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Billboard’s THE STAGE at SXSW is back, and we’re breaking down the star-studded performances for March 2025. Keep watching to learn more! Who are you excited to see perform? Let us know in the comments! Buy your tickets here! Tetris Kelly: We’re getting lit in Austin! Billboard just announced the opening acts to the already […]
Phil Collins has shared an update on his health — which has for years made playing drums difficult — and unfortunately, the 73-year-old Genesis icon still isn’t in fighting shape. In a snippet from a recent interview with Mojo, Collins disclosed that he’s thought about getting back behind the drum set, but hasn’t been able […]
Hundreds of people participated in a heartfelt posthumous tribute to the iconic Mexican singer Paquita la del Barrio on Friday (February 21). Her remains were transferred to her restaurant in the Guerrero neighborhood, in the Historic Center of Mexico City, where a mass was held in her honor and the doors of her establishment were opened to all those who wanted to give her a final farewell.
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The procession carrying her ashes departed from a funeral home in the central Juárez neighborhood, traveled along part of the touristy Paseo de la Reforma Avenue, and reached the iconic Plaza Garibaldi. There, around midday, her fans, mostly women, and groups of mariachis awaited, performing her most famous songs, including “Tres Veces Te Engañé” and “Rata de Dos Patas.”
The route included a stop at a public market, where merchants interrupted their activities to bid farewell to the famous singer, who passed away at the age of 77 on Monday (Feb. 17) from a heart attack while sleeping in her home in her native Veracruz, as confirmed to Billboard Español by her manager, Francisco Torres.
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Paquita la del Barrio rose to fame with her anthems about infidelity and heartbreak.
“Thank you for your songs that brought so much joy to my heart!” said a visibly moved resident of the Guerrero neighborhood to Foro TV, holding a bouquet of white flowers. “Paquita was a brave woman to sing to men in that way,” commented another woman, who mentioned that the artist was a great influence on the trans community.
Dozens of anecdotes about Paquita la del Barrio were shared by her neighbors with the press, remembering her as a “very humane,” “affectionate”, and “forward-moving woman.”
Some women were crying inconsolably while a private mass was held, and a crowd of people gathered around the artist’s restaurant, Casa Paquita, waiting for the doors to open to enter the place, undeterred by a light rain that covered that part of the city.
While Paquita la del Barrio, whose real name was Francisca Viveros Barradas, was not originally from Mexico City, she made this central area of the country’s capital her “second home,” opening her restaurant-bar in the late 1970s. With over a five decade-spanning career, Paquita la del Barrio was an idol in popular music. In 2011, she received the Billboard Regional Mexican Music Award “La Voz,” and 10 years later, she was awarded the 2021 Billboard Latin Music Lifetime Achievement Award for her exceptional career.
Even before a disruption in January caused by a looming U.S. ban, TikTok’s domination of video-based social media usage had started to wane. The service’s share of U.S. consumers’ time spent using social media apps fell to 29% in the fourth quarter of 2024 from 34% in the prior-year period, according to MusicWatch. In that same time span, YouTube Shorts’ share increased from 24% to 26% and Facebook Reels improved from 16% to 18%, while the “other” category rose one percentage point to 6%, Instagram Reels was flat at 18% and Triller remained at 3%.
That coincided with an overall downward trend in social media use. The average time spent using social media apps per week dropped from 7.9 hours in the fourth quarter of 2022 to 6.5 hours in the fourth quarter of 2024, says MusicWatch principal Russ Crupnick. That’s not an unexpected trend as Americans move further past pandemic-era behaviors, but Crupnick also notes that average times will fall as older, more casual users adopt social media platforms.
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Still, that overall decrease doesn’t account for TikTok’s declining share of consumers’ attention. A few years ago, the app seemed like an unstoppable freight train as its influence spread across tech and commerce. It also became a powerful promotional vehicle for artists, many of whom launched their careers by going viral on the platform. Once TikTok proved there was an insatiable demand for short-form video, Instagram and YouTube launched copycat products with Reels and Shorts, respectively. Its impact even spread to Amazon, which launched a TikTok-styled feed for product discovery called Inspire in 2022 (Amazon announced it was shutting down the feature earlier this week). Music streaming services also followed suit: At Spotify, artists can now post short video messages to their fans.
Exactly why TikTok lost share in 2024 isn’t clear. “It’s hard to say,” says Crupnick. “Is this a function of all the political nonsense going on around the app? Is it a function of YouTube and some of the competitors catching up a little bit? Is it a little bit of exhaustion with music on social video? Or is it all three?”
Whatever the case, this reshuffling of the landscape has led artists to flock to other platforms and eroded TikTok’s dominance as a promotional vehicle. Experts who spoke with Billboard about TikTok’s decline described a changing social media landscape in which the platform remains a powerful marketing tool but has lost some of its allure and potency. For a variety of reasons, consumers are spending more time at TikTok’s competitors, and artists are thus seeing more opportunity at platforms such as YouTube and Instagram.
One factor in TikTok’s decline in market share is YouTube and Meta successfully leveraging the scale and scope of their respective platforms to become serious contenders in short-form video. YouTube, in particular, has succeeded in integrating Shorts into a platform that used to be occupied only by long-form videos. “I think YouTube has done a good job of building an ecosystem,” says J.D. Tuminski, founder of Casadei Collective Marketing Agency. “They do a lot of education for artists and labels about building the Shorts ecosystem that feeds into the bigger picture of music video content and lifestyle content.”
Jenna Rosenberg, head of operations and marketing at Gorilla Management, agrees that YouTube has benefitted by combining short-form and long-form videos. “I think when people are watching the longer videos [on YouTube] they can easily get sucked into the short-form part of that platform as well, and vice versa. Whereas TikTok, it’s literally just the vertical short-form content.”
At the same time, YouTube and Instagram are increasingly seen as friendly to creators. “Anecdotally, YouTube and Meta pay better than TikTok,” says Tuminski. “Also, the TikTok creator fund is always shifting. There are different thresholds that you have to meet to be able to earn on there, and they’re not always clear.”
TikTok, on the other hand, is seen as prioritizing some of its e-commerce initiatives. TikTok Shop, for example, allows creators to stream live videos and sell goods and merchandise. In January, TikTok Shop sales were up 153% year-over-year, far exceeding the growth rates of Chinese e-commerce platforms Shein and Temu, according to Bloomberg. While live shopping may be a sensible practice for a TikTok influencer, musicians tend to shy away from that kind of activity — and as a result, they aren’t flocking to TikTok Shop. “An artist isn’t necessarily going to go on TikTok Live and say, “Hey, come and buy my vinyl,’” says Rosenberg. “It’s just very uncomfortable for them.”
The standoff between Universal Music Group (UMG) and TikTok may also have played a part in shifting sentiment around the app in the music community. In February 2024, UMG began pulling its content from TikTok over a disagreement about compensation, among other factors. For many artists and labels, that dust-up was “a warning sign” that TikTok’s dominance in social media wasn’t secure, says Dan Roy Carter, managing director of digital consultancy Carter Projects. “Deals fell apart, carefully designed viral campaigns became eye-watering wastes of budget, and acts who had built their presence reliant on TikTok were left very much bent out of shape.”
“I think a lot of folks were looking for alternatives, even before all the political things that are going on,” says Tuminski. Artists want to work with brands they trust, he adds, and they will go where their fans are. If one service isn’t providing what they want, “they’ll go to somewhere that makes a little bit more sense to them.”
Things have worsened for TikTok in 2025 due to a pending shutdown in the U.S., although President Donald Trump provided a stay of execution when he entered office. The looming ban caused traffic to decline, however, and pushed people to download alternatives such as RedNote. As of this week, TikTok has lost one-tenth of its U.S. users since the first week of January, according to Similarweb data published by The Information.
Still, TikTok remains a powerful and influential force in music and entertainment. By 2024, a third of U.S. adults used TikTok, while almost six in 10 teens (57%) say they use the platform daily and 16% say they’re on it “almost constantly,” according to Pew Research. People use TikTok mostly for pop culture and entertainment but also viral music and dances, humor and comedy, personal stories, fashion advice, product recommendations, politics and, for 5% of U.S. adults, news.
“There is still huge value in TikTok as a platform for music discovery and promotion, and perhaps their ability to tap into merch, ticketing, and conversion to paid streaming will usher a second coming,” says Carter. “But its days of being the only horse are seemingly coming to an end.”
This week in dance music: Massive Attack will headline London’s LIDO festival in June with an entirely battery-powered performance, an ongoing legal battle between Sony Music and Ultra Music Publishing escalated with a new lawsuit, Carl Cox exited the Movement 2025 lineup and was replaced by Jeff Mills and Odesza made a 23-minute remix of the Severance score.
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And to all that we add these, the best new dance tracks of the week.
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Mochakk feat. The RAH Band, “From the Stars”
Brazil’s jet-setting party starter makes his Ninja Tune debut with his From the Stars EP, a two-song project led by its title track. A collaboration with England’s The RAH Band, the song is a take on the group’s 1983 bop “Messages From the Stars,” with Mochakk turning up the BPM and the far-out factor on the slinky, sexy but still muscular club update, which balances nicely with its cool after-hours B-side, “Maria.” The mustachioed producer born Pedro Maia calls releasing the EP on Ninja Tune “completely bananas… one of those stamp-of-approval moments” that he’ll celebrate by playing a flurry of shows in his native country as Brazil celebrates carnival later this month. Closer to home, he plays EDC Las Vegas in May.
Röyksopp feat. Robyn, “Do It Again [True Electric]”
11 years after the release of the original, Röyksopp drop an edit of their Robyn collab “Do It Again.” While the original leaned hard into urgency and flirted with heaviness, the new take adds maximum peak hours heft, dialing up the BPM, isolating the vocals in just the right moments and eventually exploding into all-out, all-encompassing dancefloor delirium. The edit is the second track from the Norwegian legends’ tenth studio album, True Electric, coming April 11 on their own Dog Triumph label.
Bianca Oblivion feat. Sam Binga, “Hypnø”
Los Angeles-based producer Bianca Oblivion makes her long-form debut with a heater of an EP, Net Werk. The four-track project spans bass, grime, Jersey club and more, with “Hypnø” (a collab with British artist Sam Binga) fusing squelchy strings, a hectic beat and waves of low end into a delicious kind of chaos. Oblivion says she “never wanted to rush into an EP or album until I fully understood myself as a producer and felt that my music could stand alongside the tracks I play in my sets.” The title reflects the global network of friends and collaborators I’ve connected with over the years, all of whom, alongside the many music influences from my childhood, have helped shape this release.” Net Werk is out on the U.K. imprint LuckyMe.
Tripolism & Nandu, “Sunrise”
Danish trio Tripolism and producer Nandu link for the hypnotic “Sunrise,” a track that says right there in the name what part of the set it should be played at. It’s recently been rinsed by acts including the ever chic Keinemusik and has gotten support from other tastemakers, with key ears apparently in thrall with the track’s balance of sunlight-like falsetto and a chant that implores what those of us still dancing at dawn might already feel: “You’re never going home, you’ve got to keep going.” The heater is out on Ultra Records.
Hiver, “Dreamachine“
Be transported to the ’90s afterhours of your mind with this electronica-era influenced dreamscape of a track from Milanese duo Hiver. Out on CircoLoco Records, the track pairs pristine production and clean, soaring strings with a feeling of undertow embodied by the beat and the emotive vocals. Hiver says the song is “a testament to our growth as producers. We’ve invested countless hours in honing our studio skills, experimenting with sound design, and perfecting the production process to craft something that feels authentic and unique. The track reflects our love for the electro sound while pushing boundaries to create something unique.” Also: Do not sleep on the uptempo edit by Romanian master Gerd Janson.
One of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ attorneys has filed a motion to step down from representing the incarcerated hip-hop mogul. Per court documents filed in the Southern District of New York on Friday (Feb. 21), Anthony Ricco said that while he had “provided Sean Combs with the high level of legal representation expected by the court, […]
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Source: Andrew Harnik / Getty / Elon Musk
The world’s richest clown, Elon Musk, made an appearance at the right-wing Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) yesterday, and many people were left wondering if the Tesla chief was high as hell or if there was something else going on with him.
Elon Musk once again made a complete a** out of himself as he stormed onto the CPAC stage, wielding a custom chainsaw while rocking a black MAGA hat and wearing shades.
When he eventually settled down, Musk told the crowd, “My mind is a storm.”
Clearly.
What proceeded was a very incoherent interview that left everyone on X, formerly Twitter, scratching their heads because you could barely understand a word he was saying.
“Elon can barely form a sentence right now,” journalist Aaron Rupar, who we rely on to recap all of the Trump/GOP madness, said while sharing a Newsmax of Musk making a fool of himself.
Legal analyst Ken White said in response to Rupar’s post on BlueSky, “Hard to argue with him.”
In another post, Rupar wrote, “Wearing sunglasses inside and following an event where he at times had a hard time speaking coherently, Elon Musk walks off the CPAC stage waving around a chain saw. This is the guy currently running our government. Congrats, America!”
Other comments about Musk’s appearance didn’t hold back.
“Kleptocratic ketamine addict,” wrote legal analyst Jennifer Taub.
“The same guy running around the stage with a chainsaw and unable to complete a sentence wants to put his microchips in people’s brains,” Melanie D’Arrigo, New York Health Campaign director, said on X.
This is truly going to be a very long four years.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
With February coming to an end, some of today’s top stars are welcoming some warmer weather with hot new music drops. It was a major week for pop, with Tate McRae dropping her highly anticipated third studio album, So Close to What. The project features previously released viral singles “It’s ok I’m ok,” “Sports Car” and […]
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Two light heavyweight boxers go head-to-head in “The Gardens” on Saturday (Feb. 22): Artur Beterbiev (21-0-0) battles Dmitry Bivol (23-1-0) in a highly-anticipated rematch. The bout — which is part of, what has been dubbed, “the greatest fight card of the century” — is scheduled for 12 rounds with the winner earning the WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO and The Ring light heavyweight title.
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The Last Crescendo: Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2 takes place at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, starting at 11 a.m. ET/8 a.m. PT, with the main event beginning around 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT.
Want to watch the Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2 online? The Beterbiev vs. Bivol 2 PPV price is streamable for $25.99 for DAZN subscribers.
If you’re not a subscriber, you can get access to the PPV livestream for $29.99 per month. Additionally, if you’d like to go for an annual subscription, you can access to the streaming service for $19.99 per month with the service’s 12-month contract.
With DAZN, you get access to more than 100 live fights every year, along with fight replays, highlights, documentaries and much more.
Meanwhile, this is a event is also streaming on PPV.com for $25.99.
The Last Crescendo: Fight Card of the Century, 11 a.m. ET/8 a.m. PT
Artur Beterbiev (undisputed champion) vs. Dmitry Bivol: WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, and The Ring Light Heavyweight — Main Event, Title Fight
Daniel Dubois (champion) vs. Joseph Parker: IBF Heavyweight — Co-Main Event, Title Fight
Shakur Stevenson (champion) vs. Josh Padley: WBC Lightweight — Title Fight
Carlos Adames (champion) vs. Hamzah Sheeraz: WBC Middleweight — Title Fight
Vergil Ortiz Jr (champion) vs. Israil Madrimov: WBC World Interim Super Welterweight — Title Fight
Zhilei Zhang vs. Agit Kabayel: WBC Interim Heavyweight — Title Fight
Joshua Buatsi (champion) vs. Callum Smith: WBO Light Heavyweight Interim — Title Fight
What Is Beterbiev’s and Bivol’s Walkout Music?
While Riyadh Season has yet to announce each boxer’s walkout music for the main event, they usually go out to the octagon to the same songs during their matches. Artur Beterbiev typically walks out to “Forward Akhmat!” by Russian recording artist Rizavdi Ismailov, while Dmitry Bivol prefers to walk out to “Blood Type” by Soviet post-punk band Kino. So these songs will likely make an appearance during “The Last Crescendo” event.
Fight Card of the Century: Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2 PPV is streamable on DAZN and PPV.com on Saturday, Feb. 22, starting at 11 a.m. ET/8 a.m. PT. The main event is expected to start around 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT.
Want more? For more product recommendations, check out our roundups of the best Xbox deals, studio headphones and Nintendo Switch accessories.
The 2025 Premio Lo Nuestro, held live from Miami’s Kaseya Center on Thursday (Feb. 20), was full of glitz and glam, memorable moments, and exciting wins and performances. Shakira was the evening’s top winner with six Premio Lo Nuestro awards, including the coveted Album of the Year for Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran. She also […]