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The proceeds from the all-star FireAid benefit shows last month are expected to bring in more than $100 million according to organizers. In a statement released on Tuesday (Feb. 4), the team behind last week’s dual shows at L.A.’s Intuit Dome and Kia Forum said that proceeds raised by the shows will help to support the L.A. region’s immediate needs and long-term recovery from a series of wind-whipped wildfires that killed 29 people and destroyed more than 16,000 homes and other structures.
The release noted that the shows drew more than 50 million viewers across 28 streaming platforms for moving performances from more than 30 artists, including Green Day with Billie Eilish, Jelly Roll, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Olivia Rodrigo, Peso Pluma, Stevie Wonder, Lil Baby, Tate McRae, Sting, Alanis Morissette, Anderson .Paak with Dr. Dre and Sheila E, Dawes, John Mayer, a Nirvana reunion, Joni Mitchell, a reunited No Doubt, P!nk and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, among many others.
“The estimated amount raised includes ticket sales for both venues, sponsorships, merchandise sales, and donations from the public including generous private gifts from the Azoff family, the Eagles, Andrew Hauptman and Ellen Bronfman Hauptman, and U2,” read the release, which noted that operating costs for the six-hour benefits were offset by the NBA’s L.A. Clippers, with billionaire Steve Ballmer and wife Connie matching every pledge made during the broadcast and VOD viewing and Live Nation serving as the production partner.
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The money will go to support the L.A. region’s immediate needs, long-term recovery and forward-spinning initiatives to help prevent such large-scale fires in the future following what experts say could be the most destructive blazes in the city’s history. With fundraising still open, organizers said that they expect to begin rolling out the first grants by mid-month.
FireAid announced that it had raised more than $60 million from tickets sales and sponsorships before the show began, with all proceeds to be distributed through the L.A.-based Annenberg Foundation. The shows that came together in record time were a collaboration between Shelli, Irving, and the Azoff family, Live Nation and the LA Clippers, with Joel Gallen of Tenth Planet serving as executive producer and Rick Krim as talent producer.
The Music Business Association has announced the agenda for Music Biz 2025, set for May 12-15 at the Renaissance Atlanta Waverly. This marks the first time the conference will be held in Atlanta, as part of a new rotating host city model, following a decade in Nashville.
The change, announced last March, is inspired by the Music Biz Roadshow series, which has connected industry professionals with local artist communities like Memphis and Chattanooga since 2022.
New events include a First Timers’ Meetup on May 12, allowing newcomers to connect with Music Biz staff and board members, followed by first day-capping party sponsored by Spotify. The State of the Industry breakfast on May 13 will explore global consumption trends and industry outlooks. Multi-panel discussions like Humans of Music and Workflow Workshop will focus on workforce and operational improvements.
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The Music Biz Roadshow returns on May 12, with support from The Mechanical Licensing Collective and Made In Memphis Entertainment, to help artists and their teams optimize revenue streams. Tech-focused pros can attend events such as the Startup Lab on May 12, Startup Round Robin on May 13, and the Music Tech Hackathon on May 15. Additional summits include Let’s Talk Physical, Music Security Summit, Publishing Summit, Music & Money and the Indie Label Summit.
The fourth annual Bizzy Awards dinner, sponsored by Warner Music, will be held on May 14, honoring late Twitch executive Cindy Charles, who died in a tragic traffic accident in October, with the 2025 Presidential Award, and Digital Data Exchange with the 2025 Impact Award. Finalists will be announced in February, with winners recognized at the event.
Music Biz president Portia Sabin expressed excitement for this year’s expanded agenda, highlighting the industry’s strong hand in shaping the program.
“The task of building a comprehensive, four-day program for our Annual Conference becomes harder and harder every year thanks to the innovative and compelling panel ideas contributed by our ever-growing global community — it’s a good problem to have!” said Sabin. “We’re proud of how the agenda for Music Biz 2025 came together, and we can’t wait to welcome both new & returning faces to our event in this year’s new host city.”
Arizona’s Pure Imagination festival is returning for its fourth year, May 17, at Watson Lake in Prescott. This year’s festival is led by Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees Cheap Trick, Grammy-nominated artist Matisyahu, and Grammy winning hip-hop group Arrested Development.
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Also performing is 80s ska, pop, soul, reggae and punk outfit English Beat, as well as Gone Gone Beyond, Kelsey Waldon, Ponderosa Grove, Bird and Byron, Kids In America, Pijama Piyama and Dutch Holly.
Since its debut in 2022, the female-founded and curated Pure Imagination has become a standout experience, seamlessly merging music, nature, and culture with an eco-conscious ethos. Nestled in the Granite Dells—the traditional lands of The Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, The Yavapai-Apache Nation, and The Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe—the festival fosters a minimal-impact experience where attendees can immerse themselves in live music, interactive art and nature-driven adventures, according to a press release announcing the festival. “Festival-goers can explore scenic hiking trails, on-site kayaking, and the vibrant Prescott Night Market, featuring artisan vendors, immersive art activations, and mesmerizing performances by aerial artists, fire dancers, and more,” they said.
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The driving force behind Pure Imagination is Candace Devine, front woman of Ponderosa Grove and CEO of Further West, the festival’s production company. Devine created the festival to help attract outside visitor to Prescott and it’s surrounding 1.3 million acres of the Prescott National Forest, known for its premier mountain biking, hiking, and rock climbing.
“Pure Imagination is about more than just music,” Devine says. “It’s about creating an unforgettable experience where people can connect, be inspired, and celebrate the power of art in one of the most beautiful places in the world.”
Tickets are on sale now at www.pureimaginationfestival.com.
The 2025 Met Gala now has a dress code. About four months after first revealing that this year’s theme will be “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” co-chairs A$AP Rocky, Pharrell Williams, Colman Domingo and Lewis Hamilton announced Tuesday (Feb. 4) that the accompanying guideline for how guests should arrive on the first Monday in May will […]
Chance the Rapper is tipping off NBA All-Star Weekend. The Chicago native is slated to headline the NBA on TNT American Express Road Show Fan Experience with a performance on Feb. 13 in San Francisco. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news It’s all going down at Pier […]
The Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game has long been a staple of All-Star Weekend, and the NBA revealed the rosters and coaches on Tuesday (Feb. 4) for the 2025 game coming to The Bay set for next Friday (Feb. 14). 2 Chainz and San Francisco 49ers legend Jerry Rice will run the sidelines as coaches […]
Drake launched the Anita Max Wynn Tour in Australia on Tuesday (Feb. 4), kicking off in Perth, and he left the audience with some choice words to close out the first show. The 6 God is always one to end a set with some inspiration for fans, and he’s typically very intentional with what he […]
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Source: Sucker Punch Productions / Ghosts of Yotei / PlayStation
Nintendo announced the Switch 2 very subtly, Xbox had a bomb a** Developer_Direct showcase, and now PlayStation reportedly is gearing up to show us what they got in store for 2025.
Word on the video game streets is that PlayStation is dropping a State of Play broadcast next week. The tip comes from none other than NateTheHate, the same person who accurately called the Nintendo Switch 2 announcement.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, NateTheHate responded “Yes” when a follower asked, “Is the first State of Play of the year still coming in February?”
When the follower asked if the State of Play was coming either early, mid, or late February, NateTheHate responded, “What does your heart tell you?”
https://x.com/NateTheHate2/status/1885748440132456877
Eurogamer reports that we could expect to see the State of Play sometime around Valentine’s Day and points out that Sony has held a State of Play broadcast every February since 2021.
What Games Will PlayStation Show?
It remains a mystery what games we can expect to see. One good guess is that we will definitely see more of Ghosts of Yotei, the sequel to Ghost of Tsushima, which is slated to arrive sometime this year.
We could also get an update on Insomniac’s Wolverine game, which we haven’t heard anything official about since it was announced during a September 2021 PlayStation Showcase.
Keep in mind that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 was also announced. The game has come out and was just released on PC last week.
Leaked footage from an early build of the game did hit the web.
We could also see more of Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding 2 On The Beach or his next Tactical Espionage Action game, Physint.
We’ll just have to wait until PlayStation hits us with the official announcement.
Rauw Alejandro is taking his 2025 Cosa Nuestra world tour to Europe, unveiling his visit across 11 cities including Paris, Amsterdam, Milan, Madrid and more. The European leg of the tour, produced by Live Nation, kicks off June 17 at The O2 in London, and will wrap on July 11 at the Palau Sant Jordi […]
With RuPaul’s Drag Race bringing back their Rate-a-Queen system for season 17, Billboard decided to rate each of the new queens every week based on their performance. Below, we take a look at the show’s compilation album challenge to see how the queens performed in the first group challenge of the season. Spoilers ahead for […]
