Business
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Street Mob Records, the indie label founded by Fuerza Regida frontman Jesus Ortiz Paz (JOP), and which has seen impressive gains on the Billboard charts in the past year, has hired veteran music executive Gustavo LĂłpez as its new president. The move signals Street Mobâs intention to become âthe next big Latin music label,â says JOP, and is part of the labelâs significant expansion and its intention to grow further.
In addition to LĂłpez, Street Mob has also appointed Cindy Gaxiola as its vp of commercial affairs, Niria LeĂłn as vp of booking and JesĂşs Amezcua as its vp of marketing. They join an executive team that already included COO Cristian âToroâ Primera and CFO Luis LĂłpez. Both are partners on Street Mob with JOP, who launched the label as a rookie artist in 2018 and has seen it grow exponentially, especially in the past two years, expanding a roster that now includes Chino Pacas, Clave Especial and Armenta.
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âWe got The Avengers,â says JOP quite seriously. âThe whole point of this is weâre going to the next level with Street Mob Records. We got the avengers. We got Gustavo Lopez as the president. We got two incredible female senior VPs who are running the company on the touring and management side. Thatâs why weâre calling it the avengers. Now we have the best of the best.â
Street Mob ended 2024 at No. 6 on Billboardâs year-end Top Latin Imprint chart and the labelsâ publishing division â Street Mob Publishing â won publisher of the year at the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Awards. According to LĂłpez, in this weekâs Billboard regional Airplay chart, Street Mob is represented in some way â whether songwriting, producing or artist â in 44% of the chartâs top 25 songs.
For all those successes, bringing in LĂłpez signals JOPâs seriousness about growing and expanding his business. As part of his long trajectory, LĂłpez launched maverick reggaetĂłn label Machete Records under Universal in the 2000s, distributing stars like Daddy Yankee and Wisin & Yandel, and was later president of regional Mexican powerhouses Fonovisa and Disa Records. Most recently, he served as CEO of Saban Music Latin until its acquisition by Virgin last year, and launched entertainment company Globalatino Music Partners.
Although LĂłpez will continue to oversee Globalatinoâs overall operation, he will be devoted full time to Street Mob, which is based in Los Angeles. âWhen I had the opportunity to meet JOP and saw how integrated he is in the business, and how young he is, it was an inspiration for me,â says LĂłpez. âI thought, âIf Iâm going back to Mexican music, Iâm going to do it with the best.â Thereâs a lot going on at Street Mob that maybe the industry is not aware of. These guys are more than just the label. And now itâs just formalizing the team.â
JOP founded Street Mob in 2018 âwith the hopes of one day being a big record label,â he says. At the time, he was already a fledgling artist, and he wanted to learn how the business worked. In 2020, when things got tough and many in his circle deserted him, Primera and Luis LĂłpez stayed by his side and JOP made them partners in Street Mob.
âTogether with them, we learned the business,â says JOP today. âAnd little by little, with all our creativity, I think we know. We know how to make a hit.â
Though managed by Street Mob, Fuerza Regida is not signed to the label. Instead, they have a joint venture with indie powerhouse Rancho Humilde and are distributed by Sony.
The group â a juggernaut that won Top Duo/Group at the 2024 Billboard Music Awards, beating international stars such as Blink-182, Coldplay, Linkin Park and Stray Kids â placed three titles in the Top Latin Albums top 10, including Pa Las Babyâs Y Belikeada, which peaked at No. 1 for three weeks.
But since its inception, JOP has been signing new artists, songwriters and producers to Street Mob and has different deals with each, with distribution in place with Cinq, Universal and Warner Music Latina, with whom Street Mob inked an exclusive partnership last year for its artists Armenta, Clave Especial and Calle 24.
Since last year, JOP has been looking for someone to head the label because âit was finally too much for us. But we needed to find the right person. Gustavo is perfect.â
Street Mob currently has 10 artists signed to the label, plus its own publishing company, management and touring division. The company just purchased a 35,000 square foot facility in Rancho Cucamonga, near Los Angeles, with a goal to build an office that will house everybody in the Los Angeles area, says LĂłpez.
âYou canât mess with the secret sauce,â he says. âThe A&R is where it needs to be. We just need to get some finer points aligned and it will continue to expand.â
For JOP, a big part is nurturing artists from the ground up.
âWeâre like a school,â he says, citing emerging artist Jorsshh, who started as a writer and now has over nine million listeners on Spotify. âWe show them the business and try to open doors for them to go to the next level. Weâre trying to make this a big record label within Latin culture.â
Ryan Tedder has signed a global publishing agreement with Runner Music, a new music publishing company he co-founded with Ron Laffitte and Andrew Sparkler in 2023. While plenty of hitmakers have launched their own publishing joint ventures or companies over the years, itâs still relatively rare for a hitmaker to sign to their own outfit.
Under this new agreement Tedderâs catalog from 2021 onwards, including songs like âI Ainât Worriedâ by OneRepublic, âII MOST WANTEDâ by BeyoncĂŠ and Miley Cyrus, âgreedyâ by Tate McRae and âRockstarâ by LISA. (Runnerâs publishing administration for frontline talent runs through Downtown).
âMy first gig in the music industry at 19 was working for a publishing company in Nashville, I never dreamed one day Iâd be signing to my own,â says Tedder of the deal.
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Runner Music is a fast-growing publisher, interested in both acquiring top catalogs and signing frontline publishing deals. With Melody Holdings, an affiliate of Blackstone Group, as an equity partner, the company has already signed a number of top writers, including Alexander 23 (Renee Rapp, Megan Thee Stallion, Olivia Rodrigo) and Tyler Spry (Bad Bunny, Tate McRae, OneRepublic). Now, Tedder himself joins Runnerâs ranks.
Since he started his career as frontman for OneRepublic and a songwriter, Tedder has partnered with a number of publishers and conducted multiple of catalog deals. In 2016, he sold some of his publishing rights for 170 songs to Downtown, and in 2021, he sold a majority stake in the publishing of all songs he wrote for other artists released after Jan. 1, 2016 to global investment giant KKR. This KKR deal also included a majority stake in all songs he wrote which were released by OneRepublic, regardless of the date of release. Most recently, he was published Sony Music Publishing.
News of the deal comes just days after it was announced that Tedder was teaming up with HYBEâs Bang Si-Hyuk and Scooter Braun to launch a global search for the next boy band, and the release of Tate McRaeâs So Close To What, featuring Tedder cuts like âSports carâ and âItâs ok Iâm ok.â
âSigning to Runner feels like the culmination of a dream Iâve had for years â not just about music, but about finding the right people to make it all come to life. With Amanda Hill, Andrew Sparkler and the team theyâve assembled by my side, Iâve got a community of music-obsessed operators that share the same vision, passion, and relentless drive. Iâm blown away with what Runner has accomplished in such a short period of time and Iâm ecstatic about whatâs to come,â adds Tedder.
âI am extremely proud of the accomplishments of each of the Runner writers in such a short period of time. Welcoming Ryan to the Runner roster further shares our story as the greatest new destination for songwriters, and personally, it is a true joy to get to continue working with one of my favorite songwriters in the world,â says Amanda Hill, co-chief creative officer of Runner.Â
Runner CEO Andrew Sparkler says, âThe momentum at Runner is truly exceptional right now. Weâre not only collaborating closely with Ryan to nurture emerging songwriters, but weâre also thrilled to partner with established hit-makers. Ryan joining our roster is a powerful testament to our growth and success.â
YouTube now has 125 million subscribers across YouTube Music and YouTube Premium, according to an open letter from Lyor Cohen published on Wednesday (March 5). Cohen called this number â which includes trial users â âan incredible milestone that many laughed off as impossible when we first launched. This momentum is critical to our goal […]
Create Music Group has acquired the deadmau5 catalog in addition to the catalog of the electronic producerâs longstanding label, mau5trap.
The deal is valued at $55 million and includes the master recordings and publishing of more than 4,000 songs. The partnership also includes the formation of a joint venture to release future recordings from deadmau5 and mau5trap.
âI have worked closely with Jonathan, Alex and Create for nearly two decades now, building my own career as well as the artists on mau5trap,â said Deadmau5 (born Joel Zimmerman) in a statement. âWe didnât need to look far when we were considering a partner to help get it all to the next level. With Create, I feel the music is going to reach more.â
As part of the partnership, Create Music Group will remaster and re-release key catalog pieces, launch exclusive new content and work to introduce âthe mau5trap legacyâ to new generations of fans, according to a press release. The collaboration will also explore licensing opportunities and brand partnerships and continue to focus on media such as gaming, virtual reality and live-streaming to drive additional revenue streams.
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Founded in 2015, Create Music Group functions as a record label, distribution company and entertainment network. Eric Nguyen, senior vp of global corporate development and M&A at Create Music Group, played a key role in the deal. Paul Hastings LLP served as legal advisors to Create Music Group while LaPolt Law P.C. served as legal advisors to deadmau5 and mau5trap.
âFrom the earliest days of Create Music Group, [co-founder and COO] Alexandre Williams and I had the privilege of working alongside Joel and his business partner Dean Wilson, witnessing firsthand the evolution of an icon,â added Jonathan Strauss, co-founder/CEO of Create Music Group. âNow, as the stewards of deadmau5 and mau5trapâs legendary catalog, we inherit a legacy that changed music forever. Joelâs influence reaches far beyond sound â his mastery bridges music, gaming, and technology, inspiring a new generation to think bigger. This is more than an acquisition; itâs a responsibility.â
âOver the last 20 years, fueled by Joelâs creative and entrepreneurial ambitions, we have built one of the strongest brand names in electronic music,â adds Wilson, deadmau5âs longtime manager. âTo have partnered with Create, who have worked so closely with us over the years on our journey, ensures that the next two decades will be every bit as exciting for Joel and everyone on the mau5trap team as we work to expand our legacy even further.â
The recorded music assets of the $uicideBoy$, the rap duo from New Orleans that has evolved into an indie powerhouse with its own label, a touring brand and a mega-merch business, are up for sale, sources tell Billboard. The properties on the block consist of the groupâs recorded music masters and its music publishing catalog, those people say.
The deal is being shopped by Tim Mandelbaum, a partner with the law firm Fox Rothschild, who reached out to potential key strategic buyers including the majors and some financial music asset buyers. While some sources indicate the masters and publishing assets are being shopped together, others indicate that some potential suitors have bid solely on the publishing.
Sources say the asking price for the duoâs masters â including a go-forward deal covering an unknown number of future releases â is above $300 million alone, while itâs unclear what the asking price is on the publishing; the duoâs blockbuster merch business is not part of the proposed transaction. In addition, some sources say the duoâs G*59 label, which has a roster that includes releases by Night Lovell, Ramirez, Germ, Shakewell and Chetta â who combined for 450,000 album consumption units in the U.S. in 2024 â is not up for sale, though others disagree.
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The cult hip-hop act has averaged an impressive 2.4 million album consumption units in the U.S. and 4.6 billion global streams annually over the last three years, even though their songs have rarely charted. Nevertheless, theyâve landed four songs on the Hot 100 â âUs Vs. Themâ (No. 96), âThornsâ (No. 91), âBurgundyâ (No. 86) and âThe Thing Grey Lineâ (No. 71), all of which hit the chart in 2024 â and four of their seven albums have reached the top 10 of the Billboard 200. The groupâs most-streamed songs include âKill Yourself Pt. IIIâ with nearly 708 million streams; âAnd to Those I Love, Thanks for Sticking Around,â with nearly 675 million streams; and âParis,â with about 526 million streams.
According to Luminate, since the rap duo began their career, their masters have accumulated 11.21 million album consumption units, including 15.7 billion on-demand streams â and thatâs just in the U.S. Whatâs more, the duoâs U.S. popularity has been picking up steam: the catalog generated 842,000 album consumption units in 2020, growing to 1.22 million in 2021, then to 1.93 million in 2022, 2.46 million in 2023 and 2.71 million last year, according to Luminate. So far this year, $uicideBoy$ has already garnered 325,000 album consumption units, including 439 million on-demand streams.
However, unlike many other huge recording acts, $uicideBoy$âs popularity mainly is in the United States. Over the last three years, the U.S. market annually accounts for about 70% of the catalogâs streams and almost 83% of its song downloads. On the other hand, that could translate into more upside for potential sales and streaming activity going forward, if a concentrated effort is made on establishing the brand globally.
But even with the groupâs already impressive numbers and further potential for increased sales and streaming activity abroad, the price tag that sources say the catalog fetched also comes with some peril. Thatâs because streaming activity is still spiking and decay hasnât yet set in, meaning thereâs no telling where the groupâs catalog activity will level out in the future. But the going-forward component of the deal provides financial safety rails for the acquirers, especially if that is structured as a joint venture.
Billboard estimates that the $uicideBoy$ catalog averaged almost $24 million in revenue annually over the last three years. After paying out for cost of goods including distribution and publishing, Billboard estimates that net label share is about $20 million.Â
On the publishing side, Billboard estimates the duoâs masters generated about $6.5 million in royalties annually over the past three years, with the two members serving as the sole co-writers on the vast majority of their songs. Itâs unclear if all the publishing is up for sale, or the amount of publishing advances already paid out, but not recouped; either could impact the valuation.Â
Between the master recordings and the publishing, the combined net label/net publisher share (or gross profit) could be in the $24 million to $26 million range, Billboard estimates, depending on how much unrecouped publishing advances play into the deal. Applied against a potential blended 16 times multiple, the combined assets could be worth as much as $400 million. But that might be an over-valuation considering the catalogâs activity is still on the rise; most sources say the combined assets are likely to wind up bringing in upwards of $300 million if a deal is finally completed.
Currently, the catalog resides at The Orchard, the Sony Music company that signed the band and its label G*59 to a distribution deal in 2021. Prior to that, the band and the label had been with Virgin Music, a distributor in the UMG portfolio. Itâs expected that the $uicideBoy$ catalog will move in the event of an acquisition.Â
As of press time, reps for UMG, a lawyer for $uicideBoy$ and The Orchard either declined to comment or had not responded to requests for comment.
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: Jay-Z goes on the legal offensive to clear his name of rape allegations, Drakeâs lawyers cite Kendrick Lamarâs Super Bowl show in legal filings, Cardi B wins a re-payment plan from a bankrupt gossip blogger and much more.
THE BIG STORY: Jay-Z Strikes Back
When an unnamed woman accused Jay-Z in December of taking part in one of Sean âDiddyâ Combsâ alleged sexual assaults, it was a shocking expansion of the already-sprawling claims against the hip-hop mogul â made all the more explosive by the claim that she was only 13 years old at the time.
But less than three months later, the case against Hov has already been dropped without explanation and without a settlement â and now the superstar is filing his own case aimed at fully clearing his name.
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In a lawsuit filed in Alabama federal court, he accused the Jane Doe plaintiff and her lawyer, Tony Buzbee, of carrying out an âevil conspiracyâ to extort a settlement from him by leveling the âfalse and maliciousâ allegations of rape. Notably, the new lawsuit said the Doe accuser had âvoluntarily admittedâ directly to Jay-Zâs team that the star did not assault her and that Buzbee âpushedâ her to make those allegations.
âMr. Carter does not commence this action lightly,â his lawyers wrote. âBut the extortion and abuse of Mr. Carter by Doe and her lawyers must stop.â
Go read the full story here, including access to the actual lawsuit Jay-Zâs attorneys filed in court.
Other top stories this weekâŚ
THAT DIDNâT TAKE LONG â Just two weeks after Kendrick Lamarâs blistering Super Bowl performance, Drakeâs attorneys called out the halftime show in court documents filed in their defamation lawsuit against UMG over Lamarâs âNot Like Us.â The starâs lawyers cited the show as evidence of the ongoing harm that Drake is âcontinuing to sufferâ while the case is delayed in court. And it paid off: Following Drakeâs filing, the federal judge overseeing the case sided with the rapper and refused to let UMG postpone an initial hearing.
DEFAMATION DEBT â Gossip blogger Tasha K agreed in bankruptcy court to pay Cardi B more than $1 million in small installments over the next five years â a plan necessary to start paying down a $3.9 million defamation judgment Cardi won against her for making outlandish claims about drug use, STDs and prostitution. Under the terms of the deal, Tasha will still owe the rest of the damages award even after she finishes the repayment plan, and she is barred from âderogatory, disparaging, or defamatory statementsâ about the superstar while the plan is in effect.
LILES ABUSE LAWSUIT â Kevin Liles was hit with a lawsuit alleging the 300 Entertainment CEO sexually harassed and raped an unnamed executive assistant while serving as the general manager of Def Jam Recordings in the early 2000s. Liles immediately denied the âoutrageous claims,â Â vowing to âfully clear my nameâ and file a defamation lawsuit against the accuser and her attorneys.
GRACELAND SCAMMER â A Missouri woman named Lisa Jeanine Findley pleaded guilty to a bizarre plot to defraud Elvis Presleyâs family by trying to auction off his Graceland mansion. According to prosecutors, Findley falsely claimed that Presleyâs daughter had pledged the home as collateral for a loan before her death; Findley then threatened to sell Graceland to the highest bidder if Presleyâs family didnât pay $2.85 million. Following her guilty plea, Findley is scheduled to be sentenced on June 18 and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
DRAKE DROPS IHEART â Drake and iHeartMedia reached a settlement to end a legal action claiming iHeart received illegal payments from UMG to boost radio airplay for Kendrick Lamarâs âNot Like Usâ â a preliminary action that Drake filed last fall in the lead up to his defamation lawsuit against UMG. In a statement to Billboard, the radio giant said it had agreed to provide Drakeâs attorneys with documents showing that iHeart had done nothing wrong and that no payments had been made by either party.
ROCKY NOT CLEAR YET â Just over a week after A$AP Rocky was acquitted on criminal charges that he shot former friend A$AP Relli, a Los Angeles judge lifted a hold on Relliâs civil lawsuit against Rocky. As reported by Rolling Stone, Rockyâs lawyer argued at a hearing that âthereâs no longer a basisâ for the case following the not guilty verdict, but Relliâs lawyer vowed to proceed: âThe standard in a criminal case is much higher than ⌠in a civil matter. We still believe that our claims have merit, and we intend on fully litigating them.â
THUG TOURING SETTLEMENT â Young Thug and concert giant AEG quietly settled a multi-million dollar legal battle over a touring partnership gone sour. The lawsuit, first filed in 2020 but delayed for years by Thugâs high-profile criminal case, claimed that the star owed more than $5 million under a 2017 touring agreement â and that he was obligated to hand over some of his music rights to pay down that debt. The settlement came as Thug is gearing up to start performing in concert again for the first time since he took a plea deal to end the years-long criminal drama in Atlanta.
A federal judge is refusing to allow Universal Music Group (UMG) to delay the start of Drakeâs defamation lawsuit over Kendrick Lamarâs âNot Like Usâ â a decision that came after Drakeâs lawyers filed court documents complaining about Lamarâs Super Bowl halftime show.
In a decision issued Tuesday (Mar. 4), Judge Jeannette Vargas denied UMGâs bid to postpone an initial hearing set for next month. The judge said that if UMG wants to push back the case â which claims âNot Like Usâ defamed Drake by calling him a pedophile â it can argue for that request at the April hearing.
The procedural ruling came after Drakeâs attorneys warned that further delays to the lawsuit would be unfair to their client, who they say is facing ongoing harm as the case works through the courts. In doing so, they cited one eye-catching piece of evidence: Lamarâs Super Bowl show.
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âDelaying discovery would unfairly prejudice plaintiff, who is continuing to suffer the consequences of UMGâs defamatory campaign,â Drakeâs lawyers wrote. âAt the same time UMG has been delaying here, UMG launched new campaigns to further spread the defamatory content, including at the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show, which had over 133.5 million viewers.â
Drakeâs motion, filed last week, was the lawsuitâs first reference to the halftime show, in which Lamar avoided saying the word âpedophileâ but otherwise directly attacked his rival. Since the Super Bowl, industry watchers have speculated over whether Lamarâs performance might spark additional legal claims or be used as fresh legal ammo by Drakeâs legal team.
Lamar released âNot Like Usâ last May amid a high-profile beef with Drake that saw the two stars exchange stinging diss tracks. The song, a knock-out punch that blasted Drake as a âcertified pedophileâ over an infectious beat, eventually became a chart-topping hit in its own right.
In January, Drake sued UMG over âNot Like Us,â claiming the label had defamed him by boosting the trackâs popularity. The lawsuit, which doesnât name Lamar himself as a defendant, claims that UMG âwaged a campaignâ against its own artist to spread a âmalicious narrativeâ about pedophilia that it knew to be false.
UMG has strongly denied the lawsuitâs allegations, saying that it would be âillogicalâ for the company to conspire against one of its own artists in whom it had made a âmassiveâ investment.
âWe have not and do not engage in defamationâagainst any individual,â UMG said in its statement. âAt the same time, we will vigorously defend this litigation to protect our people and our reputation, as well as any artist who might directly or indirectly become a frivolous litigation target for having done nothing more that write a song.â
In the lead up the Super Bowl, it was unclear if Lamar would play the song under a cloud of looming litigation. But when he took the stage on Feb. 9, he mocked the lawsuit and rapped the songâs key lyrical insults, including the line, âsay, Drake, I hear you like âem young.â
In a motion last month, UMGâs attorneys asked Judge Vargas to postpone the April hearing, arguing that the company would soon move to dismiss the case and that any exchanges of evidence (known as discovery) would be âprematureâ if the case were going to be tossed out entirely.
Drakeâs lawyers quickly responded, claiming UMG was unfairly trying to halt the case without actually asking the judge: âUMG has neither moved to dismiss nor moved for a stay of discovery, and its attempt to achieve the latter by delaying the former are inappropriate.â
On Tuesday, Judge Vargas sided with Drakeâs team, saying that it is ânot the practice of this Court to routinely stay discovery pending the outcome of a motion to dismiss.â She said that UMG can seek to postpone discovery at the hearing, which is now set for April 2.
One night during the last week in February, a crowd of fans wrapped in Ukrainian flags gathered in front of the 4,200-capacity Tempodrom in Berlin to shop for keyrings and souvenirs with Ukrainian emblems and pose for pictures with a person dressed up as a dog that has become a symbol of the countryâs war effort. Inside, before the band Okean Elzy took the stage, fans spontaneously sang part of the Ukrainian national anthem, which at least three-quarters of the people there seemed to recognize.
Okean Elzy (pronounced so it sounds like a duo of âOkee and Elzeeâ) has been one of the most popular acts in Ukraine for more than two decades, and in the three years since Russia invaded the country, both it and frontman Sviatoslav Vakarchuk have become symbols of its cause. As that cause becomes more urgent â and as the number of Ukrainian refugees who live elsewhere grows â the bandâs music is also starting to resonate more outside its home market.
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Last year, the band released its first English-language album â the obvious but inexact musical comparison is Coldplay â and signed a global deal with Warner Music Group to expand its audience internationally. Now Vakarchuk, who goes by Slava, is using his stature as a popular musician to raise awareness of his countryâs plight, without getting trapped in a morass of specific politics. In pop music terms, he is more akin to the Bono of 1983 â the white-flag-waving moral crusader for peace â than the Bono of 2003 who took meetings with lawmakers.
One of his goals is to show the West another side of the country they are supporting. âI donât want Ukraine only to be associated with news from the frontline,â Vakarchuk says over a cup of coffee in a hotel lobby the next day. âWe love sympathy, we love compassion, we love support, but we want people in the West to also to fall in love with something, and Ukrainian culture is a perfect thing.â
This raises an obvious question: What did he think of President Donald Trumpâs car wreck of a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky? âRussia is the aggressor,â Vakarchuk says in an email, days after an interview in Berlin the day after the concert. âUkraine is defending itself. We are sincerely grateful to the American people for all the help Ukrainians have received and are receiving.â
Vakarchuk needs to walk a tightrope of sorts â he was involved in politics years ago as a member of Ukrainian parliament and he founded the political party Holos (it translates as âvoiceâ or âvoteâ), but he has retired from that. His politics were pro-Europe, which can be contentious in a country that has only been independent in its modern incarnation since 1991 and has been struggling with Russian interference or invasions almost ever since. âI treated politics as a public duty,â he says, noting he retired from it a half-decade ago. âI hate it as an operational thing. I have no taste for fighting for power.â
Vakarchuk seems to see music as the continuation of politics by other means â not only as an art form but also a way to influence the world. To him, âMusic is the most influential thing that changes the world.â If rock bands and pop culture played at least some role in bringing down the Iron Curtain â and Bruce Springsteenâs 1988 concert in East Berlin might have played a significant one â why canât Okean Elzy have some influence? Vakarchuk takes care to point out that heâs retired from politics â he wants the war to end, but he doesnât want to go back to that. But at a time when rock barely tops sales charts, let alone topples walls, simply thinking that way sets the band apart from most of its peers.
Thatâs part of the reason the band started recording in English. Back in 2022, when Okean Elzy played Prague, Vakarchuk was recognized on the street by people who knew him less from his music than from his appearances on television news, where he sometimes commented on the Russian invasion. âMany of them said, âWe love you and we support you, but we canât understand what youâre singing,ââ Vakarchuk remembers. The next day, the band decided to make an album in English. That required a global promotional push, which in turn required a big label that could match Vakarchukâs ambitions. âI donât only want to break the band in the West,â he says. âI want to break Ukraine culturally in the West.
This could be more important than it might seem. Americans and Europeans tend to see foreign military conflicts as remote â which, in geographic terms, the war in Ukraine is. But the conflict is essentially about whether the country can break out of Russiaâs geopolitical orbit to move toward Europe politically. Having Ukrainian artists to admire might matter â especially since Trump seems to admire the raw power politics of Russian president Vladimir Putin. It could make a difference if Americans feel that Ukraine deserves not only sympathy but also support to achieve a peace deal that secures its independence.
âWe Ukrainians most of all want an end to the war and a sustainable and just peace with security guarantees for Ukraine,â Vakarchuk says. âWe are fighting to achieve this goal and we are grateful to everyone who supports us.â
For now, the bandâs show comes with a good deal of patriotic flair, but much of that comes from the audience. âItâs an inevitable reaction to use your political tokens, like flags, to shout at the world â âWeâre here! And weâre big and weâre strong,ââ Vakarchuk says. But Vakarchuk hopes that both his band and his country will move beyond this. âWhen we are finally done with the war and we secure our independence and develop as a normal European nation, like Denmark or Sweden,â he says, âthen the politicizing of events will go.â
Jimmy Humilde, CEO of Rancho Humilde, has teamed up with Sony Pictures and Sony Music Latin to release CLIKA, a feature film set to be executive directed by Humilde alongside Michael Greene. The project also includes Humildeâs business partners Jose âJBâ Becerra and Roque âRockyâ Venegas.
âThis film paves the way for a whole new era of opportunity and representation for Mexican American creators in Hollywood,â Humilde, who has been a force in growing mĂşsica mexicanaâs global movement, said in a statement. âWeâve been grinding in the background, but now weâre stepping into the spotlight, ready to show the world what weâre really about. This moment changes the game, not just for us, but for the next generation and everyone whoâs ever felt like they didnât have a seat at the table. Weâre not just part of the conversation anymoreâweâre leading it. This is just the beginning.â
CLIKA stars Rancho Humilde rising artist Jaydee (frontman of corridos tumbados group Herencia de Patrones) and follows the aspiring musicianâs relentless fight to preserve his familyâs legacy, marking a pivotal moment in the global representation of Mexican American stories, according to an official description of the film.
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âJimmy is a visionary producer whose groundbreaking approach has reshaped the sound of Mexican music. Now, his significant contributions in the world of music open the door for new voices, new kinds of stories, and new movie stars. We are thrilled to partner with Sony Music Latin to release his first feature film CLIKA,â added Sanford Panitch, president of Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group.
âWe are very excited to be part of this film alongside Rancho Humilde and Sony Pictures,â said Alex Gallardo, president, Sony Music U.S. Latin. âJimmy Humilde is a visionary who has revolutionized Mexican culture, and CLIKA is the first film born from his vision and creative drive. From the moment we first learned about the project, we knew we wanted to be a part of it and that Columbia Pictures was the ideal partner to bring it to life.â
The film is executive produced by Humilde, Venegas, Becerra and Jaydee, alongside producer Sean McBride. CLIKA will be released in theaters Aug. 15 by Columbia Pictures and Sony Music Vision.
Shakira was set to perform in front of hundreds of thousands of fans in Santiago, Chile for her back-to-back performances set for March 2-3 at the Estadio Nacional. Instead, she settled for an impromptu performance outside of her hotel where she sang âAntologĂaâ for fans that had gathered in lieu of seeing her onstage.
âI couldnât leave without singing to you with the promise that I will be back very soon,â she captioned a social media post.
Less than a month into her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour, Shakira has postponed a total of four shows in Latin America â one for medical reasons and three due stage production issues â causing quite a stir among fans in that region whoâve taken to social media to express their frustration over last-minute cancellations. Â
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On March 2, just hours before her scheduled show at the Estadio Nacional de Santiago de Chile, Shakira posted a lengthy statement that, over safety concerns with stage production, she had to cancel that nightâs show, less than a week after canceling her concert in MedellĂn, Colombia for similar production reasons. Â
 âWhen an artist travels to a country, their production and team become directly dependent on the local producers,â the Colombian superstar wrote. âMy staff and I trusted at all times that the production company hired by the local promoter would follow to the letter the specifications that were diligently provided by us so that a show of the magnitude of this one could take place.â Â
Itâs not uncommon for artists to cancel shows over production issues. Especially when it involves massive productions in older stadiums or buildings in Latin America that perhaps lack the infrastructure to be able to pull off such complex productions and local production companies who are not used to shows of that magnitude.
But when a global star like Shakira â who notes in her statement that sheâs been working on âevery minimal detail for a yearâ and whose return to touring after seven years is beyond momentous â cancels three shows at the top of her highly anticipated stadium tour in Latin America citing production reasons, it can feel alarming. Even more so when the issues cited, like how much weight the floor can bear, are being identified at the last minute. Â
However, Marcelo FĂgoli of Fenix Entertainment, the promoter for Shakiraâs shows in Chile, says that despite the showâs size, he is âconfidentâ production issues will be smoothed out for these and future shows.
On Sunday, Fenix also issued a statement basically stating what Shakira had already informed. âWe have encountered technical problems beyond the control of the artist and their production that prevent the correct development of the concert, since the floor where the stage would be located is uneven,â the promoterâs statement reads. A day later, Fenix confirmed that the second show at Estadio Nacional on March 3 would also be postponed. âDuring the last hours, the promoter and production team have been working to find a solution to the construction difficulties that prevented yesterdayâs concert. At this moment, tonightâs concert will not be able to take place.â Â
Fenix told Billboard it is now expected to announce new dates this week.
Unlike her shift from arenas to stadiums in the United States, Shakiraâs Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran Latin America Tour was always set for stadiums. The sudden production issues and cancellations raise questions over whether local promoters have the capacity and resources to make this a streamlined process for the artist. Â
According to Shakira, her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran stage weighs 62 tons, and the unleveled stage would compromise her safety and that of her band, dancers and fans. In MedellĂn it was the roof of the Estadio Atanasio Girardot that was damaged. The local promoter hired for that show explained that their decision to cancel Feb. 24âs concert had been made because of a risk to the safety of the performers, the crew and the crowd.Â
The Superintendency of Industry and Commerce (SIC) of Colombia has now intervened in the case to protect consumer rights and has extended the deadline, from Feb. 28 to March 20, for organizers Ticket Colombia and Promotora Colombia to announce a new, rescheduled date.
âPromotora Colombia requested an extension for compliance, arguing that the rescheduling of the event requires a complex logistical deployment and the coordination of all those involved,â the SICâs statement reads in Spanish. âIt also indicated that the request for an extension is due to the fact that it has not been possible to agree on a date among all the parties involved in the planning of the event, especially due to the artistâs agenda. In addition, it indicated that if it is impossible to define a new date within the term granted by this entity, it would be forced to cancel the concert and proceed with the refund of the money.â Â
Shakiraâs Latin America stint kicked off Feb. 11 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil at the EstĂĄdio OlĂmpico Nilton Santos and is set to continue through April 2 before launching the U.S. leg of the trek May 13 in Charlotte, N.C.
Even with dates hampered by production issues, Shakiraâs four shows in Colombia gave cities like BogotĂĄ and Barranquilla a major economic boost, a nod to the tourâs impact beyond the cultural. According official numbers offered by local government, Shakiraâs concerts generated an economic impact of nearly 206 billion pesos (approximately 52 million dollars). Additionally, spending in key sectors such as food, hospitality, and the multiplier effect in BogotĂĄ alone accounted for 73 billion pesos, further demonstrating the impact on the local economy. Â
The new tour â in honor of her critically and commercially successful 2024 album of the same name â follows Shakiraâs 2018 El Dorado World Tour, marking her grand return to the global stage. The next city on Shakiraâs Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran Tour itinerary is Buenos Aires, Argentina, where sheâs set to perform at Campo Argentino de Polo on March 7-8.Â
Billboard reached out to Live Nation â the promoter behind Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour â for further comment but did not hear back at press time.