Former Universal Music Group Nashville chair/CEO Cindy Mabe has launched Joan of Arc (JOA) Music, a deeply ambitious full-service company that includes artist development, label services, publishing and management.

“Country music is at a crossroads,” said Mabe in a press release. “We risk losing the very essence of what makes country music special — its authentic storytelling, its connection to people’s real lives, and its deep cultural roots. Joan of Arc Music exists to be warriors for creators and protect artistry.”

JOA Music, which is expected to announce signings soon, has a distribution partnership with Warner Music Nashville (WMN).  

 “This partnership with [WMN chair/president] Cris Lacy and the team at Warner Records Nashville amplifies our mission,” added Mabe. “Cris is a Nashville veteran whose commitment to the legacy of country music aligns with our vision of preserving the genre’s authentic storytelling while embracing innovative distribution and marketing strategies. Together, we’re creating a powerful platform for both emerging and established artists to reach global audiences.”

The company has three divisions in addition to Joan of Arc Entertainment, which will house the abovementioned label, management and publishing companies. Joan of Arc Studio Works will focus on content creation, including TV/film production, audio content and short-form monetization; Joan of Arc Ventures will highlight strategic investments in partnerships and equity-backed ventures; and Joan of Arc Music Preservation Foundation is the philanthropic arm that will protect country music’s stories past, while developing its future.

Mabe, who was Billboard’s 2019 Country Power Players executive of the year, will serve as founder/CEO of the new entity and has hired staff that includes a number of executives she worked with at UMG Nashville (now MCA), including Lori Christian (head of label services and management), Dawn Gates (head of business development & ventures) and Leigh Morrison (head of office administration & artist relations), as well as singer/songwriter Harper Grae (head of tv/film & project scouting) and Allison Winkler (head of JOA music preservation).

In addition to Warner Music Nashville, JOA Music has secured partnerships with the CMA Foundation, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and mental health and wellness service organization Porter’s Call.

Mabe, who was the first woman to lead a Nashville major label group, exited UMG Nashville in February 2025 after almost two years at the helm. Among the artists she has worked with are Chris Stapleton, Eric Church, Keith Urban, Luke Bryan, George Strait, Carrie Underwood, The War and Treaty, Mickey Guyton and Little Big Town.

The press release about the company’s launch was accompanied by two deeply personal and ambitious treatises from Mabe that serve as mission statements — one titled “The Origin Story” and the other titled “The Difference.” In the latter, she indicts the haste of Los Angeles and New York labels to move into Nashville as country music has exploded. “With the rush for coastal legitimizing, the labels suggesting they know better, it often feels like the coal mines of Appalachia being strip mined of coal all over again,” Mabe wrote. “What we do — the people who create and deliver it — has real value. Our greatest resources are our music and our history, and that will enrich our future.”

Mabe also takes on technology, which she says threatens to overtake artistry if not used properly. “Technology that is not creative led will take the God, the actual life and emotion, out of our music. Without teaching the next generations the craft and how to build artist careers, to develop something rooted in honest life experience, the creatives who bring the legends of tomorrow through the channels of a business that doesn’t value where the songs and music come from won’t know where to begin.”

She adds, “My heart hurts for how little so many coming to the industry care about the sheer magic in music, let alone its power and purpose; that ability to change, comfort and inspire people.”

In “The Origin Story,” Mabe again takes to task the coastal labels’ encroachment on Nashville and pop’s often ephemeral nature that can lead record companies to abandon acts as soon as the music’s popularity drops off, instead of supporting artists long term.  

“Pop labels chase what’s popular, then move on when it cools. For country music, which has existed beyond that premise, it means when the current boom cools, country will be a dead language,” she writes.  “That’s when the lives of Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, Patsy Cline and Charley Pride get reduced to an oversimplified meme that loses the heart of why they hit people where they live. Nashville’s been reduced to a string of celebrity-named bars on Lower Broadway that have little connection to the music, just lip service to what they think they know.”

Mabe adds that she had an epiphany shortly before she left UMG Nashville. “Days after I turned 52, realizing how little any of the incoming dealmakers understood about the history or cared about the music, I left my job as the head of Universal Music Group Nashville. The music meant too much to me to participate in separating the music from its roots, its generational fans and the lives it’s always reflected.” 

Immediately thereafter, while attending her uncle’s funeral and hearing a different song by Alan Jackson played after each speaker, Mabe says, “I wept, not just for the loss of an uncle I’d grown up with, but for the demise of country music… Sitting there, I realized: country music is worth fighting for.”

Funding for the venture was not disclosed beyond Mabe writing that JOA is “funded by the stakeholders of Nashville, country music and those who believe in preserving its cultural and human legacy.”

In closing, Mabe cites the famous heroine from the 15^th century who defended the French nation but was later burned at the stake. “We mean to be disruptors, protectors and groundbreakers. We are destined to slay dragons, rise again, fight for what we believe — and like Joan, a young woman from a small village in northeast France, never be forgotten.”

Liam Gallagher responded to the news that Oasis are part of the 2026 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class in the most Liam Gallagher way possible. The congenitally acerbic singer who in 2024 called the HOF a “load of bollocks” after his band’s first nomination, took a more amiable angle on making the cut on Tuesday morning (April 14) in a tweet giving thanks for those who ushered the Brit pop superstars into the Rock Hall.

“I wanna thank all the people who voted for us it’s a real honour ever since I was a little kid and singing in the shower I’d dream about 1 day being in the RnR hall of fame it’s true what they say anything is possible if you have a dream,” Gallagher wrote in a tweet that appeared to have parts of his tongue firmly in cheek.

But when a fan asked “what happened to not wanting to be in it hmmmmmm,” Gallagher proved that he and older brother bandmate guitarist/songwriter Noel Gallagher were raised right. “Well I was speaking to my mummy last night when the news broke and she thinks I may have been a little hasty with my perception of the organization she’s told me to stop being a dick and go to the awards and behave and you never know you might enjoy it,” he wrote, after earlier joking, “reverse psychology vibes in the area Oasis RnR hall of farmers I mean famers.”

Asked what he will say in his speech, Gallagher said, “Well I’ll obv bring a box of chocolates and flowers and apologize to the organizers for my ignorance.” The rocker also confirmed that he would definitely be on hand to accept the honor. “Too f–king rite I am,” he said, adding that both siblings will be there — “we’re goth going we’re sooooooo proud and humble” — when asked if he plans to attend the Nov. 14 ceremony in Los Angeles that will air on ABC and Disney+ in December.

After being nominated but not making the cut in 2024 and 2025, Gallagher was not as charitable about the Rock Hall, writing in 2024, “F–k the Rock n Roll hall of fame its full of BUMBACLARTS.”

Coming off their triumphant 2025 reunion tour, Oasis will be inducted alongside Phil Collins, Billy Idol, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order, Sade, Luther Vandross and Wu-Tang Clan.

See Gallagher’s tweet below.

I wanna thank all the people who voted for us it’s a real honour ever since I was a little kid and singing in the shower I’d dream about 1 day being in the RnR hall of fame it’s true what they say anything is possible if you have a dream LG x

— Liam Gallagher (@liamgallagher) April 14, 2026

THE BIG STORY: After five weeks of trial in a Manhattan federal courtroom, the blockbuster antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation finally went to the jury, which must now wade through the massive case to decide if the concert giant broke the law.

At closing arguments, an attorney for dozens of states called Live Nation a “monopolistic bully” that had run roughshod over the live music industry and hurt fans. The company’s attorney said it was instead a “fierce competitor” that had played fair and succeeded simply by outperforming its rivals.

Which of those narratives will the jury believe? For now, the better question might be: How long will it take them to pick one?

Deliberations started Friday (April 10), and it’s anybody’s guess how long they’ll go. Antitrust cases are often tried as bench trials that are decided by a judge; handling such a case via jury trial is relatively rare. That’s because they are immensely complicated disputes involving economic theories and legal complexity that are difficult for regular people to understand. Does your neighbor know how to define a “relevant antitrust market”?

These jurors are tasked with weighing weeks of testimony and reams of documents to reach such determinations, including competing academic analyses of the economics of live music. They’re staring at a verdict sheet that is many pages long, featuring multi-part questions that read like logic games on the LSAT.

For context, when the government tried a similar case against Google over the dominance of its search engine, the two-month bench trial wrapped up in November 2023. The judge — a legal expert aided by a team of clerks — did not issue his ruling until August 2024.

The jury won’t deliberate for nine months, or anything close to it. But they are dealing with an almost impossibly detailed case and, if they really want to understand it, they could be there for a while. Or they could give up and just go with their guts.

You’re reading The Legal Beat, a weekly newsletter about music law from Billboard Pro, offering you a one-stop cheat sheet of big new cases, important rulings and all the fun stuff in between. To get the newsletter in your inbox every Tuesday, subscribe here.

Other top stories this week…

— Attorneys for Sean “Diddy” Combs and federal prosecutors battled at an appeals court as he sought to overturn his 50-month sentence, with judges grilling both sides over “exceptionally difficult” legal questions about how much time the star deserved.

— A real-life showgirl who sued Taylor Swift for trademark infringement over The Life of a Showgirl asked a judge for a nationwide injunction barring Swift from selling merch tied to her record-smashing album while the case plays out in court — an extraordinary request that’s unlikely be granted.

— Roc Nation’s insurance company filed a lawsuit to prove that it doesn’t need to pay for CEO Desiree Perez’s ongoing lawsuit with her daughter, arguing that it has nothing to do with her corporate role at the helm of Jay-Z‘s company.

— The two attorneys who won a landmark ruling for songwriter Cyril Vetter on copyright termination sat down for a Q&A with Billboard — talking about the case, their client and a potential battle at the Supreme Court: “I like our argument better than I like theirs.”

— The Prince estate reached a settlement with singer Apollonia, ending their dispute over who owns legal rights to the name made famous by the movie Purple Rain.

— Bruce Springsteen‘s merch provider filed a lawsuit aimed at blocking counterfeit sales during the Land of Hopes and Dreams American Tour — starting with the Boss’ hometown show in New Jersey.

— Pooh Shiesty was denied release on bail after his bombshell arrest for allegedly barricading Gucci Mane in a Dallas recording studio and forcing the 1017 Records boss to sign a label deal release at gunpoint.

— Los Angeles prosecutors charged a 55-year-old woman named Michelle Dick with multiple felonies for allegedly stalking Lindsey Buckingham before assaulting the Fleetwood Mac singer in a recent attack.

— Irving Azoff’s Music Artists Coalition (MAC) threw its support behind Salt-N-Pepa (Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Denton) in their legal battle to win back control of their masters from Universal Music Group.

— A Taylor Swift fan can’t bring a class action against StubHub after her $14,000 Eras Tour tickets were voided on the day of the concert, a judge said, because she signed an arbitration agreement.

— StubHub agreed to pay $10 million to resolve accusations from the Federal Trade Commission that the ticket platform intentionally ignored new “junk fee” rules for the first few days they were in effect.

— Lil Baby’s hemp company sued a joint venture partner for allegedly tarnishing the rapper’s reputation by shipping illegal, contaminated cannabis products across the country.

— Maryland passed legislation to restrict when prosecutors can cite rap lyrics as criminal evidence against the artists who wrote them, becoming the third state to rein in the controversial practice.

In 2026, PSYCHIC FEVER continued expanding its overseas reach, taking on new challenges on a global scale. The group has been steadily building up a wealth of experience, putting on its first North American tour in 2025 and performing at SXSW 2025 in Austin, Texas. Building on the enthusiastic response it has received, it is planning on releasing a new album this July.

Billboard JAPAN talked to JIMMY and WEESA while they were in London.

PSYCHIC FEVER had a fan meeting in London in July 2025, right? What about your London fans made an impression on you?

JIMMY: The reason we were able to come to London is that a lot of overseas listeners got to hear “Just Like Dat feat. JP THE WAVY” thanks to social media. When we performed for the first time in London, we had fans singing along to “Just Like Dat feat. JP THE WAVY.” But what got me really hyped was that fans had also listened to the songs we released after “Just Like Dat feat. JP THE WAVY” and they were singing along as we performed them. The buzz wasn’t just a one-time thing, they really liked PSYCHIC FEVER and were following along with our releases, which made me so happy.

WEESA: The first time we came to Europe, you could feel this powerful energy coming off the fans. They were dancing and singing to our songs even more energetically than we were. Seeing those fans, I welled up with love for performing in Europe. I feel like we’ve been influenced by our European fans, both in our music and the way we perform.

You’ve played in a lot of different countries. What differences have you found in the fans?

WEESA: The songs that get the audience pumped are different depending on the country. Each country has its own sound, and the music that resonates with people depends on the country, so the parts of the shows that get the crowd going in one country are totally different than another country.

JIMMY: In America, the audience really gets into “Just Like Dat feat. JP THE WAVY” and the songs with the 2000s and late 1990s feel that inspired us. In London and the rest of Europe, “Highlights,” which is performed by us and REN, went viral before “Just Like Dat feat. JP THE WAVY.” It has an electronic sound, and it feels like a huge number of the fans are into that kind of genre.

You’re building up a lot of experience with the aim of going global, and I’m sure you’ve had your struggles, but has there been anything that’s made you especially happy or left a lasting impression?

JIMMY: We moved to Thailand soon after our debut, lived there for about six months, and continued to use it as our base for roughly two years. While things didn’t go exactly as we’d hoped, one great thing was that we were able to use that experience as a starting point to perform in all kinds of overseas locations. I’m also really glad that we’ve been able to serve as a gateway for people to become interested in the whole LDH family, both groups that came before us and newer ones. I love that people aren’t just digging us, but other groups too.

I think one of PSYCHIC FEVER’s strengths is that, even though you’re young, you’ve got a message that you convey through your music. Are there any tricks to keeping that steady core?

JIMMY: When we debuted, we didn’t have a really strong concept like “this is the kind of style we’re going for.” We built up our confidence through our overseas experience and the reactions of our fans. So all seven of us were on different pages, but people said that was one of the things that made us great. Those differences are what got people interested in us. Those reactions really resonated with us, which is why we’re able to share our message. The more we get from our fans, the more we want to give back. I think that automatically feeds into the strength of our team.

So as you were building up that, you were also working on your new album, DIFFERENT. What was the creation process like?

WEESA: JIMMY and I wrote lyrics for the first time, and we all talked about what to do from the very start, creating the album from the ground up. A lot of people took part in the album’s creation, so reflecting everyone’s ideas and creating a finished work was really hard, but we were able to pack in even more than our first album, so I think it’s going to come out well.

JIMMY: On our EPs, we’ve tried our hands at hip-hop, R&B, and electronic music. We built up a lot of experience through the process, and I think that’s created the foundation for DIFFERENT. We all have our differences, and that shapes our identity and is one of our strengths. I’ve come to feel that really strongly during the time we’ve been working on the album. This is our first time deciding on a solid concept and creating an album, so it took a lot of time, but we worked hard to create something that would resonate with people around the world.

So there’s a connection between the title of the album, DIFFERENT, and the identities of the group’s seven members?

WEESA: We named the album DIFFERENT to share the message that being different is a good thing. That being different has value. I think there’s also a lot of significance in the fact that we’re releasing this album from London, which is a melting pot of races.

I’m looking forward to the album release. This year, you’ve got a Japanese tour coming up, as well as overseas shows. What kind of hopes do you have for five years down the road?

JIMMY: I’d like to do an arena-sized show. Today, even. My main goal is to perform for a lot of people. Whether the venue is big or small, what we do is the same, but if we want to be seen by a lot of people, we need to perform at venues with capacities in the tens of thousands. I go all out in every performance to get ready for that, but I’d like to further improve my performances.

Changing gears a little, what foods have you liked in London?

JIMMY: I’m constantly eating fish and chips.

WEESA: London has lived up to its reputation for having great meat.

JIMMY: I had meat yesterday.

WEESA: Like steak! There’s this one restaurant I’d love to go to, so I hope I have the chance. There are a lot of delicious restaurants in London.

I’ve heard you really like London, JIMMY. 

JIMMY: London is a great place for learning English, and I like the fashion, so every time I come here I go to the shops and vintage clothing stores around Brick Lane. I’ve been all around the world, and London is my favorite place to go shopping. Recently, there have been a lot of new young street fashion brands coming out, and people around me have been talking about how great London’s street fashion is.

Also, London’s kind of like Japan in a few ways. There are a lot of people who really value older culture and their roots. Even young people will talk about how they’ve gone with a certain look because of the roots of that fashion. I don’t know if I’d exactly call it craftsmanship, but there’s a certain mentality that’s a lot like Japan.

Yeah, Brits do tend to go really deep. I understand why creators like the UK so much. 

JIMMY: British stuff is cool. If I could live anywhere, I’d live in London.

I’m looking forward to hearing about PSYCHIC FEVER playing here in London and whipping up a frenzy in the near future.

This interview by Tomoko Moore first appeared on Billboard Japan

Charlie Puth is heading to Australia and New Zealand this November on his Whatever’s Clever! World Tour.

Live Nation confirmed the six-date run on Tuesday, with general on-sale tickets available from Thursday, April 23 at 1 p.m. local time.

The tour opens Nov. 5 at Spark Arena in Auckland before moving to Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne on Nov. 7, Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney on Nov. 10, Brisbane Entertainment Centre on Nov. 13, Adelaide Entertainment Centre on Nov. 15, and RAC Arena in Perth on Nov. 17.

Puth will be backed by a full live band across all dates.

“I feel like I’ve worked and waited my entire career to put this sort of live show on for you all,” Puth said in a statement. “We have worked so hard to bring you the sort of top-level musicianship and arrangements that you all deserve in a live show, and I am beyond excited to bring my music and this incredible band and show to some of the most iconic rooms in the world. It’s going to be fun!”

The tour supports Whatever’s Clever!, Puth’s fourth studio album, which is out now. The run follows a strong start to 2026 for the multi-platinum artist, who performed at the Super Bowl in San Francisco in February. An artist presale begins Monday, April 20 at noon local time at charlieputh.com, with Vodafone and Mastercard presales also running from Tuesday, April 21.

Puth has built one of pop’s more consistent chart resumes over the past decade. His highest-charting solo single remains “Attention,” which peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2017, while “We Don’t Talk Anymore” featuring Selena Gomez reached No. 9. His co-written and co-produced track “Stay” for The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber topped the Billboard Hot 100 and reigned atop the Billboard Global 200 for 11 weeks in 2021. To date, Puth has amassed over 35 billion career streams, nine multi-platinum singles and four Grammy nominations.

Tickets for all dates are available via charlieputh.com, livenation.com.au and livenation.co.nz.