Downtown Music has struck a deal with Hook, an AI social music app, which will pave the way for fans to create authorized remixes of the millions of licensed recordings in Downtown’s catalog.

In a time when many of music’s biggest stars are releasing sped up or slowed down remixes of songs, and fans are taking to TikTok to post all kinds of musical mashups and edits, it’s clear that listeners want to do more than just play songs, they want to play with songs, but often these remixes are made without proper licenses or authorization in place.

According to a recent study by Pex, nearly 40% of all the music used on TikTok is modified in some way, whether its pitch-altered, sped up, slowed down, or spliced together with another song. Hook hopes to create a legal, licensed environment for users to participate in this rapidly growing part of online music fandom.

With Hook’s license in place, Downtown Music will receive financial compensation when their works are used in these user-generated content (UGC) remixes. Hook’s platform also gives Downtown’s artists and labels access to valuable data insights, showing them how and where their augmented music, created on Hook, is being used.

Hook sees their AI-powered remix app as a viable new revenue source for artists and labels, allowing them to better capitalize on the fact that much of music culture and fandom has shifted from traditional streaming services and over to short-form apps like TikTok. Hook’s founder/CEO Guarav Sharma says, “we are challenging the idea that music on social media and UGC only provides promotional value. We believe fan remixing and UGC is a new form of active music consumption and rights holders should be paid for it. This deal represents a new model for music, social, and AI. The team at Downtown understands our mission and we’re humbled by their support.”

Previous to Sharma founding Hook, he served as chief operating officer for JioSaavn, India’s largest music streaming platform and one of the first platforms to secure global streaming licenses with record labels. During his time at the company, Sharma and his team grew JioSaavn to more than 100 million active monthly users.

Harmen Hemminga, vp of product & services strategy at Downtown Music, says of the deal, “Whilst music consumption continues to increase, broaden and localize, the trend of music “prosumption” on social platforms is ever-growing. Users of these platforms are including music in the experiences they share with others across a variety of contextual, inventive ways. Hook offers rights holders the ability to monetize these new and creative forms of use.”

Miranda Lambert will receive The Country Icon Award at the 2024 People’s Choice Country Awards, which are slated for Thursday, Sept. 26, at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville. Lambert will be honored for her 23-year career (dating back to the release of her self-released debut album), “during which she’s built an authentic, female-forward brand of country that has shaped the industry,” in the show’s words.

Last year, an ailing Toby Keith received The Country Icon Award at the inaugural People’s Choice Country Awards. He died a little more than four months later of stomach cancer.

Lambert will receive award two weeks after the release of her ninth solo studio album, Postcards from Texas, which is due Sept. 13.

“A tour de force in country music for more than 20 years, Miranda Lambert’s groundbreaking albums continue to capture the hearts of fans around the world,” Jen Neal, evp, live events and specials, NBCUniversal Entertainment, said in a statement. “We’re so excited to celebrate her career, fierce individualism and innovation in the industry with the Country Icon Award.”

Lambert has long been an awards magnet. She has won a record 35 Academy of Country Music Awards, 14 Country Music Association Awards (more than any other woman) and three Grammys.

She has also been a major force on the Billboard charts, with five No. 1 hits on Hot Country Songs, seven No. 1s on Country Airplay, seven No. 1 albums on Top Country Albums and one No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

She has conquered Las Vegas with her twice-extended “Velvet Rodeo” residency and blurred genre lines with her work with such varied artists as Leon Bridges, Enrique Iglesias, The B-52s, Loretta Lynn, Sheryl Crow and Elle King as well as her inclusive anthem “Y’all Means All” for Netflix’s Queer Eye.

In addition to her musical pursuits, Lambert is a restaurateur, businesswoman, New York Times best-selling author and, perhaps most importantly to her, shelter animal advocate. She has raised nearly $10 million to date for rescue animals via her MuttNation Foundation.

Last year, the People’s Choice Country Awards presented a second special honor, the Country Champion Award, to Wynonna Judd. The show has not yet announced who, if anyone, will receive that award this year.

Hosted by Shania Twain, the 2024 People’s Choice Country Awards will air live on Thursday, Sept. 26 at 8 p.m. ET/PT across NBC and Peacock. Voting for the fan-voted show is open now and runs through Friday, Aug. 23 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Fans can vote online at www.votepcca.com. A limited number of show tickets and VIP packages are available now at Opry.com.

People’s Choice Country Awards is produced by Den of Thieves. Jesse Ignjatovic, Evan Prager and Barb Bialkowski will executive produce along with RAC Clark as executive producer and showrunner. 

A pre-show, Live From E!: People’s Choice Country Awards, will kick off the night at 6 p.m. ET/PT on E! The pre-show is produced by Den of Thieves with executive producers Ignjatovic, Prager and Bialkowski.

Mindy Kaling, known best for her roles in The Office and The Mindy Project, brought her signature wit to the 2024 Democratic National Convention (DNC) on Aug. 21.

Addressing the crowd at Chicago’s United Center, Kaling couldn’t resist throwing in a light-hearted jab at fellow Massachusetts native Ben Affleck, who is currently navigating a highly publicized divorce from Jennifer Lopez.

“I love you, Massachusetts!” Kaling shouted, drawing cheers from the crowd. “Everyone is always hating on us. But they just don’t get it. Go Sox! Go Jason Tatum! Ben Affleck, hang in there!”

She then quipped, “Dunkin’ Donuts is the best coffee in the world!”—a playful nod to Affleck’s well-known love for the brand, where he serves as an official ambassador.

Kaling’s connection to Affleck goes beyond their shared Massachusetts roots.

Early in her career, she co-wrote and starred in the off-Broadway play Matt and Ben, a satirical take on how Affleck and Matt Damon wrote the Oscar-winning screenplay for Good Will Hunting.

The play, which she co-wrote with her college friend Brenda Withers, helped establish Kaling as a major comedic force in the entertainment industry.

The timing of Kaling’s remarks was particularly pointed, coming just one day after J.Lo filed for divorce from Affleck on Aug. 20. The divorce, which ended their two-year marriage, has been making headlines since the filing, with Lopez listing their separation date as April 26, 2024—just a few months before their wedding anniversary.

The Bennifer saga has been a rollercoaster for fans. The couple originally began dating in 2002 after meeting on the set of Gigli. Their relationship was a hot topic in the early 2000s, with their first engagement making headlines.

Though they called off their planned 2003 wedding and eventually broke up in 2004, they rekindled their relationship nearly two decades later. After tying the knot in Las Vegas in 2022, they celebrated their union with a grand ceremony in Georgia, surrounded by family and friends.

Kaling’s shoutout to Affleck was just one of the many highlights of the DNC’s third night—she also shared a light-hearted yet meaningful moment about her connection with Vice President Kamala Harris.

“I am an incredibly famous Gen Z actress who you might recognize from The Office, The Mindy Project, or as the woman who courageously outed Kamala Harris as Indian in an Instagram cooking video,” Kaling quipped.

Reflecting on their shared heritage, Kaling recalled, “We immediately hit it off. We talked about the love that we have for our moms, who had both passed away from cancer.” She continued, “Both of our mothers were immigrants from India who came to America and committed their lives to serving others.”

Kaling also couldn’t resist a bit of humor regarding Harris’s cooking abilities, adding, “But the thing I remember the most about the vice president is that Kamala Harris can cook. Guys, she was so much better than me. But she also knew that my family was watching, so as she gently corrected my sloppy dosa making, she was complimenting me every step of the way.”

The evening, themed “A Fight for Our Freedoms,” also featured performances by music stars like Maren Morris and Stevie Wonder. Morris took to the stage with her protest anthem “Better Than We Found It,” while Wonder delivered a powerful rendition of “Higher Ground.”

“This is a moment to tell your children where you were and what you did,” Wonder told the crowd. “When we stand between history’s pain and tomorrow’s promises we must choose courage over complacency.”

The DNC has seen a star-studded lineup as it gears up for Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential nomination acceptance on Thursday night, with performances by artists like P!nk scheduled for the final night.

Watch Mindy Kaling’s speech at the DNC below.

Sabrina Carpenter has cranked up the anticipation for her upcoming single “Taste” by releasing a teaser for its music video, featuring a dramatic encounter with Wednesday star Jenna Ortega.

The clip, shared on the “Please Please Please” singer’s social media on Aug. 21, immediately sent fans into a frenzy.

In the teaser, the 25-year-old pop star, dressed in dark attire, selects a knife from a bed filled with ominous weapons. The tension mounts as she prowls through a dimly lit house, building up to a tense confrontation with Ortega, who is caught in a compromising shower scene.

Just as Carpenter rips back the shower curtain to see Ortega and an unnamed man canoodling, the screen cuts to black, leaving viewers on edge. The teaser wraps with Carpenter coolly using the knife as a mirror to adjust her lipstick, uttering the chilling line, “Oh, I leave quite an impression.”

“Taste” is the third single from Carpenter’s highly anticipated sixth studio album, Short n’ Sweet, which drops on Aug. 23.

Carpenter co-wrote “Taste” with songwriting powerhouses Julia Michaels and Amy Allen, with production handled by John Ryan and Ian Kirkpatrick.

The track dives into complex relationship dynamics, a theme Carpenter doesn’t shy away from. “I will write any song. It doesn’t mean I’ll put it out, but I’ll write it,” the singer revealed in a recent interview with Paper magazine

“I think the series of unfortunate events I’ve encountered in relationships are no secret to people who know me or think they know me.”

Directed by Dave Meyers, known for his work on iconic videos like Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy” and Kendrick Lamar’s “HUMBLE.,” the “Taste” video is set to elevate the song’s drama with his trademark cinematic flair.

Sabrina has made a strong impact on the Billboard charts of late, with her single “Please Please Please” reaching No. 1 on June 29. “Espresso” also performed well, peaking at No. 3 on June 22. Earlier hits like “Feather” and “Skin” reached No. 21 and No. 48, respectively.

Short n’ Sweet is set to showcase Carpenter’s growth as an artist, with tracks like “Good Graces,” “Sharpest Tools,” and “Juno” exploring themes of love, heartbreak, and self-discovery.

Check out the teaser video for “Taste” below.

Singer-songwriter beabadoobee scores her first top 10 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart as her latest studio album, This Is How Tomorrow Moves, bows at No. 6 on the Aug. 24-dated chart. The set, her third full-length studio effort, launches with her best sales week ever – selling nearly 9,000 copies in the U.S. in the week ending Aug. 15, according to Luminate.

Also in the top 10 of the latest Top Album Sales chart, Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess hits a new peak, climbing 7-3; while King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard’s Flight b741 debuts at No. 7 and Logic’s Ultra 85 arrives at No. 8.

Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales. The chart’s history dates back to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now Luminate. Pure album sales were the sole measurement utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album units and streaming equivalent album units. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Of the nearly 9,000 copies sold of This Is How Tomorrow Moves in its opening week, vinyl sales comprised the majority of that figure – 5,000 sold. The album was available across six different editions (color variants and a picture disc). The set also premieres at No. 5 on the Vinyl Albums sales chart.

Tomorrow also arrives in the top 10 on a host of other Billboard album charts: Indie Store Album Sales (No. 2), Top Alternative Albums (No. 5), Independent Albums (No. 6), Top Rock Albums (No. 7) and Top Rock & Alternative Albums (No. 10). The set also launches at No. 34 on the overall Billboard 200 – her first top 40-charting effort on that tally.

Top Rock & Alternative Albums, Top Rock Albums and Top Alternative Albums and rank, respectively, the week’s most popular rock and alternative, rock, and alternative albums by equivalent album units. Indie Store Album Sales measures the top-selling titles at independent and small chain record stores. Independent Albums ranks the most popular independently released albums of the week, by units.

At No. 1 on Top Album Sales, Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department captures an eighth non-consecutive weeks atop the list, selling 28,000 copies (down 67%). Stray Kids’ chart-topping ATE rises 3-2 with 18,000 (down 29%), Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess jumps 7-3 (a new peak) with 14,000 (up 71%), ENHYPEN’s former leader Romance: Untold is a non-mover at No. 4 with 10,000 (down 16%) and Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft is stationary at No. 5 with nearly 10,000 (down 8%).

King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard’s Flight b741 flies in at No. 7 on Top Album Sales, scoring the act its fourth top 10, and matches the band’s highest rank on the tally. The new studio album sold nearly 8,500 copies in its first week, largely from vinyl sales. Its two variants combined to sell 7,000 – enough for its No. 2 debut on the Vinyl Albums chart.

Logic logs his 10th top 10-charting set on the Top Album Sales ranking as Ultra 85 bows at No. 8 with nearly 7,000 sold. About 5,500 of that sum was from vinyl album purchases (across four variants), and the set launches at No. 4 on the Vinyl Albums chart. The album was only available to purchase as a vinyl LP or as a digital download.

Rounding out the top 10 on Top Album Sales: Charli XCX’s Brat bounces 12-9 with 6,000 sold (up 2%) and Twisters: The Album climbs 17-10 with nearly 5,500 sold (up 9%).