Dave Kendall, the British VJ who helped bring the sounds of the alternative rock nation into millions of homes in the late 1980s and early 1990s as the host and guiding force behind MTV’s influential 120 Minutes, has died at age 68. The news was shared by fellow former MTV talking head and 120 Minutes host Matt Pinfield, who paid tribute to his friend and colleague in a post on Tuesday (July 14).

“Dave was one of the true believers,” wrote Pinfield on Instagram. “Long before alternative music found its way into the mainstream, he was there every week on 120 Minutes, introducing people to bands that would go on to define an era. He didn’t just host a show. He gave a home to music that deserved to be heard. He loved the music, respected the artists, and connected with fans in a way that always felt authentic. That’s a rare gift.” Pinfield gave no cause of death.

According to his bio, Kendall began his career as a journalist and editor, writing profiles and reviews for American and British newspapers and magazines including Melody Maker, Spin and the New York Post. After relocating from his native England to New York, he was hired by MTV to create 120 Minutes. He went on to spend seven years as a writer, producer, presenter and news reporter at the video music channel that once had tremendous star-making power.

In his role as host of 120 Minutes from 1988 to 1991, Kendall helped to promote a variety of alternative acts who went on to great fame, including premiering the video for Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” in September 1991. The show continued with Pinfield as host from 1995 to 1999, and then enjoyed a brief 2011-2012 revival, before being canceled by sister channel MTV2 in 2003.

Following his MTV run, Kendall went on to host and co-produce the nationally syndicated talk show Music Scoupe, as well as to host the internationally simulcast 1994 concert Soccer Rocks the Globe and anchor the Woodstock ’94 pay-per-view. In addition, Kendall worked extensively in radio, writing and hosting local and nationally syndicated shows. He also created an early video streaming site (alterworld), worked in content development at Soundbreak and had a seven-year DJ residency at New York’s Limelight; he released the mix CD A Voyage Into Trance, Volume 2, in 2002.

Kendall moved to Bangkok in 2011 to host and produce the travel show Destination Thailand. Beginning in 2017, he edited and wrote stories for the Bangkok Post.

The DC Council in Washington, D.C., has passed one of the most comprehensive ticketing regulation bills in the country. On Tuesday (July 15), the council voted unanimously to give final approval to The RESALE Act, which includes a host of consumer protections — from a resale cap of 10% on concert tickets to requiring ticket resellers to acquire a license if they advertise more than 50 tickets in a year.

Championed by councilmember Charles Allen, the RESALE Act includes several measures that have been proposed or enacted in various states across the U.S. This includes the 10% resale cap, ticket price transparency for fans — so buyers can see the full price of tickets from the beginning of the sale — and the banning of speculative ticket sales and advertising (speculative tickets are tickets that the reseller does not actually possess).

As of June 2026, 20 states across the U.S. have introduced similar legislation on resale and speculative ticketing. But D.C.’s coalition of advocates for the RESALE Act — including the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) and the Fix the Tix Coalition, which is made up of more than 30 live music and event industry organizations and local promoters and venues — lobbied for additional laws not typically seen in similar bills around the country. Audrey Fix Schaefer, NIVA’s board president and director of communications for I.M.P., 9:30 Club and The Anthem in D.C., tells Billboard she hopes the RESALE Act will “become model legislation throughout the land.”

The RESALE Act will also require any ticket reseller that advertises 50 or more tickets a year to register with the district and obtain a license. According to advocates of the bill, requiring this will increase oversight and accountability in the secondary marketplace, as well as inform buyers if they’re purchasing from a professional reseller or a casual fan. When tickets are being resold on the secondary market, the seller will also be obligated to provide the original price of the primary ticket for purchasers to view.

“It is pretty phenomenal that the city thought this was important enough that they’re investing in a new section of the licensing office to” handle the licensing registrations, Fix Schaefer says. “They put it in the budget.”

The RESALE Act will also prohibit surveillance pricing, which prevents ticket sellers from using consumers’ personal data to manipulate or personalize prices. The bill ensures the District has the authority and resources necessary to hold bad actors accountable.

Councilmember Allen, who authored the RESALE Act, said in a statement, “People are sick of big tech wringing more and more money out of them. DC is a leader here and I expect many other jurisdictions to step in once they see we can save our residents money and keep more dollars in our local economy instead of propping up big tech.”

“Black Cat has always been proud of our city and its music scene, and is excited to see DC become one of the first places in the nation where bands can set concert prices with confidence and fans will be free from price gouging,” added Catherine Ferrando, vp and co-owner of independent D.C. venue Black Cat.

Following yesterday’s final Council approval, the RESALE Act will advance through the remaining steps of the District’s legislative process before it can take effect. The act will need to be signed by Washington, D.C., mayor Muriel Bowser, who has shown support for the bill. Once a bill is signed by the mayor, D.C. legislation is shared with both chambers of the U.S. Congress, which have 30 days to either veto the legislation or allow it to become law without interference. If the mayor signs the RESALE Act and Congress doesn’t block it, the law would go into effect on Jan. 1, 2027.

LONDON, U.K. — Dan Nevin will lead Merlin’s engagement with independent trade associations and strategic partners worldwide as vice president, industry relations.

In this new post, the Australia-born executive will also oversee the independents’ rights organization’s global membership development team, supporting membership growth and diversification, particularly across Asia, Africa, Oceania and other emerging music markets; support targeted membership acquisition and engagement strategies; and develop initiatives that help emerging independent businesses build the capabilities needed to participate in Merlin’s global licensing network.

“The independent sector has never been more globally connected, and Merlin has an important role to play in helping our members succeed in that environment,” comments Merlin CEO Charlie Lexton, to whom he reports. “As we continue to evolve, it’s essential that we build ever stronger relationships around the world, ensuring independent voices are represented wherever the future of music is being shaped.”

Nevin “is uniquely qualified to lead that work,” Lexton continues. “He has earned enormous respect across our community through his integrity and unwavering commitment to independent music, and I’m delighted to see him join the Merlin team in this newly created role.”

Nevin brings to the role more than two decades of experience working with the independent music space. He served as CEO of Australia’s independent music companies trade body AIR from 2014 to 2016, at which point he relocated to the United Kingdom. Before that, he served as digital music manager at JB Hi-Fi, Australia’s largest home entertainment retailer.

Since moving to London a decade ago, Nevin has worked with music companies, labels and distributors as a consultant and adviser.

“I’ve been connected to Merlin since its early days and have long admired and respected what the organisation has done and continues to do in delivering value for its members and the independent sector,” Nevin comments in a statement. “I’m excited to take on this new role and work closely with our members, industry partners and colleagues across Merlin to strengthen connections, support the continued growth of independent businesses around the world and develop initiatives that create meaningful value for both today’s members and the next generation of independent rightsholders.”

Founded in 2008, Merlin now represents the rights of thousands of independent record labels and distributors with a membership that is said to account for roughly 15% of the global recorded music market. Its mission: to ensure the world’s leading independents have access to the deals, tools, and opportunities to succeed in the digital marketplace.

Not even two years have passed since the September 2024 release of Suki Waterhouse‘s Memoir of a Sparklemuffin album, but the singer/actress had plenty of life changes to mine for her just-released third LP, Loveland.

“My last record, I finished it like the week before I had my daughter,” Waterhouse tells the Billboard Pop Shop Podcast about welcoming a baby girl with partner Robert Pattinson in March 2024. “And then this one, I remember I started a couple of weeks after she was born. … I never go, ‘OK, now I’m starting the new record!’ I think that would seem too frightening in a way.”

But when she dove in, she put together a wide range of dreamy pop songs for her major-label debut with Island Records, co-writing every track on the project and teaming up with some reliable pop hitmakers for the first time, including Amy Allen, Aaron Dessner, Joel Little, Dan Wilson and Emily Warren.

“What an incredible group of people that I got to work with,” she marvels about the caliber of songwriters and producers on the project. “I think I connect with people really quickly, because I’m quite unguarded once I get into that room. I kind of have that British sort of [thing], like you can never quite understand if I’m being serious or not. But it doesn’t take me long to open up and kind of be talking about the nitty-gritty … and asking people what they think. When I’m with the right person, we can very quickly kind of get that down into a song.”

Listen to Katie & Keith’s full conversation with Suki here, and find highlights from the chat below.

Being inspired by the “huge shift” of motherhood

This record has been me having this huge shift that I knew was coming. I feel like my last record was sort of tying up all of those loose ends, knowing that I’m going into having this huge shift, and then it’s kind of becoming undone and then putting myself back together again. By the end of it, I can very much hold two truths at a time. I feel wiser than ever and also sillier than ever. … I also think a lot of my insecurities and worries about the kind of person that I was going to be, or the kind of mother or partner, and how I was going to do all of that together — I’ve kind of come to this understanding within myself, and I think a lot of those insecurities have maybe lessened, and I’ve kind of found my new self in this very joyful, delicate, interesting time in my life.

Why “Back in Love” was the right lead single

“Back in Love,” it was the last song that I wrote [for the album]. … It felt like healing, and it also felt like, I felt so excited. … Sometimes I feel this kind of dread about going out on the road, and that song made me really excited to go back out on the road. I’ve never played Saturday Night Live before, but suddenly, I was seeing myself play Saturday Night Live. By the way, haven’t got the offer, but you know what I mean? It felt like that kind of song. It kind of just, it made me dream a bit bigger.

How Britpop bled into second single “Tiny Raisin”

Seeing Oasis last year was definitely quite a big thing for me. The year before that, I opened for Taylor on the Eras Tour, so I got that experience of being at Wembley, then went back there the year later, saw my favorite band in the world that I grew up with, and so I think that was definitely running through my veins. And you know, David Bowie for sure also, like that kind of spacey, psych-rock feel. … You know that [British] term “marding”? I was marding a bit on this record and kind of getting my grievances out, but in a kind of cheeky way that feels true to me as a person.

Why “Weirdo” might be her “most personal” song yet

“Weirdo,” that song is maybe the most personal and just me really speaking very bluntly into a microphone and kind of just addressing things that I feel a bit embarrassed about. … They’re the things that you’re kind of like, “Oh, I hope this doesn’t make anyone say whatever on the Internet.” I think that one’s that song. Like, you hope that the listener can kind of get you or have context for your situation a bit, and not just be like, “Oh, you sound bratty.” … I don’t care at all when I’m writing, and then when you’re about to put something out, there’s another brain [or] voice in your head. Then you’ve got to make those two voices speak to each other, because the other one’s just suddenly like, “I want to be liked! I want to be loved!” And then there was the cool version that was just like, “I don’t give a f—, I’m gonna say it!”

What to expect from the Loveland Tour, starting July 22

It’s kabuki kind of, more of like a kind of theater show. … I’m in venues I’ve never been in before. I get to play Radio City for the first time. I never thought that would happen — like, that’s crazy, big bucket-list moments, and a whole new record to play. … I also hate it when I go to anyone’s show and they’re only playing all the new songs, so it is very much a balance.

What she learned from opening for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour

I learned, for example, from Taylor how special she makes people feel. I just always remember walking in and there’s a handwritten note and how happy everyone was to be on that tour, every single person that’s working on it. So yeah, really making sure that everyone’s taken care of and making sure that people know how appreciated they are, because I think the energy backstage and the way that everyone’s treated is so important. So yeah, running like top down, having really like great vibes, and making sure that everyone’s happy.

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Also on the show, we’ve got chart news on how Madonna gets her 10th No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 albums chart, and her first of the 2020s decade, as CONFESSIONS II debuts atop the tally. Plus, Ella Langley continues her stranglehold on No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart with “Choosin’ Texas.”

The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast is your one-stop shop for all things pop on Billboard‘s weekly charts. You can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music, and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop. Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard‘s executive digital director, West Coast, Katie Atkinson and Billboard’s managing director, charts and data operations, Keith Caulfield every week on the podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast provider. (Click here to listen to the previous edition of the show on Billboard.com.)