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The sprawling 32-acre Gateway Studios & Production Services rehearsal and production studio complex has announced plans for a May 2025 opening. Studio executives for the Chesterfield, Mo., facility — located about 20 minutes west of St. Louis — are now accepting reservations for the state-of-the-art facility, designed to build and rehearse major modern touring arena and stadium shows.
“This facility is designed to set a new standard for production and rehearsal spaces, both in size and innovation,” said Trey Kerr, CEO of Gateway Studios & Production Services, in a statement. “Our goal has always been to create a world-class environment where artists and their teams can prepare to bring their visions to life. Centrally located in the heart of the country, we offer unmatched access and flexibility for artists that strive to deliver unforgettable performances.”
The Gateway complex is comprised of three major rehearsal spaces: Studio 80, a 52,500 square foot rehearsal space; Studio 75, a smaller 15,000 square foot rehearsal space; and Studio 65, a 12,000 square foot space. It also includes an additional 15,700 square feet of open space.
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The spaces are designed to meet the “rigorous demands of live music tours, motion picture and television production, and corporate events,” a press release announcing the opening reads. It describes Gateway Studios as “the largest and most advanced tour rehearsal destination in the United States.”
To accommodate the needs of most modern touring shows, Gateway studio spaces were built for large, heavy shows. Studio 80 includes an 80-foot ceiling grid with a 2 million pound (or approximately 1,000 ton) weight capacity. All three studios include large receiving and staging areas with dedicated loading docks, drive-in ramps and dressing rooms with ensuite private bathrooms, offices and a catering lounge. Gateway is also equipped with redundant high-speed fiber-optic internet access from two independent service providers and a 5.5-megawatt independent backup generator system.
“We’ve designed this new facility with a clear purpose: to provide an exceptional space where creativity and technical innovation can thrive,” said Kerr. “Our aim is to offer artists a dynamic environment that seamlessly supports their production needs, from rehearsal to execution. In addition, we offer comprehensive production services to ensure every aspect of the creative process is expertly handled. Situated in a central location, we offer both unparalleled convenience and the flexibility required for artists to push the boundaries of their craft and deliver extraordinary performances.”
You can learn more at gsps.com/studios.
Billie Joe Armstrong can’t say enough good things about that other Billie. Following Sunday night’s 2025 Grammy Awards, the Green Day frontman told Billboard that he was still buzzing about sharing the stage with Billie Eilish at last weekend’s all-star FireAid benefit concert. “The fact that we got to play together… she’s just, she’s a […]
This is The Legal Beat, a weekly newsletter about music law from Billboard Pro, offering you a one-stop cheat sheet of big new cases, important rulings and all the fun stuff in between.
This week: Experts weigh whether Kendrick Lamar can play “Not Like Us” during his Super Bowl halftime show amid Drake’s defamation lawsuit; Spotify wins a ruling dismissing a lawsuit over streaming royalties; federal prosecutors file a superseding indictment against Sean “Diddy” Combs; and much more.
THE BIG STORY: Can Kendrick Play ‘Not Like Us’ At The Super Bowl?
Under normal circumstances, it’s silly to even ask the question. Obviously a Super Bowl halftime performer will play their chart-topping banger — a track that just swept record and song of the year at the Grammys and was arguably music’s most significant song of the past year.
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But these are very much not normal circumstances. Last month, Drake sued Universal Music Group over Kendrick Lamar‘s “Not Like Us,” claiming the label spread the song’s “malicious narrative” — namely, that Drake is a pedophile — despite knowing it was false.
That pending legal action makes it fair to wonder: When Lamar steps onto the world’s biggest stage on Sunday night, will he face pressure to avoid the whole mess by just skipping “Not Like Us” entirely?
To answer that question, I turned to top legal experts – who told me that Drake probably won’t win in court, but that corporate legal departments are also famously risk averse and might want to avoid trouble. For the full breakdown of how Sunday might go, read my entire story here.
Other top stories this week…
SPOTIFY BEATS ‘BUNDLE’ CASE – A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed against Spotify by the Mechanical Licensing Collective, rejecting the group’s allegations that the streamer illegally slashed its music royalty rates. The lawsuit, filed last year, accused Spotify of bookmaking trickery – namely, claiming that the addition of audiobooks to the platform entitled the company to pay a lower “bundled” rate for music. But in her ruling, the judge said Spotify had done nothing wrong under “unambiguous” regulations – and that if anything, the company had paid too much in royalties.
A.I. COPYRIGHT REPORT – The U.S. Copyright Office issued a long-awaited report on artificial intelligence. The report’s overall message was hardly groundbreaking: only human authors are eligible for copyrights, but material created with the assistance of AI can qualify on a case-by-case basis. But it included key assurances for existing music industry practices — saying using AI as a “brainstorming tool” to help write a song, or using it to assist in a recording studio session, would not automatically void copyright protection for the resulting songs.
TERMINATION GOES GLOBAL? A Louisiana federal judge issued an unusual legal decision on copyright termination, breaking with existing precedents and handing a major win to songwriters and their heirs. Ruling on a dispute over the 1963 rock classic “Double Shot (Of My Baby’s Love),” the judge said that termination rules apply not just to American copyrights but also to the rights to a song around the world – an outcome that legal experts have said would represent a “major upheaval” and could “radically revolutionize the way the music business runs.” The losing party in the case, who has warned the decision will cause “chaos,” is almost certain to appeal the ruling.
LYFT DISCRIMINATION CASE – A Detroit rapper named Dank Demoss (Dajua Blanding) filed a discrimination lawsuit against Lyft over allegations that one of the company’s drivers told her she was “too big” for the backseat of his car and that “his tires were not capable of supporting plaintiff’s weight.” In a viral video of the January incident, the driver can be heard telling Blanding that he’s “been in this situation before,” and that she needs to order a pricier “Uber XL” to accommodate her size.
UPDATED DIDDY INDICTMENT – New York federal prosecutors filed a superseding indictment against Sean “Diddy” Combs, adding additional victims and new allegations in the sprawling criminal case against him. Among the new claims: that he or his associates paid a $100,000 bribe to hotel staff to bury the now-infamous surveillance video of him assaulting his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in 2016. Another civil lawsuit was also filed against Combs, the latest in a long list of such cases filed by Texas attorney Tony Buzbee.
Heavy metal pioneers Black Sabbath have confirmed details of their final-ever live show, which is set to take place this summer (July 5) with a plethora of support acts. The event will see the band’s classic line-up – comprising frontman Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward – play live […]
The devastating wildfires that ripped through Los Angeles last month destroyed thousands of homes, taking with them countless memories and precious possessions gathered over a lifetime. While it will take years to rebuild and begin to replace some of the things lost in two of the most destructive blazes to ever hit the city, there are small acts of kindness happening every day aimed at helping to ease the pain of all that unimaginable loss.
This week the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, revealed that she’d teamed up with Billie Eilish to create one of those moments. In an Instagram post on Tuesday (Feb. 4), actress/podcaster Markle described how she reached out to the “Birds of a Feather” singer to help a 15-year-old whose family lost everything in the fires.
“I was just told that something arrived that I have been waiting for,” Markle said in a selfie video. “Oh my God,” she added as she looked at a big pile of Eilish merch. She explained that a few weeks ago, she and Prince Harry visited Altadena — the historic neighborhood that was completely wiped out by one of the fires — and they spoke to a mom who had found just a few possessions left in the rubble.
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While speaking to her, she saw the woman’s teen daughter and found out that when they came back to look at their house for the first time, all the girl was looking for was her prized T-shirt from an Eilish concert she’d recently gone to. The teen said she’d left it in the washing machine as they fled. “And of course they now see their home and the washing machine [and] the dryer are ash… they’re not there anymore,” said Markle.
While she admitted she didn’t personally know Eilish, Markle promised the family that she’d figure out a way to replace the beloved shirt. “So I thought of everybody that I knew and I made a voice note and I was like, ‘Please, can someone get this voice note to Billie Eilish? Here’s what I’m asking,” she said.
Markle did what any sensible person would in that situation, she reached out to Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine and his wife, model Behati Prinsloo, for some help getting this make-a-wish “over the line.” Getting emotional, Markle flipped through the pile T-shirts and vinyl — “I don’t even know what all this stuff means, but it’s signed for her!” — holding up a lunch box with a gold star on it and asking, “Is that a thing? A lunch box thing?”
She sent a huge thank you to Levine, Prinsloo and Eilish for pitching in. “This is going to mean so much to her,” Markle added. “To everyone who is showing up for people in big and small ways to get through what’s happened in California. Just thank you so much. I’m going to go and email her mom now. Just wanted to share that with you guys.”
Native Angeleno Eilish performed at last weekend’s FireAid concert that raised an estimated $100 million for relief, opening the show with a Green Day collaboration and then returning later for her own set. The Eaton and Palisades fires, which killed 29 people and destroyed more than 16,000 homes and structures, reached 100% containment last week.
Check out Markle’s post below.
It will definitely be a family affair at Sunday’s (Feb. 9) Super Bowl LIX. At least according to Jason Kelce. The retired Philadelphia Eagles great confirmed to People that Taylor Swift will be on hand at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans to watch boyfriend Travis Kelce‘s Kansas City Chiefs take on the Eagles in their bid to become the first-ever NFL team to win three championships in a row.
Asked who’s traveling to the Big Easy for the game, Jason Kelce said, “Yeah, I think everybody’s coming in,” before he got specific about the guest list. “I mean, I don’t want to speak for everybody, but I think obviously, our whole family. I believe, obviously Trav and Taylor, and his family and his friends. I mean, Trav always travels like, full,” Jason said.
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“Even when he’s in regular season mode… he’s always got a bunch of his friends there. It’s been this way his whole career,” Jason said of his tight end younger brother, who is looking to add a fourth total Super Bowl ring to his collection. “He’s kept in touch much better with a lot of the people from our hometown. So there’s always a loaded contingency for the Kelces, wherever we’re at.”
Swift, of course, has been a regular presence in the family skybox at Chiefs games over the past year and a half, including at the thrilling AFC championship game against the Buffalo Bills on Jan. 26 that helped punch the Chiefs’ ticket to the big game for the fourth time in five years.
She was also on hand last year when the Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers in Las Vegas, where she partied with friends Ashley Avignone, Ice Spice and Blake Lively, as well as Kelce’s parents, Jason Kelce and her own parents.
When Travis took questions from reporters on Monday, he was, naturally, asked if he plans to pop the question to his longtime love at the game. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” he said with a smile in response to the long-swirling engagement rumors that have followed the couple for much of their relationship.
At press time a spokesperson for Swift had not returned a request for comment on the singer’s plans for Super Bowl Sunday.
Lil Wayne is gearing up to make waves ahead of Super Bowl LIX, teasing fans with a mysterious announcement set for Thursday, Feb. 6—just days before the big game in New Orleans.
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While speculation runs wild, the rap legend is keeping details under wraps, fueling anticipation with a cryptic Instagram Story video.
“Y’all know I’m not going to be there this week, which means I guess there’s a seat to fill,” Wayne said. “Shout out to New Orleans, but I’ve been working on something very special. I got something exciting coming for you Thursday, the 6th. Until then… I’m chillin’.”
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Though he hasn’t revealed specifics, fans are already theorizing what Tunechi has in store. Some are hoping for a surprise single or project announcement, while others are speculating about a Super Bowl-related activation.
With his long-teased album Tha Carter VI expected to drop this year, the timing aligns with what could be a major musical moment.
Back in December, Wayne recently publicly addressed his absence from the Super Bowl Halftime Show, where Kendrick Lamar will headline. Some fans initially expected Weezy to join Lamar on stage, given their past collaborations and mutual respect.
However, Wayne confirmed in a recent interview that he wouldn’t be attending the game and had spoken directly with Kendrick to clear up any misunderstandings.
“I’ve spoken to him, and I wish him all the best and I told him he better kill it,” Wayne told Skip Bayless on his show in December, during which the host revealed that he remains “baffled and angry” that his guest was not tapped to perform on the biggest stage there is in his own backyard.
“For whatever reason I believe it’s over my head,” Wayne said as part of what he described as the “general” reason why he thinks he was passed over for the gig during what is traditionally the most-viewed TV program of the year. “I don’t know why, period. Obviously I believe that it’s perfect… I do not know why.”
Wayne’s Carter series has been a dominant force on the Billboard 200, with Tha Carter V debuting at No. 1 in 2018 with 480,000 equivalent album units—his fourth chart-topping album. His most recent project, Tha Fix Before Tha VI, was released in 2023, serving as a precursor to the highly anticipated Tha Carter VI.
In 2023, the New Orleans rapper dropped the mixtape Tha Fix Before That VI (Bonus) featuring Jon Batiste, Euro, Cool & Dre, Fousheé, TheNightAftr, and DMX and he and 2 Chainz released Welcome 2 Collegrove, the follow-up to their 2016 collab album ColleGrove.
While he hasn’t released a full-length project yet this year, the Young Money boss has been active feature-wise. He appeared on French Montana‘s “Splash Brothers” alongside Rick Ross, Flau’jae‘s “Came Out A Beast,” DJ Premier‘s “Ya Don’t Stop” with Ross again and Big Sean, and he was featured on Ye and Ty Dolla $ign‘s Vultures 2 song “Lifestyle.”
When the news broke of Lamar’s upcoming performance in September last year, Weezy was very candid about being passed over. “First of all, I want to say forgive me for the delay. I had to get strength enough to do this without breaking,” said a somber Wayne in an Instagram post at the time.
“I’mma say thank you to every voice, every opinion, all the care, all love and support out there. Your words turned into arms and held me up when I tried to fall back.”
At the time, he said the news “Hurt. It hurt a lot. You know what I’m talking about. It hurt a whole lot. I blame myself for not being mentally prepared for a letdown. And for automatically mentally putting myself in that position like somebody told me that was my position. So I blame myself for that. But I thought that was nothing better than that spot and that stage and that platform in my city, so it hurt. It hurt a whole lot.”
On Tuesday evening (Feb. 4), fans were treated to a wicked good treat: an intimate conversation between Ariana Grande and Billie Eilish. Following a screening of Wicked at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles, a hush fell over the room as the credits silently rolled and all eyes fell on the double doors […]
Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale has been in the music industry for over three decades, but even he admits he’s baffled by how young artists can sustain themselves financially in today’s streaming-driven landscape.
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Speaking on Canada’s Q with Tom Power, the rocker didn’t hold back on his concerns about the modern music business.
“I’ve been a musician my whole life, and I’m at a loss to explain to someone how to do it, how to build from the ground up, how to get a career in that,” Rossdale said. “It’s just terrifying because how do musicians, how do young bands get paid? I can’t work it out.”
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The 58-year-old rocker, who is preparing to hit the road with Bush this spring alongside Rival Sons and Filter, He went on to describe the industry’s longstanding financial imbalance, calling it “the same deal—artists getting screwed, record companies making a fortune.”
While streaming may offer exposure, Rossdale pointed out that it doesn’t always translate to sustainability. “Maybe you get one song with loads of streams, but we know that barely pays.”
“You just do the best you can. And you can obviously make money touring, but it takes a while to build up a catalog, so if you wanna come and see you, that’s a crap shoot.”
Rossdale, who rose to fame in the ’90s when CD sales and MTV airplay could catapult a band into the mainstream, pointed out the stark difference between then and now.
“I think it’s much, much harder now, and it was nearly impossible then. So, I don’t know what the odds are, but they don’t feel good for young musicians, which breaks my heart for them because we always need music.”
He added,”We always need people’s opinions. A.I. can take care of many things, but you talk about people relating to other people, it’s by writing that brutally painful, honest lyric that other people can relate and get strength from.”
Rossdale isn’t alone in his concerns. Artists across genres have been speaking out about streaming payouts, with industry veterans and rising stars alike calling for better compensation structures. The issue has even led to policy debates, as musicians advocate for reforms in how streaming revenue is distributed.
Rossdale rose to widespread fame as the frontman for British rock outfit Bush, who reached No. 4 on the Billboard 200 with their 1994 debut album, Sixteen Stone, which included charting singles such as “Comedown” and “Glycerine”. Two years later, they would best their previous accomplishments and top the chart with 1996’s Razorblade Suitcase. Their latest album, The Art of Survival, arrived in 2022.
Bush will embark on a North American tour this spring, kicking off in April. Tickets are available now.
Head in the Clouds is returning to its spiritual home of California for its upcoming 2025 edition.
Head in the Clouds Music & Arts Festival, put on by music and media company 88rising and Los Angeles concert promoter Goldenvoice, will return to Brookside at The Rose Bowl in Pasadena for the weekend of May 31 and June 1, with G-Dragon, 2NE1, Dean, and DPR Ian set to headline the event.
The two-day affair will also feature Rich Brian, a Porter Robinson DJ set, a long-awaited reunion of Higher Brothers, and 88rising’s 10-year Anniversary Finale, though specifics are yet to be announced as to what it will entail.
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The list of headliners also features a “mysterious set” described only as ‘The Magic Show?!?’, with a press release noting it “calls to mind a certain similarly titled smash album”. Online speculation has already arisen as to whether this will be a set from 88rising artist Jackson Wang, whose 2022 album Magic Man resulted in a Coachella appearance the next year where he was joined onstage by magician Kevin Li.
As always, producers have promised to turn the Rose Bowl into a “celebration of Asian-centric music, art, and cuisine”. First launching in 2018 at Los Angeles State Historic Park, Head in the Clouds has since expanded globally, with events in Jakarta, Manila and China in recent years.
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In 2023, it also ventured over to the east coast of the U.S., with the inaugural Head in the Clouds New York Music & Arts Festival marking a homecoming of sorts for 88rising, which was founded in New York City back in 2015. The New York debut welcomed NIKI, Rich Brian, Beabadoobee and more.
Presale registration is live from today (Feb. 4) with the general on-sale launching Feb. 7 at 11 a.m. ET and tickets can be purchased at the festival website.