International

29 Jan 2025

AEG Promotes Adam Wilkes and Alex Hill in Shakeup of International Business

AEG has unveiled the company’s plans for realigning its international business divisions, promoting Adam Wilkes to the newly created position of president/CEO of AEG Presents, Europe and Asia-Pacific and elevating Alex Hill to lead AEG’s global real estate and venue operations outside the U.S. in the new position of president/CEO of AEG International. 

In his new role, Wilkes will oversee the company’s international regional operations. The executive, who has been instrumental in building the company’s footprint in the Asia-Pacific region since joining AEG in 2011, will report to AEG Presents chairman/CEO Jay Marciano and relocate from Singapore to London later this year.

In addition to leading new venue development and operations in the Asia-Pacific and other international regions, Hill will continue to oversee AEG’s European sports teams and the company’s venue and real estate portfolio, including The O2 in London and German properties in Berlin and Hamburg. Hill will remain in London and report to AEG president/CEO Dan Beckerman.

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Wilkes and Hill will assume their new positions on Saturday (Feb. 1).

“This new management structure aligns our international organization with our corporate business and allows us to better focus our resources to best manage our existing businesses while also achieving our ambitious strategic growth initiatives around the globe,” Beckerman said.

Marciano noted that “Adam’s track record in building markets, coupled with his strategic vision and operational expertise, makes him the ideal leader to drive AEG Presents’ international expansion in Europe, further strengthening our global business.”

Upcoming projects in the Asia-Pacific region include the UOB Live in Bangkok, Thailand, and the soon-to-open IG Arena in Nagoya, Japan, as well as the Bangkok Mall Arena and an arena-anchored entertainment district project planned for the redevelopment of the Osaka Expo Park. 

29 Jan 2025

Musicians Call for Legislative Action to Combat Misogyny, Bullying Across UK Music Industry

LONDON — Musicians and creator groups are calling upon the British government to take legislative action to help end the “endemic” misogyny, bullying and discrimination that many female artists still routinely face throughout the industry.

“We need a cultural change in the music industry… and the only way that can happen is if people are educated and there are consequences to their actions,” Charisse Beaumont, CEO of Black Lives in Music (BLiM), told a cross-party committee of MPs on Tuesday (Jan. 28).

Appearing alongside Beaumont at the Parliamentary session was singer-songwriter Celeste, classical soprano singer Lucy Cox and Naomi Pohl, general secretary of the U.K. Musicians’ Union, who all echoed calls for greater protections and support for women working across all sectors of the music business, particularly those in freelance employment.

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“What is most prevalent in my daily experience of being a female in the music industry is this idea of an ingrained bias or even an unconscious sexist bias,” Celeste told MPs.

“I think that all women will deal with it but there will be a scale of how much you [encounter it]. I can imagine that what I might experience might be different to an artist who is on a global scale and I know, for example, from some of my close friends and peers who are just starting out in music … [that they] experience things that I haven’t experienced when I have had the protection of already being established,” said the singer, whose debut album, Not Your Muse, topped the U.K. charts in 2021.

Beaumont called on the current Labour government to enact the original recommendations made by the Women and Equalities Committee (WEC) in its highly critical report “Misogyny in Music,” published last January.

That report painted a damning picture of the music business as an industry “still routinely described as a boys club” where a “culture of silence” prevailed with many victims of sexual harassment or abuse afraid to report such incidents.

It followed an inquiry into misogyny in the U.K. music industry, which began in June 2022 and saw artists and executives give evidence, including senior executives from all three major labels, representatives of the live industry, former BBC Radio 1 DJ Annie Mac and British pop singer and Ivors Academy board director Rebecca Ferguson.

In response, the committee made a number of recommendations, including banning the use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) and other forms of confidentiality clauses in cases involving sexual abuse, bullying or misconduct, as well as stronger rights for freelance music workers, nearly all of which were rejected by the then-Conservative government.

With Sir Keir Starmer‘s Labour Party now in power, musicians and artist representatives used Tuesday’s catch-up session with committee members as an opportunity to exert pressure on politicians to act.

In a statement, Beaumont said her organization had heard “hundreds” of stories from women about harassment they had faced in the music industry, including being “sexually assaulted by male artists, as well as promoters, [and] people assaulting women in music education” since the launch of its anonymous survey YourSafetyYourSay in April.

BLiM’s chief executive also described accounts of young women being pressured to take part in “almost naked casting videos” and feeling “pressured to drink and take drugs,” as well as “male producers grooming young female vocalists.”

Black Lives in Music reports that 71% of respondents to its anonymous survey feel that bullying and harassment is accepted as being part of the industry they work in and only 29% feel there are people in their U.K. music business who will protect them.

NDAs are frequently used to protect perpetrators, says the organization, which identifies a normalization of harassment and objectification of women in the industry, particularly Black women. These problems are often underreported, says BLiM, as women fear the consequences and lack of support.

“Often there is no recourse or accountability, so reporting incidents is futile as those doing the bullying control the narrative. It’s happening under their watch and they are too powerful,” said Beaumont in a statement following Tuesday’s session.

BLiM said its research into bullying and harassment in the British music business will be made available to the newly formed U.K. body The Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA), which has the remit of upholding and improving standards of behavior across the creative industries, including music, and is due to officially launch later this year.

27 Jan 2025

Coldplay Breaks Record for Largest-Ever Stadium Shows of the 21st Century

Coldplay now holds the record for the largest-ever stadium shows of the 21st century following a two-night stint at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, in India, according to Live Nation. The shows also marked the first time Coldplay has played in the country.

Over the weekend (Jan. 25-26), the British band performed for 111,581 fans at the first show and 111,989 fans per night at the second, totaling more than 223,000 fans across the two nights.

This narrowly beats the record set by George Strait, who in June played to 110,905 fans at Kyle Field at Texas A&M. Strait’s show will retain the record for the largest U.S. stadium concert.  

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Coldplay’s India dates are part of the band’s global Music of the Spheres World Tour that kicked off in March 2022. According to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore, the global trek has sold more tickets than any tour in history, at 10.3 million as of December. Already in January, Coldplay has played four nights at Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; three nights at DY Patil Stadium in Mumbia, India; and the two Narendra Modi Stadium shows last weekend. 

Coldplay

Coldplay

Anna Lee Media / Coldplay / Disney+ Hotstar

The Music of the Spheres World Tour has been a global event, selling out stadiums on five continents. About half of the tour’s 175 concerts have been in Europe, where it sold 5.2 million tickets over 87 shows. It also sold 1.8 million tickets in South America, 1.6 million in North America, 884,000 in Asia and 848,000 in Australia. As of mid-December, Coldplay had sold more than 100,000 tickets on over half the stops on the tour and grossed a total of $1.14 billion.

The Music of the Spheres World Tour will pick up in April with shows in Hong Kong, China and Seoul before heading back to the United States and Canada. The tour is currently scheduled to close out with 10 sold-out nights at Wembley Stadium in London.

24 Jan 2025

America Second? Why English-Language Music from Countries Like the U.S. Is Losing Global Market Share

Brace yourself, ultra-patriotic protectionists: English-language music from countries such as the U.S. is losing market share around the world — and even in its home markets.

Despite the U.S. owning the world’s most powerful culture machine, people in other countries want to listen to music performed in their native languages. According to Luminate’s 2024 year-end report, music from the U.S. and other English-speaking countries accounted for a lower share of global premium streams in 2024 than the prior year. The United Kingdom had the biggest drop in market share, falling 0.47 percentage points to 8.59%, while the U.S. dropped 0.44 points to 44.29% and Canada fell 0.39% to 3.34%.

In the Philippines, where English is spoken by roughly half of adults, music from the U.K. and U.S. were the biggest losers of market share while local Filipino music gained an astounding 3.32 points. In Japan, where local music has always outperformed English-language music, local music gained 1.35 points while the U.K., U.S. and Canada all lost market share. In Brazil, home to a thriving local music scene, homegrown music gained 0.78 points while the U.K. and Canada both lost market share.

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The shift away from English-language music isn’t happening only in countries where English is not the primary language. In the U.S., homegrown music lost 0.2 percentage points of market share. The same dynamic is seen in the U.K., where homegrown music lost 2.7 percentage points. In English-speaking Australia, music from Australia, the U.S. and Canada all lost market share.

So where did English-language music’s market share go? Mexico was the country of origin with the biggest market share increase in 2024, rising 0.88 percentage points to 4.69% of global premium streams. Brazil owned the second-largest increase, rising 0.33 points to 4.47%. India, which has a distinct local music market and a large diaspora, was third, increasing 0.21 points to 1.42%.

Often, a historical connection between countries could help explain the increasing popularity of one country’s music. In the U.S., music from neighboring Mexico, a major cultural influence for regions far beyond the border states, was the top gainer with an increased market share of 0.56 percentage points. In the U.K. and Australia, both members of the Commonwealth, music from another Commonwealth nation, India, gained 0.13 points and 0.16 points, respectively. Importantly, people of Indian ethnicity account for 2.9% of the U.K.’s population and 3.1 % of Australia’s population.

Local music is also thriving in France, a country not singled out in Luminate’s report. Azzedine Fall, Deezer’s direct of music & culture, says more musical genres performed in French are hitting the charts in the country. “[French-language] rap music is still dominating everywhere in the charts, but we have room for artists doing this kind of Ed Sheeran kind of stuff,” he says. “There is Pierre Garnier, for instance. He’s like the French version [of Ed Sheeran], and it’s kind of a new trend, like the return of pop rock music.” French-language rap has been popular for decades, adds Fall, but pop rock music performed in French is a newer phenomenon: “You would never hear someone doing rock in French 30 years ago.”

The rise of local music in the streaming era is a relatively new phenomenon that was described in a 2023 paper by Will Page and Chris Dalla Riva titled ‘Glocalisation’ of Music Streaming Within and Across Europe. Glocalization—a portmanteau of “global” and “localization”—explains how local music became more successful in a globalized, digital economy. In streaming’s early days, English-language music often dominated charts at the expense of local artists. In 2012, local artists accounted for less than a fifth of the top 10 songs in Poland, France, the Netherlands and Germany, according to the paper. But a decade later, local artists owned 70% of the top 10 in Poland, Italy and Sweden and 60% in France (but just 30% in the Netherlands and 20% in Germany).

The trend toward successful local music is likely to continue, says Romain Vivien, global head of music & president, Europe at Believe. The tools available to music producers “allow for more creation, faster and wider distribution to reach audiences more directly and accurately, and for a wider and more diverse artist community,” he says. It’s a perfect recipe for local labels and producers who create music in many different genres, says Vivien, “while bigger and more global structures sign fewer artists, across fewer genres and invest a lot to try to make them global stars.”

That’s not to say music from the U.S. has fallen out of favor. Artists from the U.S. still had the largest global market share of premium streams in 2024 at 44.29%, and the U.S. ranked No. 1 on Luminate’s Export Power Score, a measure of a country’s ability to export music globally. In fact, the U.K. and Canada rank No. 2 and No. 3 on Export Power Score, topping No. 4 South Korea and No. 5 Germany. The U.S. also gained market share in some places, too, albeit in primarily English-speaking countries: U.S. music rose 2.4 percentage points in the U.K. and 1.7 percentage points in Australia. English-speaking Ireland also gained share in the U.S., U.K. and Australia, likely because of Hozier’s global hit “Too Sweet” (which was the No. 8 song globally in 2024 with 1.71 billion on-demand audio streams, according to Luminate).

As in years past, English-language music also dominated the Luminate report’s lists of top albums and songs. The lone non-English language song to appear in a top 10 list was “Gata Only” by Chilean artist FloyyMenor. The track was a worldwide hit and had great success in the U.S., too, reaching No. 27 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 and topping Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart for 14 weeks in 2024 en route to ranking No. 1 on the year-end Hot Latin Songs list.

Still, the slight decline in English-language music marks a sharp contrast with present-day “America first” jingoism. Changes in music technology mean U.S. music won’t crowd out local music in other countries, and a catchy song can become popular anywhere in the world. Politicians can build a border wall, but they can’t stop music from coming in.

24 Jan 2025

In Canada: How Major Music Companies Are Fighting the ‘Streaming Tax’

Some of the biggest streaming services in music are banding together to fight against a major piece of Canadian arts legislation – in court and in the court of public opinion.

Spotify, Apple, Amazon and others are taking action against the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)’s 2024 decision that major foreign-owned streamers with Canadian revenues over $25 million will have to pay 5% of those revenues into Canadian content funds – what the streamers have termed a “Streaming Tax.”

Those funds will go towards established organizations like the non-profits FACTOR Canada and Musicaction, which financially support thousands of musicians and music companies across the country, and which have seen their own resources dramatically drop due to reduced contributions from private broadcasters. It will also go to funds supporting radio and local news.

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The CRTC decision was one of the biggest Canadian music stories of last year, and legal challenges from those services, as well as the Motion Picture Association – Canada (which includes Netflix, Disney, Prime Video and the major U.S. producers and distributors of movies and TV), have pushed it into 2025. The courts have paused the payments until the appeal is heard by the Federal Court of Appeal in June of this year.

That pause has already put at least one fund under immediate duress. The Indigenous Music Office had been directed by the CRTC to launch an Indigenous Music Fund with resources from the streamers’ base contributions, but the delay impedes the IMO’s ability to start the new fund.

The conflict over the regulation is turning into a major struggle, one that illustrates the massive changes and challenges that Canadian music is facing in an increasingly digital landscape. It’s a modern wrinkle to a debate that has spanned decades in Canadian music and media.

“At the base of it, the streamers are questioning the validity of CanCon policies,” says Leela Gilday, musician and board chair of the Indigenous Music Office.

The battle isn’t only happening in court, but in online petitions, political speeches and in Instagram posts from one of Canada’s most successful musicians.

“The Canadian government’s new music streaming tax is going to cost you more to listen to the music you love,” says Bryan Adams in a video shared on Instagram.

The “Summer of ‘69” singer, also a noted critic of Canadian Content regulations, has joined a lobby group called DIMA (the Digital Media Association) in publicly arguing against the regulation. DIMA, which represents Amazon, Apple, Spotify and YouTube, launched a campaign last fall titled “Scrap the Streaming Tax.” The campaign warns consumers that the mandated payments “could lead to higher prices for Canadians and fewer content choices” as a result of increased subscription fees.

But many within the industry have welcomed the regulation, including the membership at CIMA, the Canadian Independent Music Association.

“The question for tech companies who are making money in Canada is: is it appropriate for them to contribute to the Canadian music ecosystem?” asks Andrew Cash, president of CIMA.

Head here for much more on this story.

—Rosie Long Decter

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Canadian Music Industry Leaders Lay Out the Issues That Will Define 2025

As the music industry ramps up in the post-holiday break, the agenda is being set. A number of issues have revealed themselves as the big conversations of 2025: AI, arts funding, government policies amidst uncertainty in Ottawa, support of independent promoters and venues, mental health, the divestment of DEI budgets, and many more.

Billboard Canada gathered 10 music industry authorities from music grant FACTOR, the Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA), Music Publishers Canada and many more to talk about the biggest challenges and opportunities facing Canadian music this year. 

Here are just a few highlights:

“For the Canadian-owned sector, the ability to compete in a functioning market is paramount,” says Andrew Cash, president and CEO of CIMA. “However, market concentration among the large foreign-owned multi-nationals labels and tech platforms is now at over-reach. That is why CIMA lodged an official complaint with Canada’s competition bureau after TikTok walked away from its negotiations with Merlin. And it is why independent trade associations in Europe and Australia are raising serious concerns after Universal’s recent purchase of Downtown Music.”

“One of the biggest challenges facing the industry this year will be the divestment of DEI budgets, which have been a big part of the reason we have seen such great diverse talent enter the industry over the last five years,” says Keziah Myers, executive director of ADVANCE – Canada’s Black Music Business Collective. “Managing the shift away from Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and reminding the industry that Equity-focused processes should be where their efforts are will be a challenge.”

“The fundamental principles of copyright continue to be challenged by artificial intelligence and the platforms that exploit it,” says Jennifer Brown, CEO of SOCAN. “Canadian music creators stand to lose more than 20% of their annual revenue to generative AI platforms by 2028 if safeguards aren’t put in place to protect their copyrights.”

Read the whole roundtable conversation here.

—Kerry Doole and Richard Trapunski

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Big Wreck Named Record Store Day Canada Ambassadors for 2025

Big Wreck have been named 2025 Record Store Day Canada ambassadors. The Canadian rock band will also be releasing their 2012 album Albatross on vinyl for the first time in deluxe 2xLP limited-edition featuring live and unreleased music as a Record Store Day exclusive. The album was certified Gold and was their biggest hit since In Loving Memory Of… in 1997 and its big shiny rock radio staple “That Song.” The title track of Albatross has also gone Platinum.

“It’s a great honour for Big Wreck to be Record Store Day Ambassadors,” says Big Wreck leader Ian Thornley. “We grew up going to record stores and building our vinyl collections and it means a lot to us to continue the tradition. It’s especially exciting to be putting Albatross out into the world for the first time on vinyl. That record holds a special place.”

Big Wreck succeeds another popular Canadian rock band of the era, The Tragically Hip, who were last year’s ambassadors. This week, Post Malone was named 2025 Record Store Day Ambassador for the U.S.

Head here for a list of participating Record Store Day Canada stores.

—Richard Trapunski

Last Week: A Closer Look at Canada’s Export Power

23 Jan 2025

Teen Who Killed 3 Girls at Taylor Swift-Themed Dance Class in England Sentenced to Over 50 Years

A teenager who stabbed three young girls to death at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in England was sentenced Thursday to more than 50 years in prison for what a judge called “the most extreme, shocking and exceptionally serious crime.”

Judge Julian Goose said 18-year-old Axel Rudakubana “wanted to try and carry out mass murder of innocent, happy young girls.”

Goose said that he couldn’t impose a sentence of life without parole, because Rudakubana was under 18 when he committed the crime.

But the judge said he must serve 52 years, minus the six months he’s been in custody, before being considered for parole, and “it is likely he will never be released.”

Rudakubana was 17 when he attacked the children in the seaside town of Southport in July, killing Alice Da Silva Aguiar, 9, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Bebe King, 6. He wounded eight other girls, ranging in age from 7 to 13, along with teacher Leanne Lucas and John Hayes, a local businessman who intervened.

The attack shocked the country and set off both street violence and soul-searching. The government has announced a public inquiry into how the system failed to stop the killer, who had been referred to the authorities multiple times over his obsession with violence.

Defendant disrupts the hearing

Rudakubana faced three counts of murder, 10 of attempted murder and additional charges of possessing a knife, the poison ricin and an al-Qaida manual. He unexpectedly changed his plea to guilty on all charges on Monday.

But he wasn’t in court to hear sentence passed on Thursday.

Hours earlier he had been led into the dock at Liverpool Crown Court in northwest England, dressed in a gray prison tracksuit. But as prosecutors began outlining the evidence, Rudakubana interrupted by shouting that he felt ill and wanted to see a paramedic.

Goose ordered the accused to be removed when he continued shouting. A person in the courtroom shouted “Coward!” as Rudakubana was taken out.

The hearing continued without him.

Horror on a summer day

Prosecutor Deanna Heer described how the attack occurred on the first day of summer vacation when 26 little girls were “gathered around the tables making bracelets and singing along to Taylor Swift songs.”

Rudakubana, armed with a large knife, intruded and began stabbing the girls and their teacher.

The court was shown video of the suspect arriving at the Hart Space venue in a taxi and entering the building. Within seconds, screams erupted and children ran outside in panic, some of them wounded. One girl made it to the doorway, but was pulled back inside by the attacker. She was stabbed 32 times but survived.

Gasps and sobs could be heard in court as the videos played.

Heer said two of the dead children “suffered particularly horrific injuries which are difficult to explain as anything other than sadistic in nature.” One of the dead girls had 122 injuries, while another suffered 85 wounds.

A teenager obsessed with violence

The prosecutor said Rudakubana had “a longstanding obsession with violence, killing, genocide.”

“His only purpose was to kill. And he targeted the youngest and most vulnerable in society,” she said, as relatives of the victims watched on in the courtroom.

Heer said that when he was taken to a police station, Rudakubana was heard to say: “It’s a good thing those children are dead, I’m so glad, I’m so happy.”

The killings triggered days of anti-immigrant violence across the country after far-right activists seized on incorrect reports that the attacker was an asylum-seeker who had recently arrived in the U.K. Some suggested the crime was a jihadi attack, and alleged that police and the government were withholding information.

Rudakubana was born in Cardiff, Wales, to Christian parents from Rwanda, and investigators haven’t been able to pin down his motivation. Police found documents about subjects including Nazi Germany, the Rwandan genocide and car bombs on his devices.

In the years before the attack, he had been reported to multiple authorities over his violent interests and actions. All of the agencies failed to spot the danger he posed.

In 2019, he phoned a children’s advice line to ask “What should I do if I want to kill somebody?” He said he had taken a knife to school because he wanted to kill someone who was bullying him. Two months later, he attacked a fellow student with a hockey stick and was convicted of assault.

The definition of terrorism

Prosecutors said Rudakubana was referred three times to the government’s anti-extremism program, Prevent, when he was 13 and 14 — once after researching school shootings in class, then for uploading pictures of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi to Instagram and for researching a London terror attack.

But they concluded his crimes should not be classed as terrorism because Rudakubana had no discernable political or religious cause. Heer said “his purpose was the commission of mass murder, not for a particular end, but as an end in itself.”

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said this week the country must face up to a “new threat” from violent individuals whose mix of motivations test the traditional definition of terrorism.

“After one of the most harrowing moments in our country’s history, we owe it to these innocent young girls and all those affected to deliver the change that they deserve,” Starmer said after the sentencing.

Wrenching testimony from victims

Several relatives and survivors read emotional statements in court, describing how the attack had shattered their lives.

Lucas, 36, who ran the dance class, said that “the trauma of being both a victim and a witness has been horrendous.”

“I cannot give myself compassion or accept praise, as how can I live knowing I survived when children died?” she said.

A 14-year-old survivor, who can’t be named because of a court order, said that while she was physically recovering. “we will all have to live with the mental pain from that day forever.”

“I hope you spend the rest of your life knowing that we think you’re a coward,” she said.

The prosecutor read out a statement from the parents of Alice Da Silva Aguiar, who said their daughter’s killing had “shattered our souls.”

“We used to cook for three. Now we only cook for two. It doesn’t seem right,” they said. “Alice was our purpose for living, so what do we do now?”

This story was originally published by The Associated Press.

23 Jan 2025

These Were the 50 Most Played Tracks at Ushuaïa Ibiza in 2024

Of the 4,717 tracks identified at the 2024 season, 50 were played more than all the rest.

Ibiza, Spain.

Ibiza, Spain.

Anton Petrus/Getty Images

Last year was a season of capital B bangers old and new at Ushuaïa Ibiza.

In 2024, 4,717 tracks in total were identified as being played at the beach club. A list of the club’s 50 most played songs contains music that defined the moment, such as Adam Port, Stryv, Keinemusik, Orso and Malachiii’s 2024 hit “Move,” along with classics like Calvin Harris and Rihanna’s 2011 “We Found Love” and David Guetta’s “Titanium.”

Notably, nine slots on the list, the most held by any artist, are occupied by original tracks and edits by Martin Garrix, who was also a resident at the club. Fellow resident Calvin Harris comes in a close second, with eight tracks on the list.

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The data that created this list was collected by KUVO Powered by DJ Monitor, who install technologies in clubs and use music recognition technology (MRT) and direct metadata capture (DMC). See the complete list below.

The 50 Most Played Tracks at Ushuaïa Ibiza in 2024

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  1. Sem Jacobs & Tagmann, “Blue Berries”
  2. Marlon Hoffstadt & Fisher, “It’s That Time (Fisher Remix)”
  3. Gala, “Freed From Desire (2024 Version) (Diplo Remix)”
  4. Cajmere & Dajae, “Brighter Days (Marco Lys Remix)”
  5. Adam Port, Stryv, Keinemusik, Orso & Malachiii, “Move”
  6. Benny Benassi Pres. The Biz, “Satisfaction (David Guetta Remix)”
  7. Blackchild, “So Good (Heat Mix)”
  8. Loofy, “Last Night (Anyma X Layton Giordani Remix)”
  9. David Guetta & Afrojack, “Raving”
  10. Daft Punk, “One More Time (Zedd Remix)”
  11. David Guetta & Bebe Rexha, “I’m Good (Blue) (Cedric Gervais Extended Remix)”
  12. Peggy Gou, “(It Goes Like) Nanana (Edit)”
  13. Swedish House Mafia, “Don’t You Worry Child”
  14. Rihanna, “We Found Love”
  15. Calvin Harris & Rag’n’bone Man, “Giant (Riva Starr Tribe Vibe Remix)”
  16. Calvin Harris, “Blame”
  17. Calvin Harris, “How Deep Is Your Love”
  18. Diplo & Hugel, “Stay High (Feat. Julia Church) (VIP)”
  19. Central Cee & Lil Baby, “Band4band (Julian Jordan & Nova Blue Remix)”
  20. John Summit, Hayla & Gorgon City, “Where You Are (Gorgon City Remix)”
  21. Raffa Guido & Goom Gum, “Famax (Goom Gum Remix)”
  22. Calvin Harris & Ellie Goulding, “Miracle”
  23. Disclosure, “You & Me (Feat. Eliza Doolittle) (Rivo Remix)”
  24. Calvin Harris, “One Kiss”
  25. Martin Garrix & Dua Lipa, “Scared To Be Lonely (Dubvision Remix)”
  26. MK & Dom Dolla, “Rhyme Dust”
  27. Calvin Harris, “Summer”
  28. Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Tiësto & Dido, “Thank You (Not So Bad)”
  29. Tyla, “Water”
  30. David Guetta, “Titanium (David Guetta & Morten Future Rave Extended Mix)”
  31. Artemas, “I Like The Way You Kiss Me”
  32. Florence + The Machine, “Spectrum (Say My Name, Calvin Harris Remix)”
  33. Martin Garrix/Dubvision/Shaun Farrugia, “Starlight (Keep Me Afloat)”
  34. Lewis Capaldi, Martin Garrix, “Someone You Loved (Martin Garrix Remix)”
  35. Calvin Harris, “This Is What You Came For”
  36. David Guetta, “Sexy Bitch”
  37. Zerb & Sofiya Nzau, “Mwaki (Tiësto’s VIP Mix)”
  38. Sean Paul & Odd Mob, “Get Busy (Odd Mob Club Mix)”
  39. Martin Garrix, “Lions In The Wild”
  40. Martin Garrix, “Tremor”
  41. Groove P, “Are They Real”
  42. Martin Garrix Feat. Bonn, “High On Life”
  43. Massano, “The Feeling”
  44. Nic Fanciulli Feat. Robert Courtois, “Set Me Free”
  45. John Summit, Hayla & Cassian, “Shiver (Cassian Remix)”
  46. Dom Dolla, “Girl$ (Layton Giordani Remix)”
  47. Crusy, “Feels Like Summer”
  48. Martin Garrix & Sentinel Feat. Bonn, “Hurricane” 
  49. Martin Garrix, “Summer Days (Vintage Culture & Bruno Be Extended Remix)”
  50. Martin Garrix & Mesto Feat. Wilhelm, “Breakaway” 

22 Jan 2025

These Were the 50 Most Played Artists at Ushuaïa Ibiza in 2024

The clubs are currently dark in Ibiza, but months before the 2025 season gets underway, we’ve got tabs on the 50 most played artists at island institution Ushuaïa in 2024. These 50 artists rank highest on a list of 3,001 unique acts whose music was identified at the club in 2024.

The top five slots are occupied by Martin Garrix, Calvin Harris, David Guetta, Swedish House Mafia and Armin van Buuren, which is logical given that all five of these acts had residencies at the mega-club in 2024. The list also includes a load of both marquee and slightly more underground names including John Summit, Peggy Gou, Daft Punk, Avicii, Disclosure, Rüfüs Du Sol, Odd Mob, Anotr, Hugel and many more. See the complete list below.

The data that created this list collected by KUVO Powered by DJ Monitor, who install technologies in clubs and use music recognition technology (MRT) and direct metadata capture (DMC).

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Yann Pissenem, the creator of Ushuaïa and its sister club Hï, in August announced that he’s opening a new nightclub on the island called [UNVRS] this year.

The 50 Most Played Artists at Ushuaïa Ibiza in 2024:

  1. Martin Garrix
  2. Calvin Harris
  3. David Guetta
  4. Swedish House Mafia
  5. Armin Van Buuren
  6. Dimitri Vegas
  7. MK
  8. John Summit
  9. Sem Jacobs
  10. Steve Aoki
  11. Avicii
  12. Cajmere
  13. Tiësto
  14. Marlon Hoffstadt
  15. Gala
  16. Daft Punk
  17. Adam Port
  18. Disclosure
  19. Nic Fanciulli
  20. Blackchild
  21. Dom Dolla
  22. Lost Frequencies
  23. Noizu
  24. Benny Benassi Pres. The Biz
  25. Diplo
  26. Cassimm
  27. Melé
  28. Mark Knight
  29. Armand Van Helden
  30. Anotr
  31. Loofy
  32. Martin Ikin
  33. Crusy
  34. Massano
  35. Eleganto
  36. Rihanna
  37. Mau P
  38. Oden
  39. Peggy Gou
  40. Andruss
  41. Odd Mob
  42. Sebastian Ingrosso
  43. Sonny Fodera
  44. Florence + The Machine
  45. Groove P
  46. Hugel
  47. Pawsa
  48. Rüfüs Du Sol
  49. Central Cee
  50. Steve Angello

21 Jan 2025

These Were the 50 Most Played Tracks at Hï Ibiza in 2024

The list reflects data collected at the Ibiza club, where a total of 8,251 unique tracks were identified by KUVO Powered by DJ Monitor during the 2024 season.

Ibiza, Spain

Ibiza, Spain

Tom McAtee/Getty Images

Thousands of tracks were played at Hï Ibiza during the 2024 season, but 50 of them were rinsed more than all the others.

The most played song at the club last year was Italian producer Marco Lys’ 2022 remix of Cajmere & Dajae’s “Brighter Days.” That track was followed by Pawsa’s 2024 track “Pick Up The Phone” featuring Nate Dogg,” with the top three rounded out with 2024’s ubiquitous “Move” by Adam Port, Stryv, Keinemusik, Orso and Malachiii.

Beyond these more recent songs, the list also contains classics like Donna Summer’s 1977 disco anthem “I Feel Love,” Crystal Waters’ “Gypsy Woman (She’s Homeless”) and Avicii’s 2011 “Levels.” See the complete list below.

The data that created this list collected by KUVO Powered by DJ Monitor, who install technologies in clubs and use music recognition technology (MRT) and direct metadata capture (DMC).See the complete list below.

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The 50 Most Played Tracks Played at Hï Ibiza in 2024

  1. Cajmere & Dajae, “Brighter Days (Marco Lys Remix)”
  2. Pawsa, Pick Up The Phone (Feat. Nate Dogg)”
  3. Adam Port, Stryv, Keinemusik, Orso & Malachiii, “Move”
  4. Sem Jacobs & Tagmann, “Blue Berries”
  5. Marlon Hoffstadt & Fisher, “It’s That Time (Fisher Remix)”
  6. Loofy, “Last Night (Anyma X Layton Giordani Remix)”
  7. Kings Of Tomorrow, “Finally”
  8. Genesi & Max Styler, “See You Sweat (Mixed)”
  9. The Temper Trap, “Sweet Disposition (John Summit & Silver Panda Remix)”
  10. Stardust, “Music Sounds Better With You”
  11. The Chemical Brothers & Artbat, “Hey Boy Hey Girl (Artbat Remix)”
  12.  Raffa Guido & Goom Gum, “Famax (Goom Gum Remix)”
  13. Cassian, “Dun Dun”
  14. Armand Van Helden, “I Want Your Soul”
  15. Moloko, “Sing It Back (Boris Dlugosch Mix)”
  16. Rui Da Silva, “Touch Me”
  17. Blackchild, “So Good (Heat Mix)”
  18. Empire Of The Sun, “Walking On A Dream”
  19. Shakedown, “At Night (Kid Creme Funksta Mix)”
  20. &me & Black Coffee, “The Rapture Pt.iii”
  21. John Summit, Hayla & Cassian, “Shiver (Cassian Remix)”
  22. Robin S., “Show Me Love”
  23. Benny Benassi Pres. The Biz, “Satisfaction (David Guetta Remix)”
  24. Sharam, “Patt (Party All The Time) (Adam Beyer, Layton Giordani & Green Velvet Remix)”
  25. Bob Sinclar Feat. Steve Edwards, “World Hold On (Fisher Rework)”
  26. Donna Summer, “I Feel Love”
  27. Rebūke, Konstantin Sibold, Zac & Carmee, “Along Came Polly (Konstantin Sibold, Zac, Carmee Remix)”
  28. Mochakk, “Jealous”
  29.  Pawsa, “Too Cool To Be Careless”
  30.  Argy & Baset, “Sierra”
  31. Cloonee, “Sippin’ Yak”
  32. Dennis Ferrer, “Hey Hey (Da Capo & Kitty Amor Extended Remix)”
  33. Avicii, “Levels”
  34. Technotronic, “Pump Up The Jam (Nightfunk Radio Edit)”
  35. Gala, “Freed From Desire (2024 Version) (Diplo Remix)”
  36. Catz ‘n Dogz, “The Choice (Angelos Remix)”
  37. Dom Dolla, “Girl$ (Layton Giordani Remix)”
  38.  Andruss, “Frikitona”
  39. Empire Of The Sun, “We Are The People”
  40. Abel Balder & Anotr, “Relax My Eyes (Restricted Remix)”
  41. Roger Sanchez, “Again”
  42. Samm (be) & Ajna (be), “Move”
  43. James Hype, “Wild”
  44. Modjo, “Lady (Hear Me Tonight)”
  45. Paul Johnson, “Get Get Down”
  46.  Crystal Waters, “Gypsy Woman (La Da Dee)”
  47. David Guetta, Onerepublic, “I Don’t Wanna Wait (DJs From Mars Remix)”
  48. Script, “On The Low”
  49.  The Bucketheads, “The Bomb! (These Sounds Fall Into My Mind)”
  50. Sean Paul & Odd Mob, “Get Busy (Odd Mob Club Mix)”

21 Jan 2025

These Were the 50 Most Played Artists at Hï Ibiza in 2024

During the 2024 season, tracks by 4,680 unique artists were played at the Ibiza clubbing institution Hï. Of that dizzying number, 50 artists were played more than all the others, and now we know who.

Leading the list of the top 50 artists whose music was played most during last year’s Hï season is David Guetta, who was also a 2024 resident at Hï. Fisher, who also held down a residency at the club, follows at No. 2. 2024 Hï residents Patrick Topping and Meduza follow and Nos. 3 and 4, respectively, with fellow resident Eric Prydz occupying the fifth and sixth slots under his own name and his Pryda project. Argy, Pawsa, Anyma and Cajmere round out the top 10.

Generally, the list contains a collection of both established acts like The Chemical Brothers, Kings of Tomorrow and Green Velvet, along with very of-the-moment producers including John Summit, Dom Dolla and Keinemusik’s Adam Port and &Me. The 50-act list contains three female artists: Robin S., Róisín Murphy of Moloko and Lyric Hood of Floorplan.

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The data that created this list collected by KUVO Powered by DJ Monitor, who install technologies in clubs and use music recognition technology (MRT) and direct metadata capture (DMC).See the complete list below.

Yann Pissenem, the creator of Hï and its sister club Ushuaïa, in August announced that he’s opening a new nightclub on the island called [UNVRS] this year.

The 50 Most-Played Artists at Hï Ibiza in 2024

  1. David Guetta
  2. Fisher
  3. Patrick Topping
  4. Meduza
  5. Eric Prydz
  6. Pryda
  7. Argy
  8. Pawsa
  9. Anyma
  10. Cajmere
  11. Andruss
  12. Genesi
  13. Armand Van Helden
  14. Industrial Sound
  15. Vintage Culture
  16. Massano
  17. Empire Of The Sun
  18. Sem Jacobs
  19. &me
  20. Catz ‘n Dogz
  21. John Summit
  22. James Hype
  23. The Martinez Brothers
  24. Adam Port
  25. Rüfüs Du Sol
  26. Cassian
  27. Camelphat
  28. Cassimm
  29. Bob Sinclar
  30. David Morales
  31. Floorplan
  32. Todd Terry
  33. Ewan Mcvicar
  34. Max Styler
  35. The Chemical Brothers
  36. Dennis Ferrer
  37. Mrak
  38. Kings Of Tomorrow
  39. Blackchild
  40. Marlon Hoffstadt
  41. Michael Gray
  42. Loofy
  43. Dom Dolla
  44. Anotr
  45. Green Velvet
  46. Moloko
  47. Eli Brown
  48. Robin S.
  49. The Temper Trap
  50. Rebūke