State Champ Radio Author: djfrosty
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SOPA Images / Trump Mobile
We all knew Trump Mobile was the jig when it was first announced, and one tech writer for The Verge learned that likely remains to be the case.
Allison Johnson, a senior reviewer for The Verge, shared her experience after signing up for Trump Mobile, the Donald Trump and his family’s latest grift.
Johnson reports she ordered a Trump Mobile SIM card to test the service, since the website can’t seem to lock down a device for testing.
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That doesn’t come as a surprise because we previously reported that Spigen, a mobile accessory company, threatened to sue Trump Mobile after it was caught using photoshopped images of a gold-plated Samsung S25 Ultra with a T logo slapped on the back of a Spigen phone case.
Anyway, Johnson detailed her attempt to secure a SIM card, and that also was a failure becuase it failed to show up even after the company said it would be shipping via next business day via First Class USPS mail.
Per The Verge:
Let’s say I don’t fully trust the Trump Organization to be great stewards of my credit card information, so I used a virtual number provided by my bank. Once I’d handed over the virtual money, I got this message: “Thank you for your order of a Physical SIM, we’ll ship next business day via First Class USPS mail, no separate tracking number will be sent.” Just what I was looking for with my wireless service: a sense of mystery! Fast-forward two weeks, and that SIM card is still on its way.
The Extremely Nice Customer Service Kept Her From Feeling Salty
Johnson’s experience with Trump Mobile wasn’t all bad, thanks to the extremely pleasant customer service she received.
A shocker coming from a Trump-family-owned company.
Anyway, two weeks passed, and, no surprise, she didn’t receive her SIM card, so she called customer service, and they agreed she should have received it already.
Later that afternoon, Johnson received an email from [email protected] informing her that her SIM card would be shipped via two-day FedEx.
The shipping company emailed her to confirm she would be receiving her SIM card from Liberty Mobile, the MVNO behind Trump Mobile.
The representative from Trump Mobile customer service named “Kh,” reached out to her to inform her that she would be receiving a refund and that her package would be “arriving soon.”
She did get her refund the same day, but the wait for the SIM card is still ongoing, and Johnson claims it could arrive any day.
We shall see.
Trending on Billboard
Spotify’s stock price has fallen more than $200 below its all-time high of $785.00 set on June 27 after falling 8.2% to $583.62 in the week ended Friday (Nov. 21). The Swedish streaming giant’s share price dropped more than 7% in the two days after it announced the purchase of WhoSampled, an online song samples database, to power a new song credits feature, SongDNA.
Investors’ reaction to a relatively small acquisition appears to be part of a larger theme in recent weeks. While Spotify is one of the better-performing music stocks of 2025, it has struggled since the company announced on Sept. 30 that CEO Daniel Ek will step down and assume the role of executive chairman. Ek attempted to assuage investors who might be wary of his departure, saying in an open letter that “very little will change” when Spotify is led by co-CEOs Alex Norström and Gustav Söderström, two longtime Spotify executives. Ek added that he will operate with a European-style approach to the executive chairman position that is “more hands-on than the traditional U.S. model.”
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But investors aren’t showing much faith in the post-Ek era. Since the announcement, Spotify shares have fallen 19.9%, erasing $29.7 billion of market value.
Driven by Spotify’s 8.2% decline — the worst for all music companies this week — the Billboard Global Music Index (BGMI) fell 4.8% to 2,571.67. Eight of the index’s companies had gains while 11 finished the week with losses. The BGMI has not posted a gain in 10 weeks and now stands 17.5% below the all-time high of 3,117.20 set during the week of June 30.
Markets were down around the world this week. In the U.S., the Nasdaq fell 2.7% to 22,273.08 and the S&P 500 dropped 1.9% to 6,602.99. The U.K.’s FTSE 100 sank 1.6% to 9,539.71. South Korea’s KOSPI composite index and China’s Shanghai Composite Index each dropped 3.9%.
Warner Music Group (WMG) finished the week up 1.1% to $30.69. After releasing earnings on Thursday morning (Nov. 20), WMG shares dropped 2.7% on Thursday but gained 3.4% gain on Friday. Investors may not have received their desired message from WMG management, but analysts were upbeat about the numbers and management’s outlook. CFRA bumped WMG shares up to a “hold” rating from the “sell” rating it issued in July. Guggenheim kept its “buy” rating and $37 price target while noting that WMG’s “capital efficient” joint venture with Bain is likely to provide growth to both revenue and earnings. J.P. Morgan, which maintained its “overweight” rating and $40 price target, was “encouraged” by WMG management’s comments on margin expansion and market share gain.
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CTS Eventim shares rose 7.2% to 84.65 euros ($97.52). The German concert promoter and ticketing company released third-quarter earnings on Thursday that showed revenue rose 4%. The week’s gain brought CTS Eventim’s year-to-date gain to 0.8%.
Netease Cloud Music fell 7.1% to 189.40 HKD ($24.33) after its third-quarter earnings, released on Thursday, revealed a 2% decline in revenue. Cloud Music remains one of the year’s best-performing music stocks, however, with a 2025 gain of 68.8%.
Live Nation shares fell 3.9% to $130.55. Deutsche Bank lowered its price target to $160 from $173, which suggests 22.6% of upside based on Friday’s closing price, and maintained its “buy” rating.
The week’s greatest gainer was Cumulus Media, which rose 29% to $0.11. Such large swings are common for Cumulus, which has lost 85.7% of its value in 2025 and experiences sizable moves when it rises or falls a mere penny. With a market capitalization of just $2 million, the radio broadcaster has little effect on the BGMI.
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Trending on Billboard
GloRilla has defeated a lawsuit that accused her of stealing a social media personality’s viral catchphrase “all natural, no BBL” for her 2024 song “Never Find.”
The federal copyright case was filed this summer by Natalie Henderson, aka @slimdabodylast on Instagram, who claims she coined the catchphrase referencing “Brazilian butt lift” surgery. Henderson says GloRilla (Gloria Woods) stole the phrase for her lyric “All natural, no BBL/ Mad hoes go to hell” on “Never Find,” a bonus track off her debut album Glorious.
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GloRilla’s lawyers denied any infringement and argued that nobody can copyright a “cliched” expression like “all natural, no BBL.” But it doesn’t look like a court will have to decide these substantive questions; Judge Lance M. Africk dismissed Henderson’s lawsuit on Friday (Nov. 21) based on geographical technicalities.
The suit was brought in Henderson’s home state of Louisiana, but the judge ruled that wasn’t enough to establish jurisdiction over GloRilla, a Georgia resident, or the various label defendants also named in the lawsuit — California-based Universal Music Group and Warner Chappell, Tennessee-based CMG and New York-based BMG.
Henderson tried to argue that jurisdiction was established by GloRilla doing business in New Orleans, including by attending the 2025 Super Bowl and performing at the city’s Smoothie King Center when she opened for Lil Baby’s It’s Only Us tour in 2023 and Megan Thee Stallion’s Hot Girl Summer tour in 2024. But Judge Africk was not convinced.
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“Plaintiff’s claims do not arise out of or result from defendant Woods’s concerts or personal appearances in Louisiana, particularly when plaintiff has not made any allegations that ‘Never Find’ was ever performed in Louisiana,” wrote the judge.
Judge Africk similarly rejected Henderson’s contention that the case could be brought in Louisiana because “Never Find” was distributed in the state. He noted that the song was available worldwide — and also pointed out a major hole in Henderson’s argument.
“Plaintiff relies on her counsel’s purchase of a copy of defendant Woods’s album Glorious on vinyl at a New Orleans record store as evidence that defendants ‘specifically targeted consumers in Louisiana,’” wrote the judge. “However, ‘Never Find’ was not included on the vinyl that plaintiff’s counsel purchased, as it was only released as a bonus track on an exclusive digital version of the album Glorious.”
The lawsuit was dismissed without prejudice, meaning Henderson can attempt to refile the lawsuit in a different state if she so chooses. Her lawyer did not immediately return a request for comment on Friday, and neither did GloRilla’s reps.
This isn’t GloRilla’s first time defeating a copyright infringement lawsuit. Another case, which alleged her hit songs “Tomorrow” and “Tomorrow 2” sampled a decades-old hip-hop track without permission, was also dismissed out of New Orleans federal court last year for jurisdictional reasons.
GloRilla was sued again a year ago alongside Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi B and Soulja Boy for supposedly sampling the 2008 Plies song “Me & My Goons” without clearance on their collaboration “Wanna Be.” That case was voluntarily dropped in March.
Trending on Billboard
Mexican rapper Santa Fe Klan takes a turn in his career with the release of Baile Cholo, a cumbia vallenata album featuring 26 songs that speak about love, heartbreak, loneliness, sadness, and pain.
“Since I was a child, before I started rapping, cumbia ran through my veins, so I always wanted to do something like this,” the artist tells Billboard Español. “It was a difficult mission and a lot of work on my part and the team’s, but today I can say we’re going to make everyone dance.”
Released on Thursday (Nov. 20) as his second album under Prajin Records, Baile Cholo was recorded in Monterrey, Mexico, a place that for many years has had a large Colombian and Mexican community dedicated to cumbia and vallenato.
The LP features multiple collaborations: Anaidita y Su Sonora on “No Hace Falta,” Alberto y Roberto on “Perro Lobo,” APV Passion Vallenata on “Nomás Lokeez,” Javier López y Los Reyes Vallenatos on “Bájate La Falda,” Los Kombolokos on “Tú Perfume,” and Toy Selectah, the renowned DJ from Control Machete, on “Y Si Nos Vamos.”
“This project comes from the heart. The collaborations aren’t for personal gain; rather, I’m supporting the people I’m collaborating with on the album,” Santa Fe Klan, whose real name is Ángel Quezada, says. “I’m opening the door for them to be known by my fans, just as they’re lending me their musical style and movement.”
Soon to turn 26 this month, the artist co-produced the set with Julián Villareal, blending raw lyrics — very much in Santa Fe Klan’s style — with the celebratory vibe inspired by the genre. “It’s a heartfelt gift for my fans,” he adds. “The songs are full of emotion, the kind of emotion that comes from the people in the neighborhood. Unity is strength to take this movement to the top.”
Below, Santa Fe Klan breaks down five essential tracks from Baile Cholo. To listen to the full album, click here.
Santa Fe Klan, Baile Cholo
Courtesy
“Claves”
Some of the tunes feature the pop superstar, others ended up as vault tracks when she released her Taylor’s Versions.
11/21/2025
Trending on Billboard
The next generation of music industry visionaries, entrepreneurs and changemakers showed up in droves for the first-ever edition of Billboard Canada 40 Under 40.
Yesterday (Nov. 20) at W Toronto marked the first time Billboard‘s influential celebration came to Canada, recognizing the executives and innovators shaping the global music business. The night was in partnership with YouTube, W Toronto and Hendrick’s.
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“There’s really a lot of optimism here,” shared Richard Trapunski, National Editor at Billboard Canada. “There’s so much talent coming out of Canada that’s really shaping what’s happening in the music industry worldwide. It’s great to get a chance to celebrate those people and those voices who are pushing that conversation.”
Elizabeth Crisante, Billboard Canada’s Chief Commercial Officer, noted that many driven and successful achievers don’t get a chance to celebrate their wins.
“The interesting thing about highly ambitious people is they have laser-like focus on the goals in front of them,” she said. “Often, they may not take the time to step back and look at how far they’ve come, how much they’ve grown and how much impact they’ve had in the community — and that’s why tonight is so special.”
La Mar Taylor accepted the first-ever Billboard Canada 40 Under 40 Visionary Award, presented by YouTube. The globally successful 35-year-old is a co-founder of the culture-defining XO Records and is The Weeknd‘s longtime creative director. His work with The Weeknd, including his record-breaking After Hours Til Dawn Tour, cemented him as one of the most influential creative directors in music today.
Taylor is also building the next generation of Canadian talent through HXOUSE, the Toronto creative incubator he co-founded to provide mentorship, studio space and networking opportunities for emerging artists, designers and musicians.
In his acceptance speech, Taylor made sure to celebrate his hometown, thanking XO, The Weeknd and the HXOUSE community. He expressed enthusiasm about 40 Under 40 becoming an annual event, praising the strength of the music community in Canada that deserves recognition, while also calling for a stronger creative ecosystem in Canada.
“It’s up to us to pave the way and really bring Canada to where it needs to be. Let’s be on the journey together. Let’s kill it.”
The majority of the inaugural honourees came to celebrate, including SOCAN executive director and TMU assistant professor Dr. Charlie Wall-Andrews, MRG Live’s senior talent buyer, Samantha O’Connor, senior manager of label partnerships at Universal Music Canada, Angela De Medeiros, Sony Music Canada marketing manager, Vanessa Adams, Live Nation Canada’s director of Latin music, Ricky Taco, senior music manager at SiriusXM Canada, Siobhan Woodrow, 604 Records’ head of streaming, Julia Amodeo, Yonis, co-founder of Active Cause and many more.
Read more from the celebration here and find the full Billboard Canada 40 Under 40 list here.
Warner Music Canada Appoints New Co-GMs Julia Hummel & Madelaine Napoleone
Warner Music Canada has named Julia Hummel and Madelaine Napoleone as its new co-general managers, the company announced today.
The Toronto-based executives — both Billboard Canada Women in Music 2025 honourees, and with Hummel also recognized on Billboard Canada’s 40 Under 40 list — will jointly lead the company’s strategy across one of the world’s top music markets.
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Hummel and Napoleone will report to Eric Wong, president of East West Records and head of global A&R for recorded music at Warner Music Group.
Before their promotions, Napoleone was VP of marketing and Hummel served as VP of digital strategy and business development. Both joined Warner Music Canada in 2022.
The leadership shift arrives as Warner Music Group continues implementing a global plan to streamline operations and increase investment in music. It also follows the recent departure of Kristen Burke, who previously served as president of Warner Music Canada.
“Madelaine and I are excited to shape the next phase of Warner Music Canada’s growth,” Hummel said in an exclusive statement to Billboard Canada. “We’re committed to strengthening the bridge between our global artists and Canadian fans, and to ensuring that Canadian voices are heard on the world stage.”
“Julia and I are proud to help Canadian artists leverage Warner Music’s global network while building more opportunities for international talent here in Canada,” Napoleone added. “Our passion for music and dedication to supporting artists remain at the core of our work.”
Wong said he has “the utmost confidence” in their leadership, citing their combined expertise in marketing and digital strategy as key to advancing the company’s Canadian business.
The company also confirmed that Andy West, who served as EVP and general manager for the past three years, has exited the company.
Read more here.
Trending on Billboard
Mumford & Sons and Hozier’s “Rubber Band Man” completes a speedy four-week trip to No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult Alternative Airplay chart, rocketing six spots to the top of the Nov. 29-dated list.
The collaboration completes the fastest rise to No. 1 since The Black Keys’ “Beautiful People (Stay High)” took four frames to reign in February 2024.
Hozier earns his quickest coronation, exceeding the five weeks it took for his “Too Sweet” last year and the Mavis Staples-featuring “Nina Cried Power” in 2018. As for Mumford & Sons’ best, “I Will Wait” and “Believe” each needed only three weeks to lead in 2012 and 2015, respectively.
Hozier now boasts eight No. 1s. Mumford & Sons nab their sixth.
Most No. 1s, Adult Alternative Airplay:14, U213, Coldplay11, Dave Matthews (solo and with Dave Matthews Band)11, Jack Johnson9, The Black Keys8, Death Cab for Cutie8, Hozier8, John Mayer8, The Lumineers
“Rubber Band Man” is Hozier’s sixth No. 1 in a row, tying him with U2 for the longest streak in the chart’s nearly 30-year history. His run began in 2023 with “Eat Your Young.” U2 linked its six straight leaders in 2001-05.
Mumford & Sons last topped Adult Alternative Airplay with their Pharrell Williams collaboration “Good People” in April 2024. (In between, they hit Nos. 2 and 3 with “Rushmere” and “Caroline,” respectively.)
Concurrently, “Rubber Band Man” leaps 16-10 on Alternative Airplay, becoming Mumford & Sons’ 12th top 10 and Hozier’s third. On the all-rock-format, audience-based Rock & Alternative Airplay chart, the song holds at its No. 7 best with 3.6 million audience impressions in the week ending Nov. 20, a gain of 7%, according to Luminate.
The track placed at No. 28 on the most recently published, multimetric Hot Rock & Alternative Songs tally (dated Nov. 22, reflecting data Nov. 7-13). In addition to its radio airplay, it drew 1.6 million official U.S. streams and sold 1,000 downloads in that span.
“Rubber Band Man” is the lead single from Prizefighter, Mumford & Sons’ sixth studio album, due Feb. 13, 2026. Their LP Rushmere debuted and peaked at No. 3 on the Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart this April and has earned 98,000 equivalent album units to date.
All Billboard charts dated Nov. 29 will update Tuesday, Nov. 25, on Billboard.com.
Trending on Billboard
KLAY has signed AI licensing deals with the three major music companies — Universal Music Group (UMG), Sony Music and Warner Music Group (WMG) — on both the recorded music and publishing sides of their businesses.
Little is known about KLAY, which is set to launch “in the coming months,” according to a press release, but one source close to the deal tells Billboard the company will be a subscription-based interactive streaming service where users can manipulate music. In 2024, the company made its first licensing announcement with UMG, but back then, the service was described as a “Large Music Model,” dubbed “KLayMM,” which would “help humans create new music with the help of AI.”
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Since its inception, KLAY has stressed its interest in being a partner to the music industry, providing ethical solutions in the AI age, rather than an adversary. As its press release states, “KLAY is not a prompt-based meme generation engine designed to supplant human artists. Rather, it is an entirely new subscription product that will uplift great artists and celebrate their craft. Within KLAY’s system, fans can mold their musical journeys in new ways while ensuring participating artists and songwriters are properly recognized and rewarded.”
The company was founded by Ary Attie (a musician and now CEO), and Thomas Hesse (former president of global digital business and U.S. sales and distribution at Sony Music and now KLAY’s chief content and commercial officer). The company’s top ranks also include Björn Winckler (chief AI officer; former leader of Google DeepMind’s music initiatives), and Brian Whitman (chief technology officer; former principal scientist at Spotify and founder of The Echo Nest).
“Technology is shaped by the people behind it and the people who use it. At KLAY, from the beginning, we set out to earn the trust of the artists and songwriters whose work makes all of this possible,” said Attie in a statement. “We will continue to operate with those values, bringing together a growing community to reimagine how music can be shared, enjoyed, and valued. Our goal is simple: to help people experience more of the music they love, in ways that were never possible before — while helping create new value for artists and songwriters. Music is human at its core. Its future must be too.”
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Michael Nash, executive vp and chief digital officer at UMG, said: “We are very pleased to have concluded a commercial license with KLAYVision, following up on our industry-first strategic collaboration framework agreement announced one year ago. The supportive role we played with the capable and diversified management team of Ary, Thomas, Björn and Brian in the development of their product and business model extends our long-standing commitment to entrepreneurial innovation in the digital music ecosystem. We’re excited about their transformational vision and applaud their commitment to ethicality in Generative AI music, which has been a key foundation of our partnership with them from the very start of their journey.”
Dennis Kooker, president of global digital business at Sony Music, said: “We are pleased to partner with KLAY Vision to collaborate on new generative AI products. While this is a beginning, we want to work with companies that understand that proper licenses are needed from rightsholders to build next-generation AI music experiences.”
Carletta Higginson, executive vp and chief digital officer at WMG, said: “Our goal is always to support and elevate the creativity of our artists and songwriters, while fiercely protecting their rights and works. From day one, KLAY has taken the right approach to the rapidly-evolving AI universe by creating a holistic platform that both expands artistic possibilities and preserves the value of music. We appreciate the KLAY team’s work in advancing this technology and guiding these important agreements.”
Trending on Billboard Foo Fighters earn their 13th No. 1 and second this year on Billboard’s Rock & Alternative Airplay chart, as “Asking for a Friend” leads the survey dated Nov. 29. The song reigns with 5.7 million audience impressions in the week ending Nov. 20, a boost of 6%, according to Luminate. “Asking for […]
Trending on Billboard Good news! This week is closing out with bunches of new music releases, including the long-awaited soundtrack to Wicked: For Good. Arriving one year after the first half of the Wicked music dropped alongside the first movie in November 2024, the Part 2 soundtrack hit streaming services on Friday (Nov. 21) via […]
