State Champ Radio Music News
Page: 111
Trending on Billboard Megan Thee Stallion is enjoying her WAG era. Klay Thompson and the Dallas Mavericks kicked off the NBA season on Wednesday night (Oct. 22) against the San Antonio Spurs and Megan was courtside to cheer on her boo. Explore See latest videos, charts and news The Houston Hottie also had a gift […]
Trending on Billboard
Gains from self-paying subscribers almost equally offset losses from partnerships as French music streaming company Deezer’s revenue fell 0.9% to 131.4 million euros ($154 million) in the third quarter, the company announced Thursday (Oct. 23).
“Subscriber growth in France has accelerated for a third consecutive quarter, confirming the positive impact of our differentiation initiatives in our home market,” CEO Alexis Lanternier said in a statement. “In the rest of the world, subscription numbers in the Direct segment are also picking up pace, reflecting the quality of our service and the appeal of our brand as we champion transparency and fairness in music streaming.
Related
Revenue from partnerships fell 12.6% to 35.6 million euros ($42 million) and subscribers from these partnerships dropped 24.5% from the prior-year quarter. Deezer powers music streaming platforms for numerous companies globally and counts these partnership subscribers separately from subscribers who pay directly. The company attributed the loss in its partnerships business to “the residual impact” of a business model shift by Mercado Libre, a Latin America e-commerce company that partnered with Deezer in 2023. A focus on higher average revenue per user (ARPU) also contributed to the decline in partnership subscribers, the company said.
Direct subscribers grew in number to 5.5 million, up nearly 10%, and direct subscription revenue increased 1.6% to 87.9 million euros ($103 million). France accounted for 3.7 million of those direct subscribers, an 11.7% increase from the prior-year period, which the company attributed to “good performance” of family plans. Direct subscribers from the rest of the world rose 6.1% to 1.8 million.
ARPU from direct subscribers fell nearly 5% to 5.4 euros ($6.31) per month. Partnership ARPU rose 6% to 3.1 euros ($3.62) per month.
Related
Other revenue, which consists of advertising and ancillary revenue, rose 17.4% to 7.9 million euros ($9.2 million). Deezer said the improvement “mainly reflected the performance of the white labelling solutions for hardware / media partners.”
While relatively small compared to the likes of Spotify and Apple Music, Deezer has attempted to separate itself from its competitors by making combating AI music a business priority. In September, the company revealed that it detected the delivery of over 30,000 fully AI-generated tracks each day. That accounts for 28% of all daily track uploads, up from 18% in April and 10% in January. These fully AI-generated tracks are eliminated from Deezer’s algorithmic recommendations and excluded from editorial playlists.
Looking ahead, Deezer confirmed its full-year guidance in which it expects positive adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) and positive free cash flow for the second consecutive year.
Trending on Billboard
The legal battle between A$AP Relli and A$AP Rocky is continuing on despite Rocky’s acquittal on charges of shooting his former friend and associate this past February.
On Thursday (Oct. 23), a judge in Los Angeles refused to throw out the civil defamation lawsuit brought by Relli (Terrell Ephron) stemming from the alleged altercation with Rocky (Rakim Mayers) near a Hollywood hotel in 2021.
Related
Relli alleges that Rocky fired a handgun at him twice during their argument, while Rocky maintains that the “weapon” was a prop gun filled with blanks. Prosecutors charged Rocky with two felony assault counts in 2022, but he was acquitted of both criminal charges following a sensational trial this year.
Still, Relli is continuing to claim that Rocky shot him in a civil lawsuit that he brought around the same time as his former A$AP Mob collaborator’s arrest. That case, in which Relli seeks financial damages from Rocky for assault, battery and emotional distress, is scheduled to go to trial in January.
Relli separately brought a defamation lawsuit in 2023 against both Rocky and his criminal defense lawyer, Joe Tacopina. Relli says the duo smeared his name when Tacopina gave press interviews calling Relli’s shooting claims “extortion” and a “get-rich-quick-scheme.”
Rocky and Tacopina sought to get the defamation suit thrown out under California’s anti-SLAPP statute, which guards against frivolous litigation that threatens free speech. But Judge Randolph M. Hammock ruled Thursday that Relli’s slander claims don’t meet this standard for dismissal.
Related
Judge Hammock said Rocky and Tacopina cannot rely on a principle known as the litigation privilege, which provides a complete free speech shield for statements made in court proceedings, because the lawyer’s media interviews were given “to shape the public opinion” rather than advance any legal position. The judge also determined that Relli’s defamation claim is not “meritless” under the anti-SLAPP guardrails.
“For purposes of this motion, plaintiff has established all elements of his defamation claims,” wrote the judge. “Plaintiff submits evidence that Tacopina published statements to media outlets, in essence contending that plaintiff fabricated the incident with Mayers then filed the lawsuit to force a payout.”
“Plaintiff refutes this in his declaration, as he attests that Mayers fired a handgun and struck him in the hand,” continues Judge Hammock’s decision. “He establishes that Tacopina’s statements were defamatory, as they labeled Ephron a liar and extortionist. Finally, Ephron established that these statements caused him damages. For purposes of this motion, plaintiff has met his burden.”
Relli has not actually won on any defamation claims yet, but the lawsuit moved past a major obstacle in Thursday’s ruling. Now, the matter will continue forward through evidence discovery and toward a possible trial.
Relli’s lawyers declined to comment on Thursday. Reps for Rocky and Tacopina did not immediately return requests for comment.
Trending on Billboard Taylor Swift is keeping her giving streak going by donating a life-changing chunk of change to Lilah, a 2-year-old Swiftie who’s battling brain cancer. The pop star quietly contributed $100k to a GoFundMe page raising money for the toddler and her family as Lilah undergoes treatment for “a very rare aggressive form […]
Trending on Billboard
Janet Jackson has been delivering some of the slickest dance moves in the world for more than four decades — and she’s not slowing down anytime soon.
On Tuesday (Oct. 21), the Grammy-winning music icon received the Icon of the Year Award at The Gala of the Stars, an annual benefit supporting Dancers Against Cancer. Oscar, Emmy and Tony winner Liza Minnelli — a longtime friend of the Jackson family — presented the award in person, honoring the “What Have You Done for Me Lately” singer’s influence on music, dance and culture. This marked Minnelli’s first public appearance since the 2022 Academy Awards, where she presented best picture to Coda alongside Lady Gaga.
Between the British Museum Ball, reuniting with niece Paris Jackson at Paris Fashion Week, and gearing up for her final three live shows of the year, it’s been a busy few weeks for Ms. Jackson. Nonetheless, she carved out the time to accept an honor from a community to which she has greatly contributed over the course of her storied career.
“I love dance. I’ve always loved dance, and I remember, since I was five or six years old, always dancing with my brothers around the house. They were my first teachers and choreographers,” she reflected during her speech, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “I want to thank all of you guys for sharing your creativity, but not just that, for your friendship through all these years. Thank you so much. I want to thank my family for their entire support and love and for always encouraging me. I also want to sincerely thank everyone who’s been there for me throughout this entire journey, and I want to thank God for giving me life, allowing me to have a career and to continue to do what I love and still enjoy.”
To close out her speech, Jackson also made it clear that she will always keep dancing, saying “In a few — more than a few — months, maybe six or seven months, I’m going to be 60 years old. I have to tell you, I have no plans to stop dancing!”
She also reflected on the honor in an X post on Thursday (Oct. 23). “I never take moments like this for granted. Your mission is profoundly important, and thank you for giving our community a meaningful way to give back,” she wrote in part alongside photos of herself at the event, including a clip of her speech as well as a snapshot of herself with Minnelli. She also addressed the star, writing, “Dear Liza, receiving this award from an icon & friend like you means more than I can say. You have been an inspiration to me and to the world, and I am deeply touched. I love you.”
Marking her second icon award of 2025 — she received an equivalent honor at May’s Jennifer Lopez-hosted American Music Awards — Jackson has spent the year tearing through a 22-show run at Resorts World Theatre in Las Vegas for her latest concert residency. On Dec. 29, she will play her final show of the year at Yaamava’ Theater in Highland, Calif. Earlier this year, Jackson hit No. 92 on the Billboard Hot 100 with Cardi B’s “Principal,” making her just the third woman in Billboard history to reach that chart for a fifth consecutive calendar decade with new material.
Trending on Billboard The World Series heads north of the border for the first time in 32 years, and the MLB has tapped Pharrell Williams alongside the Voices of Fire choir and the Jonas Brothers to perform at the first two games of the Fall Classic. Before the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers […]
Trending on Billboard Reba McEntire is set to usher in the holidays as host of this year’s Christmas in Rockefeller Center special, which will air Dec. 3 at 8 p.m. on NBC and simulcast on Peacock. Explore See latest videos, charts and news The two-hour special, held at Rockefeller Center in New York City, will […]
Trending on Billboard 50 Cent is looking to go from “In Da Club” to the wedding reception. The G-Unit sat down with ExtraTV on Wednesday (Oct. 22), during which 50 relayed he’d gladly accept an invite to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding. “I would make my way over there,” 50 said when asked if […]
Trending on Billboard Chappell Roan is walking the walk. After advocating for the LGBTQ+ community throughout her career, the pop star has announced a fund called the Midwest Princess Project supporting vulnerable trans youth. The news came in the form of an Instagram post on Thursday (Oct. 23), with Roan writing, “I am so excited […]
Trending on Billboard Is Spotify becoming more than just a place to stream songs? This week, Spotify’s global head of marketing and policy, music business, Sam Duboff, joins host Kristin Robinson to talk about how the platform is evolving to serve both artists and fans in new ways. From developing AI tools with the music […]
