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Trending on Billboard Like Adele, Lorde has leaned into taking time off to live her life out of the spotlight between album releases. And, also like Adele, the “Man of the Year” singer has been fine with long gaps between those releases. But after the usual four-year gap between this Virgin and her previous LP, […]
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KiTbetter, the South Korean company behind the KiTalbum hybrid physical-digital format, is opening a manufacturing facility in Los Angeles to better reach consumers in the U.S. The first KiTalbums produced in the U.S. are expected to reach retail and fans in early 2026.
“As we expand globally, and with growing interest from artists, labels, and retailers across North America and Europe in particular, we’re increasing capacity to support more titles and meet rising international demand,” says Jennifer Sullivan, president, North America and chief marketing officer.
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The KiTalbum is a proprietary format that includes a physical album stored in a jewel case and a small “KiT” device that uses a U-NFC (ultrasonic near-field communication) signal to unlock music, videos, lyrics and album credits on the KiTalbum app for iOS and Android devices. The square-shaped jewel box typically contains printed materials such as stickers and cards.
A relative unknown in the U.S., the KiTalbum format is best known in the company’s home country. Not only are KiTalbum’s original manufacturing facility and offices in Korea, but the company also launched a flagship retail store in the country. Sullivan says that since 2017, KiTbetter has produced 10 million KiTalbums, with K-pop titles being the best-selling.
But now, the company is targeting a wider range of genres and artists in North America and Europe. “We’re seeing strong international demand that continues to drive the need for additional production capacity,” adds Sullivan. Having a facility in Los Angeles will cut down on the turnaround time compared to shipping products from South Korea.
In recent years, KiTbetter has released titles on metal label Earache Records (Napalm Death and Carcass, for example) and Rhino Records (Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill and B-52s’ Cosmic Thing, among others). Rap icons Public Enemy released a KiTalbum version of its latest album, Black Sky Over the Projects: Apartments 2025. Metal greats Megadeth will offer a KiTalbum version of its final album that’s due out in January.
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KiTalbums typically come with exclusive or bonus content. The upcoming reissue of Devo’s 1980 album Freedom of Choice, for example, includes cover versions of the band’s hit song “Whip It” by the bands Teen Mortgage! and Scowl. Stone Temple Pilots’ Purple comes with seven music videos and acoustic sessions for “Big Empty” and “Pretty Penny.”
Independent artists can also create KiTalbums for their releases through the KiTbetter self-service website. Sullivan says prices start around $9 apiece and drop to about $7 per unit for orders of 300 units. Artists can sell their KiTalbums in the KiTbetter shop or through their own online stores. “A lot of artists like to have product on hand at shows,” says Sullivan.
KiTbetter isn’t the first company to attempt to enhance digital content. Yoto sells Yoto Cards, credit card-sized pieces of plastic, that are inserted into a screen-free audio player for children. Weverse, the social media platform owned by K-pop giant HYBE, offers Weverse Albums that include digital photo cards and animated album covers. Going further back in time, record labels embraced enhanced CDs in the 2000s to help combat falling album sales. Enhanced CDs added data to an audio CD and frequently included videos, wallpapers and links to web pages.
While the KiTalbum remains a niche product in the U.S., KiTbetter’s expansion corresponds with the music industry’s increased interest in collectibles and selling physical items to superfans. With streaming dominating music consumption, perhaps the KiTalbum will become an intriguing option for fans who prefer digital music but want a tangible item.
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Following the death of founding KISS guitarist Ace Frehley last Thursday at age 74, the Morris County, New Jersey medical examiner’s office is conducting a series of exams to determine the rocker’s cause of death. According to TMZ, a rep for the examiner’s office said that though an autopsy was not performed on Frehley’s body, the guitarist know for his on-stage Spaceman persona is undergoing a toxicology screening as well as an external body examination to determine how he died; the final cause of death will not be announced until after the toxicology report is completed, which could take several weeks.
At press time a spokesperson for the medical examiner’s office had not returned Billboard‘s request for confirmation on the TMZ report.
Frehley’s family announced his death last week in a statement, writing, “We are completely devastated and heartbroken. In his last moments, we were fortunate enough to have been able to surround him with loving, caring, peaceful words, thoughts, prayers and intentions as he left this earth. We cherish all of his finest memories, his laughter, and celebrate his strengths and kindness that he bestowed upon others. The magnitude of his passing is of epic proportions, and beyond comprehension. Reflecting on all of his incredible life achievements, Ace’s memory will continue to live on forever!”
At the time, TMZ reported that Frehley had been on life support after suffering a brain bleed following a fall at home several weeks earlier. The rock star had canceled a planned performance at the Antelope Valley Fair in Lancaster, California, after suffering what at the time was described as a “minor fall … resulting in a trip to the hospital.” A statement on his Instagram at the time said Frehley was “fine, but against his wishes, his doctor insists that he refrain from travel at this time.”
Less than two weeks later, Frehley’s team announced that he would be canceling all of his remaining appearances for this year “due to some ongoing medical issues.”
Frehley co-founded KISS in 1973 in New York along with singer/guitarist Paul Stanley, basist/singer Gene Simmons and drummer/singer Peter Criss. He remained a core member of the greasepaint rockers’ lineup through 1982 and later returned for the band’s blockbuster reunion tour in 1996, staying on through 2002.
The group known for their elaborate, glittery costumes, character makeup and bombastic rock anthems released some of its most successful albums during Frehley’s tenure, including 1977’s Love Gun and Alive II, both of which charted in the top 10 of the Billboard 200.
“We are devastated by the passing of Ace Frehley,” read a post from the band following Frehley’s death. “He was an essential and irreplaceable rock soldier during some of the most formative foundational chapters of the band and its history. He is and will always be a part of KISS’s legacy. Our thoughts are with Jeanette, Monique and all those who loved him, including our fans around the world.”
KISS will be honored at the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors taping on Dec. 7 — and airing Dec. 23 on CBS — with Frehley becoming be just the third person to receive the honor posthumously.
Trending on Billboard Nora Fatehi brings Billboard behind the scenes as she gets into glam for the All That Glitters Diwali Ball 2025. She shares memories of past Diwali events, details on her new music, a secret collaboration coming and much more. Nora Fatehi: There’s a Diwali bash happening in London, then there’s one in […]
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Justin Bieber has been on our screens for more than half of his life. But starting Wednesday (Oct. 22) the “Daisies” singer promised that we’re about to see even more of him. Bieber made his debut on Twitch yesterday with a stream that included footage of the singer playing basketball, shooting pool with friends and teasing his upcoming Coachella dates.
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The live feed from a giant warehouse space decked out with a mini half-pipe, a recording studio, ping-pong table and lounge area — with a pack-and-play bed for son Jack Blues — included an extended bit where JB put up short jumpers while talking about focusing on his health and “friendships, relationships, the ability to connect with each other,” all cued to Partynextdoor’s “Come and See Me.”
Long stretches of the stream were taken up with Bieber’s crew wandering around the space or just chilling as the singer played DJ and cued up some favorite mellow R&B, including Leon Thomas’ “Yes It Is,” as they played a lengthy game of Horse on the court. At one point, Justin hit a long shot from near the foul line while seated in a chair. The action then moved to a pool table, with Bieber yawning as he prepared to chalk up his cue.
After the game, Bieber took control of the camera and provided the first bit of actual news in the otherwise action-lacked feed with a tease about his April 2026 Coachella headlining gig, the only concerts he’s booked so far following the release of his Swag and Swag II collections and his first full live shows since 2022.
“This is our space for the next few months, so excited,” Bieber said. “I’m gonna be putting on a hell of a show for you guys at Coachella. I can’t wait. So getting ready, getting the gang together, get inspired. So Beautiful.” Speaking directly to camera, Bieber promised that the Twitch stream will be live “pretty muchevery day,” encouraging fans to tune in. “It’s gonna be awesome.”
In addition to the singer hopping on his skateboard and working the half-pipe, the feed also included a section with a shirtless Bieber playing ping pong. While not playing around, Bieber has been busy lately dropping music videos and topping charts, including a visual for “Bad Honey” and a No. 1 spot on the Pop Airplay Chart with “Daisies,” which tied him with Bruno Mars for most leaders among solo males in the chart’s history.
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Fresh off the release of his new single “Changes,” Charlie Puth is ready to be part of the change in protecting the Amazon rainforest by joining the lineup of Global Citizen Festival: Amazônia, taking place next weekend in Brazil, Billboard can exclusively reveal.
Puth will join previously announced performers Anitta, Seu Jorge, Gilberto Gil, Gaby Amarantos, Chris Martin of Coldplay, Eric Terena, Kaê Guajajara and Djuena Tikunal. It’s all going down Saturday, Nov. 1, at Belém’s Estádio Olímpico, also known as Mangueirão, in Pará, Brazil.
“I’m thrilled to be coming to Belém for the first Global Citizen Festival in Latin America,” Puth said in a press release announcing his addition. “As a Global Citizen ambassador, I’m honored to be part of such an important cause for our planet and can’t wait to see you on November 1st.”
Also announced Thursday (Oct. 23): Brazilian singer Vivi Batidão will perform during the festival’s pre-show, and Alane Dias, Ricardinho and Luiza Zveiter have joined the lineup of presenters. The festival will be co-hosted by Regina Casé, Mel Fronckowiak, Hugo Gloss and Isabelle Nogueira, with appearances by Rodrigo Santoro and Estêvão Ciavatta.
Any fans not attending in person can visit globalcitizen.watch to tune in live on Nov. 1 at 6 p.m. ET, and the fest will also broadcast on Globo across Brazil.
The event will focus on amplifying the voices of indigenous peoples and local communities in the Amazon rainforest and aim to raise $1 billion to protect, restore and rewild the Amazon rainforest. Global Citizen Festival: Amazônia will be a zero carbon footprint festival, in alignment with Global Citizen’s campaign to Protect the Amazon rainforest; find the full details of the Protect the Amazon campaign here.
Puth will likely perform some of his newest music at the festival, after announcing his fourth studio album, Whatever’s Clever!, last week and dropping the lead single “Changes” alongside a music video that doubled as a pregnancy announcement for him and his wife Brooke. Puth just wrapped a 16-show residency at Blue Note Jazz Club in New York and Los Angeles, where he also live-debuted “Beat Yourself Up” from the new project, due March 6 via Atlantic Records.
Billboard’s Live Music Summit will be held in Los Angeles on Nov. 3. Find details about tickets and more information here.
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Courtney Barnett is back on our screens and behind the wheel once again with “Stay In Your Lane.”
The celebrated Australian singer and songwriter was the musical guest Wednesday (Oct. 22) on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where she roused night owls with her new single.
“Stay In Your Lane” (via Mom+Pop Music) is a blast of ‘90s-leaning indie rock, and is Barnett’s first new material since the 2023 instrument LP End Of The Day and her first new lyrical piece since the 2021 album Things Take Time, Take Time, which cracked the Billboard 200 chart, debuted in the top 40 on the Official U.K. Chart, and impacted the top 10 in her homeland.
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“Gotta get this off my chest” she chants in the chorus, leading a full band. “This never would’ve happened if I stayed in my lane, stayed the same way.”
Watch Barnett’s late night performance of “Stay In Your Lane” below.
The Grammy Award-nominated Melbourne artist has been quietly revving up her full-scale return to the stage with a string of intimate shows at Levon Helm Studios and in Joshua Tree, and a date booked next month at Odeon Theatre in Hobart, Tasmania.
Barnett emerged in the 2010s as one of Australia’s finest indie exports. Her debut full-length album from 2015, Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit, peaked at No. 4 in Australia, and blasted into the top 20 in the United Kingdom and the United States, and won the Australian Music Prize, awarded to the best Australian album, regardless of critical success; along with a trio of ARIA Awards and a nomination for best international female at the BRIT Awards. Then, her solo follow-up from 2018, Tell Me How You Really Feel, cracked the top 10 in the United Kingdom, led several Billboard charts and peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard 200.
A collaborative project with Kurt Vile, 2017’s Lotta Sea Lice, was another success story, reaching No. 5 in Australia, No. 11 in the U.K., and No. 51 in the U.S.
There’s no word yet on when that next, fourth solo studio album will see the light of day.
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Melbourne, Australia — Paul Dainty is embarking on a new voyage in artist management.
The legendary Australian concert promoter joins forces with his son, Sam Dainty, on Voyager Management Group, which launches proper with its first signing, Charly Oakley.
Voyager was initially created with Brian Walsh, the late publicist and executive director of television at pay-TV platform Foxtel, and is completely separate to TEG Dainty, which Paul Dainty continues to lead.
The new venture serves to oversee several agencies, including IMC and Mark Gogoll Artists, and Monument Management, explains Sam Dainty, a film and TV professional who came on to board in 2022 to help operate the business and was mentored largely by Walsh, who passed in 2023.
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“Charly is the first artist Paul has managed and the first artist signed to us,” Sam Dainty tells Billboard. “We had hoped to do this further down the line but when we discovered Charly we were just so impressed and wanted to get moving.”
Paul Dainty knows something about talent. The U.K.-born impresario has forged an impressive career in his adopted homeland, producing tours and concerts with the world’s leading rock and pop artists, and selling more than 50 million tickets along the way.
The Melbourne-based executive established the Dainty Group/Dainty Corporation in the early 1970s, and got on a roll early on with the Bee Gees, Diana Ross, Cat Stevens and the Jackson Five. Dainty produced the Rolling Stones’ tour of 1973, a visit that would set up the success that followed.
It was Dainty who produced ABBA’s 1977 tour of Australia, a visit that remains the stuff of legend. Through the friendships made on that trip, ABBA’s Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus entrusted Dainty to tour Mamma Mia! 25 years later.
Dainty has also produced tours for the likes of Paul McCartney, U2, Guns N’ Roses, Eminem, David Bowie, George Michael, Prince, Katy Perry, and Britney Spears, and expanded the business into international markets.
He continues to serve as president and CEO of TEG Dainty, which, since 2016, has been a part of the TEG Group. The following year, he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM), and in 2023, he was appointed Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for his “distinguished service to the community”. Upcoming TEG Dainty shows include national treks by Ricky Martin, Oprah, and Richard Marx.
A 22-year-old pop singer and songwriter, Oakley celebrates their new deal with the release of a debut single “Against The Odds” through AWAL. Oakley will support the release with a launch show next Thursday, Oct. 30 at Night Cat in Fitzroy, Melbourne.
Oakley is a special artist with the world at their feet, Sam Dainty reckons.
“We believe that Australian talent is extremely under-represented on a global stage, we have ambition for Charly in the future to be a huge name and figure in the music world,” Dainty says. “We have been able to give Charly the platform to receive feedback, help and guidance from not only us but huge names in the music industry and they have confirmed out belief in the artist and now it is time for the world to begin to hear the music.”
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Women In CTRL, a non-profit advocacy group, announced Thursday (Oct. 23) that more than a dozen British live music organizations have signed a pledge designed to strengthen inclusion targets across the industry.
The Seat at the Table Inclusion Pledge, the first of its kind in the U.K., is centered around a new sector-wide commitment to achieving gender-balanced leadership by 2030.
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Signees of the pledge include ATC Live and Ginger Owl, and companies including AEG and The O2. All 15 LIVE (Live Music Industry Venues & Entertainment) organisations have also signed up, including the Association of Independent Festivals, Featured Artists Coalition and Music Managers Forum.
As supporters of the pledge, industry allies will contribute to case studies, share learning across the sector, and participate in future roundtables and peer learning sessions. Women In CTRL says this collaboration will be key to strengthening accountability across the live music ecosystem.
Signatories will also be required to commit to submitting an annual check-in to show progression across key focus areas, such as strengthening governance and board diversity through reviews or term limits.
In April, Women In CTRL and LIVE released a landmark report titled Seat at the Table: LIVE Edition. Its findings highlighted progress in some areas — including the finding that 61% of the Music Venue Trust board identifies as women or non-binary — while also revealing disparities in wider leadership representation.
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Forty-one percent of board members across LIVE and its 15 member organisations are women or non-binary people, the report stated. LIVE has since released its 2030 inclusion targets, which include 50% women and non-binary representation and 16% women from global majority backgrounds in senior leadership roles.
Elsewhere, the report revealed that women’s representation on U.K. music trade association boards rose from 32% in 2020 to 52% in 2024.
Gaby Cartwright, head of partnerships at LIVE, said in a press release at the time the report was released, “As an industry, it’s clear that we must do more to improve gender representation at the highest levels… Reaching this goal will require collective effort, accountability, and meaningful action — but momentum is building. This report provides crucial insight into the challenges we face, and the concrete steps needed to drive lasting change.”
Nadia Khan, founder of Women In CTRL, added at the time, “We know from experience that what gets measured, gets done. This report is an essential first step; by setting a clear benchmark, we are providing the industry with a roadmap for action, not simply reflection.”To read the full Seat at the Table: LIVE Edition report, visit the Women In CTRL website here.
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Stadium shows, records set on the Billboard charts, awards. All of it, nice. But for Teddy Swims, the moment he knew he’d really “made it” was when he collaborated with The Wiggles.
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No lie. Swims is at the back-end of an action-packed tour of Australia and New Zealand, during which he performed at the NRL Grand Final, delivered a keynote at SXSW Sydney, and, yes, performed on stage with The Wiggles.
This morning, Swims stopped by Nova 100’s Jase & Lauren for a chat about the land Down Under, his tattoo obsession, and realizing his dream as an unofficial Wiggle.
The Wiggles joined Teddy Swims onstage during his concert at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena on Oct. 15, for a medley of “Rock-A-Bye Your Bear,” “Hot Potato” and “Fruit Salad.”
“Yeah, that was the coolest thing ever,” he remarks. “So, I reached out to them years ago when I first started coming up on Instagram, because they’re really my heroes growing up, and always wanted to collab with them. And so I reached out to them, like, ‘you’re my heroes. I love you’.”
Fortune smiled on Swims as he greeted the children’s entertainers backstage on the Today Show, ahead of the Oct. 5 rugby league finale.
“I met them in the hallway, and they were like, ‘you want to play ‘Fruit Salad’ with us?’ And I was like, ‘oh my god!’… I was absolutely starstruck.”
Swims played his cards right and asked The Wiggles to join him at a show, which they did.
“Oh dude, it was so sick,” he recounts. “We did this whole three song medley, and the whole band was involved. It was the coolest thing ever. I think it was, like, I even said it afterwards, that was my ‘made it’ moment for me.”
Swims has some serious runs on the board. He made history in July when “Lose Control” became the first song in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 to spend triple-digit weeks on the chart, as it reached its milestone 100th frame. The next best is Glass Animals’ “Heat Waves,” which logged 91 weeks on the tally in 2021-22.
The Atlanta-born singer’s blend of R&B, country and soul has seen him fly high on Australia’s charts, too. In January, Swims’ I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 2) opened at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart, while “Lose Control” went to No. 4 on the national singles survey.
Speaking on Australian breakfast radio, Swims admitted he’s “running out of space” for new ink, but there are countless blank canvases among his pals.
“Right before my son was born,” he notes, “I was trying to take a couple months off the booze and so we’d always have kind of party after the show in the green room and stuff, there’s so many people. So I was like, instead of fighting the urge to drink, I could just pull the tattoo machine out and all the drunks would just let me tattoo them.”
Swims’ I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy Tour of Australasia continues tonight, Oct. 23 with the second of three dates at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena. Matt Corby is the support act and Frontier Touring is producing the trek, which ends Oct. 29 with a sold out concert at Perth’s RAC Arena.
Stream his Nova interview below.
