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Tom Corson, co-chairman/COO of Warner Records, is set to receive the City of Hope’s 2025 Spirit of Life Award. It will be presented this fall at the annual Spirit of Life Gala in Los Angeles. For more than 50 years, the music industry has united around the Spirit of Life campaign, raising nearly $170 million to support City of Hope’s research and treatment efforts — mainly focused on cancer and diabetes.
“It is a profound honor to be recognized as this year’s Spirit of Life honoree,” Corson said in a statement. “At Warner Records, we often say it’s not just about the song — it’s about the artist. In the same way, City of Hope isn’t just about treatments — it’s about the people, their dreams, and their futures. When I sit down with an artist, we talk about their goals and aspirations, and we work to make those dreams a reality. That same spirit of transformation is at the core of City of Hope’s mission: turning hope into tangible breakthroughs for patients fighting cancer. The music industry has always been about more than entertainment; it’s about connection, transformation, and impact. I am proud to stand with my peers in championing this cause and supporting the vital and lifesaving work City of Hope does every day.”

Evan Lamberg, president of Universal Music Publishing Group North America and chairman of City of Hope’s Music, Film and Entertainment Industry (MFEI) board, said Corson’s honor was well-earned: “Tom has been an unwavering supporter of City of Hope for years, and his leadership and dedication to both our industry and this cause make him a truly deserving honoree.”

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Alissa Pollack, executive vp of global music marketing at iHeartMedia and president of City of Hope’s MFEI board, added: “Tom Corson has been a driving force in shaping modern music, and his philanthropic passion reflects that same commitment. The Spirit of Life campaign reminds us of the power of music to heal and inspire, and Tom’s leadership will help us elevate that message even further this year.”

“We are thrilled to honor Tom Corson as this year’s Spirit of Life recipient,” said Kristin Bertell, chief philanthropy officer at City of Hope. “Tom’s leadership, both in the music industry and as a long-time member of the Music, Film and Entertainment Industry Board, exemplifies the transformative spirit that defines our work.”

The honor is a cornerstone of the MFEI’s annual philanthropic campaign. This year, the campaign takes on even greater significance as Los Angeles continues to recover from January’s devastating wildfires — events that not only displaced families but also contributed to long-term health risks due to toxic smoke exposure.

A group of key industry executives founded City of Hope’s MFEI group in 1973. The Spirit of Life Award is the organization’s most prestigious honor. Past honorees include Jay Marciano, Lyor Cohen, Shelli and Irving Azoff, Edgar Bronfman Jr., Coran Capshaw, Eddy Cue, Clive Davis, Sir Lucian Grainge, Allen Grubman, Quincy Jones, Rob Light, Monte and Avery Lipman, Doug Morris, Mo Ostin, Bob Pittman, Jon Platt and Sylvia Rhone.

Since Corson joined Warner Records in January 2018, the storied label has had success with such new and established artists as Dua Lipa, Zach Bryan, Michael Bublé, Benson Boone, Teddy Swims, Rufus Du Sol, Linkin Park, Cher, Dasha, Red Hot Chili Peppers, JISOO, Josh Groban, Gary Clark Jr., Green Day, The Black Keys, Saweetie, NLE Choppa and Omar Apollo.  

Corson came to Warner Records from RCA Music Group, where he spent nearly 18 years and most recently served as president/COO. He began his career in the music industry as a college intern at IRS Records. Upon graduating from UCLA, he joined the label as director of West Coast sales. Corson moved to A&M Records in 1985, advancing to vp of marketing. In 1990, he was named senior vp of marketing at Capitol Records. From 1996 to 2000, he served as senior vp of marketing at Columbia Records. 

Corson has appeared on the Billboard Power 100 list for the last 14 years. On this year’s list, published in January, he and Warner Records co-chairman/CEO Aaron Bay-Schuck were listed at No. 15. Billboard’s capsule entry noted, in part: “Since taking over Warner in 2018, they’ve signed stars Zach Bryan, who was a 21-time finalist for the 2024 Billboard Music Awards; Teddy Swims and Benson Boone, who are both nominated for best new artist Grammys; Dasha, who ‘crossed over in pop and country,’ Corson says; and rapper NLE Choppa, who hit 9 billion career total streams. The label also relaunched Linkin Park, which released its first studio album in seven years, From Zero, and debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200.”

In addition, Corson and Bay-Schuck were named 2024 Variety Hitmakers Executive of the Year. Corson is a member of the Recording Academy and the Music and Entertainment Industry board for City of Hope and also sits on the executive committee of the board of directors for the T.J Martell Foundation. He is also the chairman of the UCLA School of Music Business’ board of advisors. 

Colombian reggaetón star Ryan Castro has signed a global publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music, the company tells Billboard. Born in Medellín, Castro released his debut album El Cantante del Ghetto, a nod to his journey from street busking to bona fide hitmaker, last year. “Joining Warner Chappell is a big step in my career as an […]

Phoenix’s Rebel Lounge is announcing their “10 Year Anniversary Series” this May with 16 shows curated to honor the Arizona music club, including a close-out set on June with The Maine for a 10-year celebration of their album American Candy.

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The anniversary run will begin May 1 with two nights from the band Authority Zero. For the first night, Authority Zero will dive into “Rhythm & Booze,” with an acoustic set that will be recorded for their next live acoustic release. Authority Zero will crank up the wattage for their set on May 2 for a high-energy set.

The Rebel Lounge opened on May 20, 2015, under the ownership of Stephen Chilton of Psyko Steve Presents and musician Chuckie Duff from the band Dear and the Headlights. In the last decade, the venue has won Best Punk Club, Best Rock Club, Best Marquee, Best Mural and Best Rebooted Venue by the Phoenix New Times and in 2024, Billboard selected The Rebel Lounge as the Best Venue Under 500-Capacity in their list of 2024 Top Music Venues.

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“When we started talking about how to celebrate The Rebel Lounge turning 10 years old, and we were discussing which bands we would want to feature, we realized it was hard to do one celebration because we work with so many different types of artists,” said Chilton in a statement. “We immediately knew we wanted to do something that all the valley music fans that support The Rebel could appreciate.“

Chilton added that the goal of the series is to highlight the diversity of artists and local acts that have performed at the Rebel Lounge over the last decade.

Roger Clyne & PH Naffah (of Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers) return to the Rebel Lounge to celebrate Cinco de Mayo on May 5. Thrash metal favorites Sacred Reich take to Rebel’s stage on May 16, followed The Summer Set on May 17 promoting their new track “I Don’t Wanna Party.” Rap metal heavyweights Dropout Kings will perform May 28 before hitting the road for Motocultor Festival and Odyssea.

The anniversary series will also feature artists who launched their career at the Rebel Lounge including Phoenix Afrobeat Orchestra on May 22, homegrown emo night event EmoNightPhx on May 3rd and Phoenix’s long running hip hop and dance showcase Blunt Club set for May 23.

A calendar of shows for May is available below. Tickets for the series go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. local time. Tickets and information for all shows can be found at TheRebelLounge.com/10years.

Tencent Music Entertainment surpassed revenue of $1 billion in the fourth quarter, representing an 8.2% increase from the prior-year period, while net profit climbed 47.3% to $284 million. 
The Chinese music streaming company operates three music streaming services — Kugou Music, QQ Music and Kuwo Music — as well as WeSing, a karaoke app. In recent years, Tencent Music’s business has become increasingly dominated by its music services as its social entertainment business continues to lose business. 

Online music revenue grew 16.1% to $799 million due to music subscription gains and growth in advertising revenue, while music subscription revenue jumped 18% to $552 million in the quarter as the number of subscribers increased 13.4% to 121 million. Additionally, gross margin jumped to 43.6% in the fourth quarter from 38.3% in the prior-year period. The company attributed the improvement to strong growth in music subscriptions and advertising revenue and increased usage of owned content, as well as its adoption of the Super VIP program, a subscription tier that costs five times the normal rate. Monthly average revenue per user (ARPU) grew to 11.1 RMB ($1.52) from 10.7 RMB ($1.47) due in part to the expansion of the Super VIP membership program.

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The social entertainment business has suffered a sharp decline since the Chinese government began cracking down on the use of live-streaming apps to enable gambling in 2021. In the fourth quarter, social entertainment revenue fell 13% to $223 million and mobile monthly active users declined 21.2% to 82 million (the number stood at 223 million at the end of 2020). Monthly ARPU fell 9.7% to 70.4 RMB ($9.64), down from 172.1 RMB ($26.38) at the end of 2020, and paying users slipped 3.8% to 7.7 million. 

For the full year, revenue increased 2.3% to $3.89 billion while net profit climbed 36.2% to $974 million, and gross margin improved to 42.3% from 35.3%. Online music revenue grew 25.5% to $2.98 billion while social entertainment revenue fell 36.1% to $912 million. Full-year gross margin improved to 42.3% from 35.3% in 2023. 

Tencent Music Entertainment’s music platforms have evolved into one-stop shops that also include audiobooks, merchandise, downloads and live-streaming. In 2024, the company produced physical albums for Xiao Zhan and Lay Zhang and boosted album sales for Esther Yu by providing options to purchase merchandise along with her digital albums. It also partnered with the band Mayday for an online New Year’s Eve concert.

The company also announced a $273 million dividend and a share repurchase program of up to $1 billion over a two-year period that will commence this month. A $500 million share repurchase program announced in March 2023 will conclude this month. 

Tencent Music Entertainment’s shares, which trade on both the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong, had risen 15.8% to $15.12 on the NYSE at the close of trading on Tuesday.

For over a year, the K-pop industry has been embroiled in a heated debate over the girl group NewJeans. In fact, even the name “NewJeans” has become a point of contention following the group’s announcement in February that they would be rebranded as NJZ. However, their management company, ADOR, has disputed the legitimacy of this name change. While the group has requested to be referred to as NJZ, no legal ruling has been made on the matter, leaving the existing contract intact. As a result, from a legal standpoint, NewJeans remains the more accurate designation for the time being.
Amid ongoing legal uncertainties, NewJeans is moving ahead independently. This March, the group is scheduled to perform at ComplexCon Hong Kong, where they are reportedly debuting a new song. This move appears to be an attempt to further establish their rebranded identity as NJZ. After all, performing NewJeans’ hit songs while adopting a new name could be seen as contradictory.

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Music organizations and associations in Korea are closely monitoring the NewJeans situation. In February, five major organizations — the Korea Management Federation, Korea Entertainment Producers’ Association, Record Label Industry of Korea, Recording Industry Association of Korea and the Korea Music Content Association — issued a statement expressing concerns over NewJeans and former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin’s independent activities. Their primary issue is “tampering,” with suspicions that Min has been attempting to remove NewJeans from ADOR.

The statement from the five organizations reads, “For the past 10 months, we have observed a growing trend, in which certain parties attempt to resolve private disputes through media campaigns and unilateral public statements instead of proper negotiations or legal procedures, including former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin’s press conferences, NewJeans member Hanni’s appearance at a National Assembly audit, and the group’s independent activities.”

NewJeans fans argue that these five organizations are merely echoing ADOR/HYBE’s stance. However, the key issue at hand is their emphasis on the importance of “adhering to legal processes.”

At a press conference on Nov. 28, 2024, NewJeans members announced that “their contract with ADOR would officially end at midnight on November 29th.” They stated, “We have had enough conversations and sent certification of content, but there were no responses during that time. As ADOR and HYBE have breached the contract, we are terminating it.”  

Since then, NewJeans has continued its individual actions and reiterated its stance in interviews with foreign media. In a CNN interview last month, the group emphasized, “We have completely lost trust in ADOR. We believe we will win this battle against HYBE and ADOR.” Through Japan’s TV Asahi, a subsidiary of Asahi Shimbun, they stated, “Right now, there are very few media outlets in Korea that carry our voices. Instead of letting that discourage us, we will enjoy our activities.”

International fans who have closely followed NewJeans’ statements may be more inclined to side with the group. However, with both the lawsuit verifying the validity of their claims and the injunction application still ongoing, their assertions remain one-sided. In this context, foreign media that present NewJeans’ perspective without providing balanced coverage of the ongoing legal dispute risk spreading misinformation.

NewJeans and ADOR remain deeply divided, locked in a tense standoff. On March 7, the Seoul Central District Court held the first hearing on ADOR’s provisional injunction request to “maintain the status of agency and prohibit the signing of advertising contracts.” Both parties presented conflicting arguments and failed to reach a resolution.  

As a result, it is challenging to take a definitive stance between ADOR or NewJeans. The most prudent thing to do right now is to wait and see how the court reaches its decision, based on the various claims and substantial evidence presented by both parties.

This is precisely the position shared by the five music industry organizations in Korea. On Feb. 27, they held a press conference titled, “Let’s Keep a Promise: Without Record Producers, There is No K-pop!,” where they declared:

“No one can confirm the cancellation of a contract before the court’s judgment, and we must all accept the legal outcome, whatever it may be. This is the only way to protect our industry amid conflict and dispute.”  

For now, the K-pop community watches and waits for the court’s decision — a ruling that could have lasting implications for NewJeans, ADOR and the entire industry.

This article was written by Austin Jin and originally appeared on Billboard Korea.

French streaming platform Deezer reported on Tuesday it had 7 million euros ($7.6 million) in free cash flow for the fiscal year 2024, having achieved break-even status for the first time in its nearly 18-year history last fall.
Founded in August 2007, Deezer has struggled to build its brand outside of its home market in France. But in recent years, it has raised prices and expanded its subscriber-base by being the streaming platform powering German broadcaster RTL, American speaker company Sonos and Latin America’s version of Amazon, Mercado Libre.

“This is an exciting milestone, and it puts Deezer in control of its own destiny,” Deezer Chief Financial Officer Carl de Place tells Billboard on becoming cash-flow positive. “We have been able to exceed our guidance and to deliver 11.8% growth thanks to a nearly 10% increase in direct revenue from France, and the revenue from our partnerships business, which grew at 24% year over year.”

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A growing number of streaming platforms have raised prices in recent years, and Deezer was at the forefront having raised subscription prices in France, its largest market, in January 2022 and other markets later in the year. After Apple, Amazon, YouTube and Spotify all followed with their own increases, Deezer raised its prices again in September 2023.

The company reported revenue increased 12% to 542 million euros ($590.8 million), above their 10% growth target. Direct revenue in France increased 9.7% from the year ago period thanks to a 4.3% increase in subscriber revenue and greater average revenue per user (ARPU). Revenue from partners white labeling its services rose 24% year over year.

While not a profitable fiscal year, the company said it saw strong improvement. Adjusted earnings before interest tax depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) for the full year was negative 4 million euros ($4.4 million), and a 21.2% increase in its adjusted gross profit to 134 million euros ($146 million), equal to a 24.7% margin. The company had 62 million euros ($67.6 million) cash in its reserves at year end.

The company plans to double-down on its brand partnership strategy, while maintaining focus on further growing its presence in France with new features allowing users to customize their feed on the streaming platform and opportunities to more directly interact with artists, de Place says.

“Profitable growth is what you should expect going forward. We are prepared to continue to deliver positive free cash flow, to reinvest in the company and also add to our reserves,” de Place says.

Recorded music revenue in the United States notched record-high revenues of $17.7 billion in 2024, marking a modest 3% increase from 2023 but capping a ninth straight year of upward mobility for the U.S. business, according to the RIAA. Like a broken record, this growth was once again primarily driven by streaming and the enduring popularity of vinyl.
The music industry’s total revenue gain of 3% in 2024 is a decrease from the 7.7% increase seen in 2023.

Streaming continued to dominate the music industry, accounting for 84% of total revenues for the third consecutive year. Streaming revenue grew by 4% to $14.9 billion, with paid subscriptions the leading contributor, rising 5% to $11.7 billion, which alone made up 79% of all streaming revenues and nearly two-thirds of all recorded music revenue. 

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For the first time, the number of paid subscriptions surpassed 100 million, increasing by 3% from the previous year’s tally of 97 million.

However, revenue from limited-tier subscriptions — which include services like Amazon Prime, Pandora Plus, fitness streaming services and other paid subs that don’t offer full, on-demand catalogs — declined by 2% to $1 billion. It’s an improvement over 2023, though, when that drop was 4%.

Reversing last year’s gains, ad-supported streaming experienced a slight decline. Revenue from ad-supported on-demand music services like YouTube and Spotify’s free tier dropped by 2% to $1.8 billion. (Last year it was 2% but in the black.) Digital and customized radio services, including SiriusXM, grew modestly by 3% to reach $1.4 billion. SoundExchange distributions, which handle payments for artists and copyright holders, rose by 5% to $1.1 billion, while other ad-supported streaming revenue fell by 4% to $306 million.

Most physical music formats saw a continued resurgence, with total revenues increasing by 5% to $2 billion. Vinyl was the standout performer yet again, growing by 7% to $1.4 billion, marking its 18th consecutive year of growth. Vinyl albums outsold CDs, with 44 million units sold compared to 33 million CDs. A year prior, those numbers were 43.2 million and 37 million, meaning the gap between the physical cousins is growing. Despite these trends, CD revenue still grew by 1% to $541 million compared to $537.1 million.

Digital downloads continued their downward spiral, decreasing by 18% to $336 million, compared to $434.1 million in 2023. This category now represents only 2% of the total music industry revenue, a significant drop from its 2012 peak when it accounted for 43% of the market. Both individual track and album downloads saw double-digit percentage declines.

The overall percentage breakdown between digital and physical revenue—88% to 12%—has remained consistent since 2018, with only minor fluctuations of 1% in either direction over the years. At the wholesale level, total revenue increased by 2.7%, rising to $11.3 billion from last year’s $11 billion, marking the third consecutive year this metric has surpassed the $10 billion mark.

The organization noted that this marks the first year of direct reporting from independent labels, including sync revenue estimates from indie sources.

RIAA chairman & CEO Mitch Glazier highlighted the “historic milestone” of over 100 million paid subs driving two-thirds of revenues, calling it an “extraordinary achievement by an industry that has successfully focused on its creative and commercial core by championing innovative new services, options, and experiences that add real value for fans.”

Glazier added: “Music has never been more dynamic, compelling, and relevant – reaching out beyond our earbuds with conversation-driving cultural touchstones like unforgettable halftime performances, historic television moments or must-see films and biopics. And American fans and superfans’ dedication to the artists they support promises an even brighter future as record labels work to create new opportunities that boost incomes for artists and diverse revenue streams to grow the pie for everyone with a stake in the music economy.”

RIAA’s Year-End Report By the Numbers:

The U.S. recorded music industry reached an all-time high of $17.7 billion in estimated retail value.

Streaming generated $14.9 billion — making up 84% of total industry revenue.

Paid music subscriptions surpassed 100 million for the first time, contributing $11.7 billion, nearly two-thirds of total revenue.

Vinyl sales increased for the 18th straight year, reaching $1.4 billion, the highest level since 1984.

For the third year in a row, vinyl records (44 million units) outsold CDs (33 million units).

This is The Legal Beat, a weekly newsletter about music law from Billboard Pro, offering you a one-stop cheat sheet of big new cases, important rulings and all the fun stuff in between.
This week: Universal Music Group asks a judge to dismiss Drake’s defamation lawsuit over Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us”; Live Nation loses an early battle in the Justice Department’s antitrust lawsuit; Karol G is accused of copyright infringement over a song from her chart-topping album Mañana Será Bonito; and much more.

THE BIG STORY: “A Misguided Attempt To Salve His Wounds”

In its first court response to Drake’s defamation lawsuit over Kendrick Lamar’s diss track “Not Like Us,” the world’s biggest music company didn’t exactly hold back.

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Universal Music Group filed a scathing motion seeking to dismiss the libel case this week – not only arguing that it was “meritless,” but also ridiculing Drake for filing it in the first place.

“Plaintiff, one of the most successful recording artists of all time, lost a rap battle that he provoked and in which he willingly participated,” UMG’s lawyers wrote. “Instead of accepting the loss like the unbothered rap artist he often claims to be, he has sued his own record label in a misguided attempt to salve his wounds.”

Twisting the knife further, the label cited a 2022 petition in which Drake and other stars demanded that prosecutors stop citing rap lyrics as evidence in criminal trials: “Drake was right then and is wrong now. The complaint’s unjustified claims against UMG are no more than Drake’s attempt to save face for his unsuccessful rap battle with Lamar.”

For more, go read the full story here, which includes access to the actual motion filed in court by UMG.

Other top stories this week…

LIVE NATION RULING – A federal judge ruled that the Justice Department can move ahead with a key allegation in its antitrust case against Live Nation: That the company illegally forces artists to use its promotion services if they want to perform in its massive network of amphitheaters. The ruling denied Live Nation’s bid to dismiss that claim, known as “tying” in antitrust law parlance, at the outset of the government’s sweeping monopoly case.

KAROL G LAWSUIT – Two producers filed a copyright lawsuit against Karol G and UMG over accusations that a track called “Gatúbela,” from the Colombian superstar’s chart-topping album Mañana Será Bonito, stole key elements from their earlier song  called “Punto G.” In an unusual twist, the plaintiffs claim that one of Karol G’s producers tacitly admitted the charge in an exchange on social media.

OFFSET SUES PRODUCER – The former Migos member launched a lawsuit against ChaseTheMoney, a producer who worked on his 2023 album Set It Off, claiming the one-time collaborator has been demanding a large increase in fees and royalties long after the deal was done. The case is a “declaratory judgment” lawsuit, meaning Offset is preemptively seeking a court ruling that the original contract with Chase was valid and that he did nothing wrong by sticking to it.

SONY MUSIC v. USC – Sony Music sued the University of Southern California (USC) for more than $25 million over claims that the college sports powerhouse illegally used songs by Michael Jackson, Beyonce and AC/DC in TikTok and Instagram videos hyping its teams. The lawsuit, which claims USC was warned multiple times over several years, is the latest in a string of copyright cases filed against brands that use the vast music libraries provided by social media platforms for what rightsholders say are simply digital advertisements.

CLINTON CLASH – George Clinton filed a lawsuit over allegations that his one-time business partner, Armen Boladian, fraudulently obtained the rights to the vast majority of the funk pioneer’s music catalog. The case, which accuses Boladian and his Bridgeport Music of “abusive, deceptive, and fraudulent practices,” is only the latest time the music legend and his former agent have sparred in court. Boladian’s attorneys told Billboard that Clinton has “lost each and every time” and that they would quickly seek to dismiss the latest case.

DIDDY VIDEO – Attorneys for Sean “Diddy” Combs’ alleged in court filings that CNN “substantially altered” and then destroyed the infamous 2016 surveillance video of him assaulting his former girlfriend Cassie Ventura. CNN quickly responded by flatly denying the charge, saying it “never altered the video and did not destroy the original copy of the footage.” Prosecutors later reportedly revealed at a hearing that they have a recording of the original surveillance footage.

DEFAMATION DISMISSED – A federal judge dismissed a defamation lawsuit filed by Diana Copeland, a former assistant to R. Kelly, against Netflix and Lifetime over how she was portrayed in the documentary “Surviving R. Kelly.” The judge ruled that Copeland had failed to clear the “high bar” for filing libel cases over newsworthy subjects: “The First Amendment demands ‘adequate breathing space’ for the free flow of ideas, especially about public figures on matters of public controversy.”

CASE CLOSED – The rapper Plies dropped a copyright lawsuit he’d filed against Megan Thee Stallion, GloRilla, Cardi B and Souja Boy over accusations that the 2024 song “Wanna Be” featured an uncleared sample. Filed last year, the case claimed that Megan and GloRilla stole Plies’ material indirectly by legally sampling a Soulja Boy song – a track that the lawsuit alleged had itself illegally used material from his 2008 track “Me & My Goons.”

Beatport is growing its presence in Mexico as electronic music consumption expands on the digital download platform for DJs.
A representative for the company tells Billboard that download revenue from Mexico on Beatport increased by 25% in 2024, with the percentage of tracks downloaded increasing by 16%.

A number of electronic genres in particular saw large consumptions surges in Mexico on Beatport, with the consumption of Afro-House increasing by 105%, the consumption of psy-trance increasing by 42%, minimal/deep tech going up by 39%, house up by 32%, deep house up by 27%, melodic house and techno up by 26%, tech house up by 21% and dance pop up by 21%.

Meanwhile, Beatport Streaming subscribers in Mexico increased by 28% in 2024.

As such, Beatport is growing its presence in the country, hosting its first ever Beatport Connect summit in Mexico City this Friday, March 21. The event will bring together industry professionals, artists and fans for panel discussions, workshops and DJ sets. The event will also offer Beatport and Beatsource workshops with artists Jessica Audiffred, Zarina/SADGAL and DJ Fucci each participating in sessions focused on trends and insights in music production.

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“Mexico’s music industry is experiencing remarkable growth, with a rapidly evolving electronic music scene and passionate audience,” says The Beatport Group’s Chief Revenue Officer, Helen Sartory. “With Mexico’s digital music segment expected to surpass 26 million users by 2027, the demand for electronic music is stronger than ever. Mexico City, in particular, has earned its reputation as a ‘trigger city,’ shaping international listening habits through its substantial digital consumption. As the country continues to emerge as a major player in the global music landscape, Beatport is proud to invest in this growth.”

Beatport is now also offering subscriptions in local currency and reducing prices of Beatport and Beatsource streaming up to 40%. The Beatport site also now automatically translates into Spanish for users in Mexico, with a “Discover Mexico” page featuring fresh music from the country.

“Mexico has long been a vibrant hub for electronic music, and we’re thrilled to deepen our investment in the region,” says Sofia Ilyas, Chief Community Officer of The Beatport Group. “By launching Beatport Connect: Mexico City and lowering prices for local markets, we’re making it easier for DJs and producers to access the tools they need to create, connect, and perform. As Beatport continues to expand globally, Mexico remains a key market in our mission to provide cutting-edge tools, educational resources, and community-driven events that empower the next generation of DJs and producers.”

David Browne

Global fandom platform Stationhead, which allows fans to host listening parties for their favorite artists — with the artists themselves occasionally joining in — is bringing e-commerce to the platform with a new feature. Dubbed Stationhead Shop, the new e-commerce experience will allow artists to offer merch directly on Stationhead by hosting their own “Shops,” […]