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Which Taylor Swift Song Is the Most Heartbreaking After Joe Alwyn Breakup? Vote!

Taylor Swift has been a love song pro her whole career, capturing every stage of a relationship — from the innocent crush to the falling in love to the devastating heartbreak. But the cuts feel a little deeper now, after reports emerged that Swift and her longtime boyfriend Joe Alwyn have split after six years of dating.

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“The relationship had just run its course. It’s why [Alwyn] hasn’t been spotted at any shows,” a source told ET earlier this month. Billboard has since reached out to representatives for Swift and Alwyn, but had not received a response. The couple has yet to publicly reveal the status of their relationship.

We are equally as heartbroken as the Swifties here at Billboard, which is why we compiled 13 of the most heartbreaking Taylor Swift songs to revisit post-Alwyn.

We want to know which song from this list tugs at your heartstrings a little extra given recent news. Let us know by voting below.

Otis Redding III, Who Followed Father Into Music, Dies at 59

Singer and guitarist Otis Redding III, the son and namesake of the legendary 1960s soul singer, has died from cancer at age 59, his family said Wednesday.

Redding was just 3 years old when his father, Otis Redding, perished along with several band members in a plane crash on Dec. 10, 1967. More than a decade later, the younger Redding and his brother, Dexter, formed the funk band The Reddings, which recorded six albums in the 1980s.

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“It is with heavy hearts that the family of Otis Redding III confirms that he lost his battle with cancer last evening,” said his sister, Karla Redding-Andrews, in a statement posted on the Facebook page of the Otis Redding Foundation, the family’s charity in Macon.

Though singles “Remote Control” and “Call The Law” by The Reddings made appearances on the Billboard music charts, the Redding brothers never matched their father’s success. Redding continued playing and performing after the band recorded its final album in 1988.

He was once hired for a European tour as guitarist for soul singer Eddie Floyd, under whose guidance the younger Redding became comfortable performing “(Sittin’ On) the Dock of the Bay” and other songs of his famous father.

“He said, `You can play guitar with me, but you’re going to have to sing a few of your dad’s songs,‘” Redding recalled in a 2018 interview with WCSH-TV in Portland, Maine. “I was like, `Huh? I don’t sing,’ you know. And he was like, `Well, you’re going to sing “Dock of the Bay” with me tonight.’”

Redding worked with his family’s foundation to organize summer camps that teach children to play music, and served as board president for the local chapter of Meals on Wheels.

He continued to perform his father’s songs for audiences large and small, according to his website, from appearing onstage at Carnegie Hall for a 2018 Otis Redding tribute concert to singing at weddings and private parties. Redding said he was grateful for the enduring legacy even if it overshadowed efforts to make music of his own.

“No matter how hard I try to do my own thing, you know, it’s like … ‘sing one of your daddy’s songs,’” he told the Maine TV station. “So I go ahead and do what people want, and I live with it. But I’m not under any pressure and I don’t put myself mentally under any pressure to go begging for record deals.”

Kid Cudi Tapped to Star in ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ Spin-Off Series ‘Knuckles’: ‘It’s Lit’

Kid Cudi is adding more animated projects to his résumé, as Deadline announced he is set to star in Knuckles, the Paramount+ spin-off series of Sonic the Hedgehog.

The “Day ‘n’ Nite” rapper excitedly shared the news to his Instagram feed. “When life has more dreams for you to fulfill,” the artist captioned the post, adding, “its lit #knuckles @paramountplus.”

Over on Twitter, Cudi treated followers to a photo of his cat Sweets, who adorably cuddled up to a tiny Knuckles plushie, eyes half-open. “Sweets is happy and excited about the Knuckles show,” the 39-year-old wrote.

Per Deadline, Knuckles will take place between the events of the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 movies and will follow the titular animated character on “a hilarious and action-packed journey of self-discovery as he agrees to train Wade as his protégé and teach him the ways of the Echidna warrior.” The series is scheduled to premiere on Paramount+ on Dec. 20, 2024.

While Cudi’s role in the show is still under wraps, Idris Elba — who previously voiced Knuckles in the Sonic movies — will reprise the role of the titular character. Tika Sumpter and Adam Pally will return as Maddie and Walt Whipple, respectively. Edi Patterson, Julian Barratt and Ellie Taylor flesh out the cast. Knuckles marks Cudi’s second animated credit, coming off Entergalactic, his 2022 animated special developed with Netflix.

See Cudi’s posts below.

Frank Ocean Drops Out of Coachella Weekend 2

Frank Ocean will no longer be performing at Coachella’s second weekend. The singer was scheduled to take the stage for the headlining slot on Sunday (April 23), but will reportedly be replaced by Blink-182, who reunited as their original trio during Weekend 1 of the festival, according to Variety.

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Billboard has reached out to Blink-182’s reps for confirmation.

In a statement provided to Billboard, Ocean’s reps shared, “After suffering an injury to his leg on festival grounds in the week leading up to weekend 1, Frank Ocean was unable to perform the intended show but was still intent on performing, and in 72 hours, the show was reworked out of necessity. On doctor’s advice, Frank is not able to perform weekend 2 due to two fractures and a sprain in his left leg.”

The elusive singer himself also added in the statement, “It was chaotic. There is some beauty in chaos. It isn’t what I intended to show but I did enjoy being out there and I’ll see you soon.”

As previously reported, Ocean’s ankle injury led to last-minute production changes during Sunday night’s (April 16) performance, including the use of an ice rink, which was built specifically for the set.

When the 35-year-old star appeared onstage nearly an hour later than scheduled, he performed 20 songs total, including completely reworked versions of some of his hit tracks like “Pink + White,” “Solo,” “Chanel,” “Wiseman” and more. Ocean closed out his much-awaited set with his cover of Aaliyah‘s 1994 track “At Your Best (You Are Love)” that was featured on his 2016 visual album Endless. See Billboard‘s full recap here.

Aaron Carter’s Ex-Fiancée Says Autopsy Results Are ‘Not Closure’ for Her

Aaron Carter‘s ex-fiancée spoke out Wednesday (April 19) after details of the late star’s autopsy report were made public for the first time.

“The results of the autopsy are not closure for me,” Melanie Martin said in a statement to TMZ. “It claims death is by drowning but also adds he was wearing a t-shirt and necklace in the bathtub which doesn’t make sense, why would he be in a bathtub with clothes on? I am still in shock and still miss Aaron every day. I don’t understand the chain of events and this report only has us asking more questions.”

Released by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, Carter’s autopsy stated that he died as a result of accidental drowning after ingesting a lethal combination of difluoroethane, the gas typically used in cans of compressed air and alprazolam, the generic form of Xanax. According to the report, huffing the gas mixed with taking the pills resulted in the “Aaron’s Party (Come Get It)” rapper falling unconscious; his body was later found in the bathtub at his Lancaster, Calif., home.

Martin and Carter shared son Prince, who was just weeks away from turning one year old at the time of his dad’s passing. On the baby’s birthday, Martin paid tribute to Carter’s memory with an emotional social media post, writing, “Happy birthday to my baby boy Prince Lyric Carter. Today is going to be a tough one for me but I know your daddy is playing birthday songs for you up in heaven I love you baby boy!!!”

They Still Did This?: Netflix Is Finally Shutting Down Its DVD-By-Mail Business

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Possible End To Saturday Postal Service Threatens Netflix

Source: Justin Sullivan / Getty / Netflix

Remember when Netflix sent out DVDs? If you do, say goodbye to the feature cause it is going away.

Before Netflix became the streaming giant it is now, the company used to send customers DVDs through the mail. Yes, they really used to do that.

But no more. Netflix is officially shutting down its DVD-by-mail business. The company made the announcement on Tuesday ahead of its first-quarter 2023 earnings report, Variety reports. 

According to Netflix, it has sent out more than 5 billion DVD and Blu-ray rentals through the mail across the United States.

Co-CEO Ted Sarandos said the final Netflix DVDs will be sent out to customers still using the service on Sept. 29, 2023.

As the company pushed customers towards streaming, the revenue for Netflix’s DVD-by-mail steadily was on the decline. According to the streaming giant, the DVD business brought in $145.7 million, accounting for 0.5% of Netflix’s total revenue.

“From the beginning, our members loved the choice and control that direct-to-consumer entertainment offered: the wide variety of the titles and the ability to binge-watch entire series,” Sarandos said in a statement on the company’s blog.

He continues, “We feel so privileged to have been able to share movie nights with our DVD members for so long, so proud of what our employees achieved, and excited to continue pleasing entertainment fans for many more decades to come. To everyone who ever added a DVD to their queue or waited by the mailbox for a red envelope to arrive: thank you.”

Netflix’s video streaming service launched in 2007, and it was part of its DVD-by-mail subscription plans.

It’s an end of an era.

Photo: Justin Sullivan / Getty

A Supreme x Coogi Collaboration Is Rumored To Be In The Works

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American skateboarding shop and clothing brand Supreme logo...

Source: SOPA Images / Getty

It seems that two of the most beloved fashion brands might be partnering up. Supreme and Coogi are rumored to be collaborating on a forthcoming drop.

As spotted on Hype Beast the speculation is swirling around the streetwear community that the culture might be in store for a co-branded effort from the New York City headquartered company and the Australian fashion house. Earlier this week Supreme insider @dropsgg reported that the two brands are currently working on a capsule collection.

Supreme x Coogi is set to release a collaboration together in the coming weeks! Who’s hyped?” the caption read. The accompanying visual is the iconic picture of The Notorious B.I.G. from a Vibe Magazine shoot of him wearing their signature jacquard sweater while counting money. While neither brand has yet to confirm or deny the rumor the mere thought of a collaboration has already got the internets talking. “coogi print box logos would b insane” one commenter posted. While another user responded “I been waiting for this all my life”.

Coogi was founded in 1969 in Toorak, Australia. Hip-Hop culture adopted the kaleidoscopic-patterned sweaters back in the mid 1990’s. Today the original knitwear pieces are highly coveted on the resale market; fetching upwards to $5,000.00 for never-worn pieces. Most recently Coogi has collaborated with Burton Snowboards, Rag & Bone, Android Homme, and Puma.

Photo: SOPA Images

Houston Animal Shelter Honors Taylor Swift Eras Tour Stop by Reducing Cat Adoption Fee to $13

Taylor Swift‘s The Eras Tour is touching down in Houston this weekend, and to celebrate, one animal shelter in the city has reduced the fees for cat adoption all week to a Taylor-specific $13.

The Houston Humane Society announced a weeklong “Lucky $13” event in honor of Swift’s trio of concerts at the NRG Stadium, reducing the fee for people seeking to adopt a cat that has lived in the shelter for 30 days or more.

“Adopt your new LOVER this weekend, and know ALL TOO WELL how much joy & happiness they’ll bring to your life! HHS is BEJEWELED to announce our Lucky $13 Cat Adoption event to HONOR The Eras Tour Houston dates this weekend!” the organization wrote in its announcement. “April 17th-April 23rd cats that have been in our shelter for 30+ days will be available for adoption with a $13 adoption fee!”

Swift is a documented cat lover — she owns two Scottish folds named Meredith Grey and Olivia Benson and a Ragdoll named Benjamin Button. In 2019, the pop star assumed the role of Bombalurina in the movie adaptation of the Cats musical, and more recently, she shouted out the feline species in the Midnights track “Karma,” in which she sings, “Karma is a cat/ Purring in my lap ’cause it loves me/ Flexing like a goddamn acrobat/ Me and karma vibe like that.”

Swift’s lucky number is also the famously unlucky 13, explaining in an interview: “I was born on the 13th, I turned 13 on Friday the 13th, my first album went gold in 13 weeks.”

The Eras Tour will hit Houston from April 21-23. Beabadoobee and Gracie Abrams will be opening for Swift during the shows.

Fans looking to adopt a cat for $13 can do so at the Houston Humane Society now through April 23. The organization is located at 14700 Almeda Road in Houston.

The Fake Drake AI Song Earned Millions of Streams – But Will Anyone Get Paid?

Over the weekend, a track called “Heart on My Sleeve,” allegedly created with artificial intelligence to sound like it was by Drake and The Weeknd, became the hottest thing in music. By Monday evening, it was all but gone after most streaming platforms pulled it. But in that short time online, it earned thousands of dollars.

“Fake Drake” has a nice ring to it, but the music industry was less than charmed by the fact that a TikToker with just 131,000 followers (as of Tuesday evening) operating under the name Ghostwriter could rack up millions of streams with such a track in only a few days. Even though the legal issues around these kinds of AI-generated soundalikes are still murky, streaming services quickly pulled the track, largely without explanation. Universal Music Group, which reps both Drake and The Weeknd, issued a statement Monday in response, claiming these kinds of songs violate both copyright law its agreements with the streaming services and “demonstrate why platforms have a fundamental legal and ethical responsibility to prevent the use of their services in ways that harm artists.” While a spokesperson would not say whether the company had sent formal takedown requests over the song, a rep for YouTube said on Tuesday that the platform “removed the video in question after receiving a valid takedown notice,” noting that the track was pulled because it used a copyrighted music sample. As of Wednesday, the song had also been removed from TikTok.

What sets “Heart on My Sleeve” apart from other AI-generated deepfakes — including one that had Drake covering Ice Spice‘s “Munch,” which the rapper himself called “the last straw” on Instagram — is that it was actually uploaded to streaming services, rather than just living on social media like so many others. It also was a hit — or could have been one — as the track drew rave reviews online. Once the song caught fire, daily U.S. streams increased exponentially, from about 2,000 on Friday to 362,000 on Saturday to 407,000 on Sunday and 652,000 on Monday before it was taken down, according to Luminate. Globally, the song started taking off too, racking up 1,140,000 streams worldwide on Monday alone.

Those streams are worth real money, too. And since streaming royalties are distributed on a pro-rata basis — meaning an overall revenue pool is divided based on the total popularity of tracks — the royalties earned by “Heart on My Sleeve” is revenue that is then not going to other artists. That’s how streaming works for any song— or sleep sound — but in this case it’s an AI-generated song pulling potential revenue from actual living beings creating music.

Aside from the rights issues at play, that money underlines one of rights holders’ key concerns around AI-generated music: That It threatens to take money away from them. For “Heart on My Sleeve,” the 1,423,000 U.S. streams it received over four days were worth about $7,500, Billboard estimates, while the 2,125,000 total global streams were worth closer to $9,400.

However, streaming royalties are typically paid out on a monthly basis, which allows time for platforms to detect copyright infringement and other attempts to game the system. In a case such as “Heart on My Sleeve,” a source at a streaming company says that might mean Ghostwriter’s royalties will be withheld.

“Heart on My Sleeve” was a wake-up call to the music business and music fans alike, who until now may not have taken the threat, or promise, of AI-generated music seriously. But as this technology becomes increasingly accessible — coupled with the ease of music distribution in the streaming era — concern around the issue is growing quickly. As Ghostwriter — who did not respond to a request for comment — promises on his TiKTok profile, “I’m just getting started.”

John Esposito Steps Down as Warner Music Nashville Chairman Emeritus

Four months after stepping down as chairman/CEO of Warner Music Nashville (WMN) and assuming the role of chairman emeritus, John “Espo” Esposito is resigning the emeritus title effective immediately.

In an email to the WMN staff Wednesday (April 19), Esposito wrote, “It’s that time of year when I head off to Nantucket to relax and reflect. This summer though, I will be reflecting on my next adventures, as I am stepping down as the Chairman Emeritus of Warner Music Nashville today. I’m so proud of what you’re all achieving as a team. I will always be the biggest champion of this team and the artists we signed and developed together. Keep rocking! See you in the fall.”

Esposito gave no reason for the move. However, when reached by Billboard, he said the change would give him more time to work with the T.J. Martell Foundation for Cancer Research as well as “travels and a chance to see the forest for the trees by taking some time.” In March, Esposito was named the chairman of the board of trustees of Nashville-based T.J. Martell, which is rebounding after an embezzlement scandal. “We got the double whammy of the COVID pandemic and somebody being a bad actor,” said Esposito of T.J. Martell in March. “I felt qualified with my knowledge of the organization and passion for them to do what I could to help get us back on track.”

Last June, when Esposito’s retirement as WMN CEO/chairman was announced, longtime WMN executives Cris Lacy and Ben Kline were elevated to co-presidents in preparation for Esposito transitioning to chairman emeritus status at the start of 2023. In early January, Lacy and Kline were promoted to co-chair/co-presidents. 

Under Esposito, who had been at WMN’s helm since 2009 after coming over from WEA Corp. as president/CEO, the division’s market share quadrupled, according to parent company Warner Music Group. The label also said its artists have earned more than 300 gold and platinum RIAA certifications.

When Esposito’s shift to emeritus was announced, Warner Recorded Music CEO Max Lousada said in a statement: “Under Espo’s brilliant guidance over the past 13 years, our Nashville team has built superstar careers, attracted original new voices, innovated in the digital world, and championed the creative community.”