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New EDM Friday: Dom Dolla, Kid Cudi, PAWSA, Gorgon City & More

Dom Dolla x Kid Cudi – Forever
Dom Dolla links up with Kid Cudi for ‘Forever’, a genre-blending house anthem that pairs Kid Cudi’s unmistakable vocals with Dom Dolla’s signature groove. The track fuses emotional depth with a club-ready beat, creating a crossover hit that feels both introspective and euphoric.
PAWSA ft. Malachiii – BANG BANG
PAWSA teams up with Malachiii for ‘BANG BANG’, a high-energy tech-house banger with bouncy basslines and a bold vocal hook. Designed for peak-time dance floors, the track delivers pure club heat with a slick, minimal edge.
Gorgon City ft. Caroline Byrne – Run It Back
Gorgon City returns with ‘Run It Back’, featuring Caroline Byrne on vocals. The track blends their classic deep house sound with lush melodies and a catchy chorus, striking a perfect balance between radio-ready and underground cool.
Mike Candys – Make Some Noise
Mike Candys drops ‘Make Some Noise’, a high-octane big room techno anthem built for festivals and mainstages. With rocking kicks, soaring synths, and explosive drops, it’s a certified energy booster for any mainstage set.
Honorable mentions:
4 Strings – Don’t You Ever Go Away
Alexander Popov, Sam Bagira, LexMorris, SLYOZY ALYASKI – Empty Streets
Andrew Rayel – Trance Is the Rhythm
Barely Alive – Chicken Jockey
Bart B More – Rave Alert
Bassjackers – Beethoven’s Aria Fur Elise
Bhaskar, Bruno Be – 5 Days In Búzios
Bingo Players – Take It Slow
Boys Noize, Human Resource – Dominator
Chapter & Verse – Boss It
Chicane – Watching Over Me / Epilogue
David Puentez x ISAAK – Peace In the Pieces
Emie, Zack Martino, Sam Noton – Ghost
Fedde Le Grand & Funkerman ft. Smokin’ Jack Hill – Turntable Truth
FOVOS – Why do I want you
Gabry Ponte, Village People – Frequency (Go West)
GRAVEDGR, NZGÛL – TAKE YOUR SOUL
Harris & Ford x Robin White – Paradise
Koven – Moments In Everglow (album)
Laidback Luke, Nostalgix – 1000 BPM
Leandro Da Silva, Johnnie Ernest, JEEN SEIGO – Subala Y Bajo
LIZOT x Widemode – Yo Te Daré
Markus Schulz & Tim Clark featuring Linney – You Belong
MARTEN HØRGER ft. Sarah de Warren – Make It Right
Martin Jensen x Jaimes – Say No More
MOTi – One Time For Your Mind
Olly James – Needed Me
Plastik Funk, Esox, 3NRGY – Loco
Popof, Markus Volker, Enveak – Back & Forth
Ray Volpe – PAYBACK
SIDEPIECE – Lick
Still Young x BRØMANCE – Do It Again
STVW x Micah Martin – Alone Here
Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano, Flama khaleeji – Mothershift
SVDDEN DEATH, yvm3, Nimda & PeelingFlesh – MIDNIGHT
Tchami, BL3SS – R 2 ME
Tokyo Machine & Guy Arthur – WATCH OUT!
Tujamo ft. Andreas Moe – All This Time
Will Atkinson – La La La
Wiwek, Mike Cervello, LUSU – Siren
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Scaler 3 is packed with music theory power, but is it still too niche?

$99 ($79 introductory price until 30th May)
scalermusic.com
Scaler 3 is the most advanced chord progression generator on the market, but it’s far more than just that. It’s a complete platform for creating and editing MIDI parts.
READ MORE: Best free plugins: free drum machines that’ll help you make beats faster Scaler can now be used as a standalone creative app with support for your plugin instruments and effects. The newly redesigned interface is divided into three main sections. First, the Browser tab lets you explore templates, chord sets, and scales, while the Create tab gives you access to the deeper features for creating chord progressions. Finally, the Arrange tab lets you sequence and edit each chord region and choose instruments and effects in the mixer. With this three-pronged approach, you have a wide range of tools for creating compositional elements from scratch or using existing audio or MIDI as a reference point.
If you’re a beginner looking to improve your music theory, Scaler is an incredible tool to help you learn as you go. With the range of 860 chord sets and 929 motions to choose from, you can explore chord progressions in different genres and moods to find out what resonates with you creatively.
How do I start using Scaler 3 in my music-making process?
While Scaler 3 presents you with a prescribed workflow, moving from browsing presets to exploring chord possibilities, and on to arrangement, you don’t have to follow this to the letter to get decent results. Naturally, you’ll want to investigate everything that’s on offer at first, but ultimately, you’ll develop a collection of favourite tools you regularly rely upon to help you create chord progressions, melodies, and basslines.
To get an instant idea of what Scaler is capable of, I start by selecting one of the templates from the main presets browser. As the template loads, Scaler 3 immediately takes me to the arranger, where I can see chords and MIDI data on the main track, the bass track, the chord follow track, and the melody tracks.
As I select each arranger track, the corresponding voicing settings, as well as the mixer and MIDI editor, appear on the tab below. The standard sounds are rather General MIDI-esque, but each mixer track allows you to replace instruments with ones from your own plugin library as well as a chain of effects plugins on each channel, including the master output bus.
Scaler can also be used as your primary MIDI generation tool. This way, you can make use of the wealth of scales and progressions accessed in the Browser tab. Selecting a scale is intuitive, as you have a small keyboard and a list of modes and moods to help you filter the main list of scales below.
The keyboard is extremely useful for beginners, as you can select notes to find a scale to work in. For instance, if I create a bassline using the notes G, A, C, and D, and need some help building a moody chord progression around it, I can input the notes on the scale browser’s keyboard and select ‘Dark’ from the mood list.
Instantly, a single search result reveals a Dorian b5, a mysterious-sounding scale I would never have discovered without Scaler’s help. As I select the scale in the Current Scale tab, it immediately reveals the chord degrees (numbered I to VII) that can be edited and transferred to the Main Track, or even dragged onto a DAW channel.
Although Scaler’s functionality adds value to your DAW workflow, there are a few areas where it falls short as a standalone app. Without audio recording or music notation, there will still be professional composers and producers who see Scaler as a luxury rather than a necessity. Having access to your plugin library is an impressive feature, but on the still-to-be-released iOS version of Scaler 3, for example, you will be limited to the availability of plugins on your iOS device.
What deeper features does Scaler 3 offer?
You’ll notice that, as you add chords to the main track, you can use the lightbulb to help you out when you get stuck. Let’s say you’ve got the first two chords of your progression down, but you’re looking for something less ordinary for the third; the Suggest window can give you a range of results, either based on the tonal input or the specific scale you’ve selected.
Once you move from the Browser to the Create tab, the fun can truly begin. Here, you’ll find five sub-tabs that allow you to access Scaler’s more advanced features. With the first tab, you can access chord suggestions based on the circle of fifths. Meanwhile, the next tab provides you with extensive chord modulation options, taking you deeper into music theory than you may have gone before.
The Explore tab within the Create section is refreshingly straightforward, and this is where I got the most instant gratification personally. With nothing more than a few clicks around the chord wheel, I immediately stumbled upon some really interesting chords. Next, the Colors tab presents a range of different voicing variations, while the Sketch area lets me match progressions with different phasings and articulations in the Motions library to bring them to life.
Who actually needs Scaler 3?
If you make music professionally as a pop producer or film composer, your ability to diversify your creative output is crucial in your career. Over time, using Scaler 3 will sharpen your skills and give you a deeper understanding of chord progressions and music theory in general. Even a music theory savant will find features that are too convenient to avoid using.
Sure, there may be some limitations as a standalone tool, with the absence of both audio recording and staff notation. However, the undeniable ability to dive so deeply into chord theory as a keyboardist, guitarist, or MPC button-basher makes Scaler 3 the best option in its class for music production. Even if you only use it as a musical mood board, you’re bound to come up with interesting chords and have plenty of fun doing it.
At $99, Scaler 3 fits in right next to Mixed In Key’s Captain plugin bundle with a relatively similar scope, although MIK software is focused towards the EDM world. However, if you’re only looking for chord generation without all the music theory, there are more affordable options like EVAbeat Melody Sauce 2 and Audiomodern Chordjam that offer instantly gratifying results.
No matter how you make your music, it’s important to note that until you master a tool like Scaler and it becomes a seamless part of the machine, it remains an additional step in the creative process. While most users will find the music theory aspects a little archaic, this side of Scaler will be particularly worthwhile for those making a career in commercial music composition for advertising, motion pictures, and games.

Key features
Standalone app and AU/VST/AAX plugin for MacOS and Windows Instrument and effects plugin support Keyboard or guitar orientated workflows MIDI arrangement and editing Advanced chord modulation features Extensive Motions library The post Scaler 3 is packed with music theory power, but is it still too niche? appeared first on MusicTech.
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Laidback Luke and Nostalgix's "1000 BPM" Is a Lipstick-Smudged Throwback to Dim Mak's Heyday

Steve Aoki' built Dim Mak's reputation on sonic anarchy, and Laidback Luke and Nostalgix just reminded us why.
The title of their new single, "1000 BPM," is hyperbole, but its energy isn't. Reckless, rebellious and built for the kind of night that ends in daylight and sweet regret, the track is a lipstick-smudged throwback to the label's heyday, when its parties left nobody without a bruise or a story.
"'1000 BPM' is all about being in your party girl era—living in the moment, letting loose and prioritizing fun above everything else," Nostalgix said in a statement. "It's about dancing with your friends, not caring what anyone thinks and just enjoying life.
An undeniable highlight of "1000 BPM" is its claustrophobic tempo switch, where Luke and Gix zip you inside a synth-stitched leather corset of tension. But just when the pressure becomes unbearable, they break the valve and unleash a ferocious electro house drop.
Meanwhile, Nostalgix delivers the hook with the conviction of a rapper who's tired of apologies: "Don’t care what you want, I’m not one of them / I just want to party, 1000 BPM." Bratty and unbothered, she purrs with the kind of glamorous detachment that only comes from the bloghouse era.
You can listen to "1000 BPM" below and find the new single on streaming platforms here.
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Follow Nostalgix:
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Spotify: spoti.fi/3l98zsw
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Dabin Navigates the Gilded Cages of Love in Radiant New Album, "Aura Park"

While other artists chase viral TikTok moments and disposable streaming numbers, Dabin has spent nearly three years crafting Aura Park, an album that prioritizes depth over drops to explore what it means to be painfully human.
The Korean-Canadian producer and instrumentalist today released his fourth album, which functions as an audio journal of contemporary relationships. Its 13 tracks navigate heartbreak and hope with tact and tenderness.
The paradox of Aura Park is how something so carefully constructed can feel so organically emotional, like watching tears form in perfect geometric patterns. Look no further than "Deepest Water," where Dabin produces a distorted synthscape that washes over a walk-on-air electro drop as Syd Taylor sings about the messy promise of unwavering loyalty.
Elsewhere, Stephanie Poetri's vocals on "Not Enough" deliver self-preservation wrapped in melancholy, with Dabin allowing space before uncorking an effervescent four-on-the-floor drop. It's the sound of moving on, delivered through weightlessly euphoric dance music.
The fan-favorite "Hollow" finds Dabin at his most experimental, entwining fluttery future bass with the ferocious dubstep and metalcore of Kai Wachi. With its existential vocals from Lø Spirit, the single, which was named by EDM.com as one of 2023's best electronic tracks, is a risk that pays off.
"I See You," one of the album's surefire highlights, is vintage Dabin. Co-produced by NURKO, it's a melodic bass tearjerker elevated by the typically stunning vocals of Skylar Grey, whose visceral performance reminds us that electronic music can still trigger genuine goosebumps. The same can be said of "In The End," his latest joint effort with longtime collaborator Said The Sky, where Clara Mae's haunting vocals conjure the presence of someone who was never there.
All said and and done, Aura Park isn't revolutionary in its approach, but its execution is immaculate. True to form, Dabin has crafted an album that demands you dance but insists you feel something in the process. And in a genre that often sacrifices substance for style, that's something worth celebrating.
You can listen to Aura Park below and find the new album on streaming platforms here.
Follow Dabin:
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Spotify: spoti.fi/2Krxnxb
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The New Dominator: Boys Noize Reworks Human Resource's 1991 Rave Classic

Boys Noize has revived Human Resource's "Dominator," honoring the 1991 rave classic while reanimating it with menace, swagger and a fresh coat of chaos.
Joey Beltram's seminal remix set the bar high over three decades ago, but Boys Noize was clearly up for the challenge. He weaponizes the original's snarling hoover synth, a sonic war cry of the early hardcore scene, but in his skilled hands, what surrounds it now is all gleaming steel and scorched earth.
The original "Dominator" commanded ravers with its raw, almost militant simplicity, but Boys Noize goes haywire and transforms it into a serrated techno banger with fangs. The influential producer dials up the distortion and acid squelch, providing an essential bridge between raving's anarchic origins and techno's technical present.
The track arrives after Boys Noize was revealed as the exclusive opening act for Nine Inch Nails' expansive "Peel It Back World Tour," which follows his remix album of the band's brooding score for Luca Guadagnino's Challengers film. One of its tracks, "Pre Signal [MIXED]," was named by EDM.com in its list of 2024's best electronic records.
Boys Noize's rework of "Dominator" is out now under Armin van Buuren's Armada banner. You can listen to the new single below and find it on streaming platforms here.
Follow Boys Noize:
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Spotify: spoti.fi/3349nqE
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The Endless Now of Dom Dolla and Kid Cudi's Walk-On-Air Dance Anthem, "Forever"

Some artistic combinations are simply written in the stars, and they don't lie when they pair visionaries. After taking us to the moon back in 2009, Kid Cudi is returning to orbit, this time with Dom Dolla steering the spaceship.
The duo today released "Forever," one of the year's biggest dance music collaborations. If "Day 'n' Nite" was the soundtrack to stargazing alone, "Forever" is the euphoric sound of dancing in zero gravity. Dolla's club sensibility meets Cudi's existential cool, and together they find the sweet spot where real anthems live.
"We'd never worked together before, but somehow we knew this one would be special," the pair said.
View the original article to see embedded media.
What elevates "Forever" beyond mere dancefloor utility is its emotional intelligence. Cudi and Dolla's stated intention, crafting something that "takes you to a happier time and place," reads initially as standard artist commentary, but the execution reveals deeper ambition. The desire to freeze perfect, ephemeral moments pulses behind every lyric.
Beneath the surface lies a genuine yearning for permanence, a sentiment that resonates powerfully after years of collective isolation and uncertainty. Euphoric synth swells flutter atop a pumping house beat, mirroring how fleeting moments of bliss punctuate our everyday existence, even when it seems mundane.
This tension between impermanence and eternity gives "Forever" its narrative depth. The track becomes a meditation on time itself, capturing how dancefloors have always served as escapist autonomous zones where time stands still and worries deplete along with sweat glands.
You can listen to "Forever" below and find the new single on streaming platforms here.
Follow Dom Dolla:
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Spotify: spoti.fi/3ejTOjK
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SXSW Is Softening, Music Biz Is Getting a Transplant — Is the NMPA’s Israelite Is Cooking Up the Music Industry’s Next ‘IT’ Conference In NYC?

Photo: Luis Quintero
What changes are afoot in the music industry conference circuit?
You’re probably too young to remember the ostentatious days of MIDEM in France, though these days, look no further than SXSW for shifts in the modern-day music conference landscape. Suddenly, South-by — once an obligatory time- and budget-drainer — looks to be shedding attendees.
Ahead of the controversial 2026 programming changes, DMN’s on-the-ground team noticed something funny this year: the crowds were distinctively thinner in Austin. Blame it on mass label layoffs, more profit-conscious companies, a shift away from low-productivity debauchery — or heck, the rain — but SXSW doesn’t look like it’s heading north in terms of its 2026 attendance.
Those favoring the kvetch note that the days of a music-focused, expertly-curated SXSW are over. The showcases have simply declined, according to one disaffected A&R exec, with another lamenting the long flight for an overly-diluted tech/film/eco/music/whatever blob of a party — I mean, ‘conference’.
For those looking for something a bit more serious, that would theoretically play into the hands of Music Biz. But was a Nashville uproot to Atlanta a good call?
That’s a question we’ll have an answer for in a few weeks. But why did Music Biz switch cities from the tried-and-true Nashville?
DMN been told that Music Biz has always intended to switch cities every year, but COVID planted the event in Nashville for a string of years. But given the growing momentum of Music Biz and its association with the Music City, was shifting to Atlanta the wise play?
Aside from logistical arguments, there’s also a pressing political reason for keeping the action in Nashville. While we loathe to wade into politics, the industry is now facing some distinct challenges trying to get the Trump Administration to care about urgent issues like AI and copyright.
Time couldn’t be more critical, though insiders lament that Hollywood is getting nowhere on critically-important AI and IP-related concerns, for obvious reasons. But maybe there’s a strategic answer to this riddle.
The logic goes something like this: Hollywood is certainly a relatd industry, but music isn’t as fixed geographically —or politically. Trump was flanked by country superstars when he ratified the Music Modernization Act (MMA) during his first term. Given that success, is Tennessee the perfect base for lobbying this administration given the shutdown being experienced by Hollywood and others on the wrong side of this political aisle?
Meanwhile, speaking of Capitol Hill fixers: the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) topper David Israelite could be building the industry’s next ‘IT’ conference.
Israelite’s Music Investor Conference (MIC) is now in its third year, kicking off this June in Manhattan. But this event has a totally different game plan, with limited capacity and an invite-only, serious dealmaking approach. That’s generating some surprisingly nice pre-event buzz, with New York offering a more serious backdrop for industry. Are we looking at a budding Davos for music?
So far, we’re hearing that MIC isn’t yet getting the ‘heavy heavies’ like UMG titan Lucian Grainge — at least en masse — though a fairly influential cast of folks are expected to attend again this year (at least based on the 2024 list).
Meanwhile, it’s tricky to get a read on future industry crowds given a tough year for layoffs.
For obvious reasons, labels and tech bros like to keep layoffs on the hush, though heavy downsizing at mega-companies like Spotify and WMG could be trimming crowds at future industry conferences. Was SXSW just a preview of what a leaner business looks like?
On the flip side, a lot of money has been pouring into this industry. As of mid-April alone, north of $2 billion worth of investments in 2025 alone according to DMN Pro’s latest tallies. Will that tailwind mark the start of a surprisingly bullish 2025 for the music business despite the economic turbulence of late?
That topic and more coming to a conference panel near you.
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Spotify’s 1,000-Stream Minimum Cost Emerging Artists $47 Million During 2024, Industry Exec Estimates — Spotify Pushes Back Against the Criticism

Per a new estimate, the controversial Spotify stream minimum cost emerging artists big, to the tune of $47 million in would-be royalties, during 2024. Photo Credit: Towfiqu Barbhuiya
By one industry exec’s estimate, Spotify’s 1,000-play monetization minimum cost emerging talent close to $50 million during 2024. Now, the platform is defending its controversial royalties approach.
As many know, that approach sees Spotify pay recording royalties only for tracks with at least 1,000 annual streams. Implemented (along with other changes) at the behest of the majors, the revamped model is effectively preventing the vast majority of uploaded recordings from generating payments.
We know as much in part because of Luminate’s latest year-end report, which found that just 26.7 million works (not necessarily proper songs) had topped 1,000 global on-demand streams last year.
In light of the 202 million ISRCs identified in the same breakdown, this means some 87% of tracks failed to hit Spotify’s 1,000-stream minimum. Technically, these plays were divided across all DSPs; the percentage of recording-royalty-accruing works on Spotify might actually be lower than 13%.
And when it comes to the monetized pile of Spotify uploads, it’s also unclear how many of the works are human-made songs. Logic and a bit of evidence suggest AI “music” generations are (presumably thanks to the efforts of their uploaders) having no problem hitting 1,000 streams apiece each year.
But that multifaceted topic is best saved for another time. More immediately, Disc Makers CEO Tony van Veen crunched the streaming numbers to arrive at the initially mentioned estimate.
“I’m going to answer this question: How much in royalties earned by independent artists in 2024 did Spotify not pay out to you, the independent-artist community?” van Veen asked in a YouTube video.
Building on Luminate’s 2024 stream-volume pyramid, which groups tracks by play range (93.2 million works had between zero and 10 streams, for instance), van Veen attached “conservative” estimates to each category.
For the bucket of uploads with 10 or fewer streams, that refers to an average of two streams per track, against an average of 350 apiece for those with between 101 and 999 plays on the year.
The exec then used the figures to approximate total non-monetized streams, brought an average per-stream royalty rate of $0.0033 into the fold, and multiplied to arrive at an estimate of the would-be royalties.
All told, emerging artists missed out on $46.87 million in recording royalties during 2024, van Veen found.
While it probably doesn’t need saying, the situation is inherently beneficial for well-established acts and the major labels.
Factoring also for the majors’ advantageous DSP agreements and the ongoing tidal wave of AI tracks (commercially prominent artists needn’t worry about ending up at the bottom of the pile), it’s apparent that the indie community is receiving an increasingly raw streaming deal.
Like with AI audio’s precise streaming-service reach, this topic is best left for a different occasion. As things stand, Spotify, as highlighted, is firing back against criticism of its 1,000-stream minimum.
“99.5% of all streams are of tracks that have at least 1,000 annual streams,” a Spotify spokesperson retorted in part, “and each of those tracks earn more under our policy. This policy targets the population of tens of millions of tracks on Spotify that generate only $0.02 per month on average.
“In the aggregate, these tracks with under 1,000 annual streams represent ~0.5% of total streams (and therefore 0.5% of the total royalty pool). Now that Spotify’s royalty pool has become so large — $10B+ in 2024 alone — 0.5% is a material amount,” the rep proceeded.
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III Points Festival to Host Bone Marrow Donor Registry After Founder Received Life-Saving Donation

The minds behind Miami's III Points are hoping to save even more lives in 2025.
Between the music, comedy and easter egg hunts at this weekend's III Joints event—III Points' one-day offshoot to celebrate cannabis culture—there will be a bone marrow donor registration drive. The beloved festival brand shared an informational post on social media explaining their public health initiative.
While the donation process involves a surgical procedure, the requirement to be added to the donation is a harmless cheek swab. The information gathered is then added to a database where donors can be matched with those in need of a life-saving bone marrow donation. Gift of Life collected 200 registrations at III Points and III Joints last year, and two of those attendees went through with the procedure to save two lives.
The cause is close to organizers' hearts. After being diagnosed with cancer in high school and spending five months in isolation at a Durham children’s hospital, III Points founder David Sinopoli recovered thanks to a bone marrow transplant from his brother. He later rose through South Florida’s nightlife scene and ultimately co-founded III Points in 2013.
III Joints Festival will take over Factory Town in Miami on April 19th, 2025. You can learn more here.
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GoldState Music Scores $500 Million Raise, Eyes Investments in Additional Song Rights and ‘Emerging Music Technology’

The Los Angeles headquarters of Ares Management Corporation, which has backed GoldState Music in a $500 million round. Photo Credit: Hathaway Dinwiddie
About five months after acquiring a reported $200 million worth of catalogs, GoldState Music has announced a $500 million strategic-capital raise.
West Palm Beach-based GoldState disclosed that half-billion-dollar round in a formal release today. The Charles Goldstuck-founded company attributed part of the sizable sum to a “structured capital facility” co-led by Northleaf Capital Partners and Ares Management (NYSE: ARES).
(Hardly a stranger to music IP, Northleaf in October 2021 led a $500 million raise for Spirit Music parent Lyric Capital, which went on to reveal an $800 million catalog fund in February 2023.)
Meanwhile, three-year-old GoldState also attributed a portion of the massive tranche to “separately raised leverage” – albeit without diving into the fundraising particulars at hand.
In any event, Goldstuck emphasized plans to bankroll additional IP deals yet with the newly obtained funding. Though that might appear obvious, GoldState clarified that the music space and catalogs are its “primary” – not sole – focus.
As spelled out by the business, it’s open to backing “enterprises in need of growth and expansion capital, as well as emerging music technology.”
“Our new relationship with Northleaf and Ares marks the next step in the evolution of our music investing strategy,” said the Hitco Entertainment founder Goldstuck. “This additional capital will enable us to further accelerate our ability to capitalize on increasing demand for music and build a diversified portfolio of music assets across artists and genres.
“As leading institutional investors, Northleaf and Ares bring critical experience that will support GoldState’s continued growth and differentiation to the benefit of our artists, investors and other stakeholders,” the former BMG exec finished.
Bigger picture, despite the ongoing streaming-growth slowdown and the many already-wrapped catalog deals, it’s safe to say investors remain interested in music IP.
To be sure, Pophouse Entertainment announced a $1.3 billion fund of its own to close out March, which also delivered a $250 million song-rights JV (Raven Music Partners) from Aquarian and Raven Capital as well as $200 million in debt funding for Duetti.
On the transactions side, DMN Pro’s Music IP Acquisition Tracker registered March investments from Primary Wave (which reportedly took a stake in the Notorious B.I.G. catalog at a $200 million overall valuation), Create Music Group (which is said to have spent $55 million on Deadmau5’s body of work), and more.
(Incidentally, GoldState/Goldstuck participated in Create’s $165 million Flexpoint Ford-led round back in June 2024.)
Especially because the majors, BMG, Reservoir, and other well-entrenched parties are likewise on the hunt for song rights, it’s safe to say the coming months (and probably years) will bring a steady stream of deals.
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Online Video + Podcast Revenue Surged in 2024 — Ad-Supported Streaming Music, Not So Much

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 from geopolitical shifts, interest rate changes, and economic uncertainty, major events like the Presidential Election and Olympics provided meaningful tailwinds,” said Daven Cohen, CEO, IAB.
“As we look ahead this year, there is no doubt that we will see an even more dynamic market driven by geopolitical and economic factors. There is absolutely growth to be had for those that embrace the volatility and innovate. Now is the time to future-proof your business by exploring new solutions that leverage the latest advancements in technology while ensuring that consumer privacy stays at the forefront.”
Digital video has remained the fastest-growing format, now accounting for nearly a quarter of total ad revenue. Podcast advertising is also back in strong growth, with a significant increase compared to 2023 at over 26% vs. 5%, respectively. Social media also shows renewed confidence among advertisers due to increased investments in user-generated content and creator-driven partnerships.
The digital ecosystem grew overall, but “mid-tier” media companies saw the largest share. Market share among the top 11-25 companies reached 11% in 2024. That’s an increase of 3.1% since 2023, and highlights the rising influence of emerging digital platforms.
Despite widespread gains throughout the digital arena, ad-supported music streaming fell in 2024, down 1.8% year-over-year, with the RIAA attributing $1.83 billion to ad-supported on-demand streaming. That number includes audio+video streaming, indicating more pull toward user-generated content in video as opposed to produced music-oriented content.
But as both video and podcasting see an increase, that begs the question of Spotify’s plan for continued escalation into podcasts, audio books, and a major advertising expansion: Will this result in ads being pushed to Spotify’s Premium tiers? The company has denied this rumor, but the speculation comes at a decidedly lucrative time for the Stockholm-based streamer as it expands its video offerings in an ad-positive landscape.
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Anyma Brings His Immersive World to Ibiza With New [UNVRS] Residency

[UNVRS] Ibiza just landed one of its most anticipated residencies of the summer: Anyma is officially taking over Tuesdays on the island’s revolutionary new venue, for eight unmissable nights of cutting-edge sound and storytelling. From July 8 through August 26, the multidisciplinary mastermind will curate a weekly series that promises to reshape the way we experience club music—again.
Fresh off the heels of his record-breaking “The End Of Genesys” residency at Las Vegas’ Sphere, Anyma (aka Matteo Milleri of Tale Of Us) continues to expand his creative universe. Known for blending emotive techno with surreal, hyper-digital visuals, he’s not just producing music—he’s crafting futuristic worlds where the real and the unreal merge into one. [UNVRS], purpose-built for next-level audiovisual experiences, is the perfect playground for his latest evolution.
“Ibiza has always been a beacon for electronic music, but this is something different,” says Anyma. “Perception fractures, the real blurs with the unreal, and a transformative universe begins to take shape. A quantum odyssey at the intersection of music, art, and technology.”
A Residency That Redefines Lineups
The lineup supporting Anyma’s vision is just as colossal as the concept itself. Every Tuesday, some of the most in-demand names in electronic music will join him on stage, including:
Adriatique, Amelie Lens, Argy, Cassian, Colyn, Dom Dolla, Innellea, John Summit, Kevin de Vries, Layla Benitez, Mind Against, Notre Dame, Paul Kalkbrenner (Live), Rebūke, Recondite (Live), Script, Solomun, and Son of Son—among others.
It’s a sonic multiverse set to unfold across eight nights, with each evening promising to be a deeply immersive experience where sound, light, and emotion collide in real time.
The Venue Changing Ibiza Nightlife
The opening of [UNVRS] marks a seismic shift for club culture on the island. Created by The Night League and Ushuaïa Entertainment, the venue opens its doors on May 30 with a massive launch party featuring Carl Cox, Jamie Jones, Michael Bibi, The Martinez Brothers, and more. But beyond the names, it’s the venue’s design and ambition that set it apart—an arena-level production space brought into an intimate, club-sized environment.
Yann Pissenem, CEO and Founder of The Night League, reflects on the collaboration:
Tickets for Anyma at [UNVRS] are on sale now at unvrs.com
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Sultan + Shepard Drop New Tracks ‘Mio’ and ‘Mainline’

The Summer kicks off with the latest from Sultan + Shepard, the renowned melodic and progressive house duo. With their new singles, Mio and Mainline, the duo continues to evolve their sound, bringing fresh energy to their fans. Known for their intricate blends of house and melodic journies, Sultan + Shepard has maintained a reputation for crafting tracks that bridge the euphoric highs and atmospheric lows. Together, they offer an immersive experience that resonates with their dedicated listeners worldwide.
Mio + Mainline
Mio opens with a relaxing drum beat, paired with a beautiful melodic synth that seamlessly bounces through the mix, creating a tension-and-release effect that builds to a euphoric peak. After mio reaches its climax, it breaks down into a peaceful breakdown. In this moment, ethereal pads join the fun and help create an atmospheric vibe. This section captures the true essence of Sultan + Shepard’s style, where energy and serenity coexist. The track then builds up again, bringing listeners back to the peak and leading into a drop that invites everyone to move. In contrast, the Mainland takes us back to the early days of Sultan + Shepard. It brings a more old-school synth paired with a groovy, rhythmic drum kit. The stuttered pad in the background enhances the groove, creating a playful tension that slowly builds. The end of the track features a fakeout drop, focusing on the ear-catching synth and keeping the energy flowing.
Read more about their previous release ‘Before The Storm’ here.
About Sultan + Shepard
Sultan + Sheppard, the dynamic Canadian duo consisting of Ossama Al Sarraf (Sultan) and Ned Shepard (Shepard), have been a staple in the progressive house scene since their formation in 2002. Their collaborations with Dillon Francis, Tiësto, and Coldplay helped make their mark alongside their original tracks. Over the years, they’ve earned accolades such as Grammy nominations and Juno Award nods. Touring extensively at major festivals like Tomorrowland, Ultra, and EDC, they’ve solidified themselves as pioneers of their genres.
Upcoming 2025 Shows
Sultan + Shepard is set to reside in the United States as of right now with their performances at Lightning In A Bottle in Bakersfield, CA and Hulaween in Live Oak, FL. In summary, this is after an already super busy 2025 festival season topped with EDC, Ultra, and Tomorrowland. Stay tuned to EDMTunes and their home website for tour date announcements. New music usually means more shows. 🙂
Sultan + Shepard Tour Dates

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KAS:ST Brings Out Intense Techno Vibes in ‘Sound Of The Soul’

KAS:ST makes an impressive return to the HILOMATIK record label of HI-LO, the techno alias of Oliver Heldens, with his new single, ‘Sound Of The Soul’. In fact, this release of this exciting track is building on the momentum of his 2024 release, ‘DGAF’. Furthermore, this fresh track explores the deeper, more melodic facets of his sound, fusing powerful driving rhythms with rich, emotive undertones. The composition resonates with an undeniable intensity, creating a listening experience that reaches deep into the heart of techno music.
In his own words, KAS:ST described ‘Sound Of The Soul’ as a perfect reflection of his unique musical style. He expressed, “With ‘Sound Of The Soul’, I wanted to create a powerful track while keeping the emotional and melancholic touch that defines my style, to pair with this beautiful vocal that brings deep intensity to the track. This track has been a key part of my sets over the past months, always creating a special connection with the crowd”. With its compelling energy and emotion, ‘Sound Of The Soul’ invites listeners to embark on a transformative auditory journey. Additionally, the track definitely does leave an indelible mark on the dance floor. Click ‘Play’ on the Spotify link below to stream ‘Sound Of The Soul’ from KAS:ST, a track that illuminates feel-good emotions everywhere.
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Solomun +1 Returns to Ibiza with a Bold Vision for the 2025 Season

The 2025 season of Solomun +1 promises to be one for the books, brimming with standout moments and high-caliber performances at Pacha Ibiza. This year’s lineup strikes a balance between trusted allies, musical pioneers, and intriguing newcomers. Returning favorites include Jamie xx, Four Tet, Âme, DJ Gigola, Denis Sulta, Chloé Caillet, Steve Angello, and Job Jobse—each bringing their own unique flavor to the +1 experience. Solomun himself will take center stage for four all-night-long sets—marking the opening, June, July, and closing parties. These marathon sessions will offer fans the fully immersive, emotionally charged musical journeys that have become the cornerstone of his legacy.

Fresh off a showstopping audiovisual set at The Sphere in Las Vegas and riding the buzz from his new remix of Empire of the Sun’s “Television”, Solomun arrives on the island with creative momentum, a clear vision, and his signature drive to push boundaries.
2025 also marks several exciting firsts. Caribou will make his long-anticipated +1 debut with a rare DJ set. Carlita joins the bill with her genre-blurring, globally inspired sound, while Anyma brings his signature melodic touch to the booth for the very first time. Peggy Gou makes a triumphant return after a multi-season hiatus, and The Dare—an underground force emerging from New York’s fashion, art, and nightlife scenes—adds an edgy twist to the lineup.
The season runs weekly throughout the summer at Pacha Ibiza starting August 6. Don’t forget your +1.
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Hardwell Drops Electric New Single ‘Sanctuary’

Hardwell is back with a bang, having just unleashed his latest electrifying track, ‘Sanctuary‘. This track is a storm on the dance floor, with a bassline that promises to keep the energy and vibes going all night.
Moreover, ‘Sanctuary’ showcases deep, roaring synths that take us back to Hardwell’s early years, expertly tapping into the nostalgia that new and OG ravers crave. The banging rave track embellishes Hardwell’s mastery, proving once again that he is one of the legendary talents in the EDM scene.
In addition to music-making, Hardwell is still actively playing shows and popping up at festivals. Currently, the longtime EDM powerhouse will be playing at Ultra Europe, Tomorrowland, and Parookaville this summer.
If you like the new tune, look out for Hardwell’s upcoming performances in an area near you. With the track’s captivating melodies and energy-driven bass, you’ll be in a ‘Sanctuary’ of sound. To learn more about Hardwell, visit his social pages or website, and don’t forget to check out ‘Sanctuary’ below.
Photo via Facebook: Hardwell
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Academy Award-Winning Film Studio A24 Reveals New Music Venture

After garnering multiple wins and nominations for the Academy Award for Best Picture, A24 now has its eyes on the music industry.
The renowned studio, which is behind a bevy of the most popular independent films of the last two decades, took to social media this week to mysteriously teased a project involving music. It shared a teaser alerting fans to the new venture, including a cryptic caption: "A24 Music. Stay tuned."
Many fans had initially believed A24 launched a record label, but representatives from the studio told TheGamer that A24 Music is centered on the "launch of a new social channel for its music arm."
It's worth noting that the company has been running a YouTube channel of the same name since December 2021 and since hosted official audio of songs from some of their films. That includes Everything Everywhere All at Once, which won Best Picture in 2023 ; and X, which was written and directed by Ti West, the husband of electronic music superstar Alison Wonderland.
A24 also made waves in the dance music space earlier in 2025, when they announced that they'll be distributing the Charli xcx-led and A.G. Cook-scored film The Moment, from the former's new movie studio, Studio365. Outside of electronic music, A24 is responsible for the critically acclaimed restoration of the Talking Heads' 1984 concert film, Stop Making Sense.
Specific details surrounding A24's new music venture have not been made public at the time of this writing.
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OneRepublic Ex-Bassist Tim Myers Running for House Seat in CA

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 Los Angeles suburbs to Palm Springs.
“Ken Calvert has been in Washington for 30 years,” says Myers in a video announcing his campaign. “The ‘status quo’ isn’t working. It’s how we ended up here to begin with.”
Myers grew up in Corona, CA, which mostly falls within the 41st District, but now he lives in neighboring Los Angeles County. The prolific producer, songwriter, and solo artist is positioning himself as an agent of change in a race against one of the most senior members of the House.
The 40-year-old Myers says he was in second grade when Calvert — the longest-serving Republican in the state’s congressional delegation — was first elected in 1992.
“Our community is being priced out of homeownership, groceries are more expensive every week, and we’re constantly under threat from wildfires and rising crime,” said Myers. “It’s time for a change.”

Myers, whose campaign announcement video appears to have been filmed in a recording studio, recalls growing up as a pastor’s son in Corona. He recounts the notoriously cutthroat music business, which eventually led him to create his own record label.
The campaign arm of the House of Democrats has named Calvert as a top target in 2026, just as he was in 2024. Calvert’s campaign raised over $1.3 million in the first quarter of 2025, but Republicans hold a slim registration advantage in the district — less than two points over Democrats.
California is well known as a liberal protectorate, with Democrats holding every statewide office and outnumbering registered Republicans by a 2-1 ratio. But Republicans retain pockets of political influence in the Southern California suburbs and rural areas, such as the Central Valley farm belt.
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Blowback Against Katy Perry & Crew Continues After Blue Origin Trip

Photo Credit: Blue Origin
Celebrities and the hoi polloi are laying into the all-female space tourist crew that Blue Origin sent on an 11 minute journey this week. Katy Perry has been a particular target of ire due to her comments before and after takeoff.
Celebrities including Olivia Munn, Emily Ratajkowski, Olivia Wilde, and Amy Schumer all took their shots at the stunt. Olivia Munn’s comments didn’t mince words stating: “What’s the point? Is it historic that you guys are going on a ride? There’s a lot of people who can’t even afford eggs—I think it’s a bit gluttonous. Space exploration was to further our knowledge and help mankind. What are they gonna do up there that has made it better for us down here?”
Olivia Wilde shared an image of Katy Perry holding a daisy and the image above, of Katy Perry kissing the ground upon return. “Billion dollars bought some good memes, I guess,” the actress shared on Instagram.
Katy Perry’s comments before the flight took place inspired much of the shade thrown her way. Before going up, the singer said “Space is going to finally be glam. Let me tell you something. If I could take glam up with me, I would do that. We are going to put the ‘ass’ back in astronaut.” Fellow tourist Gayle King at least had the cognizance to state she doesn’t consider herself an astronaut and that there’s a distinction between a commercial space flight for tourists and career astronauts who undergo extensive training to go to space.
Even the fast food chain Wendy’s decided to throw shade at Katy Perry specifically. Retweeting a PopCrave tweet with the headline, “Katy Perry has returned from space,” the fast-food outlet replied, “Can we send her back?” as a response. The account then reposted the above images with the singer kissing the ground and wrote “I kissed the ground and I liked it” referencing her 2008 hit song, “I Kissed A Girl.”
Hours after those Wendy’s posts, Kesha shared a selfie of her sipping from a Wendy’s cup without any caption. Fans interpreted the share as Kesha’s implicit endorsement of the shade thrown Perry’s way—especially after Katy Perry worked with Dr. Luke on her latest album. Kesha has accused Dr. Luke of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse which led to a settlement in 2023.
While the blowback against the commercial space flight has been an online phenomenon, it should probably come as no surprise. Some bodegas in the Bronx are now selling ‘loosey’ eggs individually or as bundles of three as the price of eggs has skyrocketed. A dozen eggs now costing more than $12 in many places. ‘Loosies’ used to be a term for illegally splitting cigarette packs and selling individual cigarettes to those who cannot afford a full pack.
Many online commenters have pointed out that space tourism feels like the apex of decadence and the high-profile space walk an advertisement for said decadence—while the hoi polloi struggle to afford everyday necessities like eggs. But hey, at least these celebrities came back unscathed from their 11 minute tourism stint in space—some of those who wanted to take a tourist trip to the Titanic with OceanGate did not fare so well.
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Why Songs Seem Shorter—And Why It’s More Complicated Than You Think

Popular songs are getting shorter, with Grammy-winning hits and Spotify chart-toppers shrinking in length. But is streaming really to blame? The answer is more complex, with history, genre, and evolving songwriting trends all playing a role.
This article was written by Sonia Chien in collaboration with How Music Charts. Music Trends on Digital Music News is powered by Chartmetric.
From viral TikTok tracks to bite-sized Grammy-winning singles, it appears that popular music is getting shorter than ever. As drawn from Chartmetric’s own 2024 Year in Music Report, the average Spotify charting song was around 3 minutes long—nearly 15 seconds shorter than in 2023 and 30 seconds shorter than in 2019.

We are also seeing more short-song outliers than in previous decades. A standout example is Lil Yachty’s 83-second hit “Poland” in 2022, which reached Number 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 and currently has nearly 154 million streams. At the 2024 Grammys, nearly 20% of songs clocked in under three minutes. At the 2025 Grammys, two songs that were nominated for Record of the Year, Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” and Charli xcx’s “360,” were similarly short.

It may be tempting to blame shrinking song lengths on the short attention spans of listeners in the streaming age. But music journalist, NYU music professor, and co-host of the podcast Switched on Pop, Charlie Harding, believes there are more factors at play than one might expect. “This trend is multi-variant, with lots of influences,” he told Chartmetric. “It’s not just technology, it’s not just culture.”
AABA Form and 78s
Historically, song length has been most observably affected by changes in songwriting trends and listening technology. Trends in the early-to-mid 20th century prove that short songs are nothing new. In those years the AABA song structure dominated, with the average song lasting around two minutes and 30 seconds. This was in part due to the limitations of 78 rpm records. In popular use between the 1900s to 1940s, 78s maintained maximum sound quality for only three to five minutes per side.
The 1961 hit “Blue Moon” by doo-wop group The Marcels can be distinguished as a quintessential AABA song. At two minutes and 15 seconds, it consists of the classic 32 bars, with two repeating strophes—the older version of a verse—signified by AA, followed by a contrasting bridge (B), and a final repetition of the strophe (A).

The AABA era demonstrates that the short song trend has long-standing roots. In fact, the shortest song to ever win Record of the Year at the Grammys was Henry Mancini’s “Days of Wine and Roses” in 1963, a song which lasted just two minutes and five seconds.
Verse-Chorus Form
The 50s and 60s saw the rise of the verse-chorus form, a trend that enabled more complexity in narrative. “One of the challenges of the AABA song form is that it’s harder to tell a story. There’s not much room,” described Harding. “So the verse-chorus song form starts to tell stories in creative and revolutionary ways.”

Verse-chorus form traditionally follows an ABAB pattern, in which the verse (A) advances the song’s main storyline, while the chorus (B) provides the song’s hook and emotional core.
Due to technological limitations on vinyl, songs remained on the shorter end until the advent of cassette tapes and CDs. The 12-inch long-playing (LP) record could hold about 22 minutes of music per side. Even so, during this time the growing popularity of the verse-chorus format began to creep song length slowly forward. As that format expanded, songs became even longer. At three minutes and 25 seconds, 1975’s Billboard hit “Love Will Keep Us Together” by Captain & Tennille is an example of a modified verse-chorus form, also featuring a bridge and refrain integration in the chorus, which further lengthens the song.

Song Lengths Historically and Today
Over the last 100 years or so, popular song length has essentially progressed through three major eras of change, as demonstrated in this chart of Billboard’s top songs of the year by decade, from 1925 to 2024.

The most drastic shift in song length of top Billboard singles in the included years is evident in 1985, when “Careless Whisper” by WHAM!’s George Michael led in the charts at a whopping six minutes and 30 seconds, topping the previous year’s chart leader by over three minutes. Notably, the CD was invented in 1979, and 1982 was the first year that CDs became commercially available, expanding the capacity of the standard listening medium to up to 74 minutes of music. Into the 90’s, CD capacity continued to make extended song length increasingly possible—over the course of the decade, average song duration increased to four minutes and 14 seconds.
Differences in song length can also be largely attributed to differences in song structure based on genre.
Ambient tracks and ballads, for example, lend themselves to longer forms, whereas hip-hop and pop songs are shorter in nature. When it comes to popular genres in recent years, however, it appears that the five top genres of pop, hip-hop, alternative, dance, and Latin music all are getting progressively shorter on average.

Between 2018 and 2024, all songs decreased by at least 17 seconds. The greatest differences were in hip-hop and Latin music, with both genres seeing a decrease in average length by 29 seconds. Also of note, hip-hop emerged as at the top listened to genre in the charts five years in a row, bookended only by pop in 2018 and 2024.
Influence of Hip-Hop and the Digital Age
Hip-hop has been profoundly influential on modern music since its inception in the 1970s, including on trends in song length. As the digital age starting in the 80s transitioned listening technology from CDs to MP3s and eventually to streaming, hip-hop continued to experiment with different styles and forms, taking new liberties in songwriting technique and style.
“We’re going through another formal shift right now, going all the way back to the birth of hip-hop,” describes Harding. “Hip-hop songs have always been of varying length… however long [it takes to] say the thing you need to say.”
As hip-hop became more influential, artists across genres also began to adapt rap flow and song structures into their writing. “You don’t get Ed Sheeran without hip-hop, because the way that he sings has a hip-hop cadence,” Harding points out.

Ed Sheeran’s pop-rap track “You Need Me, I Don’t Need You” is a more obvious example of how hip-hop has shaped his style over the years. Even in mainstream hits like “Shape of You,” however, you can detect a subtle hip-hop influence in his vocal delivery and rhythm.
The accessibility of the streaming era and hip-hop’s popularity were also likely contributors to the rise of hook-based songwriting—or songwriting designed to catch the listener’s ear in the first few seconds.
The increase in hook-based songwriting was also driven by the evolution of production technology, as making high quality music became possible in a home environment.
“Previously you would have to [write and record] the song separately, because studio time was expensive,” says Harding. “But now, writing and recording happen at the same time. People sit down in front of their software and write a loop, then sing multiple melodies over that loop, hunting for the best melodies.”
Harding gives the example of “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” by Billie Eilish as a profoundly hook-driven song. Since its release last year it became the third most streamed song of all time on Spotify, as well as the fastest song ever to surpass 2 billion streams. Length-wise, it is tied for fifth-shortest when compared against the remaining top songs of 2024.

“[“BIRDS OF A FEATHER” has] the simplest chord progression that [Eilish] has ever written, and yet structurally, it’s very unusual,” describes Harding. “She [combines sections] together to have them lay on top of each other later on.”
Artists are now being pushed to focus more than ever on crafting compelling melodies and storylines in a way that optimizes initial impact, likely in part due to revenue incentives—Spotify counts 30 seconds of listening as a full play that triggers a royalty payout.
While it is tempting to assign meaning to a pattern of decline in song length, Harding says it may be wise to not put too much stake in any one rationale in particular, both due to the slew of potential influences and for the music’s sake itself. He maintains that both quality and style should come far before considerations of length. “If we were to say “Blue Moon” is only a product of the phonograph era, that’s so demeaning to the value of that song.”
Can Writing Shorter Songs Actually Make You More Money?
“If you are already a huge star, perhaps one could say that,” says Harding per the above. “If you write 40 songs that are two minutes long, it’s possible [people will listen more frequently] because it takes up less time.”
At the same time, there are many examples of highly successful songs that are greater in length, and do not strictly follow the hook-based formula. Take The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights.” It’s the most streamed song on Spotify of all time at 4.75 billion streams, but it starts with an almost 30-second intro. Compared to “Blinding Lights,” “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars comes in more quickly with a hook, but is 40 seconds longer than the 2014 average—the year the song came out—totaling about four minutes and 30 seconds. Even so, it has been steadily gaining streams ever since its release, now totalling over 46.5 million.
Ultimately, the most important factor in keeping listeners engaged is not song length, but quality.
Instead of dictating creative direction, the duration of a song or album should serve the music itself. “Some songs need to be long,” Harding points out. “I’m sure there are managers that have really strong feelings [about shorter songs’ replay value], but if an album is boring, people won’t listen to the whole thing anyway.” While artists may want to consider length in terms of where their music will be played—such as in creating a club mix or a radio edit—quality remains paramount.
Looking ahead, Harding sees potential for a counter-trend. He notes that fatigue from the prevalence of short-form content could lead to the resurgence of phenomena like jam bands, such as Phish or Grateful Dead. “People want to go out and have social experiences,” says Harding. “They want long, dissociative music that takes them on a journey.” Whether the short song trend continues or not, one thing is for certain: engagement does not come from duration, but rather from creating compelling music that stays true to the artist’s vision.
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NFL Taps Brad Paisley to Lead Draft Concert Series

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 at the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay.
A decorated country music icon, Paisley has enjoyed a career spanning over two decades, with multiple Grammy Awards, and nearly 5 billion career streams worldwide. He launches his “Truck Still Works World Tour” on May 21.
“There’s nothing like football to bring people together, and the NFL Draft is where it all begins,” said Paisley. “As a lifelong fan, I can’t wait to help close out an unforgettable weekend with a little music and one heck of a party.”
The NFL Draft Concert Series also features a spectacular drone show on Friday, April 25, following Rounds 2-3 of the Draft. As part of the weekend’s entertainment lineup, the nighttime show will light up the Green Bay skyline with a display of over 500 drones flying in choreographed formations above Lambeau Field.
“We’re excited to welcome one of country music’s biggest stars to the Draft,” said Tim Tubito, NFL Senior Director of Global Event Presentation & Entertainment. “Brad understands how football brings people together. His performance is our way of saying thank you to the fans, the prospects, and the city of Green Bay — and the perfect way to close out an unforgettable weekend.”
Paisley joins an elite list of performers who have helped bring the Draft to life through music over the years, including Tim McGraw, Dierks Bentley, Weezer, Mötley Crüe, Ice Cube, Marshmello, Kings of Leon, Fall Out Boy, Big Sean, and more.
The NFL also recently announced that Milwaukee-based choir members from the James Weldon Johnson Foundation’s National Hymn Choir will sing “Lift Every Voice,” directed by Ben Bedroske. Singer-songwriter Stephen Wilson Jr. will sing the national anthem from the Draft Theater stage on the first day.
All performances as part of the NFL Draft Concert Series will take place at the Draft Theater, adjacent to the iconic Lambeau Field. General fan viewing for the Draft Concert Series is free and fans are encouraged to arrive early, as standing room will be on a first-come first-served basis.
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TikTok US Head of Policy Steps Down Amid Ongoing Negotiations

Photo Credit: Michael Beckerman / LinkedIn
TikTok’s U.S. Public Policy Chief Michael Beckerman is stepping down from his role to transition to a global advisory position. The departure comes amid the second extension of the U.S. deadline for ByteDance to divest from TikTok.
The Information reported the departure on Wednesday, citing a staff memo sent to TikTok employees. ByteDance has not publicly commented on the departure, but it comes amid a trade war between the United States and China. Competition to acquire the U.S.-based business of TikTok has heated up, with AppLovin Corp confirming a preliminary bid in an exchange filing. Meanwhile, Amazon and a group led by OnlyFans Founder Tim Stokely are also exploring making a potential bid.
So far, Beijing has stonewalled any talks of selling U.S. operations, unwilling to force ByteDance to sell-off the app when 170 million Americans use TikTok. Vice President JD Vance was put in charge of negotiations, with his previous position being that terms of the deal would be finalized by April 5. That deadline has come and passed, with the Trump administration extending the deadline seemingly with no deal in place.
Michael Beckerman has played a central role in TikTok’s efforts to resist a U.S. government ban. Beckerman’s departure comes at a critical moment as TikTok faces ongoing political and legal pressure in the United States over ownership. The U.S. government requires ByteDance to divest U.S. operations or face a total ban. It appears Beckerman’s exit is part of a broader wave of management changes and restructuring at TikTok.
That includes layoffs that have impacted TikTok’s U.S. e-commerce division and a shift in operational oversight to global leaders from China and Singapore. The company’s U.S. e-commerce team has faced increased scrutiny amid the ongoing trade war between the United States and China—particularly because the platform has underperformed for ByteDance.
As of now, TikTok remains available in the United States, but it’s unclear how long that will last. The new deadline for divestment is June 19—and Beijing is still as unwilling as ever to allow ByteDance to continue with any sale negotiations. ByteDance has signaled before that it would rather see the U.S. operations shuttered entirely than to divest and sell them off to an American buyer.
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Drake Elevates the Heat on Universal Music With Amended ‘Not Like Us’ Defamation Suit: ‘UMG Will Be Held Accountable’

Drake has officially filed an amended ‘Not Like Us’ defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group. Photo Credit: musicisentropy
Right on cue, Drake and his legal team have fired off an amended “Not Like Us” defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG).
The “Nokia” act and his counsel submitted the bolstered complaint yesterday, just a couple weeks removed from a major discovery win. As we noted closer to April’s beginning, the presiding judge had given Drake until the 16th to either respond to UMG’s firmly worded dismissal motion or file an amended lawsuit.
The rapper and his attorneys promptly committed to the latter approach, and the updated action runs 23 pages longer than the original. In keeping with the increased length, the 104-page amended suit covers a bit of new ground while reiterating the initial defamation claims.
First, the amended suit elaborates on the aggressive promotional push that UMG allegedly gave “Not Like Us” despite knowing of the “harm” it’d allegedly caused Drake. This push refers in large part to Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show.
“The Recording was performed during the 2025 Super Bowl and broadcast to the largest audience for a Super Bowl halftime show ever, over 133 million people, including millions of children, and millions more who had never before heard the song or any of the songs that preceded it,” reads one section of the suit.
“On information and belief,” the legal text proceeds, “Kendrick Lamar would not have been permitted to perform during the Super Bowl Performance unless the word ‘pedophile’ (in the phrase ‘certified pedophiles’) was omitted from the lyrics—that is because nearly everyone understands that it is defamatory to falsely brand someone a ‘certified pedophile.’”
From there, the expanded action explores in greater detail UMG execs’ alleged coordinated effort to promote “Not Like Us” (and the purportedly unprecedented commercial prominence thereof) on social media.
On this front, the suit now mentions a February LinkedIn post from Interscope exec Jessica Staats. Plus, by the plaintiff’s count, the number of “Not Like Us” articles published by Complex (in which UMG has a stake) swelled from 50 to 70 or so between mid-January and mid-April.
Similarly, Drake and his counsel have doubled down on their claims that UMG arranged for (or at least took steps to encourage) the Grammys success of “Not Like Us.”
“On information and belief,” one new line claims, “UMG conferred benefits and leveraged existing business relationships to secure Grammy nominations (and eventually wins) for the [‘Not Like Us’] Recording and Video.”
Lastly, in terms of the suit’s fresh components, Drake has dialed back some streaming-fraud claims; the original suit’s “UMG Caused Third Parties to Fake Streams” looks to be absent from its amended counterpart.
Nevertheless, Drake remains adamant that UMG engaged in a number of non-organic promo efforts for “Not Like Us,” including but not limited to a multifaceted arrangement with Spotify. As laid out by the plaintiff, this alleged arrangement went well beyond paid promotion and affected users’ search results and more.
Unsurprisingly, the defamation dispute is still spilling out of the courtroom and into the media.
In a statement provided to DMN, Drake lead attorney Michael Gottlieb emphasized an ongoing objective of holding UMG “accountable.”
“Drake’s amended complaint makes an already strong case stronger,” the Willkie Farr & Gallagher partner Gottlieb said. “UMG’s PR ‘spin’ and failed efforts to avoid discovery cannot suppress the facts and the truth. With discovery now moving forward, Drake will expose the evidence of UMG’s misconduct, and UMG will be held accountable for the consequences of its ill-conceived decisions.”
And in a response of its own, UMG expressed, among other things, the belief that Drake is being “misled by his legal representatives” when it comes to the “absurd” complaint.
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Fyre Festival 2 Chaos As Postponement Announcement Is Retracted

The flames of Fyre Festival have flared up once again—this time with another round of confusion, vanishing updates, and a whole lot of uncertainty. Fyre Festival 2, the infamous sequel to the 2017 disaster, appears to be in jeopardy after a sudden postponement notice was quietly deleted from the festival’s website, leaving fans and critics alike wondering: is the fire officially out?
On Wednesday, ticketholders were sent into a frenzy when the official website posted a message stating that the event was postponed:
“Fyre 2 Festival is postponed and will be rescheduled for a later date in the future,” the now-deleted statement read. It also noted that ticket buyers—who shelled out anywhere from $1,400 to a jaw-dropping $1.1 million—would be contacted once a new date was confirmed.
But just as quickly as the update appeared, it was gone.
Shortly after the announcement, the site was quietly edited to erase any trace of the postponement. Organizers provided a statement that just added confusion to the affair.
“FYRE Festival 2 is still on,” reads the statement, adding that organizers were “vetting new locations and will announce our host destination soon.”
No mention of a revised date. No concrete plans. Just more ambiguity.
A Familiar Pattern
This mess arrives just over a month before the festival was originally set to take place from May 30 to June 2 in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. But even that date now seems like a fantasy, especially after local Mexican officials revealed back in February that no permits were ever requested by Billy McFarland or the Fyre Festival team.
The General Directorate of Tourism of Isla Mujeres made it crystal clear:
Sound familiar?
The original Fyre Festival in 2017 followed a similar path. Promising luxurious accommodations, gourmet food, and A-list performances from acts like Blink-182 and Migos, the event famously collapsed into a viral disaster of empty tents, cold cheese sandwiches, and total disarray. The fallout sent McFarland to prison for four years on fraud charges.
Still Burning?
McFarland, now 33, first announced Fyre Festival 2 in September, branding it as a comeback story and a chance for redemption. He promised an unforgettable experience, big artists, and proper execution this time around. But with no permits, no performers, no clear destination, and now a disappearing postponement announcement, the sequel is looking like another spectacular misfire.
For many, that statement feels less like a promise and more like déjà vu.
Until official plans are confirmed—and some serious transparency follows—Fyre Festival 2 is shaping up to be less of a redemption arc and more of a rerun.
The post Fyre Festival 2 Chaos As Postponement Announcement Is Retracted appeared first on EDMTunes.
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ANYMA Announces Ibiza Residency at [UNVRS] with Full Line-up

[UNVRS] continues to unveil its monumental 2025 season with one of the most anticipated announcements of the summer: Anyma will take over Tuesdays at [UNVRS] with an exclusive eight-show residency, starting July 8th. Known for pushing the boundaries of live electronic performance, Anyma’s presence at [UNVRS] is set to redefine the Ibiza clubbing experience in 2025.
As the solo project of Matteo Milleri, co-founder of Tale Of Us and Afterlife Records, Anyma has rapidly become one of the most innovative forces in electronic music. Fusing emotive techno, immersive visuals, and AI-generated storytelling, Anyma’s 2025 Ibiza residency is poised to be a landmark moment in club culture.
[UNVRS] x Anyma: A Visionary Synergy
Purpose-built for high-level, multisensory experiences, [UNVRS] offers the ideal stage for Anyma’s groundbreaking performances. Following his historic residency at Sphere in Las Vegas with “The End of Genesys,” Anyma now brings his world to Ibiza, transforming each Tuesday night into a quantum journey through music, technology, and art.
“Perception fractures, the real blurs with the unreal, and a transformative universe begins to take shape. A quantum odyssey at the intersection of music, art, and technology. This is Anyma at [UNVRS],” says Anyma.
Full Lineup of Global Talent
The residency will feature an elite roster of guests across the summer, including:
Adriatique, Amelie Lens, Argy, Cassian, Colyn, Dom Dolla, Innellea, John Summit, Kevin de Vries, Layla Benitez, Mind Against, Notre Dame, Paul Kalkbrenner (Live), Rebūke, Recondite (Live), Script, Solomun, Son of Son, and more.
These artists represent the cutting edge of techno, melodic house, and immersive electronic music—cementing this residency as a must-attend experience for Ibiza 2025.
Yann Pissenem on the Residency
Yann Pissenem, Founder and CEO of The Night League and Ushuaïa Entertainment, shared his excitement:
“It’s an honour to welcome Anyma to [UNVRS] — a truly meaningful moment. His artistic vision aligns perfectly with the mission of [UNVRS]: to showcase the most forward-thinking creators of our time. We can’t wait to share his new universe with the world.”

The post ANYMA Announces Ibiza Residency at [UNVRS] with Full Line-up appeared first on EDMNOMAD.
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