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Record Store Day on April 12 will feature more than 300 titles being released, including collectible music from Elton John, Post Malone, Prince, Gracie Abrams, Queen, Taylor Swift, John & Yoko, Charlie XCX, the Killers & Bruce Springsteen, and many more.
As usual, the vast majority of the releases are vinyl LPs, many with a color or picture-disc slant; and also as usual, most releases will be in limited supply.
This will mark the 18th year of RSD, launched back in 2008 after the idea emerged at a gathering of indie record store owners and label executives. Since then, the event has single-handedly revived vinyl into a viable music format that sells over $1 billion annually in the U.S. alone. What’s more, RSD has also evolved into an international event.
Each year, stores wait in anticipation to see which titles will emerge as must-haves on the big day — the kinds of drops that bring long lines of fans waiting outside participating stores. With a limited supply for most titles, it can mean fans shuffle from store-to-store seeking their sought-after title. But while searching for those titles, it can also mean finding an unexpected treasure.
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“The whole energy in a record store is just super inspiring,” 2025’s Record Store Day Ambassador Post Malone said in a statement provided by the RSD organization in announcing the event. “I feel at home. It’s really an unexplainable feeling to hit up a shop and dig through crates, just see what grabs your eye.”
Malone will issue his Post Malone Tribute to Nirvana, a 2020 livestream performance of Nirvana covers accompanied by blink-182’s Travis Barker on drums, guitarist Nick Mack and bassist Brian Lee. Moreover, 100% of net proceeds from the release will be donated to MusiCares’ Addiction Recovery/Mental Health division.
Malone will also be participating in another RSD release, which is also expected to be a hot item as its a collaboration with 2022’s Record Store Day Ambassador, who also happens to be the biggest music artist in the world, Taylor Swift. They will release their collaboration track “Fortnight,” on a double sided 7-inch vinyl single.
While RSD brings out plenty of long-time collectors, i.e. older demographics, it was Swift who helped spread the day’s popularity to younger fans in 2023 when she caused traffic jams at stores filled with fans seeking her special release of folklore, the long pond studio sessions — a double LP that year. Last year, keeping the young flowing to record stores included releases from Olivia Rodrigo, Noah Kahan, Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter.
This year’s titles for younger music fans include: Gracie Abrams: Live from Radio City Music Hall; Beabadoobee’s Live and Acoustic in London; Megan Thee Stallion’s Traumazine on double black vinyl; and two releases from Charli XCX, the first a collaboration title, Guess featuring Billie Eilish, on 7-inch vinyl; and an edited version of prior release: Number 1 Angel, on apple-colored vinyl with a new RSD exclusive cover. That title’s tracks were previously part of a double-LP release Pop 2.
Moreover, RSD continues to diversify its genres offerings as rap and hip-hop fans will be able to seek titles from Cypress Hill, Anderson .Paak, Snoop Dog and a new release from the Wu-Tang Clan in a collaboration with Mathematics as they release Black Samson, The Bastard Swordsman: Wu-Tang, The Saga Continues Collection on 180-gram LP vinyl. What’s more Wu-Tang Clan are expected to make an appearance at the RSD press event today.
Jazz releases include music from Pharaoh Sanders, Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus, Gerry Mulligan, and the Vince Guaraldi Trio; while Harry Potter fans will be treated to five different soundtrack albums from that movie series, all on double-LP, clear vinyl.
Finally, in a move to revive another marketing tool previously used to promote RSD, this year’s event will feature a “Record Store Day Song of the Year,” with the tag being applied to the double-a-sided 12-inch single of “Be Here Now,” done by the song’s author George Harrison on one side, with Beck’s cover tribute on the other side.
Other new RSD titles expected to be popular this year include a 12-inch EP collaboration between the Killers and Bruce Springsteen; a David Bowie live-stream from 2003 will now be available as a vinyl and CD release; and a 12-inch, 180-gram yellow vinyl release of John & Yoko with the Plastic Ono Band of their live 1972 One-To-One concert.
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Kendrick Lamar, fresh from hauling in five trophies at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards, with his scathing Drake diss “Not Like Us,” notching two big awards for the night. According to reports, the Compton lyricist has handed in his Super Bowl Halftime Show set list as the NFL and censors mull over the inclusion of the track.
According to a report from TMZ, Kendrick Lamar put the finishing touches on his set for the halftime show at Super Bowl LIX, which takes place this weekend in New Orleans. As we mentioned above, “Not Like Us” won Record Of The Year and Song Of The Year Grammys, solidifying the cultural and commercial impact of the song that many believe toppled Drake’s crown.
With the outlet stating that K-Dot turned in his list to the NFL, FOX network leadership, and all related legal parties involved, it’s assumed that the league doesn’t want to risk getting in hot water as Drake has an open defamation lawsuit filed against Universal Music Group over claims they platformed the smash single which takes some sharp digs at the Canadian superstar’s character in ways never heard before on wax.
TMZ added in their reporting that the NFL and all of the connected brass will check out the setlist and go over the lyrics with their legal teams. The idea is to make sure Lamar doesn’t say anything that’ll get them flagged by the FCC, and the independent government agency will certainly have their work cut out for them considering that one line that truly goes there.
Kendrick Lamar invited his former TDE labelmate SZA to join him onstage for the big event.
Super Bowl LIX airs on Sunday, Nov. 9.
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Photo: Getty
Five years ago, Doechii was vulnerable with followers in a YouTube video about getting fired from her job. Now, that same video is resurfacing online and giving fans new inspiration after the 26-year-old hip-hop star won her first Grammy last weekend.
In the 80-second video posted Jan. 12, 2020, Doechii snacks on chips while giving viewers a blunt life update. “So, I got fired today,” she says. “I don’t give a f–k, to be honest.”
“Tomorrow, I’m just going to go to a whole bunch of studios and ask if they have any internships open,” she continues. “I’m just going to go in and ask. Who gives a f–k? I have nothing to lose. I have no place, I have no job, I have no children.”
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Later that year, Doechii would release her EP Oh the Places You’ll Go. In 2022, she signed with Top Dawg Entertainment and Capitol Records, two years after which she’d drop her critically acclaimed project Alligator Bites Never Heal — aka the album that has now made her the third woman to win best rap album at the Grammys, where she tearfully accepted the 2025 prize Sunday (Feb. 2).
“I know there is some Black girl out there [watching] and I want to tell you that you can do it,” she said during her speech as the audience at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena roared with applause. “Anything is possible. Don’t allow anybody to project any stereotypes onto you … you are exactly who you need to be to where you are, and I am a testimony [to that].”
Now that the Florida native is a Grammy winner, fans online are looking back at where she was half a decade ago and finding inspiration in her trajectory. “doechii’s story really is a testament to why you HAVE to believe in yourself and chase tf out of your dreams,” one person wrote on X, resharing a screenshot of Doechii’s “I got fired” video. “it is always worth the risk to bet on yourself.”
“unironically everyone should be clinging onto this for motivation,” another fan wrote, while a third person shared their takeaway, “you really got to bet on yourself no matter what.”
Watch Doechii’s resurfaced video below.
Azealia Banks has become more known for her public beefs than her music in recent years, and now, she’s starting a new one with author J.K. Rowling
The rapper — who has herself issued a number of anti-trans rants online — took aim at the bestselling Harry Potter author and noted anti-trans advocate in a pair of posts to her X account on Feb. 4. Responding to a fan asking why Banks’ body looked a certain way, the “212” rapper called out the way people discuss women’s bodies in conjunction with the ongoing issue of “transvestigation” online.
“I think the dolls are fab and do not need to shade them or change myself because my femininity is not threatened by them,” she wrote. “All of the insane anti-trans paranoid people like @jk_rowling feel their femininity is threatened for whatever reason and try to mask that insecurity with ‘science’ like anyone is stupid and doesn’t already know these things.”
In a follow-up, Banks directly addressed Rowling who began following her after her initial tweet. “No shade @jk_rowling thanks for the follow and I love you down sis, but [trans women] are not a threat to your femininity,” she wrote. “You are really too rich and legendary to keep spewing the same stuff over and over and over.”
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Continuing, Banks claimed that her own brother identifies as trans, and shared her experiences watching someone struggle with their gender identity. “I have witnessed first hand the type of misery, pain, ostracism, suicide attempts, unnecessary and unwarranted abuse my mother doled out to my brother, the discomfort with his body — it’s not a mental illness it’s a spiritual thing,” she shared. “One would assume that you of all people who have written books about magic and esoteric things would be able to comprehend and understand how states of consciousness vary in a human being. It’s been YEARS sis.”
Closing out her comments, Banks called out Rowling’s views one final time, writing, “I really do think it’s a front for some weird inferiority thing that’s truly just in your mind. I Say this with lots of love and respect.”
The latest tweets represent something of a switch for Banks, who has been criticized multiple times over the past years for her own transphobic comments, in which she’s claimed that transgender women are not real women and spread misinformation about gender-affirming care.
Rowling, meanwhile, has been a vocal critic of transgender issues for years, regularly spreading inaccurate information regarding gender-affirming care, trans women using women’s restrooms and trans youth participating in women’s sports and much more.
Record Store Day U.K. has shared the official list of releases for its 2025 event.
In its 18th year, hundreds of albums, EPs and mixtapes are being pressed onto new special Record Store Day U.K. editions, including releases from the likes of Taylor Swift, Oasis and Charli XCX, on a variety of formats — including 7″ vinyl, 10″, 12″, CD, cassette and picture disc. The event will take place on April 12.
Swift will issue an exclusive 7″ white vinyl of her Post Malone collaboration “Fortnight,” which is the first time that the “Fortnight [BLOND:ISH Remix]” will appear on vinyl.
Oasis’ greatest hits compilation Time Flies: 1994-2009 is back on wax for the first time since 2010, a timely return ahead of the group’s Live ’25 reunion tour. Charli XCX has two limited editions in this year’s list, including a 7″ version of “Guess,” her team-up with Billie Eilish, and a reissue of her 2017 mixtape Number 1 Angel on silver vinyl.
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Fred Again.. will also release special piano versions of his three-part Actual Life LP series, while there’ll be reissues for The Cure, A Tribe Called Quest, Davie Bowie, Megan Thee Stallion, Lil Uzi Vert and more. See the full list on RSD’s website.
More than 270 independent record shops across the U.K. – as well as thousands more globally – will prepare to welcome this new wave of releases. There’ll also be a series of in-store parties, events and live performances to mark the event. To see which record stores are involved in RSD U.K. 2025, visit the RSD website for the full list of retailers.
Record Store Day U.K. 2025’s upcoming edition coincides with 18 years of growth in vinyl sales despite the ongoing dominance of streaming services. Based on Official Charts Company data, the BPI reported in December that U.K. sales of albums on physical formats increased year-on-year for the first time since 1994 in 2024, by 1.4%.
The first official Record Store Day event took place in April 2008, with the aim of bringing attention to the importance of independent record shop culture. The event has since evolved into a global celebration, while each year, artists perform in-store sets in honor of the occasion.
On Tuesday (Feb. 4), North Shields singer-songwriter Sam Fender was announced as the official ambassador of Record Store Day U.K. 2025. He follows the likes of Kate Bush, The 1975, Noel Gallagher and Elton John in taking on the role.
“It’s a complete honor to be asked to be the Ambassador for Record Store Day 2025,” Fender said in a statement. “The importance of indie stores cannot be understated. Without them, we lose physical spaces for music fans to discover both their favorite new artists and to forge friendships with like-minded people.”
He added: “Thanks so much to all the independent stores around the world who support us. Let’s all make sure we support them too.”
Fender will put out a six-track EP to mark the occasion, titled Me and the Dog. The 12-inch release is set to include two new songs titled “I’m Always on Stage” and “Empty Spaces,” alongside a mixture of other previously unreleased tracks and live renditions.
Irv Gotti — born Irving Domingo Lorenzo Jr. — passed away on Wednesday (Feb. 5) at the age of 54, and the hip-hop community has been in mourning as heartfelt tributes have poured out in the hours since.
Former Def Jam president Lyor Cohen worked extensively with Irv Gotti, who co-founded Murder Inc. Recordings as an imprint under Def Jam with his brother Chris in 1998.
Cohen released a statement paying tribute to Gotti, who he called one of Def Jam’s “most creative soldiers.”
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“Def Jam has lost one of its most creative soldiers,” Cohen said in a statement on Thursday (Feb. 6). “He was hip-hop, and when we were on bended knee he brought the heat and saved our asses. He comes from a very tight, beautiful family from Queens and it’s an honor and a privilege to have known him. Irv you will be missed.”
Gotti brought DMX to Def Jam in the late ’90s and played an integral role in convincing the label to sign him. The Queens native also engineered the lucrative careers of Murder Inc. titans Ja Rule, Ashanti and more.
Irv Gotti initially broke into the music industry as “DJ Irv” when he produced tracks from Jay-Z’s acclaimed Reasonable Doubt debut like “Can I Live?”
He went on to serve as a co-producer architecting hits such as Fat Joe’s “What’s Luv?,” Ashanti’s “Foolish,” Ja Rule’s “Mesmerize” and Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 “Always On Time,” Jennifer Lopez’s “I’m Real (Murder Remix)” and many more.
“How I got to Def Jam was because of Ja [Rule],” Gotti once told Complex in 2015. “Because Lyor [Cohen] wanted to sign Ja. First meeting I ever had I was like, ‘We have to sign DMX.’ And they laughed at me. I remember when I left the office Tina Davis said, ‘If DMX don’t sell, your a– is fired.’”
Irv Gotti has suffered from diabetes for years, but an official cause of death is yet to be revealed. Gotti’s children memorialized him with a statement on Instagram Thursday.
“Our dad was an incredible man, a true visionary who transformed the hip-hop industry and changed the game for artists and fans alike,” they wrote. “His passion for music and dedication to his craft inspired many, and his contributions will continue to influence future generations.”
The statement continues: “As we navigate this difficult time, we kindly ask for privacy while we grieve the loss of our dad, son, brother, uncle, and friend. We take comfort in knowing that his spirit will live on through his music and the love he shared with all of us. Thank you for your understanding and support during this challenging time.”
Brian Austin Green is not typically one to speak his mind about ex-wife Megan Fox’s business. But the Beverly Hills, 90210 alum told People magazine that his recent call-out of Fox’s ex-fiancé, Machine Gun Kelly, was born of frustration. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “That’s not something […]
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Source: Monica Schipper / Getty / Katt Williams
MAGA land praising Katt Williams? That is indeed the case, thanks to an old clip featuring the comedian roasting a “Mexican heckler” during a 2011 comedy show.
Katt Williams has never put on the new Klan hood, aka the Make America Great Again hat, or pronounced his love for Donald Trump like some of these sunken-place soldiers out here. Still, folks on the far right have been applauding the comedian/actor for what they describe as “crushing immigrants,” as one “conservative” website called it.
In the clip, which has gone viral on X, formerly Twitter, Williams, who will always have smoke for anyone, especially hecklers, took one to task for reminding him that Arizona—well, Southern Arizona, to be precise—was once part of Mexico following the Mexico-American War (1846-1848) before it was acquired by the United States in 1856 as part of the Gadsden purchase.
“If you love another country more than you love America, mother****er, then get to stepping to that b***h,” Williams tells the heckler before leading a USA chant.
X Reminds Conservatives That Katt Williams Is Not One of Them
While conservatives are praising the moment, liberals who have sense know that Williams is definitely not down with their cause. “Trumpers and Magas lovin Katt Williams for his Phoenix show, until he roasts their chief dummy in office it’s kinda like their vote.. they will FAFO soon enough!” one post on X read.
Another user on X wrote, “Its really funny the conservative internet is losing its mind right now calling it “breaking news” over finding a clip of Katt Williams from 2012 when Obama was President & now acting like it’s from today Im extremely positive Katt Williams is going to have a tremendous response.”
We can’t wait to hear what Katt Williams thinks about this.
Hit the gallery below for more reactions from Trumpers.
1. Definitely wasn’t on our bingo card, that’s for sure.
2. Who’s gonna tell this guy?
3. Someone needs to tell him
4. Fair point
5. Ummmm no.
7. Lol these “patriots” are ridiculous
What a difference a year can make.
Warner Music Group said on Thursday that revenue from its first fiscal quarter fell 5% to $1.67 billion from a year ago, as the company suffered tough comparisons to a period last year when it still had BMG as a physical and digital distribution client and enjoyed a $30-million boon from a digital licensing renewal deal.
But the third-biggest major music company also showed that the deep staffing cuts and wind-down of certain businesses over 2024 freed up money for investment — such as the $450-million acquisition of Tempo Music‘s catalog — and growth, like Atlantic’s half-a-percentage point market share expansion.
WMG’s quarterly results — which included a nearly 40% decrease in operating income and $27 million in restructuring costs and impairment charges — depict a company deep in transformation. Chief executive Robert Kyncl is trying to increase efficiency in legacy businesses and technology, while standardizing its sprawling global network, and striking more lucrative deals with streaming platforms.
Recorded music revenue in the first fiscal quarter, which ended Dec. 31, 2024, fell 7% to $1.35 billion from last year’s quarter, as BMG’s termination of its distribution deal created a $32 million drag (evenly split between streaming and physical revenue). Last year’s quarter also included the extension of one artist’s licensing agreement worth $75 million, and the $30-million renewal of a digital partner’s license.
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WMG says if you strip those three things out, total revenue rose 3.4%.
Overall, digital revenue and streaming revenue each fell by around 2%.
Adjusted operating income before depreciation and amortization (adjusted OIBDA)–which measures the profitability of a company’s core businesses–fell 19.5% to $363 million, and adjusted OIBDA margin fell to 21.8% from 25.8% in the prior-year quarter. If you take out the negative impacts of the licensing agreement and digital partner renewal, the company said its adjusted OIBDA fell by just 0.3% and adjusted OIBDA margin decreased 0.8 percentage point.
The company said adjusted OIBDA margin was also dragged down by the 8% rise in the value of the U.S. dollar since last year’s presidential election. (Almost 60% of Warner’s income is earned in euros and other currencies that trade against the dollar, according to the company.)
“All of these impacts will stabilize over time,” Kyncl said on a call with analysts discussing the earnings. “We’re confident about the future. Our goals are clear: increase our share of the pie, meaning market share; grow the pie itself by increasing the value of music; and become more efficient, providing greater cash flow, both for re-investment and for shareholder return.”
The company’s net income was up nearly 25% to $241 million, boosted by foreign exchange hedging activity and the sale of a $29-million of an investment. Free cash flow was up 12% to $296 million.
Other highlights from the company’s earnings and conference call:
» Within Recorded Music, digital and streaming revenue both fell by 3.9% and 3.7%, which reflects a 2% decline in subscription revenue and an 8.2%-decline in ad-supported revenue. If you strip out BMG’s termination and the digital partner’s license renewal, the company says recorded music streaming revenue was up 1.5% and subscription revenue increased 5.3%, while ad-supported revenue still fell by 7.9%. Nonetheless, physical revenue rose 7.8% thanks to the strength of releases by Linkin Park, Charli XCX, Teddy Swims, Mariya Takeuchi and Benson Boone.
» Music publishing revenue rose 6.3% to $323 million from growth in digital, performance and other revenue, partially offset by lower mechanical revenue.
» Warner completed multi-year publishing and recorded music licensing deals with Amazon and Spotify over the past year, Kyncl said, though he declined to provide much detail. The deal with Spotify notably includes a new publishing agreement with a direct licensing model with Warner Chappell Music for the United States and several other countries. “There’s more work to do with others and for all of this to cycle through, but this is a really great step in the right direction.”
» Atlantic’s market share ticked half a percentage point up, a small win Kyncl attributed to the growing investments made in A&R last year. He said the investments came as a result of money left over after it made” organizational changes and investments into technology … [and] exited some non-core businesses.” Kyncl later said, “Our goal was to reinvest the majority of those savings into strategically important initiatives that will propel our business forward. This enabled us to increase our A&R investment by double-digits last year and this year.”
» Kyncl said buying Tempo is “a great example” of the company’s acquisition strategy. “As we become more efficient, we are creating a virtuous cycle that will enable greater reinvestment that delivers accelerated growth.”
When one steps outside the airport in Ibiza, they see a long row of billboards promoting many of the club nights on the Spanish island, a longtime destination for dance music fans. Many visitors have noticed the simple but striking fact that all of these billboards feature the names and faces of exclusively male artists.
“Is it equal opportunity? It’s definitely not. There’s something going on there. It’s still controlled by a bunch of, I guess, old school bookers and club owners.” So says Aloki Batra, the CEO of hospitality and real estate group FIVE, which acquired Pacha Ibiza in 2023. Hoping to innovate on the island while also maintaining and extending Pacha’s historic status, he was determined to do something different.
And so for the 2025 season, and for the first time in the history of Pacha — which opened its doors in 1973 — the club will have a female resident, with longstanding house producer Blond:ish launching an 11-week residency on May 21. Called “Abracadabra” (the name of the event series she’s hosted around the world for years) the party will focus on music, merriment and magic.
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“We literally have things levitating in the air,” says the producer born Vivie-ann Bakos. “We’re building this hologram [installation] and just doing epic stuff where it feels like magic.” Bakos cites plans to install “press for champagne” buttons on the dancefloor, allowing clubbers to simply press a button to have a glass of champagne delivered to them, putting trained magicians and illusionists on the dancefloor, pulling people out of line and gifting them with VIP status for the night and other special flourishes and “random acts of kindness” and whimsy to make the nights inviting, interesting and meaningful.
“A residency is a place where you can create and iterate on a consistent basis, and you learn from the previous weeks,” says Bakos. “We don’t just have one chance; you have people coming to see you every week, and you learn from the people a week before, so by the middle of the residency it’s this crazy snowball effect of what we want to do. And the reason we do this party goes back to helping people live their best life. Without speaking about it, we show people through the music how to create their own magic.”
In terms of the distinction of being Pacha’s first female resident, Bakos says being the first female anything has never been a focus of her career, which began more than 15 years ago and has included major festival plays, global club shows, an official remix of Taylor Swift’s “Fortnight,” a collaboration with Madonna and a focus on environmentalism through her Bye Bye Plastic initiative, which works to reduce the use of single use plastic within the industry.
During it all, she’s been more focused on meeting her goals with the music itself. Bakos does say, however, making history as Pacha’s first female resident “I think it maybe means a lot for the music industry as a whole, because I think a lot of people are triggered when you’re outside at the Ibiza airport and you see all the billboards.” (Her face will appear on billboards on other parts of the island, as most of the billboards near the airport are owned by the Ibiza clubs Hï and Ushuaïa.)
Batra says that while “a lot of names were getting thrown around” for potential residents, Bakos proved that she has what it takes after a playing a series of nights at Pacha last summer. Here, Batra found that “the music on point, the energy was really infectious and she has a way of resonating with the dancefloor that I thought was special.”
Bakos, her wife and their new baby will live on the island this summer during the residency. Before that, however, she’ll release her debut album, Never Walk Alone on February 14 via Insomniac Records. The 11-track project is full of bright, bouyant house music that reflects Bakos’ current mindset and mission.
“I used to make darker music, because I was living in after hours,” she says. “But my music is definitely not dark these days. You can feel that, and it’s because every decision I make with my music is about answering the question ‘How can I help people live their best lives?’”
Determining this mission is a function of Bakos’ own personal and professional evolution. In the earlier years, she says, “I was just traveling the world trying to play for the biggest crowds ever.” As time went on, however, “I started actually figuring out what my why is, and why I exist in the world and the music industry and why I’m a DJ.”
This contemplation led her to determine that “I want to help people live their best life, and I’m doing that through my music. That’s my connection point with every single person in this world, without having a conversation.” Bakos made this goal part of the conversation with her album collaborators, taking time to talk about the intention for tracks while making them alongside artists including British singer Stevie Appleton, L.A.-based, Zimbabwe-born singer, rapper and producer Bantu and more.
Bakos is releasing the vinyl editions of Never Walk Alone on bio-based PVC, a material that’s 99.9% petroleum-free, cuts 90% of the carbon dioxide emissions from the process and creates no difference in the sound quality between bio-vinyl and regular vinyl. With the eradication of single use plastic a longtime part of her mission, Bakos knew she had to make a plastic-free vinyl, although at first “I didn’t know it was possible. It was just a dream.” Figuring out that it could actually happen, she says, further demonstrated to her “that magic does exist.”
She hopes this vinyl will also show other artists that it can be done, the same way Bye Bye Plastic has shown that there are alternatives to venues using loads of single use cups and bottles. Partnering with Pacha has easy, she says, as they’re already “quite sustainable.” (The club operated exclusively on renewable electricity for the 2024-2025 season and is focused on bringing down water consumption at the venue at the nearby Ibiza resort, DestinoFIVE, which is set to reopen as a five-star resort this season after a significant remodeling. It’s also pursuing LEED Gold or higher certification across its properties in Ibiza and Dubai.) Bakos hopes their extra efforts this season will, in the competitive Ibiza market, make “the other clubs get FOMO” and follow suit with similar environment-focused projects.
Working with Pacha and Batra on making Abracadabra special has been especially refreshing, Bakos says, because “He’s a ‘yes’ guy. He’s very supportive. It’s amazing to work with him, because he’s not from the music industry, so he comes with a different outlook, whereas the traditional music industry is very set in their ways on how to do things old school. I love that he comes with a different mindset that’s very possibilist, versus limiting.”