Music News

13 Mar 2025

The Mars Volta Confirm Release of New Album, ‘Lucro Sucio; Los Ojos del Vacío’

The Mars Volta appear to be sick of the standard album release plan, with the group finally confirming their new album after weeks of speculation.

Vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala confirmed the existence of the new album via his Instagram Stories this week, sharing a pre-order link to a record titled Lucro Sucio; Los Ojos del Vacío. No other announcement from the band – be it a larger social media post or a press release – has mentioned the record, though it is currently available for pre-order via online retailers such as Amazon. These retailers list an official release date of April 11.

“The Mars Volta’s ninth studio album represents a significant milestone for the band, which has been continually reinventing itself for more than 20 years,” an online description for the record reads. “With Lucro Sucio; Los Ojos del Vacio, they deliver an album that celebrates their roots, allowing them to reconnect with their origins. Fans are invited to embark on a musical journey.”

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The album’s rollout plan has been a strange one, perhaps in response to the fact that both news of the album and its content had leaked prematurely in late January. While The Mars Volta had not acknowledged the leak publicly, they launched a U.S. tour in support of Deftones on Feb. 25, where they have since been performing Lucro Sucio; Los Ojos del Vacío in its near-entirety.

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On March 2, a Reddit user took to The Mars Volta subreddit to share an unverified story in which they claimed to have delivered food to Bixler-Zavala while the band were in Oregon, only to be handed the singer’s personal copy of the album. The user shared a handful of photos to support their claim, adding further speculation amongst fans as to when the album would be officially released.

The Mars Volta was formed by Bixler-Zavala and guitarist Omar Rodríguez-López following the breakup of their previous band At the Drive-In. Debut album De-Loused in the Comatorium was released in 2003, while 2005’s Frances the Mute would see the band reach No. 4 on the Billboard 200. They would release a total of six albums across their initial run, with 2012’s Noctourniquet preceding their split the following year.

While Bixler-Zavala and Rodríguez-López would later perform again in Antemasque and a reunited At the Drive-In, The Mars Volta would not be considered active again until 2019. They returned to releasing music in 2022 with a self-titled record, and an acoustic re-recording of the album the following year titled Que Dios Te Maldiga Mi Corazón.

13 Mar 2025

Radiohead Ignite New Release Speculation After Forming Fresh Legal Entity

A new release from Radiohead could be on the way, if a historical trend of new legal entities is to be believed.

According to the British Government’s Companies House agency, the five members of Radiohead established a new limited liability partnership under the name RHEUK25 LLP on Monday (March 10). An LLP is a legal business entity which allows the band to exist and conduct their own dealings outside of the typical framework of a record label.

While the establishment of an LLP may mean nothing on face value, historical activities have indicated that a new release or tour usually follows after Radiohead or its members establish a new LLP. 

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In 2007, the group prefaced the release of In Rainbows with the creation of Xurbia Xendless Ltd., which was followed by Ticker Tape Ltd. ahead of The King Of Limbs’ arrival in 2011, while 2016’s A Moon Shaped Pool was rumored after the discovery of the Dawn Chorus LLP.

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It’s not just restricted to Radiohead’s movements as a whole, with frontman Thom Yorke having been a part of Unsustainabubble Ltd. in 2010 before Atoms for Peace released their solo album in 2013, with the partnership also being used for his later solo releases. In 2021, Self Help Tapes LLP was incorporated before the release of The Smile’s debut album, and has since been used for their subsequent releases.

The most recent partnership to be created with all five members of Radiohead was Spin With a Grin Ltd., which arrived ahead of their 2021 reissue of Kid A and Amnesiac, dubbed Kid A Mnesia. It should be noted though, the nascent establishment of RHEUK25 LLP also coincides with the anniversary of Radiohead’s second album, The Bends, which was released 30 years ago on Thursday (March 13). Currently, it’s unknown whether the new LLP could be related to new music or a potential reissue.

Radiohead haven’t released a new studio album since 2016’s A Moon Shaped Pool, which peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 at the time. Band members have remained active since, with Yorke and guitarist Jonny Greenwood teaming with Tom Skinner to craft The Smile. On Tuesday (March 11), Yorke also announced a collaborative album with Mark Pritchard, with Tall Tales slated to arrive on May 9.

Speaking to Australian radio station Double J ahead of his Australian tour last year, Yorke noted his ignorance of online speculation regarding the band’s future. “I am not aware of it and don’t really give a flying f–k,” Yorke said. 

“No offence to anyone and err, thanks for caring. But I think we’ve earned the right to do what makes sense to us without having to explain ourselves or be answerable to anyone else’s historical idea of what we should be doing.”

13 Mar 2025

Chappell Roan Unveils Country-Leaning Track ‘The Giver’: Stream It Now

The Midwest Princess is heading back to her roots. Chappell Roan unveiled her newest single, “The Giver,” on Thursday (March 13), putting her own spin on country music.

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In the fiddle-heavy track, she declares in the cheeky chorus: “Take it like a taker, ’cause, baby, I’m a giver/ Ain’t no need to hurry, ’cause, baby, I deliver/ Ain’t no country boy quitter/ I get the job done.”

The Grammy-winning superstar announced the single earlier this month via Instagram, sharing a photo of herself dressed up in construction gear. “I have such a special place in my heart for country music,” she wrote. “I grew up listening to it every morning and afternoon on my school bus and had it swirling around me at bon fires, grocery stores and karaoke bars.”

“Many people have asked if this means I’m making a country album???” the Missouri native continued “My answer is.. hmm right now I’m just making songs that make me feel happy and fun and The Giver is my take on c–try xoxo may the classic country divas lead their genre, I am just here to twirl and do a little gay yodel for yall.”

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She also explained that she’s not planning to stray away from pop on Amazon Music’s Country Heat Weekly podcast. “I’m not trying to convince a country crowd that they should listen to my music by baiting them with a country song,” Roan said. “That’s not what I feel like I’m doing. I just think a lesbian country song is really funny, so I wrote that.”

The song marks Roan’s first release since her Grammy-nominated hit, “Good Luck, Babe!,” which she dropped in April last year. The track — which remains the only song she’s released since her breakthrough 2023 album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess — peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in September.

Listen to “The Giver” below.

13 Mar 2025

The Deals: RCA Records Partners With Chinese Hip-Hop Label, EMPIRE Invests in un:hurd music

RCA Records Greater China, a division of Sony Music Entertainment, signed a strategic partnership with Chinese indie label and music collective IRIS Chengdu, founded by Chengdu, China-based producer, DJ and recording artist Andre Grant, a.k.a. HARIKIRI. During his career, HARIKIRI has worked with artists including American rapper Jay Park and Chinese hip-hop group Higher Brothers. Over the next year, five albums will be spawned from the partnership, including new releases from female Chinese rapper Vinida Weng, rapper/singer/songwriter Haysen Cheng and HARIKIRI himself, among others. According to a press release, Chengdu “has been widely regarded as the epicentre of China’s evolving hip hop music scene and touted as the city raising China’s new generation of rappers.”

EMPIRE formed a partnership with automated music marketing and promotion platform un:hurd music that includes an investment in un:hurd to support the development of new tools and will give EMPIRE access to un:hurd’s tools and services. The partnership came amid un:hurd’s ongoing fundraise, which has drawn investors including Willard Ahdritz, Dan Runcie’s Trapital Ventures and Mindset Ventures MusicTech. According to un:hurd CEO/founder Alex Brees, the platform boasts a community of more than 125,000 artists and record labels.

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Bria, a generative AI platform for visual images that claims to be built on 100% licensed data, closed $40 million in Series B funding, bringing its total capital raise to $65 million. The money will be used to scale the company’s visual generative AI platform and widen the application of its patented attribution engine to music, video and text generation. The company says its attribution engine “bridges the generative output and the training dataset, so data owners are programmatically compensated according to their overall influence on each generated output,” according to a press release. In a statement, Bria founder/CEO Dr. Yair Adato added, “Enterprises can use our source code and API platform to integrate visual generative AI inside their products and access previously untouchable premium branded content. By broadening our attribution offering to all types of content, including music, video, and text, we are helping to usher in a truly sustainable creative economy.”

Japanese talent management and production company Asobisystem teamed up with blackx, described as a leader in music investments in Asia, to help expand the J-pop genre globally. According to a press release, the companies “will expand artist portfolios, venturing beyond traditional music to explore innovative IP such as cross-industry collaborations, introducing J-Pop to new global audiences and reinforcing Japan’s leadership in the entertainment sector.” Asobisystem’s roster includes Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, Atarashii Gakko!, Fruits Zipper and Yasutaka Nakata.

Synch platform SourceAudio struck a deal with AI-powered music analysis platform Cyanite to integrate Cyanite’s AI music tagging and search capabilities directly into the SourceAudio licensing ecosystem. Through the deal, SourceAudio’s music libraries and content owners can opt in to access Cyanite’s AI tagging and search system within their existing workflows. Cyanite has also chosen SourceAudio as its delivery platform for new and existing customers, meaning all Cyanite users can now benefit from SourceAudio’s hosting and licensing solution, allowing their audio files to be automatically tagged and optimized for search, discovery, pitching and monetization.

Celebrity Coaches, a luxury transportation services provider for the entertainment industry, acquired BandWagon RV Rentals, which specializes in mid-level tour transportation. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The acquisition expands Celebrity’s fleet to more than 120 vehicles.

Nightlife and entertainment company Ministry of Sound signed a deal with DICE that will see it leveraging the latter’s mobile-first ticketing technology. Through the agreement, Ministry of Sound will gain access to DICE’s analytics and marketing tools, allowing for real-time insights into audience behaviors, event performance and sales attribution.

13 Mar 2025

Gracie Abrams & Her All-Female Team Announced as She Is The Music Honorees

She Is The Music (SITM) will honor Gracie Abrams and her all-female team at its inaugural Women Sharing the Spotlight celebration. The Women’s History Month event is being held on March 27 at The Peppermint Club in Los Angeles. In keeping with its ongoing advocacy for more inclusion, She Is The Music will also honor 50 other impactful women from various sectors of the music industry. And in further support of the organization’s mission, each of the 50 women will share their spotlight with another woman in the business.

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“Being surrounded by such an incredible team of women has changed the way I see everything,” said Abrams of her team in a statement. “They’re not only insanely talented in their individual capacities, but also intentional about supporting each other. I’m grateful for the opportunity to learn from each of them. I’m deeply honored to be recognized by She Is The Music, an organization that has done so much to acknowledge and uplift women in this industry. I hope our team is a small example of what’s possible when women support each other and build together.”

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Global star and She Is The Music co-founder Alicia Keys stated, “Gracie Abrams and her incredible team are living proof of what happens when women uplift each other — when we step into our power, we change the game. In an industry where female-led teams are still the exception, their success is a reminder that we belong in every room, at every table, leading every conversation. She Is The Music is about breaking barriers, opening doors and making sure the next generation of women in music don’t just have a seat at the table —they build the table.”

 As part of the Women Sharing the Spotlight celebration, each honoree will receive one of Barbie’s newly unveiled Career of the Year: Women In Music dolls, a musical artist and tour manager duo created to illuminate women in the music industry.

Universal Music Publishing Group Chairman/CEO and She Is The Music co-founder Jody Gerson also noted, “Women supporting women is at the very core of She Is The Music’s mission. Creating a sisterhood of accomplished women and the next generations of working women across all facets of the music industry is our collective path forward to success. We are delighted to host our inaugural Women Sharing the Spotlight and to celebrate so many wonderful women in our business. We are also making a powerful statement by honoring Gracie Abrams and her team for embodying the spirit of sisterhood. This recognition is not only well deserved but also a testament to the fact that women in our industry can reach the highest levels of success on their own terms — especially when they uplift and support one another in meaningful ways.”

The evening will also spotlight key takeaways from the newly released “Inclusion in the Music Business” report, conducted by USC Annenberg’s Inclusion Initiative in partnership with Believe and TuneCore. Chief among the findings: 84.2% of the most senior executives at major music companies are white men; only 13.2% of CEO/president roles are held by women and only 5.3% of top executives are women of color —an unchanged statistic since 2021. The full report can be viewed HERE.

Both TuneCore CEO Andreea Gleeson and USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative founder Dr. Stacy L. Smith will present the aforementioned and other findings at Women Sharing the Spotlight. “In recent years, our work has shown that women and people of color are increasing their presence on the popular charts as artists,” commented Smith in the press announcement. “But this progress is not matched by the executive ranks that are responsible for the business of music. It’s clear that there are still real discrepancies in who gets to lead.”

Added Gleeson, “We can’t afford to sit back and wait for this issue to fix itself. Artists are pushing boundaries and redefining music every day. It’s time for the executive ranks to reflect that same diversity and innovation.”

13 Mar 2025

Former MTV VJ Matt Pinfield Gives Health Update After Coma, Recovering in Rehab Facility

Matt Pinfield is alive and recovering after suffering a major stroke in January.

“Guys, I’m alive,” Pinfield, who was in a coma in the ICU, told The Hollywood Reporter. “I’m recovering and am going to come back swinging. I was unresponsive for two months. Friends were thinking they were coming to see me for the last time. The doctors never expected me to speak or to walk again.”

The former MTV VJ and SoCal Sound radio host is currently on his way to full recovery in a rehabilitation center in Los Angeles. Pinfield, a onetime Columbia Records VP of A&R who has had a number of radio gigs over the past 20 years — most recently co-hosting The Power Hour on AXS TV — suffered the stroke on Jan. 6.

He also opened up about his eldest daughter Jessica assuming temporary conservatorship of the media personality’s medical and financial decisions. “She’s the one who saved my life,” Pinfield told the publication of his daughter. “She protected me.”

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Pinfield added for “grateful” he is ”for all the people that that were wishing me well. The love of the community helped me get through this.” He is looking to be discharged from the hospital by the “end of the month,” and continue with outpatient care. “I’m definitely going to take some time to recover,” he explained. “Then I’ll do my radio shows again and get back to work doing what I love, which is to entertain people playing music.”

13 Mar 2025

Matt Rogers & Bowen Yang’s ‘Las Culturistas’ Wins Podcast of the Year at the 2025 iHeartPodcast Awards: Full List

The 2025 iHeartPodcast Awards Live at took over SXSW in Austin, Texas, this week, celebrating the biggest names in the audio storytelling space.

The event, which took place at ACL Live at The Moody Theater, was hosted by Jack O’Brien and Miles Gray of The Daily Zeitgeist, and a number of stars took the stage to present awards, including Annaleigh Ashford and Melissa Moore, Cam Jordan, Chelsea Handler, Dennis Quaid, Ed Helms, Joe Manganiello, Kyle MacLachlan and Sophia Bush, among others.

Some standout awards of the evening included the social impact award, given to sports journalist Sarah Spain; the Audible audio pioneer award given to director and film producer Dan Taberski; and the innovator award, presented to Peruvian-American novelist Daniel Alarcón.

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Handler took the stage to honor the podcast of the year winners, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, for their work on Las Culturistas. The podcast features interviews with everyone from Ariana Grande to Mariah Carey, and includes the two comedians as they discuss everything pop culture-related.

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See below for the full list of winners at the 2025 iHeartPodcast Awards.

Social Impact Award: Sarah Spain
Audible Audio Pioneer Award: Dan Taberski
Innovator Award: Daniel Alarcón
Podcast of the Year: Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Best Business & Finance Podcast: Planet Money
Best Comedy Podcast: Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade
Best Crime Podcast: Betrayal
Best Pop Culture Podcast: The World’s First Podcast with Erin & Sara Foster
Best Food Podcast: Be My Guest with Ina Garten
Best Wellness & Fitness Podcast: Huberman Lab
Best History Podcast: You’re Wrong About
Best Kids & Family Podcast: Story Pirates
Best Music Podcast: Song Exploder
Best News Podcast: Pivot
Best Fiction Podcast: Hello From The Magic Tavern
Best Sports Podcast: New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce
Best Science Podcast: Ologies with Alie Ward
Best Technology Podcast presented by Lenovo®: Hard Fork
Best Ad Read: Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend
Best Overall Host: Mel Robbins (The Mel Robbins Podcast)
Best Overall Ensemble: My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
Best Political Podcast: The Megyn Kelly Show
Best TV & Film Podcast: How Did This Get Made?
Best Spanish Language Podcast: Radio Ambulante
Best Advice/Inspirational Podcast: Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Best Beauty & Fashion Podcast: Naked Beauty
Best Travel Podcast: JUMP with Traveling Jackie
Best Green Podcast: TED Climate
Best Spirituality & Religion Podcast: Oprah’s Super Soul
Best Branded Podcast: You Can’t Make This Up (Netflix)
Best Emerging Podcast: Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce
Best International Podcast: The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett – United Kingdom

13 Mar 2025

Jim Jones Thinks Rift With Cam’ron Can’t Be Mended: ‘The Brotherhood Been Over’

Harlem weeps.

Jim Jones sat down with Ebro on Apple Music’s Rap Life Radio show and talked about the back and forth he’s been getting into with fellow Diplomat Cam’ron recently. When Ebro brought up their recent drama, Jones downplayed the situation, saying, “I don’t want people to think I’m going back and forth, I’m just telling my truth.”

Adding, In terms of me telling my truth, people feel they need to have a rebuttal or whatever they got going on, let them do it. People know this is not a battle at all.”

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He was then asked if their relationship is still a “brotherhood” to which he replied, “Nah, it’s definitely ain’t no brotherhood.”

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He continued on by saying that their relationship started to change once the started to become successful and brought up his grandmother’s apartment where they frequently hung out before the stardom. “The brotherhood been over damn near since 5H,” he said. “That was where the brotherhood was at. When we ain’t have nothing. When we were eating dollar chicken sandwiches and sh—t like that.”

Jimmy then suggested that he maintained the relationship because he knew Cam was giving him an opportunity to change his life for the better, telling Ebro that he played his position because he knew he was in a place where he could get up out of 5H as Killa declared on the track “That’s Me” from his sophomore album S.D.E.

However, he’s not confident the relationship can be fixed. “Not right now,” he told Ebro after asking if the situation is fixable. “Not something I could foresee, but who knows. God might tell me something while I’m sleeping. Right now it’s about me. I ain’t got time to focus on nothing else and no one else.”

The two found themselves at odds over a conversation 50 Cent and Cam’ron had on Talk With Flee about the time Dipset and G-Unit were at odds.

13 Mar 2025

Drake Wants a Sit-Down With the ‘Only Podcast That Matters’

Drake wants to go podding.

The Toronto rapper took to his moodboard/finsta account plottttwistttttt and posted a couple of clips from a relatively unknown podcast called TanksGodPod hosted by two young women: Luda Podgorna and Elena De Napoli.

The clips show the pair playing a game of “Would You Rather” with one of the captions reading, “PL$$$ INVITE ME ON THE ONLY POD THAT MATTERS.”

Some of the choices include things like would you rather “never shave again or never wear makeup again,” “always smell like garlic or smell like sweat,” “fingers as long as your legs or legs as long as your fingers,” and “would you rather have a third eye or a third arm.”

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He also shared a pic of Podgorna, which both she and De Napoli reposted in their Instagram Stories.

As of right now, it’s unconfirmed as to whether someone called in a favor for Drake to post the clips or if he’s genuinely interested in making an appearance on “the only pod that matters.”

We’ll keep you updated if Drake is ever featured on TanksGodPod, but we’re sure they appreciate the signal boast.

In other Drizzy news, his joint album $ome $exy $ongs 4 U with PartyNextDoor holds at No. 2 this week on the Billboard 200 after premiering atop the chart last month. And as far as the Billboard Hot 100 is concerned, he and Party have a total of six tracks currently charting with “Nokia” clocking in at No. 10.

13 Mar 2025

Lil Yachty Slams Black Lives Matter Organization: ‘BLM Is a Scam’

Lil Yachty didn’t hold back when asked about his thoughts on the Black Lives Matter organization. The Atlanta rapper slammed BLM during an appearance on Quenlin Blackwell’s Feeding Starving Celebrities cooking series earlier this week.

“BLM is a scam,” Yachty replied when asked about his philanthropic endeavors in recent years. “BLM was literally a scam.”

Blackwell fired back: “Clip that! Send it to the f—ing news!”

Lil Boat went on to reference reports of BLM co-founder Patrisse Cullors purchasing a $6 million mansion in Los Angeles with alleged funds supporting the organization in 2020. “They had bought mansions,” he proclaimed.

Cullors explained the estate purchase to The Associated Press in 2023, saying at the time, “We really wanted to make sure that the global network foundation had an asset that wasn’t just financial resources. And we understood that not many Black-led organizations have property. They don’t own their property.”

In 2022, the Black Lives Matter Global Network faced further scrutiny when the organization’s leader Shalomyah Bower was accused of misusing funds and reportedly stealing $10 million in donations.

The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation responded to Yachty when reached for comment by Fox News. “It’s clear Lil Yachty has been drinking the white supremacist ideology Kool-Aid. His comments are wrong,” the organization said in a statement. “They are misinformed, unoriginal, and crafted to please the same people who profit from Black suffering.”

The organization continued: “The real scam isn’t Black Lives Matter. It is watching Black artists with massive platforms recycle the same tired attacks on Black movements while ignoring the actual systems killing us. Black Lives Matter has supported Black families who have lost loved ones to police violence. We have built programs, funded mutual aid, and fought in courtrooms and on the streets to protect our people.”

Lil Yachty wasn’t the first rapper to call Black Lives Matter a scam; Ye — formerly Kanye West — also referred to the organization as a scam in a post to his Instagram Story in 2022. “EVERYONE KNOWS BLACK LIVES MATTER WAS A SCAM,” he wrote. “NOW IT’S OVER YOU’RE WELCOME.”

Watch the full episode below. Yachty’s remarks on BLM take place shortly after the 32-minute mark.