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It’s JISOO’s time to shine. The star, who recently celebrated her 30th birthday, unveiled her highly anticipated debut solo mini-album, AMORTAGE, fittingly on Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14). Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The four-song mini-album includes the tracks “Earthquake,” “Your Love,” “Tears” and “Hugs & Kisses.” […]
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Live Nation Urban, helmed by its president Shawn Gee, announced on Thursday (Feb. 13) an investment partnership in the Breakr platform, which aids creators in marketing their wares. Breakr, founded by a pair of brothers, aims to empower recording labels, online content creators, and related creatives in their marketing endeavors.
Breakr, founded in 2020 by siblings Anthony and Ameer Brown, frames its company as one that “operates at the intersection of music, creators, and technology, empowering music labels, creative agencies, owned media properties, and brands to discover, select, pay, and contract with independent online content creators for promoting songs, products, and services.”
With the backing of Live Nation Urban, Breakr introduced its BreakrPay™️ system, which puts its focus on making paying creatives a seamless process and cutting down on payment delays. In short, BreakrPay™️ is designed to make sure that content creators and influencers, all of whom truly push brands to the forefront, are paid equitably and on time while doing away with the outdated net 30-90 payout structure.
Breakr has broken deals in the past with Sony Music, Interscope, and BMG among other partners in order to push through innovative musicians in the TikTok and Instagram spheres to break their records and reach larger audiences. Breakr has also worked with brands such as Celsius, Samsung, Billboard, and more.
“The creator economy has changed the way we all connect with audiences, driving innovation and economic activity at an unprecedented scale. Breakr is a tech platform that was a core part of Live Nation Urban’s marketing mix for the better part of a year. After meeting the founders and understanding their vision, it was an easy decision for us to invest in Tony and Ameer and their trail-blazing platform,” said Shawn Gee, Founder and President of Live Nation Urban in a statement. “Our investment reflects our belief in the founders and in the transformative power of creators and the technology that empowers them to thrive.”
Anthony Brown, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Breakr added in. the statement, “From Breakr’s founding, projects like our #RoadtoRollingLoud competition with Rolling Loud to our extensive work with indie labels as well as the ‘Big 3,’ we’re committed to creating opportunities, discovering talent, and financially empowering creators and change-makers worldwide. Our partnership with Live Nation Urban and Shawn is the exciting beginning of a new chapter where we can expand our vision further than ever before, particularly with brands.”
“Breakr’s proprietary technology is revolutionizing the way brands and agencies connect with creators, offering seamless campaign management, real-time analytics, and instant payments—all within a single ecosystem. Our white-label infrastructure empowers partners to scale their operations effortlessly while maintaining full control over their campaigns and finances. This partnership with Live Nation Urban will allow us to expand our reach and continue developing industry-leading solutions that drive measurable impact in the creator economy,” shared Ameer Brown, Co-Founder and Co-CEO, of Breakr.
The Live Nation Urban investment will be under a new venture fund known as the Black Lily Capital Fund and has involvement from the larger Live Nation outfit. This fund will grant support to Black founders who work within or are connected to the realm of live music with a special dedication given towards newer businesses.
Learn more about Breakr here.
Source: Live Nation Urban / Breakr
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Photo: Breakr/Live Urban Nation/Getty
Porter Robinson has delivered a little bit of romance, just in time for Valentine’s Day.
The U.S. producer has shared his energetic, pop-influenced take on Irish outfit Fontaines D.C.’s 2024 single “Favourite” as part of his recent appearance on Like a Version, the long-running covers segment from Australian radio station triple j.
Recorded during Robinson’s Australia tour earlier this month but aired on the morning of Friday, Feb. 14 (Australian time), the cover was well-timed to coincide with Valentine’s Day, with the original track even closing out Fontaines D.C.’s Romance album last year.
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The cover is emblematic of Robinson’s recent stylistic shift, with 2024’s Smile! 😀 seeing him move away from his electronic roots and introducing sounds more aligned with the pop-punk and hyperpop genres. The change in sonic focus was a bold move for Robinson, and though the album became his first not to chart on the Billboard 200, it did peak at No. 10 on the Dance/Electronic Albums chart.
Fontaines D.C., meanwhile, also experienced something of a change in sound for their album Romance. While their previous efforts were more post-punk influenced, their fourth LP was somewhat more polished and aligned with the alternative rock genre.
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It was a commercially-successful change, however. It became the band’s first album to reach the Billboard 200 (hitting No. 97), and it earned them two Grammy nominations, including Best Rock Album and Best Alternative Music performance for lead single “Starburster”.
“’Favourite’ was, no pun intended, one of my favorite songs of the last year,” Robinson said in a post-performance interview with triple j. “It was the song that made me a fan of Fontaines D.C. I just love it. I love major-key music. I love music that’s extremely catchy and extremely hooky. And I love the way that this song feels like it’s constantly tumbling forward.”
Robinson’s Like a Version session also featured an original rendition of “Cheerleader”, and adds to a long history of memorable performances on the program.
Having first launched in 2004, the series has gone from being a near-impromptu acoustic affair to featuring larger studio productions. Numerous artists have taken part over the past two decades, with the likes of Billie Eilish, Childish Gambino, Arctic Monkeys, and more reinventing classic tracks in the process. As Robinson explains, the history and impact of the segment was not lost on him.
“I was so nervous to do this [performance], because I really, really do consider it an institution,” he explained. “Like a Version is a musical institution, and I wanted to make sure I put my best foot forward on it, respected the format and gave something that was listenable.
“This isn’t just like a video that lives online, this gets heard and this gets played,” he added. “So I just wanted to respect the listener to be like, ‘Let’s make this as good as it can be’.”
Mark Pritchard and Thom Yorke are “Back in the Game”, with the pair joining forces once again for a new single.
Pritchard, who has spent more than 30 years as an electronic musician and producer, first teamed up with the Radiohead and The Smile frontman back in 2016, with Yorke providing guest vocals on “Beautiful People” for Pritchard’s Under the Sun record. Five years earlier, Pritchard had also shared a pair of remixes of Radiohead’s “Bloom”, with both versions (one of which was released under his Harmonic 313 alias) appearing on the TKOL RMX 1234567 album.
Much like their previous collaboration, “Back in the Game” sees Yorke’s vocals digitally distorted by Pritchard, this time by way of the H910 Harmonizer, the world’s first commercially-available digital audio effects device.
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The track has also been a staple of Yorke’s recent live sets, with the musician having debuted the song in Christchurch, New Zealand in October as part of his Everything solo tour and playing it at every show since.
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“Back in the Game” comes accompanied by a surreal, kaleidoscopic Jonathan Zawada-directed visual which combines both analog and digital techniques. In a statement, Zawada explained that an early demo of the track saw him envision a cocky, strutting John Travolta in the final scene of Staying Alive, albeit with a more sinister approach.
“Slowly a version of that visual arose around a character wearing a kind of giant parade head with a fixed expression of mania stuck on their face, such that you couldn’t tell if their endless march was one of aggression or celebration,” Zawada explained. “The more I paid attention to the lyrics the more details began to fill themselves out and the overall concept began to form [a] parade of many characters marching past a building from within which everything was being thrown out of a window and into a giant bonfire.
“Ultimately the film for ‘Back in the Game’ ended up depicting a sort of blind celebration taking place as civilization slowly deteriorates around it, a kind of progression through regression. Overlaid onto this is an exploration of how and where we choose to place value in our collective cultural expression and how we collectively confront major cultural shifts in the 21st century.”
Warner Music Group signed an expanded licensing agreement with Audiomack that covers 47 new countries including the U.K., France, Italy, Germany, the Caribbean, Mexico, Uganda and Zimbabwe. The two companies first struck a licensing deal in 2019.
Exceleration Music acquired Mack Avene Music Group, a collection of independent jazz labels that has released the works of artists including Christian McBride, Cécile McLorin Salvant and Kenny Garrett. Following the acquisition, Mack Avenue’s operations will be integrated with those of jazz label Candid Records, which Exceleration previously acquired, to form Exceleration’s overall jazz group. The group will be led by current Mack Avenue president Denny Stilwell and boast a team featuring other key executives from both Mack Avenue and Candid.
Triller Group scored a $50 million equity funding round from institutional investors, secured through a private placement consisting of common stocks and warrants, with the company’s shares priced at $2.20. The money will be used to unveil new AI tools, enhance the Triller platform’s livestreaming capabilities and revamp its video editing suite. An additional fundraise is expected later this year.
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Musical AI, a rights management platform for generative AI, raised an initial investment of $2.1 million led by Canadian VC firm Build Ventures. Select angel investors also contributed, with a seed round expected to close in the first half of this year. According to the company, its attribution model can determine what percentage of a generated output came from what data source, allowing rightsholders to “monitor, take down and sunset usage” of their works. “If we want AI training to be sustainable and ethical, we need attribution. Musical AI is the only company offering it in the audio space,” said Musical AI CEO Sean Power in a statement. “I’m thrilled that discerning investors are backing our efforts to transform how AI is trained.”
Downtown-owned distributor FUGA announced an expansion in the Asia-Pacific region via several new signings and partnerships across Indonesia, India and the Philippines. In Indonesia, FUGA partnered with Jakarta-based label Maspam Company, whose roster includes Pamungkas and Prince Husein; and label/distributor Sintesa Pro, home to Batas Senja. In India, it partnered with digital and music entities including GK Digital, whose catalog includes artists like Karan Randhawa and Max Singh; and music management platform DroomMusic, home to Gajendra Verma. And in the Philippines, it signed GMA Music and battle-rap artist Pricetagg.
Primary Wave Music expanded its relationship with The Piano Guys, with its Green Hill Productions (a member of the Sun Label Group) acquiring an additional stake in the instrumental group’s master audio catalog. Green Hill also signed a new distribution deal with the group that will see it “playing a more active role in the strategic growth of The Piano Guys’ catalog and new releases,” according to a press release.
Live Nation Urban invested in Breakr, a creator marketing and tech platform that allows record labels, creative agencies, brands and more “to discover, select, pay, and contract with independent online content creators for promoting songs, products, and services,” according to a press release. The investment will be made via a new venture fund formed by Live Nation and Live Nation Urban called the Black Lily Capital Fund, which is focused on providing capital and resources to Black founders of companies operating in or adjacent to the live music industry, with a focus on startups in pre-seed and seed round stages. Along with the investment announcement, Breakr unveiled a new instant pay system called BreakrPay that allows companies to fund campaigns instantly, allowing influencers to be paid in real-time.
Virgin Music Group Nigeria partnered with Ghanian distribution and integrated label services company RainLabs. Under the deal, Virgin will help provide comprehensive support for African artists through digital distribution, marketing, creative production and brand partnerships. RainLabs’ roster includes Joey B, Cina Soul and Baaba J.
Warner Music Group’s ADA distribution and artist services arm partnered with Berlin-based neoclassical label Aemeralds, which specializes in building composers’ brands through social media marketing, composer camps and playlists. Under the agreement, Aemeralds will have the ability to partner with the Warner Classics marketing team for local services and expertise globally.
Under an expanded naming rights partnership between the City of Bakersfield, Calif., and Dignity Health, the downtown complex previously known as Centennial Garden and then Mechanics Bank Arena will now be rebranded as Dignity Health Arena, Theater and Convention Center beginning next month. The complex features a 10,000-capacity arena, 3,000-seat theater and 17,840-square-foot convention center.
Selena Gomez is back to the pop star life, despite teasing that she might be done with music — and she’s bringing her superstar producer fiancé Benny Blanco along for the ride. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “I always trick you guys,” Gomez wrote on Instagram, alongside […]
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A$AP Rocky is now in the final stages of his court case, with the whole family in tow for emotional support. Rihanna, his partner, made her first appearance in court with their two kids, 2-year-old RZA and 1-year-old Riot, just as the prosecutor was laying out the case against the rapper. The prosecution’s argument is simple: Rocky fired at his former friend, A$AP Relli, on a Hollywood street in 2021, and he should be guilty of two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm.
However Rocky’s defense is pushing back. A$AP Twelvyy, a member of Rocky’s crew, testified that Relli was actually the one starting trouble. He claims the Harlem rapper fired the shots not to harm Relli, but to stop him from attacking another member of their crew. So, it’s not as clear as the prosecution wants to make it seem.
Rihanna’s presence in the courtroom, along with their kids, added a serious emotional layer to the proceedings, especially with the stakes so high for Rocky. The prosecution’s focus is on Relli’s testimony, but with Rocky’s defense painting a different picture, the situation is still up in the air. It’s clear that this case isn’t just about the law—it’s personal for Rocky, and with his family in the room, it’s a heavy moment.
More news to come as the story develops.
Sexyy Red could’ve been a wrestler in the WWE universe.
During a profile with Dazed, it was revealed that the St. Louis rapper was offered “a permanent role as wrestler.” However, Sexyy’s busy schedule didn’t allow for proper time to train and she ultimately settled for cameo instead. And when talking about the subject, she compared her current occupation with sports entertainment. “Rapping and wrestling are pretty much the same,” she explained. “It’s not quite acting, but it’s kind of acting too, right? Because when we go home and take off all our jewels and gold and remove the costumes we wear, we then have to go right back to reality with our families.”
Sexxy made her WWE debut last May when she hosted NXT where she unveiled the brand new NXT North American Women’s Championship belt and sang Shawn Michael’s iconic “Sexy Boy” theme song with the legend himself. She then hosted NXT Battleground in Nevada a couple months later.
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Elsewhere in the profile, she said what she would change if she became president and admitted to having around 600 pairs of True Religion jeans. “I would give all the hungry poor people free food,” she said. So they don’t have to steal it no more, because it’s too expensive right now. Food should be free! No one should ever be homeless.”
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Adding, “The people at the bottom are my favorite kind of people, period. I like people that wear True Religion jeans, even though they’re [seen as being] too ghetto. I’ve got like 600 pairs! I represent the people with no airs and graces.”
She also talked about the hardships of fame and how she’s still racially profiled when she goes back home. “Trying to live a normal life is difficult when you’re famous,” she admitted. “Sometimes y’all be so annoying. If you see me with my babies bagging up groceries, then get the f—k away from me. No photos!”
She continued by saying the more famous she gets, the more she feels unsafe. “I feel like with me, the more famous I get, the more people will see me as a threat,” she added. “As I get bigger and more viral, there’s going to be more and more people who want to harm me, 100 percent.”
Sexyy then brought up her dealing with law enforcement in her hometown. “The police in St. Louis just shot another Black kid dead the other day. That sh—t’s so wrong,” she said. “When I go back home, there are usually two outcomes [when I am stopped in traffic]: they either like your music and want to tell you about their kids being fans, or they choose to mess with you even more [now you’re this celebrity]! Sometimes they pick on me or just fuck with me for fun. They like to remind you of where you are. It’s all about reinforcing their position [of power].”
Her song with Bruno Mars “Fat Juicy & Wet” currently sits at No. 34 on the Hot 100 where it peaked at No. 17 and has been on the chart for two weeks.
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Wiz Khalifa emerged as one of the brightest stars of the so-called Blog Era and now he’s a seasoned veteran with two dozen mixtape projects, seven studio albums, and a handful of EPs. Fans of the Pittsburgh stoner can rejoice after Wiz Khalifa teased a release for his highly anticipated Kush & Orange Juice mixtape.
Released in 2010, Wiz Khalifa made a huge splash with the Kush & Orange Juice mixtape, introducing the masses to his laidback delivery, bombastic hooks, and overall cool image. His last project, Wiz Owens, was framed as a mixtape project and reunited him with “Black & Yellow” producer Sledgren along with features from Sosamann, Young Deji, and 24hrs.
Young Khalifa has already dropped a quartet of tracks from Kush & Orange Juice 2, including the tracks, “Hit It Once,” “Bring Your Lungs” featuring fellow chiefing rapper Smoke DZA, Hide It featuring Don Tolliver, and “Khalifa’s Home.”
Although it’s been rumored online that Wiz Khalifa will drop Kush & Orange Juice 2 ahead on the weekend of 420, we scoured his social media pages for confirmation and came up empty. That said, we’re hoping that it does come soon as it’s been 15 years since that last drop.
The industrious rapper and businessman also just released his branded line of rolling papers via his Khalifa Kush brand. Learn more about the rolling papers here.
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The Podcast Academy, the professional podcast organization, has announced the nominees for its fifth annual Awards for Excellence in Audio (The Ambies). Hosted by comedian Tig Notaro, the Ambies will take place on Monday, March 31 at the McCormick Convention Center in Chicago. The ceremony will be livestreamed by Twitch from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. CT.
The ceremony will highlight 199 nominees across 28 categories with winners to be selected by voting members of The Podcast Academy — in addition to a Governors Award. Eligible new members will be able to vote to determine this year’s winners if applications are submitted by Feb. 20. Go to: www.thepodcastacademy.com/join-the-community.
Jon Stewart, Rainn Wilson and Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Wesley Morris are among the nominees for best podcast host or hosts. Bowen Yang, Jane Lynch and Tisha Campbell are among the nominees for best performance in audio fiction.
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“As we celebrate the fifth Annual Awards for Excellence in Audio, we are excited to announce this year’s nominees, whose work continues to push the boundaries of storytelling and innovation in the audio space,” Christy Mirabal, chairperson of The Podcast Academy, said in a statement. “This milestone year for the Podcast Academy is a reflection of the incredible growth and creativity within the podcasting community.”
“I’m so excited to host The Podcast Academy’s fifth Annual Awards for Excellence in Audio,” exclaimed Notaro. “It’s like being at the Oscars, only it’s celebrating those of us who are good at talking into a microphone while wearing sweatpants in our closets with pillows on our windows. Take that Meryl. And Meryl, while I have your attention, would you be a guest on my podcast?”
Here are the nominees for The 2025 Ambies in categories most relevant to the music and entertainment industry.
Podcast of the year
99% Invisible: Not Built for This
Beyond All Repair
Cement City
Dragon Age: Vows & Vengeance
Empire City: The Untold Origin Story of the NYPD
Faraway
Fire Escape
Hot White Heist 2
Hysterical
Throughline
Best podcast host or hosts
Diallo Riddle and Blake ‘LUXXURY’ Robin – One Song
Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach and Amanda Doyle – We Can Do Hard Things
Jon Stewart – The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Rainn Wilson – Radio Rental
Ronald Young Jr. – Weight for It
Sam Sanders – The Sam Sanders Show
Wesley Morris – The Wonder of Stevie
Best original score and music supervision
Dan Leone – Ripple
Daniel Lloyd-Evans, Louis Nanke-Mannell and Toby Matimong – Extrasensory
Deron Johnson – Dungeon Masters
Jonathan Pfarr, Carson Graham and Bobby Mota – Celebrity Pets
Peter Nashel, Ross Hopman, Gio Lobato, Dana Hom, Brad Fischer, Jordan Lieb, Lucas Villemur and Lindsay Dievert – Hammerless: A True Crime Podcast in a Fantasy World
Skyler Gerdeman, Martin Lynabel, Nicholas Alexander, Max O’Brien and Caroline Thornham – Kill List
Stro Elliot and Eric Gersen – Historical Records
Best production and sound design
Casandra Tinajero and Andrés Bahena – Nocturno: Tales From the Shadows
Jeremy S. Bloom – Hot White Heist 2
Kenny Kusiak and George Drabing Hicks – The Confessions of Anthony Raimondi
Michelle Macklem – Girl v. Horse
Realm – Narcosis
Sagafilm and Skybound Entertainment – Impact Winter Season 3
Ted Bonnitt – Hindsight: The Day Before
Best entertainment podcast
Infamous
Lemme Say This
Rattled & Shook
Scamfluencers
Split Screen: Kid Nation
The Road to Joni
The Wonder of Stevie
Best society and culture podcast
Hysterical
In Retrospect with Susie Banikarim and Jessica Bennett
Inheriting
Mind Your Own with Lupita Nyong’o
My Divo
Sixteenth Minute (of Fame)
Weight For It
Best podcast for kids
Culture Kids
Grimm, Grimmer, Grimmest
Historical Records
Mysteries About True Histories
PJ Library Presents: Beyond the Bookcase
Skylar & Bones – Funny Stories for Kids!
Wow in the World
Best Spanish language narrative podcast
¡No Vengan!
Greal: El Secreto de las Ocho Llaves
Hechos Reales
HUMO: Murder and Silence in El Salvador
No quieren que sepas
Pantallas & Mentiras [Screens & Lies]
Pétrea
Best sports podcast
30 for 30 Podcasts
Broomgate
Good Game with Sarah Spain
Pablo Torre Finds Out
Shadowball: The Rise of the Black Athlete
The Raven
The Rich Eisen Show
Best comedy podcast
Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend
Hot White Heist 2
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Scam Goddess
SmartLess
We’re Here to Help
Who Replaced Avril Lavigne? Joanne McNally Investigates
Best indie podcast
Sightings
The Insurgence: Sheriffs
The Man Who Calculated Death
The Nightingale of Iran
The People’s Recorder
The TMI Project Story Hour
What Happened in Skinner
Best indie podcast host or hosts
Dallas Taylor – Twenty Thousand Hertz
Deja Perkins and Purbita Saha – Bring Birds Back
Jill Jonassen – The Cost of Extremism
Kate McCoy and Kevin Corbett – Horrorwood: True Crime in Tinseltown
Lisa Phillips – From Now On
Lisa Woolfork – STITCH PLEASE
Susan Lambert Hatem and Sharon Johnson – 80s TV Ladies
Best interview podcast
American Masters: Creative Spark
Apple News in Conversation
Overlooked: Women’s Health Can’t Wait
Thanks Dad with Ego Nwodim
The Assignment with Audie Cornish
The Integrated Schools Podcast
Tomorrow’s Cure
Best performance in audio fiction
Bowen Yang, Cynthia Nixon, Shannon Woodward, Jane Lynch, Jesse James Keitel, Sarah Steele, Ian McKellen, Raul Esparza, Sara Ramírez, Joel Kim Booster, Bianca Del Rio, Cheyenne Jackson, Abbi Jacobson, Stephanie Beatriz, Katya Zamolodchikova, Trixie Mattel, Yvie Oddly, Jane Krakowski, Sandra Oh, and Tony Kushner – Hot White Heist 2
Caitlin Stasey, Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts, David Yow, Caroline Morahan, Guinevere Turner, Elizabeth Halpern, Travis Harmon, Brad Griffith, James Bacon, Jameson Cush, Jonathan Shockley and Ayla Glass – The Skies Are Watching
Fredi Bernstein, Cody Wilkins and Dana Domenick – The Box
Mikki Hernandez, Toby Meuli, Geri-Nikol Love, Rachel Kylian – Ominous Thrill
Ruth Righi – Winnie Taylor’s 4th & Inches
Sanaa Lathan – The Justice
Tisha Campbell – Snoriezzz