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After years of linking up with the South’s buzziest rappers and crafting Billboard Hot 100 hits — like “Peaches & Eggplants” (No. 33), with longtime collaborator Young Nudy — ATL-bred producer Coupe added a very special accolade to his collection: his very first Grammy-nominated production.
At the 67th Annual Grammy Awards – which will be held on Feb. 2 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, and also serve as a fundraiser for those impacted by the devastating January fires – Latto’s “Big Mama,” which Coupe co-produced alongside Oz and Masterpiece, is nominated for best melodic rap performance. Should Billboard’s No. 5 Hottest Female Rapper of 2024 take home the trophy, Coupe will receive a winner’s certificate.
Half come-hither rap ballad and half high-octane trap banger, “Big Mama” served as the third single from Latto’s Sugar Honey Iced Tea album. The track reached No. 92 on the Hot 100 and No. 23 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. Buoyed by celebrated performances at WHTA (Hot 107.9) Birthday Bash and the 2024 BET Awards, “Big Mama” helped its parent album hit No. 15 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on Rap Albums, making Latto the first solo female rapper from ATL to ever top that ranking. In addition to “Big Mama,” Coupe also produced “Brokey” and “S/O to Me” from Sugar Honey Iced Tea.
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“Big Mama” will have to take down “Spaghettii” (Beyoncé, Shaboozey & Linda Martell), “3:AM” (Rapsody & Erykah Badu), “Kehlani” (Jordan Adetunji & Kehlani) and “We Still Don’t Trust You” (Future, Metro Boomin & The Weeknd) to take home the trophy, but the Recording Academy’s is still an incredible stamp for one of hip-hop’s most exciting producers.
Outside of his work with Latto in 2024, Coupe also contributed tracks to hit albums from 21 Savage (American Dream) and GloRilla (Glorious). For the former, he produced the Summer Walker-assisted “Prove It,” which spent two weeks atop Rhythmic Airplay.
With just days to go before Music’s Biggest Night, Coupe took a brief pause from working on a “Detroit R&B love record” for Real Boston Richey to speak with Billboard and reflect on working on his first Grammy-nominated song.
“I’m probably gonna miss the Grammys [because] I got some family stuff going on, but I definitely will be coming soon,” he promises. “It means even more to me, because [music is] something that my dad wanted to do. He’s kind of living his dream through me. [“Big Mama” taking] the Grammy home would be next level.”
Tell me about the first time you linked with Latto in the studio.
We had been trying to get together for a while, but our schedules weren’t aligning. But we finally got together at Doppler Studios, and I played her the beat for 21 Savage’s “Prove It” in our first session. She actually recorded something to that beat in the same vein as “Prove It.” We worked on a couple of other records too. The vibe was great, we told each other how much we were fans of each other. We just clicked instantly.
How did “Big Mama” come together?
When the first version of the track was made, it was still a two-part beat. She had the first part of it from Oz, and then the second part was from another producer. She had only recorded the first half of the song, and she had an idea of what she wanted based on what she and [producer] Go Grizzly did. She called me and was like, “I like this first part, but I’m not vibing to the second beat.” Her and Pooh Beatz, who was helping me out with the record, were like, “Bro, we need some Coupe stuff for the second part! We need something turnt to switch it up.”
They needed the beat that day. We had a session at 8 p.m., they called me at like 6 p.m. and I made the beat in 5-10 minutes. I headed to the studio early and that’s how we got the full beat to the song; Oz and Kid Masterpiece did the first portion, and I did the second. We put them together and they matched perfectly, and then we finished the song.
What went through your head the moment you heard the final track?
We were like, “This is the one for sure.” She had been working on the album for two years, and I came in a year into [the process]. She was like, “I need some lit vibes; let me know what I’m missing.” [“Big Mama”] has a mellow tone to it, but also a turn-up tone; I felt like that’s what was missing from the whole [Sugar Honey Iced Tea] album [at that point].
And I haven’t heard many girls do beat switches either. The males in hip-hop really love to do that, so to have a female rapper actually rap two different styles on one song felt groundbreaking to me.
When was the first time you saw her perform the song live?
The first time I saw her perform the song live was at [WHTA (Hot 107.9)] Birthday Bash – and that was before the song was officially out. That’s a big thing now in hip-hop, to have things leak or tease them early. She also performed it at the BET Awards and got a lot of positive comments. Those kinds of reactions let me know that the music is connecting.
Where were you when you found out about the nomination?
I was actually at my house with my family. I’m not gonna lie, it took me by surprise. I didn’t know what to do! It’s my first [Grammy-nominated] song and it’s a big thing, so I showed my kids, like, “Your daddy’s [song is] nominated for a Grammy!” They didn’t even know what it was because they’re so young. [Laughs.]
The Grammys mean everything to me. It’s like winning the championship ring. You work your whole life from [childhood] making music, and you build yourself up to this point where the highest honor you can get is the Grammy. There’s nothing greater than it. When you win that, that’s like winning the championship. To even be nominated is like going to the playoffs or the finals. We gotta win these finals!
How much of an influence was your father on your musical journey?
I’ve been doing music all my life. I played drums in church from 5-6 [years old], up until I was like 10 or 11, then I started playing piano and organ. My dad taught me all of that; he’s been playing since his younger days. As soon as I was born, they threw me on an instrument and was like, “You need to play.” And I’ve been doing it since birth. I used to sing in the choir too. As far as producing, I started doing that in 2014-15. But my dad was pivotal to it all; he loved the ‘70s and Earth, Wind & Fire and Rick James. That’s why ‘70s is my favorite type of music now.
What’s one ‘70s song that you’ve always wanted to sample?
“Reasons” by Earth, Wind & Fire.
You also worked on albums by 21 Savage and GloRilla last year. How do you adapt your sound for different artists while maintaining your artistic integrity?
As producers, our job is to serve the artist. I just try to stay true to the artist’s sound while implementing my sound. Every artist has a direction that they want to go in for their projects, so I try to fill that void they’re missing. But I still keep my integrity; I have weird drum patterns, my hi-hats are loud, my kicks hit hard!
GloRilla is from Memphis, for example. Three 6 Mafia loves Isaac Hayes, so that’s why I sampled “Ike’s Mood I” on “Let Her Cook.” That’s a traditional Memphis sound. 21 Savage loves R&B, so I wanted to sample Faith Evans’ “You Are My Joy,” which is one of the best R&B interludes ever to me. I use whatever tools they give me and then expound on them with my sound.
What was it like hearing “Prove It” on the radio for the first time?
Man, I loved it. It’s funny because I was in the car with a girl at the time. When it came on, she was like, “Ain’t this your song?” [Laughs.] It was definitely a moment for me. “Prove It” was one of those songs that, as soon as they sent it to me, I was like, “This is definitely going to be a radio record.” And once we got Summer Walker on it, it was a go.
Who’s left on your bucket list of collaborators?
Definitely SZA. She’s at the top of the list; I love her voice and her sound and the way her music reminds me of how I feel about Faith Evans back in the day. Of course, the GOATs Kendrick [Lamar] and Drake. André 3000 is definitely on that list too. I would love to do just one record with him. “Life of the Party” is a classic record to me, and I know he wasn’t even trying. He just needs to have fun and let it flow. Out of the older generation: he and Project Pat for sure.
What you got cooking up for 2025?
Me and [Young] Nudy are about to lock back in; we took a little hiatus to work on other things for the last two years. Might be a project between me and him, so I’m excited about that.
Me and JT just locked in for like two or three days and, I’m not going to lie, we made some crazy records. Her and Latto, female-wise, I love them. They’re so talented.
Who do you think will win best rap album? Who do you think should win?
That’s a hard question, because usually any time Eminem is in a “best rap” category, he wins. But I definitely think that Metro and Future should win, because they shifted culture last year. I’m always about that. Kendrick’s “Like That” verse shifted the whole culture, and the album itself is so good – especially with them not working together for so long.
Speaking of Kendrick, do you think he can pull off a win in record or song of the year (or both!) for “Not Like Us?”
For sure. Kendrick is a groundbreaking artist. He’s definitely going to win both of those — more than likely.
This week in dance music: Jim Barron and Chris Todd of Crazy P reflected on the band’s new album and recent loss of its frontwoman Danielle Moore, a new track from Marshmello and The Jonas Brothers debuted on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, Peggy Gou, John Summit, Solomun and more were announced as openers for the final four shows from Anyma at Sphere, Charli XCX remarked that she “wasn’t even on the Grammys’ radar” before her chart-smashing Brat, Shygirl was among our LGBTQ+ artists to watch in 2025, and after two years off, Dirtybird Campout announced that it’s returning in partnership with NorCal’s longstanding Northern Nights festival.
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And beyond, all we need is music. Sweet sweet music. These are the best new dance tracks of the week.
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Jamie xx feat. Erykah Badu, “F.U.”
Having worked on recordings of Gil-Scott Heron, Robyn and Radiohead, collaborating with bonafide legends is not unusual for James Smith, aka Jamie xx. On “F.U”, the British producer teams up with the first lady of neo-soul, Erykah Badu, using a “fully improvised” freestyle vocal recording of Badu from “a Primavera afterparty in Barcelona” in 2019, says Smith in an Instagram post. A departure from Badu’s traditionally emotional, expressive vocals, we hear her rhyming and bellowing over a loose acid house beat with a tension designed for dancing. The music video for “F.U” dropped in line with the release of In Waves (Deluxe Edition) on 29 January, on which the single is featured. “I’m so happy that she is a part of In Waves,” adds Smith. “Thank you, Erykah!”
Gryffin x Kaskade feat. Nu-La, “In My Head”
Channeling the fashionable sound of his collaborator and fellow Illini John Summit, the venerable Kaskade partners up with California’s Gryffin and nu-comer vocalist Nu La for another uplifting melodic techno ballad. The dramatic, emotional build-up of “In My Head” is heightened by Nu La’s soaring vocal, which sings “When you’re gone / You’re still living in my head” before we’re hit with a thumping kick, a growling bassline and piercing synth lead. Released on 10K Projects, “In My Head” follows a handful of tongue-in-cheek TikToks and IG snaps from Gryffin and Kaskade in the studio, letting fans know that, despite the intensity of “In My Head,” the duo still seem to be having a blast together.
Whipped Cream, Careline
The Canadian producer releases her new EP Careline, a six song affair that includes a trio of previously released singles (including the Memba collab “Redline”) and altogether demonstrates a dark, sleek evolution for the artist born Caroline Cecil. Standouts include “Love the Night Away,” a luscious and glimmering peaktime production with airy vocals and a galloping hard techno flourish. “A year and a half ago, I realized I was sitting on a whole world of house and techno tracks,” the producer writes of he project. “I had this vision — Careline, a secret side project, a new alias. But when I wrapped the first master, it hit me… Careline wasn’t separate from Whipped Cream. —this would be the next chapter of Whipped Cream. And I’ve never been more sure of anything.” The project is out on Boom Records.
Anotr, On a Trip
“We rent a house in the middle of nowhere, surround ourselves with nature, and invite friends, family, and musicians to connect. We go for walks, make dinner, and talk a lot. The studio is always there when we feel like it, and the music comes from a place of want, not need,” Dutch duo Anotr say in a joint statement about the creation process behind their second studio album, On a Trip. As the title insinuates, the creative nature hangs were also “fueled by psilocybin mushrooms,” and you can hear the depth and brightness of that perception shifting fuel all over the project, particularly its Afro-infused track “Falling Feels Like Flying,” which is gifted with vocals from the Kabusa Oriental Choir.
Rebūke & deadmau5 feat. Ed Graves, “Endless”
The music video for Rebūke & deadmau5’s “Endless” (also featuring Ed Graves) is stunning. The “Cyberpunk 2077” videogame aesthetic impeccably complements the song’s homage to ’90s trance and techno, with its rolling bassline and gated synths — naturally, the video’s protagonist ends up in nightclub where “a transcendence occurs,” says a statement from Rebūke’s World of Era label. Following Rebūke’s 2018 remix of ‘mau5’s “Not Exactly”, the pair’s new track “Endless” marks their first true collaboration, with Rebūke’s praising his collaborator as “a constant source of inspiration.” The original fate of “Endless” was an instrumental release, until a last-minute conversation with songwriter Melissa De Kleine and Graves led to a vocal recording over the track within 12 hours. That session, says Rebuke, is what “brought the track to life.”
Inaugural leader, biggest song of 2024 and now the final No. 1 of the year: Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” takes the top spot of the TouchTunes Frontline Chart for the fourth quarter of 2024.
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The TouchTunes Frontline and Catalog charts for the fourth quarter of the year track the most played music on TouchTunes jukeboxes from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, 2024, with the Frontline ranking inclusive of music released in the last 18 months, followed by the Catalog tally for any music that was released more than 18 months ago. TouchTunes has jukeboxes in over 60,000 locations worldwide. TouchTunes data is not factored into other Billboard charts.
Since the TouchTunes Frontline and Catalog charts’ existence (beginning with the second quarter of 2024), “A Bar Song” has been No. 1 on the Frontline ranking, as well as the top song on TouchTunes across its entire playable catalog.
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Its reign coincides with the song’s standing as the top-played tune on TouchTunes jukeboxes for 2024, the first song since Chris Stapleton’s “Tennessee Whiskey” to be the platform’s most-played song in a year that was considered a frontline (18 months old or less) release at the time.
“A Bar Song” also sports 19 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 between July and November 2024, tying Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road,” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, for the lengthiest rule in chart history. It appears at No. 4 on the latest survey, dated Feb. 1.
The aforementioned “Tennessee Whiskey” retains its hold on the TouchTunes Catalog Chart, and it’s also the second-most-played song on the platform overall. Like “A Bar Song,” “Tennessee Whiskey” has reigned on its respective chart for all three quarters since both rankings were launched.
It does, however, have somewhat of a challenger in Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control,” which graduates to the Catalog list after previously being part of Frontline. It enters Catalog at No. 2 after appearing at No. 3 on the third-quarter Frontline tally.
Toby Keith’s “I Love This Bar,” Garth Brooks’ “Friends in Low Places” and Brooks & Dunn’s “Neon Moon” round out Catalog’s top five, giving “Lose Control” the distinction of the ranking’s first non-country song.
That said, the Frontline Chart’s top five is all country, with Post Malone’s “I Had Some Help,” featuring Morgan Wallen, holding its No. 2 rank, followed by Ella Langley’s “You Look Like You Love Me” (featuring Riley Green), Wallen’s “Cowgirls” (featuring ERNEST) and Zach Top’s “I Never Lie.”
Of those, Langley and Top are debuts, marking the top new entries of the quarter. “Cowgirls,” meanwhile, reaches a new peak, lifting 5-4.
Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” represents the highest-ranking non-country song on Frontline, dropping three spots to No. 7.
With the holiday season falling within the fourth quarter, the Catalog Chart also sees a seasonal classic in Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” which enters the tally at No. 19.
And once again, it’s Wallen who boasts the most appearances across both rankings, with six songs – as a lead act or featured – on the Frontline ranking and one on Catalog. Jelly Roll follows with four total (two on each).
See both 25-position charts below.
TouchTunes Frontline Chart
1. “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” Shaboozey (=)2. “I Had Some Help,” Post Malone feat. Morgan Wallen (=)3. “You Look Like You Love Me,” Ella Langley feat. Riley Green (debut)4. “Cowgirls,” Morgan Wallen feat. ERNEST (+1)5. “I Never Lie,” Zach Top (debut)6. “Lies Lies Lies,” Morgan Wallen (+5)7. “Not Like Us,” Kendrick Lamar (-3)8. “Pink Pony Club,” Chappell Roan (+9)9. “Beautiful Things,” Benson Boone (=)10. “Too Sweet,” Hozier (-3)11. “I Am Not Okay,” Jelly Roll (+8)12. “Last Night,” Morgan Wallen (-6)13. “Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma,” Luke Combs (+3)14. “White Horse,” Chris Stapleton (+1)15. “Love Somebody,” Morgan Wallen (debut)16. “Whiskey Whiskey,” Moneybagg Yo feat. Morgan Wallen (-4)17. “The Door,” Teddy Swims (debut)18. “Espresso,” Sabrina Carpenter (debut)19. “Pour Me a Drink,” Post Malone feat. Blake Shelton (-1)20. “Get It Sexyy,” Sexyy Redd (debut)21. “Hot To Go!,” Chappell Roan (debut)22. “Miles On It,” Marshmello with Kane Brown (debut)23. “Million Dollar Baby,” Tommy Richman (-10)24. “You Proof,” Morgan Wallen (=)25. “Wild Ones,” Jessie Murph with Jelly Roll (-2)
TouchTunes Catalog Chart
1. “Tennessee Whiskey,” Chris Stapleton (=)2. “Lose Control,” Teddy Swims (debut, previously No. 3 on Frontline)3. “I Love This Bar,” Toby Keith (-1)4. “Friends in Low Places,” Toby Keith (-1)5. “Neon Moon,” Brooks & Dunn (-1)6. “Son of a Sinner,” Jelly Roll (-1)7. “I Think I’ll Just Stay Here and Drink,” Merle Haggard (+5)8. “Fat Bottomed Girls,” Queen (-2)9. “Copperhead Road,” Steve Earle (=)10. “Drinkin’ Problem,” Midland (-3)11. “Don’t Stop Believin’,” Journey (-1)12. “Save Me,” Jelly Roll with Lainey Wilson (debut, previously No. 10 on Frontline)13. “Rockstar,” Nickelback (+1)14. “Whiskey Glasses,” Morgan Wallen (-6)15. “Family Tradition,” Hank Williams Jr. (=)16. “Simple Man,” Lynyrd Skynyrd (-3)17. “Something in the Orange,” Zach Bryan (-6)18. “Higher,” Creed (+4)19. “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” Mariah Carey (debut)20. “Fast Car,” Luke Combs (debut, previously No. 8 on Frontline)21. “The Joker,” The Steve Miller Band (-5)22. “Thunderstruck,” AC/DC (-3)23. “Sweet Child o’ Mine,” Guns N’ Roses (=)24. “In the Air Tonight,” Phil Collins (re-entry)25. “Brown Eyed Girl,” Van Morrison (-5)
January is not even over and 2025 already feels like a peak year for animosity toward Spotify — and that’s saying something given the criticism the company has attracted since emerging in 2008 as a potential savior for a piracy-riddled music industry. Even though music and commerce have always been uncomfortable partners in a marriage of necessity, the relationship has never been sourer.
Call it “the Spotify paradox.” Streaming — led by Spotify — has made the music business the biggest it’s been in 25 years, allowed unsigned artists to reach fans around the world, revived the popularity of local language music and enabled artists to sell their catalogs at valuations unthinkable a decade earlier — and yet discontent has never been greater. Industry revenues are soaring, but many artists and songwriters are struggling and angry.
Part of the disgruntlement can be explained by simple math. There are more songs by more artists chasing a finite amount of listeners’ attention. Spotify had a catalog of 35 million songs at the end of 2017, according to its F-1 filing. At the end of 2023 — the latest count available — Spotify had over 100 million tracks and 5 million podcasts. That’s nearly a threefold increase in catalog in just six years. And although its subscribers grew more than threefold to 236 million from 71 million over that time span, Spotify’s success at keeping its listeners engaged is such that the per-stream royalty — the metric people associate with economic health and fairness — is lower than that of its peers. (See Liz Dilts Marshall’s recent article that ranks streaming services by per-stream royalties, according to a report from catalog investor Duetti.) Global recorded music revenues have improved greatly over that time span, rising 81% to $28.6 billion in 2023 from $15.8 billion in 2017, according to the IFPI.
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But as industry revenues have consistently grown, individual artists — whose numbers are growing fast because barriers to entry no longer exist — don’t feel like they’re receiving a fair share of the bounty. Discontent is so noticeable because, in part, there are more artists to complain. Three decades ago, it required a record contract to enter the commercial music world. Today, anybody can do it. Luminate tracked an average of 99,000 new tracks uploaded to DSPs per day in 2024. That’s about 36 million new tracks competing for listeners’ attention each year. On Spotify alone, 5 million artists had a catalog of at least 100 tracks, according to the company’s latest Loud & Clear report.
Of course, per-stream payouts could be improved if Spotify encouraged people to listen less, thereby reducing the number of songs paid out from a fixed pool of money and raising the average per-stream royalty. With less music streamed, the average payout would shoot well beyond its current 0.3 cents per stream. But that would be counterproductive. In the streaming world, growth comes from keeping people engaged and, ultimately, turning them into paying subscribers. Turn away listeners and they could end up at social media platforms, where payouts are even skimpier, or broadcast radio, which pays artists and record labels nothing.
Many people see that royalties from purchases are fairer than streaming royalties, but listening and buying habits have changed how the money flows. As more people streamed more often, artists and songwriters received less money from old formats. In the fourth quarter of 2017, AM/FM radio accounted for 48% of Americans’ time spent listening to audio while streaming (including YouTube and podcasts) took a 26.5% share, according to Edison Research. By the fourth quarter of 2023, AM/FM commanded just a 36% share, while streaming (including podcasts) accounted for 45%. (Including audiobooks, which are both streamed and downloaded, that number rises to 48%.) Owned music’s share of listening — a.k.a. sales of CDs, vinyl and downloads, which fell sharply over that time span — dropped from 13% in 2017 to 4% in 2023. Also, in the streaming economy, new artists are competing for royalties with older songs. In the U.S. in 2024, catalog music (defined as more than 18 months old) accounted for 73.3% of total album equivalent consumption, according to Luminate.
Much of the discontent over Spotify, however, is less wonky and more human. The company’s actions have become widely seen as antithetical to the artists it claims to support. A turning point came in December when Harper’s ran an excerpt from Liz Pelly’s Mood Machine, a book that reveals, among other things, how Spotify bought music from nameless musicians to infuse some playlists — namely background music such as “chill” where brand names aren’t necessary — with cost-saving alternatives to professional musicians who would receive royalties for each stream. This alleged use of “fake” musicians has been reported in music circles for years, but Pelly’s book, in part because of its deep reporting and previously unknown details, captured mainstream attention rarely attained by a music industry topic that doesn’t involve Taylor Swift.
The Harper’s article, and Pelly’s ensuing book tour, spawned a flood of reviews and reaction articles about how Spotify devalues music, hurts artists, gives users a poor listening experience and is an algorithm-driven song-picker that provides its users only an illusion of choice. But the onslaught of Spotify coverage at old-school media is nothing compared to the countless videos uploaded to YouTube over the years. Enter a search phrase such as “Spotify hurts artists” or “Spotify royalties” and you can wade for hours through such topics as Spotify’s change in royalty payouts (“Spotify no longer paying artists for streams in 2024?”) and explainers on royalty accounting (“Spotify doesn’t pay artists….this is why”).
Contributing to the storm clouds was Spotify’s scheme to lower its royalties to songwriters and publishers. Last March, Spotify incensed the songwriting community when it adopted a lower mechanical royalty rate by contending its premium subscription tier’s music-and-audiobook offering qualified for a reduced royalty rate granted to bundles of digital services. Unsurprisingly, the publishing community, including numerous Grammy songwriter of the year nominees, said they wouldn’t attend Spotify’s Songwriter of the Year Grammy party, which ended up being canceled in the wake of the fires in Los Angeles. Earlier this week, a U.S. court agreed with Spotify, saying the federal royalty rules are “unambiguous” and rejecting the Mechanical Licensing Collective’s lawsuit arguing that Spotify was not actually offering a bundle of services.
Writing the biggest checks of any streaming service doesn’t get Spotify out of this paradox. This week, Spotify announced it paid $10 billion to the music industry in 2024, a tenfold increase from a decade earlier. That figure implies Spotify generated nearly 20% of the global music copyright, assuming 2024 saw an 8% increase from Will Page’s latest estimate of $45.5 billion in 2023. As Spotify’s payments to the music industry increased tenfold over the last decade, streaming’s growth helped compensate for declines in CD and download sales, and global recorded music revenues more than doubled from 2014 to 2024. But, again, aggregate industry gains don’t capture the experiences of individual artists who feel cheated by streaming economics.
Help could be on the way — someday. If it’s higher per-stream royalties artists want, then changing how royalties are calculated could make a difference. Currently, a streaming service pays royalties by divvying up all users’ subscription and advertising revenue amongst all the tracks streamed during a given month. Whether or not you listened to Taylor Swift, your subscription fees go into the same pile of money funded by Swift’s fans. An alternative method that has gained some traction is a user-centric approach that pays artists from each individual listener. Under this scheme, a listener’s subscription fees, or advertising revenue, goes only to the artists that person streamed. That’s a more favorable approach for album-oriented and niche artists and less appealing for popular songs that get repeat listens. So far, only SoundCloud has adopted the user-centric model.
Artists’ royalties also stand to benefit from efforts to clean up streaming services’ catalogs. Spotify and Deezer have signed on to Universal Music Group’s plan to reward professional musicians by demoting “functional” music and incentivizing distributors to crack down on fraud. Deezer has removed tens of millions of low-quality tracks, and anti-fraud measures may explain why the number of daily new tracks uploaded to streaming services fell about 4% in 2024, according to Luminate. But not all artists feel like they are benefiting from these changes. Spotify’s move to limit royalty payments to tracks with at least 1,000 streams was widely seen as harmful to developing artists (as seen in this column on the streaming threshold from Ari Herstand).
The Spotify paradox may never end, but artists can adjust to their new environment. In 2014, Swift’s catalog was removed from Spotify by her record label, Big Machine Label Group. Earlier that year, Swift had penned an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal that argued “music should not be free” and urged artists to “realize their worth and ask for it.” Her entire catalog returned to Spotify and other streaming platforms in 2017. Did the economics of streaming change during Swift’s three-year hiatus? No, not really. Licensing deals may have extracted marginally better terms for artists and record labels, but streaming royalties are still a fraction of a cent per stream. One thing that changed was that more of Swift’s fans became subscribers to Spotify, Apple Music (which launched in 2015) and other streaming platforms. Today, free streaming still exists, and a stream is still worth a fraction of a cent, but Swift is a case study in how to cultivate a vibrant streaming business while reviving the lost art of album sales.
Drake is gearing up to take the stage in Australia for his Anita Max Wynn Tour kicking off next week. Before things get going, the 6 God took advantage of his trip down under by warming up his vocals with a karaoke session on Friday (Jan. 31). Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news […]

This week, Billboard’s New Music Latin roundup and playlist — curated by Billboard Latin and Billboard Español editors — features fresh new music from artists including collaborations by Trueno and Feid, and Bomba Estéreo with Rawayana, as well as exciting albums from Christian Nodal, Pedro Capó, and Joaquina.
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Nodal kicked off 2025 with the second EP from his “PA’L CORA” series. The six-track PA’L CORA EP.02 further solidifies his distinct mariacheño sound — a subgenre fusing mariachi’s strings and horns with the norteño accordion — with other rhythms such as tropical (“Contigo al Cielo”) and dance (“Botox en el Cora”). Vulnerable yet protecting his heart, Nodal stamps personal experiences into themes of love, loss, and redemption in the lyrics.
Meanwhile, Capó’s new album, La Carretera, is feel-good, reflective, and charged with life lessons. Sonically, the 14-track set is powered by pop-rock melodies, soft ballads, and even a country-tinged cumbia as heard in the Carín León-assisted “Existo”—born during “Making the Hit, Live!” panel at the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Week.
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“This is the most honest and comfortable album I’ve ever created,” Capó said in a press statement. “Life is a journey, and like any road, it has its turns, ups, downs, good and bad times. The highway reminds us that it is not about the destination, but about the path we travel. Every experience, every step, defines us.”
Other new releases this week include Elena Rose and Morat’s “Un Beso Menos,” Daddy Yankee’s “En El Desierto,” and Jerry Rivera’s “Volver a Enamorarnos,” to name a few. Who should win this week? Give these new releases a spin and vote for your favorite new Latin music release here.
At this point in his career, Bad Bunny is way beyond breaking records. In 2020, he became the first artist to notch a No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with an all-Spanish album, and he’s the only one to repeat the feat — not one, not two, but four times.
Now, Bad Bunny’s latest album, Debí Tirar Más Fotos, has spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 — and it currently seems poised to notch a third consecutive week atop the tally. Of his four No. 1 albums on the all-genre chart, it’s now the second longest running at the top spot; his 2022 set, Un Verano Sin Ti, collected the most weeks there with 13 non-consecutive weeks.
This week, Debí Tirar Más Fotos is also No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart, and the song “DtMF” is No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 chart for the second consecutive week. Bunny, in fact, occupies more than half the top 10 on the Global 200. On Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart, nine of the top 10 songs are Bunny’s, including “DtMF” at No. 1.
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It’s an astounding showing, even for an artist as big as Bad Bunny. It’s also worth considering that Debí Tirar Más Fotos debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 following an incomplete debut tracking week due to his decision to release the album on a Sunday — Jan. 5 — in anticipation of the Jan. 6 celebration of Three Kings Day, which is a big deal in Puerto Rico and ties with the album’s love of Puerto Rico theme.
But Bunny quickly made up for lost time with a blitz of finely-tuned and very creative publicity efforts that ping-ponged from the U.S. to Puerto Rico, including his stint co-hosting The Tonight Show alongside Jimmy Fallon, playing a surprise concert at a New York subway station, co-hosting a morning news show in Puerto Rico and surprising local podcaster Chente Ydrach with Puerto Rican parranda.
The final flourish was announcing a 21-date residency at Puerto Rico’s Coliseo de Puerto Rico, with the first several dates available exclusively to Puerto Rican residents.
A major architect in Bunny’s marketing and promotional strategy is Monica Jiménez, director of marketing and brand partnerships at Rimas’ Bad Bunny Division.
Jiménez, who worked with brands like Coty and Procter & Gamble before joining Bunny’s label and management company, works together with Rimas CEO Noah Assad on everything Bad Bunny and was pivotal in executing the artist’s complex vision. The success of Debí Tirar Más Fotos earns her the title of Billboard‘s Executive of the Week.
What exactly was your role in this album’s roll-out?
One of my duties is understand and bring to life the vision of the artist for the album. Benito is an artist who fully immerses himself in the many facets of a release process, including marketing, and it’s crucial to achieve what he visualizes for the project. I usually bring together the amazing ideas of the entire team and also look for new ideas to ensure a robust and strategic plan. I also focus on implementing the plan so it meets expectations, but above all, so it truly represents Benito’s essence as an artist and conveys the message of the project.
So, what was this message? And what was the overlying strategy for the album?
The strategy was telling a story through nostalgia and taking a message of love and appreciation for our upbringing, regardless of where or what that upbringing was. With this album, we underscored our pride for Puerto Rico, and we wanted the whole world to feel this same pride. That’s what we’ve presented in all our storyline and in everything we’ve done inside and outside the island. I think that’s what’s pushed such a special connection between the album and its listeners.
We’re closing in on a third consecutive week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, more than any other of Benito’s albums except for Un Verano Sin Ti. What do you attribute that success to?
DEBí TiRAR MáS FOToS has been a very special project. I think the entire world has seen and understood the essence of what the album wanted to communicate: Benito’s love for his culture and for his Latin people. I believe this has made the reception to the album different [from other albums].
This feels like more of a passion project than any of Benito’s previous albums. Do you think that has had an impact on people’s obsession with it?
Definitely. Benito has always been very vocal about his commitment and love for Puerto Rico. But here, he’s devoted an entire project to his island — not only conceptually but also musically, betting on root genres and on young, local talent like Los Sobrinos [the band on the album, made up of students from Puerto Rico’s Escuela Libre de Música] and Los Pleneros de La Cresta. It’s made people look at the project from another point of view and value it even more.
Benito did more promo for this album than any other. Why? And how did you convince him to do it?
I truly think his connection with the project made everything flow easier. He wanted to do it that way, to support the release in the way he did. The key is ensuring that what we do resonates with him, with his personality as an artist and with his vision. Once we have that, everything is easier.
Can you give me examples of marketing strategies that you thought were particularly effective?
Our strategy to reveal the song names generated a lot of buzz. We collaborated with Google Maps and Spotify, and as part of the collaboration, coordinates for each song on the album’s tracklist were revealed on Spotify, encouraging fans to dive into Google Maps for hidden clues. We not only looked for a different, interactive way to do this, but it led to many people discovering different places on our island.
Another major effort was the short film released prior to the album. The story it told [of an older man, played by filmmaker and actor Jacobo Morales, who reminisces of his life and love for Puerto Rico] was a great preamble to the album. It was an emotional, well-done piece [directed by Bad Bunny himself] that connected with many people in and out of Puerto Rico. Plus, those short previews of different tracks that were included in the video opened up an enormous conversation on social media on what people could expect from the album.
Does it surprise you that such a Latin album is the most consumed in the U.S.?
More than a “Latin” album, it’s about the [Puerto Rican] rhythms that make up the album. I’m definitely positively surprised, and as a Puerto Rican, it fills my heart. It’s a huge step for music as a whole.
What’s next with this album?
We never stop. There are many things coming up around the album. Plus the residency in Puerto Rico, which is something historic and will definitely be special for everyone who comes to visit and enjoy.
Country music artists have long had ties to musical theatre — and it seems natural, given that both country music concerts and the electrifying shows of Broadway share similarities. Both are built around stories and tales that connect with human emotions, and both feature teams of people intent on combining music, songwriting, performance, lighting and […]
Along with the awards handed out throughout the night, the Grammy Awards always deliver star-studded performances — and this year is no different.
The 2025 Grammy performers announced so far include Benson Boone, Billie Eilish, Charli XCX, Chappell Roan, Cynthia Erivo, Doechii, Stevie Wonder, Coldplay’s Chris Martin, Lainey Wilson, Herbie Hancock, Brittany Howard, Brad Paisley, Teddy Swims, Janelle Monáe, John Legend, Sheryl Crow, St. Vincent, Jacob Collier, Raye, Sabrina Carpenter and Shakira.
Six of the performers — Boone, Roan, Doechii, Raye, Carpenter and Swims — are all nominated for best new artist. The other two nominees, Shaboozey and Khruangbin, have not been announced as performers.
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Additionally, there will be a salute to the late Grammy legend Quincy Jones, who died in November at age 91, as well as tributes to the city of Los Angeles and the annual In Memoriam performance.
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Let us know by voting here and below. The 2025 Grammy Awards, which will be hosted by Trevor Noah are set to return to Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena on Sunday, Feb. 2. The show, which will help to raise funds for those who were affected by the Los Angeles wildfires, will broadcast live at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on CBS and will be available to stream live and on demand via Paramount+.