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Justin Baldoni’s lawyers claim Blake Lively asked Taylor Swift to delete text messages and used “extortionate threats” to try to get a statement of support from the pop superstar in the It Ends With Us legal battle — accusations, attributed to an anonymous source, that Lively’s lawyers say is “categorically false.”
The salacious allegations come in a court filing Wednesday (May 14) from attorney Bryan Freedman, who represents Baldoni and his production company Wayfarer Studios in litigation with Lively over dueling claims that include allegations of sexual harassment, retaliation and defamation.
On Monday (May 12), Swift’s longtime lawyers at the firm Venable told a judge that Baldoni sent them a subpoena for no good reason. Now, Freedman claims he actually does have a good reason: he wants to dig into accusations from an unnamed source that Lively tried to engage in “witness tampering and evidence spoliation” to get Swift on her side in the case.
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“The Wayfarer parties’ counsel are informed and believe, based on information from a source who is highly likely to have reliable information, that (i) Ms. Lively requested that Taylor Swift delete their text messages; (ii) Michael Gottlieb of Willkie Farr, counsel for the Lively defendants, contacted a Venable attorney who represents Ms. Swift and demanded that Ms. Swift release a statement of support for Ms. Lively, intimating that, if Ms. Swift refused to do so, private text messages of a personal nature in Ms. Lively’s possession would be released,” writes Freedman.
“The Wayfarer parties’ counsel are further informed and believe that a representative of Ms. Swift addressed these inappropriate and apparently extortionate threats in at least one written communication transmitted to Mr. Gottlieb,” Freedman continues. “It is those communications that the Wayfarer parties seek to obtain by way of subpoena, as they would evidence an attempt to intimidate and coerce a percipient witness in this litigation.”
Freedman’s letter does not identify his anonymous source or explain how this person allegedly came to know about Lively and her attorney Michael Gottlieb‘s communications, nor does it cite any evidence. Freedman did not immediately return a request for more details.
Gottlieb quickly released a fiery statement denying the claims on Wednesday.
“This is categorically false,” Gottlieb writes. “We unequivocally deny all of these so-called allegations, which are cowardly sourced to supposed anonymous sources, and completely untethered from reality. This is what we have come to expect from the Wayfarer parties’ lawyers, who appear to love nothing more than shooting first, without any evidence, and with no care for the people they are harming in the process.”
Gottlieb adds that his team “will imminently file motions with the court to hold these attorneys accountable for their misconduct here.”
Reps for Swift did not immediately return a request for comment Wednesday. Swift’s camp previously criticized Baldoni for trying to drag her into the dispute, saying she had no involvement in It Ends With Us and that her name was being thrown around to “draw public interest by creating tabloid clickbait instead of focusing on the facts of the case.”
Lively alleges in the case that Baldoni, her co-star and director on the movie released last summer, sexually harassed her on set and then orchestrated a public relations smear campaign to retaliate against her after she complained.
Swift was brought into the fray when Baldoni countersued Lively for defamation and claimed that the actress leveraged her relationship with a “megacelebrity friend,” presumed to be Swift, to bully her way into more control of It Ends With Us.
Baldoni’s legal filing includes text messages concerning an alleged meeting attended by “Ryan and Taylor,” seemingly referencing Swift and Lively’s husband, Ryan Reynolds. In one message sent by Lively, the actress called Swift and Reynolds her “most trusted partners” and compared them to the “dragons” in the show Game of Thrones.
“The message could not have been clearer,” Baldoni’s lawyers wrote in the countersuit. “Baldoni was not just dealing with Lively. He was also facing Lively’s ‘dragons,’ two of the most influential and wealthy celebrities in the world, who were not afraid to make things very difficult for him.”
The Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart welcomes a new No. 1 – and first new leader of 2025 – as MOLIY, Silent Addy, Skillibeng and Shenseea’s “Shake It to the Max (FLY)” remix rises from the runner-up spot to rule the list dated May 17. With its ascent, “Shake It to the Max” unseats Tyla’s […]
At the Music Biz 2025 conference in Atlanta, the “Let’s Get Physical” segment opened with a panel featuring Luminate’s director of partnerships, Chris Muratore, who shared the latest industry insights around the continued success of Record Store Day.
One of Muratore’s slides pointed out that in the last 10 years, there have only been a dozen weeks in which album sales reached the 1 million unit mark, and Record Store Day was responsible for five of those weeks, with most of the other million-selling weeks coming during the year-end holiday season.
Staying with the panel’s theme of updating the industry on “Indie Retail Sales Data,” Muratore explained how Luminate — which shares a parent company with Billboard, Penske Media — has evolved its approach since partnering with StreetPulse to gather data from independent record shops.
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Muratore — who was joined by Coalition of Independent Music Stores executive director Andrea Paschal and StreetPulse CEO John Weston on the panel — began with a brief history lesson, explaining how Luminate’s predecessor, SoundScan, first began tracking indie retail data back when physical music was the only game in town. At the time, around 300 independent stores reported sales. However, the weighting system used to extrapolate sales for the entire indie sector hadn’t been updated since it was first implemented in 1991.
When Luminate began its collaboration with StreetPulse in 2024, it was only after it had made the controversial decision to end weighting for indie stores at the end of 2023, resulting in widespread industry resistance.
By June 2024, Luminate struck a deal to collaborate with StreetPulse on collecting indie retail sales data and assembled a dedicated data team to develop a new, more flexible and efficient weighting model to replace the outdated system. As part of the partnership, Luminate initially gathered sales reports from 200 indie stores, with the number growing to around 250 stores by the end of 2024, according to Muratore.
For her part, Paschal acknowledged that Music Biz president Portia Sabin “was very involved in bringing us all together.”
Muratore noted that, through its partnership with StreetPulse, Luminate continues to expand its network of reporting stores, now surpassing 400 locations contributing sales data. “We think we have identified another 100-plus stores to bring on by the end of the year, so we will have over 500 stores reporting sales,” he said.
In order to get to 500 stores, Weston thanked labels and distributors for pointing out retailers that should be added. Then, speaking to store owners, he pointed out that one of the challenges is that every store owner runs their business “a little different.” “There is a reason you are called independent because you are all different,” he noted. “So if you are not reporting to us and want to, we need to know what kind of POS system you have.”
While Luminate may reach 500 reporting stores — roughly one-third of the estimated 1,500 independent U.S. shops selling new physical music — by year’s end, that one-third likely represents about two-thirds of total physical sales volume. Conversely, the remaining two-thirds of stores that aren’t yet reporting likely account for just one-third of the volume. “That’s because we know who the tier 1, tier 2 and tier 3 stores are,” Muratore explained.
Also, as Luminate and StreetPulse add stores, the new weighting system is flexible enough to accommodate the new ones coming on without distorting the sales picture.
Using the new weighting system, Luminate apparently backfilled the weighted numbers back to the beginning of last year because Muratore reported that in 2024, while physical sales were 77.8 million, the largest segment was indie retail, which collectively sold 23 million album copies of vinyl and CDs, representing 36% of physical sales.
Breaking it down, Muratore noted that of the 44.4 million vinyl albums tracked by Luminate in 2024, independent retailers accounted for 17.3 million — roughly 36%. And indie retail continues to gain ground, particularly in vinyl sales: In just the first four months of 2025, indie stores were responsible for 5.7 million of the 13.1 million vinyl units sold, representing 44% of total sales, he said.
As for CD sales, last year indie stores collectively accounted for 5.4 million of total U.S. sales of 32.9 million CD copies, or 17% of CD sales. So far this year, indie stores account for 1.8 million units of the 8 million CD sales recorded so far — or 22% of CD sales.
Focusing on Record Store Day, Muratore emphasized the importance of recognizing who’s buying physical music today. Unlike the early days of the vinyl revival, he noted, it’s no longer just older people driving sales of physical music — and Record Store Day clearly reflects that shift.
Muratore reported that the top three Record Store Day 2025 titles were Taylor Swift’s “Fortnight” single featuring Post Malone, which led with 59,000 copies sold; Malone’s Tribute to Nirvana with 12,000 copies; and Gracie Abrams’ Live From Radio City Music Hall, which moved 11,000 units.
Muratore further emphasized the shift toward a younger demographic in physical music buying, noting that a recent Luminate consumer survey found that 25% of vinyl purchasers are under the age of 25. He went on to urge labels and music distributors to make sure “they put the right product out for who the consumer is for physical,” adding that the younger physical music buyers wanted Swift and the Wicked soundtrack album.
“We have to pay attention to who is showing up in the stores because it has changed drastically,” Muratore said. “If there were more allocation, this could have been the biggest Record Store Day ever.”
Source: Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty
The Diddy federal trial is underway and as expected some of revelations have been jaw dropping. Cassie took the stand and claims she was forced to participate in a four-day freak off and more.
As reported by Variety, Cassie served as a witness on Tuesday, May 13. When questioned about her 11-year relationship with Diddy she got emotional as she further detailed the abuse she suffered. Cassie alleges that after the two started dating the mogul quickly introduced to her to what he called “Freak Offs.” According to her Diddy invited male escorts to perform sex acts with Cassie while Diddy watched. While she admitted she enjoyed the “voyeurism” aspect of it, she felt “nervous” and “confused” and “wanted to make him happy.”
Cassie claims that eventually Diddy had tasked her with organizing the “Freak Offs” including sourcing the male escorts. She also said the sessions would go on for days with the longest one lasting four days. The “Me & U” singer alleges Diddy provided her ecstasy, marijuana, ketamine and mushrooms to perform. “The ‘Freak Offs’ became a job, where there was no space to do anything else but to recover and feel normal again,” she added. As time progressed Cassie started to see “a different side” of Diddy which came with physical abuse. She says the mogul would “knock me over, drag me, kick me, stomp me in the head if I was down.”
Diddy is facing federal sex trafficking and racketeering charges. If found guilty he could serve natural life in prison.
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Lord Buffalo has canceled its European tour after border patrol “forcibly removed” band member Yamal Said, a Mexican citizen, from a flight — despite the drummer being a green-card holder and “lawful permanent resident” of the United States — according to a statement on the Texas band’s Instagram.
With just one day left before their trek had been scheduled to kick off Thursday (May 15) in the Netherlands, the group members wrote in their joint statement that, moments before they’d been supposed to take off for Europe on Monday (May 12), their bandmate was escorted off the plane at at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. “He has not been released, and we have been unable to contact him,” they wrote, noting that they are “heartbroken” to have to cancel the tour as a result.
“We are currently working with an immigration lawyer to find out more information and to attempt to secure his release,” the band continued in the post. “We are devastated to cancel this tour, but we are focusing all of our energy and resources on Yamal’s safety and freedom. We are hopeful that this is a temporary setback and that it could be safe for us to reschedule this tour in the future.”
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In an update to the caption posted later Thursday afternoon, Lord Buffalo thanked fans for their “outpouring of support” and shared that Yamal had “secured the legal representation he needs.” “We are waiting to hear what comes next,” the band added. “We want to reiterate that we truly don’t know what’s going on. We have more questions than answers, but we will keep you posted as much as we can. At this time the family asks for privacy as they navigate the situation.”
Billboard has reached out to the band’s reps and the DFW International Airport for comment.
According to Lord Buffalo’s website, the Americana rockers were slated to play eight total dates across Europe. Following their kickoff performance in Heerlen, they’d planned on spending the month of May traveling through cities in Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland.
In the group’s absence, tourmates Orsak:Oslo will still play at all of their scheduled dates. “We urge everyone to go see this amazing band and support them over the next couple weeks,” Lord Buffalo added in its statement.
The announcement comes at a tense time in American immigration politics, with Donald Trump pledging to carry out mass deportations as part of his presidency when he entered office in January. As reported by Billboard, the administration’s policies have had a particular effect on the Latin music industry, with many artists sharing that they’ve seen a distinct drop in attendance levels due to concertgoers fearing deportation.
The twice-impeached POTUS’ crackdowns on travel and immigration have also impacted the trans community. In January, Trump signed an executive order requiring that travel documents such as passports and visas display a person’s sex assigned at birth, after which U.S. Citizenship and Immigrant Services (USCIS) announced in April that it would only recognize biological sex on immigration forms going forward. As a result, trans musicians — such as Bells Larsen, who was forced to cancel his American shows due to the change — have similarly struggled to tour in the U.S.
See Lord Buffalo’s statement below.
Kendrick Lamar and SZA have been sharing the spotlight with each other on their current Grand National Tour, and the “All the Stars” collaborators are bringing their A-list friends into the fold during select shows. Playboi Carti was the first guest performer, popping out for “Good Credit” at the Atlanta show last month after Dot […]
Joey Badass sat down with Red Bull for a story published Tuesday (May 13), during which he talked about almost signing with Jay-Z‘s Roc Nation and his relationship with 50 Cent. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news When he talked about almost signing with Roc Nation back […]
During the premiere of Tomorrow Was Beautiful — in which Karol G highlights the impact of Selena Quintanilla on her own career — the Colombian artist was surprised with top-secret news from Netflix. The cat is now out of the bag, as it has been officially announced that a new Selena documentary is coming to […]
The Contenders is a midweek column that looks at artists aiming for the top of the Billboard charts, and the strategies behind their efforts. This week, for the upcoming Billboard Hot 100 dated May 24, we look at the chances of Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” to take over the top spot after 12 weeks of “Luther.”
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Alex Warren, “Ordinary” (Atlantic): It’s been the little song that could for 13 weeks now on the Hot 100: Alex Warren’s simultaneously folky and bombastic love song “Ordinary.” After catching some early viral heat, Warren – an influencer and former member of the Hype House collective – brought the song everywhere from the Love Is Blind reunion to Jelly Roll’s headlining set at the Stagecoach Music Festival, gradually turning it into a global smash. It tops the Billboard Global 200 for a second week on the chart dated May 17 – and now, it sets its sights on the No. 1 spot on the Hot 100.
“Ordinary” has already seized the top spot on two of the Hot 100’s three component charts: It has reigned for three weeks atop both Streaming Songs (up less than 1% to 21.6 million official U.S. streams this week, according to Luminate) and Digital Song Sales (down 11% to 6,000 sold). It has the most ground to make up still on radio – but it’s been doing exactly that, surging 34-27 on Radio Songs this week thanks to a 24% gain in radio audience, and is the greatest gainer in audience among all songs May 9-12, aiming to move into that chart’s top 20.
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With the Hot 100 dominated thus far in 2025 by superstars like Kendrick Lamar, SZA, Travis Scott, Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, “Ordinary” would make Alex Warren the first artist this year to top the Hot 100 for the first time if it moves to No. 1 – and Warren would be doing it with just his second-ever entry on the chart.
Kendrick Lamar & SZA, “Luther” (pgLang/Interscope/ICLG): Its rule on the Hot 100 has practically been unchallenged to this point since it took over following the Super Bowl in early March, but “Luther” is finally starting to slip in its dominance. It drops in each of its radio play (down 4%), streams (7%) and sales (12%) metrics this week, though it remains a strong performer in each – even reigning on Radio Songs for a sixth frame. But it’s clearly on the downslope of its commercial run now, and it may cede the Radio Songs crown as soon as next week.
With “Luther” sliding and “Ordinary” still gaining, it seems like only a matter of time before the latter supplants the former atop the Hot 100. Regardless, whenever it happens, “Luther” has already proven historic in its 12-week rule, setting the all-time mark for most time at No. 1 for a duet between co-billed lead solo male and female artists, and the decade-best run for a 2020s rap song.
IN THE MIX
Doechii, “Anxiety” (Top Dawg/Capitol/ICLG): Not too far behind “Luther” on the Hot 100 this week is another song from the TDE family — “Anxiety,” Doechii’s first top 10 hit, which reaches a new high of No. 9 on the chart. The gains are mostly due to a rising radio audience, as the Gotye & Kimbra-sampling song moves 3-2 on Radio Songs, and seems likely to take over – potentially as soon as next week – as her first No. 1 on the chart. The question of how much further it could go on the Hot 100 likely comes down to whether it can gain fast enough and strong enough on radio to offset its declining streaming, as the song drops from No. 27 to No. 34 on this week’s Streaming Songs listing.
Jessie Murph, “Blue Strips” (Columbia): One of the real breakout hits of the spring has been singer-songwriter Jessie Murph’s super-viral “Blue Strips,” with the hybrid country/trap/pop song bounding up the Hot 100 from No. 81 all the way to No. 15 this week in just four frames total on the chart. The song has already rocketed to the top five on Streaming Songs, and now is just starting to get going on radio, and aims to become her first-ever unaccompanied solo entry on next week’s Pop Airplay chart. It’s already Murph’s highest-peaking hit of any kind on the Hot 100, and if it continues to catch on the airwaves, the top 10 will surely be in the song’s sights before long.
Morgan Wallen, “Superman” (Mercury/Big Loud/Republic): Released on Friday (May 9), “Superman” is the eighth and final advance release from Wallen’s upcoming I’m the Problem album – don’t worry, still 29 totally new songs where those came from – and has gotten off to a predictably good start on streaming. That’ll probably be it for now for “Superman” as a focus track, since Wallen already has multiple active singles on streaming and radio (as well as five tracks currently residing in the Hot 100’s top 40), but the song should at the very least make a strong debut on the Hot 100, further prepping chartwatchers for the absolute Wallen onslaught due following the release of the full I’m the Problem next week.
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SM Entertainment’s boy band RIIZE is gearing up for a comeback on May 19 with its first full-length album, ODYSSEY, and everyone is celebrating, including Amazon.
Prior to the launch of the group’s highly anticipated comeback, RIIZE hyped up fans by releasing an Amazon Prime exclusive photobook CD. ODYSSEY is the first full-length album the boy band is dropping since its debut back in 2023. In other words, this release is a big deal. To prep for RIIZE’s long-awaited album, we’ve compiled a list of merch you can shop through Amazon Prime right now that’ll have you looking and feeling like a true BRIIZE.
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RIIZE Lightstick
RIIZE Offical Lightstick
A clear lightstick with the band’s logo inside.
Want to cheer on your RIIZE the official way? Amazon features the boy band’s lightstick in all its glory for $60. The accessory comes in an orange and white component and includes decorative stickers and a wrist strap to make the lightstick your own.
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With a press of a button, you can change LED modes to make streaming the band’s new album a full-on party. The official lightstick also features Bluetooth compatibility when connected to the SM Town app, allowing users to enjoy a variety of official K-pop content. AAA batteries are required to make this thing shine, but they’re sold separately.
UJIMS RIIZE Bracelet
UJIMS RIIZE Bracelet
A stainless steel chain bracelet with RIIZE charms.
Nothing says “major fan” like repping RIIZE’s name on your wrist. Retailing for $10.89, UJIMS features an ultra-cute stainless steel bracelet with the K-pop act’s name spelled out in dangling letter charms studded with high-shine gemstones.
The accessory doesn’t outright look like K-Pop merch, which could be a plus for some, subtle enough to flex on other fans without screaming “Koreaboo.” What’s more? The bracelet is hypo allergenic and doesn’t tarnish or rust when in contact with water. Worn with other simplistic silver pieces, real or otherwise, the bracelet is a stand-out for sure.
UJIMS RIIZE Keychain
UJIMS RIIZE Keychain
A dangling keychain with charms.
UJIMS also stocks unique keychains for all your K-pop needs. RIIZE’s special keychain features a few whimsical charms made of acrylic attached to a large stainless steel jump ring. Charms include some of the band’s most notable iconography, such as the official lightstick, and the name in Hangul scrawled in black set on a white background. The accessory can be affixed to keys or attached to your favorite shoulder bag for a playful textural moment. Or go rogue and attach it to your RIIZE lightstick.
BC233 K-POP Idol Group Special Matching Card Game
BC233 K-POP Idol Group Special Matching Card Game
A RIIZE-themed UNO-inspired card deck.
Perfect for a road trip or waiting out RIIZE’s album drop, BC233 features a RIIZE-inspired card deck that is much like UNO, but with a K-pop twist. Each card in the themed deck includes photos of the RIIZE members. Just like a regular game of UNO, players are meant to match up cards by coordinating colors and numbers, racing against opponents to get rid of the cards in your hands. The addition of RIIZE’s pictures makes this card deck a wonderful gift for K-pop and boardgame fans alike. With a price point like $9.99, it’s kinda hard to say no.
JNIAP RIIZE Tote Bag
JNIAP RIIZE Tote Bag
$7.89
$15.89
50% off
A cotton tote bag with RIIZE members faces on it inspired by their song “Get a Guitar.”
Inspired by RIIZE’s hit song “Get a Guitar,” JNIAP offers a $7.89 tote bag. Crafted of structural waterproof cotton, the bag features all six members of the band on the front depicted as cute little characters, along with lyrics from their aforementioned track in black. Sturdy shoulder straps hold up the tote, giving the bag extra support.
The bag is extremely roomy and meant to carry the essentials from a laptop to your favorite K-pop albums. Stylish enough for a coffee date or a trip to the movies, the bag is ready for any adventure you might take it on.
