Goldman Sachs Lowers Global Music Industry Growth Forecast, Wiping Out $2.5 Billion PDF Free Download

Name: Goldman Sachs Lowers Global Music Industry Growth Forecast, Wiping Out $2.5 Billion PDF
Author: the_charles

1 / 23

0 views•23 pages

Goldman Sachs Lowers Global Music Industry Growth Forecast, Wiping Out $2.5 Billion PDF Free Download

Goldman Sachs Lowers Global Music Industry Growth Forecast, Wiping Out $2.5 Billion PDF free Download. Think more deeply and widely.

Goldman Sachs lowered its global growth expecta-

tions for the music industry for the next ﬁve years, as

well as its forecast for global recorded music revenues

this year, in a report published Tuesday (June 3).

The Wall Street investment bank’s Music in the

Airreport, which has become a closely-watched guide

for music industry executives and investors, said it

expects the global music industry to generate $31.4

billion in net revenues in 2025, a $2.5 billion decline

from its 2024 projection of $33.9 billion.

That reﬂects growth of 6.8% on average from

2025 to 2030, down from the 7.6% compound annual

growth rate (CAGR) analysts had previously forecast

for that period last year. The primary factors driv-

ing that downward revision, Goldman says, are the

slowing growth of last year’s recorded music revenues

and lower ad-funded streaming growth, both of which

contributed to expectations of 7.9% streaming growth

on average from 2024-2030, down from the 9.8%

previously forecast.

“2024 was the ﬁrst year since we began forecasting

music industry trends where global music revenues

fell short of our expectations,” the authors of the

closely watched report wrote. “This was also the

ﬁrst year since we started forecasting music industry

revenue where the recorded music market came well

below our expectations.”

Goldman also issued new estimates for future

growth, projecting that the music industry will grow

at a compound annual growth rate of 4.8% for the

years 2031 to 2035.

These slower growth forecasts echo ﬁndings of ear-

lier reports this year, such as the IFPI’s March ﬁnd-

ings that global recorded music growth for 2024 was

half of what it was in 2023, and the RIAA’s similar

report that found that U.S. streaming revenue growth

last year slowed to 3% from 7.7% in 2023.

Nonetheless, Goldman analysts said they expect

the value of music rights and companies to remain

“resilient” amid an uncertain macroeconomic back-

drop, and that more frequent streaming subscription

price increases and individualized service plans will

provide support.

Goldman Sachs Lowers Global

Music Industry Growth Forecast,

Wiping Out $2.5 Billion

BY ELIZABETH DILTS MARSHALL

(continued)

YOUR DAILY ENTERTAINMENT NEWS UPDATE

Bulletin

JUNE 4, 2025 Page 1 of 23

• Which Taylor Swift

Albums Are Seeing

the Biggest Gains

After She Reclaimed

Her Masters?

• How High Will

Taylor Swift’s

‘Reputation’ Land

on Next Week’s

Billboard 200

Following Her

Masters Purchase?

• Which of Taylor

Swift’s ‘Reputation’

Songs Are the

Biggest Gainers

Following Her

Masters Acquisition?

• Primary Wave

Partners With The

Cars, Acquires

Band’s Artist

Royalties

INSIDE

• BILLBOARD 200

CLICK HERE

Page 3 of 23

In 2025, Goldman says it expects global

music industry revenue growth of 7.7%,

down from its previous forecast of 8.3%,

with growth in the live music sector and a

slight improvement in recorded music rev-

enue growth serving as the main drivers.

Goldman’s revision of its streaming growth

outlook within recorded music revenues was

due to signiﬁcantly lower ad-funded stream-

ing, researchers said. Ad-funded streaming

growth is expected to slow to 5.7%, compared

to its 2024 forecast of 11.3%.

Researchers said these “meaningful

changes to our streaming assumptions” stem

from a structural shift of more consumers

preferring shortform as opposed to long-

form videos, less upside gained from emerg-

ing platforms and the impact of near-term

uncertainty.

Those factors also caused Goldman

to expect slightly lower subscriber and

average revenue per user growth among

streaming platforms.

Which Taylor

Swift Albums Are

Seeing the Biggest

Gains After She

Reclaimed Her

Masters?

BY ED CHRISTMAN

Taylor Swift is enjoying quite the

sales boost following her Friday

(May 30) announcement that she

had purchased the masters of her

ﬁrst six albums. Based on preliminary data

from Luminate, we’re starting to get a sense

of which albums Swifties are turning to

most frequently to celebrate.

Looking at her Republic Records studio

catalog, not including the Taylor’s Ver-

sion re-recordings, all those albums

experienced gains from Friday-Saturday

(May 30-31), ranging from the slight 5.6%

gain that The Tortured Poets Department

experienced in sales when compared to

the daily average of the preceding 11-day

period, to the 21.9% increase her Evermore

album enjoyed when comparing those pe-

riods, according to Billboard’s calculations

based Luminate’s on preliminary sales and

streaming activity data.

Meanwhile, the Taylor’s Version albums

almost all outperformed the Evermore in-

crease, except for the 1989 re-record, which

just missed out by growing 21.3% in the two-

day average after the announcement versus

the previous 11-day average: Red (Taylor’s

Version) grew by 23.2%, Speak Now (Taylor’s

Version) by 27.5% and Fearless (Taylor’s

Version) by 27.9%, per preliminary data from

Luminate, Billboard calculates.

Moving over to Swift’s Big Machine al-

bums, the original 1989 album had the least

amount of growth but even its percentage

increase of 41.2% swamped the percentage

gains posted by all the Republic albums.

Leading the growth charge, Taylor Swift’s

eponymous ﬁrst album enjoyed a 484.4%

increase, followed by Speak Now with a

343.9% increase in the two days after the an-

nouncement versus the 11 days prior; Repu-

tation, up 328%; Red at 173.7% greater; and

Fearless with a 140.4% rise when comparing

the two periods, Billboard further calculates.

However, even with the original whop-

ping percentage gains on a unit count basis

for the two periods, none of those albums

outperformed the Taylor’s Version albums

in absolute sales for the post-announcement

two-day period. For example, 1989 (Taylor’s

Version) averaged a few hundred above

2,000 album consumption units for the two-

day period, while the original version’s total

IN BRIEF

AUTHORITATIVE INTELLIGENCE.

DELIVERED DIGITALLY. CLICK HERE

FOR FREE

DELIVERY

DIGITAL NEWSLETTERS

album consumption was a few hundred over

1,000 units.

Even the original Speak Now, which saw

a 343.9% increase, fell 10 units shy of Speak

Now (Taylor’s Version), when looking at the

average total consumption units for the two-

day period.

On a unit basis, Reputation the biggest

gain — nearly 6,000 units — to bring total

sales on average for the two-day period to

nearly 8,000 units, versus the nearly 2,000

units the album averaged in the 11 days prior

to the announcement. In fact, that album

was by far the best performing album in the

Swift catalog over the two-day period.

How High Will

Taylor Swift’s

‘Reputation’

Land on Next

Week’s Billboard

200 Following

Her Masters

Purchase?

BY ANDREW UNTERBERGER

The Contenders is a midweek col-

umn that looks at artists aiming for

the top of the Billboard charts, and

the strategies behind their eorts.

This week, for the upcoming Billboard 200

dated June 14, we look at a handful of albums

likely to impact the top tier of the chart – a

couple brand new, and a couple recently

revitalized, led by a likely rebound from the

biggest pop star in the world.

Taylor Swift, Reputation (Big Machine):

On a day of big new releases, last Friday

(May 30) was still dominated by the news

that Taylor Swift had ocially acquired

her own masters. Billboard reported from

sources that she paid around $360 million

for the acquisition from private equity ﬁrm

Shamrock Capital, which had acquired the

catalog in late 2020 from Scooter Braun’s

Ithaca Holdings, after Braun had bought

Swift’s old label Big Machine the year

before. Braun’s initial purchase, and Swift’s

negative reaction to her professional adver-

sary having such a big stake in her history,

had of course inspired the entire Taylor’s

Version project — which led to Swift re-re-

cording four of her ﬁrst six albums over the

course of 2021-2023, along with a number of

period-appropriate rarities. That endeavor

not only proved wildly successful for Swift,

but played a major part in her 2020s ascen-

sion to a level of solo superstardom not seen

before this century.

One of the two Big Machine-era albums

she had yet to get to with her Taylor’s Ver-

sion series was Reputation, the divisive 2017

album that followed both her ultimate pop

breakthrough with 2014’s 1989 and the back-

lash that ensued, particularly after her back-

and-forth feuding with Kanye West and Kim

Kardashian. Along with the announcement

of the acquisition of her masters, Swift also

revealed that Reputation (Taylor’s Version)

had been the most challenging of the series

for her to put together, as she found it dif-

ﬁcult to get back into the headspace of that

album era — and thus had not even ﬁnished

re-recording a quarter of it. Fans could infer

from her letter that now that Swift’s back

catalog was once again her own, she would

be unlikely to ﬁnish re-recording the rest of

it anytime soon.

But while some fans may have been disap-

pointed that they would not get the full

Reputation (Taylor’s Version) package any-

time soon — which was so long-anticipated

that the original album got a consumption

bump a couple weeks ago merely based on

rumors that she might reveal something

about it on the AMAs — most were ready

to revisit the original album anyway. With

no re-recording imminent, and Swift once

again the owner of her back catalog, fans

ﬂocked to the original Reputation, resulting

in it leaping to the top of the iTunes albums

chart, and launching ﬁve of its tracks back

onto the Spotify Daily Top Songs USA chart

for Saturday (May 31).

The major bump in sales and streams, for

an album that was still ranking at No. 78 on

the Billboard 200 in its 349th week on the

chart, could see the album make a major

rebound next week. It’s unlikely to supplant

Morgan Wallen’s I’m the Problem — but no

album is, as Problem posted 286,000 units

this week (according to Luminate) in its

second week atop the chart, and is likely

to still be comfortably in the six ﬁgures in

its third week, thanks to the 37-track set’s

gargantuan streaming numbers. But it could

get as high as the top ﬁve, maybe even to the

runner-up spot, if fan enthusiasm maintains

the further we get away from Swift’s Friday

announcement. (Swift could also perhaps

give sales a boost if she made the album

available for sale on her webstore — as of

publishing, it was still not listed there.)

Miley Cyrus, Something Beautiful (Co-

lumbia): Perhaps Swift’s main competition

for the biggest chart-crasher this week is

her old Hannah Montana: The Movie co-star

Miley Cyrus. The veteran pop superstar

returned on Friday with her new LP Some-

thing Beautiful, the audio part of a visual

album project whose ﬁlm accompaniment is

set to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival

this Friday (June 6).

Something Beautiful follows 2023’s End-

less Summer Vacation, and its galactically

successful lead single “Flowers,” which

became the biggest chart hit of Cyrus’ career

and won her her ﬁrst two Grammys. So far,

none of the advance releases from Some-

thing Beautiful appear to be on anywhere

near a “Flowers” trajectory, however — the

only one of them to even reach the Bill-

board Hot 100 so far was ocial lead single

“End of the World,” which debuted at No. 52

and fell o the chart after just four weeks.

While Something Beautiful is unlikely to

be an immediate streaming blockbuster — as

of midweek, none of its tracks appear on

either the Spotify Daily Top Songs USA or

the Apple Music real-time charts — it should

sell relatively well. To help with that, the

album is available in six dierent vinyl vari-

ants (including an artist webstore-exclusive

signed version), as well as standard and

signed CDs and two deluxe branded boxed

sets with the CD and branded merch. At

the very least, the set should extend Miley’s

streak of top ﬁve albums on the Billboard

200 — which encompasses every one of her

ocial studio releases dating back to 2007’s

Page 5 of 23

IN BRIEF

ISSUE DATE 6/21 | AD CLOSE 6/10 | MATERIALS DUE 6/12

On June 21, Billboard will publish its seventh

annual Pride Issue, honoring culturally moving

and inﬂuential people who have contributed to

the community’s history and its current land-

scape. Year-round, Billboard covers LGBTQIA+

issues across our editorial channels, including

Billboard Pride. Building on this platform,

Billboard will dedicate the month of June to

celebrate love, acceptance, diversity and what it

means to be queer in music.

All month long, Billboard will be the go-to

destination for music- and entertainment-

related Pride content. Leveraging our iconic

voice within music and culture, Billboard will

curate a mix of engaging video and social

content featuring thought-provoking panels,

heartfelt performances and glam tutorials — all in

the spirit of building a community for consumers

and inﬂuencers in celebration of Pride.

CONTACTS

East Coast/Midwest Joe Maimone | joe.maimone@billboard.com

Southeast Lee Ann Photoglo | laphotoglo@gmail.com

Los Angeles Aki Kaneko | moishekaneko@gmail.com

Latin Marcia Olival | marciaolival29@gmail.com

Touring & West Coast Cynthia Mellow | cmellow615@gmail.com

International Ryan O’Donnell | rodonnell@pmc.com

Meet Miley Cyrus, excepting 2015’s Miley

Cyrus & Dead Petz, which was not initially

given a commercial release.

SEVENTEEN, SEVENTEEN 5th Album

‘Happy Burstday’ (Pledis/YG Plus): Also

aiming for the top ﬁve next week is an act

with less stateside household-name recogni-

tion as Swift and Cyrus, but nearly as much

of a presence on the albums chart. SEV-

ENTEEN has reached the Billboard 200’s

top 10 six times already in the 2020s, and

even gotten as high as No. 2 with two 2023

releases, the EP FML and the mini-album

Seventeenth Heaven.

The 13-member group is likely to return

to the top 10 next week with its ﬁfth full-

length album, Happy Burstday — a 16-track

eort that includes contributions from two

of the biggest U.S. hitmakers of the early

21st-century in Pharrell and Timbaland.

While SEVENTEEN has never been a major

force on streaming in the U.S., the group

are reliable high-sellers, and Burstday is

available for purchase in a whopping 14 CD

variants — all of which contain collectible

branded paper ephemera, some of which is

randomized. It should be enough for Burst-

day to be a real contender for the Billboard

200’s runner-up spot, along with the Swift

and Cyrus sets.

Which of

Taylor Swift’s

‘Reputation’ Songs

Are the Biggest

Gainers Following

Her Masters

Acquisition?

BY JASON LIPSHUTZ,

ANDREW UNTERBERGER

Welcome to Billboard

Pro’sTrending Upnews-

letter, where we take a clos-

er look at the songs, artists,

curiosities and trends that have caught the

music industry’s attention. Some have come

out of nowhere, others have taken months to

catch on, and all of them could become ubiq-

uitous in the blink of a TikTok clip.

This week: Each of Taylor Swift’s Reputa-

tion tracks are up following her announce-

ment of having acquired the masters to her

Big Machine-era albums — but which are

up the most? Plus, a Kellyoke outing helps

a Texas singer-songwriter get a break, and

TikTok pettiness helps mint another fun new

country hit.

Taylor Swift’s Surging ‘Reputation’:

Which Songs Are Getting Streamed the

Most?

Following Taylor Swift’s announcement

on Friday (May 30) that she had bought

back the master recordings of her ﬁrst six

albums, the superstar’s entire catalog posted

sales and streaming gains, as Swifties rushed

to celebrate the hard-fought victory. In ad-

dition to her ﬁve most recent studio albums

and four Taylor’s Version re-records receiv-

ing boosts, her ﬁrst six full-lengths naturally

saw spikes in listenership — particularly

Reputation, her 2017 opus which had not yet

been given a Taylor’s Version treatment (and

possibly never will).

Reputation has experienced the biggest

gain in consumption since Friday’s an-

nouncement, averaging 8,000 equivalent

album units between Friday and Saturday,

according to Luminate, and challenging

for a return to the upper reaches of the

Billboard 200 next week. Digging into the

individual songs, every single track on the

album earned a increase in daily U.S. on-de-

mand audio streams of at least 70 percent in

the four days after the announcement (May

30-June 2) compared to the same tracking

period during the previous week (May 23-

26), with “So It Goes...” getting the biggest

percentage bounce by rising to 983,000

streams in those four days, up a whopping

262% from the previous week.

The biggest hits on Reputation earned

big boosts as well: lead single and Hot 100

chart-topper “Look What You Made Me Do”

rose 70% to 2 million streams between May

30-June 2, while “Delicate” was up 85% to

2.02 million streams over those four days.

The most-streamed song on Reputation,

however, was the opener, “...Ready For It?,”

which earned 2.21 million streams over that

four-day period (up 80%). When Swifties

wanted to ﬁnally return to Reputation, they

clearly wanted to start at the top and savor

the whole thing. - JASON LIPSHUTZ

Elizabeth Nichols Has ‘Got a New’ Hit

Following ‘Kellyoke’ Cover

While pop star-turned-TV host Kelly

Clarkson has made the ‘Kellyoke’ covers

segment on her eponymous talk show a pop

institution largely taking on a combination

of established classics and contemporary

hits, occasionally she likes to look to the

future a little. That’s what she did last week,

when she took on Texas country singer-

songwriter Elizabeth Nichols’ late-2024

single “I Got a New One,” a clever sung-

spoken ditty that sees her responding to

childish romantic ultimatums by calling

“next” on her partners. “I love [that song] so

much, it’s so funny,” raved Fort Worth native

Clarkson after her performance. “I always

love shining a light on a fellow Texan.”

And indeed, the spotlight has been on

Nichols and her winning debut single in

the days since. In the four days following

Clarkson’s performance, “I Got a New One”

racked up 549,000 ocial on-demand U.S.

streams in total, according to Luminate – a

462% gain on the four-day period prior to

the cover. Even more impressively, the song

shot to the top tier of the iTunes chart on

the back of nearly 3,200 in sales over that

same period, up over 63,000% from a negli-

gible amount the prior period.

Given the way the country world deemed

Ella Langley a star following her breakout

success with her similarly sung-spoken

Riley Green duet “You Look Like You Love

Me” just last year, it might not be long

before Nashville decides it’s got a new one

in Elizabeth Nichols. - ANDREW UNTER-

BERGER

Vengefulness Propels Blackly Comedic

Kaitlin Butts Single to Viral Success

“F*cking ﬁnally!” proclaimed the country

newsletter Don’t Rock the Inbox about the

long-overdue viral success of Oklahoma

singer-songwriter Kaitlin Butts and her song

“You Ain’t Gotta Die (To Be Dead to Me).” In-

deed, the darkly funny highlight from Butts’

acclaimed 2024 album Roadrunner has belat-

Page 7 of 23

IN BRIEF

On July 19, Billboard will publish a GRAMMY®

First Look special feature that will showcase the

artists, producers and other creative

professionals whose music was released

between Aug. 31, 2024, and Aug. 30, 2025, and

look at the early contenders for the 68th annual

GRAMMY Awards® in the categories of record,

song and album of the year and best new artist.

7/16: Online Entry Process Opens

8/29: Online Entry Process Closes

Take advantage of this early opportunity during

the eligibility period to showcase accomplished

work to the music industry as voters prepare to

cast their entries for Music’s Biggest Night®.

CONTACTS

East Coast/Midwest Joe Maimone | joe.maimone@billboard.com

Southeast Lee Ann Photoglo | laphotoglo@gmail.com

Los Angeles Aki Kaneko | moishekaneko@gmail.com

Latin Marcia Olival | marciaolival29@gmail.com

Touring & West Coast Cynthia Mellow | cmellow615@gmail.com

International Ryan O’Donnell | rodonnell@pmc.com

GRAMMY®

FIRST

LOOK

ISSUE DATE 7/19 | AD CLOSE 7/8 | MATERIALS DUE 7/10

edly hit TikTok paydirt, thanks to a couple

sounds from it – including the chorus chant,

and the spoken-word pre-chorus breakdown

(“You know, I think I have heard of that

man… I think I heard he got run over by a

train, mauled by a bear, maybe? Hopefully”)

– catching on with users sharing the reasons

they’ve prematurely called a TOD on an ex.

Butts herself has helped accelerate the

moment on her own TikTok, sharing some

of the more unseemly examples and duet-

ing along with high-proﬁle cosigners like

Internet celebrity Brianna Chickenfry and

– once again – country star Ella Langley.

Consequently, the song has begun to cross

over to DSPs, racking up 473,000 ocial on-

demand U.S. streams for the tracking week

ending May 29, according to Luminate – a

3,342% gain from two weeks earlier, when

the song netted just under 14,000 streams.

As the song continues to rise, it just proves

that the combination of a good, funny coun-

try song and the power of online vindictive-

ness is never to be underestimated. – AU

Primary Wave

Partners With The

Cars, Acquires

Band’s Artist

Royalties

BY DAN RYS

Primary Wave has partnered with

The Cars to acquire the rockers’

artist royalties, the company an-

nounced today (June 4). The deal,

which encompasses classic rock staples

such as “Just What I Needed,” “My Best

Friend’s Girl” and the Billboard Hot 100 top

ﬁve hits “Shake It Up” (No. 4) and “Drive”

(No. 3), follows Primary Wave’s partner-

ship with Cars frontman Ric Ocasek’s

estate on publishing and name, image and

likeness rights last year.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Between their self-titled debut album

in 1978 and their Door to Door album in

1987, the Boston-bred band scored four top

10 albums on the Billboard 200, adding a

ﬁfth with a reunion album, Move Like This,

in 2011. The group landed 18 hits on the

Hot 100, including four top 10s, and was

inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

in 2018, a year before Ocasek’s death in

September 2019.

“Together with last year’s partnership for

Ric Ocasek’s publishing, Primary Wave is

uniquely positioned to preserve and honor

the legacy of The Cars,” Primary Wave

senior vp of business and legal aairs Sa-

mantha Rhulen said in a statement. “Their

music has left a lasting imprint on culture

and continues to inspire fans and musi-

cians around the world. It’s a privilege to be

entrusted with this partnership.”

Primary Wave has for years been on

the forefront of the publishing, branding,

marketing and name/image/likeness rights

business for artists that it classiﬁes as “icons

and legends,” with a portfolio that includes

rights from artists like Bob Marley, Prince,

Whitney Houston, James Brown, Lu-

ther Vandross, The Four Seasons, Stevie

Nicks, Ray Charles, Smokey Robinson and

Bing Crosby. Most recently, the company

did a deal with the estate of The Notorious

B.I.G. to acquire the late rapper’s catalog

and other rights, among other deals.

PRS Paid Out

$1.3 Billion to

Members in 2024,

Though Rate of

Revenue Growth

Slowed

BY SOPHIE WILLIAMS

PRS For Music paid out £1.02

billion ($1.3 billion) in royalties

to songwriters, composers and

publishers in 2024, according to

reports from the U.K. collection society.

That ﬁgure is up 8.1% from 2023, when

royalty payouts to its members reached

£943.6 million ($1.2 billion). This means that

PRS For Music have delivered early on their

ﬁve-year plan to achieve £1 billion in royal-

ties paid out by 2026.

Last year, reported revenue growth was

up 6.1% to £1.15 billion ($1.46 billion), mark-

ing a notable deceleration from the 12.5%

increase recorded in 2023, when PRS For

Music broke the billion-pound barrier for

the ﬁrst time.

Elsewhere, international revenues at the

end of 2024 jumped 79.6% from 2015 levels

to £351.4 million ($448.8 million). The orga-

nization attributed the continued growth to

“a renewed commercial mindset and invest-

ment in data and technology infrastructure.”

The society’s online royalties grew 9%

in 2024 to £401.2 million ($512 million).

Collections from the video games sector

accounted for a signiﬁcant portion of this

increase, after PRS For Music secured a

partnership with Sony Playstation’s stream-

ing service to build on its long-standing

download deal.

Public performance royalty collections

were also a key driver of growth, increasing

by 14% in 2024 primarily due to a lift in col-

lections from the live sector, which were up

30% year-on-year.

In a statement, PRS For Music’s CEO

Andrea Czapary Martin — who features in

the inauguralBillboard U.K. Power Play-

ers list — said, “PRS members have the right

to demand their society think dierently,

challenge the norms in an industry where

tradition is too often an excuse for inaction.

To constantly evolve to meet their changing

needs and expectations.

“Indeed, it is because we recognize the

need to constantly challenge ourselves that

we have been able to double the royalties

paid to songwriters, composers and publish-

ers in less than a decade.”

The above ﬁgures were announced at PRS

For Music’s annual general meeting, which

took place in London on Tuesday (June 3)

and was also where new council representa-

tives were elected. Singer-songwriter Cathy

Dennis has joined the Writer Council as a

member alongside Tom Gray, chair of the

Ivors Academy, and composer Philip Pope.

PRS for Music’s Publisher Council in-

Page 9 of 23

IN BRIEF

GLORIA ESTEFAN

50TH ANNIVERSARY

ISSUE DATE 8/16 | AD CLOSE 8/05 | MATERIALS DUE 8/06

2025

International superstar Gloria Estefan, Billboard's most

successful Latin crossover artist ever, celebrates 50

groundbreaking years in music with her 30th album,

"Raíces" (Roots). With 100+ million records sold, nine

Grammy Awards, an Oscar nomination, and status as the

ﬁrst Cuban-American honored at The Kennedy Center,

Estefan's illustrious career includes the Presidential

Medal of Freedom (2015) and Gershwin Prize (2019)

shared with husband Emilio.

Beyond music, her humanitarian foundation, Emmy-win-

ning Red Table Talk: The Estefans, Broadway musical ON

YOUR FEET!, ﬁlms, and bestselling books have reshaped

cultural landscapes.

Her ﬁrst all-Spanish studio album in 18 years, Raíces

blends traditional tropical rhythms with contemporary

CONTACTS

Latin Marcia Olival | marciaolival29@gmail.com

East Coast/Midwest Joe Maimone | joe.maimone@billboard.com

Southeast Lee Ann Photoglo | laphotoglo@gmail.com

Los Angeles Aki Kaneko | moishekaneko@gmail.com

Touring & West Coast Cynthia Mellow | cmellow625@gmail.com

International Ryan O’Donnell | rodonnell@pmc.com

production, honoring Latin music's heritage while pushing

boundaries forward. As Latin sounds dominate global charts,

Estefan's latest work powerfully reminds the world of her

pioneering role in proving cultural authenticity and

international appeal could brilliantly coexist.

Join Billboard in congratulating Gloria Estefan on her

remarkable career over the past 50 years.

creased its membership, welcoming includ-

ing Megan Hall, senior vp of business and

legal aairs at Concord Music Publishing;

Nigel Gilroy, global head of legal & business

aairs at Novello and Company; Daniel

Lang, senior vp of global society relations &

digital rights at Warner Chappell Music;

and Richard Paine, director of commercial

rights & business aairs at Faber Music.

Julian Nott, chair of the PRS Members’

Council, said, “I’m delighted to welcome our

new and re-elected Council members. The

wealth of knowledge, experience and ex-

pertise that they have amassed during their

careers will bring a huge amount of insight

and ensure the Council continues to deliver

the best possible society for members and

that every part of the membership is served

by the organization.”

Music Nation

Partners with BMI

& SoundExchange

for UAE Collective

Management

Organization

BY TAYLOR MIMS

Today (June 4), Music Nation

Copyrights Management, which

handles music rights management

in the United Arab Emirates,an-

nounced the company received formal

approval to license, collect and distribute

royalties from public performance and

neighboring rights. The approval will de-

liver a vital new source of revenue for music

rights holders, according to Music Nation.

Through partnerships with performing

rights organization BMI and digital global

collective management organization Soun-

dExchange, Music Nation will be the indus-

try’s ﬁrst rights management organization

capable of natively collecting performance,

mechanical and neighboring rights.

“Today marks a pivotal moment for the

UAE and Music Nation,” said Music Nation

chairwoman Rasha Khalifa Al Mubarak in

a release. “After years of careful planning,

Music Nation is positioned to become a

cornerstone of music licensing, empower-

ing the Emirates’ vibrant creative industry.

As an Emarati, I am honored to establish

a world-class music rights infrastructure

that not only elevates local artists to greater

heights, but also showcases our rich musi-

cal heritage and cultural traditions to the

world.”

Music Nation is part of a broad UAE ini-

tiative to support the creation of a thriving

music ecosystem and to elevate the region’s

music industry by protecting the rights of

music creators and compensating them for

the commercial use of their work.

“The Ministry [of Economy] continues

its eorts to develop an advanced system

for the governance of copyright and related

rights, based on global best practices. This

is achieved by developing regulatory and

legislative frameworks, stimulating invest-

ment in creativity, and supporting eective

collective management systems that ensure

the protection of rights and enhance the

conﬁdence of creators and musicians in the

country’s creative climate,” said undersecre-

tary of the Ministry of Economy Abdullah

Ahmed Al Saleh in a release.

He continues: “The collective manage-

ment license for music plays an important

role in promoting a creative culture in

society, providing comprehensive protection

for the intellectual property rights of musi-

cians and artists, and providing mechanisms

to ensure ﬁnancial justice for artists and

creators in the distribution of revenues and

transparency in the collection and distribu-

tion of copyrights. This supports raising

the competitiveness of the music industry

in the country and making it an attractive

destination for creative and cultural works

worldwide.”

Music Nation will begin collecting royal-

ties in the UAE for more than 2 million

songwriters, composers, publishers, artists,

sound recording owners and other music

creators. That 2 million ﬁgure represents

the combined copyrights held by clients of

BMI and SoundExchange. Music Nation

will collect and distribute royalties on their

behalf in the UAE.

“We are thrilled to partner with Rasha,

the Music Nation team and SoundExchange

to ensure that music creators in the UAE

have the opportunity to turn their passion

into their careers by being paid for their

creative work,” said BMI president and

CEO Mike O’Neill in a release.“BMI has

always been an unwavering advocate for the

songwriters, composers and rights holders

behind the songs the world loves, and we’re

excited to provide our music licensing in-

frastructure, expertise and deep experience

fostering career development to beneﬁt the

region’s incredible creators. There are end-

less possibilities ahead that Music Nation

will deliver, and we look forward to a bright

future together.”

The UAE and the broader Middle East

and North Africa (MENA) region remain the

fastest-growing music market in the world,

with the IFPI reporting the territory ex-

panded in 2024 for a tenth consecutive year.

Music revenue in MENA last year climbed

by 22.8%, outpacing the global average of

5.9% growth.

“This is a major milestone and a vote

of conﬁdence from the UAE Ministry of

Economy in the combined abilities of Music

Nation, SoundExchange and BMI,” said

SoundExchange president and CEO Mi-

chael Huppe in a release. “We’re excited to

get to work establishing the region’s premier

collective management organization and

serving creators with the same level of ex-

cellence we have for more than two decades

in the U.S.”

Spotify Raises

Prices Again in

France

BY GLENN PEOPLES

second round of Spotify price

increases have come to France,

the world’s sixth-largest recorded

music market. Starting Monday

(June 2), Spotify individual subscriptions

rose 9.2% to 12.14 euros ($13.81) from 11.12

Page 11 of 23

IN BRIEF

euros ($12.65), a company spokesperson

conﬁrmed to Billboard. Additionally, family

plans rose to 21.24 euros ($24.15), two-

person “duo” plans increased to 17.20 euros

($19.56) and student plans increased to 7.07

euros ($8.04).

With those increases, France’s prices are

now comparable to Belgium, where an indi-

vidual premium plan was raised to 11.99 eu-

ros ($13.63) in April. In nearby Netherlands

and Luxembourg, an individual premium

account costs 12.99 euros ($14.77). The U.K.,

where Spotify last raised prices in 2024, an

individual premium plan costs 11.99 GBP

($16.21).U.S. and Australian prices were also

raised a second time in 2024.

The individual premium plan remains less

expensive elsewhere in Western Europe:

10.99 euros ($12.50) in Germany, Spain and

Italy, and 7.99 euros ($9.09) in Portugal.

Prices in parts of Northern Europe are com-

parable to France. An individual premium

plan costs 119 SEK ($12.37) in Sweden and

129 NOK ($12.70) in Norway. An outlier is

Denmark, where the same plan goes for 109

DKK ($16.62).

Spotify raised prices in France in May

2024 after the country passed a stream-

ing tax that requires platforms that earn

more than 20 million euros ($22 million) in

annual revenue to pay an additional 1.2%

charge. Upon passage of the bill in Decem-

ber 2023, Spotify pulled its support for two

local music festivals.

Higher prices, along with growth in the

number of subscribers, pushed Spotify’s

revenue up 16% in the ﬁrst quarter. In Spo-

tify’s early high-growth years, prices were

unchanged as the company added value

through new features and audio formats

such as podcasts and audiobooks. In the last

two years, growth has slowed, and Spotify

has raised prices without consumer back-

lash. “Price increases are now part of our

toolbox,” Spotify’s co-president/chief busi-

ness ocer Alex Norström explained during

the company’s April 29 earnings call, “and

we take steps to balance the value to price

ratio over time — adding value, and then we

adjust the price when it makes sense for the

market.”

Record label executives have also voiced

their belief that platforms such as Spotify

will continue to raise prices in the coming

years. “One key shift in the industry is that

it’s moving from just subscriber growth to

growth driven by both subscribers and price

increases,” and price increases are “more

regular” than in the past, Warner Music

Group CEO Robert Kyncl said during the

company’s May 8 earnings call.

Jimmy Buett’s

Widow Sues to

Replace Business

Manager Handling

$275M Estate

BY RACHEL SCHARF

Jimmy Buett’s widow has ﬁled a

court petition asking to replace her co-

trustee on the late singer-songwriter’s

$275 million estate, saying a business

manager tapped to handle the assets has

been “openly hostile and adversarial” while

ignoring her requests for ﬁnancial transpar-

ency.

The petition was ﬁled Tuesday (June 3)

by the late singer’s wife of 46 years, Jane

Buett, who married Jimmy Buett in 1977

and was made sole beneﬁciary of a marital

trust holding the bulk of the hitmaker’s

assets upon his death in September 2023

at the age of 76. The court ﬁling says these

assets, including real estate and a 20% stake

in his successful island-themed hospitality

company Margaritaville, are worth roughly

$275 million.

Jimmy’s will named Rick Mozenter, an

accountant at the business management ﬁrm

Gelfand Rennert & Feldman, as co-trustee to

help Jane administer the estate. But Tues-

day’s petition says that rather than help Jane,

Mozenter has actually made life more dif-

ﬁcult following her husband’s death.

“Mr. Mozenter has failed to perform even

the most basic tasks required of him in his

role as co-trustee, including providing Mrs.

Buett with information concerning trust

assets and ﬁnances, which has left Mrs. Buf-

fett in the dark with regard to the state of her

own ﬁnances,” write Jane’s lawyers from the

ﬁrm Sullivan & Cromwell. “Along the way,

Mr. Mozenter has belittled, disrespected and

condescended to Mrs. Buett in response to

her reasonable requests for information she

undoubtedly was entitled to receive.”

According to the court ﬁling, Jane met

with Mozenter a month after Jimmy’s death

in October 2023 and asked how much in-

come she should expect to receive annually

from the trust. Mozenter dragged his feet

for 16 months, Jane’s lawyers say, repeatedly

ignoring her requests to get an answer as

she tried to make plans for her future.

Mozenter ﬁnally provided this estimate

in February 2025, and the results were

“shocking.” Mozenter told Jane she would

see less than $2 million in annual income

— an amount that would not cover Jane’s

expenses and “a remarkably poor return for

a trust with an estimated $275 million in as-

sets,” the petition states.

Jane’s lawyers say this estimate was

especially surprising because the trust had

received more than $14 million in distribu-

tions from Margaritaville over the previous

18 months. This made Jane concerned that

Mozenter was mismanaging the trust and

she requested additional ﬁnancial informa-

tion from him, but the accountant once

again stonewalled.

The court ﬁling also claims Mozenter has

been “unprofessional and combative” to

Jane and that he refused her request to sell

a piece of Bahamas real estate, even though

the Buett family rarely uses this property

and its costs more than $300,000 a year to

operate. Mozenter has billed more than $1.7

million in fees while engaging in this alleged

wrongdoing, Jane’s attorneys claim.

“Faced with what clearly has become an

unsolvable rift with Mr. Mozenter, and the

prospect of having to continue to unsuccess-

fully request that he discharge his duties, on

May 30, 2025, Mrs. Buett asked that Mr.

Mozenter resign as co-trustee,” says the pe-

tition. “Mr. Mozenter refused, insisting that

he remain in a position of authority over her

wealth. The situation is untenable and Mrs.

Buett requests this court’s assistance to

resolve it.”

Jane’s lawyers are asking a judge to re-

Page 12 of 23

IN BRIEF

move Mozenter from the trust and replace

him with a new co-trustee. The petition

suggests Daniel Neidich, the CEO of invest-

ment ﬁrm Dune Real Estate Partners, for

the job.

Mozenter did not immediately respond to

a request for comment on the petition.

Diddy Trial

Witness Says He

Dangled Her Over

Balcony, Leaving

Her With ‘Night

Terrors & Paranoia’

BY BILL DONAHUE

One of Cassie Ventura’s friends

testiﬁed Wednesday that Sean

“Diddy” Combs dangled her

over a 17th-ﬂoor balcony, telling

jurors that the incident left her with “night

terrors and paranoia.”

On the witness stand during the fourth

week of the music mogul’s sex-tracking

trial, Bryana Bongolan said she had been

at Ventura’s apartment in 2016 when

Combs stormed in unexpectedly, accord-

ing to CNN. She told the jurors that the star

dangled her over a balcony, then threw her

into furniture.

The attack left her with injuries both

physical and psychological, Bongolan said:

“I have night terrors and paranoia and

scream in my sleep at times.”

Bongolan is one of many witnesses already

called by prosecutors, who claim Combs

ran a criminal enterprise aimed at coercing

Ventura and other women into participating

in drug-fueled sex shows known as “freak-

os.” Defense attorneys have said the sex was

consensual and that Combs merely operated

a legitimate music business.

The alleged balcony incident has long

been one of the ﬂashiest accusations against

Diddy. It was referenced in Ventura’s civil

lawsuit that sparked the rapper’s downfall,

and prosecutors mentioned it in the indict-

ment and in other pre-trial court ﬁlings.

Bongolan herself described it in detail in a

civil lawsuit she ﬁled last year.

On the witness stand Wednesday, she

described it for jurors, saying it had left her

with “a bruise on the back of my leg and

back and neck pain.”

Bongolan also testiﬁed that she once saw

Diddy throw a knife at Ventura, and about

another time that she saw Cassie with a

black eye. She also told jurors about an

alleged incident at a photoshoot in which

Combs threatened her life.

“He came up really close to my face and

said something around the lines of, ‘I’m the

devil and I could kill you,’” Bongolan said.

Combs was indicted in September,

charged with running a sprawling criminal

operation aimed at facilitating the freak-os

— elaborate events in which Combs and oth-

ers allegedly coerced Ventura and other vic-

tims into having sex with escorts while he

watched and masturbated. Prosecutors also

say the star and his associates used violence,

money and blackmail to keep victims silent

and under his control. (Read Billboard‘s full

explainer of the case against Diddy here.)

Once one of the music industry’s most

powerful men, Combs is accused of rack-

eteering conspiracy (a so-called RICO

charge), sex tracking and violating a fed-

eral prostitution statute. If convicted on all

of the charges, he faces a potential sentence

of life in prison.

The trial, which has already featured

testimony from Ventura herself, another

unnamed victim named Mia and numerous

other witnesses, is expected to run until

early July. Bongolan is expected to continue

testifying in the afternoon.

A.I. Music

Lawsuits, Lizzo

Harassment Case,

Eminem-Meta

Battle & More Top

Music Law News

BY BILL DONAHUE

THE BIG STORY: Is the music

industry’s billion-dollar legal

battle over artiﬁcial intelligence

suddenly going to be over before it

starts? I wouldn’t count on it just yet.

News broke this weekend that Universal

Music, Warner Music and Sony Music were

each in talks to license their songs to Suno

and Udio for use in training AI models to

spit out new songs – less than a year after

the music companies ﬁled blockbuster

stealing music on an “unimaginable scale.”

Both sides have framed those cases as an

existential ﬁght over the future of music.

The labels says Suno and Udio are “tram-

pling” the rights of real musicians in an

eort to replace them; the startups argue

back that the music giants are abusing intel-

lectual property to crush a new technology

that threatens their market share.

Is an actual deal imminent? I’d lean

toward no. Low-boil settlement talks are a

common and continuous feature of almost

any litigation, and it’s unclear exactly how

far they’ve gotten here. The labels have long

said they’re open to listening, but striking a

ﬁnal deal – rather than just discussing one

in broad strokes – will require solving a long

list of incredibly complex problems, as my

colleague Kristin Robinson writes.

The choice confronting the music giants

in these talks – to strike a deal or ﬁght it out

in court – is one facing all creative indus-

tries amid the rise of artiﬁcial intelligence.

If you sell your content to AI ﬁrms, you

earn short term proﬁts...by empowering a

technology that might destroy you in the

Page 13 of 23

IN BRIEF

long run. If you ﬁght it out, you risk being

left behind amid a technological revolution,

all for what could be a losing cause.

For the music business, history makes that

an especially grueling choice. Nobody wants

a replay of the 2000s, when labels chose to

ﬁght an ascendant new technology in court

rather than harness and exploit its poten-

tial for proﬁt. Only when the majors opted

to partner with streamers like Spotify – in

equity stake deals eerily similar to those be-

ing discussed with Suno and Udio – did the

industry begin the long climb to recovery.

But digital music merely represented a new

distribution system, and one where the tech

partners would ultimately always need to pay

real musicians for their output. If the labels

end these lawsuits by handing over their cata-

logs for AI training now, those new partners

might one day no longer need them at all.

You’re reading The Legal Beat, a weekly

newsletter about music law from Billboard

Pro, oering you a one-stop cheat sheet of big

new cases, important rulings and all the fun

stu in between. To get the newsletter in your

inbox every Tuesday, go subscribe here.

Other top stories this week…

LIZZO’S APPEAL - Lizzo’s lawyers

launched an appeal aimed at ending a

sexual harassment lawsuit ﬁled by her

former backup dancers, calling it an “attack”

on her “First Amendment right to perform

her music and advocate for body positivity.”

Lizzo’s attorneys say her behavior toward

the dancers was clearly part of her artistic

approach — and thus shielded by constitu-

tional protections for free speech.

SHADY FACEBOOK MUSIC? - Eight

Mile Style, a company that owns much of

Eminem’s catalog, ﬁled a copyright lawsuit

against Meta over accusations that Facebook

and Instagram made “Lose Yourself” and

other iconic tracks available to billions of

users without permission. The case claimed

that the social media giant added Eminem’s

songs to its music library without the neces-

sary licenses, violating copyright law on a

“massive” scale in the pursuit of “obscene

monetary beneﬁt.”

OFFENSE AS DEFENSE - Smokey

Robinson ﬁled a countersuit against four

longtime housekeepers who recently ac-

cused him of rape, claiming the allegations

were part of an “extortionate scheme” by

the women and their attorneys. The Mo-

town legend accused the women and their

lawyers of defamation, invasion of privacy,

civil conspiracy and even elder abuse over

the “fabricated” allegations.

YOUNGBOY PARDONED - President

Donald Trump granted a pardon to Young-

Boy Never Broke Again, who was released

from prison in April after pleading guilty

last year to a single count of possession of

ﬁrearms by a convicted felon. The rap-

per, who has faced legal trouble for years,

thanked the president on social media: “This

moment means a lot. It opens the door to a

future I’ve worked hard for and I am fully

prepared to step into this.”

TRAFFIC DEATH - Ex-Red Hot Chili

Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoer reached

a plea deal with prosecutors to avoid prison

time after striking and killing 47-year-old Is-

rael Sanchez with his car in Los Angeles last

year. Under the terms of the deal, the rocker

pleaded no contest to misdemeanor vehicu-

lar manslaughter without gross negligence

and was sentenced to one year of informal

probation and 60 days of community labor.

SPOUSAL SUPPORT - Oset updated

his divorce ﬁlings to demand that his

estranged wife Cardi B pay him spousal

support after their split is ﬁnalized. In an

amended version of his answer to Cardi’s

divorce petition, the Migos star added a re-

quest for an unspeciﬁed amount of alimony,

but remains unchanged otherwise. The pair

of superstars are one year into an increas-

ingly acrimonious divorce case following six

years of marriage.

BILLION WITH A B - The Justice De-

partment urged the U.S. Supreme Court

to tackle a billion-dollar lawsuit over music

piracy ﬁled by the major labels against Cox

Communications, warning that a “sweep-

ing” ruling could force internet providers to

cut o service to many Americans. The case,

in which the labels won a $1 billion verdict

in 2019, saw a lower court hold Cox itself

liable for widespread illegal downloading by

its users.

FIVIO PLEA DEAL - Brooklyn rap-

per Fivio Foreign took a plea deal to end

a criminal case stemming from allegations

he pulled a gun on a New Jersey woman

after she asked him to jump her car while

pulled over. Under the terms of the deal,

Fivio admitted to one count of third-degree

terroristic threats in return for prosecutors

dropping four other charges, including un-

lawful possession of a weapon and aggra-

vated assault.

Can Touring Truly

Go Green? Five

Takeways from

SXSW London

BY THOM DUFFY

At the inaugural SXSW London

taking place June 2-7, with

nearly 900 speakers participat-

ing in some 500 sessions, one

speciﬁc topic was of sharp relevance to the

music industry — indeed, every industry

and every attendee.

The climate crisis.

The past year saw extreme weather

drive ﬁres across the music capital of Los

Angeles; a cyclone prompt cancellations of

some two dozen live events in Australia in

a single week; and more than 50 festivals in

the U.K. either postponed or canceled due

to forces including higher weather-related

insurance costs.

“Climate change is not some distant

threat,” said Leila Toplic, chief communi-

cations and trust ocer of Carbonfuture,

which provides veriﬁcation of eorts to

remove carbon from the atmosphere.

“The business case for taking action is

still there,” remarked Helen Clarkson,

CEO of the the Climate Group, a non-proﬁt

whiich has worked with more than 500 mul-

tinational businesses in 175 markets. (She

spoke during a panel provocatively entitled

“Canceling Sustainabilty,” about eorts to

purse a green agenda in the face of new anti-

environmental rhetoric in Washington, D.C.)

SXSW London organizers tapped the

Bellwethers Group, which is focused on

building a green economy, as its the ocial

sustainability partner and the company

Page 14 of 23

IN BRIEF

hosted several days of panels at the Nature

and Cimate House.

One of those panels focused on the role

that advertising and public relations agen-

cies can play in guiding businesses which

claim to be concerned about the climate.

Lameya Chaudhury, head of social impact

for the mission-driven creative agency Luck

Generals, remarked: “The question we’re

asking of clients in 2025 is — did you really

f—king mean it?”

SXSW London builds on the four-decade

legacy of the South By Southwest music,

arts, ﬁlm and tech conference and festival

launched in Austin, Texas, in 1987. Two

years ago, Penske Media (the owner of

Billboard) took a majority interest in the

company which now presents conferences

in Austin; Sydney, Australia; and now in the

formerly industry district of Shoreditch in

East London.

The climate-focused discussion that hit

closest to home for the music industry took

place Wednesday morning. Billed as “The

Future of Sustainable Live Events,” it was

moderated by Claire O’Neill, CEO and

co-founder of the international nonproﬁt

A Greener Future and co-founder of green

energy specialists, Grid Faeries.

Panel participants included Sam Booth,

director of sustainability for AEG Europe;

Alex Bruford, founder, managing direc-

tor and agent with ATC Live, whose clients

include The Lumineers and Fontaines DC;

and Mark Stevenson, co-founder of CUR8,

whose mission is to remove 1 billion tons of

carbon a year from the atmosphere.

Here are ﬁve key takeaways from their

discussion.

Follow The Leaders

Artists includingColdplay,Billie Eil-

ish,Massive AttackandThe 1975are at

the forefront of eorts to reduce the climate

impact of their live performances, panelists

said. Coldplay has reported that carbon emis-

sions — from show production, freight, band

and crew travel — on the ﬁrst two years of

its Music of the Spheres Tour were 59% less

than its previous stadium tour (2016-2017)

on a show-by-show basis, with its ﬁgures

veriﬁed by the MIT Environmental Solutions

Initiative. Eilish has partnered with REVERB

to reduce the environmental footprint of her

touring. Massive Attack’s hometown show in

Bristol last year set a new standard for low

carbon emissions by being fully battery pow-

ered and selling only vegan food, one of sev-

eral such initiatives by the group. At London’s

O2 Arena in February of last year, The 1975

worked with A Greener Future, CUR8 and

venue manager AEG to remove a reported

545.9 tons of carbon from the atmosphere

over its four-night stand.

Climate Focus Needed Earlier

Despite the almost daily drumbeat of

dire news about the state of the climate,

when it comes to how touring practices

must change, “The majority of people in the

music industry are not focused on it,” said

Bruford at ATC Live. “Not enough people

are having that discussion.” And when

artists or their teams do ask how they can

reduce the carbon impact of tours, they are

doing so “too late in the day,” saiid O’Neill of

A Greener Future, when the scale of produc-

tion is set and shows are routed.

The Green Triumph of The 1975

Three of the panelists — O’Neill, Ste-

venson of CUR8 and Booth of AEG — were

involved in the ground-breaking move

last year by The 1975 to not only reduce

the carbon imprint of their live show but

remove carbon from the atmosphere dur-

ing the band’s four shows at the O2 Arena.

“It’s amazing what can happen when you

apply a cost to carbon,” said Booth, explain-

ing how The 1975 made decisions aecting

everything from the merchandise available

at the shows to the food at its concessions,

with an eye toward carbon impact at the

shows in February 2024. A small surcharge

on tickets paid to oset the cost of carbon

emissions from fan travel. At the time, the

O2 announced that the concerts drew upon

“a portfolio of carbon removal methods to

physically extract the carbon generated by

the events from the atmosphere and durably

store it out of harm’s way — a game-chang-

ing step on the path to helping the global

live events industry reach genuine net-zero.”

Starting The Conversation

As much as artists may be concerned

about the future of the climate, “These guys

are busy creating art,” said AEG’s Booth.

For that reason, suggested ATC’s Bruford,

“That’s where the [artist’s] team needs to

step up. I think it comes down to the manag-

ers, the agents, the tour production” sta to

raise the topic of reducing a tour’s climate

impact very early in the planning process.

“It’s our responsibility to say to the artist,

‘We can do this!’”

Staying Home is Not An Option

Despite the massive energy required to

transport and stage a major concert tour,

panelists agreed that the greatest climate

impact of the live music business comes from

fans themselves traveling to shows. For her

summer U.K. tour, Eilish partnered with

Trainline to oer discounted train tickets for

fans who travel to her shows by rail. For Ste-

venson of CUR8, even as his venture focuses

on removing carbon from the atmosphere,

giving up travel for concerts “is not a life well

lived on a planet well loved,” he said.

Remembering

Gerry Wood,

Billboard’s

Chronicler

of Country’s

Corporate

Makeover

BY JOE LYNCH

Many Nashville publishers

sold their ﬁrms, then cried

swampfulls of crocodile tears

all the way to the bank when

they suddenly became multimillionaires.”

That’s a 1988 hot take on country’s corpo-

rate makeover from Gerry Wood, a former

Billboard Nashville bureau chief and editor

in chief who passed away on May 3 at the

age of 87.

Wood had worked in radio and PR before

Billboard, and he was a character and the

sta knew it. A 1988 retail convention

photo identiﬁes him as “Gerry Wood (back

to camera — for a change).” From 1975 to

1991 — minus 1983 to 1986, when he worked

Page 15 of 23

IN BRIEF

elsewhere — Wood burned up the pages of

Billboard with comprehensive reporting and

crisp writing about country’s mainstream

moment and how it changed Nashville.

Taking Root

“Country music has been spreading like

kudzu,” Wood wrote in the Oct. 16, 1977,

Billboard. “That’s the Southern vine that

grows so fast it is rumored to be the cause of

missing cows and pigs on Southern farms.

Spawned in this fertile, blood-red soil of

the South, this music has vined into the

cities and countries where today’s frenetic,

polluted environment grasps for something

fresh, yet traditional. Often, that something

turns out to be country music.”

Head Games

This “was the year the music business

stopped believing its own hype that it was

a recession-proof industry,” Wood wrote

in the Oct. 13, 1979, issue. Country seemed

to fare better than other genres, though.

“When CBS Records corporately cut some

300 heads, only one of those heads dropped

in Nashville.” Some of that safety came

from commercial crossover potential. “Lord

knows,” Wood wrote, “if it keeps up, we’ll be

seeing Gene Watson wearing KISS makeup

with a ﬂaming guitar.”

The Year Country Broke

“We’ve got to ﬁnd some new words,”

Wood wrote in the Oct. 18, 1980, issue, as

Kenny Rogers and Urban Cowboy spurred a

stampede toward Nashville. “All of the ad-

jectives and adverbs have been used in past

years. Best year. Exploding. Record-setting.”

Not only had country “gone California and

Texas and Tennessee,” Wood wrote, “it has

gone Ohio and Canada and New York.”

Alphabet Soup

“Once upon a time Nashville was as easy

as ABC. Now it’s as complex as SBK, BMG,

TNN, CMT, WCI, and PolySomething.” So

wrote Wood in the Oct. 15, 1988, issue. “The

sleepy Southern village that gave America

music from its soul in the ’50s and ’60s

became the darling of corporate overtures in

the ’70s and succumbed to the almighty dol-

lar in the ’80s.” Even as Music City changed,

Wood’s wit didn’t. “Too old to play musical

chairs, Nashville has lately taken to playing

musical managers,” he wrote in the same

issue. “Artists have been dropping managers

at the drop of a chart bullet.”

Next Big Thing

In the June 30, 1990, issue, Wood wrote

a column “predicting the Roy Rogers of the

’90s.” His bets were prescient: Clint Black,

Garth Brooks and Alan Jackson. One predic-

tion, “country rap,” was decades ahead of

the curve. But his crystal ball had one crack:

“Willie Nelson’s Cowboy Channel will get

o to a slow start, just like Willie did, but

end up a winner, just like Willie did,” he

wrote of Nelson’s planned cable network. It

never even launched.

This story appears in the May 31, 2025, is-

sue of Billboard.

Kendrick Lamar

& SZA’s ‘Luther’

Breaks Record for

Most Weeks at

No. 1 on Hot R&B/

Hip-Hop Songs

Chart

BY TREVOR ANDERSON

After each individually holding

the record, Kendrick Lamar

and SZA combine forces to claim

the longest-running No. 1 on

Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart

as their collaboration “Luther” reaches an

unprecedented 23rd week at the top. The

crowning feat, on the list dated June 7, dates

to the chart becoming the singular standard

genre survey in October 1958.

With its 23rd week at No. 1, “Luther”

breaks from the tie it set last week with La-

mar’s “Not Like Us.” The Grammy-winning

anthem scored 22 weeks in charge in 2024-

25: 21 amid its summer 2024 run and its ﬁ-

nal frame this February following its much-

discussed performance at the halftime show

of Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9. Before that,

SZA’s “Kill Bill” was the titleholder thanks

to its 21-week domination in 2022-23.

For the historic “Luther” coronation on

the multimetric Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs

chart, the single registered 16.5 million of-

ﬁcial United States streams in the tracking

week of May 23-29, according to Luminate

(down 1% from the previous week’s total),

57.5 million in airplay audience (down 5%)

and 1,500 in sales downloads (up 7%).

As “Luther” rewrites the record books

and Lamar and SZA claim gold, silver and

bronze, here are the songs with the most

weeks at No. 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop

Songs chart since its 1958 consolidation into

a singular genre survey:

Most Weeks at No. 1 on Hot R&B/Hip-

Hop Songs:

23, “Luther,” Kendrick Lamar & SZA,

2024-25

22, “Not Like Us,” Kendrick Lamar, 2024-

21, “Kill Bill,” SZA, 2022-23

20, “Old Town Road,” Lil Nas X feat. Billy

Ray Cyrus, 2019

18, “Industry Baby,” Lil Nas X & Jack

Harlow, 2021-22

18, “One Dance,” Drake feat. Wizkid &

Kyla, 2016

16, “Blurred Lines,” Robin Thicke feat. T.I.

+ Pharrell, 2013

15, “Be Without You,” Mary J. Blige, 2006

The record secured, “Luther” looks to a

clear runway to keep extending its domi-

nation on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The

track has ruled for the last 15 consecutive

weeks — its last time outside the top spot

was when “Not Like Us” rebounded after

the Super Bowl — and has fended o the

same No. 2 challenger, Drake’s “Nokia,” for

the last 10 frames. Given the declining activ-

ity in all songs in the top 10 — the sole track

gaining in activity this week “Not Like Us,”

at No. 6 — the most plausible scenario for

“Luther” surrendering the No. 1 rank soon is

the strong arrival of a superstar’s new single.

Elsewhere, “Luther” rolls to a 23rd week

at No. 1 on the Hot Rap Songs, nearing the

26-week record for “Not Like Us.” On the

Billboard Hot 100, “Luther” repeats at No.

5 after having ruled the ranking for 13 weeks

in March-May, the longest for any song in

Lamar or SZA’s catalog.

Page 16 of 23

IN BRIEF

Page 17 of 23

Post Malone

to Open a

New Venue

in Downtown

Nashville: ‘Can’t

Wait to Invite Y’all

Over’

BY JESSICA NICHOLSON

Last year, Post Malone released his

debut country-inspired project,

F-1 Trillion, writing and record-

ing the album in Nashville, and

earning hits through country collabs with

artists including Morgan Wallen (“I Had

Some Help”) and Blake Shelton (“Pour Me

a Drink”).

Now, he’s doubling down on his love for

Music City, with the upcoming opening of

a new entertainment venue in Nashville.

Nashville locals and those in town for this

week’s CMA Fest spotted signage at a build-

ing located 305 Broadway (and the former

home of venues WannaB’s Karaoke and

Tequila Cowboy) that read “Something BIG

Is Coming!,” “We’ll Keep Ya POSTED!” and

“Summer 2025.” A name and opening date

for the venue has yet to be announced.

Now, TC Restaurant Group — known for

its work on on star bars including Morgan

Wallen’s This Bar & Tennessee Kitchen,

Jason Aldean’s Kitchen + Rooftop Bar,

Miranda Lambert’s Casa Rosa and Lainey

Wilson’s Bell Bottoms Up — revealed it has

entered a partnership with Post Malone for

the new venue, which is set to feature three

stages, six bars and a dining room.

“We’ve created a space where everyone

can come together and kick some a—,” Post

Malone said in a statement. “Nashville has

really become a second home for me so I

can’t wait to invite y’all over to my house.”

Post Malone’s F-1 Trillion reached No. 1

on the all-genre Billboard 200, while the

singer has played country festivals including

Stagecoach and Morgan Wallen’s Sand in

My Boots over the past 18 months. He’s cur-

rently on his Big A— Stadium Tour, featur-

ing Jelly Roll and Sierra Ferrell.

Adam Hesler, the president and CEO of

TC Restaurant Group, added in a statement

that Malone’s forthcoming venue “embod-

ies his spirit and brings a new experience to

Nashville’s Entertainment District,” while

praising the singer’s “talent and ability to

transcend multiple genres.”

Beyond the new venue, Posty is also hard

at work on another country-infused album,

previously telling Billboard he’s been in Nash-

ville writing songs. “[I’ve] made probably 35

songs,” he said at the time. “It’s just a matter

of which ones rock, and which ones sock.”

DDG Seeks His

Own Restraining

Order Against

Halle Bailey,

Citing Abuse and

Threats of Self-

Harm

BY RACHEL SCHARF

DDG has countered Halle Bailey’s

domestic violence accusations

with a request for a restraining

order of his own, telling a judge

that the 25-year-old singer and actress is abu-

sive and has repeatedly threatened self-harm

for emotional manipulation.

The 27-year-old streamer and rapper

DDG (Darryl Dwayne Granberry Jr.) made

the allegations in a counter-petition ﬁled

Wednesday (June 4) against Bailey, who

won a temporary domestic violence re-

straining order last month after claiming

DDG had physically attacked her multiple

times in the presence of their 18-month-old

son, Halo.

DDG denies abusing Bailey and says he’s

actually the one who needs protection. He

claims Bailey has repeatedly punched and

slapped him, stalked him by hiding Airtags

in his cars, and threatened to take her own

life during jealous outbursts when he at-

tempted to end their relationship or “estab-

lish boundaries.”

According to the counter-petition, Bailey

has at various times threatened suicide with

both a knife and a gun. DDG says Bailey has

also used Halo as a tool of manipulation,

threatening to get an abortion during the

pregnancy and, now, blocking his access to

the child.

“In or about August 2023, during a particu-

larly volatile argument, petitioner became

enraged and threatened to end her life using

my legally owned ﬁrearm. Without my con-

sent, she took the weapon and left the house,”

wrote DDG in a declaration attached to his

court ﬁling. “This incident was one of several

in which petitioner’s actions posed a serious

threat to her own safety and the safety of our

son by creating an environment of emotional

distress and danger within the home.”

DDG’s counter-petition includes pages of

text messages between the duo, including

messages where Bailey writes, “IM GOONG

TO KILL MYSWLF TONIGHT” [sic] and “I

am simply not tough enough for this world.

Please take halo so he doesn’t have to see.”

The DDG counter-petition seeks a stay-

away order against Bailey and for the court

to award him joint or shared custody of

Halo, who is currently in Bailey’s sole cus-

tody per the temporary restraining order.

DDG is also asking to bar Bailey from tak-

ing Halo with her to Italy for two months to

ﬁlm a movie beginning this weekend. Bailey

has sought court permission to bring Halo

on the contractually mandated ﬁlm shoot,

but DDG’s counter-petition says interna-

tional travel is dangerous because Bailey

poses a psychological risk to both herself

and the child.

“A parent who has threatened suicide

repeatedly — who has armed herself with

a ﬁrearm while in emotional crisis, who

has driven with the child in a potentially

suicidal state, and who continues to escalate

when emotionally dysregulated — cannot

be entrusted to care for a vulnerable infant

abroad, without the safety net of California

court supervision, welfare checks, mental

IN BRIEF

Page 18 of 23

health intervention or child protective

services,” wrote DDG’s attorney Larry Bak-

man in the court papers.

Bailey’s reps did not immediately return

a request for comment on the allegations,

though her attorney, Terry Levich Ross,

said during a hearing in Los Angeles court

on Wednesday that DDG’s counterclaims

are “not accurate.”

During that hearing, Judge Latrice A.G.

Byrdsong said she’ll issue a decision soon

as to whether Bailey can bring Halo when

she departs for Italy on Saturday (June 7).

A full hearing is set for June 24 on the duo’s

competing petitions for permanent restrain-

ing orders against each other.

Glastonbury

Announces Full

Lineup, Stage

Times and Secret

Sets For 2025

BY SOPHIE WILLIAMS

The countdown to Glastonbury

2025 is well and truly on. With

just three weeks until music fans

head to Worthy Farm, Somer-

set, England (June 25-29), the festival has

unveiled its full lineup and stage times for

2025 – complete with gaps for secret sets.

The event will host headliners The 1975,

Neil Young, Rod Stewart, and Olivia

Rodrigo on the Pyramid Stage, and Loyle

Carner, Charli xcx and The Prodigy on the

Other Stage. Other prominent names set to

appear across the weekend include Doechii,

Gracie Abrams, Noah Kahan, Wolf Alice and

Busta Rhymes, among others.

Glastonbury will then take a fallow year in

2026, which sees landowner Michael Eavis

and his family allow the festival grounds to

recover every four years.

The full lineup features over 3,000

performances, complete with new addi-

tions to the main stages. The Other Stage

will now feature drum’n’bass stalwarts

Fabio & Grooverider opening on Friday,

playing tracks in symphonic arrangements

with the Outlook Orchestra, plus pop acts

Rizzle Kicks and Good Neighbours, and

singer-songwriters Nadine Shah and Louis

Dunford.

Glass Beams and Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso

are among those added to West Holts, while

Jalen Ngonda, Ichiko Aoba, Horsegirl, John

Glacier and Geordie Greep join other new

names on the Park stage. Head to the festi-

val’s ocial website for set times across all

stages.

There are also 56 ‘to be announced’ slots

lined up, including a gap on the Pyramid

Stage on the Friday ahead of Alanis Morris-

sette’s set. A mysterious band called ‘Patch-

work’ will also be playing the following day.

In 2023, Glastonbury platformed another

surprise act at the Pyramid called the Chur-

nups, who turned out to be the Foo Fighters.

It has been widely speculated online that

‘Patchwork’ could actually be pop trio Haim.

The band are playing an isolated one-o

date in Margate on June 27 following the re-

lease of fourth LP I Quit, while a Reddit user

has suggested the ‘Patchwork’ name may

reference a novel written by Sylvia Haim.

Lorde, meanwhile, will be releasing her

new record Virgin on June 27. She last

played Glastonbury in 2022, and could pos-

sibly return ahead of her highly-anticipated

album and accompanying world tour, which

kicks o in September.

More TBAs include Woodsies early on

Friday, whilst the Park Stage also has a gap

on Saturday evening. Glastonbury 2025 will

kick o on the evening of June 25 with two

opening ceremonies, including a theatre and

circus show in the Pyramid ﬁeld, followed

by a ﬁreworks display.

Damian Lazarus’

Day Zero Party to

Debut in Brazil in

2026

BY KATIE BAIN

Damian Lazarus is bringing his

longstanding Day Zero party to

Brazil in 2026.

The event will happen Jan. 3

in São Miguel dos Milagres, Brazil, located

on the country’s northern coast in the state

of Alagoas. Details regarding the lineup will

be announced in the coming months. Book-

ings will presumably fuse the rich musical

heritage of the country, a major hotbed for

electronic music, with the global house

and techno artists that Day Zero has long

booked.

“After a long and thoughtful search for

the perfect location to begin a new chapter

of Day Zero, we’re thrilled to introduce the

world to São Miguel dos Milagres, on Bra-

zil’s breathtaking northeast coast,” Lazarus

tells Billboard.

“This region — rich in mysticism, natural

beauty and cultural depth — oers both a

spectacular setting and the infrastructure

to welcome our global community,” the

producer continues. “We’re also proud to

be collaborating with some of Brazil’s most

experienced and respected event partners,

whose vision and expertise have shaped

many of the country’s most iconic gather-

ings. 2026 is going to be a very special year

for Day Zero as we embark on incredible

new adventures.”

Being produced in partnership with

Brazil’s Entourage Live, Plus Network,

Tamo Junto, Gaz Events and BOMA, the

Brazil edition of Day Zero marks the party’s

latest expansion, with Lazarus bringing the

event to a site adjacent to Israel’s Masada

National Park in 2019. (Subsequent editions

of the Israeli event were cancelled amid the

pandemic and ongoing supply chain and

production cost issues.)

Day Zero will also happen in its original

IN BRIEF

Page 19 of 23

home of Tulum in 2026.

This original Day Zero edition of Day

Zero began in the Mexican resort town

in 2012, with Lazarus and his team then

launching it to coincide with the end of the

Mayan calendar. The party has taken place

in the jungle near Tulum nearly every year

since (taking o 2018 and 2021) with the

music and ceremonial-oriented activities

going from sunset to sunrise.

803Fresh’s Viral

‘Boots on the

Ground’ Rises to

No. 1 on Adult

R&B Airplay Chart

BY TREVOR ANDERSON

803Fresh’s “Boots on the Ground”

is ﬂying high on Billboard’s Adult

R&B Airplay chart as it rises from

the runner-up spot to top the list

dated June 7. The viral, line-dance track as-

cends by becoming the most played song on

panel-contributing adult R&B radio stations

in the United States in the tracking week of

May 23-29, according to Luminate. “Boots”

boosted 1% in plays for the week, compared

to the previous tracking frame.

With “Boots on the Ground,” 803Fresh,

born Douglas Furtick, earns his ﬁrst No.

1 on Adult R&B Airplay with his maiden

entry. The new champ knocks out Summer

Walker’s “Heart of a Woman” after its two-

week turn in the penthouse.

Released and promoted by Snake Eyez/

KG Music Group, the Southern soul “Boots

on the Ground” sprouted across social

media through a viral line dance created

by Tre Little, often performed with a fan

in hand. On TikTok, the song’s audio has

been synced to more than 94,000 videos,

and celebrities including Beyoncé, Kamala

Harris and Michelle Obama have performed

the routine.

Beyond its Adult R&B coronation, “Boots

on the Ground” exhibits its ﬁrst signs of

crossover appeal with a No. 34 debut on the

Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart.

There, the track improved 7% in week-

over-week plays. Thanks to its strength at

the adult format and rising traction in the

mainstream sector, the single pushes 8-6 on

the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, which

ranks songs by combined audience totals

from both formats. Despite the position gain

to a new peak, the song remained essentially

even in audience impressions.

Airplay gains, in turn, have helped the

song’s standing on the multimetric Hot R&B

Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts,

which also add streaming and sales data into

their ranks. On the former, “Boots” climbs

9-8 to a new high and slides one spot (21-20)

from its best position on the latter ranking.

Xavi & Manuel

Turizo Rise to No.

1 on Latin Airplay

Chart With ‘En

Privado’

BY PAMELA BUSTIOS

Xavi and Manuel Turizo unite for

their ﬁrst No. 1 together as “En

Privado” advances from No. 3 to

lead Billboard’s Latin Airplay

chart (dated June 7). The song leads with

8.7 million audience impressions, up 27%,

earned in the United States during the May

23-29 tracking week, according to Luminate.

Xavi secures his second No. 1 on the

overall Latin Airplay chart as “En Privado”

climbs to the penthouse. The Mexican artist

ﬁrst conquered the chart in 2024, when his

track “La Diabla” reached No. 1 in just its

third week. Meanwhile, the collaboration

also propels Turizo back to the summit for

a ninth total time. He most recently led the

list with “Copa Vacía,” with Shakira, in 2023.

“En Privado,” released Feb. 5 on Inter-

scope/ICLG, receives strong radio support

by three Univision stations, led by KVVF-

FM (San Jose), KQMR-FM (Phoenix) and

KDXX-FM (Dallas).

Beyond its Latin Airplay coronation, “En

Privado” also lands at No. 1 on Tropical Air-

play, marking Xavi’s ﬁrst chart-topper and

Turizo’s fourth.

Meanwhile, Natti Natasha’s “Desde Hoy”

spends a fourth nonconsecutive week at No.

2 on Latin Airplay (8.3 million in audience,

up 11%). The last song to spend at least four

weeks at No. 2, without ever going to No. 1,

was in July 2017, when Shakira’s “Me Enam-

oré” spent its ﬁfth and ﬁnal nonconsecutive

week at No. 2.

However, the most recent song to spend

at least four weeks at No. 2 — only to later

to go on to No. 1 — was Shakira’s “Soltera,”

which spent seven nonconsecutive weeks

at No. 2 before it climbed to No. 1, for one

week, on the Jan. 4, 2025-dated chart.

Luis Figueroa Breaks into the Top 10 on

Tropical Airplay

Elsewhere on Tropical Airplay, Luis

Figueroa secures a spot in the top 10 with

“Más Que Un Beso” as the song jumps 12-10

with 3 million audience impressions (up

22%).

As “Más Que Un Beso” ascends, Figueroa

surpasses Marc Anthony to claim ownership

of the third-most top 10s in the 2020s, with

a total of 11. He trails only Prince Royce,

who leads with 14 top 10s this decade, and

Romeo Santos, who holds 12.

The song, the ﬁrst single from Figueroa’s

new album GRIS, also debuts at No. 47 on

the Latin Airplay chart, where Figueroa

earns his 10th career entry.

IN BRIEF

Page 20 of 23

Fuerza Regida’s

JOP, Gabito

Ballesteros &

Lupillo Rivera Join

‘Pase a la Fama’

TV Show

BY JESSICA ROIZ

Fuerza Regida’s Jesús Ortiz Paz

(JOP), Gabito Ballesteros and

Lupillo Rivera join the new reality

show Pase a la Fama, set to pre-

miere Sunday (June 8) on Telemundo.

The three Mexican artists will form part

of the music competition series — focused on

discovering the next great regional Mexican

band — as mentors, where they will guide the

contestants before they perform in front of

the previously announced judges Ana Bár-

bara, Adriel Favela and Horacio Palencia.

In each episode, participants — who are

vying for a $100,000 prize, a record deal with

HYBE Latin America and will be crowned

the next regional Mexican band — are ex-

pected train, perform and face challenges at a

bootcamp during their mentorship.

“We are proud to partner with HYBE Latin

America on a multifaceted journey to show-

case the importance of music to Latin audi-

ences throughout the U.S.,” Javier Pons, CCO

and head of Telemundo Studios, previously

said in a press release. “With Pase a la Fama,

music fans will witness ﬁrsthand the energy,

identity and dreams of this new generation

of talented musicians looking to make it in to-

day’s highly competitive music industry.”

Isaac Lee, chairman of HYBE Latin

America, added: “Pase a la Fama is a love

letter to the power of music and the cre-

ative process behind building something

unforgettable. From the roots of our artists

to the global reach of our vision, this series

shows what’s possible when talent and op-

portunity collide.”

Pase a la Fama premieres at 9 p.m. ET on

June 8 via Telemundo.

A-ha Frontman

Morten Harket

Reveals

Parkinson’s

Diagnosis,

Says He’s Done

‘Treating It as a

Secret’

BY HANNAH DAILEY

After battling Parkinson’s disease

for some time in private, A-ha’s

Morten Harket is now sharing

his diagnosis with the public.

By way of a letter written by the band’s

biographer, Jan Omdahl, the singer broke

the news to fans that he has been receiv-

ing treatment for the neurological disorder

“in recent years,” undergoing surgeries last

June and December to implant symptom-

reducing electrodes on both sides of his

brain. Harket also said that he’d been having

conﬂicting feelings for quite some time

about whether he should go public with his

diagnosis.

“Part of me wanted to reveal it,” he told

Omdahl. “Like I said, acknowledging the

diagnosis wasn’t a problem for me; it’s my

need for peace and quiet to work that has

been stopping me. I’m trying the best I can

to prevent my entire system from going

into decline. It’s a dicult balancing act

between taking the medication and manag-

ing its side eects.”

“It used to bother me to think about my

sickness becoming public knowledge,”

Harket added. “In the long run, it bothers

me more to have to protect something that

is strictly a private matter by treating it as

a secret.”

According to the Mayo Clinic, Parkin-

son’s is a “movement disorder of the nervous

system that worsens over time,” often caus-

ing tremors and aecting the motor skills of

patients. There is no cure for the degenera-

tive disease, but medicines and surgery can

help ease symptoms.

For Harket, both treatment paths have

“led to a dramatic improvement in his symp-

toms,” though he still faces regular exhaus-

tion and strain. He also said that his singing

abilities have been aected, but it’s not of

primary concern for him right now.

“I don’t feel like singing, and for me that’s

a sign,” he told Omdahl. “The question is

whether I can express myself with my voice.

As things stand now, that’s out of the ques-

tion ... I see singing as my responsibility, and

at certain moments I think it’s absolutely

fantastic that I get to do it. But I’ve got other

passions too, I have other things that are just

as big a part of me, that are just as necessary

and true.”

Even so, the Norwegian singer has been

working on new music throughout his

journey with Parkinson’s, revealing that

he has “great belief” in the material that’s

sprung out of this period in his life. “I’m not

sure if I’ll be able to ﬁnish them for release,”

Harket said. “Time will tell if they make it.

I really like the idea of just going for it, as a

Parkinson’s patient and an artist, with some-

thing completely outside the box.”

He also added that — while appreciative

of the concern fans will undoubtedly have

for him as they learn of the news — he’s

already weary from the anticipation of all

the messages of sympathy and unsolicited

advice headed his way. “Don’t worry about

me,” he said when asked what he wants

listeners to know at this time. “Find out

who you want to be — a process that can be

new each and every day. Be good servants of

nature, the very basis of our existence, and

care for the environment while it is still pos-

sible to do so.”

Harket added, “Spend your energy and

eort addressing real problems, and know

that I am being taken care of.”

Over the past couple of decades, cases of

disability and death caused by Parkinson’s

have been “rapidly spreading,” according

to the World Health Organization. As of

2019, an estimated 8.5 million people had

the disease, an ever-growing population that

also includes stars such as Michael J. Fox,

Ozzy Osbourne, Foreigner’s Mick Jones,

IN BRIEF

Page 21 of 23

Neil Diamond, Linda Ronstadt and Marc

Cohn, who have all been open about their

diagnoses.

A-ha was one of the deﬁning pop groups

of the 1980s, landing three entries on the

Billboard Hot 100 in the second half of the

decade: “The Sun Always Shines on T.V.,”

“Cry Wolf,” and No. 1 hit “Take on Me.” The

group is comprised of Harket and friends

Magne Furuholmen and Paul Waaktaar-

Savoy, who formed the group in Oslo in

1982.

Big Machine

Label Group

to Celebrate

20 Years With

Nashville Concert

BY JESSICA NICHOLSON

Big Machine Label Group is set to

celebrate its 20-year anniversary

with a Big Machine 20 concert in

downtown Nashville on Aug. 29,

featuring performances from Sheryl Crow,

Riley Green and Brett Young.

The free-to-the-public celebration’s will

kick o the rebranded Borchetta Bourbon

Music City Grand Prix NTT INDYCAR

Series Championship weekend, and will

include the ﬁfth annual Freedom Friday

event to honor military members, police,

ﬁre, ﬁrst responders and frontline members.

In 2024, the Freedom Friday event drew

118,000 attendees to Nashville prior to the

NTT INDYCAR Series event.

“This year’s event has even more meaning

as we celebrate 20 years ofBigMachine,”

said BMLG founder, chairman and CEO

Scott Borchetta in a statement. “Nobody

could’ve predicted our incredible success in

a city we love so much. This is our thank you

to Nashvilleandall the fans of ouramaz-

ingartists and their music. This is going

tobe a once-in-a-lifetime eventand one

we’ll never forget!”

Other performers on the lineup include

newcomer Preston Cooper, as well as artists

who have been part of Big Machine Label

Group’s two-decade history, including The

Band Perry, Danielle Peck, Danielle Brad-

bery, RaeLynn, Jimmy Wayne and Jack

Ingram.

Borchetta launched Big Machine in 2005,

following roles at labels including MCA

Nashville and DreamWorks Universal. The

label’s current roster includes Tim McGraw,

Midland, Thomas Rhett, Rascal Flatts,

Brantley Gilbert, Carly Pearce, RaeLynn,

Jackson Dean and Lady A.

Along the way, the label has also been an

advocate for artists’ rights, with Borchetta

launching the “Music Has Value” campaign

and working with terrestrial radio broad-

casters to earn sound-recording perfor-

mance royalties for the label and its artists.

The label’sbiggest alum, Taylor Swift,

is not named among the Big Machine 20

event’s participants. Swift has not been

aligned with the label since leaving for

UMG’s Republic label in 2018 and fol-

lowing the 2019 sale ofBigMachine Label

Group — including the pop superstar’s re-

corded catalog — to Scooter Braun’s Ithaca

Holdings. In 2021, HYBE bought Ithaca

Holdings. Swift recently regained owner-

ship of her master recordings.

Deborah de Luca

Will Not Play

HARD Summer

2025 After

Dispute Over the

Font Size of Her

Billing

BY KATIE BAIN

Italian techno producer Deborah de Luca

is o the HARD Summer 2025 lineup

poster amid a public dispute regarding

the font size of her name on the bill.

Late last week, HARD Summer posted

a revamped version of the 2025 lineup

poster that does not feature de Luca’s name,

as the original poster did. In the comments

section of the post, when a fan asked where

de Luca’s name was, the festival wrote

that the producer “informed us she will

no longer be playing the festival.” But the

Italian techno producer responded to their

comment, saying, “That’s not right! You put

my name smaller than others. I asked you to

change it and you didn’t want to do it. Now

you changed it by deleting my name.”

She then made another comment saying

that “I’m very sorry, guys! But they put my

name smaller than others, it was not digni-

ﬁed for my career. I asked to change it and

they told me no. It was not my choice. I’m

very sad, but I’m sure it will be a crazy festi-

val and you will have a lot of fun.”

The spot where de Luca’s name was on

the original poster now features electronic

foursome Ladies of Leisure. Sean Paul has

also fallen o the poster, with the position

where his name was in the original poster

now occupied by Busta Rhymes. Other

lineup additions include Barry Can’t Swim,

Fcukers and DJ Gigola, whose names were

all blurred out on the original poster for the

festival, which happens August 2-3 at Hol-

lywood Park at SoFi Stadiumin Los Angeles.

The comments section on the revamped

poster is a mixed bag of feedback, with

many fans lamenting on de Luca’s absence

and others being less generous. Represen-

tatives for de Luca and HARD Summer

did not immediately respond to Billboard’s

request for comment.

As previously reported by Billboard, while

such font sizes may seem inconsequential,

they are often the subject of intense negotia-

tions between artists, managers and agents

and event producers. As such, situations like

this one between HARD and de Luca are not

unheard of.

Speaking to Billboard in 2015, Gover-

nor’s Ball co-founder Jordan Wolowit told

Billboard that he once “had a very legitimate

act formally pull o the festival the day

before our announce, because they hated

their billing. My initial reaction was to tell

them to piss o — respectfully — but, luckily,

good judgment kicked in and I acquiesced to

their wishes — which was to be moved three

IN BRIEF

Page 22 of 23

spots up from where they were. It was kind

of hilarious, actually. From then on, I have

had a line in my oers that clearly states

billing is solely at my discretion.”

KATSEYE Joins

‘Toca Boca World’

Game Universe,

Where EYEKONS

Can Become

Group’s ‘Seventh

Member’

BY HANNAH DAILEY

In the animated realm of Toca Boca

World, anything is possible — from

changing your hair color at the drop

of a hat to becoming the next member

of KATSEYE.

As announced Wednesday (June 4), the

six-piece girl group is joining the digital

universe of the Swedish children’s game,

where the band’s signature diversity will go

hand-in-hand with Toca Boca’s mission to

encourage play through imagination, cre-

ativity and self-expression. With members

Manon, Sophia, Daniela, Lara, Megan and

Yoonchae each getting their own avatars

within the game, EYEKONS who play

along will be able to unlock a KATSEYE

style pack, download the band’s music, and

win free digital gifts once the partnership

launches on Tuesday (June 10).

In an exclusive interview with Billboard’s

Delisa Shannon celebrating the collabora-

tion, Sophia said her favorite part is how

fans will be able to combine their favorite

traits of each KATSEYE member to become

an honorary member of the squad. “When

you’re creating your character, you get to

take dierent parts of us and also parts of

you — you can literally make it look exactly

like you — and I think it’s so beautiful,” she

gushed over Zoom as her bandmates nod-

ded.

“Just like how we always say with KATS-

EYE, the beautiful part of it is the diversity

and the global-ness of it, and the ability

to see yourself in us,” Sophia continued.

“Whether it be, ‘Oh, I love Dani’s style, but

I look like Sophia’ — you can fully become

that in this world. It’s kind of like becoming

a seventh member of KATSEYE.”

“I think it’s very cool that within this

game, we’ve been able to express our di-

versity and the dierence and uniqueness

between all six of us,” added Lara. “But then

also being in this one world together, being

friends, being sisters, I think that’s so beau-

tifully reﬂected in the game.”

The ways in which each KATSEYE

member is unique will be represented

down to small details in their avatars, from

Lara’s bindi to the birthmark above Dan-

iela’s eyebrow. Serving as Toca Boca World’s

ﬁrst-ever “guest characters,” the ladies will

also contribute music to the game; a custom

player will let fans listen to tracks “Touch,”

“Debut” and “I’m Pretty.”

Plus, the animated KATSEYE avatars will

also take part in an in-game Voxella Festival

Stage Takeover, descending one-by-one on

the virtual venue and unlocking a song after

they’re united. For Yoonchae and Daniela,

however, the most exciting parts of the game

are its opportunities for self-expression and

customization.

“I would change my face every day,” the

former gushed when asked how she’d spend

her time in Toca Boca World if it were a real

place, while the latter said, “I would just go

shopping and buy the whole mall, and just

customize dierent outﬁts.”

KATSEYE’s partnership with Toca Boca

comes as the group is bigger than ever

before. In the months since dropping debut

EP SIS (Soft Is Strong) in August, the sextet

has amassed millions of listeners and scored

its ﬁrst-ever Billboard Hot 100 hit with the

viral single “Gnarly,” which debuted at No.

92 in May.

As hype around the track continues to

heat up in tandem with the temperatures

outside, the members of KATSEYE — who

also have a new EP, Beautiful Chaos, coming

June 27 — think it’s pretty clear what this

year’s song of the summer is going to be.

“It’s a ‘Gnarly’ Summer,” said Megan, as her

bandmates smiled in agreement.

But after Brat Summer and Hot Girl Sum-

mer, what does a “Gnarly” Summer entail?

“Not being afraid of being cringe ... letting

your intrusive thoughts win,” Megan elabo-

rated, while Lara said it’s all about “being

very wild — and a little bit messy.”

IN BRIEF

Page 23 of 23

IN BRIEF

CLICK FOR THE ENTIRE BILLBOARD 200 CHART.

charts DATA FOR WEEK OF 6.07.2025

SALES AND

STREAMING DATA

COMPILED BY

BILLBOARD 200: THE WEEK’S MOST POPULAR ALBUMS, BASED ON MULTIMETRIC CONSUMPTION, BLENDING TRA DITIONAL ALBUM SALES,

STREAMING-EQUIVALENT ALBUMS AND TR ACK-EQUIVALENT ALBUMS, AS COMPILED BY LUMINATE. SEE CHARTS LEGEND ON BILLBOARD.

GO TO BILLBOARD.COM FOR COMPLETE CHART DATA JUNE 7, 202512 12

Billboard 200

2 WKS. AGO

LAST WEEK

THIS WEEK

Artist Title

IMPRINT/DISTRIBUTING LABEL

PEAK POS.

WKS. ON

CHART

-11

#1 for 2 WEEKS

Morgan Wallen I’m The Problem

BIG LOUD/MERCURY/REPUBLIC

1 2

3 2 2SZA SOS

TOP DAWG/RCA

1129

7 5 3Kendrick Lamar GNX

PGLANG/INTERSCOPE/ICLG

127

444Morgan Wallen One Thing At A Time

BIG LOUD/MERCURY/REPUBLIC

1117

16 18 5

SAL

Playboi Carti MUSIC

AWGE/INTERSCOPE/ICLG

111

8 7 6Sabrina Carpenter Short n’ Sweet

ISLAND/REPUBLIC

140

587PARTYNEXTDOOR & Drake $ome $exy $ongs 4 U

OVO SOUND/REPUBLIC/SANTA ANNA

115

10 98Bad Bunny Debi Tirar Mas Fotos

RIMAS

121

14 11 9Billie Eilish Hit Me Hard And Soft

DARKROOM/INTERSCOPE/ICLG

254

11 12 10 Morgan Wallen Dangerous: The Double Album

BIG LOUD/REPUBLIC

1229

610 11 Fuerza Regida 111XPANTIA

STREET MOB/RANCHO HUMILDE/SONY MUSIC LATIN

2 4

13 13 12 Shaboozey Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going

AMERICAN DOGWOOD/EMPIRE

552

20 15 13 Alex Warren You’ll Be Alright, Kid (Chapter 1)

ATLANTIC/AG

13 27

1614 Sleep Token Even In Arcadia

SLEEP TOKEN/RCA

1 3

18 14 15 Chappell Roan The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess

KRA/AMUSEMENT/ISLAND/REPUBLIC

262

17 17 16 Tate McRae So Close To What

RCA

114

916 17 The Weeknd Hurry Up Tomorrow

XO/REPUBLIC

117

22 20 18 Taylor Swift The Tortured Poets Department

REPUBLIC

158

21 21 19 Noah Kahan Stick Season

MERCURY/REPUBLIC

2131

19 19 20 Lady Gaga MAYHEM

STREAMLINE/INTERSCOPE/ICLG

112

99 Myles Smith

A Minute...

The seven-track EP from

November was turned into

a deluxe 14-song set on

May23 (dubbed AMinute,

AMoment...), prompting

its new peak and 32% surge

in units earned (12,000).

111 BossMan Dlow

Dlow Curry

Bossman Dlow released

an expanded edition on

May23 with eight bonus

tracks. In turn, the set

— initially released in

December — reenters at

No.111 with nearly 12,000

units earned (up 77%).

5Playboi Carti

MUSIC

The project bounds 18-5 with

41,000 equivalent album units

earned in the United States

in the week ending May29 (up

57%, according to Luminate)

after deluxe box sets, sold

through his website, were

fullled to customers.

BILLBOARD 200

Morgan Wallen’s I’m the Problem holds at

No.1 for a second week on the Billboard200,

earning 286,000 equivalent album units in

the United States in the week ending May29,

according to Luminate. With a 42% second-

week decline in units earned, I’m the Problem

tallies the smallest second-week percentage

drop for a No.1-debuting set in more than a

year, since 21Savage’s American Dream fell

41% on the chart dated March3, 2024 (going

from 133,000 to 78,000).

The good news keeps coming for Wallen, as

he holds three albums in the top10 for the rst

time: His chart-topping projects One Thing

at a Time and Dangerous: The Double Album

sit at Nos.4 and 10, respectively. He’s just the

seventh act to achieve that feat in the last 60

years. Meanwhile, his new album’s title track

spends a seventh week at No.1 on Country Airplay (the most weeks atop

the list for any song in 2025 so far). —KEITH CAULFIELD

Morgan

Wallen

I’m the Problem

9charts_bb200 [P]_2820539.indd 129charts_bb200 [P]_2820539.indd 12 6/3/25 2:59 PM6/3/25 2:59 PM

0 views·23 pages

Goldman Sachs Lowers Global Music Industry Growth Forecast, Wiping Out $2.5 Billion PDF Free Download

Goldman Sachs Lowers Global Music Industry Growth Forecast, Wiping Out $2.5 Billion PDF free Download. Think more deeply and widely.

Uploaded by the_charles on 3/9/2026

/23

100%

Goldman Sachs lowered its global growth expecta-

tions for the music industry for the next ﬁve years, as

well as its forecast for global recorded music revenues

this year, in a report published Tuesday (June 3).

The Wall Street investment bank’s Music in the

Airreport, which has become a closely-watched guide

for music industry executives and investors, said it

expects the global music industry to generate $31.4

billion in net revenues in 2025, a $2.5 billion decline

from its 2024 projection of $33.9 billion.

That reﬂects growth of 6.8% on average from

2025 to 2030, down from the 7.6% compound annual

growth rate (CAGR) analysts had previously forecast

for that period last year. The primary factors driv-

ing that downward revision, Goldman says, are the

slowing growth of last year’s recorded music revenues

and lower ad-funded streaming growth, both of which

contributed to expectations of 7.9% streaming growth

on average from 2024-2030, down from the 9.8%

previously forecast.

“2024 was the ﬁrst year since we began forecasting

music industry trends where global music revenues

fell short of our expectations,” the authors of the

closely watched report wrote. “This was also the

ﬁrst year since we started forecasting music industry

revenue where the recorded music market came well

below our expectations.”

Goldman also issued new estimates for future

growth, projecting that the music industry will grow

at a compound annual growth rate of 4.8% for the

years 2031 to 2035.

These slower growth forecasts echo ﬁndings of ear-

lier reports this year, such as the IFPI’s March ﬁnd-

ings that global recorded music growth for 2024 was

half of what it was in 2023, and the RIAA’s similar

report that found that U.S. streaming revenue growth

last year slowed to 3% from 7.7% in 2023.

Nonetheless, Goldman analysts said they expect

the value of music rights and companies to remain

“resilient” amid an uncertain macroeconomic back-

drop, and that more frequent streaming subscription

price increases and individualized service plans will

provide support.

Goldman Sachs Lowers Global

Music Industry Growth Forecast,

Wiping Out $2.5 Billion

BY ELIZABETH DILTS MARSHALL

(continued)

YOUR DAILY ENTERTAINMENT NEWS UPDATE

Bulletin

JUNE 4, 2025 Page 1 of 23

• Which Taylor Swift

Albums Are Seeing

the Biggest Gains

After She Reclaimed

Her Masters?

• How High Will

Taylor Swift’s

‘Reputation’ Land

on Next Week’s

Billboard 200

Following Her

Masters Purchase?

• Which of Taylor

Swift’s ‘Reputation’

Songs Are the

Biggest Gainers

Following Her

Masters Acquisition?

• Primary Wave

Partners With The

Cars, Acquires

Band’s Artist

Royalties

INSIDE

• BILLBOARD 200

CLICK HERE

Page 3 of 23

In 2025, Goldman says it expects global

music industry revenue growth of 7.7%,

down from its previous forecast of 8.3%,

with growth in the live music sector and a

slight improvement in recorded music rev-

enue growth serving as the main drivers.

Goldman’s revision of its streaming growth

outlook within recorded music revenues was

due to signiﬁcantly lower ad-funded stream-

ing, researchers said. Ad-funded streaming

growth is expected to slow to 5.7%, compared

to its 2024 forecast of 11.3%.

Researchers said these “meaningful

changes to our streaming assumptions” stem

from a structural shift of more consumers

preferring shortform as opposed to long-

form videos, less upside gained from emerg-

ing platforms and the impact of near-term

uncertainty.

Those factors also caused Goldman

to expect slightly lower subscriber and

average revenue per user growth among

streaming platforms.

Which Taylor

Swift Albums Are

Seeing the Biggest

Gains After She

Reclaimed Her

Masters?

BY ED CHRISTMAN

Taylor Swift is enjoying quite the

sales boost following her Friday

(May 30) announcement that she

had purchased the masters of her

ﬁrst six albums. Based on preliminary data

from Luminate, we’re starting to get a sense

of which albums Swifties are turning to

most frequently to celebrate.

Looking at her Republic Records studio

catalog, not including the Taylor’s Ver-

sion re-recordings, all those albums

experienced gains from Friday-Saturday

(May 30-31), ranging from the slight 5.6%

gain that The Tortured Poets Department

experienced in sales when compared to

the daily average of the preceding 11-day

period, to the 21.9% increase her Evermore

album enjoyed when comparing those pe-

riods, according to Billboard’s calculations

based Luminate’s on preliminary sales and

streaming activity data.

Meanwhile, the Taylor’s Version albums

almost all outperformed the Evermore in-

crease, except for the 1989 re-record, which

just missed out by growing 21.3% in the two-

day average after the announcement versus

the previous 11-day average: Red (Taylor’s

Version) grew by 23.2%, Speak Now (Taylor’s

Version) by 27.5% and Fearless (Taylor’s

Version) by 27.9%, per preliminary data from

Luminate, Billboard calculates.

Moving over to Swift’s Big Machine al-

bums, the original 1989 album had the least

amount of growth but even its percentage

increase of 41.2% swamped the percentage

gains posted by all the Republic albums.

Leading the growth charge, Taylor Swift’s

eponymous ﬁrst album enjoyed a 484.4%

increase, followed by Speak Now with a

343.9% increase in the two days after the an-

nouncement versus the 11 days prior; Repu-

tation, up 328%; Red at 173.7% greater; and

Fearless with a 140.4% rise when comparing

the two periods, Billboard further calculates.

However, even with the original whop-

ping percentage gains on a unit count basis

for the two periods, none of those albums

outperformed the Taylor’s Version albums

in absolute sales for the post-announcement

two-day period. For example, 1989 (Taylor’s

Version) averaged a few hundred above

2,000 album consumption units for the two-

day period, while the original version’s total

IN BRIEF

AUTHORITATIVE INTELLIGENCE.

DELIVERED DIGITALLY. CLICK HERE

FOR FREE

DELIVERY

DIGITAL NEWSLETTERS

album consumption was a few hundred over

1,000 units.

Even the original Speak Now, which saw

a 343.9% increase, fell 10 units shy of Speak

Now (Taylor’s Version), when looking at the

average total consumption units for the two-

day period.

On a unit basis, Reputation the biggest

gain — nearly 6,000 units — to bring total

sales on average for the two-day period to

nearly 8,000 units, versus the nearly 2,000

units the album averaged in the 11 days prior

to the announcement. In fact, that album

was by far the best performing album in the

Swift catalog over the two-day period.

How High Will

Taylor Swift’s

‘Reputation’

Land on Next

Week’s Billboard

200 Following

Her Masters

Purchase?

BY ANDREW UNTERBERGER

The Contenders is a midweek col-

umn that looks at artists aiming for

the top of the Billboard charts, and

the strategies behind their eorts.

This week, for the upcoming Billboard 200

dated June 14, we look at a handful of albums

likely to impact the top tier of the chart – a

couple brand new, and a couple recently

revitalized, led by a likely rebound from the

biggest pop star in the world.

Taylor Swift, Reputation (Big Machine):

On a day of big new releases, last Friday

(May 30) was still dominated by the news

that Taylor Swift had ocially acquired

her own masters. Billboard reported from

sources that she paid around $360 million

for the acquisition from private equity ﬁrm

Shamrock Capital, which had acquired the

catalog in late 2020 from Scooter Braun’s

Ithaca Holdings, after Braun had bought

Swift’s old label Big Machine the year

before. Braun’s initial purchase, and Swift’s

negative reaction to her professional adver-

sary having such a big stake in her history,

had of course inspired the entire Taylor’s

Version project — which led to Swift re-re-

cording four of her ﬁrst six albums over the

course of 2021-2023, along with a number of

period-appropriate rarities. That endeavor

not only proved wildly successful for Swift,

but played a major part in her 2020s ascen-

sion to a level of solo superstardom not seen

before this century.

One of the two Big Machine-era albums

she had yet to get to with her Taylor’s Ver-

sion series was Reputation, the divisive 2017

album that followed both her ultimate pop

breakthrough with 2014’s 1989 and the back-

lash that ensued, particularly after her back-

and-forth feuding with Kanye West and Kim

Kardashian. Along with the announcement

of the acquisition of her masters, Swift also

revealed that Reputation (Taylor’s Version)

had been the most challenging of the series

for her to put together, as she found it dif-

ﬁcult to get back into the headspace of that

album era — and thus had not even ﬁnished

re-recording a quarter of it. Fans could infer

from her letter that now that Swift’s back

catalog was once again her own, she would

be unlikely to ﬁnish re-recording the rest of

it anytime soon.

But while some fans may have been disap-

pointed that they would not get the full

Reputation (Taylor’s Version) package any-

time soon — which was so long-anticipated

that the original album got a consumption

bump a couple weeks ago merely based on

rumors that she might reveal something

about it on the AMAs — most were ready

to revisit the original album anyway. With

no re-recording imminent, and Swift once

again the owner of her back catalog, fans

ﬂocked to the original Reputation, resulting

in it leaping to the top of the iTunes albums

chart, and launching ﬁve of its tracks back

onto the Spotify Daily Top Songs USA chart

for Saturday (May 31).

The major bump in sales and streams, for

an album that was still ranking at No. 78 on

the Billboard 200 in its 349th week on the

chart, could see the album make a major

rebound next week. It’s unlikely to supplant

Morgan Wallen’s I’m the Problem — but no

album is, as Problem posted 286,000 units

this week (according to Luminate) in its

second week atop the chart, and is likely

to still be comfortably in the six ﬁgures in

its third week, thanks to the 37-track set’s

gargantuan streaming numbers. But it could

get as high as the top ﬁve, maybe even to the

runner-up spot, if fan enthusiasm maintains

the further we get away from Swift’s Friday

announcement. (Swift could also perhaps

give sales a boost if she made the album

available for sale on her webstore — as of

publishing, it was still not listed there.)

Miley Cyrus, Something Beautiful (Co-

lumbia): Perhaps Swift’s main competition

for the biggest chart-crasher this week is

her old Hannah Montana: The Movie co-star

Miley Cyrus. The veteran pop superstar

returned on Friday with her new LP Some-

thing Beautiful, the audio part of a visual

album project whose ﬁlm accompaniment is

set to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival

this Friday (June 6).

Something Beautiful follows 2023’s End-

less Summer Vacation, and its galactically

successful lead single “Flowers,” which

became the biggest chart hit of Cyrus’ career

and won her her ﬁrst two Grammys. So far,

none of the advance releases from Some-

thing Beautiful appear to be on anywhere

near a “Flowers” trajectory, however — the

only one of them to even reach the Bill-

board Hot 100 so far was ocial lead single

“End of the World,” which debuted at No. 52

and fell o the chart after just four weeks.

While Something Beautiful is unlikely to

be an immediate streaming blockbuster — as

of midweek, none of its tracks appear on

either the Spotify Daily Top Songs USA or

the Apple Music real-time charts — it should

sell relatively well. To help with that, the

album is available in six dierent vinyl vari-

ants (including an artist webstore-exclusive

signed version), as well as standard and

signed CDs and two deluxe branded boxed

sets with the CD and branded merch. At

the very least, the set should extend Miley’s

streak of top ﬁve albums on the Billboard

200 — which encompasses every one of her

ocial studio releases dating back to 2007’s

Page 5 of 23

IN BRIEF

ISSUE DATE 6/21 | AD CLOSE 6/10 | MATERIALS DUE 6/12

On June 21, Billboard will publish its seventh

annual Pride Issue, honoring culturally moving

and inﬂuential people who have contributed to

the community’s history and its current land-

scape. Year-round, Billboard covers LGBTQIA+

issues across our editorial channels, including

Billboard Pride. Building on this platform,

Billboard will dedicate the month of June to

celebrate love, acceptance, diversity and what it

means to be queer in music.

All month long, Billboard will be the go-to

destination for music- and entertainment-

related Pride content. Leveraging our iconic

voice within music and culture, Billboard will

curate a mix of engaging video and social

content featuring thought-provoking panels,

heartfelt performances and glam tutorials — all in

the spirit of building a community for consumers

and inﬂuencers in celebration of Pride.

CONTACTS

East Coast/Midwest Joe Maimone | joe.maimone@billboard.com

Southeast Lee Ann Photoglo | laphotoglo@gmail.com

Los Angeles Aki Kaneko | moishekaneko@gmail.com

Latin Marcia Olival | marciaolival29@gmail.com

Touring & West Coast Cynthia Mellow | cmellow615@gmail.com

International Ryan O’Donnell | rodonnell@pmc.com

Meet Miley Cyrus, excepting 2015’s Miley

Cyrus & Dead Petz, which was not initially

given a commercial release.

SEVENTEEN, SEVENTEEN 5th Album

‘Happy Burstday’ (Pledis/YG Plus): Also

aiming for the top ﬁve next week is an act

with less stateside household-name recogni-

tion as Swift and Cyrus, but nearly as much

of a presence on the albums chart. SEV-

ENTEEN has reached the Billboard 200’s

top 10 six times already in the 2020s, and

even gotten as high as No. 2 with two 2023

releases, the EP FML and the mini-album

Seventeenth Heaven.

The 13-member group is likely to return

to the top 10 next week with its ﬁfth full-

length album, Happy Burstday — a 16-track

eort that includes contributions from two

of the biggest U.S. hitmakers of the early

21st-century in Pharrell and Timbaland.

While SEVENTEEN has never been a major

force on streaming in the U.S., the group

are reliable high-sellers, and Burstday is

available for purchase in a whopping 14 CD

variants — all of which contain collectible

branded paper ephemera, some of which is

randomized. It should be enough for Burst-

day to be a real contender for the Billboard

200’s runner-up spot, along with the Swift

and Cyrus sets.

Which of

Taylor Swift’s

‘Reputation’ Songs

Are the Biggest

Gainers Following

Her Masters

Acquisition?

BY JASON LIPSHUTZ,

ANDREW UNTERBERGER

Welcome to Billboard

Pro’sTrending Upnews-

letter, where we take a clos-

er look at the songs, artists,

curiosities and trends that have caught the

music industry’s attention. Some have come

out of nowhere, others have taken months to

catch on, and all of them could become ubiq-

uitous in the blink of a TikTok clip.

This week: Each of Taylor Swift’s Reputa-

tion tracks are up following her announce-

ment of having acquired the masters to her

Big Machine-era albums — but which are

up the most? Plus, a Kellyoke outing helps

a Texas singer-songwriter get a break, and

TikTok pettiness helps mint another fun new

country hit.

Taylor Swift’s Surging ‘Reputation’:

Which Songs Are Getting Streamed the

Most?

Following Taylor Swift’s announcement

on Friday (May 30) that she had bought

back the master recordings of her ﬁrst six

albums, the superstar’s entire catalog posted

sales and streaming gains, as Swifties rushed

to celebrate the hard-fought victory. In ad-

dition to her ﬁve most recent studio albums

and four Taylor’s Version re-records receiv-

ing boosts, her ﬁrst six full-lengths naturally

saw spikes in listenership — particularly

Reputation, her 2017 opus which had not yet

been given a Taylor’s Version treatment (and

possibly never will).

Reputation has experienced the biggest

gain in consumption since Friday’s an-

nouncement, averaging 8,000 equivalent

album units between Friday and Saturday,

according to Luminate, and challenging

for a return to the upper reaches of the

Billboard 200 next week. Digging into the

individual songs, every single track on the

album earned a increase in daily U.S. on-de-

mand audio streams of at least 70 percent in

the four days after the announcement (May

30-June 2) compared to the same tracking

period during the previous week (May 23-

26), with “So It Goes...” getting the biggest

percentage bounce by rising to 983,000

streams in those four days, up a whopping

262% from the previous week.

The biggest hits on Reputation earned

big boosts as well: lead single and Hot 100

chart-topper “Look What You Made Me Do”

rose 70% to 2 million streams between May

30-June 2, while “Delicate” was up 85% to

2.02 million streams over those four days.

The most-streamed song on Reputation,

however, was the opener, “...Ready For It?,”

which earned 2.21 million streams over that

four-day period (up 80%). When Swifties

wanted to ﬁnally return to Reputation, they

clearly wanted to start at the top and savor

the whole thing. - JASON LIPSHUTZ

Elizabeth Nichols Has ‘Got a New’ Hit

Following ‘Kellyoke’ Cover

While pop star-turned-TV host Kelly

Clarkson has made the ‘Kellyoke’ covers

segment on her eponymous talk show a pop

institution largely taking on a combination

of established classics and contemporary

hits, occasionally she likes to look to the

future a little. That’s what she did last week,

when she took on Texas country singer-

songwriter Elizabeth Nichols’ late-2024

single “I Got a New One,” a clever sung-

spoken ditty that sees her responding to

childish romantic ultimatums by calling

“next” on her partners. “I love [that song] so

much, it’s so funny,” raved Fort Worth native

Clarkson after her performance. “I always

love shining a light on a fellow Texan.”

And indeed, the spotlight has been on

Nichols and her winning debut single in

the days since. In the four days following

Clarkson’s performance, “I Got a New One”

racked up 549,000 ocial on-demand U.S.

streams in total, according to Luminate – a

462% gain on the four-day period prior to

the cover. Even more impressively, the song

shot to the top tier of the iTunes chart on

the back of nearly 3,200 in sales over that

same period, up over 63,000% from a negli-

gible amount the prior period.

Given the way the country world deemed

Ella Langley a star following her breakout

success with her similarly sung-spoken

Riley Green duet “You Look Like You Love

Me” just last year, it might not be long

before Nashville decides it’s got a new one

in Elizabeth Nichols. - ANDREW UNTER-

BERGER

Vengefulness Propels Blackly Comedic

Kaitlin Butts Single to Viral Success

“F*cking ﬁnally!” proclaimed the country

newsletter Don’t Rock the Inbox about the

long-overdue viral success of Oklahoma

singer-songwriter Kaitlin Butts and her song

“You Ain’t Gotta Die (To Be Dead to Me).” In-

deed, the darkly funny highlight from Butts’

acclaimed 2024 album Roadrunner has belat-

Page 7 of 23

IN BRIEF

On July 19, Billboard will publish a GRAMMY®

First Look special feature that will showcase the

artists, producers and other creative

professionals whose music was released

between Aug. 31, 2024, and Aug. 30, 2025, and

look at the early contenders for the 68th annual

GRAMMY Awards® in the categories of record,

song and album of the year and best new artist.

7/16: Online Entry Process Opens

8/29: Online Entry Process Closes

Take advantage of this early opportunity during

the eligibility period to showcase accomplished

work to the music industry as voters prepare to

cast their entries for Music’s Biggest Night®.

CONTACTS

East Coast/Midwest Joe Maimone | joe.maimone@billboard.com

Southeast Lee Ann Photoglo | laphotoglo@gmail.com

Los Angeles Aki Kaneko | moishekaneko@gmail.com

Latin Marcia Olival | marciaolival29@gmail.com

Touring & West Coast Cynthia Mellow | cmellow615@gmail.com

International Ryan O’Donnell | rodonnell@pmc.com

GRAMMY®

FIRST

LOOK

ISSUE DATE 7/19 | AD CLOSE 7/8 | MATERIALS DUE 7/10

edly hit TikTok paydirt, thanks to a couple

sounds from it – including the chorus chant,

and the spoken-word pre-chorus breakdown

(“You know, I think I have heard of that

man… I think I heard he got run over by a

train, mauled by a bear, maybe? Hopefully”)

– catching on with users sharing the reasons

they’ve prematurely called a TOD on an ex.

Butts herself has helped accelerate the

moment on her own TikTok, sharing some

of the more unseemly examples and duet-

ing along with high-proﬁle cosigners like

Internet celebrity Brianna Chickenfry and

– once again – country star Ella Langley.

Consequently, the song has begun to cross

over to DSPs, racking up 473,000 ocial on-

demand U.S. streams for the tracking week

ending May 29, according to Luminate – a

3,342% gain from two weeks earlier, when

the song netted just under 14,000 streams.

As the song continues to rise, it just proves

that the combination of a good, funny coun-

try song and the power of online vindictive-

ness is never to be underestimated. – AU

Primary Wave

Partners With The

Cars, Acquires

Band’s Artist

Royalties

BY DAN RYS

Primary Wave has partnered with

The Cars to acquire the rockers’

artist royalties, the company an-

nounced today (June 4). The deal,

which encompasses classic rock staples

such as “Just What I Needed,” “My Best

Friend’s Girl” and the Billboard Hot 100 top

ﬁve hits “Shake It Up” (No. 4) and “Drive”

(No. 3), follows Primary Wave’s partner-

ship with Cars frontman Ric Ocasek’s

estate on publishing and name, image and

likeness rights last year.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Between their self-titled debut album

in 1978 and their Door to Door album in

1987, the Boston-bred band scored four top

10 albums on the Billboard 200, adding a

ﬁfth with a reunion album, Move Like This,

in 2011. The group landed 18 hits on the

Hot 100, including four top 10s, and was

inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

in 2018, a year before Ocasek’s death in

September 2019.

“Together with last year’s partnership for

Ric Ocasek’s publishing, Primary Wave is

uniquely positioned to preserve and honor

the legacy of The Cars,” Primary Wave

senior vp of business and legal aairs Sa-

mantha Rhulen said in a statement. “Their

music has left a lasting imprint on culture

and continues to inspire fans and musi-

cians around the world. It’s a privilege to be

entrusted with this partnership.”

Primary Wave has for years been on

the forefront of the publishing, branding,

marketing and name/image/likeness rights

business for artists that it classiﬁes as “icons

and legends,” with a portfolio that includes

rights from artists like Bob Marley, Prince,

Whitney Houston, James Brown, Lu-

ther Vandross, The Four Seasons, Stevie

Nicks, Ray Charles, Smokey Robinson and

Bing Crosby. Most recently, the company

did a deal with the estate of The Notorious

B.I.G. to acquire the late rapper’s catalog

and other rights, among other deals.

PRS Paid Out

$1.3 Billion to

Members in 2024,

Though Rate of

Revenue Growth

Slowed

BY SOPHIE WILLIAMS

PRS For Music paid out £1.02

billion ($1.3 billion) in royalties

to songwriters, composers and

publishers in 2024, according to

reports from the U.K. collection society.

That ﬁgure is up 8.1% from 2023, when

royalty payouts to its members reached

£943.6 million ($1.2 billion). This means that

PRS For Music have delivered early on their

ﬁve-year plan to achieve £1 billion in royal-

ties paid out by 2026.

Last year, reported revenue growth was

up 6.1% to £1.15 billion ($1.46 billion), mark-

ing a notable deceleration from the 12.5%

increase recorded in 2023, when PRS For

Music broke the billion-pound barrier for

the ﬁrst time.

Elsewhere, international revenues at the

end of 2024 jumped 79.6% from 2015 levels

to £351.4 million ($448.8 million). The orga-

nization attributed the continued growth to

“a renewed commercial mindset and invest-

ment in data and technology infrastructure.”

The society’s online royalties grew 9%

in 2024 to £401.2 million ($512 million).

Collections from the video games sector

accounted for a signiﬁcant portion of this

increase, after PRS For Music secured a

partnership with Sony Playstation’s stream-

ing service to build on its long-standing

download deal.

Public performance royalty collections

were also a key driver of growth, increasing

by 14% in 2024 primarily due to a lift in col-

lections from the live sector, which were up

30% year-on-year.

In a statement, PRS For Music’s CEO

Andrea Czapary Martin — who features in

the inauguralBillboard U.K. Power Play-

ers list — said, “PRS members have the right

to demand their society think dierently,

challenge the norms in an industry where

tradition is too often an excuse for inaction.

To constantly evolve to meet their changing

needs and expectations.

“Indeed, it is because we recognize the

need to constantly challenge ourselves that

we have been able to double the royalties

paid to songwriters, composers and publish-

ers in less than a decade.”

The above ﬁgures were announced at PRS

For Music’s annual general meeting, which

took place in London on Tuesday (June 3)

and was also where new council representa-

tives were elected. Singer-songwriter Cathy

Dennis has joined the Writer Council as a

member alongside Tom Gray, chair of the

Ivors Academy, and composer Philip Pope.

PRS for Music’s Publisher Council in-

Page 9 of 23

IN BRIEF

GLORIA ESTEFAN

50TH ANNIVERSARY

ISSUE DATE 8/16 | AD CLOSE 8/05 | MATERIALS DUE 8/06

2025

International superstar Gloria Estefan, Billboard's most

successful Latin crossover artist ever, celebrates 50

groundbreaking years in music with her 30th album,

"Raíces" (Roots). With 100+ million records sold, nine

Grammy Awards, an Oscar nomination, and status as the

ﬁrst Cuban-American honored at The Kennedy Center,

Estefan's illustrious career includes the Presidential

Medal of Freedom (2015) and Gershwin Prize (2019)

shared with husband Emilio.

Beyond music, her humanitarian foundation, Emmy-win-

ning Red Table Talk: The Estefans, Broadway musical ON

YOUR FEET!, ﬁlms, and bestselling books have reshaped

cultural landscapes.

Her ﬁrst all-Spanish studio album in 18 years, Raíces

blends traditional tropical rhythms with contemporary

CONTACTS

Latin Marcia Olival | marciaolival29@gmail.com

East Coast/Midwest Joe Maimone | joe.maimone@billboard.com

Southeast Lee Ann Photoglo | laphotoglo@gmail.com

Los Angeles Aki Kaneko | moishekaneko@gmail.com

Touring & West Coast Cynthia Mellow | cmellow625@gmail.com

International Ryan O’Donnell | rodonnell@pmc.com

production, honoring Latin music's heritage while pushing

boundaries forward. As Latin sounds dominate global charts,

Estefan's latest work powerfully reminds the world of her

pioneering role in proving cultural authenticity and

international appeal could brilliantly coexist.

Join Billboard in congratulating Gloria Estefan on her

remarkable career over the past 50 years.

creased its membership, welcoming includ-

ing Megan Hall, senior vp of business and

legal aairs at Concord Music Publishing;

Nigel Gilroy, global head of legal & business

aairs at Novello and Company; Daniel

Lang, senior vp of global society relations &

digital rights at Warner Chappell Music;

and Richard Paine, director of commercial

rights & business aairs at Faber Music.

Julian Nott, chair of the PRS Members’

Council, said, “I’m delighted to welcome our

new and re-elected Council members. The

wealth of knowledge, experience and ex-

pertise that they have amassed during their

careers will bring a huge amount of insight

and ensure the Council continues to deliver

the best possible society for members and

that every part of the membership is served

by the organization.”

Music Nation

Partners with BMI

& SoundExchange

for UAE Collective

Management

Organization

BY TAYLOR MIMS

Today (June 4), Music Nation

Copyrights Management, which

handles music rights management

in the United Arab Emirates,an-

nounced the company received formal

approval to license, collect and distribute

royalties from public performance and

neighboring rights. The approval will de-

liver a vital new source of revenue for music

rights holders, according to Music Nation.

Through partnerships with performing

rights organization BMI and digital global

collective management organization Soun-

dExchange, Music Nation will be the indus-

try’s ﬁrst rights management organization

capable of natively collecting performance,

mechanical and neighboring rights.

“Today marks a pivotal moment for the

UAE and Music Nation,” said Music Nation

chairwoman Rasha Khalifa Al Mubarak in

a release. “After years of careful planning,

Music Nation is positioned to become a

cornerstone of music licensing, empower-

ing the Emirates’ vibrant creative industry.

As an Emarati, I am honored to establish

a world-class music rights infrastructure

that not only elevates local artists to greater

heights, but also showcases our rich musi-

cal heritage and cultural traditions to the

world.”

Music Nation is part of a broad UAE ini-

tiative to support the creation of a thriving

music ecosystem and to elevate the region’s

music industry by protecting the rights of

music creators and compensating them for

the commercial use of their work.

“The Ministry [of Economy] continues

its eorts to develop an advanced system

for the governance of copyright and related

rights, based on global best practices. This

is achieved by developing regulatory and

legislative frameworks, stimulating invest-

ment in creativity, and supporting eective

collective management systems that ensure

the protection of rights and enhance the

conﬁdence of creators and musicians in the

country’s creative climate,” said undersecre-

tary of the Ministry of Economy Abdullah

Ahmed Al Saleh in a release.

He continues: “The collective manage-

ment license for music plays an important

role in promoting a creative culture in

society, providing comprehensive protection

for the intellectual property rights of musi-

cians and artists, and providing mechanisms

to ensure ﬁnancial justice for artists and

creators in the distribution of revenues and

transparency in the collection and distribu-

tion of copyrights. This supports raising

the competitiveness of the music industry

in the country and making it an attractive

destination for creative and cultural works

worldwide.”

Music Nation will begin collecting royal-

ties in the UAE for more than 2 million

songwriters, composers, publishers, artists,

sound recording owners and other music

creators. That 2 million ﬁgure represents

the combined copyrights held by clients of

BMI and SoundExchange. Music Nation

will collect and distribute royalties on their

behalf in the UAE.

“We are thrilled to partner with Rasha,

the Music Nation team and SoundExchange

to ensure that music creators in the UAE

have the opportunity to turn their passion

into their careers by being paid for their

creative work,” said BMI president and

CEO Mike O’Neill in a release.“BMI has

always been an unwavering advocate for the

songwriters, composers and rights holders

behind the songs the world loves, and we’re

excited to provide our music licensing in-

frastructure, expertise and deep experience

fostering career development to beneﬁt the

region’s incredible creators. There are end-

less possibilities ahead that Music Nation

will deliver, and we look forward to a bright

future together.”

The UAE and the broader Middle East

and North Africa (MENA) region remain the

fastest-growing music market in the world,

with the IFPI reporting the territory ex-

panded in 2024 for a tenth consecutive year.

Music revenue in MENA last year climbed

by 22.8%, outpacing the global average of

5.9% growth.

“This is a major milestone and a vote

of conﬁdence from the UAE Ministry of

Economy in the combined abilities of Music

Nation, SoundExchange and BMI,” said

SoundExchange president and CEO Mi-

chael Huppe in a release. “We’re excited to

get to work establishing the region’s premier

collective management organization and

serving creators with the same level of ex-

cellence we have for more than two decades

in the U.S.”

Spotify Raises

Prices Again in

France

BY GLENN PEOPLES

second round of Spotify price

increases have come to France,

the world’s sixth-largest recorded

music market. Starting Monday

(June 2), Spotify individual subscriptions

rose 9.2% to 12.14 euros ($13.81) from 11.12

Page 11 of 23

IN BRIEF

euros ($12.65), a company spokesperson

conﬁrmed to Billboard. Additionally, family

plans rose to 21.24 euros ($24.15), two-

person “duo” plans increased to 17.20 euros

($19.56) and student plans increased to 7.07

euros ($8.04).

With those increases, France’s prices are

now comparable to Belgium, where an indi-

vidual premium plan was raised to 11.99 eu-

ros ($13.63) in April. In nearby Netherlands

and Luxembourg, an individual premium

account costs 12.99 euros ($14.77). The U.K.,

where Spotify last raised prices in 2024, an

individual premium plan costs 11.99 GBP

($16.21).U.S. and Australian prices were also

raised a second time in 2024.

The individual premium plan remains less

expensive elsewhere in Western Europe:

10.99 euros ($12.50) in Germany, Spain and

Italy, and 7.99 euros ($9.09) in Portugal.

Prices in parts of Northern Europe are com-

parable to France. An individual premium

plan costs 119 SEK ($12.37) in Sweden and

129 NOK ($12.70) in Norway. An outlier is

Denmark, where the same plan goes for 109

DKK ($16.62).

Spotify raised prices in France in May

2024 after the country passed a stream-

ing tax that requires platforms that earn

more than 20 million euros ($22 million) in

annual revenue to pay an additional 1.2%

charge. Upon passage of the bill in Decem-

ber 2023, Spotify pulled its support for two

local music festivals.

Higher prices, along with growth in the

number of subscribers, pushed Spotify’s

revenue up 16% in the ﬁrst quarter. In Spo-

tify’s early high-growth years, prices were

unchanged as the company added value

through new features and audio formats

such as podcasts and audiobooks. In the last

two years, growth has slowed, and Spotify

has raised prices without consumer back-

lash. “Price increases are now part of our

toolbox,” Spotify’s co-president/chief busi-

ness ocer Alex Norström explained during

the company’s April 29 earnings call, “and

we take steps to balance the value to price

ratio over time — adding value, and then we

adjust the price when it makes sense for the

market.”

Record label executives have also voiced

their belief that platforms such as Spotify

will continue to raise prices in the coming

years. “One key shift in the industry is that

it’s moving from just subscriber growth to

growth driven by both subscribers and price

increases,” and price increases are “more

regular” than in the past, Warner Music

Group CEO Robert Kyncl said during the

company’s May 8 earnings call.

Jimmy Buett’s

Widow Sues to

Replace Business

Manager Handling

$275M Estate

BY RACHEL SCHARF

Jimmy Buett’s widow has ﬁled a

court petition asking to replace her co-

trustee on the late singer-songwriter’s

$275 million estate, saying a business

manager tapped to handle the assets has

been “openly hostile and adversarial” while

ignoring her requests for ﬁnancial transpar-

ency.

The petition was ﬁled Tuesday (June 3)

by the late singer’s wife of 46 years, Jane

Buett, who married Jimmy Buett in 1977

and was made sole beneﬁciary of a marital

trust holding the bulk of the hitmaker’s

assets upon his death in September 2023

at the age of 76. The court ﬁling says these

assets, including real estate and a 20% stake

in his successful island-themed hospitality

company Margaritaville, are worth roughly

$275 million.

Jimmy’s will named Rick Mozenter, an

accountant at the business management ﬁrm

Gelfand Rennert & Feldman, as co-trustee to

help Jane administer the estate. But Tues-

day’s petition says that rather than help Jane,

Mozenter has actually made life more dif-

ﬁcult following her husband’s death.

“Mr. Mozenter has failed to perform even

the most basic tasks required of him in his

role as co-trustee, including providing Mrs.

Buett with information concerning trust

assets and ﬁnances, which has left Mrs. Buf-

fett in the dark with regard to the state of her

own ﬁnances,” write Jane’s lawyers from the

ﬁrm Sullivan & Cromwell. “Along the way,

Mr. Mozenter has belittled, disrespected and

condescended to Mrs. Buett in response to

her reasonable requests for information she

undoubtedly was entitled to receive.”

According to the court ﬁling, Jane met

with Mozenter a month after Jimmy’s death

in October 2023 and asked how much in-

come she should expect to receive annually

from the trust. Mozenter dragged his feet

for 16 months, Jane’s lawyers say, repeatedly

ignoring her requests to get an answer as

she tried to make plans for her future.

Mozenter ﬁnally provided this estimate

in February 2025, and the results were

“shocking.” Mozenter told Jane she would

see less than $2 million in annual income

— an amount that would not cover Jane’s

expenses and “a remarkably poor return for

a trust with an estimated $275 million in as-

sets,” the petition states.

Jane’s lawyers say this estimate was

especially surprising because the trust had

received more than $14 million in distribu-

tions from Margaritaville over the previous

18 months. This made Jane concerned that

Mozenter was mismanaging the trust and

she requested additional ﬁnancial informa-

tion from him, but the accountant once

again stonewalled.

The court ﬁling also claims Mozenter has

been “unprofessional and combative” to

Jane and that he refused her request to sell

a piece of Bahamas real estate, even though

the Buett family rarely uses this property

and its costs more than $300,000 a year to

operate. Mozenter has billed more than $1.7

million in fees while engaging in this alleged

wrongdoing, Jane’s attorneys claim.

“Faced with what clearly has become an

unsolvable rift with Mr. Mozenter, and the

prospect of having to continue to unsuccess-

fully request that he discharge his duties, on

May 30, 2025, Mrs. Buett asked that Mr.

Mozenter resign as co-trustee,” says the pe-

tition. “Mr. Mozenter refused, insisting that

he remain in a position of authority over her

wealth. The situation is untenable and Mrs.

Buett requests this court’s assistance to

resolve it.”

Jane’s lawyers are asking a judge to re-

Page 12 of 23

IN BRIEF

move Mozenter from the trust and replace

him with a new co-trustee. The petition

suggests Daniel Neidich, the CEO of invest-

ment ﬁrm Dune Real Estate Partners, for

the job.

Mozenter did not immediately respond to

a request for comment on the petition.

Diddy Trial

Witness Says He

Dangled Her Over

Balcony, Leaving

Her With ‘Night

Terrors & Paranoia’

BY BILL DONAHUE

One of Cassie Ventura’s friends

testiﬁed Wednesday that Sean

“Diddy” Combs dangled her

over a 17th-ﬂoor balcony, telling

jurors that the incident left her with “night

terrors and paranoia.”

On the witness stand during the fourth

week of the music mogul’s sex-tracking

trial, Bryana Bongolan said she had been

at Ventura’s apartment in 2016 when

Combs stormed in unexpectedly, accord-

ing to CNN. She told the jurors that the star

dangled her over a balcony, then threw her

into furniture.

The attack left her with injuries both

physical and psychological, Bongolan said:

“I have night terrors and paranoia and

scream in my sleep at times.”

Bongolan is one of many witnesses already

called by prosecutors, who claim Combs

ran a criminal enterprise aimed at coercing

Ventura and other women into participating

in drug-fueled sex shows known as “freak-

os.” Defense attorneys have said the sex was

consensual and that Combs merely operated

a legitimate music business.

The alleged balcony incident has long

been one of the ﬂashiest accusations against

Diddy. It was referenced in Ventura’s civil

lawsuit that sparked the rapper’s downfall,

and prosecutors mentioned it in the indict-

ment and in other pre-trial court ﬁlings.

Bongolan herself described it in detail in a

civil lawsuit she ﬁled last year.

On the witness stand Wednesday, she

described it for jurors, saying it had left her

with “a bruise on the back of my leg and

back and neck pain.”

Bongolan also testiﬁed that she once saw

Diddy throw a knife at Ventura, and about

another time that she saw Cassie with a

black eye. She also told jurors about an

alleged incident at a photoshoot in which

Combs threatened her life.

“He came up really close to my face and

said something around the lines of, ‘I’m the

devil and I could kill you,’” Bongolan said.

Combs was indicted in September,

charged with running a sprawling criminal

operation aimed at facilitating the freak-os

— elaborate events in which Combs and oth-

ers allegedly coerced Ventura and other vic-

tims into having sex with escorts while he

watched and masturbated. Prosecutors also

say the star and his associates used violence,

money and blackmail to keep victims silent

and under his control. (Read Billboard‘s full

explainer of the case against Diddy here.)

Once one of the music industry’s most

powerful men, Combs is accused of rack-

eteering conspiracy (a so-called RICO

charge), sex tracking and violating a fed-

eral prostitution statute. If convicted on all

of the charges, he faces a potential sentence

of life in prison.

The trial, which has already featured

testimony from Ventura herself, another

unnamed victim named Mia and numerous

other witnesses, is expected to run until

early July. Bongolan is expected to continue

testifying in the afternoon.

A.I. Music

Lawsuits, Lizzo

Harassment Case,

Eminem-Meta

Battle & More Top

Music Law News

BY BILL DONAHUE

THE BIG STORY: Is the music

industry’s billion-dollar legal

battle over artiﬁcial intelligence

suddenly going to be over before it

starts? I wouldn’t count on it just yet.

News broke this weekend that Universal

Music, Warner Music and Sony Music were

each in talks to license their songs to Suno

and Udio for use in training AI models to

spit out new songs – less than a year after

the music companies ﬁled blockbuster

stealing music on an “unimaginable scale.”

Both sides have framed those cases as an

existential ﬁght over the future of music.

The labels says Suno and Udio are “tram-

pling” the rights of real musicians in an

eort to replace them; the startups argue

back that the music giants are abusing intel-

lectual property to crush a new technology

that threatens their market share.

Is an actual deal imminent? I’d lean

toward no. Low-boil settlement talks are a

common and continuous feature of almost

any litigation, and it’s unclear exactly how

far they’ve gotten here. The labels have long

said they’re open to listening, but striking a

ﬁnal deal – rather than just discussing one

in broad strokes – will require solving a long

list of incredibly complex problems, as my

colleague Kristin Robinson writes.

The choice confronting the music giants

in these talks – to strike a deal or ﬁght it out

in court – is one facing all creative indus-

tries amid the rise of artiﬁcial intelligence.

If you sell your content to AI ﬁrms, you

earn short term proﬁts...by empowering a

technology that might destroy you in the

Page 13 of 23

IN BRIEF

long run. If you ﬁght it out, you risk being

left behind amid a technological revolution,

all for what could be a losing cause.

For the music business, history makes that

an especially grueling choice. Nobody wants

a replay of the 2000s, when labels chose to

ﬁght an ascendant new technology in court

rather than harness and exploit its poten-

tial for proﬁt. Only when the majors opted

to partner with streamers like Spotify – in

equity stake deals eerily similar to those be-

ing discussed with Suno and Udio – did the

industry begin the long climb to recovery.

But digital music merely represented a new

distribution system, and one where the tech

partners would ultimately always need to pay

real musicians for their output. If the labels

end these lawsuits by handing over their cata-

logs for AI training now, those new partners

might one day no longer need them at all.

You’re reading The Legal Beat, a weekly

newsletter about music law from Billboard

Pro, oering you a one-stop cheat sheet of big

new cases, important rulings and all the fun

stu in between. To get the newsletter in your

inbox every Tuesday, go subscribe here.

Other top stories this week…

LIZZO’S APPEAL - Lizzo’s lawyers

launched an appeal aimed at ending a

sexual harassment lawsuit ﬁled by her

former backup dancers, calling it an “attack”

on her “First Amendment right to perform

her music and advocate for body positivity.”

Lizzo’s attorneys say her behavior toward

the dancers was clearly part of her artistic

approach — and thus shielded by constitu-

tional protections for free speech.

SHADY FACEBOOK MUSIC? - Eight

Mile Style, a company that owns much of

Eminem’s catalog, ﬁled a copyright lawsuit

against Meta over accusations that Facebook

and Instagram made “Lose Yourself” and

other iconic tracks available to billions of

users without permission. The case claimed

that the social media giant added Eminem’s

songs to its music library without the neces-

sary licenses, violating copyright law on a

“massive” scale in the pursuit of “obscene

monetary beneﬁt.”

OFFENSE AS DEFENSE - Smokey

Robinson ﬁled a countersuit against four

longtime housekeepers who recently ac-

cused him of rape, claiming the allegations

were part of an “extortionate scheme” by

the women and their attorneys. The Mo-

town legend accused the women and their

lawyers of defamation, invasion of privacy,

civil conspiracy and even elder abuse over

the “fabricated” allegations.

YOUNGBOY PARDONED - President

Donald Trump granted a pardon to Young-

Boy Never Broke Again, who was released

from prison in April after pleading guilty

last year to a single count of possession of

ﬁrearms by a convicted felon. The rap-

per, who has faced legal trouble for years,

thanked the president on social media: “This

moment means a lot. It opens the door to a

future I’ve worked hard for and I am fully

prepared to step into this.”

TRAFFIC DEATH - Ex-Red Hot Chili

Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoer reached

a plea deal with prosecutors to avoid prison

time after striking and killing 47-year-old Is-

rael Sanchez with his car in Los Angeles last

year. Under the terms of the deal, the rocker

pleaded no contest to misdemeanor vehicu-

lar manslaughter without gross negligence

and was sentenced to one year of informal

probation and 60 days of community labor.

SPOUSAL SUPPORT - Oset updated

his divorce ﬁlings to demand that his

estranged wife Cardi B pay him spousal

support after their split is ﬁnalized. In an

amended version of his answer to Cardi’s

divorce petition, the Migos star added a re-

quest for an unspeciﬁed amount of alimony,

but remains unchanged otherwise. The pair

of superstars are one year into an increas-

ingly acrimonious divorce case following six

years of marriage.

BILLION WITH A B - The Justice De-

partment urged the U.S. Supreme Court

to tackle a billion-dollar lawsuit over music

piracy ﬁled by the major labels against Cox

Communications, warning that a “sweep-

ing” ruling could force internet providers to

cut o service to many Americans. The case,

in which the labels won a $1 billion verdict

in 2019, saw a lower court hold Cox itself

liable for widespread illegal downloading by

its users.

FIVIO PLEA DEAL - Brooklyn rap-

per Fivio Foreign took a plea deal to end

a criminal case stemming from allegations

he pulled a gun on a New Jersey woman

after she asked him to jump her car while

pulled over. Under the terms of the deal,

Fivio admitted to one count of third-degree

terroristic threats in return for prosecutors

dropping four other charges, including un-

lawful possession of a weapon and aggra-

vated assault.

Can Touring Truly

Go Green? Five

Takeways from

SXSW London

BY THOM DUFFY

At the inaugural SXSW London

taking place June 2-7, with

nearly 900 speakers participat-

ing in some 500 sessions, one

speciﬁc topic was of sharp relevance to the

music industry — indeed, every industry

and every attendee.

The climate crisis.

The past year saw extreme weather

drive ﬁres across the music capital of Los

Angeles; a cyclone prompt cancellations of

some two dozen live events in Australia in

a single week; and more than 50 festivals in

the U.K. either postponed or canceled due

to forces including higher weather-related

insurance costs.

“Climate change is not some distant

threat,” said Leila Toplic, chief communi-

cations and trust ocer of Carbonfuture,

which provides veriﬁcation of eorts to

remove carbon from the atmosphere.

“The business case for taking action is

still there,” remarked Helen Clarkson,

CEO of the the Climate Group, a non-proﬁt

whiich has worked with more than 500 mul-

tinational businesses in 175 markets. (She

spoke during a panel provocatively entitled

“Canceling Sustainabilty,” about eorts to

purse a green agenda in the face of new anti-

environmental rhetoric in Washington, D.C.)

SXSW London organizers tapped the

Bellwethers Group, which is focused on

building a green economy, as its the ocial

sustainability partner and the company

Page 14 of 23

IN BRIEF

hosted several days of panels at the Nature

and Cimate House.

One of those panels focused on the role

that advertising and public relations agen-

cies can play in guiding businesses which

claim to be concerned about the climate.

Lameya Chaudhury, head of social impact

for the mission-driven creative agency Luck

Generals, remarked: “The question we’re

asking of clients in 2025 is — did you really

f—king mean it?”

SXSW London builds on the four-decade

legacy of the South By Southwest music,

arts, ﬁlm and tech conference and festival

launched in Austin, Texas, in 1987. Two

years ago, Penske Media (the owner of

Billboard) took a majority interest in the

company which now presents conferences

in Austin; Sydney, Australia; and now in the

formerly industry district of Shoreditch in

East London.

The climate-focused discussion that hit

closest to home for the music industry took

place Wednesday morning. Billed as “The

Future of Sustainable Live Events,” it was

moderated by Claire O’Neill, CEO and

co-founder of the international nonproﬁt

A Greener Future and co-founder of green

energy specialists, Grid Faeries.

Panel participants included Sam Booth,

director of sustainability for AEG Europe;

Alex Bruford, founder, managing direc-

tor and agent with ATC Live, whose clients

include The Lumineers and Fontaines DC;

and Mark Stevenson, co-founder of CUR8,

whose mission is to remove 1 billion tons of

carbon a year from the atmosphere.

Here are ﬁve key takeaways from their

discussion.

Follow The Leaders

Artists includingColdplay,Billie Eil-

ish,Massive AttackandThe 1975are at

the forefront of eorts to reduce the climate

impact of their live performances, panelists

said. Coldplay has reported that carbon emis-

sions — from show production, freight, band

and crew travel — on the ﬁrst two years of

its Music of the Spheres Tour were 59% less

than its previous stadium tour (2016-2017)

on a show-by-show basis, with its ﬁgures

veriﬁed by the MIT Environmental Solutions

Initiative. Eilish has partnered with REVERB

to reduce the environmental footprint of her

touring. Massive Attack’s hometown show in

Bristol last year set a new standard for low

carbon emissions by being fully battery pow-

ered and selling only vegan food, one of sev-

eral such initiatives by the group. At London’s

O2 Arena in February of last year, The 1975

worked with A Greener Future, CUR8 and

venue manager AEG to remove a reported

545.9 tons of carbon from the atmosphere

over its four-night stand.

Climate Focus Needed Earlier

Despite the almost daily drumbeat of

dire news about the state of the climate,

when it comes to how touring practices

must change, “The majority of people in the

music industry are not focused on it,” said

Bruford at ATC Live. “Not enough people

are having that discussion.” And when

artists or their teams do ask how they can

reduce the carbon impact of tours, they are

doing so “too late in the day,” saiid O’Neill of

A Greener Future, when the scale of produc-

tion is set and shows are routed.

The Green Triumph of The 1975

Three of the panelists — O’Neill, Ste-

venson of CUR8 and Booth of AEG — were

involved in the ground-breaking move

last year by The 1975 to not only reduce

the carbon imprint of their live show but

remove carbon from the atmosphere dur-

ing the band’s four shows at the O2 Arena.

“It’s amazing what can happen when you

apply a cost to carbon,” said Booth, explain-

ing how The 1975 made decisions aecting

everything from the merchandise available

at the shows to the food at its concessions,

with an eye toward carbon impact at the

shows in February 2024. A small surcharge

on tickets paid to oset the cost of carbon

emissions from fan travel. At the time, the

O2 announced that the concerts drew upon

“a portfolio of carbon removal methods to

physically extract the carbon generated by

the events from the atmosphere and durably

store it out of harm’s way — a game-chang-

ing step on the path to helping the global

live events industry reach genuine net-zero.”

Starting The Conversation

As much as artists may be concerned

about the future of the climate, “These guys

are busy creating art,” said AEG’s Booth.

For that reason, suggested ATC’s Bruford,

“That’s where the [artist’s] team needs to

step up. I think it comes down to the manag-

ers, the agents, the tour production” sta to

raise the topic of reducing a tour’s climate

impact very early in the planning process.

“It’s our responsibility to say to the artist,

‘We can do this!’”

Staying Home is Not An Option

Despite the massive energy required to

transport and stage a major concert tour,

panelists agreed that the greatest climate

impact of the live music business comes from

fans themselves traveling to shows. For her

summer U.K. tour, Eilish partnered with

Trainline to oer discounted train tickets for

fans who travel to her shows by rail. For Ste-

venson of CUR8, even as his venture focuses

on removing carbon from the atmosphere,

giving up travel for concerts “is not a life well

lived on a planet well loved,” he said.

Remembering

Gerry Wood,

Billboard’s

Chronicler

of Country’s

Corporate

Makeover

BY JOE LYNCH

Many Nashville publishers

sold their ﬁrms, then cried

swampfulls of crocodile tears

all the way to the bank when

they suddenly became multimillionaires.”

That’s a 1988 hot take on country’s corpo-

rate makeover from Gerry Wood, a former

Billboard Nashville bureau chief and editor

in chief who passed away on May 3 at the

age of 87.

Wood had worked in radio and PR before

Billboard, and he was a character and the

sta knew it. A 1988 retail convention

photo identiﬁes him as “Gerry Wood (back

to camera — for a change).” From 1975 to

1991 — minus 1983 to 1986, when he worked

Page 15 of 23

IN BRIEF

elsewhere — Wood burned up the pages of

Billboard with comprehensive reporting and

crisp writing about country’s mainstream

moment and how it changed Nashville.

Taking Root

“Country music has been spreading like

kudzu,” Wood wrote in the Oct. 16, 1977,

Billboard. “That’s the Southern vine that

grows so fast it is rumored to be the cause of

missing cows and pigs on Southern farms.

Spawned in this fertile, blood-red soil of

the South, this music has vined into the

cities and countries where today’s frenetic,

polluted environment grasps for something

fresh, yet traditional. Often, that something

turns out to be country music.”

Head Games

This “was the year the music business

stopped believing its own hype that it was

a recession-proof industry,” Wood wrote

in the Oct. 13, 1979, issue. Country seemed

to fare better than other genres, though.

“When CBS Records corporately cut some

300 heads, only one of those heads dropped

in Nashville.” Some of that safety came

from commercial crossover potential. “Lord

knows,” Wood wrote, “if it keeps up, we’ll be

seeing Gene Watson wearing KISS makeup

with a ﬂaming guitar.”

The Year Country Broke

“We’ve got to ﬁnd some new words,”

Wood wrote in the Oct. 18, 1980, issue, as

Kenny Rogers and Urban Cowboy spurred a

stampede toward Nashville. “All of the ad-

jectives and adverbs have been used in past

years. Best year. Exploding. Record-setting.”

Not only had country “gone California and

Texas and Tennessee,” Wood wrote, “it has

gone Ohio and Canada and New York.”

Alphabet Soup

“Once upon a time Nashville was as easy

as ABC. Now it’s as complex as SBK, BMG,

TNN, CMT, WCI, and PolySomething.” So

wrote Wood in the Oct. 15, 1988, issue. “The

sleepy Southern village that gave America

music from its soul in the ’50s and ’60s

became the darling of corporate overtures in

the ’70s and succumbed to the almighty dol-

lar in the ’80s.” Even as Music City changed,

Wood’s wit didn’t. “Too old to play musical

chairs, Nashville has lately taken to playing

musical managers,” he wrote in the same

issue. “Artists have been dropping managers

at the drop of a chart bullet.”

Next Big Thing

In the June 30, 1990, issue, Wood wrote

a column “predicting the Roy Rogers of the

’90s.” His bets were prescient: Clint Black,

Garth Brooks and Alan Jackson. One predic-

tion, “country rap,” was decades ahead of

the curve. But his crystal ball had one crack:

“Willie Nelson’s Cowboy Channel will get

o to a slow start, just like Willie did, but

end up a winner, just like Willie did,” he

wrote of Nelson’s planned cable network. It

never even launched.

This story appears in the May 31, 2025, is-

sue of Billboard.

Kendrick Lamar

& SZA’s ‘Luther’

Breaks Record for

Most Weeks at

No. 1 on Hot R&B/

Hip-Hop Songs

Chart

BY TREVOR ANDERSON

After each individually holding

the record, Kendrick Lamar

and SZA combine forces to claim

the longest-running No. 1 on

Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart

as their collaboration “Luther” reaches an

unprecedented 23rd week at the top. The

crowning feat, on the list dated June 7, dates

to the chart becoming the singular standard

genre survey in October 1958.

With its 23rd week at No. 1, “Luther”

breaks from the tie it set last week with La-

mar’s “Not Like Us.” The Grammy-winning

anthem scored 22 weeks in charge in 2024-

25: 21 amid its summer 2024 run and its ﬁ-

nal frame this February following its much-

discussed performance at the halftime show

of Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9. Before that,

SZA’s “Kill Bill” was the titleholder thanks

to its 21-week domination in 2022-23.

For the historic “Luther” coronation on

the multimetric Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs

chart, the single registered 16.5 million of-

ﬁcial United States streams in the tracking

week of May 23-29, according to Luminate

(down 1% from the previous week’s total),

57.5 million in airplay audience (down 5%)

and 1,500 in sales downloads (up 7%).

As “Luther” rewrites the record books

and Lamar and SZA claim gold, silver and

bronze, here are the songs with the most

weeks at No. 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop

Songs chart since its 1958 consolidation into

a singular genre survey:

Most Weeks at No. 1 on Hot R&B/Hip-

Hop Songs:

23, “Luther,” Kendrick Lamar & SZA,

2024-25

22, “Not Like Us,” Kendrick Lamar, 2024-

21, “Kill Bill,” SZA, 2022-23

20, “Old Town Road,” Lil Nas X feat. Billy

Ray Cyrus, 2019

18, “Industry Baby,” Lil Nas X & Jack

Harlow, 2021-22

18, “One Dance,” Drake feat. Wizkid &

Kyla, 2016

16, “Blurred Lines,” Robin Thicke feat. T.I.

+ Pharrell, 2013

15, “Be Without You,” Mary J. Blige, 2006

The record secured, “Luther” looks to a

clear runway to keep extending its domi-

nation on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The

track has ruled for the last 15 consecutive

weeks — its last time outside the top spot

was when “Not Like Us” rebounded after

the Super Bowl — and has fended o the

same No. 2 challenger, Drake’s “Nokia,” for

the last 10 frames. Given the declining activ-

ity in all songs in the top 10 — the sole track

gaining in activity this week “Not Like Us,”

at No. 6 — the most plausible scenario for

“Luther” surrendering the No. 1 rank soon is

the strong arrival of a superstar’s new single.

Elsewhere, “Luther” rolls to a 23rd week

at No. 1 on the Hot Rap Songs, nearing the

26-week record for “Not Like Us.” On the

Billboard Hot 100, “Luther” repeats at No.

5 after having ruled the ranking for 13 weeks

in March-May, the longest for any song in

Lamar or SZA’s catalog.

Page 16 of 23

IN BRIEF

Page 17 of 23

Post Malone

to Open a

New Venue

in Downtown

Nashville: ‘Can’t

Wait to Invite Y’all

Over’

BY JESSICA NICHOLSON

Last year, Post Malone released his

debut country-inspired project,

F-1 Trillion, writing and record-

ing the album in Nashville, and

earning hits through country collabs with

artists including Morgan Wallen (“I Had

Some Help”) and Blake Shelton (“Pour Me

a Drink”).

Now, he’s doubling down on his love for

Music City, with the upcoming opening of

a new entertainment venue in Nashville.

Nashville locals and those in town for this

week’s CMA Fest spotted signage at a build-

ing located 305 Broadway (and the former

home of venues WannaB’s Karaoke and

Tequila Cowboy) that read “Something BIG

Is Coming!,” “We’ll Keep Ya POSTED!” and

“Summer 2025.” A name and opening date

for the venue has yet to be announced.

Now, TC Restaurant Group — known for

its work on on star bars including Morgan

Wallen’s This Bar & Tennessee Kitchen,

Jason Aldean’s Kitchen + Rooftop Bar,

Miranda Lambert’s Casa Rosa and Lainey

Wilson’s Bell Bottoms Up — revealed it has

entered a partnership with Post Malone for

the new venue, which is set to feature three

stages, six bars and a dining room.

“We’ve created a space where everyone

can come together and kick some a—,” Post

Malone said in a statement. “Nashville has

really become a second home for me so I

can’t wait to invite y’all over to my house.”

Post Malone’s F-1 Trillion reached No. 1

on the all-genre Billboard 200, while the

singer has played country festivals including

Stagecoach and Morgan Wallen’s Sand in

My Boots over the past 18 months. He’s cur-

rently on his Big A— Stadium Tour, featur-

ing Jelly Roll and Sierra Ferrell.

Adam Hesler, the president and CEO of

TC Restaurant Group, added in a statement

that Malone’s forthcoming venue “embod-

ies his spirit and brings a new experience to

Nashville’s Entertainment District,” while

praising the singer’s “talent and ability to

transcend multiple genres.”

Beyond the new venue, Posty is also hard

at work on another country-infused album,

previously telling Billboard he’s been in Nash-

ville writing songs. “[I’ve] made probably 35

songs,” he said at the time. “It’s just a matter

of which ones rock, and which ones sock.”

DDG Seeks His

Own Restraining

Order Against

Halle Bailey,

Citing Abuse and

Threats of Self-

Harm

BY RACHEL SCHARF

DDG has countered Halle Bailey’s

domestic violence accusations

with a request for a restraining

order of his own, telling a judge

that the 25-year-old singer and actress is abu-

sive and has repeatedly threatened self-harm

for emotional manipulation.

The 27-year-old streamer and rapper

DDG (Darryl Dwayne Granberry Jr.) made

the allegations in a counter-petition ﬁled

Wednesday (June 4) against Bailey, who

won a temporary domestic violence re-

straining order last month after claiming

DDG had physically attacked her multiple

times in the presence of their 18-month-old

son, Halo.

DDG denies abusing Bailey and says he’s

actually the one who needs protection. He

claims Bailey has repeatedly punched and

slapped him, stalked him by hiding Airtags

in his cars, and threatened to take her own

life during jealous outbursts when he at-

tempted to end their relationship or “estab-

lish boundaries.”

According to the counter-petition, Bailey

has at various times threatened suicide with

both a knife and a gun. DDG says Bailey has

also used Halo as a tool of manipulation,

threatening to get an abortion during the

pregnancy and, now, blocking his access to

the child.

“In or about August 2023, during a particu-

larly volatile argument, petitioner became

enraged and threatened to end her life using

my legally owned ﬁrearm. Without my con-

sent, she took the weapon and left the house,”

wrote DDG in a declaration attached to his

court ﬁling. “This incident was one of several

in which petitioner’s actions posed a serious

threat to her own safety and the safety of our

son by creating an environment of emotional

distress and danger within the home.”

DDG’s counter-petition includes pages of

text messages between the duo, including

messages where Bailey writes, “IM GOONG

TO KILL MYSWLF TONIGHT” [sic] and “I

am simply not tough enough for this world.

Please take halo so he doesn’t have to see.”

The DDG counter-petition seeks a stay-

away order against Bailey and for the court

to award him joint or shared custody of

Halo, who is currently in Bailey’s sole cus-

tody per the temporary restraining order.

DDG is also asking to bar Bailey from tak-

ing Halo with her to Italy for two months to

ﬁlm a movie beginning this weekend. Bailey

has sought court permission to bring Halo

on the contractually mandated ﬁlm shoot,

but DDG’s counter-petition says interna-

tional travel is dangerous because Bailey

poses a psychological risk to both herself

and the child.

“A parent who has threatened suicide

repeatedly — who has armed herself with

a ﬁrearm while in emotional crisis, who

has driven with the child in a potentially

suicidal state, and who continues to escalate

when emotionally dysregulated — cannot

be entrusted to care for a vulnerable infant

abroad, without the safety net of California

court supervision, welfare checks, mental

IN BRIEF

Page 18 of 23

health intervention or child protective

services,” wrote DDG’s attorney Larry Bak-

man in the court papers.

Bailey’s reps did not immediately return

a request for comment on the allegations,

though her attorney, Terry Levich Ross,

said during a hearing in Los Angeles court

on Wednesday that DDG’s counterclaims

are “not accurate.”

During that hearing, Judge Latrice A.G.

Byrdsong said she’ll issue a decision soon

as to whether Bailey can bring Halo when

she departs for Italy on Saturday (June 7).

A full hearing is set for June 24 on the duo’s

competing petitions for permanent restrain-

ing orders against each other.

Glastonbury

Announces Full

Lineup, Stage

Times and Secret

Sets For 2025

BY SOPHIE WILLIAMS

The countdown to Glastonbury

2025 is well and truly on. With

just three weeks until music fans

head to Worthy Farm, Somer-

set, England (June 25-29), the festival has

unveiled its full lineup and stage times for

2025 – complete with gaps for secret sets.

The event will host headliners The 1975,

Neil Young, Rod Stewart, and Olivia

Rodrigo on the Pyramid Stage, and Loyle

Carner, Charli xcx and The Prodigy on the

Other Stage. Other prominent names set to

appear across the weekend include Doechii,

Gracie Abrams, Noah Kahan, Wolf Alice and

Busta Rhymes, among others.

Glastonbury will then take a fallow year in

2026, which sees landowner Michael Eavis

and his family allow the festival grounds to

recover every four years.

The full lineup features over 3,000

performances, complete with new addi-

tions to the main stages. The Other Stage

will now feature drum’n’bass stalwarts

Fabio & Grooverider opening on Friday,

playing tracks in symphonic arrangements

with the Outlook Orchestra, plus pop acts

Rizzle Kicks and Good Neighbours, and

singer-songwriters Nadine Shah and Louis

Dunford.

Glass Beams and Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso

are among those added to West Holts, while

Jalen Ngonda, Ichiko Aoba, Horsegirl, John

Glacier and Geordie Greep join other new

names on the Park stage. Head to the festi-

val’s ocial website for set times across all

stages.

There are also 56 ‘to be announced’ slots

lined up, including a gap on the Pyramid

Stage on the Friday ahead of Alanis Morris-

sette’s set. A mysterious band called ‘Patch-

work’ will also be playing the following day.

In 2023, Glastonbury platformed another

surprise act at the Pyramid called the Chur-

nups, who turned out to be the Foo Fighters.

It has been widely speculated online that

‘Patchwork’ could actually be pop trio Haim.

The band are playing an isolated one-o

date in Margate on June 27 following the re-

lease of fourth LP I Quit, while a Reddit user

has suggested the ‘Patchwork’ name may

reference a novel written by Sylvia Haim.

Lorde, meanwhile, will be releasing her

new record Virgin on June 27. She last

played Glastonbury in 2022, and could pos-

sibly return ahead of her highly-anticipated

album and accompanying world tour, which

kicks o in September.

More TBAs include Woodsies early on

Friday, whilst the Park Stage also has a gap

on Saturday evening. Glastonbury 2025 will

kick o on the evening of June 25 with two

opening ceremonies, including a theatre and

circus show in the Pyramid ﬁeld, followed

by a ﬁreworks display.

Damian Lazarus’

Day Zero Party to

Debut in Brazil in

2026

BY KATIE BAIN

Damian Lazarus is bringing his

longstanding Day Zero party to

Brazil in 2026.

The event will happen Jan. 3

in São Miguel dos Milagres, Brazil, located

on the country’s northern coast in the state

of Alagoas. Details regarding the lineup will

be announced in the coming months. Book-

ings will presumably fuse the rich musical

heritage of the country, a major hotbed for

electronic music, with the global house

and techno artists that Day Zero has long

booked.

“After a long and thoughtful search for

the perfect location to begin a new chapter

of Day Zero, we’re thrilled to introduce the

world to São Miguel dos Milagres, on Bra-

zil’s breathtaking northeast coast,” Lazarus

tells Billboard.

“This region — rich in mysticism, natural

beauty and cultural depth — oers both a

spectacular setting and the infrastructure

to welcome our global community,” the

producer continues. “We’re also proud to

be collaborating with some of Brazil’s most

experienced and respected event partners,

whose vision and expertise have shaped

many of the country’s most iconic gather-

ings. 2026 is going to be a very special year

for Day Zero as we embark on incredible

new adventures.”

Being produced in partnership with

Brazil’s Entourage Live, Plus Network,

Tamo Junto, Gaz Events and BOMA, the

Brazil edition of Day Zero marks the party’s

latest expansion, with Lazarus bringing the

event to a site adjacent to Israel’s Masada

National Park in 2019. (Subsequent editions

of the Israeli event were cancelled amid the

pandemic and ongoing supply chain and

production cost issues.)

Day Zero will also happen in its original

IN BRIEF

Page 19 of 23

home of Tulum in 2026.

This original Day Zero edition of Day

Zero began in the Mexican resort town

in 2012, with Lazarus and his team then

launching it to coincide with the end of the

Mayan calendar. The party has taken place

in the jungle near Tulum nearly every year

since (taking o 2018 and 2021) with the

music and ceremonial-oriented activities

going from sunset to sunrise.

803Fresh’s Viral

‘Boots on the

Ground’ Rises to

No. 1 on Adult

R&B Airplay Chart

BY TREVOR ANDERSON

803Fresh’s “Boots on the Ground”

is ﬂying high on Billboard’s Adult

R&B Airplay chart as it rises from

the runner-up spot to top the list

dated June 7. The viral, line-dance track as-

cends by becoming the most played song on

panel-contributing adult R&B radio stations

in the United States in the tracking week of

May 23-29, according to Luminate. “Boots”

boosted 1% in plays for the week, compared

to the previous tracking frame.

With “Boots on the Ground,” 803Fresh,

born Douglas Furtick, earns his ﬁrst No.

1 on Adult R&B Airplay with his maiden

entry. The new champ knocks out Summer

Walker’s “Heart of a Woman” after its two-

week turn in the penthouse.

Released and promoted by Snake Eyez/

KG Music Group, the Southern soul “Boots

on the Ground” sprouted across social

media through a viral line dance created

by Tre Little, often performed with a fan

in hand. On TikTok, the song’s audio has

been synced to more than 94,000 videos,

and celebrities including Beyoncé, Kamala

Harris and Michelle Obama have performed

the routine.

Beyond its Adult R&B coronation, “Boots

on the Ground” exhibits its ﬁrst signs of

crossover appeal with a No. 34 debut on the

Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart.

There, the track improved 7% in week-

over-week plays. Thanks to its strength at

the adult format and rising traction in the

mainstream sector, the single pushes 8-6 on

the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, which

ranks songs by combined audience totals

from both formats. Despite the position gain

to a new peak, the song remained essentially

even in audience impressions.

Airplay gains, in turn, have helped the

song’s standing on the multimetric Hot R&B

Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts,

which also add streaming and sales data into

their ranks. On the former, “Boots” climbs

9-8 to a new high and slides one spot (21-20)

from its best position on the latter ranking.

Xavi & Manuel

Turizo Rise to No.

1 on Latin Airplay

Chart With ‘En

Privado’

BY PAMELA BUSTIOS

Xavi and Manuel Turizo unite for

their ﬁrst No. 1 together as “En

Privado” advances from No. 3 to

lead Billboard’s Latin Airplay

chart (dated June 7). The song leads with

8.7 million audience impressions, up 27%,

earned in the United States during the May

23-29 tracking week, according to Luminate.

Xavi secures his second No. 1 on the

overall Latin Airplay chart as “En Privado”

climbs to the penthouse. The Mexican artist

ﬁrst conquered the chart in 2024, when his

track “La Diabla” reached No. 1 in just its

third week. Meanwhile, the collaboration

also propels Turizo back to the summit for

a ninth total time. He most recently led the

list with “Copa Vacía,” with Shakira, in 2023.

“En Privado,” released Feb. 5 on Inter-

scope/ICLG, receives strong radio support

by three Univision stations, led by KVVF-

FM (San Jose), KQMR-FM (Phoenix) and

KDXX-FM (Dallas).

Beyond its Latin Airplay coronation, “En

Privado” also lands at No. 1 on Tropical Air-

play, marking Xavi’s ﬁrst chart-topper and

Turizo’s fourth.

Meanwhile, Natti Natasha’s “Desde Hoy”

spends a fourth nonconsecutive week at No.

2 on Latin Airplay (8.3 million in audience,

up 11%). The last song to spend at least four

weeks at No. 2, without ever going to No. 1,

was in July 2017, when Shakira’s “Me Enam-

oré” spent its ﬁfth and ﬁnal nonconsecutive

week at No. 2.

However, the most recent song to spend

at least four weeks at No. 2 — only to later

to go on to No. 1 — was Shakira’s “Soltera,”

which spent seven nonconsecutive weeks

at No. 2 before it climbed to No. 1, for one

week, on the Jan. 4, 2025-dated chart.

Luis Figueroa Breaks into the Top 10 on

Tropical Airplay

Elsewhere on Tropical Airplay, Luis

Figueroa secures a spot in the top 10 with

“Más Que Un Beso” as the song jumps 12-10

with 3 million audience impressions (up

22%).

As “Más Que Un Beso” ascends, Figueroa

surpasses Marc Anthony to claim ownership

of the third-most top 10s in the 2020s, with

a total of 11. He trails only Prince Royce,

who leads with 14 top 10s this decade, and

Romeo Santos, who holds 12.

The song, the ﬁrst single from Figueroa’s

new album GRIS, also debuts at No. 47 on

the Latin Airplay chart, where Figueroa

earns his 10th career entry.

IN BRIEF

Page 20 of 23

Fuerza Regida’s

JOP, Gabito

Ballesteros &

Lupillo Rivera Join

‘Pase a la Fama’

TV Show

BY JESSICA ROIZ

Fuerza Regida’s Jesús Ortiz Paz

(JOP), Gabito Ballesteros and

Lupillo Rivera join the new reality

show Pase a la Fama, set to pre-

miere Sunday (June 8) on Telemundo.

The three Mexican artists will form part

of the music competition series — focused on

discovering the next great regional Mexican

band — as mentors, where they will guide the

contestants before they perform in front of

the previously announced judges Ana Bár-

bara, Adriel Favela and Horacio Palencia.

In each episode, participants — who are

vying for a $100,000 prize, a record deal with

HYBE Latin America and will be crowned

the next regional Mexican band — are ex-

pected train, perform and face challenges at a

bootcamp during their mentorship.

“We are proud to partner with HYBE Latin

America on a multifaceted journey to show-

case the importance of music to Latin audi-

ences throughout the U.S.,” Javier Pons, CCO

and head of Telemundo Studios, previously

said in a press release. “With Pase a la Fama,

music fans will witness ﬁrsthand the energy,

identity and dreams of this new generation

of talented musicians looking to make it in to-

day’s highly competitive music industry.”

Isaac Lee, chairman of HYBE Latin

America, added: “Pase a la Fama is a love

letter to the power of music and the cre-

ative process behind building something

unforgettable. From the roots of our artists

to the global reach of our vision, this series

shows what’s possible when talent and op-

portunity collide.”

Pase a la Fama premieres at 9 p.m. ET on

June 8 via Telemundo.

A-ha Frontman

Morten Harket

Reveals

Parkinson’s

Diagnosis,

Says He’s Done

‘Treating It as a

Secret’

BY HANNAH DAILEY

After battling Parkinson’s disease

for some time in private, A-ha’s

Morten Harket is now sharing

his diagnosis with the public.

By way of a letter written by the band’s

biographer, Jan Omdahl, the singer broke

the news to fans that he has been receiv-

ing treatment for the neurological disorder

“in recent years,” undergoing surgeries last

June and December to implant symptom-

reducing electrodes on both sides of his

brain. Harket also said that he’d been having

conﬂicting feelings for quite some time

about whether he should go public with his

diagnosis.

“Part of me wanted to reveal it,” he told

Omdahl. “Like I said, acknowledging the

diagnosis wasn’t a problem for me; it’s my

need for peace and quiet to work that has

been stopping me. I’m trying the best I can

to prevent my entire system from going

into decline. It’s a dicult balancing act

between taking the medication and manag-

ing its side eects.”

“It used to bother me to think about my

sickness becoming public knowledge,”

Harket added. “In the long run, it bothers

me more to have to protect something that

is strictly a private matter by treating it as

a secret.”

According to the Mayo Clinic, Parkin-

son’s is a “movement disorder of the nervous

system that worsens over time,” often caus-

ing tremors and aecting the motor skills of

patients. There is no cure for the degenera-

tive disease, but medicines and surgery can

help ease symptoms.

For Harket, both treatment paths have

“led to a dramatic improvement in his symp-

toms,” though he still faces regular exhaus-

tion and strain. He also said that his singing

abilities have been aected, but it’s not of

primary concern for him right now.

“I don’t feel like singing, and for me that’s

a sign,” he told Omdahl. “The question is

whether I can express myself with my voice.

As things stand now, that’s out of the ques-

tion ... I see singing as my responsibility, and

at certain moments I think it’s absolutely

fantastic that I get to do it. But I’ve got other

passions too, I have other things that are just

as big a part of me, that are just as necessary

and true.”

Even so, the Norwegian singer has been

working on new music throughout his

journey with Parkinson’s, revealing that

he has “great belief” in the material that’s

sprung out of this period in his life. “I’m not

sure if I’ll be able to ﬁnish them for release,”

Harket said. “Time will tell if they make it.

I really like the idea of just going for it, as a

Parkinson’s patient and an artist, with some-

thing completely outside the box.”

He also added that — while appreciative

of the concern fans will undoubtedly have

for him as they learn of the news — he’s

already weary from the anticipation of all

the messages of sympathy and unsolicited

advice headed his way. “Don’t worry about

me,” he said when asked what he wants

listeners to know at this time. “Find out

who you want to be — a process that can be

new each and every day. Be good servants of

nature, the very basis of our existence, and

care for the environment while it is still pos-

sible to do so.”

Harket added, “Spend your energy and

eort addressing real problems, and know

that I am being taken care of.”

Over the past couple of decades, cases of

disability and death caused by Parkinson’s

have been “rapidly spreading,” according

to the World Health Organization. As of

2019, an estimated 8.5 million people had

the disease, an ever-growing population that

also includes stars such as Michael J. Fox,

Ozzy Osbourne, Foreigner’s Mick Jones,

IN BRIEF

Page 21 of 23

Neil Diamond, Linda Ronstadt and Marc

Cohn, who have all been open about their

diagnoses.

A-ha was one of the deﬁning pop groups

of the 1980s, landing three entries on the

Billboard Hot 100 in the second half of the

decade: “The Sun Always Shines on T.V.,”

“Cry Wolf,” and No. 1 hit “Take on Me.” The

group is comprised of Harket and friends

Magne Furuholmen and Paul Waaktaar-

Savoy, who formed the group in Oslo in

1982.

Big Machine

Label Group

to Celebrate

20 Years With

Nashville Concert

BY JESSICA NICHOLSON

Big Machine Label Group is set to

celebrate its 20-year anniversary

with a Big Machine 20 concert in

downtown Nashville on Aug. 29,

featuring performances from Sheryl Crow,

Riley Green and Brett Young.

The free-to-the-public celebration’s will

kick o the rebranded Borchetta Bourbon

Music City Grand Prix NTT INDYCAR

Series Championship weekend, and will

include the ﬁfth annual Freedom Friday

event to honor military members, police,

ﬁre, ﬁrst responders and frontline members.

In 2024, the Freedom Friday event drew

118,000 attendees to Nashville prior to the

NTT INDYCAR Series event.

“This year’s event has even more meaning

as we celebrate 20 years ofBigMachine,”

said BMLG founder, chairman and CEO

Scott Borchetta in a statement. “Nobody

could’ve predicted our incredible success in

a city we love so much. This is our thank you

to Nashvilleandall the fans of ouramaz-

ingartists and their music. This is going

tobe a once-in-a-lifetime eventand one

we’ll never forget!”

Other performers on the lineup include

newcomer Preston Cooper, as well as artists

who have been part of Big Machine Label

Group’s two-decade history, including The

Band Perry, Danielle Peck, Danielle Brad-

bery, RaeLynn, Jimmy Wayne and Jack

Ingram.

Borchetta launched Big Machine in 2005,

following roles at labels including MCA

Nashville and DreamWorks Universal. The

label’s current roster includes Tim McGraw,

Midland, Thomas Rhett, Rascal Flatts,

Brantley Gilbert, Carly Pearce, RaeLynn,

Jackson Dean and Lady A.

Along the way, the label has also been an

advocate for artists’ rights, with Borchetta

launching the “Music Has Value” campaign

and working with terrestrial radio broad-

casters to earn sound-recording perfor-

mance royalties for the label and its artists.

The label’sbiggest alum, Taylor Swift,

is not named among the Big Machine 20

event’s participants. Swift has not been

aligned with the label since leaving for

UMG’s Republic label in 2018 and fol-

lowing the 2019 sale ofBigMachine Label

Group — including the pop superstar’s re-

corded catalog — to Scooter Braun’s Ithaca

Holdings. In 2021, HYBE bought Ithaca

Holdings. Swift recently regained owner-

ship of her master recordings.

Deborah de Luca

Will Not Play

HARD Summer

2025 After

Dispute Over the

Font Size of Her

Billing

BY KATIE BAIN

Italian techno producer Deborah de Luca

is o the HARD Summer 2025 lineup

poster amid a public dispute regarding

the font size of her name on the bill.

Late last week, HARD Summer posted

a revamped version of the 2025 lineup

poster that does not feature de Luca’s name,

as the original poster did. In the comments

section of the post, when a fan asked where

de Luca’s name was, the festival wrote

that the producer “informed us she will

no longer be playing the festival.” But the

Italian techno producer responded to their

comment, saying, “That’s not right! You put

my name smaller than others. I asked you to

change it and you didn’t want to do it. Now

you changed it by deleting my name.”

She then made another comment saying

that “I’m very sorry, guys! But they put my

name smaller than others, it was not digni-

ﬁed for my career. I asked to change it and

they told me no. It was not my choice. I’m

very sad, but I’m sure it will be a crazy festi-

val and you will have a lot of fun.”

The spot where de Luca’s name was on

the original poster now features electronic

foursome Ladies of Leisure. Sean Paul has

also fallen o the poster, with the position

where his name was in the original poster

now occupied by Busta Rhymes. Other

lineup additions include Barry Can’t Swim,

Fcukers and DJ Gigola, whose names were

all blurred out on the original poster for the

festival, which happens August 2-3 at Hol-

lywood Park at SoFi Stadiumin Los Angeles.

The comments section on the revamped

poster is a mixed bag of feedback, with

many fans lamenting on de Luca’s absence

and others being less generous. Represen-

tatives for de Luca and HARD Summer

did not immediately respond to Billboard’s

request for comment.

As previously reported by Billboard, while

such font sizes may seem inconsequential,

they are often the subject of intense negotia-

tions between artists, managers and agents

and event producers. As such, situations like

this one between HARD and de Luca are not

unheard of.

Speaking to Billboard in 2015, Gover-

nor’s Ball co-founder Jordan Wolowit told

Billboard that he once “had a very legitimate

act formally pull o the festival the day

before our announce, because they hated

their billing. My initial reaction was to tell

them to piss o — respectfully — but, luckily,

good judgment kicked in and I acquiesced to

their wishes — which was to be moved three

IN BRIEF

Page 22 of 23

spots up from where they were. It was kind

of hilarious, actually. From then on, I have

had a line in my oers that clearly states

billing is solely at my discretion.”

KATSEYE Joins

‘Toca Boca World’

Game Universe,

Where EYEKONS

Can Become

Group’s ‘Seventh

Member’

BY HANNAH DAILEY

In the animated realm of Toca Boca

World, anything is possible — from

changing your hair color at the drop

of a hat to becoming the next member

of KATSEYE.

As announced Wednesday (June 4), the

six-piece girl group is joining the digital

universe of the Swedish children’s game,

where the band’s signature diversity will go

hand-in-hand with Toca Boca’s mission to

encourage play through imagination, cre-

ativity and self-expression. With members

Manon, Sophia, Daniela, Lara, Megan and

Yoonchae each getting their own avatars

within the game, EYEKONS who play

along will be able to unlock a KATSEYE

style pack, download the band’s music, and

win free digital gifts once the partnership

launches on Tuesday (June 10).

In an exclusive interview with Billboard’s

Delisa Shannon celebrating the collabora-

tion, Sophia said her favorite part is how

fans will be able to combine their favorite

traits of each KATSEYE member to become

an honorary member of the squad. “When

you’re creating your character, you get to

take dierent parts of us and also parts of

you — you can literally make it look exactly

like you — and I think it’s so beautiful,” she

gushed over Zoom as her bandmates nod-

ded.

“Just like how we always say with KATS-

EYE, the beautiful part of it is the diversity

and the global-ness of it, and the ability

to see yourself in us,” Sophia continued.

“Whether it be, ‘Oh, I love Dani’s style, but

I look like Sophia’ — you can fully become

that in this world. It’s kind of like becoming

a seventh member of KATSEYE.”

“I think it’s very cool that within this

game, we’ve been able to express our di-

versity and the dierence and uniqueness

between all six of us,” added Lara. “But then

also being in this one world together, being

friends, being sisters, I think that’s so beau-

tifully reﬂected in the game.”

The ways in which each KATSEYE

member is unique will be represented

down to small details in their avatars, from

Lara’s bindi to the birthmark above Dan-

iela’s eyebrow. Serving as Toca Boca World’s

ﬁrst-ever “guest characters,” the ladies will

also contribute music to the game; a custom

player will let fans listen to tracks “Touch,”

“Debut” and “I’m Pretty.”

Plus, the animated KATSEYE avatars will

also take part in an in-game Voxella Festival

Stage Takeover, descending one-by-one on

the virtual venue and unlocking a song after

they’re united. For Yoonchae and Daniela,

however, the most exciting parts of the game

are its opportunities for self-expression and

customization.

“I would change my face every day,” the

former gushed when asked how she’d spend

her time in Toca Boca World if it were a real

place, while the latter said, “I would just go

shopping and buy the whole mall, and just

customize dierent outﬁts.”

KATSEYE’s partnership with Toca Boca

comes as the group is bigger than ever

before. In the months since dropping debut

EP SIS (Soft Is Strong) in August, the sextet

has amassed millions of listeners and scored

its ﬁrst-ever Billboard Hot 100 hit with the

viral single “Gnarly,” which debuted at No.

92 in May.

As hype around the track continues to

heat up in tandem with the temperatures

outside, the members of KATSEYE — who

also have a new EP, Beautiful Chaos, coming

June 27 — think it’s pretty clear what this

year’s song of the summer is going to be.

“It’s a ‘Gnarly’ Summer,” said Megan, as her

bandmates smiled in agreement.

But after Brat Summer and Hot Girl Sum-

mer, what does a “Gnarly” Summer entail?

“Not being afraid of being cringe ... letting

your intrusive thoughts win,” Megan elabo-

rated, while Lara said it’s all about “being

very wild — and a little bit messy.”

IN BRIEF

Page 23 of 23

IN BRIEF

CLICK FOR THE ENTIRE BILLBOARD 200 CHART.

charts DATA FOR WEEK OF 6.07.2025

SALES AND

STREAMING DATA

COMPILED BY

BILLBOARD 200: THE WEEK’S MOST POPULAR ALBUMS, BASED ON MULTIMETRIC CONSUMPTION, BLENDING TRA DITIONAL ALBUM SALES,

STREAMING-EQUIVALENT ALBUMS AND TR ACK-EQUIVALENT ALBUMS, AS COMPILED BY LUMINATE. SEE CHARTS LEGEND ON BILLBOARD.

GO TO BILLBOARD.COM FOR COMPLETE CHART DATA JUNE 7, 202512 12

Billboard 200

2 WKS. AGO

LAST WEEK

THIS WEEK

Artist Title

IMPRINT/DISTRIBUTING LABEL

PEAK POS.

WKS. ON

CHART

-11

#1 for 2 WEEKS

Morgan Wallen I’m The Problem

BIG LOUD/MERCURY/REPUBLIC

1 2

3 2 2SZA SOS

TOP DAWG/RCA

1129

7 5 3Kendrick Lamar GNX

PGLANG/INTERSCOPE/ICLG

127

444Morgan Wallen One Thing At A Time

BIG LOUD/MERCURY/REPUBLIC

1117

16 18 5

SAL

Playboi Carti MUSIC

AWGE/INTERSCOPE/ICLG

111

8 7 6Sabrina Carpenter Short n’ Sweet

ISLAND/REPUBLIC

140

587PARTYNEXTDOOR & Drake $ome $exy $ongs 4 U

OVO SOUND/REPUBLIC/SANTA ANNA

115

10 98Bad Bunny Debi Tirar Mas Fotos

RIMAS

121

14 11 9Billie Eilish Hit Me Hard And Soft

DARKROOM/INTERSCOPE/ICLG

254

11 12 10 Morgan Wallen Dangerous: The Double Album

BIG LOUD/REPUBLIC

1229

610 11 Fuerza Regida 111XPANTIA

STREET MOB/RANCHO HUMILDE/SONY MUSIC LATIN

2 4

13 13 12 Shaboozey Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going

AMERICAN DOGWOOD/EMPIRE

552

20 15 13 Alex Warren You’ll Be Alright, Kid (Chapter 1)

ATLANTIC/AG

13 27

1614 Sleep Token Even In Arcadia

SLEEP TOKEN/RCA

1 3

18 14 15 Chappell Roan The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess

KRA/AMUSEMENT/ISLAND/REPUBLIC

262

17 17 16 Tate McRae So Close To What

RCA

114

916 17 The Weeknd Hurry Up Tomorrow

XO/REPUBLIC

117

22 20 18 Taylor Swift The Tortured Poets Department

REPUBLIC

158

21 21 19 Noah Kahan Stick Season

MERCURY/REPUBLIC

2131

19 19 20 Lady Gaga MAYHEM

STREAMLINE/INTERSCOPE/ICLG

112

99 Myles Smith

A Minute...

The seven-track EP from

November was turned into

a deluxe 14-song set on

May23 (dubbed AMinute,

AMoment...), prompting

its new peak and 32% surge

in units earned (12,000).

111 BossMan Dlow

Dlow Curry

Bossman Dlow released

an expanded edition on

May23 with eight bonus

tracks. In turn, the set

— initially released in

December — reenters at

No.111 with nearly 12,000

units earned (up 77%).

5Playboi Carti

MUSIC

The project bounds 18-5 with

41,000 equivalent album units

earned in the United States

in the week ending May29 (up

57%, according to Luminate)

after deluxe box sets, sold

through his website, were

fullled to customers.

BILLBOARD 200

Morgan Wallen’s I’m the Problem holds at

No.1 for a second week on the Billboard200,

earning 286,000 equivalent album units in

the United States in the week ending May29,

according to Luminate. With a 42% second-

week decline in units earned, I’m the Problem

tallies the smallest second-week percentage

drop for a No.1-debuting set in more than a

year, since 21Savage’s American Dream fell

41% on the chart dated March3, 2024 (going

from 133,000 to 78,000).

The good news keeps coming for Wallen, as

he holds three albums in the top10 for the rst

time: His chart-topping projects One Thing

at a Time and Dangerous: The Double Album

sit at Nos.4 and 10, respectively. He’s just the

seventh act to achieve that feat in the last 60

years. Meanwhile, his new album’s title track

spends a seventh week at No.1 on Country Airplay (the most weeks atop

the list for any song in 2025 so far). —KEITH CAULFIELD

Morgan

Wallen

I’m the Problem

9charts_bb200 [P]_2820539.indd 129charts_bb200 [P]_2820539.indd 12 6/3/25 2:59 PM6/3/25 2:59 PM

Goldman Sachs Lowers Global Music Industry Growth Forecast, Wiping Out $2.5 Billion PDF Free Download

Goldman Sachs Lowers Global Music Industry Growth Forecast, Wiping Out $2.5 Billion PDF Free Download

Goldman Sachs Lowers Global Music Industry Growth Forecast, Wiping Out $2.5 Billion PDF Free Download

Recommended

Hairdressing and Barbering Industry Regulatory Review Final Report

Barn Burning

GeoGebra und Tabellenkalkulation im Bereich elementarer Funktionen – Wirksamkeit eines fachdidaktischen Seminars auf die Entwicklung digitaler Werkzeugkompetenzen und auf die Veränderung technologiebezogener Überzeugungen von Mathematik-Lehramtsstudierenden

Verkiezingsprogramma 2025 - 2029

2025年家用电器消费者购买行为分析报告

Hinter verschlossenen Türen

決算参考資料

Haushaltsplan 2024/25

INVESTIGATION STATUS OF AI 171 CRASHED IN AHMEDABAD

AI-Enhanced Cybersecurity: A New Era of Digital Defense

银行业保险业信息科技非现场监管报表填报指南（2024版）

MARKETBEAT UNITED STATES OFFICE Q1 2025

GOLICAVE NOVELE DEKAMERON, izbor

Moving History Beyond The Optics: Killers of the Flower Moon, The Bikeriders, and The Zone of Interest

Den skjulte hverdagen

AI Adopters in Retail

Decameron Web

Operating and Capital Budget

A puerta cerrada

US Consumer Report Card—Second Quarter 2025