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Ecuadorians Jombriel, Alex Krack and Jøtta earn their first No.1 on the Billboard Argentina Hot 100 chart as the remix of “Parte y Choke,” with Ryan Castro, rises 2-1 on the March 22 dated ranking.
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The buzzy song’s rise, which was originally released Nov. 5 on La Sangre Nueva and debuted at No. 33 last December, takes the lead after the release of the remix by the Colombian singer-songwriter.
“Parte y Choke’s” popularity driver also leans on TikTok activity with support from fans and artists alike. Nicki Nicole went viral after the Argentinian shared a clip of her dancing to Jombriel’s song, which has since registered over 16 million views and more than two million likes.
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“Parte y Choke” trades places with La T y La M’s “Amor de Vago,” featuring Malandro, which dips 2-1 after 10 weeks in charge, the most in 2025.
Emilia and Luísa Sonza’s “Bunda” rises 5-4 for its new peak and Sonza’s highest ranking to date.
Notably, Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars earn their first top 10 through “Die With A Smile” which advances 13-10. It’s the second simultaneous song from Lady Gaga’s No. 1 album, Mayhem, after “Abracadabra” climbs 37-26.
CA7RIEL and Paco Amoroso take the Greatest Gainer honors of the week thanks to “#TETAS,” as the song surges 98-50. The Argentinians also take the Hot Shot debut of the week with “El Día Del Amigo” at No. 68. Plus, a third song from their newly-released EP Papota debuts: “Dumbai” at No. 77.
Four other debuts arrive this week, starting with two entries by Shakira, “Inevitable” at No. 72 and “Dia De Enero” at No. 96. Meanwhile, Zell, DUKI and Neo Pistea’s “Starboy Remix” opens at No. 80.
Lastly, Mon Laferte returns to the chart through “Tu Falta de Querer” at No. 98. It’s the Chilean’s first entry in over six years. since “El Beso” debuted and peaked at No. 98 in 2018.
After a four-week span that negated some positive earnings results and strong global trends, music stocks received a reprieve from the gloom that has spread over the economy since the Trump administration imposed tariffs on Canada, Mexico and European countries.
Tencent Music Entertainment shares rose 11.6% to $14.00 after the company’s fourth-quarter earnings release on Tuesday (March 18) showed a big increase in both subscribers and subscription revenue. The Chinese streaming company’s revenue surpassed $1 billion in the fourth quarter, an 8.2% increase, and net profit climbed 47.3% to $284 million. Additionally, Tencent Music made two announcements that tend to get a warm reaction from investors: a dividend and a $1 billion share repurchase program.
The Billboard Global Music Index gained 3.0% to 2,533.53 as 12 of its 20 stocks posted gains, seven lost value and one was unchanged. After suffering through a tariff-induced, four-week losing streak, the S&P 500 improved 0.5% and the Nasdaq composite gained 0.2%. In the U.K., the FTSE 100 broke a two-week losing streak by gaining 0.2%. South Korea’s KOSPI composite index gained 3.0%. China’s SSE Composite Index dropped 1.6%.
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Music streaming company LiveOne gained 13.3% after the company announced it surpassed 1.3 million subscribers and ad-supported users. The index’s third-best performer, K-pop company SM Entertainment, rose 10.0% to 100,300 KRW ($68.46).
A handful of companies that had taken a hit since mid-February fared better this week. iHeartMedia gained 9.3% to $1.76, improving its year-to-date loss to 17.4%. Madison Square Garden Entertainment rose 7.6% to $33.85, its first weekly gain in four weeks. Live Nation also broke a four-week losing streak, improving 3.2% to $123.06.
Satellite radio broadcaster SiriusXM shares gained 3.5% to $23.47. The company announced on Thursday at named Anjali Sud, CEO of on-demand video streaming platform Tubi, as an independent director to its board. SiriusXM shares are down 39.5% over the last 52 weeks but have rebounded recently and are up 5.0% year to date.
French streaming company Deezer shares fell 6.0% to 1.41 euros ($1.53) following the company’s fourth-quarter earnings release on Tuesday (March 18). Deezer’s revenue grew 12% to $591 million but its subscribers fell 3.1% to 9.7 million (the decline was actually more significant Deezer because removed 500,000 inactive family accounts from its 2023 subscriber count). Despite the week’s decline, Deezer shares are up 7.6% year to date.
The biggest loser of the week, JYP Entertainment, fell 12.2% this week following the K-pop company’s fourth-quarter and full-year earnings release on Tuesday (March 18). Revenue grew 26.8% in the fourth quarter and 6.2% in the full year, but operating profit dropped 2.6% in the quarter and 24.3% in the full year due to a decline in album sales, a higher proportion of management revenue and an introduction of new artist lineups.
Agnez Mo has always been a style icon, and now she’s designing some new footwear. The Indonesian superstar is teaming up with Omar Bailey’s FCTRY LAb, a footwear innovation studio, as their newest creator partner. For her first-ever shoe design, Agnez is creating a special edition FCTRY LAb KNIGHT RNR with the AM Knight RNR […]
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Seeing a dream deferred is never an easy thing to witness, especially if it’s happening to one of your favorite public figures. Fans of Hot Boys rapper B.G. saw his career face a major detour back in 2012 when he was charged and convicted with firearms possession stemming from a 2009 traffic stop.
Although he unfortunately had to serve 11 long years behind bars, the New Orleans-bred emcee finally made his return to the game in 2023 and almost immediately got back to work. Following the mixtape release of Choppers & Bricks in December 2023 alongside Gucci Mane, and appearing on a single by rap icon Rakim off his 2024 album, G.O.D.’S NETWORK – REB7RTH, B.G. has now officially dropped his first studio album in 16 years with Freedom Of Speech.
RELATED: Posted On The Corner – Rotimi Talks 30-City Tour And Joining The Chi
Incognito and DJ Misses were joined by B.G. for a “POTC” exclusive that felt like a reunion in itself. Chopping it up about everything from rejoining his Hot Boys compadres to acclimating into a new era of hip-hop that’s starkly different from his heyday in the 90s and 2000s, B.G.’s story is one that’s both heartbreaking and triumphant. Thankfully, his current days are filled with the joy of getting back to rapping while also receiving love from peers and successors alike, including late Migos member Takeoff who once told Posted On The Corner that B.G.’s 1997 album, It’s All on U, Vol. 2, was the first record outside of his own that inspired him to get into music. “That’s dope,” the 44-year-old veteran said of the clip after Incognito played it back for him, going on to add, “I’m definitely a big ol’ Migos fan and I was hurt when that happened to lil homie. Even though I didn’t know him personally-personally, when we lose our youngins like that it be crazy and hurtful; I know he had so much more to contribute to the culture.”
Watch our full “POTC” exclusive chat above with Hot Boys emcee B.G. to get the story behind his new album, Freedom Of Speech, and everything he’s got planned in the very near future.
POTC: B.G. Talks ‘Freedom’ In New Music & Hot Boys Reuniting
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The owners of Departure — the conference and festival formerly known as Canadian Music Week (CMW) — are being sued by its former founder/president for breach of contract and unpaid sale fees.
In a notice of action filed with the Ontario Court of Justice this week (March 17), Neill Dixon has commenced a legal proceeding against the owners of Departure, including Loft Entertainment and Oak View Group (OVG) Canada.
Dixon accuses the companies of breach of contract, unjust enrichment and quantum meruit (a reasonable fee for work done) and seeks damages of $435,428 plus $50,000 in punitive and aggravated damages. The claim states that the new owners have not paid the full sale price of $2,000,000 agreed to in June 2024.
“After 42 years of building an internationally respected Canadian music business, I made the difficult decision to sell and retire, trusting the purchasers to honour their commitments under the Agreement we had between us,” Dixon tells Billboard Canada in a statement. “I have been forced to start a lawsuit to hold them to their end of the Agreement we had between us. It’s disheartening to have decades of dedication and hard work met with such an approach by them.”
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In a statement to Billboard Canada, Loft and OVG confirm they have received the statement of claim and write that they have been negotiating with Dixon over the terms.
“LOFT Entertainment and Oak View Group have received a formal statement of claim from Neill Dixon,” they write. “We have been negotiating with Neill and his counsel for an extended period to finalize our agreed upon terms. If we are unable to reach an agreement, we will explore alternative options.”
Dixon announced his retirement and sale of CMW to Loft and the U.S.-based OVG (which has opened an office in Canada) on the opening day of the conference last summer. In a surprise move before the end of 2024, the new owners announced they would be changing the event’s name to Departure. The festival had been known as Canadian Music Week since 1982, which included Dixon’s entire term as president. During that time, it became known as one of the most important music industry conferences in Canada.
The new owners announced the rebranding at a launch event in November at the conference’s new headquarters, Hotel X in Toronto. The new Departure team — including Loft co-founder Randy Lennox, CEO Jackie Dean and executive producer Kevin Barton as well as OVG Canada president Tom Pistore — outlined a new vision for the festival, expanding the music event to also include comedy, tech, food and more. Some of the confirmed speakers for this year include Matty Matheson, Bryan Adams and Dallas Green.
Dixon was at the launch event, where Lennox and Barton announced they would honour the former CMW co-founder with a lifetime achievement award at this year’s festival, which takes place from May 6-11, 2025.
Now, however, Dixon claims the new owners have not honoured their monetary commitments to him.
Full story here. – Richard Trapunski
IFPI Global Music Report 2025 Touts Canadian Revenue Growth, International Punjabi Music Push
Canada’s music market is staying strong, with revenues growing to $660.3 million USD in 2024.
That’s according to the IFPI, which represents the global recording industry. IFPI’s 2025 State of the Industry report again lists Canada as the 8th largest music market in the world.
Canada’s 2024 revenues saw relatively small growth of just 1.5%, but the report notes that the 2024 figures are in comparison to an unusually high 2023, which saw a large one-off performance rights revenue payment.
Meanwhile, Canada’s most popular musician, Drake, saw his global standing rise. During a tough year for the superstar’s reputation, his worldwide popularity increased, rising from No. 4 to No. 2 in the IFPI’s artist rankings, behind only Taylor Swift.
The report highlights Warner Canada and Warner India’s joint venture, 91 North, which has been successfully growing the profile of South Asian music in Canada and abroad. In the report, Warner India’s Jay Mehta and Warner Canada’s Kristen Burke discussed how the collaborative label came to be. Mehta says the idea came to him during lockdown when he noticed the explosion in Punjabi talent coming out of Canada.
“While it was already a big consumption market, Canada was newly becoming a big creator market, which was consistently making great Indian sounds,” Mehta said. He connected with Burke on the idea of a label that could support South Asian artists in Canada who have huge followings in India.
“Jay and I quickly got together and recognized that there was a real opportunity here to be the first label to come together to really support these artists,” Burke added.
Read more on the Canadian insights in the IFPI Global Music Report here. – Rosie Long Decter
Canadian Country Music Association Adds Francophone Artist of the Year Category for 2025
The Canadian Country Music Association is adding a new category for Francophone Artist of the Year.
The inaugural award will be presented during Country Music Week in Kelowna, B.C., this September. It marks a milestone addition for the CCMA Awards, recognizing both the increasing impact of Francophone artists in Canadian country and the popularity of country music in Quebec.
“The addition of the Francophone Artist of the Year category is a significant step forward in celebrating the diversity within Canadian country music,” said Amy Jeninga, CCMA President, in a statement. “We are thrilled to provide a dedicated platform that recognizes and supports Francophone country artists, ensuring their contributions receive the attention they deserve.”
The eligibility period runs from March 1, 2024, through April 30, 2025. Seventy percent of the act’s released repertoire during that period must be in French.
The new award, which joins the 15 established artist awards at the CCMAs, will shine a light on Francophone artists who might not be getting a national spotlight.
Quebec has a robust Francophone country scene. The province’s ADISQ Gala presents an annual award for Country Album, with recent winners and nominees including Acadian group Salebarbes, singer-songwriter Alex Burger and multi-instrumentalist duo Hauterive.
Francophone country artists are also spread across the country beyond Quebec. The Ontario equivalent of the CCMAs, the Country Music Association of Ontario, already features a similar award dedicated to Francophone artists. Reney Ray of Kapuskasing, Ontario, took home the 2024 CMA Ontario Award for Francophone artist of the year.
The new award at the CCMAs is the latest example of major Canadian music associations adapting to account for the country’s musical and cultural diversity.
Read more here. – RLD
It’s no secret that Drake enjoys gambling, and his partnership with Australian online gambling company Stake is a testament to that. The Toronto rapper posted of clip of him sitting down with the company for their online series House Money, where he answered questions about his biggest win and his gambling GOAT. When asked about […]
Women in music don’t just take up space; they define it. They set the trends, move the culture and rewrite the rules in real time. As we gear up for Billboard Women in Music 2025, happening Saturday, March 29, at Inglewood, California’s YouTube Theater, we’re celebrating the artists and industry leaders who are shaping the sound of today and tomorrow.
Join us at Billboard Women in Music 2025 – get your tickets now! Get Tickets → HERE
This year’s honorees represent a powerful range of voices and genres. Doechii is our Woman of the Year, while Muni Long is our Rising Star presented by Honda; aespa is Group of the Year, Megan Moroney earns Rulebreaker, and Angela Aguilar is honored with Breakthrough. Tyla takes home Impact, GloRilla claims Powerhouse, and Meghan Trainor is recognized as Hitmaker. Erykah Badu receives the Icon award, Jennie is honored as a Global Force, and ANNA and Charlotte Cardin share Global Women of the Year – Billboard. Gracie Abrams is named Songwriter of the Yea
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Beyond the music, Tina Knowles will be honored as Mother of the Year, recognizing her influence not just as the woman behind some of music’s biggest stars — including her superstar daughter Beyoncé — but as a cultural architect in her own right. From shaping Destiny’s Child to her philanthropy and creative ventures, her legacy extends far beyond entertainment. She’s now sharing her journey in her upcoming book, Matriarch, reflecting on motherhood, leadership and the power of community.
The night will also feature a lineup of presenters including Julia Michaels, Mickey Guyton, Kali Uchis, Summer Walker, Madison Beer, Tanner Adell, Zara Larsson, Becky G, Suki Waterhouse and Victoria Monét, all coming together to celebrate the impact of women in music. Laverne Cox will take the stage as host, leading a night dedicated to honoring the talent, creativity and influence of women across the industry.
To mark the occasion, we’ve curated a 60-song Billboard Women in Music playlist featuring the artists shaping this moment. With songs from honorees and presenters alike, it’s a celebration of music in every form — whether it’s R&B, pop, country, rap, K-pop or reggaetón. No matter the genre, the energy is the same: fearless, forward-thinking, and impossible to ignore.
Listen to the playlist below, and don’t miss Billboard Women in Music 2025 on March 29. Get your tickets now at billboardwomeninmusic.com.
“They Don’t Know.” “Are You Still Down” featuring Tupac Shakur. “Someone to Love” featuring Babyface. Jon B’s brand of soulful music has kept female fans screaming for 30 years. Now the Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter-producer-musician is celebrating — and continuing — that legacy with the March 21 release of his eighth studio album, Waiting on You (stream HERE).
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“Man, 30 years,” Jon B tells Billboard of reaching that lofty career milestone. “I love what I do, and Waiting on You is just another product of my loving what I do. I also love my fans, who have allowed me into their lives. We’ve gone this long together and still got that love, so let’s keep this thing going.”
That sentiment is reflected in one of the album’s 11 songs, “Still Got Love,” whose cha-cha groove is reminiscent of another Jon B fan fave, the 2001 club jam “Don’t Talk.” In addition, Waiting on You has already spun off two singles: the ‘90s-vibed title track and the atmospheric ballad “Natural Drug.” On the former, Jon B reunited with Tank, who first collaborated with his fellow R&B purveyor on the title track for another Jon B album: 2004’s Stronger Everyday. Along with Tank, Jon B’s Waiting on You production collaborators include Brady Watt, Loren Lomboy and Donte Jackson.
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Of his and Tank’s musical rapport, Jon B says, “He can play, write and sing. So when you put us in a room, we immediately start talking that musical language. I love his bridge [on “Waiting”] because it brings back the harmonies and energy that we were giving in the ’90s — a little of that old goodness that’s kind of missing in R&B.”
As does the ballad “Understand” featuring late ‘90s-early ‘aughts R&B artist Donell Jones. The album’s other tasty offerings include the uptempo love ode “Hills to the Hood” with rap icon Rick Ross (“WhenI made the track, I thought the only voice that needs to rap on this is Rick Ross”) and the meditative “Show Me” featuring rising star Alex Isley (“Her lineage and classic voice speak for themselves; she sounds ahead of her time.”)
“I only have 11 records on here,” Jon B adds, “so there’s just a different intensity with each song. I don’t feel like there any song that’s redundant or just filler. Every song could be a single.”
The one thing that’s remained constant in Jon B’s creative evolution is his smooth, sexy and supple tenor. It’s what caught fans’ ears in 1995 when debut studio album Bonafide was released by Tracey Edmonds’ Yab Yum label via Epic Records division 550 Music. The set boasted the later Grammy-nominated song with Babyface, “Someone to Love,” which initially appeared on the 1995 Bad Boys soundtrack. Jon B’s enduring catalog has since been sampled by the likes of The Weeknd (“Niagara Falls”), Drake (“Cameras / Good Ones Go Interlude”), Chris Brown featuring a posthumous appearance by Aaliyah (“Don’t Think They Know”) and Gunna and Chloe Bailey (“You & Me”).
Now Jon B is back on deck with Waiting on You, the follow-up to his 2019 single “Priceless” and last formal studio album, 2012’s Comfortable Swagg. All three projects are under his own label Vibezelect. Jon B credits his wife Danette as being “the backbone” of the family operation. “She’s the executive producer, artistic director, stylist and booker,” he explains. “It’s a really cool collaboration between the two of us and has been now for almost 20 years.”
The pair’s next collaboration is Jon B’s Pick Me Up Tour. Named after the album’s newest single, the 10-city trek — with additional dates forthcoming — begins April 11 at The Fillmore in Silver Spring, Maryland and will swing through New Orleans, Dallas, Houston and Chicago, among other cities. Opening for him will be Nigerian-born British singer-songwriter Shaé Universe. “People are really going to be in a trance when they hear her sing,” Jon B promises.
In the meantime, the newly minted 50-year-old says it’s “pretty cool” to come back with new music and new energy. “I feel better and more confident about being an artist than I ever have. After searching for a long time to find my rhythm, I’ve finally figured this whole thing out. Now I’m definitely coming into my own.”
j-hope kicks off his new era with two new tracks: “MONA LISA” and a collab with Miguel, “Sweet Dreams.” The BTS star explains why he wanted to work with Miguel, blending pop and R&B sounds and more in the latest Billboard News’ Music You Should Know. j-hope: “Mona Lisa” Person: He wants something cool and […]
Spotify continued its push into the live music business this week with the launch of Concerts Near You, a personalized playlist designed to help artists market and build awareness for their upcoming shows. Company officials say the playlist will update every Wednesday with 30 new tracks from artists performing near Spotify users based on the […]