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With Pride Month just around the corner and a multitude of queer-focused music festivals kicking off in June, the folks over at LadyLand are here to give you one more headline-making event to consider for your Pride celebrations. On Wednesday (April 16), LadyLand announced that Cardi B and FKA Twigs are the headliners for its […]
Billboard’s Dance Moves roundup serves as a guide to the biggest movers and shakers across Billboard’s many dance charts — new No. 1s, new top 10s, first-timers and more.
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This week on charts dated April 19, Skrillex, 2hollis, PinkPantheress and others achieve new feats. Check out key movers below.
Skrillex
The influential DJ-producer dropped his fourth studio album, F*CK U SKRILLEX YOU THINK UR ANDY WARHOL BUT UR NOT!!
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. In celebration of their recent collaborative album, Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco are dropping exclusive album merch on Amazon. The album, […]
Linkin Park will headline the upcoming UEFA Champions League final kick-off show at Munich Football Arena on May 31. The teams for the finale of one of the most prestigious football tournaments on Earth have not yet been announced, but regardless of which top-division European club makes the cut, they will have the pitch more […]
A forthcoming compilation album will feature a collection of many of Avicii‘s biggest hits, along with a never before released song. Titled Avicii Forever, the compilation will be released on May 16 via Interscope Records. The compilation is a project by Interscope, the Avicii Estate and Pophouse, which acquired 75% of the late producer’s recording […]
Gospel Music Hall of Fame members Amy Grant, CeCe Winans and Michael W. Smith will help usher in the holiday season, with their Christmas Together tour launching Nov. 28 in Greensboro, N.C. The tour will make seven more stops in states including Georgia, Illinois, Virginia and Ohio, before wrapping Dec. 8 in St. Louis.
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Last year, Winans released the holiday set Joyful, Joyful: A Christmas Album, with her rendition of “Joy to the World” rising to No. 6 on Billboard‘s Hot Gospel Songs chart. Grant has released five studio Christmas albums, including 2016’s Tennessee Christmas. Her songs such as “Emmanuel,” “Breath of Heaven,” “My Grown Up Christmas List” and “It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” have become holiday classics. Smith has also released a handful of holiday projects, including 2023’s Every Christmas. In 2013, his collaboration with Carrie Underwood on “All Is Well” reached No. 6 on the Hot Christian Songs chart.
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This isn’t the first time the three artists have performed together for a holiday tour; Grant and Smith have held Christmas tours for more than 30 years, with Winans joining them on their 1998 Christmas Tour.
“I’m so excited to be joining Michael and Amy for the Christmas Together tour,” Winans tells Billboard. “There’s nothing like coming together with friends to celebrate the true meaning of the season through music, worship and joy. I can’t wait to share these unforgettable nights with audiences across the country.”
“I look forward to every moment of Christmas Together with Michael and CeCe, the rehearsals, the travel, the concerts! We can’t wait to celebrate Christmas together and with all of you,” Grant tells Billboard.
“We all know, Christmas is hands down my favorite time of year, and getting to tour with Amy always makes it even more special — but this year, we’re taking it to the next level!” Smith adds. “We’re beyond excited to have our dear friend CeCe Winans join us. After so many years of touring together, adding CeCe’s incredible voice and spirit to the mix feels like the ultimate Christmas gift. To say that the three of us are thrilled about this tour is simply an understatement.”
See the full list of dates for the Christmas Together Tour below:
Christmas Together
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Spotify is a dominant force in the music and audio streaming space and owns a large market share of users who enjoy the service. On Wednesday (April 16), however, Spotify found itself trending on X after users complained of the service going dark on them and sparking complaints.
As of this writing, Spotify still appears to be down, and neither the Web nor mobile versions are working. We even tried the desktop app, and that too was not responsive. Taking a look at Downdetector, it appears the service went out around 8 AM ET this morning with nearly 50,000 users reporting an outage.
Via the Spotify Status account on X, the service’s teams are aware of the issues and have posted a message.
“We’re aware of some issues right now and are checking them out!” read their reply on X.
In the comment section of Downdetector, some are reporting limited functionality, but overall, most are saying that all forms of the service are inaccessible at the moment.
While the company addresses the issue and gets the fix going, we’ve scoured X for some replies regarding the outage of the audio streaming service. According to some of the replies we’ve seen, some people felt inconvenienced by the service interruption.
Check out those replies below.
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Houston rap legend Slim Thug is feeling confident these days, and he’s got his sights set on none other than Megan Thee Stallion.
After the Hot Girl Coach was seen dancing to two of his classic tracks, “Thug from Around the Way” and the iconic “Still Tippin,” Slim Thug took it as more than just a tribute. “Aye, if that ain’t a ‘Daddy, I want you’ call then what is,” he said. “She danced to two of my songs? I say I’m in there.” The rapper believes it’s only a matter of time before Megan makes the first move. “I’m just waiting on my day she comes to Houston and hits me up,” he added with a smirk.
The two H-Town artists go way back, with Slim Thug showing love to Megan early in her career. Their paths have crossed at several Houston events, but fans are skeptical about his recent crush claims. Many online are calling Thug delusional, saying Megan was simply showing respect to another Houston icon, not flirting. “That’s not her shooting her shot, she’s just reppin’ the city,” one fan commented.
Megan Thee Stallion with Bun B, Slim Thug & Lil’ Keke at her Houston show 🤘🏽🚀 pic.twitter.com/JGUTtzfUmq
— Wave Check🌊 (@thewavecheckk) June 15, 2024
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Still, Slim Thug isn’t backing down. In his mind, the dance videos are enough proof that Megan might be feeling the OG Playa. Whether it’s a romantic spark or just mutual admiration, one thing’s for sure, Houston stays winning with legends new and old.
Save this storySaveSave this storySaveMIKE and Tony Seltzer have announced a new collaborative album. The New York hip-hop artists’ Pinball II is out on Wednesday, May 7, via MIKE’s 10k. Check out the Nicholas Stafford Briggs–directed video for the duo’s new song “Prezzy” below.MIKE and Tony Seltzer released the original Pinball in March 2024. The project featured guest spots from Earl Sweatshirt and Niontay, who are both back for the sequel. Other guests on Pinball II include Lunchbox (on the recently teased “Dolemite”), Sideshow, and Clams Casino (co-producer of “Prezzy”).Read Pitchfork’s new interview with MIKE surrounding the release of his Showbiz! album, “MIKE Knows a Thing or Two About Showbiz.”Pinball II:01 MIKE / Tony Seltzer: “Sin City”02 MIKE / Tony Seltzer / Lunchbox: “Dolemite”03 MIKE / Tony Seltzer: “#71”04 MIKE / Tony Seltzer: “WYC4”05 MIKE / Tony Seltzer: “Golden Dragon”06 MIKE / Tony Seltzer: “Money & Power”07 MIKE / Tony Seltzer: “Belt”08 MIKE / Tony Seltzer: “Sucka-Free”09 MIKE / Tony Seltzer: “Prezzy”10 MIKE / Tony Seltzer: “Angsty”11 MIKE / Tony Seltzer: “Dont Force It”12 MIKE / Tony Seltzer / Sideshow: “Hell Date”13 MIKE / Tony Seltzer: “Splat!”14 MIKE / Tony Seltzer / Niontay: “Shaq & Kobe”15 MIKE / Tony Seltzer: “Amiri”16 MIKE / Tony Seltzer / Earl Sweatshirt: “Jumanji”17 MIKE / Tony Seltzer: “Chest Painz”
Billboard’s data partner Luminate has signed a new partnership with South Korean firm KreatorsNetwork, granting the company exclusive rights to distribute Luminate’s global music streaming data, consumer insights, and metadata products via its CONNECT platform in South Korea.
The agreement, announced on Tuesday (April 16), positions KreatorsNetwork as Luminate’s sole authorized reseller in the Korean market, providing localized access to global streaming analytics and music intelligence tools for labels, distributors, and music marketers.
“At Luminate, we are dedicated to working with partners across the entertainment industry at a global level, helping them to make data-informed decisions in an ever-evolving media landscape,” said Luminate CEO Rob Jonas in a statement. “We’re glad to enter this new partnership with KreatorsNetwork, which allows us to amplify our service within such an influential and forward-thinking international market.”
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Steve Shin, CEO of KreatorsNetwork, added: “After serving K-pop labels for the past five years via data-driven promotional strategies, we are confident that Luminate’s expertise will help us pave the way for the Korean music industry’s move to the next phase of global expansion.”
The deal comes at a moment of continued global growth in music streaming, particularly across Asia. According to Luminate’s 2024 Year-End Music Report, global on-demand audio streams reached 4.8 trillion last year — up 14% from 2023. While the U.S. saw a 6.4% increase, ex-U.S. markets grew by 17.3%, with Asia leading the way in premium (paid) streaming growth. South Korea, in particular, was among the top ten countries globally for premium streaming expansion, up 14.7% year-over-year.
For Luminate, the partnership strengthens its presence in one of the world’s most influential music markets, while offering Korean music companies more robust access to tools for analyzing streaming performance, audience behavior, and cross-border trends.
Luminate’s CONNECT platform — launched in 2024 — provides a centralized dashboard for global music data, consumer insights, and metadata delivery, and is designed to support music clients with real-time intelligence for campaign planning and market expansion.