Universal Music Group (UMG) reported nearly 9% revenue growth in 2025, as the label and publisher represented nine out of the top 10 top-selling acts in the world, including Taylor Swift, UMG executives said on Thursday (March 5).

UMG reported revenue of 12.5 billion ($14.7 billion) for the full year ending Dec. 31, up 8.7% from a year ago on a constant currency basis. Recorded music revenue rose 9.3% to 9.456 billion euros ($11.1 billion), driven by sales of Swift’s latest album, The Life of a Showgirl, and an 8.6% uptick in subscription streaming revenue. Other top sellers for the year included the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack, Morgan Wallen, Lady Gaga and Sabrina Carpenter.

The company’s closeness with the biggest names in music led to “extraordinary success” this year, UMG CEO and chairman Lucian Grainge said on a call with investors.

“[Last year] was the third year in a row that we have represented nine out of the top 10 best-selling artists on the planet,” Grainge said. “The only recording artist whom we did not represent is Bad Bunny, and he’s represented by our Universal Music Publishing division.”

In other metrics, subscription revenue grew 8.6%, streaming revenue grew 4.7% in constant currency and physical revenue grew 11.4% in constant currency from a year ago.

Recorded music earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization grew 13.5% in constant currency to €2.3 billion ($2.6 billion), while the division’s EBITDA margin increased by 0.8 percentage points to 24.1%, up from 23.3% in 2024. 

Music publishing revenue grew by 9.3% to €2.26 billion ($2.6 billion), driven by 11.4% growth in digital revenue — a result of continued growth in subscription and streaming revenue, as well as improvements in synch, performance and mechanical revenue. Music publishing EBITDA rose nearly 12% to €531 million ($624 million), while EBITDA margin for the division increased to 23.5% from 22.9% in 2024.

“Our extraordinary momentum continues to build,” Grainge said on the earnings call.

A photo appears in the documentary Billy Preston: That’s the Way God Planned It in which Preston is sitting at an organ across from Barbra Streisand in a recording studio. He’s playing on the Carole King song “Where You Lead” that Streisand covered in 1971 — an accompanying snippet of which soundtracks the photo. Listening to that recording speaks volumes about the gifted, Grammy-winning musician-singer-songwriter.

“You can hear how he pushes her to a funkier extreme,” explains Paris Barclay, the Emmy Award-winning director behind Billy Preston: That’s the Way God Planned It. “When you’re talking about the foundation of popular music, it’s Black music. And Billy shows that incredibly well. Because of his foundation in gospel and the blues tradition of that, he was able to pollinate that around all sorts of pop and rock musicians going all the way through to rap artists who have sampled him.”

“It’s really a testament to Billy’s genius,” adds Stephanie Allain, a producer of the documentary. “He could just slip into any genre and, as Eric Clapton says, be the glue.”

Sparked by a book proposal from David Shaw, That’s the Way God Planned It traces Preston’s life and career trajectory starting from five-year-old gospel prodigy backing Mahalia Jackson to being mentored by Ray Charles and Little Richard. It was on tour at 15 with Little Richard that he met the latter’s young opening act, The Beatles. Thus began Preston’s legendary musical odyssey of performing and recording not only with The Beatles (earning the nickname “Fifth Beatle”) and Streisand but Sly Stone, Aretha Franklin, The Rolling Stones, Clapton, Johnny Cash and Neil Diamond, among many others. In between, Preston crafted a hit career of his own that included No. 1s like “Outa-Space,” “Will It Go Round in Circles” and “Nothing From Nothing.”

Part history lesson and part walk down a star-paved memory lane, Billy Preston: That’s the Way God Planned It — now playing in theaters across North America — is also part cautionary tale. Despite the career highs, Preston also experienced the lows of addiction and several run-ins with the law. In addition, he grappled with secrets tied to his early sexual abuse and sexuality. The latter fostered a tug of war with his faith that he came to terms with before his death in 2006.

During a recent phone interview, Barclay and Allain spoke with Billboard about illuminating a musical genius — and the troubled soul inside.

One comment early in the documentary immediately stands out: “How did we let this boy get away?”

Barclay: When Gloria Jones [a member with Preston of ‘60s gospel group The Cogics] said that, it was a thunderclap for us. It summarized a lot of the people who really love Billy. You can see that love in the film, but also their regret that somehow they missed helping him when he really needed help. So it seemed like sort of a benchmark for the film. It’s our hope that people will look at this film and think about how they can help people they love.

That’s reason enough to have a film like this out there: not just about the glory of Billy Preston, but also the cautionary tale about the next Billy Preston who might be in a similar situation. Like not finding a place in church, even though he loves God. Feeling lost and very lonely — from friends’ accounts — even though he was there with the biggest stars of the era.

Toward the end, there’s another striking comment: “Can you imagine if church was really what it says it is?”

Barclay: Coming from Sandra Crouch as a pastor really says a lot. And that’s a question we bring up. The Black church has always had a huge influence on music. But it’s also had a huge influence on the psyche of many of the people who believe and want to please God with their music and their lives. And there comes this conflict. And so what if the church was embracing and tolerant and did the things that Jesus says we should be doing? That would be something we’d all want to flock to.

Allain: And when Billy Porter says that everybody knows there are queens in the church, that’s something we also don’t talk about. I love that we touch on it in the film because, just like Paris was saying, there are so many people that are affected by this sort of hypocrisy going on.

In chronicling Preston’s life, how did you go about balancing his illustrious career, his faith and the sexual politics?

Allain: We didn’t want to do a hagiography and just talk about all the great things without really understanding him. What we attempted to do was to really get behind his smile a little bit and see what else was going on there. I think his music actually shines brighter because of it, you know. It was definitely a balancing act, though.

Barclay: We approached it through the eyes of love. When you love someone, you see everything: their faults, failings and what makes them lovable. In Billy’s case, it was not only that enormous talent, but his kindness that his smile sort of exemplified. We just really focused on that. We struggled with the balance, trying to figure out how we actually put this together in a way that expresses that love. But I think we found something that seems to work.

What’s your favorite Billy Preston song?

Barclay: I’ll go with “Morning Star,” which is pretty obscure. But you hear it in the movie after his mother dies. It’s really poetic, featuring more of his classical leanings in how he plays the piano. It’s also a love song to his mother. When I hear that song, I also think of my mother, who’s 90, and how she is my morning star, as Billy says in the song. I also think that song extends his legacy of love even further into the new generation.

Allain: I love “I Wrote a Simple Song.” Every time that comes on, I just groove to it. Then there’s “You Are So Beautiful.” And, of course, “That’s the Way God Planned It.” There’s so many, it’s hard to pick.

How did you come to choose that George Harrison-produced song as the documentary’s title?

Allain: We had a lot of different titles, but kept coming back to that one. For a character who’s a little enigmatic, that you can’t really get beyond …  it was his statement.

Barclay: It also leaves the audience with the question: Is that the way God planned it? Billy says in the movie that everything he’s done and everything that’s happened to him has been what God has planned. And when you get to the troubles that he’s had, the addiction, you wonder if that’s the way God planned it as well. Or was there something else happening here.

Did you ever feel like Billy was watching while the documentary was being filmed?

Allain: So many of our interviewees said they had dreams about Billy coming to them. Gloria Jones told us that Billy came to her in a solid gold Mercedes. Since she knew him for so long, I asked Gloria if he would approve. And she said absolutely.

Barclay: Manny Kellough [Preston’s drummer] mentioned that before his interview, he had a dream about Billy appearing, nodding to him and then disappearing. And we actually had it in the movie for a minute, although it was one of those things that has to go when you want to tell the story. But we’re feeling touched and blessed by this film.

It’s JISOO on demand! Just ahead of the premiere of Boyfriend on Demand on Netflix, Billboard has four exclusive photos from the series that give an up-close look at the BLACKPINK singer’s role as Seo Mi-rae, a young woman looking for romance in a virtual dating service that’s too good to be true.

In one of the stills, JISOO has tears streaming down her dismayed face. Another shows the performer in an entirely different light, emanating a hopeful confidence as she sits in what appears to be a classroom while wearing a pink letterman jacket.

The other two exclusive photos feature JISOO acting opposite love interest Park Kyeong-Nam, played by Seo In-guk. The scenes appear completely different from one another, with the first showing a tension-filled moment as the two characters look at each other at night outdoors, and the second depicting Mi-rae and Kyeong-Nam standing in an elevator, the former looking away obliviously as the latter’s eyes fix in her direction.

Boyfriend on Demand will hit Netflix on Friday (March 6), arriving just a few weeks after the trailer dropped. At the time, a description for the project read, “Seo Mi-rae is worn out by work. Love? It’s the last thing on her mind. But a virtual dating service sparks feelings — and maybe a real shot at romance.”

The show is far from the first acting JISOO has undertaken, with the singer also starring in Newtopia, Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy and Snowdrop. She’s currently in the midst of a comeback with her BLACKPINK bandmates ROSÉ, LISA and JENNIE, with the band finally returning for mini-album DEADLINE in late February, after four years without a new collection of songs.

Below, see JISOO convey a range of emotions in Billboard‘s exclusive photos from Boyfriend on Demand.

UPDATE (March 5): The Grammy Museum will extend the exhibition period of Selena‘s personal items until May 11 due to high ticket demand. “Selena: From Texas to the World” was originally scheduled to run from Jan. 15 to March 16, but now, fans will have the opportunity to visit for a longer period.

The show includes clothing, microphones and even the singer’s cell phone, which, for the first time, have left the Selena Museum in Corpus Christi, Texas. After her death on March 31, 1995, the museum was created to honor the memory of the greatest female artist in Tex-Mex music, who achieved the coveted crossover in the U.S., earning a Grammy and securing prominent positions on the Billboard charts.

Tickets for “Selena: From Texas to the World” are available on the Grammy Museum’s official website, priced at $22.50 and valid for 30 days from the date of purchase.

PREVIOUSLY (Jan. 16): For the first time, personal items of late Tex-Mex music icon Selena Quintanilla have left Corpus Christi, Texas, to be shown at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles. The exhibit, “Selena: From Texas to the World,” opened on Thursday (Jan. 15) and will remain on display until March 16.

Outside the museum, as a prelude, there is a mural created by artist Mr. Toledo showcasing the star at different moments in her career. Inside, visitors can view items selected by Suzette Quintanilla, Selena’s sister, including a microphone that still bears marks of her red lipstick, her personal cell phone, instruments from her band Los Dinos, and her Grammy awards — including the Lifetime Achievement Award she received posthumously in 2021 from the Recording Academy.

Pieces of her unforgettable wardrobe, such as the white rhinestone dress by Lillie Rubin that Selena wore to the 1994 Grammy Awards, are part of the collection. Selena was a fashion icon for Latina women and designed many of her own outfits; some of her sketches are also on display.

One of the most consequential artists of her generation, Selena revolutionized Latin music with her tejano twist on norteño music and hip-swiveling techno-cumbias that showcased her versatility. With anthems such as “Amor Prohibido,” “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom,” “Como La Flor” and “No Me Queda Más,” to name a few, her music has endured decades after her death in 1995 at 23.

On the Billboard charts, she earned 24 entries on Top Latin Albums, 16 of which hit the top 10 and seven of which hit No. 1 — among them Amor Prohibido, which spent 20 weeks at the top in 1994, and the posthumous Dreaming of You, which spent 40 weeks at the summit in 1995. On the Regional Mexican Albums and Latin Pop Albums charts, the late artist placed seven and six titles at No. 1, respectively. Amor Prohibido topped the former chart for nearly 100 weeks. 

“Selena: From Texas to the World” was inaugurated by her sister Suzette and Selena’s widower, Chris Pérez. The exhibit comes a month after the death of Abraham Quintanilla, the father and manager of the Mexican-American star. The family had previously safeguarded this legacy at the Selena Museum in Corpus Christi.

For tickets, schedules, and more information, visit the official Grammy Museum website.

What’s more difficult: singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” in front of millions or appearing on Hot Ones? Charlie Puth — who performed the song at the 2026 Super Bowl — still isn’t sure.

While guesting on the episode of the show posted Thursday (March 5), the singer-songwriter barely made it through host Sean Evans’ ultra-hot wings while answering questions, one of which was about Puth’s past classification of the United States’ national anthem as the most difficult song to perform of all time.

“It’s constant tension and release,” the hitmaker told Evans of the anthem penned by Francis Scott Key. “Listen to it. It’s constant tension and release. It’s major chord, minor chord. And I don’t know, it just has a melody that soars and when you put it in 4/4 timing, it’s just good.”

Earlier in the video — before the wing-eating commenced — Puth had confessed, “I haven’t been this nervous since the Super Bowl, I’m going to be honest.” That’s saying something, as the Big Game — which is watched by tens of millions of people yearly — is famously one of the most high-stakes gigs a performing artist can snag.

Puth performed “The Star-Spangled Banner” on Feb. 8 before the Seattle Seahawks faced off against the New England Patriots, winning 29-13. He was one of a few artists involved in the pre-game show, with Brandi Carlile performing “America, the Beautiful,” Coco Jones singing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and Green Day delivering a medley of the Bay Area band’s hits.

On X after his high-pressure performance of the anthem, Puth revealed that he’d specifically used it as an opportunity to pay tribute to another New Jersey native. “I wrote the arrangement in a very specific way to honor Whitney Houston,” he posted at the time. “I hope that was heard.”

Elsewhere on Hot Ones, Puth — who was recently named chief music officer of AI company Moises — had a progressively more difficult time chewing, burping and spitting his way through the spicy wings, at one point saying he was on the verge of an “anxiety attack” and discussing his love of SpongeBob SquarePants. He also shared his thoughts about the future of pop music.

“I like the fact on a logistical standpoint, that there’s no longer people telling you what song you have to sing in order to get played on this radio station, or to get played on Spotify,” the producer told Evans. “It’s just best song wins, which is what I’ve always wanted. I love artists like sombr, who are putting a lot of reverb on their vocals. And I do think pop music, in my opinion, will expand because of hip-hop. It’s always expanded because of hip-hop. Katy Perry, “Dark Horse,” would not be here without Juicy J, Three 6 Mafia and Memphis, Tenn.”

Watch Puth struggle to endure the Hot Ones challenge above.