More than two months after a Taylor Swift-themed children’s dance class became the site of a deadly stabbing — in which three children died and several more people were injured — Prince William and Kate Middleton visited Southport, England, on Thursday (Oct. 10) to join the town in paying respects to the victims and their families.

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According to People, the royal couple met privately with the families of the three young girls who were killed in the July 29 attack, as well as the dance teacher who was there when it occurred. Eight other children and two adults were also injured in the mass stabbing, for which a 17-year-old knifeman has since been charged with 10 counts of attempted murder.

The Prince and Princess of Wales also reportedly spoke with the Southport first responders who were dispatched to the crime scene about how the traumatizing experience impacted their mental health — a timely topic of discussion, given that Oct. 10 is World Mental Health Day.

“A heartfelt thank you to the people of Southport for talking about your experiences and honouring the young lives lost,” reads a message on Will and Kate’s official Instagram, alongside a video of footage from the couple’s visit. “In the face of tragedy, this community’s strength and resilience has been a powerful reminder of the bonds that unite us. As the healing continues, take comfort in the incredible support around you. Each shared memory, act of kindness, and moment of unity brings hope for the future and ensures that those lost are never forgotten.”

The outing marked Middleton’s first public engagement since announcing in September that she’d completed chemotherapy. Six months prior, the princess revealed that she’d been diagnosed with cancer and would be undergoing treatment.

Before the royal couple’s visit to Southport, Swift also met with families affected by the attack backstage at one of her August Eras Tour shows in London. In July, the pop star wrote that she was “completely in shock” over the tragedy in a statement shared to her Instagram, adding that the “horror” of the violence was “washing over [her] continuously.”

“The loss of life and innocence, and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families and first responders,” she added at the time. “These were just little kids at a dance class. I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families.”

See clips from Prince William and Princess Kate’s visit to Southport below.

In the two years that the Recording Academy has presented a Grammy for songwriter of the year, non-classical, four women have been nominated for the award. Amy Allen, Nija Charles and Laura Veltz were nominated in the category’s inaugural year. Jessie Jo Dillon was nominated at the ceremony in February.

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Men won both years. Tobias Jesso Jr. won in 2023 for writing songs by such artists as Harry Styles, Adele and FKA Twigs. Theron Thomas won earlier this year for writing songs by such artists as Lil Durk featuring J. Cole, Tyla and Chlöe.

The list of 61 songwriters vying for nominations in that category this year includes 20 women, one of whom may make history as the first woman to win in the category.

The list includes two women who have already won Grammys – Allen, who won album of the year in 2023 for her songwriting contributions to Harry Styles’ Harry’s House, and Diane Warren, who won best song written specifically for a motion picture or for television in 1997 for “Because You Loved Me” from the Michelle Pfeiffer film Up Close and Personal.

This year’s entry list also includes eight women who have been nominated for one or more Grammys, but have yet to win – Dillon, Sarah Aarons, Caroline Ailin, Jessi Alexander, Brittany Amaradio (aka Delacey), Ink (Atia Boggs), Ali Tamposi and Emily Warren.

The list also includes 10 women who are vying for their first Grammy nomination – Elizabeth Lowell Boland, Jessie Early, Julia Gargano, Sarah Hudson, Lauren Lee Hungate, Steph Jones, Kayla Morrison, RAYE, Sasha Alex Sloan and Betsy Walter.

You may be surprised to see RAYE on the list, due to the academy’s focus in this category on non-artists. To qualify for the award, writers “must have written a minimum of five songs in which they are credited solely as a songwriter or co-writer” (and not also as a primary or featured artist, or producer). But if they meet that threshold, they may also have written or co-written tracks on which they were the artist.

RAYE qualified because in addition to writing for herself, she writes for other artists. Her entries this year include Rita Ora’s “Ask & You Shall Receive,” Halle’s “Because I Love You,” Jennifer Lopez’s “Dear Ben Pt. II,” Beyoncé’s “Riiverdance,” and Neiked’s “You’re Hired” (featuring Ayra Starr).

Nominated songwriters can come from any musical field, except classical. Those composers are recognized in the best contemporary classical composition category.

Will any of these women be nominated for songwriter of the year, non-classical? We’ll find out on Nov. 8 when the nominees are announced. Winners will be revealed on Feb. 2.

As a bonus, here are the first women to win in 10 other songwriting categories at the Grammys.

Song of the year: Carole King in 1972 for writing “You’ve Got a Friend,” which was featured on her Tapestry album and was also a No. 1 Hot 100 hit for James Taylor. It took a while for a woman to win this award: This was the category’s 14th year. King later also became the first woman to win the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.

Best rock song: Alanis Morisette in 1996 for co-writing “You Oughta Know,” the most incendiary track on her Jagged Little Pill album, with Glen Ballard. This was the category’s fifth year.

Best R&B song: Betty Wright in 1976, for co-writing her track “Where Is the Love” with Harry Wayne Casey and Richard Finch (both of KC and the Sunshine Band) and Willie Clarke. Note: This is not the far more famous Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway song of the same title, but confusion with that classic may have worked to this song’s benefit. This was the category’s eighth year.

Best rap song: Miri Ben Ari in 2005, for co-writing Ye’s “Jesus Walks” with Che Smith and Kanye West (as Ye was then known). This was the category’s second year.

Best country song: Debbie Hupp in 1980, for co-writing the Kenny Rogers ballad hit “You Decorated My Life” with Bob Morrison. This was the category’s 16th year.

Best song written for visual media: Cynthia Weil in 1988, for co-writing the Linda Ronstadt & James Ingram hit “Somewhere Out There” (from An American Tail) with her husband and longtime collaborator Barry Mann and film composer James Horner. This was the category’s first year. (The ballad also won song of the year.)

Best American roots song: Edie Brickell in 2014 for cowriting “Love Has Come for You” with Steve Martin. They also recorded the song. This was the category’s first year.

Best gospel song: Yolanda Adams in 2006 for cowriting her track “Be Blessed” with Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and James Q. Wright. This was the category’s first year. The award is now known as best gospel performance/song.

Best contemporary Christian song: Laura Story in 2012 for writing her own track “Blessings.” This was the category’s third year. The award is now known as best contemporary Christan music performance/song.

Best contemporary classical composition: Joan Tower in 2008 for composing “Made in America.” This was the category’s 30th year.

Pharrell Williams is the latest guest to test his taste buds on Hot Ones, and while he was feeling the heat of the increasingly spicy chicken wings before him, the multi-hyphenate artist opened up about working with some of his long list of collaborators.

When host Sean Evans asked him about his teenage years “jamming out” with soon-to-be fellow superstars like Timbaland, Missy Elliott, the Clipse and more, Williams that it felt like “kids having fun.”

He continued, “We didn’t know where it was going to end up. That’s the thing, falling in love with the process. It’s not necessarily the ‘there,’ it’s the ‘getting there,’ it’s the ‘going,’ it’s the process, it’s the journey.”

Later on in the interview, Evans listed off some of Williams collaborators, and challenged him to share his first thought about them in the studio. With Daft Punk, Williams noted that being in the studio with a “robot” is “euphoric, because you’re around two absolute masters.”

Beck, Williams says, is “one of the most eclectic people with one of the deepest mental libraries of all kinds of records,” calling him a “walking almanac.” He wrapped up by calling N.O.R.E. “so funny, bombastic with the energy he wants to evoke when he’s making a song.”

Beyond releasing his biographical Lego film, Piece by Piece, on Oct. 11, it’s gearing up to be an exciting next few months for Williams. The star will serve as a co-chair for the 2025 Met Gala among a group of Black men including Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky and honorary chair LeBron James.

This year’s theme is “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” which draws inspiration from Monica L. Miller’s 2009 book, Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity.

Williams’ Something in the Water festival will also return in April 2025 after being postponed last month. “Dearest Virginia, I love you with all my heart,” he wrote in a statement at the time. “Nobody loves you more than I do. Virginia doesn’t deserve better, Virginia deserves THE BEST. So SOMETHING IN THE WATER has to match that. It just isn’t ready yet.”

Watch Pharrell Williams on Hot Ones below.

Sean “Diddy” Combs will stand trial on May 5 in his racketeering and sex trafficking case, a federal judge ruled at a court hearing on Thursday (Oct. 10).

The order from Judge Arun Subramanian — who replaced Judge Andrew L. Carter as the presiding judge last week and will handle the eventual trial — was issued from the bench and reported by the Associated Press and other outlets.

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The trial date is in line with what the rapper’s legal team wanted. In court documents Wednesday (Oct. 9), they said they were continuing to assert his constitutional right to a speedy trial and would be seeking to get the case before a jury in April or May.

Though a trial date is now set, the schedule could still be pushed back, particularly if prosecutors file new charges or add defendants to the case. It could also be delayed if Combs eventually waives his speedy trial right to give his team more time to prepare — a decision that might hinge on whether he’s granted bail in a pending appeal.

When he does stand trial, Combs will face charges of racketeering and sex trafficking over what prosecutors say was a sprawling criminal operation aimed at satisfying his need for “sexual gratification.” The decades-long scheme allegedly involved not only elaborate sexual parties called “freak offs” and other sex abuse, but also forced labor, kidnapping, arson and bribery.

“For decades, Sean Combs … abused, threatened and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation and conceal his conduct,” prosecutors wrote in their indictment last month. “To do so, Combs relied on the employees, resources and the influence of his multi-faceted business empire that he led and controlled.”

Thursday’s hearing came less than 24 hours after Combs’ lawyers accused the government of leaking evidence to the media, including the infamous surveillance video of Combs assaulting then-girlfriend Cassie in 2016.

At Thursday’s hearing, according to AP, Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Johnson pushed back on those “baseless” claims, saying it was simply an effort by Combs’ lawyers to prevent jurors from seeing the “damning” Cassie video: “Not a single one of those alleged leaks are from members of the prosecution team,” Johnson said.

The next court date for Combs’ case is currently set for December.

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.

Saddle up! Lainey Wilson has a new partnership with Kendra Scott jewelry out Thursday (Oct. 10). The Yellow Rose by Kendra Scott x Lainey Wilson Whirlwind Collection of celestial statement earrings, rings and necklaces takes inspiration from Wilson’s new album Whirlwind.

“I’m so excited about the Yellow Rose by Kendra Scott x Lainey Wilson collection,” Wilson said in a statement. “It was inspired by the lyrics ‘fly me to the stars, fly me to the moon’ from my song ‘4x4xU’, and the collection truly captures the dreamer’s spirit. I can’t wait to see everyone wearing it on their own adventures.”

The Yellow Rose by Kendra Scott collection pays homage to Texas, where jewelry designer Kendra Scott moved with her family as a teenager.

“We launched Yellow Rose by Kendra Scott in 2023 as a heartfelt tribute to my deep love for Texas,” said Scott, the jewelry brand’s founder and chief creative officer. “Collaborating with Lainey on our first celebrity partnership through Yellow Rose feels like the perfect match. Lainey has carved her own path in the music industry by staying true to her southern roots and authenticity—qualities that resonate deeply with Yellow Rose’s mission to celebrate individuality and empower women. We’re absolutely thrilled to debut this meaningful collection with her, marking a key moment in our continued growth of the Yellow Rose by Kendra Scott brand.” 

The five-piece, capsule collection includes the Lainey Multi Strand Necklace ($98), Lainey Statement Necklace ($225) and matching earrings ($225), Lainey Stud Earrings ($120) and the Lainey Cocktail Ring ($120) available in vintage gold and silver.

Wilson can now add jewelry to her list of brand collaborations. The country star released her first Wrangler collection last month as well.

Shop Lainey Wilson’s Yellow Rose by Kendra Scott collection below.

Lainey Wilson Jewelry Collection: Shop Yellow Rose by Kendra Scott

Lainey Wilson x Yellow Rose by Kendra Scott Vintage Gold Statement Ring


Lainey Wilson Jewelry Collection: Shop Yellow Rose by Kendra Scott

Lainey Wilson x Yellow Rose by Kendra Scott Vintage Silver Stud Earrings


Lainey Wilson Jewelry Collection: Shop Yellow Rose by Kendra Scott

Lainey Wilson x Yellow Rose by Kendra Scott Vintage Gold Multi Strand Necklace


Lainey Wilson Jewelry Collection: Shop Yellow Rose by Kendra Scott

Lainey Wilson x Yellow Rose by Kendra Scott Vintage Gold Necklace


Lainey Wilson Jewelry Collection: Shop Yellow Rose by Kendra Scott

Lainey Wilson x Yellow Rose by Kendra Scott Vintage Gold Earrings


In this episode of ‘Billboard Unfiltered,’ Billboard staffers Carl Lamarre, Trevor Anderson and Kyle Denis debate who the new big three of rap are, why Tommy Richman’s debut album failed, the current state of R&B and more!

Carl Lamarre:

Uzi was in those conversations, I feel like Lil Baby was in those conversations as well.

Trevor Anderson:

You know, A&R Twitter, PR Twiiter, management Twitter is sitting there thinking “what?”

Kyle Denis:

The artists are the issue, because there have been major R&B moments I feel like in recent years.

Carl Lamarre:

Hey, what’s going on guys. Welcome to a fresh episode of ‘Billboard Unfiltered,’ and we have the gang here. Trevor Anderson, Kyle Denis.

Kyle Denis:

Yo, yo, yo.

Carl Lamarre:

No Damien Scott. He is on the mend but will be back. We want to start the show because I know you were out.

Trevor Anderson:

I didn’t want to say it, but…

Carl Lamarre:

We got to do a quick “happy birthday” seg, you know, a little sing-along. 

Trevor Anderson:

What, a little two-part harmony?

Kyle Denis & Carl Lamarre:

*singing*

Carl Lamarre:

I could’ve gone all the way in. Wow, we gave you a little something, something.

Kyle Denis:

We’re giving you a little tease. We’re thinking of all the viewers right now.

Trevor Anderson:

Yeah, first show was, you’re old, and yeah it was a really good one. There was no crazy sort of all in one, but there was a couple events throughout a couple different days. Got to hang out with a lot of different friends.

Keep watching for more!

Elle King just gave an update on her relationship with dad Rob Schneider — not that there’s much to say.

While stopping by Andy Cohen’s Watch What Happens Live on Wednesday, the 35-year-old singer/songwriter revealed that even she isn’t certain where things stand with the comedian after he publicly apologized for his “shortcomings” as a father in an August interview with Tucker Carlson. “Umm, I’m not sure,” King said when asked about the current state of their relationship. “I haven’t spoken to him.”

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The “Ex’s & Oh’s” musician did confirm, however, that she watched Schneider’s apology to her — not that she stayed tuned for the rest of Carlson’s interview with the Deuce Bigalow actor. “I think it was like two hours long, so no,” she said. “Nobody wants to listen to that. But I did see his apology, yeah. Of course I watched that, yeah.”

The talk-show appearance comes about two months after King slammed her famous father for being “toxic” on Bunnie XO’s Dumb Blonde podcast, on which the four-time Grammy nominee also accused Schneider of sending her to “fat camp,” forgetting her birthdays and being overall absent from her life as she was growing up. A couple of days later, Schneider appeared on Carlson’s YouTube show and directly addressed his daughter, whom he had with model London King.

“I wish I was the father in my 20s that you needed, and clearly, I wasn’t,” he said at the time. “I hope you can forgive me for my shortcomings. “I feel terrible, and I just want you to know that I don’t take anything you say personally.”

About a month after that, King once again spoke about her father. “I was just speaking about my childhood and about my truth,” she told People in September of her Dumb Blonde appearance. “I was not trying to hurt him.”

“A lot of people said, ‘How could she say that about her family?’ and ‘Everything needs to be behind closed doors.’ No, it doesn’t,” she continued at the time. “Sometimes you have to just say things and get them off your chest so that you don’t have to carry it for the rest of your life.”

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.

Sum 41‘s frontman is holding nothing back in a new memoir detailing the highs and lows of Deryck Whibley’s career.

Released on Tuesday (Oct. 8), Walking Disaster: My Life Through Heaven and Hell is the lead singer’s first-ever autobiography detailing his rise to fame, the success of Sum 41 as well as the struggles he endured — including alleged sexual abuse by the band’s former manager.

Whibley’s memoir starts from the beginning detailing his life before fame, being raised by a single mom in Canada and forming a friend group that would eventually evolve into an internationally famous punk rock band. While the band has since announced their split, fans can relive the group’s most memorable moments straight from the 44-year-old’s perspective.

Since its release, the book has skyrocketed to the top of Amazon’s bestselling chart, earning the No. 1 spot for punk musician biographies. And, for a limited time, you can buy Walking Disaster: My Life Through Heaven and Hell online for 21% off.

Keep reading to learn more and shop Whibley’s memoir.

book cover with deryck whibley photo

“Walking Disaster: My Life Through Heaven and Hell” by Deryck Whibley

$22.81 $28.99 21% off

Buy Now On Amazon

$26.96 $28.99 7% off

Buy Now on bookshop.org

Readers can expect to delve into more than just the singer’s upbringings in Walking Disaster, as he details Sum 41’s rise to fame. Throughout the start of Whibley music career, he kept hidden alleged sexual misconduct from the band’s first manager, Greig Nori, who groomed him as well as sexually and verbally abused him, according to reporting from Rolling Stone.


Reviewers can’t get enough of the memoir with one Amazon shopper saying it “tells some incredible stories, but it also includes some great life lessons about resilience, redemptions, and suffering.

In addition to the lows, the punk rockstar experienced unforgettable moments like “winning at the MTV Video Music Awards and being nominated for a Grammy,” the official description states. Plus, he’ll revisit some of his high-profile relationships including with Paris Hilton and Avril Lavigne.

Audiobook fans can even listen to the memoir narrated by Whibley himself through Audible. Bonus savings: new Audible users can get three months for $3 when you sign up here.

For more product recommendations, check out ShopBillboard‘s roundups of the best country music books, books about jazz and female musician memoirs.

If this were 25 years ago and Beanie Sigel was coming to your front door, uninvited, and accompanied by a crew of about a dozen, maybe his intentions would be more on the nefarious side. But the hip-hop legend, whose nicknames include “The Broad Street Bully,” is out in broad daylight determined to positively affect change. It’s September 17, National Voter’s Registration Day, and Sigel has quite the entourage as he canvases homes throughout Detroit’s 8 Mile. Beans is flanked by his State Property collective brother Freeway, media personality and Quality Control Records A&R Wayno, Harlem MC Smoke DZA, Bronx rapper Mysonne, and My’s tag team partner in activism, Tamika Mallory. 

“Hello ma’am, good afternoon to you, my name is Beans,” Sigel says with a grin to an elderly woman as he stands on her porch. Unfortunately, the brimming bravado that endeared him to so many as a mainstay of Roc-A-Fella Records in the 2000s, is turned down. Undeterred by rejection, Sigel speaks calmly and candidly to seniors and youngsters while taking pictures with OGs on the block who came up on his music. Across the street is a contingent of Detroit born and bred MCs captained by Icewear Vezzo, who too are ringing doorbells and knocking on doors. Today, these hip-hop coalitions share the same goals: sign up as many people as they can who are of legal age, but not registered to vote.

“I’ve lived a very colorful past, where I haven’t always done good in the neighborhood,” Sigel would say later in his sprinter heading to Wayne State University, where he and his compatriots would go on and register students there to vote. “This is a chance for me to not only do some good for the people, but for myself, as well. As I got out and talked to people and share the information about voting and my experience, I’m taking some gems away from the people. We are all learning together in these conversations.”

Vote or Else Detroit Launch, Ice Wear Veezo
Ice Wear Veezo at the launch of Vote or Else on Sept, 22 2024 in Detroit, MI.

“It was a dope experience,” Freeway adds. “I get a lot of love in Detroit. I feel so strongly about the city. Me and Beans have been coming out here since the early 2000s. It was a good experience to go door-to-door. I feel like they connect with us through our music anyway, but being able to connect with them in-person and talk about real life [issues] is an amazing experience. They knew we were speaking to them from a real place and not just trying to make some money. It seemed like people were really receptive to getting registered and those that were registered said they would be going out to vote.”

This past summer, Sigel started spearheading a movement to get involved — not so much in politics, but getting more educated in the political process. With the urging and guidance of his close friend and fellow Philly native Marvin Bing, Beanie aligned himself with organizations Mobilize Justice (which Bing founded) and AAP and started going directly into various communities. Beans would give personal testimony about his journey and heard the stories of the locals, which included activists, members of the church, social media influencers, small business owners and business executives. These conversations commenced in mid-July in Detroit and continued in August in Chicago during the Democratic National Convention.

“We started talking to the people in the community about the issues affecting them and what they wanted to see addressed,” Sigel elaborates. “If they have not voted in the past, we talked about what may have discouraged them from doing so. If they have voted before and will keep putting their ballots in the boxes, we asked them to elaborate on what inspired or inspires them to continue. We don’t try to sway people in the direction to vote for this person or vote for that person. I do tell them to get informed about what candidates’ policies are and who can be beneficial to your needs, your family’s needs and your community’s needs.”

Vote or Else Detroit Launch, Mysonne
Mysonne during an interview for the launch of Vote or Else on Sept, 22 2024 in Detroit, MI.

As National Voter’s Registration Day turned into night, more hip-hop luminaries started landing in Detroit to participate in a Town Hall called “Vote Or Else” at the Huntington Place convention center. The event was open to the public who were already registered or signed up to register to vote. Nipsey Hussle’s brother Blacc Sam — who runs The Marathon brand and store — Killer Mike and Pusha T were among those also participating.

“Everybody thinks it’s always on such a presidential level. Bro, it’s the state and local [elections] too. That’s where you’re gonna feel it at,” Pusha T says about the voting process. “It’s about being mindful of that and knowing what you’re really getting into. Understand the policies of those who are running in circles that are close to you. Be mindful. At this time more than ever, you’re watching the industry, the community, everybody, at once are feeling the effects of the government. We’re seeing the effects of it. The only way to change that is to get out there and vote.” 

Reverend Michael McBride, co-founder of The Black Church PAC and lead Pastor of The Way Church in Berkley, CA was the moderator for a very spirited conversation about reparations for Black people, the need for Black entrepreneurship, the hip-hop community using their voices and platforms as vehicle to inspire and the need to vote.

Vote or Else Detroit Launch, Killer Mike
Killer Mike at the launch of Vote or Else on Sept, 22 2024 in Detroit, MI.

“These are the conversations we need,” Killer Mike said afterwards, still standing on the stage as everyone began dispersing. “We need to be in a constant state of organizing, Kwame Ture once said. We need to be in a constant state of educating ourselves, Fred Hampton said. So for me, whether you read The Wretched of Tte Earth or Watch The White Guys Have All the Fun, we need to come to a place where we’re alone, [and] outside of cameras, to discuss what’s going on in our communities.”

He adds: “What we had here was a great discussion. I loved that, because I walked away knowing more, feeling more empowered, more engaged. I know if we do this at home, if we do this in our living rooms, that’s where the real organization begins.”

 “Vote or Else” isn’t just the name of the Town Hall; Mobilize Justice, The Black Church PAC and AAPI have joined forces as one organization under the same name. Their initiatives are to eradicate voter suppression, the mass incarceration of Black people and end gun violence in the Black community. Vote Or Else are putting out a self-titled EP with contributions from MCs such as Bun B, Havoc From Mobb Deep, Styles P. and of course Beans and Free. The lead cut was just released and is called “Still Here.” The track is a collaboration of fiery, insightful wordsmiths, Benny The Butcher, Jay Electronica, Black Thought from The Roots and Freeway.

“It’s time for us to come together and stand up for something, stand up for something we believe in,” Freeway said of the MCs joining forces for a common cause. “I gained a lot of respect for certain artists that were out there. Especially Icewear Vezzo. As soon as I pulled up to the community earlier, his mom and his family were out there speaking to people about voting. He does sneaker and clothing drives, he has a juice bar in the city. So he doesn’t just talk, he invests in the community.  When I got first signed to Roc-A-Fella records, Jay-Z and Dame Dash instilled that in us. This music thing is just a launch pad for 1000 other things we can do.”

Universal Music Group (UMG) has filed a lawsuit claiming Chili’s used more than 60 copyrighted songs from Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber and others on social media without permission, just months after the Beastie Boys accused the restaurant chain of the same thing.

In a complaint filed Tuesday (Oct. 10) in Manhattan federal court, the music giant accused Chili’s owner Brinker International Inc. of willfully using unlicensed music in dozens of promotional videos across YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook.

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“In order to draw the attention of consumers in the fast-moving world of social media, defendants chose to rely on the use of popular music as an integral part of their Chili’s messaging,” UMG’s lawyers write. “But despite this success, defendants have failed to pay plaintiffs for the music that serves as the soundtrack for Chili’s social media ads.”

In addition to Grande and Bieber, UMG says the videos featured music from dozens of other stars, including Mariah Carey, Lady Gaga, Snoop Dogg, Lana Del Rey, ABBA, Luke Bryan, Travis Scott, Bruno Mars, Lil Nas X, Earth Wind & Fire, The Weeknd and more.

The new case comes less than three months after Chili’s was accused of largely the same thing by the Beastie Boys. In that case, which remains pending, the iconic rap trio accuses the restaurant of using their 1994 smash “Sabotage” online, including in a video that mimicked the song’s 1970s-themed music video.

Social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok provide huge libraries of licensed music for users to add to their videos. But there’s a key exception: The songs can’t be used for commercial or promotional videos posted by brands. That kind of content requires a separate “synch” license, just like any conventional advertisement on television.

That crucial distinction has led to numerous lawsuits in recent years.

Beginning in 2021, all three major labels sued drink maker Bang Energy for using hundreds of copyrighted songs in promotional TikTok videos, with Universal and Sony eventually winning large judgments. In May, Sony filed a case against Marriott over accusations that the hotel chain had used nearly 1,000 of its songs in social media posts. And in July, Kobalt and other publishers sued more than a dozen NBA teams over the same thing.

In Tuesday’s case against Chili’s, UMG argued that a sophisticated company with more than 1,600 restaurant locations would have known that it needed sync licenses to use well-known music in ads — or at least that it should have known.

“Defendants include successful companies promoting multiple restaurant franchises with their own legal departments and protecting their own intellectual property interests,” UMG’s lawyers write. “Despite defendants’ prior history of licensing music from plaintiffs for use in commercials, defendants did not seek to determine which of the videos at issue in this complaint used plaintiffs’ musical works.”

Brinker did not immediately return a request for comment.