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Kendrick Lamar and SZA are the latest stars to have this multi-platform triumph. Tony Bennett was the first.
Benson Boone is more than willing to suffer for his art. The “Beautiful Things” singer who takes a huge risk every time he pulls off one of his patented backflips on stage also has a daring sartorial style. He showed it off once again at last weekend’s 67th Grammy Awards, when he took to the […]
Megan Thee Stallion and “Gangnam Style” superstar PSY are teaming up for a new Apple TV+ reality music competition series called KPOPPED. According to a release announcing the eight-episode song battle show, each episode will feature “western icons reimagin[ing] one of their biggest hits, collaborating with top-tier K-pop idols to deliver spectacular battle performances, with […]
Spotify and Warner Music Group have signed a new multi-year agreement covering both recorded music and music publishing, following Spotify’s similar deal with Universal Music Group earlier this year. The partnership, announced today (Feb. 6), aims to drive innovation and increase the value of music for artists, songwriters and fans.
The agreement focuses on advancing audio-visual streaming, expanding music and video catalogs, and, notably, introducing new paid subscription tiers with exclusive content bundles. It also reinforces “artist-centric” royalty models that reward artists for attracting and engaging audiences. Additionally, the new publishing deal introduces a direct licensing model with Warner Chappell Music in several countries, including the U.S.
In a statement, WMG CEO Robert Kyncl emphasized the collaboration’s role in expanding the music ecosystem and delivering value to artists and songwriters.
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“It’s a big step forward in our vision for greater alignment between rights holders and streaming services,” Kyncl said. “Together with Spotify, we look forward to increasing the value of music, as we drive growth, impact, and innovation.”
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek highlighted 2025 as a pivotal year for Spotify’s innovation, “and our partners at Warner Music Group share our commitment to rapid innovation and sustained investment in our leading music offerings. Together, we’re pushing the boundaries of what’s possible for audiences worldwide—making paid music subscriptions more appealing while supporting artists and songwriters alike.”
During Warner Music’s August 2024 earnings call, Kyncl addressed the relationship between labels and digital service providers and refuted the notion that they are entrenched adversaries. “I know that investor attention has recently been focused on the dynamics between labels and DSPs, with some speculating that we’re adversaries playing a zero-sum game,” he said. “That’s simply not the case. We’re actively engaged with our partners around ways to drive growth for all of us.”
WMG announced its new pact with Spotify moments before reporting results for is fiscal first quarter, which saw a dip in revenue that it attributed to the termination of its distribution agreement with BMG, among other factors. The label group on Thursday also announced that it had agreed to purchase a controlling stake in Tempo Music Investment, a catalog company that owns rights to songs by Wiz Khalifa, Florida Georgia Line and others, in a deal sources say is worth several hundred million dollars.
Ariana Grande is always up for a challenge, and she proved it on Wednesday night’s (Feb. 5) Jimmy Kimmel Live! when she agreed to play along with the show’s “Wing it & Sing It” game. “It’s too late, I can’t turn back,” Grande told Kimmel after he explained the rules of the game in which a vocalist has to sing lyrics they’ve never seen before.
With some light accompaniment from a pianist wearing angel wings, Grande eased into the bit “absolutely blind” with the first lines coming up pretty benign before things got increasingly weirder. “I am a strong, successful woman,” the Oscar-nominated Wicked star crooned. “Who always stands up tall,” she continued, adding, “even though I am, in fact,” she added with dread. “Uh-oh, oh God,” she said, fearing the next line.
“So very, very small/ Life, they say, is short/ And it turns out I am too/ I’m a human baby carrot/ I’m a Lady Pikachu/ I am little, I am tiny, I’m the perfect bite-sized snack,” she emoted in between chuckles. “Ten of me stacked up/ Only equals one Shaq,” she continued, bending over laughing.
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There were more size jokes (“I’m an oompa, I’m a loompa/ I’m a pint-sized mini me,” “I can run a marathon in a hamster wheel”), leading to the star commenting, “it’s going still, it’s long as f–k.” She just lost it on the “for a bed I use a sock” line, and praised the pianist for adding the appropriate amount of flare to the line “I’m the bird in the cuckoo clock.”
“And yes, my name is Grande, it’s ironic that I’m small,” she continued with the usual vocal flourishes in the bit that P!nk and Chris Stapleton have participated in before. Things finally took a turn toward the end, as Grande put some sauce on the line, “But I don’t let it bother me, you’ll never see me frown/ ‘Cause I’m defying gravity and you can’t pull me down,” she trilled through more laughs about the line referencing the big, beloved Wicked show-stopper ballad. For the finale, she climbed on a chair to sing the theme from the “It’s a Small World” Disney ride as Kimmel’s sidekick, Guillermo Rodriguez, handed her a huge bouquet of flowers.
Grande returned to chat with Kimmel about Wicked‘s 10 Oscar nominations, describing her reaction to watching the livestream announcing this year’s nominees in London. “I was a mess, I almost collapsed,” she said of the impact of the news of her best supporting actress nod alongside co-star Cynthia Erivo, who got tapped in the best actress category for her role as Elphaba. Grande described the instant stream of congratulatory calls she got, including from her mom, her two best friends, her team, as well as her therapist and her gynecologist.
Kimmel had to stop her on that last one, with Grande quipping, “Why didn’t you ask about that [one?] No, it was lovely. I was like, ‘Oh my God, it’s been a while. Are we good?… We’ll hug over the next breast exam!” Grande also described the physical challenges of singing in a completely different, “fully opera” register as Glinda versus her “mix-y/belt register” with some falsetto pop style.
The 97th Academy Awards will take place on March 2.
Watch Grande on Kimmel below.
Warner Music Group is buying a controlling stake in Tempo Music Investment, a catalog company that owns rights to songs by Wiz Khalifa, Florida Georgia Line and Brett James, in a deal sources say is worth around $450 million. WMG said it will acquire the stake from Tempo’s founder, Providence Equity Partners. Providence will remain a […]
Swedish producer Alesso has opened up about his recent experiences with tinnitus and how it has been the cause of numerous canceled shows in recent months.
The 33-year-old musician (whose real name is Alessandro Lindblad) took to social media on Monday (Feb. 3) to discuss his recent spate of live cancellations. Following near nonstop touring throughout 2024, Alesso was forced to cancel shows throughout Australia and Saudi Arabia, before his entire world tour was axed, with “a recent health issue combined with overexertion” being cited as the reason.
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“I just wanted to be a little bit transparent on the situation,” the producer said in a video shared to Instagram. “So basically, two months ago, I woke up with the loudest ringing in my ears. I’m talking about 10 out of 10. I was in complete shock, and it was not after a show. I just woke up, and it was so intense.”
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Noting that such problems related to hearing were “super common in the music industry”, Alesso admitted he too had experienced similar issues in the past, though not to this level.
“But the good news is I’m getting better,” he continued. “I took this as a sign to slow down, to prioritise my health, be more careful. I’ve been doing this for 14 years now, and I’ve never taken a break. So I’ve just been kind of focusing on that.”
Currently, Alesso’s website lists tour dates for the next six months, with his return to the stage set to take place at Belly Up Aspen in Colorado on Feb. 14. As he concluded his video, Alesso explained he’s working towards big events such as Miami’s Ultra Festival on March 30, and offered advice to his followers as he moves forward.
“I will be doing shows, but maybe not as many, as you can understand,” he explains. “I just wish everyone health this year. I want everyone to To be careful, wear ear protection. Remember, we’re only humans.“
Alesso rose to fame throughout the 2010s, beginning his musical career with a series of remixes, singles, and collaborations ahead of his only studio album to date, 2015’s Forever. The record peaked at No. 30 on the Billboard 200 and spawned the Tove Lo-featuring single “Heroes (We Could Be)”. The track would become his biggest commercial success in the U.S., hitting No. 31 on the Hot 100.
After news broke of the death of Murder Inc. Records co-founder Irv Gotti on Wednesday (Feb. 5), tributes poured in from the hip-hop world, including from the label where he got his start, Def Jam. Gotti started out in A&R at the hip-hop label, before co-founding the culture-dominating Murder Inc. imprint with his brother, Chris […]
The ever-prolific Neil Young has assured fans that 2025 will feature a new album, with the Canadian veteran offering an update on his debut album with new band The Chrome Hearts.
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News of the upcoming record comes just weeks after Young shared “Big Change”, the first single to be released with his nascent band. The Chrome Hearts first debuted by Young back in September 2024, just months after an unspecified illness necessitated a “big unplanned break” from touring with longtime backing group Crazy Horse.
The Chrome Hearts, as Young himself describes, “reconfigures musicians he has worked with before”, with guitarist Micah Nelson, bassist Corey McCormick, drummer Anthony Logerfo, and organist Spooner Oldham comprising the lineup. While Nelson, McCormick, and Logerfo have performed with Young as members of Promise of the Real, Oldham has worked with Young for decades, appearing on records such as 1978’s Comes a Time and 1992’s Harvest Moon.
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Working with producers John Hanlon and his brother-in-law Lou Adler at Rick Rubin’s Shangri-La studio in Malibu, Young explains that “Big Change” is the first taste of a forthcoming album from The Chrome Hearts, with the material being written throughout November and December.
“They feel fresh to me and I am very happy to have this all ready for you. It won’t be long now and it will be great to have new songs to play on the road this summer in Europe, the USA and Canada,” Young said via his website. “We are looking forward to that!”
Young added that the record is now in the mastering stage for vinyl, CD, and digital copies that are expected to be released in only a couple of months.
“I am very happy and relieved to have ths [sic] done in the short time it took,” he explained. “The album art has been completed and handed in with Jenice Heo. I am working on the lyric sheets now, hoping to hand-write the words and get them in, in time..
“It is a happy feeling I have today, knowing I have made an album I think people will enjoy. I hope it’s out in April. That would be pretty fast.”
Presuming the April release date is adhered to, it would make the as-yet-untitled record the second release from Young in 2025, with his “lost” 1977 album Oceanside Countryside set to drop on Feb. 14.
Young and The Chrome Hearts will also be performing at England’s Glastonbury Festival in June. Young’s inclusion on the lineup was marred by an “error in the information” which initially saw him distance himself from the event, labelling it a “corporate turn-off”.
The devastation left behind by the horrific wildfires in Los Angeles has drawn an outpouring of support, especially from the music community. Between the FireAid concerts at Inglewood, California’s Intuit Dome and Kia Forum (Jan. 30) — featuring a rainbow of stars from Billie Eilish to Stevie Wonder — and the Grammy telecast (Feb. 2), more than $100 million in relief funds has been raised.
Just as important, however, are the boots-on-the-ground efforts like that of local rap legend The Game, who recently visited Altadena, California, as Billboard News tagged along. Ravaged by the Hurst Fire that burned more than 500 acres, the generational community boasts a rich Black cultural legacy given that Altadena was one of the first L.A. areas that openly welcomed Black home ownership. Billboard News was there when The Game, a native of Compton, California, headed to Altadena to talk — and dole out hugs — to first responders, local high school coaches, federal credit union members and more about their survival stories.
“This is some serious … It’s serious business, man,” The Game says to a pair of firefighters while visiting their station house. “After this experience, now, when I hear a fire truck coming down the street, I’m pulling over and I’m not annoyed because usually it’s like ‘argh, I got to pull over.’ My hat’s on, but it’s off to you guys, man.”
The Game also spoke with coaches from several high schools — Maranatha, South Pasadena, Pasadena and John Muir — who shared moving stories about losses they suffered, as well as their students, while encouraging residents to rebuild and not leave. “This was a predominantly African-American neighborhood,” DeAnthony Langston tells The Game. “Just to see this is terrible, man; you coming out says a lot.”
Watch “Community Stories With The Game,” and to donate to Altadena’s wildfire relief fund, visit here.