Justin Timberlake has conceded that a Hamptons police department can release some of the officer bodycam footage from his viral DWI arrest two years ago.
The singer sued earlier this month for a legal injunction that would maintain the confidentiality of Sag Harbor Village Police Department footage from the incident. But on Friday (March 20), lawyers for Timberlake and the police notified a judge that they’d settled the matter.
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“Petitioner had an opportunity to review the footage respondents intend to disseminate, as redacted, related to petitioner’s June 18, 2024 traffic stop and arrest,” reads the notice of settlement. “Petitioner agrees that the footage respondents intend to release, as redacted, does not constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.”
Sag Harbor police will now release the redacted bodycam footage to various news outlets that have submitted public records requests. It’s not clear yet what will be in this footage and whether or not it will confirm much-memeified, anonymous reports that Timberlake told his arresting officers, “This is going to ruin the tour.”
In a statement shared with Billboard on Friday, the Village of Sag Harbor said, “We are pleased that this matter has now been resolved and the village will be able to comply with its statutory obligation to release the material that is subject to disclosure.”
“From the beginning of this matter, after Mr. Timberlake’s arrest, the village has attempted to comply with the mandates of the Freedom of Information Law,” the statement reads. “As would be true in any case involving records or video footage from our police department, such material is reviewed and redacted to address public and officer safety concerns as well as personal privacy considerations.”
Reps for Timberlake did not immediately return a request for comment on the settlement.
Timberlake was arrested in June 2024 on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. He ultimately pled guilty to a lesser impaired driving charge and was sentenced to 25 hours of community service. He also made a public service announcement about the dangers of drinking and driving, in which he said, “Even if you’ve had one drink, don’t get behind the wheel of a car.”
In legal papers filed on March 2, Timberlake’s lawyers said the arrest footage depicted him in an “acutely vulnerable state” and that its release would “serve no legitimate public interest.” A Long Island judge ordered police not to release the videos until a court review could be completed.
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2026-03-20 22:31:422026-03-20 22:31:42Justin Timberlake Agrees Cops Can Release Redacted Bodycam Video From Viral DWI Arrest
Reports are swirling that Netflix may take its breakout film KPop Demon Hunters on the road, a possibility that would surely sell well within the live industry. However, no official confirmation has surfaced, and what’s been reported thus far appears to be in the earliest of stages.
While the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack featured two groups, HUNTR/X and Saja Boys, the former quickly became a viral sensation. The soundtrack’s lead single, “Golden,” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, making HUNTR/X the first K-pop girl group to hit the top spot. The track was nominated for four Grammys, including song of the year, and won one, winning for best song written for visual media. It also took home the Oscar for best original song (with all three HUNTR/X members — EJAE, Audrey Nuna and REI AMI — performing during the ceremony) and a Golden Globe for best original song for a motion picture.
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Following the film’s success — the movie has reached more than 500 million views on Netflix since its initial release in June 2025 — the group’s members have made limited live appearances as a trio. Their first performance took place last October, when they took the stage on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to sing “Golden.”
Demand for a live HUNTR/X show would be high, and any tour would be sure to make big money for all involved. But given how the band came together — as part of a fictional group for a film created for Netflix that is nonetheless comprised of real singers — an outing wouldn’t be straightforward, and a spokesperson for WME, which reps EJAE and Audrey Nuna, told Billboard they had not heard of any tour conversations happening. (Reps for UTA, which represents REI AMI, and Netflix did not respond to requests for comment.)
Below, Billboard breaks down what a possible tour might look like — and whether such a thing is even possible.
What’s been reported so far?
According to Bloomberg, Netflix is looking into some sort of tour involving KPop Demon Hunters ahead of the animated film’s sequel, which was announced on March 12 (no release date has yet been set). No promoter has been confirmed, and details for the tour continue to be worked out, sources told the publication.
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While the ideal would include all three human members of HUNTR/X taking the stage as a group, the report floated the suggestion of utilizing virtual performers for a live show, possibly as holograms, instead of the actual singers.
Bloomberg suggests the supposed tour would enter arenas with stops in major markets.
(Saja Boys, the antagonist group in the film — made up of Danny Chung, Neckwav, Andrew Choi, Kevin Woo and samUIL — made their first public appearance on the Oscars red carpet and have yet to perform live together. They have not been connected publicly to discussions of a tour.)
Why would this be so complicated?
Simply put, there are different rights involved for the live performers vs. the animated characters, and multiple different parties are involved.
EJAE is managed by Nick Guilmette, senior director of A&R at Prescription Songs, and Audrey Nuna is managed by Soft Serve founder Paula Park; both are booked by WME. Meanwhile, REI AMI is managed by Tropf Management’s Aaron Tropf and booked by UTA. While tours among artists with different teams are not uncommon, it can add a layer of complication, while scheduling conflicts could also limit options.
Then there’s the Netflix angle. Should EJAE, Nuna and REI AMI tour without Netflix’s sign-off, they’d be able to perform the songs from the film, but could not reference KPop Demon Hunters, which Netflix owns as a trademark. That would be tough from a marketing standpoint, given the ubiquity of the film’s title compared to the singers’ names individually and as a group, unless they came to an agreement with Netflix on licensing the name for the tour.
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On the other hand, Netflix could potentially launch a live outing without the three singers, using either animated or hologram replacements. That would be a logistical challenge for Netflix, which does not have a track record of staging live performances in any capacity, and it would presumably necessitate partnering with an outside company that could bring such a stage presentation to life. Whether that would be worth it for the streaming giant is unclear, though there’s a demonstrated demand for audiences to go leave their homes for the film: Netflix hosted several public releases for the film in theaters over the winter, which brought in an estimated $18 million at the box office, according to widespread reports.
Among the HUNTR/X singers, EJAE has released two singles since the movie’s release, including “In Another World” in October and “Time After Time” in February. She does not currently have any tour dates on the calendar.
Nuna has three albums under her belt, including 2021’s A Liquid Breakfast, 2022’s Chump Change and 2024’s Trench, and she’s set to appear at Gurtenfestival in Wabern bei Bern, Switzerland, on July 15. Her website does not feature any further tour dates.
REI AMI released a mixtape, Foil, back in 2021, with her EP Shhh arriving in 2023. She currently has no confirmed tour dates on the calendar.
With so few dates on the performers’ calendars, the possibilities of a tour being announced — either together, or for each artist solo — isn’t out of the question.
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What could a tour look like?
A full-fledged arena tour could be a possibility (and would surely have high demand). However, with only six songs on the soundtrack, HUNTR/X may struggle to fill an entire arena-length show. With Nuna and REI AMI boasting discographies of their own, and EJAE beginning to release some singles, they might be able to fill a setlist with each solo artist performing their own songs.
If an arena run were taken off the table, other possible avenues could include a theater tour that features the film, with HUNTR/X appearing to perform the songs live; a KPop Demon Hunters musical theater run could also allow them to take the stage with musical performances of the soundtrack’s big hits. Both those possibilities would require all parties to work with Netflix, which seems like the option that would be the most lucrative for everybody — though complexities would still remain.
What has the band said?
In an interview with “Who Let Us Out” last September, REI AMI responded this way when asked whether HUNTR/X would be interested in going on tour out in the real world: “I don’t think it’d be shocking, because they did like a whole world tour in the movie.” Elsewhere, EJAE said she “would be down,” and Nuna said she “would not be surprised. This is perhaps in the works. I haven’t heard an official thing about it.”
What is Netflix’s position?
Billboard reached out to Netflix for comment but has not received a response. The streaming giant didn’t comment on the Bloomberg report either.
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In the past, popular films have had successful live runs. Stage adaptations have often hit the road, with Disney’s Frozen being a recent example. Following that film’s success, the musical was transformed into a Broadway show, which later toured North America in 2019. Should Netflix choose to create a live show without EJAE, Nuna and REI AMI, a touring musical could be a viable option.
Of course, Disney has a long track record of producing live events: Its Disney On Ice franchise is popular with the kids-and-parents set, for example, and numerous other live event initiatives can be found throughout the entertainment giant’s business model. Netflix doesn’t yet have that experience in its arsenal.
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Live Nation’s antitrust trial resumed this week after a surprise partial settlement gave the jury a weeklong “spring break.” The week featured key testimony about the operation of the live music business, including from the concert industry’s number one power player: Live Nation chief executive Michael Rapino.
You’re reading Billboard’s weekly Live Nation trial recap, a weekly one-sheet of everything that happened in the monopoly case against the concert giant. Stay tuned here each Friday for all the testimony and big events you might have missed.
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WHAT HAPPENED: The Department of Justice (DOJ) is no longer part of the case, having reached a settlement a week into the trial that requires Live Nation to curb certain allegedly anticompetitive practices. But this wasn’t good enough for many state AGs, and officials from New York, California and dozens more are moving forward with the goal of completely breaking up Live Nation and Ticketmaster.
The trial resumed following a weeklong hiatus on Monday (March 16), with Judge Arun Subramanian remarking, “Welcome back, members of the jury, from your spring break.” The states brought in veteran antitrust lawyer Jeffrey Kessler, who has won landmark cases against the NFL and NCAA, to lead the charge for them now that the DOJ has stepped away.
The states plan to wrap up with their witnesses early next week — a shortened timeline from the DOJ’s original estimate. Live Nation will then get its chance to put on a defense case before jurors decide whether the company is a monopolist.
WHO TESTIFIED: The states called Rapino, arguably the most highly anticipated witness of the trial, to the stand on Thursday (March 19). Live Nation’s CEO of two decades has overseen the company’s meteoric rise and spate of acquisitions, including the Ticketmaster merger in 2010 — a track record of success that’s consistently earned a spot in the top five of Billboard’s annual Power 100 list.
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During his testimony, Rapino strongly defended Live Nation against monopoly claims. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the CEO said he’s “very proud” of how he’s served artists and fans, and he pushed back on allegations that the company intentionally withholds shows from venues that use rival ticketing services: “Yeah, we don’t do that,” he testified.
The CEO stuck to Live Nation’s position that wealthy sports team owners are often the ones to choose Ticketmaster as a venue’s exclusive primary ticketer on their own volition, not because the venues have some fear of retaliation, quipping at one point: “I don’t tell the billionaire what to do with his venue,” per the Associated Press.He also addressed some embarrassing Slack messages that have come into evidence, in which two Live Nation ticketing directors joked in 2022 about “taking advantage” of “stupid” consumers with high parking fees at amphitheaters.
Rapino testified that this language was “disgusting” and “not the way we operate.” He said the staffers in question are still working at Live Nation, noting that he planned to “deal with it this week” but that the company tends “to give employees a break.”
The jury first saw these messages when one of the employees in question, Ben Baker, took the witness stand on Tuesday (March 17). In one Slack exchange, Baker sent his colleague Jeff Weinhold a screenshot showing that Live Nation had grossed more than $666,000 on premier parking in 2021 and wrote, “Robbing them blind baby. That’s how we do.”
Baker, who’s now head of ticketing for Live Nation amphitheaters, testified that this language was “immature,” “unacceptable” and “indefensible,” according to Courthouse News Service. “What I was trying to convey to Jeff was my surprise that the demand was there for those products,” he explained.
The jury also heard this week from AEG Presents CEO Jay Marciano, who lamented Live Nation’s large market share and high Ticketmaster fees, per the New York Times. But Marciano acknowledged that AEG also exercises significant power in the live industry by promoting shows for superstars like Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran and putting on Coachella.
Other witnesses this week included more Live Nation executives, including president of U.S. concerts Bob Roux, former co-president of U.S. concerts Mark Campana and president of arenas Mike Evans, plus executives at other ticketing companies — namely Ed Khoury of Jump Platforms and Christian Lewis of Paciolan.
WHY IT MATTERS: Rapino’s testimony about Ticketmaster exclusivity deals struck at the heart of one of the key monopoly claims: that Live Nation wields its power on one side of the live business (artist promotion) to prop up its control in another area (ticketing). While the DOJ settlement would require the company to offer a non-exclusive ticketing option to venues, state attorneys general are insisting that Live Nation will remain too powerful in the industry as long as it still owns Ticketmaster.
The Slack messages, meanwhile, are a key piece of evidence for the states’ argument that Live Nation’s market power fuels greed at the expense of fans. Live Nation insists that these messages were an aberration that does not reflect the company’s values, and it remains to be seen which way the jury will be swayed. If nothing else, the public release of these communications has been a PR headache for the concert giant.
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Brandy will receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Monday (March 30) at 11:30 a.m. PT at 6201 Hollywood Boulevard. The event will be streamed live at the Walk of Fame site.
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Actress/writer Issa Rae and singer/producer Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds will speak at the ceremony, which will be emceed by host and sports and entertainment presenter Sibley Scoles.
Babyface (who got his own star on the famed sidewalk attraction in 2013) wrote “Sittin’ Up in My Room” which Brandy recorded on the Waiting to Exhale soundtrack in 1995. Her single reached No. 2 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
This has been a year of honors for Brandy. On Jan. 29, she was saluted at the Recording Academy Honors Presented by the Black Music Collective, alongside Pharrell Williams and Kirk Franklin. The event was held at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles.
Brandy’s biggest hit is “The Boy Is Mine,” a 1998 collab with Monica that topped the Hot 100 for 13 weeks. That set a record (which it still holds) as the longest-running No. 1 hit for a collaboration by two female artists. The smash also won a Grammy for best R&B performance by a duo or group with vocal – Brandy’s only Grammy win to date from 13 nominations.
Brandy has landed two No. 1 hits on the Hot 100 and three on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. She has amassed four top 10 albums on the Billboard 200 – all of which made the top three. While Brandy is receiving her star in the category of recording, she has also acted in several high-profile projects. She played the lead role on the UPN sitcom Moesha (1996–2001) and portrayed Cinderella in the TV film Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella (1997), alongside Whitney Houston.
“Brandy has captivated audiences for decades with a voice and artistry that helped shape modern R&B and inspire generations of performers,” Ana Martinez, Walk of Fame producer, said in a statement. “Honoring her with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is a celebration of not only her extraordinary music career, but also her lasting impact on television, film, and popular culture.”
For those keeping count, this will be the 2,839th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce administers the Walk of Fame for the City of Los Angeles. Millions of people have visited this cultural landmark since 1960.
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Despite last year’s challenges in the music business — from generative AI songs breaking onto the charts to the growing issue of streaming fraud — overall recorded music revenues accelerated globally in 2025, marking the 11th straight year of growth, according to the IFPI’s latest figures. For the first time, global music revenue topped the $30 billion mark, with gains across every top region of the world, from the U.S. and Canada to Sub-Saharan Africa.
Overall, the report showed that subscription streaming remained the biggest revenue driver in 2025, accounting for more than half of global revenue. The number of paid subscribers increased to 837 million, up from 752 million just one year prior.
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While the U.S. remained the No. 1 music market worldwide, accounting for 38.7% of all revenue, its rate of growth (3.3%) paled in comparison to other top 10 markets like China, Mexico and Brazil, which saw double-digit gains. All of which shows just how truly global the music industry has become.
Below, check out six big takeaways from this year’s IFPI report.
Overall revenue growth accelerated, largely thanks to gains in Asia.
The IFPI’s last annual report showed that global revenue growth slowed to 4.7% in 2024, roughly half the rate of the previous year — leading some to fear that recorded music revenues were in danger of plateauing. However, this year’s report may bring some measure of relief, as revenue growth accelerated to 6.4% in 2025 — a small but significant gain.
A good chunk of that growth seems to have come from Asia, where recorded music revenue increased nearly tenfold — from 1.3% in 2024 to 10.9% last year. This was driven in large part by massive revenue gains in China and a rebound in the world’s second-largest music market, Japan, where growth essentially flattened in 2024 (-0.2%) before increasing to 8.9% last year. (Japan, a market that is still heavily reliant on physical sales, still has a long way to go in terms of digital growth, though it faces some cultural and institutional obstacles to achieving that.) In fact, Asia was one of only two regions — alongside the U.S./Canada — where growth gained momentum in 2025.
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China overtook Germany as the world’s fourth-largest music market.
China and Germany swapped spots on this year’s list of the top 10 music markets, demonstrating the power of the still-emerging Chinese market, where revenue grew 20.1% in 2025 — more than double the previous year. With a population of approximately 1.4 billion people, China is a massive, and relatively young, market, where a wealth of potential paying subscribers remains untapped.
Those paid subscribers are growing — not to mention the number of paid subscribers who are willing to pay more than the standard price, elevating the market’s average revenue per user (ARPU) and helping super-charge streaming revenue gains. As seen in this week’s earnings release from Tencent Music — the largest music streaming service provider in China, which operates Kugou Music, QQ Music and Kuwo Music — the number of users on its super-premium “Super VIP” tier grew 12% over midyear 2025 and now make up roughly 15.7% of the service’s 127.4 million total paying subscribers.
Latin America continued to surge.
Though percent of revenue growth in Latin America was down year-over-year — falling from 22.5% in 2024 to 17.1% in 2025 — it nonetheless grew for a 16th straight year, with streaming accounting for more than 88% of all recorded music revenue in the region. Bright spots include Mexico, which increased revenue by 13.3% and remained the No. 10 recorded music market globally, and Brazil, which overtook Canada to become the eighth-largest recorded music market.
In Mexico, exports of Música Mexicana have led to consistent growth, as labels continue investing in the region and increased streaming adoption allows music to circulate more easily across borders than ever before. As Tomas Rodriquez, president of Warner Music Mexico/Música Mexicana, said in this year’s report, “Música Mexicana didn’t suddenly appear — it’s always been big. What changed is how easily it can now travel.” Recent forays into Mexico by the major labels and companies including HYBE, which launched a regional Mexican label in September, indicate more growth is on the horizon.
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In Brazil, years of investment by the major U.S. labels also helped lead to revenue increases — from Sony Music acquiring the top Brazilian label Som Livre for more than $250 million in 2021 to Warner Music bolstering its presence there in 2024. In its Q3 results last October, Universal Music Group also reported double-digit subscription growth in the Brazilian market.
Physical revenue grew more quickly than digital.
For only the second time on record, physical revenue growth outpaced digital growth (8% vs. 7.7%). That was partially driven by the aforementioned rebound in Japan — the largest market for physical music worldwide, whose downturn in 2024 helped lead to a 3.1% decline in physical revenue globally. Last year’s spike in physical revenue can largely be attributed to the continued popularity of vinyl, which saw a 13.7% revenue gain last year. Notably, that increase can at least partially be attributed to the format’s growing price tag and the trend of artists capturing more revenue from superfans by releasing multiple vinyl variants, a relatively new phenomenon that didn’t exist when vinyl was king in the ’70s and ’80s.
Artists’ share of industry revenues increased.
Though artists’ share of industry revenues saw only a slight uptick year-over-year — from 34.8% in 2024 to 35.5% in 2025 — that share has grown significantly over the last decade; in 2016, artists’ share of recorded music revenue sat at 31%. This indicates more generous revenue splits for artists, who now have more choice in where and how to release and finance their music — and therefore more leverage when it comes to negotiating deals — than ever before.
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“Deepfake” songs have become an increasingly pervasive problem.
During the global launch event for the IFPI report, Dennis Kooker, president of global digital business & U.S. sales at Sony Music, claimed the company has requested the removal of more than 135,000 AI-generated “deepfake” songs from streaming services impersonating Sony artists including Beyonce, Harry Styles and Queen (per the BBC). “In the worst cases, [the deepfakes] potentially damage a release campaign or tarnish the reputation of an artist,” Kooker reportedly said.
“The problem with deepfakes are they are a demand-driven event,” Kooker continued. “They are taking advantage of the fact an artist is out there promoting their music. That is when deepfakes are at their worst — building off and benefiting from the demand the artist has created [and] ultimately detracting from what the artist is trying to accomplish.”
Sony’s claims underscore the fact that, more than a decade into the streaming revolution that shored up the industry’s bottom line, bad actors are now harnessing an even more powerful technology and threatening to erode industry revenues once more.
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January 2026 started off with a cold, hard fact: Death is inevitable.
The first major musician death to make the news this year was that of Jim McBride, the Nashville Songwriter Hall of Fame artist known for penning country hits alongside Alan Jackson; he died days into the new year on Jan. 6 at age 78. Among his most known songs that he collabed with the country star on were “Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow,” “Someday,” “That’s All I Need to Know,” “(Who Says) You Can’t Have It All” and “Chattahoochee,” with the last song peaking at No. 48 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1993.
Days later, on Jan. 10, Colombian singer-songwriter Yeison Jiménez passed away in a plane crash that took the lives of six people. He was 34. Deadheads were stunned the same day when a statement on Bob Weir’s Instagram account announced that the Grateful Dead founding member had died at 78 after beating lung cancer, but had “succumbed to underlying lung issues.”
Another unexpected death of a celebrated artist was announced before the new year was even two weeks old. Grammy-nominated musician John Forté, who is known for his work with the Fugees, was found dead at age 50 in his Massachusetts home on Jan. 12. Fugees singer Lauryn Hill paid tribute to her late collaborator days later, writing on Instagram, “This loss is unexpected and surreal and my heart aches… for his family, for his wife, for his children, for his friends, and for all of us who were blessed to know him.”
Then on Feb. 25, hours after the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame revealed that the Wu-Tang Clan had received its first nomination for induction, the iconic hip-hop group confirmed that co-founder Oliver “Power” Grant had died at age 52. And just two days later, legendary singer-songwriter Neil Sedaka’s family announced that the musician behind hits such as “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do” had died at 86.
Though the year is still young, Billboard remembers the musicians who have passed so far in 2026.
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“Live from London, it’s Saturday Night!” After more than 50 seasons of TV, Saturday Night Live expands outside of the United States to England with Saturday Night Live UK. For its inaugural episode, the new sketch comedy show has tapped SNL alumnus Tina Fey to host, while English indie rock band Wet Leg is set to perform as musical guest.
Although SNL UK makes its debut live on Saturday, March 21 at 10 p.m. GMT on British broadcaster Sky UK, it drops in the U.S. the following day on Sunday, March 22 on Peacock.
Want to watch SNL UK online for free? Your easiest bet is to sign up a 30-day free trial to Walmart+, which features access to Peacock as one of its member’s perks, to stream the sketch comedy show online without needing a pay for a subscription service. Learn more about Walmart+ here.
Alternatively, you can subscribe to Peacock directly, which is the official NBCUniversal streamer, starting at $10.99 per month. Peacock gives you access to NBC, Bravo, USA Network, CNBC, NBC Sports and Peacock Originals, like SNL UK.
Meanwhile, Tina Fey is one of the best hosts you could have to steer a new SNL cast. Fey joined SNL as a writer in 1997 and joined the main cast two years later in 1999. By the year 2000, she was promoted to head writer, as she also became co-anchor of Weekend Update with fellow anchor Jimmy Fallon. Tina Fey left SNL in 2006.
As for Wet Leg, the band released the award-nominated album Moisturizer in July 2025, while they are set to tour across the U.S. starting at Fox Theater Pomona in Pomona, California on Wednesday, Apr. 15.
SNL UK features a cast of British comedy actors and comedians, including:
Hammed Animashaun
Ayoade Bamgboye
Larry Dean
Celeste Dring
George Fouracres
Ania Magliano
Annabel Marlow
Al Nash
Jack Shep
Emma Sidi
Paddy Young
In the meantime, watch a promo reel for the debut episode below:
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BTS leads this week’s New Music Friday roundup with their long-awaited comeback album Arirang. Led by the dance-pop focus track “Swim,” the 14-track set features an all-star lineup of producers, including Diplo, Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker, Mike WiLL Made-It and Ryan Tedder. The Bangtan Boys are following up the new release with a comeback concert set for Saturday (March 21) at Gwanghwamun Square. The show will livestream on Netflix, but unfortunately, RM’s performance will be “partially limited” due to an ankle injury sustained during rehearsals.
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Mike WiLL also released an album of his own titled R3SET, marking his first solo studio album in nine years. The 15-track LP includes collaborations with J. Cole, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Monaleo, Karrahbooo, CeeLo Green and Swae Lee. Country superstar Luke Combs boasted this week’s other high-profile release, sharing The Way I Am, his sixth studio album. Featuring a tender duet with Alison Krauss, the new set marks Combs’ first since 2024’s Fathers & Sons.
This New Music Friday also gifted us projects from R&B singer-songwriter Ego Ella May (Good Intentions), country singer Morgan Evans (Steel Town), and Smile 2 star Naomi Scott (F.I.G).
On the singles side, Latto rocked the world with her new “Business & Pleasure” track, in which she revealed her pregnancy alongside the announcement of her forthcoming Big Mama album, set for a May 29 release. Billboard 200 chart-topper Yeat teamed up with Kylie Jenner (aka King Kylie) for “Let King Tonka Talk,” and Grammy nominee Coi Leray tapped YoungBoy Never Broke Again for her new “Better Than Yours” single.
Over in the pop world, One Direction alum Niall Horan shared “Dinner Party,” the lead single and title track of his forthcoming fourth studio album. British singer-songwriter Paris Paloma shaded generative AI in her new “Miyazaki” track, while Irish singer-songwriter Dermot Kennedy struggled with love lost across “Honest.” Lizzo also dropped an anthemic, Tina Turner-nodding new single titled “Don’t Make Me Love U.”
Finally, Coco Jones leads this week’s new R&B releases with the Shae Jacobs-produced “Luvagirl.” British girl group FLO turned up the tempo with their steamy new “Leak It” single, while John Legend joined Ghanaian Afro-dancehall star Shatta Wale on the heart-eyed “Aint’ Nobody.”
Which new release this week is your favorite? Vote — or share your own pick — in Billboard‘s New Music Friday poll below.
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CBS News said Friday it will shut down its storied radio news service after nearly 100 years of operation, ending an era and blaming challenging economic times as the world moves on to digital sources and podcasts.
When it went on the air in September 1927, the service was the precursor to the entire network, giving a youthful William S. Paley a start in the business. Famed broadcaster Edward R. Murrow’s rooftop reports during the Nazi bombing of London during World War II kept Americans listening anxiously.
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Today, CBS News Radio provides material to an estimated 700 stations across the country and is known best for its top-of-the-hour news roundups. The service will end on May 22, the network said Friday.
“Radio is woven into the fabric of CBS News and that’s always going to be part of our history,” CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss said in delivering the news to the staff. “I want you to know that we did everything we could, including before I joined the company, to try and find a viable solution to sustain the radio operation.”
But with the radical changes in the media industry, “we just could not find a way to make that possible,” she said.
Not the first radio cuts at CBS
CBS News cut some of its radio programming late last year, including its “Weekend Roundup” and “World News Roundup Late Edition,” in an attempt to keep the service going.
It was unclear how many people will lose their jobs because of the radio shutdown. CBS News was cutting about 6% of its workforce, or more than 60 people, on Friday. It’s not the end of turmoil at the network, as parent company Paramount Global is likely to absorb CNN as part of its announced purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery.
Along with newspapers, radio was the dominant medium in how Americans got their news from shortly after the dawn of commercial radio in 1920 through the 1940s, with people in their living rooms listening to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s “Fireside Chats” during the Depression. CBS News Radio’s broadcast about Germany’s invasion of Austria in 1938, the first time Murrow was heard on the air, was an historic marker for the service.
Broadcasters like Douglas Edwards, Dallas Townsend and Christopher Glenn were familiar voices on CBS News Radio. The beginning of the television era in the 1950s began a long slide for radio, often an afterthought today with the world online and on phones. Those seeking audio often turn to podcasts before radio.
“This is another part of the landscape that has fallen off into the sea,” said Michael Harrison, publisher of Talkers, a trade publication for radio talk shows. “It’s a shame. It’s a loss for the country and for the industry.”
A major radio player for many decades
CBS News Radio was a major force for generations of Americans. “Its heyday spanned decades,” Harrison said. “It was quality on every level. It sounded good. Its coverage was as objective as possible within the realm of human nature. Its resources were extensive. It had a very high trust factor that was considered the standard of the day.”
The front page of CBS News’ website did not immediately carry news of the demise.
Weiss, founder of the Free Press website and without broadcast news experience before being hired by CBS parent Paramount’s new management, has quickly become a headline-maker and polarizing figure in journalism. She held a “60 Minutes” story critical of President Donald Trump’s deportation policy from being broadcast for a month and has critics watching to see if she’s moving the network in a Trump-friendly direction.
Addressing her staff in January, three months into her job as CBS News boss, she invoked the network’s legendary newsman Walter Cronkite as a symbol of old thinking and said that if the network continues with its current strategy, “we’re toast.” She announced the hiring of 18 new contributors and said CBS News needs to do stories that will “surprise and provoke — including inside our own newsroom.”
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Late Thursday night (March 19), Latto dropped her latest single “Business & Personal (Intro)” and used the moment to share major personal news. Along with announcing her fourth studio album Big Mama, set for May 29, the Atlanta rapper also revealed she’s expecting her first child with longtime boyfriend 21 Savage.
For years, dating rumors surrounding Latto and Savage have dominated online conversation, dating back to the aftermath of their 2020 collaboration “Pop Star.” The ATL duo leaned into their chemistry through music, subtle breadcrumbs and the occasional inside joke, keeping fans guessing while never fully confirming the relationship.
Still, the clues were hard to ignore. From coordinated lyrics to low-key appearances and matching energy both in and out of the booth, Latto and 21 built a dynamic that blurred the line between speculation and reality. Fans pieced it together in real time, turning every bar and Instagram post into a potential hint.
Last fall, Latto added fuel to the fire during a brief TMZ interview, casually referring to 21 Savage as her “husband” — a moment that felt like the clearest confirmation yet. Meanwhile, 21 has remained reserved, letting his verses speak for him.
Big Mama comes on the heels of Latto’s 2024 album, Sugar Honey Iced Tea, which debuted No. 15 on the Billboard 200. With the album on the way, the project signals a new chapter for Latto — one that could lean more personal than ever. Whether that includes another collaboration with 21 or a deeper look into motherhood, fans will be watching closely.