Music News

(l to r) Cherry Red Records MD Adam Velasco; Korda Marshall (a consultant on today’s deal); Cherry Red founder and chairman Iain McNay; Dome Records founder Peter Robinson; Dome GM Santosh Robinson; and Cherry Red director Matt Bristow. Photo Credit: Cherry Red Cherry Red Records has acquired Dome Records, with plans in place to “diligently” oversee the soul and R&B label’s catalog while continuing to release new material from signed acts. 47-year-old Cherry Red formally disclosed the buyo

Photo Credit: Solen Feyissa The digital app landscape is forever shifting—TikTok has been dethroned by ChatGPT as the most downloaded app worldwide. ChatGPT was downloaded 52 million times in April 2025 across both Google Play and iOS. This milestone marks a dramatic change in app dominance, especially among the younger Gen Z cohort—who often drive trends in both music and technology. TikTok has held the crown of most downloaded app for several years now. The short-form video format has fueled

Photo Credit: Taylor Swift by Paolo Villanueva / CC by 2.0 Taylor Swift’s re-recorded version of “Look What You Made Me Do,” featured in an episode of Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale. Is Reputation (Taylor’s Version) on the way? Swifties have been theorizing that an announcement of the album is fast approaching. That theory was given further credence on Monday night, when “Look What You Made Me Do (Taylor’s Version)” featured prominently in a new episode of Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale. Taylor Swi

Photo Credit: Amazon Music Amazon Music announces the beta of its new AI-powered search, designed to help fans learn more about their music. Select Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers in the US can take a sneak peek at Amazon’s new AI-powered search. The idea is to enhance music discovery and help fans learn more about their favorite artists. To use this beta feature, users can tap the “Find” button at the bottom of the screen and enter an artist’s name in the search bar. By selecting the “Exp

Photo Credit: Jenna Ortega in Hurry Up Tomorrow / Lionsgate The Weeknd’s Hurry Up Tomorrow, a psychological thriller co-starring Jenna Ortega, bombed at the box office in its opening weekend. The Weeknd’s first feature film, Hurry Up Tomorrow, didn’t get off to the best start during its opening weekend. The R-rated film co-stars Jenna Ortega and features The Weeknd, who goes by his real name, Abel Tesfaye, in the credits. It’s his first major acting role since the controversial HBO Max series,

Photo Credit: CA.gov California Governor Gavin Newsom’s recent budget proposal sent shockwaves through the arts sector with a targeted $11.5 million cut. The budget cuts could have far-reaching consequences for music funding and the broader creative community. While the headline figure for the cut is $11.5 million, critics argue that the true impact could be much larger. Arts advocates are estimating up to 58% cuts for certain arts programs. The $11.5 million slated for elimination comes from

U2 bassist Adam Clayton, who has an interest in the just-sold ROXi music video service. Photo Credit: U2start Self-described “music video streaming service” ROXi has officially sold in a “management buyout,” with multiple broadcasters and U2 bassist Adam Clayton among its stakeholders. Reps for London-based ROXi reached out with word of the deal, executed via a new company called FastStream Interactive. All told, ROXi/FastStream says it’s drawn support from north of 100 “major” backers thus f

Photo Credit: David Burke / CC by 2.0 Salt-N-Pepa is suing Universal Music Group for the rights to their catalog, claiming the label is holding their music hostage. Cheryl James and Sandra Denton of the legendary hip-hop group Salt-N-Pepa are suing Universal Music Group (UMG) for the rights to their catalog, which includes hits like “Push It,” “Shoop,” and “Whatta Man” featuring En Vogue. The duo claim the label is holding their music “hostage” and will not acquiesce to their request to invoke

Photo Credit: DiFronzo / CC by 2.0 In a significant ruling for the music industry and artists’ social media practices, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has definitively dismissed a copyright infringement case levied against Lil Nas X over Instagram photos. The lawsuit was brought forth by photographer Rodney Woodland, who alleged that Lil Nas X had posed similarly to several of his copyrighted images on Instagram. The case initially survived a motion to dismiss in district court, raising con

Photo Credit: AllHipHop An entire Kanye West album leaked onto the internet yesterday, prompting the rapper to respond. The announced album was once called WW3, but the rapper took to Twitter to say he renamed it to CUCK. Leakers say the benefit from the sale of the files went to the U.S. Holocaust Museum—with proof provided. The leak originated on Discord, a meassaging and community platform popular with gamers and music fans of specific artists. A folder containing the full CUCK album and ot

A live performance from Ed Sheeran, whose legal team is urging the Supreme Court to reject a cert petition in a marathon ‘Thinking Out Loud’ copyright dispute. Photo Credit: Mark Kent Ed Sheeran is firing back against a Supreme Court cert petition in one of multiple “Thinking Out Loud” copyright suits. As the artist and his team see things, reversing the courts’ prior decisions could set the stage for a tidal wave of speculative infringement actions. Defendants including Sheeran just recently

Photo Credit: Connie Francis for ABC Television, 1961 Connie Francis reacts to her 1962 song “Pretty Little Baby” becoming a viral hit on TikTok, 63 years after she recorded it. Connie Francis, 87, was surprised to learn her 1962 song “Pretty Little Baby” is having a massive resurgence, going viral on TikTok—even if she had to ask what exactly that meant. Sixty-three years after she recorded the track, it’s become a huge hit on TikTok, where even celebrities like Kylie Jenner have recorded li

Global Talent Services head Narcís Rebollo and Rosa Lagarrigue, who’s now GTS’ global EVP. Photo Credit: Universal Music Universal Music’s little-discussed Global Talent Services (GTS) Latin artist services agency has officially acquired Rosa Lagarrigue Management (RLM). Global Talent formally disclosed the buyout today, seven months and change after setting sail “independent of UMG’s local music labels.” As part of the latter pivot, GTS became “a standalone company” and tapped longtime Univer

Photo Credit: Epic Games SAG-AFTRA has filed an unfair labor practice charge against Epic Games, alleging that use of AI to voice Darth Vader infringes on the union’s rights. SAG-AFTRA has released a statement about Fortnite’s use of an AI-powered James Earl Jones Darth Vader voice, claiming the game’s production company, Epic Games’ Llama Productions, infringed on the union’s right to negotiate major changes to its collective bargaining agreement. The union also filed an unfair labor practice

Photo Credit: Live Nation Billie Eilish announces 23 additional dates for her Hit Me Hard And Soft Tour in Japan and North America this year. Since launching last September, Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard And Soft arena tour has brought sold-out shows across North America and Australia. The tour is currently traveling across Europe, the UK, and Ireland, and has featured multiple-night stops in several cities. Now, Billie has announced 23 additional dates in Japan and North America. The newly add

Photo Credit: Big Loud Morgan Wallen’s latest album I’m the Problem has set new records on Spotify—just two years after the country singer was shadow banned from editorial playlists. The 2021 racial slur incident led to Spotify and several country music awards bowing out of platforming the singer. The industry fallout was pretty universal, with radio stations stopping spins of his tracks, his label put him on ice, and Spotify refused to feature his songs on their country editorial playlists. N

Photo Credit: Eurovision Austrian artist JJ has won Eurovision Song Contest 2025 with his powerful single, “Wasted Love.” The track is a break-up inspired pop-opera track, featuring explosive techno beats. The track captivated international audiences and propelled JJ to victory—but Spotify data reveals other favorites among competitors. Born in Vienna and raised in Dubai, the 24-year-old JJ returned to Austria in 2016. Known for his soprano-range voice, JJ has performed at the Vienna State Ope

Spotify is facing criticism for allegedly hosting a number of ‘podcasts’ promoting illegal drug sales. Photo Credit: Joshua Coleman Audio entertainment with a side of drugs: Spotify has reportedly booted a number of “podcasts” advertising the online sale of illegal substances. Multiple outlets have written about and claimed credit for the takedowns. However, it appears that an X user named Lauren Balik was first to bring attention to the pill-plugging podcasts. Early last week, Balik posted S

The final of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Basel, Switzerland, was once again a vibrant mix of dance anthems, powerful ballads, and a quirky assortment of novelty pop from across Europe. As we approached the 2025 competition, I found myself without a clear favourite, which was a change from previous years. The final felt like an open playing field, where I sensed the strongest performance of the night would ultimately take home the prize. Thus eclipsing all the pre-event hype and bettin

Rising LA dance-pop sensation Nieri has been a vibrant force on my playlist since 2022. Moreover, consistently delivering lyrically rich electronic and dance-pop tracks that resonate deeply. His impressive output includes captivating EPs like “Starshine” and “Flow State.” Now, Nieri is poised for an even more monumental leap in 2025 with the release of his highly anticipated debut album. And fans are eagerly awaiting the title announcement. To usher in this exciting new era, he has unveiled “Pe

Photo Credit: Epic Games Epic Games asks the court to require Apple to accept Fortnite onto the US version of the App Store. The two companies have been locked in a years-long legal battle over the mobile giant’s App Store policies. Fortnite publisher Epic Games is further escalating its attempts to force Apple to allow its game onto the App Store. The game company submitted a new filing requesting Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers to force Apple to accept “any compliant version of Fortnite onto th

The Robert F. Kennedy Building, which serves as the DOJ headquarters. Photo Credit: ajay_suresh Live Nation is reportedly grappling with yet another wave of Justice Department scrutiny. Now, a reported criminal antitrust probe is zeroing in on alleged refund-related ticketing collusion during the early days of the pandemic. This possible probe just recently entered the media spotlight and was confirmed by Live Nation. At the time of writing, however, the DOJ itself didn’t appear to have publi

Photo Credit: Library of Congress by Tomasz Zielonka Music organizations pen a letter about maintaining the Library of Congress and US Copyright Office under the control of the Legislative Branch. The Songwriters Guild of America, the Society of Composers & Lyricists, and Music Creators North America have banded together to pen a letter to members of Congress regarding the importance of maintaining the Library of Congress and the US Copyright Office under the jurisdiction of the Legislativ

Connaught Place, New Delhi. Photo Credit: Kabi1990 DSPs including Spotify India have reportedly removed “all” Pakistani music in response to a related government advisory. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting issued that advisory eight days ago. Without diving too far into the underlying conflict – India and Pakistan have reportedly extended their ceasefire until May 18th – the notice compelled streaming platforms to boot content “having its origins in Pakistan.” “In the interest of n

Photo Credit: Kelsea Ballerini by Jack Strutz SoFi’s Rising Stars program provides post-secondary students with financial skills and resources they need to achieve their ambitions. SoFi Technologies has teamed up with Kelsea Ballerini and tnAchieves, a nationally recognized nonprofit dedicated to college access and success, to launch the Rising Stars Program. This $2 million initiative is aimed at helping the next generation of Tennessee students achieve financial independence. SoFi will prov