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JBL just tapped Benson Boone as its newest global brand ambassador. The breakout singer/songwriter pairing with the music and gaming tech brand is pretty much the perfect match, given both are committed to all things sound, culture and connection.
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To make the partnership official, Boone went out to surprise fans outside of JBL’s SoHo store before taking the stage at the 2025 Governors Ball. The “Beautiful Things” singer pulled up in a vintage convertible car blasting tracks from his album American Heart before handing out custom JBL Flip 7s from the trunk.
This exciting partnership will feature exclusive content drops, behind-the-scenes moments and live activations designed to bring fans closer to Boone and his music through JBL. In honor of Boone and JBL’s partnership, we’re rounding up a few of our favorite music and gaming tech from JBL, sharing the best of the best for fans of Boone and beyond.
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JBL Go 4 Speaker
$39.95
$49.95
20% off
A portable mini speaker in green and gray with powerful base.
Don’t you wish you could take your music with you everywhere? Well, now you can. Retailing for $39.95, JBL’s Go 4 Speaker is a tiny but mighty speaker situated in a compact rectangular shape in shades of gray and green. The speaker is portable and packs a major punch with base you can feel. This little guy boasts up to seven hours of playtime on a single charge.
It also comes with Playtime Boost which allows for up to two extra hours of jamming by prolonging the battery life. Not only does the speaker change color, but it’s also waterproof so you can take it to the beach or pool without fear of having it fizzle out. If the available colors don’t tickle your fancy, you can also make a custom Go 4 with a base design of your choosing.
JBL Quantum Stream Studio Mic
$99.95
$149.95
33% off
A gaming and podcasting speaker.
If you’re planning to stream video games or starting a podcast (as if we need any more) then this mic is for you. Retailing for a marked-down price of $99.95, this studio mic is a steal. The crisp sound is all thanks to three lightweight, fast-moving, and sensitive (-37dB) 14mm cardioid condenser mics, all with a wide and flat frequency range (50~16kHz).
You’ll get studio-quality sound every time. With a click of a single button, you can quickly change between four voice-pickup patterns, cardioid, bi-directional, stereo and omnidirectional which are all utilized for different set-ups and scenarios. There’s also a tap-to-mute button that you can quickly touch if you feel an awkward sneeze coming on mid-stream. This mic truly has it all.
JBL Spinner BT
A black and orange record player.
Play records like a pro with JBL’s Spinner BT, a sleek, retro-inspired record player that comes in two colorways, black and orange and black and gold. The Spinner BT is Bluetooth compatible and features a high-quality aluminum tonearm that ensures excellent tracking of the record groove without damaging your precious vinyl. Plus the design is gorgeous. We like the black and orange model for the beautiful contrast in hues. This makes for a great gift for that hipster music nerd in your life.
JBL Junior 470NC
Over-the-ear headphones with gray, white and orange accents.
JBL’s Junior 470NC is an exceptional piece of music tech for kids. Easy to use and safe to boot, these over-the-ear headphones feature a controlled safe volume designed to never exceed 85dB so kids can listen to “Baby Shark” with the highest sound quality without damaging their precious eardrums. Parents can also customize hearing protection settings by limiting both maximum volume and daily listening time. These headphones can also be synced to the JBL Headphones app so you can monitor your child’s listening, and at what volume.
JBL PartyBox Stage 320
A rolling light-up speaker with a handle.
This portable speaker is bold and bigger than ever, providing music lovers with impeccable sound quality they can bring on the go. Retailing for a marked-down price of $549.95, the PartyBox Stage 320 brings the party anywhere thanks to the wheel attachments and telescope handle that functions similarly to a suitcase. The speaker includes a built-in light show with effects like starry lights, cool light trails and a strobe that all flash to the beat of the song playing. The speakers are also equipped with two 6.5″ woofers that deliver clean and precise deep bass no matter the volume.
DDG is feeling the pressures of fame as he and his former partner Halle Bailey find themselves in the middle of a custody battle. The rapper and streamer took to X on Thursday to vent his frustrations and compared himself to the King of Pop, writing: “Now I know how Michael Jackson felt being famous.. […]
Contemporary Christian Music group Newsboys responded to recent allegations of sexual assault and drug use against former lead singer Michael Tait, who abruptly stepped away from the group in January.
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On Wednesday, The Roys Report published what it referred to as a two-and-a-half-year investigation into allegations against Tait. The outlet claims it spoke with more than 50 sources, including three people who claim that Tait groomed and sexually assaulted them while touring or at Tait’s home. The accusers allege that the incidents took place between 2004 and 2014. Multiple people in the report also claimed that Tait was involved in drug use.
In an Instagram post on Thursday, the group’s four current members — Jeff Frankenstein, Jody Davis, Duncan Phillips and Adam Agee — responded to the allegations, writing, “Last night our hearts were shattered when we read the news alleging drug abuse and inappropriate sexual actions by our former lead singer, Michael Tait. While Michael has not addressed these allegations, we are devastated by even the implications.
“First and foremost, our hearts are with the victims who have bravely shared their stories,” the band’s message continued. “If you are a victim, we urge you to come forward. We absolutely do not condone any form of sexual assault. The four of us are husbands and fathers. Between the four of us, we have fourteen children. Our wives and children have made many sacrifices while we have dedicated our lives to playing music together that glorifies God. We are horrified, heartbroken and angry at this report and in many ways, we feel as if we and our families have been deceived for the past fifteen years.”
Tait has not released a public response to the allegations contained in the report, and Billboard has not yet successfully reached him or a representative. A Newsboys rep did not respond to comment beyond the band’s statement.
Tait stepped down from his role in Newsboys in January just days before the group launched the second leg of their Worldwide Revival Nights Tour. At the time, Tait issued a statement, saying, “I have made for me what is a monumental and heartfelt decision that it is time to step down from Newsboys. This decision does not come lightly and has been a shock to even myself, but amidst prayer and fasting, I have clarity that this is the right decision.” He joined Newsboys as their lead singer in 2009 following the exit of Peter Furler.
Tait is also known for his founding role in the groundbreaking CCM group DC Talk from 1988-2001. That group, which also included TobyMac and Kevin Max, had such hits as “Jesus Freak,” “What If I Stumble?” and the Billboard Hot 100 hit “Between You and Me.” Their 1995 album Jesus Freak, with its pop and hip-hop fusions, reached No. 16 on the all-genre Billboard 200 and won a Grammy for best rock gospel album. In 2000, the band went on hiatus, and Tait launched a decadelong solo career before joining Newsboys.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
Source: Billboard / Getty
In court on Thursday, a woman going by the name “Jane” said she felt pressured to do sexual things with escorts while music star Diddy watched, because he was paying her $10,000-a-month rent.
According to Complex, Jane said things started off great in early 2021, with fancy hotel stays, tropical vacations, and a lot of partying, including taking Ecstasy. By May, she said Diddy asked her to sleep with other men while he watched. They called these nights “debauchery” or “hotel nights.”
She said the first time it happened was at a hotel in Miami. An escort showed up, and even though she wasn’t totally okay with it, she went along because “my partner was excited, and it was already happening.” When she asked the escort to use a condom, Jane said Diddy told her it wasn’t needed because “they get tested all the time, they’re some of the cleanest people.”
That night changed everything, she told the court. “It opened a Pandora’s Box in our relationship, it was a door that I was unable to shut.” Jane explained that because Diddy was paying for her rent and lifestyle, she felt stuck and like she had to go along with what he wanted, even if she didn’t really want to.
Her testimony is part of a bigger case accusing Diddy of serious crimes like sex trafficking and abuse. Diddy has said he didn’t do anything wrong, and the trial is still going.
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Weather forecasts can be fun. Meteorologist Adam Krueger has become known as Weather Adam for his shrewd ability to incorporate song lyrics into his energetic weather reports. On Friday (June 6), Weather Adam took it back to 2013 while paying homage to Eminem and flipping “Rap God” into his weekend forecast for Los Angeles. “It’s […]
JoJo Siwa wasn’t looking to find love on Celebrity Big Brother UK, but she did. And now that she and co-star Chris Hughes are officially dating, the dancer is opening up about how she realized he was the one for her.
Speaking to Gyles Brandreth on an episode of his Rosebud podcast posted Thursday, Siwa began by saying that “serendipity is Christopher and I’s favorite word now,” because “if you read the definition of it, it’s essentially finding love when you’re least looking for it.”
The Dance Moms alum went on to explain how her romance with the Love Island alum — the first few weeks of which played out in front of countless viewers as they both starred on the reality program’s 24th season — is the model of serendipity. “We just kind of bonded right away, and it started very much so as friends,” she explained, noting that the first things she noticed about her now-boyfriend was that he smelled good and was a “good hugger.”
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“I wasn’t looking to fall for him, he wasn’t looking to fall for me,” she continued. “We’re having so much fun together, we’re having a laugh together. Whenever one of us was down, it was the other one that helped.”
Siwa and Hughes’ relationship is arguably the most memorable part of this Big Brother season, even though the couple didn’t get together until after it was over. While she was on the show, the “Karma” singer was dating Kath Ebbs, but they parted ways at the TV show’s wrap party.
On the podcast, Siwa appeared to touch on the breakup, telling Brandreth, “I had all these realizations in my life, things that I wasn’t happy [with], and things that I was being OK with that I should never have been OK with.
“I’m not happy, so I need to handle things, and I did very quickly once I got out of the house,” she added. “Over a little bit of time, I realized that I started to feel something for Christopher that I never intended to, but I couldn’t not feel. And I’m a very, very lucky girl because he was feeling the same thing.”
The interview comes just a few days after Hughes shared an intimate selfie of himself and Siwa cuddling in bed, after which the dancer told The Guardian newspaper, “It’s not platonic anymore, and it’s been a beautiful development, a beautiful connection, and I’m absolutely head-over-heels for him and he’s the same way.”
Siwa later gushed about her relationship in an interview with Billboard, also telling Tetris Kelly about what it’s been like to navigate a public relationship while identifying as queer. “It’s really hard because people tear it apart,” she said. “I’ve dated beautiful women, I’ve dated beautiful nonbinary people, I have dated men… but I realize that’s just who I am. I realize for myself that I just like humans.”
Mariah Carey is teasing MC16 with her dangerously hot new track in years “Type Dangerous.” Anderson .Paak shares what it was like to work with the queen, and how Mariah celebrated her new single. What do you think of “Type Dangerous”? Let us know in the comments! Anderson .Paak: Shout-out to the Queen, Mariah Carey. […]
Bresh, the “Most Beautiful Party in the World,” is embarking on its most ambitious chapter yet in Ibiza. This weekend, the widely celebrated fiesta kicks off its first Saturday-night residency at Amnesia — the storied venue dubbed the “temple of electronic music.” Running all summer through Sept. 20, this monumental residency sets the stage for Bresh to possibly redefine Ibiza’s nocturnal landscape with its known Latin pulse.
“For us, it’s a source of pride because Ibiza is one of the biggest entertainment platforms in the world —right up there with Las Vegas,” Nicolás Fernández, Bresh’s chief strategy officer, tells Billboard Español. Bresh’s residency at Amnesia isn’t just a milestone for the party itself but also a major turning point for the Spanish island, which has historically been synonymous with electronic music.
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This season marks Bresh’s third residency at Amnesia, after previously hosting parties on Tuesdays and then Thursdays. But now, it moves to Saturdays — the most coveted night of the week. “We’re doing something different, something unique — really offering a true alternative to electronic music,” Fernández adds. “[Ibiza] is one of our biggest bets every year. It’s where we bring our ideas to life: the staging, the decorations, the show, the music. It’s one of our main laboratories, where we need to shine the most.”
Since its inception in 2016 in Buenos Aires, Bresh has become a global phenomenon, delivering an unapologetically joyful mix of reggaetón, pop, rock en español, and more Latin rhythms. The residency is designed for an audience of both locals and international visitors eager to dance and connect during its 16-week season.
“You’ve got a big Spanish audience on the island that might be more familiar with Latin music and culture, but you also have Italian, British, German, and Dutch audiences who might not be as familiar,” he says. “It’s both a joy and a huge responsibility to carry the flag and represent [Latin culture].”
Bresh
Courtesy of Fiesta Bresh
Since opening its doors in the 1970s, Amnesia has established itself as one of the most prestigious clubs in the world. Its recognition includes accolades at the International Dance Music Awards (IDMAs) as the best global club in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011.
The residency will showcase its essence with a lineup of surprise guests every week, in a format they call Bresh & Friends, Fernández explains. This year, the production comes with a completely revamped design and execution, taking the Latin party experience to another level — something that hasn’t been seen in Bresh’s previous Ibiza residencies.
“We believe that this year the key difference had to be showcasing what happens in many other places — inviting artists and people from the industry to be part of this and doing it together through Bresh as a platform,” he says. “It’s our role to take up this space, but also to be a place where artists with a Latin and Spanish-speaking imprint can show their work. These are artists who, perhaps, don’t often have shows in Ibiza — it’s not very common. Maybe they fill stadiums or massive venues in other cities, but in Ibiza, that doesn’t happen due to the island’s own dynamics. We feel we have to be the space to make this happen.”
Notable figures from Latin music and culture are no strangers to Bresh’s dance floors in Ibiza and beyond. Previous guests include Aitana, Emilia, Lola Índigo, and even sports icons like Lionel Messi and Brazilian soccer star Vinícius Jr. However, the emphasis is not on celebrity appearances but on the collective energy of the crowd and the music. “The focus at Bresh isn’t on who shows up, but on what’s created through the connections,” reads the press release.
This season in Ibiza brings a new addition to the Bresh universe: Casa Bresh. Designed as a space that goes beyond a traditional backstage, this new location aims to become a creative and social hub for artists, collaborators, and friends. “Casa Bresh is the place where these artists will stay and spend a few days experiencing what Ibiza is all about,” Fernández reveals. “It’s a carefully designed and creative environment, meant for connecting, conversing, and celebrating from a different perspective.”
The magic of Bresh has always been its ability to connect people, and Casa Bresh is no exception. Spontaneous moments at these parties have already led to major collaborations, such as Ozuna and Tiago PZK meeting at a Miami edition of the party and later creating the hit “Nos Comemos” in 2022, which made its way onto several Billboard charts, including Latin Rhythm Airplay at No. 16.
With over one million attendees each year across more than 30 countries, 190 cities, and four continents, Bresh continues to solidify its status as a global phenomenon. But its Ibiza residency carries a special mission. “”From the very first day we arrived, the goal was clear: ‘We need to be here forever.’”
“We believe we’re here to embody everything that aligns directly with Bresh’s values,” Fernández says. “The essence of Bresh is to make people happy, bring joy, dancing, and great energy to everyone.”
If owning two versions of four of her Big Machine albums presents a challenge to Taylor Swift, it’s a great problem to have. Then again, it might not be a problem at all.
At first blush, it might seem that Taylor Swift’s decision to purchase her Big Machine master recordings presents her with a difficult decision. Does she emphasize the original versions or the high-profile re-recordings that many fans have purchased and streamed? Then again, Swift isn’t necessarily forced to choose between the two versions of her catalog. Conversations with multiple music industry veterans revealed there are many options for monetizing the Big Machine releases and getting the most out of her investment.
Swift’s immensely successful re-recordings, given the name “Taylor’s Version,” have amassed 15.8 million track equivalent albums (TEAs) in the U.S. so far, according to Luminate. But despite driving her fans to those re-recordings, the four Big Machine versions have continued to perform well. Year to date, the original versions of Fearless, Speak Now, Red and 1989 have a total of 331,000 track equivalent albums in the U.S. — about 40% as much as the re-recorded albums.
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When Shamrock owned the Big Machine masters, Swift effectively had veto power over requests for synch licenses. If a music supervisor wanted a track from one of her Big Machine albums, Swift, who is either the sole songwriter or a co-writer on every track, could refuse to grant permission for the publishing rights. And she announced her intention to do just that in an interview with Billboard after Ithaca bought her catalog in its 2019 Big Machine acquisition, saying she would license her music for movies and commercials only if she owned the master rights. That’s why a 2020 Match.com ad used a re-recording of “Love Story,” not the Big Machine original.
Owning the Big Machine masters opens the door for more synch licenses. Whether the music supervisor wants the original or the re-recording, Swift, as the sole owner of both versions, has a financial incentive to put her songs in ads, films, TV shows and movie trailers, says Bryan Calhoun, a marketing consultant. “I would say, ‘Hey, let’s go crazy. I own this stuff. Let’s go hard.’ And I would have some people dedicated to really being aggressive about going and getting licenses.”
Owning her Big Machine catalog will also create more synch opportunities because some directors and music supervisors will want Swift’s original versions. Michael Hausman, manager of Aimee Mann and ‘Til Tuesday, says Mann re-recorded her song “Wise Up” to keep 100% of the revenue. “It worked out well,” he says. “Most people probably could never tell the difference.” But some music supervisors “just don’t like the idea of a re-record and they want the original,” he adds, “even if there’s no difference” between the two.
Swift’s most fervent fans supported her re-recordings and, in some cases, showed solidarity in her feud with Scooter Braun, whose Ithaca Holdings acquired Big Machine, by avoiding the Big Machine originals. Her four Taylor’s Version re-recorded albums, stuffed with additional material and released in multiple variations, have sold a combined 6 million units to date in the U.S. across digital download and physical formats, according to Luminate. Sales and streaming executive Adam Abramson believes that Swift would similarly find a welcome response to reissues of the original albums.
“While the Swifties were happy to accept the re-records at that time so that they did not have to buy or stream the original, ‘problematic’ versions, I think most will be thrilled to be able to listen to the original albums as they were recorded at those respective points in Taylor’s life,” says Abramson.
Album reissues tend to coincide with anniversaries, and owning her Big Machine catalog gives Swift the opportunity to celebrate her original albums’ 20th anniversaries. Her self-titled Big Machine debut — which was not re-recorded — will turn 20 next year, followed by Fearless in 2028, Speak Now in 2030, Red in 2032 and 1989 in 2034. That gives Swift eight years to repackage her first five Big Machine albums. And considering how well her four re-recorded albums sold, it’s reasonable to think Big Machine anniversary editions could see a similarly strong response from fans.
Owning two versions also gives Swift additional streaming revenue. While Swift has pushed her re-recordings, the Big Machine versions had the benefit of inertia. The four original Big Machine albums have accumulated 406 million on-demand streams in the U.S. in 2025. That’s about two-fifths of the streams from the re-recorded albums, but that many streams — worth 293,000 TEAs — will generate well over $2 million in annual royalties in the U.S. alone.
News of the Swift purchase is an opportunity for digital service platforms (DSPs) to take advantage of fans’ interest, says Adamson. “I would not be surprised, and have already started to see, the DSPs highlighting her newly owned catalog again.” Indeed, on Wednesday (June 3), just four days after Swift announced the acquisition, Apple Music took to Instagram to encourage subscribers to delve into Swift’s entire catalog.
There’s also the lesson of Garth Brooks, who bought his Capitol Records masters in 2005 and took them off streaming and download stores. Brooks tightly controlled the availability of his catalog, first licensing the recordings to Walmart in 2005, then to Amazon in 2017. Brooks has also made deals with select retailers — Bass Pro Shops, Cabela’s, Dollar General — to sell his box sets. Downloads of his music were also made available at GhostTunes, an online music store launched by Brooks in 2014. Brooks could do whatever he wanted because he owned the masters.
Swift could take the Brooks route and do exclusive deals with digital and e-commerce platforms. But it seems more likely that she will capitalize on her unique ability to motivate consumers and maximize her catalog’s availability across all sales and streaming channels. Swift can arguably squeeze more out of her catalog than any one DSP or e-commerce platform, and she’ll do more with it than an investor like Shamrock. “It’s more valuable in her hands than in somebody else’s hands,” says Calhoun.
Billboard caught up with Anderson .Paak ahead of his DJ Pee .Wee set at House of Mouse, and he shares how he’s grown as a DJ, working on his label, collaborating with Mariah Carey and more!
Tetris Kelly:
So a party doesn’t start until DJ Pee .Wee shows up. Man, how you feeling?
I feel great!
I feel like everywhere I go in the industry, I can be at Coachella, I can be at the Super Bowl — you’re there providing the vibe. So what’s the evolution been like for you as a DJ?
Man, it’s been great. I love DJing, you know? Being a part of the party, but also like helping make the party is like, it’s a dream, like, I love it. So it’s been awesome to get to learn a lot of music. Shout-out to Eddie and Maurice. It’s, like, always a new challenge every time, just like, trying to make the crowd move. So it’s been awesome to go from like, a little like speakeasy, where we started, to doing parties with Mickey Mouse now.
I mean, that’s what I’m saying, being at the House of Mouse. How’d you get involved with Mickey and all his cool friends?
It’s been a dream come true. I think our first party that we did was in London, maybe. And, yeah, we hooked up with Joss, and they just like, you know, at first I didn’t know what Willie was about, and it was just like, exceeded all expectations, like to be able to interact with, like, all the characters, and they took me to the studio, and we did so much cool content. It’s been amazing.
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