President Trump fired Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden on Thursday (May 8) as the White House continues to purge the federal government of those it sees as opposed to the president and his agenda.

Hayden was notified of her dismissal in a curt email from the Presidential Personnel Office.

“Carla,” the email began. “On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as the Librarian of Congress is terminated effective immediately. Thank you for your service.”

Hayden had been appointed to the post by President Obama in 2016 and had been confirmed by the Senate. She was the first woman and the first African American to serve in that post. Her 10-year term was set to expire next year.

Hayden’s firing angered congressional Democrats. “Enough is enough,” said Senate Democratic Leader Charles E. Schumer of New York, who called Hayden “a “trailblazer, a scholar, and a public servant of the highest order.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) also blasted the firing. “Donald Trump’s unjust decision to fire Dr. Hayden in an email sent by a random political hack is a disgrace and the latest in his ongoing effort to ban books, whitewash American history and turn back the clock,” Jeffries said.

Robert Newlen, the principal deputy librarian, said he would serve as acting librarian of Congress “until further instruction. I promise to keep everyone informed,” he wrote to colleagues.

In February, Trump fired Deborah F. Rutter as president of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, following his announcement that he was elected as Kennedy Center chair. Rutter had served in that position since 2014. The Kennedy Center oversees two other high-profile arts awards – the Kennedy Center Honors and the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, home to more than 10 million collection items. The library says its holdings constitute “the creative record of the United States.” It acquires, preserves and provides access to the world’s largest collection of films, television programs, radio broadcasts and sound recordings. It also has collections of rare books, prints and photographs, as well valuable artifacts, such as a flute owned by President James Madison, which Lizzo played in a widely-publicized (and, in some quarters, controversial) 2022 performance arranged by Hayden. The library is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office.

The Librarian of Congress oversees two high-profile awards — the National Recording Registry and the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. The National Recording Registry, which dates to 2001, vies with the Recording Academy’s Grammy Hall of Fame as the most prestigious institutional award for classic recordings. Established in 2007, the Gershwin Prize honors living musical artists for exceptional contributions in the field of popular song.

The Library calls the Gershwin Prize “the nation’s highest award for influence, impact and achievement in popular music.” The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Recording Academy might argue with that, but it has definitely become one of the most prestigious awards — and relatively quickly.

The most recent class of National Registry inductees was announced on April 9. The Library has not yet announced the 2025 recipient of the Gershwin Prize. Elton John and Bernie Taupin were announced as the 2024 recipients on Jan. 30, 2024.

Gershwin Prize honorees during Hayden’s tenure were Smokey Robinson (2016), Tony Bennett (2017), Gloria & Emilio Estefan (2019), Garth Brooks (2020), Lionel Richie (2022), Joni Mitchell (2023) and John & Taupin. Criteria for selection include artistic merit; influence in promoting music as a vehicle of cultural understanding; impact and achievement in entertaining and informing audiences; and inspiring new generations of musicians.

According to the Library of Congress site: “The [Gershwin Prize] honoree is selected by the Librarian of Congress in consultation with a board of scholars, producers, performers, songwriters and music specialists.”

The Librarian of Congress also takes the lead role in selecting the 25 titles each year that are inducted into the National Recording Registry. According to the site: “Under the terms of the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, the Librarian of Congress, with advice from the National Recording Preservation Board, selects 25 titles each year that are “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” and are at least 10 years old.”

In announcing what turn out to be the final batch of National Recording Registry inductions under her tenure, Hayden said: “These are the sounds of America — our wide-ranging history and culture. The National Recording Registry is our evolving nation’s playlist.”

UPDATE: Alice in Chains announced late Friday (May 9) that they’re canceling all their upcoming concerts due to medical issues for drummer Sean Kinney.

“After careful consideration and following the advice of medical professionals, we have made the decision to cancel our upcoming festival performances and the Alice in Chains headline shows,” a statement on the band’s socials reads. “While we were all eager to return to the stage, Sean’s health is our top priority at this moment. Although the issue requires immediate attention, his long-term prognosis is positive. We sincerely appreciate your understanding and support during this time.”

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PREVIOUSLY: Alice in Chains were forced to call off their planned Thursday night (May 8) show at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, after drummer Sean Kinney fell ill. According to a post on the group’s X feed, “After our soundcheck this evening at the Mohegan Sun Arena, Sean experienced a non-life-threatening medical emergency. We unfortunately have to cancel tonight’s show. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.”

At press time no additional information was available on Kinney’s condition or medical issue and a spokesperson had not returned Billboard‘s request for comment on the drummer’s prognosis. The Connecticut show was the band’s first full concert since an April 2024 appearance at the Sick New World festival in Las Vegas.

The group’s tour is slated to continue on Saturday (May 10) with a gig in Camden, New Jersey, at the MMR*B*Q at Freedom Mortgage Pavilion, followed by an appearance at the massive Sonic Temple festival in Columbus, Ohio, on Sunday (May 11). AIC is also on the bill for the blowout final Black Sabbath show in Birmingham, U.K., on July 5.

Earlier this year it was announced that publisher Weldon Owen will release the journals of late AIC singer Layne Staley in the 176-page volume This Angry Pen: The Lost Journals of Layne Staley. The book, due on Nov. 11, was described by distributor Simon & Schuster as a collection of “handwritten lyrics, deeply personal poetry, stunning original artwork, rare photos, fan tributes” and more.

It continues, “For the first time, this stunning collection unveils the deeply personal and creative side of the legendary Alice in Chains frontman. Through never-before-seen poetry, raw handwritten lyrics, intimate scribblings, and heartfelt notes, Layne’s inner thoughts and emotions come to life, offering a glimpse into the mind of a musical genius who defined a generation.”

See the band’s statement below.

After our soundcheck this evening at the Mohegan Sun Arena, Sean experienced a non-life-threatening medical emergency. We unfortunately have to cancel tonight’s show. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.

Refunds are available at the point of purchase.

— Alice in Chains (@AliceInChains) May 8, 2025

It’s no secret that Canadian festivals have been facing hard times.

The post-lockdown years have seen high-profile festivals filing for creditor protection, like Montreal’s comedy behemoth Just for Laughs; scrambling to reorganize or downsize programming, like Toronto Jazz Festival and Calgary’s JazzYYC, after TD withdrew sponsorship; or cancelling editions altogether, like Toronto food and culture festival Taste of the Danforth.

Of course, major festivals closed before the pandemic, too, for a range of reasons. And many festivals wind down naturally, through generational or leadership shifts. But Erin Benjamin of the Canadian Live Music Association agrees that festivals are facing a difficult landscape in the years after 2020.

“COVID ripped up the playbook,” she tells Billboard Canada.

“The cost of goods and services and labour and talent is extremely high,” Benjamin adds. “And it continues to go up.”

Audience habits have shifted, too. She notes that festival-goers are definitely buying tickets later, leaving event planners with cash flow troubles.

In its 2025 Hear and Now report, the Canadian Live Music Association states that in 2024, the problem stretched beyond Canada. “Cancelled tours and festivals due to lower ticket sales, rising costs, and environmental impacts has led to overall industry decline,” the authors write. “High prices for top acts are exhausting fan budgets leaving less for mid-range artists.”

International mega-music festivals aren’t immune. After slow ticket sales in 2024, more than half of Coachella’s 2025 general admission attendees bought tickets through payment plans.

When festivals shut down, people lose a connection to local history and a chance to meet their neighbours. Benjamin adds that arts workers lose livelihoods, while local communities lose economic impact.

If the live industry is facing hurdles, it’s also true that music tourism is still a popular vacation choice. “We’ve got to capitalize on that music tourism piece here in Canada,” Benjamin says. “We have incredible infrastructure already. We need to take care of our infrastructure, need to continue to create opportunities for artists.”

Benjamin adds that each level of government — municipal, provincial and federal — has a role to play in harnessing that potential.

Every festival faces its own particular set of circumstances that help secure or shut down the next edition. But it’s clear that conditions across the industry are putting pressure on festivals, from Newfoundland to British Columbia. 

For a list of festivals that have closed or called for support, head here. – Rosie Long Decter

Craig “Big C” Mannix Joins CMRRA as Industry Relations Consultant – Community Engagement

The Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency (CMRRA) is making a key hire to reflect the diversity of Canadian music.

Craig “Big C” Mannix has joined the CMRRA as industry relations consultant – community engagement.

An influential figure in the Canadian music industry, Mannix has served as vp of Black music at Universal Music Canada; held roles at Sony Music Entertainment, EMI Music Canada and Virgin Records Canada; and had a founding role with ADVANCE, Canada’s Black Music Business Collective. He has also played a key role in developing the careers of major Canadian names like Kardinal Offishall, K-os and Pressa.

The CMRRA is one of the leading reproduction royalty distribution agencies in Canada. It distributed $96 million in royalties in 2024, a 23% increase from 2023. That growth was significantly driven by music on TikTok, where royalties increased by 126%. Mannix looks to continue working with creators moving forward.

The CMRRA also reported a 50% increase in international revenues, highlighting the importance of global potential in the current Canadian music landscape. Mannix’s role specifically focuses on community engagement and deepening relationships with underrepresented music communities.

“I’m thankful for the opportunity to work with CMRRA. My love for music and art is what brought me into this business over 35 years ago — and it’s what’s kept me in it,” says Mannix about his latest career chapter. “I’ve always focused on driving culture with integrity, passion, and decency. I’m looking forward to connecting with more creators and communities through this new role.”

CMRRA is turning 50 this year. In a special industry newsletter, president Paul Shaver celebrated the organization’s growth.

“We have over 7,000 clients worldwide and a well-earned reputation across the industry for being efficient, technology-forward, client-focused, and trustworthy,” Shaver wrote in the newsletter. “Many of these clients represent hundreds or thousands of songwriters, further amplifying our global reach and impact.”

As global reach improves, it’s also important to focus on the communities that exist within the country. Royalty distribution is an important sector of the country’s music industry, and CMRRA is making strides to open it up to the full diversity of Canadian musicians. – Stefano Rebuli

Toronto Music Experience to Open a Permanent Museum by 2029

Toronto’s music scene is getting its own museum.

The Toronto Music Experience (TME) has unveiled plans to launch a permanent cultural home by 2029, commemorating the city’s worldwide impact through music.

The TME announced plans for its expansion on Monday (May 5) at a private event at Live Nation’s The Lounge in Toronto featuring artists including Rush’s Alex Lifeson, Jully Black and Lorraine Segato.

The organization announced that it has been granted charitable status, which means it can go ahead with fundraising, partnerships and community engagement as part of its five-year plan towards its permanent home.

TME’s goal is to highlight Toronto’s musical past, present, and future through immersive exhibits, pop-up activations, live performances and education initiatives. It aims for a storytelling approach, highlighting the achievements that have shaped the city’s music scene, from its historical Indigenous roots to the global impact of superstars like Drake, The Weeknd and Rush.

The museum fulfills the city’s need for a hallmark representation of its impactful musical legacy that is currently missing.

“We don’t have a museum devoted to what is arguably Toronto’s biggest cultural phenomenon, its biggest international export,” TME board director and longtime music journalist Nicholas Jennings told Billboard Canada in November 2024. “This is an untapped area for the city, and there is a need for it, because we’re losing some of these stories.”

TME has been actively telling these stories through a number of exhibitions in partnership with Friar’s Music Museum, located in a Shopper’s Drug Mart at Yonge and Dundas, the former home of the Friar’s Tavern music venue. TME hosted its first-ever live show experience with the Sound of Rhythms & Resistance concert at TD Hall in November 2024, serving as an extension of its “Rhythms & Resistance” exhibit in 2021.

“The success of the two exhibits that we’ve held at Friar’s has shown us that there’s an appetite and a market for something more permanent,” Jennings said.

TME wants to incorporate a mix of production, retail and café spaces as well as pop-up exhibits, pairing music education alongside interactive experiences featuring memorabilia.

“Our mission is to build an experiential space where artifacts meet immersive experiences in tribute to the artists, communities, and cultures that make our city sing,” says Denise Donlon, a music industry and broadcast executive and member of TME’s advisory board. “It’s a powerful way to celebrate our past and inspire the next generation of creators.” – SR

Universal Music Group wants a federal judge to dismiss Drake’s updated defamation lawsuit that complained about Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime performance of “Not Like Us,” arguing he’s just upset about a “rap artist who defeated him.”

Weeks after Drake filed an amended version of his case that claimed the halftime show was intended to “assassinate the character of another artist,” UMG fired back Wednesday – arguing that the new claims about the Super Bowl are as legally faulty as the rest of the case.

“Drake’s new allegations are astonishing,” the music giant’s lawyer Rollin Ransom writes. “As Drake concedes, Lamar’s Super Bowl performance did not include the lyric that Drake or his associates are ‘certified pedophiles’ (i.e., the alleged ‘Defamatory Material’ that is at the heart of this case).”

“The focus of Drake’s new claims — that ‘the largest audience for a Super Bowl halftime show ever’ did not hear Lamar call Drake or his crew pedophiles — betrays this case for what it is: Drake’s attack on the commercial and creative success of the rap artist who defeated him, rather than the content of Lamar’s lyrics,” Ransom added.

Lamar released “Not Like Us” last May amid a high-profile beef with Drake that saw the two UMG stars release a series of bruising diss tracks. The song, a knockout punch that blasted Drake as a “certified pedophile” over an infectious beat, became a chart-topping hit in its own right and won five Grammy Awards, including record and song of the year.

In January, Drake took the unusual step of suing UMG over the song, claiming his own label had defamed him by boosting the track’s popularity. The lawsuit, which doesn’t name Lamar himself as a defendant, alleges that UMG “waged a campaign” against its own artist to spread a “malicious narrative” about pedophilia that it knew to be false.

UMG believes the case is clearly meritless – that “hyperbolic insults” and “vitriolic allegations” are par for the course in diss tracks and cannot form the basis for a libel lawsuit. The company has pointedly noted that Drake himself was happy to make such attacks, including accusing Lamar of domestic abuse, until he lost the battle.

During the halftime show, which took place weeks after Drake filed his case, Lamar omitted the word “pedophile.” But after much speculation over whether he’d play the song at all, Kendrick really didn’t hold back otherwise – making it the centerpiece of the set and clearly rapping similar lyrics, including: “Say, Drake, I hear you like ’em young.”

In his amended complaint last month, Drake’s attorneys argued that the decision to censor the word “pedophile” during the broadcast failed to avoid the song’s defamatory meaning – and instead had underscored the rapper’s legal case against UMG.

“Kendrick Lamar would not have been permitted to perform during the Super Bowl Performance unless the word ‘pedophile’… was omitted from the lyrics — that is because nearly everyone understands that it is defamatory to falsely brand someone a ‘certified pedophile’,” wrote Drake’s attorney Michael Gottlieb.

But in Wednesday’s motion to dismiss the case, UMG argued that Drake’s censorship argument was logically flawed.

“Drake contends that the decision not to include the word ‘pedophiles’ … could only reflect that the language is defamatory,” UMG’s lawyers write. “But this ignores any number of other explanations for the decision — such as threats by Drake of additional meritless litigation.”

Wednesday’s motion also highlighted that Drake had “removed obviously false factual allegations” from his original complaint, including that UMG directly paid for bots to boost streams of Kendrick’s track: “Drake is now reduced to citing a different podcast host who claimed that ‘Kendrick used bots’ [and] a now-deleted anonymous X comment accusing Lamar of ‘buying promo.’”

Drake’s lawyers will have a chance to respond to the motion to dismiss in the weeks ahead, and the judge will issue a ruling at some point in the next few months.

In a statement to Billboard on Thursday, a spokesman for UMG underscored the arguments in the motion to dismiss: “Nowhere in the hundred-plus page ‘legal’ blather written by Drake’s lawyers do they bother to acknowledge that Drake himself has written and performed massively successful songs containing equally provocative taunts against other artists.  Nor do they mention that it was Drake who started this particular exchange.”

In the same statement, UMG said Drake’s lawyers were chasing “wild conspiracies” about “why one song that upset Drake had massive global appeal,” when in reality the company was “working tirelessly” to promote all of its artists.

“Our continuing partnership with Drake and his enduring success is a shining example,” the company said in the statement. “Despite his lawyers’ attempts to silence other artists and threaten the companies that work with them, we remain committed to propelling Drake’s career while maintaining our unwavering support of all our artists’ creative expression. Drake’s included.”

Weezer, Car Seat Headrest, Janelle Monáe, Bright Eyes, Aurora and Sylvan Esso are among the headliners for the 2025 Bumbershoot Arts & Music Festival. The 52nd annual edition of the Seattle fest will take place over Labor Day weekend (August 30-31) and feature the usual eclectic mix of music, delicious local food and drink and visual arts programming.

Other artists slated to take the stage at this year’s event include: The Budos Band, Indigo De Souza, Tank and the Bangas, Pretty Girls Make Graves, Pattie Gonia, Say She She, Hey, Nothing, Quasi, Tennis, Saba, The Linda Lindas, Bob the Drag Queen DJ set, Real Estate, The Murder City Devils, Frankie and the Witch Fingers, Spellling, Fat Dog, Bebe Stockwell and Digable Planets celebrating the 30th anniversary of Blowout Comb.

Bumbershoot Weekend passes are available for $199 through Thursday (May 8), with the Big Gulp joint ticket going on sale for $340 on Friday (May 9) — for both Bumbershoot and the Capitol Hill Block Party (July 19-20) — along with single-day tickets for $125. The festival is also offering a Crew Pack for $800 which features weekend passes for four people; for more ticketing information click here.

In addition to two days of music against the backdrop of Seattle Center’s 74-acre urban campus, Bumbershoot will offer food from local restaurants, Cocktail Corner, VineShoot and BumBEERshoot highlighting the best food and drink from the Pacific Northwest. It will also feature art installations, comedy, runways shows in the Fashion District, a half pipe skate program in the Recess District and a Century 21 District with large-scale contemporary sculptures.

Check out the full lineup for the 2025 Bumbershoot Arts & Music Festival below.

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