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First, the elephant in the room. Justin Trudeau resigned as Prime Minister after a decade as leader of the country. He’ll stay on until a leadership race elects the new head of his Liberal Party on March 9. What could this period of transition mean for Canada’s music industry and arts funding? Read more:
Meanwhile…
Warner Music Group has formed another strategic partnership to elevate and develop Punjabi music in Canada.
ADA, the company’s independent label and artist services arm, announced a worldwide distribution deal with EYP Creations INC. EYP is a major management and content company in Punjabi music and is based in both Canada and India.
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Canada has emerged as a global hub for Punjabi music, which is one of the fastest growing global genres. Artists including Karan Aujla, Shubh and Diljit Dosanjh have achieved chart success and set records in the country.
Warner has been on the forefront of the Punjabi Wave, uniting Warner Music Canada and Warner Music India to launch 91 North Records in 2023. But this partnership with EYP also aims to foster the next wave of talent so that they can eventually achieve the same heights.
The new deal includes EYP’s record label, UrDebut Canada, which has helped launch new artists like Kushagra and Tanishqa, who have had songs with millions of streams in the last year. The goal, they say, is to open emerging artists to a similarly broad and growing audience of hungry international fans.
“This partnership with EYP Creations marks a strategic step in expanding WMG’s presence within the Punjabi music landscape,” says Warner Music Canada president Kristen Burke in a statement. “This alliance not only supports the growth of Punjabi music in Canada, but also opens doors for discovering and nurturing emerging talent in this vibrant community.”
EYP Creations CEO Nikhil Dwivedi says he’s excited about the potential of working with ADA and talks about the quality distribution and marketing it can open to South Asian artists in Canada.
“We are focused on nurturing young South Asian talent together through launching them at UrDebut Canada label and building them through distribution, management, live events and collaborations around the globe,” he says.
ADA has also partnered with other Punjabi music companies in recent years, including Punjabi music content aggregator, Sky Digital, and Punjabi record label, Geet MP3.
“We’re excited to bring this Punjabi music leader into the Warner Music Group family,” says Cat Kreidich, President of ADA. “Our team is looking forward to partnering closely with Nikhil and everyone at EYP Creations to mine new opportunities in the market and bring new voices into the mix.” -Richard Trapunski
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East Coast Music Association Parts Ways With CEO
On Monday (Jan. 6), the East Coast Music Association (ECMA) issued a press release stating that “the board has conducted a thorough review of our leadership and operations, leading to the decision to part ways with CEO Blanche Israël.” The change has been made ahead of the East Coast Music Awards show in St. John’s, Newfoundland this spring.
The Canadian Press reports on the “clash over the future of the East Coast Music Awards” that led to the decision. In an online petition launched late 2024, some members called for “transparency and stability” amid changes that affected the awards and its associated festival, citing a lack of clarity and consultation around applications and other “significant modifications.” Former ECMA CEO Andy McLean has been installed as interim managing director as the search for a new CEO begins.
ECMA’s stated mission is “to develop, advance and celebrate East Coast Canadian music, its artists and its industry professionals throughout the region and around the world. We advocate for our members to ensure they can sustain music careers while based in Canada’s Atlantic region.”
This year’s ECMA awards honoured folk-rockers The East Pointers with the most awards, followed by Jenn Grant, Morgan Toney, and Tim Baker. –Kerry Doole
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Lady Gaga And Bruno Mars Score The First Post-Holiday No. 1 On The Canadian Hot 100 in 2025
Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars have plenty to smile about this week.
The superstar duo have landed the first post-holiday No. 1 song of 2025, topping the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 “Die With a Smile.” The sentimental ballad has had a slow burn to the top, hitting No. 1 in its 20th week on the chart, though it’s been a mainstay on the Global 200. The song also climbed to the top of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for the first time this week.
Bruno Mars holds both the No. 1 and No. 2 spot this week on the Canadian Hot 100, with his Rosé collab “Apt.” at No. 2. Shaboozey’s record-breaker “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” is also back in the top 3, holding the third spot.
There’s also a pair of first-timers making their chart debuts. U.K. singer Chrystal arrives with “The Days” at No. 95. The minimalist dance track got a boost from a high-energy remix by rising Bristol producer Notion, as well as a feature on the popular TikTok account Jaxon’s Journey.
American psych-pop singer Chezile lands on the chart at No. 98 with the melancholic “Beanie,” a psych-pop song with hints of Mac DeMarco that has become a popular cover choice on TikTok. Chezile also had a bump from popular content creator Mr. Beast using the song to soundtrack his proposal announcement.
Claiming the final spot on the chart is Imogen Heap’s “Headlock.” She’s not a first-timer but the acclaimed singer-songwriter is getting some love for her 2005 track, which is also seeing a lot of traction on TikTok.
None of those songs are on the U.S. Hot 100 this week, in keeping with a trend of viral TikTok tracks showing up on the Canadian charts first. Heading into 2025, it looks like the app is still one of the leading career-boosters out there, though it is facing potential existential threats on both sides of the border. –Rosie Long Decter
LONDON — The British government has launched a public consultation into the ticketing industry, including the heavily criticized use of dynamic pricing for popular tours, as part of wider efforts to stop music fans from “being fleeced” by “greedy ticket touts.”
The 12-week consultation was announced by the Department for Business and Trade and Department for Culture, Media and Sport on Friday (Jan. 10). It sets out a range of measures to transform the U.K.’s secondary ticket market, including a proposed cap on the price of ticket resales and new legal regulations for ticket platforms around transparency and the accuracy of information they provide to fans.
“From sports tournaments to Taylor Swift, all too often big events have been dogged by consumers being taken advantage of by ticket touts,” said business secretary Jonathan Reynolds in a statement. “These unfair practices look to fleece people of their hard-earned income, which isn’t fair on fans, venues and artists.”
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Government ministers are additionally reviewing pricing practices across the entire live events business, including the use of dynamic pricing by primary vendors whereby prices surge based on demand.
The use of dynamic pricing for concert tickets came to the fore in the U.K. in September when it was used on the U.K. and Ireland legs of Oasis’ Live ‘25 reunion tour, prompting hundreds of complaints from fans after tickets unexpectedly soared from around £150.00 ($200) for standard admission to £355.00 ($470) without prior warning.
The angry consumer backlash was accompanied by fierce condemnation from British politicians, including the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, and culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, who called the “vastly inflated” prices “depressing to see.”
Soon after, the U.K. competition regulator launched an investigation into Ticketmaster examining whether the Live Nation-owned company broke consumer protection laws and engaged in “unfair commercial practices” by failing to notify ticket buyers in advance about the price rises. Ticketmaster has consistently stated that ticket prices are set by the artist team and event organisers, not itself.
Starmer had previously vowed to cap resale prices on secondary ticketing platforms, such as Viagogo and StubHub, in the run up to July’s election win.
According to the Competition and Market Authority (CMA), around 1.9 million tickets were sold through secondary platforms to British consumers in 2019, accounting for between 5% and 6% of all tickets sold that year. Tickets sold on secondary sites are typically priced more than 50% higher than their face value, reports CMA, which estimated the U.K. secondary ticketing market to have been worth around £350 million ($430 million) a year pre-pandemic.
“For too long fans have had to endure the misery of touts hoovering up tickets for resale at vastly inflated prices,” said Nandy announcing the three-month-long consultation, which closes April 4.
The government said it was seeking views from live industry stakeholders and music fans on a number of proposed measures designed to make ticket resales fairer and more transparent.
They include capping the price of resale tickets at up to 30% above face value and banning resellers from listing more tickets than they can legally buy on the primary market. These measures would disincentivise industrial scale touting, said the government.
Ministers are also proposing to pass tougher regulations for ticket resale companies and issue tougher fines for offenders. At present, the maximum fine that can be issued by Trading Standards against companies that breach ticketing sale rules is £5,000 ($6,100). The consultation will investigate whether this cap should be increased.
The primary ticketing market is also under scrutiny with ministers calling for evidence on whether fans are protected from “unfair practices,” including the use of new technologies and dynamic pricing.
Rocio Concha, director of policy and advocacy at consumer protection organization Which?, said the government must use the consultation “to regulate the industry properly, ensure ticket resales don’t exploit fans and decide when the use of dynamic pricing is unfair and shouldn’t be allowed.”
As in other countries, the practice of dynamic pricing is commonly used in the U.K. by travel companies, taxis and hotels, but it has only been fleetingly used in the British touring market with Oasis’ comeback tour – which is being jointly promoted by Live Nation, SJM Concerts, MCD and DF Concerts – marking its most high-profile roll out for live music concerts in the United Kingdom and Ireland so far.
The British government’s probe of the ticketing business is the latest attempt by authorities to tackle the persistent issue of large-scale ticketing touting in the U.K.
In 2021, watchdog the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) concluded its long-running investigation into secondary ticketing platforms by making a series of recommendations to government on how to fix the sector. Those recommendations were rejected by the then Conservative government, but now form the basis of the Labour Party’s proposals.
There has also been a number of investigations by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) into secondary sites, with a particular focus on Viagogo.
When reached for comment, a Viagogo spokesperson insisted the company will “continue to constructively engage with the Government and look forward to responding in full to the consultation and call for evidence on improving consumer protections in the ticketing market.”
Responding to the public consultation, a spokesperson for Ticketmaster U.K. said the company was “committed to making ticketing simple and transparent” and supported plans to introduce an industry-wide resale price cap.
“We also urge the government to crack down on bots and ban speculative ticket sales,” said the U.K. arm of Ticketmaster, which has capped resale prices to face value on its platform since 2018. StubHub did not respond to a request to comment.
Adam Webb from U.K. campaign group FanFair Alliance called the government’s proposed measures “potentially game-changing” and highlighted the success of other countries, including Ireland, in passing legislation that has effectively banned ticket scalping. “The U.K. simply needs to follow their example,” said Webb.
Following a recent license review, London dance venue Drumsheds has been allowed to remain open but was ordered to enforce new safety measures at its events.
Located in Tottenham, a northern suburb of the capital, the 15,000-capacity venue was reported as being at risk of losing its license late last year. This followed a number of serious incidents on the premises and a subsequent investigation launched by Enfield Council.
On Oct. 12, 2024, a 27-year-old man died after attending a Drumsheds event, an incident believed to have been drug-related (as per The London Standard). On Dec. 7, a 29-year-old woman also died after a show by Belfast dance duo Bicep at the venue, with police stating the tragedy was also connected to drug usage. An emergency licensing review was called after the latter incident.
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In November, meanwhile, a man was stabbed inside Drumsheds, with emergency services called to the scene. No arrests have been made in connection with any of these three incidents. The stabbing was later confirmed by police to be non-fatal.
Following a meeting held by Enfield Council Tuesday (Jan. 7), it has been ruled that Drumsheds has permission to remain open, but will need to operate under specific safety measures going forward. The space — a repurposed IKEA unit — will now boast an increased police presence during events, and any serious incidents on the premises must be reported to emergency services immediately.
Issues with the organization of the venue were highlighted online last month, when a public petition was launched amid claims of “overcrowding” at Drumsheds events following a surplus of social media posts related to “unsafe queues.” This happened at the 15th anniversary celebration for U.K. bass label UKF, which took place on Dec. 13 and was headlined by Pendulum, Nero and Knife Party.
As per Mixmag, however, the review findings from the meeting have stated that the venue will not have to reduce its capacity, nor implement mandatory ID scanning and “bomb detection dogs.” It isn’t yet clear how the new measures will impact upcoming events at Drumsheds. The first scheduled event following the review, billed as Red Bull’s Culture Clash, is set to be held on Mar. 8. The line-up features London DJs Jyoty, Kenny Allstar and Teezee.
LONDON — Hit albums by Taylor Swift, The Weeknd and Sabrina Carpenter helped music sales in the United Kingdom reach a record high in 2024, exceeding the peak of the CD era in both revenue and volume for the first time, according to year-end figures from the Digital Entertainment and Retail Association (ERA).
Overall music spending in the U.K. grew to £ 2.4 billion ($3 billion) last year, a rise of 7.4% on 2023 and comfortably surpassing the previous high of £2.2 billion ($2.7 billion at today’s currency rates) back in 2001 when Dido, Robbie Williams and David Gray were topping the British album charts.
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Driving the growth was a 7.8% year-on-year rise in paid-for streaming revenues, which climbed to just over £2 billion ($2.5 billion). Vinyl sales were up 10.5% to £196 million ($245 million), while CD sales were more-or-less flat with 2023 — when revenues increased for the first time in two decades — at £126 million ($157 million). Download sales fell 3.2% to £41 million ($51 million).
The biggest selling album in the U.K. last year was Taylor’s all-conquering The Tortured Poets Department with just under 784,000 equivalent sales, including almost 112,000 vinyl purchases, which also made it 2024’s biggest-selling vinyl album.
Behind Swift in the year-end U.K. album charts was The Weeknd’s The Highlights, followed by Carpenter’s sixth studio set Short N’ Sweet. Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season” was the year’s number one single, topping the British charts for seven weeks and selling 1.9 million equivalent units, the London-based organization reported Wednesday (Jan. 8).
Streaming now makes up 88.8% of music sales in the United Kingdom, a marginal 1.1% rise on 2023’s figure and more than double streaming’s share of the U.K. market six years ago, according to labels trade body BPI, which published its preliminary year-end listening figures last week.
BPI reports that just under 200 billion music tracks were streamed in the U.K. last year, up 11% on 2023’s total, with the equivalent of 201 million albums consumed across streaming, CD and vinyl sales, a year-on-year rise of 9.7%. Streaming alone generated the equivalent of 178 million album sales in 2024, says ERA.
ERA and BPI both use Official Charts Company sales data as the basis for their reporting, although the two organizations take different approaches to measuring the vitality of the recorded music business. ERA’s figures are based on retail spending in the U.K. alongside information provided by streaming services and label trade income, whereas BPI’s analysis measures music consumption levels. Both trade groups will publish their full annual reports later in the year.
The historic low point for the U.K. music industry came in 2013 when rampant piracy and a fast-eroding physical market saw sales fall to just over £1 billion (£1.2 billion in today’s currency). Since then, sales have more than doubled.
“2024 was a banner year for music, with streaming and vinyl taking the sector to all-time-high records in both value and volume,” said ERA CEO Kim Bayley in a statement. She called last year’s retail sales figures “the stunning culmination of music’s comeback” and triumphantly declared: “We can now say definitively – music is back.”
According to ERA, combined physical sales totaled £330 million ($412 million) in the U.K. in 2024, up 6.2% on the previous 12 months, with CD and vinyl sales accounting for nearly 14% of music revenues. The benefits of such a “mixed physical-digital ecology” is key to the music’s industry’s revival, said Bayley.
“We continue to believe that digital and physical channels are complementary and vital for the health of the entertainment market overall,” she said.
Overall, revenues across the U.K. entertainment market – comprising of music, video and games retail sales – were up 2.3% on 2023’s total to a record high of £12 billion ($14.9 billion), marking the 12th consecutive year of growth and an eighth successive all-time-high.
Of the three sectors, the growth of recorded music sales outpaced both video (comprising of video-on-demand subscription services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and DVD sales) and games, but music remains the smallest of the three entertainment industries in revenue terms.
Video was the largest sector with revenues growing 6.9% year-on-year to £5 billion. Games sales totaled £4.6 billion, down 4.4% on 2023 but still nearly twice as large as the recorded music business.
ERA has been reporting on the U.K. entertainment industries since 1999 when music, video and games sales totaled £4.1 billion ($5.1 billion).
It’s the end of an era in Canada as Justin Trudeau announces he will step down as Prime Minister.
The Liberal Party leader has held the country’s top political office since 2015. He will stay on while the Liberals hold a leadership race, with the winner becoming the next Prime Minister until an election is called.
Justin Trudeau faced calls from inside his party to step down, with his popularity plummeting amidst a year where incumbent leaders have lost elections globally.
“This country deserves a real choice in the next election, and it has become clear to me that if I’m having to fight internal battles, I cannot be the best option in that election,” Trudeau said.
The resignation announcement comes as a major piece of arts legislation, the Online Streaming Act, is being implemented. Trudeau’s government oversaw the passing of the Streaming Act, introduced as Bill C-11, which served as the first major update of Canada’s Broadcasting Act and sought to modernize Canadian arts policy for the digital age.
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A federal election is expected soon, with Conservative Party leader — and recent Jordan Peterson podcast guest — Pierre Poilievre ahead in the polls. Poilievre came out last fall against the Streaming Act’s requirements that major foreign streamers contribute 5% of Canadian revenues to support Canadian content, likening it to a tax.
“Spotify prices are going up thanks to Trudeau,” he posted, alongside a graphic of Trudeau DJing. The regulation does not explicitly mandate streaming services to raise their prices.
It’s unclear what a change in government could mean for implementing legislation like the Online Streaming Act, though Poilievre has promised a generally cuts-heavy approach to public funding.
Last year, Trudeau also announced a $32 million increase in funding to the Canada Music Fund, which supports granting bodies FACTOR and Musicaction, and $31 million in funding for festivals and arts performances. The announcements were welcomed by several industry associations.
In recent years, Trudeau has made headlines for appearing at a handful of concerts in Toronto. After tweeting at Taylor Swift to come to Canada when she first announced the Eras Tour, he later attended with his family at Rogers Centre. When Punjabi star Diljit Dosanjh played the same venue, Trudeau came backstage to congratulate him, recognizing the unique Canadian attendance record. Last year, Canadian songwriter and poet Mustafa penned an open letter to the Prime Minister to protect and speak for the people of Palestine.
While the future of Canadian politics is up in the air, writer John Semley joked on BlueSky that this may have been Trudeau’s savviest political decision: resigning before Kendrick Lamar plays “Not Like Us” at the Superbowl.
This story was originally published by Billboard Canada.
LONDON — Proposed changes to U.K. copyright law that would allow tech companies to freely use songs for AI training without permission threaten to place the country’s status as a “world music power” at risk, record labels trade body BPI has warned.
In 2024, hit records by Charli XCX, Sabrina Carpenter, Coldplay and Taylor Swift helped lift the United Kingdom’s streaming market to a record high with just under 200 billion music tracks streamed across the 12 months, up 11% year-on-year, according to year-end figures released Tuesday (Dec. 31) by BPI.
Overall recorded music consumption across streaming and physical album sales rose by a tenth (9.7%) on 2023’s total to 201 million equivalent albums, marking a decade of uninterrupted growth, reports the organization, which represents over 500 independent record labels, as well as the U.K. arms of the three majors: Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group.
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However, the success of the U.K. music business is being challenged on multiple fronts, including intensifying competition from other global markets and proposed regulations around the use of artificial intelligence (AI), says BPI.
The proposed AI guidelines were announced by the British government two weeks ago (Dec. 17) as part of a 10-week consultation on how copyright-protected content, such as music, can lawfully be used by tech companies to train generative AI models. Among them is a controversial new data mining exception that would allow developers to use copyrighted songs for AI training, including commercial purposes, but only in instances where rights holders have not reserved their rights.
BPI chief executive Jo Twist said the proposed opt out mechanism was the “wrong way to realise the exciting potential of AI” and places the U.K.’s music and creative industries at risk by allowing “international tech giants to train AI models on artists’ work without payment or permission.”
“The U.K. remains a world music power, but this status cannot be taken for granted,” said Twist in a statement accompanying Tuesday’s year-end figures. She said that in order to continue to thrive, the U.K. music business needs “a supportive policy environment that puts the focus on human artistry and enables continued investment in the next generation of British talent.”
Of the current generation, more than 20 British groups and solo acts topped the U.K. albums chart in 2024, although Charli XCX and Coldplay were the only homegrown artists in the year’s top 10 best-selling artist albums list, occupying the eighth and ninth positions with Brat and Moon Music, respectively. Veteran British American rock band Fleetwood Mac had the year’s seventh most popular album with their compilation 50 Years – Don’t Stop.
Topping the year-end albums list was Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department, which has sold over 783,000 equivalent units since its release in April – the most for any artist release in a calendar year since 2017, reports BPI. The Tortured Poets Department was one of four albums by Swift to feature among the year’s 20 biggest titles alongside 1989 (Taylor’s Version), Lover and Folklore.
In total, female artists accounted for six of the top 10 and half of the 20 biggest selling artist albums in the U.K. last year with hit releases by Sabrina Carpenter, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan and Olivia Rodrigo helping make it a landmark year for women.
Female artists also spent an unprecedented 34 weeks at No. 1 on the United Kingdom’s official singles chart, largely driven by Carpenter, who spent 21 weeks at the top with her three hit singles: “Espresso, “Please Please Please” and “Taste.” The best-selling single in the U.K. last year was Noah Kahan‘s “Stick Season,” which topped the U.K. charts for seven weeks, followed by Benson Boone‘s “Beautiful Things.”
Vinyl helps physical album sales return to growth
In terms of formats, streaming now makes up 88.8% of music sales in the United Kingdom, a marginal 1.1% rise on 2023’s figure and more than double streaming’s share of the U.K. market six years ago, reports BPI.
Meanwhile, physical sales experienced year-on-year growth for the first time since 1994 with vinyl and CD album purchases up 1.4% to 17.4 million units. Driving the resurgence in physical formats was a 17th consecutive annual rise in vinyl album sales which grew by just over 9% to 6.7 million units, marking a three-decade high.
The year’s most popular vinyl album was Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department, which sold more than 111,000 vinyl copies, followed by a 30th anniversary reissue of Oasis‘ debut Definitely Maybe. Other top-selling vinyl titles included Eilish’s Hit Me Hard And Soft, Fontaines D.C.‘ Romance, The Cure‘s Songs Of A Lost World and Charli XCX’s Brat.
CD sales fell 2.9% year-on-year to 10.5 million units, representing a significant slowdown on the 19% drop recorded in 2022 and the almost 7% slide in sales experienced in 2023. Digital album sales dropped almost 6% to 3.3 million units.
BPI’s preliminary year-end report doesn’t include financial sales data. Instead, it uses Official Charts Company data to measure U.K. music consumption in terms of volume. The London-based organization will publish its full year-end report, including recorded music revenues, later this year.
The U.K. is the world’s third-biggest recorded music market behind the U.S. and Japan with sales of $1.9 billion in 2023, according to IFPI. It is also the second-largest exporter of recorded music worldwide behind the U.S.
Tougher competition from other international markets, including Latin America and fast-growing countries like South Korea, has seen the U.K.’s share of the global recorded music market shrink over the past decade, however.
In 2015, artists from the United Kingdom cumulatively accounted for 17% of global music streams, according to BPI export figures. That figure now stands at 10% with U.K. artists accounting for just nine of the top 40 tracks streamed in the country last year – the highest being “Stargazing” by Myles Smith at number 12.
“From Coldplay, and Charli XCX, to The Last Dinner Party, and Myles Smith, there were plenty of examples of U.K. music success stories in 2024. But there are also rising challenges for domestic talent in a rapidly changing and hyper-competitive global music economy,” said BPI’s Jo Twist.
“By meeting the growing global challenge head-on, tackling challenges around AI, copyright and streaming fraud, and encouraging consumers towards viable models, like paid streaming subscriptions, we can help to ensure that the value of British music is protected and that our industry can continue to grow and flourish at home and around the world,” she said.
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Music Business Year In Review
Five individuals have been charged in connection with the death of Liam Payne, the former One Direction singer who died Oct. 16 after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, according to a public notice by Argentina‘s National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office.
Those charged include hotel manager Gilda Martin, receptionist Esteban Grassi, and Payne’s friend Roger Nores, all facing manslaughter charges. Additionally, hotel employee Ezequiel Pereyra and waiter Braian Paiz have been charged with supplying drugs. In Argentina’s legal system, prosecutors gather evidence for a judge to determine whether to proceed to trial. Judge Laura Bruniard has moved the case to the next stage, a decision the defendants’ lawyers may appeal. If the appeal fails, the case will proceed to trial.
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Court documents identify the suspects only by their initials. Payne’s friend, identified as “RLN,” is accused of manslaughter for allegedly neglecting his duty of care and abandoning Payne despite knowing of his impaired state due to substance abuses. Hotel manager “GAM” is also charged with manslaughter for failing to prevent Payne from being taken to his room under circumstances deemed hazardous. Chief receptionist “ERG” faces similar charges for allegedly instructing others to forcibly take Payne to his room instead of ensuring his safety.
“Payne’s consciousness was altered and there was a balcony in the room,” the judge said. “The proper thing to do was to leave him in a safe place and with company until a doctor arrived. The people responsible at the hotel that day were the manager GAM and the head of reception ERG.”
Judge Bruniard emphasized that while these individuals likely did not intend for Payne to die, their actions or inactions posed significant risks to his life. “They were imprudent in allowing him to be taken to the room and taking him there respectively,” he concluded. “They created a legally disapproved risk and Payne’s death is the concretization of that risk.”
If convicted, the manslaughter charges carry sentences of one to five years in prison, while the drug-supplying charges carry much harsher penalties, ranging from four to 15 years, according to the BBC. The judge ordered Pereyra and Paiz, the two individuals accused of supplying drugs, to remain in custody and appear in court within 24 hours.
Payne’s death was attributed to multiple traumas and hemorrhages resulting from a fall from the third-floor balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel. Toxicology reports revealed the presence of alcohol, cocaine and prescription antidepressants in his system. Before the fatal incident, the head receptionist made two emergency calls — the first call reported a guest “trashing the entire room,” and the second raised concerns that the guest’s life “may be in danger.” Despite these concerns, the receptionist requested only medical services, not police assistance.
Last month, Payne’s funeral was held in Amersham in the UK. It was attended by his former One Direction bandmates — Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik — as well as his girlfriend Kate Cassidy and ex-partner Cheryl Cole, with whom he shares a son.
The Canadian government’s so-called “streaming tax” is on pause.
The CRTC (Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission) revealed in June 2024 that major global streaming companies would be mandated to pay 5% of their annual Canadian revenues into funds that fuel Canadian content. The decision was part of the Online Streaming Act, new legislation that modernizes Canada’s Broadcasting Act for the first time in a generation.
Since then, many of the biggest streaming companies — including Spotify, Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Disney — have been fighting the decision in court. This week, the Federal Court of Appeal decided to put the companies’ required payments on hold until their appeal is heard.
The Canadian Press reports that the payments, estimated to be at least $1.25 million each annually, will not have to be made until the court process is finished. They’ve agreed to expedite the hearings to June 2025, with the bulk of the money due in August.
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While pursuing legal challenges, many of the biggest streaming companies have also launched an online campaign to lobby against the decision in the court of public opinion. A group called DiMA (the Digital Media Association) — whose members include Amazon, Pandora, Spotify, YouTube, Apple and more — launched a website with a petition and letter-writing campaign under the name Stop the Streaming Tax. The campaign has at least one high-profile advocate in musician Bryan Adams, a longtime critic of CanCon regulations.
The 5% contributions “could lead to higher prices for Canadians and fewer content choices,” the website argues. “As a result, you may end up paying more for your favourite streaming services and have less control over what you can watch or listen to.”
Many Canadian music associations like CIMA (the Canadian Independent Music Association), meanwhile, have praised the CRTC’s decision. In June, CIMA president Andrew Cash called it “good news for the Canadian music sector” and said it “lays the groundwork for a dynamic partnership with digital platforms where Canadian talent can thrive both domestically and internationally.”
The mandated contributions would go to music funds like FACTOR and Musicaction as well as the Canadian Starmaker Fund, funds to support commercial and community radio, and to the Indigenous Music Office and other Indigenous music incubators.
More on this story as it develops.
This story was originally published by Billboard Canada.
It’s been an eventful year for music in Canada. Billboard Canada has published year-end versions of multiple charts: the Canadian Hot 100, Canadian Albums, Top Artists (which combines data from both), Canadian Airplay, Canadian Streaming and Canadian Digital Song Sales. Each one tells a story about the Canadian music landscape in 2024.
It’s no big surprise to see who tops the year-end Billboard Canadian Hot 100 chart. Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” broke the record for longest-leading No. 1 hit this year, surpassing Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” for 20 weeks at the top and then extending the record to 25 weeks at No. 1. He set a similar record on the U.S. Hot 100, but did it in Canada first and for longer (on the U.S. Year-End Hot 100, “Tipsy” finishes second behind “Lose Control” by Teddy Swims.)
The biggest music story of the year was Drake vs. Kendrick Lamar. If one song can be declared the winner based solely on the charts, it’s “Not Like Us.” Even in Canada, Drake’s home turf, Kendrick’s irresistible diss track charted the highest. The song sits at No. 11 on the year-end Canadian Hot 100 and No. 11 on the year-end Streaming Songs chart. That chart success comes with some controversy, however, with Drake launching legal actions to accuse Universal Music Group, iHeartRadio and Spotify of conspiring to inflate the numbers. But the song was a bona fide hit.
Drake’s biggest hits, meanwhile, have little to do with his Kendrick beef. “IDGAF” with Yeat at No. 54, “Rich Baby Daddy” with SZA & Sexyy Red at No. 67, and “First Person Shooter” with J. Cole at No. 75 are all from his 2023 album For All The Dogs. And on the 2024 Artists chart for Canada? Drake is at No. 4 and Kendrick is at No. 17.
It’s never a surprise to see Taylor Swift ruling the year-end charts, but her unprecedented Eras Tour — undoubtedly the highest-grossing of all time — has given her an extra boost this year as she finished it off in Toronto and Vancouver in November and December. All of Taylor’s eras (or albums, if you’re old-fashioned) got a boost, which made her a lock for No. 1 on the Artists chart, which combines data from the Canadian Hot 100 and Canadian Albums chart. On the latter chart, Swift holds four of the top 10 spots: The Tortured Poets Department at No. 1, 1989 (Taylor’s Version) at No. 4 and Lover and Midnights at Nos. 9 and 10.
Check out a full chart breakdown — including trends like the resurgence of Canadian icons, homegrown radio hits and the success of francophone Quebec and Punjabi artists — here. And find all the year-end 2024 charts here.
This story was originally published by Billboard Canada.
With a career spanning over four decades, Abdul Majeed Abdullah has become a cornerstone of Arabic music, and his influence shows no signs of fading. Revered as “The Prince of Tarab,” Abdullah continues to captivate audiences with his unparalleled artistry, bridging generations and defining the sound of Khaleeji music while shaping the broader Arabic music landscape.
For Abdullah, 2024 was yet another landmark year, as the inaugural Billboard Arabia Music Awards in Riyadh, Saudia Arabia, honored the iconic artist with multiple awards. At this groundbreaking event — a milestone for the region that took place at King Fahad Cultural Center on Dec. 11 — he received artist of the year in the Khaleeji dialect genre and top male artist in the Khaleeji dialect, alongside a prestigious lifetime achievement award, which recognized his profound and lasting impact on the Arab music world and on Khaleeji music in particular.
The ceremony celebrated the rich diversity of Arabic music, showcasing a wide array of subgenres, including the winners from Billboard Arabia’s various dialect charts: Khaleeji, Egyptian, Moroccan and Levantine. The awards also highlighted distinctive local cultural genres such as Mahraganat, a progressive and energetic contemporary iteration of Egyptian shaabi (popular folk) music, and Shelat, an evolving genre that has transformed from a poetic tribal chant to drive a new wave of Khaleeji music. In addition, the event spotlighted the dynamic rise of Arabic hip-hop and Arabic indie sounds, where global musical influences merge seamlessly with Arabic lyricism, creating a vibrant fusion of styles that reflects the evolving regional landscape. Sherine Abdel Wahab, recognized as a Global Force honoree at Billboard’s Women in Music event in March, was named artist of the year at the Billboard Arabia Music Awards.
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Since the launch of the Billboard Arabia charts in December 2023, Abdullah has consistently appeared on both the Billboard Arabia Hot 100 and Billboard Arabia Artist 100 charts. His track “Ya Ibn Al Awadam” from the 2021 album Aam Mouazy marked his debut on the charts, where it remained for nine weeks. Later in the year, he returned to the charts with songs from his latest album, including “Haki Wajid” and “Ya Meniti,” and with his pre-album single, “Lak Saqni Al Rab.” Throughout 2024, his presence on the Artist 100 chart was particularly remarkable: He only missed one week on the list, underscoring his enduring popularity and influence, and cementing him as the artist for Billboard Arabia to spotlight for this year’s Global No. 1s series.
With the launch of Billboard Arabia’s subgenre charts in August, which featured various musical genres and dialects, Abdullah quickly emerged as the dominant force in the Khaleeji category. He made an impressive debut, securing 11 songs on the Top 50 Khaleeji dialect chart in its first week. His record peaked at 12 songs in a single week, and throughout the year, the number of his songs on the list never dropped below seven — remarkable consistency and dominance that earned him the artist of the year - Khaleeji dialect award in 2024.
It’s noteworthy that Abdullah’s songs featured on Billboard Arabia’s Top 50 Khaleeji chart span four different decades. His track “Sahit Jamra,” from the 1990s, made an appearance, as well as “Insan Akthar” from the early 2000s. Additionally, his song “Ruh Al-Ruh” from the 2010s, along with multiple tracks from his album A Parallel World and his latest release, reflect his continued relevance and influence in the current decade. Meanwhile, Abdullah’s recognition with the inaugural lifetime achievement award honored his extraordinary career and lasting impact on the Khaleeji and Arabic music landscape. Over the past four decades, he has remained influential, continuously releasing music and performing to sold-out audiences. His most recent album, Abdul Majeed Abdullah 2024, further cemented his legacy, achieving widespread popularity and showcasing his ability to innovate within his genre. The honor celebrated Abdullah not only for his artistic excellence but also for his profound and enduring influence on the cultural consciousness of the Arab world.