A dream cast put on a live production of Jesus Christ Superstar at the Hollywood Bowl over this past weekend, when Cynthia Erivo as Jesus went toe-to-toe with Adam Lambert as Judas — not to mention Hamilton‘s Philippa Soo as Mary Magdalene, John Stamos and Josh Gad sharing the role of King Herod, Raúl Esparza as Pontius Pilate and more legends of stage and screen.
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Unfortunately for anyone who wasn’t in the house Friday, Saturday or Sunday in Los Angeles, those are the only three nights planned for this star-studded cast — but what if the show could go on? On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Keith tells Katie all about being in the house for the final night of the show and pitches the possibility of a live cast recording being released for all of us who have been watching every fan-shot clip on social media.
Listen to our conversation now:
Also on the show, Morgan Wallen’s I’m the Problem returns to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for a ninth nonconsecutive week, while TOMORROW X TOGETHER, YoungBoy Never Broke Again and Tyler Childers debut in the top 10. Meanwhile, on the Billboard Hot 100, Alex Warren hits a ninth week atop the list, while another KPop Demon Hunters track, “Your Idol,” hits the top 10 for the first time.
The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast is your one-stop shop for all things pop on Billboard‘s weekly charts. You can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music, and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop. Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard‘s executive digital director, West Coast, Katie Atkinson and Billboard’s managing director, charts and data operations, Keith Caulfield every week on the podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast provider. (Click here to listen to the previous edition of the show on Billboard.com.)
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2025-08-05 17:43:202025-08-05 17:43:20Why We Need a Live Cast Recording of Cynthia Erivo & Adam Lambert in ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ at Hollywood Bowl
Like many baseball fanatics, Jack White had a simple, if exhausting, item on his hardball bucket list: watch a game in every Major League Baseball park. It’s doable, but you have to have the time, the money, and the inclination to travel from coast-to-coast, as well as up to Canada, to hit all 30 MLB stadiums.
Well, White hit it out of the park over the weekend when he announced that he and two of his friends had completed their “longtime mission” of seeing a ball game in every MLB stadium. “The Philadelphia Phillies versus the Detroit Tigers at citizens bank park in Philadelphia. (Tigers won!),” he wrote in a triumphant Instagram post about his beloved Motor City team besting the home squad on Saturday (Aug. 2).
In the post featuring a pic of White, 50, at Philly’s Citizens Bank Park, as well as another outside the stadium with his fellow baseball fanatics and a few more shots from inside, White added, “It was a beautiful park,” before asking the burning question on the mind of any baseball completist eager to fill out their scorecard with no errors.
“Now a question for the baseball public: is it necessary that we see a game in the temporary stadium that the Tampa Bay Rays are currently playing in?,” he asked of the Florida team that is currently playing at minor league George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa after damage to their home base, Tropicana Field, from 2024’s Hurricane Milton. “Have we completed the journey or not since the stadium is only temporary? Note; we have seen a game already at the temporary home to the Athletics, Sutter health park in Sacramento.“ The former Oakland A’s moved to West Sacramento in 2025 on a temporary basis until their planned relocation to Las Vegas.
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2025-08-05 17:36:052025-08-05 17:36:05Jack White Scores Inside-the-Parks Home Run After Completing Mission to Visit All 30 MLB Stadiums
La La Anthony starred front-and-center as the love interest in Drake’s “In My Feelings” video, and seven years later, she’s reflecting on the memorable cameo.
Anthony joined 360 With Speedy recently, during which she recalled her friendship with Drake leading to the role in the No. 1 hit’s visual. “I mean, I love Drake,” she said. “I’m a huge Drake fan and he’s a great friend. And I was like, yeah, this is cool. Like, Kiki, do you love me? That was a big, big deal back then.”
She continued: “I have been saying I wanted to do a video, but I wanted it to mean something, or be acting in a video, not just kind of like standing there or whatever.”
Eventually, Drake came back with an idea of La La playing the love interest he’s attempting to win back. “So he’s like, ‘I think I got something for you.’ I was like, ‘What is it?’ And I was like, ‘Oh, this good,’” she added.
La La still hears about her appearance in the video from fans to this day. “We had so much fun shooting that in New Orleans and people still talk about that video,” she told Speedy. “Last I checked, I haven’t checked in a while, but I was like, I don’t remember the number, but it was something crazy. I was like, this video has like, I don’t know, it was like 400 million, something crazy.”
Anthony’s not far off, as the video has nearly 300 million views on YouTube. The Scorpion bounce-fused track topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 10 weeks.
Watch the “In My Feelings” video and La La Anthony’s interview with Speedy below.
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2025-08-05 17:28:522025-08-05 17:28:52La La Anthony Reflects on Starring in Drake’s ‘In My Feelings’ Video: ‘We Had So Much Fun Shooting That’
Beatport will host a one day conference, Beatport Connect, in Los Angeles on Sept. 26.
Happening at the W Hotel in Hollywood, the conference will gather professionals from around the dance music industry. The phase one speaker lineup includes electronic duo Sofi Tukker and Detroit house music innovator DJ Minx, Dirtybird GM Moody Jones, A Club Called Rhonda co-founder Gregory Alexander, BUDDY social utility app CEO/founder Claire Wright and Reed Smith law firm partner Josh Love, who has significant experience representing buyers and sellers of recorded music and music publishing assets. (Full disclosure: the author of this story is also included on the phase one lineup.)
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Programming topics will include how AI is transforming production, working in the attention economy, burnout and more. Additional speakers and conversation topics will be announced in the coming months.
The gathering will mark the Los Angeles debut of Beatport Connect, which has previously hosted editions in Mexico City and beyond. The event will include daytime programming and conversations along with a sunset networking gathering and a late-night Beatport Live event at the W’s rooftop space that will be presented in collaboration with Insomniac Records.
Tickets for Beatport Connect L.A. start at $50 and are on sale now. Fifty percent of ticket revenue will go to MusiCares, the Recording Academy’s nonprofit organization. Tickets for Beatport Connect’s evening program will be sold separately.
“Los Angeles has long been a creative and strategic hub for Beatport; it’s where many of our team are based, and where our connection to the electronic music community runs deep,” Beatport Group CEO Robb McDaniels said in a statement. “With Beatport Connect: L.A., we’re not only investing in the future of the scene but also creating space for emerging artists, labels, and professionals to build meaningful connections. Supporting local ecosystems like L.A. is at the heart of our mission to help the global electronic music industry grow in a more inclusive, sustainable, and collaborative way.”
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2025-08-05 17:02:232025-08-05 17:02:23Beatport to Host Dance Music Industry Conference in L.A. This Fall: See the Phase One Lineup
CBS and its owner Paramount may given in to the Trump administration’s demands, but South Parkcreators Trey Parker and Matt Stone — who just inked a reported $1.5 billion deal with the studio — are not following suit.
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The first episode of the wildly popular animated series 27th season savaged President Donald Trump by putting him in a deteriorating romantic relationship with Satan — who the creators previously paired with Saddam Hussein — and endowing the president with a miniscule manhood. And the show’s continuing to poke at the twice-impeached commander in chief, his policies and supporters.
A promo for the the second episode, which airs on Aug. 6, promised more of the same mockery when the teaser arrived July 29. The teaser once again depicts the president with reluctant lover Satan, but this time also involves ICE as well as a woman who appears to be Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Comedy Central revealed on Tuesday (Aug. 5) that the episode is titled “Got a Nut,” with the description explaining that Mr. Mackay — South Park Elementary’s counselor — has lost his job and is “desperately” trying to “find a new way to make a living.” (That’s him pulling up his face mask while in what appears to be an ICE truck in the promo.) One of the images released from the episode Tuesday also shows a gun-toting woman resembling Noem in an ICE vest.
The cable and streaming network also reported that the first episode of season 27, “Sermon on the ‘Mount” — which ended with an internet-breaking PSA of Trump trudging across a desert — was the top telecast across all cable, racked up its biggest season premiere share on Comedy Central since 1999, up +68% vs. last season’s first episode, attracted nearly 6 million cross-platform viewers across Paramount+ and Comedy Central and trended on X for over 12 hours, five of them at No. 1.
The Trump White House slammed the South Park season 27 premiere the day after it aired. “The Left’s hypocrisy truly has no end – for years they have come after South Park for what they labeled as ‘offense’ [sic] content, but suddenly they are praising the show,” spokesperson Taylor Rogers said in a statement to Variety, claiming that the long-running animated comedy continues to “hit record lows” and that it “hasn’t been relevant in 20 years.”
Parker and Stone’s production company, Park County, is also slated to release, Like That, a live-action movie starring rap superstar Kendrick Lamar in March 2026.
South Park airs Wednesdays on Comedy Central at 10 p.m. ET, and streams on Paramount+ the next day.
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2025-08-05 16:46:092025-08-05 16:46:09‘South Park’ to Take on ICE in New Episode
Two weeks after his passing, Ozzy Osbourne‘s cause of death has been revealed. According to The New York Times, a death certificate filed at a registry in London submitted by Osbourne’s daughter, Aimée Osbourne, cites cardiac arrest and coronary artery disease among the causes of a heart attack that felled the 76-year-old music legend; the death certificate also noted that Osbourne had Parkinson’s disease.
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Specifically, the certificate, which listed Osbourne’s occupation as “songwriter, performer and rock legend,” noted that Osbourne died of “(a) Out of hospital cardiac arrest (b) Acute myocardial infarction (c) Coronary artery disease and Parkinson’s disease with autonomic dysfunction (Joint Causes).”
Osbourne died on July 22, with the certificate revealing that an air ambulance flew to his home near the village of Chalfont St. Giles in Buckinghamshire, England that day to provide “advanced critical care.” According to the Times, after stopping near Osbourne’s home, the ambulance flew approximately eight miles to Harefield Hospital in the London suburb of Uxbridge, where it spent “about an hour” at the hospital with its engines running.
The singer’s family did not reveal his cause of death when they announced his passing, though Osbourne had been open in the years before about treatment for Parkinson’s and spinal damage — and subsequent surgeries — he’d undergone on his spine and neck. Unable to stand or walk, Osbourne performed what as billed as his, and his former band Black Sabbath’s, final show on July 5 in their hometown of Birmingham, England.
The all-star Back to the Beginning concert, which reportedly raised more than $190 million for charities, included Osbourne playing five songs from his solo career and four more with his original Sabbath bandmates while seated on a black throne. In the lead-up to the all-day show, Osbourne repeatedly stressed that while he could not walk, he was determined to “do the best I can” at the concert at Villa Park stadium.
Fans flocked to the streets of Birmingham on July 30 for a funeral procession for Osbourne, who was later laid to rest in a private family ceremony in the city.
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2025-08-05 16:35:412025-08-05 16:35:41Ozzy Osbourne’s Cause of Death Revealed
The 59th Annual CMA Awards nominees, as well as the CMA Broadcast Awards finalists, will be revealed during a livestream on the CMA’s official Facebook and YouTube channels on Monday, Sept. 8.
The nominations will honor the artists, songwriters, musicians and industry professionals who have helped shape the genre over the past year.
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The 59th Annual CMA Awards will broadcast live on Wednesday, Nov. 19 on ABC and will stream the following day on Hulu. The second ballot for the CMA Awards opens today, and as part of the awards show’s peer-voting tradition, the second ballot allows CMA members to help shape the final slate of nominees across all 12 categories. The second ballot voting ends Monday, Aug. 18 at 6 p.m. CT.
This year’s CMA Awards Week will be filled with events leading up to the CMA Awards ceremony on Nov. 19. “Country Forward,” the CMA’s bi-annual day party will kick off CMA Awards Week on Nov. 16, while the CMA Media Remote, a two-day media hub for country artists to connect with radio and digital outlets, is set for Nov. 17 and Nov. 18. The CMA Broadcast Awards Presentation will take place during the pre-telecast ceremony on Nov. 19, prior to the live primetime show, and will honor winners in radio and broadcast categories. The CMA International Awards will recognize honorees from around the world during the CMA International Reception on Nov. 19.
Following the CMA Awards on Nov. 19, the official CMA Awards After Party will celebrate honorees and the country music community. (CMA Members can purchase tickets beginning Aug. 13.) Meanwhile, the CMA Awards Backstage Academy, which is designed to cater to students, will offer a behind-the-scenes tour of the CMA Awards as well as a panel featuring key leaders in the country music industry.
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Additionally, All Access On-Site, which supports artist and crew wellbeing, will return for a second year to provide licensed mental health professionals during CMA Awards rehearsals and on show day. The program offers confidential, in-person support to artists and crew-members navigating the high-pressure demands of live production.
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2025-08-05 16:16:542025-08-05 16:16:54Here’s When The 2025 CMA Awards Nominations Will Be Revealed
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This marks the third time Gaga has paced the nominations, having previously done so in 2010 (13 nods) and 2020 (when she was tied for the lead with nine nods). Gaga has won 18 VMAs, so she is within striking distance of the top of the VMA leaderboard. Taylor Swift and Beyoncé are currently tied for most VMA wins (30 each). (Both of those superstars received one nod this year, artist of the year.)
Mars has two nominations for video of the year. He’s nominated for both “Die With a Smile” and “APT.,” his collab with ROSÉ. Mars is just the fourth artist to land two video of the year nods in the same year, following David Lee Roth (1985), U2 (1988) and Lady Gaga (2010).
Lamar’s “Not Like Us” is also up for video of the year. The smash won five Grammys on Feb. 2, including best music video. Lamar has won video of the year at the VMAs twice, as featured artist on Swift’s “Bad Blood” and for his own “HUMBLE.” If he wins again this year, he’ll stand alone as runner-up to Swift for most wins the most wins in this category. Swift has won the award five times, including the last three years in a row. Lamar is currently in a five-way tie for second place with Beyoncé, Eminem, Missy Elliott and Rihanna.
Grande’s “brighter days ahead” is nominated for both video of the year and best long form video. The latter award has been awarded only three times – to Madonna’s The Immaculate Collection (1991), Beyoncé’s Lemonade (2016) and Swift’s All Too Well: The Short Film (2022). Swift’s title also won video of the year.
This year’s other nominees for video of the year, not already named, are Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather,” Carpenter’s “Manchild” and The Weeknd/Playboi Carti collab “Timeless.”
Swift isn’t nominated for video of the year – her only eligible video was “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” – which means we’ll see someone other than Swift win video of the year for the first time since 2021, when Lil Nas X took the prize for “Montero (Call Me by Your Name.”) Swift also won artist of the year the last two years running, and is competing in that category again — this time with Lady Gaga, the 2020 winner; Bad Bunny, who won in 2022; and four artists who have yet to win in the category: Beyoncé, Lamar, Wallen and The Weeknd.
The nominees for best new artist are Alex Warren, Ella Langley, Gigi Perez, Lola Young, sombr and The Marías. All are also seen as strong candidates in the upcoming Grammy race for best new artist. (Grammy nominations will be announced on Nov. 7.)
The Marías are also nominated here for best alternative for “Back to Me.” The female-fronted indie pop band is the only group or duo to receive two or more nominations this year.
ROSÉ received eight solo nominations, but the Blackpink star was not eligible for best new artist. Nor was Damiano David of Måneskin fame, who received two solo nods. JENNIE and JISOO (both also of Blackpink) and Jimin (of BTS) also earned their first solo nods.
Eminem, who has won 15 VMAs, more than any other male artist, has three more nominations this year.
The VMAs finally added a country category in their 42nd year. The nominees for the inaugural best country award are Chris Stapleton’s “Think I’m in Love With You,” Cody Johnson with Carrie Underwood’s “I’m Gonna Love You,” Jelly Roll’s “Liar,” Lainey Wilson’s “4x4xU,” Megan Moroney’s “Am I Okay?” and Morgan Wallen’s “Smile.”
The VMAs have added several other genre-specific categories in recent years — best Latin (2010), best K-Pop (2019) and best Afrobeats (2023).
Bad Bunny is this year’s top Latin nominee with four nominations – best Latin for “BAILE INoLVIDABLE” and three in all-genre categories: artist of the year, best album for DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS and best long form video for “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS (Short Film).” Bunny won the artist of the year award in 2022 and was nominated again last year.
All VMA categories are gender-neutral for the ninth consecutive year.
The VMAs will air on CBS for the first time this year, and will simulcast on MTV and stream on Paramount+ in the U.S. The show, set for Sunday, Sept. 7 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, will be held at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y for the second year in a row.
Fan voting is now open in 19 categories (which is everything but the six technical categories). Fans can vote by visiting vote.mtv.com until Sept. 5 at 6 p.m. ET. Voting for best new artist will remain active into show. (Fans can get additional votes for video of the year, artist of the year and best new artist by commenting under the pinned posts on @VMAs Instagram using the artist-specific hashtags through Aug. 8 at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT. Fans get double the votes per category every day during “Power Hour,” running daily 1-2 p.m. ET from Aug. 7 through Sept. 4.)
There are initially 10 nominees for song of the year. On Aug. 18 at 12 p.m. ET, the field will narrow, with the top six vote-getters moving on to Round 2. (The eliminated artists will retain their nominations in MTV’s official nominations tallies.) Voting for Round 2 continues through Sept. 5 at 6 p.m. ET, when voting closes for all categories except best new artist.
The 2025 VMAs are executive produced by Bruce Gillmer, Den of Thieves co-founder Jesse Ignjatovic, and Barb Bialkowski. Gunpowder & Sky CEO Van Toffler is producer. Alicia Portugal is co-executive producer. Jackie Barba is executive in charge of production. Wendy Plaut is executive in charge of celebrity talent. Lisa Lauricella is executive in charge of music talent.
The 2024 VMAs delivered the show’s biggest multi-network audience in four years (up 25% year-over-year). Moreover, it ranked as the most social VMAs ever (66.7 million social interactions).
Here’s the complete list of nominations for the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards, followed by a list of every artist who received two or more nominations this year.
Video of the Year
Ariana Grande – “brighter days ahead” – Republic Records
Billie Eilish – “Birds of a Feather” – Darkroom/Interscope Records
Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us” – pgLang/Interscope Records
Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars – “Die With a Smile” – Interscope Records
ROSÉ & Bruno Mars – “APT.” – Atlantic Records
Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild” – Island
The Weeknd, Playboi Carti – “Timeless” – XO/Republic Records
Artist of the Year
Bad Bunny – Rimas Entertainment
Beyoncé – Parkwood Entertainment/Columbia Records
Kendrick Lamar – pgLang/Interscope Records
Lady Gaga – Interscope Records
Morgan Wallen – Big Loud Records/Mercury Records
Taylor Swift – Republic Records
The Weeknd – XO/Republic Records
Song of the Year
Alex Warren – “Ordinary” – Atlantic Records
Billie Eilish – “Birds of a Feather” – Darkroom/Interscope Records
Doechii – “Anxiety” – Top Dawg Entertainment/Capitol Records
Ed Sheeran – “Sapphire” – Gingerbread Man Records/Atlantic Records
Gracie Abrams – “I Love You, I’m Sorry” – Interscope Records
Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars – “Die With a Smile” – Interscope Records
Lorde – “What Was That” – Republic Records
ROSÉ & Bruno Mars – “APT.” – Atlantic Records
Tate McRae – “Sports Car” – RCA Records
The Weeknd, Playboi Carti – “Timeless” – XO/Republic Records
Best New Artist
Alex Warren – Atlantic Records
Ella Langley – SAWGOD/Columbia Records
Gigi Perez – Island
Lola Young – Island
sombr – SMB Music/Warner Records
The Marías – Nice Life/Atlantic Records
Best Collaboration
Bailey Zimmerman with Luke Combs – “Backup Plan (Stagecoach Official Music Video)” – Atlantic Records/Warner Music Nashville
Kendrick Lamar & SZA – “luther” – pgLang/Interscope Records
Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars – “Die With a Smile” – Interscope Records
Post Malone feat. Blake Shelton – “Pour Me a Drink” – Mercury Records
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2025-08-05 16:05:592025-08-05 16:05:59Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars Are 1-2 in Nominations for 2025 MTV VMAs (Full List)
Indie finance platform beatBread said on Tuesday it secured $124 million in loans and equity investment to expand its lending products for unsigned artists, writers and labels.
Equity investors leading the funding round include global banking giant Citigroup and venture investors and long-time beatBread backers Deciens Capital and Mucker Capital. Other investors include Advantage Capital, while GMO provided additional credit funding.
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“At beatBread, we’re building a financial foundation for true artist and label independence,” beatBread CEO Peter Sinclair said in a statement. “By giving creators more choice, more access and more control, we’re helping them stay independent on their own terms … [to] compare multiple funding options from multiple funding sources and make the choice that’s right for them.”
Peter Sinclair, beatBread CEO
Courtesy Photo
The latest fundraise follows two earlier capital infusions in 2022 when beatBread raised $34 million from Deciens, Mucker and others, and separately $100 million secured through an institutional funding agreement with Variant Investments.
Launched in 2020, beatBread’s offerings include providing artist advances, which can range from $1,000 to $10 million. Artists, songwriters and indie labels with over 10,000 monthly listeners on Spotify can secure loans by pledging a portion of their back catalog to beatBread for a term of several years and/or future release royalties from streaming. The platform’s funding network and deal comparison tools present clients with offers from multiple distribution and finance companies. Most artists put the advance toward paying fees for collaborators, creating music videos and funding digital marketing campaigns.
The investment from Citi, made by the banking group’s fintech investment arm called SPRINT, marks its first investment related to music royalties, Citi’s head of markets and innovation investments Lee Smallwood said in a statement.
Citi recently signed an agreement with the global private equity firm Carlyle to partner on debt and equity financing for growing financial technology firms through SPRINT.
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2025-08-05 16:05:592025-08-05 16:05:59Backed by Mega-Bank Citi, Indie Artist and Label Financer beatBread Raises $124 Million
Good things come to those who wait, and the country community waited a long time for its own category at the MTV Video Music Awards. The VMAs announced on Tuesday (Aug. 5) that they are finally adding a country category this year, the 42nd edition of the iconic show.
“Think I’m in Love With You,” “I’m Gonna Love You” and “4x4xU” were among the nominees for visual media of the year at the ACM Awards in May.
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The announcement of the new VMA category comes less than two months after the Recording Academy announced that they are adding a fifth Grammy category devoted to country music, best traditional country album.
The VMAs have included a performance from one country artist on each of their last four telecasts, showing an awareness that country is less niche than it used to be. Kacey Musgraves performed “Star-Crossed” on the 2021 show, followed by Kane Brown (“Grand,” 2022), Kelsea Ballerini (“Penthouse,” 2023) and Jelly Roll (as a featured artist on Eminem’s “Somebody Save Me,” 2024).
In addition, country artists pop up in various other categories on the 2025 VMA nominations list. Wallen is nominated for two other awards – artist of the year and best album for I’m the Problem. Jelly Roll is nominated for three other awards – best hip-hop and video for good for his featured role on Eminem’s “Somebody Save Me,” and best alternative for “Lonely Road,” his collab with mgk.
Two country pairs are nominated for best collaboration — Bailey Zimmerman with Luke Combs for “Backup Plan (Stagecoach Official Music Video)” and Post Malone feat. Blake Shelton for “Pour Me a Drink.”
Ella Langley is nominated for best new artist. Langley won new female artist of the year at the ACM Awards in May. She is also seen as a strong contender for a Grammy nod for best new artist when those nominations are announced on Nov. 7.
Two country artists, Shaboozey and Dasha, are nominated for MTV Push Performance of the Year.
The VMAs have added three other genre-specific categories in recent years: best Latin (2010), best K-Pop (2019) and best Afrobeats (2023).
Even without a dedicated country category at the VMAs, a few country artists have been nominated in the show’s most prestigious category, video of the year. In 1985, the second year of the VMAs, USA for Africa’s “We Are the World” was nominated for video of the year. The all-star video featured three country icons – Kenny Rogers, Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings.
Johnny Cash was nominated in 2003 for his aching version of Trent Reznor’s “Hurt.” Taylor Swift received her first of seven video of the year nominations in 2013 for “I Knew You Were Trouble,” a pop-leaning song from Red, her last studio album before her pivot to pop. Billy Ray Cyrus was nominated in 2019 for “Old Town Road (Remix),” his smash collab with Lil Nas X.
The Academy of Country Music Awards and the Country Music Association Awards both added a music video category on their 1985 telecasts. Hank Williams Jr.’s cameo-studded “All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight” was the inaugural winner at both shows.
The VMAs will air on CBS for the first time this year, and will simulcast on MTV and stream on Paramount+ in the U.S. The show, set for Sunday, Sept. 7 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, will be held at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y for the second year in a row.
Fan voting is now open in 19 categories (which is everything but the six technical categories). Fans can vote by visiting vote.mtv.com until Sept. 5 at 6 p.m. ET. Voting for best new artist will remain active into show. (Fans can get additional votes for video of the year, artist of the year and best new artist by commenting under the pinned posts on @VMAs Instagram using the artist-specific hashtags through Aug. 8 at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT. Fans get double the votes per category every day during “Power Hour,” running daily 1-2 p.m. ET from Aug. 7 through Sept. 4.)
Genre-Specific Categories Timeline
Nine genres currently have genre-specific categories at the VMAs. Here they are, listed in the order that they were introduced.
Best Rock: 1989
Best Alternative: 1991
Best R&B: 1993
Best Pop: 1999
Best Hip-Hop: 1999
Best Latin: 2010
Best K-pop: 2019
Best Afrobeats: 2023
Best Country: 2025
Best Country Nominees
Here are this year’s nominees for best country, showing record labels.
Chris Stapleton – “Think I’m In Love With You” – Mercury Nashville
Cody Johnson with Carrie Underwood – “I’m Gonna Love You” – CoJo Music / Warner Music Nashville
Jelly Roll – “Liar” – BBR Music Group/BMG/Republic Records
Lainey Wilson – “4x4xU” – Broken Bow Records
Megan Moroney – “Am I Okay?” – Columbia Records
Morgan Wallen – “Smile” – Big Loud Records/Mercury Records
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2025-08-05 16:05:582025-08-05 16:05:58MTV VMAs Finally Add a Country Category for 2025: Here’s When Other Genres Got Their Own Categories
