State Champ Radio Author: djfrosty
Page: 45
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.
Related
“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.
Related
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.”
Related
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.”
Related
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 […]
Trending on Billboard Ice-T was having a little too much fun messing around with AI and had a laugh at putting all of “the Ices” of hip-hop together in one photo. The 67-year-old posted an AI-generated picture featuring himself in a Yankees fitted cap next to Vanilla Ice, Ice Cube and Ice Spice hitting an […]
Trending on Billboard Keep it 100 on the land, the sea, the sky — and the ice. Ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics, two British skaters shared a mesmerizing routine set to Taylor Swift‘s “The Fate of Ophelia,” proving that showgirls can shine on frozen stages too. In a clip shared by the Olympics’ official […]
Trending on Billboard
The release of CTS Eventim’s third-quarter results on Thursday (Nov. 20) marked the last earnings report from a major music company until early 2026 (a few smaller companies tend to announce much later), meaning it’s time for Billboard’s awards-style recap running down the best and worst of the bunch.
Music companies generally had a good quarter. Live Nation set yet another record for third-quarter revenue. Spotify delivered the double-digit revenue growth people have come to expect. K-pop companies delivered strong revenue growth, although earnings usually didn’t keep pace.
Related
In a rare occurrence, a handful of music streaming companies actually posted revenue declines. China’s Netease Cloud Music was down 2%, Deezer was off by 1% and LiveOne, hobbled by changes at Tesla, fell 42%.
Aside from the financial numbers, AI gave companies a great deal to talk about. Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group took the force-multiplier approach by announcing major AI licensing deals a day before they released earnings. Each company went into their conference calls with analysts in the immediate wake of a positive development on a hot-button topic: Recently signed agreements with AI music generator Udio, which will turn into a rights holder-friendly walled garden when it re-launches in early 2026.
For more details, check out Billboard‘s recap of all music companies’ earnings results released through Nov. 21.
Without further ado, here are the highlights from the latest round of earnings results.
Related
Greatest Progress on a Business Model: Sphere Entertainment Co.
It’s not difficult to find a critic of Sphere, the massive, spherical venue in Las Vegas with huge production costs and a mountain of debt, as sustained profits are a long-term project and aren’t likely to appear until Sphere franchises open in Abu Dhabi and other markets. Still, Sphere Entertainment Co. — which also includes MSG Networks — made progress in the third quarter. Sphere landed a hit with its AI-assisted update of The Wizard of Oz, which has sold over 1 million tickets to date at an average price analysts put at well over $100. Showings of Oz and other movies rose to 220 from 207 in the prior-year quarter, and a winning residency from Backstreet Boys helped the Sphere division turn a negative adjusted operating income (AOI) into $36 million of positive AOI.
Best Revenue Growth Rate, All Companies: YG Entertainment
Third quarter revenue jumped 107% to $128 million for the company behind such K-pop groups as BLACKPINK and BABYMONSTER, beating out fellow K-pop company JYP Entertainment, which topped the list last quarter with a 126% year-over-year growth rate. Because K-pop companies focus their resources on relatively small rosters, their financial results tend to have greater volatility than Western companies with far more artists under their roofs. Revenue rises and falls based on the success of a handful of new albums and tours.
Best Revenue Growth Rate, Digital Service Providers: Tencent Music Entertainment
Online music revenue jumped 27.2% to $979 million as the number of paying users rose 5.6% to 125.7 million. Tencent Music didn’t break out the number of subscribers to its high-priced Super VIP tier — it’s been at 15 million for a few quarters — but the quarter’s 10.2% increase in average revenue per user suggests that Super VIP made a positive impact.
Related
Best Stock Price Bump: SiriusXM
SiriusXM shares jumped 10% the day the company released earnings — not because of the results, but because the company raised its full-year guidance for revenue, adjusted EBITDA and free cash flow by $25 million. The satellite radio company, which also owns streaming brand Pandora, is trying to manage declining subscribers and a soft advertising market by cutting costs. The plan mostly worked in the third quarter as SiriusXM’s adjusted EBITDA fell just 2.5% to $676 million, and revenue fell 1%. Net cash from operating activities jumped to $430 million from $309 million in the prior-year period.
Worst Stock Price Drop: StubHub
The secondary ticketing company went public on Sept. 17 and released its first earnings report on Nov. 13. Revenue was up 11% year over year — it would have risen 24% if not for Taylor Swift ticket sales in 2024 — but the company didn’t issue guidance for the fourth quarter. Investors reacted as if StubHub was hiding bad news, and the share price dropped as much as 31% the following morning and finished the day down 21%. Right on cue, news broke on Monday (Nov. 17) that the U.K. government plans to ban the resale of tickets at a profit, causing StubHub’s stock to drop an additional 30.7% over the next four days.
Best Attempt at Earnings Call Levity: Spotify
Spotify co-founder and CEO Daniel Ek is stepping down as CEO and will be replaced by co-CEOs Gustav Söderström and Alex Norström, who are currently co-presidents. As Ek explained when the company released third-quarter results, the Nov. 4 earnings call would mark his final such appearance before he transitioned to the position of executive chairman. At the end of his introductory remarks, Ek then turned the call over to Norström. “Thanks, Daniel,” Norström said. “No pressure.”
Worst Quarter: Vivid Seats
The secondary ticketing company’s revenue plummeted 27% to $137 million and adjusted EBITDA fell to $4.9 million from $34.1 million in the prior-year quarter. The news sent the Chicago-based company’s share price down 11.3% in a single day. But Vivid Seats is taking steps to improve: It replaced CEO Stan Chia with Lawrence Fey, who was previously CFO; doubled its annualized cost-savings target to $60 million; and “simplified” its corporate structure “to maximize our operating efficiency,” the company stated in a press release. On a positive note, the news about the U.K. government’s intention to limit ticket resales to face value doesn’t hurt Vivid Seats, which has international aspirations but gets virtually all its revenue from North America.
This week in dance music: Fred again.. played the first North American set in his 10 shows/10 songs/10 cities run, Dom Dolla told Billboard that “My head’s definitely spinning a bit, but I’m having so much fun along the way,” ahead of the ARIA Awards in Sydney on Nov. 19, where the producer became the […]
