Music News

Photo Credit: AXE Ceremonia Mexico City’s AXE Ceremonia two-day music festival canceled its second day after a crane collapsed, leaving two people dead. The canceled Sunday lineup included scheduled performances from Tyler, the Creator, the Marias, and Massive Attack. Festival organizers posted a statement for attendees letting them know of the cancelation. “With deep sadness, we confirm the passing of the two people who were injured during today’s incident,” the statement begins. “We are dee

Photo Credit: Molson Coors Beverage Co. Molson Coors Beverage Co. is releasing a beer-filled vinyl called ‘Dive Bar Sounds.’ The vinyl record actually plays and is filled with Miller High Life beer. The beer-filled vinyl record goes on pre-sale later this week for an $18 price point. Miller says each dive bar tells its story through sounds, from the creak of the door opening to the clink of glasses. “Now these iconic sounds are captured in this High Life-infused vinyl. Here’s a peek at what’s

Photo Credit: Morgan Wallen and Blodin Ukella Blodin Ukella and Morgan Wallen’s Ryl Company receives $15 million in Series B funding, marking $30 million in growth equity in total. Created in 2022, Morgan Wallen and Blodin Ukella’s Ryl Company held a Series A funding round in 2024, netting $7.5 million. The new funds will help fast track the tea company’s expansion, marketing campaigns, and product creation. The funding will also get Ryl Tea into over 40,000 stores by the end of the year, inc

Photo Credit: Joel Katz, courtesy of the Katz family Powerful longtime music attorney Joel Katz, whose clients included James Brown, B.B. King, Willie Nelson, and the Recording Academy, has passed away. He was 80 years old. Joel Katz was the founding chairman of the entertainment and media practice at top law firm Greenberg Traurig, and was heavily involved in the Recording Academy and Country Music Association. He negotiated major deals for both. Katz represented artists like James Brown, Wil

Photo Credit: Brad Paisley for Walmart Soundcheck / Lunchbox LP / CC by 2.0 The NFL announces country superstar Brad Paisley as headliner of the Draft Concert Series on Saturday, April 26. As the grand finale to the Draft weekend in Green Bay, Brad Paisley will take the stage at the Draft Theater near Lambeau Field for a free concert following the conclusion of Round 7 of the Draft. The NFL Draft Concert Series is presented by Bud Light, and kicks off Saturday, April 26, closing out three days

Photo Credit: Tim Myers For Congress Former OneRepublic bassist Tim Myers announces his run for the US House seat occupied by Rep. Ken Calvert in Riverside County’s 41st District. Tim Myers hopes to oust a long-standing Republican in the Los Angeles area as the Democratic party aims to regain control of the House under Donald Trump’s second presidential term. He announced on Thursday his intention to challenge Rep. Ken Calvert in the 41st District in Riverside County, which stretches from the

Photo Credit: Marvin Meyer Online video and podcast revenue surged in 2024 with the strongest gains since 2021. But for ad-supported streaming music, the future isn’t as bright. Ad revenue online showed strong revenue growth overall in 2024, increasing 14.9% year-over-year. The IAB/PwC Internet Advertising Revenue Report found internet advertising revenue hit $258.6 billion in 2024, its highest since 2021. “The US digital ad industry showed remarkable strength in 2024. Despite the volatility

Photo Credit: Sheléa for PBS Sheléa stars in the upcoming special, “Aretha! With Sheléa and The Pacific Symphony,” a televised tribute to soul legend Aretha Franklin. Hot off a national tour as Stevie Wonder’s special guest on his 2025 “Sing Your Song!” tour, Sheléa is now starring in an upcoming PBS special, “Aretha! With Sheléa and The Pacific Symphony.” The televised tribute to the legendary Queen of Soul will premiere on PBS stations starting May 30, and will also be available for free str

Photo Credit: Rajiv Perera Fyre Festival 2 appears to be off to a familiar start as organizers seek to assure the public the festival is happening in Mexico. But local government officials for Playa del Carmen have stated no permits have been granted. Organizers for Fyre Fest 2 took to Instagram with a statement saying they are working with the local government. “FYRE has been working directly with the government of Playa del Carmen (PDC) and their officials since March 5, 2024 to ensure a saf

Photo Credit: @ruthsviveros on TikTok Coachella attendees went viral on social media after they showed off their pricey meals: tacos, nachos, and lemonades for two costing $102. It may not come as a surprise to some that the prices of concessions at live events can get a little ridiculous. But in the post-pandemic economy, where concerts and music festivals are struggling to break even, Coachella attendees are stunned to see food and drink going for three times the normal cost. Just like the a

A live performance from Quavo, who, along with Hybe America and Quality Control, is facing a copyright infringement lawsuit from sculptor Daniel Arsham. Photo Credit: Jørund Føreland Pedersen Hybe America, its Quality Control subsidiary, and Quavo are facing a copyright lawsuit for allegedly infringing on a visual artist’s work in social media posts. Daniel Arsham, touted as “one of the most well-known contemporary artists in the world,” submitted the unique action to a New York federal court

Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore / CC by 2.0 Reggie Watts attended the first week of Coachella this year, taking to social media to share his thoughts. They might explain why Coachella has struggled to sell-out both weekends for several years now. With the first weekend of Coachella behind us and the second week upcoming, many live music fans have taken to social media to criticize the festival. Attendees highlighted the poor food experiences, with one couple paying over $100 for a couple tacos, na

The reintroduced TICKET Act is riding a fresh wave of congressional support. Photo Credit: Claudio Schwarz Riding a new wave of bipartisan support, the Transparency in Charges for Key Events Ticketing Act (TICKET Act) is one step closer to becoming law. Lawmakers made this latest round of approval official during a House Energy and Commerce committee markup today. Nearly all the involved representatives voted in favor of the reintroduced TICKET Act, which is also picking up steam in the Senat

The Baroeg, a Rotterdam venue and Stager client. Photo Credit: Emvee On the heels of a partnership announcement involving Amsterdam-headquartered Eventix (now Weeztix) and Spotify, Rotterdam’s Stager has scored an integration deal of its own. 13-year-old Stager, which bills itself as an “all-in-one tool for event organizers,” took to LinkedIn to disclose its Spotify tie-up. Besides dealing in ticketing, the former business develops event-planning software, marketing tools, and more, according

Photo Credit: Yo-Yo Ma by Joi Ito / CC by 2.0 Amid continued cost-cutting at major labels, whispers emerge of Sony Classical enacting mass layoffs. As major labels continue their onslaught of cost-cutting endeavors, classical music news site Slipped Disc reports whispers of mass layoffs at Sony Classical. “People we’ve tried to contact are no longer there,” writes Norman Lebrecht. “Among them is the boxed-set reissue specialist Robert Russ at the company’s headquarters in Berlin.” “Our mole

Photo Credit: Spotify Spotify unveiled major advertising updates at its Spotify Advance event in NYC earlier this month. The detailed changes led to online speculation that Spotify Premium members would begin receiving advertisements—sparking calls for cancelation if that happens. Spotify has flatly denied the rumor. Spotify Advance detailed several new changes to how Spotify will deliver ads on the audio platform. They include a new programmatic marketplace that enables real-time bidding for

Photo Credit: Epic Games Pop star Sabrina Carpenter lands in Fortnite for Fortnite Festival Season 8, launching April 8 with loads of in-game cosmetics, jam tracks, and emotes. Epic Games loves to blur the lines between gaming and music, and Fortnite’s Sabrina Carpenter debut is no exception. Fortnite Festival Season 8 launches on April 8, complete with two Sabrina Carpenter outfits, two new emotes, three jam tracks, and lots of sparkly accessories. Players can access the main Sabrina Carpent

Photo Credit: Scooter Braun and Jermaine Dupri Jermaine Dupri’s So So Def Recordings enters a distribution partnership with Hybe America, led by Scooter Braun. The agreement sees Hybe distribute So So Def’s catalog while the two work together on releases for upcoming talent. Since the 1990s, Dupri and So So Def have worked with stars like Mariah Carey, Usher, Nelly, Xscape, Bow Wow, and Jagged Edge. Dupri also notably mentored Braun when he entered the music industry over 20 years ago. “Every

Moments after a court ruled to leave in place an injunction blocking NewJeans’ solo career activities, the group appealed to the Seoul High Court. Photo Credit: SBS Radio A Seoul court has upheld an injunction blocking NewJeans members from engaging in professional activities without Ador’s involvement. And right on cue, the group has kicked off a High Court appeal. Both developments came to light in regional reports today. By now, many are familiar with the uglier-than-ever contract dispute

Photo Credit: Aftershock Aftershock has announced a new live concert event with Shaquille O’Neal aka DJ Diesel. Shaq is bringing his Bass All-Stars show to the Rawhide Event Center in Chandler, Arizona. The event kicks off on August 16, with Shaq’s Bass All-Stars delivering an anticipated onslaught of dubstep, house, trap, and hip-hop across the line-up. The line-up so far includes DJ Diesel, Ghastly presents GHENGAR, Jykl & Hyde, RZRKT B2B CELO, and a special guest still to be announced.

Photo Credit: Weezer by Hunter Kahn / CC by 4.0 Weezer is still playing Coachella this weekend despite bassist Scott Shriner’s wife Jillian pointing a gun at and getting shot by police this week. Police shot Weezer bassist Scott Shriner’s wife Jillian on Tuesday while in pursuit of three suspects who fled on foot during a hit and run. The suspects made their way to Shriner’s neighborhood, where 51-year-old Jillian Shriner confronted police outside her neighbor’s house, armed with a handgun. A

Photo Credit: Soulja Boy | X/Twitter Rapper Soulja Boy (real name DeAndre Cortez Way) was slapped with a $4 million verdict in a civil sexual assault trial brought by his former assistant. The ‘Jane Doe’ alleges years of physical and sexual abuse during her employment from 2018 to 2020. The lawsuit was originally filed in 2021 with allegations of sexual battery, assault, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Jane Doe says the rapper hired her as a personal assistant for $500 weekly

Photo Credit: Spotify Spotify invests over a million dollars to help authors and publishers produce more audiobooks in other languages, starting with French and Dutch. Spotify has announced a plan to invest €1 million ($1.1 million) to boost audiobook production in languages other than English, starting with French and Dutch. Adoption of Spotify’s audiobook offerings has been relatively slow in the Netherlands and France, which is why Spotify wants to start with these languages. According to

Luxembourg City. Photo Credit: Cedric Letsch Is Spotify kicking off another major pricing recalibration? Possibly, as the service has nixed its “Mini” plan and rolled out across-the-board Benelux price increases. Spotify just recently emailed the relevant customers with word of the price increases, which are also making a splash in local media. And the axed “Mini” tier, which had offered mobile-only Premium access on a week-to-week (and, in some countries, day-to-day) basis, is spurring discu

Photo Credit: Alexander Shatov Spotify is back up after a widespread outage that left many users suspecting hackers were to blame. But the company says that’s “completely inaccurate.” Tens of thousands of Spotify users reported problems with the popular music streaming service on Wednesday during a widespread outage. But Spotify was back up and running a few hours later. “All clear — thanks for your patience,” said Spotify on social media, around noon ET. “Get in touch with @SpotifyCares if y