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GEMA revenue rose 4% to €1.33 billion in 2024 ($1.44 billion, according to an average annual exchange rate), the German collecting society announced Tuesday (April 8). The organization also said it’s distributing €1.13 billion ($1.22 billion) to rightsholders, the third consecutive year in which that number has exceeded the billion-euro mark. It reduced its cost ratio modestly, from 15.2% to 14.9%.
Last year “was marked by geopolitical tensions, economic uncertainty, and disruptive technological developments,” GEMA CEO Tobias Holzmüller said in a statement released with the results. “In this environment, GEMA demonstrated stability — financially, organizationally, and culturally.”
The live concert business segment is growing especially fast, with revenue rising almost 17% to €194.9 million ($210.9 million). Public performance revenue as a whole — i.e., revenue from compositions played in public places, including concerts but also stores or restaurants — rose 13.1% to €502 million ($543.3 million). That’s GEMA’s biggest category of revenue, with growth fueled largely by Germany’s live concert boom.
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GEMA’s second biggest source of revenue was online, which came in at €310.1 million ($335.6 million), down very slightly from €310.3 million ($335.8 million). Online generally shows more growth, but the way collecting societies book revenue makes it hard to draw any conclusions from this. Revenue from the use of music on radio and TV increased 1.2% to €308.4 million ($333.8 million).
International revenue increased to €87.8 million ($95 million), up 6.9%. Revenue from statutory remuneration rights, which consists mostly of levies on blank media and computer memory, as well as legal settlements, fell to €58.6 million ($63.4 million) — down significantly from 2023, when retroactive remuneration claims were settled — or about the 2022 level. Mechanical royalties from physical media, such as CDs and vinyl records, should increase 2.2% to €45.7 million ($49.5 million).
For the past few years, since the pandemic, the major European collecting societies have experienced substantial growth — partly because they took in less during the pandemic and partly because of the subsequent boom in concert attendance. This year, growth is expected to return to normal, and that seems to be the case with GEMA’s results. It will be interesting to see if its rival societies fare better, or whether overall growth will return to a slow, gradual climb.
Kai Cenat takes pride in giving back to the community, and one recent clip found him covering the cost of a pizza order for two young fans and their father after the children recognized him. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The heartwarming gesture went viral on […]
Travis Scott’s first major break in music came thanks to Ye (formerly Kanye West). Thirteen years after appearing on Cruel Summer‘s “Sin City” and working on Yeezus, Scott still has an appreciation for West giving him a chance.
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La Flame’s Complex cover story, which was published on Tuesday (April 8), sees him tackle quite a few topics, including his stance when it comes to his relationship with Ye.
“S–t, man. That’s my kid’s uncle,” he said in the interview, which appears to have taken place in February. “That guy took me in when I was young, when I was like 19. He taught me a lot about music. And not even just ‘taught’ me, but he allowed me to experience the creation of music.”
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Scott continued to reflect. “To create music with him, it’s what helped me grow, making a lot of beats,” he shared. “Whether it’s writing and collabing on music and film or clothes or whatever the f–k it is, just constantly learning.”
While Ye was raising issues with many of his peers during a series of explosive X rants in March, he took aim at Scott during an interview with DJ Akademiks. West — who has been facing backlash since 2022 for his hate speech — explained that why he felt disrespected by the “Sicko Mode” rapper.
“Trav left me off his album,” he said. “Took four of my songs from the ranch in Wyoming. My choruses, my exact singing lines — replace me with him, or put Future, SZA on the joints. With no explanation, the s–t just comes out.”
In August 2023, following Utopia‘s arrival, Scott performed in Rome and brought out West and gave his idol his flowers. “There is no Utopia without Kanye West. There is no Travis Scott without Kanye West. There is no Rome without Kanye West. Make some noise for Ye,” Scott told the crowd.
As for Scott’s next move, he’ll be headlining Saturday night (April 12) at Coachella. He also provided some context into his upcoming projects with another Jackboys label compilation and his solo album on the way.
“And for this next album, I just want to have the most ultimate fun with being creative,” he told Complex. “The most ultimate fun, taking all the things I learned and packing it in the CD and making it enjoyable to go crazy in the stadium. That’s the idea.”
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. Tyla is now the face of of Pandora. The “Push 2 Star” singer has been named Pandora’s newest ambassador and is […]
Dwayne Johnson helped a young fan named Kane’s wish come true shortly before his death. The Moana actor took to Instagram on Monday (April 7) to share a sweet Make-A-Wish America video call he had with the boy on March 11, and the star is seen chatting with Kane, who is laying in his hospital […]
Baka Not Nice recently sat down with Hot Freestyle’s Mic Check podcast and talked about being mentioned in Kendrick Lamar‘s “Not Like Us.”
When the subject came up, Baka revealed that he initially planned on immediately responding to Kendrick after the Compton MC rapped that he had a “weird case” and asked why Drake chose to continue to have him around. “My first initial thing was to respond and respond quickly, very efficiently and very to the point,” he said. “It started brewing in me because where I come from, that s—t doesn’t happen. You can’t just call out a man and not have paperwork to back up your talks. It’s ludicrous.”
He added that he couldn’t believe how big the song had gotten. “And then to see a whole nation behind it and celebrating it like it’s a true story is unbelievable,” he said. “Everybody has to understand: I have a kid, Drake has a kid, so, like, making accusations like that are ridiculous and out of this world.”
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He then revealed that he didn’t respond because Drake talked him out of it and asked him to ignore it. “I was building up a lot of anger but then I got a call,” he said. “And [Drake’s] like, ‘Yo, I know what you’re feeling, I know you as an individual, I know how you get down but I’m just letting you know, don’t listen to the noise ’cause it’s noise.’ If you go back and look at all these people that are saying things, they’re not even real people, they’re bots. Don’t let that s—t bother you, bro. And you know what? I mean, it’s not a good thing but they’re calling your name.”
Baka then asked fans to do their due diligence and look up the case Lamar was referring to because he felt like he was being accused of pedophilia. “And at the end of the day, they’re gonna get over this crap because they’re gonna realize that it’s crap, and then they’re gonna do their own research,” he said. “And when you do you’re own research, you’re gonna be like, ‘Wow, this guy made up a whole story about something that isn’t even true.’ It makes you look weird to me. I don’t know.”
He finally concluded his answer with a message to fans. “I wanna say one thing to America,” he began. Y’all need to get yourself together because, yo, making serious accusations like that, you need to have paperwork. That is the No. 1 rule.”
Baka Not Nice reveals he was going to respond to Kendrick Lamar, but Drake told him to ignore all the noiseHe also called Kendrick’s accusations “ridiculous” pic.twitter.com/3i5RE4GGXn— Hot Freestyle (@HotFreestyle) April 7, 2025
The “weird case” Kendrick mentioned stems from a 2014 incident when Baka — born Travis Savoury — was charged with procuring prostitution and human trafficking. Those charges were dropped after he pleaded guilty to assaulting a 22-year-old Toronto woman and was sentenced to six months in jail, according to the Toronto Sun.
Drake is currently embroiled in a high profile defamation lawsuit with his parent label, UMG, alleging it defamed him by promoting Lamar’s Drizzy diss track “Not Like Us,” which includes the lyric “certified pedophile.” UMG denied the allegations and later filed to dismiss the case.
Watch Baka Not Nice discuss “Not Like Us” below:
Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs sub-genre charts (dated April 12, 2025) have arrived, spotlighting a variety of format stars across the four new rankings.
The surveys — Hot Regional Mexican Songs, Hot Latin Pop Songs, Hot Latin Rhythm Songs and Hot Tropical Songs — celebrate the accomplishments of Latin artists based on the same multimetric methodology (official U.S. audio and video streaming, radio airplay and sales) used for the pan-genre Hot Latin Songs chart and the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, with data provided by Luminate.
Bad Bunny doubles up, dominating Hot Latin Rhythm Songs with “DTMF” and Hot Tropical Songs with “Baile Inolvidable.” Selena Gomez, Benny Blanco and The Marías join forces to rule Hot Latin Pop Songs with “Ojos Tristes,” and Fuerza Regida and Grupo Frontera claim the top spot on Hot Regional Mexican Songs with “Me Jalo.”
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Here’s a deeper look at the four charts’ first leaders, which, notably, take the top four spots on Hot Latin Songs.
Bad Bunny Best on Latin Rhythm, Tropical
Bad Bunny’s “DTMF” is No. 1 on the Hot Latin Rhythm Songs chart with 9.6 million official U.S. streams from March 28 to April 3. On the radio front, the song drew 5.4 million audience impressions — up 18% week-over-week.
“DTMF” also tops the Hot Latin Songs chart for a 12th week, having become the superstar’s sweet 16th No. 1. It’s his sixth song to reign for at least a dozen weeks.
Benito’s “Baile Inolvidable,” meanwhile, tops the first Hot Tropical Songs chart, with 8.3 million streams and 6.1 million in radio reach. The track ranks at No. 4 on Hot Latin Songs, after previously reaching No. 2 on the chart.
Gomez, Blanco & Marías Top Latin Pop
Selena Gomez, Benny Blanco and The Marías’ “Ojos Tristes” crowns Hot Latin Pop Songs fueled by strong streaming and airplay gains. The track, a modern reinterpretation of Jeanette’s British-Spanish classic “El Muchacho De Los Ojos Tristes,” drew 8.7 million U.S. official streams, up 5%. It’s also beginning on radio, with 506,000 in audience.
“Ojos Tristes” ascends from No. 4 to No. 3 in its second week on Hot Latin Songs.
Fuerza Regida, Grupo Frontera Rule Regional Mexican
Fuerza Regida and Grupo Frontera’s “Me Jalo” starts atop the Hot Regional Mexican Songs chart, just one week after simultaneously leading both the Latin Airplay and Regional Mexican Airplay charts. The collab collected 8.1 million streams and 7.5 million in radio audience over the last week. It rises 3-2 for a new high on Hot Latin Songs.
In celebration of Cypress Hill‘s seminal sophomore effort Black Sunday, the rap group announced it’ll be launching a new graphic novel titled CYPRESS Hill: BLACK SUNDAY. On Tuesday (April 8), the news broke that the band had been hard at working crafting the comic alongside Z2 Comics and writers Noah Callahan-Bever and Gabriel Alvarez. The […]
Rubby Pérez has been hospitalized following the deadly roof collapse at the Jet Set nightclub in the Dominican Republic, where he was performing early on Tuesday (April 8). The 69-year-old Dominican merengue singer — known for Billboard hits such as “Tu Vas a Volar,” “Enamorado de Ella” and “15,500 Noches” in collaboration with Romeo Santos, […]
Arcade Fire‘s seventh studio album is on its way, with the band announcing that new LP Pink Elephant is set to arrive this spring and dropping lead single “Year of the Snake” Tuesday (April 8).
Featuring 10 tracks recorded at married bandmates Win Butler and Régine Chassagne’s Good News Recording Studio in New Orleans, the project is described as a “cinematic, mystical punk” offering that “invites the listener on a sonic odyssey” exploring themes of light, darkness, inner beauty and “the perception of the individual.” The album’s title apparently refers to the paradox of actively trying to suppress a certain thought, and in doing so, making that thought impossible not to think about.
As shared in a post on Arcade Fire’s Instagram, Pink Elephant will arrive May 9. The band also unveiled its cover art: a photo of a small elephant-shaped candle burning against a hot pink backdrop.
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Fans’ first taste of the album via “Year of the Snake” is chill, contemplative alt-rock, with Butler and Chassagne singing together over a thrumming bass line and anthemic glimmers, “It’s the season of change, and if you you feel strange, it’s probably good.” The song comes third on a tracklist that also includes the titles “Open Your Heart or Die Trying,” “Pink Elephant,” “Circle of Trust,” “Alien Nation,” “Beyond Salvation,” “Ride or Die,” “I Love Her Shadow,” “She Cries Diamond Rain” and “Stuck in My Head.”
Pink Elephant will mark Arcade Fire’s first LP since 2022’s We, which reached No. 6 on the Billboard 200 and climbed to the summit of the Top Rock Albums chart. It’ll also be the band’s first release since Butler was accused by multiple former fans of sexual misconduct, after which the frontman released a statement denying that any part of his relationships with those women was nonconsensual — though he did also apologize to “anyone who I have hurt with my behavior.”
A few days prior to the album announcement, Arcade Fire also rolled out a new app called Circle of Trust, where fans can now access special content including music, videos, early access to tickets, exclusive merch and more. This week, the band shared exclusive song “Cars and Telephones” — billed as the first composition Butler ever played for Chassagne — on the app.
See the Pink Elephant album cover and listen to “Year of the Snake” below.
