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30 Aug 2024

Sabrina Carpenter’s ‘Short n’ Sweet’ Receives Praise From Nicki Minaj & More | Billboard News

Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet has been out for a week now, and she’s receiving love from some of the biggest stars. Keep watching to see who said what about the singer’s latest album!

Tetris Kelly:
If you’re loving Sabrina Carpenter and her new album Short n’ Sweet, you’re not the only one. Some of the biggest names in music are gushing over the pop star and her latest project. When a fan asked Chappell Roan her favorite track off the album, she had this to say on IG Live. 

Chappell Roan:
I like … I want … “Juno.” Her project is so thought out and so, like, genuine and I just really love it. 

Tetris Kelly:
As for her boo, Barry Keogan, he shared his favorite track on IG along with a link to grab her album with a bonus track, like a good boyfriend. Everyone’s singing hits off the new record. Capitol FM even had Camila Cabello singing “Espresso” in the midst of love triangle fan theories between the two and Shawn Mendes. And legends are showing love, too. 

Nicki Minaj:
Shout-out to Sabrina Carpenter and shout-out to all the Sabrina Carpenter fans.

Tetris Kelly:
Nicki Minaj praised Sabrina and her fans after she tweeted, “This one’s for Nicki.” Lady Gaga got in on the praise train, too, commenting on an old video of Sabrina singing “Speechless” on TikTok, saying, “love this so much love her.”

Same, Gaga, same.

30 Aug 2024

Revlon Claims Its Own Execs ‘Sabotaged’ Britney Spears Perfume Partnership In New Lawsuit

Revlon is suing several former employees over allegations that they “sabotaged” the company’s decades-old fragrance partnership with Britney Spears and took the business to a competitor.

In a case filed Monday (Aug. 26) in Manhattan federal court, attorneys for Revlon and subsidiary Elizabeth Arden claim that four ex-staffers stole trade secrets and breached their contracts when they jumped ship to upstart rival Give Back Beauty and took the Britney account with them.

Though an initial delay in Spears re-signing the 20-year perfume partnership deal was “attributed to Ms. Spears being preoccupied with other matters,” Revlon claims it eventually realized that its own executives had been orchestrating a corporate heist.

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“Revlon and Elizabeth Arden were completely unaware that Revlon’s own team was actively sabotaging one of their most valuable licensing relationships,” the company’s lawyers claim.

The case does not name Spears as a defendant nor accuse her of any wrongdoing.

As defendants, the lawsuit names the four employees — Vanessa Kidd, Dominick Romeo, Reid Mulvihill and Ashley Fass — as well as Give Back Beauty itself. None of the defendants immediately returned messages seeking comment on the lawsuit’s allegations.

Then at the peak of her powers, Spears signed a deal with Elizabeth Arden in 2004 to develop branded fragrances and other cosmetics. When she released “Curious” later that year, it quickly became the top selling fragrance of the year and reportedly pulled in more than $100 million in sales.

According to a 2013 report by the Hollywood Reporter, “Curious” had sold more than 500 million bottles over its first decade, and the overall Spears-Arden partnership, featuring many other scents, was pulling in $30 million a year in sales.

According to the new lawsuit, Revlon had historically renewed its partnership with Britney in five-year intervals, and the latest iteration was set to expire at the end of 2024. When negotiations began late last year, the company says it had “every expectation that the relationship would continue.”

But according to the lawsuit, Give Back Beauty had launched a “campaign to obtain the Britney Brands fragrance business,” including contacting the Elizabeth Arden staffers as early as February: “This was obviously a carefully planned and executed grab by GBB for the Revlon fragrance business.”

Though Revlon says it struck a tentative deal with Britney’s team, the agreement had not been finalized in May, when staffers who had worked on the deal began “decamping to GBB.” Less than a month later, the lawsuit says, Give Back Beauty inked its own deal with Britney.

“The speed with which Britney Brands signed its deal with GBB was unprecedented for the Britney Brands organization and could not have been accomplished without the benefit of the Revlon employees’ deep knowledge of the misappropriated proprietary information about the relationship and GBB’s unlawful utilization of that information,” Revlon’s lawyers write.

The lawsuit takes particular aim at Kidd, a senior vice president for global marketing of fragrances who had spent years working on the Britney account and was allegedly the first to jump ship.

“At the same time that defendant Kidd was negotiating with Britney Brands on Revlon’s behalf, she had interviewed and accepted a job offer with GBB,” the company’s lawyers write. “Kidd effectively acted as a double-agent, assisting GBB in taking the Britney Brands business away from plaintiffs while she was charged with cementing an extension for Elizabeth Arden and purported to be doing so.”

The case claims that before she left, Kidd accessed more than 250 electronic files that contained proprietary information, including about the Britney partnership. Revlon says the “logical inference” is that she was “arming herself and her new employer” with info that could be used to “rapidly recreate the supply and distribution chains Elizabeth Arden had spent 20 years developing.”

In technical terms, the lawsuit accuses the ex-staffers and Give Back Beauty of theft of trade secrets and so-called tortious interference with their business and contracts. It also accuses the individual employees of breach of their contracts and breach of their duty of loyalty to Revlon.

In a statement to Billboard, Revlon stressed that the lawsuit did not accuse Spears or her team of wrongdoing and said “we value our 20-year partnership and wish Britney all the best.” 

“As a company, we will always take steps to protect our intellectual property,” Revlon said in the statement. “We have filed this complaint because it became clear to us that GBB and the four former employees named in the suit unlawfully used Revlon’s proprietary information and trade secrets — and we are confident in the merits of our case.”

30 Aug 2024

Ronnie 2K Explains Why 2K Community Day Is Important To ‘NBA 2K’s Development, “I Want Them To Be A Part of The Process”

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Ronnie 2K

Source: BeanzGotGamez / Ronnie 2K / NBA 2K25

Do you smell that? No, it’s not the return of the NFL, but it’s almost time to hit the virtual hardwood when NBA 2K25 arrives. After the game’s release, HHW Gaming got to speak with Ronnie 2K.

Since the first virtual basketball bounced in 1999’s NBA 2K on the Sega Dreamcast, the basketball video game franchise from Visual Concepts published by 2K Sports has become a behemoth that’s not by accident.

Now the premiere basketball video game after EA Sports bowed out with its NBA Live franchise, NBA 2K went on to not only be a place to take your favorite NBA franchise to championship glory but has grown to become more than just a video game where you play basketball. It is also a cultural phenomenon that literally funds streaming careers.

The team at Visual Concepts is well aware of the community’s importance to the success of the annual video game, and since then, it has held 2K Community Day events.

Community Day has since grown in scale as the player base of the game’s online component ballooned, becoming one of the most popular modes in the game.

HHW Gaming attended the 12th iteration of 2K Community Day, where press and 100 popular NBA 2K content creators converged on the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame to get hands-on with NBA 2K25.

We spoke with Ronnie 2K, 2K Games’ Digital Marketing Director, and NBA 2K’s social media voice about the importance of 2K Community Day, overall ratings, and more.

HHW Gaming: Okay. Why is Community Day crucial to NBA 2K’s development each year?

Ronnie 2K: Yeah, I mean the people that play our game and have lifted up with the content. I want them to be part of the process; I think that was the genesis of why we introduced Community Day. The development team wanted to hear from the people. I mean, you get it on social media, but to have those real-life interactions and really be able to, you know, separate noise from real, uh, you know, feedback. There’s no better place to do that than right here. So, we are getting these guys to dive deep, and we still have a couple of weeks to tweak if we need to. It seems like everybody’s really happy with what’s going on here. So maybe not too much tweaking, but just having the opportunity to get this group who loves our game, the opportunity to put the news out there, be part of the process, and be part of the content stream. But you know, I think that was the genesis, and it worked really well. We’ve done it for 12 years, and I don’t see an end to it.

Regarding presentation, NBA 2K is second to none. There isn’t a sports video game on the planet that comes close to this franchise. That’s also the case with the online community. How does the team determine what to bring to the MyPlayer mode, keeping it fresh while keeping the community happy? 

Ronnie 2K: Again, I think it’s allowing them to be part of the process and be heard. I think we do a great job innovating, like you said, better than any other annualized sports title, but probably annualized title in general. We take that feedback seriously; we are our own competitors. We want to innovate as rapidly as we can and try to make things happen. Do we get everything right? No. But we do our absolute best to, you know, be the company of the fan, and I could say that being a fan of the brand before I started obviously working here 17 years ago, We really want our fans to feel like a community and feel part of the process and feel heard. It’s super important for us.

Overall ratings in NBA 2K have become very important. NBA 2K Ratings have taken on a life of their own to the point they are getting shown on sports networks like ESPN. Why do you think the NBA players care so much about their virtual ratings? 

Ronnie 2K: I think It’s a couple of things like one. They played it their whole lives, right? This game is our 26th NBA 2K, and a lot of guys are coming into the league. They’re under 26, so they’ve played it their whole life. So it’s a badge of honor to be in the game like be drafted and make it to the game that you play all these years and aspire to be in. Not even the current generation but the past generation, which we put the legends in there and allow you to kind of live up to them. So I think that’s part of it. And then, they’re competitors, right? And like in competition, you’re gonna want to be the best, and it’s a benchmark that a lot of people take seriously fans and everybody, our community, to have against your peers. So, I know that locker room top is not maybe about the number, but it’s about how you stack up against people that play your position or similar play style or what have you. I think that’s why it’s it’s so controversial every year and fires up these guys in a way that you just wouldn’t expect

Has any player hit you up already this year with about their rating? 

Ronnie 2K: I don’t think we’re gonna get a lot of that until we wrap up because I think the comparative thing, We’re up to our top 30. I believe that we still have to reveal, so I think that’s where it’s gonna get a little spicy, especially that top 10. I mean, the top 11, the top 11 guys, I think you can make a case that any of them should be top three. Like and I legitimately I really mean that. It’s it’s a tough, the upper tier of NBA player right now is at a level that We just haven’t seen before. So, it’s gonna be spicy because there’s a lot of  argument about it, but that’s great for us, right?

Absolutely. The WNBA has become a staple of the game since NBA 2k20, and it’s more popular than ever this year. With the arrival of Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark, and their rookie class, and most recently, Team USA Women’s basketball bringing home the gold at the Paris Olympics, do you think that popularity will transfer to the game and bring in more players to the W Mode? 

Ronnie 2K: Totally. You see the growth that they’ve had in their media and watch time, and all their numbers are through the roof. We fully expect that to be translated to our game too. We were on it early, right? We’ve had female cover stars for several years, and we’ve integrated them through the W in various steps as an annualized title. We can’t do everything in one year, but being able to grow the game alongside it, I mean our wonderful partnership with the WNBA and NBPA, it’s really led to the development in the early thoughts on being able to play in the forest that you probably saw with 3v3, like kind of that Park style is super cool and like people are really excited about it. Then, you know, we’ll just continue to evolve and find out from their players what’s important to them, and we’ll continue to grow just like we do on the men’s side, it’s we’re looking for, you know, as much parity as we can offer within the capacity of what we’re doing.

Our favorite addition this year to NBA 2K25 is Learn 2K. NBA 2K has not only improved graphically over the years but technically as well. The gameplay has become a little complicated. Yeah. So why do you think, why did you have to feel now? It’s time. They introduced a more comprehensive tutorial.

Ronnie 2K: It’s not only that I was one of my favorite features is the, the risk/reward thing, right? Being able to be rewarded if you’re really good and get greens, pretty naturally, figure out shot release timing for a certain build or whatever. We need to walk that balance, like we want to reward the 100 content creators here and all the competitor players, people have blood, sweat, and tears in 2K. But we also need to be able to, you know, please people that are jumping in for the first time or are, you know, play a little bit more casually with their friends and family. And I think that is the perfect line. Like, we’ll put it in the hands of the player. Like, if you want to be competitive, go do that.

Learn 2K can be used as a device to get you to whatever level you want, right? Like, if you want to be a dribble god, we have what you need in there. If you want to just be able to be functional, we have what you need in there. We’re allowing the user to take the power into their own hands to be as good as they want to be or be able to just play and feel like they’re involved in the community and can, you know, compete naturally. We have to think about all of our community and it’s huge now, right? I think that’s why we’re introducing it now versus past years. It’s just like we probably have this cross divide of people who played it for 26 years and then people who are coming in there for the first couple of years. It’s something we have to consider.

NBA 2K25 launches on September 6 on consoles and PC.

30 Aug 2024

Luck Ra & Nicki Nicole’s Vibrant Cumbia ‘Doctor’ & More Best New Music Latin

New Music Latin is a compilation of the best new Latin songs and albums recommended by Billboard’s Latin and Billboard Español editors. Check out this week’s picks below.

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Lenny Tavárez, Brillar (Kristoman/Warner Music Latina)

Lenny Tavárez has unleashed his sophomore studio album, Brillar, three years after his debut set, Krack. With 16 tracks, Tavárez reeled in longtime collaborators Wisin, Feid, Prince Royce, Chencho Corleone, Ryan Castro, and Piso 21, to name a few. In true Tavárez fashion, and for the most part, the production delivers hard-hitting perreos and saucy reggaetóns, such as “Empelotica,” “Ojos Chinos” and “Mentí.”

Brillar also showcases the Puerto Rican artist’s ability to navigate other genres outside of the Latin urban space. In “Tu Feo,” he teamed up with Prince Royce for a romantic bachata; “Pushi Pashi” and “Tu Piel” are back-to-back electronic tunes; and the Sergio George-assisted “El Yate” is a heartfelt salsa song.

Trending on Billboard

“I feel like I’m at a balanced moment,” Tavárez said in a press statement. “Doing what I want, writing what I want, without following anyone or anything. Trusting that every day I’m striving to be the best version of myself.”  — JESSICA ROIZ

L-Gante, Celda 4 (Warner Music Latina)

As a reflection of his time in prison last year, Argentinian rapper Elian Ángel Valenzuela, artistically known as L-Gante, presents his ultra-personal and emotionally charged debut album Celda 4—the cell where he wrote and recorded music during the 100 days he was locked up. In 2023, Valenzuela was accused of making threats with a weapon and kidnapping a neighbor of his family after a fight at a nightclub, as reported by El País. Celda 4 is a captivating fusion of hip-hop, cumbia, reggaeton and trap, with old-school musical influences.

This 13-track solo album is a fascinating immersion into the emerging ‘RKT’ genre, a local movement that seeks to merge cumbia with reggaetón. His lyrics vividly describe Argentine culture and life in marginalized neighborhoods: “For some, it’s nothing, but for others, it is a lot; we change the game, create a musical movement from the depths of the neighborhoods,” he reflects on the intro track “Sin 0.” The album’s focus track, “MVP,” showcases his exploration of hip-hop, a unique blend that L-Gante has coined as HHS or Hip Hop Sudaka, and sets the tone for the rest of the set. — INGRID FAJARDO

Luck Ra, Nicki Nicole, “Doctor” (Sony Music Latin)

In a first collaborative effort, Argentine rapper Nicki Nicole and her fellow compatriot Luck Ra drop “Doctor.” Co-produced by Ramky and Tatool, the infectious track laces cumbia villera with norteño elements, backed by heavy percussion and a weeping accordion. In “Doctor,” Nicki and Luck reflect on a relationship that ended and has no chance of returning — but they still miss each other. “I don’t think of anyone who’s not you/ And there’s no doctor who can heal this pain,” goes the short-and-sweet chorus. The music video, filmed in the colonial streets of Buenos Aires, features the two artists, and an adorable old couple, flaunting their best cumbia-dancing skills. — J.R.

Elsa y Elmar, “Drogada de Emociones” (Sony Music México/Elmar Presenta)

In her latest single “Drogada de Emociones,” Colombian artist Elsa y Elmar explores the universe of emotions that love awakens. The song, included in her new album PALACIO, combines the delicacy of her lyrics with a vocal interpretation that moves between vulnerability and charm. In the lyrics, Elsa offers us an intimate window into her emotional world, laying bare the euphoria and confusion of falling in love. “I’m drugged with emotions / With a laugh that I don’t know why / My heels bend / It’s that I look at you, and it can’t be me,” she sings, while the minimalist production allows her voice to shine in every note. — LUISA CALLE

Ambik, Origen (Grand Move Records/Warner Music Argentina)

Just four months after being featured in Billboard’s On the Radar Latin, Ambik releases a six-track EP in which she skillfully fuses poignant lyrics with experimental sounds. At only 16, the Argentine singer-songwriter — the younger sister of star Tiago PZK — at times can remind of a young Billie Eilish in songs like the piano led “A Tu Espera” and “Cuidar de los Dos,” which offer vulnerable lyrics and an evocative sound with haunting vocals.

On the focus track “Tenerte Otra Vez,” she sings over melancholic guitar melodies and a progressive bass line about a past relationship marred by her own insecurities. With lyrics that show a maturity beyond her years, she addresses themes like fear, destruction and loneliness in the more electronic “Caos,” before closing with the melancholic pop song “Gestos de Amor.” Origen is a solid debut EP in which Ambik demonstrates a clear vision of who she is as an artist.— SIGAL RATNER-ARIAS

Andrea Bocelli feat. Karol G, “Vivo Por Ella” (Decca Records/Sugar Music)

Andrea Bocelli and Karol G team up to present a new duet titled “Vivo Por Ella,” reimagining one of his most celebrated songs, “Vivo Per Lei” (“I Live for Her”), originally featuring Spanish singer Marta Sánchez. In this revamped version, the classic piano is replaced with a mix of bowed (arco) and plucked (pizzicato) violin notes, lending a fresh pace that is slightly quicker than its ’90s predecessor.

This dynamic version expertly merges Bocelli’s powerful tenor with the vivid vocals of Colombian superstar Karol G, creating a compelling rendition that’s both fresh and nostalgic. Produced by David Foster and Ellis, this single is a highlight of Bocelli’s forthcoming album, Duets, due out Oct. 25. The album marks his 30th anniversary in music. — ISABELA RAYGOZA

Listen to more editors’ Latin recommendations in the playlist below:

30 Aug 2024

Daughtry’s ‘Pieces’ Fits at No. 1 on Mainstream Rock Airplay Chart

Six months after earning its first No. 1 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart, Daughtry now has its second, as “Pieces” lifts to the top of the Sept. 7-dated tally.

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“Pieces” reigns following the one-week rule of “Artificial” in February. The latter became Daughtry’s first No. 1 following 17 years of Mainstream Rock Airplay appearances (dating to 2007’s “It’s Not Over”), the longest stretch between a first entry and first leader since Jeff Beck set the record of 37 years between “People Get Ready” in 1985 and Ozzy Osbourne’s “Patient Number 9,” on which he’s featured, in 2022.

“Pieces” previously became the Chris Daughtry-led band’s sixth top 10 on Mainstream Rock Airplay and personal-best third in a row, following “Artificial” and the No. 5-peaking “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart),” a Journey cover featuring Lzzy Hale, in 2023.

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Concurrently, “Pieces” rises 13-12 on the all-rock-format, audience-based Rock & Alternative Airplay chart with 2.2 million audience impressions, up 5%, in the week ending Aug. 29, according to Luminate. It ties “Artificial” for the band’s best rank since the survey began in 2009.

On the most recently published multimetric Hot Hard Rock Songs chart (dated Aug. 31, reflecting data Aug. 16-22), “Pieces” placed at No. 22, making the list for the first time since April. In addition to its radio airplay, the song earned 138,000 official U.S. streams.

“Pieces” is the second single from Shock to the System, Daughtry’s seventh studio album, due Sept. 27.

All charts dated Sept. 7 will update on Billboard.com Wednesday, Sept. 4 a day later than usual due to the Labor Day holiday Sept. 2.

30 Aug 2024

Cage the Elephant’s ‘Rainbow’ Floats to No. 1 on Adult Alternative Airplay Chart

Cage the Elephant’s “Rainbow” leaps three spots to No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult Alternative Airplay chart dated Sept. 7.

The six-piece adds its seventh leader and second in a row, after “Neon Pill” ruled for four weeks beginning in March.

The group enters a four-way tie for the eighth-most No. 1s in the Adult Alternative Airplay chart’s 28-year history, alongside Counting Crows, Sheryl Crow and R.E.M. U2 leads all acts with 14 leaders.

Cage the Elephant first reigned in 2014 with “Come a Little Closer,” followed by 2016’s “Mess Around” and three consecutive No. 1s – “Ready to Let Go,” “Social Cues” and “Black Madonna” – in 2019-20, prior to “Neon Pill” and “Rainbow.”

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“Rainbow” concurrently rises to a new No. 3 high on Alternative Airplay, where Cage the Elephant boasts 11 No. 1s, including two in a row — “Skin and Bones” and “Neon Pill” — ahead of “Rainbow.”

On the all-rock-format, audience-based Rock & Alternative Airplay chart, “Rainbow” holds at its No. 6 best with 3.6 million audience impressions, up 13%, in the week ending Aug. 29, according to Luminate. The band has notched six No. 1s on the chart, most recently “Skin and Bones” in 2021.

Trending on Billboard

“Rainbow” is the second single from Neon Pill, Cage the Elephant’s sixth studio album. The LP debuted at No. 15 on the Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart dated June 1 and has earned 60,000 equivalent album units to date.

All charts dated Sept. 7 will update on Billboard.com Wednesday, Sept. 4, a day later than usual due to the Labor Day holiday Sept. 2.

30 Aug 2024

Desert Daze Cancels 2024 Festival

Organizers for the California festival Desert Daze have called off this year’s event. In an announcement organizers stated, “It is no longer possible to execute the weekend as planned.” 

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The event, which has remained independent since launching in 2012, was unable to move forward with the 2024 edition due to “rising production costs and the current volatile festival market,” according to the announcement. 

“Desert Daze is more than a festival or business venture to us,” said Desert Daze co-founder Phil Pirrone in a release. “The community that we’ve cultivated together means so much to us and is the reason we will work to find a way to keep this beautiful thing going for many years to come.” 

The 2024 edition of Desert Daze was set to take place Oct. 10-13 in Lake Perris, Calif. Headliners for this year’s event were to include Jack White, Cigarettes After Sex, Alex G, The Mars Volta, Thundercat, Liz Phair and De La Soul.  

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“With each year, we do our best to serve the Desert Daze community,” added Pirrone. “We are always learning and working diligently to improve the experience, and we tried everything to find a way forward this year. While we hit pause for now, we will be working in the background to deliver another special experience for all of us to share in the future. We thank you for your support.” 

All pass holders for the 2024 festival will be refunded and will be contacted directly via their point of purchase. While the main event will not take place this year, side shows under the Desert Daze Presents banner will go forward as scheduled.  

For additional information, head here.

30 Aug 2024

Lady Gaga Is Loving This TikTok of Baby Sabrina Carpenter Singing “Speechless”

Lady Gaga is sharing the love for the next generation of pop girls.

The “Bad Romance” superstar commented on a TikTok from user @holdmygaga, in which a young Sabrina Carpenter is seen performing a cover of Gaga’s “Speechless,” off her 2009 album, The Fame Monster. In the clip, Carpenter, who looks about 11 or 12, belts out the lyrics with impressive vocal control and runs.

“love this so much love her,” Gaga commented on the post, which you can watch here.

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It’s been an exciting summer for Lady Gaga, who performed at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics in July before teaming up with Bruno Mars for a new collaboration, “Die With a Smile,” which arrived earlier this month. The Joker star and “Uptown Funk!” hitmaker gave “Die With a Smile” its live debut at Mars’ Aug. 15 concert at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. For the show, he wore a cowboy hat, while Gaga again sported bee-hive hair akin to her look in the music video, maintaining the song’s retro feel.

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“Watching fans from all over the world celebrate this music has meant so much to me, to see the words of the song touch your heart and the video provoke this huge wave of dancing and fun is beautiful to watch and I’m so grateful,” she wrote on Instagram to thank fans for their support alongside a series of photos, in which Gaga is seen in her retro-style attire from the track’s accompanying music video. “Thank you thank you thank you for loving our song i love you for real and i hope the message of love we shared will continue to create special moments for you all in your lives—I know it does in mine every day. The power of music is big and your love of this song reminded me of that.”

30 Aug 2024

Subscription Music Dominates More Than Ever. Should Advertising Do More?

TikTok creates viral hits. YouTube is unparalleled in its ubiquity. But music subscription services pay the bills.  

More than three out of every five dollars earned by U.S. record labels in the first half of 2024 — 60.2% to be exact — came from premium subscription services, according to the RIAA’s mid-year report. That marks the first time subscriptions exceeded a 60% share of total revenue, topping the 59.5% share in the first half of 2023 and the 59.3% mark for full-year 2023.  

Ad-supported on-demand streaming, on the other hand, has lost momentum, growing just 2.5%, half the rate of paid subscriptions. The slowdown has been dramatic: Three years ago, advertising revenue rebounded from a pandemic slowdown by surging 54.1% in the first half of 2021 and another 17.7% in the first half of 2022. Its share of total industry revenue — 10.4% — has slipped, too, from 10.5.%, 11.3% and 10.5% in the three preceding first-half periods.  

Other ad-supported segments also lag paid subscriptions’ growth rate. SoundExchange distributions, which include some ad-supported streaming as well as royalties paid by satellite radio subscribers, rose just 3.8% to $517 million. Other ad-supported streaming, which covers services not operating under statutory licenses, fell 1.5% to $155 million.  

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The situation around advertising is worse than the numbers might suggest. Ad-supported, on-demand streaming isn’t confined to services such as Spotify’s free tier and YouTube. A new generation of platforms, such as TikTok and Instagram, are grouped into this category, too. Without these emerging platforms, ad-supported streaming would look even worse off.  

For an industry that must constantly seek growth, advertising is too small to play the role. In the most recent quarter, Spotify got 12% of its revenue from advertising — both music and podcasts — compared to 88% from subscriptions. Even if advertising becomes a bigger part of the business, CEO Daniel Ek said during the company’s April 23 earnings call, it won’t be a major factor in helping the company reach 20% revenue growth. “Anything we can do on our subscription side will obviously materially outperform any improvement on the ad side,” said Ek.  

Free music has played an important role in building today’s music ecosystem, though. In 2009, author Chris Anderson followed The Long Tail with a lesser-known book titled Free that promoted the notion that not charging for digital goods can be a wise strategy. While The Long Tail was a smash success, Free never rose to the same level of renown. But Anderson’s idea proved to have merit. The same year Free was published, Spotify launched a “freemium” music streaming service in the United Kingdom—the world’s third-largest music market—that utilized a free, ad-supported tier intended to drive listeners to the paid version. Ad-supported royalties were miniscule, but it worked as planned. Free listening turned out to be an effective tool to attract customers that would, at some point in the future, become some of Spotify’s 246 million subscribers. 

The growth potential for the subscription business lays outside the U.S. Globally, subscription streaming accounted for 48.9% of recorded music revenue in 2023, according to the IFPI, more than 11 percentage points below the share in the U.S. (The RIAA reports retail value in the U.S. while the IFPI reports wholesale values for each market.) Worldwide subscription penetration is only 15%, Warner Music Group CFO Bryan Castellani noted during an Aug. 7 earnings call, “and there’s a lot of headroom to go from 800 million subscriptions today to well over a billion over the next five years.”  

The future may be a combination of free and subscription. In May, Sony Music Entertainment CEO Rob Stringer called for streaming platforms to charge users of ad-supported tiers a “modest fee” to make free streaming “more than a marketing funnel” to attract customers. Stringer also called on short-form video platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts to step up their payments to rights owners. “More and more, these are primary consumption sources, and they need to be valued accordingly,” he said.

With subscriptions now exceeding 60% of U.S. revenue and advertising losing share, free platforms will likely come under more pressure to deliver more royalties. Until that happens, though, expect the industry to increasingly put its hopes for revenue growth in subscriptions.

30 Aug 2024

Angel Reese & Caitlin Clark to Play in WNBA’s First-Ever Barbie Game: Here’s How to Watch the Chicago Sky vs. Indiana Fever

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It’s Barbie night in the WNBA! Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky will host the first-ever Barbie-themed game night against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever on Friday (Aug. 30).

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The game will be held at Chicago’s Wintrust Arena and will feature family-friendly activations, a Barbie photo booth, hair braiding stations complete with Barbie colors, and giveaways including a custom Barbie x Chicago Sky sherpa belt bag, which will be gifted to the first 2,000 fans. It also marks another matchup between WNBA rookies Reese (aka the Bayou Barbie) and Clark.

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 A special halftime performer will also be announced.

“The Chicago Sky are thrilled to be the first WNBA team to partner with Barbie, the world’s most iconic and diverse doll brand that reminds girls they can be anything,” Tania Haladner, Chicago Sky’s Chief Marketing Officer said in a statement. “Barbie aligns perfectly with the Sky’s mission to empower girls and women to explore limitless possibilities, and we can’t wait to bring inspiring content to fans.”

Keep reading for ways to watch and stream live.

Chicago Sky vs. Indiana Fever: How to Stream Live Online

The Chicago Sky vs. Indiana Fever game starts at 7:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. CT/4:30 p.m. PT. The game will air live on Ion and WNBA League Pass and stream on Prime Video.

Basketball fans can watch the Sky vs. Fever game live on Ion, which is available on DirecTV Stream, Fubo and Hulu + Live TV.

DirecTV’s streaming plans are currently on sale for a low as $49.99 (regularly $79.99) after a five-day free trial. Join today and receive instant access to 90+ channels including sports networks such as ESPN, Ion, NBA League Pass and Big 10 Network.

Want more ways to stream free? Fubo ($75/month) and Hulu + Live TV ($77/month) offer free trials and access to over 90 channels.

Although DirecTV Stream, Fubo and Hulu + Live TV don’t offer WNBA League Pass, fans can subscribe to League Pass through Prime Video. Or subscribe to WNBA League Pass online and stream on Roku. WNBA League pass is $12.99/month or $35/per season (use ExpressVPN to stream internationally).

How to Get Tickets to the Sky vs. Fever Game

Want to catch the game in person? There’s still time to score last-minute tickets to watch the Sky vs. Fever in what is already being called one of the most expensive WNBA games thus far, as ticket prices are skyrocketing for the highly anticipated game.

Currently, tickets to the game are available on sites such as StubHub, Seat Geek and GameTime for $150 and up.