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The digital media and ecommerce company Infinite Reality announced that it acquired the streamer Napster for $207 million on Tuesday (March 25). This marks the third time Napster has changed hands in the last five years.
“With Infinite Reality’s expertise in immersive 3D technology, we will transform Napster into a next-generation platform where fans don’t just listen on their own — they experience music in entirely new ways,” Napster CEO Jon Vlassopulos said in a statement. “This isn’t just a new chapter for Napster, it’s the beginning of a more interactive and social music experience for the next era of the internet.”
Working with Napster, Infinite Reality aims to provide artists with the tools to create 3D virtual spaces and sell physical and virtual merchandise. “Imagine stepping into a virtual venue to watch an exclusive show with friends,” said Vlassopulos, or to “chat with your favorite artist in their own virtual hangout as they drop their new single.” Vlassopulos previously served as head of music at Roblox, which has offered similar experiences to artists and labels.
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Infinite Reality has been expanding rapidly in recent years, reporting that it spent around $800 million on acquisitions in 2024 alone. The company’s goal is “lead an internet industry shift from a flat 2D clickable web to a 3D conversational one,” according to Infinite Reality CEO John Acunto.
The spending spree has continued this year. In January, Infinite Reality announced that it had raised $3 billion. A few weeks later, it acquired the company Obsess, which has worked on 3D digital stores and experiences for brands like Ralph Lauren, Crate & Barrel, and J.Crew. Napster is Infinite Reality’s latest target.
Napster famously launched in 1999 as a file-sharing service that allowed users to download tracks for free. It later became a licensed streaming service, albeit a small one: It had a little more than 1 million monthly active users at the end of 2020, according to Music Ally.
That year, the virtual reality concert app MelodyVR bought Napster for $70 million. Hivemind Capital Partners and cryptocurrency company Algorand became the streamer’s new owners in 2022.
In an interview after that acquisition, Vlassopulos said he hoped Napster could foster “much more of [a] community experience” and not just be “a transactional consumption vehicle.”
Infinite Reality’s Acunto echoed that rhetoric this week. “I firmly believe that the artist-fan relationship is evolving,” he said in a statement. “Fans [are] craving hyper-personalized, intimate access to their favorite artists, while artists are searching for innovative ways to deepen connections with fans, and access new streams of revenue.”
Stephen Graham has said that he was left in tears after receiving a message from Bruce Springsteen, who praised the British actor for his performance in Deliver Me From Nowhere. The upcoming biopic, which stars Jeremy Allen White as a young Springsteen, follows the seminal artist during the making of his 1982 LP Nebraska, with Graham playing the Boss’ late father, Douglas “Dutch” Springsteen.
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After filming wrapped, Springsteen shared an emotional exchange with Graham. He texted the Adolescence star to let him know that his turn as his father, with whom he had a complex relationship, had moved him. Speaking on Edith Bowman’s Soundtracking podcast, Graham said Springsteen had sent him “the most gorgeous texts I’ve ever had in my life”. He went on to explain that, at one point, the role required prosthetics that he had to rip off before hopping on a flight.“I’m racing to get to the airport, and I got this text, and it was so beautiful,” Graham continued. “It just said: ‘Better than any award that I could ever receive in my life’. He’s an icon. He’s a hero. He’s a working-class hero. He’s an icon to thousands, to millions. And his text just said, ‘Thank you so much. You know, my father passed away a while ago and I felt like I saw him today and thank you for giving me that memory.’
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“I was crying reading the text, do you know what I mean?” Graham added. “Oh mate, it was beautiful. You couldn’t ask for anything more, you know, to share that with someone was gorgeous. He’s a lovely man.”He went on to reveal that Springsteen was also a fan of cult classic TV show This Is England – in which Graham plays lead antagonist Combo – and that they’d had conversations about Springsteen’s book, Born To Run, in which he detailed his complex relationship with his father.Elsewhere, Graham has received widespread praise worldwide for his work as a shell-shocked dad on the Netflix drama, Adolescence, which centers on a teenage school boy and his arrest for suspicion of murdering a female classmate.
Megan Thee Stallion: In Her Words, The Voice, The Daily Show and Variety Power of Women are among the music and entertainment-leaning winners of the 50th Annual Gracie Awards, which seeks to amplify women’s voices, stories, and achievements in media. The winners will be honored at the Gracie Awards Gala on May 20 at the Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills, Calif. Comedian, writer and actress Fortune Feimster is set to host the show.
The Gracie Awards are presented by the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation (AWMF), which advances women in media through educational programs and scholarships.
Megan Thee Stallion’s documentary debuted on Prime Video on Halloween.
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Individual winners include Keke Palmer for Baby, This is Keke Palmer and Mayim Bialik for Mayim Bialik’s Breakdown.
“For 50 years, the Gracie Awards have honored the storytellers who push boundaries and redefine what’s possible,” Becky Brooks, president of AWMF, said in a statement. “This is more than an awards show—it is a movement that has championed inclusion, representation, and truth in the media. The women we celebrate today are shaping the next 50 years, ensuring that our narratives are not just seen or heard, but felt and remembered.”
The Gracie Awards Gala will be produced by female-owned production companies, and all-female production teams from Do Great Projects and Mythical Creators with Kristin Whalley serving as executive producer.
Local and student award recipients will be recognized at the Gracie Awards Luncheon on June 18 at Cipriani’s in New York City.
Here are highlights of the winners list for the 50th annual Gracie Awards Winners, with a focus on music and entertainment. The complete list of this year’s winners and event details is at www.allwomeninmedia.org.
Television/Streaming National Winners
2024 Paris Olympics on NBC; NBCUniversal; Sports Program; [TV – National]
Descendants: The Rise of Red; Disney+ / Disney Branded Television; Ensemble Cast- Family Programming; [TV – National]
DORA; Nickelodeon; Family Series; [TV – National]
INSIDE EDITION; CBS Media Ventures / INSIDE EDITION; News Magazine; [TV – National]
Megan Thee Stallion: In Her Words; Prime Video; Documentary; [TV – National]
Molly McNearney (Jimmy Kimmel Live!); ABC; Writer Unscripted; [TV – National]
Molly Solomon (2024 Paris Olympics on NBC); NBCUniversal; Showrunner Non-Fiction; [TV – National]
The Daily Show; The Daily Show/Comedy Central; Talk Show – Entertainment; [TV – National]
The Voice; Warner Bros. Unscripted Television; Non-Fiction Entertainment – Competition; [TV – National]
Radio National Winners
Amy Brown (Women of iHeartCountry); Premiere Networks/iHeartMedia; Weekend Host / Personality; [Radio – Nationally Syndicated Commercial]
Angela Yee (Way Up with Angela Yee); Premiere Networks/iHeartMedia; Host/Personality; [Radio – Nationally Syndicated Commercial]
Breaking: Don’t Call It Break Dancing; ABC NEWS; Feature/Special; [Radio – Nationally Syndicated Commercial]
Music is Weapon (Thousand Miles Talks About Music); Taipei Broadcasting Station; Non-English Program; [Radio – Nationally Syndicated Non-Commercial]
Digital Media National Winners
Keke Palmer (Baby, This is Keke Palmer); Wondery; Audio Podcast Host – Entertainment; [DM – National]
Legacy Talk with Lena Waithe; Hillman Grad and Lemonada Media; Audio Podcast – Entertainment; [DM – National]
Mayim Bialik (Mayim Bialik’s Breakdown); ICON PR; Audio Podcast Co-host/Ensemble; [DM – National]
The Boar’s Nest: Sue Brewer and the Birth of Outlaw Country Music; Audible and Fresh Produce Media; Audio Podcast – Scripted; [DM – National]
Variety Power of Women; Variety; Website – Entertainment; [DM – National]
Radio Local Winners
Alabama (The Alabama Show); iHeartMedia; Host Morning Drive – Medium Market; [Radio – Local]
From Spirituals to Opera: The Inspiring Journey of Jubilee (Seattle’s Morning News); KIRO Newsradio; Soft News Feature – Historical; [Radio – Local]
Michelle Southern (Southern Rock); Guaranty Media – Eagle 98.1; Host Non-Morning Drive (Music DJ/Personality) Small Market; [Radio – Local]
Behind the Scenes of DJs: Women Setting the Vibe (MPR News with Angela Davis); Minnesota Public Radio News; Feature/Special; [Radio – Non-Commercial Local]
Travis Scott extended his Circus Maximum world tour on Tuesday (March 25) with the announcement of a series of 2025 international fall stadium shows. The Live Nation-produced outing will hit five countries in October, beginning with an Oct. 11 show at the 94,000-capacity FMB Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa.
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The swing will then take him to Delhi, India, Seoul, South Korea and Sanya, China before wrapping up with a Nov. 8 show at the 31,000-capacity Belluna Dome in Tokyo, Japan. The newest dates are a capper to the tour that began in October 2023 and played 76 sold-out shows in North America, Europe, the U.K., Latin America, Australia and New Zealand, grossing more than $209 million on its way to becoming the highest-grossing rap tour ever.
Presale and on-sale dates for the international fall dates will vary by market; check your local listings here for additional information.
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Earlier this week, La Flame officially announced that the Cactus Jack label compilation, JACKBOYS 2, is “on the way.” The rapper hopped on the mic during Chase B’s DJ set at LIV nightclub in Miami on Monday (March 24) to tease the project. “JACKBOYS 2 on the way, man. Let that motherf—–r ride, ya dig,” he said. “New Sheck Wes what the f–k is we doing?” Scott also performed a handful of records, including ASTROWORLD‘s “NO BYSTANDERS.”
At press time it was unclear when the label compilation is set to drop, though fans suspect it might coincide with Scott’s return to Coachella in April, where he’s promised to “redesign the desert” during his headlining set.
See Travis Scott’s fall 2025 international tour dates below.
Oct. 11 – Johannesburg, South Africa @ FMB Stadium
Oct. 18 – Delhi, India @ Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
Oct. 25 – Seoul, South Korea @ Goyang Stadium
Nov. 1 – Sanya, Hainan, China @ Sanya Stadium *
Nov. 8 – Tokyo, Japan @ Belluna Dome
*Non-Live Nation Date
Kids do the darndest things. Just ask Cardi B. The rapper took to her Instagram Story on Sunday to share her horror after her six-year-old daughter, Kulture Kiari Cephus, took a marker to mom’s dark yellow crocodile skin Hermés Kelly bag to tag it with a cute little doodle.
“We spent $60,000 on this purse,” Cardi said in the since-expired Story (which you can re-live in this YouTube video). “Look what my daughter did to my purse. Look what my daughter did to my purse. Look what my daughter did to my f–king purse… mmmmm.” The camera then zoomed in to reveal an adorable little heart inked on the bag in black marker.
Though such purses can cost as much as a luxury ride, luckily it’s not Cardi’s only one. Back in October, she took fans inside her bonkers Birkin closet, where she displayed her three newest crocodile bags in fall-appropriate colors including dark red, grey and mustard yellow, representing nearly $200K worth of Birkin goodness.
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To be fair, before they split, Cardi and ex rapper Offset were happy to shower Kulture with extravagant gifts, from a gold-accented crib, to a $100,000 Word Party chain for her first birthday, a hot pink $10,000 Birkin bag of her own, as well as another custom $48,000 Hermés purse with a bedazzled rainbow.
Back in February, Cardi sparked collaboration rumors when she teamed up with Ozuna in the studio. “A Movie always,” Cardi captioned the first clip of her dancing and singing along to an untitled track in the muted clip. In another clip, Cardi hung out with Ozuna and his crew, which she described as “Un vibe durisimoo (a very hard vibe).” The pair first teamed up in 2017 for “La Modelo,” which reached No. 52 on the Billboard Hot 100; they also appeared together on DJ Snake’s 2018 No. 11 Hot 100 hit “Taki Taki.”
Fans are still waiting on news about Cardi’s long-awaited sophomore album, the follow-up to her 2018 debut studio album Invasion of Privacy.
Wet Leg performed two intimate shows in Brighton and London earlier this week (Mar. 23 and 24), ahead of their return to festival stages this summer. Over the weekend, the Isle Of Wight band – comprising Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers – teased the surprise gigs at Green Door Store and at the Moth Club in the capital via social media.
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Tickets sold out upon release, though the shows were initially announced without revealing the band’s identity and shared under the pseudonym Uma Thurman – with the caveat the real actor “will not be in attendance.” Wet Leg then confirmed their involvement by sharing a link to the Moth Club date.
According to images shared across X/Twitter, the shows saw the band play an 11-song set, including a slew of unreleased tracks, with titles including “Dragonfart,” “Beans” and “Lovestruck.”
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The live debut of new music comes after the band took to Instagram last week (Mar. 17) to announce their return, and share a 30-second teaser of upcoming material to their Stories. On stage, they donned black wigs and suit attire in the style of Thurman’s character in Pulp Fiction, Mia Wallace. Watch a clip from their performance below.
The duo will follow the Brighton and London dates with two U.S. shows. They will play the Market Hotel in Brooklyn on Mar. 31 and The River in LA on Apr. 8. They are inviting fans to a pre-sale on March 28, for which further details can be found here.
Posting on Instagram they wrote: “Hey there neighbor been a while hasn’t it? Why dont u [sic] come on down to the bottom of our garden? It’s about time we had ourselves a little gathering…just a couple of special nights in NYC US and LA US.”Wet Leg’s last full-length release was their 2022 self-titled debut LP. It earned them two Grammy Awards for best alternative music album and best alternative music performance at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards. In 2023, they won a BRIT Award for group of the year, as well as scooping the best new artist prize.
Over the coming months, they are set to headline a bevy of U.K. and Irish festivals including Green Man and Wilderness, while they also have appearances confirmed for Glastonbury, TRNSMT and BBC Radio 1 Big Weekend in Liverpool.
Bruce Springsteen has joined the all-star lineup for Wednesday night’s (March 26) all-star tribute to Patti Smith. The Boss will make the trip to Carnegie Hall in New York for the sold–out People Have the Power: A Celebration of Patti Smith show celebrating the 50th anniversary of Smith legendary 1975 debut album, Horses.
In addition to Springsteen, the show will feature appearances from R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe, Bangles singer Susanna Hoffs, Pretenders frontwoman Chrissie Hynde, Sharon Van Etten, the Kills’ Alison Mosshart, director Jim Jarmusch, Scarlett Johansson, Kronos Quartet, Ben Harper, Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Karon O, former Sonic Youth singer/guitarist and solo performer Kim Gordon, Sean Penn, Angel Olsen, Courtney Barnett, Interpol’s Paul Banks, Maggie Rogers, Glen Hansard, Michael Shannon, Jesse Malin, The National’s Matt Berninger and others.
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The house band will be lead by Smith’s longtime bassist/keyboardist Tony Shanahan, who will be joined by Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers keyboardist Benmont Tench, Bob Dylan guitarist Charlie Sexton and Rolling Stones drummer Steve Jordan.
In addition to celebrating the Horses anniversary, the show will also mark the 20th anniversary of City Winery founder and CEO Michael Dorf’s “Music Of” series, which spotlights the work of legendary rockers and benefits nonprofit organizations focused on music education; since 2004, the annual Carnegie Hall series has donated more than $1.8 million to such groups. General admission tickets are sold out, but VIP tickets are still available here.
Springsteen and Smith’s relationship also stretches back nearly half a decade, when the Boss was struggling to figure out how to finish his song “Because the Night” and his engineer, Jimmy Iovine — who was also producing Smith’s 1978 album Easter at the time — suggested he give it to Smith. She worked it over and adding new lyrics in honor of her husband, the MC5’s Fred “Sonic” Smith, and it became her highest-charting single to date, hitting No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Smith will also be hitting the road for a Horses anniversary tour, slated to kick off in Dublin, Ireland on Oct. 6 and criss-cross Europe for a month before landing in Seattle on Nov. 10 for a run of shows that will keep her on the road through a Nov. 29 gig in Philadelphia.
Camila Cabello is heading to Australia for two massive shows this August as part of her global Yours, C tour.
The pop star will perform in Sydney and Melbourne, bringing her latest album C,XOXO to life onstage following her recent run of festival appearances across Europe.
The Yours, C tour marks Cabello’s first as a solo artist, with her previous performances in the country as part of Taylor Swift’s Reputation tour. Since then, she’s continued to evolve as a solo artist with hit singles like “Bam Bam” and her genre-blurring fourth studio album C,XOXO, which blends pop, trap, reggaeton and punk.
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Following a string of memorable performances at major international festivals last summer, including Glastonbury Festival (UK), Rock in Rio Lisbon (Portugal), and Tinderbox Festival (Denmark), Camila will kick off the Yours, C tour in Marbella, Spain, before hitting Australia.
Speaking about the tour in February, Cabello wrote on Instagram: “I have been dying to tell you this. You have been so patient, and now it’s finally happening. I haven’t seen you guys on tour in so long, I wanted it to be a love letter to you guys for the summer. For the summer I’m yours.”
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At the BAFTAs in London in February, the “Havana” singer dropped a hint on the red carpet that she would be heading Down Under as part of the tour.
“I’m actually going on tour this summer, for the first time in a very long time, so I’m gonna be on tour all over Europe.” She added, “I’ll be playing some festivals, but a lot of headline shows. I’m gonna be in London July 8th, so I’m excited about that.”
Her latest singles “I Luv It” and “He Knows” have been making waves online and teasing a bold new era for the former Fifth Harmony star.
Camila Cabello – Yours, C Tour Australia Dates
Aug. 20 – Sydney, Qudos Bank ArenaAug. 22 – Melbourne, Rod Laver Arena
Fred Again.. and Justin Bieber were recently seen in the studio together, according to footage shared by U.K. artist Sekou — and while no collaboration has been confirmed, the brief moment has prompted renewed interest in both artists’ current creative phases.
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On March 21, Sekou posted several Instagram Stories documenting a recording session. Though the focus was on the rising artist himself, fans quickly noted the presence of both Fred Again.. and Justin Bieber in the background of one clip. The story has since expired, but screenshots began circulating across Reddit and X (formerly Twitter), drawing attention due to the pair’s history of working together — and their individual reputations for shaping global hits.
Fred Again.., born Fred Gibson, previously co-wrote and co-produced Bieber’s 2019 hit “I Don’t Care” with Ed Sheeran. The track debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, both stars’ best ranking on the chart since 2017, spending 22 weeks on the chart and reaching No. 1 in multiple countries, including the U.K., Australia and Canada. The collab also topped the Adult Pop Songs airplay tally dated Aug. 3.
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It remains one of Bieber’s most commercially successful releases — and was a key early writing credit for Gibson before he launched his solo career under the Fred Again.. moniker.
Since then, Fred Again.. has become one of the most innovative voices in electronic music. With albums like Actual Life 3 (January 1 – September 9 2022) and collaborative projects alongside Skrillex and Four Tet, the producer has built a cult following through emotionally raw production and unpredictable live performances.
His 2022 breakout track “Delilah (Pull Me Out of This)” reached the Billboard Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart and helped propel him to a spot on Billboard’s year-end Top Dance/Electronic Artists list.
Bieber’s last full-length project, Justice, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in 2021 and produced multiple Hot 100 hits, including “Peaches” (No. 1), “Ghost” (No. 5), and “Anyone” (No. 6). While the singer has yet to announce a new album, he’s been spotted in the studio on several occasions over the past year.
Sekou, who posted the story, is a fast-rising British R&B talent who released his debut EP Out of Mind in 2023 to critical acclaim. His presence alongside two high-profile artists has only amplified curiosity — but for now, no official release or project involving the three has been confirmed.
In 2024, producer Mk.gee confirmed he had been working with Bieber, telling The New York Times, “Anything that comes out of his mouth: That’s pop music. You can really do pretty wild stuff behind that, just because it represents something.”
After launching a world tour in February 2022 in support of Justice, and his 2020 Changes album, Bieber revealed in June of that year that he’d been diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome, which had resulted in “full paralysis” on one side of his face, leading to the postponement of some dates. Though he hit the road again, Bieber was forced to come off the road again in September after the Rock in Rio festival due to ongoing health issues.
He appeared as a guest on a few singles since then, including Don Toliver’s “Private Landing” and an acoustic version of SZA’s “Snooze.”
Bieber has been busy with fatherhood lately. The star and his wife, Hailey Bieber, welcomed their first child, a baby boy named Jack Blues Bieber, in 2024.
Conor James and Tinika Wyatt lit up The Voice stage with a powerhouse duet of the Bee Gees’ Billboard chart-topper “How Deep Is Your Love,” in a battle round that proved to be one of the most heartfelt and vocally impressive performances of the season.
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Representing Team Adam, the two artists blended harmonies, emotion and vocal control — and while Conor was ultimately chosen as the winner, Tinika wasn’t going anywhere.
John Legend said Tinika “lit up the stage” and questioned how she didn’t get any turns in the blinds. “You made a fantastic case for yourself staying on this show,” he told her. Michael Bublé called Conor’s vocal runs “perfectly executed,” and said he couldn’t choose between them.
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Coach Adam Levine admitted the decision was brutal, saying, “It’s just energy I want to be around. And so having to make this choice sucks particularly badly because I don’t want to be without either one of you guys.”
He praised Tinika’s growth in the competition, saying, “Tinika, you made a leap — from you were about to go home to me pressing my button for the replay to you getting into the battle rounds with arguably one of the best singers this season has to offer and 1,000% being right there with him, ’cause you are a world-class singer.”
Turning to Conor, Adam added, “The stuff you’re doing in your full voice without even hitting falsetto, it’s pretty astounding. And you somehow managed to make us all feel things. You could go all the way in this thing.”
Before making his choice, Adam summed it up with: “Tinika came in here and made my life hell, because it would be a loss not to have you. So I am in a horrible spot. And before I make this choice, I just want you both to know, from the bottom of my heart, you guys are both incredible. Incredible.”
Then came the moment everyone was hoping for — a steal.
As Tinika began to thank the coaches and prepare to leave the stage, Kelsea hit her button, stealing Tinika for her team. “With my steal, I just wanted to feel something,” she said. “Hearing her voice, I just knew, like, gut girl… Tinika adds a level of soul to Team Kelsea that I’m very excited about.”
Tinika now moves forward on Team Kelsea, while Conor remains on Team Adam — both proving they’re serious contenders this season.
