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With the help of ratings juggernaut Joe Rogan, Spotify topped SXM Media — just barely — in Edison Research’s Q2 2022 podcast network rankings, covering April 1 to June 30, after taking the runner-up position the previous two quarters.  

The streaming company has made Rogan’s podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, a cornerstone in its efforts to expand the audio platform beyond its music roots. If Rogan’s role was to help make Spotify a podcast leader, he accomplished his mission. “Rogan is not the only reason they’re no. 1, but he’s the main reason,” says Edison Research president Larry Rosin.  

For all the controversies — from accusations of racism to Neil Young‘s demand that Spotify pull his catalog over Rogan’s comments about COVID-19 — TJRE has delivered an audience like no other podcast. Rosin compares Rogan to Aaron Judge, whose 57 home runs is 20 more than the next best hitter in major league baseball, and American Idol, which in its prime could have lost half its fifth-season audience and still rank in the top 10 shows on television. “That’s kind of what Rogan is to the rest of the field in podcasting,” says Rosin.  

That said, Spotify’s lead over SXM Media is tenuous because networks regularly gain and lose shows, which means their market shares are in flux. “That’s part of what happened,” says Rosin. “SXM had a bunch of shows come out,” such as Exactly Right Media switching from SXM Media to Amazon’s Wondery (taking its flagship podcast, the No. 5-ranked My Favorite Murder). “That was really the difference,” he says. It was enough to allow Spotify to nudge out SXM Media “by a tiny margin.” 

Topping Edison’s podcast network rankings is a notable achievement for a music-first company that is pushing hard to build a broad audio platform. The company sees spoken-word audio as a necessary means to help deliver the growth Spotify’s investors expect. Not only can podcasts help attract and retain subscribers, but they can also provide additional advertising revenue. As its podcasting business scales, it can improve upon music margins that are surrendered to licensing deals with record labels. In Spotify’s June 9 investor presentation, Spotify executives said the company can achieve podcast gross margins of 30-35% within three to five years and sees 40-50% as attainable further in the future. In 2021, Spotify’s podcast business left a $103 million negative impact on gross margin.    

Spotify has spent handsomely on podcast-related acquisitions for content creators The Ringer, Parcast and Gimlet and technology platforms Anchor and Megaphone. That’s not including exclusive licensing deals for TJRE, Call Her Daddy, Barack and Michelle Obama‘s Higher Ground (which left for Amazon’s Audible in June), DC Comics and others.  

SXM Media is the sales organization of SiriusXM Holdings Inc. and covers three companies: SiriusXM, Pandora and Stitcher, a podcast platform. It has some of the most popular podcasts in the U.S., including No. 2 Crime Junkie, No. 10 Office Ladies, No. 11 Dateline NBC, No. 18 Pod Save America and No. 23 WTF with Marc Maron. In all, SXM Media has seven of the top 30 podcasts in Edison’s Q2 2022 ranking.

Spotify has only two shows in the top 30: The Joe Rogan Experience and Call Her Daddy. But both shows are in the top 10 — Call Her Daddy is No. 8 — and Spotify has both exclusively through lucrative licensing deals. It has one other podcast in Edison’s top 50: Reply All, from Spotify-owned Gimlet, which ranks No. 49.  

But for Spotify, success in podcasting isn’t necessarily reflected in its position on Edison’s podcast ranking chart. Spotify needs a wide range of shows to be interesting to ad buyers, says James Cridland, editor of Podnews, in an email to Billboard. “Total time spent listening is important when it comes to revenue, and this is something that Edison Podcast Metrics doesn’t measure.”  

This is where Spotify’s acquisitions of Anchor (in 2019) and Megaphone (in 2020) come into play. Anchor gives creators tools to make their podcasts; Megaphone distributes the podcasts and sells advertising. In June, Spotify had over 4 million podcasts on its platform, up from 500,000 in 2019, and 75% of them come from Anchor, said Maya Prohovnik, Spotify’s head of talk verticals, at the June 9 investor presentation. By owning two podcast hosting companies and publishing a wide range of shows, “Spotify has access to both the big hits and the breadth of content that will help them achieve both a high number of total audience and a wide range of different shows,” says Cridland. 

Just as hit-focused major record labels have built businesses around selling and distributing music’s long tail, Spotify is tapping into the value of podcasting’s ocean of niches and less-than-mainstream content. In May, Edison found that more than half of all listening in the top thousand podcasts is happening in the top 100. “That doesn’t mean they aren’t avid audiences,” wrote Rosin, “and it certainly doesn’t mean they are not monetizable audiences.” Outside the top thousand podcasts are hundreds of thousands of creators with millions of episodes. Each title by itself has a small audience, but in aggregate they can make a noticeable difference on Spotify’s bottom line.  


“Fast” is the first word said on NCT 127‘s latest album and embodies the palpable excitement and passion the boy band has for their new music.

The group’s last full-length from nearly a year ago, Sticker, became the act’s highest- and longest-charting project when it peaked at No. 3 and spent 17 weeks on the Billboard 200. Their latest, 2 Baddies released on Sept. 16, is the record they plan to reach more fans with even greater ambitions and goals.

Speaking over an afternoon Zoom call in Seoul, the members talk excitedly about an album they see as pushing themselves as experimental K-pop artists who fully commit to exploring different sounds. While album openers “Faster” and “2 Baddies” embrace high-turbo energy alongside multiple racing and car references, the LP explores different sounds, the LP quickly shifts into new gears to explore various genres. There’s harmony-heavy R&B (the one-two emotional punch of “Gold Dust” followed by “Black Cloud”), both heavy and feel-good hip-hop (on the chant-heavy “Tasty” and cheeky “Vitamin,” respectively), with the LP closing out with new sonic territory for NCT 127 via the rock-pop vibe of “LOL (Laugh-Out-Loud),” and uplifting, grooving synths on the fan-dedicated track “1, 2, 7 (Time Stops).”

The guys have high hopes for their 12 new tracks and want to ensure the charts are bracing for their impact. “Tell Billboard to get ready for our No. 1 spot,” NCT 127 member Mark half-jokes before Jaehyun adds: “This is the attitude for 2 Baddies.”

Cruise into NCT 127’s new attitude below with insight into their latest LP, upcoming concerts, dreams and more.

Tell me a bit about the meaning of the title 2 Baddies, the album’s name and single. It’s a unique title.

JOHNNY: The Korean title is “질주,” which means “too fast.” It’s talking about just moving forward, not caring about what others are saying about you, and just going fast and looking forward. And my take on “2 Baddies” is because of a Porsche, basically, because most of them are two-seaters. That’s how it’s all brought together to make “2 Baddies.”

You mention Porsches, and there are car elements throughout the album: songs “2 Baddies” and “Faster,” the styling, the video. Are any of you racing fans?

TAEYONG: I really like to play car-racing games like KartRider. I really like the—how can I say it?—the blue fire nitro boosts? I really enjoyed the concept, it’s my style.

Why was this the right comeback song? It’s been awhile since we had a new NCT 127 album.

MARK: In my opinion, I feel like the last songs we came out with, “Sticker” and “Favorite,” were pretty new. Like, the concept of “Sticker” and “Favorite” was very new and really experimental for NCT 127. After almost a year, we feel like we should kind of bring back what we do best. For 2 Baddies, all those previous experiences that we had all came into one whole constructed song and album. Timing kind of came to us this time.

How did you guys get involved with the album creatively?

MARK: TAEYONG and I wrote some raps for the song in the album like “Time Lapse” and “Designer.” Other than being involved with the songwriting, we all really took part in recording the album because we all knew that long kind of hiatus that we had before this album was something that motivated us to [put] a lot more of our spirit and our hearts as we did the recording. For each song, we all really brought our upgraded game into the recording studio, and we all really had our own interpretations. We really took part, each and every one of us.

JAEHYUN hinted in an earlier interview that the choreography has a “free” vibe. Can you explain this a bit more?

JAEHYUN: As I kind of teased last time, there are some parts where you can kind of freestyle, smile and show a lot of emotions while doing the whole performance. It’s not like full freestyle, but I think the dance element is more free this time because you can express any kind of feeling while performing “2 Baddies.”

What’s everyone’s favorite song?

HAECHAN: “Designer”

JAEHUYN: For today, I’d say “Tasty.”

TAEYONG: Today, “2 Baddies,” the title track.

TAEIL: “Gold Dust”

JUNGWOO: I think “Vitamin,” I really like the quickness of the song.

DOYOUNG: I love “Crash Landing.”

YUTA: “Playback”

MARK: I choose “2 Baddies” today.

JOHNNY: For me, it’d have be “1, 2, 7 (Time Stops).”

How does this album continue NCT 127’s story as a group representing K-pop?

TAEYONG: We really felt that this was something that we could do the best and we were doing something that really brought out our core strengths and skills. Even when we were recording, people around us were commenting about how “This is something that NCT 127 could do the best out of everybody else.” So, we were really excited to showcase our strengths and skills through this album comeback. As a part of the K-pop community, we want to experiment and continue to show our growth and development, and, hopefully, start or kickstart a new wave in K-pop.

Yeah. More baddies in K-pop. I’m ready for it.

NCT 127: Yeaaah!

Your Sticker album hit No. 3 on the Billboard 200, which was a new best for you. Any hopes or any Billboard chart goals this time?

TAEYONG: Billboard No. 1!

JOHNNY: I think No. 1 is everybody’s goal. It’s always there.

You’ll be back in the U.S. soon for two concerts. What can fans expect from these upcoming LA and New York concerts?

JOHNNY: It’s already been two or three years since we’ve all been to the U.S. together so I think just that will have our fans very excited. But we also have the new album coming out before that so I’m just going to tell you that, yes, we’re going to implement the new music into our setlist in the concerts. We have a lot of things prepared and I’m sure everybody will fully be able to enjoy our concerts.

What else is coming up among the lots of things you have prepared? Can we expect another great repackage album like NCT 127 always brings? What else is coming beyond this new album?

MARK: Well…dang, man. [Laughs]

TAEYONG: You may see what you expect, but you also may see something that you really don’t expect. You can expect what you’ve been expecting, but you can also look forward to being surprised by something unexpected.

MARK: Wow. He twisted that up!

Anything else you want to make sure Billboard knows or is messaged around this album?

MARK: Tell Billboard to get ready for our No. 1 spot.

NCT 127: Yeaaah!

JAEHYUN: This is the attitude for 2 Baddies!

MARK: See you up there! But all jokes aside, we’re really excited about putting out our fourth full-length album. Our fans have been super patient and supportive for this whole project, and we really worked on this album like that much harder. So, we really want to show our passion to our fans as well. We’re really excited to show the world about our album as we just hope our fans love it. We’re excited to perform.

Reading is fundamental… unless you’re Kanye West, apparently. On Friday (Sept. 16), the rapper confessed his aversion to all things literary in a new interview.

“When you said I hadn’t read this book, I actually haven’t read any book,” he said in an interview with the Alo Mind Full podcast. “Reading is like eating Brussels sprouts for me. And talking is like getting the Giorgio Baldi corn ravioli.”

However, Ye’s admission didn’t stop him from trading philosophical proverbs with host Danny Harris, who was expounding on his love for a book whose title he didn’t actually share. “There’s two people: the man who thinks they can and the man who thinks they can’t. And they’re both right,” he declared with a smile. “That’s what you were saying, but that was like a simplified version.”

The Alo Yoga co-founder went on to add, “That’s right…Yeah, the one who wins the race is the one who believes they can. The oak lies in the acorn.”

West later revealed his perspective on his outside-of-the-box approach to his music, fashion design and other business ventures, saying, “Now we talk about language, what I did realize is, sometimes, it’s not that I’m not right — wait for it, watch I’ve got a good one, here we go — sometimes I’m just not right now. It’s not right now; it’s not that you’re not right. It’s just not right now. … And I have to, like, be here ’cause that’s not a good thing, to be too ahead. ‘Cause what do you do then? You lose the audience.”

Earlier this week, West shared the news that he had parted ways with Gap following the rollout of Yeezy Gap in the store’s locations across the country. However, his deal with Gap Inc. is supposed to extend through 2030 and he still has an active contract with Adidas.

Watch Kanye’s sit-down on the Alo Mind Full podcast below.

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South Korea was fully represented for the upcoming 2023 spring/summer season at New York Fashion Week this year. Not only did the Concept Korea SS23 show spotlight three emerging Korean designers UL:KIN, BESFXXK and CAHIERS, but it highlighted additional areas of K-culture throughout the evening showing.

For the Tuesday evening (Sept. 13) show, Min, the singer-actress and former member of chart-topping girl group miss A, was in attendance at the show alongside cast mates Abraham Lim and Patrick Park all in the midst of rehearsal for KPOP, the forthcoming Broadway musical about the music scene.

Meanwhile, Stylists and representatives who work behind the scenes with top K-pop and K-drama talent were seated among NYFW guests. The show had an additional star power boost in the model lineup, with DK of iKON making his runway debut during UL:KIN’s presentation.

The K-pop boy band member (full name Kim Donghyuk) delivered two looks through the show, which showcased eco-friendly UL:KIN’s spotlight on material used in “magnet fishing,” which sifts garbage and debris out of waters, in their creations. For his first look, DK rocked a fisherman-inspired sport coat accentuating his sculpted physique and UL:KIN’s focus on upcycling before he stomped down the catwalk in a leather overcoat with fishnet overlay and pants that resembled a magnet fishing line.

Minutes after making his final turn during UL:KIN’s finale, Billboard caught up with an elated DK backstage at Spring Studios in Tribeca. Visibly ecstatic after his first walk, and as he got touch-ups at his hotel before heading to The Daily’s rooftop afterparty at RT60 at the Hard Rock Hotel, DK opened up about seeing a “dream” come true at the show and previewed new music.

As the likes of TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney and fashion model Coco Rocha celebrated Concept Korea at the afterparty, the singer-songwriter-producer closed his first fashion experience from a reserved table, making sure to shout out his fans — iKON’s iKONICs — even taking time to snap a pic with one who spotted him getting into his private car home after his long, eventful day. Read more with DK below.

Kim Donghyuk
Kim Donghyuk walks the runway for ULKIN during the Concept Korea Spring/Summer 2023 fashion show during September 2022 New York Fashion Week: The Shows at Gallery at Spring Studios on Sept. 13, 2022 in New York City.

Billboard: You just made your runway debut at New York Fashion Week. How are you feeling?

DK: It’s an amazing experience and I’m really honored to be here. I really want to say thank you to UL:KIN, to you and everyone for coming out. I’m so happy; this is my first time doing any kind of walking or runway. This is my dream to come do New York Fashion Week. I really just wanted to come to just take in all things fashion, but now I’ve debuted on the runway. I met a lot of people here and I learned a lot about fashion in general. I’m never going to forget this moment in my life.

What did you learn?

I learned more about the fashion world overall, but mostly how all people really have all different styles, they have their own color, they have different ways of thinking. When I go back to Korea, I want to study and take in more fashion knowledge so I can gain more and more of it.

Are modeling and fashion significant interests of yours?

Absolutely. I love fashion. I have a lot of model friends, they’re awesome, they’re really cool. I’m very happy to know more about their world and their real experience. I asked them for advice and how to just, you know, walk like others models. One of them said, “You’re not a model,” he said. “You’re a singer! Just walk in your own style confidently and show everyone who DK is.”

What other preparations went into this?

Well, I’m on a diet. [Laughs] And I watched a lot of videos of past runway shows and tried to imagine myself in them. I spent two days practicing walking in my house.

As someone from Korea working with a Korean brand, does it feel special to be that representation at an event like this?

Even though there are many great celebrities and models from Korea, I would like to thank UL:KIN for inviting me to the show and I want to share what I experienced today and throughout the whole project with the people of Korea. I’m looking forward to being invited to more and more shows in New York. [Laughs] I’ll be there for you for all seasons.

Were your iKON band members excited?

Oh yeah, I told my members and they’re like, “Oh you’re going to do well, let’s go DK!” These days I really talk a lot with Jay, he’s like an older brother, but he said, “You’re too small to be a model.” And I was like, “C’mon, bro!” [Laughing] He was just joking. He always talks with me and gives me uplifting messages. When I got down to New York, he checked in like, “You OK? How do you feel? Everything’s good? You’re going to do great.” Really supportive.

Do you think any of the other members would make good models?

We have June and Chan; they’re both really tall. Especially Chan, his physicality is perfect for a model. I only just debuted, so I can’t have any real thoughts or tips yet!

Who are some of your favorite brands?

I have a lot of favorite brands, especially UL:KIN. I love streetwear. But these days I’m really looking at Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, Chanel—those are my favorites.

iKON last performed in New York in 2019 after your SXSW performance. How is it coming back?

I was really so excited to come here. This time, I walked a lot. We walked around Wall Street, Battery Park, we walked down Fifth Avenue, and passed by Rockefeller Center. I really felt like, “Wow, I really love this city.” New York and Seoul are similar, but New York is really big—I just love the buildings, the people walking, the whole feeling and vibe. All our members want to come to New York. Jay even replied on my Instagram saying, “I envy you.”

What else is coming with iKON?

These days, the members are focusing on their own schedules. Some of the members are preparing their solo albums, some of the guys are preparing to film in [TV] dramas or a movie. Everybody’s doing their own thing so I think our fans will love it. I hope they like it.

Are you working on music?

I’m still working on my solo album and my members’ solo albums. It’s not collaborations or features I’m producing them—well, I’m trying to, but I’m not sure [if the songs will be chosen].

What’s the sound of your solo music?

Well, there are a lot of great, really talented artists, but I’m trying to cover all genres. When you hear my music, you’re going feel very comforted. These days in Korea, there are a lot of people in the R&B world that I really love like DEAN and Crush. And I’m still a big fan of Chris Brown and Tory Lanez. Now, I’m doing production, writing songs, and trying to jump into the fashion thing. So, please, everybody, look out for me. I’ll always do my best.

Anything else you want to add?

Please make sure this is included: I love our fans, our iKONICs, I really miss them. And I hope to see them soon.

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

J Balvin’s latest Nike collaboration sold out within hours of being released on the Nike SNKR app. The shoe collab debuted Thursday (Sept. 15) in commemoration of Hispanic Heritage Month.

Balvin’s shoe offers a fresh take on the classic 1986 design. It features a celestine blue colorway with cloud graphics along the heel, collar and insole, and puffed-up panels on the upper ankle, with premium materials and air cushioning designed to keep your feet comfortable.

Rainbow stitching adds subtle pops of color to the dreamy shoe, which is accented with Balvin’s signature smiley face on the back and a glow-in-the dark tongue logo.

Although Balvin is known for his unique style, there’s a deeper meaning to the design aesthetic.

“Everything I do has to tell a story,” he explained in an interview with Complex. “I talked to Nike about how I wanted to reflect my mental health journey in a creative way. We discussed how I had to overcome walking through dark moments to find the light. That’s where we came up with the concept for this sneaker. I wanted it to be reflective of how you jump towards the light and your dreams and elevate yourself to get through the dark situations in life.”

The J Balvin x Air Jordan 2 retails for $300 in adult sizes, $100 for kids, and $80 for toddlers. All three sizes are sold out at Nike, but like with any limited drop, you can usually find the shoes on resale sites such as StockX, Fight Club, GOAT, and Grailed.

When shopping on resell sites, you should expect to pay a bit more than the regular retail price, especially for a limited releases like J Balvin’s Air Jordan 2’s. The pair listed below are among the cheapest online at $362, but the price could go up depending on availability.

J Balvin x Air Jordan 2 $362

$362

The Grammy-nominated hip-hop performer Mystikal is scheduled for arraignment on charges accusing him of raping and choking a woman, and illegally possessing drugs at his Louisiana home.

Charges the performer will face during his arraignment Monday will include first-degree rape, which carries an automatic life sentence if Tyler is convicted.

“My client is innocent of all charges,” attorney Joel Pearce said in a text message Thursday. He said the rapper, whose given name is Michael Tyler, had a court order to protect him from the woman, and he is “the true victim.”

Pearce said he hopes he will be allowed to present evidence supporting bond for Tyler, who has been held without bond since the end of July. A judge denied bond on Aug. 4, but Pearce, who did not then represent the performer, said it was not a full bond hearing that would take evidence in Tyler’s favor.

Tyler was arrested July 31 on charges accusing him of choking and raping the woman at his home in Prairieville, an Ascension Parish community of about 33,000 near Baton Rouge.

Related

A news release Wednesday from the district attorney’s office said Tyler was indicted last week on 10 counts including rape, domestic abuse battery by strangulation and false imprisonment. Investigators who searched his home found “evidence to corroborate the victim’s account of the rape along with a variety of illegal narcotics,” the statement said.

An Ascension Parish grand jury brought the charges in two indictments handed up Sept. 6, The Advocate reported.

District Attorney Ricky Babin said in an email that because they are part of an ongoing criminal matter, the indictments are not public records under state law.

Pearce represented Tyler on rape and kidnapping charges that prosecutors in northwest Louisiana dropped in December 2020. Those charges, brought in 2017, had kept him jailed nearly 18 months before he was released on $3 million bond.

Mystikal told The Associated Press in April 2021 that he now is proud of lyrics he can imagine rapping to God.

His 2000 hit “Shake (It Fast) earned a 2001 Grammy nomination for best rap solo. In 2003, his Tarantula was nominated for best rap album and the single “Bouncin’ Back” for best male rap solo.

He pleaded guilty to sexual battery later in 2003. He served six years in prison.