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Mewow! Billboard is launching Power Pets, a new feature focusing on musicians’ best friends — no, not the humans — but the furry (and some scaly and feathery!) ones who bring extra joy and companionship to artists. Celebrities will be sharing sweet details about their beloved pets and how their furbabies enrich their lives, and to kick off the first profile is Billboard-charting country star and animal lover Miranda Lambert.
Miranda Lambert may have a Billboard 200-topping album in Platinum, three Grammys, 14 CMAs, 33 ACM Awards and many more accolades to boast about so far in her storied career, but to the country star’s four-legged pals, she’s just Mom.
“All of my animals help keep me grounded,” the singer tells Billboard about her furry family members. “They don’t care what I do for a living. They just love me.”
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Not only that, Lambert — who in 2009 founded her non-profit MuttNation, which works to promote pet adoption and the spaying and neutering of pets — has also learned an important lesson from her now 12-year-old dog Bellamy, whom she adopted in 2013 from Big Dog Ranch in Florida. “Patience,” the singer-songwriter reveals. “Bellamy was very shy in the beginning, but he’s opened up.”
Now, her beloved pooch not only travels and tours with her, but also helps Lambert with promoting MuttNation. “He has done a lot of photo shoots with me for my MuttNation line of pet products at Tractor Supply, and all of my proceeds from the line benefit the MuttNation Foundation,” shares the animal advocate. “He’s really patient and listens well, so he’s great at photo shoots.”
Tractor Supply Company, Lambert explains, is partnered with MuttNation’s Relief for Rescues Fund, a donations-at-checkout initiative which was started in 2023 to support shelters and organizations in recovery efforts after natural disasters. “So far, Relief for Rescues has donated close to $1 million to help animal shelters across the country recover from hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, fires and other disasters,” she shares.
That includes the devastating Los Angeles area wildfires that the Los Angeles Times reports destroyed more than 9,500 single-family homes at the beginning of the year. To help displaced animals, MuttNation partnered with Norman’s Rare Guitars to auction off guitars in an effort to raise money for area animal shelters. “To date, we’ve helped nearly 25 organizations, and we know there will be more to do because the recovery process has really only just begun,” says Lambert.
After all, she points out, pet adoption is at the heart of her organization’s mission. “By adopting a shelter pet, you make a meaningful difference — not only in the life of the pet you adopt, but in helping overcrowded shelters and in lowering pet homelessness,” explains Lambert, who over the years has welcomed not only dogs, but also cats, goats and horses into her family. “And it’s no secret that shelter pets make the best pets. We’re working on a lofty project that we’ll announce later this year to encourage people to adopt, so stay tuned for more on that!”
Until then, learn more about Bellamy from the country superstar below.
Bellamy in 2013.
Miranda Lambert
Name: BellamyAge: 12Hometown: Loxahatchee Groves, Fla.Breed: Comfort retriever muttFavorite food: chickenFavorite toy: He doesn’t really like toys, but he loves cuddling up on his MuttNation throw blanket from Tractor Supply.Favorite nap spot: Wherever I am. He likes to stay close to me!
How did Bellamy come into your life?I adopted Bellamy from a dog rescue, Big Dog Ranch, while I was on tour in 2013. One of my fans, who was super little at the time, made a video asking me to come visit. They gave me a tour of the rescue, and I saw Bellamy and fell in love! He was only about 6 weeks old.
Who is Bellamy’s best friend, aside from you?He only has one fur sibling left, Cher, so they stick together.
How does Bellamy get along with your other animals? Does he have any favorite and/or least favorites?The last few years have been hard on the pack, because I’ve had quite a few dogs pass over the Rainbow Bridge. They really were a unit, so we all felt each loss deeply. Cher and Bellamy are my only two dogs left, so they stick together now. Cher’s more of a diva, but Bellamy goes with the flow, so it works out.
Cher, Bellamy and Miranda Lambert.
Jamie Wright
Does Bellamy join you on tour? If so, what are some of your best adventures together on the road?Yes! Bellamy travels with me a lot. He recently drove out with me to Arizona, where I spent time this winter riding horses. We filmed the music video for “Run” while we were out there, and he had the greatest time. He napped in between takes in the trailer and got to run around the desert and hang out with my horse named Cool while we were filming.
What’s his favorite song?“Old Hippie” by The Bellamy Brothers.
How does Bellamy react when you’re playing your music? He’s so used to it, he doesn’t react at all. He just falls asleep.
What’s your favorite memory of Bellamy so far?I’ve loved getting to see him come out of his shell over the years. Even though I got him when he was a puppy, he was so shy around new people when he was younger. He’s settled into himself now, and is much more confident.
Share a fun fact about Bellamy!He was named after The Bellamy Brothers.
GoldState Music has raised $500 million in financing, the private investment firm announced on Thursday. Although specific details of the funding breakdown were not disclosed, the capital infusion consists of both equity and debt, and is described in a press release as a “structured capital facility… as well as separately raised leverage,” with Northleaf Capital Partners and Ares Management leading the deal.
“Our new relationship with Northleaf and Ares marks the next step in the evolution of our music investing strategy,” GoldState founder and managing partner Charles Goldstuck, said in a statement. “This additional capital will enable us to further accelerate our ability to capitalize on increasing demand for music and build a diversified portfolio of music assets across artists and genres. As leading institutional investors, Northleaf and Ares bring critical experience that will support GoldState’s continued growth and differentiation to the benefit of our artists, investors and other stakeholders.”
Northleaf is a well-known investor in the music industry, having previously financed $500 million through Lyric Capital Group for Spirit Music Group in 2021 and $75 million for Duetti last year.
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“Led by Charles, GoldState is well-positioned to execute on a disciplined music acquisition strategy, and Northleaf is pleased to support the Company and its exceptional team,” said CJ Wei, managing director, Private Credit at Northleaf. “Northleaf’s investment in GoldState directly aligns with our asset-based specialty finance strategy, which is designed to provide our investors with diversified and low correlation exposure while delivering strong cash yield.”
On the other hand, this appears to be the first music asset investment for Ares, or at least the first one they’ve publicly disclosed.
“Charles and GoldState Music bring a bold, visionary approach to music rights investment that seeks to empower artists,” Ares Management managing director Jeevan Sagoo said in a statement. “We are excited to collaborate with them and provide Ares’ deep sector and investment experience as they advance their long-term growth and value creation strategy.”
GoldState Music has acquired catalogs from two boutique music asset investors, Catchpoint Partners and AMR Songs. These catalogs feature notable tracks such as Kanye West’s “Flashing Lights,” Sheryl Crow’s “If It Makes You Happy” and Panic! At The Disco’s “I Write Sins Not Tragedies.” Additionally, they include portions of songs and recordings by artists like Brantley Gilbert, Smash Mouth, and Avril Lavigne. The acquisition also encompasses John Sebastian’s writer share of all his compositions with the Lovin’ Spoonful, including “Summer In The City,” “Daydream” and “Do You Believe In Magic,” as well as rights from his solo career, including “Welcome Back.”
The GoldState website also lists other financial backers, including Flexpoint Ford, Pinnacle Financial Partners and Regions. Prior to founding GoldState, Goldstuck has had a long career in the music industry, having held senior executive positions at various major labels before becoming president and COO of the Bertelsmann Music Group.
When fans finally get to hear Lil Wayne‘s Tha Carter VI — an album he’s been working on for six years at this point — they’ll be treated to a mixed bag of collaborators, including two major pop stars.
In a Rolling Stone cover story published Thursday (April 17), the “Lollipop” rapper revealed that both Billie Eilish and Miley Cyrus are featured on the June-slated sixth installment of his Tha Carter album series, which has been ongoing since 2004. He didn’t share any further details about what the “Bad Guy” singer and “Flowers” artist’s contributions will sound like, though, simply telling the publication that he’s extra focused on his collaborations this time around.
“If there’s one thing about this album that’s different, it’s me approaching it like, ‘Man, what would I sound like on something with such and such?’” Wayne explained.
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Tunechi did, however, reveal that U2’s Bono will costar on a track titled “These Are the Days,” which also features Wayne’s son, Kameron. Plus, one song on Carter VI will include opera titan Andrea Bocelli singing “Ave Maria.” Wyclef Jean, Weezy’s main collaborator on the album, apparently flew all the way to Italy to ask the tenor for permission, winning him over with the famous story of how Wayne survived a self-inflicted gunshot at the age of 12.
All in all, Rolling Stone reports that Wyclef and Wayne have recorded around 30 songs together for Carter VI, though the final tracklist is still very much up in the air. Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, produced a song for the project that may or may not make the cut, while Wayne teased that Elephant Man and MGK could also have guest credits.
Once it finally drops on June 6, Carter VI will mark Weezy’s first album since 2020’s Funeral, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Wayne has been anything but inactive in the five years since his last LP, though, collaborating constantly with artists such as Jack Harlow, DJ Khaled, Drake, DaBaby, Tyler, the Creator, Tyga, Ye and numerous others.
See Wayne on the cover of Rolling Stone below.
Attorneys for Megan Thee Stallion say Tory Lanez must be held in contempt of court over “disruptive” and “inflammatory” behavior during a recent deposition in a civil lawsuit that they say “made a mockery of the proceedings.”
In a motion filed Wednesday, lawyers for the rapper (Megan Pete) say Lanez (Daystar Peterson) – currently serving a 10-year prison sentence for shooting Megan in 2020 – behaved so poorly during the jail-house deposition that it had to be cancelled shortly after it started.
They claim he “feigned ignorance regarding the definition of basic words” and repeatedly harassed Megan’s lawyer about her appearance. They also say he “pretended that the video equipment was not working despite prison staff confirming it was functioning properly.”
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“Mr. Peterson made a mockery of the proceedings,” Megan’s attorneys write. “Nothing short of a contempt finding and meaningful sanctions will deter Mr. Peterson from continuing to abuse the process.”
On Thursday, Judge Cecilia Altonaga gave Lanez until April 30 to explain why he shouldn’t face such punishment: “Daystar Peterson is ordered to show cause why he should not be held in contempt of court for violating the court’s order authorizing his deposition.”
Lanez was convicted in December 2022 on three felony counts for shooting Megan in July 2020 during an argument following a pool party at Kylie Jenner’s house in the Hollywood Hills. In August 2023, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He has filed an appeal, which remains pending.
This week’s dispute comes in a civil lawsuit Megan filed last year against social media personality Milagro Gramz (Milagro Cooper), who the star claims waged a “coordinated campaign” with Lanez to “defame and delegitimize” her in the wake of the shooting and trial. A judge ruled in February that the case could move ahead, saying Megan’s allegations, if later proven, “paint a picture of an intentional campaign to destroy her reputation.”
As part of that lawsuit, Megan’s lawyers asked to depose Lanez from prison, saying it was necessary to investigate the extent of Gramz’ alleged coordination with him. But in Wednesday’s filing, Megan’s attorneys say the sit-down “proved to be a waste of time” due to Lanez’s “egregious” conduct.
Among other alleged disruptions, they say Lanez repeatedly demanded dictionary definitions of basic terms before he would answer simple questions, such as the word “meet” when they asked him if he had met with his attorneys ahead of the deposition.
“It could mean a lot of things. I mean meat could be a hot dog; meat could be a steak; meat could be red meat. It could be a lot of things,” Lanez allegedly said, according to a transcript cited by Megan’s lawyers. “You know what I’m saying? You could watch porno. Meat – meat is a whole different thing over there. Meet can be anything. I’m asking you what is your definition of ‘meet.’”
Megan’s lawyers say that Lanez behavior was so bad that even his own lawyers have “disavowed it.” In emails quoted in the filing, Gramz’ attorney Michael Pancier allegedly said the incident had “wasted our time as well” and that he would not oppose “any action you wish to take” against Lanez. Pancier’s co-counsel Michael Hayden, who also represents Lanez in his California criminal appeal, was allegedly copied on the email and did not object.
Reached for comment on the filing via email on Thursday, Pancier told Billboard: “Nothing much to say as Mr. Peterson is not my client and he is not a party to this litigation, and we have nothing to do with him.” Hayden did not immediately return a request for comment.
BTS‘ Jin announced the dates for his first-ever solo tour on Thursday (April 17), the #RUNSEOKJIN_EP.TOUR. The outing that incorporates the singer’s full given name (Kim Seok-jin) will hit nine cities around the globe for two nights each, kicking off with a double-down at the Goyang Auxiliary Stadium in Goyang, South Korea on June 28 […]
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The Grand Ole Opry is celebrating its centennial year, and fans can now celebrate with a new book that traces the history of the iconic country music institution.
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Released April 15, 100 Years of Grand Ole Opry quickly shot to the top of Amazon’s bestselling country music books chart. The site also has the book on sale for 46% off for a limited time.
NEW RELEASE
100 Years of Grand Ole Opry: A Celebration of the Artists, the Fans, and the Home of Country Music
$32.48
$60.00
46% off
Written by country music journalist Craig Shelburne, as well as some of the 75 currently active Opry members, 100 Years of Grand Ole Opry offers a behind-the-scenes look at one of music’s most influential radio shows, with personal anecdotes, timelines, vintage concert bills and never-before-seen photos. Everyone from Johnny Cash to Dolly Parton credit their success to the Opry, and their stories are documented here, along with later acts like Carrie Underwood, Luke Combs and Keith Urban. Legendary artists like The Everly Brothers, Sam McGee and The Oak Ridges Boys are also profiled, with the book recalling how each of them got their call to join the Opry. As the author writes, “Receiving an invitation to join the Grand Ole Opry is almost like a marriage proposal.”
Of course, the Opry also opened a live performance venue in 1974, and this new book features photos and stories from many of the artists that have performed there on stage. The Grand Ole Opry House continues to hosts performances weekly to this day.
Pick up 100 Years of Grand Ole Opry on hardcover today. It’s a great coffee table book for display and a great gift for country music fans too. Get the book here.
You can also watch the recent special, Opry 100: A Live Celebration, featuring performances from Amy Grant, Eric Church, Jelly Roll, The War and Treaty, Luke Combs, Kelsea Ballerini, Lainey Wilson, Brad Paisley and more. While it originally aired on NBC, you can now stream it on Peacock.
Life in the spotlight isn’t nearly as glamorous as it looks, particularly for new artists.
Between taking every road gig available, meeting programmers in multiple cities on radio promotion tours, creating new material and building a social media base, it’s not unusual for acts in their first year or two in the national spotlight to operate regularly on just four or five hours of sleep.
Artists don’t usually talk about it publicly — most folks with more typical jobs don’t want to hear anyone b–ch about playing music for a living. Sometimes even the family refuses to take pity, as new Nashville Harbor artist Greylan James discovered.
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“Talking to my parents every weekend when I got back from being on tour, [I’d be] complaining, ‘Y’all, I’m just exhausted. I’m stressed all the time. You guys have no idea how hard it is to be a country music songwriter and artist,’ ” James remembers. “Of course, my mom, being the Southern woman with the sass that she is, her favorite comeback was always, ‘Well, you think you’re tired and stressed now, Greylan, just wait ’til you have kids.’ ”
Thanks, Mom.
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“Wait Til You Have Kids” is now the title of James’ first radio single, released to country broadcasters via PlayMPE on March 3. It embraces the impact that raising children has on a parent’s view of life’s details while loosely tracing the kid’s journey from toddler to young adult. The stories are familiar, though neither James nor his co-writer, Matt Roy (“Done”), actually have children of their own.
“Sometimes we get a little caught up in that,” Roy says. “At the end of the day, a really good example is ‘There Goes My Life.’ I mean, as far as I know, [Kenny] Chesney doesn’t have any kids, and he’s not married. It just was a great song that he wanted to do.”
James had suggested writing “Wait Til You Have Kids” several times, but his co-writers invariably passed. He brought it up again in a May 2024 appointment with Roy on Music Row in Nashville, and they pinpointed Cody Johnson and Jordan Davis as artists who might be good targets, but then they moved on to other titles. Ultimately, Roy decided they should invest at least an hour into “Kids” and see if it worked.
James developed a flowy acoustic guitar part, and they kicked into a series of attitudes that would distinguish childless adults from parents: “Some people drive too slow,” “Tattoos are no big deal” or “If ‘There Goes My Life’ [is] just another song on the radio.”
“When I graduated high school, ‘There Goes My Life’ was the theme song,” James recalls. “That’s one of those songs that’s been a timeless classic, and so it was kind of a reference for us.”
When they reached the chorus, James was determined to make slight changes to a line or two in each iteration, the same way it had worked when he co-wrote Jordan Davis’ “Next Thing You Know,” another song with a significant parenting element.
“I’m sure Matt was dreading that,” he says. “When you’re trying to get out of the room by 3:00, like most writes work, changing the lyrics and the chorus gets a little complicated.”
But Roy saw the chorus modifications as a key development. Each time they changed the lyric, it advanced the kid’s age, making it a song with big-picture implications, rather than a gooey portrait of one particular age. It was trickier than it sounds.
“It grows the song up, but it doesn’t grow [the singer] up,” Roy says. “That was the hardest balance to maintain, just because every singer wants to be young and hip and cool — and particularly, for a young artist to act like a 60-year-old rocking around his porch telling advice wasn’t the direction we really wanted to go in.”
The second verse was surprisingly easy: They developed so many examples of the changes that kids bring to a life that they had plenty of options. “You just need to make it all rhyme,” Roy says.
They worked it so that the child’s aging process peaked in the bridge, with the kid “a thousand miles away” — presumably in college, but maybe married and living in another town — and the singer asking them to visit. James worked up a demo on his own at home. “I knew it was kind of a special song from the beginning,” he says. “Originally, I was like, ‘This doesn’t need to be something super-built up. It can just be a kick drum, guitar, vocal, maybe little cymbal swells here and there.”
James was very intentional about the vocal, recording 10-15 passes to make sure he showcased it in the best way possible. A few artists took a look at it, but when Nashville Harbor president Jimmy Harnen heard it, he called James and told him he should cut it himself. James protested — since he didn’t have kids, he didn’t think he was the right messenger — but Harnen assured him the song’s emotional value outweighed that issue.
Harnen convinced him they should release it early in 2025, and they assigned it to producers Jason Massey (Kelsea Ballerini, Kylie Morgan) and Brock Berryhill (Parmalee, Jelly Roll), with a tight one-week deadline. Booking a studio and a full cadre of musicians was an unlikely proposition, so they decided to build around the best parts of James’ demo. They kept his vocal and his acoustic guitar, and overdubbed the other instruments atop that core.
“It’s crazy because we’re writers, too,” Massey says, “so we were doing it around our writing schedule.”That meant it was mostly late-night work for the week. “I was just sending him all of my parts, and then he would send me a revised stereo file and I would just keep adding stuff,” Berryhill says. “We didn’t really have to do a whole lot on this one.”
Massey handled the bass guitar and drums while Berryhill supplied background vocals and other small touches, including a manditar, a smaller guitar with sonic similarities to mandolin. “For the most part, [the melodic instrumentation] is just two acoustics and doubling some of the parts with electric, kind of vibey tones,” Berryhill notes. “Then from there, it’s a lot of ambient layering, swelling guitars and some weird effect things.”
Despite the limited time frame, they did a little more than they needed. James asked them to pare it back. “There were some bigger drum moments,” Massey says. “It got a little bigger, and then Greylan was like, ‘I kind of miss the intimacy of the demo.’ I think he was right. That was a good call.”
Though James had reservations about releasing “Wait Til You Have Kids” as a childless man, he has grown more comfortable with the situation. He relates to the song as a son, and the possibility exists that he’ll become a father somewhere down the road. He expects the job will be at least as challenging as his current one in country music.
“I don’t hate where I’m at right now,” he says, “but if it ends up changing, that’s something I’d be blessed to be a part of.”
As it gears up to release its fifth studio album Bet The Farm on Friday (April 18), country duo LOCASH is celebrating a two-week No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart with “Hometown Home.”
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That milestone is significant, given that it marks LOCASH’s first No. 1 on its own label Galaxy Label Group, with “Hometown Home” also being its debut release for the label. The duo launched Galaxy in 2024, in partnership with Studio2Bee Entertainment, led by Skip Bishop and Butch Waugh, with BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville handling distribution for the label.
LOCASH’s Preston Brust and Chris Lucas co-wrote “Hometown Home” with Zach Abend and Andy Albert, with production by Jacob Rice. It has been nearly a decade since LOCASH previously summitted on the Country Airplay chart, in 2016 with “I Know Somebody.” While “Hometown Home” has spent two weeks atop the Country Airplay chart, the duo says it is still holding strong.
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“We were just talking about how well it’s still testing at radio, and we’re not in a hurry to take the foot off the gas on this one,” Brust tells Billboard via Zoom. “Sometimes you get a No. 1 and you just kind of let go quickly and go to the next single, but [their fellow label execs] were like, ‘If we could give you any advice, just let this one breathe a little bit, because we’re sitting in evergreen status.’ We definitely had Skip and Butch guiding us and [BMG president of Frontline Recordings for The Americas Jon] Loba is always one call away for us, so we did help guide it. We saw the research kept coming back positive, which — you can’t ask for better than that.”
Billboard spoke with Brust and Lucas about the success of “Hometown Home,” their new album and what is ahead for their Galaxy Label Group.
Some artists want to court radio, and some don’t. Did you initially plan to take “Hometown Home” to radio?
Brust: Definitely. We released it on DSPs and then went to radio very quickly. It’s kind of tongue-in-cheek when I say we were born at radio; that’s where Chris and I cut our teeth and began our journey and created all these real friendships and relationships. We’ve been on a few labels over the years, and I remember someone at a different label, a long time ago, said, ‘Those guys aren’t your friends — they’re not really your friends.’ And I was like, ‘Whoa, whoa. No, these folks really are our partners and our friends.’ Radio’s always been important to us, and so are the DSPs. It all works together. These relationships are real, and they reach beyond just the songs — we get to know each other’s families and about their lives.
You have an “Easter Egg Hunt” happening that involves fans finding clues in your album cover. What is the story behind that?
Brust: Chris and I both have 9-year-old daughters and other kids as well, but they’re really Taylor Swift fans. I mean, just love Taylor and when she comes out with an album, our kids love it. They’re digging in, they’re trying to find the Easter eggs and [figuring out] what does it all mean? They have fun with it, and so I was like, “Why not us?” So we hid 16 things that we love, and that ties in with a song on the album called “Things We Love.” Once the listener finds all 16, they register themselves into a drawing and the winner gets a free LOCASH concert at their house or backyard. They win that concert.
How did you decide on Bet The Farm as the title of the album?
Lucas: We were trying to find the name of the album, couldn’t find the name of the album, and it had to be turned in like yesterday. Preston gets a text message with a song start of “Bet the Farm,” and we ended up finishing it in like two days — and we told our team, “Hold off, I know we turned in the album, but let’s wait until this song is finished,” and we turned that in. It says everything about what we’ve done in our career: we celebrate the wins, but then put our chips back in and we bet the farm again.
You interpolate Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely” on the song “Isn’t She Country.” How did that come about, and what was it like getting the approval of Stevie and his team?
Lucas: We were on the bus and had some writers [Rob Pennington and Forrest Finn] out with us, just trying to write songs for the album. It was like 11 at night and we had just come offstage. We started writing it, not thinking it was going to be on the album. We were just having a good time and Rob [Pennington] started strumming guitar and singing “Isn’t she country, isn’t she real small town?”
We were just changing the words as we went, and it wasn’t really writing a song — just rewriting some lyrics and giving it a country flavor. So we ended up recording it. We had to get Stevie and his team’s approval, and it took maybe two or three months. But it feels so cool to have Stevie and his team’s blessing on this — because music is a serious thing, and when a song has been written, you don’t want to mess it up.
Preston, you’re wearing a [Contemporary Christian artist] Forrest Frank hat on this Zoom call. Would you ever do a CCM collaboration?
Brust: I went to the Forrest Frank show [in Nashville, Tennessee] with Jordan Feliz. We went backstage, and I got to shake Frank’s hand and tell him he did a great job. He’s a really humble guy, and it was a good night. We want to do [a CCM collaboration] so bad, because a lot of our music is positive already, and it just puts people in a good place — so we’re looking or the right thing. I was talking to the Elevation [Rhythm] folks and talking to Jordan [Feliz], so you just never know when the time might be right. If the song is right and it feels like the right project, we’ll jump all over it.
In addition to your own hits, you’ve written hit songs such as Tim McGraw’s “Truck Yeah” and Keith Urban’s “You Gonna Fly.” Whether it’s an outside cut or one you had a hand in writing, how do the two of you decide what to record, if one of you likes a song more than the other?
Brust: It’s a little tricky, because there are certain songs that each of us gravitate towards — and for different reasons, because music is so subjective to mood and opinion, and that can change daily. So, you have a pile of songs that are important to Chris and important to me and we talk it out. And then sometimes you record them and see how they sound. And then there are times when, if one of us isn’t feeling a song, instead of putting it in a “no” pile, I’ll put it in a “Play this for him again in three months” pile. And that’s worked from time to time. There was a song called “Til The Wheels Fall Off” on an album a couple of years ago, and it became one of our favorite songs in the end. So you just never know.
What advice do you have for artists wanting to make it in the industry?
Brust: I think it’s important that artists understand that we need deal-makers, not deal-breakers at the table. And if we want to get down the road together, we have to find ways to make sure that everyone’s going to have a shot at winning together. Chris and I really learned that early on. We went into our first negotiation like, “Oh man, we’ve read all the books. We know what to do. We’ve watched all the scary stories on Behind the Music on VH1. We’re not going to get screwed.”
And sometimes you just have to take a step back and say, “How are we all going to do this together? How can we win?” With Galaxy, even though we are the CEOs and with Skip and Butch, we did have to sign ourselves to that label and we had to give up a few things to sign with our own label, because that’s what it’s all about.
Are you looking at signing more artists to Galaxy Label Group right now?
Lucas: We’ve got four or five artists we are really digging. One is an alternative rock band, one is a Christian artist, and then a few country artists and we’ve had initial talks with them. But they knew we wanted to get “Hometown Home” as high as we could first, so now it’s time to have those meetings. It’s exciting, because we just want to best serve the artists. We know where the pitfalls are, and we’ve stepped into all the quicksand over the 20 years we’ve been in town. We want to help them get the best possible project that means something to them out to the listeners.
This week, Billboard is publishing a series of lists and articles celebrating the music of 20 years ago. Our 2005 Week starts here with a discussion of 50 Cent’s game-running 2005 — possibly an even higher commercial and cultural peak than his hallowed 2003 run, but also the clear beginning of the end for his superstardom.
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With his inescapable Get Rich or Die Tryin’ album and its Billboard Hot 100-topping smash “In Da Club,” 50 Cent became the hottest rapper in the game in 2003, matching even his mentor Eminem for ubiquity and cultural dominance. After expanding his G-Unit empire in 2004, 50 returned in 2005 with his second album The Massacre, a couple smash collabs with his new West Coast lieutenant The Game, a huge tour with Eminem, new business ventures, new beefs, and even a film debut in his very own prestige quasi-biopic. He was arguably bigger than ever — but after two years where it felt like 50 couldn’t miss, his strike rate was finally starting to slip a little.
In this week’s Vintage Pop Stardom episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by a pair of Billboard Hip-Hop staffers and GPS regulars in Carl Lamarre and Michael Saponara to talk about the year that ended up being the top of the rollercoaster for the artist born Curtis Jackson. We start at with 50 playing kingmaker with his G-Unit crew in late 2004, including those couple classics alongside The Game, and then move into his ’05 — beginning with an album that sells over a million copies in its (abbreviated) first week, launches feuds with half of the hip-hop world and returns him to the top of the Hot 100 with his second straight lead single smash, and ending with a film debut that doesn’t totally do any of the things he hopes it will.
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And of course, along the way, we ask all the big questions about 50 Cent’s too-big-to-fail sophomore campaign: Could 50 and Game have been the Dre and Snoop for another generation? Is a “Candy Shop” even really a thing? Were the deep cuts on The Massacre better than the singles? Was 50 Cent: Bulletproof worth playing? Can you actually hoop in G-Unit sneakers? And if you catch the Get Rich or Die Tryin’ movie on cable, should you bother sticking around for the whole thing?
Check it out above — along with a YouTube playlist of some of the most important moments from 50 Cent’s 2005, all of which are discussed in the podcast — and subscribe to the Greatest Pop Stars podcast on Apple Music or Spotify (or wherever you get your podcasts) for weekly discussions every Thursday about all things related to pop stardom!
And as we say in every one of these GPS podcast posts — if you have the time and money to spare, please consider donating to any of these causes in the fight for trans rights:
Transgender Law Center
Trans Lifeline
Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe
Also, please consider subscribing to the trans legislation journalism of Erin Reed, and giving your local congresspeople a call in support of trans rights, with contact information you can find on 5Calls.org.
Time to squeeze in another Publishing Briefs, our semimonthly bulletin of recent signings, deals and doings in the wide world of music publishing. Since the last time we rapped, EMPIRE Publishing hired !llmind as a senior vp of A&R and elevated Al “Butter” McLean to the role of executive vp of global creative, plus Billboard‘s Kristin Robinson made sense of the Copyright Office’s inquiry into the U.S. PRO system with this explainer.
Caught up? Here’s what else is going on:
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Reservoir Media launched PopIndia, a full-service music company in Mumbai, to sign and develop regional talent and acquire publishing and recorded music catalogs. Led by Reservoir evp of international and emerging markets Spek and PopIndia’s head of operations Ray Ahmed, the new company builds on Reservoir’s successful PopArabia model, and marks its seventh global office. PopIndia’s first major signing is Sri Lankan singer Yohani, known for her viral hit “Manike Mage Hithe.” The publishing deal includes rights to her existing catalog and future works. Yohani has become a notable voice in Bollywood soundtracks and recently released her debut album Kella. PopIndia will also manage Reservoir’s relationships with Indian rapper DIVINE and Gully Gang Entertainment, provide sub-publishing services, and offer rights management solutions in the Indian and South Asian markets. Reservoir CEO Golnar Khosrowshahi pinpointed the importance of PopIndia in the NYC-based company’s emerging markets strategy, given the market’s rapid growth. “Capitalizing on the experience and synergies across Reservoir and PopArabia, PopIndia is adapting the same model Spek has successfully implemented throughout emerging markets, with Ray building relationships on the ground in Mumbai and showcasing Reservoir’s ongoing commitment to supporting local talent worldwide,” she said.
Ultra Music Publishing is now Payday Music Publishing, following a legal dispute with Sony Music over the Ultra brand. Name change aside, Payday Publishing will continue to represent over 70,000 copyrights, including songs by major artists like Post Malone, Ed Sheeran and Drake. The company’s songwriters received multiple Grammy nominations earlier this year. The name Payday Publishing is inspired by founder Patrick Moxey’s hip-hop label, Payday Records, known for releasing music by Jay-Z and others. Moxey emphasized that only the name is changing, and the company will continue its growth and leadership in independent global music publishing. “We will continue to represent our amazing songwriters and producers and we will continue serving as the custodians and protectors of the more than 70,000 copyrights we are privileged to represent,” he said, touting “tremendous growth in recent years.” The company also announced new international writing camps for 2025, including its in-progress Coachella writing camp and an annual sync writing camp in Palm Springs.
Thrive Music, an independent dance and electronic label founded by Ricardo Vinas in 1998, partnered with Kobalt for a global publishing administration deal. Kobalt will manage Thrive’s catalog and future releases, enhancing opportunities for its artists and songwriters. Thrive has supported works from artists like Paul Oakenfold, Steve Aoki and Moby, with recent hits including ACRAZE’s “Do It To It” and Tiësto’s “Rule The World.” The label has also secured major syncs with companies like Riot Games and Hulu. “As we continue to build Thrive into a full service company, we need partners who will work alongside us to create opportunities for the artists and songwriters we work with,” said Vinas.
Sony Music Publishing Scandinavia signed acclaimed Norwegian songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Matias Téllez to a global publishing deal. Based in Bergen, Téllez has collaborated with artists like Gracie Abrams and Maisie Peters, contributing to chart-topping releases including Peters’ The Good Witch. He recently earned Songwriter of the Year at the 2025 Norwegian Music Publisher Awards and received multiple Spellemannprisen nominations. “Over the last couple of years Matias has arguably been one of the most influential in shaping the sound of modern Scandinavian diy and alternative pop music and has found global audiences for the artists he’s stood behind and worked with,” said Lasse Ewald, vp of A&R. He is managed by Sam Cantlon, Tommas Arnby, and Mike Malak of Special Projects.
Round Hill Music inked a global administration deal with LA LOM, a genre-blending Los Angeles trio featuring Zac Sokolow, Jake Faulkner and Nicholas Baker. The agreement includes creative and sync support, as well as royalty collection and catalog administration. LA LOM’s debut album, The Los Angeles League of Musicians, debuted at No. 5 on Billboard’s Tropical Albums chart. The band is set to tour in 2025, supporting Leon Bridges and Thee Sacred Souls. Round Hill’s Amy Birnbaum praised the group’s vibrant, nostalgic sound and deep connection to Los Angeles’ musical diversity and Latin heritage. “Upon seeing their live shows, we were transported to what felt like 1950’s Cuba, and we connected so deeply with the audience who joyously shared in the vibrant musical journey of LA LOM,” she said.
Polyphia, the genre-blending band known for fusing hip-hop, trap and (checks notes) prog metal, has signed a global publishing deal with Position Music. Formed in 2010 in Plano, Texas, the group’s 2022 album Remember That You Will Die includes collaborations with $not, Chino Moreno, and Steve Vai, plus production from Rodney Jerkins and Y2K. This year, Polyphia will tour with System of a Down across the U.S. and Canada. Position Music VP of A&R Delmar Powell praised guitarist Tim Henson’s boundary-pushing style and the band’s cultural influence, calling them a “perfect fit for what we’re building” at Position Music, which has a roster that includes Tinashe, Cannons, Audien, Judah & the Lion, Erik Ron, and others.
Last Publishing Briefs: Indies Sound the Alarm on GenAI
