A Los Angeles psychiatry clinic that prescribed Xanax to Aaron Carter has settled with the late singer’s family over his 2022 overdose death.

In court papers filed on Tuesday (May 12) and obtained by Billboard, lawyers say Amen Clinics will pay a “confidential sum” as a “full and final resolution” of the wrongful death claims against both the clinic and one of its psychiatrists, Dr. John Faber. The document says the settlement value is “within the ballpark” of the damages Carter’s family could have won from Amen Clinics at trial, which was less than $325,000.

Carter drowned in a bathtub at the age of 34 with drugs in his system. His former fiancée later sued on behalf of their four-year-old son, alleging two doctors overprescribed Xanax to the 2000s teen pop sensation, and that two pharmacies wrongly filled the prescriptions without checking to see if Carter was abusing the drug.

Amen Clinics and Faber have not admitted to any wrongdoing as part of the settlement. In Tuesday’s court filing, their lawyers maintain that the clinic complied with all standards of care and that Carter’s death was caused not by Xanax, but by the gas he inhaled from canisters of compressed air (known as difluoroethane).

The other doctor and pharmacies sued in the case — dentist Jason Mirabile, Walgreens and a Santa Monica Medical Plaza Pharmacy — have similarly argued that the amount of Xanax in Carter’s system was not enough to make him lose consciousness. These three defendants have not settled and are set to go to trial in October.

Mirabile’s attorney declined to comment on the case on Wednesday (May 13). Lawyers for the Carter family, Amen Clinics, Walgreens and Santa Monica Medical Plaza Pharmacy did not immediately return requests for comment.

Carter got his start opening for the Backstreet Boys, of which his older brother Nick Carter was a member, in the late 1990s. He later became a teen heartthrob in his own right, and his 2000 album Aaron’s Party (Come and Get It) peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200. His next two albums, 2001’s Oh Aaron and 2002’s Another Earthquake, hit No. 7 and No. 18 on the chart, respectively.

Later in life, Carter was open about struggling with substance abuse. The singer did multiple stints in rehab, and he had been attending outpatient therapy in the months leading up to his death.

Universal Music Group is expanding its work in the mental health and wellbeing spaces through new partnerships with Amber Health and Project Healthy Minds.

Through a combination of partnerships and programs, announced today (May 13) by the music giant, UMG intends to improve access to care within its creative community.

By partnering with Amber Health, UMG’s artists and songwriters in North America will have 24/7 access to a range of mental health services, including clinical expertise, including crisis response, care planning, and specialized referrals. Also, UMG will work with the organization to provide additional behavioral health support to the music major’s employees in the United States and Canada, which will include access to expanded mental health support and resources. 

Additionally, UMG signs up as a founding member of Project Healthy Minds’ workforce mental health research initiative, becoming the first music company to do so. Through that alliance, UMG cements its commitment to the development of a standardized framework to measure workforce mental health and its correlation with organizational performance, a statement reads. Through a collaboration with academic partners, including Harvard Business School, this project is meant to establish data-driven benchmarks and inform best practices across industries.

“Through our strategic partnerships with organizations like Amber Health and Project Healthy Minds — and our continued investment in groundbreaking programs like Music Health Alliance’s Music Industry Mental Health Fund,” says Susan Mazo, UMG’s chief impact officer, in a statement, “we are working to redesign how our industry supports wellbeing. Our focus is on expanding access to care, reducing stigma, and ensuring that our artists and songwriters, employees, and the broader music community have the resources they need to thrive.” 

The partnership, notes Dr. Chayim Newman and Zack Borer, co-founders at Amber Health, represents “a real shift in how labels support their artists. Together with UMG’s corporate and label leadership, we’re embedding quick access to specialized mental health care directly into the labels’ infrastructure, making it proactive rather than an afterthought. We couldn’t be prouder of this work, or the message it sends to the rest of the music industry.”  

Adds Phil Schermer, founder and CEO, Project Healthy Minds: “Music has always been a vehicle for mental health conversations and now Universal Music Group is bringing that same honesty inside its own walls. When a company of UMG’s reach commits to this, the whole industry pays attention.” 

UMG turned talk into action in February 2025, by partnering with Nashville-based non-profit Music Health Alliance on the Music Industry Mental Health Fund, which provides comprehensive, high-quality outpatient mental health resources for music industry professionals across the United States. That alliance builds upon the healthcare access program launched by UMG and MHA in April 2021.

Also last year, UMG and Apple Music globally launched Sound Therapy, a wellness collection designed to help listeners reach for clearer focus, deeper relaxation, and better sleep.

Thanks to isolation, travel, late nights and other factors, creatives and the industry professionals that support them are often at the frontline when it comes to mental health issues. The struggles are real. A study by Swedish digital distribution platform Record Union, published in 2019, prior to the pandemic, found that upwards of 73 percent of independent music makers reported the symptoms of mental illness. Separately, the Mental Health and Wellbeing Survey 2024, released by Australia’s music industry charity Support Act, found that 53.5% of Australian music and creative workers face high or very high psychological distress, with north of 68% citing high cost of living as a major issue.

UMG continues to work with existing longstanding partners including Mental Health Coalition (MHC) to highlight the resources and research-backed ways that music can support mental health. 

BRISBANE, Australia — GYRO.Group gears up for its next phase of growth with several leadership appointments, led by experienced digital distribution executive Henry Compton.

Announced Wednesday, May 13, Compton joins as head of APAC for DistroDirect, GYRO.Group’s white-label distribution platform.

Compton boasts more than two decades’ experience across business development, marketing and client relations, most recently serving in senior roles at The Orchard and FUGA, where he spearheaded business development, go-to-market strategy and client acquisition and retention across its Australia and New Zealand activities.

According to the Brisbane-based group, DistroDirect continues to expand its footprint across South-East Asia, having recently signed a number of leading independent music businesses in the Philippines.

Compton is “exactly the caliber of executive we’ve been building towards bringing into the DistroDirect fold,” comments group chief commercial officer Matthew Rogers. “His track record of building and scaling operations in this market is second to none. Having Henry lead that charge in APAC gives us enormous confidence about what’s ahead — both for the partners we serve in those markets and for the Australian artists we want to bring with us.”

In addition, several executives are promoted from within the business. Adrian Burke adds duties as executive vice president of artist services and A&R, having led GYRO.Group’s artist services arm GROUP SPEED since its inception, and working closely with the likes of Dom Dolla, Mariah Carey and Swedish House Mafia.

Meanwhile, Alison Bremner moves into the post of general manager – marketing, with strategic leadership of brand development across the full GYRO.Group portfolio globally; Harry Young is named head of A&R for AU/NZ, after joining in late 2025; Alexandria Thomson is elevated to artist marketing lead for Australasia; Claire Hirayama-Kaarsberg rises to a partner relations manager role within DistroDirect; Alyssa d’Artenay shifts into pitching and artist services management; and Kriza Canzon takes on the expanded role as artist support and compliance.

“The wider team changes,” explains Vivienne Mellish, CMO and co-founder of GYRO.Group, “are a reflection of the growth and ambition of the people in our corner and we couldn’t be prouder to have them with us on the journey.”

With the arrival of Compton, GYRO.Group’s global team numbers more than 70. This year, the label services and digital distribution specialist has bagged five ARIA No. 1 albums, including Keli Holiday’s Capital Fiction and Tom Busby’s Rockhampton Hangover.

“We are doubling down on our investment in Australian artists and in the people and platforms it takes to get them heard globally,” comments Andy Irvine, CEO and co-founder of GYRO.Group. “Our goal is to be the biggest net exporter of Australian music, and every decision we are making right now — who we hire, where we expand, what technology we build — is pointed directly at that.”

The changes closely follow the opening of GYRO.Group’s Latin American office, in Brazil, which opened Friday, March 27, and is led by Samuel Fernandes.

Last year, the group tapped veteran independent music executive Matthew Rogers as CCO, with responsibility for DistroDirect globally. Also last year, a rebranding that saw GYRO.Group gather its music distribution and artist services brands including G.Y.R.O., DistroDirect, GROUP SPEED, Soothe Sounds, and more.

With her Eurovision performance fast approaching, Delta Goodrem is in a pure state of mind.

The superstar Australian pop singer this week announces the release of her next album Pure, her first through a new deal struck with Universal Music via Better Now Records/Electrola.

Pure is slated to drop Nov. 6, and will also mark the first LP released through her independent label ATLED Records (that’s “Delta” spelled backwards), which she unveiled in 2023, drawing curtains on a decades-long partnership with Sony Music.

“I am so excited to be stepping into this new chapter and joining forces with Universal Music,” she explains in a statement. “It marks the beginning of a powerful new home for ATLED Records – something I am incredibly proud of – and I can’t wait to share what we create together.”

Pure is the followup to the Sydney singer and songwriter’s 2021 collection, Bridge Over Troubled Dreams (via Sony Music), her fifth leader on the ARIA Albums Chart, after her 23-times platinum-certified blockbuster debut Innocent Eyes (March 2003), Mistaken Identity (November 2004), Delta (October 2007) and Wings Of The Wild (July 2016). 

“Pure is an album I’ve been creating and living through over the past few years, and it truly feels like a return to myself and the heart of who I am as an artist,” she explains. “It holds some of my biggest singalongs, my most vulnerable moments, and brings in all the elements I love most in music – from intimate classical piano pieces to uplifting cinematic anthems. I cannot wait for everyone to step into the world of Pure and make these songs part of their own story too.”

The album houses the single “Eclipse,” which Delta will perform live later this week at the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, Austria, where she will take the stage for the first time as Australia’s representative.

“Eclipse” was written by Delta, Ferras Alqaisi, Jonas Myrin and Michael Fatkin, who also produced the single.

In her homeland, Goodrem is arguably the most successful pop artist to emerge this century. A soapie star who signed her first record deal at age 15, Delta’s collection of silverware includes 12 ARIA Awards and five No. 1 albums including 2003’s Innocent Eyes, which logged a whopping 29 weeks at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart, making it the highest-selling debut album in Australian recorded music history. The album won seven ARIA Awards, was the highest selling album in Australia for two successive years, and yielded five of her nine career No. 1 singles. Sales across her albums catalog is close to 10 million.

A classically trained pianist, Delta incorporates the harp and piano into her performance for this year’s 70th edition of Eurovision. “Performing on the Eurovision stage is something I feel so deeply in my heart, carrying Australia with me in every note and every moment,” she says in a separate statement.

Delta will perform “Eclipse” during at the Wiener Stadthalle for Semi-Final 2 on Thursday, May 14 at 3pm ET (Friday, May 15, at 5:00am AEST).

Kacey Musgraves’ new album Middle of Nowhere debuts in the top 10 across seven Billboard charts (dated May 16), including a trio of No. 1 bows. The singer-songwriter’s sixth studio release arrives on Top Album Sales (No. 1), Vinyl Albums (No. 1), Indie Store Album Sales (No. 1), Top Country Albums (No. 2), Americana/Folk Albums (No. 2), Billboard 200 (No. 3) and Top Streaming Albums (No. 10).

The project launches with 100,000 equivalent album units earned in the United States in the week ending May 7, marking Musgraves’ best week ever by units. Of that sum, vinyl purchases comprise a little more than 37,000 — her best sales week ever on vinyl.

Middle of Nowhere is Musgrave’s sixth studio album and was announced in early March. The project — which features collaborations with Gregory Alan Isakov, Miranda Lambert, Willie Nelson and Billy Strings — was led by the single “Dry Spell” (peaking at No. 15 on Hot Country Songs in March) and released on May 1. Musgraves’ Middle of Nowhere arena tour launches on Aug. 21 in Chicago and continues through the end of October.

On Top Album Sales, Middle of Nowhere is Musgraves’ third No. 1, all earned consecutively. She also topped the tally with Deeper Well (in 2024) and Star-Crossed (2021).

Musgraves leads a busy top 10 on the latest Top Album Sales ranking, where five more albums debut in the top 10: ILLIT’s MAMIHLAPINATAPAI (No. 3), The Black Keys’ PEACHES! (No. 6), Isaiah Rashad’s It’s Been Awful (No. 7), Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live) (No. 9) and Tori Amos’ In Times of Dragons (No. 10). Meanwhile, Noah Kahan’s The Great Divide falls to No. 2 after debuting at No. 1 a week ago, BTS’ former leader ARIRANG is steady at No. 4, and Michael Jackson’s Thriller and Number Ones both jump, climbing 7-5 and 12-8, respectively.