Multiple music festivals across the globe are celebrating African music throughout the whole year, and Billboard is rounding up the biggest ones for you to hit up.
For some acts, these festivals present a heartwarming, homecoming opportunity. Chxrry, the first female artist signed to The Weeknd‘s XO record label, performed in her Ethiopian motherland for the first time in January 2025 during the World Afrika Festival. And come December, Doja Cat will perform in her South African motherland for the first time when she headlines Hey Neighbour.
A handful of heavy hitters are headlining multiple festivals this year. Davido is in the top slot for both Afro Nation Portugal in July and AfroFuture Detroit in August, the latter of which Kaytranada is also headlining after doing the honors at Milk + Cookies Festival South Africa at the top of this year.
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As African acts continue performing outside the borders of their native continent, they’ve also been gradually filling up American festival lineups. Tyla, Rema, Amaarae and Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 performed at Coachella earlier this month. Tems has transformed into a U.S. festival mainstay by taking over Dreamville, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Roots Picnic this spring. This month, she makes history as the first African female artist to headline Afro Nation when she takes over the Lit stage in Portugal. And Ayra Starr and Asake were two of the headliners for Hot 97’s Summer Jam in June.
Billboard has compiled a comprehensive guide to the most significant music festivals honoring African music and/or happening on the continent this year below, in chronological order. (Editor’s note: Festivals that have already passed will remain on the list as a reflection of the full calendar year’s offerings of events.)
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.pngYveto2025-07-03 19:46:142025-07-03 19:46:14The Ultimate Guide to Festivals Celebrating African Music in 2025 (Updating)
Rob Deceglio knew he wasn’t taking on the typical tour production when he agreed to produce The Weeknd’s After Hours Til Dawn stadium tour. The R&B superstar’s global run would be another audacious spectacle of light and sound, utilizing some of the most innovative technology on the planet. But Deceglio’s assignment would go deeper; management wanted the veteran production ace to “future-proof” the After Hours Til Dawn set and build a tour that minimized uncertainty without compromising on audience experience.
“I was tasked with looking within and rethinking anything and everything about the show and how all the various elements and systems work together,” Deceglio tells Billboard, leading a brief tour of the set during a stopover at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium. The mandate was to rethink everything, he explains, making the show simpler, lighter and less reliant on physical labor from top to bottom.
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Deceglio isn’t alone. The concert industry finds itself at a crossroads, with ticket sales strong for the year but slightly down compared to 2024. Costs for the touring business’ three main expenses — fuel, production equipment like staging and lighting, and human labor — are continuing to grow. Fans, meanwhile, have more options than ever for live entertainment as the number of acts playing stadiums and arenas hits record highs. That kind of competition has forced professionals like Deceglio to think of ways to reduce costs “with a more holistic view of a tour.”
Deceglio began working with The Weeknd for his 2021 Super Bowl Halftime Show appearance and has helped oversee the construction and production of the After Hours Til Dawn tour at production company TAIT’s large set design and rehearsal space in Lititz, Penn. Derek Brener is The Weeknd’s long-time front of house sound engineer, while TAIT was hired to handle all the scenic work for the tour, notes Deceglio, adding, “Like a lot of big shows, TAIT is starting to integrate so many of these tasks.”
It’s not uncommon for scenic elements of the show, even the most mundane like a simple set piece, to serve dual functions. “A small set piece might also serve as a lighting shelf,” he says. “There’s no wasted space — everything has a purpose.”
Another innovation: simplifying the show’s automated features so that they can be operated by an existing support team instead of a separate automation team, which can mean additional labor costs. That was especially challenging for The Weeknd, who anchors his stage with a 20-foot gold statue created by legendary Japanese illustrator Hajime Sorayana. But TAIT’s crew simplified the stage enhancement by operating the automation on a single axis point, reducing its mobility while reducing the technical know-how needed to operate the robot. That one decision — to place the robot on a fixed position on the runway, instead of having it enter or exit the stage — saved the show millions of dollars.
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“It’s not a set piece, it’s an actual robot,” Alexander Owens, who manages and operates the robot for TAIT, tells Billboard. “There are two different language barriers at play. First, there’s Japanese to English between the robot’s creators and ourselves, and then there is the barrier between art and functionality. Yes, it is this beautiful element of the show, but ultimately, we have to be able to move it safely, which means packing it, tracking it, dismantling it and setting it up temporarily on a ballast.”
Ultimately, every element of the show does move — after Los Angeles, After Hours Til Dawn moves to Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, before heading to Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. Deceglio says it’s the portability of the show that has the biggest impact on costs.
“Anyone can build something once — it’s how we build it, tear it down, move it and build it again that makes an impact,” Deceglio says, noting that certain elements of the show are duplicated to handle the show’s aggressive touring schedule.
Even the show’s stages and scenic elements have been rethought and revamped with efficiency in mind. After Hours Til Dawn is set in an apocalyptic urbanscape, and much of the stage is covered in architectural ruins that give the show an end-times aesthetic while also secretly housing the show’s pyrotechnic devices.
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“The stage lights are a good example of the integration we’re seeing our business undergo,” Deceglio explains. “The light itself is bolted to a deck and then covered with scenic tape” that blends in with the stage to give it a seamless appearance and allows it to be quickly built, wired, broken down and transported by a single team. He also says the video and lighting departments have found ways to complete their work by building systems that operate in unison and emphasize simplicity rather than scale.
“On a project like this, the cleaner and more efficient the install, the better,” he says. “It means better setup times using the staff we already have. Back in the day, touring was very much about, ‘This is my gig, this is your gig,’ and you’d show up on the first day and not even know what the other guys were bringing. Now we have daily discussions with our department heads months in advance on how we plan to build the show and how we can simplify the tour.”
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.pngYveto2025-07-03 19:26:102025-07-03 19:26:10Future-Proofing Tours: How The Weeknd’s ‘After Hours Til Dawn’ Stage Designers Got Creative to Keep Costs Down
Tyla is keeping the summer bops coming in 2025 by announcing her upcoming single, “Is It,” on Thursday (July 3).
She posted an Instagram photo of the lower half of her body that’s heavily dusted with glitter to tease the song, which she recently previewed while partying in her native Johannesburg. She also hashtagged the post #WEWANNAPARTY. “Is It” will arrive next Friday, July 11, via FAX and Epic Records.
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The “Water” hitmaker kept her lips sealed while speaking to Billboardahead of her recent hosting gig at the 2025 Kids’ Choice Awards on June 21, where she also won favorite global music star. “I’m not saying too much. You guys are gonna know when you’ll know. And it’s gonna be a vibe. We outside. We’re catching party vibes,” she said at the time, adding that she had “fun” recording “Everything Goes with Blue” from the Smurfs Movie Soundtrack. “I love The Smurfs. And Rihanna being Smurfette, it’s such a fun Smurf movie. So I’m happy that I’m a part of that one.”
“Is It” marks Tyla’s second solo single this year after “Bliss,” which reached No. 11 on Hot R&B Songs and No. 17 on Rhythmic Airplay. She told Billboardahead of Women in Music, when she won the Impact Award, that she would release her sophomore album this year. “I’ve changed a lot in a short amount of time because I was kind of forced to with how fast I had to adapt to everything,” she said at the time. “I don’t think it’s going to be the same energy [as Tyla] at all, especially with what I’ve started making. It’s different, but also still Tyla.”
See Tyla’s announcement for her upcoming single “Is It” 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.pngYveto2025-07-03 19:21:232025-07-03 19:21:23Tyla Knows We Want to Party With Her on Upcoming Single ‘Is It’: Here’s When It Arrives
Liam Payne may no longer be with us, but fans do still have his music to hold onto — and according to AJ McLean, there’s more material left in the vault that he hopes fans will get to hear someday.
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In an interview with Todaypublished Thursday (July 3), the Backstreet Boys star said that Payne shared unreleased music with him before the “Strip That Down” singer died after suffering a fall from a hotel balcony last fall. “He was just an absolute sweetheart, witty, funny,” McLean said. “He sent me an unreleased body of work to get my opinion on it — and I never put that out there.”
“I thought that was really sweet that he would entrust someone that he’s still learning about to give their opinion,” McLean continued. “I thought it was a great body of work. And I hope that the world and that the fans get to hear it somewhere down the road. It’s beautiful, beautiful music.”
Before his death, Payne and McLean became friends while working on Netflix’s Building the Band, a competition series that found both boy band stars coaching hopeful singers looking to form musical groups based only on vocal ability, not appearance. Filming for the series wrapped in August 2024, two months after which the X-Factor alum died in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
At the time of his fatal fall from the fourth floor of his hotel room, Payne had high levels of alcohol and multiple other substances in his system, according to toxicology reports. The star was open about his struggles with sobriety during his lifetime, something McLean says connected him with Payne.
“Honestly, we had a lot of parallel life experiences, [despite] our age gap,” McLean told Today. “But we definitely, I feel, lived very parallel lives, both sober and not sober.”
With the blessing of Payne’s family, Building the Band will air on Netflix on July 9. Nicole Scherzinger serves as the lead judge and mentor on the show, while Payne, McLean and Kelly Rowland joined as guest judges.
After a trailer for the series dropped in June, Payne’s sister took to Instagram to share her feelings about seeing her brother onscreen. “Im heartbroken he never got to see how great he is in this show,” Ruth Gibbins wrote at the time. “He knew he had done a good job, we all told him this when we were at filming, but watching it back, wow!”
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.pngYveto2025-07-03 19:16:082025-07-03 19:16:08AJ McLean Says He Heard Liam Payne’s Unreleased Music Before One Direction Star’s Death: ‘It’s Beautiful’
In the 1996 Tom Hanks-directed film That Thing You Do!, The Wonders (formerly The Oneders) are a rock n’ roll sensation.
The film tells the story of a fictional scrappy quartet from Erie, Pa., in the 1960s who strike gold with “That Thing You Do!,” an undeniable pop smash that helps propel the band from playing local pizza parlors to headlining The Hollywood Television Showcase (a nod to the Ed Sullivan Show) on national TV. In between, the band signs to Play-Tone Records, goes on tour, and reaches the top 10 of Billboard with their breakout hit.
While The Wonders aren’t, in fact, a real band, “That Thing You Do!” did end up becoming a legitimate real-world hit on Billboard’s charts. It reached No. 41 on the Billboard Hot 100 on Nov. 9, 1996, and received substantial radio play, reaching No. 18 on Adult Pop Airplay and No. 24 on Pop Airplay. The song, written by the late Adam Schlesinger, even received an Oscar nomination for best original song.
The Wonders aren’t the only fictional band to have real success on Billboard’s charts. In fact, made-up bands have been charting for decades. Four such groups have even reached No. 1 on the Hot 100: The Archies, from The Archie Show (related to Archie Comics), hit No. 1 in 1969 with the bubblegum classic “Sugar, Sugar”; The Chipmunks’ holiday earworm “The Chipmunk Song,” with David Seville, topped the chart in 1958; The Heights, from the ‘90s Fox series The Heights, scored a No. 1 with “How Do You Talk to An Angel” in 1992; and The Partridge Family, the family band from ‘70s sitcom of the same name, reached the top with “I Think I Love You.” They’re the only Hot 100 toppers in history that are credited to fictional acts.
The tradition of fake bands charting on Billboard is still going strong. In July 2025, two fictional bands from the Netflix movie KPop Demon Hunters arrived on the charts: the K-pop girl group HUNTR/X, whose members moonlight as demon hunters, and the Saja Boys, a rival boy band whose members are secretly demons.
From The Wonders and HUNTR/X, to 4*TOWN, Spinal Tap and beyond, here’s a look at fictional acts that have reached the Billboard charts.
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.pngYveto2025-07-03 19:11:492025-07-03 19:11:49Fictional Bands Who Reached Billboard’s Charts: The Wonders, August Moon, 4*TOWN, Spinal Tap & More
The LGBTQ+ community is rife with labels, but Yungblud is offering up one that best describes his sexuality in a new interview: “I’m the f–king saucepan.”
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Speaking with Attitude on Thursday (July 3) for its latest cover story, the 27-year-old rocker spoke at length about identifying as pansexual, which he says has helped him grow into the person he is today. “It’s the [label] that allows me to be who I am; it’s the one with the most room for maneuver,” he says. “I do feel like I am less insecure about it.”
That doesn’t mean Yungblud’s OK with the amount of discourse that happens around pansexuality, which he called “a f–king simmering pan” in his conversation. “The hardest thing [is] to have my authenticity questioned, because I’ve only ever been myself,” he explained.
The “Zombie” singer originally came out as pan in an Attitude interview in 2020 interview, in which he expressed trepidation about speaking publicly on his identity. “I’m still quite weird about going ‘This is what I am’ to the world because I’ve never really said it,” Yungblud said at the time. “I know it’s such a massive statement to me, but probably, yeah, I think I would [consider myself part of the LGBTQ+ community]. I haven’t said that yet because I don’t want some mad article everywhere going, ‘Yungblud comes out as f–king pan!’”
Elsewhere in his Attitude interview, the singer spoke about BludFest, his U.K.-based music festival, and the importance of curating an inclusive environment for both the fans watching the show and the artists on the lineup. “I think that’s what deserves the most credit, in terms of how many young people are allowed to feel safe in our space, or come out in our space, or really feel loved in our space,” he said. “I think that’s what I feel most proud of when we talk about Pride.”
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.pngYveto2025-07-03 19:03:352025-07-03 19:03:35Yungblud Says Identifying as Pansexual Gives Him ‘the Most Room’ to ‘Manuever’
Four people were killed and another 14 were left injured in a drive-by shooting in Chicago’s River North neighborhood on Wednesday night (July 2), according to the Associated Press.
The shooting took place outside Artis Restaurant and Lounge, where Chi-town rapper Mello Buckzz was hosting a release party for her Hollyhood project, which arrived on Thursday (July 3).
A night of celebration quickly turned into a nightmare for Buckzz as her boyfriend and a very close friend were among those killed in the shooting.
“We was having so much fun in our private little life, couldn’t leave each other alone glued to my hip everyday. It’s not a night we ain’t spend together,” Buckzz wrote to her Instagram Story. “I’m so f—ing angry. U was woke I held yo hand until I couldn’t. U talked to me. Clearly ion get it boo, I’m f—ked up.”
The rapper added: “My heart broke into so many pieces rn it’s unbelievable. Why is this happening to me? … I don’t wish this typa pain on nobody dam my f—king crew.”
Three of the injured shooting victims reportedly remain in critical condition, police said on Thursday, the AP reports. Among those killed were two men (24 and 25 years old) and two women (26 and 27 years old), according to NBC Chicago.
“You could hear boom, boom, boom, boom. You know, round after round,” witness Crystal Gray told ABC7. “It’s awful. People was just falling and screaming. I didn’t walk over here, I stood across the street and I saw all of them falling.”
Pastor Donovan Price described the scene to theAP. “When I arrived last night, it was absolute chaos, from people screaming to blood on the streets, to people lying on the street,” he said. “The worst I’ve seen — just people wanting to find their other people, find who was alive, finding where their phones were because they dropped them in the chaos.”
Mayor Brandon Johnson addressed the tragic shooting in a press conference on Thursday. “Shootings like these are a tragic reminder of how far we still have to go as a city,” he said. “Shooting into a crowd is not the best of who we are. It is unacceptable and we will not stand for that in the city of Chicago. We are frustrated, but we are also grieving. We will not rest until there is full accountability.”
Billboard has reached out to the Chicago Police Department.
Mello Buckzz released her Hollyhood project on Thursday with features from fellow Chicago native G Herbo, Monaleo, Star Bandz and Chuckyy.
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.pngYveto2025-07-03 18:53:372025-07-03 18:53:374 Dead & 14 Injured in Drive-By Shooting Outside Rapper Mello Buckzz’s Album Release Party
The realms of country music and NASCAR have historically been united by a fervent and overlapping fanbase, one devoted to both high-octane races and country music’s musical traditions.
Over the years, NASCAR’s pre-race festivities have frequently spotlighted country music performers. Conversely, some NASCAR drivers have made appearances in country music videos, while at least one acclaimed country artist also pursued a career behind the wheel as a professional driver.
Further exemplifying the enduring synergy between these two iconic entertainment institutions, a few new, recent country songs have nodded to one of NASCAR’s greats, the late Dale Earnhardt Sr.
Morgan Wallen and Eric Church recorded the collaboration “No. 3 and No. 7,” which nods to Earnhardt’s iconic black No. 3 Goodwrench car, while “Said No Country Boy Ever,” recorded by a cohort of country singers (Randy Houser, Jamey Johnson, Jerrod Niemann, Dallas Davidson and Rob Hatch, aka The Traler Park), also mentions Earnhardt by name. Meanwhile, Cole Swindell also recently released “Dale Jr.,” a touching tribute to fathers and sons, nodding to Earnhardt Sr. in the process.
Earnhardt was one of the most acclaimed drivers in the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) during the 1980s and 1990s. In total, he had 76 NASCAR Cup Series victories. Earnhardt won his first Winston Cup championship in 1980 and went on to earn six additional Winston Cup titles in 1986-87, 1990-91 and 1993-94, tying NASCAR legend Richard Petty’s record in the process. Known as “The Intimidator,” in the iconic black “No. 3” Chevrolet Monte Carlo, Earnhardt Sr. gained a track record as a fierce driver, one unafraid of bumping and spinning out competitors on his way to earning the checkered flag. His career also came with frustrations, as he raced 19 times in the Daytona 500 before emerging triumphant as the race’s winner in 1998.
Earnhardt’s death in February 2001 from injuries stemming from a crash during the final lap of the Daytona 500 shocked the racing world and beyond, and marked the end of an era in racing. Earnhardt was posthumously inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2006 and was named to the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s inaugural class in 2010. The recent four-part Prime Video documentary Earnhardt offered a deep look into the racing legend’s life and career.
Earnhardt Sr. was also a fan of country music, and had several ties to the genre. In 1985, he took part in the album World Series of Country Music Proudly Presents Stock Car Racing’s Entertainers of the Year, a project that featured NASCAR drivers singing original country songs. Earnhardt appeared on the album’s concluding track, “Hard Charger.” He also appeared in the music video for Brooks & Dunn’s 1997 song “Honky Tonk Truth,” dressing up identically to the duo’s Kix Brooks and playing on the uncanny physical similarities between the two. One of his lesser-known monikers, linking Earnhardt Sr. and his car, was his nickname as “The Man in Black,” a moniker more well-known for its association with Country Music Hall of Famer Johnny Cash.
In 2003, a tribute concert to Earnhardt Sr. became the first non-racing event to be held at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona, Florida. The event featured performances from Kenny Chesney, Brooks & Dunn, Alabama, Sheryl Crow and more, with proceeds from the event going to the Dale Earnhardt Foundation. In the more than two decades since Earnhardt Sr.’s passing, his influence hasn’t dimmed, and numerous country songs have nodded to his competitive, award-winning career.
Of course, country music has long had ties to NASCAR in general, extending beyond simply many shared fans. Country singer Marty Robbins, known for hits including “El Paso,” was also a NASCAR racer, racing alongside NASCAR drivers such as Richard Petty, Darrell Waltrip and Bobby Allison, and making it to the top 5 spot during 1974’s Motor State 400 in Michigan. In 1975, the album NASCAR Goes Country featured NASCAR drivers including Richard Petty, Bobby Allison and Cale Yarborough performing classic country hits such as “Hey, Good Lookin’,” and “King of the Road.”
Country music label execs have also been involved with racing. Big Machine Label Group founder/CEO/president Scott Borchetta (Lady A, Thomas Rhett, Riley Green) launched the NASCAR Xfinity Series team Big Machine Racing in 2021. In 2013, Benny Brown, founder of BBR Music Group (Jason Aldean, Lainey Wilson and Jelly Roll) sponsored Brad Keselowski Racing (BKR), supporting Brown’s grandson, NASCAR Cup Series driver Tyler Reddick.
Besides Earnhardt, other NASCAR drivers who have appeared in country music videos include Carl Edwards (Justin Moore’s “Bait a Hook” and Sara Evans’ “Slow Me Down”), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Trace Adkins’ “Rough and Ready”) and a slew of drivers, including Dale Jarrett, Mark Martin, Bill Elliott and Rusty Wallace, who appeared in Alan Jackson’s “Who’s Cheatin’ Who” video.
Meanwhile, country artists’ names and/or likenesses have shown up in several NASCAR cars. Chris Stapleton teamed with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and JR Motorsports’ first entry in the Daytona 500 with the No. 40 Traveller Whiskey Chevrolet. Luke Combs, Bailey Zimmerman and Taylor Swift have also been featured on NASCAR cars.
Fans and country artists alike continue to honor the life and legacy of “The Intimidator” and below, we highlight a handful of songs that nod to the late Dale Earnhardt Sr.
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.pngYveto2025-07-03 18:36:372025-07-03 18:36:375 Country Songs That Pay Tribute to NASCAR Legend Dale Earnhardt Sr.
Sony Music France and Sony Music Publishing France acquired Lusafrica and Africa Nostra, a label and publishing company, respectively. Together, the associated companies promote Lusophone (Portuguese-speaking) and African artists. Founded in 1988, Lusafrica launched the career of Grammy-winning singer Cesária Évora, among others. It later signed African artists including Bonga and Boubacar Traoré, along with Latin artists such as Polo Montañez. Africa Nostra was launched in 2000. The companies jointly have a catalog of more than 4,000 titles. Through the acquisition, Sony is looking to expand the companies’ reach into new markets.
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Humanable, which allows music creators to certify that their songwriting, performances and recordings were created without the use of generative AI, entered a partnership with Symphonic Distribution through which Symphonic artists and writers can opt in to the Humanable platform. “It’s long past time for DSPs and other distributors to adopt an industry standard like Humanable to label GenAI music,” said Randall Foster, chief creative officer at Symphonic, in a statement. According to a press release, Hummable has certified 3.4 million songs to date.
Audacy signed a content distribution partnership with iHeartMedia. Under the deal, Audacy’s collection of more than 240 radio brands and podcasts will now be available on the iHeartRadio app. Through the app, Audacy content will be available on more than 500 additional platforms and over 2,000 additional devices, from smart speakers to tablets to smartphones.
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Warner Music Finland acquired the catalog of Finnish independent record company Skorpioni, which announced it was closing up shop earlier this year. Over the years, Skorpioni has released music by ibe, MELO, Turisti, DJ Ibusal, Sliki & Hamuelos and Fabe.
BMG acquired the artist and label rights of German band Seeed. The deal encompasses the band’s first five albums: New Dubby Conquerors (2001), Music Monks (2003), Next! (2005), Live (2006), and Seeed (2012). The group released its sixth album, Bam Bam, on BMG in 2019.
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TikTok struck a partnership with Tomorrowland through which the platform will serve as the festival’s official content partner for the next year. The deal will see TikTok offering 24/7 live streams of the festival, behind-the-scenes content and interactive fan experiences, among other things. Tomorrowland is slated to take place later this month in Boom, Belgium, over two weekends. Ahead of the festival, TikTok’s music distributor, SoundOn, will host a songwriting camp alongside Tomorrowland’s record label, Tomorrowland Music. The camp will bring together artists from both labels to write and release original music to soundtrack the activities both on and off the TikTok platform during both weekends of the festival; the resulting songs will be performed live onstage at Tomorrowland and released and distributed by SoundOn. With the partnership, TikTok will explore additional opportunities to collaborate with Tomorrowland’s other live music events, including Unity at Sphere and Tomorrowland Brazil.
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AI-powered music creation platform Moises will sponsor NPR’s Tiny Desk series in 2025. “Many of the key founders of Moises are musicians, which is why we feel such kinship with Tiny Desk and the community of artists and music lovers it serves,” said Geraldo Ramos, CEO/co-founder of Moises, in a statement. “This sponsorship is about supporting musicians at every stage of their journey.”
Synch platform SourceAudio and Musical AI, which offers an attribution model for generative AI in music, struck a deal through which SourceAudio clients will have the option to participate in joint SourceAudio-Musical AI datasets. Musical AI “will ensure these tracks are made available for potential training in rightsholder-determined ways and that any outputs generated from rightsholders’ works are attributed to the proper parties,” according to a press release — thereby allowing generative AI companies to pay rights holders for the use of their work. According to the release, SourceAudio’s music dataset licensing marketplace has generated more than $1.35 million in new annual recurring revenue since its May 2025 launch for rightsholders who opted in.
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Global music distributor and supply chain services company AudioSalad signed a partnership with Japanese music technology company RecoChoku. Through the deal, the companies will introduce advanced hybrid distribution and delivery to global DSPs, analytics, localized support and streamlined distribution channels that address the needs of the Japanese music industry. “This partnership with AudioSalad enables us to realize both comprehensive global-standard distribution asset management and a hybrid form of music distribution with delivery-agency operations,” said RecoChoku GM Kaz Aida in a statement. “By adding our meticulous distribution operation support services, we are able to offer each service in an all-in-one manner that meets the needs of rights holders.”
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SongTools, which provides one-click marketing and ad tech solutions for music creators, signed a partnership with African music distributor M.A.D Solutions that will bring SongTools’ marketing toolkit directly into the M.A.D Solutions dashboard. “Through our label and services division, Engage, we’re proud to introduce Engage Pro — a cutting-edge digital marketing and playlisting solution developed in collaboration with Songtools,” said M.A.D Solutions CEO Bugwu Aneto-Okeke in a statement.
On the Radar Radio announced a partnership with Olympus Projects and Too Lost Worldwide Music Distribution. Through the deal, On the Radio will continue its global expansion with On the Radar UK, which is set to roll out in September, spotlighting U.K. artists “who are pushing boundaries in Drill, Grime, Rap, and experimental genres.” On the Radar previously unveiled On the Radar Brazil. A trailer for On the Radar U.K. can be viewed here.
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Loaded Dice Entertainment signed a distribution deal with Jamvana, which will also provide content management and royalty tracking for Loaded Dice artists. The first release under the deal was a deluxe version of Hudson Thames‘ latest studio album, Bambino, on Friday (June 27).
Tickets for Good, which offers free and heavily discounted tickets, launched in Belgium and announced a funding round of 3 million pounds ($4.1 million). Last month, Tickets for Good hosted its first event for Belgian members by offering local healthcare workers the chance to attend a Robbie Williams concert in Amsterdam.
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.pngYveto2025-07-03 18:36:362025-07-03 18:36:36The Deals: Sony Music France Acquires African Label & Publisher; Symphonic Teams With Certification Platform for Human-Made Music
In a lengthy message posted to her Instagram Story on Wednesday (July 2) — the same day a jury ruled that the disgraced mogul is guilty on transportation to engage in prostitution charges, but not the more serious sex-trafficking and racketeering crimes he was accused of — the singer summed up her feelings on the verdict
“I’m still unpacking the magnitude of it all,” she began. “The cultural weight of this decision is immeasurable. It is heartbreaking to witness how many lives have been impacted by their experiences with Sean Combs — only for those stories to fall short in the eyes of a jury. I can only hope those jurors never have to watch someone they love endure what so many survivors have described.”
“Let’s be clear: the courtroom operates by the law, but that DOES NOT mean it delivers justice,” O’Day continued. “The pattern of behavior Sean Combs has shown us over the decades is not a mystery. It’s a warning. And now, that pattern risks being reframed — and has now been legitimized by the system. That wasn’t Bonnie and Clyde — it was control, coercion, and abuse- and we have to stop rewriting history to excuse the behavior–no matter how powerful the person. That narrative is not just dishonest. It’s dangerous.”
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The jury’s verdict capped off a seven-week trial, during which federal prosecutors attempted to convict Combs for running an alleged criminal enterprise built on sex-trafficking, abuse, drugs and coercion. The trial included days of testimony from the Bad Boy Records founder’s ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura.
“My heart is with Cassie,” O’Day wrote in her note. “A woman who could’ve had a life and career free of fear and control. A woman who told her truth in a courtroom, only to have the world dissect her credibility instead of her courage.”
“Women, nor men, nor ANY ARTIST are the property of those with the most wealth, fame and power,” she added. “We are not disposable. 12 people on a jury will not be deciding that for us.”
O’Day has been speaking out against Combs for years, having previously been a part of the girl group Danity Kane, which the hip-hop titan helped form on Making the Band 3 in 2005. O’Day was kicked out of the lineup in 2008, and she has alleged that Combs ejected her because she refused to comply with his non-music-related requests.
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After Combs was arrested in September 2024 following Homeland Security raids on his homes in Los Angeles and Miami that year in March, O’Day called it a “win for women all over the world” and said she felt “validated.” But when the producer was partially acquitted, O’Day said that the verdict made her feel sickin posts shared shortly before her longer letter.
“Oh, this makes me physically ill,” she professed Wednesday in a video on her Instagram Story. “Cassie probably feels so horrible. I’m gonna vomit.”
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.pngYveto2025-07-03 18:24:302025-07-03 18:24:30Aubrey O’Day Says Diddy Verdict Failed to Deliver Justice for Survivors: ‘Women … Are Not Disposable’
