipgnosis remains entangled in an ugly payments-related battle with Barry Manilow.

Photo Credit: Chappell Roan by Justin Higuchi / CC by 2.0

Chappell Roan has parted ways with her management team at State Of The Art, headed by Nick Bobetsky.

Hot on the heels of her first set of Grammy nominations, Chappell Roan has abruptly split with her management team. Her former management team at State Of The Art has been headed by Nick Bobetsky, who met Roan in 2018.

In 2025, the pop sensation is up for Album of the Year (The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess), Record of the Year, Song of the Year (both for “Good Luck, Babe!”), and Best New Artist — but her former management team didn’t mention her in their recent Instagram post congratulating their talent for their nods. That post has seemingly been removed, but the rumors were already circulating.

The news was confirmed by Nathan Hubbard, former Ticketmaster CEO, on a recent episode of the Every Single Album podcast. According to Hubbard, the news has sparked a frenzy in the industry as top managers scramble to make their bid to sign the rising star.

In addition to her Grammy nominations, Roan made her musical guest debut on Saturday Night Live, where she performed an unreleased track, the country-flavored pop track, “The Giver.” She also debuted an unreleased track, “Subway,” at her Governors Ball set over the summer. The 26-year-old has been busy writing new material.

But her rise to fame hasn’t been without its complications. Chappell Roan has been very outspoken about the “predatory” interactions she’s had with fans, and the toxic nature of fans who feel entitled to an artist’s time. “I don’t agree with the notion that I owe a mutual exchange of energy, time, or attention to people I do not know, do not trust, or who creep me out — just because they’re expressing admiration,” she said.

“I’m not afraid of the consequences for demanding respect,” she continued, explaining that the experience goes beyond just being famous. “Every woman is feeling or has felt similar to what I’m experiencing. This isn’t a new situation.”

Photo Credit: Cumulus Media

Cumulus Media starts layoffs in Indianapolis and Central Pennsylvania following iHeartMedia’s job cuts last week.

Cumulus Media has started layoffs in Indianapolis and Central Pennsylvania this week ahead of the holiday season, joining iHeartMedia who cut around 500 jobs the week prior.

In Central Pennsylvania, Cumulus parted ways with WARM Program Director Dave Russell, and radio personalities AJ Cobain, Venetia Stephenson, and Gary Sutton. In Indianapolis, the company saw the departure of multiple industry veterans, such as WZPL Program Director Jimmy Steele, who came on in 2022 after serving as Operations Manager for Cumulus in Mobile, Alabama.

Other Indianapolis mainstays to exit Cumulus include WFMS morning co-host Kevin Freeman, who leaves after three decades with the company. Freeman is joined by WJJK afternoon host Laura Steele, Promotions Coordinator Jennifer Trevino, and members of the sales team.

Meanwhile, the list of names of those affected by iHeartMedia’s round of layoffs the week of the election continues to grow, with roles including both market and regional personnel.

Bob Pittman, CEO of iHeartMedia, addressed the recent layoffs during the company’s Q3 earnings call, where he assured shareholders that radio is still going strong as it seeks to save $150 million by “eliminating redundancies.”

“What we’re not doing is getting rid of air talent. What we’re able to do now, because we’ve got technology, is we can take talent we have in any location and put them on the air in another location. So it allows us to substantially upgrade the quality of our talent in every single market we’re in,” said Pittman in response to Radio Ink.

“There’s not a slot for everybody. Just because [talent] was willing to live in the market, doesn’t assure that they’re the best person for that slot.”

The radio giant has cut long-time radio hosts and employees in major markets across Boston (Alan Chartrand), Chicago (Angie Taylor, Matt Scarano), Cleveland (Bill Squire, Mary Santora), Dallas (Patrick Davis, Cruz, Domininc ‘Zakk’ Zaccagnini), Denver (Alfred ‘Big Al’ Williams, Michael Coover, Brandon Krisztal), Houston (Karah Leigh, Stan Norfleet), Miami (Gina Ulmos, Frankie P Pagliaro, Armando Lapido, Mark Mackenzie), New York (Len Berman, Michael Riedel, Terry Trahim), Philadelphia (Mike Kaplan, Sam ‘Nugget’ Dababneh), Phoenix (Jody Oehler, Kelly Manders), Salt Lake City (Eric E. White, Erica Shea), San Francisco (Don Parker, Jerry Houston, Jason Dahlstedt, Chidi Nwachukwu), Washington, D.C. (Paul Jaxon, Lisa Berigan), and countless others.

Photo Credit: Euronext FX

Israeli soccer fans were assaulted in a series of antisemitic attacks from young people specifically targeted Jewish people. Five people were treated at hospitals, while dozens more were arrested for participating in the attacks. Now, billionaire Bill Ackman says Pershing Square will seek removal from Euronext Amsterdam and is pressuring Universal Music Group to do the same.

Amsterdam banned demonstrations over the weekend after the antisemitic attacks occurred on Friday, with the Amsterdam mayor calling the orchestrators “antisemitic hit-and-run squads.” Mayor Femke Halsema said Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer fans were “attacked, abused, and pelted” with fireworks around the city—forcing riot police to intervene and protect them from further abuse.

Videos of the attacks went viral on social media, showcasing many attackers shouting anti-Israeli slurs. Antisemitic incidents in the Netherlands have surged since the October 7 Hamas attack on a peaceful music festival and other areas. Many Jewish organizations have reported receiving threats and hate mail. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government sent planes to the Netherlands to bring those soccer fans home.

Now, Bill Ackman says he is going to seek approval from the board of Pershing Square Holdings (his family owns 23%) to eliminate the Euronext listing. Ackman says he is also seeking to persuade UMG to jump ship from Amsterdam as well.

“I have also begun the conversation with UMG (on whose board I sit) which is domiciled in Amsterdam as well as listed there, about moving its domicile and its listings to the United States, which will offer similar as well as other highly material benefits,” Ackman said in a statement posted on X/Twitter.

“Pershing Square has a contractual right to cause UMG to be listed in the United States. We will exercise this right and achieve a US listing for UMG no latter than sometime next year.”

“UMG trades at a large discount to its intrinsic value with limited liquidity in significant part due to it not having its primary listing on the NYSE or NASDAQ and not being eligible for S&P 500 and other index inclusion. We are going to fix this. Now is a good and appropriate time to do so.”

UMG has been listed on the Euronext Amsterdam exchange since 2021 and Pershing Square owns 10.25% of UMG’s stock. A UMG spokesperson confirms no one from UMG spoke with Ackman before his statement.

“As disclosed in UMG’s listing prospectus, Persing has the right to reqest a listing in the U.S. subject to a Pershing entity selling at least $500 million in UMG shares as part of the listing. Pershing does not have any right to require UMG to become a US domiciled company or delist from Euronext Amsterdam.”

“While the company will endeavor in good faith to comply with its contractual obligations with respect to undertaking the process of a US listing at the request of Pershing, any actions or decisions beyond those necessary to comply {including any decisions to change the domicile of the company) will be based on an analysis taking into account what is value maximizing and in the best interests of all shareholders of the company.”

Photo Credit: The Beatles – “Now and Then” (Official Music Video)

The Beatles’ ‘Now and Then’ is up for two Grammy awards this year, the first AI-assisted song to be nominated for an award.

Though the Beatles have been broken up for 50 years, you might feel like you’d fallen into a time vortex to learn the band is up for two Grammy awards this year. The Fab Four’s “Now and Then,” refined using AI and released last year, is up for Record of the Year and Best Rock Performance, pitting the band against artists like Chappell Roan and Beyoncé.

Last year, Paul McCartney used an AI assisted program to clean up the poor sound quality of some John Lennon demos from 1978 to create “the last Beatles record.” The resulting track resurrected old recordings of both Lennon and George Harrison, alongside current recordings from McCartney and Ringo Starr, to make the song a reality.

Paul took inspiration from filmmaker Peter Jackson’s “The Beatles: Get Back” documentary, the 2021 series based on archival footage of recording sessions for Let It Be. McCartney and his team used the same AI-based audio editing software producer Giles Martin used to make a new stereo mix of the Beatles’ Revolver.

The AI-based software is similar to how certain video or audio chat platforms like Zoom, FaceTime, or Discord might filter out background noise from a call. Machine learning helped isolate the sound of Lennon’s late ‘70s demo tapes to clean up existing audio for use in a modern song.

The end result is a track that’s astoundingly up for two Grammys — the first AI-assisted song to achieve such a feat. But that begs the question whether novelty will be enough to secure the Beatles a win against contemporary heavyweights like Kendrick Lamar and Billie Eilish. Or do these modern artists stand a chance against a legendary band like the Beatles?

Since “Now and Then” actually has the fewest Spotify streams of all Record of the Year noms for 2025 with 78 million, it seems the band might be given a run for their money in terms of securing a win. But it speaks to the depth of their reach that a long-lost Beatles track can carry that weight of two Grammy nominations half a century after their breakup.

In one of early November’s music industry hires and promotions, WK Records named Azucena Olvera (pictured) general manager. Photo Credit: WK

Here’s a recap of recent music industry hires and in-house promotions as of November 8th, 2024.

If you have a job shuffle to share, we’re all ears. Send us a note to news@digitalmusicnews.com. If you’d like to post a job on our Job Board, just send us a request to noah@digitalmusicnews.com. And, keep track of all the latest music industry hires here.

SongVest

SongVest has brought PledgeMusic co-founder Jayce Varden aboard as chief strategy officer.

WK Records

SiriusXM and Pandora vet Azucena Olvera has signed on as WK Records’ general manager.

Warner Chappell Music Benelux

Lekeisha Irion, who joined WCM Benelux in early 2023, has been elevated to A&R head.

iHeartMedia

Besides moving to lay off hundreds of employees, iHeartMedia is upping multiple team members: Steve DeLusant (a longtime iHeart sales exec) has been tapped as region president for New York, and Adam Kurtz (who’s been Chicago’s SVP of sales for about seven years) is holding the same role in the Windy City.

Musixmatch

Musixmatch has promoted both Vevo founder Rio Caraeff (previously chief business officer) and Uber vet Marco Paglia (formerly chief product officer) to co-president.

AEG Global

AEG Global Partnerships has enlisted former OUTFRONT Media sales higher-up Brenda Cruz to serve as senior director of global partnerships for out of home.

Sony Music Publishing

Sony Music Publishing’s Racheal Conte, who’s been part of the company since 2012, has been raised to VP of sample clearance, legal, and business affairs.

Songwriters Hall of Fame

Nile Rodgers has been reelected as chairman of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, which has also confirmed CFO and treasurer Tom Kelly, secretary Mary Jo Mennella, and deputy secretary Linda Buckley to fresh terms.

Lastly, SVPs David Israelite (NMPA), Elizabeth Matthews (ASCAP), and Mike O’Neill (BMI) have likewise been reelected.

Gigantic Tickets

The U.K.’s Gigantic Tickets has made three promotions: nine-year exec Simon Carpenter is now co-CEO and a board director, lead web developer Joe Lilley is officially co-CTO, and Kelly McKinney has been bumped from event manager to operations head.

Deezer

Deezer has boosted content director Pedro Kurtz to operations director for the Americas.

Reliant

Reliant Talent Agency has hired former Paradigm booking agent Keith Richards as a festival agent.

Additionally, the firm has promoted senior agents Ron Kaplan and Garry Buck to EVP, while booking coordinators Robert Baugh, Cole Speed, and Kailey Edgerton have become agents.

Atlantic Music Group

Homemade Projects president Alana Dolgin has joined Atlantic Music as its first president of digital marketing.

Photo Credit: Filipe Vicente / Setor VIP

Merry Christmas, Mariah Carey: A federal judge is reportedly partial to tossing a copyright infringement action centering on “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”

That interesting development just recently entered the media spotlight, after one Andy Stone first sued back in 2022. DMN has tracked the courtroom confrontation every step of the way since then – including when the initial filing was dismissed and then followed by a substantially similar complaint (submitted this time in California) in November 2023.

According to the straightforward newer suit, Stone, a Louisiana-based artist known professionally as Vince Vance, co-wrote a work called “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” Penned in 1988, recorded sometime thereafter, and released the following year, the country effort is, of course, distinct from Carey’s perennial holiday hit.

With the other songwriter on the less-famous “All I Want for Christmas Is You” also aboard as a plaintiff, the suit maintains that Carey’s 1994 release of the same name lifted several elements without authorization.

Among other things, this alleged infringement encompasses the “compositional structure of an extended comparison between a loved one and trappings of seasonal luxury, and further includes several of Plaintiffs’ lyrical phrases,” per the text.

Unsurprisingly, one of these lyrical phrases is “all I want for Christmas is you,” according to the appropriate track and the action, which explores the Carey release’s commercial prominence, the works’ purported technical overlap (“the songs share a similar syncopated chord pattern”), and a whole lot else.

Now, with the holiday season as well as the “All I Want for Christmas Is You” machine ramping up, the presiding judge could be preparing to toss the case altogether.

As laid out in the latest legal documents, both sides are seeking summary judgement, with the defendants urging the court to grant a sanctions motion to boot.

“Plaintiffs’ Motion for Summary Judgment is also frivolous because it makes arguments that could not plausibly satisfy the extrinsic test as a matter of law on the record here,” the sanctions push reads in part. “For example, Plaintiffs’ experts failed to analyze prior art and failed to distinguish between protectable and unprotectable elements of expression.”

Moving beyond the multifaceted particulars of these arguments, Judge Mónica Ramírez Almadani is “inclined” to grant summary judgement and do away with the case, per Rolling Stone.

More interesting yet – stated bluntly, it’s hardly uncommon for infringement battles to come and go in the contemporary music space – the court is reportedly weighing in earnest the defendants’ sought sanctions over the allegedly “frivolous” suit.

At the time of this writing, a related order hadn’t made its way into the docket, and it remains to be seen whether sanctions are actually in the cards. However, against the backdrop of allegedly questionable copyright complaints – and, in some instances, related trials – empowering defendants to pursue damages for allegedly meritless actions could have far-reaching consequences.

Photo Credit: Jathan Campbell

Beyoncé racked up more Grammy noms for 2025 with 11, bringing her to a total of 99 in her career. But will she sweep the competition this year?

The nominees for the 2025 Grammy Awards were announced on Friday, November 8, and Beyoncé has added 11 more nominations to her career total. That brings her to 99 overall in her career, more than any other artist. But does that spell a sweep for Queen Bey at the Grammys this year?

Winners will be revealed at the awards ceremony in Los Angeles on February 2. Beyoncé leads the pack with 11 nominations this year, including the coveted Album of the Year, which she has still yet to win. Other noms include Kendrick Lamar, Charli XCX, and Billie Eilish with seven each.

The list of nominees in several top categories is below. A full list of nominations in all 94 categories can be found on the Grammys website.

Record of the Year

• • • “Now and Then” — The Beatles
    • “Texas Hold ‘Em” — Beyoncé
    • “Espresso” — Sabrina Carpenter
    • “360” – Charli XCX
    • “Birds of a Feather” — Billie Eilish
    • “Not Like Us” — Kendrick Lamar
    • “Good Luck, Babe!” — Chappell Roan
    • “Fortnight” — Taylor Swift featuring Post Malone

Album of the Year

• • • “New Blue Sun” — André 3000
    • “Cowboy Carter” — Beyoncé
    • “Hit Me Hard and Soft” — Billie Eilish
    • “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” — Chappell Roan
    • “Brat” — Charli XCX
    • “Djesse Vol. 4” — Jacob Collier
    • “Short n’ Sweet” — Sabrina Carpenter
    • “The Tortured Poets Department” — Taylor Swift

Song of the Year

• • • “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” — Shaboozey
    • “Birds of a Feather” — Billie Eilish
    • “Die With a Smile” — Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars
    • “Fortnight” — Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone
    • “Good Luck, Babe!” — Chappell Roan
    • “Not Like Us” — Kendrick Lamar
    • “Please Please Please” — Sabrina Carpenter

Best New Artist

• • • Benson Boone
    • Sabrina Carpenter
    • Doechii
    • Khruangbin
    • RAYE
    • Chappell Roan
    • Shaboozey
    • Teddy Swims

Best Pop Solo Performance

• • • “Bodyguard” — Beyoncé
    • “Espresso” — Sabrina Carpenter
    • “Apple” — Charli XCX
    • “Birds of a Feather” — Billie Eilish
    • “Good Luck, Babe!” — Chappell Roan

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

• • • “Us” — Gracie Abrams ft. Taylor
    • “Levii’s Jeans” — Beyoncé ft. Post Malone
    • “Guess” — Charli XCX & Billie Eilish
    • “The Boy is Mine” — Ariana Grande, Brandy & Monica
    • “Die With a Smile” — Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars

Best Rap Album

• • • “The Auditorium Vol. 1” — Common & Pete Rock
    • “Alligator Bites Never Heal” — Doechii
    • “The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce)” — Eminem
    • “We Don’t Trust You” — Future & Metro Boomin
    • “Might Delete Later” — J. Cole

Best Rap Performance

• • • “Enough (Miami)” — Cardi B
    • “When the Sun Shines Again” — Common & Pete Rock Featuring Posdnuos
    • “Nissan Altima” — Doechii
    • “Houdini” — Eminem
    • “Like That” — Future, Metro Boomin & Kendrick Lamar
    • “Yeah Glo!” — Glorilla
    • “Not Like Us” — Kendrick Lamar

Best Country Album

• • • “Cowboy Carter” — Beyoncé
    • “F-1 Trillion” — Post Malone
    • “Deeper Well” — Kacey Musgraves
    • “Higher” — Chris Stapleton
    • “Whirlwind” — Lainey Wilson

Best Country Solo Performance

• • • “16 Carriages” — Beyoncé
    • “It Takes a Woman” — Chris Stapleton
    • “I Am Not Okay” — Jelly Roll
    • “The Architect” — Kacey Musgraves
    • “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” — Shaboozey

Best Rock Album

• • • “Happiness Bastards” — The Black Crowes
    • “Romance” — Fontaines D.C.
    • “Saviors” — Green Day
    • “TANGK” — Idles
    • “Dark Matter” — Pearl Jam
    • “Hackney Diamonds” — The Rolling Stones
    • “No Name” — Jack White

Best Rock Performance

• • • “Now and Then” — The Beatles
    • “Beautiful People (Stay High)” — The Black Keys
    • “The American Dream is Killing Me” — Green Day
    • “Gift Horse” — Idles
    • “Dark Matter” — Pearl Jam
    • “Broken Man” — St. Vincent

Best R&B Album

• • • “11:11 (Deluxe)” — Chris Brown
    • “Vantablack” — Lalah Hathaway
    • “Revenge” — Muni Long
    • “Algorithm” — Lucky Daye
    • “Coming Home” — Usher

Best R&B Performance

• • • “Residuals” — Chris Brown
    • “Here We Go (Uh Oh)” — Coco Jones
    • “Guidance” — Jhené Aiko
    • “Made for Me (Live on BET)” — Muni Long
    • “Saturn” — SZA

Photo Credit: Universal Music Group

UMG’s $500 million lawsuit against Believe gets ready to move ahead with a pretrial conference set for January.

Universal Music Group’s massive $500 million copyright infringement lawsuit against Believe and TuneCore over “rampant piracy” is moving forward, with a pretrial conference set for January 8. The conference will be held in person in a New York courtroom.

“Counsel are directed to confer with each other prior to the conference regarding settlement and each of the other subjects to be considered,” the filing reads. “The parties are hereby ordered to file […] a joint letter, as well as a proposed Civil Case Management Plan and Scheduling Order […] no later than January 2.”

The pretrial conference follows Believe’s vow to fight the lawsuit in court. Universal alleges Believe and its TuneCore distributor failed to vet third parties’ infringing works and distributed them to DSPs like YouTube, wrongfully collecting their royalties in the process. The infringed works include those from Post Malone, Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga, and many more.

Attorneys for UMG argue that Believe has caused substantial harm to their client’s business, artists, and other contributors. They seek damages of at least $500 million, as well as a permanent injunction to stop Believe from infringing further.

UMG’s complaint outlines Believe’s practice of wrongfully collecting royalties and cites several examples of infringement, which include “sped up” or “remixed” versions of popular songs. Further, Believe is accused of exploiting YouTube’s content management system to claim ownership of recordings and thereby diverting royalty payments.

“Believe is well aware that such tracks are popular on certain digital services and more likely to evade the checks that digital music services use to detect infringing material on their platforms,” says UMG.

Believe and TuneCore responded to media requests for comment by simply stating they “do not comment on pending litigation.” A Believe spokesperson told Digital Music News, “As companies that work with artists and labels around the world, we take the respect of copyright very seriously. We strongly refute these claims, and the statements made by Universal Music Group, and will fight them.”

Photo Credit: Vasilis Chatzopoulos

In a shareholder letter on Thursday, Jack Dorsey’s Block confirmed it is scaling back investment in TIDAL in favor of mining Bitcoin.

“We are scaling back our investment in TIDAL and winding down TBD,” Block told shareholders in the letter. TBD is a Bitcoin-focused arm of the company that focused on building out a new, decentralized internet. “This gives us more room to invest in our bitcoin mining initiative, which has strong product market fit and a healthy pipeline of demand, and Bitkey, our self-custody wallet for bitcoin.”

Another wrinkle in this puzzle is that Block staffers were apparently ordered by executives not to discuss prominent board member Jay-Z. Staffers received warnings from management that they should avoid mentioning Jay-Z on internal company communication like email or Slack. Jay-Z is one of Block’s nine board members after TIDAL was acquired by Block in 2021.

Last week, TIDAL experienced layoffs from its small team, while it is expected that “scaling back investment” may result in more layoffs. TBD was also impacted by those layoffs before being shuttered entirely by Block. Will that be the fate of Tidal?

The order not to mention Jay-Z on internal communications came as employees began questioning his role in Block’s board—especially as the allegations against Diddy have reached a fevered pitch. Both Jay-Z and Diddy have collaborated frequently on music and have been photographed together multiple times over the years.

Fortune reports that shortly after Block employees were warned away from mentioning Jay-Z, Jack Dorsey held a virtual all hands meeting. Block employees are usually encouraged to ask questions—even anonymously—during these meetings.

For this particular meeting however, Dorsey turned off the ability for employees to ask anonymous questions. Those present on the call said Dorsey kicked off the meeting by complaining about negativity from his staff. Dorsey told them to answer the question “why are you happy you’re here?”

A live performance from SZA, whose SOS, despite having debuted in late 2022, generated the most Q3 2024 revenue of any Sony Music release. Photo Credit: Erin Cazes

Sony Music achieved double-digit YoY revenue growth in Q3 2024 thanks in part to a relatively strong streaming showing as well as an over 22% spike in physical sales.

Those and other performance particulars for July, August, and September of 2024 (the second fiscal quarter) came to light in a newly released earnings report from the overarching Sony Group Corp. All told, the conglomerate attributed about $2.91 billion (¥444 billion) in external sales to its music operations for the three-month stretch, up 11.18% YoY.

As usual, though, that multifaceted sum includes the “visual media and platform” segment, itself consisting of mobile gaming and more. Excluding this industry-adjacent contribution, Sony Music revenue came in at $2.50 billion (¥381.77 billion) in calendar Q3, up closer to 13.46% YoY.

(Also worth reiterating is that Sony Music collects revenue in a number of currencies and reports in yen, with a sizable average Q3 exchange rate of $1 to ¥149.5 pinpointed in the report.)

Behind the sum, recorded music streaming revenue finished at $1.24 billion (¥189.47 billion), up 8.98% YoY, according to the Sony Music earnings report, as recorded music physical sales delivered $167.07 million (¥25.48 billion), a YoY increase of 22.26%.

For further context, Sony Music artists’ top Q3 releases by recorded revenue were SZA’s SOS (2022), David Gilmour’s Luck and Strange (2024), Travis Scott’s Utopia (2023), Future and Metro Boomin’s We Don’t Trust You (2024), Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter (2024), and Harry Styles’ Harry’s House (2022), respectively.

Bearing in mind the presence of a few years-old projects on the list, Sony Music reiterated the U.S. recorded music market’s 73% catalog-consumption rate (referring specifically to the listenership share behind projects at least 18 months old).

Building on the point, higher-ups confirmed they’re looking to capitalize on NIL rights by pursuing “additional monetization opportunities such as merchandising and experiential live events that use these rights.”

Returning to the core financials, Sony Music Publishing revenue for 2024’s third quarter was $600.63 million (¥91.53 billion), up 10.65% YoY. Therein, streaming accounted for $347 million or so (¥52.93 billion), a 9.28% YoY jump.

Overall, Sony Music’s Q3 operating income reached $592.21 million (¥90.36 billion), an 11.56% YoY boost. However, visual media and platform kicked in “slightly less than 20%” of the figure, per the breakdown.

Late last month, Universal Music Group posted its own calendar Q3 financials, and Warner Music Group is set to unveil its performance data for the same period (the fourth quarter of its fiscal year) on Thursday, November 21st.

Photo Credit: Earthprogram

Emerging alt-pop artist Izzy MacArthur’s debut EP drops November 8 (today) through a unique scavenger hunt with her loyal cult fanbase. The pop star mailed anyone who pre-saved her previous single “Landmines” clues that direct fans to work together via social media to solve the new mystery. The result is the title of a 5-track EP.

MacArthur says ‘Blame It On A Bad Dream’ represents Izzy’s response to a time of chaos, uncertainty, and many late nights spent ruminating on changes in her life. Those changes include exiting adolescence and discovering who she is as a newly minted young adult. Izzy MacArthur has already amassed 98,000+ streams on Spotify with just four songs under her belt. This EP release solidifies her debut as a formidable emerging artist with deliberate songwriting and storytelling skills.

The tracks on this debut EP were written in collaboration with Spencer Hattendorf, Nate Mondschein, and Fran Litterski (Danielle Bradbury, Mary Kutter), with MacArthur maintaining a close knit team to weave a thread through the collection of songs. Focus-track “Light Sleeper” is the opener, while her single “Exit Wounds” follows.

Blame It On A Bad Dream EP Track Listing

“Light Sleeper”

“Exit Wounds”

“Landmines”

“Misery Missing Company”

“Sleepwalking”

“I wanted for the EP ‘eve’ to be on my birthday because I feel like birthdays signify the beginning and end of a chapter, which is what ‘Blame It On A Bad Dream’ represents for me right now,” Izzy MacArthur tells Digital Music News about the new release. “I’m nostalgic because I wrote these songs about a period of my life where I did a lot of growing up, but also know this is just the beginning. I think birthdays have the same sentiment, where you’ve grown up another year, but at the same time, it’s not like humans are stagnant. We’re always changing and I don’t quite think we ever stop growing up.”

The ‘Blame It On A Bad Dream’ EP features all released singles up to this date, including “Exit Wounds.” That single was described by Under the Radar as “giving voice to and laying bare the hidden anxieties and unspoken truths that remain in the aftermath of heartbreak.” Izzy narrates her life with a raw sense of lyricism, balancing the fragile nature of speaking on loved ones’ mental health delicately on “Landmines” and of her own discomfort in “Light Sleeper.”

“‘Light Sleeper’ felt like a song I needed to write at the time, and when I did, it felt like a huge weight had been taken off my chest,” MacArthur says. “It’s really special to me because I named the EP after a line in it. The song somewhat represents how I felt during the period I was writing all these songs. The same specific memories would pop up in my head over and over again, and I was stuck in a quite cyclical headspace.”

“Blame It On A Bad Dream’ was the first line I wrote in my notes app when I began writing for the EP, but ironically, the last song we finished. I kept trying to sneak in other songs, and nothing stuck until we wrote ‘Light Sleeper.’”

Izzy invites listeners to immerse themselves in a vivid recount of a piece of life they feel as if they’ve lived before. Her knack for drawing together her inspirations, along with unabashed, and sometimes blunt confessional style of writing reveals her confidence and grace as she stands on her own two feet. Izzy cites current favorite artists like Lorde, Sam Fender, and the 1975, as well as artists she loved growing up like Fall Out Boy, Catfish and the Bottlemen, Matt Maeson, early Miley Cyrus, and Bon Iver as major contributors to her current sound.

Photo Credit: Dua Lipa by Daniel Åhs Karlsson / CC by 3.0

Dua Lipa will not perform in Jakarta this weekend over what the singer referred to as ‘a safety issue with the staging.’

Dua Lipa has cancelled her upcoming performance in Jakarta on November 9, citing “a safety issue with the staging.” Ticket refunds will be made from the point of purchase.

On Friday (November 8), the pop star took to Instagram to announce the cancellation of her show in the Indonesian capital this weekend:

“I am heartbroken to share that I won’t be performing in Jakarta this Saturday, November 9. I am here in your amazing country and ready to perform, but I am gutted to share that it has been determined that it is not safe for the performance to carry on due to safety issues with the staging.”

“Was so looking forward to this night, and it pains me that we cannot perform for you all, especially after such a long time since my last performance in Jakarta,” her statement continues. “I love you all and truly can’t wait to be back together in the same room with you singing and dancing our hearts out as soon as possible.”

The performance was meant to take place at Jakarta’s 16,500-seat Indonesia Arena. Ticket holders for the show will receive refunds through their point of purchase.

The “Levitating” singer’s next tour stop is November 13 in Manila, Philippines. Her stops throughout Asia in November and December, ending with a show in Seoul at the end of the year, precede her 2025 Radical Optimism Tour, a 43-date run that kicks off on March 20 in Melbourne, Australia. The tour hits New Zealand before heading to Europe for arena shows in Spain, France, Germany, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, and England, and then hops over to North American in the fall.

It’s an unlucky season for the singer, who was recently revealed not to be up for any Grammy Award nominations in 2025 for her latest album, Radical Optimism.

Photo Credit: Live Nation

Papa Roach announces ‘Rise of the Roach’ North American tour with Rise Against and special guest Underoath, alongside comedian Bert Kreischer.

Papa Roach announces they’re joining forces with Rise Against and special guest Underoath to embark on the first North American legs of the “Rise of the Roach Tour” in the spring and fall of 2025. Comedian Bert Kreischer will also be hitting the road with the rockers, who famously hail from Vacaville, CA.

Produced by Live Nation, the tour is hitting over 30 major cities across the United States in two legs, kicking off on March 20 at Toyota Center in Houston. The tour boasts coast-to-coast stops in Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, Saint Paul, Bridgeport, Charlotte, and more, before wrapping up in West Palm Beach on October 5.

“We can’t wait to bring the Rise of the Roach tour to North America next year,” says Papa Roach frontman Jacoby Shaddix. “Rise Against are legends in their own right, and will bring another dynamic to this tour. With both our bands celebrating our 25+ year legacy and deep catalogs, we are truly blessed to be able to put this show in front of fans.”

Tickets will be available starting with artist presales on Monday, November 11. Additional presales will run throughout the week ahead of the general onsale beginning on Thursday, November 14, at 10 AM local time. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Papa Roach’s Infest, a limited number of tickets will be available for $25, starting Monday, November 11.

Papa Roach & Rise Against: Rise of the Roach Tour Dates

March

• 20 | Toyota Center — Houston, TX
• 22 | Frost Bank Center — San Antonio, TX
• 23 | American Airlines Center — Dallas, TX
• 25 | Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre — Phoenix, AZ
• 26 | Gallagher Square at Petco Park — San Diego, CA
• 28 | The Kia Forum — Los Angeles, CA
• 29 | Golden 1 Center — Sacramento, CA
• 31 | Veterans Memorial Coliseum — Portland, OR

April

• 01 | Climate Pledge Arena — Seattle, WA
• 03 | Maverik Center — Salt Lake City, UT
• 05 | MGM Grand Garden Arena — Las Vegas, NV
• 07 | Ball Arena — Denver, CO
• 09 | T-Mobile Center — Kansas City, MO
• 10 | CHI Health Center — Omaha, NE
• 12 | Resch Center — Green Bay, WI
• 13 | Xcel Energy Center — Saint Paul, MN

September

• 10 | Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater — Bridgeport, CT
• 11 | Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater — Syracuse, NY
• 13 | Northwell at Jones Beach Theater — Wantagh, NY
• 14 | Xfinity Center — Mansfield, MA
• 16 | The Anthem — Washington, D.C.
• 17 | The Dome — Virginia Beach, VA
• 19 | PPL Center — Allentown, PA
• 20 | Maine Savings Amphitheater — Bangor, ME
• 23 | PNC Pavilion — Cincinnati, OH
• 24 | Saint Louis Music Park — Maryland Heights, MO
• 26 | Everwise Amphitheater at White River State Park — Indianapolis, IN
• 27 | Credit Union 1 Amphitheater — Tinley Park, IL
• 28 | Pine Knob Music Theatre — Clarkston, MI
• 30 | Walmart AMP — Rogers, AR

October

• 01 | FirstBank Amphitheater — Franklin, TN
• 03 | Skyla Credit Union Amphitheatre — Charlotte, NC
• 04 | MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre — Tampa, FL
• 05 | iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre — West Palm Beach, FL

Spotify stock has cracked $400 per share for the first time, and all eyes are now on the business’s upcoming Q3 2024 earnings report.

Spotify shares (NYSE: SPOT) have officially cracked a record high of over $400 apiece. Now, days out from a much-anticipated Q3 earnings report, will the stock rise even higher?

A number of analysts seem to think so, with several decidedly bullish target prices having been disclosed in the past week or so alone. The last time Spotify stock neared the elusive $400-per-share price point (and saw target prices predicting continued growth yet) was way back in early 2021, amid a Joe Rogan Experience-fueled valuation surge.

However, for reasons including profitability woes and broader market trends, SPOT not only failed to jump past $400 at the time, but proceeded to embark on a downward spiral that ultimately brought it to the low-$70s the following year. Shares then rode gradual momentum through the $100s during 2023, amid the beginning of an aggressive focus on operational efficiency.

Stated differently, Spotify ceased dropping cash on all manner of companies and content, instead prioritizing profitability. Having brought on a new CFO earlier in 2024, CEO Daniel Ek is adamant that this focus on remaining in the black is here to stay.

Among other things, the retooled approach means there’s more than ever riding on quarterly subscription figures and profit margins – a point worth keeping in mind as Spotify prepares to post its Q3 financials next Tuesday, November 12th.

With all that said, many maintain that SPOT’s best days are ahead. That includes The Motley Fool analyst Travis Hoium, who believes Spotify will “beat the market over the next five years” and could have “10x potential” moving forward.

“With the help of advertisements, growth in podcasts, growth in video, I think Spotify could grow revenue double digits and expand margins over the next decade,” Hoium said.

Meanwhile, Morgan Stanley has set a $430 SPOT target price, while Deutsche Bank yesterday opted for a $440-per-share target due to anticipated subscriber gains, expansions in audiobooks and more, and the perceived potential for price increases in emerging markets.

Lastly, Rosenblatt Securities recently settled on a $438 Spotify stock target, and KeyBanc Capital Markets, not stopping there, decided on an astonishing $490 SPOT target.

Of course, time will tell whether the forecasts prove accurate – with quite a lot riding on Spotify’s Q3 earnings as mentioned above. Already, though, Spotify’s market cap has surpassed a whopping $80 billion or so; shares were hovering around the $400 mark at the time of writing. At the current dollar-euro exchange rate, that’s approximately $34 billion larger than the market cap of today’s biggest music company, Universal Music Group.

A Hot Girl Summer Tour performance from Megan Thee Stallion, who, along with GloRilla and others, is facing a copyright infringement suit centering on ‘Wanna Be.’ Photo Credit: Live Nation

Copyright infringement stemming from a sample within a sample? Rapper Plies is suing GloRilla, Megan Thee Stallion, Soulja Boy, and Cardi B for allegedly using his work in multiple tracks without authorization.

Plies (who owns Slip-N-Slide Records, per the complaint) and several others with credits on “Me & My Goons” (2008) submitted the action to a California federal court. Besides the noted artists, the long list of defendants includes Universal Music Group, its Interscope Records, and Megan Thee Stallion’s Hot Girl Productions, to name a few.

Diving straight into the claims, Plies dropped his third studio album, Da REAList, via Slip-N-Slide back in December 2008. Running 65 minutes, the project includes the mentioned “Me & My Goons” as its opening track.

As described in the firmly worded suit, Soulja Boy lifted without permission “substantial elements” of “Me & My Goons” in 2010’s “Pretty Boy Swag.” The relatively concise legal text doesn’t appear to dive into exactly why Plies and his team didn’t call out this alleged infringement at once.

However, it does maintain that the newer song, more than briefly sampling the older effort, “interpolated, replayed, and/or reproduced distinctive and protected elements of the underlying” creation at hand.

And while it perhaps goes without saying given the complaint, Plies is taking issue with the allegedly unapproved usage.

Contrasting most of the industry’s other unauthorized-sample lawsuits, though, that usage allegedly laid the groundwork for additional infringement yet. Earlier in 2024, Soulja Boy “authorized” Megan Thee Stallion and GloRilla to sample “Pretty Boy Swag,” according to Plies.

Consequently, the situation became even more involved when Megan Thee Stallion and GloRilla released the resulting song, “Wanna Be,” this past April. Like (or more specifically via) “Pretty Boy Swag,” that work features elements of “Me & My Goons” without permission, the filing parties allege – as does the “Wanna Be” remix from the same two artists as well as Cardi B, per Plies.

Predictably, pre-action discussions didn’t produce the desired resolution for the plaintiffs, who say the defendants have thus far “failed to take corrective actions, including offering compensation, credit, or otherwise resolving the matter.”

All told, Plies and his collaborators, suing for vicarious and contributory infringement alike, believe the alleged unauthorized usages have fueled lost payments, damage to Plies’ “reputation and goodwill in the music industry,” and more.

Closer to the top of 2024, Travis Scott was slapped with a sample-centered infringement complaint. Meanwhile, Daddy Yankee and the Black Eyed Peas are grappling with a separate sample-focused infringement suit, which is still in full swing after the defendants in September denied the allegations.

Photo Credit: Liam Payne performing with One Direction / Eva Renaldi / CC by 2.0

Three people in Argentina have been arrested and charged in connection with the death of Liam Payne.

According to a statement from Argentina’s National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office, three people have been arrested and charged in connection with the death of Liam Payne. Payne died on October 16 after he fell from the balcony of his Buenos Aires hotel room.

The three individuals were charged with crimes of abandonment of a person followed by death, as well as the supply and facilitation of narcotics. One suspect is a hotel employee who is accused of giving Payne cocaine twice while he was staying at the hotel. Another person is accused of supplying Payne with drugs. The third person had been with Payne on a daily basis during his trip to Buenos Aires and is charged with abandoning a person following death.

Meanwhile, the initial toxicology results showed cocaine in Payne’s system after his death, according to an Argentine official. The final toxicology results are not expected to be made public for a few weeks still, but the preliminary results were handed over to local prosecutors on Monday.

Payne’s autopsy concluded he died from traumatic injuries caused by his three-story fall from the hotel balcony. But investigators found what appeared to be signs of narcotics and alcohol in his room, leading to the perception that the 31-year-old suffered a substance-induced breakdown around the time of his fall.

In addition to cocaine, police reportedly found a blister pack of clonazepam — a central nervous system depressant — as well as over-the-counter medications among Payne’s belongings.

Due to the lack of evidence that Payne tried to protect himself as he fell, the prosecution says he may have fallen from the balcony in a state of “semi or total unconsciousness.”

Liam Payne had been open about his struggles with his mental health, as well as his substance abuse. He had recently announced he had been clean just a few months before his death.

A new ‘Share to TikTok’ feature is enabling users to post and message to the short-form app about tracks from Spotify as well as Apple Music. Photo Credit: Spotify

It just got even easier for fans to share music on TikTok – according to the ByteDance-owned app itself, which has unveiled fresh integrations with Spotify as well as Apple Music.

A Spotify rep reached out today with word of the appropriate tie-up, and TikTok disclosed both integrations via a formal release. Said integrations have arrived about one year after TikTok debuted an “Add to Music App” feature.

As its name suggests, that feature, expanded late last month, enables TikTokers to save music from the app directly to playlists on platforms like Spotify and Apple Music.

To put it mildly, quite a lot has changed during the past year. A now-resolved TikTok-Universal Music licensing dispute has made way for an ugly battle between TikTok and indies, for instance, and major-label artists’ TikTok initiatives are still in full swing.

Furthermore, the video-sharing app has abandoned its music-streaming ambitions by shutting down the standalone TikTok Music service. Needless to say, the move certainly didn’t hurt TikTok’s relationship with Apple Music and Spotify, which have one less competitor in emerging markets.

Building on those pertinent background details, Spotify users on iOS and Android can plug tracks, playlists, whole albums, podcasts, and audiobooks to TikTok via the music service’s “share” option.

That includes sending tracks via TikTok DMs or posting them to the main feed; different TikTokers are then able to access the works (the media at hand will open in Spotify, of course) with a tap of their own, and the same is true when it comes to Apple Music.

In a statement, TikTok and ByteDance global head of music business development Ole Obermann pointed to “hundreds of millions of track saves and billions of streams” for Add to Music App on third-party platforms.

“Today’s launch of ‘Share to TikTok’ is the latest example of our ongoing commitment to support music discovery and artist promotion in partnership with music streaming services,” the former Warner Music exec Obermann communicated.

“Since its launch, ‘Add To Music App’ has already been responsible for hundreds of millions of track saves and billions of streams on our partner music streaming services. ‘Share to TikTok’ takes the user experience full circle, and will be an amazing way of promoting artists and tracks to the TikTok community,” he finished.

Notwithstanding its growing list of operational hurdles, TikTok remains popular – so it’ll be interesting to monitor Share to TikTok’s effectiveness in driving streams and especially new listeners moving forward.

Bigger picture, TikTok’s expanded Apple Music and Spotify partnerships represent two of many ongoing integrations at the intersection of the social media and music worlds; Instagram in October rolled out an “Add Song to Spotify” feature through which users can save on-platform tracks to the streaming service.

(Spotify head Daniel Ek and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in August penned a joint letter to EU regulators and lawmakers decrying the perceived “fragmented regulatory structure” surrounding AI in Europe.)

To be sure, the past year has seen TikTok quietly score deals with Ticketmaster (specifically an expansion of a prior agreement), AXS, CTS Eventim, and Eventbrite alike.

Photo Credit: Berkay Gumustekin

TikTok says it will challenge Canada’s national security ban of the app in court, but users shouldn’t have anything to worry about yet.

The Canadian government announced on Wednesday that it is banning TikTok’s operations in the country following a rigorous national security review under the Investment Canada Act. But TikTok says it will challenge the decision in court.

“Shutting down TikTok’s Canadian offices and destroying hundreds of well-paying local jobs is not in anyone’s best interest, and today’s shutdown order will do just that,” reads a statement from TikTok. “We will challenge this order in court. The TikTok platform will remain available for creators to find an audience, explore new interests, and for businesses to thrive.”

Many Canadian users of the short-form video app have worried they would be barred from using the platform, but there is currently no reason to worry. The ban mostly affects TikTok employees in Toronto and Vancouver, and does not remove or block the app from Google Play or Apple’s App store in Canada.

According to TikTok’s Canadian newsroom, hundreds of TikTok employees work at the company’s Toronto and Vancouver offices. “The government is taking action to address the specific national security risks related to ByteDance Ltd.’s operations in Canada through the establishment of TikTok Technology Canada, Inc.,” said Minister of Innovation, Science, and Industry, François-Philippe Champagne.

“The decision was based on the information and evidence collected over the course of the review and on the advice of Canada’s security and intelligence community and other government partners.”

Moreover, Champagne clarified this wouldn’t affect the average TikTok user and their access to the app. But the government doesn’t recommend using the platform at all.

“The decision to use a social media application or platform is a personal choice. It is important for Canadians to adopt good cyber security practices and assess the possible risks of using social media platforms and applications, including how their information is likely to be protected, managed, used, and shared by foreign actors, as well as to be aware of which country’s laws apply,” said Champagne.

Notably, TikTok doesn’t offer a creator fund in Canada, and many influencers have resorted to using US-based accounts in order to make money on the platform. The government’s move could therefore affect further opportunities for creators to earn funds through TikTok.

Photo Credit: Indra Projects

iHeartMedia announces its Q3 financial results, with layoffs trimming $150 million in 2025 costs to curb outstanding debt.

iHeartMedia’s third-quarter financial results spell positive news for the company amid the layoff of hundreds of employees. The company brought in $1.008 billion during the quarter, representing a 5.8% increase compared to the same period in 2023.

Revenue for the company’s Digital Audio Group rose by 13% to $301 million, with podcast revenue alone increasing by 11%. The company brought in $114 million in revenue from the category during the quarter.

Multiplatform Group revenue dropped slightly, down 1% to $620 million. The Audio & Media Services Group sector saw an impressive growth in revenue with 45%, earning $90 million.

“We’re pleased to report that our third quarter results were in line with our previously provided Adjusted EBITDA and Revenue guidance ranges,” said iHeartMedia Chairman/CEO Bob Pittman.

“We continue to see evidence that this is a recovery year for advertising revenues, and the strong momentum in our podcast business, our digital ex-podcast business, and the sequential improvement of our Multiplatform Group’s year-over-year revenue performance reflect the power of our unparalleled reach, consumer relationships, and range of assets.”

The radio giant also announced a debt restructuring that includes a $4.1 billion debt exchange, projected to extend maturities by three years.

“We’re happy to announce that we have entered into a Transaction Support Agreement with a group of debt holders representing, on an aggregate basis, approximately 80% of the Company’s outstanding debt to support an exchange of approximately $4.1 billion of debt for new notes and term loans,” adds Rich Bressler, iHeartMedia’s President, COO, and CFO.

“The exchange offers will extend maturities by three years, keep consolidated annual cash interest essentially flat, and provide debt reduction — all of which will strengthen the Company’s financial flexibility, and provide us with the runway to accelerate our strategic growth initiatives.”

The company’s good news in the realm of revenue increases comes hot on the heels of widespread layoffs at iHeartMedia, which began last week. iHeartMedia is cutting roughly 5% of its workforce, which amounts to about 500 employees losing their jobs.

Photo Credit: Denise Jans

The argument over whether Diddy’s accusers can remain anonymous in civil and criminal sex abuse cases heats up as over 13 accusers may have to refile.

As Sean “Diddy” Combs faces numerous sexual assault accusations from anonymous defendants in civil and criminal court, his lawyers argue that such anonymity impedes his right to a fair trial.

In over half of the 27 sexual abuse civil suits filed against Combs, the plaintiffs filed under Jane Doe or John Doe pseudonyms. The defense in his criminal case with charges of racketeering and sex trafficking argues that prosecutors should be forced to reveal the names of the accusers.

“Without clarity from the government, Mr. Combs has no way of knowing which allegations the government is relying on for purposes of the indictment,” his lawyers wrote in a letter to the presiding judge.

Though sexual assault victims have long sought anonymity in court, securing anonymity in civil court can be a challenge. US civil courts are more likely to grant anonymity in sexual assault cases than in other litigation, particularly when minors are involved, but judges still often decide in favor of a defendant’s right to a fair and open trial.

“The norm is that people have to sue under their own name,” said Eugene Volokh, a law professor who studies anonymity in court. “And that’s true even when there’s a very good reason for them not to.”

At least two judges in the Federal District Court in Manhattan have rejected requests from plaintiffs to remain anonymous in lawsuits against Combs. Notably, in similar sexual assault cases against Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey, courts have rejected bids to proceed anonymously. Plaintiffs in both the Weinstein and Spacey cases have decided to withdraw their claims rather than reveal their identities.

But in some cases, courts have taken into account the “mental anguish” plaintiffs say they will experience if forced to reveal their identities to the public. A recent case against actor Cuba Gooding Jr. saw the judge allow the plaintiff to proceed anonymously for three years, before ruling they would have to reveal their identity publicly when the trial began.

“Most of our clients still fear retribution and have conditioned moving forward on anonymity,” said attorney Tony Buzbee, with whom most of the anonymous suits have been filed.

But judges may find that fear of retribution isn’t a solid argument, given that Combs is in custody in a Brooklyn jail awaiting trial next May. Combs and his team have denied any wrongdoing, with his lawyers referring to the lawsuits as “an onslaught of baseless allegations” focused on exacting a payoff.

Photo Credit: Fabebk | CC by 4.0

Rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine has struck a deal for his release from prison following multiple parole violations. He will spent a month in jail before being sent home for three months of home incarceration subject to electronic monitoring.

Judge Paul A. Englemayer said he would sentence the rapper, real name Daniel Hernandez, immediately after he admits to the violations during a November 12 hearing. He will require each side to explain why a one-month jail sentence followed by three months of home incarceration, detention, or curfew are sufficient for a repeated parole violator.

The terms of the release also require Tekashi 6ix9ine to submit to supervision from the court’s Probation Department for a full year after release. The rapper was just a few months shy of being free from court supervision when he was arrested on October 29 for violating his parole. A parole officer complained to the court that the rapper was not following rules about obtaining permission in advance to travel and that he had failed mandated drug tests.

Judge Engelmayer sentenced the rapper to two years in prison back in 2019 on racketeering, weapon possesssion, and conspiracy to commit murder charges. That came after Tekashi 6ix9ine pleaded guilty to charges accusing him of joining a gang called the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods and directing its members to commit violence. After his two years in prison, the judge also imposed a $35,000 fine and five years of supervised release with 1,000 hours of community service.

In April 2020, the rapper was freed months early after complaining that his preexisting conditions (asthma and bronchitis) made him more susceptible to catching COVID.

Engelmayer made note of the compassionate release for the rapper, saying he was disappointed in the artists’ failure to follow the rules after doing so. Tekashi 6ix9ine apologized to the judge and told him he was not a bad person.

Photo Credit: Orange Amplification

Orange Amplification has teamed up with Orianthi to debut a limited-edition Orianthi Crush 20RT portable app.

Orianthi partnered with Orange Amplification to release a travel-friendly amp that’s functional and reliable. The new limited-edition Orianthi Crush 20RT has been played by the respected guitarist, singer-songwriter both in the studio and at live gigs with a glowing response.

The white Tolex-clad, solid-state signature Crush 20RT offers some of the most distinctive tones available in its price range. With the gain turned down, theamp delivers a versatile crystal clean tone. The ‘dirty channel’ can be selected to unleash high levels of detailed creamy distortion to full saturation.

The Crush 20RT offers a wide range of sonic possibilities, courtesy of an 8” custom-designed ‘Voice of the World’ speaker. From modern sonic punch to vintage tones, this portable amplifier also includes a 3-band EQ, built-in ‘spring-inspired’ reverb, and a chromatic tuner.

The amp also features Orange’s innovative CabSim circuit that faithfully emulates the muscle of an Orange 4 x 12” cabinet through the Crush 20RT’s headphone/line output. At just 16 pounds, the Crush 20RT is one of the most portable guitar amps available on the market. You can check out a video of Orianthi playing while using the new Orange Crush 20RT limited-edition portable amp below.

“I wanted a portable amp I could use anywhere,” Orianthi says about the partnership. “There’s a soaring tone you get from this amp despite its small compact size. Plus this amp is really diverse — from the clean channel to the dirty channel—there’s warmth and there’s grit, it really is quite incredible. I think everyone is really going to dig it.”

The Crush 20RT was designed to offer more guitarist British-designed circuitry and authentic British tonality. For amp aficionados the world over, the recently released limited-edition ‘Oriverb’ combo amp is also offered on the Orange Amps website.

Photo Credit: Joey Zanotti / CC by 2.0

The man convicted of killing Nipsey Hussle tried to appeal his 2022 conviction, but has been shut down by an appeals court.

Eric Holder, the man convicted in a 2022 trial of killing Nipsey Hussle, filed an appeal which has been denied by Calfornia’s Court of Appeal. Judges in the court’s Second Appellate District upheld the guilty verdict against Holder on Tuesday, November 5.

Holder’s appeal hinged on two primary factors. First, it focused on the belief that the court was wrong to disallow part of his attorney’s closing argument, which addressed his supposed state of mind. Secondly, it focused on whether a firearm enhancement had correctly been added to Holder’s sentence. He lost both arguments.

“Appellant did not testify, and no other evidence about what appellant was thinking or feeling prior to the shooting was presented to the jury,” the decision reads. “Thus, the inferences about appellant’s specific thoughts and feelings that defense counsel purported to draw were not based on the evidence.”

“The trial court fully understood and properly exercised its discretion when it declined to dismiss the firearm enhancement,” the decision continues. “The People reiterated their request to sentence appellant to a term of 60 years to life, noting the high degree of cruelty, viciousness, and callousness appellant exhibited in killing [Nipsey Hussle], and the devastating impact the murder had on the community.”

Eric Holder’s killing of Nipsey Hussle in 2019 caused a massive ripple effect on the hip-hop industry. Artists like Freddie Gibbs have admitted the murder of the California rapper nearly made him quit music altogether.

Gibbs’ new track, “On the Set,” references his thoughts on retiring from the industry when he heard about Nipsey’s murder. Further, his new album, You Only Die 1nce, also sees him rapping about the arrest of Sean “Diddy” Combs and the deaths of Tupac Shakur, Biggie Smalls, Rich Homie Quan, and more.

Photo Credit: Jason Hafso

The Canadian federal government is ordering the dissolution of TikTok’s Canadian business operations after a national security review. While the app is being banned from doing business in Canada, Canadians are still free to use the app.

Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced the government’s ‘wind up’ demand on Wednesday. He says the order is meant to address risks related to ByteDance Ltd.’s establishment of TikTok Technology Canada Inc. “The decision was based on the information and evidence collected over the course of the review and on the advice of Canada’s security and intelligence community and other government partners,” Champagne said in a statement.

The announcement of TikTok winding up its Canadian business operations specifically mentions that Canada is not blocking access to TikTok. Canadians will still be able to create a new account and browse the app. The announcement did contain a warning for Canadians to adopt good cybersecurity practices and assess the risk of using social media platforms.

A TikTok spokesperson commenting on the wind up says the shut down of its Canadian offices will result in hundreds of job losses for Canadians. “We will challenge this order in court,” the spokesperson confirmed. “The TikTok platform will remain available for creators to find an audience, explore new interests, and for businesses to thrive.”

Meanwhile in the United States, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill in March 2024 that would ban TikTok if ByteDance does not divest ownership. That ban will come into effect in January 2025 unless President-elect Trump makes an effort to overturn it. Trump has signaled his support of TikTok, despite leading the charge on the initial TikTok ban from 2020.

TikTok has been banned on federal devices in the United States since 2020. Meanwhile, the federal government in Canada banned TikTok from mobile devices in February 2023 following the launch of this security investigation.

Photo Credit: Geffen / Primary Wave / BIGHIT Music

BTS’ V records a duet rendition of Bing Crosby’s timeless 1942 holiday classic, ‘White Christmas.’

K-pop icon V of BTS and the legendary Bing Crosby have announced the release of “White Christmas (with V of BTS),” a new duet rendition of Crosby’s 1942 classic holiday hit. In partnership with the Bing Crosby Estate, Primary Wave Music, and Geffen Records, the duet arrives just in time for the holiday season on December 6.

The collaboration is a testament to V’s long-standing admiration for Bing Crosby, expressed through social media posts and content that led to playful exchanges with Bing Crosby’s legacy, sparking excitement and anticipation among BTS’ fandom, the ARMY.

The collaboration brings together global icons across two eras as V continues an exciting legacy of Bing Crosby’s holiday duets, celebrating 47 years since his last cross-generational collaboration in 1977 with David Bowie.

“I’m so grateful to have had the chance to be featured in a song with my all-time favorite jazz artist, Bing Crosby,” said V. “I grew up listening to his song, ‘It’s Been a Long, Long Time,’ countless times a day, and I feel incredibly fortunate and honored to have sung along on ‘White Christmas’ with the voice of someone I consider an idol. Being a huge fan of his, I sang with the utmost sincerity and admiration for him, and I hope many people enjoy it as much as I enjoyed singing it. Lastly, I wish a lovely holiday season to everyone listening to the song.”

Mary Crosby, Bing Crosby’s daughter, said, “As a family, we are thrilled to have V and Dad singing together on this ultimate Christmas song. Their voices blend beautifully, capturing the holiday spirit in the best possible way.” Harry Crosby, his son, added, “We are incredibly excited about V joining Dad for the duet of ‘White Christmas.’ We are happy that V will help share the joy of this timeless Christmas song.”

With winter drawing near, the duet serves as a heartfelt gift to connect fans and listeners worldwide, filling them with the warmth and joy of the season. The holiday classic is accompanied by an exclusive holiday-themed vinyl, CD, and merchandise.

Fans can choose between distinct vinyl variants: a Holiday Picture Disc Vinyl and a Zoetrope Snowflake Vinyl. There are also two exclusive options for CD collectors: a Pink Picture Disc and a Snowflake CD.

Photo Credit: Roblox Clip It

Roblox is coming for short-form video apps like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts. A game developer created Clip It inside Roblox—which is a TikTok clone that operates exclusively on Roblox. It has racked up more than one billion views and has eight million monthly active users.

The Roblox ‘Clip It’ game was developed by Neura Studios and released in March 2024. It mimics many of the same features found in social media short-form apps, including a suite of editing tools to allow creators to post clips from the game or create their own by posing their avatar against different backgrounds.

Neura Studios recently added Roblox’s programmatic ad sales system—allowing Roblox to place ads inside Clip It for revenue. Neura Studios also sells content packs that pad its editing suite with exclusive backgrounds and other tools. “We’re also a really big seller of Roblox user-generated content items. If a character is wearing something people want, it’s easy for them to spend Robux and acquire it in two to three taps,” Yevheniy Shestopalko, Clip It’s lead developer told Digiday.

Clip It received a portion of Roblox’s $35 million Creator Fund and an Innovation Award from the 2024 Roblox Developers Conference held in September. While the app is limited to content inside Roblox, it perfectly simulates what it feels like to use TikTok or YouTube Shorts—just with Roblox content.

Neura Studios says it plans to incorporate full-screen video ads, custom branded integration, and more. Apparently, some brands have already signed on for upcoming ad products while other brands are still in negotiations for the social media embedded app.

“2025 is set to be our busiest year by far, and we’ve got several items on our product roadmap which will unlock new ideas that haven’t been possible before,” Ben Saraille Co-Founder of Makeshift, an ad agency Neura Studios tapped to help with its business expansion told Digiday. “As a rule of thumb, if there’s a feature you’re used to using in advertisements on TikTok, Snap, Instagram, or YouTube Shorts—it’s either there or will be soon.”

Discord-focused fanbase-development and -monetization startup Levellr has announced a $1.75 million raise, brought on a new chairman, and disclosed expansion plans for 2025. Photo Credit: Alexander Shatov

About 14 months after scoring a $1 million pre-seed round, Discord-focused fanbase-development startup Levellr has announced a $1.75 million raise.

London-headquartered Levellr, which says its north of 65 clients include both Warner Music and Universal Music, just recently disclosed the newer capital influx. According to the three-year-old business, execs from companies including Riot Games, Amazon, and Discord itself participated in the round and are poised to provide valuable “insights and connections” moving forward.

Now with 22 team members across the U.S. and Europe, Levellr says it intends to take its operations “to the next level” with the fresh funding. Those plans include forthcoming support (expected to arrive sometime next year) for Reddit. As things stand, Levellr software integrates directly into Discord and Telegram, per higher-ups.

Closer to the present, SuperAwesome founder Dylan Collins has come aboard as chairman. Elaborating on the move in a long-form LinkedIn post, Collins touched on the perceived commercial potential of Discord for brands.

“The ‘why Levellr?’ question is maybe best answered with ‘why Discord?’,” Collins wrote in part. “Discord continues to grow (now ~200m MAU), especially in interesting verticals (gaming, music, sport, crypto, AI) but fundamentally propelled by the Gen Z/Alpha demographic rotation*** which is still early.”

Bringing the focus back to the core industry, different platforms with generally young userbases, chief among them Roblox, have proven lucrative on multiple levels in recent years.

Coldplay made its way into the digital world with a promotional effort last month, but October’s headlines weren’t entirely positive for Roblox. And Fortnite, the userbase of which is reportedly a bit older than Roblox’s, has welcomed Weezer, Snoop Dogg, and several other artists during the past month alone.

Meanwhile, the broader superfan-monetization space – based on Levellr’s declaration that “a Discord user can be six times more valuable than a non-Discord user,” there’s considerable overlap here – is receiving more attention than ever from the music sphere.

At the points’ intersection, August saw Amazon Music dive into Discord with a “Listening Party” activity. Additional fanbase-development strategies yet, on Discord and elsewhere, are presumably forthcoming in the final stretch of 2024 and particularly the new year.

As of November 6th, 2024, Universal Music Group stock remains down over 20% from its value in early May.

About one week removed from the release of its Q3 2024 earnings report, Universal Music Group is still struggling on the stock-price front – raising questions about, among other things, its streaming-growth trajectory.

When the market closed today, Universal Music Group stock (UMG on the Euronext Amsterdam) was worth $24.80 (€23.12) per share. That price is essentially flat from the past month but remains nearly 21% beneath where UMG stood six months ago.

Of course, quite a lot has changed in the last half of a year. To be sure, May brought the end of a much-publicized licensing showdown between Universal Music and TikTok, but the high-stakes dispute is little more than a distant memory now.

Despite these and a variety of other developments, however, UMG’s initial share-price plummet can be traced to the company’s Q2 2024 earnings announcement. As we reported at the time, concerns of a streaming plateau, apparently fueled by a subscription-growth slowdown in the second quarter, set in motion a double-digit price decline for the stock.

That decline has yet to reverse following not just UMG’s Q3 2024 earnings report – more on this in a moment – but an aggressive revenue forecast detailed by execs during their 2024 Capital Markets Day presentation. Running through 2028’s end, this forecast refers to anticipated 8% to 10% compound annual growth for subscription revenue.

At the intersection of the stock-price slip, the forecast, and the widely known importance of streaming in the contemporary music space, then, UMG shares’ path forward is tied to subscription revenue in several ways.

Following the point to its logical conclusion, will Universal Music’s aggressive paid-listening forecast prove accurate?

While only time will reveal a definitive answer for the coming four years, we don’t lack insight at present. First, at least as things stand, UMG hasn’t quite met the ambitious forecast; recorded music subscription revenue grew 7.6% YoY to $1.22 billion (€1.14 billion) in Q3 2024, up from Q2’s YoY expansion but beneath the sought minimum 8% CAGR.

Next, execs haven’t hesitated to describe (at the aforementioned Capital Markets Day presentation and during the more recent Q3 earnings call) how they believe the growth will come to fruition. At the top level, CEO Lucian Grainge emphasized his high hopes for an ongoing “Streaming 2.0” initiative, with plans to provide “further updates in the weeks and months ahead.”

It will, of course, be interesting to see what those updates entail. Already, Hybe-partnered UMG hasn’t hesitated to spell out that enhanced superfan monetization, seemingly via targeted artist-specific offerings as well as more expensive streaming tiers, is a big part of the strategy.

Could that be enough to drive the targeted subscription CAGR, particularly given the company’s substantial market penetration? Once again, only time will tell – though it’s worth reiterating that UMG believes approximately 20% of current streaming subscribers are willing to pay for a higher-priced “Premium” tier, per COO Boyd Muir.

Finally, execs have indicated that they’re banking on a sizable piece of the CAGR coming from continued subscriber-base expansions. In other words, there’s an ongoing effort to simultaneously reach new subscribers and compel existing paid users to cough up more for extra features, with high stakes for the business’s market value.

Photo Credit: Sal Priadi / Sony Music Publishing Indonesia

Sony Music Publishing Indonesia signs an exclusive global deal with Indonesian singer, songwriter, and actor Sal Priadi.

Sony Music Publishing Indonesia (SMPI) has announced the signing of an exclusive global publishing agreement with acclaimed Indonesian singer, songwriter, and actor Sal Priadi. The deal sees Priadi’s entire back catalog under the SMPI umbrella.

Sal Priadi’s most recent album, Markers And Such Pens Flashdisks, released in April 2024, has already surpassed 176 million Spotify streams, with the album’s track, “Gala bunga matahari” recently debuting on Spotify’s Viral 50 Global chart at #16, and Spotify’s Top 50 Indonesia chart at #1. Following the success of the album, Sal held a five-city tour from August to September 2024.

“I joined Sony Music Publishing Indonesia because I trust the people behind the company have the capability and spirit to introduce my creative works on a global level,” said Sal Priadi. “I believe SMPI will support me in exploring all the potential that exists within me.”

“We are thrilled to welcome Sal Priadi to the SMP family. His music transcends cultural boundaries, touching the hearts of listeners through relatable narratives and soulful melodies,” said Carol Ng, President, Asia, Sony Music Publishing.

“We are very glad to be Sal Priadi’s very first publishing company,” adds Anti Ariandini, General Manager, Sony Music Publishing Indonesia. “His unique talent, captivating storytelling, and undeniable charisma have resonated with audiences worldwide and we are committed to supporting his artistic vision and expanding his reach to new heights.”

Known for his captivating musical storytelling and distinctive vocal style, Sal has cultivated a dedicated fanbase across Indonesia and beyond. He has enjoyed multiple hit collaborations, including “Jangan Bertengkar Lagi Ya? OK? OK!” which was produced by renowned top independent artist Pamungkas, as well as “Amin Paling Serius” with Nadin Amizah, and boasts over 146 million streams on Spotify.

Sal first earned widespread success in 2018 with his single, “Ikat Aku di Tulang Belikatmu.” Since then, he has achieved numerous accolades, including three consecutive nominations for Best Male Pop Artist at the AMI Awards; a Billboard Indonesia Music Awards nomination for Best Collaboration / Song of the Year in 2020; and many more.

Photo Credit: Jaafar Jackson as Michael Jackson / Kevin Mazur / Lionsgate

Lionsgate announces the delay of its Michael Jackson biopic, ‘Michael,’ now slated for a wide release on October 3, 2025.

Lionsgate is gearing up for a busy 2025, and it’s shifting its Michael Jackson biopic into a later release as a result. The company announced on Tuesday that Michael, its Michael Jackson biopic starring Jaafar Jackson, Michael’s real-life nephew, is moving back by six months to an October 3, 2025 release. The film was originally slated for an April 18 release.

Directed by Antoine Fuqua, and starring the late pop star’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson, the film’s cast is rounded out by Nia Long, Laura Harrier, Miles Teller, and Colman Domingo. The film is based on a script by John Logan, with Graham King, John Branca, and John McClain as producers.

“Why I wanted to make it is, Michael was a big part of my life growing up, big influence on my career, and incredible artist — but he was a human being, and we’re exploring that,” said Fuqua during a San Diego Comic-Con panel in July. “I’m very excited about it.”

The film was revealed to feature 30 songs with a lengthy runtime, in order to do the star’s story justice. Footage was first shared at CinemaCon in April.

Michael’s new release date in October puts it in a prime position for awards shows next year. Notably, the Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, also produced by King, opened on November 18, 2018, to $51 million in the US. It ended up grossing $903.6 million worldwide and secured four Oscars.

Lionsgate is also releasing the comedy, Good Fortune, on October 17, which stars Aziz Ansari, Keanu Reeves, and Seth Rogen. Footage of the film also debuted at CinemaCon last spring and received plenty of laughs. The film was written, directed, and produced by Ansari, and also stars Keke Palmer and Sandra Oh.

Photo Credit: TikTok

With the 2024 U.S. presidential election decided, what does this mean for the upcoming TikTok ban? Here’s what the incoming Trump administration has said about the app—and the potential for a 2025 ban to happen.

President Joe Biden signed a law requiring ByteDance to completely divest from TikTok in January 2025 or face a total ban in the U.S. But will that ban actually happen? TikTok has 170 million users in the United States alone, with politicians worried about China’s corporate laws and access to data for Chinese companies.

TikTok has argued that the proposed ban violates First Amendment rights, with TikTok’s lawyers seeking to keep the app available in America. Kamala Harris made no direct comments about what she would do with the platform if chosen as the next U.S. president—but many expected her to allow the Biden-era law to go into effect.

On the other hand, now president-elect Donald Trump publicly backtracked on his stance from 2020, when he called for a complete ban of the app. That move comes after being lobbied by billionaire ByteDance investor Jeff Yass. In a campaign video released in September, Trump told his supporters “for all of those who want to save TikTok in America, vote for Trump.” While he casually mentioned saving TikTok, the fate of the platform was not discussed heavily while on the campaign trail.

TikTok has remained neutral during the presidential campaign months, voicing support for neither candidate as the race played out. Wired interviewed some TikTok employees about the potential ban, with them confirming the ban is not something generally talked about among employees.

“There’s almost a consensus not to talk about this thing,” one product manager speaking on the condition of anonymity told Wired. “Very occasionally, some of us might say that maybe it’s time to jump ship, but those discussions rarely come up.” Employees also said they believe a court battle around the ban could take months to play out, leading to less urgency to jump ship and find another jump.

TikTok sued the federal government to appeal the ban, with the case currently being decided by the Court of Appeals in Washington D.C. If TikTok loses, the company may escalate the case to the Supreme Court. If the Supreme Court does decide to hear the case, the decision to ban the app could be delayed until summer 2025.

“The court could not take the case, and the law is upheld, but it’s such a big issue,” says Alan Rozenshtein, Associate Professor of Law at the University of Minnesota Law School. “It affects 170 million Americans. It’s a core First Amendment question. The Supreme Court has shown in the last few years that it cares about these digital First Amendment cases.”

Katseye, the international girl group formed jointly by Geffen and Hybe. Photo Credit: TV Ten

Are K-pop fans getting tired of K-pop music? Hybe has revealed rocky Q3 2024 financials, including a nearly 19% YoY slip in recorded music revenue as well as a 98.6% YoY net profit falloff.

The professional home of BTS, NewJeans, and Seventeen posted those financials in Korean as well as English today. According to the resource, Hybe’s Q3 2024 revenue approached $376.98 million (₩527.85 billion), down 1.9% YoY and close to 18% quarterly.

Within the sum, the aforementioned recorded music category suffered an 18.8% YoY decrease to $153.21 million (₩214.49 billion); the quarter’s relatively light release schedule included Enhypen’s Romance: Untold, Le Sserafim’s Crazy EP, and a debut EP entitled SIS (Soft Is Strong) from Geffen and Hybe’s jointly developed Katseye girl group.

(With physical remaining decidedly strong in the K-pop world, about one-third of total recorded music sales derived from streaming, per execs.)

Next, concerts revenue dipped 14.8% YoY to $52.85 million (₩73.99 billion), the breakdown shows, while ads and appearances rounded out the “artist-direct” category with a 9.8% YoY improvement to $24.64 million (₩34.50 billion). (BTS’ Jin, having completed his mandatory military service in mid-June, made a substantial contribution to the latter category, CEO Lee Jae-sang said during Hybe’s earnings call.)

But Q3 wasn’t free of positives for Hybe: Merchandise and licensing revenue jumped 15.7% YoY to $70.73 million (₩99.14 billion), “contents” revenue spiked 63.6% YoY to $56.90 million (₩79.76 billion), and Hybe’s Weverse superfan platform drove 23.4% YoY growth in the fan-club category ($18.54 million/₩25.97 billion total).

Now with 9.7 million monthly active users, Weverse rolled out several features and appearance-related improvements in Q3 and is beginning to lean aggressively into advertising, higher-ups explained in more words. A label-focused subscription membership, with VOD downloads, ad-free use, and different features, is in the works as well.

Lastly, in terms of core financials, Hybe’s Q3 2024 operating profit fell 25.4% YoY to $36.68 million/₩54.19 billion; the previously highlighted net profit came in at $1.03 million (₩1.44 billion), according to the report.

Returning to the initially mentioned question – are K-pop fans getting tired of K-pop music? – the top-level answer, as demonstrated by the ongoing sales attributable to new releases, appears to be “no.”

However, execs have for some time acknowledged a need to diversify beyond the genre, hence Hybe’s purchase of Exile Music, Quality Control, and more. Running with the point, the Latin-focused Exile is preparing to debut a “localized” act, Hybe indicated during the Q3 earnings call, and a growing list of non-K-pop artists are joining Weverse.

Also tied to Q4 are a variety of album and EP releases for Hybe. Seventeen kicked off the fourth quarter by dropping Spill the Feels last month, Enhypen’s teed up a “repackaged edition” of its second album for November 11th, and Jin’s debut solo album (entitled Happy) is set to release on the 15th, to name a few.

Plus, as of this coming June, all seven BTS members will have completed their military service, the company emphasized. During today’s trading, Hybe stock (KRX: 352820) was essentially flat at $144.35/₩202,000 per share.

Photo Credit: Pibox

Audio and video collaboration platform Pibox announces $1.2 million in financing ahead of launch.

Los Angeles-based Pibox has secured $1.2 million to launch its audio and video collaboration tools for creatives. Investors include Presto Ventures, Globalive Capital, and Startup Wise Guys.

Techstars alums with customers ranging from Sony Music Publishing to Universal Music Publishing Group, Epidemic Sound, Bleeding Fingers by Hans Zimmer, and many more, Pibox will use the funding to expand into the US market and to serve more use cases and customers across music, broadcasting, and advertising.

As a part of this financing, Pibox recently received funding from Google for Startups. The partnership will also help the company add AI-rich features to its offerings.

“We are determined to build the best place for content collaboration and management for teams working at a high professional level with audio and video,” says Pibox co-founder and CEO Ivan Talaichuk, who is also a music producer and creative. “I set out to solve my own problem because I hate switching between multiple apps to work on my creative content. It was scattering my mind, so I decided to connect everything in one place.”

By combining content collaboration, messaging, and other file management features in a single place, Pibox connects every step in the creative process, keeping all the files, comments, and feedback together. It allows private interaction and high-level oversight, so that collaborators can riff together and leaders can see how projects are faring.

Pibox lets teams customize and go deep via metadata fields and management, playlists, custom integrations, and reports. Pibox’s robust features, inspired by its customers’ needs and practices, have boosted team efficiency by 86% and sparked new and better ideas, as creatives spend less time trying to understand what edits need to happen, and more time making great sound and picture.

“A complex but simple-to-use app is a great creativity vortex for a new era of creative collaboration,” explains Talaichuk. “We experienced this ourselves: After launching the initial idea, a lot of unbelievable drivers appeared that fired up our team. We saw that after combining Chat + Files, Pibox started evolving as a living organism mutating and mixing solutions inside. Such infinite possibilities just blew our minds, and we understood how powerful it can be.”

Photo Credit: Cox Enterprises

Cox Communications has filed a reply brief in the Supreme Court ahead of a November 22nd conference in Cox’s ongoing dispute with Sony Music Entertainment.

The legal dispute between internet provider Cox Communications and Sony Music Entertainment has culminated into Cox filing a reply brief in the Supreme Court yesterday (November 4). The brief is the final docket filing related to Cox’s petition to the court ahead of the scheduled November 22 conference to determine whether the Supreme Court will review the copyright infringement case.

“Plaintiffs do not dispute that the Fourth Circuit installed a copyright regime that requires ISPs to reflexively terminate the internet access of entire households and businesses upon a couple accusations of infringement, or that innocent users could lose their internet lifelines merely because a guest downloaded a couple of songs,” reads the filing.

“And they do not dispute that to avoid liability under the Fourth Circuit’s rule, ISPs must sever connections to hospitals, universities, and regional ISPs.”

However, Cox urges the Court to “resolve the confusion — and hold that ISPs are not required to police everything that happens online — before it is too late.”

“Plaintiffs cannot persuasively reconcile the three-way circuit conflict,” the filing continues. “And tellingly, they do not even address how the Fifth Circuit’s recent opinion in UMG Recordings v. Grande Communications […] deepens the morass.”

“Plaintiffs first claim that ‘a defendant acted willfully if he materially contributed to conduct the defendant knew was against the law,’ […] is logically wrong. If that defendant knew someone else was violating the law, but reasonably believed he was a bystander with no duty to stop that conduct, that is not ‘the definition of recklessness,’” Cox continues. “A defendant’s ‘good-faith, reasonable belief in the lawfulness of its own conduct’ forecloses recklessness, as Plaintiffs themselves admit.”

The ISP posits that Sony Music and other plaintiffs assert that “to avoid liability in this case, Cox needed to kick 57,000 homes and businesses off the internet over just a two-year period the moment each received a second infringement accusation.” To that end, “the music industry has brought or threatened the same claims against nearly every major ISP,” and yet “Plaintiffs dismiss the concern about ‘mass terminations’ as ‘overblown, misplaced, and hypocritical.”

The brief concludes, “This Court has neither the luxury nor the need for further ‘percolation.’ Sony was decided 40 years ago [and] since then, the lower courts have diverged on what those foundational precedents require, and how they should apply to the modern internet. Percolation will only make it worse. And in the meantime, ISPs will have to cut entire homes and businesses off the internet any time the music industry accuses some anonymous user of downloading a song or two. Review is urgently needed.”

The scheduled conference on November 22 will determine whether the Supreme Court will review the case at Cox’s behest, or whether the ISP will remain liable for copyright infringement across its network.

GEMA has officially published a collection of 10 AI principles. Photo Credit: Markus Spiske

About two weeks after disclosing new details about its licensing framework for generative AI, GEMA has now unveiled an official “AI charter.”

The Berlin-based society reached out with that 10-principle charter today. Previously, September saw GEMA outline an ambitious royalties framework for music created via generative AI – complete with derivative-track compensation for professionals whose works trained the underlying models.

That set the stage for the initially mentioned late-October details as well as the just-published AI charter. Importantly, said charter isn’t an in-depth collection of detail-oriented policy proposals. By GEMA’s own description, the concise resource “shall serve as food for thought and provide guidelines for a responsible use of generative AI.”

Running with the point, at least a few of the principles reiterate general ideas. “Generative AI is obligated to the well-being of people,” the first principle reads, with the second underscoring that “intellectual property rights are protected” notwithstanding the unprecedented technology at hand.

But the third principle explores in relative detail what’s perhaps the most significant element of GEMA’s generative AI compensation model. Not limiting its vision to once-off training payments, the entity believes creators and rightsholders should receive a piece of derivative tracks’ royalties and long-term revenue to boot.

“On the contrary,” this section reads in part, “the economic advantages must be considered which arise through AI content being generated (e.g. income from subscriptions) and are achieved in the market through ensuing exploitation (e.g. as background music or AI generated music on music platforms on the internet).

“In addition, the competitive situation with the works created by people must be taken into consideration. After all, these very works made AI content possible in the first place. This also must apply in cases where synthetic data was used for training the AI. Synthetic data are, in turn, based on works created by people whose creative power continues in such content when generating AI music,” the relevant text proceeds.

The remaining principles touch on well-treaded (albeit meaningful) areas including the need for generative AI training transparency and NIL protections against unauthorized soundalike works. (In the States, many in the industry are advocating for the related NO FAKES Act, which arrived in Congress earlier in 2024 and would establish a federal right of publicity.)

Plus, bearing in mind the ongoing implementation of the sweeping AI Act and the European Union’s unique regulatory environment, any company offering “AI systems that will be rolled out in the EU or that affect people in the EU must stick to the EU regulations,” another principle emphasizes.

Lastly, in terms of brass-tacks takeaways, sizable AI players must engage in “collective negotiations” with rightsholders, per GEMA. “The large digital corporations must find their way back to respecting copyright,” the “negotiations at eye level” principle states.

While it perhaps goes without saying, outlining plans to secure rightsholder compensation from generative AI is only the first of several involved steps. But especially because multiple artificial intelligence companies are adamant that training on protected materials constitutes fair use, it’ll be worth closely monitoring the effort – besides different regulatory pushes and ongoing litigation.

Core music industry funding increased in October 2024, but the YTD total is noticeably smaller than its 2023 counterpart. Photo Credit: Vladimir Solomianyi

Core music industry funding achieved a significant year-over-year increase during October, though the YTD total remains well beneath its 2023 counterpart, according to an analysis of DMN Pro data.

These and other valuable takeaways come specifically from the Music Industry Funding Tracker, DMN Pro’s searchable, filterable database of funding rounds from in and around the industry. Previously, we crunched the numbers and identified a substantial Q3 2024 industry-funding falloff from the same three-month period in 2023.

But at least when it comes to the core music space, the trend let up during Q4 2024’s first month, which delivered seven raises worth a cumulative $1.13 billion or so. Technically, that’s lower than the $2.02 billion (courtesy of six rounds) attributable to October 2023.

However, as noted, the comprehensive resource compiles pertinent industry-adjacent rounds as well – like the $2 billion that Anthropic scored in October 2023. Minus the AI giant’s massive contribution, the month’s industry funding came in at $24.03 million last year. (Additionally, Lounges.tv didn’t publicly attach a value to its October 2023 raise.)

By contrast, just one of October 2024’s raises, Twitter/X competitor Bluesky’s $15 million Series A, fell outside the core industry. Of course, that round is materially smaller than Anthropic’s $2 billion capital commitment from October 2023.

Is the funding boost a sign of things to come during the remainder of 2024 and possibly the new year? While we can’t say for certain at present, that doesn’t mean we’re without telling insights.

Focusing on the bigger picture, music IP investments are here to stay. Though that won’t necessarily come as a surprise (especially given 2024’s steady stream of high-profile catalog purchases), it’s worth pointing out because there are only so many bodies of work for buyers to bet on. Despite an increasingly large pile of wrapped song-rights purchases, capital is continuing to pour into the sub-sector.

For October 2024 alone, that refers to nearly $1 billion in total proceeds from the asset-backed securitizations of Concord ($850 million) and Duetti ($80 million on top of a $34 million equity raise). Earlier in 2024, the likes of Iconic Artists Group ($1 billion) and Duetti (this time a $90 million venture round) unveiled separate raises.

To underscore the obvious, catalog-earmarked capital must wind up somewhere – with additional deals yet presumably forthcoming in 2025 and beyond. On the other hand, it’s unclear whether this type of publicly disclosed music industry funding, already in the billions in a year that’s seen a YoY decline in cumulative raises, will approach the same level next year.

Closing with a quick look at where overall YTD music industry funding sits through October, total raises (adjacent and otherwise) as registered by the Music Industry Funding Tracker are down about 68.4% YoY, at $3.16 billion from just shy of $10 billion in January-October 2023.

Photo Credit: A performance at The Black Academy of Arts and Letters / Sabrina K.

An up-and-coming Dallas singer is recovering after she was shot on stage while signing autographs after a performance.

Singer Jada Arnell Thomas, 26, was signing autographs on stage following a performance with The Black Academy of Arts and Letters (TBAAL) in downtown Dallas on Saturday. Suddenly, a woman in the crowd shot her from a few short feet away, and tried to flee the scene.

“It was a packed house; people were in line getting autographs and we heard this shot,” said TBAAL founder and director Curtis King in a statement to Dallas’ NBC 5. “It was unreal. It was like everything was in slow motion.”

According to King, he and staff followed the shooter outside while they called 911, and officers arrested the woman inside the lobby of a nearby hotel. The Dallas Police Department confirmed the arrest of Micah Williams, 26, while a handgun was also recovered.

Interestingly, King said he recognized Williams’ face, and that she performed at TBAAL in a summer program about a decade ago. Still, whether the shooter has a connection to the victim has not been disclosed.

Williams was booked at the Dallas County Jail on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Records indicate her bond is set at $200,000.

King said Thomas had just thanked him for his leadership at TBAAL shortly before the shooting. “She said […] ‘thank you for providing a safe space for us to be able to have a platform to perform as young artists,’ and then five-ten minutes later, here she is on the floor.”

It’s currently unknown if the victim and the suspect knew each other and if there was a motive for the shooting. Thomas remains hospitalized, but King says she is progressing, and her family appreciates the support they’ve received from the Dallas arts community and beyond.

“My girl, she’s strong. She’s resilient. She’s a fighter,” said King. “She will sing and soar and she’ll be even better when she gets back on her feet.”

King also announced on social media that TBAAL is working to strengthen its security and screening process in light of the shooting. This also includes decreasing the number of entry points to focus on preventing weapons from getting inside.

Photo Credit: iHeartMedia

Radio giant iHeartMedia gears up to cut hundreds of jobs as music streaming continues to crush music radio.

The biggest broadcast company in the world, iHeartMedia, has started laying off hundreds of employees this week as the music radio giant faces debt amid the continued superiority of music streaming in the industry.

Headed by CEO Bob Pittman, the company has been quick to point out it has cut “less than 5%” of its workforce of over 10,000 employees — amounting to hundreds of job losses as the company eliminates redundancies and “streamlines” its business.

Wendy Goldberg, a spokesperson at iHeartMedia, confirmed the layoffs to the New York Post. She said the company is focusing on expanding its Gen Z audience, and that its broadcast radio audience “has more listeners than it did 10 years ago.”

“Although in a company of 10,000 people, very few jobs have been affected, there have been some and we never take this step lightly, no matter how few jobs it entails,” said Goldberg. “Every team member is important to us and has our respect and appreciation.”

But despite trying to downplay the severity of the layoffs, many iHeart employees are calling the most “sneaky” and dishonest. They point out the company’s decision to start layoffs during the week of the election.

“They want to bury the bad news during the presidential election,” said one employee. “They have to show their lenders that they are improving profits,” a top radio executive who does not work at iHeart told the NY Post. “I heard there is a lot of pressure on Pittman to stem the decline.”

Revenue in the radio industry as a whole is down 10% this year, while the most junior debt in iHeart is now reportedly trading below 60 cents on the dollar. But the company continues to boast about its place as “the No. 1 podcast publisher, bigger than the next two combined, and we’re five times the size of the next largest digital-radio service.”

Photo Credit: Oasis by Will Fresch / CC by 2.0

Oasis announce the South American leg of their 2025 reunion tour with stops in Argentina, Chile, and Brazil in November.

Oasis continue to expand their blowout 2025 reunion tour with South American stops in Argentina, Chile, and Brazil in November. These follows shows across the UK, Ireland, North America, and Australia.

Fan demand for tickets to the band’s shows has been understandably high, resulting in ticketing issues for fans worldwide. Many tickets sold on resale sites have been cancelled due to price inflation. British financial institution Lloyds Banking Group estimates fans have lost a considerable amount of money on ticket reseller scams.

On their Instagram post announcing the additional dates, Oasis urged fans to be aware they must have a ticket purchase account registered in the specific country in which they plan to buy tickets.

Oasis Live 2025 Reunion Tour

July

• 04 | Principality Stadium — Cardiff, Wales
• 05 | Principality Stadium — Cardiff, Wales
• 11 | Heaton Park — Manchester, England
• 12 | Heaton Park — Manchester, England
• 16 | Heaton Park — Manchester, England
• 19 | Heaton Park — Manchester, England
• 20 | Heaton Park — Manchester, England
• 25 | Wembley Stadium — London, England
• 26 | Wembley Stadium — London, England
• 30 | Wembley Stadium — London, England

August

• 02 | Wembley Stadium — London, England
• 03 | Wembley Stadium — London, England
• 08 | Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium — Edinburgh, Scotland
• 09 | Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium — Edinburgh, Scotland
• 12 | Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium — Edinburgh, Scotland
• 16 | Croke Park — Dublin, Ireland
• 17 | Croke Park — Dublin, Ireland
• 24 | Rogers Stadium — Toronto, Ontario
• 25 | Rogers Stadium — Toronto, Ontario
• 28 | Soldier Field — Chicago, IL
• 31 | MetLife Stadium — East Rutherford, NJ

September

• 01 | MetLife Stadium — East Rutherford, NJ
• 06 | Rose Bowl Stadium — Pasadena, CA
• 07 | Rose Bowl Stadium — Pasadena, CA
• 12 | Estadio GNP Seguros — Mexico City, Mexico
• 13 | Estadio GNP Seguros — Mexico City, Mexico
• 27 | Wembley Stadium — London, England
• 28 | Wembley Stadium — London, England

October

• 31 | Marvel Stadium — Melbourne, Australia

November

• 01 | Marvel Stadium — Melbourne, Australia
• 04 | Marvel Stadium — Melbourne, Australia
• 07 | Accor Stadium — Sydney, Australia
• 08 | Accor Stadium — Sydney, Australia
• 15 | Estadio Mâs Monumental — Buenos Aires, Argentina | NEW DATE
• 16 | Estadio Mâs Monumental — Buenos Aires, Argentina | NEW DATE
• 19 | Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos — Santiago, Chile | NEW DATE
• 22 | Estádio MorumBIS — São Paulo, Brazil | NEW DATE
• 23 | Estádio MorumBIS — São Paulo, Brazil | NEW DATE

Photo Credit: Microsoft Copilot

A Canadian man who is the suspected Snowflake hacker that caused Ticketmaster huge headaches earlier this year has been arrested. The news comes just months after cybersecurity experts were hot on the trail of identifying the hacker.

AT&T, Ticketmaster, and LendingTree were among the companies impacted by this massive hack—more than 165 Snowflake instances were breached. 404 Media reports they last spoke to the hacker on October 27, with the hacker going by the name Judsiche saying they were afraid they would be arrested soon. “I’ve destroyed a lot of evidence and well poisoned the stuff I can’t destroy so when/if it does happen it’s just conspiracy which I can bond out and beat,” the hacker claimed.

404 Media reports a source shared the name Connor Moucka. Searching Canadian court records for upcoming hearings reveals an entry with the same name. Another source says the name belongs to the suspected Snowflake hacker.

“We can now confirm that, following a request by the United States, Alexander Moucka (AKA Connor Moucka) was arrested on a provisional arrest warrant on October 30, 2024,” the Canadian Department of Justice shared with 404 Media. “He appeared in court later that afternoon and his case was adjourned to November 5, 2024.”

Ticketmaster suffered several extortion attempts, with one attempt resulting in the release of several Taylor Swift tickets on the internet to prove the data they have. That ticket data included shows from Indianapolis to New Orleans, with hackers saying they could generate 30 million barcodes for other high-profile concerts and sporting events.

Tickets have gone missing from so many accounts that Ticketmaster temporarily suspended the re-sale of Taylor Swift tickets until right before the event date. On October 7, Digital Music News ran a story about tickets for football games, concerts, and more disappearing from accounts. At the time, a Ticketmaster representative confirmed they’d responded to thousands of customer complaints about missing tickets.

A performance from Post Malone, one of the many Universal Music artists whose works have allegedly been infringed upon by Believe. Photo Credit: Adam Bielawski

Yesterday, Universal Music Group (UMG) slapped Believe and its TuneCore subsidiary with a massive copyright infringement action. Here’s a closer look at the over $500 million complaint – and the defendants’ alleged “illegal actions.”

DMN first reported on the straightforward suit moments after its filing in a New York federal court. Just to recap, the 34-page complaint accuses Believe as well as its TuneCore distributor of failing to vet third parties’ allegedly infringing works, distributing them to DSPs such as YouTube anyway, and “wrongfully” collecting certain royalties to boot.

While it perhaps goes without saying given the half-billion-dollar damages payment sought by UMG, the alleged infringement encompasses all manner of commercially prominent works. The latter include but definitely aren’t limited to recordings from the Bee Gees, Daddy Yankee, Elton John, Lil Wayne, and Weezer.

Believe’s Alleged Infringement At a Glance: “Modified Versions,” Unauthorized “Remixes,” and More Distributed “Without Any Effective Review to Identify Infringing Copies”

Beginning on the core distribution side – adjacent allegations extend a bit further than that – Believe and TuneCore have “relentlessly pursued the goal of distributing as many tracks as possible,” per the plaintiffs.

For Paris-headquartered Believe, that refers to a purported practice of distributing “the tracks it receives (including those from questionable sources with no prior history of creating sound recordings)” sans infringement-related due diligence, according to the legal text.

“Many” of the “obviously infringing tracks” at hand “are ‘sped up’ versions of Plaintiffs’ popular recordings,” the suit indicates.

“Believe is well aware that such tracks are popular on certain digital services and are more likely to evade the checks that digital music services use to detect infringing material on their platforms,” according to UMG.

Nevertheless, Believe “has derived a direct financial benefit attributable to the infringement” when it comes to terms that “entitle it to retain a percentage of” the allegedly infringing songs’ streaming royalties.

All told, “the infringing tracks distributed and purportedly licensed by Believe have been streamed (i.e., publicly performed), downloaded or reproduced in videos hundreds of millions of times across the digital music ecosystem on a wide variety of digital music services,” UMG maintains.

Content ID Shenanigans? Believe “Compounded” Alleged “Unlawful Conduct” via False Claims on YouTube, Lawsuit Shows

Not stopping there, Universal Music is further accusing Believe of compounding alleged “unlawful” distribution conduct via “spurious assertions of copyright ownership” on YouTube.

“In numerous cases,” some of the relevant lines read, “Believe has used YouTube’s Content ID system to claim copyright ownership in Plaintiffs’ owned or distributed recordings embodied in tracks Believe distributed to YouTube.” That includes “numerous instances where” a work “was simply an infringing copy of” a UMG recording, per the plaintiffs.

Consequently, Believe has allegedly forced Universal Music “to incur the burden and expense of routinely contesting Believe’s incorrect claims of ownership.” And as described by Universal Music, “Believe did not even contest” the appropriate claims in many instances.

In those situations, however, the defendants did allegedly proceed “to distribute and purport to license the exact same tracks to other digital music services,” continuing “to collect royalties on those tracks from these other providers,” the suit spells out.

Believe Fires Back Against Universal Music’s Lawsuit: “We Strongly Refute These Claims”

DMN reached out to Believe – which, in the not-so-distant past, looked as though it might become a subsidiary of Warner Music Group – and received a to-the-point comment attributed to a company spokesperson.

“Believe and TuneCore do not comment on pending litigation,” said Believe spokesperson relayed. “As companies that work with artists and labels around the world, we take the respect of copyright very seriously. We strongly refute these claims, and the statements made by Universal Music Group and will fight them.

“We have developed robust tools and processes to tackle this industrywide challenge, working collaboratively with partners and peers and will continue to do so. We have been at the forefront of the digital music ecosystem for nearly 20 years, supporting the development of independent artists and labels, and have been awarded Tier 1 status and included in the Preferred Partner Program across all music stores,” the expansion-minded business concluded.

Photo Credit: Reza Mehrad

The British government’s plans to ban smoking outside pubs, clubs, and cafes fall flat amid concerns about the impact on the hospitality industry.

The British government’s plans to band smoking outside schools, hospitals, and playgrounds to reduce pressure on the state-run National Health Service (NHS) and cost to taxpayers is culminating in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill introduced to parliament today. That bill involves some of the strictest anti-smoking rules in the world, including banning young people from smoking.

But the government has abandoned its plans to ban smoking outside pubs, clubs, and cafes after concerns were raised about the impact of such a ban on the hospitality industry.

“Unless we act to help people stay healthy, the rising tide of ill-health in our society threatens to overwhelm and bankrupt our NHS,” said Health Minister Wes Streeting in a statement. “This historic legislation will save thousands of lives.”

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said back in August that he supported the idea of banning smoking in outdoor spaces such as outside pubs. But the British Beer and Pub Association called the plan “deeply concerning,” and would have a “devastating impact” on venues which already struggle with rising costs.

“We welcome the Government’s decision to scrap the proposed smoking ban for pubs and clubs,” said Michael Kill, CEO of the Night Time Industries Association, in a statement to Digital Music News. “This shift recognizes the important role our venues play as controlled, socially responsible spaces within communities. The initial proposals risked significant harm to our industry, which is still in the process of of recovery from the pandemic and other economic pressures.”

“The revised focus of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill on restricting smoking in high-risk areas, such as those outside hospitals and schools, strikes a much-needed balance,” Kill continues. “This approach addresses public health concerns while also protecting the night time economy, which contributes so much to our society both culturally and financially. We are grateful that the Government took into account the strong representations from our sector and listened to the voices of operators across the UK.”

He concluded: “This pragmatic decision will allow pubs, bars, and clubs to continue operating in a way that respects the choices of patrons while also prioritizing the wellbeing of local communities. We look forward to working with policymakers to ensure that our venues remain vibrant, safe, and welcoming spaces for all.”

Photo Credit: Baptista Ime James

A second Jane Doe accusing Diddy of sexual assault could be forced out of anonymity as a separate federal judge weighs in.

After a federal judge determined that an anonymous Jane Doe accuser of Sean “Diddy” Combs can’t proceed under a pseudonym, another Jane Doe accuser might be forced out of anonymity as a result. Another judge has weighed in on the issue, allowing her to continue as filed as long as the defense does not object. The second Doe case was filed on October 20.

“In determining whether a plaintiff may remain anonymous, the Court must balance the plaintiff’s interest in anonymity […] against both the public interest in disclosure and any prejudice to the defendant,” wrote United States District Judge Vernon S. Broderick.

“Plaintiff’s interest in anonymity stems from her allegations that she was drugged and raped by Sean Combs — a celebrity now under indictment for sex trafficking — and possibly one or more of his associates,” the judge continues. “She argues that disclosing her identity will cause her to re-live the trauma of being raped, subject her to unwanted media attention, and expose her to potential retaliation.”

“The motion is unopposed at this time, so any objection Defendants may have to the motion, including the extent of any prejudice Defendants may claim to face, is unclear,” writes Judge Broderick. “Accordingly, it is hereby ordered that Plaintiff’s motion to proceed anonymously is granted pending Defendants’ appearance. No later than seven days following Defendants’ appearance, Plaintiff shall file a letter on the docket indicating whether she intends to either renew her motion on the papers already submitted or file new motion papers.”

“It is further ordered that Defendants shall file any opposition to the motion to proceed anonymously no later than 21 days after being served with the complaint.”

Federal Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil ruled that the first Jane Doe could not continue under a pseudonym, and must refile under her real name by November 13. Despite arguing that the case should be permitted to go forward as-is due to the plaintiff’s fear that Combs would retaliate, Judge Vyskocil disagreed, given that Combs is currently detained pending his trial next year.

Both lawsuits are part of over a dozen similar filings against Combs since his arrest on sex trafficking and racketeering charges in September. All are represented by attorney Tony Buzbee, who teased an onslaught of over 120 lawsuits to be filed in the coming weeks against Combs.

Photo Credit: Ashley King

Ticket reseller scams are a tale as old as time. Now a new report suggests social media is used to facilitate 90% of these ticket scams.

A Lloyds report focusing on analysis of scam reports made by its own customers discovered the Oasis Live ‘25 tickets are a favorite for scammers. Ticket fraud claims in the first month since the reunion tour was announced accounted for around 70% of all reported concert ticket scams since August 27. Lloyds reports that victims taken in by these scams on average lose £346 ($450)—though some victims report losses as high as £1,000 ($1,303).

The most likely age bracket to be targeted by ticket scammers on social media is aged 35-44 years old. That age bracket accounted for around around 31% of fraud reports. High-profile shows like Oasis, Taylor Swift, and the Adele residency are selling for thousands of dollars from Ticketmaster legitimately. So it’s no small wonder scammers target eager fans who may not know how modern ticketing works.

Ticket scammers trick fans into sending money for tickets via bank transfer to buy tickets that don’t exist. These scams will involve fake adverts, listings on social media, or tickets offered at discounted prices. Fraudsters also love to target sold-out events, since they can jack up the price without the victim getting cold feet.

Scam tickets are usually posted to social media in two waves. First when tickets are made available and again as the event date approaches. For fans looking to acquire concert tickets, you should keep these brief pointers in mind to avoid getting scammed.

Stick to trusted retailers—Only purchase tickets from the venue itself, Ticketmaster (or an authorized reseller). Do not purchase tickets from a third-party.

If It Seems Too Good To Be True, It Is—Ticket scammers love to prey on people seeking a good deal. Those $40 tickets with an obstructed view just posted on Facebook Marketplace are likely a scam. If the scam listing can net just 10 people interested in throwing $40 for fake tickets—scammers make $400.

Use a Secure Payment Method—Never pay for a concert ticket through a bank transfer, wire transfer, Western Union, MoneyGram. Only use a debit card or a credit card to pay. A credit card offers more protection than a debit card, since you can dispute the charge. Then your card’s issuing bank will deal with the matter.

“Frausters wasted no time in targeting loyal Oasis fans as they scrambled to pick up tickets for next year’s must-see reunion tour,” Liz Ziegler, Fraud Prevention Director for Lloyds told Digital Music News. “The fact that so many cases start with fake listings on social media, often in violation of the platforms’ own rules, underscores the importance of these companies taking stronger action to tackle scams.”

Ticket selling is in direct violation of the Facebook Marketplace commerce policy. Yet many scams are slipping through the cracks here and bilking loyal fans out of hard-earned money. Any seller who asks for a bank transfer payment (usually through social media) should set off alarm bells for any potential ticket purchaser.

The music market has undergone a real transformation in recent years. Faster, stronger, louder – this is how we could summarize the shift. The distribution channels, in particular, have evolved. Today, the market dances to the tune of streaming giants, especially Spotify, which controls a whopping 30% of the global market.

The following comes from Miquido, a company DMN is partnered with.

However, this may soon change. More and more artists and labels are voicing complaints about the model created by the Swedish streaming powerhouse, arguing that it benefits the largest players, while the rest only get crumbs. There is a strong possibility that new alternatives, or apps where streaming is just part of the full offering, will emerge soon.

If you’re also considering creating a music or music streaming app or incorporating this type of functionality into your application, this article is for you. Let’s examine both successful and failed projects in this niche, the biggest challenges, and the standards set by industry giants. Let’s check the pulse of the industry.

The Complexities of Building a Music Streaming App

In music streaming, there’s no room for errors. The competitiveness of this niche means that even the smallest design, UX, or functionality misstep can have serious consequences. This is compounded by issues of legal compliance, which are so critical in the music industry. What must you consider when creating such a solution?

Copyright and Music Licensing

Every streaming app must adhere to copyright regulations, which include securing the appropriate licenses from copyright owners such as labels, artists, and collective rights management organizations (e.g., ZAiKS in Poland or ASCAP in the US). Music licensing is a complex process, especially since different countries have unique copyright regulations. Streaming providers must ensure that every song is legally distributed and that royalties are paid in accordance with agreements.

Data Protection and User Privacy

Without personalized feeds and accurate recommendations, success in the streaming industry today is nearly impossible. However, this requires advanced user data processing, which is strictly regulated. In the EU, streaming apps must comply with GDPR – otherwise, they risk significant financial penalties. These regulations define how companies can collect, store, and process personal data, and specify user rights (e.g., the right to be forgotten, the right to access data).

Content Responsibility and Anti-Piracy Measures

When allowing content to be published by independent artists and creators (not affiliated with labels), a streaming app must prevent illegal music distribution and ensure it does not support piracy or intellectual property violations.

The GenAI boom has added even more complexity to this, as there is still no clear legal precedent for generative artificial intelligence and copyright. AI-generated content is based on data the model was trained on, though the original creators may not have given consent for this use. While the output isn’t an exact copy of an existing work, but a blend of millions of references, it’s challenging to determine copyright in these cases.

The same applies to “resurrecting” artists’ voices. The so-called “digital necromancy” or “posthumous art” is becoming more common among music creators. Here, too, there is no clear legal consensus, and the laws are somewhat ambiguous. In the GenAI era, a music streaming app provider must navigate these complexities, taking responsibility for potential violations.

Hitting the Wrong Note – What We Can Learn From Failed Streaming Projects

The music streaming industry is filled with stories of platforms that failed. These cautionary tales can serve as guideposts for companies entering the market. Many examples date back to when the music streaming industry was still forming.

Consider Napster– a platform that popularized P2P sharing and paved the way for torrenting. At its peak, it became a nightmare for music labels, with its widespread, unauthorized sharing of copyrighted songs eroding traditional sales and threatening artists’ livelihoods and label revenues. Legal actions from major players like Metallica ultimately forced Napster to shut down in 2001, marking it as both a catalyst for digital music disruption and a cautionary tale for unlicensed content sharing. Later, LimeWire  followed a similar path, ultimately shutting down despite attempts at legitimacy. 

Though the turbulent era of torrenting and platforms operating without licenses or against copyright law is now over, new platforms still encounter// issues. Recently, a celebrity-backed NFT platform called OneOf was accused of selling securities without SEC approval.One thing is certain – when it comes copyright and licenses, you shouldn’t play it by the ear. One wrong move is enough for the regulatory units to blow the whistle. But worry not – with our tips, you can prepare yourself for any eventuality.

Legal and Licensing Framework: Avoiding Pitfalls

How can you avoid mistakes when navigating these legal complexities? Start by understanding the types of licenses you need to obtain before distributing music through your platform:

• Mechanical licenses allow platforms to distribute and reproduce music, ensuring that songwriters and publishers are compensated for each play or download.
• Performance licenses permit the public playback of music, which is essential for complying with rights organizations that protect artists’ earnings from public broadcasts, streams, and live performances.
• Sync licenses are required for pairing music with visual media, such as ads or videos, which is increasingly significant in multimedia marketing and social media content.

Regional laws are also crucial, as countries have unique regulations on royalties, copyright, and distribution rights. Failing to acquire these licenses and comply with local laws can lead to legal battles, hefty fines, and even platform shutdowns. Peloton, a fitness app, serves as an example.

Though not specifically a streaming app, music is an essential part of Peloton’s user experience. In 2020, the company was sued for copyright infringement for using mechanical instead of sync licenses, which are necessary for music paired with visual media. Although Peloton emerged unscathed, the National Music Publisher’s Association (NMPA) sent a clear message.

Music apps are at the highest risk, but licensing issues can also impact streaming platforms and social media. Platforms like Twitch, for example, where internet content streaming is central, highlight the importance of acquiring proper licenses and ensuring compliance with regional laws. Twitch has already had some legal issues due to improper use of licenses and despite the deal with NMPA, its case serves as a cautionary tale for other streaming giants.

Engaging Users: Features That Keep Them Coming Back

Attracting users in a monopolized niche like music streaming is an achievement in itself. Keeping them engaged, however, is like climbing Everest! Much of this depends on habits – users already have standards from popular apps. On one hand, they may be looking for something new, something better, but on the other, they don’t want to completely change their routines. Finding the balance between these two aspects is key to success in this industry. So, which elements are absolute must-haves?

Personalized Recommendations

Successful apps today must offer personalized recommendations. The best algorithms subtly combine data on listener behavior in the app and their external online activity. Play history, interactions with tracks and playlists, other app actions, ratings, and demographics – all these factors are taken into account to create personalized music suggestions in apps like Spotify. There is also data on similar users, which the algorithm uses for community modeling.

Playlists and Social Sharing

Social features are becoming increasingly important in streaming, and the lines between music streaming platforms and social media are blurring. Including social media-like features in your app is essential to its success. It should allow users to easily and intuitively create, share, and follow playlists or favorite artists.

Taking a step further could mean integrating GenAI features, allowing users to interact with music in more creative ways. Personalized visualizations, blending favorite artists’ voices with music not in their repertoire – this could be the future of streaming. Your users will shift from passive listeners to artists and curators. However, remember to keep an eye on legislative progress in the GenAI domain – otherwise, you might find yourself on shaky ground.

Community Development – Identifying and Engaging Superfans

Building community is equally essential to engagement. Accurate recommendation are a foundation of a successful music app, but don’t forget that the users want to feel a part of a bigger whole. Including these features, you will strike a chord with them!

User Profiles: Implement features that allow users to identify as superfans (badges, special status, or exclusive content).

Rewards: Offer exclusive access to content, merchandise, early ticket sales, or special events.

Influencer Collaborations: Collaborate with music influencers and artists to create exclusive playlists, livestream events, or behind-the-scenes content. Encourage them to share their music journeys, favorite tracks, or curated playlists within the app to inspire fans and promote frequent engagement.

Community Features: Introduce forums or discussion boards where users can share their thoughts on new releases, concerts, and music trends.

User-Generated Content: Encourage users to create and share content, such as reviews, concert experiences, or music challenges.

Exclusive Events: Organize virtual concerts, Q&A sessions, or listening parties hosted by popular artists or influencers.

Music Challenges: Launch music-themed challenges where users can showcase their musical skills, such as remixing a song or creating a dance challenge.

Offline Listening: Integrate offline functionality to keep users engaged even without internet access.

Designing for Users: UI/UX That Elevates Experience

Streaming apps are our everyday companions. Similarly, apps that include streaming features (such as fitness assistants or social media platforms) are designed to serve us on the go, accompanying daily situations and filling breaks. This makes impeccable UI and UX central to their success. These apps should adapt easily to different devices and function smoothly in the background.

In a nutshell, they should “dance to the user’s tune,” providing a seamless experience whether at home, at work, on public transport, or while doing sports. To achieve this, particular attention should be paid to these aspects:

Simplified Navigation

Start with intuitive wireframes and mockups that outline a clean, easy-to-use interface, focusing on smooth navigation for users to interact with the app effortlessly. This process involves creating wireframes that act as a blueprint for layout and functionalities, allowing users to quickly understand the app’s structure.

Inclusive Design

Use mood boards and standardized design systems to ensure accessibility options, such as voice control and adaptive interfaces for users with disabilities. These systems allow for the consistent implementation of accessibility features across the app, making it more inclusive to a wide range of users. Additionally, usability testing can refine the app’s design to ensure it accommodates all users effectively.

Building a Scalable Backend: Meeting Growing Demand

Even the best UI design won’t work wonders if your backend isn’t strong enough. When faced with performance issues, users may change their tune instantly, fueling your churn rate. Think big and design your backend to adapt easily to growing demand. Paying attention to these aspects will pave the way for success.

Cloud-Based Solutions

Adopt scalable cloud infrastructure, allowing the app to handle high data loads and provide fast access to large music libraries. This setup ensures that user data is stored securely while offering rapid, on-demand access to streaming content.

APIs and Third-Party Integrations

Integrate essential APIs for streaming, analytics, licensing, and payment. Using third-party APIs from established providers broadens the app’s functionality, giving users access to a comprehensive music library and seamless payment options while enhancing the overall app performance.

Load Management and Optimization

To accommodate peak usage times, distribute server loads efficiently and optimize app speed. Load balancing techniques and data caching ensure that even during high-traffic times, users experience smooth functionality and quick response times.

Business Model Planning: Finding the Right Monetization Strategy

Although the subscription model dominates today’s streaming landscape, it is not the only path available. Much depends on whether music streaming is the core of your application or simply one of its flagship features. With a subscription-based approach, acquiring users can be challenging, which may lead to financial instability. However, once you establish a solid user base, this model can yield the most benefits. You can also combine various strategies or gradually shift from one to another, depending on your needs.

Subscription and Freemium Models

Provide different subscription options, from free ad-supported versions to premium tiers offering exclusive features. This approach allows users to experience basic functionalities for free while incentivizing upgrades to ad-free, premium experiences.

In-App Purchases

Introduce exclusive content or high-definition audio upgrades to increase user spending within the app. Offering valuable content upgrades can appeal to dedicated users willing to enhance their experience.

Ad Integration

Implement an unobtrusive ad model for free-tier users to maintain engagement without disrupting their experience. This can include audio ads between songs or visual ads that appear during less active moments in the app’s interface.

👉 Get the full ebook here: Soundscapes of Tomorrow

Building the Right Team: Expertise at Every Stage

When it comes to the complexities of licensing and copyright law, it’s wise to emphasize clear communication from the outset. You don’t have to do everything on your own—on the contrary, it’s worth enlisting the support of external experts who can protect you from making costly mistakes. A software development partner with legal expertise and experience in building music applications will help you identify potential roadblocks and address them before they lead to problems. You can march to your own drum, but fulfill your vision safely and responsibly!

Key Roles

Employ experienced professionals for frontend and backend development, UX/UI design, audio streaming, and legal compliance. This diverse expertise ensures each component is developed by knowledgeable specialists.

Collaboration

Promote open communication between designers, developers, and legal advisors, as it’s essential for aligning creative and technical goals with legal requirements, particularly around music licensing and data privacy.

Outsourcing or In-House Development

An in-house team allows for tight-knit collaboration, but partnering with a software development has many advantages over it. Collaboration with an experienced development company can reduce costs and streamline the development process, while providing access to specialized expertise and resources that might be challenging to build internally. A reliable partner can also offer flexibility, efficient project management, and scalable solutions that support growth, allowing you to focus on your core business with confidence.

Marketing and Promotion: Launching Your App with Impact

Starting with a bang won’t guarantee long-term success, but it does give you a strong advantage. You only get one market launch—use it to create hype and attract users seeking something new, something better.

In music streaming, influencers and artists can be instrumental in generating buzz. What could be more convincing for a listener than knowing their favorite musician prefers a platform, perhaps due to a more favorable compensation model?

Now, with growing discontent toward the dominant streaming platform, it’s a prime opportunity to attract artists. Make your mark on social media. Choose a powerful angle and stick to it. Strike a chord with users by offering something that other platforms can’t. Tidal, for example, ensured a strong market entry by standing out with high-quality audio and exclusive content from artists.

Pre-Launch Marketing

Build anticipation with targeted social media campaigns and partnerships with artists or influencers, driving awareness before launch. Early marketing strategies can generate excitement and secure initial user interest.

User Acquisition

Use app store optimization and paid ads to boost user downloads and attract early adopters. Strategic keywords and promotional techniques in app stores enhance visibility, while advertising widens reach.

Retention Strategies

Keep users engaged with personalized emails, push notifications, and access to exclusive content. Customized notifications can remind users of app features, introduce new content, and encourage repeat usage.

Budget Management: Controlling Costs Without Compromising Quality

In music streaming, managing costs is critical, as unexpected expenses can pile up fast. Licensing fees often spike based on region, artist contracts, and streaming volume, creating unpredictable costs. Maintaining high-quality audio and smooth, buffer-free streaming demands robust infrastructure, which drives up server and bandwidth expenses. Plus, personalized features, like recommendations and adaptive streaming, need complex algorithms and data processing—both costly and resource-intensive. Balancing these demands is key to delivering a top-tier user experience without breaking the budget.

Cost Breakdown

Plan for each development stage, including app design, coding, licensing, and marketing. Having a clear cost outline allows for better budgeting across essential functions.

Scalability Considerations

Set aside funds for potential scaling, updates, and the addition of new features as the user base grows. A flexible budget enables timely updates, helping the app adapt to rising demands.

Balancing Quality and Costs

Explore cost-control strategies that maintain high quality, such as choosing the right development framework and using cross-platform solutions.

Music App Development in Tune With Your Goals and Budget

Launching a new music streaming app or an app with similar features is, in many ways, a much greater challenge than in other niches. In addition to the usual requirements of app development, there are also legal compliance issues, including copyright law. And since this niche is highly competitive, you need to carefully plan your strategy from the start, considering everything from licensing to the billing model.

Developing a music streaming app in-house is complex and costly, especially without prior experience. The process includes project planning, design, development, testing, and deployment, each needing specialized skills. Selecting the right technology stack is essential, as it impacts performance, scalability, and user experience. 

Total development costs, including hiring skilled professionals and the tech stack, can exceed $40,000 to $100,000, while marketing expenses can range from $10,000 to $50,000 or more, depending on strategy. With our expertise, we can deliver a prototype in just two weeks.

At Miquido, we streamline this process across every phase. From initial project planning to post-launch support, our team of experts ensures that each step is executed efficiently and that the technology stack aligns with your project goals. With over 12 years of experience in music and streaming app development, having delivered projects for top brands like Onkyo Music, Warner Recorded Music, and Abbey Road Studios, we help companies save significantly on both development costs and resources.

Contact Miquido today and let our experts guide your project from concept to launch. Let’s hit the right note together! Meanwhile, dive into the Soundscapes of Tomorrow, Miquido’s ebook on music app development and the future of streaming.

Photo Credit: SiriusXM

SiriusXM reports a lackluster Q3 with declining revenues and stagnating subscription levels.

SiriusXM Holdings (SIRI) reported a wider loss than expected in the third quarter of 2024, at 84 cents per share. The same quarter last year saw the company reporting earnings of 90 cents a share. Total revenues declined 4.4% year-over-year to $2.17 billion, missing the consensus mark by 0.91%.

SiriusXM completed its transaction with Liberty Media this quarter and fully emerged as an independent public company. The company is gearing up to reintroduce its business to counteract declining subscriptions and enhance free cash flow generation. SiriusXM has a long-term target of 50 million subscribers and $1.8 billion in free cash flow.

To that end, subscriber revenues — 75.77% of total revenues — declined 4.86% from the same quarter last year to $1.64 billion, which missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.14%. Advertisement revenue — 20.73% of total revenues — decreased 2.17% year-over-year to $450 million, which also missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 4.61%.

That decline was due to increasing new CTV supply in the market, increasing advertiser spending on performance products, a truncated election cycle, and low podcast inventory.

Self-pay subscribers decreased 0.99% year-over-year to 31.49 million, while net subscriber loss was 100k against net additions of 94k the same period last year.

Average revenue per user came to $15.16, down 3.38% year-over-year, and missing estimates by 0.53%. This reflects in the number of subscribers on promotional rates and streaming only self-pay plans.

Meanwhile, equipment revenues decreased 12.24% year-over-year to $43 million, a figure that missed the estimate by 9.37%. Other revenues remained unchanged year-over-year at $33 million and beat their estimates by 2.27%.

The company’s standalone segment’s revenues (74.94% of total revenues) were at $1.62 billion, down by 5.46% year-over-year. Its total subscriber base has declined by 2.39% year-over-year to 33.15 million, missing estimates by 0.19%. That directly contributed to subscriber revenues declining by 5.45%, amounting to $1.51 billion.

Advertising revenues were down 2.38% year-over-year to $41 million, while equipment revenues declined 12.24% year-over-year to $43 million. Other revenues remained at a flat $33 million year-over-year.

Photo Credit: Tunecore / Believe

Universal Music Group files a $500 million lawsuit against Believe and Tunecore for ‘rampant piracy’ and copyright infringement. Here’s the latest.

Universal Music Group (UMG), alongside its subsidiaries UMG Recordings, Capitol Records, and ABKCO Music & Records, with Concord Music Group, has filed a massive copyright infringement lawsuit against Believe and its distribution platform Tunecore.

The filing, shared with Digital Music News late Monday (November 4th), alleges Believe has built its business by knowingly distributing infringing copies of popular copyrighted recordings, including those owned by the plaintiffs. These include blatantly altered versions of tracks from artists including Kendrick Lamar and Lady Gaga, from which Believe is accused of pilfering royalties.

Believe’s distribution network, which includes partnerships with platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Spotify, has allegedly enabled it to profit significantly from this unauthorized distribution.

UMG attorneys argue that Believe’s actions have caused substantial harm to their client’s business, artists, and other contributors, and are seeking damages of at least $500 million, in addition to a permanent injunction to stop Believe’s infringing activities.

“Believe’s client list is overrun with fraudulent ‘artists’ and pirate record labels who rely on Believe and its distribution network to seed infringing copies of popular sound recordings throughout their digital music ecosystem,” the lawsuit reads.

“While Believe is fully aware that its business model is fueled by rampant piracy, it has eschewed basic measures to prevent copyright violations and turned a blind eye to the fact that its music catalog was rife with copyright infringing sound recordings.”

The complaint outlines Believe’s practice of wrongfully collecting royalties rightfully owed to the plaintiffs and other copyright owners, and cites several specific examples of alleged infringement. These include the distribution of “sped up” or “remixed” versions of popular songs, for which UMG is alleging direct, contributory, and vicarious copyright infringement.

Believe is also accused of exploiting YouTube’s content management system to claim ownership of their recordings, thereby diverting or delaying royalty payments.

UMG is also claiming infringement of pre-1972 sound recordings, for which they are seeking statutory damages, injunctive relief to prevent future infringement, impoundment, and destruction of infringing copies, and recovery of attorneys’ fees and costs. They are also seeking a trial by jury.

Photo Credit: redo

The mystery surrounding a long-unknown radio-ripped clip has been solved after nearly 20 years. Here’s the band behind the internet’s most mysterious song.

An old internet mystery has finally been solved after nearly 20 years. The song was originally recorded off the radio in Germany and has long stumped internet sleuths and music aficionados. Now, “The Most Mysterious Song On the Internet” has finally been identified.

The song’s story begins in the 1980s, when a group of people in Germany recorded a song they heard on the radio onto a cassette tape. Lydia, also known as bluuely on Reddit, the sister of the person who recorded the cassette, uploaded a digital copy of the song to several online forums in 2007. She wanted to learn anything she could about the song.

Though not confirmed, it’s generally believed that the radio station the song was recorded from was NDR1, on the program Musik Für Junge Leute — “Music for Young People.” But other details remained scarce, despite several people stumbling onto Lydia’s posts over the years and trying to help.

But in 2019, Reddit got involved in the mystery. A user known as gabgaskins posted the song in 44 different music-related subreddits — which eventually culminated in the formation of mystery’s own subreddit, r/TheMysteriousSong. Later that year, the song caught the attention of a YouTuber called Just Whang, who made a video about it, further escalating online interest in the search.

Investigators even tracked down the former host of Musik Für Junge Leute, but he wasn’t able to help. Even Rolling Stone wrote about the mystery, while investigators analyzed different versions of the song from various sources, chasing down dozens of leads. But enthusiasts were met with dead ends at every turn.

Finally, the past few months took the investigation to Hörfest, an annual festival of local musicians sponsored by a Hamburg-based public broadcaster. Users compiled a list of hundreds of bands who had played at the festival and started going through them one by one.

This led to Redditor marijin1412 coming across an old newspaper article in a regional German paper. “The article was about a band called FEX from Kiel, who won a talent contest in Bremen in 1984 and their music was described as Rock with Wave and Pop influences,” wrote marijin1412.

The same user recognized one of the names in the article and reached out to a Michael Hädrich, who was a member of a Hörfest 83 band called Phret. He sent them some of the songs he made with FEX and Phret — and the mysterious song was among them, titled “Subways of Your Mind.”

Hädrich was astounded to learn the song was famous on the internet and considered a piece of lost media. He contacted the other members of the band and registered the song in the GEMA, a German organization for musicians. A full and cleaner version of the song was also uploaded to Vocaroo.

Quincy Jones has passed away at 91. Photo Credit: Canadian Film Centre

Veteran producer and longtime industry figure Quincy Jones has passed away at the age of 91.

Quincy Jones’ team announced the news in a statement, indicating that the 28-time Grammy winner (and 80-time nominee) had passed in his Bel Air home surrounded by family and friends. Beyond this statement, reps for the Rock Hall of Famer (inducted in the Ahmet Ertegun Award category) hadn’t provided a cause of death or additional details at the time of writing.

“Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones’ passing,” the statement reads. “And although this is an incredible loss for our family, we celebrate the great life that he lived and know there will never be another like him.

“He is truly one of a kind and we will miss him dearly; we take comfort and immense pride in knowing that the love and joy, that were the essence of his being, was shared with the world through all that he created. Through his music and his boundless love, Quincy Jones’ heart will beat for eternity.”

The Chicago native arrived on the music scene decades back; Clarence Avant, who helped launch his career and the careers of others, passed in August of 2023.

Jones secured early collaborations (including as arranger and/or producer) with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, and Sammy Davis Jr., to name just a few.

Concentrated in the late 50s and 60s, those tie-ups (besides the release of multiple solo albums across several decades) set the stage for producer credits on high-profile works in the 70s and 80s. Said credits extend to Aretha Franklin’s 1973 album Hey Now Hey (The Other Side of the Sky) and, in what are probably the most noteworthy examples, Michael Jackson’s Off the Wall (1979), Thriller (1982), and Bad (1987).

(Sony Music scooped up a sizable stake in Jackson’s body of work earlier in 2024 despite legal challenges from the artist’s family; Jones had at least one credits-related dispute with Jackson’s estate over the years.)

In the film world, Jones produced and scored 1985’s The Color Purple, on top of scoring a number of different movies yet; the newest of these projects, Lola, released this past February.

Back to the core industry, recent years had seen Jones make headlines for his investments in a variety of companies. Also in February, for instance, the Grammy Legend Award recipient joined ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus in backing music-rights company Salt.

On social media, fans, members of the music community, and others are offering kind words and celebrating the life of Jones.

“We have lost one of the all time greats,” wrote Darius Rucker. “The world will miss Quincy Jones. Rest my friend.”

“My Celestial twin Quincy was a titan in the musical world,” penned actor Michael Caine. “He was a wonderful and unique human being, lucky to have known him.”

“We join billions of music fans around the world,” Warner Chappell CEO Guy Moot and COO Carianne Marshall relayed in joint remarks, “as we mourn the loss of the great Quincy Jones, and celebrate his immeasurable contributions to culture. Words like titan, genius, GOAT, will be used today and he deserves it all.

“Quincy was a producer, artist, composer, and activist, but above all, he was a songwriter. He leaves behind an extraordinarily powerful, diverse body of work that will light the way for future generations. Our deepest condolences go out to his family and friends,” the execs concluded.

“Quincy Jones, a true musical genius whose impact transcended generations,” a fan posted. “His creativity and passion shaped the sound of our lives, leaving a legacy that will forever inspire. Thank you, Quincy, for the rhythm of your heart and the magic you brought to my childhood.”

The following comes from Open On Sunday, a company DMN is proud to be partnering with.

Billboard Latin Music Week 2024 — artists and industry frontliners converged to attend round table discussions and panels on the rise of reggae, music and data management, monetization, and catalog financing.

Hosted at The Fillmore Miami Beach, Billboard Latin Music Week 2024 kicked off with performances from Latin music’s biggest stars. The event was abuzz with attendees, including established and up-and-coming artists and music industry leaders.

Colombian reggaeton superstar J Balvin was the headliner for the 35th Anniversary Special. Balvin also took part in a special Q&A session, joining other notable guests such as hip hop artists Fat Joe and N.O.R.E.

During a panel discussion, Fat Joe called the hip hop and reggaeton connection ‘crazy but dope.’

Joe added, “Hip hop and reggae go side by side — and hip hop is the influence. It’s like they’re rapping in Spanish, with hip hop beats.”

N.O.R.E. highlighted that the 2004 release of his classic single, Oye Mi Canto ‘set off a movement,’ and made him one of the pioneers of reggaeton. He added, “No one could ever take this away from me, the first reggaeton record on MTV is mine and the first reggaeton record on BET (Black Entertainment Television) is mine. First reggaeton record on Hot 97 is mine. The first reggaeton performing at the Source Awards is mine.”

“If you listen to that record — whether you’re Black or Chinese — you become Latino for three minutes,” N.O.R.E. said.

Billboard Latin Week panels also covered major topics like catalog financing and the carbon footprint of festivals and music events.

Anana Love, Director of Membership for catalog acquisition company Open on Sunday, spoke at a panel to dish out truths about essential catalog elements. “If you’re interested in selling your music catalog, you must have your data in order,” Love told the group.

Tanner Watt, Director of Partnerships at REVERB, also joined the panel. REVERB partners with venues, festivals, and artists to minimize the negative environmental impact of music endeavors.

Watt relayed that he was ‘very excited to connect with more artist teams in the Latin space to help them support non-profit causes they care about — and engage their fans in positive change in the world.’

Many of the Billboard Latin Music Week 2024 attendees were artists looking to promote their music and meet like-minded individuals. However, business professionals were also at hand to network and educate artists on alternative revenue streams.

Luxury real estate agent Wendy Sanchez spoke about the importance of sound financial advice for artists and entertainers. “I am a luxury real estate agent, I also do high-end luxury Airbnb management, and then I also work for one of the top hospitality groups doing their private membership club program.”

“I’m here to help artists or anybody in the entertainment industry with the business side of things — real estate,” Sanchez said.

Financial advisor Andrea Friedman touched upon the importance of balancing family and career — whether you’re an artist or businessperson. “It’s about being disciplined so you can spend time with loved ones and still be a highly successful career individual,” Friedman said.

Billboard Latin Music Week 2024 took place October 15-18.

Photo Credit: The Weeknd by R. Totzke / CC by 4.0

The Weeknd’s upcoming film, ‘Hurry Up Tomorrow,’ is getting worldwide theatrical distribution from Lionsgate. The film also stars Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan.

The Weeknd’s upcoming feature film-starring debut, the psychological thriller “Hurry Up Tomorrow,” will get worldwide theatrical distribution via Lionsgate. “Hurry Up Tomorrow” stars Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye, Jenna Ortega, and Barry Keoghan, and is directed by Trey Edward Shults.

The film serves as an extension of The Weeknd’s upcoming album of the same name, the release date of which is yet to be announced. The album stands alongside the film’s score by The Weeknd and Daniel Lopatin.

“Abel is a visionary whose art cannot be confined by any single medium,” says Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chair Adam Fogelson. “With ‘Hurry Up Tomorrow,’ in partnership with Trey, his musical universe expands onto the big screen with a psychological thriller that will usher in a new cinematic experience for fans. We are thrilled to be bringing it to audiences worldwide.”

Produced by Tesfaye’s Manic Phase and Reza Fahim, alongside the late Kevin Turen and Harrison Kreiss, the film is executive produced by Ortega, Shults, Michael Rapino, Ryan Kroft, Wassim “Sal” Slaiby, and Harrison Huffman. Chayse Irvin is director of photography. Erin Benach and Hannah Jacobs serve as costume designers, and Elliott Hostetter heads production design.

Hurry Up Tomorrow is the third in The Weeknd’s trilogy of studio albums, following 2022’s Dawn FM and 2020’s After Hours. The third album serves as the final chapter in the trilogy, chock full of existential and self-referential themes.

The film will be The Weeknd’s latest foray into film and television, having co-created and starred in the 2023 series “The Idol” alongside Lily-Rose Depp. As a musician, The Weeknd has sold over 75 million records and is one of the most-streamed artists on Spotify.

An arbitration panel has officially set a 2023-2026 licensing rate for SESAC and the RMLC. Photo Credit: SESAC

One lengthy dispute – and one arbitration proceeding – later, the Radio Music License Committee (RMLC) and SESAC have resolved their rate-negotiation disagreement for 2023-2026.

Both the performance rights organization and the radio representative confirmed the development following an involved battle concerning payment particulars. Unsurprisingly, said battle saw the PRO pushing for better compensation while the RMLC pursued lower rates more in line with those behind its ASCAP and BMI agreements.

(The RMLC, membership in which encompasses about 10,000 terrestrial stations in the U.S., previously described “SESAC’s demand” as an effort to obtain “a very substantial rate increase over the prior license rate.”)

Moreover, this wasn’t the RMLC’s first licensing-confrontation rodeo with a PRO – or even its first dust-up with Blackstone’s SESAC. To be sure, a related release put out in 2017 by the RMLC about a separate showdown is noticeably similar to comments pertaining to the newer battle.

In any event, with SESAC having kicked off the aforesaid arbitration proceeding in April of 2023, the relevant panel has opted for a 0.2824% rate on each station’s net revenue, up roughly 10.4% from 0.2557%, per radio trades including Radio Ink.

According to the same source, a substantial discount will remain in place for non-music stations – though “specific long-form terms are still being finalized.” And while only time will reveal the exact terms (and potentially the rate sought by SESAC when talks first began) at hand, SESAC president and COO Scott Jungmichel touted the decision as a victory.

“The arbitration award reflects another failure of the RMLC to impose regulated rates on SESAC since SESAC and the RMLC concluded their settlement in 2015,” Jungmichel relayed in a statement provided to DMN. “The panel awarded SESAC an over 10% increase while rejecting the RMLC’s attempts to lower the rate, turn back the clock, and yoke SESAC to the regulated rates paid by ASCAP and BMI.

“In addition, the revenue base subject to the fee is significantly greater than the revenue upon which station groups had sought to pay under the 2017 award,” concluded the SESAC higher-up of nearly five years.

DMN also reached out to the RMLC for comment, but didn’t receive a response in time for publishing. In any event, it wasn’t all too long ago that the RMLC put to rest a separate dispute with Irving Azoff’s Global Music Rights.

Meanwhile, the latter PRO last year settled a pair of missing-payments complaints it’d filed against Red Wolf Broadcasting and One Putt Broadcasting, before spearheading a different action yet, this time against Vermont Broadcast Associates, at the top of 2024. GMR voluntarily dropped the suit with prejudice in April.

Billboard has now removed CDs (and other physical sales) from its Market Watch breakdown, which compiles Luminate data. Photo Credit: Mick Haupt

The latest installment of Billboard’s weekly “Market Watch” sales breakdown is here – minus figures pertaining to CDs and all other physical formats, which have been removed from the commercial snapshot.

As many already know, that U.S.-focused commercial snapshot consists of data provided by Luminate, which elicited strong indie-retail pushback after retooling its sales-calculation methodology at the top of 2024.

Followed by additional pivots in the wake of further opposition, this recalibration (at least according to critics) effectively excluded a number of record stores’ sales from the appropriate calculations – and spurred the creation of a rival indie-sales chart.

While substantial, that controversy was in retrospect only the tip of the iceberg. Previously, we explored in detail an apparent discrepancy between Luminate’s view of the Market Watch data and the way the relevant stats had been laid out by Billboard.

In a nutshell, the latter was pointing to a massive year-over-year decline in stateside vinyl sales – a stark contrast to, among other things, RIAA data and the wider resurgence often attributed to the format.

After DMN Pro tracked an ugly disagreement between higher-ups at the companies (which share a corporate parent), Billboard booted vinyl figures, presumably temporarily, from Market Watch altogether.

And last week, we noted that the “weekly national music consumption report” showed a 19.1% YoY decline for CD sales, once again contrasting stats from the RIAA and others.

Now, the curious episode has taken yet another strange turn: As initially highlighted – and as things stand – CDs and physical music sales generally are no longer part of Market Watch.

As a matter of fact, the entire “Album Consumption Units by Format” section, previously featuring CD, vinyl, track-equivalent, audio-on-demand-equivalent, digital, and “other” data, is absent from Market Watch for the week of October 24th.

Predictably, when they were live, all those categories save audio-on-demand equivalent displayed material YTD sales declines from 2023, a Wayback Machine screengrab indicates. Similarly, Billboard’s “Album Sale by Age” analysis of Luminate data, likewise absent from Market Watch at present, suggested sizable sales falloffs for both current and catalog releases.

It’s unclear exactly how the increasingly involved episode plays out from here – but given Luminate’s reach in the sales-data space, a statement (and an eventual formal update to Market Watch) would probably be a good place to start.

Due in part to the benefit of hindsight, we can see that it definitely wasn’t a great idea to spring for year-over-year sales comparisons amid Luminate’s above-mentioned methodology changes.

Even in the current Market Watch installment, Billboard maintains that “the new modeled methodology more accurately represents the independent retail market” – simultaneously emphasizing that “there is not available comparable historical data to provide an accurate year-over-year trend regarding physical sales, including vinyl.”

When it comes to Luminate data, then, that leaves a couple main possibilities, and neither is exactly encouraging for the figures in question. Most conspicuously, the adjusted approach to measuring sales might actually be more accurate – which, in keeping with the aforesaid YoY falloffs formerly displayed on Market Watch, would mean historical stats could have been inflated.

Furthermore, beneath this top-level consideration, Luminate may be registering, to some extent, a genuine sales slip.

Photo Credit: Epic Games

Fortnite welcomes Chapter 2 Remix with Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Ice Spice, and Juice WRLD, following a real world and in-game music event.

Snoop Dogg and Ice Spice delivered a show-stopping performance in Times Square over the weekend in a stunning takeover serving as a prelude to their splash in the new season of Fortnite Battle Royale, Chapter 2 Remix, out now. The event streamed live in Fortnite to give players an immersive experience to dive into, featuring Snoop’s new track, “Gorgeous,” from his upcoming album.

In-game, Chapter 2 Remix arrives with some heavyweight music icons: Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Ice Spice, and Juice WRLD, bringing their fashion, music, and artistry to Fortnite alongside the popular original Fortnite gameplay from 2020. In a first for the game, players can engage with each artist through themed gameplay locations launching week by week. Players can also express themselves and rep each music legend through individual artist outfits found in the Fortnite Shop.

In Week 1, starting on November 2, Snoop Dogg enters Battle Royale and features as the Icon for Season 6 of the music-driven, rhythm-based game, Fortnite Festival. “Being part of Fortnite is all about creating, playing, and sharing my music and culture with the next generation,” says Snoop Dogg. “My son Cordell’s a big Fortnite player with me, so when we had the opportunity we jumped on it as a new way to connect with my sound and style. Anyone can be Snoop in Fortnite.”

In Week 2, starting on November 7, Eminem reappears following his original Fortnite debut in December 2023. “Guess who’s back, ready for combat, man! I’m serving all new gear along with a side of spaghetti — come and get it! Feels good to return to Fortnite for more mayhem,” says Eminem.

Week 3 kicks off on November 14, when Ice Spice arrives to take players into her experience as the Princess of New York. “Getting the chance to come to the game and remix the Chapter 2 map is unreal. It’s exciting to be a part of something so iconic, and I can’t wait for players to experience this new vibe. Fortnite is all about creativity and connection, and I’m hyped to bring my own spin to it!” shares Ice Spice.

Week 4 starts on November 21, when the legacy, music, and style of Juice WRLD is celebrated. More details are forthcoming on the celebration later this month, along with his latest posthumous album due out this year from Grade A Productions and Interscope Records.

Chapter 2 Remix will end on a special note with Remix: The Finale, a live event on November 30 at 2 PM ET, to honor Juice WRLD’s legacy and love for Fortnite. All players who log in between 1 AM ET on November 30 and 1 AM ET on December 1 will receive the cel-shaded Slayer Juice WRLD outfit.

Carmela Wallace, mother of Jarad “Juice WRLD” Higgins, shared, “Jarad always loved to play Fortnite — it was more than just entertainment for him, it was a way to connect with others. From a young age, video games were a part of how he bonded with friends and family, and being in Fortnite is an incredible tribute to that connection. I know he would be overjoyed to see how his love for games continues to bring people together across different spaces, just like his music does.”

This season also introduces Kicks, a brand new cosmetic coming to Fortnite. The initial lineup of Kicks will feature Nike and Jordan brands alongside Fortnite original designs with more brands to be announced in the future. The first pair of Jordans will be available beginning on November 12 as part of the season’s Remix Pass.

Throughout the month with Chapter 2 Remix, players can experience what made the original Chapter 2 so memorable. Chapter 2 Remix comes nearly one year after the launch of Fortnite OG, where the game saw over 100 million players in that month alone. Though long-time fans’ reactions to the takeover changes have been mixed as the remix gets underway.

Photo Credit: Avicii for Candamo Film / Avicii Music AB / Netflix

Netflix announces a documentary about the late producer and DJ Avicii, featuring narration from Avicii himself. The film is due for release on December 31.

A new documentary about the late DJ and producer Avicii is set for release on Netflix on December 31, following its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year. “I’m Tim” is narrated by the musician himself, whose real name was Tim Bergling, using interviews he did before his suicide in 2018.

The documentary will also feature interviews with Bergling’s parents, friends, colleagues, and other artists, covering his rise as a kid in Sweden to international stardom as an EDM legend.

Netflix will also stream Avicii’s final performance at Ushuaïa Ibiza in August 2016. This was his last live set before he stopped touring at age 26 and died only two years later.

“I took the time to drive across the US with my friends and team, to just look and see and think about things in a new way. It really helped me realize that I needed to make the change that I’d been struggling with for a while,” said Avicii on his website in March 2016, when he decided to stop touring to focus on his mental health.

“I’m Tim” was directed by Henrik Burman and produced by Björn Tjärnberg. It follows a documentary released in 2017, directed by Levan Tsikurishvili, “Avicii: True Stories.”

Earlier this summer saw the release of a photobook, “Avicii: The Life and Music of Tim Bergling,” which featured pictures of the producer’s early life, private life, and career. A biography of Bergling, simply called “Tim,” written by Swedish journalist Måns Mosesson, was released in early 2022.

Also in 2022, the Avicii Estate sold 75% of the artist’s catalog to Stockholm-based music investment company Pophouse, co-founded by ABBA legend Björn Ulvaeus. That sale included hits like “Wake Me Up,” “Seek Bromance,” and “Levels.”

An auction of the artist’s personal items took place last October in Stockholm, raising $750,000 for the Tim Bergling Foundation, which works to educate young people about mental health.

Photo Credit: Marvel Stadium

Coldplay broke a new attendance record for Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia previously set by Adele. The stadium confirmed a new attendance record of 227,000 people across the ‘Music of the Spheres’ world tour.

The record-breaking attendance comes as frontman Chris Martin fell through a trapdoor during the concert on Sunday. The 47-year-old fell while speaking to a crowd of 50,000 people. Footage shown on social media showed the singer walking backwards while speaking, before accidentally falling into an opened trap door.

“That’s, uh, not planned, thank you for catching me,” Martin says into the mic. “Thank you guys, holy sh*t.” Martin said he had the jitters but was not injured during his fall. He did take the time to make a joke at his own expense, saying he will “probably be a YouTube moment.”

Coldplay’s ‘Music of the Spheres’ world tour is continuing across Australia with stops in Sydney for several shows and New Zealand up next. Chris Martin isn’t the only star who recently took a tumble on stage, either. Martin’s mishap comes just weeks after Olivia Rodrigo also fell through the stage while performing in Melbourne—albeit at a different venue.

During the final night of her GUTS tour, Olivia Rodrigo was running across the stage, pointing and cheering with fans. She accidentally ran straight into a hole in the ground on stage and fell. Video of the incident captured Rodrigo’s reaction, who climbed out of the hole saying, “Oh my god, that was fun!”

“I’m okay. Woah. Sometimes there’s just a hole in the stage,” she told the crowd. “That’s all right. Okay. Where was I?”

Coldplay ‘Music of the Spheres’ World Tour Dates

November

• 06 | Sydney Olympic Park — Sydney, Australia
• 07 | Sydney Olympic Park — Sydney, Australia
• 09 | Sydney Olympic Park — Sydney, Australia
• 10 | Sydney Olympic Park — Sydney, Australia
• 13 | Eden Park — Auckland, New Zealand
• 15 | Eden Park — Auckland, New Zealand
• 16 | Eden Park — Auckland, New Zealand

January 2025

• 09 | Zayed Sports City — Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
• 11 | Zayed Sports City — Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
• 12 | Zayed Sports City — Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
• 14 | Zayed Sports City — Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
• 18 | D Y Patil Sports Stadium — Navi Mumbai, India
• 19 | D Y Patil Sports Stadium — Navi Mumbai, India
• 21 | D Y Patil Sports Stadium — Navi Mumbai, India

Photo Credit: Fuse Audio

The Fuse Audio GLD is a vertical vinyl player that has surpassed $500,000+ funding on Kickstarter from a collection of more than 2,200 backers. The campaign still has 15 days to go, with Fuse Audio announcing an upgraded tone arm.

Fuse Audio says the milestone in support highlights the demand for the unique record player, a mid-century modern vertical record player designed to appeal to vinyl enthusiasts. The company has been working on improvements for the tone arm, which include improved balance and tracking force, ensuring smoother playback. The refined design also introduces a slightly adjusted headshell angle for the Audio Technica AT3600L cartridge, enhancing needle accuracy.

The Fuse Audio GLD record player features an ashtree wood veneer finish, available in black and gold trims. It also features Bluetooth capabilities, enabling vinyl streaming to Bluetooth-compatible devices. The stylish design displays record vertically while they play, offering high-quality audio with two external 36W speakers—each featuring a 1” tweeter, 4” cone, and a Class D amplifier. The GLD also features versatile playback support for 33, 45, and 78 RPM speeds—offering high-quality sound no matter the format.

The main appeal of a vertical vinyl player is the space-saving footprint. The GLD is just six inches deep, meaning it doesn’t take up a lot of counter space while also displaying the vinyl record as a centerpiece of design. Since the record player is designed with vinyl enthusiasts in mind, it also includes a built-in slot at the back to display cover art of the vinyl currently spinning.

There’s a little more than two weeks left on the Kickstarter campaign, with Fuse Audio telling Digital Music News that the GLD has been in development since July 2023. The company began sourcing materials in September of the same year, with their final sample coming to shape in January 2024. Now the audio company is gathering funding with the expectation that manufacture of the device will happen around December 2024. Fuse Audio has a timeline to ship to backers between December 2024/January 2025.

A pledge of $315 offers Kickstarter backers a 12% discount from MSRP when the device eventually makes its way to the enthusiast market for sale. Early backers were able to snag their GLD players for prices between $199 and $229—though those reward tiers are no longer available. It’s important to note, as with all Kickstarter funding projects, that rewards are not guaranteed.

Photo Credit: Instagram

Instagram upgrades its DMs to improve the experience for creators and influencers getting bombarded by incoming messages.

Instagram announced a big update to its direct messages inbox on Friday, November 1, focused on improving the experience for creators and influencers who receive a lot of inbound messages. The app is introducing tools to allow users to sort and filter their message requests (those that don’t arrive in their main inbox), based on user-set controls.

Users will be able to sort and filter message requests by follower count, verified accounts, brands, creators, and more. The idea is to help the creator better identify higher-priority messages that may require more of their time to respond due to the impact they might have on the creator’s business and relationships. A new “Story Replies” folder will also be added to make them easily accessible and in one place.

The Meta-owned company said the changes are being rolled out after lots of feedback from creators across the world who found managing their DMs to be a terrible chore.

“Now, when you go to the requests inbox, sometimes it can be really overwhelming,” said Instagram’s Adam Mosseri in a post on the platform. “So what we’ve done is added ways to filter down those requests to just see the ones that you’re looking for.”

“There’s a lot more to do to improve the inbox for creators and requests,” he continued. “But hopefully, this is one step in the right direction.”

Users can access the “Sort & Filter” options in an overlay on top of their inbox, where they can choose to sort requests by most recent or by the number of followers the sender has. From there, they can check or uncheck other options to further narrow down the scope of what they want to see in their inbox.

These changes come on the heels of other inbox-focused filtering improvements made by Meta this week in its platform WhatsApp.

Photo Credit: Sean “Diddy” Combs for Combs Global

Miami Beach takes back its key to the city from Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, as the city’s vice mayor says he is ‘disgusted’ by the allegations against him.

The City of Miami Beach has officially stripped Sean “Diddy” Combs of his key to the city that he was awarded back in 2015. The mayor still has to certify the resolution, which is forthcoming. Earlier this year, Miami canceled Diddy Day—which was supposed to be October 13.

CBS Miami spoke to Miami Beach’s Vice Mayor Alex Fernandez about the decision, to which he called allegations against the disgraced music mogul “disgusting,” “dirty,” and “inhumane.”

“Justice must be served, and this is a small way in which our city can grant some justice to the victims of the gross acts that have been committed,” said Fernandez.

Combs was awarded with the ceremonial key by then-mayor Philip Levine in 2015. Last month, it was reported that Miami Beach city officials were in the final stages in their negotiations to take back their key. Mayor Steven Weiner and the city commission unanimously voted on the revocation on October 30.

Meanwhile, New York Mayor Eric Adams rescinded Combs’ key to that city after the unearthed hotel surveillance footage of the rapper beating ex Casandra Ventura in 2016 showed up on CNN this past May. The footage coincided with Ventura’s November 2023 lawsuit against Combs in which she alleged sexual and physical assault throughout their relationship.

The two settled the lawsuit only one day after Ventura filed, but that lawsuit seemed to kick off a series of similar suits, many of which remain open.

The 54-year-old Combs is currently held in Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center as he awaits his May 2025 trial. He was twice denied bail since his arrest and indictment for sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pled not guilty to the charges, and continues to deny allegations against him.

Photo Credit: Ed Sheeran by Stephen Lavoie / iRocktography

Ed Sheeran’s ‘Thinking Out Loud’ isn’t similar enough to Marvin Gaye’s ‘Let’s Get It On’ to enforce copyright protection, an appeals court rules.

Ed Sheeran is popping another champagne cork in his long-running battle against a copyright infringement lawsuit over “Thinking Out Loud.” The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled the song’s similarity to Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” did not warrant enforcing copyright protection.

The Court of Appeals affirmed the district court’s dismissal of the copyright infringement lawsuit, filed by Structured Asset Sales (SAS), which owns a portion of the royalties from the Marvin Gaye classic.

In the three-judge panel’s decision, the Copyright Act of 1909 only protects the musical composition of “Let’s Get It On” as defined by the sheet music filed with the Copyright Office in 1973. Therefore, it does not protect elements present solely in the audio recording of the song.

Further, the court rejected SAS’ argument that the combination of a four-chord progression and a syncopated harmonic rhythm in Gaye’s track was sufficiently original to warrant copyright protection. Instead, it found this combination to be too commonplace to protect it without granting it an overly broad monopoly.

“Basic musical building blocks like notes, rhythms, and chords are generally not copyrightable,” the judges wrote.

The court also asserted that no reasonable jury would find the two songs substantially similar, with entirely different melodies and lyrics. As a result, SAS failed to raise a triable issue of fact regarding copyright infringement having taken place, and the district court affirmed summary judgment to Sheeran.

Their recent ruling helps tie up remaining loose ends following Sheeran’s court victory over the same song last year. That trial was brought about by descendants of Ed Townsend, Marvin Gaye’s co-writer.

A key dispute throughout that case was also whether the copyright of “Let’s Get It On” protected specific parts of the song. Ultimately, the protected parts were defined by the written deposit copy, and jurors could not consider additional elements from Gaye’s recording.

Photo Credit: Hanyang Zhang

TikTok’s existing licensing deal with indie collective Merlin ended on October 31st. Now, the social media juggernaut has been busy inking deals outside of that expired deal, apparently with monetization changes in place. Here’s what’s leaking.

As a quick rewind on this imbroglio: TikTok first informed licensing collective Merlin that it would not be renewing its long-standing deal, set to expire on October 31st, back in September. At the time, Merlin went public with a statement claiming TikTok walked away from the licensing negotiation before it had even began. TikTok said it would go its own way in forging licensing deals with the labels and distributors that Merlin represents.

Merlin accused TikTok of attempting to fragment its membership and minimize payments for indie artists. TikTok released a statement calling into question Merlin’s delivered content and the inability to separate fraudulent content from Merlin. Merlin addressed those concerns by mentioning several steps it took to verify the content it delivers—but TikTok said too little, too late.

The first domino to fall came last week, when UnitedMasters announced it had secured its own licensing deal with TikTok. Now, a Billboard report interviewing twelve executives at various indie labels and distributors reveals that many are divided on what to do. Some want to make sure there is absolutely no way to move forward without Merlin, while others are forging ahead, feeling an obligation to their clients to promote them as best as possible.

“If I still thought that not signing would help Merlin get a new deal, or could help the independent music community, I would try not to sign,” one exec speaking anonymously told Billboard. “But even when Universal didn’t sign, [TikTok] didn’t care. We have no choice because our artists want to be on TikTok—perhaps too much—but for them, this is very important.”

According to those sources, the compensation terms provided under the new individual offers are not any better or worse than Merlin’s collective bargaining. But that doesn’t mean no changes at all. The big one? TikTok is not paying out music licensors based on views a song receives, rather than new creations. TikTok calculates market share based on views and the payment to the licensor is divided up from there—but that doesn’t mean there’s now a certain royalty amount per view.

“It won’t lead to a major difference in how much we are paid,” one exec told Billboard. “We are still doing the math, but it seems like there will be about a 4% difference in what we take in from TikTok, give or take.” Most executives view TikTok’s value not in compensation, calling it one of the ‘smallest revenue earners’ for a music company. Instead, they see value in the platform as a promotional avenue.

Some changes to the previous contracts also included a ‘most favored nations’ clause, giving licensors the right to the same terms and benefits as similar licensors who do business with TikTok. These new contracts do not. A new provision across these separate contracts also include a ‘know your customer’ clause, which requires verification of artists’ identities before allowing them to upload songs. That clause came out presumably to weed out bad actors who are using AI and bots to finagle music streaming services out of millions. But it also places the onus of bad actors on labels and distributors—rather than TikTok directly.

(l to r) Live Nation Venues president Tom See, Rock Hall of Famer Dave Matthews (holding a guitar made from aluminum cans recycled on tour), and Live Nation head of global sustainability Lucy August-Perna. Photo Credit: Sanjay Suchak

It turns out staging huge tours can be environmentally friendly – at least according to Live Nation and the Dave Matthews Band, which say they’ve organized the “first zero waste tour.”

Live Nation and the more than three-decade-old Dave Matthews Band reached out with a variety of hard numbers about that zero-waste tour. As told by the involved parties, the descriptor (and the appropriate figures) pertains specifically to shows delivered at 18 Live Nation venues in the U.S.

The Virginia-based group had previously announced its sustainability-focused plans for those concerts, mentioning the expected presence of “free water refill stations,” “zero-waste stations to collect disposable items,” and, building on the latter, “onsite green teams hand-sorting all concert waste.”

All told, north of 400 crew members are said to have contributed to the effort, and “over 90% of waste from fans…was reused, composted, recycled, or donated,” per Live Nation – with the figure having hit 99% at certain venues.

(A minute-long video places the overall percentage at 93%, and “donated” presumably refers to clothing and other non-recyclable junk left behind by attendees.)

Also according to the Ticketmaster parent, approximately 100,000 pounds of trash were “diverted from landfill,” and “3,200 meals were donated to local community organizations” in connection with the initiative. Lastly, 1,500 aluminum cans recycled on the tour “were used to create a series of top-of-the-line aluminum guitars gifted to Dave Matthews for charity.”

Though it perhaps goes without saying, there are substantial costs associated with staging zero-waste (or low-waste) concerts – meaning that doing so will prove financially challenging for even well-known acts.

Of course, a significant amount of time, energy, money, and trouble would be saved if fans simply cleaned up after themselves; Coachella and Stagecoach attendees left behind an estimated 24 tons of trash, clothing, and gear this year, for instance.

In any event, it remains to be seen whether the Dave Matthews Band’s zero-waste framework can also apply to different concert series. Closer to the top of 2024, Live Nation, Warner Music, and Coldplay partnered with MIT on “a comprehensive study of the live music industry’s carbon footprint.”

Initially expected to wrap in July, said study was extended in late June “to allow for more comprehensive data collection and analysis,” Live Nation said. The resource’s release is now tentatively expected for sometime this fall.

In one of late October and early November’s music industry hires, promotions, and departures, Josh Wyatt (pictured) became Avant Gardner’s first CEO. Photo Credit: Avant Gardner

Here’s a recap of recent music industry hires and in-house promotions as of November 1st, 2024.

If you have a job shuffle to share, we’re all ears. Send us a note to news@digitalmusicnews.com. If you’d like to post a job on our Job Board, just send us a request to noah@digitalmusicnews.com. And, keep track of all the latest music industry hires here.

Warner Chappell Music + Warner Chappell Korea

Warner Chappell has promoted seven-year team member Daniel Lang to SVP of global society relations and digital rights. Additionally, former Kakao exec Sophia Hong has signed on as Warner Chappell Korea’s MD.

CD Baby

Downtown’s CD Baby has elevated Nicholas Salomone, who’s been with the company for nearly eight years, to SVP of business development and revenue.

TuneCore

Former seven-year Spotify FP&A higher-up Atticus Shelley is now VP of finance for Believe’s TuneCore.

Avant Gardner

Hospitality vet Josh Wyatt has become CEO of New York City’s Avant Gardner.

Mavin Global

Mavin Records founding member Tega Oghenejobo has been upped to president and COO at Mavin Global.

Red Bull Records

Red Bull Records has brought on Leif Janzen, formerly senior director of digital marketing at Capitol Music Group, as VP of digital marketing.

UMPG

Universal Music Publishing Group has promoted EVP Jennifer Knoepfle to head of U.S. A&R.

In the fresh role, the former Sony Music Publishing exec Knoepfle has bumped senior A&R managers Daniella Rasho (now director of global A&R) and Deeba Abrishamchi (director of U.S. A&R).

Lastly, Spotify and Polydor vet Hollie Boston has come aboard as director of U.S. A&R.

UMG

Universal Music has boosted CFO and operations president Boyd Muir to the newly created role of COO.

Spotify

After more than five years with the company, Spotify global head of music Jeremy Erlich is stepping down to pursue an as-yet-undisclosed entrepreneurial endeavor.

Tidal

Tidal is preparing to lay off “a number” of team members, reportedly referring to as many as 100 individuals, per owner Jack Dorsey.

DistroKid

DistroKid has placed 37 unionized employees on administrative leave “pending layoffs,” according to the appropriate union.

Lede Company

The Lede Company has established a music office in Nashville, with over six-year team member Cara Hutchison leading the division and Jess Anderson (previously part of Big Loud) serving as a publicist.

Empire

Empire has hired Jeffrey Yoo as SVP of East Asia.

Goldenvoice

AEG Presents’ Goldenvoice has announced a hire and multiple promotions. On the hire front, Candace Mandracia, who previously spent over 22 years with Live Nation, has joined as a talent buyer focusing on “shows in the San Diego area.”

Shifting to promotions, multi-year talent buyer Becky Rosen-Checa is poised to begin overseeing “bookings for the Fox Theater Pomona in addition to one-off LA area shows.”

Additionally, Chavanté Flakes (having joined the overarching AEG Presents in 2022) has been promoted to talent buyer at Los Angeles’ The Novo, with Montreh Nariman-Hassanabadi boosted from talent buyer assistant to talent buyer proper.

Jen

Former TikTok music exec Isabel Quinteros is officially SVP of marketing and industry relations for Jen Music AI.

TikTok/SoundOn

TikTok’s SoundOn distribution and promotion unit has elevated more than two-year team member Josh Mateer to A&R head for the U.K. and Europe.

Photo Credit: Amazon Music

Both Apple Music and Amazon Music are starting the Christmas holiday season early—though Mariah Carey is dominating Amazon’s offering. Meanwhile, Apple has a selection of Christmas Carols covered by today’s artists.

Apple Music is debuting its latest Carols Covered Collection that features a fresh selection of beloved Christmas and holiday songs. The new tracks were recorded by a specially curated group of artists, hand-selected by Apple Music’s editors and all available in spatial audio.

Seasonal songs this year include selections from Alice Merton, BOYNEXTDOOR, Ditonellapiaga, Lizzy McAlpine, Luisa Almaguer, MaKenzie, MENTISSA, Lights, Pheelz, Tade Dust, Tones and I, Rachel Chinouriri, Rachel Platten, Ruel, The Linda Lindas, and Zach Top.

Apple is also debuting the Classical Carols Covered playlist, featuring a lineup of exclusive Apple Music holiday songs performed by top classical artists. This year’s collection features whimsical arrangements from Anastasia Kobekina, Daniil Trifonov, Hayato Sumino and SANSARA as they perform well-known Christmas music alongside a couple of lesser-known gems and bring their incredible musicianship to these carols.

2024 Carols Covered Tracks

• Rachel Platten, “Jingle Bell Rock”
• Lizzy McAlpine, “Celebrate Me Home”
• Zach Top, “Blue Christmas”
• MaKenzie, “Let It Snow”
• The Linda Lindas, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”
• Ruel, “santa doesn’t know you like i do”
• Tones and I, “Hallelujah
• Lights, “Last Christmas”
• MENTISSA, “Shake Up Christmas”
• Alice Merton, “Sleigh Ride”
• Ditonellapiaga, “(Everybody’s Waitin’ For) The Man With The Bag”
• Tade Dust, “I Saw Three Ships”
• Luisa Almaguer, “Amarga Navidad”
• Pheelz, “The Twelve Days of Christmas”
• BOYNEXTDOOR, “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas”
• Rachel Chinouriri, “Christmas Lights”

2024 Classical Carols Covered Tracks

• Anastasia Kobekina, “The Coventry Carol”
• Daniil Trifonov, “Man of the House”
• Hayato Sumino, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”
• SANSARA, “Peace on Earth”

Meanwhile, if you want to listen to the same song we’ve all heard a thousand times over, Amazon Music has you covered with a Mariah Carey partnership. The self-proclaimed ‘Queen of Christmas’ has teamed up with Amazon to offer a selection of holiday decor and tour merch that celebrates the 30th anniversary of “All I Want For Christmas Is You.”

The merch partnership comes as Mariah Carey kicks off her Christmas Time tour in Highland, CA on November 6. So whether you want a taste of something new or the same-old, same-old Christmas jingle—both Apple Music and Amazon Music have you covered.

Photo Credit: Mariah Carey by Raph PH / CC by 2.0

Mariah Carey has been eligible for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for nearly a decade, but laments her lawyer got inducted before her.

Mariah Carey says her lawyer made it into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame before her. The singer, who has been eligible for the Hall of Fame herself for nearly a decade, has only just received a nomination this year.

But her lawyer, Allen Grubman, was inducted in 2022 in the Ahmet Ertegun Award category for his work representing stars like Carey, Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, Elton John, and — until recently — Sean “Diddy” Combs. Notably, Grubman is also one of the Rock Hall’s founders.

Mariah Carey recently spoke about the situation in an interview with The Los Angeles Times, in which she was asked about her thoughts on being nominated for the first time. “My thoughts are, I didn’t get in,” she said. “Everybody was calling me, going, ‘I think you’re getting in!’ and so I was excited about it. But then it didn’t happen. My lawyer got into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame before me.”

She first became eligible for nomination in 2015, on the 25th anniversary of her debut album. But Grubman has been involved in the Rock Hall since its inception back in 1983. That said, his induction was not without its share of controversy. Fellow co-founder Jann Wenner criticized the decision, calling it “about money and bending to the ego of a music-business power broker.” Wenner was removed from his position after a disastrous interview about his book ‘The Masters,’ which only highlighted male rock star points of view.

Mariah Carey is getting ready to unleash Christmas this month with her 2024 Christmas Tour, followed by dates next year with her residency in Las Vegas. The star is also reportedly working on “nine or 10” new songs, “enough to have an album.” She’s also forged a partnership with Amazon Music to sell Christmas merch this year—embracing her title as Queen of Christmas.

Photo Credit: Young Thug and Kevin Liles / Instagram

300 Entertainment CEO Kevin Liles issues a statement on the conclusion of Young Thug’s trial: ‘Artists aren’t fictional characters.’

Kevin Liles, co-founder and CEO of 300 Entertainment, has released a statement following Atlanta rapper Young Thug’s sentencing following a guilty plea on Thursday (October 31). Liles signed the rapper, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, to 300 Entertainment in 2014.

Young Thug is to be released from prison after spending the past two years in custody, following his arrest in May 2022 along with over a dozen others as part of a massive indictment for alleged violations of Georgia’s RICO law.

“Words can’t express the incredible happiness and relief I feel to learn of Jeffery’s freedom,” said Liles. “There will be a time to discuss the criminalization of hip-hop lyrics and the use of bond denial as a weapon against defendants, but in this moment everyone should feel nothing but joy that this amazing artist and even better man can hug his children, parents, siblings, and other loved ones tonight.”

“We must always remember artists aren’t fictional characters,” Liles continued. “They’re human beings first. God bless Jeffery and his family.”

The trial, which kicked off in November last year, was built around claims that Williams and other members of his YSL Records had committed murders, drug dealings, carjackings, and other crimes. Williams refused to take a plea deal that would have resulted in his immediate release and opted for a non-negotiated guilty plea. He was sentenced to 15 years probation with no time to be served.

“I know what I bring to the table and I know what I am,” said Williams, noting the influence he holds in his community, and telling the court he takes ‘full responsibility’ for his actions. “I know the heights I’ve reached and I know the impact I’ve got on people in the community.”

The 33-year-old is not permitted to visit the Atlanta metro area except in special circumstances, but must return multiple times a year to hold anti-gang and anti-gun violence presentations as part of his sentencing.

Photo Credit: Hearby Cares

Area4Labs’ Hearby Cares is a new AI-powered initiative to highlight live benefit shows providing relief for areas affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

The team at Area4Labs says they created the initiative to provide a comprehensive benefit show list and a map to maximize awareness and attendance of these important recovery effort live shows. Hearby Cares is a team-wide, collaborative effort to highlight benefit shows, collect event data, and showcase more than 100 benefit shows across the United States.

The existing Hearby venue and event database helped the team fine-tune their data collection practices to identify benefit shows. Shows highlighted by Hearby Cares vary greatly in size, from small listening rooms to stadiums with a capacity for 70,000+ people in attendance. Benefit shows for hurricane relief have raised millions of dollars, while others provide necessary supplies for victims of these natural disasters to get back on their feet. Area4Labs says they view this project as a way to filter and present event data for communities that deserve extra attention.

“Across the Hearby team, we are at our core a group of musicians and music fans with a deep love for local music scenes. Hearby Cares is an initiative born from our appreciation of the Appalachian music scene, from North Carolina through Tennessee and beyond, and our want to help that region after the devastation brought about by recent hurricanes and flooding,” the Area4Labs team told Digital Music News.

“Through Hearby Cares, we have been able to cover over 100 benefit shows (and counting) across the United States that all have a mission to help those in need. Looking ahead, we see tremendous value in Hearby Cares and our ability to quickly react to social and cultural movements, and to highlight the events surrounding them.”

Several high-profile artists have stepped up to help these regions struck by hurricanes. Morgan Wallen donated $500,000 to the Red Cross for relief, while Dolly Parton donated $1 million to recovery efforts. North Carolina natives Luke Combs and Eric Church recently led a benefit ‘Concert for Carolina’ that managed to raise $24.5 million for relief efforts—particularly around Asheville.

Madlib, who’s suing his manager for ‘pervasive mismanagement.’ Photo Credit: Gergely Csatari

Veteran producer and DJ Madlib is suing his manager for allegedly failing to perform a variety of duties while simultaneously “engaging in persistent and pervasive mismanagement.”

Madlib (real name Otis Jackson Jr.) fired off the brief-but-multifaceted complaint yesterday, about 14 years after exiting Stones Throw Records and setting out “to own and control his music.” The latter objective laid the groundwork for a tie-up with former (and allegedly “fired”) Stone’s Throw exec Eothen Alapatt.

Known professionally as Egon, Alapatt had already founded Now-Again Records and, per the legal text, agreed to form and run a distinct company owned by Madlib and dedicated to his “career and the production, recording and distribution of his recorded music,” with the resulting profits to “be shared between” the two individuals.

Enter Madicine Show, which purportedly focused on Madlib’s career and was unilaterally controlled by Egon. That control allegedly extended to “all of the entity’s bank accounts” as well as “all of the decisions regarding incoming and outgoing monies” – including payments to Madlib himself.

Moreover, distribution pacts, social media management, tax filings, personnel decisions, and a whole lot else allegedly fell under Egon’s exclusive purview at Madicine Show. A few years after Madicine’s inception, a second entity, Rapp Cats, was established to zero in on Madlib’s merch and physical releases, per the legal text.

According once again to the suit, Egon also had control of this company and handled the business-related decisions at hand.

Predictably, given the legal action, all was not well behind the scenes; Madlib “recently discovered” that Egon was “engaged in rank self-dealing,” referring in part to “concealing information from [Madlib] and repeatedly breaching his duties.”

First up on Madlib’s laundry list of qualms is Egon’s alleged decision to “improperly” insert the aforementioned Now-Again “as middleman between” Madicine’s primary distributor, Ingrooves.

Meanwhile, Egon, once again via Now-Again, allegedly took “and apparently continues to take a fee off the top of any income generated by the sale or other distribution of” Madicine projects, referring mainly to releases from Madlib.

A Madlib-commissioned “forensic accounting” of Madicine and Rapp Cats, spanning 2018 through 2022, is said to have uncovered “several accounting irregularities as well as a lack of any backup documentation for” hundreds of thousands of dollars in “consulting” and “reimbursement” payments to Egon and others.

The alleged irregularities and lack of backup documents encompassed as well “the majority of inbound deposits to the two entities’ bank accounts (totaling in the several millions of dollars),” on top of different areas yet, per the suit.

Additionally, Egon has allegedly “failed and refused to produce the full and complete books and records of” Madicine and Rapp Cats – besides allegedly failing to allow a distribution-focused audit of Now-Again’s Madicine relationship, refusing to provide Madlib’s “newly retained professional team” with documents, and preventing Madlib from accessing multiple social handles and platforms to boot.

Lastly, Egon allegedly “directed a single lawyer and single accountant to represent him” along with Madlib (who wasn’t consulted about the decision), Now-Again, Madicine, and Rapp Cats alike.

All told, he and the other defendants (also including Rapp Cats’ Jeff Jank and Now-Again itself) are facing a demand for “a judicially supervised wind up and dissolution” of Rapp Cats and Madicine.

Egon himself and Now-Again have been accused of breach of fiduciary duty – with Madlib further seeking a court declaration that he’s effectively terminated any rights (from recorded music to trademarks and various areas in between) granted to Madicine and Rapp Cats.

DMN reached out to Egon for comment but didn’t receive a response in time for publishing.

Photo Credit: On Air

Content from the UMG-owned production studio is available to stream now.

With the emergence of concert streaming’s high-growth potential, on-stage performance streaming platform On Air is now offering new monetization opportunities for intellectual property owners and artists. The platform aims to elevate the fan experience by offering a true cinematic experience with content available in 4K UHD with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos technologies.

Since 2020, On Air has hosted a serious catalog of live concerts and performances from A-list artists and shows. That includes performances from the likes of Zara Larsson, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, and Years & Years from iconic music venues spanning Royal Albert Hall, OVO Arena Wembley, BBC Studios, and more.

But that’s just the beginning: expanding upon their existing on-stage video catalog, On Air recently forged a deal with Mercury Studios for concert performance footage. Mercury Studios, a division of UMG, is a multi-faceted music content studio and treasure trove of seminal concert footage. Just recently, On Air joined forces with DMN to further propel the platform.

Mercury Studios’ sizable catalog features over 2,000 hours of standout performances by the most prominent names in music — including Peter Gabriel, Lynyrd Skynrd, Duran Duran, Black Sabbath, Journey, ZZ Top, Santana, Eric Clapton, Toto, and The Who, as well as assets from legendary production company Eagle Rock. Now, that historic and important catalog is finding another outlet via On Air to reach fans – with the ingestion and dissemination process well underway.

“On Air provides an exciting opportunity to showcase the breadth of Mercury Studios’ programming, from award-winning documentaries to concerts by iconic artists like Eric Clapton, Miles Davis, Chicago, Jeff Beck, Cypress Hill, and INXS. This partnership with On Air will further expand the reach of these remarkable performances,” said Rob Gill, SVP Global Operations, Mercury Studios.

Jakub Krampl, co-founder and CEO of On Air, sat down with DMN to reveal how On Air’s latest deal with Mercury Studios expands global exposure opportunities and monetization for all IP owners, labels, and artists on the platform. For starters, Mercury Studio’s catalog is impressive, and that will draw a bigger audience interested in higher-quality live performances.

“We’re here to support the distribution of catalogs and monetization of longform content in 4K with Dolby Vision and Atmos technology,” said Krampl. “On Air provides an end-to-end service to artists, labels and rights holders — all backed by a cutting-edge tech stack.”

On Air’s vast infrastructure expertly covers every aspect of the streaming process, solving problems typically faced by IP owners when they attempt to distribute content across mainstream channels.

A sampling of On Air’s live concerts and performances from A-list artists filmed at iconic music venues. (Photo Credit: On Air)

According to Krampl, On Air offers a ‘premium streaming service for on-stage entertainment,’ handling everything from pre-production and on-site production management to an exclusive post-production process that ensures higher-quality content for its users.

On Air’s DRM-protected streaming platform plays comfortably across desktop, mobile, and TV endpoints. Stretching things further, the company also pushes engagement by marketing content and managing assets across multiple platforms, including social media with tailored campaigns.

And when the opportunity arises, On Air also helps to negotiate branding and agency partnerships to further stretch the reach of its footage.

The platform offers prime viewing experiences to fans in over 190 countries, while taking adequate measures to prevent unlawful distribution. Among the most prominent offerings available to stream are Zara Larsson’s sold-out ‘Venus Tour’ at AFAS Live in Amsterdam, Noel Gallagher’s High-Flying Birds live at Wythenshawe Park in Manchester, Yoshiki’s ‘Requiem Classical World Tour’ recorded at the Royal Albert Hall, and a pair of sold-out All Time Low shows, captured at OVO Arena Wembley (2023) and Merriweather Post Pavilion (2024).

One of On Air’s biggest differentiators is its audio and picture quality, with streams available to watch in 4K UHD with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos technologies.

Krampl explains that the solution, crafted by On Air’s partnership with Dolby, “provides every user with the opportunity to experience our productions with the immersive sound of Dolby Atmos and ultra-vivid pictures of Dolby Vision for a premium entertainment experience.”

“On Air has successfully achieved a live stream in Dolby Vision, which hasn’t been done before — and that’s only one of the many advanced solutions we’re capable of providing,” Krampl continued, while pointing to the company’s All Time Low OVO Arena Wembley capture. That show was delivered in 4K UHD with HDR and Dolby Atmos immersive sound, and accessed across 56 countries simultaneously over the web, mobile and TV apps.

In fact, all On Air-produced shows are filmed in close partnership with Dolby. “We’re delighted that On Air uses Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision to give them an edge in concert streaming,” said Jane Gillard, Head of Music Partnerships Europe for Dolby. “Artists invest so much into live shows – sound, visuals, effects, lighting. In using the best in Dolby technology, On Air are able to deliver an experience that beats standard video and stereo hands down.”

The on-stage performance streaming space has a number of big competitors, though On Air’s focus strategies of Dolby-powered streams, complementary solutions, and competitive pricing could prove to be significant differentiators.

Krampl explains that On Air’s entire service infrastructure is developed in-house, which makes it ‘independent of third-party platforms and agencies.’ This self-developed tech-stack and content delivery platform, according to Krampl, allows On Air to address problems before they arise, ‘while continuing to develop and innovate’ for their stakeholders.

The On Air HD stereo service is available to viewers at $10.99 per show, with the On Air catalog available to stream on-demand with unlimited replays.

Photo Credit: On Air

Why is now the moment for concert video to expand and reach a wider audience? Krampl points out that On Air is aware of how current economic challenges have significantly shuffled audience priorities and where they want to spend their money.

Exorbitant ticket prices and the cost of travelling to venues present barriers that threaten to separate artists from their fans.

On Air aims to democratize access to live music and provide a genuine connection between audiences and performers. Their ‘cutting-edge solutions directly offer the energy and magic of live performances to audiences’ around the world.

The On Air app, available across Apple iOS, Android, and Fire TV, is designed to make viewers feel like they’re in the center of the action. Users can tune in to On Air’s cinematic show library in 4K UHD and spatial audio from anywhere, and seamlessly switch to the big screen at any time.

Photo Credit: Too Lost

Fan engagement is one of the biggest cornerstones of success in the music industry. Engagement empowers artists and their teams to harness the potential of their fan bases, cultivate superfans, and foster a strong bond between those fans and the artist. Too Lost is making it easier than ever to facilitate that connection with Fan Blast—directly from the Too Lost dashboard. Let’s take a peek at how it works.

The following was created in collaboration with Too Lost, a company DMN is proud to be partnered with.

Social media has great tools to help budding artists get discovered by more fans, but how do you contact them once they’re aware of your music? A more extensive reach method is needed to engage fans directly when new music drops as social media by design does not show your updates to everyone who follows you on the platform.

Meta has long been criticized for this, with reach happening to only 5.9% of a person’s organic followers on that platform. That’s better than the 4.3% it used to be, but the result is that artists must hope for a viral post—or pay Meta to reach 100% of their audience who expressed interest.

Email tools are far more effective at maintaining an in-the-know relationship with fans who have expressed interest in new music. That’s because emails are delivered directly to a person and when crafted with catchy headlines and tailored to music fans—they deliver more action in terms of potential sales and new streams. Even merch drop emails tend to be more successful than social media blasts—since the artist shared their email because they’re interested in the music in the first place.

Too Lost is capitalizing on the close connection that email marketing offers by offering artists and managers the ability to build and blast emails to their entire fanbase. Fan Blast allows artists to email anyone who has pre-saved one of their songs, generate early listen links to keep those fans engaged with new music, and notify fans about upcoming releases, merch drops, and more.

Artists and managers can completely customize the message, or use powerful AI tools to generate the message with listening links already inserted. Too Lost says the tool is designed to help add new fans in real-time as they engage with your music, bringing your marketing efforts closer to the fan for a strong artist-fan bond. The ability to engage superfans directly on new releases means those fans are among the first to hear your music—perhaps influencing others and growing your fanbase in the process.

“We understand the importance of owning the communication with your fans. Social media is great, but we know the reach is heavily restricted. Fan Blast makes it easy to get messages directly to your fans, right from your Too Lost dashboard.”

This new fan engagement feature, paired with Too Lost’s other features offer artists a full suite of services to identify and connect with their fans across the web.

Photo Credit: Amr Diab with his seven World Music Awards by Muhammad Rafaat / CC by 4.0

Sony Music signs an exclusive multi-album agreement with Egyptian icon Amr Diab, acquiring his catalog in the process.

Sony Music Entertainment Middle East just scored an exclusive partnership with Middle Eastern music icon Amr Diab, which includes the acquisition of his music catalog and a multi-album agreement.

The deal includes hits like “Inta El Haz,” “Zay Manty,” and “Ya Ana Ya La,” as well as introducing “a forward-looking multi-album deal set to redefine musical boundaries.”

Often referred to as “the father of Mediterranean music,” Amr Diab is a best-selling artist with a decade-spanning career full of numerous accolades, including seven World Music Awards, five Platinum Record Awards, and six African Music Awards.

Amr Diab’s collaboration with Sony Music Middle East will leverage the company’s global network to “explore innovative sounds and partnerships,” and further his international reach and appeal.

“I am thrilled to start this new chapter of my music career with Sony Music,” says Amr Diab. “Their commitment to nurturing artistic growth aligns with my vision for the future of my music. Stay tuned to new innovations coming your way!”

“Amr Diab is a musical visionary whose work transcends cultural and generational boundaries. We are proud to welcome Amr to Sony Music and share his music beyond the Middle East, propelling his musical legacy to even greater heights,” said Shridhar Subremaniam, President Asia and Middle East Sony Music. “This partnership aims to showcase the rich musical heritage of the Middle East on a global stage.”

“Amr Diab’s lasting impact on the music industry is unparalleled,” concludes Rami Mohsen, Managing Director of Sony Music Entertainment Middle East. “This strategic partnership will introduce his unique sound to broader audiences and underscores our commitment to fostering exceptional talent and creative excellence around the globe. As we expand our footprint in the rapidly growing Middle Eastern market, partnering with Amr Diab aligns perfectly with our vision for the region’s music industry.”

The partnership comes amid Sony Music Entertainment’s continued domination of the IFPI Top 200 MENA Chart, showing significant influence in the region.

An interior shot of Deezer’s Paris headquarters. Photo Credit: Deezer

Deezer’s Q3 2024 revenue neared $146 million (€134 million) thanks in part to the company’s continued growth in France and ongoing partnership expansions.

Paris-headquartered Deezer (Euronext: DEEZR) revealed these and different performance specifics in its third-quarter earnings report today. The revenue total represents an 11% YoY boost and consists of $93.40 million/€85.8 million from direct streaming operations (up 4.1% YoY), $45.18 million/€41.5 million from partnerships (up 21.3% YoY), and $7.29 million/€6.7 million from other sources (up 63.8% YoY).

By market, the Alexis Lanternier-led business generated over half its Q3 2024 revenue from operations in France ($85.44 million/€78.5 million, up 9.4% YoY), with the remaining $60.41 million/€55.5 million (up 13.5% YoY) having derived from all other regions.

Shifting to the subscribership side, Deezer is now approaching 10 million paid-access users; Q3 2024’s subscriber total grew 4.1% YoY despite a 1.4% YoY slip for direct subs (5.2 million). Meanwhile, the Access Industries-owned platform attributed the remaining 4.7 million subscriptions to partnerships (an 11% YoY Improvement).

As a pertinent aside, Q3 2023 data was updated “to offset the impact of” approximately 400,000 inactive Family accounts’ removal from the service. “We removed nearly 400,000 inactive Family accounts from our subscriber base,” Deezer CFO Carl de Place elaborated during the earnings call, “mainly from our direct segment in France and the rest of the world. … And this is a contractual thing due to the nature of agreements with the providers.

“We don’t expect that trend to continue materially in the next quarter. The bigger reason for that is that once the user reaches a certain seniority and is inactive, we do pay some penalties. We continue to remove those users, but the effect would be much less significant than what we’ve seen for this quarter,” he concluded.

Regarding the relatively strong subscriber showing, worth noting is that Deezer has by its own description ramped up festival sponsorships in France. Amid a pre-implementation dispute over the European nation’s “streaming tax,” which is now in effect, Spotify axed its involvement with multiple festivals.

The leading music streaming platform later upped its prices in France to boot – though Deezer has done the same on multiple occasions and, as underscored by execs during the Q3 earnings call, may well do so again in the near future.

It should also be highlighted that Deezer’s partnership subscriptions (with, among others, DAZN, another Access Industries subsidiary) are less lucrative than their direct counterparts. For Q3 2024, that refers specifically to monthly ARPU of $5.49/€5.4 for direct and $3.05/€2.8 for the partnership category.

Looking ahead to the remainder of 2024, Deezer reiterated “its objective to achieve 10% revenue growth” on the year. During today’s trading, however, DEEZR slipped 7.42% to about $1.57/€1.44 per share.

Universal Music Group head Lucian Grainge. Photo Credit: UMG

Amid continued streaming-plateau concerns, Universal Music Group (UMG) has posted its Q3 2024 financials – complete with flat recorded music streaming subscription revenue and a slight ad-supported revenue improvement.

These and other interesting performance details emerged in the leading label’s just-released third-quarter earnings report. As many will recall, UMG shares parted with over 20% of their value in the wake of the Q2 report, seemingly due to investor concerns about a possible streaming plateau.

Subsequently, an expansion-minded Universal Music put out an aggressive streaming forecast, predicting an 8-10% annual subscription-revenue expansion on the recorded side, running through 2028.

In other words, the Q3 2024 earnings specifics are important on multiple levels for UMG, which attached $3.12 billion (€2.87 billion) in total revenue to the three-month stretch (up 4.3% YoY).

Behind the sum, $2.34 billion/€2.15 billion came from recorded music (up 5.4% YoY but down 2.5% quarterly), with a flat €500 million/$544.15 million attributed to publishing (up 1.8% YoY but down 2.2% quarterly). Even so, recorded music streaming revenue (subscription and ad-supported) grew by just under 1% from the second quarter, the relevant documents show.

However, the category’s boost wasn’t the result of a subscription-revenue spike. On the contrary, subscriptions contributed an identical amount ($1.24 billion/€1.14 billion) to recorded music revenue in Q2 and Q3, with the latter representing a 7.6% YoY bump.

But in falling less than 1% YoY to $385.26 million/€354 million, Q3 ad-supported recorded revenue improved noticeably from Q2’s $373.29 million/€343 million (which was down 4.2% YoY).

Rounding out UMG’s Q3 2024 recorded revenue, permanent downloads slipped 28.8% YoY to $45.71 million/€42 million, as physical revenue from vinyl and CDs plummeted 2% YoY and over 19% quarterly to $313.43 million (€288 million). Lastly, licensing and other sources experienced a 20.4% YoY hike (3.2% quarterly) to $353.73 million/€325 million in Q3, the report indicates.

Top sellers on the quarter mostly included the usual suspects – Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, and Post Malone plus Sabrina Carpenter as well as Chappell Roan – and UMG chalked up the physical-revenue decrease to Q3 2023’s “strong CD sales in Japan.”

Shifting to publishing, the aforementioned €500 million (up 14.2% YoY when excluding Q3 2023’s Phonorecords III revenue influx) resulted mainly from digital sources’ $321.05 million/€295 million. That sub-total increased only slightly YoY and fell 5.1% from Q2 2024.

From there, the narrowly defined sync category put up $69.65 million/€64 million (a 16.4% YoY improvement and a $3.26 million/€3 million quarterly increase) in Q3 2024 publishing revenue for Universal Music.

Performance royalties accounted for another $109.92 million/€101 million (down 4.7% YoY and about 1% quarterly), as mechanical ($30.47 million/€28 million, up 12% YoY) as well as other ($13.06 million/€12 million, up 9.1% YoY but down almost 8% quarterly) made up publishing’s remaining revenue.

Finally, merchandising and other brought UMG $257.95 million/€237 million in Q3 2024 (up 4.4% YoY).

UMG’s Q3 2024 earnings call was free of groundbreaking developments; CFO Boyd Muir has been elevated to COO, and superfan monetization as well as premium tiers are still central objectives for the company. Meanwhile, execs are adamant that certain quarters’ relatively modest streaming showings will ultimately make way for continued long-term growth.

“In 2011, when Spotify entered the U.S. market, over that period of time in the U.S., there has been 40% inflation, and there has been one 10% price increase,” UMG chief digital officer Michael Nash weighed in during one interesting portion of the call’s investor Q&A.

“So it’s almost like we’re reducing the price of this incredibly attractive value proposition over time, and that’s obviously not the direction that makes sense from the standpoint of the interest that we have in advocating for our artists and working with our partners to maximize the value of music,” the exec proceeded.

Overall, EBITDA cracked $605.15 million/€556 million in Q3 2024 for UMG, shares in which dipped by about 1.4% today to $25.12/€23.08 per share.

Photo Credit: Pamela Neal (Brandi Carlile)

Singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile signs with CAA and Phantom Management, ditching Red Light and Wasserman in a major representation shift.

Brandi Carlile is busy making moves, announcing on Wednesday her signing with CAA for worldwide representation, and moving to an in-house management firm, Phantom Management. The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter has been represented by Red Light Management for years, with Wasserman as her agency. The move seems to be purely in the interest of “fresh blood,” with no apparent bad blood existing between Carlile and her former representation.

Notably, Phantom is led by Catherine Carlile, Brandi’s wife, who has led her fundraising organization, The Looking Out Foundation, for 13 years. Now, she takes on the role of senior manager, where she will be aided by Carolyn Snell. Carlile’s new reps at CAA have not been mentioned by name in the announcement, but insiders reveal Bryan Lourd and Rob Light are taking the lead in representing Carlile.

Carolyn Snell, who will be working closely with Catherine Carlile to manage the artist at Phantom, has both managed and coordinated global tours for artists like Janet Jackson, Reba McEntire, John Mayer, and the Indigo Girls.

The change comes as Carlile looks to further expand her reach in the realms of film, television, and publishing.

While the singer-songwriter has not yet revealed any touring or recording plans for 2025, the announcement revealed a second book is on the way, via Harper Collins’ Dey Street imprint. Carlile’s previous book, “Broken Horses: A Memoir,” topped the New York Times’ bestseller list upon its 2021 release. The subject of the follow-up book is yet to be publicly known, but those close to the situation believe “all her writing is being looked at for potential development” across other media.

Brandi Carlile remains with Low Country Sound and Elektra as her label, as well as Sack & Co. for publicity.

Photo Credit: Glassnote Records (Daniel Glass, Founder & President)

AI-powered social music app Hook has announced a partnership with Glassnote Records to add tracks from emerging acts including Tors, bby, Hayes Warner, and Dylan Cartlidge to its library. More acts from Glassnote will be added soon.

Glassnote’s roster includes chart-topping acts like Mumford & Sons, Childish Gambino, Phoenix, Two Door Cinema Club, GROUPLOVE, Silvana Estrada, CHVRCHES, AURORA, Jade Bird, Hamilton Leithauser, GRACEY, The Teskey Brothers, and more. Hook describes itself as an ‘ethically-trained AI’ social mash-up app which launched on iOS last month.

Hook allows everyday music fans to use cutting-edge, ethically-trained AI technology to realize the future of music listening in which fans become collaborators, using music to express themselves by creating sped up, slowed down, mashed-up, or different genre songs. Sped up and slowed down remixes on TikTok have exploded in popularity, leading to the creation of Hook.

“Hook also opens up a new revenue stream for artists and rights holders, enabling them to monetize the infinite derivative versions their fans create and consume on Hook and social platforms like TikTok and Instagram,” the announcement reads.

“Glassnote Records is proud to embrace progressive, open-minded, and forward-thinking ideas,” says Daniel Glass, Founder & President of Glassnote Music. “It has always been our goal to run toward what’s next, focusing on the potential of new technologies while recognizing artists’ creative integrity as the number one priority and something to be strongly protected.”

“We believe Hook does just that—providing a comprehensive solution to the use of remixed music across social platforms in a way that emphasizes artists’ control and compensation.”

As music consumption and discovery continue to shift to social media platforms, Hook provides artists and rights holders granular controls over how fans can interact with their licensed music on social media. The app also provides data about how their remixes are performing globally, bringing a consumption-based model to social media while paying artists more as fans create remixes.”

Hook Founder & CEO Gaurav Sharma previously served as Chief Operating Officer for JioSaavn, India’s largest music streaming platform. It was also one of the first platforms to secure global streaming licenses with record labels. Sharma and his team grew JioSaavn to more than 100 MAUs before he departed.

Photo Credit: Sean “Diddy” Combs by Shamsuddin Muhammad / CC by 2.0

A federal judge rules the Jane Doe who accused Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs of sexual assault can’t proceed under a pseudonym.

Federal Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil ruled that an anonymous woman who filed a sexual assault lawsuit against Sean “Diddy” Combs must file under her real name by November 13, or the lawsuit will be dismissed. The Tennessee woman filed her suit as a Jane Doe against Combs earlier this month with allegations that he raped her in 2004 when she was 19 years old.

Lawyers representing the woman have argued that the case should be allowed to proceed as-is due to the plaintiff’s fear that Combs would harm her. But the judge disagreed.

“The fundamental question is whether Plaintiff has a ‘substantial privacy’ interest that ‘outweighs the customary and constitutionally embedded presumption of openness in judicial proceedings,’” wrote Judge Vyskocil on Wednesday. “Defendants have a right to defend themselves, including by investigating Plaintiff, and the people have a right to know who is using their courts.”

“As Plaintiff’s own submissions make clear, however, Combs has had no contact with Plaintiff for the approximately twenty years since the alleged rape and Combs is currently detained pending trial,” the judge continued. “As such, counsel has not identified any present threat of physical harm to Plaintiff.”

The lawsuit is one of over a dozen that have been filed by Jane or John Does since Combs was arrested on sex trafficking and racketeering charges in September. All are represented by the same attorneys, which includes Tony Buzbee, who promised an onslaught of over 120 similar lawsuits to be filed in the coming weeks.

“The Court appreciates that Combs is a public figure, and therefore, Plaintiff is likely to face public scrutiny if she proceeds in her own name,” Judge Vyskocil pointed out. “However, Plaintiff’s interest in avoiding public scrutiny, or even embarrassment, does not outweigh the interests of both Combs and the public in ‘the customary and constitutionally embedded presumption of openness in judicial proceedings.’”

Therefore, the judge said Combs is entitled to know the identity of his accuser so his defense can investigate her claims.

An aerial shot of the highest-population city in California, which has the largest music industry GDP of any U.S. state. Photo Credit: Matthias Münning

Just how much money does the music industry contribute to the United States’ GDP? Courtesy of a new report, we have an answer to the question – on top of more intricate information about specific states’ own contributions.

That report comes from the RIAA, which tapped Secretariat’s Robert Stoner and Jéssica Dutra to create the top-level music industry GDP analysis as well as the state-level breakdown. The third such deep-dive published since 2018, the report focuses chiefly on 2017-versus-2020 comparisons and rather unsurprisingly draws from all manner of data sources.

Those sources include the Census Bureau, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, and the private sector, to name just a few. On the private-sector front, the RIAA pointed to supplemental contributions from indie labels and venues, PROs, music museums, and others yet.

Moving beyond the details and similarly involved methodology particulars, the overall U.S. music industry is said to have achieved a GDP of $211.8 billion in 2020 – 0.9% of the broader economy’s nearly $24 trillion GDP and a roughly 18% boost from 2017.

Predictably, California led the pack within the $211.8 billion sum, kicking in $51.4 billion in 2020 music industry GDP. New York followed with $24.9 billion, the report shows, as Florida placed third ($9.3 billion), Texas took the fourth spot ($8.2 billion), and Tennessee rounded out the top five ($7.5 billion).

The top-six states by total music industry GDP in 2020. Photo Credit: RIAA

Regarding music industry GDP’s percentage of each state’s total gross domestic product, Tennessee took the uppermost position with 1.7%, followed closely by California (1.5%) and then New York (1.3%). At the risk of diving too far into the details – the RIAA has put out a website featuring comprehensive state-by-state information – Florida’s positioning is interesting against the backdrop of continued Latin music growth.

Shifting to U.S. music industry employment specifics, the sector is said to have “supported,” both directly and indirectly, 2,539,280 jobs as of 2020 – a jump of 373,737 from 2017.

Spanning “a wide array of occupations,” those positions were heavily concentrated (nearly 43%) in the mentioned top-five states by industry GDP.

Closing with a look at the actual earnings of companies (and their employees) by NAICS code, manufacturers of musical instruments, audio and video equipment, and music software achieved the largest cumulative boost across 2017 and 2020, 43% to $8.26 billion, per the report.

(“Earnings” here refers to “wages, salaries and proprietors’ income,” besides employers’ health-insurance contributions, and extends to direct industry impact as well as “ripple” revenue.)

Next, in terms of cumulative percentage change between 2017 and 2020, agents, managers, promoters, and artists themselves enjoyed a 17.8% hike to almost $60 billion, according to the resource. The multifaceted music production and distribution category (encompassing publishers, studios, radio stations, and much more) saw a 13.2% earnings spike to $36.03 billion, followed by 10.7% for music schools ($116.12 million) and then 2.1% for retail establishments ($5.86 billion).

Photo Credit: Yamaha Museum

Yamaha Music Innovations has announced a collaboration with Audiomack, a music streaming service primarily catering to the African market.

Audiomack does not impose any initial registration fees on artists, so artists in emerging markets can upload their music for listeners to enjoy. The service has over 100 million registered users and Yamaha views this partnership as a way to contribute to local music culture—one of its management policies aimed at market expansion.

Yamaha has previously engaged in developing digital musical instruments with enhanced sounds and auto-accompaniment features that allow enjoyment of local pop and traditional music in emerging markets such as India. In line with this policy, Yamaha says it aims to deepen its understanding of African music culture through this collaboration while simultaneously strengthening its development of digital musical instruments, other products, and content rooted in local African cultures.

The first initiative of this collaboration with Audiomack is a co-hosted Audiomack & Yamaha’s Zinoleesky “Abanikanda” Remix Contest, inviting participation from young African artists. By creating opportunities for these emerging local artists to express themselves, Yamaha aims to build relationships with artists and creators based in Africa and incorporate their voices into its offerings.

Yamaha says it will continue to actively promote initiatives that support artists’ self-expression and contribute to the sustainability of local music culture through collaborations with various partners.

Meanwhile, Audiomack recently partnered with India’s leading music label Saregama to help expand its South Asian music catalog. The alliance adds thousands of Bollywood hits and regional language tracks to the Audiomack offering, strengthening Audiomack’s position as a music streaming destination for South Asian music fans in the diaspora.

Audiomack has built a strong presence in South Asian music, generating over 160 million Punjabi streams globally each month, with Canada alone accounting for 77.5 million streams. The platform serves more than 200,000 monthly active users in India, with a substantial user base across Pakistan, Bangladesh, and other South Asian markets.

Photo Credit: Peter Wallace

Phish performed a three-night live concert at Albany, NY’s MVP Arena this past weekend, raising over $4 million to support addiction recovery. 100% of net proceeds from ticket revenues, merch sales, and pay-per-view livestream will support the Divided Sky Foundation’s recovery program and new facility in Ludlow, Vermont.

The weekend run kicked off a $10 million fundraising campaign that will support capital improvements, future property acquisition, staff headcount increases, and a scholarship fund to ensure that Divided Sky’s program remains accessible to anyone in need—regardless of their ability to pay. Divided Sky Foundation was started by Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio.

“It’s hard to put into words how grateful we are to Phish and their fans for their generosity,” adds Melanie Gulde, Program Director & Co-Founder of Divided Sky. “But this isn’t about words—it’s about action. And because of these concerts, we will be able to help many more people take charge of their lives and to recover from addictions.”

The Divided Sky Residential Recovery Program is unique among addiction recovery services in that its program focuses on helping guests build life skills and tools to maintain sobriety while staying active and connected with the outdoors and their personal passions. Nearly a dozen alumni who completed the 30-Day Program were in attendance at the Albany concerts, many representing at information tables. Over 300 tickets were given to professionals who work in recovery or a related mental health field.

Aside from performing on stage and donating all of the concert proceed, Phish and their fans supported Divided Sky in several ways. Drummer Jon Fishman wore a special version of his trademark stage dress adorned with Divided Sky logos, which was later signed by the entire band. It will be auctioned in the near future as an online fundraiser to benefit Divided Sky. Additional fundraising was generated at a pre-show reception organized by Phish’s long-standing non-profit arm, The Waterwheel Foundation.

Last year, Phish performed two benefit concerts in Saratoga Springs, NY on the Broadview Stage, raising over $3.5 million for flood recovery efforts in Vermont and upstate New York.

Conceived of and founded by Phish’s Trey Anastasio and program director Melanie Gulde, the Divided Sky Residential Recovery program gives hope to those struggling with addiction by providing a safe, nurturing environment to begin their recovery journey.

Photo Credit: Young Thug by Frank Schwichtenberg / CC by 4.0

Young Thug pleads guilty to gang, drug, and gun charges on Thursday and will be released from jail. Here’s the latest.

Rapper Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, pleaded guilty on Thursday to gang, drug, and gun charges, and will be released from jail. But the 33-year-old could end up there again, should he violate the terms of his sentence.

The plea comes two and a half years after Young Thug’s arrest, and almost a year after the prosecution began presenting evidence against him. The trial has been wrought with problems, with jury selection taking nearly 10 months after beginning in January last year. Dozens of witnesses have been called since opening statements began in November 2023.

Williams entered his pleas without reaching a deal with prosecutors after negotiations between the two parties, said lead prosecutor Adriane Love. Therefore, the sentence was left entirely up to Fulton County Superior Court Judge Paige Reese Whitaker.

The rapper pleaded guilty to one gang charge, three drug charges, and two gun charges. He entered a no contest plea to another gang charge and a racketeering conspiracy charge, which means he decided not to contest the charges but can be punished for them as if he had pleaded guilty.

He was sentenced to 40 years with the first five to be served in prison but commuted to time served, with 15 years probation. Should Williams complete his probation without any violations, another 20 years will be commuted to time served. However, if he violates the conditions of his probation, he will have to serve those 20 years in addition to any penalty for a violation.

Further, he must stay away from the metro Atlanta area for the first 10 years of his probation, except to attend weddings, funerals, graduations, or serious illness of family members. That said, he has been ordered to return to Atlanta four times a year during his probation to make a live, anti-gang, anti-gun violence presentation at a school or a community organization serving children. This can count toward his 100 hours of community service which he has been ordered to perform each year.

Williams must also submit to random drug screens and cannot possess a gun. He’s also not permitted to associate with gang members or with the victims or other defendants in the case, except his brother and the rapper Gunna, with whom he has contractual obligations.

The rapper’s attorney, Brian Steel, said the defense “vehemently disagreed” with many of the statements made by the prosecution, and that it was offensive that the state permitted the use of Young Thug’s lyrics against him at trial.

“But he told me, ‘I can’t wait another three months if there is any possibility I could go home, because I have children that are hurting. I have things to do,’” said Steel, who had told his client they could go through a jury verdict as he felt they were winning the trial.

Young Thug was charged two years ago in a massive indictment that accused him and over two dozen others of conspiring to violate Georgia’s anti-racketeering law, as well as gang, drug, and gun charges. Three of his co-defendants pleaded guilty this week after reaching deals with prosecutors, while nine others accepted plea deals before the trial began.

Photo Credit: Jack Dorsey by Mark Warner / CC by 2.0

Jack Dorsey tells Tidal staff they’re in for another wave of layoffs as the company builds ‘like a startup again.’

Tidal employees are about to be hit with another round of layoffs, owner Jack Dorsey told staff in a note on Wednesday morning. Dorsey explained to the team the company needs to operate “like a startup again,” which will require reorganization across the company to become “a much smaller team.”

“We’re going to part ways with a number of folks on our team,” said Dorsey in the note to Tidal staff. “We’re going to lead with engineering and design, and remove the product management and product marketing functions entirely. [Tidal is] reducing the size of our design team and foundational roles supporting Tidal, and we will consider reducing engineering over the next few weeks as we have more clarify around leadership going forward.”

Though Dorsey didn’t provide a specific number as to the amount of jobs to be affected by the cuts, speculation from company insiders estimate as many as 100 people could lose their jobs. This would amount to around a quarter of Tidal’s total staff.

“We have made some internal changes to our Tidal team to focus on serving artists in the most meaningful way,” said a Tidal spokesperson in a statement to Fortune. “This involved the elimination of some roles across our business and design teams. We are going to be smaller, focus on fewer things, and move with a relentless approach to product development.

The move is the second round of layoffs at the music streaming company in less than a year, with Tidal having cut 10% of its staff back in December. Meanwhile, Dorsey told staff at his other company Block to prepare for a similar reorganization, to go back to “how we started as a company.”

Dorsey (and Block) acquired a majority stake in Tidal in 2021 for around $300 million. Despite its roots with Jay-Z behind the wheel, Tidal has always struggled to find a solid foothold in the streaming game alongside heavyweights like Spotify and Apple Music. Those two platforms, alongside YouTube Music and Amazon Music, account for over 97% of all subscribers to music streaming providers in the United States according to DMN Pro data.

Photo Credit: Nintendo

While other gaming companies like Square Enix have uploaded their soundtracks to Spotify, Nintendo is going its own way. The company has debuted a new companion app for its Nintendo Switch Online service—bringing 40 years of music soundtracks to iOS and Android devices for subscribers.

Gamers can stream songs right from the app or download them to the app for offline listening. Soundtracks can be searched by song, game title, track name, playlist name, or even browse by screenshot. The app also allows songs to be looped 15, 30, or 60 minutes for uninterrupted background listening. Nintendo says it has included a filter that can filter soundtracks that may contain spoilers for games.

The app allows you to favorite songs and build personal playlists that you can share with others, or browse curated playlists created by Nintendo. Nintendo will also recommend playlists based on Nintendo Switch Play Activity, with new music showing up based on these recommendations.

Nintendo Music is available to download at no additional cost for members of the Nintendo Switch Online and Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription. Subscriptions for these services start at $3.99 for one month or $19.99 for the year, with Expansion pack access available for $49.99 a year. The Expansion pack includes a library of Nintendo 64, Game Boy Advance, and Sega Genesis games in addition to the new soundtrack app.

At launch, the soundtracks from several Nintendo franchises are available to listen including The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario, Animal Crossing, Splatoon, Metroid, Nintendogs, Kirby, Pokemon, Donkey Kong, Fire Emblem, and Mario Kart. Nintendo says more soundtracks will be added in the future.

The strategy is an interesting one, since Nintendo has heavily gone after those who upload game music to YouTube. After a massive crackdown of Nintendo music on YouTube that happened just last month, it’s clear Nintendo wants to maintain creative control over its music while offering it as a benefit for subscribers to its online service. Whereas other gaming companies seem content to monetize uploads on YouTube—Nintendo is going its own way.

Photo Credit: Aiden Craver

After over 50 years at CBS, the Grammy Awards find a new home in Disney in a major 10-year deal.

The Grammy Awards have aired on CBS for over 50 years, but that’s about to change as Disney strikes up a significant 10-year deal with rights to the annual music awards show. The Grammys will air on ABC, Hulu, and Disney+ from 2027 through 2036.

CBS struck up a ten-year deal in 2016 to maintain the rights until 2026 — breaking the record for a broadcast partnership with an awards show. The network has hosted the show since 1973, when it took the rights from ABC. ABC had aired the show in 1971 and 1972, after NBC hosted it from 1959 to 1970.

The Recording Academy and CBS were not able to reach an agreement within their negotiating window, according to sources, but CBS remained interested in maintaining the rights. Talks continued after the end of the exclusive period when The Recording Academy opened negotiations with other interested parties. But it was Disney who secured the winning bid.

“As the Walt Disney Company combines forces with The Recording Academy to open this exciting new chapter in the history of The Grammys we do so with pride and gratitude,” said Disney Entertainment Co-Chairman Dana Walden. “Live events have never been more important to our culture and industry, and we just acquired one of the crown jewels, adding to our portfolio of world-class programming across all genres.”

“We are completely thrilled to be bringing The Grammys and other new music programming to the Disney ecosystem,” added Harvey Mason Jr., Recording Academy CEO. “We are grateful to our long-standing partners at CBS and now honored to be joining with Disney, an iconic company where creators have always been at the forefront. This partnership represents another important milestone in the Academy’s transformation and growth, and strengthens our ability to fulfill our mission of uplifting and serving music people around the world.”

Though this is a major loss for Paramount’s streaming service, CBS has been focused on reducing costs, prioritizing spending resources on live sports in addition to prime-time franchises. The network secured rights to the Golden Globes when it became available last year.

The deal means that in its first year, ABC will air The Grammys, the Oscars, as well as the Super Bowl, and even gets the CMA Awards and Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve to boot.

Photo Credit: Claire Anderson

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court has upheld a lower court ruling that denied Live Nation and Ticketmaster’s claim that customer antitrust complaints should be resolved through arbitration—based on the terms of service when purchasing tickets.

The 2023 ruling in Heckman v. Live Nation Entertainment ruled that Live Nation cannot enforce contract provisions that require ticket buyers to arbitrate their claims instead of suing them in federal court. The appeals panel called the arbitration rules unfair to consumers, while being overtly beneficial to the defendants (Live Nation/Ticketmaster).

U.S. District Judge George H. Wu called the forced arbitration clause “procedurally unconscionable” last year in his ruling after Ticketmaster changed its chosen arbitrator to New Era. He also called into question the ability to mass arbitrate cases grouped together, saying it would severely limit the Plaintiff’s ability to prove their cases in court.

“It is plain that it would be impossible for Plaintiffs to present their claims on equal footing to Live Nation,” 9th Circuit Judge William Fletcher writes in his decision. “Forced to accept terms that can be changed without notice, a Plaintiff then must arbitrate under New Era’s opaque and unfair rules.”

Both Judge Morgan Christen and Judge Lawrence VanDyke agreed with that ruling, stating that the Federal Arbitration Act does not apply to “mass arbitration contemplated by Live Nation’s agreements.” Live Nation says it disagrees with the 9th Circuit ruling, arguing that the change of arbitrator was not “unfair, unexpected, or otherwise unconscionable.”

“We hold that the delegation clause of the arbitration agreement, and the arbitration agreement as a whole, are unconscionable and unenforceable under California law. We hold further that the application of California’s unconscionability law to the facts of this case is not preempted by the Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”). Finally, we hold, as an alternate and independent ground, that the FAA does not preempt California’s prohibition of class action waivers contained in contracts of adhesion in large-scale small-stakes consumer cases,” the decision reads.

The district court observed that Live Nation “provided nearly all of New Era’s revenue during its first year” and that there “appears to be a remarkable degree of coordination between [Live Nation counsel] and New Era in terms of their interpretation and the evolution of New Era’s Rules.” Finding these facts to be concerning, the district court noted that this could “certainly create an inference of bias.”

“It seems to me that the circumstances in this case create more than merely an inference of bias—they create a strong and inescapable perception of bias,” the judge writes in his decision. “A dispute resolution procedure is not an arbitration unless there is a third-party decision maker. And a third-party decision maker “whose interests are so allied with those of the party” is “for all practical purposes, subject to the same disabilities which prevent the party himself from serving.”

“Not only is the line between Live Nation and New Era blurry, but more than that, this agreement would require a New Era arbitrator to decide the question of whether their employer’s invention—developed with the help of the party in front of them—is a failure. If the answer to that question is yes, goodbye New Era and the arbitrator’s job as an arbitrator—with any arbitration provider, forever.”

See the full judgment here.

Photo Credit: AI

ChatGPT is impressive out-of-the-box but challenging to apply to real-world problems. Area4 Labs and Hearby are building with AI technology to create a data-driven live event concierge.

The following comes from Hearby, a fast-emerging player in concert discovery and a DMN partner. Enjoy!

Full disclosure: “Train” when applied to Chat technology is the same “train” that we might apply to cats. That is, we ask them to do things they were going to do anyway in a way that doesn’t displease them, and then we figure out how to be happy with what they did.

This has been our biggest lesson in creating “Ask Hearby,” our AI chatbot music concierge. In this article, I’ll bring you behind the scenes on our AI adventure.

At Hearby, we aim to use technology to find and uplift grassroots music and help people find the wonderful music hidden right in their neighborhoods.  Whether you’re looking for a night of clubbing, a free classical concert, or music to keep the kid out of your hair, it’s all out there.  You may not realize there’s a great music venue right in the industrial park next door, on the dockyard of Liverpool, or in a thrift shop in London.

We want to get people exploring and finding music that they’ll love, and to do this, we spent a lot of time investing in fast search technologies, data-driven filters, and map visualizations. Then we ran right into the wall of ‘Too Much Stuff.’

Enter the chatbot, which allows fans to fast-forward and say what they want without going through all the tedious steps of searching, filtering, and reviewing results. It’s a lot of work for something that should be fun.

However, my experience with chatbots has been a big meh, and we wanted to do something more intriguing.

Our main product requirement was “be useful and don’t be irritating”.  Yes, it took us a long time to get that, and we fell off the dragon a few too many times. But seeing how this ubiquitous technology works and encouraging more ideas and dreams with it has been interesting.  At its core, it’s a foray into using a Large Language Model (LLM), and I will breathlessly say the possibilities are unlimited.

It took a while, but after several tries, we finally have something useful and entertaining to use. So here’s the behind-the-scenes on what we tried that didn’t work — and what finally did.

• • Train, train, and train again.
  • Give me all the data!  More data!
  • Hybrids: Just how many technologies can we cram in here?
  • It’s a sandwich.

So first, a little more about Training when it comes to Machine Learning.

I need to bring up the topic of training, partly for my snazzy title but also because it’s at the bottom of everything you’re hearing about AI.

To train ML, we first choose a neural net architecture, then give it a vast set of data items labeled with the correct answers (for example, Cat/Dog, T-shirt/Skirt, Pedestrian/Bollard).  This type of supervised learning is expensive in computing power, requiring a huge amount of ethically obtained, accurately labeled data. Training enables the ML architecture – the layers and feedback loops that make up the neural net  – to adjust to create maximally accurate predictions.  For example: “99% chance this image is a cat”.

Going beyond cat/dog to something actually relevant quickly gets expensive and time-consuming. It’s pretty much prohibitive on large data sets for all but the biggest players.  Enter LLMs, which come ready-trained on massive amounts of human text right out-of-the-box for anyone to use.

This is what powers our chat dragon: the ability to “understand” human language, figure out what is being asked, and create amazing responses in human language.  On the topic of whether there is any actual human-style understanding of concepts, I can start an argument in an empty room (so I won’t go there).  It doesn’t matter for our purposes as long as the output is accurate, useful, valuable, safe, and reliable.

This brings me to our challenge: how to make already trained chat technology do what we want.

For a small amount of money and a lot of delight, you can get a subscription to Open AI’s ChatGPT, which will happily write you a letter to Grandma, your term paper, or a pretty decent novel – at least better than anything I can write.  Whether soulless or best-selling is in the eye of the beholder, but I prefer to consider it a fantastic tool to help spur creativity.

But as impressive as this is, these out-of-the-box answers are standalone, and the type of chatbot we wanted to create is a conversation that builds as we go along, with context and informality, powered by accurate event, venue, and band data.  The challenge, then, is how to get a language-based model to incorporate this external data and use it in its responses and how to have the conversation build as it progresses (memory).

Data! Give me all the data!

The challenge is getting our data into ChatGPT to inform its responses.  In a “normal” program, this is a matter of, well, programming.  However, an LLM is different: rather than programming, information needs to be text-based to be taken on board.

It’s weird, but not so much when we remember this is a language model. This is precisely how we listen, take in new info, understand it, and use it to inform our actions.  In all fairness, the latest models also allow other forms of input, expanding beyond text input. But this is where it was when we started, so that’s where we began.

We started with text-to-sql, in which we describe in words how to find the answers to questions using the tables in our database. So, essentially, telling a programmer how to formulate database queries.  This sounded so crazy and improbable that we thought it just might actually work.

Sometimes, it did, but mostly, it sulked, made stuff up, or ignored us.  Or all of the above.  If you’re thinking cat again, I’m right there with you.

Bring in the hybrids.

So, we moved on to hybridizing and searching our database using ChatGPT for its language capabilities. Among the many challenges:

(1) Knowing what the fan is asking about – An event? A venue? A neighborhood? A genre? A person?

(2) Find the data in our database with a fuzzy search – the whole point of chatting is that the fan doesn’t have to be specific.

(3) Get the data into ChatGPT in words, which is all it understands.

(4) Receive a human-ready answer from ChatGPT.

(5) Augment that answer with links and images.

We quickly realized we needed to confirm it was using our data and not going elsewhere, which in LLM terms is called temperature.  Or, in human terms, don’t make stuff up!

It’s a sandwich

After a number of tries, we ended up with a workable sandwich of technologies: Bert NER to understand what the fan is asking about; specialized models to detect essential but idiosyncratic info like informal dates (“in 3 weeks”); a vector database to translate a fuzzy human question into something specific we can ask our already existing search capability; a layer to feed the search answer to ChatGPT in words, and then a method to receive the ChatGPT response in human language. And, finally, a layer to augment it with images and links.

Voila!  If this all sounds like a bit much, I get you.  But we were delighted to see that a fan can ask a reasonable question, “What’s on in London tonight?” or “Where can I take Aunt Nelly for a jazz brunch?” and get a believable answer that makes sense.

More interesting is that a fan can ask an unreasonable question and get an answer about music events or venues, and an explanation as to why, or, if it’s too far a stretch, simply a reasonable on-topic answer.  And, to put your mind at ease somewhat, some questions bring in the guard rails: “I cannot assist you with that”.

Onward!

In addition to our chatbot launching later this year, we are working on several other AI efforts, mainly in Machine Learning and classification. These are focused on highlighting the music scene for fans and encouraging them to explore and find new music and venues.  Off their sofas and into venues!

The chatbot has been a very interesting excursion for us into LLMs, which have enormous potential to change how we live with software. So, I hope this has shone a little light on this powerful technology for you.

We’re focused on music and using these incredible tools to uplift grassroots music. Still, I hope this gave you some ideas on how this kind of technology might help in your part of the music world – places where you want people to be able to get to the point faster, have informal access to better information, or be able to explore and expand on an idea on the fly.

Megan Thee Stallion, who’s suing a social media commentator for alleged harassment, kicking off her Hot Girl Summer Tour. Photo Credit: Live Nation

Megan Thee Stallion is suing social media commentator Milagro Cooper for allegedly acting on behalf of Tory Lanez “as an online rumor mill churning out falsehoods.”

Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan-repped Megan Thee Stallion submitted the straightforward complaint to a Florida federal court, naming Cooper as the sole defendant. As laid out in the action, this defendant operates accounts on X, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube alike.

A cursory glance at the appropriate profiles indicates that the host weighs in on a variety of pop-culture topics; in Cooper’s own words, the media at hand “fills you in on everything going on in urban culture.”

But as described by Megan Thee Stallion and her legal team, Cooper is only a “social media grifter who traffics in false and sensationalist narratives.” And the latter narratives include “a years-long campaign of harassment” against the plaintiff.

Furthermore, Cooper spearheaded this alleged campaign on behalf of Tory Lanez, per the action, which specifically attributes the alleged harassment to the defendant’s “close relationship with Mr. Peterson [Lanez] and his father.”

While the legal text doesn’t dive too far into this purported close relationship – by now, most know of Lanez’s decade-long prison sentence in connection with Megan Thee Stallion’s shooting – it does provide multiple examples allegedly supporting the harassment-campaign claims.

Earlier this week, for instance, Milagro Cooper “made the false and outlandish claim that the firearm” used to shoot Megan Thee Stallion “had gone missing.” Those remarks “recklessly disregarded the truth” about the weapon, which “remains in the custody of the Los Angeles Police Department,” per the suit.

Next, on top of allegedly attending the relevant trial and livestreaming “her falsehoods during hearings,” Cooper allegedly made a number of related remarks on the subject towards 2022’s end. (The main complaint features screenshots of these years-old tweets.)

And perhaps most seriously, the defendant allegedly directed her followers to “a deepfake video purporting to show an artificially created version of” Megan Thee Stallion “engaging in sexually explicit acts.”

Needless to say, the artist hadn’t approved of the AI-generated clip, and per the complaint, it’s unclear who actually made the deepfake video.

All told, the “disparaging remarks” allegedly harmed Megan Thee Stallion’s “mental and emotional state,” inflicted “significant personal and economic harm,” and damaged the plaintiff’s “reputation and standing as a professional musician” – with further economic harm stemming from efforts to remove various “bots” allegedly interacting with the media at hand.

Though questionable takes aren’t barred under U.S. law, Megan Thee Stallion (who, incidentally, joined Hybe’s Weverse yesterday) is suing specifically for “promotion of an altered sexual depiction,” cyberstalking, “intentional infliction of emotional distress,” and invasion of privacy.

Cooper today briefly addressed the suit during an X livestream (albeit while clarifying that the comments didn’t constitute an official statement, which will come from her attorneys) and in multiple tweets, one of which touched on plans to launch a countersuit.

Hybe CEO Lee Jae-sang, who’s apologized for comments made about rival K-pop agencies’ under-18 talent in internal company documents. Photo Credit: Hybe

Another day, another wave of K-pop drama – or more specifically waves, one involving comments made in Hybe internal documents about the physical appearances of competitors’ underage talent.

Though this latest K-pop controversy is just beginning to make stateside headlines, it actually stems from an October 24th hearing in South Korea’s National Assembly. According to the Korea Times, that hearing coincided with an audit spearheaded by the legislative body’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee.

Execs including Hybe COO Kim Tae-ho were on hand for the corresponding grilling, per the Times. (As clarified in an article-end disclaimer, the Times’ Hankook Ilbo sister publication first covered the episode; AI translated that piece into English, and Times editors revised the work prior to publication.)

Lawmakers promptly zeroed in on a copy of Hybe’s “Weekly Music Industry Report,” described as a competitive-landscape analysis circulated among execs and containing remarks pertaining to various rival agencies’ acts.

Of course, some of those groups feature members under the age of 18; ousted SM founder Lee Soo-man’s A2O Entertainment, for instance, recently debuted with “rookies” as young as 12.

But that didn’t stop the report’s author (more on this in a moment) from reportedly alleging that certain of the talent had debuted “at an awkward age,” with “none of their features” standing out as a result.

Additional ill-advised comments maintained that the artists (whose names were redacted from the public copy) had “overdone” plastic surgery, and different remarks yet attacked the child entertainers as “shockingly unattractive,” the Times reported.

Irked lawmakers emphasized that the descriptions could constitute violations of various child-protection laws. And Hybe’s aforementioned COO, for his part, attempted to downplay the report as an unofficial recap of various individuals’ online opinions as opposed to the company’s formal stance.

While time will reveal whether there’s any serious fallout to speak of, at present, the professional home of BTS has already issued an apology from CEO Lee Jae-sang, nixed the weekly report in question, and reassigned the purported author to an HR role, according to the Korea Herald.

In any event, it goes without saying that the fiasco isn’t a good look for Hybe, which seems to be grappling with fresh criticism from at least one of its acts.

Seventeen member Seungkwan, signed to Hybe’s Pledis Entertainment, recently penned a social media post about his inability to “remain silent,” with the lengthy Korean-language text touching on, among other things, K-pop professionals’ grueling schedules and demanding workloads.

Lastly, regarding the initial usage of “waves,” Hybe is still embroiled in an ugly dispute with Min Hee-jin, the former CEO of its Ador subsidiary.

A court has now rejected the ousted Ador head’s bid for reinstatement, the Herald indicated. However, Min Hee-jin intends to keep on battling for her previous role, including based on the belief that the overarching shareholder agreement remains in force notwithstanding her dismissal.

Photo Credit: Rock the Country Music Festival

Rock the Country Music Festival announces ‘small town’ America tour, with stops in Little Rock, Arkansas; Knoxville, Tennessee; and more.

Rock the Country Music Festival has announced the two-day event, “A Festival for We the People,” will be returning to Anderson, SC, in July 2025 as it travels to 10 cities across the United States, bringing with it massive shows with unforgettable performances in “small town America.”

“Anderson definitely rocked it last year and we can’t wait to bring the excitement and energy back,” said Nathan Baugh, CEO of Peachtree Entertainment. “The second year of Rock the Country in Anderson will expand on last year’s experiences with a jam-packed variety of music performances, amazing food, and a sense of community that only they can offer.”

Fans can sign up to be the first to receive Rock the Country news, from the full lineup to ticket details, on which more information is forthcoming.

Rock the Country Music Festival: A Festival for We The People 2025

April

• 04-05 | Livingston, LA
• 25-26 | Knoxville, TN

May

• 02-03 | Poplar Bluff, MO
• 09-10 | Ocala, FL
• 30-31 | York, PA

June

• 13-14 | Hastings, MI
• 20-21 | Little Rock, AR

July

• 11-12 | Ashland, KY
• 18-19 | Sioux Falls, SD
• 25-26 | Anderson, SC

Peachtree Entertainment is a nationally acclaimed concert promoter committed to spotlighting rising talent. With over 15 years of expertise in the music industry, Peachtree Entertainment has earned its reputation as a leader and innovator in live music.

As pioneers in identifying and nurturing new talent, Peachtree Entertainment has played a key role in launching the touring careers of artists like Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, Luke Bryan, Gavin Adcock, and many more. Beyond tours, Peachtree’s outdoor event portfolio features iconic gatherings such as Rock The South, Rock The Country, Live At The Station, Bulls Bands and Barrels, among many others.

Peachtree Entertainment is a joint venture with LiveCo, a leading private equity-backed entertainment company producing over 3,000 live shows annually across multiple genres. Together, they contribute to shaping the live entertainment landscape, delivering unforgettable experiences nationwide and internationally. Peachtree remains dedicated to shaping the national country music scene, continuing its legacy of significant influence and success.