Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars tip their cowboy hats to the era of Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner in their new music video for “Die With a Smile,” the pop duo’s new collaboration that dropped at midnight ET Friday (Aug. 16).

The visual finds the “Just Dance” singer and Silk Sonic band leader jamming out on a set built to resemble a retro musical variety TV show, wearing matching red-and-blue outfits that wouldn’t have been out of place on the Grand Ole Opry stage in the 1960s. With Mars on guitar and Gaga seated at a piano — cigarette hanging from her lips, her blonde tresses teased to oblivion in true Parton style — the pair passionately belts out their existential new song.

“If the world was ending, I’d wanna be next to you/ If the party was over, and our time on Earth was through,” Mars and Gaga sing on the track that is more yearning throwback 1970s soul than C&W. “I’d wanna hold you just for a while/ And die with a smile.”

Shortly after the project dropped, the Joker star and “Uptown Funk!” hitmaker gave “Die With a Smile” its live debut at Mars’ Thursday night (Aug. 15) concert at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. For the show, he wore a cowboy hat, while Gaga again sported bee-hive hair akin to her look in the music video.

“Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for the icon, pop royalty, Lady Gaga!” Mars said while introducing his duet partner to wild cheers from the surprised crowd.

The pair barely gave fans a heads up before announcing that their new song was on the way, simply posting the cover art and confirming its release date on Instagram less than 12 hours ahead of time. “WHILE YOU WAIT TILL LG7… ‘DIE WITH A SMILE’ a duet with @brunomars ❤️‍🔥” Gaga wrote at the time, teasing her upcoming seventh album.

Watch the “Die With a Smile” music video starring Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars above.

Welcome to another edition of Executive Turntable, Billboard’s comprehensive(ish) compendium of promotions, hirings, exits and firings — and all things in between — across music. While you’re here, we also have a weekly interview series spotlighting a single executive and a regularly updated gallery honoring many of the industry figures we’ve lost throughout the year.

Warner Chappell Music promoted David Goldsen to senior vp of North America A&R. Los Angeles-based Goldsen will continue to sign and develop songwriters and artists across multiple genres, help with leadership efforts for the North America A&R department, and continue supporting songwriters in international markets and overseeing the publisher’s A&R efforts in Australia. Goldsen joined Warner Chappell in 2009 and in 2022 was named vp of creative and head of A&R for WCM. Over the past year and change, he has signed a string of top-tier country, rock, jazz and alternative artists, including Zach Bryan, Teddy Swims, The Red Clay Strays, Laufey and Sleep Token. Goldsen also continues to work closely with Mitski, whom he signed in 2018 and who had a hit in 2023/2024 with “My Love Mine All Mine.” He’ll continue to report to Ryan Press, president of North America.

“David has consistently proven his natural ability to discover and sign top talent,” said Press. “He has steadily built a star-studded roster, and in the past year alone, has brought in many of the artists and songwriters leading today’s charts. I’ve had the opportunity to work with him for over 15 years, and I’m proud of everything he’s accomplished on our team as an A&R executive and inspiring leader.” –Jessica Nicholson

Meanwhile…

Isadora Kamotskin was promoted to marketing director at Warner Music Finland, where’s she’s been a staple since 2016. It’s a step up from her previous role as marketing manager of the label’s domestic marketing department, where she’s worked on partnerships with radio and streaming partners and been pivotal in pushing several Finnish acts including Antti Tuisku, BEHM, Kaija Koo and others. With this promotion, Kamotskin will join the management team of both Warner Music Finland and Warner Music Live, and will report to the territory’s managing director, Ramona Forsström. “She has a strategic vision, strong marketing skills, a deep understanding of our roster and the ability to help artists achieve success,” said Forsström. “Her passion for music, her people oriented management style and ability to inspire her team are invaluable strengths.”

Audio Up‘s record label, Audio Chateau, has secured $4.5 million in additional funding through investors including Glen Barros, managing partner at Exceleration Music, as well as Gillian Hormel and Jonathan Schulman. It has also on-boarded Grayson Flatness, formerly of InGrooves, who will act as an A&R consultant, and industry veteran Kate London, who’ll act as head of legal & business affairs for the label, overseeing business and legal dealings across all music endeavors. This is in addition to London’s responsibilities overseeing business and legal affairs for Audio Up Media. She has previously held executive roles at Global Music Rights, Interscope Records and Warner Records, in addition to her private practice experience.

RADIO, RADIO: iHeartMedia appointed Angela Reed to senior vp of its Inside Sales division, overseeing the company’s slate of broadcast, events, digital and podcast products across all markets. Reed, who has previously held leaderships roles at Miradore, KnowBe4 and Time Doctor, will report to Julie Donohue, iHeartMedia’s president of multimarket partnerships … Cumulus Media promoted Carolyn Chauncey to senior vp of marketing and podcasting, a role that will see her lead day-to-day operations, content acquisition, editorial and production at the Cumulus Podcast Network. Chauncey will continue to direct corporate marketing for Cumulus Media, Westwood One and the Cumulus Podcast Network, reporting to Collin R. Jones, president of Westwood One. Elsewhere at Cumulus, Megan Devine was promoted to vp of podcast sales planning and yield optimization.

Outback Presents hired Christine Melko Ross to lead the company’s Canadian operations as senior vp of global operations. As her title implies, the Montreal-based live executive will also spearhead international expansion strategies beyond North America. Melko Ross arrives at Outback following a 23-year run at the Just For Laughs Group, producer of the legendary comedy festival. At JFL, she was instrumental in running the flagship Montreal festival and in expanding it to Toronto. [This year’s festival was canceled in March amid a bankruptcy filing and layoffs.] Before joining JFL, Melko Ross was lead talent buyer for Donald K. Donald/Universal Concerts/House of Blues Concerts, managing tours for artists as diametrically different as The Backstreet Boys and Leonard Cohen. “Everyone at Outback Presents is excited to have Christine join the team,” said Outback Presents co-CEO Michael Smardak. “Her extensive achievements and experience in comedy will be invaluable to our global growth. We are very proud to have her join us.” Melko Ross is reachable at christine.melkoross@outbackpresents.com.

NASHVILLE NOTES: The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum promoted Haley Houser to associate director to the CEO, Aaron Helvig to director of school and music programs, Dana Romanello to director of museum sales and Joe Bridges to director of security … Southwest Value Partners, developer of Nashville Yards, the nearly completed 19-acre mixed use entertainment district in downtown Nashville, announced Christian Parker as chief operating officer, Steve Lewis a director of security, and Rocky Ryan as vp of operations of the massive project. When completed, Nashville Yards will boast several Class A+ buildings including offices for CAA, AEG Presents and Messina Touring Group, as well as The Pinnacle, a 4,500-capacity music venue … Daywind Music Group promoted Joe Dan Cornett to director of publishing of its bluegrass label Billy Blue Music. Cornett has been with DMG for 10 years, serving as both catalog manager and creative director.

Grammy Award-winning pianist, composer and arranger John Beasley succeeded Chuck Owen as president of the International Society of Jazz Arrangers & Composers (ISJAC). Other 2024 appointments at ISJAC, a non-profit advocacy organization for jazz composers and arrangers, include Mike Conrad as vp of membership and Erica von Kleist as vp of development, with board of directors Billy Childs, Patrice Rushen and Rio Sakairi. Owen, who co-founded ISJAC in 2016, remains on the board. “I am fortunate to receive the baton from Owen, who has left a solid and well-marked footprint,” Beasley said. “I’m most excited to bond and exchange ideas with our current and new members across the globe to help each other further our personal and collective artistic growth, which ultimately furthers the art of arranging and composing.”

Big Loud Records promoted Eric England to senior vp of insights and analytics. England joined the team in September 2021 and established the label’s Insights & Analytics department, leading the label’s data-forward methodology. England has a PhD from Virginia Tech, and started his music industry career following time at The Ohio State University, The Kraft Heinz Company and Mars Petcare. –J.N.

YOU DOWN WITH NEW JVs? BrickHouse Entertainment’s Scott Brickell, Ron Smith and Chase Swayze, along with former Hootie and the Blowfish manager Rusty Harmon, partnered up with Vere Music on Hit and Run Music, a new ADA-distributed marketing, distribution and label venture based in Nashville. The label’s inaugural artist is Micah Christopher … Origins Records and Hitmaker Music formed a new venture that will focus on developing Black country and Americana artists. Leading the JV are Origins executive Kadeem Phillips and ex-MNRK Music Group svp/GM Gina Miller.

ICYMI:

Shari Bryant stepped down as co-president of Roc Nation‘s record label, which has been merged with the company’s distribution wing to form ROC Nation Distribution … Elliot Grainge, son of the industry’s most powerful person, will soon take the helm at Atlantic Music Group. Those who have worked with Grainge predict how the transition may go in this inside look at the abrupt generational shift at Atlantic, the storied label co-founded by music legend Ahmet Ertegun in 1947.

Last Week’s Turntable: Big Noise Amped About New GM

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The UFC goes “Down Under” for UFC 305. Two premiere middleweight fighters face off against each other as the main event. South African fighter Dricus Du Plessis (21-2-0) defends his UFC Middleweight Championship against Nigerian Israel Adesanya (24-3-0) in a title fight on Saturday ( Aug. 17).

UFC 305: Du Plessis vs. Adesanya happens at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, with a start time of 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT. The main card is expected to begin at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.

Want to watch UFC 305 online? This event is streaming on ESPN+ with pay-per-view access, which goes for $79.99 for subscribers only.

If you’re not a subscriber, you can get PPV access and an ESPN+ monthly subscription — which is $10.99 per month — for $90.98 in total, or pick up an ESPN+ annual subscription for $134.98. The annual subscription bundle is the best deal because it saves you nearly 30% overall instead of going month-to-month.

Check out the full UFC 305 fight card below, and PPV livestream here.

Main Card, 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT

Prelims Card, 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT

Early Prelims Card, 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT

Subscribers to ESPN+ can livestream the early prelim and prelim portions of UFC 305 for free. In fact, the prelims card airs on the cable network ESPN, so it’s available to stream on Sling TV, DirecTV Stream and Fubo. The latter two streaming services offer free trials — for five days and seven days, respectively — for new subscribers.

Additionally, Hulu + Live TV, which offers a three-day free trial, come with ESPN as well. You can also get the Disney Trio — which comes with ESPN+, Hulu and Disney+ — starting as low as $14.99 per month.

UFC 305: Du Plessis vs. Adesanya is streamable on ESPN+ on Saturday, Aug. 17, starting at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT, with the main card beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.

Want more? For more product recommendations, check out our roundups of the best Xbox deals, studio headphones and Nintendo Switch accessories.

Eden Muñoz is back with a new album simply titled Eden. Released on Thursday (August 15), the set contains 15 songs in which he fuses the genres that formed him musically — such as folk, country, rock ‘n’ roll and, of course, banda sinaloense, corridos and cumbia.

In his second studio LP via Sony Music Mexico and third in his discography as a solo artist — after a decade fronting the successful group Calibre 50 — the Mexican singer-songwriter released playful titles like “Me Rento” (or “I rent”), “No Sabes La Que Te Espera” (“You don’t know what’s ahead”) with Luck Ra, “¿Cómo Te Fue Sin Mí?” (“How did it go without me”), “Todo Me Vale Madre” (Mexican slang for “IDGAF”) and bonus track “Traigo Saldo y Ganas de Rogar” (“I got money and a desire to beg”).

“If I don’t have fun, people won’t have fun either,” Muñoz tells Billboard Español. “I’ve never been so happy recording an album, I wanted to push my own boundaries. Ten years ago neither my audience nor I would have achieved something like this.”

Eden follows 2023’s Como En Los Viejos Tiempos, whose song of the same name reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Regional Mexican Airplay chart last January. The tour of the same name kicks off in the United States on Friday (August 16) in San Antonio, Texas, and will take the regional Mexican star to cities such as Houston, Atlanta, Indianapolis, Phoenix, San Jose, Reno and Denver, ending on November 27 in Irving, Texas.

Also, on October 19, he will perform for the first time as a solo artist at the Arena Ciudad de México, a venue only the greats aspire to. “It is a great dream for me to be in such an important place and at the same time a great responsibility,” says Muñoz.

In Mexico he will also have concerts in Monterrey on November 9, at the Citibanamex Auditorium, on November 30 at the Telmex Auditorium in Guadalajara, for which tickets are already sold out, and on December 7 at the GNP Auditorium in Puebla.

Below, Eden Muñoz breaks down 5 essential songs from his new album, Eden, here. (Listen to the full album here.)

“Mi Lugar Favorito”

“Mi Lugar Favorito” (“My favorite place”) is definitely No. 1. I never thought I would write a song for my children, and the moment arrived. I consider this the most beautiful piece of work I’ve done so far. Maybe they don’t understand it yet because they are six and three years old, but it will remain as a legacy and they will understand it when the time comes. Musically it is very calm, but the lyrics are very deep: It talks about unconditional love and what we are capable of doing as parents for those beings that fill our world. I believe that many parents will feel seen and that will be a great satisfaction — that they will also dedicate it and share those feelings that I express in the song.

“Mi Momento Más Ex-Quizofrénico”

I love it because it’s risky, because it’s something different up to a certain point in the song, but then a chorus comes in, very much in the style we’re used to. It’s a crazy song [“My most ex-schizophrenic moment”], but without going out of line. It starts with an intro like a horror movie and then suddenly I start singing the blues for a few seconds — and later I mix it with the regional Mexican music that has always characterized my project. I think it was a good mix, it will surely attract attention.

“Mezcal de Calzón”

“Mezcal de calzón” (Mezcal of calzón) is inspired by one of my favorite Beatles songs, “Twist and Shout.” I wrote it in London last year when I was on vacation there. Let’s say it’s a similar sound, but with the lyrics a very Mexican with double entendres, as we speak. I have to think about people 60 years old or older who also want to enjoy the music they like, and with this song they will probably even dance to it. That’s the idea — that everyone has fun and enjoys my music as much as I enjoy it. The lyrics talk about someone who is in love and thinks that maybe they gave him something to drink because he can’t stop thinking about the person. It’s kind of funny but very colloquial.

“Mi Situación Actual”

It is the song with which I close the album. I confess that I went out of the line there; it was a whim because I love rock, electric guitars and everything that goes with it. I used a lot of tools that I’ve been getting to know in the last few years when I’ve been getting into producing. I mix, I get involved in everything and I don’t say that with a desire to be the protagonist, I do it because I’m aware that everything has to be right. Also in this song a part of it is rock and continues with regional Mexican music. The song [title meaning My current situation] talks about someone who has existential problems, who feels bad and doesn’t know where to go, something that happens to all of us at some point.

“Traigo Saldo y Ganas de Rogar”

“Traigo Saldo y Ganas de Rogar” is also one of my favorites because I feel I have the responsibility to present songs with banda because it is the music I grew up with and was formed with. Banda music opened a very big path for regional Mexican music and I have a lot of respect for it. For this reasons it is the bonus track, it is my essence, what represents the genre. I do not speak neither good nor bad of what the new generations are doing, I also sang corridos alterados at some point when I was very young. Today, at 33 years old, I know that this is what I want, to make fusions but to not abandon our musical roots. This is the typical song of someone who is in love and is not ashamed to beg the person. Once again, we are talking about something that happens to a lot people: when they are drinking and want to make an impression on a special someone.