Big Machine Label Group has launched the cross-genre label imprint Ascend Music in partnership with music industry executive Joel Klaiman. Ascend Music will specialize in breaking and amplifying artists across various musical genres.

The label imprint’s initial artist signing is set to be revealed later this week.

BMLG founder/chairman/CEO Scott Borchetta and ASCEND4M founder/CEO Klaiman initially joined forces in 2008 to promote Taylor Swift’s hit “Love Story,” which reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, spent two weeks atop the Country Airplay chart and topped the Pop Airplay chart.

As then-executive vp of promotion & artist development for Republic Records, Klaiman played an essential role in working with Borchetta and Big Machine on Swift’s albums Fearless, Speak Now and Red, earning global success spanning multiple musical genres.

Borchetta founded Big Machine Label Group in 2005; the label group’s current roster includes Thomas Rhett, Riley Green, Brett Young, Midland and The Jack Wharff Band.

Klaiman launched the global music and entertainment marketing and consulting agency ASCEND4M in 2023. He has also previously worked at Columbia Records.

“Joel’s energy, vision, and passion are contagious, and he never leaves any stone unturned when he’s working with an artist,” Borchetta said in a statement. “He’s bringing great artists to the partnership, and we will be wasting no time in getting out some game-changing music.”

“After witnessing first-hand Scott’s entrepreneurial vision and his deep commitment to fostering an artist-first, development-driven culture, it’s a dream come true to collaborate with him and the BMLG team again,” Klaiman added. “This new venture will fuel the growth of our artists and expand Ascend Music’s global repertoire – aligned with both our companies’ shared vision and a strategy that unlocks exciting opportunities for all involved.”

Sony Music Entertainment has been hit with a lawsuit from the creator of the Nickelodeon series Big Time Rush, who says the label “concocted a bad faith entity shell game” to cut him out of touring profits when the TV show’s eponymous boy band reunited four years ago.

Scott Fellows, who created the hit show about a fictional boy band that ran on Nickelodeon from 2009 to 2013, brings a series of breach of contract claims against Sony in the federal court lawsuit filed Thursday (July 3).

During the show’s heyday, the real-life members of Big Time Rush released music and toured under a deal with Sony Music. According to Fellows’ lawsuit, he received contractual payments amounting to 3.75% of the band’s touring revenue until its members went their separate ways in 2014.

As stated in the complaint, when Big Time Rush reunited in 2021, the group struck a deal to go independent from Nickelodeon and Sony Music. In terms of the deal not previously shared publicly, the lawsuit reveals that the band licensed its trademarks and past music from Sony and Nickelodeon in exchange for 10% of future revenues.

But as Fellows’ attorneys allege in the lawsuit, Sony “restructured its inter-company arrangements to cheat and cut plaintiffs out of their share of the tour revenues” by contracting directly with the members of Big Time Rush rather than going through a wholly owned subsidiary that the label previously used, Big Time Rush Touring LLC. Because Fellows’ initial agreement was with the LLC, he says his rights to 3.75% of touring revenue were eliminated by the restructuring.

“It is apparent that Sony Music deliberately acted to cut Fellows off from his contractual rights,” the lawsuit claims.

Fellows is now seeking to recoup his cut of Big Time Rush’s 2022 reunion tour, as well as the band’s In Real Life World Tour that’s scheduled to kick off on Wednesday (July 9). The lawsuit does not specify a dollar amount but says that Sony has “generated substantial revenues” from the band’s live shows.

Sony Music did not return a request for comment on Monday (July 7). A rep for Big Time Rush, which is not named in the lawsuit nor accused of any wrongdoing, also did not return a request for comment.

Young Thug continues to have a problem with rappers who cooperate with the law.

On Monday (July 7), the Atlanta rapper took to X to deliver a message for certain rappers that he deems snitches and suggested they make music for a different genre. “If u a rapper and u a rat,” he tweeted. “U gotta just go gospel twin.”

And while there’s no telling who he’s referring to specifically, he commented on Kid Cudi taking the stand in the Diddy trial back in May, tweeting, “Dam cudi a rat lol,” before ultimately deleting the post. Then there’s his relationship with frequent collaborator and labelmate Gunna who decided to take a plea deal early on during the lengthy YSL RICO trial and has subsequently been receiving shade from Thugger.

Back in November 2024, the YSL label boss tweeted and deleted a post asking Gunna to “stop acting” like they’re still cool and added. “I don’t know you my guy.” This was a few months after his father showed Gunna some support by attending one of his shows in Atlanta during his Bittersweet Tour. Then a few months ago in April, during a GQ interview, Thugger was asked what their relationship is currently and gave a lukewarm response, telling the outlet simply, “I don’t know.”

He also commented on an Instagram post in May, “I mean… he said it must end lol,” pointing out that Gunna seemingly covered up his YSL tattoo in reference to a statement prosecutors read in the courtroom after Gunna took the deal. “I recognize, acknowledge and deeply regret that my talent and music indirectly furthered YSL the gang to the detriment of my community,” Gunna said in the statement. “YSL as a gang must end.”

Lana Del Rey has spoken out about two crises happening in the world right now, sharing a message of support for people affected by the deadly flash floods in Texas before mourning the “heartbreaking” loss of life amid the ongoing conflicts in Gaza on Monday (July 7).

First taking to Instagram to send love to people down South, the singer/songwriter wrote that she’s “so sorry for everyone who’s going through this” in relation to the people affected by the torrential downpours in central Texas. With storms first breaking out on the Fourth of July, at least 95 people have died amid the natural disaster, according to CNN.

“We’ve been thinking of you every day since the floods,” Del Rey wrote in her post, layering pink text over a photo of a cloudless blue sky. “All of my prayers are with you every moment of the day this week, and may all the angels be with you as you search for even more lost loved ones.

“It’s truly unprecedented, and I can’t even imagine it,” the musician added.

Included in the floods’ ever-increasing death toll are 27 young girls and counselors who were part of Camp Mystic, a summer camp located along the Guadalupe River. Ten campers and one counselor are still missing, CNN reports.

Del Rey is just one of several musicians who have spoken out about the devastation in Texas, with Billie Eilish, Miranda Lambert, Shakira and Maren Morris also posting tributes in the past couple of days. Rescue missions are still ongoing as rainfall continues to tear through the state, with Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring Jr. noting in a recent interview with CNN that the storms were so sudden, he didn’t even receive an alert that they’d be happening beforehand.

In the comments of her post, however, Del Rey also reminded fans of another humanitarian crisis that’s been unfolding in the Middle East for well over a year. “And yes of course we pray for Palestine every day,” the 11-time Grammy nominee wrote in response to fans questioning why she was speaking out about the floods but not about the crisis in Gaza.

“I wish for peace between all nations and am constantly up on all of the news between the Israel Palestine conflict,” she continued. “I was very hopeful when we were getting close to a peace treaty. And that was my greatest wish as I’ve watched the news unfold from a far.”

Mass hunger and homelessness has run rampant in and around the Gaza Strip ever since Hamas killed 1,200 people and took 251 more hostages in its Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel, which prompted the country to declare war on the terrorist group. According to Reuters, more than 55,000 Palestinians have been killed in the subsequent violence.

“It’s always difficult to watch any innocent victims killed by crimes of war,” Del Rey wrote of the conflict. “There is never a good way of wording things that will make all people happy but that is my personal truth. Politically I do keep up and have been very much hoping for cease fire. This is a long ongoing conflict and one I’ve studied hard to understand. It’s heartbreaking and unfathomable to think there hasn’t been a way to find some resolution.

“It’s a topic of conversation in many of my daily conversations and we’re constantly considering what we can do to contribute in all situations like this,” she added. “I always have been.”

See Del Rey’s post below, and find her response about Palestine in the comments section.